Author: Berean Baptist

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

In the past few weeks, we have been specially blessed to have three of our missionaries visit with us. We rejoice that we are able to have some part in these works in different countries of the world and to see the many souls that are won to Christ through our tithes and offerings. As our missionary Wilson Maungo departed after the Sunday evening service, he remarked how grateful he was for the support given by our church. His comment was that our mission dollars enable him to do his work and without it the many different ministries he conducts would not be possible. He labors for the Lord in East Africa where even one dollar can make a difference in a person’s life. The average income for those he ministers to is one dollar per day. The school teachers in his ministry that conduct classes for orphans and others receive a wage between $40 and $60 per month. Most of them cannot afford a study Bible because the cost is about $80. Bro. Wilson cannot afford to buy Bibles for them and neither is he able to afford books and commentaries to help him train teachers and pastors or to aid him in his own studies.

As Pastor Wilson discussed this with me, I was burdened to help him with resources. With the materials I have and with the help of some of the other members, we were able to put about 14,000 electronic books on his laptop computer. I also installed text files that enable him to print copies of the King James Bible. It was truly rewarding to see how excited he was to have these resources. He remarked that God may have brought him to this country just to receive these materials. The church also gave a generous offering to help cover the expenses of his travels to the USA.

I thought about his comment that he could not do his ministry without our support. He is such a humble man that he gave credit for his ministry to churches in this country. From one angle this is certainly true; however, ten times the mission dollars that are sent would do no good unless there is someone on the ground that is willing to do the work. This is something all of us need to remember and take to heart. We cannot give money alone to his ministry or even to ours. We have to be willing to do the work. We need to ask ourselves, “Are we willing to work? Are we willing to give not only money but ourselves to Christ?” This is what it takes to have a healthy, vibrant church. Every member must be a minister. As Pastor Wilson so aptly put it in his Sunday morning message, we are ambassadors for Christ. I pray God that it would be so!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: (Hebrews 8:9-10)

Last week we were privileged to enjoy the preaching and presentation of our Missionary to Brazil, Mike Creiglow. In the coming weeks, two more of our missionaries will be with us to talk about their mission fields and how our mission offerings are at work in other places of the world. I was very much encouraged by Bro. Creiglow’s messages because I thought they were timely for our church and were good reminders that every member of Berean needs to be involved in ministry.

Our ministry, as well as theirs, is to reach people with the gospel of Christ. No matter where we go in the world, the need is the same; the hearts of people are the same, and the eternal destiny of every soul without Christ is the same. The remedy for their dead spiritual condition is nothing different from what we have learned. Salvation is in Jesus Christ and is never dependent in any way on our abilities. Christ’s death on the cross accomplished everything it was intended to do, which leaves nothing for humans to add.

You may wonder what this has to do with the two verses quoted above. This is actually the crucial point of the writer’s intent. The covenant of law given to Moses at Sinai was not kept perfectly by any person at any time. This was a conditional covenant of obedience which would never work for salvation because there are no perfect people. If salvation comes by the keeping of commandments, they would have to be kept perfectly in every detail. Man’s fundamental problem is his imperfection coupled with his insistence that he can be right with God by his own works of righteousness. Since these always fall short of God’s perfect standard, another covenant without this condition must be established. In Christ, we have an unconditional covenant. This is the covenant of grace that does not depend on our perfection, but on Christ’s. He is God and therefore is perfect in all His ways. His covenant will not fail because it is grounded in His perfection not ours.

The tenth verse speaks of the salvation of Israel and how God is the one who alone is active in impressing the heart and mind with the divine truth of the gospel. It has a view towards the coming kingdom in the millennial age when Israel will be restored to prominence. At this point, it is good to recognize verse 11 because Israel is not the only nation included in the gracious unconditional covenant. It also comprehends people from all nations, from all races—people of every kind. The verse says, “All shall know me, from the least to the greatest.”

The gospel of Christ is cross-cultural. It is not the “American gospel.” It is the gospel of God’s kingdom. We send missionaries because there are people in all parts of the world that God has determined by His sovereign grace to admit into His kingdom. All of them gain admission one way—belief in the gospel. The missionary is the human instrument that delivers the good news wherever these people are found. This is true for people thousands of miles away, or even those a few steps from your door. You are also God’s missionary and you do not have to get out of town to do His work!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. [15] And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, [16] Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:14-16)

In Hebrews chapter 5:6, we are introduced to one of the Bible’s most enigmatic characters. This man is Melchizedek who first appears in the Biblical narrative in Genesis chapter 14. Since Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians, they would be familiar with the Old Testament story of Abraham who recognized Melchizedek as the priest of God. When Abraham defeated King Chederlaomer, he was met by Melchizedek who blessed him and gave thanks to God for the defeat of Abraham’s enemies. At this time, Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek from the spoils of his victory.

Melchizedek mysteriously appears in Genesis 14 and then nothing else is said about him. He is mentioned once again in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic Psalm, and thus a connection is made between him and Christ. The Psalmist wrote: “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” This statement is repeated in Hebrews and it is not until this New Testament book that the connection between Christ and Melchizedek is fully explained.

Genesis 14 refers to Melchizedek as both king and priest. Under the Mosaic Law, priests were from the tribe of Levi and kings were from the tribe of Judah. Thus, there is no one that could be both king and priest. Kings were often severely chastised when unlawfully intruding into the priest’s office. It was very important to the Jews to maintain proper genealogical records, especially of Levi and Judah, so that the tribes were clearly distinguished. Melchizedek is different, however, because he lived prior to the Mosaic Law.

According to Hebrews, this difference is very significant. As we know, Jesus was born in the tribe of Judah which gives Him no right to occupy the office of priesthood. However, if His priesthood descends from Melchizedek rather than from Levi, this problem is solved. Hebrews shows that Melchizedek is a type of Christ. The unusual characteristic of Melchizedek is there is no parental genealogical record that establishes his right to be king or priest, and there is no record of descendants that might claim his same rights. Thus, Christ is claimed to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek because they are the same in kind. Christ did not receive His right to be a priest from natural descent. His right comes because He is the eternal Son of God and has the power of an endless life.

This just barely touches the subject and it may seem to be a minor point of academic interest and not really important for the average reader. If this is the case, we may as well lay Hebrews aside and not bother reading it, because if these points are not understood the significance of Hebrews is severely diminished. The priesthood of Christ must be understood because this is what gives Him the right to make a sacrifice to God and to atone for our sins. This gives Him the right to be our mediator and to bridge the impossible spiritual communication gap between us and God. These important aspects are functions of the priesthood.

Today, we need no other priest than Jesus Christ. We can come to God at any time with no earthly mediator that stands between. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. His priesthood is permanent; it is unchangeable because He is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:17). Rejoice for instant access to the great God of heaven through Jesus Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (Hebrews 6:19)

The sixth chapter of Hebrews is one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament. Scholars have debated the meaning of the first six verses for centuries and still there is much disagreement. Controversy arises over the first two verses as to whether the writer is telling New Testament Jewish Christians to move beyond the types and shadows of the Old Testament, or whether he is referring to elementary New Testament doctrines that should have already been settled in their minds. The former meaning would teach that Old Testament ceremonies were merely illustrations of the greater work of Christ, while the latter emphasizes New Testament doctrines. Both interpretations encourage Christians to maturity in the deeper doctrines of the faith.

This controversy pales in comparison to the arguments over verses 4 through 6. Without exploring these verses in depth, we are sure that one popular interpretation cannot be right. This is the idea that one that has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God and has truly received Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, could then totally and finally apostatize from the faith. There are too many other scriptures that convincingly refute this interpretation, and since the Bible never contradicts itself, this interpretation must be wrong.

We understand further that it must be wrong by the very meaning of salvation which is to be made safe, and by the work of the Trinity in securing eternal salvation. This includes the election of God’s people from the foundation of the world, the payment for the debt of their sins by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit through which He effectual calls the sinner to salvation. The intention of this great work is to conform the believer to the image of Christ. If any part of this fails, the Trinity fails and thus God cannot be God. Therefore, we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).

The whole of scripture presents an unshakeable convincing argument for the impossibility of the redeemed ever losing their salvation. However, I do not find it necessary to move beyond this chapter to find such assurance. All we need do is read a little further to verses 13 through 20 in which the writer relies upon the faithfulness of God to always remain true to His promises. If we have fled to God for the refuge of our souls (v. 18), then we have the promise of God that our souls are anchored with Christ in heaven (v.19). This promise is made sure not just by God stating it, which is exceedingly more than enough since God cannot lie, but is also confirmed by God’s oath. He swore upon Himself because there is no higher authority to swear by.

The faith once placed in Christ is a sure faith. If in the beginning it is real, it will never falter because it is anchored in heaven in the holiest place where Jesus Christ has presented His own blood as the surety of our salvation. Today, it is with full confidence that I can say, “Trust Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and you will be as sure for heaven as if you were already there!”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; [9] And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:8-9)

In surveying the New Testament, there are many passages that especially draw our attention and are amazing to our eyes as we read them. There are verses that lift us up to the heights of glory; that gladden our hearts and refresh us and remind us that we sit in heavenly places in Christ. The apostle Paul was prone to stop after writing words with Holy Spirit inspiration and offer doxologies of praise. One such place is 1 Timothy 1:17: “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Hebrews is like reading a continuously long praise song to the mastery of Jesus Christ. We have seen previously in the first four chapters that Christ is superior to angels, to Moses, and to Joshua. In the fifth chapter, the intention is to show His superiority to the priesthood of Aaron. Although Christ was not descended from Aaron and thus not in the line of priesthood, yet He is superior because His appointment was directly from God. Christ did not enter the priesthood as a selfish intruder, but as one ordained by God to a new and better priesthood—a perfect priesthood that is not attainable by a mere mortal (5:5-6). The priesthood of Aaron and those descended from him was temporary by reason of death (7:23), but the priesthood of Christ is eternal because He is the ever living God.

The wonder of verses 8 and 9 is the unfathomable doctrine of the incarnation. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, became man. Verse 8 says “he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” Christ did not have to learn anything as God, but He learned to obey as a man. In His active obedience, He obeyed the Father’s will which included subjecting Himself to God’s law and keeping every part of it perfectly. In His passive obedience, He allowed the humiliation of the cross and willingly offered Himself to die. He surpasses the Aaronic priesthood because He became qualified to be both the priest and the sacrifice. His earthly life allowed Him to be sympathetic to the frailties of humanity as a human priest would be, but His perfect life meant no sacrifice was needed for Him personally. Therefore, He could give up His own life as the sacrifice for our sins. He exchanged His perfect obedience for our miserable imperfection.

Jesus Christ became the author of eternal salvation. He was the author of salvation from the eternal covenant of God, but He became the author by fulfilling all of the requirements to complete our salvation. Jesus Christ is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). He is the superior High Priest because He lives forever to make intercession for us. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

If you understand and believe what Christ so wondrously did, reading the words “he became the author of eternal salvation,” must surely open the depths of your heart to let out your words of praise. Somewhere there is a doxology in this passage. It must be from those that obey Christ by faith.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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. (Hebrews 4:12)

One of the greatest tragedies of the modern church is the failure of both pulpit and people to honor God’s word. There are many that regard the Bible as a stuffy book that was written by ancient men who were overly superstitious and whose opinions are not really applicable to the modern world. If the Bible is read in church, it is a version that has been stripped of its original meaning and paraphrased so that it reads like the newspaper or a cheap novel.

Modern Bible translators are of the opinion that God is incapable of saying what He meant to say. It is therefore their task to put scripture into a more readable form so that anyone is capable of understanding it. In doing so, their eclectic translations interpret scripture rather than translate. Their actions deny a fundamental element of Bible comprehension, which is the power of the Holy Spirit to speak to the heart and mind to reveal truth. The Bible is not man’s book but rather as Hebrews 4:12 describes, it is the word of God.

The Bible has special characteristics that make it more than just an “ancient” book. It is “quick” which means it is alive. It does not die like an ancient language. It is as new and fresh to every generation as if it was spoken this morning. It is also “powerful,” which is a word from which we get “energy.” The Bible is constantly active so that it is able to awaken people that are dead in trespasses and sins and give them spiritual birth (1 Pet. 1:23).

The writer also says it is “sharper than any twoedged sword.” We should pay particular attention to this phrase because this speaks of God’s judgment. Those who do not listen to the word and heed its commands are going to be judged severely by it. It is able to reveal the “thoughts and intents of the heart.” Those that reject the message of the scripture, the way of eternal life through the gospel of Christ, will be held accountable in the Day of Judgment.

It is really not very hard to understand the reason so many churches have abandoned scripture. As churches desire an atmosphere that caters to an unregenerate crowd, the word of God becomes a terrible sore spot because of its exposing and condemning nature. The scripture says that people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. The word of God is a glaring spotlight on an evil generation, so trying to draw a worldly crowd by preaching the truth of the word is an exercise in futility.

At Berean, we are committed to reading and preaching the Bible and are content to let the Holy Spirit work on the hearts of the people. The Bible does expose sin, but the Holy Spirit is able to take the preached word and break down the resistance of the sinner. Clever tactics and manipulation are not our method. We depend solely on the work of the Holy Spirit as He uses the “quick” and “powerful” word to draw sinners to Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4)

Today’s congregational reading comes from the 3rd chapter of Hebrews. As I have pointed out in previous articles, it is the writer’s intent to prove the superiority of Jesus. In particular, He is superior to the old dispensation of Judaism and is the fulfillment of all the types and shadows of the Old Testament ceremonial laws. This is especially important as it regards Israel’s greatest prophet, Moses. Moses was revered because it was through him that God gave His holy law.

During the time of His three year ministry, Jesus was often confronted by Jewish accusers that were aghast at His claims to be God. When speaking to the blind man that Jesus healed in John chapter 9, the Jews said, “Thou art his disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake to Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is” (John 9:28-29). Even some of Jesus’ greatest miracles were challenged on the basis they were not quite up to the level of those done by Moses. How could He be greater than Moses and claim to be God? For example, in John 6 the Jews asked for a sign, some further miracle to be done in order that they might believe in Him (as if He had not given abundant proof!). What was their standard? “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat” (v. 31). The standard of proof was Moses. Jesus replied that Moses was not the one that gave them bread from heaven. Rather, the bread came from the Father.

These types of exchanges are extremely important as we come to Hebrews. Since the Jews revered Moses, the writer cannot disparage Moses in any way while proving the supremacy of Jesus. Therefore, he points out the faithfulness of Moses in 3:2. Even though Moses failed at times, for the most part he did what God required in the sphere of work he was given. God used Moses as an administrator over the household of Israel but Moses received his wisdom and abilities from God. Moses was not the builder of Israel; he was a steward over the nation. His relationship to God in this respect is that of a servant (3:5).

The point is made that Moses was a part of God’s household. He is not superior to the one who actually built the house. Jesus stands in a superior relationship to God, that of a son, the rightful heir of the household (3:6). But even more remarkable in its impact is that Christ is the one that built the house. Therefore, His equality with God is proven. “He that built all things is God” (3:4) = “Christ [is] a son over his own house” (3:6).

These statements build on the premise established in the first chapter. “[God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (1:2). I sincerely hope you feel the excitement of these unfolding irrefutable arguments concerning the deity of Jesus Christ. If you have placed your faith in Him, you are grounded on the solid rock of God Himself.

Blessed be God for Jesus Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; [3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:2-3)

One of the most serious errors of today’s evangelical movement is the construction of a god and of a savior that is very much different than the one presented in scripture. The modern fallacy is to believe the God of the Old Testament was very harsh, unforgiving, and much too demanding. We read the Old Testament laws given to Moses at Mount Sinai and we shudder at the consequences ordered by God to make restitution for breaking those laws. There are many examples that could be given, but one that comes to mind is the sin of adultery. God said, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). These laws are difficult for the modern hearer because the god that has been constructed today is one that would never think of punishing evil doers so harshly; and certainly He would never punish anyone in an eternal Hell. And yet in the book of Hebrews, we learn these laws were given to man through the administration of the holy angels of God. God’s holiness demanded such punishment so that scripture says the penalty paid is a “just recompense of reward.”

Churches today offer salvation from a god that is much less demanding. This god loves you and is unconcerned with your petty indiscretions (re: actual crimes against His holiness!). You owe nothing to God, but He owes everything to you. There are no requirements, no real standards—all you need do is acknowledge He has something to offer.

These verses in Hebrews are some of the strongest refutations in scripture about this idea of God and His Christ. Hebrews affirms that God is just in giving a penalty for the transgression of His law. What is more amazing from these scriptures is that the demands of God are not decreased because we have entered the New Testament era, but are rather intensified. In the Old Testament, angels were attendant at the giving of the law (Ps. 68:17), and prophets such as Moses taught it to the people. Obedience was expected even though the law itself could never bring anyone into a personal relationship with God. “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Hebrews 7:1).

The better hope is the Lord Jesus Christ and knowledge of Him is through the gospel. The writer makes a simple but profound argument. Christ is God’s own Son, the express image of His person (1:3). He has spoken, not angels and not men, and His gospel is the only way to come into a saving relationship with Him. If the hearers of the Old Testament Law could not escape God’s punishment for disobeying an inferior law given through angels and men, how much less can we expect to escape punishment for disobeying the superior law which actually brings salvation (Rom. 8:2) and was given by the One who sits in majesty on high (1:3)?

Rather than God demanding less today than He did in the Old Testament, He demands incredibly more. Punishment for rejection of God’s message today is far greater than it was then. To put it simply, Hell has become hotter! We will not escape it if we neglect salvation in Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: [11] They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; [12] And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Hebrews 1:10-12)

Our congregational reading today is from the book of Hebrews chapter 1. The entire book of Hebrews is an outstanding, Christ exalting study. In simplest of terms, it is the writer’s intent to show that Christ is superior over everything in the vastness of His creation. God is revealed personally to us in the person of Jesus Christ who is the ”brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (1:3).

The tone for the book is set in verse 4 with the words “Being made so much better…” We learn that He is better than angels, better than Moses, and better than the Levitical priesthood. His personal sacrifice for sins is better than the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, and the mercy seat where He sprinkled His blood is in a better place because it is in a “perfect tabernacle, not made with hands” (9:11). His covenant is a better covenant because through it He “perfected forever them that are sanctified” (10:14). One day He will receive believers into a better place, ”the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” where we will worship God in the presence of “an innumerable company of angels” (12:22).

