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Failing to Discern

2022-12-08T20:19:00.000-06:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement Verse of the Day - Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Daily Scripture Reading - Romans 1-2 Puritan Catechism Question #31 - What benefits do they who are effectually called, partake of in this life? Answer - They who are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification (Rom. 8:30), adoption (Eph. 1:5), sanctification, and the various benefits which in this life do either accompany, or flow from them (1 Cor. 1:30). Confessing Our Faith A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, as amended by Charles Spurgeon. Chapter 5 – Divine Providence Devotional Thoughts In examining our current sermon series we are studying what it takes to "Learn to Discern." But before we can learn to discern, or even what discernment is, we need to make a note of Romans 1:28-32. These verses show us what happens when people refuse to acknowledge God. In truth, each and every person is born with a knowledge of God and His Law in their hearts and minds. However, it is within our fallen human nature to work very hard at repressing that knowledge. You see, to admit the truth, that there is a Holy, Almighty God means that we as His creation are accountable to Him. And fallen, fallible man hates nothing more than accountability to a Perfect, Infallible, Higher Being. We crave the fulfillment of our own lust and pride, living to sin. And we will do literally whatever it takes to get away with it! When we do this, if not for the intervention of God and His grace by the power of the Spirit, we will chase sin until it consumes us. We will believe the lie that sin is satisfying and we will learn the hard way that committing sin is like drinking salt water. The more you drink the thirstier you get until you die from dehydration! Sin leads to sin which leads to sin. It never finally or completely satisfies and it will eventually kill us. If we reject the gospel and the truth that we are born with, we reject that knowledge of God and refuse to retain the truth in our hearts and minds then God will give us over to a debased mind. In other words, when we consistently and constantly abandon God in our thoughts He will abandon us to our sin. He will turn us over to be consumed by our impurity. That truly is a frightening thought. But it happens all around us every day. Sinners who fight for all they are worth to deny the existence of God. And God turns them over to that vain, futile thinking. When this happens there is evidence. Jesus tells us we will know men by their fruit. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit or no fruit at all. Those who are turned over to their debased minds to be ruled and ruined by their own sinfulness bear identifiably wicked fruit. The text lists them for us:

... being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful ...

Unrighteousness is the opposite of righteousness. To be righteous is to be right with God, so to be filled with unrighteousness is to be filled with that which makes us wrong with God. Sexual immorality, wickedness, and all the rest that is listed here tips us off that a person who lives like this and acts like this and talks like this and thinks like this does not know Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:8). In studying this terrible passage we must take note of a particular sin that makes the list. Often we think of sin in degrees - some being worse than others. And when we think of categories of sin we usually think along the lines of those things which are impure, immoral, or idolatrous. We admit immediately and willingly that murder, sexual immoraltiy, and disobedience is sin. But how often do we think that it is a sin to be undiscerning? And yet there it is in verse 31. Those who are turned over to their own devices and debased minds are undiscerning. That means that we can classify a lack of discernment as sin! Did you get that? We often wrongly think that discernment is a gift and we either have it or don't. But the Scripture lists a lack of discernment as a sin, as a mark of living in depravity! So what does it mean to discern? Discernment is the ability to know the difference between good and bad, right and wrong, the sound and unsound. In the Old Testament it is referred to as "understanding." In the New Testament it is spoken of as knowing the difference between sound and unsound doctrine, recognising the differences between the truth and a lie. As Christians then we are responsible for learning how to discern! To fail to discern is sinful. To close our eyes and refuse to inform our consciences so that we might sin and get away with it is no excuse. For us, sin is a matter of life and death! And to willingly neglect the truth and to live with our eyes closed shut while good and evil stare us in the face is to sin against God, ourselves, our families, and our church. Again, this is worth stating over and over again. It is the responsibility of every Christian to learn, to be discipled in the Word, so that we can know how to be discerning. To fail to discern is to walk in darkness. The next few days then we will look at what we must learn in order to discern. We will study those things that prevent us from discerning rightly and those things which are necessary if we are to walk in the light and hold fast to the truth. Are you ready to learn to discern? If so, I will see you tomorrow! Links for Further Study (links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time) Exposition of Romans 1 by John Gill Inexcusable Irreverence And Ingratitude by Charles Spurgeon Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Blind Leaders

2022-12-08T17:27:00.000-06:00

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement Verse of the Day - Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." Daily Scripture Reading - Matthew 13 Puritan Catechism Question #33 - What is adoption? Answer - Adoption is an act of God's free grace (1 Jn. 3:1), whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:17). Confessing Our Faith A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, as amended by Charles Spurgeon. Chapter 24 – The Civil Magistrate Devotional Thoughts These two verses today, Matthew 15:13-14, are so packed with information that we must heed. They are not only relevant to our discussion about learning to discern or about how we are called to hear and understand and do the truth even though it may be offensive. These verses are relevant to so many areas of our lives. So let us look briefly at what Jesus says to His disciples. Jesus has spoken the truth, contradicting the man made traditions with which the Pharisees and scribes were trying to discredit Him and His disciples. He stated the truth plainly and the disciples noticed that this offended the religious leaders who had come to challenge them. And when the disciples told Jesus that these religious hypocrites had indeed been offended, He replied:

Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

He starts by telling His disciples that men are like plants, and if they have not been planted by God the Father then they will be uprooted. He then tells the disciples to leave them alone and identifies them as blind leaders who are leading the blind and when the blind lead the blind inevitably they both fall into a ditch. Let us see what He is saying here. God's Garden Throughout the Word of God we see parables and analogies that use plants to make a point. Isaiah and Jeremiah identify Judah as a vineyard planted by God. The Psalmist refers to those who meditate on the Word of God as a "tree planted by the rivers of water." And just a few chapters back, in Matthew 13, we read a list of parables about soils, seed, planting, and growing. John 15 speaks of Christ as the vine and we are His branches. And the Holy Spirit produces in us fruit. So this is not something new or unusual. In Matthew 13 Jesus referred to the world as a field and said that a man planted some wheat and his enemy planted some tares. The wheat grew and the tares grew, and the only difference between the two is that wheat bears fruit but tares do not. Otherwise they look identical in the field while growing! So identical that the tares are not to be pulled up until the time of the harvest (judgment) for fear that wheat might be pulled with the tares. And with that backdrop, in an agricultural society, Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees who are seeking to discredit Him and who use the traditions of men to make void the Word of God are in fact plants that have not been planted by God! They are tares! The enemy is planting them and encouraging them in their mission to destroy Christ and the gospel. However, we have this assurance - the tares will be pulled up, they will be uprooted, and they will be thrown into the fire and judged. They are not God's plant, they are not a branch in the vine, they are not in the vineyard of the Lord. He has not planted them and so they will be uprooted. But let us then look at what Jesus says. I find this next phrase fascinating and am truly still trying to work through the significance of what it means! Leave Them Alone Jesus identifies the scribes and Pharisees as having not been planted by the Father. They will be uprooted. And so Jesus says next, "Let them alone." Leave them to their judgment. Leave them alone. Do not harass or bother them, do not mock or provoke them. Leave them alone. God will deal with them in time. Now why would Jesus say this? What is the rationale behind leaving false teachers alone? Why should the disciples be told to leave them alone? Often today it is believed that we are to actively work to confront false teachers and go after them for all we are worth, unmask them, fight them, debate them, expose them, and stand against them until they repent or die! I understand that there is a proper place for apologetics. I have great respect for men like Ravi Zacharias and James White and others who do an excellent job at defending the Word of God in the face of the culture around us. But we do need to stop and think about this admonition. There are religious leaders spreading false doctrine, voiding the Word of God with their traditions, and Jesus says, "Leave them alone." If we all took the time necessary to study every cult and false teaching out there and if we all worked around the clock to expose every error, then all we would do day in and day out would be to study heretics and heresies. And here is the truth that we can glean from this statement and from the testimony of Scripture. Within the church - get that? it is an important distinction - within the church there are to be safeguards against false teaching and false teachers. Without the church however we have a different responsibility. Within the church we have been given pastors (elders) who have as part of their mandate from Christ the duty to protect the congregation against false teaching. Further, each member of that church is also responsible to test whatever the elders teach and preach against the Word of God so that they are sure that what is being taught is the truth. Without the church are we then responsible to confront each error and stand against each heresy? No. Outside the church we are responsible to proclaim one message - the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have not been given a mandate to subdue the culture around us with a christian-like standard of living or even a Biblical system of morality and law. We have instead been called to preach the gospel and invite sinners to come to Christ so that they might be saved. Our goal is not subduing the false teachers or even refuting them at every turn. Our aim is to preach Christ, to present the gospel. Why? Because the gospel is the power of God to salvation - and to be blunt, if the people in the culture around us are not regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit then no amount of morality really matters at all! For without Christ there is no morality, no righteousness, and no goodness. Within the church our goal is doctrinal purity - hearing and understanding and living (doing) the truth. Without the church our goal is evangelism! So Jesus tells His disciples that these guys are going to be uprooted and judged. God the Father did not plant them. Leave them alone. Blind Leaders Jesus tells His disciples that these tares among the wheat are worse than just tares. They are in fact blind leaders. They do not know the truth (ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth), they do not have wisdom, they surely do not have discernment (understanding), and so we see that they are blind. They cannot see the truth. They cannot see their error. They cannot see reality! And the people who follow them are also blind. Their eyes are shut, they are ignorant of the truth, they have no wisdom or discernment, and they are being led far astray from the Word of God and reconciliation with Him. Blind leaders are men and women who elevate tradition above the Word of God. They teach to tickle ears. They fear men more than God. They try to make the offensive truth appealing and at the same time deny the gospel and the Word of God. They center their theology on man instead of on God. They trust their own understanding and learning and reject truth. They refuse to retain a knowledge of God in their minds and they have been or will quickly be turned over to their own depravity. Simply stated, blind leaders and blind followers are people without discernment. And what happens when the blind lead the blind? This almost sounds like a cruel joke but it is a serious reality. If a blind person leads another blind person, neither of them can see where they are going. And eventually they will both veer off a safe course and fall into a ditch! Can you imagine people getting offended and upset because we would speak out against the idea that the blind should be lead by the blind? Well, Jesus makes His point. Those who worship tradition and deny the Word of God, those who have no discernment, truly they cannot see. And unless God opens their eyes they and those who follow them will slip off the the road into a ditch. Don't let yourself be tripped up and dragged down into a doctrinal ditch! Ask God to open your eyes so that you can see! Learn to discern, for only then can you see the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Links for Further Study (links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time) Exposition of Matthew 13 by John Gill Reaching the Happy Thinking Pagan an interview with Ravi Zacharias Bible Reading For Further Study

Recommended Songs for Worship

Jesus' Last Parable

2022-12-08T17:26:00.000-06:00

Today I will provide a passage of Scripture to read and a passage from a godly theologian that deals with a portion of the text that takes place on this very day in the week before Jesus' crucifixion in A.D. 30. So where was Jesus and what did He do and say each day of the last week before His crucifixion? Here is the Biblical text from the Gospel accounts arranged chronologically to be read this week so that you might read and study what happened daily with Jesus and the disciples. Wednesday, the 12th Day of Nisan, A.D. 30 Matt. 21:18 - 26:16; Mark 11:11 - 14:11; Luke 20:1 - 22:6 NOTE: Jesus was NOT crucified on Wednesday. John Gill's Exposition on Matthew 22 and Matthew 25

FINAL POST AT THIS ADDRESS

2008-03-05T23:00:00.003-06:00

This blog is moving. The new address is www.timeintheword.org.

