PRAISE THE LORD!

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 150:6 [NKJV]

Have you ever heard someone say: “Praise the Lord!” I have heard people exclaim this in very different situations. Some did it in the midst of joyful circumstances such as at the birth of a child or the baptism of a new convert to Christ. I have also seen others do it when faced with great crises or situations filled with overwhelming sorrow and loss. To see someone “praise God” while dealing with the news of a lost job or even the death of close friend or loved one is impressive indeed. So what is this thing called “praise” and why are we to offer it to God?

“Praise” is defined as: “…1 to express approval or admiration of.”(1) It is derived from the Latin root word pretium which means worth or price.(2) Therefore when we “praise” something or someone, we evidently show how much we approve of or value it; we proclaim our admiration of its attributes or worth. An added dimension to the meaning of this word can be seen in the Hebrew root word translated as “praise” in our introductory verse of Psalm 150:6. The word is “HALAL” (haw-lalَ). It means: “to boast…celebrate, commend…praise.”(3) We are thus encouraged in this verse and many others throughout the entire Bible to boast of, to celebrate, and to commend God our Heavenly Father.

We praise God, first, for Who He is. He is the one and only true living God (John 17:3). He is unique and completely special – there is no one else like Him! We read in Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.’” He is the only Being who is self-existent, having no beginning or end (Exodus 3:13 – 15; Psalm 102:25 – 27). He is all mighty and all powerful along with being all loving, wise, righteous, good, merciful, and perfect (Psalm 118:1 – 4; 119:68, 137; Jeremiah 9:24; 32:17 – 19; I John 4:8). He is also the Creator of everything in the universe. Nothing would exist without Him! It says in Psalm 148:5, “Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created.”

We also praise God for what He has done for us in the past and continues to do for us today. He is not only the Creator of this world, He is our Creator! Every person who has ever lived owes their life to Him. We certainly did not create ourselves (Psalm 100:3)! We must remember that everything we have is a gift from Him. The apostle Paul made this abundantly clear in his sermon to the men of Athens in Acts 17:22 – 28. Most importantly, however, we should praise Him for His wonderful love, mercy, and grace in providing us a way to save us from our sins and to restore our relationship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3 – 7).

Therefore, as His children, we have both the privilege and the obligation to praise our Heavenly Father. Yes, it is something that we can and must do with our fellow brethren as we gather for “worship services.” The psalmist David wrote in Psalm 22:22, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.” Yes, we should praise God through our songs, prayers, and teaching. But we cannot confine our times of praise to just our times of assembly. We must make it a habitual, daily practice! The inspired writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us: “…let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Every day, we must make it a top priority to take some time, rather, make some time to recognize our God and praise His holy name. Whatever our situation, whatever our circumstance, be it times of joy or sorrow, let us glorify Him. Let us be like David, who understood the importance of praising God: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water…Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.” (Psalm 63:1, 3).

(1)  Michael Agnes, ed., Webster’s New Dictionary (Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2003), 506.

(2) Ibid.

(3) James Strong, A Concise Dictionary Of The Words in The Hebrew Bible, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1990), 33. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Christianity and Politics

Headlines often include so much about moral issues that are increasingly becoming political in nature (i.e., the Supreme Court possibly making a decision regarding the constitutionality of gay marriage). How can we correlate our Christianity with ethics in the volatile subject of politics?

We must consider the outcome of our conclusion. If Christians are to have no participation whatsoever in politics with complete silence, then the outcome of our conclusion is the loss of godly wisdom and influence. However, if Christians can have a positive impact by carefully participating in the realm of politics by speaking out, then the outcome of our conclusion includes the product of hearing godly wisdom and influence.

Nevertheless, we should realize the danger of getting distracted with a “secondary” work. As Christians, our primary work is to teach sinners the gospel of Christ (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). Anything else must be secondary, and we need to keep our priorities properly arranged (cf. Matt. 6:33). In addition, we should never place party politics over Christianity. I know what the tendency often is on media outlets such as Facebook, but it becomes dangerous if we align ourselves with political parties, insomuch that it interferes in our relationship with our Christian brethren. Rather, we should be interested in moral issues, not political parties.

By way of example, consider the example of Jesus in the realm of politics. First, we see Jesus was silent at times, such as the powerful display of silence while on trial before the Roman governor Pilate: “And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly” (Matt. 27:12-14). Why did He not speak out? Having already understood clearly the will of the Father in heaven from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, He did not want to avoid the will of God. Nevertheless, we also see what prompted Him to speak out in the very same trial: “And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest” (Matt. 27:11). Thus, He spoke whenever He had the opportunity to reveal the truth of God. Jesus stayed focused on His mission—He was devoted to reaching people, not changing governments. This ought to mold our thinking in the involvement that we have in the realm of politics. We should not be concerned with the removal of one party over another or the question of which party has control over the House of Representatives and such like. Rather, we should be involved in the moral issues inasmuch as we are reaching people.

In conclusion, I understand that we need to deal with each situation differently. Governments differ, so our involvement should differ also. We need to consider carefully the purpose in our involvement. We should never compromise the clear teaching from the word of God in an effort to be involved in government activities. Above all, we need to realize that the beginning of Christian ethics in politics is a Christ-centered heart: Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds); Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. [2 Cor. 10:1-5]

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Baptized

“But, if I get baptized for the forgiveness of my sins as God demands in Acts 2:38, I’ll be condemning my parents (or siblings, or children, etc) who didn’t/don’t believe that!”

Probably if we as faithful preachers and teachers of the word of God in the Lord’s church had a dollar for every time we have heard similar, sad, self-deceived responses from the lips of those with man-made denominational backgrounds when they are finally brought face to face with the hard and fast Biblical fact that no one in Scripture, since the inception of the New Covenant of Christ and the establishment of His one New Testament church in Acts 2, was ever saved and added to His saved/ church by simply saying a prayer – we’d be a lot more financially stable to be sure. But it is the soul-deep sadness we experience at such satanic self-delusion that is always so overwhelming, because we recognize how totally Satan has such a one deceived and dancing on his sadistic string! Consider:

If a dearly beloved and departed family member never accepted God’s gift of grace and forgiveness on God’s terms as outlined in His holy word, then they are judged already. And there is absolutely nothing we can do about where they are, and absolutely nothing we can do or don’t do, which can or does affect where they already are (See Luke 16:19-31) – NOTHING!

On the other hand, a person who believes that they will somehow “condemn” their living loved ones who do not believe or accept the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through obedient faith – including baptism for the forgiveness of sins – is even more sadly deceived and here’s why. Their decision to personally deny the biblical essentiality of baptism for the forgiveness of sins, actually helps seal the fate of condemnation of those very ones they claim to love, as well as for themselves, because it only serves to strengthen said satanically inspired deception! It is only through their faithfully, personally, obeying the gospel and accepting God’s forgiveness as written, that one can display the power of its necessity and essentiality, and then perhaps preach and teach it to their deceived and currently unforgiven and condemned loved ones, in an effort see them truly saved!

The sad, satanic, and sadistic fact of the matter is this: It is not those who finally see that one must be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and does it that condemns their loved ones – but just the opposite! It is those who stubbornly refuse to obey the gospel by being baptized specifically for the forgiveness of their sins as God demands, who in all actuality, truly help condemn their loved ones, by perpetuating the lie and giving it life… something they will not have with God in the end – and they guarantee it by their continued disobedience to what they know from His word must be done!

 

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Permitted?

“Everything Is Permitted, If . . .”

The world envisioned by many is one where every person has the right to do whatever he likes. The philosophy is summed up in these words, “What right does anyone have to tell me what is right or wrong? What right do you have to judge my behavior?” As we look at the world around us, we see the world buying into the view of life where I can do anything I want to do and no one has any right to judge me or set standards of actions which I must follow.

Without thinking this through, one might think that the philosophy might be right. However, stop long enough to see the fruit of such an idea. Does anyone have the right tell others that robbery is wrong? Does not the thief have the right to say, “I can do anything I want to and no one has any right to judge me or set standards of actions which I must follow”?  What about murderers, rapists, scam operators, liars or a host of other lifestyles one might choose?

One of the most renowned philosophers of the twentieth century was the Frenchman, Jean-Paul Sartre. He was an atheist when he died in 1980 (ever consider that after death no man is an atheist), but his words actually help us understand just why everything is not permitted. He said, “Everything is indeed permitted if God does not exist.”

If God does not exist, what gives any individual, group of individuals, culture, society or government the right to set standards of actions for me? My view of right and wrong has just as much merit as the view of others! There is no absolute truth. There is no eternal truth. There is no universal truth. Because morality is constantly changing, there is no morality! Who decides what is right and wrong?

Perhaps this is why society often tries to remove God from our lives. Why were copies of the Ten Commandments removed from the classroom and from public display? Why were prayer and Bible reading removed from our schools? Why are some trying to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency? Why is prayer forbidden at high school football games? Why is there an ever increasing mockery of Christians on TV and in movies? Remove God, and everything is permitted!

Now, think of the implication of Mr. Sartre’s words. If God does exist, everything is not permitted! However, if there is a Creator, then He has a right to govern me. He determines what behavior He expects of me. Neither I nor any group of individuals on this earth determines morality. He governs morality! I seek to mirror in my life the holiness He has shown in the life of Jesus. Think of the moral struggle facing our nation. It is God who judges. This land is not my land, it is His!  He is the sovereign Creator of each of us!

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The Basis For our Faith

In the creation / evolution controversy, it is often the case that non-believers consider creationists to be superstitious fools who cling to a mythical God.  But when the facts are brought to light, it is actually those who do not believe in God who’s faith is ill-placed.  The basis for the Christian faith is far more than just a whim or gut feeling.  Our faith is backed up with reasonable scientific evidence which makes it the more logical choice than the faith of the unbelievers.

It’s sometimes difficult when we look at the naturalistic world we live in and come to the conclusion that there must be something out there that is supernatural.  We don’t see supernatural things going on around us.  Everything we see working in nature today has a natural explanation for how it functions so it is difficult to grasp something supernatural because we never get to see it in action.   What nature cannot explain is how the universe and everything in it came to exist.

All matter in the universe has specific behaviors with no known exceptions.  These behaviors have been identified and have been given descriptions which we call the laws of nature.   The law of Gravity is one of them.  These behaviors of matter are what gives us the order and functionality we have in nature today.  If it were not for the law of gravity, life could not exist.  And so it is for the other laws of nature as well.

Something has been in existence forever.  We know this to be true because if ever there were a time in our history when nothing existed, then nothing would now exist.   The law of Cause and effect states that for every material cause there must be an adequate prior cause.  There are no known exceptions to this law.  Something is out there that has to have existed forever.   Something exists now, therefore something has to have existed forever.  What is it?

There are only 3 possible answers to explain our origins.  Either the universe has always existed, or the universe created itself out of nothing, or the universe was created.   We have already eliminated the second option so that leaves only 2.

Has the universe always existed?    The law of Conservation of Energy and Matter states that matter and energy cannot be created in nature.  Matter and energy can be changed back and forth from one form to the other but it cannot be created or destroyed.   Simply stated, what we have in existence today is all we have ever had and all that we will ever have.   The law of increased entropy states that usable energy is becoming less and less available.  The hydrogen which fuels our sun and the stars is being consumed and not being replenished.   The fossil fuels we use here on earth are being consumed and are not being replenished.  Eventually, all of this usable energy is going to run out.  The stars will die, the sun will go out and our universe will become a dark, dead, lifeless place.   These two laws of nature tell us that what we have now is what we have always had and that it is slowly running down.  Has the universe always existed?  No it has not.  Not in this form anyway.  Something, or someone, had to get it here, wind it up and jump start it.   Something adequate to the task had to cause it to exist.

Option #1 has been eliminated.  That leaves only one option left to explain our origins.  The universe was created.

When all of this is considered together, it is evident that the existence of our universe is not possible under the laws of nature which govern the behavior of all matter.  The creationists have faith in an intelligent all knowing all powerful supernatural creator.  The atheistic naturalists have faith in a naturally occurring supernatural event.   Neither of these have ever been observed therefore both require e a degree of faith.

When I look around at nature with its order, beauty, complexity and symmetry, I do not see a natural occurring supernatural event which caused the existence of our universe.  Rather, I see the handiwork of an intelligent all knowing all powerful supernatural creator.

I’m basing my faith on the more probable and intelligent choice.

Psalms 14:1

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Written by David Hersey

 

 

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