Morningview Baptist Church

On Sunday, I delivered a message on forgiveness taken from Matthew 18:21-35.  As we discovered through our exposition of this text, the point of Christ’s parable is that unforgiveness is incompatible with true Christianity.  A person who has been forgiven of God is obligated to demonstrate that same forgiveness towards others.  One who claims to be a Christian and yet manifests a life pattern of unforgiveness is not truly saved and is thus in danger of being condemned to the eternal torment of hell.  That is what Jesus drives home with verse 35: “So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if  each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

There are many biblical reasons we are to forgive those who have wronged us, but here are three of the most significant ones:

(1) Forgiveness is the clear command of Scripture. In Matthew 18:21-22, Christ taught Peter that there was no limit to how many times he should forgive Continue reading

Are you a flirt?  Really weigh your heart and ask yourself the question — “Are you a flirt?”  You may be thinking that this question regards your behavior towards those of the opposite sex, but that isn’t quite what I mean. (In terms of your relationships, I hope you are not a flirt unless you are flirting with your own spouse to playfully express your love for one another.)  But the kind of flirting I’m talking about is flirting with sin — that’s a little more personal.

The fact of the matter is that we far too often flirt with sin.  Sin is like a dark chasm that can so easily swallow us up.  Though we have been warned, Continue reading

Adapted from Holiness by J.C. Ryle

The answer to this question is no different from what it means to love anyone.  What does it mean to love your husband or wife, or to love a parent or a child, or to love a good friend? Love to Christ is not substantially different from love for any person.

If we love Christ, we like to think about Him.  He is often present in our thoughts.  It is the same between a true Christian and Christ.  Eph 3:17 says that Christ “dwells in his heart.” True Christians think thoughts of Christ.

If we love Christ, we like to hear about Him.  We find pleasure in listening to those who speak about Christ.  True Christians most enjoy sermons that are full of Christ, and they enjoy the company of those who speak of Christ.  “Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures” (Lk 24:32)?

If we love Christ, we like to read about Him.  The true Christian delights in the Scriptures because they speak of Christ.  It is not wearisome to read a letter from a loved one.  “You search the Scriptures . . . it is they that bear witness about Me” (Jn 5:39).

If we love Christ, we like to please Him.  We are happy to find out what He likes and what He dislikes.  We are willing to deny ourselves to please Him.  To someone who loves Christ, the Ten Commandments are not burdensome, if they are what pleases Him.  “If you love Me you will keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15); “And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 Jn 5:3).

If we love Christ, we like His friends.  Even before we meet a friend of a friend, we are inclined to like him.  True Christians regard all other Christians as friends because they are friends of the Lord Jesus Christ. “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15).

If we love Christ, we are jealous about His name and honor.  We do not like to hear anyone speak against Him.  We feel jealous to maintain His interests and reputation. “Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

If we love Christ, we talk to Him.  The true Christian has no difficulty in speaking to his Savior.  We tell Him all our thoughts.  We have no hesitation about telling Him anything Continue reading

It was all over the airwaves late Sunday evening: Osama Bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, had been shot dead at his compound in Pakistan.   A 10 year quest to bring a man to justice had finally been completed.  He is officially dead.  A measure of closure now dawns for those who lost Continue reading

This past Sunday, I preached the second of two sermons on false teachers.  These two sermons provided good opportunities for us to consider the common traits of false teachers as well as weighing how we are to respond to them.

To conclude our consideration of these matters, I wanted to provide you with another quote from J.C. Ryle that deals with the subject of false doctrine and teaching.  In his work, “Warnings to the Churches,” he states the following:  “Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly dangerous:

1. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error: their “earnestness” makes many think they must be right.

2. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge: many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides.

3. There is a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days: many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties.

4. There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded: many seem half ashamed of saying that anybody can be in the wrong.

5. There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers: they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense.

6. There is a morbid craving in the public mind for a more sensuous, ceremonial, sensational, showy worship: men are impatient of inward, invisible heart-work.

7. There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself “as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14)

8. There is a wide-spread “gullibility” among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man.

All these things are peculiar symptoms of our times. I defy any observing person to deny them. They tend to make the assaults of false doctrine in our day peculiarly dangerous. They make it more than ever needful to cry aloud, “Do not be carried away!”"  ~ J.C. Ryle, quoted from “Warnings to the Churches, ‘Diverse and Strange Doctrines’” [Banner of Truth, 1967] p 76-77.

Ryle composed this list almost 150 years ago, yet it is amazingly reflective of our own day and time.  There are indeed far too many “professing” believers that are drawn to the novelty of teachings and doctrines that are new, edgy, relevant, and accommodating.  They fail to recognize that they are being deceived, that they are being drawn like moths to flames and their souls are in immanent danger of destruction.

With the reality of this danger in mind, I renew my challenge to us all — Let us be thoroughly biblical Christians!  Let us be like the Bereans, who received the Gospel with great eagerness, yet they examined the Scriptures daily to make sure that Paul’s teaching was in accordance with Scripture. (Acts 17:11)  Let us be like Timothy, continuing in the things we have learned and become convinced of — the truths of God’s eternal revelation!  (2 Tim 3:14-17)  Discernment begins and ends with Bible saturation, so may God continue to shape us into a people who hunger and thirst daily for His truth.  Guard your doctrine and your hearts well, beloved!

