Sunday Sermonette

February 24, 2013 By His Doing "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30) In this one verse we find described four aspects of Christ's work on our behalf. As we look at each one, let us first note that it is "of him," literally "by his doing," that we are in Christ Jesus, who "is made" or "who became" these things to us and for us. Wisdom of God: This is the preferred rendering. Paul was writing to the church at Corinth (a Greek city). The Greeks were infatuated with wisdom, but Paul declared Christ Jesus to be the "wisdom of God." Such wisdom is likewise imparted to believers (v. 24), while "the foolishness of God is wiser than men" (v. 25). Righteousness: Christ, being "made" righteousness, becomes an all-sufficient righteousness to us. This imputed rightness before God gives us a new standing before Him, permitting us access to Him, peace with Him, and ultimate glory with Him. Sanctification: In Christ, we not only have this righteous standing, we are assured of a holy state as well. Through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we know that our lives will be constantly molded into Christ-likeness. Redemption: Christ is made redemption for us, and in its fullest definition, this is His final goal. Through His redemptive work, we have been completely delivered from the power of sin, and will one day be delivered from the presence of sin. The introductory phrase "of him" or "by his doing" is emphatic in the Greek text. When we see what He has done, we realize just how helpless we were, and how strongly He has acted on our behalf. "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (v. 31). JDM h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

February 17, 2013 Faith in All the Ages "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets." (Hebrews 11:32) Hebrews 11 is a thrilling catalog of the faithful servants of God in all the ancient ages. There were Abel, Enoch, and Noah before the Flood; then Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in the patriarchal age; followed by Moses, Joshua, and Rahab in the time of the exodus and conquest. Finally, today’s verse summarizes the periods of the judges (Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthae), the kings (Samuel, David), and the prophets. All these were men and women of great faith, though each had to endure great testing. They, as the writer says, "stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword . . . had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder . . . destitute, afflicted, tormented" (Hebrews 11:33-37). In every age, men and women of faith were more often than not despised and persecuted by the world (even by the religious world!), but the Bible notes, parenthetically, that it was they "of whom the world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:38). In God’s sight, they all "obtained a good report through faith" (Hebrews 11:39), and this is worth more than all the world, for it is the entrance into a far better and eternal world. Note that faith is not a sentimental wishfulness, but a strong confidence in God and His Word, through Jesus Christ, who is Himself "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Like those of past ages, we can also "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1), through the faith He offers us. HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

February 10, 2013 Not Yet "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come." (John 8:20) This is the last of seven times in the gospel of John that the phrase "not yet" is used in reference to the forthcoming death of Christ. Although this was the very reason He came into the world, the event itself could not be hurried. When His mother wanted Him to provide wine for the wedding, He said, "Mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4). When His brothers urged Him to show His mighty works in Jerusalem, His answer was, "My time is not yet come" (John 7:6, 8). When His enemies tried to take Him at the feast of tabernacles, "no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come" (John 7:30). Even when He preached His great promise of living water, John noted parenthetically that "the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:39). But His hour did come, and they did lay hands on Him, and put Him to death. Then He was glorified, and the Holy Spirit was given. And now we await another great time that has not yet come. John speaks of this also: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but . . . we shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). In that great time to come, all things will be made subject to Christ. "But now we see not yet all things put under him" (Hebrews 2:8). These great promises and others associated with them have not yet been accomplished--the world is far from being in subjection to Him, and we are far from being like Him. But the hour will come, just as the first one did, and it will be glorious. For "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

February 3, 2013 Wrong on Two Counts "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29) When the Sadducees, who were the theological, philosophical, and scientific elite of the day, came to Jesus with a trick question in an attempt to discredit Him, He responded with the stinging rebuke in today's verse. While His response dealt specifically with the fact of resurrection and the nature of the afterlife, His twofold evaluation of self-reliant scholars still fits today, particularly in regard to evolutionary speculations. By the time Darwin had published his book Origin of Species, attributing evolutionary progression to natural selection, he had probably become an atheist and so set about to ascribe creation to natural causes. He attributed to nature abilities which clearly belong to God alone. He knew something of the Scriptures, but his memoirs show that he had little understanding of basic biblical teaching. He felt that if there was a God, He had little power or had not been involved in the affairs of this earth. Most atheistic evolutionists today follow Darwin's intellectual footsteps. But what of Christian intellectuals, theistic evolutionists, progressive creationists, or advocates of the framework hypothesis, who claim to know God but yet deny His awesome power in creation? They too reject the clear teaching of Scripture regarding creation, relegating God to the mundane task of overseeing the evolutionary process, reducing His power to something man can accomplish. Peter aptly describes this attitude when he calls it willful ignorance (2 Peter 3:5). It has been suggested by some that all human error can be traced to one or both of these categories: not knowing (and/ or believing) the Scriptures, and underestimating the power of God. JDM h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH