The 4 P's, Pt. 2

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The 4 P's, Pt. 2

Part 2, A Plan

June 14, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

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June 14, 2024

The 4 P’s (A Purpose, a Plan, a Provider, and Paradise)

Pt. 2, A Plan

Our Creator, Jehovah God—the ONLY Deity—is the ultimate planner and provider. In our last installment, we spoke of God’s purpose in the Creation, especially in the creation of human beings, the only spiritual beings made in God’s tripartite image and likeness. In short, God is busy …bringing many sons unto glory(Hebrews 2:10) to the end that He might fellowship with us and receive our worship. He is worthy! And so, to accomplish His purpose, God had a plan… a wonderful plan!

We read about the literal creation part of His plan in Genesis. God created space, the material universe, and life (including the first man and woman), in six, literal, 24-hour days. We say God created by “fiat”, i.e., a formal authorization or decree. Our Trinity God literally “spoke” the universe (and all it contains) into existence. We read the phrase, Let there be… several times in the Genesis account, and the Psalmist proclaims, For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast (Psalm 33:9). And then on the seventh day, He rested as an example for mankind.

But there is an important part of God’s plan (a critical part in fact) that we often don’t think about or consider. I am speaking of God’s plan to redeem (buy back) a human race that was not yet existing or estranged! Our omniscient Creator pre-knew of Adam and Eve’s rebellion and fall in the Garden. And since God’s System requires that the penalty for rebellion and sin is death, then God’s justness necessitated a pre-planned solution for the sin-dilemma! We know this SOLUTION to be the marvelous Incarnation and the sacrificial death of the Eternal God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’ sin-atoning sacrifice had to be in effect before SIN, or else the Just Nature of God would have required Him to judge humanity on the spot. And so, in the Counsel of the Pre-Creation Trinity, the Son of God became the, …Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). And Peter writes concerning Jesus the Messiah, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you… (1 Peter 1:20).

What a Purpose! And then, what a Plan! Our Creator has an overall plan for the race, and then an individual plan for every human being. Therefore, what a tragedy it is to refuse God’s Redemption Plan! But that is what men and women effectively demand, when in pride they REFUSE God’s redemption, when they, as Paul foretold in Hebrews 10:29, account the blood of Jesus an unholy thing, and do despite, i.e., they INSULT, the wooing Holy Spirit.

Jesus was clear and frank. His precious blood can cleanse every sin… except for one! There is one sin that Christ’s blood will not assuage: the sin of unbelief. When men and women continually rebuff the wooing, convicting, pleading Holy Spirit, and then die in that state of prideful rebellion, there is no more remedy for sin, but only, …a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries (Hebrews 10:27). Solomon concurred in Proverbs 29:1, He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

What a horrific tragedy it will be to miss out on God’s glorious Plan. Jesus, His born-again children (his Bride), and the Holy Spirit all cry out, “Come!”

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

God bless and consider!

Leadership, Pt. 4

September 27, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

September 27, 2024 Leadership Pt. 4, The Perfect Leader This month we are talking about “Leadership”. In our first installment, we considered the concept of vision. A leader must have a goal or vision to work toward. Solomon said it like this, Where there is no vision (meaning a Divine instruction or revelation), the people perish… (Proverbs 29:18). Next, we considered the importance of implementation. A leader may know what they want to accomplish, and where they want to go, but do they know how to get there? Successful leaders need to know or figure out HOW to implement their vision. Jesus not only had a vision (a Divine plan or mission), but as The Creator, He knew how to implement His vision. Last week we visited the sad reality of leadership failures and how we are wise to follow Christ, and not politicians, economists, and philosophers. This segues us into the lesson climax entitled, The Perfect Leader. Our world has always been either 1) enamored with, or 2) in great fear of, their leaders. In ancient times, the potentates of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and Greece were formidable foes to their enemies and usually even fearful rulers to their own people. In recent history, we can populate a list of both good and bad leaders, men and women who have written significant chapters in our world history. But honestly, it is much easier to populate a list of the bad eggs than it is to think of those leaders who have benefitted our world society. On the bad side were men like the ruthless Mongol warlord Genghis Khan, Fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini, Communist revolutionaries like Marx and Engels and the dictators that took advantage of their corrupt socioeconomic philosophies, e.g., Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. But now, take my challenge. Name some good leaders. Maybe Queen Esther? Maybe George Washington? Maybe Winston Churchill? Who else? Have I demonstrated my point? Naming good leaders, off the cuff is a bit harder, isn’t it? The reasons are simple: first, there have been far, far more bad leaders in our world’s history, and second, the term “good” is relative. What you and I call “good” is totally dependent upon our social, political, and spiritual worldviews. Consider also our last two presidents of the United States! These two men’s political and social philosophies are virtually polar opposites, and their presidencies have created more animosity and vitriolic fervor than any two back-to-back presidents in my memory. So, who IS the perfect leader? If we are honest, the perfect leader is the person who champions all of OUR causes, beliefs, and philosophies. The problem, of course, is that I’m as messed up as you are! Truly, As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). When we look to political leaders, business leaders, environmental leaders, economic leaders, and even to religious leaders, to “save” us (and our planet) we are essentially putting our faith in another sinful, biased, and failure-prone human being. The only Perfect Leader that has ever lived, taught, and led is the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. He IS… The Way, The Life, and The Truth (John 14:6). And just consider what sinful humanity did to Him! The truth is that no sinful human being is going to usher in a utopia. Oh, one IS going to try! The Scriptures call him the Beast, the Man of Sin, and the Antichrist. This false Christ will rise in the end days as this world’s “savior” and the vast majority of humanity will champion his cause and follow his lead… right into eternal perdition! Jesus the “Christ” (meaning Anointed One, Messiah), was and will be, this World’s Perfect Leader. The only hope for our lost and decaying world is the soul salvation provided by Jesus’ First Advent sacrifice, and then the righteous judgment that is coming when Jesus returns as King and Judge at His Second Advent. King Jesus will rule and reign in total righteousness on this Earth for 1000 literal years and from a new world capital: Jerusalem. Friends, this World’s Perfect Leader is coming back! And here is the only question that remains: will He be your Savior or your Judge? As the Psalmist prophesied in Psalm 2:12, Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. God bless and consider!

Leadership, Pt. 3

September 20, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

September 20, 2024 Leadership Pt. 3, When Leaders Fall This month we are talking about “Leadership”. In our first installment, we considered the concept of vision. A leader must have a goal or vision to work toward. Solomon wrote, Where there is no vision (meaning a Divine instruction or revelation), the people perish… (Proverbs 29:18). Next, we considered the importance of implementation. A leader may know what they want to accomplish, and where they want to go, but do they know how to get there? Successful leaders need to know how to implement their vision. Jesus not only had a vision (a Divine plan or mission), but as The Creator, He knew how to implement His vision. This week I want to look at the grave fallout produced when leaders fail. It has been said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I believe that maxim is 100% correct. FIRST, this maxim is correct because God’s Word teaches that it is correct. SECOND, it is correct because reality teaches us that it is correct. If you have not yet stopped to consider the fact that God is into reality, you might consider that now. Let’s consider some of those historical realities taught in God’s Word. • Adam, God’s leader of the family, followed Eve’s lead in disobeying their Creator. As the leader, Adam failed, and humanity was plunged into sinful chaos. • At Kadesh, Israel followed the majority, when 10 of the spies said NO and only two said GO. Israel failed to trust God, Who had just weeks earlier parted the Red Sea, and Who was even then leading them with a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. The unbelieving nation sided with 10 unbelieving, ungodly leaders, and rejected the urgent counsel of their godly spiritual leadership: Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. Consequently, God consigned the entire nation to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, during which a whole generation died. The only men of that generation to enter Canaan were faithful Joshua and Caleb. Ten leaders failed, and it cost an entire generation. • Another obvious lesson on the importance of godly leadership is the record of Israel’s and Judah’s Kings. When the nation’s kings were godly, and led out in the worship of their Creator, God blessed them. But when the leaders were evil and idolatrous, the people suffered greatly, even finally being given over into captivity. The 10 Northern Tribes—called “Israel” or “Ephraim”—NEVER had a godly king; every leader was wicked and idolatrous! Consequently, God gave them over into the hands of the wicked Assyrians. God granted the southern Kingdom, Judah, a little more space for His servant David’s sake, but eventually, their leaders all led wickedly, and He had to give them up also. He used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to judge the Southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. And we could go on, and on, and on with Biblical examples that warn us to follow godly leaders and to shun evil, wicked, and unbelieving leaders. But, unfortunately, humanity has still not learned its lesson. Generally, our World’s secular—i.e., PURPOSEFULLY godless—societies continue to reject godly principles and godly leaders, in exchange for secular, humanistic, God-hating leadership. These kinds of base men and women are guaranteed to fail and fall… BECAUSE THEY ARE LED AND EMPOWERED NOT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, but by their base and carnal desires, by their corrupt secular philosophies, and bottom line, by the Spirit of the Age, i.e., the god of this world, Satan, and his demonic hierarchy. So, if you are looking at the big picture, you will recognize that our vision, and then our implementation of that vision, must be God-authored and then God-empowered, • IF it is to be of any eternal value, • IF it is to bring blessing, and • IF it is going to lead to spiritual righteousness (which comes by repentance and faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross). Human beings can come up with all kinds of ideas, strategies, and visions, but as the Psalmist wrote, Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Psalm 127:1). God bless and consider!

Leadership, Pt. 2

September 13, 2024 • Central Baptist Church

September 13, 2024 Leadership Pt. 2, The Implementation of the Vision This month we are talking about “Leadership”. Last week I introduced the theme with step one: Vision. Any leader that doesn’t have a vision, i.e., doesn’t know where he is going or what he wants to accomplish, is worse than no leader at all. He (or she) will simply drag their following through the same maze that they are in. Solomon said it like this: Where there is no vision (meaning a Divine instruction or revelation), the people perish… (Proverbs 29:18). So first, to be good leaders, we must have a vision of where we need to go. Jesus Christ was and is the World’s greatest Visionary Leader; He provided the Divine vision (revelation) that this sinful World needs to avoid certain condemnation. His Vision, even before the beginning of the Creation, was to harvest human souls, souls that in His foreknowledge, He knew would rebel! And “whosoever will” was welcomed to come into His Spiritual Kingdom. But good leaders need more than just a “vision”! In addition to knowing where they are going, they also need to know HOW TO GET THERE! Successful leaders need to know HOW to implement their vision. Jesus not only had a vision (a Divine plan or mission), but as The Creator, He knew how to implement His vision. In the fullness of time, He first sent John the Baptizer to preach repentance and to prepare a following, at TEAM. Jesus then took that TEAM of 12 men and personally trained them for over three years. After Jesus’ substitutionary payment for sin on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, He commissioned His Holy Spirit to implement a new role: the role of “Comforter” (meaning Advocate, Intercessor, and Guide). In His role of Comforter, the Holy Spirit would… 1) testify of Jesus (John 15:26), 2) He would guide born-again believers into all truth (John 16:13), 3) He would reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8), (convict the lost), and He would 4) administrate and empower a brand-new institution for this new dispensation, the Local New Testament Church. God’s vision has always been to redeem his Creation: all of it! But this redemption focused especially upon humanity, upon men and women who were and are created in His image, with eternal spirits, that will never die. Jesus’ vision was to rescue those who are perishing in sin and He implemented that vision at the Cross of Calvary. He died as our perfect substitute, totally paying the sin debt of every human being. All that a person must do to appropriate God’s gift of redemption is… 1) admit to God (agree WITH God) that he/she is a sinner (Romans 3:23), and as such, totally lost, undone, and separated from God, 2) believe (have complete faith) in the efficacy of Christ’s substitutionary death, burial, and miraculous resurrection, AND understand that it is Christ ALONE that saves by grace, and that it can never be by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9), and finally… 3) call out FOR that salvation (For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved, Romans 10:13). We appropriate God’s free gift of salvation by asking for it! The dying thief on the cross asked in this manner, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom (Luke 23:42). The praying publican in the parable of the Pharisee and Publican asked like this, God be merciful to me, a sinner (Luke 18:13). Christ’s implementation of his Vision was made possible by the Cross. He then implemented a 3-part battle plan called “The Great Commission”, and he gave this commission to the institution of the Local, Visible, New Testament Church. Empowered by the Comforter, local churches are to 1) preach the Gospel (good news) and evangelize the fields which are white unto harvest, 2) then they are to baptize (immerse in water) those who repent and believe, and finally they are to train (disciple or teach) converts to join in the battle for souls. Jesus had The Vision, and He implemented His Vision. And His Local, Scriptural, New Testament Churches have been carrying on this implementation by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit for nigh on 2000 years. So the big question is, “Are you a part of His Team?” God bless and consider!