Mentoring Men for the Masters
104 King Arthur Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403

 If the Bible is not the very Word of God, the Bible itself lies because it emphatically claims to be just that.  In the Old Testament alone the words “God said,” or “the Word of the Lord came” occur nearly 4000 times  (700 in the first 5 books).  Thirteen hundred years later, the apostle wrote these words about the Bible, “All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Tim. 3:16).  The Apostle Peter wrote “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21).  Jesus Himself made the ultimate statement to His Father about the Bible, “Your Word is truth.” (John 17:17)[1]

 My father taught me “A man is no better than his word.”  Neither is God, and “He is perfectly willing to lay His reputation on the line behind the veracity of His Word, but we should have solid and verifiable reasons to believe the Bible is really God’s Word.”[2]  There are 7 irrefutable reasons as I see it. 

1. THE BIBLE IS HISTORICALLY VERIFIABLE - The trustworthiness of any historical account is based on the evidence for that account.  Example:  We believe Julius Caesar lived - only 10 manuscripts exist of him.  We believe Plato existed - only 7 manuscripts exists; we believe George Washington lived and was our first president - we have copies of his first and second inaugural, crossing the Delaware, etc. but much less than we have of the Bible.

 Consider this - there are over 4105 full and partial manuscripts of the New Testament.  This is 40 times the number of manuscripts of other great historical figures.  What about the Old Testament?  The oldest manuscript we had of the Old Testament prior to 1947 were dated AD 900.  But the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, contain fragments of almost every book in the Old Testament, dated 150 years before Christ, and these books read almost word for word  as did the manuscripts  dated AD 900.  “No other book from the ancient world has as much manuscript support or is as closely tied to the original even as the Bible.” [3] 

2. THE BIBLE IS MIRACULOUSLY INDESTRUCIBLE  - “Throughout the ages, the Bible has been the major object of Satan’s assaults.  Celsus tried to destroy it with his brilliance, but he failed.  Prophyry tried to demolish it with the hammer of philosophy, but he failed.  Diocletian tried to stamp it out with imperial power, proclaiming by edict, Extincto Nomine Christianorium, meaning “the name of the Christians has been extinguished, but he failed.  Voltaire said (about 1775), “Fifty years from now the world will hear no more of the Bible.”  His office later became a center for the distribution of Bibles.  

There are more copies of the Bible by far than any book of antiquity (4105 Ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and some 15,000 to 30,000 Latin versions of the Holy Scriptures).  It is impossible for God’s Book to die.  Why?  Because standing behind the Book is its perfect Author, who promised 2700 years ago, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of God shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24).[4] 

3. THE BIBLE IS ARCHEOLOGICALLY AUTHENTICATED.  There are hundreds of example of how archeologically has confirmed the Bible.  I will give one of the most obvious - the falling down of the walls of Jericho.  For years liberal critics rejected the story, insisting that walls don’t just fall down, and the Israelites could not have marched around it 7 times in one day because it was so large.  “Then Professor John Garstang, a British archaeologist, excavated the site of ancient Jericho and discovered that the walls of the city had fallen so completely that the attackers were able to climb up and over the ruins into the city.  Why was that so unusual?  Because the evidence showed the walls had collapsed outward.  But in this case just the opposite occurred - just as the book of Joshua records.”[5]  One liberal scholar said, whose name I cannot recall, “I finally have to believe the walls of Jericho did fall down, “to which I replied, “I am sure God was greatly encouraged.” 

4. THE BIBLE IS SCIENTIFICALLY CORRECT.  The Bible is not a science book, but since it is all true, when it speaks of scientific matters, it is reliable.  Example:  Before 1492 and when Columbus discovered America, many believed the world was flat.  “Columbus had to overcome this popular opinion in order to finance the voyage that led to his discovery of America.  Columbus was convinced as he sailed from Spain that he not only would not “sail over the edge” but that he would eventually find his way back to Spain.  He wrote in his diary: “For the execution of the voyage to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.  It is simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied.  What prophecy from Isaiah was Columbus referring to?  “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.  He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (Isaiah 40:22) Columbus was convinced that the world was a circle, not flat, and that there was no danger at all of “sailing off the sea.”  It never occurred to him that Scripture would be scientifically unreliable.”[6]  Another example:  George Washington died from “blood bleeding.”  “The blood loss came from a common cure for many illnesses in the day - attaching leeches to the skin of the patient to “bleed” the illness out of the body.  Usually the opposite effect happened:  the patient would die from losing blood, the greatest source of energy and infection fighting power his body had.  If only doctors had taken this verse seriously from a medical standpoint: “For the life of a creature is in the blood.”(Lev. 17:11) 

5. THE BIBLE IS PROPHETICALLY ACCURATE.  Any rational and honest person would believe in the veracity of the Bible because of its staggering accuracy in foretelling events which have already come to pass.  Thirty percent of the Bible consist of prophecy, and not one of its prophecies has ever been shown to be false.  Ex:  We think of the Psalms as the “Psalm of David,” written about 1000 years before the birth of Christ, and yet there are some 25 prophecies of detailed events concerning Christ in the Psalms such as: 

Prophecy:                                                       Fulfillment: 

            Incarnation - Psalm 2:1-12                                John 1:14

            Creation - Psalm 8:3-8                         John 1:3; Col. 1:16

            Death, Resurrection - Psalm 16:8-11                1 Cor. 15:3

            Betrayal - Psalm 41:9                                       Luke 22:3

            Millennial Reign - Psalm 132ff               Rev. 20:1-6

            Ascension - Psalm 110:1-7                               Acts 1:11  

6. THE BIBLE IS UNIFORM IN ITS MESSAGE. The Bible is actually 66 books, written over a period of 1500 years by 40 different authors, living on 3 continents (Asia, Europe, and Africa), writing in three different languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic) on many controversial subjects, and yet concentrating on one theme, human redemption, and being in perfect agreement in their theological conclusions.  A scarlet thread runs from Genesis to Revelation, revealing that redemption is only through blood sacrifice - lambs in the Old Testament and the Lamb of God in the New Testament.[7] 

7. THE BIBLE IS PERSOANLLY TRANSFORMING -  The Bible, if true, must go beyond accuracy.  Something can be true and factual but have no personal significance.  But the Bible has proven to bring about personal, spiritual, physical, emotional and eternal change in innumerable persons, whole nations, and civilizations.  Example: 

1. St. Augustine, the foremost thinker of the church from AD400-1500, was an immoral, corrupt heretic until he heard the words of Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”  He believed these words and was gloriously converted.  His “Confessions” are perhaps the greatest testimony on the power of the gospel to transform a life in history.
2. The Apostle Paul was a mean, self-centered, self-righteous “murderer of the saints,” and “religious terrorist,”  until he met the risen Christ on the Road to Damascus, and he, the “Master Destroyer of the church” became the “Master Missionary” to preach Christ to the ends of the earth.
3. Martin Luther, A Catholic Monk, was walking in darkness and spiritual bondage, until he confronted the Word of God in Habakkuk 2:4, quoted also in Romans 1:17; Gal. 3:11; and Hebrews 10:38, “The Just Shall Live by Faith.”  It is alleged that Luther heard these words from God Himself as he was ascending the “Scala Santa” in the Church of Rome, believing that every step he ascended worthily would reduce his years in purgatory for 14 years.  I climbed these steps myself years ago and saw with my own eyes about a dozen of the “faithful” still climbing these steps.  On and on I could cite great transformations which have occurred in history, but in the interest of time, I will mention just a few I have witnessed in my ministry: 

(1)    Dr. Carl Bates, pastor of FBC, Charlotte, was desperate and suicidal in a motel.  He tore a page out of the Gideon Bible with which to wipe his razor before he cut his throat, when Romans 6:23 caught his eye, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Immediately convicted that he was facing physical and spiritual death, he fell on his knees, repented, trusted Jesus and became a great preacher, pastor, and seminary professor.

(2)    John Pace,  a red neck engineer, believed all preachers preached for money and none of them got his mind “out of the corn field,” he told me, until he heard me preach on a third grade level.  He was immediately overcome  by the simplicity and glory of the gospel, and for months attended our church, saying to me as he would leave, “Thank you, you  are the only guy who ever got my mind out of the corn field.”  Finally, a brother by the name of George Farrington, led him to Christ, and he became so happy in the Lord that I named his right foot “glory” and his left “Hal,” for when he walked he was just praising the Lord every moment of his life.

(3)    Janey Spencer, the best secretary on earth I believe for 19 years, a professed Christian and Southern Baptists, who joined the church and was baptized because “she loved God and wanted to be baptized with her friends.”  She sought to serve the Lord for some 30 years before she discovered she was lost and headed for hell.  She cried out to me in a prayer meeting, “Dr. Bennett, I’m lost, I’m lost, for I never trusted Jesus but went to the Father, by passing the cross, and never knew this until you came and told us we must repent and trust Jesus, not just believe in our heads.”  She fell on her knees and cried out for God to forgive and save her that day and became one of the most radiant Christians I ever knew.

(4)    Rodeo Outlaw, Arizona

(5)    Orthodox Jewish Ophthalmologist -Houston, Texas

(6)    C. S. Lewis

(7)    Campbell Morgan

(8)    Vance Havner

(9)    Billy Graham

 

 Questions and Answers 

1. The Bible is a book of 69 books, 39, 27, or 66?  Which?
2. The Bible consists of 1,189 chapters, 1246, 1442?  Which?
3. What was the only Old Testament book not in the Dead Sea Scrolls?  Why was it left out?
4. The Bible was written in three languages: Which?
   1. Hebrew, Greek, Arabic
   2. Latin, King James English, Greek
   3. Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic
5. The authors of the Bible lived in:  Which?
   1. Europe, Asia, Asia Minor
   2. Europe, Africa, Crete
   3. Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. 
6. The Bible is non-contradictory.  Does this mean there are no apparent contradictions or problems of understanding parts of the Bible?
7. Have all these problems been answered by anybody?
8. Can you name a book which answers more than 800 problem questions?  (The Big Book of Bible Difficulties by Dr. Norman Geisler,.)
9. Does this book explain how the sun could stand still, etc?
10. Have you ever read a passage of the Bible you did not understand after much prayer, study and reflection?  What did you do?
11. What did perhaps the greatest expositor in the last hundred years say he did when he came to a passage he could not understand?  (Campbell Morgan)
12. Even though you may not understand a passage today does God promise he will reveal the meaning later?  Read Phil. 3:15.
13. Are there mysteries we should not expect to understand?  Deut. 29:29
14. Why does God reveal the meaning of His Word?  Deut. 29:29b
15. My mentor Dr. Lee Eddleman said to me, “Bill, I am not impressed when someone tells me he believes the Bible is infallible,” and then he told me why?  Guess what he said?
16. What did the 5-Point Calvinist say to me?
17. Utterly Personal Questions concerning each of us and the Bible?
    1. Do you really believe your Bible is the very Word of God?
    2. Do you really believe the Bible is God talking to you personally?
    3. Do you believe that makes the Bible your most valuable earthly possession?
    4. Then what are you doing with your Bible?
18. What should you be doing?

 

DAMNABLE ERRORS TO AVOID IN INTERPRETING THE BIBLE: 

1.      1 Tim. 6:10 - Money a great evil

2.      Exod. 20:14 - Thou shalt commit adultery

3.      Ephes. 4:8 - Thou shalt steal

4.      Rev. 8:1 - No women in heaven

5.      Matt. 3:1 - John is a Baptist

6.      Matt. 24:36 - Setting date of Second Coming

7.      2 Peter 1:16-21 - God spoke in a vision

8.      Rev. 22:18-19 - Taking away or adding a Word

 

 

 There is no more intriguing and beneficial study in my judgment than the History of Satan.  In a day when many people deny the existence of Satan and others do not realize that he is much more than a “Pitchfork and a Pointy Tail,” the truth about Satan is especially needed.  So please note with me seven Great Stages in the Life of Satan: 

1.      Satan:  Pop Culture Image of Satan.  It happens every Halloween.  If you live in a community where there are children, you get trick or treaters dressed as witches, super heroes, demons and devils.  The latter are outfitted with horns, a pointy tail, a pitchfork, and even red skin at times.  This is pop culture’s most prevalent visual image. 

2.      Satan:  His Original State -  A glorious heavenly being of indescribable beauty, wisdom, music, etc.  Let God speak in His Word:  Ezek. 28:12-15, “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You were in Eden, the garden of God; 
Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God;  You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.  You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,  Till iniquity was found in you.” 

a.       Model of perfection

b.      Full of wisdom

c.       Full of beauty

d.      Adored in Garden of Eden

e.       Anointed as guarded cherub

f.        Ordained by God

g.       Walked among fiery stones

h.       Blameless in his ways.

 

Isaiah 14 -

a.       Wonderful music flowed from Satan.

b.      Blessed with perfect beauty

c.       Like the arch-angel

d.      Wisdom whether to love or not love God

e.       The angel was not only magnificent, but very important.  He walked on the holy mountain with God. 

3.      Satan:  His Fall from Heaven.  Isaiah explains the motives behind Satan’s disobedience before God kicked him out of heaven.  Isaiah 14:12-15, ““ How you are fallen from heaven,   O Lucifer, son of the morning!    How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!  For you have said in your heart: ‘ I will ascend into heaven,   I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;   I will also sit on the mount of the congregation  On the farthest sides of the north;  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,  I will be like the Most High.’  Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,  To the lowest depths of the Pit.” 

a.       I will ascend into heaven

b.      Exalt my throne above the stars

c.       I will sit alone on the mountain of the congregation,

d.      Will ascend to heights of the clouds

e.       I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH.    God’s punishment:  “Thou shalt be brought to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:17)

 A similar description of this fall is found in Ezek. 28:16-17, “In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire. 

Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.  I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.”[1] 

4.      Satan:  Our Deadly Adversary:

a.       Zech. 3:1-2

b.      Jesus - John 10:10

c.       1 Peter 5:8

d.      Ephes. 6:12

e.       2 Cor. 11:4  

5.      Satan - Defeated in Life of Obedient Believer in The Present.

a.       1 John 3:8

b.      1 John 4:4b

c.       Rev. 12:11

d.      Ephes. 6:12ff

e.       Defeated only by the right word  to answer his accusations (Matthew 4:4; Deut. 8:3; 6:16, 13).

f.        James 4:7  Luther, “I often laugh at Satan, and there is nothing which makes him so angry as when I attack him to his face, and tell him that through God (His Word) I am more than a match for him.

g.       Luther’s famous hymn was written to proclaim victory over Satan and it says “ONE LITTLE WORD WILL FELL HIM” (dethrone) What did he mean? 

6.      Satan’s Ultimate Doom in The Future

a.       First prophesized by God Himself speaking to the devil (Gen. 3:15

b.      Col. 2;15

c.       Cast into the bottomless pit 1000 years (Rev. 20:2)

d.      Confined to the lake of fire for all eternity (Rev. 20:10). 

7.      TWO GREAT ERRORS TO AVOID REGARDING SATAN

a.       To disbelieve his existence

b.      To believe he has the power and will exert it to defeat you.  In his renowned book, The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis says, “There are ERRORS into which our race can fall about the devil:  One is to disbelieve he exists, two, to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in him.”      

Questions and Answers: 

1.      Before the lesson today, what was your concept of Satan?

2.      Do you really believe there is a personal devil?

3.      Why do you believe this?

4.      Has the devil ever assaulted you?  If so, how?

5.      Was Jesus assaulted by the devil and did He conquer him?  How?

6.      If Jesus conquered the devil by quoting the Word verbatim, do you believe we must use the same weapon of the word as it is written in the Bible to defeat him?

7.      What would you say to a good Christian brother, who really loves Jesus and feels called to a special ministry, if he said to you, “Bill, the devil has been giving me and my wife a fit in recent days?”

8.      Evangelist Billy Sunday used to look down and point down as he preached and hung over the banister in the pulpit and preach to Satan in hell.  Was he Scriptural?

9.      Simon Peter wrote, “Be sober and vigilant for your adversary the devil is walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour?”  (1 Peter 5:8). 

a.       Was this statement by Peter autobiographical?

b.      Is Satan always like a roaring lion or “an angel of light”? (2 Cor. 11:14).

10.  Is it true that “The devil goes on every vacation, but he never takes one himself.”

11.  Flip Wilson used to say, “The devil made me do it.”  Does the devil make us do anything?

12.  I visited a young lady who killed her baby.  When I asked her why, she replied, “O I guess the old devil had me do it?”  Did he?

13.  Is this a good statement:  “When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future?”

14.  Can you quote a verse of Scripture to Satan to show his horrible future?

15.  The King James Version never uses  the word “demon,” but the word “devils.”  Example: James 2:19, “The devils believe and tremble.”  The word translated “devils” is the Greek word daimonia, which means “demons.”

a.       Why is it wrong to use the word devils in the plural?

b.      Why did the King James translators use the word “devils” when there is only one devil?  Because they believed that “demons” were little devils.  Were they correct?

16.  Why does the devil need “demons” as helpers?

17.  Are the “demons” to the devil what the Holy Spirit is to Jesus?

18.  Do you know a friend whom the devil is beating up?

19.  If so, what should you say to him?

20.  Before this lesson, were you permitting the devil to overcome you?

21.  If so, will you begin to internalize God’s Word so you will have the weapon to defeat Him?

22.  What happens if you marry a child of the devil?

 

Joke:  What did the man in church say to the devil when he came at him with a pitchfork? 

