Let us not condemn those who think differently than we do ...... PRAY FOR THEM ...... that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the truth of scripture to them.
The Prayer of The Arminian Concerning His Free Will by C. H. Spurgeon : Calvinism Is The Gospel
Baptismal Text - Given at My Baptism on December 9th 1962
Friday, 3 February 2012
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Saturday, 10 December 2011
The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ
In looking at the virgin birth of Christ,
man needs to think deeply and honestly. Both are necessary: man must be honest,
and he must engage in concentrated thought. One question needs to be asked. Why
would God's Son have to enter the world through a virgin? Or more simply put,
why was Christ born of a virgin? Why was a virgin birth necessary?
1.
The birth of God's Son required a miracle. He could not be born through
the natural process as other men are. If He had been born as other men, His
very birth would indicate that He was no more than mere man. Very simply, any
person who enters the world through a man and a woman is a mere man or a mere
woman. He or she can be nothing more. But this is not so with Christ. Christ
already existed. Therefore, if God willed to send His Son into the world, He
would have to choose another way. All Christ needed was a body. As He Himself
said to God the Father: "A body hast
thou prepared for me" (Hebrews 10:5).
2.
The birth of God's Son required a combined act on God's part and on
woman's part. If God's Son was to become a man and identify with men, He had to
come through the process of conception through a woman. Why? Well because man
can only come through the woman. Therefore, if God willed to send His Son into
the world as a man, He would have to perform a miracle, causing Mary to
conceive by an act of His divine power.
3.
The birth of God's Son required a miraculous nature—both a divine nature
and a human nature.
·
He
had to be born of a woman to partake of human nature. (Cp. Hebrews 2:14-18.)
·
He
had to be born by a miraculous act of God so as not to partake of man's corruption.
This was critical if God’s people are to escape corruption and live forever.
Think about it. Our faith must be in an incorruptible Saviour if we are to be
covered by His incorruption. God had to identify with us by becoming one with
us and by conquering our depraved and doomed nature.
4.
The birth of God's Son required the birth of a perfect nature. Why? Well
because a perfect life needed to be lived. Righteousness, that is, perfection,
needed to be secured. An Ideal Life (that is, a perfect, righteous life) had to
be lived so that it could stand for and cover God’s chosen people in perfection
and in righteousness. Honest thought confesses that no man has been or is
perfect. Man comes short. His coming short of God's glory is tragically
pictured in the ultimate fate of life: death. But God acted. God did everything
to secure righteousness and perfection for His people. He took every step and
performed every act necessary to save His people from their sins and from
death.
This says at least four things.
a.
As God-Man, Christ was able to consummate both the human and divine. He
had the capacity and innate power not to sin. Therefore His Godly nature
empowered Him to live righteously, never doing wrong and always choosing and
doing right. By living a sinless life, Christ was able to secure righteousness,
the Ideal Righteousness that will cover and stand for God’s people.
b.
As God-Man, Christ was also able to bear the sins and the judgment of
sin for all men. When He died, He died as the Perfect and Ideal Man. Therefore,
His death is able to cover and stand for the people of God.
c.
As God-Man, Christ was able to arise from the dead. Note the phenomenal
words: "...His [God's] son Jesus
Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh
[that is, made a man]; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according
to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans
1:3-4). He lived a perfect and holy life by which He became the Perfect and
Ideal Man; therefore, His resurrection covers and stands for God’s chosen
people.
d.
As God-Man, Christ was exalted to sit at the right hand of the Father—to
live eternally in the heavenly dimension of being, in God's very own presence.
As the Perfect and Ideal Man, His exaltation into the heavenly or spiritual
dimension is able to blaze the path into heaven for every man of God. His
exaltation as the Ideal Man covers and stands for the exaltation of God’s elect.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
What has God done for those who believe in Him?
What
has God done for those who believe in Him?
