King of Tyre March 14, 2009

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." (Ezekiel 28:12)

This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3-28). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit--in fact, none other than Satan himself--had possessed the bodies of these kings. Thus God, through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan.

Satan had been "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty," but he became proud instead of thankful. "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground" (Ezekiel 28:17). He had been "the anointed cherub" on "the holy mountain of God" (v. 14), the highest of all the mighty cherubim, covering the very throne of God. But "thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire" (v. 16).

Satan, the covering cherub, had been "created" (v. 13), but he was not content to serve his Creator. When he sinned--probably refusing to believe that God was his Creator, desiring God’s throne for himself (Isaiah 14:13)--God cast him out, saying, "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee" (Ezekiel 28:15).

Yet he still refuses to acknowledge God and has since persuaded multitudes of men and women to assume that they, too, can be "as gods" (Genesis 3:5). This belief can only--if they persist--result in their eternal ruin. HMM

Godless Religion

"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:5)

Included in Paul's graphic description of the "perilous" characteristics of the "last days" (not the church age, since the prophesied last days were still future when he wrote of them in his last epistle, 2 Timothy 3:1-3) is this warning concerning the religious leaders of the last days. They would observe the outward form (church buildings, sacraments, religious services, etc.) of "godliness" (that is, "religion"), but would reject its supernatural aspects. They would desire the trappings of religious professionalism since they would be "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (v. 4).

Such specifications aptly describe the modern world of scientism and liberal theology, which pervades practically all religious denominations and overlaps with all kinds of liberal social movements (women's liberation, gay rights, "New Age" pantheism, and others). Although these are widely diverse in structure and purpose, they all share one vital feature in common: they reject supernatural Christianity, especially literal creationism. Many liberal preachers give nominal allegiance to the teachings of Christ and the Bible, but they invariably deny the mighty power of God in special creation, as well as the great worldwide miracles of the Bible--the Flood, the dispersion, etc.

This prophecy is not given in Scripture simply as a matter of information. It contains a warning urgently needed by Bible-believing Christians who are under pressure today to compromise with humanistic liberals on this great doctrine of God's creative power. Many have accepted the evolutionary system of "ages geology," and this is tragic and dangerous. Instead of compromising with evolutionary naturalists and religious liberals, as many evangelicals today are inclined to do, Paul warns: "From such turn away!" HMM

The World, the Flesh, and the Devil March 12, 2009

"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." (James 3:15)

True wisdom is "from above" and is "pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (v. 17). False wisdom, on the other hand, may come from the world outside us ("earthly"), the flesh within us ("sensual"), or the powers of darkness tempting us ("devilish"). All such wisdom leads to "envying and strife . . . confusion and every evil work" (v. 16). Believers, therefore, should be able to recognize the influences of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The good news is that each divine Person of the Triune Godhead is on our side. The Father is opposed to the world, the Spirit to the flesh, and the Son to the devil, and they are well able to give victory.

"If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. . . . And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof" (1 John 2:15, 17). Thus, to overcome the love of the world, we must cultivate the love of the Father in our hearts and lives.

Similarly, to overcome the desires of the flesh, we should follow the leadings and convictions of the Holy Spirit, "for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other" (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, "walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (v. 16).

The devil and his evil hosts use their own dark powers to tempt and destroy the people of God, but "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Christ assured Satan’s defeat when He paid for our redemption on the cross. "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15). HMM

http://www.icr.org/

Ensenada 2009

Well, I've been invited to join a group of guys to go to the church we are helping in Ensenada. I'm excited. Chris is ok with me going which makes it even better. We will be doing construction on their new sanctuary. God is good. I had to delegate my leadership for our RA camp out that weekend. I'm going to miss it. They will be working on their pinewood derby cars. :-) One more patch for them to proudly wear. I'll post pics of the trip as soon as I can.

The Throne of Grace March 11, 2009

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

The Lord Jesus Christ is able to help in every time of need for two reasons. First, as the Creator, He is fully able to do anything. Secondly, He has solved, once and for all, the dilemma of the sin which had separated us from God's holiness, by paying the price Himself for our salvation.

To do that, He had to become man so that He could first overcome temptations such as those to which we succumb. He could not pay the price for man's sin if He were not a man, nor could He pay it if He were a sinner. He must be a man, but a sinless man--a criterion no other man could satisfy.

Therefore, He was tempted in all points as we are. This does not mean, however, that He felt a real inward temptation to sin. He was "tested" under the most extreme circumstances to which humans could be subjected, and He always passed the test. He could never have failed, because He is also God, but now all men, and angels, and devils know that He cannot fail.

Thus, He fully understands every one of our needs, and He is indeed able and willing to help. As we come boldly to receive His amazing grace, we must first "obtain mercy" (v. 16), confessing and receiving forgiveness for our sins (1 John 1:9). Then, we are ready to boldly request grace to help in every other need. Our faithful High Priest has been there before us. He knows (not just "knows about") our problems, and is always there to help, waiting for us to come. Since "he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted," and can "save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Hebrews 2:18; 7:25). HMM