JURONG OUTREACH - December 10

What Do You Think About Sin?
5th Dec 2010

Have you ever wondered about sin? I mean REALLY wondered about sin? What is sin? Is the contemporary definition of sin accurate? What does the Bible actually say about sin?             

1 John 3:4 - “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”              

1 John 5:17 – “All unrighteousness is sin…” 

The Bible tells us that sin is lawlessness; that is, breaking God’s law. If righteousness describes God, then unrighteousness is just the opposite. So sin is doing the opposite of what God says. Our modern culture paints a different picture of sin altogether. In many teachings today, sin is regarded as a form of human weakness. It is described in terms of its "psychological pains and its relational disruptions." And truly sin does produce deep psychological pains and relational disruptions. But in this self-seeking and self-referential world sin is reduced to nothing more than a social disease and psychological disturbance.How should we even begin to get a correct picture of sin? Where do we begin? With ourselves? With sin? No. We must begin with God.  

Sin is incomparably evil, because the God principally offended by it is incomparably excellent. The ultimate tragedy of sin is not that it spoils my life, disrupts my relationships, scars my world, but that it dishonours, defies, and disgraces God!  

This is remarkably highlighted in Psalm 51:4. King David had been deeply convicted of his sin by conspiring to have Uriah murdered. And yet, when he comes to cry to God for mercy, David prays, "Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." David is not denying his sin against Bathsheba, Uriah, his own family, and God's Church. He is, however, telling himself and us that the true horror of sin is that it is against God. Sin's ultimate tragedy can only be defined by the Bible, not psychologically nor relationally.  

In trying to reach the masses today, many denominations have watered down the Bible’s teachings on sin. It is common to hear at most so-called ‘Gospel meetings’ that Jesus is the Answer to our broken dreams, heart-breaks, disappointments, etc. And indeed He is the Answer! But until men and women are helped to see that the horror of sin is that it is against God, and makes you his enemy (Romans 5:10), Jesus Christ will never be seen for what he most essentially is, the One sent from God and by God to reconcile us to God, deliver us from the coming wrath, and fit us for eternal fellowship with God. The root of all our ills is our sin-ruptured relationship with the living God. 

Think about it. Should the God of glory appear to you, and show you a glimpse of His excellent glory; if He reveals to you a little of His greatness which the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain; of His perfection that knows no bounds – what would you then think of sin?

If we would see what sin is, go to Calvary. Ponder upon what it cost God to make it possible for us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him. It cost Him the blood of His only begotten Son! At such a cost, dare we think of sin as something as small as mere human weakness, low self-esteem; disappointments in life; bad habits?

If we are to see sin for what it truly is, we must first come to see God as He truly is. And the only way is to study the Bible, not men’s opinions and teachings. We live in danger of too much indulgence in carnal pleasure. We read what pleases us and accept what makes us feel good about ourselves. Religion has become a treatment for bruised ego, hurt feelings, loneliness and above all, guilt. This world has lost sight of sin and if the church should go the way of the world and regards sin as the world regards it, then truly woe to us! 

Come, the Word of God is clear and unambiguous concerning sin and what we are to do about it. God has graciously provided the solution for mankind’s plight. Come and be healed. Answer the Lord Jesus’ call to believe in Him as the divine Son of God (John 8:24). Turn your back on sin in true repentance; have nothing more to do with that which displeases God (Luke 13:3). Confess, that is, proclaim Jesus as the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37). Be immersed in water and have your sins washed away (Acts 22:16). 

Recognise your true condition as sinners in the sight of God, under His holy wrath and judgment. Run to Him and save yourselves from this untoward generation! 

It Is Reasonable To believe In God!
14th Dec 2010

We live in an unbelieving world!  Many have accepted Satan’s lie that faith in God as the Creator of all things disagrees with modern science.  Such could not be farther from the truth!  Faith in the existence of God as Creator is both reasonable and in harmony with the facts of science.  A refusal to believe that God created all things is very unreasonable.

     Faith in God as Creator is reasonable because creation requires a creator. If one sees a lovely, well built house, he does not say, “I wonder how that house came into existence.”  He knows that the existence of the house means that someone built it. This is also true of our world.  The fact that it exists requires that there must be one who built it. “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4).

     Faith in God as the Creator of all things is reasonable because life can only come from life!  Everyone understands that that which is dead can not produce that which is alive.  In Europe during the middle Ages, people were very ignorant.  They believed in “spontaneous generation,” that is, that non-living things could give birth to living things.  Louis Pasteur, a great French scientist in the 19th century, proved that spontaneous generation is false. Only life can produce life! 

