I AM RESOLVED!

A brand-New Year was ushered in a few days ago, and with it an annual self-check accompanied by personal resolutions. Gym memberships soar to a yearly high as multitudes of couch potatoes decide to do something about their poor physical condition. Others, who won’t hit the gym are resolved to avoid hitting the refrigerator as much. Still others decide that it’s time to stop spending more than they are earning. The sad news is that most of these the attempts at change will fall by the wayside before January runs its’ course.  Be that as it may, I would like to suggest a resolution, which if followed will bring about positive improvements in all the areas I mentioned and many more, particularly one’s spiritual condition. The one simple resolution that could accomplish this has two parts. The first entails a devout study of Holy Scripture each and every day. This provides the right direction for a godly life. The second is harder, it involes submitting to the Word of God (obedience). The apostle James taught that Christian’s are to be obedient “doers of the Word”,  not “hearers only” (James 1:22). Peter also wrote about God’s expectations for his children:“Therefore, having the loins of your understanding girded with temperance, wait perfectly in the grace that is presented unto you when Jesus, the Christ, is manifested unto you, as obedient sons, not conforming yourselves with the former desires that you had before in your ignorance, but as he who has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (1 Peter 1:13-15). What about you? Do you desire to see God work to bring about lasting changes in your life? Changes for your own good, and the good of others whom you will affect, by the example of your Christian walk. If so, dive into the Word of God and dig out the precious truths you will discover there. Then, as you rely upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to put them into practice, you will press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ (Philippians 3:14).                                                                                                                                 

I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.               

I am resolved to follow the Savior,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.

God bless,

Pastor Tom

THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING

Mankind is drawn to things that are new. It's how advertisers make their living. Look at the world of technology and you can see how quickly what you presently own becomes out of date. Today's cell phone is tomorrows dinosaur. Thankfully their is nothing new about the matter of the salvation of sinful men. Paul stated, "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). The "foolishness of preaching" is the old fashioned gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3). Knowing that this was the focus of his message, we should not be surprised that Paul also wrote, "And how shall they preach, except they be sent as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of great joy'" (Romans 10:15). However, preaching the gospel is not just the privilege of full-time Christian workers such as pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, it is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian. As we therefor have opportunity, let us go and tell the world the good news of the gospel so that they might have the forgiveness of their sins, through faith in the sacrifice for sin that Jesus made on the cross. This is the foolishness of preaching by which men, women, and children are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness, and into the kingdom of God's own dear son (Colossians 1:13,14),

God bless,

Pastor Tom

THE ELECTION RESULT

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget

That thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.

My daughter sent me a text this morning with the words above reminding me of the great truth that God rules overall. 

May Christian's across this country pray that President-Elect Trump will govern in the fear of God.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Pastor Tom

CHURCH GROWTH METHODS

The following comments are taken from Archibald Brown's, sermon, "The Devil's Mission of Amusement: The Church's Task-Entertainment or Evangelization?  Brown was the successor to Charles Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle.  We don't have to agree with all that Brown wrote to appreciate his concern that the church's mission of proclaiming the gospel would be weakened by making the church a place of entertainment. Brown wrote:

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Holy Scripture as one of the functions of the church.  What her duties are will come under our notice later on.  At present it is the negative side of the question that we are dealing with.  Now, surely, it our Lord had intended His Church to be the caterer of entertainment, and so counteract the god of this world, He would hardly have left so important a branch of service unmentioned.  If it is Christian work, why did not Christ at least hint it?  "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," is clear enough.  So would it have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the Gospel." No such addendum, however, is to be found, nor even an equivalent for such, in any one of our Lords utterances.  This style of work did not seem to occur to His mind.  Then again, Christ, as an ascended Lord, gives to His Church specially qualified men for the carrying on of His work, but no mention of any gift for this branch of service occurs in the list.  "He gave some, apostles;. and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers - for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ," Where do the "public entertainers" come in?  The Holy Ghost is silent concerning them, and his silence is eloquence.

Pastor Tom

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 14 Let all your things be done with charity,

WORRY DOESN'T CHANGE THINGS!

I sometimes wonder how much time I have wasted, and how much energy I have spent worrying about things which never came to pass, or things I could never change. Looking back, worry hasn't accomplished one positive thing in my life. Looking forward, I pray that the Lord will strengthen me in my faith through His Word so that I can trust Him even in life's darkest hours. In the midst of the ups and downs of daily living one thing is certain, God never changes. He will always be as He has always been, which means that I can always depend upon His faithfulness. Theologians call this "immutability." I call it peace. The peace which comes in knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). John Newton said, “We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” Jesus put it this way, "Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things sufficient of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34).

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Additional thought taken from William MacDonald’s Believer’s Bible Commentary:

“Worry is unnecessary; there is no need for us to bear the burdens when He is willing and able to bear them for us. Worry is futile; it hasn’t solved a problem yet. Worry is sin. A preacher once said: ‘Worry is sin because it denies the wisdom of God; it says that He doesn’t know what He’s doing. It denies the love of God; it says He does not care. And it denies the power of God; it says that He isn’t able to deliver me from whatever is causing me to worry." 

Pastor Tom

READINESS OF MIND

What is your attitude toward the Holy Scriptures? 

I have shared many different truths from the Bible with many people in the past 40 years of my life and they have reacted in several ways’. First, there are those who are completely indifferent. They usually don't express direct opposition, but spiritual matters don't matter to them at all. They would rather talk about earthly things. Like politics, sports, or the weather, Second, there are those who are irritated, upset, and even hostile. They simply do not want to hear about sin, salvation, God, or Jesus Christ. The Bible is a fool's book to them. Some of them were atheists, others identified themselves with a particular religion, or spiritual viewpoint, but all of them in this category had negative feelings about "Bible Christian's." Finally, there were the few among the many who were eager to hear what God revealed in His Word. We find the latter crowd in the book of Acts, chapter 17. 

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few (verses 10,11).

The key words in this story are the words "received the word with readiness of mind" (verse 10). Readiness (prothumia in Greek) denotes a disposition toward, and eagerness, or a willingness to hear. The result was that "many of them believed" (verse 11).  Those who come to accept Christ as their Savior are those who have a willingness to hear "thus saith the Scripture." It all begins with a positive attitude toward God's Word. The Holy Spirit will then take that Word to bring conviction of sin leading to salvation (John 16:8; Romans 10:17). Don't be indifferent or cynical toward the Bible. Be eager to receive it and you too can be among the noble Bereans. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).


Pastor Tom

WHAT REAL CHANGE LOOKS LIKE

Yesterday I preached a message, "What Real Chang Looks Like." I would encourage you to listen to it by going to www.faithsd.org. Click on "Hear a Sermon" in the quick links section. I pray that you are blessed by it. My outline consisted of the following points:

INTRODUCTION: Real change is possible because of the Almighty power of God

I. REAL CHANGE IS CHANGE WHICH PLEASES GOD

  

Romans 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 5:8,9; Ephesians 5:8-10; Colossians 1:9,10; 11

II. GOD IS AT WORK TO BRING ABOUT REAL CHANGE IN OUR LIVES

Philippians 2:12,13

III. REAL CHANGE REQUIRES HARD WORK                                                                                                 

Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 6:14-18; 1 Timothy 4:7,8                                                      

IV. REAL CHANGE IS VISIBLE CHANGE

John 13:35; Ephesians 4:21-24; 2 Corinthians 7:1

V. REAL CHANGE IS LASTING CHANGE

John 15:7; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

VI. REAL CHANGE GLORIFIES GOD

1 Corinthians 10:31; Habakkuk 2:14

Close: Are you resolved to make real changes in your life for God’s glory?

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY

"God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, 'What doest thou?' Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so." - A.W. Tozer

THUS SAITH THE LORD

Leviticus 18:22  You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination

Mark 10:6 But at the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall join to his wife;

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals.

10 nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 6:7 Do not deceive yourselves; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap.

THE EYES OF THE LORD

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him....(2 Chronicles 16:9, NKJV).

 What a blessing it is to know that God is on our side when we seek to be faithful to Him. The Lord also sees when we are not faithful to Him. As it says in Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

Whether we do good or evil there is nowhere we can go where God cannot see us. J.R. Miller said, “We are in reality just what we are before God, nothing less, nothing more.” The most marvelous testimony to God’s omnipresence is seen in the 139^th Psalm. I am inclined to think that this should be read by every Christian the first thing in the day.  It would, no doubt, keep us ever mindful of God’s presence and be a strong deterrent to sin: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me” (verses 7-10a, NKJV).

Paul told the citizens of Athens, "(God) is not far from each one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:27b-28a, NKJV).  The universal presence of God is a biblical fact. God destroyed the whole world in the days of Noah because He knew that the hearts of men everywhere were intent on doing evil. The earth was "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11).  Sounds exactly like where we are today. Only Noah and his family were spared, because “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Dear Christian, hide yourself under the shadow of God’s wings; don’t try to hide from Him, because you cannot.  Your sin will always find you out.  Adam and Eve tried that and it didn’t work: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou”? (Genesis 3:8, 9). This reminds me of the many times when I was little and getting into something I should not have been getting into, and I would hear my mom say from the other room, “Tommy, what are you doing?”  How did she know? Because she knew that when I was really quiet it usually meant I was up to no good.  Have you ever noticed that when your testimony of God and His word goes silent it usually means that something is wrong in your spiritual life?  When you're walking close to God, you cannot help but praise Him, and you delight to share the joy of the Lord with others.  “Walk with the King and be a blessing” was the favorite exhortation of the late Dr. Robert Cook.

I pray that you will have a closer and closer walk with God, like Noah, and that you will be a blessing to others. Don’t be a follower of men; be a follower of Jesus. Live like the Christian that God called you to be. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, the first step in following Him is to ask Him to forgive you of all your sin and to be your Lord and Savior.  Find a good Bible-believing church and talk with the pastor if you want to know more.

Pastor Tom

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

This morning I did my day hiking in Proverbs and pondered verses 10-14: "Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." Dear friends, the Bible is not like any other book.  It contains the mind of God revealed so that we might know how to live and obtain eternal life. Not long after reading Proverbs 4, I came across an article by the late evangelist Lester Roloff.  It was a sermon he once preached title, "THIS IS YOUR LIFE"!

I pass it on to you as an admonition and exhortation to take heed to the things God has revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures.  I hope you enjoy it.

In Jesus name,

Pastor Tom

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, by Lester Roloff

"But stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the Word of God," I Samuel 9:27. "Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord," I Samuel 12:7

"Our Father, we commit our mind to Thee for the thinking, our ears for the listening, our tongue for the speaking, and our pen for the writing. Give us a sermon from heaven and bless every reader and may we completely commit our way to the Lord, trust also in Him that He may bring it to pass.

We dedicate and pray that Thou shall consecrate every word of this message for the glory of Christ and the blessing of the people. Prepare every heart for the reading and let these words fulfill the very purpose of God. In Jesus' Name, Amen." Today, I would like to share with you the last message of the greatest man of the Old Testament.

He was the meekest man on earth, yet he was the greatest leader, the greatest deliverer. He was born to die and yet he lived. He was hidden, haunted, hated, hunted and hungry. He literally lifted millions of Israelites out of a four hundred and thirty year bondage. In Deuteronomy, chapter 32, we have the last message or sermon that this unusual man delivered. He waited forty years in Midian, wandered forty years in the wilderness, and at the age of a hundred and twenty, he walked up a mountain to his own funeral. With God as his Undertaker and Uptaker, he died according to the Word of the Lord and his strength was not abated, neither was his eye dim. Listen to Moses as he gains the attention and arouses the interest of those that have traveled with him under the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

"Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." He wasn't ashamed for heaven to hear his final message and he knew the people of earth ought to listen to it. "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew. . ." He's going to preach a moist message and a purifying sermon. Before we give the sermon, let me give the six characteristics of Moses that made him such a great man (from Hebrews 11:24-27)

First, he refused to be called the Son of Pharoah's daughter.

Second, he chose the afflictions with the people of God rather than the pleasures of sin for a season.

Third, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.

Fourth, he endured.

Fifth, he saw Him who was invisible.

Sixth, he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

In Deuteronomy 32, he gives a hundred and twenty years of accumulated wisdom and his first statement is, "I will publish the Name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He." Amen! Think of it, my friend. After all of the experiences of opposition, misunderstanding and criticism, he stood at the end of life's runway to brag on the Rock and had reached the conclusion that He is "just right"! Then he bears the testimony of God's goodness and reminds all of us that we were found in a desert land, in a waste howling wilderness and like an eagle stirring up her nest, fluttering over her young, spreading abroad her wings, we've been taken and have been borne upon the wings of the Saviour.

We've been made to ride in the high places, eat the increase of the fields, suck honey out of the rock, and been in the heavenly oil business. We've eaten homemade butter and drunk the finest milk and pure grape juice. But sad to say, Moses had to remind the people that they had waxed fat and kicked, grown thick, had forsaken the God which made them, and lightly esteemed the Rock. They had become unmindful and even forgotten God who formed them and had lost faith in the Lord. Impossible, you say? After the tremendous experiences of crossing the Red Sea dry-shod, seeing Pharoah's chariots go down, the miraculous provisions of the wilderness for forty years?

And yet, I remind you, we have a repetition of the same thing in America. In 1620, the old Mayflower loaded with Pilgrims sailed a chartless sea and landed in this pioneer country. And on their knees they said, "By the grace of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith, we plant the first colony." The land's been cleared, railroads run, highways crossing the nation, we have airways and airplanes, schools, churches, cities, and thriving businesses with their skyscrapers.

But America has esteemed lightly the Rock of her salvation and has become unmindful of the Rock and forgotten the God who formed her. As we've said before, we're now sitting by the bedside of a dying nation, with all of its liquor traffic, its dope, immorality and homosexuality. Homes are broken, hopes are shattered, she is in the final stages of decay, and God has had to write malignant and terminal on her chart. Even as oses preached, "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Deuteronomy 32:35.