Remarkably, chapter one verses 10-12 teach that Jesus Christ is the one who created the heavens and the earth. The 2nd verse says, He ”made the worlds.” Verse 3 tells us He upholds all things ”by the word of his power.” He is addressed as “Lord” which is the Lord God Jehovah and unmistakably identifies Christ as the one and only Supreme God. He laid the foundations of the earth and He made the heavens, which declare His eternal pre-existence. It is also apparent that He transcends the creation for He will cause it to pass out of existence, yet the One who created ex nihilo remains the same forever and His years will not fail.

As we read through Hebrews in these next few weeks, please stop to consider the majesty of the words. Superlative upon superlative is heaped on Christ. Spend some time contemplating the reasoning of the writer in proclaiming Jesus Christ better than all others. We preach Christ, and the reception of Him as Saviour and Lord is the only hope for eternal life. All religions are not equal because there is no equal to Jesus! He is infinitely better! Heed the words of chapter 12:28-29: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Our congregational scripture reading today comes from the little book of Philemon which in our New Testament is placed between the books of Titus and Hebrews. We call all three of these “books” when in fact they are “epistles” or formal letters that were written either to individuals or churches. This letter is the shortest of those written by Paul and was written to a prominent wealthy Christian named Philemon. Paul was in prison when writing this letter and interestingly it is an appeal for the forgiveness of a runaway slave.

Philemon lived in the city of Colossae located in modern day Turkey which is a considerable distance to traverse either by land or sea to reach Rome where Paul was in prison. This is where Paul came in contact with the runaway slave named Onesimus. Philemon was the slave’s owner who was converted under Paul’s ministry, and by the providence of God, after traversing hundreds of miles, this runaway slave came in contact with the one that led his master to the Lord!

After Onesimus’ conversion, he became a very useful servant of Paul, not as a slave, but as a fellow laborer for the cause of Christ. This did not change the circumstances that Onesimus had wronged his master by running away, and now that he had become a Christian, it was his duty to make amends for his criminal act.

As you can see from this description, the desire of Onesimus in seeking freedom from slavery, and the ownership of another human being by Philemon who was a Christian is terribly problematic for our understanding. Paul did not appeal to Philemon to release Onesimus on moral grounds, but asked for Philemon to receive him back without punishment. He asked for forgiveness based on the new bond that existed between them, that of brothers in the Lord.

There is not enough space here to give details about the social order of the first century which made this solution the right one and the best one for a Christian slave that had run away. Although Paul did not attack the institution of slavery directly and did not demand that Philemon give up his slave, he certainly did establish the principle of a new relationship between Christians in this predicament. Receiving Onesimus back as a brother (v. 16) ensured Philemon’s best treatment of Onesimus and Onesimus’ best service to Philemon. As unlikely as it may seem, both were satisfied and both displayed characteristics of the Saviour!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)

One of the most blessed scriptures written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were these words written to Titus by the apostle Paul. This statement follows Paul’s instructions about how we should treat our fellow man. We are to be gentle and meek towards them (3:2) because this is how God acted towards us in Christ. Paul reminds Titus that God showed us mercy when we were in a deplorable state, estranged from God and living in the pleasures of the flesh (3:3). In this cursed condition, God sent Christ to die for us. He was not drawn to us for any goodness that He saw in us. He did not choose us because we were diligent towards Him or our fellows.

In this unhappy state, God could have given us justice. He could have left us to suffer the consequences of our crimes and He would have been just in doing so. Instead, God gave us mercy. God showed kindness and love (3:4) and graciously regenerated our hearts in order that we might repent of our sins and place our faith in Him. This has always been God’s way of working with condemned sinners, and yet most are convinced that favor with God is obtained by doing good works that will somehow satisfy God for the sins we have committed.

There are many Bible passages that refute the idea that we are able to perform any type of work that meets the standard God requires. God has only one standard—absolute perfection. He requires us to be sinless not only in the deed but also in the motive for the deed. Every thought and every action must be in perfect harmony with the divine mind. There is neither time nor space to prove the inability of any person to meet this standard, but neither is it required. Our own experience is all the proof we need. If God wants perfection, then God will not get what He wants—at least not from us. However, the impossibility of our perfection does not change the fact that God has the right to demand it. Even though God is merciful as this passage states, there is no obligation upon God to give mercy, and much less to give it at the expense of His justice.

Titus 3:5 contains a key word in scripture. “Righteous” or “righteousness” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. It is a forensic word, which means it relates to the court of law. Man’s covenant relationship with God is maintained on the basis of His law. Since we are incapable of keeping God’s law perfectly, God satisfies the requirement Himself. He gets what He wants, perfect obedience, but not from us. The perfect obedience is Christ’s, and in grace God justifies us from our sins based on the merits of Christ’s perfect obedience (3:6-7).

The next time you read Titus 3:5, thank God from the depths of your heart that ”not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” If not for this, our salvation is impossible!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  [14]  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:13-14)

On the July 4th weekend, we were blessed to celebrate two hundred thirty-five years of American independence. One of the greatest freedoms we enjoy is the right to worship God according to the faith of our choosing. One of the vital principles our founding fathers insisted upon was freedom from the state church that so often persecuted dissenters. Even though they were against the establishment of any particular church, they were very much in favor of giving allegiance to the God who is the Creator of heaven and earth. The first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence each contain a reference to God. In the first paragraph, He is “Nature’s God,” and in the second He is the “Creator” who has “endowed” us with “certain unalienable rights.” In the last paragraph, the signatories declared their “reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”

There is no doubt the founders were in unanimity as to the identity of “Nature’s God,” the “Creator,” and “Divine Providence.” John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” This means the founders were duly bound to the God who promised to one day rule the world with a perfect government. The founders were intent on producing the best government humanly possible. In their minds, combining the principles of Christianity with this government was the only way this could be achieved. Although they were against a state church, they by no means thought their government would survive without obeying the “Creator” any more than they thought they could survive the Revolution without “the protection of Divine Providence.”

It is very clear the men that so desperately wanted to declare independence from the tyranny of the British Crown were eager to declare their dependence upon God. The beginning of the last paragraph also includes an appeal to the “Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” Compare this to Paul’s statement in Titus 2:13-14. They expected the “glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,” who would come to judge the righteousness of their cause. They truly believed they were “zealous of good works,” which included rightly governing with a godly government. Some may think it wrong to apply these scriptures this way. However, we must remember the mindset of these men. They believed they existed to glorify God. There is no doubt they had various opinions about how to do this, but they were unified in their opinion that God would not excuse them if they did not build their government upon Christian principles.

Two hundred thirty-five years have passed since this courageous decision. So much time has passed, but the years have not dimmed the same basic need of all people no matter what type of government rules them. We will all stand before the “Supreme Judge of the world” to give account of our lives. I hope when you meet Him that you will be judged righteous in your actions. You will be if you have declared your dependence upon the Great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” (Titus 1:15)

When reading the first chapter of Titus, we are struck by the caustic language Paul uses when describing false teachers. The first thought is how forceful the apostle is when speaking of those who would teach doctrines that subvert the truths of the gospel. In this passage, he commands Titus to “rebuke them sharply” (v. 13), which is very much uncharacteristic of the way these situations are handled in churches today. Niceties are usually the norm because calling someone out for false doctrine is considered uncharitable or even rude. Much error is tolerated because pastors are afraid of being offensive to those that may not be in agreement.

If Paul and the other apostles were too afraid of being offensive, imagine how the gospel would have been affected. If he had not been very clear about justification by faith alone, how would we understand this indispensable doctrine? If he had allowed subversion of the gospel of grace, how would we come to salvation in Christ? The past two thousand years of church history have seen these doctrines attacked incessantly giving rise to the largest pseudo-Christian church in the world, Roman Catholicism. If heresies concerning these doctrines were not confronted at the inception of the church and then recorded in scripture, there would be no checks on their perversions.

Similarly, the apostle John was blistering in his refutation of teachers that denied the incarnation of Christ. His favorite terms were “liars,” “antichrists,” and “children of the devil.” He taught there are only two spirits operable in the world. Either a teacher is led by the Holy Spirit or he is led by Satan. He leaves no room for other possibilities. Therefore, a preacher or church that says Jesus Christ is not Jehovah God manifested in the flesh, is teaching the doctrine of devils. It is certainly unpopular to say Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and other cults are satanic, but this is exactly what scripture says. In fact, both Paul and John would agree that any group that subverts any part of the gospel is satanic.

Is it too harsh to make such declarations? Consider the alternative. Jesus’ words to the Jews that refused to believe He was Jehovah God are these: “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). “I am he,” are words that refer to the oneness of Jesus with the Father and His full equality in all of the attributes of Almighty God. “Die in your sins” means eternal death in the fires of hell. The alternative to calling out false teachers and exposing their heresies is to allow them to lead people into the pit of hell. Paul said, “Their mouths must be stopped” (Titus 1:11).

The gospel includes the truth of the deity of Christ and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Paul told the Corinthians it is the gospel by which we are saved. Faith in the true gospel is the only hope for a world of lost and dying sinners. No, Paul was not afraid of being offensive with the truth. He knew the awful consequences if he was not!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)

In the first few verses of Titus chapter 1, the apostle Paul lists some of the qualifications for the office of pastor. As an independent Baptist church, we believe there are only two scriptural offices for the church. These are the offices of pastor and deacon. Men that are chosen for these positions must meet the strict biblical requirements outlined in the epistles of 1st Timothy and Titus.

In the first part of Paul’s letter to Titus, the emphasis is on the pastor. There are requirements concerning his family, his personal character, and also his heart for God’s people. These qualifications are condensed into three verses, and then the rest of letter is an admonition for the teaching of strong doctrine. The disparity between the short amount of space given to this part of his qualifications compared to the bulk of the letter being dedicated to the teaching of doctrine does not diminish this aspect of the office. The personal character of the man chosen to lead God’s people is crucial to his effectiveness as a minister. He must be above reproach or else his message falls on deaf ears. Many men that could have been used greatly by God have failed because their families and/or their morality have disqualified them.

It remains, however, that there is much material in this letter devoted to the teaching of doctrine. The pastor’s main duty is to feed the flock of God. He may be a wonderful man personally and very well liked, but if his knowledge of the word is deficient, he will not be able to feed God’s people spiritually. Neither will he be able to protect them from the constant attacks of heresy that threaten them on a daily basis. There are many wolves that would devour the flock and the pastor must be able to defend his people against these heretics. Several times in the letter, Paul makes this point. The pastor must be able to identify heretics and defend against them.

Another point that should be evident from the letter is that any doctrine of any kind is not automatically acceptable. There is a difference between truth and error. Truth always strengthens the people; error always destroys. Doctrine cannot be dismissed as unimportant. False doctrine and its teachers must be exposed (1:10-16). The pulpit ministry of Berean is never timid about naming names when necessary. The popular saying among many evangelicals is “unity at all costs.” We are opposed to this. We believe “defend the truth at all costs.” We seek accord with other Christians only on the basis of doctrinal unity. Unity on any other basis is dangerous to the gospel and to the health of God’s people.

We believe and whole heartedly practice Paul’s command to Titus. The bishop (pastor) must hold fast to the word, maintaining sound doctrine that will encourage the saints and will convince those that resist the truth. Anything less is blight on the pastoral office.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18)

2nd Timothy 4:18 is a fitting conclusion to the life of the apostle Paul. This letter is the last that Paul wrote before being martyred for his faith. Earlier in the epistle, he wrote that he knew he was going to die: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (4:6). And yet with this knowledge, Paul wrote that he knew the Lord would deliver him from every evil work. This may seem a little puzzling at first especially if we believe he is referring to his death. Paul did not expect to be delivered from death. Instead, we can view this more towards his statement in the first chapter, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (1:12c). This verse accords perfectly with “…and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.”

This is Paul’s great confidence in the assurance of his salvation. He would be protected from falling; he would be protected from renouncing his faith even in the most trying circumstances. In verse 17, he said that he was “delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” Various interpretations have been put on this phrase. Some think it means Nero who was the Roman emperor at that time. His hatred of Christians is legendary. Others believe it refers to the lions in Roman arenas which Paul may have faced (1 Cor. 15:32). Still others believe it refers to Satan who is known as our great adversary that seeks to devour us as a lion stalks his prey (1 Pet. 5:8). It may be that Paul simply means danger in general. Whichever interpretation is correct, the result is the same. Nothing could move him off the foundation of his faith. He was preserved until he would meet Christ face to face in the heavenly kingdom.

The same is true for every believer. The problem is that many believers lose assurance because they have not been faithful. If you survey 2nd Timothy, you will find Paul referring to the evidence of faith. The evidence for Paul is not different than found in other places in scripture. These are adherence to strong doctrine (1:13, 2:15), obedience to God’s command in removing sin from our lives (2:19-21), and then, of course, love for other believers (1:2). These issues are the bedrock of assurance. These enable the Christian to face uncertain days.

If you have doubts, are you able to trace the source? Do you love the word or ignore it (3:15-17, 4:3)? Is sin weighing you down (3:2-5)? Are you concerned for the welfare of other Christians (4:19-22)? If you guard your heart in these areas, the Lord will also deliver you from every evil work.

Finally, knowing he will soon depart, Paul offers his doxology: “to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” His life and death were for the glory of God. How he died did not matter; when he died did not matter. That God should receive all glory is all that counted. Do you have this commitment? If Christ should come today or wait another thousand years, will you live and die for the glory of God?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Each of us is now aware of the religious turmoil generated by the recent failed prognostication of Judgment Day. Most of these predictions rarely enter the public consciousness because those who perpetrate them do not have the means to make them widely known. About a year ago, I spoke with a preacher that said he could tell me for sure when Christ would return. I listened for about three seconds before my attention was turned to something else, and so I failed to get the exact date. As you can imagine, I am suffering deep remorse for not listening long enough! I still do not know what date he had in mind and I seriously doubt there are a handful of people who do.

This is not the case with the May 21st date proposed by Harold Camping. He had the means to make his views widely known, and so the prediction reached around the world and stirred quite a bit of interest. It is hard to miss thousands of 288 square feet billboards and over $100 million in advertising. The focus now is on the fallout for countless numbers of people that believed his predictions. Many churches have offered counseling for misguided “Christians” who are left bitterly disappointed.

I believe the counseling is mostly misguided. Anyone that was serious enough to buy into Harold Camping’s predictions must also have bought into his many other heretical teachings. A man who believed the church is dead; that people should abandon all churches (and many do need to be abandoned!); a man that taught salvation is for the elect of God irrespective of their belief in Christ; a man that believes the gospel is now annulled; a man that failed the test of a true prophet (Deut. 18:22), is a rank heretic of the worst sort. To call his program “Christian” or his radio station, “Family Christian Radio,” is the devil’s worst type of deception. People that believe such things do not need to be counseled concerning their disappointment over the rapture—they need to be given the gospel of Christ. If Christ did appear, they weren’t going!

In the opening verses of 2 Timothy 4, Paul encouraged Timothy to preach the truth of the word, which is measured by sound doctrine. He warned that people are prone to turn from truth to wildly imaginative fables. This is the case of those that followed Harold Camping. The crown of righteousness that is won at the coming of Christ is one that is given based upon gospel fidelity. Thus Paul says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Neither Harold Camping nor his followers have kept the faith. If you want to help these people, do not assist in the grief counseling. Pray for their salvation!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15)

The letter of 2nd Timothy is one of three Pastoral Epistles written by Paul to instruct both Timothy and Titus in their duties of leading the church. The term “pastor” means “shepherd.” The chief duty of a pastor is to shepherd the flock of God. When Jesus was speaking to Peter after the resurrection, He asked, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Peter responded, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,” to which Jesus rejoined, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15). This statement is equivalent to, “If you love me, shepherd my sheep.”

Our King James Version has rendered the first part of 2 Timothy 2:15 as “Study to show thyself approved.” This translation is good if we understand what “study” meant to the translators. Commonly, we take this to mean, study as in hitting the books to prepare for a final. The word actually means “Be diligent.” Paul is instructing Timothy to be diligent about teaching the people of God. He is to use all physical and spiritual means to search the scriptures and impart truth to God’s people. This diligence will cause him to receive God’s approbation.

Superimposing Jesus’ words to Peter upon this text, Paul instructs Timothy to shepherd the sheep with the utmost care and concern for their spiritual welfare. A pastor wears many hats and is charged with many responsibilities, but the most important of these is teaching the Bible. Our spiritual strength comes from God’s word. Even regeneration itself is a product of the Holy Spirit’s work using the scriptures to bring us to repentance and faith. Peter wrote: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). After salvation, the Bible continues to be the Christian’s strength for daily living. Later in 2 Timothy, Paul writes that scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The result of knowing scripture is that we become mature in the faith and equipped to perform every good work imposed upon us by virtue of our salvation in Christ (2 Timothy 3:17).

With these facts in mind, the meaning of 2 Timothy 2:15 for the pastor, is unmistakably clarified. The pulpit ministry is the most important part of the church. We can do without programs if we must; we can do without socials if we must; we can do without any of the peripherals of ministry, but we cannot do without the Word. The pastor will stand before God and give an account of how faithfully and diligently he fed the people with the Word.

I am concerned that we are very clear about the doctrines of the Bible. We will not abandon the teaching of justification by faith alone; we will not abandon God’s demand for righteous, holy living. We will not abandon the call to complete repentance from sin, nor the wrath of God because of sin, or the punishment of eternal hell for unbelievers. Accompanying these doctrines, this church will do its best to teach the people to know Christ better. Faith is increased by knowledge and knowledge comes from being a diligent student of God’s word.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,  (10)  But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:  (11)  Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.  (12)  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  (13)  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:9-13)

Often when speaking to visitors in our services and to prospective members, I like to tell them that we are historical Baptists. In this day, it is common to find churches that march under no specific banner but are what we sometimes term “generic Christians.” This means they fit in well with just about any group, especially those that have abandoned the teaching of specific Bible doctrines that would define their theological bent.

As historical Baptists, we observe the time honored confessions of faith that our Baptist forefathers have stood for. However, we do not believe creeds and confessions are superior to the Bible, and we observe them only as they agree with true Biblical teachings. Three very important confessions of faith reflect the interpretation of scripture as held by Berean Baptist Church. These are the First London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1644, the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, and the New Hampshire Confession of Faith of 1833. While we are not in agreement with every minute detail, these confessions largely represent the teachings of our church.

