Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

June 30, 2013 Working Out Our Salvation "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out—that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith. Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that "I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18). Good works—consisting of a righteous and gracious lifestyle, considerate of others and obedient to Christ's commands—are the visible evidences of salvation. We have been "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). The context of our text, in fact, assures us, on the basis of Christ's sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Philippians 2:8-11) that "it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (v. 13). God is thereby enabling us to "work out" our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. Thus, it is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, . . . as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life . . ." (vv. 15-16). We do need to "examine |ourselves|, whether |we| be in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5), and we are admonished that "we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

June 23, 2013 The Meaning of "Day" "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1:5) Many people today, professing to believe the Bible, have compromised with the evolutionary philosophy which dominates our society by accepting its framework of geological ages. This system interprets the rocks and fossils in terms of a supposed 4.6 billion-year history of the earth and life culminating in the evolution of early humans perhaps a million years ago. In order to justify this compromise, they usually say that the "days" of creation really correspond to the geological ages, arguing that the Hebrew word for "day" (yom) does not have to mean a literal solar day. Oh, yes, it does—at least in Genesis chapter one! God, knowing that the pagan philosophers of antiquity would soon try to distort His record of creation into long ages of pantheistic evolution (as in the Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and other such ancient cosmogonies), was careful to define His terms! "God called the light Day," and that was the first day with its evening and morning. All subsequent days have followed the same pattern—a period of darkness (night), then a period of light (day). One may quibble about the exact length of the day if he insists (e.g., equatorial days versus polar days), but there is no way this definition can accommodate a geological age. This is the very first reference to "day" (or yom) in the Bible, and this is given as an actual statement of the meaning of the word. This ought to settle the question for anyone who really believes the Bible. One may decide to believe the evolutionary geologists if he wishes, instead of God, but he should at least let God speak for Himself. God says the days of creation were literal days, not ages. "In six days the LORD made heaven and earth" (Exodus 31:17). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Father's Day Sunday Sermonette

June 16, 2013 Honoring Our Fathers "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12) This familiar command was the fifth in God's list of Ten Commandments, the law of God, and it has never been abrogated. It was quoted by Christ as His own command, when He said: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. . . . Honour thy father and thy mother" (Matthew 19:17, 19). The apostle Paul also cited it as of special significance: "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise" (Ephesians 6:2). This all indicates that God considers the honoring of parents by their children to be of great significance. Since the father has been charged with the primary spiritual responsibility for his family, it is of supreme importance that fathers lead their children properly and the children follow that lead with all due respect and diligence. God blessed Abraham as "the father of us all" (Romans 4:16) because He could say concerning Abraham: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment" (Genesis 18:19). It is not easy being such a father, but it is vital if our children are to come also to honor their heavenly Father. "For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? . . . Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews 12:7, 9). "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). If we fathers diligently follow God's Word in leading our children, then they will honor their fathers, not only while they are children, but all their lives. HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

June 9, 2013 Confession "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The Bible book in which this glorious promise is given was written entirely to the saint of God, not to the unbelieving sinner. •Confession is what saints do when they sin. •Repentance is what sinners do before they become saints. •Confession is agreement (identity) with the sin against God. •Repentance is reversal (changed mind) to trust (from me to God). Psalm 51 is a classic prayer of confession. King David poured out his heart of sorrow for the terrible affair with Bathsheba and yearned for God to "wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (v. 2). David acknowledged that "against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" (v. 4). He confessed his sin, and asked God, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (v. 12). Three of the gospels record the declaration of Jesus that "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). Repentance is not an apology for specific sins, it is a heart-mind-soul turning from self-righteous sufficiency to God's holiness. It is the lost that repent, not the saved: "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance" (Luke 15:7). One day, however, "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:11). Far better to repent in sorrow today than confess in terror at the Judgment. HMM III h/t: HENRY M MORRIS III, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Sunday Sermonette

June 2, 2013 The Unequal Yoke "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) This is one of the definitive statements in Scripture on the doctrine of Christian separation. Not only should believers refrain from practicing evil teaching and error, they should not join in any formal association with those who do such things, nor should they enter into a binding relationship of any kind with non-Christians. There may be a question regarding the full scope of this prohibition, though it probably would not apply to civic clubs, professional societies, and other groups with no religious connotations. The context of this verse implies an association of Christians with pagan idolaters, compromising God's Word with the immoral pantheism of the Greek religions. The "unequal yoke" seems, therefore, to be one involving an actual "fellowship" and "communion" in some kind of religious or quasi-spiritual union with unbelievers, and this is forbidden, for how "can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). In the modern scene, ancient Greek pantheism has now become one form or another of evolutionary humanism. Thus the prohibition would at least apply to membership in secret lodges or fraternities with a pseudo-religious structure and purpose, as well as membership in liberal churches or cults in the so-called "New Age" orbit. It clearly must also include marriage or partnership or other formal unions with individuals who, as unbelievers in Christ, are either knowingly or unknowingly affected by such pagan beliefs or practices. Instead of such an unequal yoke, we should be joined only to Christ and His followers, "For," said He, "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH