I Hate Every False Way

Berean Baptist on January 15, 2018

Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. (Psalms 119:104)

Edward Reyner an English nonconformist of the early 17th century wrote, “Hatred is a stabbing, murdering affection.” If this were all we knew of Reyner’s quote, we would assume hatred is perfectly inconsistent with Christian teachings about love. However, we go on to read the rest of his thought in which he said, “Hate sin perfectly and perpetually and then you will not spare it but kill it presently. Till sin be hated, it cannot be mortified; you will not cry against it, as the Jews did against Christ, Crucify it! Crucify it! but show indulgence to it as David did to Absalom and say, Deal gently with the young man—with this or that lust, for my sake. Mercy to sin is cruelty to the soul.”

Reyner’s thoughts capture the meaning of Psalms 119:104 extremely well. Knowledge of God’s Word will cause us to hate every false way. The Word enlightens the mind to the destructive nature of sin. We hardly believe sin will kill us, and yet it was sin that brought death to the world. As Reyner said, “Mercy to sin is cruelty to the soul.” Sin always leaves death in its wake. To allow it and tolerate it, is to let it ruin us. Jonathan Edwards said hatred of sin is the way true religion may be known and distinguished.

These quotes show the great disparity of understanding about what Jesus taught. It is not uncommon in today’s world to hear Jesus’ approval attached to support nearly every false way rather than to hear Him thundering against sin. God’s love is defined. It exists within the parameters of His holiness, so that it cannot embrace sin any form—not the act nor the ones who commit it. The scriptures say God is love and God hates sin. Therefore, it is nonsense to create in our minds a Jesus who loves and is at the same time tolerant of sinful lifestyles.

From this point, I could go on to enumerate the multitude of sins that have become accepted as normal behavior, but I am sure you are very aware of our church’s position on these. Rather, I prefer to take a moment to speak of other false ways we must hate. We must hate and take to task any religion that denies the deity of Jesus Christ. We must hate and strongly preach against those religions that deny justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ. We must hate and take a resolute stand against religions that claim there is any other God but Jesus Christ, and any other way to the Father but Him. We must hate the influx into our society of those who say they practice their religion peacefully when that same religion teaches them to be violent and to kill those who disagree with them. We dare not fool ourselves that a religion is peaceful when its history is one of murder, especially murder of those who since Abraham have been called God’s chosen people. We are fooling ourselves to think we can take a cold, dormant viper into our bosom, warm him up, and not expect him to bite.

Sin in any form always destroys. Your personal sin will do it; your toleration of sin in others will do it. Your compassion to give it mercy is cruelty to your soul. When the preacher preaches against sin and those who perpetrate it, do not think he is without love. Hatred of sin distinguishes true Christians. No one can love your soul more than one who says, Crucify sin! Crucify it! Stand with the preacher who stands for God. Stand with the preacher who stands against a society without God, or one that tolerates the wrong god. Anything less is cruel death.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Grow Old Gracefully

Berean Baptist on December 26, 2016

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. (Psalm 71:9)

The Bible is a fascinating book and amazes every time we open its pages. There is nothing we face in life that God does not have the exact answer we need. For the young, the Bible speaks of the blessing of godly parents who raise them to know Christ. For the middle aged, there is vitality of life that can be channeled into the service of the church in the most rewarding, fulfilling life that can be imagined.

This psalm takes us to the twilight of life when strength has failed, when eyes are dim, and when we face death, an unknown that all of us fear. How appropriate this is when thinking of the many aged believers that are a part of the Berean family. I know many people that walk into churches and then turn around and walk out because there are too many “blue-hairs” sitting in the pews. While we love a good mixture of young and old, the young are not here to provide a positive balance against the negative of the old. There is far too much to be learned from the precious old saints to dismiss them as the “past” of the church.

Each of us should be compassionately aware of the daunting challenges our old members face. William MacDonald expresses this wisely in his commentary on this passage: “To grow old gracefully calls for more grace than nature can provide. Old age is a new world of strange conflicts and secret fears; the fear of being left alone, the fear of being a burden to loved ones, the fear of becoming a helpless invalid, the fear of losing one’s grip, the fear of being imposed upon. These fears are not new. The psalmist is here thinking aloud for the encouragement of all who are in the autumn of life.”

Never did this hit so close to home as when my own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Parents do not want to become a burden, and yet the reality of a disease like Alzheimer’s leaves the person with no alternatives. The compassion displayed by my sisters to take care of our mother is beyond commendable. Though very difficult, they did not shrink from the responsibility because it was hard. These are things you do for people you love.

I believe we should see the need for the same as a church. Our older membership faces the same fears. This is not the time to ignore them. We must do a better job of helping to meet their needs. We do love them, don’t we? They are a long-time part of our family, aren’t they? God’s way of meeting the needs of the aged and allaying their fears is to have other Christians watch for them. As John said, “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”  (1 John 3:18)

When David prayed,  “Cast me not off in the time of old age,” he knew God had a way to sustain him just as He had in the days of his youth. Have you thought God’s method may be you? Much of God’s work is fulfilled through human instrumentality. It does not often take an extraordinary miracle for God to accomplish His work. Your love and concern is God’s method. The kindness of a visit, a prayer, the reading of scripture for those who love to hear it—this may be the answer to their prayer, “Cast me not off in the time of old age.”

 Pastor V. Mark Smith

Understanding Beyond the Immediate Text

Berean Baptist on October 3, 2016

Psalm 59

It is always interesting when reading the psalms of David to find the places in scripture that connect to the reasons for writing the psalm. The background story that connects to this psalm is found in 1 Samuel 19.  Beginning at verse 11, Saul had sent some of his henchmen to David’s house to watch for him and to kill him when he left his house in the morning. It is remarkable how Saul’s peculiar sense of honor kept him from entering David’s house at night to kill him while he slept in bed with his wife. Yet, it is also remarkable that false accusations and murder were no encumbrances to Saul’s same sense of honor.

The errand of Saul’s messengers was a trumped up charge of treason when David had never in any way disrespected Saul or sought him harm. By God’s providence, Saul’s hesitation allowed David to escape during the night which infuriated Saul all the more. The method of escape was clever as David evaded Saul by leaving through a window. Perhaps David’s house was on the city wall where he was let down by a rope in similar fashion to the escape of the spies at the hand of Rehab.

When David did not leave the house in the morning, Saul’s men went to fetch him but were told by David’s wife Michal that he was sick. When this was reported to Saul, he sent his men back to the house to carry him out sick bed and all. When the men reentered the house, they saw they had been fooled by a dummy with goat’s hair which had made it appear David was in the bed.

When I read through the first part of this psalm, there were two parallels to the treatment of Christ that struck me. The first is the actions of the chief priests and elders when they paid Judas to betray Jesus. When Judas later returned with remorse and offered to give back his thirty pieces of silver, the leaders refused to put the money into the treasury because it was not lawful to mix blood money with the Lord’s offerings. This was strangely curious because hiring a traitor, paying false witnesses to lie in court, and murdering an innocent man did not bother them at all. People can pat themselves on the back for their superior piety in one area while they have the most evil designs in another. Such is the false pride of the depraved mind!

The second parallel to Christ’s ill treatment is found in verse 3: “For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.” Saul’s men wanted to kill David not because he had done anything wrong, but simply because of Saul’s hatred. David was righteous in the kingdom having blessed Israel in defending the kingdom from the enemy. Likewise, Jesus was despised even though no just charge could be laid against Him. His whole ministry was one of compassion as He healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. Why would you want to kill someone like that? It is at best irrational behavior, but again they are the actions of madmen with depraved hearts. Jesus said the hatred of Him and His people was the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture. In John 15:25, He said: “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”

As you read the psalms, read with an open mind to let the Spirit speak to you. See where words and phrases lead your thoughts to other places of the inspired Word. The references often go beyond the obvious, but this is how the Holy Spirit blesses the minds of those who care to open His Word.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Ingratitude

Berean Baptist on January 25, 2016

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 35th 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 most good. 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 serious sin, so do not be party to it. Praise the Lord and give Him the thanks He deserves.

Pastor V. Mark Smith