If I were to pick one portion of scripture that contains many of our specific teachings, I would choose 2 Timothy 1:9-13. Here are found these important truths: (1) Salvation is not by human effort but only through the grace of God bestowed upon depraved, unworthy sinners (v 9). (2) The means of salvation and those who receive it were determined by God before the world began. This determination was not based upon the condition of any foreseen goodness in man including faith in the gospel, but was based solely upon the grace of God and the good pleasure of His will (v. 9). (3) Salvation is in Christ and Him alone (v. 10). (4) Those that God has chosen are effectually called by the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel (vv. 9-11). (4) All those chosen, effectually called, and justified, are forever preserved in the faith so they can never fall away (v. 12). (5) Believers are not only preserved in the faith, they must also persevere in the faith (v. 13). Their continuance in the faith is evidence of their true conversion.

All of these beliefs are expressed in the aforementioned historical confessions of faith. We affirm these as important truths of scripture, and to deny these is not only denial of these historical statements of faith, but more importantly is denial of the Holy Scriptures. Because of 2 Timothy 1:9-13 and many other confirmations of the same truths spoken elsewhere in the Bible, we cannot be “generic Christians.” Paul, the apostle, encouraged Timothy to hold on to the sound truths he was taught (v. 13). These words are recorded and preserved for us that we might also receive the same encouragement as Timothy.

We make no apologies for believing, preaching, and being identified with the same truths our Baptist forefathers taught. If Christ and the apostles taught these doctrines, we want them to be our doctrines too!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

We welcome everyone to our services today as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We remember this day as the most important day in the history of the world. Many great men have lived and died since God created the world, but no life and death has meant as much to people in every age and on every continent as that of Jesus. The birth of Jesus was a miraculous, significant event; His life was remarkable for its perfection and its miracles. His death is memorialized because His blood was the offering for sin—but His resurrection is the most important of all because it validates the eternal purpose of God. The resurrection is God’s stamp of approval on the work of Christ for the redemption of man.

The resurrection defines Christianity. It is the foundational underpinning of all the doctrines that comprise the Christian faith. Christianity is a wonderful religious system as it concerns morality and the inter-personal relationships of humans; but without the resurrection there is no more hope of eternal life than found in any other religious system. Life beyond the grave is a component of all the major religions because every person has the innate sense that this life is not the end. Coupled with this sense of eternity is the belief there is a God and in some way we are accountable to Him. Of all the world’s religions, Christianity is unique in that it addresses the corruption of the human nature and offers a way for humans to be just with God.

How to be sure of justification is a puzzling matter for religion. Ancients would go as far as offering human sacrifices to appease the wrath of their gods, and even then they were not sure it had actually been accomplished. Christianity is the only religion that offers proof that God is satisfied and peace with God is attainable. The offering of Christ as a sacrifice for sin is the method by which God is satisfied, and Christ’s subsequent resurrection from the dead is God’s statement that He accepted the offering. Paul said in Romans that Christ was “delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification” (4:25). John wrote that Christ is “the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2). “Propitiation” is the appeasement of wrath.

This means the resurrection is the indispensible key to the knowledge that it is possible to have a relationship with God. For this reason, the resurrection was accompanied by “many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3), including over five hundred eyewitness accounts (1 Cor. 15:5-8). It is possible to know with certainty that we can be just with God. Christianity is also unique in this way because it is a verifiable, objective faith. There are no unsubstantiated claims.

We are blessed that God has revealed His plan for our salvation in this way. Although “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1), the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, was seen. He was born, He did live, He did die, and He did arise from the grave. These are indisputable facts. Faith for us is not a leap into the dark. We celebrate today with confidence in the risen Lord!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In the next few weeks in our Wednesday evening Bible study, we are spending some time dealing with the issue of assurance of salvation as found in the epistle of 1 John. This is a very important doctrine and one that is quite controversial among various “Christian” groups. The issue centers on one of the core doctrines that makes Baptists different from many others. We have always taught that once a person receives Christ as Saviour, he is eternally secure in his faith. Some have described this as the “once saved always saved” doctrine, which is a true description yet does not do justice to the whole story.

Most of the time the emphasis is placed on the last part “always saved” rather than the first part “once saved.” The epistle of 1 John deals with both parts but with strong emphasis on the former part of the statement rather than the latter. We must be sure that we are “once saved,” and John proposes various tests to prove we are “once saved.” When this part has been convincingly discovered, only then can we begin to seek assurance in the doctrine “always saved.”

The method John uses to approach this problem lies on two fronts. He argues against those that are convinced they are saved with no real evidence as proof, while at the same time using evidence as a means of assuring our hearts before God (3:19). Since lack of assurance is a common problem among Christians, it stands to reason there are barriers in the way of assurance. We discussed some of these on Wednesday night and I believe they are important enough to repeat here for those that did not attend.

We discussed three pitfalls in the way of assurance: God’s presence, God’s perfection, and God’s punishment. God’s presence is His watchful eye over every moment of our lives. In scripture, those that were aware of God’s presence were often traumatized by it. Every person should fear God as the omnipotent Creator who holds life and death in His hands. God’s perfection refers to His insistence of strict obedience to His commands. God’s law contains no basis for forgiveness. Every transgression has a just recompense of reward (Heb. 2:1-4). This leads to fear of God’s punishment. The scripture says “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

These are legitimate barriers that stand in the way of assurance. It is a foolish person that does not rightfully understand nor carefully consider each of these. How are these barriers overcome? Truthfully, they are hurdles far too high for anyone to surmount; and yet assurance of salvation is dependent upon crossing these barriers. If you are the least bit curious to understand the answer to these problems, I encourage you to come to the Wednesday evening Bible study. Complacency concerning these pitfalls is one marker that you are in the group of those convinced of salvation with no real evidence as proof.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Today in our study of Matthew’s gospel, we enter into a new phase of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. In the end of the ninth chapter, Jesus surveyed the multitudes and with compassion His heart was broken. The religious leaders that should have given the people wise counsel from God’s word had instead perverted God’s message and had left them in hopelessness burdened down with legalism. Jesus compared this to a flock of sheep that was scattered and left defenseless because there was no shepherd to guide them.

Looking again at the multitudes, He turned to His disciples and said, “The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few” (9:38). Up to this point, Jesus was the main proponent of the gospel. He had visited all of the towns and villages of Galilee crisscrossing the sea numerous times to reach as many people as possible (9:35). But this was not to be His perpetual ministry because He came to the world to die for sin, and in a short time He would go to Jerusalem to be crucified. This meant that in the time He had left the ministry must change. The numbers of doomed unconverted sinners was too great for one person to reach, and even if He could do it all alone, the ministry would die with Him unless others were enlisted to carry it forward.

In verse 38, He told the disciples to pray that laborers would be found that would carry on the gospel ministry. Little did the disciples know how this prayer would forever change their lives! The ones that were told to pray would become the ones the Lord would send into the harvest. When they prayed, God would begin to burden their hearts for lost souls and they would respond with, “Here am I, send me.” In the tenth chapter, the transformation of ministry is made and the disciples go through their training course that would eventually cause them to turn the world upside down with the gospel (Acts 17:6).

This is the same response that God is seeking from the church today. Every member of our church has lost friends and family members. Our Wednesday night prayer page has a section devoted to the salvation needs of our loved ones, and each week I encourage you to pray that someone would go to these people and God would open their hearts to receive the gospel of Christ. If you earnestly pray for this, you will soon discover the person who must go is you. And further, God will extend the burden to others outside your circle.

In these next few weeks, our study in Matthew will concentrate on evangelism. We teach through the Bible verse by verse and since this subject is where the text takes us, we will approach it with all the same vigor and enthusiasm as we do other doctrines. Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. We must have our compassion for souls revitalized so that we see the world headed for the harvest of judgment. Who will give them the gospel? Will it be you?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This evening in our service the church will participate in our quarterly observance of the Lord’s Supper. It is always our privilege to come to the Lord’s Table in order to commemorate our Lord’s death and to reflect upon His promise that He is coming again. It is the responsibility of every church member to be present since we are commanded to observe the ordinance.

In the evening message, I plan to speak directly concerning the utmost care that was taken by the apostles to be sure everything for the Last Supper was exactly as Christ commanded. The night was a very important one because Jesus would give His last instructions to the disciples. The Gospel of John chapters 13-17 contain His powerful discourse, which words were indelibly pressed into the minds of eleven men who were given responsibility to proclaim the gospel to the world. Christ’s instructions were demanding upon their character. Their lives must be molded into His image; they must be one in heart and mind with Him, or else faulty character would damage the impact of their message.

In like manner, every Christian today must live as if he had been present in the upper room. We are the new purveyors of the gospel message. We have no less responsibility to heed the words of Christ and likewise be molded into His image that the gospel should not be hindered. The Supper is a solemn reminder of this duty. Paul said we must examine ourselves before we partake. Our hearts must be pure else we are “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” Yet I wonder how often there is no preparation. I wonder what has taken place in the lives of many Christians on the day before the Supper. I wonder what conversations have been spoken, what language has been used, who and what are the subjects of those conversations?

Our practice is to begin the Supper with a silent prayer of confession. Sins must be confessed, but sins must also be forsaken. True confession contains repentance and a solemn promise not to repeat those sins. Will you partake of the Supper tonight and then return to the wickedness you practiced before? This is as much to be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. God knows your heart; He knows your sincerity and your intent.

I am convinced that we lack power with God because we are far too lax in our commitment. We are too much unconcerned about holy living. It is not a widespread problem for our church, but as in the case with the Corinthian church, one erring member can hinder God’s blessings on the entire body. Paul wrote, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”(1 Corinthians 5:7-8). Leaven represents sin, whereas unleavened bread represents sin purged from the individual and thus from the church.

I sincerely pray that you come to the Supper tonight with these thoughts in mind. Be prepared beforehand with a heart full of sincerity and truth.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In this evening’s service, we are privileged to welcome Brother John Bunn into the diaconate of the church and to ceremonially induct him into office. There are only two offices of authority mandated by scripture for the church, the pastor and deacons, and both carry strict qualifications. Many times in New Testament churches it is hard to find men that meet the scriptural criteria, but this does not mean other men are not equally as spiritual or even more advanced in their knowledge of scripture. Even though this is true, we are bound by the Bible’s rule of faith and practice for our selection of men to serve in these offices.

The first deacons were chosen in Acts chapter 6 with a brief description of the type of men that should be considered. The apostles told the Jerusalem church, “…Look ye among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom ye may appoint…” (Acts 6:3). In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, more detailed qualifications are given with this added encouragement, “For they that have used the office of deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 3:13). With these two statements, we can see the value of the office for the church and for the man who assumes it. We are blessed with a man who will serve with honor, dignity, and faithfulness, and the man chosen is richly rewarded with further strengthening in his personal faith and walk with God.

In the history of the church, there have been many abuses of these two offices. The purpose for them has been misconstrued and some have taken them as license to become lords of the church. The scriptural example for duty was given by the Great Lord Himself. He demonstrated it by taking a towel and bowl of water and then bending down on His knees to wash the disciples’ feet. This vivid illustration was that of a servant. If the Lord and Master would humble Himself to the lowly task of washing feet, then those who are His followers should do no less. Interestingly, the word “deacon” is a transliteration of the Greek word diakonos which means “servant.” The first deacons were chosen to serve the congregation, not to control them, and not to usurp the authority of the apostles who served as pastors.

The foregoing is unquestionably true, but we must also remember that although deacons are servants they are neither to be abused. They are especially qualified, gifted, spiritual men. They are as fallible as each of us, but they do hold a special office in the church. As such, they must receive our respect and gratefulness. Our purpose in this ceremony tonight is to convey this respect. We will lay hands on John to show our approval; we will give him a right hand of fellowship to acknowledge the reception of his new ministry among us. As we do, we will glorify the Lord for His graciousness in placing such a capable man in this body of Christ.

I do hope each of you plan to attend our service this evening. Members should be present as always, but especially tonight. We are brothers and sisters in Christ; we rejoice together when a family member is honored.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

It is my privilege to return to the pulpit of Berean Baptist after attending the Shepherd’s Conference in Los Angeles. I very much appreciate the membership of Berean for allowing me the time and funds to attend this conference each year. It is a great spiritual experience and I truly do believe it will help me to be a better pastor. This was my third year at the conference and again it was a very enlightening and fulfilling experience. It was also instructional and at the same time very humbling.

I wish I could adequately describe the feeling as 3500 men from more than 50 countries rise to their feet to sing great hymns of the faith. This is an overwhelming and moving experience. The joy of this is in knowing there are believers from all areas of our country and the world that share common faith in our Redeemer and Lord. These men represent many more thousands in congregations across the world where the truth of scripture is being taught. I believe we sometimes forget this as we are infected with the Elijah syndrome, which is the impression there is no one left but our little church that stands for the Lord. It is easy to feel this way when we see churches in our area abandoning the Bible and selling out to the market driven, seeker sensitive movement. There is reason for concern to be sure, but just to see the Lord has men that are sold out to faithful exposition of the scriptures is very encouraging. It shows the gospel will be preached because the Lord fulfills His purpose in His way and in His time.

As the sermons are preached and the seminars are given, the exhilaration increases as the listener understands the way preaching should be done and how a pastor should care for his people. This part of the conference is very humbling, and while I enjoy the preaching, I come away from it bruised and with feelings of great inadequacy. I understand the awesomeness of the task and how it is impossible to do without God’s power. Though broken and humbled, though bruised and battered, the words of Christ to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness,” become the solace needed for the overwhelming task.

The striking contrast between this conference and others I have attended is the genuine humility of the speakers and the thousands of pastors that attend. There is no arrogance; it is not a rah-rah campaign or pep rally for prideful preachers. As one speaker so pointedly stated, “What do you have to complain about? Be thankful you are not in hell because that is what you deserve.” This is the attitude that pervades the conference. We do what we do only by the grace of God. Where is there any room for selfish pride? One day while walking across the street from the parking lot to the church, I met a young man getting ready to catch the city bus. He asked me if I was a pastor. When I said I was, he replied, “I admire you because of the integrity it takes to pastor a church.” It is easy to swell with pride when someone speaks this way, but the right response is, “It is only by the grace of God.”

As usual, my heart is filled from this experience. This conference is one of the highlights of my year and I am already looking forward to the next. My only regret is that I did not know about this conference ten or fifteen years ago. Both you and I would be much better off if I had.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

From time to time, I feel the importance of reemphasizing the value of attending all of the services of Berean Baptist Church. This past Wednesday evening we were discussing a subject that is vitally important to the membership of Berean. I read a quote at the end of the sermon which said, “Two things are at stake here. One, your own soul is at stake so you need to understand whether you’re a real Christian or not. Secondly, the church needs to be observant about this so that we deal with the people for their own sake and for the protection of the church.”

I am sure if you were not in attendance you may wonder what issue is so important that your soul is at stake because of it, and is so important that the church must be protected from it. The issue is sin and the belief that a person may profess to know Christ and yet continue to live in sin. Your soul is a stake because there are many in fundamental churches today that teach it is not necessary for a believer to submit to the Lordship of Christ, but may assent to the bare facts of the gospel, believe in Christ, and yet continue to live the same lifestyle of sin that was lived before. The problem with this preaching is that it gives false hope to those who believe their souls are safe from hell, when in fact, the lack of a radical, demonstrated change in a person’s life reveals the person has not actually been saved by the grace of God.

The apostle John makes this very clear with his arguments in 1 John concerning the nature of sin, the work of Christ, and the contrast between believers and unbelievers. Sin is the character of the devil, and habitual sin could not be the character of a person who has become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Those who are born again have received the indwelling Spirit of Christ. They have a new nature with new desires. John also argues from the standpoint of Christ’s work. He tells us in the third chapter that Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Christ’s power over Satan is demonstrated immediately upon a believer in the work of salvation. The power of Satan to blind the sinner’s heart against the gospel must be broken. This is accomplished in regeneration when the sinner is brought to spiritual life in order to repent of sin and believe the gospel. Christ’s power does not stop upon initial belief. When the individual becomes a child of God, the sustaining power of God’s grace enables him to persevere in the faith. We are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. If a Christian could continue living the same life as before, at least three biblical doctrines must be denied—the new birth as a new creation in Christ, perseverance of the saints, and progressive sanctification. In effect, Christ’s present work in the believer is completely nullified.

Also in 1 John 3, the apostle makes this statement in verse 10: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God…” This is the King James translation which we advocate at Berean. But in addition to the KJV, the ESV, NIV, NEB, RSV, CEV, NASB, and the Amplified Bible among others, all translate this to the same effect. All of these are very clear that a life of righteousness is evidence of the new birth. The preceding verses are emphatic in making the point that a true believer will demonstrate his salvation by a life of holiness.

Your soul is at stake over this issue. Receiving the Lordship of Christ is evidence that you have been genuinely converted. The health of the church is at stake because an increasingly unregenerate membership will be death to the preaching of the gospel. I am afraid many that could be greatly benefited by such teaching are the ones who need it most. Examine your life. Are you one of them?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

It has truly been an eventful two weeks away from the ministry of Berean. I left for an unusual vacation on February 7th and it turned out to be far more unusual than expected. As most of you know, I made it to San Diego and was intending to go to Puerto Vallarta to join my son-in-law on his return from deployment aboard the USS Jarrett, a missile guided frigate. This would have been my first opportunity to board a US Navy vessel at sea.

Things did not go as planned because the day before I was to leave San Diego, I made it as far as Kaiser Hospital and enjoyed the next six days there as my vacation dreamland. And, dreamland is was what it was mostly due to the generous amounts of pain medication. I struggled with the disappointment of not being able to board the ship and sleep in a 2 ½ x 6 ft. coffin rack with dozens of snoring sailors. I was also anxious to fire the weapons and take out a little pastoral frustration without actually having to kill any members! Well,I can chalk that one up as another training experience in this interesting journey we call life.

There were some good things that came out of the experience. I was happy to see my son-in-law, Jason, safely home and to hear about his opportunity to minister to his shipmates. Jason was promoted to Chief Petty Officer just before the deployment and he also served as a volunteer lay leader. He has done this for three deployments and he reported this was the best of the three. He was able to witness and do Bible studies with the men, and there were some real commitments made to the Lord during that time.

I was also able to attend services at Canyon Ridge Baptist Church last Sunday. Chris Chadwick is the pastor there and he did a wonderful job of preaching the word. The enthusiasm of the people over the ministry is infectious and it really lifted my spirits to see how the Lord is working in that church. The church is relatively new and has been blessed with a beautiful facility for worship. For many years, they rented a small space for services and had to set up chairs, the pulpit, and the musical instruments, and then take them all back down again as soon as services were over. They were faithful to do this time after time, year after year, and the reward is the blessing they now have of a great place to grow and minister in San Diego.

