Wayside Gospel Chapel

Incarnation Day Service moved to Friday

2011-12-06T22:26:00.001-05:00

Reminder: There will not be any worship service on "Incarnation Day", December 25th, at Wayside Gospel Chapel to allow families to spend time together. Instead of gathering that day or the night before, we discussed this last Lord's Day and decided to meet on Friday, December 23rd, in the evening instead. We will have a service at 7:00 PM for a Praise, Testimony, and Devotional time followed by deserts and snacks. If any adjustments need to be made to this, or if there are any questions about this service please let me know.

Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. "Jack" Jeffery

Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel

Greentown, PA

Wayside's Wandering William Schneider Singin' up a Storm and Preaching on the Pilgrim Pathways during his Mighty Mission Ministry

2011-12-06T20:49:00.001-05:00

Bill Schneider singing "Hallelujah Square" inOrange Bay, Portland, Jamaica in November 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LrgECWOlbM[accessed 6 DEC 2011].

Bill Schneider singing "Deeper Than The Stain"in Buff Bay, Jamaica in November 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmZ57n_IGjM&feature=endscreen&NR=1[accessed 6 DEC 2011].

Bill Schneider preaching in Jamaica November 7, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOEVXQSefPw[accessed 6 DEC 2011].

For more wonderful videos from this Jamaica mission tripgo to savagehelp'schannel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/savagehelp[accessed 6 DEC 2011].

Sermon Series: I Corinthians

2011-11-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

The Doctrine of Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15
Part Twelve: The Reasonableness of Resurrection, I-III

1 Corinthians 15:35-49

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Introduction:

Review of the first eleven sermons on this chapter:

1. Introduction
2. The Transmission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (15:1-4)
3. According to the Scriptures (15:3-4)
4. Christ Died For Our Sins (15:3)
5. And That He Was Buried (15:4)
6. The Final Fullness of the Gospel (4b-11)
2) The Gospel Seen by Men (15:5-8)
3) The Gospel Preached by Men (15:9-11b)
7. The Eye-Witnesses to the Resurrection (15:5-8)
8. The Path for Paul from Persecutor to Preacher (15:8-11)
9. No Resurrection of the Dead? (15:12-19)
10. The Direct Connections to the Firstfruits of the Resurrection (15:20-28)
11. Why Bother? Onward Christian Soldiers! (15:29-34)

Bible Study Pointers:

Studying the Bible profitably, properly, successfully and submissively involves the asking of questions. Ask questions of the text. Look for answers. Ask the right questions! Find the right answers!

1. Comparison: What is there that is common to each paragraph or section (what do they have in common, if anything)?
2. Contrast: What is there that is different in each paragraph or section?
3. Shift: What has changed from one paragraph or section to the next?
4. Development: What development does this change or shift signify?
5. Beginning: Where is the author coming from?
6. End: Where is the author going to?
7. Middle: How is the author getting there?
8. Gist: What is the most important statement(s) or point(s) in the passage?

From the introductory message:

"What does it mean if we do not understand how it is possible? – Verses 35-49
The question restated: Is this doctrine reasonable even if we find ourselves at the frontiers of reason in striving to understand it?"

Outline:

The Possibility of Resurrection Questioned (15:35)
The Questioner of Resurrection Confronted (15:36)
The Reality of Resurrection Explained (15:37-41)
The Nature of Resurrection Connected (15:42-49)

I. The Possibility of Resurrection Questioned (15:35) - Objection

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

The nature of the question - "How...?"

The sense of the question - "Withwhat body...?"

II. The Questioner of Resurrection Confronted (15:36) - Exclamation

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

Reasoning with the Unreasonable

Ps. 14:1 - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Science beyond the Scientists

Jn. 12:24 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The Philosopher climbing the Mountain in search of Wisdom - the Theologians are already there

What is a Philosopher?
A Blind Man trying to find a Black Cat in a Dark Room who isn't there!

III. The Reality of Resurrection Explained (15:37-41) - Explanation and Foundation

³⁷ And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body thatshall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: ³⁸ But God giveth ita body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. ³⁹All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. ⁴⁰ There are also celestial bodies, andbodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory ofthe terrestrial is another. ⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, andanother glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

Three Examples:

First Example - Plant Kingdom (Agriculture)

Second Example - Animal Kingdom

Third Example - Solar System (40-41) and beyond - Celestial Bodies

Phil. 2:10 - That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Fall Family Festival

2011-10-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its Third Annual "Fall Family Festival" on Sunday, October 30, 2011 from 3:00-6:00 PM at the church. Wayside Gospel Chapel is located in Greene Township on the corner of Roemerville Road and PA Route 390 about 4 miles south of Promised Land State Park in Pike County, PA. The activities at the Fall Family Festival will include turkey bowling, leaf jumping, pumpkin carving, hay bale throwing and more. There will be food and a bonfire. All ages are welcome, and there is no charge. Activities will take place inside and outside, so please wear warm clothes that you don't mind getting a little dirty! For more information contact Pastor Jeffery by email at waysidegospelchapel at yahoo dot com.

THE BOTTOM LINE

2011-05-25T09:11:00.003-05:00

The following is a guest post by permission from the author, Pastor Mark LaCour, Grace Bible Fellowship (Baton Rouge, LA). More by this author may be found on Sermon Audio at http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=gbf [accessed 25 MAY 2011].

THE BOTTOM LINE
by Mark LaCour

"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2 Thess. 2:1-2).

Harold Camping isn't the first preacher to be a "victim" of bad math. Jonah had the number of days to judgment correct, but God mercifully extended the deadline. Hananiah shortened the number of years of judgment, and it cost him his life (Jer. 28). But bad "accounting" methods don't produce false prophets -- arrogance does. While Harold Camping and his faulty "math" has exposed him for who he is, don’t think for a second God hasn't used him. Notice a few ways:

First, God has used him to show the world how foolish it is to date the future. It's one thing to "look for the blessed appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:13), it's another to circle a date on a calendar and hour on a clock. The former emphasizes our desire to be with Christ, the latter our desire to be seen as someone important with inside knowledge from God.

Second, God has used him to harden people in their arrogance. More than one atheist has patted himself on the back that he's more "enlightened." While he correctly assizes Camping as foolish, he mistakenly generalizes from that foolishness there is no return of Christ at all (2 Pet. 3:3ff.) And God uses Camping's foolishness to harden the atheist with that effect (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Laughing at the "fool on the hill" doesn’t equate to every Christian being a fool. We’re just not on the hill.

Third, God has used him to discipline well-meaning but gullible Christians to always test the prophetic. Rarely is naivete built on immaturity alone, but pride. People giving up jobs, spending their retirement, working/preaching long hours to get the message out is disheartening, but the rebuke should be evident -- humble yourself and listen to others outside your own circle. "The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps" (Prov. 14:15) -- a consideration that requires being teachable from others (Prov. 9:4, 16).

If Noah, a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:5), had concentrated his preaching on the 120 years God was to put up with mankind before the flood (Gen. 6:3) the unbelievers wouldn't have been caught off-guard when the flood came (Lk. 17:26-27); and two, he could have "dragged his feet" in building the ark, knowing he had 120 years. He did neither. He left the calendar -- and the math to God. So should we. There’s too much building yet to be done.

Sola Gratia

2011-05-23T15:29:00.008-05:00

Sola Gratia is one of the five doctrinal “solas” associated with the Reformation: sola Scriptura, sola fide, solo Christo, sola gratia, and soli Deo Gloria. These five “solas” distinguished this historic revival of Biblical Christianity from the Romish errors that had dominated “Christendom” from the 3rd to the 16th centuries A.D. In each of these it is the “sola” that is the necessary criterion for distinguishing the true doctrine from the false. Unfortunately, in the soteriological teachings of many professedly evangelical Protestant churches, schools, and groups, the sola in sola gratia is denied either implicitly or explicitly. This is done by some inconsistently while still maintaining confessional allegiance to sola gratia, or while explicitly professing assent to it.

1. Grace is Alone by Definition - Sola Gratia is Redundant!

There is a sense in which sola gratia is redundant! If grace is not "alone" it is not grace! "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:6) The grace of God by definition will not admit of any admixture of debt! "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." (Romans 4:4)

2. Grace is Alone as Sovereign - God Will Not Share His Glory with Another!

If grace is not sovereign it is not grace, because God will not share His glory with another! "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." (Isaiah 42:8) "For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another." (Isaiah 48:11) Grace is depicted in Scripture as reigning as a sovereign: “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21) The God of grace is the giver of every good and perfect gift, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (Jas. 1:17) He actually reigns as the absolute Sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15) “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14) “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev. 19:16) The nature of His grace is determined by His nature. The grace of a sovereign is sovereign grace, and the grace of God is absolute in its sovereign nature. It cannot be otherwise. Therefore, it is also redundant to describe God's grace by the modifiers "sovereign" or "free". If God's grace is not sovereign, then it is not grace at all. If it is not free, then it is not grace, and it most certainly is not God's grace.

3. Grace is Alone as Glorious - Pure Unmixed Grace, Sovereign Non-Contingent Grace is Praised by the Redeemed!

It is only such non-contingent, unmixed, sovereign grace of God that elicits the praise of His people: "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence" (Eph. 1:6-8)

Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. “Jack” Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, Pennsylvania

Of That Day And Hour Knoweth No Man

2011-05-23T12:55:00.011-05:00

It Is Not For You To Know The Times Or The Seasons
______________________________________________

I. The Truth of Scripture Regarding Human Knowledge Concerning the Time of the Second Advent of Christ

A. The Doctrine of Jesus Christ in the Gospels:

Matthew 24:36 - But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

[Parallel Passage: Mark 13:32 - But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.]

Matthew 24:42 - Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Matthew 24:44 - Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 24:50 - The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Matthew 25:13 - Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

B. The Teaching of the Prophet Zechariah:

Zechariah 14:7 - But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

C. The Teachings of the Angels and the Apostles in the New Testament:

Acts 1:7 - And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 – [1] But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. [2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
______________________________________________

II. The Biblical Condemnation of False Prophets and False Teachers

A. In the Pauline Epistles:

The Teaching of Error Regarding the Fulfillment of Prophecy is to be Shunned, and False Teachers are to be Delivered to Satan to Learn not to Blaspheme

2 Timothy 2:14-19 – [14] Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. [15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. [16] But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. [17] And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; [18] Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. [19] Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 – [19] Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: [20] Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

B. In the Mosaic Law:

False Prophecy is Condemned and False Prophets are to be Punished with the Death Penalty According to the Law of Moses

Deut. 13:1-5 – [1] If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, [2] And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; [3] Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. [4] Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. [5] And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

Deut. 18:20-22 – [20] But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. [21] And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? [22] When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
______________________________________________

III. Scriptural Conclusions Concerning the Proper Response of Christians to False Prophets and False Teachers

The setting of dates and other false teachings regarding the fulfillment of prophecy is no light matter. It is a very serious error. This is not something to be taken lightly. It is not interesting, it is fatal.

False prophets and false teachers are to be shunned. Do no listen to them.

There is nothing to debate. There is nothing to discuss. There is no debate or discussion about adultery or drunkenness, and none should be entertained about false prophets and false teachers.

Shun them. Shut them off. Never listen to them again. Under Old Testament Law they would be put to death. Consider them as dead, as delivered up to Satan for blasphemous pronouncements in the Name of God.

Those who have been taken in by their deception may be appealed to that they may repent and be delivered from the false teaching. However, if and when they attempt to propagate or disseminate the false teaching they themselves come under the same indictment as the false teacher or false prophet, and must be shunned as well.

This includes, for example, but is not limited to the following: Harold Camping, Jack Van Impe, and their promoters.

Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria,

John T. “Jack” Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, Pennsylvania

May 23, 2011

2011 John Bunyan Conference

2011-03-11T14:45:00.004-05:00

The following is adapted from the Sound of Grace, Issue 175 March 2011, Page 11 at http://www.soundofgrace.com/pdf/issue175.pdf [accessed 11 MAR 2011]. Conference information may also be found on the Sound of Grace web site at http://www.soundofgrace.com/johnbunyanconference.htm [accessed 11 MAR 2011].

The 2011 John Bunyan Conference is scheduled for May 2, 3 and 4 at the Reformed Baptist Church in Lewisburg, PA.

Speakers and Topics:

Chad Bresson - Stephen, A New Covenant Preacher
Les Clemens - Some Practical Implications of New Covenant Theology
John Reisinger - Romans in the 21st Century
John Reisinger - Book review: 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law
Steve West - Ethical Implications of the Sermon on the Mount Today
Blake White - Union With Christ and the New Covenant
Fred Zaspel - The Great Commission in Redemptive–Historical Perspective
Fred Zaspel - Cur Deus Homo (translation: "Why the God-Man?") – Hebrews 2

Lodging

Lodging for the conference is available at a reduced rate at the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson in Lewisburg, PA. Just mention that you would like accommodations for the John Bunyan Conference to receive a double occupancy room for only $89.00 per night which includes a nice continental breakfast. Reservations must be made by no later than April 10, 2011 to receive this reduced rate. Reservations at the Country Inn and Suites may be made by calling 800-456-4000 or 570-524-6600. Their website is http://www.countryinns.com/lewisburgpa and the address is 134 Walter Drive, Route 15, P.O. Box 46, Lewisburg, PA 17837.

Meals

Meals for lunch and dinner will be available at the church.

Registration

The registration is $65.00 per individual and includes four meals. Space is limited and registration will be restricted to the first 100 individuals who register. Please register by no later than April 10, 2010. Sign-in for the conference will be from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on Monday, May 2, 2011 at Reformed Baptist Church.

Registration by phone:

Please call 301-473-8781 for registration; Visa or MasterCard accepted.

Registration by mail:

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2010 JOHN BUNYAN CONFERENCE, LEWISBURG, PA
MAY 2 - 4, 2011

□ Register me for the 2011 John Bunyan Conference. Enclosed is a check for $65.00.
□ Register me for the 2011 John Bunyan Conference. Enclosed is a check for $20.00; I will pay the remaining $45.00 upon sign-in.

Make the check payable to Sovereign Grace New Covenant Ministries with a note “For 2011 John Bunyan Conference” and mail to 5317 Wye Creek Dr, Frederick, MD 21703-6938.

Sermon Series: Men Who Died With A Smile On Their Face, Part Two

2011-02-26T02:42:00.013-05:00

Subject: Lazarus
Text: John 11
Subtitle: Once More Through the Tomb!

Introduction:

Review sermon series introduction from previous sermon –
Part One: Samson – Judges 16, One Push From Glory

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.”

Henry V, 3:1:44-51, by William Shakespeare

I. The Response of the Disciples to the Death of Lazarus - John 11:1-13

[1] Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) [3] Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. [4] When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. [5] Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. [6] When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. [7] Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. [8] His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? [9] Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. [10] But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. [11] These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. [12] Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. [13] Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

II. The Response of Christ to the Disciples – John 11:14-42

[14] Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. [15] And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. [16] Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. [17] Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. [18] Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: [19] And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. [20] Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. [21] Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. [22] But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. [23] Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. [24] Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. [25] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: [26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? [27] She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. [28] And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. [29] As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. [30] Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. [31] The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. [32] Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. [33] When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, [34] And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. [35] Jesus wept. [36] Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! [37] And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? [38] Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. [39] Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. [40] Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? [41] 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.

Who was Jesus weeping for?
You have a choice!
Who’s role will you play?
Who’s part will you take?
Be careful what choice you make!
Is Jesus weeping for you?

III. The Response of Lazarus to the Command of Christ – John 11:43-44

[43] And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. [44] And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Consider this from Lazarus’ perspective rather than from the perspective of a bystander

Consider this as reality rather than history

There is a difference between resurrection and resuscitation

The place of this event as one of the greatest miracles

Clusters of miracles in Biblical history

Other resurrections/resuscitations in Scripture:

1 Kings 17:22 - And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

2 Kings 4:35 - Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
2 Kings 13:21 - And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

Matthew 9:25 - But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

Mark 5:42 - And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Matthew 27:52 - And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

Luke 7:15 - And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

Acts 9:40 - But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

IV. The Response of the Unbelievers to the Resurrection of Lazarus – John 11:45-57

[45] Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. [46] But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. [47] Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. [48] If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. [49] And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, [50] Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. [51] And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; [52] And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. [53] Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. [54] Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. [55] And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves. [56] Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? [57] Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.

There were two completely different reactions to Lazarus’ resuscitation

Note the unbelief and the blindness of sin even in the face of this great display of God's power

Conclusion:

Compare the truths of the Christian life in Christ

the resurrection of the Christian in Christ
the murderous hatred of world to testimony of Christians
the death of the resurrected followed by life

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.”

Henry V, 3:1:44-51, by William Shakespeare

resurrection followed by death followed by life followed by resurrection?
Romans 6
Colossians 2

Will you have a smile on your face when you die?

9th Annual Wayside Weekend Bible Conference

2011-02-02T17:01:00.004-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its 9th Annual Weekend Bible Conference Saturday, April 9, 2011 and Sunday, April 10, 2011. Two sessions are scheduled for Saturday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a Fellowship Dinner between sessions. The closing session of the Conference will be the Sunday morning worship service beginning at 11:00 a.m.

David B. Morris will once again be expounding the Scriptures at Wayside. David is no stranger to Wayside Gospel Chapel as this is his eighth visit as our featured Bible Conference preacher.

Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (left) with Pastor David Morris (right)

David studied Classics and Linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, following his conversion in 1973. After nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry, he entered an itinerant ministry of evangelism and conference speaking. He and Terri, his wife of 30 years, have six children. David has ministered in the past at:
1) the John Bunyan Conference (New Ringgold, PA and Lewisburg, PA);
2) the International Baptist Conference (Toronto, Canada);
3) the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference founded by Elder D. J. Ward, Main Street Baptist Church (Lexington, KY); and most recently at
4) the Center for Pioneer Church Planting of To Every Tribe Ministries (Los Fresnos, TX).
Some of his sermons are available on SermonAudio.com at David Morris.

Pastor David Morris (left) with Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (right)

Don't miss this opportunity to gather at Wayside as we are ministered to by this gifted preacher and teacher of God's Word! Please contact Pastor Jeffery if you plan on attending Saturday evening to assist with planning the dinner at waysidegospelchapel@yahoo.com.

Sermon Series: Men Who Died With A Smile On Their Face! Part One

2011-01-18T02:34:00.036-05:00

Samson – Judges 13-16
Subtitle: One Tug From Glory!

Introduction:

You may be familiar with one of my favorite movies: Paul Newman in “Cool Hand Luke” – the incarcerated war hero turned unwilling inspirational anti-hero.

In this movie George Kennedy plays the part of “Dragline”:

“Dragline: He's a natural born world-shaker.

Dragline: He was smiling... That's right. You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore, they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker.

Dragline: That's my darling Luke. He grins like a baby but bites like a gator.”
[footnote 1]

Modern fiction especially as enshrined in comic books is filled with flawed superheroes, e.g. Superman, Spiderman, etc. - heroes with a weakness, flaw, or character defect, etc.
[footnote 2]

There are Biblical characters who fit this mold. They are not fictional however, and some of them may be considered as candidates for our subject due to their dying with smiles on their faces!

1. Job – why? Cp. 42:12-17 – cp. Isaac & David – What a ride!
2. Isaac – why? Cp. Gen. – cp. Job & David
3. Gen. 45:10
4. Jacob – Gen. 48-49
5. Samson – last prayer answered – Judges 13-16; Heb. 11:32
6. David – 1 Chr. 29:28 – cp. Job & Isaac
7. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego – why? Cp. Lazarus
8. Simeon
9. Beggar (Lazarus?) – Luke 16 – why? Where he was headed had to better than what he experienced in his life.
10. Lazarus – why? Cp. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego – Been there, done that!
11. Stephen – last prayer answered – Point man of the martys of the Church
12. The Thief on the Cross – last prayer answered – If I had it to do all over again...

Consider the manner of death of the faithful believers in Heb. 11:13, 32-40.

There are Biblical characters who may not be considered as dying with smiles on their faces!

Enoch – did not die
Elijah – did not die

Drama in classical literature is usually divided into comedy and tragedy depicted by two masks - one with a smile, and the other with a frown, or a happy mask and a sad mask. You will often see depictions of them in theaters. This characterization is very ancient, and usually is understood simplistically as revolving around the issue of whether the protagonist or hero lives or dies at the end, although there is much more than that at stake in distinguishing classical comedy and tragedy. Nevertheless, we will consider the Biblical account of Samson as a legitimate tragedy in the classical sense of the term.
[footnote 3]

I. The Tragedy of Samson

The five elements of a classical tragedy are present in the Biblical account concerning Samson: hamartia (tragic error), hubris (violent transgression), peripateia (plot reversal), nemesis (retribution, and anagnorisis (tragic recognition or insight).

1. Samson’s Hamartia ("tragic error") – Judg. 14:1-3; 16:1, 4

In classical tragedies hamartia is a fatal error or simple mistake on the part of the protagonist that eventually leads to the final catastrophe. A metaphor from archery, hamartia literally refers to a shot that misses the bullseye. Hence it need not be an egregious "fatal flaw" (as the term hamartia has traditionally been glossed). Instead, it can be something as basic and inescapable as a simple miscalculation or slip-up.

Judges 14:1-3 – [1] And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. [2] And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. [3] Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

Judges 16:1 - Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

Judges 16:4 - And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

2. Samson’s Hubris ("violent transgression") – Judg. 16:17

Hubris is the sin par excellence of the tragic or over-aspiring hero. Though it is usually translated as pride, hubris is probably better understood as a sort of insolent daring, a haughty overstepping of cultural codes or ethical boundaries.

Judges 16:17 - That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

3. Samson’s Peripateia ("plot reversal") – Judg. 16:18-20

In the literature of tragedy peripateia is a pivotal or crucial action on the part of the protagonist that changes his situation from seemingly secure to vulnerable.

Judges 16:18-20 – [18] And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. [19] And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. [20] And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

4. Samson’s Nemesis ("retribution") – Judg. 16:21

Nemesis is the inevitable punishment or cosmic payback for acts of hubris.

Judges 16:21 - But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

5. Samson’s Anagnorisis ("tragic recognition or insight") – Judg. 16:28-30

According to Aristotle, anagnorisis is a moment of clairvoyant insight or understanding in the mind of the tragic hero as he suddenly comprehends the web of fate that he has entangled himself in.

Judges 16:28-30 – [28] And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. [29] And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. [30] And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

II. The Questions about Samson

1. Why are these four chapters in the Bible?

Larger issue = why is the book of Judges in the Bible?

2. Was Samson wrong in what he did at the end of his life?

1) “Vindictive” final prayer?

Consider what J. Barton Payne has written on this prayer!

“Under the judges of the consolation period, there confessedly took place a general spiritual retrogression; and those, indeed , who were, filled with God’s Spirit sometimes exhibited morals of a low order, even in their triumphs. Well-known is the case of the vindicativeness of Samson at his death, who prayed, “Oh God, that I may be avenged!” (Judg. 13:28) With his words, however, should be compared under similar circumstances, our Savior’s prayer for the forgiveness of his persecutors (Luke 23:34). Such lapses as Samson’s perhaps contribute to the explanation of the very periodic nature of their spiritual infilling (Judg. 13:25).”
[footnote 4]

Then consider Rev. 6:9-11!

[9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The essence of Samson’s final prayer:

Psalm 31:10 - For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

Psalm 39:13 - O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

2) Ethical issue of Samson’s suicide

Common picture of Samson “chained” to the pillars in error?

One of three examples in Scripture including Saul (1 Sam. 31),
and Judas (Mt. 27:5; Acts 1:18)

Two others of those who sought euthanasia - Abimelech, Judg. 9:50-57;
and Saul, 1 Sam. 31

3. What may we learn of Christ here?

1) Alone against the enemy

2) Seemingly conquered and humiliated by the enemy

3) Victorious in death

4) Delilah as a Judas figure

“Compare Calvin’s argument in his letter “To all lovers of Jesus Christ” (fol. aa2v; CO 9.813), in which he depicts Christ as the beloved Isaac, the vigilant Jacob, the kindly Joseph, the “bishop” Melchizedek, the lawgiver Moses, the faithful Joshua, the mighty David, the prudent Solomon, and the victorious Samson.”
[footnote 5]

“21. It is not unlikely that Mark intends to correlate Jesus with Samson here. Jesus is identified as the “Nazarene” and “the Holy One of God” as is Samson in Judg 16:17 (LXX), who in the A text is called naziraios theou and in the B text hagios theou. Judg 16:17B is the only other place in the Bible where an individual is called hagios theou (albeit without the article). Jesus thus appears to be recognized by the demoniac as one like Samson, powerful and set apart, “who plunders the house of the strong man” (Mark 3:27). See Schweizer, “Er wird Nazoräer heissen,” Neotestamentica 51-55.”
[footnote 6]

Mark 1:21–28 establishes Jesus’ exousia over Satan in the exorcism of the man with an unclean spirit. The language recalls the mighty Samson, the only other individual called “holy one of God” in the Bible, thus establishing the same motif of Mark’s first and pithiest parable (3:27), which is set within the Beelzebul controversy (3:20–30).”
[footnote 7]

III. The Lessons from Samson

1. What may we learn of ourselves here?

1) Samson was used by God.

Even in our weakness and sin God can use us. He does not need our perfection as a prerequisite before He can use us to accomplish His purposes. He calls the lowly, and the weak, and the despised of this world to show His power, and to display His might.

2) Samson’s faith (Heb. 11:32) was exercised in a day of great compromise.

This episode is centered in a historical period that has been described as the Canaanization of Israel. The parallel to compromise in Christianity in our own day would be the “worldification” or “secularization” of the Church. Do you think that there are parallels to our day?

Hebrews 11:32 - And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

3) Samson’s faith (Heb. 11:32) was exercised in a day of great fear.

God’s people were afraid of their enemies. They were pessimistic, and lacking in hope. Their faith was weak, or non-existent. And in that day God raised up a warrior, a mighty hero, against His enemies.

Hebrews 11:32 - And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

4) Samson stood alone.

Can you stand alone while others fear, and in the worst of times, when the horizon is dark, and you are surrounded by weakness? Can you count on and expect God to show Himself strong in spite of all of that? Can you see beyond present circumstances to the Sovereign over all circumstances, events and history?

2. Will you have a smile on your face when you die?

Footnotes:

1. IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/. See also: Prison Flicks at http://www.prisonflicks.com/reviews.php?filmID=31, Film Site at http://www.filmsite.org/cool.html, and Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Hand_Luke. All of the above accessed 7 FEB 08.

2. NPR interview with Stan Lee at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6684820; Interview with Stan Lee at http://vodpod.com/watch/500242-stan-lee-interview; Press Conference Interview with Stan Lee at http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6017; and the BBC's online encyclopedia h2g2 article on superheroes at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/a276888. All of the above accessed 7 FEB 08.

3. “Greek Drama”, by Richard Hooker, Washington State University, Pullman, WA; c. 1996, at http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/DRAMA.HTM [accessed 7 FEB 08]. “Comedy and Tragedy”, by David L. Simpson, The School for New Learning, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, c. 1998, at http://condor.depaul.edu/~dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html [accessed 7 FEB 08]. “English 366: Studies in Shakespeare, Introduction to English 366”, a lecture prepared for “English 366: Studies in Shakespeare”, by Ian Johnston of Malaspina University College, Nanaimo, BC. This text is in the public domain, released June 1999. It was last revised August 1, 2000 and again in December 2000, at http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/lectures/lecture1.htm [accessed 7 FEB 08]. “Some Distinctions Between Classical Tragedy and Comedy”, by Dr. L. Kip Wheeler, Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, TN, c. 1998-2008, at http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Tragedy_Comedy.pdf [accessed 7 FEB 08].

4. Theology of the Older Testament (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1962), pg. 421.

5. Westminster Theological Journal. electronic edition. Philadelphia : Westminster Theological Seminary, 1998; “An Early Reformed Document on the Mission to the Jews”, by Robert White, WTJ 53:1 (Spring 1991), pg. 98, note 15; full article = pp. 93-108.

6. The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. electronic edition. Garland, TX : Galaxie Software, 1998; “The Authority Of Jesus In The Gospel Of Mark”, by James R. Edwards, JETS (June 1994), pg. 221; full article = pp. 217-233.

7. The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. electronic edition. Garland, TX : Galaxie Software, 1998; “The Authority Of Jesus In The Gospel Of Mark”, by James R. Edwards, JETS (June 1994), pg. 230; full article = pp. 217-233.

With harps and with viols

2011-01-18T00:17:00.004-05:00

Subtitle: The New Song

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:5-6

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:3

With harps and with viols, there stand a great throng
In the presence of Jesus, and sing this new song:

[Refrain]
Unto him who hath loved us and washed us from sin,
Unto him be the glory for ever. Amen.

All these once were sinners, defiled in his sight,
Now arrayed in pure garments in praise they unite:

[Refrain]
Unto him who hath loved us and washed us from sin,
Unto him be the glory for ever. Amen.

He maketh the rebel a priest and a king,
He hath bought us and taught us this new song to sing:

[Refrain]
Unto him who hath loved us and washed us from sin,
Unto him be the glory for ever. Amen.

How helpless and hopeless we sinners had been,
If he never had loved us till cleansed from our sin:

[Refrain]
Unto him who hath loved us and washed us from sin,
Unto him be the glory for ever. Amen.

Aloud in his praises our voices shall ring,
So that others believing, this new song shall sing:

[Refrain]
Unto him who hath loved us and washed us from sin,
Unto him be the glory for ever. Amen.

Author: Arthur T. Pierson (1837-1911);
Composer: Philip P. Bliss;
Tune name: Harps and Viols, also The New Song,
Meter: 6.5.7.5.ref., also 11.12.12.12;
Key: B Flat Major.

Sources: Trinity Hymnal (Philadelphia: Great Commission Publications, 1961), #714; Hymns of Worship and Remembrance (Belle Chasse, LA: Truth and Praise, Inc., 1950), #30 (only 3 verses); Hymns of Truth and Praise (Belle Chasse, LA: Truth and Praise, Inc., 1971), #49. According to Hymnary.org at http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/TH/547 [accessed 18 JAn 2011], this hymn is #547 in the 1990 edition of Trinity Hymnal.

Audio of the tune is available at: Cyber Hymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/e/w/newsong.htm [accessed 26 June 2010], and Trinity Hymnal on Orthodox Presbyterian Church at http://opc.org/hymn.html?hymn_id=834 [accessed 18 JAN 2011].

“When Daniel Whittle and Philip Bliss conducted a six-week campaign in Detroit, Michigan, they stayed in Pierson’s home. Pierson gave Bliss these words and was impressed that Bliss “withdrew for a season of prayer before composing the music.” CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/e/w/newsong.htm [accessed 26 June 2010].

HERE IS LOVE

2011-01-17T19:36:00.008-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is indebted to David Morris for bringing this hymn to our attention!

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1 John 3:1

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Information:

Original Welsh title: DYMA CARIAD FEL Y MOROEDD.
Known as “the love song of the Welsh Revival”, and “the great anthem of the Welsh Revival of 1904”.
Words: William Rees (Gwilym Hiraethog,1802-1883), verses 1-2; William Williams possibly wrote verses 3-4; trans. from Welsh to English by William Edwards, "The Baptist Book of Praise" (1900).
Music: Robert Lowry, 1876.

Sources:

Cyber Hymmal at www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/e/herelove.htm [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Hymnary.org at http://www.hymnary.org/node/6308 [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

For beautiful renditions of this hymns see the following:

Huw Priday during the Welsh Revival Centenary Celebrations in the Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff, Wales (November, 2004) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APrUPPC8bFY&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Katherine Jenkins leads the Morriston Tabernacle Chapel congregation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpEaflHQbwI&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

The Three Northwoods Tenors at the Northwoods Hymn Festival, Minocqua, Wisconsin (2009) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdZ-g6ngaE&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Robin Mark at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdYAPBLQMWA [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Matt Redman at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8YOPj5TnUM&feature=related
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxWumdXi5sc&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Michael O’Dwyer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0prKM_zOPP4&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JomY7ErToTo&feature=related [accessed 16 SEP 2010].

Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology 2011

2011-01-14T12:23:00.004-05:00

Children of God: Adopted into the Father's Love

“If the love of a father will not make a child delight in him, what will?” John Owen

Speakers

Joel Beeke (All)
Steve Lawson (All)
Al Martin (OR)
Richard Phillips (All)
Derek Thomas (MI, SC)
David Wells (SC, PA)

Locations

Portland, OR
February 25-27, 2011
Estacada Christian Church
29101 SE Eagle Creek Rd.
Estacada, OR 97023

Grand Rapids, MI
March 18-20, 2011
Byron Center First Christian Reformed Church
2450 85th Street S.W.
Byron Center, MI 49315

Greenville, SC
April 1-3, 2011
Second Presbyterian Church
105 River Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Philadelphia, PA
April 29 - May 1, 2011
Tenth Presbyterian Church
1701 Delancey Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Source: Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals at http://www.alliancenet.org/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID307086_CHID811018_CIID,02011.html [accessed 14 JAN 2010].

John Bunyan Conference

2011-01-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

"The 2011 John Bunyan Conference is scheduled for May 2,3 and 4 in Lewisburg, PA.

Mark your calendars now!

Details to follow in upcoming issues of Sound of Grace.

A Brief Introduction

The John Bunyan Conference began under the direction of evangelist John Reisinger as a gathering for pastors and teachers with the purpose of studying together the various issues that are faced in the ministry of Christ. In 2008 the conference returned to Lewisburg, PA."

Source: Sound of Grace at
http://www.soundofgrace.com/johnbunyanconference.htm [accessed 14 JAN 2011].

The Three Other Crucifixions of Galatians

2011-01-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

Introduction:

The Crucifixion of Christ

Galatians 3:1 –
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

The Crucifixion of the Two Thieves

Matthew 27:38 –
Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

Mark 15:32 –
Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Luke 23:33 –
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

John 19:18 –
Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

1. The Crucifixion of the Christian - Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Notice that the verb in this case is passive. The subject is unexpressed.

Notice also that in this case alone of “the three other crucifixions” do we find that which is crucified surviving on the other side of the tomb in resurrection. That is not true of either of the next two crucifixions.

2. The Crucifixion of the Flesh - Galatians 5:24

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Cp. Romans 6:6 - Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Notice the subject in this case is the Christian – the Christian is the Crucifier.

3. The Crucifixion of the World - Galatians 6:14

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Notice the difference here – the subject is Christ – He is the Crucifier in this case.

Notice also that three crucifixions are mentioned in this verse:

1) that of Christ - the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
2) that of the world - by whom the world is crucified unto me,
3) and that of the Christian - and I unto the world.

The Centerpiece of the Scriptures - The Centrality of Christ

2011-01-14T11:08:00.009-05:00

And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Colossians 1:18

Call to Worship: Luke 24:44-48
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1

Introduction:

Today we are going to take a break from the series we have been involved in on 1 Corinthians. We are at a juncture between two major sections of that book, and before we begin considering chapters 12-14 I thought it would be a good time to direct our attention elsewhere. I very seldom preach topical messages, and though this sermon may seem topical in the way it is presented, I think you may understand that it does serve by way of exposition to answer the following question: “What is meant in Colossians 1:18 by the words, “that in all things he might have the preeminence”?

I was provoked to consider this subject by the following article:

Ken Langley, "When Christ Replaces God at the Center of Preaching", Journal of the Evangelical Homiletics Society 9:1 (March 2009) 53-84.

My response to the premise of this article is preliminary so some overlap in the points may be noted, and some refining could no doubt be done. Other points could be made, and the points themselves could certainly be expanded further.

My purpose in bringing this to your attention today is to reinforce something you should already know. This should have a direct bearing on our ministries, our worship, and our lives while we await the return of our Lord.

1. The Revelation of the Son is Central in the Scriptures and should be Central in our Testimony

To know Christ is to know the Father
To see Christ is to see the Father

John 8:19 - Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

John 10:37-38 - [37] If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. [38] But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 14:6-11 - [6] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. [7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. [8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Is the revelation of Jesus Christ central in your testimony?

2. The Exposition of the Son is Central in the Scriptures and should be Central in our Exposition

The Scriptures must be Expounded concerning and are Fulfilled by Christ
The Scriptures are to be Preached in His Name by His Witnesses

Luke 24:25-27 - [25] Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: [26] Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? [27] And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Luke 24:44-48 - [44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. [45] Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, [46] And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: [47] And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. [48] And ye are witnesses of these things.

Are you seeing Christ in all the Scriptures, and speaking His Word in His Name to others so that they may see Him as well?

3. The Preaching of the Son is Central in the Scriptures and should be Central in our Preaching

The Power and Wisdom of God is Christ Crucified
The Testimony of God is Christ Crucified

1 Cor. 1:23-24 - [23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; [24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

1 Cor. 2:1-2 - [1] And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. [2] For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Are you experiencing the power of God based on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
Do you appreciate the wisdom of God in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
As you minister the Word of God is Christ crucified at the center of our message?

4. The Worship of the Son is Central in the Scriptures and should be Central in our Worship

The Father is honored when the Son is honored
The Father is glorified when the Son is confessed

John 5:23 - That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Phil. 2:9-11 - [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Eph. 2:18 - For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Heb. 1:6 - And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Do you honor the Son in your worship?
Do you honor the Son in your confession?

Conclusion:

It is utterly and certainly Biblically impossible for Christ to "replace God at the center of preaching", or for God to be preached where Christ is not the center!
Repeat points, subpoints and questions

"The Catechism of the Couplets of Christ"
(see blog post on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - "Answers to Questions")

Meet Anna: Broadcasting the Blessings of the Babe from Bethlehem

2011-01-13T16:10:00.013-05:00

Luke 2:36-38

[36] And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
[37] And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
[38] And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Introduction:

Incarnation Day messages from the last 4 years

23 DEC 2007 – Luke 2:8-20 - The First Noel (Shepherds)
28 DEC 2008 – Luke 2:21-35 - Who Knew? (Simeon)

Other recent Incarnation Day messages:

24 DEC 2006 – 1 Timothy 3:16 – The Great Mystery of Ungodliness
20 DEC 2009 – Hebrews 2:9 – What is Man?
27 DEC 2009 – Isaiah 61:1-2 – Between Two Worlds

Let us pick up today in Luke 2 where we left off in 2008!

I. Let Me Introduce You To Anna – Wouldn’t You Like To Meet Anna? (2:36a)

And there was one Anna

Same as the Heb. Hannah (“grace”, “He was gracious”) –
cp. 1 Sam. 1:2, 5, 9, 15, 19, 22, 25

How many persons go unnamed in the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth?

The Shepherds
The Wise Men (apocryphal names only)

No Little People, by Francis Schaeffer (n.p.: L’Abri Fellowship, 1974)

A Commentary on the Holy Bible, by Matthew Poole (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, n.d.; reprint from 1685 original ed.), 3:198

“in this most corrupt time there was a Simeon and an Anna, and also others, who had a true notion and expectation of the Messiah; and these the Holy Ghost taketh more notice of than of all the Jewish doctors, all the scribes and Pharisees, whose names are enrolled, while what these persons said and did shall remain for a memorial of them wherever the gospel shall be preached to the end of the world.” (pp. 91-92)

II. Let’s Get To Know Anna – Don’t you think Anna is a very interesting person? (2:36b-37)

a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; [37] And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

We are told 8 important facts about this woman Anna:

1. a prophetess
2. the daughter of Phanuel
3. of the tribe of Aser
4. she was of a great age
5. and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity
6. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years
7. which departed not from the temple
8. but served God with fastings and prayers night and day

These 8 important facts may be summarized as having to do with 4 subjects: her spirituality, genealogy, age, and service

1. Her spirituality (1)

(1) a prophetess

Ex. 15:20 - And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.

Judges 4:4 - And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

2 Chron. 34:22 - And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that effect.

Joel 2:28-32 – [28] And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: [29] And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. [30] And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. [31] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. [32] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Acts 21:9 - And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

Rev. 2:20 - Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

2. Her genealogy (2-3)

(2) the daughter of Phanuel
(3) of the tribe of Aser

Phanuel = Heb. Penuel, Peniel

Asher = 2nd son of Jacob and Zilpah, one of the lost and scattered ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom

Genesis 30:12-13 – [12] And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. [13] And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.

Joshua 19:24 - And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

3. Her age (4-6)

(4) she was of a great age
(5) and had lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity
(6) And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years

Some calculate her age at 103-106 (John Gill: possibly 111-113), understanding the 84 years to be how long she had been a widow.

4. Her service (7-8)

(7) which departed not from the temple
(8) but served God with fastings and prayers night and day

III. Let’s Listen To Anna – She Has Something Very Important To Tell You! (2:38)

And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord,
and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 40:2 - Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (cp. 1-11)

Isaiah 41:14 - Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 43:14 - Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

Isaiah 44:24 - Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Isaiah 52:9 - Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. (cp. 8-10)

Cp. also Ps. 130:5-8; Joel 2:28-32

Luke 1:68-79 – [68] Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, [69] And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; [70] As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: [71] That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; [72] To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; [73] The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, [74] That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, [75] In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. [76] And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; [77] To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, [78] Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, [79] To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 2:25 - And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

Luke 23:50-54 – [50] And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: [51] (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. [53] And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. [54] And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

Parallel Passages:

Matthew 27:54-60 – [54] Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. [55] And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: [56] Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. [57] When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: [58] He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. [59] And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, [60] And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

Mark 15:42-46 – [42] And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, [43] Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. [44] And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. [45] And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. [46] And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

John 19:38-42 – [38] And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. [39] And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. [40] Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. [41] Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. [42] There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

Luke 24:21 - But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Acts 26:7 - Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

Romans 8:23 - And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

2 Tim. 4:8 - Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Conclusion:

Aren’t you glad that you met Anna, learned of her, and listened to her?

There are Two Kinds of People in the World

2011-01-13T14:49:00.012-05:00

Introduction:

“There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't.”
Quote from Bob ‘Bobby’ Wiley, played by Bill Murray, in the movie “What About Bob?” (Touchstone Pictures, 1991).

It is true that there are two kinds of people in this world. There are those who believe in miracles, and there are those who deny the existence of miracles. There are those who believe in the supernatural, and those who deny it. There are those who have faith in a supernatural God who is able to work miracles, and who have experienced his miracle working power within themselves. And there are those who do not have such faith, and no nothing of God’s power.

I would turn your attention to the Bible at this time.

In fact, the Scriptures speak of there being two kinds of people in the world!
“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” (Mt. 12:30)
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”
(Mt. 25:32-33)
“...children of light...children of darkness” (Eph. 5:6-11)
“...children of God...children of the devil” (1 Jn. 3:10)

The Bible is a Book of Miracles from beginning to end. There are those who believe this, and those who do not.

The Miracle of Creation

It begins with the great miracle of creation. Oh, yes, this was a miracle despite was is commonly taught and proclaimed as fact in falsely so-called scientific circles, in textbooks, and is schools. We find the words, “And God said...” ten times in the first chapter of Genesis. Often this is followed by the words “...and it was so.”

Genesis 1:3 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. [7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
[14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: [15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

God spoke. And it was so. His Word has the power to create, to create out of nothing, to call into existence. When we speak of creation we speak of it as a miracle sourced in His creative Word.

The Bible ends with another great miracle, that of the destruction of this world, and its replacement, its renewal into the New Heavens and the New Earth. Revelation 21:1-8. God will speak once again, and it will be so. There were no unbelievers present for the first great miracle. There will be no place for them in the last. The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who believe this, and those who do not.

The Miracle of Christ

The Bible is centered on a series of great miracles that focus on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Just as creation itself His time on this earth began and ended with great miracles. His birth as the Son of Man is a miracle - the great miracle of the Incarnation. His victory of sin and death in the great miracle of the Resurrection brought about the end of His time as Son of Man on this earth in the Ascension. The world is divided into two groups: those who believe in Him and those who do not.

The Miracles of Christ

Throughout His life He showed Who He was and demonstrated His power as God by working many miracles. These miracles performed by the Lord Jesus Christ spanned a variety of realms and subjects. The first of these was his turning of water into wine at a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee. However, if you are into grading miracles you might agree that few would characterize this miracle as His greatest. The fascination of many with this miracle seems to have more to do with the wine, than with the point of the miracle itself – that of testifying to Christ’s power over creation.

You will remember that at creation God spoke and it was so. It is always so, but it seems to be especially so at certain times in the Bible with regard to miracles.

The resuscitation of Lazarus

Read John 11:1-21

These were folks who believed in miracles. They were well aware of Christ’s miracle working power. They had seen Him show Who He was. They had experienced the supernatural, and fully expected Him to do more. They were actually very disappointed that He had not come to their home in time to perform a miracle of healing on their brother and friend before He died of His sickness.

My “trail name” or nickname on the Appalachian Trail is “Overkill”. This is due to the fact that I carry lots of extra stuff, adding up to what my daughters feel is too much weight. There are, however, those who would assert that, “Overkill is underrated.” This is actually a line from the new movie “A-Team” produced by Twentieth Century Fox. COL “Hannibal” Smith said this in that movie. I like that. What does that have to do with anything? It has to do with Jesus Christ Himself! I would like to use that line with regards to Christ Himself. Christ is underrated! Christ is underrated. He is even underrated by those who say they believe in Him, and who know that He can and does perform powerful miracles.

Read John 11:22-45

Conclusion:

There are two, and only two, kinds of people in the world today. There are those who believe that the Bible is a book of miracles from beginning to end, and those who don’t. There are those who believe in miracles, in God’s supernatural, miracle-working power, and those who don’t. There are those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who don’t. Which of these two groups do you fall into, and don’t say neither, because there is no gray area, no middle ground here. There is no “neither”! It is one or the other. Are you here today as one who cannot confess a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who does not believe He did miracles, who denies the miracle of creation itself? Are you someone who hears the Bible, who knows what it says, but who cannot subscribe to a belief in the Bible as a “Book of Miracles”? Are you one of the two kinds of people who denies the existence of a supernatural God, or who denies His miracle working power? If so, perhaps you need to ask yourself, “Why?” What keeps you from taking God at His Word, and believing in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and confessing Him as your Savior?

The Miracle of Regeneration, of the New Birth

2 Cor. 4:3-7 – [3] 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. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1

Q.1: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A.1: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death,[1] am not my own,[2] but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ,[3] who with His precious blood [4] has fully satisfied for all my sins,[5] and redeemed me from all the power of the devil;[6] and so preserves me [7] that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;[8] indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.[9] Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,[10] and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.[11]

Is this your only comfort in life and in death?

Footnotes:

1. Rom. 14:7 8
2. I Cor. 6:19
3. I Cor. 3:23
4. I Peter 1:18 19
5. I John 1:7; 2:2
6. I John 3:8
7. John 6:39
8. Matt. 10:29 30; Luke 21:18
9. Rom. 8:28
10. II Cor. 1:21 22; Eph. 1:13 14; Rom. 8:16
11. Rom. 8:1

Thomas Boston quote in Jerry Bridges' "Pursuit of Holiness"

2010-05-09T15:40:00.007-05:00

Jerry Bridges quoted Thomas Boston in his book The Pursuit of Holiness in chapter 11 on pg. 110 in the 2006 printing. In the footnote at that place he indicated:

"This quote from Thomas Boston is taken from an old magazine article in the author's files. Unfortunately, neither the title of the magazine nor the date of publication was listed on the clipping." (Op. cit., footnote 3, pg. 157)

The original source for this quote in the works of Thomas Boston is:

An Illustration of the doctrines of the Christian Religion: with respect to with respect to both Faith and Practice, upon the plan of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism, comprehending A Complete Body of Divinity, 3 vols., (Edinburgh: John Reid, 1773), III:94-95.

This work is available as a free download (public domain) from Google books at:

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4339761129170972483&postID=4580064656047090404">"http://books.google.com/books?id=cpMCAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Thomas+Boston&ei=fSDnS9ewHZ-szQSi77GDCg&cd=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Here is the way the quote appears in the original:

"They that would keep themselves pure must have their bodies in subjection, and that may require in some cases a holy violence, I Cor. ix. 27."

Just to keep the record straight!

P.S. I did contact Jerry Bridges about this via email on May 9, 2010. His response on May 10, 2010 follows:

"Thanks so much for this information. I doubt that NavPress will be
interested in changing the footnote at this late date, but I will bring this to their attention."

Answers to Questions

2010-04-21T01:28:00.015-05:00

The Catechism of the Couplets of Christ [1]

Questions:

“How can He be both the Alpha and the Omega?”

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is,

and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

(Rev. 1:8)

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,

write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus,

and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis,

and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

(Rev. 1:11)

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

(Rev. 21:6)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

(Rev. 22:13)

“How can He be both the Beginning and the End?”

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is,

and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

(Rev. 1:8)

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

(Rev. 21:6)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

(Rev. 22:13)

“How can He be both the First and the Last?”

Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?

I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he.

(Is. 41:4)

Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts;

I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

(Is. 44:6)

Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first,

I also am the last.

(Is. 48:12)

Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,

write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus,

and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis,

and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

(Rev. 1:11)

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

(Rev. 1:17)

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

(Rev. 2:8)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

(Rev. 22:13)

“How can He be both God and Man?”

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

(Jn. 1:14)

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out,

and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

(Mk. 15:39)

“How can He be both Sovereign and Servant?”

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

(Is. 42:1)

[18] Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. [19] He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. [20] A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

(Mt. 12:18-20)

[5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

(Phil. 2:5-7)

“How can He be both the Lion and the Lamb?”

[5] And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. [6] And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. [7] And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. [8] And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. [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; [10] And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. [11] And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; [12] Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. [13] And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. [14] And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

(Rev. 5:5-14)

“How can He be both the Author and the Finisher?”

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

(Heb. 12:2)

“How can He be both Mercy and Truth?”

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

(Ps. 85:10)

“How can He be both Righteousness and Peace?”

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

(Ps. 85:10)

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,

and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

(1 Cor. 1:30)

“How can He be both Grace and Truth?”

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

(Jn. 1:17)

“How can he be both the High Priest and the Sacrifice?”

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

(Heb. 7:27)

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,

sat down on the right hand of God;

(Heb. 10:12)

“How can He be both the Covenant and the Mediator of the Covenant?”

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand,

and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

(Is. 42:6)

Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee,

and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee,

and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth,

to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

(Is. 49:8)

Answer:

The answer to all of the above is:

“Because of who He is! Solo Christo! He alone can be both because of who He is!”

the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:3-4; Col. 4:3)

the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6:19)

the mystery of the faith (1 Tim. 3:9)

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Tim. 3:16)

Non nobis, non nobis, Domine,

sed nomini tuo da gloriam!

Soli Deo gloria!

John T. "Jack" Jeffery

14-21 APR 2010

[1] This began as a response to the following question posted to the Sound of Grace email list at soundofgrace@welovegod.org, Wednesday, April 14, 2010 12:01 PM, Subject: RE: Eternal Covenant,

“...how can Christ both be THE covenant and be the mediator of the NC, and how can the NC be IN His blood (sign of the NC) and be the NC, and how can He be the testator of the NC AND be the NC?”

8th Annual Wayside Weekend Bible Conference

2010-04-19T18:33:00.006-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its 8th Annual Weekend Bible Conference Saturday, April 24, 2010 and Sunday, April 25, 2010. Two sessions are scheduled for Saturday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a Fellowship Dinner between sessions. The closing session of the Conference will be the Sunday morning worship service beginning at 11:00 a.m.

David B. Morris will once again be expounding the Scriptures at Wayside. David is no stranger to Wayside Gospel Chapel as this is his seventh visit as our featured Bible Conference preacher.

Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (left) with Pastor David Morris (right)

Pastor David Morris (left) with Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (right)

John Bunyan Conference

2010-01-31T20:16:00.003-05:00

John Bunyan Conference
April 26-28, 2010
Reformed Baptist Church, Lewisburg, PA

The general theme of the conference will be “The Relationship of the Old and the New.” We decided to tackle some difficult subjects this year. There will be time for discussion, and the topics are certain to stimulate lively discussion. In years past we have been able to earnestly discuss some areas where Calvinists and New Covenant Theologians disagree. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us. Registration information is available in the current issue of the "Sound of Grace" (Issue 164, February 2010, pg. 19), by phone at (301) 473-8781, or by email to johnbunyanconf@comcast.net.

John Reisinger will speak on “Continuity and Discontinuity” or the relationship of the old and new. What continues and what is done away in Christ? This is a knotty problem of long standing. He will also speak on the “Active and Passive Obedience of Christ.”

Jack Jeffery will speak on “Seeing the New Testament through New Covenant eyes: Two Test Texts – The Point of the Parentheses in Romans 2:13-15 and 1 Corinthians 9:21.” Both of these texts are greatly misunderstood.

Blake White will have two messages on “The Law of Christ.” This phrase is thrown around without being carefully defined. This is an exceedingly important subject for new covenant people.

Fred Zaspel did his doctrinal thesis on B.B. Warfield and will share the results with two messages on this great giant of the past.

Steve Wellum will cover "Infant Baptism" and the non-biblical presuppositions upon which it rests.

Scripture says, “Iron Sharpens Iron” (Prov. 27:17). This year’s topics assure that there will be some big grindstones at work on some long knives.

Please send any questions to: johnbunyanconf@comcast.net.

Fall Family Festival

2009-10-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel will be hosting a “Fall Family Festival” at the church on Sunday, November 8th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. The public is invited to this event, and admission is free. There will be turkey bowling, jell-o bobbing, pumpkin carving, a huge leaf pile, a bonfire, and other games and food. Due to the nature of the games those who plan on attending are encouraged to wear old clothes!

Wayside Gospel Chapel is located at the intersection of Roemerville Road and Route 390 four miles south of Promised Land State Park in Greentown (Pike County), Pennsylvania.

For further information contact Pastor Jeffery at (570) 342-5787.

Upcoming Events

2009-05-09T21:55:00.007-05:00

Ocean City Bible Conference

Theme
A Legacy of Sovereign Grace: Celebrating 500 Years of John Calvin

Featured Speakers
Dr. Philip Ryken (author, Pastor, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA)
Dr. Steve Lawson (author, Pastor, Christ Fellowship Church, Mobile, AL)
Dr. Michael Haykin (author, Professor, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Pastor Fred Zaspel (author, Pastor, Reformed Baptist Church, Franconia, PA)
Pastor John G. Reisinger (author, Evangelist, Founder of the John Bunyan Conference)

Dates
September 13-16, 2009

Location
Ocean City Baptist Church
603 10th Street
Ocean City, New Jersey 08226

Contact Information
Phone: (609) 399-2261
Email: info[at]ocbibleconference.org
Web site: www.ocbibleconference.org

Missionary Sunday - May 3, 2009

2009-05-08T13:43:00.006-05:00

Twenty

“Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”

*********************************************
From a sermon by

Noah Quarshie

of Ghana, West Africa

*************************
preached May 3, 2009
at Wayside Gospel Chapel

2 Peter 1:1-4 - [1] Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us

through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

[2] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

[4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Jeremiah 31:3 – the everlasting love
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:

therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Isaiah 45:17 – the everlasting salvation
But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation:

ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

Psalm 119:142 – the everlasting righteousness
Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

and thy law is the truth.

Isaiah 55:3 – the everlasting covenant
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live;

and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

even the sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 54:8 – the everlasting kindness
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment;

but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,

saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

Isaiah 35:10 – the everlasting joy
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:

they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

2 Thes. 2:16 – the everlasting consolation
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,

which hath loved us,

and hath given us everlasting consolation

and good hope through grace,

Psalm 139:24 – the everlasting way
And see if there be any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 112:6 – the everlasting remembrance
Surely he shall not be moved for ever:

the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

Isaiah 55:13 – the everlasting sign
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,

and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:

and it shall be to the Lord for a name,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Ephes. 1:4-5 – the everlasting adoption
[4] According as he hath chosen us in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children

by Jesus Christ to himself,

according to the good pleasure of his will,

John 6:47 – the everlasting life
Verily, verily, I say unto you,

He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Isaiah 60:19-20 – the everlasting light
[19] The sun shall be no more thy light by day;

neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee:

but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light,

and thy God thy glory.

[20] Thy sun shall no more go down;

neither shall thy moon withdraw itself:

for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light,

and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

Psalm 103:17 – the everlasting mercy
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

upon them that fear him,

and his righteousness unto children's children;

Deut. 33:27 - the everlasting arms
The eternal God is thy refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms:

and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee;

and shall say, Destroy them.

Isaiah 26:4 - the everlasting strength
Trust ye in the Lord for ever:

for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

2 Peter 1:11 – the everlasting kingdom
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you

abundantly into the everlasting kingdom

of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Psalm 119:144 – the everlasting testimony
The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting:

give me understanding, and I shall live.

Isaiah 40:8 – the everlasting Word
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Genesis 21:33 – the everlasting God
And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba,

and called there on the name of the Lord,

the everlasting God.

Pastor's Sermon Notes - April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T14:51:00.006-05:00

The Empty Tomb is not Empty!
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.

Introduction:

Perhaps you, like myself, have in the past spoken of the disciples coming to the empty tomb. I would suggest that this may not be quite accurate, and that we might want to rethink the use of the word “empty” to describe the tomb after Christ was raised from the dead. Actually there are only four usages of the English word “empty” in the New Testament. Each of these is found in the Gospels, and none of them have reference to the tomb. Perhaps a visit to the tomb would be in order to get to the bottom of this, so that when we speak of the tomb in the future we do so with confidence that our testimony accords with the Scriptural accounts, and the reality of the situation we find there.

We are brought there with the disciples by the Scriptures, taken as it were by the hand and brought to the open mouth of the grave of the Savior. We have come to a tomb. The stone that once sealed it has been rolled away. We can see into the tomb. But it is not enough to just stand there and peer within, we must enter the tomb. At first glance it appears to be empty. That is not quite accurate! Oh, it might have been empty three days before, and filled with death since then, but what about now?

Three women, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, saw something, or rather, someone, in the tomb - Mark 16 – [5] And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. [6] And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. [7] But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.

Peter and John saw something in the tomb – John 20 - [5] And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. [6] Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, [7] And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. [8] Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

Mary Magdalene saw someone in the tomb – John 20 - [11] But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, [12] And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. [13] And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

However, as we stand within the tomb we are unable to shake the impression that it is not empty at all. And, it is not just the presence of angels, or of the empty grave clothes that impress us. Someone is here. Something fills this tomb. The tomb is not only not empty, on the contrary, the tomb is full!

What is it that seems to fill this tomb? Is there something for us to learn here, a message for us to understand, something for us to take away when we must leave the tomb? We are afraid to speak, even to whisper within the tomb, and if we did we feel that it would merely echo with the apparent emptiness. But the tomb seems to be speaking to us, and it does not seem to be speaking to us of its emptiness.

Is what we are to learn here about “emptiness”, is the message of the tomb an empty message, is “emptiness” what we are to take with us from the tomb, or is it something else? Is there a fullness here, a fullness that should fill us? Is the tomb full with meaning, and with more than meaning? Should we think of, can we speak of “the fullness of the empty tomb”? Isn’t “the fullness of the empty tomb” a reality, a very personal reality, rich with meaning that resonates within our very being? Do we really understand that Christianity is not about an empty tomb? Does that seem to be too radical a statement to you? To some Christianity may be an empty religion, and they never get beyond the emptiness of the tomb. I say to you that the testimony of the tomb is not a testimony of emptiness but of fullness!

We need, we really do need to consider the fullness of the tomb. We need to give serious consideration to what this tomb is filled with.

I. The Empty Tomb is full of God

The silence within the tomb is very loud. The silence here shouts out the reality that God is here, not just that He has been here, but that He is here. He is here not just as He is everywhere as the omnipresent and immanent God, but here He is in a very special sense, speaking to us out of the very “emptiness” of this tomb. He is here revealing Himself to us, speaking to us of His sovereign presence, of His overcoming power, of His overwhelming purpose.

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul that speaks of the fulness that should confront us in the tomb where He demonstrated the greatest display of His power the world and human history has ever seen!

Romans 15:29 - And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Ephesians 1:23 - Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ephesians 3:19 - And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Ephesians 4:13 - Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Cololossians 1:19 - For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Colossians 2:9 - For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Do you sense His presence? Do you hear what He is saying to you in the “emptiness” of this tomb? Do you sense the fullness of God in the emptiness of the tomb?

II. The Empty Tomb is full of Love

What is it about this tomb that makes its apparent emptiness such an issue! What is this tomb all about?

What kind of love is this that brings us to a tomb? What manner of love calls us to a seemingly empty tomb? What is it about this tomb that makes it seem to us so full, so filled with love?

How is it that God can “give”? How can it be that God can “give” sacrificially? Will we ever plumb the depths of what it means for God to “give”?

Here, even as in the manger, here, as at the foot of the Cross, here, as gazing into glory, we should feel and experience and be filled with His sacrificial giving love as nowhere else. We should never forget what we find filling this tomb!

III. The Empty Tomb is full of Life

The death that was here is gone. This tomb was a battlefield, and Death, the enemy, has fled the battlefield that the tomb was as an utterly defeated foe. Death has been defeated by the irresistible power of the sovereign Lord, by His unconquerable Love, and by His unquenchable Life.

Only the power of God could empty this tomb of death, and that is precisely what is left as the “emptiness” of the tomb. No power on earth could empty the tomb of death, but the power of the Lord of heaven and earth could! And no power in heaven or on earth can now empty that tomb of what fills it, of the God who is there, the God who loves, and the life He alone gives!

The life that fills this tomb which was once filled with death is a particular kind of life. It is everlasting life, a life that death can no longer conquer. Death is a defeated foe. The tomb has been emptied of death, and filled with the reality of everlasting life due to the victory of God and the sacrifice of His love.

The tomb has been emptied of death leaving Life in its stead. This tomb is full, full of life! It speaks, it shouts, it echoes of life, resurrection life, everlasting life!

Conclusion:

You might be wondering, “Preacher, that is all well and good, but what text of the Bible tells us this? Is this just your own thinking, shouldn’t you be expounding Scripture, or where do you get this from? This seems like a topical message without a text! That is not like what we have come to expect from you. What is this about?” Well, okay, those are reasonable questions. We are not done with the tomb just yet. Don’t just walk away!

As we leave the tomb that we once thought was empty, and we turn to look back in reflection, we see inscribed above the tomb words, and not just any words. Do you see them? What words do you see inscribed, emblazoned across the entrance to the tomb? We see these words, “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.”, and this verse seems mysteriously appropriate to describe the fullness of the tomb.

Let us speak no more of an empty tomb! Let us speak of a tomb that is filled - filled with God and His power, filled with God and His love, filled with God and His life!

“This morning I stumbled across the first few pages of Alexander Strauch’s Leading with Love. He begins this book by telling a story from the life of Dwight L. Moody. He tells of a time that the evangelist Henry Moorhouse was asked to preach at Moody’s church every night for a week. To everyone’s surprise, Moorhouse preached seven consecutive sermons on John 3:16, preaching on God’s love from Genesis to Revelation. Moody’s son recorded the impact of this preaching in the life of his father:

For six nights he had preached on this one text. The seventh night came and he went into the pulpit. Every eye was upon him. He said, “Beloved friends, I have been hunting all day for a new text, but I cannot find anything so good as the old one; so we will go back to the third chapter of John and the sixteenth verse,” and he preached the seventh chapter from those wonderful words, “God so loved the world.” I remember the end of that sermon:
“My friends,” he said, “for a whole week I have been trying to tell you how much God loves you, but I cannot do it with this poor stammering tongue. If I could borrow Jacob’s ladder and climb up into heaven and ask Gabriel, who stands in the presence of the Almighty, to tell me how much love the Father has for the world, all he could say would be: ‘God so loveth the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’”

Unable to hold back the tears as Moorhouse preached on the love of God in sending His only Son to die for sinners, Moody confessed:

I never knew up to that time that God loved us so much. This heart of mine began to thaw out; I could not keep back the tears. It was like news from a far country: I just drank it in. So did the crowded congregation. I tell you there is one thing that draws above everything else in the world, and that is love.”

Source: Tim Challies at
http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/quotes/like-news-from-a-far-country.php [accessed 8 APR 2009]

The only “empty tomb” is the tomb of the unbeliever who if filled with death, with an empty heart, and empty soul, and an eternity empty of hope! If you know God, and have experienced His power and love, if you have inherited eternal life by faith in Christ, you know this tomb is not empty, and that you have been filled with precisely that which fills this tomb! Go rejoicing in the message of the “Full Tomb” rather than the empty tomb!

Missionary Sunday - May 3, 2009

2009-04-03T03:30:00.005-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel will be conducting a special Missionary Sunday worship service on May 3, 2009 with Pastor Noah Quarshie. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Noah has ministered at Wayside several times in the past, and we are excited about having him with us once again! Don't miss this opportunity to be ministered to by Pastor Quarshie, and to learn what the Lord is doing in Ghana!

Pastor Noah Quarshie is a national missionary in Ghana, West Africa, where he is the president of Shalom Indigenous Ministries which consists of the Baptist Institute of Professional Studies (BIPS), and the BIPS Secondary Technical School, and is the pastor of Baptist Bible Church. He is the author of A Bird's Eye View of the Bible (Clarks Green, PA: Outreach-Ministries, 1983), 214 pp., and has also published several booklets on a variety of Biblical, theological and educational topics.

Noah was born in Ghana in 1946, attended elementary and high school there, was saved in 1969 through the ministry of Back to the Bible Broadcast, and baptized in 1970 at the Christiansburg Baptist Church. He served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher from 1971 to 1974. In 1974 Noah married his wife Adelaide. They have two children, Deborah and Enoch.

The Quarshie Family

Noah came to the USA in 1974, studying at Shelton College, Cape Canaveral, FL, where he earned a B.A. degree in 1978, and Baptist Bible Theological Seminary (now "Baptist Bible Seminary"), Clarks Summit, PA, earning a M.Div. degree in 1982. He returned to Ghana in 1983 as a missionary under Grace Baptist Mission, West Clifford, PA. The work in Ghana involves leadership training, church planting, pastoral ministry, youth ministry, education, medical ministry, farming, relief work, and the Gospel radio ministry, "Alive FM". Noah’s educational ministries include the Baptist Institute of Professional Studies (begun in 1992), and the BIPS Secondary Technical school (begun in 1999).

Link to web site for Grace Baptist Mission - Ghana
http://www.gracebaptistmissionghana.org/quarshies.html
[accessed 2 APR 2009]

Seventh Annual Wayside Weekend Bible Conference

2009-04-02T14:07:00.005-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting its Seventh Annual Weekend Bible Conference Saturday, May 30, 2009 and Sunday, May 31, 2009. Two sessions are scheduled for Saturday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. with a Fellowship Dinner between sessions. The closing session of the Conference will be the Sunday morning worship service beginning at 10:30 a.m.

David B. Morris will once again be expounding the Scriptures at Wayside. David is no stranger to Wayside Gospel Chapel as this is his sixth visit as our featured Bible Conference preacher.

Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (left) with Pastor David Morris (right)

David studied Classics and Linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, following his conversion in 1973. After nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry, he entered an itinerant ministry of evangelism and conference speaking. He and Terri, his wife of 27 years, have six children. David has ministered in the past at the John Bunyan Conference in New Ringgold, Pennsylvania. He will be speaking twice this year at the 2009 John Bunyan Conference in Lewisburg, PA. He delivered the Convocation Address at the 11th International Baptist Conference in 2004 held at the historic Jarvis Street Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada, hosted by the Toronto Baptist Seminary, the Jarvis Street Baptist Church, and The Jonathan Edwards Centre for Reformed Spirituality. Some of his sermons are available on SermonAudio.com at David Morris.

Pastor David Morris (left) with Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (right)

Don't miss this opportunity to gather at Wayside as we are ministered to by this gifted preacher and teacher of God's Word!

Pastor's Sermon Notes - March 22, 2009

2009-03-22T15:32:00.008-05:00

Christ Our Passover
1 Corinthians 5:6-8

[6] Your glorying is not good.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
[7] Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump,
as ye are unleavened.
For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
[8] Therefore let us keep the feast,
not with old leaven,
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Introduction:

Review: The issue is the purity of the Church, and Church discipline when wickedness is detected within the Church

Bible Study Pointer: Pay attention to the New Testament’s usage of the Old Testament! Learn the Old Testament to understand the New Testament!

Key features of this passage: leaven, Passover, the spiritual significance of leaven

Outline:

Don’t Glory Until the Old Leaven is Purged Out –
What’s up with all this about leaven? (5:6-7c)

Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for Us –
How is Christ our Passover? (5:7d)

Keep the Feast with Unleavened Bread –
How are we to keep the leaven out of the feast? (5:8)

Difficulties:
Sequence of events: purging of corruption, sealing with blood protecting from Angel of Death, the Destroyer, celebration of the Feast

Treading underfoot the blood of the Covenant, Hebrews 10:26-31

I. Don’t Glory Until the Old Leaven is Purged Out – What’s up with all this about leaven? (5:6-7c)

Your glorying is not good.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump,
as ye are unleavened.

1. The Problem - Your glorying is not good (5:6)

1 Cor. 3:21 - Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

1 Cor. 5:2 - And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

James 4:16 - But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Romans 6:16 - Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

The problem is that glorying is inappropriate while leaven is present in any amount.

2. The Principle - a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (5:7a)

Leaven as corruption

1 Cor. 15:33 - Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Hosea 7:4 - They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.

The effect of even a little corruption is total

Galatians 5:9 - A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

The Parable of the Leaven

Matthew 13:33 - Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Luke 13:20-21 - And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

3. The Solution - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened (5:7b)

The Original Passover

Exodus 12:1-14, 21-30

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:15 - Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. [3-20, 1-30]

Exodus 12:19 - Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

Exodus 12:21-23 - Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. [22] And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. [23] For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Exodus 13:7 - Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters. [3-10]

Deut. 16:3 - Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

The Leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Herod

Matthew 16:6 - Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. [5-12]

Matthew 16:11-12 - How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? [12] Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mark 8:15 - And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. [14-21]

Luke 12:1 - In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

The Jewish Traditions for Purging Leaven

Helpful sources on Jewish traditions concerning the Passover, leaven, and preparation for the Passover, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com
[accessed 21 MAR 2009]

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com
[accessed 21 MAR 2009]

http://www.chabad.org
[accessed 21 MAR 2009]

II. Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for Us –
How is Christ our Passover? (5:7d)

For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Sounding a sweet note in the middle of a grievous confrontation!

The Original Passover

Exodus 12:1-14, 21-30

Christ Our Passover

Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

John 19:14 - And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

1 Peter 1:19 - But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Sequence of events: purging of corruption, sealing with blood protecting from Angel of Death, the Destroyer, celebration of the Feast – This has to do with future judgment – the present is the time for preparation – purging out the leaven, and remaining under the protection of the blood of the Covenant – the Passover, the judgment and destruction of the world (Egypt), and unbelievers (Egyptians) is yet future – the Feast will be kept as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Consider the significance of treading underfoot the blood of the Covenant in Hebrews –

[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. [28] He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(Hebrews 10:26-31)

III. Keep the Feast with Unleavened Bread –
How are we to keep the leaven out of the feast? (5:8)

Therefore let us keep the feast,not with old leaven,
neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Jewish traditions concerning the keeping of the Feast

The “old” leaven

The leaven of “malice and wickedness”

The Leaven of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Herod

Matthew 16:6 - Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. [5-12]

Matthew 16:11-12 - How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? [12] Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mark 8:15 - And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. [14-21]

Luke 12:1 - In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

The unleavened bread of “sincerity and truth”

The lessons to be learned from the Jewish understanding

Conclusion:

How meticulous are we in purging out leaven?

How concerned are we concerning impurity in our lives and in the Church?

Get your spiritual “toothbrushes” out!

Purge out the old leaven! Keep the Feast in a way that honors and glorifies our Passover!

Sixth Annual Wayside Gospel Chapel Weekend Bible Conference

2008-02-11T22:48:00.000-05:00

Wayside Gospel Chapel is hosting the

Sixth Annual Weekend Bible Conference

on Saturday, March 8th and Sunday, March 9th, 2008.

Pastor David Morris (left) with Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (right)

Our speaker this year is David B. Morris. David is no stranger to Wayside Gospel Chapel as this is his fifth visit as the featured Bible Conference preacher. David studied Classics and Linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, following his conversion in 1973. After nearly twenty years of pastoral ministry, he entered an itinerant ministry of evangelism and conference speaking. He and Terri, his wife of twenty-six years, have six children. David has ministered in the past at the John Bunyan Conference in New Ringgold, Pennsylvania. He also delivered the Convocation Address at the 11th International Baptist Conference in 2004 held at the historic Jarvis Street Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada, hosted by the Toronto Baptist Seminary, the Jarvis Street Baptist Church, and The Jonathan Edwards Centre for Reformed Spirituality. Some of his sermons are available on SermonAudio.com at David Morris.

Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery (left) with Pastor David Morris (right)

The schedule for the three sessions of the 2008 Weekend Bible Conference is as follows:

Saturday, March 8th
5:00-6:00 p.m. - 1st meeting
6:00-8:00 p.m. - fellowship time and dinner
8:00-9:00 p.m. – 2nd meeting

Sunday, March 9th
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

For further information contact Pastor John T. Jeffery at (570) 342-5787 or via the e-mail link on this page.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

2008-01-02T23:09:00.000-05:00

Pastor's note: Whether you have already made some "New Year's Resolutions, or not, these of Edwards are very hard to improve on. We would do well to make them our own!

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"Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God' s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ' s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.
21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. (Resolutions 1 through 21 written in one setting in New Haven in 1722)
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.
32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6,‹A faithful man who can find?Š may not be partly fulfilled in me.
33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.
34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.
35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.
37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.
38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord' s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.
39. Resolved, never to do any thing of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.
43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God' s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.
44. Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. January 12, 1723.
45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.
46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.
47. Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.
48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.
51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.
55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.
58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.
60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.
61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.
62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man:‹knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.Š June 25 and July 13, 1723.
63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. January 14 and July 13, 1723.
64. Resolved, when I find those ‹groanings which cannot be utteredŠ (Romans 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those‹breakings of soul for the longing it hath,Š of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.
66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. August 17, 1723." [note 1]

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“During his preparation for the ministry, his residence in New York, and his subsequent residence in his father’s house, he formed a series of resolutions, to the number of seventy, intended obviously for himself alone, to regulate his own heart and life, but fitted also, from their christian simplicity and spiritual-mindedness, to be eminently useful to others. Of these the first thirty-four [note 2] were written before Dec. 18, 1722, the time in which his Diary, as it now exists, commences. The particular time and occasion of making many of the rest, will be found in that most interesting narrative, in which also are many other rules and resolutions, intended for the regulation of his own affections, of perhaps equal excellence. It should be remembered they were all written before he was twenty years of age. As he was wholly averse to all profession and ostentation; and as these resolutions themselves were plainly intended for no other eye than his own, except the eye that is omniscient; they may be justly considered as the basis of his conduct and character, the plan by which he governed the secret as well as the publick actions of his life. As such they will deeply interest the reader, not only as they unfold the inmost mind of their author, but as they also show, in a manner most striking and convincing to the conscience, what is the true foundation of great and distinguished excellence.

He was too well acquainted with human weakness and frailty, even where the intentions are most sincere, to enter on any resolutions rashly, or from a reliance on his own strength. He therefore in the outset looked to God for aid, who alone can afford success in the use of the best means, and in the intended accomplishment of the best purposes. This he places at the head of all his other important rules, that his whole dependence was on the grace of God, while he still proposes to recur to a frequent and serious perusal of them, in order that they might become the habitual directory of his life.” [note 3]

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Footnotes:

1. Sereno E. Dwight, “Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards, A. M.”, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, rev. Edward Hickman, 2 vols. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, n.d.; 1995 reprint of 1834 original), I:xx-xxii.

2. The first twenty-one were written at once; as were the next ten, at a subsequent sitting. The rest were written occasionally. They are all on two detached pieces of paper. [Note: this footnote was indicated by an asterisk in the original.]

3. Dwight, op. cit., I:xx.

Memory Verses For Each Week Of The Year

2008-01-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

Top 52 Bible Verses for Memorization, List One
Compiled by Gary George

25 from the Old Testament: Gen. 3:15; Lev. 17:11; Josh. 24:15; 1 Sam.16:7; Job 19:25-27; Ps. 19:1; 40:2,3; 51:4; 139:23,24; Pr. 3:5,6; 14:12; Is. 1:18; 9:6; 26:3; 40:31; 45:22; 53:5; 55:8,9; 11; 59:2; 64:6; Jer. 13:23; 17:9; Ezek. 3:18; Dan. 4:35.

27 from the New Testament: Mt. 1:21; 10:28; 11:28-30; Mk. 8:36; Jn. 1:12; 1:29; 3:3; 3:16; 14:6; 15:13; Acts 4:12; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 8:28; 10:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8,9; Ph. 1:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; 2 Tim. 3:16; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Pet. 1:20,21; 1 Jn. 1:9; Rev. 3:20.

Note: Every believer should know these verses by heart. Learning these at the rate of one per week will enable you to complete the list in a year! Two verses together are considered one. This is the first of two such lists Gary George has compiled. These lists of memory verses constitutes a challenge to every believer to spend more time in the Word daily laboring to read, study, mediate on and memorize not just these verses, but many others. You are encouraged to begin memorizing entire chapters and then books of the Bible. Your time engaged in this activity may be the best investment of your Christian life this side of glory!

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Gen. 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.

Lev. 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.

Josh. 24:15 - And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

1 Sam. 16:7 - But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Job 19:25-27 - For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Ps. 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Ps. 40:2-3 - He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Ps. 51:4 - Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Ps. 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Pr. 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Pr. 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Is. 1:18 - Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Is. 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Is. 26:3 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Is. 40:31 - But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Is. 45:22 - Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Is. 53:5 - 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.

Is. 55:8-9 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Is. 55:11 - So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Is. 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.

Is. 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Jer. 13:23 - Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Jer. 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ezek. 3:18 - When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Dan. 4:35 - And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Mt. 1:21 - And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Mt. 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Mt. 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Mark 8:36 - For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

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.

John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

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 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Rom. 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom. 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom. 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom. 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom. 10:9 - 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.

2 Cor. 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.

Eph. 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Phil. 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:

1 Tim. 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

2 Tim. 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Tit. 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Heb. 9:22 - And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

1 Pet. 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2 Pet. 1:20-21 - Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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 Jn. 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Rev. 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Answers to Questions - Matthew 5:17

2008-01-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

We recently received a question concerning a posting to the Wayside Gospel Chapel blog concerning the understanding of what is meant in Matthew 5:17 by "the Law or the Prophets". Here, in part, is the question we received:

"I haven't considered the possibility that Jesus might have been speaking of the law and prophets from the standpoint of addressing the entire Old Testament....However, is there actual Biblical support for this?"

What follows is the substance of the response to this question, including an edited consolidation of portions of two different emails on this passage:

The Matthew passage appears to be phrased to include all of the OT Scriptures, “the law or the prophets”. There are times when the entire OT is referred to as “the law, the prophets and the writings”, usually as “the law and the prophets”, and sometimes as “the law”. In Mt. 5:17-18 two of these designations are found. I would humbly suggest that the fulfillment or destruction mentioned here has more to do with the OT as a whole, i.e., the OT Scriptures, rather than the Old Mosaic Law Covenant per se. More is involved here than just fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law by obedience, or “fleshing out” the shadows of the Laws ceremonial requirements. The fulfillment of the OT prophecies cannot be ruled out due to the wording of the passage, and “one jot or one tittle” applies to the entire corpus of inspired Scriptures extant at that point.

Here are the passages of Scripture involved in maintaining this understanding of what is meant here by “the Law and the Prophets”:

1. “the Law” as a reference to the entire OT –

cp. Jn. 10:34; 12:34; 15:25; Rom. 3:19a.

John 10:34 - Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
[Note: The quote here is from the Psalms, and not from the Pentateuch.]
John 12:34 - The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
[Note: The allusion here is to the Psalms and the prophet Ezekiel, not the Pentateuch.]
John 15:25 - But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
[Note: The quotation here is once again from the Psalms, and not from the Pentateuch.]
Romans 3:19 - Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
[Note: The series of quotations immediately preceding this verse are from the Ecclesiastes, the Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophet Isaiah, and not the Pentateuch.]

2. “the Law and the Prophets” as a reference to the entire OT –

cp. Mt. 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; Lk. 16:16, 29, 31; Jn. 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; 26:22; 28:23;Rom. 3:21b.

Matthew 5:17 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 7:12 - Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 11:13 - For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Matthew 22:40 - On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Luke 16:16 - The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 16:29 - Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luke 16:31 - And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Luke 24:27 - And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
John 1:45 - Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Acts 13:15 - And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
Acts 24:14 - But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Acts 26:22 - Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
Acts 28:23 - And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Romans 3:21 - But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

3. “the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms” as a reference to the entire OT –

cp. Lk. 24:44 - And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Below are some sources which agree with this understanding of "the law or the prophets" in Mt. 5:17 that you may find helpful, along with citations from them. These sources could easily be multiplied.

1. Gary D. Long, Biblical Law and Ethics: Absolute and Covenantal, An Exegetical and Theological Study of Matthew 5:17-20 in Perspectives: Studies in Baptist Thought, Exegetical Studies (Rochester, NY: Backus Book Publishers, 1981), pp. 22-25.

August Tholuck, Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, 4th ed., trans. R. Lundin Brown (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1874), pp. 121, 125.
[Cited by Long, op. cit., pp. 23, note 29, and 24, note 31.]

Rudolf Stier, Words of the Lord Jesus, 2nd ed., trans. William B. Pope, 8 vols. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1871), 1:27-29.
[Cited by Long, op. cit., pp. 23-24, notes 30 and 32.]

John A. Broadus, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1886; reprint by Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA, n.d.), pg. 99.
[Cited by Long, op. cit., pp. 22, note 25.]

2. Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), pp. 80-81.

“The most common description of the Old Testament is “The Law and the Prophets.”” (pg. 81)
“That these two sections encompass the whole Old Testament is obvious from several passages.” (pg. 80)

3. Greg L. Bahnsen, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Douglas J. Moo, Wayne G. Strickland, and Willem A. VanGemeren, Five Views on Law and Gospel, ed. Stanley N. Gundry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), pp. 258, 330.

You may find this entire volume helpful in your study of this passage and the issues related to it. Both Wayne Strickland and Douglas Moo maintain this understanding of Matthew 5:17.

“In Matthew, the phrase “the Law and the Prophets” refers not simply to the Mosaic law, but to the entire Old Testament (cf. 7:12; 11:13; 22:40). Thus the term “law” in the following verse is an abbreviated way of referring to the same Old Testament.” (Strickland, op. cit., pg. 258)

“There is no doubt that the word nomos can mean something other than the Mosaic law. It sometimes has a “canonical” sense, that which is central in the Jewish estimation of Scripture, standing for the Pentateuch (1 Cor. 9:8, 9; 14:21, 34; Gal. 4:21b) or for the whole Old Testament (John 10:34; 12:34; 15:25; Rom. 3:19a); note, also, the combinations “Law and Prophets” (Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; Luke 16:16; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; Rom. 3:21b) and “Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).” (Moo, op. cit., pg. 330)

Incarnation Truths Celebrated In Music

2007-12-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Memory Verses[1] From G. F. Handel’s Oratorio, “The Messiah”[2]

Is 40:1-5 - Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Hag 2:6-7 - For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.

Mal 3:1-3 - Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Is 7:14 (Mt. 1:23) - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Is 40:9 - O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Is 60:2-3 - 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Is 9:2 - The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Is 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Lk 2:8-11 - And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Lk 2:13-14 - And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Zech. 9:9-10 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth.

Is 35:5-6 - Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

Is 40:11 - He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Mt 11:28-30 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jn 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.

Is 53:3 - He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Is 50:6 - I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Is 53:4-6 - 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 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. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Ps 22:7-8 - All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, 8He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

Ps 69:20 - Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

Lam. 1:12 - Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

Is 53:8 - He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Ps 16:10 - For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Ps 24:7-10 - Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Heb 1:5-6 - For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Ps 68:18 - Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

Ps 68:11 - The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Rom 10:15 - And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Rom 10:18 - But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Ps 2:1-4 - Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Ps 2:9 - Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Rev. 19:6 - And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Rev. 11:15 - And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev. 19:16 - And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Job 19:25-26 - For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

1 Cor. 15:20-22 - But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Cor. 15:51-57 - Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:31 - What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:33-34 - Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 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.

Rev. 5:12-13 - Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

[1] The verses are listed here in the order of their occurrence in The Messiah. The complete text of the Biblical passages are cited, even where the composer may only have included a portion. A few of these passages may not be found in modern performances, but are included here where they were originally located by the composer.
[2] The Messiah, An Oratorio For Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass Soli and Piano, by G. F. Handel, ed. T. Tertius Noble, Revised According to Handel’s Original Score by Max Spicker (New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1912), 252 pp. “The Messiah, Handel’s most successful and best-known oratorio, was composed in the year 1741 in twenty-four days, from August the 22d to September the 14th. It was first performed at a concert given for charitable purposes at Dublin, Ireland, on April the 13th, 1742, Handel conducting the performance in person.” Op. cit., pg. iii. The following work was also consulted - Handel’s Messiah: A Devotional Commentary, by Joseph E. McCabe (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1978), 120 pp. “Our souls soar with Handel, while…we plumb the depths of the love of God as set out for us in the Biblical passages.” “These glorious solos and choruses, forever wedded and welded now to the Biblical material, have sung themselves into the consciousness of a grateful humanity….The secret of its power lies in the depths of the human heart as well as on the pages of the musical score.” Op. cit., pg. 9. “The longtime and greatly beloved conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, writes of Handel in his memoirs: “Since his time mankind has heard no music written for voices which can even feebly rival his for grandeur of build and tone, nobility and tenderness of melody, scholastic skill and ingenuity and inexhaustible variety of effect.”” Op. cit., pp. 11-12. “When Biblical truth is joined to music that reaches the soul, then the human spirit soars. May it be so with Messiah lovers for years to come.” Op. cit., pg. 12.

Pastor's Sermon Notes - December 23, 2007

2007-12-24T13:07:00.000-05:00

The First Noel [note 1]

Shepherds Quake at the Sight [note 2]
The Beginning of the Good News

Luke 2:8-20

[8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
[9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
[10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
[14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
[15] And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
[16] And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
[17] And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
[18] And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
[20] And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Introduction:

1. A “Harmony” of the Gospels?

Study guides for the Gospels are available which display the four Gospel accounts in parallel columns to show the similarities and differences between them for comparison studies [note 3]. There are so many differences between them that some may question the idea of a "harmony", but they are all viewing the same historical event, the life of Christ, although from different perspectives, and with various purposes. Some authors throughout the subsequent history of the Church have even attempted to combine them into one fluid account. However, that is not the way it was originally recorded by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel accounts were recorded as they were for specific reasons. These four vantage points are the way God wants us to view this history.

2. How the Gospel accounts begin -

The Gospels of Mark and John both open with the baptism of Jesus, not the birth of Christ, although John's prologue is unique in its revelation of the preincarnate Christ as the Creator (Jn. 1:1-11). Matthew and Luke do not get to the baptism of Christ until their third chapters (Mt. 3:13 and Lk. 3:21).

Mark 1:9 - And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

John 1:1-11 - [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. [6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. [8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. [9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. [11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Matthew 3:13 - Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

Luke 3:21 - Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

Matthew & Luke both begin their Gospels with the birth of Jesus, including His genealogy, the announcements of His conception and birth, and the events precipitated by His birth.

3. The differences between Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts –

Matthew is alone in recording the account of the angelic appearance to Joseph (1:18-25), the wise men coming as joyful worshippers (2:1-12), and Herod as a hateful murderer (2:3-16), including the flight into Egypt by Joseph and Mary with the young Christ child.

Matthew also has a unique emphasis on the birth of Christ as the fulfillment of prophecies found in the Old Testament Scriptures: Mal. 2:7; Hos. 11:1; and Jer. 31:15.

Matthew 2:6 - And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Matthew 2:15 - And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Matthew 2:17-18 - [17] Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, [18] In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Luke goes into much more detail about the events surrounding the birth of Christ than any other Gospel, and Doctor Luke, as a historian, probably interviewed Mary for much of his information. Luke alone records the following [note 4] :

1) The angel Gabriel appearing to John the Baptist's father Zacharias (1:5-22).

2) The annunciation to Mary (1:26-38).

3) Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother (1:39-56).

4) The birth of John the Baptist (1:57-80).

5) The birth of Jesus (2:1-7).

6) The angelic announcement to the shepherds, and their visit to the manger (2:8-17).

7) The presentation of Christ at the Temple by Joseph and Mary (2:22-24).

8) The reactions to the infant Jesus at the Temple by Simeon and Anna (2:25-38).

4. The Star and the bit parts –

There is only one "Star" actor in this great drama, and it is the Son of God, who has now become also the Son of Man. However, there are many others who have what we may refer to as "bit parts", that are nevertheless significant in their own right. For example, considering the Gospel according to Luke alone attention must be paid to what is revealed about the angels, Zacharias, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna.

5. The Significance of the Part the Shepherds Play –

One of the unique features of Luke's Gospel account that is worthy of our consideration is the part the shepherds play, what they experienced, and how they responded to those experiences in Luke 2:8-20. Many have focused on this unusually dramatic and movingly beautiful aspect to the history of Christ's birth in the past, as may be easily seen by a survey of the legacy we have in our hymnology. (see Appendix)

Let us consider the responses of those who played these "bit parts" to the Incarnation, the First Noel, the Beginning of the Good News:

I. The Initial Response of Wondering (Marveling, Astonishment, Amazement)

Throughout the Gospel accounts of the events surrounding the birth of Christ we encounter words translated as "wondering", "marvelling", "astonishment", and "amazement". This response of "wonder" involved fear, and a failure to understand:

Luke 2:9 - And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

These shepherds were not wimps. They, like David, even as youths, could take on bears, lions, and anything that threatened their flocks with slings, knives, or even their bare hands if necessary. They were outdoorsmen, who worked 24/7 at providing for and protecting their flocks. They did their jobs day in, and day out, one day following another, until....until one day, unlike any other day before or since, until their working, and believing, and thinking was stopped and shaken, interrupted and rattled, by a visit that defied expectation or rationalization. What they saw and heard took them totally by surprise, and could not be explained away through any of the antisupernatural schemings of modern man. Only one initial response was appropriate, and they responded accordingly.

Consider also the response of those who were informed of these events by the shepherds:

Luke 2:18 - And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

Joseph and Mary themselves shared in this response:

Luke 2:33 - And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

Notice the response to the youthful Jesus in the Temple later in this chapter:

Luke 2:47-50 - [47] And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. [48] And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. [49] And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? [50] And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

Is there not something here that should elicit a sense of wonder and awe, that should cause us to marvel, to react in amazement, and with astonishment? If we are ever going to respond in wonder, is it not here at the birth of the Son of God come as the Son of Man in a manger? This day that changed all of human history, this central event in the ongoing Creation, ought to cause our jaws to drop, our eyes to bug out, and our minds to spin! If it does not, we should at least share in the shepherds' fear, and be "sore afraid", for there is something wrong with us otherwise! Where are the "wise guys" of our age? Where is the know-it-all skeptic and the humanistic philosopher who spoof at any suggestion of the supernatural when confronted by the glory of God, and the preaching and praising of angels? How would they have responded if they had been in those fields with the shepherds? And, now, when they sit in their armchairs in the ivory towers of academia, and lounge in their studies as Monday morning critics, they may find it easy to explain away this history, but in so doing they demonstrate their inability to wonder, and the numbness of their infidelity. This is no time to nit-pick, this is a time to stand in awe!

The shepherds did not stop there, they did not stand there in residual fear when the angels departed, but sought out the sign that had been revealed to them. And this elicited:

II. The Followup Response of Glorifying (Praising)

The shepherds could not help but tell others what had happened, what they had seen and heard:

Luke 2:17 - And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

They became the first witnesses to the Incarnation, worshipping God for what He had done, and praising Him to others for what they had experienced and learned:

Luke 2:20 - And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Anna's response when she saw the Christ child in the Temple was precisely the same:

Luke 2:38 - And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

When confronted by the wonders of God, our awe, our astonishment and amazement should produce worship, glorying in God, glorifying him in praise, praising him to all who would hear! This is not something that we can or should keep to ourselves. There should be a joyful excitement, an enthusiastic reporting, a bubbling over in worship in response to this greatest gift in history! This will not be kept a secret any longer! Christ is born, the Savior has come, the Son of God has become the Son of Man, the King of kings and Lord of lords is here!

And yet, there is still in that wonder and awe, in that amazement and astonishment, those things that we do not understand. There is that which transcends human knowledge, reasoning, and thought here, and there always will be. The greatest mystery of mysteries is how God could become Man, how the Person of the Son of God could take on flesh, and live as the Son of Man. There is that here which defies explanation and rationalization. We face the frontier of human ability to know here, or nowhere. Human intellectual pride is here humbled like nowhere else. And it is well that we acknowledge this limitation, this inability, even while we proclaim the tremendous facts that we can be sure of from God's own revelation of this mystery.

But, we may still include that which we do not now comprehend in the third phase of our responding to the revelation of the Incarnation to us by God, even as the "bit players" of that history did. We may join with Mary in:

III. The Reserved Response of Pondering (Keeping)

Luke 2:19 - But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

We should remember, and remembering we should ponder. We should meditate on mystery, and meditating we should grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We should expect always to ponder, and never to arrive at a full understanding of the depths of such a mystery. We are finite, and the depths here are infinite.

We do not need to understand, or to be able fully to explain, every aspect of such a wonderful revelation in order to be able to worship God by glorifying Him, and praising Him to others. We are not so different from the shepherds, or Joseph the carpenter, or Mary herself. They knew fear and wonder; they knew what it was like to be astonished, and to question. We should share in all of these responses. We should place ourselves into their places in these Gospel accounts, and understand that we have much in common with them. Our responses to the records of these events should be no different than their's were. We should respond to the Incarnation, the mystery of mysteries, by wondering, glorifying and pondering. All of these responses should be part of the ongoing experience of the Christian life for every child of God.

Conclusion:

The angel said to the shepherds that day: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

Let us join in the praises of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Good tidings! Great joy! Christ the Lord is born a babe and a Savior! Glory to God, glory to God in the highest! Thank Him, and praise him for the Prince of Peace come to earth, and for His good will toward men in making peace with those who were at war with Him [note 5] in the only Way it could be made [note 6]! Only God could do this, this Wonder of wonders! Glorify Him! Ponder what is worthy of eternal contemplation!

Appendix: The Revelation to the Shepherds in Hymnology

“Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say what may the tidings be, Which inspire your heavenly song?”

[“Angels We Have Heard on High”, source unknown, verse 2.]

“Shepherds, in the fields abiding, Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing, Yonder shines the infant Light:”

[“Angels, from the Realms of Glory”, by James Montgomery, verse 2. Note: The truth may be more accurately represented “…God as man is now residing…”. See J. Gresham Machen’s The Virgin Birth of Christ (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1930), pg. 391, “To these modern men the incarnation means that God and man are one; to the New Testament it means rather that they are not one, but that the eternal Son of God became man, assumed our nature, by a stupendous miracle, to redeem us from sin.”]

“The first Noel the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay a-keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.”

[“The First Noel”, old English carol, verse 1.]

“While shepherds watch’d their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around, And glory shone around.
“Fear not, “ said he; for mighty dread,
Had seized their troubled mind,
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
To you and all mankind, To you and all mankind.””

[“While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks”, by Nahum Tate, verses 1-2.]

“Shepherds saw the wondrous sight, Heard the angels singing;
All the plains were lit that night, All the hills were ringing.”

[“Gentle Mary Laid Her Child”, by Joseph Simpson Cook, verse 2.]

“Who is He in yonder stall, At whose feet the shepherds fall?”

[“Who Is He in Yonder Stall?”, by B. R. Hanby, verse 1.]

“Come, all ye shepherds, ye children of earth,
Come ye, bring greetings to yon heavenly birth.
Hasten then, hasten to Bethlehem’s stall,
There to see heaven descend to us all.
Angels and shepherds together we go,
Seeking this Savior from all earthly woe.”

[“Come, All Ye Shepherds”, Bohemian folk song, trans. Mari Ruef Hofer.]

“so toiling men and spirits bright, A first communion had,”

[“A Thousand Years Have Come and Gone”, by Thomas Toke Lynch, verse 2.]

Footnotes:

[1] Old English Carol.

[2] Joseph Mohr, “Silent Night, Holy Night”, verse 2.

[3] An interesting history of Gospel harmonies was done by M. B. Riddle in his "Introductory Essay" published with Augustine's work The Harmony of the Gospels, trans. S. D. F. Salmond, ed. M. B. Riddle, in A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; reprint of 1886 original by Christian Literature Publishing Co., New York), Vol. VI, St. Augustin: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels, pp. 67-70. Riddel traces this history of harmonies of the Gospels from Tatian's "Diatessaron" (circa A. D. 153-170), through Eusebius' "Canons" (4th c. A. D.), Augustine's work (early 5th c. A. D.), and the work of Calvin and others during the Reformation (16th c. A. D.), to those being done in his own day in the 19th century. This is available online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf106.vi.ii.html.

Harmonies of the Gospels are available today in English, Greek, and both (Greek-English). The English editions vary as to the English translation they use, whether they harmonize just the three Synoptic Gospels, or all four, and whether they set up their harmony as parallel columns or as a running account. The following are examples of some prominent English harmonies in use today: Synopsis of the Four Gospels, English Edition, ed. Kurt Aland (n.p.: United Bible Societies, 1982); A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ, by Archibald Thomas Robertson (New York: Harper, 1950); and A Harmony of the Gospels with explanations and essays, by Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry (Chicago: Moody Press, 1978). Many Gospel harmonies are now available on the internet, and may be located by simply entering "harmony Gospels" in a search engine.

[4] The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, 5th ed., ed. Frank Charles Thompson (Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., 1988), pg. 1679, "Condensed Cyclopedia of Topics and Texts", #4308-a, "Key to the Tree of Jesus' Life and Harmony of the Gospels".

[5] Romans 5:10 - 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. Romans 8:7 - Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

[6] 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.

Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth? Mohler and Machen

2007-12-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

Below are some quotes from J. Gresham Machen’s monumental work, The Virgin Birth of Christ (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1930), to complement Al Mohler’s most recent blog entry:

“Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth?”, Wednesday, December 05, 2007
http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2007-12-05

All of the following excerpts are from Machen’s final chapter, number XV, “Conclusion and Consequences”:

“The story of the virgin birth is the story of a stupendous miracle, and against any such thing there is an enormous presumption drawn from the long experience of the race.

As it is however, that presumption can be overcome; it can be overcome when the tradition of the virgin birth is removed from its isolation and taken in connection with the whole glorious picture of the One whom in this tradition is said to be virgin-born. What shall we think of Jesus Christ? That is the question of all questions, and it can be answered aright only when the evidence is taken as a whole. It is a fact of history, which no serious historian can deny, that in the first century of our era there walked upon this earth One who was like none other among the children of men. Reduce the sources of information all you will, and still that mysterious figure remains, that figure who is attested in the Epistles of Paul, that figure who walks before us in lifelike, self-evidencing fashion in the Gospels, that figure upon whom the Christian Church was built. Many have been the efforts to explain Him in terms of what is common to mankind, to explain Him as a product of forces elsewhere operative in the world. Those explanations may satisfy the man who treats the evidence, in pedantic fashion, bit by bit; but they will never satisfy the man who can view the whole. View Jesus in the light of God and against the dark background of sin, view Him as the satisfaction of man’s deepest need, as the One who alone can lead into all glory and all truth, and you will come, despite all, to the stupendous conviction that the New Testament is true, that God walked here upon the earth, that the eternal Son, because He loved us, came into this world to die for our sins upon the cross.

When you have arrived at that conviction you will turn with very different eyes to the story of the virgin and her child. Wonders will no longer repel you. Rather will you say: “So and so only did it behoove this One, as distinguished from all others, to be born.”” (pg. 381)

“To our mind, the story of the virgin birth, far from being an obstacle to faith, is an aid to faith; it is an organic part of that majestic picture of Jesus which can be accepted most easily when it is taken as a whole. The story of the virgin birth will hardly, indeed, be accepted when it is taken apart from the rest; but when taken in connection with the rest it adds to, as well as receives from, the convincing quality of the other things about Jesus which the New Testament tells.” (pg. 382)

[Note: At this point Machen enters footnote number 1, where he cites B. B. Warfield’s relevant article, “The Supernatural Birth of Jesus: Is It Essential to Christianity?”, American Journal of Theology X (Jan., 1906), pp. 21-30. This article has been reprinted in Warfield’s Christology and Criticism (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1932), pp. 447-458; in his Biblical Foundations (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958), pp. 117-128; and in his Biblical And Theological Studies, ed. Samuel G. Craig (Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1968), pp. 157-168. Source: A Bibliography of Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield 1851-1921, by John E. Meeter and Roger Nicole (n.p.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1974), pg. 35.]

“From the beginning Christianity was the religion of the broken heart; it is based upon the conviction that there is an awful gulf between man and God which none but God can bridge. The Bible tells how that gulf was bridged; and that means that the Bible is a record of facts. Of what avail, without the redeeming acts of God, are all the lofty ideals of Psalmists and Prophets, all the teaching and example of Jesus? In themselves they can bring us nothing but despair. We Christians are interested not merely in what God commands, but also in what God did; the Christian religion is couched not merely in the imperative mood, but also in a triumphant indicative; our salvation depends squarely upon history; the Bible contains that history, and unless that history is true the authority of the Bible is gone and we who have put our trust in the Bible are without hope.

Certainly, whatever we may think of it, that is the view of Bible authority which the Bible itself takes. The authors of books like the Gospels are not intending merely to give their readers inspiring poetry or an instructive philosophy of religion; they are intending to narrate facts.” (pg. 385)

“The Bible, in other words, does not merely tell us what God is, but it also tells us what God did; it contains not merely permanent truths of religion and ethics, but also a gospel or a piece of good news.

An integral part of that piece of news, to the authors of the First and Third Gospels, was the fact that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the virgin Mary. If that fact is rejected, then the witness of these writers – and hence the witness of the Bible – is in so far not true.

If, therefore, the virgin birth be rejected, let us cease talking about the “authority of the Bible” or the “infallibility of Scripture” or the like. Let us rather say plainly that that authority and that infallibility are gone. We may indeed hold that many things which the Bible says are true, even though this thing that it says are untrue. Many earnest souls – if we may for the moment speak in general terms and without reference to the virgin birth – adopt such a mediating position. They hold that, although the Bible is wrong in many particulars, although it displays no supernatural freedom from the errors that beset other books, yet it contains some things that are true, and upon those things we can ground our hope for time and for eternity. Far better is it to say these men are right, to say that the Bible is not infallible but only partly true, than to say that the Bible is infallible in the sphere of religion and ethics, and that the external happenings that it relates are matters of indifference to our souls. Many earnest Christians hold the former position; but a man who really holds the latter position cannot logically be a Christian at all. Christianity is founded upon the redeeming work of Christ which was accomplished in Palestine nineteen hundred years ago; to be indifferent to the record that sets forth that work is to reject the gospel in which Christ is offered as our Saviour from sin and wrath.

But even if the former position is taken, even if we do continue to rest for salvation upon part of the record of facts which the Bible contains, still, if we reject other parts, our belief in the authority of the Bible is gone.” (pg. 386)

“…there are scarcely any limits to the confusion of religious discussion at the present day. The Bible teaches the virgin birth of Christ; a man who accepts the virgin birth may continue to hold to the full truthfulness of the Bible; a man who rejects it cannot possibly do so. That much at least should be perfectly plain.” (pg. 387)

“If a man affirms that Jesus was born without human father, being conceived by the Holy Ghost in the virgin’s womb, it is difficult to see how he can escape the plain meaning of such terms; and thus when he makes that affirmation, he has taken the momentous step of affirming the entrance of the supernatural into the course of this world.…the question of the virgin birth brings us sharply before the question of the supernatural, and…a man who accepts the virgin birth has taken his stand squarely upon supernaturalistic ground.” (pg. 390)

“…the two elements of Christian truth belong logically together; the supernatural Person of our Lord belongs logically with His redemptive work; the virgin birth belongs logically with the Cross. Where one aspect is given up, the other will not logically remain; and where one is accepted, the other will naturally be accepted, too. There may be halfway positions for a time, but they are in unstable equilibrium and will no long be maintained.

Certain it is that men who reject the virgin birth scarcely ever hold to a really Christian view of Christ….In the overwhelming majority of cases those who reject the virgin birth reject the whole supernatural view of Christ….Seldom does any real belief in the incarnation go along with a rejection of the miracle of the virgin birth.” (pg. 391)

“…a man cannot reject the testimony of the New Testament at this point without serious peril to his soul.” (pg. 392)

“…without the story of the virgin birth our knowledge of the Saviour would be impoverished in a very serious way.” (pg. 393)

“Our knowledge of the virgin birth, therefore, is important because it fixes for us the time of the incarnation. And what comfort that gives to our souls! Marcion, the second-century dualist, was very severe upon those who thought that the Son of God was born as a man; he poured out the vials of his scorn upon those who brought Christ into connection with the birth-pangs and the nine months’ time. But we, unlike Marcion and his modern disciples, glory just in the story of those things. The eternal Son of God, He through whom the universe was made, did not despise the virgin’s womb! What a wonder is there! It is not strange that it has always given offence to the natural man. But in that wonder we find God’s redeeming love, and in that babe who lay in Mary’s womb we find our Saviour who thus became man to die for our sins, and bring us into peace with God.” (pg. 394)

“Deny or give up the story of the virgin birth, and inevitably you are led to evade either the high Biblical doctrine of sin or else the full Biblical presentation of the supernatural Person of our Lord.” (pg. 395)

“…if we are to help our fellow-men we must give counsel on the basis of the best knowledge that we in our weakness can obtain. And certainly even with that weakness we can say that perhaps not one man out of a hundred of those who deny the virgin birth today gives any really clear evidence of possessing saving faith. A man is not saved by good works, but by faith; and saving faith is acceptance of Jesus Christ “as he is offered to us in the gospel.” Part of that gospel in which Jesus is offered to our souls is the blessed story of the miracle in the virgin’s womb.

One thing at least is clear: even if the belief in the virgin birth is not necessary to every Christian, it is certainly necessary to Christianity. And it is necessary to the corporate witness of the Church.” (pg. 396)

And with these words Dr. Machen ends his colossal contribution to the apologetic literature in the treasury of the Church:

“The New Testament presentation of Jesus is not an agglomeration, but an organism, and of that organism the virgin birth is an integral part. Remove the part, and the whole becomes harder and not easier to accept; the New Testament account of Jesus is the most convincing when it is taken as a whole. Only one Jesus is presented in the word of God; and that Jesus did not come into the world by ordinary generation, but was conceived in the womb of the virgin by the Holy Ghost.” (pg. 397)

“…Christianity…the religion of the broken heart….couched…in a triumphant indicative…”! (pg. 385) What an affirmation that is!

Machen’s work is unquestionably a difficult read. I dedicated one Christmas break during undergraduate studies at Lancaster Bible College in the late 1970s to digesting this work. It was time well spent. While many probably will not follow this example, perhaps the quotes above will be valued, or better yet, may whet their appetite for more! The Virgin Birth of Christ was nicely reprinted in a hardbound edition by James Clarke Company in 1987. My 1975 reprint of the Harper & Row original in Baker’s “Twin Brooks Series” is a well-worn paperback!

If you have never read Machen, The Virgin Birth of Christ may not be the best place to start, however. I would recommend his God Transcendent (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1998), What is Faith (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1996), or The Christian View of Man (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1965) as better starting points.

John T. "Jack" Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel

Change of Sunday morning Worship Service start time

2007-12-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Effective December 23, 2007, and until further notice, the start time for the Lord's Day Worship Service at Wayside Gospel Chapel will be 10:00 a.m. This information has been released to all available media outlets to ensure wide distribution. Feedback on this change, either negative or positive, is welcomed.

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 6:25-34

2007-11-12T21:54:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday, November 13, we will be having our Matthew bible study. We will be discussing Matthew 6:25-34, though I doubt we will make it through the entire passage. Remember also our new format. Come ready to share what you are learning about God and/or what He has been teaching you. Here are some thoughts/comments/observations to help you prepare for Tuesday night.

Verse 25 starts with "for this reason." What is the connection being made between vv 25-34 and vv 19-24?
"Worry" is the central theme of this passage. This is evidenced by the fact it is found no less than 6x in this passage (if you are using the NASB you will only count "worry" 5x; this is due to their translating "worry" as "concern" in v. 34). Is Christ prohibiting all "worry"? It would be valuable to look up "worry" in a good bible dictionary and in the concordance.
In Matthew 6:29 Solomon is mentioned. Take time now to review the "glory"of Solomon.
Another major theme of this passage is the knowledge and sovereignty of God.

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 6:22-24

2007-11-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

Greetings. This Wednesday we will be having our Matthew Bible Study on Matthew 6:22-24. We are in the midst of a section where Jesus uses three metaphors to illustrate the principle of "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The first metaphor is treasures in heaven versus treasures on earth in Matthew 6:19-21. The second metaphor is the eye and light in Matthew 6:22-23. The third metaphor is two masters in Matthew 6:24. Come ready to discuss these last two metaphors. Here are some comments/thoughts/questions to help you prepare for Wednesday night.

The overwhelming theme of this section is wholehearted service to God.
What is to be understood about the eye and lamp? What is the point Christ is making by using this metaphor? More specifically, to what does Christ refer when he speaks of "the light within you...."
Is Christ condemning rich people or material possession in Matthew 6:24? Why or why not?

Also remember our new format. We will open with prayer requests and then give time for each to share what they are learning and how they are growing more in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6:16-18

2007-10-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday night, October 10th, we will have our Matthew bible study. Last time we met we wrapped up Matthew 6:5-15. Tomorrow we will be discussing Matthew 6:16-18. This passage gives us instruction upon fasting. As I mentioned Sunday morning, this passage has changed my mind on fasting. I used to believe that fasting was not necessary for NT believers. It is nowhere commanded of us in the NT. However, this passage assumes as a disciple of Jesus Christ you will practice fasting as it says, "when you fast" not "if you fast." It must be observed however that while he expects his disciples to fast, he radically changed the way fasting was to be carried on as well as the relative importance of it. Here are some comments/thoughts/questions to help as you prepare for tomorrow night:

What is fasting? Is it ascetic or spiritual?
Grab a bible dictionary off your shelf and look up "fasting" in it. It is well worth your time. Or if you have a bible concordance handy, look up all the references to fasting. Then, catalogue why the people fasted. My conclusion from doing this is fasts were generally in response to calamities and to demonstrate humility and repentance.
Matthew 9:14-17 is an important cross-reference to study
The weight of textual evidence is against the inclusion of references to fasting in Mt. 17:21; Mk. 9:29; Acts 10:30; 1 Cor. 7:5, though the presence of these references in many manuscripts in itself indicates that there was a growing belief in the value of fasting in the early church.

I will see you Wednesday night!

Matthew 6:5-15: Part Three

2007-09-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, September 26, we will be having our Matthew bible study. Come ready to discuss Matthew 6:11-15. Last week we discussed Matthew 6:9-10, the first half of the "Disciple's Prayer." Here are some thoughts, comments, observations, questions to help you prepare for Wednesday.

Last week we divided Matthew 6:9-15 into two units. The first unit is Matthew 6:9-10. This unit is concerned with the glory of God. The second unit is Matthew 6:11-15. This unit is concerned with the disciple's needs and his relationship with other persons.
What is the significance of the word "daily" in verse 11?
To what does "bread" refer in verse 11?
When reading verse 12, read vv 14 -15 with it, as they are both teaching the same idea.
"and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" at first strikes us as a very strange request. Why should we have to ask God not to lead us into temptation? Isn't that something we can take for granted? What are we to make of such a petition? To help you on your way, may I suggest to you that this is a litotes.

See you Wednesday!

Matthew 6:5-15: Part Two

2007-09-18T13:46:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, September 19th, we will be having our Matthew bible study. Please come ready to discuss Matthew 6:9-10. Jesus, in Matthew 6:5-8, taught us how not to pray. We are not to pray as the hypocrite or as the babbling pagan. Now in Matthew 6:9-15 Christ will teach us how to pray. Matthew 6:9 begins with, "this, then, is how you should pray." Here are some thoughts/comments/observations/questions to help you prepare for this Wednesday.

This is a model prayer. It is a guide or pattern for the disciples to use. It is not a prayer that we are to repeat word for word. We would then be guilty of what Christ has forbidden in the preceding verses. “This does not mean that the Lord’s prayer may not usefully and meaningfully be used exactly as it is enunciated, but it points us to the truth that Jesus is giving us a model that may be employed in fashioning other prayers” (Morris, Matthew, 143).
Many refer to this passage as the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is not the “Lord’s Prayer,” it is the “Disciple’s Prayer.” If we were to give any prayer in Scripture the title “Lord’s Prayer” it would be John 17.
Notice again it is assumed that as a disciple of Jesus Christ you will be regularly committing yourself to the practice of prayer.
What is the significance of Jesus telling us to address God with "Our Father in heaven?" More specifically, how do "Father" and "heaven" relate to each other? What do they teach us about God?
What does "hallowed" mean? How do we participate in this?

While we are on the subject of prayer, may I strongly recommend these books on prayer – “Teach us to Pray” by DA Carson and “The God Who Hears” by W.B. Hunter.

God Bless and see you Wednesday!

Matthew 6:5-15: Part One

2007-09-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, September 12, we will be begin our study of Matthew 6:5-15. Come prepared to discuss Matthew 6:5-8. Last week we discussed the importance of having a pure motive in our acts of righteousness (Matthew 6:1), specifically as it relates to our giving. That pure motive is one that has God's glory at its center. We must not commit acts of righteousness to be seen by others. This week we will continue with that theme as it applies to our prayer. Here are some thoughts/comments/observations to help you as you prepare for Wednesday.

Each of the discourses on giving, prayer, and fasting follow the same essential pattern. The pattern is as follows: 1. Warning concerning motive 2. Reward for false motive 3. Secret actions with a pure motive 4. God sees. Notice however Jesus discourse on prayer breaks this pattern with an extended discussion.
Notice the text does not begin with "if you pray" but it says "when you pray." It is assumed that as a disciple of Jesus Christ you will be praying.
What does it mean to "babble like a pagan?"
Why do we pray to God if he already knows what we need before we ask him?

See you Wednesday!

Matthew 6:1-4

2007-09-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, September 5, we will be studying Matthew 6:1-4. As always, come prepared with observations. Take the time to read all of chapter six to get the context. Here are some comments/thoughts/observations to help as you prepare.

Compare Matthew 6:1 with Matthew 5:16. Is Jesus contradicting himself? What are we to make of these seemingly contradictory statements?
Compare Matthew 6:1 with Matthew 23:1-12.
What is the "reward" that Christ refers to in Matthew 6:2?

See you this Wednesday!

Andrew

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:48

2007-08-28T14:40:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, August 29, we will have our Matthew bible study. We will be studying Matthew 5:48. Although it is only one verse, it is more than enough. It packs a punch all by itself!

This verse is not, in my humble opinion, the conclusion to Matthew 5:43-47. It is rather the conclusion to the preceding six antithetical statements. It summarizes the essence of what Christ has been teaching all along. Take some time to stop and think about how this verse summarizes all of what Christ has been saying so far in the "sermon on the mount."
We are commanded to be "perfect" as God is "perfect" Perfect means "end, goal, limit, mature, complete." Can we attain this in our lifetime? Are you striving for this? Is this important to you?

I will see you Wednesday night!

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:38-42

2007-08-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

We will be having our bible study this Wednesday, August 15, at 7:45 pm at Joel and Renay's house. Our passage of Scripture we will be studying is Matthew 5:38-42. As always, come with three observations/questions/thoughts that you want to share with the group. Here are some thoughts to help you as you prepare for tomorrow night:

What is "Lex Talionis"
Look up Ex. 22:21-27; Leviticus 24:19, 20; Deuteronomy 19:19. Read them in context!
This passage is concerned with personal vengeance, not public order. This passage is not teaching that we should let "evil triumph."
What are some points of application our society would do well to glean from this passage?

I will see you tomorrow night!

Andrew Manwarren

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:31, 32

2007-07-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, August 1, we will be having our bible study on Matthew 5:31, 32. This text is expressly concerned with the sanctity of marriage and the issue of divorce. As discussed last week, divorce is a volatile issue and needs to be handled carefully and thoughtfully. Too often emotions, feelings, and personal opinions hinder one from giving Scripture the authority it has in this issue. In light of that fact, we are going to limit our discussion of divorce explicitly to what Christ says in Matthew 5:31, 32, as opposed to a full blown discussion of everything the bible has to say in regards to divorce. When we get to Matthew 19 where Christ discusses more fully the issue of divorce, we will spend a great deal more of time on the issue. Therefore, as you study Matthew 5:31, 32 for tomorrow, keep in mind we are dealing only with Matthew 5:31, 32 and of course the text he quotes from, Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

Andrew

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:27-30

2007-07-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, July 25, we will be discussing the rest of Matthew 5:27-30. Last week we wrapped up Matthew 5:21-26 where Christ likens murder without a just cause as murderous and began our discussion of Matthew 5:27-30 where Christ likens lustful thoughts as adulterous. Please see the following link for some questions/observations/thoughts concerning Matthew 5:27-30. I will see you Sunday!

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:21-30

2007-07-09T13:13:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, July 11, we will be having our Matthew bible study. Last time we met we did not finish Christ's words on anger. This Wednesday then we will wrap up Matthew 5:21-26 and move on to Matthew 5:27-30. Here are some thoughts/comments/observations to help you prepare:

As noted last time, Matthew 5:23 begins with "therefore" marking a logical connection between what was just said (v. 21-22) and what follows (v.23-26). What is the logical connection? To state it simply, what are two responses we are to have in light of Christ's teaching concerning anger? Additionally, can you think of one word that sums up the basic idea of vv. 23-26?
Matthew 5:27 marks the beginning of Christ's second antithetical statement. Just as before in regard to murder, Jesus is not concerned with mere outward conformity to the law, he is concerned with the real direction toward which the OT Scriptures point. Jesus is concerned with the motive and purity of the heart. A heart filled with malicious anger and insults is a murderous heart. A heart filled with lustful intent and desire is an adulterous heart.
Are women or unmarried people made exempt from lust and adulterous acts in these verses?
Matthew 5:29, 30 certainly gain your attention quick! It is certainly a favorite saying of Christ also (c.f. Mt. 18:8, 9). Many having read these verses here and later in Matthew 18:8, 9 have quite literally cut-off body parts to hinder themselves from sinning(Origen being the most common example given)! While their desire to be pure and holy before God is admirable, do you think Christ here advocates self-mutilation? Let me ask this in another way. Can or cannot a blind and crippled person still lust in his heart? If tomorrow you were to lose eye-sight and/or by some tragic incident lose the use of your hands would you never lustfully desire at all?
If self-mutilation is not the answer, what is the point Christ is making in these verses? How can we effectively guard against the lust of the flesh?
Key Cross references - Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22-24; Job 31:1; Galatians 5:16; 2 Timothy 2:22.

See you Wednesday

Andrew

Pastor's Book Review - "The Universe Next Door"

2007-07-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

Book Review:

The Universe Next Door: A Basic World View Catalog

(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1976),

by James W. Sire.

The 2nd edition of this work was published in 1988, the 3rd ed. in 1997, and the 4th ed. in 2004. University students in classes dealing with worldviews and philosophy sometimes are assigned this work as required reading. The fact that it has gone through four editions with over a quarter million copies in print in the first three may be an indication that its claim to be "the premier textbook on worldviews" (back cover, 4th ed.) is found to be plausible by some. The author is a former editor of InterVarsity Press, and campus lecturer for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The obvious popularity of the book, and the prominence of the author, makes the following critique that much more difficult, but also that much more necessary.

The following are problems I found with this work. These are all very serious errors, or at best, very poor theological writing. I have arranged them as they occur in the book, and not in order of importance.

1. Teaching the complexity of God - Denial of the simplicity of God (pg. 24; 4th ed. pg. 27) -
"He is a unity, yes, but a unity of complexity."

He does not mention God's simplicity, and then refute the doctrine from Scripture. He simply ignores it, and teaches the opposite. Reference some of the better Reformed systematics like Herman Bavinck's The Doctrine of God (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1977), pp. 113-172 (cp. esp. pp. 168-172) for the expose of the error in Sire's statement.

Compare John M. Frame, The Doctrine of God: A Theology of Lordship (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002), pp. 225-230, s.v. “Simplicity” - Is Frame saying the same thing as Sire regarding the essential complexity within unity of God, and the primacy of God’s attribute of goodness (pp. 229-230), or is he saying something quite different?

2. Elevation of God's goodness over His other attributes without Scriptural basis (pg. 26; 4th ed. pg. 28) -
"This is the prime statement about God's character. From it flow all others."

I don't see any Scriptural basis for this prejudicial statement, any more than the one usually encountered regarding His holiness. He may need to do this to shore up his sublapsarianism, but he does it by way of opinion, and not sound Biblical doctrine. This error flows naturally from a denial, or ignoring of the doctrine of God's simplicity (for which see Bavinck, op. cit.).

3. Teaching non-determinism, sublapsarianism - Denial of the decree, predestination, and God's absolute sovereignty (pg. 28; 4th ed. pg. 31, cp. also pg. 30!) -
"If the course of events were determined, our decisions would have no significance. So theism declares that the universe is orderly but not determined."

I don't know what "theism" he is referring to. It is not the "theism" of the Bible, or either Testament, or of the God who reveals Himself there. This is blatant anti-decreetalism, and extreme sublapsarianism.

4. Theologically confusing language regarding God's "environment" involving an implicit denial of God's omnipresence and immanence (pp. 29-30; 4th ed. pg. 32) -
"God is totally unconstrained by his environment....nothing external to God can possibly constrain him."

God's "environment" and "externals"? Environment external to God? What in the "world" is he talking about. God's "environment"? What, pray tell, is that?!?! "External to God"??? What is "external to God"? If he is even considering this hypothetically, it bears with it an implicit denial of God's omnipresence and immanence.

5. Teaching man's transcendance of his environment (pg. 30; 4th ed. pg. 32) -
"So man participates in part in a transcendence over his environment. Except at the very extremities of existence - in sickness or physical deprivation (utter starvation, cooped up in darkness for days on end, for example) - a person is not forced to any necessary reaction."
"In short, man has personality and is capable of transcending the cosmos in which he is placed in the sense that he can know something of that cosmos and can act significantly to change the course of both human and cosmic events."

My, he certainly has a very high view of man! That should not be surprising to find in such an extreme sublapsarian. However, I fail to see the relevance of this "partial transcendence" he refers to. We are still subject to the absolute necessities of eating, drinking, sleeping, and obeying gravity. How, pray tell, does man transcend his enviroment? If you consider the actual examples he cites between the two statements above, they just do not get him where he wants to go. They show that man is a responsible and personal being, but not transcendent. And what about man's environment called "God", in whom we live and move and have our being? I think Sire has not factored God into this pseudo-theological equation!

His issue seems to be that man is an "actor", and not just a "reactor" ("...like a bell ringing when a button is pushed.". What he insists on referring to as "self-transcendence" (pp. 29), renders the usage of that terminology useless regarding the Creator. This would seem to be the ultimate theological error of those whose objection to the sovereignty of God issues forth in protestations that they are not robots or puppets.

If he is correct that "partially self-transcendent" men are capable of changing "the course of both human and cosmic events", then man is sovereign, not God, and the wrong ruler is seated on the throne of the universe.

6. Teaching of partial or relative depravity - Denial of total depravity and utter inability (pp. 35-36; 4th ed. pg. 38-39) -
"...man has lost his capacity to know himself accurately and to determine his own course of action freely..."
"...he became more a servant to nature than to God."
"Man's intelligence also became impaired....man became less able to discern good and evil."

The language Sire uses here falls short of the expressions one would expect if the author affirmed the total depravity and utter inability of fallen and unregenerate man. He qualifies man's fallenness with language like: "accurately...freely....more...than....impaired...less able...". Such relativizing of man's fallen condition does not square with what one finds in Scripture, especially in Romans, and specifically in the first three chapters of that book. It would appear to me that there is an inherent semi-Pelagianism driving such qualifiers.

7. Teaching the non-contingency of man - Denial of man's dependence or creatureliness (pg. 83; omitted in 4th ed.) -
"...if man is contingent, he is inherently meaningless."

I would object that, if man is not contingent, i.e., non-contingent, then he is God! There is only one non-contingent being, and that is the Sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe. Man, by virtue of his very creatureliness, is contingent. If Romans 9 teaches anything, it teaches this very fact! Here is Sire's semi-Pelagian sublapsarianism at its essence, and this theological error is inherently naturalistic. Here he loses his first objection to naturalism. He has cast off supernaturalism, and thus has nowhere to stand as a basis for objecting to naturalism.

He objects that "...naturalism does not supply a basis on which man can act significantly." Sire, on the other hand, does not supply a basis on which God can act significantly, because he presents us with a transcendent creature, and a God who is not the sovereign determiner of events in His creation. He may attempt to qualify this error with the word "partial" as he has before, but this cake cannot both be had and eaten. That dog don't hunt!

He has yielded the high ground, and it is open season for the naturalist. I would like the opportunity to take the naturalist's side in a debate against Sire! He needs to come prepared to chew his sublapsarianism thoroughly, and swallow his anti-decreetalism without the water of the Word to wash it down!

'Nuff said?

Matthew Bible Study: Matthew 5:21-26

2007-06-25T19:09:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday, June 27, we will be discussing Matthew 5:21-26 for our Bible Study. Here are some thoughts/comments/questions/observations to think about in preparation for the bible study.

1. Take the time to read carefully Matthew 5:17-48 many times through in one sitting. Remember Matthew 5:17-20 introduces the main body of Jesus "sermon on the mount." Matthew 5:21-48 is the "fleshing out" of what was introduced in 5:17-20. Matthew 5:21-48 can be divided into six antithetical statements by Jesus (some say five, I am undecided though I lean closer to five). They begin with "you have heard" and end with "but I say to you." For further thought, what is the connection between Jesus "but I say to you" and his statements in Matthew 5:17-20?
2. Anger is the main emphasis of this passage of scripture. Take the time now to cross-reference Genesis 4:5,6; 37:4, 8; 1 Sam. 20:30-33. What is the connection made here between anger and murder?
3. Is Jesus here forbidding all manner of anger? In other words, is all anger the first fruits to murder?
4. How are we to understand "brother?" Does he mean your physical "brother," or is he speaking figuratively?
5. Verse 23 begins with "therefore." What logical connection are we to draw from vv. 21-22 and 23-25? What kind of responses are we to have should we have malice in any personal relationship?

Andrew

Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 24, 2007

2007-06-25T17:02:00.000-05:00

Time to Return
Amos 4:6-11

[6] And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and want of bread in all your places:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[7] And also I have withholden the rain from you,
when there were yet three months to the harvest:
and I caused it to rain upon one city,

and caused it not to rain upon another city:
one piece was rained upon,

and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
[8] So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water;

but they were not satisfied:

yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[9] I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards
and your fig trees and your olive trees increased,

the palmerworm devoured them:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[10] I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt:
your young men have I slain with the sword,

and have taken away your horses;
and I have made the stink of your camps

to come up unto your nostrils:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
[11] I have overthrown some of you,

as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning:
yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

Introduction:

You’ve got to ask yourself, "Why now? Why slap them in the face with that sarcasm now? Isn’t it too late? By His oath hasn’t he shut the door on any hope of avoiding this judgment? What is this about? Who is this for?"

God doesn’t take sin lightly.
God doesn’t take judgment lightly, either.

When bad things happen to good people - Jobs
When bad things happen to God’s people - Jonahs
When bad things happen to bad people - Judas’s

It is "time to return"!

"Reprobate" and "contumacy" defined:

Reprobate = 1. Not enduring proof or trial; not of standard purity or fineness; disallowed; rejected. Jer. vi. 2. Abandoned in sin; lost to virtue or grace. Tit. 1. 3. Abandoned to error, or in apostasy. 2 Tim. iii. [footnote 1]

Contumacy = stubbornness; unyielding obstinacy; inflexibility. 2. In law, a wilful contempt and disobedience to any lawful summons or order of court;... [footnote 2]

Outline:
I. The Reprobate Maintain Their Contumacy Despite Repeated Warnings - Yet
II. The Reprobate Exhibit Their Contumacy By Their Failure To Repent - Have Ye Not Returned
III. The Reprobate Finalize Their Contumacy In Their Enmity Against God - Unto Me, Saith The Lord

I. The Reprobate Maintain Their Contumacy Despite Repeated Warnings - Yet

Yet = "Nevertheless; notwithstanding; however." [footnote 3]

Leviticus 26:18-19 - [18] And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. [19] And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

2 Chron. 28:22 - And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.

Jeremiah 3:10 - And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.

Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.

1. They did not respond after Famine - 4:6

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
and want of bread in all your places

Deut. 28:47-48 - [47] Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; [48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

Lament. 2:12 - They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.

2. They did not respond after Drought/Selective Drought - 4:7-8

[7] And also I have withholden the rain from you,
when there were yet three months to the harvest:
and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city:
one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
[8] So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water;
but they were not satisfied

Deut. 28:23-24 - [23] And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. [24] The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Deut. 11:17 - And then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.

Jeremiah 3:1-3 - [1] They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord. [2] Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. [3] Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

Jeremiah 5:23-25 - [23] But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. [24] Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. [25] Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Haggai 1:6 - Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

Another kind of drought coming!
Amos 8:12 - And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

3. They did not respond after Blasting/Mildew/Palmerworm
(crop failure) - 4:9

I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards
and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them

Deut. 28:22 - The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

Deut. 28:38-42 - [38] Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. [39] Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. [40] Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. [41] Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. [42] All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

Psalm 105:34-35 - [34] He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number, [35] And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

Joel 1:4 - That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Joel 1:7 - He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

Joel 1:12 - The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.

4. They did not respond after Pestilence/Defeat in war (disease/slaughter) - 4:10

I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt:
your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses;
and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils

Leviticus 26:25 - And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

Deut. 28:21 - The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.

Deut. 28:27 - The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

Deut. 28:60-61 - Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. [61] Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Cp. Exodus 7-12

5. They did not respond after Burning - 4:11

I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning

Genesis 19:24-25 - [24] Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; [25] And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Jeremiah 23:14 - I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

Jeremiah 49:18 - As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

Lament. 4:6 - For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.

Jeremiah 50:40 - As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

Cp. esp. Deut. 29:19-29

"The writer passed through the California earthquake of April 18, 1906, and was an eye-witness of its horrors. Not the least solemn thing noticed was the persistent efforts of the preachers of all denominations to quiet the fears of the populace by assuring them that God had no part in the calamitous events that had taken place. Natural causes explained everything! This the Christless were only too ready to believe; and thus were their partially awakened consciences lulled to rest and their ears closed against the voice of Him who through Amos said, "I have overthrown some of you!"
From vers. 11 and 12 of this chapter, it was my solemn opportunity to press the truth upon many at that time, and not altogether, I trust, without fruit; but "the day" will declare it." [footnote 4]

Jude 1:23 - And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

How do we know that God was behind these disasters, these tragic events?

Matthew 10:29-30 - [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. [30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Luke 21:18 - But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

Dan. 4:34-35 - And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Eph. 1:11 - In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Rom. 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

What is God's purpose in chastening His people? Consider especially Hebrews 12:4-11.

What is the proper response to these disasters, natural and otherwise?

II. The Reprobate Exhibit Their Contumacy By Their Failure To Repent - Have Ye Not Returned

What is it that they should have done, and failed to do?
We will come back to this question again, but their overall failure ends up being a failure to repent of their sin.

Their indictment is identical to that found in Romans 2:
Rom. 2:3-5 - [3] And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [4] Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? [5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God

The Definition of Repentance

What should a good definition of repentance include?

1. After-knowledge
2. Change of mind consequent on after-knowledge
3. Regret for the course pursued
4. Displeasure with oneself
5. Change of conduct for the future [footnote 5]

In Scriptural usage it came to mean "...a change of mind, taking a wiser view of the past..., a regret fo the ill done in that past, and out of all this a change of life for the better..." [footnote 6]

"...that mighty change in mind, heart, and life wrought by the Spirit of God (‘such a virtuous alteration of the mind and purpose as begets a like virtuous change in the life and practice,’ Kettlewell),..." [footnote 7]

Notice that repentance is not merely a bare "change of mind" as some imagine who fail grossly to consider context and usage in their study of this word group!

Consider especially the great repentance passage in 2 Cor. 7:8-11 -
[8] For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. [9] Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. [10] For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. [11] For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

It is important to notice from this passage:

1. There are two kinds of sorrow, godly and worldly, one that brings salvation and an end to sorrow, while the second brings death and eternal sorrow. (vv. 9-10)

2. True, evangelical repentance is produced only by godly sorrow. (vs. 10)

3. True, evangelical repentance involves the following seven ingredients (vs. 11):
1) carefulness
2) clearing of yourselves
3) indignation
4) fear
5) vehement desire
6) zeal
7) revenge

4. True, evangelical repentance results in a righting of wrongs that is here referred to as "approving yourselves to be clear in this matter". (vs. 11)

The Opposition to the Preaching of Repentance

There is a great deal of opposition to the preaching of repentance, along with a serious lack of teaching concerning repentance, in our day involving a theological position that has been characterized as "anti-Lordship". This is a very serious error that divorces faith from life, and belief from behavior. Such a severing of faith from repentance would have been unthinkable in the first century A.D. The basis of the contemporary opposition to this doctrine comes from what I can only characterize as simplistic etymological nonsense that flies directly in the face of the fine teaching from Scripture of others like Trench above. An unrepentant easy-believism has no warrant in God’s Word!

Consider the teaching of the New Testament on this subject:

Luke 15:7 - I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Mark 2:17 - When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Notice that the only ones who may claim "exemption" from God’s command to repent, are those who don’t see themselves as sinners! There is joy in heaven when there is repentance!

Acts 17:30 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Notice that in reality no one is exempt from God’s command to repent! He commands all men everywhere to repent! Any preachers who do not preach repentance as part of the Gospel, are failing to preach the Gospel according to the Word of God! This is no light matter! All men! Everywhere! No exceptions! Preach it!

The Christian Life as a Life of Repentance - Returning, Turning and Conversion

1 Th. 1:1-10 - [1] Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. [2] We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; [3] Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; [4] Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. [5] For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. [6] And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: [7] So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. [8] For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. [9] For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; [10] And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

We need to think of the Christian life as one that begins with a conversion, a turning, involving repentance, and as one that does not stop there, but may be characterized as a life of repentance, a continual turning and converting each and every time we sin!

The Opposite of Repentance

Now let us return to the original question, "What is it that they should have done, and failed to do?"

Consider the following five verses recording God’s accusations of contumacy, a stiff-necked, hard-hearted refusal to repent:

Jeremiah 3:10 - And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 5:3 - O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

Jeremiah 15:7 - And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

Haggai 2:17 - I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.

2 Chron. 28:22 - And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this is that king Ahaz.

We need to be heeding the teachings of the following New Testament passages!

2 Tim. 2:23-26 - [23] But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. [24] And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, [25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; [26] And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Hebrews 6:4-8 - [4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, [5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, [6] If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. [7] For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: [8] But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Hebrews 12:17 - For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

III. The Reprobate Finalize Their Contumacy In Their Enmity Against God - Unto Me, Saith The Lord

Isaiah 9:13 - For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

Jeremiah 3:7 - And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

It is unto the Lord that we need to return.
It is His goodness which should lead us to repentance.
His providential blessings should humble us, and draw us to love and serve Him.

Consider the teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism on the providence of God. How would you answer these catechism questions?

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10
Q27: What do you understand by the providence of God?
A27: The almighty, everywhere-present power of God,[1] whereby, as it were by His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures,[2] and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,[3] health and sickness,[4] riches and poverty,[5] indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.
1. Acts 17:25-26
2. Heb. 1:3
3. Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:17
4. John 9:3
5. Prov. 22:2; Psa. 103:19; Rom. 5:3-5a

Q28: What does it profit us to know that God created and by His providence upholds all things?
A28: That we may be patient in adversity,[1] thankful in prosperity,[2] and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love,[3] since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will they cannot so much as move.[4]
1. Rom. 5:3; James 1:3; Job 1:21
2. Deut. 8:10; I Thess. 5:18
3. Rom. 8:35, 38-39
4. Job 1:12; Acts 17:25-28; Prov. 21:1; Psa. 71:7; II Cor. 1:10

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1
Q.1: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A.1: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death,[1] am not my own,[2] but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ,[3] who with His precious blood [4] has fully satisfied for all my sins,[5] and redeemed me from all the power of the devil;[6] and so preserves me [7] that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head;[8] indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.[9] Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,[10] and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.[11]
1. Rom. 14:7-8
2. I Cor. 6:19
3. I Cor. 3:23
4. I Peter 1:18-19
5. I John 1:7; 2:2
6. I John 3:8
7. John 6:39
8. Matt. 10:29-30; Luke 21:18
9. Rom. 8:28
10. II Cor. 1:21-22; Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:16
11. Rom. 8:1

Conclusion:

What is your only comfort in life and in death? Is this your confession?

Has the goodness of God led you to repent of your sins, and to live a life of repentance?

Will you right now, before you leave this place today, hear His call to repent, heed His command to repent, and turn from your sin to Him?

Footnotes:

1. Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language, 2 vols. (New Haven: S. Converse, 1828), reprinted in 1 vol. as Noah Webster’s First Edition Of An American Dictionary Of The English Language, 4th ed. (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1967), s.v. "reprobate".

2. Ibid., s.v. "contumacy".

3. Ibid., s.v. "yet".

4. H. A. Ironside, Notes on the Minor Prophets (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., Bible Truth Depot, n.d., 1983 printing of 1909 1st ed.), pg. 159, footnote.

5. Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, 9th ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1976 reproduction of 1880 London ed.), pp. 257-258.

6. Ibid, pg. 259.

7. Ibid., pg. 260. John Kettlewell was an English author who died in 1695.

Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 17, 2007

2007-06-25T16:58:00.000-05:00

The Holy Sarcasm

of an Offended God
Amos 4:1-5

[1] Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria,
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
[2] The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,
that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
[3] And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
[4] Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
[5] And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:
for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

Introduction:

The Covenant Lawsuit continues, dripping with sarcasm, the holy sarcasm of an offended God!

Irony as a figure of speech employed in Scripture:

"The Expression of Thought in a form that naturally conveys its opposite."
"The figure is so called when the speaker intends to convey a sense contrary to the strict signification of the words employed: not with the intention of concealing his real meaning, but for the purpose of adding greater force to it." [footnote 1]

Sarcasm - What is it? A form of irony -

"a. A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
b. A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule." [footnote 2]

"a. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
b. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark..." [footnote 3]

The place of sarcasm in the prophets - Observe the sarcasm in the following passages running the gamut from Moses to Paul:

Deut. 32:37 - And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they
trusted,
1 Kings 18:27 - And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
Ezekiel 20:39 - As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye,
serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
1 Cor. 4:8 - Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us:
and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
1 Cor. 6:4 - If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
2 Cor. 10:12 - For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
2 Cor. 11:19 - For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
2 Cor. 12:13 - For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
2 Cor. 13:5 - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The Lord is here adding insult to injury!

If anyone else spoke to us this way we might be tempted to respond: "You can’t talk to me like that!" But, this is God talking!

The time will come when the Son of God will be slapped in the face by sinners -

Matthew 26:67-68 - [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, [68] Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
Mark 14:65 - And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Luke 22:64 - And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
John 18:22 - And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

But, for now, it is God slapping Israel in the face with His sarcasm uttered through His prophet Amos.

Let us see how God slaps reprobate Israel in the face!

I. The Objects of God’s Holy Sarcasm Addressed (4:1)

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria,
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

1. The Insulting Characterization of the Objects (4:1a-c)

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria

Bashan - area east of Jordan and the Sea of Galilee between Gilead and the river Yarmuk on the south, Mt. Hermon on the north, and Salecah on the east. It includes the cities of Ashtaroth, Golan and Edrei. This area is today called en-Nuqra. At the time of the conquest by the Israelites it was ruled by Og. It became the inheritance of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Psalm 22:12 - Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
Ezekiel 39:18 - Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
Amos 6:1 - Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

2. The Carnal Behavior of the Objects (4:1d-g)

which oppress the poor, which crush the needy,
which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

Amos 2:6 - Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

1) Oppress the poor - Greedy
2) Crush the needy - Selfish
3) Say to their master, "Bring, and let us drink!" - Self-centered

By the way, who is in control here? This explains the address of the Lord's comments!

What "word" is it that God wants these "fat cows" to hear?

Here it comes in the verses that follow!

II. The Result of God’s Holy Sarcasm Prophesied (4:2-3)

[2] The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,
that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
[3] And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.

1. The Solemn Nature of the Result (4:2a-b)

The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,

"The same phrase occurs once elsewhere, in Ps. 89:35. No oath can be greater or more final (Heb. 6:13, 14)." [footnote 4]

Psalm 89:35 - Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

2. The Horrible Reality of the Result (4:2c-3)

that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her;
and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.

The cruelty of the Assyrians - humans treated as cattle

"The Assyrians frequently led prisoners by ropes attached to rings or hooks in their noses and lips." [footnote 5]

Isaiah 37:29 - Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. [cp. 2 Kings 19:28]
Ezekiel 38:4 - And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

God does not take sin lightly - He is holy!

Those who deny eternal punishment need to have their faces rubbed in the awfulness of the temporal punishments God inflicted on His people!

All that being said, what would God have His people Israel do in the meantime?

The answer to that question is contained in the next verses!

III. The Invitation of God’s Holy Sarcasm Proclaimed (4:4-5)

[4] Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
[5] And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:
for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

1. The Specific Details of the Invitation (4:4-5b)

Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression;
and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
and proclaim and publish the free offerings:

Worship as sin, Religion as multiplied sin

Hosea 9:15 - All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
Hosea 12:11 - Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
Leviticus 7:13 - Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.
Numbers 28:3-4 - And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the Lord; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. [4] The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even;
Amos 5:21-22 - [21] I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. [22] Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
Matthew 23:32 - Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

We may not define worship as we please!

God only accepts worship that is pleasing to Him.

You cannot worship God with a divided heart.

First, foremost, and always, God wants our devotion -
a clean heart and a right spirit.

Consider, on this issue, an episode in the life of Dwight Lyman Moody:

"Sometimes an easy conversation between friends can have ramifications far beyond what either person expects. Such was the case in the summer of 1872 near Dublin , Ireland , when two prominent evangelists were discussing ministry. The two men were the British evangelist Henry Varley and the renowned American evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Their conversation contains one of the best-remembered quotes attributed to the life and times of Moody. The remark affected him for the rest of his life.
The morning after an all-night prayer meeting, as the two men strolled around the grounds of the mansion where the meeting had been held, Varley uttered a brief but thought-provoking statement to Moody. This is how Moody recorded it in one of his diaries:
"The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him." . . . A man! Varley meant any man. Varley didn’t say he had to be educated, or brilliant, or anything else. Just a man. Well, by the Holy Spirit in me I’ll be that man [quoted in John Pollock, Moody: The Biography (Chicago: Moody, 1963, 1983), pg. 115, author’s italics]." [footnote 6]

I believe that there has been one great exception to this claim, the Person of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. That being said, Varley's challenge remains.

2. The Reasonable Explanation for the Invitation (4:5c-e)

for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.

We do what we love - God knows our heart

Hosea 9:1 - Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
Hosea 9:10 - I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
Jeremiah 7:9-10 - Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; [10] And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Psalm 81:11-12 - But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. [12] So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

Conclusion:

Have you learned the lessons of the "fat cows of Bashan"?

What will be your response?

Consider Psalm 51:1-10 on the holiness of God, and the heart of man:

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. [1] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. [2] Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. [3] For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. [5] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. [7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. [9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Footnotes:

1. Bullinger, Ethelbert William. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode; New York: E. & J. B. Young & Co., 1898), pg. 807. See esp. pp. 807-814.

2. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed. (n.p.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm (accessed: July 16, 2007), s.v. "sarcasm".

3. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Unabridged (v 1.1). (n.p.: Random House, Inc., n.d.).
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm (accessed: July 16, 2007), s.v. "sarcasm".

4. New Geneva Study Bible, eds. Luder Whitlock, R. C. Sproul, Bruce Waltke, Moises Silva, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pg. 1399, s.v. note on 4:2.

5. Ibid.

6. Grace to You, "What Does It Mean to Be Filled with the Spirit", by John MacArthur (2003), http://www.gty.org/resources.php?section=positions&aid=196; Adapted from The Silent Shepherd, by John MacArthur (n.p.: Victor Books, 1996).

Pastor's Sermon Notes - June 10, 2007

2007-06-25T16:54:00.000-05:00

God’s Covenant Lawsuit

Against Israel
Amos 3:9-15

[9] Publish in the palaces at Ashdod,
and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say,
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof,
and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
[10] For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.
[12] Thus saith the Lord;
As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
or a piece of an ear;
so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria
in the corner of a bed,
and in Damascus in a couch.
[13] Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob,
saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,
[14] That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
[15] And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

Introduction:

In chapters 1-2 Amos has brought the prophesied judgments of God home to Israel.
In chapter 3:1-8 Amos has made it clear that he can do nothing but prophesy, and that there are valid reasons for the coming judgments which are now to be prophesied.

Now in 3:9-15 we enter into a series of oracles against Israel.

An oracle is a solemn divine pronouncement,
a revelation from God uttered by His spokesman.

Outline:
I. The Presentation of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:9-11)
II. The Destructon of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:12)
III. The Focus of the Covenant Lawsuit (3:13-15)

Let us begin our consideration of this passage with the first oracle found in verses 9-11, where the covenant lawsuit is presented.

I. The Presentation of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:9-11

[9] Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say,
Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
[10] For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
[11] Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

1. The Summons to the Witnesses (3:9)

Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,
and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof,
and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

Text and translation issue -
Ashdod (ESV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, NLTmg, YLT) vs. Assyria (RSV, etc.)

Job 1:8 - And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

We have the opposite here!

Cp. this to God inviting Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, Howard Stern, the Pope, Don Corleone, Sadaam Hussein, and Osama Bin Laden to witness the chastening of the Church! Not possible? Consider the following verse!

1 Cor. 5:1 - It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.

2. The Reading of the Indictment (3:10)

For they know not to do right, saith the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.

Amos 5:7 - Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
Amos 5:11 - Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
Amos 6:12 - Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
Amos 6:3 - Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
Amos 8:6 - That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (4-6)
Psalm 14:4 - Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.
Isaiah 3:14-15 - The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. [15] What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 4:22 - For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Habakkuk 2:8-11 - [8] Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. [9] Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! [10] Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. [11] For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Micah 6:10-12 - Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? [11] Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? [12] For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
Zeph. 1:9 - In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
Zech. 5:3-4 - Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. [4] I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

How do we know right from wrong?
How can we get to the point where we don’t, where we are no longer able to?

3. The Pronouncement of the Judgment (3:11)

Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
An adversary there shall be even round about the land;
and he shall bring down thy strength from thee,
and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

God acts contrary to the wisest stratagems of men in attacking their strongest points rather than their weaknesses - cp. Sun Tzu, The Art of War -
"To achieve an advance that cannot be hampered, rush to his weak points...To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend." [footnote 1]

2 Kings 17:5-6 and 18:9-12
Deut. 28:31, 43, 47-57
Contrast Deut. 1:26-28

Amos will now illustrate the completeness of Israel’s coming destruction with a graphic figure of speech. Consider verse 12 with me -

II. The Destruction of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:12

Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs,or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.

1. The Figure of the Shepherd (3:12a)

Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear;

"According to ancient laws, shepherds were to demonstrate their diligence by rescuing a portion of a sheep taken by wild beasts..." [footnote 2]

Genesis 31:39 - That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. [Jacob to Laban]
Exodus 22:9-13 - [9] For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. [10] If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: [11] Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. [12] And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. [13] If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

"If the animal be killed in the stable by God ( an accident), or if a lion kill it, the herdsman shall declare his innocence before God, and the owner bears the accident in the stable." [footnote 3]

1 Samuel 17:34-35 - And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: [35] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

Can it be that God is depicted in this figure as both the lion and the shepherd?

2. The Reality of Israel (3:12b)

so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.

Text and translation issue -
Damascus (NIV, NLT, YLT), cover (NASB),
part (ESV, RSV), cushion (HCSB)
Issue: whether the city or the cloth produced there is intended, and whether that cloth was referred to as such during Amos’ times.
"Damask" is "A rich patterned fabric of cotton, linen, silk, or wool." [footnote 4]
Note: This term may not have been used before 1200-1250 A. D. for the type of cloth produced in Damascus. [footnote 5]

Is this prophesied to extend hope for a remnant or to teach the complete destruction of the Northern Kingdom? When a lion devours a sheep does the sheep continue to exist? What does the shepherd bring back but the proof of the destruction of the sheep? Get the figure right, and you will not read into it what it will not bear. This is not a picture designed to extend hope to the nation, but fear and trembling before the utter destruction of the Almighty.

God’s focus in the destruction is the next subject He will address through His spokesman Amos.

III. The Focus of the Covenant Lawsuit - Amos 3:13-15

[13] Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts,
[14] That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.
[15] And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

1. The Divine Warrior Addresses the Prophet (3:13)

Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts

These titles of God occur together only here in Amos.

"In times past God had been a warrior on their behalf. But now He would lead another army against them to punish them for their sins..." [footnote 6]

From God’s mouth into Amos’ ears.
From Amos’ mouth into Israel’s ears.

2. The Divine Warrior Against the Idolators (3:14)

That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel
upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel:
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground.

"A fugitive could gain asylum by grasping the horns of the altar (1 Kin. 1:49-51), though this privilege was not always observed (1 Kin. 2:28-35). Even this last resort for sinful Israel will be cut off." [footnote 7]

Cp. Lev. 4, 8:15; 16:18-19; 26:31; Ps. 118:27

However, this has nothing to do with the false altar at Bethel! (1 Kings 12) It never was, nor could it be a true place of sanctuary.

Amos 4:4 - Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
Amos 5:5-6 - But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. [6] Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
Amos 7:10 - Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
Amos 7:13 - But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.

Alternative places of worship & couch potatoes (vs. 12) - cp. Heb. 10:19-25

The issue of idolatry and unrighteousness in the Church:
1 Cor. 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1 Cor. 10:14 - Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
1 Tim. 6:11 - But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
2 Tim. 2:22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 John 5:21 - Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

3. The Divine Warrior Against the Rich (3:15)

And I will smite the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.

Make no mistake about this! God is not on the side of any human "ism"! The human systems known as communism, socialism and capitalism are all likewise condemned by God! Beware of defending any of these in the name of Christianity! Even in the streets of Scranton blood flowed in the past as oppressed coal miners rose up against the greedy capitalists who owned the mines! [footnote 8] All of these systems and those who profit from them are likewise condemned as unrighteous by the King of kings whose kingdom is not of this world!

Christianity and the politics of this world make strange bedfellows! What Christians should do in the political sphere is to point to God the judge of all who condemns them for their pride and greed and oppression as William Wilberforce did. What must be done is to speak with the voice of the prophets into the darkness of the sins in high places that God will bring down to the dust!

The high and mighty, the rich and powerful of this world will not be well-represented in heaven. God has not called many of them! [footnote 9] Where do we fit into this scheme of things? Did you ever compare your standard of living with those in other countries around the world?

As you read, consider and study these ancient prophecies, take them to heart! Take them personally!

Conclusion:

Make no mistake about the end of those who oppress the poor! A fearful judgment awaits those who enrich themselves at the expense of others, who luxuriate in the fine things of this world to satisfy their flesh.

There should be a marked difference between the children of God and the children of this world! Be ye holy!

Footnotes:

1. Ch. 6, "Weakness and Strength", http://www.sonshi.com/learn.html.

2. New Geneva Study Bible, eds. Luder Whitlock, Jr., R. C. Sproul, Bruce Waltke, Moises Silva, et al. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), pg. 1399.

3. The Code of Hammurabi, Para. 266, Trans. Leonard William King (1910, public domain) at Wikisource: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Codex_Hammurabi. Also at Washington State University (ed. Richard Hooker, copyright 1996): http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM.

4. damask. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/damask (accessed: July 10, 2007).

5. Ibid. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc.; Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/damask. So A. R. Fausset, A Commentary Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), II:2:538.

This contradicts C. von Orelli, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. J. S. Banks (Minneapolis: Klock & Klock Christian Publishers, n.d.; 1977 reprint from T. & T. Clark, 1897 original), pg. 120; C. F. Keil, Minor Prophets, Vol. X, Commentary on the Old Testament, by C. F. Keil, and F. Delitzsch, trans. James Martin (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), I:264; H. R. Reynolds and Prof. Whitehouse, "Amos", in Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, A Verse by Verse Explanation, ed. Charles John Ellicott (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d.), III:V:455.

These last are apparently influenced by the works of Gesenius and Ewald.

6. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (n.p.: Victor Books, 1985), pp. 1434-1435.

7. New Geneva Study Bible, op. cit.

8. "Hyde Park History", excerpts from History of Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties, Pa., (New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 1880), and Jubilee History of Lackawanna County Pennsylvania, by Thomas Murphy (Topeka-Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co., 1928), http://www.thomasgenweb.com/hyde_park_history.html. See also: "The Coal Riot. Horrible Treatment of the Laborers by the Miners. - Condition of the Wounded - A War of Races - Welsh vs. Irish and Germans", New York Times, May11, 1871; and The Great Riots, by Edward Winslow Martin, pseudonym for James Dabney McCabe (Philadelphia: National Publishing Co., 1877), pp. 189-222, http://books.google.com/books?id=87Pm8CLO82MC&pg=PA189&vq=Scranton&dq=scranton+riot+coal+miners#PPA189,M1.

9. 1 Cor. 1:26 - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; cp. also Mt. 19:23-24; Mk. 10:17-25; Lk. 1:51-53; 6:24-26; 12:13-21; 14:12-24; 16:1-3; 18:18-25; 1 Tim. 6:3-21; Jas. 1:9-11; 2:1-7; 4:13-5:6; Rev. 3:17-18; and 6:15-16.