Month: December 2024

Over the years, there were times I used the bulletin space to add comments to sermons I preached previously, or to emphasize a point in more detail for the sermon I preached on that Sunday morning. Today, I look back to last week and the sermon A Sad Day for Galilee. There is not a true Christian who does not wish that Christ were present with us at this very moment. We long for Christ to come, but also wonder what it would be like if we could live in the physical presence of Jesus as the disciples in the first century did. Would we immensely enjoy His presence and understand all His words, or would we be shortsighted and weak in faith as the disciples often were?

         The answers to these questions are not difficult. We not only have sufficient samplings of Christ teachings in the Bible, but we also have the advantage of the Bible authors’ examination and explanations of His teachings. Along with these are centuries of solid commentaries written by faithful expositors of the scriptures. These extra availabilities are the work of the Holy Spirit using men to guide us into the truths of God’s word. We can know Christ because looking into the scriptures is like looking directly into His eyes. When we examine what we have compared to what the disciples did not have, there is no excuse for us to fall short of their understanding of Christ’s words.

         What is our excuse for not experiencing the same types of advancements that caused Christianity to circle the globe and become the greatest religion known to earth’s inhabitants? There is no excuse. Our failure centers in our lack of dedication to spend time learning the word and gaining strength by our fellowship with God’s people in His church. Our failure is weak discipleship without conviction to live as Christ commanded.

         This reminds me of the rich man in hell and his conversation with Abraham. The rich man suffered torment and asked Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead as a warning for his brothers to believe in Christ and avoid the awful punishment of that place. Abraham told him his brothers had Moses and the prophets as their witnesses. If they would not believe their witness, they would not believe the warnings of one returned from the dead. There are extensive important teachings from this story in Luke 16. One of these we should not miss is that the Bible is the best and only way to obtain knowledge of Christ. If the scriptures are not sufficient, we have no hope of salvation.

         Would we be better Christians if Christ sat in front of us and conversed with us daily? No, there is no proof we would. Like thousands in Galilee that were only interested is satisfying selfish lusts, so we reject the brightest light we have. Thus, we have gross lifestyles that have infiltrated the church and threaten to destroy it from the inside. We punch holes in the bottom of salvation’s boat and expect we will never sink. We are sinking. Christian feet are wet while we claim we ride in Jesus’ boat. It is a sad day for us as our boat goes down. Salvation looks us in the eyes while we are too busy to do anything other than look at us. The world says to look for our authentic self. Christ tells us to reject all such thoughts. The Christian life hides with Christ in God. Unless you are what Christ is—unless Christ is what you claim to be, you neither know Him nor your authentic self.

         Would you be better off if Christ were within sight of your physical eyes? No, only further condemned for aggravated rejection of His truth.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               It is a welcome, exceptionally good feeling to return to our home church this Sunday morning. We have greatly missed the fellowship of those in our covenant relationship within the Lord’s church. We thank God for your continued faithfulness to Him and the work He calls us to do. Often, the times and the seasons discourage us but thank Him for His promise never to leave us or forsake us.

               We love this church because of your love for God’s word. With the diversity of opinions about what passes for acceptable preaching, it is difficult to gauge the value of the thirst for it. The most prominent desire of hearers is earthly pleasure and whatever satisfies felt needs. Churches center their attention on their core figure—easily identified as self.

               The first part of today’s message reminds us of what Christians should live for. We enjoy the blessing of living in the freedom of the United States and with our economic prosperity as a bonus. These are benefits that most Christians throughout the centuries have not enjoyed. There is little doubt these advantages have captured our hearts leaving us with a lesser reward than what should be the pursuit of our lives. We should reshape our driving motivation for the Lord’s work by living in the hope of Christ’s return.

               The Second Coming impresses us with the urgency of reaching out with the gospel. If we believed what we preach, our attitude about sharing the good news would be much different than it appears now. We sing songs and preach sermons that speak of the imminent return of Christ, and yet there is not an intense concern that today could be our last day. If it were our last day, the focus would not be on us and what happens to us. We know the answer to this delightful question. The answer is not the same and is vastly unappealing to those who have not heard and believed the gospel. We do not urgently pursue conversions because from pulpit to pew we live with much less expectancy.

               The scriptures also use the Second Coming as encouragement for our moral lives. John said we should live so as not to be ashamed when Christ appears. I remember hearing this as a child growing up in church. These types of messages motivated me more than any others. I was far less afraid of hell than of Christ finding me doing what I should not be doing. When the preacher made Christ’s coming real enough, I wanted to be careful of every move I made. A simple child-like faith is often more sensitive than what many believe is mature faith. Our mature faith says we know too much to be excited with guesswork.

               Peter also encouraged us to godliness by the theme of Christ’s return. He asked, “What kind of people should we be considering the world and everything in it will be burned up?” Likewise, Paul used the same motivation. He wrote, “When Christ who is our life shall appear…” He follows this with a significant list of our former sins and commanded us to put to death these sins that cause God’s wrath on children of disobedience.

               I will add one more reason to think on Christ’s return. This strikes closer to home and is a daily prayer at our house. We want our Lord to return because it results in our transformation. This earthly body ravaged by sickness will transition into a glorified body made like that of Jesus Christ. John said we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. It is true that death will bring the same relief from pain but with infinitely less spectacle. I would rather pray for the return of Christ than the death of my wife. One I will do, the other I will not do.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Psalm 44

          In the last few weeks, my daily Bible reading has centered in the Old Testament books of the Pentateuch. The great prophet Moses wrote these first five books of the Hebrew scriptures which chronicle the accounts of creation and the history of the beginning of the nation of Israel. The story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and their wanderings in the wilderness consumes four of these five books and contain within them miraculous works of God’s deliverance. Israel’s experience with divine providence in the exodus is an often-repeated theme in both Old and New Testaments.

          Psalm 44 gives us one of the varieties of usages for the exodus theme. Have you ever felt abandoned by God, and you lack a discernable reason for it? Have you examined your heart for sin and found you have done your best to serve God, and yet despite your best-efforts, you cannot find Him? If this is how you feel, you have just hit upon the author’s dilemma in this psalm.

          We do not know the author although we do know he was a descendant of Korah. This means the time of writing falls into the 1000-year period from the exodus to the end of the Old Testament. Israel had just suffered a stunning military defeat, and the psalmist did not understand the reason God did not come to their aid. There were times in Israel’s past when the reason for defeat was clear. These times connected to obvious sins, usually the sin of idolatry, when Israel fell into the worship of false gods. This was not one of those times nor of other known sins which makes their defeat more puzzling.

          The psalm divides into three parts. The first eight verses are about the past as the psalmist remembers the stories told by his forebears about the Almighty God’s marvelous deliverances from their enemies. This section ends with the admission that each victory was because of God, not because of Israel’s military might.

          The next section (vv. 9-22) is about the present. This is the psalmist’s lament as he tries to understand their defeat and why God did not care. The third section (vv. 23-26) is about the future as the psalmist is sure that God would not forget them, and he expected God to help. He cries out for God to awaken from sleep—a metaphor for God’s inattention.

How much this reminds us of that fearful night when a boisterous sea tossed the disciples’ boat. While they rowed and worried, Jesus slept in the boat. The tumult of the sea did not bother Him. The disciples’ fearful pleas for help awakened Him. A hymnist expressed their words this way: “Carest thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?” Jesus was not troubled. He awoke and said, “Peace be still.”

          The psalm does not give the explanation for this instance of God’s refusal to help Israel. However, we know the character of God. He said He would never leave us or forsake us. If we think He has, we know it must be for His divine purposes. Sometimes trials come upon us simply because Christ calls us to suffer for Him. Peter wrote: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).  Paul also often mentions the sufferings of Christians, even his own, as being divine providence. This is often hard for us to understand just as it was for Christians in the early centuries who suffered under extreme persecution. We notice, however, they always held on. They were firm and steadfast and waited for God’s deliverance. Sometimes the deliverance was death—but death is no problem when the destination is the glories of heaven.

Christians today need to do what the psalmist did. Look back to the past and remember the victories we have won in Christ. Examine yourself in the present to make sure sin is not your problem. Consider the future because you know God will never abandon you. When your feelings tell you God is not with you, be sure His Spirit testifies He is. He is closer than in your boat—He is in your heart. Another hymnist related the sentiments of God’s heart: “Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalms 42:2)

          As the chosen children of God, we should truly desire to meet God. Deep in our souls there should be anxiety to meet Him, but not the dreaded type of anxiety we usually think of when we use the word. Our anxiety is of a different sort. It is eagerness. It is not anxiety pent up as if to meet God is to face our doom. Instead, it is like a child who cannot wait on Christmas Eve to open all his presents. The 42^nd Psalm expresses this eagerness in another way by using the term thirsteth. The psalmist’s desire to see His Lord was as a man dying of thirst in the desert and seeing a beautiful flowing spring in the distance.

The psalmist said, “My soul thirsteth for God, the living God…” You might suppose “the living God” would not need to be an often-repeated phrase in scripture for surely nothing is clearer than the fact we serve a living God. The first chapter of the Bible does not announce the existence of the living God. Rather, the author assumes there must be a living God who made this marvelous universe. God’s majesty is evident across the heavens, so do we really need a chapter that explains there is a living God?

          The theme of this section of the psalms is deliverance. It corresponds to God’s deliverance of Israel during the exodus. This phrase “the living God” appears in the book of Joshua as the Israelites were ready to cross the Jordan River to attack the fortified city of Jericho. This is the point where they would begin the conquest of Canaan.

In front of them was their first obstacle. How would they get an army across the river when it was at flood stage? In chapter 3 verse 10, Joshua explained that they were about to see the evidence of the living God, or as a direct quote, “the living God is among you.” The evidence announced itself when the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stepped their feet into the waters of the Jordan River. The river immediately stopped flowing and they crossed on dry ground. This was no small feat—a miracle at any time—but especially since at this time of year the river overflowed its banks. A torrent of water cascaded down the channel making it impossible to cross.

To stop the water at their crossing point, meant that God must also stop all the tributaries from flowing as well. In the 16th verse, this is what happened. Joshua said, “The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.”

          The significance of the phrase “the living God” in Joshua is Israel’s confrontation with an enemy that also had their gods. The enemy was formidable and certainly more warlike than the children of Israel. One of the fears of Israel when they attempted to conquer Canaan was the Canaanite’s iron chariots and their plentitude of horses. Israel did not have these and were at a great disadvantage—except for the living God. Canaan’s fortified cities and armaments were no match for the living God. The gods of the Canaanites were dead gods of stone, and their horses were mere creatures that God created with the spoken word. He could as easily destroy them all with only a thought.

          This kind of genuine deliverance makes this section of Psalm 42 fit its section’s motif. Trust in the living God is the foundation of our great hope. The living God ensures the reality of our faith. This is the God that we shall see—as Job said, “In my flesh, shall I see God” (Job 19:26). He ever lives and is working in the world to bring us to Him.

          The psalmist said in this verse that his soul thirsted for God. How do we satisfy this thirst? There is only one way—we drink from the wells of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). Living waters from the living God—what can be more satisfying?

Pastor V. Mark Smith