CANCELLED COVENANTS
#084 CANCELLED COVENANTS
Scripture Isaiah 28:14-22, NIV Orig. 6-30-63
Rewr. 10-18-87
Passage: 14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood[a] our hiding place.”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
Purpose: To remind my people, not only of the value of their vote, but of their responsibility to seek for that covenant of men that is first of God.
Keywords: Covenants Freedom Politics Providence of God
Introduction
The year was 1650. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was considering making the Westminster Confession the statute book of a state religion, presided over by none other than King Charles II, an infamous man. A major part of the struggle was the artful tenet of “the divine right of kings.”
Oliver Cromwell and his troops were encamped at Musselburgh. He sent the following letter to these men. “I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it is possible that you may be mistaken. Precept may be upon precept, line may be upon line. And yet the word of the Lord may be to some a word of Judgment; that they may fall backward and be broken, and be snared, and be taken! There may be a spiritual fullness which the world may call drunkenness, as in the second chapter of Acts. There may be, as well, a carnal confidence upon misunderstood and misapplied precepts, which may be called spiritual drunkenness. There may be a covenant made with Death and Hell! I will not say yours was so. But judge if such things have a politic aim: To avoid the overflowing scourge; or, to accomplish worldly interests? And if therein you have confederated with wicked and carnal men, and have respect for them, or otherwise have drawn them in to associate with us, whether this be a covenant of God and spiritual? Bethink yourselves; we hope you do.
“I pray you read the Twenty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, from the fifth to the fifteenth verse. And do not scorn to know that it is the Spirit that quickens and giveth life.” 220.23B6p163 The Book of Isaiah
Isaiah 62:6-7 “Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. And give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
I. They Were a People Who Believed in Political Expediency. V14f “. . .Ye scornful men which rule this people . . . Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge . . .”
It was, of course, the commonest mistake of Biblical times. Isaiah was declaring it so. Jeremiah, a century later, was proclaiming the same message to Judah. Oliver Cromwell’s letter suggests that it has always been a humanist flaw. We see it in our own political evolution today. I wonder if we Louisianans are worst. I fancy not, but it does stand out so clearly to us.
Things change ever so slowly, and we forget how to see them. When Earl Long was running for Governor in 1955, I was newly come to Louisiana. How could anyone vote for him? I told Ann, “There won’t even be a second primary.” He won in the first.
This is relevant whenever and wherever luxury and intemperance abound: Men with eyes too fevered by sin to see beauty in simple purity and piety; Human minds so brimful of knowledge, they are intoxicated with their own cleverness; Circumstances where we have been called upon so often that we conclude a melodramatic incapacity to err.
What do we see when we examine issues? God’s covenant—His word? His law? Man’s compromise? Israel decided that they were in a better position to analyze conditions. It seemed that God’s word did not matter. It’s kind of like going to a Halloween Carnival. Lots of fun things to do: dunking vats, cake walks, fishing booths, and there is always a little boy in a devil’s suit. But he’s just a little boy, pretending. Our problems are not little boys pretending to be devils. Our problems are come from devils pretending to be what they are not, and we are tricked by their pretension.
II. Too Many Seem to Believe that God Has Lost Control of His Creation. V15 “. . . when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us.” Israel’s problem necessitates explanation. Isaiah had been a careful proponent of their hope in God. But it was put to them in a way which singled out their sin, and their need to repent. V17 “Judgment will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet.”
In reality, we could blame Isaiah for this problem. Isaiah had a speech impediment. He spoke nothing but the truth. He declared only what God gave him. The Assyrian storm troops were in position right across the border. The only way out was absolute dependence upon God, the sacrifice of their free-wheeling ways. Explicitly, they were going to have to surrender their expediency.
Instead of God, they turned to Egypt. Isaiah 29:14 “Therefore . . . I will proceed to do a . . . work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.”
We still only have two options.
We can trust God. He knows the end from the beginning. V16 “I lay in Zion . . . a sure foundation.” He has provided a sure defense for His people. V17 “Judgment also will I lay to the line.” No pretenders to faith allowed. But then, no genuine articles were overlooked either.
Or, we can trust the devices of men. Make up our minds. Give more than lip-service. But remember where our strength is.
We are going to be voting for five, maybe even Speedy Long. Are we voting deviously? Are we voting sincerely? The one thing we must not do is to let our variant choices become a barrier to our labors for Christ.
My best advice to you:
Vote!
Vote your conscience!
Give every other person that right!
Remember that it is our covenant with God that will stand. These human covenants are worth no more than the integrity of the person.
The following piece was clipped from a magazine, source unknown:
Not serried ranks and flags unfurled, Not armored ships that gird the world,
Not hoarded wealth nor busy mills, Not cattle on a thousand hills,
Not sages wise, nor schools, nor laws, Not boasted deeds in freedom’s cause—
All these may be, and yet the state In the eye of God be far from great.
That land is great which knows the Lord, Whose songs are guided by His word:
Where justice rules ‘twixt man and man, Where love controls in art and plan;
Where, breathing in his native air, Each soul find joy in praise and prayer—
Thus may our country, good and great, Be God’s delight, . . . man’s best estate.”
We have the opportunity to once again turn the self-interest of the alcohol-monger back in upon himself.
Don’t be duped by his “rights.” Only what we give him.
Don’t be led astray by tax advantage. $1 in taxes costs $8.99 in support from trash to pieces of wasted lives.
See it as one more opportunity to stand up for what you believe.
Canceling the covenant of expediency is true freedom. Isaiah 62:6,7 “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day or night: Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
THE HEART-CRY FOR REVIVAL
#081 THE HEART-CRY FOR REVIVAL
Scripture II Chronicles 7:11-18 NIV Orig. 9-27-64
Rewr. 3-17-77
Passage: 11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’”
Introduction
Over the past few years there has been a major thrust by some groups to maintain a proper balance of “truth in advertising.” This came about as a result of some advertising methods that were questionable if not downright misleading. Labels now must declare what is in a product, nothing more and nothing less. Advertising techniques must be true to the capabilities of whatever is being advertised. If not, the advertiser can be held liable.
Now, a new problem has arisen. The Madison Avenue boys in blue, or in blue jeans, whatever they are wearing now, have in their brazenness sunk to an all-time low. The admen and their clients are getting on the religious bandwagon. Someone suggested that “God is right up there with O.J. Simpson and Don Rickles.” The most disgusting to me is the ‘Jesus jeans’ ad. It depicted the rear view of a woman clad in a pair of these jeans, and across her rear was written a Bible quotation in Italian. Translated it read, “He who loves me follows me.”
A few months back, metropolitan newspapers in some parts of the country carried an ad introducing a new brand of whiskey called “King James Scotch Whiskey.” Before you get ready to argue their case, saying, “Why defend James when Robert would not offend us? Maybe it was not chosen for that reason,” know that on each side of the bottle appeared the phrase, “The King James version.” “Blue Nun Wine” asks their clientele ‘to try something a little sacrilegious.’
Playboy ran a full page newspaper ad picturing a priest reading their magazine. The lead line in the ad states, “I read Playboy and found God.” Even an old-line company like General Motors has gotten in on the act. An ad in Time magazine shows a group of nuns in traditional dress, with one of them saying, “The steering committee at the convent voted 5 to 0 in favor of tilt wheel. It’s been a blessing.”
For most of us, this is offensive. We ought to be stirred to express our opinions to the offending companies, their ad personnel, and also the newspapers and magazines carrying ads. My point this morning, however, is that the Christian community has just as much responsibility to advertise what it can produce and nothing more. We are advertising ‘revival’ and it is up to us to produce it.
I. The Heart Cry of Revival is Heard Because Of Who We Are. “If my people,” says the Scripture. The pagan world has always found its understanding of divine appeasement in biological reproduction. The happiness of the gods was seen in the success of human sexuality and agricultural abundance. I am presently reading James Michener’s The Source. It is an historical novel describing the level-by-level accumulation of history at a site called Makor. While Michener’s purpose is not spiritual, he has authenticated his facts. His view of the pre-Abramic Canaanites describes, with some taste and decorum, their appeasement of the gods through infant sacrifice, and sexual fertility rites.
Spiritually we owe a great debt to the culture and the evolution of the Hebrew people through whom God revealed Himself. They were the ones who taught us the open-heartedness of God for His creation. Exodus 6:7 “I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God. Deuteronomy 32:9 “The Lord’s portion is His people.” Psalms 125:2 “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth forever.
The people of ancient Crete honored a statue of Jove which had no ears. They could not believe that any god would concern himself with the idle chatter of people such as they.
Through these Hebrews the discovery came of a faith relationship that was negotiable. I Samuel 15:22 (200-300 years after Moses), “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?” Psalms 51:16, “Thou delightest not in burnt offerings.” Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” II Chronicles 7:17, “And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments.” Recall also the experience out of the life of David (II Samuel 12) when Nathan comes to congratulate David at Solomon’s birth, and named Solomon “Jedediah,” beloved of the Lord.
Let it be finally understood that we are the people of God. We are duty bound to proclaim it so. Our responsibility is even greater in a world where faith and belief, and even a concept of God, are treated so shabbily. Four or five years ago a movie titled McCabe and Mrs. Miller hit the cinemas across America. The reviews gave ample evidence of what it contained. Some of you let your children see it. It contained every kind of immoral perversion that its “R” rating would allow. It took place in a little town called Presbyterian Church. The church was no more than incidental in the life and morality of the town. But, when the church caught on fire and was burning, it was those same people who were quickly on the scene saving the church. The message left with the viewer was of the utter irrelevancy of the church.
That is not unlike the cartoon carried on the editorial page of the Times-Picayune this week. It had been picked up from a San Francisco paper. A group of sour looking people were advancing on the porno shop with fire bombs. The next sequence shows the shop in ashes, but behind the shop the public library was also in ashes. You will never convince me that such as that is anything less than satanic intimidation.
Now hear me well brethren, we will never counteract contemporary, flagrant violations of spiritual trust, giving God, whose people we are, an hour of our time on Sunday morning. Let me suggest some ways that help determine whose people we are: Whose people, when on a given Sunday, 75% of adult membership absent themselves from Bible study; whose, when on a Sunday evening 80-90% regularly ignore discipleship opportunity; whose, when on Wednesday night 95% reject an opportunity for intercessory prayer; whose, when maybe no more than 2-3% spend any time taking to others about their Lord, their church?
II. The Heart Cry of Revival is Heard Because Of Where We Are. The One who says, “If my people” says also “will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face.”
What “if my people” means: That God has promised renewal; that Christians have the right and obligation to claim it. There are proper procedures to enhance it—humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, turn away from wickedness.
Consider first the need for humility. The first man after Adam to need revival was his son Cain. Genesis 4 tells the story. He knew to bring an offering to the Lord. Arriving at the altar, however, he, in effect said, “I will offer what offering I please and you can like it or lump it.” That may sound familiar.
Consider also the need for prayer. Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” Acts 3:1 “Peter and John went up to the temple at the hour of prayer.” 3:6 “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Only after humility and prayer can we seek God’s face. Psalms 24: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.”
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
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: 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They 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?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus 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. 18 And 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. 19 I 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.”
WHEN GOOD THINGS COME OUR WAY
#073 WHEN GOOD THINGS COME OUR WAY
Scripture Psalm 84:11 NIV Orig. November 24. 1963
Rewr. November 17, 1984
Passage:
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Purpose: On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, to remind my people of the great goodness of God to His people.
Keywords: God Goodness Special Days
Timeline/Series: Thanksgiving
Introduction
Have you ever reasoned within yourself to see what it is that you really expect from God? Do we seriously expect God to bless us with wealth when so much of the world’s people go hungry?
I could not help but notice the disparity this week. U.S.A. Today featured an article on hunger in Africa. “Americans who have been to Ethiopia remember the silent children . . . . or women gathering grass for their families’ meals. Or children with bloated bellies tugging at the arms of visitors or lying on the road to stop food trucks.”
The disparity came a day or so later while reading an article in Newsweek. The article was entitled “America’s Nutrition Revolution.” It described a beautifully appointed salad bar. “No,” said the article, “it isn’t Malibu. It’s the Greyhound Bus Station in Chicago, hog butcher for the world.”
It’s great to have a choice. It is greater still to know about nutrition, and to be able to eat accordingly.
Ethiopia and half of Africa is in what some call the worst famine of the 20th Century, and most Americans are more concerned about higher standards of living, better roads, less taxes, bigger amusement parks, and how to best invest our money.
Now what was that question again? Do we seriously expect God to bless us with wealth when so much of the world’s people go hungry?”
I. Good Comes from the Vision of God for His People. The text boldly proclaims “No good thing” asserting that good does not come by accident. Psalms 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Romans 12:9 “Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.” I Thessalonians 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
It is God’s nature to abhor evil, cleave to good, so it is expected of you and me. Thus, in those good things that we receive, we are to perceive them as His gifts of love to us. We are to be very careful that we not perceive only that which is materially advantageous as good.
One Sunday morning in New Orleans, the paper told a large story between the lines. Tulane won when Vandy failed to score from the one yard line in the last minutes of the game. The winning coach was quoted as saying “Just the grace of God.”
There is one all-encompassing guideline by which God determines the “good thing” which He will not withhold. Philippians 4:19 “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ.” What we receive is from the supply of his divine economy. Since He has other children, we are “joint heirs” to His riches in glory.” His promise is to “supply all your need.” Anything that you have that you do not need, you decide where it came from.
II. Good Comes from the Involvement of God with His People. “No good thing will the Lord withhold from them . . . .” In our pseudo-sophistication, either out of church or in church, many people have discounted God. What Paul wrote to the Romans in 1:22, what some will miss in tonight’s message: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”
To discount God is to discount Him to our doom and to our perversion. Ethiopia is a case in point. They have been in the eastern bloc. Russia could supply them with arms; not with grain. Russia can’t feed her own. At the same time, America, with stored grain to stabilize prices, is more concerned about its economy than the starving people of Africa, or the poor around us.
God is the one constant in life. Bread and water are changing commodities. Heat (or cooling) and light seem to grow increasingly expensive. Even love and hate are cyclical, as seen in Ireland. But God never changes.
Moses defined for the people the meaning of their obedience. Exodus 23:25 “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless your bread and your water.”
So what is important??? The Bread and Water, or God’s Blessing? Jesus reached the same conclusion in The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:3). “Give us this day our daily bread.” Again, what is important? The bread! The water! Or the One from whom it comes.
III. Good Comes with the Invitation of God to His People. “No good thing will the Lord withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Some people seem to think that the answer is in sitting back and waiting for God to act. It is clearly in God’s vision. God foresaw for Israel a great blessing through David as King.
We are also dependent upon God’s Involvement. God accepted David as a shepherd lad, saw him through many character flaws to help him become. But make no mistake, the Invitation calls us to commitment of self. God calls us, invites us, to consider good on His terms, to acquaint ourselves with the world as it is. What prayer is said at your table? “I thank thee, Lord, that I am not as others are”? What if instead we might pray, “Help me to be worthy of the bounty of Thy love.”
Read again that beautiful 100th Psalm. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands, Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God, it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”
God invites us to live in His world as His children. Accept His invitation to the upright walk. That’s not sinlessness. It’s putting Him first. Receive from Him the assurance of every “good thing” for our spiritual well-being.
Closing
Bro. Emory Wallace told this story of a father from Mobile, AL. His daughter was in jail in DeRidder. He called Bro. Wallace asking if he knew how she was doing. Her cynicism was uncontained until he told her about her father’s call, and of his love.
GOD SAVES HIS PEOPLE
#067 GOD SAVES HIS PEOPLE
Scripture Psalm 3 NIV Orig. 11/29/61
Rewr. 2/4/85 (6-77)
Passage:
1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”[b]
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Purpose: To show the intent of God to translate all trials not only into understanding, but a sense of His purpose and love.
Keywords: Compassion Love of God Salvation Confession
Timeline/Series: Psalms
Introduction
The word “save” has many different meanings. Last week’s news told of a little two-year old boy who was saved from freezing to death though he already had ice in his veins.
When the Queen of England makes an official appearance we will hear the expression, “God save the Queen.” Its meaning obviously has the force of a prayer seeking God’s merciful benediction upon the reigning sovereign.
It even penetrates the temporal world of sport. A hockey goalie performs a “save” when he keeps the opposition’s puck shot from reaching the goal. In another form, the baseball player runs for his life to be safe on base.
The economist understands it in a totally different context. To save is to do the opposite of “to spend.” National fiscal policies center around getting people to hold onto their money, or to be free with it. I suspect that for most people “saving” in this sense has more to do with whether to drive to an out-of-town wholesale outlet, or to buy from a local retailer who has to charge more to survive.
The meaning here is quite different. “God saves His people” speaks of the act of God in behalf of those who have a special relationship to Him. The saving act is a delivering act. It may be temporary and immediate. It may also be permanent and _(illegible)_.
I. To Save is To Shield. V3 “But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.” It acknowledges both trouble and temperance, grief and grace. I am persuaded no one is out of the reach of God’s grace who does not become so by stubborn refusals. The President spoke (2-85), hopeful of America’s spiritual values. Barbara Walters interviewed the Carters, incredulously asking “Do you really believe in God? Do you pray?”
For the Christian there is always evidence of God’s care. Paul reminds the Ephesians (6:14) “Put on the belt of truth, . . . integrity, let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to you firm footing; take the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all of the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
One of the consistent memories of childhood tells of parental concern for safety and gradual assumption of care.
It goes a bold step further to declare peace of mind and heart, even when trouble refuses to depart. V5 “I lay down and slept, I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.” It is the first of fourteen historically entitled. It is a Psalm of David, written when he fled from Absalom his son. How willing are we to live our lives in His will as He reveals it? Deuteronomy 6:6 “And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.”
How often do we examine our own personality quirks and work to change them? Matthew 5:43 reads “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother ought against you, leave your gift and be reconciled. . . .”
Do we take the irresolvable burdens to the Lord and leave them with Him? Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature . . . shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Psalm 5:12 “For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord, Thou dost surround him with favor as a shield.”
II. To Save is to Shelter, to Have a Safe-Guard. II Samuel 17:1 “Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight.” V6 “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” To be so totally outclassed, yet confident is to know of secreted powers, and to know by what means we have access to those powers.
V4 “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from His holy hill.” For David that hill was Jerusalem, Mt. Moriah. For us there ought also to be a place. There ought also to be a means. V4 “I cried unto the Lord with my voice.”
Much of modern psychiatric medicine is undergirded by confession. A present course is “life review.” As David confessed his sin, he was able to progress to other needs. Dr. Carl Rogers said that confession is “catharsis.” Dr. Rogers says this frees the individual from conscious fears, guilt; it brings to light subconscious feelings. I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.”
With God there is no more important hindrance than that of our sin. God’s attitude toward our sin is consistent with His holiness. He wills to forgive. (In 2 Samuel 18 David entreated his aides to “deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom,” even though his commanders wanted to take off Absalom’s head.) There must be contrition on our part, and confession. Without constant vigilance we tend to lower our goals for living.
III. To Save is to Shepherd. Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” V8 “Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon your people.” The problem was a deep boding of failure. Not just a son who didn’t measure up, but a son who has set himself to oppose. More and more were saying “God can’t help you,” “God won’t help such a man.” There are not enemies enough to counter the burden of a son who has turned against one.
Yet, in such an intolerable posture, David sees himself as able to sleep, and to awaken with a sense of well-being. “I awoke” is cheerily to awake. Our grandson Ryan called out “Anna, get up! The sun is up!”
God’s promise to His people is always His shepherding love. Trouble may be all around. But to call upon the Lord is to expect a saving response. Psalm 23:4 “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
I dare not turn away without reminding us all that God saves through His Son. David looked to the promise of God in the coming Messiah. But we look back on what God has done in history. How can we dare to assert a faith in God that does not express itself in David’s vision?
Conclusion
God is shield to me, shelter to my life, shepherd to my soul.
One of Aesop’s fables takes the form of an oak tree that had stood for more than a hundred years. Finally it was blown over in a storm. It was swept off down the flooding river. Coming to rest finally near some reeds that had withstood both storm and flood, the oak asked, “How did you weather a storm too powerful for me?” The reeds answered, “You have resisted in all your pride and strength. And now the end has come.”
We must yield to wind and water. We must humble ourselves.
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. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The 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. 4 Who 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.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever 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. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If 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. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, 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. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore 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. 14 I 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. 15 If 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. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do 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. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But 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 7th 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.
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.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So 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. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and 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. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly 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.”
15 When 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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The 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 18th and early 19th 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!
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
24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.
Colossians 4:14, NIV
14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
2 Timothy 4:10, NIV
10 for 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.
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. 2 If 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. 3 If 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.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love 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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When 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. 12 For 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.
13 And 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***
THE SINNER'S PREDICAMENT
#057 THE SINNER’S PREDICAMENT
Scripture Psalm 51 NIV Orig. 10-7-61 (3-77)
Rewr. 2-10-88
Passage:
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Purpose: To share with my people in an effort for all of us to deal with the gulf that exists between our sin and the holiness of God.
Keywords: Confession Greater Text Revival Conversion God’s Holiness Sin
Introduction
We do not lack illustrations of sin run amuck in human lives. The papers testify regularly in actual example what we know in foreboding moments of ourselves and people about us. What might our lives really be like if the Spirit of Christ were not a modifying influence?
Lately, we have read of the man in Arkansas who killed his wife, children, and grandchildren, apparently because the wife was threatening to leave him. A man in another state with a history of mental problems, killed his sister and her children during a visit because the grandparents were showing affection for them. In Utah recently, a woman and her family barricaded themselves in their homestead for several days to deny legal access; a law officer was killed when the confrontation finally came. The newspapers daily carry articles about child abuse, and many other scenes of social conflict.
Shades of Henry Lee Lucas! Do you remember him? The papers daily carried his story. The number of women dead by his hand (he claimed) reached an unbelievable 150. While some of these were later determined to be some sadistic exaggeration, he was linked to many of these cases. The first murder was his own mother, in 1960. He was imprisoned for that killing.
His judgment is not yet settled, a least as far as man is concerned. God’s justice, however, will not fail. His condemnation is not of a murderer of defenseless women. That for which Lucas stands guilty before God is that he refused to live under a standard of law outside of himself.
Davis describes for us in Psalm 51 the great discovery that he has made. That God is just. That His justice cannot be manipulated, intimidated, or confused. Whatever the sin, if it is unrequited, it faces the bar of God’s judgment.
- Sin’s Burden Is the Cause of the Sinner’s Predicament. V2 “Wash me from my iniquity. . . Cleanse me from my sin.” V3 “I acknowledge my guilt, and my sins confront me all the day long.” Any honest person will admit the problem with sin. The old spiritual “Not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” David, being an honest man, had to come to terms with himself. V3 “I acknowledge my guilt.”
It is the good favor of God that we can see this from the New Testament perspective. Galatians 1:10f “Those who depend on obeying the law live under a curse. For the Scripture says ‘Whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the law is under God’s curse.’ Now, it is clear that no man is put right with God by means of the law, because the Scripture says “He who is put right with God by faith shall live.’”
A few years ago, Patti Hearst went from the millionaire’s mansion to a cell block. She has been forgiven by society, by the system, and seems to be living a productive life. During her trial, however, her court-appointed psychiatrist laid out in sequence the sordid exposé of her life. Whether or not her sins came under the jurisdiction of God’s forgiveness remains to be seen. And He knows some things about Patti Hearst that were not made public at her trial. He likewise knows all about us.
Honest people should also admit that the real burden of our sin is against God. V4 “Against thee, thee only have I sinned.” Back up a moment, and look at the record. David caused a faithful woman to betray her husband on a kingly whim. To cover that indiscretion, he ordered this soldier husband to be put in mortal danger. The child conceived by this illicit union would die. David’s sons begin at this moment to learn the lesson of their father’s moral compromise. The nation Israel begins a date with destiny that will find the nation torn with division.
Get a good look at the deception. Uriah, the husband, was ordered home. He would not go in to his wife while troops of the king were in danger. He, himself, carried the order for his death. His own captain is used as an unwilling henchman.
David’s sin was also a betrayal of trust. There is no higher ethic than Hebrew law. Someone once said, “We have 35 million laws and no improvement on the Ten Commandments.” The basest malediction of the law is the failure to respect it as God’s law.
- We Must Also View Sin from the Perspective of God’s Nature. V3 “My sin confronts me all the day long.” It is the universal malady of the human race. Psalm 6:6 “All the night make I my bed to swim. I water my couch with tears.” Thus is the human dilemma, to be drawn down by the constancy of this struggle with sin. I Kings 15:5: “David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” Ezra 9:6 “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.”
Or we treat it lightly, inconsequentially: Proverbs 14:9 “Fools make a mock at sin.” Micah 7:3 “. . . they may do evil with both hands earnestly.”
It is, first of all, the nature of God to perceive sin as it is. It is the energy toward which all of God’s energy is cast. It is the enigma compelling mortals to their doom. James 1:15 “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
It is the nature of God to will all men delivered from this treachery. Forgiveness through Christ is the means. Desire for forgiveness is as strong as the will to sin. Psalm 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Luke 6:21 “Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.” It is remembrance of sin that brings the sweet rapture of divine forgiveness. It is this remembrance of sin that brings the sweet rapture of divine forgiveness. It is this remembrance of sin that here keeps David watchful and prayerful. Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
III. There Is, Finally, the Need to Share What He has Learned. V13 “Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. . . . My tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.”
What he has learned about himself:
- That sin is a problem of constancy.
- That there is a relief. I saw a church sign recently asking the question, “How do you spell relief?” The answer given was “P-R-A-Y-E-R.”
- That the best thing he can do for others is to live his faith openly. We are not responsible for “converting” people to God, to faith. We are duty bound, having walked through the jagged defile of sin’s anguish, to share winsomely what we have learned, experienced.
What he has learned about God:
- We must first note that it is a worshipful experience. “My mouth shall show forth thy praise.”
- It is a worship experience that is of the heart. We are told what it is not: V16 It is not sacrifice, burnt offering. We are told what it is: It is a restorative experience; “salvation”—deliverance from sin—deliverance from its consequences, as far as that is possible, and “joy”—it is to possess a special gift, and to possess it with understanding.
- What we can best communicate to others about God is His “salvation,” and to show it by the “joy” that issues forth in the believer’s life.
Conclusion
The name of David Livingston is known and associated with the cause of Christian missions. He served God faithfully in the continent of Africa. He was asked about how he stood up so well under the strictures brought on by the treachery and villainy he experienced at the hands of others. His response, “I have faults myself.”
We will do a better job relating to the sin of others, remembering that we have sins ourselves, and only the intercession of God can bring “salvation” and “joy” that issues forth from it.
Summary
David’s plea is a plea for cleansing. He found out long before that ritual doesn’t change anything, only relationship will set him free. The essence of true religion, then, is not ritual, but relationship. For cleansing to afford him the peace that he seeks, he must take the source of his separation from God before the bar of God’s justice. I Kings 15:5: “David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from any thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.”
James Carter wrote the hundred year history of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. He included a note about the move to Louisiana College in 1903. Kate Hawkins was matron. An outbuilding was used as a tool shed during construction, and an offer came to install bath fixtures in the outbuilding. We are told that Mrs. Hawkins refused this offer commenting that the children were not used to taking baths. Fortunately, for us, and for David, he was a man of unusual cleanness of spirit, and it is in that spirit that he addresses his God for forgiveness, and for renewed relationship.