In the life of a Christian, the things to live for are not recreation and vacations. On Monday before returning home, I visited the Point Loma Lighthouse and read an interesting fact about the lighthouse keepers that kept the light burning for ships coming into the harbor. The job was 70 hours per week, seven days per week with no vacations. One keeper did this for 20 years. This is how important it was to keep ships safe as they entered the shallow waters of the harbor.

I thought about this and while I have no problems with vacations, we ought never to forget that our primary duty is right here keeping the light of the gospel shining. Membership in the church is a continuous commitment to the Lord’s work. Nothing in life is more important than what we do here. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ not for our salvation alone, but for the salvation of the world. We are God’s lighthouse keepers. If you don’t keep the gospel light shining, who will? How many people will die without knowing Christ if you never tend the flame? “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Two weeks ago in the Sunday morning bulletin article I began a discussion concerning the defining marks of a true church. Jesus gave the promise “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We take this promise as one of perpetuity for the church, so that in every age since Christ began His church, it has been present in the world. The church age will end when Christ returns and takes His people home to heaven. Since we have His promise, we should be able to find the true church among the many groups that claim to be successors to the apostles.

The identification of the true church is established by its adherence to New Testament doctrine. This of course means the doctrine of salvation must be correct because the church is made up of a regenerate membership. But there are other doctrines that are essential as well. For example, the doctrine of baptism is important since believers were first baptized and then added to the church (Acts 2:41). By this we understand that baptism is the entrance into the church. Baptism, therefore, must be administered properly and by those who have authority to administer it. We believe this authority rests with the true church and the biblical method is complete immersion in water. If the baptism is administered to unbelievers such as infants, and if the method is something other than what the New Testament demands, the baptism of that church is not valid. The practice of that church is not valid and therefore the church itself is not valid.

We believe the identifying criteria of true churches can be found among people today known as Baptists. If we did not believe this, we would keep searching until we found the group that meets the criteria because it must exist. Credible historians of other faiths agree there have been people like Baptists in every century back to the time of Christ. However, it is not the name that makes the church. Many churches carry the name but their doctrines betray the name. We have to look more closely to see if the church still holds those New Testament principles that Baptists have believed and died for through the centuries.

What we are also looking for along with the right doctrine is the historicity of the church. Its history is as important as its doctrine if it is in fact the church that Christ started. Since these articles are short and cannot address the many historical facts involved in the history of the church, we recommend the booklet “The Trail of Blood,” written by J.M. Carroll. These are available through the church office if you should desire a copy. Other works such as “The History of the Baptists” by Thomas Armitage and “The History of the Baptists” by David Benedict are more complete but harder to obtain. We reject any history that considers the Roman Catholic Church at any time a true church and a predecessor to people today known as Baptists. In other words, we are not Protestants! While we do not believe it is possible for any individual church to trace its history in an unbroken line to the apostles, we do believe churches of like faith and order to the apostles have continuously existed based upon the promise of Matthew 16:18 and many other scriptures.

Be sure when you choose a church that you start with doctrine. Please do not start with music programs, children’s programs, and social activities. Start with the word of God and then couple your investigation with history. The true church exists and you can find it!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Recently in our Sunday Morning Forum Class, we have been discussing the defining marks of a true church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Commentators have remarked about the dual nature of this statement. On one hand, the church takes the offensive against the wickedness of the world and advances the cause of Christ through the preaching of the gospel. On the other hand, the church is in a defensive posture as she suffers the many plots and schemes of Satan to destroy her. This verse contains a promise that the church is protected against Satan’s evil plans and will survive until Christ comes to end this age.

I believe proper understanding of the latter of these two meanings will show that in every age there has been a true church that has held to the doctrines that were taught by Jesus and the apostles. Beginning in the first century, Satan attacked the church by planting seeds of heretical doctrines, and these have grown full bloom into hundreds of groups that lay claim to a descent from the first church begun by Christ. We know all of these churches cannot be true because according to the apostle Paul, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6). Since these groups practice a variety of baptisms and are divided on the “one faith” they cannot be true descendants of the first church. Neither are they of “one Lord” because the Lord is not divided. God cannot be worshipped with such division for those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

True churches are determined by their strict adherence to New Testament doctrine. This is “the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). According to Jude, there are those who have crept into the true church and have perverted the faith. The evidence is this voluminous variety of groups claiming to be the true church.

To identify the true church, we look first at the doctrine of salvation. Does this particular group teach salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone? Many claim to, but on closer inspection additions have been made to the salvation plan. It may come in the form of rites and rituals; it may be a claim of sanctification based on sign gifts; it may be justification based on sacraments; it may be human or supernatural intermediaries between God and man other than Jesus Christ. The list goes on and on. We also look at the practice of baptism. Is it the scriptural method of complete immersion in water? We look at the polity. Is it congregational? We look at the authority. Does the church take its authority and practices strictly from the canonical sixty-six books of the Bible? And very importantly, we look at its history. When did this group start? Can you find people of like faith and order in each century back to the time of Christ? If the gates of hell have not prevailed against the church, this history must be in evidence.

In next week’s article, we will discuss this important history and look for churches that meet the historical and doctrinal requirements. Until then, what church do you think it may be?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In last week’s article, I spoke about the need for Christians to be part of a Bible believing church. In the New Testament, the apostles were busy about the business of winning souls to Christ and then teaching the new disciples to band together in local assemblies. These assemblies are the same as what we call churches. Thomas Paul Simmons wrote in his systematic theology, “When one is saved, the next consideration that should claim his attention is the church. Gratitude to God for salvation should make him as conscientious about church affiliation as about matters pertaining to salvation.” I believe this is an accurate assessment of the value placed upon church membership by the apostles in two ways. As Simmons states, there should be conscientiousness about affiliation. His primary meaning is that each Christian should carefully choose a church that is faithful to New Testament doctrine. To this we would add, a Christian should be conscientious about becoming a church member at all! Neither the apostles nor Simmons would imagine a Christian not being a part of a church.

In the Great Commission, the apostles were told to preach the gospel, to make disciples, to baptize them, and teach them to observe the commandments of Christ. Thus we find another great reason to become a part of the Lord’s church. The church is the place for the teaching of God’s word. Paul explained in Ephesians that God put pastors and teachers in the church for the purpose of building the faith and knowledge of His people. Contrary to the thinking of many, the church is not primarily a place for evangelism. Teaching those that have already received Christ is our primary mandate. Since God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ, He has given His church as a place for us to receive instruction that we might come “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

Additionally, I would like to point out the fellowship of the church. The church is a place for Christians to come together to encourage one another. Hebrews says, “Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another…” (10:25). Church membership identifies you with other Christians and is acceptance of the responsibilities of your faith. Church membership is commitment to the cause of Christ and accepting the personal responsibility of carrying out the commission that Christ gave to His disciples. The Great Commission was given to the apostles as they comprised the first church. They were commissioned as a church for the perpetual work of evangelism. It is your responsibility as a child of God to assist in carrying out the commission through the work of the church.

These two articles by no means exhaust the doctrine of the church. The New Testament is filled with instructions for the church. Nine of Paul’s epistles were written specifically to local congregations. Three were written for instructions to pastors and deacons and for church order. The Revelation written by John begins with a message for seven local churches. Acts is the history of the growth of the church in the first century. These books along with the gospels and the general epistles are centered on the church. We cannot escape the reality that the local church is the plan and purpose for God’s people today. I encourage you to join a true Bible believing church and serve God faithfully by committing yourself to its ministry. Be very conscientious about your choice of affiliation. Be sure your choice is a church that is committed to sound doctrine. I can think of none better than Berean Baptist Church! Join with us as we minister to this community and send the gospel around the world.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Several years ago before becoming pastor of this church, I was asked by the previous pastor if I could help develop a small pamphlet that would be used in the church welcome packets for the purpose of describing the value of being a member of the Lord’s church. We often get visitors that have no church affiliation or are looking for a new church and they continue to come without ever making a commitment to become a member. I know there are some churches that have no specific membership requirements, and if you show up enough times you are automatically considered a part of the church. Therefore, there is no necessity to make formal application for church membership.

Seeing the problem and desiring to move some of those people towards a commitment, I was asked to write this pamphlet. I got started on it and by the time I was through describing why a Christian needs the fellowship of the church, the pamphlet had grown too lengthy and was probably unserviceable for the welcome packet. As most of you know, I do not have much problem stretching a subject trying to cover every conceivable angle. In a short article like this, I cannot cover every aspect, but I would like to share two important reasons for membership. In the next article, I will continue the discussion with additional reasons.

I would start with Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:25: “…Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” This tells us the church is extraordinarily important to the Saviour. While the scriptures never say that our salvation is dependent upon our membership in the church, we cannot miss the significance of this statement. The church means something special to Christ and whatever is special to Him should be very special to His people. Many of the New Testament epistles were written specifically to churches. In fact over 95% of the time the word church is used in the New Testament, it has reference to the local assembly. Christ uses the church to achieve His purpose in the world.

One of the best arguments in favor of membership is the administration of church ordinances. These are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached a stirring message in the power of the Holy Spirit which resulted in the conversion of three thousand people. These people were immediately baptized and added to the church. From this scripture, Baptists have taught that baptism is our entrance into the visible church. Baptism is committed to the church and is administered under no other authority. It is clear that baptism is expected of every believer. It is not an optional command because it is our public identification with Christ. Since the church is the only authority for baptism and it is the entrance into the church, membership is automatic upon reception of the ordinance.

