10/2/14

From Mark Copeland... Even His Brothers Did Not Believe (John 7:1-9)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

               Even His Brothers Did Not Believe (7:1-9)

INTRODUCTION

1. In a gospel designed to create faith in Jesus, John tells of those
   who lacked faith...
   a. Those in His own nation - Jn 1:11
   b. Those among His disciples - Jn 6:66

2. For a time, even His own brothers (named in Mt 13:55) did not
   believe...
   a. As recorded in Jn 7:5
   b. As implied in Mk 3:21
   c. As foretold in Ps 69:8
   -- Though they eventually came to believe in Jesus - Ac 1:14

3. Why did Jesus' brothers not believe in Him from the very
   beginning...?
   a. Had they not seen the miracles?
   b. Did they not know Him as well as anyone?

[Reasons why they did not believe at first, and the reason they came to
believe at last, can provide some valuable lessons for us today...]

I. WHY THEY DID NOT BELIEVE

   A. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THEIR UNBELIEF...
      1. Perhaps they were blinded by familiarity
         a. As is often said, "Familiarity breeds contempt"
         b. This hindered many who knew Jesus from childhood - Mt 13:
            54-58
         c. A problem common among prophets - Mt 13:57; Jn 4:44
      2. Perhaps they were blinded by envy
         a. Large crowds had been following Jesus everywhere
         b. Making it difficult for His family to speak to Him at times
            - Mt 12:46-47
         c. Jealousy can be a powerful hindrance to seeing things
            clearly
      3. Perhaps they were blinded by preconceptions
         a. Many Jews had wrong conceptions concerning the kingdom - cf.
            Jn 6:15
         b. His brothers had their ideas as to what He should do - Jn 7:
            2-4
         c. It is easy to reject someone if they do not live up to your
            expectations
      -- For one reason or another, Jesus' brothers did not believe in
         Him

   B. A WARNING FOR US TODAY...
      1. Do we let familiarity blind us to the truth?
         a. Do we reject what a close friend or relative may tell us?
         b. Especially since they have their own faults of which we are
            well aware?
         -- Truth can be communicated by imperfect messengers - cf. Ph
            1:15-18
      2. Do we let envy get in the way of truth?
         a. Are we jealous that we might be wrong and others may be
            right?
         b. Do we think that by admitting others are right, it somehow
            makes them better?
         -- Truth (and salvation!) is too precious to let envy or
            jealousy keep us from it
      3. Do we let preconceived notions obstruct a clear evaluation of
         the truth?
         a. Refusing to reexamine our cherished beliefs?
         b. Rejecting a view or teaching simply because we have never
            heard it before?
         -- Truth requires a willingness to hear, and has nothing to
            fear from investigation - Ac 17:11

[Don't discount the potential impact of familiarity, envy, or
preconceptions.  Such blinded the brothers of Jesus so that even His
miracles did not convince them!  What finally prompted them to believe
is worthy of note...]

II. HOW THEY CAME TO BELIEVE

   A. THE REASON FOR THEIR FAITH...
      1. As noted previously, Jesus' brothers eventually became
         disciples
         a. They were with the apostles after the Ascension - Ac 1:12-14
         b. James, the Lord's brother, became a key figure in the church
            at Jerusalem - Ac 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Ga 2:9
         c. James and Judas wrote their respective epistles - Jm 1:1;
            Jude 1
         d. According to secular history, James was martyred for his
            faith
      2. What changed them?  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead!
         a. Jesus appeared to James - 1Co 15:7
         b. The others may have seen Him on other occasions - cf. 1Co 15:6
      3. The significance of Jesus' resurrection
         a. Miracles can be faked
         b. Rising from the dead cannot!
      -- The resurrection shattered any blinders of familiarity, envy,
         preconceptions

   B. A BLESSING FOR US TODAY...
      1. It is understandable that one might find the gospel story
         incredible
         a. A man born of a virgin?
         b. A man who was the Son of God?
         c. A man who supposedly...
            1) Walked on water?
            2) Calmed the seas?
            3) Fed thousands with five loaves and two fish?
            4) Healed the sick and lame, gave sight to the blind, raised
               the dead?
            5) Was Himself raised from the dead?
      2. Yet there is a good reason to believe the incredible story!
         a. That is, the conversion of those like Jesus' brothers
            1) Who at first did not believe (for whatever reason)
            2) Who were persuaded by overwhelming empirical evidence
               - cf. Ac 1:3; 10:39-41
            3) Who never recanted their testimony, despite hardship and
               persecution
         b. What else can explain the transformation of Jesus' brothers?
            1) It was the same thing that transformed the disciples of
               Jesus!
            2) "If the disciples were totally disappointed and on the
               verge of desperate flight because of the very real reason
               of the crucifixion, it took another very real reason in
               order to transform them from a band of disheartened and
               dejected Jews into the most self-confident missionary
               society in world history." - Pinchas Lapide, former
               Chairman of the Applied Linguistics Department at
               Israel's Bar-Iland University (TIME, May 7, 1979)
            3) This Orthodox Jewish scholar concluded that a bodily
               resurrection could possibly have been that reason!
      -- The conversion of His brothers and others who first doubted
         should strengthen our faith in Jesus!

CONCLUSION

1. The unbelief of Jesus' brothers serves as a warning...
   a. How easily one can be blinded by such things as familiarity, envy,
      and preconceptions
   b. How carefully we must give others a fair hearing

2. The unbelief of Jesus' brothers also serves as a blessing...
   a. Their eventual conversion implies overwhelming evidence of Jesus'
      resurrection
   b. Since we believe in Jesus through the words of such men, the
      foundation of our faith is stronger

With the help of their own example, we can heed the exhortation given by
one of Jesus' brothers:

   "But you, beloved, BUILDING YOURSELVES UP ON YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH,
   praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God,
   looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
                                                         (Jude 20-21)

Acts 1:14 (NKJV)

14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

From Gary... What happens if you honestly look in the mirror, America?

This is a picture that I took in Dade City, Florida, quite some time ago. In retrospect, I wish I had taken a larger one that didn't emphasize the sign quite so much, but, what is done is done. After considering the poor design and grammar of the message, it can be summarized as follows: America IS A HYPOCRITE!!! Name calling is an easy thing to do (and quite often very inappropriate), but what if the situation warrants it? Jesus did it. Read the following...

Matthew 23:13-36 NASB
(13) "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
(14) ["Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]
(15) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
(16) "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.'
(17) "You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?
(18) "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.'
(19) "You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
(20) "Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.
(21) "And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.
(22) "And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
(23) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
(24) "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
(25) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
(26) "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
(27) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
(28) "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
(29) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

(30) and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
(31) "So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
(32) "Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.
(33) "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
(34) "Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
(35) so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
(36) "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus calls the Scribes and Pharisees "hypocrites" seven times in sixteen short verses. To my sensibilities, it seems a bit harsh; but then these were the religious leaders of the day and demanded greater scrutiny and accountability. Frankly, no one likes to be referred to in this manner, but if its justified, then IT IS APPROPRIATE!!!! Now, the picture at the top cites only one instance of supposed HYPOCRISY, but would it really be hard for us to list others? For example, we claim to be a free nation, but there has been a constant pattern of removing our freedoms for the last several decades. Even our elected officials ignore the constitution that our nation was founded on and consistently lead us on a path towards tyranny. Our representatives, taken as a collective body, have forsaken the faithful representation of their constituents and are irrevocably corrupt. Our nation is rotting from the inside out and the average person (like myself) feels that there is not one thing we can do to change things. I know that I am wrong to feel this way, but it is what it is. However, I do intellectually know that God can change things and I have an obligation to seek HIS intervention through the medium of prayer.

Father in heaven, purify this nation. Remove the rampant sin that corrupts us and focus our minds, our hearts and lives to do your will and not our own!!! Help us to honestly face our situation, both personally and collectively- and do what we can to effect change. Help us to be as straightforward as Jesus and honestly call Sin, Sin!!! For we pray through Jesus; AMEN!!!

10/1/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Deism: Ancient & Modern (2)

Deism: Ancient & Modern (2)

So the man with the clockmaker religion shut God outside the physical world. He had created it but God was now a prisoner outside the world with its "laws"; but that protected the religion of the clockmaker religious man (or so he thought). It meant that he could still believe God existed and shrug at the scientists that said they couldn’t see God anywhere in this (alleged) "creation". "Of course you can’t," this kind of believer said. "That’s because he’s outside the world and doesn’t venture into it or interfere with it." It had another tremendous advantage; it meant he didn’t have to explain the awful natural catastrophes that occurred in a world actively governed by the God that created the world. All he had to do was say, "You can’t blame God for these because he doesn’t govern the world—it runs all by itself. It’s simply ‘bad luck’ when these random events kill people. The awful Lisbon earthquake, for example, had nothing whatever to do with God. These catastrophes are mindless bad luck and it makes no sense to blame God or hold him responsible." And so they shrugged and were pleased and then told people just to be brave and that while these catastrophes were "meaningless" it was up to people to "invest them with meaning." Presumably they urged people to do this because if they didn’t do it the awful events would remain without meaning. For certainly God didn’t mean anything by them since he had absolutely nothing to do with them. They were as blind and mechanical and meaningless as the forces that mindlessly spewed them out. It’s all so simple! Shut God out of the world and he’s as innocent as a new-born babe in Job’s house.

But this religious outlook had its terrible price. If God is shut out then the Bible and all its major claims, leading up to and including its claims about Jesus Christ had to be rejected. Prayer was problematic in the extreme and certainly any divine activity in the world—a closed system, a world of unbroken cause and effect—was out of the question.

Some saw the cost as unbearable and wouldn’t pay it but they tried to sit on the fence. They shut God out and called catastrophes "random" (that is, mindless and purposeless chance happenings) but allowed him in to give blessings and bring good out of the catastrophes. They called tragedies and catastrophes random events because they produced pain and loss in the human family. They said, "See, these things can be explained altogether as the result of chance occurrences in wind and rain and other physical elements. And besides, what kind of God would cause the deaths of little children and those they love?"

But non-believers saw through that immediately.

For the same people insisted that when "the righteous" prayed for rain for their dying crops that God very often answered their prayers and sent the needed rain.

But how could they say God sent the rain? Rain comes by itself—even the semi-clockwork religious man insisted on that! ("Sunshine and rain—it’s all random," he said.) "Check a rainfall out from its very inception to its end," said the non-believer, "and you’ll find it’s a chain of unbroken physical causes and effects. A whole series of mindless and non-purposing forces come together to produce rain. This can be explained altogether as the result of chance occurrences and physical laws." The non-believer reminded the fence-sitting religious man with a half clockwork religion that the elements involved in alleged answers to prayers are as "random" as those in floods and storms. Shut God out from wind and rain and sun and elements and you not only cut him off from "cursing" you cut him off from "blessing".

"But God is good," said the ‘semi-deist’ and the blessings are from him and the pain and loss is not."

"How do you know?" said the non-believer, "since one is as random as the other."

"The Bible says God is good and blesses us."

"The Bible also says God is good and sends calamities," said the non-believer.

"The Bible says God works to make the bad work out for good."

"The Bible also says God is good and sends calamities," the non-belliever insisted.

"The Bible says God works good out of the bad calamities."

"The Bible says God sends calamities—are you saying they are bad?" the non-believer asled.

"He used to send them but he doesn’t now."

"Where does the Bible say that? the non-believer wanted to know.

"Um..."

And if he sent then now would they be bad?" the non-believer asked.

"Yes, what kind of a God would cause the death of a child or take its Grandmother?"

"The Bible says God did kill children and grandmothers in the past. Was he bad then?"

"Um..."

The Adulterous Woman by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1277

The Adulterous Woman

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

One of the most misused, mishandled, and misapplied passages in the Bible is the narrative of the woman caught in adultery, recorded in John 8:1-11. [For a discussion of the technical aspects of this passage as a textual variant, see Woods, 1989, p. 162; McGarvey, 1974, p. 16; Metzger, 1971, pp. 219-222; Metzger, 1968, pp. 223-224]. This passage has been used by situation ethicists (e.g., Fletcher, 1967, pp. 83,133), libertines, and liberals to insist that God is not “technical” when it comes to requiring close adherence to His laws. The bulk of Christendom has abetted this notion by decontextualizing and applying indiscriminately the remark of Jesus: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (vs. 7). The average individual, therefore, has come to think that Jesus was tolerant and forgiving to the extent that He released the woman from the strict restrictions of Bible law that called for her execution. They believe that Jesus simply waved aside her sin, and granted her unconditional freedom and forgiveness—though the Law called for her death (Leviticus 20:10). After all, isn’t it true that Jesus places people “in the grip of grace” (Lucado, 1996)?
Those who challenge these conclusions are derided as “traditionalists” who lack “compassion,” and who are just like the “legalistic” scribes and Pharisees who cruelly accused the woman and wanted her handled in strict accordance with Mosaic Law. Did Jesus set aside the clear requirements of Mosaic legislation in order to demonstrate mercy, grace, and forgiveness? A careful study of John 8:1-11 yields at least three insights that clarify the confusion and misconception inherent in the popular imagination.
First, Mosaic regulations stated that a person could be executed only if there were two or more witnesses to the crime (Deuteronomy 19:15). One witness was insufficient to invoke the death penalty (Deuteronomy 17:6). The woman in question was reportedly caught in the “very act” (vs. 4), but nothing is mentioned about the identity of the witness or witnesses. There may have been only one, thereby making execution illegal.
Second, even if there were two or more witnesses present to verify the woman’s sin, the Old Testament was equally explicit concerning the fact that both the woman and the man were to be executed (Deuteronomy 22:22). Where was the man? The accusing mob completely side-stepped this critical feature of God’s Law, demonstrating that this trumped-up situation obviously did not fit the Mosaic preconditions for invoking capital punishment. Obedience to the Law of Moses in this instance actually meant letting the woman go!
A third consideration that libertines overlook concerning this passage is the precise meaning of the phrase “He who is without sin among you….” If this statement is taken as a blanket prohibition against accusing, disciplining, or punishing the erring, impenitent Christian, then this passage flatly contradicts a host of other passages (e.g., Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9-11). Jesus not only frequently passed judgment on a variety of individuals during His life on Earth (e.g., Matthew 15:14; 23; John 8:44,55; 9:41; et al.), but also enjoined upon His followers the necessity of doing the same thing (e.g., John 7:24). Peter could be very direct in assessing people’s spiritual status (e.g., Acts 8:23). Paul rebuked the Corinthians’ inaction concerning their fornicating brother: “Do you not judge those who are inside?… Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13, emp. added). Obviously, Paul demanded that Christians must judge (i.e., make an accurate assessment regarding) a fellow Christian’s moral condition. Even the familiar proof text so often marshaled to promote laxity (i.e., “Judge not, that you be not judged”—Matthew 7:1) records Jesus admonishing disciples: “…then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye” (vs. 5). The current culture-wide celebration of being nonjudgmental (“I’m OK, you’re OK”) is clearly out of harmony with Bible teaching.
So Jesus could not have been offering a blanket prohibition against taking appropriate action with regard to the sins of our fellows. Then what did His words mean? What else could possibly be going on in this setting so as to completely deflate, undermine, and terminate the boisterous determination of the woman’s accusers to attack Him, by using the woman as a pretext? What was it in Jesus’ words that had such power to stop them in their tracks—so much so that their clamor faded to silence and they departed “one by one, beginning with the oldest” (vs. 9)?
Most commentators suggest that He shamed them by getting them to realize that “nobody is perfect and we all sin.” But this motley crew—with their notorious and repeatedly documented hard-heartedness—would not have been deterred if Jesus simply had conveyed the idea that, “Hey, give the poor woman a break, none of us is perfect, and we’ve all done things we're not proud of.” These heartless scribes and Pharisees had the audacity to divert her case from the proper judicial proceedings and to humiliate her by forcibly hauling her into the presence of Jesus, thereby making her a public spectacle. Apparently accompanied by a group of complicit supporters, they cruelly subjected her to the wider audience of “all the people” (vs. 2) who had come to hear Jesus’ teaching. They hardly would have been discouraged from their objective by such a simple utterance from Jesus that “nobody’s perfect.”
So what is the answer to this puzzling circumstance? Jesus was striking at precisely the same point that Paul drove home to hard-hearted, hypocritical Jews in Rome: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1). Paul was especially specific on the very point with which Jesus dealt: “You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery?” (vs. 22). In other words, no person is qualified to call attention to another’s sin when that individual is in the ongoing practice of the same sin. Again, as Jesus previously declared, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). After all, it is the “spiritual” brother or sister who is in the proper position to restore the wayward (Galatians 6:1).
Consequently, in the context under consideration, Jesus knew that the woman’s accusers were guilty of the very thing for which they were willing to condemn her. (It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the man with whom the woman had committed adultery was in league with the accusing crowd.) Jesus was able to prick them with their guilt by causing them to realize that He knew that they, too, were guilty. The old law made clear that the witnesses to the crime were to cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). The death penalty could not be invoked legally if the eyewitnesses were unavailable or unqualified. Jesus was striking directly at the fact that these witnesses were ineligible to fulfill this role since they were guilty of the same sin, and thus deserved to be brought up on similar charges. They were intimidated into silence by their realization that Jesus was privy to their own sexual indiscretions.
Observe carefully that with the withdrawal of the accusers, Jesus put forth a technical legal question: “Woman, where are they? Did no man condemn thee?” (ASV), or “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?” (vs. 10, KJV). The reason for Jesus to verify the absence of the accusers who had brought the charges against the woman was that the Law of Moses mandated the presence of eyewitnesses to the crime before guilt could be established and sentence passed. The woman confirmed, “No man, Lord” (vs. 11). Jesus then affirmed: “Neither do I condemn you….” The meaning of this pronouncement was that if two or more witnesses to her sin were not able or willing to document the crime, then she could not be held legally liable, since neither was Jesus, Himself, qualified to serve as an eyewitness to her action. The usual interpretation of “neither do I condemn you” is that Jesus was flexible, tolerant, and unwilling to be judgmental toward others or to condemn their sinful actions. Ridiculous! The Bible repudiates such thinking on nearly every page. Jesus was declaring the fact that the woman managed to slip out from under judicial condemnation on the basis of one or more legal technicalities. But, He said (to use modern-day vernacular), “You had better stop it! You were fortunate this time, but you must cease your sinful behavior!”
Incredible! The scribes and Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in a trap. Yet Jesus, as was so often the case (e.g., Matthew 21:23-27), “turned the tables” on His accusers and caught them in a trap instead! At the same time, He demonstrated a deep and abiding respect for the governing beauty and power of law—the law that He and His Father had authored. Jesus was the only person Who ever complied with Mosaic legislation perfectly. He never sought to excuse human violation of law, nor to minimize the binding and authoritative application of law to people. Any interpretation of any passage that depicts Jesus as violating God’s law in order to forgive or accommodate man is a false interpretation, as is any interpretation that relegates law to a status of secondary importance (cf. Deuteronomy 6:24; 10:13; Psalms 19:7-11; Romans 7:12). Any interpretation of any passage that contradicts the teaching of other clear passages also is false. Jesus was not in sympathy with the permissive mindset of today’s doctrinally lax thinkers who soften doctrine and the binding nature of law in the name of “grace,” “freedom,” or “compassion.”

REFERENCES

Fletcher, Joseph (1967), Moral Responsibility (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster).
Lucado, Max (1996), In the Grip of Grace (Dallas: Word).
McGarvey, J.W. (1974 reprint), Evidences of Christianity (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).
Metzger, Bruce (1971), A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (New York: United Bible Society).
Metzger, Bruce M. (1968), The Text of the New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press), second edition.
Woods, Guy N. (1989), A Commentary on the Gospel According to John (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).

From Mark Copeland... To Whom Shall We Go? (John 6:67-69)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

                     To Whom Shall We Go? (6:67-69)

INTRODUCTION

1. When Jesus talked about being the Bread of Life, it troubled some
   people...
   a. He used figurative language, which sounded cannibalistic - cf. Jn6:51-59
   b. Difficult to understand, some were offended (those lacking in
      faith) - cf. Jn 6:60-65
   c. Many of His disciples left Him - cf. Jn 6:66
   -- Prompting Jesus to ask the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
      - Jn 6:67

2. Peter's response serves as the text of our lesson...
   a. "To whom shall we go?" - Jn 6:68a
   b. He acknowledged that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life
      - Jn 6:68b
   c. He also confesses their faith in Him as the Christ, the Son of the
      living God - Jn 6:69
   -- His question is one that we do well to ask today

[For the answers to our true purpose and mission in life, to find the
words of eternal life, "To Whom Shall We Go?"  There are many places we
could turn to, indeed many do turn to, but they are not the right ones.
For example, consider...]

I. TO WHOM WE COULD GO

   A. THE OPINIONS OF THE MAJORITY...?
      1. Many people look to whatever the majority believes
         a. E.g., what their peers thinks
         b. E.g., whatever the latest polls indicate
      2. But consider the words of Jesus, in describing the end of the
         majority - Mt 7:13-14
      3. If you followed the majority...
         a. In Noah's day, you would have perished in the flood
         b. In Joshua's day, you would have perished in the wilderness

   B. THE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF HUMAN WISDOM...?
      1. Many feel that human wisdom can lead them to truth and life
         a. Especially that pronounced by educated professors
         b. Or that pronounced by "pop" psychologists on talk shows
      2. But God's thoughts and ways are not always our own - cf. Isa 55:8-9
      3. In fact, God has chosen to save man in a manner specifically
         designed to confound those who depend solely upon human wisdom
         - cf. 1Co 1:18-29

   C. THE PROCLAMATIONS OF PREACHERS...?
      1. It is common for people to trust their preacher, priest, or
         pastor
      2. They reason that surely these "men of God" could not be wrong
         or lead them astray
         a. Yet Paul warned of how we can easily be misled - cf. 2 Co 11:13-15
         b. And Jesus warned about the "blind leading the blind" - Mt 15:12-14

   D. THE DICTATES OF OUR CONSCIENCE...?
      1. "Let your conscience be your guide" is the motto of many
      2. But our conscience cannot always be reliable
         a. Paul had served God with a good conscience throughout his
            life - Ac 23:1
         b. Even at a time when he was persecuting Christians! - cf. Ac 26:9-11
      3. Our conscience is like a clock, which works properly only if
         set properly

   F. THE DIRECTION OF OUR FEELINGS...?
      1. This is often where many people turn
         a. Who go by whatever "feels right"
         b. Who place stock in things "better felt than told"
      2. Yet the Bible declares the danger of trusting in "feelings"
         a. "There is a way which seems right...but its end is the way
            of death." - Pr 14:12
         b. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool..." - Pr 28:26
         c. "O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not
            in man who walks to direct his own steps." - Jer 10:23

[None of these should be the ultimate source to where we turn if we are
looking for the words of eternal life.  As confessed by Peter, there is
only One...]

II. TO WHOM WE SHOULD GO

   A. JESUS CHRIST, SON OF THE LIVING GOD...!
      1. As Peter confessed in our text - Jn 6:68-69
      2. He is the one who provides "food which endures to everlasting
         life" - Jn 6:27,35,40
      3. He is the way, the truth and the life - Jn 14:6
      4. Upon this One has God "set His seal" - Jn 6:27
         a. I.e., confirmed Him to be the source of eternal life
         b. Through the miracles, and ultimately His resurrection - Jn 5:36; Ro 1:4
      -- Yet how does one "go to Jesus" when He no longer walks on the
         earth?  We must turn to...

   B. THE APOSTLES OF CHRIST, INSPIRED OF THE SPIRIT...!
      1. Jesus prepared and equipped His apostles to carry on and
         complete His work
         a. He told them of the Holy Spirit - Jn 16:7-11
         b. Who would guide them into all the truth - Jn 16:12-13
      2. To receive the apostles (apostolos, lit., one sent) is to
         receive Jesus - Jn 13:20
      3. Thus the apostles were authoritative spokesmen for Christ
         - e.g., 1Th 4:1-2,8; 1Jn 4:6; Jude 17
      4. They received all things pertaining to life and godliness
         - 2Pe 1:3
      5. They did not shun to proclaim the whole counsel of God - Ac 20:
         20-21,27
      -- But how do we "go to the apostles" when they no longer live on
         the earth?  We must turn to...

   C. THE NEW TESTAMENT, REPOSITORY OF THE WORD OF GOD...!
      1. The apostles wrote that we might benefit from their
         understanding- e.g., Ep 3:3-5
      2. We must view their words as the commandments of the Lord
         - e.g., 1Co 14:37
      3. Therefore we are to hold fast to what they taught - cf. 2 Th 2:15; 3:15; Jude 3
      4. As exemplified by the very first church in Jerusalem - Ac 2:42
      -- The words of the apostles preserved in their writings, can lead
         us to Him who alone has the words of eternal life!

CONCLUSION

1. To whom shall we go...?
   a. The answer must be "Jesus!"
   b. He is "...the Christ, the Son of the living God"
   c. He alone has "...the words of eternal life"

2. Where will you find Jesus...?
   a. Not in the words of modern theologians and filmmakers, who have
      sought to remake Jesus according to their own image
   b. But in the words of His apostles, eyewitnesses of His majesty and
      inspired by the Spirit to reveal all that we need to experience
      life and godliness

Don't let the cacophony of modern voices lead you away from Jesus and
His words of eternal life. Make sure that it is His apostles' writings,
the Word of God, that leads you to Him who is the way, the truth and the
life!

From Gary... There remains a witness

This picture from Walter Vogt is not a recent one; rather it is from the first day of Spring, 2014. How time flies!!! Spring has given way to summer (and the sweltering heat of Florida) and now Fall has arrived with its cooler temperatures- yes, even in Florida, it becomes cooler in Fall. I love to see the seasons change because this reminds of God's blessings.

Acts 14:1-20 NASB
(1) In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.
(2) But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.
(3) Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.
(4) But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
(5) And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them,
(6) they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region;
(7) and there they continued to preach the gospel.
(8) At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked.
(9) This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well,
(10) said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he leaped up and began to walk.
(11) When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have become like men and have come down to us."
(12) And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
(13) The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
(14) But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out
(15) and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM.
(16) "In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;
(17) and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
(18) Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
(19) But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
(20) But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

The change of seasons is a witness that God is and that he provides good things to everyone. It is hard for me to imagine the life that the apostle Paul lived, with all its turmoil, obstacles and suffering. Yet, somehow he came through it all had courage to continue to preach the truth, even after being stoned. Think about it, after being stoned, he went back into the city!!! What courage, what trust, what a man!!! Look out your window and notice the seasonal changes that Fall brings and remember Acts 14- God has blessed us all and he will give strength to those who love him to do seemingly impossible things!!! Personally, I could do without the stoning business, but should that be my destiny, so be it!!! Anyway, find a quiet moment today and reflect about the existence and provision of God. And be thankful that it isn't snowing yet!!!

9/30/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Deism: Ancient & Modern (1)

Deism: Ancient & Modern (1)

Once upon a time it became fashionable to believe that humans evolved out of non-living materials and inch by painful inch they moved through protoplasm to organisms to sea creatures to amphibians to land mammals to full-blown humans. At first scientists rejected the idea but then (with a little help from stupid and insolent religious leaders) the notion took off. The theory of evolution—the transmutation of species—prevailed; but there were those who thought that God somehow guided the process upward. But as time went by that wasn’t received well in scientific quarters because there was nothing of a scientific nature that could prove it. The non-theists insisted that as far as science was concerned there wasn’t a God in sight.

You understand, they weren’t saying there was no God, only that if there was, there was no scientific reason to believe he was acting in the evolutionary process. As far as they could tell it was happening on its own. Scientists had begun to explain that the most amazing things were nothing more than "the way things worked". They spoke of "natural laws" and they were able to explain about orbits and magnetic fields, geological formations and the paths of comets, what infection was and the astonishing nature of "white" light. The persuasive power of their explanations increased when they were able to predict things (how did they know when Haley’s Comet would appear in the sky?) and they were able to demonstrate other things before your very eyes. They modestly insisted that they were only uncovering the truth about how things worked. They were demonstrating that physical reality included things too small to be seen with the eye but with it all they were demonstrating that you didn’t need God to sustain or guide the physical universe. The physical "laws" do quite well without his supernatural interference. Believers would say, flowers can’t make themselves and non-theist scientists would reply that that was the only thing they saw. Flowers kept making themselves.

Some very influential religious leaders took that seriously and then argued that it made perfectly good sense. The universe was like a giant clock and God was the clockmaker. A good clockmaker doesn’t have to keep messing with his clock to make it run right—he makes it, steps back and lets it tick away and it functions perfectly well without him. This became the view of many leading thinkers and it had real advantages. For example, your religion and your belief that God exists never came under threat. No one that owned a splendid grandfather clock expected to wake in the night to find that the clockmaker had sneaked into the owner’s house to adjust it. Just so, no one should expect God to sneak into his clock universe to tinker with it. No need to worry then that we couldn’t find proofs of his existence in the physical universe. It was all very simple and satisfying. Well...not quite!

That view of God put a real strain on the notion of prayer. Exactly how would that work if God does absolutely nothing in the world? What’s the point of praying if the clockmaker never "interfered" or adjusted things or related to the praying one?

It certainly put a strain on the notion of "miracles". If God created the raw material (including its "laws" which are part of raw material) and had nothing further to do with its operation, then he certainly didn’t come around tinkering with it, a miracle here, a supernatural nudge there, or a suspension or transcending of "natural law" elsewhere. He didn’t do that, so miracles had to go! Ooooh, but what of the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the resurrection, exaltation and coming again of the Christ? They all had to go!

And what of the Bible? Did God write that through humans? No, that idea had to go as well because that would be divine interference. And why not get rid of that notion, it was a troublesome matter anyway. More than that, given the clockmaker religion, it made good sense that the doctrine of divine inspiration should be dumped. Look, if man evolved then his intellect, views, culture, religion and values all must have evolved with him. The Hebrew-Christian Bible is the product of evolving humans and we can hardly expect those ancients to speak with the knowledge of Enlightenment scientists and thinkers. The Bible is pre-scientific and its religious claims and proposals reflect man’s general ignorance as well as his growth. So we can't depend on the Bible. When it tells us of a divinely guided history (say, from the election of Abraham through Israel’s election and on up to Jesus Christ) we have to recognise it for what it is—the beliefs of a pre-critical age that sometimes (not always!) talked nonsense. The cosmic clockmaker doesn’t do anything in the world so all talk about divinely guided history or divinely inspired Bibles is just so much ignorance.

And the claims that God produced floods, earthquakes, destroying winds, droughts and famines are all nonsense. Everyone now knew that God in his sovereignty (whatever that meant exactly) didn’t do such things. These were random events, just mindless happenings, they simply happened; no one caused them—least of all God.

Besides, as if more proof were needed, take a look at some of the claims the Bible makes. God ordered the slaughter of innocent children and their grandmothers? Who can believe that? What kind of God would take away a child’s grandmother—its favourite babysitter and playmate? Who would order the slaughter of witches and homosexuals and adulterers? What kind of God would claim he was raising up a fierce warrior nation to slaughter his (allegedly) elect people because they had grown tired of him and wanted to worship someone else? No, the Bible had to go and that was that.

For pity’s sake, we have to dump the Bible? Well...that was a hard pill for most people to swallow but what could they do? They wanted to hold on to Jesus Christ (or Moses) but there was nothing for it but to shape him in light of the established truth of religion and science. He became merely the finest man, a lovely human that cared for the oppressed and promoted gentleness and self-sacrifice even to the point of patiently enduring an unjust execution. And, of course, he's still dead. But his teaching was glorious—he taught us all to be nicer to each other and he confirmed what every gentle-woman or man knew in his/her bones was right and good—and knew it without divine revelation. But as far as the dogmas about him went, well they had to go. His astonishing claims, his insistence that only through him can the world have life, that he would judge the world—all that sort of stuff—that’s what his ignorant disciples claimed. He probably didn't make those claims; the disciples made them up.

So our clockwork religious leaders took from the Bible what they approved of and dumped the rest. The Bible wasn’t the judge of their views, they became the judges of the Bible. Of course they said the Bible was still the massive and throbbing centre of everything—especially since it was there that they came across Jesus Christ.

But when you insist on taking only what you think is worthwhile, people soon recognise who you really think is the massive and throbbing centre of everything.