In II Timothy 2:15, we read: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
A South American President was right when he said, "The difference between North America and South America is that South America was founded by men seeking gold, and North America was founded by men seeking God." I find inscribed on American money the words, "In God We Trust." Because of this high and holy motive, God has blessed America more than any other people on the face of the earth. But we must not forget that Luke 12:48 says, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required...."
AWorker Must Know the Power of Prayer
Prayer is the key to being a successful worker. We are all very familiar with II Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." If there has ever been a time when we need a healing from God Almighty, it is now. Martin Luther was not satisfied with the religious world in which he was born, and his deep desire for personal piety caused him to spend much time in prayer. The results of that agonizing prayer brought great reformation. When Moses prayed, the sea opened up in front of the Hebrews. When Abraham prayed, God gave him a son when it was an impossibility. When Joshua prayed, a mighty city fell. When David prayed, God helped him to slay the giant, Goliath. When Elijah prayed, he called down fire from heaven. When Daniel prayed, he was saved from the lions. When Paul prayed, the prison doors were shaken right off their hinges. When Hannah prayed, God gave her a son, Samuel. When Hezekiah prayed, God spared his life fifteen more years. Every miracle in the Bible is the result of a fervent prayer - and there are many more stories from just the past couple of centuries.
What the world needs is a generation of God-fearing men and women willing to pray - all night, if necessary - that God will bring lost souls into the fold of God.
A Worker Must be Committed to the Task
Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit your way to the LORD, trust in Him, and he will act." Without a strong commitment on our part we cannot finish the task that God has entrusted to us. Paul certainly admonished us to make that commitment when he said in Romans 12:1-2, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." If we are to make solid commitments to the Lord, they must be out of a pure heart. Unless we are willing to give our lives, we do not know the commitment and sacrifice that God is expecting from His workers.
(Dr. Billy Kim, Gideon International Convention, July 2013)
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Presidents Pay Tribute To The Prince of Peace
In 2001, First Lady Laura Bush selected Psalm 27 as the first Scripture quoted in a White House Christmas card: "Thy face, Lord, do I seek. I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living." In previous years, numerous American presidents have welcomed Christmas as an opportunity to review Christ's role in the tapestry of human history. Their annual proclamations stir Americans to remember that God's goodness still prevails, and our perspective of current events is myopic unless we view our world and our nation through the illuminating lens of Christ's birth.
Harry Truman, December 24, 1950
"At this Christmastime we should renew our faith in God. We celebrate the hour in which God came to man. It is fitting that we should turn to Him....But all of us - at home, at war, wherever we may be - are within reach of God's love and power. We all can pray. We all should pray....We should pray for a peace which is the fruit of righteousness."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, December 24, 1953
"Might we not pray that He teach us? Teach us to shun the counsel of defeat and of despair of self-pride and self-deceit. Teach us, and teach our leaders, to seek to understand the problems and the needs of all our people. Teach us how those problems may reach solution in wisdom and how best those needs may be met. But teach us, also,that where there may be special problems, there can be no special rights; and though there may be special needs, there can be no special privileges. Teach us to require of all those who seek to lead us, these things: integrity of purpose; the upright mind, selfless sacrifice, and the courage of the just. Teach us trust and hope and self-dependence. Teach us the security of faith....And may we pray that He strengthen our conviction that whatever we, as Americans, would bring to pass in the heart of America....Lastly, should we not pray that He receive our thanks? For certainly we are grateful for all the good we find about us; for the opportunity given us to use our strength and our faith to meet the problems of this hour."
Gerald R. Ford, December 24, 1975
"The spirit of Christmas is ageless, irresistible and knows no barriers....It catches up saint and sinner alike in its warm embrace. It is the season to be jolly - but to be silent and prayerful as well. I know this will be a particularly happy Christmas for me....I celebrate it by joining with all of our citizens in observing a Christmas when Americans can honor the Prince of Peace in a nation at peace."
Ronald Reagan, December 15, 1983
"I know there are those who recognize Christmas Day as the birthday of a great and good man, a wise teacher who gave us principles to live by. And then there are others of us who believe that He was the Son of God, that He was Divine. If we live our lives for truth, for love, and for God, we never need be afraid."
George Bush, December 24, 1990
"Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you who are standing watch around the world. Never have I been prouder of our troops....Back home, some talk of the cost of war, but it is you who understand the price of peace. Each Christmas Day, we close our eyes in prayer and think of....how from a straw-littered stable shone a light which for nearly 20 centuries has given men strength, comfort, and peace. It's distant in time, but close within our hearts; because on this Christmas Day, hour by hour, hand in hand, Americans will send their prayers eastward across the ocean and halfway across the world not only to the town of Bethlehem but to the sands and shores where you stand in harm's way."
(Intercessors For America, Dec. 2012, www.IFAPray.org)
Harry Truman, December 24, 1950
"At this Christmastime we should renew our faith in God. We celebrate the hour in which God came to man. It is fitting that we should turn to Him....But all of us - at home, at war, wherever we may be - are within reach of God's love and power. We all can pray. We all should pray....We should pray for a peace which is the fruit of righteousness."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, December 24, 1953
"Might we not pray that He teach us? Teach us to shun the counsel of defeat and of despair of self-pride and self-deceit. Teach us, and teach our leaders, to seek to understand the problems and the needs of all our people. Teach us how those problems may reach solution in wisdom and how best those needs may be met. But teach us, also,that where there may be special problems, there can be no special rights; and though there may be special needs, there can be no special privileges. Teach us to require of all those who seek to lead us, these things: integrity of purpose; the upright mind, selfless sacrifice, and the courage of the just. Teach us trust and hope and self-dependence. Teach us the security of faith....And may we pray that He strengthen our conviction that whatever we, as Americans, would bring to pass in the heart of America....Lastly, should we not pray that He receive our thanks? For certainly we are grateful for all the good we find about us; for the opportunity given us to use our strength and our faith to meet the problems of this hour."
Gerald R. Ford, December 24, 1975
"The spirit of Christmas is ageless, irresistible and knows no barriers....It catches up saint and sinner alike in its warm embrace. It is the season to be jolly - but to be silent and prayerful as well. I know this will be a particularly happy Christmas for me....I celebrate it by joining with all of our citizens in observing a Christmas when Americans can honor the Prince of Peace in a nation at peace."
Ronald Reagan, December 15, 1983
"I know there are those who recognize Christmas Day as the birthday of a great and good man, a wise teacher who gave us principles to live by. And then there are others of us who believe that He was the Son of God, that He was Divine. If we live our lives for truth, for love, and for God, we never need be afraid."
George Bush, December 24, 1990
"Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you who are standing watch around the world. Never have I been prouder of our troops....Back home, some talk of the cost of war, but it is you who understand the price of peace. Each Christmas Day, we close our eyes in prayer and think of....how from a straw-littered stable shone a light which for nearly 20 centuries has given men strength, comfort, and peace. It's distant in time, but close within our hearts; because on this Christmas Day, hour by hour, hand in hand, Americans will send their prayers eastward across the ocean and halfway across the world not only to the town of Bethlehem but to the sands and shores where you stand in harm's way."
(Intercessors For America, Dec. 2012, www.IFAPray.org)
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Christ's Miraculous Birth
While some doctrines are known almost exclusively by the faithful, others have broken through the confines of the church and taken root in the popular mind. The miraculous birth of Jesus is such a tenet. A 2003 Harris poll found that not only did 79 percent of all Ameriacans believe this doctrine, but so did 27 percent of those who identified themselves as non-Christians. This is a popular doctrine indeed.
What accounts for this? No doubt part of this popularity rests on the annual retelling of Christ's birth in virtually every imaginable format from the simple gospel reading around the family hearth to the extravagant productions of popular culture. Apparently believers and unbelievers alike are ever moved in contemplating the singular event of God entering humanity by being born of a woman.
Yet there is more at work here than sentimentality. The doctrine that Christ was conceived in the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, given independently by Matthew and Luke, has not only been enshrined in holiday dress, but perpetually confesed by the church across the ages. It is prominent in the ancient creeds (e.g., the Apostles', Nicene, and Chalcedon creeds) and the Reformation documents (e.g., the Augsburg Confession, the Belgic Confession, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Westminster standards). It is held by all branches of the church and was termed a "fundamental" doctrine in the early twentieth century. It is routinely listed in the simplest statements of faith (e.g., that of the National Association of Evangelicals).
There is good reason to believe in this doctrine. Before making the case for it, however, let us dismiss some false leads. We do not cling to Christ's miraculous birth because by it he became divine. Christ never became divine - he always was divine: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Nor did his miraculous conception preserve his inward holiness. While David said, "Behold,I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5), it does not follow that it was virginal gestation that spared Christ the taint of sin. Virginity is no antidote to corruption. Christ was sinless by his innate purity, not by the power of a virginal womb. The precise mechanics of this are beyond us, however. Warfield, with characteristic discretion, siad, "He would be a bold man, indeed, who would affirm that the incarnation of the Holy One in sinful flesh presents no difficulties to his thought."
A Necessary Doctrine
If Christ's miraculous birth was not necessary to constitute his divinity or preserve him from sin, was it necessary at all? Or, more practically, why must we hold to it? For more reasons than one.
The simplest reason is that this is a plain, even emphatic, teaching of the Bible. Matthew and Luke are explicit on this point, and no other bibical writer hints at contradiction. If the plain statements of the Virgin Birth are discounted, then so may those of any other doctrine.
More obliquely, we must hold this doctrine because the opposite is unthinkable. The notion that God became man, that the Word became flesh, is (pardon the pun) inconceivable without an attending physical miracle. Yet, such a position is advocated by some. The modernist Henry Emerson Fosdick said in a 1922 sermon, "Those first disciples adored Jesus - as we do, when they thought about his coming they were sure that he came specially from God - as we are; this adoration and conviction they associated with God's special influence and intention in his birth - as we do; but they phrased it in terms of a biological miracle that our modern minds cannot use." Fosdick would have us hold to Christ as "specially from God," but dispense with any attending miracle as the naive opinion of the first disciples. His implied question was: What do we lose by disposing of this doctrine that offends "our modern minds"? The answer is, quite simply: everything. We lose everything because in this doctrine converge five necessary truths that characterize Christ as our Savior.
1. The Savior must be divine (see Larger Catechism, Q. 38). Any potential redeemer who is not divine is inadequate for the task. A mere man could not sustain God's wrath, break the power of death, or be of sufficiant value in himself and his works to satisfy God's justice for his people.
2. The Savioir must be human (see Larger Catechism, Q. 39). The Savior must be a man if he is to stand in the place of men. To atone for sinners, he must partake of our nature, yet be sinless. No bull, goat, or even an angel is a fit substitute for men (see Heb. 9:11-15; 2:14-16) . The one who will be our intercessor must be subject to our weaknesses, yet not stumble under them (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-15).
3. These two natures must be in a single person (see Larger Catechism, Q. 40). The role of the Savior is accomplished by his standing for, and between, God and man (Gal. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; cf. Job 9:33). He embodies the promise of his name: Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Matt. 1:23).
4. This Savior must be of the people he will save. From the very crime scene of the Fall across the pages of Scripture this has been a feature of the gospel promise. It is the seed of the woman who will bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15); it is in the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations will be blessed ( Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16); it is on a descendant of David that all the promises will focus (Ps. 8:34-37; Isa. 9:6-7). It is an established point of prophecy that the Savior must arise from the very people whom he will save.
5. The Savior must be free from the universal judgment of sin. The grim reality is that life is lived in the grip of death. Barring Christ's return, all six billion souls who are currently alive will be drawn into the insatiable grave. The materialist will tell you that this is natural, but in this he is mistaken. It is universal, but it is not natural - it is judicial. In Eden, Adam sinned and brought on himself the promised judgment, "You shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). As Adam stood as the head of a covenant people - all humanity in a covenant of works - the judgment he received was received for all his descendants born, as our standards say, by "ordinary generation." Not merely (if we may say it so mildly) did he pass on to us a corrupted nature from which flow our own sins; he also passed on guilt and liability. As we are united to him, we are born under his judgment: "Through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men" (Rom. 5:18).
This universal judgment on humanity and the fact that the Savior must arise from mankind raises an apparently insurmountable problem: how can a savior arising from Adam's race be free from Adam's judgment - the very thing from which he comes to redeem them? The question is a variation on our Lord's question: "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?" (Matt. 22:45).
The solution is found in the Virgin Birth. In this event, all demands are satisfied. Christ, who is divine, takes to himself human nature in a single person. He becomes the descendant who fulfills all the prophecies, yet by his divine paternity he remains free of Adam's guilt. As Herman Bavinchk says, "The excusion of the man from his conception at the same time had the effect that Christ, as one not included in the covenant of works, remained exempt from original sin and could therefore also be preserved in terms of his human nature, both before and after his birth, from all pollution of sin. As subject, as 'I,' he did not descend from Adam but was the Son of the Father, chosen from eternity to be the head of a new covenant."
Our Savior came into the world to swallow up death. He did not come as another doomed heir of Adam, but as the last Adam to make all things new (1 Cor. 15:45; Rev. 21:5). Paul paints the contrast in Romans 5:17: "If by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
This is our Savior and his glorious work, for which he is uniquely constituted and qualified. The apostle wrote that in the fullness of time God sent forth his son, born of a woman, in order that he might redeem us (Gal. 4:4-5). This is not sentimentality. This is not tradition This is our very life: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). We must cling fast to him and every truth that makes him what he is.
(Clifford I. Blair, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 2007)
What accounts for this? No doubt part of this popularity rests on the annual retelling of Christ's birth in virtually every imaginable format from the simple gospel reading around the family hearth to the extravagant productions of popular culture. Apparently believers and unbelievers alike are ever moved in contemplating the singular event of God entering humanity by being born of a woman.
Yet there is more at work here than sentimentality. The doctrine that Christ was conceived in the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, given independently by Matthew and Luke, has not only been enshrined in holiday dress, but perpetually confesed by the church across the ages. It is prominent in the ancient creeds (e.g., the Apostles', Nicene, and Chalcedon creeds) and the Reformation documents (e.g., the Augsburg Confession, the Belgic Confession, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Westminster standards). It is held by all branches of the church and was termed a "fundamental" doctrine in the early twentieth century. It is routinely listed in the simplest statements of faith (e.g., that of the National Association of Evangelicals).
There is good reason to believe in this doctrine. Before making the case for it, however, let us dismiss some false leads. We do not cling to Christ's miraculous birth because by it he became divine. Christ never became divine - he always was divine: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Nor did his miraculous conception preserve his inward holiness. While David said, "Behold,I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5), it does not follow that it was virginal gestation that spared Christ the taint of sin. Virginity is no antidote to corruption. Christ was sinless by his innate purity, not by the power of a virginal womb. The precise mechanics of this are beyond us, however. Warfield, with characteristic discretion, siad, "He would be a bold man, indeed, who would affirm that the incarnation of the Holy One in sinful flesh presents no difficulties to his thought."
A Necessary Doctrine
If Christ's miraculous birth was not necessary to constitute his divinity or preserve him from sin, was it necessary at all? Or, more practically, why must we hold to it? For more reasons than one.
The simplest reason is that this is a plain, even emphatic, teaching of the Bible. Matthew and Luke are explicit on this point, and no other bibical writer hints at contradiction. If the plain statements of the Virgin Birth are discounted, then so may those of any other doctrine.
More obliquely, we must hold this doctrine because the opposite is unthinkable. The notion that God became man, that the Word became flesh, is (pardon the pun) inconceivable without an attending physical miracle. Yet, such a position is advocated by some. The modernist Henry Emerson Fosdick said in a 1922 sermon, "Those first disciples adored Jesus - as we do, when they thought about his coming they were sure that he came specially from God - as we are; this adoration and conviction they associated with God's special influence and intention in his birth - as we do; but they phrased it in terms of a biological miracle that our modern minds cannot use." Fosdick would have us hold to Christ as "specially from God," but dispense with any attending miracle as the naive opinion of the first disciples. His implied question was: What do we lose by disposing of this doctrine that offends "our modern minds"? The answer is, quite simply: everything. We lose everything because in this doctrine converge five necessary truths that characterize Christ as our Savior.
1. The Savior must be divine (see Larger Catechism, Q. 38). Any potential redeemer who is not divine is inadequate for the task. A mere man could not sustain God's wrath, break the power of death, or be of sufficiant value in himself and his works to satisfy God's justice for his people.
2. The Savioir must be human (see Larger Catechism, Q. 39). The Savior must be a man if he is to stand in the place of men. To atone for sinners, he must partake of our nature, yet be sinless. No bull, goat, or even an angel is a fit substitute for men (see Heb. 9:11-15; 2:14-16) . The one who will be our intercessor must be subject to our weaknesses, yet not stumble under them (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-15).
3. These two natures must be in a single person (see Larger Catechism, Q. 40). The role of the Savior is accomplished by his standing for, and between, God and man (Gal. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; cf. Job 9:33). He embodies the promise of his name: Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Matt. 1:23).
4. This Savior must be of the people he will save. From the very crime scene of the Fall across the pages of Scripture this has been a feature of the gospel promise. It is the seed of the woman who will bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15); it is in the seed of Abraham in whom all the nations will be blessed ( Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16); it is on a descendant of David that all the promises will focus (Ps. 8:34-37; Isa. 9:6-7). It is an established point of prophecy that the Savior must arise from the very people whom he will save.
5. The Savior must be free from the universal judgment of sin. The grim reality is that life is lived in the grip of death. Barring Christ's return, all six billion souls who are currently alive will be drawn into the insatiable grave. The materialist will tell you that this is natural, but in this he is mistaken. It is universal, but it is not natural - it is judicial. In Eden, Adam sinned and brought on himself the promised judgment, "You shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17). As Adam stood as the head of a covenant people - all humanity in a covenant of works - the judgment he received was received for all his descendants born, as our standards say, by "ordinary generation." Not merely (if we may say it so mildly) did he pass on to us a corrupted nature from which flow our own sins; he also passed on guilt and liability. As we are united to him, we are born under his judgment: "Through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men" (Rom. 5:18).
This universal judgment on humanity and the fact that the Savior must arise from mankind raises an apparently insurmountable problem: how can a savior arising from Adam's race be free from Adam's judgment - the very thing from which he comes to redeem them? The question is a variation on our Lord's question: "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?" (Matt. 22:45).
The solution is found in the Virgin Birth. In this event, all demands are satisfied. Christ, who is divine, takes to himself human nature in a single person. He becomes the descendant who fulfills all the prophecies, yet by his divine paternity he remains free of Adam's guilt. As Herman Bavinchk says, "The excusion of the man from his conception at the same time had the effect that Christ, as one not included in the covenant of works, remained exempt from original sin and could therefore also be preserved in terms of his human nature, both before and after his birth, from all pollution of sin. As subject, as 'I,' he did not descend from Adam but was the Son of the Father, chosen from eternity to be the head of a new covenant."
Our Savior came into the world to swallow up death. He did not come as another doomed heir of Adam, but as the last Adam to make all things new (1 Cor. 15:45; Rev. 21:5). Paul paints the contrast in Romans 5:17: "If by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."
This is our Savior and his glorious work, for which he is uniquely constituted and qualified. The apostle wrote that in the fullness of time God sent forth his son, born of a woman, in order that he might redeem us (Gal. 4:4-5). This is not sentimentality. This is not tradition This is our very life: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). We must cling fast to him and every truth that makes him what he is.
(Clifford I. Blair, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 2007)
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The "Morning Star"
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Revelation 22:16
Jesus is called the "Morning Star!" The appearance of the morning star ushers in the dawn of a new day and terminates the night. When Jesus came, the long awaited, new day of hope dawned and the old night of despair ended.
When the "Morning Star" comes into a life it is the dawn of a new day. That is why it is written, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all thing are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
The enemy doesn't want that to happen and he doesn't want people to know that it can happen. He has always attempted to prevent the 'good news' from being shared and he has increased his efforts in these final days. He has managed to enlist the assistance of judges, lawyers, politicians and various organizations, all members of the "Don't Mention Jesus Club."
The charter group called Peter and John into court and commanded them not to "speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus." (Acts 4:18) The Apostles' answer was that it was a matter of obeying them or obeying God. (vvs 19, 20) The Apostles obeyed God!
Our choice is the same! The enemy can talk of "constitutional violation" "political correctness" "separation of church and state" adinfinitum but we have our mandate. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Jesus said it! Do we obey Jesus or the ACLU?
There is a story about Elijah the prophet in 1st Kings 19. It was unconstitutional in those days (according to the constitution of queen Jezebel) to worship the Lord God Jehovah. Elijah took his stand for God but was discouraged because he thought that he stood alone. Actually there were 7,000 worshippers of God but they were the original "silent majority."
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only hope, in an otherwise pretty hopeless world situation. There are a lot of us who believe that and it is not the time to be silent about it.
Jesus said, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)
That sounds like Jesus means for us to stand up and be counted.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, WY, drbc@bresnan.net)
Jesus is called the "Morning Star!" The appearance of the morning star ushers in the dawn of a new day and terminates the night. When Jesus came, the long awaited, new day of hope dawned and the old night of despair ended.
When the "Morning Star" comes into a life it is the dawn of a new day. That is why it is written, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all thing are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)
The enemy doesn't want that to happen and he doesn't want people to know that it can happen. He has always attempted to prevent the 'good news' from being shared and he has increased his efforts in these final days. He has managed to enlist the assistance of judges, lawyers, politicians and various organizations, all members of the "Don't Mention Jesus Club."
The charter group called Peter and John into court and commanded them not to "speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus." (Acts 4:18) The Apostles' answer was that it was a matter of obeying them or obeying God. (vvs 19, 20) The Apostles obeyed God!
Our choice is the same! The enemy can talk of "constitutional violation" "political correctness" "separation of church and state" adinfinitum but we have our mandate. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Jesus said it! Do we obey Jesus or the ACLU?
There is a story about Elijah the prophet in 1st Kings 19. It was unconstitutional in those days (according to the constitution of queen Jezebel) to worship the Lord God Jehovah. Elijah took his stand for God but was discouraged because he thought that he stood alone. Actually there were 7,000 worshippers of God but they were the original "silent majority."