When Moses finished this farewell sermon, he gave an invitation and said, "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law." Deuteronomy 32:46. Oh, at the warnings Moses gave as recorded in Deuteronomy 4:40, "Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever."

"And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

Chapter 12, verse 28, "Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God." And now this old gray-haired general says, "For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life." Oh my soul, in this day when most Americans go to bed tired and wake up tired, go to sleep on sedatives and wake up on stimulants, when most people just exist and never live - listen to Jesus as He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,"

John 10:10. "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life," John 6:63. "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3. And as the greatest man who ever lived on earth brought his final message, as recorded in John 17:3 He said, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent."

And verse 17, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth." "But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have LIFE through His Name." John 20:31. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Verse 4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

I John 5:1a,4. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." I John 5:12. Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and told the children of Israel that had been bitten by the serpent to look and live, and as Isaiah said, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else;" Even so, there is still life in the look and that look is aimed at Jesus. God told the Hebrews, in Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." If you've never looked, you've never lived. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. 

"It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life."  Deuteronomy 32:47.

ARE YOU DRIFTING?

Every Christian must be on constant guard of drifting away from a close walk with the Lord. Leo Morris writes, "You can drift into sin, but not into righteousness."  How true this is, and yet how easy it is to neglect the things which matter most in life. We can become so busy with our daily responsibilities, pursuits and pleasures, that God is not at all in our thoughts. According to Psalm 10:4 this is the way of the wicked: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts."  When you woke up this morning what were you thinking about?  As you made your way through the day how often did you let your thoughts be set on things above, and not on the things of this world (Colossians 3:1)? Did you take time to pray? Did you feed on God’s Word that you might not sin against the Lord? “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Consider men like Daniel who prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10) and Paul who encouraged the Christian’s in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Brethren, if we are not doing the things that build up our spiritual life we are our weakening it by default. Drifting requires no effort; it comes naturally in the spiritual realm. Also bear in mind that a drift is usually imperceptible, but the more we drift the further we move away from righteousness. The decline of the ungodly man in Psalm 1 probably started with a slow drift. He ended up sitting in the seat of the scornful.  I have known Christian’s who once had a vibrant walk with the Lord but no longer do. What are some tell tale signs of a drifting Christian? I have already alluded to some. Neglect of prayer and Bible study. Add to this a lack of desire for Christian fellowship, but increasing interest in worldly things. It’s hard to be around spiritually minded people when you develop a taste for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). One sure sign that you are drifting is when the preaching of God’s Word no longer moves you. If you can sit under the counsel and exhortation of the Living Word (Hebrews 4:12) and stay as you are, something is terribly wrong. If the sins that once bothered you no longer do so, you are drifting. Where will it all end? Where will the drift eventually take you? I can’t answer that question for everyone but it can only be stopped and lost ground regained by repentance. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works”… (Revelation 2:4). 

Draw near to God,

Pastor Tom

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Last night I watched the 25^th annual National Memorial Day concert conducted on the West Lawn of the U.S Capital. It was an emotional tribute to the many brave soldiers who fought to preserve our cherished liberties. Every American owes a profound debt of gratitude to those who have served and are presently serving in the armed forces of the United States of America. Although we take time to remember their unselfish devotion on this day, I pray that the cost of freedom is not forgotten as we go about our daily lives. Thousands of America’s finest made the ultimate sacrifice.  Many of them are buried in Arlington National Cemetery and in nondescript graves elsewhere.  May the memory of what they have done be kept alive in our hearts. 

ALIVE FOREVERMORE!

The foundation of the Christian faith begins with the confession that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.  The first words of Mark’s gospel point us to this truth: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).  Jesus was not a Son of God in a biological sense, but in a relational sense as a member of the triune Godhead who shared in the divine essence (the nature of God) along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  In the New Testament the title Son of God was also synonymous with the term Messiah. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:47-49). Nathaniel perceived that Jesus was the long-promised Redeemer of Israel who would rule as King of Israel.  But first He must die.

Early on in His ministry, Jesus predicted His death and resurrection: “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:18-22). Several months prior to His death, Jesus began to give more specific details about what awaited Him in Jerusalem. And it came to pass that Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again on the third day.  All four gospel writers affirm this truth. Skeptics may try to deny these events, but they are rooted in history, and the existence of the Christian church for over two thousand years speaks loudly about the trustworthiness of Christ’s victory over death and the grave. Christ’s claim to be the Son of God would have been an empty one if  He had not risen, “as he said” (Matthew 28:6). There would be no Christianity.  

As a pastor I have stood at the grave sites of many people who have died knowing Christ as their Savior.  Therefore, I  knew that death was not the end of their existence, but the beginning of another life-- a blessed and glorious life in the presence of God.  I sorrowed not as others who had no hope for someone they loved who “passed away.” Paul wrote to the church of Corinth, in which some were denying a belief in the resurrection of the body: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:19,20). The resurrection of the Christian is predicated upon the resurrection of Christ. If you know Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins by His death on the cross, then you can face death without any fear or uncertainty. The Good Shepherd of the sheep will see you through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) immediately upon your last earthly breath, and someday, in the future, your dead body will be resurrected and made suitable for heavenly life: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). 

As a believer in the Lord Jesus, I can affirm the truth which Peter spoke when he said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3, NKJV). The resurrection is the celebration of the atonement Jesus made on the cross for sinners. God the Father accepted the shedding of Christ’s blood as a payment for sin.  Speaking of Jesus, the Scripture records in Romans 4:25: “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”  A former Buddhist once told a Christian the reason why he became a follower of Jesus, “I was at a turn in the road; who do I follow; the man who is dead or the man who is alive? I chose the One who is alive!"  I hope you choose to follow THE ONE WHO IS ALIVE. 

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:18).

Shalom,

Pastor Tom

DOVE'S WINGS OR EAGLE'S WINGS?

"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest" (Psalm 55:6).

Reading the book of Jonah the other day, I learned that his name means dove in Hebrew. How appropriate this is,  since Jonah was the prophet of God who tried to spread his wings like a dove and flee from the Lord.  Jonah didn’t like the assignment God had given him.  He was told to go to the wicked city of Ninevah and tell them that God was going to destroy their city if they did not repent of their sins. “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me” (Jonah 1:1,2). Not fond of the fact that God was merciful and would spare Ninevah if the inhabitants obeyed Him,  Jonah decided to flee to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). What he soon discovered was that there is nowhere a man can go to hide from the presence of the Lord.  As the story goes, Jonah boarded a ship, but God interrupted his voyage by way of a violent storm, and Jonah was thrown into the deep to perish.  The Lord sent a great fish to swallow up Jonah and he became a captive in a rather unusual aquatic prison. Despite what many critics of the Bible may think, this story is not a myth or ancient legend. Jesus referred to it in Matthew 12:40: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  

Incredible as it may seem, Jonah did survive his ordeal. In answer to his prayers, the reluctant prophet was freed from his captivity, went to Ninevah, and boldly preached, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4).  Amazingly, the people of Ninevah took heed to the message, and God spared them from certain destruction: “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (3:10).  Rather than being elated over his missionary success, Jonah was sad and angry.  The truth was he didn’t want to see Ninevah spared.  He wanted them to get what they deserved:  “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry and he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” (Jonah 4:1, 2).

A couple of lessons are apparent from this dramatic event in the life of Jonah and the Ninevites.  First, if we all got what we deserved we would all suffer the judgment of God.  Jonah should have been elated that the Ninevites heard the truth and believed it.  No man is beyond the grace of God.  He is indeed merciful toward those who will turn away from their sin and seek his forgiveness.  We should be praying for the salvation of all, not their destruction. Secondly, it never pays to try to flee from God. If you are a Christian and you believe that God has called you to a certain task,  or occupation in life, or ministry, just obey Him. Rather than spreading your wings like a dove and taking flight from God, run all the harder to God and He will take you up and carry you on eagles wings to a place of great blessing: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).  God never calls us to do what He will not empower us to do.

Pastor Tom

BIBLE STUDY

The Holy Spirit alone is the one who unlocks the great truths of God’s Word.  The key he uses is the diligent study of the Bible bathed in prayer and clothed in humility. The best classroom is a daily quiet time with an open Bible and open heart. 

 

Pastor Tom

PROGRESSIVE THINKING IN REVERSE

Contrary to the way many people would have it, the Bible does not hesitate to pass judgment on human conduct. Over and over again in the pages of Holy Scripture we read about God’s anger, wrath, and fury being poured out upon sinners. Consider for a moment the catastrophic judgment of a worldwide flood in the days of Noah because “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).  Therefore, God destroyed the inhabitants of the earth, sparing only the righteous Noah and his family (Genesis 7).  Sounds horrific, and it was.  And yes, there really is evidence of a global flood. How else does one explain the presence of marine fossils in strata across the continents, unless the continents were once covered by water (even the highest mountains of the world)?  If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon, you have seen with your own eyes exactly what a catastrophic judgment by water can do.  There we find the remains of sea creatures more than a mile above sea level, and two-foot long nautiloids in the Redwall Limestone.  Further on in the book of Genesis is a statement about the inhabitants of ancient Sodom: “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly" (Genesis 13:13). This sounds quite like God’s assessment of the people of the earth in Noah’s day:  Evil continually (Noah’s day),and sinners exceedingly (in Sodom).  And guess what happened to the inhabitants of Sodom and the cities of the plain?  God rained brimstone and fire upon them from heaven and they became the cities of ash (Genesis 18 and 19). Granted, to speak of such judgments by water and by fire doesn’t go over very well in a culture of people who want to have everything “their way.”  But just like the evidence for a global flood, evidence for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah has been found. I would refer the reader to the articles on this subject at the Associates for Biblical Research website.

Reflecting on God's judgment upon the sinners of Sodom, I couldn’t help but think about America’s moral decay.  As a nation before God, we are sinners exceedingly. Recently I was reminded of just how badly the moral foundation of America has been shattered. Vice President Joseph Biden, while campaigning for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, characterized his opponent Ken Cuccinelli as "a relic from another era."  What did Biden mean?  “A relic from another era”! In part, he meant that Cuccinelli is not a progressive social liberal who supports such things as a woman’s right to kill her unborn child via abortion. Cuccinelli also opposes the gay rights agenda, the opposition of which, according to Biden, is out of step with a new way of thinking.  In Biden’s own words, "Everything they (Cuccinelli’s supporters) talk about without exaggeration is about turning back what the rest of the country and the world thinks is progress." Biden said, "It's hard to fathom this state being led by a man who rejects all that this new thinking stands for.”  Putting politics aside, I find honest Joe’s comments compelling evidence that America is not Slouching Toward Gomorrah, the title of Robert Bork’s 1996 New York Times Bestseller. America is like unto Gomorrah. Biden’s new way of thinking, which progressives embrace, is progress in moral reverse. And Biden made his comments in his typical arrogant tone. He seems to be quite proud of his progressive vision for the future of the United States. But I know that God doesn’t agree with Biden’s new way of thinking, which the world calls progress. In Noah’s day, the preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), the just man Noah, was the only one who didn’t jump on board with the crowd that was bent on doing evil.  Rather, he took his family and got on board an ark which God had him prepare, so that they could be saved from the judgment He was going to bring upon the whole earth. And Lot’s family was escorted “out of Sodom” so they could escape a fiery end.  Only his foolish wife looked back and perished: “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:24-26).   Peter comments on the destruction of Sodom with a stern warning about what God did: “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6).

 If the vice president’s vision for America is progress, count me out.  I won’t travel this road of progress because I know where it ends.  God has made it plain: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34 NKJV). And sin is not something that an Almighty God winks at. He is not a social liberal, nor a right-wing conservative.  He is the thrice-holy God that Isaiah the prophet had a glimpse of in Isaiah 6, which made him declare, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5).   Here is another word of truth found in the book of Isaiah-- I pray that all the “new way of thinking” advocates take it to heart: “ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness"(Isaiah 5:20).

 

Pastor Tom

 

WHY ATHEISM FAILS

Let me say at the onset that I harbor no ill will against atheists. I am not sad for them, glad for them, or mad at them.  But as a system of belief, atheism fails.   An atheist may state clear reasons why he feels that a belief in God is not rationally justified, but he can go no further.  He cannot say with certainty that there is no God. For instance, just ask a friendly atheist (don’t bother with the angry ones) the following question: “How much knowledge do you think you possess in view of the sum total of knowledge that presently exists and is constantly growing?" Before he answers, you might remind him of the exponential increase of knowledge in the world in which we live. Just think of new developments and discoveries in the fields of technology and medicine. It has been said that every minute scientists add 2,000 pages to man's scientific knowledge, and the scientific material they produce every 24 hours would take one person five years to read.  That may or may not be true, but I cannot prove it either way.  I did, however, read an interesting article (The Expansion of Ignorance) written by a gentleman named Kevin Kelly (The Technicum) who states:

  “Ninety- six percent of all matter and energy in our universe is some unknown variety we call dark." It is clear that “dark” is a euphemism for ignorance.  We really have no idea what the bulk of the universe is made of.  We find a similar state of ignorance if we probe deeply into the cell, the brain, or even the earth.  We don’t know nothin'. Yet it is also clear that we know vastly more about the universe than we did a century ago. This new knowledge has been put to practical use in such consumer goods as GPS and iPods, and a steady increase in our own life spans. Our beneficial progress in knowledge comes from tools and technology. Telescopes, microscopes, fluoroscopes,  oscilloscopes, for instance, allow us to see in new ways, and when we look with new tools, we suddenly win many new answers. Yet the paradox of science is that every answer breeds at least two new questions.  More answers, more questions. Telescopes and microscopes expanded not only what we knew, but what we didn’t know (emphasis mine). They allowed us to spy into our ignorance. New and better tools permit us new and better questions …. Thus even though our knowledge is expanding exponentially, our questions are expanding exponentially faster.”

