Sunday Sermonette

Abide November 25, 2012 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:4-5) As recorded in John 14-16, many of Christ's last words to His disciples as He was about to leave them regarded abiding. The word meno occurs 18 times in this discourse and is translated not only "abide," but also "remain," "dwell," "continue," and "be present." Let us look at what He told them about abiding while He was "yet present" (14:25) with them. First, "the Father . . . dwelleth in me" (14:10), "I am in the Father, and the Father in me" (v. 11). That is, they are one and the same, inseparably abiding together, giving great power to those believing on Him (v. 12). Furthermore, the very Spirit of God, the "Comforter," will "abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive . . . but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (vv. 16-17). "I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you" (v. 20). Abiding in Him, as we see in our text and in verse 7 (as opposed to the tragic end of those who "abide not" |v. 6|), brings forth much fruit, and that fruit shall "remain" (v. 16). There is one requirement--that we keep His commandments (14:23 and 15:10), and if we do so, we will "continue" and "abide" in His love (vv. 15:9-10). "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (15:11). Not only are we to abide while in this world, but throughout eternity. "In my Father's house are many mansions |same root word, meaning abiding places|: . . . I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (14:2-3). JDM h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

Jesus Christ--Our Hope November 18, 2012 "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.” (1 Timothy 1:18-19) Paul had been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ by Christ Himself (vv. 1, 12-16), and he did not take this fact lightly when it was time to pass on the job of guarding and propagating the truth to others. In our text, following his praise to God for giving him such a function, Paul now "charges” Timothy to follow in his footsteps. The word "commit” finds usage in banking vocabulary and implies a deposit of something of great value. Timothy was to continue to teach the valuable, life-changing truth of the gospel in love (v. 5) while guarding the flock against the teaching of false teachers (v. 3). Paul had not found such a responsibility to be easy. In our text he reminds Timothy of this fact, encouraging him to "war a good warfare.” Note the two weapons of Timothy’s warfare mentioned here. First, faith, which, while not specified, certainly implies faith in God and Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and faith that this cause is just and right. Second, a good conscience, yielding a life and ministry free from both controlling sin and the guilt of that sin. Such a conscience comes from a lifestyle brought into submission to God’s Word. In fact, this couplet--faith and a good conscience--is said to be "the end of the commandment” (v. 5), along with love. Some (v. 19) had abandoned these vital weapons to the "shipwreck” of their own faith and the faith of their followers. Nevertheless, such weapons, properly used, are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). JDM h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Veteran's Day 2012

Happy Veteran's Day and God's blessings on all of America's active duty, retired and all veterans, and their families, for all the life and limb, time and sacrifice they've given to keep America free! May God bless America and keep her truly free!

Sunday Sermonette

Created to Rule the Day November 11, 2012 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." (Genesis 1:16) It seems that throughout history, mankind has ignored or distorted the purpose for which God created the sun. Many cultures have even worshiped the sun, teaching that the sun was the source of all being, even human life. Temples were built in its honor, human sacrifices were made to appease it, whole civilizations were dedicated to its worship. The nation Israel, which had lived among sun-worshiping Egyptians for centuries, was warned not to "lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and . . . |see| the sun, and . . . be driven to worship" (Deuteronomy 4:19) under penalty of death, "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God" (Deuteronomy 4:24). One of mankind's primary purposes is to worship God, but the sun was created by God for man's benefit. He is a God of grace and desires to "freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32). The purpose of the sun is no mystery. Its Creator says that along with the moon and stars it is "to divide the day from the night . . . and . . . be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years . . . to give light upon the earth" (Genesis 1:14-15). There will come a time, however, when the sun will no longer be needed by God's people, for in our eternal home "there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light" (Revelation 22:5). "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Revelation 21:23). Best of all, we shall be with Him. JDM h/t: J D MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH

Sunday Sermonette

Root of Bitterness November 4, 2012 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:15) Bitterness and a bitter spirit should never characterize a person who has experienced the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. No matter how seriously one may have been wronged, if he has known God's forgiving grace for his own wrongdoings, he should manifest that same grace in his life toward others, even though they do not merit it (for neither did he merit God's forgiving grace himself). Bitterness is a characteristic of the ungodly "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" (Romans 3:14). A Christian must never try to rationalize it as "righteous indignation" or to think that certain injustices give him the "right" to be bitter and resentful. "If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish" (James 3:14-15). Rooted bitterness will soon "spring up," not only robbing the bitter believer of joy and true fruitfulness, but bearing bitter fruit whereby many others will "be defiled." The antidote, of course, is never to "fail of the grace of God." That is, we need to be "looking diligently," moment by moment, at the wonderful grace of God by which we were saved through faith and in which we continue to live each day. Therefore, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32). Otherwise, we not only hurt both ourselves and others, but we also grieve "the holy Spirit of God" (v. 30). HMM h/t: HENRY M MORRIS, INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH