Sunday, October 28, 2007

HAGGAI 1:4 Good Stewards Demonstrate Good Stewardship!

TOPIC: Stewardship; Consecration, Giving, Tithing

TITLE: STEWARDSHIP - Good Stewards Demonstrate Good Stewardship!
TEXT: Haggai 1:4
"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?"
INQUIRY: What principles of stewardship are provided to the church?

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Jesus turned the concept of devotion to God on its ear when He ignored the Ten Commandments in favor of “the two greatest commandments”:
“And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” On these two commandments de-pend the whole Law and the Prophets.’”
Take close note that “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

But the question remains, “How do we do this?” One way is in our stewardship!

Like it or not, the local church is the outward representation of the Temple of God in our world … through it we give testimony of our devotion/consecration to our Lord. When that testimony suffers due to a lack of attention, or when our homes receive more attention than the House of God, something is wrong in Zion!

Christians in this country seem to feel it’s wrong to preach on money. But the church runs on money.

Some feel money should be discussed at business meetings or on Sunday evenings or in Deacon’s Meetings but … you don’t come to Business Meetings or to Sunday Evening services and deacons aren’t elders.
[SAGA OF LAURA MAY] This is Laura May the church lawn mower (I actually brought the machine in). In reality, I am the lawn mower; I use this machine to mow the church grounds (and it's not my job).

Laura May is a unique model: she’s a three-wheeled, oil-leaking, grass-clogging, backbreaking, hard-starting, pigeon-toed, 7 year old hag that is too old and too expensive to fix. And my family gave the money to the church to buy her in the first place.

Laura May is only one thing that is broken down around here. We have two doors over at the Annex that need repairs; a parking lot that’s hurting; a room divider that needs to be refurbished; painting; etc.
You say, “How am I to know something is needed?” Well, through stewardship! GET INVOLVED!

INQUIRY: What principles of stewardship does the Bible provide to the church?
EXPANDED OUTLINE
I. PRINCIPLE #1: The quality of His house is paramount to God! [Haggai 1:4 (3-6)]
"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?"
A. Poor stewardship results in a poor return on investment.
B. Implied is God’s jealousy.
C. E.g., the Tabernacle and the Temple were both works of art and expensive.
II. PRINCIPLE #2: The quality of His family is paramount to God! [Matthew 10:37 (34-39)]
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
A. Oh, yes it does!
B. But men, we are not to neglect our families. [1 Timothy 5:8]
III. PRINCIPLE #3: The quality of our devotion is paramount to God! [Luke 12:21 (16-21)]
"So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
A. You plan for your retirement in vain.
B. You calculate your rewards in vain.
IV. PRINCIPLE #4: The quality of our gifts is paramount to God! [Malachi 1:6 (6-9)]
"'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.”
A. Old Testament priests are NT saints believers.
B. God is not referring to tithes but offerings.
V. PRINCIPLE #5: The quality of our hearts is paramount to God! [2 Corinthians 9:7 (6-15)]
“Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
A. Giving in tithes and offerings is to bring joy.
B. I did a favor for a neighbor but he was determined to give me something for doing so … it took the edge off my joy.
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Is your home in good condition and repair while His house lies desolate? Do your relatives receive more of your time and devotion than the Lord does? Where is your treasure laid up? Is the Lord honored and respected by your offerings? Do you give as you have prospered?

Did you notice that there is an implied promise with each of these passages?

Other principles are taught in the Bible but the Lord wanted you to remember these.

I am unaware of any member, past or present, who has planned a part of his or her estate to go to this church; there may be, but I am unaware of any. This church ought to be an heir of your estate.

Your giving is not to be the tithe alone. Giving is from all the blessings of God: financial, material, time, talent, and prayer.

Giving is one of the great joys of life in Christ!

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ACTS 6:15 (8-15) Stephen - Owned by God!

SERIES: Acts #12
TOPIC: Consecration; Witness

TITLE: STEPHEN - Owned By God
TEXT: ACTS 6:15 (8-15)
And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.
[D. L. MOODY] Said …
“The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” [Desiring Life]
However, he was in error … the world has seen Enoch, Joseph, Joshua, Daniel, and John the Baptizer; all pre-Ascension.

But now Stephen, post-Ascension and sold out to God; he signed his pink slip over to God; he wanted nothing but God’s presence and pleasure.
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What in this passage confirms that Stephen was wholly owned by God?
CONCISE OUTLINE:
I. HIS GIFTS CONFIRM IT
II. HIS ENEMIES CONFIRM IT
III. HIS HEART CONFIRMS IT
IV. HIS HONOR CONFIRMS IT
TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: Much like the Church today, the people of Israel hungered to personally experience God (8 in 10 Americans admit to such a hunger).

In spite of intense persecution by both civil and religious authorities, the new church prospered at every turn.

They were growing in numbers, in knowledge, and in the fear of the Lord and they were learning how to faithfully respond to threats … externally and internally!

One man, Stephen, first deacon and first martyr (i.e., witness), caught the attention of influential religious zealots, why? Because he was “full of faith and power” and “performing great wonders and signs among the people.” [v. 8]

Stephen followed closely in the footsteps of his Master and Savior; proclaiming the coming Kingdom to all with ears to hear. But their attention wasn’t healthy … again, why?

Because the zealots felt threatened and “they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was preaching.” [v. 10] You see, God owned Stephen … lock, stock, and barrel.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What in this passage confirms that Stephen was wholly owned by God?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
I. HIS GIFTS CONFIRM IT
Among them were – Spirit and wisdom [3]; faith and Holy Spirit [5]; grace and power with signs and wonders [8]; and evangelical eloquence [10]

These are all (charisma) gifts and effects (energẽma) of the Holy Spirit …
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”
II. HIS ENEMIES CONFIRM IT
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.

“If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
Stephen’s (and Christ’s) enemies began with argumentation [9,10]; failing, they incited a fabrication [11]; failing, they move to provocation [12]; then, to ensure the desired result they employed …
– Abduction [12]
– Falsification [13]
– Then Misrepresentation! [13-14]
Two things were operative on this day:
  1. the Light of Truth walked in the shadow of Mount Moriah in Jerusalem
  2. the fight to darken that Truth skulked in the shadows of evil, fearing the Light
“There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to [do] evil, A false witness who ut-ters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”
Notice Stephan confounded his persecutors with wisdom and Scripture.

They failed both intellectually and spiritually … so they abused the Law to justify stoning him.

Historically, if a powerful movement’s followers appear to turn from the movement’s teachings, to adopt the teachings of another, these leaders are confronted with three choices:
– turn with them
– turn from them
– or turn upon them
III. HIS HEART CONFIRMS IT
Jesus said,
“… store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Can there be any question about what is stored up in Stephen’s heart?
IV. HIS HONOR CONFIRMS IT
Stephen highly honored God in his last moments. [7:1-53]

God highly honor him by gifting him more abundantly than others.

This was done that his mirror of righteousness might reflect God’s Shechinah glory.

It was not Stephen’s flesh which glowed as an angel, it was the righteousness of God being reflected in him and from him.
APPLICATION: Bottom-line -
In the egocentric and humanistic courts of fallen man, with man's version of truth, the calm but confident spirit of a man owned by “this Nazarene, Jesus” [6:14] will trump a thousand tanks and a multitude of defense attorneys.
I believe, to some degree, we’ve allowed Moses’ veil to again slip down before our eyes.

I believe we are not truly owned by the Father! Have we accepted Jesus as Savior? Yes! But not Lord! He owns us but we've held back the owner's slip.

In view of our claims, unbelievers say they are unimpressed
“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ … written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. [vv. 2-4]

We are not adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter [law] kills, but the Spirit gives life. [vv. 5-6]

But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit [life] fail to be even more with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. [vv. 7-11]

Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [vv. 12-16]

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. [vv. 17-18]
CHALLENGE: Our job is to understand the spiritual mechanics of this martyr (i.e., “witness”) Stephen … and be inspired by him.

God owns us ...
“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
And ...
“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”
Plus ...
“... false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
And for those in leadership … church leaders didn't purchase the sheep; the were paid for by the Lord's shed blood ... we don't own you.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
God owns us all!

The church must once again find ways to let the world know our homes (i.e., “hearts”) have a new Owner.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

ZECHARIAH 4:10 - Great Things Come in Very Small Packages!

TOPIC: Christmas; Attributes (of God), Nature (of God), Temple (construction)

TITLE: GREAT THINGS COME IN VERY SMALL PACKAGES - The Great Temple of God Began with a Baby! [Adapted from Chas. Haddon Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening Devotional; November 26, “Evening”]
TEXT: Zechariah 4:10 (8-10) [Companion reading Isaiah 9:6]
“For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet, in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” [KJV]

"For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel – these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth." [NAS]
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What do we find for ourselves in our verse?
CONCISE OUTLINE:
I. WE FIND THERE IS COMFORT AND HOPE HERE
II. WE FIND THERE IS CERTAINTY AND SECURITY HERE
III. WE FIND THERE IS PATIENCE AND PERFECTION HERE
TRUTH/CONTEXT: Small progress marked the beginning of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem by the hand of Zerubbabel; but none should despise it then or now, for God had raised up and will raise up one who will persevere until the headstone is brought forth with shouting. The plumbline was in good hands.
“'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.'”
So different are men and Jehovah: God regards highly the inicio pequeño (Sp. small beginnings) of His work (Ezra 3:12 priests and Levites wept at the start of the new temple; Haggai 2:3, Haggai condemns those who compare the new temple to the old); men impatiently covet the turnkey, and despise the early work. God, it says in the Hebrew, “rejoicingly” regards it, and shall continue to do so to the end.

Wasn’t the work begun in you a small thing for God to begin?

For man the issue is significance … so often we only see what is big in our eyes. Why do so many clamor for entertainment and community rather than worship and relationship?

Significance is the answer! Some see Christianity as significant only to the extent it is a means to a temporal and social end; she is, however, significant only as a means to an eternal end.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What do we find for ourselves in our verse?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:
I. WE FIND THERE IS COMFORT AND HOPE US HERE
A. Here is every believer’s comfort … rejoice that His work of grace (be it oh so small at first) was begun at all.

B. Isn't the plumbline held by the very best hand? The hand of The Master Builder? Will you not be plumb and square when His is finished with you?

C. One greater than Solomon has taken up the building of His eternal temple, and He shall won't fail nor be discouraged until the last living stone is set in the wall.
"And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

[CHEOPS] It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing today. It has four anchoring cornerstones and a chief cornerstone at its peak.

Is God’s eternal temple not greater than the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Is Christ Himself not the Chief Cornerstone?
II. WE FIND THERE IS CERTAINTY AND SECURITY FOR US HERE
A. If the plumb were in the hand of any human, we might be justified in fearing for God’s Temple. But the eternal work of the Christ prospers in His hand.
"Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. The LORD said to me, 'What do you see, Amos?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.'”
B. His work didn't and doesn't proceed irregularly, or without skill. Because the Master's hand wields a divine instrument, an eternal blueprint was laid out, and the work will continue to the end. And, it is a step-by-step, patient effort, for …
"We’re His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so we’d walk in them."
C. If walls were run up without professional oversight, we might expect them to be out of plumb; but this plumbline was dropped from heaven above, there is no truer plumb than the one in Father’s hand.
[FREE HOUSE] Would you like a contractor to tell you he’ll build you a new home free of charge? The only catch is you must live in it for all eternity. Would you trust it or him?
D. Jesus oversees the construction of His spiritual temple so that it is built securely, well, and forever! His eyes are on it.
III. WE FIND THERE IS PATIENCE AND PERFECTION FOR US HERE
A. Man rushes about and seeks profit in all his labors; Jesus is patient and equitable. He will use His plumbline on us; that which is found out of plumb will be torn down, every stone of it.

B. Thus the failure of so many flattering works and the uprooting of so many glamorous enterprises and organizations. Likewise the lives of so many skilled and gifted men and women.

C. It isn’t our job to judge the Lord's church, since Jesus has a steady hand, and a true eye, and can use the plumbline perfectly. Shouldn’t we rejoice to see judgment left to him?

D. The plumbline is in active use in our passage - it was in the builder's hand; a sure indication he intends to push forward to completion.

E. Consider this …
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Oh Jesus, how blessed we would be if we could just get a vision of You at Your great work each and every Christmas and not get lost in the things of Christmas.

Oh Jerusalem, that beautiful city of God, her walls remain in ruin! Rise up, oh rise up, You King of kings and Lord of lords, Oh Glorious Builder, and build Your Bride, a small thing in our sight, but a great thing in Yours ... Oh the rejoicing at Your coming.

Oh sheep of His pasture, see with eyes that see, the day of the small things is not just rebuilding the earthly temple, it is the continued building of God’s heavenly Temple. It was begun by a baby but it was finished by the God-man Jesus Christ. [John 19:30]
  • God is the one who began all creation with a small word, “Let there be!” [one word in Hebrew]
  • It is He who made the human race from dust; then began over with eight people
  • He who began the languages of the earth with a single tongue
  • He who slew Goliath with a single stone
  • Who raised Joseph from his prison, David from the sheepfold, Daniel and Jeremiah from their pits
  • Who stopped Balaam with a lowly ass
  • Who raised up “the greatest born of a woman” as His forerunner
  • Who turned the world upside down with fishermen, a tax collector, sinners, and a Sadducee-tentmaker
  • Who Himself was first a carpenter
  • Who asked us, “Would you be great? Then become least.”
Doesn't it make perfect sense that the God of the heavenly Temple would use a small thing (such as the baby Jesus) to save the world from its sins?

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Monday, October 22, 2007

MALACHI 3:8-11 Biggest, meanest thief in the world!

EDITOR: This is a somewhat lengthy message on an extremely critical biblical subject.

TOPIC: Tithing; Hypocrisy

TITLE: BIGGEST, MEANEST THIEF IN THE WORLD - Exposé on a 21st Century Holy Pickpocket!
TEXT: MALACHI 3:8-11
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings."
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What does Scripture teach about tithes and offerings?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. SCRIPTURE TEACHES US WHY WE SHOULD GIVE!
II. SCRIPTURE TEACHES US HOW WE SHOULD GIVE!
TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: In their neglect of the Temple service the Jews were guilty of what those worshiping idols considered sacrilege; even a pagan would not shortchange the required offering. [Gill]

It's doubtful God would build a nation, a church, a people, or a life which offends Him in such a fundamental manner!

Tithes and offerings are not just a duty; they are each an expression and an indication: - an expression of our love returned, an indication of our faith!

Who is "the biggest, meanest crook in the world?"
Enron's Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay?
Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski?
ORU's Robert Roberts?
Carlton Pearson or Earl Paulk?
Lincoln Saving's & Loan's Charles Keating?
Saddam Hussein?
US Congress?
Louisiana Politicos?
The IRS?
Robert Sumner said the Biggest & Meanest Crook In the World is the one who steals from God! Christians stealing from God is like an inmate stealing from his cell-mate during a lockdown.

One is left in breathless amazement at those who claim the blood of the Lamb yet steal from The Great Shepherd.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What does Scripture teach about tithes and offerings?
EXPANDED OUTLINE
I. SCRIPTURE TEACHES US WHY WE SHOULD GIVE!
A. Because God Tells Us To!
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house."
[PERCENTAGES] Some are like the tenant farmer’s 90% corn crop. He agreed with his master that 10% belonged to the owner ... but no matter how he planted every harvest only 90% came in; he never did have a season with a 100% crop!
B. Because It's A Testimony To The World!
[DUPLICITY] I recall a couple in a small church who decided they could drive out a pastor they did not agree with through backbiting and tale-bearing, and by getting others to join them in withholding their tithes and offerings.
Not only did they fail to drive out the pastor, but they brought shame and reproach on the church and the name of the Lord as word spread that the church was not able to pay its bills.

And the contra of this is true! You cannot out give God!
C. Because It's Not About You!
"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."
"... the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house ..."
It is about the greater good of the body through obedience!
D. Because It's For The Cause!
Remember, the real point of the "fishes & loaves" feeding of the thousands was the miracle of God creating much from little.
II. SCRIPTURE TEACHES US HOW WE SHOULD GIVE!
A. With The Right Attitude!
1.) Humbly!
Jesus said,
"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
2.) Faithfully!
"But he who doubts is condemned ... for whatever is not from faith is sin."
"Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does it not, to that one it is sin."
3.) Lovingly!
Giving is another of those outward expressions of an inward reality! What you give demonstrates how much or how little you love the One who loves you!
[INCOME] Try dividing your annual current tithe by your annual income (that's line 7 on your IRS Form 1040). How loving are you?
4.) Expectantly!
We must give and not expect anything in return; for a return is made on investments; tithes and offerings are not investments ... they are by their very nature - gifts!

Yet we can, without manipulating God, give expectantly.
"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed ... "
5.) Liberally!
[CHURCH] A man's son opens a sidewalk lemon stand: his father is buying a lemonade and offers his son a dime! His son looks at the dime and then at his dad and says , "Dad!!!! This is business not church!"
"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

“'And try Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.'”
B. With Deliberateness!
1.) Regularly!
"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside..."
2.) Proportionally!
"On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come."
[PEARLS] I read of one lady who told her pastor that just as soon as things get better she's start tithing. He replied, "No, Pearl, you won't!" "I beg your pardon!" She huffed. "Pearl, if you won't give a dime off of dollar you sure won't give $100 off of a $1,000."
A man who makes $100,000 tithes $10,000, then lives on the $90,000 is not to be admired for the size of his gift! More the widow who on her fixed income of $5,400 tithes $540, then lives on her $4,860.
C. And with fear and trembling!
In Acts chapter five we are told of two hypocrites, Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who withheld a portion of their offering from God. Their sentence was death.

Those who chose to withhold what is God's and not their own are likewise deserving of death!
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: One problem some have is that they think they can't give enough to do any good. But that is not the point! Give what you can while you can and God will show you how to give your tenth.

Others think they can't get by on 9/10. Let me tell you that you can live better on 9/10 than 10/10 when God's your bookkeeper! My wife and I know this to be true!

Try stealing from your neighbor! See if he still loves you! Better yet sneak into your father's house and steal something!

Only when the people of God reach that point in their stewardship that they understand the principle of giving as ordained will they ever hear the sound of "the windows of heaven" opening wide on their golden tracks!

A man's heart and his treasure are revealing companions!

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

ACTS 6:7 The Bride's Wedding Preparations!

SERIES #11: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - Witnesses to Jerusalem
TOPIC: Bride (of Christ); church health, church growth, faithfulness, persecution, Satan

TITLE: Bride’s Wedding Preparations - Satan’s Playpen!
TEXT: Acts 6:7 (1-7)
“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
[H. A. Ironside] In chapter six “we see … vividly Satan's two master methods by which … he has endeavored to hinder the progress of the work of God.

“In the first half … we see him endeavoring to hinder by inward dissension; in the other half by outward persecution (Stephan’s martyrdom) ….

“When dissension is checked within, then Satan's work is hindered without, and the work of God goes on in great power and blessing.” [Lectures on the Book of Acts, p. 151, 158]

[John R. W. Stott] “We’ve now seen … three tactics which the devil employed … to destroy the church.
“First, he tried through the Jewish authorities, to suppress it by force

Secondly through the married couple Ananias and Sapphira, to corrupt it by hypocrisy; and

Thirdly through some … widows to distract it … from prayer and preaching, and so expose it to error and evil.
“If he had succeeded in any of these attempts, the new community of Jesus [might] have been annihilated in its infancy.” [The Spirit, The Church, and The World, p. 124]
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How do we see the Bride's responses to the three tactics mentioned by Stott?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. DURING THE PERIOD OF FORCE AND INTIMIDATION
II. DURING THE PERIOD OF CORRUPTION BY HYPOCRISY
III. DURING THE PERIOD OF INTERNAL DISSENSION
TRUTH CLAIMS/CONTEXT: Verses 1-6 describe a simple controversy within the bridal party. Verse 7 is the first of six supplemental postscripts proclaiming the bride’s vitality.

Before the arrival of the devil’s fiery darts there had been one other event worthy of note.
The Lord’s commission to the Bride in chapter one, verse eight …
“you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
The question, from the beginning, is the faithfulness of the Bride to the Bridegroom ...

How did she do in the time following:
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” [1:8a]

“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer” [1:14]

Then Peter preached and about 3000 were added that day [2:41]
Then Scripture says …
“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.…

“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How do we see the Bride's responses to the three tactics of the devil mentioned by Stott?
EXPANDED OUTLINE
I. DURING THE PERIOD OF FORCE AND INTIMIDATION
First, the devil tried to use the Jewish authorities, to suppress her by force and intimidation (i.e., intimidation by civil and religious leaders).

Then arrives the intense persecution of Peter, John, and the lame beggar [Ch. 3, 4].

Satan looked to his bench and saw all of the religious leaders of the Temple and the City of Zion [3:5-6].

There's no question, great damage has been done to the Bride by the manhandling of religious leaders and civil authorities; but, in the end, it’s all about how the Bride responded to threats.

When I think of contemporary church leadership, it’s hard to get by those who’ve fallen this past year or two, or get beyond those preaching a perverted, powerless gospel.

A gospel without grace, shed blood, repentance, hell, and a risen Savior - this is not Good News!

It’s not just themselves who are hurt but their flocks and their families who suffer … innocents abound. Friends the Bride must be vigilant concerning her leaders …

So how did the "Authentic Church" do under this threat?
“But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”
II. DURING THE PERIOD OF CORRUPTION BY HYPOCRISY
Secondly the devil tried to stop the Bride through Ananias and Sapphira; attempting to corrupt her by hypocrisy.

The whole world watches the Bride to see how she deals with issues and people; this was not less watched; the viper “hypocrisy” has buried not a few churches and church leaders.

How did things turn out for her?
“And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.”
“And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number …”
The Bride is “in the world, but not of the world”; yet today she continues to become more and more like the world ... and in the process less and less powerful (unlike the authentic church in Acts).

Consider the two hypocrites, Ananias and Sapphira, here, holding back from the Lord; then consider the 3% to 10% reality of the Bride’s current tithing habits. Is our holding back any less condemning than theirs?

We are all deserving of a death sentence; remember, it’s all about the Bride’s response to threat.
III. DURING THE PERIOD OF INTERNAL DISSENSION
Thirdly the devil attacked through some Hellenist widows to distract her leaders … from prayer and preaching, and so expose her to error and evil.

How successful was he?
“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
Probably the most painful and damaging of all the devil’s devices are those “who spreads strife among brothers” [cf. Proverbs 6:16-19].

From Genesis to today we see Satan plying his trade in duplicity, backbiting, tale-bearing, guile, deceit, disbelief, dissemblance, gossiping, politics, manipulation, apostasy, and heresy.

In spite of the lessons of the history of the engagement period we see generation after generation of Christians walking in denial – NIMC ("Not In My Church"; a play on the colloquial acronym NIMB - "Not In My Backyard").

Well folks, these people belong to somebody’s church ... remember it’s all about how the Bride responds.
APPLICATION: In closing out his comments on this passage, Ironside asked his people …
“My brethren, is there not something here that ought to speak to every one of our hearts? Are you praying for a revival and blessing in the Church of God? Do you ever go into the presence of God and say, ‘Lord, revive me; is there something in me that hinders a revival; has this mouth of mine been working overtime to hinder the work of the Spirit of God?’

“If we have, we may all say, ‘God, give me grace to judge it in the presence of the Lord, that the Holy Spirit may have free course and the Word go forth with great power.”
More to the point, let’s contextualize this …
  • Are there not “Hellenists” among us?
  • Are there not needs here, in San Carlos, at this time, in this place with these people?
  • Shouldn’t we “select from among [ourselves] men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of [these tasks]”?
Your elders and deacons will be looking for you to answer that question!
“is [it] desirable for [your leadership] to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables”?
CHALLENGE: The entire scope of today's message deals with the Bride’s preparation for the day her Bridegroom will come to take her to His Father’s house. And the question that must be answered is this: We know how she responded in the to those who would disrupt her preparations for that great day in the records of the early church - how is she responding today?

In every case, the Bride is seen growing in numbers, in strength, and in the fear of the Lord.

The record shows she had no need for revival, for every day she was living in real-time revival … ever wonder what that’s like? I do!

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

HABAKKUK 3:2 - A Call to Revival

TOPIC: Revival; Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Righteousness

TITLE: A CALL FOR REVIVAL
TEXT: HABAKKUK 3:2
O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years!
Dr. James Dobson writes in his book, When God Doesn't Make Sense:
A missionary in Africa returned home to find a huge python loose in his front room. He rushed to his truck and retrieved his .45 pistol. He shot the beast in the crown of its head. The snake thrashed so violently that the missionary was chased from his home for some time. Finally, there was silence. He went inside and found the interior of his home destroyed.
Satan too has received a blow to his head but his death throes are destroying the world.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should the cry of our hearts be?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. A CRY FOR VICTORY IN REVIVAL!
II. A CRY FOR A VISION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!
III. A CRY FOR A VANISHMENT OF REBELLION!
TRUTH CLAIM: The scenery of man's existence today is the same as the scenery of Israel's existence yesterday. The fruit of rebellion for both cultures is the same.

They provoked God and we cannot deny that we are too; the only thing we have to make these last days tolerable is our relationship with God!

America must repent; yet it only will if the people of God get as concerned about righteousness as the prophet Habakkuk.

God is calling out to His people ...

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should the cry of our hearts be?
EXPANDED OUTLINE
I. A CRY FOR VICTORY IN REVIVAL! (3:2)

Stephan Olford defines revival: "the sovereign act of God, in which He restores His own backsliding people to repentance, faith, and obedience."
"O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years"!
[STEW] Revival is like putting last night's stew on the stove. What you have is something that was real good yesterday! But this was put in the refrigerator, and now it is cold, thick, chunky, and feels too heavy to eat.

The fire under it begins to chase away the chill first. Then it begins to lose its lethargy and begins to thin and warm. Soon with some stirring it becomes a warm, fluid, consistent source of nourishment and strength, as it was intended to be. Churches are like that, the faith is like that.

Once in awhile God needs to put us on the judgment's front burner.
II. A CRY FOR A VISION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS! (1:13)

"Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor."

Like the revivals of old we need a vision for the righteousness of God ...

The last revival of any consequence in the US was in 1905.
"If My people who are [1] called by My name will [2] humble themselves, and [3] pray and [4] seek My face, and [5] turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
I know this, if I owned a home and a contractor offered to restore my home, free of charge, I'd be a fool to deny him. Why then do we deny God this response?

We are a people without a national vision.
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
III. A CRY FOR A VANISHMENT OF REBELLION! (1:3)

"Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see wickedness?

The prophet was complaining to God about what appeared to be evil loose in the world without restraint. It seemed that God did not care.

Our nation is in the midst of a cultural war of intense proportions. The power of darkness is at the controls of a nation gone nuts.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following list of ills is from 1994.]
  • Mothers and fathers are put into jail because they have disciplined their children with the rod, their children taken away. But 4,000 unborn children are murdered each day.
  • We spend millions in the war on drugs but the very legislators who write the laws are drunken bums who are regularly stopped for drunk driving.
  • We spend billions on other nation's poverty and race problems but spend very little to solve the same problems in our own back yard.
  • We spend millions to import democracy when our own government continues to pass more and more legislation aimed at limiting our democratic freedoms.
  • Our denomination prints millions of pieces of literature on the errors of alcohol and tobacco yet we have churches in the east, the south and in Colorado where the pastor is not free to preach on these evils because church leaders work in those industries.
  • We have a war on pornography that our Attorney General refuses to join and an administration which is favorably disposed to the worst kind of pornography, homosexuality.
[Just today (18 October 2007) Disney decided to purge the word "God" from its Radio Disney advertising; in Portland, Maine, the schools are now authorizing birth-control pills for middle schoolers as young as 11; the president of France separated from his second wife; and Robert Roberts, son of Oral Roberts, took leave from his duties as CEO of Oral Roberts University under a huge cloud of alleged improprieties.]
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: When an acquaintance asked what he should do to start revival in America Billy Graham is said to have responded, "Go home, draw a circle around yourself, and begin there."

Friends, in these horribly difficult "last days," that is very good advice!
"Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin's a reproach to any people."
I remember when I lived in a cabin up in the woods above Santa Cruz, California, and used to take the ash in the fireplace (after being gone all day), stir it up, push some paper on it, and blew a little. Poof, fire!

We're not incapable of catching fire if the Holy Spirit comes our way but we must all recognize the dearth of embers in our hearth.

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HABAKKUK 2:4 - Reckoned Righteous - Faith is the victory!

TOPIC: Faith; Grace, Imputation, Mercy, Perseverance, Relationship, Salvation

TITLE: RECKONED RIGHTEOUS – Why faith is the victory!
TEXT: Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why Must the Righteous Live By Faith?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. SUPERNATURAL LINK TO GOD NEEDED!
II. DIVINE GIFT NOT WAGES NEEDED!
III. A LASTING RELATIONSHIP NEEDED!
TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: The Old Testament doesn’t specifically mention salvation by grace through faith, as does the New Testament [“For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Ephesians 2:8a].

But scripture does tell us Abraham was reckoned righteous because he believed God when God promised to make his seed a great nation at a time when he was old and childless. And our selected text certainly supports the contention.

No matter how we interpret the salvation of Abraham or translate Habakkuk 2:4, it remains that the whole of Scripture teaches salvation by grace through faith. Whether we use the term faith or trust or belief, it is by the grace of God we are saved ... through faith.

It's not sacrilegious to ask, why through faith? Why not good works? Or love? Or profession [publicly saying we believe in God]? Why has faith been chosen?

Clearly, if God is God, He can do whatever He chooses. If He can have mercy on whom He will have mercy [Romans 9:15], He can likewise choose the vehicle for His saving grace.

God seeks the counsel of no man. If I'm having difficulty with one of my children, seeking the counsel of another is an admission that I'm unable to parent without the help of others. God doesn't have that problem; He needs no ones counsel … He is the perfect parent, etc.

But it's not wrong to seek God's help in understanding His truths.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why Must the Righteous Live By Faith?
EXPANDED OUTLINE
I. SUPERNATURAL LINK TO GOD NEEDED!
Because a supernatural link to God for man is required - faith is that link!

God has ordained faith as the conduit by which man receives His free gift of grace.
[WATER] It never fails but that our little daughter gets thirsty the minute we are too far from the house to get her one; we do not have a conduit from the water source to our car. If we did we could satisfy her thirst.

Problem: how to get the water to her mouth to satisfy her thirst.

Solution: take her to the source of water or build a conduit for the water to flow from the source to her mouth.

Analogy: So too with God's grace; it's in heaven where we can not go at the moment, far from the thirst of our hearts.

However, God, who spoke the heavens and the earth in existence, has said that faith will be His divine conduit for His grace. What the conduit can be to our need for water, faith is to our need of God's grace.

So it makes no sense to seek another route ... there is only one link between heaven and earth and that link is faith in the Son of God.

[PROMISE] A little boy hears his mom offer him a Snickers candy bar from the kitchen window; all he must do is come to the back door and receive what she's promised.

If he believes she will keep her promise and desires the gift, why would he go to the front door or to the neighbor's door? Why would he expect to receive it anywhere but where she promised?
II. DIVINE GIFT NOT WAGES NEEDED!
Because grace is a gift of God and faith is not the basis of that gift!

How is it a gift of God? It is a gift of God in that we are prevented from playing any role in its acquisition lest the gift be seen as something earned, and our sinful, selfish pride vaunts itself.

In the water illustration above, it is necessary to understand that the conduit didn't create the water nor does it improve the water. The conduit is simply used to move the water from its source to its destination.

The conduit is not the basis of satisfied thirst, rather it is the instrument for its delivery.

Faith is the connection between God and man but not the basis of our salvation. The recipient of water doesn't thank the conduit for the water, neither does the born-again believer thank his faith for salvation.
III. A LASTING RELATIONSHIP NEEDED!
Because Christianity is a relationship not a religion; God initiates that relationship!

Faith links man, who is sinking in a sea of sin, to God who is our Anchor and our Hope. Our need for a link is to provide a way of salvation, once that link is established a relationship exists.
[LIFE-LINES] The drowning man does not reject the life-line thrown from a rescue ship in order to grab a pallet floating by … why? Because the pallet offers only temporary deliverance, whereas the line to the ship offers permanent deliverance!

Likewise, God offers a life-line of faith in His Son, promising to reckon us righteous if we'll but trust Him.

[CABLE] Though faith seems a thin thread to many, it is in reality an unbreakable cable, held by the hands of Almighty God, whose infinite power slowly and surely draws all men to His heavenly shore. [paraphrase of Spurgeon]

There must, of necessity, be a relationship between the drowning man and the rescue ship.
However, it cannot just be a life-line, someone must be on board to pull the man from the water.
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: The half brother of Jesus said faith without action is dead.

Now action issues from faith in two ways: first, all action is a function of faith (walking, eating, exploring, employment, athletics, teaching, banking, politics, etc.); second, faith in God is a function of the knowledge of His love for us, such knowledge prompts acts of affection on the part of the recipients of His love.

That heart invaded by God is saved from sin and urged onward to holiness, prayer, sacrifice and service.
[FAITH] "What oil is to the wheels ... what wings are to birds ... faith is to all holy duties and services." [Spurgeon]
“… with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness.”
God knows faith is the result of an understanding of His love which germinates in the heart, this understanding will result in right doing [i.e., righteousness].

Our love of God results in our loving our fellow man ... this, the Bible says, glorifies God and proves that we are disciples of Christ [John 15:8].

This loving faith results in blessings and James says,
"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights."
Earlier the same writer says,
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved (i.e., perfected), he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
In combination, this cycle of trials and blessings, prepares us for glory: strengthening our ability to persevere under testing, on the one hand, and strengthening our ability to resist temptation, on the other.

Faith furnishes us with armor for this life and prepares us for the life to come. We are to walk fearlessly in our relationship with the living Lamb of God knowing what Paul knew:
“For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
Faith does what nothing else can do. Why then would anyone attempt another route into the sheepfold?
[SAFE] It's a foolish man who labors on the door of a safe which holds the secret of eternal life, pounding and pulling, grunting and groaning … when the owner of the safe will provide the combination for free.
Ill-informed sheep and shepherds are leading the lost to the wrong gate to the wrong sheepfold; I fear thousands will not see glory because lazy or careless witnesses did not understand sola fide.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17: Inkblot Christianity

TOPIC: Scripture; Bible, Inspiration, Interpretation, Word (of God)
NOTE FROM EDITOR: The following message is mainly topical; it was a promotional message for a impending seminar: GOD BREATHED- Making your bible live! The traditional outline format is therefore absent.
TITLE: INKBLOT CHRISTIANITY - Tell Me What the Author Says!
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
GLEANED FROM OUR TEXT
For those who hold to an inspired view of Scripture, Paul would (among many things) be telling us …
  1. … all Scripture is “inspired by God,” not just pieces or parts
  2. … being either in-“adequate” or ill-"equipped” isn’t one of God’s objectives for us
  3. … every believer is expected to have some good work to do (in this message we understand "good work" to be defined as ministry)
  4. …“and profitable” is not financial advise; it is God’s intention that students of "Scripture" benefit personally from His “sacred writings” [see v. 15]
  5. … we should assume the inclusion of and the order of the four discipleship/life-topics are intentionally specific (i.e., "teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness")
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Is this what I say Paul means or is this what Paul actually meant?

WORDS HAVE MEANING
  • I’ve approached the above passage in the same way I would expect any student of Scripture SHOULD approach them; not all do so
  • Robert Stein (Mildred and Ernest Hogan Professor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) suggests two principal approaches (hermeneutics) to determining the meaning of Scripture today [Jeff Robinson, SBC LIFE May 2002] ...
  • Reader-centered Bible Study – the practice of reading a passage of Scripture then asking students the following: “Now, what does the Scripture say to you?”
  • Author-centered Bible Study – the same players and passage only a different question is asked: “What is the author’s meaning?”
  • What’s being practiced in the field today is what might be called “inkblot” biblical interpretation … a perverted stepchild of Christian relativism; let me show you an inkblot from the Bible; now, you tell me what it says to you!
  • “If you really believe … it’s not the author who determines meaning, then any Doctrine of Inspiration we have is … irrelevant” [ibid.]
ABOUT GETTING SERIOUS
  • At least with a Rorschach inkblot 50% reflects the other 50%
  • Not true with the Inkblot Christianity of many today; it’s mostly unlike anything the author intended
  • More than half of our professing church goers admit they’ve never read the Bible cover-to-cover, let alone study it [Barna 2006]
  • If they’ve not read what God says, how then can they know what God means?
  • What is the reason for this? No one but God can seriously answer that question
  • Surveys appear to be the only place we might find some clarity
  • Should we read/study our Bibles? The whole Bible? Of course we should!
  • At a more personal level, most of our best leaders (past and present) say we should study our Bibles
  • But, you ask, isn’t that why God gave us “some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” [Ephesians 4:11-12]? Isn't that their job?
TWO BARRIERS TO BIBLE STUDY
  • Survey after survey seems to reveal two pernicious barriers to wide acceptance of Bible reading/study:
First, “the Bible is so difficult to understand that only highly skilled theologians with technical training can deal with the Scriptures”
Second, “the Bible is boring” [R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture, p.13]
  • Only an extremely childish view of God and His Inspiration of Scripture would say the Bible is too difficult to understand or too boring to read/study
  • If you agree with me (and many others) you will want to know what the inspired authors meant when they said or wrote what they did
  • You will not be terribly interested in what just any Tom, Dick, or Harry thinks they meant
  • You will want to know what they actually meant
  • Is it possible to do that? With certain qualifications, the answer is yes!
After all, the Bereans did! And thousands of our extended spiritual family have also

HOW TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE
In the sixteenth century, the Reformers declared their total confidence in what they called the perspicuity of Scripture.

What they meant by that technical term was the clarity of Scripture.
  • They maintained … the Bible is basically clear and lucid
  • It is simple enough for any literate person to understand its basic message
  • This is not to say that all parts of the Bible are equally clear or that there are no difficult passages or sections
  • "Laymen unskilled in the ancient languages and the fine points of exegesis may have difficulty with parts of Scripture, but the essential content is clear enough to be understood easily." [Sproul, p. 15]
  • Luther … was convinced that what was obscure and difficult in one part of Scripture was stated more clearly and simply in other parts of Scripture. [ibid.]
We could plead for people to study the Bible for personal reward; we could try to stimulate their curiosity. We could tell them it would be the most fulfilling experience of their life.

Ultimately, though, the reason they should study their Bible is that it is their duty.
DUTY
If the Bible were the most boring book on earth, even (God forbid) irrelevant, it would still be our duty to study it.

If its style were awkward and confusing, duty would remain.

We live as fallen beings under His divine Sovereignty; it is His Word, not ours.

We are the creatures; He is the Creator.

Under those circumstances duty is not an option
TEN RULES FOR LAYMEN
  • Read your Bible like you read the paper
  • Read it with same passion & personality with which you treat your spouse
  • Read with an awareness of literary style and purpose
  • Read the implied (what Scripture seemingly implies) in the light of the explained (that which Scripture makes explicate)
  • Read without guessing at purpose or meaning or even the definitions of words
  • Read without fear of literary devices
  • Read the proverbial (wise generality) differently than the absolute (command)
  • Read the spiritual differently than you read the literal (and don't spiritualize or allegoricalize the literal unless the context requires it)
  • Read parables according to the generally accepted rules which govern parabolic speech
  • Don’t read prophecy for understanding until you’ve done your homework (this is one area of Bible study where we all need help)
THE BATTLEGROUND
  • Many of my brethren believe with me that the War for the Pew will be the battleground for believers in these early decades of the 21st Century
  • Many also agree that God purchased a beachhead in the world with His own blood, and that ground is our Bible [John 1:1, 14]
  • If we lose the struggle for interpretation and application … well, I don’t know!
  • Perhaps the faux church will continue to meet in buildings; we’ll have to meet in the fields and by the streams … on the beach I guess!
We must remind one another of this truth however …
Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
CHALLENGE
Using the two competing hermeneutics mentioned in the beginning of this message, we might ask ...
What do you think the above means
Or, we might ask...
What did Paul mean in this verse?
Which question would you prefer be answered?
  • If you have not yet begun to respond to the duty that is yours, then you need to ask God to forgive you!
  • You need to ask your brethren to pray for you!
  • And need to resolve in your heart to do your best to do your duty from this day forth!
DISCLAIMER
The Bible IS a living document; no class/seminar will make it live … only by faith will it live for you – “without faith it is impossible to please God” [Hebrews 11:6]

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