Our Fractured Understanding

Nice article link to above photo

Regarding words appearing over this blog post: I don't know how this happened, and am not able to get rid of it, however if you click on the title for this post (at the top) it won't show up and you will be able to read this article without that which hinders a portion of this offering. Sorry about the annoyance.

2Kings 8:7-15 (ESV)
 Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, "The man of God has come here,"  the king said to Hazael, "Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'"  So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels' loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'" And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die."  

 And he (Elisha) fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he (Hazael) was embarrassed. 

And the man of God wept
.  
 And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" 

He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women."  

And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Syria."   

Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" 

And he answered, "He told me that you would certainly recover."   But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. 

And Hazael became king in his place.

I read this passage a few days ago in my daily Bible readings. As I read this (I've read this before but I think I got tangled up in the various kings and battles and names and somehow I didn't understand what what going on in this passage) , but as I read this a few days ago it struck me again that we often see things in "either/or" when God isn't limited in any way by our limited way of how we think things need to be fulfilled.

In the above passage Elisha says: "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die."  

Now I would interpret that to mean that Elisha is telling this messenger to lie to the king, and indeed as I was reading this I wondered why Elisha would tell this man to lie. Then as I read further as to how the events unfolded I saw that isn't what Elisha was saying at all. The actual events fulfilled exactly what Elisha said would happen, yet it happened in a way that was completely unexpected.

I see from this that Hazael had evil motives against his king (of Syria) and Elisha perceived it. What you cannot see from this passage right away is the fact that the king was so sick that many thought he would die. Even the king himself thought he was going to die from his sickness, but the truth was that he would recover from his illness IF he was allowed to live....but Hazael used the opportunity to pretend that the king died of his sickness, because no one but himself and Elisha knew what transpired between them. I think Hazael became so evil toward Israel because he might have thought they could perceive his evil and didn't like being exposed. Evil enjoys remaining hidden. The truth always come to light.

You see similar events throughout the Bible, but an untrained eye, one that only looks for easy explanations provided by people such as atheists who haven't a clue, they destroy the context or jump to conclusions (like I just did before I realized my error) and never see beyond their initial errors thinking themselves to be so much smarter than "stupid brainwashed Christians".

There have been so many archeological evidences that prove the Bible's accuracy again and again, yet these poor "very super intelligent people" (said with tongue in cheek of course) want to hold on to their feeble misinterpretations as the only right way to read the scriptures. How sad.

I see more and more falling into these mistaken ways, thinking they are now free from having to believe in a true God and heaven and hell. Well, it doesn't matter whether you believe the truth of scripture or whether you want to believe your mistaken ideas...it won't change the truth of the matter....and one day you will see it in panoramic clarity whether you find yourself in the hell you've destined yourself for by rejecting God, or in heaven with God sharing His blessings forever. Time will surely reveal the truth to everyone.

In Daniel's Defense

Many "modernists" attack the veracity of the old testament book of Daniel. The following website explores the accusations one by one, to see if there is merit to their claims:

http://www.tektonics.org/af/danieldefense.php#nodan

Test your perseverance in "studying to show yourself approved". :)

What is Sanctification?

Justification and sanctification are terms that get tossed about when discussing salvation. What are they? Are they different terms that describe the same thing? If not, how are they different?

Let's look at their definitions:

Justification

1.a reason, fact, circumstance, or explanation that justifies or defends: His insulting you was ample justification for you to leave the party.

2.an act of justifying: The painter's justification of his failure to finish on time didn't impress me.

3.the state of being justified.

4.Also called justification by faith. Theology . the act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin (legal position of being set free of the legal obligation of debts).

Sanctification 

actually the word being defined is "sanctify":

1.to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2.to purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts.

3.to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.

4.to entitle to reverence or respect.

5.to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

>>>>*<<<<

So from this definition for the word "sanctify" we can establish that sanctification is a process of becoming sanctified (purified, made holy, set apart). 

Still continuing on my Voddie Baucham binge, I happened across this wonderful sermon on the topic of sanctification. I tried to find it all in one piece, but could only find it given in three parts:

 

Sermon Audio also provides many of Voddie's sermons online in the audio format only. Enjoy!

Questions and Answers

Continuing with my Voddie Baucham binge I came upon this sermon and I am in awe of how much the Lord has blessed me through this sermon...even though the message is the same one (God never changes) Voddie is so gifted in breaking open the Truth of God's word to the understanding afresh.

In this sermon he asks life's 4 basic questions, and then answers these questions with "the world view" and then answers them with what the Bible says. Amazing grace, ever more and more amazing.

The Pathology of False Disciples

John MacArthur nails it. Wow.

The Problem of Atheists

It's Sunday night and we just got back from a long drive to visit relatives. One of the things we do on these long road trips is listen to sermons that my husband downloads onto an MP3 from Sermon Audio. One of today's selections (we listened to four today, I think) was a sermon given by (my favorite) Phil Johnson entitled "What You need to Know About Answering Atheists". There were so many things that came to mind as I was listening to this, things that I also have heard time and time again when I've dialogued with atheists, or read in the comments sections of various blog sites from people who seem to think they know a whole lot more than the Christian ignoramuses who blindly believe the unprovable and therefore (they think) unbelievable...and while I considered this I also thought about the fact that they are right, partially anyway. It would be stupid to trust and believe something that is unknowable and unbelievable, and in this fallen condition that is what the things of God are to those who do not (and cannot) believe. But there are enough hints to reveal that there really is a God that made the heavens and the earth, and if He is perfect (which He would have to be to masterfully have created this universe and everything in it) He also would provide the way to the redemption that is needed to be made whole (which we definitely are not, everyone who is honest will admit to the myriad of problems we encounter at present).

Phil explores these issues and more in a very pragmatic approach which defines these problems and how the scriptures really do answer these problems. These things can only be understood by having the Holy Spirit intervene on our behalf, these things truly are foolishness to those who do not believe. The paradox is that the Bible reveals the true fools to be the atheists:

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. " Psalm 14:1


Phil then brings up the fact that many atheists are "nice people" who do "good deeds". However, none of us do good unless the Lord gives us the ability to do good (without any ulterior motives that is, we all want some kind of pay off). Phil explains this and many other fallacies that atheists make here. I hope you will enjoy this sermon as much as I did.

The Root of the Problem

In Monday's blog entry I included an excerpt by C.H. Spurgeon that had this quote:

"Piety produced by the damps of sorrow and the heats of terror is of mushroom growth; it is rapid in its springing up—"they enquired early after God"—but it is a mere unsubstantial fungus of unabiding excitement."

It reminds me of this from Jesus:


 Luke 8:6  And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.


Luke 8:9  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
Luke 8:10  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

 Luke 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

There are a few things to notice in this passage:

!. In this soil-type (rock) Jesus first says as soon as it was sprung up it withered away "because it lacked moisture" but in His explanation He says "these have no root".

Think about this for a moment...if a plant has "no root", how can it draw up moisture into the plant? How can it draw up "living water" into the plant?

There is a depth and quality to the plant that is in healthy soil which is lacking in this plant, which only grows "on the surface". Something deep where other people do not see, but Jesus sees, is not happening in these "plants" (converts). The book of Matthew (Matthew 13:21) adds that it is as persecution arises, they are offended. They want all of the goodies with none of the bother and difficulties. When they hear about hell, or suffering, they think "A God who truly loves me wouldn't put me through all of that. This isn't for me".

2. Notice that the disciples didn't understand the parable, and Jesus says to them that others have not been given, but they are given  to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Why? Because they confessed that they didn't understand, and they ASKED HIM to explain the meaning to them. They didn't go to a secular or "secular Christian" source to understand the meaning, the sought the answer from Jesus.

3. In the parable Jesus first says the seedlings on the rocky soil "sprang up", giving the picture that they rose quickly, and in His explanation He says that they receive the word with joy, and that they believe "for a while" What a sad commentary on what we see all around us. I can turn on TBN or other televised "Christian shows" which have people jumping up and down and crying or laughing and swaying with their hands up in the air. You would think this land is in full revival, and yet....where are these people in real life? What happens to them once they exit their pews? Will such "converts" still "love the Lord" when the heavy persecution comes? I hope so, but according to Jesus words, they have no real root. It is all on the surface for show. Their is no real depth to their love.

I too confess that this was something that I sought the Lord over. I didn't want to be a false convert, who only wanted to look pious so that others would admire me for "my goodness" because that is what Jesus rejected the Pharisees over. I knew that I had to be better than that, and saw from the scriptures if I relied on myself to understand the Lord, I would be "ever learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth", even if I studied only the Bible every day of my life but never turned to Jesus to understand what I was reading, it would all be for nothing. He has to be the One to explain it, to give life and root to His word. Otherwise we become like the Greeks or the Pharisees and Sadducees in their vain philosophies and empty traditions. But Jesus brings true life to His word, and nourishes from the ground up in our inner being where no one but He can see our true development into members of His true kingdom.

I pray for more seed to fall on "good ground" that has deep roots into the truth of God's word, instead of shallow "Christians" that love all the vain philosophies that abound.

The Book of Acts

I just completed reading the book of Acts of the Apostles...again....and it was great to read it anew. There is so much packed into every verse in every book of the Bible that you cannot "get it" all in one reading, and often on the first reading you may focus on minor points that have no bearing on the main thrust of the message, and link various of these minor points together incorrectly and make a mess of the message, lol. That is why it takes years and several readings, and the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, Who doesn't give us everything in one dose.

On reading it this time, I focused in on what the apostles were saying. What was their message? They were telling the people what they had witnessed in Jesus the Messiah, and that they were direct witnesses of His resurrection from the dead.

Here is a video of a young minister (he looks like a kid to me) expounding on the book of Acts. One thing that I enjoy from his message is the fact that many (just like the people of Jesus and Paul's day) were only interested in miracles and signs. This young minister, Caleb Schaller, says (24 minutes in) "the miracles were to confirm the message" (Acts ch 16) and "Christianity with no miracles would still have the message of sins forgiven through Christ, Christianity with miracles but no message would have very little to offer." Excellent point.

The Falling Away of the Church

In this study by David Dykstra which he entitled "The AntiChrist and Apostacy" Pastor Dykstra brings us a study on the third element of evidence for our assurance of our salvation which he says is doctrinal accuracy. Today we are seeing many churches watering down orthodoxy and even introducing mysticism and rituals that come directly out of the occult and New Age mysticism.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.




They went out physically and doctrinally, by removing themselves from the truth of what God's word says and introducing their own ideas over and above what God's word actually says.

Pastor Dykstra makes clear what the Bible reveals to us about the truth of eternal security showing  that those who are truly His will remain in the truth of what the Bible says even when the going gets tough, the true ones will still speak up about Him even when it gets uncomfortable and downright dangerous to do so. The elect of God won't bend to every false doctrine that is easier and demands less painful participation. They won't stoop to heretical beliefs over the uncomfortable truth. Many today get their theology from "stupid novels" (David Dykstra's observation) rather than from the Bible itself or from Godly preachers (of course using our God-given discernment and making sure what the pastors teach is correct according to what the Bible says- Acts 17:11).

Part two of this message



Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 


I have seen that verse very often taken out of context. If you read the entire thought on this all the way through it goes on to say:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Confession that Jesus is Lord should be whenever the opportunity arises, especially when it would bring our own dishonor to do so, showing that we are not ashamed to be made a fool of for doing what is right...we have access to a boldness that comes from Jesus Himself to confess who He is and what He has done for us....IF we are saved, the evidence is revealed who we really are, by what we say. The truth will show whether we are truly in Him or not in Him by whether we bear fruit that brings a harvest. It is said that the biggest harvests were fertilized with martyrs blood. Reading this passage in it's entirety reveals that many think their empty words said as a ceremony or religious rite is enough to save them, instead of what the passage is actually saying. We do not "get saved" by saying "Jesus is Lord". We are saved when we confess and are not ashamed to tell others that Jesus is Lord. And we find out from the rest of scripture that we will say it even if it costs us our lives because we have eternal life with Jesus, so what if we lose this temporary one? We will die anyway. It is appointed unto us once to die...but after this, the judgment..

For Their Sakes...

John 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

David Dykstra gives an amazing sermon on the profundity of this verse. I mentioned to my dear husband last Sunday how often I run over verses that are so packed with so much incredible meaning, such wealth, and I barely skim off of the surface (if that even) barely even touching what is there. This is one of those verses. I've heard this so often that I have grown callous to the richness of the text, the amazing things that Jesus has done, and does, for each one of His "called out ones". I pray that we stop being so haphazard and overly casual with His divine word, and learn to humble ourselves, and submit to the profound truth that is there, in all of it's powerful glory. David Dykstra helps me to "stop and smell the roses" of God's Word.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1121071424537

Fear and Injustice

David Dykstra 's message on Pilate and his dealings with Jesus. It is very revealing about Pilate's "problem" with Jesus, and how many today likewise deal with "the problem" of Jesus, even many who would call themselves "Christian", and who perhaps ARE (who am I to say they aren't, God only knows for sure). The difference is that when Christians are confronted with the truth, we humble ourselves before God, and ask Him to cleanse us from all sins, including the sins we try to hide from ourselves and others.

Pastor Dykstra's message:

Part 1

Part 2

Does Correct Doctrine About the Rapture Matter?

I think it does. 2 hour video explains with the Bible why the pre-trib doctrine is not Biblical, and why it is a tool of the devil to blind the sheep:

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

If you Google "parable of the mustard seed" I guarantee you that most of the articles you will find on this subject will tell you that the mustard seed is the kingdom of God and that it is good. I've always looked at this parable (as well as the one about the woman hiding leaven in the fellowship offering--3 measures of meal) as something not quite right in the kingdom of God.

Arthur Pink's interpretation makes a whole lot of sense to me:

Excerpt:

First, it must be steadily borne in mind that these seven parables form part of one connected and complete discourse whose teaching must necessarily be consistent and harmonious throughout. Therefore, it is obvious that this third (parable) one cannot conflict with the teaching of the first two (parables). In the first parable, instead of drawing a picture of a field in which the good Seed took root and flourished in every part of it, our Lord pointed out that most of its soil was unfavorable, and that only a fractional proportion bore an increase. Moreover, instead of promising that the good-ground section of the field would yield greater and greater returns, He announced that there would be a decreasing harvest—"some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’’ In the second parable, our Lord revealed the field as over-sown with "tares," and declared that these should continue until the harvest-time, which He defined as "the end of the age." This fixes beyond all doubt the evil consequences of the Enemy’s work, and positively forbids the expectation of a world won to Christ during this present dispensation, Christ plainly warned us that the evil effects of the Devil’s labors at the beginning of the age would never be repaired. The crop as a whole is spoiled! Thus this third parable cannot teach that the failure of things in the hands of men will be removed and reversed.

Second, the figure here selected by Christ should at once expose the fallacy of the popular interpretation. Surely our Lord would never have taken a mustard-seed. which afterwards became a "tree," ever rooting itself deeper and deeper in the earth, to portray that people whose calling, hope, citizenship, and destiny is heavenly. Again and again He affirmed that His people were "not of the world." Again, a great tree with its towering branches speaks of prominence and loftiness, but lowliness and suffering, not prominence and exaltation, are the present portion of the New Testament saints. The more any church of Christ climbs the ladder of worldly fame the more it sinks spiritually. That which is represented by this "tree" is not a people who are "strangers and pilgrims" down here, but a system whose roots lie deeply in the earth and which aims at greatness and expansion in the world.

link to this article on the parable of the mustard seed

Link to the entire book on Arthur Pinks Exposition of Jesus's Kingdom Parables