In these times that would certainly be the question of the hour. What IS the gospel? Much of what passes as a gospel message these days more closely resembles psycho-therapy, or a children's fairy tale than the glorious gospel of grace revealed in the Scriptures. Rather than go into a long diatribe concerning this subject, I will let the words of a friend who now stands in the presence of Truth himself speak. I was honored to have this piece of writing shared with me by this dear brother and friend. Take time to reflect on his words....
“LET’S FACE IT, A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST AIN’T BEEN SAVED
From our first breath, we are wrapped up in iniquity. Nay, let us go further as always to the scripture; from our conception we are bound hand and foot to sin. Over the course of our life we will find it to be so. All of Adam’s race are sinners by nature and by choice. Look over the circle of this earth and you will find some more apt and willing to partake in evil deeds, some that have equal propensity and willingness yet are more constrained, and some that seem to have quite the mastery over their flesh. Yet underneath, they are all equally totally depraved.
Of these, it can be said, they are dead in trespasses and sin, they drink iniquity like water, they do not seek, understand, or love GOD; they are alienated from GOD by the darkness of their hearts and the ignorance of their minds; they are completely blind and deaf to spiritual things (the things of GOD); in them, there dwells no good (righteousness of their own) thing; and they are covered with putrefying wounds from head to toe.
Yet, ever so often, out of the Sovereign love and grace and goodness of GOD, because it alone has pleased Him to do so, because He has done all things after the counsel of His own will, and He has done all things well, He chooses to send forth the wind of His sovereign Spirit to blow into the dark recesses of the soul of one of these wretches whereby, they cry out, ABBA, FATHER.
The spiritually ignorant wretch who had no knowledge of GOD in his heart has his understanding opened whereby he sees a thrice holy GOD glaring at his naked sinful soul. For the first time, he sees himself as GOD has always seen him and fear melts him to the core of his being. He feels that he might die as Holiness gazes at his filthiness laid bare. He trembles as he waits for the mighty hand of judgement at once to come crashing down to destroy him. But he who has been brought to the place of mercy has found it.
And Lo, the hand that he thinks may crush shows him HE who is FAIREST AMONG TEN THOUSAND; THE ROSE OF SHARON now captures his gaze and He is altogether lovely. He weeps as he sees it was this LAMB who was wounded for his transgressions and bruised for his iniquities. Every stripe that he deserved this LAMB bore for him, and he can see that every sinful wound has been healed by Him. Every righteous demand of the law this LAMB lived, for him. He once despised even the mention of this Christ, now his heart can't begin to contain the love that he now has for him.
And what of this one whose understanding has been opened, whose affections have been turned Christ-ward? Is this just some mystical journey that they LORD has brought him on, all for nought? No indeed, for now, the unwilling has been made willing. Willing to walk some silly church aisle? Willing to sign some card? Willing to go through some 4 week new convert course? Heaven forbid! The soul that the LORD has truly saved is now willing to confess with his mouth what the LORD has done to his heart. HE HAS SAVED MY SOUL! Join a REAL new testament church...YES! Follow in the LORD’s baptism...YES! But above all, begin to live like a soul set free. Begin to tell the world around you about the SOVEREIGN, SAVING, GRACE OF GOD!!! BEGIN TO LIVE LIKE THE NEW CREATION THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST!!!
Let me leave you with a few thoughts and a couple of questions.
-Dead sinners have to be brought to life sovereignly by GOD
-When GOD does this, He does this when He chooses and to whom He chooses
-No matter how hard you try, you can’t make Him save anyone!
-Did GOD save you in the way or in a way described above?
-If you didn't get saved in the way described above or in a similar way, then who saved you or just how did you get saved? “
Bro. Shadrack Jackson Daigrepont (Jake)
50 comments:
aog,
Great topic.
the writing...wow
take out a couple of lines(convert course/sign a card) and you would be hard pressed to tell what century it was written in. Even the died in the wool free willer would have a hard time arguing any thing about it. Reminds me of Pink's writings on experimental salvation.
As for the topic, I was given this subject to preach at a conference last year, so I hope it is Ok if I give a brief view of what I presented.
-The True Gospel has at its center the person and work of Christ
(Matt. 1:21-23, Luke 2:26-30, John 1:1-14, Rom. 8:34, 1st Tim. 2:5, Heb.7:25, 9:15, 10:10,1st Peter 1:19-20, Isaiah 53, Psalms 2)
-The true gospel of Christ is a proclamation of truth, not an offer(Acts 7:54,8:25, 9:20)
-The true gospel of Christ has the Holy Spirit as its life giving power (1st Thes.1:4-5,2:13, Jn. 6:63)
-The primary means delivering the true gospel of Christ is the preaching of the gospel
(Acts 5:42, 10:42, Romans 1:15)
-The true gospel of Christ is not good news to all, and often espouses hatred to those who hear it (Act 7:54, 21:30-31)
-The true gospel of Christ is hidden to those who are perishing until the Father is pleased to reveal His son in and to them
(2nd Cor. 4:3, Col. 1:26, John 5:21)
of course, this is a subject that cannot be exhausted, and these are but a sampling of the proofs that can be provided. The fact remains that the true gospel of Christ is a glorious gospel of God's sovereign grace, and woe unto them who would pervert it, water it down, or suit it to their carnal tastes!
Grace to you
amos,
Yes I was very impressed with Jake's writing, as well as his grasp of theology. I agree about the reference to Pink..I kinda thought the same thing when I first read his writings. Btw, I listened to the last of your online sermons, and my assessment still holds. Grace to you as well.
Thanks for posting this. I feel honored to read some of Jake's writing.
All of Grace,
A word to let you know that the Bull has not wandered off into other pastures.
First, thanks for the serious topic and introducing it with such somber words of wisdom.
I hope also that this thread is treated with the seriousness and deep thought that the 'free will' thread was treated with. I must say I was glad to see a hundred posts, and enjoyed reading all of them.
Having just visited, I will keep my comments brief(if possible) until a later time.
I hope however that thought is given to this idea as this subject is discussed...There is a 'gospel' that is not the gospel at all. The 'marginal' Christian, if you would call them that at all, very rarely displays the ability to discern the true from the false.
(Read that first chapter of Galatians very carefully)
Christ himself said that you will be hated for my name's sake...they will put you out of the temples and synagogues...what was the fate of apostles for preaching the 'true' gospel...death. And how many were put to death at the hands of Romanist church throughout the centuries for preaching the true gospel. Christ said it was a narrow way and few there would be that would find it.
And as the kingdom of darkness wages even more violence against the kingdom of God (amos, aog, ez, you're not the only amil's out there my brothers), does any one find it the least bit odd (and frightening)that so many churches are growing 'expotentially' (Warrenism), all the while traveling further and further away from the true gospel and headed at a blistering pace toward a secular humanist, free willism, decisionism, man centered message...I'll not dare say gospel, for that would indeed be sacrireligious. Churches are packing their pews with unregenerate worldlings who have never been made sinners in their hearts because they've been 'won' with a false gospel...they have no fear of God in their hearts because they've never heard of the Sovereign who is angry at the wicked every day...they've never beat their bosoms and pleaded that God would be merciful to them as wicked sinners...they've never bowed at the savior's feet and wept tears because of their sin...they've never cried like lepers, son of David, have mercy on me...yet they flock in by the thousands, unchanged, uncoverted, and they feel just as at home in the 'church' as they would anywhere else...but the powers that be will be glad to point out, 'my, look how we're growing'.
Christ himself said that He would build His church. I challenge anyone to find where He said He would build it on a 'false gospel'.
O' that God would raise up men who seek to make no profit and no reputation and seek to climb no 'ladders', but have only an earnest desire to see God gather in His elect by the preaching of the truth empowered by the Holy Ghost!
Bellevueans,(I mean this with all love and sincerity) you may weep because of blunders made by committees and because this person or that person didn't do this or that, or this money was spent or this money was given or the bylaws are outdated or because this or that man stepped over a fence and maybe he makes too much money...BUT...will you not weep one tear that a FALSE GOSPEL continues to be preached! Will you not weep one tear that this false gospel is continually accepted as the 'true' gospel?
Sorry Aog, you can throw this out is you must, but if I utter anything, it's gonna have to be the truth. And this thread is about the gospel, right?
Blessings to you
China
china,
Good to see you back in these parts. First, like I told you before, no one gets censored here for speaking their mind..that is, after all, why this blog exists. Secondly, you are absolutely correct in stating that the issues of fence jumping, financial improprieties, etc. at BBC, or at any church for that matter, are secondary issues. In fact, I would say they are only symptoms of a more serious disease. There is a famine in the land my brother. A famine of God's word, and the pure straightforward preaching and teaching of the gospel of grace. I thank God for the few who still hold fast to THE gospel. Brother Amos is one...Brother Jake left a legacy according to that gospel, as you can well see in his writing...not famous by this world's standards, but known by God, and those whose lives they touch by an unwavering commitment to gospel truth. THAT gospel is rooted in God's eternal purpose to redeem a people for Himself, centered in Christ as our covenant head and atoning sacrifice, effected by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, and made sure by the covenant faithfulness of the Godhead. THAT is the gospel that saves depraved, hell-deserving sinners. It's the only one there is, and the only one that should be preached.
You'll have to pardon my levity in my little poll on the newest thread...although the first four answers are for a serious question. The other six were more an expression of my protest against the silliness that goes on in so many churches. I fear that many of what have the appearance of being churches, are really only buildings filled with warm bodies. May God have mercy on us.
China, Mark Dever over at 9 Marks once posted part of a blind e-mail from a pastor who repented of growing his church with GCM methods. He repented of growing a church of 'Baptized pagans'. Another evangelists that few have heard of calls it 'building temples on the dead bones of unbelievers'.
It really scares me. One reason is because so many believe that only a growing church is an 'alive' church and if a church is not growing it is dead. This is misleading. Hudson Taylor was on the mission field for 10 years with only 1 convert! I believe we will see 'real churches' become fewer in number. (My cousin was a missionary in Romania for many years. She said it is harder to be a real Christian in America because we have 10 varieties of apples in our groceries and they cannot get apples. See the point?)
In actuality we are measuring the wrong things in terms of growth and if you know what they measure, their numbers are even more misleading. They measure average 'attendance' for the public figures. That number can include those who attend the 12 step programs offered there or some other 'program'. Just to give you an example of how crazy the numbers are, at my former mega there were people who were members of other churches who would come and be 'greeters' for the early service then dash over to their own church. One has to wonder why...to be a part of something big and exciting? And I am not talking about a few people. There were hundreds who did this and other tasks.
So, in the end, we are not measuring numbers of people who have heard the full gospel! That blows my mind!
I know we are talking about the gospel but the numbers tell an even bigger story. They bring them in as fast as they go out the back door. There is very little real commitment to the Body because it is run by staff and very few can exercise their gifts. Out of 25,000, maybe 2,000 are real hard core committed members in most experiences. One measure they use for comitted people are counting those who attend the Bible studies. But now, even those are harder to decifer because the newest thing is to hold 'Bible studies' in homes with CD's as the teacher and the host as 'facilitator'. No training necessary. No Bible Study preparation needed.
If the real gospel, The whole counsel of God were preached, the pews would empty....fast.
I fully expect Bellevue to grow under Gaines. You can pack them in with gospel light, lots of programs and entertaining and emotional services.
Believe it or not, I am not anti mega. I think there are mega's out there that do preach the whole counsel of God. Such as the two John's: Piper and McArthur. But even those have problems because of the sheer size.
You know what is the most shocking thing of my life? How negative the full gospel is to professing Christians. They get angry when scripture they do not like is quoted. I like what one itinerant preacher said, "You don't believe the interpretation? Then just read it grammatically!" :o)
Hudson Taylor was on the mission field for 10 years with only 1 convert!
lindon,
Jeremiah would have never made it in the SBC eh?
"lindon,
Jeremiah would have never made it in the SBC eh?"
No kidding. I do give the Baptists credit for a few things, though. One is that they have historically preached the only way...narrow gate. Another is that they did not succumb to the 'state church' and kept a sane view of authority being servanthood. (the word minister is a derivative of servant) I refuse to have this legacy stolen...I call myself a 'historic baptist' which if you read the 1659 (year?) confession, they believed in election!!
But one thing that really helped convert me in my thinking about the attributes of God and the full gospel was going back and reading through the OT and what He required of His prophets! Going naked, marrying whores, wearing yokes, lying on one side for a year, etc, etc.
Have you read Nahum lately? Yikes.
Following Christ is NOT easy if you are really trying to conform your mind to His. I beg daily for Mercy because I fall so short!
Here is a link you guys may enjoy about megas and what is played on the imax.
http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.608
lindon,
It's the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
Thanks for correcting me. I did not have time to look it up. I was only off by 30 years. :o)
Last Sunday morning our pastor preached on the subject: Are you a genuine believer? from I John 2:3-10 and Sunday night a guest minister preached: Are you a supernatural Christian? from I Thess 2:4 Both sermons emphasised that salvation is a gift from god that cannot be earned. My church is Collierville First Baptist Church. There are SB churches that are preaching the gospel.
(aog, sorry if this strays off topic, but I would like to direct a comment to Amos)
I read the the freewill thread again after reading Amos's post here, and a couple of aog's comments further on down the thread. I realized that I had overlooked something in the freewill thread that I would like to address here.
So, Amos, was an SB preacher who was voted out of a SB church for preaching the doctrines of grace, and also treated quite spitefully.
(and this is no swipe at you who are currently in the SBC, but I didn't hear any comments of 'shock' or 'disbelief' that an SBC church would treat a preacher w/a young family like that)
The link that was provided(by Amos) was of sermons that he has preached. I have listened to those sermons. If that is a sampling of what you preach, then by the grace of God, brother preach on!!
I am by no means a prophet, but I would like to make an educated estimation of Bro. Amos's situation. I do this not to belittle nor to be sarcastic, but to prove a point...that true gospel preachers have to be willing to pay a price to preach the gospel...notice, I did not say have to be willing to be 'paid a certain price' to preach the gospel.
Amos, judging by the website you provided and by reading your previous comments, you were commissioned by that church to begin a Sovereign Grace Baptist Church...that probably means from the ground up. That probably means the pastor's (your)family and maybe one or two others (I did read the testimony about your brother... great stuff!) Let's not even get into the legal/redtape headaches of starting a church incurs. Now, unless you had a spare building laying around, you either had to purchase/rent a building or you met in your homes. Does this sound familiar so far?
As far as salary, I would imagine that our pastor friend and probably his spouse also have jobs. The commissioning church and his church may give him something, but then again, he may not receive anything at all, and if he does, he probably gives it right back in offerings. Am I even close?
You preach to a small congregation, yet when someone finds out that you are a preacher, the first thing they ask is 'how big is your church?' The conventional preachers around you consider you illegitimate, the community churchgoers look at you as cultish, and your family who are probably SBC have probably written you off as heretics. And if that weren't enough, Providence has you on the radio preaching the true gospel of grace, so your popularity stock continues to plunge. Any of this ring a bell?
You feel isolated because you have taken a stand, persecuted because you wont bow down to modern religion, and hated by those who don't even know you only because you are jealous for your God's glory.
If this is the case brother Amos, then I consider you one of the most blessed men that I know, and I don't make comments like that flippantly.
If I am off base, then forgive me and just consider this the ramblings of a babbling Bull. But if this rings true in part or in whole, then hear me well...
What has happened to you has happened to other men of God...in Ark, in Miss., In TX, In OK, and in numerous other places. I have seen with my own eyes the hateful treatment in these wicked times of God's true preachers. But take heart, I have also seen our Lord be faithful to His servants. I have seen Him place His preachers in places where there were true gospel famines, and seen the Lord raise up His church's as beacons of light shining in dark places. I am hoping with a sure hope that this is the case in your life. The Lord has been gracious to me to allow me to be where he has done this and to 'help' where I could. I am hoping He has a 'bull' or two to help and support you as you labor for the Lord.
I am guessing by your voice on your sermons that your age is not much different than mine (thirty something). So I dont consider myself someone that gives all that great of counsel, but I offer you these words of encouragement.
Keep on standing, keep on preaching the truth, keep on trusting in the Lord, keep on staying on your face before him; be diligent, be faithful, and be patient, and wait upon the Lord for the increase that only HE brings, and then HE will be glorified in it! Blessings to you!
China
Amos
ps I am familiar with your sponsoring church--have visited the site several times, and have even recommened the site, though I'm not from Memphis--had overlooked you until now though... also appreciated the Ark. church link...used to live in Ark.
china,
You make some very valid points. I guess there can hardly be "shock and dismay" at the way brothers like amos are treated in the SBC these days, seeing that the favorite pastime of many of the denominational leaders and a great many more preachers is to bash the DoG, and those who preach it. It's shameful to be sure. But these dear brothers who labor in relative obscurity are precious to those of us who stand with them in their faithful declaration of the gospel. I'm not a preacher, but I can tell you that many times I've been ostracized, verbally attacked, and been called about everything but something good for where I stand on what the scriptures teach. But I believe it's more because they fear what we declare..that the God of the Bible is not the god of their own imaginations..you know...the one who is subject to the whims and wills of His creatures? To paraphrase Spurgeon a bit...people will give lip service to His sovereignty when He blesses and brings rain in season, etc. but God upon His throne they will not tolerate.
Thankfully, in part, because of the work of Founders ministries, there are a few churches still associated with the SBC who preach and teach the DoG, but they are few...may there tribe increase.
China,
I must admit, I was a bit taken back by your comments. John Edwards would be envious of your 'reading' talent.--that was me joking. I even let my wife read them. I had to assure her that you didn't know us personally...it was actually kind of humorous.
Obviously, you have been extremely close to something similar to what I have experienced. Thank you for your words of encouragement and you may be glad to know that the LORD has indeed blessed me with a couple of 'bulls' in my labors here.
As far as wise counsel goes, don't be so hasty to disqualify yourself from giving it, as I am not so hasty as not to receive it. I've read some your posts, and are you absolutely sure you are in the thirty-something range? Just asking? I just imagine you having either more gray hair or less of it...again, that is me being humorous.
Let me agree with a few words of wisdom that you offered...I indeed feel that I am a very blessed man. The only aprobation that I seek is that of our LORD, and I have no concern what this world, or this world's religious systems, or what my family might think of me, or what spiteful opinion they have of the gospel of the Kingdom or its King of whom I preach.
I would rather labor in obscurity and no one ever no my name but the LORD, than to garner the praises of the worldlings of this generation for a season and not be known of Him. (Oh, and as far as pay goes, I would drive for hours and pay whatever the going rate was to be able to preach the glorious gospel of grace)
Many blessings to you.
Amos
We just had to take time to testify of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ in our own lives. Both of us had parents who were Christians that loved God and brought us up in His Word and Church. God sowed His Word into our hearts. He called us. He brought us to belief and eternal salvation in Jesus. Jesus saved our unworthy souls from a devil's eternally burning hell. He baptized us in His precious Holy Ghost. He gave us HIS life. He has given us His love. He has given to us His mercy and forgiveness and grace and favor. All that He has done for us has been undeserved. Who is a God like unto Him? How can we ever thank Him enough? We hope eternity will be long enough to thank Him for all He has done.
THANK YOU, LORD JESUS! THANK YOU, LORD! AND THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR WORD AND YOUR GOSPEL. YOUR GOSPEL LED US TO YOUR ETERNAL LIFE. THOSE THAT ARE FORGIVEN MUCH LOVETH MUCH....AND OH, FATHER, HOW WE LOVE YOU AND WE THANK YOU FOR LOVING US. THANK YOU, DEAR GOD.
Stephen and Bonita Ann Richie
Living Hope In Jesus
www.livinghopeinjesus.com
Amos,
thanks for responding in kindness, and reading your previous comments, it wasn't that hard to figure out the road that you have traveled and are traveling.
Let me correct you though...you said... 'John Edwards would be envious of your 'reading' talent'
I believe you who meant to say was 'John Edward', the so called medium who claims to consult the dead. John Edwards is a democratic presidential hopeful; Jonathan Edwards on the other hand, wrote 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'. Glad we got that all cleared up.
I appreciate your sense of humor though. And by the way, I do still have most of my hair. AoG has inspired me to grow a mullet...he'll have to explain that one. Blessings to you and keep fighting the good fight.
China
aog
blepo zao elpis en Iesous
" AoG has inspired me to grow a mullet...he'll have to explain that one. Blessings to you and keep fighting the good fight."
No amount of explaining will ever excuse a mullet or the mere thought of one! :o)
BTW: Mullets are never inspired.
But here is one you may like: http://pecadillo.blogspot.com/
china,
For my part, just still having some hair is sufficient ;) I admire your bravery however, and your willingness to humiliate yourself with a mullet ;) At this point in my life I'm grateful to just wake up in the morning...hair or sans hair :/ The comments have been great guys/gals. You all bless me. In a day or so I'll share my own testimony...which is the basis for my fervency on this particular topic.
amos,
I miss your scripture postings on the BBC forum. Keep me informed as to when you'll have new sermons online.
lindon,
I caught your little faux pas on the BBC forum...haha...so many blogs..so little time.
aog, looking forward to your testimony.
Speaking of the Gospel..to what lengths should we contend for the full gospel? I came across this on a blog written by a guy I have come to admire in many ways. I was stunned to see this and would love to hear the take on this from aog ,some 'bulls' and pastors. To give you a hint, this itinerant pastor has come up with an oath for contending for the truth in Biblical teaching...but the entire oath is worth reading...
http://gordansplace.blogspot.com/2007/02/thirty-see-1-chronicles-11.html
Sorry about the url, my engine has an error when I try to do links in comments sections?? What is up with that?
OK guys,
about the mullet;
in one of my theology books, there is an artist's rendition of Calvin preaching or speaking in the midst of what appears to be a public audience; he has a neatly groomed mop cut, but his hair appears to be almost to his shoulders in the back. My only thought was, "All this time, and I never knew that Calvin was all business in the front and all party in the back".
And for the record, I don't have a mullet, but the same military style flat top that I have had since the 8th grade. But aog, you just say the word, and it's a mullet all the way.
Lindon, havent looked at the link you posted, but I will, and will give my 2 or 3 cents worth after I do.
I agree with Aog...it is a pleasant part of the day to visit and read the posts here. It's good to be among 'brothers'. We've had some fun, but let's get back to the meat and potatoes.
Blessings
China
"All this time, and I never knew that Calvin was all business in the front and all party in the back".
LOL. If you want meat and potatoes, then quit being so funny.
Please look at the link...I find what he has written very interesting about Contending for the Truth. I am not big on oaths, though. However, I am more curious about what you guys think of the content.
Flat top since 8th grade? Same barber, too?
all of grace,
I haven't been following the newbbc forum as of late. I did like posting scripture, but I felt for the most part, people were probably just scrolling by. Also, I found myself spending too much time on there anyway.
As for the sermons, I will keep you posted. You see, I am a one man operation. I go into the studio and record. I then do all the editing and preparing for broadcast...of course its a computer program, so it only takes a few hours to do a message. After I have recorded a certain number of messages, I then burn them to CD and mail them to Memphis.
This all is easier said than done. I teach school and have a 7 and 10 year old, and my wife works 60 miles in the opposite direction. And we have two services a week that I prepare to preach for. So there's a lot of juggling involved, time that is, not the kids, they're way too heavy.
But the Lord be willing, I'll have some new ones in the next several weeks. Each new one runs for 3 consecutive weeks on the radio. I figure that gives the average listener down here enough time to understand what I've preached!
Grace and Peace to you!
Amos
-China, any other reformers that we should know about who sported mullets? As for me, I'm all business in the front and the back!
Ok I'm all business in the front and back...with a developing racing stripe down the middle ;) ...I thought the reformers liked the "bowl" cut.
china,
For your meat and potatoes the next thread will most likely be on that sticky wicket...the atonement...sharpen your sabres ladies and gents.
amos,
Thanks for the heads up(no pun intended). Sounds like you have your hands full brother.
Lindon, I'll check out the link and offer my unqualified opinion.
aog,
I have what I think is rather exciting news. I have a friend in Lake Charles (about 90 miles south) who attends a Sovereign Grace Church (not baptist, dont see eye to eye on a few things). I haven't seen him in a couple of years, but I email him every now and then. When you posted the writing by Jake, I cut and pasted it and emailed it to him. He really liked it and he copied it and put it in a folder that he has. Over the years, he has collected hundreds of sermons and writings and put them in this file. Out of curiosity he checked the name on some of his other sermons, but there no were matches. But he was looking at the full name listed at the bottom of Jake's writing. He emailed me today, and he found 3 sermons or writings; they are untitled; they are photocopied and he doesn't think that he got them at the same time; he doesn't know how old they are, just guessing, he thinks 8 or 9 years old at least, and he has really no idea who could have given them to him (he has collected so many over the years)...but they are typed and have only one name at the bottom... "Jake" ... Did he give you any other thing that he wrote?
He doesn't have a scanner, but I asked him to type and email them to me...he has already sent me one, and said that he should have the others done tonight. They are not that long...the first is about a page, and he said the other two are about that long also.
Question? Could I post them as I get them? If you think they are not his, then you could remove them. Also, if you have other things he has written, you could compare.
Let me know...I think I got all that right...I was excited while I was typing!
Amos
I'll check back in a while for your response
amos,
Yes Jake sent me 3 different things. If you could, when you get them from your friend, email them to me and I'll compare them to Jake's other writings. He told me he had written several things over the last couple of years. I wish I could have seen more of them before he died.
lindon,
I read the oath you linked us to. I'll agree with one thing he said...taking oaths is serious business.
aog,
did you get my mail?
aog,
I'm gonna wait about 5 minutes. If you dont post, I'm gonna post these last two. Man, these are worth seeing, whoever wrote them.
amos,
Yes I got your email. I think it might be the Jake I know. But I'm going to check them closer. Thanks.
aog,
can I post these next two...it's must read stuff
amos,
Go ahead..but if for some reason I feel they may not be the same Jake, I'll make a clarification on that. Post away.
aog,
Thanks: I just thought it was material worth reading, whoever wrote it.
#2
Thoughts on John 5:1-22
There were many crowded around the pool that day. The physically maimed and decrepit were the hallmark traits of those gathered around that oasis of superstition. They hoped for something that could not help, and that which could help they could not hope for. For sake of analogy sin is similar. Its victims are maimed and lame, having a blind and ignorant stupor that leaves them hoping in the hopeless and looking for something that is impotent in their case.
Our subject has been lame for as much as we know, the whole of his life. He has been left to depend on others for his ambulatory needs, but in this instance, we see him in the heart of his condition; left to wallow in muck and filth, with no end in sight but that of an false hope.
But the sovereignty of our Savior that the false believer hates to hear of is thunderously heard and no doubt will be a welcome chorus in this lame man’s ears. Of all that are there that day, Jesus approaches him, and far as the scripture reveals, only him...then notice, it is not he who seeks Jesus out, but it is Jesus who comes like the loving shepherd that He is, unto one of His sheep.
The question then is asked? Doesn't Jesus approach all? Certainly we are commanded to preach the gospel to all the world, and we should take this command that the gospel should be preached to all men. But to say that Jesus approaches all men equally goes well beyond what the scripture warrants. Even if the gospel is heard by all men, it is GOD the Holy Spirit that must make it effectual to the heart; he must approach men in their hearts in a way that the preacher, or for that matter any other cannot. It is not up to our determining as to whom the LORD will quicken and save, but if we do know that He will save by the preaching of the gospel, then let us preach the gospel to as many as the LORD allows us to!
Back to our subject...some may argue, you cannot equate this man’s healing with salvation. O’ dear reader, will you also make the mistake of being so hasty? Twas a woman caught in sin brought and thrown at Jesus’ feet...and He told her, ‘neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more’. Would you argue that Jesus did nothing spiritually unto her? Jesus found our dear lame friend later in the temple, and told him, ‘ Thou art made whole, go and sin no more’. It appears that the what the dear Savior did for him physically, that he did for him spiritually.
Of course, the parallels of the religious of that day and of this day are plentiful, but the facts remain the same. The religious desired to argue the legality of what was done...what offended them truly was that the god of their imagination and the GOD that had healed and saved this man were not one and the same, and our sovereign Savior exposed this. That He and the Father were one, and they would quicken whomever they would, whenever and wherever they pleased offended their unregenerate souls. They were given a crash course in the Sovereignty of GOD. Did it soften their hearts of stone? Did it cause them to praise GOD for His grace and mercy toward undeserving sinners?
V. 18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
It seems that this message still raises those same feelings today, though it may be hard to detect under all the layers of superficial religion. What is displayed in this passage in nothing more than the gospel. To some, it will be sweet like honey, food for your soul, and you will be left praising GOD for saving a worthless worm like yourself. To others, your heart will be hardened all the more. May our LORD have mercy on you.
#3
Pondering the Holidays
On the pages of the Holy Writ, in the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes, there can be found words penned by King Solomon that cause the deepest of thinkers, both spiritual and secular, to ponder their implications. Some theologians call it ‘the parable of the seasons’.
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
In these eight short verses, the soul is stirred to glean for itself kernels of wisdom and in due season remove them for profitable application. While volumes have been written about these verses in exegesis form to draw out the wealth of meaning, very seldom is it pondered what is very glaringly absent.
Absent from these writings is: a time to worship…a time to be reverent…a time to be obedient…a time to be humble…a time to be spiritual minded…a time to honor and a time to remember the Lord. In fact, while these 8 verses detail the times and seasons for appropriate action and conduct, both public and private in the practical sense, and that primarily regarding self and our fellow man, the passage remains silent in issuing perimeters concerning duties of the heart GOD-ward.
Could it be that these duties are excluded from this list of personal piety for a very obvious reason? The contention of this unworthy wretch of a writer is thus: the rightness of our spiritual posture before a thrice holy GOD is not seasonal; the reverence of the soul before our Creator does not have an expiration date; the rule and reign of our Redeemer in the hearts of His people is not periodical. The subjects of the Kingdom of GOD worship Him day and night without end, for in Him do they live and move and breathe (Acts 16:28). They are the sheep of His pasture and His voice they recognize, and they come when He calls, and they follow Him always (John 10:3-5). His kingdom, as they know, cannot be found by observation and neither is it meat nor drink, but it is established in their hearts through the washing of regeneration, and is known by the presence of peace and righteousness, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Luke 17:20-22, Romans 14:17, Titus 3:5) They can go to no other, for He alone has the words of life. Their souls can find nourishment in nothing this world offers, for He is the Bread of Life and the Meat that perishes not(John 6:34, 27).
He is their Mercy Seat, their Intercessor, their Righteousness, their Near Kinsman, their Substitutionary Sacrifice, their Passover Lamb, their High Priest, their Justifier, the Balm for their Soul, their Surety, and they hope only in Him. Emmanuel has drawn nigh, and the train of His robe in its majesty and splendor has filled the temple of their hearts. The Great I Am, which Israel of old only knew in the types and shadows, is known experientially in the hearts of His spiritual Israel. He is the only Sovereign, the only Potentate, and His hand cannot be stayed by any in the heavens or in the earth. His name is Jesus, and He is indeed Wonderful, The Mighty Counselor, The Prince of Peace, our Mighty GOD. He is the Binder of the strong man, He who calls to the dead, and they come forth.
When He is indeed these things to the soul…when He is known as the Pearl of Great Price in the heart…when Grace has found that lost sheep and shined glorious light into the dark recesses of the soul, it might then be said…
For His people, He needs no symbols or types or sentiments or nostalgic memories to be a reality…for He is LORD every second of every day of every year…JESUS NEEDS NO SEASON TO BE OUR REASON.
aog..I tried to proof it for typos; if any remain, sorry;
great stuff though
Wow Amos, You are quite the slueth! This is very exciting!
aog, Thanks for taking the time for to go and read that.
aog,
does it sound like him?
lindon,
no sleuthdom here; I was just trying to make nice with an old friend who I haven't talked with in a while...he's the one that went digging through his filing cabinet of sermons and devotions that he has saved for the past 20 years. And not to burst your bubble lin, but jake is as common as john in these parts.
amos
amos,
#2 is definitely him...he emailed me the very same writing...small world amongst sovereign gracers eh?
amos, lin, china, et al,
This to me is one of the great beauties of the Christian life..the Providence of God who made Jake's and my path to cross...to be one of the last to speak to him...and here he is..because of God's grace..still touching people's lives...though dead, he still speaks. Bless the Name of the LORD.
amos,
Sorry I meant #3 was the one he emailed me...but I believe from the style of writing..#2 is as well...what a find!!
aog,
Holiday Ponderings are His? Do you think the other 2 could be his also? It seems a little different in style, but they are on different subjects also.
(I liked Holiday Ponderings-us SG's dont formerly observe Christmas, not that we don't recognize the importance and preach the advent of Christ)
I am amazed, but not totally surprised. I've only been a SG for 5 years, and there's just not that many SG preachers around.
Small world? Try small state. I write stuff all the time and email it to about 10 to 15 preacher/others. About 5 or 6 do the same with me. I pass a lot of stuff on when its good. I emailed a sermon to a friend about 4 months ago, and it ended up getting emailed back to me by someone else. If he wrote a lot over a good period of time, he may have stuff all over the place.
But you are right about Sovereign gracers. We exchange stuff more than any others that I know. I would almost bet that he is from around Lake Charles or south of there. I don't venture down that way very often, but I'll make a point to do so, and visit my friend. I would like to see his 'files'. He may have some more that aren't 'signed'.
There are quite a few 'unorganized' primitive baptist groups in South Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, but not that many Sovereign Grace Baptist churches. But there's not a whole lot of organized anything left in Cameron parish after the hurricane. I personally hope he has stuff all over the state, and I'll just ask people I know if they have any copies of sermons that I could look at.
Aog,
The one on the preacher...all I could think, LORD let me be that kind of preacher! Did if he ever talk to you about his preacher? Anything that would lead you to believe he wrote that one also? If he did write it, he had to be almost a kid, dont you think? Hope my 'kids' grow to think like that!
amos
would you mind posting that one?
amos,
That would be great...I know his pastor's name is Chad Irons..perhaps you could make a connection there as well. Yea he sent me seasonal ponderings 2 days before Christmas. There's no telling how much he wrote or how many places it is...I'm just glad he shared with me what he did. I still get blessed just reading his emails. He said he "wrote a bunch" the last couple of years, and I know where he lived was pretty torn up by the hurricane Rita..he had a couple of choice things to say about New Orleans..lol...maybe I'll share that with you by email sometime.
aog,
I'll try to track down the name.
BTW, we all have choice words for New Orleans...like, why in the world are yall rebuilding it for?!
aog,
the one of the preacher...how about emailing it to SG...just a thought
aog,
my friend said the one on the preacher was definitely the oldest. it was typewritten and photocopied and faded. He couldn't tell how old it was. the other two he thought were possibly 8 or 9 years old, but that one he thought was possibly much older.
I got the impression reading it, that he was talking about an older man (but that may just be me), so I assumed if he wrote this, he did so while this man was his preacher. If he passed at 35, then he may have written that at quite a young age. Just a thought
amos,
"Seasonal ponderings" I believe he wrote just within the last few years, but I may have misread the email he sent it to me in. One thing you can always tell in his writing..LORD and GOD are always all caps. Even in his emails he did the same thing. He was a gifted writer, and it wouldn't surprise me if he wrote that as a very young man.
"This to me is one of the great beauties of the Christian life..the Providence of God who made Jake's and my path to cross...to be one of the last to speak to him...and here he is..because of God's grace..still touching people's lives...though dead, he still speaks. Bless the Name of the LORD. "
Amen. May each us leave a legacy only of Glorifying God.
I appreciate this opportunity to clear up some of the confusion concerning the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many seem to think that the T-U-L-I-P is the Gospel. Some even consider the "Romans Road to Salvation" to be the Gospel. In reading allofgrace's post, as well as the follow-up posts, I am convinced that some have mistaken the words of man for the Word of God.
The Gospel is not found in the writings of MacArthur, Pink, Calvin or Spurgeon. The Gospel is not found in the writings of Rogers, Lee, Stanley or Patteron. The Gospel of our precious Lord Jesus is found in the writings of the Sovereign Lord, through his servant, the Apostle Paul.
I am not saying that none of these men spoke the Gospel, and quoted the Gospel, but their writings can never express the Gospel as well as the Scriptures clearly define the Gospel.
We can spend much time saying that the Gospel is the Sovereign Grace of God that saves the lost sinner, but that is not the Gospel. We can speak of man's depraved state, but that is not the Gospel. We can speak of the regeneration of man's soul, but that is not the Gospel. We can speak of man's response to the grace of God, but that is not the Gospel. There are many things that are being presented as the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that, simply said, are not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Since the question that aog asked was, "What Is the Gospel?", I thought that at least one of your posts would have contained God's Word on the subject, but none did. Because of that, I am offering it here:
"... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Did the Apostle Paul forget to mention the depravation of man? Did he forget to mention the Sovereignty of God? Could he not have known that it was in the writings of Spurgeon that this was according to? No, He stated the Gospel, and declared it to be according to the Scriptures. He was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures when he wrote this. This message was, and is, "the Gospel", by which men that are depraved, having heard, trust in the Christ that they hear about, through the grace of God, that they might be justified by the faith of Christ (Galations 2:16).
Paul made it clear that the message we are to preach is not that, "God saves sinners". He made it clear that the message was not about us praying a prayer, joining a church, being baptized or even living a regenerate life. He made it very clear that the message that we are to preach is totally about Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave Himself for us and was raised the third day.
Those other things are about the Christian life, but the Gospel is ALL ABOUT HIM.
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