Author: Berean Baptist

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)

In the sixth chapter of Ephesians, the apostle Paul warned Christians to beware of the wiles of the devil. This advice is given because Satan is a counterfeiter and a master of deceit that has myriads of devices to trick believers. When you become a Christian, you are not immune to the devil’s schemes and you must be vigilant to check everything you hear no matter how much you may trust those who would teach you the word of God. Even though Satan is adept at planting false doctrines in our minds, there is really nothing he can do to take away the salvation we have in Christ. It is a better tactic for him to snatch the seed of the word of God away before it ever takes root in our heart.

We would think the best tactic Satan could use to keep people away from God and salvation is to convince them God does not really exist; therefore, he would spend most of his time trying to make atheists of people. Actually, Satan doesn’t really concentrate a lot of his efforts in making atheists because atheism is educated ignorance. Satan is far too smart to make pure ignorance his best friends (sorry atheists, but even Satan doesn’t like you!). Since God has put it into the heart of man to know He exists, and since our hearts are naturally religious, Satan knows he must concentrate his efforts in perverting knowledge of the true God. He seeks to make a substitute for God, a counterfeit god that people will believe and be none the wiser.

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus describes the activity of Satan in trying to counterfeit God when he says, “there shall arise false Christs.” A false Christ is a good imitation but is not the real thing. A false Christ can make you satisfied you have found truth when in reality you are more blinded to truth than ever before. A parallel passage to Matthew 24:24 is found in the book of Revelation (Rev. 13:13-15) where a false prophet arises during the Tribulation that is able to perform many miracles that mimic the power of God. We can see by this that when Satan empowers the nations of the world to rise up against the one true God, they do not do so because of atheism. They fight against God because they believe they have the real god on their side. They do not know their god is the counterfeit and is leading them to their ultimate destruction.

There is a very important point we must remember about Satan’s activity. He is not waiting for the Tribulation to come before he begins his great deception. He is busy right now in 2012 counterfeiting the work of God. The apostle John wrote “even now there are many antichrists” (1 John 2:18c). Atheism is not our greatest concern. We are far more concerned with preachers in pulpits proclaiming their false Christs. We are more concerned with those that claim signs and wonders in the name of Christ when they have nothing to do with Him. Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 7:21).

Religious chicanery is the devil’s method and it comes in a variety of forms. One of the fastest growing of these is the charismatic movement. Whenever I read Matthew 7, Matthew 24, and Revelation 13, my mind is always immediately drawn towards the charlatans of this movement. They have also spawned the equally perverted doctrines of the Word of Faith teachers. Huge auditoriums across this country like the former Compaq Center in Houston are not filled with atheists; they are filled with gullible “seekers” that have been sucked in with Satan’s religion.

Yes, Satan is alive and well in 2012. He is not waiting for anything to happen before he takes his best shot at God and His people. Atheists are the tag-alongs; they are the devil’s step children. The real danger is in the pulpit; the real danger will smile at you while he pushes you into the abyss. Beware of the devil’s counterfeits; there is one in a church near you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1)

As we continue our congregational reading today in the book of Revelation, we have reached the thirteenth chapter which gives the reader an introduction to one of the most intriguing characters in the Bible. Unfortunately for many, there seems to be more interest in this person than in the one the Revelation is truly about. The book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but for all of the interest that is stirred over the thirteenth chapter we would think it is the Revelation of the Antichrist. Would to God there was as much in-depth study of the person, character, and nature of Christ as there is devoted to the speculation of the identity of the Antichrist!

Even though the term “antichrist” is never used in Revelation, there is no doubt this is the person described in the thirteenth chapter. The apostle John is the only writer of scripture that uses the term but he does not use it here. We find it five times in 1 John (including “antichrists”) in which he refers not only to this person named in Revelation, but to any person that denies the essential equality of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:22). The term simply means “against Christ” therefore anyone that stands against the doctrines of Christ is identified by the term.

During the last half of the Tribulation, a new world leader will emerge that embodies the worst forces of evil. He will be a charismatic, mesmerizing man empowered by Satan. With the deceitful skills and craftiness of the old serpent, he will deceive the world into thinking he is actually God. It is most interesting to me that he gains notoriety and his position through his first deception which is the ability to handle the world’s economy. Prosperity is his mantra and when he is able to give people “hope” in the calamitous times of tribulation, he quickly rises to the top as the world’s economic savior. I find this very curious in light of the current economic climate. Even Christians have abandoned God’s demands of morality and decency to pursue their political candidates (and preachers) that promise prosperity.

Although the Antichrist will be wildly popular, he cannot produce what every person most desperately needs. Lest we forget, this world was not created for us. As the song says, “This is my Father’s world” and He will receive all glory from His creation. The world needs “THE CHRIST” not the Antichrist because God intends to receive glory. Scripture declares “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.” If you do not have Christ living in your heart, you cannot glorify God. Whatever and whomever does not conform to God’s glorious purpose will be destroyed.

We should not forget the reason Christ came into the world. The apostle John wrote: “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Our leaders may claim to be political and economic saviors, but that kind of salvation has no value for your soul. Look to Christ and keep your eyes on Him! He is the only one that can give you soul salvation. It will not profit to gain the whole world and lose your own soul (Matthew 16:26). The world and its system will pass away. Your soul will last for eternity. Do you know where it will be? Heaven or Hell are the only options, so be careful which “christ” you choose to follow.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

In the book of Romans chapter 13, Paul wrote, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” In this verse, Paul is referring to the leaders of civil government. It is the duty of all Christians to obey those that are in power because God has ordained them for our good. There is no person that rules any country unless God permits and ordains him to be there. This is an amazing statement in light of Rome’s government in the first century. At the time of Paul’s writing, Nero was the emperor and his hostility towards Christianity was legendary. Christians were cruelly tortured and killed during his reign and yet there is no mention in scripture that Christians were to rise up to fight against this godless government. How is it possible that Paul should write such an admonition to believers?

We might well ask the same question today as we are very perplexed with the government of our country. Did God put this president in power? It may be hard to swallow, but the answer is “yes.” God providentially ordains governments to His ends. This government could well be the destruction of life in America as we know it, but is this necessarily against the providence of God? Does not God use government also as a means of chastisement? See Romans 13:3-4. The political party that is now in power has made no secret of its hatred of God. While pretending to be still a “Christian” government nearly every evil imaginable has been foisted upon us. In the name of “tolerance” we are commanded to accept murder and perverted lifestyles as the right of individuals. At the same time, true Christianity is proclaimed intolerable and Christians that oppose the evils perpetrated upon us are declared guilty of “hate crimes.” It is shameful that American Christians bear much of the responsibility for the terrible condition of our country. Many have fallen prey to the greed of our wicked society and now vote according to their pocketbooks rather than the principles of God’s word. As we know, the alternative last year was to vote for a Mormon. The leaders of evangelical Christianity like Billy and Franklin Graham were busy about reconciling Mormonism to Christianity! What disgusting choices!

How are real Christians to react to this kind of government? Are we right to obey it? Should we not rather be anarchists? I believe the answer is found in our scripture reading today. Notice the present tense verb in this passage: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.” This scripture was written near the midpoint of the Revelation and yet there are eight more chapters to go until Christ returns in power and glory to begin His Kingdom upon the earth. How is it possible that voices in heaven can declare the Kingship of Christ in the present? The secret is the surety of God’s plan. In the Greek language, there is a verb tense that allows a future event to be spoken of as if it has already happened. This is how the Bible writers expressed the absolute certainty of the coming reign of Christ. This means that though we live under a godless physical government for the time being, we are citizens of the perfect government of Jesus Christ. We do not need to concern ourselves with the overthrow of this American government because human government is not our end. We live peaceably now as much as we can while we wait for our true King to come. While we certainly believe in patriotism, our goal is not to make sure America survives, but to pray that it will be utterly conquered and become a kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

It is often said, “No one knows the future.” I beg to differ. I know the future of America and of every nation of the world. None of them will continue to exist in their present form. Christ will not “tolerate” them. They are guilty of “hate crimes” against Jesus, and friends, it does not pay to be His enemy. For the time being, just wait; be patient. “…greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ…”(1 Pet. 1:6-7)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

Today, we are privileged to open our Bibles once again to Matthew’s Gospel to begin a three part message on the Lord’s promise to build His church. Our concentration in the morning message will be the foundation of the church, which we believe to be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There is much to be considered when the topic turns to the church because most of the New Testament is devoted to the founding, development, and doctrines of it. Unfortunately, we do not have time to consider the topic extensively in these three messages and will discuss mostly the meaning of the verses in Matthew.

I want to take a little space in this article to discuss membership in the church. Is it necessary to be a member of the church? We have many people visit our church and we are thankful for each visitor that comes, but I notice many times visitors will attend for several weeks; they like the church and desire to worship with us, but they never make any move towards church membership. Sometimes there is confusion about the steps necessary to become a member of the Lord’s church.

Let me say first that membership in the church is not automatic. Recently, I asked one of our visiting families if they were members of a church and I was told, “Yes, we are members here.” Well, this was quite a surprise because I do keep up with the membership list of Berean. Membership is more involved than attending church services. There are three major requirements for membership in the church. What do you need to become a member of Berean?

1. Salvation – This is number one on the list. The first prerequisite is personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. As Baptists, we believe the Bible teaches a regenerate church membership, which means every person must be a born again Christian.

2. Baptism – Every person must be a baptized believer. If you are a believer and you have not been baptized, you must submit to the baptism of this church. All those baptized under the authority of our church are immediately received into membership by virtue of their baptism. Baptism is the first step of obedience for a Christian and should be done as soon as practical after a person has received Christ as Saviour. This is your public identification with Christ. If you have been baptized previously in another church and desire membership, we will accept your previous baptism if it was administered by a church of like faith and order to Berean.

3. Commitment – Church membership is a commitment to work and worship with this body of believers. We should not have to emphasize this point because salvation is the receiving of Christ as Saviour AND Lord. This means in salvation there is an element of voluntary surrender to the mastery of Jesus Christ. Church membership is a commitment to the doctrines taught by the church. It is commitment to support the church with tithes and offerings. It is commitment to pray for other members and the leadership and to interact with them and help them as a part of the same spiritual family.

There is much more to be said on this subject, but if you desire to be a part of the Berean Baptist Church this is a beginner’s guide to help you to take the necessary steps. Church membership is very important and should not be taken lightly. According to scripture, Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Every born again believer ought to love it too! Membership in a good Bible believing church is not optional for Christians. It is the command of Christ and is to be obeyed.

We sincerely appreciate your attendance today and we hope Berean Baptist will become your church home. If you desire membership, you may express your desire to the Pastor or any of the helpers in the back of the auditorium after the morning service. We strive to help you accomplish the goal for which we were all created—to glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:21)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. [10] And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. (Revelation 10:9-10)

I firmly believe there is no greater calling than the one God gives to ministers of His word. It is always a joy and privilege to stand in the pulpit and open the precious word of God to preach the great salvation we have in Jesus Christ. Preachers have an awesome responsibility when handling the word of life because the eternal destiny of the soul depends on the truths that are preached and believed. It scares me to think there are pastors that spend little time studying the word and yet they approach the pulpit with confidence that their personal wisdom is sufficient to feed the flock of God. Some years ago I was in the office of a pastor in a nearby town and as we were discussing the church he suddenly remembered he did not have a sermon for Sunday morning. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a few pages of notes and said, “This one looks like it will do.” Without any thought, prayer, or preparation, he was ready to stand before his congregation and deliver a sermon. When I think how often this scenario goes on in many churches, I am reminded of John’s experience when the angel told him to take the little book and eat it. John said, “And it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”

Revelation is rich with symbolism and none is more important than the one we read in this text. The book John was told to eat was the seven sealed scroll which is emblematic of the word of God. When he ate, the scroll was sweet to the taste which symbolizes the wonderful message of salvation contained in its pages. The gospel of Jesus Christ is sweet to the ears of the person plagued by his sins and weighed down by an insufferable burden of guilt. Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7). What a joy it is to be a preacher that gives the good news to dying sinners. I would never want to come to the pulpit with no thought over a message that contains as much hope as this!

John tasted the word and it was sweet, but when it reached his stomach he said, “As soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.” This statement tells us the word of God has another side. For those that respond to it in faith, it is sweet. The other side is the effect it has on those that do not believe. For these, the word contains bitter judgment. On one side there is salvation; on the other there is condemnation. On one side there is heaven; on the other side is hell. It is as much the responsibility of the minister to preach the judgment of God as it is to preach the salvation of God. What preacher could approach the pulpit with such an awful message of doom and not be heavily burdened for the seriousness of the warning and the hopelessness of its hearers? Preaching requires much thought and preparation because both sides of the message are too profound to approach lightly.

I feel the sense of this great responsibility so I promise not to come to the pulpit of Berean unprepared and without careful consideration of the duty of ministers. I intend to preach the whole counsel of God’s word. You will receive both sides of the message and I make no apologies for preaching it all. I love to preach the sweetness of salvation but I must also preach the bitterness of condemnation. I only hope and pray you are able to receive the word with joy and know in your heart the salvation found only in Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: [21] Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21)

Once again our congregational reading in Revelation takes us to the awful time of Tribulation that occurs after the rapture of God’s children from the earth. The scenes of physical destruction are frightening, but in my opinion the spiritual problem we see in Revelation 9:20-21 may very well be the scariest of all. These verses are not frightening to me as a believer in Christ, but they should be a huge wakeup call to those that ignore salvation thinking when they are full of sin they will turn from their wickedness and receive the Saviour.

In the previous verses, we have seen hordes of demons unleashed from the abyss. Evil spirits like scorpions inflict torment on people so vicious they wish they could die. They will seek death but not find it (9:5-6). Later another demonic army two hundred million strong will kill one-third of the world’s population (9:16-18). We would think the entire world would be convinced they must turn to Christ for salvation. Surely the mass destruction and utter devastation would cause them to seek God for deliverance. And yet we read in verse 21 “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

We wonder, “Why would they not repent?” It should not seem mysteriously strange as something never seen before when people today so callously turn their backs on Christ. This morning there are good preachers in pulpits all across America that lay the word of God before people and ask them to choose between life in heaven with Jesus Christ or eternal destruction in hell with Satan and his demons. Many recognize there is a problem, but rather than believe in Christ they say, “We will wait awhile. When we are finished with our fun and have tired of our vices, we will accept your Christ in time before we die.” This is a foolish thought because it is not in anyone’s power to receive Christ at any time he chooses. The human heart is depraved and incapable of turning to Christ unless the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit regenerates and brings the person to repentance and faith. Neither the worst of times nor the best of times are enough incentive to move a person to turn from his sins, give up self, and surrender all to the Saviour.

There are many that believe a preacher’s pleadings will save people. Some think salvation is an intellectual choice made by good sense and by the free will of man. They do not understand every faculty of man is depraved even, and perhaps most of all, his will. The will is enslaved to sin and cannot break free. We would as soon expect that pigs can fly as to believe a person is capable of turning his own heart to God. Revelation 9:20-21 shows that people with the strongest incentive to believe will never do so unless God speaks to their hearts and removes the natural hardness that keeps them from the truth of the gospel.

The most important lesson that you can learn from the end of this chapter is that to be saved you must humble yourself and plead for God’s mercy. God is in charge of your salvation not you! An arrogant attitude that says, “I will come when I am good and ready,” will never be acceptable to God. Trust Him today while the door of salvation is open. Tomorrow, He may choose close it.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. (Revelation 9:1)

Each week as we read through the Revelation, we are faced again and again with fascinating, intriguing scenes. Our reading today is in the ninth chapter as John sees more of the terrible woes that will come to earth during the Tribulation period. This is an era when God Himself will not only afflict the earth, but He will allow Satan to have more latitude to work his evil in the hearts of men. Although Satan is called the prince and the power of the air, and he is called the god of this world, he only has as much power as God allows him. During the Tribulation, God will take away some of the restraints that are placed on him now so that he will have much more freedom to do his worst. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, we are told the Holy Spirit’s restraining power that hinders Satan’s freedom will be removed.

In the ninth chapter, John sees a star fall from heaven to the earth. Many commentators note the tense of the verb should render this as fallen which means the star had already fallen. We are in agreement that the star that fell is Satan. The personal pronoun “him” is used which indicates the word “star” is used in a symbolic way. An account of Satan’s fall from heaven is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15. Jesus also said in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

Satan was created as one of the holy angels and most likely was of the highest order and chief among angels. When he fell he was not the only angel that rebelled against God. Revelation 12:4 is an indication that one-third of the angels joined him in his rebellion. Some of those angels, now known as demons, are active in the world today and are Satan’s helpers to bring temptation into our lives. However, not all of the demons remained free to assist Satan. Some were chained in the abyss and remain there today. During the Tribulation, Satan will be given the key to the abyss to allow the chained demons to go free and to torture people on earth. The Tribulation will be a time of both terrible mental and spiritual anguish. Demon possession will once again be prevalent because of the darkness of a world with little godly influence.

There are, however, some that will be saved during the Tribulation. In the seventh chapter, we learned that God will choose 144,000 from Israel that will become His witnesses. These are sealed and are under God’s protection (7:3, 9:4). They cannot be hurt by the demons that come from the abyss. I have often been asked if it is possible for Christians to become demon possessed. I am tempted to say, “YES!” because I know some church members that surely act as if they are. I am being facetious though because every Christian has the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never leaves us, so in order for Satan to possess a Christian he would have to drive the Holy Spirit out. This is impossible. Every Christian is forever protected from the powers of Satan. This is one of the marvelous benefits of our salvation. We belong to God and are safely held in both Jesus’ and the Father’s hand (John 10:28-29).

As you read this article today, are you confident of God’s protection? Do you know Christ as your Saviour? If not, you are wide open and completely vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. You may not understand this very well, but without Christ you are a subject of Satan’s kingdom. You are in rebellion against God even as the evil star that fell from heaven. One day God will end the rebellion of Satan’s kingdom. If you are still part of that kingdom, the devil’s punishment will be your punishment. Thank God He sent the bright and morning star to change your destiny! His name is Jesus (22:16) and He promised to deliver you from the kingdom of Satan if you will only trust Him as Lord and Saviour. Please do not delay—do not spend another day in the kingdom of darkness. Today is the day you can be saved!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Revelation 8:1)

This past summer, my wife and I had the privilege of an extended visit with our grandchildren. For more than two months, our house was filled with five grandchildren ranging from fifteen months to five years old. We got up with them, spent most of the day with them, fed them, bathed them, and then slept with them. For sixteen hours of the day, there was nonstop noise as they played, fought, and nearly killed each other. The only time there was a little peace was when they were sleeping, but I am sure they were dreaming how they could make the next day as chaotic as possible. We love our grandchildren and had a great time with them, but there were times we wished we could have just a few moments of peace and quiet.

I thought about this as I read the first verse of Revelation chapter 8. If you are planning to go to heaven for a little peace and quiet, I promise your dreams are only half true. It is not normal for heaven to be a quiet place. In the fourth chapter, we are told of angels and elders that fall before God’s throne and give Him praise. In the fifth chapter, there are ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands that sing praises. In chapter six, there are souls of martyred saints under the altar in heaven that cry out with loud voices for vengeance. In chapter seven there are millions of Gentiles that stand before the throne also crying out and worshipping God. Heaven will not be a quiet place!

This makes the scene in heaven in the opening of chapter 8 very strange. For half an hour, heaven goes stone cold silent. In his Revelation study, my father commented on this verse saying: “John sees the breaking of the last seal of the book and a strange thing happens. Prior to this all heaven resounded with the singing and praising of the Lord. Suddenly there is a deathly silence in heaven for half an hour. Volumes are written trying to explain the meaning of this silence, all kinds of speculations are made, some of them plausible, some of them foolish. Perhaps the best illustration and explanation comes from nature itself. In Kansas I have seen storm clouds gather and soon lightning began to flash and thunder peal, wind gusting and howling then suddenly an eerie calm. The chickens would all run for cover and the farm animals mill restlessly. Then suddenly the storm would break forth in all its fury with all the heavens seeming to explode in blinding flashes, deafening roars of thunder and mighty torrents of water plunging from the clouds as the storm poured out its wrath. This, I believe is the significance of the silence in heaven; God is setting the stage to hurl His wrath and indignation upon the earth, as the world has never seen before.”

What a frightening thought this is! The ominous silence of heaven is the cautious, reserved calm before the storm. Heaven becomes deafeningly silent as it awaits the wrath of God. The justice of the Creator will be poured out on unrepentant sinners that have rejected the mercy, love, and grace of God. Although we love peace and quiet, something tells me this quiet half hour will seem almost like eternity itself. I am thankful that I will be waiting out the half hour in heaven rather than on the earth. Do you know where you will be when this happens? I encourage you to be silent for a few minutes and listen to see if God is calling. Be still and know that He is God!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. [16] They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. [17] For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:15-17)

In the sixth chapter of Revelation, we are introduced to a seven year period of tribulation that will engulf the earth after the rapture of God’s people. Those of us that are believers in Christ are anxiously waiting the appearing of the Saviour because we expect our final salvation which is complete deliverance from the presence of sin. Those that are not believers can expect no such deliverance but instead will be plunged into this terrible time of God’s wrath poured out on the earth. In recent years, we have been astonished and saddened by the numbers of lives that have been lost in natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Sometimes these disasters take thousands of lives. In the tribulation, these types of disasters and others will be common and much more intense in their destruction. During this time, not thousands but multiple millions of lives will be lost.

In the seventh chapter, we see there is some hope for people that are left behind at the rapture. There are 144,000 Jews that are sealed by God—12,000 from each of the 12 tribes—that will become God’s witnesses of the gospel. Through their testimony, many people will receive the truth of the gospel and be saved. However, they will be terribly persecuted and many believe every one of them will be killed before the end of the Tribulation. Their lives will be characterized by hunger and thirst as they are not permitted to buy food or participate in the world’s economy. The armies of the Antichrist will relentlessly pursue them into their hiding places and cruelly take their lives (for a frightening perspective on this, read also Matthew 24).

In the end of the seventh chapter, these martyred Tribulation saints are seen in heaven where they gather around the throne of God to worship and continually serve Him. It is notable that all of the heartache and troubles they had on earth will be reversed as they enjoy the company of the Saviour who promised to feed them and lead them to living fountains of waters. W.A. Criswell in commenting on verse 16 explains the multiple use of negatives as God reverses the heartaches they had on earth. He writes: “The next description is: ’They shall hunger no more, they shall thirst no more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.’ These negatives are often used in Revelation. In the twenty-first chapter, where heaven is described, there is an abundance of negatives. The Greeks, as they wrote things, had an emphatic way of putting them down. In English, double negatives mutually eliminate each other. If you say, ‘don’t not,’ then you actually do. That is English. But in Greek, the more negatives are piled up, the more emphatic the meaning. We get the meaning, even in English when we do that. If someone said to you, “I don’t know nothing nohow,” you would get the idea that he did not know anything. If a man comes up to you and asks for a job, saying, ‘You don’t know nobody nowhere what wants nobody to work for him, don’t you?’, you know he is asking for a job. But that is good Greek. It may be bad English, but it is marvelous Greek. That is what God says here. He just piles up negatives, ‘no,’ ‘not,’ ‘neither,’ ‘nor,’ adding one to the other, as He describes God’s separate remembrance and provision for His people.”

I sincerely hope there is no one in our church that will be left behind when Jesus comes. Although millions will be saved during the tribulation, I have serious doubts that anyone who has heard the gospel prior to the coming of Christ will be afterwards convicted by the Holy Spirit to believe. While we say there is hope for some because of the witness of the 144,000, this is not any guarantee that any particular individual will ever come in contact with these witnesses, or if they do they will believe when the gospel is preached. The scripture says today is the day of salvation. There is no guarantee of tomorrow; and if tomorrow does come it may already be too late. Trust Christ today and be sure of your place at the throne of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. (Revelation 6:1)

Our congregational reading today is from the sixth chapter of Revelation. I hesitated somewhat before deciding we would continue reading in Revelation because the subject matter of the next chapters seems a little strange to read in the setting of a worship service. We take a literal futuristic view of Revelation so we do not accept the sixth chapter and those following as being largely symbols of events that are in the past and some that still remain to take place in the future. Nearly all commentators agree John wrote about events that were future to him, however they do not agree whether many of these events occurred between the time of John and the present time.

The confusion is due to the different schemes of interpretation relating to the timing of the Second Coming of Christ and of the characteristics of the millennium. Those that do not believe Christ will return to begin a literal, physical kingdom on the earth as the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant tend to interpret these verses as events Christians will live through before Christ returns. We believe Christ will first rapture His people from the earth and then a seven year period of tribulation will begin. The events of chapters 6 through 18 belong to the time of tribulation which is yet future. This tribulation is a terrible time of judgment in which God begins to purge the world of sin in preparation for the coming Kingdom.

Returning to the message of the sixth chapter, the chapter begins with the opening of God’s book. This book is a scroll and each section is marked off with a seal so each section cannot be read until its corresponding seal is broken. This is God’s title deed to the earth and no one is worthy to break the seals and open the book but the Lamb of God that was slain from the foundation of the world. He alone has power and authority to implement the plan for the earth’s reclamation (5:4-5).

The scroll contains God’s plan for the final redemption of the earth. When Adam disobeyed God, the entire creation was cursed. God’s plan is to lift the curse imposed in Genesis chapter 3. Since the fall of Adam in the Garden, Satan has usurped God’s authority upon the earth. As a result of the curse, man lost his dominion over the earth. The story of redemption is how God places all authority into the hands of Jesus Christ to take back our forfeited inheritance and claim it once again for Himself and His children. Redemption began at the cross and will continue until we reach a glorious future where we will rule and reign with Christ (5:9-10).

Each of the seals represents a time of judgment, and when the final seal is opened and fulfilled, the end result is the defeat of Satan and all the kingdoms of the world. Christ is then enthroned on the earth in an everlasting kingdom. Though the world as we know it will end after the millennium, Christ’s kingdom will never end. The form of the kingdom changes and shifts to the new heavens and the new earth, but as promised, Christ will never relinquish any part of His kingdom to evil again.

These chapters are difficult to read if we focus only on the immediate impact. They are not to be separated from the whole as the plan of final redemption unfolds. The struggle against evil is not a pretty sight. There are no pleasantries, no compromises, and no negotiations with the powers of darkness. Here we see how terrible sin is and what it costs to eradicate it from the earth. No one should imagine sin to be inconsequential. It has devastating effects and results in both physical and spiritual death. As we read through these chapters, remember where we are headed. It takes a terrible war to establish final peace and God will not rest until His people have the reward He has promised. Strewn in the way are all those that rebel against God. As the sixth chapter ends, we read these words, “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” The question is rhetorical and the answer is obvious. Christ comes to conquer and conquer He will. This is the objective. Keep it in mind as you read.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? [3] And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. [4] And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. [5] And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5:2-5)

Before our congregational reading last week in Revelation chapter 4, I remarked that chapters 4 and 5 are two of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The scene in these chapters is heaven where a vast throng of worshippers lift up their praises to the Lord Jesus Christ the one who is worthy of all worship. This heavenly scene is made up of innumerable majestic angels and of redeemed saints from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (5:9). Jesus Christ is worthy of worship for countless reasons, but we find the specific reason for this particular scene in verse 5 of chapter 5. Jesus is to be worshipped because He is the only one capable of claiming the title deed to the earth and redeeming the entire creation from the curse of sin.

We notice in verse 2 a question posed by a mighty angel, “Who is worthy to open the book?” The book refers to this title deed that is to be claimed by the one who can purge the earth of sin. A search is made in three places to find one suitable—heaven, earth, and beneath the earth. Our King James Version reads, “no man was found worthy”. This is better rendered as “no one” since it includes not only man but all creatures that have been created by God. There is no created being that is able to claim the title deed. This rules out all men and angels both elect and condemned.

Men are unable to redeem because the curse of sin is on us. In the creation, man was given dominion over the earth. However, when Adam sinned he forfeited the right to hold dominion and brought the curse to the entire earth. Because “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” man cannot be a suitable redeemer. Neither are angels suitable to redeem because they are unrelated to man. The earth is the inheritance of man and no angel can receive this inheritance. The heir to the earth must be a kinsman of the Adamic race. Since man has forfeited his rights through sin, the Redeemer must be both related to man and sinless. There is only one that matches this requirement. His name is Jesus which is the name given to the incarnate Son of God that came to earth to redeem the fallen race. He is related to man through human birth and yet does not have the sinful nature because His Father is God.

The scene of rejoicing in heaven is because God has not left the world without a Redeemer. John wept because the search of heaven and earth yielded no positive results. But when the Lamb of God stepped forward, heaven broke forth in peals of glory and praise. This chapter is moving because our Saviour was willing to do everything necessary to bring us salvation. The love of God in providing redemption by the sacrifice of His beloved Son causes wonder in heaven and earth. How can anyone do less than fall at His feet in worship crying, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, [11] Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:10-11)

In the beginning of the Revelation, John wrote, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are written therein: for the time is at hand” (1:3). Despite the blessing promised, there are many that are afraid to tackle Revelation and thus they miss this wonderful blessing. Two of my favorite chapters in the book are chapters 4 and 5, which are thrilling to the heart of those that desire to worship Christ. The scene in these chapters is heaven where an untold multitude of men and angels bow before the throne reverently chanting, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power…”

One of the most interesting aspects of these chapters is understanding the identity of the elders that are first mentioned in verse 4: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” We could spend a good deal of time exploring the many different ideas of who these elders are and what they represent. I believe they are representative of the saints of God of all time. Twelve of these elders represent the Old Testament and refer to the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve represent the apostles of the church in the New Testament era. Thus, God’s program for the world prior to the first advent of Christ and after the first advent is represented. This scene in heaven is a sure guarantee that everyone that places their faith in Christ will be in heaven.

Another interesting aspect is the crowns of gold that are worn by these elders. Verse 4 says they sit on “seats” which in the original language is the same as “thrones.” This indicates ruling authority. However, we notice in verse 10 these crowns are cast at the feet of Jesus. This means they recognize His supreme authority and are under His dominion. From this verse, many have mistakenly thought our crowns of reward will be given back. These are not crowns of reward but represent the merits of Christ that are freely given through the imputation of His righteousness. They are much like the white robes that represent the perfections of Christ. Rewards for faithful service to the Lord are not given back. They are ours to keep and will increase our joy in heaven.

Surely as we read this portion of scripture today, you must think about your own relationship to Christ. Have you submitted to His authority? Do you love Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind? If a painting could be made of this scene in heaven, would you be in the picture? Those that will not bow their knee to Him on earth will never have opportunity to bow to Him in heaven. A relationship with Jesus Christ requires trust in and reliance upon Him as Saviour and Lord. God’s wonderful promise is that all who receive Christ now will be accepted by Him and will live forever in this beautiful place He has prepared for them. Trust Him today and learn why He is worthy to receive, glory, honor, and power.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Today in our scripture reading we end the third chapter of Revelation and the messages Christ gave to the seven churches of Asia. The last church on the list is the church of the Laodiceans which was a church in the worst condition of the seven. Some deny this was a true church but was rather a group of people much like many groups today that name Christ but do not have a true gospel or any semblance to New Testament Christianity. I believe this was still a church of Christ but it was barely hanging on by a thread and was in imminent danger of losing its status as true church.

This was a church that was mired in complacency. Some commentators have noted the method of address to this church as Christ calls it the church of Laodicea rather than the church in Laodicea. This means the church had taken on the characteristics of the surrounding culture and had become a church of the world rather than in the world. “Of the world” is a phrase often used by Jesus and the apostles to describe people that have lifestyles and practices of ungodliness. It characterizes the lost. However, true Christians have been called out of the world as Jesus says in John 15:19: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” John wrote in his first epistle: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). Although we must live in the world our lives should not be of the world.

Perhaps the most telling remark concerning the character of this church is the statement Jesus made in verse 20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Clearly, He was on the outside of this church. They carried on business as usual without the head and founder of the church. They carried on without His power and authority. They were self-sufficient and never called on Him for strength to do His work. Scripture teaches the only way we can work for Christ is by God’s power (2 Cor. 3:5). They were a self-sufficient church as evidenced by verse 17 in which they claimed to be “rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” No wonder Jesus said, “I am on the outside. Hear my voice and let me in.”

This is the danger we face when we try to forge ahead with our own plans and do not stop to pray and ask God where He would have us go. As a church, we must be sure that we are not Christ-less. He must be on the inside of our church in the person of the Holy Spirit directing every move we make. As the hymn writer said in the old hymn Take Time to Be Holy: “Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul; each thought and each motive beneath His control; Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love, thou soon shall be fitted for service above.”

Jesus Christ is eager to be a part of our lives now and to prepare us for eternal service in heaven. We desire to be a part of this church as the author of Hebrews says: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect…” (Hebrews 12:22-23). If Christ is outside of our church, we will be left outside of His church.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

Our congregational reading today takes us to the third chapter of Revelation. There are three churches mentioned in this chapter. The first church is the church at Sardis which had a very peculiar reputation. They were known as the church that lived and yet was actually dead. The third church mentioned is the church at Laodicea. They were a wishy-washy stand for nothing and fall for anything church that disgusted our Lord. Sandwiched between these two is the church at Philadelphia, a church that received high praise for their faithful works, their steadfastness to obey God’s word, and their refusal to deny Christ in times of persecution.

The Philadelphian church is a good model for our church. I like the promise Jesus gave them in verse 10, “Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation…” This is great encouragement because we know that when we are faithful to trust the Lord completely, He will keep Satan from discouraging us in the work. The words of Christ to this church fit well with the message I will bring this week and next concerning the faith Jesus built in the disciples by walking on water and calming a raging storm.

Jesus purposely put the disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee during a storm to teach them a lesson about faith and bring them to the place of recognition that He is truly God. In the end of the story, the disciples for the first time worshipped Him as God saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matt.14:33). This is a very good way for us to look at the many trials we face both as a church and in our individual lives. Each difficulty gives us greater opportunity to see how the Lord can take care of us and give us peace in the midst of our storms.

The church at Philadelphia was promised they would not be overtaken by increasing tribulation. They stood the test at first and because they did they grew stronger in their faith. In their time, martyrdom was always a looming possibility, but the thought of losing all including their lives did not stop the faithful witness of this church. God’s promise was to bring them into the New Jerusalem, the city that God is preparing for the bride of Christ which is the church.

We would do well to remember this. We are to live for the eternal; no matter how difficult things become here, we will not fail to reach the heavenly city. God will never leave us or forsake us. The storm does not rattle Jesus and neither should it discourage us. Hold out! Keep the faith! As the song writer said, “I know the Master of the wind. I know the maker of the rain. He can calm the storm, make the sun shine again. I know the Master of the wind.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today we welcome everyone to the Berean Baptist celebration of Christmas. We sincerely hope you enjoy this Christmas season as you spend it with friends and family. We are especially thankful that you have chosen to spend this part of the season with us as we sing hymns of praise and proclaim the good news of God’s gift to the world.

Although Christians today place much emphasis on Christmas, this was not the case with early Christians. Today a good part of the year is spent in preparation for the Christmas season with many churches beginning their planning in the summer months. However, you will notice that when the disciples began to preach the wonderful salvation we have in Christ there is no mention of His birth. The focus is always the death and resurrection as these are the two key factors in the plan of redemption. Christ had to die to pay the penalty of our sins and He had to arise from the grave to seal the victory over sin and death. The apostles preached this message faithfully after Pentecost without mentioning the birth of Christ. The earliest recording of Christ’s birth was by Matthew which is traditionally placed about A.D. 37 or about 4 to 10 years after Christ’s death depending upon the correct dating chronology. Matthew’s details are a little sketchy as his intent was more to prove the kingship of Christ and His link to Old Testament prophecies rather than to present a Christmas pageant. Mark does not mention the birth of Christ at all and neither does John. Luke gives the most complete account, but he wrote more than 30 years after the death of Jesus. The lack of emphasis on Christmas in early gospel preaching is remarkable when compared to the extreme focus that is put on it today.

Are we to conclude from this that we need not spend time with Christmas? Is it better for us to downplay it and give it little emphasis? I think not because this season affords us a great opportunity to tell the truth of what Jesus came into this world to do. Early Christians did not have a holiday for the celebration of Christ’s birth, and neither was the world caught up in today’s revelry and mockery of Christmas. Since we do have the holiday now and people are at least somewhat aware of the reason we celebrate Christmas, why not use this time to the advantage of the gospel?

While some may think they are pristine in their apostolic practices by refusing to celebrate Christmas, it was the apostle Paul that said, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you” (1 Cor. 9:22-23). Paul gladly used whatever methods he could to win people to Christ as long as they did not conflict with scriptural teachings. The facts are that Christ was born; His birth is recorded; it was attended by angels, and celebrated by commoners like shepherds and also by the rich astute wise men called the magi. God expects us to be wise in our methods of gospel presentation. We are unwise not to use the season effectively for the cause of Christ. I must hasten to add, however, we are sinful if we engage in the same types of Christmas practices as the world. The cause of Christ is hurt not helped by Christians that partake in the shamefulness of liquor at office parties and the kind of evil talk and decadence that takes place. This kind of celebration should be Xmas not Christmas.

We sincerely encourage you to remember the chief end for all Christians. Our cause is to magnify and glorify Jesus Christ. Make sure you use Christmas for Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

…These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges…(Revelation 2:12b)

In the 2nd chapter of Revelation verse 12, Jesus addressed the pastor of the church in Pergamos. Pergamos was a city much like others in the Roman world. It was filled with idols and temples that were built in homage to a multitude of false gods. The wickedness found in each of these cities would meet or exceed the worst vice and corruption found in any city of today’s world. Pergamos, however, had a special designation; it was the place where “Satan’s seat is” (v.13). The word for seat is thronos the same from which we get “throne.” Many believe “Satan’s seat” has reference to emperor worship which gave the Roman Caesar status as a god along with the hundreds of mythological gods they worshipped. Pergamos, then, was the center for this diabolical practice of worshipping the emperor.

The 13th verse has reference to another horrible practice that has afflicted Christianity since the beginning, which is martyrdom. Any Christian that would not concede that Caesar was a god to be worshipped and would not say “Caesar is Lord” was put to death, often by the cruelest ways imaginable. The church in Pergamos was commended because in the face of this terrible persecution they had remained faithful to the Christian mantra which says “Christ is the only Lord.”

Several times in the Revelation we are reminded of the sword that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously the reference is not literal, but symbolizes the power of the words that are spoken by God. The emperors of Rome imposed their will through strong armies fighting physical battles. God has no need of physical weapons since He is able to bring the world into submission by the spoken word. “…He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:12). The assurance that God will overthrow the wicked is encouragement for His people to remain faithful and not fear martyrdom. He has the power to judge and destroy the wicked and the power to raise His dead saints to life.

Although the majority of the Revelation concerns future events, there is real application for Christians today. It is very easy to be discouraged when it appears we are making little to no headway against the increasing wickedness of our generation. It is best to remind ourselves that God does not live in the past or the future; He is the God of the eternal present. Are we waiting for God to come with the sword of His mouth? We need not wait because we possess the sword in the present. Hebrews says: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The reason Christians have not made more of an impact on our culture is because churches have abandoned the means by which we conquer. We have the double-edged sword which is the Bible, the powerful living word of God.

How do we make a difference in a place where it appears Satan has his throne? Know the word, live in the word, and most importantly share the word. The Holy Spirit uses it to convict sinners and change their hearts. People are born again “by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:22).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)

The second chapter of Revelation begins with high commendation for the church at Ephesus. This church was organized by Paul at the end of his second missionary journey, and then Paul returned to Ephesus on the third journey spending more than two years teaching the people the Word of God. The strength of this church is noted by the difficult doctrine Paul addressed them with in the letter to the Ephesians. As we read about this church in Revelation, we notice the people were still committed to these good doctrines and were contending for the faith that had been taught by Paul. They were especially strong in refuting the theological errors of false teachers.

At the time of the Revelation, about 40 years had passed since this church was founded and about 30 years since Paul wrote his highly doctrinal epistle to them. In the first chapter of the epistle, Paul made this comment: “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers…” Paul specifically mentions the “faith” of the church and also their “love.” A grounded faith made it possible for Paul to write the epistle which contains doctrines on which the best of theologians differ in interpretation. Evidently, this church was grounded enough to understand what Paul wrote and properly interpret and apply the instruction.

When Christ addressed the church in the Revelation, the faith was still there; the doctrines were still maintained, but love had become the missing ingredient. It seems a cold, dead orthodoxy had overtaken the church while a real heart for Christ and others was missing. They had left their first love which is Christ, and whenever this occurs love for others will be impossible to maintain. Our love for others flows out of our love for Christ. Joseph Parker wrote: “The head may be right while the heart is going in a wrong direction. I am indeed anxious that we should maintain a Scriptural theology, that we should ‘hold fast the form of sound words’; at the same time we must remember that a technical theology will never save a soul; and that a mere verbal creed will never protect and increase our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As pastor of Berean, I too am anxious that we should “hold fast the form of sound words.” I am anxious that we should “earnestly contend for the faith.” But I am also anxious that our doctrine does not mask a cold heart that is never really as near to Christ as it should be. I believe if Jesus wrote a letter to our church we would be commended for the stand we take on His Word. We would be commended for teaching scripture and not giving in to the modern church growth movement that says we need something more personally appealing to captivate the senses of today’s church (or unchurched) crowd. However, I am concerned that He would not commend us for our love for Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). I encourage each of you to examine your lives for obedience to Christ. How do you live? If Jesus spoke to you today would he say, “Good job sticking to your doctrines, nevertheless I have somewhat against you?”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; [15] And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (Revelation 1:14-15)

What did Jesus look like? This is an interesting question and one I am sure any reader of scripture has wondered. I believe my experience with reading novels and other types of stories is similar to that of most people. If the book is fiction, we don’t have any way of knowing what the characters look like except for the image the author is able to put in our minds by his descriptive and imaginative use of language. We visualize the person in our minds as we think they would appear, but if we were good artists and were asked to make a painting of the characters I am sure the pictures would be quite different. Sometimes novels are made into movies and the actors that play the parts often become our permanent visualization of the characters.

Although Jesus was real (and still is!), there were no portraits made of Him. Neither is there a detailed description of Him in the Bible or from any other source. Still, if you ask what Jesus looked like, there is nearly unanimous agreement. Many have pictures on their walls that supposedly represent Him. These pictures need no labels because they are immediately recognized. These are the imagination of men and have become ingrained in our minds over a few centuries.

Many good Christian people own these portraits, but they steadfastly maintain they represent the man only and they would never consider them to be an image of worship. However, these same people treat the picture in a different way than other pictures. They would never think of defacing it because do so would be to treat Jesus with irreverence. There is one word that describes this feeling: IDOLATRY.

Any picture, statue, or other likeness of God is forbidden by scripture. Likewise, any images made of other people living or dead or of any angelic beings or creatures that are used in churches or other places as a part of worship is forbidden. We could go to the Ten Commandments and easily rule these out, but we can also apply the simple test that is applied to portraits of Jesus. Could you as easily disfigure, break apart, and/or dispose of the image as you would any other item? If not, the image has become your idol. We are to carefully avoid these representations because of the spiritual danger that is involved. Idol worship is satanic and was a major sin to which Israel succumbed even while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments on Sinai. In the New Testament, the scriptures broadened the interpretation of idolatry to include sins like covetousness. This means anything that takes first place in your life above God is an idol. If idolatry is possible without an actual physical image, how serious is a real image?

What did Jesus look like? No one knows. We only know there was nothing physically attractive about Him. People were not drawn to Him for His good looks and manly physique. He could have passed for any normal person on the street. The most important question is not “What did Jesus look like?” The most important question is, “What did He do for sinners like me?”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

Today’s congregational reading takes us to the first chapter of the book of Revelation. Recently, we finished nearly four years of study in this book which is one of the most interesting in the Bible. Previous to our study, I had more questions about Revelation and more interest in beginning a study in this book than in any other. At that time, I warned everyone that usually more people are interested in the Antichrist and what he will do rather than in the real Christ who is the subject of the book.

The first chapter piques the interest of God’s people almost immediately as John writes there is a blessing for everyone that reads and hears the words of this prophecy (v. 3). Despite this promised blessing, many Bible teachers have avoided Revelation because it seems so mysterious. As we learned, much of Revelation is demystified by taking a literal approach to the material rather than making nearly every verse a symbol for something else. For example, the climax of the book is in the 19th chapter in which Jesus Christ appears as the rider on a white horse. He is called faithful and true (19:11) and the name written on His garments is KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (19:16). This appearance of Jesus is the beginning of His millennial kingdom on the earth.

This kingdom is a literal kingdom that will be a golden age in which Christ will reign over the entire earth in perfect righteousness. He will sit on the throne of David as Israel’s last and greatest King. This is the kingdom promised in the Old Testament and is not to be confused with the church, or the time we are living in now. It is a real future event and cannot be explained away as being merely a spiritual kingdom.

As redeemed, born again believers in Christ, we live in anticipation of this kingdom. If we are living when Christ returns, we shall be immediately changed to receive a glorified body (1 Cor. 15:51-53). If we have died and our spirit is in heaven, our bodies will be resurrected to rejoin our spirit in a glorified body (1 Thess. 4:14-17). At that time, we can accurately predict the beginning of Christ’s kingdom on earth. After seven years of purging the earth through a terrible time of tribulation, Jesus will establish His authority as the Almighty King.

We love to read and study Revelation because it comforts us in the assurance that God has a predetermined plan for the final exaltation of Christ. There is no need to fear the wickedness of the world or be distraught when it seems the demons of hell have control. Revelation tells us how all believers will triumph in the victory of Christ. The earth is His and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24). He is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending…which is, which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And of some have compassion, making a difference: [23] And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Jude 1:22-23)

Last week in my comments on the epistle of Jude, I spoke of Jude’s encouragement for believers to stand firm in the faith. “The faith” is the whole body of Christian doctrine that has been given to us through the pages of the Holy Scriptures. We are told in verse 3 to contend for the faith and in verse 17 to remember the words spoken by Jesus and the apostles when they warned about those that mock and subvert the faith. When they reach their final stage of apostasy they are to be put out of the church (Titus 3:8-11).

Jude follows numerous verses of warning about subversives with an interesting comment in verse 22. He asks for compassion in dealing with them because there are some that can be brought back when they are handled with loving care. Some have been deceived without realizing it and if they are treated correctly the Holy Spirit can use us to bring them back to the truth.

As I read this passage, my eyes were fixed on the word compassion. This is a word that means we are affected deeply within. If I could put it in another way, it is the willingness to show mercy from the deepest, kindest affections. The word is applied in these verses toward the wayward that we desire to see come back to the faith, but I also thought how it can be applied to those that are helpless and hurting and suffering. We have a few people in our congregation that are going through some really tough physical illnesses. We place their names on the prayer page, but I wonder how many of us really feel their suffering as if it was happening to us? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12 that members of the church should have such care for one another that when one member suffers all the members suffer with him.

It is easy for members of the same church to forget the problems of others especially when so many people are consumed with self. Many times we are just “acquaintances” of people at church and there is no feeling of closeness to them. There is no sense of family which would lead us to genuine care and concern for others. This is part of the function of the church. Our church should be a place of camaraderie, of people that are going to the same place and are living with the same desires. When you see words like compassion, forgiveness, and love in scripture, remember these are words that are also applied to God. When we are told to have compassion, it means as “God is full of compassion” (Ps. 86:15). Forgiveness is to forgive “as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph.4:32). To love others is as “Christ also hath loved us, and given himself for us…” (Eph. 5:2). These are characteristics of God that are intended to be a part of the person recreated in Christ. Colossians says we have put off the old man (old desires and way of life) “And have put on the new man, which is renewed after the image of him that created him” (Col. 3:10).

Think about God’s expectations from His people whenever you hear about another member that is hurting. Be ready to give aid with a kind compassionate heart. Jesus said “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)

Today in our scripture reading we turn to the epistle of Jude, a short letter that was written by the half-brother of Jesus. In the message today, Jude will be mentioned along with the other brothers and sisters of Jesus that were children of Mary and Joseph. Jesus was related to them through Mary but not Joseph since Mary became pregnant by the seed of the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin. While Jesus and Jude grew up together in the same house, Jude did not believe Jesus was the Messiah until after His resurrection from the dead. As we see in the first verse of this letter, Jude became a Christian and was unwavering in his faith that Jesus was the Christ.

Although this letter is short, it is packed with encouragement for believers and with stern warnings for unbelievers. Believers are encouraged to remain steadfast in the faith because truth was being attacked from all sides. “Earnestly contend for the faith,” is not a command about personal faith even though it may apply, but rather a command to defend the entire body of Christian faith that was given by Jesus to the apostles. We often categorize biblical doctrines as essential and nonessential. I cannot find anything in scripture about nonessential doctrines. I know there are preferential positions that may not be concretely supported by biblical texts, but there are no doctrines of the Christian faith that are nonessential.

It is important to note that Jude believed the entire body of faith had been given. It had been given once, meaning given once for all time, which is tantamount to saying, the revelation of the faith was complete. Some of the New Testament was written after Jude wrote this letter, but no parts of it modified anything that was previously given. The faith was settled; Christian doctrine has no new parts that have been established since the completion of the New Testament canon. The scriptures are the pillar and ground of the truth and no church tradition can alter the written word of God.

Thomas Manton (1620-1677), perhaps the ablest commentator on the book of Jude, wrote the following observation about scripture: “The mercy of God appeareth in preserving it, that it may be delivered from one age to another. No doctrine so ancient as the doctrine of the scriptures; it describeth the whole history of the world from the very creation, and the original of all things. Where are there records so ancient? And yet they have been preserved even to our time. We have some ancient writings of the heathens, though nothing so ancient as scripture; but these are not contrary to men’s lusts, and have been cherished by them, and yet they have felt the tooth of time, and are in a great measure mangled; but the word of God hath been maligned and opposed, and yet it continueth; and holdeth up its head in the world: not only the main doctrine of the scriptures hath been continued, but no part of the word hath been falsified, corrupted, destroyed: the world wanted not malice nor opportunity; the powers of the world have been against it, and corrupt persons in the church have been always given to other-gospelling, Gal. 1:6,7; 1 Tim. 6:3; but still the scriptures have been wonderfully preserved, as the three children in the furnace, not a hair singed, not a jot and tittle of truth perished.” (A Commentary on Jude, Thomas Manton)

I believe part of the importance of verse 3 is that not only is God’s word preserved, but also the proper interpretations of it are kept intact by faithful “contenders.” The world will not fail to have a witness of the true gospel as long as it shall stand. God providentially protects a pure stream of gospel preaching even though at times it is very difficult to find. In times past, persecution drove the church underground, but the gospel was never lost. In our time and in our city, Christianity is mostly “Christ-less” with its emphasis on self help. A new faith has been delivered that will quickly change as soon as the church growth gurus figure a different and better method to fill the pews. And yet, Berean Baptist Church is here fighting the good fight of faith and contending for the entire body of faith that was once delivered unto the saints.

The “faith” was not popular in the time of the apostles and has never been popular since. The cross was an offense then and it still is today. We do not seek to be popular by giving people a watered down poisoned version of the gospel. We are not interested in “other-gospelling” as Manton called it. We have the “faith once delivered unto the saints” and we will preach it while hated by the world, and yet loved by God’s saints!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John v.4)

One of my favorite characteristics of the Apostle John’s writings is the terms of endearment he used towards his children in the faith. John was their spiritual father and much like a physical father loves to see his children happy and prosperous, John loved to see God’s people prospering in all spiritual blessings. A common theme in John’s writings is his emphasis on truth. He is not only concerned that believers know the truth but that truth would always rule their lives.

The feeling John had toward those he ministered to is the same a pastor feels towards those that he shepherds and have been entrusted to his care. John emphasized the keeping of commandments as evidence of true saving faith. As we discussed on many occasions, Jesus said the whole law is comprehended in these two sayings: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” A pastor has nothing else to use as a gauge for the spiritual welfare of the people. He must evaluate their service on the basis of its demonstration of walking in the truth of these two statements.

A pastor becomes very concerned when those that claim salvation are consistently urged to walk in the light of truth and yet they choose activities that are harmful to the cause of Christ. It is one thing to live in a grey area without understanding clearly what you are doing wrong, and quite another to know the error and be convicted of it and then choose to disobey anyway. This is not a characteristic of one that truly knows Christ. Even worse is to be told very clearly you are doing something sinful and not be convicted by the Holy Spirit. The scriptures teach that God convicts and chastises His children. Those that sin without chastisement are not children of God (Hebrews 12:5-11).

There was a time when Christians (to their shame) would keep their sins hidden from the church. The sin could continue perhaps for years and no one would find out about it. All of us at some time or another have probably lived in this type of hypocrisy. But “times are a changing!” Now to their greater shame, I am amazed Christians will parade their sins for the whole world to see as their lives are constantly plugged into social media. Nothing is more defiant of truth than to see filthy language and pictures, and sometimes downright meanness posted on interactive media. Purchasing a billboard on highway 101 to advertise sin would be no less defiant than church members that regularly update and timestamp their ungodly vices on Facebook!

Should we wonder why ministry is sometimes so difficult and ineffective? Sin in the camp is a destroyer of God’s work (Joshua 7:7-13). Thank God there is a remedy! Pastors would be stressed to the max and unable to function if we believed we were responsible to change people. This is God’s work and we trust the Holy Spirit to make the word effectual. When the pastor preaches about sin, it is not to hurt anyone. It is to exhort and correct so God’s blessings will be on your life and you will prosper spiritually. The pastor rejoices when his spiritual children walk in truth.

This article has dealt mostly with obedience to “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” In light of the ever present social media, what about the second statement “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?” Stop for just a moment and evaluate where you stand with God. Who in the church have you “defriended” rather than forgiven? There is much to think about in these two statements of Jesus. Are you walking in the truth? Do you actually want to?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 9)

This evening in our services we begin a new series of messages on evangelism. For the next two months, each message will emphasize some aspect of the gospel including the truth of the message we preach, the necessity of it, the desire to proclaim it, and the church’s role in the propagation of it. Tonight we will briefly speak on each of these issues, but if I were to choose the most important of the different aspects, it has to be the gospel itself. We must have the right gospel or else all the peripherals are useless.

The loss of the true gospel message is the most serious issue of all because without the truth people cannot be saved. John wrote, ”Whosoever…abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” Recently one of our members related a conversation with a pastor of a large congregation nearby. A simple question was asked, “Do you believe salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone?” The pastor answered affirmatively and enthusiastically. A second question was asked, “Do you believe a Christian can lose his salvation?” It was a great follow-up question because it began to break down this pastor’s understanding of what it means to be saved by grace through faith alone. The pastor replied as if this subject was a secondary issue and that some in the church believed it is possible while others did not. He preferred not to teach either way because it was not really important. This is actually very important because this pastor in effect denied salvation by grace and justification by faith alone. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “That doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is, I believe, as thoroughly bound up with the standing or falling of the gospel as is the article of justification by faith. Give that up, and I see no gospel left.”

This pastor’s response is not unusual among so-called “evangelistic churches.” They do not abide in the doctrine of Christ and therefore there is no saving gospel in their churches. If there is no gospel, what is their purpose? What does their church actually do? A recent article in Tabletalk magazine summed it up well. The author said:

“Every weekend in churches everywhere, music is performed to the glory of human skill and artistry. Once upon a time, I sat through a little ditty in a church service in which the congregation was led to sing, ‘I can change the world with these two hands,’ and the question struck me like a lightning bolt: ‘Who exactly am I worshipping right now?’”

“Likewise, every weekend men and women file into church buildings in order to exult in the rhetorical skill of their preacher, to admire him and think of their church as his church, not Christ’s church. Many of us file in each week to enjoy the conspicuous spiritual exercises of our brethren. We worship the worship experience; we tithe with expectation of return from heaven’s slot machine; we dress to impress; and we serve and lead to compensate for the inadequacies in our hearts that only Christ can fill. Every weekend, hundreds of preachers extol a therapeutic gospel from the pages of the same Bible where the real gospel lies.” (Tabletalk, June 2012)

This is the pitfall we seek to avoid in Berean Baptist Church. We will hold steadfastly to the doctrine of Christ that teaches we are enemies of God and our greatest need is to be reconciled to Him. This is accomplished by recognition of our sinful depravity, repentance from our vile wickedness, and faith alone in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. This is the only gospel that saves!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (1 John 5:1)

For those of you that do not keep abreast of news among the various Christian denominations, you may not be aware of the significant occurrence that happened in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) recently. For the first time in its history, the SBC elected a black president. This is very significant because the SBC was formed prior to the Civil War due to a split among Baptists over the issue of slavery. The Southern Baptists were in favor of slavery, which as you might expect turned very quickly from a civil issue into a theological one. Baptists in the North could no longer in good conscience remain in fellowship with those in the South because of their dehumanization of this race of people.

As you are aware, the Southern states held on to their prejudices well past the end of the Civil War and in some areas those prejudices still strongly remain. I grew up in the South and am well acquainted with racially segregated churches. Much of this is due to prejudice, but in some cases it is preferred by both blacks and whites as a matter of ministerial prudence. I do not have space to delve into the reasons here, but suffice it to say sometimes ministers have to deal with issues as they are. The most important issue is the condition of the heart, and until people truly understand how the gospel produces an indissoluble union between all the redeemed in Christ we have to deal with people as they are. It is fruitless to attempt a real reformation of attitudes without the Holy Spirit’s regeneration of the mind.

Our church has serious doctrinal issues with the SBC mainstream. More than fifty years ago my church in Kentucky disassociated with the SBC over theological liberalism which has only grown worse since that time. There is a reform movement in the SBC to bring it back to its original theological base (minus the racial prejudice, of course), which we whole heartedly endorse. I have no idea where the new SBC president stands on doctrinal issues. However, I do know where a man stands on the word of God is far more important than his race.

With these thoughts in mind, we turn to the passage before us. 1 John 5:1 teaches the unity of all believers in Christ. If we love Christ, we will love every person that has become a child of God through faith in Him. I have often spoken of the joy of racial diversity in our church. It is comforting to know that God works in the hearts of people of all races and nationalities. The gospel is the same for all and is not confined to one people group. God respects no person because of race. He only sees two people groups in the world. Either they are believers and are in His kingdom or they are unbelievers and are in the kingdom of Satan. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom while Satan’s kingdom will be destroyed.

One of the most important points made by John in this epistle is this defining characteristic of God’s people: Christians love other Christians. The love of Christ for us produces the love of Christ in us. We love Christ supremely which in turn causes us to love every other person that He loves. Regard for this important principle is the backbone for peace, love, and harmony in the church.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

1 John chapter 4 returns us to a theme that was the subject of one of our bulletin articles last month. This is the repeated warning in scripture concerning those that pervert the gospel of Christ. In Galatians, Paul was extremely condemning of those that taught a false gospel telling the Galatian believers that such false teachers are under the curse of God: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). Peter spoke similarly in 2 Peter chapter 2 saying these teachers “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (v. 1).

I believe these verses are very appropriate in connection with our current study of Matthew chapter 13. In the first parable of the chapter, Jesus speaks of a sower that sows seed in his field. The seed is “the word of the kingdom” (v. 19) which is the same as the “word of God” (Luke 8:11). The sower (farmer) is compared to the gospel witness who sows the word of God in the hearts of lost sinners. Jesus is primarily referring to Himself, but by extension every Christian is responsible to sow the word by being a faithful witness. The parable shows how the Kingdom of God will grow during the current age before Christ returns to earth.

As important as witnessing to others is for the growth of the Kingdom, it is equally important that we sow the right seeds. The next parable speaks of Satan who is busily sowing the wrong seed that develops into tares which are deceptively similar to wheat yet are highly dangerous if ingested. We can compare this to these often repeated warnings of scripture that false teachers are at work preaching dangerous false doctrines. Those deceived by these doctrines will lose their souls in hell. Sadly, the hardest people to reach are those that have believed the wrong gospel and are satisfied they are safe.

The apostle John cautions us to examine every teacher and his doctrine carefully. His particular interest concerned those that denied the incarnation of Christ (4:2-3). The scope of doctrine is broadened, however, in verse 15 in which John says those that confess Christ as the Son of God are true believers. Obviously, this does not mean simple acquiescence to this statement since there are many that affirm this belief and yet teach damnable heresies concerning it. This is why every facet of a teacher’s doctrine must be scrutinized. Each area must be compared to scripture to see if the teacher has altered the precious seed in any way. One type of tare is a person that says he believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour, but has a very different view of the doctrine of His deity. “Jesus is the Son of God” is a declaration of the co-equality of the Father and Son. Anyone that denies this is sowing harmful seeds that will not produce saving faith.

Be on the alert for these kinds of people. Be sure to ask them, “Who is the Jesus you believe?” Examine closely—poisonous seeds are everywhere.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. [19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (1 John 3:18-19)

The apostle John is often called the apostle of love. His close intimate friendship with Jesus caused him to describe himself in the Gospel of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Love is a very important issue in John’s writings, and he argues in the epistle of 1 John that one of the proofs that we are truly Christians arises from the demonstration of love that we have for people in general and for our brothers and sisters in Christ in particular. There is much to be said on this subject as love is a foundational building block of Christian doctrine. God loved the world and sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus loved His Father and in submissive obedience He went to the cross with joy knowing that by His selfless act He would receive God’s elect people as His inheritance.

God’s love in sending His own Son to die for us is a pattern for every Christian. This is especially true when we consider our relationship to God before our salvation. The scriptures teach that all of us are sinners. We defy God by breaking His commandments, which in scriptural terms is a demonstration of hatred. We are born depraved and by nature are the enemies of God. And yet in this vile, rebellious condition, God still loved us and was willing to give us grace and mercy. The marvelous truth of God’s love is that while we were in this state of rebellion and were enemies He gave Christ to show that He truly loved us and desired to reconcile us and bring us into a loving relationship with Him.

This type of love is a pattern for Christians because it is not natural for us to practice sacrificial love. Too often our love is expressed with words but is not followed with actions. The apostle John was an observer of Christ. He saw love in action as He watched Christ humbly and obediently go to the cross. Jesus vividly demonstrated love in front of John’s eyes as the God-man that had power to destroy His enemies simply bowed His head and said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Whenever we are willing to forgive others no matter how they have wronged us, we show the love of Christ in our hearts. John said when we love in deed and truth, “hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”

Are you sure of your salvation? This is one of the ways you can evaluate your commitment to Christ to find out if it is real. Are you harboring grudges? Are there people in the church that you will not associate with because you feel you have been wronged? The first step is not for them to come to you. The first step is for you to go to them and tell them that you forgive them. Imagine how our condition would be different if God waited for us to come to Him so He could forgive us. None of us would be forgiven because we would never come. He came to us because we would not go to Him.

Pattern your life after Christ. Assure your heart that you are truly a child of God by love and forgiveness of your brothers and sisters in Christ. “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:10)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:4,8)

There is scarcely a person living in the United States that has not heard the word “sin.” Those of us in Bible believing churches hear it often; perhaps in our church there is never a service that it is not mentioned. We hear it in Sunday School classes, in congregational singing, in prayers, and of course in sermons. If you were asked to give a definition of sin, could you easily define it? What is sin? These two verses help identify sin and define it. 1 John 3:4 says “sin is the transgression of the law” and verse 8 says that “sin is of the devil.” The first statement links sin to the law of God and the second links it to Satan, the arch enemy of God.

This simple definition tells us that sin is lawlessness. Whenever you break one of God’s commandments, you have sinned against Him. Most of the time we think of breaking the Ten Commandments and when going down the list we think we have done fairly well because we don’t have idols in our houses, we don’t curse (at least not often), we think pretty highly of mom and dad, we don’t shoplift, we haven’t killed anybody, and so on. So all in all, we are pretty good people.

The Bible teaches that sin is much deeper than a list of do’s and don’ts. Sin is a condition inherent in human nature, so that the attitude of our hearts is one of rebellion and lawlessness. To see if this is true, test yourself when you see a friend move into a really nice house or driving a new car. Is there a bit of envy there? Are there people at work that really get under your skin and sometimes you mumble under your breath that you would like to take them down a notch or two? These are expressions of the sinful nature and are just a smidgen of the hundreds of ways we transgress God’s law every day.

Rather than admit we are sinners, we either try to redefine sin or excuse it. It is not uncommon for people to reclassify sin as a simple mistake or to accept it and excuse it as being a part of our personality disorder. Some blame their childhood, some their environment—whatever they can do to avoid being personally responsible. None of this helps with the real problem. We can redefine and reclassify all we want, but it will not change the fact that sin is the transgression of God’s law and there is a penalty incurred because of it. None of us will escape the penalty if we are left alone to deal with it.

Here is the good news about sin and Satan who is the originator of it. Verse 8 says that Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. The devil’s work is sin and this means Christ is able to conquer sin and the one that instigates it. When we receive Christ as Saviour, His blood cleanses us from sin and the power of sin and Satan is broken.

The most important action you can take against sin is to stop excusing it and to trust in Jesus the only one that can help you. To do less is to face the penalty of transgression all alone. When this happens, no excuse will satisfy God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)

Last week in our Sunday Morning Forum Class we had a discussion about the meaning of the term “last days.” This term is used several times in both Old and New Testaments but is often misunderstood. Sometimes the same concept is expressed in the way the apostle John did in 1 John 2:18 when he says “it is the last time.” Since the Bible was completed two thousand years ago, we might think the writers were referring to a far off time, perhaps to our own or some future date. However, it is clear from John’s present tense usage, “it is the last time,” that the time he was living in was also considered the last days. Hebrews 1:1-2 defines the last days as a time period inaugurated with the first advent of the Messiah. This means for these past two thousand years we have been living in the last days and will be until Christ returns to close out this period of earth’s history.

The last days are characterized as a time of growth in the kingdom of God. We will see this as we study Matthew 13 and the seven parables Jesus taught concerning the kingdom. This is a time for God’s people to witness the gospel, or as Jesus illustrates in the first parable of Matthew 13, it is a time to sow the seeds of the gospel. This is also a time of great opposition. In the second parable, Jesus describes how Satan will sow tares among the wheat. These are poisonous plants that represent the children of darkness who hate the works of Christ. Using the term “antichrists,” which is peculiar to John’s writings, John describes the character of these tares. They are “anti” meaning “against Christ.” They try to destroy the growth of the kingdom by teaching false doctrines.

Antichrists are very dangerous because the most effective work they do is when they are able to infiltrate churches with these false doctrines. These are not people that stand outside throwing stones. Rather they are people with cunning deceit that worm their way into the church and eat away at it from the inside. They represent false Christianity and their main target is Christ Himself. If they can destroy doctrines such as the deity of Christ, the penal substitutionary nature of the atonement, justification by faith alone, the inerrancy of scripture, and other essential doctrines they are successful at destroying the gospel before it can ever take root in the heart.

John and other Bible authors warn us to be on the lookout for any deviation from the truths taught by Jesus and the apostles. The theme of 1 John is the apostle’s systematic criteria for identifying those that are not true believers. If these false teachers are characteristic of the end times, then we are sure that John was not the only one living through the last days. We are in the heat of it at this moment, especially when the people of this country have become dreadfully confused about the definition of true Christianity. When Mormons are considered Christian, you know we are in trouble! We must be very diligent to “contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude v. 3). We are surrounded by antichrists—not my term but John’s—and a very appropriate description it is.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Today in our congregational reading we begin with the first chapter of 1 John. We recently finished this book in our Wednesday night studies so I know the theme is familiar to many of you. This is truly a remarkable little book in which John helps Christians to find assurance of their faith. In order to have assurance, a Christian most know that he is actually in the faith. John uses this letter to to explain how you may know that you are a Christian. He proceeds along three lines of proof. There is a doctrinal test, a moral test, and a social test. The doctrinal test concerns the proper knowledge of the person of Christ. The moral test is obedience to God’s commandments, and then thirdly the social test is our love for other Christians. A true believer will be right in all three areas.

A true believer will also realize what to do when he feels himself failing in any of these areas. Failure is sin which is a problem we all struggle with every day of our lives. It is impossible for us to stop sinning altogether since the sin nature is not eradicated when we become Christians. We will not be entirely sanctified until we reach the immortal state. We also cannot be content in sin else we are not true believers. The question then becomes, “What do we do when we sin?” 1 John 1:9 has the answer for this. We are to come to the Father with confession and repentance. When we do, we have the promise that He will forgive our sins and will keep us in fellowship with Him by the continual cleansing of Christ’s blood (1:7).

Recognition of sin is a critical factor for our happiness. Our desire is not to sin and the desire is fueled by three important factors. We do not want to sin because it violates our conscience. We do not want to sin because it violates God’s commandments, and we do not want to sin because sin has consequences. Our conscience has been renewed in regeneration so that it has a strong aversion to sin. The Holy Spirit convicts through the conscience so that we cannot be happy living in sin. We also know that God has commanded us not to sin. A real Christian will not be happy if he disobeys His heavenly Father. We also cannot be happy when we sin because the consequence of sin is chastisement. While we are never in danger of eternal punishment, there are temporal corrections that for a time can be very unpleasant. Hebrews says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11). We do not like chastisement but we are eventually made happy by it because it has the effect of bringing us to our knees in confession which in turn brings the cleansing desired in 1 John 1:9.

As we read through 1 John, pay particular attention to how John emphasizes the factors that help develop assurance. A careful reading of the book will cause you to cautiously evaluate your salvation. We are encouraged to do this because confidence in our faith makes for happy Christians!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

To me, the 2nd epistle of Peter is one of the most interesting books in the Bible. I am impressed with the absolute assurance Peter had of his faith in Christ and in God’s plan for the redemption of His people. I am reminded of the conversation Peter had with Jesus after Jesus told him Satan was hot on his trail or as He put it, ”Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat.” Peter told the Lord, “I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” It was then that Jesus told him in that same night he would deny Him three times.

Peter is the apostle that Jesus prayed for that his faith would not fail, and after that fateful night when Peter did indeed betray the Lord he went out and wept bitterly. I believe it was at this point Peter was strengthened and poised to become a great leader of the faith. Soon he would see the risen Lord and his mission would become crystal clear. We see him in the first chapter of Acts as the “take charge” apostle and then in the second chapter as the fiery preacher that led three thousand souls to the Lord with one sermon.

This book was written shortly before his death and if we could sum up Peter’s desire in the last words that he wrote we can say he wanted to go out with a bang. His confidence in Christ shows up in the first chapter as he describes seeing a glimpse of Christ in His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. His fiery temper is apparent in the second chapter as he shows no tolerance for false teachers. And then in the third chapter comes the bang. He describes how Jesus Christ will return in power and glory and how in a great deafening noise the heavens and the earth as we know them will be destroyed. All is not lost however, because the promise of God is sure that a new heaven and new earth will appear and the righteousness of God will reign supreme.

Peter wrote this while knowing his death would soon come. Tradition says that he was crucified on a cross upside down. Whether or not this is true, we do know that Jesus said Peter would be carried by others to his death and his hands would be outstretched (John 21:18). Many believe this is an allusion to his death on a cross. It is clear this information did not shake Peter’s confidence. He was ready to die and he left his readers with a command to live in the light of Christ’s return. He wrote: ”Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (3:14).

Peter’s courage inspires us to wait for the Lord and to endure patiently any hardships we may face. The world is against us and believes we are utterly foolish to expect Christ’s return. The world is doing now as Peter describes; they mockingly ask “Where is the promise of his coming?” By and by, they shall see. God will end this world with a bang and the end will be the exaltation of His people with Him in glory!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:1-2)

The second chapter of 2nd Peter begins with a solemn warning for Christians in every generation. In the first century, the seeds of heresy were already beginning to grow as Satan was busily trying to tear down the work of the gospel and blind people’s eyes to the truth. The apostle Paul speaks of Judaizers in Galatians chapter 1 that taught a false gospel that opposed the teaching of pure grace and faith alone as the instrumental cause of justification. The apostle John spoke of antichrists that denied the incarnation and the full deity of Jesus Christ. Jude warns about deceivers that sneak into the church bringing heresies that deny the faith that was given through the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is a very common theme in the New Testament and one that we should be keenly aware of.

We may be tempted to think that false teachers will boldly announce themselves and it will be very apparent they are not teachers of truth. We might think we can easily identify them and thus protect the church from their harm. The language of scripture gives us a very much different picture. False teachers are subtle in their activity. Peter says they “privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” This means they come secretly and in disguise. Jude says they creep in unawares. The truth is they may be hard to detect. They bring just enough truth with their lies to be believable and if a Christian is not fully armed against them by having a firm foundation to his faith, he can be led down a path to destruction. While it is true that no born again believer can be destroyed in hell, it is just as true that Satan can ruin a Christian’s influence by undermining his ability to clearly articulate the doctrines of the faith. For this reason, we must be diligent students of God’s word. We must not only be able to state the doctrines of the faith, we must know why they are true. I am afraid this is where the vast majority of Christians fail. They know enough and believe enough to be saved but their personal growth is severely stunted because they attend churches that are unconcerned about teaching doctrine, and may not even have the correct doctrine anyway. Also, in the Christian’s personal life, there is very little to no study of the word.

This is the issue for the believer in the pew. How much more is a false teacher a destroyer of souls when he is dealing directly with unbelievers? A false gospel will never save anyone and will ultimately lead the person to the fires of hell. There are many people headed there that are very religious and believe their souls are safe. They have been deceived and have stopped looking for truth because they believe they already have it.

With the advent of Christ, the first century began the widespread revelation of the gospel of grace. It was also the beginning of a great effort to stop the advancement of the gospel and thus the growth of the church. In the ensuing centuries, the opposition has only grown worse. Today there are hundreds of denominations preaching just about any doctrine you care to hear. We cannot afford to be lazy and complacent and permit false teachers to continue without opposition. If you hear me mention a name or oppose a doctrine of a certain church or pastor, please do not think I do so to try and destroy Christian unity. It is my responsibility to identify the false and to teach what is true. If it takes naming names, so be it. This is part of the hedge of protection you receive by being in a church that is very concerned about doctrinal matters. If you pay attention and attend faithfully, God will protect you from destructive heresies. Try every word that is said by your own diligent study. God expects no less and neither do we.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: [13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

As we have been reading through 1 Peter over the past few weeks, you should have noticed a common theme that underlies almost every section. After the salutation of the letter and the initial giving of thanks, Peter tells his readers to rejoice even though they are in the midst of terrible trials. The theme that underlies this epistle is suffering and affliction for the cause of Christ. This type of suffering is often addressed by the writers of the New Testament because of the terrible persecution inflicted upon them by an empire that was hostile to Christianity. When Jesus called twelve men to be His disciples, He warned them that following Him and witnessing for Him and remaining true to the faith would not be an easy path to follow. Although the gospel of Christ is the only hope for a world awaiting the wrath of God, people reject this message and they often do it with hatred and sometimes even with violence.

