Category: Bulletin Articles

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor V. Mark Smith

This week we look into our third lesson entitled “The Gospel According to You.” Since every Christian is a living, breathing gospel, it is very important that we guard our lives in every area that could be a potential reproach upon the name of Christ. In the last part of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus is dealing with the second division of the law that is undergirded by the command, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the New Testament epistles, we find this command repeated three times. In Romans 13:9, Paul says this command is a compendium of all commandments that govern our interrelationships. In Galatians 5:14, he repeats this while enjoining us to serve one another. James calls this the “royal law” (Jas. 2:8) because this is the law of the King of kings and those who would reign with Christ must obey this law without hesitation.

Our relationship with others can be summed up into three areas: (1) How we speak to one another; (2) How we act towards one another; and (3) How we entreat for one another. Interestingly, Jesus addresses all three areas in Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” The later teachings of the epistles also emphasize the same components of testimony and give warnings as to the damage our testimony undergoes when we fail in any one of these vital areas.

Paul and James are both particularly concerned with divisions that occur in the church when we fail to obey the royal law. Paul says, “If ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Gal. 5:15). James speaks of envy and strife (Jas 3:14) and the poison that can be inflicted by an unruly tongue, stating that our tongues can be “a world of iniquity” (Jas. 3:6).

If our lives truly are an open book, then we must be very careful with every word we say. The same mouth that we use to praise God and speak His word should not be used for cursing and bitterness (Jas. 3:10-12). The gospel according to you may reflect the highest principles of the Kingdom or may reflect the basest elements of an unregenerate heart. There is great cause for personal concern if your life is characterized by the latter instead of the former. Essentially, Jesus is ruling out false professors who claim to be citizens yet have no proof of their citizenship.

What is the gospel according to you? Look at your attitude over the past week. Does it reflect the royal law? Constant self-examination will reveal if you are progressing in Christ-likeness. No progress equals no citizenship. If Christ truly lives in your heart, the gospel according to you will be the same as the gospel according to Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

One of the hardest commands of scripture is found in Matthew 5:44. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” If you were present on the day that Jesus spoke these words, you would have been acutely aware of the particular word that Jesus used to describe love for one’s enemies. Jesus could have used any one of four words for love. Unlike the English language which has only one word “love,” the Greek language has four different words. We determine the meaning of the word “love” by the context in which it is used. The Greek language is much more precise so that the meaning of the word can never be mistaken.

Without going into the four different words, let me just say that the one Christ chose is a word that means determination to kindness, benevolence, and respect. It is love of choice meaning that it is a conscious decision that one makes that is ungoverned by emotion. It is a decision to treat another person in a way that is best for their welfare. Christ does not expect you to have an attachment to your enemy like you would to your family. He certainly does not expect you to have romantic love for that person. Jesus chose the word He used because a person’s mind that has been changed by the gospel can make the determination to treat all people as they want to be treated.

Every day we come in contact with people that are mean spirited and antagonistic. We meet people that are very much opposed to our faith. The best that we can do for them is to give them what was best for us. No doubt the very best thing that has happened to us is the day we met Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ took away our enmity with God and saved our souls from an everlasting hell. Christ wants us to make the conscious choice to love the lost of this world and to convert them from their hatred of God. When we do this, we turn our personal enemies into brothers and sisters who think as we do and love Christ as we do. The common bond of faith unifies us unto one purpose—to glorify God.

To obey Christ’s command to love our enemies is to turn from our own selfishness. We tend to believe the opposite of love is hate, when in reality the opposite is selfishness. The kind of love Christ speaks in this verse causes us to ignore personal affronts so that we might do what is best for others. This is the character of Christ who when He was reviled, reviled not again (1 Peter 2:23).

The grand object of the gospel accounts is to reveal the character of Christ and to learn of His redemptive purpose. Christ’s sermon is nothing more and nothing less than the revelation of His righteous character. The following verse (Matt. 5:45) says those who do this are children of the Heavenly Father. Are you truly a child of the Father? If you are, you will love all people and give them the gospel of Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor…(Matthew 5:43a)

Today we begin a four part message on the last of six examples in Matthew chapter 5 that Jesus gave concerning Pharisaical misinterpretations of God’s law. Five examples have already been discussed which leave no doubt that the righteousness produced by the religion of the scribes and Pharisees fell far short of God’s standards. It seems another example was not really needed because the point had been driven home time after time.

However, Jesus saves the most damaging for last and nails the coffin shut on every person’s claim to self righteousness. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Lev. 19:18c) is the summation of the last six of the Ten Commandments. The best of the very best have never fully lived this command because we can never empty ourselves completely of self interest so that we take care of our neighbor in every way as we do ourselves. The only one fully capable of this was Christ who emptied Himself to become God’s perfect sacrifice for sin (Philippians 2:5-8).

The four gospel accounts are the story of Jesus’ life and death. The four different writers each approach the life of Christ from a little different viewpoint. Matthew focuses on the kingship of Christ. Mark speaks of His life of service. Luke focuses on His humanity while John declares His divinity. The conclusion of each is the same. Christ is perfect in every detail; He is the righteousness of God; He is exemplary in His love for God and His love for man. Thus, Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (Matt. 5:17).

For two thousand years, we have had these gospel accounts. After the invention of the printing press, the gospels became readily available to most of the world. Yet, many have not read them. Many are uninterested because they have read another gospel that unfortunately is far more real to them than the pages of the New Testament. They have read the gospel in the lives of Christians, and sadly it is not harmonious with the four accounts of the Bible. People read your account every day. They decipher it from your actions towards them and others. They hear it in the inflection of your voice and the topics of your conversations. Every move you make distills into an informational biography not only of you, but of Christ. What is the gospel of Christ according to you? Read the Sermon on the Mount over and over. Read the life of Christ in the gospels again and again. I surely hope they do not drive nails into the coffin of your testimony!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

“…an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” (Matthew 5:38)

Today’s message from the Sermon on the Mount concerns Jesus’ exposition of a very familiar saying. All of us have heard “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” although we may not have been aware that it is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This saying is about justice. There is an ancient code of justice called “lex talionis” that actually predates the Mosaic Law, which simply states that punishment should fit the crime.

Many believe that Jesus refutes the Old Testament law concerning retributive justice and in effect “outlaws the law.” Jesus does no such thing because He would never oppose any law that He, the lawgiver, gave. Since Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, changing this law would deny the immutability of God and the goodness of God’s law. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). There is nothing wrong with the law although there may indeed be something wrong with our application of the law. The teaching in Matthew 5:38-42 is that we are not to take the law into our hands and seek personal revenge. “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is the responsibility of the courts and not the individual.

Another principle that we may not think about is that God is bound by His law. In other words, God obeys His own law. God is the court, so to speak, and He applies this law when dealing with each of us. Our punishment must fit the crime. The crime is sin and the punishment for sin is the everlasting fires of hell. Since God is perfectly just, there must be a corresponding penalty for sin and God never applies grace to the law. The two are incompatible and this is easily demonstrated by our courts of law. We do not let murderers go free because we want to be gracious!

God’s law must be upheld. Therefore, God does not excuse sin because He is gracious. God’s grace is applied to the sinner through the sacrifice of Christ. Christ bore the punishment of our sins upon the cross, thereby upholding God’s law of retributive justice. God’s grace allows this payment for sin to be applied to us through faith (Eph. 2:8). The enormity of our crimes cannot be satisfied in any other way.

The Sermon on the Mount reinforces this theme over and over again in Matthew chapter 5. We cannot satisfy the demands of God’s law by any personal effort. Our hope is in Christ alone. Thank God for Jesus Christ!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce the addition of a new permanent youth minister to our church staff. Jared Smith will assume the leadership of our youth department effective November 1st. For some time, we have been praying that the Lord would lead a good young man to our church with experience in youth work. Bro. Dalton Abshire has done a wonderful job leading our teens for the past few years, but Bro. Dalton accepted the position on a temporary basis with a view towards replacement as soon as a qualified candidate could be found.

The Lord has richly blessed us in sending Jared to Berean. Jared has always had a burden for our youth, but only until recently has the Lord enabled him to have a job that would allow the time commitments that are required. I would like to briefly list some of Jared’s qualifications to show how the Lord has exceeded our expectations. Jared began his college career at the prestigious Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Here he was enrolled in ministry courses along with his other studies. He was a participant in the Georgetown College Baptist Student Union, Georgetown College Campus Ministries and was a College Missions/Revival Team Member. He was also involved with the University of Kentucky Baptist Student Union and the Somerset Community College Baptist Student Union. Jared spent his summers as a missionary with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and used his spring breaks to witness to college students.

The following is a list of other ministries Jared was involved with: Kentucky Baptist Convention Son Bound Team Member, More than Gold Ministries (1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta), Jonathan Creek Camp Staff, Cedarmore Baptist Assembly Staff, Kentucky Baptist Convention State Conference Small Group Leader, Campus Crusade Small Group Leader, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and 21st Century Skills (after school program for youth). Jared was also in charge of a church youth group in Highland, Kentucky and an assistant youth leader in Richmond, Kentucky.

Jared has also been a good ambassador for Christ in taking part in his local community. Among his civic responsibilities were: Kentucky High School Athletic Association Certified Soccer Official, Boyle County Parks and Recreation Basketball Official, Crab Orchard Little League Basketball Coach, Lincoln County High School Assistant Soccer Coach, and Lincoln County Assistant Archery Coach. As you can see, Jared’s life has been dedicated to working with and building the youth of our country.

Having said all of this, Jared did not come with pride, touting his qualifications. He humbly asked if there was some place he could be used of the Lord in our church. He came to California principally to be a part of this church so that he could reinforce his commitment to Christ and become more solidly grounded in the word of God. God has led him here with a purpose, and we are blessed to have him.

Please welcome Jared to our staff; tell him you will pray for our youth ministry, and give him your support!