Give the First of Your Produce - Proverbs 3:9-10

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NASB)

We’ve spent the last few weeks looking at the condition of our hearts while giving, that God loves cheerful giving. We must pray about what God wants us to give and commit to obey Him.

Now we will look at why

9
Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the first of all your produce;
10
Then your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Here God says that we are to give from the “first of our all our produce”. That means we are supposed to work out what we’ll give first, at the top of our budgets, not budget for everything else and then give from what’s left. Under the Law, people had to tithe, which means one tenth. Whatever they produced, they were first to give 1/10 of it to God, which meant to support the church. Then they were to live off the remaining 9/10. We are not under the Law, so this isn’t a mandate for us, but it is still a Biblical model to follow.

This takes faith and prioritizing. God says that our barns will be filled with plenty. We have to be careful not to read the prosperity gospel into this. But we do need to trust God that He will provide enough for us.

Heavenly Father, as we present our offerings today, we remember your words in Proverbs 3:9-10. We thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon us, and we humbly offer back to you a portion of what you have so generously given, recognizing that everything we have comes from your hand. Strengthen our faith and please bless us by showing us your abundant Grace and provision. May these gifts be used to further your kingdom and bring glory to your name. We pray in Jesus’s name, amen.

Condition of Your Heart - 2 Corinthians 8:1-7

Continuing our series on the condition of the heart when giving.

2 Corinthians 8:1-7

8 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor [a]of participation in the [b]support of the [c]saints, 5 and this, not as we had [d]expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.

7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the [e]love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

The most important verse to me is this: 5 and this, not as we had [d]expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

God is concerned with the state of our heart much more than He is with our actions. The state of our heart determines our actions. God wants us right with Him so we are able to hear what He is telling us. Only then, can we do God’s Will. It might result in our giving being what we think is beyond our means if that is where God is leading us. I don’t know what that amount is for you, that’s between you and God. I only know it’s important that when we discern God’s Will for us, we obey.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today with grateful hearts, remembering the example of the Macedonian church as described in 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. Just as they gave generously and with joyful hearts, we ask that you fill us with the same spirit of giving, allowing us to offer our gifts freely and cheerfully, recognizing that everything we have comes from your grace. May our offerings today reflect our love for you and our desire to share your blessings with others in need. Guide our giving, Lord, so that it may be used to further your kingdom and bring glory to your name. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

What Giving Is and Isn't

This is a very practical, mechanical  talk - on the second page of the bulletin - see Financial News. See the monthly need vs. monthly giving.
What is included in need?
Rent, Sunday school materials, supplies for Fellowship dinners, etc.
Pastor’s salary and benefits
The money to meet those needs comes from all of us. There isn’t another source.
Ultimately it all comes from God, via us. God provides for our needs, and out of what He provides, we support our church.

What giving isn’t - it isn’t a “price for admission” or a “tip”. It also isn’t mandatory. We aren’t under the Law. What you give is between you and God. I’m going to do my best to explain “Biblical giving” and “tithing” to us. As with everything Biblical, it’s up to each of us to apply it to our own lives and circumstances. Also as with everything Biblical, if you don’t understand something, God has a few ways He talks with us: ask other Christians for guidance, study your Bible, pray for understanding and guidance.

Next week I'll talk about giving as worship. In subsequent weeks, we'll learn about giving and the state of our hearts, and then we'll learn about why we do it.

Prayer
"Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts, recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes from you. As we present our tithes and offerings today, we acknowledge that all we have belongs to you, and we offer these gifts as an act of worship and thanksgiving for your abundant provision. May these gifts be used to further your kingdom and to spread your love throughout our community. We pray that our giving will be a reflection of your generosity, and that we may always be faithful stewards of all that you have entrusted to us. In Jesus' name, Amen.".

Scripture as a Mirror - "You Know Who REALLY Needs to Hear This?" - James 1:19:27

If you would rather listen to this, it's posted at https://www.fellowshipbaptist-pa.org/sermons-studies, under January 17, 2021.

Introduction

I wrote this introduction back in April. I stumbled upon it when I was looking for my previous sermons, so I could get the format right. “Well, I think I just found my intro, Tracy.” This really hit home for me.

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as I am working from home and rarely leaving the house, interacting with people other than my immediate family electronically, I'm finding that my noticing other people's foibles and imperfections is amplified, straining my ability to tolerate them. I find it increasingly difficult to extend the grace that God has given me to some people in my life. At the same time, I find myself counseling others that they need to extend grace to people for these very reasons. So I find myself saying what Paul said in Rom 7:14 NASB

“For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”

During my morning prayer to kick off my workday, (which also hasn't been happening like I want) I prayed about this, and these thoughts came to me, which I wanted to write down. Hence this post.

 

How do I do what I would like to do, rather than what I hate? First I have to indeed want to hate it. At the moment, I don't want to hate getting irritated by other people. I'm enjoying getting irritated and feeling superior. That's my flesh talking. So this morning, first I prayed that God help me extend the grace he's given me. But then I realized that I don't really want to extend it. So I changed my prayer to ask Him to get me to WANT to extend the grace. I do WANT to want to show grace. So that must be my regenerated spirit. Without a regenerate spirit, with Christ's life in me, I wouldn't be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so I couldn't want anything other than to satisfy my flesh. So I think I'm on the right track today: at the very start of a potentially long track, but the right track at least.

Here is a short and amusing video to set the stage. https://youtu.be/-4EDhdAHrOg – It's not about the nail

Today we will look at the letter of James, starting with chapter 1, starting with verse 19. Eventually we'll read to verse 27, and then part of chapter 3. I think it applies to the idea of the flesh, and of getting irritated by others, and actually wanting to extend grace to others.

 

James is the book that tells us that faith without works is dead. When I read it, it seems very practical. It gives us a lot of direction on what we are supposed to do, how we are supposed to act, and what state our heart needs to be in while we're doing it. James makes it very clear that our works don't save us, but rather are more of a reflection of and a result of what's in our heart. We glorify God – make Him visible – with our works. We do the works not to earn His favor, but to glorify Him.

 

The Scripture

So here is James chapter 1, starting in verse 19.

19 You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 20 for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

 

Let's stop here for a minute. First off, James says “You know this”. If this were spoken, I can imagine a tone that says “Come on people, we've talked about this!” So maybe this has been an ongoing problem. Now, it doesn't actually say that, but I don't think it's a stretch. Maybe this is something we need to be reminded of from time to time.

 

Back to what is written -  he tells us that man's anger doesn't bring about God's righteousness. I think you could substitute “irritation” or “ungrace” for anger here and it still works.

 

Also, let's examine the word “receive”. Does that mean just to get it and put it on the shelf? Is it like when your hands are full and someone brings you the mail? You'd say “Just leave it over there for me”. Did you receive it? Let's look elsewhere in Scripture for that word.

 

The first occurrence of the word receive that I found is in Genesis 4:11

"Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

Since the Old and New Testaments were written in different languages, I can't be sure. But, I think this one means the same thing that James means, since he says to “receive the word implanted.”. It seems to imply action as well. In the case of the mail, in order to receive it, you need to pick it up and use it for its purpose. Its purpose might be for you to move it to the trash can, to enjoy a photo of your friends' kids, or to learn that you forgot to pay the water bill. In the case of of the Word, one of its purposes is get inside of you and become a part of you, so you can know God.

 

James says to receive it in humility. I like to be reminded to be humble. I'm quite proud of how humble I am, so for me it feels like a pat on the back. But every once in a while, I slip and pride rears its ugly head. Pride seems to lead to all manner of sin, maybe all sin, since if we are honest with ourselves it usually means we think we know better than God. We need to remember Whose word this is, and view ourselves in perspective to Him. That ought to keep us humble.

 

The key points in this first part are:

•         Listen

•         Don't talk so much

•         Don't get angry so much

•         Humbly receive God's Word.

 

Continuing in James chapter 1, verses 22 to 27

 

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Explanation

In that passage, James compares us to someone who looks in a mirror and then forgets what he saw. Then he says to look at the law, and then continues to tell the reader to think about own heart and actions. I believe it's fair to say we should be using Scripture primarily as a mirror, and use it to examine our own hearts. The only time he even mentions someone other than God or the reader is to tell us to visit widows and orphans. And while we're looking in the mirror, James uses the image of a bridle with regard to our tongues, to tell us that if we don't control our tongues, our religion is worthless.

But I see others, and myself of sometimes, of using Scripture more like a window, or a telescope or microscope. We'd much rather look at the speck in our brother's eye than the plank in our own, and then leave our tongues unbridled because the other person really needs to hear about their speck. They really need to hear about their sin.

And I realize by saying that, I am doing it right now. I was doing it back in April too. This makes it a little awkward for me. However, this is the topic I felt led to cover, so here I am.

I'm not talking about looking in a “rear view mirror”. If you're saved, I don't mean we need to look at how we were before we were saved, at how dirty and depraved we used to be. We aren't those people anymore. I'm talking about the regenerated people we are now. Are we allowing God to show us where He wants to work in our lives to sanctify us? Or are we too busy finding the ways that God needs to sanctify other people? If you haven't been born again, I'm still not talking about the past. I'm talking about now. You need to recognize your sin and that only Jesus can save you.

Let's move to chapter 3 that seems to support my “mirror theory”, where James talks about how many teachers we need.

James 3:1-5

1 Do not become teachers in large numbers, my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to rein in the whole body as well. 3 Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well. 4 Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?

He compares teachers to a horse's headgear and to a ship's rudder. The bridle is where the bit and the reigns are attached. It is the way a rider controls the horse. Of course the rudder is what controls the ship's direction. James makes the point that compared to a horse, the bit, reins, and bridle are small, yet they are enough to control the entire horse. Similarly, a ship is controlled by a relatively small rudder. Small pieces, large effects. He uses these images to say that a small number of teachers can steer an entire church body.

 

Similarly, our tongues are small, yet they are capable of very large effects, so we usually don't need to say too much. Barry likes to quote me, although I don't think I am really the source, to “preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.”  Like a small flame that can result in an entire forest being set on fire. Fire itself isn't inherently bad, of course. But it must be used carefully, and rather sparingly. And verses 10-11 tell us to make it only a source of good, not bitterness.

 

 

Application

If we apply this part more broadly, I think it tells us that the body doesn't need that many advisers. People just don't need our advice about their walks all that often. Now if they ask, of course engage with them. But unbidden, it's probably not necessary, and almost never when talking about someone not present – then it's likely to be gossip. Someone really doesn't need my advice on what sin I see in yet another's life. If you can find a verse that contradicts that, I am open to correction. I am asking for your advice.

 

I believe all of this supports my assertion that Scripture is supposed to be mostly a mirror, rather than a window. It is primarily for examining our own hearts, not putting between us of while we examine someone else's life. Worse yet, it is not to be used as a telescope, to watch others from afar, or a microscope to inspect others. And for most of us, it is not primarily for advising others; otherwise, we'd all need to be teachers.

 

However, this doesn't mean we are supposed to completely ignore what other people are doing. That's why I said “mostly a mirror”. I wonder if Scripture gives us any idea of how much looking outward vs. looking inward we should be doing.

 

The book of James contains 102 verses in 5 chapters. Here are the last 2, James 5:19-20:

19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back,

20 let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Those are the only verses that say anything about correcting another's course. So we do have a role in helping others to get back on course. However, the other 100 verses essentially direct the reader to examine his own heart. Saying things like:

3:13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom

4:8 Come close to God and He will come close to you.

I believe that my theory is supported elsewhere in Scripture. In prepping for this sermon, I found at least 6 pages’ worth of verses about examining oneself. I just give you one example:

Proverbs 10:14,17-19

14 Wise people store up knowledge,

But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

17 One who is on the path of life follows instruction,

But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.

18 One who conceals hatred has lying lips,

And one who spreads slander is a fool.

19 When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,

But one who restrains his lips is wise.

This is a pattern throughout Scripture. It instructs the reader in what to do, not in what the reader should make sure someone else does or what to think about what someone else is doing. It's usually not telling us to look at them at all, except to see when someone is in need so we can help them, or sometimes saying that we're behaving as badly as they are. A case could be made that verse 17 is telling us to look at someone else, but even that, the warning is not to go where they lead. The guidance about watching others is about what we're supposed to do.

 

When we focus on what others are doing, we begin to think better of what we’re doing than we should. I'd also like to caution assuming you know another's motives for something. Humans have a tendency to assume their own motives are positive and that someone else's are selfish. What do you think might cause this? Could that be our old enemy, pride?

 

However, the idea to examine ourselves is doesn't mean to do it exclusively. I mentioned the last two verses of James, talking about leading someone back to the truth. Should Christians call out sin? My answer is “very carefully.” We need to make sure we’ve checked in our own heart, our own sin, our motivation, and what we hope is the outcome. We have to make sure what we’re addressing is scriptural, and not just based on our own preferences or biases.  We must be mindful of the flaws in our own strengths. What? Flaws in our strengths? Well many strengths, carried to extremes, can become weaknesses. Some of us have good memories. Some of us are verbally articulate. Some of us place a high value on truth and accuracy. However, under the influence of pride, any of these strengths can become a weakness when we also mix in a little of our flesh. So again, use Scripture as a mirror, a lot, before talking to someone else about their sins.

 

And ultimately, we need to have a relationship with the other person that is built around trust. I've heard many times that we must earn the right to counsel someone else about their sins. “They won't care what you know until they know that you care”. If we don't have that, the answer about calling out sin is almost always “no”. Really, what's the point? Would calling out sin to someone you don't have a trusting relationship with lead to their repentance? Would it glorify God? It might. But in my opinion, it rarely does. I think to believe otherwise is prideful.

 

Let me be clear on this though: I will never compromise on what the Bible says is sin. If someone asks me, I will answer truthfully with what the Bible says, and also that it says it clearly and that I believe it. If they are asking, it would be prideful not to share what I know; their asking is a sign that God is working on them. But if they aren't asking, and I don't see any evidence of the Spirit working in them in this regard, I think there is no point. In these cases, I believe it is my job to love them, model Godly behavior, preach the truth without words, and let the Holy Spirit do His job to convict and draw people to themselves.

 

Even among people who “claim to be believers”. To me, the subtext of that statement is “but I don't think they're really saved,” to which I respond “that's not your call”. It's fair to talk about what they think it means to be saved to make sure they understand, so you know how to talk with them. But the presence of a particular sin in their lives does not mean they are not saved. If it does, we're all in trouble. So if they say they are saved and seem to understand what that means, I believe them. As such, I believe the Holy Spirit indwells them, exactly the same Holy Spirit who indwells me, in exactly the same way. If He indwells them, He will take care of whatever adjustments they need. (This same idea applies to a believer's motives, btw) That same Holy Spirit within me will compel me to get involved if He wants me to, probably by compelling the other person to involve me somehow. Maybe they'll bring it up in discussion. If so, my advice is to lead with a question like “Do you know what the Bible says about that? Let's look.” And that's different than “Do you know the Bible says that is sin?” Do you see the difference? One is inviting, the other says “you're wrong, I'm right, and I can prove it.” Discerning whether it's the Spirit's guidance or my flesh is crucial. It's probably a good idea to ask for some advice from another mature believer.

 

There are places in Scripture, like Matthew 18:16, that tell us how to address someone who is openly sinning in our congregation; however, in the nine years I've been a member of FBC, I have not been called upon to act in that capacity. Also, I'm not talking about my own children here. It is my responsibility to teach them God's ways and correct them.

 

Conclusion

My overall point is that Scripture is to be used MUCH more as a mirror than a window. In James, the ratio between verses about looking at myself vs. looking at others is 50:1. In nine years at FBC I have not been called to discipline anyone. So slow down and ask yourself if you really are in that one-in-50 situation.

 

To wrap up, I ask you if you're using Scripture as a mirror most of the time. Are you spending time examining your own heart, or are you spending more time looking at what others are doing? Are you seeing yourself as a vast store of wisdom that everyone should be benefiting from, or are you showing it by your works and waiting for them to come to you? Are you trying to be a rudder, when really what we need is more rowers or someone to swap the deck? If you are, guess what I'm going to say – turn to Scripture and examine your own heart – a lot – before you talk to them or someone else about their sin or what they really need to do. I think that if you are really listening, 98 times out of 100, you will see things very differently.

 

I want to leave you with some encouraging words, and they are these: you don't have to do any of this on your own. In fact, it's not just foolish, but wrong, to try. Scripture tells us we have help – here are three verses.

 

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13 NASB)

Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. (John 14:27)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

 

During Barry's message this morning, I had a few thoughts that I'm
sure were quite moving and powerful, but sadly are now forgotten. I'm
sure it's because the next sentence of the message was even more
inspiring and powerful than the one that caused me to think of the
previous thing.  However, I had one thought that stuck with me, which
came to me while Barry talked about Revelation and how Jesus will
return and we'll be with Him.

I thought to myself, how fantastic would it be to have lived so close
to Him in my life, letting Him live His life through me as He wants
because He knows it's what is best for me, that His return would be no
more... jarring or dare I say, spectacular, for me than when Tracy
simply walks in from the next room? I "abide", or "share my tent",
with Tracy. I am with her all the time. In my house, there are no
walls between my kitchen and my living room. It's possible to be where
we can not see each other, but impossible to be where we can't hear
each other when we're both in this area. While Tracy is beautiful and
I love to look at her, it isn't a momentous occasion to be speaking
with her when she is in the kitchen and I'm in the living room and
have her come into view. It's a common occurrence.

Imagine being in such a close relationship with our Lord that when we
do see Him, that when we do finally see Him, it's no more momentous
than that, not because seeing Him isn't the most spectacular thing
ever, but because whatever happened right before it was only a tiny
bit, immeasurably tiny bit, spectacular? (I'm thinking about how out
we are to hate our brothers and parents, as compared to how much we
love God, or how the best things in this world is filthy rags or
garbage when compared to the Kingdom. Imagine if your life in Him
today were such that it was only a tiny bit less wonderful than when
see Him.)

So how about we shoot for that? (Many people might say to "strive" for
that, but one of my brothers in Christ would get an eye twitch if he
heard that. So I shall use a different word.) I say that kind of
relationship is something to aspire to.

Handling other people's foibles

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as I am working from home and rarely leaving the house, interacting with people other than my immediate family electronically, I'm finding that my noticing other people's foibles and imperfections is amplified, straining my ability to tolerate them. I find it increasingly difficult to extend the grace that God has given me to some people in my life. At the same time, I find myself counseling others that they need to extend grace to people for these very reasons. So I find myself saying what Paul said in  Rom 7:14 NASB

  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

During my morning prayer to kick off my workday, (which also hasn't been happening like I want) I prayed about this, and these thoughts came to me, which I wanted to write down. Hence this post.

How do I do what I would like to do, rather than what I hate? First I have to indeed want to hate it. At the moment, I don't want to hate getting irritated by other people. I'm enjoying getting irritated and feeling superior. That's my flesh talking. So this morning, first I prayed that God help me extend the grace he's given me. But then I realized that I don't really want to extend it. So I changed my prayer to ask Him to get me to WANT to extend the grace. I do WANT to want to show grace. So that must be my regenerated spirit. Without a regenerate spirit, with Christ's life in me, I wouldn't be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so I couldn't want anything other than to satisfy my flesh. So I think I'm on the right track today: at the very start of a potentially long track, but the right track at least.

I close with this famous passage from 1Cor 13:4-7 NASB 

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Gospel Reset Evangelism - Sermon from August 26, 2018 at Fellowship Baptist Church

Gospel Reset Evangelism

Evangelism has been on my heart lately. I feel like God has used me a lot over the last few years to support, encourage, and guide fellow Christians in their walks. I know it's good, it's discipling, and it's obeying the Great Commission to go out and make disciples. It's been very rewarding since it feels great to be used effectively by God, and I have no intention of stopping it.

However, I've been speaking to a friendly audience. They already are saved. The Holy Spirit is already within them. They already believe the Bible, at least most of it. They already know that God has saved them, so when speaking to them we can focus on the victorious Christian life – that allowing Christ to rule your life by letting the Holy Spirit guide you in your daily walk will lead you to joy and peace that defies all understanding.

I am much less confident when talking to lost people about matters of God. I'm not really sure how to approach it or what to say. It's uncomfortable. I'm someone who likes to be sure what I'm saying is right, so I rarely present things as facts unless I am prepared to back it immediately if challenged. I might know something is fact, but if I can't back it up immediately, I don't really present it as fact. I think this makes me less bold in my evangelism.

Fortunately, I like to read and learn, and there is no shortage of excellent material.

Today, I am presenting my book report on “Gospel Reset” by Ken Hamm from the Answers in Genesis team, the organization responsible for Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum in Williamstown, KY. It can be read in an hour or two, and it has revealed the influence of the world on my own beliefs regarding Creation, leading me to examine my them and begin my own research regarding the validity of the Biblical account of Creation. I want to tell you about it and I shall try keep my report shorter than the actual book.

Wake up!

This book is the third thing in as many weeks to tell me to “Wake up!” It started in Sunday School when we looked at the message to the church at Sardis in Revelation chapter 3. It happened again in another context, and now in Gospel Reset. I think God is speaking to me. The pastor surprised me by asking me to fill in with a sermon today, which I love doing. Those circumstances lead me to believe that I am supposed to tell you what God is telling me. WAKE UP.

Wake up to what? Wake up to the reality that our Gospel message often seems to be falling on deaf ears. People appear to be resistant to the message more now than ever before. Also, of the younger generation who grew up in the church, over half are leaving the church and never returning. Why? Do they need the Gospel less? Is it no longer true? Are people more stupid? Has the nature of humankind changed? No, of course not.

What has changed? I think we can agree that the culture has changed dramatically over the last 50-75 years. The older generations, even those who aren't Christians, have more of a Christianized worldview, due to the significant past influence of Christianity. But tThe members of the Millennial generation, born between 1982-2002, even many who are Christians, don't share this worldview. The education and culture has been secularized. Secular humanism and moral relativism rule the day. Millennials get beat up by the older people a lot, but criticism of the young isn't new. We older people got beat up by our elders in the same way. Most of us weren't “bad people” and neither are most of the Millennials. They're aware that they should treat people respectfully, kindly, and compassionately, often much more aware of it than the older people. But they don't have the same Christianized worldview that the older people had.

We can disagree about WHY this happened, but I think we can all agree that it HAS happened. My own opinion is that many Christians, particularly some very publicly visible “celebrity” Christians, became much more interested in what other people were DOING, rather than what they were knowing and BELIEVING. I think this led them to attempt to legislate morality, rather than to share the message of the Cross and Salvation, and then let the Holy Spirit take care of what they were doing. I believe this left a door open to the enemy to chip away at the Christianized worldview in most Western nations, the very worldview that led to great advances in prosperity and improvements to the general welfare. This open door allowed Satan to first gain a foothold with naturally rebellious youth, and then erode the Christian values that made up the fabric of our society.

Read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and it's evident that the writers' values and characters were based on Christianity, even though they didn't overtly say it. It very clearly does not say that Christianity is the official religion of the USA; however, it is replete with Christian language with references that make their Christian worldview clear, such as “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...”

Fast forward to today, and I think we can agree the many of our leaders and cultural icons do not espouse quite the same worldview as the Founders.

Today I will spend some time highlighting the chasm that exists between our Christian worldview and the secularized worldview. I think you already believe it exists; I want to give you some ideas so you can show other people it exists. Then, being the pragmatist, I will spend more time on what we do about it.

The Chasm

The author of Gospel Reset suggests that Millennials speak a different language. I suggest that it is nothing new that younger generations speak a different language than their elders. But what's different about it this time is that the two groups don't agree on foundational ideas. In a bygone era, say “God” in a public school, and there was little doubt that you meant the Creator referenced in the Declaration of Independence. Today, mention God in a public school and the response is likely to be either hostility or confusion. “Which one? The Christian God? One of the Hindu gods? The Muslim god? The New Age god within each of us?”

If, in a public school of the olden days, you said that we were going to “read a Bible story”, most expected a historical account. Today, after you get through the subsequent lawsuits and injunctions, people would think “fiction” or “fairy tale”. At best, they would put it equivalent to one of Aesop's fables. They do not think “authoritative, trustworthy, infallible, and inerrant”, largely because secular culture and schools have indoctrinated them against it.

Maybe you're thinking “That's crazy! God is God, there's no confusion.” Here are a few examples from the author of words having different meanings to different groups. He grew up in Australia and moved to the US. He tells stories about when his car battery “went flat”, when he needed “petrol”, and when he, yes HE, told someone over the phone that he was “nursing a baby”! He meant that his battery was dead, he needed gas (but it's a liquid, he said!) and he was simply HOLDING a baby. Even when speaking the same language, if we don't understand how words are being used in context, we have serious difficulty in communicating. If we do not understand this, we won't understand the divide between the worldviews, or how to communicate the Gospel to the younger generation.

Researchers from the Answers in Genesis team found well over half of young people who say they are born again believe that good works will save you and that gay marriage is fine. This leads me to agree with the author that a main reason they are leaving the church is that they are confused. Their parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors have not taught them how to answer to the skeptics' difficult questions. We haven't taught them apologetics.

Not only that, many churches are teaching them that it's okay to treat Genesis as a collection of fables, not history. But how you view Genesis dictates how you interpret the rest of the Bible. If you don't believe the accounts in Genesis really happened, you can't see why you need a Savior, and that God promised that He'd take care of it.

Outside of churches, in public schools and in the culture, people are taught that the Bible is a myth and that it's okay to ridicule people who believe otherwise.

Two approaches to preaching

So what are we to do? Many faithful Christians tell us to “Preach the Gospel!” While that's true, what exactly does it mean to “preach the Gospel”? Most Christians flip right to the last third of the Bible and start with Jesus, which in bygone eras, worked just fine since they already know about the first part. But you wouldn't do that with any other book, would you? Would you flip to the end of a mystery novel, read the end and say you understood the the criminal's motives or the methods of the investigator? The author of “Gospel Reset” compares this to starting to build a house by building the roof, then trying to build the walls. Instead he presents a radical idea – start at the beginning!

He makes a strong case for this whole idea of differing foundational worldviews by comparing two episodes from the book of Acts. He compares Peter's sermon in Acts 2 to Paul's in Acts 17.

In Acts 2, Peter is talking to Jews. Jews understood that God is the Creator in Genesis. They understood sin, Adam and Eve, and the Fall. They regularly sacrificed at the temple because of sin. They understood the need for a sacrifice, and they knew about the promise of the coming Messiah in Genesis 3:15. Our Western culture used to be like the one in Acts 2.

Notice that Peter appeals to their knowledge of the prophet Joel and to the Psalms of David.

Read Acts 2:14-36

In Acts 17:18 Paul speaks to the Greeks in Athens. He starts by talking about Jesus just like Peter did, but Paul got quite a different result. “And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.”

Later in 1 Cor 1:23, he writes “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,”. Why was Christ crucified foolishness to Greeks? Because they had no concept of a single Creator God, no history of Adam and Eve, the Fall, or the entrance of sin and death into the world. They didn't understand the sacrificial system or the need for a sacrifice. So the idea that Christ was sacrificed to save them from their sins and restore the relationship with the Creator God was “foolishness”. They weren't necessarily looking down their noses and laughing condescendingly (as evidenced by their continued interest in Acts 17:19), it was foolishness because they didn't have the foundation needed for it to make any sense to them.

So what did Paul do?

Read Acts 17:22-34

Notice: some sneered, some wanted to hear more, and some were saved.

Today, Western culture is an Acts 17 culture. Everything around us is “Greek”. Media and entertainment is “Greek”, schools are “Greek”, so 90% of the time, our kids are among and influenced by “Greeks”. People in our culture today are “Greeks” but we preach and evangelize like they're “Jews”. We say “repent and trust Jesus”, but this is foolishness to them because they don't understand. They might reject the message outright, but it might be simply that they don't understand. Truthfully, from a worldly human perspective, the message doesn't make sense. It only makes sense to someone who understands Genesis.

How did Christians allow our Acts 2 culture to turn into an Acts 17 culture? I shared my opinion earlier, but the author of Gospel Reset suggests something different. He says that many Christians have stopped trying, saying that we are in the End Times, and saying “This is expected, bring it on!” But this is fatalism, it's not not Biblical. They think the worse it gets, the sooner until Jesus returns, so we can just wait.

Some say that today it's as bad as in Noah's time. But this response isn't supported in Scripture. Genesis 6:5 tells us that only 8 people got on the ark. There are more than 8 Christians in this room, let alone in the whole world. Regardless, Noah didn't just wait. Waiting isn't the right response. Philippians 2:15 tells you to “...prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,” and Paul told the Romans to put on the armor of light, not to sit back and let everything go down the toilet. As times get darker, Christians must shine more brightly. This is an opportunity to work, not to wait.

What are we to do?

The author of Gospel Reset challenges us to “Contend for the Faith. Give answers for what you believe. Preach the Gospel .” He presents as support Jude 1:3, 1 Peter 3:15, and Mark 16:15, respectively. He also says that leaders who are straddling the chasm between the worldviews must pick a side, and references Joshua 24:15: “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The Gospel has not changed. The way we present it must. You've heard it said “the Bible is one story,” but I say to you, “present it that way.” Today's “Greeks” are on the wrong road. How do we get them onto the right one? Paul needed to start at the beginning of the Bible in Athens. We can follow his example.

I suggest that we can only do this and contend for the faith, by being ready to give the answers for what we believe. For today's “Greeks”, saying “the Bible says so” isn't an effective way to contend for the faith. We need to educate ourselves on their arguments, and understand how science supports what is written in Genesis. But always remember, our goal isn't to “be right” and smack them down, it's to lead people to Christ. Remember that Peter said to do it “with gentleness and reverence”.

Examples where science supports Genesis

I'll give you two examples where science supports what's in Genesis, and refer you to www.answersingenesis.org for the details of these and many more.

Fossils are found all over the earth. These are the remains of life that were somehow preserved intact. It doesn't look like new fossils are being created today. Why not? When a creature dies, what usually happens? Scavengers come and... dispose of it. It doesn't stay intact. In order to stay intact, it has to be buried – quickly. Most of the fossils are found in the same layer of the Earth. A global flood is an excellent explanation for how lots and lots of creatures could be quickly buried and thus preserved.

Carbon dating is used to determine the age of things in and on the Earth. Volcanic rock's age relative to when it was last molten lava. However, rock that we know the age of because we know when the volcano erupted shows up as much older. Mt. St. Helen's erupted in 1980, but tests age the rock around 300,000 years. Proponents of carbon dating say that's because the methods don't work on young rock. But the only way to know for sure the age of anything is to witness its creation or find a written account of someone who did. So how can they say the rocks are millions of years old? Carbon dating! I encourage you to check this one out on www.answersingenesis.com for a more thorough look at the assumptions made in carbon dating and the circular reasoning used by its proponents.

“Practical DeGreeking”

I'll close with a summary of what the author of Gospel Reset calls “Practical DeGreeking”.

He recalls a time after speaking at a conference when a young man said to him “I'm homosexual and believe in gay marriage. What do you think?” Rather than telling the young man that he was sinning and must repent, he recognized this probably wouldn't work since the man was probably “Greek”. First he needs to understand the young man's worldview. The man says he's not Christian, so the author tells the young man that he wants to explain why he has the worldview he does and how he approaches the issue. He starts with the Bible, and the man says he doesn't believe the Bible and rejects religion. The author responds that he does believe the Bible, and would like to understand why the man doesn't believe it's the revealed Word of God as the author does. The young man answers that he believes science, and the author asks for some examples to illustrate so he could have the chance to answer them.

He first sought to find out what answers he can give to help the young man understand why the author believed as he did. The discussion continued for a while and the author was able to show how his worldview is built on Genesis. The man could see the clash wasn't really about how they viewed marriage or homosexuality, but about the difference between their starting points. Then the author was able to explain the Gospel, beginning in Genesis with Adam and Eve and the Fall, thus establishing the need for a Savior.

If the young man had said he was a Christian, he would have challenged him from the Bible, beginning in Genesis. He said when he does this the other person usually says they don't take the Bible literally like the author does. They usually claim there is scientific evidence that disproves Genesis as literal history. Then the author does his best to show that science has not in fact, disproved the Bible.

His point is that we can't assume that they're “Jews” and thus will understand the typical terminology or why Christians believe the way they do. So we first have to determine if they are really “Greeks”, understand where they are coming from, and why they believe what they do, so they don't get the impression we're simply trying to impose our beliefs on them.

Get this – we have to ask them questions and listen to their answers in order to determine what it is that they need to hear. We can't just preach at them! We need to come along side them and they need to feel it.

Conclusion

So what have I said today? First I said we needed to wake up and see that today's culture is more like Paul's Greeks in Acts 17 than Peter's Jews in Acts 2. With “Jews” we can start with Jesus and the Good News, because they already understand God, the Fall, sin, and the need for a sacrifice. With “Greeks”, we must start in Genesis and explain God, Adam and Eve, the Fall, sin, and the need for a sacrifice, because they don't already understand it. If we started with the Cross, it would be foolishness to them.

Then I repeated the author's call to action. We can't just “wait for Christ's return”, because we really don't have any idea when that will be. Sure, we're in the End Times. We're closer to His return now than we were 20 years ago, but that's because 20 years have passed. We are to be a light in the darkness, not just sit around and wait.

I hope that I have convinced you that with the Holy Spirit's guidance, we can and must try to reach today's “Greeks” by changing the way we present the Gospel, by starting in Genesis to build the needed foundation. I gave you a few examples of responses to some common challenges to the veracity of the accounts in Genesis, and I pointed you to some resources to learn more. I think it's critical to educate ourselves so we can contend for the faith and be prepared to defend what you believe. Again, I issue the challenge to prepare yourselves.

Finally, I summarized the author's example of how to approach the task of evangelizing to those without the foundation that the Christian worldview lays.

This study has personally challenged me to examine my own beliefs. I feel like I'm in the process of having the impurities burned away so that I'm only left with pure gold. I think most of the impurities in this one area are gone, but that the gold is still in a liquid form, waiting for the Master Craftsman to pour it into His mold. I invite you to join me.

References

Gospel Reset by Ken Hamm, published 2018

Acts 2:14-36

Peter’s Sermon

14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,

‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;

And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

And your young men shall see visions,

And your old men shall dream dreams;

18 Even on My bondslaves, both men and women,

I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit

And they shall prophesy.

19 ‘And I will grant wonders in the sky above

And signs on the earth below,

Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.

20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness

And the moon into blood,

Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.

21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord always in my presence;

For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.

26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;

Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;

27 Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades,

Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

28 ‘You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Acts 17:22-34

Sermon on Mars Hill

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.