Author: Berean Baptist

This past week we said goodbye to one of the finest Christian gentlemen I have known. Brother Grant Evans was a great friend, and a wonderful servant of Jesus Christ. Grant was saved late in life, but as soon as he received Christ he became a committed Christian. I have often said there are some people that you can really tell their salvation “took.” That may not be a theological term, but it does describe the type of person that lives so much like Christ that there is never a doubt Christ lives in them. Their salvation permeates every aspect of their lives. I learned this very quickly about Grant more than 13 years ago when I first met him.

I met him after he was retired from his business as a contractor, but he had taken those years of construction knowledge and had transferred them into a new occupation—construction and maintenance for Jesus Christ. His old blue pickup truck was filled with tools, ladders, paint cans, drop cloths, anything that was needed to keep the physical plant of Berean Baptist Church in good working order. There is nothing in our building that does not have Grant’s fingerprints on it.

This was his way of serving Christ. I never knew him to preach a sermon from the pulpit, but he preached sermons every day with his life. He showed what retirement should be, a great opportunity to use his time for Jesus. So every day like clockwork, he was up and on his way here to spend his day taking care of any needs we had. Our school children were as familiar with him as they were with their teachers. Whenever there was something to be fixed they were told, “Go fetch Mr. Grant” and they knew he was somewhere in the building working and would come and take care of the problem. For many years he was always around, but not once did he receive a paycheck for his efforts. His life was one of giving, not taking. He always said the pay was poor, but pay was not what he was after. Heaven was his reward; and if they swing hammers in heaven, Grant will have one in each hand.

It was my joy to be Grant’s pastor. I will always remember when he was ordained as a deacon and the excitement of that ordination service. He wanted to be sure he knew exactly what he should do and was in the right place at the right time. As he grew older and no longer felt he could be as active as he wanted, he felt he needed to retire from the deacon board. We couldn’t let him go entirely, so we made him accept the title of Deacon Emeritus. His only limitations in service were the limitations his physical body imposed. As long as he could, he did all he could. We did our best to slow him down for his own good, but his own good was rarely his concern. This ministry and this building were his love and he stuck with it until it was physically impossible.

There is so much to say about Grant. He was always faithful to every service. Three times per week he showed up in a suit and tie always seated in the same place, and always attentive to God’s word. At some point the most faithful of God’s servants will have their detractors. Some cross word of complaint will always find its way to my desk, even about the best of the best. But never did I hear complaint from Grant or about Grant. He was a rare breed of physical toughness mixed with humble gentleness. He was loved by all.

He loved his pastor from the beginning and supported me as his choice to pastor this church. I will never forget him for this. I preach to you today in some part, and perhaps as God only knows in large part, because of Grant Evans. I will miss Grant; but I am always happy to see God’s saints promoted to glory. When I get there, I will look for him and enjoy his company for eternity!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

One of the thrilling aspects of studying the Bible is learning how the Bible fits perfectly together to give a complete revelation of God’s message to man. The Bible is a composite book; there are many component parts that at times may seem independent of others, but when studied correctly and interpreted correctly the Bible will come together to reveal God’s intended message. We see this often when using our method of preaching God’s word. We have three separate studies going on in three different services, and yet we find the themes often overlapping and accentuating one another.

I cannot say that with intent I began a study of 1 John thinking it would fit perfectly with the same themes that we were studying in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount. Nor did I purposely choose Revelation for the Sunday night series because both Matthew and 1 John have bearing on that study. Some would say this must be coincidence, but I prefer to believe God knows the plan far before I do.

In our study today in Matthew 8, the common theme of scripture blends together in another compelling story. This is the demon infestation of two men in Gadara. The salvation of the two men would probably be the thrust of most sermons on the subject, and we will speak of this in the next message, but I have chosen for two weeks to discuss another aspect. This is the authority Jesus has over the powerful forces of darkness. Some believe that God and Satan are opposing yet equal beings. We often see good and evil depicted as equal opposites with man being the determining factor over which one wins out in his life. This clearly is not the teaching of scripture.

Although Satan is a very powerful creature, more powerful than we can imagine, still he is just this—a creature. He is subject to the Creator of all things visible and invisible (Col. 1:16) and only exists by the divine permission of God. His demon cohorts are the same, and they must surrender to the authority of Christ (Matt. 8:29).

In this story of demon possession, we find a precursor for our Revelation study. We are very soon approaching the 20th chapter which reveals the incarceration of Satan. As easily as God spoke the worlds and all creatures into existence, He is able to banish Satan and his co-conspirators. This is not a struggle that God wins with difficulty; it does not put a strain on Him. As we see in the 19th chapter, the King of kings and Lord of lords rides forth on His white horse and by the sword of His mouth, the spoken word of God, His enemies are vanquished. The response of the demons in Matthew 8 shows no resistance. They are very much aware of who they are and who Christ is. They know they are subject to Him and they do not mount a defense. They also know their inevitable fate; they are doomed to the torments of hell. Luke reveals they plead with Jesus not to cast them prematurely into the abyss.

These themes in Matthew and Revelation work perfectly together. The devil and His angels must surrender to Christ. There is a final day of destruction for them because it is Christ’s intent to banish evil forever. Matthew’s design is to establish the Kingship of Christ and this miracle of casting out demons to demonstrate His authority is one more step in that process.

I love this type of study. If you do not attend the Wednesday evening and Sunday evening services, you are missing important information that will reveal the comprehensiveness of scripture. If you miss this, the component parts remain nothing but components, or at the very least will be a much harder and longer process to assemble for your complete understanding. I often say that with only three services per week I will not live long enough to teach it all. With only one service of attendance, you are way behind the curve!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today we have a special opportunity to express our thanks for the many blessings God has given us through this year. For Christians with heart and mind focused on the eternal God, we know there are more blessings to be thankful for than we can enumerate. Despite this, I am sure there are some who think they have not much to be thankful for because this year has been one of the toughest economically we have seen in a long time. This seems to be the bane of modern Christianity especially in America because our minds are transfixed on the material. We always equate our blessings with material prosperity. In fact, there is a whole system of theology developed around this idea. It is a false gospel that is fueled by discontent; it says you are not blessed unless you are free from financial difficulty.

The proof texts against this wicked reasoning are so abundant that the Bible must either be ignored or twisted in more ways than a circus contortionist to avoid the truth. One sentence from the apostle Paul should be enough to dispel such notions. He wrote to the Colossians, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (3:2). “Things on the earth” encompasses a broad spectrum of inordinate affections not the least of which is the anxious pursuit of wealth.

Jesus often taught on this subject because the Jews of his time thought wealth was always an indication of God’s favor. Imagine their shock when he told them it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven (Matt. 19:24). Interestingly, some have tried to explain away this statement by saying the “eye of a needle” refers to a small gate or opening in a city wall by which a camel could enter with great difficulty by kneeling down and crawling through. This completely misses the point. This is the language of hyperbole and indicates utter impossibility. The “needle” is just what you think it is—a sewing needle. The person that is possessed by possessions can no more get into heaven than a camel can go through that tiny eye in a needle.

The scriptures do not leave us wondering how it is possible to be thankful in the midst of economically tough times. We are continually reminded that our citizenship is in heaven and that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ. The mind of a Christian has been reordered and those that are still struggling with contentment on a physical plane will never find true happiness. The world can never satisfy God’s people, so this is why the prosperity gospel continues to fuel discontent. If the mind is reordered to the spiritual, how will the physical ever satisfy?

This brings me back to my main premise. The mind that is focused on the eternal God realizes it is impossible to thank God enough. We cannot wait for one day per year to praise Him for His benefits. We live to glorify Him. As David said, “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever” (Ps. 145:2).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

11/21/10 The Blessing of Sharing, Luke 12:16-21

On October 6, 1881, C.H. Spurgeon preached a message on Matthew 8:27, part of the text we are considering today. Spurgeon’s sermon was mostly about the reaction of the disciples when Jesus spoke to a tempestuous storm on the Sea of Galilee and commanded it to be stilled. In his characteristic eloquent oratory, Spurgeon spoke of the peril of the boat and said, “A gust of wind threatened to lift her right out of the water, and the next threatened to plunge her to the bottom of the sea. The weary fishers certainly did not look for a calm: there were no signs of such a boon. When they said, ‘Master, we perish,’ I do not know what they thought their Lord would do; but they assuredly never dreamed that he would stand up in the hinder part of the ship, and say, ‘Winds and waves, what mean ye? Your Master is here. Be still.’ That was beyond their nautical experience, and their fathers had never seen such wonders in their day. They could not hope that in a moment they should be in a profound calm.”

Spurgeon went on to inquire of his audience, “May I ask you to wonder a little at what the Lord has done for you? Has he not done for you what you never expected?” I read these words from the prince of preachers and like him I am almost dumbfounded at how difficult the individual twists and turns of ministry have been to bring us to where we are now. To express this in a metaphor that fits the text, a “perfect storm” had to occur to bring this church to where we are doctrinally today. Without going into detailed testimony, there were some unhappy, unexpected circumstances that both preceded and succeeded God’s molding of this ministry. Many of those events we would not choose to happen if they existed independently of God’s purposes.

In the beginning of Spurgeon’s sermon, he remarked how that Jesus in the boat with his disciples reminded him of Christ piloting the ship of the church in perilous times of heresy and persecution. Sometimes it seemed as if Jesus was asleep, but at the right time He awakened and He righted the ship and quelled those storms. He has done this throughout church history with great revivals.

I believe this is what God has done with our church. The “perfect storm” happened in order to bring this church back to the doctrines that were taught by our Baptist forefathers. When the storm was over on the sea, the disciples said, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him.” The recovery of these doctrines in Berean Baptist Church has caused us to glorify God in greater ways. “What manner of man is this” is now better understood. Now we understand far better that the sovereign God is first, last, and always in control! We are relieved of performance based religion because it is Christ who performs. Salvation is all of Him. We must realize our desperation on the sea; we have no part in piloting this ship.  Soli deo Gloria!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Each week as we study in the gospel of Matthew, we are invited to enjoy a veritable feast of theology. Christian theology is the systematic study of Biblical truth as it relates to the person and work of Jesus Christ. The right development of our theology of Christ can only come from one source since there is only one historical record of His life. There are no extra-biblical accounts of anything Jesus did, and so to learn about Him and understand who He is, where He came from, and what He did we must go to that one record. To construct a different idea of Jesus from what is given in the historical account, is nothing but foolishness.

Under normal scrutiny and evaluation, this historical record would be believed because eyewitnesses provide the best testimony. For example, when arguing about the veracity of the incarnation of Christ, John says “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands of handled, of the Word of life…that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…” (1 John 1:1, 3a). John makes this statement so that we know what He is about to write is not based on hearsay evidence, but was attested by the disciples who were present during Jesus’ ministry.

If we are going to learn the truth about Jesus, we can do nothing other than to accept what they saw and heard as they observed His life. This would include, of course, the record they gave of His miracles. They were present when He healed people; they were present when He raised the dead; they were present when He spoke the words “Peace be still” and calmed a raging sea. They saw it and they heard it and they wrote it down. The gospel writers provide this evidence so that we have a clear picture that Jesus was more than just a man.

Is this evidence sufficient enough by itself to cause us to believe to the saving of our souls? Interestingly, we have record of this as well. After a three year period of thousands of miracles, countless acts of compassion, and demonstrations of His deity, Jesus was rewarded with cursing, bitterness, beating, and death. We can develop an evidentiary theology of the person of Christ from His miracles, but we cannot produce a personal practical application of it except by divine intervention. Jesus does not become your Saviour by belief in visible miracles. He becomes your Saviour by His unseen work in the invisible operation of the Holy Spirit upon your soul. Witness this conversation between Jesus and Peter: “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:16-17). Peter was present for many of Christ’s miracles, but his confession of Christ as his Saviour was not from a historical record or even from his personal eyewitness; it came from God Himself.

From passages such as this, we can further develop our theology of Christ. A systematic approach to Bible doctrine leads us to recognize that we are helpless to understand the saving work of Christ and to believe it unless God implants that germ of faith within us. This is a work of the marvelous grace of God that is independent of what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. It begins before we see and hear, and with the presence of the Spirit, we rightly interpret the audible and visible evidence. Thank God for this wonderful regenerating work, because without it, you will continue to crucify Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

As we make our way through Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, his theme concerning the kingship of Jesus is readily apparent. Matthew showed his intent in the first chapter by beginning with a genealogy that established Jesus as the rightful heir to the Davidic throne. Chapter 2 continued with the wise men that came to Jerusalem inquiring, “Where is he that is born king of the Jews?” In chapter 3, John the Baptist declared “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then in chapters 5, 6, and 7, there is the Sermon on the Mount which is the manifesto of the Kingdom. The theme of kingship is reiterated over and over throughout this gospel account.

What should not go unnoticed is Jesus’ statement to a scribe in chapter 8 who professed a desire to become a disciple and to follow Him wherever He went. Jesus said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This is the first time Jesus used the designation “the son of man.” This is not an insignificant statement and should be viewed very carefully. There is a sense in which this designation shows the humility of Christ. We might not expect this after He astonished the people with His authority in expounding the Law of Moses. Neither would we expect it after the countless numbers of miracles performed afterwards. Looking back from our perspective knowing what will come next when He commands a storm on the Sea of Galilee to subside, we surely would not expect it.

However, we cannot pass over “son of man” and leave it simply as an expression of humility. Read carefully these words from Daniel 7:13-14 which is Daniel’s vision of God: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Very clearly, “son of man” is another statement of kingship. Who would better understand “son of man” than this scribe? Scribes were versed in the law and prophets; they were charged with the great responsibility of preserving scripture through meticulous transcription. This statement was not lost on him. The reference is unmistakable and was as strong a statement as Jesus could make of His sovereign rule over heaven and earth. Think of the dichotomy found in His words! The Son of man, the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the universe, the One who speaks with authority and heals with a touch is not even afforded the comforts of the creature! Those who follow Him need not think they will share His riches until they are willing to taste His humiliation.

Paul explains the depths of His humiliation in Philippians chapter 2; but he also announces His exaltation (Phil. 2:5-11). In II Timothy 2:12, he says, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” The scribe could not fathom this duality. He did not choose to get in the boat with Jesus and we must conclude that neither will He reign with Him. This is the kind of commitment that Jesus asks. If God so chooses, we must be content to follow Him anywhere no matter how difficult the path may be. Those who suffer for Him will eventually reign with Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

10/31/2010 (84) No Fickle Followers Allowed – Matthew 8:16-22

This week as we study Matthew 8:14-17, we look once again into the miraculous healing ministry of Jesus. While studying this portion of scripture, I was struck with the words of verse 16: “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.” As Jesus travelled about the towns and villages of Galilee, the numbers of people following Him were staggering. There were those that were interested in His unique teaching abilities and they were impressed with His wisdom and His uncommon interpretations of the Mosaic Law. He presented something so new that people were excited to be near Him. This part of the crowd must have been interesting as there were academics as well as the ignorant that had come to learn.

But even more amazing was the sight of hundreds of people sick from every known disease. The crippled hobbled along; the blind haltingly made their way; the deaf obviously could not hear a word He said but they saw others throw away crudely fashioned crutches and the blind walking away from those that had previously led them. Others were paralyzed and had to be carried into His presence. Lepers stood at a distance and cried out to Him for mercy as well. The sixteenth verse says that not one of these people was turned away. There were no cases too hard to handle and not one time did Jesus call for a consult. Amazingly, He only spoke the word or reached out with a touch and all were healed.

Jesus was the only hope for these dying people since many of the diseases represented a death sentence. This verse says he healed “all that were sick.” There are only a few of these miracles recorded in scripture when in fact there were thousands that were performed. “…All that were sick…” What an amazing statement! People came with their worst and He gave them His best. The news that He was coming to town was an open invitation to be rid of lifelong infirmities as well as a broken bone. Note this however, the “all” does not mean “all” who stayed home refusing to believe He could help.

While I was writing this article for today’s bulletin, I was sitting in the waiting room of the Kaiser Medical Center waiting on my wife who was going through two very unpleasant procedures. In and out of the medical offices were people groaning, limping, hurting, and complaining. Many of these were older folks and I was reminded of how many truly hopeless people there are. My wife and I are blessed to know Christ as Saviour, so we come and go, realizing the sufferings of this life are only temporary. We have great expectations of being delivered from all of this when we come into the presence of Jesus.

Those who have not yet met the Saviour have no such hope. There is no expectation of being delivered from suffering. Even if a doctor is able to help alleviate some pain at present, their future in eternity holds no hope of any relief. This is why the gospel of Christ is so important. We do not have the same type of healing ministry of Christ today. Rather, we have something far, far better. There is eternal relief from the suffering of sin because Jesus is still available to heal “all that are sick.” The “all” in this instance are these: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” As those that were sick in Galilee had to be in touch with Jesus for healing, so those that are sin-sick today must come to Him for help. He will never turn away a single person that comes asking to be delivered from sin’s sentence of death.

Many of you today feel physically fine. I am happy for you and hope your good health continues. However, some of you are not spiritually fine. You do not know Christ and have not received the healing of the forgiveness of sin. I pray that you will come to Christ today. He will save you so that you will no longer be among “all that are sick!”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

10/17/10 (83) Sickness And The Saviour – Matthew 8:14-17

When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (Matthew 8:10)

In today’s message, we will examine the second miracle that Jesus performed immediately after He had ended the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew records several specific miracles that demonstrated the power and authority of Jesus. The second one is unique in its emphasis upon faith. There are only two instances in scripture where it is said that Jesus marveled, or was amazed, and both of them concern faith. This one is because of the presence of uncommon faith and the other is because of the absence of expected faith. In the first instance, it was because faith came from a man without all of the external privileges of God’s revelation. In the second, it was lack of faith from those that had been blessed with every opportunity, with every privilege, with easy accessibility to God’s word, and yet it did not develop into full dependence upon God.

Matthew 8:5-13 describes the faith of a Roman centurion, a Gentile, who was not born into the families of God’s chosen nation. He was an outsider, one whom Paul would describe as one of the “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise” (Eph. 2:12). This means he had none of the external privileges of Israel. He had not grown up learning what they learned about Jehovah God. He had not participated in the lifelong rituals of Judaism that were intended to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. And yet when He heard of Jesus, he recognized that the power of God resided in Him. He recognized His authority as the Son of God and His transcendence over the creation. He recognized the power of His words; with the command of the word alone, His will would be done. This is what amazed Jesus so greatly.

In the second instance (Mark 6:6), Jesus marveled at the unbelief of the Jews. They had every advantage. Paul said “unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:1-2). The promise of the Messiah was first given in scripture all the way back in the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15). The promise was renewed with Abraham and then with Isaac and Jacob. Finally, God’s greatest prophet Moses was given the full compendium of the Law contained in “divine ordinances” that found their complete fruition in Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:1). In contradistinction to the “alien” centurion, the ones with all the unique privileges did not recognize the Messiah when He came. They rejected His teachings, miracles, and authority; they claimed He was from the devil (Matt. 12:24) and then crucified Him. Jesus was amazed at their shameless rejection.

As I think on this story, I wonder on a different level how today God views the lack of faith in His chosen people. I do not mean the Jews specifically as a nation, but those who have been elected to salvation and given the privilege of faith in Christ. What about you that have been given the blessing of a church that preaches truth, that still believes the Bible, that is unafraid to declare the whole counsel of God when we are so vigorously opposed by false Christianity? What about you who are members of a church unlike any in our area? What about you that can attend a place that upholds the same doctrines as our Baptist forefathers stretching all the way back to the time of Jesus and the apostles? How much faith do you have in God? The answer can be found in your support of your church. It can be found in your attendance, in your tithes, in your witnessing, and in your lifestyles. If Jesus were physically here, would He say, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in America?”

I hope you look for the practical applications in today’s message. Matthew records this so that we can look at our lives and compare it to that of the centurion. Is your faith so uncommon that it would amaze Jesus?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

10/10/10 (82) The Christ And The Centurion – Matthew 8:5-13

Our study today in Mathew’s gospel takes us to a very important place in the ministry of Jesus. After preaching His great manifesto of the Kingdom, Jesus descended from the mountain near the shores of Galilee, and as He did He was accompanied by the great multitude that had gathered to hear His sermon. The sermon was fresh in their minds and they were still buzzing about what they had heard. His teaching was in stark contrast to the methodology of the scribes; as chapter 7 verse 29 states, “He taught them as one have authority, and not as the scribes.” At this point, they were still questioning where He got such authority.

His next activities were a demonstration of authority. Over the course of the next two chapters, Matthew describes nine miracles that cover the spectrum of supernatural ability. Jesus had power over the physical man, thus the various healings. He had power over the natural elements of the world, thus the miracle of calming the sea. He had power over the spiritual world, thus the casting out of devils from the maniac of Gadara. These events follow closely upon the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount and they are the establishment of the source of His authority. He is God! He was God in the flesh, and these people had the most unique opportunity in the history of mankind. They could actually walk and talk with God. We would expect reverential fear to grip them as they surely must have realized He had power over life and death. What could make Jesus more unapproachable than this?

And yet we see that Jesus amazed them again. He did not choose at this time to establish His rightful authority as God on earth. After giving the manifesto, wouldn’t this be appropriate? Isn’t this the time to rule the world with a rod of iron? No, it was not the time for the establishment of God’s physical kingdom in the world. Jesus came at this time as an offering for sin. He came this time to be the Lamb of God that would suffer indignity. This time He must endure the humiliation of the cross.

Someone once said that familiarity breeds contempt. The multitudes followed; they were close; they kept bringing the sick to Jesus. Chapter 8 verse 16 says He healed them all. Wherever Jesus went disease was obliterated. Before He left Capernaum, there was scarcely even a sniffle to be found. But the closeness, the easy accessibility of Jesus soon turned into hatred. Interspersed in the narrative of healings is the constant teaching. The teaching was the rub; the teaching pierced them until finally there was contempt. At some point they decided that physical healing was not worth the turmoil He caused in their souls.

The miracles served their purpose; they established His authority. He does control every aspect of the universe. He is sovereign over the physical, the natural, and the spiritual. These events are in the past and were markers of His first advent. The evidentiary hearing is now over. The next time He comes, the Kingdom comes with Him and He will rule with a rod of iron.

Today, the same kind, compassionate Saviour invites you to come and be healed of the worst sickness of all. Sin is a disease of the soul that has led to our spiritual death. The broad spectrum of miracles shows that Jesus has power over this disease as well. He raised people from physical death, but more importantly He raised many from spiritual death. This same miracle is available to you today. You cannot pay for it; you cannot work for it—you only have to ask for it. Salvation is free! This is the real gospel of the Kingdom.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

10/03/10 (81) The Lord And The Leper – Matthew 8:1-4

After sixteen months of preaching, we have reached the end of our study of the Sermon on the Mount. I have preached many series of messages at Berean in the past eight years. We have been through many books of the Bible, but no series I have preached has affected me in such a deep personal way as this study. The requirements for life in Christ’s kingdom are so demanding and so overwhelming that we must be struck with the terrible truth of our helplessness to be righteous with God. The profundity of Christ’s words, the sternness of His rebukes, the irrefutable logic of His arguments, the insight of His wisdom, the authority with which He spoke—all of this left the people stunned, amazed, astonished at His teachings.

I must say that all of these months exploring the depths of this sermon have left me no less amazed than those who first heard Him. If the sermon was intended to shock my human intellect into recognition of my abject sinfulness, it surely accomplished its intent. If it was intended to bring me to my knees to cry out for God’s mercy because of my unworthiness, I am there, too broken to look up. If it was intended to make me search the recesses of my heart to evaluate my motives, my declarative claim to be one of God’s children, to search for proof of my salvation—again the sermon has accomplished its purpose.

After this intense introspection, I am happily content that my faith has been well placed. I have found the Rock on which my faith is built. The law of God has brought me to this recognition. Paul said the law is our schoolmaster to bring us Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). Christ’s exposition of the law leaves no other hope but Him. He is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 10:4). I am amazed at His teachings and I am ever more thankful that He opened my eyes to see me as I am and Him as He is. I am unrighteous with nothing to offer. He is holy, perfect, and just; He is all righteousness with everything to offer, and so He has become my righteousness.

Have you seen the same after these many months? The tragic truth of the crowd’s response is that they were amazed for awhile. While the sermon was hot off the press, they marveled and continued to follow Him from place to place. They continually sought after His miracles; but those cutting, biting words kept coming back. They tried to suppress them, but each time He taught He reinforced them. Finally, the strain was too much to bear. They were not converted by His teachings; they only became more hardened in their unbelief.

I sincerely hope the same has not happened to you. I hope that you are not only a “hearer” of His words but also a “doer” (Matt. 7:21). I pray these truths have transformed you so that you are not only astonished at his doctrine, but that you are also confirmed in His doctrine. Time will tell for you as it did for them.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In the next few weeks, the subject of our Wednesday evening services will be growth in the Christian life. Last week’s article concerned sanctification which is the name for this doctrine. Every Christian no matter his physical age begins his new life in Christ as a baby. We are born again through the operation of the Holy Spirit, and at that moment we are new to the faith, new to the kingdom, and new in understanding. Paul said we are a new creation in Christ. Our former lives have passed away, and the born again baby wakes up to a new world (2 Cor. 5:17). His desires are changed, his friends will change; his view of self and of the world has changed. The new Christian immediately begins to wrestle with all these differences while at the same time he is under attack by Satan to compromise and mitigate the effects of those differences.

It is at this point the new Christian is most vulnerable. Since his understanding of the new life is minimal, he is easily susceptible to false doctrine. Like a young child, he is impressionable and trusting of anyone that carries a Bible and purports to speak for God. This is the earliest stage of his sanctification. The foundation of faith that he receives at this point may indeed shape him for the rest of his Christian life. If he is bound by false teachings or even lack of teaching in this early stage, his growth will be seriously stunted. This is truly a problem since it is very hard to find churches that care much at all about doctrine. Some do preach truth but the scope of truth is limited.

Some years ago I had two men from a local Baptist church come to my door to invite me to church. One of the men was a deacon and I was thrilled these two had come to see me. They were vocal and unintimidated in their faith, which I found to be very refreshing. I looked forward to sitting with them for a few minutes to discuss the Bible. While I commended these men for their zeal, I soon learned discussing the Bible with them was not much of an option. They knew very little about scripture. This was understandable if they were novices and new to the faith. However, as I stated, one of these men was a deacon and had been approved by the church for his position.

It is easy to think we are mature if the standard we measure by is less than what it should be. According to Paul, the first step of maturity in the faith is a doctrinal one (Eph. 4:14-15). We must be grounded and settled in the Word of God in order to grow. We begin with the simpler doctrines of the Word; we feed on these, and when they are mastered we add more substantial doctrine course by course. In this way, we move on from infancy to adulthood.

The responsibility of feeding the children of God rests with ministers (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11-12). The responsibility of eating is yours. The pastor prepares the spiritual food for you each week, but you must be present to partake. If you absent yourself from the teaching of the Word, the sanctifying process is slowed to a crawl. For this reason, many Christians that should have grown up long ago are still spiritual babies.

Our Wednesday night series will deal with these issues. I hope you will make an effort to attend. Your growth depends on it!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This week while I was studying for our Wednesday night services, it occurred to me how that many of our church members have fallen off in their Wednesday night attendance. There are some that have been faithful for many years to attend all services of the church but have now found something more important to do during this time. I realize that the demands of work schedules put a strain on our busy lives, but I also realize there are many that could attend but have decided they would rather spend their time elsewhere.

Recently, I spoke with one of the newer members of our church, one who has not been saved for very long, who was simply incredulous to learn there are seasoned (?) Christians that have opportunity to learn more from God’s Word, but have reached a plateau in their lives and are not much interested in moving beyond it. This person has a true hunger to grab every morsel of understanding to feed his soul, and could not understand why those who have known the Lord for a longer time do not have an even greater desire to fellowship with God’s people around the Word. Well this person should wonder about such things because this is the opposite of what God has designed in our sanctification.

This part of the sanctifying process, which we call progressive sanctification, is to mold our lives daily into the image of Christ. Paul called this being “conformed” to Christ’s image (Rom. 8:29). This is an upward movement in which we become in character like Christ. A very good question to ask is, “How is this conformity achieved?” We have the answer from the lips of the Saviour in John 17:17. In His high priestly prayer, He said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Bible is the means of this sanctification. We have the same thought from Paul as he wrote concerning the church, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:26-27).

It should be clear from these statements that a Christian who has a desire to be like Christ would avail himself of all opportunities to learn from the Word. I find it very hard to believe that those who absent themselves from the preaching of the Word are spending their time on Wednesday nights combing through the Bible in personal study seeking enrichment from its treasure.

What remains then is to ascertain the reason why those who have opportunity to grow in Christ would satisfy themselves in some other pursuit. As usual the Bible has the answer for this as well. In fact, nearly every epistle in the New Testament addresses this in some form or another. The letters of Paul, John, James, Peter, and Jude were written to Christians that were struggling over issues of sin in their lives and the consequent wavering in their faith.

Every member of Berean Baptist should closely examine himself on this issue. Many churches have decided to give up Wednesday night services, and closely behind this decision will follow another which is to abandon Sunday night services. The deplorable state of our churches today can be pinned directly on God’s people who have thwarted God’s progressive sanctification. When the Word becomes uninteresting to God’s people, perhaps there should be Sermon on the Mount examination whether such are really God’s people (Matt. 7:21-27).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

One of the striking aspects of the closing words of the Sermon on the Mount is the way Jesus categorizes people. The Bible does not tend to deal with grey areas. In scripture, there is always a way set before us that is either right or wrong. With God, issues are black or white, or as John puts it, it is either darkness or light (1 John 1:5). The closing words of the Sermon on the Mount are structured in the same way. People are either on their way to heaven or hell. This follows from Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus speaks of the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life.

It is no wonder then that in His last illustration Jesus uses only two builders. One builds his house on a sure foundation of solid rock while the other shortcuts the process. He does not dig deep and therefore his house sits on unstable shifting sands. When the storm comes and the flood waters rise, the house on the sand will be swept away while the house on the rock withstands the torrents of rain.

There are many that disagree about what is meant by building the house on the rock. The most popular interpretation makes Jesus the Rock, on which the house is built, meaning the person of Christ. This does not seem to be the direct meaning although it is certainly an indirect implication. Rather, the passage indicates the rock to be the sayings of Jesus, or in other words, the teachings that He gave during the preceding discourse. This means that all other teaching of any sort amounts to nothing more than shifting sands.

This is where Christianity must of necessity be in conflict with any other religious system. This is as black and white as it can be. Pluralism is unacceptable because it scatters people across a broad spectrum of categories. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and any others without Christ are in those categories. Jesus rejects this; according to Him there are only two categories. This means all who reject Him as the one and only Saviour, the one and only way of eternal life, the one and only Lord and King are lumped into the category of those who have built their lives on shifting sands. When the storm of God’s judgment comes, they will be swept away into the awful destruction of hell. This is the consistent teaching of scripture.

False Christianity has supposed a completely different picture of Jesus. Their Jesus is inclusive. Surprisingly, I agree that Jesus is inclusive; only He is inclusive in a much different way than they suppose. He invites Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and others inclusively to reject their false systems and come to Him for salvation. He clearly said that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6) which reduces all people once again to one of two categories. Either you are with Him or you are against Him. There is no middle ground.

You may have imagined this to be much different. You may have never thought that you are against Jesus even though you have not repented of your sins and trusted Him as Saviour. You may imagine yourself to be in the grey area, neither for nor against. Grey is not an option with Jesus. It is either darkness or light. Remember His words: “He that is not with me is against me” (Matt. 12:30). The Rock or the sand—which will you choose?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

…depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:23b)

I realize I may be taking a risk by starting a Sunday morning with a subject most preachers dare not discuss. I promise, though, by the time I reach the end of this article you will be glad I did. The scripture quoted above is from the Sermon on the Mount and was spoken by Jesus as part of the conclusion of His greatest discourse. It is a warning against false professors who claim to speak in His name and do many wonderful works for His kingdom. In this short article, I do not have space to develop the entire theme therefore I have to get straight to the point. This is a warning about hell. Jesus, the great righteous and holy Judge of the universe announced the final sentence that will be declared upon those who profess to know Him but have never truly received Him as Saviour.

The awful terror of hell is a subject that Jesus often expounded. He did not leave us to speculate what it may be like. He described it clearly in Matthew 25:41 as a place of everlasting fire. Lest anyone should misunderstand, He illustrated by speaking the parable of the tares in the 13th chapter (vv. 24-30). He explained the tares represent false professors that will be burned in a furnace of fire at the end of the world (vv. 37-42). This is the bad news that most preachers today are unwilling to tell. It is not a popular theme; and amongst a feel-good, self-assured congregation it will not be awarded favorable stylistic points.

Set over against this, however, is the good news. The good news is the gospel of Christ which never shines as brightly as it should unless it is contrasted with the stark reality of its opposite. The gospel is that Christ died for iniquity, was buried in a tomb, and then arose again for our justification. On the cross, He suffered hell for those who believe so that one day He would not have to say to them “Depart from me.” The full fury of God’s wrath against sin was poured out upon Jesus while He hung on the cross. God’s wrath was expended, exhausted upon Christ as He took the punishment that sinners deserve. This was the supreme demonstration of Christ’s love in that He willingly offered to take this punishment in our place. There is no conceivable way His love can be understood without the backdrop of the eternal punishment of hell. A message that begins and ends with “Smile, God loves you,” with no intervening information about the depravity of man and the consequences of his depravity is virtually meaningless. No wonder the false professor does not “do the will of the Father” (Matt. 7:21). He has no sensibility of what God did for real believers to secure their obedience.

Be thankful that you read and hear this message in Berean Baptist Church this Sunday morning. Come to church with joy in your heart that God has delivered you from such an awful place! Worship Him for He is great and worthy to be praised!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22)

To me, Matthew 7:22 is one of the most remarkable verses in scripture. We have learned in our study of Matthew 7:21-23 there is a solemn warning concerning self examination so that we are not self deceived thinking we know Christ when we actually do not. In preaching on this subject, I have made a general application of this passage to all Christians, which is certainly proper since the Bible clearly states that each believer should apply tests to his profession of faith to see if it is real. The apostle John teaches this in 1 John as he gives three tests that can be applied. There is a doctrinal test—what do you believe concerning the doctrines of the Bible; there is a moral test—do you respond in obedience to the commands of Christ; and finally a social test—what is your relationship to others as commanded by Christ; in other words, do you love your neighbor as yourself?

Although it is proper to apply Matthew 7:21-23 to every Christian, we must not forget these verses link directly to the preceding ones concerning false prophets. What makes verse 22 so remarkable is the lack of denial by Christ that these false prophets have actually cast out devils and done many amazing works. Here is where we find the devil in the details. Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light and his ministers often appear to be preachers of truth (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Many people are deceived by false preachers because they falsely assume all spiritual activity within churches is Holy Spirit activity. This is terribly untrue. Much of what goes on in charismatic churches and others is not the work of the Holy Spirit. If you attend a church where the Bible gets little play, you can be sure the Holy Spirit is not there. God works through the Word, and where there is spiritual activity without it, the devil is at play not God.

It is further remarkable that God does at times use false prophets for His purposes. This seems like an incredible statement, but nonetheless it is true. It certainly does not make the false prophet personally acceptable to God, but we must never forget nothing takes place in God’s universe that He does not control. In the Old Testament, the prophet Balaam spoke truth, but according to the New Testament he loved “the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Pet. 2:15, Jude 11, Rev. 2:14). Caiaphas the wicked high priest charged Jesus with blasphemy (Matt. 26:65), but also spoke truly, albeit in ignorance of the import of his own words, when he said that Jesus would die for the nation of Israel as well as Gentiles throughout the world. This prophecy was not his own but was given by God (John 11:49-52).

Surely, no greater evidence can be given that prophecies and miraculous works are not the final indicators of true belief. Signs and wonders and gifts and healings are not the ways we find assurance of salvation. The devil can do spectacular things. Jesus gave us the means—we must do the will of the Father (v. 21). Purity of a regenerated heart which produces continued obedience to Christ is the foundation of assurance. Are you really a child of God? Good trees do not bear evil fruit! (Matt. 7:18)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

The past several months of studies in the Sermon on the Mount have been some of the most enlightening in my ministry at Berean. Perhaps you believe the preacher knows about as much as he can learn and what is left is for him to distill Biblical information and disseminate it to you. Every day I find out how much I don’t know, or if I did know it, how poorly I have practiced it. The Sermon on the Mount is sobering. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Phi. 3:12). Paul was a specially called apostle and an inspired writer of scripture. After teaching and preaching with near flawless precision, he still reminded himself and others that he had not yet reached all he wanted to be in Christ.

I wonder sometimes if there are Christians that have actually attained all they want to be in Christ. Is there any struggle in their lives to push upward for Him? In scripture, living for Christ is often described as a battle; it is warfare. Jesus said it is a road of self denial and of cross bearing. I don’t think we see much of this in churches. I am afraid there are many in our own congregation that are just holding their position, which all in all, is one not much worth defending. Satan is no real trouble to them because they have been chummily sitting around his campfire. Matthew 7:21 is a wake-up call. This is reveille for complacent self assured church members.

In the past few weeks, I have been working on sermons for Matthew 7:21-27. I have been shaken down to the foundation of my faith (Matt. 7:24). Jesus warned against false prophets that may deceive you, but I believe He reserved the most frightening words for those who are self-deceived. Is the preacher absolutely sure of his salvation? I found I could not be until I was willing to examine my motives, my desires, my beliefs—and just as importantly, the sin that I allow to lurk in my heart without enough anguish to do anything about it. It is easy to preach against the “big sins,” ones that most likely I would never commit. But what about the ones that hardly ever show outwardly and are only discernible by me?

This concerns me; and yet I have found that true concern over it is evidence the Holy Spirit is working within. I needed the wake-up call of Matt. 7:21. I think many of you do too. Sadly, some of you will not hear the ring. You claim to know Christ, but there is much evidence to prove otherwise. Profession is not enough. Saying “Lord, Lord,” is hypocritically blasphemous if you do not “do the will of the Father.” There are various ways to make the discovery if you have the sensibility to make the effort. I will give you just one today that in our modern world sounds the bells of the heart like a towering church spire. Perhaps God has blessed (?) us with a new tool of discovery. Start with this: take a look at your social life. What can others (maybe even me) learn about you on Facebook? It may just be another tool to expose false professors.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This week we continue our study of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” I am acutely aware that most people are alarmingly unaware of the insidious danger lurking in the pulpits of America’s churches. The devil is such a deceitful mastermind that those who attempt to expose his preachers are the ones shunned and branded as the real threats to the gospel of Christ. Most people in Christian churches know so little about the Bible that they haven’t a clue as to what is truth and what is not. They have no way to discern the false from the true because the Bible is the only place this information is found.

The apostle Paul warned the Ephesian church what would happen if there weren’t strong leaders in the church sticking close to the word of God and using it skillfully. The result is people that are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14). The false preacher perpetuates himself by abandoning scripture and replacing it with personal anecdotes, inane object lessons, self-help psychology, and multitudes of worldly wisdom. He is perpetuated because the more people are kept in the dark the more darkness seems to be natural and right. And why wouldn’t it? Jesus said people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). Preaching that is not sin-exposing and spiritually enlightening is tailor-made to please the crowd and help the preacher keep his job. The people become as spiritually weak as the pastor and are as indifferent to the Word as he is. Preaching that constantly deals with self esteem and meeting every felt need never impresses people that worship is for the glory of God. Thus they go to church first for them and not for God.

The message preached by Jesus and the apostles was not tailored to be a crowd pleaser. Jesus was not an entertainer. He was not the emcee of “The Gospel Show.” He didn’t promise prizes for sowing “seed faith money.” He guaranteed that a life of commitment to Him would cause His followers to be “hated of all men” (Matt. 10:22). The apostles learned this lesson well because all of them were martyred for their faith. John was the only exception and he was exiled to a rocky barren island after being boiled in oil.

We do not seek to be offensive with our preaching; we don’t have to. The preaching of the cross is naturally offensive. It is made to move people out of their comfort zones not to help them settle in. Those that are convicted of their sins, repent, and turn to Christ, are no longer offended by the cross. They take up its reproach and bear it gladly for God’s glory (1 Pet. 4:13-14).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8)

The book of Nehemiah is the story of the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonians had destroyed them and taken Judah into captivity. Nehemiah was a Jew that had risen to prominence in the kingdom of Persia. When news reached him of the poverty and deep affliction of his people in Jerusalem, his heart was broken so that he wept and prayed that God would forgive the people of the sins that had led to their devastation. Nehemiah recognized God’s promise that if His people would repent God was able and more than willing to restore them.

Nehemiah petitioned the Persian king to allow him to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the walls of the city. God was gracious to inspire the people to work, and astonishingly the walls and gates of the city were repaired in only 52 days. After the wall was finished, a great celebration was held in order to thank God for His providence in enabling the people to overcome the many obstacles that could have ruined their efforts. This brings us to this important verse in chapter 8.

Ezra, a scribe and priest, along with 13 prominent Levites, mounted a wooden platform that was built for the occasion. Ezra opened God’s holy word and as he did the people rose to their feet in reverence. He began to read the Word and explained very clearly to the people the meaning of the scriptures. The result of this reading and explanation was a national revival that caused the people to weep for their sins.

I related this story to you today to help you understand the profound effect the word of God has for the salvation of souls and the growth of God’s people. The apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). He also said the holy scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15). Peter said we grow by the word of God (1 Pet. 2:2). These are just a few of the statements made in scripture about the power of God’s word through the gospel.

It is the sacred trust of true ministers of the gospel to faithfully expound the scriptures just as Ezra did in the book of Nehemiah. The scriptures demand repentance, faith, and full surrender to the Lordship of Christ. How will this be accomplished if churches do not declare the whole counsel of God? The gospel shows our sinfulness; it declares the penalty for our sins, which is hell; it proclaims the only remedy for sin, which is the bloody sacrifice of Christ; it demands our faith in Christ’s sacrifice, and then evidence of our faith in holy, righteous living.

Sadly, Nehemiah’s and Ezra’s method is not the method of the modern church. The gospel has been abandoned for a message of self-esteem, self-help, and felt needs. The message of repentance and deep contrition for sin has been buried under the performance stage and drowned out by pulsating rock music. Preachers are as Isaiah described, “…blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber” (Is. 56:10).

Today, in our worship service, we will stand in reverence for the reading of God’s word. We will respect the holiness and glory of God; we will sing old hymns of the faith; we will pray with conviction; and we will preach the timeless gospel from the timeless Bible. Nothing less will do. Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

During the months of July and August we are hitting what I would call a “rough patch” in our ministry. I am not speaking of the summer doldrums that hit most churches as well as ours. The summer is difficult with many of our people on vacation and occupied with other things. The work load increases on the few that do most of it anyway, and the offerings slip as well because vacation drains off tithes and offerings that are used to carry on the ministry. These issues make for rough riding in the ministry.

These are not, however, the makeup of the rough patch of which I speak. In our studies on both Sunday mornings and Sunday nights, we are discussing unpopular themes for most of the “Christian” world. On Sunday mornings the theme is the warning given by Jesus in Matthew 7 to beware of false prophets. The warning is not that some wildly heretical blasphemous people are attempting to tear down everything we hold sacred. The warning is not that atheists and agnostics are knocking on our doors trying to shut down the work of the church. The warning is that there are those that call themselves Christian ministers, which purport to be ministers of the gospel, which claim they are doing the work of God, but really are ravening wolves that make shipwreck the doctrines of the faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20). We are charged with the responsibility of identifying them and rooting them out. The “rough” character of our work is unacceptable to many because they believe in unity—at all costs, unity. Doctrine doesn’t matter to most people especially if it gets in the way of having a good time and ruining the party atmosphere of their church. Jesus warns against this by saying “broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.” The only basis for unity is truth and when the truth of God’s word is not spoken we must separate and be as divisive as true doctrine requires.

Coupled with the Sunday morning sermons is our study on Sunday nights in the book of Revelation. Has God providentially worked this out that after two years of teaching in two different books of the Bible that we should suddenly hit an exact parallel course? We are studying the 17th chapter in the Sunday night series that warns of the conglomeration of the world’s religions that make up ecclesiastical Babylon, the religious empire of the Antichrist. At the forefront of this religious system is compromising apostate Christianity that also seeks unity at all costs. Our firm stands on Biblical doctrine, our unwillingness to compromise, and our willingness to expose those who do will not make us popular. Our “rough patch” is the bumpy road we encounter when we teach systematically through the Bible. If the Bible says it, we teach it, because it is God’s word on which we stand. If it makes some uncomfortable, praise God, because it evokes the reaction Jesus promised it would (Matthew 10:17-40). If what we preach is easily acceptable to all people, we have missed the truth. Stick around to hear it all and rejoice that God has given you a church that still “contends for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Several years ago, a popular Christian author wrote a book about prayer that began with a bold statement. The preface of the book began “Dear Reader, I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers.” Some of you may recognize these opening words as belonging to Bruce Wilkinson the author of the bestseller “The Prayer of Jabez.” This book was given to me by a Christian friend who was gushing with excitement as if he had just found a long buried treasure in his back yard. Bruce Wilkinson apparently thought the same as he claimed, “One sentence with four parts…tucked away in the Bible…contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God.” The one sentence this author refers to is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10. “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!”

It is not my purpose today to write a review of this book. It has now been ten years since it was written and others have done a good job of critiquing it (hint—the bad reviews are right!). Instead, I want to note that many believe it is possible to simply ask God and God is obligated to give. Some believe they have hit on the formula—not found in the Old Testament, but in the New—Matthew 7:7-8. This is their key to extraordinary favor with God. It is simply “I believe in God and therefore I demand what I want!” These verses like most in the Bible do not stand alone without qualification. The larger context is the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus has already given extensive teaching on the subject of prayer. We needn’t think that God will answer any prayer unless the guidelines of the model prayer in Matthew 6 are observed. I have to believe that in the word “ask” there is full intention that all of the teachings of the Lord’s Prayer have been received. It must be further noted that these verses follow immediately upon Jesus’ demand for close personal scrutiny of our lives (Matt. 7:5). While we are seeking answers from God, we must also hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6).

If Matthew 7:7-8 does not seem to work for you, maybe you haven’t considered what Jesus said before this. The apostle John explained it well: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3:22) This is the real key to extraordinary favor with God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Several years ago, one of the members of the church gave me a book entitled “This Day in Baptist History.” The book is a devotional which contains a story for each day of the year about some event that took place in the life of a Baptist believer. I would say that it is remarkable that many of the entries contain stories of persecution. However, if you know anything about Baptist history you know its pages are filled with long centuries of cruelties. A period of rest for our Baptist people such as we are experiencing now is actually quite uncommon. It may be that our period of relative ease is due to the sad compromise of doctrinal truths. The devil is most happy to accommodate us if we are no threat to his kingdom.

Berean Baptist has been blessed in these past few years to see the community grow up around this church. We started in a cornfield over forty years ago and now our location is one of the most prominent in the city. Our location makes us a place of curiosity for those looking for a church in this area, and we often have visitors that stop in just because they saw this church before seeing another. When people visit, most of them find something they are not expecting. We still have a traditional service; we sing mostly old time hymns, and we preach nothing other than the old time gospel from the same Bible our Baptist forefathers used. The most important part of Berean’s ministry is not our programs. We love children, we love fellowship, we love activities—but the most important ministry is always the preaching of God’s word.

We make no apologies that the preaching harkens back to the same doctrines that got our Baptist forefathers into so much trouble. Today, we enjoy the protection of a government that allows us to do this, but should conditions arise that are no longer favorable to preaching the truths of the word, we would without hesitation gladly join the ranks of those who have been persecuted and have even died defending what was taught by our Lord Jesus and the apostles. The apostle Paul said the world considers our preaching offensive and foolish. The cross has never been popular and when truth is spoken in the same straight forward manner it will be no more popular for us than it was for him.

Perhaps someday someone will write another volume of “This Day in Baptist History.” It may well contain a story about us and our determination not to give in to the popular social agendas that shape the cities around us. We pray that God will help us to continue with the same spirit that enabled our forefathers to stand the test of uncompromising faithfulness. The gospel is worth fighting for!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

In over seven years as pastor of Berean Baptist Church, I have made one goal the primary purpose of my ministry. Most of you know what the goal is because you have heard it over and over again in the sermons. The goal is the glory of God. Every part of the ministry must focus on God’s glory. I do not see how we can reach this goal unless we are very careful to do God’s work God’s way. Many people think they can substitute a better plan; they can serve God their way and the end result is still pleasing to God and will glorify Him.

King Saul used this reasoning when he disobeyed God in the matter of the destruction of Amalek. Saul was told very specifically through the prophet Samuel that he was to completely obliterate every living thing that belonged to Amalek. The entire population of men, women, and children were to be destroyed including even their livestock. Why such a command was given is a subject left for another day, but it is sufficient to say the incomplete obedience of Saul nearly resulted in the complete extinction of the Jewish race a few hundred years later. Saul decided that it was in the best interest of God not kill the king of Amalek, nor to destroy the best of the livestock. Instead, these would be used for sacrifice and thereby Saul could show his supreme devotion to God.

The plan seemed reasonable enough, but it was contrary to God’s commandment. This led to those famous words from Samuel, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” God knew the outcome of this disobedience and as just mentioned if not for God’s hand of protection Israel would later have been destroyed. Saul tried to do God’s work, but he didn’t do it God’s way.

I see many Christians that try to do the same. They try to glorify God with alternate methods that seem good on the surface. At first those methods might even produce good results. But in the end doing God’s work God’s way is the only method that will glorify Him. I can relate this to church attendance, to worship styles, to prayer, to preaching, to relationships between members—there are multitudes of ways that seem good at first, but in the end they are harmful because they are not God’s way. We must return to strict obedience to God’s commandments. Jesus said that those who love Him are those that keep His commandments.

Take a look at your service. Are you ignoring the plain simple commands of God’s word?  Have you found what you believe to be a better way? Obedience is the only way to glorify God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have Jesus visit your house, to sit down with Him at the dinner table and have a frank conversation about His view of what is going on in the world today? I am afraid the conversation would go quite differently than most people expect. The world has constructed a picture of Jesus that is much different than the one given in the Bible. This is quite odd since the only source we have of Jesus’ teachings is what has been preserved in the pages of Holy Scripture. If I handed you the only book in existence that recorded George Washington’s opinion of the American government, would you have any credibility if you changed his words to make them agree with your opinions? Certainly no serious historian would attempt to do so. And yet when it comes to the historical record of Jesus, no one seems to have a problem changing what He said.

