Monday, February 27, 2006

Christology 101 - The Exclusivity of Christ

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

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

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)

These are but few verses that point to the fact that Christ is the only way to Heaven. Salvation is given to us exclusively through Jesus Christ. There can be no other Savior than Jesus. The first verse, for example, is a direct quote from the lips of Jesus Christ. Thomas was asking about the way, and Jesus answered him plainly that He is THE way. Jesus made a very clear point: no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY HIM. Many today would disagree with that. They mine as well tell Jesus that He had no clue what He was talking about. We read in the context that Thomas wanted to know 'The way' and also how Philip wanted to see the Father. In both response to these men Christ reveals to them that He alone is sufficient. Christ is the way and to see Christ is to have seen the Father (see John 14: 10-13).

Saturday, February 25, 2006

היה (part 2)

John 8 has to be one of the most scathing sections of Scripture between Christ and the Pharisees, not to mention the book of Matthew. In verses 56-57 Jesus made a statement that they could not accept. It was refering to Abraham seeing 'my day' and 'he saw it, and was glad.' In response to what Jesus said, the Jews made this comment: "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" to which Jesus replied: "...before Abraham was, I am." (v.58).
Before Abraham existed, Jesus did. Jesus (I hate to use the word 'claimed') claimed to be eternal, when He used the term "I AM." This means that all the attributes that belong to God also belongs to Jesus Christ. In essence Jesus is God.
I am writing this because I am amazed at the significance of the term "I AM" and how the God of the Old Testament is similar to Jesus in the New Testament. The "I AM" statements are strikingly similar, in both instances, what they are saying is that God is eternal, self-existing, and immutable. I also happen to believe that a person must recieve the Jesus of the Bible in order to be saved. You can't trust in just any savior. We live in a day where people have their own way to heaven. BUT Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven. And it is not the Jesus imagined by false religion. It is this Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, God's eternal Son.

Friday, February 24, 2006

היה


"...and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT IAM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exo. 3:13b-14)

The Hebrew word is pronounced hâyâh (haw-yaw). I am not an 'Orginal-language' type of a guy, but I wish I knew alot more Greek, Hebrew, Latin and yes, even English. When I first came across Exodus 3:13-14, immediately I thought what does "I AM" mean? Here Moses asked God what name should he tell the Israelites if they were to ask him who sent for them? And God told Moses to basically say "I AM hath sent me unto you." So "I AM" is a name for God. It basically tells us about the fact that God is God. He is 'self-existing' (Gill). He is eternal (always was, and is, and will be) and immutable (unchanging). Some religious people think that we can become gods, but that is only an imagination and false teaching at best, because even if we were to be transformed into something 'divine' we can never be 'eternal' because man has a beginning. Man is not 'self-existing' or eternal or immutable. In essence only God is truly the great "I AM."

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Some thoughts about God's grace

Grace is defined by many to mean 'God's unmerited favor.' Some believe that God bestows grace through certain 'items' or 'elements.' I know of people who would actually put more faith in the 'elements' than they would on God. Followed to its logical conclusion, as long as the 'elements' are present the recipient need not even express any hint of faith, and supposedly grace (or favor) is still bestowed upon him. Or so they believe. The Bible paints a different picture. It teaches us that grace is available through faith, and not 'elements'. "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." (Eph. 2:8a). Again many people disregard 'convictions and standards' and claim that they are living in a dispensation of grace. Somehow grace is thought to be antinomian (literally, against the law). That means living a life apart from moral laws under the impression that 'faith only' is 'only faith.' The Bible teaches us that the grace that saves is the same grace that sanctifies (see Titus 2:11-12). As long as Titus 2:12 is in the Bible, the ungodly can never legitimately use grace as an excuse to live disgracefully.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

but God is...

There are some Bible verses that if you commit to memory could be an encouragement to a fellow believer who is going through some tough times. I for one like 1 Cor. 10:13.
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Of course this verse has many aspects about trials. I really like the phrase 'but God is faithful...' He allows things to happen, but He is faithful in the midst of sending us trials (or temptations, another synonymous term). What is He faithful in?, well in this verse, we are guaranteed that our problems are sort of 'custom made.' We are not going to be tempted above that we are able to bear. Then another thing that He is faithful in, is that He provides a 'way of escape.' He does not provide a way to avoid the trial necessarily, but He provides a way so that we can bear it. The verse says 'that ye may be able to bear it.' Praise the Lord, He is loving and caring enough to make sure that our trials are a necessary means of making us better Christians.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Christology 101 - The Exaltation of Christ

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

Jesus Christ is Lord. Many people want to reduce His Lordship and make a 'distinction' of accepting Him as Savior, and then later down the road, consider whether or not to accept Him as Lord. I don't know how to put it in words except from the Bible's vantage point, every one who got saved, had to recognize Jesus as Lord. His Lordship has political consequences, in fact people would even die because of this early church creed: Jesus is Lord. The fact is: Jesus is Lord, whether we recognize it or not. Our 'theories' don't make, or in some case 'unmake' Him Lord. People ask questions like: 'Is it necessary to recieve Jesus as Lord for Salvation?', my answer is people need to recieve Jesus, who is both Lord and Savior. Not every one who trusts in Christ, or in other words, not every one who is 'saved' is living sinlessly perfect lives in submission to God, and not every one who claims Jesus as Lord is going to heaven. In the end, you will either bow to His Lordship now, or later. The circumstances will be different if you wait until its too late. God the Father will see to it that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Christology 101 - The Humility of Christ

"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8)

When the 'fullness of time was come' God's eternal Son came to earth, born of Mary a virgin. We celebrate Christmas in commemoration of that great miraculous event. I see the Lord's humility at His entrance into our world. World leaders have their conclaves and pomp whenever they make an appearance, but a manger sufficed the Lord. Honored guests and dignitaries, diplomats, and high ranking officials often greet each other, but shepherds were beckoned to greet the new born king. I see the Lord's humility in laying aside His will and submitting it to the Father during His earthly ministry. The Lord's humility is evident when He endured temptations and trials. During His earthly ministry He choose to work with His apostles who had their problems (interestingly it was some manifestation of 'pride.'). He choose to heal the sick, He was not ashamed to be identified with sinners. He taught us the spirit of the Law, and how we should love one another as brothers in Christ. The greatest of all demonstration, in my mind, of humility is His death on the cross. He knew He would bear all or our sins, be separated from the Father, suffer judgment on our behalf, and yet He laid down His life for us. He suffered a death that was not fit for a Roman citizen at that time.
Jesus said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30) What a contrast to the Pharisees (who basically earned a reputation of being hypocrites). And what a Savior. Some may think, that what He said was a proud statement, but they are ignorant of the humility of Christ. Remember Jesus is also God, and God cannot lie. Jesus said: "learn of me." I pray that we do, I know I constantly need a course in humility.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Christology 101 - The Supremacy of Christ

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:5-11)

I remember what it was like being a young Christian and reading this passage for the first time. I felt joy in my heart because these verses substantiated once again my faith in the person of Jesus Christ, the reality of His Lordship and the awful consequences of denying His Lordship. I don't pretend to know much about Christ except only to know that faith in God's Word is the key to learning more about Jesus.
We begin with the understanding of who Jesus Christ really is. In verse 6, He is presented to us as being in the form of God and equal with God. The phrase 'form of God' is significant because this tells us that whatever God is, so is Jesus Christ. The word specifically used is 'morphe' (or shape), i.e. He is, in essence, God; and not 'schema' (or fashion) which denotes only an external figure and subject to change - (Vincent). This phrase is a powerful proof text that we can use to show people that Jesus Christ, in His pre-incarnate state, is God. Jesus Christ did in fact exist with God the Father in eternity past. In John 17:5, Jesus prayed this to the Father: "...glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
The next phrase is just as insightful and important: "equal with God." The word 'equal' in the Greek is 'isos.' We use this word in chemistry - Isotopes. These are two or more chemical elements having the same chemical properties (same atomic number) but different atomic mass or weight. (I heard a preacher use this as an illustration helping me understand the thought conveyed in this phrase). Again we know that Jesus Christ is equal to the Father in His 'being' and 'essence' or 'kind' and yet distinct in His 'personality.' When the unbelieving Jews consipired to kill Jesus in John 5, The Beloved Apostle made an observation in v.18; he basically understood the significance of the claim that Jesus made in calling God His Father. This meant that Jesus was 'equal with God.' This is a truth that even the Apostle John believed and understood.
The Father is over the Son economically (in the Godhead) but not ontologically (in essence or being). The Son is in perfect submission to the Father, but we should not equate submission with subordination (as one writer puts it).

The Sufficiency of Scripture (part 6)


"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for intruction in righteousness:" (2 Tim. 3:16)

So far we have seen that the Bible is both inspired by God and profitable (i.e. useful or helpful). We can and should use the Bible in doctrine (teaching), reproving (convicting), and correction (setting right). The usefulness of the Scripture does not just end after a series of the items we just described, but it goes on further to teach us that we are to use the Bible in the area of 'instruction.' The idea of the word 'instruction' is that of discipline. Or in other words, we need to use the Bible to 'disciple people.' It is not enough to show them their sin, get them to repent, and tell them what they 'need to know.' We must use the Bible and countinually show them how they can be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. In the process of making disciples, we are becoming true disciples. The Bible provides us with everything we need to deal with people, both saved and unsaved.

Friday, February 17, 2006

The Sufficiency of Scripture (part 5)



"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Tim. 3:16)

The word 'correction' means 'restoring to an upright state; setting right' (Vincent). After reproving an individual, we have a responsibility, with the use of Scripture to 'correct' the situation. In other words, we want to extend a helping hand, help them up, brush them off, and set them on the right path. We don't want to just point out the error and reprove someone and end it there. We must be responsible and the Bible provides the necessary restoration of the individual. Thankfully we have a Bible that is interested in correction and restoration.
(Picture: "The Great Bible")

The Sufficiency of Scripture (part 4)


"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Tim. 3:16)

The word reproof means 'convict.' It is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt a person's sins and failures. This is the 'hard side' of the use of the Bible. In soulwinning, we dare not skip over the need to show lost sinners the reality of their spiritual condition (which is dead). We cannot neglect to tell them about the penalty of sin. Sometimes in dealing with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to use the Bible to show them the error of their ways. If we try to 'work' with them without 'reproving' them (when it is needed) basically we cannot be a help to them. We don't need to rely on our wisdom when it comes to 'reproving' any one. Use the Bible. Show them from the Bible their condition. The Bible is described as fire and hammer (Jer. 23:29), and sword (Heb. 4:12 and Eph. 6:17) among other metaphors. Our attitude in reproving should be one of meekness and wanting to help others, and our main tool in this task is the Word of God.

(The picture above is a page from the Geneva Bible - I can't find any pics with better quality, oh well, life in the big city. LOL!)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Sufficiency of Scripture (part 3)


"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Tim. 3:16)

The Bible is a book that 'teaches.' It is here we learn of the persons and 'perfections' of God. Everything we need to learn about life, all the answers to our problems can be found in the pages of God's Word. The Bible is full of teachings. Since we are sinners, we all have a tendency to 'taint' the Scriptures with our own ideas. We must be careful to make sure that we believe only what the Bible teaches. Since the Bible is full of doctrine we must make it a point to learn them, after all what good is teaching when there is no learning. The Bible is such a spiritual book that a mere enumeration of facts does not mean that one 'knows' Bible doctrines. The key to understanding Bible doctrine is obedience and not just mere observations, and data gathering. The Lord declared in John 7:17a "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine..." A secondary blessing is that the Bible offers everyone meaningful and practical ways to live. If we took the time, to seriously read the Bible and find out what God says about something, and determine to obey it, only then would we begin to 'know.'
(The picture above is a page from the Coverdale Bible)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The Sufficiency of Scripture (part 2)


"All Scripture is given by inspirtation of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" ( 2 Tim. 3:16)

All Scripture is not only "God-breathed," they are also profitable (i.e. useful or helpful). Since God's word is profitable, then we can and should apply its truths to every area of our lives. Modernists would scoff and say we can't use the Bible in math, or history, or 'science.' And conclude therefore that the Bible can't be used in our 'every day lives.' The problem is that the Bible is not written as a textbook on those subject matters, and to treat the Bible as a 'textbook' is really not to esteem the Bible as God's Word. I am not saying the Bible does not have factual data (meaning it contain facts about science, history, chronology, etc.) because it does. And when and where it speaks about these subjects, the teachings are true. The Bible is a God breathed book about God and His story of man's redemption. The Bible is a book that deals with the major factors of our lives, and can tell us far more about ourselves and ulitimate reality than mere human observations and data. Indeed the only thing that can 'help' people is the Bible. I am not excluding church, or prayer, or even the Holy Spirit; but we learn all about these things by digging into the Bible. Indeed we should be convinced of the fact that the Bible is profitable.
(Picture taken from Tyndale's Translation of the Bible)

Monday, February 13, 2006

The Sufficiency of Scripture


"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Tim. 3:16)

This verse teaches us that the Bible is a "God breathed" book. It is not an invention of man. I am not denying the fact that it is confluent (i.e. God using man), but the ultimate source of the Bible is God. God spake these words. The Bible then is God's Word. If God could speak today, He would speak exactly what the Bible says. We need to receive God's Word for what it says. What God says about anything is always right. I am not necessarily trying to define 'inspiration' but I do want to us to think about our responsibility to receive God's Word. Because it is 'inspired' we must be careful not to elevate man's philosophies or theories above it. God's Word is true today as it was when God first spoke His words to these 'holy men' (prophetic and/or apostolic men) thousands of years ago.
POST SCRIPT: I believe the King James Version is God's Word for the English speaking people. However, I do not want to discuss the contours of that issue at this time. Perhaps I will another time and another in another thread.

Saturday, February 11, 2006

"All" About Prayer (not really)

After looking at some verses on prayer I was amazed to see the relationship between the word 'all' and prayer. Here are some findings:

1. We ought to pray for ALL men - "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;" ( 1 Tim. 2:1) the 2nd verse includes kings and ALL that are in authority.

2. We ought to pray for ALL saints - "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Eph. 6:18). This verse has alot of 'alls' in it. I grew up in a religion where the beatified 'saints' pray for us, but the Bible is clear, anyone one in Christ is a saint. Therefore we can and should pray for the saints.

3. We ought to ALWAYS direct our prayers to God with Thanksgiving - "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;" ( 1 Thess. 1:2) (see also Col. 1:3).

Repentance (part 3)
Worldly Sorrow

"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (2 Cor. 7:10)

The Bible contrasts godly sorrow and 'worldly' sorrow. The former results in salvation, the latter results in death. This gives us a better understanding of what repentance is. Many feel that repentance is merely feeling sorry for their sins, and usually they only feel sorry because they got caught, and rather than dealing with sin, they want to save face (and sin always brings shame!) and for that reason they are made sorry. We must be careful when we are dealing with people about the Gospel of Jesus that we don't entertain this kind of sorrow. John the Baptist in Matt. 3:8 is careful to make sure that his listeners were truly repentant. In fact, according to the story they did not demonstrate 'fruits meet for repentance.' If we are not careful about this issue, we literally could provide false assurance or false hope to people about their lost spiritual condition. I am not trying to complicate this matter since the Bible does talk about the simplicity of the Gospel, but until a person turns from sin (and self) to the Savior, there cannot be Salvation. I know a church (happens to be a Baptist church - of all religious bodies out there) that attempted to copy Pentecost and as a result baptized thousands in one day, but unfortunantly some (and I am afraid to even say, maybe even most) of them were not even saved. I think of my Catholic friends who are stooped in Romanism, they practice sincere penance - but that is another form of 'worldly sorrow' which results in death. The message of repentance IS important.


Click here to view the previous post.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Rhetorical Question:
How is your private prayer life?


"But THOU when THOU prayest, enter into THY closet, and when THOU hast shut THY door, pray to THY Father which is in secret; and THY Father which seeth in secret shall reward THEE openly." (Matt. 6:6)

I remember reading Arthur Pierson on this Bible verse. His observation is something that really spoke to me and I want to pass this on to you: In one verse eight times You/Your is mentioned. God is interested in our (i.e. each of us) personal or private prayer life.

(Picture on left is Arthur Tappan Pierson)

Ex Libris


"A Consumer's Guide To Preaching: How to Get Most out of a Sermon" By Dr. Jay Adams. I came accross this book at one of those buck a book places (Yes, one man's trash is another man's treasure!) and at fist I must confess the title threw me off, A consumer? how anthropocentric? how arrogant? but then again you can't judge a book by its cover, and in this case by the title (BTW, the cover looks funny - just sharing some thoughts here). Anyway, turns out to be an insightful book for a layman with practical helps and ideas on the topic described as the sub title. A very helpful book! 160 pages, soft cover published by Victor Books.


Chapter 1 There Is A Problem - neat little chapter that puts the blame where it most likely belong (in the pew and not necessarily the pulpit).
Chapter 2 Before You Begin
Chapter 3 Preparing for Preaching
Chapter 4 Your Basic Attitude
Chapter 5 Expectations, Predispositions and the Spiritual State
Chapter 6 Work at Getting the Message
Chapter 7 Understanding the Message
Chapter 8 How To Handle Poor Preaching - 'good luck' on this one
Chapter 9 Berean Listening
Chapter 10 Distractions - Dr. Adams uses a funny illustration to open this chapter pointing out that distractions are really nothing new.
Chapter 11 The Preacher and You
Chapter 12 Implementation - He provides excerpts ranging from good to heresy and basically asks his readers to think about what is being said.


Post Script: click on these links to see previously recommended books: Ex Libris (part 1) and (part 2).

Thursday, February 9, 2006

What to do about anxieties?


"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

When I think of 'casting,' immediately I think of fishing. Throw out the line (hook and bait of course) then reeling it back. Casting our care upon the Lord, to some, maybe just like that. They would pray and confess and get things right with God, and ask God to comfort them and aid them in their trials BUT then sooner or later, they reel back their problems and they may do this over and over again. Thankfully - God did not have 'fishing' in mind when He instructed us in this passage. The word 'cast' carries the idea of throwing something out with force (to fling) without the capacity of taking it back. Much like when you throw a pebble as far as you can out to a body of water, the chances of getting that back is realistically nill. God wants us to approach Him in hard times and bring before Him our prayers and supplications. Another good verse to keep in mind along this line is Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Sermons I enjoy (part 2)


Pastor Jeff Voegtlin is an associate pastor at Fairhaven Baptist Church and the Academic Dean of Faihaven Baptist College. These sermons of course could be accessed through Sermon Audio.com, where you can find many other good sermons to listen to. What a valuable tool!
(Post Script: The picture is not Pastor Jeff Voegtlin - just for your information. I pointed out on the previous post that this is supposed to be Ezra).

1. How To Hear - This sermon was preached in preparation for the 2002 Annual Preaching Conference at Fairhaven. Pastor Voegtlin provides a simple outline to follow and a tremendous exposition of James 1:21-22. A sequel to this is Looking Into the Glass and the Perfect Law.

2. The Lost Life - In this sermon Pastor Voegtlin explores some of the Biblical narratives and shows us how the principle of Mark 8:35 holds true in each of their situations, as well as ours. A very practical message.

3. Forgive and Remember...No More - The Bible commands us to emulate God in the manner of forgiveness. What does that mean? This sermon answers that question.

here's the link to the previous post.

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Joseph in Egypt (part 2 The Butler did NOT do it)


"Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine hand, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler." (Gen. 40:13)

Joseph interpreted the Butler's dream (which was good news) and the Baker's dream (which really was bad news - but then again at least he had been warned and should have made preparations to meet the Lord). The Butler was restored, and yet he forgot Joseph. He forgot to basically talk to the king of Egypt about Joseph and his petition to get him out of prison. We are left with the sad ending of Genesis 40:23 "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him." Would this cause Joseph bitterness? Could it be that this is what will drive Joseph apart from being used of God? No.
1. Joseph did not allow the circumstances to dictate his attitude - Joseph asked these men this question: "...wherefore look ye so sadly to day?" - I read that and I think about how Joseph's faith in God is so strong that despite being abandoned by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of immorality, and cast into prison, he still maintained somewhat of a positive attitude.
2. Two more years in prison and only because the Butler 'forgot.' - And yet we don't read about Joseph going bonkers over someone else's fault. We need to be careful not to ruin our spirits when things just don't go our way. In other words 'grow up.' Life is not fair, BUT God's grace is sufficient, God's wisdom is available, and God is waiting for us to cast all our cares on Him.

Monday, February 6, 2006

Joseph in Egypt


"And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had put into his hand...and Joseph was a goodly person, well favoured." (Gen. 39:1-6)

Joseph's influence could have been stopped the moment his brothers threw him down the pit and then later sold him to slavery. He had what seems to be every 'right' to become bitter. This is not a matter of positive thinking or false piety. Joseph knew that he could trust the LORD in hard cases and evidently he did. Despite these strikes against him, God is still in control. God had a plan, and all the people in this story is used by God to accomplish His will. We also don't see Joseph taking credit for any of his success. Potiphar saw that the hand of God is upon Joseph. Thank God we can rely on His wisdom and strength to see us through our daily tasks. In all our accomplishments we must learn to point people to the Lord. The last thing I want to note is the particular phrase which says he was a "goodly person", "wellfavoured." There is nothing wrong with being wellfavourd even by the unregenerate. In fact, we have a better chance at gaining an audience with them if we make ourselves presentable (e.g. make use of a breath mint). I heard a preacher once say: "If anything offends, make sure that it is only the Gospel that offends."

Saturday, February 4, 2006

Out of the heart

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders. Thefts, coveteousness, wickedness, deciet, lasciviousness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21-22)

I hear some people say, and perhaps you have too: "Oh I know his heart, and deep down inside he's a good person." Interesting, you'll not hear Jesus say that about our hearts. In fact we need to take a hard look at how sinful we truly are. Sometimes we like to think ourselves or perhaps someone else, as being ok, when in fact it is not ok. We are not ok. I am not ok. Apart from a regenerating work of God in my heart I am helpless against sin. And so is everyone else. If we are honest with ourselves we know that what Jesus said is true. And no, we are not ok. But thank God that when a man repents and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, then God does 'heart surgery' over in Ezekiel 36:26-27 the Bible says: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them."

Friday, February 3, 2006

Repentance (part 2)
Godly Repentance Illustrated

In Genesis 6 we have a record of God 'repenting.' I know that God is immutable and that He really does not change His mind about thing, nor is He taken by surprises about anything (He is Omniscient). When the Bible says that God repented, it is that God is simply condescending to us so that we may understand Him. In all reality God is simply acting consistantly with His reaction towards men. Genesis 6 is a great account that we can use to see exactly what repentance is. Since God is the one 'repenting,' we then can see what 'Godly repentance' truly is or in other words what true repentance really is.

1. The object from which repentance is directed towards is that of sin. When someone asks me, "what am I to repent of?" I answer "you must repent of sin." - "And God saw the wickedness of man was great...and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (v.5). As a result of seeing the sinfulness of man the Bible goes on to say: "it repented the LORD that He hath made man on the earth..." (v.6). And so true repentance deals with sin.
2. Repentance also affects an individuals emotion: "...it grieved Him at His heart. (v.6b) still speaking about God. In essence God was emotionally affected by man's sinfulness.
3. Repentance involves volition: "And the LORD said, I will destroy man..." (v.7a). And we know that God did follow through with what He determined to do sparing only Noah and his family.
Godly repentance therefore is a conviction with regards to the nature of sin, which in turn affects a person's emotional and volitional faculties resulting in a determination to rectify the wrong.
Post Script: This thread is a continuation of a previous post.

Scalia's Dissent and insights concerning religious symbols in the public square


We need to be reminded as a nation about our great political heritage rooted in "Judeo-Christian Principles." There are, of course, other political heritage that have helped shaped our country but to deny 'religious symbols' like that of the Ten Commandements in the public square is really a denial of part of the historical roots of our country. Through the use of the internet you may download Justice Scalia's Dissent and read for yourself his observations concerning religion and our country.

Thursday, February 2, 2006

Sermons I enjoy


I look forward to these types of posts for two reasons. First, I will get a chance to try the link feature of the blog world. Secondly, I hope this will be a help to some of you. I choose the picture of Ezra reading the law to the people - just coz it sort of represents this thread. (These Bible pictures are, in a way, funny - the picture could be perceived as Moses - but in actuality it is Ezra - well, if push comes to shove - it can be Moses since God told him in Exo. 14:15 to speak for the purpose of moving His people forward)

sermonaudio.com is a website that you can access in order to listen to some good preaching. There are other good ones but this one has an amazing repetoire of good preachers. You'll need to register if you have not yet, but it is free.

Dr. Roger Voegtlin is the pastor of Fairhaven Baptist Church and president of Fairhaven Baptist College. I would like to highlight some of his messages that I believe will be of tremendous help to you.

1. Separation from the World Dr. Voegtlin provides a Biblical and practical basis in the matter of standards and seperation. A few charecteristics of his sermons are clarity and 'down-to-earthness' if I could just put it that way. Get your pencil and paper ready this sermon is loaded.

2. Communion I really like this sermon because not only does it provide instructions to Christians about Communion, but he also presents the Gospel to people who most likely have been mislead because of false teaching regarding this topic. Preacher cuts through the fog of approaching the Lord's Supper with 'theology' and 'rituals.' He explains the ordinance for what it really is. What an excellent Gospel message.

3. Man and His Money This one is characterized as a "Stewardship Sermon" because it deals with finances. As mentioned in this message: you can tell a lot about a man's character by how he handles his money. You would think that money or finances is solely practical but in all reality having the right discipline in money handeling is a very spiritual thing. Here's a good sermon on finances.

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Justification


"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

When I think of Abraham I think of a man of faith. He was called of God out of his homeland and he obeyed, even when he had no clue where he was going. When God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac, he obeyed. In essence he is a good man. And yet the Bible teaches us that he was 'justified' by faith (see 4:5; 7-10). The Bible says: 'But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness' (verse 5). Abraham did not 'work' to gain Salvation, neither could any man work to gain Salvation. Unless God gives it to us, there is no way for any man to gain Salvation. This lines up with what the Bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9, and Titus 3:5. I came from a religion that taught basically works-Salvation type of a belief. I think that if people could be saved on their own merits that they would never see the need to depend on God. There would be boasting, and man would be lifted up in pride. Salvation is not found in the 'sacaraments' or 'church membership' or any other good works, but rather it is a faith on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person trusts the Lord Jesus, God looks upon him and 'positionally' He sees the righteousness of Jesus and declares us to be righteous. Justification is a wonderful Bible truth that we need to take to a lost and dying world trying to gain God's favor by works.