Month: November 2010

On October 6, 1881, C.H. Spurgeon preached a message on Matthew 8:27, part of the text we are considering today. Spurgeon’s sermon was mostly about the reaction of the disciples when Jesus spoke to a tempestuous storm on the Sea of Galilee and commanded it to be stilled. In his characteristic eloquent oratory, Spurgeon spoke of the peril of the boat and said, “A gust of wind threatened to lift her right out of the water, and the next threatened to plunge her to the bottom of the sea. The weary fishers certainly did not look for a calm: there were no signs of such a boon. When they said, ‘Master, we perish,’ I do not know what they thought their Lord would do; but they assuredly never dreamed that he would stand up in the hinder part of the ship, and say, ‘Winds and waves, what mean ye? Your Master is here. Be still.’ That was beyond their nautical experience, and their fathers had never seen such wonders in their day. They could not hope that in a moment they should be in a profound calm.”

Spurgeon went on to inquire of his audience, “May I ask you to wonder a little at what the Lord has done for you? Has he not done for you what you never expected?” I read these words from the prince of preachers and like him I am almost dumbfounded at how difficult the individual twists and turns of ministry have been to bring us to where we are now. To express this in a metaphor that fits the text, a “perfect storm” had to occur to bring this church to where we are doctrinally today. Without going into detailed testimony, there were some unhappy, unexpected circumstances that both preceded and succeeded God’s molding of this ministry. Many of those events we would not choose to happen if they existed independently of God’s purposes.

In the beginning of Spurgeon’s sermon, he remarked how that Jesus in the boat with his disciples reminded him of Christ piloting the ship of the church in perilous times of heresy and persecution. Sometimes it seemed as if Jesus was asleep, but at the right time He awakened and He righted the ship and quelled those storms. He has done this throughout church history with great revivals.

I believe this is what God has done with our church. The “perfect storm” happened in order to bring this church back to the doctrines that were taught by our Baptist forefathers. When the storm was over on the sea, the disciples said, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him.” The recovery of these doctrines in Berean Baptist Church has caused us to glorify God in greater ways. “What manner of man is this” is now better understood. Now we understand far better that the sovereign God is first, last, and always in control! We are relieved of performance based religion because it is Christ who performs. Salvation is all of Him. We must realize our desperation on the sea; we have no part in piloting this ship.  Soli deo Gloria!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Each week as we study in the gospel of Matthew, we are invited to enjoy a veritable feast of theology. Christian theology is the systematic study of Biblical truth as it relates to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The right development of our theology of Christ can only come from one source since there is only one historical record of His life. There are no extra-biblical accounts of anything Jesus did, and so to learn about Him and understand who He is, where He came from, and what He did we must go to that one record. To construct a different idea of Jesus from what is given in the historical account, is nothing but foolishness.

Under normal scrutiny and evaluation, this historical record would be believed because eyewitnesses provide the best testimony. For example, when arguing about the veracity of the incarnation of Christ, John says “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands of handled, of the Word of life…that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…” (1 John 1:1, 3a). John makes this statement so that we know what He is about to write is not based on hearsay evidence, but was attested by the disciples who were present during Jesus’ ministry.

If we are going to learn the truth about Jesus, we can do nothing other than to accept what they saw and heard as they observed His life. This would include, of course, the record they gave of His miracles. They were present when He healed people; they were present when He raised the dead; they were present when He spoke the words “Peace be still” and calmed a raging sea. They saw it and they heard it and they wrote it down. The gospel writers provide this evidence so that we have a clear picture that Jesus was more than just a man.

Is this evidence sufficient enough by itself to cause us to believe to the saving of our souls? Interestingly, we have record of this as well. After a three year period of thousands of miracles, countless acts of compassion, and demonstrations of His deity, Jesus was rewarded with cursing, bitterness, beating, and death. We can develop an evidentiary theology of the person of Christ from His miracles, but we cannot produce a personal practical application of it except by divine intervention. Jesus does not become your Saviour by belief in visible miracles. He becomes your Saviour by His unseen work in the invisible operation of the Holy Spirit upon your soul. Witness this conversation between Jesus and Peter: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:16-17). Peter was present for many of Christ’s miracles, but his confession of Christ as his Saviour was not from a historical record or even from his personal eyewitness; it came from God Himself.

From passages such as this, we can further develop our theology of Christ. A systematic approach to Bible doctrine leads us to recognize that we are helpless to understand the saving work of Christ and to believe it unless God implants that germ of faith within us. This is a work of the marvelous grace of God that is independent of what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. It begins before we see and hear, and with the presence of the Spirit, we rightly interpret the audible and visible evidence. Thank God for this wonderful regenerating work, because without it, you will continue to crucify Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

As we make our way through Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, his theme concerning the kingship of Jesus is readily apparent. Matthew showed his intent in the first chapter by beginning with a genealogy that established Jesus as the rightful heir to the Davidic throne. Chapter 2 continued with the wise men that came to Jerusalem inquiring, “Where is he that is born king of the Jews?” In chapter 3, John the Baptist declared “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then in chapters 5, 6, and 7, there is the Sermon on the Mount which is the manifesto of the Kingdom. The theme of kingship is reiterated over and over throughout this gospel account.

What should not go unnoticed is Jesus’ statement to a scribe in chapter 8 who professed a desire to become a disciple and to follow Him wherever He went. Jesus said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This is the first time Jesus used the designation “the son of man.” This is not an insignificant statement and should be viewed very carefully. There is a sense in which this designation shows the humility of Christ. We might not expect this after He astonished the people with His authority in expounding the Law of Moses. Neither would we expect it after the countless numbers of miracles performed afterwards. Looking back from our perspective knowing what will come next when He commands a storm on the Sea of Galilee to subside, we surely would not expect it.

However, we cannot pass over “son of man” and leave it simply as an expression of humility. Read carefully these words from Daniel 7:13-14 which is Daniel’s vision of God: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Very clearly, “son of man” is another statement of kingship. Who would better understand “son of man” than this scribe? Scribes were versed in the law and prophets; they were charged with the great responsibility of preserving scripture through meticulous transcription. This statement was not lost on him. The reference is unmistakable and was as strong a statement as Jesus could make of His sovereign rule over heaven and earth. Think of the dichotomy found in His words! The Son of man, the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the universe, the One who speaks with authority and heals with a touch is not even afforded the comforts of the creature! Those who follow Him need not think they will share His riches until they are willing to taste His humiliation.

Paul explains the depths of His humiliation in Philippians chapter 2; but he also announces His exaltation (Phil. 2:5-11). In II Timothy 2:12, he says, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” The scribe could not fathom this duality. He did not choose to get in the boat with Jesus and we must conclude that neither will He reign with Him. This is the kind of commitment that Jesus asks. If God so chooses, we must be content to follow Him anywhere no matter how difficult the path may be. Those who suffer for Him will eventually reign with Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

10/31/2010 (84) No Fickle Followers Allowed – Matthew 8:16-22