Month: October 2011

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Today our congregational scripture reading is the closing verses of Hebrews chapter 10. In verses 32-39, there is encouragement for Christians to bear up under the trials and persecutions of their faith, and to remember the promise of God that when Christ comes all the cares of this life will be over. The writer asks these Christians to look back to the time they received Christ, when their hearts were opened to the gospel and they were enlightened to the glorious truth of salvation. There was a purpose in their commitment to Christ which was the promise of eternal life and a heavenly reward. Contrary to the type of gospel that is preached today, these Christians were not given an easy path to follow, but rather were plunged into terrible persecution. Economic pressure was also very real, but despite these hardships they had remained faithful and had gladly sacrificed their material goods for the increase of the gospel.

It is in these trying times that the real faith of a person is discovered. Those whose hearts have been truly changed will persevere even in the hardest of times. They keep their eye on the promise and realize this life is only a temporary assignment. They look with earnest expectation for the coming of Christ, the promised one, without giving up hope. They continue to live by faith knowing that God is always faithful to His promise.

The opposite of this is the person that professes faith in Christ yet his profession is not strong enough to anchor him to Christ. Instead, at signs of trouble, he withdraws his commitment and falls back into the world. According to scripture, this type of person is a superficial believer; he comes to Christianity for immediate benefits which consistently fall outside the categories of the ways God promises to bless us. This type of follower is of the worst sort and will not only fail to be saved in the end, but also comes under the sorest punishment of God. In verse 29, this is the person that treads under his feet the precious blood of Christ. He does not count the blood of Christ that sanctifies worth the time, effort, and trouble. Once he has heard the truth and rejected it, he betrays Christ to which Jesus replies, “It had been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). The writer of Hebrews says of him, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (10:31).

This article may seem like a poor subject for a Sunday morning bulletin. It is not the usual fare most people hear in their church. They would rather sing happy songs and think good thoughts never considering that at least occasionally we need some fear of God put into our hearts. The writer of Hebrews does this. He leads with some fear, but then finally concludes with, “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul” (10:39). There is horrible danger in false commitment; but a real one trumps the temporariness of our troubles. It keeps us looking for Christ, the one who saves us forever!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

In the past few weeks, we have been specially blessed to have three of our missionaries visit with us. We rejoice that we are able to have some part in these works in different countries of the world and to see the many souls that are won to Christ through our tithes and offerings. As our missionary Wilson Maungo departed after the Sunday evening service, he remarked how grateful he was for the support given by our church. His comment was that our mission dollars enable him to do his work and without it the many different ministries he conducts would not be possible. He labors for the Lord in East Africa where even one dollar can make a difference in a person’s life. The average income for those he ministers to is one dollar per day. The school teachers in his ministry that conduct classes for orphans and others receive a wage between $40 and $60 per month. Most of them cannot afford a study Bible because the cost is about $80. Bro. Wilson cannot afford to buy Bibles for them and neither is he able to afford books and commentaries to help him train teachers and pastors or to aid him in his own studies.

As Pastor Wilson discussed this with me, I was burdened to help him with resources. With the materials I have and with the help of some of the other members, we were able to put about 14,000 electronic books on his laptop computer. I also installed text files that enable him to print copies of the King James Bible. It was truly rewarding to see how excited he was to have these resources. He remarked that God may have brought him to this country just to receive these materials. The church also gave a generous offering to help cover the expenses of his travels to the USA.

I thought about his comment that he could not do his ministry without our support. He is such a humble man that he gave credit for his ministry to churches in this country. From one angle this is certainly true; however, ten times the mission dollars that are sent would do no good unless there is someone on the ground that is willing to do the work. This is something all of us need to remember and take to heart. We cannot give money alone to his ministry or even to ours. We have to be willing to do the work. We need to ask ourselves, “Are we willing to work? Are we willing to give not only money but ourselves to Christ?” This is what it takes to have a healthy, vibrant church. Every member must be a minister. As Pastor Wilson so aptly put it in his Sunday morning message, we are ambassadors for Christ. I pray God that it would be so!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8:9-10)

Last week we were privileged to enjoy the preaching and presentation of our Missionary to Brazil, Mike Creiglow. In the coming weeks, two more of our missionaries will be with us to talk about their mission fields and how our mission offerings are at work in other places of the world. I was very much encouraged by Bro. Creiglow’s messages because I thought they were timely for our church and were good reminders that every member of Berean needs to be involved in ministry.

Our ministry, as well as theirs, is to reach people with the gospel of Christ. No matter where we go in the world, the need is the same; the hearts of people are the same, and the eternal destiny of every soul without Christ is the same. The remedy for their dead spiritual condition is nothing different from what we have learned. Salvation is in Jesus Christ and is never dependent in any way on our abilities. Christ’s death on the cross accomplished everything it was intended to do, which leaves nothing for humans to add.

You may wonder what this has to do with the two verses quoted above. This is actually the crucial point of the writer’s intent. The covenant of law given to Moses at Sinai was not kept perfectly by any person at any time. This was a conditional covenant of obedience which would never work for salvation because there are no perfect people. If salvation comes by the keeping of commandments, they would have to be kept perfectly in every detail. Man’s fundamental problem is his imperfection coupled with his insistence that he can be right with God by his own works of righteousness. Since these always fall short of God’s perfect standard, another covenant without this condition must be established. In Christ, we have an unconditional covenant. This is the covenant of grace that does not depend on our perfection, but on Christ’s. He is God and therefore is perfect in all His ways. His covenant will not fail because it is grounded in His perfection not ours.

The tenth verse speaks of the salvation of Israel and how God is the one who alone is active in impressing the heart and mind with the divine truth of the gospel. It has a view towards the coming kingdom in the millennial age when Israel will be restored to prominence. At this point, it is good to recognize verse 11 because Israel is not the only nation included in the gracious unconditional covenant. It also comprehends people from all nations, from all races—people of every kind. The verse says, “All shall know me, from the least to the greatest.”

The gospel of Christ is cross-cultural. It is not the “American gospel.” It is the gospel of God’s kingdom. We send missionaries because there are people in all parts of the world that God has determined by His sovereign grace to admit into His kingdom. All of them gain admission one way—belief in the gospel. The missionary is the human instrument that delivers the good news wherever these people are found. This is true for people thousands of miles away, or even those a few steps from your door. You are also God’s missionary and you do not have to get out of town to do His work!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. [15] And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, [16] Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:14-16)

In Hebrews chapter 5:6, we are introduced to one of the Bible’s most enigmatic characters. This man is Melchizedek who first appears in the Biblical narrative in Genesis chapter 14. Since Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians, they would be familiar with the Old Testament story of Abraham who recognized Melchizedek as the priest of God. When Abraham defeated King Chederlaomer, he was met by Melchizedek who blessed him and gave thanks to God for the defeat of Abraham’s enemies. At this time, Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek from the spoils of his victory.

Melchizedek mysteriously appears in Genesis 14 and then nothing else is said about him. He is mentioned once again in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic Psalm, and thus a connection is made between him and Christ. The Psalmist wrote: “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” This statement is repeated in Hebrews and it is not until this New Testament book that the connection between Christ and Melchizedek is fully explained.

Genesis 14 refers to Melchizedek as both king and priest. Under the Mosaic Law, priests were from the tribe of Levi and kings were from the tribe of Judah. Thus, there is no one that could be both king and priest. Kings were often severely chastised when unlawfully intruding into the priest’s office. It was very important to the Jews to maintain proper genealogical records, especially of Levi and Judah, so that the tribes were clearly distinguished. Melchizedek is different, however, because he lived prior to the Mosaic Law.

According to Hebrews, this difference is very significant. As we know, Jesus was born in the tribe of Judah which gives Him no right to occupy the office of priesthood. However, if His priesthood descends from Melchizedek rather than from Levi, this problem is solved. Hebrews shows that Melchizedek is a type of Christ. The unusual characteristic of Melchizedek is there is no parental genealogical record that establishes his right to be king or priest, and there is no record of descendants that might claim his same rights. Thus, Christ is claimed to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek because they are the same in kind. Christ did not receive His right to be a priest from natural descent. His right comes because He is the eternal Son of God and has the power of an endless life.

This just barely touches the subject and it may seem to be a minor point of academic interest and not really important for the average reader. If this is the case, we may as well lay Hebrews aside and not bother reading it, because if these points are not understood the significance of Hebrews is severely diminished. The priesthood of Christ must be understood because this is what gives Him the right to make a sacrifice to God and to atone for our sins. This gives Him the right to be our mediator and to bridge the impossible spiritual communication gap between us and God. These important aspects are functions of the priesthood.

Today, we need no other priest than Jesus Christ. We can come to God at any time with no earthly mediator that stands between. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. His priesthood is permanent; it is unchangeable because He is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:17). Rejoice for instant access to the great God of heaven through Jesus Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith