Author: pastorscottwordofgracefellowship

Happy New Year!

Last Sunday, I preached a New Year’s message (or a goodbye-to-the-old-year message) from Ephesians 5:15-17. (Watch your step; Redeem the time; Seek to do God’s will everyday); simple enough; but I was also delving into some of the darker issues of the day that have many of us feeling as if the time is getting short.  I read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 wherein Paul clears up similar apprehensions, and after the service I entertained an interesting question.

“If John’s Revelation was written (happened) long after Paul had died, how did Paul know about ‘the man of lawlessness’ etc?”  I thought maybe this questioner wasn’t the only one who was curious:

I call it the “Gap Theory” of Paul’s Post-Cross Education.  Remember Saul (Paul ) was a young Pharisee well on the road to becoming a leader, he was a student of Gamilel, who we meet in Acts 4.  He held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen in Acts 7 and Acts 9 records his trip to persecute the believers in Damascus.  It was on that road that the Risen Christ knocked him off his horse.  The rest of his history we pieced together from the rest of Acts and the 13 epistles that God preserved.  We, obviously, don’t know about every trip he made nor every conversation he had, and what I’m about to present is a deduction as much as it is a revelation.  🙂

Three key texts are involved.  Paul’s earliest letter (in the canon) is his letter to the Galatians. Paul talks about the Gospel being preached to him without human intervention, but rather received directly from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12).  He also discussed spending three years in Arabia before spending 15 days with Cephas (1:18-19).  I refer to this as the “gap” between Acts 9:22 & 23.

The question remains, what happened during those three years when Paul: a) met with no apostles; and, b) apparently received all sorts of revelations (Eph 3:3; 1 Cor 11:23; 1 Thess 4-5; etc).

Some scholars teach that Galatians 1:11-12 is referring exclusively to the Damascus Road encounter and that Paul spent those three years in Arabia learning from other non-apostolic disciples (followers) of Christ.  That’s a nice answer but it totally discounts one other passage, 2 Corinthians 12. 

I believe that as Paul was explaining to the believers in Corinth why he was so beset by physical struggles, and he also gives us the final clue as to how he knew things; like the things that were revealed to John in the Revelation.  Paul uses third person because he believes it would be prideful to speak otherwise….

Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.  I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven.  And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—  was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.  In behalf of such a man I will boast; but in my own behalf I will not boast, except regarding my weaknesses.  For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.  Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!  2 Corinthians 12:1-7

I believe that Christ is the cornerstone of the church and apostles were the foundation, Paul being the last and being especially targeted to minister to the Gentiles needed to spend three years with Jesus, just like the other apostles did pre-cross.  

These two passages are testimonies not didactic, so let’s not try to make doctrine out of them; I just think they offer a reasonable explanation.  I cc’d the Galatians passage below.

Happy New Year! May we ALWAYS want to know Him and His Word more deeply!

Pastor Scott

11 For I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel which was preached by me is not of human invention. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15 But when He who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 But I did not see another one of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which are in Christ; 23 but they only kept hearing, “The man who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they were glorifying God because of me. ~Galatians 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind; as He already existed in the form of God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.   And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason, also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Perhaps you or your family read or recite Luke 2 on Christmas Eve – Might I suggest this John/Paul Hash your Pastor cooked up as a great Christmas Morning Reading!

Hope you have a very Merry, Festive & family filled – Christ centered Christmas!

Pastor Scott

And I think we might need to discuss

That our hope is not in Vaccines or Politics  (or even the Chiefs)

Our hope rests in Immanuel, God with us 

Who Came

Who Died

Who Rose

Who Will Come Again !

AMEN? AMEN!

Last week, springboarding off the things I was going to miss having to quarantine, I wrote about God as the Potter.  The line in that piece that has played over and over in my head this week (and yes, preachers often step on their own toes; how can they not?) reads:  “He’s the Potter. Whiny clay isn’t even a thing.”  

I believe that we often need to hear God’s “drill-instructor” voice (e.g., Job 38-41).  There are, of course, other times that we need to hear Abba’s voice.  Several days after writing the line about whiny clay, God brought to mind a different picture.  Sitting around our house are samples of the finished work of the artists I mentioned in the last piece.  The beautiful lamp or the Hobbit that was in the lump of clay or the block of wood.  They look NOTHING like what came home from the store.

I don’t do handiwork.  I have ten thumbs and they’re all on backwards, but I do have two pretty good eyes.  And I’ve watched the face of these artisans as they gazed at their raw material and somehow saw not what IS but what COULD BE.  In the case of the woodworker, I’ve stood with him at specialty wood stores as he holds up and eyeballs piece after piece that all look the same to me, but a light comes over his face when he sees the one that has IN it what he’s looking for.  And then he can hardly wait to get to work on it, carving, shaving, polishing, even lavishing, if I may, with care in order to reveal the highly valued piece inside.  Beloved, I see so many similarities to how Abba sees us, but we are so much more than a chunk of wood.  He made us!  And He wants us to ultimately live with Him, FOREVER!  Consider just three, out of hundreds of texts:

1. The Creator of the Universe Chose You!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love  He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  (Ephesians 1:3-8a NASB, emphasis added)

2. The Omniscient Maker of the Stars Made You! 

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

    They cannot be numbered!

I can’t even count them;

    they outnumber the grains of sand! (Psalm 139:13-18 NLT)

3. The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings Has Got You!

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.  (Jude 24-25 KJV)

I have watched a nose get sketched and re-sketched for a child by an adoring uncle.  I have witnessed a gift being lacquered again and again until you can almost see your face in a piece of wood… all for “things” that will be gone in a flash.  We are HIS workmanship and we’re going to stand before Him after this world has passed away.  

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  (Rom 8:14-18)

Pastor Scott

I’m writing this on Thursday, December 3, the morning I moved my office home because I’m getting to quarantine.  I’m also getting to miss out on preaching my dear friend Glenn Hayden’s funeral service, on Saturday (and Monday).  I’m getting to delay, possibly into 2021, preaching my second favorite verse in 1 John.  And I’m so looking forward to potentially driving my wife insane with my stir-craziness.   

“Pastor Scott, aren’t you a little let down that God allowed this? After all, He holds all of us in His mighty hands.”

Truth is, I’m human, and as a human I want to be able to blame someone!  I want to be able to shake my fist at that sky…. But I’ve lived a little AND been blessed to have been immersed in the Word most of my life.  If the urge to blame starts to tempt me, I hear the words:

WHO ARE YOU, O POT?

The metaphor of God as Potter and us as clay is only used a few times in Scripture (most notably in Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; and Romans 9:21), but it’s been captured in story and drama so much that most of us have that mental picture of clay being smashed down and reformed.  My boys are both artists in that sense. One worked clay in a corner of our basement, so I got to see firsthand how little say a lump of clay has in what it becomes.  And now there is a wood-turning lathe set up in that same corner and my other son turns out beautiful pieces that look nothing like the original blocks of wood AND leaves huge piles of sawdust that is cut from said wood.

I say all that, not because you don’t know anything about woodcarving, but to remind us that you and I are predestined to be conformed (shaped) into the image of His Son.  And like the clay pottery, we might have to be spun and thrown down spun over and over again throughout our threescore and ten years of life, or we might be like the wood shaved and planed and sanded and polished, over and over… because each layer of “self” that comes off reveals another layer of “self” that needs work.  At least that’s my truth.  So if He needs me to sit on my hands for a few weeks, He’s the Potter. Whiny clay isn’t even a thing.

That said, Jesus was in the Potter’s hands for 33 years.  He knows.  He cares.  We don’t slog through this life alone. EVER!

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.       

Hebrews 4:14-16

Forever in His Grip,

Pastor Scott

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember’s flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and “dead as a doornail.” Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

Many of you have read this before; it’s still a good reminder and I believe it applies to marriages and friendship, even as it does to our spiritual fervor. Please know that while I do care about WOGF thriving, I care even more about His Church-at-large thriving. And it’s pretty clear, just from the book of Hebrews alone, that if Satan can get his way and can scatter the embers, he wins, at least a local victory over those embers he puts out. I certainly don’t want to be a part of having to account for that! (Hebrews 13:17)

See you Sunday if you can attend safely!

One of the many email newsletters to which I am subscribed is from the Grace Evangelical Society.   They are fighting the good fight and sometimes their daily article align with what I’m talking about that very week.  This is a good one; Bob is using a different set of parameters, but covering the issue we’ve been calling; Relationship with God vs Fellowship with God.  It’s a good read! ~Pastor Scott 

The Difference between God’s Acceptance and His Approval

November 9, 2020 by Bob Wilkin in Blog – 1 Corinthians 9:27, 2 Timothy 2:15

I grew up in a home where I knew I was loved. I was a surprise, but a good surprise. My mom turned 40 a few months after I was born. My dad was nearly 40 as well. I was the long-awaited son.

Both Mom and Dad hugged and kissed me a lot. They showed their acceptance of me in many ways.

I longed to have my father’s approval. He had grown up in an alcoholic family, and his father never approved of him, either.

When I became a Christian at the start of my senior year in college, I was overjoyed to be accepted by God forever. I knew for sure that I was saved once and for all. I knew I was part of His forever family.

I did not learn about God’s approval until seven years later when I was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I came to learn an important distinction between God’s acceptance and His approval. I believe you will find this distinction to be very encouraging.

The Difference Between Acceptance and Approval

We see this difference in nearly every area of life.

Family. If you have children, then you accept them. Period. But you may not approve of them and their behavior. If your child is a drug addict, for example, then you do not approve of him or his behavior. But you still accept him as your child. He will always be your child.

Politics. There have been times in our lives when regardless of our political views, we have not approved of the actions of our President. However, if we are mature people, we accept him as our President. It is nice when we also approve of him. But we should certainly accept whoever is duly elected as President.

Sports. This illustration breaks down a bit since teams can cut their players. But let us say that the head coach loves his players and accepts them as he would his own children.

I recently saw a documentary about one of the greatest running backs of all time, Lawrence Phillips. His college coach at Nebraska was Tom Osborne. Osborne loved and accepted Phillips. Yet when Phillips assaulted his former girlfriend, Osborne suspended him indefinitely. Later Phillips played for Dick Vermeil with the Rams. Vermeil loved and accepted Phillips too. But when Phillips came to games drunk, Vermeil cut him.

In sports, a good coach accepts all his players. But he does not approve of all his players.

Church. A good church will accept everyone who joins the fellowship who believes in Christ for everlasting life. But a good church only approves of those members that are walking with the Lord. If a member strays from the Lord and refuses to repent, then the church disfellowships the person. He is accepted as a brother in Christ. But he is not approved while he is away from the Lord.

God Accepts All People Who Believe in His Son for Everlasting Life

The Scriptures are clear on this point. Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for his eternal destiny is accepted by God.

John 3:16 tells us that the Father so loved us that He sent His Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but has everlasting life.

John 5:24 says that when we believe in Jesus, we are also believing in the Father who sent Him. And all who believe in Jesus have everlasting life, will never come into judgment regarding their eternal salvation, but have passed from death into life.

In John 10:28-29 the Lord Jesus said that whoever believes in Him is held securely in His hand and in the Father’s hand. There is no such thing as someone who has believed in Jesus who is not accepted by God.

John says in John 1:12-13 that whoever believes in Jesus is a child of God. Our status as God’s children is permanent. Once we believe in Jesus, we are saved and secure forever. Once saved, always saved.

God Only Approves of Believers Who Are Faithful

God does not approve of wickedness. If a believer in Jesus Christ strays and begins to live an ungodly life, then he forfeits God’s approval.

I urge you to do a word study on approved and disapproved in the NT. I have done that and here is what I found.

The word approve (dokimos) occurs 7 times in the NT. Six of those uses refer to being approved by God. Here are four of those six references.

Romans 16:10. Paul says that a man named Apelles was “approved in Christ.” That was his current spiritual state, but it could change.

1 Corinthians 11:19. Paul said, “that those who are approved” within the church of Corinth “may be recognized among you.” Again, some in the church were currently approved by Christ, though that might change.

2 Corinthians 10:18. Those “whom the Lord commends” are “approved” by Him.

2 Timothy 2:15. Timothy was to “be diligent to present [himself] approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed…”

The word disapproved (adokimos), the antonym of the word approved, occurs 8 times in the NT. Six of the eight uses refer to not being approved by God, though English translations sometimes translate it as disqualified, as in disqualified to win the race. One of those verses clearly shows that it is possible for a born-again person to fail to be approved by Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:27. This verse exemplifies what it would mean to be disapproved by Christ. In the three verses before verse 27, Paul called for the believers in Corinth to strive for the imperishable crown, a reference to ruling with Christ forever.

Paul knew that he and the believers in Corinth had everlasting life. However, Paul did not know, and could not know, that He would gain the imperishable crown and Christ’s approval. To have the crown and the approval, Paul would have to endure to the end of his Christian life.

Paul feared that after preaching to others about winning the crown, he himself would be disapproved.

All theologians and preachers recognize that it is important to persevere in the Christian life. However, some say that you must persevere in faith and good works to get into the kingdom. They say that if you fail to persevere, then you will end up in hell forever.

I read a thesis at DTS on 1 Cor 9:27 in which the student argued that Paul was expressing doubts about whether he would escape eternal condemnation.

Another group of theologians and preachers understand perseverance to be required to have Christ’s approval and to rule with Him in the life to come. That is the natural understanding of 1 Cor 9:27.

