The Kingdom of Heaven is Like..., Pt. 10
Part 10, The Parable of the Householder: Proclamation
July 12, 2019
Good and Evil, Pt. 2
April 12, 2024 • Central Baptist Church
Good and Evil Part 2, The Desire “Why?” It seems that human beings start asking this one-word question almost before we can say “da da” (oh, I’m sorry… “ma ma”). “Why?”, is a good question because we learn when we ask it. But “Why?”, can also be a dangerous question when it is directed, in a questioning manner, to someone in authority, for example, GOD! After the creation, God made just one rule, just one law for his first man and woman. We can’t even imagine a world with just one law. Our planet is so inundated with laws, regulations, codes, and statutes that it’s often easier to say what we can’t do rather than what we can! But truly, the first couple had just one rule. God said, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:16, 17). Think of it! Every other element of the creation was Adam and Eve’s to enjoy. Just one tree—ONE TREE—was off-limits. Do you think they wondered, “Why?” I’m sure they did! And so, what happened? Eve’s desire got the better of her. With the fallen angel Lucifer cheerleading, and twisting, and deceiving, Eve’s desire to know “Why?”, overpowered her senses and her respect for God and God’s Law, and she violated that one rule! She ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells us exactly what Eve was thinking and feeling. Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. As Paul Harvey used to say, “Now we know the rest of the story!” Adam and Eve’s desire caused them to question, and then disobey God’s Law, and it got them and us into an awful fix. But God also has a desire. Jesus Christ, the God-Man, desired to fulfill The Trinity’s plan for the redemption, (i.e., the buy-back, the rescue) of mankind, so that He might bring many sons unto glory by his own suffering (Hebrews 2:10). In Hebrews 10 we read the prophetic declaration of the Son of God: Lo I come… to do thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:7, 9). On the evening[1] of the Passover, Jesus declared to His disciples, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God (Luke 22:15, 16). We call Christ’s sacrifice His “passion”, and the week leading up to the crucifixion “passion week”. Jesus’ loving passion—His desire—was to pay mankind’s sin debt and make it possible for all men and women to be purchased back, to be redeemed. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:14-17). Adam and Eve’s desire brought disaster. But Jesus’ desire brought deliverance! Praise God, we have been made redeemable through the blood payment of the Substitutionary Sacrifice, the Perfect Lamb of God. So, what is your desire? Do you desire to be made free from the curse of sin? God is, …not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). You CAN apply the cleansing blood of Christ’s sacrifice. You CAN become a forgiven child of the King, by repenting (i.e., changing your mind about how to be accepted by God), and in faith (belief), crying out for His loving, forgiving grace! It’s NOT of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9). For whosover shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). God bless and consider! [1] The Jew’s day started at sundown, with evening, and then morning. See the Creation account in Genesis 1 and also Psalm 55:17.
Good and Evil, Pt. 1
April 5, 2024 • Central Baptist Church
Good and Evil Part 1, The Dilemma One of the hardest things to rationalize, especially for those who are only marginally acquainted with God, is the very real presence of evil in our World. Evil reared its ugly head even from the beginning when a jealous, angry Cain murdered his brother Abel. In every generation, evil and wickedness have been perpetrated by potentates, by dictators, by lawless marauders, and even by so-called religious organizations and churches. The English historian and Parliament member, John Dalberg-Acton (Lord Acton)[1] was spot on when he said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.”[2] He also said, “Despotic power is always accompanied by corruption of morality.”[3] The very real presence and inescapable tendency for evil causes many people to doubt or even deny the existence of an all-powerful, loving Creator God. The question that always comes, usually during times of pain, duress, or grief is, “If there IS a God, why would He allow wickedness and evil?”, or “If God is all powerful, why did he let this injustice occur?”, or “If God loves me, why did he let me get this disease?” The question can take ten-thousand forms but the common denominator is always, “Why evil?”, and God almost always bears the brunt of humanity’s anger and accusations. In the course of recent human history some have thought of evil as a disease, that could be cured by education, good jobs, good pay, and civil rights. In other words, people were just being wicked because they were disenfranchised, or discriminated against, or hungry, or oppressed. Then, when the liberal experiments fail (and they always will, because they treat symptoms and not the disease), the opposing side simply says, “Lock evil away!”, but this tack ultimately fails as well. There can never be enough prisons! Although liberals still search for a “cure” and conservatives build more prisons, the remedy for evil is not political reform, social reform, or even religion. Ironically, despotic “religion” has perpetrated as much evil as any Nero, Kahn, Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, or Mao. Neither is the remedy found in more and tougher laws because you can’t legislate a moral conscience. All of these proposed solutions treat only the symptoms, and never effectively! The efficacious antibiotic for the plague of evil that has infected every human soul is a Divinely empowered spiritual rebirth, the changing of man’s very nature. And that’s what we’ll talk about next week. So, stay tuned! There is a Great Light at the end of what seems to be a very dark tunnel. God bless and consider! [1] https://en.http://wikipedia.org/wiki/john_dalberg-acton,_1st_Baron_Acton [2] https://acton.org/research/lord-acton-quote-archive [3] https://acton.org/research/lord-acton-quote-archive
