December 30, 2020

An Introduction to God

What do you believe about God? It has been said that what a person believes about God is the most important thing about a person. Now, if God never revealed Himself to us we would all be in trouble. But the good news is God has made Himself known to us. And a primary way to know what to believe about God is through His Word. The most times the term, “God,” is used in a chapter of Scripture or in a single psalm is thirty-two times, and that happens twice. Once is in Psalm 68 and the other is the introduction to the Bible, Genesis 1.

Genesis 1 is our introduction to God and it declares some foundational truths concerning God. We rightfully think of Genesis 1 as the account of God creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. But the main verb associated with God in Genesis 1 is that of God speaking. Ten times we read the phrase “God said”(vs. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29). This is good news. God speaks! God communicates! God makes Himself known. This becomes even better news when we see another repeated phrase in Genesis 1, “and it was so”(vs. 7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30). What God says is reality and it is powerful. Then God said, “Let there be light; and there was light (vs. 3). Wow! Let the power of God’s Word sink in! He speaks and it happens! What a blessing for us to have the true and powerful Word of God to guide us as we enter a New Year!

But there is another repeated phrase that ought to reinforce God’s Word to be the foundation for life in 2021: “And it was good” (vs. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Because God is a good God, His Word is good. Do you want to know what is good in 2021? God has spoken! And His Word is not only powerful and real, but it also is good!

As we enter this New Year, may God’s introduction in Genesis 1 encourage us to know Him and trust Him more. Furthermore, may it spur us on to be in God’s Word on a regular basis. Two goals that I would encourage all of us to consider for this next year. First, set a Scripture reading goal. Some maybe could read through the entire Bible for the very first time. A younger reader might want to focus on several books of the Bible or the New Testament. Remember, God’s Word is powerful and it is good and it will teach you about God! Second, set a sermon listening goal. A primary way that God’s Word goes forth today is through the preaching and teaching ministries of the church. Here at First Baptist Church of Hamburg, our Wednesday night Bible Classes will resume on January 13th at 7:00 p.m. And on Sunday, January 24, we will begin two new sermon series; “In The Beginning: Foundations For Living in God’s World” from the book of Genesis at 10:30 a.m. and “That You May Know Him: The Miracles of Jesus,” an in depth look at the Christ’s miracles recorded in Luke’s Gospel.” at 6:00 p.m.

May we grow in the grace and knowledge of our God and Savior Jesus Christ in 2021, as we know Him through the powerful and good Word of God.

December 2, 2020

Viewing Christmas through the Lens of Revelation

What happens when our expectations are high, but then they are not realized? Consider a child who has high hopes to receive a certain gift, only to be disappointed when the gift is opened. When you look at the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, one would rightfully expect a King who would rule the nations. For example, Isaiah 9:6-7 declares, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ in referencing the birth of Christ, alludes to this high expectation of Jesus ruling the nations. Revelation 12:5 states, “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.” If all we had was this verse, then viewing Christmas through the lens of Revelation would be a big disappointment. Jesus who was to rule the nations, didn’t fulfill that when He came to earth the first time. And now Jesus has been caught up to His throne.

Thankfully we have more than this one verse in Revelation regarding Christ’s first coming. And there are two powerful perspectives that the final book of the Scriptures encourage us with as we celebrate Christ’s first coming. First, the purpose of Christ’s first come was to be a sacrificial lamb. Just because Christ didn’t rule the nations during His first coming doesn’t mean that His first coming was without a purpose. The primary description of Jesus Christ in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. Twenty-nine times in The Revelation the word “lamb” is used to describe Christ. The reason why Jesus came to the earth nearly 2,000 years ago was to give His life as the sacrificial lamb, a ransom for many. Revelation 5:9 describes the Lamb as the one who has “redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” As you celebrate Christmas this year remember that the reason Jesus Christ came into the world was to seek and save that which was lost. He came as the Lamb of God to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins!

The other perspective that we ought to have as we celebrate Christmas is that Jesus Christ still has some unfinished business to fulfill. Just because Christ didn’t rule all nations with a rod of iron at His first coming doesn’t mean that He will not do that. Revelation 19, which is a climax chapter in the book, shows Jesus Christ being revealed as He comes again to this earth. On His thigh and on His robe the name, “KING of KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” will be written and He Himself will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15-16). As we celebrate Christmas, our perspective is to be looking forward to the day when Christ will come again to this earth and we will rule and reign with Him! “The Child who was born was to rule all nations” (Revelation 12:5). Don’t be disappointed because that didn’t happen when He came the first time, instead keep your expectations high. It is true He is coming again and He will rule all nations! Have a blessed Christmas worshiping Christ the Lamb and the coming King of kings and Lord of lords!

October 28, 2020

Which they Made for the Purpose

As the Israelites were rebuilding Jerusalem, they needed a place for the entire congregation to gather to hear the Word of the Lord. Now, unlike Western New York, the climate in Jerusalem did not necessitate an enclosed building for their meeting, but it did require a large space and the building of a platform. Nehemiah 8:4 describes this occasion, “So Ezra, the scribe, stood on a platform of wood, which they made for the purpose . . . and Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people.”

In the Hebrew language there is a play on words regarding the English word that is translated, “purpose.” The purpose or the occasion was for all the people to hear the Word of the Lord. This is clearly seen in the overall context as Ezra’s purpose was to bring the “Book of the Law of Moses” (Nehemiah 8:1). Then Ezra and other men opened the book (8:5), and read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God, and gave the sense (preached). Everything about this occasion centered around the Word of the Lord. The Hebrew word translated, “purpose” is the word, “dabar”, and it can be translated occasion or purpose, but the main way it is translated over 800 times is “word.” The gathering of the congregation in Nehemiah 8 was for the purpose of the congregation hearing and understanding the Word. So, they built a platform for the purpose of the going forth of the Word.

Like those who “made the platform” in Nehemiah 8, many within our congregation, over the last several months, have been working diligently on remodeling the chapel. And the purpose for all the work on the chapel is for God to be glorified, as God’s Word goes forth from that building. On November 1st at 6:00 p.m., we will begin to fulfill that purpose in a very God-honoring way as several believers will be proclaiming the Word. They will be following the Lord in believer’s baptism. In the days to come, the Chapel will serve as a place for our congregation to meet for services, fellowship, special events and other God glorifying purposes. I believe November 1st will be the beginning of many God-glorifying opportunities for the Word to be proclaimed in the chapel. The chapel has been remodeled for this very purpose!

October 14, 2020

TheoFam: Grace Taught Homes

“Who Am I?” Approximately 6,000 years ago, I came into existence! I was a criteria used by God for forming the nations! I am used as a description of the church of Jesus Christ! I was designed by God, created by God, and have been used by God since day six of the creation week. I have been and continued to be under attack by Satan and this world’s system. People have tried to minimize and marginalize me. People have attempted to corrupt and change me from my original design. Yet by God’s grace and through His strength, I am still designed to bring glory to God! I am still a vital component of every nation and every church. I am still God’s design for raising a godly seed!
Wow! Whoever is the answer from those clues must be pretty important from God’s perspective and therefore ought to be from our perspective as well. Any guesses? The title of this article might have given you a clue. But the answer to the question, “who am I,” is the family. Last year, I introduced us to a unique term, “TheoFam.” The term, TheoFam, is an attempt to reclaim God’s design for our families. God designed the family to be a theological community; a place where God is known and made known. The family is designed to be a theological community! Yet, sadly in many homes to-day, God’s name is not even mentioned unless it is used as a curse word.

