[By Elizabeth Prata]

The truth about grace

Posted on March 14, 2017March 14, 2017 by elizabethprata

Grace is a concept. But it’s not just a concept. Grace is a gift, but it’s not just a gift. Grace is a force. Think about how powerful grace is. Think about its power as it exists in Jesus, as it is delivered to the saints, its common state as it covers the world, and its special state as it enlivens the saints to do our work.

Here is an excerpt about grace from a sermon from John MacArthur called, Strength Perfected in Weakness, looking at this verse: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In speaking of the linchpin part of the passage, ‘my grace is sufficient for you’, MacArthur said,

But grace is not just an inert sort of concept; it is a force, it is a power. It is a power that transforms us. It is a power that awakens us from sleep. It is a power that gives us life in the midst of death. It is a power that is dynamic enough to transform us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It is the power that saves us. It is the power that keeps us, the power that enables us, the power that sanctifies us, and the power that one day will glorify us. You have to look at grace as a force, a divine force that God pours out into the lives of His people at all points to grant them all that they need to be all that He desires.

Grace is a gift.
Grace is a state.
and…
Grace is a POWER.

prophecy, Uncategorized

Predestination means people are elected as vessels of wrath, too. Part 3

Posted on March 13, 2017 by elizabethprata

Vessels of Wrath Part 1 here
Vessels of Wrath Part 2 here

A few days ago I’d posted an essay about predestination. This is the doctrine where the Bible teaches that God is completely sovereign over everything that happens, including individual salvations. He elects people to salvation, independently and apart from foreknowledge of any decision they make. It’s all His grace, and not our decision.

People dislike that doctrine and fight against it. One of the reasons people resist the plain truth of the doctrine is that people want to think that somewhere in their heart or mind, they chose God. However, we are dead in sins and trespasses and have no ability to choose God, or ‘make a decision’ about our salvation. It is granted to us. (Galatians 3:22). We have no part in it, except the resulting gratitude and service in His name.

The verse to consider today is from Romans 9:21-24

Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

There are vessels of mercy, and there are vessels of wrath. Considering anything regarding God is weighty and should fill the saved and the non-saved with awe and humility. But to really consider His work of judgment should bring to mind the famous comment attributed to martyr John Bradford, “There but for the grace of God go I”.

Here is M’Cheyne preaching on the Romans verse. In my opinion, it’s brilliant. The full sermon is here.

——————————–

The Vessels of Wrath Fitted to Destruction
by Robert Murray M’Cheyne

I come now to the third point–the reason given why believers are saved. Verse 23 – “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.” One reason why there are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction is, that God may show by contrast the riches of his grace on the vessels of mercy. You know, brethren, we learn many things best by contrast: for example, the rainbow is never seen so bright as in the bosom of a dark cloud. So, brethren, we shall never see the love and com passion of God in them that are saved so gloriously displayed as when we see his wrath poured out on the vessels of wrath. This, then, is one reason why there are vessels of wrath.

I believe that the “riches of glory” here spoken of are the whole rainbow of the divine attributes displayed in the salvation of souls. It was for this reason that God provided that there should be vessels of wrath fitted for destruction. This may appear to you very awful: it is so to myself. I could not and dare not speak of it if it were not here in God’s own Word.

I would just show you one or two of his attributes that will be brilliantly illustrated in the salvation of souls. One is, the sovereignty of God. I have often told you of this. Many of you do not believe it; but there is a day coming when God will put it beyond a doubt. There are whole churches – whole bodies of professing Christians – that deny it; but there is a day coming when there will be none in heaven, or earth, or hell, that will deny it. Suppose that day were come, and this congregation divided, some on the left hand, some on the right, will you not see then God’s sovereignty in the contrast? You were once all the same. You were under the same condemnation. Some of you came out of the same womb – were nursed at the same mother’s breast; yet it will be seen that some will be taken and some left. What made the difference? Every creature will see that God made the difference, that he had “mercy on whom he would have mercy.”

Another is, the pardoning attribute of God. At present this is denied; but, brethren, in that day it will be made known. God will make known the riches of his glorious mercy on the vessels of mercy. O brethren, when one vessel is cleansed and taken up to glory, and another is left to perish, and when you see that they were equally sinful, then you will see that it was blood that made the difference. God will make known the riches of his mercy in the vessels of mercy, as well as his wrath in the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.

Let us learn a few lessons from this subject. And –

1st. All will not be saved. It is a fearful delusion among you – I do not say you avow it, but you practically say, you believe – that there will be no hell. It was God’s plan that there should be vessels of wrath as well as vessels of mercy. Brethren, it is better it should be so. O do not dream! All will not be saved. There are vessels of wrath as well as vessels of mercy. Some of you, I think, are going to hell, and some, I trust, are going to heaven; and doubtless it is best it should be so, though I cannot explain the reason of it. The net has good and bad fishes: some will be taken into the vessel, and some will be cast away.

2nd. Every one of you will be to the glory of God. You will be made to glorify him in one way or another. You will either do it willingly or unwillingly. You must form a step to his throne. Ah, brethren! I believe each of you will yet be a beacon or a monument – either a beacon of wrath or a monument of mercy, “He hath made all things form himself; even the wicked for the day of evil.” Yes, wicked man, you would rob God of his glory if you could, but you cannot. If you come to Christ, you will show forth his glory in saving you; but if you do not, God will show forth his power in destroying a vessel of his wrath.

3rd. There is a third lesson we may learn. It is, the chief end of God in the world to manifest his glory. Many think, especially infidel men, that God’s chief end is the happiness of his creatures; but, from deep study of the Word of God for years, I see that it is not so. If that were his chief end, all would be happy. His chief end is diverse – it is self-manifestation. Had it not been for this, God would have remained alone in awful solitude. I would desire to speak with deep reverence on such a subject. This seems to be the reason why there are vessels of wrath as well as of mercy – that they might be mirrors to reflect his attributes. And I believe, brethren, when creation is done, and when redemption is done, that there will then be a complete manifestation of the glory of God.

4th. Another lesson we may learn is, God is longsuffering to the vessels of wrath. I remember a person who once argued with me that she must needs be a child of God on account of his goodness to her. She enumerated many blessings she had received – how God had protected her in a foreign country, how many trials she had been delivered out of, and how many domestic comforts she had enjoyed. My only answer to her was, “The goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance.” It is no proof that you are a child of God that God has borne long with you. There would be many children of God here, if this were the case. Ah, brethren! Strange though it may seem, he does not want any to perish – he does bear long with you.

Last of all, the destruction of the vessels of wrath will be no grief to the vessels of mercy. I once spoke to you of this before; but I would again remind you of it. The redeemed will have no tears to shed; and here is the reason – the very destruction of the wicked makes known the riches of divine grace. O my believing brethren, it will be an awful day when we shall not weep to see them perish. The day is hastening on – the day when no more rivers of waters will run down our eyes because they keep not God’s law. But, O brethren, till that day come let us weep on; for, although God will be glorified in the destruction of the vessels of his wrath, he will be more glorified in making them vessels of mercy. The Lord bless his own Word. Amen.

—————–end——————

perfect love moon verse

God cares very deeply and eternally for His people

Posted on March 12, 2017 by elizabethprata

If you haven’t listened to Martyn Lloyd Jones’ series called Great Biblical Doctrines, you’re missing out. I listened to two this morning, Redemption: The Eternal Plan of God and The Covenant of Grace in the Old Testament. These and the other sermons in the series edify and encourage.

Tomorrow I’ll continue with the final essay in the 3-part series I’m doing on the vessels of wrath, but for the Lord’s Day, which is a day of rest, prayer, and exaltation of His glorious name, here is something encouraging Dr Lloyd-Jones said in both the above linked sermons.

God is so loving and concerned with His people that he declares in both the Old Testament and in the New, His faithful and eternal love for us. He restates His covenant of Grace over and over, to reassure us. he is our God, and we are His people! The Jews are His chosen ones, and grafted into that family of Abraham, are the church age saints, the Gentiles.

Because God is in heaven and we were not, we would otherwise never, ever know of His plan since before the foundation of the world to bring a people to Himself. But He condescended to tell us, and more than once. Here, see:

“At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:1)

And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Jeremiah 32:38)

And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:30-31).

You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:28)

What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)

and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Hebrews 8:10).

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Doesn’t that just make your heart swell with love and also crush your pride? Why, why does God want us? We’re awful, sinful, dirty, and depraved. It’s to show the riches of His mercy, His faithfulness, His righteousness, His love.

God Himself is such a blessing. Praise Jesus, and may His spotless name be revered throughout all eternity by His people.

god's love for us verse

prophecy, Uncategorized

Predestination means people are elected as vessels of wrath, too. Part 2

Posted on March 11, 2017March 13, 2017 by elizabethprata

The verse to consider today is from Romans 9:21-24

Here is Scottish pastor Robert Murray M’Cheyne preaching on the Romans verse. In my opinion, it’s brilliant. I’ll post M’Cheyne’s point 3 tomorrow, Lord willing. Part 1 is here. M’Cheyne’s full sermon is here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Vessels of Wrath Fitted to Destruction

I come now to the second reason why any are left to perish–it is, that God may show his power. “What if God, willing to make his power known?” We are frequently told in the Bible of the power of God. He said to Abraham, “I am the Almighty God.” We are told in the ninety-third Psalm, that “the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters; yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” We are frequently told of his almighty power; and not only so, but we have brilliant examples of it.

The first upon record is creation. “God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” “He spake and it was done – he commanded and all things stood fast.”

Another example of the same thing is, the constant providence of God. “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” He rides on the swift wings of the wind.

Another example of the power of God is, his restraining and bridling of the wicked. “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with the bit and bridle.” – Psalms 32:9. This is the way in which God holds the wicked.

Another way in which God makes his power known is, in the conversion of souls. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.” This is said to be “the wisdom of God and the power of God.” I believe the converting of a soul is something greater than the making of the world.

Brethren, there is one exhibition of divine power that yet remains – it is, the destruction of the wicked. “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?” I believe, dear friends, that the reason why God has raised up Pharaohs is to show his power in them. He said to Pharaoh, “For this cause have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee.” No, I say, in regard of those of you in this congregation who will die unsaved, that God has raised you up, to show his power in you. Thus, it is said in Isaiah 62, “I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” And then in Revelation 18, “She shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” And we are told by our Lord in Matthew 10:28, to fear God, “who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” You will notice in this passage that he says, “God is able to destroy”; and therefore, brethren, it is plain that there must be some great power exercised in his destroying the wicked; and I think it is to consist in this – God will destroy their well-being, but not their being. Here, then, is another exhibition of the power of God.

When lately in the north of Scotland, I stood on the sea-shore, and saw the rocks standing out of the sea. It was very remarkable to stand and see the mighty waves dashing upon the rocks. There were two things remarkable in it: first, the greatness of the rocks on which the waves dashed: second, the rocks remaining unmoved – no force of the waves could move them. Brethren, this scene is an emblem of what will be witnessed another day, when God shall pour out his wrath on the wicked. Ah, brethren! will it not be fearful to see God put out his power upon the wicked – to see him upholding them with one hand, and pouring out his wrath upon them with the other? Surely, brethren, the power of God’s wrath is very great. If any of you have seen a great furnace, you will have seen the power that the fire has; but fire is God’s creature. What must his power be who is the Creator?
——————————–

Predestination means people are elected as vessels of wrath, too. Part 1

Posted on March 10, 2017March 13, 2017 by elizabethprata

A few days ago I’d posted an essay about predestination. This is the doctrine where the Bible teaches that God is completely sovereign over everything that happens, including individual salvations. He elects people to salvation, independently and apart from foreknowledge of any decision they make. It’s all His grace, and not our decision.

The verse to consider today is from Romans 9:21-24

Here is M’Cheyne preaching on the Romans verse. In my opinion, it’s brilliant. I post ed M’Cheyne’s point 2 here. I’ll post point 3 tomorrow and the next day, Lord willing. The full sermon is here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Vessels of Wrath Fitted to Destruction

The following sermon preached on the afternoon of March 12, 1843, was the author’s last in St. Peter’s. “It was observed, both then and on other occasions,” says Andrew Bonar, “that he spoke with peculiar strength upon the sovereignty of God.” The following evening McCheyne’s illness commenced and on Saturday, March 25, he went to the Saviour whose glory he lived to proclaim.
“What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory?” – Romans 9:22,23

In a former discourse, brethren, I attempted to show you that the reason why God will punish the wicked eternally is, because he loveth righteousness. It is said in the eleventh Psalm, “Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup, for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness.” I then tried to show you, that God has created hell, and will maintain it for ever, not because He loves human pain – I believe it is not so, nor is it because He is subject to passion, as men speak of passion – but because the righteous Lord loveth righteousness.

And I showed you, as you will remember, what a certainty hell is to the wicked. If it had its origin in the love of human pain, then you might have hoped that it would have an end; or, if it proceeded from passionateness, then it might cool; but ah! when it proceeds from Jehovah’s love of righteousness, I see, brethren, in that a reason why “the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

There is a second question which no doubt has occurred to you: why are there any left unpardoned at all? Why was Adam left to fall? Could God not have held him up? Or, if it was necessary that Adam should fall, in order that Christ might die, why are not all saved? Surely there is efficacy in the blood of Christ to pardon all – why, then, are not all saved? There are many answers to that question which we will know in a higher state of being; but here is one; “What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory?” You will notice, brethren, that in these words the apostle Paul tries to give an answer to that question. He does not answer it directly, he employs a “what if”.

Let us enter into this subject a little more deeply. There are three reasons set down here why men are allowed to perish.

I. The first is, that God was willing to show His wrath. These words are terrible. We are told frequently in the Bible of the wrath of God. It is not like human wrath: it is calm, settled – it consists principally in a regard to what is right. This is the wrath of God. We are told a great deal about it in the Bible. It is revealed against all sin. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” – Romans 1:18 Observe the word “all” – it is against all sin. Then Colossians 3:6, “For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” We are told also, brethren, that this anger is constant. “God is angry with the wicked every day.” – Psalms 7:11. The bow of God’s justice is, as it were, already bent against the wicked, the arrow of God’s is already on the string against the wicked. And then we are told that His wrath is intolerable. In the Psalm which we were singing (Psalms 90:11), it is said, “Who knows the power of thy wrath?” And we are told in Revelation, “The great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?”

But we learn more by example than even by these declarations. We have many examples of God’s wrath and its consequences. The first example we have is, his casting the angels out of heaven. We are told by Jude, “That the angels which kept not their first estate, He hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day.” And we are told by Peter, “That God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” Now, brethren, in several respects this was one of the greatest examples of divine wrath we have, for it seems to have happened in one day. One day these angels were in heaven – the next in hell. One day they were angels of light – the next fiends of darkness. And then this made it fearful, when the Lord left them no room for repentance. One thing the universe might have learned from this was, that God will certainly punish sin.

Another example of God’s punishing sin was not in heaven, but one earth, when He sent the deluge upon it. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth.” And so it came to pass: “The flood came, and carried them all away;” and it has left traces on our world still, to show that God will not fail to punish sin.

Another example of divine vengeance was, when God destroyed Sodom. “Now, the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” The cry of its wickedness went up to heaven, and God sent down two angels, to see if it was according to the cry that came up; and they found it even so; and, when they had taken out just Lot, God rained fire and brimstone upon the devoted city; and he has left traces of it there to this hour.

There was yet another exhibition of divine wrath on earth – it was the death of God’s dear Son. If ever there was a time when God could have said that he would forego his wrath it was surely this. It was this for two reasons. First, because the object of that wrath was dear to God. There never was on in the universe so dear to God as his Son. And another reason was, Christ had no sin of his own. Just as his robe was seamless, so was his soul sinless. Nay, brethren, that one act of his – laying down his life, was so glorious, as an exhibition of God’s justice, that the universe never saw its “marrow”. “Yet it pleased God to bruise him.” These words do not give the least shadow of his suffering from God on account of our sin. Brethren, if any thing in the world can show that God will punish sin, it was the death of his dear and sinless Son.

There is one exhibition of his wrath yet to come. Verse 22 – “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction?” God is yet to destroy the souls that he has made–not the angels that fell, for he has done that already, when he cast them into hell, but the souls on which he has waited. There is to be a new exhibition of wrath that the world never saw the like of before. He is going to show what he will do to the despisers of his Son – to those who despise his gospel. it will be a new thing when “God will be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know him not, and that have not obeyed the gospel.” God waits to show his wrath. Ah, brethren! it will be fearful to feel it – it is fearful even to think of it. so I believe it will be with the wicked: they will be beacons, to show how God will punish sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 here

Part 3 here

Uncategorized

One day as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day

Posted on March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 by elizabethprata

The reality of a faith-filled life is a beautiful thing. Jesus’ sweet intercessions, His providential care, the magnanimity of His salvation, the ongoing gratitude we feel during increased sanctification, are all wonderful buttresses to the daily grind we experience. It’s wonderful to have Him to focus upon as the object of our adoration and awe.

Just as pondering His love and kindness is an encouragement, His wrath and judgment are weighty topics that should be mulled over as well. The fact is, many human beings will populate the Lake of Fire for all eternity, a devastating thought if you really chew on it for a while.

I’ll be posting a three-part series on the verse from Romans 9:22 about the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. I’d found a wonderful sermon from Robert Murray M’Cheyne, his last sermon in fact. He raised three important points about God’s electing people to be His ‘vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,’ and I intend to post them piecemeal over the next 3 days.

Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about the reality of hell for the lost. One of the verses I studied today was this from 2 Peter 3:8.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8).

In context, Peter is assuring his readers that the Lord’s final plan regarding His return and the judgment WILL come to pass. God is not slack concerning His promise, Peter goes onto state. The point of the verse was to remind the audience that God is outside of time and in control of everything. We read a parallel to the time thing in Psalm 90:4,

For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary explained the thousand year/day v. day/thousand year part of the 2 Peter verse.

No delay which occurs is long to God: as to a man of countless riches, a thousand guineas are as a single penny. God’s œonologe (eternal-ages measurer) differs wholly from man’s horologe (hour-glass). His gnomon (dial-pointer) shows all the hours at once in the greatest activity and in perfect repose. To Him the hours pass away, neither more slowly, nor more quickly, than befits His economy. There is nothing to make Him need either to hasten or delay the end. The words, “with the Lord” (Ps 90:4, “In Thy sight”), silence all man’s objections on the ground of his incapability of understanding this

When reading the J-F-B about the gnomon, œonologe, and horologe, I got pretty excited! More stuff to study. But for today’s thought, back to the beginning of thinking over the fate of the lost in the Lake of Fire for all eternity, it might be helpful to see the thousand year part of the verse this way. Though there is not a literal ‘day’ in heaven or in hell:

–Those who are with the Lord in heaven experience such post-life joy that a thousand years passes as one day.
–Those who are with the Lord in hell (He is not there but His wrath is), experience such post-life torment that one day is as a thousand years.

It is a sobering thought.

discernment, Uncategorized

Is the god of The Shack the God of heaven?

Posted on March 8, 2017March 8, 2017 by elizabethprata

Almost ten years ago author William P. Young published what became a phenomenal success in the publishing world, a book called The Shack. It has recently been made into a movie, which was released this past weekend.

I’ve written about The Shack’s theological issues and heresies before, and many other people have written against it as well. As a matter of fact, I was so upset about The Shack’s heresies and inroads in deluding my friends, that I write about it on my personal blog in 2008. It as that essay that started me thinking about creating a second blog to deal solely with theological issues, and a few months later I began my blog The End Time, which you are reading now.

I mulled over whether to post about The Shack, and had decided against it. There is already so much circulating about the movie that any Christian can easily find what they desire about the film, both supportive AND negative, more’s the pity.

But my friend Pastor James Bell of Gallatin TN wrote an essay and emailed it out, and I truly enjoyed his perspective. Pastor Bell isn’t a towering name in the evangelical world like Paul Washer. He’s not a preacher leading a famous church like John MacArthur. Nor is he President of a seminary like Dr Albert Mohler. He’s not someone of whom you have likely to have heard. He is a regular pastor who lovingly and consistently labors over his sheep in his section of the world, contending, encouraging, and sharing his wisdom and perspective via his pulpit and Facebook. He has been pastor at his church for 42 years, a feat I greatly admire the Holy Spirit for sustaining.

I’m going to re-post his piece because it’s wise and discerning and I wanted to give it an audience that might not otherwise be exposed to it. His piece is thorough because it’s a white paper, so it’s long. That’s OK. Just settle in and read it when you have time and no distractions.

So, Pastor Bell’s piece is below and then below that I post a link to my own essay about The Shack which also contains further links explaining why The Shack, book or movie, is not good food for the Christian, no matter how fervently a friend might gush that ‘it’s just so encouraging.’ The Shack is not encouraging. Really. It’s not. Please don’t convince yourself that The Shack is OK to read or watch because ‘it’s just fiction’. It’s not. Really it’s not.