A look at Colossians Chapter 1:12 – 14
This is one of the greatest passages of
Scripture ever written …… Its importance cannot be overstressed …… It is a
passage that reveals the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is supreme, above all both in His Person
and in His work …… Who He is and what He has done for man can never be matched.
What has God done for all who truly believe
in Christ Jesus?
1. (1:12) God has given an inheritance
Before we proceed to discuss the
inheritance, note two other points.
2.
Every believer shares the inheritance with all other saints in light
…… Remember, saints simply means those who have set their lives apart to live
for God. As saints the believer has become a
partaker of that which God has made them worthy of …… they have become fellow
citizens with the saints …… enjoying communion with them in this age of God’s
grace.
These saints are of the light …… in
contrast to the darkness which is all around them …… light has been infused
into them ……and this inheritance of theirs is in light. God is Light; therefore, when a person
answers the call of God on their life, they are turning their lives over to
Light …… they to live and move and have their being in light, that is, in God. They are to walk in the light of God
Himself, so much so that they, that is every believer, is called the light of
the world …… This is what is meant by "saints in light."
They are people who have committed their
lives to walk in the light of God …… Therefore, they are saints, persons set
apart in the light of God.
3. God has given true believers an inheritance.
What is the inheritance? ……Scripture describes the inheritance in the following
ways.
"That
being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life" (Titus 3:7).
b.
We are heirs of salvation.
"Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).
c. We are heirs of the promises made to
Abraham …… that is, the promises to inherit the world and to be a citizen of a
great nation of people.
"For
the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to
his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith"
(Romans 4:13).
d.
We are heirs of glory.
"And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans
8:17).
e.
We are heirs of righteousness.
"By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became
heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Hebrews 11:7).
f.
We are heirs of the grace of life.
"Likewise,
ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the
wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of
life; that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter
3:7).
g.
We are heirs of God's very special favour—heirs that shall stir the praise of
His glory.
"In
whom [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance....that we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ"
(Ephesians. 1:11-12).
"Knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve
the Lord Christ" (Colossians. 3:24).
i.
We are heirs of the eternal inheritance.
"And
for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance"
(Hebrews 9:15).
j.
We are heirs of an immortal and perfected body that shall be given us when
Christ returns.
2. (1:13) God has delivered every true
Christian from the power of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of
His dear Son.
1. Note two things about the
"power
of darkness."
b. The "power of darkness" also
indicates that the darkness is not only a realm or world, but a power ……an
active power that enslaves men and stands in opposition to the light of God. The world of darkness is a kingdom in
rebellion against God …… This is the very reason people struggle against God so
much …… It is difficult to imagine the antagonism of most people against God,
yet it is true.
There is no way a rational creature would
act like the unbeliever does unless he was enslaved by the power of darkness.
This is the very reason God had to rescue
man …… He alone is light; therefore, He alone could reach down and snatch
people from the darkness. How did He do this? …… WELL:
The word "forgiveness" means
to send off, to send away, to release, to let go. The word for "sin" means
transgression, trespass, a falling by the way, or deviating from the way.
Every person … Has transgressed the law of
God ……. Has deviated from God ……Has fallen from the way of God.
Therefore, every person stands guilty of
having broken the law of God, and the penalty for breaking the law is death. However, the blood of Jesus Christ brings
forgiveness to men …… How? Jesus Christ died for sin …… He took the penalty of a
person’s sins and bore the punishment Himself. Therefore, the guilt and penalty for breaking
God's laws are completely removed …… The man's sins and guilt are sent away or
washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Dear Friends …… if you are a true believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ …… then let this be a reminder to you of what God, in
His grace has done for you.
Saturday, 9 July 2011
The Rise of the Caf'e Church
The other morning
on the Breakfast programme on BBC television they introduced a group of
musicians called “Penguin Café” …… personally despite the fact that that this
group of people have been around for several years, and their kind of music has
amassed quite a following, I have to say that I have never heard of them. But
as I sat and watched them while merrily munching my breakfast, I thought to
myself, what penguins or café’s got to do with music, I suppose that least you
can play music in a café, but where dose the penguin come in?
But life appears to
be full of such anomalies these days, where there appears to be little or no
connection with the name given. Take for instance the growing new approach to
so called Christian Outreach known as the Café Church. Having never attended
such a service, if you can call it that, I can only go on what I have heard
others say about it. However, I came across several articles on the internet
concerning the growth of this new antic (sorry approach) within one the major
denominations this this country, here are a few:
- “Sunday morning church isn’t always an easy thing to key in to, especially if church is new to you or you just want to see what it’s all about. Cafe church is an opportunity to come and experience some great coffee, read the papers and meet new friends on a Sunday morning amongst the cafe-atmosphere in a very different way to what-you-might-expect. The chairs are arranged around tables, coffee is served all morning, and various things may take place throughout the morning which you can choose to engage with or ignore, however you feel most comfortable. Jargon-free, hoping to link up with you where you are today, cafe church is here to offer a real connection to what God may be able to say to you in your life here and now”.
- “The Cafe church services are a different way of having 'church'. People who come along sit around tables to chat over tea or coffee about a certain theme. We often have a speaker and have had some very interesting topics to think about recently including environmental issues, why young people don't go to church (much!) and people talking about creative subjects such as recording music. Sometimes our resident band (Spark Plugs) will play some music as well”.
- “As its name suggests, the school hall is set out like a café, with doughnuts, cakes & biscuits on the tables, and drinks served when people arrive - and during the service if required.The service is very relaxed & is usually on a specified theme. There is playdoh and paper & crayons on the tables to keep the children (and adults!) amused; and there is opportunity throughout to write prayers and put in a post box or stick in a designated area. Children & adults are then invited to read these out near the end. Halfway through the children usually do a small craft activity whilst Phil does a talk or activity for the adults. This attempts to make the service appropriate meaningful for young & old alike. Often the children are also asked to help act out a bible story. Café Church welcomes all age groups & we really don’t mind if children are noisy or very active - it all adds to the fun! We always need help with action songs! Above all our aim is to offer an encounter with God in a friendly and relaxed setting”.
This “new approach” is happening
in all denominations, I know of several that take place in Norfolk in different
denominations, but one has to ask what does drinking coffee, reading the paper
and playing with playdoh have to do with worship, surely the purpose in
attending worship is to worship God in a reverent and awe-inspiring way. Again
how does discussing environmental issues, why young
people don't go to church (much!) and people talking about creative subjects
such as recording music, help people spiritually.
The bible clearly
declares that the ordained way of people being converted is through the
preaching of the Word, and where the Word is not preached souls will not be
saved. God has declared that His Word will not return unto Him void, but that
it will accomplish that for which it was sent, but that will only happen if
that Word is preached clearly, faithfully and boldly.
Listen to what some
of the great men of God from the past had to say about worship:
A.W.
Tozer: To
great sections of the church the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in
its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the ‘program.’ This
word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type
of public service which now passes for worship among us.
William Temple: Worship is the submission of
all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the
nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty;
the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose –
and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which
our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness
which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.
Contrary to what many modern people believe, we
can’t approach God any way we please. Trying to do so is extremely dangerous,
as the Bible makes clear. In the Bible, God provides us with commands,
instructions, examples, and stories to illustrate how he wants us to worship
him. Our worship, therefore, is to be regulated by God himself through his
Word.
We
come to encounter God’s glory, to be awe struck by his majesty. A worship
service isn’t the place to showcase human talent but the place for God to
showcase his divine treasure. We gather not to be impressed by one another—but
to be impressed by God and his mighty acts of salvation. We come to sing of who
he is and what he’s done. We come to hear his voice resounding in and through
his Word. We come to feel the grief of our sin so that we can taste the glory
of his salvation. We gather to be magnificently defeated, flattened, and shrunk
by the power and might of the living God. We can’t get all this in the
atmosphere of an informal type of meeting.
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