Likewise, the Lord’s Supper is committed to the church, and we believe the Supper is a special privilege reserved for those who are members of the local church. We certainly could not condone the reception of the Supper by those that have refused the command for baptism and have also disobeyed the apostolic precedent for church membership. This would be in direct conflict with Paul’s command that each participant examine himself so as not to partake unworthily. Paul also stated the church is to observe the Supper until Christ returns (1 Cor. 11:26). A Christian that ignores church membership is missing the great privilege of honoring Christ’s death as a sacrifice for our sins.

If you are a Christian and you are faithfully attending church, please carefully consider your obedience to Christ in the area of commitment to a good Bible believing church. Christ loves the church and so should you!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This month in our Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night services we have reached a convergence of themes concerning the Second Coming of Christ. As you know, our method of study at Berean is to take books of the Bible and go through them systematically chapter by chapter taking the time to carefully exposit their teachings. We are studying Matthew, Revelation, and 1 John in these services which all have portions that deal with this major topic of Christ’s return.

In Mathew’s gospel, we are studying miracles of Christ that occurred soon after His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. The miracles are a prelude to life in the millennial kingdom where there will be no sickness, there will be great prosperity, and Christ will rule in righteousness. This is the big picture theme of Matthew as He presents Christ as King who will one day reestablish the throne of David. This could be missed if we picked bits and pieces of Matthew to study instead of looking at the book comprehensively.

I suppose it would be very difficult to miss the Second Coming in Revelation. After all, the entire book is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ because it unfolds God’s plan of earth’s redemption culminating in the day that heaven will open and Christ will come with His army of angels and redeemed men to conquer the world and realign all of creation with His righteous purpose. There is no subtlety in the theme of Revelation, and most people are interested in this book precisely because it speaks of the coming of Christ.

In 1 John, the Second Coming is spoken of in a little different light. It is John’s purpose to identify true Christianity. In doing so, he exposes false professors as those who do not live in holiness based upon the hope of Christ’s return. His argument is that if we truly believe that Christ will appear it should produce a holy lifestyle so that we are not ashamed at His appearing (1 John 2:28, 3:2-3).

It is appropriate that we should reach this convergence of scripture at a time when some people are convinced that Christ will return this year on May 21st. The date setters are at it again convinced they have superior insight into scripture and have calculated with their intricate formulas the exact date that Christ will return. Although I do not think it is possible to pinpoint the date in any way, I do secretly hope they are right. Does this mean I will pack my bags, empty my bank accounts, and call a meeting on the night of May 20th in order that our church may gloriously vanish from the same spot? No, because this is not what the Bible means when it speaks of being prepared for Christ’s return. Our preparation is not to search the Bible for clues and then to stare longingly towards the sky to see heaven pealed back and Christ appear. Our preparation is a daily, steady, consistent walk with Christ. We prepare ourselves by being steadfast in the faith, holy, unmoveable, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight. If you live this way, you are always ready whether Christ comes tomorrow, next year, in ten years, or perhaps not even in your lifetime. Living in the light of Christ’s return has nothing to do with the actual date. It has everything to do with the sure hope that He will fulfill His promise of creating a new heaven and a new earth no matter when that day will come. If you abide in Him, you will be a part of it. This is the blessed hope of every true believer in Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In the year 1722, America’s greatest theologian, Jonathan Edwards, sat down to make a list of resolutions. Rather than concentrate on only a few goals he wished to achieve as we would when making our most important New Year’s resolutions, Edwards made a list of seventy items which he promised to read at least once each week. By doing this, he would not easily forget as we do but would be reminded each and every week to strive for these goals.

Edwards’ resolutions contained some of the same things we attempt such as not eating too much or drinking too much. He also included such standards as never speaking evil of others but to be humble and consider his own faults. His opening statement read thusly: “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.” With such sensitivity to God’s work in his life, his first resolution does not come as a surprise. He wrote, “Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.”

His twenty-eighth resolution is one of my favorites. He wrote: “Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.” If I were to put my finger on the one resolution that guaranteed the success of the other sixty-nine, this would be it. No one grows in scripture without application of it. The sacred scripture is the place to find God’s activities manifested in the life of Christ. If our lives are to be of the highest order, they must be conformed to His activities. What resolution is of any value if it is not one that would be kept by Christ?

This is why we plow the Bible at Berean Baptist Church. Solomon wrote in the Proverbs: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee” (Prov. 3:1-2). Many promises such as this that associate success with the knowledge of scripture are found in the Bible. One of the most important is David’s statement, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). Sin is the crucial sticking point between us and God. If knowledge of the Word of God prevents sin, shouldn’t we resolve to study the scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently?

This year you may not list seventy resolutions that you promise to read every week, but you should realize as Jonathan Edwards did that you must humbly entreat God for His help each day. Nothing you will do in any week this year will be as personally gratifying and enriching as spending time in God’s word. If you are faithful to it, all Christ-like activities will flow out of the knowledge you gain. This is your guarantee of success.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

We welcome everyone to our services today and we trust this Christmas holiday season has been a blessing to you. There has been much hard work in preparing for Christmas in the church and we thank each person that helped in the ministry to make Christmas special. Our special thanks go to Bro. Gary Moline and the choir for the cantata presented in last week’s service. Many weeks of preparation were spent to bring us the music for our Christmas service. Our faithful choir members are much appreciated.

I also want to thank Dave Morrow for building the props for the school Christmas play and Donna Miller for working on the costumes for the children. Also, Steve Miller and his company blessed us by donating expensive work on our candelabras for the Christmas Eve service. And then, we cannot forget about the many members that gave so generously to our special Christmas offering. This year we will send a check for over $3000 to our Missionary Tim Ekno for his work in the leper colonies of India. This is remarkable for our church especially when so many of you are having difficulty in these tough economic times.

These acts of sacrifice show how a church works together to accomplish God’s work. We are reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthian church as he told them of the sacrificial giving in the churches of Macedonia. He said, “In a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves.” Giving time, energy, and resources to God’s work is a marker of healthy Christianity. Too many people are looking for what they can get out of church rather than what they can contribute. This church is blessed by those who faithfully continue to give to the ministry.

As we look forward to the New Year, God’s people must continue to step up. Most people have very little confidence that 2011 will be a better year economically. Recently, the newspapers reported that our area of California will not see much improvement for at least two years. If our spirituality were tied to the economy, then we would be depressed by the outlook. We are not depressed, however, because God has promised to supply our needs. The next two years can be the greatest Berean has ever experienced if we will continue to put our hands to the work.

I suspect that at the end of next year we will still report that the economy is bad. But I also suspect that we will look back and see more sacrifices made for the ministry, more people stepping up to bear the burden, and more saints determined that God’s work will continue here in Rohnert Park. Let us pray that every member will do their part to make the next year in Berean a truly great one for God’s kingdom.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

We welcome everyone today to our celebration of Christmas. Today the choir will sing beautiful hymns that celebrate the birth of Christ. I will preach a sermon that goes back to the beginning of creation and tells the story of original sin and how Christ came into the world to restore man to the paradise that was lost in his fall. On Christmas Eve, there will be a special candlelight service in which I will speak on the great announcement of the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace good will toward men.” And then finally on Sunday night, December 26th, the message will be “The Miracle of the Virgin Birth.”

The songs, the sermons, and the celebrations are done each year because of the exceedingly great love of God for man. None of us will live long enough, we will never go through enough Christmases, we will never sing enough songs, and we will never preach enough sermons to adequately praise God for such love! To think that Jesus Christ, God Almighty, would step down from His exalted throne in heaven to become a baby, to live in this sin cursed world, and then to die an agonizing death for us is too far beyond our comprehension. If we were good people that always honored God and loved Him as we should, perhaps we could make a somewhat reasonable argument why He should do this. But we did not love Him and we did not honor Him. We rebelled against Him just as our father Adam did. The scripture says that we are enemies of God; and yet while we were in this condition estranged from Him, Christ came to die for us.

I really don’t believe there are many people that think of this at Christmas. We concentrate on the goodness of man. We supplement the Christmas story with tales of man’s triumph over his selfishness, pettiness, and greed. Charles Dickens did this with his famous story, “A Christmas Carol.” While the story is a classic piece of literature, the transformation that took place in the main character’s life, Ebenezer Scrooge, was not because of the miracle of the New Birth in Jesus Christ, but because of dreams and ghosts that tormented him into a change of heart. Dickens’ carol is really the alternative gospel of self reformation. Christ is not needed in such a scheme. Rather than restoring the true spirit of Christmas that was lost, Dickens perhaps unintentionally for modern generations replaced the nativity with a secular naivety that helped push Christ farther out.

We must return to the truth of the real gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to do what man cannot do for himself. He came to restore us to the righteousness of God. He came to change us from enmity towards God to peace with God. This is only accomplished by faith in the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. Jesus gave His life’s blood that we might be restored. This is the Christmas that must be recovered. We do not need to recover man’s innate goodness. There is no such thing. Rather than being reminded of how “good” man is, we must be taught how gracious and loving God is! Ghosts and bad dreams cannot change us. God must do it through the cross.

This season when you hear “Happy Holidays,” please remember that a holiday is not good enough. Our happiness is because of Christ and His redemption. “Merry Christmas” is much better as long as we recall what happened to the Saviour instead of what happened to Scrooge.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

12/19/10 The Plan To Reclaim Paradise – Genesis 3:1-24

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith