Dealing with the Tsunami of Sin Around Us

In view of all that is happening in our world, the words of Paul seem so appropriate. “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). When these words were written, Nero was on the throne and the life of a Christian was so difficult. While our world is not nearly as dangerous as theirs, the principles given by Paul are needed by us today.

We must know the times. It is easier to ignore what is happening around us than to deal with it. The faith of every one of us is under attack and those of us who believe the Bible are being mocked repeatedly. Think of how we are so out of step with the world in our views of the sacredness of marriage and the sinfulness of divorce. The world has seemingly accepted casual sex in dating and living together before marriage. When we simply repeat what the Bible says about specific sins we are called homophobic, judgmental, narrow minded and closed minded bigots. We cannot afford to ignore the reality of the world in which we live.

It is high time to awake out of our sleep. Read the words of Paul again. He does not, in some casual way, say that we should become concerned about matters, but that “it is high time to awake.” These words demand that we act immediately. Such times cannot be ignored, hoping things might change. It is not just time to act, it is high time!

Salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The brevity of life should remind us about how few days we have compared to what we once had. However, as we see the tsunami of sin around us, we must never forget that the chance of losing our salvation is so much greater. The opportunities we once had for righteousness are not as numerous now simply because we have fewer days to impact the world. Now is the time to act and react to the times in which we live.

Paul’s practical application of these truths. Read the rest of this chapter and see the contrast of living godly in an ungodly world. He writes of light, darkness, walking properly, revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and making plans for fulfilling fleshly lusts. The point is that our salvation as Christians depends on the choices we make and that the time to make those choices is right now! As he said, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand . . . put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” We must know the times and how to live in such times as these!

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Biship Affirms Jews Do Not Need to be Saved by Jesus

Several months ago the Palm Beach Post had the following article:

“U.S. Catholic bishops, whose church has spent hundreds of years trying to convert Jews to Christianity, have come to the conclusion that it is theologically unacceptable to target Jews for evangelism, according to a statement issued Monday by organizations representing U.S. Catholic bishops and rabbis from the country’s two largest Jewish denominations. Citing teachings dating back to the Second Vatican Council—and statements by Pope John Paul II throughout his papacy—the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared unequivocally that the biblical covenant between Jews and God is valid and therefore Jews do not need to be saved through faith in Jesus.”

What a contrast! These words stand in marked contrast to the words of John and Paul, whose names were adopted by the late pope. John said to Jews of his day, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). Is there any wonder John would say this since he heard Jesus say, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)? He also heard Jesus give the Great Commission which involved teaching every creature, even the Jews, and ending with the words, “He who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). The apostle Paul affirmed that his own nation, the Jews, had not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God and that his heart’s desire and prayer was that they might be saved (Rom. 10:1-3).

Political correctness cannot trump faithfulness! When will we ever learn that preaching the gospel and being politically correct are not compatible? The gospel is a sword which Jesus said would create strife between His followers and those around them. The peace brought by the Prince of Peace is not the peace of political correctness (Matt. 10:34).

Don’t rush to judge and condemn the Catholic bishops! Now before you pass quick judgment on these men, you might look at your own actions. Is there much difference in saying that any group of Jews or Gentiles do not need Jesus to be saved, and knowing they need salvation and not doing anything to save them!

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The Consequence of Theistic Evolution

We live in an age of political compromise. Problems are resolved by  those having opposing views to each yield to the other and find a “middle ground” where they can agree. While that might work in many areas, there are obviously areas where it will never work. Imagine trying to use compromise with a rattlesnake or a man-eating tiger. The reality is that it will never work in spiritual matters where absolute truth is involved.

Christians are more and more finding themselves at odds with those who believe in evolution and an ancient earth. Some have attempted to bridge the gap by taking a position of theistic evolution. Such says that God created the world, but He used billions of years of evolution to do this. The concept is believed in the science departments of several of “our” Christian universities. Those early chapters of Genesis are dismissed as being allegorical or myths. There never was a man made from dust. There never was a woman made from his rib. There never was a Garden of Eden and there never was a confrontation involving the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even the account of Noah and the universal flood is denied.

Look at the consequences of this doctrine. If Adam and Eve never existed—did Cain and Abel exist? Was there ever a time when Abel’s sacrifice was offered by faith and accepted by God?  If they never lived what does this do about the trustworthiness of the New Testament teaching about them? Did Enoch actually walk with God or is he simply a mythological character invented by ancient Jews? One cannot affirm that Enoch lived and deny that Adam and Eve lived—the evidence is the same for both of them. If Enoch did not live, then how can we trust the books of Hebrews and Jude which say he did? If we cannot trust these two books, how can we trust any of the other books?

The same is true of Noah. The New Testament repeatedly affirms his existence, but the compromise sought by those who affirm theistic evolution makes this impossible. Somewhere in the genealogy of Jesus you have to begin to insert real people. Were there really ten generations between Adam and Noah? Were there ten generations between  Noah and Abraham? Theistic evolutions simply cannot tell you where the individuals in Christ’s lineage become facts!

I am reminded of the charge brought against Paul—”Much learning is driving you mad” (Acts 26:24).

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Will God Forsake You? Just Ask Joseph

I marvel at how God arranged His holy book. He could have just listed the important facts we need to know and it would have thrilled our souls, but in His divine wisdom He chose to reveal the facts and then emphasize them in amazing ways so that we would never forget. This week’s bulletin article is the first of two articles to show this.

God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has promised His children He would always be with them. David was assured that God’s protection would be with him both day and night and that his Protector would never slumber (Ps. 121:3,6). Jesus told the apostles, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).  The writer of Hebrews states this truth in these words, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5).

God not only expressed this truth, but He illustrated it again and again as He cared for His people. The truth is that God’s unchanging nature is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. This truth is emphasized in the amazing story of Joseph’s life.

At a very young age God began to work in the life of Joseph. The dream Joseph had of his brothers, sheaves bowing down to his sheaf, and the dream of the sun, moon and stars bowing to him did not originate in Joseph’s mind. They were messages placed there by God. They immediately brought trouble into his life because his brothers hated him (Gen. 37:8). They mocked him and gave him the nickname, Dreamer (37:19). They plotted to kill him and would have done this had Reuben not intervened. Stripped of his coat of many colors he was cast into a pit, then sold into slavery. Because you know the rest of the story you know that God was with him throughout all of this, but one wonders what Joseph must have thought.

God was with Joseph when he arrived in Egypt and was bought by Potiphar. Moses wrote, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian” (Gen. 39:2). It is hard to imagine what emotions might have characterized that teenager who had gone from being his father’s favorite to being a household servant, but one does not have to imagine where God was! He was there with Joseph.

This is His nature. He cannot forsake those who love Him. Even when we may question His presence, He is still with us! (We will continue this study next week).

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More Evidence that God will not Forsake You – Just Ask Joseph

The next time you read Genesis take time to notice how God was always with Joseph. Look at the following list of all the times God was with him. He was with him:

¨ When his dreams were misunderstood, yet later proved to be right.

¨ When he receive a coat of many colors and he didn’t ask for it—and the coat became a source of trouble.

¨ When his brothers talked about killing him.

¨ When his brothers put him in a pit with no intention of ever releasing him.

¨ When he was sold by his brothers for only 20 pieces of sliver.

¨ When he became a servant in Egypt, where he went from being a favorite son to being a common slave.

¨ When his father did not come immediately to buy him back.

¨ When he stood for right, refused the advances of an evil woman and got in trouble.

¨ When he was in prison where we are reminded “God was with him” (Gen. 39:2, 3, 21, 23).

¨ When he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer.

¨ When the cupbearer forgot to keep his promise to remember Joseph when he returned to the palace.

¨ When years later he stood before Pharaoh. He had been in Egypt 13 years, yet His faith was still strong.

¨ When his brothers first came and he hid his identity from them.

¨ When his brothers returned.

¨ When he used wisdom in dealing so wisely with his brothers.

¨ When he revealed himself to his brothers.

¨ When he first saw his father.

¨ When Goshen became the Israelites’ land.

¨ When his father blessed his sons.

¨ When his father died.

¨ When he returned to Egypt after burying his father.

¨ When he asked for his bones to be some day returned to the promised land.

Child of God, take time to meditate of God’s promise to never forsake us and how His providence is illustrated in Joseph’s life. Then take time to see His presence in your life. God, who cannot lie, will always be with you!

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