Month: April 2024

If I were to write a description of the Berean Baptist ministry over the past two decades, I would enthusiastically say we are a church concerned with truth, doctrinal exposition of truth, and refusal to compromise the truth. There are no perfect churches this side of Hebrews 12:22-24, so we do not claim to be. I suppose others favor a different balance of ministry, but prayerfully, we are consistent in our doctrine and the desire that people should know the Christ of the Bible through the doctrines taught in scripture.

In these two decades, my sermons tended towards explaining doctrinal positions and how they affect our knowledge and understanding of God. I am thankful for those who have grown in the faith with this approach and the kind words as they express their thanks for better understanding of the Almighty sovereign God we serve. This change in thinking is most evident in what we would describe as a different worldview. It is the shift of focus from a man-centered religion to a God-centered one. While there are few who openly claim to have a man-centered religion, they do not realize they in fact do. They do not realize it because they do not know what God-centered religion is. There are multiple ways to express God-centered religion because all our doctrines have Him at the center. In only a brief space, I would go back to the beginning of the creation to explain. The emphasis in Genesis 1 is God-centered religion. It is not that God was lonely, that God needed us, that God must have someone to love Him, that God is not complete without us, etc., etc., etc. God is supremely holy and happy in Himself.

The emphasis in Genesis 1 is “In the beginning God…” “In the beginning God…” The purpose of the beginning was not to create man so that God would have someone to love, but to create for His ultimate glory. He magnifies Himself through the creation. God is not determined to bestow free will on anyone as if the ultimate expression of love is for God to receive it as a free choice. And yet, we repeatedly hear that God wants us to love Him only if we want to love Him. This would be the main tenet of man-centered religion. In other words, the will and determination of the creature supersedes the will and determination of God. Without our cooperation and choice, God cannot fulfill the design of the creation. In this view, the election and predestination of God spins out of existence in favor of salvation conditioned on a moment in time choice. God does not control this choice, and thus all the plans of creation rise or fall on an uninfluenced, undetermined choice that can go for or against God. Therefore, the sacrifice of Christ provides only a possibility of options, one of which, because of multitudinous hindrances, is logically and manifestly more than frequent failure to accomplish its purpose.

God-centered religion avoids this preposterous dilemma. Those in man-centered religion insistently and persistently argue they have a God-centered religion while at the same time holding to a worldview that is a world-view. The message today expresses the problem of a man-centered view. It always ends with rejection of Christ because without the active monergistic God, the greatest miracles and the most eloquent preaching cannot do what salvation requires. Only God can change a heart and bring dead sinners to life. There is no person who chooses to love God without an act of God upon a heart fettered with sin. When GOD breaks these chains, there is one and only one free will choice. This choice is God. In God-centered religion, God is first…always first. “In the beginning God.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This week, we begin a new chapter in the Gospel of Mark. The sixth chapter begins with skepticism over the inexplicable knowledge of Jesus and the impossibility of the volumes of miracles He did. One miracle should have been enough to convince people that He was more than a man, but a healthy volume of miracles was no better than one to convince people of who He was. If I were to reduce the first six verses of Mark 6 to one overarching theme, I would call it the power of unbelief. We often speak of the power of faith, and we know the Bible presents the concept that faith can move mountains. Jesus narrowed His description to stay faith is powerful enough that the equivalent of a grain of a mustard seed can move mountains.

Most times, we will extol the supreme virtue of faith without discussing too much about the power of no faith, or said more commonly again, “the power of unbelief.” The scriptures are no less descriptive of this than the power of belief. Unbelief was powerful enough to cause Jesus’ enemies to deny His miracles even while they watched Him do them. If they did not outright deny them, they at least illogically attributed the wrong source to them. Some of Jesus’ strongest condemnations were because of unbelief. He told residents of Capernaum that if He had done His miracles in Gentile cities or in the Old Testament bastions of the worst immorality, Sodom, and Gomorrah—if there, if those people had seen them, they would have repented at once and come to Him for salvation. There would be no trouble finding ten righteous people in them after His displays!

We use multiple excuses for not attending church or helping in the Lord’s work. There is always a complaint of some sort when our failures are truly more owed to unbelief than any other cause. I thought of this when surveying Matthew 11. The first section of the chapter ends in verse 19 with Jesus’ comparison of His and John the Baptist’s ministries. Though He and John had different approaches, neither satisfied the people. No matter what He or John did, they were not satisfied. John was not personable, he did not drink, he and his disciples fasted, while Jesus was a party animal and was always buddies with the fun crowd. Jesus said, when we dance, you don’t like it; when we cry, you don’t like it. If we fast or feast, you don’t like it.

The root cause of their discontent was their unbelief. People will never be satisfied with God. The late James Montgomery Boice spoke of the restless in the church who are always looking but never staying. He said: “God has many messengers with many varying gifts. Some are powerful speakers and can move a crowd to tears. Others are intellectual; they make a careful case for Christianity and present many powerful proofs of the gospel. Some teachers are outgoing, talkative, people oriented. Others are retiring and thoughtful. Some write books. Others lead movements. Still others speak on radio or appear on television. Some are old and teach with the wisdom of their years. Some are young and proclaim the truth with youthful vigor. Some are prophetic. Some are analytic. None of this matters to a generation of determined sinners who say in opposition, ‘This one is too loud. That one is too quiet. This one is too intellectual. That one is too superficial.’”

These folks have no interest in serving or knowing God well. Their offense is not a church’s method or doctrine. It really comes down to the gospel. The gospel offends, and nothing but the power of God will overcome the power and persistence of unbelief. As the Jews of Jesus’ time could not fool Him with their pretended devotion to the Law and thus to God, neither do we fool Him by wandering endlessly to find the church that is pure enough for us. It is neither here nor there. Open your eyes to see that most complaints are preferences and have nothing to do with devotion to Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

When I wrote this article, it was the 26^th of January near the end of a stressful week. These are my thoughts several weeks ago as I tried to express the topic on my mind. A few days before, I discussed with a friend my interest in historical arguments concerning the doctrines of the faith. In this instance, it was the development of the premillennial eschatological viewpoint of Christ’s return. Each time I preach on the Second Coming of Christ, interest in the subject peaks and it seems the congregation pays more strict attention to the exposition from the pulpit. There is rejoicing in remembrance of Christ’s glorious appearing, how He will come, and the results for both believers and unbelievers.

I understand the reason for the excitement, and I believe the miserable times in which we live heightens this reaction. Dissatisfaction with churches, politics, economics, immorality, and the general demise of Christianity in America contributes to our uneasiness in waiting for Christ’s return. We do not face our earthly future with the hope we once had. Thus, the Second Coming of Christ is the bailout for our depressed lives.

I believe the New Testament authors expected the coming of Christ with great anticipation. Their hope was not dissimilar to ours. With the daily threat of persecution, who would not hope the coming of Christ was not soon upon them? This anticipation was real enough that believers in Thessalonica had determined they had missed His coming and were living in the aftermath of the return. Imagine the stress of such a thought! Their confusion was the cause of two important letters from Paul to correct their misunderstandings. In these letters, he tempered their expectations, gave them an order of events, and did this without destroying their hope that having Christ return immediately was a necessary component of their peace and happiness.

With the troubles we experience daily, it is gratifying to believe that Christ may appear at any moment. When He comes, He will relieve us of our worries and show us that patiently waiting was well worth the time and effort. There is enough in this reality of hope to sustain us through every hardship we meet. It is worth noting that when the Bible speaks of our hope in this way, it is not “hope so, but maybe not.” It is hope that is in every way steadfast and sure. Our hope is an accomplished faith that ends in sight. It is possible for us to live happy fulfilled lives with two seemingly conflicting perspectives. Christ may come today, or we may die before He does. Death for the youngest among us may be another fifty years or more away. We must not forget each of us was at that stage once but here we are these many years later still waiting for Christ and living in the expectation of His return.

The Lord wants us to labor to keep this feeling. When Peter spoke of the dissolution of this world and its systems, he asked, “Seeing that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness… (2 Peter 3:11). True confidence in Christ’s return will fix us in holiness. Knowing the exact date will not. In the model prayer, Jesus instructed the disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come.” The same prayer should be on our lips every day. Daily expectation of the Kingdom keeps us sharp and on our toes for whatever day Christ may come.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Twenty-five years ago, when I was new to Berean, I began my ministry teaching a new Sunday School class called The Sunday Morning Forum. I did not want this class to be the usual Sunday School meeting with a structured lesson format that kept us confined for weeks in a typical lesson plan. At times, we had these, but each lesson in our class was meant to stimulate participation in discussions. In time, the class developed into the format we have now with open discussions on any biblical topic spurred by questions from class members.

This format meant that I, as the teacher, would need to be well-versed on most Bible doctrines and have a good working knowledge of the text. I have spent my life developing this knowledge leaning on the grace of the Holy Spirit to guide me. After these years, I confess there are times questions perplex me and I do not answer all questions well. In those times, I defer, and my next move is to find the answer and report back. It is always best not to answer rather than give a wrong answer. Despite my best efforts, I may want to appear smart and answer anyway. In those times, I ask for the Lord’s and your forgiveness. 

There are also times when topics are uncomfortable, and I would rather not deal with them. However, I made a commitment long ago not to slip and slide around difficulties to get me out of the chair and cool my backside. Two weeks ago, one of these topics came before us. It was an unavoidable discussion and we needed to discuss it because it is one of the most volatile subjects we face today. This is the topic of homosexuality. With lightning speed, what society once considered the bottom rung of immorality has not only become morally acceptable but considered a higher morality than strict opposition to it. Not to accept homosexuality as a normal lifestyle and even a preferred one for a segment of the population is to be immoral and abnormal. Most Christians have come to grips with it and rather than rock the boat have taken a laissez-faire, live and let live philosophy. I have a short reply to this. It is not Christian, it is not harmless, it is not godly, it is not a matter of indifference, and it is not acceptable according to the word of God. Regardless, too many Christians have made their peace with it and will not be vocal in opposition to it. They have chosen their friends from among them as if no harm, no foul. There is harm and it is a foul upon decency, and both are deadly serious.

The reality is this sin was so sickening, twisted, and perverted that it caused fire and brimstone to pour out of the sky. It caused the death of thousands among Israel and their enemies. It helped to ruin their morality and incited forays into idolatry that led to Israel’s captivity. Neither Old Testament nor New Testament allows God’s people to accept this sin. There was never a “go along to get along” attitude in any period of church history until the overwhelmingly gigantic push of the last two decades. The demand for tolerance and acceptance is formidable enough to shut preachers’ mouths or risk abandonment by this society. Morality is 180° upside down with most tiptoeing around it with fear they might offend sinners. Some ask why we treat this sin differently. The answer seems all too obvious to me. What sin, what work of Satan has changed an entire worldview and flipped our churches and the laws of our country on end to accept what we dared not accept as anything but one of the most heinous, shameful sins we can commit? We treat it differently because of its demonic power. We do not advocate hatred or harm to homosexuals. We do advocate refusing to mix and mingle with it. Those who do risk what we have already seen. Softening, accepting, and silencing for fear of offense. We must deal with sin and sinners. This is what the church does. Christ saved us from sin, and so they must and may be. We will only help legitimize their cause by friendship and normalization. “Friendship of the world is enmity with God.” When confronted, deal with it biblically and move on. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalms 1:1).

Pastor V. Mark Smith