Great insight from Phil Johnson!

I was listening to a very good sermon called Christ, the Door  by Phil Johnson on Fighting for the Faith and he made a great point, this is a paraphrase:

When Oprah and others who reject Jesus say all religions lead to the same place they are right, all human religions, any path to God besides faith in Jesus Christ, do in fact lead to the same place - Hell!

Great Sermon by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Follow this link to Fighting For the Faith and enjoy this sermon about how the Bible alone diagnoses our problems!

Dr. James White discusses Hillsong's gay "membership" policies!

All of this video is well worth a listen, but the discussion of Hillsong Church's strange stance on homosexuality begins around minute 17.

Great quote from the late William Booth!

I heard this quote while listening to an episode of Generations Radio.

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, died in 1912. Before his death he was asked what the greatest challenge facing the church in the coming century would be and his answer proved to be quite prophetic -

“In answer to your inquiry, I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.”

A biblical case for church membership!

A wise assessment of the Devil's work.

This insight is from Fighting For the Faith -

June 23, 2015

My Perspective on Tullian's Sin

It has been very interesting to watch the fallout and discussions regarding the announcement, this past Sunday, that Tullian Tchividjian had resigned as pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church after having admitted to an affair. One of the reasons it has been interesting to watch is because several weeks ago I had been brought into the circle of men and a few women who were briefed on why Tullian had taken a leave of absence nearly 10 weeks ago and what his plans were going to be moving forward. None of us were aware of Tullian's affair. But, all of us were aware of the turmoil of Tullian's life these past 10 weeks.

 

Last Thursday afternoon, I was informed of Tullian's moral failing and briefed about the pending announcement of his resignation and in an instant I experienced a profound moment of clarity that caused me to understand just how evil and tireless the devil is.

 

There are some who want to use the occasion of Tullian's sin to move the theological football down the field in the hopes of scoring some points. But, ultimately the folks doing that are short-sited and are missing much of the data that would be needed to make an informed assessment.

 

As one who has far more data to work with than many others, I must admit that the whole series of events leading up to last Sunday has shaken me to my core. The reason for this is simple. I just witnessed one of the most elaborate satanic schemes pulled off in modern history. The devil concocted the perfect plan to tempt a pastor to sin and the devil left nothing to chance.
 

The entire scenario from beginning to end was designed to take a pastor to the brink of what he could bear and then provide the perfect temptation in the midst of the turmoil that would then end his pastoral ministry while nationally dragging Christianity and Christ Himself through the mud.

The plan was perfect. It was executed flawlessly and the devil played Tullian and a whole lot of other people the way a concert violinist would play a Stradivarius. It was breathtaking to watch.
 

Now there is a man who is reeling from his sin and the sins committed against him. His family has had not one but two nuclear bombs tear them apart. An entire church has been thrown back on its heels and there are many people around the country and the globe who've had their faith shaken to the core by the news of Tullian's sin. Furthermore, Christianity itself has taken a hit. Christ's enemies have been given comfort and have viewed this whole affair as even more proof that Christianity is a crock just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to make same-sex "marriage" the law of the land.

 

This was like a perfectly planned and orchestrated terrorist attack and all I see are a lot of dead and wounded bodies strewn everywhere.

 

When Jesus taught us to daily pray, "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one" He was not giving us empty words to mindlessly recite. The Apostle Peter put it this way, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

 

With Tullian's sin, and believe me when I say that just like Adam, Tullian is responsible for this whole mess, we've witnessed one of the most vicious "lion attacks" of our day. If Tullian Tchividjian wasn't safe from such an attack then no gospel preacher in the pastoral office is safe either.

 

"For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens." - Ephesians 6:12

 

The work of caring for the wounded has only just begun and my prayer is that repentance, forgiveness of sins and reconciliation will win the day. But, thus far, I have seen very little that would give me hope along those lines and truth be told, I think I took some shrapnel in the blast.

χάρις ἔλεος εἰρήνη σοι,

- See more at: http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/#sthash.QsrHyUWl.dpuf

It is really not that complicated!

We live in a day when narcissism is the norm. Even in the church so many programs and so much curriculum is aimed at helping people achieve a happy life for themselves.

Of course we call it something more spiritual than seeking a happy life, such as seeking:

a "Spirit filled life"

Or

a "victorious life"

Or

an "abundant life"

and so on, but what we really mean by all this is that we aren't altogether happy in our faith and desire to find that happiness in Jesus under these more spiritual sounding names!

Why are we so concerned about how we feel? Is how we feel our main problem? Is trying to feel better the answer?

Jesus said:

Mark 12:28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.  ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (NKJV)

Does Jesus want us to be happy in Him? I think so, joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), we are to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4), we are to "serve the Lord with gladness" (Psalm 100:2), and of course the Greek word translated "blessed" in the beatitudes can also be translated "happy" are the poor in Spirit" (Matt. 5:3).

The problem isn't that we are wanting something we can't have, happiness in the Lord, the problem is we are looking for it as a goal, rather than experiencing it as a byproduct of following Jesus! And according to Jesus following Him is pretty simple - love the Lord and love your neighbor!

