12/26/22 12/26/22

THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS

#055a THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS

Scripture John 8:21-36, NIV Orig. Date 10-2-61

Rewr. Dates 4-18-85 (7-77)

Passage: 21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up[a] the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Purpose: To introduce a doctrinal study called The Doctrine of Christ so that my people will better understand their need of Christ, the sin-bearer.

Keywords: Christ the Saviour The Christian Life Sin Power

Introduction

It has been several years ago, but the news services told the story all around the country. The streets of the city of New York were electrically dark, but were aflame with human passion. Different reports gave different accounts. 1,700, 1,800, as many as 2,000 arrested for looting and arson. An old jail, long out of service, had to be reactivated to hold the mobs.

It started with a power failure and turned into a night of terror. Untold numbers of people were caught up in a wild melee in the streets that suddenly engulfed them. Some of them found themselves doing things that they would never have done under other circumstances.

Nevertheless, their weakness violated the law, caused pain and suffering; they would have to pay for their crimes. In other places, those more detached from the human scene were scoffing at the evangelical concept of sin. Is there sin? Can there be a God who judges sin? Are we accountable for the wrongs we do?

Sin comes to us in all shapes and colors. It waltzes through one’s life with the whisper of a gentle breeze, or it destroys everything in its path like a late Summer storm. It registers every degree of intensity from anguish to zeal (misguided). It is real! There are different kinds. These are difficult to categorize. One sin exceeds all others in total effect upon our lives. It is the Sin of Sonlessness. It is the sin unto death. It spells death for people, for cultures, for nations, for churches.

I. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in Minimized Human Potential. John 8:34-36 “You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

You see, creation included Christ. God created a being capable of self-will and therefore of response. Genesis 3:5 “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 “God has made man upright, but they have sought many inventions.” They were seeking not what God’s will provides but what their will tolerates.

From the first it was His intention to redeem man through Christ. One of the things remembered with fondness from New Orleans is the trips to Women’s Hospital and the magnificent walks by the nursery window. There were dozens of babies. The spark of life is God’s gift. Spiritual life also. John 1:16f “of His fullness have we all received . . . . The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

Any of us may achieve material success apart from Christ, but it has no redeeming effect. Some unnamed author of Profit and Loss wrote:

I counted dollars while God counted crosses,

I counted gains while He counted losses.

I counted my worth, my things gained in store;

And he sized me up by the scars that I bore.

I counted honors and sought degrees,

He counted the hours I spent on my knees.

I never knew until one day by the grave

How vain are the things that we spend life to save.

I did not know till a friend went above

That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.

Dr. Arthur Burden, Christian psychiatrist in New Orleans, served on the Foreign Mission Board screening committee. He recovered from a heart attack in 1974. “God spared my life. I am sure of that. I am not completely sure for what reasons. The things that are important to me now are the little every day things: a blue sky; time spent with my family; the touch of a friend’s hand.”

We reach our fullest potential by the measure of our attachment to Christ.

II. The Sin of Sonlessness Results in a Life Turned Inward. John 8:26 “I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard from Him.”

The first concern of the life turned inward is that it contradicts God’s will. What if Jesus had allowed Himself to get side-tracked? What if He had been satisfied to turn Israel around? V26 “I see so much to judge.”

For the reformer, what if the goal becomes an end in itself, and the source of the goal is lost from view? “He who sent me is true.”

You see, Israel was to be the agent through whom others came to believe. “And I speak to the world.” Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, . . . and give thee . . . for a light to the Gentiles.”

Though Jesus didn’t get side-tracked, we can. The question is not just the expending of spiritual energy. It is primarily openness of life to the will of God. I Corinthians 3:11f “No other foundation can any person lay than what is laid, which is Jesus. Whatever is built . . . gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. Fire shall try everyone’s work of what sort it is.”

This life turned inward becomes a barrier to the way rather than a guidepost. Parents can stand in the way of children. Failing to be a consistent witness, we stand in the way of others. G.K. Chesterton wrote: “We are all in the same boat on a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

III. The Sin of Sonlessness Separates One from God. John 8:34 “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” It is to know God through His Son. Gladstone “All that I think, all that I hope, all that I write, all that I live for, is based on the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central joy of my poor wayward life.” Phillips Brooks “The only way to realize that we are God’s children is to allow Jesus to lead us to our Father.”

But to be without Christ is to be without dependable hope. John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.”

Conclusion

He held the lamp each livelong day

So low that none could miss the way,

And yet so high to bring in sight

That picture fair of Christ, the light,

That gazing up--the lamp between—

The hand that held it was not seen.

He held the pitcher, stooping low,

To lips of little ones below,

Then raised it to the weary saint

And bade him drink when sick and faint;

They drank--the pitcher thus between—

The hand that held it scarce was seen.

He blew the trumpet, soft and clear,

That cringing sinners need not fear,

And then with louder note and bold

To storm the walls of Satan’s hold:

The trumpet coming thus between,

The hand that held it was not seen.

But when our captain says, “Well done

Thou good and faithful servant, come.

Lay down the lamp, lay down the cup,

Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp.”

Thy weary hands will then be seen,

Clasped in his pierced ones, naught between.

Author unknown

12/26/22 12/26/22

THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS, reflections on 9/11

#055b reflections on 9/11 THE SIN OF SONLESSNESS

Scripture John 8:21-36, NIV Orig. Date 10-2-61

Rewr. Dates 9/14/2001; 4-18-85 (7-77)

Passage: 21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Purpose: Post 9-11, to introduce a doctrinal study called The Doctrine of Christ so that my people will better understand their need of Christ, the sin-bearer.

Keywords: Christ, Saviour Christian Life Sin Power

Introduction

The study brought us today to John 8:24. The horrors of the week do not necessitate a change. The gospel is still the hope of our world. We must be faithful, but careful in exploiting what we possess. Commitment is the exercise of the day.

We have watched, for three days now, as a brigade of men and women have hauled away the debris of the World Trade Center. Hundreds of thousands of tons of the by-product of the hate of a small group of people. A vast commitment of principal because one person may still be alive under it. Such effort is simply a by-product of love.

So, the text has not been changed, though some remarks will bear on the depth of the outcome of such a week.

Significantly, the controversial remarks of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell must be brought into such a text. Has God taken a protective hand away? It is impossible to argue the point that we Americans have enjoyed that protection. Now, is it gone? Are we without it? They are honorable men, and men of vision, but they are wrong. His hand is extended to all people of “good will,” whatever their religion or life principle. And, so must our hand. In the crisis of that hour, and the days since, there have been tens of thousands of those responses.

The tragedy happened. It was not willed by deity to happen. Nor was it a chance event. It was humanly engineered. So must be the conditions of recovery.

Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” Jeremiah 31:29 “In those days . . . say no more ‘the fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ . . . Everyone shall die for his own iniquity.”

Even if Robertson and Falwell could prove their contention, I would lay claim to that concluding prayer of Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like hinds’ feet and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.”

Any of us may achieve material success apart from Christ, but it has no redeeming effect. Some unnamed author of Profit and Loss wrote:

I counted dollars while God counted crosses,

I counted gains while He counted losses.

I counted my worth, my things gained in store;

And he sized me up by the scars that I bore.

I counted honors and sought degrees,

He counted the hours I spent on my knees.

I never knew until one day by the grave

How vain are the things that we spend life to save.

I did not know till a friend went above

That richest is he who is rich in God’s love.

Dr. Arthur Burden, Christian psychiatrist in New Orleans, served on the Foreign Mission Board screening committee. He recovered from a heart attack in 1974. “God spared my life. I am sure of that. I am not completely sure for what reasons. The things that are important to me now are the little everyday things: a blue sky; time spent with my family; the touch of a friend’s hand.”

We reach our fullest potential by the measure of our attachment to Christ.

For the reformer, what if the goal becomes an end in itself, and the source of the goal is lost from view? “He who sent me is true.”

Conclusion

He held the lamp each livelong day

So low that none could miss the way,

And yet so high to bring in sight

That picture fair of Christ, the light,

That gazing up--the lamp between—

The hand that held it was not seen.

He held the pitcher, stooping low,

To lips of little ones below,

Then raised it to the weary saint

And bade him drink when sick and faint;

They drank--the pitcher thus between—

The hand that held it scarce was seen.

He blew the trumpet, soft and clear,

That cringing sinners need not fear,

And then with louder note and bold

To storm the walls of Satan’s hold:

The trumpet coming thus between,

The hand that held it was not seen.

But when our captain says, “Well done

Thou good and faithful servant, come.

Lay down the lamp, lay down the cup,

Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp.”

Thy weary hands will then be seen,

Clasped in his pierced ones, naught between.

Author unknown

12/25/22 12/25/22

THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

#077 THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

Scripture Matthew 16:13-19 NIV Orig. 8-30-64

Rewr. 3-1-88

Passage: ¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter,^[^a^] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[^b^] will not overcome it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[^c^] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[^d^] loosed in heaven.”

Purpose: To call my people to a renewed awareness of commitment. An attention to some topics of concern is required.

Keywords: Christ, Lord Duty Commitment

Introduction

We regularly talk about commitment. We give only rudimentary attention to the place it should have in our lives.

My dictionary translates it variously: “consigning for safe-keeping,” “an act of engagement or pledging,” “liability incurred,” “the act of doing,” “perpetration.” Its Biblical use is almost always as a verb. Paul admonishes Timothy to “keep that which is committed to Thy trust” (I Timothy 6:20). And, of himself, in the following treatise he writes his young friend “I . . . am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him” (II Timothy 1:12).

It is from a Greek verb, paratithēmi, meaning “guarding what is held in trust.” It is from this word that our word “tithe” comes, suggesting “to put,” or “to deposit.” But this is not a “tithing” message, so let’s get back to other forms of commitment.

You may have heard the story about the cow and the chicken that were serving as co-hostesses for a barnyard bash. They decided to prepare the largest breakfast in history. There would be eggs, and milk, grits, biscuits, ham and bacon, the works. Everybody should be excited about doing their part. Everybody, that is, but the hog. He interrupted the proceedings, reminding the committee, “What you are offering to give is a token offering, but what you require of me is total commitment.” Someone else ventures, “When a dog chases a rabbit, for the dog it’s fun and games, but for the rabbit, it’s a life and death situation.”

We must remember that commitment requires a subject as well as an object. We are not going to come to terms with this kind of dedication until we possess full knowledge about the ONE to whom we are committing ourselves.

I. The First Key to the Kingdom Is the Key of Devotion. V13 “Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” First off, let me remind you that a key is not idle curiosity. My seminary days were spent working for the US Post Office. Working nights, I was often called upon to fill in for absent, regular employees. One of those functions involved Registered Mail. I would find out, after the fact, that I had handled tens of thousands of dollars, for which I, alone, was responsible, once I signed as having received it.

The more we know Christ, the more our devotion to him must grow. There have been people we liked until we got to know them. But the special people in our lives are people we grow more and more appreciative of as we know them better.

Christ, Himself, attests to this need in our lives. Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother (son or daughter) more than me is not worthy of me.” How many things do you love? Which of them do you love more than you love Christ? Simon Peter had a face-to-face confrontation with devotion during the trial of Jesus. Later, Jesus said, “Simon, lovest thou me?”

Paul’s epistles form the basis of our theology. It is based on love for Christ. I Corinthians 2:2 “I am determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” He seeks to lead people to Jesus not to draw them unto himself. Ephesians 3:19 “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” to therein be open to the people around us.

It is to minimize self. It is to accept others and sometimes their odd ways. A little boy’s grandmother had come for a visit. It was August, and she was sharing his bedroom. She wanted the window down, he up. About the fourth night he prayed, “Lord, bless mother and daddy, and make it hot for grandmother.”

II. The Second Key Is That of Demonstration. V16 Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” V18 Jesus’ response: “on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Our only connotation for demonstration is often only negative. We read of sit-ins, and lay-ins, and marches that seem not pointless, but counterproductive. We dispel any responsibility to react in this unacceptable manner. But brethren, to be Christians, is to be on cross-course with our culture.

Uppermost in our daily lives, should be our determination to demonstrate love for Christ. As a clear example to lost people, understanding that the drift of society is away from God, not to Him. The convention average of church members to baptisms is 1 to 30. Last couple of years, we have been 1 to 17. But frontier mission churches, and overseas work, often reveal a much higher proportion (1 to 10), because the people come to grips with this need.

We cannot assume the emphases are going to reach these unreached people. We must promote these programs. In a revival with a nationally prominent evangelist, a worker said, “I enjoyed the singer more.” Was he more entertaining? I Corinthians 1:18: “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.”

That demonstration of love must be kept current. It is the local church that is the gathering (focal point) of believers. We must keep abreast of contemporary influences. It is said that the Great Awakening of the 1730’s was born on preaching such as that of Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. People clutched the back of the pew to keep from falling into hell.

Sin has not changed. Its form may have. Hell has not changed. We hear less. The church has not changed. We still must point the way. Jesus has not changed. He died to save. God has not changed. We may not perceive of Him as angry, but He is just, and that should cause fear.

III. The Final Key to the Kingdom Is an Assessment of Duty. V19 “I will give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

So the keys are three: That of devotion, knowing Christ; that of demonstration, revealing His presence; and that of duty, being knowledgeable about the way we live and serve Him. This third key is so important. We have a duty to perform. An article in the Baptist Message (March 1, 1988) tells of a volunteer couple from Texas who spent nine years in Minnesota. (context lost) You see, God does have a plan for each of us. What He has for us may go undone if we withhold our commitment.

Conclusion

Phillip P. Bliss was a music evangelist in meetings often with D.L. Moody. Mr. Moody had told of a ship captain trying to bring his ship through a storm. The lighthouse guided him safely into the harbor, but the channel lights were not burning, and inevitably they were swept into the rocks and many drowned. The singer, moved by the illustration, wrote a song still in use over 100 years.

“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy From his Lighthouse evermore.

But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled, Loud the angry billows roar;

Eager eyes are watching, longing For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother: Some poor sailor tempest tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor, In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman You may rescue, you may save.”

12/25/22 12/25/22

A LIBERTY THAT IS CHARITABLE

#066 A LIBERTY THAT IS CHARITABLE

Scripture Romans 14:1-23, NIV Orig. Date 11/25/62

Rewr. Dates 8/31/85

Passage: Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ²One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[^a^]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”^[^b^]

¹²So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

²²So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[^c^]

Purpose: Continuing the series from Romans, showing that true liberty is that that is based in love.

Keywords: Bible Study Law Liberty

Timeline/Series: Romans

Introduction

We today assume so much liberty from the dictates of others that we fail to realize what an issue this has been historically. Huldrych Zwingli, pre-reformation theologian of central Europe, left a thirty-page treatise (2 hours) on choice and free use of foods. He concluded with sixteen points of concern.

The general gathering of Christians may accept for themselves fasts and abstinence from foods, but not set these up as a common and everlasting law.

For God says, Deuteronomy 4:2, “You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it.”

V. This is shown by the sanctification of both Testaments. The Old is sprinkled and sanctified by the blood of animals, but the New with the blood of the Everlasting God, for Christ thus spake: This is the cup of my blood of a new and everlasting [covenant]

VII. How dare a man add to the testament, to the covenant of God as though he would better it?

IX. Paul says, Romans 8:8: “Owe no man anything but to love one another.”

X. Again, Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

XI. If he is to be cursed who preaches beyond what Paul preached and if Paul nowhere preached the choice of food, then he who dares command this is worthy of a curse.

XII. If we are not bound by any law but the law of love, and if freedom as to food injures not the love of one’s neighbor, in case this freedom is rightly taught and understood, then we are not subject to this commandment or law.

These points have forced me to think that the church officers have not only no power to command such things, but if they command them, they sin greatly; for whoever is in office and does more than he is commanded, is liable to punishment (20 Cen. IIp123).

Sadly, five years later Zwingli helped to find Felix Manz guilty, under penalty of death by drowning, for preaching against infant baptism and rebaptizing.

I. The Law of Liberty. V10 “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” The Law of Liberty addresses various themes.

Substance—about food and drink. V2 “For one believes that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.” It is wrong to judge those who do more than we, or to hold contempt for those who do less. Matthew 15:17, “What goes in at the mouth defileth not the man.” I Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.”

Servants—To what degree do we deride other believers for being different?—the Amish for their clothing and buggies; Adventists for their understanding of the 7^th day. Such considerations are extended to believers only. We don’t compromise belief.

Seasons—On what basis do we decide what days are special? Holidays, we sanctify. Special family days, we honor. Many disdain religious days. Colossians 2:16, “Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” Don’t worship a day, but don’t fail to exercise its worth.

The Law of Liberty reminds us that our first consideration is in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:6, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Eat out of regard for the Lord. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Use every day, Sabbath and otherwise, as an obedient servant. V8, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.”

If preaching, do so with the Lord in view. If helping to rear a family; if cutting grass; if presiding over a Senate committee; or if canning a jar of preserves: Do all these things with the Lord in view.

The Law of Liberty reminds us that we will not be judged on the basis of substance, servants, and seasons. V10, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’” I45.

II. The Law of Love. V15, “Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”

It testifies of relationship to those who behave differently. But from a Christian perspective, their difference is not a moral defect. In Paul’s day the issue centered around food (offered to idols). Today it is more around alcohol. The real issue is concern. The object of relationship issues more from love than belief. Paul advocates liberty, but only love can interpret it with meaning.

It testifies of resolution. V17, “The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The kingdom is spiritual, such pronouncements issued should be also. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” It is a defined kingdom. Of righteousness, it is a kingdom with not just moral direction but with deliverance from sin, overt and covert. Of peace, it is a kingdom of peace with God; Romans 5:1, “. . . having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Carlyle Marney, in his book, Peace! Peace!, says: “The claims of our Lord set a man against himself, I discover. They split him down the middle. They make him schizoid. Once he faces up to the claims of Christ he is divided, he is at war, until surrender. He can never be justified by what he does: his new gadgets, his nursery rhyme creeds, his one-eyed philosophies, his mudpie civilization, his kindergarten councils. He can be justified only in himself, and his justification begins only when he is a man of peace, and his peace comes only when he surrenders to the Source of peace against which he fights.”

It testifies of responsibility. V19, “. . . let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” The “things” were already mentioned in verse 17. The Christian life is to be conditioned on such assertions. Those who are strong in faith are to give ground, in spite of their liberty.

V22, “Do you have faith?” Is your faith in Christ sufficient for this kind of ordering? The word “damned” is misleading. The Greek word kekritai means “condemned” and implies faith was not a factor in decision. Thus, liberty will limit itself by love.

Conclusion

The simplest way to define sin is to explain it as any act that is contrary to the will of God. God said to Adam, “Thou shalt not eat of it.” The moment he did, he sinned. It was an act in direct contradiction to God’s revealed will. Jesus taught of sins of the heart: hate, adultery, etc. He taught that intention to sin is the same as the sin itself. Anything that hurts other people is sin. James wrote of it this way, “. . . to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” As a Christian, all we do is before the face of God. To act without consideration of his presence is sin. If the Lord would not give His approval to my conduct, then my action or my attitude is wrong.

12/25/22 12/25/22

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS

#065 THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS

Scripture Luke 2:1-20 NIV Orig. 12/24/61

Rewr. 12/18/75, 12/9/76

Passage: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while^[^a^] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to their own town to register. ⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. ⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Keywords: Christ Birth Christmas

Timeline/Series: Christmas

Introduction

One of the most beautiful of all of the stories that have to do with Christmas, is a story that many people have never heard. It is the story of The Shepherd Who Stayed. I don’t remember who wrote the story, or even where it can be found.

There was simply another shepherd who fell to his knees that night on the Judean hillside. A man who was moved with the glory of the moment. A man who, like other men, was overwhelmed at what he saw and heard. This shepherd, however, rejected the angels’ invitation to see. “You will find the babe,” the angel had said.

Our shepherd friend was keeper there in the Judean hills to only a hundred sheep, but they were his responsibility, and he intended to stay at his post. I hear more than words when he gives his reason for not going to “the City of David.” God is at work in Bethlehem, he reasoned, and one shepherd less would not make a difference. But a shepherd in the hills could make a great deal of difference before this magnificent night is over.

I. The Message of Christmas is One of Fearsome Revelation. 2:15 Let us . . . see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. It is beyond everything else, God’s message to his people. You remember that it was the Word of God that brought this universe into existence. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”

You also remember that it was the same Word of God that adjudged the world. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.”

It was God’s Word which introduced man to taint an otherwise perfect place. But this perfection meant nothing without someone being capable of comprehending it. It would have to be a being capable of destroying it. Now it is God’s Word seeking to redeem the earth’s most irredeemable subject. V11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The Revelation becomes more fearsome when we discover that it is from the Sovereign. There is the evidence of authority. “The angel of the Lord came upon them.” “A multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” “The babe lying in the manger.”

There is the signature of design:

“There is no art without an artist, no building without a builder,

no history without a patriot and his dream.

“Nor can there be a planet without a planner, a plant without a planter,

nor even yet a man without a Maker of this scene.”

The revelation becomes burdensome if we acknowledge man’s accountability without God’s trustworthiness. Every individual capable of self-comprehension is responsible for his choices and his actions. One of the critiques of our age is upon the misuse of alcohol, drugs—prescription and otherwise, tobacco, sex, and the health burdens that are left in the wake of their use.

You may have heard about the emaciated man who went to his doctor about his general health. The only thing the doctor turned up was that he smoked too much. “You must follow my advice. Your trouble is your smoking. Cut out all cigarettes except after meals.” Two months later he was back for a checkup. He looked better. He had gained weight. “I don’t know how long I can eat 15 meals a day.”

This self-responsibility passes over into even those areas of stress that we do not control. There were reasons why the shepherds could be reassured by the angel: The teachings of their fathers; the physical accommodations of the evening; conversations that such a night invoked; a star like no other star. While they were stricken with fear, their stress was abated by what these men were before the angel appeared.

II. The Message of Christmas is One of Joyful Exultation. There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Joyful exultation is the result of faith. They believed in a God of love whose purpose was to be known by his creation. It was in the disciples’ fear of the unknown that Jesus said in Matthew 10:26 “Fear not, therefore, there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nothing hid that shall not be made known.”

It was acknowledging God’s sovereignty over the unknown which caused Paul to write in Ephesians 1:9 “Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.”

Joyful exultation in faith culminates in understanding. The story is told of Heinrich von Dannecker, great German sculptor of the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. In his early years he won a name for himself in sculpting Ariadne and other Greek goddesses. As he felt he was in his prime, he committed himself to what would be his major work. It would be a colossal piece featuring the Christ. He twice failed, but held to his purpose. Finally, the work of a lifetime was complete. It was all that he wanted it to be. He later was approached by Napoleon to do a statue of Venus for the Louvre. His answer was simple, “Sire, the hands that have carved the Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess.”

Similarly, Lew Wallace, Civil War general, later governor of New Mexico, began work on a novel. It was to contain an atheist’s view of Christ. The novel was Ben Hur. The author became a Christian in his efforts to write such a novel.

And understanding, when it is finished, brings fulfillment to the Christian life. V20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The shepherds believed a believable word and acting on such faith were rewarded for it. They came to comprehend the involvement of God in the sameness of their lives. They knew that God had appropriated to Himself, a message that would change their lives. While they went back to the same sheep on the same hillside, their lives would never know sameness again.

There is likewise given to us a believable word, but the reward of faith awaits the believer’s response. How many of us have the gift of eternal life because we have believed? Romans 6:23 The gift of God is eternal life. John 1:12 As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God. Matthew 7:11 If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Though near to faith, how many are there who are yet victims of self-condemnation because they have refused the believable WORD? John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

We have been given life that we might find the Saviour. The angelic light penetrates the blackness of our somber nights announcing, “Christ is born . . . go ye . . . and ye shall find . . . Glory to God. When they had seen it . . . they returned, glorifying and praising God.”

Closing

I was reminded a few days ago of the testimony of a young Japanese student who was at Southwestern when I was there. The war years had been tragic. His brother-in-law dead in a kamikaze (divine wind) raid. His sister takes her own life. His parents had been in diplomatic service in Europe, but would not survive the war. His conversion came as a student in Germany after the war, when he was given a portion of a German New Testament. He tells of the time, at the start of the war, when they were given one hour to pack one suitcase, to then be extradited to their homeland. He remembered watching his mother trying to make the decision about what to put in that suitcase. She would put in objects of gold and silver, then ancestor-honoring porcelain, of great worth. Finally she loaded the suitcase with woolens and foodstuffs.

*THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST*

REFLECTION, attached to this sermon in Rev. Skinner’s file

Henry W. Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th’unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

“There is no peace on earth,” I said,

“For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Till, ringing, singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

12/24/22 12/24/22

DEMAS THE WORLD-LOVER

#061 DEMAS THE WORLD-LOVER

Scripture Philemon 24; Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:10 NIV Orig. Date 12-31-61

Rewr. Dates 1-6-88

Passage:

Philemon 24, NIV

²⁴And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

Colossians 4:14, NIV

¹⁴Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.

2 Timothy 4:10, NIV

¹⁰for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

Purpose: Showing that the best way to avoid straying from our faith is to continually re-examine it by the light of the way we are living.

Keywords: Biography, Demas Faith Worldliness Revival Faithlessness

Introduction

I was a proud young man after completing my work at Louisiana College. A significant time had come in my life. Ann and I were already married. We had a baby daughter named Fritha. Soon I would begin my next level of preparation for the pastorate.

In my mind, at least, seminary would offer a different perspective of preparation. There, so I thought, I would gain through the experiences of others. My professors were to be graduate theologians. Most had served pastorates. Some had even taken advance studies in the finer theological schools of Europe.

While I had been active in my home church after receiving Christ at age 16, I had reached the ripe age of 24, having left my home, and home town, and fellowship of believers to enter the military. From there, I had gone to work in industry in Baton Rouge. So, for six of those years prior to entering seminary, I had not had a close and uplifting experience with a pastoral role model. Seminary would offer me that, or so I thought.

I now know that what I wanted was someone to lean on, someone who would serve as an occasional crutch. But, as early as my first seminary class I discovered that there would be lots of competition. There were 2,000 students at Southwestern, needing, more or less, someone to lean on. And there were only about sixty faculty members. And most of them felt that it was not in their students’ best interest for them to be leaning posts.

I wonder if Demas looked at Paul, and Luke, and the others as someone to lean on. I wonder if he held them in such reverence that he never found time to seek the Lord for the daily needs of his own life. Paul had addressed this very issue with the Corinthians. “Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Demas may have missed that lecture. What he needed, we need—a daily walk with our Lord. Loving the world is the alternative.

I. When First We Meet Demas, He is Called Co-Laborer. Philemon 24 “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow-laborers.” Clearly, there were prior years of good effect. We know nothing of his prior years, only that this is the first of three listings. This is chosen as the first because the object of this letter, Onesimus, is mentioned in Colossians 4:9, “a faithful and beloved brother.”

Knowing so little, we try to piece together a life. I watch and read with interest the scenarios of paleontologists and archaeologists who take a bone, a bead, a tool, and attempt to build a culture. Law enforcement uses artists to draw up likenesses from slender shreds of evidence of witnesses.

We can conclude a few things. Philemon, written from Rome, was written first, some suggest during an early imprisonment. Perhaps Demas was enamored of this man Paul. Remember, at first Paul “was in his own hired house” (Acts 28:30).

It is possible that hardships were minimal. Demas was a piece of clay being molded, not yet experiencing the heat of the kiln: As someone (Lockyer p91) says, “like a piece of soft iron, temporarily magnetized by the presence of a magnet.”

It would not have been difficult for any of us to revere a man like Paul. And too many of us have revered those who unlike Paul had “feet of clay.”

Little can be said, therefore, about Demas’ conversion. Some would conclude that Demas had not been converted, and would be quick to say so. They fear, I suppose, that he would thus be an example of one who had “fallen from grace.”

But we Baptists know the truth. We know that one cannot fall “from” grace. Hebrews 6:19, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” But we know that the believer can fall “in” grace. I Timothy 4:1, “Some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits.”

It remains a sad commentary that some who walked the way of faith lost their zeal for the walk. But for now, Demas is a coworker, along with Philemon (Philemon v1), Clement (Philippians 4:3), and Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25).

II. When Next We Find Him, it is with a Cosmopolitan Spirit. Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you.” Imagine, being mentioned in the same breath with a great Christian like Luke. Interestingly, like Demas, Luke is mentioned by name only three times—the same three passages. What a remarkably significant difference in these two men.

Imagine, as well, having the opportunity to learn scripture from such men of knowledge and spirit. According to the best information, Luke’s gospel had been written a year or two earlier: Gospel of Luke in 60 A.D., and Colossians in 61 A.D. Perhaps it was already being circulated.

It should not escape our notice that Mark is also mentioned in these three passages. And his gospel was written first. Luke enlarged upon it. I checked a couple of New Testaments: Mark and Luke comprise 80 pages, Paul’s writings 90 pages. The total in the New Testament is 360 pages.

Demas is with three who wrote half the New Testament.

No better place than this to digress. How seriously do we take scripture? How long has it been since we engaged in regular Bible study? What will be our response three weeks from now when we study Malachi? Have you read through the Bible? The New Testament? Have you resolved to do better in 1988? Whom do we choose as a role model? Paul? Demas?

Here was an opportunity to learn scripture from a man likewise skilled in science. I love science, do you? I have a grasp of what it means to reconcile science to scripture. Notice, I said “science to scripture.” If we have to reconcile scripture to science, then what’s the use? I owe science no apology for my faith. If my faith means nothing, then science is nothing more than separate irresistible forces on collision course.

We still turn out to hear scientists who are also believers, believers who are scientists: Willie Ley at Louisiana College, George Schweitzer at Southwestern Seminary.

And this particular scientist was “beloved.” It was a word used of Jesus in Matthew 3:17. It is used of believers: Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 4:14. Will you be thus remembered? One of the pluses of the pastorate is from people who do not forget. I had a letter from a Riverside church member in New Orleans, Bonnie Williamson, kindly expressing appreciation. People have that kind of love for family doctors also.

Brother Doctor Luke was easy to love. Demas was working on becoming a world lover.

III. Finally, We Find Only a Vapor Trail of Where He Has Been. II Timothy 4:10, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world and is departed unto Thessalonica.” Perhaps as many as five years have passed. At what point he left we do not know. The spirit of his leaving seems to have been desertion. Surely Paul would have yielded up this brother in pursuit of the will of God.

We do know that circumstances have changed for Paul. Clement of Rome (30 years later) says he was exiled. Tradition affirms that he was released, but to what is conjecture. Paul himself gives us a hint. II Timothy 1:16f, “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched . . . and found me.”

Do you think Demas had become “ashamed” of “chains”? Aischuno is the Greek word that means “shame,” or a feeling of “fear.” “Chain,” or halusis, refers to a literal binding. Are we ashamed of what we perceive as “chains” binding believers today?

Thus, emerging from this Christian cocoon is a world-lover. It does not suggest that he became worldly, only that he decided that being an outspoken Christian was dangerous. He put his church letter in his trunk and took out for home, betraying Paul, but more important, denying his Lord.

Conclusion

The point of Demas’ life has nothing to do with falling from grace. It has little to do with salvation. It has everything to do with growing in our faith: With sanctification if you please. We must take care that Demas’ mistakes do not become our mistakes. We should, and must, move in those circles that exemplify our Lord, and that ensure spiritual growth, not a kind of religious tedium that is revoltingly commonplace.

12/24/22 12/24/22

THE TONGUE OF LOVE

#060 THE TONGUE OF LOVE

Scripture I Corinthians 13:1-13, NIV Orig. Date 12-10-61

Rewr. Dates 1-22-89

Passage: If I speak in the tongues^[^a^] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[^b^] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹²For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Purpose: Continuing a series for Prayer Meeting emphasizing the Book of First Corinthians.

Keywords: Bible Study Great Texts Love

Series: I Corinthians

Introduction

At a family gathering in Transylvania on a Sunday afternoon, the unmarried son and his steady were present. He was in no hurry to get married, but wanted the security of a regular girlfriend. His main interests were hunting, fishing, etc.

As the family sat in the yard, Mark stood and said, “Let’s go!” The girl, assuming he was talking to her, stood. But at the same time she arose, the old family dog got up. She, recognizing how ridiculous this was, said, “Are you talking to me or the dog?”

The people we love ought to be able to tell by the way we talk, and by what we say, what are our feelings for them. Paul admonished us to love in word and deed.

I. First, We Need an Overview of Biblical Love. V1 “Though I speak with tongues of men and angels, and have not love, I am as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.”

English has only one word to express love. A Cajun may use it in reference to the nutria he has taken from his trap. An addict may use it in in regard to drugs. A faithful grandfather uses it about a Christmas necktie. It may be used by a man arrested for abusing his spouse.

But Greek has four interesting words. The noun eros/verb ethan is used for sensual or spousal love, for ambition, or for patriotism; it is not used in the New Testament. The noun storge/verb stergein means family affection or group interaction or devotion; Romans 12:10 uses the word: “Be ye kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.” The noun philia/verb philien is the most-used in Classical Greek; it applies to close family (parent/child, husband/wife). The noun agapa/verb agapan is used over 250 times in the New Testament; classical scholars saw this as meaning “benefactor,” thus is its Victorian use as “charity.”

II. Now a Brief Grasp of the Passage. V2 “Though I have the gift of prophecy, understand mysteries, have knowledge, have faith sufficient to move mountains, but do not do so out of love, it means nothing.” Love is greater than understanding, be it natural or acquired: Love is greater than a college education. Knowledge did not set Paul’s heart on fire. Nor did it inspire such men as Luther and Wesley. Love is greater than prophecy—Hosea became a parable to Israel. Love is greater than works—than self-sacrifice, for instance; “Though I give my body to be burned” v3. Morality is not morality without love.

Love is greater than all other gifts. I Corinthians 12:28 calls attention to the gifts. Not all have every gift. It doesn’t matter. But all should covet what is best, and better than all is love.

***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***

12/24/22 12/24/22

IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID

#054 “IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID”

Scripture II Corinthians 4:1-7 Orig. Date 4/19/64 (8/75)

Rewr. Dates 7/22/87

Passage: Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[^a^] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Purpose: To remind my people of the need to be openly assertive of our faith in Christ as Lord of life.

Keywords: Christian Life Gospel Revival Special Influence

Introduction

Margaret Sangster, the social worker, writer, and editor, shared an all-too personal experience from one of the tenement areas where she worked. The point of her life work had always been to reach out to the people around her and help them meet their own needs through private donations when government help was not available.

She saw a need for a gymnasium for the youth of the district. A place was secured, and because other help did not materialize, she began to supervise this activity. A lad of about twelve came to the gym one day on crutches. The leg was badly twisted, and Mrs. Sangster discovered that the boy had been run over, the leg badly broken, and no medical help was sought.

She made arrangements to carry the boy to an orthopedic surgeon who had provided his services before. She was told that the leg could be straightened, but it would take several operations. A wealthy benefactor was found who would pay the hospital costs. With parental approval, the transformation was begun. As Mrs. Sangster tells the story, about eighteen months later she joyously looked up in the gym one day to see the lad stroll in, pick up a basketball, dribble down the floor, and send it spinning through the hoop. What a happy moment that was.

Years later, she would tell the story, and ask, “Do you know what that boy is doing today?” Of course, no one did. “No, he’s not an attorney, or judge. No, he didn’t become a preacher or professor. No, he’s not in social work.” She would hide the sob trying to surface. “He is serving three concurrent life terms in the state penitentiary for murder and robbery.” After a pause, she continued, “I was so busy teaching him how to walk, I forgot to teach him where to walk.”

How careful are we as Christians to teach the really important things about our faith in Christ? What if “our gospel be hid”?

I. What If the Gospel Be Hid Socially? II Corinthians 4:3 “It is hid to them that are lost.” How hard is it, today, to tell who the Christians around us really are? Some estimates run as high as 90%. That would be all active church members, and all the 50% of church members who never attend. There are millions of others who happen to believe freedom to worship means freedom not to.

I have seen too many of them coming out of the quick-order store with a cross around their neck, a six pack in their hand, a foul message on their tee shirt. The answer is clearly not in one-day-a-week faith. It is too easy to dress in religious togs and be satisfied we are convincing. If I work, or work out, I wear something for sweating. If I am playing golf, it certainly won’t be in my black suit. I have a friend who occasionally wears overalls to prayer meeting; he has not time to change.

Paul here reminds us that our faith is a “treasure” bound up “in earthen vessels.” People take pride in their treasures. They want their friends to share in their good fortune. II Corinthians 5:17 “. . . if any be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, all things are become new.” You see, the Vessel can be spoiled, the spirit within the vessel, never.

And beyond this, God calls us to share in His vision. Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary who served in India for 56 years without furlough, and died there. II Corinthians 5:18 “. . . He hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” That means let your light shine socially.

II. What If the Gospel Be Hid Politically? II Corinthians 4:3-4 “. . . It is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” We are watching the gospel being slowly divested from the arena of politics. This week USA Today (July 22) reported “Over 50% of those interviewed would take all preachers off television.”

In our earlier history, politicians were considered statesmen. They had an obligation to a higher law, God’s law. Now, those who are men of faith often hope that it will not be used against them. What had we really rather have, a character to entertain, or, with character to inspire?

It is a good way to judge our TV preachers, and others. We are not out of line to want to know about the genuineness of a person’s religion. Oliver North’s wife was presented as a born-again Christian. Admiral Poindexter’s wife wore the frock of an Episcopal rector.

III. What If the Gospel Be Hid Intellectually? II Corinthians 4:3-4 “. . . it is hid to them that are lost: . . . lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, . . . should shine unto them.” The genius of human intellect is clear. Evidence of it appears in every age. It is asserting itself in this 20^th Century as never before, through airplanes, atomic fission, electronic wizardry. Many learned men and women exemplify a strong Christian witness in Congress, in the Statehouse, as University Presidents, as coaches and artisans and athletes and entertainers.

What if we fail to make such faith clear? Youth grow to physical adulthood, enter college, participate, graduate with honors, but face the future unsure about their faith. With their own souls in jeopardy, their commitment to intellect may also be compromised.

The need intellectually is to assert our faith. We are creatures of intellect. Our society would crumble without it. Caesar came to the Rubicon with his armies. He had the ships that transported them burned. Retreat would not be an option open to them.

IV. What If We Hide the Gospel Culturally? II Corinthians 4:3,5 “. . . It is hid to them that are lost: . . . For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord: and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

America has much to offer a needy world today. There is intense physical hardship, in the third world and some even here at home. We have the wherewithal to help. Nothing lends itself to compassion like religious faith, particularly Christian faith. It has the potential of worthy example. Following the Civil War, the world saw a super power emerge. Inclusion of ethnic groups has proven the worth of our culture.

But our greatest treasure is our faith. In the day when many are surrendering theirs, we who look to Christ must continue to share Him with a searching world. Hosea 4:1 “Hear the word of the Lord, . . . for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.”

It is incumbent upon us as believers to keep our gospel exposed to the light of day, to share our faith, to share our wealth to expedite missions, and to live obediently so that what we say matches the way we live.

Conclusion

Albert McClellan tells us of the time when he and other convention personnel were having lunch at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. Soup was brought to the table, and one of the group was reminded of a story.

It seems that three men were having a meal together in London. When the soup was served, all three noticed a bug swimming around on the surface of each of their portions. The Englishman, acting discreetly, fastidiously pushed his bowl aside while claiming not to be hungry. The American plunged his spoon under the still swimming bug and raked him into his plate, saying aloud, “I’ll take care of you!”

The third man was a Scot He carefully slid the blade of his knife under the bug, balanced him carefully, then picked him off the knife blade with his fingers. Next, he shook the soup gathered on the knife blade back in the bowl, then squeezed the bug, saying, “Spit it out, little laddie.”

Dr. McClellan said that his group laughed so loudly at the story that others in the restaurant were attracted to their conversation just in time to hear one of the men say with a laugh, “bugs in the soup.” As you might expect, all over the restaurant, soup spoons were placed aside, but the real problem was for all of the people who had finished theirs.

We have a message to deliver, and it must be clear, because people are depending on us for the truth.

12/24/22 12/24/22

WISE UNTO SALVATION

#053 WISE UNTO SALVATION

Scripture II Timothy 3:12-17 Orig. Date 10-22-61 (4-75)

Rewr. Dates 1-12-86

Passage: ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God^[^a^] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Purpose: To speak to my people early in the year encouraging them to give stronger consideration to the need to study God’s Word with a renewed intensity.

Keywords: Bible Christian Responsibility Baptist Belief

Introduction

I stood there that day talking with a lady about a need for a music worker. She shared some reluctance, but I felt that she was almost convinced. I moved in like a fisherman at his favorite fishing hole. I reminded her that we simply wanted to see her talent invested in this important “kingdom” cause. Her response was sincere. “Brother Skinner, I love to sing, but there’s a lot I don’t know about music.” I felt like a chess payer moving in to checkmate. Said I, “I love to preach, but there’s a lot I don’t know about preaching and sermons.” I was just getting ready to pat myself on the back when she took the wind out of my sails. She responded, “Yeah, but YOU can fool people, and you can’t when you don’t know music.”

I never cease to be amazed at the capabilities that many people have. There are few things in this world that are not within the scope of being mastered if one has the heart and the will, and some intellect thrown in for good measure.

There are musicians who have dedicated their lives to mastering music. There are theologians who likewise have mastered the art and craft of sermon and rhetoric. Believe it or not, there are even people who understand American foreign policy. They know what is going on in Nicaragua, even Libya, or South Africa.

Make no mistake about this then. If one wants to understand the Bible, it is within our grasp. We can, and must, see it as vital to the Christian life. We must perceive of God’s Word as the agent of His communication with His people. Such a voice would not be shoddily handled when so much depends on it.

I. We Discover that This Book was Written By Men Inspired. II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

There are a lot of different reasons that people write: Some to share knowledge; some to entertain; some to express their prurient thoughts. Others write simply because it is easier than working. The Bible was written as a storehouse of redemptive knowledge. Its purpose was not science, not astronomy, not even history. God is at work redemptively.

Psalm 110:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Luke 24:32 “Did not our hearts burn within us as he opened to us the Scriptures?” Romans 15:4 “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Patrick Henry referred to the Bible as “a book worth all other books which were ever printed.”

II. Written By Inspired Men, It Had God for Its Author, Salvation for Its End. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” God is then eternally responsible for His Word. In man’s beginning, he struggled to communicate with other men, and language was born, a language capable of expressing the deepest of thoughts. In man’s entrapment in the nuclear age, communication has been replaced by détente. God’s Word is now more than ever man’s only surviving means of brotherhood.

God’s purpose according to His Word will not and cannot be averted. The writing of the Bible as we know it today covers about 1600 years of man’s history. The Old Testament was born and woven in three fragments—Law, Prophets, and Writings. By 150 A.D. a complete New Testament canon was in circulation. Many translations preceded the ones we know: Jerome, mid 4^th century; Wycliffe 1380; Tyndale 1611; King James 1611. The TEXTUS RECEPTUS was the basic King James text. Though some 5,000 manuscripts have been found since, there is a total alteration of less than one percent.

III. God’s Word has Truth without Any Mixture of Error for its Matter. Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every work of God is pure. Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee and thou be found a liar.” There is not to be found any book with the integrity, credibility, and authenticity of the Bible. Why do people waste time on the trashy books that offer only a fleshly sensation at best? They may do worse. This is the real evil of pornography: What it does to us, and what it keeps from us.

The truth of man’s gravest need is found and continued in the book we know as the Bible. We were concerned with Watergate. We are concerned with Southeast Asia. We wonder about ecology and energy supplies. There is an answer to “Why am I here?” and “Where is it all going?”

Psalm 43:3 “Send out Thy light and Thy truth; let them lead me.” John 8:32 “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” II Corinthians 13:8 “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

IV. The Bible Goes on to Reveal the Principles by Which God Will Judge Us. Romans 2:12 “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." John 12:47-48 “If any man hear my words. . . . the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

The most significant aspect of that judgment is faith in Jesus. Whatever good there is, or merit, in any human life comes about as a result of faith.

Aristotle said of his own writings that they “were given for action and not for discussion.” Even so, with the Bible, it is easier to get people to talk about the Bible, even to study, than to get us to do what it says. We marvel that Codex Sinaiticus sold for ½ million dollars. Vaticanus was so closely guarded that it was not known until Napoleon conquered Rome.

V. The Bible Is and Will Remain to the End of the World the True Center of Christian Union. Philippians 3:16 “Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” We have learned some things worthy of keeping: We are judged by the same standards. We are forgiven alike through Jesus. We are saved for equal purposes.

It will do us well to remember that the totalitarian state is enemy to the purpose of sharing this Word from God. One is reminded of a Hitler quote to youth-oriented groups, “Whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, or the sayings of Jesus, it is all the same old swindle. . . . One is either a German or a Christian. You can not be both.” A Hitler mouthpiece was head of the German people’s church. National socialism must not be judged from a biblical or ecclesiastical standpoint.

VI. The Bible is the Supreme Standard by Which All Human Conduct, Creeds, and Opinions Should be Tried. I John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

CLOSING

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,

and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime.

Then looking in I saw upon the floor

old hammers worn with beating years of time.

“How MANY anvils have you had,” said I,

“to wear and batter all these hammers so?”

“Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye,

“The anvil wears the hammers out you know!”

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,

for ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

the anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone.

Attributed to John Clifford

12/24/22 12/24/22

MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE

#050 MISSIONS: THE TUNE OF OBEDIENCE

Scripture Isaiah 54:1-5; John 4:31-41 NIV Orig. 11-26-61

Rewr. 11-28-84

Passage:

“Sing, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband,”
says the Lord.
²“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.
³For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.

⁴“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
⁵For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.

³¹Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³²But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” ³³Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” ³⁴“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ³⁶Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. ³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” ³⁹Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹And because of his words many more became believers.

Purpose: To call attention to the clear teaching of Scripture as it gives us our mandate to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Keywords: Christ Redeemer Missions Church Obedience

Introduction

It was an Easter meeting of the Northampton Association in England. The year was 1791. The urgency of missions was a new and controversial theme for English Baptists. For as long as any of them could remember their belief had centered around Calvinism. They were known as Particular Baptists because they believed that God was a “Particular” God, and that only certain “elected” people would be saved.

At that meeting, men like Andrew Fuller and John Sutcliffe spoke to these assembled believers. But on this occasion, they spoke on the challenge of missions.

It was just one month later when many of these same pastors and church leaders assembled again. They were to induct a young man into the role of pastor of one of these churches. As a part of the program, this young man was to preach. He chose a subject which was a part of a study in which he was engaged. The title of his sermon was “The Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen.”

The young man who was assuming his first pastoral role was William Carey, the man who today is called “The Father of modern missions.” That day he referred to statistics. There were 731 million people in the world: 2 of 10 were Muslim, 5 of 10 were pagan, only 3 of 10 were Christian. Something must be done to point these lost multitudes to Christ.

John Ryland, the pastor who baptized [Carey], was present. He spoke up, “Sit down, young man: When the Lord gets ready to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.”

A year later, on May 30, 1792, [Carey] preached again to the Association. “Expect great things from God . . . Attempt great things for God.” Within a year, Carey and a Baptist surgeon named [John] Thomas would be on their way to India.

I. Foreign Missions Fulfills the Tune of World Diplomacy. V3 “Your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited.” V35 “Look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” The world desperately needs to have an option to be Christian. It is Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. It is Communist. How [many have] any chance to be Christian? A group of Christians emerged from a Jewish tour bus at the Dome of the Rock. The Muslim overseers had closed it for the day. The guide remarked to her driver, “I could do just as well without any religions.” Unfortunately, there are many Christians who act as if they agree.

Do you think Muslims will hesitate? Would see the world in Communism? Then we must support a mission program that reaches out in love.

Yes, missionaries are still making an impact with the Gospel. There are those who deny it. They say this person from another culture is not a messenger from God, but a harbinger of Western values. Baptist missionaries in most of the world are supporting national leaders. The good work for Ethiopian people is being done by the religiously oriented.

Here is the One Way that WE can creatively take a world stand. John Denver said in USA Today: “If one man is hungry, then I am hungry. If a child is starving, then my child is starving.” Missions is the one remaining best hope of the world.

II. It Not Only Fulfills World Diplomacy, but Church Deputation as Well. V35 “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields.” Matthew 28:19, 20 “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

There can be no doubt that we are to evangelize. A young clergyman asked the Duke of Wellington if it wasn’t useless to preach to Hindus. “Look to your marching orders, ‘Go, preach the Gospel to every creature.’” S3p252.

The message of Christ has not found fulfillment until we share it with another. Each one of use came to believe through the witness of another. Our faith witness ought to include family, neighbors, others. Family and neighbors we can reach; missions helps us to extend our hands around the world.

It is no little job. World population is presently approaching 5 billion. By the year 2000 it is expected to be close to 6 billion.

WORLD AREA POPULATION % CHRISTIAN [1984]

Western Europe 516 million 30%

Eastern Europe 425 million 5%

[South] America 384 million 3%

Africa 700 million 2%

Asia 2.9 billion 0.1%

North America 280 million 40%

To walk with Christ is to identify with His message. Matthew 24:14 “This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Revelation 14:6 “I saw another angel . . . , having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Southern Baptist men gave 100,000 Bibles in Russia, and then they gave 100,000 Bibles again!

In preparing for Jonah last week, I read again why Jonah hated the Assyrians so. Do we want a Gaddafi or Khomeini or Khrushchev clone in control? God left the Jews because they became nation-centered.

90% of Protestant preaching is to English-speaking people. 90% or more of Christian wealth is in the hand of English-speaking people. English speakers make up 9% of the world’s population.

III. Missions Also is Necessary to Fulfill the Credibility of the Saviour. V34 “Jesus saith unto them, ‘My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” I John 4:14 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” He continues to seek that accomplishment through men and women of faith and good will.

There are things that we can and must do. Be sensitive to the searchings of faith in the lives of people around us. Acknowledge that the means to winning the world is through the support of evangelically oriented missionaries. Take a prayerful look at what the Lottie Moon Christmas offering means in that purpose.

Remember that the way we live and talk, and the way we support our church and kingdom causes, tells people what we think about the credibility of the Saviour.

Conclusion

Do you know who Albert Einstein was? Perhaps the greatest brain in scientific revolution.

Do you know about Karl Marx? Probably the greatest mind behind 20^th Century economics.

Do you recognize Sigmund Freud? The prime mover of psychology.

All were Jews!!!! But the need

***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***