VFBC Blog - Valley Forge Baptist Church

Valley Forge Baptist Church

Righteousness and Mercy - Matthew 5:7

11/29/2022

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“‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’”
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What’s your attitude toward someone who has sinned? Whether it’s someone who doesn’t know the Lord at all or a Christian who has fallen, how do you feel toward the person?
If your reaction is that you can’t believe they did what they did, and if you’ve thought, “What a loser! I thank God I would never do something like that!” then it tells me something about you.
On the other hand, if your heart is broken, if you’re concerned for the person’s situation and want to help them get back on their feet again, it tells me that you’re a godly person (see Galatians 6:1 NKJV).
A happy person will be forgiving and merciful. Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NKJV). The statements of Jesus in the Beatitudes have a specific sequence; one leads to another, which leads to another, and so on.
First, we see ourselves as we are. Then we mourn over our condition. Next, we become meek and empty ourselves, and we find a new hunger for God Himself. Then we become people of mercy. Because we have experienced mercy, we want to extend it to others.
A litmus test of our real condition before God is whether we have gone through these steps.
The more righteous someone is, the more merciful they will be. And the more sinful someone is, the harsher and more critical they will be. Show me a person who’s always condemning and nitpicking and I’ll show you a person who’s not walking closely with God.
If you’re poor in spirit, if you’ve mourned over your condition and know what it is to be meek, if you hunger and thirst for God, then you will be merciful.
And if someone isn’t merciful, the question is whether they know anything about the mercy of God themselves.

Jonah is Terribly Upset - Jonah 4

11/27/2022

Jonah is terribly upset (Jonah 4) because the judgments he has pronounced against Nineveh have not taken place. The people have repented, from king to pauper, and God has relented and shown mercy to the great city. “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home?” (4:2). This is stronger than an idiomatic and caustic “I told you so.” The expression “what I said” is literally “my word”: Jonah pits his own word against “the word of the Lord” (1:1) that he had been called to deliver. He is telling God, “See? I told you so. My word was right, and your word was at best ill thought out.” He explodes, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (4:2). This basic creedal confession is found in Exodus 34:6–7; Jonah cites it in the same form in which it is found in Joel 2:13 (which may be significant: Joel 2:14 is cited in Jonah 3:9). When the prophets want grace and mercy for themselves, they appeal to God’s character; when Jonah does not want grace and mercy for others, he portrays the same attributes of God as fatal weaknesses. He has forgotten 2:1–9, where he recognizes that only God’s mercy could have released him from the big fish. The ironies call to mind one of Jesus’ parables in which grace is gladly received but denied to another (Matt. 18:23–35). In 4:3 Jonah pretentiously strikes a pose: his words “take away my life” are culled from Elijah (1 Kings 19:4)—but instead of continuing “for I am no better than my ancestors” (a confession of personal weakness and failure), Jonah says “for it is better for me to die than to live”—which is nothing but whining self-pity.
There follows the incident of the “vine,” probably a ricinus plant, whose broad leaves provide some shelter. When it dies, Jonah repeats his whining desire to die (4:8), and God repeats the question he raised earlier: “Have you any right to be angry?” (4:4, 9). In rough language Jonah insists he has every right to be angry. What’s the point of living in a world that pops up a ricinus and then cuts it down again, dead almost before it is alive? So God debunks Jonah’s thinking. Jonah shows more concern for the death of a plant than for the death of a city. Yet even here, his concern for the ricinus is not deep, but provoked by self-interest. He views the Ninevites the same way—with no thought for what is good for them, but out of self-interest. It is God, the gracious and merciful God, whose compassion extends to “that great city” (4:11). Reflect on Matthew 23:37–39; 28:18–19.

Christian History - White Blood

11/25/2022

The truth of the Bible is hard and clear as diamonds, providing a solid basis for both life and death. “You can’t argue with the Scriptures,” Jesus said firmly in John 10:35. But you can (and actually MUST) argue with some of the legends and half-truths of church history. Take, for example, the remarkable story of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Born in the third century to a noble Christian family in Alexandria, the beautiful Catherine gave herself to Christ and refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Emperor Maxentius, lusting after her, offered her pardon if she would sleep with him. She refused, saying she was the bride of Christ. Hoping to dissuade her, Maxentius summoned 50 brilliant scholars to debate her. She conquered all of them, winning all 50 to the Christian faith. They paid for their conversions by being burned alive, compliments of the emperor.
Catherine, meanwhile, converted the emperor’s wife, his top general, and 200 of his best troops. These, too, were immediately executed. Maxentius, enraged, ordered Catherine attached to a spiked wheel to be tortured and broken. When the wheel fell apart, Maxentius demanded the executioner behead her. We’re told that “Milk” rather than blood flowed from her severed neck.
The so-called “virgin martyr” became one of the most venerated women of antiquity, and November 25 was appointed Catherine’s feast day on the church calendar. She was admired and adored without measure by medieval worshipers, becoming the patron saint of young women, wheelwrights, attorneys, and scholars.

But how much of her story is true? Perhaps not much. Behind the legends, there may have been a beautiful martyr whose full story is known only in heaven. But the earliest mention of Catherine dates from the ninth century when her bones were reportedly transferred to the monastery of Mount Sinai, and the earliest biographies of her date from the tenth century. Though she was among the greatest heroes to the masses of the Middle Ages, there is scant evidence that Catherine of Alexandria ever existed.

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Warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. … You must teach people to have genuine love, as well as a good conscience and true faith. There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk. 1 Timothy 1:4-6
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Video - Colossians 2:11-15 – Complete in Christ – P1

11/24/2022

We continued our series on the Book of Colossians this past Sunday AM:

Paul, here, begins to establish his argument that salvation does not need to be supplemented by any false human philosophy or psychology, any ritualism, mysticism, self-denial or any other kind pf human effort or work. He affirms us that in Christ “we have been made complete” (Col. 2:10) and then proceeds to move on an develop that fundamental truth! Click below:

https://youtu.be/rOwPuq2j6bA

Colossians 3:17 - Give Thanks Anyway

11/23/2022

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“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
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During the Thanksgiving season, it’s easy to lose our perspective and forget that we have so much to be thankful for.
Maybe you’re having a hard time right now. Maybe you’re having health, financial, or family problems. I don’t want to suggest, in any way, that these things aren’t difficult, because they are. Yet we still should give thanks.
That’s the reason that we were created. God put us on this earth to glorify Him and give thanks to His name. The Scriptures urge us again and again to do this. In Psalm 106:1, we read, “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (NKJV).

Colossians 3:17 says,
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (NKJV).

Hebrews 13:15 tells us,
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (NKJV).

Yes, praise and worship can be a sacrifice because we don’t necessarily want to do it. When we are discouraged or depressed, when things aren’t going that well or tragedy befalls us, we don’t feel like praising God.
But the Bible doesn’t say that we should praise the Lord only when we feel good. Rather, it says that we should always praise the Lord because He is good.
After Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, one of them, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. Jesus asked,

“Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17–18 NKJV)

Just like the Samaritan, we should be as definite about giving thanks as we are about asking for help. Have you given thanks to God for all He has done for you?

You Fools, When Will You be Wise - Psalm 94:8

11/21/2022

by: James Smith, in his "Important Questions!" 1858

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"You fools, when will you be wise?"
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The Scripture stigmatizes the lost sinner as a fool.

He may be rich,
He may be learned,
He may fill an honorable station in the world,

…but so long as he neglects the one thing needful, he is called a fool!

Wisdom consists in fixing upon a worthy end, and pursuing it in the most prudent and judicious way.
A wise man . . .

Thinks of his immortal soul, and seeks its salvation above everything else,
Thinks of the wrath of god, and endeavors by all means to escape it,
Thinks of a crown of glory, and sets his heart upon obtaining it,
Sees that glorifying god is his highest honor, and secures his greatest happiness, and therefore he makes that the grand end of his life.

But the multitude, alas! the multitude overlook, or despise, or treat these things with contempt! They live . . .

As if self-gratification were the end of their creation,
As if earth were their eternal dwelling-place, and
As if glorifying god were no business of theirs!

If we were to judge them by their conduct, we would be ready to conclude…

That they had no souls to be saved or lost,
That there was no hell to escape,
That there was no heaven to obtain,
That there was no crown of glory to be won,

That there was no crown of shame to be avoided.

Surely the Scriptures are right in designating such men fools--for fools, the greatest fools, they must be! Should the eye of a worldly man or woman light upon this page, God asks you the question, "When will you be wise?"

When will you begin to seek the kingdom of God, and His righteousness?
When will you come to Jesus, and be saved from wrath by Him?
When will you begin to lay up for yourself treasure in heaven?
When will you prepare for death, judgment, and eternity?

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"If only they were wise and would understand this, and discern what their end will be!"
Deuteronomy 32:29
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Two Reason Believers Should Rejoice During Trials - James 1:2-4, 12

11/19/2022

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2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
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According to James 1:2–4, 12, there are two reasons why Christians should rejoice when they face trials of various kinds. Other reasons are articulated elsewhere, but these two are remarkably comprehensive.
First, we should rejoice because we know that when our faith is tested, the result is perseverance (1:2–3). As an athlete endures in order to build up endurance, so a Christian perseveres under trial in order to build up perseverance. Perseverance contributes something important to our character. It “must finish its work so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (1:4).
The alternative is a personality that may love the Lord when things are going well, a character that is bold and happy on bright days in the Spring, but knows little of steadfastness under duress, of contentment when physical comforts are withdrawn, of quiet confidence in the living God when faced with persecution, of stability in the midst of a frenetic pace or a massive disappointment. In other words, in a fallen world perseverance contributes maturity and stability to our character—and trials build perseverance.
So James is very bold: we should, he says, “consider it pure joy” whenever we face trials of various kinds. This is not a perverse form of Christian masochism, but an entirely appropriate response if we remember the Christian’s goals. If our highest goals are creature comforts, this passage is incomprehensible; if our highest goals include growth in Christian character, James’s evaluation makes eminent sense.

Second, the Christian who perseveres under trial is blessed “because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (1:12). In other words, perseverance is a necessary ingredient to genuine Christianity. A real Christian, on the long haul, sticks: he or she perseveres. There may be ups and downs, there may be special victories or temporary defeats, but precisely because the One who has begun a good work in us completes it (Phil. 1:6), real Christians stick (cf. Heb. 3:14). They continue to be “those who love him.”
Thus Christians facing a trial must perceive not only the threat or the unpleasantness or the disappointment, but also the challenge for which God’s grace equips us: to press on—always to press on—knowing full well that the ultimate reward, meted out by grace, is “the crown of life”—the crown that is life, life in its consummated splendor, the life of the new heaven and the new earth, the heritage of all Christians. Thus, once again James is entirely realistic to perceive that the person who perseveres under trial is “blessed.” It is an easy calculation, provided we remember the Christian’s goals.

Idiots Catching Flies - Ecclesiastes 1:2

11/17/2022

by: CH Spurgeon

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"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"
"What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
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Most people are not seeking to escape from the wrath to come; they are busy in worldly things, while Hell is near them. They are like idiots catching flies on board a ship which is in the very act of sinking! We see many people busy about their bodies, decorating themselves, when their soul is in ruin. They are like a man painting the front door, when the house is in flames!
Men are in a restless pursuit after satisfaction in earthly things.

· They will greedily hunt the phantom of wealth,
· They will travel the pathways of fame,
· They will dig into the mines of knowledge,
· They will exhaust themselves in the deceitful delights of sin.

And finding them all to be vanity and emptiness, they will become very perplexed and disappointed. But they will still continue their fruitless search! Though wearied, they still stagger forward under the influence of spiritual madness, and though there is no result to be reached except that of everlasting disappointment, yet they press forward with much ardor.
Living for today is enough for them. That they are still alive, that they possess present comforts and present enjoyments--this contents the many.
  As for the future, they say, "Let it take care of itself."
As for eternity, they leave others to care for its realities; the present life is enough for them.
   Their motto is, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
   They have no forethought for their eternal state; the present hour absorbs them.
   Carnal minds pursue with all their might, earth's vanities; and when they are wearied in their pursuit, they but change their direction and continue the idle chase. They turn to another and another of earth's broken cisterns hoping to find water, where not a drop was ever discovered yet!

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"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil!" Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

The Problem of Habitual Sin - 1 John 3:9

11/15/2022

“Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.”

If we were walking the dusty roads of Israel with Jesus and came upon the man known as Judas Iscariot for the first time, he might not be what we had expected him to be. At first blush, we might even think that he was a stand-up guy.
We might believe that he was devout, deeply religious, and very concerned about others. And we would have been shocked upon discovering that he was the one who betrayed the Lord. That’s because Judas was an incredible actor. He was a performer. He knew how to talk the talk, but he certainly didn’t know how to walk the walk.
Yet Judas had no excuse. He had the privilege of spending a number of years with God incarnate. He would have been fully aware that Jesus was never hypocritical or inconsistent in any way, shape, or form. He saw Jesus live a flawless life.
Yet Judas did not believe. And not only that, he turned against Jesus and sold Him for 30 pieces of silver, the price commonly paid to purchase a slave.
Judas was able to do the wicked things that he did because he never really knew Jesus. Sure, he knew about Him. In fact, he knew about Him more than most people did. But he never personally knew Jesus. Judas’s life could be summed up by this statement about him: “So he went his way” (Luke 22:4 NKJV). He lived the way that he wanted to live.
If you can habitually commit sin without any remorse, that’s a clear indicator that you don’t know God. There are a lot of people running around today saying, “I’m a believer. I’m a follower of Jesus.” Yet, if they can persist in sin, something isn’t right.

The Bible doesn’t say that a Christian won’t sin,
only that a Christian won’t habitually sin.

Colossians 2:8-10 - Philosophy or Christ? – P2

11/14/2022

More about just how the false teachers in Colosse sought to steal away the blessing and joy that was (and is) a part of being a follower of Christ. We thought about the various approaches they used to convince these Colossians of the “rightness” of their false doctrine. But the main thing that they sought to accomplish was to attack the Deity of the Lord Jesus in various fashions. We looked at quite a list!

Link:

https://youtu.be/B5EGwkOjwzk