The tone of 1 Peter makes it clear that suffering for Christ is not to be unexpected. Peter says, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” The explanation for these trials comes in 4:13 and is attributed to the sufferings of Christ. To paraphrase Peter, he tells these persecuted Christians, “Don’t be surprised when people hate you and want to kill you. If you desire to follow Christ, you will not receive better treatment than He received.” The reason for this should be easy to discern even if we do not consider the natural negative disposition of men towards the gospel. We can approach the problem from another angle which is simple deductive reasoning in the comparison of our lives to Jesus Christ.

What kind of man was Jesus? He was kind, compassionate, considerate, supremely loving, temperate, patient, self-sacrificing, perfectly righteous, and a dozen other superlatives that could be added. How was Jesus treated? He was abused, accused, told He was from Satan, and run out of town. He was called a glutton and a drunkard; He was accused of sedition and finally cruelly crucified. All of this happened to the perfect God-man, and yet He never struck back at anyone that wanted to harm Him.

Now consider your life. How do you compare to Jesus in any of these areas? I am sure you have some good traits, but each of us even at our best falls far short of Christ’s example. The indignation we feel when treated badly is just one more example of our inability to match His standard. So, how will we be treated being imperfect as opposed to the perfect Son of God? Not for a minute should we expect better treatment.

You may say now, “How depressing! Is it really worth it?” This is when you should remember Peter’s answer to this question. 1 Peter 1:6 says this is a temporary condition. In 4:13, he says Christ will appear in His glory and you will be exalted and honored with Him. The worst trial you face for the cause of Christ will be worth it when you come to the realization of your final salvation. Never fear what anyone can do to you. As Peter says in the last verse of the fourth chapter, you can commit the keeping of your soul to Christ. He is the powerful Creator who speaks the word and vanquishes all enemies!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)

I am sure each of you are familiar with the cartoon of a man with long hair and beard standing on a street corner with a sign reading “THE END IS NEAR!” Usually, the sign flanks both the front and rear and some sort of funny caption is placed beneath. The idea is that anyone that thinks the end of the world is approaching is a fool. Every day we wake up to the same sunrise, we head off to work, put in our shift, and then make the drive back home. At night we watch a little TV, crawl into bed and go to sleep. The next morning it starts all over again and we do this 365 times per year and have done it for every year since we were born. Further, everyone we know has done the same routine with only slight variation and everyone we have ever heard of or read about in the history of the world has done the same. It is no wonder that when someone begins to sound an alarm for the approaching apocalypse he is considered a fool.

It has now been 2000 years since Peter wrote “the end of all things is at hand” and no doubt there were many that read his words and said he was a fool. Peter’s reference is to the Second Coming of Christ when God will destroy this universe and all that is contained therein. In his second letter, Peter spoke of scoffers that said “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Are we to consider Peter a fool because Christ has yet to return? Is the Bible’s warning nonsense?

It is helpful to understand that although New Testament Christians believed in the imminent return of Christ, they were not date-setters. Peter did not imply he was certain tomorrow, or next week, or next month, the world would end. He followed the consistent pattern of New Testament teaching, especially that of Jesus, which said the Second Coming would be a sudden event that would occur without warning. The “end” refers to the consummation of the ages. “At hand” means the day is approaching. Every day we live we are one day closer to the time Christ will return. We are encouraged therefore to live in anticipation of the event. This does not mean to stand on street corners with signs, although we should witness of the event in a rational manner. It does not mean to neglect our daily routines in order to stare at the sky. It means to guard our personal lives so that we are a living testimony of faith. The closer we are to the Lord in obeying His commands the more it speaks to the degree of our confidence in the truthfulness of the scriptures.

The prophet Amos said, “Prepare to meet thy God.” Years ago I remember seeing signs along the roadway that said the same. The time of our life is uncertain and at every turn in life’s roadway there is a possible hazard that could end our lives. It is not as crazy as we might think to say, “the end is near.” One way or another we will meet God. It could be at the suddenness of the Second Coming or at our failure to breathe the next breath. No one knows the time of either. Are you prepared? In either event, you can be by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. (1 Peter 3:21-22)

Each time you enter our parking lot for services, you will pass our sign which denotes this house of worship as a meeting place for people called Baptists. Unlike many churches that are baptistic in doctrine and polity, we have not chosen to drop the name Baptist from our title. We believe the name identifies us doctrinally so there is no confusion as to the main tenets of faith that are taught to this congregation. We realize that many Baptist churches are not like us although we still hold to the same doctrines as those that were originally given this name. There are many doctrines we believe that have been abandoned by some Baptists, yet there is one doctrine that is common among almost all Baptist congregations. This is our belief concerning the doctrine of baptism. Baptists derive their name from this doctrine so it would hardly be fitting to maintain the name unless you also maintain the doctrine.

There are many that do not know our doctrine and they erroneously assume that since our name is derived from baptism we must believe that baptism is essential for salvation. In my experience, however, the Baptist church is more in danger of teaching that baptism is not essential for anything much less essential for salvation. I believe we need to emphasize strongly that baptism has its place among New Testament doctrines. It is commanded by Christ and is the first duty of believers upon reception of Jesus Christ as Saviour. To refuse baptism is to refuse to be obedient to Christ. If a person willfully rejects this command after having been taught properly concerning it, it is hard to see how that person has really understood what saving faith and real commitment to Christ means.

With this said, there is confusion about the doctrine, and some of it comes from 1 Peter 3:21. Some have used this verse to teach that baptism is a requirement for salvation. After all, Peter does say “even baptism doth also now save us.” If you lift this one phrase out of the context, it is easy to see how an erroneous doctrine can be built. Peter’s point is not that water baptism is a means of salvation. His reference is a comparison to the ark built by Noah, in which God saved Noah and his family from destruction (see vv. 18-20). The ark was a type of Christ and how that a believer comes into Christ for safety from the wrath of God and the destruction of hell.

Peter is also teaching that baptism is a picture (figure) of what actually does save us. We are saved by the gospel which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Baptism profoundly presents the gospel of Christ in a living demonstration. When the believer is immersed in water, this pictures the burial of Christ. When he arises from the water, it pictures the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is also an expression of the change in the person’s heart. We have died to our old way of life and are raised to walk in the new life of Christ. Every believer is commanded to be baptized to show that he has publically identified with Christ in his belief of the gospel.

The Berean Baptist Church stands by this doctrine. We do not believe it is optional for those that have trusted Christ. No one is received into our membership without baptism from this church or another of like faith and order. Above all, we believe membership in the church requires commitment. If the first command given by Christ for believers is not obeyed, it is difficult to see how a person would be consistent in any other command, especially that of church membership.

If you are a believer and you have not been baptized, I hope you now have better understanding of how important it is to obey this command. We are commanded to be baptized and to be a part of the church. One cannot be had without the other. Consider carefully what Christ would have you to do!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands… (1 Peter 3:1a)

Let’s be totally honest with each another. As I sit here preparing to write this article, we both have to wonder why I would ever want to step onto burning coals; why do I want to open a can of worms; why do I want to load the guns for my own firing squad? Choose your metaphor because there are a number that can apply. This is a topic that rarely results in a favorable outcome—that is unless I am talking to godly people that want to honor the Lord more than anything they do with their lives.

Most people believe that a relationship between a husband and wife in marriage that requires the submission of the wife is a totally bizarre, archaic notion. In many homes, even Christian ones, the wife is the person in authority. Everything runs through her and husbands cower in the corner living with the axiom, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” To be as blunt as I can be, this is rebellion against the word of God. We are fond of saying, “The Bible is our rule of faith and practice,” which in practicality is actually, “unless it rules against what we already practice.” In most marriage ceremonies, the vow for the bride which says, “I promise to obey” is often excluded, although it is not one that I allow to be excluded in any marriage ceremony I officiate.

The Bible clearly shows us that the husband is to be the head of the family. This is the divinely instituted order which began with the creation of the man before the creation of the woman. Woman was created to be man’s helper. Adam was given dominion over the earth which is an authority that was not granted to the woman. However, Eve was to support Adam in exercising this authority.

Perhaps the most convincing argument for submission is given by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5. He said, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing (Eph. 5:22-24). The key to understanding these verses is to consider that submission of the wife to the husband is actually submission to the Lord. This is obedience to God’s order of creation. It does not mean the woman is inferior to the man. Submission has nothing to do with inferiority any more than Christ’s submission to God the Father implies that He is not co-equal with the Father. Submission is the willingness to accept the role that God has for each of us whether we are talking about the wife in the family, the children to their parents, or the man to his head which is Christ. We simply do what God has designed us to do.

These designations also hold true in the church. The reason women are not allowed in the pastorate is because it upsets the divine order. When women are made pastors, they are actually destroying God’s structure from the top down. While many people believe women pastors are uplifting and thought provoking, they are actually subliminally or otherwise destroying the church by destroying families that make up the church.

No matter how many centuries go by we are never going to improve on God’s order. The husband is the one in authority over the home. Time and space fail me to explain the use of his authority, but suffice it to say it should be exercised in supreme love (Eph.5:25) and not in insufferable lordship. A husband that loves his wife as he should will have a wife that willingly submits. If you want success in your home, don’t upset God’s order!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; [14] Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. (1 Peter 2:13-14)

In November of this year, Americans will go to the polls to vote for the person that will lead our country for the next four years. For those of you that follow politics, you know the incumbent president Barack Obama is running for his second term while the Republican Party is in the process of narrowing the choices of candidates to find the person that will run against him.

This year, as it has been for quite some time, Christians are faced with a list of candidates that do not reflect what we feel is the most important qualification of any candidate—does this person fear God and is he concerned about what is biblically and morally right for our country? While the economy is certainly a grave concern for all of us, Christians should be more concerned about social issues than economic ones. We do not feel comfortable voting for people that uphold abortion rights and/or support the homosexual agenda. These are very clearly against the teachings of scripture. This year is also somewhat unique in our history since we could have a member of a cult running for president. We simply do not have good choices, but this has been the case for many, many years.

Unfortunately, there are many compromises in politics and since politicians are more concerned about being elected than anything else, they will fudge their convictions for a few more votes. In my opinion, it has been a long, long time since we had someone that we could have full confidence in their honesty and integrity. However, should Bible believing Christians be distraught because of this? Should we overly concern ourselves with what government is doing? I believe it is the duty of Christians to vote with firm biblical convictions, but I am not overly concerned about who will become the next president.

1 Peter has a perspective on this. Consider the conditions of first century Christianity in the Roman Empire. At the time of the writing of 1 Peter, Nero was the emperor. There are few that could rival Nero for his despicable character, cruelty, and hatred of Christians. There was nothing moral or favorable towards the rapidly growing Christian community in his empire. Underneath Nero were many governors scattered throughout the provinces of Rome that imitated his licentious lifestyle. And yet knowing this and living through it, Peter encouraged Christians to submit themselves to their leaders. As long as those leaders did not require them to act against their faith and the commandments of God, Christians were to obey and do so cheerfully.

We do not find diatribes by Paul or Peter or the other apostles against Roman leaders. When Paul appeared before Felix and Festus, he was respectful to them even though he knew the wickedness of their hearts. There are many directions I could go in commenting on this, but I have space to address only one. The most important consideration for any Christian is not what human government does, but what God wants us to do as citizens of His kingdom. If we believe that God is our sovereign ruler, then we know that our government is not going to stop the advance of God’s kingdom. We haven’t even begun to see the wickedness that existed in the Roman Empire; we have never tasted the horrible persecution that Christians lived under in those times. And yet, the gospel thrived in that time; God’s kingdom made greater strides then than it has in any succeeding generation.

The cause of Christ is far better served by Christians demanding holiness and righteousness from the leaders of churches than the leaders of government. We are far better off being living testimonies of Christ rather than rabidly signing people up to picket, protest, and petition what is a godless government anyway. We will change the world with the gospel not government. We will do it the same way first century Christians did. Rome was brought to its knees and finally destroyed by the gospel, not by legislation.

So, remember this while you worry about who the next president will be. He has no effect—zip—nada—on the kingdom of God. Thank God for that!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

In the month of May, it will be forty-three years since Pastor Harry Buerer came to Rohnert Park and planted a new church which is now known as the Berean Baptist Church. When this property was purchased, there was no housing development and the church was isolated in a cornfield. Over the years the neighborhood has grown up and now our church sits on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in the city. This makes our property highly visible which attracts visitors that are looking for a church.

We love to have visitors and we hope that each one feels welcome when they attend our services. We are aware, however, that Berean is different from what most people expect. The modern church has gone to an entertainment motif which appeals to the senses and makes the crowd feel comfortable with an atmosphere they are used to. The message of the church is “feel good” and responds to the felt needs of the people. The problem with this approach is that felt needs are rarely if ever congruent with the gospel of Christ. No one “feels” like the description the Bible gives of them. Scripture says that we are dead in trespasses and sins and we are the enemies of God. This message is offensive, and if the church is seeking to make people comfortable, it is best not to give a clear biblical presentation of the gospel which includes a call to believe what the Bible says about our vile condition and to repent of our sins and trust Christ.

It is interesting that the Bible does not call Jesus “the ticket to heaven.” He is not “J.C.” the guy that wants to make all your dreams come true. Rather, as 1 Peter says, He is ”a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.” If you want to know the truth, He came to “rock” your world not to satisfy your desires for good karma and raise your self esteem. This causes people to stumble on Christ. He is the boulder they cannot climb over because He stands in the way of self satisfaction. Christ demands that we give up our natural desires and live lives in dedication to Him. To put it bluntly, He cares nothing at all about the plan you have for your life. Most people think a church that teaches this kind of doctrine deserves to be out in the middle of lonely cornfield. Get that kind of church as far away from us as you can!

After forty-three years, Berean Baptist is still dedicated to the same simple message of the gospel. The community has grown up and times have changed, but people are still the same and their condition before God is still the same. We will not hide the message to make people feel better because we do not want them happily headed towards hell.

Perhaps Berean is not what you thought it would be. We are simple in our approach because the gospel has simple requirements. Why should we obscure it in the smoke of entertainment? Why should we make it harder to hold on to than an image in a mirror? We want you to hear a clear message so that rather than stumbling on Christ you will believe. ”Unto you therefore which believe he is precious…”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2)

Today’s congregational reading takes us to the beginning of the epistle of 1 Peter. I find myself perplexed trying to decide which part of the first chapter to use as the subject of this article. This chapter is jam packed with many different doctrines some of which go to the deepest part of God’s word. Most of you that know me well would expect that I would be drawn to the second verse in which Peter mentions one of my favorite subjects of scripture, the doctrine of election. Proper understanding of this doctrine is what I would call a sea change. It radically alters our view of self. The heart of man is naturally against it. We will not come to it easily and yet when God opens our eyes of understanding it begins to sink into the soul and overwhelms us with His graciousness. It is not popular doctrine because it is designed to take away our bragging rights. It removes any thoughts that in any way we have part in our salvation.

