“ Summary, Part 2 ” II. THERE IS NO BETTER TIME TO COME TO CHRIST THAN WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG (16:49). A. YOU ARE NOT SO HARDENED IN THE WAYS OF SIN WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG. With age, the heart becomes more set in its evil ways. B. YOU HAVE FEWER EVIL COMPANIONS TO INFLUENCE YOU WHILE YOU ARE YOUNG (19:12). As we get older, we meet more people who love sin and hate Christ. “Bad company corrupts good morals.” We need salvation to also not be another bad influence. Without it, we go deeper and deeper into sin. C. YOU DON’T HAVE AS MANY RESPONSIBILITIES TO DISTRACT YOU WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG (24:00). Careers, marriage, and children can be tremendous spiritual distractions when we enter into them unsaved. The unregenerate heart does not become more tender towards God with age. As one who gathered the stats on the matter said, “Every day, less likely”. Is 55:6 – note the word “while”. Cf. 2 Cor 6:2.
“ Summary, Part 1 ” Youth are often told that they need to wait: for driving, college, work, marriage, etc. But the Bible says that they are always ripe for salvation. They are called to come to Christ immediately. We examine four ideas behind this command. I. CHRIST URGES ALL YOUNG PEOPLE TO COME TO HIM TO BE SAVED (starting at 3:07 of the audio). Ecc 12:1 – with age comes more worries and stubbornness. We become more aware of our mortality and less about our eternity. And this is only those of us who get to live full lives. Christ deserves the best of your time. It is a great blessing when one can talk about the Christ of one’s youth. God delights to save children. Timothy was saved as a young child (2 Tim 3:15) as were Daniel, David, Samuel, and Isaiah (2 Chr 34:3). You don’t have to be an adult to come to Christ. Nor do you need to be a “good person”; such people don’t see a need for salvation (cf. Mt 9:12-13, Jer 29:13). Mk 10:14-15- Christ is not saying that children will be in Heaven because they’re children, but because they seek Him wholeheartedly.
“ Summary, Part 5 (final) ” THIRD, let us honestly acknowledge and repent of our tendency due to remaining sin toward rebellion, both against Christ and against His rulers in this world. FOURTH, let us seek to honor our profession of faith in Christ by showing our due submission to the rulers he places over us. John the Baptist commanded the tax collectors to repent, but not to leave their jobs. FIFTH, let us realize that submission to civil authorities is not just a matter of obedience to God; it is also a matter of worship (1 Pet 2:13). SIXTH, if we want to be happy and have a good conscience, let us obey God by submitting to the authorities God has place over us. Much trial and trouble is traceable to rebellion. We are all born into the world with such a heart. Do we submit to Jesus Christ first and foremost and trust Him with those He has put over us?
“ Summary, Part 4 ” 4. ILLUSTRATIONS FROM BIBLICAL HISTORY OF LEGITIMATE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (43:04). a. The Hebrew midwives. They had the sixth commandment on their hearts even before it was given at Sinai. b. Daniel and his three friends. They didn’t want to be a part of a sacrifice to idols. c. The Apostles and the early church. They had the Great Commission. Who is man to forbid it? B. ANSWERING TWO OBJECTIONS TO THESE DEDUCTIONS (46:03). 1. “WE MUST NEITHER SUBMIT TO WICKED RULERS NOR OBEY UNJUST LAWS”. Nero reigned while Paul and Peter wrote epistles, yet they argued for this submission. Few rulers have ever been truly righteous. 2. “WE MUST SUBMIT TO WICKED RULERS EVEN WHEN THEY REQUIRE OBEDIENCE TO LAWS THAT CONTRADICT GOD’S LAW”. These are the secularist arguments against us. Many of them have put the state in place of God. They don’t think through their implications. C. CONDLUDING PRINCIPLES FROM KIM DAVIS’ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE APPLIED (51:14). FIRST, let us conscientiously own our duty before God to submit to the civil authorizes He has placed over us. SECOND, let us be very slow to conclude that obedience to God requires disobedience to the civil authorities He has placed over us.
“ Summary, Part 3 ” 1. CLEAR STATEMENTS FORBIDDING IT. Prov 24:21-22 – consider Rehoboam’s folly. Mt 22:17-21 – Christians live in two spheres (cf. Mt 17:24-27 – we are residents on earth, but citizens of heaven). Rom 13:1-7 – we are commanded to be submit to ruling authority because God put it there. 1 Pet 2:13-17 – submitting to ruling authority is a way of worshipping God. 2. TEXTS THAT QUALIFY AND PERMIT IT (31:20). Acts 4:19-20, 5:27-29 – the state does not have the right to order Christians to disobey God. 3. DEDUCTIONS FROM THESE TEXTS (33:57): a. Civil rulers derive their authority ultimately from God and not from man. b. Submission to God requires obedience to civil rulers. c. Rebellion against civil rulers is rebellion against God. d. God has given civil rulers authority to reward righteous behavior and to punish wicked behavior. e. Submission is due civil rulers from Christians as liberated servants of God. f. Submission to civil rulers demonstrates the reality of a Christian’s profession. Rebellion hurts our witness. g. Submission to civil rulers results in a good conscience before God. There is nothing more terrible than a bad conscience.
“ Summary, Part 2 ” b. WHAT IS WRONG ABOUT HER CONVICTIONS (13:00): 1) that her name on a marriage license constitutes personal approval of homosexuality or homosexual marriage. Compliance is not necessarily agreement; 2) that she can serve the people of Rowan County by abdicating her sworn duty to enforce the law. She is still duty-bound to enforce the law. She could have also resigned. II. LARGER QUESTIONS SUGGESTED BY KIM DAVIS’ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE PONDERED (16:18). A. OF HER CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY ALLOWING IT. Her right to free speech allows her to speak freely on the matter, even as a government employee. But she does not have the right to refuse the due process that her office mandates. B. OF HER CONSCIENCE LEADING HER TO IT (20:04). Her voicing of her convictions is honorable, but she is not to be followed. III. A BIBILICAL RESPONSE TO KIM DAVIS’ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE PRESENTED (22:02). A. TEXTS THAT ADDRESS CIVIL (DIS)OBEDIENCE. The matter is settled by God’s word, not by anyone’s opinion.
“ Summary, Part 1 ” As Christians, we must always approach current events biblically. This is entailed in the charge to always be ready to give an answer (1 Pet 3:15), and includes clarity on our relationship to the state as Christians. I. THE IMPORTANT MATTER OF KIM DAVIS’ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE POSED (starting at 2:59 of the audio). A. THE OCCASION OF HER CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (4:38). Ms. Davis, a county clerk with the duty and authority to issues marriage licenses for her county, refused on biblical grounds to issue same-sex marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruling legalizing them. After defying a court order to do so, she was jailed and subsequently released with certain provisions. B. HER CONVICTIONS LEADING TO HER CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE (6:27). 1. STATED. She invoked God’s authority in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling and appealed to her mandate by popular election. 2. SCRUTINIZED (7:52). a. WHAT IS RIGHT ABOUT HER CONVICTIONS: 1) she views homosexuality as a sin (Lev 18:22, 1 Cor 6:9-10); 2) she understands that God’s definition of marriage prohibits homosexual marriage (Mt 19:4-5); she wants to maintain a clear conscience (Rom 14:23, cf. Acts 24:16).
“ Summary, Part 3 (final) ” III. PAUL’S CORRECTIVE TO PRIDE APPLIED [44:16]. 1. LET US RECOGNIZE AND REJOICE IN THE FACT THAT GOD MAKES US ALL TO DIFFER. He does this in two ways: 1. HIS PROVIDENTIAL DEALINGS. Pride causes us to grumble about our circumstances. But God gave them to us for our good. 2. HIS GRACIOUS DEALINGS. He saved us and made us new creatures. He holds us, disciplines us, and takes us into glory. 2. LET US GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL GIFTS COME FROM GOD [50:16]. All our natural talents, daily needs, accomplishments…who gave them to us, and do we honor Him with them? 3. LET US CEASE BRAGGING ABOUT OUR GIFTS AND RATHER BOAST OF GOD’S GRACE [52:43]. We are not the authors of our blessings. “I am what I am by the grace of God” (1 Cor 15:10).
