Archives for 2008

Here is the summary of our messages this week.

Bearing a Name but Blaspheming THE Name (Rm 2.17-24)

In this message, we work our way through the logic of Paul’s accusation of the Religious Man. The Religious Man thinks that the blessings of his religion inoculate him against the judgment of God. The truth is that the religion of the Religious Man, true though it is, has not enabled that man to escape from his nature. His sins have caused the name he claims to bear to be blasphemed. The Religious Man is found to be likewise under the scrutiny of the penetrating judgement of God. The only hope of this man is for a righteousness religion cannot give to him.

Doubting Castle and the Delectable Mountains

Today we watch Christian and Hopeful seek the easy way out of difficult times only to end out in great difficulty and deep depression. It is only when they remember to pray (and subsequently remember the Promise of God) that they are able to escape Giant Despair. From thence they head to the Delectable Mountains, where the shepherds Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere give wise guidance and insights to the pilgrims

Chosen for Cleanness (Lev 11)

Our Communion message this month comes again from Leviticus. We begin the section on the laws of cleanness and uncleanness which lead up to the Day of Atonement in Lev 16. Our first chapter in this section concern the laws of clean and unclean animals for food. As we seek understanding, we discover that the clean and unclean animals fit in with God’s other pictorials in the OT Law which describe the rights of access to his presence. Since the creation was marred by sin, men can enter his presence only under cover of the blood of acceptable sacrifices. This picture of the acceptable sacrifice all the way to the unacceptable, unclean animal (or worse, the dead animal), picture the depths to which the Saviour had to sink in order to redeem us from the chaos of death.

In him, we are cleansed, we have life, we have access to God, and all things are made new and clean. The OT laws of cleanness and uncleanness are abolished in Christ, and we in him have no more restrictions on clean and unclean foods.

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We had a fuller house than usual today with several visitors. Thank the Lord for that. A few comments afterwards reveal ways that the Lord is working in lives. It is a blessing to see.

Thirty-eight years ago today Nov 2 was also a Sunday. I was sitting in a Vespers program at BJU and the Lord began to impress on my heart the need to give my life to the Christian ministry. (I was a business major.) We have had some successes and some failures, but the greatest blessing of all is to see those lives who “walk in the truth” (3 Jn 1.4).

Portrait of a Good Religious Man (Rm 2.17-20)

Our passage finds us in the midst of Paul’s argument against those who are religious men. Pagan man is under God’s wrath for rejecting natural revelation; moral man is subject to God’s judgement for ignoring conscience; now we will find religious man under condemnation for disobedience to God’s word.

The argument begins with a description of the religious man as a religious man. He thinks possessing the blessings of his religion are sufficient for his justification without requiring an obligation to total holiness on his part. Today we are attempting to paint a portrait of what that man looks like.

By-ends and Hopeful [Pilgrim’s Progress]

Our next section of the Pilgrim’s Progress concerns Christian’s departure from Vanity Fair, his new companion Hopeful, won by the testimony of Christian and Faithful, and their encounter with a crowd of characters whose only interest in religion is how they may profit from it. Christian’s answer is a powerful argument against the purveyors of ‘health and wealth’ Christianity.

A Church Organized around Preaching [various texts]

why we call ourselves ‘the Bible-preaching centre’

Our afternoon service gives us an opportunity to return to our occasional series “Our Church”, which is a discussion of our philosophy of ministry. This message deals with the central focus of our ministry, the focus on preaching and teaching God’s Word. The message is mostly simply a reading of passages teaching the Importance of God’s Word, the Imperative of Preaching God’s Word, and the Impact of God’s life-changing Word. It is essential that church ministry be dominated by the Word of God. Everything we do flows from this overriding purpose.

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Another great day to serve the Lord. One couple returned for a second visit! May the Lord grant an increase.

If You Bear the Name ‘Jew’ (Rm 2.17)

As we work our way through Romans, we find the apostle Paul systematically proving the guilt and condemnation of all men. In Romans 1, the pagan man is under God’s wrath, in the first half of Romans 2, we find the moral man subject to judgement. Now as we begin the second half of Romans 2, Paul’s attention turns to the religious man, the Jew, who depends on his ritual and heritage for his standing with God. Though Paul’s message applies directly to the 1st century Jew, it ultimately applies to any man who depends on his religion for right standing before God.

Vanity Fair

This week we cover the experience of Christian and Faithful as they go through Vanity Fair. No one can escape the Fair, since the Way to the Celestial City leads through it. It represents the world, with all things respectable and profane, but things which distract Christians from the Way. The pilgrims do not fit in with the fair and offend the residents of the city so are held in a cage. Ultimately Faithful gives his life for his testimony, but some are won to the Way as a result.

Men Under Authority (Ac 6.1-6)

Our afternoon message concerned our philosophy of church governance: our congregation is pastor-led and congregationally governed. This message covers some of the biblical rationale for our philosophy and illustrations and applications to show how that works.

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None of our visitors from the last few weeks came back, but we had a great day worshipping the Lord nonetheless.