The Mystery of the Gospel

Ephesians 3:1-14 

The apostle Paul was a great man in intellect, in the gospel, and in his zeal for the promotion of the gospel across the known world at that time.  He was a man who trusted in providence, commissioned by God to do what he was doing, felt privileged to preach the gospel, had concern for other people, was in fellowship with God even though he was writing this epistle from prison.  What type of message did he preach?  Paul preached a revealed message that came to him by revelation.  It was and is a message that is revealed by God and therefore it is God's message.  If it is God's message it doesn't need to be adjusted by men and women who are sinful.  

Paul preached a message that was and is:
A mystery:  V3-4, 9  "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ). And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ."  The message was a mystery, a hidden thing.  Mystery means "a thing that is not obvious to the understanding"  The gospel is not an obvious message contrary to what "easy believism" teaches.  It is profound.  General revelation is not enough, the creation is not enough to bring you to salvation.  It leads you to believe in a creator God if you think logically, but how we can know God through general revelation remains a mystery.  We need special revelation to get to know the creator God.  This is found in the word of God through the prophets and apostles.  The bible's message is profound and mysterious.  It tells us of a holy God who is sinless and perfect.

What is God? God is a spirit: infinite, eternal and unchanging in  his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.  How can this God justify sinners who are guilty and remain just and holy?  It doesn't make sense that he could or would, but that is exactly what the message of the bible is. A mystery that we would not know otherwise, that God can and does justify guilty sinners upon certain conditions.  And he does it in a way that his justice and holiness is retained.  That is profound and amazing, not obvious, a profound mystery explained.   This marvelous message has been shaken by some modern evangelists who say "You want to be saved? It is O so simple, repeat these words after me".  But no! It's not O so simple.  It's a profound, amazing message that God can and does save sinners.  God can save sinners and give them a perfect righteousness, blotting out all their sins by punishing all those sins on his only begotten Son.  He takes sinners into his own family even though they were and are guilty as charged.  That is not "O so simple, repeat these words and raise  your hand".  The gospel is about a message that brings you into an encounter with the living Christ, by grace through faith you receive him and it changes your life, you repent of your sin and trust him.  It is a mysterious, profound, amazing message.  It is about Christ becoming the Lord of your life, it is not "O so simple".  Modern techniques cheapen the mystery and the profundity of the gospel.  They make it into a man-made "easy peasy" ritual, perform this, that and the other and you have your insurance policy to heaven but that is not what Paul preached.

Psalm 34: I Will Bless the LORD at All Times

This is a very beautiful Psalm, full of faith and trust, and of the importance of a reverential fear of the LORD for who he is.  I believe that the Psalms is where the poetic beauty of the King James bible shines forth.

Psalm 34  (I do not put in the verse breaks, I would rather let the words flow.)
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them from all their troubles.  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.  V20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.  Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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V20 is probably prophetic speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross where none of his bones were broken.

My Masterpiece Girls

Ladies, do any of you love dolls?  I loved dolls as a child and had many of them but gave them away when I was in my late teens to a lady whose children didn't have much.  It wasn't until 2006 when I started collecting them again at the time when I was babysitting my little granddaughter, a girly-girl who loved dolls.  But in 2010 she moved with her parents away from me and I kind of lost my mind and gave all my dolls away to a thrift store that carried lovely merchandise.  Then in 2011 we moved to Vancouver Island and I was able to see my granddaughter again so when she began collecting American Girl dolls my love for dolls re-surfaced and I began collecting again.  Our bedroom should better be called "Dollyland" but thankfully my husband is approving of my collection.

Below is a photo of my Masterpiece girl who arrived today.  She is the one on the left, her name is Rebecca.  The one on the right has been with me for a couple of years, the name she came with was Katrina but I re-named her Elizabeth.  Rebecca is 38 inches high and Elizabeth is 34. Rebecca is by the artist Monika Levenig and Elizabeth is by Monika Peter-Leicht  I guess that once a doll lover you never outgrow it no matter how old you are.

 

Here is a link to the Masterpiece Doll website where you can see many more beautiful dolls.

http://masterpiecedolls.com/

 

Psalm 25: Unto Thee O LORD

Further to my post a day or so ago regarding the words  "I Am" as used in positive thinking, as contrast here is a Psalm of David that shows the heart of a man devoted to the Lord but who was also a man who had sinned regarding Bathsheba and her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11) and acknowledges that sin before the Lord asking for mercy and forgiveness.   Opposite of positive thinking,  Psalm 25 is a beautiful psalm of  requests, dependence and trust.  David's requests to the Lord are highlighted.
Here is Psalm 25:  (KJV)

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.  Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; (added by me - David's relationship with the Lord is a personal one)  on thee do I wait all the day.  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.  Good and upright is the LORD, therefore will he teach sinners in the way.  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.  All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.  For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.  What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. (added by me - Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps).  His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.  The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him (added by me - a reverential fear for who God is) and he will show them his covenant.  Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.  Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring me out of my distresses.  Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.  Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.  O keep my soul and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.  Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait no thee.  Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Two Simple Words: I Am

I Am - two simple words.    Yesterday I was waiting for our local news to start and caught the last couple of minutes of Dr. Phil's show with Joel Osteen on it promoting his book regarding I am.   In looking up a review for the book online today, it seems to me that that Mr. Osteen's book is about positive thinking - I am this, I am that, I am (put in the word of your choice).
However,  the words "I am" are very precious in the bible, the word of God.  How are the words "I am" used there?  here are a very few and these all speak of deity:

Genesis 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect"

Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Exodus 20:2 "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

What does the Lord Jesus say about himself?

John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

John 9:5 "......................I am the light of the world"

John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

And what do men say about themselves using "I am" in the bible?

Psalm 6:2 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed."

Psalm 40:17 "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God"

Psalm 119:141 "I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts."

Note that  none of the verses quoted above regarding what men say about themselves are lifting themselves up in a positive way, but they know that there hope is in the Lord, not in themselves.

Therefore, rather you should say, I am a sinner, and I need the Saviour, and then repent and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ who will save your soul.   All the positive thinking in the world will not  bring you to heaven, if you do not recognize your need of the Saviour, and repent of your sins, you are condemned to that place of torment.  The choice is yours.

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man: Why Was the Rich Man in Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is very well known, it is about a beggar who is covered with sores, and a rich man who has all his wants and needs met.  But what happens when they both die is the key to the reason for this parable, told by the Lord Jesus Christ.



This passage teaches that life does not end at death.  Jesus plainly teaches in this section of scripture, in perfect alignment with the rest of the bible, that there are places where the human soul goes after death and continues to exist.  All true churches believe that because they all believe what Jesus says and they follow Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a follower of Jesus and believes Jesus.   These days a belief in hell is fading fast, and compromised churches are leading the way in unbelief.  As well as this, students in bible colleges are no longer interested in the subject.   It's the churches' neglect of the subject of everlasting punishment which has happened in the same period of time when the world is becoming more rebellious, more permissive, more violent and more godless.   The church is a pale reflection of the world and the world's views.  But the bible has not changed, the bible and the words of Jesus Christ are unchanged.  The eternal destinies of those who die have not changed, nothing has changed.  God has not changed his mind and it's completely irrelevant that society does not like or believe the doctrine or that they don't want the doctrine.  Hell still exists.   The opinion of men is not the measure of truth nor reality.  God's word is the measure of truth.  He is the ultimate reality.   Even if you don't believe in hell, you will still end up there if you are not a Christian.  Hell is a real and remote place, a place of fire and darkness, a place of everlasting punishment.  Think about it.

What does Jesus say about the passage in Luke 16?  he is speaking to people who were religious but not converted, not saved.  V14 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." 

There were once two men:  V19-21 "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."   We see in these verses a description of the two men.  The rich man is described as being clothed in purple and fine linen, same thing in Rev 18:12, it means that this emphasizes luxury, the best.  The labels of the day, the rich man was clothed in. V19 tells us of his diet.  He had plenty to eat every day.  But then the beggar is also described.  His name is Lazarus, the rich man is not named.  Lazarus is the complete opposite of the rich man:  lying at the gate, outside the home.  He is full of sores, the Lord says the dogs came and licked his sores, so the sores were not bandaged, no one was looking after him.  What was the beggar's desire?  He simply wanted the crumbs, the leftovers, the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.  What a pitiful picture.  The Lord is describing two men who are vastly different.

The Translation of the Authorized King James Bible: Why It Was Important Then, and Why It Is Important Now

It is right that Christians should take time to consider and reflect upon the origin, use and acceptance of the Authorized version of the bible also known as the King James.  It is also necessary because of the implications arising from such a study.   For 1300 years English speaking people were without a bible and during that time idolatry and superstition reigned.  This was known as the Dark Ages.  We should value the privilege we have to read the King James bible that we have now.

There was a pressing need of an acceptable, reliable and good translation that would be of great use to the cause of Christ,  from Hebrew and Greek into English.  The King James bible was authored by the cream of English scholarship. (for detailed information regarding these scholars please listen to the audio of this sermon linked to at the bottom of this post.)  When these men were all summoned to engage in the King's business we must remember that this was to be an international enterprise.  The translators were grouped into companies and not committees, because this was to be an imperial project, done publicly for English speaking people across the world.  Once the companies had finished their work it was sent to a final group of 12 that examined the entire translation before publication.   These men were not perfect, they were like you and I except God gave them certain abilities he did not give to us.  What did they think of themselves?  There were many chosen for this task that were greater in other men's eyes than their own, these were men that sought the truth rather than their own praise.  They were not interested in themselves.  They were humble.   These men were not ashamed at what they believed.  

There were rules which governed them:

1-5 emphasizing continuity with previous work done (Tyndale, Wycliffe, the Geneva Bible; (these were bibles which were despised by authorities and hated for their spread of the word of God across the land).  The translators were to make use of all that was done before. 

6-7 regarding commentary and explanation.  Cross references had a double purpose, to assist in understanding the text and also to demonstrate that it was one bible, a unity and a harmony in God's revelation.  It's all God's word, it's all authoritative, it's all from God, from Genesis to Revelation.

8-15 regarding the mechanics of translation.. there was a resolution of disputes, then the completed work was sent to a group of 12 that examined the entire translation.

The Authorized King James: Loved, Hated or Ignored

I’m quite sure that most people will see the title of this post and pass it by, but please bear with me because the subject is very important, whether you know it or not.  In Christianity today, there are few in number that still hold to their King James bible.  Most have been caught up by promoters of the new versions,  who use the excuse that their version is based on “older and better” manuscripts, (or so they believe) or else that it will be “easier to understand”.  Why did this happen? and what are the consequences? My next post will be notes from a sermon regarding the history of the King James and why it is so important.

My own history with the King James began when I was in grade 4, back in the day when the school day began with a bible reading from the King James and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.  The teacher asked me to memorize Psalm 23 and I am still struck by the beauty of the poetry of this most well-known and loved of Psalms.
Lets compare it with Young’s Literal Translation which is also in the public domain.

Psalm 23:1-6  Young’s Literal Translation
 Jehovah is my shepherd, I do not lack, In pastures of tender grass He causeth me to lie down, By quiet waters He doth lead me.  My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake,   Also — when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff — they comfort me.  Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries, Thou hast anointed with oil my head, My cup is full!  Only — goodness and kindness pursue me, All the days of my life, And my dwelling is in the house of Jehovah, For a length of days!

Psalm 23: 1-6  King James
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

In the examples above, both of them are quite close in meaning, although the Young’s suggests a time period in the last verse, “for a length of days” while the King James is comforting in  that David believes that he will “dwell in the house of the LORD for ever”.  But more importantly, which one would be easier to memorize?  In the King James, the words flow in poetic beauty as it does throughout all of this bible (I won’t call it a version).

What is the Bible? God's Inspired Word

2 Timothy 3:13-17  "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The doctrine of scripture, or what is the bible, is what we are studying.  A true understanding of what scripture is will direct you on the true course of your Christian life.  It will put scripture in authority over you and guide you, but if you are unsure or wrong on the doctrine of scripture, if you are wrong on what is the bible, you will not remain on the true course in the Christian life.  You will find that the scripture will not guide you in vast areas of your life because if you don't have a true understanding of what scripture is.  You will end up supplanting scripture with your own ideas, your own tastes, likes and dislikes.  All heresy and apostasy comes from a wrong view of what scripture is, what the bible is.  People want to ignore the bits of the bible that they don't like on the basis of their own reason, their own mind.  They come to judge and sift the bible and say that bits are cultural and don't apply.  Error in the doctrine of scripture is the cause of all of this.  

What is the bible?  Scripture or the bible is God's inspired word.  It is God's inerrant word, that means it contains no errors.  It is God's infallible word, that means that whatever scripture speaks on, it is right or correct on that subject.  Scripture is the word of God.  But do we really see the implications of this?  we must really believe that, we need to get that, scripture is the word of God.  If we don't get that and understand what it means, we will end up adding our own ideas.  It is not the word of the apostle Paul, the prophets Isaiah or Jeremiah, not the word of the apostle John, it's the word of God.  The bible does not contain God's word like the liberals say, that is nonsense.  The bible does not contain God's word, the bible IS the word of God, therefore it is not wrong on miracles, or sodomites, or judgment, or anything it speaks on because it is God's word.  That is why there is no true Christian who can say, "O but that's just Paul, that's just his opinion", no true Christian will ever say that.  It's not Paul's opinion at all, its the word of God, not Paul.   People who do this show that they do not believe that the whole bible is the word of God.   Evangelicals  need to stop playing word games and say that they believe the bible is the word of God "but"..  you either believe that the bible is the word of God or you do not. The bible is the word of God and that is what Christians believe.

Daily Living: A Leaking Skylight and the Grace of God

I am always amazed, but not surprised, at the grace of God in simple things of a Christian’s daily life, because I have always believed that God is in control of all things.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the skylight on one of our bathrooms was allowing water to seep into the drywall.  I was very concerned about it because we are in our rainy season right now and when it rains in this valley, it is not a gentle rain.  When I noticed the leak it was pouring outside.  My husband got a roofer to look at it and he noticed a place down by the roof that was not caulked, so he caulked it and pronounced the leak problem fixed.  But a couple of days later it rained again and the leak was back, however the roofer would have nothing more to do with it.

My husband then called a glass company that specializes in skylights, and they came to look at it and said that to try to find a leak would be pretty much impossible and that it would be better to replace the skylight.  Of course, they may have been just wanting new business, but we had no choice so a date was set a week later to install the new skylight, but according to the long-range weather forecast it was supposed to rain all of the week in which they were to come.  The day after the fellow from the glass company was here, the weather cleared up and for the week we were waiting the weather was sunny but very cold.

It was supposed to start raining this past Monday and the skylight was not due to be installed until Tuesday, so I began to ask the Lord to hold off the rain until the skylight was installed.  Well,  we did not have rain on Monday,  and only a few drops on Tuesday morning.  The installers arrived at 1:00pm and they did an excellent job of taking out the old and installing the new, and caulking every place they possibly could, and including caulking the skylight in the kitchen to prevent problems there because that skylight was the same age as the one that was leaking.

Now here is the grace of God: as they were finishing up a few drops began falling, and as they were leaving the rain began in earnest, and it poured rain for day and night from Tuesday after they left until this morning, and I am happy to say that there has been no further leakage.

So I thank the Lord for his grace in holding back the rain which was so important for us because had it started raining before the installers were finished, they would not have been able to do the required caulking.

Job 5:8-10:  I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: who giveth rain upon the earth,  and sendeth waters upon the fields.

The True Gospel

Romans 1:14-17 "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.  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."

I would like you to come back with me in your minds to the year AD57 and you are going to come into a room in a house where the preachers have their lodgings.  It's more than likely at night.  In this room there are two men, one is writing, one is speaking.  The man who is speaking is the apostle Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.  God the Holy Spirit is inspiring him to speak the very words of God.  In this room the epistle to the church at Rome is being written.  Paul V16 says "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."     The letter to the Romans, the church at Rome is thought by many people today to be complicated, hard to understand and really only for professors of theology, but that is not the case because the apostle Paul was speaking to the majority of Christians who made up the church of Rome who were uneducated slaves (for the most part) and they understood what it says.  That means that modern educated man is not so smart as what he thinks he is if he finds difficult to understand what uneducated slaves understood in the first century AD. 

What is Romans about?  It is about the gospel. That's it.  V16 and 17 are all about the gospel, the good news.  The gospel is not just the love of God, the gospel is not just the crucifixion, the gospel contained in the bible begins in the book of Genesis with the creator God, man's fall into sin, God's grace and his plan to sacrifice his Son for sinners, and his offer of forgiveness that is given indiscriminately to all and the salvation of those who believe.  The gospel continues on with instructions for Christian life to the final glorification in heaven.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is the whole counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation and its important for us to remember that.  Many churches have a limited view of what the gospel is.  The gospel is not just a little part of the bible.

The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

John 10: 1-11 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.  This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
 
The Shepherd and his sheep is a beautiful picture taken from this world and applied many times to the relationship between God and his people, the shepherd and his flock of sheep.  Many passages come to mind, Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."   God sometimes is pictured as a loving shepherd that feeds his flock, Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." We also know there are evil shepherds:  Jeremiah 23:1 "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD"  When sheep are forsaken they easily become pray to wild animals, and then of course there is the Good Shepherd, the Messiah, Ezekiel 34:23 "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd."  Sheep need a shepherd.  When you look up the word sheep in the dictionary one of the things it says is that sheep wander, they are defenceless when they wander because they are helpless and weak.  They get into trouble when they wander.  They don't understand why they get into trouble and to get out of trouble they need to go back to the flock they have left, back to the place they departed and until they do that they will always be in trouble.  Sometimes the shepherd has to come and get them and lead them back.  The rod is for rescuing, the staff is for discipline because sheep have to stay close to the Shepherd. 

Are you a member of God's flock?  if you are, do you wander away? How far do you wander?  How many times has God had to bring  you back? What will he do if you keep wandering?  

A Warning to Moderate Comments Left on Your Blog..

Thank the Lord that Blogger has an option to moderate comments left on your blog.   In all the time this blog has been up I haven't received many comments but all of them have been positive.  However this morning that changed.  Yesterday I posted a piece called Message to Moderns and this morning in email there was a comment to be moderated which said that it was a good post and that I should keep writing.  Sounds positive, right?  However, included was a link to their web page which was not named but only had three letters in the link.  Before I approve any comment I always check out links and was not really surprised to find out that this was a link to a porno site.  So of course the comment was deleted, never to appear here.

I really wonder about the mentality of people like this with bad intentions who feel it is necessary to post their filth on a Christian site, but this isn't the first time, although it is the first time here.  I had a very bad experience years ago with people posting photographs on a children's bible site I used to have, before I learned the lesson of moderating all comments.  So from today, any who want to comment have to be registered with Google, and they have to do the word copy so as to eliminate automated comments.

I do really hope that whoever sent that comment took the time to read Message for Moderns, for it was meant for such as they.

vcg/November 2015

A Message to Moderns

This is a very long sermon, but in this day of compromise in churches, sound-bite technology, a pleasure-seeking society and "my truth" it is a very important sermon.
 
Message to Moderns

Acts 17:22-32 "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.  Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing  he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and not find him, though he be not far from every one of us....Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ).  And when they hard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter."
 
Here we have a sermon that gives us a very good outline of many of the things that must be preached by the church when addressing the unsaved.  It is fitting that we should look generally at this because what is the church's message?  Many think that the church must change to be relevant in this modern world when the church is going to declare the gospel to sound-bite people in a technology driven society.  What is the church's message to this society, this pleasure-seeking society, this society that doesn't really believe in any absolute truth?  What message is the church to bring that is gong to have an impact upon so-called modern people?  Many would say we need to not mention sin or judgment but that is nonsense.  The same old message that was preached by the old testament prophets and the new testament apostles is the same message that needs to be preached today in the exact same way.  It needs to be preached to a modern people who have the exact same needs as those who lived thousands of years ago, people who haven't changed one bit.  Modern life is not modern, modern life is very old, it's just the same as what life has always been.  To be a sound-bite based society means that people communicate less and in fragmented bits and technology makes no difference at all because its the same old problems.  Nothing has changed, people haven't changed.  The problem is called sin. "Hath God said?"  the serpent said to Eve questioning God's word.   Pride even in the unfallen world in the garden of Eden.  There are no different needs than any other human beings in history.

Job's Faith: Why So Strong?

This is a continuation of yesterday's post regarding Job, and why bad things happen to the child of God.

Job's Faith, Why So Strong

Job 2, Job 13:15, Job 19:21-26

Job was a spiritual man, a family man, a burdened man for his family, but the book of Job teaches us that there is another  unseen world, a spirit world.  A prime plane of God and angels which Satan has access to.  What happens in that spirit world affects what happens in the physical world, the two are not separate but intertwined and they affect one another.  In this spiritual world Satan gets permission from God to unleash misery and trouble upon Job's life and Job suffered terribly.  Job reacted in sadness but he worshipped God even in this terrible tragedy. Job 1:20-22 "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."   He confesses that the LORD has a right to take away that which he has given, and he was going to love God anyway, even if God did not bless him.   The teaching is this, Job's faith overcame the troubles and woes that he was going through in his life because Job's faith was in God himself.  It was not dependant upon material blessings so therefore the material blessings could all be removed but Job's faith in God remained untouched.  Job did very well.  He lost his wealth, he lost all his children but he still kept his faith, but it wasn't over yet.

Why Do Bad Things Happen to the World and to the Child of God?

This post is further to yesterday's post entitled "Downhearted but why, and then an answer.  Lately I have read quite a few posts at Wordpress asking the question If God is a God of love, why does he allow bad things to happen?  I believe that these notes from the sermon by Paul Dowling provide the answer, why bad things happen to those in the world, and to the child of God.

Why do Bad Things Happen?

Job 1:1-12 

At some time in their life everyone has wondered,  "why do bad things happen to good people?"  Why was the missionary Amy Carmichael, who was doing her best to obey God, who did so much good work for the Lord, why was she confined to her bed in agony for the last 20 years of her life?  Why do bad things happen to good people.   Why is there so much suffering?

Some people in this world take the question further and they say "if God is the God of love why all the human misery".  Why..  For anyone who would ask that question, it is quite easy to answer although most people who ask that question do not want to know the answer.   If God is a God of love, the word if,  that is a sign of doubt and unbelief.  There is no doubt about it, the bible says that God is love, there is no "if" about it.  If there is doubt, there is no belief in the first place.  We need to remember that God is not a God of love only, love is not his only attribute. There is more to God than 1 John 4.

If you know your bibles you do know that God did not create the world the way it is now. Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good...."  The world is the way it is now with all its suffering and misery because of human free will.  In the garden of Eden, when there was free will that was not under bondage to sin,  Eve first, and then her husband Adam, used that free will to believe the serpent's lie and be disobedient to God's command and that is how sin entered into this world..  That caused the fall,  but God did not create the world the way it is now.  

Why are there starving people in the world?  Is it God's fault? No it's not, there are starving people in the world because of human greed.  There is more than enough food in this world to feed everybody but the problem is not in the amount of food.  Some countries are hoarding food and won't give it to those who are starving.  The problem is human greed.  It's not God's problem, it is human caused problem.

Why all the wars? That is easily answered because humans fight.  Why so much murder and killing? It's because of human aggression, this goes back to Cain murdering his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8 "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.").   It's human's fault, not Gods.  Why do so many humans die from simply cured illnesses in the poorer countries of this world. Why do thousands of poor people die? It's because they can't have operations because there are no surgeons but we can have cosmetic surgery to improve our looks. That is how arrogant many people are in the western world, so don't blame God.

Why do triple heart by-pass patients have to wait such a long time for their operation which is life-threatening, but if you pay some money you can have the surgery in a matter of weeks? Because money talks louder than human need.  You can blame God but most of the human suffering in this world is caused by human greed.  So put the blame where it belongs.

If you don't believe in God how can you blame God?   A far more important and honest question is in the bible, in the book of Job.  That is, why do God's people sometimes suffer for no apparent reason.  

Do Not Follow the Majority

 Exodus 23:1-2 "Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment."

We are going to study  one of the devices or traps or snares that Satan sets to hinder Christians from doing their Christian duties, those being reading God's word, prayer, assembling with other believers, obeying what God's word says.  "thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil"  Satan has devices to keep Christians from doing these duties.  Practical things that the bible tells the believer to do.  When we do these things it leads to spiritual growth, holiness of life and maturity instead of immaturity as is seen in some people. 

As the spiritual temperature of the church plummets, it is evident that immaturity, lack of knowledge of scripture and neglect of duties has come to the fore.  Satan is using this trap to devastating effect to take Christian people from doing what God says they should do after they are saved according to the scriptures.

The snare of Satan is this.  "don't worry too much about reading your bible, don't worry too much about praying, don't worry too much about going to church, don't worry too much about obeying the bible"  Most people do not bother with those things, most people walk and live following the ways of their own heart.  They do what they want to do.  They say  "Just do what the rest do.  Stick with the majority, they must be right.  After all the majority couldn't be wrong.  Don't be different." For the church they say: "Don't worry about disciplining sin in your church, don't worry about using worldly methods and then calling it evangelism, don't look to the bible as your guide to faith and practice, just look at what the majority of churches do, they aren't guided by the scripture, anything goes.  Just follow the majority."

It's common to hear "but everybody's doing it".   Don't worry about obeying God, just do what everybody else does.  That is the snare of Satan.  God says "thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil"  do not follow the majority to do sin.   

Improve Your Selfie

Improve your selfie.  That is the sign that was on the back of a bus seen yesterday afternoon.  Below that phrase to improve your selfie was an advertisement for botox, fillers and skin care with the name of a business that could do these things.  But I have to ask, would anyone really go to the extent of having botox or fillers to improve their selfie?   Probably the answer is yes, some people would do these things.  But why not just use Photoshop to wipe away those lines or wrinkles before uploading your photo.   After all, what is the chance that you will ever meet even 1% of the people who will see your selfie, not counting friends, acquaintances, or family members that already know the real you.

As for myself, I am aging and showing it.  There are very few photos of me online, one is from a distance and the other was taken 7 years ago.  No botox or fillers for me, I would be afraid of the side effects.

And besides that, what does the bible say about our appearance?

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”   What does the Lord see when he looks upon your heart? 

Proverbs 16:31 “The hoary (gray) head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.”

I would rather see the natural face of a Christian person, which is beautiful from the light which shines from within.

In closing, perhaps the sign on the back of the bus was meant in a joking way.  I sure hope so.

It's That Time Again

It’s that time again, the yearly salmon run.  We live close to the Cowichan River and as it was a lovely sunny day yesterday, we went for a walk on the path that borders the river, with little paths here and there that go down to the water.   The air is filled with the sound of the gulls that are flying all around, whether or not they are trying to get the fresh eggs, or are feeding on the dead salmon, I do not know, probably it’s both.  Some of the salmon are still jumping although they are in the minority, most are near the shore swimming very slowly, soon to join their dead fellow salmon.

Seeing these salmon up close, I always find the sight to be very sad and think about their lives.  Further down the river path there is a little pond where last year’s salmon babies are swimming around with not a care in the world.  At some point they will enter the river and go downstream to Cowichan Bay and then on to the ocean where, if they are lucky enough to escape being eaten by a predator or caught by a fisherman,  they will live until the point where they are driven to come back to the place of their birth where they struggle to go upstream, and finally die a slow death.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.  A time to be born, and a time to die:……”

I tried to look at this from my human point of view, and thought about being a Christian going through life, going through trials and tribulations along the way.  For a Christian, always that old devil is going about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”  By the grace of God, as we trust him, he will bring us through these trials.   And then we reach our final years.  No longer strong, moving much more slowly.  And then in God’s time for us, we leave this earth, sometimes peacefully, sometimes plagued by illness and suffering. Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” The Christian at death is absent from the body and present with the Lord, awaiting the resurrection.  2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

What about the person who goes through life, eventually reaching the end of their days and dying without ever having believed the gospel, choosing rather to  put salvation off or rejecting it outright, rather “I’ll do it my way”.    Unlike the salmon who dies and is gone, the unbeliever at death goes to a place of torment.   Luke 16:16-31 is the story of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus.  When the beggar died he was “carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom”, the place of rest but the rich man “also died and was buried.  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom”.  The  rich man calls for mercy, and says that he is “tormented in this flame”

And so, dear reader, what will happen on that day when you leave this earth?  You won’t be like the salmon, for you have a soul and that soul belongs to God, whether you be Christian or not.  Will you believe the gospel? will you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and then when you leave this earth you will be in the place of rest? or will you be in torments.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God“.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”

Below is a photo of the Cowichan River at this time,  the sky above the river filled with seagulls looking for a meal.

Lamentations: The Church's Funeral Lament

In the book of Lamentations is the wee word "how".  How, says Jeremiah, has it come to this?  A question that he then proceeds to answer.  The occasion of the writing of Lamentations (a lament, a wailing) was the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah by the Babylonians in 588BC.  Lamentations is the churches funeral lament.  The destruction, or chastisement of the old covenant church.  The destruction that Jeremiah preached on during his 40 year ministry, it had repeatedly been his sole message for 40 years.  It happened.  The ruin that he predicted in the whole book of Jeremiah, the ruin he spoke on was mocked by the false prophets, it was not believed and was scorned by God's people.  Jerusalem has now fallen and Lamentations was written.  Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon ordered that Jerusalem should be razed to the ground.  The temple was entered into, defiled and burnt as was everything else.  The fire burned for 3 days. 

To understand the message of Lamentations we must sit in the smoking ruins of the old covenant church.  We must sit in the rubble of Jerusalem in the desolation of Judah.  We must smell the stench of the thousands upon thousands of the dead.  The funeral pyres were like mountains as they burned.  Mountains of God's covenant people.  And then we may say like Jeremiah "How has it come to this" even though he knew the answer.  He knew the answer even before he commenced his ministry because God told him that the people would not listen to him, they would not repent..  At one point God told Jeremiah to stop praying for them.  After 40 years of preaching and after 40 years of being hated by the church of his day, when the judgment comes he still weeps for the church because he cares for the church and he is one of the very few people who does care hence his utter grief at the destruction of the church in his day.

The instrument of God's judgment:  Lamentations 1:1-7 "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!  She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.  Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.  The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.  Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.  And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.  Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths."
 
 God does not send fire down from heaven, but he uses as an instrument of judgment, the church's enemies.  He uses the heathen, he uses her adversaries.  And this we will find as a scriptural principle that God's favored instrument for chastening his people when they sin is the heathen whom he brings into their midst.  And what happens?  They desecrate the worship of the church.  The heathen come in not to worship but to plunder, to get something for themselves.  But note, its the churches pagan enemies.  There are only two types of people in the world, God's people and pagans.  Everything that is not true Christianity is paganism.  The church's enemies come in and God uses them to chasten and corrupt the church.  

The Days of Noah Part 7: What Does the Flood Teach Us?

1 Peter 3:18-20 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

Matthew 24:36-39 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood  came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

This is the last in the series of the Days of Noah.  The most important thing is, what is the lesson?  What does the flood teach us.
 
God judges and punishes sin always:  In the book of Genesis 6 it says 6:5-7 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."  It was all because of the wickedness of man, sin.  Both in mind, imagination, the thoughts of the heart, and the violence.  It all happened because of sin in thought and in deed.  God sees all sin, and all sin brings judgment and punishment. 

The Days of Noah: After the Flood, a Changed World

Genesis 8:14-22

On the 20th of July in 1969 the Eagle lunar landing module touched down upon the moon.  The spacecraft landed on th Sea of Tranquility.  Neil Armstrong stepped out and said "that is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.  This environment was strange to him, never before were any humans there.  There was just an eerie silence.

When Noah stepped out of the ark, after a year of judgment upon this earth, it was a different earth than what he had known before.  Once it had teemed with wildlife and people, once it had been abundantly rich with trees and vegetation.  But now it was an hostile environment.  Deeper oceans, higher mountains, harsher climate, cooler and stronger winds.  High on the sides of Mt. Ararat, Noah and his family surveyed their new home, but God spoke to Noah.  He and his family were not alone. God said to go forth, spread out, you and the animals replenish the earth.  Noah disembarked and the first thing he did was:

A sacrifice.  The first thing that Noah did was to build an altar, a place where man can meet God on God's terms of course.  Noah's first purpose was to renew fellowship with God.  Noah is giving visible evidence that he is putting God first.  Isn't it always a question of priorities?  Do we put God first?   The Lord Jesus said you are to love the LORD your God with all your mind, with all your strength, your heart, your soul, and your neighbour as yourself.  Put God first.  God is the Number 1 priority in our life or should be.  Noah put God's altar first because that was important to him.  But it also showed his gratitude to God.  God by grace had saved him.

Noah had a God-centered life.  He really trusted in God.  The secret of a good home lies in putting the Lord first.  God must come first before anybody else.  Is the place where you meet God most important?  We also notice that Noah offered a burnt sacrifice on the altar.  It wasn't an altar for show, it was for real worship not for formality.  It was for real worship.  Noah offered burnt offerings of the clean animals.  7 of every kind of clean animal came on board the ark.  This is the first reference in scripture where we read of the building of an altar, and also the first sacrifice.  The animal was totally consumed.  It was an offering for sin.  Noah not only knew the difference between clean and unclean, but he knew that the fellowship between  holy God and sinful man was only possible  through a propitiating sacrifice.  Blood had to be shed for sinful humans to have fellowship with a holy God.  Abel knew this, so did Noah.  God's law has always existed from the beginning in the hearts of the people of God.    The only way for us to have fellowhip with God is through sacrifice.  All of the old testament sacrifice pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the only sacrifice that God requires. 

Are You Watching for Jesus? - An Airport Lesson

This post is something I wrote 6 years ago when my granddaughter was 5 years old.

Matthew 24:42 "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.".

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 "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.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Recently my daughter-in-law went to Japan for a week. For the last three days she was away, I went to their house very early in the morning to babysit my 5 year old granddaughter.  It had been arranged in advance that my son would be home to look after her for the first four days, followed by myself.  I told my granddaughter that on the day that I came, it would be a very short time before her mother came home.   "two more sleeps, and mama will be home."

Needless to say, on the day before, my granddaughter got up pretty early and asked if mama would be home, so I told her one more sleep.  The next morning she was up at 6:30 am asking if it was time to go to the airport.  She was so excited,  she had a bath, washed her hair, brushed her teeth, picked out a pretty dress, and soon it was time to head for the airport.  On the way she saw a plane in the sky and remarked that we must be getting close to the airport.

As we entered the international arrival section, there was a large crowd of people gathered to meet loved ones.  Everyone arriving had to come through customs, which took at least a 1/2 hour after the plane touched down.  They had to pick up their baggage, and then they came through doors and down a narrow, enclosed passageway to the opening where finally, there were greetings with embraces, flowers, what have you.  A lot of people were looking at the monitors that had been set up so they could see their loved one entering through the doors that were quite a distance away.. 

We had arrived at the time the plane touched down, and we were first sitting in chairs, and then standing at the railing separating us from the passageway.  It seemed a very long time that we stood there, and my granddaughter was getting discouraged, asking "where is mama?" and I kept telling her that soon her mama would be there.  At first I was aware of all the people waiting, but as time passed, it was like they disappeared, and my granddaughter and I were the only ones there, so focused were we waiting for her mother.

The Days of Noah Part 6: The Aftermath of the Flood

Genesis 7:24 - 8:1-5

In the previous posts, we looked at the historicity of the flood, it was a real event, Noah was a real person, a man of God.  We have looked at Noah's world, a sinful, pleasure-seeking world.  We have looked at the ark and the heart of God that provided a way of salvation from judgment and we have looked at the world-wide catastrophic terrible reality of the flood.  Today we look at the aftermath.  

The Long Long Time.  7:12 "And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights."  V24 "And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days."  8:3 "And the waters returned from off the earth continually and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated."  It was a very long time, 40 days of rain, a further 110 days of the water deepening, and then 150 days as the water receded.  It was over a year before Noah and his family got off the ark.  It was a long time.  During that whole year there was no further word from God.  God had not spoken to Noah since he closed the door (of the ark)  A year of silence from God.  Noah's family must have asked him every day "Is there any word from God? Is it nearly over?" and Noah didn't know because he had no word from God.  It was a long time.  

Many of the great men in scripture ask the question "has God forgotten me" and perhaps Noah asked the same thing, "has God forgotten me?"   And you don't know the answer.  But in Genesis 8:1 "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged" God remembered Noah.  Remembered means Noah was in the mind of God, God hadn't forgotten Noah, and Noah was a man of faith and in that long time and those long dark days of judgment when there was no apparent communication from God, Noah had only one thing to cling to, the sheer faithfulness of God.  The integrity of God.  God had been faithful in instructing him thus far.  Trust in that.

The Days of Noah: The Ark and the Heart of God

Genesis 6:3,5-7,13-22

Noah and the flood were both historic, Noah was a real person, a man of faith, a preacher of righteousness, a family man.  His world was a real world, a sinful world that was characterized by certain things: an evil mind-set, the thoughts and imaginations were only evil continually.  It was a foul society, a violent society.  It was also characterized by perverted religion that had corrupted the true religion.  This society was characterized by materialism and pleasure.  Those are the conditions for calamity.  That is the type of lifestyle that brought the flood.  In the light of those things, it all led to something.

What did it lead to?
Gen 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."    grieved means to suffer pain in one's own heart.  It grieved God at his heart, that is what it led to, grief.  God is not sitting up there in heaven uncaring about the people he created, he is grieved at their behaviour and their lifestyle like you are when your little children grow up and they scorn and mock and throw off the standards that you have tried to teach them..  Don't think less of God, it grieved him at his heart.  It also led to judgment pronounced and carried out.  Gen 6:7,13 "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."  There are consequences for sin and rebellion and the consequences taught in this passage teach a very important lesson, a lesson that is largely forgotten today even in churches where they have a view of a God that has just one attribute and that is love.  That is a heresy.  Sin leads to consequences.  This passage teaches us the consequences.  God is warning mankind of the limitation of his mercy and grace.  

This passage teaches that human beings through their willful sin and willful neglect of salvation can put themselves beyond grace.  Beyond God's mercy.  By gross willful rebellion you can put yourself in the place where God says, "it is now over for you, there is no possibility of recall.  Beyond grace, mercy and redemption forever.  Where the only thing is judgment.  Noah's world was in precisely that position.  120 years and that is it, God says "enough"  There is a limit to God's mercy and grace.  And how much grace has been poured on you week by week, unbeliever.  How many times has God spoken to you in grace and mercy.  But you have scorned his love, rejected his forgiveness.  The lesson this passage is teaching is very simple, you need to be aware that the grace of God is not everlasting.  If God's grace was everlasting the flood would not have come.  If you are not a Christian, one day, if you continue rejecting the gospel, one day you will be one day too late.

Church Practice: What is Contributing Considered To Be?

Colossians 3:17 “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.”

Matthew 4:18,21  “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers….And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.”

Yesterday was quite a sorrowful day for us.  In my previous post I said that my husband and I were “taking a break” from our chapel, and yesterday my husband had a visit from one of the elders.  Before I state what happened at one point, let me say that my husband has a real problem speaking in front of a group of people, he has had this for all the almost 29 years that we have been married.  Rather he chooses to be a helper behind the scenes, whatsoever and wherever he is asked.

With this in mind, at one point the elder told my husband that he did not “contribute”.  And I am dumbfounded because according to the verses quoted above, what is contribution anyway?  “whatsoever ye do in word or deed”   Jesus saw Peter “casting a net”  and he saw James and John “mending their nets”..  I heard a wonderful sermon years ago which I have never forgotten because the speaker said that Peter was the outgoing one, the vocal one while John was the encourager, the quiet one.

And so I go back to the fact that the elder told my husband that he did not “contribute”..  well, that is true that my husband, at breaking of bread, did not read from his bible, nor pray by himself, but he did give out hymns on occasion.  But besides that he was always out the door very early in the morning in all kinds of weather all year round driving the 20 minute drive to another town to pick up some bible school students at the ferry.  He was always the first one at the chapel, putting out the emblems, the bread and the cups.  He took them into the kitchen afterwards.  On Saturday mornings he was out of the house before 6:00am to drive to the chapel to help get ready for the morning men’s prayer breakfast.  He helped take an old library apart and convert it into a beautiful new bathroom..  and many other things I have not mentioned here.  So again, it boggles my mind that this elder said that he did not “contribute”..  My goodness, by their fruits you shall know them.

So I say to you, dear reader,  if you are in a church, and you are not comfortable speaking in front of a group, be encouraged by Colossians 3:17 “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.”  And don’t be discouraged if you are accused of not “contributing” by someone who should know better.

As for us, we are looking forward to breaking bread tomorrow morning, just the two of us but there will really be three because the Lord Jesus promises in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

The Days of Noah Part 4: The Flood

This is the 4th in a series of the series called The days of Noah, this being The Flood.  This is one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard, and it moved me to tears.  I know that it will be a blessing to you, and I beseech you to either read the whole of the notes (which are long) or take the time to listen to the sermon at Sermon Audio which is linked below. 

As a background, prior to Noah building the ark, God spoke to Noah, who "found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen 6:8) and instructed Noah to build the ark to the LORD's specifications (Gen 6:13-16) and told Noah that he, the LORD would bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, and every living thing that is in the earth would die, but with Noah he would establish his covenant. In Gen 6:3 the LORD said "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."  Noah with his wife, his sons, and his son's wives, would be safe on the ark.  This is the background, and following are the notes from the sermon:

The Days of Noah - the Flood

Genesis 7:1-24

Between the end of Gen 6 and Gen 7:1 almost 120 years had passed during which Noah continued working and building the ark.  And when the ark was finished, God speaks to Noah Gen 7:1-4 "And the LORD said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth."    God speaks after 120 years and tells Noah to bring his family and the animals and the birds into the ark for the time of judgment had come.  120 years had passed since the first warning, since the preacher of righteousness was instructed by God to begin building the ark.  Now God says there are seven days left, the time has come.

Seven more days of grace V4. The door of grace, of salvation on the side of the ark would be open for another seven days.   Didn't God give the people in the world of Noah's day every opportunity.  He gave them the preacher, he gave them 120 years, and now a further 7 days of grace.  The bible tells us that Noah gathers his family into the ark.  His wife, his sons and his son's wives.  But note that Noah's sons had not been born when God had last spoken to Noah.  When God told Noah that the flood was coming 120 years ago, Noah's sons were not born, because it tells us that Noah's sons were born when Noah was 500 years old (Gen 5:32) and the flood came when Noah was 600 (Gen 7:6) but God had told Noah 120 years previous that the flood would come, 20 years before Noah's sons were born.  So Noah's sons had grown up when their father was building the ark and preaching righteousness.  God had not directly spoken since, Noah's sons had never heard the message direct from God, just from their father the preacher.  But when they were 100 years old, they and their wives went into the ark.  They believed the preacher, they believed the flood was coming, but the ungodly did not and yet both groups had heard the same message from the same preacher.  It saved some and condemned others.  Because some people, when they hear the gospel, the gospel saves them.  But some people, the gospel hardens.

The Days of Noah Part 3: Noah's World

This is the third in a series of 7 posts regarding Noah and the flood from Genesis 6 to 9 in the bible.

The Days of Noah Part 3:  Noah's World




In the previous two messages we have studied the proofs from the bible and from geology and geography that Noah and the global flood were historic events.  Noah was a real person and the flood was a real event.  Noah was a man of faith who walked with God, and because of that God told Noah that because the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, (Gen 6:5) that God would destroy every living thing that he had created, from the face of the earth and Noah, in the light of that, became a preacher of righteousness, and he warned the generation in which he lived of the judgment which was coming.  The fact that the generation of his day didn't listen is irrelevant because they were warned.  Because of that there are no excuses in the day of judgment.  

What kind of world did Noah live in?   
Noah's world was a real world, not  a world of fun added things of children's stories. It had a culture, it had a philosophy of life, a way of thinking.  A way not very different from our society.  Indeed we may discover that the same philosophy that prevails today in Western society is very similar to the way of thinking in Noah's day because humans don't change.  They are the same today as they were in the whole of history since the fall.  Technology advances, but humans do not change.

Gen 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."   They had an evil mind.  God saw that man's wickedness, man's morality or ethics was evil.  The wickedness of man was great, abounding, overflowing.   Man's wickedness had reached a new low.  Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Every imagination, every concept, every purpose or device of the thoughts of his plans of his heart.  All day, all month or all year, continually.  Genesis 6 teaches that man coming up to the flood had come to such a stage of moral evil just before the flood, that everything was utterly evil all the time.  They did not do evil through carelessness not heeding what they do, they did evil deliberately, contriving how to do mischief.  There was no good to be found among them and God saw it. In other words, an evil mind-set had come down.  A depraved mind-set.

The Days of Noah Part 2: Noah the Person

This is the second in a 7 part series on Noah and the Flood from Genesis 6.

The Days of Noah:  Part 2, Noah the Person

Noah lived 4,600 years ago.  He was a real, historical person and has a very detailed family tree.  The flood is also a real, historical event.  Genesis and the Lord Jesus say so, there are many references to Noah and the flood in the bible.  In almost every continent, there are flood stories. 

What type of a man was Noah?  he has a reputation as the man who built the ark, and sinned after the flood was over in drunkenness.  But let us truly look at Noah as the person he was.

Noah was descended from Seth.  Why is this important?  Noah was brought up in a godly home.  Who is Seth?  Adam's third son.  First Cain, then Abel but Cain murdered Abel and was sent away.  From Cain came the godless line.  After this another son was born to Adam called Seth and the godly line continued through that line. Genesis 4:25-26 "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth.  For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD."  Noah was from this line.  Noah's great-grandfather was so much a man of God that he was taken straight from  earth to heaven, that being Enoch. Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him".

Noah's father, Lamech, called his son Noah because Noah means "rest" or "comfort".  Lamech knew that toil and hardship was in this world and it was a result of human sin and God's curse..  Gen 5:28-29  "And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed." So Lamech named his son Noah because he knew that the reason why things were hard and life was troubled was because of human sin.  Lamech knew far more than most modern people.  Lamech knew far more than many Christians in the western world today.  People wonder why bad things happen to Christians.  Lamech knew why bad things happen to good people and this was 4,600 years ago.  Today Christians ask "why did this happen to me?"  Because we live in a cursed, fallen world and these bad thing happen because of human sin.  Lamech lived in a world in which he needed comfort and rest, so he named his son Noah.  God's name would have been mentioned in Noah's home and this influenced the boy Noah.

The Days of Noah Part 1: Noah was a real, historic person

Are you one that doubts the reality of the man called Noah, and the flood that God brought upon the earth?  This is the first in a 7 part series of in-depth articles on Genesis 6 to 9 based on the King James bible.

The Days of Noah Part 1

The Proofs that Noah was a living, historic person and the flood was an actual, historic fact.

Genesis 6:1-14 "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.  And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace  in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
 
About 5,000 years ago, around 3,000 BC there lived a man called Noah.  Noah was a man who was very different from the generation in which he lived.  We read about Noah mostly in the book of Genesis.  The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings and it is a history book.  Genesis contains real, actual, literal history.  Genesis is the foundation of the whole bible and all the major doctrines of scripture can be traced in their foundation to the book of Genesis.  The author is God, the writer is Moses.  The first 5 books of the bible are called the books of Moses, the Lord Jesus says so in John 5:46 "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me."  2 Chron 35:12 "......as it is written in the book of Moses" 2 Corin 3:15 "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." Romans 10:5 "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law..." 1 Corin 9:9  "For it is written in the law of Moses..."   To disagree on this is to disagree with the bible.  Noah and the events recorded about his day are real history.  These things happened and these things are recorded for us that we may learn from them.  1 Corin 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come."  There is a stark lesson for the new testament church to be found in Noah and his day as recorded in the book of Genesis 6.