Painfully Personal:

 1.      If you are saved and the devil tells you are not, would be able to answer him with a definite  Scripture?

2.      How would you answer him, if he said, it is God’s will for me to marry my 25 year old secretary and ditch my 50 year old wife, and mother of my children?

3.      Satan, “You’re too busy to pray and internalize the Word and God will understand.” Your reply.

4.      Satan, “Pornography does not hurt anyone.”  What would you say?

 

 DID YOU KNOW THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MINISTRIES OF MMM IS TO SHOW MEN HOW TO DEFEAT THE DEVIL?

 
      

 1] James L. Garlow with Keith Wall, Heaven and the Afterlife, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Bethany House Publishers, 2009, p. 112.

 Perhaps the most Amazing Statement and Promise Jesus Ever made is found in Matthew 6:33, which in effect says, “PUT ME FIRST AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL IN PLACE.”  Every one of us is confronted with innumerable choices every minute of every day on this earth, but the question we should ask, “What is the most important priority?”  If you put it FIRST, every other single thing will fall in place.  If you fail to put the FIRST THING FIRST, then nothing will fall in place.  Your life will be in constant turmoil, frustrated, restlessness, failure, which describe the average life of the average guy on this planet.  The great preacher, Dr. Vance Havner, lived a generation ago, but he said to me prior to his death in 1983 - “Modern life can be summed up in three words:  HURRY, WORRY, BURY.”  But not the life of the obedient child of God.

 Let us examine and dissect carefully the words of Jesus - “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…”  “Seek”  is a powerful verb in the present tense imperative mood which means “keep on striving, never cease, never give up, put your whole heart, soul and strength into seeking until if someone sees you he will immediately see you are seeking the kingdom by what you say, what you do, the way you use your time, spend your money, etc. 

 Exploring  further into the gracious promise and demand of Jesus, please note three actions you and I must take if we would obey the command and claim the promise thereof:

 I.                    FIRST, I MUST EXPERIENCE A CONSTANT CONNECTION WITH THE KING HIMSELF in order to be a participant in His kingdom.  If anything else is in First Place, your priorities  are WRONG, even if those things are good and wholesome.  If family, job, money, habits, golf, fishing, eating, education, etc. are FIRST, the KING is not FIRST  and you disqualify to live in the joys of His wonderful kingdom.  You put the King first, God will be so real and active in your life, you won’t worry.  Just think how putting the King first will transform your marriage, family, finances, peace of mind, etc.

 II.                 SECONDLY, I MUST SURRENDER TO THE RULE OF GOD OVER MY ENTIRE LIFE.   Note “Seek Ye The Kingdom.”  What is the Kingdom?  Kingdom means “Rule”  (Basileia)  and so to seek His Kingdom is to surrender to His Rule.  My heart and your heart are  a THRONE:  One of two persons  is sitting on that throne:  SELF or the SAVIOR.  When KING SELF is on the throne, the Savior is on the cross; when SELF is on the cross, the Savior is on the throne.

 ·        HOW DO WE KNOW IF THE KING OF KINGS IS IN CONTROL:  By 2 simple words:

1.      Your Calendar - the way you are spending your time - what’s really important to you.

2.      Your Check Book - the way you spend your money - the real values you  live by - possess.

 III.               THIRDLY “I MUST EXHIBIT THE CHARACTER OF GOD IN MY LIFE.  When you seek God privately, people will see God in you publicly.  We’ll never make a difference in this world until the world sees a difference in us.  When we seek CONNECTION WITH GOD FIRST, when we surrender to the CONTROL or RULE of God over our lives, and exhibit the CHARACTER OF GOD  in our lives, we will then become a part of that noble company spoken of in Acts, “These are the men who turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) or as some would say, “They turned the world right side up.”  The early church began with 12 “red necks” (except Judas), it grew to 120 in the days of Jesus, became over 3000 after Pentecost, and by 313 AD had turned  the most powerful Empire in history “upside down” - Romans Empire- 773 BC - 476-1249 yrs..

 Questions and Answers:

 

1. What should be your first choice in 2012?
2. What are the three things you must seek in order to claim the promise that all other things will fall in place?
   1. Seek the King first, (Connection)
   2. Seek His Kingdom, secondly (Control)
   3. Seek His Righteousness, thirdly (Character)
3. What will be the major result in your life if you choose these three priorities according to Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34?
4. What do you think is the greatest compliment you could ever receive?
5. Ask me the greatest compliment I ever received?
6. How much will it cost you to put Jesus first?
7. How much will it cost if you fail to put Him first?
8. What is Jesus’ cure for worry which He stated in Matthew 6:25-33?
9. Is putting Jesus first what the world would call fanaticism?
10. In reality who is a fanatic?
11. Are you willing to be a fanatic in the eyes of this world or would you opt for being a non-entity?
12. If your life is in order today, why?
13. If you life is a mess, why?
14. A fanatic in the eyes of the public marched down the street with a sign on his chest which read, “I’m a fool for Christ’s sake.”  Everybody laughed and cried out, “Look at that fool.”  But as this man proceeded down the street, the observers could see his back which read, “WHOSE FOOL ARE YOU?”
15. Everybody on this earth is a FOOL FOR SOMETHING - what are you a fool for?
16. Do you have the courage to look at your Calendar and Check Book today and make the changes you need to make to put Jesus first above all if He is not already?
17. Does the lesson today:
    1. Encourage you?
    2. Disturb you?
    3. Frighten you?
    4. Change you?

 

 

 

 

 

 How many persons on  the earth will desire to do well in 2012?  All 7,000,000,000 of them and that includes you and me.  Then will everything have to go well and make sense for us to do well in 2012?  Absolutely not, for everything is not going to go well and make sense in the life of anyone of us in 2012.  So the question is, has anyone ever done well in life when nothing makes sense and everything went wrong?  Yes, two persons - Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Joseph.  You would say, “I’m not surprised to hear that Jesus did well under all circumstances for He was the Son of God and I cannot expect to emulate Him.”  Okay, but Joseph was a human like you and me and yet he did well every year he lived.

 

Let’s note a brief profile of the life of Joseph:  Joseph is the most beautiful type of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.  The great expositor AW Pink writes, “There are 101 correspondences between Jesus and Joseph.”  He was loved by His father above all the other sons and given a multi-colored tunic, he was hated by his jealous brothers, sold into the hands of enemies (Gen. 37), falsely accused of adultery and thrown into prison for 13 years (Gen. 39).  He was exalted,  and became the savior of the world for all the world had to come to him for bread (Gen. 41:57), and finally Joseph said to his ungodly brothers, “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order …to preserve many people alive.”  (Gen. 50:20).

 

Why did Joseph do so well “When Nothing Made Sense” in his entire life?  Note his following actions:

1.      Joseph did not demand to understand.  Joseph did not understand, but never once did he demand an explanation.  He obeyed Prov. 3:5-6.

2.      Joseph did not fail to be faithful and consistent, both to God and man. No “Yo-Yo religion.

3.      Joseph did not bow to bitterness - he had every right humanly speaking to, but he never yielded.  He was “kind, tenderhearted one to another, forgiving others even as God for Christ’s sake had forgiven Him” (Ephesians 4:32).

4.      Joseph rested in the assurance that God was with him.

5.      Joseph knew that God would never, no never, ever leave or forsake him (Heb. 13:5).

6.      Joseph never once doubted,  or pouted, but obeyed God under every circumstance.

7.      Joseph did not rush God but trusted God to do right for God’s glory and his good (James 1:3).

8.      Joseph was content with God’s provision.

9.      Joseph was strengthened by the companionship of God’s presence (Gen. 39:21).

10.  Joseph knew that a godly attitude, not aptitude, determined his altitude.

11.  Joseph honored God, not man, under every situation. When tempted to commit adultery at the insistence of Potiphar’s wife, he cries out, “How can I do this great evil and sin against Potiphar?”  No, “How can I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9b).

 

Question:  What enabled Joseph to have the above godly attitudes?  Genesis 39:21 answers, “THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH.”        

 But why was the Lord with Joseph?  Because Joseph obeyed the Lord and left the consequences in His hands, believing His God is ALL SOVEREIGN BUT ALSO ALL LOVING and causes all things to work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

 In a nutshell, you and I will do well in 2012 if we trust and obey the promise of Jesus Himself in John 14:21, “He who has My commandments (in his heart) and obeys them, he it is who loves Me, and …I will love him and disclose (make Myself real) to him.”

 

Questions and Answers.

 1.      Did you have a good year last year, even though everything did not make sense?

2.      If everything made sense in 2012, would that mean you would do well in 2012?

3.      Did you have a bad year in 2011 because nothing seemed to go well?  If so, could you have had a good year if you followed the example of Joseph?

4.      Did Joseph make New Year’s Resolutions or their equivalent?  Ex:  He resolved not ever to commit adultery with another man’s wife (Gen. 39:9b).

5.      Why did Joseph’s resolution work when most New Year’s Resolutions do not today?

6.      The law was good, but it did not work for mankind?  Why?  (Romans 8:3-4).

  

We cannot think of Christmas without thinking of a Birth, a Miracle Birth, the Virgin Birth of Jesus, the Son of God.  While the Virgin Birth is paramount, there are six other Miracle Births mentioned in the Bible, making seven in all, whose impact upon humanity, history and even eternity are so enormous that we are justified in calling them “Miracle Births.”

 

1.      The Miracle Birth of Adam -  The word Adam means “red clay,” for out of the dust God “created man” and “created Adam in His own image,” “male and female He created them.” (Gen. 1:28).  And they were fully grown and fully functional persons.

2.      The Miracle Birth of Eve -  God performed divine surgery on Adam, placing him under sleep sedation, then taking a rib out of which He created Eve in His own image (Gen. 2:21-22).

3.      The Miracle Birth of Isaac - There are some things which just do not occur in the natural world:  One of those things is that no 90 year old woman and 100 year old man begets a child.  Yet this is precisely what happened in the birth of Isaac.  Abraham, writes Paul, was “good as dead,” and the womb of Sarah was “dead” (Romans 4:19) when Sarah conceived and bore a son called Isaac.  Not exactly  a “Virgin Birth,” but one almost as miraculous.  I have often said that if a Jew could accept the birth of Isaac he should have no problem believing the Virgin Birth. Note the dialogue between God and Abraham,  “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

 

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.  Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’

 

Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord?  I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.’”[1]

4.      The Miracle of Physical Birth.  So marvelous is our physical bodies, that Thales, ancient Greek scientist, was converted to Christ after studying the human anatomy.  The discoveries of modern scientists prove that the human body is a miracle beyond words to describe.  “Within each cell  of your body, the chromosomes are couched inside a nucleus.  Within the chromosomes is a structure called DNA.  DNA is super-molecule that stores coded hereditary information.  It is made up of two long chains of chemical building blocks paired together.

 

To understand DNA, think of a computer program.  It stores and transfers encoded information and instructions.  Likewise, the DNA of one human being stores enough  encoded information to fill one thousand books, each with five hundred pages of small, closely printed type.  This information is far more sophisticated than that of any computer software.

 

Scientists are beginning to realize that cells containing such a complex code and such intricate, chemistry could never have come into being by chance.  No matter how chemicals are mixed, they do not create DNA or any intelligent code.  Only DNA reproduces DNA.

 

Sir Fred Hoyle, an internationally recognized astronomer and mathematician and one of Great Britain’s foremost scientists, said that the chance of life coming from non-life is about 10 followed by 40 zeros.  What does that mean? Hoyle says, ‘There is about as much chance of life being spontaneously produced as there is a tornado blowing through a junkyard and building a Boeing 747.”[2]

5.      The Virgin Birth - Virgin births were non-existent, utterly impossible by biological generation, with no occurrence even one time until the Virgin Birth of His son, Jesus of Nazareth, 2004 years ago.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not see how such a birth could occur, but trusted God’s Word, and Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary through the miracle of the Virgin Birth (Luke 1:34-35).  The Jews flatly denied the Virgin Birth, charging Jesus to His face that He was “born of fornication.” (John 8:41).  For 2000 years the unbelieving intelligentsia have assaulted the Virgin Birth including the most visible radio preacher in the USA 50 years ago, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, who arrogantly asserted, “I want to assure you that I do not believe in the Virgin Birth.”

6.      The New Birth - Closely related to the Virgin Birth of Jesus is the new birth of Christians which is as much a work of the Holy Spirit as the Virgin Birth.  When any person turns from his sin (repentance), trusts Jesus and Him alone (surrenders to Him), the Holy Spirit enters into his life, making him a new creation who never existed before.  Paul describes the new birth in these powerful words, “If any person be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17).  In a real sense a born again person has no past.  God turns him into a person who loved sin and evil, even a hater of God, to one who loves God with all his heart and his fellow man as himself.   History records that after Saint  Augustine was born again, he was walking down the streets when accosted by a harlot with whom he had sinned for years with the call “Aussie, Aussie, please turn back; it is I who is calling,” to which Augustine replied, “But I am no longer the Aussie you knew; I am a new man.”  In Texas a man used to tie his horse at the tavern every day and go in to drink, but he was born again in a Graham meeting, and the next morning tied his horse in front of the Methodist church.  A friend saw him and cried out, “Brother, have you lost your mind; you’ve tied your horse at the church, not the tavern.”  To which he replied, “I was born again last evening and have changed hitching posts.”

7.      The Miracle Birth of the Nation of Israel - Every nation has had its beginning at some point, but no nation in history was ever born in one day, except the Nation of Israel, born may 14, 1948.  The prophecy that Israel would be restored at all was rejected by the intellectual world,  even whole denominations; but not only was Israel restored, but in one day, and began speaking a dead language, Hebrew, a feat without precedent in history. After nearly 2000 years, a nation was born in a day; a nation that had been dormant and dead for two millennia came to life on May14, 1948.  It is an incredible story that is truly inexplicable apart from the unique place of Israel in the mind of God and His plan for the world.  At that moment approximately 650,000 Jewish people lived in the land.  Forty million Arabs immediately declared war on little Israel, surrounded them, and vowed to drive them into the sea.  That tiny nation was outnumbered 100 to 1 in population, 1000 to 1 in military equipment.  In one day the nation had to defend itself against six Arab nations, but miraculously won the war and two more after that.  Today with a population of 7.5 million, Israel is the 4^th strongest military power in the world, and the only Middle Eastern nation that produces tanks, planes and weapons.[3]  Note:  the Jewish People’s Council did not wait for the approval of the UN, but proclaimed Israel a nation at Tel Aviv Museum on May 14, 1948.  The world stood in amazement, most of which rejected Israel’s existence.  However, President Harry Solomon Truman immediately recognized the new nation, making the USA the first nation to do so.  President Truman took this action because as a Southern Baptist he had read in  the Bible that Israel was a special nation in the eyes of God. So he lived up to his middle name, Solomon.

 

Questions and Answers:

 

1.      An unbelieving professor said to his students, “Young people, I would advise you never to believe anything you do not understand.”  Why is this rule unreasonable and impossible to live by?

2.      “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” (Genesis 1:1)  If you believe this very first statement of 10 words in the Bible, would you have difficulty in believing all other miracles in the Bible?

3.      “If born once, you die twice, if born twice, you will die only once.”  Explain this great Biblical truth.

4.      How many of the 7 births have you experienced?

5.      God told Adam that he would die the day he ate from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:17)  Yet Adam did eat and lived to the ripe old age of 930 (Genesis 5:5).  Explain this apparent contradiction.

a.       How old were Adam and Eve at birth?

6.      How are the Virgin Birth and the New Birth alike and different?

7.      Which is the greater miracle, the Virgin Birth or the New Birth?

8.      How does John 1:12-13 define the New Birth?

9.      Why did the extremely religious Pharisees, like Nicodemus, not qualify for the new Birth? (Matthew 5:20; John 3:5).

10.  Would the New Birth be possible without the Virgin Birth?

11.  If you ask an individual the question, “Are you a Christian?” and he replies glibly, “Oh, I’m a good ole Baptists, good ole Methodist, or good ole Presbyterian,” what is the spiritual state of such an individual?  And how should you respond to his testimony?

12.  How should we rank our denomination in describing our spiritual condition - 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd?

13.  I identify myself as 1^st a Christian, 2^nd a  Baptist, and 3^rd, a Southern Baptist.

14.  According to the polls what percent of professing Christians believe Christianity is a religion not a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

15.  Do you agree with Billy Graham, “The greatest mission field in the world is the church?”

16.  Does the Bible tell us how good enough we must be to enter into heaven?

17.  Some time ago someone asked me if I knew I was going to heaven and before I could answer went on to say, “Of course you are going to heaven because  ________________(fill in the blank).  Now fill in the answer I gave, “I would not depend on _____  ________  __________  __________  __________  ________ into heaven.”

18.  Who is Tim Tebow and why has he made international news in recent days?

19.  What are his critics saying about him?  And how can we support him”

20.  I want to invite him to be the guest of MMM, to speak at Kenan auditorium and would you attend and help in the expenses in bringing him to Wilmington?

21.  During Christmas you probably visited with your “in-laws” and “out-laws.”  What is the difference?

22.  Identify the Straits of Hormuz and its significance in world affairs today.