The second verse also contains the doctrine of sanctification. Not only is the sovereign God singularly responsible for His choice of lost sinners, but it is also His work alone to make them fit to enter into fellowship with Him. The scriptures teach that we are vile and wicked while God is perfectly righteous and holy. If I could put it this way, we cannot sit in the same room with God. His holiness cannot allow any sinner to approach Him. For this, we must be changed. We must be made holy in order to come into His presence. This is what the Holy Spirit does in our sanctification.

A third doctrine taught in this verse is the end to which we have been chosen. We are chosen to obedience. We are chosen to follow Christ and produce good works for His kingdom. We are chosen to obey the commandments of Christ which is the evidence of our salvation. The absence of these good works reveals that sanctification has not taken place—that we have not been purged from our sins. All those that are chosen, called, justified, and sanctified will be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29-30).

A fourth doctrine found in this verse is the means by which all of this is accomplished. It is by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. It is by His sacrifice on the cross that our sin debt to God is satisfied. We are released from the guilt of our sins and justified in the sight of God by this once for all offering that Christ made on the cross. All of the doctrines of God’s word are centered on this all important fact. If not for Christ’s blood, our election could not result in salvation. If not for the cleansing of His blood, we could not be sanctified in order to fellowship with God. If not for the power of His blood to change our wicked hearts, we would never have the desire to obey God.

This brings us to another wonderful doctrine that differentiates the chosen from all others on the planet. We have peace with God and we have the peace of God. Peace with God is achieved because we have been reconciled to Him. The hostility that exists between us has been removed. God’s wrath has been appeased and now we are considered children of God and recipients of His divine favor (grace). We have the peace of God—a calmness and quietness in our souls that tells us as the song says, it is well with my soul.

Isn’t it amazing that all this is found in just one verse? We haven’t even begun to consider the rest of the chapter! It is easy to see why I am perplexed about what to choose for an article since we will read the first twenty-one verses. What does this tell us? You need to do some investigation. Don’t let the congregational reading be your only venture into God’s word in this week. As Jesus said, “Search the scriptures.” There is much to be discovered that will thrill your soul!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8)

Today we conclude our congregational reading in the epistle of James. You will notice in the beginning of chapter 5, James gives one of the most scathing rebukes of the sins of the rich that can be found in scripture. While the Bible never says it is a sin to be rich, it does give strict warnings about the deceitfulness of riches and what God expects as stewardship of the resources He has given. Most of us in our congregation will never have to concern ourselves with the temptation to horde riches. It is a challenge for many of you to meet your normal everyday household needs. We find ourselves on the other end of the spectrum fretting about making the house payment or the rent for next month. For many Christians, this seems to be upside down. Why do God’s people have to suffer trying to make ends meet when there are unbelievers that are so rich they can’t figure out what to do with all of their money? There are some churches that have developed an entire theology to answer this question. Their conclusion is that Christians that suffer with financial problems and with health problems are living short of God’s intention for them. They suffer because they lack the faith to claim all of God’s promises.

This is where our featured verse brings such comfort. Those that are not wealthy ought not to think that God will right this perceived wrong during our sojourn in this life. James reminds his readers of the holy prophets that suffered affliction (v.10) and patiently endured it. Could we say the prophets suffered because their faith was lacking? He also reminds them of Job (v. 11) who is the Bible’s classic example of patient endurance. Job certainly did not suffer because of lack of faith. It was his great faith that caused God to allow Satan to test him to prove that he would never turn his back on God despite the harshest of circumstances. In the end, Job received the reward of endurance which was more than what he gave up at the beginning.

The point made by James in this example is not that Job received his riches in this life, which he did, but rather there is always faithfulness by God in respect to the reward. Many of the Christians James wrote to would never see riches in the present life because they were slaves. Were they to conclude as modern preaching says that their lack of faith was the cause? This is wild and crazy theology—even demonic theology that arrives at such erroneous conclusions.

So, when is the Christian living in hardships to expect relief? It comes when we meet Christ. Those that live in light of the return of Christ or in the hope of their immediate presence with Christ at death realize they have eternal life in the present. They are going through such a minute period of time in this life that it does not register on the scale of eternity. The hurts of this life are no more than a scab that will be healed and quickly cast aside. If we truly believe in the reward that is coming, we will endure until we reach it.

Another example James gives of this patient endurance is in verse 7. The farmer toils in the field plowing and planting. It is a necessary part of receiving the harvest. The harvest will come but he cannot rush it. At the same time, he is confident the hard work will have a happy result. I don’t think we have any farmers in the church, so think of it another way. How much hard work and schooling does a professional endure before he becomes established and successful? The hardships are first and then the reward. James is simply saying this life is the hardship; it is the proving ground, and then the payoff of faith in Christ will be ours in the eternal home of heaven.

So, be patient. Hold on a little longer and establish your heart in the faith because Jesus is coming!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:7,8,10)

As we have noted in previous articles, the epistle of James is one of the most practical letters on Christian living found in scripture. As usual, James has answers to common problems that plague Christians. He addresses issues such as persecution, poverty, sorrows, and pain by saying in the first chapter, “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” He speaks of the equality of the saints in chapter two by telling us we should not unduly favor the rich over the poor which is part of the poor judgment we are prone to exercise. Chapter three is about a foul mouth, and in this culture it hardly goes without saying that evil speech is pervasive.

Chapter four is no different as James addresses the most fundamental of all Christian problems; that is we are in a constant battle with Satan as he tempts us to deny our faith by living in the sins of our old nature. All sin is the result of temptation, and the yielding to temptation is the forgetfulness that Christ has saved us for a life of holiness and righteousness which results in unceasing dedication to His will for our lives. Living in the will of God is to live by His commandments which enable us to reach ultimate fulfillment of our purpose. We are saved to glorify God. Paul says, “Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Since temptation is a daily ongoing problem, we must learn what to do when we are tempted. James provides a practical outline that if followed brings guaranteed success. The Bible does not tell us to try things to see if they work; it commands us to do them because they will work. The first step in overcoming temptation is to submit to God. Put yourself in God’s hands and be pliable enough to listen and act according to His words. Sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), so it stands to reason that if you obey God’s commandments you will not enter into sin. When James says to submit to God and to resist the devil, he is speaking in military terms, but he is not talking about hand to hand combat. He means to focus your attention on what God as commander has commanded, and then being energized by God’s Word your mind is able to combat temptation. The Word is called the sword of the Spirit and if you want to defeat Satan you must wield the sword.

The example for this kind of combat is the Lord’s own temptation in the wilderness. In each temptation, Jesus recalled words of scripture and replied to Satan “it is written.” The scriptures were His source of strength. The Psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11).

Secondly, James says “draw nigh to God.” Isaiah says that sin separates us from God. The way to get close to God is to repent of our sins. We do this by going to God in prayer and asking for His forgiveness. He is always faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. This is expressed by “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts…” How do we do this? None of us is able to cleanse our own hearts; only God can. However, we can take the action which will lead to its accomplishment. You must “humble yourself in the sight of the Lord,” and then the promise follows: “and he shall lift you up.”

Sometimes we refer to these activities as “the secret to Christian living.” There is nothing secret about it. God’s word is very plain and very practical. Nothing is purposely hidden to those that know Christ. Read it and apply it. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). Satan flees at God’s word. These are not God’s covert ops; they are as well known to the devil as they are to you!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (James 3:6)

In today’s scripture reading, we are reminded once again of the very practical nature of the epistle of James. In the first chapter, James encouraged his readers to be careful to practice the word of God rather than to just hear it. The word of God is a mirror that reveals the blemishes in our character. If we hear and do not practice, we are like a person that looks into a mirror, sees what needs to be adjusted to make him presentable, but then walks away as if he hasn’t seen anything at all. This illustration is very simple and yet it is one that we can easily identify with. It makes sense because each of us has experienced looking into a mirror and primping to make sure we look our best.

Likewise, the third chapter of James rings a familiar tone as James teaches concerning the use of our tongue. Each of us is very experienced in the trouble that is caused by opening our mouths when they are better kept shut. We have the capability with speech to be a great encouragement to people. We have opportunity to bless people with our words especially when we give them the gospel and teach them the truths of the Bible. However, it is not natural for people to speak good things because our speech is the product of a sinful heart.

If you think about what happened to Adam immediately after he ate the forbidden fruit, you will better understand how the fallen heart is prone to speak evil of others. When God spoke to Adam about his sin, the first thought for Adam was to slander Eve: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.” Since that time, it has been much easier for us to speak evil of others. Adam could have defended Eve and told God in her moment of weakness she succumbed to the temptation of the serpent. He could have said, “I should have been there to protect her, so you can blame me.” Instead, he threw Eve under the bus in order to deflect the blame.

Adam’s bad reaction came after the first sin. At this point, he was certainly not used to sin, although with his first excuse he committed another one. Now, after all these thousands of years, we have perfected the art of sinning, and our evil speaking naturally flows like a gushing stream from an overflowing reservoir of corruption. Our tongues are a world of iniquity; they are a fire that has the potential to burn and destroy everyone around us. You have experienced it; you know it—James has nailed you just as he has me.

William MacDonald has a humorous illustration of how quickly the fire of evil speaking burns. He writes: “The manner in which the flame of evil-speaking spreads is illustrated by the conversation between two women in Brooklyn. One said, ‘Tillie told me that you told her that secret I told you not to tell her.’ The other replied, ‘She’s a mean thing. I told Tillie not to tell you I told her.’ The first speaker responded, ‘Well, I told Tillie I wouldn’t tell you she told me—so don’t tell her I did.’”

The point of James’ discourse in the third chapter is to show us how diligent we must be to stop what comes so naturally. Those that are washed clean in the blood of Christ have the capability through the Holy Spirit to control their evil impulses that cause them to speak ill of others. They have clean hearts so they can switch the use of their tongues from evil to those blessed, sweet words of the gospel that are uplifting and encouraging.

Before you open your mouth, think carefully about what you are going to say. Stay away from subjects that will demean others and are hurtful. Once those words have left your tongue, there is no way to reverse them and make them unheard. Once you hit the send button, it’s too late!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? [18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. (James 2:14, 18)

As good students of the word of God, we must be amazed at the perfect congruity of biblical doctrine. We understand there is nothing written in God’s word that is inconsistent with any other part, and this is true because the Holy Spirit is the author of divine scripture. Though men were used as God’s instruments of recording the Word, yet their words were inspired by God. Therefore, when we arrive at a scripture in which one author seems to be in conflict with another, we must recognize the conflict is because of our lack of understanding.

It is because of misunderstanding that some have imagined that Paul and James were on opposite tracks when they expounded on the doctrine of justification. Paul says that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28) while James asks the question, “Can faith without works save us?” Which of these writers is correct? Are works necessary for salvation or are they not? If this is indeed a conflict between Paul and James, the problem is actually much greater because it also becomes a conflict between Paul and John and Paul and Jesus. Both John and Jesus demand faith that also includes righteous works.

The reality of the matter is that conflict does not exist. John and James wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as well as Paul, and it goes without saying that Jesus could not be incorrect because He is God. Paul looks at the matter of justification in the sense of the initial act. Is there any specific work or a number of works that we can do that will add up to make us righteous in God’s eyes? The answer is “no” because all of our good works fall short of God’s standard. They are all imperfect and all done with selfish motives. James is not speaking of this initial act; he is speaking of the evidentiary proof of justification. Faith alone saves, but as both Calvin and Luther said, a faith that is alone does not save. Faith always produces good works in the Christian.

We can rephrase James’ question in James 2:14 this way: “What is the profit if a man says he has faith and not works? Can that kind of faith save him?” A faith that does not produce works is not the kind of faith that God gives. And this point is critical to our understanding—faith is a gift from God and the faith that God gives could never be a deficient faith that fails to produce what God intends for it to produce. Here we can interject Paul’s teaching on the grace of God in salvation by quoting Ephesians 2:10. Immediately after saying that we are saved by God’s grace through faith and not by works, he says: ”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” James stated this exact point only with different wording. True saving faith is one that produces works of righteousness. These works are ordained by God and will not fail to be present. If anyone says he has true saving faith but his faith is not a productive faith, his faith is self-generated not God given.

In their epistles, both James and John include helpful information to differentiate false faith from true faith. The type of faith a person has will determine whether he is truly a child of God. Paul does no less in his epistles as he consistently outlines the kind of conduct that is evident in the lives of true believers. The agreement of these writers is apparent because each conveys the perfect mind of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (James 2:8)

One of most notable features of the epistle of James is the directness of the author’s approach to practical Christian living. In the first chapter, James said, “If you lack wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you.” He said “When you are tempted, don’t blame God because God never tempts anyone.” He said, “Don’t just listen to the word, go and do what the word says.” Those are very straightforward statements without a great deal of exposition to go along with them.

The same is true in the second chapter as James gives practical advice about how Christians should be impartial to others. This chapter begins with an example of how we are often prone to judge the worthiness of people by their prosperity. We show this in the difference we make in the way we treat those that are wealthy as opposed to the poor. These kinds of judgments are purely acts of the flesh and do not reflect the way that God treats us. Imagine if our salvation was dependent upon how much money we have in the bank!

It is the duty of God’s people to imitate the attitudes that Jesus showed in His life. Jesus never dismissed the rich as unworthy candidates for His love but neither did He court them to receive their approval. He spent most of His ministry among poor people and those that were social outcasts. If the rich thought they would receive His attention because they deserved it, He was quick to point out that all are spiritually bankrupt, all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross, and all must come to Him in the same brokenness to receive life from Him.

This is the attitude that is to be reflected in the church. Some believe they should receive more attention because they are able to drop large amounts into the offering plate, and there are many churches that accommodate such people because they trust men to supply the church’s needs rather than God. However, if we are going to imitate Christ, we will accommodate the poor in an equal manner with the rich. This treatment is summed up in James’ characteristically succinct way. The principle is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It seems kind of odd to say it this way, but do you treat yourself better depending on the worth of your investments? We love and take care of ourselves no matter where we stand economically, so to fulfill the command of scripture towards others, neither will we treat them differently depending upon their material worth.

James goes on to show that mistreatment of our fellows because of economic status is a transgression of God’s law (vv.10-11). This is as much sin as if we were to kill someone or to commit adultery. Sadly, we rarely see it this way. If we recognize it as sin at all, we do not weight it in the same way as we do other sins. James’ point is that all sin transgresses the law and all sin must be dealt with accordingly if we are to be Christ like. We can never pat ourselves on the back and say what fine Christians we are especially if we have disobeyed such a crucial law as find in James 2:8. James calls this a “royal law.” Jesus described it as one of the two foundations of God’s entire law (Matt. 22:37-40).

The next time you see a homeless person enter the church; the next time you see someone dressed a little differently and their Sunday best is not equal to yours, check your attitude towards that person. Are you judging their worth by what they wear? Your greeting of them, your fellowship with them, your care for them, your love for them—all of this speaks to whether you are really doing well. “If you fulfill the royal law…ye do well.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

Welcome to the first worship service of Berean Baptist Church in the year 2012. We begin the first day of this New Year in a church service, which should be indicative of our intentions to serve God more faithfully in 2012. Although we enjoy coming together for corporate worship, our service to God must not be confined to the few hours of worship we gather together each week. Worship is an ongoing process each day as we live out the faith of Christ in our daily lives.