The bottom line according to Kelly is this: “ In other words, science is a method that chiefly expands our ignorance rather than our knowledge.”  I believe Kelly is being forthright.  All men are extremely limited in knowledge, even the brightest of men.  Back to the question to the friendly atheist I mentioned earlier:  If he were to put any kind of percentage  on the amount of knowledge he thinks he possesses in consideration of all the knowledge that exists and is exponentially growing, he would only be demonstrating his ignorance and pride.  So the next question I would ask is this: Since you admit that you know practically nothing in view of all the things which can be known, do you think it is possible that somewhere in the vast amount of things you do not know, evidence for God might truly exist?   To confuse the matter, some atheists will attempt to redefine the definition of atheism to mean someone who doesn’t argue for the non-existence of God, but someone who is simply not a theist. But this doesn’t work.  As philosopher William Lane Craig has said, “If atheism is taken to be a view, namely the view that there is no God, then atheists must shoulder their share of the burden of proof to support this view.”  Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 are still the best explanation of why man exists and why he has the mental and spiritual capacity to even contemplate and discuss matters such as this. “The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1,NKJV).

Pastor Tom

GOD'S SPECIAL TREASURES

I can say with all sincerity that my greatest joy is in knowing Christ as my Savior and Lord.  It is something that far exceeds any earthly pleasure.  Sometimes when I am down about something I find great consolation in my status as a child of God.  I think of how much I love my daughter and would do most anything for her, but my love for her is weak in comparison to my heavenly Father's love for me.  My love is human and finite; God’s love is Divine and infinite.  And I am even more blessed when I read in the Scripture that God takes special delight in those who delight in Him: “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Psalm 147:11).

When God delights in His children He often has a special plan or blessing in store for them. This was the case in the days when Malachi the Prophet penned the last book of the Old Testament.  It was written after the construction of the Second Temple, a time when spiritual decline was evident in the camp of God’s people. Many had once again turned away from God,  so Malachi came as God’s messenger to prick their conscience and call them to repentance. The root of the problem is given in Chapter 1 and verse 6, which says, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”   What stands out is to me is God’s interrogatory statement, “Where is my fear?” The priests and leaders had become corrupt, yet there was a community of men and women who did fear the Lord. When you get to Chapter 3, the division between the unrighteous grumblers and the godly becomes very apparent.  Because  their motives were all wrong, the grumblers felt that serving God was in vain.   Their heart was in the wrong place. Their delight was in earthly things of no lasting value. However, the godly folks feared the Lord and spoke often to one another (about God), and meditated upon his name (3:16). In other words, they took delight in heavenly things. Their joy was in thinking upon the beauty and goodness of the Lord.  This is what they treasured.  What did the Lord do in return? Well, reading further, we see that He put their names in His book of remembrance to honor them in the future and said of them, “They shall be mine… in that day when I make up my jewels" (3:17).  I believe this speaks of the fact that God will regard them as a special treasure, because they treasured Him.   Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). 

Dear friend, do you delight in God and the things of God?  Do you fear the Lord and honor him as a faithful son would honor his father?  I trust that you do, and I hope that your greatest joy is found in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Shalom,

Pastor Tom

  

ULTIMATE JUSTICE!

I find it ironic that Dr. Charles Benjamin, an abortionist (baby killer), recently testified against Dr. Kermit Gosnell, another abortionist, who is on trial in Philadelphia for killing a patient and seven babies.  The irony is that Dr. Benjamin, by his own admission, has killed 40,000 babies over his thirty year career. Talk about a career stained with blood, the blood of the innocent.  The only difference between the seven babies Gosnell is charged with killing and the forty thousand Benjamin has put to death is the time of the murders.  You see, Dr. Benjamin kills them before 24 weeks of development, which is the legal limit in Pennsylvania. This is not just the ultimate hypocrisy, it is morally reprehensible. One man is on trial for murder, while the other, who testifies against him, goes back to doing what he does best – killing the most vulnerable human beings in America. Yes, you heard me right.  Dr. Charles Benjamin, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, and all the other abortionists throughout this country are killing human beings - they are taking human life!  No one can doubt that the embryo (baby) in the womb of its mother is alive. And if it’s alive, then it can only be a human life, a fully human person.  If it is only a potential human life we are left in a quandary.  At what point does it become an actual human life?  Can any of the women’s choice advocates give us the answer? When does the miraculous moment occur, when a potential human life becomes an actual human life?  And why is it only worth saving at that point? But many people have hidden behind the myth that the embryo is not a human person. For the sake of argument, we have only three choices about this matter:

 

1) The embryo/fetus is a human being.

 

2) The embryo/fetus is not a human being.

 

3) We do not know if the embryo/fetus is a human being.

 

If number one is correct (which it is), then all abortions are acts of murder, regardless of the time they are performed. If number two is correct, then we must ask, “What kind of life is it?”  And if we don’t know (which we do), then why would we kill it? What if a small child went to his father with something in a closed box and asked him, “Dad, can I kill this?” I’m quite sure his father would not say, “Sure son, go ahead and kill it.” Rather, he would ask, “What is it?”  If you think that is a foolish example, please think again. 

 

The truth of the matter is that we know that a human embryo is a member of the species Homo sapiens at the very earliest stage of its development (Biology 101). Oh, but it’s not fully developed, some say. Somehow, in their minds, that makes it alright to kill it before that indefinable, magic moment when it has value and becomes worth saving. Do we really want to judge the matter by the question of development? After all, a newborn has a lot of developing to do and can’t survive outside the womb without a lot of love and tender care. And there are many people of all ages with developmental disabilities and limitations. Do we think they are not fully human? 

 

Robert George, who was  a member of the President’s Council on Bioethics under President George W. Bush, is on record as stating, “The adult that is you is the same human being who, at an earlier stage of your life, was an adolescent, and before that a child, an infant, a fetus and an embryo…. The human embryo is not something different in kind from a human being, nor is it merely a ‘potential human being,’ whatever that might mean. Rather, the human embryo is a human being in the embryonic stage.”

 

There we have it: “The HUMAN EMBRYO is a HUMAN BEING in the embryonic stage!  In my previous list of three choices, the correct answer can only be number one. It is not a matter of choice; it’s a matter of fact! Apart from basic biology, I also happen to think that there is something inside the majority of us human beings that has told us that all along.  But the obvious conclusion is that we cannot and must not continue to kill human beings. That is the law of the land. It is also the law of God: “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Christian author Gregory Koukl is absolutely right when he states, “If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate.”

 

So Dr. Benjamin should be on trial for murder as well as Dr. Gosnell. But honestly, why should we even call abortionists doctors?  I was always led to believe that the medical profession was about saving human lives, not taking them.

 

People have to be heartless to slaughter innocent human beings in such a horrible fashion and in such massive numbers in the abortion clinics throughout America.  It is a very dirty business. The abortionists can use sterile techniques when performing their murders, but they can never sanitize the brutality of the act.  This is why the media has been ignoring the trial of Dr. Gosnell. If they provided all the details and graphics, many Americans would be appalled, and rightly so.  Have you ever wondered why organizations like Planned Parenthood object to the pictures of aborted children that pro-life groups publicize?  The answer is obvious: We are killing human babies and they don’t want you to see those aborted babies.

 

Here is the hard truth: Some people are so hard of heart and morally callused that they have no problem with killing human babies outside the womb. And why should they? If an unborn baby at seven months has no right to life inside the womb, then why would he have a right to life outside? Think I am making this up?  Florida legislators considering a bill requiring abortionists to provide medical care to an infant who survives an abortion were shocked during a committee hearing by the testimony of Alisa LaPolt Snow. Snow was the representative of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. She testified that her organization believes the decision to kill an infant who survives a failed abortion should be left up to the woman seeking an abortion and her abortion doctor.  Representative Jose Oliva followed up by asking, "You stated that a baby born alive on a table as a result of a botched abortion-- that that decision should be left to the doctor and the family. Is that what you’re saying?”

 

Snow once again replied, “That decision should be between the patient and the health care provider.”  Oliva would not let her off the hook in his reply: “I think that at that point the patient would be the child struggling on the table, wouldn’t you agree?” asked Oliva.

 

Anyone with a conscience would agree, and Alisa LaPolt Snow should have been able to answer Oliva’s question; but she could not:  "That’s a very good question. I really don’t know how to answer that," Snow said. "I would be glad to have some more conversations with you about this.” How many conversations would it take to convince her that a child struggling to live on a table should receive the medical care that he needs in order to survive?

 

Let me conclude where I began, with the trial of Dr. Gosnell.  My guess is that he will be convicted of some of the charges against him--hopefully, enough to send him to prison, where he deserves to be.  Some degree of justice should prevail. But what about Dr. Benjamin?  What about the justice he deserves?  Who will hold him accountable? 

 

Thankfully, there is a higher court of law than any human court. The Almighty God, who made man in His image (Genesis 1:26), will serve the ultimate justice on Dr. Benjamin and his fellow abortionists.  Justice delayed is not justice denied!  “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Yes, God will do what is right, and as the Scripture says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  Ultimate justice will be served.

 

Pastor Tom