The illusion of purpose is so powerful that biologists themselves use the assumption of good design as a working tool. -Richard Dawkins, atheist
Atheists and evolutionists, such as in the quote above persist in the rejection of obvious truth. They see the signature of the Creator all over creation, but shut their eyes to the design they see, and attribute it to natural causes. Dawkins, perhaps the world's best know atheist, even sees the evidence of purpose, but calls it an illusion. -John D. Morris, President of the Institute for Creation Research, www.icr.org
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. -Paul, former persecutor, Romans 16:16-25
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
WHAT ABOUT RECENTLY?
Phil. 3:12-17
Sometimes we suffer from "I used to..." or "In the past, I did..." syndrome. It's not that there is anything wrong with whatever service we have rendered to the Lord in the past it's just that we would be better served by asking ourselves in respect to our service to the king of kings and lord of Lords, WHAT ABOUT RECENTLY?
I. HAVE WE PRAYED RECENTLY? [LUKE 10:2]
1. We need to get serious [James 5:16]
2. We need to get smart [Phil. 1:3-11, 2:19]
3. We need to get started [I Tm. 2:1-8]
II. HAVE WE PARTICIPATED RECENTLY?
In our local church we should be
1. Built up together [Eph. 1:1, 2:19-22]
2. Working together [Phil. 1:1, 27]
3. Comforted together [I Th. 5:8-13]
III. HAVE WE PROVIDED RECENTLY? [LUKE 12:20-21]
1. For local work [Acts 1:8] "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea"
2. For larger work [Acts 1:8] "and in Samaria"
3. For largest work [Acts 1:8] "and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Sometimes we suffer from "I used to..." or "In the past, I did..." syndrome. It's not that there is anything wrong with whatever service we have rendered to the Lord in the past it's just that we would be better served by asking ourselves in respect to our service to the king of kings and lord of Lords, WHAT ABOUT RECENTLY?
I. HAVE WE PRAYED RECENTLY? [LUKE 10:2]
1. We need to get serious [James 5:16]
2. We need to get smart [Phil. 1:3-11, 2:19]
3. We need to get started [I Tm. 2:1-8]
II. HAVE WE PARTICIPATED RECENTLY?
In our local church we should be
1. Built up together [Eph. 1:1, 2:19-22]
2. Working together [Phil. 1:1, 27]
3. Comforted together [I Th. 5:8-13]
III. HAVE WE PROVIDED RECENTLY? [LUKE 12:20-21]
1. For local work [Acts 1:8] "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea"
2. For larger work [Acts 1:8] "and in Samaria"
3. For largest work [Acts 1:8] "and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
THE DOCTOR WAS IN!
Last Monday I was at the Doctor's Office Door at 8 AM only to find out she was on a week long vacation. Today my wife and I were both there at 8 AM! We got in and have it confirmed. We both have the flu. She said there was a scientific name for this particular strain because it just keeps hanging on and on and on but she couldn't remember it. I suggested "Influenza lingeritis". Well, we got some prescriptions and are back at home, hopefully on the road to recovery.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to make your own tombstone (not the pizza) go to: http://www.jjchandler.com/tombstone/download.php
Sunday, November 26, 2006
DID YOU OBSERVE TURKEY DAY OR THANKSGIVING?
LUKE 17:12-19
I. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
1. Recognize there is a problem [v. 12]
Mk. 2:16-17 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
2. Recognize you cannot deal with your own problem [v. 13]
Rom. 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Recognize the solution must be Biblical [v. 14, Lev. 13-14]
II. WHO CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM?
1. They sought mercy from a Master [v. 13]
2. They received cleansing from God [v. 14b-15]
3. One man made the connection [v. 16]
Jesus often used a connect the dots to lead people to the truth about Himself. With:
-the woman at the well- Jn. 4
-the rich young ruler- Lk. 18
-Saul of Tarsus- Acts 9
-the disciples- Mt. 16
III. ONE PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO ANOTHER
1. The problem isn't skin, the problem is sin [v. 16-18]
2. The problem isn't God, the problem is man [v. 18, Rm. 1:16-32]
Lk. 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
3. The problem isn't not knowing, it's not doing [v. 19]
Col. 3:15-17 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
II Tm. 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
I. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
1. Recognize there is a problem [v. 12]
Mk. 2:16-17 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
2. Recognize you cannot deal with your own problem [v. 13]
Rom. 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Recognize the solution must be Biblical [v. 14, Lev. 13-14]
II. WHO CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM?
1. They sought mercy from a Master [v. 13]
2. They received cleansing from God [v. 14b-15]
3. One man made the connection [v. 16]
Jesus often used a connect the dots to lead people to the truth about Himself. With:
-the woman at the well- Jn. 4
-the rich young ruler- Lk. 18
-Saul of Tarsus- Acts 9
-the disciples- Mt. 16
III. ONE PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO ANOTHER
1. The problem isn't skin, the problem is sin [v. 16-18]
2. The problem isn't God, the problem is man [v. 18, Rm. 1:16-32]
Lk. 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
3. The problem isn't not knowing, it's not doing [v. 19]
Col. 3:15-17 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
II Tm. 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
DON'T BE A FAILURE
I. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FAILURE
1. Confess your failures to yourself (Gen. 41:9, I Jn. 1:10)
2. Confess to others you may have failed (Mt. 5:23-24, James 5:16)
3. Confess to God (Rom. 10:9-13, I Jn. 1:9)
II. ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE HATED
1. Realize you have an enemy [I Pt. 5:8a]
2. Realize he has a desire [I Pt. 5:8b, Lk. 22:31]
3. Realize he has a plan [Eph. 6:11-12]
III. ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE LOVED
1. Realize you have an advocate [I Jn. 2:1-2, Lk. 22:32]
2. Realize He has a desire [Eph. 5:25-27]
3. Realize he has a plan [I Pt. 5:7, 9-10, Eph. 6:10, 13ff]
Preached at Bradford Baptist Church on November 19, 2006
1. Confess your failures to yourself (Gen. 41:9, I Jn. 1:10)
2. Confess to others you may have failed (Mt. 5:23-24, James 5:16)
3. Confess to God (Rom. 10:9-13, I Jn. 1:9)
II. ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE HATED
1. Realize you have an enemy [I Pt. 5:8a]
2. Realize he has a desire [I Pt. 5:8b, Lk. 22:31]
3. Realize he has a plan [Eph. 6:11-12]
III. ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE LOVED
1. Realize you have an advocate [I Jn. 2:1-2, Lk. 22:32]
2. Realize He has a desire [Eph. 5:25-27]
3. Realize he has a plan [I Pt. 5:7, 9-10, Eph. 6:10, 13ff]
Preached at Bradford Baptist Church on November 19, 2006
Answers Update- SpongeBob!
Q: What does SpongeBob SquarePants, the popular cartoon character, have to do with glass?
A: A recent article used the popularity of this cartoon character to draw attention to a report on sponges that actually produce glass. Scientists have found sponges on the ocean floor that build glass cages. They “have biologists and materials scientists oohing, ahhing and taking notes for future bio-inspired engineering projects and materials.”
According to the scientists, these sponges use mechanical engineering principles—just like today’s engineering students study in their textbooks—to make their glass cages. The sponges produce bundles of glass fibers held together with a special glue; these bundles can be twisted and bent without breaking.
As one of the authors put it, “It’s quite remarkable how many basic engineering design principles the sponge uses.”
Instead of being surprised by such a sophisticated level of engineering skill, we should look at these sponges and think about the greatest engineer ever—the Creator God of the universe. He’s the One who designed the sponge to do what it does do—and what it does do, it does do very well!
Want to learn more about these incredible examples of God’s design? See Fantastic fibre-optics—sponge’s super spicules.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
A: A recent article used the popularity of this cartoon character to draw attention to a report on sponges that actually produce glass. Scientists have found sponges on the ocean floor that build glass cages. They “have biologists and materials scientists oohing, ahhing and taking notes for future bio-inspired engineering projects and materials.”
According to the scientists, these sponges use mechanical engineering principles—just like today’s engineering students study in their textbooks—to make their glass cages. The sponges produce bundles of glass fibers held together with a special glue; these bundles can be twisted and bent without breaking.
As one of the authors put it, “It’s quite remarkable how many basic engineering design principles the sponge uses.”
Instead of being surprised by such a sophisticated level of engineering skill, we should look at these sponges and think about the greatest engineer ever—the Creator God of the universe. He’s the One who designed the sponge to do what it does do—and what it does do, it does do very well!
Want to learn more about these incredible examples of God’s design? See Fantastic fibre-optics—sponge’s super spicules.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Continue to give thanks!
One of the greatest witnessing stoies ever. A must read. Sumner Wemp Nov 24, 2006
Tina Blessitt shares the story of her 9-year-old's last-second request which surprised his doctor and taught a valuable lesson about sharing the gospel.
Last fall my 9-year-old son, Austin, had his tonsils removed. Before the surgery, Austin's anesthesiologist came to start an
IV. He was wearing a cool surgical cap covered in colorful frogs. Austin loved that "frog hat." The doctor explained that he had two choices?? He could either try to start the IV, or he could wait until Austin was up in the operating room. In the OR the doctor would give Austin some "goofy" gas, and start the IV when he was more relaxed. "So, Austin," he asked, "which do you want?" Austin replied, "I'll take the gas." But when the doctor started to leave, Austin called, "Hey, wait." The doctor turned. "Yeah, buddy, what do you need?" "Do you go to church?" "No," the doctor admitted. "I know I probably should, but I don't." Austin then asked, "Well, are you saved?" Chuckling nervously, the doctor said, "Nope. But after talking to you, maybe it's something I should consider." Pleased with his response, Austin answered, "Well, you should, 'cause Jesus is great!" "I'm sure He is, little guy," the doctor said, and quickly made his exit. After that a nurse took me to the waiting room. Someone would come and get me when Austin's surgery was done. After about 45 minutes, the anesthesiologist came into the waiting room. He told me the surgery went well and then said, "Mrs. Blessitt, I don't usually come down and talk to the parents after a surgery, but I just had to tell you what your son did." Oh boy, I thought. What did that little rascal do now? The doctor explained that he'd just put the mask on Austin when my son signaled that he needed to say something. When the doctor removed the mask, Austin blurted, "Wait a minute, we have to pray!" The doctor told him to go ahead, and Austin prayed, "Dear Lord, please let all the doctors and nurses have a good day. And Jesus, please let the doctor with the frog hat get saved and start going to church. Amen." The doctor admitted this touched him. "I was so sure he would pray that his surgery went well," he explained. "He didn't even mention his surgery He prayed for me! Mrs Blessitt, I had to come down and let you know what a great little guy you have." A few minutes later a nurse came to take me to post-op. She had a big smile on her face as we walked to the elevator. "Mrs. Blessitt, I couldn't wait to tell you something exciting that your son did." With a smile, I told her that the doctor already mentioned Austin's prayer. "But there's something you don't know," she said. "Some of the other nurses and I have been witnessing to and praying for that doctor for a long time. After your son's surgery, he tracked a few of us down to tell us about Austin's prayer. He said, 'Well girls, you got me. If that little boy could pray for me when he was about to have surgery, then I think maybe I need his Jesus too.'" She then recounted how they joined the doctor as he prayed to receive Christ right there in the hospital.
IV. He was wearing a cool surgical cap covered in colorful frogs. Austin loved that "frog hat." The doctor explained that he had two choices?? He could either try to start the IV, or he could wait until Austin was up in the operating room. In the OR the doctor would give Austin some "goofy" gas, and start the IV when he was more relaxed. "So, Austin," he asked, "which do you want?" Austin replied, "I'll take the gas." But when the doctor started to leave, Austin called, "Hey, wait." The doctor turned. "Yeah, buddy, what do you need?" "Do you go to church?" "No," the doctor admitted. "I know I probably should, but I don't." Austin then asked, "Well, are you saved?" Chuckling nervously, the doctor said, "Nope. But after talking to you, maybe it's something I should consider." Pleased with his response, Austin answered, "Well, you should, 'cause Jesus is great!" "I'm sure He is, little guy," the doctor said, and quickly made his exit. After that a nurse took me to the waiting room. Someone would come and get me when Austin's surgery was done. After about 45 minutes, the anesthesiologist came into the waiting room. He told me the surgery went well and then said, "Mrs. Blessitt, I don't usually come down and talk to the parents after a surgery, but I just had to tell you what your son did." Oh boy, I thought. What did that little rascal do now? The doctor explained that he'd just put the mask on Austin when my son signaled that he needed to say something. When the doctor removed the mask, Austin blurted, "Wait a minute, we have to pray!" The doctor told him to go ahead, and Austin prayed, "Dear Lord, please let all the doctors and nurses have a good day. And Jesus, please let the doctor with the frog hat get saved and start going to church. Amen." The doctor admitted this touched him. "I was so sure he would pray that his surgery went well," he explained. "He didn't even mention his surgery He prayed for me! Mrs Blessitt, I had to come down and let you know what a great little guy you have." A few minutes later a nurse came to take me to post-op. She had a big smile on her face as we walked to the elevator. "Mrs. Blessitt, I couldn't wait to tell you something exciting that your son did." With a smile, I told her that the doctor already mentioned Austin's prayer. "But there's something you don't know," she said. "Some of the other nurses and I have been witnessing to and praying for that doctor for a long time. After your son's surgery, he tracked a few of us down to tell us about Austin's prayer. He said, 'Well girls, you got me. If that little boy could pray for me when he was about to have surgery, then I think maybe I need his Jesus too.'" She then recounted how they joined the doctor as he prayed to receive Christ right there in the hospital.
Wow! Austin had played a small part in something wonderful. But then, so did the nurses who prayed and witnessed. I thought about John's words in his Gospel, "One sows and the other reaps" (John 4:37). Austin's experience taught me that, although we never know which role we may be called to play, in the end it doesn't matter. What's important is that we remain faithful in sharing the gospel. Sumner Wemp
Go to http://www.sumnerwemp.com Enter drawings. YOU might as well win a book. Read great articles.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Where are the nine?
Where are the nine? Please don't be one of the nine.
Sumner Wemp
Nov 22, 2006
Leprosy was the most feared, dreaded and repulsive disease anyone could ever have in Jesus day. Ten lepers cried out to Jesus for Him to have mercy on them. He healed all of them. "And ONE of them when he saw that he was healed, turned and with a loud voice glorified God, and he fell down on his face at His feet (we all will one day), giving him thanks and he was Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, (He was baffled too!) "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Lk 17:13-19.Baffling That dear people is the most bewildering, mind boggling thing in the Bible to me. The nextMillions of professed sinners claim to be cleansed and give very little thanks. What they doHardly ever read the Word of God. Pray very little. Give very little, Never tell lost people how to be saved. Don't know nor exercise their spiritual gifts for the Lord. "Lovest thou me" asked Jesus? If so, say it, show it. Stop murmuring"In EVERYTHING give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you" 1 Thes 5:18. Cf Rom 8:28. Happy THANKSGIVING.Make a year of itSay it. DAILY give thanks this year. Thank Him every day that you are saved, forgiven, cleansed, going to heaven instead of hell. Make sense? Show it. Love God with all your heart. Be in church every Sunday. Read the Word of God every day. Talk to your Father every day. He waits to hear from you. Preach the gospel to every creature, you can. Give them a chance to go to heaven. Honor God with your money. What you have will go much farther if you do. You know that is true!Now have a trerrific THANKSGIVING. ABC C. Sumner Wemp, many ask who I am!http://www.sumnerwemp.com/history.htm my history and pictureGo to http://www.sumnerwemp.com Point to "feature section", click on an article and be blessed. THANKS for so many wonderful encouragements. We are thankful.
Sumner Wemp
Nov 22, 2006
Leprosy was the most feared, dreaded and repulsive disease anyone could ever have in Jesus day. Ten lepers cried out to Jesus for Him to have mercy on them. He healed all of them. "And ONE of them when he saw that he was healed, turned and with a loud voice glorified God, and he fell down on his face at His feet (we all will one day), giving him thanks and he was Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, (He was baffled too!) "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? Lk 17:13-19.Baffling That dear people is the most bewildering, mind boggling thing in the Bible to me. The nextMillions of professed sinners claim to be cleansed and give very little thanks. What they doHardly ever read the Word of God. Pray very little. Give very little, Never tell lost people how to be saved. Don't know nor exercise their spiritual gifts for the Lord. "Lovest thou me" asked Jesus? If so, say it, show it. Stop murmuring"In EVERYTHING give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you" 1 Thes 5:18. Cf Rom 8:28. Happy THANKSGIVING.Make a year of itSay it. DAILY give thanks this year. Thank Him every day that you are saved, forgiven, cleansed, going to heaven instead of hell. Make sense? Show it. Love God with all your heart. Be in church every Sunday. Read the Word of God every day. Talk to your Father every day. He waits to hear from you. Preach the gospel to every creature, you can. Give them a chance to go to heaven. Honor God with your money. What you have will go much farther if you do. You know that is true!Now have a trerrific THANKSGIVING. ABC C. Sumner Wemp, many ask who I am!http://www.sumnerwemp.com/history.htm my history and pictureGo to http://www.sumnerwemp.com Point to "feature section", click on an article and be blessed. THANKS for so many wonderful encouragements. We are thankful.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody, 40 years learning he was nobody, and 40 years discovering what God could do with a nobody." -D.L. MOODY
"We can trust Him when we cannot always trace Him." -B.I.M.I. Missionary Carl Vonnoh
"Free will does not abrogate God's Divine Sovereignty. God, in His Sovereignty, gave man the option to trust Christ and be saved or reject Christ and remain condemned (Rm. 9:30-33). If I, as a parent, give my children the option of eating hot dogs or hamburgers, would their choosing one or the other abrogate my parental authority? No! I, in and with my authority, gave them that choice." -FAJ
"Forgiveness is God's business!" -Evangelist Glenn Jaspers
"Motives: the one thing we cannot judge as human beings is the thing God will use as a basis for judgment." -Bob Reed
"Activity does not necessarily mean productivity." -I.B.J.M. Missionary Mike Rosas
"We can trust Him when we cannot always trace Him." -B.I.M.I. Missionary Carl Vonnoh
"Free will does not abrogate God's Divine Sovereignty. God, in His Sovereignty, gave man the option to trust Christ and be saved or reject Christ and remain condemned (Rm. 9:30-33). If I, as a parent, give my children the option of eating hot dogs or hamburgers, would their choosing one or the other abrogate my parental authority? No! I, in and with my authority, gave them that choice." -FAJ
"Forgiveness is God's business!" -Evangelist Glenn Jaspers
"Motives: the one thing we cannot judge as human beings is the thing God will use as a basis for judgment." -Bob Reed
"Activity does not necessarily mean productivity." -I.B.J.M. Missionary Mike Rosas
Monday, November 20, 2006
PICTURES OF THE WEEK
Delayed departure?
I'm not trying to be sneaky. Sometimes (and I'm not technical enough to know why) you have to left-click to see the picture.
This guy is two-faced.
The best way to keep score?
Sunday, November 19, 2006
WHO, WHAT AND HOW
HEBREWS 7:22-28
I. HE [7:25]
Verse 22 tells us this is Jesus. Some may not know who Jesus really is. They may have an idea but not a clear grasp of the depth of this, the greatest individual who ever lived, and ever liveth! The Bible is His Story (HISTORY) but we don't have time to read the whole Bible this morning. But we can see that Jesus is-
1. Honoured by the Father [Hebrews 1:1-13]
John 8:54-55 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
2. Bolstered by His works [Hebrews 10:4-14]
John 10:37-38 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
3. Proven by His resurrection [Hebrews 10:12-20, 13:20]
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
II. is ABLE also to SAVE them to the uttermost [Hebrews 7:25]
1. He can do what others cannot
2. He delivers us from our sin
3. He does it by One offering and makes it everlastingly valid
Hebrews 1:3; 2:9, 14-18; 4:14-15; 6:19-20; 7:19-28; 9:11-16, 22-26; 10:4, 10-14, 17-20; 12:2, 24; 13:8, 12
III. that COME unto GOD by HIM [HEBREWS 7:25]
1. In the imperative we are commanded to obey the Gospel
Romans 10:16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
2 Thessalonians 1:8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 4:2For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
1 Peter 4:17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
2. In the negative we are warned to NOT neglect, NOT turn back, NOT reject
3. In the positive we are admonished to believe, to receive, to accept
Hebrews 2:3; 3:7-12, 19; 4:2-3; 5:9; 10:28-32, 38-39; 11:1; 12:25; 13:20-21
HEBREWS 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
I. HE [7:25]
Verse 22 tells us this is Jesus. Some may not know who Jesus really is. They may have an idea but not a clear grasp of the depth of this, the greatest individual who ever lived, and ever liveth! The Bible is His Story (HISTORY) but we don't have time to read the whole Bible this morning. But we can see that Jesus is-
1. Honoured by the Father [Hebrews 1:1-13]
John 8:54-55 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
2. Bolstered by His works [Hebrews 10:4-14]
John 10:37-38 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
3. Proven by His resurrection [Hebrews 10:12-20, 13:20]
Romans 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
II. is ABLE also to SAVE them to the uttermost [Hebrews 7:25]
1. He can do what others cannot
2. He delivers us from our sin
3. He does it by One offering and makes it everlastingly valid
Hebrews 1:3; 2:9, 14-18; 4:14-15; 6:19-20; 7:19-28; 9:11-16, 22-26; 10:4, 10-14, 17-20; 12:2, 24; 13:8, 12
III. that COME unto GOD by HIM [HEBREWS 7:25]
1. In the imperative we are commanded to obey the Gospel
Romans 10:16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
2 Thessalonians 1:8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 4:2For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
1 Peter 4:17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
2. In the negative we are warned to NOT neglect, NOT turn back, NOT reject
3. In the positive we are admonished to believe, to receive, to accept
Hebrews 2:3; 3:7-12, 19; 4:2-3; 5:9; 10:28-32, 38-39; 11:1; 12:25; 13:20-21
HEBREWS 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Don't archaeological dates disprove the Bible?
Q: Some Australian scientists reported they’d found an Aboriginal site to be 176,000 years old. Don’t solid dates like this disprove the Bible?
A: The problem is, most people don’t realize how “solid” these dates actually are.
Huge publicity was given to the report that scientists had dated this Aboriginal site to be around 176,000 years old. However, some independent experts have looked at the data and said that on the basis of their experiments, this date should be changed to 20,000 years! What an incredible difference—156,000 years different than what the other scientists had stated.
Then, another scientist said that when he checked the data on a sample dated at 50,000 years, his figure would be 5,000 years or less! So much for “solid” dates!
So what dates are solid? The answers can be obtained from the only truly reliable history book: the Bible. Scientists continually flip-flip on their dates, overturning the dates that were once considered solid. Knowing that the Bible says Noah’s Flood occurred about 4,500 years ago helps us understand that Australian Aboriginal history has taken place in under 4,500 years—and that the Bible, not science, gives us a solid foundation for understanding history.
How do scientists come up with the long-age dates that are so widely publicized and lead some to doubt Genesis? Read the shocking truth in The dating game.
Taken from the AIG Weekly email Newsletter. This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
A: The problem is, most people don’t realize how “solid” these dates actually are.
Huge publicity was given to the report that scientists had dated this Aboriginal site to be around 176,000 years old. However, some independent experts have looked at the data and said that on the basis of their experiments, this date should be changed to 20,000 years! What an incredible difference—156,000 years different than what the other scientists had stated.
Then, another scientist said that when he checked the data on a sample dated at 50,000 years, his figure would be 5,000 years or less! So much for “solid” dates!
So what dates are solid? The answers can be obtained from the only truly reliable history book: the Bible. Scientists continually flip-flip on their dates, overturning the dates that were once considered solid. Knowing that the Bible says Noah’s Flood occurred about 4,500 years ago helps us understand that Australian Aboriginal history has taken place in under 4,500 years—and that the Bible, not science, gives us a solid foundation for understanding history.
How do scientists come up with the long-age dates that are so widely publicized and lead some to doubt Genesis? Read the shocking truth in The dating game.
Taken from the AIG Weekly email Newsletter. This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
PEOPLE ARE THE PROBLEM... GOD IS THE SOLUTION
PSALM 28
There is a new show on Tueday nights entitled "3 Pounds". I haven't watched it and don't plan to watch it mainly because of the commercials I have seen for it. It is a show about brain surgeons and in the commercial one of the surgeons says something to the effect, "If there is a God why am I correcting His mistakes?" God make a mistake? No the writer has made a mistake. But it is a common mistake. If God made us perfect, they reason, why are there so many problems? The answer is that something happened between when God finished Creation and noted, "It was very good." and the point to where the problems entered. That which happened is called sin, and man is the cause of the problems, the mistakes, the death which we see all around us (Rom. 5:12-21). But the origin of problems is not the subject here, we know there are problems. What do we do about them? Some answers are found in Psalm 28.
I. PRAY
1. For strength lest we fall (v. 1-2, Mt. 26:40-41)
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
2. For sufficiency lest we follow (v. 3, II Cor. 9:8-11)
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
3. For enemies lest they succeed (v. 4, Mt. 5:43-45)
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
II. TRUST
1. For hearing (v. 5-6, Ps. 66:18-19)
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
2. For help (v. 7a, Ps. 121:1-2)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3. For heart (v. 7b, Ps. 5:8-12)
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
III. FEED (v. 8-9)
Now here we must be careful. Feed on what? TV? Radio? Other media? Opinions of men be they friend or foe or our own? No, feed on the Word. Sometimes people try to use this as an excuse to leave a good church. Years ago some wanted to leave Highland Park Baptist Church with this reasoning as has happened in many sound churches. Is this the case in all these churches. It sounds so spiritual, "I wasn't being fed." But they world, the flesh, and/or the devil can deceive us in this area. What can help us determine the truth?
1. Is there a dearth? (Amos 8:11 speaks of this, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:"
Paul talks about it in I Cor. 3:1-11. Is the Word being preached?
2. Is there a desire? (I Pt. 2:1-2) We have all seen people come expecting a blessing and get one, and some come expecting not to get one and don't. Don't blame the message. Don't blame the messenger. Come expecting a blessing!
3. Is there a distraction? (II Tim. 4:1-4) I don't like his style. I like the preacher to preach loud (or low), or expository, or topical. Don't get distracted by criticism. Don't get distracted by incidentals. I can be blessed by William Bray who raises his voice a lot, or by Brother Pittman who does not, or anyone in between as long as what they are teaching is the Word of God! Take notes! Take the time to search the Scriptures. I have challenged people for years to show me where I was not preaching the Bible, I have had some people leave churches I pastored, but no-one has ever come and shown me that I wasn't preaching the Word and by God's grace, they never will! Don't get distracted!
PRAY. TRUST. FEED.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
There is a new show on Tueday nights entitled "3 Pounds". I haven't watched it and don't plan to watch it mainly because of the commercials I have seen for it. It is a show about brain surgeons and in the commercial one of the surgeons says something to the effect, "If there is a God why am I correcting His mistakes?" God make a mistake? No the writer has made a mistake. But it is a common mistake. If God made us perfect, they reason, why are there so many problems? The answer is that something happened between when God finished Creation and noted, "It was very good." and the point to where the problems entered. That which happened is called sin, and man is the cause of the problems, the mistakes, the death which we see all around us (Rom. 5:12-21). But the origin of problems is not the subject here, we know there are problems. What do we do about them? Some answers are found in Psalm 28.
I. PRAY
1. For strength lest we fall (v. 1-2, Mt. 26:40-41)
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
2. For sufficiency lest we follow (v. 3, II Cor. 9:8-11)
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
3. For enemies lest they succeed (v. 4, Mt. 5:43-45)
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
II. TRUST
1. For hearing (v. 5-6, Ps. 66:18-19)
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
2. For help (v. 7a, Ps. 121:1-2)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3. For heart (v. 7b, Ps. 5:8-12)
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
III. FEED (v. 8-9)
Now here we must be careful. Feed on what? TV? Radio? Other media? Opinions of men be they friend or foe or our own? No, feed on the Word. Sometimes people try to use this as an excuse to leave a good church. Years ago some wanted to leave Highland Park Baptist Church with this reasoning as has happened in many sound churches. Is this the case in all these churches. It sounds so spiritual, "I wasn't being fed." But they world, the flesh, and/or the devil can deceive us in this area. What can help us determine the truth?
1. Is there a dearth? (Amos 8:11 speaks of this, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:"
Paul talks about it in I Cor. 3:1-11. Is the Word being preached?
2. Is there a desire? (I Pt. 2:1-2) We have all seen people come expecting a blessing and get one, and some come expecting not to get one and don't. Don't blame the message. Don't blame the messenger. Come expecting a blessing!
3. Is there a distraction? (II Tim. 4:1-4) I don't like his style. I like the preacher to preach loud (or low), or expository, or topical. Don't get distracted by criticism. Don't get distracted by incidentals. I can be blessed by William Bray who raises his voice a lot, or by Brother Pittman who does not, or anyone in between as long as what they are teaching is the Word of God! Take notes! Take the time to search the Scriptures. I have challenged people for years to show me where I was not preaching the Bible, I have had some people leave churches I pastored, but no-one has ever come and shown me that I wasn't preaching the Word and by God's grace, they never will! Don't get distracted!
PRAY. TRUST. FEED.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
PICTURES OF THE WEEK
I went to work yesterday (my secular job) and it has caused a setback physically. I don't know what kind of "bug" my wife and I have but its annoyingly persistent. But looking at these pics maybe my day isn't so bad after all. If the pictures don't come up as anything but solid color, just left-click on them. Hey, I'm not technical. I don't know why it works this way.
Monday, November 13, 2006
NO DUMB BLONDES HERE
My wife hates dumb blonde jokes. She is a natural blonde and one of the smartest people I know. I dedicate this story, someone sent me, to her.
A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.
The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for
the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Mercedes Benz SL
500. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank. She has the
title, and everything checks out.
The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for using a $110,000 Benz as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Benz into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.
Two weeks later, the blonde returns. She repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.
The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"
The blonde replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car
for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"
A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.
The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for
the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Mercedes Benz SL
500. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank. She has the
title, and everything checks out.
The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for using a $110,000 Benz as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Benz into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.
Two weeks later, the blonde returns. She repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.
The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"
The blonde replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car
for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"
Sunday, November 12, 2006
RICHES UNFOLDED
II Cor. 8:9
I. GOD'S RICHES IN ROMANS
1. The Riches of His Goodness [2:4) leads to repentance
2. The Riches of His Glory [9:23, 10:9-13, 8:28-30] leads to righteousness
3. The Riches of His Wisdom & Knowledge [11:33-36] leads to worship
II. GOD'S RICHES IN EPHESIANS
1. The riches of redemption [1:7]
2. The riches of inheritance [1:18]
3. The riches of mercy & grace[2:1-7]
4. The riches of Christ [3:8]
5. The riches of His Spirit [3:16-21]
III. GOD'S RICHES IN COLOSSIANS
1. The riches of Hope [1:27]
2. The riches of Understanding [2:1-7]
3. The riches of the Word [3:15-17]
I. GOD'S RICHES IN ROMANS
1. The Riches of His Goodness [2:4) leads to repentance
2. The Riches of His Glory [9:23, 10:9-13, 8:28-30] leads to righteousness
3. The Riches of His Wisdom & Knowledge [11:33-36] leads to worship
II. GOD'S RICHES IN EPHESIANS
1. The riches of redemption [1:7]
2. The riches of inheritance [1:18]
3. The riches of mercy & grace[2:1-7]
4. The riches of Christ [3:8]
5. The riches of His Spirit [3:16-21]
III. GOD'S RICHES IN COLOSSIANS
1. The riches of Hope [1:27]
2. The riches of Understanding [2:1-7]
3. The riches of the Word [3:15-17]
REPRESENTING OR MISREPRESENTING?
I don't watch a lot of religious television. One of the reasons I don't is I get bothered when I hear people saying things about Jesus that just aren't so. Of course some times I "hear" these things from other sources. Sometimes the falsehoods are quite serious (like saying Jesus wasn't virgin born, that He didn't know He was God, He didn't die, He wasn't resurrected).
Sometimes they are also preposterous (Jesus was married and had kids, Judas was doing Jesus a favor, Jesus was homosexual, He was a vegetarian, He was for abortion and against capital punishment, He made mistakes- one of which was dying on the cross).
Then sometimes these falsehoods are just plain strange (Jesus was a hippie, He was a revolutionary, He was a communist, He was a Zen philosopher). I read another strange one recently. Jesus and the disciples were rich (financially wealthy)! We are talking money rich here. We are talking big houses and fancy clothes. Is that true? What saith the scripture?
Let me say first of all that it is not a sin to be rich through legitimate means. The Bible tells us of the wealth of Abraham, Job, Solomon, Lydia and others. In some cases it caused them problems while others were able to handle it properly. So the point is not "It's wrong to have wealth." Most of us would be condsidered wealthy by people in other parts of the world anyway. The question is, was Jesus financially well off while down here on earth?
I. THE QUOTES THAT MISS
Jesus and the disciples were rich, only rich people could take off for 3.5 years. [So all unemployed people are rich?]
"The Bible says that He had a treasurer-a treasury (they called it "the bag"); that they had one man who was the treasurer, named Judas Iscariot; and the rascal was stealing out of the bag for three-and-a-half years and nobody knew that he was stealing. You know why? Because there was so much in it, He couldn't tell. Nobody could tell that anything was missing..., if Jesus didn't have anything, what do you need a treasury for? A treasury is for surplus. It's not for that which you're spending. It's only for surplus-to hold it until you need to spend it. Therefore, He must have had a whole lot that needed to be held in advance that He wasn't spending. So He must have had more than He was living on." F.P. [When I was kid we used to have clubs. We elected a President, a secretary and a treasurer. We usually had bottle caps in the treasury. To say it's always surplus is without warrant. Unless you have an agenda you are trying to further.]
"I don't know where these goofy traditions creep in at, but one of the goofiest ones is that Jesus and His disciples were poor. Now there's no Bible to substantiate that." [We'll see how wrong that is.]
"Jesus had a nice house, a big house big enough to have company stay the night with Him at the house. Let me show YOU His house. G0 over to John the first chapter and I’ll show you His house. Now, child of God, that’s a house big enough to have company stay the night in. There's His house." [1:35-43 gives no indication it was a house]
"It's historically inaccurate to say that Jesus was poor," [Again, we'll see how wrong that is.]
"How many carpenters do you know who haven't built themselves a house?" [More than he thinks.]
J.A.
"He [also] wants His children to eat the best, He wants them to wear the best clothing, He wants them to drive the best cars, and He wants them to have the best of everything." K.H. [Really/ Did Paul stay in the best jails?]
"Did Jesus have money? Well, the Bible was clear. Kings brought him gold. Did Jesus have money? It's clear. He had a treasurer to keep up with it. He had to be rich to support the disciples for 3 years" C.D. [Mt. 2:11-23, 13:55ff We are not told how much gold was given but the family probably had to live off it for several years while in Egypt and moving back and getting settled.]
R. H. believes Jesus was rich because some biblical translations suggest Jesus — as a baby — was visited by a caravan of about 200 kings bearing gold, not three wise men. Jesus also needed wealth to pay travel expenses for his 12 disciples as they took the Gospel from city to city.
("The words of a poor man are soon forgotten"), also says Jesus could not have attracted a devoted following if he was poor.
"Nobody is going to follow a broke man," He says. [Spoken like an ignorant American]
II. THE QUOTES THAT MATTER
1. They were poor at Jesus' birth [Lk. 2:22-24, Lev. 12:6-8]
2. Jesus said he personally had no home [Mt. 8:19-20]
3. The treasury was not always full [Mk. 6:37, Phil. 4:10-12, a years wages for one man wouldn't last long among 13 men and others with frequent giving to the poor]
4. Jesus sent Peter to fish just to pay the Temple tax [Mt. 17:24-27]
5. He had to be buried in a borrowed tomb to fulfill the prophecy of being with the rich in His death [Is. 53:9, Mt. 27:57-60]
III. THE CAUSE THAT MATTERS
1. Riches can keep give a false sense of security [Mk. 4:19, 10:24-25]
2. Riches do not guarantee salvation [Lk. 16:19-23]
3. Righteousness through Christ guarantees salvation and security [II Cor. 5:21, 8:9]
Sometimes they are also preposterous (Jesus was married and had kids, Judas was doing Jesus a favor, Jesus was homosexual, He was a vegetarian, He was for abortion and against capital punishment, He made mistakes- one of which was dying on the cross).
Then sometimes these falsehoods are just plain strange (Jesus was a hippie, He was a revolutionary, He was a communist, He was a Zen philosopher). I read another strange one recently. Jesus and the disciples were rich (financially wealthy)! We are talking money rich here. We are talking big houses and fancy clothes. Is that true? What saith the scripture?
Let me say first of all that it is not a sin to be rich through legitimate means. The Bible tells us of the wealth of Abraham, Job, Solomon, Lydia and others. In some cases it caused them problems while others were able to handle it properly. So the point is not "It's wrong to have wealth." Most of us would be condsidered wealthy by people in other parts of the world anyway. The question is, was Jesus financially well off while down here on earth?
I. THE QUOTES THAT MISS
Jesus and the disciples were rich, only rich people could take off for 3.5 years. [So all unemployed people are rich?]
"The Bible says that He had a treasurer-a treasury (they called it "the bag"); that they had one man who was the treasurer, named Judas Iscariot; and the rascal was stealing out of the bag for three-and-a-half years and nobody knew that he was stealing. You know why? Because there was so much in it, He couldn't tell. Nobody could tell that anything was missing..., if Jesus didn't have anything, what do you need a treasury for? A treasury is for surplus. It's not for that which you're spending. It's only for surplus-to hold it until you need to spend it. Therefore, He must have had a whole lot that needed to be held in advance that He wasn't spending. So He must have had more than He was living on." F.P. [When I was kid we used to have clubs. We elected a President, a secretary and a treasurer. We usually had bottle caps in the treasury. To say it's always surplus is without warrant. Unless you have an agenda you are trying to further.]
"I don't know where these goofy traditions creep in at, but one of the goofiest ones is that Jesus and His disciples were poor. Now there's no Bible to substantiate that." [We'll see how wrong that is.]
"Jesus had a nice house, a big house big enough to have company stay the night with Him at the house. Let me show YOU His house. G0 over to John the first chapter and I’ll show you His house. Now, child of God, that’s a house big enough to have company stay the night in. There's His house." [1:35-43 gives no indication it was a house]
"It's historically inaccurate to say that Jesus was poor," [Again, we'll see how wrong that is.]
"How many carpenters do you know who haven't built themselves a house?" [More than he thinks.]
J.A.
"He [also] wants His children to eat the best, He wants them to wear the best clothing, He wants them to drive the best cars, and He wants them to have the best of everything." K.H. [Really/ Did Paul stay in the best jails?]
"Did Jesus have money? Well, the Bible was clear. Kings brought him gold. Did Jesus have money? It's clear. He had a treasurer to keep up with it. He had to be rich to support the disciples for 3 years" C.D. [Mt. 2:11-23, 13:55ff We are not told how much gold was given but the family probably had to live off it for several years while in Egypt and moving back and getting settled.]
R. H. believes Jesus was rich because some biblical translations suggest Jesus — as a baby — was visited by a caravan of about 200 kings bearing gold, not three wise men. Jesus also needed wealth to pay travel expenses for his 12 disciples as they took the Gospel from city to city.
("The words of a poor man are soon forgotten"), also says Jesus could not have attracted a devoted following if he was poor.
"Nobody is going to follow a broke man," He says. [Spoken like an ignorant American]
II. THE QUOTES THAT MATTER
1. They were poor at Jesus' birth [Lk. 2:22-24, Lev. 12:6-8]
2. Jesus said he personally had no home [Mt. 8:19-20]
3. The treasury was not always full [Mk. 6:37, Phil. 4:10-12, a years wages for one man wouldn't last long among 13 men and others with frequent giving to the poor]
4. Jesus sent Peter to fish just to pay the Temple tax [Mt. 17:24-27]
5. He had to be buried in a borrowed tomb to fulfill the prophecy of being with the rich in His death [Is. 53:9, Mt. 27:57-60]
III. THE CAUSE THAT MATTERS
1. Riches can keep give a false sense of security [Mk. 4:19, 10:24-25]
2. Riches do not guarantee salvation [Lk. 16:19-23]
3. Righteousness through Christ guarantees salvation and security [II Cor. 5:21, 8:9]
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Q: How has evolution become part of entertainment?
A: Evolution has become so ingrained in the culture—especially when it comes to movies and television.
Evolutionary ideas, such as millions of years and the big bang, are no stranger to Hollywood. These ideas are snuck into cartoons, comics, and movies quite frequently. Perhaps evolutionists think, “Make it funny and cute, and show it enough times, and maybe they’ll accept evolution as fact.”
Hollywood doesn’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to entertain you. Many producers want you to adopt their pagan worldview that says there’s no God—and that man sets his own rules. And they know that a belief in evolution and millions of years is a powerful way to get people to doubt the Word of God.
Carl Kerby, one of AiG’s popular speakers, teaches young people how to develop their biblical radar to spot lies about God’s creation. Whether it’s Bugs Bunny, Gilligan’s Island, Spiderman, Batman, SpongeBob, or Star Wars, evolutionary ideas are there. Sometimes it’s subtle, but still effective in indoctrination.
See how good your radar is the next time you watch any of these programs or movies. Play a game called “spot the evolutionary content”—a teaching tool to instruct your family to discern opposing worldviews.
From ANSWERS Update- AIG's weekly email newsletter
For more information use the Answers in Genesis link provided in the left column.
Evolutionary ideas, such as millions of years and the big bang, are no stranger to Hollywood. These ideas are snuck into cartoons, comics, and movies quite frequently. Perhaps evolutionists think, “Make it funny and cute, and show it enough times, and maybe they’ll accept evolution as fact.”
Hollywood doesn’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to entertain you. Many producers want you to adopt their pagan worldview that says there’s no God—and that man sets his own rules. And they know that a belief in evolution and millions of years is a powerful way to get people to doubt the Word of God.
Carl Kerby, one of AiG’s popular speakers, teaches young people how to develop their biblical radar to spot lies about God’s creation. Whether it’s Bugs Bunny, Gilligan’s Island, Spiderman, Batman, SpongeBob, or Star Wars, evolutionary ideas are there. Sometimes it’s subtle, but still effective in indoctrination.
See how good your radar is the next time you watch any of these programs or movies. Play a game called “spot the evolutionary content”—a teaching tool to instruct your family to discern opposing worldviews.
From ANSWERS Update- AIG's weekly email newsletter
For more information use the Answers in Genesis link provided in the left column.
Friday, November 10, 2006
FLORIDA VS. SOUTH CAROLINA: MIXED FEELINGS TOO?
For many years (35 to be exact) I could care less about watching football. 21 years of living in North Florida (football) country didn't interest me in the least. Looking back I think I know why, but that is a sadder story for another time. 13 years in Tennessee didn't produce an interest in me either. My students would ask me for my favorite football team and I relpied honestly I didn't have one. The same question about basketball teams got a different response but one that shows my heart wasn't in it.
"Mr. Jackson, do you at least have a favorite basketball team?"
"Why yes, I think I'd have to go with the Harlem Globetrotters!"
In 1991 we moved back to Florida and I started hearing the buzz about Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators. FUN'N'GUN was tearing up the SEC (and changed the complexion of college football from smashmouth to finesse for awhile- I personally think it's a mixture now). I finally started reading and watching because for the first time in my life football was interesting to me and I owed it all to one man- the ol' ball coach (or "the evil genius" as his opponents thought of him), Steve Spurrier.
For a long time I thought I was primarily a Gator fan but when he left I learned I was a Spurrier fan first and a Gator fan second. I actually rooted for him last year against the Gators at their first head to head. But what about this year. Am I going to pull for the Coach who made me interested in football or the team he used to draw me in?
The Gators have a chance at another national title shot if things go their way in the next few weeks. South Carolina has a shot at a bowl game if they win at least one more. Let the Gamecocks win one more... just NOT this one. Not this week. Not this way. GO GATORS!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
BUT THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN
DANIEL 2:11-28
Daniel and all the wise men were under a death sentence because the senior wise men only knew the false gods and of course didn't have a personal relationship with them (v. 11) since they did not exist. Not did they have a relationship with the One True God. But Daniel did, his three friends did, and they prayed for help. Note again Daniel's explanation in v. 27-28.
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
I. Daniel had no way to know the king's dream much less the interpretation...
But there is a God in heaven [Dan. 2:29-36]
II. Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah had no power to stop fire from burning them...
But there is a God in heaven [3:16-28]
III. The retired Daniel had no way to interpret the writing on Belshazzar's wall...
But there is a God in heaven [5:23-28]
IV. The Elderly Daniel had no power to keep hungry lions at bay...
But there is a God in heaven [6:16-24]
V. The prophet Daniel had no foreknowledge of the world to come...
But there is a God in heaven [Daniel 7-12]
VI. As sinners we have no ability to make a sin payment...
But there is a God in heaven [Rm. 5:6-11]
VII. As sinners we have no power over temptation...
But there is a God in heaven [I Co. 10:13-15]
VIII. As sinners we have no authority to give other sinners directions...
But there is a God in heaven [II Co. 5:17-20]
IX. As sinners we can't face all there is to face...
But there is a God in heaven [Phil. 4:13, 19]
X. As sinners we get mighty lonely even in a crowd...
But there is a God in heaven [Heb. 13:5-6]
Daniel and all the wise men were under a death sentence because the senior wise men only knew the false gods and of course didn't have a personal relationship with them (v. 11) since they did not exist. Not did they have a relationship with the One True God. But Daniel did, his three friends did, and they prayed for help. Note again Daniel's explanation in v. 27-28.
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
I. Daniel had no way to know the king's dream much less the interpretation...
But there is a God in heaven [Dan. 2:29-36]
II. Hananiah, Mishael, & Azariah had no power to stop fire from burning them...
But there is a God in heaven [3:16-28]
III. The retired Daniel had no way to interpret the writing on Belshazzar's wall...
But there is a God in heaven [5:23-28]
IV. The Elderly Daniel had no power to keep hungry lions at bay...
But there is a God in heaven [6:16-24]
V. The prophet Daniel had no foreknowledge of the world to come...
But there is a God in heaven [Daniel 7-12]
VI. As sinners we have no ability to make a sin payment...
But there is a God in heaven [Rm. 5:6-11]
VII. As sinners we have no power over temptation...
But there is a God in heaven [I Co. 10:13-15]
VIII. As sinners we have no authority to give other sinners directions...
But there is a God in heaven [II Co. 5:17-20]
IX. As sinners we can't face all there is to face...
But there is a God in heaven [Phil. 4:13, 19]
X. As sinners we get mighty lonely even in a crowd...
But there is a God in heaven [Heb. 13:5-6]
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The State of Fall
With the temp still in the eighties,
A leaf or two has fallen.
The lawn needs weekly mowing,
The air is full of pollen.
The leaves they're not a-changin',
They're as green as they can be.
The birds are still out chirping,
The squirrels still care-free.
Don't they realize?
Do they not know at all.
The calendar is November,
The season is really Fall?
It's just one of those things,
That I sometimes hate...
Some things rarely change,
In Florida, the Sunshine State.
Frederick A Jackson
A leaf or two has fallen.
The lawn needs weekly mowing,
The air is full of pollen.
The leaves they're not a-changin',
They're as green as they can be.
The birds are still out chirping,
The squirrels still care-free.
Don't they realize?
Do they not know at all.
The calendar is November,
The season is really Fall?
It's just one of those things,
That I sometimes hate...
Some things rarely change,
In Florida, the Sunshine State.
Frederick A Jackson
Monday, November 06, 2006
STUFF MY FAVORITE SISTER SENT ME
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweat-shirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, "University of Florida."
And they say blondes are dumb...
Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods. Because if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -
Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder "Instruction Manuals"
PURSES!
I never gave it a thought. Who'd a thunk? Have you
ever noticed gals who sit their purses on public
restroom floors - that go directly to their dining
tables? Happens a lot! It's not always the
restaurant food that causes stomach distress.
Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"!
Read on...Mom got so upset when a guest came in the
door and plopped their purses down on the counter
where she was cooking or setting up the buffet. She
always said that purses are really dirty, because of
where they have been. Smart Momma!!!
It's something just about every woman carries with
them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do
you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake
put purses to the test - for bacteria - with
surprising results. You may think twice about where
you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere;
from the office to public restrooms to the floor of
the car. Most women won't be caught without their
purses, but did you ever stop to think about where
your purse goes during the day?
"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the
floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor
of my car, probably in restrooms." "I put my purse in
grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom
stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman
and of course in my home which should be clean."
We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of
bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson
Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out to test
the average woman's purse. Most women told us they
didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of
their purse. Most said they usually set their purses
on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is
prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they
wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at least a
little bit dirty. It turns out purses are so
surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested
them was shocked.
Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly
all of the purses tested were not only high in
bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria.
Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus
aurous can cause serious skin infections, and
salmonella and e-coli found on the purses could make
people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses
tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the
worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the
purses," says Amy.
Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than
cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.
People with kids tended to have dirtier purses than
those without, with one exception. The purse of one
single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the
worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or
even possibly vomit or something like that," says Amy.
So the moral of this story - your purse won't kill
you, but it does have the potential to make you very
sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks
to hang your purse at home and in restrooms, and don't
put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your
kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of
your purse the same way you would a
pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of
shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing
you're doing when you put your purse on the
countertops" - your purse has gone where every
individual before you has spat, coughed, urinated,
emptied bowels, etc!
Do you really want to bring that home with you? The
microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a purse
will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner
to clean the bottom of leather purses.
THIS IS WORTH SHARING!!!
Cowboy in Church
One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories.
As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work.
As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship."
The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.
The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old cowboy.
"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, He told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He says He's never been here before."
SENIOR'S SENSE OF HUMOR
A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Tampa. "The
material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us
sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your
stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be
disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the
germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most
dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell
me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years
after eating it?"
After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front
row raised his hand, and softly said, "Wedding Cake."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An elderly gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the
French customs desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport
in his carry-on bag. "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the
customs officer asked, sarcastically. The elderly gentleman admitted he
had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to have
your passport ready."
The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to
show it."
"Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on
arrival in France !"
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then
he quietly explained. "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on
D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any
Frenchmen to show it to."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A group of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Holland.
As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the
process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used. She
showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing.
"These" she explained "are the older goats put out to pasture when they
no longer produce."
She then asked, "What do you do in America with your old
goats?"
A spry old gentleman answered, "They send us on bus tours!"
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, "University of Florida."
And they say blondes are dumb...
Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods. Because if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -
Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder "Instruction Manuals"
PURSES!
I never gave it a thought. Who'd a thunk? Have you
ever noticed gals who sit their purses on public
restroom floors - that go directly to their dining
tables? Happens a lot! It's not always the
restaurant food that causes stomach distress.
Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"!
Read on...Mom got so upset when a guest came in the
door and plopped their purses down on the counter
where she was cooking or setting up the buffet. She
always said that purses are really dirty, because of
where they have been. Smart Momma!!!
It's something just about every woman carries with
them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do
you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake
put purses to the test - for bacteria - with
surprising results. You may think twice about where
you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere;
from the office to public restrooms to the floor of
the car. Most women won't be caught without their
purses, but did you ever stop to think about where
your purse goes during the day?
"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the
floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor
of my car, probably in restrooms." "I put my purse in
grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom
stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman
and of course in my home which should be clean."
We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of
bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson
Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out to test
the average woman's purse. Most women told us they
didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of
their purse. Most said they usually set their purses
on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is
prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they
wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at least a
little bit dirty. It turns out purses are so
surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested
them was shocked.
Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly
all of the purses tested were not only high in
bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria.
Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus
aurous can cause serious skin infections, and
salmonella and e-coli found on the purses could make
people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses
tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the
worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the
purses," says Amy.
Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than
cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.
People with kids tended to have dirtier purses than
those without, with one exception. The purse of one
single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the
worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or
even possibly vomit or something like that," says Amy.
So the moral of this story - your purse won't kill
you, but it does have the potential to make you very
sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks
to hang your purse at home and in restrooms, and don't
put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your
kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of
your purse the same way you would a
pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of
shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing
you're doing when you put your purse on the
countertops" - your purse has gone where every
individual before you has spat, coughed, urinated,
emptied bowels, etc!
Do you really want to bring that home with you? The
microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a purse
will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner
to clean the bottom of leather purses.
THIS IS WORTH SHARING!!!
Cowboy in Church
One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out bible.
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories.
As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work.
As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship."
The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.
The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old cowboy.
"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, He told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He says He's never been here before."
SENIOR'S SENSE OF HUMOR
A Doctor was addressing a large audience in Tampa. "The
material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us
sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your
stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be
disastrous, and none of us realizes the long-term harm caused by the
germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most
dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell
me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years
after eating it?"
After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front
row raised his hand, and softly said, "Wedding Cake."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An elderly gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane. At the
French customs desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport
in his carry-on bag. "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the
customs officer asked, sarcastically. The elderly gentleman admitted he
had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to have
your passport ready."
The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to
show it."
"Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on
arrival in France !"
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then
he quietly explained. "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on
D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any
Frenchmen to show it to."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A group of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Holland.
As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the
process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used. She
showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing.
"These" she explained "are the older goats put out to pasture when they
no longer produce."
She then asked, "What do you do in America with your old
goats?"
A spry old gentleman answered, "They send us on bus tours!"
Sunday, November 05, 2006
FROM TROUBLE TO TRIUMPH
-
PSALM 32
The truth of this psalm should be well-known to every Christian. It could be a help to every person. It can lead us from sorrow to singing, from depression to expression, from trouble to triumph.
I. OUR THREE PRONGED PROBLEM [V. 1-2]
1. Transgression [v. 1, I Jn. 1:10, 3:4, I Tm. 2:14] Lawlessness, deliberate sin, knowingly sinning, premeditatively violating what we know to be right (not accidently like Paul rebuking the high priest)
2. Sin [v. 1b, Rm. 3:23] Coming short, falling short of that which we should do. Do we pray enough? Witness enough? Give enough?. Study the Word enough? Hosea describes it as a "deceitful Bow" [7:16], like a rifle with bad sights. Makes you miss the target. Christ's perfection is the target by the way.
3. Iniquity [v. 2, Ps. 51:5, I Jn. 1:8, 3:6-9] Crookedness, corruption of nature, perverseness of our being. Jacob had a coniving nature and fooled his father with a goat skin. Years later his sons fooled him with goat's blood. Be sure your sin will find you out.
II. THE THREE-FOLD RESULT OF UNCONFESSED SIN [V. 3-4]
1. Misery [V. 3, Is. 48:16-22]
2. Pressure [v. 4a] A backslidden Christian asked, "How long will God sandpaper me?" Another Christian replied, "When you quit, He'll quit!"
3. Chastisement [v. 4b, I Cor. 11:30-32, Heb. 12:5-11] "It's up to us--- we can live for God and one day be taken to Heaven where He will crown us or live for self and He may crown us and then take us to Heaven."
III. GOD'S COUNTER MEASURES
1. SALVATION [V. 1-2]
-transgression is forgiven [v. 1a, Ps. 103:12] Taken away
-sin is covered [v. 1b, Acts 3:19 "blotted out"]
-imputeth not iniquity [v. 2a, Rm. 4:4-8] not charges with our own guilt
-in whose spirit there is no guile-[v. 2b, I Jn. 3:6-7, 9] God gives us a new nature
2. SECURITY [v. 6-7]
3. GUIDANCE [V. 8-9]
THE DIFFERENCE IS OBVIOUS [V. 10-11]
PSALM 32
The truth of this psalm should be well-known to every Christian. It could be a help to every person. It can lead us from sorrow to singing, from depression to expression, from trouble to triumph.
I. OUR THREE PRONGED PROBLEM [V. 1-2]
1. Transgression [v. 1, I Jn. 1:10, 3:4, I Tm. 2:14] Lawlessness, deliberate sin, knowingly sinning, premeditatively violating what we know to be right (not accidently like Paul rebuking the high priest)
2. Sin [v. 1b, Rm. 3:23] Coming short, falling short of that which we should do. Do we pray enough? Witness enough? Give enough?. Study the Word enough? Hosea describes it as a "deceitful Bow" [7:16], like a rifle with bad sights. Makes you miss the target. Christ's perfection is the target by the way.
3. Iniquity [v. 2, Ps. 51:5, I Jn. 1:8, 3:6-9] Crookedness, corruption of nature, perverseness of our being. Jacob had a coniving nature and fooled his father with a goat skin. Years later his sons fooled him with goat's blood. Be sure your sin will find you out.
II. THE THREE-FOLD RESULT OF UNCONFESSED SIN [V. 3-4]
1. Misery [V. 3, Is. 48:16-22]
2. Pressure [v. 4a] A backslidden Christian asked, "How long will God sandpaper me?" Another Christian replied, "When you quit, He'll quit!"
3. Chastisement [v. 4b, I Cor. 11:30-32, Heb. 12:5-11] "It's up to us--- we can live for God and one day be taken to Heaven where He will crown us or live for self and He may crown us and then take us to Heaven."
III. GOD'S COUNTER MEASURES
1. SALVATION [V. 1-2]
-transgression is forgiven [v. 1a, Ps. 103:12] Taken away
-sin is covered [v. 1b, Acts 3:19 "blotted out"]
-imputeth not iniquity [v. 2a, Rm. 4:4-8] not charges with our own guilt
-in whose spirit there is no guile-[v. 2b, I Jn. 3:6-7, 9] God gives us a new nature
2. SECURITY [v. 6-7]
3. GUIDANCE [V. 8-9]
THE DIFFERENCE IS OBVIOUS [V. 10-11]
Saturday, November 04, 2006
WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PROTESTANT?
I have in my possession a chart taken from the U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT entitled "The Lord's House". It purports to show the history of the Holy Catholic Church from the New Testament days to the present. It shows the split between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. It shows Baptists coming out of the latter during the Reformation. It is wrong. Baptists are a people. They have a historical identity. They have a historical image. Their continuity is the longest of any Christian group on earth. Their doctrines, principles, and practices are rooted in the apostolic age. I am not a Pharasaical sectarian but I don't confuse Baptists with the Reformers. The Reformers wanted to reform the Roman Catholic Church; the Baptists were against the church, because it was not a New Testament church. ---"Why I am a Baptist"
by the late Dr. Noel Smith
Someone might say, "Surely you are not saying the Apostles were Baptists?" Actually, in a sense, I am. "But they weren't called Baptists!" No-one was called a "Christian" until 15 years after the Resurrection of Jesus (Acts 11:26) does that mean that no one was a Christian until then? The early New Testament Christians weren't called "Baptists" but they were baptistic in their doctrine and polity.
Protestantism originated in the Reformation. Protestantism is "protestism." That's a Negative. Negativism has within it the seed of its own disintegration. The Baptists were not reformers. They were not protestors. They were positive.[II Co. 1:18-22]
Freedom of conscience is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.[Rm. 14:1-12]
Religious liberty is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Martin Luther, though a great man, persecuted the Baptists even as he had been persecuted by the Roman Catholics.
Believer's baptism is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.[Acts 8:35-38]
Baptism of the believer by immersion in water, symbolizing the believer's death, burial and resurrection with Christ is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. [Rm. 6:3-5]
The local, visible, autonomous assembly, with Christ as its only head and the Bible as its sole rule of faith and practice, is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. [Col. 1:1-2, 12-14, 18-23, 3:15-17, Acts 17:11]Which is why Protestants "sprinkle" and call it baptism when the N.T. clearly teaches immersion. It's also why they have a certain way to run their churches and sprinkle infants. They didn't protest enough!
Worldwide missions are not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.
The Reformers had no missionary vision and no missionary spirit. For almost two hundred years after the Reformers, the Reformation churches felt no burden to implement the Great Commission.[Mt. 28:18-20] William Carey, the father of modern missions, was a Baptist.
What kind of world would the Western world have been had Protestantism became its master? Who but the Baptist kept Protestantism from becoming master? The general attitude today is that the truth is determined by the passing of time; that there aren't eternal, abiding truths. "You can't turn the clock back. Time invalidates all truth. Time invalidates one set of truth and fastens another set upon us." Baptist history repudiates this philosophy of fatalism. Baptists today are believing, teaching, preaching and practicing the truths that they believed, taught, preached and practiced two thousand years ago. [Jude 3]
It gives me a feeling of stability to reflect that I, as a Baptist, am in the stream of this long continuity of faith and practice. The Baptist people are a great continuity...a great essence...a great dignity. The world never needed them more than it needs them today.
Don't misunderstand. I am not saying if you are not a Baptist then you are not a Christian. I do not believe in the Baptist Bride. I am just saying Baptists are, as a rule, closer to New Testament Christianity than most, if not all, of your other options. Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice were Protestants on their way as missionaries to Burma. As they travelled on separate ships they both were studying their Bibles and both became convinced, independently of one another and any other teaching save that of the Word of God that the Baptists were indeed the closest to New Testament teachings. Somewhat sheepishly they shared their findings with one another after they got to India, their stop off point for Burma. They looked up William Carey and had him baptize them both by immersion. It's not outside influence that makes good Baptists, its the Word of the Living God. I speak from experience as a former Protestant. Someone asked me after I became a Baptist what I would be if I wasn't Baptist. I remembered what someone else had said to the same question and answered accordingly, "I'd be ashamed. That's what I would be."
by the late Dr. Noel Smith
Someone might say, "Surely you are not saying the Apostles were Baptists?" Actually, in a sense, I am. "But they weren't called Baptists!" No-one was called a "Christian" until 15 years after the Resurrection of Jesus (Acts 11:26) does that mean that no one was a Christian until then? The early New Testament Christians weren't called "Baptists" but they were baptistic in their doctrine and polity.
Protestantism originated in the Reformation. Protestantism is "protestism." That's a Negative. Negativism has within it the seed of its own disintegration. The Baptists were not reformers. They were not protestors. They were positive.[II Co. 1:18-22]
Freedom of conscience is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.[Rm. 14:1-12]
Religious liberty is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. Martin Luther, though a great man, persecuted the Baptists even as he had been persecuted by the Roman Catholics.
Believer's baptism is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.[Acts 8:35-38]
Baptism of the believer by immersion in water, symbolizing the believer's death, burial and resurrection with Christ is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. [Rm. 6:3-5]
The local, visible, autonomous assembly, with Christ as its only head and the Bible as its sole rule of faith and practice, is not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine. [Col. 1:1-2, 12-14, 18-23, 3:15-17, Acts 17:11]Which is why Protestants "sprinkle" and call it baptism when the N.T. clearly teaches immersion. It's also why they have a certain way to run their churches and sprinkle infants. They didn't protest enough!
Worldwide missions are not a Reformation doctrine; it is a Baptist doctrine.
The Reformers had no missionary vision and no missionary spirit. For almost two hundred years after the Reformers, the Reformation churches felt no burden to implement the Great Commission.[Mt. 28:18-20] William Carey, the father of modern missions, was a Baptist.
What kind of world would the Western world have been had Protestantism became its master? Who but the Baptist kept Protestantism from becoming master? The general attitude today is that the truth is determined by the passing of time; that there aren't eternal, abiding truths. "You can't turn the clock back. Time invalidates all truth. Time invalidates one set of truth and fastens another set upon us." Baptist history repudiates this philosophy of fatalism. Baptists today are believing, teaching, preaching and practicing the truths that they believed, taught, preached and practiced two thousand years ago. [Jude 3]
It gives me a feeling of stability to reflect that I, as a Baptist, am in the stream of this long continuity of faith and practice. The Baptist people are a great continuity...a great essence...a great dignity. The world never needed them more than it needs them today.
Don't misunderstand. I am not saying if you are not a Baptist then you are not a Christian. I do not believe in the Baptist Bride. I am just saying Baptists are, as a rule, closer to New Testament Christianity than most, if not all, of your other options. Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice were Protestants on their way as missionaries to Burma. As they travelled on separate ships they both were studying their Bibles and both became convinced, independently of one another and any other teaching save that of the Word of God that the Baptists were indeed the closest to New Testament teachings. Somewhat sheepishly they shared their findings with one another after they got to India, their stop off point for Burma. They looked up William Carey and had him baptize them both by immersion. It's not outside influence that makes good Baptists, its the Word of the Living God. I speak from experience as a former Protestant. Someone asked me after I became a Baptist what I would be if I wasn't Baptist. I remembered what someone else had said to the same question and answered accordingly, "I'd be ashamed. That's what I would be."
Q: Is recognizing design “enough”?
A: “Enough for what?” you might ask. The Intelligent Design Movement teaches that design in nature points to a designer, but it doesn’t say who the intelligent designer is, and it is compatible with millions of years and evolution. So is belief in intelligent design enough to be saved?
Intelligent design may seem very appealing at first because it brings up some good arguments against the idea that life arose by natural processes. But sadly, the ID movement has little or nothing to do with the Bible.
Believing in design alone doesn’t tell us why there’s death and suffering in the world … or that we all need to be saved. It’s only through God’s Word that we can understand the bad news that Adam’s sin brought—death—and the good news that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, brought—eternal life with Him.
While Romans 1 tells us that we can know there’s a God through His creation (and that’s an important first step), to understand who that God is and to know His nature and what life is all about, we need to believe and understand God’s Word.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to learn “the good, the bad, and the ugly” behind the Intelligent Design Movement? See The Intelligent Design Movement: Does the identity of the Creator really matter? at www.answersingenesis.org
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Intelligent design may seem very appealing at first because it brings up some good arguments against the idea that life arose by natural processes. But sadly, the ID movement has little or nothing to do with the Bible.
Believing in design alone doesn’t tell us why there’s death and suffering in the world … or that we all need to be saved. It’s only through God’s Word that we can understand the bad news that Adam’s sin brought—death—and the good news that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, brought—eternal life with Him.
While Romans 1 tells us that we can know there’s a God through His creation (and that’s an important first step), to understand who that God is and to know His nature and what life is all about, we need to believe and understand God’s Word.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to learn “the good, the bad, and the ugly” behind the Intelligent Design Movement? See The Intelligent Design Movement: Does the identity of the Creator really matter? at www.answersingenesis.org
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Better Day but the Best is yet to come!
Both feeling better today. But the Best is yet to come! When we get our new bodies at the second coming of Jesus.
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Deut 30:4 Matt 24:31
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Deut 30:4 Matt 24:31
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4
Thursday, November 02, 2006
BLEAH DAY?
Both the wife and I are sick today. Bleah! (It's still better than I deserve. It's better than you deserve too. If we got what we deserved we'd all be in Hell right now. But we ain't! And what's more, I'm NEVER going to go there!)
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
GOD, CHRIST, AND RELIGION
LUKE 12:37-38
In the last few weeks we have discussed, to the surprise of some, that God approves and in some cases commands, capital punishment and war. On the flip side of the coin many would no doubt be surprised that God is against some things they think He would be for. Religion is one of those things. Outside of the Bible-based, Bible-following "Old Time Religion" God is against religion. He is against them because they are the invention of sinful men, women, and demons. They may try to counterfeit the real, they may use similar sounding words, they may even have pieces of truth intermixed with their error but God despises them all the more. Why?
I. RELIGION DOESN'T CHANGE HEARTS [LK. 11:39-40]
"The heart of the probelm is the problem of the heart."- Lester Roloff
A person may change their actions without his heart being changed [Mt. 23:1-13]
Religion emphasizes doing rather than being [Phil. 3:4-9]
Even a sincere religious person needs a heart changed by God [Jn. 3:3, 16]
II. RELIGION MAKES MUCH OF LITTLE AND LITTLE OF MUCH [LK 11:42, MT. 23:23]
III. RELIGION OFFERS THE APPROVAL OF MEN RATHER THAN GOD [LK. 11:43, MT. 23:5, ACTS 5:29, GAL. 1:6-10]
IV. RELIGION MAKES HYPOCRITES OF ITS ADHERENTS [LK. 11:44]
"Jesus knew what we often forget: what looks good may have a heart of evil." -Unknown
V. RELIGION MAKES A HARD LIFE HARDER [LK. 11:45-46]
"Because religion cannot change a heart, it tries to control people with laws and expectations that are not even kept by the religionists who interpret and apply the rules." -Unknown
VI. RELIGION MAKES IT EASY TO DECEIVE OURSELVES [LK. 11:47-49, GAL. 6:3, I JN. 1:8]
VII. RELIGION HIDES THE TRUE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE, THE WORD OF GOD [LK. 11:52, MK. 7:6-8a, 13, MT. 23:15]
"Rather than leading people to God, religionists shift the focus to themselves and their own rules." They "trust the belief and action of their religion to do what only Christ can do." -Unknown
IN CONTRAST, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST-
-CHANGES HEARTS [II COR. 5:17]
-EMPHASIZES THE GREAT NEED [MT. 16:26]
-OFFERS THE APPROVAL OF GOD NOT MEN [EPH. 1:6]
-MAKES SAINTS OF ALL BELIEVERS [I COR.. 1:2]
-MAKES A HARD LIFE NEW [JN. 10:10, PH. 4:13, 19]
-MAKES IT HARDER FOR US TO DECEIVE OURSELVES [JAMES 1:22-27]
-REVEALS THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE [JN. 5:39, 8:32, 14:17]
-LEADS THE RIGHT WAY [PR. 3:5-6]
In the last few weeks we have discussed, to the surprise of some, that God approves and in some cases commands, capital punishment and war. On the flip side of the coin many would no doubt be surprised that God is against some things they think He would be for. Religion is one of those things. Outside of the Bible-based, Bible-following "Old Time Religion" God is against religion. He is against them because they are the invention of sinful men, women, and demons. They may try to counterfeit the real, they may use similar sounding words, they may even have pieces of truth intermixed with their error but God despises them all the more. Why?
I. RELIGION DOESN'T CHANGE HEARTS [LK. 11:39-40]
"The heart of the probelm is the problem of the heart."- Lester Roloff
A person may change their actions without his heart being changed [Mt. 23:1-13]
Religion emphasizes doing rather than being [Phil. 3:4-9]
Even a sincere religious person needs a heart changed by God [Jn. 3:3, 16]
II. RELIGION MAKES MUCH OF LITTLE AND LITTLE OF MUCH [LK 11:42, MT. 23:23]
III. RELIGION OFFERS THE APPROVAL OF MEN RATHER THAN GOD [LK. 11:43, MT. 23:5, ACTS 5:29, GAL. 1:6-10]
IV. RELIGION MAKES HYPOCRITES OF ITS ADHERENTS [LK. 11:44]
"Jesus knew what we often forget: what looks good may have a heart of evil." -Unknown
V. RELIGION MAKES A HARD LIFE HARDER [LK. 11:45-46]
"Because religion cannot change a heart, it tries to control people with laws and expectations that are not even kept by the religionists who interpret and apply the rules." -Unknown
VI. RELIGION MAKES IT EASY TO DECEIVE OURSELVES [LK. 11:47-49, GAL. 6:3, I JN. 1:8]
VII. RELIGION HIDES THE TRUE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE, THE WORD OF GOD [LK. 11:52, MK. 7:6-8a, 13, MT. 23:15]
"Rather than leading people to God, religionists shift the focus to themselves and their own rules." They "trust the belief and action of their religion to do what only Christ can do." -Unknown
IN CONTRAST, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST-
-CHANGES HEARTS [II COR. 5:17]
-EMPHASIZES THE GREAT NEED [MT. 16:26]
-OFFERS THE APPROVAL OF GOD NOT MEN [EPH. 1:6]
-MAKES SAINTS OF ALL BELIEVERS [I COR.. 1:2]
-MAKES A HARD LIFE NEW [JN. 10:10, PH. 4:13, 19]
-MAKES IT HARDER FOR US TO DECEIVE OURSELVES [JAMES 1:22-27]
-REVEALS THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE [JN. 5:39, 8:32, 14:17]
-LEADS THE RIGHT WAY [PR. 3:5-6]
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