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

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 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

Sunday Sermonette

May 26, 2013 What Is Sin? "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) The Bible warns that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20). These are strange days, however, and there are many "that call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). Who is to say what is right and wrong, when even our U.S. Supreme Court implies that there are no absolutes? God is the one who defines sin because it is He who will judge sin. The definition is multifaceted, for sin takes many forms. Most basically, as our text says, sin is the transgression of the law--not just certain laws, but all of God's law. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). But there must be more than just formal obedience to God's commands, for "all unrighteousness is sin" (1 John 5:17). Furthermore, there are sins of omission, as well as sins of commission. "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). When there is no specific law or command to guide our actions in a particular situation, the principle to follow is that of faith--that is, the confident inward assurance that we are doing that which honors the Lord, for "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). There is much more that could be noted, but it is clear that no one could ever measure up even to these demands, "for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All of us deserve the wages of sin, "but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Now "the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. . . . Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ" (Romans 3:21-22). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

May 19, 2013 Judging Error "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16:17-18) In order to mark and avoid those professing Christian teachers and leaders who are promoting doctrinal heresy (thus causing divisions among Christian believers), it is obvious that we must exercise sound biblical discernment and judgment. This judgment must be based on "the doctrine which ye have learned" from God's word. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). Such decisions are not to be based on supposed scholarship, tolerance, or eloquence, for such teachers "by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Instead, we must know and apply God's word, the Holy Scriptures. We must be like the Bereans, who, when they heard new teachings, "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). It is sadly true today that many who call themselves Christians have compromised with the pseudo-scientific worldview of evolutionary humanism that controls all secular schools and colleges, hoping thereby to avoid the "offence of the cross" (Galatians 5:11), and to remain on good terms with "the princes of this world" and "the wisdom of this world" (1 Corinthians 2:6). They do this for their own personal gain or prestige, however, not serving Christ, "but their own belly" (Romans 16:18). Those who are simple Bible-believing Christians are, therefore, not to be deceived by their "good words," but to "mark" and avoid them. HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Mother's Day Sunday Sermonette

May 12, 2013 The Elect Lady "The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth." (2 John 1) The Greek word for "lady" (kuria) is used only two times in the Bible, and both of these occurrences are here in the one-chapter epistle of 2 John. It is also fascinating to note that kuria is the feminine form of kurios, which is the Greek word for "Lord." Evidently this "elect lady" was a special woman, very highly esteemed by the apostle John as a capable and conscientious mother to her children. It is uncertain however, whether this distinguished lady was a literal mother in the church with literal children or possibly a metaphor for the church itself, with the "children" its individual members. Good reasons can be given for both interpretations, and it may even be that John wrote his letter with this dual meaning in mind under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In either case, it is significant that this mother is called "lady" instead of the much more frequently used "woman" (Greek gune), or even "mother" (Greek meter). The Greek kuria was evidently used to stress deep respect and honor to such a mother in the church. She clearly was training her children in "the truth," much as Timothy's mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, had brought him up to have "unfeigned faith" in "the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15). In addition to faith in God's truth, of course, there should be genuine love. The second use of kuria is in verse 5: "And now I beseech thee lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another" (2 John 5). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

May 5, 2013 Results of Religious Compromise "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD." (2 Chronicles 19:2) Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah who faithfully served the Lord, but he made the tragic mistake of forming an alliance with ungodly king Ahab of Israel in fighting against their common enemy Syria. After all, he reasoned, they were "brothers," both descended from Abraham, so they could join together in battling the Syrians. As a result, although God continued to bless Jehoshaphat during his lifetime, this compromise eventually resulted in great tragedy in his family when his son and successor, Jehoram, married Ahab's wicked daughter, Athaliah, and then slew all his own brothers, and soon he himself died of a loathsome disease (2 Chronicles 21:4, 6, 19). The road of compromise eventually ends in a precipice, especially in matters regarding the integrity of God's word and His saving gospel. The timeless principle for Christians today is given in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? . . . or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" This warning and command is at least as greatly needed today as it was in Paul's day. Spiritual, moral, and religious compromise seem to be endemic in the Christian realm today, in both doctrine and practice, and God would warn us that tragedy is imminent in the generation of our children, if not before. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing" (2 Corinthians 6:17). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH