Rants
Animal Rights
Dear Editor:
I am a very sad man. I weep daily. I weep for mosquitoes. They are killed even without evidence of guilt. They have a right to live here like anyone else. In fact, they were here even before the indigenous peoples and we have invaded their space. I speak up too for pigs (maybe the Moslems have something here), cows (maybe the Hindus have something here), chickens and fish. How barbarous! And that little kitty cat…that some care for so lovingly…to others it is supper. And those dogs…how can people say “yummy.” I plead for rats…they are only potential killers… how can we assume they are guilty and kill them without evidence?
Then what about those tiny plants and animals…who speaks up for bacteria? I say we ban mouthwash…and antibiotics. Those plants and animal are only trying to survive – just as we try to justify our survival by killing them. What gives me the right to kill them! Our convenience is no excuse – all animals have rights. Who gave us the right to determine what animal should get more rights?
I say we should all united and form one great organization that will protect animal and plant life and call in the police. And if you want to discuss it, I now a nice little burger joint where we could meet.
We in the West determine cute…and ignore that cats can carry deadly diseases…but I speak for the not so cute…
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Rants
II Tim 3:1-4 – Must I Love Myself?
You are bombarded everyday with the call to think about yourself…look out for number one. They say: It is important that you love yourself…feel good about yourself…that if you don’t love yourself, no one else will. They say: do your own thing…you don’t have to answer to anyone. And very often you will hear…you’re somebody…you’re somebody special.
The truth is, however, this is quite a modern phenomenon. It was only in the late 60’s, early 70’s that these ideas became very prevalent in our society. About the mid-seventies these ideas began to dominate the church. And more and more people started blaming their sins upon their lack of self-love. They started to say: It is because I don’t love myself that I drink too much. It is because I don’t love myself that I murder. It is because I don’t love myself that I don’t want to work…etc.
(A very famous preacher continues to promote these same ideas. His name is Schuller. He removed the phrase “that saved a wretch like me” from Amazing Grace.) (He says: The deepest need of humankind is for self-esteem. Further, he says: For the church to address the unchurched with a theo-centric attitude is to invite failure in mission…. Why? Schuller says: “the core of sin is the lack of self-esteem.”
So this view is dominating and we need to find the Biblical answers to the following questions: Should I love myself? What about those passages that suggest I must love myself? If not self-love, then what must I do?
Loving yourself is wrong –This is the answer to the first question
The Scripture clearly teaches that self –love is wrong.
In the passage we read from II Timothy, we read that self-love is part of a perilous time…today times.
The last days began with the time of the Apostles, according to Peter in Acts 2…Gen 49, etc.
Jesus lived in these last days too. Hebrews 1:2.
Self love is the foundations for many other sins: For men will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of
godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
There is another example in the Gospels for us: There was a rich man who loved his wealth – and
therefore he loved himself - more than he loved Christ…and was lost.
Mark 10:17-22 - Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked
Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "One thing you
lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had
great possessions.
A Third example is Nebuchadnezzar had to confess that love and promotion of self was a great sin also.
Daniel 4:30,37 - The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by
my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" (Later) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and
honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride
He is able to put down.
Why is self-love wrong?
Self-love is wrong because your goal in self-love is to please yourself and not God.
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sinners, by definition, do what they want and follow their own opinion, not God’s laws.
The man who loves himself views his opinion and will as supreme.
Self-lovers don’t see God as Lord over all. The goal is not to please him. Though is should be.
I Corinthian 10:31 - Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
To love yourself is to do whatever you want, to think whatever you want, and say whatever you
want. This willfulness conflicts with the declaration of Scripture.
What are the results of self-love?
God and men are hurt.
Self love is like the hedgehog that wraps himself into a cozy ball to protect himself…but…
has sharp signs to those who are outside.
And you rob God of the glory due to him.
You hurt yourself, for you are law unto yourself.
II Tim 3:8-9 - Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt
minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to
all, as theirs also was.
Walter Chantry: Whoever has an over-inflated ego will find he can’t pass through the Door.
Further, if you say you must love yourself, it implies that you are worthy because you say so.
Isaac Watts understood well the nature of man and he wrote:
Alas! And did my Saviour Bleed…Would he devote a sacred head for such a Worm as I.
A Biblical Analysis of the choice texts
There are some who argue that the Bible teaches you to love yourself?
Love your neighbor as you love your self…
Matthew 22:39 - And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
We must first note that in verses 37-39 there are only two commands. Love God. Love your neighbor.
There is no implied command to love yourself.
Language: Further, agape love means self-sacrifice in the service of others.
It cannot be self-directed.
But don’t take this as a call to hate your body. There is no room for self-masochism.
Grammar: Why did Jesus then say: “as you love yourself”?
Jesus was teaching self-love as a fact, but it is not a virtue commended.
Theological: Our passage teaches that self-love is sin…along with a long list of others. II Tim 3:1-4.
No man ever hates himself…
The Apostle Paul spoke these words to the Ephesians…
Ephesians 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
Again, the phrase (no one ever hates himself) is used, it is pointing out the fact, and is not giving a
command to love yourself.
In fact, this was a intended to teach you to love your wife…not yourself…
A Biblical Call to Replace Self Love – Put off- Put on
Illustrate: Someone bought a boat and called it: Insteadov…doing this instead of other things.
Instead of saying: O Great…one man said…O Great…in thy faithfulness…
Love God – this is the basis for obeying the first 4 laws.
The example we have is John 3:16 – of how God loved us so he gave…
There was a Unitarian church ad that said: Come as you are, we don’t want you to change.
But God does demand that you change and confirm to the image of Christ…who loved others.
Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
To love Christ is do what he wants, think what he thinks, and say what he wants.
Jesus said that if you love me you would keep my commands. There is no room for “self” here.
Psalm 1 – How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel…but his delight is in the law
Love your neighbor – this is the basis for obeying the last 6 laws.
An interesting phenomenon is taking place in schools…with more emphasis on personal sports.
Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself.
The good Samaritan gives us a good example of how one must deny himself to help others.
His own convenience would have required that he did what would benefit himself.
Yet in the modern context he would say: What’s in it for me? How do I benefit from this.
Where is self in all of this?
You as a Christian must get out from circles of people who promote self-love and self-worship.
Avoid books and television that do these things too.
Conclusion:
It is not easy to speak against self-love. To speak against it in today’s society is like attacking grandma, pancakes, and maple syrup. But is must be done. The Bible is abundantly clear of the great evils of self-love. Self-love makes you unteachable. So Paul says to avoid these people. V5.
What the Bible teaches as a replacement for self love is self-denial. Self-denial is not Christianized masochism. Self-denial is simply a yielding to the God and his holiness. Self-denial, then, is necessary for discipleship. This is what makes you teachable.
Does self-denial then make you without value? No, you are valuable in Christ’s sight, but it is because of Christ. Without Christ you would only be fit for the dung heap.
Now what must you do? How do you deny yourself and love God and your neighbor? You must begin by working for his glory and honor. You are valuable, but you are not your own. You are not free to say, think, or do what you want. BUT: Only when you rest in submission to Christ will you know the true value of self-denial.
II Tim 3:1-4 – Must I Love Myself?
You are bombarded everyday with the call to think about yourself…look out for number one. They say: It is important that you love yourself…feel good about yourself…that if you don’t love yourself, no one else will. They say: do your own thing…you don’t have to answer to anyone. And very often you will hear…you’re somebody…you’re somebody special.
The truth is, however, this is quite a modern phenomenon. It was only in the late 60’s, early 70’s that these ideas became very prevalent in our society. About the mid-seventies these ideas began to dominate the church. And more and more people started blaming their sins upon their lack of self-love. They started to say: It is because I don’t love myself that I drink too much. It is because I don’t love myself that I murder. It is because I don’t love myself that I don’t want to work…etc.
(A very famous preacher continues to promote these same ideas. His name is Schuller. He removed the phrase “that saved a wretch like me” from Amazing Grace.) (He says: The deepest need of humankind is for self-esteem. Further, he says: For the church to address the unchurched with a theo-centric attitude is to invite failure in mission…. Why? Schuller says: “the core of sin is the lack of self-esteem.”
So this view is dominating and we need to find the Biblical answers to the following questions: Should I love myself? What about those passages that suggest I must love myself? If not self-love, then what must I do?
Loving yourself is wrong –This is the answer to the first question
The Scripture clearly teaches that self –love is wrong.
In the passage we read from II Timothy, we read that self-love is part of a perilous time…today times.
The last days began with the time of the Apostles, according to Peter in Acts 2…Gen 49, etc.
Jesus lived in these last days too. Hebrews 1:2.
Self love is the foundations for many other sins: For men will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of
godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
There is another example in the Gospels for us: There was a rich man who loved his wealth – and
therefore he loved himself - more than he loved Christ…and was lost.
Mark 10:17-22 - Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked
Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "One thing you
lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had
great possessions.
A Third example is Nebuchadnezzar had to confess that love and promotion of self was a great sin also.
Daniel 4:30,37 - The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by
my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" (Later) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and
honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride
He is able to put down.
Why is self-love wrong?
Self-love is wrong because your goal in self-love is to please yourself and not God.
Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sinners, by definition, do what they want and follow their own opinion, not God’s laws.
The man who loves himself views his opinion and will as supreme.
Self-lovers don’t see God as Lord over all. The goal is not to please him. Though is should be.
I Corinthian 10:31 - Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
To love yourself is to do whatever you want, to think whatever you want, and say whatever you
want. This willfulness conflicts with the declaration of Scripture.
What are the results of self-love?
God and men are hurt.
Self love is like the hedgehog that wraps himself into a cozy ball to protect himself…but…
has sharp signs to those who are outside.
And you rob God of the glory due to him.
You hurt yourself, for you are law unto yourself.
II Tim 3:8-9 - Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt
minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to
all, as theirs also was.
Walter Chantry: Whoever has an over-inflated ego will find he can’t pass through the Door.
Further, if you say you must love yourself, it implies that you are worthy because you say so.
Isaac Watts understood well the nature of man and he wrote:
Alas! And did my Saviour Bleed…Would he devote a sacred head for such a Worm as I.
A Biblical Analysis of the choice texts
There are some who argue that the Bible teaches you to love yourself?
Love your neighbor as you love your self…
Matthew 22:39 - And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
We must first note that in verses 37-39 there are only two commands. Love God. Love your neighbor.
There is no implied command to love yourself.
Language: Further, agape love means self-sacrifice in the service of others.
It cannot be self-directed.
But don’t take this as a call to hate your body. There is no room for self-masochism.
Grammar: Why did Jesus then say: “as you love yourself”?
Jesus was teaching self-love as a fact, but it is not a virtue commended.
Theological: Our passage teaches that self-love is sin…along with a long list of others. II Tim 3:1-4.
No man ever hates himself…
The Apostle Paul spoke these words to the Ephesians…
Ephesians 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
Again, the phrase (no one ever hates himself) is used, it is pointing out the fact, and is not giving a
command to love yourself.
In fact, this was a intended to teach you to love your wife…not yourself…
A Biblical Call to Replace Self Love – Put off- Put on
Illustrate: Someone bought a boat and called it: Insteadov…doing this instead of other things.
Instead of saying: O Great…one man said…O Great…in thy faithfulness…
Love God – this is the basis for obeying the first 4 laws.
The example we have is John 3:16 – of how God loved us so he gave…
There was a Unitarian church ad that said: Come as you are, we don’t want you to change.
But God does demand that you change and confirm to the image of Christ…who loved others.
Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
To love Christ is do what he wants, think what he thinks, and say what he wants.
Jesus said that if you love me you would keep my commands. There is no room for “self” here.
Psalm 1 – How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel…but his delight is in the law
Love your neighbor – this is the basis for obeying the last 6 laws.
An interesting phenomenon is taking place in schools…with more emphasis on personal sports.
Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself.
The good Samaritan gives us a good example of how one must deny himself to help others.
His own convenience would have required that he did what would benefit himself.
Yet in the modern context he would say: What’s in it for me? How do I benefit from this.
Where is self in all of this?
You as a Christian must get out from circles of people who promote self-love and self-worship.
Avoid books and television that do these things too.
Conclusion:
It is not easy to speak against self-love. To speak against it in today’s society is like attacking grandma, pancakes, and maple syrup. But is must be done. The Bible is abundantly clear of the great evils of self-love. Self-love makes you unteachable. So Paul says to avoid these people. V5.
What the Bible teaches as a replacement for self love is self-denial. Self-denial is not Christianized masochism. Self-denial is simply a yielding to the God and his holiness. Self-denial, then, is necessary for discipleship. This is what makes you teachable.
Does self-denial then make you without value? No, you are valuable in Christ’s sight, but it is because of Christ. Without Christ you would only be fit for the dung heap.
Now what must you do? How do you deny yourself and love God and your neighbor? You must begin by working for his glory and honor. You are valuable, but you are not your own. You are not free to say, think, or do what you want. BUT: Only when you rest in submission to Christ will you know the true value of self-denial.
Rants
Dangers of Mixed-marriages – Genesis 6:1-7
Henry, Calvin, TSK, Gill, Poole, Geneva, K&D, HebrewLexicon, PasN, Leopold, ENT, JND, JFB, Gray, INT, Clarke?
Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ: The Bible does not forbid inter-racial marriages. There are always things to consider before an inter-racial marriage, like how to deal with different cultures, language, and lifestyles. But all Christians are children of God and it is certainly permissible to marry one of a different race. There is nothing morally wrong with inter-racial marriages.
What the Bible forbids, in the clearest way and in the strongest terms, is mixed-marriages… Mixed marriage is a Christian marrying someone who does not worship the true God of the world…Jehovah God.
We will study this passage and other related passages under the following headings: The Trap, The Trouble, and The Threat. It is a triple strike. And as they say in baseball, and as was the case with the people in our passage, “Three strikes and you’re out.”Our goals are you will learn the importance of strong marriages and strong families that are grounded upon the Word of God, and that you will work to strengthen those marriages for the good of your family and for the glory of Christ…after whose example you follow.
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
The Trap - V1-2
1. Who are the sons of God?
The “Sons of God” are men who were descended from the line of Seth – a man who loved God.
“Sons of God” was a common term to describe those who worshipped the true God
Hosea 1:10 "Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’
“Sons of God” is not referring to “angels,” as some people suggest.
Jesus states that angels neither marry nor are given into marriage.
Also, angels don’t live 120 years. They have eternal life. V3
Further, these were not angels because God could not punish all mankind for the sins of
angels.
These men were sons of God by adoption…
2. These godly men, descendants of the godly son of Adam, then married.
“Took for themselves” is a Hebrew expression for marriage.
3. Who were the daughters of men…these people whom the “sons of God” married?
These “daughters of men” were the daughters of the line of Cain…Adam’s other son.
The “daughters of men” loved themselves more than they loved God…
Cain was most known for his ungodliness…his murder of his godly brother Abel.
And his family followed after his footsteps.
Lamech, for instance, a descendant of Cain was a polygamist…and a murderer.
4. The daughters of Cain’s descendants were beautiful…or attractive…shapely in form.
This was the trap into which the godly men fell.
Nothing else mattered to the sons of Seth…the Covenant people.
This was the Devil’s attempt to destroy the Sacred Seed of the woman who would crush his head.
Marriage is too sacred a thing to allow that men should be induced to it by the lust of the eyes.
But this is a danger of which Christians must be on guard…with much diligence.
5. The sons of the godly Seth married the daughters of Cain.
The sins of the Covenant people were worse because they chose many wives and lived
polygamously even though they knew better.
God always demanded than marriage be between one man and one woman.
This type of sin was not limited to that time…
Today, men go way beyond this and promote polyamory: group marriage.
Even Christians today also have a way of polygamy. Isn’t frequent divorce a subtle form
of polygamy?
6. It was base ingratitude of the children of Seth to intermingle with children of Cain.
The sons of Seth…the Christians…married out of their line.
The distinctions between Christians and non-Christians was obliterated.
Further, worship of the true God was perverted after Christians started marrying non-Christians.
a. Someone might say: I “don’t want to be left without a husband.”
And the Devil would love nothing more than to make you feel the pressure to marry
someone who is not a Christian. He wants you to attack Christ…whose you are.
But it is better to be single, that to be sorry…for the rest of your life…
b. God strongly continues to warn you against marrying those who are do not worship the same
God as you do- simply because they may be beautiful, rich, or powerful.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
For beauty is a fleeting thing…it leaves in a hurry…long before the woman leaves…
Riches are destroyed in fire…and cannot be taken out of this world.
Man’s power is limited by God…and it stops in the cemetery.
c. Marrying does not fix your problems – it is not an end.
Marriage is a means to glorify God…So do it right.
This was the work of Balak, who, when he could not curse Israel, sent women to go and
intermarry with Israel.
Having looked at the trap, let us now look at the trouble from falling for into the trap!
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
The Trouble – V3-4
1. Seeing man’s falling for the beauty trap…God gave man a warning.
He said that he would not always put up with man…and fight with him if he refuses to repent of
his sins.
God virtually said: “It is time this sin comes to an end.”
Why would God no longer strive (fight) with them?
Flesh is incapable of reason.
I Corinthians 2:14 - But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2. Seeing man falling for the beauty trap…God gave man a limitation.
Man could expect judgment, unless he repented, in 120 years.
See how man likes to hurry judgment when he doesn’t follow God’s instructions.
This is the same word God uses to all those who are hearing his words today: My Spirit will not
always put up with you. And consider what Jesus said: Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
But in this you can also see grace; God gave man time to repent.
3. The product of this ungodly marriage were giants.
Who were these giants? V4
The word “giants” is transliterated “nephilim.”
Nephilim - means “soldiers” …killers…fallers (of men).
The word giant relates to the word for fall…or to fall upon violently…soldiers.
One example of usage is a violent storm that causes crops to fall and be destroyed.
Luther translates the word to mean: tyrants…but “fighting men” is the best translation.
They were giants of war.
We might say today: He was a giant of a politician.
4. The children born to Christian men and non-Christian women imitated the example of the warriors… the murderers…not of the godly.
(“Men of old” is used here to mean “of antiquity.” Men from long ago…maybe like Cain.)
They boasted of their wickedness…men of “renown.” (Warriors)
These were wicked men who were honored for crimes.
This was the greatest trouble of all.
It is only natural to follow the religion of a non- Christian. It an easier religion to follow…but it
is a more dangerous religion.
So take warning. Look at God’s warning to these Christians who were acting like pagans!
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."
The Threat
1. God saw…indicating that he was watching for a time…and God considered. V5
Though he was watching from the outside, he was watching outside and inside…the heart.
The inter-marrying people sinned continually and blatantly.
2. And God was sorry… V6
(Not “repented” as the KJV says – as it was an anthropomorphic expression…)
God is hurt by the atrocious sins of men – more than if they pierced his heart themselves…
Do you make God sorry by your continued disobedience to him?
When you consider the greatness and purity of God’s love, you understand how much you hurt
him by blatant disobedience.
3. And then God made the threat: I will destroy. V7
Destroying is the work of the Lord…and it is total destruction.
Vengeance is mine…says the Lord…
4. Even the animals man should have ruled over are going to be destroyed because of man’s sin.
The truth is, your sins always affect more than yourself…your family, friends, church, country…
5. But in the midst of the threat is always grace…and God shows it to Noah. V8
“Noah found favor” is an expression only used between the servant and his Lord.
This showed that Noah had no right to demand any favors from God.
What were the evidences of righteousness?
Noah became a preacher of righteousness. (II Peter 2:5)
He had one wife.
He had children…in obedience to God’s command to multiply.
His sons had one wife each…showing he taught them.
His family stood by him 120 years – which produced nothing of earthly value.
He built an ark when there was no sign of rain.
Learn from an example of a man who was successful and had faith in God.
A man is shown to be faithful even if he ministers to his own family.
Conclusion:
Ungodly marriages leads to the destruction of the godly! Throughout the history of mankind, this fact has proven itself to be true time and time again. This is why the prophets, the historians, the poets, the apostles, and the Lord himself warn against ungodly marriages and adultery.
The problem is, it is natural to do these things. It is natural to want a woman for a wife because she is beautiful and attractive and ignoring the fact that she might be worshipper of herself or of some other god. It is natural to want a husband because he is strong, good looking, or rich without considering that he will not follow God’s word as the head of the family. While these desires are natural, they are also sinful.
Only Christ can set you free from sinful desires to marry on the basis of beauty, wealth, or power. Only Christ will give you the desire to put your spouse above you. Only Christ teaches you how to do that. Only through Christ…only through Christ.
As a parent, teach this to your children…beginning now. Train them in truth. Save them from a life of misery. If you are looking for a spouse, keep your eyes looking for one who loves Christ more that himself or and loves Christ more than he loves you. When he loves Christ, Christ will help him to understand his duties and enable him to do them. To marry someone who loves your or himself more than Christ is sinful.
If your husband or wife is not a Christian, pray hard and pray long that the Lord will save them…as he promised. The Lord promised that the believing spouse with sanctify the non-believing one.
Finally, I have some good news for those who are not Christians…you have some time…I don’t know how much, but you have some time. Maybe you don’t have 120 years…but you have time today to tell God that you are sorry for your sins…you are sorry for living for yourself…and that you desire to live like his child. He will adopt you.
Dangers of Mixed-marriages – Genesis 6:1-7
Henry, Calvin, TSK, Gill, Poole, Geneva, K&D, HebrewLexicon, PasN, Leopold, ENT, JND, JFB, Gray, INT, Clarke?
Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ: The Bible does not forbid inter-racial marriages. There are always things to consider before an inter-racial marriage, like how to deal with different cultures, language, and lifestyles. But all Christians are children of God and it is certainly permissible to marry one of a different race. There is nothing morally wrong with inter-racial marriages.
What the Bible forbids, in the clearest way and in the strongest terms, is mixed-marriages… Mixed marriage is a Christian marrying someone who does not worship the true God of the world…Jehovah God.
We will study this passage and other related passages under the following headings: The Trap, The Trouble, and The Threat. It is a triple strike. And as they say in baseball, and as was the case with the people in our passage, “Three strikes and you’re out.”Our goals are you will learn the importance of strong marriages and strong families that are grounded upon the Word of God, and that you will work to strengthen those marriages for the good of your family and for the glory of Christ…after whose example you follow.
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
The Trap - V1-2
1. Who are the sons of God?
The “Sons of God” are men who were descended from the line of Seth – a man who loved God.
“Sons of God” was a common term to describe those who worshipped the true God
Hosea 1:10 "Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God.’
“Sons of God” is not referring to “angels,” as some people suggest.
Jesus states that angels neither marry nor are given into marriage.
Also, angels don’t live 120 years. They have eternal life. V3
Further, these were not angels because God could not punish all mankind for the sins of
angels.
These men were sons of God by adoption…
2. These godly men, descendants of the godly son of Adam, then married.
“Took for themselves” is a Hebrew expression for marriage.
3. Who were the daughters of men…these people whom the “sons of God” married?
These “daughters of men” were the daughters of the line of Cain…Adam’s other son.
The “daughters of men” loved themselves more than they loved God…
Cain was most known for his ungodliness…his murder of his godly brother Abel.
And his family followed after his footsteps.
Lamech, for instance, a descendant of Cain was a polygamist…and a murderer.
4. The daughters of Cain’s descendants were beautiful…or attractive…shapely in form.
This was the trap into which the godly men fell.
Nothing else mattered to the sons of Seth…the Covenant people.
This was the Devil’s attempt to destroy the Sacred Seed of the woman who would crush his head.
Marriage is too sacred a thing to allow that men should be induced to it by the lust of the eyes.
But this is a danger of which Christians must be on guard…with much diligence.
5. The sons of the godly Seth married the daughters of Cain.
The sins of the Covenant people were worse because they chose many wives and lived
polygamously even though they knew better.
God always demanded than marriage be between one man and one woman.
This type of sin was not limited to that time…
Today, men go way beyond this and promote polyamory: group marriage.
Even Christians today also have a way of polygamy. Isn’t frequent divorce a subtle form
of polygamy?
6. It was base ingratitude of the children of Seth to intermingle with children of Cain.
The sons of Seth…the Christians…married out of their line.
The distinctions between Christians and non-Christians was obliterated.
Further, worship of the true God was perverted after Christians started marrying non-Christians.
a. Someone might say: I “don’t want to be left without a husband.”
And the Devil would love nothing more than to make you feel the pressure to marry
someone who is not a Christian. He wants you to attack Christ…whose you are.
But it is better to be single, that to be sorry…for the rest of your life…
b. God strongly continues to warn you against marrying those who are do not worship the same
God as you do- simply because they may be beautiful, rich, or powerful.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
For beauty is a fleeting thing…it leaves in a hurry…long before the woman leaves…
Riches are destroyed in fire…and cannot be taken out of this world.
Man’s power is limited by God…and it stops in the cemetery.
c. Marrying does not fix your problems – it is not an end.
Marriage is a means to glorify God…So do it right.
This was the work of Balak, who, when he could not curse Israel, sent women to go and
intermarry with Israel.
Having looked at the trap, let us now look at the trouble from falling for into the trap!
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
The Trouble – V3-4
1. Seeing man’s falling for the beauty trap…God gave man a warning.
He said that he would not always put up with man…and fight with him if he refuses to repent of
his sins.
God virtually said: “It is time this sin comes to an end.”
Why would God no longer strive (fight) with them?
Flesh is incapable of reason.
I Corinthians 2:14 - But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
2. Seeing man falling for the beauty trap…God gave man a limitation.
Man could expect judgment, unless he repented, in 120 years.
See how man likes to hurry judgment when he doesn’t follow God’s instructions.
This is the same word God uses to all those who are hearing his words today: My Spirit will not
always put up with you. And consider what Jesus said: Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
But in this you can also see grace; God gave man time to repent.
3. The product of this ungodly marriage were giants.
Who were these giants? V4
The word “giants” is transliterated “nephilim.”
Nephilim - means “soldiers” …killers…fallers (of men).
The word giant relates to the word for fall…or to fall upon violently…soldiers.
One example of usage is a violent storm that causes crops to fall and be destroyed.
Luther translates the word to mean: tyrants…but “fighting men” is the best translation.
They were giants of war.
We might say today: He was a giant of a politician.
4. The children born to Christian men and non-Christian women imitated the example of the warriors… the murderers…not of the godly.
(“Men of old” is used here to mean “of antiquity.” Men from long ago…maybe like Cain.)
They boasted of their wickedness…men of “renown.” (Warriors)
These were wicked men who were honored for crimes.
This was the greatest trouble of all.
It is only natural to follow the religion of a non- Christian. It an easier religion to follow…but it
is a more dangerous religion.
So take warning. Look at God’s warning to these Christians who were acting like pagans!
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."
The Threat
1. God saw…indicating that he was watching for a time…and God considered. V5
Though he was watching from the outside, he was watching outside and inside…the heart.
The inter-marrying people sinned continually and blatantly.
2. And God was sorry… V6
(Not “repented” as the KJV says – as it was an anthropomorphic expression…)
God is hurt by the atrocious sins of men – more than if they pierced his heart themselves…
Do you make God sorry by your continued disobedience to him?
When you consider the greatness and purity of God’s love, you understand how much you hurt
him by blatant disobedience.
3. And then God made the threat: I will destroy. V7
Destroying is the work of the Lord…and it is total destruction.
Vengeance is mine…says the Lord…
4. Even the animals man should have ruled over are going to be destroyed because of man’s sin.
The truth is, your sins always affect more than yourself…your family, friends, church, country…
5. But in the midst of the threat is always grace…and God shows it to Noah. V8
“Noah found favor” is an expression only used between the servant and his Lord.
This showed that Noah had no right to demand any favors from God.
What were the evidences of righteousness?
Noah became a preacher of righteousness. (II Peter 2:5)
He had one wife.
He had children…in obedience to God’s command to multiply.
His sons had one wife each…showing he taught them.
His family stood by him 120 years – which produced nothing of earthly value.
He built an ark when there was no sign of rain.
Learn from an example of a man who was successful and had faith in God.
A man is shown to be faithful even if he ministers to his own family.
Conclusion:
Ungodly marriages leads to the destruction of the godly! Throughout the history of mankind, this fact has proven itself to be true time and time again. This is why the prophets, the historians, the poets, the apostles, and the Lord himself warn against ungodly marriages and adultery.
The problem is, it is natural to do these things. It is natural to want a woman for a wife because she is beautiful and attractive and ignoring the fact that she might be worshipper of herself or of some other god. It is natural to want a husband because he is strong, good looking, or rich without considering that he will not follow God’s word as the head of the family. While these desires are natural, they are also sinful.
Only Christ can set you free from sinful desires to marry on the basis of beauty, wealth, or power. Only Christ will give you the desire to put your spouse above you. Only Christ teaches you how to do that. Only through Christ…only through Christ.
As a parent, teach this to your children…beginning now. Train them in truth. Save them from a life of misery. If you are looking for a spouse, keep your eyes looking for one who loves Christ more that himself or and loves Christ more than he loves you. When he loves Christ, Christ will help him to understand his duties and enable him to do them. To marry someone who loves your or himself more than Christ is sinful.
If your husband or wife is not a Christian, pray hard and pray long that the Lord will save them…as he promised. The Lord promised that the believing spouse with sanctify the non-believing one.
Finally, I have some good news for those who are not Christians…you have some time…I don’t know how much, but you have some time. Maybe you don’t have 120 years…but you have time today to tell God that you are sorry for your sins…you are sorry for living for yourself…and that you desire to live like his child. He will adopt you.
Psalm 32 – Dealing with the problem of Depression
Many people avoid this subject and would not touch it with a ten-foot pole. In some ways it is good that they do not touch because of the bad solutions they provide. But that reasoning is not adequate. Every elder in the church…and even husbands…and fathers…and every Christian must not be afraid to challenge the problems that come before us…in our own lives…or in the lives of other…including dealing with the problem of depression.
But for you to really deal with this major issue, you must be equipped to deal with it. I am not able to give you great detail explanation, but I will attempt to give you a foundation upon which you can build, and should build on, to understand and deal with this problem. This is an issue that must not just be set aside because it is too difficult. Also, you must not shrug off the responsibility and assume that every counselor will give you the same advice. Some start with wrong presuppositions and therefore their conclusions are wrong. So get prepared. And may this help you today…to that end.
To lay this foundation, we will look at 1. What depression is. 2. What depression does. 3. What is Christ’s remedy for depression. 4. And finally, we will look at what you may do to keep out of depression.
What is depression?
Depression is a prolonged period of feeling down and sad.
Psalm 32:4 - For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of
summer.
David is literally “pressed down.” (being sad)
David says this is prolonged…or “day and night.” (for a long time)
Other time David uses the term: chastened. Literally: to be tied down with ropes…
What causes depression: Depression can be caused by various reasons…
In David’s case, his depression was caused by guilt and non-repentance.
He had grievously sinned with Bathsheba and Uriah and had not repented.
He might even have though of depression as a punishment from God.
V3 - But it wasn’t just the sin…it was his hiding it.
But there are other reasons…almost any reason…that may cause depression.
One of the first things to mention, however, is that there are physiological reasons for depression.
Someone who has an underactive thyroid, just delivered a baby, etc.
But those are often limited. What are other reasons for depression?
Overwhelming responsibility…death of a loved one…loneliness…poverty…sickness…
Not finding a husband or wife…not getting children…holding grudges…and not forgiving…
The truth is, though, is that these things really do not cause depression…these things are more a matter of
God’s providence.
It is how one deals or not deals with these problems that causes depression.
What does depression do?
Physical results:
V3-4 - It causes your moisture…juices…to dry up…
David’s saliva in his mouth dried up…a natural response to anxiety.
According to Jewish tradition, David is said to have been struck by leprosy for 6 months…
And learn of some more from Psalm 38.
Psalm 38: 5-8 - My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed
down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no
soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
David is also point out that he has an irregular heart beat.
The link between feeling sad and the malfunctioning of the body is clear.
Many times imbalances in hormones with trigger bad conditions are caused with depression.
Spiritual results:
V6 – He had felt as if he were overwhelmed with flood waters…graphic picture
Psalm 38:4 - For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
This is like the “suck sand” in my home country.
Proverbs 28:13 – He who covers his sins will not prosper…
Proverbs 28:1 - The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
Interaction results:
Psalm 38:11 - My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.
Not many people want to stick around a whiner, down, grumpy person.
On the other hand, (Ps 38) your depression makes your enemies happy.
What is Christ’s remedy for depression?
1. Know that there is hope.
While depression causes your juices to dry up, you can be resuscitated.
I know in whom I believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him.
The Lord does not leave his chosen ones alone…but makes them realize their guilt.
The first answer is to admit that there is sin…
You can’t do heart surgery on yourself.
Psalms 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God,
Psalms 145:14 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.
2. Repent (or forgive)
V5-6 - David confesses his sin. To confess means “to say the same thing with God.”
Literally David says: I view myself the way God views me.
Psalm 51:4-5 - Against You, You only, (against your law and standard) have I sinned, And done this evil in
Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was
brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Proverbs 28:12 – (Note the completion of this passage) He who covers his sins will not prosper, But
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Repentance clears the soul and relieves the pressure often responsible for psychosomatic sickness.
You also have to confess your sins against others also.
V7 – Repentance brings joy.
Psalm 32:7b - You shall surround me with songs of deliverance
Psalm 51:8 - Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Now you ask: How is mourning a sin, for example, as the lady who is accused of killing her kids?
Mourning is not a sin. Excessive mourning is. It is distrust of God’s providence. It is a worship
of man. Of those sins you must repent.
How do you stay out of Depression
1. Continue to pray
V 6 – Do you desire freedom from depression…for this cause pray… David points to prayer…
He doesn’t say get rich, get powerful, or get intelligent…but, to get security, pray.
So that the severe judgment of great waters would not destroy him…and you…
2. Be Instructed
V8 – God instructs you who are blessed, not with useless instruction, but in the ways of spiritual life.
And he leads as a gentle guide.
Proverbs 3:1-2 - My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days
and long life And peace they will add to you.
Proverbs 4:20-22 - My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them
depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And
health to all their flesh.
Job 6:30 - Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?
V9 – You are instructed so that you will not be like horses or mules…who must be bridled.
Notice how his freedom from depression leads him to help others.
This is a very necessary part of being healed…it to be busy with helping others heal.
If you follow these steps, you will not only be helped if you are depressed for inorganic reasons,
but you will also be able to help prevent depression from setting-in in the future.
Conclusion?
Depression is a prolonged period of feeling down and sad. What causes depression: Depression can be caused by various reasons… But there are other reasons…almost any reason…that may be the cause for depression. The truth is, though, is that these things really do not cause depression…Depression is often caused when troubles are not handled correctly.
What does depression do? It affects you physically, spiritually (your relationship with God) and your relationship with others.
But what is Christ’s remedy for depression? He wants you to know that there is hope. He wants you to deal with the matter of sin…repent if you need to…forgive if you need to. He wants you to pray and to continue to be instructed in the Holy Scriptures to stay out of depression.
The only reason these real answer are opened to you is because you are a child of God, Christ having taken the punishment for your sins.
Many people avoid this subject and would not touch it with a ten-foot pole. In some ways it is good that they do not touch because of the bad solutions they provide. But that reasoning is not adequate. Every elder in the church…and even husbands…and fathers…and every Christian must not be afraid to challenge the problems that come before us…in our own lives…or in the lives of other…including dealing with the problem of depression.
But for you to really deal with this major issue, you must be equipped to deal with it. I am not able to give you great detail explanation, but I will attempt to give you a foundation upon which you can build, and should build on, to understand and deal with this problem. This is an issue that must not just be set aside because it is too difficult. Also, you must not shrug off the responsibility and assume that every counselor will give you the same advice. Some start with wrong presuppositions and therefore their conclusions are wrong. So get prepared. And may this help you today…to that end.
To lay this foundation, we will look at 1. What depression is. 2. What depression does. 3. What is Christ’s remedy for depression. 4. And finally, we will look at what you may do to keep out of depression.
What is depression?
Depression is a prolonged period of feeling down and sad.
Psalm 32:4 - For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of
summer.
David is literally “pressed down.” (being sad)
David says this is prolonged…or “day and night.” (for a long time)
Other time David uses the term: chastened. Literally: to be tied down with ropes…
What causes depression: Depression can be caused by various reasons…
In David’s case, his depression was caused by guilt and non-repentance.
He had grievously sinned with Bathsheba and Uriah and had not repented.
He might even have though of depression as a punishment from God.
V3 - But it wasn’t just the sin…it was his hiding it.
But there are other reasons…almost any reason…that may cause depression.
One of the first things to mention, however, is that there are physiological reasons for depression.
Someone who has an underactive thyroid, just delivered a baby, etc.
But those are often limited. What are other reasons for depression?
Overwhelming responsibility…death of a loved one…loneliness…poverty…sickness…
Not finding a husband or wife…not getting children…holding grudges…and not forgiving…
The truth is, though, is that these things really do not cause depression…these things are more a matter of
God’s providence.
It is how one deals or not deals with these problems that causes depression.
What does depression do?
Physical results:
V3-4 - It causes your moisture…juices…to dry up…
David’s saliva in his mouth dried up…a natural response to anxiety.
According to Jewish tradition, David is said to have been struck by leprosy for 6 months…
And learn of some more from Psalm 38.
Psalm 38: 5-8 - My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed
down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no
soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.
David is also point out that he has an irregular heart beat.
The link between feeling sad and the malfunctioning of the body is clear.
Many times imbalances in hormones with trigger bad conditions are caused with depression.
Spiritual results:
V6 – He had felt as if he were overwhelmed with flood waters…graphic picture
Psalm 38:4 - For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
This is like the “suck sand” in my home country.
Proverbs 28:13 – He who covers his sins will not prosper…
Proverbs 28:1 - The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
Interaction results:
Psalm 38:11 - My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.
Not many people want to stick around a whiner, down, grumpy person.
On the other hand, (Ps 38) your depression makes your enemies happy.
What is Christ’s remedy for depression?
1. Know that there is hope.
While depression causes your juices to dry up, you can be resuscitated.
I know in whom I believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him.
The Lord does not leave his chosen ones alone…but makes them realize their guilt.
The first answer is to admit that there is sin…
You can’t do heart surgery on yourself.
Psalms 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God,
Psalms 145:14 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down.
2. Repent (or forgive)
V5-6 - David confesses his sin. To confess means “to say the same thing with God.”
Literally David says: I view myself the way God views me.
Psalm 51:4-5 - Against You, You only, (against your law and standard) have I sinned, And done this evil in
Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was
brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Proverbs 28:12 – (Note the completion of this passage) He who covers his sins will not prosper, But
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Repentance clears the soul and relieves the pressure often responsible for psychosomatic sickness.
You also have to confess your sins against others also.
V7 – Repentance brings joy.
Psalm 32:7b - You shall surround me with songs of deliverance
Psalm 51:8 - Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Now you ask: How is mourning a sin, for example, as the lady who is accused of killing her kids?
Mourning is not a sin. Excessive mourning is. It is distrust of God’s providence. It is a worship
of man. Of those sins you must repent.
How do you stay out of Depression
1. Continue to pray
V 6 – Do you desire freedom from depression…for this cause pray… David points to prayer…
He doesn’t say get rich, get powerful, or get intelligent…but, to get security, pray.
So that the severe judgment of great waters would not destroy him…and you…
2. Be Instructed
V8 – God instructs you who are blessed, not with useless instruction, but in the ways of spiritual life.
And he leads as a gentle guide.
Proverbs 3:1-2 - My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days
and long life And peace they will add to you.
Proverbs 4:20-22 - My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them
depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And
health to all their flesh.
Job 6:30 - Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavory?
V9 – You are instructed so that you will not be like horses or mules…who must be bridled.
Notice how his freedom from depression leads him to help others.
This is a very necessary part of being healed…it to be busy with helping others heal.
If you follow these steps, you will not only be helped if you are depressed for inorganic reasons,
but you will also be able to help prevent depression from setting-in in the future.
Conclusion?
Depression is a prolonged period of feeling down and sad. What causes depression: Depression can be caused by various reasons… But there are other reasons…almost any reason…that may be the cause for depression. The truth is, though, is that these things really do not cause depression…Depression is often caused when troubles are not handled correctly.
What does depression do? It affects you physically, spiritually (your relationship with God) and your relationship with others.
But what is Christ’s remedy for depression? He wants you to know that there is hope. He wants you to deal with the matter of sin…repent if you need to…forgive if you need to. He wants you to pray and to continue to be instructed in the Holy Scriptures to stay out of depression.
The only reason these real answer are opened to you is because you are a child of God, Christ having taken the punishment for your sins.
Rants
The use of canned evangelistic approaches – EE Style
As a young Pentecostal teenager my pastor introduced me to a course that prepared us to be evangelists. We were told we would change the whole neighborhood if we followed this method. And in a way, we did. We visited almost every home and had hundreds of “decisions” for Christ. In the space of the first few hours a couple of us had seven “decisions” for Christ. The trouble was that most of those people never really believed and most of them never came to worship.
We busily ran around asking people: “If you were to die tonight do you think you would make it to heaven?” Most would say: “Yes.” Then we would respond: “If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to say to you, ‘why would I let you into my heaven’ what would you say?” We would succinctly state our points, confront them with their sins, and urge them to repent in about 7 minutes flat. You probably recognize that we were using a variation of Evangelism Explosion. I regret doing that! We gave many people the false idea that they were Christians because “they signed on the line.”
What was wrong with that method? As my friend likes to say: “You must be Reformed in theology and in methodology.”
This canned method of evangelism is really just a little longer than a “bumper sticker.” It does not emphasize the “whole counsel” of God and brings the Gospel of our Lord down to a few propositions. Consider a couple of examples: Evangelism Explosion does not properly explain who God is. Without knowing who God is the non-Christian can never understand why God hates sin so much and why his judgments are so severe. Second, Evangelism Explosion and other similar methods do not adequately explain the law of God and how they can be broken in thoughts and words and deeds. Without explaining the full extent of sin by a good examination of God’s law, the non-Christian will never understand how far away from God he stands and the real danger in which he is. Third, the covenant usually is non-existent in this methodology. But if the non-Christian does not understand the nature of the covenant, he cannot understand and appreciate the obedience and death of Jesus Christ.
Further, when using canned evangelism you can antagonize a man who is not ready to hear of his sinfulness. Those of us who have worked cross-culturally know that this blunt method of teaching can become a “brick wall” to evangelism. On the other hand, sometimes you get people agreeing with what you say simply so that they can finish their laundry. Certainly this cannot be pleasing to God. (Maybe they loved us as you love those people selling books with Watchtowers on them.)
Canned evangelism tends to ignore the whole Bible, mostly quoting from popular New Testament passages.
Canned evangelism like EE, because of the desire to get results, changes the focus of evangelism from showing man his sinfulness and leading him to the Savior to promoting a reward: “Want to go to heaven?” What if the man were to answer: “No, I don’t want to go to heaven.”? Might the evangelist leave him? Absolutely not. God commands repentance from the sinner and the evangelist must emphasize that. God does not give a choice of a reward or not. A reward may be rejected without consequences. The offering of a reward is further troubling because it seems to offer the benefits of salvation only after this life and denies the plethora of Scriptures that speak of God present grace to his covenant children.
Did anyone become a Christian through our labors in EE? Some did come to worship and later became Christians, but it would have been highly unlikely that they became Christians when we first spoke to them. Even if they did, it does not justify the method.
Are there any benefits from the canned evangelism that we used? There could be. For example, the question asked above about whether one were prepared for heaven could be an excellent starter to conversation. The key is to use those questions and then go on to the greater substance of the Gospel.
The sum of the matter then is that the evangelist must bring the whole Gospel, the whole spectrum of salvation, to those who are in their sins. This often takes time. You must show the non-Christian who he is, teach him the doctrine of God, explain the 10 commands to him, show him the work of Jesus Christ, and then urge him to ask God to count Christ’s life, death, and resurrection as his own. There are no shortcuts. This is the method that brings change. Do the right thing and wait for the results. The Lord will lose none of his elect.
And when you combine scriptural evangelism with living a godly life then you will speak ever more loudly and effectively of Christ. You will be a true worker for Christ.
The use of canned evangelistic approaches – EE Style
As a young Pentecostal teenager my pastor introduced me to a course that prepared us to be evangelists. We were told we would change the whole neighborhood if we followed this method. And in a way, we did. We visited almost every home and had hundreds of “decisions” for Christ. In the space of the first few hours a couple of us had seven “decisions” for Christ. The trouble was that most of those people never really believed and most of them never came to worship.
We busily ran around asking people: “If you were to die tonight do you think you would make it to heaven?” Most would say: “Yes.” Then we would respond: “If you were to die tonight and stand before God and he were to say to you, ‘why would I let you into my heaven’ what would you say?” We would succinctly state our points, confront them with their sins, and urge them to repent in about 7 minutes flat. You probably recognize that we were using a variation of Evangelism Explosion. I regret doing that! We gave many people the false idea that they were Christians because “they signed on the line.”
What was wrong with that method? As my friend likes to say: “You must be Reformed in theology and in methodology.”
This canned method of evangelism is really just a little longer than a “bumper sticker.” It does not emphasize the “whole counsel” of God and brings the Gospel of our Lord down to a few propositions. Consider a couple of examples: Evangelism Explosion does not properly explain who God is. Without knowing who God is the non-Christian can never understand why God hates sin so much and why his judgments are so severe. Second, Evangelism Explosion and other similar methods do not adequately explain the law of God and how they can be broken in thoughts and words and deeds. Without explaining the full extent of sin by a good examination of God’s law, the non-Christian will never understand how far away from God he stands and the real danger in which he is. Third, the covenant usually is non-existent in this methodology. But if the non-Christian does not understand the nature of the covenant, he cannot understand and appreciate the obedience and death of Jesus Christ.
Further, when using canned evangelism you can antagonize a man who is not ready to hear of his sinfulness. Those of us who have worked cross-culturally know that this blunt method of teaching can become a “brick wall” to evangelism. On the other hand, sometimes you get people agreeing with what you say simply so that they can finish their laundry. Certainly this cannot be pleasing to God. (Maybe they loved us as you love those people selling books with Watchtowers on them.)
Canned evangelism tends to ignore the whole Bible, mostly quoting from popular New Testament passages.
Canned evangelism like EE, because of the desire to get results, changes the focus of evangelism from showing man his sinfulness and leading him to the Savior to promoting a reward: “Want to go to heaven?” What if the man were to answer: “No, I don’t want to go to heaven.”? Might the evangelist leave him? Absolutely not. God commands repentance from the sinner and the evangelist must emphasize that. God does not give a choice of a reward or not. A reward may be rejected without consequences. The offering of a reward is further troubling because it seems to offer the benefits of salvation only after this life and denies the plethora of Scriptures that speak of God present grace to his covenant children.
Did anyone become a Christian through our labors in EE? Some did come to worship and later became Christians, but it would have been highly unlikely that they became Christians when we first spoke to them. Even if they did, it does not justify the method.
Are there any benefits from the canned evangelism that we used? There could be. For example, the question asked above about whether one were prepared for heaven could be an excellent starter to conversation. The key is to use those questions and then go on to the greater substance of the Gospel.
The sum of the matter then is that the evangelist must bring the whole Gospel, the whole spectrum of salvation, to those who are in their sins. This often takes time. You must show the non-Christian who he is, teach him the doctrine of God, explain the 10 commands to him, show him the work of Jesus Christ, and then urge him to ask God to count Christ’s life, death, and resurrection as his own. There are no shortcuts. This is the method that brings change. Do the right thing and wait for the results. The Lord will lose none of his elect.
And when you combine scriptural evangelism with living a godly life then you will speak ever more loudly and effectively of Christ. You will be a true worker for Christ.
Rants
Gobbling the Gospel?
Many people assume that people of pagan cultures around the world are eagerly waiting to hear the gospel, and as soon as they do, they renounce their pagan practices to embrace Christ and immediately begin to serve the Lord faithfully.
This false sense of reality has gripped many missionaries only to be foiled as the missionary lands on the mission field and find that things are much different. This view is found in plenty of publicity literature and many sentimental songs that have been used to raise funds for mission work. One hymn claims, “the heathen in his blindness” is calling on the missionary to “deliver him from error’s chain.” (The Psalter Hymnal sanitizes this doctrinal error.) This teaching denies the Scripture, “There is none righteous, no not one. No one understands, no one seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10-12) It is like taking water to the thirsty and he does not realize that he is thirsty, or food to the hungry but he does not realize that he is hungry.
It was several years before William Carey had his first converts in India. Hudson Taylor’s success in China was extremely slow.
From where did this myth develop?
First, missionaries themselves could sometimes be guilty of concocting this sense of the heathen in order to justify their work or the raising of more support for their ministries. This view, however, is no more true than to say that when the gospel is preached in the US or Canada that people immediately forsake their sins and become Christians.
Second, this myth could also have developed because of “evidence” in some places where the Gospel was preached and where there has been a greater response to the Gospel.
One needs to be reminded, though, that in these “successful areas” there was usually much faithful preaching that was done earlier that sowed the seed for the great harvest that is now being brought into God’s kingdom. Consider Korea, for example. For many years prior to the nineteen sixties the gospel was faithfully preached with little or no success. Suddenly there seemed to have been tremendous growth in the spread of the gospel, but it was not sudden at all. The successes of the missionaries of the sixties and the seventies seem to have been built upon the foundation of the missionaries from decades before. My former OPC pastor, Ralph English, testified to this. A case to be realized one day is Japan. After more than one hundred years of faithful missionary work less than one percent of Japan is Christian. In Burma, there are about ten thousand Christians after one hundred seventy years of missionary work, and yet there remain over thirty-seven million Buddhists in their idolatry. Countries in West Africa are quite similar.
What has this myth done to the Reformed Churches? Some Reformed people have been influenced to some degree by popular preaching that deceive people into thinking that we can expect great numerical results every time the Gospel is preached. We have allowed Sunday, Finney, Billy Graham, and Benny Hinn and their followers to throw “conversion” numbers in our faces every time they preached the Gospel. We started thinking that we should expect the same and are disappointed when this does not happen. However, when one examines the real results of these apparent heathen conversions, they tell a different story. Most people who make “professions” of faith at the crusades are not converted. One study shows that less than 5% of people who make professions of faith at Graham’s crusade are attending church a few years later. Where are the millions of converts that Benny Hinn has had in India?
Nevertheless, these men and their followers perpetuate the myth that as soon as the heathen hears the Gospel they he will respond in faith and obedience.
Yet, in a way, the Reformed missionary does see “success” each time he preaches the Gospel to the heathen. His preaching is not ineffective at all. He knows that his preaching is not only intended to convert, but to condemn also. It is not up to the missionary to decide whether God will convert or condemn. God is glorified either way.
What can you learn from this?
1. When there is limited “positive” success of “nickels and noses” in your missionary’s work, it does not necessarily mean that there he is an ineffective teacher, or that he needs to move to some other more “successful” place. Understand that God uses the Gospel to save and to condemn.
2. Encourage your missionary facing the difficulty of seeing little “fruit” from his labors.
3. Take a trip to the mission field and see for yourself the difficulties there. You will certainly learn to pray more specifically.
4. Don’t give up financially supporting your missionary because he does not send new photographs of baptisms every month. Replace him if he is unfaithful.
Gobbling the Gospel?
Many people assume that people of pagan cultures around the world are eagerly waiting to hear the gospel, and as soon as they do, they renounce their pagan practices to embrace Christ and immediately begin to serve the Lord faithfully.
This false sense of reality has gripped many missionaries only to be foiled as the missionary lands on the mission field and find that things are much different. This view is found in plenty of publicity literature and many sentimental songs that have been used to raise funds for mission work. One hymn claims, “the heathen in his blindness” is calling on the missionary to “deliver him from error’s chain.” (The Psalter Hymnal sanitizes this doctrinal error.) This teaching denies the Scripture, “There is none righteous, no not one. No one understands, no one seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10-12) It is like taking water to the thirsty and he does not realize that he is thirsty, or food to the hungry but he does not realize that he is hungry.
It was several years before William Carey had his first converts in India. Hudson Taylor’s success in China was extremely slow.
From where did this myth develop?
First, missionaries themselves could sometimes be guilty of concocting this sense of the heathen in order to justify their work or the raising of more support for their ministries. This view, however, is no more true than to say that when the gospel is preached in the US or Canada that people immediately forsake their sins and become Christians.
Second, this myth could also have developed because of “evidence” in some places where the Gospel was preached and where there has been a greater response to the Gospel.
One needs to be reminded, though, that in these “successful areas” there was usually much faithful preaching that was done earlier that sowed the seed for the great harvest that is now being brought into God’s kingdom. Consider Korea, for example. For many years prior to the nineteen sixties the gospel was faithfully preached with little or no success. Suddenly there seemed to have been tremendous growth in the spread of the gospel, but it was not sudden at all. The successes of the missionaries of the sixties and the seventies seem to have been built upon the foundation of the missionaries from decades before. My former OPC pastor, Ralph English, testified to this. A case to be realized one day is Japan. After more than one hundred years of faithful missionary work less than one percent of Japan is Christian. In Burma, there are about ten thousand Christians after one hundred seventy years of missionary work, and yet there remain over thirty-seven million Buddhists in their idolatry. Countries in West Africa are quite similar.
What has this myth done to the Reformed Churches? Some Reformed people have been influenced to some degree by popular preaching that deceive people into thinking that we can expect great numerical results every time the Gospel is preached. We have allowed Sunday, Finney, Billy Graham, and Benny Hinn and their followers to throw “conversion” numbers in our faces every time they preached the Gospel. We started thinking that we should expect the same and are disappointed when this does not happen. However, when one examines the real results of these apparent heathen conversions, they tell a different story. Most people who make “professions” of faith at the crusades are not converted. One study shows that less than 5% of people who make professions of faith at Graham’s crusade are attending church a few years later. Where are the millions of converts that Benny Hinn has had in India?
Nevertheless, these men and their followers perpetuate the myth that as soon as the heathen hears the Gospel they he will respond in faith and obedience.
Yet, in a way, the Reformed missionary does see “success” each time he preaches the Gospel to the heathen. His preaching is not ineffective at all. He knows that his preaching is not only intended to convert, but to condemn also. It is not up to the missionary to decide whether God will convert or condemn. God is glorified either way.
What can you learn from this?
1. When there is limited “positive” success of “nickels and noses” in your missionary’s work, it does not necessarily mean that there he is an ineffective teacher, or that he needs to move to some other more “successful” place. Understand that God uses the Gospel to save and to condemn.
2. Encourage your missionary facing the difficulty of seeing little “fruit” from his labors.
3. Take a trip to the mission field and see for yourself the difficulties there. You will certainly learn to pray more specifically.
4. Don’t give up financially supporting your missionary because he does not send new photographs of baptisms every month. Replace him if he is unfaithful.
Rants
Gobbling the Gospel?
Many people assume that people of pagan cultures around the world are eagerly waiting to hear the gospel, and as soon as they do, they renounce their pagan practices to embrace Christ and immediately begin to serve the Lord faithfully.
This false sense of reality has gripped many missionaries only to be foiled as the missionary lands on the mission field and find that things are much different. This view is found in plenty of publicity literature and many sentimental songs that have been used to raise funds for mission work. One hymn claims, “the heathen in his blindness” is calling on the missionary to “deliver him from error’s chain.” (The Psalter Hymnal sanitizes this doctrinal error.) This teaching denies the Scripture, “There is none righteous, no not one. No one understands, no one seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10-12) It is like taking water to the thirsty and he does not realize that he is thirsty, or food to the hungry but he does not realize that he is hungry.
It was several years before William Carey had his first converts in India. Hudson Taylor’s success in China was extremely slow.
From where did this myth develop?
First, missionaries themselves could sometimes be guilty of concocting this sense of the heathen in order to justify their work or the raising of more support for their ministries. This view, however, is no more true than to say that when the gospel is preached in the US or Canada that people immediately forsake their sins and become Christians.
Second, this myth could also have developed because of “evidence” in some places where the Gospel was preached and where there has been a greater response to the Gospel.
One needs to be reminded, though, that in these “successful areas” there was usually much faithful preaching that was done earlier that sowed the seed for the great harvest that is now being brought into God’s kingdom. Consider Korea, for example. For many years prior to the nineteen sixties the gospel was faithfully preached with little or no success. Suddenly there seemed to have been tremendous growth in the spread of the gospel, but it was not sudden at all. The successes of the missionaries of the sixties and the seventies seem to have been built upon the foundation of the missionaries from decades before. My former OPC pastor, Ralph English, testified to this. A case to be realized one day is Japan. After more than one hundred years of faithful missionary work less than one percent of Japan is Christian. In Burma, there are about ten thousand Christians after one hundred seventy years of missionary work, and yet there remain over thirty-seven million Buddhists in their idolatry. Countries in West Africa are quite similar.
What has this myth done to the Reformed Churches? Some Reformed people have been influenced to some degree by popular preaching that deceive people into thinking that we can expect great numerical results every time the Gospel is preached. We have allowed Sunday, Finney, Billy Graham, and Benny Hinn and their followers to throw “conversion” numbers in our faces every time they preached the Gospel. We started thinking that we should expect the same and are disappointed when this does not happen. However, when one examines the real results of these apparent heathen conversions, they tell a different story. Most people who make “professions” of faith at the crusades are not converted. One study shows that less than 5% of people who make professions of faith at Graham’s crusade are attending church a few years later. Where are the millions of converts that Benny Hinn has had in India?
Nevertheless, these men and their followers perpetuate the myth that as soon as the heathen hears the Gospel they he will respond in faith and obedience.
Yet, in a way, the Reformed missionary does see “success” each time he preaches the Gospel to the heathen. His preaching is not ineffective at all. He knows that his preaching is not only intended to convert, but to condemn also. It is not up to the missionary to decide whether God will convert or condemn. God is glorified either way.
What can you learn from this?
1. When there is limited “positive” success of “nickels and noses” in your missionary’s work, it does not necessarily mean that there he is an ineffective teacher, or that he needs to move to some other more “successful” place. Understand that God uses the Gospel to save and to condemn.
2. Encourage your missionary facing the difficulty of seeing little “fruit” from his labors.
3. Take a trip to the mission field and see for yourself the difficulties there. You will certainly learn to pray more specifically.
4. Don’t give up financially supporting your missionary because he does not send new photographs of baptisms every month. Replace him if he is unfaithful.
Gobbling the Gospel?
Many people assume that people of pagan cultures around the world are eagerly waiting to hear the gospel, and as soon as they do, they renounce their pagan practices to embrace Christ and immediately begin to serve the Lord faithfully.
This false sense of reality has gripped many missionaries only to be foiled as the missionary lands on the mission field and find that things are much different. This view is found in plenty of publicity literature and many sentimental songs that have been used to raise funds for mission work. One hymn claims, “the heathen in his blindness” is calling on the missionary to “deliver him from error’s chain.” (The Psalter Hymnal sanitizes this doctrinal error.) This teaching denies the Scripture, “There is none righteous, no not one. No one understands, no one seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” (Rom. 3:10-12) It is like taking water to the thirsty and he does not realize that he is thirsty, or food to the hungry but he does not realize that he is hungry.
It was several years before William Carey had his first converts in India. Hudson Taylor’s success in China was extremely slow.
From where did this myth develop?
First, missionaries themselves could sometimes be guilty of concocting this sense of the heathen in order to justify their work or the raising of more support for their ministries. This view, however, is no more true than to say that when the gospel is preached in the US or Canada that people immediately forsake their sins and become Christians.
Second, this myth could also have developed because of “evidence” in some places where the Gospel was preached and where there has been a greater response to the Gospel.
One needs to be reminded, though, that in these “successful areas” there was usually much faithful preaching that was done earlier that sowed the seed for the great harvest that is now being brought into God’s kingdom. Consider Korea, for example. For many years prior to the nineteen sixties the gospel was faithfully preached with little or no success. Suddenly there seemed to have been tremendous growth in the spread of the gospel, but it was not sudden at all. The successes of the missionaries of the sixties and the seventies seem to have been built upon the foundation of the missionaries from decades before. My former OPC pastor, Ralph English, testified to this. A case to be realized one day is Japan. After more than one hundred years of faithful missionary work less than one percent of Japan is Christian. In Burma, there are about ten thousand Christians after one hundred seventy years of missionary work, and yet there remain over thirty-seven million Buddhists in their idolatry. Countries in West Africa are quite similar.
What has this myth done to the Reformed Churches? Some Reformed people have been influenced to some degree by popular preaching that deceive people into thinking that we can expect great numerical results every time the Gospel is preached. We have allowed Sunday, Finney, Billy Graham, and Benny Hinn and their followers to throw “conversion” numbers in our faces every time they preached the Gospel. We started thinking that we should expect the same and are disappointed when this does not happen. However, when one examines the real results of these apparent heathen conversions, they tell a different story. Most people who make “professions” of faith at the crusades are not converted. One study shows that less than 5% of people who make professions of faith at Graham’s crusade are attending church a few years later. Where are the millions of converts that Benny Hinn has had in India?
Nevertheless, these men and their followers perpetuate the myth that as soon as the heathen hears the Gospel they he will respond in faith and obedience.
Yet, in a way, the Reformed missionary does see “success” each time he preaches the Gospel to the heathen. His preaching is not ineffective at all. He knows that his preaching is not only intended to convert, but to condemn also. It is not up to the missionary to decide whether God will convert or condemn. God is glorified either way.
What can you learn from this?
1. When there is limited “positive” success of “nickels and noses” in your missionary’s work, it does not necessarily mean that there he is an ineffective teacher, or that he needs to move to some other more “successful” place. Understand that God uses the Gospel to save and to condemn.
2. Encourage your missionary facing the difficulty of seeing little “fruit” from his labors.
3. Take a trip to the mission field and see for yourself the difficulties there. You will certainly learn to pray more specifically.
4. Don’t give up financially supporting your missionary because he does not send new photographs of baptisms every month. Replace him if he is unfaithful.
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