Month: October 2009

One of the hardest commands of scripture is found in Matthew 5:44. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” If you were present on the day that Jesus spoke these words, you would have been acutely aware of the particular word that Jesus used to describe love for one’s enemies. Jesus could have used any one of four words for love. Unlike the English language which has only one word “love,” the Greek language has four different words. We determine the meaning of the word “love” by the context in which it is used. The Greek language is much more precise so that the meaning of the word can never be mistaken.

Without going into the four different words, let me just say that the one Christ chose is a word that means determination to kindness, benevolence, and respect. It is love of choice meaning that it is a conscious decision that one makes that is ungoverned by emotion. It is a decision to treat another person in a way that is best for their welfare. Christ does not expect you to have an attachment to your enemy like you would to your family. He certainly does not expect you to have romantic love for that person. Jesus chose the word He used because a person’s mind that has been changed by the gospel can make the determination to treat all people as they want to be treated.

Every day we come in contact with people that are mean spirited and antagonistic. We meet people that are very much opposed to our faith. The best that we can do for them is to give them what was best for us. No doubt the very best thing that has happened to us is the day we met Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ took away our enmity with God and saved our souls from an everlasting hell. Christ wants us to make the conscious choice to love the lost of this world and to convert them from their hatred of God. When we do this, we turn our personal enemies into brothers and sisters who think as we do and love Christ as we do. The common bond of faith unifies us unto one purpose—to glorify God.

To obey Christ’s command to love our enemies is to turn from our own selfishness. We tend to believe the opposite of love is hate, when in reality the opposite is selfishness. The kind of love Christ speaks in this verse causes us to ignore personal affronts so that we might do what is best for others. This is the character of Christ who when He was reviled, reviled not again (1 Peter 2:23).

The grand object of the gospel accounts is to reveal the character of Christ and to learn of His redemptive purpose. Christ’s sermon is nothing more and nothing less than the revelation of His righteous character. The following verse (Matt. 5:45) says those who do this are children of the Heavenly Father. Are you truly a child of the Father? If you are, you will love all people and give them the gospel of Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor…(Matthew 5:43a)

Today we begin a four part message on the last of six examples in Matthew chapter 5 that Jesus gave concerning Pharisaical misinterpretations of God’s law. Five examples have already been discussed which leave no doubt that the righteousness produced by the religion of the scribes and Pharisees fell far short of God’s standards. It seems another example was not really needed because the point had been driven home time after time.

However, Jesus saves the most damaging for last and nails the coffin shut on every person’s claim to self righteousness. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Lev. 19:18c) is the summation of the last six of the Ten Commandments. The best of the very best have never fully lived this command because we can never empty ourselves completely of self interest so that we take care of our neighbor in every way as we do ourselves. The only one fully capable of this was Christ who emptied Himself to become God’s perfect sacrifice for sin (Philippians 2:5-8).

The four gospel accounts are the story of Jesus’ life and death. The four different writers each approach the life of Christ from a little different viewpoint. Matthew focuses on the kingship of Christ. Mark speaks of His life of service. Luke focuses on His humanity while John declares His divinity. The conclusion of each is the same. Christ is perfect in every detail; He is the righteousness of God; He is exemplary in His love for God and His love for man. Thus, Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (Matt. 5:17).

For two thousand years, we have had these gospel accounts. After the invention of the printing press, the gospels became readily available to most of the world. Yet, many have not read them. Many are uninterested because they have read another gospel that unfortunately is far more real to them than the pages of the New Testament. They have read the gospel in the lives of Christians, and sadly it is not harmonious with the four accounts of the Bible. People read your account every day. They decipher it from your actions towards them and others. They hear it in the inflection of your voice and the topics of your conversations. Every move you make distills into an informational biography not only of you, but of Christ. What is the gospel of Christ according to you? Read the Sermon on the Mount over and over. Read the life of Christ in the gospels again and again. I surely hope they do not drive nails into the coffin of your testimony!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“…an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” (Matthew 5:38)

Today’s message from the Sermon on the Mount concerns Jesus’ exposition of a very familiar saying. All of us have heard “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” although we may not have been aware that it is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This saying is about justice. There is an ancient code of justice called “lex talionis” that actually predates the Mosaic Law, which simply states that punishment should fit the crime.

