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               This week I have been thinking about the number of sermons I have preached from the Berean pulpit. A conservative figure lands around six hundred considering the smaller numbers preached through the COVID years and the times of illness and mourning. While a number of sermons have similar themes, I am happy to say the spectrum of subjects is broad enough that I have heard comments through the years that there is something new to learn in every sermon. This is not because of the vast extent of my knowledge but because of the extreme depth of the Bible. The few Bible stories that most Christians know are just a miniscule part of scripture and their knowledge often touches only the tip of the doctrinal implications in each.

               I remember the first few years of sermon preparation. We were on a steady diet of three sermon series per week with each far more complicated than the usual “be good people” sermons. We were on a quest to discover the reason for every doctrine and why each complimented our understanding of the faith. I have not diminished the intensity of the sermons, only the numbers of them. I must be as true and transparent with you as I can. Health, both mentally and physically, is more of a barrier than 25 years ago. There is no place on earth I love more than the Berean Baptist Church. God called me here in an amazing way and He has always been the source of my strength. I feel responsibility for my church, but also during the past two decades I felt the weight of my promise to fulfill my marital vows. I tried to do both faithfully at the expense of my own health as much as the Lord would allow. There is not a more pressurized crushing responsibility than being the undershepherd in the Lord’s church. While the fellowship of God’s people can be the most joyful, pleasantly appealing part of ministry, it can also be the most painful, destabilizing, and discouraging part. This alone can shave off unrecoverable years. It is a good reason for the Lord’s warning against “trusting in man” and “making flesh his arm.”

               I know not everyone understands the reasons I may be abundantly cautious when making certain moves and managing different people. Others, I move swiftly without equivocation because the stakes are high and the ramifications of not acting only result in a slow agonizing death. As I get older, it is tempting to make every move slowly, but then my Spirit-led conscience leaves me like David, “I am weary with my groaning; all the night I make my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.” These few words are to help you understand how each of us must consider the pains others experience and not think satisfying self is bigger than the needs of the church community.

               While recognizing areas worthy of complaint, these past few weeks have brought much delight. Excitement in baptism, willingness to learn new disciplines, and time given up to the church because helping our church far exceeds the importance of anything else we do. Duty glues me to church until I can no longer go. Who will help pick up the pieces we just cannot seem to bend over to reach for?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Yesterday, I started my Saturday morning finishing details on the Sunday sermon and making sure the scripture readings for each part of the service were in order. I checked my weekly list to be sure I marked off all items and since I put in extra time earlier in the week, I finished ahead of schedule. With extra time, I decided to focus on tasks that top the Monday morning list. Besides writing a new sermon each week, the hardest task is the bulletin article. I avoid it as long as possible and then finally surrender when there is no more time. It is rare for me to start writing before I squeeze the last minute out of my task schedule, but I decided to at least start an article and get a little ahead for next week.

               I always fear the subjects I choose are not as interesting to others as they are to me. Controversial articles float the boat for the high-strung and they hope I will rag on the government or someone else who will help start their blood pumping on Sunday morning. Others like devotional topics which sadly for them, are not often in my wheelhouse. I imagine there are complaints I am far more likely to chastise than coddle. On a purely personal level, this is quite strange because I am far from the meanest person you will meet. I hope you will consider that my personal level is where I live and none of what I write I intend to be spiteful or anything other than helpful. I concern myself with leaving good impressions although never compromising truth to make anyone feel better about themselves. The apostle said we must examine ourselves. How foolish would it be for you or me to ignore, leave buried, or continue to cover up what we find? Please consider my most unpleasant activity is exposing what lies beneath the dirt. I am as uncomfortable with it as you. Do not mistake my excitability at the prospects as either anger or glee at what we find.

               I spend hours contemplating church issues. I am at times overly perplexed when I do not see proper results. This is especially true when someone’s adverse reaction to solid teaching is beyond my ability to comprehend. I am by no means a perfect person, but I have learned not to fight what God puts in my heart to know is right. My Christian experience makes these instances almost immediately recognizable. It is difficult to cling to those things the Holy Spirit rakes out of your hands. The other side of this is something I experienced a few days ago. A member was resistant and then called to tell me exactly what I just said: “I knew I was wrong the minute I did it.”

               Much of the time we must cycle through distasteful experiences to achieve the joy and peace of obedience to the Lord. The hardest and most painful experiences will never be worse than being sideways with Christ. It is always best to consider the motivations your pastor has for insisting that we promptly and righteously deal with sin in the church. Compromise is not an option. You would never mistake this when the scriptures warn that pastors face greater scrutiny in judgment than anyone. I just noted that I spend hours contemplating church issues. The hours would turn into interminable days if I were wrestling with compromises or bad faith decisions.

               These are Saturday afternoon’s thoughts. Sunday morning is the respite—unless you start me off with crushing news!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Today I am closing in on the last sermon dealing with Scribal Scammers. As we have noted, I expanded the teachings of Mark 12:38-40 to give us an overview of one of Satan’s most dastardly tricks. He perverts the scriptures and dresses them in Christian clothing to fool the unsuspecting with lies that condemn their souls to hell. I suffer the accusation at times of being too harsh or unloving, even relentless, in my attempts to squash these sources at their roots. This includes the breakdown of morality now more commonly accepted by those who call themselves Christian.

               I have often taught on the misnomer of Christian carnality. We excuse others with claims of carnality with the salvation of homosexuals as a lesser carnal variety. Those who lock into this falsehood contradict the scriptures clear claim of abject disobedience to God’s commands and the plain statements that such gross immorality causes God to surrender them up to a reprobate mind. They stand against the created order which is harmful and detrimental to the core issues of life and family. Certainly, salvation is not by our works, but there are also areas that God does not allow Christians to step beyond. To do so is to ruin the testimony of the church and entrench vile wickedness that sadly may be unrecoverable.

               I have seen churches accept this with the ostensible promise of help and correction. They attempt no such things but only serve to entrench the offenders with defenses claiming there is no help, or God made them this way, or whether not articulated, is a problem too big for God to solve. These reactions are all capitulations to Satan under the structure of the fallen, depraved mind. However, the wickedness of the heart is Christ’s expertise. If there is a failure to cleanse from any sin, the result can be nothing less than eternal hell. It is neither Christian nor logical to assume sin can remained unchecked. If so, the fallback position can only be that God tolerates sin, of which tolerance, is the buzzword excuse. God does not tolerate sin, has never tolerated it, and the most serious, unmatched denunciation of it and correction of it was the death of Christ on the cross. To deny Christ’s ability to remediate sin, is blasphemy of the most blatant heinous characterization of the perfect righteousness of Christ.

               This is a trade on the blood of Christ. It tramples and degrades Christ while soothing the rotten core of the human heart. Throughout scripture, two obvious superior sins were consistently untouchable by God—human sacrifice and homosexualism. God tolerated neither most notably speaking through the apostle Paul in the New Testament about the heinous nature of the sin. Paul had compassion for souls and worked to deliver them from their sins through the preaching of the gospel. Success is evident in 1 Corinthians 6, noting neither the sexually immoral nor those who practice homosexuality (among other sins) will inherit the kingdom of God. The practice is not of merely intentional active sex; it is the desire which is the antithesis of the holiness of Christ. Through belief of the gospel, Christ washed, sanctified, and justified them in the name of Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s compassion was not to leave these as they were and gloss over their sin to save feelings. These were not welcome into the congregation of believers without wholesale rejection of their sin and obedience to the Lordship of Christ. The worst we can do is turn our sympathetic eye towards them and gently pat their heads with a false promise we will help when the church has no intention of attempting an intervention with their sin. If you do not believe God will change these types and the choice is to live with it, there is nothing left but to die with it. Our greatest compassion is to tell the truth just as Jesus did.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Only a few short years ago, we were in the throes of the COVID panic with an empty church and the pastor standing in the pulpit delivering Sunday morning sermons to a room inhabited by ghosts. This was no doubt the unhappiest time of my preaching career with all the emotion sucked out of the messages. Without immediate feedback from the congregation, I had to generate feelings I was not necessarily feeling. Looking at our church today the physical sickness from COVID no longer lingers, but the spiritual effects are still with us. Many are complacent about church service, many left for other parts of the country, and many simply no longer attend. I wonder about those who stay at home. What is a Christian’s substitute for hearing from God through the Bible’s approved method, the fellowship of the church and a pastor instructing God’s people through sermons from God’s word?

I do not sit at home with them, but I assume many are not completely divorced from their attempts to hear. Rather, they may have stuck with the easier medium for them—listening to TV preachers. We are a small church without ability to duplicate the musical intensity and the slick polish of a tightly scripted program. Much of what people hear on TV is meant to emotionally charge and never deliver the excitedly spoken promises.

We are currently in a series from Mark reflecting on Jesus’ scathing denunciation of false teachers and the hypocrisy inherent in their self-serving schemes. Every Sunday morning, living rooms hear a modern equivalent of the types of charlatans Jesus’ warns against. Christians are watching television programs intended to satisfy at least a modicum of their spiritual yearnings. The majority are not Christians at all but seek to satisfy a baser instinct which is the inherent knowledge of God without a relationship with God.

These people are ripe for the exploitation of TV preachers. They have no filter for deception, which is the bread and butter of these ministries. Preachers easily manipulate especially when their listeners are sick and poor and hear that God never intended for them to live this way. God’s intentions are always for healthy feel-good people with hordes of cash on hand and a good place to spend it. Their assurance lies in transferring their small funds into the TV preacher’s coffers who will make sure God hears their requests and responds.

My limited space allows only enough to tell you attendance at your church is meant to focus on God not you. Our focus is to worship God and not lavish ourselves with wealth, power, and position we think we deserve. Rather than false promises connected to sending your money away to fund the preacher’s airplanes, mansions, and fleet of luxury cars, you get to see where every dollar goes and personally enjoy participating in the operation of the ministry you support. You are part of it and the amount of enjoyment you receive from it is directly proportional to the energy you put into it. The difference between us and them is the presence of the Holy Spirit and as Paul wrote, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The audience for this article does not rate on the same scale as the TV preacher reaches. Eventually, it will make it to our website where it has greater potential. Hopefully, some of the duped will see it and return to true New Testament Christianity which requires the personal fellowship of God’s people. I only ask those who see it now to consider, who does your religious life center on, you or God?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               I state the obvious when I say most, if not all of us, remember the campaign for the presidential election in 2024. As usual, the rhetoric that permeated every speech, every pundit’s comments, and the newscasters’ predictions was how this election stood far beyond any election in the past as to its impact on the American future. Republicans claimed President Biden was too old and too mentally unstable to lead our country anywhere but into disaster. This, of course, assuming he was truly in charge of his own administration. His vice-president only compounded problems. Democrats claimed democracy hung in the balance and that former president Trump would complete his first term attempt to destroy democracy as we know it and instill himself a tyrannical despot.

               Amid this political debacle, the political fight drew in Christians whom pastors told from their pulpits they must vote Republican because an opposite vote threatened the survival of Christianity. Wrong voting would continue and accelerate the headlong plunge of our morality into the abyss of hell. After what I have just written, please rest assured I do not intend this article as a political post to affirm or deny the claims of either party. It is not my debate. My interest is to steer us away from the panic that often drives Christian churches to think that what happens in our government threatens to destroy the church or in the right twist to enable our success. Viewed this way, too many Christians believe political issues are the most pressing upon Christians today. We should focus on these because the outcome will make or break us.

               An article I read last month prompted a small part of these comments. I paraphrase the question asked: “Are there principles in the issues we face today that are similar to the problems dealt with by the church throughout history?” I believe none can deny that political opposition has long been a subject of preacher’s sermons. The apostles dealt with it by mostly telling us to leave the government alone and let it leave us alone as much as possible. Let governmental leaders stay in their sphere and we will stay in ours. Neither Jesus, Paul, nor any apostle told us to panic because of anything the government does. Nor did they tell the church to pursue the government to insist upon our rights.

               How much Christians should involve themselves in government is a matter of debate. I know there are ambitious zealots on one side and the weak-kneed intimidated on the other. Somewhere in the middle of this is where I think we should be. In no case should we fear because either a Democrat or Republican holds the presidential office. If God is not frightened by how this will affect His people, neither should we be afraid. Persecution fills history books, but we are faithfully here still persevering and waiting for Christ to come.

               An excellent idea for Christians in this country is to examine the past hundreds of years and whether those dark times stamped out the church or caused it to thrive. We should also look to Christians around the world to see if the problems of America are in any way the cause of anxieties and/or insecurities as if Christianity is in danger by what happens here. Christianity around the world and throughout the centuries has fought on the same battlefields we do today. The scriptures tell us nothing less than complete victory is what we can expect. Still, there is a level of healthy debate since we are also American citizens with the right to criticize and correct our government. We applaud Christians who are on the right side of moral debates. The church must speak to morality, but general political warfare is not our business.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Today’s topic is vital and one that concerns us all. This is no doubt the principal issue of religion which makes it detrimental to the wellbeing and destiny of every soul. The question is authority—who has authority to order and govern us? There are many sublevels to this question but always there will be an ultimate authority who gathers all lesser authorities under one headship of governance. As Christians, we have no arguments about who holds this position. The ultimate authority is God our Creator who by virtue of His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, claims this authority for Himself. No entity grants this right; He claims it because of His self-existence.

               While we will not argue who is the supreme authority, we often argue about nearly every other authority above us. I am unable to discuss these many others, but I would like to take a moment to discuss one. This is the authority of the church, an authority granted by the founder of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. The operation of the church and the internal authorities of the church derive their motions from the head. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” This is the authorization for new churches and our protocol for operation—doing all things Christ commanded.

               After the gospel accounts, the rest of the New Testament is a manual of church information, whether of history, procedures of operation, doctrinal clarifications, or instructions for personal interactions. The church passes these through to new converts by the authority given to pastors and deacons who are the leadership of the church. The membership of the church must recognize this authority and submit to it for good order and thus proper growth in sanctification. At the same time, the Bible, our rule book, prevents church leadership from self-exaltation. Any proper act of leadership does not originate with the pastor but with the ultimate authority who is Christ.

               In the past year, I have dealt with three different families who objected to pastoral and church authority by refusing to abide by sanctification directives as taught in God’s word. Since I am the one who has church authority to teach against these activities, I bear the blame as if I claim inherent authority for these positions. Rejection of these teachings is not rejection of me but rejection of the order of authority that is higher than mine. Circling back to the beginning of this article, this authority is Jesus Christ who is God. If rejection is because I overstepped my authority or misinterpreted the doctrinal basis of my teachings, there is a route of proper determination. This does not rest in the individual, but in the body of Christ. If we do not function this way, chaos rules not Christ.

               The Lord blessed me with the calling to the pastorate of Berean Baptist Church. I am thankful for more than two decades of confidence placed in me by the membership. As well as I can decide, I have not changed in these many years. I uphold the same doctrines and the same Statement of Faith I started with. There is no excuse for anyone not to have the lengthy history of where we have been, thus a reasonable expectation of where we are going. The path we gladly choose is one of surrender to the Higher Authority, not to ourselves.

 Pastor V. Mark Smith

               In these past few weeks, our study in the Gospel of Mark has brought us to the last week of Jesus’ life. As mentioned in the sermons, the four gospel accounts have more to say about this eight-day period than any other time during His ministry. There is so much to learn from it that we also spend more time here in preaching than on any other of the stories or doctrines of God’s word. This is the centrality of the gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord.

               During these last days, Jesus symbolically revealed what would happen to Israel after they crucified Him. There were the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. The entire system of Jewish worship would crumble and cease as it must because of the fulfillment of the law by Christ’s death on the cross. This also resulted in the eventual scattering of the nation that we still see today. It will not change until Christ returns to restore Israel and fulfill the Old Testament promises of the Kingdom. At this time, Jews from around the world will stream back into Israel and once again unite to the tribes of their ancestry. While Israel will have prominence in the Kingdom, this does not dimmish the role of the Gentile nations. Our Lord promised that you and I who are united to Him by faith will have our part as well. Some criticize our belief in the Jewish aspect of the Kingdom as if God ignores the rest of the world. Clearly the word tells us that all will come and worship before the throne and we will rule and reign with Christ.

               Jesus also used this time to perfect the disciples’ understanding of their role after He ascended back to the Father. He told these eleven men about the coming of the Holy Spirit who would be His presence in them and would give them power and courage they were presently lacking to carry the gospel to the world. Fifty days after the crucifixion, God sent His Spirit which resulted in the salvation of 3000 souls who were formerly those guilty of crucifying the Christ. In only weeks, a band of 120 believers had grown to a church of more than 20,000. This was the seed of the gospel church that soon scattered across the entirety of the Roman Empire.

               I think it interesting that three years of Jesus’ ministry did not accomplish what the next week would. First, the Jews must despise Him and reject Him, humiliate and murder Him. It seems an impossible result when He harmed no one and did so much good for thousands. For three years, He took care of physical needs with only a miniscule number turning to Him in faith. This was the plan for there must be an overwhelming consensus against Him to get Him to the cross. From Sunday and a mob trying to crown Him king to Wednesday and a mob determined to kill Him is more than remarkable. The resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit would be the factors that reversed the mindset of those 3000 on Pentecost who asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

               The answer to this question has not changed in the 2000 years since the last week of Jesus’ life. In a sense, none of us would have voted to spare Jesus His passion. Still today, it takes the arrival of the Holy Spirit to change our minds and open our understanding to the purpose of these events in the far distant past. Each week we lay the groundwork the Holy Spirit uses to change hearts and minds about Christ. Our work is as essential as done by the eleven men Jesus taught during His last week. Do you feel the responsibility? Stay in the word and let the Spirit speak to you until you do.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

               Several times in the past six weeks I wanted to draft an article about the death of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentine who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. I withheld my comments expecting it would be a while before the college of cardinals named a successor. This happened far sooner than most thought and now the world wonders whether Bob will chart a new awkward course or walk the same crooked path as Jorge. It matters little to me whether they agree with each other, but rather will Bob agree with Jesus? After all, he claims the title of the vicar of Christ, meaning the representative of Christ who leads the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. You would expect the vicar of Christ to be close enough to the teachings of Christ that there would hardly be a noticeable difference between pontiffs. How wrong we would be on the accounts of Bob, Jorge, Joseph, Karol, Albino, Giovanni, Angelo, and all the others before who changed their names. The deceptive mask did little good for God still knows who usurps His authority.

               How illogical does it seem that two vicars of Christ would be different at all? If any of these folks thought to read the Bible and use it as their course (sola Scriptura), perhaps they would come across a pertinent question the apostle Paul asked. When the Corinthian church divided over leaders, some wanted to follow Apollos, some Peter, and some Paul. Paul asked, “Is Christ divided?” When the Roman pope (or more precisely American and before Argentinian, and before German, and before Polish, etc.) speaks infallibly ex cathedra, how does any of them model Christ while holding differences of opinion and leading their followers in different directions?

               On May 5, I read the Challies newsletter which pointed out some key facts about Jorge Mario Bergoglio. By default, some and maybe all will be true of Bob. While there are many false prophets in the world (1 John 4:1), none has the ability of worldwide deception or garners the attention and respect of Jorge and his rascals. Never once did Jorge preach the gospel of Christ that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus). He upheld the errors of the Catholic Catechism among which human works must join with divine grace, the demonic error of the veneration of Mary the Mediatrix, and the payment of indulgences for believers to escape punishment in an underworld called purgatory. I gave you five errors in two sentences while the catechism brims with them.

               Another interesting fact about Jorge who has now left to the place prepared for the devil and his angels was his membership in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). If you like gruesome history, these would be the same ones as those who by every torturous, murderous scheme imaginable tried to eradicate Baptists and Protestants from the face of the earth. While I preach salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ, (soli Deo Gloria) Jorge never embraced it—ultimately concluding that belief in Christ is unnecessary. Yes, I wonder too if Bob will go there.

               Jorge had 12 years as the world’s most influential deceiver. Bob is a little younger and may beat Jorge’s stint to claim a furnace heated seven times hotter. I would say their parades and charades and costumes are cute but as the prophets cried to Elisha, “There is death in the pot!”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

• (This article was originally published for Memorial Day 2025)

               Time constraints, meeting deadlines for printing, and the hope my brain is functioning correctly when needed, all make it necessary for me to write bulletin articles weeks in advance. Tomorrow is Memorial Day which helped me choose my topic, and by coincidence or better by divine providence, I received my inspiration for this article on May 6. I was thinking about a military topic when a news article arrived in my inbox about the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold President Trump’s executive order banning transgender persons from the military. As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of disturbance from the liberal New York Times that posted the article with their usual biases.

               I am one who chooses to read what the opposition says just to keep up with the bleeding hearts. Unfortunately, I am sorry I cannot read the news from either side and halfway believe that anyone in journalism tells the truth. Because of this, I am interested in the comments below the articles to see what people really think. I know this is an unscientific measurement of consensus across our country, not nearly as exact as the polling data we receive from, again, biased news agencies. In my unqualified assessment, most readers of the New York Times agree with their opinions. Thus, it was surprising to see nearly all the comments supporting the Supreme Court’s decision with the most common argument that mentally unstable people are neither dependable nor combat ready.

               In 2014, I had the opportunity to sail on a United States Navy destroyer from Hawaii to San Diego. The trip was thrilling, the pride in our military exhilarating, and the confidence in national protection assured. However, there were some disturbing elements. I do not know how to describe it better than saying there was far too much lack of discipline which seemed to me to be the result of too many snowflake sailors. My suspicion is officers are too concerned with disciplinary action against them if they hurt feelings which shatters much of the confidence that soldiers will perform properly by order rather than begging. I remember my son-in-law who retired as a Navy chief cited proper discipline as the biggest change over his more than twenty-year career. Much of this relates to the presence of homosexual troops. The unnatural will never bode well for our confidence.

               None of what I say here diminishes my respect for upright, upstanding, courageous members of our military. In fact, many serve and risk themselves despite onerous personnel decisions. Our country needs defense, and their sacrifice deserves our grateful applause. They serve in the spirit of the thousands who gave their lives, and our country honors them each Memorial Day. I suspect many of them smile at the Supreme Court decision. This is one step back into sanity that also needs attention in removal from our school system that grooms our youngest most helpless and vulnerable. Stop it there and our armed forces will not need to deal with it later.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               When I was 18 years old, our church in Kentucky called on me to teach the youth department. The teaching ministry has not found a truer neophyte and neither given a tougher assignment to the newly initiated. Most would think it radical to have the youth director dating and planning to marry a student in the youth department. It sounds creepy and right so had it not been we were the same age and already engaged. Some of you at first think of the overused cliché of inbred southerners as if this had anything to do with it. I must accept these thoughts for opening this can of worms. My point is not to reveal my dark past but to show there is a logical reason for the choice. Rarely would a young and inexperienced person receive such a call without justifying mitigating factors. These same factors resulted in the church choosing me to become a deacon at only 25 years old. What were these factors?

               The first I did not own except for the marvelous grace of God. I had no control that God would choose my life to begin in the home of a pastor who would never allow me from the day I was born to be anywhere but in church on the Lord’s Day or on any day there was a church meeting or activity. The purpose for the restriction was the need to be close to God’s word to receive instruction not found in any other place I could be. If I was to receive salvation, I must hear the word of God and the more I heard the more opportunities for the Holy Spirit to open my heart to the gospel. This constant exposure to scripture had more benefits. When I trusted Christ at only 7 years old, I had an extensive background in scripture that most Christians far older than me had.

               The next benefit was the development of love for God’s word. I wanted my dad to take me with him when he went to conferences, and I had no trouble at that age sitting for hours listening to sermons and taking notes to help preserve the knowledge. Coupling this with my father’s teaching, a man grounded in the depths of the word, there was a foundation painstakingly laid on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. From 7 years old to 18 years is more than a decade in which I invested private time to learn the doctrines of the church. At 18, I was ready for the assignment. I admit those I taught were not nearly as anxious as I was to learn. Many hours of study went unnoticed, and the learning often sailed over the heads of my contemporaries. The most cherished reward I have from those days is to see one of those friends again and have them remind me of the experience with a word of appreciation.

               I graduated from youth to teach adults and preach the word. These are outlets to share more knowledge gained and to hopefully help others in better understanding the cherished word that will draw them closer to Christ. These days I have a little more time to think about where I have been and how I got here. It is also time to remember faithful parents who were steadfast in their duties to ensure my understanding of the glory of God. I also thank the young girl in the youth department I married who never begrudged the hours taken away from her to pursue a more perfect knowledge of Christ. I sit here at my desk continuing the daily work of study because she also trained me in faithfulness. Thus, I daily repeat, “Soli Deo Gloria.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Every day I sit in a quiet house mostly alone with my thoughts not concerned too much about disturbances. I regret that health problems keep me from being more active, but this lifestyle is a boon to the ability to study and think things through and make better decisions. You may not see the results of this but at least I am increasingly more content. I never had to worry too much about wasting time because I did not have any. Now, I can be more selective about where to devote my time. Regardless of your time constraints, every Christian should be careful to use the time God gives wisely.

               During my wife’s long illness, it was necessary to ration my time judiciously since I had to care for the needs of two people. Of course, many of those needs overlapped such as cooking, cleaning, hunting and gathering…Others, were very much peculiar to her which were constant attendance at the behest of Kaiser’s many invitations. Those have gone away, leaving longer days without interruptions. As you can well imagine, thoughts of Pam are daily excursions especially times such as today as I write this article. I wrote this only a few days from our 51^st anniversary. I limit the timeframes of these thoughts because they quickly lead to sadness and despair that are not profitable. I am so used to praying for her that I catch myself unconsciously starting to include her. Who can imagine what I would say would be helpful? Still, there must be time left to contemplate the past because there is a measure of happiness in it too. The relics of a long happy marriage still fill my home. I am certain I cannot dispose of them without deep regret and cannot replace them when I feel it.

               I come to these thoughts today while preparing the sermon you heard early in April. If you remember, it was Peter’s question to our Lord when inquiring about the rewards of leaving everything to follow Jesus. “What will we get?” he asked. I went on to explain Jesus’ answer and it led me to think what Pam enjoys at this very moment. Many times, through this process I have thought how I would willingly go back to the long days and nights of taking care of her just to feel her presence with me again. Although as a means of comfort, I have said, and others have said to me how much better off she is where she is now. Indeed, the sermon verses I used in Revelation 20 confirm this, but they did not stop my desires of wanting her back. Preaching this sermon started to turn the tide of my thinking. My desire for her is more about me than her. My desire is common to humans. It is a selfish desire when the best we can hope for in our human existence is what God designed us for. He made us for intimate fellowship with Him, to enjoy and worship Him forever. Due to the fall of man, the journey to reach this is circuitous at best, and yet by following God’s plan for us there will be ultimate success. Pam enjoys the fruits of her labor. “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9).

               Am I approaching this wrongly to limit my thoughts of her so as not to inadvertently wish for what is not best for her? How I feel about it has no bearing on what God does, but it most certainly bears on my contentment if I do not think as God thinks. It is difficult at times to understand how we should think so that we might be most pleasing to God. In these situations, I am thankful for His longsuffering and that He promised He knows the feelings of our infirmities. Believers always have the Holy Spirit to interpret the thoughts and intents of the heart. The blessed Almighty God layers our divine communication connections with processes we are incapable of understanding. I can sit here with all my newfound time to study and know that Pam is far ahead of me.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               For the past few weeks, we have announced today’s service will conclude with the members of Berean Baptist Church taking part in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. While I was away in Kentucky for several weeks, our regular time of this observance came and went without the church taking part. It is our custom, as it is in most Baptist churches, for the pastor to officiate at the Lord’s Table although in past years many churches have become more informal. I have always felt that one of the dangers of frequent observance and of casual observance is the diminishing of the Supper’s symbolism. I think of the words of Christ who said, “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you,” and “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” The solemnity of the occasion and the importance of it is rightly difficult to overestimate.

               We postponed our observance due to my absence because breaking tradition causes distraction which in turn causes us to lose focus. I wonder how many churches care about this since I have watched others allow children to distribute the elements and pastors who barely comment on the purpose other than to recognize there is a break in the service. I hope by our formality that we adequately emphasize there is something important happening when we place the bread and cups on the table. We recognize a most worthy memorial according to Christ’s command, “Do this is in remembrance of me,” and Paul’s explanation, “You show the Lord’s death until He comes.” In my absence, our members asked when we would have our next observance because they missed its effect on their devotion and spirituality.

               Our observance is also somewhat peculiar for today’s churches, perhaps not so much in form and function, but rather our insistence that Christ intended it for the close fellowship of local churches whose members have committed to each other for accountability and discipline. We can hardly obey this principle when we have no authority over the lives of other Christians who have not formally joined the membership which includes voluntary submission to the pastor and leadership of the church. It is clear in 1 Corinthians that Paul used the Supper as a call for stellar behavior and a means of separating those who were either unknown in discipline or without proper submission.

               We have also made it clear that for our visitors we make neither judgment, claims nor disciplinary attempts on their lives. It is not our right to assume authority other than authority of intimate fellowship within the lives of those committed to accept it. However, we welcome our visitors to watch and see what this ordinance means to us. Every Christian should have a church commitment where they surrender accountability for how they live for Christ. The Supper is theirs to enjoy in that location under that authority. Meanwhile, we rejoice for Christ to be present and seen in every work of our church.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               A few weeks ago in the Sunday Afternoon Forum class, a class member asked a question about 2 Thessalonians 2:7. This verse says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” When I first heard the reference mentioned, I knew we were on our way to a controversial scripture. The Forum Class often works this way, and it is one of the reasons it can be difficult. People ask questions about verses where they can get no certain answers from the commentaries they read, or if they do not read commentaries, it is just a strange sounding configuration of words and phrases that are difficult to decipher.

               Reading this verse in the context of the subject matter in both the end of 1 Thessalonians 5 and the entire letter of 2 Thessalonians, it is obvious it is not talking about ordinary daily experiences of Christians. This looks forward to a future time and the way that God chooses to end the present economy and take us into the consummation of the ages and then to the eternity of heaven with Christ. For centuries, what this consummation will be and how it unfolds has been the subject of controversy. My purpose today is not to give an opinion of 2 Thessalonians 2:7, but to tell you the controversies live on and there are good, devoted Bible believing Christians on one or more sides of the explanations of the text.

               Going back to a few hundred years after Christ, confusion reigned. Admittedly, there was not as much discussion of eschatology as we have today as this part of Systematic Theology has exploded with Bible conferences on prophecy that produce much more heat than light. There was a time when theologians thought these passages and especially Revelation were impossible to explain, and that the Revelation may not even be a part of the biblical canon. In the ensuing centuries, God opened understanding of the scriptures. He did not give us new revelation since God completed the canon before the end of the first century. The original authors of scripture knew what they were writing but as is typical with many Christians, the following generations of Christians did not dedicate as much to the study of them as heresies were bouncing around like many balls in a children’s playhouse.

               What to do when these questions come, and the questioner already has a decided opinion borne out of many controversies? Often the solution is to stick to a favored system whether there are problems in other areas with that system. Quite frankly, I find this to be where we are. I do not find any of our systematic schemes to be perfect and without problems. This includes our precious premillennial pretribulational rapture. However, I am convinced of some aspects of this that I will not negotiate. The first is that Christ will return. This is the fuel for continued dedication to His work. Secondly, God is faithful to fulfill His promises to Old Testament Israel. These promises are not to the church. They are to the nation of ethnic Jews who will enter a kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem and governed by Jesus Christ the righteous king of all ages. Gentile believers in Christ will aid in the rule of this kingdom but it will be primarily Jewish in nature. Remember, Jehovah God of Israel is the same God of the Gentiles. He does not change.

               Thirdly, and I must stop here for space, this kingdom will exist for one thousand years before God purges the creation by fire. At this time, God creates a new heaven and new earth that are perfect and will remain forever. There are many details within these major points to argue. While I am convinced of some and not of others, rabid dogmatism for or against centuries old differences do not alter the salvation of those whose faith is in Christ and Him alone. I will continue to answer questions, but it is doubtful on this subject I will die on anything other than these three hills.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Three weeks ago, I was sitting in a hotel room in Flagstaff, AZ quite alone because I no longer have my life’s companion. Snow was falling and quickly ruining my chances of getting on the road early in the morning to make my way home. My Bible reading for the week had brought me to Ezekiel chapter 8 in which God speaks to the prophet to reveal the secret sins of Israel’s leadership. In these ominous words, the Lord says: “Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.” (Ezekiel 8:12). This scripture has been on my mind since my early childhood. I attended a Bible conference in Detroit, Michigan with my father where I heard a preacher use this verse to describe the secret sins of our hearts that no one sees or knows but us. The point God makes is that nothing is hidden from His eyes and we will not escape the punishment for these  secret sins.

            This is on my mind today as I write this article because I have been thinking about accountability. With my wife by my side, I always felt I had eyes watching me to see if I was the man I claimed to be. Of course, I know God sees me but too often we fool ourselves into thinking that what others think is more important than what God thinks. We know we must stand before God to give an account, but it is not immediate nor do others see or understand the consequences of any secret actions we take. I now feel more keenly aware that I must be especially vigilant not to be secretly someone else. To pretend we are righteous and holy and to put up a front of obedience is serious sin and betrayal against God and His saints.

            Ezekiel goes on in this chapter and in the next to speak of the idolatry of these wicked servants. They pretend to worship God in His temple as if they are obedient when God implores Ezekiel to inspect where he will find still greater abominations. There is lip service to God while secretly in the heart they are turned towards their idols and they substitute a pretended obedience to Jehovah God while worshipping in His place the sins that are truly their gods. No amount of obedience to an abomination adds up to righteousness.

            While I do not have unqualified faith in human character, I have learned enough about our behavior to know that we are not ignorantly deceptive. These are crimes that fall into the category of commission with malice and intent. If you must hide something, you know enough to know it is wrong. At this point you are past all hope that ignorance is the cause. You know it, we know it, and most certainly God knows it.

            We must read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel with fear and trembling. The peculiar purposeful sins of idolatry that Israel refused to acknowledge and to turn away from caused the burning of the temple and the destruction of the walls of the Holy City. And beware, it caused Jeremiah, the man of God, to be blamed for the message he delivered and to be cast into the deep mire of a dungeon.

            One more scripture comes to mind. Hebrews 10:31: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Two weeks ago, I mentioned watching a movie about the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was born in Poland in 1906 and died in one of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps in 1945. Prior to World War II, he resisted the rise of Naziism both in their genocidal atrocities against the Jews and others and their efforts to control churches even to the point of proclaiming Hitler a Messiah and rewriting the word of God. In 1937, he wrote his most well-known book, The Cost of Discipleship. If I could reduce his book to one overarching theme, the cost of discipleship is obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

               Bonhoeffer argued that in Christ call of discipleship, He synonymously activates both faith and obedience so that one cannot obey Christ without faith, and one cannot have faith in Christ without obedience. He used Peter’s walking on water and Levi’s call from the receipt of custom to follow Him. In neither instance did Christ call for an act of faith and yet they could not obey Christ’s command without it. Peter walked and Levi followed—both acts of obedience but neither activated without faith. Bonhoeffer wrote: “…when once Christ has called him, Peter has no alternative—he must leave the ship and come to him. In the end, the first step of obedience proves to be an act of faith in the word of Christ.” The one who calls enables the faith to do.

               These were convincing examples, but the one that captivated my attention is the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he must do to have eternal life. In my sojourn of grief these past weeks, I have not concentrated on writing sermons or preparing for the pulpit through sermons I have already written. Imagine my surprise when I returned to start preparing again that I had written a sermon from Mark 10 on the rich young ruler. This escaped me until it was necessary to get back into the gospel of Mark. Bonhoeffer titled the first part of his book, Grace and Discipleship. The second and third chapters in this section are The Call to Discipleship and Single-Minded Obedience. Both chapters lean heavily on Jesus’ answering the young ruler’s question.

               I found Bonhoeffer’s exposition of this passage exceptional. Today and next week, we will study this event. While I will not specifically deal with Bonhoeffer’s angle, I found it helpful and thought provoking. In my thoughts, I discovered the rich young ruler’s problem is not peculiar to rich people. It fits anyone who tries self-justification of sin especially when they say, “I have tried but I cannot obey.” The young man’s refusal to give up riches to obey is the same as anyone’s refusal to give up their vice, their supposed orientation, or whatever they hold onto that is against the word (the command) of Christ. Here is the crux of the matter. Faith and obedience are present together. Christ grants both. Bonhoeffer’s now famous line is, “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” The consequences of this doctrine are enormous. The rich young ruler did not obey because he did not believe. The scriptures are clear as crystal on this point. How do you call Christ “Lord” if you do not obey Him? In short, how do you claim salvation in protracted deliberate disobedience? Christianity has gone completely off the rails with oxymoronic terms like “homosexual Christian.” Explain how this is possible and what Jesus would say. By faith in the word of God, I know how He would react. Take heed, this is as impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle.

               Stay tuned. The world hates obedience to Christ. Sadly, the world is full of pie-in-the sky pious Christians who neither care too much for it. Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “To thine own self be true.” I found this definition of Shakespeare’s line: “It suggests that one should remain honest and loyal to their own values, beliefs, and identity above all else.” Here is a much better saying that fits Christianity: “Yet not I but Christ in me.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

(written at Pastor’s return to the pulpit in March 2025)

            This morning, I am thankful to return to the pulpit of the Berean Baptist Church. Although I enjoy visiting with Christians in other parts of the country and I especially rejoice when I meet others closely aligned with us on the doctrines of the faith, there are still many other aspects of these churches that feel nothing like home. You have heard me say the most important part of worship in the church is the preaching from the pulpit. This will always be the most scrutinized part of worship in the churches I attend. If the preaching is not solid in the fundamentals of the faith and in those doctrines that correctly express the sovereignty of God, I would not recommend the church.

            Additionally, there are preferential issues that wound the spirit and make it hard to enjoy the preaching of the word. We all know that music has the potential of lifting us and helping us to adore our Lord while at other times the poor presentation and the worldly style of it can never make us feel as if we are anywhere near where angels tread. I experienced some of this in the services I attended but I always came away with something helpful because the preaching each week was solid. Do I need to ask the Lord to forgive me because I thought Satan composed the music program?

            Attending church is not always the panacea for our spiritual ills we hope it will be. I appreciate the good I received in these churches, but nothing could revive my spirit like being in my home church. The people in our regular worship circle are much more likely to be one with us in the Holy Spirit. I am excited to meet these other Christians, and we will be in heaven together, but they do not attract my attention as deeply and sincerely as those I have had the privilege of helping to grow in the faith. Part of what I am trying to say is sitting in the church is different from working in the church. Those who only sit in the church can sit disconnected in a variety of assemblies without feeling troubled or empty. Those who work and must work are not content to do anything other than just this. I walk into this church, and it is my church whereas my attendance elsewhere is only as an outsider looking in. I do not have as much ability to impact the lives of people I briefly meet.

            Christ designed His church as an active fellowship. It is people who work together, stay together, worship together; they build a community together. This is who we are at Berean. I love to serve here because our people show appreciation for the Word. You will not tolerate anything less than the whole counsel of truth. You have shown uncommon appreciation for the shepherd. Your Christ-like spirit is abundantly evident as revealed in the concern you have for my emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. My strength still needs evaluation. I have no fears that if I should not be as fit as I hoped, you will help me as much as I need. We have flipped the pastoral/congregational dynamic these past few months. This should make us all more aware that in the final assessment of our lives at Christ’s judgment seat, we are none higher than the other. As the apostle wrote: “Let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” (Philippians 3:16b)

            My sincere thanks for all the love and support I have received. There are too many experiences to enumerate here. Suffice to say, I am thrilled to be back in your tender embrace.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            The past weeks spent in Kentucky have given me opportunity to think about our place in the world and the purposes for which God put us here. Our lives are but a vapor that passes away which leaves us pondering what good we really do. Since recently dealt the blow of my wife’s death, much of my thinking has been about the brevity of life and the finality of death. There are hundreds of tombstones in cemeteries standing watch over graves with names etched in the granite but with truly little knowledge of who these people were. Of the billions of people who have lived on this earth, only an infinitesimal few have their names remembered by the next generation and beyond and often only momentarily by their own peers. Very few did anything that made an impression on the world.

            It is interesting that among those who did, theologians represent a significant part. Each week, I study the writings of dead guys to better understand God’s word. Not every book is an informative book, but we have thousands of centuries’ old books back in print for the modern Bible student to read. We cannot read every book, but we should still take some from the shelves and learn from their wisdom.

            The modern pulpit does not afford depth of wisdom because pastors do not study and what books they take time to read add nothing to true understanding of scripture. Imagine the pastor who spends his time reading Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren and the like when giants of theology such as Thomas Watson, Thomas Manton, Stephen Charnock, and many others of the puritans are left untouched. We wonder the reason people have so much trouble interpreting the word and have abandoned sound exegesis.

            Last week I mentioned Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and theologian who lived in the early to middle 20^th century. Nazi Germany executed him in 1945 only days before the end of the war. His crime was speaking out against the massacre of Jews and the infiltration of Naziism into the churches of his time. We cannot support all of Bonhoeffer’s theology, but he left a legacy of standing for truth without compromise. He wrote many important theological works, one of which is his book The Cost of Discipleship. A quote from his book caught my eye which is a foundational truth of scripture and for properly judging what 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to do: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…” Bonhoeffer wrote: “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” This seems like a simple truth which is one of the easiest to find in scriptures whether in Old or New Testament. Yet, those who ignore the instructions of scripture and want to continue in their sin still make the claim they know Christ and are serving Him regardless of whether they obey clearly written commands. The examination proves otherwise. Salvation in Christ enables us to do what we could not do—to serve, honor, and obey Him. It produces the desire to obey. If we do less, or decide for ourselves what constitutes obedience, we are not children of God no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise.

            Paul’s admonishment in 2 Corinthians 13:5 is to warn those who may indeed be reprobates rather than true children of God. The Corinthians falsely produced much they thought was for Christ, but this church turned out to be one of the worst for sexual immorality and compromise. Paul laid their boasting bare by examining their record. Like Bonhoeffer, we will show our fidelity to Christ by our obedience. We will bear the cost of discipleship and not give up truth no matter who opposes us. I pray to God we leave a legacy of truth not soon forgotten.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

I thought how different the preaching styles are of those coming out of independent Baptist colleges today. In the past seventy-five years of fundamentalism, preachers adopted the style of the tent revival circus atmosphere of men like Billy Sunday. Many consider him a hero even though much more is thought of his style and his backflips off the platform than the depth of his theology. Thus, fundamental preaching today is often bereft of exposition in favor of shock value. Tying a fundamental preacher to the pulpit so he cannot wander away, would also deflate every point of his sermon.

Several weeks ago, I sat with Clarissa to watch a movie on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I will have something to say about him next time but there is one point I would like to make about the film. Bonhoeffer preached in Europe in World War II. The film shows him entering the pulpit to preach his first sermon. He walked up a flight of stairs to a pulpit platform mounted high above the congregation. There is no mistaking the purpose of these pulpits that were common during the Reformation. One of the serious contentions between the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church was the supremacy of scripture. The Catholic Church placed the authority of the church and their magisterium above the word of God (and still do). In Reformed churches, the word of God placed high above the people exemplified the rallying cry Sola Scriptura (scripture only). It had nothing to do with exalting the authority or the persons of men. The pastor was managing the word of God and lifting it for the hearing of truth. First, if he did a backflip off the pulpit, he would break his neck. Secondly, he was not there to draw attention to anything he did. I commented to Clarissa that I wish we had these types of pulpits in our churches today. Would not this put the word of God above the music concerts and drama performed in many churches?

I have often expressed that the size of the pulpit matters to me. I had the one in our church constructed to cover me up, to stand behind completely, and to be a substantial piece of furniture that reflects the importance of the Word. You may wonder why you cannot see Jorge. Now you know. I must point out, however, that making the pulpit bigger does not make the sermon better. Fundamentalists can make the pulpit as big as they want but unless they limit their constant topical messages and go back to the solid exposition of the word, they will not support the longevity of the truth and the spiritual growth of the people.

I am thankful for those who preach truth without compromise. I appreciate systematic theological preaching that declares the whole counsel of God’s word. It is the Holy Spirit that moves the heart with the word not the badgering of preachers who demand performance. God help us no matter what size or shape our pulpits to preach Solus Christus and not ourselves or our agendas.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Since moving to California more than twenty-five years ago, one of the most missed aspects of life in Kentucky is the pronounced and distinct change in seasons. There are times when these changes are only slight because of unusual weather years but this is not what I experienced when I was home in the first part of this year. The weather was unbelievably volatile. On one evening, it rained four inches creating floods throughout the state and then as the rain was ending, there were violent thunderstorms and tornados. I went to bed watching the flashes of lightning only to wake up to an extremely wintry morning with the fields and trees around my daughter’s house blanketed in a glistening white snowfall. This sequence of weather events was unusual to say the least as these events are distinct characteristics of spring, summer, and winter. If there were still colorful leaves on the trees, fall would have been present which means I could have experienced all the seasons in one day.

            It is not the unusual weather patterns that most intrigued me. It was a gorgeous snowfall blanketing the ground. White has long been a symbol of purity and without taxing our brains too much we can compare how a thick blanket of snow covers the impurities of the earth. At the end of last summer, my daughter constructed a new barn on her small farm. Construction materials lie scattered about along with the messes made by her sheep, goats, and chickens. All of this is visible and is a reminder of the chaos that ensues when not constantly cleaning. The snowfall covered these imperfections leaving exquisite beauty as far as the eye could see.

            This type of beauty with the complete covering of blemishes by a snowfall is emblematic of the righteousness of Christ spoken of in scripture as the white garments of the saints. As the snowfall is a divine act sent down from heaven above, so is the righteousness of Christ a divine act of grace that covers, purifies, and hides our imperfections from the God of heaven. Christ does this for us through faith as He clothes us in His perfection. None of us could place the first snowflake on the earth and neither can we attain to one meritorious act that would welcome us into the presence of God.

            Per usual, the types in scripture will break down when we press them too far. In three days, the snow melted exposing all the blemishes beneath. The beauty now forgotten, reminds that we still need to clean up messes. This is not true for the one covered in the righteousness of Christ. It is true we still sin, but all the Father sees is this white robe of Christ. Unlike snow that cannot remove the impurities, Christ’s blood and righteousness can. God is satisfied throughout eternity based on the merits of Christ righteousness earned by His perfect life imputed to us by faith alone in Him.

            I wrote this sitting by a warm fireplace, and it was another day of snow. It was cold outside, and I had no desire to go out and leave my tracks in the white pristine blanket. Soon I would be back in California. No offense to trash and potholes—I kept pictures of this Kentucky beauty. Likewise, the scriptures are a photo album of lovely imagery constantly refreshing us in a very often ugly world.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               This week when I sat down to write the bulletin article, one of my grandchildren asked if I ever had trouble deciding my subject. You have heard me comment on this several times that deciding on bulletin articles is much more difficult than deciding on what my sermon should be. Each week I preach in sequence because I am nearly always going through a book of the Bible verse by verse and chapter by chapter. One sermon leaves off where the next one must begin in the sequence.

               Bulletin articles are much more random. There may be a current event in the church that stimulates my thinking and thus a bulletin article is born, while at other times, I stare aimlessly out of windows until the deadline presses hurried activity. This week my thoughts run towards the church, which is an expected path because I have not seen you for eight weeks. Although I am missing, I am confident that what you hear from the pulpit in my absence will not be significantly different from what you hear me teach from week to week. When listening to some of the sermons, I must be honest and admit there are comments I do not agree with, and this is why it is important for you to read the qualifier in the earlier sentence. There will not be significant differences—or differences that lead us down paths of serious doctrinal disparity.

               While contemplating this thought, I read Acts 4:32. This event was in the early days of the church after Pentecost. The scripture says, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.” The key to doctrinal unity is our mutual understanding of the scriptures. Without walking through the church doors, a modicum of doctrinal agreement greets us on the church sign. We are a Baptist church which defines a few key areas of what we believe. I do not recommend that anyone trust the sign alone because it is clear Baptist churches in significant numbers have strayed from original New Testament doctrines taught by our forefathers. Still, being of one heart is critical for the success of our mission as a church. While other ministries try to poke holes in our barriers with other denominations or try to soften our stands on moral issues to be more inclusive, these are Satan’s works to destroy the principle of “one heart.” The scriptures require unity in the faith (one Lord, one faith, one baptism) which also includes our stands on moral issues. There is not a quicker way to tear down strong doctrinal stands than by weakening the moral character of those whom we permit to be members of our church. We only need to witness the demise of major denominations who have taken up the mantle of the social gospel to see how quickly their weak morals have demoralized their entire congregations. The result is no Lord to obey, no faith to guide personal lives, and no example of baptism in which lives are like Christ and well-pleasing to the Father. Further, personal conflict and infighting result when membership begins to act like Old Testament Israel. How frightening this description of the times of the Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). When each member decides for himself what God decrees for the leadership to instruct, the church informs itself with a new, inferior standard.

               These are thoughts intended for this purpose—how do we keep the church of one heart until we are together again? It will not be by going your own way, but by heeding the word your leadership taught.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

(Original January 2025)

As I sit to draft this article early on Sunday morning, I look out the window to see snow falling leaving a fresh blanket of white across the valley behind my daughter’s house. This is where Pam and I spent last summer with her in the hospital and then in this same house trying to get her strong enough to return home. She would be delighted to see the snow as snowy days were the ones she loved the best. As I sit here, Pam’s funeral is a few days away and I must fulfill my duty of producing a bulletin article for the coming week. Thoughts are difficult to form, and I think you might expect that what I produce would lean heavily on the exact things that run through my mind. Naturally, these are thoughts of her. At the same time, I do not want you to regard the next weeks of bulletin articles as the Pamela Smith Memorial Anthology.

If you will indulge me today, I look at the snow, I see the bright white cleanness, and I think of the purity of a place called heaven where Pam enjoys her everlasting fellowship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The scriptures often use white to represent both the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and the righteousness of the saints whom He makes this way because He washed them in His precious blood. Pam was a member of the Lord’s church, which the scriptures call the Lamb’s wife. Revelation 19:8 tells us about the church in glory: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

I am sure you and I could sit and commiserate for a good while on the imperfections each of us has and we would be here for hours if we tried to list them all. It is difficult for us to think that in heaven we can sit for eternity and stare each other in the eyes the whole time and not think of one thing we would like to see done differently in the eternal lives of our companions. We find nothing to criticize because the righteousness of the saints is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Every blemish of the lives we lived here were buried with Him in the grave over which He gloriously triumphed.

Reading further into the Revelation, there is a promise that nothing defiling will ever enter the heavenly city that would spoil the blessed peace and contentment of that exquisite place. The curse of sin is forever gone, the throne of God is in the midst of it, we see the face of Christ, and His name is written in our foreheads to show we are His servants who live forever under His powerful protection.

I am happy to sit here at the table looking out the window at the snow. If thoughts of Christ occupy my mind while I think of my love gone away, I am blessed. I know most will lose or have lost their loved ones and no such thoughts ever cross their minds because they never lived with the peace that passes understanding. I sorrow, this is for sure, but sorrow is tempered when I think of Pam wearing white while gorgeously reflecting the perfection of her Saviour. If you will, give me this peace to contemplate for a while for surely the Lord intends it for my comfort as I too belong to Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

              In the past few weeks, our studies in Mark have taken us to the family matters of marriage and children. The timing may seem odd for us since most of us are beyond the years of children in the home where we raise them and give them our guidance. Though my children left the home years ago, I am legitimately concerned by the amount of biblical teaching my grandchildren receive. If I can help in that process, I want to be of as much use as I can. I believe our practices here at Berean concerning God’s word are good models to use in the home. If you can pass these along for use with your grandchildren, you can maintain the good influence you would like to have. I appreciate these pointers from a recent article I read on Ligonier.org that paralleled much of what I preached from our pulpit.

               I believe the first practice that will help us is to encourage the reading of the entire Bible. Many parents buy their children Bible story books which is not a bad practice, but it is not where you want to leave them once they are old enough to learn more. However, many adults keep the same practice in their adult years. They always gravitate to familiar passages such as Old Testament stories, the Gospel adventures, or well-travelled scriptures on favorite doctrines. We avoid this in the Berean pulpit ministry by using verse by verse exposition. We cover every scripture without avoiding the more difficult portions of the word.

               Another good practice is praying through the Bible. Our congregational readings take us through varied portions of the Bible. After we read our selection, we consider parts of the readings in our prayers and ask God to fulfill its various meanings in us. This causes us to contemplate scriptures, to meditate on them, and take them deeper into our souls for sincere guidance.

               I would be remiss not to insist that hearing the word of God preached is critical for our sanctification. We should take children to church for regular instruction in the Word and its application in everyday life. For this to be effective, we must live the word in the presence of our children. Hypocrisy will turn them away. What does not work for us is not likely to convince them the Bible is the best path for them. It reminds me of our discussion in Deuteronomy 6 and the quotation of the shema. Moses commanded Israel to keep the commandments of God always on their minds by talking about them in the home, discussing them when away from the home, and speaking of them in all of life’s activities.

               I remember the example of my parents when I was a child. Every Sunday we had an hour and a half trip to church and the same time returning afterwards. My sister and I often fought in the back seat, but we also had plenty of times of singing and rehearsing the stories we heard. I can confidently say out of our constant practice of reading, singing, and praying the word, we learned the grand objective: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” This is what it takes for the word to be more than external. It becomes internal and takes its place in our heart.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Each morning as I enjoy breakfast and each evening before going to bed, I read news articles and various personal interest pieces. I often come across strange information which I suppose is the reason they pique my interest. Sometimes these articles prompt my thoughts for the subjects of bulletin articles. Here is the title of one I read at the end of November: “Thinking About Bruce Willis and Jesus.” I must confess I have never thought about Bruce Willis and Jesus in the same blue bubble. Who would not want to read this? I know…most of you. Occasionally, one of my tall friends sends information about his reading or viewing habits and not once has anything approached this bizarre.

               I hope I have at least raised a little curiosity about what this article said. I know you are familiar with Jesus, and I assume you recognize Bruce Willis. Their extreme opposite end of the spectrum is what draws our attention. I do not know how many movies Bruce Willis made but I know he was prolific. However, in 2023 his production shut down. Last year doctors diagnosed him with frontotemporal dementia. According to this article, “he has faced rapid cognitive decline, to the point he is no longer capable of speaking.”

               The point of the article was to make us aware of how suddenly our lives can change. We warn people that death can come unexpectedly and the opportunities of unbelievers trusting Christ are over. For Christians, we may have squandered the service we have long owed to Christ. Death takes us and leaves our responsibilities unfulfilled. Have we thought that living could produce the same results? I have met Christians who waxed weak in their service because they thought there was plenty of time for it. They put off their duties, even the most important ones, such as speaking to their lost family members about their personal salvation. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I would preach about the danger of our loved ones dying before we take our opportunity, but I would next to never mention that we might die or that equally as consequential, our health could fail, and we lose our ability to speak to them.

               A few years ago, I officiated at the funeral of a former member of our church. This lady had left us years before and neither she nor her immediate family continued to serve the Lord. A few years after leaving the church, she contracted ALS which ravaged her body until eventually all abilities were gone. The family hoped that her confession from years before was genuine. They did not base their belief on her church service but that she had spent her earlier life helping people. The subject on the day of her memorial service was the same as I referenced in a message a few weeks ago: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Mark 9:41). If it had been appropriate, I could have underlined reward and warned the congregation that this lady, if a believer, lost many rewards because she did not spend her Christian life in service of the Lord’s church and then lost the ability for all service.

               Yes, sometimes I come across strange information. People often say, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” I think I can say my sermons and articles are no strangers to mysterious workings. The key is to keep our eyes open to the ways the Lord can teach us. Never in my imagination did I think Bruce Willis could be Jesus to me.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               For the past several weeks, I have been climbing through old sermons with the curiosity of discovering how my sermons have evolved from the beginning and are there any new ways that characterize my approach to my subjects. My research has not yielded any radical shifts in doctrines or methods. It seems I am mostly the same fellow that started here more than twenty years ago, and the messages have varied remarkably little if at all. Not true is the course of this world which is whizzing by us barely braking to slow down. The pull is for us to give up what others believe is our stoicism and to join in with the party that threatens to bring all societal order to destruction or to earnestly destroy ourselves trying. Our choices have certainly become more complicated.

               Not all of us agree on the remedy for our crumbling societal woes. Our last election made it clear there is much unhappiness in our country, but I am also quite sure that many of our people do not know what to do with the mess both parties in this country created. Christians have their own dilemma to deal with as some of the most aggravating situations of our discontent cross the believer’s mandate to love their neighbor as themselves. This is difficult if you have decided to stop providing food and shelter for the poor and downtrodden. When the actual day comes for the government to load up immigrants and ship them out, the one who signs the lading slip might not feel too good about himself. Tough choices need making but it will be most difficult when we weigh the greater good for the masses against the individuals in front of us needing our help. We truly cannot deny that God ordained human government, and He sets the boundaries between the nations. A little Bible study will reveal the reason for jibber-jabbering at borders is due to man’s determination to build a tower to himself and make his own gods. The inequities caused by this are, as usual, dilemmas of our own making.

               I remember a few years ago a Hispanic family became members of our church. When we consider new members, the process is usually the church making judgments about the qualifications of those coming for membership. There is nothing wrong with, and in fact quite desirable, for Christians to reverse interview those who will be their teachers so they will clearly understand the church’s doctrinal positions. This family asked me a question I had not heard before: “How would you counsel an illegal immigrant who has just become a Christian? Would you allow membership, and would you or not report him to the authorities?” I do not know when I may have answered a muddier question. I would have liked to have left it for the citizens of Babel to decide who they would take with them and where. I will leave the Christian answer for you to discover perhaps by attending one of our Sunday Afternoon Forum classes.

