Dec 11
3
Isaiah 43: 27: Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
It is much the same as the apostle Pauls’ word
2 Thessalonians 2: 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
The teachers in the temple transgressed against God just as they did in Paul’s day, just as they do in churches all over this nation. How so? Not openly saying the words “I am God” but boasting that they have done the things which God declares that God alone is able to perform.
- Offense of ascribing to sinners the glory and power which belongs to God only.
- Boast that a sinner can make himself born again. Christ said, John 6: 63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life…65: And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
- Boasting that Christ laid down his life for all and sinners make his blood effectual. But Christ said, John 10: 15:…I lay down my life for the sheep.
- Boasting that the sinner makes himself God’s elect by his choice for God. Christ said: John 10: 26: But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
- Glorying in self-abasement, cunningly devised fables of conversions, boasting of increasing themselves in godliness,…Colossians 2: 19: And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Exalting man—man’s worth, man’s will, man’s works—above all that is called God or that is worshipped, sitting in God’s house and showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2: 11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Clay Curtis (extract from saved from the bartenders of Babylon.)
“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.” Psalm 107:6
Oh what a mercy it is that there is a God to go lo! a God who hears and answers prayer! And what a blessing it is to be able to unbosom before him the burdened spirit! Observe the words–“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.” If you have trouble it is a sufficient warrant for you to go to God with it. Do not trouble yourself with the question, whether you are elect or non-elect. God does not put it in that shape, and you need not. The answer will best show on which side of the line you stand. Does he not say–“Call upon me in the day of trouble–I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me?” If you have a day of trouble, you have here a sufficient warrant to call upon God. Write not, then, bitter things against yourself. If you are enabled to sigh and cry unto the Lord there is life in your soul. God has quickened you by his blessed Spirit if he has put a sigh and cry into your bosom. Remember the men in Ezekiel on whom the Lord put the approving seal. It was those who sighed and cried for the abominations which they saw and felt in themselves and others (Ezekiel 9:4). If, then, the Lord has put a sigh and cry into your bosom on account of your felt inward abominations, you are one of those on whom he has set his seal.
Sanctified troubles are some of our greatest blessings; and one of their blessed fruits is that they keep us from settling on our lees and being at ease in Zion. Careless, worldly-minded, proud, covetous professors, sunk in carnality and death, where is there ever a cry in their soul? They may have a formal prayer–a morning prayer, an evening prayer, a family prayer, and all as round as a ball, and as cold as ice. Stiff and frozen in carnality they are ice themselves, and they bring their ice with them wherever they come. But God does not allow his people to go on in this cold, lifeless, frozen, icy way, with mere formal devotion, lip service, and prayers worn out like an old shoe with long and continual treading. He sends afflictions, trials, and troubles upon them, takes them into the wilderness, exercises them well in the path of tribulation, and supporting them under it, raises up a cry which he is sure to hear. Philpot.
—
And what is his religion but vanity?
(adapted from Winslow’s, “The Earnest
Expectation of the Renewed Creature”)
“We are merely moving shadows, and
all our busy rushing, ends in nothing.”
Man’s origin, the earth;
his birth, degenerate;
his rank, a bauble;
his wealth, but glittering dust;
his pomp, an empty pageant;
his beauty, a fading flower;
his pursuits, an infant’s play;
his honors, vexations of spirit;
his joys, fleeting as a cloud;
his life, transient as a vapor;
his final home, a grave.
Truly, “vanity” is inscribed in legible
characters on each ‘created’ good.
“Surely man in his best estate is altogether vanity.”
And what is his religion but vanity?
His native holiness, a vain conceit;
his natural light, Egyptian darkness;
his human wisdom, egregious folly;
his religions forms, and rites, and duties,
“a vain show in the flesh;”
his most gorgeous righteousness, filthy rags.
—
Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?
by Charles Spurgeon (edited)
An evil is in the ‘professed’ camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has developed at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments!
The devil has seldom done a more clever thing, than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out the gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses!
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ speak of it? ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel’.
No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to Him. Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people, or because they confronted them? The ‘concert’ has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles. What was the attitude of the apostolic Church to the world? “You are the salt of the world”, not the sugar candy; something the world will spit out, not swallow.
Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His teaching, He would have been more popular. When “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him,” I do not hear Him say, ‘Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow; something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it! Be quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!’
No! Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them!
In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the ‘gospel of amusement’. Their message is, “Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them… Don’t touch their filthy things…” Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray, ‘Lord, grant unto your servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are’.
No! They did not cease from preaching Christ. They had no time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down; that is the only difference from today’s church.
Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment had been God’s link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer! The mission of amusement produces no converts!
The need of the hour for today’s ministry is earnest spirituality joined with Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
—
The sword of God’s Truth
(Arthur Pink, “Faithfulness”)
“Their speech is filled with flattery.” Psalm 5:9
This is the identifying mark of the “hireling,” the false pastor. He aims at pleasing his hearers, making them feel satisfied with themselves, ever patting them on the back.
“But he who has My Word—let him speak My Word faithfully” (Jeremiah 23:28), no matter how unpalatable it may be to the flesh, how much of a weariness to those who wish to have their ears tickled with novelties, or how loud the outcry against it is!
Ministerial faithfulness includes loyalty to his Master, devotion to His interests, steadfast adherence to the preaching of His Word, dispensing the Truth unto those whose souls are committed to Him—not mixing it with his speculations, much less substituting false doctrine. A far higher motive than the pleasing of his hearers must actuate and regulate ministerial service. Faithful preaching will render the minister unpopular, and will ’empty’ churches—not ‘fill’ them!
“Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Souls are caught fast in the meshes of Satan’s lies—and nothing but the sword of God’s Truth can cut them free!
“A faithful man—who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6). Why is this? Because it is the part of fallen human nature to take the line of least resistance, and choose the path easiest to the flesh. But remember, my reader, whoever you are, that, “Lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but those who deal ‘faithfully’ are His delight.” (Proverbs 12:22)
—
High offices in the church
(J. C. Ryle, “The Gospel of Luke” 1858)
“The leading priests and teachers of religious law
were actively plotting Jesus’ murder.” Luke 22:2
High offices in the church do not preserve the
holders of them from great blindness and sin.
The first step in putting Christ to death, was taken
by the religious teachers of the Jewish nation. The
very men who ought to have welcomed the Messiah,
were the men who conspired to kill Him. The very
pastors who ought to have rejoiced at the appearing
of the Lamb of God, had the chief hand in slaying
Him! These were the very men who crucified the Lord
of glory! With all their boasted knowledge, they were
far more ignorant than the few Galilean fishermen
who followed Christ!
Let us beware of attaching an excessive importance
to ministers of religion because of their office.
Ordination and office confer no exemption from error.
The greatest heresies have been sown, and
the greatest practical abuses introduced into
the church by ordained men!
We must test all teachers by the unerring rule of the
Word of God. It matters little who says a thing in
religion. But it matters greatly what it is that is said.
Is it scriptural?
Is it true?
This is the only question.
The lengths to which men may go in religion, and yet
be without grace, is far greater than we suppose.
—
Peace, peace!
(J. C. Philpot, from his ‘Reviews’)
They dress the wound of My people as though
it were not serious. “Peace, peace!” they say,
when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11
How Jeremiah testifies against those prophets
who prophesy smooth things—who prophesy
deceits—who know not the way of the Lord,
nor have walked in His counsel.
There is no greater mark of false ministers given
in the word of truth, than healing the wound of God’s
people slightly, saying, “Peace, peace!” when there
is no peace.
If we carefully read the book of Jeremiah, we shall
see that the great sin and the chief deception of all
the false prophets who sprang up in scores during the
period of his ministry, was to build up the people in a
false hope—to assure them that they had no reason
to fear the judgments of God—that the Lord would
not execute against them what He threatened. They
therefore hardened the people in sin and disobedience,
led them to trifle with and despise the judgments of God,
and built them up in a false confidence that, because they
were the people of God by external profession, they were
His also by regenerating grace.
If our eyes were fully open to see the effect of the false
teaching of our day, we would see it equally dishonoring
to God—and pregnant with equally awful consequences.
We would see hundreds of dead professors built up
without a foundation of repentance toward God. We
would see sin made a little matter of—the awful anger
of the Almighty against it, and His dreadful indignation
against transgressors passed by as a thing of little
importance. We would see the strait and narrow path
widened out in all directions—and the distinguishing
truths of the gospel beaten down and amalgamated
with the grossest errors.