Will You or Won’t You?

Berean Baptist on March 27, 2017

Psalms 81:13-16

Recently I was asked a question about Matthew 23:37 in which Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” This question concerned the ability of man to make a decision to believe in Christ. Is salvation a matter of the will in making a purely rational decision of the mind, or is a person incapable of choosing Christ because of the depravity of his will? Still another way of asking is, “Was the will of man debilitated by the fall to the extent he is spiritually incapacitated?” These questions are important because they address the ordo salutis (order of salvation).

This is an interesting query that would take quite a bit of time to explore fully. I only mention it today because of our congregational reading in Psalm 81. There is an interesting parallel in this psalm to Jesus’ words in Matthew. The parallelism helps to explain what Jesus meant. His lament over Jerusalem is nearly identical in thought to God’s plea for Israel in verses 13-16: “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”

Notice the parallels: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee.” This corresponds to “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!” How did God speak to Israel? He spoke through the same prophets that Jesus said they killed. Jesus said, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.” This speaks of His power of protection which is echoed by God’s words, ”I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.”

The response of Israel in both cases was “They would not.” It is clear in the Old Testament that God is speaking of the temporal blessings Israel would have enjoyed in the establishment of her kingdom as the dominant government in the world. In the context of Matthew 23, Jesus speaks the same. The result of Israel’s rejection, specifically the rejection of the religious rulers, was the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of any significant role for Israel until the Second Advent. The kingdom of Christ was not ushered in during the First Advent because Israel rejected the Messiah King.

The importance of this understanding of scripture is to show the will of man in salvation is not under consideration in this passage. It is critical to keep scripture in context rather than wresting it from its context to support erroneous doctrines. It is far better to examine scriptures that without doubt deal with the question at hand. For example John 1:13:  “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Does anyone have an issue declaring this to be a salvation verse? Another is John 5:40:  “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Is salvation a matter of the will? Most certainly and nothing is clearer than “Ye will not come to me.” How can this verse be cast positively to argue that man’s will enables him to come when Jesus said you will not come?

There is not time or space to explore this question in depth. A little reading in John chapter 6 would certainly further our understanding of the matter. These are the kinds of questions we explore in detail in our Fundamentals Class on Wednesday evenings. For now, be sure to keep scripture in context lest you run afoul of its plain declarations.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

God’s Presence and Power

Berean Baptist on March 20, 2017

 

Psalms 80:1

Sometimes choosing a topic for a brief article is difficult and I struggle until I find something to discuss. This psalm is not a problem. My real problem is how can I not write multiple articles on the vivid themes expressed in this psalm? There are many to choose from and before I could get out of the first verse the decision was made. In less than five seconds, my eyes were riveted to this phrase, “thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”

Those of you that know me well understand why I gravitated towards this phrase. It is a tabernacle or temple reference which has long been one of my favorite subjects. What is the stunning beauty of this statement? It is the promise God made to dwell in fellowship with His people in tabernacle worship. The special place of God’s presence was in the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant stood. The Ark was a small rectangular box made of wood overlaid with pure gold. Though very small, a little less than four feet long and a little less than two feet wide and tall, the Ark was a powerful symbol of the presence of God.

On top of the Ark forming a lid, was the mercy seat which is the place of the sprinkling of blood by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. Above it stood two cherubs with wings outstretched and touching at the wing tips. It was a beautifully constructed box, but nothing could match the beauty of the intangible between those two cherubs. This is the reference in Psalms 80 verse 1. “Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.” The intangible was a bright shining light of the glory of God that showed He was in residence.

An interesting point in this psalm is the absence of the temple, the absence of the Holy of Holies, the absence of the Ark of the Covenant, and thus the absence of the bright shining light known as the Shekinah Glory. The temple and all of its furnishings had been destroyed as the result of Israel’s sin. The psalmist is in the midst of a sad bitter wail asking God to return. Three times he prayed, ”Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Again, interestingly, the figure switches from the physical light of God’s glory in verse one to the spiritual expression of His presence displayed in blessing Israel again. I believe this is what is sorely needed in our churches today. We have never had manifestations of God’s glory in shining lights, but there have been plenty of them in demonstrations of the Holy Spirit’s power. The power today is not present in old time gifts of the Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, and healing. The presence of God is manifested in the power of His word spoken from pulpits by His preachers.

We need more power in the pulpit. I do not mean shouting, screaming and pounding—I mean sermons with depth that feed the souls of God’s people. We ask God to keep supplying messages that pierce the heart and pique the understanding. It is not the preacher’s work—it is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that make it happen. “Please God—cause your face to shine in the preaching of the word. Hide your preachers behind the cross that your glory may be seen.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Failing but Not Forgotten

Berean Baptist on March 13, 2017

Psalm 78

Psalm 78 is a record of Israel’s history from their deliverance from Egypt to the reign of David. This psalm describes Israel’s often rebellion but also records how God would never let them go too far away to the point He would forsake them forever. The reading of this psalm might have been a little more appropriate in conjunction with next week’s study in Matthew, so you might catalog these comments in your mind and use them as an introduction to the disciples’ denial of Christ in Matthew chapter 26.

The Bible is an amazing book for many reasons, not the least of which is God’s way of exalting Himself from what seems to be an upside down position. If we were trying to convince people to follow a God they never desired, and if we wanted to preach His ability to change lives for the better, we would surely pick examples of His followers’ successes and leave the rest untold. Moses parting the Red Sea would be enough without telling how God kept him out of the Promised Land because he disobeyed by twice striking the rock. Joshua’s great victory over Jericho is enough without telling the story of Achan’s sin and the defeat at Ai. Samson carrying the gates of a Philistine city to the top of a hill is enough without telling of his terrible weakness of lust in falling prey to a conniving woman. And of course, David’s victory over the giant Goliath is enough without telling how he betrayed a trusted friend by committing adultery with his wife and then having him murdered in the cover-up.

The complete details of these fallible men’s lives would have been better left untold if we wanted to preach the marvelous virtues of our great God. However, God seeks glory in uncommon ways. The revelation of all the details shows how exceedingly gracious and merciful He truly is. How much love is needed to love someone who loves you? Jesus said if you love those that love you what thanks do you have? Even sinners love those that love them.

It would be enough to tell of God’s salvation of sinners who did not love Him if we wanted people to see how superior God’s love is. But what if God should add more details? What if after sending His Son to die for them and saving them those He loves are terribly ungrateful? How much more love does it take not to obliterate them in anger? It takes even greater resolve to love those that multiple times turn their backs on Him after receiving His rich benefits. God’s love is magnified as He promises to preserve His people despite their constant failures. This is the way God works. This is the way He wrote His book. Tell the whole story and God will be glorified in most uncommon ways.

After many verses of Israel’s obstinacy, the psalm ends on a note of peace. God gave Israel her greatest king. David, the shepherd king, brought Israel to prominence as he led them with a gentle hand. David symbolizes the last king of Israel. He is also a shepherd that feeds His flock and gently cares for those that are with young (Isa. 40:11). Christ is the great King. He loves us with unconditional love. He will never leave us or forsake us. Tell the whole world the story of Him and they will never find failure in Him. He came to make up for failures. God accepts us because of Him.

Thank God for His book. We see ourselves reflected in stories like Psalm 78. All too often they are tales of failures, yet we can still claim His promise that He will bring us home to glory.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith