Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy…

Berean Baptist on September 25, 2017

In Acts chapter one after the ascension of Jesus, the disciples entered a ten-day waiting period for the coming of the Holy Spirit. During those days (Acts 1:15), Peter stood before the disciples to explain the need to appoint another apostle to fill the place of Judas who had betrayed the Lord. Peter spoke of the traitor’s awful death and then quoted Psalm 109:8 as justification for the selection of a replacement (Acts 1:20). This is a truly amazing exposition of the psalm as no one before could have interpreted this verse in this way.

If we care to investigate this Old Testament reference, we find ourselves immersed in one of the most perplexing of the psalms. Psalm 109 is perhaps the chief imprecatory psalm in which vengeance is asked against the enemies of David in particular and the enemies of God in general. David’s attitude does not seem to support Jesus’ teaching that we are to forgive our enemies.

I have read several explanations for the harshness of David’s words and how we might excuse him for what seems to be the opposite of a Christ-like spirit—but is it really unlike the Lord our God? I am convinced that God wants us to see the side of Him most people ignore or just completely dismiss. This side is God’s wrath. This is His commitment to justice in His condemnation of sin. I do not believe we need to make excuses for David because he asked God for vengeance. When he made the statement in verse 8 which was quoted by Peter in Acts 1:20, the link was established that what was spoken is the mind of God. This is not a repudiation of His love and mercy in the forgiveness of sin. It is confirmation of the awful consequences of the rejection of Christ.

My thoughts are drawn to Jesus’ words on the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” They did not know He was the Christ for if they had they would never have crucified Him (1 Cor. 2:8); but perhaps of equal importance, they would not have crucified Him if they knew the wrath of their coming judgment. Without repentance and faith, the blackness and darkness of an eternal hell were their destiny.

The modern pulpit rarely broaches the subject of God’s wrath. Sin and its consequences are negative and depressing, while the prevailing opinion is that church services should be positive and uplifting. Trevin Wax made this enlightening statement: “Hell is full of people who think they deserve Heaven. Heaven is filled with people who know they deserve Hell.” Churches are unwittingly confusing people and making far more of the first category than of the second. The first part of the quote is the problem of the “God loves you” pulpit. God’s love for people is never juxtaposed to His disgust for their sin. All of us deserve hell because we are guilty of sin. We do not have a few faults that need to be corrected. We have not made minor mistakes, but at heart, we are basically good people. No, we are nasty, vile, wicked, and disgusting. Such descriptions do not play well in the pulpit.

Psalm 109 is a reminder of what we deserve. David’s inventive mind in suggesting different punishments for his enemies cannot touch what God has planned. David’s imprecations only go as far as humans understand. No one knows how deeply God is offended nor how capable He is of satiating His vengeance. “God is love”—yes. John wrote this in his first epistle. Jesus came to save deeply offensive hell-deserving sinners which prove it. However, John also wrote the wrath of God abides on those who do not believe. Turn past 1 John to Revelation to see page after page of examples of God’s execution of wrath. Read chapter 19 and see Jesus in the thick of it as He wields the bloody sword of vengeance.

Heaven is never sweeter than when we understand what would have been if not for Jesus Christ. God’s wrath accentuates His deep love. We must preach it or else confuse people about what they deserve. “Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy.”

 

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

Book V – The Word of God

Berean Baptist on September 18, 2017

Psalm 107

Chapter 107 begins the last division of the Psalms. At each division, we marked the theme. In Psalms 1-41, the theme is man and these opening chapters correspond to Genesis, the first book of the Pentateuch. The next section (42-72) corresponds to Exodus with the theme of deliverance. Book III (73-89) has sanctuary as its theme and is comparable to Leviticus. Book IV (90-106) is about wandering and matches Numbers. Finally, Book V relates to Deuteronomy with the theme of chapters 107-150 being the word of God.

The pinnacle of this section is Psalm 119 which may be considered The Ode to the Word. This is the longest of the psalms with 176 verses of the psalmist’s exuberance for the importance of the word in his life and that of all believers. Today’s reading of the 107th psalm sets the tone for the section as the author describes the source of all problems—“…they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High…” (v.11). Who does not see this as the cause of Adam’s fall? No truer words could be spoken for the causes of evil that have fallen upon our country. As the word of God became less prominent in homes, schools, and government institutions, the influence of righteous morality suffered. Finally, it has come to the place that any candidate for public office that claims guidance from the principles of the Bible, as our founding fathers did, is regarded as a religious buffoon. Political parties distance themselves from the morally upright to garner votes from the godless.

The psalmist catalogs the successes and failures of Israel according to their respect for and obedience to God’s word. When they rebelled against the word, “…he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help…” (v. 12). When they came back to Him, “…he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.” (vv. 13b-14).

While we cannot claim a spiritual revival for America or any promise of preservation for this nation, we can claim God’s promise to the church. Israel is representative of God’s people, and what God’s people need is a revival of the word. In the church, the Bible has gone away just as it has in society in general. Few Christians make it a regular practice to read and study scripture. They would much more readily pick up a fad book of how to with its 7 Steps to God’s Blessings, or 5 Ways to Spiritual Success. Browse the bookstores and see how many formulas there are for peace, happiness, and contentment. Rarely do you see one that says, One Step—Obey God. This is the psalmist’s basic message—“Do not rebel against the words of God.” The command presupposes knowledge of what God’s word says.

In each of our messages with their variety of subjects, each topic always comes back to one issue—what does God’s word say about it? This is always central—what do we know about the word? I must always impress the value of the word. Living for Jesus is nothing more or less than living in His word.

“Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.” (v. 43).

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Who Needs Whom?

Berean Baptist on September 11, 2017

This past Monday I got up to start my day in the usual manner. Every day starts with a review of one of the sermons I will preach the following Sunday. I had just finished my Sunday morning review when I picked up the TableTalk devotional which is next on the list of the morning reading. To my surprise, the devotion for the day included this important statement: “God doesn’t need you! Never has. Never will. For anything. Ever.” This was an interesting assertion because I had just seen the same concept in my own sermon on the resurrection.

In this sermon, I examined the terrible lie that was concocted by the wicked religious leaders who tried to conceal the truth of the resurrection. I looked at their lie to wonder how would God deal with it. What could be done to fix it and how would people learn the truth when the most influential, powerful leaders of religion told a story in direct contradiction to the truth?

It’s a very good question considering only eleven uneducated men were given the responsibility to preach what the leaders so steadfastly denied. How were they to overcome such powerful opposition? As it turns out, God did not need them to fix things. Although God never lies, He certainly did set up all the circumstances that made this lie testify to the truth.

In His resurrection plans, God never allowed the disciples to dwell on the promise Jesus gave that He would rise from the dead. He told them many times, but it is as if they never heard it. They never latched on to it as a means of hope which is proved by two of them in their conversation with the resurrected Christ on the road to Emmaus. If they had believed it, they would have been a constant presence at the tomb eagerly waiting for the exact moment to see Jesus just as He came back to life. If this had happened, it would help make the lie the body was stolen more plausible. God did not want them anywhere near the tomb until it was over in order to make the leaders’ lie completely self-defeating.

It was the leaders who insisted that Pilate post a guard and put the Roman seal on the tomb. Their efforts were to ensure there was no way the body could be stolen. It was so tightly secured that when the resurrection happened, the lie the body was stolen was impossible to believe. God did not need the disciples to fix this for Him—the religious leaders did the job themselves and God directed them every step of the way.

Today’s theology is dominated by seriously bad thinking. The idea is that God cannot do anything without us. God sits in heaven crying because He is helpless. He is so disappointed because He created man and loved Him and now nobody will love Him back. So, God needs to be made happy and we are the only ones who can help Him. The truth is God does not need us. Never has. Never will. For anything. Ever. He doesn’t need you—you need Him. Always have. Always will. For everything. Forever.

This theology is proved over and over again in scripture. God is sovereign over all affairs and always has been. Adam’s fall was not a surprise. Jesus’ death was not a responsive afterthought. The lie about the resurrection was not a problem for God to overcome.

The author concluded with this thought: “God is not looking for ‘helpers’ to assist Him in saving the world…God has never commanded us to go save the world for Him. He calls us to follow Him as He saves the world through us.” You see, it is not about you—it’s all about Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Touch Not Mine Anointed

Berean Baptist on September 4, 2017

Psalms 105:15

One of the great warnings of scripture is the danger of perverting the word of God. God is not pleased when His words are misused, misapplied, or otherwise twisted to teach things He never intended. We fight this battle constantly with new Bible versions as often they are translated to satisfy certain consumers with their own theological axes to grind. Many translations are not translations at all but rather a commentary on scripture. There are Bibles to fit almost anyone’s viewpoint whether it be sodomites, feminists, genderless (or too many genders), too many verses (thus, infamous missing ones in the NIV), etc. etc.

We also fight against cults that want to include unusual, bizarre writings of their supposed prophets. These strange revelations (?) such as the Book of Mormon are claimed to be other testaments of sayings and doctrines that God left out of the sixty-six books recognized for centuries as canonical. The Bible contains its own internal proof of supernatural origin while these spurious books only have super stupid claims. The Book of Mormon is especially noteworthy for its almost comical attempt at sounding authoritative by its copying of King James language.

These are real problems to be confronted, but the one I want to speak of is the Baptist preacher who thumps the King James and declares it to be the infallible, inspired word of God without error even down to the way flowers should be pressed between its pages. I am speaking of that same preacher who has no problem twisting scriptures to accommodate his own ends.

Psalms 105:15 is a good case in point. The pastor will quote this out of context, “…touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” The psalmist is speaking of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and how God called them and protected them to fulfill His promises to Israel. While it is true God has a special hand of protection on His ministers, it is also true that the people should hold them accountable. How well we as pastors should note that our usefulness is according to God’s eternal plan. Stephen was martyred after a very short career even though he was called a man full of faith and power. God had his vengeance on those who did the deed while using the evil that was done to glorify His name. How often have we used Stephen as an example of courage?

My problem is with the pastor who insulates himself from criticism and honest evaluation by claiming Psalm 105:15. He requires blind obedience, unwavering devotion, and near godlike worship. This pastor teaches people to never question his authority and never inquire about his teachings. And God forbid anyone should offer a word of correction when he has obviously missed something or misinterpreted a scripture. Touch not God’s anointed means “fall in line, don’t make waves, and if I go over a theological cliff everybody is sworn to go with me.”

Does God require absolute commitment to the pastor? This is a huge mistake. Even the great apostle Paul said who am I? God gives the increase. He wanted no followers except as he followed Christ. I would submit you had better research Christ to see if the pastor is following Him. It is unquestionably true that you should respect the pastoral position and the authority invested in him by God through the church. “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5:19). Moral and doctrinal accusations should not be charged lightly, but they can be charged. Aside from those types of glaring issues, pastors ought to welcome honest inquiries. I find no better teaching times than when I can walk someone through a doctrine or scripture I have taught.

I want you to be Bereans (Acts 17:11). I don’t consider it an offense when questions are asked. They sharpen me and show me areas that need better explanations. So, come with your questions. Those asked in the right spirit will be answered. Those asked in the wrong spirit will be answered too. Each receives their appropriate answers.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith