Passage of ObamaCare Bad; Treatment of Israel Worse

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:48 — 8.7MB)

TRANSCRIPT

It was just another week of “change” in the Obama administration.  As if the President signing the single largest piece of legislation ever with the health care bill wasn’t enough, the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuals in the military was softened, the Social Security Administration announced it will pay out more than it takes in for the first time, and finally and most importantly, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, was basically humiliated in his visit with President Obama at the White House.

ObamaCare may be terrible for the country for reasons described on the program last weekend, but now the Obama administration’s pattern of spurning Israel is downright dangerous for America.  The Bible is clear: God blesses those nations who bless Israel and curses those nations who reject her (i.e. Genesis 12:3).

Why do political and religious liberals always oppose Israel and sympathize with her enemies?  We’ll answer that question this weekend on The Christian Worldview.

Why ObamaCare is the Most Important Sacrament of False Religion

Podcast: Download (8.7MB)

TRANSCRIPT

Arguably the most transformational piece of legislation ever put forth by the United States Congress is due to be voted upon this Sunday by the U.S. House of Representatives.  Every single American will be impacted by the outcome of this vote on the future of health care because we all will need it during our lives.

Democrat President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are leading the charge to pass this bill in what they understatedly call health care “reform”.  Make no mistake, this bill is a transitional step to a future government takeover of our health care system — often called “universal health care” or “single-payer” or “socialized medicine” — where government holds the decision-making power over citizen’s health care, as in Canada.

The Democrats, Progressives, and Socialists in this country have done everything — bribes, lies, schemes — to get this bill passed and the question is “Why?”  Why is passing “health care reform” so important to those with a humanistic worldview and how should Christians respond?

Further Reading: The ObamaCare Crossroads (Wall Street Journal)

Congressman who could vote against this health care bill.  Contact info here.

What is the Ultimate Goal of the Christian Life?

Podcast: Download (8.7MB)

TRANSCRIPT

Now that’s sort of an important question, isn’t it?  Have you ever thought about what your overarching, priority-one mission as a Christian should be?  Should it be to transform society to reflect the kingdom of God and biblical values — to defend life and marriage, to end poverty and injustice — or should it be to evangelize the lost and disciple each other?

Or perhaps it’s both?  And if so, how does that play out seeing we only have a finite amount of time, energy, and resources?

A big question, an important question to be answered this weekend on The Christian Worldview.  Plus, interviews with Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, and Aubrea Wagner, the winner of The Master’s College Essay Contest 2010.

The Scandal of Gendercide — War on Baby Girls

The reality has been known for years now, though the Western media have generally resisted any direct coverage of the horror. That changed this week when The Economist published its stunning cover story — “Gendercide — What Happened to 100 Million Baby Girls?”

In many nations of the world, there is an all-out war on baby girls. In 1990, economist Amartya Sen estimated that 100 million baby girls were missing — sacrificed by parents who desired a son.  Two decades later, multiple millions of missing baby girls must be added to that total, victims of abortion, infanticide, or fatal neglect.

The murder of girls is especially common in China and northern India, where a preference for sons produces a situation that is nothing less than critical for baby girls. In these regions, there are 120 baby boys born for every 100 baby girls. As The Economist explains, “Nature dictates that slightly more males are born than females to offset boys’ greater susceptibility to infant disease. But nothing on this scale.”

In its lead editorial, the magazine gets right to the essential point: “It is no exaggeration to call this gendercide. Women are missing in their millions–aborted, killed, neglected to death.”

In its detailed and extensive investigative report, the magazine opens its article with chilling force. A baby girl is born in China’s Shandong province. Chinese writer Xinran Xue, present for the birth, then hears a man’s voice respond to the sight of the newborn baby girl. “Useless thing,” he cried in disappointment. The witness then heard a plop in the slops pail. “To my absolute horror, I saw a tiny foot poking out of the pail. The midwife must have dropped that tiny baby alive into the slops pail!”  When she tried to intervene she was restrained by police. An older woman simply explained to her, “Doing a baby girl is not a big thing around here.”

The number of dead and missing baby girls is astounding. In some Chinese provinces, there are more than 130 baby boys for every 100 baby girls. The culture places a premium value on sons, and girls are considered an economic drain. A Hindu saying conveys this prejudice: “Raising a daughter is like watering your neighbor’s garden.”

Midwives even charge more for the birth of a baby boy. But the preference for a boy rises with both economic power and the number of children born to a couple. The imbalance of boys to girls is no accident — it reflects a prejudice that runs throughout the societies where the abortion and killing of baby girls is considered both understandable and routine.

Add to this the widespread availability of ultrasound imaging services. Even though the governments of China and India have officially declared sex-selection abortions to be illegal, they persist by the millions. (And, interestingly, the magazine notes that Sweden actually legalized sex-selection abortions in 2009.)

This sentence from the investigative report is particularly horrifying: “In one hospital in Punjab, in northern India, the only girls born after a round of ultrasound scans had been mistakenly identified as boys, or else had a male twin.”

In other words, even as the spread of ultrasound technology has greatly aided the pro-life movement by making the humanity of the unborn baby visible and undeniable, among those determined to give birth only to baby boys, in millions of cases the same technology has meant a death warrant for a baby girl in the womb.

There are multiple factors that lead to the preference for boys over girls. In China, the government’s draconian “one child only” policy has led to both forced abortions and an effective death sentence for baby girls when a couple is determined that, if their children are to be so drastically limited, they will insist on having a son. As the magazine explains, “For millions of couples, the answer is: abort the daughter, try for a son.”

Consider this:

In fact the destruction of baby girls is a product of three forces: the ancient preference for sons; a modern desire for smaller families; and ultrasound scanning and other technologies that identify the sex of a fetus. In societies where four or six children were common, a boy would almost certainly come along eventually; son preference did not need to exist at the expense of daughters. But now couples want two children—or, as in China, are allowed only one—they will sacrifice unborn daughters to their pursuit of a son. That is why sex ratios are most distorted in the modern, open parts of China and India. It is also why ratios are more skewed after the first child: parents may accept a daughter first time round but will do anything to ensure their next—and probably last—child is a boy. The boy-girl ratio is above 200 for a third child in some places.

The social consequences of this imbalance are vast and uncorrectable. China and India now face the reality of millions of young men and boys who have absolutely no hope of a wife and family. In China, these young men are called guanggun or “broken branches.” Just consider this — the 30 to 40 million “broken branches” in China are about equal in number to the total number of all boys and young men in the United States.

These young men represent a looming disaster on the societal level. Young males commit the greatest number of criminal acts and acts of violence. Marriage has been the great taming institution for the social development of young males. Without prospect for marriage and a normal sex and family life, these multiple millions of unmarried young men are becoming a significant social challenge in China and India. Some observers even argue that this may lead to an increased militarism in the region.

Of course, the greatest disaster is personal for the young men and boys who face the future as “broken branches.” The parents who insist on having boys are dooming their own sons to lives of brokenness, frustration, and grief.

And the future looks even more ominous for baby girls. Nick Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute points to “the fatal collision between overweening son preference, the use of rapidly spreading prenatal sex-determination technology and declining fertility.” As the magazine adds, “Over the next generation, many of the problems associated with sex selection will get worse. The social consequences will become more evident because the boys born in large numbers over the past decade will reach maturity then. Meanwhile, the practice of sex selection itself may spread because fertility rates are continuing to fall and ultrasound scanners reach throughout the developing world.”

While imbalances such as now found in China and India are unknown in the West, the practice of sex-selection abortion is found here as well. Indeed, there is no current law against the practice in the United States, where abortion is legal for any reason, at least in earlier stages of pregnancy. In reality, sex selection abortions happen here, too. After all, proponents of abortion in the United States infamously insist on a woman’s unrestricted right to an abortion “for any reason, or for no reason.”

The Economist is right to call this tragedy gendercide — the targeting of baby girls for death and destruction simply because of their gender. The magazine deserves appreciation for its no-holds-barred report on this tragedy, and for forcing the issue to be faced. Furthermore, The Economist ends its editorial with the right message, “The world needs to do more to prevent a gendercide that will have the sky crashing down.”

Will reports like this awaken the conscience of the world to the unspeakable crime and global tragedy of gendercide? If not, what will it take? The blood of millions of murdered and missing baby girls cries out to the world’s conscience. Will we hear?

College: Are Parents Getting Their Money’s Worth? Are They Getting More Than They Bargained For?

College: Are Parents Getting Their Money’s Worth? Are They Getting More Than They Bargained For?
by Guest Blogger Dr. Jeff Myers

This fall, nearly two million American students will leave for college for the very first time. Their education will cost $12,000 a year for a public university and up to $50,000 for a private one. Scholarships and grants reduce the cost for most families, but still, the Wall Street Journal reports that the average student leaves college with $23,186 in debt.

Nationwide, the total cost for this transaction is somewhere between 25 and 40 billion dollars per year.

At least families are getting their money’s worth.

Or not.

A recent study confirms what many parents have long suspected: going to college can make kids forget what’s important and embrace values that are counter to what they learned growing up.

Before I share this study’s results, let me say this to parents: leftist professors don’t feel sorry for you. As far as they’re concerned, you’ve been oppressing the masses to get that money anyway, so it’s deliciously ironic that you not only turn your children over to the indoctrinators, but that you fork over 50k to 200k and for the privilege of doing so.

Don’t take my word for it. Here’s what the late Richard Rorty, one of the most prominent philosophers of the 20th century, said on the subject:

“… I, like most Americans who teach humanities or social science in colleges and universities … try to arrange things so that students who enter as bigoted, homophobic, religious fundamentalists will leave college with views more like our own …  The fundamentalist parents of our fundamentalist students think that the entire ‘American liberal establishment’ is engaged in a conspiracy. The parents have a point … we are going to go right on trying to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussable. We are not so inclusivist as to tolerate intolerance such as yours … I think those students are lucky to find themselves under the benevolent Herrschaft [domination] of people like me, and to have escaped the grip of their frightening, vicious, dangerous parents …”* [editor's note: sorry for all the ellipses, but it's hard to summarize Rorty's windblown rhetoric].

When it comes to reshaping values, liberal universities know precisely what they’re doing. And the reality is that about four out of five students walk away from their Christian faith by the time they are in their twenties.**

The Indoctrination Plan:
What Your Child Will and Will Not Learn

What your child won’t learn at college: a sense of citizenship. In February, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute released its annual report entitled, “The Shaping of the American Mind.” ISI researchers studied students’ knowledge of basic citizenship questions, along with 39 issue-based propositions and found that college graduates are dangerously ignorant of basic civics.

For example, fewer than one in two college graduates know that the phrase “We hold these truths to be self evident…” is from the Declaration of Independence (10% actually think it is from the Communist Manifesto).

What your child will learn at college: liberal radicalism. According to ISI, college graduates are significantly MORE likely to believe in abortion on demand and same sex marriage, and significantly LESS likely to believe that the Bible is the word of God, that prayer should be allowed in schools, and that anyone can succeed in America with hard work and perseverance.

The Transformation Plan:
Being Confidently Prepared Rather than Caught Off Guard

Obviously not all colleges are destructive. There are even a handful of great ones (I would humbly suggest that the one I teach at — Bryan College — is one of the excellent few).

But most Christian parents feel hamstrung. They are concerned for their kids but also realize that, with few exceptions, young people have little chance of becoming leaders without a college degree. They want their children to prepare for positively influencing the culture, but to not have their faith shredded in the process.

There is a solution and it is available now. Please, if you have a college-bound student, listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you. This is important even if your child is going to a “safe” college (some so-called “Christian” colleges are actually better at convincing kids to walk away from their faith than some secular colleges).

A two-week Summit Ministries course is a must. This summer. Find out more here.

At Summit, students ages 16-21 gain the confidence they need to understand and defend an intelligent biblical worldview. They join a vast network of mentors whose books, writings and personal encouragement sharpen them for life-long leadership. Shoulder to shoulder they and their new-found friends stand strong together.

The 12-day experience for your son or daughter is $895 for the tuition, room, board and activities. That’s far less than most private camps because it is heavily subsidized by donors. And when you consider that the Summit protects against a destructive influence on campus, it’s a small price to pay. Considering the value of your child’s soul, it’s priceless.

Now Is Not the Time for Shortcuts

There is much at stake. Having your child read an apologetics book or go to a weekend conference is great, but it’s not the same as a two-week Summit experience, and here’s why:

1. Summit helps students “own” what they learn.
Over the course of 12 days, students are able to form questions and interact with top Christian professors, mentors, and classmates. As they become comfortable, they open up in small groups, around the meal tables and in open forums with speakers.

2. Summit prepares students to think through issues as adults.
Summit asks students to forsake adolescence and step up into mature adulthood. Over the course of 12 days students come to believe that it can actually be done.

3. Summit breaks the stranglehold of negative peer pressure.
Young adults seldom attempt to rise above what their peers think they can be. Summit students learn how to reverse this pressure and support one another in successfully thinking and living Christianly.

4. Summit helps students form relationships with expert mentors.
At Summit, students spend 12 days with experts who have the depth of experience needed to delve deeply into the complex challenges those students face. These experts are specially selected based on their ability to communicate effectively with students.

5. Summit affirms and supports parents’ roles and Christian values.
Kids are always asking, “Who else says so besides Mom and Dad?” At Summit, students are encouraged to honor their parents and be reconciled to them. This helps moms and dads strengthen their relationship before their sons and daughters leave for college, which is crucial.

Where Christian Leaders Send Their Own Children for Training

Summit is not a miracle cure. But for 47 years it’s been a trusted source for preparing students to be the kind of leaders who shape culture, rather than who are shaped by it. That’s why evangelical leaders such as James Dobson and Josh McDowell endorse it so enthusiastically — and why they sent their children to Summit before college; there simply is no substitute for the excellent training and mentoring Dr. Noebel and his staff provide.

I believe in the Summit. In fact I am planning to speak at every Summit Ministries session in the U.S. this summer in Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Summit enrollment is limited by space. Most sessions do fill up, but you can download an application at www.summit.org. Scholarships are available for those in financial need.

Remember: before college, Summit. Please forward this to any parent who may benefit from knowing about it.

Dr. Jeff Myers is founder and president of Passing the Baton International. Jeff speaks to tens of thousands each year on worldview and leadership issues. This article was taken by permission from Jeff’s E-Newsletter “Get Ready to Lead.” To subscribe, please visit www.passingthebaton.org. For more information on Summit Ministries, please visit www.summit.org.

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*Richard Rorty, “Universality and Truth,” in Robert B. Brandom (ed.), Rorty and His Critics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000), pp. 21-22.
**George Barna, “Twentysomethings struggle to find their place in Christian churches“; Ken Ham and Britt Beemer, Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2009), p. 24.

Answering Atheists and Other Assorted Fools (rebroadcast 02/28/09)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:52 — 11.6MB)

Guest:  Ray Comfort, founder and evangelist, Living Waters

TRANSCRIPT

Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”  Yet, there is an increasing number of fools today (even highly educated ones like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Bill Maher) who scoff at the existence of God with a loud megaphone to an impressionable audience.

Good thing Christian evangelist and apologist Ray Comfort has just released an excellent new book entitled, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence But You Can’t Make Him Think.  Comfort has heard it all from critics and skeptics…and has biblical answers for every one, including how they can know the God they reject.  Find out how you can answer and reach atheists and other assorted fools this Saturday on The Christian Worldview.

The Master’s College Essay Contest 2010 Winner – Aubrea Wagner!

Announcing The Master’s College Essay Contest 2010 Winner:
AUBREA WAGNER of Platteville, Wisconsin

Congratulations to Aubrea Wagner, the grand prize winner of The Master’s College Essay Contest 2010.  We were overwhelmed by the quality (and quantity!) of the essays.  I want to compliment all the entrants on putting in the thought and time to submit an essay.  This was an extremely difficult decision for the team of judges at the college.  We have posted the top five essays below (2-5 are in alphabetical order) and think you will really enjoy reading them.  The excellence of these essays gives us great reason for encouragement about this generation of Christian students.

Aubrea Wagner from Platteville, Wisconsin – WINNER!
Elisa Adams from Santa Clarita, California
Kristen Craig from Plainfield, Indiana
David Eller from Los Angeles, California
Alexandria Loden from Georgetown, Texas

As a thank you to all the entrants, you will be receiving a complimentary copy of “Right Thinking in a World Gone Wrong” by John MacArthur, president of The Master’s College.

Friday Evening Notes from the 2010 Shepherds’ Conference

John MacArthur closed out the 2010 Shepherds’ Conference on Friday night with a sermon from Mark 5:21.  If you would like to download the audio or video from the conference, go here.

The greatest demonstration of the compassion by God was the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  He chose to heal sick people, release demon possessed people, raise dead people…along with God’s power came compassion.  This is the heart of God manifest in Christ.  The theological reason for suffering always go back to divine sovereignty, that God has a purpose in it.  But even God’s response to suffering is compassion, mercy and even grief.

There are three things that make a lasting ministry.

• Separation
• Sincerity
• Sympathy

Your people need to know you care!  God only came into the world one time and it was one massive display of compassion.  Even when you can explain that God has a purpose, be there to show sympathy!

Mark has one purpose; to make it obvious that Jesus is God incarnate.  No person makes this confession until the 15th chapter and 39th verse, no one, except demons.  “We know who you are, the holy one of God”, they couldn’t help saying it because they were terrified.  A Gentile Roman solder outside the nation of Israel was the first to say it.  after Christ died.

What strikes me about him is this compassion that is demonstrated.  He knew the sovereign purpose of God. He, the God who inflicts the pain, is there to catch the sufferer.  He didn’t seclude himself, his entire ministry was in public.  His entire ministry was in the street, field, other’s homes, on the sea with only occasional rest and time with His disciples.

He is Accessible
The number of followers were so relentless that it was even difficult for him to eat.  He never left the crowds.  There was always a large crowd waiting for him, bringing all the people that needed to be healed.  He is like a hero, celebrity and in all history there has never been anything like this.  Out of all the fickle mob numbering in the thousands, there are two whose faith is real; a man and a woman.  One was rich the other poor, one respected one rejected, one with a 12-year-old dying, one with a 12-year disease.

Jarius, he was a lay leader, revered, religious and a man the people would follow.  He fell at Jesus feet – this is politically incorrect.  For a synagogue ruler to do this is putting himself in a difficult position with the “establishment”.  He worshipped!  You only bow down to a superior.  “Please come see my daughter.” he pleaded.  There is no doubt in this request.  Later we’ll see that she isn’t just at the point of death, but already dead.  The father does not budge in his faith.  He is a rare man; few believed savingly in Jesus.  Jesus went off with him.

Note that these people could get to Jesus. Sometimes we think we are more important than we are.

He is Available
As He goes a large crowd presses in on him.  He pitched his tent with people, no hierarchy, no ivory towers.  Jarius’ only hope was for Jesus to heal his daughter.  What drives Jesus’ availability – the compassion of our Lord.  He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.  Mt 12:20  “A bruised reed He will not break…”  He doesn’t throw people away.  Mt 14:14; Mark 8:2, Mt 9:36  His compassion was indiscriminate.

He is Interruptible
Verse 25 presents a woman with a hemorrhage for 12 years.  This is so personal, a woman with a female bleeding problem.  She is not just a face in the crowd.  Mark describes her with participle phrases; physiological problem and without strength; it was dangerous, she could bleed to death, severe social effects (uncleanness & everyone you touch is unclean); just imagine the courage and desperation.  She could not be cured.  Then in verse 27 she does something unthinkable, she touches Jesus.

Remember Luke 7 when the prostitute came in and kissed the feet of Jesus.  The Pharisees went ballistic and asked if they knew who she was…but nothing stopped Jesus.  He was not defiled.

This woman from Mark 5 went to multiple doctors, but every day nothing changed.  So you wanted to touch his garments.  She touched the fringe; the tassels on their robes (which the Pharisees enlarged to look more holy).  If I just touch His garments I’ll get well. This is not pagan superstition about a robe on her part, its  about the man who had demonstrated such power.

Verse 29 says immediately she was healed.  Being interruptible is a good thing to learn.

He is Intentional
This is not just a woman in the crowd.  Verse 30 Jesus perceived that His power had gone out.  His power is personal!  He experiences every expulsion of power.  He is involved.  Our God is not detached and unfeeling.  He is unaltered by what men do, but He feels everything.  No one receives His power without His involvement.

Such a personal God, such a personal work.  He is very intentional.  He knows where and to whom His power goes.  He knows the plan for this woman and that her name is in the lamb’s book of life.  This is one of His sheep.  He will act in grace and in power…to restore her to her husband, family, town, synagogue and to reconcile her with God.  He is about to save this woman.

“Who touched this garment”? You don’t have to be afraid even though you are an outcast.  This is a demonstration of the effectual call.  This is one who He is seeking and saving.  This is irresistible grace; reaching out to one who belongs to Him.  He looked around for her because He wasn’t finished with her.

Verse 33 – the woman came in fear and trembling.  She wasn’t afraid of the circumstances, she had already overcome that before she touched Him.  She was fearful and trembling because she knew she was in the presence of God.  She was aware of what happened to her…she came and fell down before him in worship.  This was the posture of the undeserved begging for mercy.  This is penitence and worship.

Her problem may have been a result of sin (maybe even sexual sin).  She collapses and tells Him the whole truth about her.  This is a confession of her sin (repentance), a confession of her faith.

He said to her “Daughter”.  That word, coming from Christ, is a word to dispel fear.  This is the only time it is used in the New Testament.  This means, you are in my family.  These are words of grace and words of welcome.  He addresses her as a child of God.

“Your faith has saved you” – “Go in peace”  You can’t have peace without being saved.  Some of the most wonderful things happen when you get interrupted.  If someone is so concerned with deep pain in their life, take that opportunity to penetrate to the real issues.

Verse 35 Meanwhile…Jarius’ daughter had died.

He is Imperturbable
Calm, tranquil, unflappable.  Verse 36  Jesus is unflappable and says “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe (keep on believing)”…”and she will be made well”.  There is a wonderful reality in operating unhurried because then you are acting in the sovereign purpose of God.

Peter, James, and John were with him.  Verse 38 “a commotion” – very different from a Western world funeral.  In Israel the idea was to make a racket, tearing clothes (they had 39 rules for tearing; ie, the tear was to be over the heart if the mourner was the  father or mother of the deceased); hired professional screamers; add flute players with loud dissonant music.

“Why make commotion and weep…the child hasn’t died”  Jesus uses the word “asleep” – temporary sleep is Jesus description of death here…just as it is temporary for us.  He put out all the mourners and then took along the child’s father and mother as well as Peter James and John (to report on it).

He is Charitable
There is a tenderness here.  “He takes the child by the hand”.  This is tenderness and compassion.  “Talitha kum!” = a sweet nickname for a little girl, “little lamb”.  This is the God of the universe with great tenderness.

“Immediately the girl got up and began to walk”.  There was no need for therapy.  John MacArthur has been in therapy for 4 months for knee and back surgery.  When Jesus healed someone there was no recovery period.

They were all stunned.  Verse 43 – He said, give her something to eat.  First he showed  tenderness to the father, then the mother and now the girl.  So intimate, so tender.

Then we have theological issue: Jesus gave them strict orders that no one should know about this.  What?  Jesus said this again and again and again.  “Don’t tell anyone”.  He gave them strict orders (a prohibition).

There are some possible reasons why He gave this instruction:  1) The house might be overrun by people.  2)The crowd, with Messianic expectations, would make the crowd aggressive and would try to force Him to be king (this view is not likely because he often gave this instruction) 3) He didn’t want to escalate the fear and intentions of his enemies.

John MacArthur doesn’t think any of these are the reason – he think the issue was this wasn’t the time to go, to spread the message, and it wouldn’t be the time until the cross and the resurrection.  Only then would He send them with the full message.  Until the cross the full understanding was not available.  After that, go tell everybody!

Shepherds’ Conference 2010 – Friday Afternoon Notes from Steve Lawson

Steve Lawson was the speaker this morning.  He started with a tribute to John MacArthur:

There is not a day in my life when John MacArthur is not sitting on my shoulder, guiding me through his notes, tapes, and ministry.  For most all of us John’s influence is used by the Lord to shape our ministries.

The Invisible War

Job 1:6-12  It has been well said that before God uses a man greatly, he must first break him greatly.  God works best through broken vessels, crushed by the hammer blows of the devil.  The more we desire to be used by God the greater our willingness to suffer for him.  There is no easy pass in ministry.  Every assignment is a killing place.  Everyone is involved in spiritual warfare.  The more we are at the frontline, the more we are caught in the crossfire between God & Satan.  The taller we stand for the Lord, the more we will draw the fire of the devil.

Eleven of the twelve apostles died a martyrs death.  The greatest preacher who ever walked this earth, the Lord Jesus Christ was despised and rejected…publicly crucified, a horrific death by public execution.  “In this world you shall have tribulation”.  The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church and they became famous for what they said when tied to a stake.

Everyone of us finds ourselves in the midst of spiritual warfare.  It is not a visible war, but invisible.  It involves unseen conflict between God and Satan, heaven and hell, good and evil with no middle ground.  There are no fence sitters, no draft dodgers, no neutrality.  The taller we stand the more we will draw the enemy’s fire.

Job 1:1
Unlikely Candidate
Job is presented as the epitome of godliness.  Uz is in northern Arabia, this was a real man in a real place.  His name was Job and he was blameless.  Blameless means without moral blemish, beyond reproach in his character and conduct.  Job was marked by character and integrity and no one could bring a charge against this man’s life.  He is upright which means straight, without deviation from God’s holy standard, set apart to God; a straight arrow morally.  He “feared” God which means reverence for the Lord; he took God seriously.  He turned away from evil, not getting as close to evil as possible.  He knew what it was to resist temptation.  He guarded his heart and shielded his eyes.  He was abundantly blessed and was a very successful businessman.  This is a rare combination — a fear of God and eminently successful without selling out his soul to this world.  This was the greatest of all the men of the earth; greatest in wealth, reputation, influence, and godliness.

Verse 4 is a picture of a family in complete harmony, love and camaraderie with each other, and the blessing of God is being poured out on Job.  The goodness of God is dripping out of heaven on Job’s life.
Verse 5 shows he is the spiritual leader of his home.  Job is the least likely candidate for a disaster that we could possibly find in the record of Scripture.  Blameless, upright, fearing God, turning away from evil, spiritual leader, business leader, the mightiest of the men of the east.  Job is marked out to suffer, not because of anything wrong in his life (no disciplinary action).  He is singled out by the sovereignty of God because God deems him worthy of suffering for God’s sake.  He is the example of the tallest tree in the forest that when the electrical storm gathers it will strike the tallest tree.

Job is the fulfillment of Jonathan Edward’s 63rd Resolution: that he would be the most godly man in his day.  We would want this to be said of any one of us here today.  But with great godliness comes great exposure to the enemy.

Unseen Challenge
Verse 6 The veil is pulled back and heaven is made transparent before our eyes and we are allowed to hear God and Satan speak.  Job has no idea that this is transpiring.  It is a rare insight into the unseen world above.  “Now there was a day” – this is a day like any day, a routine day in heaven.  “When the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord” – these are the angelic hosts of heaven reporting to the throne of God, having been discharged with divine assignments to carry out the work of God and are seen as coming back with accountability and to receive more orders.

“Satan also came among them” – I know what you are thinking – You tell me God is holy, and no sin can dwell in the presence of a holy God.  You say that there is no way that an unholy man can access a holy God that the only way is by the sacrifice and atonement prescribed by God and yet here we see Satan coming before God in the courts of heaven – How?  I do not know.  But here is Satan – once the highest of the angelic order, the one with closest access to God in heaven and the one who lead a coup against God to manipulate a third of the angels to turn to him while standing in the presence of God.  That is how cunning the devil is…this is something that he does again and again and again.  Some today deny the existence of Satan.  The existence of a real personal devil is taught seven times in the Old Testament, by every New Testament writer and by Christ himself.  He is quite simply, the evil one!

What is Satan here to do?  The answer is found in his name, derived from a word = to attack, to accuse, an opponent in court, a prosecuting attorney bringing criminal accusation against a plaintiff.  This is the purpose of the devil, to indict the people of God before the Holy One.  C.S. Lewis says, “He is a grave digger”.  We need someone to take up our case in heaven, an advocate who has never lost a case.

“The Lord said to Satan” – note the initiative is from God, “from where do you come?”. God knows everything there is to know, but the purpose of the question is for the devil to enter into the court of heaven his evidence regarding his sinister nature. “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”  Notice the devil is not in hell, the devil is on the earth creating destruction and appearing before the throne to bring accusation before the throne of God.  Remember: “Be of sober spirit, your adversary the devil roams around like roaring lion…”   He is stalking your path.  He is the god of this age, the prince of the power of the air.  Some say he is presently bound and chained…if so, he is on a mighty long chain!

Luther said, “I believe in the devil because I did battle with him this morning”.  What does Satan do?  He is blinding minds, stealing God’s word, opposing God’s work, tempting, sowing tares, attacking God’s word, spreading false doctrine.  He never takes a day off, he is busy.  Verses 8 “Have you considered my servant Job?”  It is God who initiates the involvement of Job and Job is drawn into this by divine appointment.  God issues this challenge.  The devil is God’s devil and uses him for his own holy purposes – He draws a straight line with a crooked stick.  “There is no one like him” God says, Job is in a class by himself.  He has distinguished himself in this generation.  Would you not want God to say that about your life?  Job is the most righteous man on the face of the earth and he will suffer not because of anything wrong in his life but because of everything right in his life.  There are times we suffer because of our sin, other people’s sin, a fallen world, but there are times we suffer for the glory of God because God has appointed it for us as a challenge between God and Satan.

Does God think highly enough of your spiritual walk to say to the devil, “Have you considered _(insert your name)___”?  Does God see you as blameless, upright, turning away from evil.  It is a badge of honor that God pins on a man faithful to the Word of God.  “Blessed are you when men persecute you…rejoice for great is your reward is in heaven.”

Unholy Counter
Satan counters this.  Satan is stunningly brilliant.  The Lord’s words are in the air, Satan immediately answers “Does Job fear God for nothing?”  This is sinister and is a frontal attack on the glory of God and the integrity of Job.  He accuses Job of serving God for what he has received.  It is an indictment against Job and God (as if God had to “buy” worshippers), it is by your blessing that you seduce them into worshiping you.

Job does not fear God for nothing, he has every reason to fear God.  “Have you not built a hedge around him…?”  God in His goodness (the invisible hand of God’s providence) was protecting Job.  Job has been trying to crack the code to get at Job to ruin and destroy Job, but the providential hand of God has thwarted Satan.  The devil had considered Job for some time, he is well known by the devil.  Luther – “Would to God that I would be as well known in hell as I am in heaven”.  “You have blessed the work of his hand” – the devil is pointing a finger at God.  This is the charge “and his possessions have increased in the land”.  Satan is saying, God you’ve been too good to Job.

There are only 3 places in the Bible where we hear Satan’s voice.  1) Genesis 3 when Satan tempts Eve.  Eve lives in paradise, she actually has a perfect husband, she had everything, but one tree from which she could not eat because of the goodness of God He was preserving them from it.  But the devil said God was withholding it from them.  “God is not good enough to you”  2) Job 1  Here the devil is talking to God about Job.  In this the devil says “God you are too good to them. 3) Devil’s temptation of Christ – if you worship me I’ll be better to you than God was to you. He is shrewd and scheming.

Verse 11  “But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has and he will surely curse you to your face.”  Satan challenges God to strike everything Job had – he is diabolical.  Will we worship God in tough times?  Will we bless the name of the Lord when we enter the fire of affliction?  Are we going to curse God or will we say I will worship the Lord?  This is the challenge.

Unrelinquished Control
Verse 12 God is totally sovereign in this entire encounter.  “Then the Lord said to Satan“ God is totally and completely in control, sovereign over the devil.  Spiritual warfare is not a tug of war between two equals.  Everything is top down to Satan.  God is using the devil for the higher purposes of His own name.  This is what He is doing with the devil even right now.  He is using Satan as an instrument of His hand even as he comes against us to bring about his purposes.

The hedge is then removed…but there is no panic in heaven, only plans for the glory of God’s name.  Verse 13 We see catastrophe unleashed; here is hell breaking loose.  Round one in vs 13-15.  Do you think this all just “happened”?  Round two vs. 16  Round three vs 17  Round four vs 18

Luther – “For still our ancient foe does seek to work us woe, his craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.”  We are in this same warfare.

Unshakable Confidence
Verse 30  Job stands over fresh graves, his world has come to a halt, imagine the shock, the grief, the pain.  “Then Job arose” – he had been crushed under the weight of this report.  This is a sign of deep grief and sorrow.  “He fell to the ground”.  At this point  the devil strains his ear to hear what he always hears – the curse of God, the blaspheming of God’s name, the shrieks and cries of one without desire for life.  Instead he hears this “and worshipped” – which means to prostrate oneself before a superior.  Job’s first response was to humble himself and lower himself before the throne of God, to ascribe honor and glory to God, whose ways are perfect and right.  He worships God and makes this statement in vs 12 “naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I shall return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Job recognizes the sovereignty of God’s Word over his life.

Job cannot see into heaven and know of this challenge, he just knows that above it all God rules and reigns in the heavens and does whatever He pleases.  Job doesn’t have to understand why, all he needs to understand is who – He just needs to know God.  “Blessed be the name of the Lord”.  Job blessed the name of the Lord, not to malign it by magnify it, not to blast but bless, not revolt but reverence God.  This is the choice we must make as we are slammed to the canvas in the contest of this world in spiritual warfare.  There are times when we are over our head and the affliction is painful – we must make the choice to say “Blessed be the name of the Lord”.

Verse 22  “through all of this” – all personal loss and painful ordeal…Job did not sin nor did he blame God.  Job is held before us as a positive example of how a man or woman should live in the midst of difficulty and respond to the trials of life.  Calvin said “I kiss the rod that smites me.”

God 1,  Devil 0

How do you respond?  When we find ourselves in a difficult part of the Lord’s vineyard.  We are plowing rocky soil, or the storm is gathering and the difficulty has come, when there is a sweat on the brow…in our ministries and our lives.  We must worship.  The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.  Recognize the sovereignty of God.  Romans 8:28.  What others mean for evil, God intends for our God.  He has a perfect plan for our lives.  There are no maverick molecules in the universe.  Spurgeon said “Make the sovereignty of God the pillow upon which I rest my head at night.”

John Bunyan author of Pilgrim’s Progress (with the smell of the prison is on every page).  He would not be turned away from preaching the free grace of God and as a result was thrown into a prison cell.  His wife had died and he had remarried a second time.  His second wife was pregnant and suffered miscarriage.  They never locked the door of Bunyan, he could walk out any time if he would just say he would not preach the grace of God.  He remained 12 years.  Had a blind daughter named Mary and could have said his family needed him and sought “common ground”, but he would not back down and remained in prison.  When he was released he sat down and wrote “Advice To Sufferers”. No enemy can bring suffering upon man when the will of God is otherwise.  This must be our bedrock confidence as we face the devil head on.  God is God, He is sovereign, He has appointed and ordained my trials, it is God who will preserve me.

Steve Lawson then gave his own personal story.  He was asked to write a commentary on the book of Job.  So we decided he would preach through Job to his own congregation. He preached through Job 1 and Job 2, but when he reached Job 3 “all hell broke loose”.  Someone broke into the church office, took the membership mailing list and sent a letter to members of his church indicting him with believing in the sovereignty of God in salvation and asking them to vote on whether they were a Calvinist.

By the time he got to Job 5, he felt it would honor God to resign.  He stepped down and spent the rest of the year writing the commentary alone in the office over his garage,   unable to preach the series.  He then said, “How wise of God — if I am to write the commentary on Job that I must sit in the ashes of Job…to hurt with Job, to cry with Job.  How wise of God it is to bring adversity into your life, trials and storms and dark nights of the soul, difficulty in ministry and antagonistic elders and rebellious deacons, or a shrinking church budget…to bring all of these storms of affliction so that you and I would be broken vessels, walk with a limp, identify with the hurting people we serve.  His ways are not our ways.  His ways are beyond our ways.

George Whitefield – “Happy you when we can look back and say thus I have been enabled to glorify God in the fire”.

Shepherds’ Conference 2010 – Friday Morning Notes from Phil Johnson

Phil Johnson was the morning speaker for the Shepherds’ Conference.  If you would like to watch live streaming, go here.

Turn to I Corinthians 16:13

The contemporary Evangelical movement is exactly like the Corinthian culture. It is comforting that everything we are dealing with Paul dealt with in Corinth.  Our whole current culture is confused by spiritual things.  If you want to have a valid and God-blessed ministry you need to avoid the current trends.

Look at the passage, I Corinthians 16:13.  All the commands are military orders:
Be on the alert
Stand firm in the faith
Act like men
Be strong

This is the summation of what Corinth needed to do.  The Christian’s existence in this world is a battle not a banquet.  Most Evangelicals don’t get this.

Do a google search on “Holy Ghost, Hokey Pokey” and tearful testimonies.  This represents a sizable growing district in the current Evangelical zoo.  Evangelicals don’t think we are at war.  Read blogs who talk most about being missional and you might get the idea that being a friend of the world is a gift.  “Friendship with the world is enmity with God”.

What is at stake in this world is eternal. Souls are perishing in this conflict.  It is an ideological battle.  Our weapon is the truth, the Word of God, the Sword of the spirit.  Our triumph won’t be final until Christ returns.

Does your preaching reflect this?  Are you conscious of the battle?  You are not called to be an entertainer.  You are not merely an educator, counselor or coach, you are to be a shepherd in a war zone.  You must have courage, faith, vigilance to go against the wolves, lions and bears.  The weapons you have are sufficient for the task.

Don’t relish conflict for the sake of conflict.  Don’t have anything to do with ignorant controversies.  Titus 1 “many mouths must be stopped”.  We live in a culture that has lowered the tolerance for phony gentleness.  “Let’s just agree to disagree”.  The refusal to fight for truth has done much damage.  Lets agree to argue until one of us refutes the others and we come to the correct conclusion.  We have a lot of housecleaning that needs to be done.  Throwing truth under the bus is not charitable and does not promote unity.

Paul was a determined warrior.  An example for us to follow.

Be on the alert
Stay awake, be attentive, alert.  This is used 22 times often referring to being ready for the coming of Christ.  It is used three times in Matthew 26 meaning practical, prayerful watchfulness for a day that is coming.  The mass of Evangelicals ignore this command, or ignore it.  Many are too arrogant to think they need a warning like this.  Evangelical shave no stomach for this duty.  The need for vigilance today is more needed than ever.  I Tim 3:1-5 – Paul says to avoid such people.  Be on guard against false teachers and be ready for Christ’s return.  Be watchful over your words, your life, and on guard against Satan.  Above all watch onto prayer.  “Watch”  Live as if you believe the Lord could return at any moment.  The Lord AND the enemy are at hand.

Stand firm in the faith
This is an echo of the closing verse of I Corinthians 15:58 – “be steadfast, immovable…”  This virtue has lost its luster in this time.  We are suppose to refuse to be dogmatic or have conviction.  Dogmatism is to be avoided, diversity to be cultivated and tolerance is never having to say you are wrong. It is our duty to be precise, see Colossians 1:23 “stable and stedfast, not shifting”  We are not to be like children, Ephesians 4:14  . Stabilty is a good and precious virtue, especially for leaders.  In 2 Peter 3:17 double-minded men are unstable.  The worst kind of stubbornness is not being steadfast.  Psalm 78:8 and 37.

Is Jesus really the only way to heaven?  You need to be ready to answer this question from the world.  Many have flubbed this on Larry King – if you go on his show be prepared for that question!  If you are the type of pastor that changes his opinions with every wind, get out of the ministry.  The goal of our study should not be constant shifting of our belief, but our steadfastness in Christ.  Paul doesn’t want to zeal and vigor in arguing a point of view, but rather firm belief and settled assurance, in short, spiritual maturity.

Act like men
Be manly.  The TIV translation says simply “be courageous”, which is only an aspect of this word.  The Greek word is saying you be yourselves manly, play the man, in modern terminology – man up.  Masculinity as opposed to femininity.  This was a challenge to Corinth and fits a large segment of the Evangelical world today.  Courage, strength, boldness, daring, gallantry, machismo, or to work.  Adam was to work, tend the garden even before the fall, he had to work hard.  We are to redeem the time, you can’t exclude that from this.  A call to arms, a summon to battle, defend the faith in a manly way.  This is written to the whole church, not just the leaders.  There is a sense that even the women needed to develop this strength.  It is of particular duty for the leader to develop this.  Act like men!  “Quit you like men”, some Evangelicals mistook this message as “quit being men”.

The typical Evangelical church is weak and womanly, and demand that preachers be soft and dainty, tone down severe texts or the tone police will be after you.  Evangelicals favor feminine themes, personal relationships, our “felt” needs, we are hurting people…they are a bunch of fops and milksops…we are suppose to be soldiers!  They want you to always be agreeable, delicate in everything we say and do.  This sounds like rules for figure skaters not warriors.

Paul tells Corinth to man-up, be straight forward, bold.  He is talking about character and conduct.

Be strong
To withstand opposition and persecution.  You will need to be able to endure controversy and contempt, abuse of every kind from the intelligencia and the dregs of the world alike.  They will try to oppose you just like they did Christ.  If they hated Christ they will hate you.  Things will go from bad to worse.  You need strength to stand in the battle.  Our weapons are not of the flesh, it requires character and integrity.  Christ supplies this strength.  Colossians 1:11 and Philippians 4:13;

Verse 14 Let all that you do be done in love.  Read The Jesus You Can’t Ignore for how Christ dealt with the Pharisees.  What should our motives be in the fight?  The purpose is to free those held in bondage to the wrong ideas.  The love of Christ sought us and compelled us to go into battle with Him.

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