Category: From the Preacher’s Pen

In John 10:7, Jesus said, “…I am the door of the sheep.” In verse 9, “…If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” The college age class studied this text last week. In reading it, four things come to mind.

1. Authority. Jesus is the one who is able to save us. Hence, we are to give our allegiance to Him, and submit to His will.
2. Exclusivity. Jesus is THE door. There is only one. The only way to salvation is through Him. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
3. Efficacy. Jesus has the ability to accomplish what he promises. He promised salvation, and delivered. He died on the cross, paying for our sins, and was raised from the dead, blazing the trail to eternal life.
4. Accountability. We have to enter the door. Something is required of us! “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).

Everyone noticed, I presume, the extreme weather we had last week? Temperatures in the teens, below zero wind chill, and ice and snow all led to a very uncomfortable experience for those forced to go outside to work or shop.

Some may prefer extreme cold to extreme hot, or vice versa, but no one really likes such difficult conditions. The week previous, temperatures in the 70’s made an afternoon stroll along the Trinity River a wonderful treat. Spring is delightful, and Fall is too, but there is a reason why the hot days of August and the frigid days of January are contemplated with such dread.

With this in mind, consider the eternal abode of the wicked. “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42).

May we all escape the extreme of eternal condemnation. This alone is sufficient reason to serve God!

The last pair of pliers that I bought came from the 99 cent store. They, in fact have a good number of tools, all for 99 cents, and none of them worth a plugged nickle!

So, I used the pliers, which slip and twist, and generally do a terrible job… And I gripe about the pliers. Well, I suppose Debbie heard enough, and bought a new pair of pliers, not from the 99 cent store. I used them last week. They were great! The moral? You get what you pay for!

The same is true in matters of faith. Too many want value, but are unwilling to “pay the price.” Not like the man, “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:46).

The salvation of your soul may cost you all that you have. But, it is worth the cost!

It is not surprising to know that this morning’s sermon is on the subject of Resolutions. Its intent is to encourage us to greater work and diligence to God in 2011. New Year’s resolutions are a natural topic as we begin 2011.
But, as this is the last Sunday of the old year, it is also appropriate for us to look back. As important as resolutions are, introspection is necessary as well.

No, we are not to look back with longing, nor despair, nor pride at the accomplishments of the past. Our intent as we remember is self-examination. “Examine yourselves, as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

How did you do in 2010? What did you do right? What do you need to do better in 2011? Today is a good day to ask yourself.

We are nearing the end of an old year, and the beginning of a new one. Each year I encourage the brethren to read their Bible completely through. You can do this by simply sitting down and starting with Genesis… Ending with Revelation.

However, there are a number of schedules to help organize the readings in a way to allow concurrent readings in the Old and New Testament. One of the best of these has been prepared by Mark Roberts, the preacher for the West Side congregation in Irving.

He allows churches to make unlimited copies to supply to their members. We appreciate this, and have put copies of this reading schedule in the foyer. Please take one, and set aside time in 2011 to read your Bible through!

As we begin a new quarter in our Bible classes, and I look at the bulletin boards and classrooms, I am moved to thank all of the teachers for the time and effort they put in to teaching our children the precious word of God.

The work of the teacher is an important work. (This is doubly so, as they are instilling the principles of God and His word into their students). It is a work of great value and responsibility. James said, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). His words are not intended to discourage any man from teaching, but to get him to recognize the grave responsibility that is his.

Please take the time to thank you or your child’s teacher for the great and important work he or she is doing!

Christmas approaches. We will soon hear the repeated admonitions to “Remember the reason for the season.” We will not belabor the simple point that Christmas is a man-made holiday. Jesus did not authorize the observance of a day to commemorate his birth.

However, it is appropriate here to admonish all, “Jesus is the reason for every season.” It is absurd for men to believe they honor the Son of God by taking time out once or twice a year to consider His gift to mankind.

As His disciples, we should be ever mindful not only of His birth, but of his perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection. These are the things that afford us life and hope. These are the things we ought to remember, and daily offer up praises and thankfulness to Him.

Congratulations are in order for Jen and Josh Scroggins, the proud parents of their third child, a daughter they named Rylee, born last Monday.

The Psalmist said that the man who fears the Lord and walks in his ways would have a wife, and children all around his table. “Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord” (Psalm 128:3).

Families are truly a blessing from God. This is true even after the kids get older, and make your hair turn gray, or fall out!

They are also a responsibility. “And you, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6;4).

As a congregation, we are blessed to have some great parents who take that responsibility seriously. Keep up the good work!

In Romans 10:15, the apostle Paul quoted the prophet Isaiah (52:7), writing, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

I am not sure how beautiful Mo Hafley’s feet are, speaking literally. However, they certainly are precious to us, as they have brought him to us for the purpose of proclaiming that wonderful gospel.

In store for us is a week of edification and spiritual feasting. I want to personally encourage every member here at West Side to take full advantage of the preparations made by brother Hafley. Attend each preaching service, listen intently, and invite others to come as well.

Welcome, Mo! We are so pleased that you have come to preach to us the gospel of Christ!

I recently came across a wonderful quote from Nelson Mandela, a Nobel Prize winner, an former President of South Africa. He wrote or said:

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

This has a wonderful spiritual application. God’s word is unchanging. The epistle of Jude states that it has been “once for all delivered to the Saints” (verse 3). As such, it serves as a standard by which we can examine and compare ourselves.

One of the great dangers of any Christian is to, with time, begin to drift away from God. Societal influences, changes in circumstances and the passage of time can lead to subtle changes that may not even be noticed by the careless Christian. He may believe himself to be every bit as faithful to God as in the past, not recognizing that he has left the moorings, and has changed the profession of his faith.

However, a careful and frequent comparison between his faith and God’s word will catch any drift, thus saving him from an unfortunate apostasy! “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

I found the following nugget recently, that illustrates an important point about Truth.

Burghardt DuBois, the great black educator, sociologist, and historian, upon completion of studies at Fisk, Harvard and the University of Berlin, was convinced that change in the condition of the American black could be effected by careful scientific investigations into the truth about the black in America. So he proceeded. His research was flawless and his graphs and charts impeccable. After waiting several years and hearing not the slightest stir of reform, Dr. DuBois had to accept the truth about Truth: its being available does not mean it will be appropriated.

Fred B. Craddock, Overhearing the Gospel

The truth of God’s word is readily available to men. This is especially so in our country. The Bible is everywhere. A copy can be found in just about every home, and is available to every man. And yet, the book is seldom studied. At best, it is normally given a cursory examination, and devotion to God’s word is shallow at best.

If you want to know truth, you must exert yourself! “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

In reading a debate from 1928 on the subject of Premillennialism, I came across the following from the pen of H. Leo Bole. This is found in his first negative of the proposition, “The Scriptures teach that Israel (fleshly descendant of Abraham through Jacob) shall be nationally restored.”

“… An important rule for the correct understanding of God’s word is this — namely, the Scripture must be its own interpreter. This rule requires that when there is a question concerning the meaning of any Scripture, that the true sense must be searched out and ascertained from other Scriptures that speak more clearly on that point. All Bible scholars recognize two classes of Scriptures–plain and simple Scriptures, and obscure or difficult Scriptures. The obscure and difficult Scriptures must be interpreted by the plain and simple Scriptures.”
(http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/rboll/up/UP01N.HTM)

For example, Revelation 20:1-10 should be interpreted with Mark 9:1 in mind. If that is done, the erroneous view that Jesus has yet to establish an earthly 1000 year kingdom will not be seriously considered. This example could be multiplied with the various false doctrines that have troubled religious people throughout the history of the Lord’s church.

A scenario arises where something objectionable is said or done. Some profanity, perhaps a dollop of gossip, maybe an unkind word. A Christian has the temerity to object, perhaps mildly, saying that such should not be said or done.

The response? A rolling of the eyes, and an invitation to just, “Get over it!” The world has no compunction about offending the Christian. Sometimes even other Christians may look askance at the one audacious enough to stand for what is right.

My answer? I will not “Get over it.” I am offended, and I refuse to go along to get along. Such raised objections are not an example of self-righteousness, (as the world believes), but the cry of those who are pilgrims in a land that is increasingly hostile to their faith, and that is leading more and more of God’s people to ungodly compromise. If someone doesn’t continue to speak up, all of us will “Get over it”, and the Devil will have won!

Last Thursday I was reading an article in the July 2009 issue of Science News Magazine, titled Microswimmers Make a Splash. The article pointed out that very small bacteria have novel ways of moving in water, required because the relative viscosity of the water is much greater for them than for larger organisms. While talking about a particular bacterium, spiroplasma, Greg Huber, a physicist at the University of Connecticut, said:

“What we find is that, just from those constraints alone, the optimal one (method of locomotion) is coincidentally the one nature found! Is that coincidence, or is that evolution?”

It is interesting that scientists use a supercomputer to run simulations in an attempt to find the best method for locomotion, and find that it is actually in use in nature. Though it takes a “supercomputer” to ascertain what that form of locomotion is, the only two explanations this physicist considers for its presence in nature have as their absurd common denominator — blind chance.

In reality, it is as the apostle Paul wrote, “For since the creation of the world His attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). God is obviously behind this design, whether man admits it or not!

At the age of 18 years old, swimmer Kim Linehan held the world record in the women’s 1500 meter freestyle in 1981. A hard worker, Linehan had an extensive exercise regimen, and swam 7 to 12 miles every day. Once, when asked the hardest part of her workout, she said, “Getting in the water.” (as quoted in Reader’s Digest, June 1981).

There are many applications to draw from this illustration. For example, I find it to be true when writing. Either when writing for the bulletin, Watchman Magazine, or the newspaper, the most difficult part for me is getting started! In fact, I will often procrastinate, waiting for inspiration to strike, when I would be better served putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), and just start writing!

The same is true with regard to gaining a knowledge of God’s word. Most would like to become familiar with God’s will. They want the ability to quickly bring a passage to mind, or easily comprehend the writer’s intent in each book or epistle. But, the task seems daunting, unattainable.

But it is not! You may ask, what is the hardest part of gaining knowledge? The answer, “Opening the book!” Open it up, and begin reading. Pay attention, ask questions, be curious. It will take time, but once your Bible is open, you will never want to close it again. “When you read, you may understand…” (cf. Eph. 3:4).