——Pastor James Bell, Southside Baptist Church, Gallatin TN——

The Shack! In January, 2008, I went to Amazon.com, and was immediately amazed at all the praise of the book from pastors, theologians, and teachers along with other folk.

From the many reviews, I was promised that this was a most exciting book, that I would not be able to put it down, that it would be life-changing, that it would be a great resource to help folk win over bitterness and anger, that it was a great story of forgiveness, that most of all it was a great story about the love of God— especially about actually experiencing the love of God and experiencing close fellowship with God.

Moreover, I was promised that I would learn much about the true nature of God. So, I immediately ordered, received, and read the entire ‘SHACK’ book.

Here is some of what I found.

William P. Young, who calls himself, Willie, writes an apparently fictitious story about a man named Mack who (as a child) was beaten with a belt and with Bible verses by a drunken father. He later graduates from Seminary, marries and has a family. He, Mack, is described as not very religious and occasionally showed up at the local ‘pew and pulpit Bible church’… But Mack is an angry man. He is angry at God and especially after one of his children is abducted and murdered. However, it is evident that Mack’s concepts of God, the Bible and the Church of Jesus Christ are very flawed.

It is indeed a real life tragedy that masses folk— the religious, the not so religious and even many genuine Christians— have serious false concepts about God, the Bible and the Church of Jesus Christ. To solve this problem, Young’s book weaves an imaginary story to show how Mack was introduced to a very different god from the one he grew up hearing about.

However, now we are confronted with a new problem: The god Young creates for Mack is very different from true and living God revealed in Holy Scripture, who is quickened to believing hearts by the wonderful COMFORTER, the Holy Spirit.

Thus, The Shack is a very tragic book. As I read the book,

I went from being badly bored to being really sad.

Religious Fiction is a poor substitute for Biblical truth and also a poor substitute for truth teaching soundly grounded in and faithful to the pure revealed Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, He leads us into all truth; and it is the truth that sets us free.

The Shack is tragic because it is the story of a troubled man who clearly has a false concept of God, who is given yet another set of false concepts of God from the imagination of William Young.

Mack started with an idol and ends with a different idol. O, but many will protest—the story ends with Mack being forgiven and forgiving, set free and happy!

Yes, you can make fiction fit your desired conclusion. And, indeed, in real life there are multitudes who FIND a false peace and a false freedom by means of various false gods and religions.

Bottom line: Here are a few of the troubling quotes from THE SHACK.

I will reference the page numbers:

1. Page 16, We learn that Mack literally receives a type written note from ‘Papa’ [God]… telling Mack, “Mackenzie, It’s been a while. I’ve missed you. I’ll be at the shack (the place where Mack’s daughter was killed) next weekend if you want to get together. – Papa

COMMENT: Nowhere in 248 pages does Mack ever receive any specific instruction or revelation from God through the written Word of God! Instead he receives this above note; plus massive amounts of imaginary communication, via visions, dreams or whatever.

Of course, the defenders will claim that the book is ‘based upon’ much Scripture! Yes, there are a few concepts here and there that ‘square with’ Scripture… But no one ever bothered to tell Mack! For after all, Mack was enjoying a far superior way of God’s communication– God speaking in one’s mind and in visions and dreams. This is nothing but deadly… a path where every man will lean upon his own understanding.

Page 65- Mack, “In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped having any overt [open, not hid] communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by proper authorities and intellects.”

COMMENT: William Young (henceforth- WY) sets forth a bad situation and then offers his solution. I’m sure that there are religionists who are as he describes above. But that is not the Biblical model. Moreover, WY never offers the Biblical model as a solution, but rather he sets forth his own imagined solutions. This is true over and over in the book.

But also, if you take at face value the above statements— WY is SLAMMING the true nature and place of God’s Word. Indeed, he obviously does not hold to the absolute authority of God’s Word… for he does not set forth the revelation of God’s Word as solution for the problems Mack faces.

Mack is presented as needing to REALLY KNOW GOD and how to enter into a LIVING RELATIONSHIP with God, of how to understand the human problem of suffering, of how to deal with bitterness and anger, of how to have hope and joy.

The Holy Bible is FULL of amazing and manifold revelation of God! Manifold attributes of God are unfolded and HUNDREDS of names of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are given.

And the Holy Spirit, who BREATHED OUT the Sacred Scriptures, is now the believer’s DIVINE COMFORTER AND TEACHER… And IN CHRIST, our hearts are now HIS HOME… By the Holy Spirit, Almighty God makes His home in the believer’s heart. Indeed, the true Christian life is not religion but a living RELATIONSHIP.

The Bible is full of divine revelation as to suffering, as to depression and anger, bitterness, forgiveness, etc… and THE HOLY SPIRIT is ever present to personalize and apply the truth to hungry hearts.

But WY never tells Mack any of this. He never tells him that every real Christian is a believer-priest with the Holy Spirit, the MASTER TEACHER indwelling! WY never points Mack to any of the DIVINELY REVEALED NAMES OF GOD… and there are over 200 of them!

INSTEAD, WY pushes aside the pure and wonderful God-breathed Word of God in favor of his imagination. And thus, WY introduces Mack and all the rest of us to WY’s triune God!

