Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sunday Sermonette

The Ages to Come


"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)

People may ridicule Christians for believing in "pie in the sky bye and bye," but the sober truth is that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

Why should we get enamored with the philosophies and projects of this present world when the Scriptures tell us that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," and that both the wisdom and "the princes of this world" are going to "come to nought" (1 Corinthians 3:19; 2:6).

Anyway, should we not "lay up for selves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal" (Matthew 6:20), instead of foolishly "supposing that gain is godliness" (1 Timothy 6:5)? Christ "gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4), not to make us more comfortable living in it. In fact, "all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life . . . passeth away . . . but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:16-17).

God has not promised us pie in the sky, but He has promised to show us "the exceeding riches of his grace." He has assured us that there will be "glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end" (Ephesians 3:21). "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Therefore, like Moses, we choose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," for we have "respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Hebrews 11:25-26). HMM

h/t: Henry M Morris, Institute For Creation Research

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas, Dec. 25, 2009

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Merry Christmas to all!!! God bless you and God bless America!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sunday Sermonette

Sending Messages by Lightning
December 20, 2009

"Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?" (Job 38:35)

This question posed to Job was one of about 77 rhetorical questions in the remarkable divine monologue of God recorded in Job 38 and 39. This question included a reference to the fearful phenomena of thunder and lightning, which in ancient times were well-known, of course, and so was static electricity.

However, the fact that lightning is really just moving electricity was not fully recognized until Ben Franklin's famous kite experiment in the mid-eighteenth century. Furthermore, the fact that electricity can actually "go," and even carry information with it, was a discovery of quite recent times. God had even spoken of "a way |that is, a path| for the lightning of thunder" (Job 38:25).

Nowadays we have telegraph lines and telephones and radios and televisions and all sorts of devices whereby information is carried by these "lightnings" all over the world. There is even a worldwide web (an "information super highway," some have called it), enabling anyone to communicate electronically with the whole wide world if he wishes to do so, and to acquire just about any information he needs or which someone wants to "e-mail" him.

It is interesting, too, that any kind of formal information transmission program (such as from a television studio) will usually begin with an announcer saying, in effect: "Well, here we are!" and the "lightnings" carry these greetings practically instantaneously to any who are there to receive them.

All of this is the result of modern, sophisticated science and technology. Yet here it is clearly intimated as at least a possibility in what is probably the oldest book in the Bible!

h/t: Henry M Morris, Institute For Creation Research

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sunday Sermonette

Watching Him There
December 13, 2009

"And sitting down they watched him there." (Matthew 27:36)

When the Roman soldiers had finished torturing Jesus and gambling over His garments, finally nailing Him to the cross; and when the Jewish elders, scribes, and chief priests had finished mocking Him and challenging Him to come down from the cross if He could, they all just sat down to enjoy watching Him suffer and die!

But amazingly, what they saw as they watched had been described already, a thousand years before its fulfillment, in the remarkable prophecies of the 22nd Psalm, written as though coming from the inmost thoughts of the suffering one Himself, there on the cross. Even His initial cry was prophesied: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1).

"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, he trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. . . . I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. . . . My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. . . . they pierced my hands and my feet. . . . they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture" (Psalm 22:7-8, 14-18).

Space does not allow citing it all here, but one should read the entire psalm, comparing it in detail with the scene at the cross, to feel the profound impact of this moving prophecy and its fulfillment. But also note its conclusion. "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. . . . They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this" (Psalm 22:27, 31). HMM

h/t: Henry M Morris, Institute For Creation Research

Monday, December 7, 2009

One Nation Under God





My aplogies for this being cut off. The You Tube presentation is only available in widescreen, and the server will not shrink to fit.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Sunday Sermonette

Eternal Responsibilities
December 6, 2009

"And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him." (Revelation 22:3)

Frequently, Christians and non-Christians alike have a misconception about the nature of the coming life in heaven. We will not merely "go to heaven" and sit around in some semblance of holy laziness; we will be given jobs to do! Just what those jobs may be, or what they may require, is not specifically revealed to us, but it is abundantly clear that the kind of job, or the degree of responsibility, will be a privilege based on what we do here on earth now.

In the parable of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27), the Lord Jesus illustrates judgment based on productivity. The same amount of money was given to each of the servants, and only one general instruction was issued: "Occupy till I come" (v. 13). The reward that each servant received was in direct proportion to how much profit he had earned on the nobleman's money.

In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the nobleman gave differing amounts to each of his servants "to every man according to his several ability" (v. 15). The reward was based on efficient use of abilities, not on amount of profit produced.

Both of these parables have a common thread: The rewards (analogous to our rewards when the Lord returns), whether based on their productivity or their effectiveness, were rewards of responsibility. To those servants who had proven themselves capable of leadership, the Lord delegated "authority over cities" and rulership "over many things," assuring us that there will be some sort of social order in the age to come. Likewise we, in our present service for the Lord, are now given the opportunity to earn both God's commendation and His future greater stewardship.
h/t: Henry M Morris III, Institute For Creation Research