               Come along with me now and help me discover exactly where the path of this article should end. I will complete my task by saying the simplicity I enjoyed a little more than twenty years ago is a fast-fading memory. The doctrinal issues were always difficult, and they will not change until we run out of mortal bodies. What our society will most likely look like is a reprobate world with substitute gods awaiting the last acts of toleration. Will that not be fun?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

I cannot count the number of times I have explained my anxiety when unable to write sermons far ahead of the time I need to preach them. There is a method to my madness which usually centers on the inability to do advance planning for the illnesses that too often hinder our regular schedules. Since I do not know when this will happen, God blessed me to have good men around me who keep a sermon or two (or more) in reserve against the day an urgent need arises. I am not sure you appreciate the difficulty these men have of preparing a sermon not knowing when I will call their name. For some, the nervousness, the effort, the inexperience, or perhaps even fear is too profound regardless of the level of preparation. I must also consider the people deserve as best a veil of sanctity I can provide by ensuring we stay true to the word.

You may not think such things are in play when I decide to stay in the pulpit when my health may make it better for me to step aside. Our men can supply the pulpit, I have no doubt. However, as gracious as they are and how often they cheerfully surrender their service, I still feel badly about impressing this responsibility on others. At the same time, I know there are men far more capable than I who keep a treasure trove of Solomon’s wisdom juggling about their heads.

These types of thoughts run through my mind on these occasions. There is almost nothing I would rather not do than short circuit a sermon or churn out an inferior product. At the same time, I do not want to sound as if all there is to preaching is a prepared sermon waiting for a suit to put it on. Our Lord calls the man, equips the man, conditions the man, and sends the man. He is to put himself in the position of service for Christ’s honor and glory. God ensures his success but not without the full surrender to this duty as the Master requires.

Where does this leave the brother who is there to help his pastor? I have tremendous respect for him. He does what I cannot do and as far as I know our Lord may gift him to stand where I am uncomfortable standing. They honor their opportunities by preparing a sermon that they too may have saved for weeks before receiving the call informing them of their time to serve.

I began our little dialogue by explaining my anxieties when unable to do the kind of preparation that makes me comfortable enough in my own skin to stand before this congregation. I remember hearing a pastor several years ago explaining the ability to stand and preach without even bothering to gather a thought. From that day forward, I never cared much for his preaching because I could never gather enough from it to think about.

I am certain of this—I need help. No, I am not good enough at this to think the Lord would be satisfied without my effort. I do not put the same ingredients into the preaching that He does, but what I am supposed to input I better put in. This is as well the means that God uses for His word to prosper wherever He sends it.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Most of the time when I write bulletin articles, I want them to reflect a positive beginning to our Sunday mornings. We are not strangers to the devil’s tricks as he often tempts us to stay away from church with faux illnesses, or short of keeping us home, will do everything he can to ruin our mood and the joy of worshipping Christ with other believers. If you experience the hardships of getting mentally and spiritually prepared for Sunday mornings, you hardly enjoy reading unpleasant subjects.

With this much said, the theme that draws my attention today is Hell. For the past several weeks, perched on a table next to my desk, has been W.G.T Shedd’s book, The Doctrine of Endless Punishment. Since I cannot say very much in a short article, I commend this book to your reading for your further education. This topic piqued my interest because of a visit a few nights ago by three Mormons who came knocking on my door. I opened the door and at once recognized who they were. Without hesitation, I laid into them, and I confess I am not nice or in any way appreciative of their zeal in helping to send people to this awful place called Hell. Although Mormons believe in Hell, they are not at all versed in their part in sending people there or the hopelessness of this awful place. Mormons believe that nearly everyone will have a second chance to believe and will eventually escape their sentence to its torments.

With this thought in mind, neither they nor I said anything except their “hello” and my opening comment: “I see you are Mormons. You are liars and you are going to hell.” I segued from hell to express my disgust at their foolish assertion that one day they will live on their own planet. The youngest of the three said, “What? That is crazy!” To which I replied, “It sure is!” Our conversation ended at this point because neither of us were in the mood for a brawl on the front porch. I passionately believe in the apostle John’s advice, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed…” I gladly shooed them away from the door and warned them to be careful out there in the dark. You never know if there is another Baptist out there angrier with false prophets than me.

I mentioned that Mormons believe those who die and go to hell will have a second chance to escape what God says is an eternal lake of fire. I failed to mention I told them they did not believe in the Jesus of the Bible since much of what we know of the eternal nature of hell comes from the loving, compassionate, eternal Son of God. Since thoughts of Hell are so unpleasant, it is difficult for the cultists to accept that Jesus’ teachings on Hell amount to anything other than sullying His reputation. For this reason, they believe they must vindicate God’s cruelty by softening the blow of Hell’s consequences. Unfortunately, Mormons are not the only confused heretics in a nice building near you. Others whom some believe are orthodox Christians believe annihilation is the final sentence of Hell.

Shedd’s book helps set the record straight on the factual judgment of Hell. He does not deviate from the explicit biblical teachings of the curator’s manuscripts of punishment. The strongest support pillar for the doctrine of Hell is the Christ whose eyes penetrate the soul as a flame of fire. We must be careful how lenient we are with these charlatans. Their doctrine makes repentance and faith unnecessary. The only difference between the hardest working self-righteous law keepers and the worst immoral reprobates is not sorrow for rejecting Christ but a little less beach time on their personal planet.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               With last week’s bulletin article, I gave you a brief introduction to systematic theology. There are a few reasons I am set on this course of thinking. One of these is there is not a day that goes by that I am not working in the middle of the doctrines of the faith as I study for sermons and enrich myself with personal reading and studying. In my younger years, I read the many needed secular books that were for rounding out my education and which were in many cases enjoyable. Others were, in my opinion, glorified trash (not the usual way I use the word) and not worth the time except that somebody would ask about them on a test. On rare occasions, I still pick up some of the classics to read, but most of the time I do not have time. Surrounding me at my desk are theology books of different sorts with several of them being systematic theologies authored by various giants of the faith. These books have almost all my attention and remain my favorite attractions.

               Many weeks can go by in which I routinely do what I do without thinking too much about how significant this knowledge is to my personal happiness and the ability to rise to the occasion when someone asks a question. There are other times when I realize it has been a long time since I thought about a particular doctrine, and I realize I must refresh myself and make sure I understand as thoroughly as I should. I had this situation a few weeks ago when a complicated question needed a complicated answer. I heard the remark that there are questions the Bible does not directly answer but need determination by correctly assembling theological parts. For this, you can score one point for systematic theology. Many times, answers spread across theological disciplines need stitching together, and then logical deduction. I promise if there was too much of what we need to know that needed discernment in this way, not too many of God’s people would know much at all. However, those who have knowledge to do this have minds systematically organized.

               This complicated question put me on this course, but the answer did not truly need unusual understanding to discern. Often the answers to questions are elusive because we have an answer we prefer to hear and then we seek ways to justify it. I exaggerate only slightly when I say some will hold the Bible upside down and sideways then read right to left muddling the picture and seeking what they want that is not there. Most of you know more systematic theology than you realize. A sanctified mind is the best means of approaching the proper organization of what you know. In other words, the Holy Spirit has provided the tools you need and the gifts to use them. A little more time in theological offerings will go a long way towards discernment that secular contributions will never help.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

For the past few weeks, I have used my nighttime devotions to review the doctrines of the faith in the format of systematic theology. Some of you may not understand these terms and are not clear what we mean by systematic. Do not feel too bad about not knowing this technical term because you are not alone. I remember speaking to a pastor at the Shepherd’s Conference a few years ago who was making his first trip to this type of conference. As we discussed the differences between the Shepherd’s Conference and the typical conferences he regularly attended, I mentioned that the Shepherd’s was far more beneficial to me because of their commitment to systematic theology fit my method of preaching. He looked at me strangely and said, “What is systematic theology?” If you do not know the meaning, you have plenty of company.

Before I answer this question, it is necessary to understand the meaning of theology. A simple definition requires breaking the word down into its two Greek roots which are theos meaning “God” and logos meaning “word.” Often you hear me say that Jesus Christ is the divine living logos, which means the divine living word. The written word of God is the Bible, and it is from the Bible that we derive systematic theology or the organization of the teachings of the Bible into similar themes. For example, sections of systematic theology would include such topics as the Trinity, the doctrine of Christ (Christology), the doctrine of man (Anthropology), the doctrine of the church (Ecclesiology) and one that for many people is the most popular, the doctrine of the end times (Eschatology). A systematic theology divides each of these into subtopics that describe the various aspects of the category. There are more than I have mentioned, but these help you understand that systematic theology is not complicated in concept but only involves gathering doctrinal topics from the Bible and organizing them into their shared areas of study.

Most Bible students will readily recognize the advantages of this type of study because in the process we learn the entirety of the Bible on its many subjects. We learn how these many different topics mix and complement each other and blend into the whole picture of God’s relationship with man and how He works in His entire creation. As we study the word of God this way, we learn the complete Christian faith and the complexity of it.

Although you might not recognize the term, members of this church most certainly recognize that systematic theology is our method. For years we have broken down the doctrines of the faith into preaching series and even in our verse-by-verse expositions of the Bible I separate the doctrines encountered as we go through each chapter and explain what these doctrines mean in the context of each narrative and their relationship to other parts of the word of God. When you hear me call out scriptures that take us back and forth across the pages of the Bible, you are hearing the unfolding of the doctrines of the faith.

One of the blessed advantages of studying the Bible this way is to reach a better understanding of our God. Many Christians are content to know they are on the way to heaven but are not too much concerned about the intricacies of God’s marvelous plan for getting them there. This is not my time to preach, but at least you should be pleased to know that from here to eternity God marked a path to follow and whether you understand every detail, He will not fail to accomplish the completion of the journey for your good and His glory.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Last week’s message brought us to the ending of Mark chapter 8 in which Jesus introduced the radical thought that He would soon die on the cross. If you will allow me to expand, I want to take us back there. As we examine verse 34, Jesus did not directly say His manner of death would be a cross, but rather that anyone who would follow Him must be willing to deny himself and take up his cross. Whether the disciples fully understood His abstract usage of cross was a sign of His literal manner of death is debatable. Although Jesus had spoken of the reality of His death, He had not yet defined the method by which He would die. If this way of speaking struck no chords of meaning during His life, they certainly did when the Holy Spirit came to teach them and cause them to recall all the words Jesus had spoken.

               The disciples learned that cross-bearing is a sign of true discipleship, for the one who rejects this call upon his life rejects the will of the Father to exalt Jesus Christ as Lord of all. Salvation means agreement with the Father and submission to the Saviour as the one who has ultimate control over the sinner’s life. There is no salvation unless there is commitment to Him as Lord. This statement is fundamentally basic, simple, and plain, yet much of the evangelical world rejects a gospel that says the sinner must receive Jesus as Lord of our lives. They erroneously claim we can receive Him as Saviour without the necessity of knowing Him as Lord.

               For the good faithful members of Berean, this thought is as foreign to us as hearing the Mormons preach that one day we will live on and rule our own planet. Yes, rejection of Christ as Lord is almost plain silliness if it not for the tragedy that many who have Baptist over their church doors believe and teach this. Thus, the plea to lost sinners goes out: “Will you receive Jesus as your Saviour?” However, the Bible never asks this question. The scriptures call Jesus Saviour ten times, while over seven hundred times they call Him Lord. Paul wrote in Romans, “Whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” The connection to Jesus as Lord is the connection of doing the will of the Father. In other words, receiving Him as Lord is indispensable to the salvation of our souls.

               Taking us back to Mark chapter 8, Jesus demanded for the sake of their eternal lives, the disciples must assume a life of dying to their old desires and walking in the newness of life in Him. There can be no shame or reservation in following Him else the Saviour whom we reject as Lord will reject us in the presence of His Father.

               Many commentators describe Mark as a fast-paced gospel. Mark hits his doctrinal nails squarely on the head and drives them home without repeated or glancing blows. When the doctrine is this concise and spoken with such clarity, there is little room for conjecture and argument. Who can read these last verses of Mark and conclude Jesus does not demand absolute full commitment to Him? Neither the disciples nor anyone else will accept the way of the cross unless they sell out their lives fully to Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Our Sunday morning subject last week and again today relate to the command of the Lord Christ to hoist up our cross, to take it up and follow Him. We learn in these messages that living for Christ is not an easy road to travel and will often leave us scarred, harried, and worn out from the struggles of mounting obstacles that are nearly impossible to overcome. When we think of the cross, the picture comes to mind of Christ carrying the cross that was built for Him by cruel men who beat Him unmercifully and then demanded in His painful, weakened condition to carry that same cross to the place where they would nail Him to it, raise it into the air, and drop it a hole with a bone jarring thud. It is utterly amazing that anyone seeing such a spectacle would think for a moment it is the life they would choose.

               This description of the cross is one needful for us to hear because none of us has seen such a horrible event. Our justice asks for no cruel and unusual punishment, while demanding a man on death row should receive the finest last meal and then have the sentence of death conducted as painlessly as possible. In fact, we shudder at the pain suffered in death sentences to the extent that extremely few criminals receive a sentence of death.

               People in the first century were well acquainted with death on the cross as Rome executed their sentences to strike fear into the hearts of those who dared resist Roman rule. The cross was not a piece of jewelry to wear around the neck but a frightening proposal for all who dared think of it. This view of the cross is what challenged the apostles daily as they spoke of Christ the Godman who did in fact suffer this cruel death. Imagine this vivid picture in the mind’s eye of a potential convert and then for God to task you with the responsibility of convincing them this is what they should choose for themselves. None of us would think we could do it—and we are right. My description, though, is not quite right. Yes, the apostles were responsible to speak the necessity of Christ’s death for the salvation of souls, but they did not have responsibility to convince anyone to believe. This is impossible and requires divine intervention by God’s Holy Spirit.

               The same is true of taking up our cross to follow Christ. We will not do it in our natural human strength. We cannot lift this heavy load any more than Christ could physically lift His cross in His excruciatingly painful weakened condition. To lift our cross requires the Holy Spirit to fill us and to deaden our natural senses until we can resist the pull of the world on us. The evil forces of darkness against us implore us to forget our commitment to Christ and to follow our natural desires. They never encourage us to forsake self and give all to Christ. To do this, we must always remember, “Greater is He that is you, than he that is in the world.”

               Following Christ faithfully without wavering from the path of righteousness is beyond difficult. To endure the difficulties, the place reached by treading this path must be exceedingly better and grander than the place we leave behind. I have no trouble with this part. We have our incentive to endure to the end because of God’s promise of the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and never fades away. We must pick up our painful cross, but then the Holy Word of God promises we will at last lay it down in in the glorious victory of the triumphant cross.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Each Monday morning I begin a list of items on my to-do list that is virtually the same each week. I must prepare a new sermon for a future day that is about two months or more away. I must polish a sermon I wrote about two months ago awaiting for this Sunday to arrive. I must prepare the Sunday order of services including the songs we will sing and the scriptures we will read. I must prepare a listening sheet that hopefully makes taking notes easier and helps leave an impression in your mind, and along with this a corresponding PowerPoint presentation so that with my fast speaking you do not miss the critical points I wish to make.

               Number 9 on my list of twenty items is the bulletin article. Almost every week I write a new one which often is the hardest task I face second only to sermon preparation. During the week I drafted this article, I was looking over old sermons dating back to 2003 only months after I became pastor of the church. If you are willing to allow the preacher a little pride, I must say that over twenty years as pastor has found my subject matter little changed, and the doctrine I preach remarkably consistent. I am trying to say I have not looked for new fads nor for reinterpretations of centuries old applications of the biblical text. With a God who does not change, our interpretations of doctrine should be as unchanging as God Himself. This is not to say our interpretations are always correct and need never change, but it does mean if I find multiple examples of change, if I find many wrong interpretations from the beginning of my ministry, I have done a great disservice to the people of God. I have led a generation of believers down the wrong paths.

               As I read and study from past generations of faithful preachers, I do not find radical reinterpretations of God’s word from one century to the next. How is it then that in the last five decades our opinions of morality have changed, the sound hermeneutics of the past have changed, the sanctification of believers seems barely existent, and those we expect to still be faithful are slowly fading away and are in situations where the Lord’s church and their service in it is nearly non-existent. We need not fool ourselves into thinking my ministry is not reaching its end. No—I am not making an announcement. I am simply reminding you how difficult it will be to find a minister who has not compromised with the world to satisfy a culture rapidly descending into the pit of hell. Who will stop it if our preachers have already joined it? Who will stop it when our preachers are not only acquiescing to it but are full of haste to lead the charge?

               With God’s help and by His grace, I intend to be that same preacher tomorrow who nearly a quarter of a century ago mounted this pulpit. I hope to die, succumb to a replacement, or fade in my health with my hands still on the reins of God’s truth. There is no mistaking that we are not popular when preaching God’s truth rather than man’s opinions. Writing bulletin articles may be number 9 on my weekly list, but I assure you number one each week is faithfulness to the truth. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever—why is this not our quest?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Today our worship begins with the reading of scripture and our first congregational song. We will sing Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord, and in keeping with the theme of this song our scripture reading to start the day is Isaiah 51:1-11. The 11^th verse of this chapter inspires our song: “Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”

               The scripture and song at once prophesy the return of Israel from their captivity in Babylon which in Isaiah’s time was still two centuries away. Amazingly, Isaiah looks even further away to assure God’s people that He will meet every adversity and preserve them as His people. As surely as God remembered His promise to Abraham when He brought the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt and made them His own nation at the foot of Mount Sinai, He will always stand and defend Israel until He brings forth the Messiah’s kingdom and firmly entrenches it across the entire world.

               The key to this success is faith in God. The key is to keep trusting God even when it seems God has failed or that we have failed too greatly to receive the promised reward. The truth is, this is what will happen, failure will happen if our dependence is upon a faith produced from our own resources. The faith we seek that will sustain is the faith that God gives. It is a type of faith that is as enduring as it needs to be until He glorifies us in His presence.

               The object of our salvation is to conform us to Christ so that we may glorify Him in all we do. To the degree we fail in our likeness to Christ, is the same degree of our diminishing His glory. If we would only believe that tarnishing the glory of Christ by disobedience is tantamount to blaspheming Christ, we would be far more adept at recognizing our sin, repenting of it, and pleading with Christ for a pure heart. Our sin does the devil’s work for Him. He also looks to rob Christ of the honor due His name. How sad when Christ’s own people are willing to help Him in this work—and we do so by often replying to the pleas of the Holy Spirit that we cannot help our sin.

               I encourage you to consider the first verse of Isaiah 51: “Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.” This refers to the impossibility of outward circumstances. Abraham was past the age to be a father. Sarah’s womb was dry and withered so there was no possibility that God could make good on His promise. Sarah laughed when told she would have a child. The calculation of this entire passage is for us to always trust God and lean on His ability to transform us into the fully glorifying people of Jesus Christ.

               We leave most of the meaning of scriptures untouched. Often, we do it by not paying attention to the words of the songs we sing. Each song attaches to biblical truth. Explore beyond the presentation of the musical tunes you like to find the message God has for you in the song.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

          As I read my Bible each day, I often come across a verse, a sentence, or a phrase that prompts me to think I have just uncovered a wonderful text for a sermon. Most times these snippets do not make sermon status, but they may be the underpinnings of a sermon point. Lately, I have focused my mind on the direction of the small number of people left in our congregation and whether the small remnant will stick closely together and obey the Bible when certain liberal changes might help add to our diminishing numbers. As I thought on this dilemma a few weeks ago, my reading in 1 Samuel brought me to this verse in chapter 14. 1 Samuel 14:6:  “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”

          Jonathan’s comment to his companion regarded a much stronger enemy in the garrison of the Philistines who obviously had the power to defeat two foolish men who dared to challenge them. Although Jonathan lived much earlier than the prophet Zechariah, still his faith in God taught him what Zechariah would say years later: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” Countless times Israel won victories that were impossible to win. God told the nation in the beginning not to worry about horses and chariots and the size of her armies. He does not need help to overcome the many adversaries Satan can line up against us.

          We can be sure of this—Satan continually gathers his army. We will never find ourselves in a superior position with the shear numbers of Christians we can call on to help us. We are always the physical minority and if we focus on our small number, we will never muster the courage to attack Satan on his own ground. We are, however, spiritually superior. God and one might as well be God and a million. All God needs is people willing to put up a fight against spiritual darkness. Once those people have surrendered to the power of God to work in them, they are an unconquerable force.

          I troubled myself in my thoughts when I thought how many more blows the church can withstand. I need not concern myself with it. I will not alter the outcome of any spiritual battle. Amazingly, the only way I sway a battle is if I do not become involved at all. If you are careless about service to God and you wonder what God will do with us, you have your answer without being a brilliant theologian. God works through His people. If they are not in the path of righteousness where He can use them, and if they are not concerned whether we should have a church at all, the Lord will respect our carelessness and withdraw. If we will stay in the fight, He promises to save no matter how many or how few are on our side.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Over the years, there were times I used the bulletin space to add comments to sermons I preached previously, or to emphasize a point in more detail for the sermon I preached on that Sunday morning. Today, I look back to last week and the sermon A Sad Day for Galilee. There is not a true Christian who does not wish that Christ were present with us at this very moment. We long for Christ to come, but also wonder what it would be like if we could live in the physical presence of Jesus as the disciples in the first century did. Would we immensely enjoy His presence and understand all His words, or would we be shortsighted and weak in faith as the disciples often were?

         The answers to these questions are not difficult. We not only have sufficient samplings of Christ teachings in the Bible, but we also have the advantage of the Bible authors’ examination and explanations of His teachings. Along with these are centuries of solid commentaries written by faithful expositors of the scriptures. These extra availabilities are the work of the Holy Spirit using men to guide us into the truths of God’s word. We can know Christ because looking into the scriptures is like looking directly into His eyes. When we examine what we have compared to what the disciples did not have, there is no excuse for us to fall short of their understanding of Christ’s words.

         What is our excuse for not experiencing the same types of advancements that caused Christianity to circle the globe and become the greatest religion known to earth’s inhabitants? There is no excuse. Our failure centers in our lack of dedication to spend time learning the word and gaining strength by our fellowship with God’s people in His church. Our failure is weak discipleship without conviction to live as Christ commanded.

         This reminds me of the rich man in hell and his conversation with Abraham. The rich man suffered torment and asked Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead as a warning for his brothers to believe in Christ and avoid the awful punishment of that place. Abraham told him his brothers had Moses and the prophets as their witnesses. If they would not believe their witness, they would not believe the warnings of one returned from the dead. There are extensive important teachings from this story in Luke 16. One of these we should not miss is that the Bible is the best and only way to obtain knowledge of Christ. If the scriptures are not sufficient, we have no hope of salvation.

         Would we be better Christians if Christ sat in front of us and conversed with us daily? No, there is no proof we would. Like thousands in Galilee that were only interested is satisfying selfish lusts, so we reject the brightest light we have. Thus, we have gross lifestyles that have infiltrated the church and threaten to destroy it from the inside. We punch holes in the bottom of salvation’s boat and expect we will never sink. We are sinking. Christian feet are wet while we claim we ride in Jesus’ boat. It is a sad day for us as our boat goes down. Salvation looks us in the eyes while we are too busy to do anything other than look at us. The world says to look for our authentic self. Christ tells us to reject all such thoughts. The Christian life hides with Christ in God. Unless you are what Christ is—unless Christ is what you claim to be, you neither know Him nor your authentic self.

         Would you be better off if Christ were within sight of your physical eyes? No, only further condemned for aggravated rejection of His truth.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               It is a welcome, exceptionally good feeling to return to our home church this Sunday morning. We have greatly missed the fellowship of those in our covenant relationship within the Lord’s church. We thank God for your continued faithfulness to Him and the work He calls us to do. Often, the times and the seasons discourage us but thank Him for His promise never to leave us or forsake us.

               We love this church because of your love for God’s word. With the diversity of opinions about what passes for acceptable preaching, it is difficult to gauge the value of the thirst for it. The most prominent desire of hearers is earthly pleasure and whatever satisfies felt needs. Churches center their attention on their core figure—easily identified as self.

               The first part of today’s message reminds us of what Christians should live for. We enjoy the blessing of living in the freedom of the United States and with our economic prosperity as a bonus. These are benefits that most Christians throughout the centuries have not enjoyed. There is little doubt these advantages have captured our hearts leaving us with a lesser reward than what should be the pursuit of our lives. We should reshape our driving motivation for the Lord’s work by living in the hope of Christ’s return.

               The Second Coming impresses us with the urgency of reaching out with the gospel. If we believed what we preach, our attitude about sharing the good news would be much different than it appears now. We sing songs and preach sermons that speak of the imminent return of Christ, and yet there is not an intense concern that today could be our last day. If it were our last day, the focus would not be on us and what happens to us. We know the answer to this delightful question. The answer is not the same and is vastly unappealing to those who have not heard and believed the gospel. We do not urgently pursue conversions because from pulpit to pew we live with much less expectancy.

               The scriptures also use the Second Coming as encouragement for our moral lives. John said we should live so as not to be ashamed when Christ appears. I remember hearing this as a child growing up in church. These types of messages motivated me more than any others. I was far less afraid of hell than of Christ finding me doing what I should not be doing. When the preacher made Christ’s coming real enough, I wanted to be careful of every move I made. A simple child-like faith is often more sensitive than what many believe is mature faith. Our mature faith says we know too much to be excited with guesswork.

               Peter also encouraged us to godliness by the theme of Christ’s return. He asked, “What kind of people should we be considering the world and everything in it will be burned up?” Likewise, Paul used the same motivation. He wrote, “When Christ who is our life shall appear…” He follows this with a significant list of our former sins and commanded us to put to death these sins that cause God’s wrath on children of disobedience.

               I will add one more reason to think on Christ’s return. This strikes closer to home and is a daily prayer at our house. We want our Lord to return because it results in our transformation. This earthly body ravaged by sickness will transition into a glorified body made like that of Jesus Christ. John said we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. It is true that death will bring the same relief from pain but with infinitely less spectacle. I would rather pray for the return of Christ than the death of my wife. One I will do, the other I will not do.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Psalm 44

          In the last few weeks, my daily Bible reading has centered in the Old Testament books of the Pentateuch. The great prophet Moses wrote these first five books of the Hebrew scriptures which chronicle the accounts of creation and the history of the beginning of the nation of Israel. The story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt and their wanderings in the wilderness consumes four of these five books and contain within them miraculous works of God’s deliverance. Israel’s experience with divine providence in the exodus is an often-repeated theme in both Old and New Testaments.

          Psalm 44 gives us one of the varieties of usages for the exodus theme. Have you ever felt abandoned by God, and you lack a discernable reason for it? Have you examined your heart for sin and found you have done your best to serve God, and yet despite your best-efforts, you cannot find Him? If this is how you feel, you have just hit upon the author’s dilemma in this psalm.

          We do not know the author although we do know he was a descendant of Korah. This means the time of writing falls into the 1000-year period from the exodus to the end of the Old Testament. Israel had just suffered a stunning military defeat, and the psalmist did not understand the reason God did not come to their aid. There were times in Israel’s past when the reason for defeat was clear. These times connected to obvious sins, usually the sin of idolatry, when Israel fell into the worship of false gods. This was not one of those times nor of other known sins which makes their defeat more puzzling.

          The psalm divides into three parts. The first eight verses are about the past as the psalmist remembers the stories told by his forebears about the Almighty God’s marvelous deliverances from their enemies. This section ends with the admission that each victory was because of God, not because of Israel’s military might.

          The next section (vv. 9-22) is about the present. This is the psalmist’s lament as he tries to understand their defeat and why God did not care. The third section (vv. 23-26) is about the future as the psalmist is sure that God would not forget them, and he expected God to help. He cries out for God to awaken from sleep—a metaphor for God’s inattention.

How much this reminds us of that fearful night when a boisterous sea tossed the disciples’ boat. While they rowed and worried, Jesus slept in the boat. The tumult of the sea did not bother Him. The disciples’ fearful pleas for help awakened Him. A hymnist expressed their words this way: “Carest thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep, when each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep?” Jesus was not troubled. He awoke and said, “Peace be still.”

          The psalm does not give the explanation for this instance of God’s refusal to help Israel. However, we know the character of God. He said He would never leave us or forsake us. If we think He has, we know it must be for His divine purposes. Sometimes trials come upon us simply because Christ calls us to suffer for Him. Peter wrote: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).  Paul also often mentions the sufferings of Christians, even his own, as being divine providence. This is often hard for us to understand just as it was for Christians in the early centuries who suffered under extreme persecution. We notice, however, they always held on. They were firm and steadfast and waited for God’s deliverance. Sometimes the deliverance was death—but death is no problem when the destination is the glories of heaven.

Christians today need to do what the psalmist did. Look back to the past and remember the victories we have won in Christ. Examine yourself in the present to make sure sin is not your problem. Consider the future because you know God will never abandon you. When your feelings tell you God is not with you, be sure His Spirit testifies He is. He is closer than in your boat—He is in your heart. Another hymnist related the sentiments of God’s heart: “Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalms 42:2)

          As the chosen children of God, we should truly desire to meet God. Deep in our souls there should be anxiety to meet Him, but not the dreaded type of anxiety we usually think of when we use the word. Our anxiety is of a different sort. It is eagerness. It is not anxiety pent up as if to meet God is to face our doom. Instead, it is like a child who cannot wait on Christmas Eve to open all his presents. The 42^nd Psalm expresses this eagerness in another way by using the term thirsteth. The psalmist’s desire to see His Lord was as a man dying of thirst in the desert and seeing a beautiful flowing spring in the distance.

The psalmist said, “My soul thirsteth for God, the living God…” You might suppose “the living God” would not need to be an often-repeated phrase in scripture for surely nothing is clearer than the fact we serve a living God. The first chapter of the Bible does not announce the existence of the living God. Rather, the author assumes there must be a living God who made this marvelous universe. God’s majesty is evident across the heavens, so do we really need a chapter that explains there is a living God?

          The theme of this section of the psalms is deliverance. It corresponds to God’s deliverance of Israel during the exodus. This phrase “the living God” appears in the book of Joshua as the Israelites were ready to cross the Jordan River to attack the fortified city of Jericho. This is the point where they would begin the conquest of Canaan.

In front of them was their first obstacle. How would they get an army across the river when it was at flood stage? In chapter 3 verse 10, Joshua explained that they were about to see the evidence of the living God, or as a direct quote, “the living God is among you.” The evidence announced itself when the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant stepped their feet into the waters of the Jordan River. The river immediately stopped flowing and they crossed on dry ground. This was no small feat—a miracle at any time—but especially since at this time of year the river overflowed its banks. A torrent of water cascaded down the channel making it impossible to cross.

To stop the water at their crossing point, meant that God must also stop all the tributaries from flowing as well. In the 16th verse, this is what happened. Joshua said, “The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.”

          The significance of the phrase “the living God” in Joshua is Israel’s confrontation with an enemy that also had their gods. The enemy was formidable and certainly more warlike than the children of Israel. One of the fears of Israel when they attempted to conquer Canaan was the Canaanite’s iron chariots and their plentitude of horses. Israel did not have these and were at a great disadvantage—except for the living God. Canaan’s fortified cities and armaments were no match for the living God. The gods of the Canaanites were dead gods of stone, and their horses were mere creatures that God created with the spoken word. He could as easily destroy them all with only a thought.

          This kind of genuine deliverance makes this section of Psalm 42 fit its section’s motif. Trust in the living God is the foundation of our great hope. The living God ensures the reality of our faith. This is the God that we shall see—as Job said, “In my flesh, shall I see God” (Job 19:26). He ever lives and is working in the world to bring us to Him.

          The psalmist said in this verse that his soul thirsted for God. How do we satisfy this thirst? There is only one way—we drink from the wells of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). Living waters from the living God—what can be more satisfying?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. (Psalms 37:23-24)

Each day we walk through our difficult life, we think about our confidence in Christ. Others wonder how we think like this when our journey here should be much easier than it is. As the scriptures say, they will mock our hope in Christ’s return, and they think it foolish that we give up so much to serve a dead man. The 37^th Psalm reflects on the hardships of the Christian life and how we regularly fall behind in the prosperity of the world. The Word encourages us not to despair because this life is as good as it gets for the wicked. Though the evil man may appear to be prosperous, his prosperity is a mirage. He may clutch his title deed to the earth for a while, but soon God will take everything he has away. The earth belongs to God and is the inheritance of His people (v. 11).

          The psalm fills the troubled Christian with hope, but none is better than the words of verses 23 and 24. Think carefully on this phrase: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD…” These are the most hopeful words you will ever read. They speak of two great doctrines of the faith—God’s divine providence and God’s sovereign predestination. There is not a step you will ever take that God did not know you would take. He knows because He is the one that puts one foot in front of the other.

          When God formed the world by His spoken word, He knew a race would inhabit it that He had chosen for His name. The beginning of man was in the predestination of God, and we dare not think that after He created, He abruptly relinquished His divine providence. The fall in the Garden was not a surprise to Him and neither was how He would restore everything lost in that devastating event. If God should have relinquished control at that awful hour, there is not one soul that would ever have hope of redemption. Through the fall, we became completely corrupted. It radically altered every faculty of man so that sin consumes us through and through. This radical corruption is what we call total depravity, and it left man in such a state that we are incapable of looking up to God and helping ourselves in any way. We will not look because we care not to look. The scriptures say we became the enemies of God and of His righteousness. If God should leave us alone in our depravity, we are hopeless because we do not have the power or will to escape it.

          The scriptures do not present a God who has abandoned us. We are enabled to come back to Him for one reason—His marvelous grace. In regeneration, He changes our disposition from hostility against His grace to openness to receive His grace. He orders the steps of repentance and faith. If you trust Christ as Saviour, you owe your trust to a sovereign act of the Holy Spirit. You did not change your mind; He changed your mind. Our statement of faith accurately says: “[He] secure[s] our voluntary obedience to the gospel” (Article 7). God’s method leaves Him alone responsible in all ways for our salvation.

          With the tremendous costliness of salvation requiring the death of Christ for sin, how can we imagine that God who bought our redemption with blood should permit us to fall permanently? When we fall, God does not cast us off. In the bleakest hour of our deepest despair, God still has His eye on us. He fully intends to raise us again and put us back upon the solid rock. The timing of His lifting is also His alone. We know it cannot be too long because the time of life is nothing compared to eternity. Our long time is God’s brief time.

          The promise is providentially intact. He sees with His eye but goes much further—He holds with His hands. We know we can never sink too low to be beneath His tender embrace. We often say, “Keep the faith!” We shall because it is God’s power not ours that keeps us (1 Peter 1:5).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

In these past few weeks, I have been thinking about the relationship between the trials we experience and the righteousness of our lifestyles. The psalmist asked God to try his heart to see if there was wickedness in it, and if found to lead him from it and into the ways of everlasting life. These thoughts lead me to the epistle of James, one of the most practical treatises on Christian living found in scripture.

James has answers to common problems that plague Christians. He addresses issues such as persecution, poverty, sorrows, and pain. He says in the first chapter, “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” He speaks of the equality of the saints in chapter two by telling us we should not unduly favor the rich over the poor which is an example of how prone we are to bad judgment. Chapter three is about a foul mouth, and in this culture, it is obvious evil speech is pervasive.

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

         Since temptation is a daily ongoing problem, we must learn what to do when tempted. James provides a practical outline that if followed brings guaranteed success. The Bible does not tell us to try things to see if they work; it commands us to do them because they will work. The first step in overcoming temptation is to submit to God. Put yourself in God’s hands and be pliable enough to listen and act according to His words.

Sin is the transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4), so it makes sense that if you obey God’s commandments you will not surrender to sin’s temptations. When James says to submit to God and to resist the devil, he is speaking in military terms, but he is not speaking of hand-to-hand combat. He means to focus your attention on what God as commander has commanded, and then letting God’s word energize your mind to combat temptation. The Word is the sword of the Spirit and if you want to defeat Satan you must wield the sword.

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

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

         David knew there were actions he must take when God searched him and found sin. James provides the outline for walking in the ways of life everlasting.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Psalms 81:10-16

         Recently I someone asked a question about Matthew 23:37 in which Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” This question concerned the ability of man to decide to believe in Christ. Is salvation a matter of the will in making a pure rational decision of the mind, or is man incapable of choosing Christ because of the depravity of his will? Still another way of asking is, “Was the will of man debilitated by the fall to the extent he is spiritually incapacitated?” These questions are important because they address the ordo salutis (order of salvation).

         This is an interesting query that would take quite a bit of time to explore fully. There is an interesting parallel to Jesus’ words in Psalm 81. The parallelism helps to explain what Jesus meant. His lament over Jerusalem is identical in thought to God’s plea for Israel in verses 10-16: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”

         Notice the parallels: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee.” This corresponds to “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!” How did God speak to Israel? He spoke through the same prophets that Jesus said they killed. Jesus said, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.” This speaks of His power of protection which is echoed by God’s words: ”I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.”

         The response of Israel in both cases was “They would not.” It is clear in the Old Testament that God is speaking of the temporal blessings Israel would have enjoyed in the establishment of her kingdom as the dominant government in the world. He would have filled His people with everything they needed (v. 10), but Israel would not listen (v. 11). In the context of Matthew 23, Jesus speaks the same. The result of Israel’s rejection, specifically the rejection of the religious rulers, was the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of any significant role for Israel until the Second Advent. Christ did not begin His earthly kingdom during the First Advent because Israel rejected their Messiah King.

         The importance of this interpretation of scripture is to show the will of man in salvation is not under consideration in this passage. It is critical to keep scripture in context rather than wresting it from its context to support mistaken doctrines. It is far better to examine scriptures that are without doubt dealing with the question at hand. For example John 1:13:  “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Does anyone have an issue interpreting this to be a salvation verse? Another is John 5:40:  “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Is salvation a matter of the will? Most certainly, and nothing is clearer than “Ye will not come to me.” How can this verse be cast positively to argue that man’s will enables him to come when Jesus said you will not come?

         There is neither time nor space to explore this question in depth. A little reading in John chapter 6 would certainly further our understanding of the matter. It is wise for every Bible student to be sure to keep scripture in context lest you run afoul of its plain declarations.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

During my long absence this past summer, it was natural for me to think about the faithfulness of our Berean members. As God’s chosen people, fellowship in the gospel church is our highest priority. It is in the church that we receive instruction in God’s word and learn what we should do to honor and glorify Him. 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.” 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, Christ told the apostles to preach the gospel, to make disciples, to baptize them, and teach them to observe the commandments of Christ. Thus, we emphasize again a 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 who have already received Christ is our primary mandate. Since God has predestined our conformity 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 conducting the commission that Christ gave to His disciples. Our Lord gave the Great Commission to the apostles as they constituted His first church. He commissioned them as a church for the perpetual work of evangelism. It is your responsibility as a child of God to assist in obeying the commission through the work of the church.

Instructions for the church fill the New Testament. Paul wrote nine of his epistles specifically for local congregations. He wrote three 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 center 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 be thankful for your true Bible believing church and serve God faithfully by committing yourself to its ministry. Be 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! Help us as we minister to this community and send the gospel around the world.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together… (Psalms 35:14-15a) 

         If I were to give a name to the 35^th Psalm, I would call it the psalm of the ungrateful. The title would not be given because David was ungrateful, for the psalms are replete with his praises and thanksgiving for the Lord’s wonderful works. Rather, I would look at the underlying issues depicted in the psalm. This is David’s plea for God to turn back his adversaries whom he once befriended but were ungrateful for his friendship. They were people he honestly cared for and prayed for, yet they turned on him and spread lies about him. I hardly think a more loyal and trustworthy friend than David could be found, but though receiving benefits from him they did not value his friendship.

         I think you can see in this assessment a striking parallel to the ungratefulness of the Jewish people that turned their backs on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus stated clearly that He came to save them. He demonstrated boundless love and compassion by expending Himself to the state of exhaustion as day after day He healed the helpless multitude. What was His reward? “They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul” (v. 12).

         With all the helping and healing, it was very difficult, in fact impossible, to find fault in Jesus. This was exceedingly frustrating for His enemies because when seeking charges against Him they could never find any legitimate accusations. What did they do? Just as David was lied against when they said he was against Saul, so Jesus was lied against when they said He was against God and the government. The psalm says: “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not” (v. 11).

         At the time Jesus was taken to the cross, there were plenty in Israel that had been helped by Him. There were so many they could have easily overcome the mob that was against Him. But where were they? Were they thankful? We would scarcely believe they would come to His aid when His own disciples forsook Him and fled. Despite the constant rejection of Him by Israel’s leaders, Jesus still uttered words of compassion. He truly desired even His bitter enemies to repent, and He would gather them to Him in loving forgiveness. Still there was no gratitude for His concern—only relentless attempts to murder Him.

         This psalm is a lament against such ingratitude. However, it is also a plea for true justice. Those that refuse Christ’s friendship, who live for personal gain, who care little to thank Him for their very breath—this psalm heaps upon them their righteous reward.

         We cannot help but think the same attitude prevails today. In a world that is strangely tolerant of every evil harmful to man, there is intolerance for what will do us the best. We partake of the Lord’s benefits every day, but as the old proverb goes, we bite the hand that feeds us. The psalmist says: “Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me” (v. 26). God will not tolerate ingratitude indefinitely. The second advent of Christ will not end like the first. The ungrateful will meet their demise while the righteous grateful will magnify the Lord forever. Ingratitude is a serious sin, so do not be party to it. Praise the Lord and give Him the thanks He deserves.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Reprinted 07.14.24

         The sermons and articles of the past few weeks may leave you feeling trounced and beaten to a pulp. When we preach scriptures dealing with the natural moral condition of mankind, we will not go away from them thinking too highly of ourselves. Neither should we because the scriptures force us to see ourselves as God sees us.

         In the sermon on the Memorial Day weekend, I mentioned I had been reading from the last chapters of Job. At the close of chapter 37, Job’s “comforters” had exhausted their speeches without offering Job any relief from his misery. In God’s place, they announced their wisdom and judged and condemned Job as a vile wicked sinner. Surely, the chastisement of God was on him proved by the terrible calamities he experienced that practically ruined his life.

         After these condemning speeches, God’s voice came out of the whirlwind and His scathing words seemed to confirm the assessment of Job’s comforters. This continued from chapter 38 through chapter 41. What could Job do but say, “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6). As Job’s comforters heard both God and him speak, they must have felt justified with an “I told you so” attitude. As if hearing God speak audibly in the wind was unexpected, hearing next what He said to these three wisemen of the East was the least expected of the entire ordeal. God said, “I am angry with you because you have not spoken what is right as did my servant Job.” Then God commanded each of them to offer a burnt sacrifice and ask Job to pray for them. After God burned their best wisdom to ashes like the sacrifices they would make; after obliterating their self-congratulations; this command to ask the one they eviscerated to pray for them was the ultimate humiliation. However, they knew the Lord and knew they must obey. Did they grumble at the requirement and act as if God was unjust to treat them this way? No, there is no recording of more speeches.

         In my sermon on the holiday weekend, this was in my mind as we discussed the Syrophonecian woman in Mark 7. She gladly accepted Jesus telling her she was a dog. I quoted Matthew Henry’s commentary on the reaction of Job’s three friends after God exonerated him and told them make their sacrifices. Henry wrote: “Peace with God is to be had only in his own way and upon his own terms, and they will never seem hard to those who know how to value the privilege, but they will be glad of it upon any terms, though ever so humbling.” Henry commented on a much different event than in Mark 7, and yet the underlying issue was the same.

