“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”  2 Corinthians 4:7-9

These are verses we all love to go to in hard times.  And they stand alone very well, but if you have a moment, I would encourage you to read the whole of chapter 4.  Note how it starts and ends with the phrase “we will not lose heart.” We, as a nation, as a church, as families, are going through a rough patch right now.  Paul’s entire ministry life was a rough patch (cf. Acts 9:16) and yet he didn’t lose heart or stay down because his eyes were fixed on the eternal prize (2 Cor. 4:18).  Let’s try to remember throughout this and any other trial Satan sends our way that our hope is NOT in this world. With Christ, we can live to fight another day until He takes us home.  I love this purely physical story of Andrew Jackson’s persistence. Maybe it will help you as it has helped me to not stay down! 🙂 PS  

The story is told that Andrew Jackson’s boyhood friends just couldn’t understand how he became a famous general and then the President of the United States. They knew of other men who had greater talent but who never succeeded. One of Jackson’s friends said, “Why, Jim Brown, who lived right down the pike from Jackson, was not only smarter but he could throw Andy three times out of four in a wrestling match. But look where Andy is now.” Another friend responded, “How did there happen to be a fourth time? Didn’t they usually say three times and out?” “Sure, they were supposed to, but not Andy. He would never admit he was beat — he would never stay ‘throwed.’ Jim Brown would get tired, and on the fourth try Andrew Jackson would throw him and be the winner.” Picking up on that idea, someone has said, “The thing that counts is not how many times you are ‘throwed,’ but whether you are willing to stay ‘throwed’.” We may face setbacks, but we must take courage and go forward in faith. Then, through the Holy Spirit’s power we can be the eventual victor over sin and the world. The battle is the Lord’s, so there is no excuse for us to stay “throwed”!

In the late ‘90s, when I was the associate pastor here at BRBC ->WOGF, we took the whole church through an intensive gifts discovery program.  During that process my primary gift was identified as “faith” rather than teaching, and that conclusion was buttressed by the fact that my faith was actually strengthened and sharpened throughout my public school and public university experience.  Of course, that’s all to God’s glory; I have nothing about which to boast!

I bring it up because I keep seeing articles about how we as churches aren’t equipping our kids to deal with the stuff they see on the internet and hear in college.  (Upwards of 80% are walking away during those years.) And it’s true I didn’t have the internet when I was in college, but I did hear all the same arguments against Christianity, the same assumptions that we would put away fairy-tales now that we were at university.  And yes, my faith never wavered…. But I wonder now if it was not as much a spiritual gift so much as that I came from an era when we were taught to think.  Beloved, belief in Jesus is a matter of faith.  The exclusivity of our belief in Jesus, which is the primary line of attack the enemy uses, is only logical.  Consider this overview of the argument from a Giesler lecture:   

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (by Christian Post reporter Jessica Martinez)  – Evangelical scholar and Southern Evangelical Seminary co-founder Norman Geisler spoke on the pluralistic aspect of Christianity at the school’s 20th annual Christian Apologetics Conference last weekend and answered the question of whether there are several ways to God.

Religious pluralism is the belief that all religions are true and that all faith-based roads lead to heaven.  Geisler focused his message on the Biblical passage of Acts 4:12, which states that salvation is only found in Jesus Christ and no one else.

“Jesus is the only way because the Bible says it to be true,” said Geisler. “Why? Because only He can bridge the gap between God and man; there’s no other way.”

He said that, although it seems narrow to suggest that Jesus is the only way, the notion holds true while adding that it is logically possible, historically probable, biblically necessary and morally justifiable that He is the only way to heaven.

“All views can’t be true because all views are opposite; this is the logical aspect. For example, Islam says we are good in nature; Christianity says we are born in sin. Islam says God is a man; Christianity says He is more than a man, He is God, all truths can’t be the same,” said Geisler.

Historically speaking, Geisler said Jesus is proven to be the only way to God because Christianity is a form of exclusivism, meaning the belief that only one religion is true and others opposed to it are false. He emphasized that the Bible has been the world’s bestselling book, and that Jesus has the most followers in the world compared to other religious figures. In addition, he noted that Jesus’ principles have been admired by people, including non-Christians, for many years.

“Only Jesus has prophecies made hundreds of years in advance made literally true. Only He did miracles. Only His immediate followers claimed He died and rose from the dead, so in comparison, He comes out superior to other great religious leaders,” said Geisler.

The SES co-founder also said that any person who believes in the Bible needs to believe that Jesus is the only way because the Bible itself mandates all of God’s followers to uphold its teachings.

Regarding moralism, he said there are several moral objections that exist regarding Jesus as the only way to God, including the view that Christianity as an exclusive religion is unjust. However, Giesler said everyone has the light of God, the general revelation in nature and in conscience, to know that His truth is morally righteous.

“Pluralism is denied logically, inclusivism is denied scripturally, and that leaves us with exclusivism… You have to know that Jesus died and believe in it in order to be saved,” said Giesler.

Beloved, we have to teach our kids (and ourselves) to think logically and then we have to teach them this type of logic.  Yes, it’s important that they love Jesus and it’s important that they know Scripture but, if they can’t think, don’t send them to college or even let them surf that web unsupervised.  I’m dead serious! 

Feelings are fine for love songs and poetry, but they are too easily manipulated to be in the driver’s seat of our lives.  – Jeremiah 17:9

Pastor Scott – post-pandemic thoughts

Like you, I’ve been a little obsessed with the news these last few weeks.  And, also like you, perhaps, I find myself a little fearful (nervous) for my older loved ones, not to mention the stock and job market!  I am also a little skeptical that we are treating this event SOOOO much bigger than anything in my lifetime; and a little curious if there isn’t some eschatological ramification here that we may be missing.  As I interact with other believers online and personally, I gather we all have some mix of fear, skepticism, and end-times curiosity.  

I think we’ll deal with the fear/worry component on Sunday.  The skepticism component is a luxury of a democracy, but at the end of the day we are responsible to obey God by submitting to the governing authorities; if they are playing political games they will answer to God.  So what about a sign of His coming?

This pandemic brings together two threads for prophecy watchers:  

#1) In Matthew 24 Jesus predicts the times getting worse and worse; both in terms of persecution and natural disasters.  Paul in Romans 8:22 calls them birth pains, and this Novel Coronavirus appears to be a massive contraction. But in Matthew 24 it peaks with the Abomination of Desolation – which, from Daniel, we know will occur in the middle of the Tribulation (and I take the position that the Church will be raptured before at least 3.5 years before that event).  So thought #1 – the contractions seem to be getting bigger and therefore the rapture is getting closer!

#2) In Revelation we see that the world is under one government.  As the nations appear to be uniting to fight this virus and especially as there has been talk about how cash could be a means of transmission…  many prophecy watchers see the ground being laid for the Antichrist, his government, and his mark. Thought #2 – the Antichrist is an adult when the Great Tribulation starts and technology is in place; the Rapture could be the event that launches him to power…. It’s getting closer.  🙂

Even as the end gets nearer, let’s remember that the Biblical injunction is to look for our “blessed hope!”  Let’s keep our eyes and our thoughts on Jesus….  Who is always near to us!

Pastor Scott

On Sunday, March 1, I preached on the Baptism and Temptation of Jesus.  For some reason (and yes, I have a few guesses), I was pretty “off my game” during the whole first sub-point of the message.  At one point during my sermon (and yes, I went back to listen), I said that the Jews John was baptizing were saved and, therefore, just needed to have their sins forgiven “like we do.”  Well, I had intended to use a simile there, but I did, indeed, misspeak and use it in the wrong spot. I was trying to distinguish John’s Baptism of Jews looking toward the cross, preparing for the coming Messiah, with ours looking back to the cross, identifying with Christ who died for us.  I’m sorry for any confusion my wrong word choices caused!

