Saturday, April 27, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

April 28, 2013 The Unseen Angels "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." (Psalm 91:11) God has created "an innumerable company of angels" (Hebrews 12:22), and there are many references to them in both Old and New Testaments, but few living men or women have ever actually seen real heavenly angels--or, at least, recognized them as such. We may "have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2), for they can assume the appearance of men on occasion, but normally they are invisible to human eyes. Nevertheless, they are there! Furthermore, they are "all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). God has given them charge over us--that is, over each believer "that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High" (Psalm 91:1). They "excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Psalm 103:20). Wide is the variety of His commandments with respect to angelic ministry to believers. "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. . . . They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Psalms 34:7; 91:12). Not only physical protection but also guidance and encouragement are angelic ministries. When a believer dies, angels translate his spirit to the Lord's presence (Luke 16:22; 2 Corinthians 5:8), and we can look forward then to meeting and thanking them personally as we come to understand better all their ministries on our behalf during our lifetimes. They are keenly concerned with our salvation and spiritual progress, "which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12). Finally, "when the Son of man shall come in his glory," He will bring "all the holy angels with him" (Matthew 25:31) as He judges the world. HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

April 21, 2013 Holy Brethren "I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren." (1 Thessalonians 5:27) There is probably no word more misused--even abused--than the word "holy." In our day and age, it usually conjures up an image of sanctimoniousness, or even hypocrisy, and thus often becomes a term of snide ridicule. Nevertheless, it is a biblical term of highest significance, most often used in connection with God Himself, the Holy Spirit. Since it is also used in connection with things ("the holy place," as in Hebrews 9:12), it does not in itself necessarily have a moral connotation. Its basic meaning is evidently "set apart" and can refer either to people or objects that have been dedicated to God and His service. Christians are all "holy brethren" in this sense, regardless of their individual behavior. They are all also called "saints" (same word as "holy" in the Greek--e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:2, even though many of the "saints" at Corinth were far from Christlike in their actions). By all means, however, we who are called "holy brethren" ought to try, by God's grace, to bring honor to such a name, rather than ridicule. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him" (Hebrews 3:1-2). The term "saints," or "holy brethren," applies both to men and women, of course, and to believers of Old Testament times, as well as New Testament. Peter, for example, mentions "the holy women" who honored and served the Lord "in the old time" (1 Peter 3:5) and also the "holy men of God" through whom God gave the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21). The eternal admonition of God to all believers of every age is, "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

April 14, 2013 Snares "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Timothy 3:7) A snare is a trap normally used to catch an unwary wild animal, but each of the five times the word (Greek pagis) is used in the New Testament, it refers to devices used by the great deceiver, Satan, to trap unwary human beings. There is, first of all, the snare of worldly involvement. "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:34-35). There is the snare of rejecting God's word, both the written word and the living word. When Israel repudiated Christ, God said: "Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them" (Romans 11:9, quoting Psalm 69:22). The desire for riches can be a snare. "They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition" (1 Timothy 6:9). Satan has many other "devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11) by which he seeks "an advantage of us." Not even "bishops" or other full-time Christian ministers are immune, for our text is a warning to prospective bishops against "the snare of the devil." It is the responsibility of every true "servant of the Lord" to be "gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves . . . that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We must both avoid Satan's snares ourselves, and seek to deliver those who have been thus ensnared. HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

April 7, 2013 The Fires of Hell "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:6) Since the tongue can be a "world of iniquity" if it is "set on fire of hell," this implies that hell itself is not merely a "lake of fire" but is essentially a world of iniquity where "he that is unjust" and "he which is filthy" are unjust and filthy still (Revelation 22:11), separated forever "from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). This is the destiny of all who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 8). Their resurrected bodies presumably will be quickly consumed by the very real fires of the fiery lake, but their spirits are eternal, created in the image of God, and will continue to exist eternally in a world of iniquity, having spurned Christ's free gift of righteousness and love. This will not be mere physical suffering but spiritual suffering. The hell described in Islam's Koran is quite different. It consists of physical tortures of all kinds, described frequently throughout the book, seemingly with relish by its author as the destiny of all "infidels" (meaning all who refuse to become Muslims and submit to a god called Allah and his prophet Mohammed). On the other hand, a very sensual paradise is repeatedly promised to all faithful male Muslims, with dozens of "dark-eyed" nymphs available to serve them (little is said about rewards for faithful women). Christians and Muslims have some beliefs in common, of course, but the overriding consideration in comparing them must always be the fact that Christ alone has defeated death and can save all who come to Him in faith, promising eternal life in a real heaven with no more tears and no more pain (Revelation 21:4). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH