Do you know your a sermon in shoes?

"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" (Phil. 1:27)

Does our manner of living (or lifestyle, or customs) reflect the Gospel that we profess to believe? The good news is that we can contour our lives to become the Gospel of Christ. Christianity is not just a bunch of head-knowledge but it also is very practical. So much so that our faith could change even our lifestyle.

On being "judgmental"

Some words get completely taken one way (usually the 'other way'). Words like 'judgment.' Many people work at not being 'judgmental.' This of course can be good, if by that we mean we don't pass judgment on someone without first finding out the facts. The sad thing about it is that many people don't think about the other side of the coin and relinquish all 'judgment' as being something to avoid. The Bible offers many verses to the contrary, I am reminded of this in my study of Philippians, I would like to highlight two verses that speaks of judgment in a good sense. In fact judgment is something that needs to be an outflow of the true work of grace in our hearts.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;" (Phil. 1:9)

Paul goes on to tell us why this important.

"That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ;" (Phil. 1:10)

So many Christians make decisions solely based on emotions. I believe these verses teaches us that decisions need to be rooted in more than just emotions. Our love should be rooted in God and His Word so that we can 'abound' and/or have a more proper 'knowledge' and 'judgment' to 'approve things that are excellent.'

Is it therefore good to be 'judgmental?' In this case, yes!

Main message, many motives

"And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel." (Philippians 1:13-17)

The Gospel is so dynamic that the even the motive of a preacher cannot take away from the potency of the message. Paul knew how to handle 'poor preachers.' He rejoiced despite other's attempt to 'add affliction' to his bonds. Things did not necessarily go his way, but he learned the great virtue of godly contentment. He focused on the subject of the message (which is Christ) and not necessarily on the messanger (be he 'good' or 'bad').

Can your pastor say this about you?

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you." (Philippians 1:3)

I am studying the book of Philippians, and while reading and re-reading it this verse really 'grabbed' me. Paul, right after his initial introduction, wrote about how thankful he was upon every remembrance of the Philippian church. I know that Paul was not the pastor of this church (he salutes the pastors and deacons in verse 1). But he is an apostle and an evangelist (missionary). He thanks God upon remembering them. They had such a faith and a testimony that God's man would be so thankful just remembering them.

I know I would like to have the kind of testimony that brings joy to my pastor. I AM NOT advocating man-worship, far from it. I just want to leave you with a question...

Do you have that kind of a testimony that when God's man thinks about you, he can't help but say "Thank you, Lord for - -?" Do you?

What we recieve when we pray

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16)

Mercy means kindness. Grace means God's favor. We recieve mercy and grace when we go to God in prayer. This I believe is one reason why many Christians fail. Somehow, we forget where we can obtain the blessings of mercy and grace. These are found (the Bible says 'obtain') in prayer. God is gracious to extend His hand, but do we really take time to cultivate a real relationship with Him. To we 'come boldly unto the throne of grace' as the Bible describes? I guess a practical question could be asked: how goes your prayer life?

Where we are when we pray

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16)

Good manners are very important. As kids, my sister and I were taught to mind our manners, especially when we visited the homes of friends and relatives. We need to be reminded that prayer takes us to a different place. That place is God's throne of grace. When we are in prayer, we are in spirit, coming before the throne of God. We are elsewhere, and not just any where, we are before God. Therefore we should mind our manners.

POST SCRIPT: I was teaching a series of lessons about prayer for our mid-week children's ministry. Heb. 4:12 has been such a blessing.

The Christian Privilege of Confession (part 3)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

God is faithful to forgive and to clean. When God forgives He chooses not to remember our sins. He forgives us for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ. But not only does God forgive us, He also cleanses us, that means He purges us so that as a clean vessel He can use us for His glory again.

The Christian Privilege of Confession (part 2)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

In this passage we see the character of God. God is both faithful and just. Faithful means trustworthy. A Christian can approach God with a contrite heart confessing his sins and God is faithful to forgive. You don't have to wonder if the Lord forgives, because He does. God is true to himself and His Word. The Bible declares God to be a covenant-keeping God: "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;" (Deut. 7:9). As Christians we have entered into a covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord (see Matt. 26:28). It is on the basis of Christ's sacrifice that we gain forgiveness of our sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

Now since God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, we need to emulate that. We as Christians are called to forgive others their trespasses against us. Harboring bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness is just about as ungodly as anything you could imagine. In fact Christians are really truly the only ones who could practice genuine forgiveness. The reason perhaps that so many have such a hard time with this is because they have never themselves been forgiven of God. That or they have forgotten (willfully) the grace of God's forgiveness. We know from the Bible that if we don't forgive others their sin, then our Heavenly Father will not forgive ours neither.

The Christian Privilege of Confession (part 1)

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

Salvation cancels sin's penalty and power, but not necessarily sin's presence. We, as Christians, are prone to sin. There are those who would teach a doctrine of sinless perfection or total eradication of the sinful nature, but even the apostle John disagrees. In fact in verse 8 he states: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." I don't believe that eternal security is a blank check for sin, nor do I believe that a person can use grace as an excuse to live disgracefully. While we are waiting the 'redemption of our bodies' the Bible teaches us the great blessing we have in confession. Confession, not as taught by an apostate church, i.e. telling some parish priest about our sins. But rather with a contrite heart, approaching the throne of God with thanksgiving and praise, and telling Him (God) all about our sins and failures. This is a privilege that we as believers have (see 1 Peter 2:9). To go to God directly as priests ourselves, because Jesus Christ has made a way for us to approach God.

Charity (part 5)

"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." (1 Cor. 13:8)

This particular grace of charity will continue on long after the revelatory gifts cease. I believe these revelatory gifts of the Spirit have ceased partly because revelation from God is finalized and complete in the Bible (see Rev. 22:18-19). BUT charity will continue well into the new Heaven and New earth, or it will flourish forever in eternity future with God, when we see Him face to face, when our imperfections are put to perfection.

Charity (part 4)

"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." (1 Cor. 13:7)

The Bible says 'all things' and I believe that. Some people think that there are cases (and hard ones of course) where charity just cannot possibly cut it. I believe the Bible is much more practical that what we are accustomed to. For example, the Bible teaches us that if we walk in the Spirit that we will not fullfill the lust of the flesh. In talking to other Christians it seems as though excuses are doled out about certain sins. They accept every excuse I mean everything from 'habits' to 'mental disorder' but never about 'not' walking in the Spirit. Well, the Bible says that charity does these 4 things to 'all things' - and no matter if I understand it or not, I believe that charity enables us to do these things to 'all things.' WOW, I feel like I am talking in circles ( LOL!)

Beareth - to roof over, cover with silence (endure patiently). (Strong) - Charity does not unnecessarily broadcasts someones fault or problem. Charity is interested in regularity rather than sensationalism.

Believeth - Not suspicious. There is such a thing as 'evil surmising' and 'doting' and these are highly unloving and unhealthy for the mind and spirit.

Hopeth - To expect (Strong). Charity has an element of earnest expectation that God is always good and in control, and that His Word is always true. I would differentiate this from 'positive thinking' as described by Peal and also from unfounded credulity.

Endureth - Persevere. Charity will cause us to endure trials for the sake of Christ and the souls of men.

Charity (part 3)

"Rejoiceth not in inquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" (1 Cor. 13:6)

Charity is ravenous for truth. What is truth? Well, basically, whatever the Bible teaches, that is truth. Who is truth? Jesus Christ is truth. But not just any 'Jesus.' It must be the one presented to us in the Bible as God's eternal Son. Therefore to know the Lord is to know truth. Many religious people use 'love' as a motivation for ecumenism. This stems from a misunderstanding of true Biblical love and certainly a misunderstanding of this clear and simple verse.

Charity (part 2)

"Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;" (1 Cor. 13:5)

4 more installments to help shape our thinking on what is Biblical love. Thus far we can see that charity is composed of very important traits that we can use to examine our hearts in order to see if we have this particular grace. Being a Christian means that God has given us the grace and the ability to exhibit all these characteristics of charity.

1. Doth not behave itself unseemly - as I was studying this with the Bible tools that I have through 'esword' (I'll have to recommend this tool later), I really appreciated what two commentators have to say about this. Allow me to give a little bit of a disclaimer. I don't suggest running to any commentary as the first step to true Bible study. In fact, Commentaries are the some of the last items that should be used for Bible study. NOW to the commentaries. This phrase means "...Not in a manner which deserveth reproach." (Robertson) and "prevent violation of decency..." (Barnes). Adultery, fornication, and any other type of immorality (I think fornication covers everything else though) often masquerades itself as love. BUT the end result of such is a reproach that cannot be wiped away. I believe this verse is a great proof text to help people see the stark contrast between godly love and worldly lust.

2. Seeketh not her own - basically charity is not selfish. When we really have charity in our hearts it is easy to do things for others without expecting anything in return. We are happy to give in order to just be a tool that God can use to be a blessing to others. Again charity is satisfied!

3. Is not easily provoked - Charity enables us to not get irritated so quickly at others. WOW! am I easily provoked. I need to watch out. I need to allow the Lord to work in my life in this area of not being easily provoked. Robertson describes this as "sharpness of spirit." Attitude is one of the hardest thing to teach. Hard YES, impossible, NO. (Wilson) I praise the Lord that HE wants us to and gives us the grace to cultivate charity in our lives. We sure need it (I mean of course, I need it).

4. Thinketh no evil - We need to be careful not to impute bad motives on others. As Christians we have a responsibility to 'think' in a particular way. In this verse we are to 'think' no evil, or we should not pretend like we are mind readers or inner man readers -because we are not. I will admit it is so easy to just think this way, but again, faced with the Word of God, we should change that, and as Christians we certainly can. "Love makes allowances for the falls of others." (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown) - don't ask me which one said that, it sounds good though.

Charity (αγάπη) {agape}

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up," ( 1 Cor. 13:4)

Whatever it is...we have some description given to us from God's Word. We can simply look at what the Bible says and use it as a measuring stick to see if we are manifesting the kind of 'love' towards others, especially towards the church (or 'the body of Christ' as the context of 1 Corinthians is dealing with), or those of the household of faith. In one verse (v.4) we are given the first five characteristics of Charity.

1. Suffereth long - Forbearing and/or patience. I find that in the flesh, it is easy to write people off or to sort of dismiss them after an exasperation of patience in dealing with them. If we are to love our enemies, how much more should we treat a brother or a sister in Christ? We are called to forbearance. While I cannot be responsible for the actions of another, I am fully responsible for my own actions. Therefore, I need to learn this vital and primary characteristic of charity and that being 'long suffering.'

2. Kind - To show ones self useful or to act benevolantly. Some writter (named Findlay ??) claimed that Paul may have even coined this term in the Greek.

3. Envieth not - Charity enables us to rejoice when God's favor is openly manifest to a brother or a sister in Christ without having to be envious or even jealous of their success. I am convinced a lot of Christians are disobedient when instead of rejoicing they get covetous, discontent, and begin to foster a character that is inward focused and then they hold a 'self pity-party.' I'm glad I am not invited to attend such a party, I would be considered a 'party pooper' in that case. Charity is satisfied and not discontent (discontent in a bad way that is).

4. Vaunteth not itself - to brag, or to boast. Charity is not only satisfied, but also self-evident. Just like revival, it doesn't need to be advertised, it always advertises itself.

5. Not puffed up - Inflate or haughty. Jesus Christ is the greatest example of humility. He said in the Bible 'learn of me, for I am meek and lowlyin heart' (Matt. 11:29). Now anyone who does not really know who Jesus is would say, 'well isn't that a haughty statement?' and it would be, except for Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. No man took it from Him, nor could any man try to even take it from Him. He willingly laid down His life. And so we know that greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. And Jesus laid down His life for you and me. To know Jesus is to know how to love and treat others.

Charity makes a big difference

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1 Cor. 3:1-3)

Paul declares in 1 Cor. 13:1-3 something that we need to be careful about. It is possible to serve the Lord without heart, or love, or benevolence, or affrection, or 'charity' (KJV). In these verses we could 'speak' (utter words), 'prophesy' (predict the future), 'understand all mysteries' (know secrets and revelations), 'understand all knowledge' (mastering lots of facts and figures), have and display exemplary faith, take up the cause of the poor, and even be martyred - - and if we do these things without a heart for God, then all these amounts to vanity. A true understanding and practice of Biblical love will enable us to serve God in the manner which is glorifying to God and meaningful to others.

Post Script: I believe that the revelatory gifts have ceased, I just wanted to make the point that Paul made to the Corinthian church. They had lots of 'spiritual gifts' but they needed a lot more 'spirituality.'

Sermons I enjoy (part 3)

Its that time again, where I get to share with the blog world some of the sermons from the internet that, as the title suggests, I enjoy. Certainly one of the benefits of being able to download good preaching is to take time to hear good preaching, take notes and later meditate on the Scripture and words of the preacher. I believe that there is something special about a man of God who preaches the Word of God in the power of God. A sermon well prepared will yield the most results for the Lord, and will work in the hearts of many of God's people. Good preaching will even help in bringing the unsaved to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Don Whitecar is an assistant pastor at Fairhaven Baptist Church. That's what a lot of people know about him. He is a good friend and I have seen his sermon preps and I will tell you his sermon delivery is careful. Sorta-eloquent but still down to earth real. Of course I don't want to blog here all day much of his sermons that I recomend I commented on in Sermon Audio so I could only suggest a few, however if you click here you can find most of my comments and recomendations on Pastor Whitecar's sermons.

1. Giving Thanks to God - I believe our sinful propensity is to not be thankful enough. This sermon is a great reminder on being thankful. Get your pencils and paper out (or stylus and pdas or notebooks) you don't want to miss any of the verses he uses in this sermon.

2. Bitterness - We are also prone to bitterness and even hate. A sermon everyone should hear and take to heart.

3. Remembering Jerusalem - great thoughts on Psalm 137:1-9.

Post Script: You can find previous "Sermons I enjoy" by clicking here.

Spiritual fruit

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23)

Many people strive to ensure a life full of love, joy, peace, etc. After all, who wouldn't want all that good stuff. The problem is they want the good stuff without the Spirit. I guess a similar trait would be wanting to go to Heaven without godly repentance and a saving faith rooted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word 'fruit' is basically, as Robertson puts it, 'the normal out-cropping of the Holy Spirit in us.' Love, joy, peace, and the rest is really the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of genuine believers. God is working in every believer's heart. He wants us to have victory over the flesh, the world and the Devil. We cannot afford to be passive in this great fight of faith, but in the end, it is the Holy Spirit that enables us to bear fruit in our lives. I just praise the Lord because He wants good things for His children!

ca. 625 B.C.Medo-Persian Headlines: 90 Year Old Officer Cast Into Lions Den and Survived!

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did formerly." (Dan. 6:10)

At this point in time Daniel was about 90 some odd years old. He certainly developed an exemplary prayer life. Three times a day he prayed. It was not that he had nothing else to do. In fact the Bible tells us that he was a high ranking official under Darius the Mede. Eventually this act of worship to his God (Jehovah) got him in trouble. What is interesting to me is that despite being in trouble, Daniel still worshipped the Lord. Circumstances did not dictate his devotion to God. Could you imagine a 90 year old man cast into a den of lions? I don't know, I would think many Christians would rather shrink from true worship and perhaps would say 'Oh, God shut the door on this one, I'll wait for the decree to expire and resume my practice..." I don't know - - I am thinking out loud. May be I would respond in a negative way? I certainly would like to have the courage if push comes to shove. All I can say is that Daniel is a great example that we need to emulate. A devotional prayer life that was available to Daniel is available to us, plus we even have the advantage since the Holy Spirit dwells in us and the Word of God is in our hands.

Legalism

"Oh, that church, you go to that church!" She said it with the tone of being surprised. "Yes" I replied, "in fact I am an assistant pastor at that church." The look on her face was one of disbelief. She continued on "I use to go to that church, but now I attend elsewhere." My curiosity percked up "Why did you stop going?" "Well, that church teaches legalism." "Wait a minute," I said, "Do you know what that means?" To which she replied "what does what mean?" "Do you know what legalism means?" to my surprise she said "no." At least she was honest.

Chuck Swindoll; I use to listen to him as a young Christian. I actually heard a heap of good stuff from several of his lessons on the radio. I was under the impression that it was not what neo-evangelicals said that was a problem, rather it was what they did not say. Perhaps that was true years ago. Today many neos have no problem actually saying that Independent Baptist churches for the most part are proponents of legalism, and a great deal of this is due to Swindoll's "Grace Awakening" theology. Charles even teaches that believers such as I are the 'weaker brethren.' Funny I don't think we are even related spiritually speaking. The sad thing about it is that some Christians do live as if God's grace comes upon us because of some external 'put-on' act. And to that extent the legalism charge may hold true.

BUT - - I am no legalist. I am a born again, blood bought believer in Jesus Christ. I trust the Lord as my Savior and by faith I know that He has written my name in the Book of life years ago when I repented of my sin. I am still not legalistic in that I know that since Salvation is by grace through faith, that Sanctification is also by grace through faith.

I asked the lady if she liked the 'music' of the church that she is currently a member of. Being elderly I thought she would say no, I was not wrong. She said "I can't stand the music, it sounds like rock music and that it belongs in a rock concert." I began to share with her how good behavior stems from sound doctrine. That God is a jealous God and will reject every form of snycretic worship. That the smokescreen of 'legalism' is really the cry of apostates who claim to love the Lord but willingly live for the flesh. The Bible is clear on this: "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:" (Romans 8:13) I don't place any one beyond the scope of this verse, especially 'professing' believers.

Imagio Dei (part 2)

"And He said unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Ceasar's. Then said He unto them, Render therefore unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matt. 22:20-21)

The name Ceasar came from Julius Ceasar - Emperor of Rome (46-44 B.C.). When Christ was born we are told that the ruler was 'Ceasar Augustus' (31 B.C. - A.D. 14). We know that Tiberius was reigning during the death of Christ (A.D. 12-37) [dates taken from Halley pg.758]. Jesus taught people to give unto Ceasar what is his due. His image and 'superscription' (or names and titles) are on the coin, therefore he is due some respect and taxes are to be paid.

Since man is made in the image of God, The Lord is due His rightful place in every man's life. God deserves our respect, honor and worship. Just by virtue of Creation alone, He justly deserves our whole being. All of our being bears the image of God. Again the Bible teaches us that we are made in His likeness. How much of 'us' does God want? ALL of us. He desires our body, soul and spirit.

Imagio Dei

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:" (Gen. 1:26)

"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man." (Gen. 9:6)

Man is made in the image of God. Murder is punishable by death because of this principle: human life is sacred. It is sacred because all man is made after the image of God. The killing of the killer (by government, or in essence the death penalty) is therefore not in violation of God's law in Exo. 20:13. Abortion is sin. Many seek to justify abortion by using the rare occasion of a mother's 'endagered' health, as if the majority of abortions are truly a medical emergency. Still others would say that it is their 'constitutional right' and one wonders 'which Constitution, the U.S.?' As though our forefathers did not care about the 'pursuit of life.' Hopefully the words of a conservative writer would serve as a reminder to us: "We are all overgrown fetuses." (Robert George, The Clash of Orthodoxies).

Ex Libris

"Baker's Encyclopedia of Chrisitian Apologetics" by Norman L Geisler. Apologetics (not apologetic or apologizing because of an error, it is a branch of study devoted to the defense of the faith). Geisler has an amazing way of putting things into words and writing with a lot of simplicity and helpful charts. If you are interested in finding answers to perplexing questions about the Christian faith then this is a book you may want to consult. Also he writes about some of the men that have been most influential in the medieval and modern Christian era. 1 Volume, and 841 pages of good stuff no doubt. Since the prolifiration of books on CD, Geisler's complete work on Apologetics is also available somewhere out there in cyberspace or your nearest "Christian" Bookstore. That one contains a boat load of his other writings - but that is beyond the scope of this blog thread.

Click on this link to see previously recommended books.

Trinitarian Theology in Practice: Baptism

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matt. 28:19)

The Bible teaches us that the ordinance of Baptism is to be done in recognition of each distict person of the Trinity. Three persons, one name: God. In baptism a believer is expressing obedience and submission to God. This verse puts the Son and the Spirit in equal terms with the Father. Baptism is a great way to show obedience and alligience to God. It cost the believers a lot to be 'immersed' back in the day when religious liberty was only a dream.

Trinitarian Theology in Practice: Prayer

"...pray to thy Father which is in secret;" (Matt. 6:6)

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." (Jn. 14:13-14)

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..." (Eph. 6:18)

The Bible teaches us to pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is interested in communion with us. Prayer is an excellent way to put into practice our belief of the Trinity.