Tolkien said in The Hobbit that shortcuts often lead to long delays, and that is also true with trying to find a verbal shortcut!

Please accept my apology!

Pastor Scott  

February 2/26 I preached on the Dual Nature of Christ.  These are the two questions that came into the text line.

Question 1 Since our sins were placed on Christ during the crucifixion, then doesn’t He know what it feels like to be guilty of sin?
I totally agree that He does!  I believe, however, that I was expounding on Hebrews 4:15 which says: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  I imagine that the author of Hebrews was focused on His life and not on His time on the Cross.  Good catch!!!

Question 2 Is it appropriate to say it is impossible to explain how Jesus is God and man?

In terms that satisfy our finite minds, yes it’s impossible.  However, for both this, the Hypostatic Union and the Trinity, the best Theologians can do is come up with a list of statements, positive and negative, that define what each is and isn’t; as we can understand what has been revealed.  Regarding the Hypostatic Union (the God/Man) the Chalcedonian Creed took a shot in 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

Take some time, slowly work through this description and perhaps a better, though still not perfect, understanding can be found! 🙂

Pastor Scott

“Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

― Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness

Thought to write a soaring treatise on Valentines Day – but I’m not up to it; I’m not physically up to it (got a touch of this crud that’s going around) and I just find myslf so thankful for God’s Grace!  Amen?

PS

George Beverly Shea made famous the hymn “I’d Rather have Jesus than silver and gold.”  I heard it playing just a few minutes ago and realized that, while it expressed a great mind-set for a Christian, it also sort of skipped over an important point.   The truth is, if one doesn’t have Jesus, one has nothing at all.  Let me see if I can illustrate it:

(Fame + Fortune or Poverty + Obscurity) – Jesus = Eternity in Hell                  (Fame + Fortune or Poverty + Obscurity) + Jesus = Eternity in Heaven

He’s the most important thing and transmitting His saving message is one of our greatest privileges!  Consider every opportunity God brings your way this month; including asking your server if you might pray for him or her!

Pastor Scott

On Sunday, February 2, we are going to observe the Lord’s Supper by spending some time celebrating the Lord together!  In our first “Body Life Service” in this new building, we are going to spend the entire service testifying of God’s goodness in our lives.  Of course, this can take the form of something He’s taught you, something He’s done for you, a Scripture He’s laid on your heart, or even a melody ringing in your ears! 🙂

There will be some structure, but for the most part we will be passing the mic around and asking you to share from your hearts.  Our theme for the morning is “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”  ~ Psalm 145:4 

There is a powerful image floating around the internet of a teen staring at a slumped over old man in a wheelchair wearing a Vietnam-era cap.  “Ghosted” behind the vet is that classic image of a bare-chested young Vietnam-era soldier with two ammo belts over his shoulders, holding a .50 caliber machine gun with one hand.  You get the impression that neither the teen nor the vet think much of each other. Beloved, that shouldn’t be within the family of God. That teen needs to know a little about that vet’s story and that vet needs to know that that teen is fighting everyday to love God and make good decisions in a world that has gone crazy.  We can’t do all that in one service, but we can start!

Come prepared to share a snippet of what God is doing in your life or of some way in which you saw Him work.  Come ready to share a testimony of something from which He freed you or a victory He won for you. Come ready to be blessed and encouraged that God is still at work.

Yours, because I’m His,

Pastor Scott

Psalm 111 

Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,

In the company of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord;

They are studied by all who delight in them.

Splendid and majestic is His work,

And His righteousness endures forever.

He has made His wonders to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will remember His covenant forever.

He has made known to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations.

The works of His hands are truth and justice;

All His precepts are sure.

They are upheld forever and ever;

They are performed in truth and uprightness.

He has sent redemption to His people;

He has ordained His covenant forever;

Holy and awesome is His name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;

His praise endures forever.