05
Jun '20
A Legacy of Love
05
Jun '20
Today is my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. That is a milestone worth celebrating, and we will do just that as a family today. Tomorrow is Ken and Jealetta Roberts’ 50th anniversary. They were long time missionaries out of this church, and are still much loved by this congregation. There are more than a few in our church family that have celebrated 50 years (and more), or that are approaching that golden mark. I remember as a child celebrating my Momaw and Popaw’s 50th anniversary. Those kind of legacies, a legacy of love, are more valuable than any inheritance.
No marriage is perfect. To hope for or desire a perfect union is to want what can never be delivered, and that makes disappointment and discouragement inevitable. While no marriage is perfect, there are those that last long and well. They persevere and improve over time because…
- Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”
- 1 Peter 4:8-9, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”
Dr. R. Albert Mohler is correct when he writes that, “You are an ancestor to someone yet to come. If you live your life knowing you are an ancestor, that will change the way you make decisions, the way you live your life, the way you love your wife [or husband].” With all the above in mind, here are four fundamentals that will enable any marriage to leave a legacy of love.
#1 – Fear the Lord and obey Him.
Psalm 112:1-2 says, “Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”
A personal relationship with and commitment to the Lord Jesus is where everything begins. Christ must be at the center, or everything will be out of balance.
#2 – Be committed to serving Christ through the local church.
The institution of marriage was created and designed by God for our good and His glory. The institution of the church has likewise been founded by and built upon the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are to leave a lasting legacy to those who will come behind, then that requires faithful and joyful membership in a Bible-believing, Bible-practicing local church. Our Lord established the church and promised to perpetuate her until the end (Matthew 16:17-19). The Bible teaches that a man’s love for His wife should be like Christ’s love for His church (Ephesians 5:22-33). Christ commissioned and empowered the church to make disciples until His return (Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 28:18-20).
This commitment includes but is not limited to regular attendance. Meaningful membership is necessary if we are to follow the biblical model of Christianity. Building a legacy that is dug down deep in the gospel of Jesus Christ will necessarily involve being rooted in the local church. “Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:13-15
#3 – Be a couple devoted to prayer and the Word.
Paul told Timothy, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou also to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2)
This principle is not restricted to discipleship in a church setting or to training men for the ministry. Parents are to instruct their children, by word and example, the truths of God’s Word. Before you have children, and even if you do not have children, you are to be devoted to encouraging and equipping others to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
#4 – Depend upon the Holy Spirit’s leadership.
Right before the primary New Testament section used to teach about marriage comes the admonition to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-21; c.f. John 14:23-27; 16:7-16). The Lord has provided every believer with three resources to enable and equip us for faithfulness and fidelity in our marriages, and in all other areas of life: His Spirit, His Word, and His church.
Following these four fundamentals will not guarantee that pain, suffering, conflict, and problems will never arise in your marriage, your church-life, your profession, or with your children. If you will be jointly committed to these four fundamentals they will ensure that you will be equipped as a married couple to meet each challenge with confidence and grace for the moment, that you will draw closer to God and one another during difficult days rather than drifting apart from each other and away from Him, and that you will leave a lasting legacy of love, faithfulness, and fidelity to one another and your Lord.
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01
Jun '20
Frustrated. Angry. Tired. But Hopeful!
01
Jun '20
My wife and I read through the Bible together each year. Our reading plan had us in Hosea this morning. Two verses from Hosea 4 made me think of the United States in general and American Christianity in specific.
- Hosea 4:1 caused me to think of this land that I love: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.”
- Hosea 4:6 brought American Christianity (and I mean that in the loosest sense) to mind: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
I am not making an exegetical argument. Just relating what ran through my mind as I read those verses this morning, June 1, 2020.
Frustrated. Angry. Tired.
There is no doubt that the reason my mind ran the way it did is because I’m frustrated, angry, and tired of the hate and the hysteria. Frustrated, angry, and tired of the injustice that is all too common and not at all one-sided. Frustrated, angry, and tired of leaders who are hirelings instead of shepherds, who seem only concerned with their own agenda and popularity, often at the expense of what is best for their community and this country.
I’m frustrated, angry, and tired of people who claim to care for others. People who claim they want justice. Who say they want to right wrongs, but who only perpetuate more hate, increased violence, and further suffering.
I’m frustrated, angry, and tired of the self-righteous. Pharisees are not a thing of the past, nor are they restricted to fundamentalism as many professing believers like to trumpet. Modern Pharisees do not all look alike or operate under the same banner. But self-righteous, judgmental, hypocrites who create their own standard, one they can’t hope to keep but with it condemn all others, still exist. They post on social media frequently.
BUT HOPEFUL!
I am frustrated, angry, and tired, but I’m also confident in the Lord Jesus Christ! God reigns. Heaven rules. There is no reason to be hopeless. There is every reason to be hopeful. So, I will not give in to my feelings of frustration, anger, and fatigue. Instead, I will trust my Lord and His Word. “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
That means instead of singing this world’s chorus, I will endeavor to see others as Christ does. I will seek to model grace and truth with my life, and graciously speak the truth with my mouth. God’s Word is truth. I will trust my Lord to renew my strength, and seek, by His grace and power, to not sin in my anger, frustration, and fatigue. I will seek to honor Christ.
The Love of God
Let’s end where we began. The theme to Hosea’s prophecy is that nothing can eclipse God’s love for His covenant people. As discouraging as the two verses from Hosea 4 quoted at the start are, Hosea 11:4 is twice as encouraging: “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” Those marvelous words remind me of the 19th century hymn written by James Small: “I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a Friend! He loved me ere I knew Him; He drew me with the cords of love, And thus He bound me to Him. And round my heart still closely twine Those ties which naught can sever, For I am His, and He is mine, Forever and forever.”
God is love. God’s people often fail to demonstrate a whole-hearted love for Him. But God is always ready to receive and restore those who confess and forsake their sin.
If you are a believer who has succumbed to going with your feelings instead of trusting God’s promises, repent and be restored.
If you are an unbeliever, confused by all the hatred and injustice that you see, turn to and trust in the God who is love and only just. He will receive you and make you new. His grace is amazing. He is love.
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24
Mar '20
One Way
24
Mar '20
Would you drive from Mount Vernon to Louisville by heading to Harlan? Of course not. We all know that to get to the desired destination we have to take the right road. We have to go in the right direction.
The same thing is true of trying to get to heaven, yet many believe that all religions lead to God. The truth is that no religion leads to God!
In the Bible we read that:
- Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”1
- Despite the danger from the same religious leaders who had killed Jesus, Peter plainly preached that salvation is only in Jesus: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”2
- Paul said, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all.”3
- The Apostle John said, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”4
The Bible is God’s Word, and it makes clear that apart from Christ there is absolutely no way to the Father and no eternal life in heaven. Other religions offer systems of thought that cross the gap between men and God, but Jesus is the only One who has bridged that divide. Christ said “for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”5 Only those who take the narrow way of Jesus Christ will find eternal life in heaven.
Jesus’ Exclusive Claims
Jesus claimed: “I am the way.” Jesus does not merely show a way to God, He is the only way to God. He spans the otherwise unreachable distance between a righteous God and unrighteous sinners like us.
Jesus claimed: “I am the truth.” Truth implies an objective standard that does not change like cultural fads or trends. Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”6 Come to Him “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”7
Jesus claimed: “I am the life.” Without Jesus we are spiritually dead. But when we repent of our sins and believe on Jesus we are made spiritually alive. Scripture says, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”8
Christ’s resurrection from the dead was the absolute proof that He was indeed the Son of God, just like He said He was. He is the Light of the world that conquers sin, death, and the grave.
Rising from the dead proved that Jesus had paid the price of our sin. The resurrection proved that God the Father accepted the substitutionary sacrifice of God the Son. More evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is that before He ascended back into heaven He met with over 500 of His followers to leave final instructions and encouragement (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-9).
There is no way to be saved but through Jesus Christ!
Religion—including the religion of atheism—cannot save or prepare one for eternity. The only way to be prepared is to repent of your sins and believe in Jesus, the One who gave His life in place of ours: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”9
Jesus is the way that must be taken, the truth that must be believed, and the life in which we must walk. Will you believe in the One who can—and will—bring you to God? Place your faith in Christ alone today. He promises, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”10
Bible references: 1John 14:6, 2Acts 4:12, 31Timothy 2:5-6, 41John 5:12, 5Matthew 7:13-14, 6Hebrews 13:8, 7John 8:32, 8John 3:18, 91 Peter 3:18, 10John 6:37
Bible Baptist Church exists to see unbelieving people become committed followers of Jesus Christ. If you have any questions about what you have read, or if there is any way in which we can minister to you, please contact us.
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