““Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). You have to say “yes” to God first before you can effectively say “no” to the devil.”
~Vance Havner
“Two men in front of a taxidermist’s window criticized a bird on display. “What a poor job of mounting a bird!” Just then the bird flew down. It was alive! The critics are often brought to shame when God upsets all their nice calculations.”
~Vance Havner
Can You Read Signs?
By Vance Havner
O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
Matthew 16:3
We must have another sort of discernment if, like the children of Issachar, we are to have understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. If we can escape from all the wrangling and simple read our new Testaments, we can recover a clear view of what lies ahead: civilization a decaying carcass awaiting the vultures, anarchy in the world, apostasy in the professing church, apathy even among true believers. Beyond that, the final showdown between Christ and Antichrist, God who became man and the man who will claim to be God; Armageddon, the final world conflict, and the Appearing of our Lord.
There is no denying that the early Christians, while they lived and learned, also looked for Jesus to return any day. But Constantine became a professed believer and Augustine envisioned his City of God, and since then we have tried to build here the Kingdom instead of bringing back the King.
And do not forget that the man who says there are no “signs” is himself a sign! (II Peter 3:3,4).
Jesus Was Logical
| by | Dave Miller, Ph.D. |
The view of Jesus that prevails in popular culture is one that portrays Him as unconcerned with logic and correct attention to doctrinal detail. Diluted Christendom has conjured up a Jesus that is non-confrontational, “politically correct,” and would never be “judgmental” or “intolerant.” Nevertheless, the New Testament—the only source for ascertaining the identity of Jesus—depicts Him in a completely different light.
Take, for example, the occasion in John 7 when the Jews were critical of Jesus for having healed on the Sabbath a man who suffered from a 38-year-old ailment (John 5:2-9). Many would suppose that Jesus would not be concerned with careful conformity to the Law. They would assume that Jesus would chide the Jews for their nit-picky, legalistic approach to religion, and that He would be quite willing to dismiss the requirements of the Law in order to give priority to human need in the name of compassion. Unfortunately, this viewpoint is fraught with error, not the least of which is its demeaning assessment of law—law which God, Himself, authored. Law, according to God, is given for human well-being (Deuteronomy 6:24; 10:13; Proverbs 29:18). God’s law is “holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12), and serves divinely-intended, positive purposes (e.g., Romans 3:20). Indeed, Jesus’ handling of His persecutors on this occasion illustrates the high regard He had for law, the necessity of carefully conforming to it, and the critical importance of applying it accurately.
Calling attention to the miracle He performed, Jesus offered a logical rebuttal to the allegation that He violated the Sabbath. Here is that argument placed in syllogistic form:
- If the Law of Moses requires the circumcision of a male infant on the 8th day after birth—even when the 8th day falls on the Sabbath—then healing a man on the Sabbath is equally legal.
- The Law of Moses requires the circumcision of a male infant on the 8th day after birth—even when the 8th day falls on the Sabbath.
- Therefore, healing a man on the Sabbath is equally legal.
Jesus then offered a concluding admonition that cinched the validity of His argument: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (vs. 24). Making application of God’s laws based on “appearance” refers to doing so based on how things seem or look to the person making the judgment, i.e., forming an opinion based on inadequate evidence. To the contrary, to “judge with righteous judgment” means to make accurate assessments by drawing only warranted conclusions from the evidence, i.e., thinking and acting rationally.
This one incident in the life of Christ is typical of His behavior on other occasions, proving that Jesus was logical in His approach to life. It demonstrates the high respect He had for law. It spotlights Deity’s concern for careful compliance with law. All who desire to be like Christ must emulate these same concerns. As Jesus Himself stated: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
We are happy to grant permission for items in the “Deity of Christ” section to be reproduced in their entirety, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) the author’s name must remain attached to the materials; (4) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (5) alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, quotations, etc. must be reproduced exactly as they appear in the original); (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken.
For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:
Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558
(334) 272-8558
http://www.apologeticspress.org
Ashamed To Blush
By Vance Havner
O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
Ezra 9:6
Jeremiah lamented in a verse found twice in his book (Jeremiah 6:15; 8:12) that his generation knew no shame and could not blush. He declared that God’s blessing had been withheld because they refused to be ashamed (3:3). Ezra is ashamed and blushes for the sins of his people.
People used to blush when they were ashamed. Now they are ashamed if they blush. Modesty has disappeared and a brazen generation with no fear of God before its eyes mocks at sin. There is no revival, because even God’s people will not humble themselves in sorrow for sin. Nothing is more needed than a sense of shame.
God give us Ezras and Jeremiahs who are ashamed and blush for their day and generation instead of defending it, lightly regarding the hurt of the land, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace. We are so fond of being called tolerant and broad-minded that we wink at sin when we ought to weep.
Jesus Was Rational
| by | Dave Miller, Ph.D. |
A study of the life of Christ on Earth quickly reveals that Jesus functioned rationally, logically, and sensibly. Unlike many religious people who claim to represent Him, Jesus possessed high respect for doctrinal correctness (after all, He authored the Law!). In all of His interactions with people, He conducted Himself with logical precision. One example of this attribute of our Lord is seen on the occasion when Jesus entered the synagogue and encountered a man who had a deformed hand (Matthew 12:9-13). This circumstance prompted His enemies to ask Him a question in hopes of being able to accuse Him of breaking the Law. They asked: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Of course, they had pre-decided that the answer to the question was “no,” that, in fact, the Law would naturally forbid such an action.
Unfortunately, the prevailing interpretation of the Law of Moses at the time, at least among the Jewish leaders, was that the Sabbath law enjoined total inactivity—as if everyone was to sit down for 24 hours and do nothing. This view was a distortion of God’s law on the matter. The Law gave the right, even the obligation, to engage in several activities (that could rightly be designated “work”) that did not constitute violation of the Sabbath regulation. On this occasion, Jesus pinpointed one such instance: “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?” (vs. 11). Jesus was recalling a directive from the Law of Moses:
You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother. And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks it; then you shall restore it to him. You shall do the same with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment; with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he has lost and you have found, you shall do likewise; you must not hide yourself. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again (Deuteronomy 22:1-4; cf. Exodus 23:4-5).
Such passages give insight into the nature of God, and provide tremendous assistance in making proper application of God’s laws to everyday circumstances.
Observe that God’s laws never contradict or countermand each other. Unlike manmade laws which often manifest inconsistency and contradiction, God’s laws function in perfect harmony with each other. The Mosaic passage to which Jesus alluded demonstrates that the general principle of the cessation of usual work on the Sabbath did not conflict with any number of specific circumstances in which benevolence and compassion were to be expressed. In an agriculturally-based society, a family’s survival depends on its farm animals. If a sheep, ox, or donkey were to break out of its stall, flee the premises, and then fall into a pit from which it would be unable to extricate itself, the animal would most likely die or become seriously ill if left in its predicament for 24 hours. To expend the necessary effort (i.e., “work) to retrieve the animal from danger was not considered by God to be included in the Sabbath prohibition. Hence, Jesus stated the logical conclusion: “Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?” (vs. 12). If action could be exerted to see to the well-being of a dumb animal, then obviously, God would approve of action taken to see to the physical care of a human being! The logic is penetrating and decisive. Far from suggesting that law is unimportant and may be ignored under the guise of “human need,” or implying that humans can break the “letter of the law” in order to keep the “spirit of the law” (see Miller, 2003), Jesus demonstrated that inherently built into God’s laws are all concerns deemed by Deity to be necessary. The benevolent, loving thing to do will always harmonize with God’s laws, since “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10), i.e., every truly loving action has already been defined by God in His legal admonitions.
The religion of Christ surpasses all human religion. It is rooted in the very essence of Deity. When Jesus took on human form on Earth, He showed Himself to be the Master logician Who always conducted Himself in a rational manner. May we do likewise.
REFERENCES
Miller, Dave (2003), “The Spirit and Letter of the Law,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1225.
We are happy to grant permission for items in the “Deity of Christ” section to be reproduced in their entirety, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) the author’s name must remain attached to the materials; (4) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (5) alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, quotations, etc. must be reproduced exactly as they appear in the original); (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken.
For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:
Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558(334) 272-8558
http://www.apologeticspress.org
The New Nature In The Believer
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
It has been well said that if there is anything good in any man it is because it was put there by God. And something good — a new, sinless nature — has been imparted by God to every believer.
While there is still within us “that which is begotten of the flesh,” there is also “that which is begotten of the Spirit,” and just as the one is totally depraved and “cannot please God,” so the other is absolutely perfect and always pleases Him.
Adam was originally created in the image and likeness of God, but he fell into sin and later “begat a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Genesis 5:3). It could not be otherwise. Fallen Adam could generate and beget only fallen, sinful offspring, whom even the Law could not change. But “what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,” accomplished, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3,4),
As Adam was made in the likeness of God, but fell, so Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, to redeem us from the fall, that by grace, through the operation of the Spirit, a new creation might be brought into being, a “new man… renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him” (Colossians 3:10) a “new man, which, after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Referring to this “new man,” John says:
“Whosoever is born [begotten] of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born [begotten] of God” (I John 3:9).
“We know that whosoever is born [begotten] of God sinneth not…” (I John 5:18).
“I have seen more cheerful faces on iodine bottles than on some Christians.” ~Vance Havner
Sinew and blood are a thin veil of lace;
What you wear in your heart you wear on your face.
Confidence And Committal
By Vance Havner
I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
II Timothy 1:12
Paul’s confidence in Christ led to committal. In the home town of my boyhood days we had two banks. I had confidence in both, but committed my money to only one. A man might have utmost confidence in a bank but it will not keep his money until he deposits it. Paul made the deposit.
The housewife who, when told to endorse a check, wrote, “I heartily endorse this check,” was not unlike some of us in spiritual matters. We endorse the Bible as God’s Word and Jesus as God’s Son, but we do not actually “sign our name,” we do not make it personal. We believe, but we do not commit all we are and have to it.
Have you made the deposit? He will keep what you commit. Be sure your faith is confidence plus committal.
God Wants to Give
May 5, 2015
“When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the LORD.” — Leviticus 22:27
The Torah portion for this week is Emor, which means “speak,” from Leviticus 21:1–24:23, and the Haftorah is from Ezekiel 44:15–31.
I once was visiting a farm in northern Israel when it happened to be calving season. We got the chance to witness the miracle of new life coming into the world. However, just as natural as the birth of these calves had seemed, what happened afterward seemed anything but natural. The farmers took the calves away immediately after they were born and began to feed them with baby bottles. What I had expected to see was the calves nursing happily from their mothers. After all, isn’t that what happens in nature?
The farmers had an explanation for their protocol. They explained that when a calf nurses from its mother, it forms a deep bond. If the two are separated before the calf is old enough and naturally weaned, the mother cow cries. The farmers explained that they had tried it just once, and when the baby cow was separated from the mother cow, she moaned for days. The moaning was so loud and so sad that it kept everyone up at night. So the standard protocol became to take away the calves at birth, not letting them suckle even once, in order to spare the mother cow any future pain of separation.
In this week’s Torah portion, the people of Israel were commanded to do the exact opposite. They were not allowed to offer as a sacrifice a newly birthed calf, lamb, or goat, until it had nursed from its mother for at least seven days. On the eighth day, the newborn was permitted to be offered as a sacrifice, and the mother cow would inevitably wail. Was this a senseless cruel practice?
The Jewish sages explain that the cries of the mother were a message for God’s children. There is a saying in the Jewish tradition that “the mother cow needs to give more than the calf wants to take.” That’s why the mother cried and not the calf. The message for us is that as much as we want to receive things from God, God wants even more to give them to us.
Today, prayer has taken the place of sacrificial offerings; however the message of the mother cow is just as relevant. If we pray, and our prayers are not answered in the way that we like, we must understand that it’s not because God doesn’t love us; it’s because He loves us so much that He won’t give us something that is not good for us. God wants to give even more than our desire to receive.
As we pray with that perspective, knowing that God is on our side and wanting to help us out, when the answer is “no,” we can take comfort knowing it’s because God has something even better in mind.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Not Ashamed
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
The Apostle Paul uses three wonderful phrases in Romans One: “I am debtor” (Ver.14), “I am ready” (Ver.15), and “I am not ashamed” (Ver.16).
As God’s appointed Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul declared: “I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise”.
The gospel now was no longer to be confined to Israel, but was to go to all nations, and Paul felt himself a debtor to proclaim it, first because God had appointed him to do so, and second, because he held in his hands that which would save the lost. He was morallyobligated — and so are Christians today.
Notice: the Apostle did not say, “I am debtor, but” and then begin to give a thousand excuses, as so many Christians do. He said: “I am debtor…SO…” and his fidelity to his call is seen as he adds: “So, as much as in me is,I am ready to preach the gospel” (Romans 1:15).
Oh, that the millions of Christians today would join Paul and say: “I AM READY to preach the gospel with all that is in me”.
But in Verse 16, the Apostle explains why he was ready to put his all into proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; unto the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile or Nations]” (Romans 1:16).
Many thousands of Jews had already come to trust Christ as Saviour, but the good news of Christ’s finished work of redemption was — and is — “the power of God unto salvation to EVERY ONE that believeth”.
Surely there is no other way. None of the pagan religions can give the assurance of salvation. They all represent efforts to find or earn salvation. Only the gospel, the good news of our Lord’s payment for sin can give us the knowledge, the assurance and the joy of salvation from sin.
“The only way to meet the modern demon-stration of the powers of darkness is by a demonstration of the power of God.”
~Vance Havner
No Offense, No Effect
By Vance Havner
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 6:14
We need men of the cross, with the message of the cross bearing the marks of the cross.
Paul was a MAN of the cross. He gloried in it. “I am crucified with Christ.” (Galatians 2:20). With him it was not a theory but an experience. His message was the cross. “I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). He bore the marks of the cross: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).
We are hearing a new version of Christianity that avoids all this. It is not foolishness to the world and it is without offense. It involves no crucifixion of self, it presents no bleeding Saviour, it offers medals instead of scars. But if any man or an angel preach a cross-less Christ let him be accursed. For such a Christ is without offense and without effect.
Let It Begin In Me
By Vance Havner
If my people…shall humble themselves…then will I…
II Chronicles 7:14
In revival God begins with His own people, and His people begin with themselves… “humble themselves”… “turn from their wicked ways.” It is subjective: they humble themselves and turn from sin. It is objective: they pray and seek God’s face. After David has his joy restored, then he teaches transgressors God’s ways, and sinners are converted. David does not go out visiting prospects and canvassing sinners until he has dealt with himself.
Getting church members busy with other duties in a revival before they themselves have repented defeats the whole purpose of revival. “Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” “Lord, send a revival and let it begin in me” – well, that is where it must begin. Not in absentee church members but in us who are present on Sunday morning and assume that we are all right and so merely make plans to get someone else revived.
Leave a Reply, please --- thank you.