~pw

Transitions

2008-02-28T19:00:00.005-06:00

We are in the middle of several transitions around here. Part of the transition now is to consolidate several ministries/websites into one. In order to do that I am going to be moving some of the material from this blog over to a new site which will combine devotionals, sermons, articles, and the like into one area under the umbrella of our preaching ministry. As a arm of my ministry I started TIME in the Word Ministries in college and have had it as part of what I do to serve the Body of Christ at large ever since. The site is up and in the weeks to come the material from here will be moved there and I will begin work on some new material as well. UPDATE your WEB LINKS please.

So the NEW LINK is
http://www.timeintheword.org
and the ministry name is
TIME in the Word Ministries.

I will leave this site up for archives because so many people end up here as the result of internet searches, but anything new from this point on will be posted at the new site.

As always, thank you for reading. I do hope what I write is an encouragement to the Body. I know you all are an encouragement to me.

My personal theme and meditation for this year seems a good place to intitiate this transition. In all we think, do, and say may we

"give unto the Lord the glory due His name." (Psa 29:2)

See you at the new site!

Yours and His,
Phillip

An Invitation and a New Beginning

2008-02-10T22:00:00.000-06:00

Two new messages from Jonathan Hunt:

A Great Invitation

Luke 14:16-24

Christ teaches the Pharisees with this remarkable parable, picturing the great invitation to come to Him for salvation. What is our response to the gracious invitation of Christ?

Abraham's New Beginning

Genesis 25:1-11

We come to the end of Abraham's life, and reflect that it is not an end, but a new beginning. We summarise Abraham's life, and take encouragement from his example.

Remember, Repent, Rebekah

2008-02-01T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here are 2 sermons preached by Jonathan Hunt back in November:

Remember. Repent!

Text: Proverbs 14.34

On this Remembrance Sunday, and Armistice Day, we consider the great deliverances that have been wrought for our nation in previous world wars. We consider what it is that once made Britain 'Great' - recognizing that it really is righteousness that does exalt a nation. We consider the reaction to the end of World War II, and ask if we would see such glory given to God today. Of course, the answer is 'no'. We recognize the great sin of our nation in recent years, with the murder of 6.7 million unborn children heading the list of offences, and conclude that at the time we remember, we should repent. We call upon our once-great nation to repent of her rebellion against Almighty God, and we plead with Him to send a wave of revival through our needy land.

Rebekah

Text: Genesis 24

In this lengthy yet beautiful account we see Abraham’s great faith in operation once more as he sends his servant to seek a wife for his son, Isaac. We note three things particularly - Abraham’s servant as a model of our service to Christ, lessons about guidance, and further lessons about faith. Are we true servants of our Master? Do we seek His guidance? Do we exercise faith?

Phillip's Phunnies: Separated at Birth - Challies Trio

2008-01-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

A merry heart does good, like medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Let me start by expressing my admiration and respect for Tim Challies.

While he is a Canadian, he remains the "world's most famous christian blogger." And if you have not already done so, please BUY AND READ his book The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. I recommend the book first because it is a needed and important book for the church today. Beyond that, knowing that this blog post is at heart about humor I have to add that I recommend his book because I am quoted in the work and listed in the footnotes!! (no wonder some questioned his credentials)

Tim has been all over the blogosphere these last few days and so he was already on my mind. I have been reading about him and his book every day for a while now. As I was flipping through TV stations one night last week I saw a commercial for the movie City Slickers that was going to be showing and during the ad one of the actors in the movie caught my eye. I thought to myself, "Hey, that sure looks like Tim Challies."

While I admit that I have not met Tim face to face, I have seen him around on the internet and the likeness was such that I wondered if I was the first to see the similarities. Of course that meant that I simply had to post a separated at birth blog post (again, in honor of the master of the separated at birth posts, purgatorio, who is thankfully posting again).

So here we go.

The actor I saw was Daniel Stern, and, well, look here and see what I mean when I say that I found a separated at birth trio:

Tim Challies, Ray Comfort, and Kirk Cameron
Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, and Billy Crystal

Is Huckabee Ashamed of the Gospel?

2008-01-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

Pulpit Magazine had a post today by Jesse Johnson on The Church's Mission Statement. In the article there is a clear point made from the Scripture that the mission statement for the church and for each individual Christian involves proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost world.

Johnson wrote:

The church’s mission statement was given to us by Jesus himself.

Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Mark 16:15-16: And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

John 20:21: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Acts 1:8-9: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

So at the end of all four Gospels, as well as at the beginning of Acts, the church is given it’s mission. To reach the lost with the saving power of the Gospel. And with this commission, Jesus makes evangelism an issue of obedience to our mission statement.

Christians are then called to live, think and act in light of our mission statement. We make decisions and choices based on how they will affect our purpose, the reaching and saving of the lost.

Now then, while I do not usually address politics here on my blog, after I read that post today I read a news story that highlighted a visit by GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to the First Baptist North Spartanburg Church in South Carolina. He apparently set his campaigning aside long enough to preach at the church's Sunday morning worship service. And what he said afterward needs to be commented upon because this is not so much about politics as it is about the gospel.

Yes, Huckabee is a preacher and a politician. He is courting the religious right and the evangelical community, presenting himself as a Christian and a conservative. I am not posting to debate whether he is a Christian or a conservative, or whether he was preaching or merely campaigning from behind a pulpit, but I am compelled to speak up when a fellow minister of the gospel appears to be using the gospel for political gain.

Like every Christian, and certainly like every preacher of the gospel, Mike Huckabee is responsible before God to live out the churches mission statement. There is no salvation in politics or politicians. There is no salvation in government or religion. There is only salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Huckabee was asked a direct question about the gospel, he should have responded by clearly preaching the gospel to those who asked. Instead, he responded in such a way that he sounded as if he was ashamed of the gospel.

The Apostle Paul says to us in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes..."

In contrast, here is what Huckabee said when asked a question that opened the door for a clear and bold proclamation of the gospel:

Asked by reporters later if he thinks only Christians will go to heaven, Huckabee refused to say. "I'm going to stick to the things that make it critical for me to be president of the United States," Huckabee said Sunday. "I have deep convictions about who goes and who doesn't, but as far as who makes that decision, it isn't me, it's God. I'm going to leave that up to him."

I really have to wonder what motivates Mike Huckabee when he is willing to put his hand over his mouth when he is asked to preach the gospel to the lost world. Besides that, God has told us exactly who will and who will not go to heaven.

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 3:16, 18 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

When asked if only Christians go to heaven Huckabee should have said, “Yes,” and then gone on to define who is and who is not a Christian. However, he blew it. He disobeyed Paul's admonition in 2 Timothy 4:1-5:

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

It seems that Huckabee will preach the gospel to those who know it, but he will not preach it to those who don't. Either way, it sounds like he is using the gospel to get votes. That means that these days Mike is more politician than preacher. We all know that he is eloquent enough to speak the truth clearly, but instead he side stepped the single most important question he has been asked on the campaign trail.

For that he should be ashamed!

The Beginning of Months

2008-01-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

As we begin this New Year I am reminded of a passage I read a few weeks ago in the Book of Exodus. As the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron for the institution of the observance of the first Passover He said to them:

This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

In preparing His people for deliverance, both from bondage in Egypt and from the Angel of Death, He tells them that this coming event is significant enough that it should be used as a milestone to mark the beginning of each new year. This passing over of the houses marked with the blood from the lamb that had been sacrificed was so precious an event that it was used to mark time and is proclaimed by God to be given as an "everlasting ordinance" to His people. We now remember and participate in this ordinance each time that we observe the Lord's Supper, or Communion.

In Exodus we see that Israel was in bondage to Egypt just as we are all born slaves of sin (Rom 3:23; 6:16). Israel was crying out for deliverance (Exodus 3:7) and God was the One Who set in motion the plan to rescue them (Exodus 3:8), just as He set into motion the plan to redeem us from our sin (John 3:16; Eph 1:3-6). And just as He took His people through the wilderness to the Promised Land, so too, we look for heaven, to the return of our King, and to life in His presence forever (Heb 11:9-10).

For today then, as this is our beginning of months, let us think about the things that were necessary for the deliverance of God's people. This gives us cause to remember and to rejoice in the salvation of our God.

Bondage

First we see that there had to be bondage. The people needed to be delivered. Without bondage, without being enslaved, and without being incapable of rescuing themselves the people had no need of a Savior. How often do we forget that we need to be saved and that we need to be delivered from sin and death and that there is nothing that we can do about it on our own? Since the fall, the race of Adam has been bound in sin and in need of salvation.

Death

Secondly we see that there had to be death. There was the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians that motivated Pharaoh to finally let the people go and there was the death of the Passover Lamb, sacrificed so that the blood could be spread on the doorposts of the homes where the Angel of Death would pass over.

Death is just a fact of life! As we close out one year and ring in the new we remember those who died during the last 12 months, but even then we try to hide from it, ignore it, or pretend we will never die. We really do try not to think about death. But each of us will die physically unless Jesus returns first. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and we are all sinners. We live in a fallen world, afflicted with sickness, sorrow, and suffering. And sin is the only explanation that can be offered when we are asked why bad things happen, even to "good" people.

Is this a reason to give up hope or to despair? Of course not. For those who have been delivered they have been passed over - physical death though inevitable will not hurt them! It is merely a step from this life into the presence of the One Who gave Himself to save us.

For those who have not been delivered from the power of sin through repentance and faith in Christ, death is a sudden step into eternity to face their Judge, and with all the talk these days about contextualizing the gospel and being relevant, perhaps we would be better off if we just realized that people are dying without Jesus and they need to hear the gospel!! We need not contextualize it or make it relevant. All people are sinners. All people die. Only Jesus can deliver them from sin and death. You can't get more relevant than that!

We must notice from the passage in Exodus that it was not only the firstborn of the Egyptians who died that night. The lamb died too. The lamb was sacrificed, and that gives us cause to rejoice because Jesus is our Passover Lamb. He died in our place, substituting Himself for us so that we need not fear death.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “ Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Obedience

The third thing that we see that had to be necessary for the Passover was an obedient people. Moses and Aaron had to tell the people what God expected and the people had to hear and do what they were told. It was only through carefully following the things that Moses said that the people were spared death and freed from their bondage. There was only one way to get out of Egypt. There was only one route to freedom, and the instructions were specific.

Today we need to be reminded that there is only One Way to be delivered and that Way is Jesus Christ (John 14:6). His gospel is specific, it is a command, and we must hear it and obey it if we are to be freed from this slavery to unrighteousness.

Beyond hearing the gospel for the first time we also need to continue to hear His voice as He leads us through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. We hear Him through reading, through listening to faithful preachers and teachers, through fellowship, though the songs of praise we sing, and through other means as we are exposed to the Word of God. As we hear the Word and obey the Word we prove that we love God (1 John 5:3), we are sanctified (John 17:17), we are transformed (Rom 12:1-2), and we are equipped to fight the good fight and overcome sin and temptation (Psalm 119:11).

There are plenty of false teachers out there. There are more than enough who try to entertain people and preach that it is all about us, all about being happy, having our best life, being healthy, wealthy, and wise. But this man-centered gospel never saved anyone - it only condemned those who hear it because it is not the truth. The truth is that it is not about us - it is about a Holy God. It is about hearing Him and obeying Him, not for what we can get from Him but because He alone deserves our worship, adoration, and obedience.

In this, our beginning of months, let us remember the things that God tells us are important - things important enough to rewrite the calendar. Let us be determined not to mark the time of our lives by the simple worldly things that pass us by, but by the worship of our God who has passed us over in regards to His wrath solely on the basis of His Son, freeing us from sin and death so that we might proclaim His holiness, His love, and His goodness.

In this New Year, it is not about us, it is about Him! That is the only place to begin.

“In the beginning, God…….”

Far as the curse is found

2007-12-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

John 1:1-5; 14

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

It's TIME to get real about Christmas

2007-12-23T22:00:00.000-06:00

Two special messages today from Jonathan Hunt focusing on the truth about the incarnation celebrated this time of year around the world.

The Everlasting Son of God - Micah 5:2

A simple study to consider this wonderful prophecy of the coming Messiah, encouragements and insights for us. We consider Christ's eternal existence, and his rule over all things. We review several features of Christ's coming revealed here, and reveal the greatness of the government of Christ as our glorious Prince. We also see that He is our peace, even when 'the enemy is in the land'

Time to Get Real about Christmas - Isaiah 40:4-5

We all know the traditional version of the 'Christmas Story' - but so much of it is not supported by scripture. What DOES the Bible say about why Christ came? Who is He? Why did He come? What does it have to do with us today?

The Death of a Saint

2007-12-17T19:30:00.000-06:00

The next message in Jonathan Hunt's sermon series from Genesis is taken from Genesis 23 and titled The Death of a Saint.

In this message we consider the life and death of Sarah, Abraham's wife. We understand that Sarah 'died in faith' from Hebrews 11. Have we thought carefully about whether this is how we will die? A useful maxim is 'To die IN faith, live BY faith'. We also look at Abraham's careful purchase of a burial place, and learn once more from his example as he deals with death in a godly way.

Politics and Religion

2007-12-05T20:45:00.000-06:00

Here in the United States we are in what seems to be the middle of a political campaign when in fact the first presidential primaries are still a month away. Seemingly endless debates, decisions determined by sound bites, and the ever present discussion about what exactly the church's role in politics should be leave many tired, others preturbed, and a few who act like a child who just ate a box of cookies and drank a gallon of red kool-aid. Some live for politics. Others dread all of this as a necessary evil and see a best case scenario where we are required to do our civic duty and discern the lesser of two evils. The candidates are judged by their positions, how often they change those positions, and how well they communicate their views and how convincingly they make their promises. There are values voters, the religious right, the liberal left, neo-conservatives, libertarians, moderates, constitutionalists, democrats, republicans, independents, and a lot of wackos. The base must be appeased. The fringe pandered to. And the undecideds lured to one side or the other.

Well, lest I go on and on like a politician let me get to my point. I was reviewing a few blogs and a few email lists I am a part of and a thought struck me. Just popped right in my head. Before I reveal that thought though I must mention that I have read and heard a lot of good, a lot of bad, and quite a bit of ugly lately when it comes to politics and religion. I have not decided how I will vote yet (and when I do decide I promise I won't blog about it), but many in the reformed and "evangelical" world (I use the term as loosely as it has come to be defined) are taking lots of time to talk about why we should vote for their candidate. The debates are heated, the logic impressive, and the stubborness quite amusing at times. But with all the talk about politics and religion I am concerned.

So what was it that hit me like a bolt of lighting?

How many of us lately have been better evangelists for our candidate than for our Savior?

The time, money, effort, zeal, words, arguments, debates, fact finding, passion, and all the rest that we spend pushing our favorite politician is embarassing when compared to the time, money, effort, zeal, etc, that we have given for the preaching and living of the gospel.

Politics and elections are not a bad thing. But I am afraid we are acting as if the politicians were our saviors. And no matter who they are or who we elect it is God who raises the nations up or puts them down. And it is not our elected leaders who influence God's will in the matter. It is whether we the people repent of our sin and turn back to Him.

Discussion and debate can be useful and good but the words of our mouth reveal the true condition of our heart. What do our lips (and typing hands) tell us about who we are trusting to save us?

Religious Scholars

2007-12-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

"Until a man has received the divine life, his remarks thereon, even if he be an archbishop, go for nothing." -- CH Spurgeon

A Thanksgiving Prayer by Dr. Peter Marshall

2007-11-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Our Father in Heaven,

If ever we had a cause to offer unto Thee our fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the Eve of our Thanksgiving Day, when we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well fed, well clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving. May gratitude, the rarest of all virtues, be the spirit of our observance.

Let not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God. May the desperate need of the rest of the world, and our own glorious heritage, remind us of the God who led our Fathers every step of the way by which they advanced to the character of an independent nation.

May the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember his words:

...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exits in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained...

For if we do not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings? God, give us grateful hearts.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

From the Senate of the United States - November 26, 1947
Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain

When Wrestling is Real

2007-11-18T15:45:00.000-06:00

When commenting on Ephesians 6:12 Matthew Henry wrote:

Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings, and to obstruct our communion with heaven.

We find that this is true. Our enemies would do all within their power to distract us from "setting our minds on things above" so that we are overwhelmed with the things of this earth. If we are going to fight the good fight then we must be prepared to engage the enemy in combat and we must know how to overcome them and their tactics.

The first step in preparing is found in Ephesians 6:12 where we are told that we are locked in hand to hand combat with the enemies of the Kingdom of God. We "wrestle" against them, and here, unlike on the television, the wrestling is real! But we need to be sure that we know who we are fighting. Understanding who the real enemy is will help us stand against them and overcome them in the course of this lifelong battle.

This week's sermon, taken from this text, explores the truth about our enemy and explains how it is that we successfully combat their plans and schemes in this fallen world.

(click the message title below to download or listen to this message for FREE)

The Rulers of Darkness
Ephesians 6:12

III. The Rulers of Darkness – Eph 6:12

A. Wrestling is Real
1. We wrestle...not (we do wrestle) – we are at war
2. Combat, hand to hand
3. “To throw a man down by deceit and craft, to supplant and trip” (Calvin)
4. Today, wrestling is often fake or theatrical. In NT times it was often a matter of life and death.
B. Know Your Enemy
1. Not Flesh and Blood
a. An enemy not human, not physical, not of this world
b. An Enemy not threatened by any mere human power or ability
c. Who the enemy is not:

How often do we forget that God says in His Word, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay."? And so when we are persecuted or attacked verbally, emotionally, or physically for our faith we have as a first response the desire to fight back - to strike out against the person who has hurt us. That is another point of confusion brought on by the true enemy of our souls. We fall for the lie that we are fighting against lost men and women!

As a result then we use our words and actions to hurt them and drive them back - and then we wonder why the reject Christ so openly!! Have we forgotten that those who would engage us in this warfare and attack us are themselves in bondage to sin, slaves of unrighteousness, and children of their father the devil? This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees. In calling them a "brood of vipers" He was saying that they are the offspring of Satan - they are, as it were baby snakes, children of their father, the Devil.

But these people are not the enemy we are to engage in warfare. We should seek to rescue them - to preach and witness and love and encourage them. The Bible is so clear. Bless those who curse, pray for those who spitefully use, do good to those who hate. And yet our natural response is to fight. Then we see we are at war but we are fighting the wrong enemy! We think that those in bondage should be hated and reviled just as they hate and revile. But these are the very people we should be loving with an unconditional self sacrificing love.

2. Principalities
a. Gk: arxas
b. ruler, office of authority, denotes organization and domain, sphere of influence
c. Rom 8:38; Col 1:16; 2:15 – a created thing under God’s authority
3. Powers
a. Gk: edzousias
b. ruling power, the right to act, domain in which power is exercised
c. 1 Peter 3:22 – subject to Christ
4. Rulers of Darkness
a. Gk: kosmokratoras skoutas
b. world rulers over darkness
c. Eph 5:8; Luke 22:53; 1 John 5:19
5. Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness
a. Gk: pneumatika ponarias
b. wicked (sick, virulent, evil) spirits (in the spiritual realm)
c. 1 John 3:10; James 1:21
C. Our Defeated Foe – Rev 12:11
1. Prophesied - Gen 3:15
2. Temptation Resisted – Luke 4:1-13
3. Demons Cast Out – Luke 4:33-36; 11:20; Matt 10:1
4. His Works Destroyed – 1 John 3:8
5. Fulfilled at Christ’s Death – Col 2:15; Heb 2:14
D. Dealing with Demons – 2 Cor 10:1-6

A Message about Methods

2007-11-11T17:30:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The word "wiles" is the Greek word methodia, which we might also translate "methods". Have you ever given much thought to the methods that the devil uses to trap us and tempt us?

This Sunday's message was taken from this text and we spent some time looking at the methods the devil uses against us and ways in which we have been equipped to stand against the devil and resist his schemes.

Here is the outline and a link for the audio for this sermon online available to listen or download for FREE.

The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:11

A. The Necessity of Strength – 1 Samuel 17

1. Be Strong
2. Be Brave

B. The Reality of War

1. Gal 5:17
2. Rom 8

C. Strategy and Tactics

1. The Big Picture
2. The Daily Grind
a. Put On – Rom 13:14; Eph 4:24; Col 3:12-14
b. Stand – the theme

D. The Methods of the Enemy - ABCD

1. Accuser of the Brethren
2. Bait - Gen 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17
a. Doubt God’s Word
b. Deny God’s Word
c. Disobey God’s Word
d. Appealing to Our Fallen Flesh – James 1:14-15
3. Confuse
4. Deceive

E. Application – We have been given the Armor of God. Are we using it?

Set Free

2007-11-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

Two new sermons from Jonathan both touch on being set free. The first finds a jailor set free from the captivity of sin and the second finds a boy bound to the altar to be sacrificed set free as God provided a substitute.

The Jailor Set Free - Acts 16.16-34

The Philippian Jailor was a hardened man. He'd seen it all, but nothing prepared him for the conduct of two Christians thrown into the foulest depths of his prison. Paul and Silas had not only preached the gospel, but they lived in such a way that it was hard to doubt their sincerity. Dramatic events follow as God intervenes in the situation, and the Jailor asks the well-known question 'What must I do to be saved?' Do you know the answer to this question? Are you like the Jailor, thinking that the Christians are the captives and you are the free one? He soon found out how wrong he was!

The Lord Will Provide - Genesis 22

Here we examine one of the best-known passages in the Bible, as Abraham obeys the Lord and offers up his only son Isaac as a sacrifice, only to be stopped at the last moment, with a ram being provided for the sacrifice in Isaac's place. We consider how hard it is sometimes to do as God commands. We also ask 'What could God do with us if only we would obey Him?' Most importantly we ask 'Are we like Abraham?' - Are we willing to rest in the knowledge that the Lord will provide? Are we trusting in the fact that He HAS provided full and free salvation in His Son Jesus Christ?

If You Dare

2007-11-05T18:45:00.000-06:00

You can visit http://www.ravenhill.org/mp3.htm and listen to sermons by Revivalist Leonard Ravenhill.

Warning - not for the faint of heart or those prone to hear but not do!

~pw

Saul and Paul; Isaac and Ishmael

2007-11-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

New messages from Jonathan are now available online to listen to or download for FREE:

Title: Destination Damascus? – Acts 9:1-22

Series: Evangelistic Ministry

In this message we examine the well-known account of the conversion of Saul - who became the Apostle Paul. He set out for Damascus intent on doing what he thought was God's will - but God had other plans. Do we know conversion to Christ like Paul did? Do we think we are pleasing God when in fact we are offending Him?

Title: Isaac and Ishmael - Genesis 21

Series: Genesis

Isaac is born to scenes of great joy. Sarah tells how the Lord has made her to laugh - how He has filled her with joy. Has God filled you with joy because of His promised Son Jesus Christ? What do you do with the joy God gives you?

Back in the Saddle Again

2007-11-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

Finally! After only preaching once so far this year God has made it possible for me to resume preaching His Word and I preached today from Ephesians 6:10 a message titled The Power of His Might. Here is the outline:

I. The Power of His Might – Ephesians 6:10

A. Finally, My Brethren
1. The Worthy Walk (Eph 4)
2. Walking in Love (Eph 5:1-7) be imitators
3. Walking in Light (Eph 5:8-14) you were darkness
4. Walking in Wisdom (Eph 5:15-21) be filled with the Spirit
5. Walking in Family Life (Eph 5:25-6:4)
6. Walking at Work (Eph 6:5-9)
B. Be Strong
1. In the Lord (through Christ)
a. I can do all things (Phil 4:13)
b. Our consolation abounds through Christ (2 Cor 1:5)
c. We are heirs through Christ (Gal 4:7)
d. We come to the Father only through Christ (John 14:6)
e. Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5)
2. In the Power of His Might
a. He is all powerful (Luke 18:27)
b. He is called Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
c. Not Will Power, but the Surrender of our Will (Luke 9:23)
1) Gal 2:20 – we have been crucified with Christ
2) 2 Cor 5:17 – we are a new creation in Christ
3) Eph 4:24 – we are a new man, created in righteousness and holiness
C. Examples
1. The Presence of God’s Power
a. The Plagues in Egypt and the Exodus
b. The Conquest of Canaan (Jericho)
c. The Fire on Mt. Carmel
2. The Absence of God’s Power
a. The Golden Calf
b. The Defeat at Ai
c. The Flight from Jezebel
D. Application – More Than Conquerors (Rom 8:37)

Wycliffe, Hus, and Luther

2007-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

In 1384, John Wycliffe, the morning star of the reformation, died of a stroke in Lutterworth, England. His life, until its end, was the beginning of a recovery of the Scriptures and the Gospel from the corrupt and power hungry Church of Rome.

Wycliffe broke with tradition by refusing to claim that the Church was the final authority in matters of faith. In 1378 he authored The Truth of Holy Scripture in which he claimed that the Bible alone was the authority for believers. He stated that church councils, tradition, and even the Pope himself were to be held accountable to the authority and teaching of Scripture.

He also proclaimed that every Christian should be able to read the Bible for himself! This was novel, for the church not only controlled and interpreted the Bible for its members, but only the clergy were even allowed to own or read Bibles! Wycliffe’s answer was to publish the Bible in the everyday language of the people.

Wycliffe went on to say that the office of Pope was an invention of men and not based on Scripture. He said that the Pope was indeed the antichrist, exalting himself in the place of Christ the Lord. Further, he stood up against the doctrine of transubstantiation – the idea that at the offering of the mass, the Eucharist, that the priest offered Jesus again as a sacrifice for God’s people and that the people then ate bread and wine which was literally the physical body and blood of Jesus.

As Wycliffe continued in the teachings and tradition of Augustine his greatest contribution to the world was the Bible translated into everyday language.

John Hus carried on the teachings of Wycliffe after his death. Hus, from Bohemia, not only encouraged the translation of the Word of God into the language of the people, but he preached in the language of the people instead of in Latin. He wanted the gospel to be heard and believed by those to whom he preached.

Hus also rejected the power and authority of the Pope, and while at a meeting to discuss his views in 1415 was arrested and burnt at the stake for his “heresy.” The council also took the opportunity to proclaim Wycliffe a heretic, even though he had been dead for almost 40 years. In fact, they dug up his bones and burnt them in contempt for his teaching and its influence on Hus.

At the end of Hus’ trial, when asked if he would appeal to the Pope for mercy, he responded, “I do affirm before you all, that there is no more just or effectual appeal, than that which is made unto Christ. Who is a higher judge than Christ?” When the chain was wrapped around his neck, binding him to the stake, he cried out, “My Lord Jesus Christ was bound with a harder chain than this for my sake, and why then should I be ashamed of this rusty one?” As Hus was dying, being burned alive at the stake, he proclaimed, “What I have taught with my lips I seal with my blood. You are now going to burn a goose, but in a century you will have a swan which you can neither roast nor boil.”

The name Hus, means literally “goose.” In the 100 years from 1415 to the early 1500s another man came on the scene, a man whose family crest was the picture of a swan. That man was Martin Luther.

In the years between Hus and Luther there arose another figure of great importance, William Tyndale. He learned Greek so that he might translate the Word of God in the New Testament from the original language into English. You and I have our Bibles today because of the perseverance and hard work of William Tyndale. His English New Testament is perhaps the most important book ever published in the English language.

Tyndale, while in attendance at a meeting with priests and bishops said that he "defied the Pope and all his laws" and vowed that "a plough-boy would know more of the Scriptures than they." He was condemned as a blasphemer and heretic and burnt at the stake.

As the Word of God spread, and God continued moving upon men to proclaim the truth of the gospel, on the Eve of All Saints Day, October 31, 1517, (Reformation Day) exactly 488 years ago this week, a momentous and incredible event took place at the Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in fulfillment of Hus earlier prophecy. There this Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther, the swan, challenged the leaders of the church that had burned the goose to a debate. He did so in the form of a protest.

Luther had long been studying the Scriptures and having been regenerated by the Spirit of God was given understanding as to what the Scriptures taught about sin, salvation, and especially about the justification of lost sinners by faith alone in Jesus Christ. He came to see, as had Wycliffe and Hus, that the sole authority for the church was the Word of God.

Describing his own conversion, Luther wrote:

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In this the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’.” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives, by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.

As Luther reacted against and protested the selling of indulgences (money paid to the church for the forgiveness of sins) and many other abuses by the church – things that he saw the church doing that clearly contradicted the teachings of Holy Scripture – he made a list. His list of 95 offenses or abuses, which are referred to as Luther’s 95 Thesis was an indictment of the church and many of its tradition and practices.

In challenging the church, he wanted a public debate, and so took and nailed his list to the church door at Wittenberg. He made a public protest by posting this in such a way. It was a public statement about the condition of the church and its relation to the truth of Holy Scripture.

