Thursday, June 19, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Preaching Points from the Life of George Whitefield (Taken from J.C. Ryle’s George Whitefield: A Biography – Kindle edition; the chapter entitled The Character of His Preaching)
George Whitefield was one of the mightiest preachers God has ever anointed. He was greatly used for the glory of God. He impacted thousands upon thousands for the Lord and is associated with having introduced the spirit that swept over America that led to the creation of the United States. I encourage you to read J.C. Ryle's book. Below are some preaching points noted by Ryle from the life of George Whitefield. May the Lord raise up more Whitefield's in our day!
- Preach a pure gospel – “He was perpetually telling you about your sins, your heart, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the absolute need of repentance, faith, and holiness – in a way that the Bible presents these mighty subjects.”
- Preach singularly clear and simple – “His style of speaking was easy, plain, and conversational. . . He always saw his mark, and went directly at it.”
- Preach singularly bold and directly – “A constant vein of application ran through all his sermons.”
- Preach with a singular power of description – “The Arabians have a proverb which says, ‘He is the best orator who can turn men’s ears into eyes!’”
- Preach with earnestness – “He succeeded in showing people that he at least believed all he was saying – and that his heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, were bent on making them believe it too.”
- Preach with feeling – “It was no uncommon thing with him to weep profusely in the pulpit. . . . He felt intensely for the souls before him, and his feelings found an outlet in tears. Of all the ingredients of his success in preaching, none, I suspect, were so powerful as this. . ..It smoothed down the prejudices which many had conceived against him. They could not hate the man who wept so much for their souls! . . . Once you become satisfied that a man loves you – you will listen gladly to anything he has to say.”
- Preach in the Spirit – There can be little doubt that Whitefield was anointed by the Spirit and trusted in that anointing to help him preach.
“It is recorded by one of his
biographers that an American gentlemen once went to hear him, for the first
time, in consequence of the report he heard of his preaching powers. The day
was rainy, the congregation comparatively thin, and the beginning of the sermon
rather heavy. Our American friend began to say to himself, ‘This man is no
great wonder after all.’ He looked round, and saw the congregation as little
interested as himself. One old man, in front of the pulpit, had fallen asleep.
But all at once Whitefield stopped short. His countenance changed. And then he
suddenly broke forth in an altered tone: ‘If I had come to speak to you in my
own name, you might well rest your elbows on your knees, and your heads on your
hands, and sleep; and once in a while look up, and say, ‘What is this babbler
talking of?’ But I have not come to you in my own name. No! I have come to you
in the name of the Lord Almighty!’ (Here he brought down his hand and foot with
a force that made the building ring) ‘and I must and will be heard!’ The
congregation startled. The old man woke up at once. ‘Ay, ay!’ cried Whitefield,
fixing his eyes on hi, ‘I have waked you up, have I? I meant to do it. I am not
come here to preach to stocks and stones! I have come to you in the name of the
Lord God Almighty, and I must , and will, have an audience!’ The hearers were
stripped of their apathy at once. Every word of the sermon after this was heard
with deep attention, and the American gentleman never forgot it.” [1]
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Trust Jesus
Jesus said to him, “Go
your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the
word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. – John 4:50
Some people only come to Jesus in times of crisis.
After 9/11 for a short time many people sought comfort in churches. That
seeking spirit did not last. Today, over a decade removed from the horrific day
of terror our nation is not better but worse in many ways. In many ways we are
further form God not nearer. That’s superficial. That’s delinquent. That’s
sinful. That’s sad.
There is an account of a nobleman who came to
Jesus in a time of crisis. His son was at the point of death. There are
important lessons to learn from this account. The nobleman couldn’t prepare for
this life crisis. No one can prepare for a life crisis. They just come and by
nature they are unexpected.
Jesus had just returned to the village of His first miracle, Cana. Upon
entering Cana a nobleman in full life crisis approached Him (John 4:46). One
commentator states, “This nobleman was
popular, prominent, and powerful—a courtier in Herod’s court. Yet the saying of
Jesus’ day is still true today: “The black camel of grief kneels at every man’s
gate.” It doesn’t matter how rich, powerful, or successful one might be. Sooner
or later, we all experience sorrow and tragedy.”
If you are interested in
reading the rest of this teaching go to Pastor Claude’s blog at www.theshepherdofhope.blogspot.com
. God bless you with a deeper understanding of His healing and faith.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
What if it Were Today?
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation” – 2 Corinthians 6:2
What if life as we know it were
to end today, tonight? Are you ready for that to happen? Almost all religions
speak of an end of the world. We recently saw the sun rise and set on the Mayan
Calendar predictions. There are some
very interesting things happening in our day. When we look at Jesus’ Olivet
Discourse and His teaching on what to expect in the End Times we see a great
deal of the unprecedented activity He warned about (cf. Matthew 24-25). What if
the days He spoke of were about to occur? What would you do? Would you have any
regrets if you had to stand before your Maker today, tonight?
In Genesis 1:14 God through Moses
said that the lights in the heavens such as the sun, moon and stars serve as “signs”
or a flag, a signal, a warning of
things to come. The LORD through Joel said that, “Before the coming of the great
and awesome day of the LORD” there would be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit
and evidence in the sky of that day of the LORD. The signs Joel mentions are, “Blood
and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the
moon into blood” (cf. Joel 2:28-32). Interesting.
It’s interesting because in 2014
and 2015 there are some very rare and possibly very signal celestial events.
There is a tetrad or four “blood moons” that are occurring; two in 2014 and two
in 2015. This is a pretty rare event. What makes it all the more interesting is
that these blood moons occur on Jewish Holy Days; one on Passover, April 15th,
2014; one on the Feast of Tabernacles, October 8th, 2014; another on
Passover, April 4th, 2015; and another on the Feast of Tabernacles,
September 27th, 2015. So what? Well, besides God saying He uses the
sun and moon to signal prophetic events in history, we can actually
scientifically look at history to see if this is so. NASA provides us the
capacity to look historically at the occurrence of blood moons. We can then
compare to see if there are any historical events that happen in close
proximity to these “signs.”
An examination of the relative
recent history of Israel with the occurrence of blood moons shows a possible
connection of these blood moons with the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1493,
the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, and the Six Day war of 1967.
There are critics who deny any significance of the occurrence of blood moons,
tetrad or not. But it does seem interesting given the global conditions we are
living in. When we look at the state of the world today, it certainly could be close to the end. Could we be
on the precipice of global catastrophic events that would affect every living
man, woman and child?
Personally, I look at the world, the
mass of humanity and its downward spiral into deeper and darker sin and it
brings to mind Jesus’ statement that the End Times would be debauched like the
Days of Noah (Mat. 24:37). Jesus spoke of unprecedented
“great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world
until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Mat. 24:21). There are more ways to exterminate
the world today than ever before. The militaries of the world are
proliferating. Humanities alterations of nature are unleashing a host of
mutations that we can’t even fathom the full effects of. I’m not a tree hugger
but humanity has abused nature and we see the consequences in the extremity of
weather patterns. We see earthquakes in every part of the world often
accompanied by the compounding problem of tsunamis. Global greed and oppression
is rampant. We are a world militantly divided religiously, economically, and
culturally. Perversion in its various pornographic forms is one of the most
profitable multi-billion dollar businesses in our day. Violence against the
image of God in humanity is viciously seen in abortion and a growing
inclination to rationalize the euthanizing of the weak and infirm. We see
decapitations, genocide, and a myriad of other consequences of departing from
and rebelling against the God of creation. Even an atheist has to question and be concerned
about the state of the world today. Can things get much worse? Are all of these
death producing variables aligning to a critical mass of cataclysmic
proportions?
Regardless of how you view
prophecy and in particular the “blood moons” and other “signs” that will
eventually come, you still must consider my initial question, “What if it were
today?” And you know what? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is
the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). NOW,
no matter what time it is on the prophetic calendar or your personal life
calendar, it’s time to consider salvation. God tells us to consider the brevity
of our days (Psalm 39:4-5). God says in His word that our days go up like smoke;
they’re like a shadow in the night (Psalm 102:3). God holds our days in His
hand (Psalm 102:23-24). And He says “today,” right now is the time to consider the
salvation He so graciously offers to us. He guarantees us no more than “now” to
get right with Him.
Why the hurry? The Bible speaks
of a day of God’s judgment on sinful humanity. “For He is coming, for He is
coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the
people with His truth” (Psalm 96:13). You can’t plead ignorance anymore. “Truly,
these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to
repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in
righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this
to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). Those words were inspired
and penned over two thousand years ago. We’re closer today than ever before
(cf. Rom. 13:11-14). Today is the day of
salvation for you! Don’t let it pass.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ
was God’s imprimatur on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The
resurrection proves Jesus conquered death and the death penalty for sin. The
resurrected Jesus leads the way to forgiveness and eternal life. God did all of
that to save you from your sin (cf. Romans 8:31-32). “How shall we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation”? (Hebrews 2:3). You won’t escape if you neglect
to decide to accept Jesus as Savior. Indecision is decision. You must decide. If
we miss our “day,” we will spend eternity in torment and regret for our sinful stupidity.
The choice is yours (cf. Matthew 25:46). Today
is the day of salvation for you! Don’t let it pass.
What if the world as we know it
was to end today or tonight and we were brought to stand before God to give an
accounting? Are you ready for that? Maybe you don’t believe in any of this?
Okay, but whether or not we believe in something does not affect the truth of
something. You can jump off a bridge in defiance of gravity. But you will plummet
and crash into the truth of that law of God’s nature. The same is true of God’s
Law. If you break one Law, you break them all. That is God’s holy standard of
righteousness. It’s the only standard that matters (cf. Galatians 3:10-13;
James 2:10). God states each person will die one day and stand before Him to
give an account (Heb. 9:27). There are a myriad of personal end times before
the final global End Time. What if you are near your personal end time? Today is the day of salvation for you! Don’t
let it pass.
Aren’t you a bit concerned? A
little interested? A bit worried at your delinquency toward God? There’s an end
of the world spirit in the world today. People are curious about what is
happening around them. They are wondering whether or not what is happening
today has a more vertical transcendent meaning. There are problems in the world
today that seem unsolvable. That’s exactly what Jesus said there would be in
the Latter Days. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars;
and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring” (Luke 21:25). “Perplexity” means a
state of confusion over an unsolvable problem. It expresses the idea of
anxiety over the unknown, a fearful apprehension over a dark cloud of doom
approaching. People in the world today can’t figure life out. The unknown is
frightening. But more frightening is knowing doom is approaching with no way of
escape. Today is the day of salvation for you! Don’t let it pass.
How can we get ready for the
approaching storm? Jesus said, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may
be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). The escape Jesus spoke about is the
Rapture. Jesus will remove true believers from this world before the worst befalls it (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:1-9). Jesus
exhorted His disciples to pay attention; to watch the signs; to be ready.
Christian, if you are playing around with sin, STOP! Repent and get right with
God. “Beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him
in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of
our Lord is salvation . . .” (2 Peter 3:14-15).
If you have no personal saving
relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, get one. I’m not talking
about being religious. Jesus spoke of a righteousness that exceeds mere religiosity
(cf. Matthew 5:20). Jesus said there would be people who speak of Him and even
do things in His name but who were not known by Him; they had no relationship with
Him (Mat. 7:21-23). You must be “born again.” Jesus said you must be born again,
spiritually regenerated if you want to enter His kingdom. Today is the day of salvation for you! Don’t let it pass.
How can a person be born again? Admit
you are a sinner; a rebel against God; and that your sin has separated you from
life with God (cf. Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 3). Then turn from your sin and ask God to forgive
you of your sin. Don’t ask Him to forgive you because of any work or effort of
your own. Your sole means of salvation, the only way God can and will forgive
your sin, is by accepting Jesus as Your Savior by faith. Receive Jesus by faith
(John 1:12). Jesus paid your death penalty for sin justly on the cross (2 Cor.
5:21). Believe in Him and God will have the just and righteous basis to forgive
you. When you trust in Jesus as your Savior God will forgive you and He will
give you spiritual life, a second birth, a spiritual birth, you will be born
again to eternal life in Christ by the Holy Spirit who will indwell you. When
the Holy Spirit comes within you, you will be transformed from darkness to
light, from death to life, from a life of sin to a holy life; an abundant
eternal life. You’ll never be the same. You’ll never look back; you won’t want
to. That’s what Jesus requires of those who would live in His kingdom (cf. John
3). Today is the day of salvation for
you! Don’t let it pass.
There’s a lot more that could be
said on the topic of the End Times and Bible prophecy. Is this the end? It
might be. It might not be. But what if it were? Are you ready? Is your house in
order? These really are unprecedented times. Four blood moons; what might they be
a sign of? Time will tell. Some will say it’s just a coincidence. Others will
say it’s a warning sign from God. No matter what you think it’s worth your time
to consider what you would do if it was the end. What if your personal end is
near, today, in a moment? What if the end of the world is near? “What if it
were today?” Today is the day of
salvation for you! Don’t let it pass.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Who Will We Wed, Frankenstein or Jesus?
His mother said to the
servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
– John 2:5
The setting for Jesus’ first miraculous sign was a
wedding. Weddings and marriage are God’s creation. They are important to Him.
They are important to His Son Jesus. Weddings are times of great joy. Jesus spoke
of abundant life and what better place to introduce the prospect of abundant
life than a wedding? But weddings and marriages as a conduit of abundant life
are being stopped up. Weddings today are known more for debauchery and
drunkenness than holy unions. The presence of Jesus and outpouring of His joy
are nowhere to be found in them.
The pure white gown of weddings and marriage are
being dragged through mud. That which is holy is being desecrated. Marriage is
being redefined so broadly that it is being robbed of meaning. Same-sex
“marriage” unions and no doubt soon to be legislated polygamous marriage
arrangements are creating a mutation. Like Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein opponents
of traditional marriage are trying to replicate a creation of God. Body parts
of immoral lifestyles are being sewn together. The lightening of
unrepresentative legislation is giving this mutation life. And, . . . “It is
alive!” The question we face now is, who
will we wed, Frankenstein or Jesus?
Yes, “It is alive!” But like Dr. Frankenstein
those playing with God’s creation fail to see the ramifications of what they
are fabricating. This concoction of dead parts can’t produce new life. The
parts don’t fit right. They can be sewn together like a patchwork quilt but
they’ll never be as smooth and beautiful and intricately glorious as the
original of God. Same-sex proponents and others can look at the statistically
supposed mess heterosexuals have made of traditional marriage and claim, “We
can’t do any worse!” But the truth is that things can get a lot worse. Marriage
is being destroyed. When humans try to make something from dead cadaver parts
of our modern day “new morality” it’s not pretty. Only Jesus can raise the
dead. Fallen human efforts to create life lead to death. Mutations cannot reproduce. That “death” may walk
and it may talk, but it is dead. Like the Frankenstein monster, it can think
but it has no spirit. Death produces
death.
Yes, “It is alive!” Something new is being
introduced. It seems to have life. But like another grotesque image, the
psychopath in Silence of the Lambs, who
murders victims, flays them and sews their skin to fit him with a perverse
alternate gender body image, you can’t cover up the wicked reality. You can
murder marriage, skin it, and try to cover yourself with it, but you won’t hide
what you are underneath. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping
watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). “For the ways of man are
before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths. His own iniquities
entrap the wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall die
for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray”
(Proverbs 5:21-23).
Yes, “It is alive!” But it’s a poor piecemeal
human alteration of a beautiful gift of God. Like Frankenstein’s monster, this
new mutant marriage will roam the earth looking for fulfillment and meaning and
all it will find is emptiness. It’s separate from and devoid of God’s presence
and joy. The travesty of this marriage mutation is that this ugly product of
human engineering is being stamped with Jesus’ approval by false teaching
clergy. A warped “love” has been kidnapped from scripture and reprogrammed to
condone something the God of love never intended. It’s a human tragedy all
around. In the end Jesus will say something similar to
what He said to the church in Sardis, “I know your works, . . . you are alive,
but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1).
It’s questionable if we will ever be able to get
this mutated horse back in the barn. We are at the point where there really is
only one hope. If we respond on merely an earthly level through reason and
politics we will continue down the road of despair. Our only pure hope is a
heaven sent revival; a revival of God that gets to the core of the problem, the
human heart. “Repent, and turn from all your transgression, so that iniquity
will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have
committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you
die . . . ?” (Ezek. 18:30-31). So I ask you, who will you wed, Frankenstein or
Jesus?
Jesus waits at His altar, looking down to us,
calling to us, inviting us, outstretched arms, love in His eyes, yearning for
us to join the bride of Christ. He says, “I will give you a new heart and put a
new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to
walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezek.
36:26-27). Jesus offers a new heart and new beginning; true life change.
The Holy Spirit regularly and in various ways convicts
people about their sin. God graciously reaches out to those living in darkness.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). God hasn’t given up
on the lost . . . yet. There’s still time to choose Jesus.
Each time the conviction of the Spirit is resisted
or ignored the resistant heart gets a little harder; people drift and drive
further from the Lord. There is a limit; a point of no return; a state of heart
that people reach through persistent rejection of God where they are no longer
able to respond to God (cf. John 12:39). The Spirit will not always strive with
those who rebel against God (Gen. 6:3). I believe we are fast approaching that
final state of darkness. Our only hope is one last holy wave of the Spirit that
washes upon us like a giant tsunami of holy reality, truth and grace. God still
desires none perish (2 Pet. 3:9). But a time of His judgment will eventually
come. Will you walk the aisle with Frankenstein, really?
We live in a world addicted to pleasure. People
are searching for happiness, fulfillment, meaning, and purpose. Their search
implies they are at a loss for these things. They are empty. If they ever had a
modicum of these things they have now run out of them. There’s no joy in life.
The counterfeit “joy” they have settled for is as tasteless as water. What’s
the solution? Jesus is the solution.
Come with me to that wedding in Cana where Jesus
performed His first sign. The wedding was going as planned, until something
changed. They ran out of wine. No more wine meant no more joy. It meant the
wedding would likely end; it wouldn’t get where it needed to go; it would be
anticlimactic. Wine is a type, a symbol of joy in the Bible. What could be done?
How could the joy be replenished, refreshed?
And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said
to Him, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3). Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew exactly what
to do and where to go when there was a need. That’s a good example to follow. Whenever
there is something missing, go to Jesus. Whenever we are at a loss, go to
Jesus. Whenever we don’t measure up or we run out of whatever we need, go to
Jesus. When you run out of God’s best, don’t try and substitute a watered down
alternative, go to Him. Will you take His hand and walk the aisle with Jesus?
The presence of wine
at the wedding should not be taken to endorse drunkenness or debauchery.
Nowadays the wedding ceremony is brief and the reception long. People are
married in the church and then indulge in wild reckless worldly partying that
is anything but welcoming to Jesus. (Just listen to the lyrics of the music
played at some wedding receptions; yes, “Christian” weddings too!). Wine was
simply an acceptable beverage to consume at weddings. The wine had run out. You
can walk the aisle with “another Jesus,” a counterfeit that cares little of
holiness (2 Cor. 11:3-4). That leads to emptiness too. They needed more. We
need more, more of Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet
come.” (John 2:4). Jesus
gently rebukes His mother and tells her His hour had not yet come. What did He
mean? Maybe Jesus was alluding to Mary’s motive not being pure. Maybe she
wanted her Son Jesus to finally lay to rest any thought that He was the product
of fornication. Since His birth whispers of illegitimacy were likely circulated
by cynics of the incarnation account of Mary. Illegitimacy is not such a big
deal in our day. It’s a pretty common practice for people to have children
outside of marriage in our day. It was a big deal in Jesus day. It was a sin, a
disgrace. It still is a sin. It’s no big deal in our day because society is
moving away from God and His word and restraints on passion have been thrown
off. What God thinks or whether or not a sin is being committed is not that
important.
The dark shadow of illegitimacy appears to have
been the accusation of those who rejected Mary’s incarnation account. Over
thirty years after His birth the specter of immoral beginnings were being
brought up to Jesus Himself by His detractors (John 8:41). Maybe Mary had had
enough of such shameful allegations. Maybe she thought this was the perfect
public setting to show by a miraculous sign of her Son that there really was
something to His holy beginnings. But Jesus wasn’t concerned with what people
thought about Him. We shouldn’t walk the
aisle with Jesus just to justify ourselves.
The “hour” of Jesus is the time of glorifying
fulfillment of His redemptive mission. Jesus came to be the sacrificial Lamb;
our substitute on the cross to pay our death-debt for sin (John 1:29). He came
to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He’s a perfect
example of what marriage is meant to illustrate. Loving selfless sacrifice and
service is what keeps marriages together. He came to provide a death blow to
sin and death by His atoning death on the cross and victorious resurrection
from the dead. He came to give new life, abundant life (John 10:10). He came to
complete His mission and be able to say, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). When we
walk the aisle with Jesus, following in His steps, we learn from fellowship
with Him and with each other in marriage, just what true love is.
There’s no evidence that Mary took offense at
anything Jesus said or the way He said it. She simply received His words and
then gave some direction to those serving at the wedding. His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
(John 2:5). Good advice to be gleaned from Mary’s words here – “Whatever He
says to you, do it.” Obedience and following the instructions of Jesus always
lead to blessing. These are the last recorded words of Mary in the New
Testament. Last words are always significant, they are culminating, climaxing,
concluding. The last words of Mary, her conclusion to who she was and what she
would be remembered by, were, “Whatever He [my Son Jesus] says to you, do it.”
There aren’t many better last words! It’s as though Mary asks, “Who will you
wed Frankenstein or my Son Jesus?”
Later in John’s gospel Jesus will connect love
with obedience (John 14:15 and 21). He says, “If you love Me, keep My
commandments. . . . He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who
loves Me.” It’s not enough to pay lip service to our love of the Lord. It’s not
enough to merely say we love Jesus. Our love needs to be validated in action;
it needs to be real. If we say we love Jesus, and disobey Him, we are liars
(e.g. Mat. 7:21-24). Love and God’s word are wed. We speak God’s truth in love
(Eph. 4:15). Love and disobedience are a divorce from God (1 John 3). And yet
that is the new “love” that the world has created and that unfortunately parts
of the church have adopted. Love always implies accountability and
responsibility. Love obeys. Don’t settle for walking the aisle with a cardboard
cutout of Jesus that silently approves your every whim and sinful way. If you
love Jesus, you will obey Jesus. To wed Jesus is to obey Him.
If we say we love Jesus and want Him to come to
our wedding and yet we indulge in sex before marriage (i.e. fornication) then
our “love” isn’t worth too much. If we say we love Jesus and want Him to be
central in our marriage and yet we are unfaithful to our spouse and commit adultery in mind or actual act our love isn’t
worth too much. If we say we love Jesus and want Him to attend our same-sex
wedding and bless our same-sex marriage even though His word calls such
relationships sinful, what does that really say about our “love”? The Bible
defines such sexually related sins very clearly and calls believers out of it (e.g. 1 Cor. 6:9-11). Really,
who are you going to wed, who will you walk the aisle with, Frankenstein’s
mutation or Jesus?
If we say we love Jesus and disregard His word and
don’t do, “Whatever He says,” then we are hypocrites, the truth is not in us,
and we are living a lie. When we deny the sin that the Spirit points out to us,
we are self-deceived and in reality call God a liar (1 John 1:8, 10). That’s of
the enemy. In the end and in every life situation the solution is really quite
simple yet profound. It boils down to, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Just
do it! Just do what Jesus tells you to do. In the power of the Spirit, do it! Walk the
aisle with Jesus!
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone,
according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or
thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.”
And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. (John
2:6-8). Those used by Jesus to work this miraculous sign demonstrate three
characteristics which those who want to be used by Jesus to do great things should
also follow. We need a great work of God in our day. Saving marriage and seeing
revival requires some heavy lifting. We must make ourselves available to Jesus.
We need to stop saying one thing and living another. Our marriages must become example of God’s best. We need to get right
with Jesus. We need to walk the aisle with Jesus and make Him the center of our
weddings and our marriages. If we
truly want to experience and help others to share in the greatness of Jesus
joy, happiness, fulfillment, meaning, and purpose, we need to start serving our
Lord.
If you want
to be used by Jesus to do great things obey Him don’t argue with Him. Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots and they obediently
filled the waterpots. They didn’t argue with Jesus. They didn’t ask, “Why do we
have to fill the waterpots with water, aren’t we looking for more wine?” They
simply trusted and obeyed Jesus command. We have to submit our will and even our
understanding or lack thereof to Jesus. Yes, we have to prepare a reasoned and
revelatory response to the purveyors of the corruption of marriage. But we
shouldn’t try to argue and persuade Jesus to accept or condone their alterations of marriage. There
really isn’t room for compromise with corruption. “Can two walk together,
unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Their argument is not with us, it is with
Jesus. They have to decide whether or not they will walk the aisle with Jesus.
They have to choose to wed either Frankenstein or Jesus. We need only to point
these people to Jesus. He can handle the questions. Our duty is to simply obey
Him. Then He will use us to work His work.
If you want
to be used by Jesus to do great things obey Him to the full extent. “They filled them up to the brim.” They filled the waterpots as full as
they could. They didn’t understand what Jesus would do, but they did as much as He asked them to do and to the
fullest extent of what He asked them to do. We have to be wholeheartedly
devoted to Jesus if He is going to use us. When the enemy comes in like a flood
the Spirit of God raises up a standard against that enemy (Isaiah 59:19). We
are that standard, that banner, that line of defense in the hand of the Holy
Spirit. Let’s commit fully to our Commander in Chief. Let’s walk the aisle with
Jesus with all our heart! We wed Jesus for life. We throw the little black book
of alternative loves away.
In the Book of Acts Jesus speaks of an infilling
of the Spirit, the baptism with the Holy Spirit that goes beyond mere filling
to the brim. He speaks of an overflowing experience
with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples. He said when this
happened they would be empowered to serve and witness for Jesus. That word
“upon” is a translation of the Greek preposition epi and refers to an overflowing,
a flowing over of something. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is that
superabundant overflowing relationship with the Spirit where we have more than enough of Him and He has all of us to use as He pleases. Does
Jesus have all of you? Are you filled to the brim and overflowing with Jesus?
If so, get ready to be greatly used by Him.
If you want
to be used by Jesus to do great things you have to trust Jesus one step at a
time. Jesus didn’t lay out a detailed plan or strategy
for the servants. Jesus simply told them step by step what to do: see those
waterpots; fill those waterpots with water; draw out some of the liquid out and
give it to the master of the feast. They simply obeyed each step of the way
until the miracle happened. A wedding marks a beginning. Marriage is a lifetime
of ups and downs, good days and bade days, growth and persevering, of growing
in true love. The state of marriage today is not going to revert to what it
should be overnight. It is going to take a persistent, persevering step by step
obedience to the Lord. Walking the aisle with Jesus is only the beginning. We
need to go on with Jesus.
The miracle of Jesus happened when the servants fully
obeyed and did their best entrusting the rest to Jesus. It’s going to take a miracle of God to change
our world. It’s going to take a revival from heaven. God is willing, I believe,
and He is looking for people through whom He can work. He is scanning the earth
looking for those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chron. 16:9). He’s looking for
those willing to obey Him without argument, obey Him fully, and to obey Him one
step at a time by faith. God still wants to do great things. Our part is, “Just
do what Jesus tells us to do.” Who will you wed, Frankenstein or Jesus? Come
walk the aisle with Jesus.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
PRAYER AND CHARACTER AND CONDUCT
“General Charles James Gordon,
the hero of Khartum, was a truly Christian soldier. Shut up in the Sudanese
town he gallantly held out for one year, but, finally, was overcome and slain.
On his memorial in Westminster Abbey are these words, ‘He gave his money to
the poor; his sympathy to the sorrowing; his life to his country and his soul
to God.’” — HOMER W. HODGE.
PRAYER governs
conduct and conduct makes character. Conduct, is what we do; character, is what
we are. Conduct is the outward life. Character is the life unseen, hidden
within, yet evidenced by that which is seen. Conduct is external, seen
from without; character is internal — operating within. In the economy of grace
conduct is the offspring of character. Character is the state of the heart, conduct
its outward expression. Character is the root of the tree, conduct, the fruit
it bears.
Prayer is related to all the gifts of grace. To character and conduct
its relation is that of a helper. Prayer helps to establish character and
fashion conduct, and both for their successful continuance depend on prayer.
There may be a certain degree of moral character and conduct independent of
prayer, but there cannot be anything like distinctive religious character and
Christian conduct without it. Prayer helps, where all other aids fail. The more
we pray, the better we are, the purer and better our lives.
The very end
and purpose of the atoning work of Christ is to create religious character and
to make Christian conduct.
“Who gave Himself for us, that
He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.”
In Christ’s teaching, it is not simply works of charity and deeds of
mercy upon which He insists, but inward spiritual character. This much is
demanded, and nothing short of it, will suffice.
In the study of Paul’s Epistles, there is one thing which stands out,
clearly and unmistakably — the insistence on holiness of heart, and
righteousness of life. Paul does not seek, so much, to promote what is termed “personal
work,” nor is the leading theme of his letters deeds of charity. It is the
condition of the human heart and the blamelessness of the personal life, which
form the burden of the writings of St. Paul.
Elsewhere in the Scriptures, too, it is character and conduct which are
made preeminent. The Christian religion deals with men who are devoid of
spiritual character, and unholy in life, and aims so to change them, that they
become holy in heart and righteous in life. It aims to change bad men into good
men; it deals with inward badness, and works to change it into inward goodness.
And it is just here where prayer enters and demonstrates its wonderful efficacy
and fruit. Prayer drives toward this specific end. In fact, without prayer, no
such supernatural change in moral character, can ever be effected. For the
change from badness to goodness is not wrought “by works of righteousness
which we have done,” but according to God’s mercy, which saves us “by the
washing of regeneration.” And this marvellous change is brought to pass
through earnest, persistent, faithful prayer. Any alleged form of Christianity,
which does not effect this change in the hearts of men, is a delusion and a
snare.
The office of prayer is to change the character and conduct of men, and
in countless instances, has been wrought by prayer. At this point, prayer, by
its credentials, has proved its divinity. And just as it is the office of
prayer to effect this, so it is the prime work of the Church to take hold of
evil men and make them good. Its mission is to change human nature, to change
character, influence behaviour, to revolutionize conduct. The Church is
presumed to be righteous, and should be engaged in turning men to
righteousness. The Church is God’s manufactory on earth, and its primary duty
is to create and foster righteousness of character. This is its very first
business. Primarily, its work is not to acquire members, nor amass numbers, nor
aim at money-getting, nor engage in deeds of charity and works of mercy, but to
produce righteousness of character, and purity of the outward life.
A product reflects and partakes of the character of the manufactory
which makes it. A righteous Church with a righteous purpose makes righteous
men. Prayer produces cleanliness of heart and purity of life. It can produce
nothing else. Unrighteous conduct is born of prayerlessness; the two go
hand-in-hand. Prayer and sinning cannot keep company with each other. One, or
the other, must, of necessity, stop. Get men to pray, and they will quit sinning,
because prayer creates a distaste for sinning, and so works upon the heart,
that evil-doing becomes repugnant, and the entire nature lifted to a reverent
contemplation of high and holy things.
Prayer is based on character. What we are with God gauges our influence
with Him. It was the inner character, not the outward seeming, of such men as
Abraham, Job, David, Moses and all others, who had such great influence with
God in the days of old. And, today, it is not so much our words, as what we
really are, which weighs with God. Conduct affects character, of course, and
counts for much in our praying. At the same time, character affects conduct to
a far greater extent, and has a superior influence over prayer. Our inner life
not only gives colour to our praying, but body, as well. Bad living means bad
praying and, in the end, no praying at all. We pray feebly because we live
feebly. The stream of prayer cannot rise higher than the fountain of living.
The force of the inner chamber is made up of the energy which flows from the
confluent streams of living. And the weakness of living grows out of the
shallowness and shoddiness of character.
Feebleness of
living reflects its debility and langour in the praying hours. We simply cannot
talk to God, strongly, intimately, and confidently unless we are living for
Him, faithfully and truly. The prayer-closet cannot become sanctified unto God,
when the life is alien to His precepts and purpose. We must learn this lesson
well — that righteous character and Christlike conduct give us a peculiar and
preferential standing in prayer before God. His holy Word gives special
emphasis to the part conduct has in imparting value to our praying when it
declares:
“Then shalt thou call and the
Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am; if thou take
away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth the finger, and
speaking vanity.”
The wickedness
of Israel and their heinous practices were definitely cited by Isaiah, as the
reason why God would turn His ears away from their prayers:
“And when ye spread forth your
hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will
not hear: your hands are full of blood.”
The same sad
truth was declared by the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah:
“Therefore, pray not thou for
this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them
in the time that they cry unto Me for their trouble.”
Here, it is plainly stated, that unholy conduct is a bar to successful
praying, just as it is clearly intimated that, in order to have full access to
God in prayer, there must be a total abandonment of conscious and premeditated
sin.
We are enjoined
to pray, “lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting,” and must pass
the time of our sojourning here, in a rigorous abstaining from evil if we are
to retain our privilege of calling upon the Father. We cannot, by any process,
divorce praying from conduct.
“Whatsoever we ask, we receive
of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are
pleasing in His sight.”
And James declares roundly that men ask and receive not, because they
ask amiss, and seek only the gratification of selfish desires.
Our Lord’s
injunction, “Watch ye, and pray always,” is to cover and guard all our
conduct, so that we may come to our inner chamber with all its force secured by
a vigilant guard kept over our lives.
“And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
Quite often, Christian experience founders on the rock of conduct.
Beautiful theories are marred by ugly lives. The most difficult thing about
piety, as it is the most impressive, is to be able to live it. It is the life
which counts, and our praying suffers, as do other phases of our religious
experience, from bad living.
In primitive times preachers were charged to preach by their lives, or
not to preach at all. So, today, Christians, everywhere, ought to be charged to
pray by their lives, or not to pray at all. The most effective preaching, is
not that which is heard from the pulpit, but that which is proclaimed quietly,
humbly and consistently; which exhibits its excellencies in the home, and in
the community. Example preaches a far more effective sermon than precept. The
best preaching, even in the pulpit, is that which is fortified by godly living,
in the preacher, himself. The most effective work done by the pew is preceded
by, and accompanied with, holiness of life, separation from the world,
severance from sin. Some of the strongest appeals are made with mute lips — by
godly fathers and saintly mothers who, around the fireside, feared God, loved
His cause, and daily exhibited to their children and others about them, the
beauties and excellencies of Christian life and conduct.
The best-prepared, most eloquent sermon can be marred and rendered
ineffective, by questionable practices in the preacher. The most active church
worker can have the labour of his hands vitiated by worldliness of spirit and
inconsistency of life. Men preach by their lives, not by their words, and
sermons are delivered, not so much in, and from a pulpit, as in tempers,
actions, and the thousand and one incidents which crowd the pathway of daily
life.
Of course, the prayer of repentance is acceptable to God. He delights
in hearing the cries of penitent sinners. But repentance involves not only
sorrow for sin, but the turning away from wrong-doing, and the learning to do
well. A repentance which does not produce a change in character and conduct, is
a mere sham, which should deceive nobody. Old things must pass away, all
things must become new.
Praying, which does not result in right thinking and right living, is a
farce. We have missed the whole office of prayer if it fail to purge character
and rectify conduct. We have failed entirely to apprehend the virtue of prayer,
if it bring not about the revolutionizing of the life. In the very nature of
things, we must quit praying, or our bad conduct. Cold, formal praying may
exist side by side, with bad conduct, but such praying, in the estimation of
God, is no praying at all. Our praying advances in power, just in so far as it
rectifies the life. Growing in purity and devotion to God will be a more
prayerful life.
The character of the inner life is a condition of effectual praying. As
is the life, so will the praying be. An inconsistent life obstructs praying and
neutralizes what little praying we may do. Always, it is “the prayer of the
righteous man which availeth much.” Indeed, one may go further and assert,
that it is only the prayer of the righteous which avails anything at all — at
any time. To have an eye to God’s glory; to be possessed by an earnest desire
to please Him in all our ways; to possess hands busy in His service; to have
feet swift to run in the way of His commandments — these give weight and
influence and power to prayer, and secure an audience with God. The incubus of
our lives often breaks the force of our praying, and, not unfrequently, are as
doors of brass, in the face of prayer.
Praying must come out of a cleansed heart and be presented and urged
with the “lifting up of holy hands.” It must be fortified by a life aiming,
unceasingly, to obey God, to attain conformity to the Divine law, and to come
into submission to the Divine will.
Let it not be forgotten, that, while life is a condition of prayer,
prayer is also the condition of righteous living. Prayer promotes righteous
living, and is the one great aid to uprightness of heart and life. The fruit of
real praying is right living. Praying sets him who prays to the great business
of “working out his salvation with fear and trembling;” puts him to watching
his temper, conversation and conduct; causes him to “walk circumspectly,
redeeming the time;” enables him to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith he
is called, with all lowliness and meekness;” gives him a high incentive to
pursue his pilgrimage consistently by “shunning every evil way, and walking in
the good.”
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
We Expect to Be Christians without Study from A Practical View of Christianity, by William Wilberforce
“[I]f, when summoned to give an account of our stewardship,
we shall be called upon to answer for the use which we have made of our bodily
organs, and of the means of relieving the wants and necessities of our
fellow-creatures; how much more for the exercise of the nobler and more exalted
faculties of our nature, of invention, and judgment, and memory, and for our
employment of all the instruments and opportunities of diligent application,
and serious reflection, and honest decision. And to what subject might we in
all reason be expected to apply more earnestly, than to that wherein our
eternal interests are at issue? When God has of his goodness vouchsafed
[deigned] to grant us such abundant means of instruction in that which we are
most concerned to know, how great must be the guilt, and how awful the
punishment of voluntary ignorance! And why, it may be asked, are we in this
pursuit alone to expect knowledge without inquiry, and success without
endeavor? The whole analogy of nature inculcates on us a different lesson, and
our own judgments in matters of temporal interest and worldly policy confirm
the truth of her suggestions. Bountiful as is the hand of Providence, its gifts
are not so bestowed as to seduce us into indolence, but to rouse us to
exertion; and no one expects to attain to the height of learning, or arts, or
power, or wealth, or military glory, without vigorous resolution, and strenuous
diligence, and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without
labor, study, or inquiry. This is the more preposterous, because Christianity,
being a revelation from God, and not the invention of man, discovering to us
new relations, with their correspondent duties; containing also doctrines, and
motives, and practical principles, and rules, peculiar to itself, and almost as
new in their nature as supreme in their excellence, we cannot reasonably expect
to become proficient in it by the accidental intercourses of life, as one might
learn insensibly the maxims of worldly policy, or a scheme of mere morals.” [1]
[1] See more at:
http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2013/12/we-expect-to-be-christians-without-study.html#sthash.oR4egZXw.dpuf
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