Did you know that there are over 127,000 legal orphans in the Foster Care systems of the United States?  That number is even larger when you consider children being cared for and adopted through private organizations.  From infants less than a year old to teenagers close to high school graduation, they have been placed into such systems because Continue reading

How well do you usually follow a sermon?  Does your mind wander?  Do you have trouble “tracking” with a substantial body of orally communicated truth?  Is the sermon merely something to be “endured” as part of your weekly routine of worship?  Do you simply find it difficult to pay attention given all the other things Continue reading

If you have small children, then you’ve probably heard it said, “Just wait until they’re teenagers; that’s when parenting REALLY gets tough!”  Most of the times I have heard remarks like this, I have simply nodded my head with a forlorn look of dread as I have considered what it will be like to have 5 children in the “Tween” and “Teen” years at the same time.  At other times, I have shared Mark Twain’s interesting advice on the matter.  He said, “When a child turns 13, seal them up in a barrel and feed them through the knot hole; when they turn 16, plug up the knot hole.”

But is teenage rebellion really the inescapable reality that our culture says it is?  Are parents doomed to face heartache and difficulty as their teenagers experiment with the freedoms and responsibilities that come with the immanent approach of adulthood?  Conventional (Worldly) wisdom says it is important to give teens the “freedom” or “space” to test the boundaries, to figure out who they are, and to learn important problem solving skills that prepare them for adulthood.  But does this really make sense?  Must we endorse what is most often sinful behavior and ardent disrespect in the name of allowing a child the time to “grow into themselves” and “sow their wild oats?”

Not according to Scripture.  Those identified in the Bible as “Youth” are not given any special provision to indulge sinful behavior in the name of “growing to maturity.”  On the contrary, Scripture tells us very plainly that all of us are active in our rebellion against God and His authority.  Children, youth, and adults all suffer from the reality of sin.  And sin is not something to be openly tolerated or tacitly “endured” in any season of life.  Scripture does tells us to discipline our youth and children so that they will know God’s law and the path of righteousness (See Proverbs 13, 15, 19, and especially 23:13-14).  It instructs children to obey their parents and it instructs parents to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph 6:1-4)

What does this mean for us as we consider the plight of the modern teenager?  It means we need to be active in biblical parenting from the time our children are born.  What does that look like?  Well there are many answers, and I would commend to you many good books (like Lou Priolo’s “Teach Them Diligently”), but for the sake of brevity, here are some pointers.

1.  BEWARE OF CHILD-CENTERED PARENTING.  Many people parent on the basis of what their children “feel” like in any given circumstance, or to state it more accurately, they parent on the basis of what will keep their child happy or satisfied or free from “melting down.”  The problem with this is that children, even ones less than a year old, figure out very quickly what behavior they can exhibit to get what they want from Mom and Dad.  Sometimes, they have very legitimate needs that they are expressing, like hunger, tiredness, illness, or simply the need to be comforted and loved.  But keep in mind that they are sinners, and often they are expressing pure and simple selfishness.  (A wise parent takes the time to discern the difference)  But as sinners, whether they be preschoolers, gradeschoolers, or teenagers, they need discipline and direction a whole lot more than they need to be placated.  Regular indulgence of a child’s selfish desires or a youth’s sinful manipulations reflects very lazy parenting.

2.  PARENT SCRIPTURALLY.  Make Gospel truth the regular staple of your conversations in the home.  As we see in Deuteronomy 6, the Word of God is to be spoken and shared and taught and lived with intentionality.  The truths of the faith are to be passed on from generation to generation.  This means that you, as the parent, need to be devoted to the Word and Prayer yourself.  It also means that you need to weave the Word into conversation and especially into your discipline of your children.  Teach them that when they have sinned, they have not just broken your rules and disrespected your authority, they have sinned against God and disrespected His authority.  Then teach them about the forgiveness and grace that is available through repentance and faith in Christ.  Finally, be consistent in enforcing the rules.  Nothing exasperates children more than when parents constantly move and readjust the boundary lines because of their own moods and whims.

3.  FOSTER GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR CHILDREN.  Among teens who are struggling with rebellion, the main complaints are that their parents never listen to them and never care to take the time to understand their struggles or what is important to them.  Some of this could be sinful excuse-making, but much of it is quite true.  While your children are young, foster good communication with them.  Listen to them.  Ask them questions.  Demonstrate a sincere interest in their thoughts and involvements and challenges, regardless of their age.  Show them love by spending TIME with them; teach them that they can come and speak to you no matter what, and that you will always strive to love them as Christ loves you.  Good communication also fosters trust and spiritual nurture.  Remember, your goal is to exemplify the character of Christ to them in your parenting.  I love you all dearly!

Many Christians feel defeated in their prayer lives.  To pray even five-to-seven minutes seems like an eternity, and their minds wander much of that time.  “I guess it’s me,” many conclude.  “I’m just a second-rate Christian.”  No, if you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit and generally seeking to live in obedience to God’s Word, then the problem likely isn’t you, but your method.  Of course, there is no method that will enliven prayer for those who do not have the Holy Spirit.  But Continue reading

What use is the Old Testament law?  Has it been completely abrogated now that we are under the new covenant?  Is the Old Testament just background material to the New Testament?  Your answers to these questions are important because Continue reading