     Let us make application to the world and the people in it.  How did it come to be?  There are only two possibilities. Either the world and all living things in it came from dead, non-living, non-thinking matter, or it came from mind, intelligence, life, therefore, God.  What do you think?

     Does a nest create a bird to sit in it, or does the bird, a living being, create the nest?  Does a car make a man to drive it, or does the man who is living and intelligent create the car?  It is totally unreasonable to believe that the earth which is filled with living plants, animals and persons, was brought into being by dead matter.  However, it is very reasonable to believe that a supreme, intelligent Being, God, brought into existence the universe and the wonderful varieties of life which live in it.

     It is also reasonable to believe in God as Creator because of the plan and purpose in the universe.  The universe operates according to law.  Scientists are busy discovering these laws which they use for man’s benefit.   The order and design of the laws point to a Master mind who originated them.  It is not possible that our orderly universe happened by chance.  For example, the earth is 93,000,000 miles from the sun. If the earth were closer, it would burn up.  If it were farther away, the earth would freeze. Did this just happen by chance?  Or, did a living Mind, God, design this?
 

     Did the complex universe which operates in such orderly fashion, according to definite laws, just happen by chance?  Or, is it the result of an intelligent God who created it?  It would be more reasonable to assume that the telephone directory of Sydney, Australia, a city of more than 4,000,000 people, just happened by chance than to assume that the orderly universe came into existence by chance!
    

It is reasonable to believe that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  Only a powerful, highly intelligent God could have created the wonderful, complex world in which we live.  Truly, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Psalms 14:1). 

Let us humble ourselves before our Creator “Who made the world and everything in it” (Acts 17:24).  Let us acknowledge that “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).  To deny the existence of God is the greatest of all foolishness! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lord I Believe 

When we behold the wonders of creation,

The flowers that bloom,

the raindrops as they fall:

The spacious skies and life’s perpetuation,

We cannot doubt that God controlled it all.

Lord I believe, yes I believe,

I cannot doubt or be deceived;

The eye that sees each sparrow fall,

His unseen hand is in it all.

Is Christmas The Birthday Of Jesus?
19th Dec 2010

For many people throughout the world, the Christmas season is the happiest and busiest time of the year. Millions of believers in Christ celebrate December 25th as a special religious holiday because they believe it marks the date of Christ's birth. Businessmen often take advantage of the giving of gifts at this season to make an extra profit. Some religious people protest at this "commercializing" of Christmas because they feel that a sacred, holy day is desecrated by it.  Their protests are often voiced in slogans such as “Put Christ back into Christmas."  Few people, however, including many believers in Christ, are aware of the fact that the Bible is completely silent concerning any special festivities to commemorate the date of Christ's birth. 

The Bible does not give us the date of the birth of Jesus!  Whether He was born in December or July or some other month of the year is not stated in the Scriptures.  Scholars confess that they do not know the actual date of Christ's birth. For more than 300 years following the close of the New Testament, Christmas was kept on various dates.  In 354, the bishop of Rome decreed that December 25th, a pagan feast day in honour of the god, Saturn, should be observed by Christians in honour of Christ’s birth.  However, in the East, this date was not accepted; and for centuries, January 6th was celebrated as the birthday of Jesus, particularly  in Egypt. Some branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church, even today, keep January 6th as Christmas day. 

It is interesting to note also that many of the festivities connected with Christmas had their origin in paganism, not in the Bible. Many of them came from Catholicism also. For example, the name "Christmas" itself comes from "Christ" and "Mass" referring to the worship of the Roman Catholic Church. The Christmas tree originated in Scandinavia. The pagans of that part of the world worshipped trees before they became believers in Christ. Decorating with mistletoe originated with the ancient Celtic priests, called Druids, who used mistletoe as charms to ward off evil spirits.  The burning of Yule logs, which is customary in many countries, came from the ancient Norsemen who burned a log once a year in honour of Thor, god of Thunder. See the World Book Encyclopedia for other examples of the pagan influence in Christmas customs.

The Bible gives two accounts of the birth of Jesus. They are found in Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 2. No mention is made of the date.  No command is given for our Lord's birthday to be observed in any way. No example is found in the New Testament of any celebration of Christ's birth.  Rather, the New Testament emphasis is on the death and resurrection of Christ.  His death made possible the forgiveness of our sins.  His resurrection makes possible our victory over death.  The Lord's Supper is to "show the Lord's death till he come"(I Corinthians 11:26). The only day in any way set aside for special religious observance in the New Testament is the Lord's day, Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7;1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).

What should be the Christian's attitude toward Christmas?  Should we celebrate it as Christ's birthday?  Definitely not!  To do so is to do such without Scriptural authority.  Should we observe the Christmas holiday in any way at all?  In this writer's opinion, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the holiday at Christmas, just as one would enjoy any other legal holiday during the year.  If one wishes to have a big dinner and get together with family and friends, there is certainly nothing wrong with this.  But to honour December 25th as Christ's birthday, and thus as a special holy day, is to speak where the Scriptures are silent and to follow the traditions of men rather than the Word of God.

Who Is Jesus?
26th Dec 2010 

Who is Jesus? Since He came into this world, there have been those who have asked, "Who is this man? Is He just a man, or is He the Son of God and the Saviour of the world?" From the Scriptures we may see that Jesus is, indeed, the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

In the first place, Jesus is referred to as "God" in the Bible. The prophet Isaiah, in Isa 9:6,7,called him "the mighty God." In Jn 1:1-3,14, Jesus is called "the Word" which became flesh and dwelled among men. In Heb 1:8 we read, "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." In Jn 3:16, Jesus is called the "only begotten Son" of God sent to save the world from sin. Yes, Jesus is Divine, according to the Scriptures. He is referred to as God, as the living Word, and as the only begotten Son of God. He is the Christ, not just a good man or a great teacher. 

In the second place, Jesus showed that He is God. Who but God has the power to create? Yet, in Jn 1:1-3, we read that all things were created through Jesus Christ. Who is to be worshipped but God? Scriptures such as Mat 4:10, Rev 19:10, and Rev 22:9, show that men are to worship God But Jesus accepted the worship of men while on earth (Mat 8:2; 9:18). Therefore, Jesus is God. He is eternal. He is not a created being.  

He is the author of creation. He is the living Word through whom all things were created. The epistle to the Colossians sets forth the dignity and the Divinity of Christ (Col 1:13-20). Also in Phil 2:9-11, Paul wrote, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him [Christ], and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Thus, Jesus Christ is more than an angel and He is more than a prophet. Jesus Christ is Divinity. He is the only begotten Son of the heavenly Father.  

Who has the right to forgive sins? God has the right to forgive sins; yet, while on earth, Jesus had the power to forgive sins and to heal miraculously (Mk 2:1-12). Only God can forgive sins. Therefore, since Jesus forgave sins while on earth, Jesus is Divine. 

Jesus is also spoken of as equal with God the Father and with the Holy Spirit. In Gen 1:26 we read, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Those present were God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—the Godhead. God, Jesus, and Spirit worked together in these mighty acts of creating the world (Gen 1:1,2).  

Finally, we note that Jesus was one with the Father. In Jn 10:30, we read, " I and my Father are one." These are the words of Jesus describing His relationship to the Father. They are one in nature, purpose, and teaching. Philip once said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you, and and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" (Jn 14:8,9). Yes, Jesus was one with His Father. In Phil chapter 2, there is a statement which  shows that Jesus was one with God. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil 2:5-8).  

What has been said of Jesus here is true of no other person who has ever lived. Just as the centurion declared, as he stood before the cross of Christ and watched the Son of God crucified for the sins of the world, "Truly, this was the Son of God" (Mat 27:54). He is the Son of God! He is not mere man! He is not a created being! He is not as one of the angels! He is above the angels! He is the only begotten Son of God!  

The entire epistle to the Hebrews points out the contrast between the old Law of Moses and the New Covenant of Christ. It also exalts Jesus above all. The epistle begins: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (Heb 1:1-4). 

It is clear that Jesus Christ is above all others, that He, even now, is at the right hand of God, as our great High Priest, as King over His spiritual kingdom, the church. It is also clear that through obedience to His gospel, we may be made citizens of that spiritual kingdom, His body over which He is Head. Then, by continuing to live faithfully in His body, we may one day spend eternity with Him. To be members of His church, the body of the saved, we must come to God through Jesus, believing in Christ as the only begotten Son of God (Jn 8:24). We must then repent of our sins; that is, change our minds and then change our lives, turning away from sin (Lk 13:3). Then we must confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and be buried in baptism for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 8:36-39). It is then that we are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and added by the Lord to the church of Christ, which was purchased with His precious blood (Acts 2:41,47; 20:28).