Author: Berean Baptist

            On the last Sunday of January, the sermon was interrupted by a catchy ringtone from a congregant’s cellphone. On many Sundays, we remind everyone to turn off cellphones or put them in silent mode. My purpose today is not to chastise anyone for forgetting to turn theirs off, but rather to discuss the use of them in our services.

            I have not thought of this subject nor discussed it in many months since we rarely experience a ringtone. However, this incident was immediately followed upon by an article that reached my inbox and thus the issue was before me again. This article emphasized the distraction of phones and the need to abandon the screen to focus our attention on God. I thought this quote staked the ground on this issue very well:

            “…the transcendence of a Christian worship service is not an escape from the real world, but the entry into a realer world than what we’ve seen all week. It’s here that we brush up against heavenly realities. It’s here we’re confronted with time-tested truth. As we hear the Word of God preached and as we approach the Lord’s Table, we’re ushered toward a thin space where we encounter the One who summons us to worship and promises his presence.

“What role does the phone play in this environment? Yes, you can read your Bible on your phone as the pastor begins the sermon. You can send a text of encouragement to a fellow believer. You can take notes on your phone for reference later. But the pull of the phone toward multitasking—that urge to check Twitter or Instagram, or scroll past the incessant notifications that still arrive even when your phone is silenced—makes it nearly impossible to give undivided attention to God.”

            I do not write this article or cite this quote as one who is innocent. I have had my share of distractions in church services. Since I usually preach instead of listen, this does not happen often. Although I use an iPad for my notes, one of the critical preparations for preaching is to turn off the internet connection and the volume for reminders, so that I see nothing and hear nothing as I preach. I have forgotten to do this on a few occasions, and you might be surprised to learn that an email header would appear obscuring my notes and I must get rid of it while at the same time maintaining my composure and leaving you unaware of my anxious dilemma.

            The cellphone left on is a distraction which none can deny. In a room full of 3000 preachers at the Shepherd’s Conference, you would be shocked at how many have one eye (or neither) on the speaker and the other on the phone reading texts, checking scores, or researching something they just heard. This is surely a problem in our church too. My major concern, however, is that people never handle the book to find their place in the congregational scripture readings or the texts used for the sermon. Because you use the cellphone Bible at church and at home, I wonder how many touch the book at all.

            I know most Christians do not regularly read the Bible. I hope our statistics are higher than average, but I am sure if we required everyone to fill out a form each week reporting how much of the Bible you read, the result would be too dismal and depressing for me to give the account to the congregation. If we are not touching the book at home or at church and the cellphone is our only connection to it, who could find their place in the Bible if we required phones to be checked at the door?

            I am not a fan of the cellphone Bible. Though I use the computer with a screen and an electronic Bible for preparing sermons, I rarely use the cellphone or tablet for my daily reading. You can argue with me until the rapture that reading the cellphone does not diminish retention. I will never believe it because of experience and by observing what digital learning has done to our children’s brains. I do not intend to ban cellphones from the services, but I much prefer the rustling of pages to the sounds of clever rings.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            As I write this, I think of my wife who is in the bedroom enduring an episode of serious pain. Unlike her, I do not endure pain with much other than constant complaints. While I want to be a man, I find my wife is a much better example of strength through pain than I could hope to be. When the woke-boots come to persecute believers, she will be the one left standing in our family.

            This opens the question of the ability of God’s people to withstand physical pain inflicted by persecutors throughout Christian history intent on breaking the will and destroying the faith of the redeemed. I remember a few years ago discussing this in one of our classes and I noticed several horrified looks when explaining how faith enables one to endure watching one’s children killed before their eyes because the parents would not deny Christ. This is not hypothetical speech because it is both historic and contemporary as believers across the world experience it in countries without religious freedom in general, and certainly none for Christians in particular.

            Enduring persecution works in much the same way as enduring death and threats of it. We cannot latch onto the fortitude of faith needed just yet because we do not experience it. This changes when the prospect is immediately in front of us. God’s grace will envelope us in that moment to see beyond the immediate to the blest future that lies beyond.

            In Hebrews 11, the author speaks of faith that was strong enough to endure every trial the subjects faced. When nearing the conclusion of his examples, the author gives a brief summation of many others not mentioned by name. He wrote, “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented…” (Hebrews 11:37). This verse has always struck me as beyond imaginable. In fact, it is. I do not believe Hebrews 11 was written to applaud the intestinal fortitude of those willing to die for Christ. Unfortunately, chapter breaks often divide the text with unkind separation from the author’s main purpose. Chapter 12 drives the point home as it identifies the source of uncommon faith. The one to applaud is Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of this great faith (12:2).

            What makes uncommon faith? Though addressing a different subject, Paul gives an applicable assessment of our thought as well. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” Christ is the author of every gift. Another word of encouragement comes to mind. Jesus knew the trials the apostles would face because of their faith. He told them, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do… (Luke 12:4). “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” (vv. 11-12).

            The answer to this dilemma is the power of the Spirit of Christ who indwells every believer. He gives strength in the hour of trial that is beyond what the human will can conceive. If He gives enough strength to face a torturous death, what is to fear of a doctor’s operation when after that (sic), there is much more he can do. The Holy Spirit supplies doctors and nurses and medications and care that help soothe the pain. Progress in medicine is another enabling by God’s good graces. For the unsaved, it is born in God’s common grace. For you and I who know Him, it is appreciated more as it is accompanied by assurance that Christ is our Great Physician.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ^[4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

William Ernest Henley was a late 19^th century British poet and editor who introduced the world to the famous authors Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and William Butler Yeats. A quick review of his life on Wikipedia reveals an interesting little factoid. He had one leg and was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s character Long John Silver in his book Treasure Island. As you can see, Henley was acquainted with some of the literary giants of Victorian England.

Henley was a sick man inflicted with crippling tuberculosis of the bone. Though disadvantaged in many ways, he lived an active productive life writing many books of poetry. We might well imagine that despite his handicaps his uncommon willpower must have been the impetus that drove him to success. It seems likely that Henley’s most famous poem Invictus was a product of his determined self-reliance. Henley wrote:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

This poem was the product of a godless man who was blinded by the power of unbelief. In many pulpits this morning, preachers will speak of the power of faith. They will take examples from the scriptures such as the heroes in Hebrews 11 and they will tell their congregations how faith can move mountains, faith can part seas, faith can destroy enemy fortresses, faith makes the impossible happen. Not too many will speak of how powerful determined unbelief can be.

William Ernest Henley had his own version of faith. His faith was in himself which caused him to express what he thought was his ability to control his life and steer his soul to its own purposeful end. The character of Henley’s faith was of course quite different from the faith we preach from this pulpit. And yet, Henley was right. His faith piloted his soul as surely as does ours. He was the captain of his soul who charted his ship to its inevitable destination. Our faith is powerful enough to change our destination, while Henley was driven by the power of unbelief which was steadfastly resistant to a change in destination.

Henley bragged about his unbending will as if he was an uncommon specimen who was far above average. His fame, fortune, and social circles were not determinative. The truth is he was no different than every baby born in this world. He was natural not supernatural. He lived no differently than any person who is unaffected by the Holy Spirit. He was born to his destination while we are born again to ours. In other words, he charted a course that needed no steering. He was in a rut, a track impossible to pull out of much less one needing an unbending will to remain in.

This, friends, is the power of unbelief. In its own realm, it is as powerful as our faith is in ours. Faith in Christ is a course that leads to one place and one place only. Neither do you have power to change it for as Peter says we are kept by the power of God through faith. You will not change the natural course of your life. It is impossible. Stay the course and join Henley as the master of your fate or pray that God will be merciful to your foolishness. May he grant you the power to say, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In my 20 years as pastor of Berean, I have always heavily emphasized the doctrine of the church. I have convictions which I believe are biblically based and essential to the general welfare and survivability of these blessed bodies of Christ that are known as local churches. While correct ecclesiology (doctrine of the church) is critical to the proper functioning of the church, there is also need for churches to be faithful to all the doctrines taught in God’s word.

            The preservation of the church is majorly dependent on consistent teaching of all biblical doctrines and the proper interpretation of them. I not only emphasize ecclesiology but hopefully I am faithful to a well-rounded doctrinal ministry. We want to focus on everything the Bible teaches from cover to cover. Unfortunately, doctrine has fallen out of favor. Fewer and fewer preachers neither understand nor teach the doctrines of the faith which leaves the people in ignorance of scripture. Instead, preachers have become life coaches focusing on self-improvement. Most often, they do not look to the Bible for their source material but rely on the philosophies of secular reasoning.

            An example is the power of positive thinking and the plentiful books on self-encouragement and self-esteem. The best-selling Christian books focus on these themes while never approaching biblical understanding of the underlying condition that causes lack of confidence. Neither do they emphasize the proper solution which is Christ living in us by faith. We must have Christ to kill the root which is the depravity of our hearts. While self-esteem preachers claim that you are smart and good and have within you the power to be everything you want to be, the Bible and Jesus Christ categorically deny this. Fundamentally, we are unworthy sinners and can do nothing to help ourselves unless God should speak to our hearts through His word. This message does not travel well in the glitz, glamour, and giddiness of the well-coifed smiling charlatans.

            These preachers abandoned the word which is the only hope for true positivity. If we learn our condition through the truth of the word, we cannot find anything to be positive about until the same word reaches and changes the heart. Anything else is a meaningless placebo which we think helps but lets the disease run rampantly unchecked until it destroys the unsuspecting soul.

            The scriptures continually encourage us to pay attention to doctrine. Paul told Titus to hold on to the truth so that he could instruct others in sound doctrine. Titus labored on the island of Crete whose population was characterized by their own philosophers as persistent liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. I suspect before Titus this is as close as they ever got to the truth. Titus needed a good foundation in strong doctrine to refute opposition to the gospel. These types are usually easily identified because they have crazy unorthodox teachings, and their lifestyles obviously betrays them…or it would seem. Joseph Smith gained quite a following despite this, did he not?

            The most dangerous to the church are preachers who twist orthodox doctrines to make their interpretations appear sound and reasonable. I have often referred to the havoc wreaked upon Baptist churches during the Second Great Awakening by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell. These men were the seeds of the Churches of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the Christian Church. While orthodox on the mode of baptism, their doctrine of baptismal regeneration and claims to have restored the New Testament church along with it, resonated with many Baptist congregations and split them. As Paul said in Acts 20, some would arise and infiltrate the church, drawing away disciples after them.

            This is a clear and present danger for churches that abandon the teaching of sound doctrine. Doctrine preserves the church which is the pillar and ground of the truth. When the church is lost, truth has no one to uphold it and teach it to others. The church soon dies like the human body that is never nourished but feeds on poison.

            The Berean Baptist Church will continue to teach sound doctrine systematically to keep our feet firmly planted. We will not be tossed by every wind of false doctrine. Stay with us as we pursue every truth the scriptures teach.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            One of the most important and impactful books I have read in the past twenty years is John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ. I highly recommend this book to all Christians, especially those who may be struggling with their faith and identifying whether they are true believers in Christ. What is true faith and what is the evidence of being born-again? This book centers on the Lordship controversy. Must one believe in Jesus as both Lord and Saviour?

            To most of you who have been taught in this church, this question seems foolish to ask. However, this is an extremely sensitive issue among many fundamental Baptists. In their pursuit of high-pressure evangelism and seeking professions, they separate the Lordship of Christ from the belief in Jesus as Saviour. They believe, at least initially, we must not preach Jesus to lost sinners as anything more than Saviour. It is not necessary to have evidence of a changed life as Christ will save them as they are, and they may or may not “make Jesus the Lord of their lives.” To ask more, is to preach a works salvation.

            We believe, as MacArthur does, that the Lordship of Christ is not optional. It does not come after profession of faith but is an integral part of saving faith. There is no salvation without it. True salvation is always evidenced by a changed life. This is rejected by these fundamental Baptists because they cannot so easily count a person as a believer and thus it dampens their soul winning numbers. After their salvation, the confessor should “make Jesus the Lord of their lives,” which is a phrase nowhere found in scripture. This phrase is so often used that hardly anyone questions it. Dr. Voddie Bauchman commented, “I didn’t make Jesus my Lord. If you make Him your Lord that means you’re Lord because you told your Lord what to do. You acknowledge Lordship. You don’t bequeath Lordship.”