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only hope, in an otherwise pretty hopeless world situation. There are a lot of us who believe that and it is not the time to be silent about it.
Jesus said, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." (Matthew 10:27)
That sounds like Jesus means for us to stand up and be counted.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, WY, drbc@bresnan.net)
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Millennial Maze - Part 4 (final)
Amillennialism
Amillennialism sees Revelation 20 as a description of the reign of Christ with the saints throughout the entire present age. Some amillennialists emphasize the reign of Christ with the saints in heaven, while others teach that this reign is also connected with the church militant here on earth. Amillennialists tend to argue that the growth of Christ's kingdom has few if any visible manifestations. The focus is more on the suffering that Christ has indicated the church will undergo. According to amillennialism, the present millennial age, which is characterized by suffering, will be followed by the second coming of Christ, the general resurrection, the last judgment, and the new heavens and new earth.
Amillennialism also has its origin in the early chruch. Augustine (354-430) taught a version of amillennialism that influenced the church throughout the Middle Ages and into the Reformation. Within the Reformed tradition, the contemporary version of amillennialism began to distinguish itself from older forms of postmillennialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The nineteenth-century theologian Herman Bavinck, for example, was a staunch proponent of amillennialism. In the twentieth century, the view has been taught by Reformed theologians such as Geerhardus Vos, Louis Berkhof, Anthony Hoekema, Cornelis Venema, Kim Riddlebarger, and Sam Storms. Some contemporary amillennialists do not like the term amillennialism because the prefix a- literallymeans "no", so amillennialism literally means "no millennium." One amillennialist, Jay Adams, has suggested the term "realized millennialism" instead.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Amillennialism sees Revelation 20 as a description of the reign of Christ with the saints throughout the entire present age. Some amillennialists emphasize the reign of Christ with the saints in heaven, while others teach that this reign is also connected with the church militant here on earth. Amillennialists tend to argue that the growth of Christ's kingdom has few if any visible manifestations. The focus is more on the suffering that Christ has indicated the church will undergo. According to amillennialism, the present millennial age, which is characterized by suffering, will be followed by the second coming of Christ, the general resurrection, the last judgment, and the new heavens and new earth.
Amillennialism also has its origin in the early chruch. Augustine (354-430) taught a version of amillennialism that influenced the church throughout the Middle Ages and into the Reformation. Within the Reformed tradition, the contemporary version of amillennialism began to distinguish itself from older forms of postmillennialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The nineteenth-century theologian Herman Bavinck, for example, was a staunch proponent of amillennialism. In the twentieth century, the view has been taught by Reformed theologians such as Geerhardus Vos, Louis Berkhof, Anthony Hoekema, Cornelis Venema, Kim Riddlebarger, and Sam Storms. Some contemporary amillennialists do not like the term amillennialism because the prefix a- literallymeans "no", so amillennialism literally means "no millennium." One amillennialist, Jay Adams, has suggested the term "realized millennialism" instead.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Friday, December 13, 2013
The Millennial Maze - Part 3
Dispensational Premillennialism
Dispensational premillennialism offers the most complex chronology of the end times. According to dispensationalism, the current church age will end with the rapture of the church, which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. The tribulation will end with the battle of Armageddon, in the midst of which Christ will return to destroy His enemies. The nations will then be gathered for judgment. Those who supported Israel will enter into Christ's millennial kingdom, and the rest will be cast into Hades to await the last judgment. Christ will sit on the throne of David and rule the world from Jerusalem. Israel will be given the place of homor among the nations again. The temple will have been rebuilt and the temple sacrifices will be reinstituted as memorial sacrifices. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released and lead unbelievers in rebellion against Christ and the New Jerusalem. The rebellion will be crushed by fire from heaven, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. The wicked will be brought before the Great White Throne, judged, and cast into the lake of fire, and at this point the eternal state will commence.
The dispensationalist version of premillennialism originated in the nineteenth century within the Brethren Movement. Its distinctives first appear in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). Dispensational premilennialism caught on rapidly in the United States through the Bible Conference Movement. It was popularized by C. I. Scofield in the notes to his reference Bible and was systematized by Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of an eight-volume dispensational systematic theology text. In the twentieth century, this view was taught on a more scholarly level by men, such as John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, and J. Dwight Pentecost, and it was popularized by authors such as Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Dispensational premillennialism offers the most complex chronology of the end times. According to dispensationalism, the current church age will end with the rapture of the church, which, along with the appearance of the Antichrist, marks the beginning of the seven-year great tribulation on earth. The tribulation will end with the battle of Armageddon, in the midst of which Christ will return to destroy His enemies. The nations will then be gathered for judgment. Those who supported Israel will enter into Christ's millennial kingdom, and the rest will be cast into Hades to await the last judgment. Christ will sit on the throne of David and rule the world from Jerusalem. Israel will be given the place of homor among the nations again. The temple will have been rebuilt and the temple sacrifices will be reinstituted as memorial sacrifices. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released and lead unbelievers in rebellion against Christ and the New Jerusalem. The rebellion will be crushed by fire from heaven, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. The wicked will be brought before the Great White Throne, judged, and cast into the lake of fire, and at this point the eternal state will commence.
The dispensationalist version of premillennialism originated in the nineteenth century within the Brethren Movement. Its distinctives first appear in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). Dispensational premilennialism caught on rapidly in the United States through the Bible Conference Movement. It was popularized by C. I. Scofield in the notes to his reference Bible and was systematized by Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of an eight-volume dispensational systematic theology text. In the twentieth century, this view was taught on a more scholarly level by men, such as John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, and J. Dwight Pentecost, and it was popularized by authors such as Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Thursday, December 12, 2013
The Millennial Maze - Part 2
Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism teaches that the "thousand years" of Revelation 20 occur prior to the second coming of Christ. Until recently, most postmillennialists taught that the millennium would be the last thousand years of the present age. Today, many postmillennialists teach that the millennial age is the entire period of time between Christ's first and second advents. As we will see, this means that contemporary versions of postmillennialism are very close in many ways to contemporary amillennialism. The main difference between the two is not so much the timing of the millennium as the nature of the millennium. In general, postmillennialism teaches that in the present age, the Holy Spirit will draw unprecedented multitudes to Christ through the faithful preaching of the gospel. Among the multitudes who will be converted are the ethnic Israelites who have thus far rejected the Messiah. At the end of the present age, Christ will return, there will be a general resurrection of the just and the unjust, and the final judgment will take place.
Postmillennialism was widely held among the Puritans. It was also the dominant view among Reformed theologians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was taught, for example, by men such as Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, James Henley Thornwell, A. A.Hodge, and B. B. Warfield. Because liberals adopted a humanisitc version of this eschathology, postmillennialism suffered a decline in the twentieth century, but it has seen a resurgence in the last twenty to thirty years. Books supporting this view have been published by men such as Loraine Boettner, J. Marcellus Kik, Kenneth Gentry, John Jefferson Davis, and myself.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Postmillennialism teaches that the "thousand years" of Revelation 20 occur prior to the second coming of Christ. Until recently, most postmillennialists taught that the millennium would be the last thousand years of the present age. Today, many postmillennialists teach that the millennial age is the entire period of time between Christ's first and second advents. As we will see, this means that contemporary versions of postmillennialism are very close in many ways to contemporary amillennialism. The main difference between the two is not so much the timing of the millennium as the nature of the millennium. In general, postmillennialism teaches that in the present age, the Holy Spirit will draw unprecedented multitudes to Christ through the faithful preaching of the gospel. Among the multitudes who will be converted are the ethnic Israelites who have thus far rejected the Messiah. At the end of the present age, Christ will return, there will be a general resurrection of the just and the unjust, and the final judgment will take place.
Postmillennialism was widely held among the Puritans. It was also the dominant view among Reformed theologians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was taught, for example, by men such as Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, James Henley Thornwell, A. A.Hodge, and B. B. Warfield. Because liberals adopted a humanisitc version of this eschathology, postmillennialism suffered a decline in the twentieth century, but it has seen a resurgence in the last twenty to thirty years. Books supporting this view have been published by men such as Loraine Boettner, J. Marcellus Kik, Kenneth Gentry, John Jefferson Davis, and myself.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Reformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Millennial Maze - Part 1
HistoricPremillennialism
Historic premillennialism teaches that at the end of the present age, there will be the great tribulation followed by the second coming of Christ. At Christ's coming, the Antichrist will be judged, the righteous will be resurrected, Satan will be bound, and Christ will establish His reign on earth, which will last for a thousand years and be a time of unprecedented blessing for the church. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released and he will instigate a rebellion, which will be quickly crushed. The unrighteous will at this point be raised for judgment, after which the eternal state will begin.
Historic premillennialism has had its proponents in the church from at least the second century AD onward. It was taught, for example, by Irenaeus (140-203) and Justin Martyr (100-165), and may have been taught in the late first century by Papias (80-155). Some within the Reformed tradition, such as James Montgomery Boice, have taught this view. The most notable proponent of historic premillennialism in the twentieth century was George Eldon Ladd, whose commentary on the book of Revelation argues strongly for this position.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Rformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Historic premillennialism teaches that at the end of the present age, there will be the great tribulation followed by the second coming of Christ. At Christ's coming, the Antichrist will be judged, the righteous will be resurrected, Satan will be bound, and Christ will establish His reign on earth, which will last for a thousand years and be a time of unprecedented blessing for the church. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released and he will instigate a rebellion, which will be quickly crushed. The unrighteous will at this point be raised for judgment, after which the eternal state will begin.
Historic premillennialism has had its proponents in the church from at least the second century AD onward. It was taught, for example, by Irenaeus (140-203) and Justin Martyr (100-165), and may have been taught in the late first century by Papias (80-155). Some within the Reformed tradition, such as James Montgomery Boice, have taught this view. The most notable proponent of historic premillennialism in the twentieth century was George Eldon Ladd, whose commentary on the book of Revelation argues strongly for this position.
(Dr. Keith A. Mathison, Rformation Bible College, Tabletalk, Dec. 2013)
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
God's Word
So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty. Without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (Scripture from NASB)
God's words are not like any other spoken or written words! His words do things to people that cause some of us to love His words and others to reject and fear His words. God's word can be accepted or rejected but it cannot be ignored or legislated out of existence. It is not just so much black ink on white paper. The Scripture above claims that it is "living" and Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) Men can reject the teaching of it but they cannot deny the fact of it.
The enemy, by reason of his past experience, fears God's word! He cannot destroy it so He concentrates on persuading men to reject it. The latest propaganda coming from the devil's campaign headquarters, is that it is not proper or considerate of unbelievers to speak of God's word in public life. He has his employees here and there claiming that the hearing of the word of God "offends" their sensitive natures.
Paul said, "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world...." (1st Corinthians 14:10) Those many voices do not please everyone who hears them but they continue being heard.
It would be impossible to speak a word that did not offend anyone in the world. I heard a man being interviewed on the TV News a few days ago who was criticizing Sarah Palin for speaking of being "Born again" of which Jesus was the first to speak (John 3:3).
Some of the things being said publicly offend me but no one seems likely to put a stop to it. If we stopped speaking and hearing that which we disagree with or are offended by we would be a nation of deaf-mutes.
God gave men the right to reject, at their own risk, His word, but men do ot have the right or resources to silence or destroy His word.
It has been spoken by His messengers and written in a Book so all can read. It has never needed to be corrected, taken from or added to. Woe to that person who attempts to do so. (Revelation 22:18)
God promises that His word, "will not return empty and it will accomplish what He desires." If it is believed and acted upon it will save men from a devil's hell and prepare them for God's heaven and that is not a campaign promise. It is a voice that you can, with confidence, believe.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, WY, drbc@bresnan.net)
Isaiah 55:11
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (Scripture from NASB)
God's words are not like any other spoken or written words! His words do things to people that cause some of us to love His words and others to reject and fear His words. God's word can be accepted or rejected but it cannot be ignored or legislated out of existence. It is not just so much black ink on white paper. The Scripture above claims that it is "living" and Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) Men can reject the teaching of it but they cannot deny the fact of it.
The enemy, by reason of his past experience, fears God's word! He cannot destroy it so He concentrates on persuading men to reject it. The latest propaganda coming from the devil's campaign headquarters, is that it is not proper or considerate of unbelievers to speak of God's word in public life. He has his employees here and there claiming that the hearing of the word of God "offends" their sensitive natures.
Paul said, "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world...." (1st Corinthians 14:10) Those many voices do not please everyone who hears them but they continue being heard.
It would be impossible to speak a word that did not offend anyone in the world. I heard a man being interviewed on the TV News a few days ago who was criticizing Sarah Palin for speaking of being "Born again" of which Jesus was the first to speak (John 3:3).
Some of the things being said publicly offend me but no one seems likely to put a stop to it. If we stopped speaking and hearing that which we disagree with or are offended by we would be a nation of deaf-mutes.
God gave men the right to reject, at their own risk, His word, but men do ot have the right or resources to silence or destroy His word.
It has been spoken by His messengers and written in a Book so all can read. It has never needed to be corrected, taken from or added to. Woe to that person who attempts to do so. (Revelation 22:18)
God promises that His word, "will not return empty and it will accomplish what He desires." If it is believed and acted upon it will save men from a devil's hell and prepare them for God's heaven and that is not a campaign promise. It is a voice that you can, with confidence, believe.
(Pastor Bill Cummins, Sheridan, WY, drbc@bresnan.net)
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