VFBC Blog - Valley Forge Baptist Church

Valley Forge Baptist Church

Understanding the Justice of God (Matthew 20:28)

3/31/2023

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“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Why the cross? Why didn’t God simply say, “Look, everyone, I know you have sinned against Me, but I am going to pardon you right now. It’s okay. I forgive all of you!”
God didn’t do that because it doesn’t work with His nature and character. The justice of God requires obedience and sacrifice. He could not accept us into fellowship with Himself unless we paid the penalty—or someone paid it on our behalf.
Romans 3:25 tells us, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past” (NLT).
The cross demonstrates the justice of God. At the cross of Calvary, the love and justice of God met. Yes, God had to satisfy His justice. The Scriptures say, “The person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20 NLT), “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT), and “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT).
God was saying, “My righteous requirements must be met. But I love humanity, and there is no way they can do it on their own. So, I must help them.” Therefore, He sent Jesus to bridge the gap.
This is why Jesus Christ is the only way to God. People like to say that all roads lead to God. It really concerns me when I hear Christians parrot statements to that effect. There is only one path. There is only one way. If that were not true, then why did Jesus have to die? If all roads lead to God, then why did Jesus go through the anguish, torture, and pain of the cross?

The primary reason Jesus came to this earth
was to die for our sins.

The Revelation of God’s Holiness - Selected Scriptures

3/29/2023

by: Pastor John MacArthur

God is never becoming—never growing, learning, or increasing in anything. From eternity past to eternity future, He is always being who He has always been. His infinite perfections cannot be improved upon.
It’s hard for us to comprehend the difference between being and becoming. God’s moral perfection and sinlessness is fixed and immutable. In that regard, His holiness is nothing like the holiness of the saints. We who believe are being conformed to the image of Christ, but our sanctification is always in process. We’re being stripped of our former sinfulness and refined through the work of the Spirit into conformity to God’s righteousness. By contrast, God is, will be, and always has been utterly holy and perfect, totally separate from any stain of unrighteousness. As the prophet Habakkuk wrote, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13). Job 34:10 says, “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong.” God’s holiness is therefore unique—singularly and eternally perfect. In Revelation 15:4, the apostle says, “You alone are holy.”
Scripture doesn’t just talk about God’s holiness, it reveals His holiness. In fact, every revelation of God is a revelation of His moral perfection. We could study God’s holiness by studying creation. At the end of creation, Moses reports, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is a reflection of His essential nature. Scripture records on each day that creation was good, but in the end when God saw creation in its totality, it was not just good, but very good. In fact, Ecclesiastes 7:29 speaking directly of man says, “God made men upright.” Of course, He could do no other. Whatever came from His being had to be perfect. Made in His image, man was free from sin.
We could study the law of God and its revelation of His absolute perfection. In Psalm 19:7, the Psalmist says, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” In Romans 7:12, the Apostle Paul says, “the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
We could also study God’s holiness in His judgment. All His verdicts and adjudications from the divine bench are holy. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25). In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul refers to Him as, “The Lord, the righteous Judge.”
Or we could study God’s holiness by catching a glimpse of heaven. In Revelation 4, we are taken into the heaven of heavens. John, in the Spirit, sees a throne standing in heaven, “and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald” (Revelation 4:2–3). He continues:

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Around the throne were twenty four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” (Revelation 4:4–8)
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In heaven, when God’s holiness is mentioned in worship, the word is multiplied three times: “Holy, holy, holy” (cf. Isaiah 6:3). No doubt the threefold expression of praise is a trinitarian reference, but it also emphasizes the utter and absolute distinction of God’s moral perfection. God can only manifest that which is absolutely holy, and thus James says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).
There is no wavering or fluctuation in the absolute holiness of God. There are no flaws or irregularities in its perfect brilliance. It is, as He is, constant and consummately dazzling.

Posted Sunday's AM Message

3/27/2023

Continuing on in our Study of Colossians 3:9-19 - Putting on the New Man (P2)
As believers, we ought to/must “dress” ourselves consistently with our new identity in Christ. As we said: Salvation produces a two-sided obligation for believers. Negatively, they must throw off the garment of the old, sinful lifestyle, as Paul pointed out in 3:5–9a. Then, Positively, they must put on the lifestyle of the new man. To do that, they must truly understand 6 things…To discuss this we have gone on with our teaching of the Position, Progress, Partnership, Performance, Perfection, and Priorities of the Believer as a ‘new man’.
To see it click the link below!

https://youtu.be/6NGsUreQKfA

Let us know what you think!!

Confronting the Darkness (Ephesians 5:11)

3/21/2023

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“Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.”
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In our culture today, no one wants to speak up for what is true. The motto of modern society could be “I can tolerate anyone except someone who is intolerant.”
If someone dares to say, “I think that is wrong” or “I disagree with that” or, even worse, “The Bible says, . . .” they are labeled as intolerant, judgmental, narrow-minded, and bigoted.
As Christians, however, we cannot simply tolerate sin. We are to confront sin with intolerance and speak the truth - but we must speak the truth in love. We need to compassionately and lovingly explain what is true.
The apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus, “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them” (Ephesians 5:11 NLT).
I don’t envy the responsibility of doctors who have to deliver bad news to a patient. No doubt they would love to be able to say that everything is fine. But in good conscience, they can’t do that, because the test results say otherwise. It’s difficult. It’s uncomfortable. But they have to tell the truth.
We Christians must do the same. But we are dealing with something far more serious. We’re talking about eternal separation from God.
We love to tell people that God loves them and has compassion on them. And of course, that is true. Yet we are reluctant to say they are sinners who are separated from God. We need to tell the truth.
Our culture needs to hear the truth. Yes, it’s easier to blend into the background and avoid offending anyone. But do we want to offend God? If we don’t tell the whole truth, then we will.
Every believer is called to declare the whole counsel of God. He has called us to preach the gospel and to be His representatives. Therefore, we must do our part and be faithful to Him.

Living What We Believe (Ephesians 4:15)

3/19/2023

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“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. ”
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One of the worst scourges in the church today is that of hypocrisy. It probably has turned more people away from the faith than anything else.
In addition, some people are just waiting for Christians to slip up so they can conveniently hang their doubts on what we did or did not do to meet their standards of what a Christian ought to be.
Yet some Christians don’t even think about this. They aren’t even aware that someone might be watching their lives. And sadly, many are willfully ignorant of what the Bible teaches.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, “We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15 NLT).
Perhaps the best translation of the phrase “speak the truth in love” would be “hold the truth in love.” It is the idea of speaking the truth, discussing it, and teaching it. But it is also more than that. It is living it.
Paul was saying, “You need to grow up. You need to find balance in your life as a believer. This means that you know the truth. But you also live the truth.”
It also means that we say what is true, even if someone doesn’t necessarily appreciate it. The streams of love must always flow into the bank of truth. It’s great to be loving, but there must be truth as well.
So, if a viewpoint contradicts what the Scripture teaches, we must warn people so they don’t fall prey to it. We must compassionately love them but also tell them the truth.
The Bible declares, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6 NLT). True love works closely with the truth.

St. Patrick’s Day

3/17/2023

Our greatest misfortune can catapult us into our greatest service for the Lord. Consider Joseph and Daniel, two Old Testament teens whose kidnappings took them to distant countries where they later become God’s ambassadors in strange lands.
Saint Patrick died March 17, 461, a day that has since borne his name. Patrick was born about 389 in Britain. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest. Roman protection of England had deteriorated, and bands of Irish invaders tormented coastal areas, pillaging farms, slaughtering villagers, kidnapping teens. Patrick was taken at age 16. The Irish farmer who bought him put him to tending sheep, and somehow through all this Patrick found Christ. “The Lord opened to me a sense of my unbelief, that I might be converted with all my heart unto the Lord.”
Following a daring escape at age 22, Patrick returned home to joyous parents who prayed that he would never again leave. But Patrick’s heart burned for his erstwhile captors, and one night he dreamt an Irishman was begging him to return and preach. After several years of Bible study, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. The Irish were almost wholly unevangelized at the time, worshiping the elements, seeing evil spirits in trees and stones, and engaging in magic, even in human sacrifice, performed by the druids. “It very much becomes us,” he said, “to stretch our nets, that we may take for God a copious and crowded multitude.” And so he did, planting 200 churches and baptizing approximately 100,000 converts, despite a dozen attempts against his life and violent opposition from civil authorities. In his Confessions, he wrote, I am greatly a debtor to God, who has bestowed his grace so largely upon me, that multitudes were born again to God through me. The Irish, who had never had the knowledge of God and worshipped only idols and unclean things, have lately become the people of the Lord, and are called sons of God.

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Jesus said to them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud.
Acts 1:7-9a
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Sunday's AM Sermon Posted to YouTube

3/13/2023

Finishing Col. 3:5-9 – Putting Sin to Death (P4)
We finished this section of Colossians 3:5-9 by thoroughly examining the end of the second list Paul gives that we called “Sins of Wicked Hate” and spent a little particular time looking over the particular matters mentioned in the list.
Click the Link below to take a look:
https://youtu.be/N1zu2Eq3OSs

Gutenberg’s Bible - Church History

3/13/2023

Johann Gutenberg grew up in Mainz, Germany. He devoured books, reading all that his wealthy father ordered. The volumes were outrageously expensive, sometimes costing as much as a farm. Local scribes copied the texts by hand, illuminators decorated the margins, and binders made the covers. Finally the title was stamped into the leather cover by brass punches. It was the punches that suggested an idea to Johann. Why not make separate metal letters and arrange them into words? Why not set up a page and print it using a press?
Johann moved to Strasbourg and set up a secret workshop near an old monastery. Though beset by problems, he toiled for years to get his invention to work. Finally, Johann returned to Mainz where he was assured an income by inheritance.
He set up a printing shop, and in 1450, after 30 years, he was ready to begin. He chose the Bible as his first book. Such a project required he borrow 800 guldens from Johann Fust, but if he wasn’t repaid with interest in five years, Fust demanded, all the equipment and materials would revert to him.
It took Johann two years to set up a workshop. He hired workers, had presses built, and taught laborers to grind and mix ink. Then he was ready to begin printing. Two more years went by, and the invention wasn’t working well. Another year passed, and two months before the Bible was completed, Fust sued. On November 6, 1455 the judge ruled in his favor.
Gutenberg angrily turned over his presses and almost-completed Bibles to Fust. The Bible was reportedly first published on March 13, 1456, and for many years the credit went to Fust and his partner, Peter Schoffer. But after Gutenberg died on February 3, 1469, Schoffer admitted that, after all, Johann Gutenberg had invented printing.

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What God has said isn’t only active and alive! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. (Hebrews 4.12)
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The Great Enemy of Peace (Matthew 5:9)

3/11/2023

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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
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The great enemy of peace is sin. Sin separates people from God and causes disharmony and enmity with Him. To talk of peace without establishing the need for repentance from sin is foolish. The corrupt religious leaders of ancient Israel proclaimed, “Peace, peace,” but there was no peace, because they and the rest of the people were not “ashamed because of the abomination they had done” (Jer. 8:11–12).
To be an effective peacemaker, you must recognize that any conflict is the result of sin. If you separate conflicting parties from each other but don’t confront their sin, at best you will create only a temporary truce. You can’t circumvent sin; it is the source of every conflict.
In what appears on the surface to be the antithesis of the seventh beatitude, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). His meaning is clear: the peace He brings is not peace at any price. The sword Christ uses is His Word - the sword of truth and righteousness. Like the surgeon’s scalpel, it must cut before it heals, because peace cannot exist where sin remains.
To be a peacemaker you must live a holy life and call others to embrace the gospel of holiness.

Ask Yourself
How have you seen sin decimate and destroy relationships? How has your own sin contributed to whatever strain exists between you and another person? If you have not yet repented of a sin that has caused distance between you and someone else, choose repentance today. If others need correction, ask for the Lord’s grace and supply in seeking it.

Number 16 and Modern Day (Numbers 16)

3/9/2023

I was reading in Numbers 16 this morning and couldn’t help but notice that the rebellion described there against Moses and Aaron; even to the very terminology used; bore remarkable resemblance to the way unsaved people react to the preaching and witnessing of Bible principles in our own day and time. Just like Korah and those who thought like him threw strong words in Moses’ and Aaron’s faces. “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” (Num. 16:3). How many people have we heard people respond to what the Scripture says by telling us that ‘we (the preacher/witnesser) are lifting ourselves up over people - after all - everyone has the right to be and think what they want to, right? ‘
That didn’t seem to be the case with Korah and all those who aligned themselves with he and his positions! The result to them was awful judgement!! What is important is that Moses spoke the truth regardless of who heard it and how they would/did respond! His job was to obey God and do as God told him! That is our job as well! We must obey the Lord and speak the truth…come what may!