December 2, 2011

“What Prevents Me From Being Baptized?”

Standing by the Water

After leaving Samaria, Philip met a eunuch from Ethiopia traveling home from Jerusalem and reading from the prophet Isaiah (Acts 8:26-33). This man wanted to understand what he was reading so he asked Philip, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” (Acts 8:34). At this point, “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35).

Every conversion, whether recorded in the New Testament or those that occur today, will begin with this. The story of Jesus is the heart of the gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Jesus is the cornerstone of the foundation upon which we are built (Ephesians 2:19-21). Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). So Philip preached Jesus, just as we must do today.

The text implies the inclusion of baptism in Philip’s teaching about Jesus. The first thing we see after Luke recorded Philip preaching Jesus is this: “As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’” (Acts 8:36). This would be an odd question if Philip had not already been discussing baptism with the eunuch.
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November 18, 2011

Roadblocks on the Way to Adultery

Roadblock

The sin of adultery is explicitly condemned in Scripture. It was prohibited in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14) which God gave as a foundation for the rest of the laws given to the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, Paul listed adulterers as those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9). The Hebrew writer said that adulterers will be judged by God (Hebrews 13:4). In fact, Jesus gave fornication (which is adultery when committed by a married person) as the only cause that gave one divine permission to put away his spouse (Matthew 19:9).

Not only does God specifically condemn adultery, but society generally looks down upon it as well. The wise man said, “Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry; but when he is found, he must repay sevenfold; he must give all the substance of his house. The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it. Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out. For jealousy enrages a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance” (Proverbs 6:30-34). This passage does not justify stealing while condemning adultery – both were condemned (Exodus 20:14-15). But the wise man’s point was that man tends to be sympathetic toward one who steals solely out of hunger. For the adulterer, there is no excuse in the eyes of man – particularly with the husband of the wife who participated in the affair. Instead, the adulterer becomes a target for wounds, disgrace, and vengeance.

Despite the fact that there are many deterrents to adultery, this sin remains prevalent. Why is that? I believe we can begin to see why as we examine the warnings about the adulteress (Proverbs 7). As she was described in that chapter, we read of her doing everything she could to remove the roadblocks that stood between a man and the sin of adultery. She wanted to portray the sin as not only pleasurable, but also convenient and without consequence. Let us notice some of the roadblocks – those things which help deter us from committing adultery – and see how the adulteress strives to take those roadblocks out of the way.
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November 11, 2011

The Rise and Fall of Public Opinion

Graph

Anyone who follows politics and elections has seen dramatic shifts in public opinion. One week a candidate may be at the top of the polls. The next week he starts to fall. Then the week after he is at the bottom of the field. This is just one common example of how quickly the public can go from having a favorable opinion of a person, product, or position to having an unfavorable opinion. When we study the gospel of John, we also see this type of shift in the public’s opinion of Jesus.
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November 3, 2011

Remembering E.A. Dicus

E.A. Dicus

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).

E.A. Dicus (“Dike”) preached for over forty years for the Lorain Avenue church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio (where my family attended while I was growing up). He was well-loved and respected by those that knew him. Even though I was not quite ten years old when he passed away, he made an early impact upon me and his example continues to influence me today.

Lewis Willis spoke at his funeral and wrote an obituary that appeared in Guardian of Truth magazine a month later [available online here]. From time to time I go back and re-read Willis’ comments about Dike, just to be reminded about who he was and the work he had done. Today is the twenty-first anniversary of his passing. I wanted to share his story with the readers here, in particular the following excerpt:
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November 1, 2011

Saved by Baptism Alone?

Baptism

The concept of salvation by faith alone is quite popular. Many have been deceived into thinking that all God requires of man is a simple mental affirmation of Jesus being the Savior. As long as one believes this, then he will be saved.

There are several passages that brethren use to refute the concept of salvation by faith alone. The clearest was written by James: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). If you get out your concordance and search for this phrase, you will find that this verse is the only one that says anything about “faith alone,” and it denies that we are saved on this basis.

The truth is that our salvation is attributed to many things – God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8), mercy (Titus 3:5), and love (John 3:16); the blood, death, and life of Christ (Romans 5:9-10); the gospel (Romans 1:16); our faith (John 8:24), repentance (Luke 13:3,5), confession (Romans 10:9-10), baptism (Mark 16:16), obedience (Hebrews 5:9), and more*. To claim that we are saved by faith alone is simply not compatible with Scripture.

One item in the list above that is vehemently attacked by sectarians is baptism. Despite the fact that Peter said, “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21), many will adamantly deny that baptism is necessary for salvation. In light of this, truth teachers will often spend a good deal of time explaining the vital role of baptism in our salvation.
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October 27, 2011

What Makes One a False Teacher?

Error

The existence of false teachers is a sad reality. Just as there were false prophets in the past, Peter said, “There will also be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1). Our responsibility is to mark and turn away from them (Romans 16:17), have no fellowship with them (2 John 10-11), and refute their error (Titus 1:9; 2 Corinthians 10:5).

But what is it that makes one a false teacher? The seemingly obvious answer to this question – teaching what is false – is disputed by many. The argument is made that teaching what is wrong does not necessarily make one a false teacher; rather, one would be a false teacher based on evil intentions and deliberate attempts to deceive.

So, is one a false teacher based on his message or his motive? Let us notice a few passages to help answer this question.
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October 21, 2011

Dealing with Threats to Unity within a Local Church

Recently I’ve preached  a few lessons about things that threaten unity within a local church. The outlines have been posted on my other site – DIY Sermon Outlines. Below is a list with links to the various lessons in that series.
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