Many believe that Jesus refutes the Old Testament law concerning retributive justice and in effect “outlaws the law.” Jesus does no such thing because He would never oppose any law that He, the lawgiver, gave. Since Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, changing this law would deny the immutability of God and the goodness of God’s law. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). There is nothing wrong with the law although there may indeed be something wrong with our application of the law. The teaching in Matthew 5:38-42 is that we are not to take the law into our hands and seek personal revenge. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is the responsibility of the courts and not the individual.

Another principle that we may not think about is that God is bound by His law. In other words, God obeys His own law. God is the court, so to speak, and He applies this law when dealing with each of us. Our punishment must fit the crime. The crime is sin and the punishment for sin is the everlasting fires of hell. Since God is perfectly just, there must be a corresponding penalty for sin and God never applies grace to the law. The two are incompatible and this is easily demonstrated by our courts of law. We do not let murderers go free because we want to be gracious!

God’s law must be upheld. Therefore, God does not excuse sin because He is gracious. God’s grace is applied to the sinner through the sacrifice of Christ. Christ bore the punishment of our sins upon the cross, thereby upholding God’s law of retributive justice. God’s grace allows this payment for sin to be applied to us through faith (Eph. 2:8). The enormity of our crimes cannot be satisfied in any other way.

The Sermon on the Mount reinforces this theme over and over again in Matthew chapter 5. We cannot satisfy the demands of God’s law by any personal effort. Our hope is in Christ alone. Thank God for Jesus Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce the addition of a new permanent youth minister to our church staff. Jared Smith will assume the leadership of our youth department effective November 1st. For some time, we have been praying that the Lord would lead a good young man to our church with experience in youth work. Bro. Dalton Abshire has done a wonderful job leading our teens for the past few years, but Bro. Dalton accepted the position on a temporary basis with a view towards replacement as soon as a qualified candidate could be found.

The Lord has richly blessed us in sending Jared to Berean. Jared has always had a burden for our youth, but only until recently has the Lord enabled him to have a job that would allow the time commitments that are required. I would like to briefly list some of Jared’s qualifications to show how the Lord has exceeded our expectations. Jared began his college career at the prestigious Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Here he was enrolled in ministry courses along with his other studies. He was a participant in the Georgetown College Baptist Student Union, Georgetown College Campus Ministries and was a College Missions/Revival Team Member. He was also involved with the University of Kentucky Baptist Student Union and the Somerset Community College Baptist Student Union. Jared spent his summers as a missionary with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and used his spring breaks to witness to college students.

The following is a list of other ministries Jared was involved with: Kentucky Baptist Convention Son Bound Team Member, More than Gold Ministries (1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta), Jonathan Creek Camp Staff, Cedarmore Baptist Assembly Staff, Kentucky Baptist Convention State Conference Small Group Leader, Campus Crusade Small Group Leader, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and 21st Century Skills (after school program for youth). Jared was also in charge of a church youth group in Highland, Kentucky and an assistant youth leader in Richmond, Kentucky.

Jared has also been a good ambassador for Christ in taking part in his local community. Among his civic responsibilities were: Kentucky High School Athletic Association Certified Soccer Official, Boyle County Parks and Recreation Basketball Official, Crab Orchard Little League Basketball Coach, Lincoln County High School Assistant Soccer Coach, and Lincoln County Assistant Archery Coach. As you can see, Jared’s life has been dedicated to working with and building the youth of our country.

Having said all of this, Jared did not come with pride, touting his qualifications. He humbly asked if there was some place he could be used of the Lord in our church. He came to California principally to be a part of this church so that he could reinforce his commitment to Christ and become more solidly grounded in the word of God. God has led him here with a purpose, and we are blessed to have him.

Please welcome Jared to our staff; tell him you will pray for our youth ministry, and give him your support!