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Today is Tuesday, November 26^th 2013. It is the 330^th day of 2013. There are only 35 days left in this year and only 29 days are left until Christmas!

Today is Freida White’s Birthday!

On this day in 1922, Charles Schultz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota! After serving in WW2, he became a cartoonist for the St Paul Pioneer Press and the Saturday Evening Post.

In 1950, he created a comic strip called “Li’l Folks.” Soon after that the name was changed to “Peanuts” and the rest, as they say, is History!

He was a religious man being born Lutheran and later attending Church of God (and later) Methodist Churches. He often used religious themes, and in the 1960s Robert Short collected these strips into a book entitled, “The Gospel According to Peanuts.”

Charles Schultz died in February of 2000. At his request, no new Peanuts Cartoons have been written since that time. Many newspapers still run his cartoons to this very day!

Devotion for Today:

 1^st Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Everything? Really?

Yes, everything! The hardest thing on earth to be thankful for is, “everything!” I sometimes wish God had said, “Give thanks for almost everything…”

But, God said, “In everything give thanks…”

How is that even possible? It is ONLY possible if we believe the promise of Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

If the Word of God is true – and IT IS – then God is working everything together for our good. And since it is God Who is doing this; and, since HE is working everything together for our good… we ought to be thankful for everything!

I remember that one of the things that sustained me through my bout with cancer was the realization that “this is good for me!”

And it was. In many ways, it really was.

So, we face the future secure in the loving Hands of almighty God! (John 10:28-30) Knowing that HE is always working (John 5:17) and that while everything that comes our way is not, in and of itself a good thing, it is being used in the Hands of God for our good!

And all God’s people said…

Lanny

2^nd Corinthians 4:5

Genesis 1:20-23

²⁰ “And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.”

As we continue our study of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we come to the account of the fifth day of Creation.

As we have already seen, on the first day God created time, space, darkness, light, and the 24 hour cycle of darkness and light; on the second day HE separated the water on the surface of the earth from the water above the surface of the earth; on the third day HE separated the waters from the dry land and created all of the vegetation on earth; and, on the fourth day HE created the Sun, Moon, and Stars.

The means by which HE created everything was HIS Word! HE literally spoke Creation into existence!

I have also tried to stress to you over and over again that the question of “Why did HE create Creation?” is more important than the question of “How did HE create Creation?”

So, why did God create Creation?

God created Creation to create HIS people;

HE created HIS people to save HIS people;

and, HE saved HIS people to glorify HIMSELF!

Therefore, while we are the direct beneficiaries of Creation, Creation is about the glory of God!

Psalm 19:1-6

¹ “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

⁴ Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

BTW, (for the sophomore science fans) on Days 2 and 3 God created the “four spheres” in which life exists on earth:

On Day 2, he created the Atmosphere (air) and the Hydrosphere (water); and, on Day 3 he created the Lithosphere (surface and top layers of the earth) and the Biosphere (the global ecological system in which all life operates and includes their interactions with the three other spheres.)

Sorry… I couldn’t resist!

OK; so, what exactly is covered in these verses?

First, God created the creatures that live in water! HE created all categories of such life including aquatic vertebrates, invertebrates, and reptiles.

Next, HE creates the creatures that fly in the air!

In the original Hebrew, God uses two very important words in Verse 20: “Chay” (which means life) and “Nephesh” (which means living creature) and is used in the case of higher animals and humans as “one having a soul” – that is – mind, emotions, will, personality, and the five senses.

The first blessing!

²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

We now find the command to reproduce after their kind! They are created according to their “kind” and they reproduce after their “kind.”

Remember: this is one of the unanswerable questions facing evolution… there are thousands of variations within kinds (remember all those apples?) but, there does not exist anywhere any creature that has moved from one “kind” of creature to another “kind” of creature which would be both necessary and common if the godless, mindless, so-called “theory” of evolution was true.

Finally, in verse 23, God reminds us for the fifth time that HE did this in literal, 24 Hour Days.

These are (as are all verses of Scripture) exciting words! It is exciting to remember that God created us, why HE created us, and how HE created us!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible (or smart phone, i pad, tablet, or other device) in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!

Genesis 1:14-19 “Creation: Day Four!”

¹⁴ “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ¹⁷ And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.”

On day four, God created the Sun, Moon, and Stars. As with all of HIS Creation, God did this with the good of HIS people in mind! By way of introduction to the passage, we need to think about two key issues: What was the “means” by which God created the universe; and, what was HIS “motive” for doing so?

Of course, HIS means was HIS Word!

Verse 14  begins with the words, “And God said…” Over and over again we are told that God literally “spoke” Creation into existence! This is affirmed by such passages as Psalm 33:6, 9; 148:3-6; and Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV).

The locus classicus for this doctrine is found in John 1:1-3, ¹ “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Jesus Christ is, Himself, the eternal and incarnate Word of God and it was HE who was the primary Agent of Creation!

The motive for God creating the Universe is best expressed in the three-part formula I have been repeating each sermon… “God created the world to create His people; and, He created His people to save His people; and, He saves His people to glorify Himself!”

According to Romans 8:28, God does all that He does for the good of His people!

Verses 14-15 clearly demonstrate this fact: the purpose for which God created the Sun, Moon, and Stars was to facilitate the creation of His people. Take careful note that God made the ecosystems of the Universe to allow for the existence and well-being of His people.

With a slightly different take on the idea, verses 16-18 further reveal that God did what He did for the good of His people! He reveals this in the five specific purposes seen in these verses:

(1) He created the sun, moon, and stars to serve Him and us as “light bearers.” He had previously created light itself on day one, but now He creates these interstellar bodies to serve as secondary sources, or, (as in the case of the Moon) as reflectors of that light for the good of mankind.

(2) He separated the light from the darkness. In doing so, he prepared the world for His people whom He designed to have time of activity and times of inactivity. (BTW, His plan was for us to work in the day and rest in the night.)

(3) He gave the interstellar bodies as signs. They serve both as natural signs and supernatural signs.

(4) He created the Sun. Moon, and Stars as a cause for worship. All of us have experienced the wonder of looking up at the heavens and crying out as David did in Psalm 8,

¹ “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. ² Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. ³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? ⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. ⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, ⁷ all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, ⁸ the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. ⁹ O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

(5) He created them for seasons, and days, and years! The stars are God’s celestial clock! By them we keep time and base our knowledge of direction. We call one rotation of the earth on its axis a day and one rotation around the Sun a year. Ever since the Egyptians invented the sundial, we have broken years and days down in to smaller parts whereby we manage our time!

Finally, God reminds us in verse 19 that these had to be literal, 24 Hour Days! Since He created vegetation on day three and the Sun on day four, if these were days of years or eons… it would not be possible for vegetation to exist that long without sunlight!

I am breathlessly excited about this series in Genesis 1 – 11, and I hope you will be as well. As always, I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face; your Bible in your hand; and, your family and friends by your side!

Today is Wednesday, November 6^th, 2013

Today is the 310^th day of the year. There are 55 days left in this year and only 49 days left until Christmas!

Today is Doris Gregory’s and Alicia Wolfe’s Birthday!

This evening at 10:30 will mark the 31^st Anniversary of my salvation!

By God’s grace and for His glory, I was regenerated by the Holy Spirit on Saturday, 11/6/1982 at 1221 Reservoir Road, Apartment #319, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The next morning, I was baptized by Associate Pastor Mark Wright at the Heritage Baptist Temple in Little Rock.

 The Scripture God used to bring me to faith was 1^st John 5:12-13 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.”

I do not believe that one must remember the time and place they were saved to be truly saved; but, I do remember and I am thankful for that!

As nearly all of you know, I had been baptized in 1972 at the request of a friend; and, I had come under conviction and “rededicated” my life while serving in the Air Force on Guam then went off to college and got involved in Christian work. But, I am absolutely certain that I was never truly saved until that evening in Little Rock.

So, this begs the questions, “How can a person think they are saved and not be saved?” and “How can a person know for sure that they are saved?”

Let me take them one at a time…

“How can a person think they are saved and not be saved?”

Sadly, this is the easiest thing on earth. Millions of people who think they are going to heaven are not. Most of them are not saved because they have been told inaccurately how to be saved. Many of the so-called “Christian Denominations” have not preached the truth of salvation in so long that almost no one in those churches knows the truth of how to be saved. So, they continue doing the religious things they are taught to do, and they are being told that because they do them they are going to heaven.

Even in gospel-preaching churches like I attended, it is easy to think you are saved when you are not. Almost no one (even in good churches) ever asks anyone about their salvation. And once you are “in” almost no one would ever challenge a person’s salvation based on whether or not they bear biblical evidence of being saved.

I, like most lost people in good, gospel-preaching churches, was 2/3 saved!

Here is what I mean by that… There are three things that accompany genuine salvation:

(1) A person knows the biblical truth about HOW to be saved.

(2) A person has DONE what the bible teaches a person must do to be saved.

(3) A person is in the process of being TRANSFORMED by the living presence of the Holy Spirit within them!

Most lost church members in good, gospel-preaching churches have #1 and #2. But, they do not demonstrate the reality of their salvation by the genuine evidence that follows #3.

Salvation is “From the Scripture Alone; by Grace Alone; through Faith Alone; in Christ Alone; and it is to the glory of God Alone.”

And, salvation always, always, always brings the result of a transforming life!

2^nd Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Beloved Ones, if anyone knows the biblical truth about salvation;

if they know that they are a sinner who must repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ;

and, if they have actually done those two things;

if God is in the process of changing them from one who loves sin and hates righteousness into one who hates sin and loves righteousness;

then, and only then, they can be sure they have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. They can be sure that they are saved, and that they will go to heaven when they die.

Here it is again just to be sure…

(1) They know the truth about how to be saved!

Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

(2) They know that they have done what one has to do to be saved!

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

(3) What the Bible says happens in the life of a saved person is happening in their life!

1^st Thessalonians 1:4-6 “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit…”

When all three of these three things are present, assurance of salvation will follow!

Beloved One, do you know that you are saved? Are you sure?

If you are not sure, would you turn away from your sins and turn to Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive your sins, change your life, and take you to heaven when you die?

Will you do that right now? I pray you will.

If you do, please let me know. Since I have been where you are, I would love to help you as you begin your new life in Jesus!

Today is Tuesday, November 5^th, 2013. It is the 309^th day of the year. There are 56 days left in this year and only 50 days left until Christmas!

It is the 102^nd birthday of my childhood hero, Leonard Slye, aka, “Roy Rogers” (1911, Cincinnati, Ohio)

Seven Words about the Word: Revelation; Inspiration; Preservation; Translation; Interpretation; Illumination; Application

#1: Revelation

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law.”

*Revelation is that act of God the Holy Spirit whereby He makes known to humans those things about God that He has decreed that we may know.

Mankind has certainly been able over the years to imagine and conceive of “god.” All kinds of peoples have come up with all kinds of ideas and images of what they believe a “god” or “gods” might be like. However; no one has ever imagined, dreamed, or conceived the One True Living God of the Christian Bible! This eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere-present Being could not be known at all apart from His self-revelation.

As I mentioned in an introductory devotional a few days ago, God has chosen to reveal Himself to humans through two different kinds of revelation: Natural (or general) Revelation, and Supernatural (or specific) Revelation.

Each of these kinds of revelation takes two forms:

(1) Natural Revelation comes to us in Creation and the Conscience.

(2) Supernatural Revelation comes to us in the Content of Scripture and the Person of Christ.

These four means of Revelation are how we can know God. But, our verse for today also tells us “why” God has revealed Himself to us… “that we may do all the words of this law.” God wills to be glorified and He is glorified in the obedience of His people.

James tells us in James 1:22 “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Beloved, one who hears but does not do the things given to us in the Living Word of the Living God is deceiving themselves about having a living relationship with God.

Jesus goes so far as to say in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?”

Let us not be deceived. Let us read and heed the Word of God!

“My Old Bible” by William Cowper (pronounced Cooper)

“Though the cover is worn, and the pages are torn, and though places bear traces of tears; yet, more precious than gold is this Book worn and old, that can shatter and scatter my fears!

This old Book is My Guide, ‘tis a friend by my side, it will lighten and brighten my way; and each promise I find soothes and gladdens my mind, as I read it and heed it each day!

To this Book I will cling, of its worth I will sing, tho’ great crosses and losses be mine; for I cannot despair, though surrounded by care, while possessing this blessing divine!”

*William Cowper, 11/26/1731 – 4/25/1800, was the Associate Pastor to John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) in Olney, Scotland. He was also the author of hundreds of other hymns including “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood.”

Amen!

Today is Saturday, November 2^nd, 2013

Today is the 306^th day of the year. There are only 59 days left this year and only 53 days left until Christmas – (I have been working on my math!)

On this Day in Church History:

1942: Death of Nazarene Evangelist Reuben “Uncle Bud” Robinson. “During his long ministry, it is estimated that Uncle Bud traveled over 2,000,000 miles, preached over 33,000 sermons, witnessed more than 100,000 conversions, personally gave more than $85,000.00 in helping young people with their Christian education, secured over 53,000 subscriptions to his church paper, The Herald of Holiness, and wrote 14 books and sold more than 500,000 copies.” (believersweb.org)

After being run over by a car and nearly killed in Atlanta, he began preaching one of his most famous messages entitled… “Let ‘Er Rip!” in which he dared the Devil to try to stop him from preaching!

1982: Evangelist Lester Roloff, and 3 young women who were part of his church choir, were killed in an airplane crash. Brother Roloff was one of the most famous Independent Baptist evangelists who also ran several homes for troubled teens and alcoholic men. His death was one of the things God used to bring me to the great crisis of my life four days later and to the revelation that I was not saved.

Brother Roloff’s most famous sermon is entitled “Dr. Law and Dr. Grace.” It can be found here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ6IiLBRO-A

Your Daily Dose of Doctrine:

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

What an amazing thought it is that God should desire to communicate with humans! After we rebelled against Him, which cost HIM the life of His Son, He still put in place a way to communicate with men and women. He did this through the means of human language.

I know that many people make the great mistake of thinking that when God speaks it is in some mystical (dare I say, magical?) language that only a “God-called expert” can understand. Nothing could be further from the truth!

God desires to communicate with HIS creatures, so HE decreed the process of inspiring over 40 different men over a period of 1,500 years to write the very words that HE would have written if HE had physically written them HIMSELF!

Certainly some Scripture appears exotic and difficult to understand, The Book of Revelation comes to mind; but, even that is not so hard as it seems at first. God is not playing some cosmic game of “hide and seek” or “gotcha”. HE wants us to know HIM and HE has given us HIS Word to make that possible!

Even in The Book of Revelation, (1:3) we are told that those who read this Book are blessed. God wants us to read the Bible!

May I suggest a simple way to get started? Take an Old Testament Book, (Malachi is a great place to start) and, a New Testament Book, (John is a great place to start) and begin reading some verses from them each day.

Do Malachi in the morning and John in the evening. Fold a clean sheet of copy paper in half and stick one in each Book to mark your place. As you find things you want to follow-up on more closely, or have questions about something you read, write them on the copy paper.

Then email or call me and let me know what they are. I will suggest a reliable tool by which you can find the answer! That is it! You will love it.

Let me suggest that you read each book through about three times before you move on to another Book. That way you will be more and more clear about what God is saying in the Book. I can’t wait to hear how you are doing!

Happy Reading!

Today is the 305^th Day of 2013. There are 51 days left in this year and only 45 days until Christmas!

On this day in 451 AD, the Council of Chalcedon was adjourned. The Council was convened to deal with the heresy being taught that Jesus Christ was not fully human. To this day, this is one of the most important creeds adopted by the Christian Church!

On this day in 1961, Evangelist Mordecai Ham died. He had been in ministry since 1900 and had pastored for many years at the First Baptist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. Likely, he is best known as the man who was preaching the revival during which Billy Graham was saved!

Your Dose of Doctrine: How can we know that the Bible is perfectly true?

The One True and Living God determined to reveal Himself to the humans whom He had created. He decreed that this would be done in two specific ways:

1) General Revelation

– There are two types of General Revelation

A. Creation

(Psalm 19:1-6) ¹ “To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. ⁴ Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. ⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

                 (Romans 1:18-20) ¹⁸ “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

B. The Conscience

(Romans 2:14-16) ¹⁴ “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ¹⁶  on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

2) Specific Revelation

– There are also two types of Specific Revelation

A. The Content of Scripture

(Deuteronomy 29:29) ²⁹ “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

                 (John 5:39) ³⁹ “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me…”

B. Christ

(Hebrews 1:1-2) ¹ “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

In order to communicate with humans, God decreed that He would reveal Himself to us primarily through the use of human language! Yes, there is much we can and do learn about God through Creation, and our Conscience; but, the specific information we must have to know the truth about ourselves and about God can only be found in the Word of God and in the Person of Jesus Christ!

Let us thank God for the Bible!

Thank Him that He gave and preserved it; and, that He allowed it to be translated into our language. We have it in English and we can read it and thereby come to both understand HIM and know HIM!

Over the next several days, I will have a lot more to share with you about the Bible, but for now, why not make a fresh commitment to read from it on a regular basis?

It is an old, old saying; but, it is nonetheless true… “Either the Bible will keep us away from sin, or, sin will keep us away from the Bible!”

Get your Bible out and dig in! You will love it!

Today is Thursday, October 31^st, 2013

Today is the 304^th day of 2013. There are 61 days left in this year and only 55 days until Christmas!

Today is Reformation Day! On this day in 1517, an Augustinian Monk named Martyn Luther who had become weary of the multitude of abuses by the Roman Catholic Church nailed a list of 95 “Thesis” or doctrinal statements on the door of the Church at Wittenberg (pronounced “Vit-burg”) College where he was a priest and a professor.

It appears that he did not intend to involve the laypeople in this argument since he wrote them out in Latin, the language of the priests and theologians, and not in German which was the language of the laypeople.

God used them – and him – to give birth to THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION which also brought on the “Peasant’s War” and many other difficulties. But, the theological cat was out of the bag!

While neither Luther, or his Lutheran progeny, came nearly far enough out of the Roman Church; he did set in motion a series of events that produced a genuine reformation of biblical teaching that swept across Europe and from there to the New World; and, eventually around the world!

Out of the Protestant Reformation came the English Separatists, and out of the English Separatists came the first truly “Baptist” Churches. The rebirth of biblical doctrine crystalized in the Reformation is summed up in the “Five Solas” i.e., “Salvation is from Scripture Alone; by Grace Alone; through Faith Alone; in Christ alone; and, to the Glory of God Alone!”

And, out of the return to a proper doctrine of Scripture came recognition of the eight biblical principles upon which our Baptist faith stands:

BIBLICAL AUTHORITY (2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:20, 21)  

AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH (Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 8:1–5, 19, 23)

PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9, 10)

TWO ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH (Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–32)

INDIVIDUAL SOUL LIBERTY (Romans 14:5, 12; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Titus 1:9)

SAVED AND BAPTIZED CHURCH MEMBERSHIP (Acts 2:41–47; 1 Corinthians 12:12;     2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 4:3)

TWO OFFICES IN THE LOCAL CHURCH (1 Timothy 3:1–13; Acts 20:17–38;            Philippians 1:1)

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE (Matthew 22:15–22; 28:19-20; Acts 5:17–29; Romans 13:1-7)

We understand how much we owe to our Baptist forefathers and foremothers who struggled, suffered, and died because of these doctrines that we hold dear. But, let us also recognize how much we owe to our Lutheran and Presbyterian forefathers, (from whom we ultimately had to separate over doctrine) from the magisterial reformers, and to Martyn Luther, himself.

Of course, all of this is ultimately from God, Who graced His Church with reformation and renewal. Let us pray today that HE will again send such doctrinal reformation and spiritual renewal to HIS Church!

Amen!

Genesis 1:9-13

(9) “And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. (10) God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.                                                                                                       

(11) And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. (12) The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (13) And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.” 

The divide over “Creation vs. Evolution” really matters! If the secular humanistic view of materialistic Darwinism is correct, then we are indeed nothing more than a happy circumstance of protoplasm plus time plus chance plus environmental impact.

If true, that means that we came from nothing, we are nothing, and we are going to eternally be nothing. Happy! Happy! Happy!

BUT, if it is not true; and it is not; then we must seek to find the answers to these three eternal questions:

(1) Where did we come from?

(2) Why are we here?

(3) Where are we going?

Biblical Christianity answers all of these questions and 10,000 more!

We are here because we were created in the image of God; we are here to glorify and enjoy God; and, we are going to meet God in eternity – and, we will live out a conscious eternity either with God, or, separated from HIM.

People accuse Christians of believing in Biblical Creationism by “blind faith.” HOGWASH! We believe in Biblical Creationism because of several perfectly logical, reasonable, and provable reasons:

(1) Jesus of Nazareth, Who is God in human flesh, and Who therefore knows all things, believed in it!

(2) The Christian Bible, which is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God teaches it!

(3) Simple reason and the application of logic demand it!

(4) The scientific principle which requires an examination of the physiological evidence in light of reason, logic, and known universal laws cannot disprove or “falsify” it!

(5) The logical principle of “ex Nihilo Nihil Fit” (out of nothing nothing comes) removes any possibility of materialistic Darwinism being true!

As the Lord allows, this coming Lord’s Day morning I will bring the fourth message in my series on Genesis 1 – 11. This time we will examine the events of the Third Day of Creation as recorded in Genesis 1:9-13.

I will briefly review what the Lord God did on Days One and Two, and go over again why God created Creation in the first place.

On Day Three, God did two very interesting things…

First, He gathered the waters on the surface of the earth into one place which caused the dry land to appear.

Second, He created vegetation.

Of course, the details of these two events answer many questions that “so-called” science cannot. We will see biblical and geographical evidence for the truth of these verses.

There are two vitally important issues raised here that I intend to address.

First, how does the description of events given in these verses fit with the present reality of the geological structure of the earth?

Second, how does the timing of these events (ergo, Day Three and Day Four) disallow any possibility of these events being accomplished over a span of “ages” rather than six literal days?

I am excited beyond words with the opportunity to teach through these Chapters. I hope you will read these verses carefully and prayerfully ask the Lord to reveal His truth to your mind as you prepare to hear the preaching on Sunday!

As our dear friend Tom Rains always says, “I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!”

In his commentary on these verses, Dr. W.A. Criswell called them, “The sweetest verses in the Bible.” I think he is right!

Ephesians 4:29-32

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

There are a few things that are certain in this world:

One is that when God is really blessing His people Satan is always looking for a foothold to cause problems.

Another is that many times really good people get caught up in doing things that they ought not do which can cause hurt among people and hinder the work of God among them.

At our beloved Church, both of these things are true!

God is richly blessing our Church! In many areas, we see HIS manifest blessings. It seems that especially in our Children’s Ministries God’s Hand of blessing is clearly seen as HE moves among us to bless us and to bring many to Christ and to HIS Church.

How we ought to thank God continually for HIS blessings on the Children’s Ministries of our Church.

Also, we have just witnessed HIS blessing on our “Super Woman” Conference! HE richly blessed those who lead, those who served, and those who attended this great Conference.

Lots and lots of blessings are being seen. Of course, since we allow human beings to be part of our Church, from time to time we make typical human mistakes! Misunderstanding and miscommunication are among the most common of these mistakes, and some are indeed happening.

Some of us have said things we probably should not have said… some have done things we probably should not have done… some have taken things wrongly that have been said and done… and on and on it goes.

The issue is not to say “who said what?” or, “who did what?” The issue is, “How do we get back to the Holy Spirit-filled life that we have lived and need to live every day?”

As I labor to be a good Pastor to you, one of the things I can do is to find and present biblical answers to that very question: “How do we get back to the Holy Spirit-filled life that we have lived, and that we need to live every day?”

How do we do that? We do that by following the teachings of Scripture!

As the Lord allows, I will set aside our study of Genesis 1 – 11 for this coming week and address the subject of being reconciled to one another in the context of being Christian people in the Lord’s Church.

First, we need to understand the full implications of these verses in Ephesians being the divinely inspired words of the Apostle Paul. Since Paul is an Apostle of Jesus Christ, his words bear Apostolic authority!

Second, we need to think about what it means to us personally that we are called to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”  We are called to bear the name and reputation of Jesus Christ before the world. It is vitally important that we work hard to minimize our offenses against one another and that we maximize our Christ-like living.

Thirdly, according to these verses, God requires five specific things of us if we are going to be reconciled with those whom we have offended and those who have offended us. These include, “humility; gentleness; patience; bearing with one another”  and, an eagerness to, “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Fourthly, these things go against our human nature! (As do so many things we are commanded to do as Christ-followers.) It seems that most of what God calls us to do keep us swimming upstream against the current of our natural inclinations.

Fifthly, we must acknowledge that this kind of reconciliation and unity can only be achieved if and when we obey God’s Word!

In order to obey these verses, we must understand the POWER of our words. Words have the power to hurt or to heal; to discourage or to encourage; to bless or to curse. These verses clearly show us the difference between the results of criticism and blessing by the use of words!

We must also understand that as bad as it is to offend one of our brothers or sisters in Christ, it is much more serious when we consider that we also offend the Holy Spirit of God! One of the terrible things that happen to Christians is that when someone says or does something they should not, we add to the problem by the way in which we respond to what they do.

Every parent on earth knows the heartache of seeing disagreements between their kids. How much more must it grieve the Holy Spirit to see such disagreements between God’s Children?

The key to reconciliation is forgiveness! And, not merely human-like forgiveness; but, Christ-like forgiveness…

We must forgive others the very same way that Christ has forgiven us:

(1) He forgave us in spite of the fact that we caused Him great pain!

(2) He forgave us in spite of the fact that HE did not deserve the pain we caused Him!

(3) He forgave us in spite of the fact that He knows (and will always know) what we did to hurt Him!

(4) He forgave us in spite of the fact that He knows that we will hurt Him again!

(5) He forgave us by allowing His suffering to be the payment for our sins against Him!

So the key to “Unity” is “Reconciliation” and the key to reconciliation is “Forgiveness!”

The way we do this is to live like, love like, and to forgive like Jesus Christ!

A final, but, very important note would be that in any possible scenario, the individual Christian is given the responsibility from God to go to the other person involved and begin the process of reconciliation.

According to Matthew 5:23-24, if I have offended someone, I must go to them first and seek their forgiveness!

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

And, according to Matthew 18:15, if someone has offended me, I still must go to them first and seek to be reconciled to them!

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

I hope you will read over these verses and these notes and pray through them as you prepare your heart for the preaching on Sunday! Pray specifically that God will heal all of our hurts and fill all of us with His Holy Spirit for the work that HE has called us to do!

I hope to see you Sunday with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side!