1. God the Father is ‘Papa’… and he is a SHE— (page 82)- Mack arrived at the shack, knocked on the door, “the door flew open, and he was looking directly into the face of a large beaming African-American woman.”… and her name (page 86) is… “You may call me Elousia.” How interesting. God in His God breathed book has given divine revelation of His name… In fact, He has revealed Himself by many names. ELOUSIA is not one of them! Yes, the word ‘ELOUSIA’ has historical connections with false gods and has a root meaning of ‘tenderness’…

Is there ‘tenderness’ with the LORD, GOD ALMIGHTY? Yes! But consider: Let’s say, that your name is ‘John Henry Jones’… but I refuse to call you by your name… I give you a name that I want to use! EVEN ON A HUMAN LEVEL, THAT WOULD BE ARROGANCE and disrespectful.

But in The Shack, the author is supposed to be revealing the true God. We are dealing with ALMIGHTY GOD, WHO has revealed himself in creation, in redemption and with a multitude of divinely sanctioned attributes and names.

And all of God’s names and attributes, given in sacred Scripture, REVEAL who God is and what He is like. WY rejects a ton of Biblical revelation and creates his Shack god that has the features and characteristics that WY wants and not more. Such is the way with all man-made idols.

2. God the Son, Jesus is called Jesus in the book; and the Holy Spirit is shown as an Asian woman (page 87) whose name is Sarayu. Once again, there are many glorious descriptions and names given the blessed Holy Spirit in the pure Word of God. Sarayu is not one of them. Again, much like Elousia, Sarayu has a background in manmade religion… and also means, ‘air or wind.’

BUT HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE:

WY says he wants to show us what God is like; and yet he REJECTS, ignores, counts as unworthy of consideration the God-breathed revelation of Scripture and substitutes with his own creations! This is astonishing. And the masses love him for it!

3. All throughout The Shack, WY sets forth a very humanized god– all in the name that we need a God that understands us, that loves us, that wants a relationship with us.

And WY’s ‘Papa’ god is not only a woman, but she is VISIBLE to Mack and she has the SAME WOUNDS on her body as Jesus… (Page 95)…”…and for the first time Mack noticed the scars in her wrists, like those he [Mack] now assumed Jesus also had on his. She allowed him to tenderly touch the scars, outlines of a deep piercing… tears were slowly making a way down her face…

COMMENT: There is a ‘theological’ name for this false teaching: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Patripassionism is a Christian heresy from the time of the early church. Its adherents believe that God the Father [Patri] was incarnate and suffered on the cross. This is problematic in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity because the Christian Scriptures record Jesus Christ as speaking to God the Father while he was on the cross.

Let me be plain: On the authority of God’s holy Word, there is not the slightest bit of truth in what WY is saying.

If one is writing a book about a mere human; and they take ‘literary liberties with a few of the facts and details… OK… it helped make a good story or a good movie… it was ‘based on fact’…. But not a true history lesson.

HOWEVER, in dealing with Almighty God— to deny and ignore His revelation and to create a god one likes and to set him forth as VISIBLE when He is not— SUCH is not literary liberty. It’s just not the truth.

4. And then… on page 96… When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”….. WY’s god says, “Regardless of what he [Jesus] felt at that moment, I never left him.”

Wow! Now… who shall I believe— WY? or Jesus?

I’ll stick with JESUS!

5. Page 119-120… Mack asks the Shack god woman—“Weren’t you always running about killing people in the Bible? You just don’t seem to fit the bill…. But if you are God, aren’t you the one spilling out great bowls of wrath and throwing people into a burning lake of fire?”

WY’s created god of his imagination says, “I am not who you think I am, Mackenzie. I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.”

BE IT FROM Mack’s misconceptions about God’s righteous judgments… set forth in a way to slander the righteous character of the True God or in WY’s blatant denial of the holy wrath of God— IN BOTH CASES, horrifying man pleasing deceptions are set forth!

In a strange twist, WY has his papa/mama god saying, “Lies are one of the easiest places for survivors to run. It gives you a sense of safety, a place where you only have to depend on yourself. But it’s a dark place, isn’t it?” (page 187)

Such are the deceptions of the Shack book— The masses run to them. Man has always loved his own creations! Man loves a humanized god. He seeks to hide from the true God revealed in the Word of God and revealed in creation and revealed in the VISIBLE image of the invisible God, Jesus; and made real to human hearts by the indwelling Holy Spirit. But in the end, such hiding only brings darkness!

6. Page 198- “Mackenzie, religion is about having the right answers,…but I am about the process that takes you to the living answer and once you get to him, he will change you from the inside… You may see me in a piece of art, or music, or silence, or through people, or in Creation, or in your joy and sorrow… And you will hear me in the Bible in fresh ways. Just don’t look for rules and principles; look for relationship—a way of coming to be with us.”

As is often the case, the false and the true are mixed. Such is the case here. By the way the reality is that you can be almost anyone from any background and love the Shack. Why? It has no clear revelation or solutions. Each man is left to his own subjective interpretations.

A false dichotomy: The informal fallacy of false dilemma involves a situation in which two alternative statements are held to be the only possible options, when in reality there exists one or more other options which have not been considered. The concept is also known as false choice, false dichotomy, falsified dilemma. WY once again sets up a false dichotomy: 1. On the one hand we have all of Mack’s false concepts about God, about the Bible and about church… 2. Then WY will produce his solution in some form of his subjective, humanized sweet all love god.

WHEN ALL THE WHILE,

1. Yes, Mack has some real problems… many folk do; and there are real, even major problems in the churches… In fact— A lot of what claims to be God’s church, according to the Word of God, is not! She is harlot. She is not bride. She is broad road to destruction…. With a multitude of options, ideas, and experiences.

2. But the REAL solution is not found in subjective imagination or humanistic creation. You see, the problem is not that the Bible and/or Biblical Christianity has been tried and found lacking. The sad reality for most… and certainly for Mack… BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY and the true triune God had never been experienced.

From page 202, it is clear that Mack only had a ‘works’ concept of how to relate to God. He was a stranger to grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

WY IN 248 PAGES NEVER CLEARLY SETS FORTH THE BIBLICAL TRIUNE GOD NOR THE PROFOUND GOSPEL OF GOD’S AMAZING GRACE.

REALITY: God SPEAKS in and through the Bible, quickened to us by the Holy Spirit… and HE DOES NOT STUTTER! God’s Word is not opinion; nor is it for us to simply read and give our opinion. The Bible is the infallible written Word of God, quickened to us by the Holy Spirit.

In and through the Word of God, God speaks and THUS there are Sins to confess; Promises to claim; Attitudes to change; Commands to keep; Examples to follow; Prayers to pray; Errors to avoid and Truth to believe!

BUT FIRST OF ALL AND MOST OF ALL—The Word of God has been given to us that we might KNOW the God of the Word. Above all else the Bible is God-breathed revelation of GOD HIMSELF.

Closely tied into this, of course, is the God-breathed revelation of God having created man for fellowship with God, the revelation of man’s fall into sin and the glorious story of REDEMPTION… of fellowship and RELATIONSHIP restored through Jesus Christ the LAMB of God!

There are several good books dealing with the Divine Attributes of God, with lots of Scripture:
1. J. I. Packer– Knowing God.
2. A. W. Tozer– The Knowledge of the Holy.
3. A. W. Pink– The Attributes of God

———-end James Bell / http://www.southsidegallatin.org———

The End Time: The Shack: A discernment lesson. More links here

The Quiet Life: The Shack is a devilish deception. More links here

prophecy, Uncategorized

The second best moment in all the universe

Posted on March 7, 2017March 7, 2017 by elizabethprata

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:10-13)

Waiting….waiting…

The best moment in all of the universe through all of time, of course, is when Jesus arose from the grave, victorious over death and sin and Hades. The second best moment in my opinion, will be the culmination of all things, when God puts an end to sin and refreshes the universe by scrubbing it from His presence forever. This will include destroying the old heavens and earth and making a new heavens and a new earth.

The end of this world is a good thing. Jesus will regenerate the earth, He will cleanse us from our sins by glorifying our bodies, He will heal us completely, He will resurrect the saved, He will restore the damaged children, He will appear to us in His full glory, and much more. Who wouldn’t wish for that?

We are blessed, yes, blessed to be watching the Lord of the Universe work visibly in the world. He gave us the Word, and He is allowing us to see His word alive, organic, living and breathing coming true before our eyes in His providence and in His people. He regenerates hearts and His children bear fruit before our eyes. He transforms lives and we watch it before our eyes. The cycle of seasons march through years, and we see His hand ordaining and sustaining it all.

His promises are true, and though no one likes to see hunger and pain and grief, but we do see through those hardships that His promises are true. His promises that trials will come also include all of the above as well- the glory and the justice concluded and the conclusion of His work in the Church Age.

And in addition, when the day comes for your death, or the rapture, you will say as Paul did, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

There is no shame in longing for His appearing!

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)

Do not be embarrassed at wishing for His will to be done! There is glory! His glory, made manifest in us who walk the earth doing His will, pointing to the only Hope!

We are waiting…waiting…

encouragement, Uncategorized

A note of encouragement: Don’t be discouraged by the Internet

Posted on March 6, 2017 by elizabethprata

I’m thankful for the internet. I leaped on that thing the minute it was invented! I’ve been an Amazon customer for 20 years. I’ve had the same email address for almost 20 years. Recently I was looking at my Flickr account, it’s ten years old. I have over 1500 photos there. I can’t believe so much time has passed. I’ve been blogging for ten years. I started word processing on a computer with Windows 3.1 in 1997. This was a big deal to a writer used to carbon, typewriter ribbon and whiteout.

I know we complain about how the internet is a vast wasteland, as Newton Minow famously said in 1961 of the then new technology of television. New technology always degrades because the unsaved human always degrades. But the opportunities today via the world wide web to get the Gospel out, to hear long lost sermons, archived books like Pilgrim’s Progress on CCEL, is truly astonishing, says this lady who was an adult before the internet was invented.

I know that Social Media oftentimes is not social, especially if you have a conservative or evangelical point of view. Warning about false teachers, presenting the Gospel, sharing Bible verses makes people angry. If you need to limit your time on social media so as to stay encouraged, positive, and joyful, then do so.

But the technology itself is tremendously encouraging to me. I enjoy listening to music from a streaming local Christian radio station, or Pandora. I enjoy hearing sermons on RefNet.fm or Expositor.fm. I love reading the classics or getting access to posted dissertations, papers, and theological material otherwise I’d never see. Youtube’s plethora of clips and sermons is amazing, not to mention archives of long-gone but not forgotten preachers like Martyn Lloyd Jones, S. Lewis Johnson, James Montgomery Boice and Donald Grey Barnhouse… Never mind that last week was the annual Shepherds’ Conference sponsored by Grace Community Church, where 4500 pastors from around the world come to hear biblical preaching, enjoy fellowship, be encouraged, and be served- and it was live streamed and recorded for posterity.

The capacity for us to dwell on the negative is human. It’s always present. If you are having bad experiences online, it’s human nature to let those dominate your thinking and color your perspective. I use filters on Twitter to exclude certain words. I’m not shy about muting certain people. On Facebook, I use F.B. Purity, a free app that lets me exclude certain words, and arrange my wall to limit ads, crass headlines, and other things I don’t want to see. On my blog, I delete comments that tout false doctrine or are simply ad hominem- and I don’t think twice about it. If I say something that ticks someone off because of the Gospel, I reply once or maybe twice, and then end it there if the conversation isn’t going anywhere. I don’t fight. I don’t read sites that fight. I use social media to contend, but not to fight.

Use any and all means available to tailor what you need to tailor on social media so as to keep your sanity and your positive attitude.

But, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Retain a wonder and a gratitude for this amazing vehicle called the world wide web. Use it to be an example of His kindness, and use it to promote His name and His gospel. 🙂 Jesus gave us His peace:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27).

discernment, Uncategorized

Angels: Majestic messengers of God

Posted on March 5, 2017March 5, 2017 by elizabethprata

Valentine’s Day has just passed, two weeks ago. All those chubby little Cupid cherubs flying around with stubby wings, shyly lobbing arrows to create ever more happy, lovestruck couples. Sigh. Cupid comes from Greek and Roman mythology.

The Renaissance Italians did a good job of presenting constant erroneous depictions of angels. Although initially slender, Cupid, the god of love, was increasingly shown as a chubby boy with wings. Wikipedia explains,

In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupido, meaning “desire”) is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the war god Mars. He is also known in Latin as Amor (“Love”). His Greek counterpart is Eros.

Beginning in the early 1400s, Donatello began the Renaissance revival of the Middle Ages’ depictions of the putto, Italian derivation of the word toddler or child. Soon, the myth of Cupid blended with the putti in art and you had infant angels flying all over the place in paintings, sculpture, and architecture. They became ubiquitous, so much so, that the biblical description of the majestic Cherubim were diminished in peoples’ minds down to the infantile antics by harmless flying cherubic toddlers. This is a peeve of mine.

The picture shows an architectural detail of the Old Sacristy
in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence, by Donatello, 1428-43.

The Rustic Banquet, detail of putti making music,
from the Sala di Amore e Psiche (1528)

The putti and the cherubs are as far from the truth of angelic activity and majesty as the east is from the west. So what roles do angels perform for God?First, the Bible tells us that there is a hierarchy of angels. There are thrones, and powers, and dominions.

The collection of holy (and sometimes unholy) angels is called the heavenly host, the word host in this context indicating an army. God is called the Lord of Hosts. (GotQuestions, See 1 Samuel 1:3; Psalm 24:10; Isaiah 22:14; Jeremiah 2:19; Amos 4:13; Haggai 2:9; Zechariah 8:6; and Malachi 2:16.We are more used to thinking of angels as ministering spirits, (Hebrews 1:14, Matthew 18:10), flying here and there at God’s command, delivering messages and helping people. (Daniel 9:20-21, Luke 1:26-27, Luke 2:10).

We see angels helping Jesus after His Temptation. (Matthew 4:11). We know that sometimes we entertain them unawares. (Hebrews 13:2).Though angels are servants of God, ministering, helping, watching, (Daniel 4:17) and messaging, they are in fact powerful soldiers, enacting God’s judgments. In Revelation we see the angels as extremely active in carrying out God’s judgments. We read of one event early in the Bible of this power angels have to slay many at the same time, in 2 Chronicles 32:21, where an angel of the LORD was sent to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers at once. Angels gave the LAW! (Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19).

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. (Galatians 3:19).

Barnes’ Notes says of the Galatians and Acts verses of the Angels giving the Law,

And it was ordained by angels – That is, the Law was ordained by angels. The word ordained here διαταγεὶς diatageis usually means to arrange; to dispose in order; and is commonly used with reference to the marshalling of an army. In regard to the sentiment here that the Law was ordained by angels, see the note at Acts 7:53. The Old Testament makes no mention of the presence of angels at the giving of the Law, but it was a common opinion among the Jews that the Law was given by the instrumentality of angels, and arranged by them; and Paul speaks in accordance with this opinion; compare Hebrews 2:2.

In Revelation, powerful angels stand on the sun, they hold back all 4 winds, they deliver the Gospel to the entire world at once…and this. Just this:

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

17Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

God’s Providence is the understanding that God is in control of all things, and He commands and decrees all outcomes. Angels are important agents of providence, enacting God’s will so that His decrees come to pass in His will and timing.We do not worship angels. (Colossians 2:18, Revelation 22:8-9), but we do respect God’s creation. We respect His orderly fashioning of all things, including the angelic hosts in their spheres. Angels are not winged infants full of childish antics. They are majestic beings as part of God’s order who enact important tasks in worship and obedience for the LORD of Hosts.

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