In response he was put on trial and challenged to recant of his thesis, which the church court saw as heresy. He challenged their ultimate and infallible authority to interpret the Word of God for the people. At this trial, know as the Diet of Worms, Luther stood his ground. In fact, his final reply to the command to recant was an absolute appeal to the authority of Scripture alone as his guide in matters of faith. Luther was asked by the court:

Do you wish to defend the books which are recognized as your work? Or to recant anything contained in them? . . .

He concluded his reply by saying:

You demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by plain reason (for I do not accept the authority of popes or councils, for they have often contradicted each other), my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.

As history unfolded around him, this date and time at that church door have become the spark that brought FIRES of renewal to the church and freed to gospel from the clutches of the cultic church controlled by Rome and the Pope. This spark, this birth of a protest against the abuses of the Church, is known to us today as the Protestant Reformation.

This turning point in history has given us many rich traditions and doctrines. The foundation of the Reformation of course is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. This truth sprung forth from the cornerstone, the conviction that God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, was itself the sole infallible authority for life and faith, for salvation and Christian living, for the church and the world.

Rebuilding PRBC - UPDATE

2007-10-28T22:35:00.001-05:00

Providence Reformed Baptist Church is now meeting for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM at the pastor's home in Round Rock. If you are interested in attending a meeting and worshipping God with us, please call or email for directions.

Phone: (512)577-8433
Email: info (at) providencerbc (dot) org

Phillip M. Way, Pastor
Providence Reformed Baptist Church
TIME in the Word Ministries
www.providencerbc.org
www.timeintheword.org

The Wilderness

2007-10-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever given much thought to the Wilderness? So much of life around us is no longer wild. There are snake farms, zoos, wildlife preserves, and other places that bring the wildlife to us in cages and make it all seem so tame. We rarely experience the wild any more.

On a trip earlier this year to Florida I noticed the dense vegetation around us as we drove down the interstate highway and I paused to think about those explorers who worked their way across the New World with no pre-existing maps, GPS satellites, or even roads. I am sure working through the wilderness to establish a new civilization was hard and hazardous work. The wilderness is often uncharted and those who venture in may not come back out again.

Scripturally and spiritually speaking there are other dimensions to the wilderness. It was the backside of the desert where God took Moses for 40 years preparing him to lead the people out of Egypt. It was the Arabian wilderness where God took Paul for 3 years after his conversion on the Damascus Road. It was the wilderness where Jesus was tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting. It was the wilderness where John the Baptist preached the gospel of the Kingdom, wearing camel skin and eating locusts and honey. At times He even used the wilderness to judge His people. That is, after all, where the generation that came out of Egypt died while wandering for 40 years, headed for the Promised Land.

The wilderness is barren. Hot during the day and cold at night. It is far from civilization and the comforts of home. It really is wild. And yet this is where God over and over again takes His people to teach them and to prepare them, making them useful for His service.

Have we been in the wilderness? Have we been rejected by friends and family, exiled to wandering in the wild, far away places? Has God taken us out into the places where there is no help and no resources except for those He providential sends our way? The wilderness can make us crazy, you know. The isolation. The silence. Those things out there which would prey upon us and consume us if given the chance. Some outside and others inside of us, ringing in our ears as we do battle with our own thoughts and fears.

And yet the wilderness is used to purge, to cleanse, and to prepare us for the work that God has for us. Without the wilderness we would not know what to do or how to respond to hardship. Yet we often reject the wilderness. We flee for what is familiar and comfortable. We hide. But God is still able to send us out so that He might teach us how to depend on Him and how to turn back to Him. When in the wilderness all we have is God we learn to long for Him, to hear Him in the hustle and bustle around us once we return to civilization. Yet these lessons are missed by those who prefer the easy paths.

I have often thought that many today, if put back in the day of our ancestors, would die a quick death and hardly be able to survive with the pioneers and those who settled our land. It is no different in the church. When we mistake apathy for contentment and activity for obedience we are sure to miss the great blessings of the wilderness. When we think a full schedule and a busy program is the same thing as living in the power of God then we have been deceived. Being busy will only make us barren. Spiritually, abundant life flows from the times our faith is tested and tried and proved.

Just because we are comfortable does not mean that God is blessing us. Just because things are going along smoothly does not mean that we are being obedient. And just because we think we are full does not mean that we should cease to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

The church today, safe from the hardships of the wilderness, is full of junk food. Sermons that do not feed the inner man. And we are malnourished. There is a famine from hearing the Word of the Lord. And the men charged with preaching that Word, with feeding the sheep, too often feed themselves and appease the sheep, all the while leading them to death and despair. For it is the truth that makes us free. Anything less than the truth serves only to enslave us.

Have you been to the wilderness? The place where it is just you and God? And sometimes there even He does not answer? Can you relate to the Psalmist who cried out many times, "How long, O Lord?" and as he waited on God he learned to believe even in the absence of all evidence and to trust simply because God said so and His every Word is true? The same man, David, hungered for God. He panted after God. It was God who sustained his life.

The wilderness is a place where we are forced to ask uncomfortable questions and to face our deepest fears. It is also the wilderness where we learn who we are in Christ and we see that He was telling the truth when He told us, "Without me you can do noting."

Maybe we need some time in the wilderness, some place where we cannot do it on our own, some place where it has to be the power of God that sustains us so that we see that without Him we really cannot do anything.....but with Christ, and through Christ, and in Christ, then all things are possible.

Sometimes I look longingly at the wilderness, for it is there that I see Who God is and what He can accomplish by the power of His might. There He does these things without my help! There I cannot rely on books, programs, or methods. There it is me against the wild, and it is the wild that He uses to show His power in preparing us for His use.

Have you been to the wilderness lately? It is not a place for the fainthearted, but it is for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Maybe it is time for us to "take a walk on the wild side."