Category: Authority

Sermon by Kris Braddock: This lesson is a good overview of the issues that divided brethren in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Human Institutions, the Social Gospel, the Sponsoring church arrangement and the concept of Unlimited Benevolence are all shown to be a violation of the Bible pattern, thus unauthorized.

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A recent article at the Fox News website reports that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to ratify a proposal that will eradicate the requirement of unmarried clergy to remain celibate. (To read the article, click here).

There is a lot wrong with that sentence, including the idea that a church can vote to make any doctrinal change, the concept of a clergy/laity distinction, and the idea that it is acceptable for a professed Christian to engage in the act of fornication.

Continue reading “In the News: Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus” →

Sermon by Kris Braddock: In this lesson, Kris establishes the importance of knowing and submitting to the will of God as a pattern and authority in our lives. The pattern established in the New Testament regarding the Lord’s church is cited as an example in the lesson.

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Sermon by Kris Braddock – A thorough look at the way the phrase, “calling on the name of the Lord” is used in scripture. Showing that the phrase indicates the necessity of adhering to God’s will rather than a mere incantation.

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We affirm that positive authority for a religious doctrine or practice can not be derived from silence (what the scripture does NOT say). Is this affirmation true? This sermon determines to answer that question.

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Faithful Christians who contend for truth, and claim authority for religious practices are often unfairly called Pharisees, or referred to with derision as legalists and patternists. This sermon describes the sins of the Pharisees, and defends the concept of obedience to God’s authority.

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Postmodern thought ridicules the concept of objective truth, and is not tolerant of any criticism or perceived intolerance. The view of the postmodernist is that subjectivism is to be embraced, and one person’s “truth” is and should be different from another. This view is pervasive in American society, and this sermon examines the trend in light of Bible teaching.

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This lesson is an examination of the text of Acts 15, where the apostles, elders and church in Jerusalem meet concerning the conflict between Paul and the Judaizing teachers on the subject of Circumcision. Emphasis is placed on how the issue was handled, and the authority of God.

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This sermon is an expository study of Matthew 10:27-33 helping to establish an important truth… The Almighty God of the universe is the One we should fear, rather than men.

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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).

God’s Word is the unchanging standard. Therefore, when we compare ourselves to it, we can see whether we have changed. Some change is good, some bad. We must examine ourselves, comparing ourselves to God’s standard.

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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).

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.

NEW YORK – Anne Rice has had a religious conversion: She’s no longer a Christian.

“In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control,” the author wrote Wednesday on her Facebook page. “In the name of … Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”

Rice, 68, is best known for “Interview With a Vampire” and other gothic novels. Raised as a Catholic, she had rejected the church early in her life but renewed her faith in recent years and in 2008 released the memoir “Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.”

Hillel Italie
Associated Press

Continue reading “In the News: Queen of Vampires No Longer a Christian” →

Consider the following quote:

“For the postmodern and mystic, … words are only symbols for a subjective interpretation of and experience with the “Living Word.” (Randall Price, Searching for the Original Bible, page 27).

This quote accurately describes the attitude of the majority of religious people in our day. The Bible, while a comfort and precious object, has little bearing on their daily walk. Their view is that a relationship with Christ is sufficient, and that it can be obtained on their own terms.

But, in truth, our understanding of Christ, and our relationship with Him depends upon His written word. It is the “word of life” we are to be “holding fast” (cf Philippians 2:16). It is that which perfects a man (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It must be known and obeyed.