The epistle of James enjoins us to have an active faith. James writes in 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Those that claim Christianity because they attend church and listen to preaching have not yet gone far enough to substantiate their claim. If all they do is hear and they believe this enough, they are deceived about the depth of their faith. Real faith causes a Christian to be active in pursuing the good works that God demands from His people.

The example we have from Christ is that of a faithful servant. A servant is not idle; he is always busy about his master’s work; and certainly Jesus was not idle as every day was filled with tasks given by the Heavenly Father. He did not teach simply by His words; He taught by the activity of His life. His disciples listened to His words, but they learned as much from His example as they did from His profound grasp of scripture.

The epistle of James is a great place to study the composition of real faith. James does not teach that we are saved by our works, but he emphatically makes the point that a person without good works cannot be a Christian. If Christ truly lives in the heart of the believer, the evidence of His presence cannot be suppressed. It will make itself known because the desire of every believer is to serve as Christ served. An example of this is given in the 27th verse of the first chapter. ”Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this…” and from there follows the examples of a living faith. Visiting orphans and widows and trying to stay out of sin is not the sum total of our religion, and neither does James intend this to be a full definition of pure, undefiled faith. The point is that saving faith always demonstrates itself. It will do much more than what is mentioned in verse 27, but it will not do less.

Does this mean we must seek out orphans and go find widows or else we cannot have real faith? If this were so, then eternal life would be dependent upon orphans and widows! The gist of the message is that wherever we see those in need we must show our love for them. Your orphan or your widow may be a homeless person or a struggling person in this congregation. If you ignore their need, how have you demonstrated the life of Christ in you?

These are the kinds of considerations we must have to serve the Lord in a better way in this New Year. Take your worship beyond the walls of the Berean Church. We worship God by obedience. He wants this far more than your “sacrifice of praise” if it comes from a falsely pious, cold, unconcerned heart (cp. 1 Sam. 15:22). Do your best to make 2012 a year of active obedience not only in attending church, but in being a beacon of the Saviour’s love in word and deed.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

Today our congregational reading brings us to the book of James which is one of the most practical books of the New Testament concerning the life of a Christian. Often in the New Testament there are various tests that are given to prove the genuineness of people that profess to be Christians. These tests distinguish true believers from false professors and help us to determine if our faith meets the standard of saving faith.

One of these standards, and surely a most important one, is the test of perseverance. Is our faith capable of withstanding the many types of temptations that assail us or does it wither and die under those hardships? Unfortunately, there are many in our Baptist ranks that deny the doctrine of perseverance and say it is not scriptural to teach that a person must persevere in order to be saved. They claim that preservation is taught but that God requires nothing from the believer but faith in the sustaining grace of God.

We would certainly agree that preservation is a definite promise for believers. Once we have believed our salvation is safe and secure because the ground of our justification is not our works of righteousness but is based upon the imputed righteousness of Christ. However, we also believe that true faith in Christ is demonstrated by the perseverance of believers. It is hard to escape this doctrine when we read verses such as James 1:12. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life” is a statement of perseverance. The word endureth is translated from a word that means perseverance and some translations use this word in place of endureth to help clarify the meaning. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “…he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” This is the same word used by James which means “to persevere.” It is evident that enduring or persevering is connected to our salvation in both of these verses.

An underlying issue that causes certain Baptists to reject perseverance is their failure to grasp the submission of believers to the Lordship of Christ. Inherent in the belief of the gospel is this submission. However, there are those that teach submission is not a part of salvation, which may come later or may not come at all. These types of believers are labeled as true believers but are not truly disciples. Therefore it is possible to be a believer in Christ but not a disciple. This leaves room for the carnal Christian whose faith may not be demonstrated and therefore he may not persevere in the faith. He lives the life of a defeated Christian, but is a Christian nonetheless. Such misinterpretations of scripture are the basis for fantastic soul winning numbers in which professors have never given any evidence of their belief.

We maintain that lack of perseverance is the demonstration of the lack of saving faith. Though a Christian may sin and may backslide, it is impossible that he could be a true believer if his entire life is characterized by sin as his norm. This is clearly taught by John in 1 John 3:2-10. This also accords with the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-39. Those that do not meet this persevering standard are not truly born of God.

There are temptations that come upon us daily which are the works of Satan. There are trials that come as well which God allows for refining and perfecting our faith. How a person responds to these is the exposure of his faith. Which do you think is the response of true believers? Is it persevering faith or failing faith?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:17)

In II Timothy 3:16, the apostle Paul wrote that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for the Christian’s instruction in righteousness. Everything we learn in scripture helps to outfit us for our lives of service to Christ. Because the place for Christian service has always been in and through the church, there are many scriptures that deal with the behavior of God’s people in relation to their fellowship with other Christians. One of the most important, if not the most important, is the attitude that members of the church have towards their leaders. Good order in the church requires that godly leadership should be respected and followed.

The writer of Hebrews reminds these Christians that leadership must give an account to God for the way they have conducted their ministry. The pastor especially is given the responsibility of watching out for the welfare of the souls that are under his charge. There are various ways this is done. It may be through prayer, through counseling, and even through discipline. However, the most important way the pastor labors for the membership is through the instruction of God’s Word. The Word itself is described as profitable; it is the Word that reveals what God expects, and it is through the Word that we are drawn closer to the cross of Christ.

A very important aspect of the teaching of Hebrews 13:17 is that the membership has its own responsibility towards the pastor. The membership must also labor to make the pastor’s ministry effective. It must strive to make his shepherding less strenuous by responding favorably to the Word that is preached. It is also the duty of members to pray for the pastor and to help by lifting him up with words of encouragement. The scripture says his ministry should be joyous and not one that is filled with grief.

You will notice the writer says that making the ministry hard for the pastor is unprofitable for the membership. You may wonder how this is so. The answer is in the consideration of the ownership of the church and who the work is for. We labor for the cause of Christ and He is the head of the church. If the Christian does not support the pastor, if he or she derides the pastor and complains to others about him, it is an assault upon the headship of Christ. It disrupts the ministry and stunts spiritual growth. There is no profit for the person that engages in such activity.

It is also the duty of others that encounter any kind of slander against the pastor to defend him. If he meets spiritual qualifications and is walking and teaching according the Word, he is to be followed and respected properly for the work. If this is not the case, there is a proper protocol for correcting a pastor. He is a member of the church as well as others and should be approached by the Matthew 18 principle and particularly the instruction of 1 Timothy 5:19. The pastor is not to be tried in the forum of private gossip.

When the membership of the church follows these principles outlined in scripture, the ministry of the pastor becomes a joyful one. There is nothing more satisfying than to see God’s people respond to the Word and grow thereby. Remember that your pastor is a co-laborer for Christ. A good pastor does not seek to be lord over the people. He wants to work beside them in the mutual love and respect for the ministry of Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)

For the past several weeks, we have had the blessed privilege of taking our congregational readings from the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a deep theological work and is one of the most challenging books of the Bible. This book, along with Romans, really mines the importance of the New Covenant that has been established through the sacrificial death of Christ. We have now reached the thirteenth chapter in which the writer gives some practical exhortations that are the spiritual responses to the great truths that have been learned. These truths concern the superiority of Christ over all aspects of God’s physical and spiritual creation. It presents Christ as supreme and as the ultimate object of our praise, adoration, love, and respect. Because He is the eternal God, to possess Him as Lord and Saviour is to have all we could ever hope for and all we will ever need.

This possession of Christ as our Sovereign Lord is especially important as we come to verse five of the thirteenth chapter. We remember that the eleventh chapter dealt with great heroes of the faith, some named and others nameless, which were willing to give their lives because they had the hope of Christ within them. This hope was the promise of an eternal home in heaven: “Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels” (12:22). Because the Christian is an heir to this heavenly city, we ought not to think there is anything that we lack which in turn would cause us to become covetous. What does anyone have that is better than what we already possess? Our possession is not only better but immeasurably better. We can live with contentment knowing that we are the present owners of the riches of God’s inheritance. This promise is surer than what we can actually see with our eyes. People are deceived by the lust of the eyes. Earthly possessions do not satisfy, and yet this is the continual pursuit of our materialistic society, which sadly also includes many Christians.

It is becoming increasingly popular in Christian churches to teach that Christians should pursue wealth because it is God’s desire that we have the best of what the world has to offer. We should expect it because God has ordained it for us. This kind of theology belies the entire book of Hebrews. It is Christ Himself that we pursue; the best this world has to offer is worse than junk in God’s kingdom. Paul said he counted all that he had gained in this world as dung in comparison to the riches that he found in Christ (Philippians 3:8).

The great hope of this passage is the concluding statement, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This is God’s infallible promise that once we have placed our faith in Christ, our eternal home is secure. Though we go through hard times; though there are worldly things that would seem to improve our lives, we should trust God’s providence that He has given exactly what we need for this moment of time. We can be content because we see through the eyes of faith what others cannot see. Christian, trust God! You belong to Him and He belongs to you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (Hebrews 12:28)

Our congregational reading today is in the 12th chapter of Hebrews verses 14-29. These verses represent a remarkable dichotomy between facing God on the basis of the law only or facing God in His mercy and grace. The law is presented as physical Mount Sinai where God appeared to Moses to give Him the precepts and commandments that would govern His people. The presence of God on the mountain was demonstrated in fire and smoke and blackness which represented the wrath of God and His vengeance upon guilty sinners. God intended to speak with Moses alone and forbade anyone else to approach the mountain. Even with divine permission, Moses greatly feared knowing that God had power to take his life without provocation. The people likewise sensed the slender thread that held them from falling under God’s vengeance since even an animal accidentally crossing the forbidden zone meant a sentence of death.

The writer of Hebrews explains this scene in order that we might understand what it means to face the holiness of God with nothing to fall back on but our record of keeping God’s commandments. This record is worse than dismal, and since the law is rigid and unforgiving it affords no basis for avoidance of God’s wrath. The law condemns; it does not commend us for obedience. Jesus said, “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). This leaves us in a hopeless condition unless the sovereign God should grant us mercy.

This is where the next part of the narrative gives great hope. The old covenant was not sufficient to make us righteous. Therefore God gave a new covenant which is based on the sacrificial offering of Christ for our sins. The offering of Christ makes us just with God, and because of this new covenant, we need not fear to come into His presence. There is no prohibition to approach God. Rather, we are invited to come for fellowship which we are able to do at any time because we have divine acceptance and permission. We do not approach Mount Sinai which is the forbidden zone; rather we come to the spiritual heavenly Jerusalem where God’s people gather to enjoy His presence.

The chapter closes by encouraging us to hold on to the doctrine of God’s grace. The only way we can serve God acceptably is by receiving the gospel of grace. Grace changes the believer from the fear of God’s wrath to a different fear—to godly fear. With gratefulness we serve Him, while being reverently cautious lest we should offend Him.

God shook the earth when He appeared at Mount Sinai, and He will come to shake the earth again. This will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. Those that survive the judgment of this world are those that have realized their sinfulness in front of the Holy God, have given up self help, and have received Christ humbly by faith.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalms 111:10)

Today we are happy to have the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving. This is one of my favorite Sundays of the year as we have the opportunity to think on God’s bountiful blessings and to enjoy the fellowship of God’s people as we gather around a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

I have chosen Psalm 111 for our scripture reading which reminds us of God’s great works. Verse 2 says, “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.” Verse 4 says that God has made His wonderful works to be remembered. This is what we do when we set aside a day like today. It is the recognition that everything we have comes from God. He deserves our praise and adoration for His salvation and daily provision.

Charles Spurgeon, the great English pastor of the late 19th century wrote a commentary on Psalms entitled, The Treasury of David. He makes the following comment on verse 1: “Holy reverence of God leads us to praise him, and this is the point which the psalm drives at, for it is a wise act on the part of a creature towards his Creator.” Thankfulness and praise is more than just prayers and singing songs and saying that we thank God. Real thankfulness is shown by responding to God’s goodness in obedience.

Spurgeon makes this clear in his comments on verse 10: “Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound. Why should he not be obeyed? Does not reason itself claim obedience for the Lord of all? Only a man void of understanding will ever justify rebellion against the holy God. Practical godliness is the test of wisdom. Men may know and be very orthodox, they may talk and be very eloquent, they may speculate and be very profound; but the best proof of their intelligence must be found in their actually doing the will of the Lord. The former part of the psalm taught us the doctrine of God’s nature and character, by describing his works: the second part supplies the practical lesson by drawing the inference that to worship and obey him is the dictate of true wisdom. We joyfully own that it is so.”

Spurgeon’s words cause us to reflect on the rejection of God’s principles by our American society. This week the nation will pause for a holiday which we call Thanksgiving, but very few have shown any thankfulness at all by being obedient to God’s call for holiness. The scriptures tell us to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). We think we are wise and know what is best for our country when God says, ”a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.”

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, take time to be thankful and to praise God for His bounty, but also remember to take account of your life. Have you shown God how thankful you are by your obedience? We often speak of how we can trust God. A good question for each of us is, “Does God trust our praise when we say we are thankful?” The proof is not what you say with your mouth. The proof is what you do with your life.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Hebrews 12:1 is a summation of the 11th chapter in which the writer speaks of the unwavering faith of many Old Testament saints. They trusted in God’s promise that He would send a Messiah with a truly remarkable ministry, but they never realized the promise in their lifetimes. They lived in a different dispensation under types and shadows that prefigured the coming Messiah, but they were not blessed as we are to live in the fullness of understanding of those same prefigurations. And yet with this limited understanding, they remained faithful to their cause fully trusting God that everything He promised would be fulfilled.

In the 12th chapter, we are encouraged to regard their example. We are in a better position than they, which should cause us to endure even more for the cause of Christ. The Old Testament saints are witnesses for us. They speak through the pages of scripture to encourage us to fight the good fight of faith and to remain steadfast and unmovable in our resolve to serve Christ. We are encouraged to cast aside any sin that hinders our service to God and to patiently endure suffering for the cross of Christ.

This admonition is followed by more encouragement to focus our eyes on Jesus the one who not only gives us faith but also brings that faith to its final fruition. We are never left alone in the trials of life. In the worst moments when it seems there are no more resources, there is a fresh outpouring of His grace to help us endure the trials. The apostle Paul said that every trial is an opportunity for God to give a new display of His power (2 Cor. 12:9).

In the last part of verse 2, we are reminded of the willingness of Christ to sacrifice Himself for us. Jesus did this because He knew the suffering of the cross would bring His greatest exaltation in glory. Jesus is not listed among the heroes of the faith in the 11th chapter because His suffering was the ultimate agony. His suffering was the equivalent of the agony we would endure in hell should we remain unconverted. Jesus endured the wrath of God for sin while dying on the cross, and yet He fully trusted that He would arise from the dead.

With these great examples of faith culminating in the greatest act of faith, that of Christ, we are encouraged not to faint. If we concentrate on our troubles instead of Christ, we are prone to weariness and despair. When we see how faith sustained these great heroes and how Jesus Christ overcame more shame and humiliation than we could ever experience, then we know our faith in Christ is well capable of overcoming our afflictions. No Christian has ever had more trials than faith was able to conquer. Remember this the next time you face a hopeless problem. Focus on Christ and believe He will bring you through.

Pastor V. Mark Smith