Category: Bulletin Articles

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