One of the most common misconceptions about Jesus is that He was a very tolerant person. There was never an individual He wouldn’t embrace; there was never a lifestyle He wouldn’t accept; there was never a religious viewpoint that was not equally valid with His own. All we need do is read the real accounts to find out otherwise. Matthew 7:6 is one of many incidents in which Jesus rejected people. He had favorite words for some, among which were “dogs,” “swine,” “vipers,” “children of hell,” “hypocrites,” and the like.

He was no fan of sinful lifestyles. He called on people to repent of their sins or else they would perish. To the woman who was found to be adulterous He said, “Go and sin no more.” After healing an impotent man, He told the man to stop sinning or else something worse would happen to him. Neither was He tolerant of every religion. He said, “I am the way the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father but by me.” Jesus was very narrow and He even stated this as well. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

If you were able to sit down for a talk with Jesus, how much of what you do would He approve? How many of your friends would He be willing to chat with on Facebook? Would you be ashamed to have him read some of the things you have written? A little face time with Jesus would certainly alter the opinions of many people. Too bad many of them would claim to be Christians.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

The extraordinary depth of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount is exemplified in no greater way than to see the numbers of times the apostles give further exposition of the principles He taught. In Matthew 7, Jesus taught against hypocritical judgment by saying “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” The background for Jesus’ statement was the hateful, self righteous attitude of the scribes and Pharisees that could easily see the minor faults of others but could never see the glaring inconsistencies in their own lives. It may be true that another person has faults, but hypocritical judgment will never help them. Does this mean there is no allowance to approach another person to help them when they have entered into sin?

This is where the apostles’ expansion of Sermon on the Mount themes is so important. It is possible to speak to others about their sins in order to help them, but not before some very strict guidelines have been observed. Jesus touches on this when he says “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Paul states the same premise in another way, “Ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” The guideline for approaching others is meekness and humility understanding that if not for the grace of God you could be guilty of the same sin.

Another important aspect to consider is the real purpose for your approach. There is a key word in Galatians 6:1 that should not be overlooked. Paul says “restore such an one.” The word “restore” originally meant to “set a broken bone.” The object of our approach should never be to heap condemnation on the one who has offended, but to gently and lovingly nurture the person back to spiritual health. When a bone is broken in the arm, the first option is not to cut off the arm. As carefully and precisely as possible the doctor will set the bone so it heals properly. This should be the attitude at all times when we approach someone about their sin. Our purpose is not to be harsh and sever them from fellowship, but to mend them spiritually so they return to the place of God’s blessing. With this in mind, criticism is constructive rather than destructive.

Far from teaching there are no circumstances under which we are allowed to confront sin in the church, the combination of Jesus’ statements in the Sermon on the Mount and those of Paul to the Galatians, are encouragement for all of us to weigh the quality of our devotion to the Lord before we are qualified to address the sins of others. If you are careful to do this and you approach others in the spirit of meekness, the help is more likely to be appreciatively received.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

As many of you are aware, I have had the privilege through the years of taking several short-term missionary trips to numerous foreign countries.  Each one of these experiences has been absolutely inspiring and enlightening.  In the process, I have made many observations, developed enduring friendships and witnessed the power and love of God in the lives of many people including the missionaries themselves.  At least two missionaries I have had the honor to meet have expressed the thought:  “Sometimes we feel totally abandoned by our church and believers in our homeland.”   Of course they are thankful for the financial support they do receive, but many have expressed the feeling that many believers seem to think that by depositing a couple of dollars in the offering now and then will fulfill our obligation to honor the Great Commission – the spreading the Gospel to all nations (Matt. 28: 18-20 ).   While it is true that the great work of the spreading of the Gospel needs financial support from all of us, there is so much more we can do to encourage this work and the individuals who do it.  Let’s look at some of the ways we can edify our missionaries and the important work they do in the name of the Lord

1. Write to them.  With the advent of email and the internet, it is incredibly easier to dash off a note of concern and encouragement.
2. Invite them to your church while they are on furlough.
3. Visit them.  Not all of us have the funds, but those who do can show our concern and support by taking direct interest in the work and by even participating by sharing our talents and/or testimony.  The personal connection is so important.
4. Give – increase your giving to missions and be consistent in regular donations.
5. Send “Care Packages”.  Shipping costs can be prohibitive, but in some instances you can send them through the Mission Board or Sponsoring Church to minimize the cost.
6. Pray for them – their own family life; their physical and spiritual health; their safety; their successful evangelism; their relationships with the people; and their perseverance (“I do not cease to pray for you…that you might be strengthened…unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” –Col.1:9-11).

May each of us make every effort to enhance the spread of the Gospel by deepening our relationships with the Lord and with the missionaries we are honored to support.

Gary Moline

“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)

A few years ago, Dr. John MacArthur wrote a book entitled “Twelve Ordinary Men,” in which he gives a brief biographical sketch of the twelve men Jesus chose to be His apostles. The book is a very interesting read as MacArthur scours the scriptures looking for every detail he can find about their lives. The book saw such success that MacArthur was approached with the idea of writing another book in which he would choose twelve women from scripture and write how their lives were an important part of Bible history. This book has the title “Twelve Extraordinary Women.”

This year I settled on a theme for Mother’s Day in which I would examine the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke chapter 10. I did a lot of research into the subject reading from several different authors including Dr. MacArthur’s book. Since this is a very familiar Bible passage, you would expect many of the authors would have the same perspective on the story. This is often the case in reading commentary and we would expect it to be so since everything in the Bible has been preached over and over for centuries. However, MacArthur’s book has a little different flavor because it is meant to be biographical rather than straightforward exposition.

In the message today, I want to speak mostly on two areas that MacArthur emphasizes: the relationship between work and worship, and the need to focus intently upon Jesus. In the process, we will look at the personalities of Martha and Mary and how Jesus related to these two women that He regarded as close personal friends.

I am especially struck by Jesus comment in Luke 10:42 in which He says, “But one thing is needful…” There are various interpretations of this statement. Some take it to refer to the meal that Martha was preparing. Jesus says that He and his disciples do not need elaborate meals, but one course is good enough. I find this interpretation far beneath the profound implications of the passage. Others say the one thing needful is Christian piety. Still others say it is religion. I believe Jesus is speaking of His own words. The “one thing needful” is to listen to the teachings of Jesus. All else is secondary. There is nothing we should take more care to do than to listen to the words of Holy Scripture.

Remember, the context of this passage is an event that happened in the home of two women. This was not in a church building; this was not a Bible conference, or a women’s retreat. This was the home. In this home, listening to Jesus was more important than any work that needed to be done. We don’t expect Jesus to come physically to our homes, but this does not mean He doesn’t speak to us. He speaks through the pages of the Bible. The scriptures are God’s words to us and they are still “the one thing needful.”

How much is the Bible a part of your home? Are you too busy to listen to Jesus? Keeping a nice clean home, cooking meals, doing laundry, taking care of the children—all of this is important but none of it ranks higher than listening to Jesus. I encourage you to make the Bible central in your home. Then like Mary, you have chosen the good part that will never be taken away.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” (Ephesians 2:19-20)

As a minister, one of the frequent questions I am asked is “Why are there so many different denominations? Aren’t they all basically the same?” The answer is “yes.” Coming from me, this answer might surprise you somewhat because Berean Baptist is definitely not the same as most churches. Strictly speaking, we do not even belong to a denomination. We are an autonomous, independent church with no other head than the Lord Jesus Christ. We are quite different because we still hold to historic Baptist doctrines that have been faithfully taught all the way back to the time of Christ. We do not claim to be Protestants because we predate the Protestant Reformation. We certainly do not claim to be Catholic because our history goes back to Christ, not to the wedding of apostate churches to the secular government.

This makes us very different because in the past 150 years not only have Protestants retreated from the doctrines that made them so different from Roman Catholicism, but most Baptist churches have as well. The result is a melding of doctrines to the point denominational lines are blurred which has produced generic Christianity that looks very much the same no matter what the name over the door. Now, there is unity, which many have strived for, but the unity is much different than the desire expressed by Jesus and the apostles. The basis for unity according to scripture must be correct doctrine whereas the modern church movement seeks to remove any doctrines that would divide.

Berean Baptist is not opposed to unity. However, we are opposed to unity if the price is the truth of scripture. To us, the name “Baptist” means something. We maintain the historical doctrines of the faith. Our name “Berean” is a scriptural name taken from Acts 17:11 and those people in the city of Berea who searched the scriptures daily to determine whether doctrines taught by Paul were actually true. When they had examined scripture and found that Paul spoke truth, they gladly believed. We seek to do no less at Berean. We test every teaching by the Word and if it does not match we go no further. If this makes us different, so be it.

So, who is right and who is wrong? This can only be determined by the Berean method of Acts 17:11. Anything less may turn out to be a fun fellowship, but it is not the same as the church built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

In September 1885, the great English Baptist pastor, Charles Spurgeon, preached a message on the text of Matthew 6:33. The venue for his message is quite interesting because the occasion was a monthly meeting of the London Banks’ Prayer Union. Spurgeon was asked to give a speech to this group, and in reading his opening remarks the reader is struck by his humor. He laments that his weakness is that he cannot give a speech without turning it into a sermon. In itself, this is not so remarkable because Spurgeon was the most prolific preacher of the last two thousand years. His sermons are a staple with any conservative Bible believing preacher and he is quoted by many liberals albeit without understanding the man and the importance of his theology. The sermon form is quite understandable but the venue for his address surely escapes most of us today.

I cannot even entertain for a moment the thought that a conservative, Bible believing Baptist preacher would be asked to speak at a meeting of bankers. Further, I cannot imagine that the CEO’s of JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank and others would ever get together to hold a prayer meeting! Such is the difference 125 years of history makes.

The title of Spurgeon’s sermon was “First Things First.” I do not know the true spiritual condition of the bankers present on that day, but Spurgeon must have had some insight when he began his message thusly: “Possibly I address myself to some who have hitherto lived at hap-hazard; and if so, I invite them to a more hopeful method of living. To have a great many aims and objects is much the same thing as having no aim at all; for if a man shoots at many things he will hit none, or none worth the hitting. It is a grand thing to know what we are living for, and to live for a worthy object with the undivided energy of our being. Shall we, when the end comes, have made a success of life? Has our object been a right one, and has it been wisely pursued? Are the results of our conduct such as we shall wish them to have been when the conflict of this mortal life is over? These questions deserve consideration at once.”

From this statement, Spurgeon launched into his sermon showing that the most important pursuit of life is God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Spurgeon’s sermon is flavored with brilliant commentary, such as: “Hypocrites swallow religion in lumps, inviting all to admire the quantity; but sincere seekers after righteousness quietly dissolve their godliness in their lives and sweeten all their common relationships therewith. The real saint flavours his ordinary life with grace, so that his wife, and his children, his servants and his neighbors, are the better for it. Mr. Rowland Hill used to say that a man was not a true Christian if his dog and his cat were not the better off for it. That witness is true. A man’s religion ought to be to him what perfume is to a rose, or light to the sun: it should be the necessary outcome of his existence. If his life is not fragrant with truth, and bright with love, the question arises whether he knows the religion of our Lord Jesus.”

How blessed it would be if our Baptist pulpits were graced with such eloquence, and that we would once again have Spurgeon’s opportunity to preach in such places. There was no fear to speak truth straight from scripture no matter who was in attendance. Spurgeon called men to holiness, to live the religion they professed. Bankers need to heed the message, but how much more is this message needed for members of Berean Baptist Church! Christ not only expects this from us, He demands it!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Today I want to relate to the entire church the importance of the spiritually uplifting experience I had in participating recently in the recommendation of a young man to be ordained to the ministry. On Saturday, April 10th, Bro. Lino Zamacona and I traveled to Modesto as guests of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church to sit on an ordination council. Since I know the pastor of this church, I expected that the young man being ordained would have a fair grasp of the scriptures and would be able to defend his beliefs. Previously, we had been supplied with his doctrinal statement, which I thought was well written and fairly expressed the correct doctrinal interpretations of scripture.

One of the interesting aspects of an ordination council is the variety of preachers that attend, each coming with some interpretation that may not be agreeable to all present and especially not agreeable to the candidate for the ministry. This means the candidate will have to answer questions that come from a different theological bent and in so doing he must be so well versed in his own beliefs that he is able to refute a different interpretation. This is often the downfall of many ministerial candidates. An unprepared candidate and one that has simply memorized his own statement of beliefs cannot bluff his way through opposing arguments especially when the questions are unforeseen.

This is one purpose of the council. Does the candidate really have such a grasp of the scriptures that he can skillfully use them and substantiate his interpretations of scripture? In this case, the answer was a resounding yes! I have been distressed for quite some time about ministerial candidates that come out of independent Baptist schools with an inadequate grasp of necessary theological concepts. This candidate could very well articulate the importance of justification by faith alone and the correlation of the imputation of Adam’s sin to the human race and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to those who receive Christ by faith. Going beyond this, there was discussion about regeneration and why repentance and faith are fruits of regeneration and not the cause thereof. The scriptural proofs of this are not for novices.

These are only a very small part of the four and one half hours of examination. But perhaps the most telling part came in the very beginning. After this, we knew we were in for a treat. This young man started his doctrinal statement with a doxology in which he proclaimed his absolute surrender to the sovereignty of God. He expressed that salvation was not first intended for us but for God’s glory. This was especially refreshing since there is so much coming out of schools today that ignore this and give man primary consideration in salvation. A person’s viewpoint of the sovereignty of God will permeate his entire doctrinal outlook. Is regeneration monergistic or is it synergistic? Clearly this young man gave all glory to God alone.

So, this is my praise for this week. Thank God that He is still raising young men to preach the Doctrines of Grace and to lead a new generation of Christians in the truths of God’s Holy Word.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

This week I begin a series of three messages on the subject of worry. I can’t think of a more appropriate time to speak on this issue since there are so many in the congregation that have been affected by the economic downturn. It seems that each week we are getting new prayer requests for people that have lost jobs, and so the tension and anxiety levels are building until it appears there is nothing other to do than worry. The Lord knows how prone we are to this; it is a natural human trait. And here is the key—it is a natural trait, and what Christ came to do is to change our nature.

I don’t know how to put this any other way; I would like to be delicate, but our Lord is not delicate when He deals with this issue. Worry is sin because it grows from lack of faith. Worry impugns God’s character because it denies the veracity of God’s promises. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus is gentle enough to use logical arguments to impress upon us the foolishness of worry, but He does not stop short of calling worrywarts people of little faith.

Worry is not trivial because it has such great power to alter your personal peace and to destroy the effectiveness of your testimony. Worry invites the troubles of tomorrow to invade your world today, and if you are too powerless to take care of the present how will you ever influence the future? Most people will enter into sin because they derive some momentary personal pleasure from it even though they know it will have disastrous consequences later. Perhaps in the stupidity of our hearts we can rationalize sin for momentary pleasure; but worry is a sin that defies all rationalization. There is no pleasure in it today and there is none tomorrow. The almost eager propensity to worry defies any logical explanation.

As we will see in these next three weeks, Christians have been released from anxiety by a Father who truly loved us enough to send His own Son to die for our sins. As the apostle Paul said, a Father who would do this would not withhold any lesser gift. If Christ died to redeem you, would He then turn and abandon you? We may be so foolish, but let us never accuse God of such irrationality.

It is Jesus’ intent in His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount to destroy the personal demons that hinder our service to God. People with little faith do very little. This is why Jesus so carefully illustrates the rationale behind releasing your troubles into the care of God. Never forget that natural traits are always trumped by the supernatural God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.”

(1 Corinthians 11:26)

This week we have the rare opportunity of celebrating Easter on the same Sunday that we observe the Lord’s Supper. The scriptures do not give an imperative command concerning the frequency of the Supper, so we are in no way obligated to partake of the Supper in conjunction with Easter. Neither do we consider the celebration of Easter an imperative since the scriptures do not command us to preserve one Sunday per year to be especially dedicated to remember the resurrection of Christ. Rather, every Sunday is a commemoration of the resurrection and was denoted so by the apostles as the specific day of the week to gather for corporate worship.

As a matter of solemn importance, the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ to be a memorial of His death on the cross. Each time we take the Supper we remember His body that was bruised and broken and His blood that was poured out for our redemption. The nature of the Lord’s Supper precludes the participation of anyone that has not received Christ as Lord and Saviour. Those who partake do so because of their love, allegiance, and obedience to the Saviour. Since the Supper was given to the church as an ordinance, only those who have received Christ by faith and have joined themselves to the local, visible New Testament Church may participate. We believe the communion is for those who are in close fellowship with the church which can only be judged by those who have committed themselves to the same local body. Therefore, the Berean Baptist Church invites only members to participate and expects that members of other churches will be present to observe the Supper with their own congregations. We believe church membership is vitally important and we therefore teach accordingly.

We realize this interpretation of scripture is not popular. However, this has been the practice of Baptist churches up until the last generation when the ordinances of the church began to be reinterpreted. We see no scriptural reason to change this doctrine which is biblical and comes from the original institution of the Supper and from the heritage of our Baptist forefathers. This evening, before the church observes the Supper, the message will concentrate on explaining these doctrinal considerations. If you are not a member of this church, we invite you to come for instruction.

It is the desire of our church to keep the commission of Christ. We preach the gospel for the salvation of lost sinners; we baptize for identification with Christ and for church membership; and we teach believers to observe the commandments of Christ. Paul said to redeemed, baptized church members, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19a, 20a)

In our study of the Gospel of Matthew today, we begin a new section of the Sermon on the Mount. It is amazing how intensely practical this sermon is as we find the issues Jesus talked about two thousand years ago are still applicable to society today. Often we are told the Bible is an antique. It is terribly outdated and is not really useful in our high paced technologically savvy world of today. How far this is from the truth! People are still people; thousands of years of human history have not changed the nature of the human heart. For all of our advances in science, technology, and general knowledge, man has yet to be elevated from the selfishness of the Garden of Eden. Adam thought his way was better than God’s way; his way satisfied self much better than God’s directive.

Man’s selfishness bleeds over into every area of life. We are great promoters of self and this is especially true when we speak of material possessions. From the earliest of times, men have been trying to figure out how to get more and more stuff. Material possessions are the sign of success, or so we think. God has never looked at man’s earthly possessions as the measurement of his true worth. The person who is useful and of value to God is the one that invests in His Kingdom. This means that we take from our resources what is necessary for our needs and then use our abundance to increase God’s Kingdom. Selfishness begins to deteriorate when we bless others with the gift of life. As you give faithfully to your church, you cease to promote self and begin to promote others because the support of the gospel helps bring people into the Kingdom of God. When people are saved, they share in the wealth of God’s bountiful resources.

When Jesus said to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, He was speaking of the great eternal rewards that are given for faithful service. Part of the reward is the faithfulness of stewardship. When we give our account to God, He will check our stewardship. What did we do with our provisions? Did we selfishly use it all on us or did we selflessly invest it in His Kingdom? This is the practicality of this section of the Sermon on the Mount. In tough economic times it is easy to hold back, to horde our resources as if it is our responsibility to take care of tomorrow. God already has tomorrow in hand. Our duty is to take care of what God says to do today. Consider now how you will answer His question: “What have you invested in My Kingdom?”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me…” (Genesis 16:14a)

It has been a wonderful blessing to have the opportunity to preach these past few weeks on the topic of prayer. Our method of preaching is to take the scriptures verse by verse and in the course of our study in Matthew, we progressed slowly and methodically until we came to this wonderful section in Matthew 6 where Jesus gave an astoundingly complex model prayer that contains every essential element necessary for prayers that glorify God.

A cursory reading of the prayer does not reveal the importance of these short sentences comprised of only sixty-six words. Prayer is most often consideration only of material needs, or worse yet, selfish wants. But when Jesus gave these instructions, He went far beyond the physical. Here we find the necessity of the new birth; here is teaching about God’s holiness; we find evangelism, repentance, sanctification, and best of all worship. Prayer is worship to God and the ending phrase of the prayer takes us back full circle to the original purpose: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Prayer begins with God and ends with God. “Our Father which art in heaven…thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.” If only we would live, and move, and have our being in those first and last phrases! Never would we have to argue again for God’s sovereign unconditional election, His purposeful particular redemption, His enabling efficacious grace, and His power of preservation of those who were once helpless, undeserving, incapacitated, dead sinners now made alive by the regenerating operation of His Holy Spirit. There is no room from beginning to end of the Lord’s Prayer for the assertion of my worthiness and my right to make demands of God. Even when Jesus allowed room for personal petitions, He began with “Give us.” This is acknowledgment that God alone is able to provide and anything He should choose to “give” comes only from His benevolent heart of mercy, love, and grace. The exposition of the Lord’s Prayer brings us face to face with God’s demand to be worshipped and His right to expect it. The apostle Paul said rightly “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17).

So, we come to the end of the Lord’s Prayer bowing to God’s majesty, praising His Holy name, and ever grateful that He should care for us and allow us the privilege of His company. If you are His child by grace through faith, the thought “Thou God seest me; God hears me!” should so astound your sensibilities that you can’t help but cry “Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; ‘Full atonement!’ can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today I am away from the pulpit after attending the Shepherd’s Conference in Sun Valley, California.  I have very much enjoyed the opportunity to hear some good solid preaching from God’s word and am blessed to know there are still men around the country that believe God is sovereign in all His works and all glory should go to Him for the salvation of souls. I am also pleased to report that in this conference God is continually exalted so that we come away with a great reverential fear of Him and truly respect how we must bow to His majesty. Unlike many conferences I have attended, this is not about personalities. There are no platform squatters here!

Throughout my Christian life, the glory of God has been pressed down deeply into my soul. I never want to fail in my preaching to stand in obscurity behind the cross and let all the glory shine on the Saviour. I am not interested in techniques and marketing ploys to fill the church. I am not interested in entertainment which is falsely substituted for and called worship. I am not interested in theology that says the sinner must meet God half way and through man’s cooperation God is given permission to save him. I am only interested in the Holy Spirit that conquers man’s resistance to the gospel; a Spirit that regenerates and quickens to life enabling the sinner to trust Christ. I want to preach a Saviour that never failed to accomplish everything He intended; a Redeemer who really does redeem; a Substitute who really does infallibly secure salvation for those He intended to sacrifice Himself for. I want to preach the Christ that demands repentance from sin and submission to His Lordship.

This view of God is biblical and should be so fundamental to our teachings that we wouldn’t believe anyone could possibly teach otherwise. These are foundational teachings that stretch back to Jesus and the apostles and were boldly proclaimed by our Baptist forefathers. And yet Baptists today that still preach these doctrines are so few and far between that a diligent search must be launched to discover where they may be. Thus you have the reason why you find me at the Shepherd’s Conference instead of in conferences held by most fundamental Baptists.

Our Baptist brethren seriously need to be recalled to these essential doctrines of the faith. There needs to be recovery of a soteriology that is God centered instead of man centered. It is horribly shameful that the landscape must be scoured to find someone who still preaches the old gospel truth, and when it is discovered the label too often is something other than Baptist. If we can get our eschatology right and our ecclesiology right, why must we fail in our soteriology? It is way past time to get the central focus of our purpose back on track. We must preach salvation to the glory of God!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23)

Many and varied are the troubles that face our church in bad economic times. Christians are no different from others in respect to the interaction we have with the world in physical matters. Although we do understand that God is in control of the economy and nothing is beyond His abilities, yet we also see that the church has never been isolated from the woes that are common to all. In the Middle Ages, Christians died of the plague just like the godless. In the Great Depression, Christian families suffered from the droughts and their bank accounts failed like everyone else’s. It is a myth to think that Christians are insulated from such problems because we are the people of God. However, this is not a sign that God does not care or that God cannot help.

There is much testing that goes on with God’s people that helps to strengthen us and move us away from any thoughts that our joy should be dependent upon the material things we possess. This is a very hard lesson to learn especially in a nation that thrives on personal wealth and measures every person by the brand name on his automobile or the label on his jeans. If you consider this from God’s perspective, if a bad economy ruins your faith, how much less will you be able to stand when things that really count go wrong? The truth is our inability to buy all the toys we used to have or to own the home that gives status will help us to focus more inwardly on things that really count. Some of the greatest stories that you’ve heard your grandparents tell about the depression of the 30’s and 40’s are not stories about recovering wealth when it was all over. The most meaningful stories to them were how their families were brought together and they began to trust God even more than ever before. You don’t really learn to trust God until you learn that you must trust God.

No person ever became a great person of faith in one huge fell swoop. Sustaining faith is built in increments. The economy may just be one of your stepping stones in the accomplishment of great faith. How are you standing the test? Some Christians will keep chasing the economy looking for a brighter future, but they will never rise to a level that will keep them from being crushed when the very worst happens. The brightest future might be right here in your church where your family can grow spiritually and eventually be knit together more closely in the home. When your kids leave home, what will they remember to tell their grandchildren? I hope their stories will be of faith and love and not a 49’er tale of chasing a gold mine.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, the heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:16-17a)

Every morning when I get up, I follow the usual routine of getting dressed for work and then heading downstairs to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a few bites of shredded wheat. I then take my issue of Tabletalk, read the daily devotion, and then spend some time in Bible reading and prayer. I used to also take a few minutes to glance at the morning paper but I’ve stopped doing this because it leaves me in too bad a mood for working on sermons later in the day. But some time or another before the day is over I do look at the paper to read the latest woes of crime and the economy. Sometimes I think the crime is the economy and how America has squandered so many of God’s blessings by greed, corruption, and ignoring the source of our resources (see last week’s sermon).

Crime and the economy are two very important issues to Americans, and they are important to God. However, with God their importance is on a deeper more spiritual level than failing bank accounts and gang activity in Santa Rosa. The issue with God is the crime that all are guilty of by our personal sins and the debt we owe to God because of this sinfulness. America may find a way out of its economic duress and the economy may become robust again, but when it comes to our debt to God there is none of us that will ever be able to pay it. The debt keeps mounting up day after day because there is not one day that goes by that we do not sin.

The newspapers tell us that houses are being foreclosed on in record numbers and the bankruptcy rates keep climbing. Many probably wish there was some great benefactor that would sweep in and pay up all their debt, give them an inheritance, and let them live on easy street from now on. A personal bailout would really be nice, wouldn’t it? I don’t know if that will happen to you; most likely it will not. But I can tell you something far more important. God has provided a way to solve your personal crime problem and He can take care of the debt against Him that you have accumulated since the day you were born. He will pay it all up and give you an inheritance richer than beyond your greatest hopes and dreams.

How does God do this? He paid the debt of sin by giving the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, as payment. Christ’s death on the cross is the only payment that God will accept for this great debt we owe. By faith in the blood of the cross, sins are forgiven and the debt is paid. This is wonderful news, but it gets even better. Faith in Christ brings us into a relationship with the Heavenly Father in which we become His children and receive rights to everything God owns, which is EVERYTHING! But wait, I still haven’t told you the best news of all. Even though it comes at great cost to God, it is totally free to you and me.

So, tomorrow before you pick up the newspaper, pick up the Bible because all of the information you need to receive this gift is written in God’s Holy Word. Then, it’s off to work you go free and clear!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) Philippians 3:18-19

Last week in my article I dealt with the irony of Christian programming. There is a lot of junk on television and radio that purports to speak in the name of Christ but is really nothing more than preaching from those whose God is their belly (Phil. 3:19). As Paul states in this verse, there are many who are far more concerned about earthly things rather than heavenly. Often in my preaching I give warnings about the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel which is not really the gospel at all. However, I don’t want you to think that God has no concern for the material. If we think so, we have missed the truth of the word nearly as much as the “go for the gold” prosperity preachers.

The truth is that God is concerned about the material. In the Lord’s Prayer, the first “our” petition is not about the spiritual but about the material. Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The wisdom of Christ is always perfect because God knows you can never be of use to Him if you cannot survive. What use has God for great spiritual people if they are dead? Jesus said before the instructions in the prayer, “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” God has committed Himself to care for us so that we don’t have to be anxious about our next meal (Matt. 6:26).

Caring for the material in this way, however, is vastly different from what is taught by the prosperity gospel. In the prosperity gospel, the focus is moved away from our spiritual benefits to the material which becomes king. But, God provides for us for one purpose—that we might glorify Him. Do you have to be rich to glorify God? If so, you have denied scripture’s teaching that we should give God glory in all things and thank Him for all things (1 Thess. 5:18). Jesus said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This teaches us to depend on God to supply on a daily basis rather than hording up so that we forget God.

The health, wealth, and prosperity gospel does produce rich people. The riches are raked in by greedy preachers who have duped greedy followers into “sowing their seeds of faith.” Interestingly, when Jesus gave the great parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-23), there is not one mention of money. Jesus sowed the gospel of salvation that changes dead sinners into living saints. The prosperity of heaven gained is the only prosperity found in the gospel.

Jesus is concerned about the material insofar as it sustains your ability to sow the real seeds that He wants sown. Consider that you are kept alive for God’s purpose, to honor and glorify Him by being a witness of the life-changing gospel of salvation.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Many of you have asked what kind of Christian programming I listen to via radio or watch on TV. My standard answer is that I only listen to the radio for about 10 minutes on Sunday morning while driving to church. I have found one program that is fairly straight in its teaching, but I won’t advertise it here because I only get a 10 minute snippet which is by no means a fair evaluation. As far as TV is concerned, I occasionally tune in to a “Christian” channel just to see what kind of ridiculous doctrines are the latest fad being touted as “Holy Ghost” inspired. When I really need a good laugh (cry?), I watch a little bit of Osteen because I am always impressed by Satan’s latest machinations. Little does Osteen know how much he really proves scripture is true. Paul wrote: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (1 Tim. 4:3-4). I suppose we should be grateful for Osteen because practically nobody has proved the validity of this statement like him! But, lest I give Osteen too much credit, there’s always Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Jessie Duplantis, Creflo Dollar (what an appropriate name!), T.D. Jakes, and on and on and on it goes. Maybe you should also be thankful for cable TV and satellite with its hundreds of channels with programming that proves the apostle’s point.

I stay away from “Christian” programming because you usually have to wade through mountains of trash to find something good. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been one to do much searching in garbage cans. Having said this, I know there is some good out there. If you have found it, God bless your efforts. I can only advise you to be very careful and check everything you hear by your own diligent study of the Word. I will also advise you that listening to the radio, watching TV, or ordering CD’s from somebody’s ministry is not a substitute for your church. The church is a body of believers that has covenanted together for fellowship and propagation of the gospel. It is a local assembly (Heb. 10:25) and has the unique love and favor of Christ upon it (Eph. 5:25). There is no such thing as a TV or radio pastor. Likewise, neither Billy Graham, Rick Warren, nor any other preacher is “America’s Pastor.”

So, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, thank God He has those out there who prove He knows what He is talking about. Now that you know, be careful where you step and reject these heretics!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:22)

Many of you have heard the story of how this verse became one of my favorite verses in scripture. Nearly twenty-five years ago I was facing a crisis in my life that was so perplexing that I didn’t know which way to turn. Space in this short article prevents me from going into detail, but it was one of those times when no matter which direction you turn there appears a good outcome. Many of you have experienced this and with the economy in the shape it is now, this may especially be true for you right now.

I have always believed that the best place to go to find God’s will is in the pages of scripture. I knew that God had the answer for the way I was feeling because as one of His children I always had His abiding promise that He would take care of me. One day I was determined to read scripture until I found something that would settle my heart and take the anxiety away. This is when I turned to 1 John 3:22. I had read this scripture countless times before but it never spoke to me at any time like the way it did on that day.

This verse dovetails perfectly with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done.” This refers to God’s will of precept, which means the keeping of His commandments. Never think that God is disposed to answer prayer when the one that asks has not been careful to observe the commandments. I was determined in my difficult time that if I just took the Word and measured my life by what God commanded me to do that God would answer my prayers and show me how He would lead me through my troubles.

Through the years, I have always advised people that it is very difficult to find help from God when the person does not observe the most obvious of God’s commands. We usually check off the commandments and say, “No, I don’t steal. I’ve never killed anyone. I haven’t cheated on my wife/husband,” etc. But do you remember what Jesus taught concerning these issues? Unrighteous anger is murder in God’s book. A lustful thought is adultery according to Jesus. And then, what about New Testament commands? The scripture says that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Where are you when your church meets for worship? Do you feel you may speak with God and defend your half-hearted devotion? These are issues that must be resolved before God answers prayer. John states it clearly; we receive because we “do.”

Learn the lesson that prayer is linked to the commandments. You will not march through life ignoring God’s preceptive will and then expect Him to rush to your aid to bail you out when you get in trouble. Remember, God is your God all of the time!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for his dedication. When they entered the temple area, a man named Simeon, who was a true believer in Jehovah God, approached them and took Jesus up into his arms. With a powerful message from the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” This was confirmation of Jesus’ name which means “Jehovah saves.” Jesus is Jehovah, the One who saves.

How appropriate that in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus should include a petition that speaks of salvation. In the words, “Thy kingdom come,” we find a wonderful evangelistic message. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He proclaimed, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). When He instructed the disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come,” He was teaching that prayer should include the request that the gospel would reach those who are lost in sin.

Every person in the world needs this message because all of us have been born into a kingdom of darkness. Satan who is the god of this world has blinded the hearts of men so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4). In order for people to be saved, they must be told the gospel of Christ and the Holy Spirit must open their hearts to understand the good news of salvation. When the Holy Spirit opens the heart through regeneration, at that point a person is capable of expressing faith. This is equivalent to Jesus’ words about seeing the kingdom of God. Thus we see that when Jesus instructed with the words “Thy kingdom come,” He was expressing most vividly the work that He came into the world to do. “Jehovah saves” is His mission. Man is truly blessed when His heart is conquered by the King of all kings and then by faith he is translated from the kingdom of darkness into the glorious light of the kingdom of God.

This aspect of the kingdom must be proclaimed by those of us who are now in the kingdom of God. In other words, Jesus instructs you to pray for the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. This means He intends that you should have a part in helping the kingdom come. Your prayers and your efforts in witnessing are the methods by which the kingdom is increased. If you are not a part of the program to bring in the kingdom of God in this way, then you certainly cannot pray the next petition, “Thy will be done.”

The Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s program which is the “Thy” petitions. Following these are the “our” petitions, which are really the basic necessities for us to be able to carry out the “Thy” petitions. God’s kingdom comes when we recognize that both “Thy” and “ours” are for God’s glory and His alone.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:12)

A few days ago I was driving down Expressway towards Highway 101 when I heard behind me a loud thumping noise. As I neared the traffic light and slowed down, there was a car with tinted windows that pulled alongside and it was vibrating as if an explosion was about to occur. The noise I heard was the pulsating beat of the bass on a car stereo playing music (?) that from a distance was unintelligible. When the car pulled to a stop beside me, I could then hear the lyrics of a disgusting profanity laced rap song. Nearly every word was unfit even for the gutter, but the worst of it was when it included the name of God.

These scenes are repeated day after day all across our city and sadly even in the homes of many Christians. I have spoken with people that are so used to hearing profanity that it unconsciously slips into everyday conversation without people even realizing what they have said. I have sat in my office across from people that have problems and as they explain some difficulty they will curse right in front of the preacher and don’t even realize it!

There is no way we can condone the degeneration of vocabulary in our society and much less can we overlook the inclusion of the holy name of God used in common speech as if we were speaking of a dog. The third commandment given by God restricts the use of His name. God’s name is holy and is to be revered. It is not to be spoken in normal conversation unless it is for the purpose of giving it all due respect and reverence. I often hear expressions like “Oh, God,” Oh, Lord,” “Christ” or “Jesus Christ” spoken by church members as terms of exclamation. God’s name is not for exclamation; it is for exaltation.

God’s name is not merely a designation that distinguishes Him from Harry or John or Steve. God’s name represents His person and nature. It is an expression of His attributes and includes everything that makes Him what He is. God’s name represents omnipotence, omniscience, holiness, righteousness, mercy, grace, justice, benevolence, loving kindness—and lest we forget it—wrath. If you are ready to speak His name, be sure you are aware of the consequences. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9)

Today we continue our in-depth study of the most important form of worship found in scripture. This is the privilege we have of going to our Father God to speak with Him, to revere Him, to recognize His sovereign right to rule our lives, and then to humbly entreat Him for all our desires that conform to His will.

Jesus was very specific in His instructions about how to approach God. The Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 is a model prayer that was used to correct the corrupt form of worship in prayer that was the common practice of the religious leaders of the time. Every piece of this prayer is vitally important, but surely the most important of all, the only reason why we can approach God, is because of relationship. Jesus began the first instruction with the address of prayer: “Our Father which art in heaven.” The term “Father” denotes relationship for surely none of us would call anyone “Father” when no such relationship exists.

And yet, the prevailing opinion about God is that He is everyone’s Father. Most assume that every person has a relationship with God so there is no trouble to call upon Him and ask for the most pressing need at the time. The problem is that this is merely assumption and it comes mostly from those who have never read the Bible. Scripture is clear that no such relationship exists for all people indiscriminately.

For example, when speaking to the wicked religious leaders in John 8, Jesus said very bluntly that Satan was their father. If God were their Father, they would have received the testimony of Christ rather than rejecting Him (John 8:44-47). This means there is demarcation between two types of people. Some are spiritually related to Satan while others are spiritually related to God. The distinction is determined by true faith in Christ. Those who may call on God as Father are only those who have become sons of God by faith.

The distinction is proved very clearly by the prayer itself. Following “Our Father” are “hallowed be Thy name,” and “Thy kingdom come,” and further, “Thy will be done.” Those who have not trusted Christ do not reverence His name, they do not desire the advancement of God’s kingdom which includes the salvation of souls, and they cannot pray for God’s will because they have ignored the command to repent of sin and place faith in Christ. To approach God ignoring the relationship is not commendable; it is very close to, if not, blasphemy.

Is God your Father? This is determined by faith in the blood of Christ that was shed for your sins. This is the way you become a child of God and is the criterion for the relationship. Without it, you have no right to speak to the Father.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1)

This past week I was thinking back on the first New Year’s sermon I preached after becoming pastor of Berean Baptist. A few weeks prior to that sermon we had a nursery presentation with many pictures of the children that were then in the nursery. I remember that Benjamin and Samuel Petro were there; Maggie Chamblee, Tate Jarrell, Alexander Brown…Now, those children are much older and hopefully they don’t require the same kind of care and attention that newborns and little toddlers require.

These children have grown physically and mentally and should they look or act like they still require nursery care, we would be alarmed and would not hesitate to get them to the doctor to find out what is wrong. We understand this principle very well when it comes to physical growth, but why don’t we understand it spiritually? According to the scriptures, Christians should experience continual spiritual growth. And yet we find the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church with near exasperation because he had to go over and over the same things time and time again. He said he could not feed them with the meat of the word because they were still like newborns requiring milk.

How do we tell when Christians in our time are not growing properly? Paul noticed something in the Corinthian church that tipped him off. There was a lot of strife and division in the church. There were little spats going on and there was a great deal of selfishness. He noticed the same in the Philippian church. In a congregation that otherwise seemed healthy, there were two ladies involved in a dispute. Their differences hurt the harmony of the church. The Philippian letter contains some wonderful doctrine, but it seems to have been prompted by Paul’s correction of these two ladies’ problem.

The same types of issues tell me as pastor that some are not growing as they should. At the risk of sounding self-serving, I don’t think the problem is with the lack of doctrinal teaching. I believe the meat is there and enough has been provided that everyone should be growing properly. However, the unwillingness to eat and drink what has been provided will not result in growth.

Thankfully, Berean is not like many Baptist churches of our day. I am somewhat preaching to the choir because this is not a major issue with us. But as we start this New Year we should evaluate last year’s spiritual growth. If you are not closer to the Lord now than you were at the beginning of last year, where should you place the blame? If others are growing and you are not…need I say more? If there is no spiritual growth, you should be as alarmed as if one of your children was seven or eight years old, and yet instead of putting them in classes with children their age each week, you had to put them in the nursery to be cared for.

Set your mark of spiritual growth this Sunday. Check it each month to see if you are growing. If you have not grown in spiritual stature, go the Great Physician and ask why!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 4:17)

The end of 2009 is now upon us and as we look back on this year in the church there have been many challenges. The economic downturn this year has created a general malaise throughout the country and it is not surprising this can affect the church as well. We were saddened by those who lost jobs and consequently left the area seeking other employment. It is our natural reaction to be frustrated and disappointed when such things happen, but it can also be God’s will that those who have been taught correct doctrine should move out into other areas where they can be an influence on another church or community that needs good solid biblical teaching. This could be the Lord’s will if that person has in the past genuinely applied himself to Bible study and has shown a desire to share his knowledge and teach others.

I am afraid that in most moves this is not really the consideration. Rather, the economic opportunity presents itself and Christians pick up and go with little consideration for the way it will affect their families spiritually. I have met with many people who have said, “I believe it is the Lord’s will for me to leave,” when I know from observing their spiritual lives they are not really in a position to discern the Lord’s will. When someone is ready to move and they have not brought the matter to the pastor and the church for prayer, both their motives and their discernment are suspect.

I do not believe it is the pastor’s job to determine the Lord’s will for another person. The Lord is well capable of revealing His will to His children without an intermediary. Pastors who seek to do more are little different from priests who pass on “blessings” and grant absolution from sin. However, a pastor may observe a person’s life, help them pray about their decisions, and then give advice based upon already established principles of God’s word. A good pastor is generally apprised of the spiritual welfare of the flock and can help guide when members are confused.

As we look at the economic difficulties encountered this year, we must not panic when resources are low and take it as an automatic sign that God is moving us on. I do not believe that God moves anyone for a paycheck alone. If you are in a good church that preaches the truth and enables you to grow spiritually, don’t trade it for a new area where there is uncertainty and where you know your main purpose is the paycheck and not helping others realize the truths you have learned. God will sustain you where He wants you. Discerning His will is not so difficult when you evaluate your true motives.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Without doubt, December is the busiest time of year for our church. In addition to our many duties at home, there are Christmas plays in the school, holiday dinners for adults and teenagers, there are decorations to be put up, not to mention that we are ending the church fiscal year which means a new budget to formulate and elections for new officers for 2010.

It becomes a bit overwhelming trying to juggle all of this and have enough time to relax and enjoy one of the most blessed times of the year. In today’s message, I want to take a look at the remarkable change that has come to the world because of Christ. Everything we do in December happens only because of Him. Without His birth, December would be as mundane as any other month. I suppose then that some would seek to blame Christ. We wouldn’t go through this if not for Him. And thus we see how badly the world really needs Christ. Complaints about Christmas are about our inconvenience, which just show how badly we needed Christ to come and take away our inordinate focus on self. Should we complain that the world should be saved at the expense of our convenience?

Each year we complain more and more about the commercialization of Christmas. It used to really bother me, but then I began to realize that a false view of Christ and the false worship of Christ that goes on in so many churches are far worse than commercialization. If you sit in church and worship a false Christ by bowing before a crucifix or praying to the Virgin Mary, you would be far better off spending your time fighting the crowds in the aisles at Wal-Mart! The trip to hell from a church pew can be faster and with more fury than from ignoring church altogether and arguing over a Barbie doll in a department store.

I think we need to redirect our efforts from putting Christ back in Christmas to putting Christ back in hearts. The gospel must be preached in truth or else Christ was never in that type of Christmas. We are saved by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone. Christ was never in anybody’s Christmas who believes otherwise.

No matter how much we are inconvenienced by the busyness of the season, the cost is worth it because at no other time do we have such opportunity to give the message of Christ. We will not let the opportunity pass us by. Today, we will preach the real Christ; the Christ of the Bible—He and He alone will save.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In the past few weeks, I have been preparing two messages on the subject of fasting. As you know, the method of preaching in the pulpit ministry at Berean is to take the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. We have been studying the Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings for over one year and it is likely that next year and the year after we will still be in Matthew’s gospel. The progress is slow and there are times when you may not think the subject matter of the sermon is all that important.

I am determined that we will not skip any part of the scriptures, so we will continue as we have and take whatever subject that comes as we go through each chapter. We have now reached a place in the Sermon on the Mount that most people are very unfamiliar with. The subject is fasting and it is not spoken of often in churches and what is said is, quite frankly, mostly wrong. Just to simplify the matter without too much explanation, whenever a preacher stands in the pulpit and declares a church-wide fast, for whatever reason, he is not following the practice of the New Testament.

Fasting is an intensely personal matter. It is not something you announce; it is not something that churches can demand, for nowhere in the New Testament are we commanded to fast. Much is said about commands for giving and there are many demands concerning prayer, but neither Jesus nor the apostles insisted upon fasting. I have learned in my preparations that there is a wide diversity of opinions about fasting. Some say fasting applies only to food, others say the principle is the most important thing and so it can be applied to any area of life that we decide to deprive ourselves for a time so that we can more fully concentrate and devote ourselves to God.

I tend to believe the principle is the most important part of it because it seems this is the way Jesus presents the subject in Matthew 6. Fasting represents personal devotion. What is our worship to God like in relation to self? Are we putting on a religious show or do we truly have deep conviction in our hearts that we desire to serve God? Are you here on Sunday morning to keep the preacher off your back, or is it because you can’t wait to offer corporate worship by singing, praying, and contemplating the preached word of God? The pastor can usually weed out the two attitudes very quickly. The complainers have one motive and the consecrated have another. Which are you?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

This past week we were privileged and blessed for the safe arrival home of Brother Eric Hill.  Eric has been serving in the war in Afghanistan for most of this year. I had the opportunity to sit down with Eric during the first part of last week, and it was truly amazing to hear stories of the conflict going on to protect our country from terrorists’ attacks. Each of us knows the dangers our soldiers face and we sometimes feel helpless to do anything. When loved ones are called to duty, some just hope for the best and say “Good luck” as they watch friends or family members board the plane and head off into the unknown.

I am thankful that I do not have to send a soldier off with a wistful pat on the back and a tear in the eye as if there is nothing to be done to ensure his safety. I believe we serve a sovereign God that works all things after the counsel of His will. He has given me the privilege of prayer so that I can speak with Him and implore Him for the watch care of those I love. When I pray to God, I can follow the model of Jesus who said, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” When God is determined to protect, there is no might or force that can break the impregnable shield that surrounds us. There were times when Eric spent thirty to forty days without a break combing the mountains of Afghanistan searching for and fighting against the Taliban. There was an imminent threat every day, but Eric’s testimony was not one of fear. He felt God’s protection.

In the months that Eric was gone, I had a few conversations with him by phone. Most of the time he was extremely busy without much down time, but when we did get to speak, he never missed the opportunity to thank this church for our prayers. He is convinced that the prayers of God’s people helped keep him safe in dangers that we can only imagine.

We are very thankful that our great God kept Eric safe and brought him home to us. Take some time to speak with him and thank him for his service to our country. He is not one to seek praise, but that should not deter us from expressing gratitude for his willingness to serve our country with valor. While you thank him, praise our Heavenly Father for answered prayers!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Today’s message from the Sermon on the Mount is about an area of worship that many Christians would rather forget. If you are accustomed to listening to Christian radio or watching Christian programming on television, you are constantly hit with a recurring theme—sow your seeds! Plant your money! Send in your offerings! With each of these pleas, there is a promise of reward, and usually the reward is your guaranteed prosperity.

We have heard these messages so often that many people are convinced that Christianity is all about religious hucksters that are trying to make a fast buck. There is certainly prosperity in their preaching, only it is their prosperity not yours! The prosperity gospel is a terrible bane; it is blight on the true gospel of Christ that causes people to focus entirely on the wrong reasons for giving. Giving is not for the purpose of getting—it is for the purpose of worship. Giving is one of the centers of worship described in Matthew 6:1-18. Giving is how we worship God in relation to others. There is certainly a return promised for giving, but the value of the return is entirely dependent upon the spirit in which the gift is given.

If your purpose for giving is because someone told you that you could add to your rich storehouse of personal possessions and pleasures, then you have been duped with a false reward. God never intended that we should use anything that He gives for mere personal consumption. The richness of our treasures in Christ is primarily for the purpose of doing God’s work and blessing others with our resources. When God abundantly blesses us, He intends that we should abundantly bless others. As we do so, He keeps cycling more blessings our way which in turn are to be recycled their way.

The scriptures do not teach that you must live in poverty in order to worship God. Some are guilty of going the opposite way and they take vows of poverty because they believe this is a more virtuous life than living with much material goods. It sounds good, but for God’s work it is self defeating. If all Christians took vows of poverty, very little would be accomplished around the world for Christ. The poor must be fed; the sick must be treated; the gospel must be preached everywhere. Missionaries, pastors, churches—none of them can operate without money. God intends that we should be industrious and we should do our best to work hard and make money. What is the purpose? It is that we may worship God by doing His work. Withholding the increase and refusing to give is refusal to worship God in one of His vital centers of religious activity. Consider your gifts and give to the glory of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

In my years of Bible study, I have had the opportunity to read through the Bible many times. The practice, I think, is very helpful because it acquaints us with the cohesiveness of the Bible’s content. From Genesis to Revelation, there is a singular outstanding theme that weaves its way through scripture. This is the love that God has for His people. Love is a consistent theme that is brought out through the many promises that God has given. To contemplate God’s love is to send our hearts soaring into the heavens as we wonder why the Almighty God of the universe should take notice of us, much less love us.

The key to our amazement lies in another consistent theme that runs throughout the Bible—man’s sinfulness. Just a few pages into the Holy Writ, we are introduced to Adam, the first man, who disobeyed God and fell from his state of innocence. Theologians refer to Adam as the federal head of the human race. This means that Adam stands as our representative. Scripture declares that in Adam all die, meaning primarily that spiritual death has passed to all men through Adam. Adam sinned and the whole human race that proceeds from Adam is now born in sin. Our sinfulness has caused a serious rift with God. We are naturally opposed to Him; we are at enmity with Him. Scripture says that we are haters of God (Rom. 1:30). This is what makes God’s love for man so amazing. God loved us not when we were pure and innocent, not when we were saintly and sanctified—God loved us when we hated Him. Because we are born in sin, none of us are pure and innocent, saintly and sanctified.

If you wonder how the cross got into the picture, here is the reason. In our sinful condition, we are unholy and unjust. God is pure holiness and perfection; He cannot allow sin in His presence because it is defiling. Therefore, God must remove sin from us and make us holy. But God does not do this as a matter of caprice. His justice must be satisfied. His righteous law has been broken and a holy God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Thus there is a cross, an instrument of punishment. The most outstanding facet of God’s love for the sinner is that Jesus Christ was willing to take our punishment for us. The cross is the satisfaction of God’s divine justice. The cross is the most glorious display of God’s love.

The next time you read through the Bible see how many times it speaks of sin and then count the times that God’s love is connected to sacrifice and the cross of Christ. Thank God for the cross for we could never know God’s love without it!

Pastor V. Mark Smith