“ Summary, Part 2 ” 3. ITS BIBLICAL KNOWLEDGE (8:1-2) [20:38]. Their knowledge was theoretical, but impractical. Prideful knowledge makes us arrogant and cold. 4. ITS SPIRITUAL GIFTS (13:4) [23:52]. Such gifts mixed with pride can make one arrogant, but with love they become a source of humility and warmth. We run this risk with any gift (cf. Mt 6:3). 5. ITS FAVORITE PREACHERS (3:21, 4:6, 4:18-19) [29:11]. We can’t glory in God when we glory in men. 6. ITS SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS (4:7) [32:21]. This includes everything not previously mentioned. Whatever their blessings, they received them with pride and expectancy, not humility and gratitude. II. PAUL’S CORINTHIAN CHURCH CORRECTIVE [36:32]. A. ABOUT DIFFERENCES. “Who sees anything different in you?” What is the point of being set apart to remain the same and, in some cases, worse than the pagans? B. ABOUT GIFTEDNESS [40:42]. “What do you have that you did not receive?” Since the answer is “nothing”, then in what were they boasting? C. ABOUT BRAGGING [43:01]. “You boast as if you had not received it.” As all comes from God, all boasting belongs to Him as well.
“ Summary, Part 1 ” Pride is a most ruinous sin, often known as the mother of all sins. It was the sin that cast Lucifer from heaven. A proud church is an oxymoron, but the church at Corinth struggled with pride. I. CORINTHIAN CHURCH PROBLEMS [starting at 7:14 of the audio]. A. A PREACHER PROBLEM. Their preachers had taught a complicated and corrupt gospel (cf. 1 Cor 1). B. A PARTY PROBLEM [9:15]. Or a factional problem, where groups within the church were favoring certain preachers over others for reasons of personal interest. Favoring men causes us to forget our calling to be salt and light (1 Cor 3:4-6). We are merely servants; it is God who gives the increase. C. A PRIDE PROBLEM [12:28]. Pride is a hungry sin; it is never satisfied. We see a number of its sources of pride: 1. ITS EARTHLY BLESSINGS (1:26-31). We are natively proud, even when we don’t have much. Yet everything we have is of God, not us. 2. ITS LIBERATED SEXUALITY (5:2, 6) [17:10]. A member was with his own stepmother, and the church actually praised it, even despite the disgust of the pagans around them.
“ Summary, Part 4 (final) ” B. APOSTATES ARE DIVISIVE (v. 19) [48:00]. The devil knows the tactic of divide and conquer better than men do (cf. Jn 10:12). LESSON: Beware those who rise up in the church and attempt to draw disciples away with their novel ideas. C. APOSTATES ARE SENSUAL (v. 19) [49:45]. “Sensual” is a more accurate translation of â€psuchekoi’. Some versions translate it as “worldly”, and it is true that sensual people are so focused on worldly things that they cannot perceive the spiritual. But “sensual” strikes closer to the root (cf. 1 Cor 2:14). LESSON: It is to be expected that sensual men will teach sensual doctrine; it’s all they understand. And sensual people will consume it. D. APOSTATES ARE UNSAVED (v. 19) [51:45]. This is the basic problem with them. The spirit that possesses them is not the holy one (cf. Rom 8:9). Is it any wonder that they lead unholy lives? LESSON: We are to test all teachers by their teaching and, if possible, by their living. CLOSING QUESTION: What of us who are not teachers? Do we live and believe what we expect from our teachers?
“ Summary, Part 3 ” c. To the Corinthians (2 Cor 11:13-15). These fallings away sear the conscience to truth, and it lives to this day. It is frightening to know that some of these teachers weren’t always false ones. 2. PETER’S WARNINGS (2 Peter 2-3) [37:27]. He warned of sensuality, contempt for truth, and mocking of the Second Coming. 3. JOHN’S WARNINGS. John warned of the antichrist spirit of false teachers and their proliferation already in his day (1 Jn 2:18, 4:1). III. THEY ARE TIMELY (v. 18) [40:43]. When is the last time? We don’t need to wait for its arrival: it has been here since the days of the apostles. When did the last time begin? With Christ’s first coming (Heb 1:2). LESSON: Warnings about apostate teachers are always relevant, since they are ever in the church seeking to undermine the Gospel and to destroy Christ’s church. IV. THEY ARE NECESSARY [42:29]. Jude offers four reasons: A. APOSTATES ARE UNGODLY MOCKERS. The Greek word for â€mockers’ here implies playing a trick on someone to deceive them. It only appears elsewhere in 2 Pet 3:3, where Peter warns about them deceiving believers out of the second coming. Note how lusting is stated as a rationale for mocking (cf. Rom 1:18). LESSON: Those who mock God and follow their own lusts are attracted to false teachers (cf. 2 Tim 4:3).
“ Summary, Part 2 ” False teachers find both to be ripe for the picking. It is not legalism to preach commandments, nor is it judgmentalism to warn of false teachers. Biblical warning is loving because it spares Christians from disaster. Christians don’t withhold truth, but speak truth in love. II. THEY ARE AUTHORITATIVE (v. 17) [23:58]. Jude’s teaching is authoritative because it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ through his inspired apostles. We need truth to spot and avoid error. Know the genuine so well that you can spot the counterfeit instantly. This not only helps in identifying error, but in knowing truth; detecting error without knowing truth doesn’t help us in avoiding other error. A. REMEMBER OUR LORD JESUS’ WARNINGS ABOUT FALSE TEACHERS [26:15]. 1.THAT THE CHURCH WILL BE MENACED BY THEM. Some will have great power and will deceive multitudes (Mt 24:11, 24, 12-13). This deception will coincide with lawlessness and decreasing love. B. REMEMBER THE APOSTLES’ WARNINGS ABOUT APOSTATE FALSE TEACHERS [30:35]. They said much more about this than even Jesus did. 1. PAUL’S WARNINGS. a. To the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:29-30). His dreadful prophecy was true then and it happens to churches all the time to this day. b. To Timothy (1 Tim 4:1-3).
“ Summary, Part 1 ” In Jude 17-19, we are again urged to heed warnings about false teachers. There are four reasons why we should take these warnings very seriously. I. THEY ARE LOVING [starting at 6:06 of the audio]. Note the word â€beloved’ in verse 17. It is an expression of sincere, fervent affection, and here Jude uses it for his own audience. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS [9:59]: 1. All Christians should possess and intense, dear, fervent affection for their brothers and sisters in Christ (cf. Jn 13:35). 2. Christians should also love pastors who warn them against false teachers. Though he is included in the previous point, many believers struggle with the pastors’ teaching, and that will often dampen their love. But like children growing to accept good parental warnings, such believers may need to grow into those teachings. 3. Pastors who love their congregation will warn them about false teachers. Some may reject these warnings on the misunderstanding that all Christian teaching is legitimate. Titus 1:10-11 – unlike many pastors today, Paul didn’t think that all preaching needed to be positive. Phil 1:9-10 – love is discerning and discriminating, and our eternal destiny depends on it. Others may reject it because they reject God’s word (cf. 1 Jn 2:19).
“ Summary, Part 4 (final) ” CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS [49:05]. 1. Deliverance from physical slavery—as in the case of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage—is powerless to make a person a true worshiper of God. Miracles alone don’t save. We see miraculous deliverances of non-Christians, and even they may even see God’s hand in it, yet they will return to their old ways because they never mixed what they saw with repentant faith. Christ’s miracles did not automatically deliver the Jews. 2. Those whom God has redeemed are not free to devise methods of worshiping Him (cf. Col 2:23, Ps 25:4-5). 3. Redeeming grace leads Christians to worship God as He has commanded. God’s grace and truth will propel the grateful, perceiving heart to true worship, and He will want nothing else. Creative worship is a plague on the church today. What motivates them, remembrance of God’s blessing or boredom? Ps 119:45 – David links liberty with God’s precepts (cf. Jas 1:25).
“ Summary, Part 3 ” III. [37:03] Once Israel entered the Promised Land, not only were they not to adopt the idolatry of the nations God would destroy before them, but they were not to defile the pure worship of Jehovah by adapting it to the pagan practices of those nations (Deut 12:28-32). LESSONS [39:52]: 1. Worship that is “good and right in the sight of the Lord” requires careful inclusion of all and only what He has appointed in His worship (v. 28). 2. Those who worship God in a way that is “good and right” in His sight are promised His continual blessing (v. 28). God delights to honor those who honor Him. 3. God’s destruction of His enemies is a clear indication of His displeasure with pagan worship (implied) (v. 29). 4. The Lord not only forbids His people to worship their pagan neighbors’ false gods, they must not intrude any of the elements of pagan worship into His worship (v. 30). He forbids all creative worship. 5. God abominates all forms of worship that He has not commanded (v. 31). Jer 7:31 is a negative expression of this idea. 6. Worship that is “good and right in the sight of the Lord” includes only those things that God has appointed (not simply excluding what He has expressly forbidden) (v. 32). Deut 4:2 is a positive expression of this idea. Cf. LBC 22.5.
“ Summary, Part 2 ” 3. As a liberated slave who delights to worship the God who delivered you from your sin, you agree with the Lord that idolatry and false worship deserve the wrath of God. We must think God’s thoughts after Him. Does our gift bring us to greater love for the giver? II. [24:30] (Deut 16:12-17). The Bible further teaches that most former slaves who have been delivered by God should be the MOST careful of worshipers as well as the MOST joyful and the MOST generous. LESSONS [28:09]: 1. The worship of former slaves delivered by God should be careful, delightful, deliberate, and generous. God organizes our worship for specific and helpful reasons. This alone should bring us joy. Do we rush to church in a disorganized way or do we plan ahead to engage in our worship? And do we give back to Him who gave us eternal life? 2. Former slaves do not consider God’s worship to involve unhappy inconvenience but principled, joyful commitment. Does the Lord’s Day seem to keep coming out of nowhere? Do we set all else aside for that day or do we fit it into “our schedule”? Once you’re at church, do you like being there?
“ Summary, Part 1 ” The remembrance of our deliverance will exert a profound influence on how we worship God. Our deliverance from spiritual slavery will endear us to our liberating master: we love God because He first loved us. We are motivated by God’s gift of His Son: not just His life, but His atoning death. After all of this, we should preoccupy ourselves with proper worship: how HE commands it. If we love Him, we will worship Him as He pleases. I. When He delivered the Hebrews from Egypt, He had to teach them proper worship (Ex 13:3) [starting at 11:17 of the audio]. The prohibition of leavening bread pictured their readiness to leave Egypt in a hurry. Deut 6:10-15 – Moses exhorts Israel to never forget their Lord’s giving hand in times of blessing. Tolerance leads to approval, which leads to imitation. If they forgot Him, He would treat them as His enemies and eventually destroy them. LESSONS [20:06]: 1. God joins gratitude for His gifts, remembrance of His deliverance, and the worship of His name. What God has joined, let no man separate. 2. God loves His people with a jealous love. He doesn’t want us flirting with other gods. Anything we love more than God is our idol. Is He enough for you?
“ Summary, Part 4 (final) ” III. IF YOU WOULD NOT RETURN TO YOUR FORMER SLAVERY, REMEMBER HOW YOU WERE DELIVERED [39:36]. A. BY DEEDS OF DIVINE LOVE AND GRACE. One would think that God's plagues on Egypt, His parting of the Red Sea, and His destruction of pharaoh and his army would be burned into Israel's heart and memory. But unbelief and rebellion cruelly shorten our memories. Col 2:13-15 - note that this miraculous act does not come from mere obedience. B. BY A GOD WHOSE MERCY NEVER FAILS (v. 17) [45:50]. His grace is greater than all our sins (cf. Ex 34:6-7). Though we're quick to sin, God is slow to anger. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS [48:52]. 1. The painful remembrance of sin's bitterness and the sweet experience of God's forgiveness should keep you repentant, encourage your obedience, and prevent you from returning to your former bondage. 2. Meditate often on your duty to the God who created you and who has brought you into a blessed covenant relationship with Himself if you would not return to your former bondage. 3. Meditate often on the Lord's forgiving love, grace, and mercy if you would not return to your former bondage.
“ Summary, Part 3 ” B. YOU ARE DELIVERED BY ONE WHO IS NOW YOUR COVENANT GOD (Neh 9:7-16) [27:38]. Seven blessings can help us remember our former slavery: 1. HE CHOOSES AND CALLS HIS ORPHANED PEOPLE (v. 7) [28:38]. He called Abram from paganism to the spiritual fatherhood of God’s people. 2. HE BLESSES HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE (v. 8) [29:21]. This former pagan was promised the land that was later delivered into the hands of his descendants. 3. HE RESCUES HIS OPPRESSED PEOPLE (vv. 9-11) [30:27]. God not only blesses His people but destroys their enemies; He is merciful to His people and faithful to His covenant. 4. HE GUIDES HIS WAYWARD PEOPLE (v. 12). He not only saves but leads His people along their sanctification. 5. HE RULES HIS LAWLESS PEOPLE (vv. 13-14). He gives His covenant people a divine constitution. 6. HE FURNISHES HIS NEEDY PEOPLE (v. 15). In the wilderness, He gave them the bread and water of life. 7. HE CHASTENS HIS SINFUL PEOPLE (v. 16). He disciplines those who He loves. III. IF YOU WOULD NOT RETURN TO YOUR FORMER SLAVERY, REMEMBER HOW YOU WERE DELIVERED [39:36]. A. BY DEEDS OF DIVINE LOVE AND GRACE. One would think that God's plagues on Egypt, His parting of the Red Sea, and His destruction of pharaoh and his army would be burned into Israel's heart and memory. But unbelief and rebellion
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