There Are None So... Pt. 5
March 29, 2024 • Central Baptist Church
March 29, 2024 There Are None So… Part 5, Frustrated We have spent the month looking at the theme, “There are none so…”. For example, there are none so blind as those who will not see, or none so deaf as those who will not hear. These self-imposed disabilities were first alluded to by God’s prophet Jeremiah as he warned the nation of Judah of their impending judgment and correction. [1] But like her sister Samaria (the 10 Northern Jewish tribes), Judah knowingly and willingly stiffened her national neck and she refused to see, hear, or respect her glorious God who deserved her thanks, her adoration, her service, and her praise. Consequently, as God warned, she was given over to the harsh nation Chaldea (Babylon) and her king Nebuchadnezzar, for 70 years of captivity. Ironically, what seemed to be the death of this nation, was the only way the nation could be saved from its own wickedness and self-inflicted wounds. This then segues us into our last thought for the month: There are none so frustrated, as those who will not follow. This installment is addressed to born-again Christians [2], i.e., those who have a personal, eternal, saving relationship with the Creator through repentance [3] and then absolute faith in (and ONLY in) the blood-sacrifice of the God-Man, Jesus the Christ. The Nation of Israel was and still is God’s chosen nation. This doesn’t mean that God loves Israel and hates everyone else. Rather it means that God sovereignly CHOSE Abraham and his lineage through the promised seed Isaac [4], to be His voice, His example, and His beacon to the other nations and peoples of this world. Sadly, Israel repeatedly rebelled and failed her spiritual mission. God used Babylon in 586 B.C., to chasten His people, and then Rome in 70 A.D. to finally scatter the nation and dissolve its national status. In a national sense, because Israel would not follow God (in love-motivated obedience and obeisance), she became frustrated; she came to political and national ruin. It is only by God’s grace and sovereign plan that this nation of scattered, dry, lifeless, and disjointed “bones” (Ezekiel 37:1-15) has miraculously risen, bone-joined-to-bone. This prophecy was fulfilled in 1948. Israel is again a national entity. [5] Well, in the same way that Israel became frustrated nationally because they would not follow their gracious Creator, Savior, and King, born-again Christians—the spiritual offspring of God—will become frustrated spiritually when they refuse to follow Christ and inculcate His “mind” (way of thinking, or worldview) and His lifestyle. Men and women who have tasted the glorious salvation given to them freely by God’s grace when they repented, believed, and cried out for salvation, and then have turned from following Christ, to follow and embrace this wicked World’s way of thinking and living, are going to live miserable, unfulfilled, and frustrated spiritual lives. Oh, worldly Christians might appear successful, happy, and on top of the “world” (pun intended), but they have no joy, no peace, no contentment, and no power. They, like the worldlings around them, are building their lives upon the sand, and as Jesus warned, their physical and carnal investments will disappear at the next big blow or flood. Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Praise God we can’t lose our salvation, but we can lose everything else, including our families! There are none so frustrated, as those who will not follow. God bless and consider! [1] Jeremiah cried out to his nation Judah, Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying, 21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: 22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence… (Jeremiah 5:20-22). [2] John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [3] The word “repent” literally means to turn from going one direction, to the exact opposite direction. In regard to salvation (the spiritual rebirth of our sin-deadened spirits) repentance involves 1) recognizing our sin (agreeing with God that we are sinners and as such separated from Him eternally), 2) having contrition because of their sin, 3) and then gladly and willfully turning from our sinful ways. [4] Isaac, not Ishmael (the seed of the Egyptian bondmaid Hagar), was the promised seed, the lineage through which God would build his nation Israel, and eventually bring forth the Messiah, the Savior of the World. Paul in Galatians 4:21-31 uses the two sons of Abraham as an allegory of bondage vs. spiritual liberty. Gal. 4:21-31 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it isnow. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. [5] Israel stands again as a physical nation, but not as a spiritual nation. God has not yet put his Spirit within them (see Ezekiel 37:14). This day will come, again through Tribulation and grace, and as Paul prophesied, And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob… Romans 11:26.