The New Testament speaks about three God-given institutions that have a governing influence in a believer’s life: Human Government (Romans 13), the church (1 Timothy 3), and the home (1 Timothy 3:4). All three are important. All three were de-signed by God. Yet the one that God created first (Genesis 2:2-25) and the one which was to be responsible for raising a godly seed (Malachi 2:15) was the family! When the Apostle Paul wrote letters to the churches, he often included specific instructions for various family relationships (Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:18-25). You see, the Lord has a vital concern for the family. And His Word teaches us how we ought to conduct our family relationships for the glory of God. Our homes are to be TheoFams; theological communities that are following the Lord so that He is known and made known in and through them.

But as our “Who Am I” game indicated, Satan and this world’s system continue to attack the family. They continue to try to change and corrupt the family from its original design. Therefore, we as believers must continue to remind ourselves of God’s design for the family and allow our homes to be taught by God’s grace and led by God’s grace. Starting Sunday, October 4th at 6:00 p.m., I will be bringing a series of messages entitled: “TheoFam: Grace Taught Homes,” as we resume our Sunday evening services. No matter your family situation, I would encourage you to come and to invite others to join you for these services!

September 2, 2020

Proverbs to Ponder in light of Protests and Politics

I know what you might be thinking, “Pastor, we are not suppose to talk about politics.” But the reality is the Scriptures talk a great deal about politics. There is even an entire book in the Bible written by a king to prepare his sons to govern a nation; the book of Proverbs. Certainly, Proverbs is written so that every person can gain wisdom from God, but the specific context of the book is King Solomon training his sons to be the future rulers of Israel.
With the context for Proverbs in mind, it is important to consider the origin of the word “politics.” Consider the following two Greek words: “polis” meaning “city” and “politicos” meaning “a citizen.” By definition, every citizen of a city, state or country is a political being. There is much talk about “police” today and you can notice that there is similarity between “police” and “polis.” Police refers to the government department designed to keep the city or state safe. Every law abiding citizen is thankful for the police departments that protect citizens from evil. So if you are a citizen of a country, then you by definition are involved in politics! One value of Proverbs is it gives us wisdom to be wise citizens of a country.

The starting point for every biblical political foundation is God. Notice how Proverbs begins in Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Sadly, not all political philosophies begin with or acknowledge the Lord. Some, like Marxism, blatantly reject and deny God. The founder of the Black Lives Matter movement claimed to be a “trained Marxist” in 2015 and the BLM’s website supports anti-God philosophies like “the disruption of the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure” and other areas of how citizens should behave. As this movement and other movements sweep across our country, it should not surprise us that the words “under God” are being left out of the pledge to our flag and that we have witnessed rioters burning Bibles in American streets. As believers in Christ, it is important for us to remember that our citizenship is ultimately in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and we have been given the greatest message, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to share with those who don’t know the Lord.

With the foundation for the wise politics being the Lord, Proverbs continues with many descriptions of what is just, right, and wise and what is unjust, wicked, and foolish. When a Proverb is repeated, it is meant to grab our attention. Ponder that as you read these two Proverbs: “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked” Proverbs 10:6. “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked” Proverbs 10:11. In the next chapter, we read further about the mouth of the wicked, “It (the city) is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked” (Proverbs 11:11). It is sad to see violence rise in American cities. Without righteousness, there will be no safety and cities and countries will be overthrown. Looting, rioting, burning buildings, attacking people and police is wicked and it is not good for any country. However, just like in Solomon’s day, there are unrighteous and unjust people who are demanding a “new” America. They want to overthrow the city!

In contrast to the mouth of the wicked which is covered with violence, the righteous ruler is to open his mouth and judge righteously. “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” Proverbs 31:8-9. The largest group of “speechless” individuals in the United States is the unborn. In Solomon’s day, the nations that didn’t know the Lord sacrificed their children to their false gods. Recent reports from the CDC indicate that abortions are the leading cause of death in the United States with over 623,000 “reported legal” abortions in 2016. Furthermore, the wise ruler is to open his mouth and “judge righteously.” True justice is when righteous laws are correctly applied without bias or prejudice to every citizen of the land. May the Lord allow us to ponder these Proverbs and be good citizens as we represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ here on this earth.