            This is the correct biblical interpretation of this subject. In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, he preached, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36). Romans 10:9 says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” There should be no argument that salvation in Christ can be separated from the Lordship of Christ. This is the Bible’s teaching and the centuries old Baptist confession. Our statement of faith reads in Article VIII: “We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.” Notice that we confess our guilt and the way of salvation by Christ; we turn to God with genuine contrition: AT THE SAME TIME heartily receiving THE LORD JESUS CHRIST as Prophet, Priest and King…” This identifies salvation as belief in the Saviour and acknowledging Him as Lord. There is no separation of these. The Confession also says in Article VII that the evidence of salvation is newness of life. Again, who can dispute this with any biblical text?

            The importance of MacArthur’s book is the warning against claims of salvation when no evidence exists. We commonly hear of people who are backslidden, have fallen out of church, and have no desire to serve the Lord or have any sense of His Lordship over their lives. While we do not disagree with the prospect of a backslidden state, we do not believe a true Christian lives in this state for extended periods of time. The problem is not backsliding—the problem is salvation. In Article 17 of the 1689 London Confession of Faith, the confession addresses the perseverance of the saints. Section 3 speaks of backsliding and grievous sins committed at times by believers. Yet it ends with, “they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ to the end.” Baptists did not entertain the possibility of not surrendering to the Lordship of Christ and existing simultaneously in a state of salvation.

            This topic is extremely important to our churches today. Paul wrote we must examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. What is the purpose of this statement if evidence of Lordship makes no difference? Our conclusion is that many fundamental Baptists are fundamentally wrong on the doctrine of salvation. This is a most dangerous position. We must not be guilty of giving passes to the spiritually unfit. The eternal soul is at stake.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            The Old Testament is a book of covenantal laws that God established with the nation of Israel. Because of the law, many believe the Bible presents two methods of salvation depending upon the time the person lived. They assert that the Old Covenant required strict obedience to commandments and through these people could be saved. The impossibility of this is apparent because the human heart cannot produce any work that satisfies God or justifies him in God’s courtroom. Perfection cannot be born out of imperfection, and this is what God requires.

            In Old Testament worship, there is a forward-looking representation of the way that God would give perfection to a people that was perpetually breaking His laws. These were the laws of sacrifice that were emblematic of the payment to justice that God Himself would make. It would come through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God. He would earn righteousness by His perfect life and the merits of this perfection would be accounted to us through faith in this eternal sacrifice. For those marking doctrine in these statements, this is known as the imputation of Christ righteousness by faith.

            Since the sacrifices of the Old Covenant are forward-looking, they were never intended as a means of salvation. If I might put it this way, they were a placeholder of belief and forgiveness until the perfect sacrifice would come. The prophet Jeremiah declared the word of the Lord stating that Israel had repeatedly broken the covenant the Lord made with them. They were hopeless to be saved by obedience to laws because the human heart is incapable of keeping them. Though God was displeased and angry at their often forays into sin, still in His love and mercy, Jeremiah assured them God planned something better. A new covenant would come in which God would write His laws in their heart—not on tablets of stone—and He would be their God in the perfection of His holiness. God would forgive their wickedness and no longer remember their sins. This establishes that that Old Covenant believers were saved by grace just as we are today.

            It is important to understand that Jesus entering the world as a little baby is not a nice fairy tale story to recite to our children. The necessity of the birth of Christ was forged in the bloodiness of Old Testament sacrifices and in consequence of the blackness of human depravity. Thousands upon thousands of animals were killed as a temporary placeholder for forgiveness of sins. Christ must needs come to offer a better sacrifice, a once for all sacrifice that would satisfy the Father and end animal sacrifices forever.

            The book of Hebrews is the Bible’s definitive explanation of the need for the New Covenant. It says the Old Covenant sacrifices could never permanently take away sins and this is the reason for their constant repetition. A marvelous scripture in Hebrews speaks of the Old Testament tabernacle. It says Christ did not go into an earthy tabernacle made with hands to present His blood for atonement. Instead, He went into the presence of God into a far more exceptional sanctuary which is heaven itself. There He offered His blood and obtained eternal redemption for all who believe. Thus, never again does anyone need to offer an animal sacrifice. Today, our sacrifices are spiritual, and they magnify the eternal gift that God made of His Son.

            Is there law in the New Covenant? Most certainly. It is the law fulfilled by Christ. It is the perfection of the law in Him that saves us. We must lay down all efforts of our own or we diminish and profane the sacrifice of Christ. This is not the Old Covenant vs the New Covenant as if one was bad and the other good. No, the Old Covenant recognized the necessity of the incarnation as much as the New. The blessing for us today is that we have both the Old and New Testaments (covenants) to tell us marvelous truths about Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In the last part of October, I preached messages in a three-part series entitled, Possessed by Possessions. This series was about contentment and how to be satisfied amid troubling times. The theme was how we are not to let any earthly gains or losses rule us and determine our happiness. The apostle Paul encourages us in Colossians 3 to set our affections on things above and not the things of this world. In Philippians 4, he tells us the things we are to think about so that troubles do not bother us and cause us to lose hope and be depressed. He says if we think properly, the God of peace will be with us.

            One of the major issues discussed in the series is the way money causes us to lose our focus on God. I want to return to this thought for just a moment to show how money can be the cause of more focus on God rather than the cause of losing focus. Our money can be turned into usefulness in the Lord’s service which causes us to look to God for ways we can help promote His kingdom. In an uncertain economy, many will hold back resources and put them securely away where we think they cannot be lost. We restrict our giving until we see a surer path that promises a secure future. The Lord warns that this will not work. Safe investments fail, savings accounts can be obliterated by catastrophic illness or accident, and a mattress or a hole in the ground is neither safe. Holding back tithes and offerings is not a way to build wealth.

            A few weeks ago, I read these lines in TableTalk magazine: “In truth, sometimes we fail to give because we fear that in giving, we will suffer net loss. Yet if the Lord Himself gives abundantly, we need not fear we will suffer lack when we give to help others with generosity.” Seedtime and harvest principles are taught in 2 Corinthians 9 which declare that it is impossible to lose with God. TableTalk further commented, “Paul has the material needs of impoverished believers in mind most significantly in 2 Corinthians 8-9, but the principle certainly applies beyond that. Our giving to the work of the church and the care of its members will always result in a net gain for us.” This is biblical truth which I challenge you to compare to the guarantee of the stock market or any worldly investment. An investment with guaranteed positive returns is usually a Ponzi scheme. Surely, we can see hording money with a promise it will secure us is the devil’s Ponzi scheme.

            Returning to my earlier premise, our money can cause us to focus on the Lord when we are determined to use it to help others and the church which He commissioned to accomplish His work in the world. The Lord promises to secure us and add to our wealth in immeasurable ways. As we place our offering envelopes in the plate, are we not focusing on the Lord as we worship Him? Our motivation of obedience in giving is not wrong if it also includes testing the Lord as our financial advisor. It is not wrong to focus on securing our financial well-being through this method. However, we do not advocate for a prosperity gospel or that the Lord any more promises expensive automobiles than your honest financial advisor does. The difference is the unfailing promise of net gain. As the old saying goes, you cannot outgive the Lord.

            How do we increase our thanksgiving as well? One last quote: “…we will be blessed far more than we can imagine when we seek to imitate the generosity of the Lord. This in turn will increase thanksgiving to God…” In conclusion, underline this in your Bible:

2 Corinthians 9:7, 9-11  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Our study of the church brings us to a core, critical issue which has been the purpose for God’s people from the beginning. He created us for His glory which is accomplished through our adoration and honor of Him. This is the concept of worship. God created us for worship.

                Earlier, we learned of the relationship between truth and worship. Worship is regulated by truth. Instead of our whimsical, emotional, personal feelings about worship dictating our practice, there is a divine prescription that must be followed for worship to be acceptable. Worship is not about us and how we feel. It is intended for us only as participants who put all emphasis on God within the parameters of the divine prescription.

                Today we look at another aspect of worship which strongly attracts my attention. You would imagine this is the case since we will discuss the preaching of the word. I believe preaching is our primary method of worship which makes the pastor the principal worship leader. Preaching the word is the church’s highest priority. Most think of singing when we mention worship and singing certainly has its usefulness and should be an important part of our services. Unfortunately, preaching is not often thought of as worship and thus is not often a priority. Think of how many churches have longer than an hour music programs with only a cursory twenty minutes devoted to a drama/devotion object lesson loosely based (maybe) on a scripture.

                Preaching is to herald or tell forth the word of God. The word is God’s self-revelation and is the way we know Him. It is the objective and only dependable revelation of the one true living God. Recently, I read a book in which the author claimed to reveal who God is and what He is like. His explanation was inconsistent with the statements God made about Himself. It was not the same as what Jesus, the Son of God and one with the Father, said. It was not the same God as preached by Paul and the apostles. God is made known through His word as faithful preachers read and expound the truth of the word in our worship services. God cannot be worshipped if we do not know Him.

                Gospel preaching does not only properly identify God, it also properly identifies us. Many want the Bible to confirm them as they are. Through misapplication of texts, through misinterpretation of Bible doctrine, and through misrepresentation of the teachings of Jesus, they believe the Bible will confirm their lifestyles. The love of God is the blanket they throw over their immorality to substantiate that God accepts everyone just as they are. The word of God is essential in our worship not to confirm us as we are but to convict us of what we are and conform us to what we should be. The word aligns us with God. It identifies us as sinners who are not accepted as we are but condemned because of who we are. The word changes us to reflect the righteous character of God. We cannot expect that a lifestyle disobedience will allow us to be welcomed into the same space as God. God does not love our character. He hates it and gave His Son to obliterate it through His sacrificial death. There is not a person on earth worthy to worship God. We must reject who we are and conform to His righteous standard. This is possible only by God’s grace which grants faith in Christ. Through the instrumentality of the word, the power of the Holy Spirit changes us from the perversion of our sin to the perfect righteousness of Christ.

                The third purpose of the word in worship is for our sanctification. As the word is preached, we see the differences between us and Christ. Worship is perfected and the worshipper is more conformed each time we hear it. You should be concerned how much you know about the word because without it you will not be like Christ. Consider this when you miss worship. You miss preaching that will make you more like Jesus.

                And then lastly and briefly, the word prepares you for Christ. Preaching is preparation for heaven. Paul said the word will build you up and give an inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32). We must preach the word in our worship services, or we remain unprepared for Christ and with deficient knowledge of Him and the power of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            One of the critical purposes of the church is to glorify God through worship. The gathering of the Lord’s people into a central location gives us opportunity for corporate worship in which our fellowship witnesses a greater expression of the duty of all to praise the Almighty God.

            The church and worship are so closely aligned that we often speak of these in synonymous terms. We have a familiar Sunday morning expression, “I am going to worship.” Who does not understand this to mean, “I am going to church?” Christians are instinctively geared to worship and thus we regularly attend church. Those who are absent are absent from corporate worship, an exercise ordained by God in recognition of His right to be glorified.

            Worship in the church is built upon the same principles as Old Testament worship. By this I mean there is a divine prescription that cannot be changed or ignored. Perhaps the earliest example is the improper sacrifice made by Cain. It fell outside God’s revealed parameters which were known by both Cain and Abel. God did not respect Cain’s sacrifice though he was sure by his own standard he gave his best. When God established Israel with His law at Sinai, He gave them a prescription for worship. God told Moses to make a sanctuary after the pattern he was given. The pattern which included the structure, the instruments for worship, the sacrifices, and the priesthood were shadows or types of worship in heaven. All were representative of the true sanctuary made by God. Moses could not change anything because the pattern represented unalterable truths of Jesus Christ.

            In like manner, we cannot expect that we are free to change worship from the divine prescription. The New Testament explains that certain acts of worship were ceremonial and temporary. These were fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ so that we are not commanded to follow those patterns any longer. However, we are not left without direction. We are not free to substitute crucifixes, to make images of Mary, or of saints, or do any works that are prohibited by the commandments. The New Testament keeps these prohibitions in place.

            Examples of acceptable worship and prohibited worship are also found in New Testament scriptures. Paul regulated tongues in the church for the time they were still operable. He regulated the conduct of worship by restricting the officers of the church to males. He encouraged the reading of scripture, the frequent practice of prayer, and the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We do not look for innovative ways to worship but follow the prescriptions given. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 remarks: “The acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and desires of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.” (Chapter 22.1)

            These comments convey the idea of the need for caution in the way we worship. It must have a biblical pattern, or simply put, it is regulated by scripture. We are not free to introduce our own ideas. If this principle were always invoked, it would prevent us from many stupid acts that pretend worship when they are nothing but embarrassment to the very angels of God.

            We have much to discuss including the command to worship. Many Christians cannot be accused of wrong worship because they do not worship at all. To habitually absent oneself from church is not Christian. Christians instinctively worship. We are chosen, called, justified, and sanctified for the glory of God. He has His divinely prescribed an acceptable method for us to show our gratitude for His marvelous works. This is called worship.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            With today’s message, we conclude our short series on the proper relationship between Christians and material possessions. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. While I use the terminology “possessed by possessions” as the subject of my messages, the meaning is the same as what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. There is a master-slave comparison in which we are either ruled by Christ or by our personal desires. We cannot be “possessed” by both.

            When Jesus preached His sermon, He confronted people who were convinced material possessions were a sign of favor with God. This was not only a Jewish belief but is a natural assumption dictated by the depraved human heart. It is as if our relationship with God is quid pro quo. We achieve favor through works of righteousness and God rewards accordingly. Thus, the wealthiest people must have achieved their favor because they are more righteous than the poor. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he warned against this by saying it is the corrupt mind destitute of truth that thinks this way. They suppose that gain is godliness while the truth is that material possessions too often cause us to fall into temptation and lead to destruction (1 Timothy 6:5-11).

            If material goods are a sign of righteousness, then most of church history is filled with unspiritual failures. Not many Christians are worldly wealthy and I have spent most of my Christian life fellowshipping with people who struggle with finances without achieving the bank account that many believe will rid them of the anxiety of being without financial security. Neither do many of these Christians care. Living one day at a time is enough security. They do not worry about tomorrow because they understand what Jesus said. The rat race to keep ahead of the neighbors is unnecessary. They have learned to be content with Christ and believe daily sustenance is sufficient. It is all they were promised and all they expect.

            As we look back through the centuries, we do not find that many Christians escaped the same economic, social, and political calamities that fell on others who never knew Christ. The same plagues of sickness in the Middle Ages killed believers and unbelievers alike. They were victims of the same world wars that brought destruction across the globe. They lived through the Great Depression with its stock market crash, the climate change of the dust bowl, the lack of food and skyrocketing unemployment. Christianity never promised we would escape these because it never needed to. Our faith in Christ is not about what we gain in a world that is sure to pass away. James said our lives are but a vapor that appear for a little time but soon are gone. If we invest ourselves in this world, we have a failed investment before we even think of speculating. This promise that the world’s system will end in a great conflagration is as sure as any promise God made.

            The scriptures continually warn about trusting in riches because of their enormous potential of diminishing faith in God. The more we have the less time we are apt to spend praying for what we need and being thankful for what we are given. Many Christians fail to understand that pain, suffering, economic hardships, and other disappointments are designed to be steppingstones of faith. We learn to trust God when we must trust God. Dr. R.C. Sproul was well-known for saying that believing in God is different from believing God. This is true for our justification and our sanctification.

            Trusting God rather than wealth yields at least four precious promises from our Lord. (1) All our needs are supplied – Matt. 6:33. (2) Freedom from anxiety – Matt. 6:25-34. (3) Contentment – Heb. 13:5 (4) Eternal life – John 5:24; 10:10. While history proves that Christians suffer many of the common ailments the worldly incur, there is nothing we take from the world that sustains the life that no one wants to surrender. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out. (1 Tim. 6:7).

Pastor V. Mark Smith