INALIENABLE RIGHTS
Recently, Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people and wounded 28. The only good news was that he killed himself.
Our judicial system is a joke. I really believe that the liberals are destroying America by perverting the judicial system. Eventually, the public will lose confidence in our laws and in America.
If he hadn’t killed himself, the psychological testing, pretrial hearing and actual trial may have taken several years. If the jury had given him the death penalty, a liberal judge may have set aside the jury’s verdict and issued his own ruling of life with the possibility of parole.
In the Charles Manson case, the families of the victims had to show up at the parole hearing and beg to keep him in prison. Then, they had to hold their breath until a liberal parole board decided to keep him in prison. Every two years, they have to go through the whole process all over again.
If he had been given the death penalty, he may have sat on “death row” for eighteen years before he was executed as was the case with John Wayne Gacy who killed over thirty little boys in Chicago and buried them in his basement. Justice delayed is justice denied and for years, the courts argued over whether he killed thirty-two little boys or thirty-three.
The concept that more guns equal less crime is a proven fact. If every person at that university had taken charge of their life and had carried a gun, it is possible that only one person may have been killed, the criminal himself.
With 20,000 gun laws on the books and more being added everyday, what part of “shall not be infringed” don’t the liberal, socialist politicians understand? The Second Amendment is an individual right as are all of the other amendments to the Bill of Rights.
I have an “inalienable” right to defend myself. My inalienable rights were given to me by God and not by the government. When you break down the word, “in” means not, “alien” means stranger, and “able” means able. Therefore, my right to defend myself is “not stranger able”.
In a legal dictionary, “inalienable” is meant to go both ways. No one can separate me from my right to defend myself even if they think that I might not be very good at it AND on the other hand, I cannot separate myself from my right even if I think that a battalion of Marines are better qualified to defend me. I can invite them to help me but the ultimate responsibility for my self-protection rests with me. My inalienable rights are stuck on me like superglue.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
GUN CONTROL IN AMERICA
GUN CONTROL IN AMERICA
Aftermath of Tragedy
Gun Owners of America
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Our hearts and prayers truly go out to all of those affected by Cho Seung-Hui's evil actions. But not even senseless, brutal murder justifies taking away the God-given rights of the law-abiding.
It is also worthwhile to note that Virginia Tech is -- because of deliberate policies set by its administration -- a victim disarmament zone, where even those with a state-issued concealed carry permit are denied their right of self-defense.
In fact, pro-gun forces just last year tried to get the Virginia legislature to address the problem. The bill to allow permit holders to carry on state-supported college campuses died, due in no small part to rabid opposition from Virginia Tech itself.
VT spokesman Larry Hincker put it this way after it became obvious that the bill would not pass: "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
The unfortunate irony continues when one recalls that not long ago, two students at nearby Appalachian School of Law managed to stop a gunman at that institution. Thankfully, they were able to dash off-campus to retrieve their guns from their vehicles.
Four GOA spokesmen (one based in downtown D.C. and three at our Springfield, VA office just outside the Beltway) are working non-stop -- doing literally interview after interview -- making certain that the above points reach the public.
GOA has appeared on Fox News, ABC, CNN, BBC -- lots of alphabet soup networks -- as well as countless talk shows like Michael Reagan and Lars Larson. GOA spokesmen have been heard in every major radio market around the country and have done interviews with large print media outlets, such as the Associated Press and U.S. News & WorldReport.
The overall message that GOA is delivering is that gun prohibitions are part of the problem, not the solution.
We can expect some forms of new gun control to be pushed in the U.S. Congress. The Democrats control Congress, but more importantly, anti-gun politicians control the Democrat party. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- certainly no friend of gun owners -- gives free rein to virulently anti-gun House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI),
literally anything can make it to the floor of the full House.
Conyers' counterpart in the Senate is Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), whose GOA rating of "F" is well-deserved. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has also earned an F. Gun owners will have to be especially vigilant in the coming weeks to block any new attempts to infringe upon the Second Amendment.
And whereas the predictable media stampede to give voice to the possibility of such new gun control is certainly there, it does not seem to have the same "this simply must happen now" tone that it did after the Columbine tragedy in 1999. Indeed, the idea of firearms for
self-defense in schools is gaining serious traction. Which should not be all that surprising, given a Research 2000 poll which showed that 85% of Americans find it appropriate for a principal or teacher to use "a gun at school to defend the lives of students" in stopping a
massacre.
Aftermath of Tragedy
Gun Owners of America
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Our hearts and prayers truly go out to all of those affected by Cho Seung-Hui's evil actions. But not even senseless, brutal murder justifies taking away the God-given rights of the law-abiding.
It is also worthwhile to note that Virginia Tech is -- because of deliberate policies set by its administration -- a victim disarmament zone, where even those with a state-issued concealed carry permit are denied their right of self-defense.
In fact, pro-gun forces just last year tried to get the Virginia legislature to address the problem. The bill to allow permit holders to carry on state-supported college campuses died, due in no small part to rabid opposition from Virginia Tech itself.
VT spokesman Larry Hincker put it this way after it became obvious that the bill would not pass: "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
The unfortunate irony continues when one recalls that not long ago, two students at nearby Appalachian School of Law managed to stop a gunman at that institution. Thankfully, they were able to dash off-campus to retrieve their guns from their vehicles.
Four GOA spokesmen (one based in downtown D.C. and three at our Springfield, VA office just outside the Beltway) are working non-stop -- doing literally interview after interview -- making certain that the above points reach the public.
GOA has appeared on Fox News, ABC, CNN, BBC -- lots of alphabet soup networks -- as well as countless talk shows like Michael Reagan and Lars Larson. GOA spokesmen have been heard in every major radio market around the country and have done interviews with large print media outlets, such as the Associated Press and U.S. News & WorldReport.
The overall message that GOA is delivering is that gun prohibitions are part of the problem, not the solution.
We can expect some forms of new gun control to be pushed in the U.S. Congress. The Democrats control Congress, but more importantly, anti-gun politicians control the Democrat party. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- certainly no friend of gun owners -- gives free rein to virulently anti-gun House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI),
literally anything can make it to the floor of the full House.
Conyers' counterpart in the Senate is Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), whose GOA rating of "F" is well-deserved. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has also earned an F. Gun owners will have to be especially vigilant in the coming weeks to block any new attempts to infringe upon the Second Amendment.
And whereas the predictable media stampede to give voice to the possibility of such new gun control is certainly there, it does not seem to have the same "this simply must happen now" tone that it did after the Columbine tragedy in 1999. Indeed, the idea of firearms for
self-defense in schools is gaining serious traction. Which should not be all that surprising, given a Research 2000 poll which showed that 85% of Americans find it appropriate for a principal or teacher to use "a gun at school to defend the lives of students" in stopping a
massacre.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
THE SALVATION ARMY
THE SALVATION ARMY
Why do a lot of businesses allow the Salvation Army to solicit money on their private property?
What most people don’t seem to understand is that the Salvation Army is a false religious denomination just like Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Moonies, and Muslims.
Since the Salvation Army is a false religious denomination, why would anyone who is a Christian contribute money to a group that is opposed to their beliefs? Let the Salvation Army raise money from its own members. If you want to donate to an organization outside of your church, give to the Red Cross.
Like all false religions, the Salvation Army believes in a “Works Righteousness” method of salvation. Works Righteousness is a religion of meritorious works and human achievement. True Christianity believes in “Divine Accomplishment.” It’s a simple as this; either “I did it” or Christ did it.”
How serious is this? The Catholic Church pronounces a curse on anyone who believes that salvation is not dependent on good works. The error of Roman Catholicism is that salvation comes first and then good works would be the fruit of a changed life and not the other way around.
Ephesians 2:8
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that (faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.
SALVATION ARMY ERRORS
1. CAN LOSE SALVATION
MUST CONTINUE DOING GOOD WORKS TO MAINTAIN SALVATION
2. NO BAPTISM
3. NO LORD’S SUPPER
4. ALLOWS WOMEN PREACHERS
5. ALLOWS “DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS”
A couple of years back, the Salvation Army caved in to societal pressures when its “Western Corporation” decided to extend benefits to “Domestic Partners.” Translated, that means the Army decided it would accommodate the homosexual community and those who were living together in intimacy without the marriage arrangement.
The city of San Francisco had offered a 3.5 million dollar contract to various groups to provide drug treatment, meals, shelter, etc. to the homeless (who have denigrated the “city by the bay” in a perfectly horrible fashion). But there is a San Francisco ordinance that requires that organizations doing business with the city must not exclude health-care benefits from homosexuals or non-married partners in live-in arrangements. For a while the Army resisted; eventually, though, by its own admission, the organization yielded to the money enticement.
Why do a lot of businesses allow the Salvation Army to solicit money on their private property?
What most people don’t seem to understand is that the Salvation Army is a false religious denomination just like Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Moonies, and Muslims.
Since the Salvation Army is a false religious denomination, why would anyone who is a Christian contribute money to a group that is opposed to their beliefs? Let the Salvation Army raise money from its own members. If you want to donate to an organization outside of your church, give to the Red Cross.
Like all false religions, the Salvation Army believes in a “Works Righteousness” method of salvation. Works Righteousness is a religion of meritorious works and human achievement. True Christianity believes in “Divine Accomplishment.” It’s a simple as this; either “I did it” or Christ did it.”
How serious is this? The Catholic Church pronounces a curse on anyone who believes that salvation is not dependent on good works. The error of Roman Catholicism is that salvation comes first and then good works would be the fruit of a changed life and not the other way around.
Ephesians 2:8
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that (faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.
SALVATION ARMY ERRORS
1. CAN LOSE SALVATION
MUST CONTINUE DOING GOOD WORKS TO MAINTAIN SALVATION
2. NO BAPTISM
3. NO LORD’S SUPPER
4. ALLOWS WOMEN PREACHERS
5. ALLOWS “DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS”
A couple of years back, the Salvation Army caved in to societal pressures when its “Western Corporation” decided to extend benefits to “Domestic Partners.” Translated, that means the Army decided it would accommodate the homosexual community and those who were living together in intimacy without the marriage arrangement.
The city of San Francisco had offered a 3.5 million dollar contract to various groups to provide drug treatment, meals, shelter, etc. to the homeless (who have denigrated the “city by the bay” in a perfectly horrible fashion). But there is a San Francisco ordinance that requires that organizations doing business with the city must not exclude health-care benefits from homosexuals or non-married partners in live-in arrangements. For a while the Army resisted; eventually, though, by its own admission, the organization yielded to the money enticement.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISLAM
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISLAM
By John MacArthur
Copyright 2002 Grace Community Church.
All rights reserved.
Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the already ecumenical climate in America has reached new heights. In an effort to distinguish between the extremist Muslim terrorists and the mainstream Muslim population, the media has called for an even higher level of tolerance and acceptance of the religion of Islam than usual.
In a recent issue of Newsweek, for instance, religion editor Kenneth Woodward asserts that “mere tolerance of other religions is not enough” and that “even the acceptance of other religions as valid paths to God is insufficient” (“How Should We Think About Islam?” Newsweek, December 31, 2001 / January 7, 2002, p. 104). According to Woodward, “the most important theological agenda of the new millennium” is for committed Christians, Jews, and Muslims to “find within their own traditions sound theological reasons for valuing other faiths without compromising their own” (ibid., pp. 104-05).
Sadly, the influence of this sentiment can be seen even in the church. In fact, in a recent Christianity Today article, Wheaton College professor James Lewis recommends that Christians “seek Muslim prayer partners and together beseech the true, one and only God to have mercy on us” (“Does God Hear Muslims’ Prayers?” Christianity Today, February 4, 2002, p. 31).
When evangelicals capitulate and attempt to soften the offense of the gospel in this way, they blur the lines between the god of Islam and the God of the Bible. But now is not the time for blurring lines. Now is the time to draw lines—lines between truth and error, and between the one path to heaven and the many paths to hell.
In an address last November to Thomas Nelson Publishing, John MacArthur had the opportunity to draw such lines. “‘Allah’ is not another name for God,” John began his address, “It is another name for Satan.” This is a message that both the world and the church need to hear—the religion of Islam is satanic in origin and is utterly incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:19-20).
Islam rejects the Trinity and the God of the Bible, insisting instead that Allah alone is the one true deity. It denies that Jesus is God, that He died on the cross, and that He was raised from the dead. Instead, say Muslims, Jesus was but one of thousands of prophets sent by Allah, the greatest of them being Mohammed. In other words, Jesus was merely a man.
Islam rejects the salvation of forgiveness through Christ, teaching that only Muslims can be saved. According to the Koran, if a person follows Islam and does enough good deeds to outweigh the bad, Allah may allow him to enter paradise, but even then he can’t be certain. The only sure pathway to heaven is killing and being killed in jihad, a holy war.
Islam gives lip service to the Bible as a holy book, but it undermines and denies every fundamental doctrine about sin and salvation taught in the Bible. In fact, Islam today is the most powerful system on earth for the destruction of biblical truth and Christianity—thousands of Christians are dying under Islamic persecution, especially in the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia.
Clearly, Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Both claim to be the only true way to God, but both cannot be right. There is no atonement in Islam, no forgiveness, no savior, and no assurance of eternal life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope; Islam is a religion of hopelessness.
Making these kinds of distinctions may not be politically correct, but it is critical if the purity of the gospel is to be protected. Put simply, there is no salvation outside of Christ. When this truth is compromised, the gospel is abandoned—and so is the only hope that we can offer to those who are not our enemies, but rather our mission field.
For books that address Islam from a biblical perspective, see “The Pastor’s Bookshelf” below.
Islam Revisited
In addition to setting forth the incompatibility of Islam and Christianity (See “Off The Top” above), John’s new book, Terrorism, Jihad, and the Bible, addresses four questions that are weighing heavily on the minds of many: (1) Who was behind the terrorist attack, and why?; (2) Why did God allow such a horrific thing to happen?; (3) What does the Bible teach about war?; and (4) Is there hope in this world? The book is ideal for Christians and Muslims alike.
Other helpful works on the religion of Islam include the following:
Phil Parshall, Inside the Community: Understanding Muslims through Their Traditions (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994).
Phil Parshall, Beyond the Mosque: Christians within Muslim Community (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985).
Ibn Warraq, Why I Am Not a Muslim (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1995).
Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993).
Robert A. Morey, The Islamic Invasion: Confronting the World’s Fastest Growing Religion (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 1992).
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
By John MacArthur
Copyright 2002 Grace Community Church.
All rights reserved.
Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the already ecumenical climate in America has reached new heights. In an effort to distinguish between the extremist Muslim terrorists and the mainstream Muslim population, the media has called for an even higher level of tolerance and acceptance of the religion of Islam than usual.
In a recent issue of Newsweek, for instance, religion editor Kenneth Woodward asserts that “mere tolerance of other religions is not enough” and that “even the acceptance of other religions as valid paths to God is insufficient” (“How Should We Think About Islam?” Newsweek, December 31, 2001 / January 7, 2002, p. 104). According to Woodward, “the most important theological agenda of the new millennium” is for committed Christians, Jews, and Muslims to “find within their own traditions sound theological reasons for valuing other faiths without compromising their own” (ibid., pp. 104-05).
Sadly, the influence of this sentiment can be seen even in the church. In fact, in a recent Christianity Today article, Wheaton College professor James Lewis recommends that Christians “seek Muslim prayer partners and together beseech the true, one and only God to have mercy on us” (“Does God Hear Muslims’ Prayers?” Christianity Today, February 4, 2002, p. 31).
When evangelicals capitulate and attempt to soften the offense of the gospel in this way, they blur the lines between the god of Islam and the God of the Bible. But now is not the time for blurring lines. Now is the time to draw lines—lines between truth and error, and between the one path to heaven and the many paths to hell.
In an address last November to Thomas Nelson Publishing, John MacArthur had the opportunity to draw such lines. “‘Allah’ is not another name for God,” John began his address, “It is another name for Satan.” This is a message that both the world and the church need to hear—the religion of Islam is satanic in origin and is utterly incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:19-20).
Islam rejects the Trinity and the God of the Bible, insisting instead that Allah alone is the one true deity. It denies that Jesus is God, that He died on the cross, and that He was raised from the dead. Instead, say Muslims, Jesus was but one of thousands of prophets sent by Allah, the greatest of them being Mohammed. In other words, Jesus was merely a man.
Islam rejects the salvation of forgiveness through Christ, teaching that only Muslims can be saved. According to the Koran, if a person follows Islam and does enough good deeds to outweigh the bad, Allah may allow him to enter paradise, but even then he can’t be certain. The only sure pathway to heaven is killing and being killed in jihad, a holy war.
Islam gives lip service to the Bible as a holy book, but it undermines and denies every fundamental doctrine about sin and salvation taught in the Bible. In fact, Islam today is the most powerful system on earth for the destruction of biblical truth and Christianity—thousands of Christians are dying under Islamic persecution, especially in the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, and other parts of Asia.
Clearly, Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Both claim to be the only true way to God, but both cannot be right. There is no atonement in Islam, no forgiveness, no savior, and no assurance of eternal life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope; Islam is a religion of hopelessness.
Making these kinds of distinctions may not be politically correct, but it is critical if the purity of the gospel is to be protected. Put simply, there is no salvation outside of Christ. When this truth is compromised, the gospel is abandoned—and so is the only hope that we can offer to those who are not our enemies, but rather our mission field.
For books that address Islam from a biblical perspective, see “The Pastor’s Bookshelf” below.
Islam Revisited
In addition to setting forth the incompatibility of Islam and Christianity (See “Off The Top” above), John’s new book, Terrorism, Jihad, and the Bible, addresses four questions that are weighing heavily on the minds of many: (1) Who was behind the terrorist attack, and why?; (2) Why did God allow such a horrific thing to happen?; (3) What does the Bible teach about war?; and (4) Is there hope in this world? The book is ideal for Christians and Muslims alike.
Other helpful works on the religion of Islam include the following:
Phil Parshall, Inside the Community: Understanding Muslims through Their Traditions (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994).
Phil Parshall, Beyond the Mosque: Christians within Muslim Community (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985).
Ibn Warraq, Why I Am Not a Muslim (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1995).
Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993).
Robert A. Morey, The Islamic Invasion: Confronting the World’s Fastest Growing Religion (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 1992).
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
WHAT DOES THIS VERSE MEAN TO ME?
WHAT DOES THIS VERSE MEAN TO ME?
By John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved
That's a fashionable concern, judging from the trends in devotional booklets, home Bible study discussions, Sunday-school literature, and most popular preaching.
The question of what Scripture means has taken a back seat to the issue of what it means "to me."
The difference may seem insignificant at first. Nevertheless, our obsession with the Scripture's applicability reflects a fundamental weakness. We have adopted practicality as the ultimate judge of the worth of God's Word. We bury ourselves in passages that overtly relate to daily living, and ignore those that don't.
Early in my ministry, I made a conscious commitment to biblical preaching. My first priority has always been to answer the question, "What does this passage mean?" After I've explained as clearly and accurately as possible the meaning of God's Word, then I exhort people to obey and apply it to their own lives.
The Bible speaks for itself to the human heart; it is not my role as a preacher to try to tailor the message. That's why I preach my way through entire books of the Bible, dealing carefully with each verse and phrase--even though that occasionally means spending time in passages that don't readily lend themselves to anecdotal or motivational messages.
I am grateful to the Lord for the way He has used this expository approach in our church and in the lives of our radio listeners.
But now and then someone tells me frankly that my preaching needs to be less doctrinal and more practical.
Practical application is vital. I don't want to minimize its importance. But the distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine.
Too many Christians view doctrine as heady and theoretical. They have dismissed doctrinal passages as unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical. A best-selling Christian book I just read warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it.
Wait a minute. Is that wise counsel? No it is not.
There is no danger of irrelevant doctrine; the real threat is an undoctrinal attempt at relevance. Application not based on solid interpretation has led Christians into all kinds of confusion.
No discipline is more sorely needed in the contemporary church than expositional biblical teaching. Too many have bought the lie that doctrine is something abstract and threatening, unrelated to daily life.
It is in vogue to substitute psychology and spoon-fed application for doctrinal substance, while demeaning theological and expositional ministry.
But the pastor who turns away from preaching sound doctrine abdicates the primary responsibility of an elder: "holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict" (Titus 1:9).
Practical insights, gimmicks, and illustrations mean little if they're not attached to divine principles. There's no basis for godly behavior apart from the truth of God's Word.
There are only three options: We teach truth, error, or nothing at all.
Before the preacher asks anyone to perform a certain duty, he must first deal with doctrine. He must develop his message around theological themes and draw out the principles of the texts. Then the truth can be applied.
Romans provides the clearest biblical example. Paul didn't give any exhortation until he had given eleven chapters of theology.
He scaled incredible heights of truth, culminating in 11:33-36: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."
Then in chapter 12, he turned immediately to the practical con- sequences of the doctrine of the first 11 chapters. No passage in Scripture captures the Christian's responsibility to the truth more clearly than Romans 12:1-2. There, building on eleven chapters of profound doctrine, Paul calls each believer to a supreme act of spiritual worship--giving oneself as a living sacrifice. Doctrine gives rise to dedication to Christ, the greatest practical act. And the remainder of the book of Romans goes on to explain the many practical outworkings of one's dedication to Christ.
Paul followed the same pattern in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians. The doctrinal message came first. Upon that foundation he built the practical application, making the logical connection with the word therefore (Rom. 12:1; Gal. 5:1; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 2:1) or then (Col. 3:1; 1 Thess. 4:1).
True doctrine transforms behavior as it is woven into the fabric of everyday life. But it must be understood if it is to have its impact. The real challenge of the ministry is to dispense the truth clearly and accurately. Practical application comes easily by comparison.
No believer can apply truth he doesn't know. Those who don't understand what the Bible really says about marriage, divorce, family, child-rearing, discipline, money, debt, work, service to Christ, eternal rewards, helping the poor, caring for widows, respecting government, and other teachings won't be able to apply it.
Those who don't know what the Bible teaches about salvation cannot be saved. Those who don't know what the Bible teaches about holiness are incapable of dealing with sin. Thus they are unable to live fully to their own blessedness and God's glory.
The nucleus of all that is truly practical is sown up in the teaching of Scripture. We don't make the Bible relevant; it is inherently so, simply because it is God's Word. And after all, how can anything God says be irrelevant?
(c) 1989 by John F. MacArthur, Jr. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Masterpiece and is used by permission of the author. Exact copies of this file may be freely copied and distributed through computer bulletin-board networks but may not be published in any periodical without prior permission in writing from the author.
Distributed by: The Master's Communication PO Box 4000 Panorama City, CA 91412
Write for a complete catalog of cassette tapes and printed materials.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
By John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved
That's a fashionable concern, judging from the trends in devotional booklets, home Bible study discussions, Sunday-school literature, and most popular preaching.
The question of what Scripture means has taken a back seat to the issue of what it means "to me."
The difference may seem insignificant at first. Nevertheless, our obsession with the Scripture's applicability reflects a fundamental weakness. We have adopted practicality as the ultimate judge of the worth of God's Word. We bury ourselves in passages that overtly relate to daily living, and ignore those that don't.
Early in my ministry, I made a conscious commitment to biblical preaching. My first priority has always been to answer the question, "What does this passage mean?" After I've explained as clearly and accurately as possible the meaning of God's Word, then I exhort people to obey and apply it to their own lives.
The Bible speaks for itself to the human heart; it is not my role as a preacher to try to tailor the message. That's why I preach my way through entire books of the Bible, dealing carefully with each verse and phrase--even though that occasionally means spending time in passages that don't readily lend themselves to anecdotal or motivational messages.
I am grateful to the Lord for the way He has used this expository approach in our church and in the lives of our radio listeners.
But now and then someone tells me frankly that my preaching needs to be less doctrinal and more practical.
Practical application is vital. I don't want to minimize its importance. But the distinction between doctrinal and practical truth is artificial; doctrine is practical! In fact, nothing is more practical than sound doctrine.
Too many Christians view doctrine as heady and theoretical. They have dismissed doctrinal passages as unimportant, divisive, threatening, or simply impractical. A best-selling Christian book I just read warns readers to be on guard against preachers whose emphasis is on interpreting Scripture rather than applying it.
Wait a minute. Is that wise counsel? No it is not.
There is no danger of irrelevant doctrine; the real threat is an undoctrinal attempt at relevance. Application not based on solid interpretation has led Christians into all kinds of confusion.
No discipline is more sorely needed in the contemporary church than expositional biblical teaching. Too many have bought the lie that doctrine is something abstract and threatening, unrelated to daily life.
It is in vogue to substitute psychology and spoon-fed application for doctrinal substance, while demeaning theological and expositional ministry.
But the pastor who turns away from preaching sound doctrine abdicates the primary responsibility of an elder: "holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict" (Titus 1:9).
Practical insights, gimmicks, and illustrations mean little if they're not attached to divine principles. There's no basis for godly behavior apart from the truth of God's Word.
There are only three options: We teach truth, error, or nothing at all.
Before the preacher asks anyone to perform a certain duty, he must first deal with doctrine. He must develop his message around theological themes and draw out the principles of the texts. Then the truth can be applied.
Romans provides the clearest biblical example. Paul didn't give any exhortation until he had given eleven chapters of theology.
He scaled incredible heights of truth, culminating in 11:33-36: "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."
Then in chapter 12, he turned immediately to the practical con- sequences of the doctrine of the first 11 chapters. No passage in Scripture captures the Christian's responsibility to the truth more clearly than Romans 12:1-2. There, building on eleven chapters of profound doctrine, Paul calls each believer to a supreme act of spiritual worship--giving oneself as a living sacrifice. Doctrine gives rise to dedication to Christ, the greatest practical act. And the remainder of the book of Romans goes on to explain the many practical outworkings of one's dedication to Christ.
Paul followed the same pattern in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians. The doctrinal message came first. Upon that foundation he built the practical application, making the logical connection with the word therefore (Rom. 12:1; Gal. 5:1; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 2:1) or then (Col. 3:1; 1 Thess. 4:1).
True doctrine transforms behavior as it is woven into the fabric of everyday life. But it must be understood if it is to have its impact. The real challenge of the ministry is to dispense the truth clearly and accurately. Practical application comes easily by comparison.
No believer can apply truth he doesn't know. Those who don't understand what the Bible really says about marriage, divorce, family, child-rearing, discipline, money, debt, work, service to Christ, eternal rewards, helping the poor, caring for widows, respecting government, and other teachings won't be able to apply it.
Those who don't know what the Bible teaches about salvation cannot be saved. Those who don't know what the Bible teaches about holiness are incapable of dealing with sin. Thus they are unable to live fully to their own blessedness and God's glory.
The nucleus of all that is truly practical is sown up in the teaching of Scripture. We don't make the Bible relevant; it is inherently so, simply because it is God's Word. And after all, how can anything God says be irrelevant?
(c) 1989 by John F. MacArthur, Jr. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Masterpiece and is used by permission of the author. Exact copies of this file may be freely copied and distributed through computer bulletin-board networks but may not be published in any periodical without prior permission in writing from the author.
Distributed by: The Master's Communication PO Box 4000 Panorama City, CA 91412
Write for a complete catalog of cassette tapes and printed materials.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
TED HAGGARD, JAMES DOBSON, DON WILDMON, AND GARY BAUER
TED HAGGARD, JAMES DOBSON, DON WILDMON, AND GARY BAUER
Ted Haggard has been forced to resign his position as pastor of a large church in Colorado Springs, Colorado because of drug use and a homosexual relationship. Haggard was also president of a mixed group of liberal churches called the National Association of Evangelicals.
While I had never heard of Ted Haggard, I have learned that he is a good friend of James Dobson who is also from Colorado Springs.
I quit listening to James Dobson and “Focus on the Family” 15 years ago when it became apparent that he was getting away from his message and concentrating too much on politics. Another friend of Ted Haggard is Don Wildmon with the “American Family Association.” Like Ted Haggard, Don Wildmon wastes his time saving man through politics and compromises himself by forming alliances with leaders of false religions.
When a pastor sins, while he may be forgiven by God, he has forever forfeited his right to be in a position of church leadership. Ted Haggard and other fallen preachers such as Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker may preach again but, they will not have the blessing of the Lord.
Luke 12:43
43. "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44. "Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45. "But if that servant says in his heart, `My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46. "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware; and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47. "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48. "But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Gary Bauer with “Campaign for Working Families” is a Christian and former presidential candidate. Also, he is a former employee of James Dobson and a friend of Ted Haggard and Don Wildmon. Their problem is that when you enter politics, you become a compromiser and you can no longer take a strong stand against the false religions and the sins of those to whom you align yourself. In all fairness to Gary Bauer, he is a political figure and has not dedicated himself to the higher calling of being a pastor of God’s church. Therefore, he is not held to the higher standard.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And when your political agenda involves forming alliances with Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and all kinds of humanistic moralists, you simply cannot afford to speak frankly about the exclusivity of Christ--it's an issue you can't bring up. You have to stifle the truth about justification by faith alone, because Roman Catholics, who are your political allies reject that doctrine. You're better off, in fact, not to mention the name of Christ at all, because Jewish people, who are our political allies, are sensitive about that, and so the gospel is stifled as a consequence whenever people become political activists, they begin to trim away the offensive parts of the gospel. It is the natural and inevitable consequence of moving the fight to the political arena… happens all the time.
--Phil Johnson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christians across the country are reeling in the wake of yesterday’s
resignation of Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of
Evangelicals and pastor of the 14,000 member New Life Church in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. I have worked with Reverend Haggard as a member of our
coalition to defend traditional marriage, so the charges are particularly
disappointing, and, if proven true, are a reminder that sin stalks all men.
But it is also another timely reminder of the importance of private
character and virtue in public leadership. And while Pastor Haggard’s
accuser has acknowledged that the timing of this revelation was intended to
influence support for Colorado’s proposed marriage amendment, I know that
God works in all things for the good of those who love Him.
This weekend I hope you will join me in prayer for Reverend Haggard, his
family, and for our country.
--Gary Bauer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hope is that Gary Bauer, James Dobson, and Don Wildmon will separate themselves from the compromisers.
2 Cor. 6:17
"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord."
I have communicated with Gary Bauer and he feels that he can, “Work with people who embrace my agenda on a particular issue and fight the same folk on issues where we disagree.”
I pray for Gary Bauer as he continues to walk this tightrope.
Proverbs 6:27
27. can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28. Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE CAREFULLY!
This message shows the difference between John MacArthur, the greatest bible teacher of our day and men like James Dobson and Don Wildmon with their ministry of whitewashing tombs full of dead men’s bones.
Matthew 23:27
27. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
The following excerpt was transcribed from the tape, GL PJ-100, titled "The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel" Phil Johnson is the executive Director of Grace to You, a Christian tape and radio ministry featuring the preaching ministry of John MacArthur. Phil has been closely associated with John MacArthur since 1981 and edits most of MacArthur's major books. Phil is an elder at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. He also teaches courses in writing and editing at The Master's College and Seminary. And in his spare time he sometimes does free-lance editorial work for a number of evangelical publishers.
The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel
(1 Corinthians 1:21)
By Phil Johnson
For more of Phil's sermons and messages go to: www.SwordandTrowel.org
This excerpt from the sermon addresses the controversy that exists between the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur and that of Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), on the issue of preaching the gospel to change the wickedness of man versus using political legislation to accomplish that end.
We are not to blend the gospel message with human wisdom and think that by doing that we have made it more sophisticated. Notice our verse again, "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" [1 Corinthians 1:21]. This is God's strategy: preaching the gospel is God's chosen strategy for salvation. "It pleased God" to do this--this was His choice. Verse 27, "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty..." [1 Corinthians 1:27]. This is God's own chosen strategy and we are not permitted to modify it. We are not permitted to substitute our own strategies in its place.
But many people today have modified it, and some Christians, have even made the same mistake I made, before I became a Christian, and that is, they think the solution to society's moral decline is a political agenda, and they have thrown all the energies and their resources into trying to redeem society through politics, which this passages teaches us is an utterly futile undertaking. Our pastor, John MacArthur has had much to say about this over the years---if you have been listening, you know that, because as the energies of the Evangelical Movement have been diverted more and more away from evangelism and the preaching of the gospel, and invested more and more in political lobbying, public protests, and in some cases, all out war on American culture--as we've seen that happen, John MacArthur has spoken out in favor of preaching and evangelism instead. He has consistently said what this passage says, and that is that sin is what ails modern society and so the gospel is the only effective remedy. But that message isn't popular with everybody, even among our evangelical friends.
John mentioned, I think, jokingly, recently, that he wrote a book two years ago, titled, Why Government Can't Save You and he was joking from the pulpit recently that "almost no one actually read that book" and it is true that it didn't become a best seller, but some people actually did read it, and reacted negatively to it--Focus on the Family in particular, and they published a book in reply (early this year)--the title of the book is, Why You Can't Stay Silent, subtitled, A Biblical Mandate to Shape Our Culture. The author was Tom Minnery, who is a vice-president of Focus on the Family, and he says he wrote the book at Dobson's urging. Now I presume that James Dobson is well known to most of you. His daily radio broadcast is the most listened to syndicated program in all of Christian radio, and in fact, I don't have statistics to prove it, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Dobson's broadcast is heard by more people than any other syndicated radio broadcast in the world--either Christian or secular. I would imagine that he has more daily listeners and more clout than Rush Limbaugh and Dr Laura combined, and I am not exaggerating when I say that--just from the sheer numbers of radio stations that he is on and the number of people in his constituency.
Focus on the Family began in the early 1970's after Dobson had become fairly well known through the first of several best selling books he wrote. I think his first best seller was, Dare to Discipline, and it was a book about parenting. And the main focus of his broadcasts, in those early days, was parenting and child psychology. He is the best known Christian Psychologist of our generation, and his broadcasts on the radio immediately struck a chord with audiences that were looking for help on parenting and similar issues. As his popularity grew in the decades of the 70's and the 80's Dobson began to use more and more of his influence to address political issues. More and more, with each passing year, he devotes his radio broadcasts and his organization's resources to lobby for legislation against abortion; he campaigns against the gay-rights agenda; he supports conservative candidates for political office. He has poured his full energies into the Religious Right and he has become their best known and most effective spokesman.
Now obviously, we would be in full agreement with the moral standards Dr. Dobson affirms. We share his loathing for abortion. Like him we abominate homosexuality, drug abuse, and all these other symptoms of our culture's moral decline--we do share his hatred for those evils that have infected our society, but we are convinced that preaching the gospel is a more effective remedy than any political solution could ever offer, because we believe these things are symptoms of sin and the only effectual answer for sin is the gospel. But as far as Focus on the Family and James Dobson are concerned, our position, he interprets it as an argument in favor of inactivity, passivity, silence. They have accused us of saying, "Christians ought to remain silent in the face of all these moral evils." In fact, that accusation is even reflected in the title of Tom Minnery's book, Why You Can't Stay Silent. Dobson himself recently echoed that accusation in a letter he sent to all his constituents, and that is why I have chosen to deal with this, this morning, because over the past four weeks, since his letter went out, I have been besieged by people with questions. Many of you have received that letter from him--I did. Many people, in fact, people all over the country have emailed me and phoned me to ask me, "Are we going to respond to James Dobson's remarks about John MacArthur?" And the answer is "Yes," here's my response.
Let me read you first of all what he says. This is from the letter he sent out this month. He writes this,
"This month, I want to say a few words about our culture's continued moral decline and, more importantly, the apparent hesitancy of some within the Christian community to try and stem the tide. Despite the relentless attacks by homosexual activists on the institution of marriage, and of "safe sex" ideology, pro-abortion sentiment, and other forms of immorality that are engulfing us, there are those within the church who remain convinced that it isn't our place to make our voices heard on these issues."
Now, notice the charge: the people he says he's concerned about, he says are, "hesitant to try and stem the tide of immorality, and they believe Christians should not make their voices heard on these issues." That's his accusation. He continues,
"In their estimation, controversy about sexuality, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family are "political" in nature and therefore unworthy of our attention."
Again, he's suggesting that someone is saying "these moral issues are unworthy of our attention. They are things we shouldn't be concerned about." And I read that and I thought who are these Christians who advocate silence and passive acceptance of society's moral decline? Dobson tells us who he thinks they are. He says this,
"Some recent examples of this perspective..."
This perspective that he's been describing, this view that we ought to remain silent and not be concerned about moral issues,
"Some recent examples of this perspective are seen in the following quotes:"
And guess where the first quote he cites comes from? It's a quotation from John MacArthur's book, Why Government Can't Save You. Here's the quotation he [Dobson] finds objectionable. John MacArthur writes,
"God does not call the church to influence the culture by promoting legislation." — John MacArthur, Why Government Can't Save You, 2000
Now frankly, if you object to that remark by John MacArthur, it would seem to me that you would also have to object to the Apostle Paul's statement that "righteousness doesn't come by law." But Dobson doesn't quote the Apostle Paul. The next person he quotes is Jim Bakker, ex-convict and former host of the PTL Club. I think there may have been some deliberate strategy in juxtaposing those two quotes. Dobson also blames Cal Thomas, the syndicated newspaper columnist and former leader in the religious right who became something of a black sheep in the religious right when he began to suggest that Christian's time and resources might be better spent on evangelism rather than politics. But Dobson disagrees with that--he is fully convinced that the solution to America's problem is a political solution and he is determined to keep pouring his ministry's resources into political lobbying. And he says in his letter, that he believes, by doing this we are preaching the gospel. I hear in that an echo of my own thoughts before I became a Christian--I thought that was the gospel message. That's virtually the same thing I said to Rob Holtzinger, when he began to argue with me that the gospel was more important than politics. I said, "Politics is the gospel. This is the only way we are going to save our society. This is the only way we can turn things around." That's precisely what James Dobson is arguing.
Now let me sum up quickly by showing you in practical terms why I think this is a serious mistake. Here's why: Because in order to work in the realm of secular politics, you have to make certain compromises. Politics is built on compromise. Anybody who's involved in politics will affirm that for you. There are some things you cannot talk about in the political realm and the gospel is one of them. James Dobson's political allies in the realm of moral reform include multitudes who would not share his commitment to the gospel of the New Testament; who would not agree with him on the exclusiveness of Christ, because in the words of John 3:18, the gospel is the message that, "...he who believes on Him is not condemned," but it also includes the truth that "...he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The message of Christ is an exclusive message--it's either-or, Jesus said, "If you are not with Me you're against Me," and what He meant by that is, "If you are not a believer, you are not on My team." And when your political agenda involves forming alliances with Mormons, Moslems, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and all kinds of humanistic moralists, you simply cannot afford to speak frankly about the exclusivity of Christ--it's an issue you can't bring up. You have to stifle the truth about justification by faith alone, because Roman Catholics, who are your political allies reject that doctrine. You're better off, in fact, not to mention the name of Christ at all, because Jewish people, who are our political allies, are sensitive about that, and so the gospel is stifled as a consequence whenever people become political activists, they begin to trim away the offensive parts of the gospel. It is the natural and inevitable consequence of moving the fight to the political arena--happens all the time.
Frankly, if I can just speak frankly, you can see the effect of this on James Dobson's own broadcasts. You can listen for weeks, and you'll hear messages about the practical side of parenting; you'll hear lots of discussion about political and moral issues; you'll hear shrill warnings about how the moral fiber of our society is unraveling more and more all the time; you'll hear social critiques and calls for moral reform; you'll hear interviews with people about all kinds of things, including non-Christians who happen to be our allies in political issues; you'll occasionally hear references to God and the Bible, but if you ever hear any actual Bible teaching--it's rare--and rarely will you hear the name of Jesus Christ mentioned, and almost never will you hear a clear and uncompromising presentation of the gospel. The gospel is inevitably stifled when your main concern becomes political issues, and I frankly think that is a dangerous and wrong-headed direction for any Christian ministry to go--it subtly undermines the gospel. It's the very thing Paul is warning about here in 1 Corinthians 1. That kind of strategy diverts the focus of Christian people who listen to and trusts that ministry--they become concerned about and consumed with things other than the gospel.
Now consider the irony of all of this: Focus on the Family has accused ministries of ours of advocating apathy and silence, but they are the ones who have been silent on the issues that matter most. They are the ones who have abandoned the foolishness of preaching and opted instead for worldly methods and worldly wisdom--they are the ones that are out-of-step with Scripture.
Scores of people, as I have said, have asked me, in recent weeks, "How we intend to answer James Dobson's letter?" Well, that's my answer. I hope that he'll get back to what matters, and I hope that his faith does not stand in the wisdom of men and the strategies of the politicians, but in the wisdom and the power of God, because that is the only hope for our society--the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, and if we preach it--those whom God calls will hear it and they will respond, and that's the best hope our society has.
For more of Phil's sermons and messages go to: www.SwordandTrowel.org
Transcribed and added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
Ted Haggard has been forced to resign his position as pastor of a large church in Colorado Springs, Colorado because of drug use and a homosexual relationship. Haggard was also president of a mixed group of liberal churches called the National Association of Evangelicals.
While I had never heard of Ted Haggard, I have learned that he is a good friend of James Dobson who is also from Colorado Springs.
I quit listening to James Dobson and “Focus on the Family” 15 years ago when it became apparent that he was getting away from his message and concentrating too much on politics. Another friend of Ted Haggard is Don Wildmon with the “American Family Association.” Like Ted Haggard, Don Wildmon wastes his time saving man through politics and compromises himself by forming alliances with leaders of false religions.
When a pastor sins, while he may be forgiven by God, he has forever forfeited his right to be in a position of church leadership. Ted Haggard and other fallen preachers such as Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker may preach again but, they will not have the blessing of the Lord.
Luke 12:43
43. "Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44. "Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45. "But if that servant says in his heart, `My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46. "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware; and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47. "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48. "But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Gary Bauer with “Campaign for Working Families” is a Christian and former presidential candidate. Also, he is a former employee of James Dobson and a friend of Ted Haggard and Don Wildmon. Their problem is that when you enter politics, you become a compromiser and you can no longer take a strong stand against the false religions and the sins of those to whom you align yourself. In all fairness to Gary Bauer, he is a political figure and has not dedicated himself to the higher calling of being a pastor of God’s church. Therefore, he is not held to the higher standard.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And when your political agenda involves forming alliances with Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and all kinds of humanistic moralists, you simply cannot afford to speak frankly about the exclusivity of Christ--it's an issue you can't bring up. You have to stifle the truth about justification by faith alone, because Roman Catholics, who are your political allies reject that doctrine. You're better off, in fact, not to mention the name of Christ at all, because Jewish people, who are our political allies, are sensitive about that, and so the gospel is stifled as a consequence whenever people become political activists, they begin to trim away the offensive parts of the gospel. It is the natural and inevitable consequence of moving the fight to the political arena… happens all the time.
--Phil Johnson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christians across the country are reeling in the wake of yesterday’s
resignation of Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of
Evangelicals and pastor of the 14,000 member New Life Church in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. I have worked with Reverend Haggard as a member of our
coalition to defend traditional marriage, so the charges are particularly
disappointing, and, if proven true, are a reminder that sin stalks all men.
But it is also another timely reminder of the importance of private
character and virtue in public leadership. And while Pastor Haggard’s
accuser has acknowledged that the timing of this revelation was intended to
influence support for Colorado’s proposed marriage amendment, I know that
God works in all things for the good of those who love Him.
This weekend I hope you will join me in prayer for Reverend Haggard, his
family, and for our country.
--Gary Bauer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hope is that Gary Bauer, James Dobson, and Don Wildmon will separate themselves from the compromisers.
2 Cor. 6:17
"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord."
I have communicated with Gary Bauer and he feels that he can, “Work with people who embrace my agenda on a particular issue and fight the same folk on issues where we disagree.”
I pray for Gary Bauer as he continues to walk this tightrope.
Proverbs 6:27
27. can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28. Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE CAREFULLY!
This message shows the difference between John MacArthur, the greatest bible teacher of our day and men like James Dobson and Don Wildmon with their ministry of whitewashing tombs full of dead men’s bones.
Matthew 23:27
27. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
The following excerpt was transcribed from the tape, GL PJ-100, titled "The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel" Phil Johnson is the executive Director of Grace to You, a Christian tape and radio ministry featuring the preaching ministry of John MacArthur. Phil has been closely associated with John MacArthur since 1981 and edits most of MacArthur's major books. Phil is an elder at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. He also teaches courses in writing and editing at The Master's College and Seminary. And in his spare time he sometimes does free-lance editorial work for a number of evangelical publishers.
The Foolishness of Preaching the Gospel
(1 Corinthians 1:21)
By Phil Johnson
For more of Phil's sermons and messages go to: www.SwordandTrowel.org
This excerpt from the sermon addresses the controversy that exists between the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur and that of Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), on the issue of preaching the gospel to change the wickedness of man versus using political legislation to accomplish that end.
We are not to blend the gospel message with human wisdom and think that by doing that we have made it more sophisticated. Notice our verse again, "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" [1 Corinthians 1:21]. This is God's strategy: preaching the gospel is God's chosen strategy for salvation. "It pleased God" to do this--this was His choice. Verse 27, "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty..." [1 Corinthians 1:27]. This is God's own chosen strategy and we are not permitted to modify it. We are not permitted to substitute our own strategies in its place.
But many people today have modified it, and some Christians, have even made the same mistake I made, before I became a Christian, and that is, they think the solution to society's moral decline is a political agenda, and they have thrown all the energies and their resources into trying to redeem society through politics, which this passages teaches us is an utterly futile undertaking. Our pastor, John MacArthur has had much to say about this over the years---if you have been listening, you know that, because as the energies of the Evangelical Movement have been diverted more and more away from evangelism and the preaching of the gospel, and invested more and more in political lobbying, public protests, and in some cases, all out war on American culture--as we've seen that happen, John MacArthur has spoken out in favor of preaching and evangelism instead. He has consistently said what this passage says, and that is that sin is what ails modern society and so the gospel is the only effective remedy. But that message isn't popular with everybody, even among our evangelical friends.
John mentioned, I think, jokingly, recently, that he wrote a book two years ago, titled, Why Government Can't Save You and he was joking from the pulpit recently that "almost no one actually read that book" and it is true that it didn't become a best seller, but some people actually did read it, and reacted negatively to it--Focus on the Family in particular, and they published a book in reply (early this year)--the title of the book is, Why You Can't Stay Silent, subtitled, A Biblical Mandate to Shape Our Culture. The author was Tom Minnery, who is a vice-president of Focus on the Family, and he says he wrote the book at Dobson's urging. Now I presume that James Dobson is well known to most of you. His daily radio broadcast is the most listened to syndicated program in all of Christian radio, and in fact, I don't have statistics to prove it, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Dobson's broadcast is heard by more people than any other syndicated radio broadcast in the world--either Christian or secular. I would imagine that he has more daily listeners and more clout than Rush Limbaugh and Dr Laura combined, and I am not exaggerating when I say that--just from the sheer numbers of radio stations that he is on and the number of people in his constituency.
Focus on the Family began in the early 1970's after Dobson had become fairly well known through the first of several best selling books he wrote. I think his first best seller was, Dare to Discipline, and it was a book about parenting. And the main focus of his broadcasts, in those early days, was parenting and child psychology. He is the best known Christian Psychologist of our generation, and his broadcasts on the radio immediately struck a chord with audiences that were looking for help on parenting and similar issues. As his popularity grew in the decades of the 70's and the 80's Dobson began to use more and more of his influence to address political issues. More and more, with each passing year, he devotes his radio broadcasts and his organization's resources to lobby for legislation against abortion; he campaigns against the gay-rights agenda; he supports conservative candidates for political office. He has poured his full energies into the Religious Right and he has become their best known and most effective spokesman.
Now obviously, we would be in full agreement with the moral standards Dr. Dobson affirms. We share his loathing for abortion. Like him we abominate homosexuality, drug abuse, and all these other symptoms of our culture's moral decline--we do share his hatred for those evils that have infected our society, but we are convinced that preaching the gospel is a more effective remedy than any political solution could ever offer, because we believe these things are symptoms of sin and the only effectual answer for sin is the gospel. But as far as Focus on the Family and James Dobson are concerned, our position, he interprets it as an argument in favor of inactivity, passivity, silence. They have accused us of saying, "Christians ought to remain silent in the face of all these moral evils." In fact, that accusation is even reflected in the title of Tom Minnery's book, Why You Can't Stay Silent. Dobson himself recently echoed that accusation in a letter he sent to all his constituents, and that is why I have chosen to deal with this, this morning, because over the past four weeks, since his letter went out, I have been besieged by people with questions. Many of you have received that letter from him--I did. Many people, in fact, people all over the country have emailed me and phoned me to ask me, "Are we going to respond to James Dobson's remarks about John MacArthur?" And the answer is "Yes," here's my response.
Let me read you first of all what he says. This is from the letter he sent out this month. He writes this,
"This month, I want to say a few words about our culture's continued moral decline and, more importantly, the apparent hesitancy of some within the Christian community to try and stem the tide. Despite the relentless attacks by homosexual activists on the institution of marriage, and of "safe sex" ideology, pro-abortion sentiment, and other forms of immorality that are engulfing us, there are those within the church who remain convinced that it isn't our place to make our voices heard on these issues."
Now, notice the charge: the people he says he's concerned about, he says are, "hesitant to try and stem the tide of immorality, and they believe Christians should not make their voices heard on these issues." That's his accusation. He continues,
"In their estimation, controversy about sexuality, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family are "political" in nature and therefore unworthy of our attention."
Again, he's suggesting that someone is saying "these moral issues are unworthy of our attention. They are things we shouldn't be concerned about." And I read that and I thought who are these Christians who advocate silence and passive acceptance of society's moral decline? Dobson tells us who he thinks they are. He says this,
"Some recent examples of this perspective..."
This perspective that he's been describing, this view that we ought to remain silent and not be concerned about moral issues,
"Some recent examples of this perspective are seen in the following quotes:"
And guess where the first quote he cites comes from? It's a quotation from John MacArthur's book, Why Government Can't Save You. Here's the quotation he [Dobson] finds objectionable. John MacArthur writes,
"God does not call the church to influence the culture by promoting legislation." — John MacArthur, Why Government Can't Save You, 2000
Now frankly, if you object to that remark by John MacArthur, it would seem to me that you would also have to object to the Apostle Paul's statement that "righteousness doesn't come by law." But Dobson doesn't quote the Apostle Paul. The next person he quotes is Jim Bakker, ex-convict and former host of the PTL Club. I think there may have been some deliberate strategy in juxtaposing those two quotes. Dobson also blames Cal Thomas, the syndicated newspaper columnist and former leader in the religious right who became something of a black sheep in the religious right when he began to suggest that Christian's time and resources might be better spent on evangelism rather than politics. But Dobson disagrees with that--he is fully convinced that the solution to America's problem is a political solution and he is determined to keep pouring his ministry's resources into political lobbying. And he says in his letter, that he believes, by doing this we are preaching the gospel. I hear in that an echo of my own thoughts before I became a Christian--I thought that was the gospel message. That's virtually the same thing I said to Rob Holtzinger, when he began to argue with me that the gospel was more important than politics. I said, "Politics is the gospel. This is the only way we are going to save our society. This is the only way we can turn things around." That's precisely what James Dobson is arguing.
Now let me sum up quickly by showing you in practical terms why I think this is a serious mistake. Here's why: Because in order to work in the realm of secular politics, you have to make certain compromises. Politics is built on compromise. Anybody who's involved in politics will affirm that for you. There are some things you cannot talk about in the political realm and the gospel is one of them. James Dobson's political allies in the realm of moral reform include multitudes who would not share his commitment to the gospel of the New Testament; who would not agree with him on the exclusiveness of Christ, because in the words of John 3:18, the gospel is the message that, "...he who believes on Him is not condemned," but it also includes the truth that "...he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The message of Christ is an exclusive message--it's either-or, Jesus said, "If you are not with Me you're against Me," and what He meant by that is, "If you are not a believer, you are not on My team." And when your political agenda involves forming alliances with Mormons, Moslems, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and all kinds of humanistic moralists, you simply cannot afford to speak frankly about the exclusivity of Christ--it's an issue you can't bring up. You have to stifle the truth about justification by faith alone, because Roman Catholics, who are your political allies reject that doctrine. You're better off, in fact, not to mention the name of Christ at all, because Jewish people, who are our political allies, are sensitive about that, and so the gospel is stifled as a consequence whenever people become political activists, they begin to trim away the offensive parts of the gospel. It is the natural and inevitable consequence of moving the fight to the political arena--happens all the time.
Frankly, if I can just speak frankly, you can see the effect of this on James Dobson's own broadcasts. You can listen for weeks, and you'll hear messages about the practical side of parenting; you'll hear lots of discussion about political and moral issues; you'll hear shrill warnings about how the moral fiber of our society is unraveling more and more all the time; you'll hear social critiques and calls for moral reform; you'll hear interviews with people about all kinds of things, including non-Christians who happen to be our allies in political issues; you'll occasionally hear references to God and the Bible, but if you ever hear any actual Bible teaching--it's rare--and rarely will you hear the name of Jesus Christ mentioned, and almost never will you hear a clear and uncompromising presentation of the gospel. The gospel is inevitably stifled when your main concern becomes political issues, and I frankly think that is a dangerous and wrong-headed direction for any Christian ministry to go--it subtly undermines the gospel. It's the very thing Paul is warning about here in 1 Corinthians 1. That kind of strategy diverts the focus of Christian people who listen to and trusts that ministry--they become concerned about and consumed with things other than the gospel.
Now consider the irony of all of this: Focus on the Family has accused ministries of ours of advocating apathy and silence, but they are the ones who have been silent on the issues that matter most. They are the ones who have abandoned the foolishness of preaching and opted instead for worldly methods and worldly wisdom--they are the ones that are out-of-step with Scripture.
Scores of people, as I have said, have asked me, in recent weeks, "How we intend to answer James Dobson's letter?" Well, that's my answer. I hope that he'll get back to what matters, and I hope that his faith does not stand in the wisdom of men and the strategies of the politicians, but in the wisdom and the power of God, because that is the only hope for our society--the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, and if we preach it--those whom God calls will hear it and they will respond, and that's the best hope our society has.
For more of Phil's sermons and messages go to: www.SwordandTrowel.org
Transcribed and added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
LORD, LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LEGEND
LORD, LIAR, LUNATIC, OR LEGEND
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." —C.S. Lewis
Jesus made so many outrageous statements that he had to be either Lord, Liar, Lunatic, or Legend. The fifth option that he was a really great morals teacher with a great philosophy and we should all just get together and love one another is, according to the laws of logic, not possible.
(1) One possibility is that Jesus lied when He said He was God… that He knew He was not God, but deliberately deceived His hearers to lend authority to His teaching. Few, if any, seriously hold this position. Even those who deny His deity affirm that He was a great moral teacher. They fail to realize those two statements are a contradiction. Jesus could hardly be a great moral teacher if, on the most crucial point of His teaching… His identity… He was a deliberate liar.
(2) A kinder, though no less shocking possibility, is that He was sincere but self-deceived. We have a name for a person today who thinks he is God. That name is lunatic, and it certainly would apply to Christ if He were deceived on this all-important issue. But as we look at the life of Christ, we see no evidence of the abnormality and imbalance we find in a deranged person. Rather, we find the greatest composure under pressure.
(3) The third alternative is that all of the talk about His claiming to be God is a legend… that what actually happened was that His enthusiastic followers, in the third and fourth centuries, put words into His mouth He would have been shocked to hear. Were He to return, He would immediately repudiate them.
The legend theory has been significantly refuted by many discoveries of modern archeology. These have conclusively shown that the four biographies of Christ were written within the lifetime of contemporaries of Christ. Some time ago Dr. William F. Albright, world-famous archaeologist now retired from Johns Hopkins University, said that there was no reason to believe that any of the Gospels were written later than A.D. 70. For a mere legend about Christ, in the form of the Gospel, to have gained the circulation and to have had the impact it had, without one shred of basis in fact, is incredible.
For this to have happened would be as fantastic as for someone in our own time to write a biography of the late John F. Kennedy and in it say he claimed to be God, to forgive people's sins, and to have risen from the dead. Such a story is so wild it would never get off the ground because there are still too many people around who knew Kennedy. The legend theory does not hold water in the light of the early date of the Gospel manuscripts.
(4) The only other alternative is that Jesus is Lord and spoke the truth. From one point of view, however, claims don't mean much. Talk is cheap. Anyone can make claims. There have been others who have claimed to be God. I could claim to be God, and you could claim to be God, but the question all of us must answer is, "What credentials do we bring to substantiate our claim?" In my case it wouldn't take you five minutes to disprove my claim. It probably wouldn't take too much more to dispose of yours. But when it comes to Jesus of Nazareth, it's not so simple. He had the credentials to back up His claim. He said, "Even though you do not believe Me, believe the evidence of the miracles, that you may learn and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38).
JOHN 1:1
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
JOHN 5:16
16. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.''
18. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
19. Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20. "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21. "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22. "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23. "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26. "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27. "and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
JOHN 8:53
53. "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?''
54. Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
55. "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, `I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.''
57. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?''
58. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.''
JOHN 10:25
25. Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.
26. "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
30. "I and My Father are one.''
31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?''
33. The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.''
JOHN 10:36
36. "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
37. "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38. "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.''
JOHN 11:25
25. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
JOHN 14:6
6. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
7. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.''
8. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.''
9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
MARK 14:61
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?''
62. And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.''
63. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?
64. "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?'' And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death.
LUKE 5:20
20. So when He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you.''
21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?''
22. But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23. "Which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, `Rise up and walk'?
24. "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'' He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.''
25. Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
COL. 1:13
13. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14. in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." —C.S. Lewis
Jesus made so many outrageous statements that he had to be either Lord, Liar, Lunatic, or Legend. The fifth option that he was a really great morals teacher with a great philosophy and we should all just get together and love one another is, according to the laws of logic, not possible.
(1) One possibility is that Jesus lied when He said He was God… that He knew He was not God, but deliberately deceived His hearers to lend authority to His teaching. Few, if any, seriously hold this position. Even those who deny His deity affirm that He was a great moral teacher. They fail to realize those two statements are a contradiction. Jesus could hardly be a great moral teacher if, on the most crucial point of His teaching… His identity… He was a deliberate liar.
(2) A kinder, though no less shocking possibility, is that He was sincere but self-deceived. We have a name for a person today who thinks he is God. That name is lunatic, and it certainly would apply to Christ if He were deceived on this all-important issue. But as we look at the life of Christ, we see no evidence of the abnormality and imbalance we find in a deranged person. Rather, we find the greatest composure under pressure.
(3) The third alternative is that all of the talk about His claiming to be God is a legend… that what actually happened was that His enthusiastic followers, in the third and fourth centuries, put words into His mouth He would have been shocked to hear. Were He to return, He would immediately repudiate them.
The legend theory has been significantly refuted by many discoveries of modern archeology. These have conclusively shown that the four biographies of Christ were written within the lifetime of contemporaries of Christ. Some time ago Dr. William F. Albright, world-famous archaeologist now retired from Johns Hopkins University, said that there was no reason to believe that any of the Gospels were written later than A.D. 70. For a mere legend about Christ, in the form of the Gospel, to have gained the circulation and to have had the impact it had, without one shred of basis in fact, is incredible.
For this to have happened would be as fantastic as for someone in our own time to write a biography of the late John F. Kennedy and in it say he claimed to be God, to forgive people's sins, and to have risen from the dead. Such a story is so wild it would never get off the ground because there are still too many people around who knew Kennedy. The legend theory does not hold water in the light of the early date of the Gospel manuscripts.
(4) The only other alternative is that Jesus is Lord and spoke the truth. From one point of view, however, claims don't mean much. Talk is cheap. Anyone can make claims. There have been others who have claimed to be God. I could claim to be God, and you could claim to be God, but the question all of us must answer is, "What credentials do we bring to substantiate our claim?" In my case it wouldn't take you five minutes to disprove my claim. It probably wouldn't take too much more to dispose of yours. But when it comes to Jesus of Nazareth, it's not so simple. He had the credentials to back up His claim. He said, "Even though you do not believe Me, believe the evidence of the miracles, that you may learn and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father" (John 10:38).
JOHN 1:1
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
JOHN 5:16
16. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.''
18. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
19. Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20. "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21. "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22. "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23. "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25. "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26. "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27. "and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
JOHN 8:53
53. "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?''
54. Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
55. "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, `I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.
56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.''
57. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?''
58. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.''
JOHN 10:25
25. Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.
26. "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
30. "I and My Father are one.''
31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32. Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?''
33. The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.''
JOHN 10:36
36. "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
37. "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38. "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.''
JOHN 11:25
25. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
JOHN 14:6
6. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
7. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.''
8. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.''
9. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
MARK 14:61
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?''
62. And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.''
63. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?
64. "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?'' And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death.
LUKE 5:20
20. So when He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you.''
21. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?''
22. But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
23. "Which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, `Rise up and walk'?
24. "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'' He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.''
25. Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
COL. 1:13
13. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14. in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
GOD, CREATOR AND REDEEMER
GOD, CREATOR AND REDEEMER
Selected Scriptures
by John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved
We are continuing our series tonight on the subject of origins: creation or evolution. I know that there are some who are new with us tonight and some who have missed some of the prior messages, so let me just give a brief review and I'll try to make it brief and concise because I have so much that I want to say and I'm glad I have a full hour to say it tonight.
But I want to begin by saying this, and I guess this sort of establishes the premise of everything I say. Evolution is an impossibility. If you remember that you'll understand that we're left with no alternative but creation. Evolution cannot occur.
And we have been examining why in the last couple of messages. We have been discussing the impossibility of evolution, particularly from the viewpoint of information theory. And I've been telling you that every living thing has a DNA code, every living organism has a genetic code programmed with the exact information to produce, preserve and repair that living thing. It has no less than that necessary information and no more than that necessary information.
The genes in every organism limit that organism to what it is. It cannot be less than it is, and it cannot be more than it is. There is no genetic information to transform it into something other than what it is.
The Bible talks about kinds of living things that can reproduce after their own kind. And that essentially is saying the same thing. There can be variations within a kind, but not anything beyond that.
Science has tried to tell us that evolution is a process called mutation, that living organisms have the capacity to mutate...simply means to change. But you need to understand this, mutations do not change the nature or the kind of any living organism. They don't make it anything other than it is. What mutations involve, and this is important, is always a loss of existing information. There is never a gain of information. Mutations never add new genetic information. Mutations therefore do not work toward an upward evolutionary process. Mutations are not a mechanism for upward evolutionary process.
Dr. Werner Gitt(?), a director and professor at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, answered this question...can new information originate in a living organism through mutations? And this is his response, and I quote: "Mutations can only cause changes in existing information. There can be no increase in information and in general the result of mutations is injurious. New blueprints for new functions or new organs cannot arise. Mutations cannot be the source of new information," end quote.
Honest scientists must admit that all of life had to be designed individually by an immense intelligent mind that programmed everything. Now when you think about the complexity of this, it is absolutely staggering. Just think about the human brain, for a moment. The human brain is more complex than a 747, for example. A 747 is made up of six million components. Can you imagine a 747 evolving out of a scrap pile of metal? It's absolutely ridiculous.
The more science looks at life, the more complex it becomes. The body, for example, is made up of trillions of cells. In just one of those cells, one out of trillions, the amount of information, the amount of genetic information in one of those cells has been estimated to fill at least one thousand books of 500 pages. That's to run one cell out of trillions in one human body. And most scientists think that is an underestimation of the complexity. Where did all this information come from? Better, from whom did all this information come?
To make evolution the answer is ridiculous. To make chance the energy is also ridiculous, so ridiculous as to qualify someone for a trip to the mental institution. Why then do scientists continue to advocate this ridiculous theory of evolution motivated by chance? Why do they do that?
Well, the bottom line is they do it to avoid God. They do that to push God out of their lives, to avoid His law, to avoid His standards, to avoid His will, to avoid His Word and to avoid His judgment on their lives. Evolution is nothing more than what Henry Morris so aptly called it, "The long war against God."
Evolution is the contemporary expression of the long war against God. The Old Testament says the fool has said in his heart there is no God. That is foolish. It is not rational to reject a creator. It is not rational to empower chance. It is not rational to assume that one kind of living organism can become another. It is not wise to reject God's law and God's Word and God's gospel.
If it is neither rational nor wise, then why do men do it? And the answer is that men do it because they love sin and they love darkness because their deeds are evil. They love themselves and they love their sin and they refuse to worship God or submit to His Word or His law. They will not recognize Scripture. And by the way, Scripture shows us that what is in God's world is in God's Word. All we know about creation from nothing is what the creator has told us and the only place He's told us is in the Scripture. Evolution is a war on God. It is the sort of contemporary fight, the contemporary modern attack in the long, long war that Satan has carried on against God.
In 1989 scientist Henry Morris wrote an excellent book called, The Long War Against God. And in that book he shows the impact of evolutionary theory on the world. And he reveals the irrefutable fact that the almost universe belief in evolution that permeates every area of human thinking has effected every area of human life. Not just how we view the physical world, not just how we view the biological sciences, it has effected social sciences, it has effected behavioral sciences, it has effected psychology, it has effected the humanities, it has effected liberal arts, it has effected philosophy and it has even effected religion.
Quoting Henry Morris he says this, "Evolution's lie permeates and dominates modern thought in every field. That being the case, it follows inevitably that evolutionary thought is basically responsible for the lethally ominous political developments and the chaotic moral and social disintegrations that have been accelerating everywhere," end quote.
He goes on in his book to show how everything from genocide to fornication to homosexuality to abortion, to all matters of the destruction of human dignity, not seeing man as made in the image of God, to crime, to drugs and everything else is all a part of the result of a materialistic, humanistic universe without God. So, says Morris, evolution is nothing more than the pervasive modern version of the conflict of the ages, the long war against God.
Evolution is empty philosophy. It is vain deceit. It is designed to attack the creator and His glory. It denies His glorious revelation in Scripture. It denies His authority over the universe of man. It denies the dignity of man. It denies the image of God in man. It is a cunningly devised fable. It is religious harlotry. It is the latest abomination of the earth spawned by the father of lies, Satan. Now if I could have said it any stronger I would have.
You see, the world has always believed the deceiver. The world has always believed the liar Satan and joined him in his long war against God. The story of the history of the nations of the world, the cyclical story of how the world repeats its same demise is given us in Romans chapter 1. I want you to look at it. This is a very familiar chapter. I know that and I'm not going to stay here very long. But I do need to remind you that this chapter, chapter 1 of Romans, verses 18 and following, lay out how the scenario of the long war against God is played over and over and over. And what you have here is the history, the cyclical history of what happens in the nations of the world throughout the history of the world.
Verse 18 says, "The wrath of God is revealed and it's revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth." Now the truth is obvious. The truth about a creator is obvious. The truth about a God who is a person because we are persons is obvious. The truth about a God who is moral because we have a moral sense and a moral conscience is obvious. The truth about a God who has established and right and wrong is obvious because it's in the fabric of our life. The truth that there is a creator, a first cause for this massive effect called the universe is obvious because rationality is built on cause and effect and leads you back ultimately to the first cause. Men suppress the truth.
Verse 19 says, "That which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them." And He did that by giving them reason and reason says...reason is basically a sequence of cause and effect patterns. Anytime you do research you work on cause and effect. Anytime you come to understand a principle, you understand it because there's a cause and effect relationship, there's a sequence of things that builds to a conclusion. That's rationality. Reason is the ability to link things together to come to right conclusions. And God has put in to the mind of man rationality so that he can rationally go back to the fact that there had to be a first cause. That leads him back to God.
And then God is poured into the heart of man as Romans 2 says, "Law, moral law, written by God on the heart." And so verse 19 says what is known about God is evident within them, that God is, according to verse 20, the creator of the world. You can look at the creation of the world and see His invisible attributes. You can look at creation and you know that God is powerful. You can look at creation and you know that God is intelligent beyond comprehension. You can look at creation and know that the mind of God is so massively and vastly and infinitely complex as to be absolutely incomprehensible to our puny brains. You can look at creation and you can know that God loves beauty and order. You can look at creation and see that God has a delicate touch, at the same time God has a powerful, almost overbearing, touch that can kill and crush. You can see so much about His attributes.
You can see His goodness manifest in the rain and the sunshine and the food we enjoy and the beauty of the world around us. And the love that He's poured into life and the wonder of romance and the blessing of children and the exhilarating joy of adventure. You can see that God is a God of beauty and kindness and goodness.
So much can be known about His eternal power and divine nature. So much can be known, verse 20 says, that if you don't see God in this and you don't come to recognize Him for who He is, you're without excuse. The creation is not intended to point you back to a one-celled thing in some primordial soup. It's intended to point you back to God and it's intended to show you everything about the mind of God and nothing about some imaginary evolutionary process empowered by chance.
Any view like that, any progressive creationistic view, any theistic evolutionary view strikes a blow at the intention of God in creation to manifest His great power. It isn't that God is some one-dimensional God, as the theistic evolution would...evolutionist would tell us, He sort of launched it all and then evolution took over. That doesn't give glory to God, that gives glory to the survival of the fittest, which is a viewpoint invented by Charles Darwin and his friends to explain appearances when they didn't know things that they know today that contradict all of that. God is not glorified, God is not honored when we give evolution the credit for creation, when we give evolution the credit for the complexity of the universe, the complexity of the smallest, smallest microcosm of creation or when we give evolution the credit for the macrocosm of creation. God is honored and God is glorified when we give Him the credit for all of it.
Verse 21 indicates that rationality and morality built into the fabric of human life, rationality and morality take us to God. It's inevitable. And so he says in 21, "Even though they knew God," I mean there was nowhere else to go but to God, but typically what they do, is, "they don't honor Him as God, they do not thank Him for His creation but they become empty in their speculations." They trade in God for stupid speculations. "And then their foolish heart becomes dark." The light goes out. "And they profess themselves to be wise," and they get Ph.D.'s and they write books, and they are actually fools...fools with a garbled, impossible, incoherent, irrational viewpoint. They call it wisdom, God calls it folly.
And therefore, verse 23 says, "They literally steal the glory of the incorruptible God." They turn from the incorruptible God, the supernatural God, the God who is bigger than His creation, who is outside His creation and in God's place they substitute an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. They worship the creation instead of the creator, verse 25 says. They exchange the truth of God and they believe the lie, Satan's lie that perpetuates the long war against God and they worship and serve the creature. That's what evolutionists do. They literally believe that the creature is the creator, don't they? Sure they do.
But, you know, this is exactly what Romans says. They threw wisdom away and accepted stupidity and folly because their foolish heart was darkened, their speculations were empty and futile and useless because they had turned their backs on the only rational explanation for anything, which was God, because they didn't want God crowding them with His moral standards. They began to worship the birds and the animals and they served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever, amen.
And so, you know what? God gave them up. Gave them up to sexual sin, homosexuality and every other kind of sin that he lists in verse 28 to 32. That's the way it goes, they just plunged into the depth of horrible iniquity. That's...that's the real story of where evolution comes from. It's part of the long war against God. And if we had time I'd quote you voluminous quotes from evolutionists who give such blasphemous and mocking statements about God. There's no need to listen to those.
The Bible, on the other hand, clearly and repeatedly states that God is the creator of everything...everything. Let me just show you this and I'm going to take a little time with this because it's so important to understand this. Genesis 1:1 says it, it can't be said any more clearly or comprehensively, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." That's very clear and unmistakable. John 1, "In the beginning was the Word...referring to Christ...and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...now listen to this...all things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." Now how else can you say it? There's no evolution in John 1:3, "All things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being...listen...nothing is in existence that He didn't create."
In Hebrews chapter 11, a familiar verse, "By faith...it's the only way, not by empirical analysis...by faith we understand." In other words, you have to believe the Bible. "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, that God spoke and everything was created, now listen to this, "so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." Now there is an absolute statement that totally discounts evolution. What you see in the created world was not made out of some other material, "But rather everything you see in God's created universe was made by Him out of nothing...out of nothing." And that's exactly what it says in the book of Genesis. That's a great verse, Hebrews 11:3.
Colossians 1:16, speaking of Christ who is God the creator, verse 16, "For by Him all things were created." You notice how many times the Scripture repeats the word all? "All things were created." What do you mean by that? Well, "In the heavens," that would be everything that exists in the universe, everything. "And on the earth," everything in our little microcosm, this earth, everything outside this earth and everything on this earth He created, everything. And listen to this, "Visible and invisible." You can see a mountain, He made it. You can't see the wind, but He made it. You can see an ocean, He made it. You can't see an electric current going through the air but He made it. Visible and invisible and that includes angelic beings called thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities, all things, repeating it again, have been created by Him and for Him. I mean, this is absolutely beyond question...beyond question.
And as you flow through the Bible it is relentless in its affirmation of this truth. In Deuteronomy 4:32, "Indeed, ask now concerning the former days...Moses says...which were before you since the day that God created man on the earth." There was a day when God created man on the earth. He is not the final stop in a multi-billion year process of evolution. There was a day, we know it to be the sixth day as Genesis tells, when God created the earth.
In Psalms, and I can't take you to all of the Psalms that extol God as creator, but Psalm 104 is a good illustration of this. Psalm 104, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain." You know, the ridiculous...the ridiculous irrational perspective of evolution only tries to solve the question of how life generated on earth, how in the world do they hope to explain how you get an infinite universe? God stretched it out. Verse 3, "He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, He makes the clouds His chariot, He walks on the wings of the wind, He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers." Verse 5, "He established the earth upon its foundation so that it will not totter forever and ever. Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment." He made the oceans, He made the earth. The Psalm goes on like that. He put the springs in the valleys, verse 10 says. It was He who made the wild animals and the birds. He's the one that caused the grass to grow, verse 14. And so it goes all the way to verse 24, "O Lord, how many are Thy works?"
There's no credit here given to some irrational chance. Verse 24, "O Lord, how many are Thy works?" Listen to this, "In wisdom Thou hast made them...there's that word again...all." And the more we know scientifically, the deeper we penetrate into the incredible mysteries of this creation, the more wise the creator becomes. "The earth is full of Thy creatures...that's what that word is...the earth is full of Thy creatures." It goes on to talk about the sea great and broad in which are swarms without number, animals small and great, there the ships move along and Leviathan, the sea monster, the great whales goes on like this. Verse 31, "Let the glory of the Lord endure forever. Let the Lord be glad in His works." I mean, it's all His. He made it all, there's never any other explanation for it.
Psalm 148, "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise the Lord in the heights, praise Him all His angels, praise Him all His hosts, praise Him sun and moon, praise Him all the stars of light, praise Him, highest heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord for He commanded and they were...what?...created."
The prophet Isaiah speaks of God's creative power in Isaiah chapter 40 verse 28. Boy, this is just a great verse, mark this one down. "Do you not know?...you want to say this to a world of evolutionists...do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired, His understanding is inscrutable." His mind is so far beyond us that we can't even begin to approach it. Again, Isaiah 42:5, "Thus says God the Lord...what God are you talking about, Isaiah?...the God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, I am the Lord." Always the creator of everything.
In Isaiah 45, Isaiah is not through honoring God as creator. Verse 5, "I am the Lord, there is no other, beside me there is no God, I will gird you though you have not known Me that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me, I am the Lord and there is no other. I am the one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these. Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness, let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit and righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it." He's talking about what He's going to do in the great and glorious recreation of the earth in the Kingdom. It's His creation. He can do with it as He pleases when He pleases.
And verse 9, a warning to the evolutionists, "Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker." Look at verse 12, same chapter, "It is I who made the earth and created man upon it, I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their hosts." Look at verse 18, "For thus says the Lord who created the heavens, He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is none else."
Malachi the prophet emphasizes the same thing, God is the Father of us all. Malachi 2:10, "Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?" Man is not the end of an evolutionary chain, he is the direct creation of God as is everything else.
Mark 10 and verse 6, "But from the beginning of creation...Jesus speaking...God made them male and female." God created man, He did not just evolve. In Mark chapter 13 verse 19, this emphasis...it just hammered home and I'm not giving you all the scriptures, but Mark...you think I am but I'm not...Mark 13:19, "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has no occurred since the beginning of the creation...and just in case you haven't learned it...which God created." The creation which God created...over and over and over this emphasis is made in Scripture. We saw it in the Old Testament prophets, I showed it to you there in the gospel of Mark. You have it in the epistles. Ephesians 3:9, "God who created all things." God who created all things.
The apostle Peter, along with Paul, makes the same emphasis. "Therefore...1 Peter 4:19...let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful creator." God is our faithful creator.
And then, of course, I want you to turn to Revelation because this is where everything sort of sums up. Revelation chapter 4 and let's go to heaven and see what heaven thinks about evolution. Verse 11, "Worthy art Thou, O Lord, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power." Why? "For Thou didst create all things and because of Thy will they existed and were created." Chapter 5, same emphasis is made, "God, the great and sovereign God, is the creator, His is the glory, His is the power, His is the dominion. He is the one who purchased from God men with His blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and all of heaven begins to ring with praise to God. To Him who sits on the throne, to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And finally verse 13, "Every created thing," and that's all there are, there aren't evolved things, they're just created things. It doesn't say every created thing and all the mutated things. "Every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and everywhere," this is the...this is the redemption of all the created universe.
But go to Revelation chapter 10. This is a fabulous chapter. A strong angel comes down out of heaven. But the angel, this great strong angel who comes down and has a little book which represents the book that describes the judgment of God, and the angel, verse 5, "John sees standing on the sea and on the land...indicating that God's judgment is going to fall on the sea and the land as Revelation points out it does...and the angel swears by God." He identifies God, "Him who lives forever and ever." And further identifies God by this statement, "Who created heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it." Absolutely unmistakable.
Now finally in our moving through Scripture, Revelation 14. You know, when the Tribulation time comes and terrible, terrible judgments are going to come flying from the throne of God, you can see the war machine cranking up in Revelation 4 and 5, the war machine in heaven starts to crank up. Similar language to that in Ezekiel chapter 1 as God's war machine moved in the past, it will crank up to bring judgment in the future. But during the time when God pours out judgment, that seven-year period, particularly in the last three and a half years, at the same time the gospel will be preached. It will be preached by two witnesses mentioned in chapter 11. It will be preached also by the hundred and forty-four thousand Jews mentioned in chapter 7 and later on as well.
But there's one other great preacher that is identified in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, verse 6, "I saw another angel flying in mid heaven." You've seen messages when you were at the football game pulled by the little airplane that flew across and had the banner, you've seen messages put on the side of a blimp, well that's sort of the idea, but not quite. You have here a flying angel in mid heaven and he's got the eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and every nation and tribe and tongue and people...that's pretty exciting stuff. If you want to know the gospel, just look up.
And this is what the angel preaches, here's the everlasting gospel. This is the same message that's always been preached. It's never changed. "Fear God and give Him glory." Beloved, that is the message. "Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come and worship Him who...Him who...what?...made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water, the creator...the creator." The eternal good news is fear God and worship Him, that's the good news of salvation that God can be reverenced and God can be worshiped, God can be glorified. The sinner can come and be brought into a capacity to know God and to adore God and to glorify God through the forgiveness of sins. The angel will preach the age-old gospel and the age-old gospel is this, folks, the Creator has become our Redeemer...the Creator has become our Redeemer.
The same God who created in the end will be bringing judgment in anticipation of His recreation. This is the constant identification of Scripture that the Creator is the Redeemer, that the Redeemer is none other than the Creator who created absolutely everything.
I can't...I can't leave out Nehemiah because it sums it up. Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 5, all these Levites get together and they say, "Rise and bless the Lord your God forever and ever. O may Thy glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise...listen to this...Thou alone...here's their praise...Thou alone art the Lord, Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Thou does give life to all of them. And the heavenly host bows down before Thee, Thou art the Lord."
That's how it is always in Scripture...always. God is given full credit and full glory for the creation. How did He do it? Psalm 33, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of His mouth all their host." He just spoke, verse 9, and it was done. He commanded and it was established, Psalm 33.
There are two great passages in the book of Acts in which Paul makes this so abundantly clear. In Acts 15 and verse 15. There Paul and Barnabas are preaching in the pagan environment at Lystra where the people worshiped the typical gods of the day. And they say to the people, "We are men of the same nature as you and we preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God." What God? "The God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them."
It was on Mars Hill in Acts 17 that Paul ran into the philosophers. They had established an altar to the unknown god just in case they left somebody out in their pantheon of deities. So he said, "Let me tell you about the God you don't know. I'll tell you about Him." Verse 24, "He's the God who made the world and all things in it." That's who He is. He's the God who made the world and all things in it. You know, it's not as if this is some obscure statement, right? Every time you come to these passages it's comprehensive and it is exclusive of any evolutionary process. God created everything and everything that exists God created. Scripture repeatedly identifies God as the creator.
Now with all that in your mind let's go back to Genesis 1:1. This simple statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Folks, you either believe that or you don't. Given that statement and the multiplicity of other statements that I just read to you, if you don't believe this then you have a lot of other things in the Bible not to believe.
You know, it really wearies me to hear the critics assault the Bible. Flying in late last night I read an absolutely ridiculous article in US News and World Report about the Apostle Paul which totally misrepresented the Word of God, misrepresented him and were the foolish musings of Christ-denying and godless men. And they do the same thing to the book of Genesis. And some of it...and they all pass themselves off as religious scholars.
"It is widely held that the Genesis creation account needs to be taken not as literal history, but that it is some kind of Hebrew poetry that is allegorical." Well if that's true then you're going to have to allegorize all those passages, too.
But this is the scholarly approach. "Well, we don't take this as actual history here, that God actually created in six days. This is Hebrew poetry."
Douglas Kelly(?) who has written an absolutely outstanding book to which I shall be continually indebted in this series, called Creation or Change, says, "Many biblical interpreters have attempted to avoid the obvious conflict between a straightforward reading of the text of Genesis and opposing naturalist theories of origins. They have done so by suggesting that Genesis chapters 1 through 11 and especially the first three chapters are poetic writings rather than chronological history. This position is surprisingly common among people who generally hold to a high view of scriptural authority." That's pretty amazing.
The great scholar of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, I cut my teeth on many of his writings as a student, Edward J. Young, an authority of frankly massive erudition in Hebrew and cognate languages, responds to these claims that Genesis 1 to 3 is poetry rather than serious history. Edward Young addressed the question in his writing, Is Genesis Poetry or Myth?, and this is what he said. "To escape from the plain factual statements of Genesis some evangelicals are saying that the early chapters of Genesis are poetry or myth by which they mean that they are not to be taken as straightforward accounts and that the acceptance of such a view removes the difficulties. To adopt such a view, they say, removes all troubles with modern science."
Then Young says, "Genesis is not poetry. There are more poetical accounts of creation in the Bible, such as Psalm 104, certain chapters of Job, and they differ completely from the first chapter of Genesis. Hebrew poetry has certain characteristics and they are not found in the first chapter of Genesis. So the claim that Genesis 1 is poetry is no solution at all. The man who says, "I believe Genesis purports to be a historical count, but I do not believe that account,' is a far-better interpreter of the Bible than the man who says, 'I believe Genesis is profoundly true, but it is poetry,'" end quote.
So, don't give us any of that nonsense about poetry, just say you don't believe it. That's a better approach. Genesis 1 is not written according to the laws of Hebrew poetry. You can find lots of passages in the Old Testament that are, this isn't. There are no usages of the typical, traditional types of parallelism that occur in Hebrew poetry. And Douglas Kelly says, "No amount of exegetical straining can find the slightest poetic view of Genesis 1 to 11 in the books of the New Testament. If it was poetry, we would expect the New Testament writers to assume that it was poetry and to treat it as poetry. But when you read the New Testament writers commenting on Genesis, it is obvious that they take it as history."
Henry Morris summarizes the New Testament usage of the Old in this way. He says, "The New Testament is, if anything, even more dependent on Genesis than the Old. There are at least 165 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament. Many of them are alluded to more than once so that there are at least 200 quotations or reference to Genesis in the New Testament. It is significant that the portion of Genesis which has been the object of the greatest attacks of skepticism and unbelief, the first eleven chapters, is the portion which had the greatest influence on the New Testament. There exists over 100 quotations or direct references to Genesis 1 through 11 in the New Testament. Furthermore, every one of those eleven chapters is alluded to somewhere in the New Testament, and every one of the New Testament authors refers somewhere in his writings to Genesis 1 to 11." Every New Testament author. "On at least six different occasions Jesus Christ Himself quoted from or referred to something or someone in one of those eleven chapters," six different times, "including specific references to each of the first seven chapters.
"Furthermore, in not one of these many instances where the Old or New Testament refers to Genesis is there the slightest evidence that the writers regarded the events or personages as myths or allegories. To the contrary, they all viewed Genesis as absolutely historical true and authoritative," end quote. Thank you, Henry, that's good stuff.
Walter Brown lists some 71 New Testament references to the early chapters of Genesis and concludes, here's his conclusion, "Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis, everyone. Jesus Christ referred to each of the first seven chapters of Genesis. All New Testament books except Galatians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 2 & 3 John refer to Genesis 1 to 11. Every chapter of Genesis 1 to 11 except chapter 8 is referred to specifically somewhere in the New Testament. Every New Testament writer apparently accepted those early chapters as historically accurate."
Now if you go back to the book of Genesis, for a moment, the outline of Genesis further supports the historicity of the first chapters, and I'll kind of end with this..ha-ha. I've got the best stuff ahead of me here. But if you just outline the book of Genesis, chapters 1 to 11, primitive history; chapters 12 to 50 patriarchal history, that's where Abraham, Isaac and all the way through to Joseph, Jacob and Joseph. You have primitive history, creation, fall, flood, dispersion. You have patriarchal history, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. It's very well divided. Nobody will argue that 12 to 50 is history. Why do they argue that 1 to 11 is history? They really don't want to argue that the Flood was not history because there are so many evidences of it. They don't necessarily want to argue that the dispersion, Tower of Babel and the nations and the language, is not history either. There has to be some explanation for the diversity of languages and nations.
What they really want to argue with has to do with the first three chapters of Genesis and what they are most concerned to argue with is creation. They think that science has made its point and debunked the Bible. But Genesis is history. Primitive history, 1 to 11; patriarchal history, 12 to 50.
In fact, I give you a little fast...this is a fast lesson in Genesis. Look at chapter 5. The word "generation" is "genealogy," history...history. Chapter 5 verse 1, "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam." Chapter 6 verse 9, "These are the records of the genealogy of Noah." Chapter 10 verse 1, "These are the records of the genealogy of Shem, Ham and Japheth." Chapter 11 verse 10, "These are the records of the generations of Shem." Verse 27, "These are the records of the generations of Terah." Chapter 25, I think that's the next one, and verse 12, yes, "These are the records of the generations of Ishmael." Verse 19, "These are the records of the generations of Isaac." And so it goes. Chapter 36, "These are the records of the generation, or genealogies of Esau." Verse 9, "These are the records of the generations of Esau," again indicated. Chapter 37 verse 2, "These are the records of the generations of Jacob."
You can just divide this entire book into historical records. That's what it is. If you go backwards, you go from the history of Joseph to Jacob to Esau to Isaac to Ishmael to Abraham to Terah to Shem, Ham, Japheth, Noah, Adam, God. That's how it goes. It's history. It's ludicrous when there are so many clear-cut statements that this is history to make the history part that has to do with God myth.
Well, that's enough. There's more next time. I'll get to verse 1. Let's pray together.
Strengthen our faith, Lord, through this and our trust and confidence in You and Your greatness. We praise You that You are the Creator/Redeemer. That's who You are and that's how You want to be known and worshiped and glorified. We praise You for Your creation and Your redemption. Amen.
© 1997 Grace to You
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Selected Scriptures
by John MacArthur
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We are continuing our series tonight on the subject of origins: creation or evolution. I know that there are some who are new with us tonight and some who have missed some of the prior messages, so let me just give a brief review and I'll try to make it brief and concise because I have so much that I want to say and I'm glad I have a full hour to say it tonight.
But I want to begin by saying this, and I guess this sort of establishes the premise of everything I say. Evolution is an impossibility. If you remember that you'll understand that we're left with no alternative but creation. Evolution cannot occur.
And we have been examining why in the last couple of messages. We have been discussing the impossibility of evolution, particularly from the viewpoint of information theory. And I've been telling you that every living thing has a DNA code, every living organism has a genetic code programmed with the exact information to produce, preserve and repair that living thing. It has no less than that necessary information and no more than that necessary information.
The genes in every organism limit that organism to what it is. It cannot be less than it is, and it cannot be more than it is. There is no genetic information to transform it into something other than what it is.
The Bible talks about kinds of living things that can reproduce after their own kind. And that essentially is saying the same thing. There can be variations within a kind, but not anything beyond that.
Science has tried to tell us that evolution is a process called mutation, that living organisms have the capacity to mutate...simply means to change. But you need to understand this, mutations do not change the nature or the kind of any living organism. They don't make it anything other than it is. What mutations involve, and this is important, is always a loss of existing information. There is never a gain of information. Mutations never add new genetic information. Mutations therefore do not work toward an upward evolutionary process. Mutations are not a mechanism for upward evolutionary process.
Dr. Werner Gitt(?), a director and professor at the German Federal Institute of Physics and Technology, answered this question...can new information originate in a living organism through mutations? And this is his response, and I quote: "Mutations can only cause changes in existing information. There can be no increase in information and in general the result of mutations is injurious. New blueprints for new functions or new organs cannot arise. Mutations cannot be the source of new information," end quote.
Honest scientists must admit that all of life had to be designed individually by an immense intelligent mind that programmed everything. Now when you think about the complexity of this, it is absolutely staggering. Just think about the human brain, for a moment. The human brain is more complex than a 747, for example. A 747 is made up of six million components. Can you imagine a 747 evolving out of a scrap pile of metal? It's absolutely ridiculous.
The more science looks at life, the more complex it becomes. The body, for example, is made up of trillions of cells. In just one of those cells, one out of trillions, the amount of information, the amount of genetic information in one of those cells has been estimated to fill at least one thousand books of 500 pages. That's to run one cell out of trillions in one human body. And most scientists think that is an underestimation of the complexity. Where did all this information come from? Better, from whom did all this information come?
To make evolution the answer is ridiculous. To make chance the energy is also ridiculous, so ridiculous as to qualify someone for a trip to the mental institution. Why then do scientists continue to advocate this ridiculous theory of evolution motivated by chance? Why do they do that?
Well, the bottom line is they do it to avoid God. They do that to push God out of their lives, to avoid His law, to avoid His standards, to avoid His will, to avoid His Word and to avoid His judgment on their lives. Evolution is nothing more than what Henry Morris so aptly called it, "The long war against God."
Evolution is the contemporary expression of the long war against God. The Old Testament says the fool has said in his heart there is no God. That is foolish. It is not rational to reject a creator. It is not rational to empower chance. It is not rational to assume that one kind of living organism can become another. It is not wise to reject God's law and God's Word and God's gospel.
If it is neither rational nor wise, then why do men do it? And the answer is that men do it because they love sin and they love darkness because their deeds are evil. They love themselves and they love their sin and they refuse to worship God or submit to His Word or His law. They will not recognize Scripture. And by the way, Scripture shows us that what is in God's world is in God's Word. All we know about creation from nothing is what the creator has told us and the only place He's told us is in the Scripture. Evolution is a war on God. It is the sort of contemporary fight, the contemporary modern attack in the long, long war that Satan has carried on against God.
In 1989 scientist Henry Morris wrote an excellent book called, The Long War Against God. And in that book he shows the impact of evolutionary theory on the world. And he reveals the irrefutable fact that the almost universe belief in evolution that permeates every area of human thinking has effected every area of human life. Not just how we view the physical world, not just how we view the biological sciences, it has effected social sciences, it has effected behavioral sciences, it has effected psychology, it has effected the humanities, it has effected liberal arts, it has effected philosophy and it has even effected religion.
Quoting Henry Morris he says this, "Evolution's lie permeates and dominates modern thought in every field. That being the case, it follows inevitably that evolutionary thought is basically responsible for the lethally ominous political developments and the chaotic moral and social disintegrations that have been accelerating everywhere," end quote.
He goes on in his book to show how everything from genocide to fornication to homosexuality to abortion, to all matters of the destruction of human dignity, not seeing man as made in the image of God, to crime, to drugs and everything else is all a part of the result of a materialistic, humanistic universe without God. So, says Morris, evolution is nothing more than the pervasive modern version of the conflict of the ages, the long war against God.
Evolution is empty philosophy. It is vain deceit. It is designed to attack the creator and His glory. It denies His glorious revelation in Scripture. It denies His authority over the universe of man. It denies the dignity of man. It denies the image of God in man. It is a cunningly devised fable. It is religious harlotry. It is the latest abomination of the earth spawned by the father of lies, Satan. Now if I could have said it any stronger I would have.
You see, the world has always believed the deceiver. The world has always believed the liar Satan and joined him in his long war against God. The story of the history of the nations of the world, the cyclical story of how the world repeats its same demise is given us in Romans chapter 1. I want you to look at it. This is a very familiar chapter. I know that and I'm not going to stay here very long. But I do need to remind you that this chapter, chapter 1 of Romans, verses 18 and following, lay out how the scenario of the long war against God is played over and over and over. And what you have here is the history, the cyclical history of what happens in the nations of the world throughout the history of the world.
Verse 18 says, "The wrath of God is revealed and it's revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth." Now the truth is obvious. The truth about a creator is obvious. The truth about a God who is a person because we are persons is obvious. The truth about a God who is moral because we have a moral sense and a moral conscience is obvious. The truth about a God who has established and right and wrong is obvious because it's in the fabric of our life. The truth that there is a creator, a first cause for this massive effect called the universe is obvious because rationality is built on cause and effect and leads you back ultimately to the first cause. Men suppress the truth.
Verse 19 says, "That which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them." And He did that by giving them reason and reason says...reason is basically a sequence of cause and effect patterns. Anytime you do research you work on cause and effect. Anytime you come to understand a principle, you understand it because there's a cause and effect relationship, there's a sequence of things that builds to a conclusion. That's rationality. Reason is the ability to link things together to come to right conclusions. And God has put in to the mind of man rationality so that he can rationally go back to the fact that there had to be a first cause. That leads him back to God.
And then God is poured into the heart of man as Romans 2 says, "Law, moral law, written by God on the heart." And so verse 19 says what is known about God is evident within them, that God is, according to verse 20, the creator of the world. You can look at the creation of the world and see His invisible attributes. You can look at creation and you know that God is powerful. You can look at creation and you know that God is intelligent beyond comprehension. You can look at creation and know that the mind of God is so massively and vastly and infinitely complex as to be absolutely incomprehensible to our puny brains. You can look at creation and you can know that God loves beauty and order. You can look at creation and see that God has a delicate touch, at the same time God has a powerful, almost overbearing, touch that can kill and crush. You can see so much about His attributes.
You can see His goodness manifest in the rain and the sunshine and the food we enjoy and the beauty of the world around us. And the love that He's poured into life and the wonder of romance and the blessing of children and the exhilarating joy of adventure. You can see that God is a God of beauty and kindness and goodness.
So much can be known about His eternal power and divine nature. So much can be known, verse 20 says, that if you don't see God in this and you don't come to recognize Him for who He is, you're without excuse. The creation is not intended to point you back to a one-celled thing in some primordial soup. It's intended to point you back to God and it's intended to show you everything about the mind of God and nothing about some imaginary evolutionary process empowered by chance.
Any view like that, any progressive creationistic view, any theistic evolutionary view strikes a blow at the intention of God in creation to manifest His great power. It isn't that God is some one-dimensional God, as the theistic evolution would...evolutionist would tell us, He sort of launched it all and then evolution took over. That doesn't give glory to God, that gives glory to the survival of the fittest, which is a viewpoint invented by Charles Darwin and his friends to explain appearances when they didn't know things that they know today that contradict all of that. God is not glorified, God is not honored when we give evolution the credit for creation, when we give evolution the credit for the complexity of the universe, the complexity of the smallest, smallest microcosm of creation or when we give evolution the credit for the macrocosm of creation. God is honored and God is glorified when we give Him the credit for all of it.
Verse 21 indicates that rationality and morality built into the fabric of human life, rationality and morality take us to God. It's inevitable. And so he says in 21, "Even though they knew God," I mean there was nowhere else to go but to God, but typically what they do, is, "they don't honor Him as God, they do not thank Him for His creation but they become empty in their speculations." They trade in God for stupid speculations. "And then their foolish heart becomes dark." The light goes out. "And they profess themselves to be wise," and they get Ph.D.'s and they write books, and they are actually fools...fools with a garbled, impossible, incoherent, irrational viewpoint. They call it wisdom, God calls it folly.
And therefore, verse 23 says, "They literally steal the glory of the incorruptible God." They turn from the incorruptible God, the supernatural God, the God who is bigger than His creation, who is outside His creation and in God's place they substitute an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. They worship the creation instead of the creator, verse 25 says. They exchange the truth of God and they believe the lie, Satan's lie that perpetuates the long war against God and they worship and serve the creature. That's what evolutionists do. They literally believe that the creature is the creator, don't they? Sure they do.
But, you know, this is exactly what Romans says. They threw wisdom away and accepted stupidity and folly because their foolish heart was darkened, their speculations were empty and futile and useless because they had turned their backs on the only rational explanation for anything, which was God, because they didn't want God crowding them with His moral standards. They began to worship the birds and the animals and they served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever, amen.
And so, you know what? God gave them up. Gave them up to sexual sin, homosexuality and every other kind of sin that he lists in verse 28 to 32. That's the way it goes, they just plunged into the depth of horrible iniquity. That's...that's the real story of where evolution comes from. It's part of the long war against God. And if we had time I'd quote you voluminous quotes from evolutionists who give such blasphemous and mocking statements about God. There's no need to listen to those.
The Bible, on the other hand, clearly and repeatedly states that God is the creator of everything...everything. Let me just show you this and I'm going to take a little time with this because it's so important to understand this. Genesis 1:1 says it, it can't be said any more clearly or comprehensively, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." That's very clear and unmistakable. John 1, "In the beginning was the Word...referring to Christ...and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...now listen to this...all things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." Now how else can you say it? There's no evolution in John 1:3, "All things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being...listen...nothing is in existence that He didn't create."
In Hebrews chapter 11, a familiar verse, "By faith...it's the only way, not by empirical analysis...by faith we understand." In other words, you have to believe the Bible. "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God, that God spoke and everything was created, now listen to this, "so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." Now there is an absolute statement that totally discounts evolution. What you see in the created world was not made out of some other material, "But rather everything you see in God's created universe was made by Him out of nothing...out of nothing." And that's exactly what it says in the book of Genesis. That's a great verse, Hebrews 11:3.
Colossians 1:16, speaking of Christ who is God the creator, verse 16, "For by Him all things were created." You notice how many times the Scripture repeats the word all? "All things were created." What do you mean by that? Well, "In the heavens," that would be everything that exists in the universe, everything. "And on the earth," everything in our little microcosm, this earth, everything outside this earth and everything on this earth He created, everything. And listen to this, "Visible and invisible." You can see a mountain, He made it. You can't see the wind, but He made it. You can see an ocean, He made it. You can't see an electric current going through the air but He made it. Visible and invisible and that includes angelic beings called thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities, all things, repeating it again, have been created by Him and for Him. I mean, this is absolutely beyond question...beyond question.
And as you flow through the Bible it is relentless in its affirmation of this truth. In Deuteronomy 4:32, "Indeed, ask now concerning the former days...Moses says...which were before you since the day that God created man on the earth." There was a day when God created man on the earth. He is not the final stop in a multi-billion year process of evolution. There was a day, we know it to be the sixth day as Genesis tells, when God created the earth.
In Psalms, and I can't take you to all of the Psalms that extol God as creator, but Psalm 104 is a good illustration of this. Psalm 104, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain." You know, the ridiculous...the ridiculous irrational perspective of evolution only tries to solve the question of how life generated on earth, how in the world do they hope to explain how you get an infinite universe? God stretched it out. Verse 3, "He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, He makes the clouds His chariot, He walks on the wings of the wind, He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers." Verse 5, "He established the earth upon its foundation so that it will not totter forever and ever. Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment." He made the oceans, He made the earth. The Psalm goes on like that. He put the springs in the valleys, verse 10 says. It was He who made the wild animals and the birds. He's the one that caused the grass to grow, verse 14. And so it goes all the way to verse 24, "O Lord, how many are Thy works?"
There's no credit here given to some irrational chance. Verse 24, "O Lord, how many are Thy works?" Listen to this, "In wisdom Thou hast made them...there's that word again...all." And the more we know scientifically, the deeper we penetrate into the incredible mysteries of this creation, the more wise the creator becomes. "The earth is full of Thy creatures...that's what that word is...the earth is full of Thy creatures." It goes on to talk about the sea great and broad in which are swarms without number, animals small and great, there the ships move along and Leviathan, the sea monster, the great whales goes on like this. Verse 31, "Let the glory of the Lord endure forever. Let the Lord be glad in His works." I mean, it's all His. He made it all, there's never any other explanation for it.
Psalm 148, "Praise the Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise the Lord in the heights, praise Him all His angels, praise Him all His hosts, praise Him sun and moon, praise Him all the stars of light, praise Him, highest heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord for He commanded and they were...what?...created."
The prophet Isaiah speaks of God's creative power in Isaiah chapter 40 verse 28. Boy, this is just a great verse, mark this one down. "Do you not know?...you want to say this to a world of evolutionists...do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired, His understanding is inscrutable." His mind is so far beyond us that we can't even begin to approach it. Again, Isaiah 42:5, "Thus says God the Lord...what God are you talking about, Isaiah?...the God who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, I am the Lord." Always the creator of everything.
In Isaiah 45, Isaiah is not through honoring God as creator. Verse 5, "I am the Lord, there is no other, beside me there is no God, I will gird you though you have not known Me that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me, I am the Lord and there is no other. I am the one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these. Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness, let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit and righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it." He's talking about what He's going to do in the great and glorious recreation of the earth in the Kingdom. It's His creation. He can do with it as He pleases when He pleases.
And verse 9, a warning to the evolutionists, "Woe to the one who quarrels with his maker." Look at verse 12, same chapter, "It is I who made the earth and created man upon it, I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their hosts." Look at verse 18, "For thus says the Lord who created the heavens, He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is none else."
Malachi the prophet emphasizes the same thing, God is the Father of us all. Malachi 2:10, "Do we not all have one Father? Has not one God created us?" Man is not the end of an evolutionary chain, he is the direct creation of God as is everything else.
Mark 10 and verse 6, "But from the beginning of creation...Jesus speaking...God made them male and female." God created man, He did not just evolve. In Mark chapter 13 verse 19, this emphasis...it just hammered home and I'm not giving you all the scriptures, but Mark...you think I am but I'm not...Mark 13:19, "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has no occurred since the beginning of the creation...and just in case you haven't learned it...which God created." The creation which God created...over and over and over this emphasis is made in Scripture. We saw it in the Old Testament prophets, I showed it to you there in the gospel of Mark. You have it in the epistles. Ephesians 3:9, "God who created all things." God who created all things.
The apostle Peter, along with Paul, makes the same emphasis. "Therefore...1 Peter 4:19...let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful creator." God is our faithful creator.
And then, of course, I want you to turn to Revelation because this is where everything sort of sums up. Revelation chapter 4 and let's go to heaven and see what heaven thinks about evolution. Verse 11, "Worthy art Thou, O Lord, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power." Why? "For Thou didst create all things and because of Thy will they existed and were created." Chapter 5, same emphasis is made, "God, the great and sovereign God, is the creator, His is the glory, His is the power, His is the dominion. He is the one who purchased from God men with His blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and all of heaven begins to ring with praise to God. To Him who sits on the throne, to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And finally verse 13, "Every created thing," and that's all there are, there aren't evolved things, they're just created things. It doesn't say every created thing and all the mutated things. "Every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and everywhere," this is the...this is the redemption of all the created universe.
But go to Revelation chapter 10. This is a fabulous chapter. A strong angel comes down out of heaven. But the angel, this great strong angel who comes down and has a little book which represents the book that describes the judgment of God, and the angel, verse 5, "John sees standing on the sea and on the land...indicating that God's judgment is going to fall on the sea and the land as Revelation points out it does...and the angel swears by God." He identifies God, "Him who lives forever and ever." And further identifies God by this statement, "Who created heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it." Absolutely unmistakable.
Now finally in our moving through Scripture, Revelation 14. You know, when the Tribulation time comes and terrible, terrible judgments are going to come flying from the throne of God, you can see the war machine cranking up in Revelation 4 and 5, the war machine in heaven starts to crank up. Similar language to that in Ezekiel chapter 1 as God's war machine moved in the past, it will crank up to bring judgment in the future. But during the time when God pours out judgment, that seven-year period, particularly in the last three and a half years, at the same time the gospel will be preached. It will be preached by two witnesses mentioned in chapter 11. It will be preached also by the hundred and forty-four thousand Jews mentioned in chapter 7 and later on as well.
But there's one other great preacher that is identified in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, verse 6, "I saw another angel flying in mid heaven." You've seen messages when you were at the football game pulled by the little airplane that flew across and had the banner, you've seen messages put on the side of a blimp, well that's sort of the idea, but not quite. You have here a flying angel in mid heaven and he's got the eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and every nation and tribe and tongue and people...that's pretty exciting stuff. If you want to know the gospel, just look up.
And this is what the angel preaches, here's the everlasting gospel. This is the same message that's always been preached. It's never changed. "Fear God and give Him glory." Beloved, that is the message. "Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come and worship Him who...Him who...what?...made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water, the creator...the creator." The eternal good news is fear God and worship Him, that's the good news of salvation that God can be reverenced and God can be worshiped, God can be glorified. The sinner can come and be brought into a capacity to know God and to adore God and to glorify God through the forgiveness of sins. The angel will preach the age-old gospel and the age-old gospel is this, folks, the Creator has become our Redeemer...the Creator has become our Redeemer.
The same God who created in the end will be bringing judgment in anticipation of His recreation. This is the constant identification of Scripture that the Creator is the Redeemer, that the Redeemer is none other than the Creator who created absolutely everything.
I can't...I can't leave out Nehemiah because it sums it up. Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 5, all these Levites get together and they say, "Rise and bless the Lord your God forever and ever. O may Thy glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise...listen to this...Thou alone...here's their praise...Thou alone art the Lord, Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Thou does give life to all of them. And the heavenly host bows down before Thee, Thou art the Lord."
That's how it is always in Scripture...always. God is given full credit and full glory for the creation. How did He do it? Psalm 33, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made and by the breath of His mouth all their host." He just spoke, verse 9, and it was done. He commanded and it was established, Psalm 33.
There are two great passages in the book of Acts in which Paul makes this so abundantly clear. In Acts 15 and verse 15. There Paul and Barnabas are preaching in the pagan environment at Lystra where the people worshiped the typical gods of the day. And they say to the people, "We are men of the same nature as you and we preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God." What God? "The God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them."
It was on Mars Hill in Acts 17 that Paul ran into the philosophers. They had established an altar to the unknown god just in case they left somebody out in their pantheon of deities. So he said, "Let me tell you about the God you don't know. I'll tell you about Him." Verse 24, "He's the God who made the world and all things in it." That's who He is. He's the God who made the world and all things in it. You know, it's not as if this is some obscure statement, right? Every time you come to these passages it's comprehensive and it is exclusive of any evolutionary process. God created everything and everything that exists God created. Scripture repeatedly identifies God as the creator.
Now with all that in your mind let's go back to Genesis 1:1. This simple statement, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Folks, you either believe that or you don't. Given that statement and the multiplicity of other statements that I just read to you, if you don't believe this then you have a lot of other things in the Bible not to believe.
You know, it really wearies me to hear the critics assault the Bible. Flying in late last night I read an absolutely ridiculous article in US News and World Report about the Apostle Paul which totally misrepresented the Word of God, misrepresented him and were the foolish musings of Christ-denying and godless men. And they do the same thing to the book of Genesis. And some of it...and they all pass themselves off as religious scholars.
"It is widely held that the Genesis creation account needs to be taken not as literal history, but that it is some kind of Hebrew poetry that is allegorical." Well if that's true then you're going to have to allegorize all those passages, too.
But this is the scholarly approach. "Well, we don't take this as actual history here, that God actually created in six days. This is Hebrew poetry."
Douglas Kelly(?) who has written an absolutely outstanding book to which I shall be continually indebted in this series, called Creation or Change, says, "Many biblical interpreters have attempted to avoid the obvious conflict between a straightforward reading of the text of Genesis and opposing naturalist theories of origins. They have done so by suggesting that Genesis chapters 1 through 11 and especially the first three chapters are poetic writings rather than chronological history. This position is surprisingly common among people who generally hold to a high view of scriptural authority." That's pretty amazing.
The great scholar of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, I cut my teeth on many of his writings as a student, Edward J. Young, an authority of frankly massive erudition in Hebrew and cognate languages, responds to these claims that Genesis 1 to 3 is poetry rather than serious history. Edward Young addressed the question in his writing, Is Genesis Poetry or Myth?, and this is what he said. "To escape from the plain factual statements of Genesis some evangelicals are saying that the early chapters of Genesis are poetry or myth by which they mean that they are not to be taken as straightforward accounts and that the acceptance of such a view removes the difficulties. To adopt such a view, they say, removes all troubles with modern science."
Then Young says, "Genesis is not poetry. There are more poetical accounts of creation in the Bible, such as Psalm 104, certain chapters of Job, and they differ completely from the first chapter of Genesis. Hebrew poetry has certain characteristics and they are not found in the first chapter of Genesis. So the claim that Genesis 1 is poetry is no solution at all. The man who says, "I believe Genesis purports to be a historical count, but I do not believe that account,' is a far-better interpreter of the Bible than the man who says, 'I believe Genesis is profoundly true, but it is poetry,'" end quote.
So, don't give us any of that nonsense about poetry, just say you don't believe it. That's a better approach. Genesis 1 is not written according to the laws of Hebrew poetry. You can find lots of passages in the Old Testament that are, this isn't. There are no usages of the typical, traditional types of parallelism that occur in Hebrew poetry. And Douglas Kelly says, "No amount of exegetical straining can find the slightest poetic view of Genesis 1 to 11 in the books of the New Testament. If it was poetry, we would expect the New Testament writers to assume that it was poetry and to treat it as poetry. But when you read the New Testament writers commenting on Genesis, it is obvious that they take it as history."
Henry Morris summarizes the New Testament usage of the Old in this way. He says, "The New Testament is, if anything, even more dependent on Genesis than the Old. There are at least 165 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament. Many of them are alluded to more than once so that there are at least 200 quotations or reference to Genesis in the New Testament. It is significant that the portion of Genesis which has been the object of the greatest attacks of skepticism and unbelief, the first eleven chapters, is the portion which had the greatest influence on the New Testament. There exists over 100 quotations or direct references to Genesis 1 through 11 in the New Testament. Furthermore, every one of those eleven chapters is alluded to somewhere in the New Testament, and every one of the New Testament authors refers somewhere in his writings to Genesis 1 to 11." Every New Testament author. "On at least six different occasions Jesus Christ Himself quoted from or referred to something or someone in one of those eleven chapters," six different times, "including specific references to each of the first seven chapters.
"Furthermore, in not one of these many instances where the Old or New Testament refers to Genesis is there the slightest evidence that the writers regarded the events or personages as myths or allegories. To the contrary, they all viewed Genesis as absolutely historical true and authoritative," end quote. Thank you, Henry, that's good stuff.
Walter Brown lists some 71 New Testament references to the early chapters of Genesis and concludes, here's his conclusion, "Every New Testament writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis, everyone. Jesus Christ referred to each of the first seven chapters of Genesis. All New Testament books except Galatians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 2 & 3 John refer to Genesis 1 to 11. Every chapter of Genesis 1 to 11 except chapter 8 is referred to specifically somewhere in the New Testament. Every New Testament writer apparently accepted those early chapters as historically accurate."
Now if you go back to the book of Genesis, for a moment, the outline of Genesis further supports the historicity of the first chapters, and I'll kind of end with this..ha-ha. I've got the best stuff ahead of me here. But if you just outline the book of Genesis, chapters 1 to 11, primitive history; chapters 12 to 50 patriarchal history, that's where Abraham, Isaac and all the way through to Joseph, Jacob and Joseph. You have primitive history, creation, fall, flood, dispersion. You have patriarchal history, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. It's very well divided. Nobody will argue that 12 to 50 is history. Why do they argue that 1 to 11 is history? They really don't want to argue that the Flood was not history because there are so many evidences of it. They don't necessarily want to argue that the dispersion, Tower of Babel and the nations and the language, is not history either. There has to be some explanation for the diversity of languages and nations.
What they really want to argue with has to do with the first three chapters of Genesis and what they are most concerned to argue with is creation. They think that science has made its point and debunked the Bible. But Genesis is history. Primitive history, 1 to 11; patriarchal history, 12 to 50.
In fact, I give you a little fast...this is a fast lesson in Genesis. Look at chapter 5. The word "generation" is "genealogy," history...history. Chapter 5 verse 1, "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam." Chapter 6 verse 9, "These are the records of the genealogy of Noah." Chapter 10 verse 1, "These are the records of the genealogy of Shem, Ham and Japheth." Chapter 11 verse 10, "These are the records of the generations of Shem." Verse 27, "These are the records of the generations of Terah." Chapter 25, I think that's the next one, and verse 12, yes, "These are the records of the generations of Ishmael." Verse 19, "These are the records of the generations of Isaac." And so it goes. Chapter 36, "These are the records of the generation, or genealogies of Esau." Verse 9, "These are the records of the generations of Esau," again indicated. Chapter 37 verse 2, "These are the records of the generations of Jacob."
You can just divide this entire book into historical records. That's what it is. If you go backwards, you go from the history of Joseph to Jacob to Esau to Isaac to Ishmael to Abraham to Terah to Shem, Ham, Japheth, Noah, Adam, God. That's how it goes. It's history. It's ludicrous when there are so many clear-cut statements that this is history to make the history part that has to do with God myth.
Well, that's enough. There's more next time. I'll get to verse 1. Let's pray together.
Strengthen our faith, Lord, through this and our trust and confidence in You and Your greatness. We praise You that You are the Creator/Redeemer. That's who You are and that's how You want to be known and worshiped and glorified. We praise You for Your creation and Your redemption. Amen.
© 1997 Grace to You
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986
HE IS RISEN
HE IS RISEN
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, [the women who had come with Him from Galilee] came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"' --Luke 24:1-6
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God." --John 1:10-13
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. –Rom. 5:6
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'' –Rom. 10:9
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. –Eph. 2:4
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. –Rev. 3:20
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, [the women who had come with Him from Galilee] came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"' --Luke 24:1-6
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God." --John 1:10-13
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. –Rom. 5:6
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'' –Rom. 10:9
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. –Eph. 2:4
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. –Rev. 3:20
DEALING WITH HABITUAL SINS
DEALING WITH HABITUAL SINS
The following message was delivered at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, by John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 80-106, titled "Dealing with Habitual Sins." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.
I have made every effort to ensure that an accurate transcription of the original tape was made. Please note that at times sentence structure may appear to vary from accepted English conventions. This is due primarily to the techniques involved in preaching and the obvious choices I had to make in placing the correct punctuation in the article.
It is my intent and prayer that the Holy Spirit will use this transcription to strengthen and encourage the true Church of Jesus Christ.
Tony Capoccia
Dealing with Habitual Sins
Copyright 1993
By John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved.
Take your Bible and turn back to the text which I read earlier in Hebrews, chapter 12. As you know, this is a great and monumental Scripture; there is much here to be considered. In the brief time that we have as we anticipate sharing in the Lord's Table, I want to focus only on one phrase, just one phrase of great import--and that phrase is found in verse one. It says, "The sin which so easily entangles us."
I want to see if we can this morning talk about dealing with entangling
sin. It is the nature of man, even the nature of a believer, to be easily entangled in sin. It happens so easily, and frankly there are certain sins which more easily entangle each of us than other ones. Each of us, in our own lives, have certain propensities for specific kinds of sins. It can be because we have in the past life cultivated habits of sin which now plague us even after our salvation. It could be because in our spiritual weakness even after becoming Christians we continued to develop habits of certain types of sin; certain specific sins that now we find more easily than others do entangle us.
It is true of every Christian that we have certain sins that easily capture us, but it is also true in general that sin easily entangles us. Not all sins are what we could call our personal entangling sins or our personal besetting sins: our personal habitual sins; the sins which we commit and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and go on that way in our lives. Some sins fall under this category, but in general all sin seems to have sway with us. And maybe it will help you to understand why that is true if I just give you three very simple points about sin.
1. Sin has great power over our flesh.
The reason it so easily entangles us is because of its power, its strength, its force. It exerts strong influence on our will, it exerts strong influence on our emotions, it exerts strong influence on our affections. It rarely suggests things to us, it almost always commands them. It rarely leads, it most always pushes from the rear--drives, forces.
Galatians 5:17 says, "The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit. They are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things you please." The beach head that sin has with its power is our flesh, and sin exerts tremendous power, tremendous strength against our flesh. It is a very powerful force and it finds in our flesh a very willing ally, a very receptive environment.
2. Sin easily entangles us because it is so close.
More than just forcing its way from the outside powerfully on our flesh, it forces its way on our flesh, as it were, from within us--from within the very flesh. It is very close; in fact, it is in our being. You can become a monk and sit in a cave and you will still deal with sin. Jeremiah 13:23 says, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil." The point being: you can no more change the internal sinfulness that is a part of your life than the leopard can change his spots or the Ethiopian can change the color of his skin. It is a part of what you are. Sin is very powerful and finds a willing ally in your flesh because your flesh is fallen and your flesh itself has propensities towards sin. Sin is very close. Your heart, says Jeremiah 17:9, "is deceitful." It "is more deceitful than everything else and is desperately sick."
There is a third component that makes sin easily entangled into our lives and that is that:
3. Sin does not remain separate but it mingles in all our motives and all our actions. Sin is powerful. Sin is near, in that it is in us. And it isn't categorically separated. You can't draw a line and say "Well, this is where my righteousness ends and this is where my sinfulness begins." It has a way of weaving itself into the fabric of all our duties, and all our motives, and all our thoughts, and all our actions. It entangles itself with our purposes, and our plans; in fact, even your best deed. Even your best deed is not unmixed with sin. It is tangled up in our lives. In Romans 7, Paul cries out, "Oh, wretched man that I am!" Why? Because no matter how I try, I cannot disentangle myself from sin.
So sin is powerful, and sin is near--even within us, and sin does not
separate itself but is mingled into everything. It is interwoven with
everything in our lives. The best that we do is somehow corrupted in some way--large or small by a taint of self-will, or self-pleasure, or self-aggrandizement, or self-righteousness, or self-gain, or whatever. And so we become easily entangled, and as I said, there are certain sins that more easily entangle us, each of us, than others do. But if we are going to be the kind of Christians God would want us to be this verse says, "Let us lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us." Put it aside; put it away.
Now the question comes, "How do we do that?" It is not the first time we have been commanded to do that:
2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh."
Ephesians 4:22 says, "Laying aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit."
Romans 6:12 says, "Don't let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts."
1 Peter 2:1 says, "Lay aside all evil." Verse 11, "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul."
So we are very often told to set this aside. The question comes, "How do we do that?" From a practical standpoint we know, yes, it is the work of the Spirit and if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We give all the credit for this to the divine Holy Spirit and yet there is a responsibility that is ours as we yield to the Spirit. How can I lay this aside? Before I answer that question let me suggest to you that this is an appropriate moment to be discussing this.
I suppose that it would be typical for many Christians, if not most, to
come to the Lord's Table and confess their sins, in order that they might partake of this table and not bring judgment upon themselves as Paul warned us. So we tend to come here, perhaps, with our accumulated sin from the last time that we had communion, or the last time we seriously confessed our sin, but with really very little change in the pattern of sinning; and that's because while we want to confess our sins and have the confidence that He is faithful and just to forgive them, we don't take the steps, the necessary steps to so live that every time we come there is a decreased load of sin--the list is a little shorter because we're dealing with it on a day to day basis. We are laying it aside; we are not just accumulating it at the same rate, dumping it all, as it were, on Christ, receiving His forgiveness in those great moments of confession, but seeing no diminishing pattern of sin in the day to day routine of our life.
So let us then, this day as we come to unburden ourselves of the
accumulated sin and confess it and make our hearts right with God, also
make a covenant, also make steps of commitment to start out a new pattern of life in which we will take strides, take the necessary strides to lay sin aside. A preventative act, not simply a remedial act of confession.
Let me give you some principles that will assist you in laying aside sin.
1. Don't underestimate the seriousness of your sin.
I think the major reason we don't deal with sin strongly and firmly is
because we underestimate its seriousness--to God, to God, to us, to those with whom we fellowship, to the church, to the unbelievers. Our sin steals joy; our sin ruins fellowship with God; our sin diminishes fruitfulness; our sin robs us of peace; our sin renders our service useless; our sin mitigates against our effectiveness in evangelism; our sin hinders our prayers; our sin brings the discipline of God. We need to understand the seriousness of our sin. It violates first and foremost our relationship with the Lord.
One of the most tragic days in the history of England was August 17, 1662. A tragic day because it was the last day for certain pastors to be able to preach to their congregations before they were exiled. Some of them lost their lives, some of them were exiled out of England to other countries.
What precipitated this was something called the Act of Conformity. Through the years there had been developing in England a group of preachers and a group of churches that were called Non-conformists because they did not subscribe to all of the ritual and ceremony of the Church of England, nor did they confine their worship to the Book of Common Prayer. They were more concerned about Biblical Christianity; they were more concerned about teaching proper doctrine; they were more concerned about worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth and so they were known as Non-conformists. Many of you would know them as Puritans.
They did not conform to the strictures of the Church of England, which of course had neglected the Word of God and the gospel for the most part, and so a law was passed making them illegal. Twenty-five hundred of their ministers were exiled--forbidden to preach. Three-thousand non-conformists were killed and 60,000 families were disrupted. It all came to focus on August 17, 1662 because that was the last Sunday when these Non-conformist preachers could preach in their churches. For the last two weeks I have been reading a book called "Farewell Sermons." It is a compilation of 24 of the sermons preached on that day. Sermons from a pastor who would never see his people again: some of them died in exile; some of them later came back. But this was the end of their ministry and this terrible, terrible thing was being done, this terrible act of persecution and they were being dispossessed. The churches were losing them as their pastors; there was going to be none to replace them and they were being shipped off to exile.
It is very interesting to see their approach, to hear their sermons, to see and hear what was really on their hearts. None of the sermons which I have read so far were self serving. None of them condemned, really, the government for what it did. None of them were vengeful or retaliatory.
There was a common thread in all of them. All of them sort of were along this line: "This is the will of God. We accept the will of God. We gladly suffer with Christ and our greatest concern is what happens to you."
One of the sermons struck me as extremely powerful, preached by a man named Calamy. He made one statement in this sermon that struck me; he said to his people, "You have experienced a calamity. This is a calamitous thing; this is a calamitous event," but then he said this, "There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest calamity." "There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest calamity." Then he later said, "There is more evil in the least sin then in the greatest misery." That is profound.
You look at your life and generally speaking you are distressed about your calamities and you are distressed about your miseries, but you are tolerant about your sins. You do not understand what that man understood: "There is more evil in the least sin than the greatest calamity." A calamity, a certain misery is not necessarily sin. Sin is sin. Treat your sin seriously--it dishonors God; it abuses mercy; it despises grace; it presumes on forgiveness; it defiles worship, service, and fellowship. It stains, and taints, and poisons, and destroys everything good and holy.
Secondly, another principle that is necessarily understood if you are to lay aside sin:
2. Strongly purpose and promise God not to sin.
Take a solemn vow and say, "God, I do not want to sin. I don't want to
break Your law, I don't want to grieve Your Spirit, I don't want to
dishonor the Name of Your Son which I bear." The Psalmist did that in Psalm 119:106, "I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances." Unless you have that kind of resolution in your life, you will find it more easy to be entangled by sin. In fact, I believe that it is that kind of heart purpose, it is that kind of bold affirmation that is at the root of all holy living, and until you make that kind of conscious commitment to the Lord, you are going to battle the same things over and over and be defeated.
There is a great verse, verse 32, in the same Psalm, Psalm 119, "I shall run the way of Thy commandments, for Thou will enlarge my heart." It is a very beautiful picture, "I shall run the way of Thy commandments, for Thou will enlarge my heart." What it means is, I am going to run in the way of obedience because I have a heart to do that. It starts in the heart. It is like a runner--very good illustration. A great runner, a long-distance runner, an endurance runner, a marathoner, very often has an enlarged heart muscle because of the tremendous development of his running ability and the strengthening of his heart to keep pumping all that is needed to that body as it pushes itself beyond normal limits. A great runner can run the way he runs because his heart is enlarged, and the Psalmist is saying, "I will
run in the way of Your commandments because You have enlarged my heart.
You have given me a heart for obedience." That's the kind of purpose that is absolutely essential.
There is a great difference, you see, between sin dwelling in us, and sin entertained by us. There is a great difference between sin remaining, and sin harbored, or sin preserved. To lay aside sin means to purpose and promise God to obey--a firm promise. I promise You, I will obey You!
There is a third component in this kind of commitment to lay aside sin, and it is this:
3. Be suspicious of your own spirituality.
Paul said it this way, "Let the one who stands take heed lest he fall."
Job 31:1, Job says, "I made a covenant with my eyes; how then can I gaze on a virgin?" He said, I have got to be careful where I look because I don't trust myself. I got to start with what I see because I don't trust myself. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." There is a certain watchfulness; you have to be watching for sin's subtle movements within your own supposed spirituality. Your heart is as I noted--desperately wicked, very deceitful, and Satan is desperately wicked and very deceitful. The seducing motions of your own heart can sometimes rise out of the moments of your most supposed spirituality. Be suspicious of your own spirituality--don't trust it. Understand that except for the grace of God you would fall into any and every sin--and you can be deceived so easily.
4. Resist the first risings of the flesh and its pleasures.
Don't try to stop the process near the end; stop it near the beginning. James notes for us a certain process: people are tempted when they are
carried away and enticed by their own lusts, "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin." Well, you want to stop it at the point of conception--not try to stop it at the point of birth. You want to stop sin at conception, not after it has been conceived and run through a certain period of pregnancy (if you will) and now is about to give birth to the sin. You don't try to stop it at that point. You resist and oppose the first risings of the flesh and it's pleasures. Sin comes to you promising pleasure. You remember at the very outset: my goal is not to please myself, but to please the Lord.
There is a fifth principle in this and that is:
5. Meditate on the Word.
There is a wonderful verse, verse 31 of Psalm 37, you probably should write this down. Psalm 37:31; it is a bit more obscure than some, but it really is very, very important. Listen to what it says, "The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip." When a heart is controlled by the Word, the steps don't slip. Another more familiar text dealing with this, and a wonderful one at that, is Psalm 119; and you remember that that Psalm begins in the very first part of those 176 verses with these words, down in verse 9 of Psalm 119, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" How can you lay aside sin? How can you win this battle? "By keeping it according to Thy word." By guarding it with Scripture.
It is the constant input of the Word of God that begins to fill up the mind and control the thinking, and that alone becomes the strength and resource in us that can resist the initial impulses of the flesh. "How can a young man keep his way pure?" By keeping his heart completely committed and guarded by the Word of God. Then in verse 10, "With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured (or hid, or kept) in my heart that I may not sin against Thee."
It is the Scripture that must be meditated on. Meditate on the Word of God. You are always studying the Word, studying the Word, learning the Word, learning the Word, meditating on the Word as you get the Word--so filling you up so that it, "Dwells in you richly," (Colossians 3:16). You will find that it controls you. And as you start into some kind of attitude of sin or some kind of act of sin, the Word of God will act as a restraint. When you feel the impulse of the truth you know, meditate on that, not on the enticings of the flesh and its pleasures. So watch for sin's subtleties and don't trust your own spirituality. Resist and oppose the first risings of the flesh and its desires to please itself, and meditate on the Word--the ingrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.
6. Be immediately repentant over your lapses.
It says in Matthew 26:75, that Peter, having obviously been aware of his sin at the crowing of the cock, "Went out and wept bitterly." There is something very admiral in that. We castigate, and rightly so, Peter for his defection, but we must also honor and respect him for his immediate--his immediate remorse. Be immediately repentant over your lapses and go back to the place of confession. Repentance isn't only saying, "I'm sorry Lord, forgive me." It is saying, "I'm sorry Lord, forgive me, and I don't want to ever do that again." That's the stuff of real repentance. If that third element isn't there then you're not fooling God about the genuineness or lack of genuineness.
When you confess your sins and when you say, "I'm sorry I did that, please forgive me--I don't ever want to do it again," name it--name it specifically. Let your own heart and even your own ears hear the naming of that sin, so that you develop in your heart a high degree of accountability with God for having named the very sin for which He is holding you accountable not to commit again. That's how you develop accountability; that's how you develop the fear of God. If you hold back from naming your sin, it's because you want to do that again; and it is bad enough to sin without having to be responsible for telling God you didn't want to do it and defying what you told Him. So you would rather sin only once, rather than twice; that's why you don't want to name your sin. Then you're guilty not only of sinning again but of being hypocritical before God.
True repentance will name the sin; specifically name the sin. Be immediately repentant over your lapses.
7. Continually pray for divine help.
Ephesians 6:18, after all the armor is put on and the battle against Satan and demons, after all of the warfare has been set and the battle is engaged against Satan and all of his forces, he says, "Praying always, with all prayer and supplication." Jesus said to His disciples, "Watch and pray for you know not when you are going to enter into the hour of temptation." "Devote yourself to prayer," (Colossians 4:2) "being alert in it." Don't fight the enemy on your own. When you engage the enemy--pray, plead with help.
But even in a preliminary sense, I really think anticipatory prayer is the most effective. You need to start your day, "Lord, this is the way you taught us to pray, 'Lead us not into. . . .'" What? "'temptation and deliver us from evil.' Lord, please, today lead me away from temptation--please, today Lord, deliver me from evil." You need to see the course of your prayers before the tempter arrives, before the flesh begins to rise and entice.
8. Establish relationships with other believers that hold you accountable.
"Bear you one another's burdens," says Paul in Galatians 6, "and so fulfill the law of Christ." We are all in the same boat folks. We all struggle the same way and we need each other. "If a man is caught in a "paraptoma" (a fall; a sin; a trespass), you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Each one look into yourself, lest you to be tempted. Bear one another's burdens." We are all in this together. It might be you going down this time; it might be me going down next time, but between the two of us, we are going to hold ourselves accountable for holy living. By the way, that is in my judgment, the greatest factor in a Christian marriage--is the intense, and intimate, and spiritual accountability with regard to sin that exists at that level. That is a very, very important reason for Christian marriage.
I believe that there ought to be in every single sense a high level of
spiritual accountability between a husband and a wife for every aspect of their life in that marriage. The most intimate knowledge of my spiritual life, apart from God Himself, is in the mind and heart of my wife. The most intimate knowledge of her spiritual life and her struggle as a Christian, apart from God Himself, is in my mind and heart. We know each other better than anybody in the world knows us. Therein lies the highest level of spiritual accountability--for me and for her. No one apart from God Himself holds me as accountable for what I am before you and before the Lord as she does, and vice versa, and that is what makes a Christian marriage really Christian and really distinctive.
That's the highest level of accountability. But beyond that there are
other relationships in which you engage that can be very, very strengthening for your own spiritual life. You want people around you who lift you up, not people around you who pull you down. You want people around, associated with you as friends and close coworkers, who will see your failures just like you will see theirs, love you in the process and lift you up and demand of you the highest standards.
How are you going to come to the place where you lay aside the sin that so easily entangles you, and especially those besetting sins which you tend to fall into over and over again? First of all, realize sin is powerful. It is near, even in you and it is intertwined with everything in your being. And in order to deal with it you must understand its seriousness; you must promise God not to sin; you must watch carefully for your own spiritual weaknesses; don't trust your spirituality. You must resist the first risings of sin in the flesh; you must meditate on the Word; you must be repentant immediately for the lapses that come; you must continue in prayer and dependence on God's power and establish intimate relationships of spiritual accountability.
I would say that there is no better place to start this kind of life
pattern than right here at the Lord's Table. We are here not only to unload the burden of sin we've accumulated for which we will be forgiven, but I hope we are here to start afresh in the new course that's going to bring us back here next time with a lighter load and a shorter list. Maybe the sum of it all is found here in Hebrews, chapter 12, in those wonderful and magnificent words, verse 2, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." Listen, He is one who in His striving against sin never fell. "He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet He was without sin." He never fell, He never succumbed; so, if you are going to look at somebody as a model--look at Him. He was striving with sin even to death and never fell. He's our model; He's our example.
So we are here to remember His death; we're here to ask His forgiveness,
and we're here to ask Him again, to be our example as we lay aside our sin and fix our eyes on Him to follow the path of victory over the sin that easily entangles us.
Let's bow together in prayer. Father, we thank you again that your Word speaks so pointedly and powerfully and directly to our hearts. We thank you that you have given us the resident Holy Spirit who can enable us to be obedient when we otherwise would not have the strength. Help us this morning to make the vows that we've learned about as we've considered entangling sin and how to deal with it. Help us to take these steps so that we can pursue the path of holiness and not need to be disciplined as often, so that we cannot miss the joy and the peace that should be ours, and the usefulness, and the worship, and fellowship, and ministry.
Now, as we come to this table we pray that as we think of the bread and the cup, we will remember what a price that our Lord paid for our sin. And we will take it seriously, as you do. We come to confess our sin and to renew our covenant to lay sin aside and to walk in a holy way. We now confess our sins, all of them, and ask you to wash us and make us clean. Forgive us every sin--known and unknown--every sin. Help us Lord not to do them again, but to walk in obedience.
Amen.
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The following message was delivered at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, by John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 80-106, titled "Dealing with Habitual Sins." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.
I have made every effort to ensure that an accurate transcription of the original tape was made. Please note that at times sentence structure may appear to vary from accepted English conventions. This is due primarily to the techniques involved in preaching and the obvious choices I had to make in placing the correct punctuation in the article.
It is my intent and prayer that the Holy Spirit will use this transcription to strengthen and encourage the true Church of Jesus Christ.
Tony Capoccia
Dealing with Habitual Sins
Copyright 1993
By John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved.
Take your Bible and turn back to the text which I read earlier in Hebrews, chapter 12. As you know, this is a great and monumental Scripture; there is much here to be considered. In the brief time that we have as we anticipate sharing in the Lord's Table, I want to focus only on one phrase, just one phrase of great import--and that phrase is found in verse one. It says, "The sin which so easily entangles us."
I want to see if we can this morning talk about dealing with entangling
sin. It is the nature of man, even the nature of a believer, to be easily entangled in sin. It happens so easily, and frankly there are certain sins which more easily entangle each of us than other ones. Each of us, in our own lives, have certain propensities for specific kinds of sins. It can be because we have in the past life cultivated habits of sin which now plague us even after our salvation. It could be because in our spiritual weakness even after becoming Christians we continued to develop habits of certain types of sin; certain specific sins that now we find more easily than others do entangle us.
It is true of every Christian that we have certain sins that easily capture us, but it is also true in general that sin easily entangles us. Not all sins are what we could call our personal entangling sins or our personal besetting sins: our personal habitual sins; the sins which we commit and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and then commit again, and then confess, and go on that way in our lives. Some sins fall under this category, but in general all sin seems to have sway with us. And maybe it will help you to understand why that is true if I just give you three very simple points about sin.
1. Sin has great power over our flesh.
The reason it so easily entangles us is because of its power, its strength, its force. It exerts strong influence on our will, it exerts strong influence on our emotions, it exerts strong influence on our affections. It rarely suggests things to us, it almost always commands them. It rarely leads, it most always pushes from the rear--drives, forces.
Galatians 5:17 says, "The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit. They are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things you please." The beach head that sin has with its power is our flesh, and sin exerts tremendous power, tremendous strength against our flesh. It is a very powerful force and it finds in our flesh a very willing ally, a very receptive environment.
2. Sin easily entangles us because it is so close.
More than just forcing its way from the outside powerfully on our flesh, it forces its way on our flesh, as it were, from within us--from within the very flesh. It is very close; in fact, it is in our being. You can become a monk and sit in a cave and you will still deal with sin. Jeremiah 13:23 says, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil." The point being: you can no more change the internal sinfulness that is a part of your life than the leopard can change his spots or the Ethiopian can change the color of his skin. It is a part of what you are. Sin is very powerful and finds a willing ally in your flesh because your flesh is fallen and your flesh itself has propensities towards sin. Sin is very close. Your heart, says Jeremiah 17:9, "is deceitful." It "is more deceitful than everything else and is desperately sick."
There is a third component that makes sin easily entangled into our lives and that is that:
3. Sin does not remain separate but it mingles in all our motives and all our actions. Sin is powerful. Sin is near, in that it is in us. And it isn't categorically separated. You can't draw a line and say "Well, this is where my righteousness ends and this is where my sinfulness begins." It has a way of weaving itself into the fabric of all our duties, and all our motives, and all our thoughts, and all our actions. It entangles itself with our purposes, and our plans; in fact, even your best deed. Even your best deed is not unmixed with sin. It is tangled up in our lives. In Romans 7, Paul cries out, "Oh, wretched man that I am!" Why? Because no matter how I try, I cannot disentangle myself from sin.
So sin is powerful, and sin is near--even within us, and sin does not
separate itself but is mingled into everything. It is interwoven with
everything in our lives. The best that we do is somehow corrupted in some way--large or small by a taint of self-will, or self-pleasure, or self-aggrandizement, or self-righteousness, or self-gain, or whatever. And so we become easily entangled, and as I said, there are certain sins that more easily entangle us, each of us, than others do. But if we are going to be the kind of Christians God would want us to be this verse says, "Let us lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us." Put it aside; put it away.
Now the question comes, "How do we do that?" It is not the first time we have been commanded to do that:
2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh."
Ephesians 4:22 says, "Laying aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit."
Romans 6:12 says, "Don't let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts."
1 Peter 2:1 says, "Lay aside all evil." Verse 11, "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul."
So we are very often told to set this aside. The question comes, "How do we do that?" From a practical standpoint we know, yes, it is the work of the Spirit and if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We give all the credit for this to the divine Holy Spirit and yet there is a responsibility that is ours as we yield to the Spirit. How can I lay this aside? Before I answer that question let me suggest to you that this is an appropriate moment to be discussing this.
I suppose that it would be typical for many Christians, if not most, to
come to the Lord's Table and confess their sins, in order that they might partake of this table and not bring judgment upon themselves as Paul warned us. So we tend to come here, perhaps, with our accumulated sin from the last time that we had communion, or the last time we seriously confessed our sin, but with really very little change in the pattern of sinning; and that's because while we want to confess our sins and have the confidence that He is faithful and just to forgive them, we don't take the steps, the necessary steps to so live that every time we come there is a decreased load of sin--the list is a little shorter because we're dealing with it on a day to day basis. We are laying it aside; we are not just accumulating it at the same rate, dumping it all, as it were, on Christ, receiving His forgiveness in those great moments of confession, but seeing no diminishing pattern of sin in the day to day routine of our life.
So let us then, this day as we come to unburden ourselves of the
accumulated sin and confess it and make our hearts right with God, also
make a covenant, also make steps of commitment to start out a new pattern of life in which we will take strides, take the necessary strides to lay sin aside. A preventative act, not simply a remedial act of confession.
Let me give you some principles that will assist you in laying aside sin.
1. Don't underestimate the seriousness of your sin.
I think the major reason we don't deal with sin strongly and firmly is
because we underestimate its seriousness--to God, to God, to us, to those with whom we fellowship, to the church, to the unbelievers. Our sin steals joy; our sin ruins fellowship with God; our sin diminishes fruitfulness; our sin robs us of peace; our sin renders our service useless; our sin mitigates against our effectiveness in evangelism; our sin hinders our prayers; our sin brings the discipline of God. We need to understand the seriousness of our sin. It violates first and foremost our relationship with the Lord.
One of the most tragic days in the history of England was August 17, 1662. A tragic day because it was the last day for certain pastors to be able to preach to their congregations before they were exiled. Some of them lost their lives, some of them were exiled out of England to other countries.
What precipitated this was something called the Act of Conformity. Through the years there had been developing in England a group of preachers and a group of churches that were called Non-conformists because they did not subscribe to all of the ritual and ceremony of the Church of England, nor did they confine their worship to the Book of Common Prayer. They were more concerned about Biblical Christianity; they were more concerned about teaching proper doctrine; they were more concerned about worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth and so they were known as Non-conformists. Many of you would know them as Puritans.
They did not conform to the strictures of the Church of England, which of course had neglected the Word of God and the gospel for the most part, and so a law was passed making them illegal. Twenty-five hundred of their ministers were exiled--forbidden to preach. Three-thousand non-conformists were killed and 60,000 families were disrupted. It all came to focus on August 17, 1662 because that was the last Sunday when these Non-conformist preachers could preach in their churches. For the last two weeks I have been reading a book called "Farewell Sermons." It is a compilation of 24 of the sermons preached on that day. Sermons from a pastor who would never see his people again: some of them died in exile; some of them later came back. But this was the end of their ministry and this terrible, terrible thing was being done, this terrible act of persecution and they were being dispossessed. The churches were losing them as their pastors; there was going to be none to replace them and they were being shipped off to exile.
It is very interesting to see their approach, to hear their sermons, to see and hear what was really on their hearts. None of the sermons which I have read so far were self serving. None of them condemned, really, the government for what it did. None of them were vengeful or retaliatory.
There was a common thread in all of them. All of them sort of were along this line: "This is the will of God. We accept the will of God. We gladly suffer with Christ and our greatest concern is what happens to you."
One of the sermons struck me as extremely powerful, preached by a man named Calamy. He made one statement in this sermon that struck me; he said to his people, "You have experienced a calamity. This is a calamitous thing; this is a calamitous event," but then he said this, "There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest calamity." "There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest calamity." Then he later said, "There is more evil in the least sin then in the greatest misery." That is profound.
You look at your life and generally speaking you are distressed about your calamities and you are distressed about your miseries, but you are tolerant about your sins. You do not understand what that man understood: "There is more evil in the least sin than the greatest calamity." A calamity, a certain misery is not necessarily sin. Sin is sin. Treat your sin seriously--it dishonors God; it abuses mercy; it despises grace; it presumes on forgiveness; it defiles worship, service, and fellowship. It stains, and taints, and poisons, and destroys everything good and holy.
Secondly, another principle that is necessarily understood if you are to lay aside sin:
2. Strongly purpose and promise God not to sin.
Take a solemn vow and say, "God, I do not want to sin. I don't want to
break Your law, I don't want to grieve Your Spirit, I don't want to
dishonor the Name of Your Son which I bear." The Psalmist did that in Psalm 119:106, "I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances." Unless you have that kind of resolution in your life, you will find it more easy to be entangled by sin. In fact, I believe that it is that kind of heart purpose, it is that kind of bold affirmation that is at the root of all holy living, and until you make that kind of conscious commitment to the Lord, you are going to battle the same things over and over and be defeated.
There is a great verse, verse 32, in the same Psalm, Psalm 119, "I shall run the way of Thy commandments, for Thou will enlarge my heart." It is a very beautiful picture, "I shall run the way of Thy commandments, for Thou will enlarge my heart." What it means is, I am going to run in the way of obedience because I have a heart to do that. It starts in the heart. It is like a runner--very good illustration. A great runner, a long-distance runner, an endurance runner, a marathoner, very often has an enlarged heart muscle because of the tremendous development of his running ability and the strengthening of his heart to keep pumping all that is needed to that body as it pushes itself beyond normal limits. A great runner can run the way he runs because his heart is enlarged, and the Psalmist is saying, "I will
run in the way of Your commandments because You have enlarged my heart.
You have given me a heart for obedience." That's the kind of purpose that is absolutely essential.
There is a great difference, you see, between sin dwelling in us, and sin entertained by us. There is a great difference between sin remaining, and sin harbored, or sin preserved. To lay aside sin means to purpose and promise God to obey--a firm promise. I promise You, I will obey You!
There is a third component in this kind of commitment to lay aside sin, and it is this:
3. Be suspicious of your own spirituality.
Paul said it this way, "Let the one who stands take heed lest he fall."
Job 31:1, Job says, "I made a covenant with my eyes; how then can I gaze on a virgin?" He said, I have got to be careful where I look because I don't trust myself. I got to start with what I see because I don't trust myself. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." There is a certain watchfulness; you have to be watching for sin's subtle movements within your own supposed spirituality. Your heart is as I noted--desperately wicked, very deceitful, and Satan is desperately wicked and very deceitful. The seducing motions of your own heart can sometimes rise out of the moments of your most supposed spirituality. Be suspicious of your own spirituality--don't trust it. Understand that except for the grace of God you would fall into any and every sin--and you can be deceived so easily.
4. Resist the first risings of the flesh and its pleasures.
Don't try to stop the process near the end; stop it near the beginning. James notes for us a certain process: people are tempted when they are
carried away and enticed by their own lusts, "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin." Well, you want to stop it at the point of conception--not try to stop it at the point of birth. You want to stop sin at conception, not after it has been conceived and run through a certain period of pregnancy (if you will) and now is about to give birth to the sin. You don't try to stop it at that point. You resist and oppose the first risings of the flesh and it's pleasures. Sin comes to you promising pleasure. You remember at the very outset: my goal is not to please myself, but to please the Lord.
There is a fifth principle in this and that is:
5. Meditate on the Word.
There is a wonderful verse, verse 31 of Psalm 37, you probably should write this down. Psalm 37:31; it is a bit more obscure than some, but it really is very, very important. Listen to what it says, "The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip." When a heart is controlled by the Word, the steps don't slip. Another more familiar text dealing with this, and a wonderful one at that, is Psalm 119; and you remember that that Psalm begins in the very first part of those 176 verses with these words, down in verse 9 of Psalm 119, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" How can you lay aside sin? How can you win this battle? "By keeping it according to Thy word." By guarding it with Scripture.
It is the constant input of the Word of God that begins to fill up the mind and control the thinking, and that alone becomes the strength and resource in us that can resist the initial impulses of the flesh. "How can a young man keep his way pure?" By keeping his heart completely committed and guarded by the Word of God. Then in verse 10, "With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured (or hid, or kept) in my heart that I may not sin against Thee."
It is the Scripture that must be meditated on. Meditate on the Word of God. You are always studying the Word, studying the Word, learning the Word, learning the Word, meditating on the Word as you get the Word--so filling you up so that it, "Dwells in you richly," (Colossians 3:16). You will find that it controls you. And as you start into some kind of attitude of sin or some kind of act of sin, the Word of God will act as a restraint. When you feel the impulse of the truth you know, meditate on that, not on the enticings of the flesh and its pleasures. So watch for sin's subtleties and don't trust your own spirituality. Resist and oppose the first risings of the flesh and its desires to please itself, and meditate on the Word--the ingrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.
6. Be immediately repentant over your lapses.
It says in Matthew 26:75, that Peter, having obviously been aware of his sin at the crowing of the cock, "Went out and wept bitterly." There is something very admiral in that. We castigate, and rightly so, Peter for his defection, but we must also honor and respect him for his immediate--his immediate remorse. Be immediately repentant over your lapses and go back to the place of confession. Repentance isn't only saying, "I'm sorry Lord, forgive me." It is saying, "I'm sorry Lord, forgive me, and I don't want to ever do that again." That's the stuff of real repentance. If that third element isn't there then you're not fooling God about the genuineness or lack of genuineness.
When you confess your sins and when you say, "I'm sorry I did that, please forgive me--I don't ever want to do it again," name it--name it specifically. Let your own heart and even your own ears hear the naming of that sin, so that you develop in your heart a high degree of accountability with God for having named the very sin for which He is holding you accountable not to commit again. That's how you develop accountability; that's how you develop the fear of God. If you hold back from naming your sin, it's because you want to do that again; and it is bad enough to sin without having to be responsible for telling God you didn't want to do it and defying what you told Him. So you would rather sin only once, rather than twice; that's why you don't want to name your sin. Then you're guilty not only of sinning again but of being hypocritical before God.
True repentance will name the sin; specifically name the sin. Be immediately repentant over your lapses.
7. Continually pray for divine help.
Ephesians 6:18, after all the armor is put on and the battle against Satan and demons, after all of the warfare has been set and the battle is engaged against Satan and all of his forces, he says, "Praying always, with all prayer and supplication." Jesus said to His disciples, "Watch and pray for you know not when you are going to enter into the hour of temptation." "Devote yourself to prayer," (Colossians 4:2) "being alert in it." Don't fight the enemy on your own. When you engage the enemy--pray, plead with help.
But even in a preliminary sense, I really think anticipatory prayer is the most effective. You need to start your day, "Lord, this is the way you taught us to pray, 'Lead us not into. . . .'" What? "'temptation and deliver us from evil.' Lord, please, today lead me away from temptation--please, today Lord, deliver me from evil." You need to see the course of your prayers before the tempter arrives, before the flesh begins to rise and entice.
8. Establish relationships with other believers that hold you accountable.
"Bear you one another's burdens," says Paul in Galatians 6, "and so fulfill the law of Christ." We are all in the same boat folks. We all struggle the same way and we need each other. "If a man is caught in a "paraptoma" (a fall; a sin; a trespass), you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Each one look into yourself, lest you to be tempted. Bear one another's burdens." We are all in this together. It might be you going down this time; it might be me going down next time, but between the two of us, we are going to hold ourselves accountable for holy living. By the way, that is in my judgment, the greatest factor in a Christian marriage--is the intense, and intimate, and spiritual accountability with regard to sin that exists at that level. That is a very, very important reason for Christian marriage.
I believe that there ought to be in every single sense a high level of
spiritual accountability between a husband and a wife for every aspect of their life in that marriage. The most intimate knowledge of my spiritual life, apart from God Himself, is in the mind and heart of my wife. The most intimate knowledge of her spiritual life and her struggle as a Christian, apart from God Himself, is in my mind and heart. We know each other better than anybody in the world knows us. Therein lies the highest level of spiritual accountability--for me and for her. No one apart from God Himself holds me as accountable for what I am before you and before the Lord as she does, and vice versa, and that is what makes a Christian marriage really Christian and really distinctive.
That's the highest level of accountability. But beyond that there are
other relationships in which you engage that can be very, very strengthening for your own spiritual life. You want people around you who lift you up, not people around you who pull you down. You want people around, associated with you as friends and close coworkers, who will see your failures just like you will see theirs, love you in the process and lift you up and demand of you the highest standards.
How are you going to come to the place where you lay aside the sin that so easily entangles you, and especially those besetting sins which you tend to fall into over and over again? First of all, realize sin is powerful. It is near, even in you and it is intertwined with everything in your being. And in order to deal with it you must understand its seriousness; you must promise God not to sin; you must watch carefully for your own spiritual weaknesses; don't trust your spirituality. You must resist the first risings of sin in the flesh; you must meditate on the Word; you must be repentant immediately for the lapses that come; you must continue in prayer and dependence on God's power and establish intimate relationships of spiritual accountability.
I would say that there is no better place to start this kind of life
pattern than right here at the Lord's Table. We are here not only to unload the burden of sin we've accumulated for which we will be forgiven, but I hope we are here to start afresh in the new course that's going to bring us back here next time with a lighter load and a shorter list. Maybe the sum of it all is found here in Hebrews, chapter 12, in those wonderful and magnificent words, verse 2, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith." Listen, He is one who in His striving against sin never fell. "He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet He was without sin." He never fell, He never succumbed; so, if you are going to look at somebody as a model--look at Him. He was striving with sin even to death and never fell. He's our model; He's our example.
So we are here to remember His death; we're here to ask His forgiveness,
and we're here to ask Him again, to be our example as we lay aside our sin and fix our eyes on Him to follow the path of victory over the sin that easily entangles us.
Let's bow together in prayer. Father, we thank you again that your Word speaks so pointedly and powerfully and directly to our hearts. We thank you that you have given us the resident Holy Spirit who can enable us to be obedient when we otherwise would not have the strength. Help us this morning to make the vows that we've learned about as we've considered entangling sin and how to deal with it. Help us to take these steps so that we can pursue the path of holiness and not need to be disciplined as often, so that we cannot miss the joy and the peace that should be ours, and the usefulness, and the worship, and fellowship, and ministry.
Now, as we come to this table we pray that as we think of the bread and the cup, we will remember what a price that our Lord paid for our sin. And we will take it seriously, as you do. We come to confess our sin and to renew our covenant to lay sin aside and to walk in a holy way. We now confess our sins, all of them, and ask you to wash us and make us clean. Forgive us every sin--known and unknown--every sin. Help us Lord not to do them again, but to walk in obedience.
Amen.
Bible Bulletin Board
internet: www.biblebb.com
modem: 609-324-9187
Box 318
Columbus, NJ 08022
....online since 1986
Sysop/Webmaster: Tony Capoccia
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