         My thoughts were that we will never come to the type of faith God requires, until we accept how truly wicked we are. The suffering Christ endured on the cross reached its infinite intensity in view of the measurement of our crimes against God. It is beyond our ability to understand how far we are beneath the holiness of God. When we admit our sinfulness, it is not as if there is a light dusting of grime on our souls. A sense of the seriousness of our plight without Christ leads us to Henry’s conclusion. Anything God asks of us no matter how far we think it is beneath us is a valued privilege to do. We rejoice in God’s demand of humiliation—an accepted humiliation when the word of God describes exactly what we are.

         I do not preach to beat up on anyone. I preach the doctrines of the faith of Jesus Christ to exalt Him and never to let us think we deserve anything at God’s hand but judgment. If God grants the ability to miss the judgment of hell, are the terms too steep?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

          Today’s message concludes Mark 7, a chapter in which Mark carefully crafts a synopsis of Jesus’ teachings and demonstrations of the moral condition of all people. The summation is the 21^st through the 23rd verses: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Jesus used the familiar term “heart” as the moral repository of all people. In His description was not one word of commendation for the goodness of anyone but rather the identity of a holding place for evil that may at any time erupt into the performance of immoral acts. This is one of many scriptures that signify the sinful potential of every person.

          The scripture I chose for our congregational reading is Ephesians 2 which most remember for verses 8-10. These verses tell us our salvation is by grace through faith and not by any good works we may do. Most will eagerly quote these verses without explanation of the reason they must be true. The first part of the chapter paints the dismal prospects of our moral condition. We are dead in trespasses and sins and under the control of the prince and power of the air. This power is Satan who aggravates and stirs up our evil hearts to keep us bound in its corruption. We are without desire or ability to remedy this condition. Additionally, scriptures spoken by Jesus and others say that Satan blinds us to the light of the gospel. He means Satan obscures our spiritual understanding leaving us unable to decipher the cause and the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. This results in children who are not destined for eternal happiness but for the eternal destruction of hell.

          For the salvation of any person, a power greater than Satan must overcome the sinner’s natural blindness and affect a change of his sinful disposition. This power is not in us nor is there any ability to do better or to see beyond the darkness of the back of our eyelids. God must do this for us which is the reason Paul said grace, faith, and salvation are gifts of God. There is no merit in our work because no good works proceed from a corrupt heart. Thus, Jesus’ teaching of the heart’s terrible condition in Mark 7 concurs with Ephesians 2. With more space to fortify the argument for man’s total depravity and total inability, I could mention Jeremiah’s assessment of the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of the heart, or I could include the scripture in Job: “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Anywhere we turn in scripture, we vainly search for anything about the good moral nature of anyone without Jesus.

          It is the gross misunderstanding of this deplorable condition that leads to a more favorable reinterpretation of the method of regenerating the totally depraved. The famous, or should I say the infamous, Robert Schuler, redefined original sin as the lack of self-esteem. His redefinition affects the meaning of “born again” which he also needed to redefine. He wrote, “To be born again means that we must change from a negative to a positive self-image—from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust.” As Bereans, search the scriptures carefully. Do you see Jesus speaking to anyone about changing from a negative self-image to a positive one? Jesus supplied the correct definition of our moral condition. To be born again is not to change our self-esteem. It is to esteem Christ as our righteousness and ourselves as our hopelessness. Why are we not a part of the solution? It ensures we do not boast, and God receives all the glory.

                                                  Pastor V. Mark Smith

         Have you wondered how and why I chose the subjects for bulletin articles? Often, they tie into the sermon for the day and may help explain details I do not have time for in the sermon. At other times, the subjects seem random and are nothing near to the sermon subject or any event that currently affects us. These articles are the ones I struggle with the most.

         The prompt for today’s subject was our sermon text—or should I say two words in the text caused me to think. These two words are the names of Gentile cities which defined the general area where Jesus visited in Mark 7. Both are north of Israel in present day Lebanon. They are seaports on the Mediterranean Sea which entertained visitors from all parts of the Middle Eastern world. Each were wicked cities with a sordid past in their relationship with Israel. Interestingly, sailors from almost anywhere represent some of the worst of human depravity. At least this is their reputation and not without convincing evidence. Tyre and Sidon boasted of their sea power, and this of course relied on these same notoriously wicked sailors.

         These two cities were off-limits to the proud self-righteous scribes and Pharisees and were neither an obvious choice for Jesus to visit. This reputational prejudice is clear in our sermon text today as Jesus referred to the citizens of these cities as “dogs.” This was not an uncommon moniker as the Syrophoenician woman did not bristle at Jesus’ use of it.

         What brings me to the mention of Tyre and Sidon? It is a rather obscure connection. You will recognize the name of a former resident of Sidon. Her name was Jezebel who married King Ahab of Israel during the time of Elijah. She was the daughter of the Sidonian king and in today’s terms we would call her an influencer. She influenced Ahab in the worship of the heathen god Baal, who was perhaps the most prevalently notorious god of many heathen nations. This is a strange way to describe this false god as he was truly nothing. He was a god of the imagination without power to help or hurt anyone. As Paul would later say, an idol is a dumb thing and is nothing. And yet, idol worship ruled not only all the peoples of Canaan but all the other nations as well. Israel was the loner—the standout without an image to worship.

         Returning to our thoughts of Jezebel, she claims the top post, first place among wicked women. Throughout all the history of Israel, she was infamous enough for Jesus to name her in the Revelation one thousand years after her notorious life. Anyone with only a smidgen of religious background knows the name, and many others recognize her as a historical figure and a substitute description for the character of treacherous women.

         I mention Jezebel today because of the Sidonian connection to our story and the constant reminder of how womanhood has degenerated. The idols of old were wood and stone and had no power or thoughts of any kind. The imaginations of their worshippers energized them. Make no mistake, these idols are not gone from the imagination. The middleman, so-to-speak, rationally disappeared. The stone idol is gone with false worship commandeered by self, the replacement human idol. The result is the same—the rejection of Christ and the elevation of human reasoning.

         Three thousand years ago, it was child sacrifice to appease false gods (Baal, Chemosh, Ashtoreth, et. al.). Today it is child sacrifice to appease the selfish god of inconvenience. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The need of the Syrophoenician woman is the same as women need today. What do women need? Jesus Christ and the salvation of their souls is primary. Secondly, men with more backbone who act like men.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

         This week, our study in the Gospel of Mark continues with Jesus’ answer to the scribes’ and Pharisees’ inquiry concerning His and His disciples’ habit of ignoring the opinions of the revered elders of Israel. Jesus never disobeyed any of God’s commands, but He was not averse to disobeying any and every command meant to obfuscate God’s law.

         Because of Jesus intense popularity, He posed a threat to the authority of these elders and their monopoly on the spiritual control of daily life in Galilee and Judea. It was not unusual to see violations of their customs as if every person cared what the spiritual leaders in Israel thought. Just as there is a segment of our population (a rather large one) that does not care for religion, the same types to a lesser degree lived in Israel. Matthew was such a Jew who before following Jesus cared nothing for the rules and regulations imposed by the sanctimonious religious police force. Men like Matthew were not much of a threat to the system because they had influence only with friends and a few other rogues like them. Jesus was more like a nuclear threat with His supernatural abilities and the attention of nearly everyone from the poor to Roman government officials. His wisdom in how to answer puzzling questions coupled with superior understanding of the scriptures, enabled Him to thoroughly refute and humiliate these supposed experts in Jewish law.

         The question on this occasion pertained to the custom of washing hands before eating. As I explained in an earlier message, their concern was not good sanitation habits, but rather sanctification by their perfect obedience to outward forms of religion. The Jews’ entire religious system centered on rigid self-righteousness that they believed gave them access to the inheritance of God. If this means was truly the way to reach God, His holiness is nothing higher than the level of mortal men. A god reached by self-effort is not worth the effort to make the connection. We are no better off than if we worshipped each other.

         Though this is true and clearly defies the God of scripture, still it is the default position of most people who say they are Christians. The idol artist who makes his god of wood or stone and carries his idol to wherever he needs it, is far more powerful than his creation who does not speak, hear, perceive, act, or do anything the idol’s creator can do.

         The Jews in Jesus’ time prided themselves in the rejection of heathen idols. Since the end of the divided kingdom five hundred years before the New Testament era, Israel was under foreign occupation, a consequence of their forefathers’ disobedience to the warnings of the prophets. To restore Israel to God’s favor, they long ago laid their idols aside and resumed their observance of the ceremonial laws. However, for every form resumed, there was a corresponding perversion. For example, the priests at the temple made sacrifices as the law commanded, but they also owned the sacrificial animals which they sold to the people at exorbitant prices. Having the authority to inspect and refuse any animals not sold by them, they controlled the market amassing great wealth in the process.

         Now, the purpose of our brief foray into this history comes to its conclusion. Jesus’ unraveling any of the fabricated laws of the elders had the potential of destroying the wicked schemes that made these religious charlatans rich. Thus, there is a delegation sent to Galilee to intervene before Jesus did irreparable harm. As we all know now, crucifixion was their final solution. They killed the man, but His resurrection ensured He will never cease to plague manmade religion. If this religion is yours, when you wash your hands, do not forget to wash your idol too.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

         Today’s message begins the seventh chapter of Mark and another confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem. In our text, Jesus was still in Galilee but apparently, He proved too much for the local scribes, Pharisees, and rabbis to contend with. Since Jesus’ popularity extended across the entire land of Israel, everyone was aware of His activities and defiance of their customs and laws. It is important for us to note Jesus never opposed God’s laws but most certainly resisted the gross misinterpretations of it by these self-righteous leaders.

As I surveyed our text, I thought of the cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. You have heard me speak of cardinal doctrines and I may announce different doctrines as cardinal doctrines. If I settle on one, I must say in the context today, it is the doctrine of justification by faith. The battle over law and gospel between Jesus and these people was the method by which God accounts us just and free from the condemnation of the law. One of the clearest, easiest definitions that underlines the various aspects of justification is this quote from a systematic theology: “Justification is that instantaneous, everlasting, gracious, free, judicial act of God, whereby, on account of the merit of Christ’s blood and righteousness, a repentant, believing sinner is freed from the penalty of the law, restored to God’s favor, and considered as possessing the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ; by virtue of all of which he receives adoption as a son.”

         Most would call this the Reformed perspective of justification linking it to the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was far too late to be the source of this doctrine. This is Jesus’ doctrine, His disciples’ doctrine, Paul’s doctrine, and the doctrine of the true New Testament church. Comparing this definition to Mark 7 and this encounter with the Jews, we can see there is no room to fit the Jewish interpretation of justification. And what the Jews believed was not unique to them. It is the natural default interpretation of all other faiths contrary to the faith of Christ. To receive justification from God, requires human effort, good works, trying to be a good person, following the rules, and on it goes. For many, simply dying is enough to account oneself right with God. The fundamental difference is reliance on self-generated righteousness not the righteousness of Christ.

         Paul often contended with the same thinking of Jewish leaders after Christ called him to the ministry. There were many called Judaizers who followed him to Gentile preaching posts with attempts to destroy the faith by restoring at least some of the old Jewish traditions. Though it seemed a compromise might be possible, Paul steadfastly rejected their attempts knowing that any compromise on justification renders Christianity, the cross, and Jesus Himself null and void. He termed the Jews doctrine another gospel, a perverted gospel, an accursed gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).

         The Protestant Reformation accentuated the differences between Roman Catholic teachings of justification and the correct scriptural presentation at a time when Catholicism persecuted true believers and distorted the gospel of Christ. The same sham gospel taught by Roman Catholics in the 16^th century still goes on today. It is fraught with more compromises as Catholicism learned to embrace the heresies of all religions to make them comfortable if they would come under the umbrella of their universal church.

         The cardinal doctrine of justification is still the barrier between Christ, the Jews, Roman Catholics, and all the rest who do not accept the correct definition. If there had been a sign of Roman Catholicism in the days of Jesus, He would say to them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

         Today, our journey through Mark brings us to more of Jesus’ healing miracles. Our scripture does not concentrate on a specific individual who received healing but rather an entire area of the Galilean region that experienced Jesus’ powerful and unique ministry. These were people who had never seen Jesus, although news of His miracles in Capernaum, Nazareth, and even from the southern region of Judea reached them bringing hope that someday He would make His way to them. The news that filtered into their area was that a man helped people in ways no one had ever seen. They heard that He asked nothing in return and that merely touching Him or Him touching them was enough to give them thorough and lasting wholeness. It did not matter the defect or disease; Jesus managed all cases. It is interesting that just the slightest touch would do. No need to hug Him, to embrace Him, or to have Him do the same, but only to touch the hem of His clothing.

         My great interest in this type of healing is not so much the New Testament form, but the Old Testament implications. The border of His garment was the target area which had special significance in God’s methods of dealing with His people. I hope our church is more familiar with this part of Jesus’ clothing because you have been with me through extended studies of the Old Testament tabernacle worship.

         God gave Israel a plan for worship when He was with Moses on Mount Sinai. We usually think of this event as the time and location for Israel’s reception of the Ten Commandments. Indeed, it was, but God included far more. He gave an entire judicial system of laws and a mandate for worshipping the Holy God which distinguished Israel from all other nations. The Ten Commandments were the foundation of moral law and built upon these commandments were laws for religious ceremonies as well as dietary laws for health and well-being. These laws sanctified Israel and set them apart from other nations. Food, clothing, health, sacrifice, and behavior—all that His people needed—God gave.

         This religious system was complicated and rich in symbolism. We spent months exploring and learning the meaning of these symbols and applying them to New Testament truths. Our text today reminds us of their clothing. Mentioning the border of Jesus’ garment is not incidental. There are several Old Testament passages to examine, one of which is the high priest’s clothing. I hope you remember the significance of the bells on the fringe of his robe that constantly rang as he performed his duties on the Day of Atonement. I do not have time and space to discuss it today, but how enlightening would it be to show Christ’s high priestly intercession through it?

         I will take you rather to Numbers 15:37-41. I feel a sermon coming on and I regret not making this thought the most important part of today’s sermon presentation. As briefly as I can explain, God commanded each Israelite to make their clothing with a ribband of blue around the fringe. The purpose was to use it as a daily reminder of God’s commandments. The false worship of Canaan’s idols would tempt them, and this clothing was to remind them of the true God they were to obey.

         There are multiple lessons to learn from this in relation to our story in Mark. I leave you with this. God built our salvation on obedience to His law. We are incapable of keeping these laws to God’s satisfaction. As Jesus was the only hope the people in Gennesaret had for healing, so our only hope of spiritual healing is the perfection of the law fulfilled in Jesus Christ. By faith, we touch His ribbon of blue and partake in the satisfaction He made to God by perfectly fulfilling God’s commandments. Through the touch of faith, Christ’s perfect obedience becomes ours and God counts us as compliant. Christ satisfied God’s justice for us. Gennesaret was helpless without the touch, and so are you.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Pastor V. Mark Smith