Does your pastor believe the word of God? There are many out there that preach every Sunday but they do not believe in God or they see Jesus as one of many ways to heaven. Statistics show that there are many who deny the truth of the word of God.
The following is a response I posted on another blog at the end of a discussion about believing pastors. I hope you enjoy it.
There are a few pastors who still believe the Bible. Here is one. I believe it as it says it including the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Only a Creator could redeem fallen man. Death before the fall of man is contrary to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. I wish I had time to tell you why they are searching the heavens for life. It is the only way to prop up the falling theory of evolution since all scientists know that cells are too complex and there has not been enough time on Earth for random chance spontaneous generation of life from inert chemicals.
As far as Jesus, He is the only begotten of the Father, the Second Person of the Trinity by whose blood alone atones, and without whom there is no salvation. He was virgin born for the sole purpose of facing death on a cross to save sinners like us. Again, there is no other path, plan, work, or religion that saves. There is salvation alone in Jesus Christ. He is soon to return and judge the living and the dead.
The problem started in Bible colleges and seminaries when unbelieving men such as Spong, Fosdick, Schleiermacher, Beecher, and Barth began to usurp the authority of the Bible and claim that men's science trumped scripture. The seeds of doubt were first sown by men like Immanuel Kant and Charles Lyell and strengthened by Darwin. Suddenly, Bible colleges vacated the premise that the Bible was authoritative on all matters including science and history. Let God be true and all men liars!
For nearly two hundred years the colleges have poured out godless men that deny scripture and preach a social gospel. It is now catching up in the pew as well. This fall, however, was predicted by Jude and 2 Peter 3. Notice Peter's emphasis on creation and the flood and that men willfully deny the two lest they have to be accountable. Unfortunately, wishing you were not accountable to God does not make it so! There is still a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.
Just wanted you to know that there are still a few who really believe the Bible is the only authority for faith and life.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Striking Saul
David had two separate opportunities to kill Saul. King Saul fully understood that David would someday replace him as King over Israel, and that his family would take a subordinate roll in affairs of state. As a result of this and the wretched sin of jealousy Saul had chased David throughout the countryside in an effort to kill David and to stop the plan of God. Even with all of this David felt it would be wrong to take Saul's life. He would wait on God and not curse himself by touching the Lord's anointed even though Saul was clearly a backslider.
In 2 Samuel 1 we read the story of the death of Saul. During the battle at Gilboa, Saul was wounded and left alive on the battlefield. An Amalekite happened upon Saul so Saul begged him to end his life so that the Philistines would not capture him alive. The Amalekite was very excited to tell David the good news. He took Saul's crown and his bracelet and found David at his home in Ziklag. However, David was less than thrilled with the man and he had him killed. "And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, [and] fall upon him. And he smote him that he died." 2 Samuel 1:14-15
When we gossip and slander each other, are we not as guilty as the Amalekite? God has called us to love one another and to encourage one another. He has also called us to battle and crucify this old flesh through obedience to the Holy Spirit and the word. If we kill each other with our words, how will we reach the world around us. Are we not setting ourselves up for destruction? "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Galatians 5:15
In 2 Samuel 1 we read the story of the death of Saul. During the battle at Gilboa, Saul was wounded and left alive on the battlefield. An Amalekite happened upon Saul so Saul begged him to end his life so that the Philistines would not capture him alive. The Amalekite was very excited to tell David the good news. He took Saul's crown and his bracelet and found David at his home in Ziklag. However, David was less than thrilled with the man and he had him killed. "And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, [and] fall upon him. And he smote him that he died." 2 Samuel 1:14-15
When we gossip and slander each other, are we not as guilty as the Amalekite? God has called us to love one another and to encourage one another. He has also called us to battle and crucify this old flesh through obedience to the Holy Spirit and the word. If we kill each other with our words, how will we reach the world around us. Are we not setting ourselves up for destruction? "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Galatians 5:15
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Strange Parallels--Part 2
There were a few items that were left out of this letter due to time constraints. One was that this pronouncement of judgment began and ended with a message of hope. In the first section of the message about Jerusalem found in Isaiah 2-4, the prophet gives keen insight about our growth as a believer.
Step one--God is exalted! Notice the mountain of the Lord's house being lifted high in Isaiah 2:2. Doesn't that remind you of Jesus statement in John 12:32, " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me"? Notice Isaiah's statement that there will be an upward flow toward's God's throne. Isaiah saw Jesus exalted and the nations flowing to worship Him. Don't you think that is what we desperately need to do today--to lift Jesus higher so that those snared in sin can find the only available means of escape? Also, God always wants us to progress higher in Christ and not to stagnate in our relationship with Him. He wishes us to flow upward towards the express image of our Savior to the glory of Jesus alone!
Step two, there was a strong desire to learn God's ways found in Isaiah 2:3. When Christ is preeminent in a church or home, all who come in contact with the glory revealed by those believers will become hungry and thirsty for the knowledge of the Lord. Why are many starving spiritually? Maybe because Jesus is not exalted in their midst?
Step three--when we learn the ways of the Lord we naturally want to walk with Him and in His paths as is also found in Isaiah 2:3. When our relationship deepens with God we begin to experience what He desired for Adam--to walk with God daily. Those who walk close to the Lord never trip nor stumble as He guides their every step. He leads them in paths that honor Christ continually.
Finally, step four is a given! If Christ is exalted in your life, if Christ's word and ways are the intense desire of your heart, if Christ's paths are sought and we are found walking in close fellowship with Him, then it is natural that there should be peace in our lives. Notice Isaiah 2:4. They knew that God is peace and the sole desire is to honor that peace. Don't we all know that Jesus wishes us to have a peace that passes all understanding? Exalt Him, learn of Him, walk with Him, and you will experience the benefit of His peace.
I guess I will have to point out His message of hope to the remnant in Isaiah 4:2-6 another time. God Bless!
I have not posted much news in a while, but it has been relatively quiet in relation to Israel. There have been some domestic issues of concern, however. I will post some articles today, but they will not be under any specific headings as usual due to the volume of stories.
Rivlin accuses Carter of supporting Hamas, spurring terror
FoxNews.com - NPR Fires Juan Williams After O'Reilly Appearance
Step one--God is exalted! Notice the mountain of the Lord's house being lifted high in Isaiah 2:2. Doesn't that remind you of Jesus statement in John 12:32, " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me"? Notice Isaiah's statement that there will be an upward flow toward's God's throne. Isaiah saw Jesus exalted and the nations flowing to worship Him. Don't you think that is what we desperately need to do today--to lift Jesus higher so that those snared in sin can find the only available means of escape? Also, God always wants us to progress higher in Christ and not to stagnate in our relationship with Him. He wishes us to flow upward towards the express image of our Savior to the glory of Jesus alone!
Step two, there was a strong desire to learn God's ways found in Isaiah 2:3. When Christ is preeminent in a church or home, all who come in contact with the glory revealed by those believers will become hungry and thirsty for the knowledge of the Lord. Why are many starving spiritually? Maybe because Jesus is not exalted in their midst?
Step three--when we learn the ways of the Lord we naturally want to walk with Him and in His paths as is also found in Isaiah 2:3. When our relationship deepens with God we begin to experience what He desired for Adam--to walk with God daily. Those who walk close to the Lord never trip nor stumble as He guides their every step. He leads them in paths that honor Christ continually.
Finally, step four is a given! If Christ is exalted in your life, if Christ's word and ways are the intense desire of your heart, if Christ's paths are sought and we are found walking in close fellowship with Him, then it is natural that there should be peace in our lives. Notice Isaiah 2:4. They knew that God is peace and the sole desire is to honor that peace. Don't we all know that Jesus wishes us to have a peace that passes all understanding? Exalt Him, learn of Him, walk with Him, and you will experience the benefit of His peace.
I guess I will have to point out His message of hope to the remnant in Isaiah 4:2-6 another time. God Bless!
I have not posted much news in a while, but it has been relatively quiet in relation to Israel. There have been some domestic issues of concern, however. I will post some articles today, but they will not be under any specific headings as usual due to the volume of stories.
Rivlin accuses Carter of supporting Hamas, spurring terror
FoxNews.com - NPR Fires Juan Williams After O'Reilly Appearance
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Grapes of Wrath
Isaiah 5 continues with the theme of judgment. This chapter was a sermon delivered during one of Israel's religious feasts. Imagine being in attendance and enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of a fair like attitude. Everyone is happy and joyous, yet while they enjoy the "blessings" of God they are not following God with all their heart. Furthermore, their heart is far from God. Their service is based on keeping a few feasts and occasionally going to worship, but it is all an attempt to placate God. Into this feast steps the emboldened prophet loudly proclaiming the truth, the Word of Almighty God.
His sermon starts with a parable like story about a vineyard which is found in verses 1-7. His point is that they are the vineyard of God and that the fruit they bring forth is corrupt in the sight of the Lord of the Harvest. Fear and foreboding enter the hearts of the once happy feast attendees, but that emotion soon changes to anger as Isaiah declares that they will be destroyed by the Lord of Hosts, Himself for their failure to obey and love God with all their heart.
Part two of the message specifically names the sins in which they were involved with. First, there is a sinful desire for earthly gain over spiritual gain which is found in verses 8-10. Their violation of God's covenant with the land would lead to their being overthrown in verses 9-10. Next, they are judged for their inordinate lust for pleasure manifested in their drinking and partying. Even "church" was more about personal entertainment than heartfelt service to the Lord. This sin carries a pronouncement of slavery. It will go beyond the slavery of alcohol addiction or today's drug addiction. The nation will be sold into captivity.
Can you begin to see the parallels to the US again? It is like Isaiah preached this sermon last Sunday! God help us! Help us to turn our hearts towards you!
His sermon starts with a parable like story about a vineyard which is found in verses 1-7. His point is that they are the vineyard of God and that the fruit they bring forth is corrupt in the sight of the Lord of the Harvest. Fear and foreboding enter the hearts of the once happy feast attendees, but that emotion soon changes to anger as Isaiah declares that they will be destroyed by the Lord of Hosts, Himself for their failure to obey and love God with all their heart.
Part two of the message specifically names the sins in which they were involved with. First, there is a sinful desire for earthly gain over spiritual gain which is found in verses 8-10. Their violation of God's covenant with the land would lead to their being overthrown in verses 9-10. Next, they are judged for their inordinate lust for pleasure manifested in their drinking and partying. Even "church" was more about personal entertainment than heartfelt service to the Lord. This sin carries a pronouncement of slavery. It will go beyond the slavery of alcohol addiction or today's drug addiction. The nation will be sold into captivity.
Can you begin to see the parallels to the US again? It is like Isaiah preached this sermon last Sunday! God help us! Help us to turn our hearts towards you!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Strange Parallels
Whew! I have been battling a bad double ear infection. Also, we are so excited about our new (and 1st) granddaughter. We now have a grandson and granddaughter.
While I was at the hospital for her delivery, I spent time reviewing chapters 2-4 of Isaiah. These three chapters are one oratory about Jerusalem. It breaks down into three sections. Chapter 2:2-4 speaks of what God wanted Israel to be and what it will be soon. It is a backward/forward look that only God, who dwells outside of time and space, could give. From Chapter 2:5 to 4:1 we see the sad reality of what Jerusalem had become due to sin and selfishness. It reveals that God will send strong judgement to purge the land of sin. The section ends with chapter 4:2-6. Here, we are given a glimpse into the millennial reign of Jesus. It is a great section and wonderful study.
In the midst of this section, we read these verses in 2:6-8. "Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:"
Religious Israel was rebuked for several reasons in these verses. First, they were accepting of foreign practices and customs that were not part of the covenant established between them and God. Look at verse 6b in the NASB, " Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners." Next, Isaiah indicts them for making political pacts with foreign powers rather than trust God through the calamitous political times in the region. He went on to make a point of their sin in trusting in riches and wealth while holding that this was a sign of God's blessing though they were not following close. Israel was rebuked for trusting in their military power and might rather than relying on their Almighty God. Finally, they are upbraided for gross idolatry. This idolatry was the base of all of the above sins mentioned.
Go back through those same sins and compare America to each of them. While you are at it, compare it to the American church which has began to incorporate elements of Eastern religions into practice. Look at the church making political pacts with unbelievers to make sure their darling political party wins. Should not the people of God trust in the power of God? What is the majority of the preaching about in America today? Wealth, luxury, pleasure! Maybe we are falling into the same idolatry that the Israelites were judged for many years ago? Just a thought!
News will follow tomorrow.
While I was at the hospital for her delivery, I spent time reviewing chapters 2-4 of Isaiah. These three chapters are one oratory about Jerusalem. It breaks down into three sections. Chapter 2:2-4 speaks of what God wanted Israel to be and what it will be soon. It is a backward/forward look that only God, who dwells outside of time and space, could give. From Chapter 2:5 to 4:1 we see the sad reality of what Jerusalem had become due to sin and selfishness. It reveals that God will send strong judgement to purge the land of sin. The section ends with chapter 4:2-6. Here, we are given a glimpse into the millennial reign of Jesus. It is a great section and wonderful study.
In the midst of this section, we read these verses in 2:6-8. "Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:"
Religious Israel was rebuked for several reasons in these verses. First, they were accepting of foreign practices and customs that were not part of the covenant established between them and God. Look at verse 6b in the NASB, " Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners." Next, Isaiah indicts them for making political pacts with foreign powers rather than trust God through the calamitous political times in the region. He went on to make a point of their sin in trusting in riches and wealth while holding that this was a sign of God's blessing though they were not following close. Israel was rebuked for trusting in their military power and might rather than relying on their Almighty God. Finally, they are upbraided for gross idolatry. This idolatry was the base of all of the above sins mentioned.
Go back through those same sins and compare America to each of them. While you are at it, compare it to the American church which has began to incorporate elements of Eastern religions into practice. Look at the church making political pacts with unbelievers to make sure their darling political party wins. Should not the people of God trust in the power of God? What is the majority of the preaching about in America today? Wealth, luxury, pleasure! Maybe we are falling into the same idolatry that the Israelites were judged for many years ago? Just a thought!
News will follow tomorrow.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Placating God!
I have been away for too long, but I have had a double ear infection. It has been terribly painful. However, I am much better now.
One of the great features in the mind of modern man is that he is smart--too smart. He is so smart that God, in comparison, is dumb--or so man thinks. How so? Well think of how God is treated in society. Surely the Lord was not smart enough to weigh in on morality, so let's set His rules aside and make up our own. Surely God knows that the idea of sin is antiquated, so He must have missed it there. God surely didn't know what He was talking about in Genesis; especially chapters 1-11. God created? What a joke! A global flood? Are you kidding me? Maybe some of you need to return to geology class and question your professor about the thousands of feet of sedimentary layers with many of them extending worldwide and filled with what you would expect to see with a deluge of such magnitude--thousands upon thousand of fossilized animals. I mean some of these fossil beds contain animals giving birth, fish eating other fish, and even fragile creatures like a jelly fish. How long does a jelly fish last on a beach anyway? Before he tells you a bunch of hooey about "the present is the key to the past"--uniformitarianism--ask him why many of these layers have knife edge marks delineating them. If it took millions of years for them to be laid down, surely there would be some sign of weathering and erosion. Instead we have what appears to be foot after foot of sediments laid worldwide in some sort of global catastrophe. Oh well! Let me get to the topic at hand.
The greatest prize for calling God stupid goes to the religious who have denied the power of an almighty God. They feel that they can go to the church, jump, shout, sing, and worship thereby doing God a favor for even being there while they continue to live self-centered, fleshly, sinful lives. Surely God is not smart enough to see past the religious charade and see the wickedness and contempt for Him that they hold in their unregenerate heart? I guess then, you need to reread the first chapter of Isaiah. Maybe, for good measure, throw in Amos and Malachi. You see God is God! As God He is utterly all knowing! That is why we call Him the Omniscient One. Just because the government ran school system made Him out to be a dumby--don't you believe it for a minute! (I am sure, though, that we all know that the government is all-knowing and all-wise all the time anyway. Right?)
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 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. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:10-17
One of the great features in the mind of modern man is that he is smart--too smart. He is so smart that God, in comparison, is dumb--or so man thinks. How so? Well think of how God is treated in society. Surely the Lord was not smart enough to weigh in on morality, so let's set His rules aside and make up our own. Surely God knows that the idea of sin is antiquated, so He must have missed it there. God surely didn't know what He was talking about in Genesis; especially chapters 1-11. God created? What a joke! A global flood? Are you kidding me? Maybe some of you need to return to geology class and question your professor about the thousands of feet of sedimentary layers with many of them extending worldwide and filled with what you would expect to see with a deluge of such magnitude--thousands upon thousand of fossilized animals. I mean some of these fossil beds contain animals giving birth, fish eating other fish, and even fragile creatures like a jelly fish. How long does a jelly fish last on a beach anyway? Before he tells you a bunch of hooey about "the present is the key to the past"--uniformitarianism--ask him why many of these layers have knife edge marks delineating them. If it took millions of years for them to be laid down, surely there would be some sign of weathering and erosion. Instead we have what appears to be foot after foot of sediments laid worldwide in some sort of global catastrophe. Oh well! Let me get to the topic at hand.
The greatest prize for calling God stupid goes to the religious who have denied the power of an almighty God. They feel that they can go to the church, jump, shout, sing, and worship thereby doing God a favor for even being there while they continue to live self-centered, fleshly, sinful lives. Surely God is not smart enough to see past the religious charade and see the wickedness and contempt for Him that they hold in their unregenerate heart? I guess then, you need to reread the first chapter of Isaiah. Maybe, for good measure, throw in Amos and Malachi. You see God is God! As God He is utterly all knowing! That is why we call Him the Omniscient One. Just because the government ran school system made Him out to be a dumby--don't you believe it for a minute! (I am sure, though, that we all know that the government is all-knowing and all-wise all the time anyway. Right?)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Back Tomorrow!
Sorry!!! I have been very busy with a funeral and other responsibilities the last few days. Be back tomorrow!
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