One thing we won't be doing as we do this, is thinking about our own happiness, and it is as we love Jesus and others in His name that these promises of an abundant life, a victorious life, a Spirit filled life, and even a happy life will happen, not because we sought it, but because we sought to love God and others and forgot about us in the process!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The path to freedom!

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)

Want to be free from sin and it's wide ranging and most heinous effects on both body and soul? Believe upon Jesus, abide in His word, and you will be as free as is possible in this life!

Purpose driven, ok, but what purpose?

 

This is long, but worth your time and consideration -

 

False teachers and their undermining of the scriptures with emotional arguments.

Those who seek to force the church to accept lifestyles as normal, that the scriptures clearly condemn, are using emotional arguments that highlight the suffering of those who are being told they should repent of such lifestyles, rather than embrace them. There are many problems with the logic of these arguments and of course it puts human experience over scripture. James White has done a three part response to David Gushee, a leader in this false teaching movement which can be accessed through the links below. It might help us prepare to refute such arguments, if we fully understand what they are. 

James White refuting false teaching part 1

James White refuting false teaching part 2

James White refuting false teaching part 3

A Biblical Perspective on Homosexuality!

First, let me be clear, the following is not intended to hurt, but to help. Our love for you (a person with homosexual desires) and other sinners (all mankind), requires we call you and all people to repent of things God says are bad for us and offensive to Him. It is in this desire to love you and others biblically, that I offer the following information.

Biblical texts like Gen. 19:1-13, Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom. 1:18-32 and 1 Cor. 6:9-10 condemn homosexual activity in very clear language. However, some have suggested that these passages don’t condemn homosexual activity within committed relationships. Others have said that those writing in biblical times did not know the scientific facts of homosexuality, and if they had they would surely not have condemned it. Finally, it has been suggested that to deny homosexuals the opportunity to act on their desires, is to deny them a love that God wants all to experience.

In response to these objections to the way the church has understood these passages throughout history, I would offer the following:

1^st even if the passages cited above did not as clearly condemn homosexual activity as they do, the truth is that sexual activity was from the beginning (Gen. 2:24), and later affirmed by Jesus (Matt. 19:5), to be only properly expressed within a marriage between one man and one woman. Had there been a category of committed homosexual relationships that was allowed or approved of by God, surely He would have made that clear within the scriptures, so as to protect those within that category, but rather than that we have His word consistently condemning all homosexual activity.

2^nd the scriptures are not in error because people lacked information about homosexuality at the time of their writing, but rather the scriptures are the result of God’s Spirit moving men as they wrote (2 Pet. 1:21), every word of the scriptures is true, and we must submit to it (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Mankind may be learning things about the world as we proceed through history, but God knew all there was to know when He led these men to write His word.

3^rd the idea that people are born with homosexual tendencies is consistent with the Bible, not in conflict with it. God’s word makes it clear that we are all born with many sinful desires, that we will naturally seek to act on them, that we are condemned by God’s law for doing so, that we have need of Jesus’ sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath for these sins, and we need His Holy Spirit in us if we are to have the power us to resist these sins (Eph. 2:1-10). If the only criteria for making something right were being born with that particular desire, then there is nothing that could be called wrong, and all things that anyone feels prone to do, they should be allowed to do.  Thankfully God has given us His word to clearly define what is right!

I would suggest that the person who has sexual desires for those of the same sex is very much like any other sinner. Any homosexual or heterosexual desires that fall outside of God’s design, even though they may feel right or necessary to the one experiencing them, are not things we should resign ourselves to and act upon, but rather, according to the Bible, we should repent of such thoughts and actions, and seek God’s help to stop them at the thought level, before we get in a place where we might act on them (Rom. 12:2, 1 Cor. 6:9-11).

Some have said that God would never deprive the person who is attracted to people of the same sex, the love that those who are attracted to people of the opposite sex get to experience. This is a most dangerous thought, as it equates sexual activity with love in a very unbiblical way.  Jesus says we are to love others as He has loved us, not sexually, but sacrificially, as that is the highest expression of love (John 15:13, Eph. 5:1-2). Further, even those who are attracted to people of the opposite sex, are not guaranteed they will find a spouse and marry, nor are those who get married guaranteed that their spouse will be able to continue participating in sexual activity throughout the relationship. The scriptures never suggest sexual activity is essential for a Godly life and even commends those who live a celibate life (Matt. 19:10-12). The truth is that according to God’s word, no one will ever be deprived of the ability to love others as Christ loved us, simply because they could not have sexual relations.

What would the Bible say to those who are attracted to people of the same sex, but now desire to follow Jesus and participate in the life of His church?

1^st know that your homosexual desires or past activity need not define you or condemn you!

Rom. 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (NKJV)

Tit. 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (NKJV)

Further, even though you may struggle with this and other sins until the day you die, something all Christians experience with their particular bents toward sin, there is help and hope to fight the battle, and you will always be able to love others and God, and He will certainly love you!

Gal. 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (NKJV)

Finally, know that this battle will not last forever:

Matt. 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

Rev. 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

For the reasons above, it is perfectly appropriate for us to receive a person who has struggled with homosexual desires into our fellowship, if they are repentant and desire to follow God’s teaching on this and in others areas. However, we cannot receive a person who is not willing to repent of this lifestyle, or any other clearly condemned in God’s word, as we would be from day one in a position of having to seek to remove them from the church for the same reason (Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5:9-13).

Again, let me remind you of where I started, this is not intended to hurt, but to help. Our love for you and all people requires we call them to repent of things God says are bad for us and offensive to Him.

Why we need the Holy Spirit!

Clearly we need the Holy Spirit for many reasons, and it is not my goal to discuss that entire topic in depth here. However, as I was studying for a sermon on Jesus' coming back form the mountain after His transfiguration in Matt. 17, I was struck by the parallels with what happened while Moses was on the mountain in Exod. 32.

As Jesus, Peter, James and John return from Jesus' transfiguration, we read this:

Matt. 17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?... (NKJV)

We find this additional information in Mark 9:14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. (NKJV)

So Jesus returns, after being out of their presence for a time, and things go a little pear shaped. The disciples who remained are in some controversy with the scribes, the multitude is all stirred up, and only Jesus is able to get things back on track!

Compare this scene and Jesus calling them "faithless and perverse" to what happened when Moses was on the mountain:

Exod. 32:7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. ⁸ They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! ¹⁰ Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them... (NKJV)

OK, now I realise that the disciples, scribes and multitude that Jesus returned to did not make a gold calf to worship, but the rebuke they receive from Jesus, "faithless and perverse" is very similar to what God said of the Israelites while Moses was away from them, as He called them "corrupted" and "stiff-necked".

The issue is that without being converted by the Holy Spirit, without receiving the faith that He supplies, without God "in" us, we are not going to obey God, especially when He is not visible to us! Moses as God's spokesman, and Jesus, God in the flesh, can't be physically present with all of us all the time in this world, so we need something better, as these passages clearly affirm, we need God in us through the Holy Spirit!

Where can you get access to some of the most theologically sound books available, for free?

If you want theologically sound books, you will likely be disappointed if you visit your local "Christian" Bookstore. However, if you life in the Raleigh, Garner, Clayton or Benson NC areas, you will be pleased to know you have access to some most excellent written and video resources at the Mount Herman Christian Church Library!

Library Hours are:

Sunday Morning's after our Morning Service from 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Tuesday Afternoon's from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Wednesday Evening's from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Other times may be arranged by appointment.

 

Follow this link to explore just a few of our - Library Resources

A very good study of God's wrath!

Wretched Radio had a piece of this teaching on their website. The entire video is quite good, so follow the link below and be blessed!

The Wrath of God, by Steven Lawson

Knowing and worshipping Jesus, is worth any storm it takes!

As I am preaching through the Gospel of Matthew, I have come to the narrative of Peter trying to walk on water for this week, as found in Matt. 14:22-33.

A few thoughts:

Peter finds himself in a storm, in the middle of the night, by obeying Jesus' command to get in the boat and go.

Peter, based on his history, probably has some less than pure motive for wanting to walk out to Jesus in the storm.

Jesus allows Peter to do so, even though He surely knows what will happen.

Peter fails to keep his eyes on Jesus, becomes frightened by the storm, and starts to sink.

Peter's lack of faith evidently leads to His sinking.

When Peter calls out for help, Jesus saves Him!

It is good to know Jesus will save us when we call out to Him, and if it takes a storm to get us to stop trusting in us and call out to Him, then it is well worth it!

Another great discussion of Christianity and the law!

Follow this link Fighting for the Faith for a good discussion of the OT law and how we relate to it as Christians!

What about the OT law?

 

I have traditionally fallen into the 3rd category Todd mentions, but his discussion does prompt me to think further about it. I hope you find it interesting as well -  

 

 

 

A truly devotional description, of a magnificent theological truth!

From the Heidelberg Catechism:

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Hope in the eternal, all powerful, holy and gracious God!

Things change, life seems too short, and our plans often fail, but God does not change, nor does He fail, hope in Him!

Psalm 90:1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place^[a] in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

³ You turn man to destruction,
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
⁴ For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.
⁵ You carry them away like a flood;
They are like a sleep.
In the morning they are like grass which grows up:
⁶ In the morning it flourishes and grows up;
In the evening it is cut down and withers.

⁷ For we have been consumed by Your anger,
And by Your wrath we are terrified.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.
⁹ For all our days have passed away in Your wrath;
We finish our years like a sigh.
¹⁰ The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
¹² So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Return, O Lord!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
¹⁴ Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
¹⁵ Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,
The years in which we have seen evil.
¹⁶ Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
¹⁷ And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.

 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Words of hope in a time when evil seems so prevalent!

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
² The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
⁶ “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

⁷ “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
⁹ You shall break^[a] them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

¹⁰ Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
¹² Kiss the Son,^[b] lest ^[c] He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.