Paul was sure that he had everlasting life and that he could never lose it (Eph 2:8-9; 2 Tim 2:12). He also knew that he was currently approved when he wrote 1 Corinthians. But he knew that approval, unlike acceptance, could be lost.

Conclusion

I did not realize it when my dad was alive, but he was never going to approve of me. I kept striving for his approval right up until he died. I was 37.

A few years after he died, I went for some counseling because I was struggling. The counselor explained that I had been striving for my dad’s approval, but that I could not get it. He said after my dad died, I looked for father figures to approve of me.

I came to accept that my dad never approved of me. I always fell short of his expectations in sports, in my career choice, in where I chose to live, and in many other aspects of my life.

But through counseling I came to realize that it was Christ’s approval that I really wanted. His approval is the ultimate approval in life.

I’ve completed seven marathons. That is 26.2 miles. I am in training now for one on December 31st. The Christian life is a life-long marathon. It is a race that is not over until we die or are raptured.

Did you know that the Lord Jesus will say, “Well done, good servant” (Luke 19:17) to believers who persevere in the Christian life? Those whom He approves He will publicly praise before all believers of all time.

Wouldn’t you love to hear your Lord and Savior say, “Well done, good servant”? Wouldn’t you love to have His approval?

Remember the difference. God accepts everyone who has ever believed in His Son for everlasting life. But He will only approve those who persevere in faith and good works.

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by Bob Wilkin

Bob Wilkin is Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society. He lives in Highland Village, TX with his wife, Sharon. His latest book is Is Calvinism Biblical: Let the Scriptures Decide.

If you wish to ask a question about a given blog, email us your question at ges@faithalone.org.

This question came in via Twitter after Sunday’s message on 1 John 2:3-6, which dealt with “keeping His commandments.”

Question: “If we know a tree by its fruits and are told faith without works is dead… do you believe it’s possible for someone to call themselves a Christian and never have fruit or good works in their life?”

There is a lot to unpack here.  The goal of gathering as a church is to provoke one another to love and good works.  Sometimes when I’m called to defend infantile Christians, I feel like I’m encouraging carnality.  Please know that I’m not.  I want all of us to walk in the light, hand-in-hand with Jesus!   

With that said, justification is separate from works (Rom 4:5).  I am justified by faith (Ibid).  When I am justified, I am forgiven (Eph 1:7), I am sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13), I am adopted by the Father (Rom 8:15), I am redeemed (Eph 1:7), I receive eternal life (John 3:16), I’m baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13);  etc.  I can’t lose any of those things, even if I do it wrong.  And some people will:  “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire.”  1 Cor 3:15.

It’s true there are lots of warnings about living wrongly.  I believe that the”fruits” warning to which you allude, which is found in Matthew 7, is a reference to false teachers and it lines up with my premise about 1 John.  Don’t listen to someone who discounts their words with their actions. 

As to the argument is James, I try to to keep this blog to one page but it’s an interesting study to compare and contrast Abraham’s faith experience in Genesis 15:6:

“Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

And Genesis 22:

“He said, ‘Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”’ 

In Romans 4 Paul referred to Genesis 15 to make his case of justification by faith.  In James chapter 2, James used Genesis 22 to make his case for justification by works.  I submit that the first was justification before God, the second was justification before man (Abraham, himself in this case).   I believe that we can understand much of the apparent difference between James and Paul if we understand Paul was concerned about our justification before God and James wanted his congregation to get off the couch! 🙂

We all love babies; 25-year-old babies make us cringe.  Don’t be a baby any longer than you have to be!  (Hebrews 5:11-14)  🙂

Pastor Scott

P.S.  If someone persists in acting like the Holy Spirit does not reside in his heart, share Jesus with him!

I was thinking of a song we used to sing when I was a boy. Some of you may remember “Dare to be a Daniel:”

Dare to be a Daniel

Dare to stand alone

Dare to have a purpose firm

Dare to make it known  

Standing by a purpose true

Heeding God’s command

Honor them, the faithful few

All hail to Daniel’s band

The song could also be about Daniel’s three friends who said to the ruler of the known world, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not in need of an answer to give you concerning this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods nor worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

It could be about David who said to the giant, Goliath, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will hand you over to us!”

Or it could be of Joshua, or of Gideon, or of Deborah, or of any of the men and women mentioned in the annals of faith.  Men and women of great courage who chose faith over fear.  And that’s the simple point of this blog.

It feels like the news wants to keep us afraid.  Or perhaps, better said, there are genuinely fearful things happening in our world today – riots, threats of violence, election turbulence, viruses, division – none of which surprise God at all.  Courage is choosing to believe God’s got this! 

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4