Discernment

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The Message of Holy Scripture

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

A sermon by Don Fortner 

Exerts posted from the sermon. Please listen to this edifying sermon.

Martin Luther, wrote, —
“There is not a word in the Bible which can be understood without reference to the cross…As we go to the cradle only in order to find the baby, so we go to the Scriptures only to find Christ.”

Go to the Scriptures only to see Christ, not to prove a doctrine , not to defend a doctrine, not to prove some theological point but, just to see Christ. Go to the book of God, only to see the Son of God. That should be our purpose every time we read the Scriptures. Continue reading →

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IS YOUR PASTOR LYING TO YOU?

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2 John 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

By Don Fortner 

Is your pastor lying to you? Most preachers are liars. They are making merchandise of the souls of men. They have no regard for you, no regard for the honor of God, the glory of Christ, the Word of God, or for the souls of men. They preach for gain, to gain money, to gain power, or to gain prestige. They are in the best business in the world, big-business religion. They know what people like to hear, and they give it to them. Whatever it takes to keep the people coming and the money rolling in, they do. Most preachers are liars. Is your pastor lying to you?

It has come to pass in our day, as the apostle Paul predicted, the time has come when men “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they turn away their ears from the truth, and are turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Here are five fables which are commonly proclaimed in pulpits all over America today. They are lies and perversions; but these are smooth things such as people like to hear. They keep the money coming in; so preachers keep on repeating these fables.

1. We are told that “God loves everyone”. Continue reading →

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Are There Many Races or One?


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By Voddie Baucham

Are there many races, or just one? What role does or belief about Darwinian evolution play in our understanding of race? Is Darwinian evolution inherently racist? These are just a few of the questions addressed in this message.

Racism has a variety of root causes. However, none of these causes is more sinister than the misuse of Genesis. Not only does a proper understanding of this text disprove racist assertions made by some biblical exegetes, it also cuts straight to the heart of the Darwinian brand of racism that gave rise to such atrocities as the Holocaust. Though there are many ethnicities, this message argues that all human beings actually form a single race.

Listen to the Audio sermon !!   Continue reading →

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The Lord’s Garden

Lords Garden

by J. C. Ryle

“A garden enclosed is My sister, My spouse.” Song of Solomon 4:12

The Lord Jesus Christ has a garden. It is the company of all who are true believers in Him. They are His garden.

Viewed in one light, believers are Jesus Christ’s SPOUSE. They are all joined to Him by an everlasting covenant that cannot be broken; wedded to Him by the marriage of faith—taken by Him to be His forever, with all their debts and liabilities, with all their faults and imperfections. Their old name is gone—they have no name but that of their Bridegroom. God the Father regards them as one with His dear Son. Satan can lay no charge against them. They are the Lamb’s wife—”My Beloved is mine, and I am His” (Song. 2:16).

Viewed in another light, believers are Christ’s SISTER. They are like Him in many things. They have His Spirit—they love what He loves, and hate what He hates—they count all His members brethren—through Him they have the spirit of adoption, and can say of God, “He is my Father.” Faint indeed is their resemblance to their elder Brother! And still they are like.

Viewed in a third light, believers are Christ’s GARDEN. Let us see how and in what way. Continue reading →

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Seven Marks of False Teachers

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 Thomas Brooks

The first character: False teachers are menpleasers. They preach more to please the ear than to profit the heart: “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa 30:10). “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer 5:30-31). They handle holy things with wit and dalliance(1) rather than with fear and reverence. False teachers are soul-undoers. They are like evil chirurgeons(2) that skin over the wound, but never heal it…False teachers are hell’s greatest enrichers…Such smooth teachers are sweet soul-poisoners (Jer 23:16-17).

The second character: False teachers are notable in casting dirt, scorn, and reproach upon the persons, names, and credits of Christ’s most faithful ambassadors. Thus, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram charged Moses and Aaron that they took too much upon them, seeing all the congregation was holy (Num 16:3). “You take too much state, too much power, too much honor, too much holiness upon you; for what are you more than others that you take so much upon you?” And so Ahab’s false prophets fell foul on good Micaiah, paying of him with blows for want of better reasons (1Ki 22:10-26). Yea, Paul, that great Apostle of the Gentiles, had his ministry undermined and his reputation blasted by false teachers: “For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2Co 10:10). They rather contemn him than admire him. They look upon him as a dunce rather than a doctor. And the same hard measure had our Lord Jesus from the Scribes and Pharisees, who labored as for life to build their own credit upon the ruins of His reputation. And never did the devil drive a more full trade this way than he does in these days (Mat 27:63). Oh! The dirt, the filth, the scorn that is thrown upon those of whom the world is not worthy… Continue reading →

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Internet investigators, Conference fashionistas and Tattle-tale heroes

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Grant Swart

   

(1 Ti 4:16) “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine;    continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

   

                     (2Ti 2:14-17) Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

       (Eph 4:29) Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

       (Eph 4:12-14) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

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 PREACH WHAT GOD HAS TAUGHT YOU:

Make it your business to know the doctrine of the Holy Bible. Make it your business to proclaim the amazing grace of God, glorify God by speaking the Gospel of His Son, not by spending the majority of your time mentioning names of false and deceived men who are spreading their falsely charismatic messages based on demonic and secular motivation. Teach only simple, clear and considered Biblical Truth to those whom you wish to guide. You cannot expect the immature and the misguided to recognize falsehoods, which you think you have so cleverly have uncovered by your following the tabloids and the adverts stuck on the walls of foyers of worldly churches, unless they FIRST fully understand the Truth. The Truth is not based in our opinions, or in the opinion of the speakers we tend to idolize, but in Scripture.

In this regard, let your discussion, correspondence and intentions be centered around only the inspired doctrine of God. Don’t add to that the opinions of men. Let those who by the providence and Grace of God have excess time on their hands, expend their priceless excess energy and time on edifying and supporting other believers with absolute facts about our sin, God’s grace and Christ’s atonement. Be like the sheep who hear the voice of the Shepherd, the voice which speaks with perfect clarity from the Scriptures, don’t act like those who partake in riotous demonstrations Continue reading →

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A Marvelous Change

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         By Don Fortner

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

            After declaring that “the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God,” the inspired apostle writes, “And such were some of you.” If I understand the phrasing of Paul’s words correctly, he is saying, “And such were you.” He is not suggesting that some of the Corinthians were guilty of these sins and others were not. He is saying, “All are guilty. Some were adulterers, some extortioners, some drunkards, etc.; but all have been guilty.” What was true of the Corinthians is also true of us.

This is what we were and where we were when God saved us by his grace (Isa. 51:1; Eph. 2:1-3). We must never forget from whence we came. We must never forget where we were and what we were before the Lord saved us. Not only is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 a description of what we were – This is what we all are by nature still (Matt. 15:19). There is no evil recorded here, or recorded in the annals of human history, the seed of which is not in each of our hearts by nature. Why does the Holy Spirit remind us so often of this painful fact? There are four reasons for this reminder:

1.      To humble us and keep us from pride and self-righteousness (1 Cor. 4:7).

2.      To honor, exalt, and magnify the grace of God in Christ (1 Cor. 26-30).

3.      To encourage sinners to come with all their sin to Christ, trusting him alone for salvation (Isa. 1:18).

4.      To inspire in our hearts the intense zeal and ardent love for Christ that our great Savior deserves (Lk. 7:47). Continue reading →

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The privilege and responsibility of a Christian wife

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Ephesians 5:22-23 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.

Today there is great emphasis upon what is called freedom and liberation. Everyone wants to have his rights. Another way of phrasing it would be, everyone wants to have his way. Perhaps a word in season is needed. The spirit of this generation is contrary to the spirit of Christ. The worldling asserts his rights. The believer submits to the rights of others. The one place where the truthfulness; or hypocrisy of our faith will be known is in the home.

It is the privilege and responsibility of a Christian wife to submit to her own husband. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” My sisters, Continue reading →

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More on the New Calvinist /YRR Mystic Tim Keller and Rezolution Conference 2013

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Concerning Tim Keller the Mystic and the New Calvinist/YRR movement. Here are further concerning reasons why we should be aware of,  and Why We Cannot Endorse Rezolution 2013, as Tim Keller is a leader in this movement where the so called Young Reformed and Restless all work in unity to further the New Calvinist Charismatic movement.  Some of the major figures in this movement are John Piper,  Mark Driscoll, Al Mohler,  Mark Dever,  C.J. Mahaney,  Joshua Harris.

It has come to our attention, that many Reformed brothers and sisters in South Africa are excited about the coming Rezolution Conference , being held in South Africa in April 2013. We have some concerns about the speakers as they are all from the Young, Restless, Reformed movement also known as the New Calvinism movement.  Hearing names like Tim Keller , who is a leader in this new movement is concerning,  as Keller has, in recent years embraced  mysticism ,   theistic evolution and more recently his church has now embraced Lectio Divina. Tim Keller’s books are also highly recommended by pastors and teachers across South Africa in many Reformed churches. Continue reading →

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The Apostle Paul: a product of Free-willism, or saved by Sovereign Grace?

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Grant Swart

If God hides our sin or lessens it, He is faulty; if He leaves it still upon us, we die. He must then take our iniquity to Himself, make it His own, and so deliver us; for thus having taken the sin upon Himself, as lawfully He may and lovingly He does, it follows that we live if He lives; and who can desire more?

 – John Bunyan

These represent a few notes from my evening of contemplating the biblical attitude which should be adopted toward the free-will worldly attitude of those advocates trying to  impress God. 

I certainly did not “choose”, summon or influence Christ, nor did I ever make a decision “for” Him. I never did anything good and, according to my own ability, I never will. I can never be a better person “for” Christ. I never sought God, I never understood God (Rom 3:11). I never called out to God in a way which could have encouraged Him to come running to my eternal aid. He reached out and grabbed me when I was dying, because He willed it to be so.

I am and will always be a sinner, I am worth no more today than I was before God called me to Himself, save for the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am satisfied, humbled and overjoyed at what Christ did for me, when I least of all people deserved to be saved. I desire nothing more, I require nothing more, I do not need to, nor can I ever,  convince anyone of the facts. I have Christ, God Himself, who gave Himself for me. I did not pay for my salvation in part, I did not work for it, it was given freely to me by my Christ, who paid for it in full. There are no refunds, what is finished (John 19:30), cannot be made unfinished.

Throughout all of the Apostle Paul’s post- salvational life, he never denied nor tried to deny the truth of what he was. He consistently referred to his previous self-righteousness, opposition and hatred toward God (1 Tim 1:13). He made it clear that, even after his salvation, he remained just as wickedly sinful and incapable of doing enough to please God, as he had been before the day on the road to Damascus. He referred to that by saying: “O wretched man that I am” (Rom. 7:24). Continue reading →

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Doctrinal Error and Damning Heresy

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Jesus said that “wolves” would “come in sheep’s clothing”. The Apostle Paul said, “Grievous wolves will enter in, not sparing the flock”. Paul wrote to Timothy and said as time goes on “evil men will get worse and worse, and deception will increase.” Paul again said, “there will be doctrines of demons that will lead people astray”. To put it mildly, there is a world of chaos and confusion in the church today.

We cannot, therefore, believe for a moment that everyone who claims to be “in Christ” and to “speak on behalf of Christ” is speaking the truth. Distinguishing truth and error has become vital to the 21st century Christian. (John MacArthur)  Continue reading →

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‘By grace are ye saved’

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2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

The entire work of salvation, all that is involved in bringing a sinner from the dungheap of fallen humanity into the eternal glory of heaven, is accomplished by the free and sovereign grace of God. ‘Works’ is a dirty word among believers. And ‘merits’ is a foreign word to God’s church, not found in our vocabulary. From the foundation stone to the top stone, we cry nothing else but ‘Grace, grace unto it.’

Language could not be clearer. Paul tells us that if any man is saved it is altogether by grace. It is written in the Word of God: ‘God hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.’ In Ephesians 1 Paul ascribes our salvation entirely to the three persons of the sacred Trinity. Continue reading →

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WHAT IS IT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL?

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  To preach the gospel is SIMPLY TO DECLARE IT AND DECLARE IT SIMPLY. God never called a preacher to defend the gospel, apologize for the gospel, explain the gospel, or adorn the gospel. It is my job to declare the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4) in such plain, simple terms that its doctrine cannot be mistaken.

 

To preach the gospel is to DECLARE IT AS GOD’S MESSAGE. Our gospel is the gospel of God, not the gospel of the Reformers, the gospel of the Puritans, the gospel of the Calvinists, or even the gospel of the Baptists. If the message I preach to you is just my message, then you may hear it or not hear it without consequence. But if the message I deliver to your soul is God’s message, then you must hear and heed it, or suffer the consequences of ignoring and disobeying God. Continue reading →

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CHRIST’S LONELINESS AND OURS

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Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon 

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A Sermon published on Thursday , August 8 , 1907 , At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington 

“Jesus answered them, Do you now believe? Behold, the hour comes, yes, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every
man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
John 16:31, 32

“Do you now believe?” Then it seems that faith held them fast to Christ, but as soon as fear prevailed they were scattered and left their Master alone. Faith has an attracting and upholding power. It is the root of constancy and the source of perseverance under the power of God’s Spirit. While we believe, we remain faithful to our Lord. When we are unbelieving, we are scattered, “every man to his own.” While we trust, we follow closely. When we give way to fear, we ungratefully forsake our Lord. May the Holy Spirit maintain our faith in full vigor that it may nourish all our other Graces! Faith being strong, no faculty of the inner man will languish, but if faith declines, the energy of our spiritual nature speedily decays. If you believe not, you shall not be established, but “the just shall live by faith” to the fullest force of life.

This being noted, our meditation shall now be fixed alone upon the Savior’s loneliness and the measure in which the Believer is brought into the same condition.

I. THE LONELINESS OF THE SAVIOR. Continue reading →

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Why We Cannot Endorse Rezolution 2013

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In the lastweek or so, it has come to my attention, that many Reformed brothers and sisters in South Africa are exited about the coming Rezolution Conference , being held in South Africa in April . I have some concerns about the speakers as they are all from the Young, Restless, Reformed movement also known as the New Calvinism movement.  Hearing names like Tim Keller , who is a leader in this new movement is concerning,  as Keller,  has in recent years embraced  mysticism  &  theistic evolution. Tim Keller’s books are also highly recommended by pastors and teachers across South Africa in  Reformed churches.

While Keller claims to be a Reformed Protestant, his writings reveal a profound empathy with the Roman Catholic Church. In The Reason for God (2008) he refers to the Catholic Church as “the largest church in the world”.[2]  He explains that he believes in a broad definition of Christianity that includes the Church of Rome. He says that “all Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians assent together to the great creeds.”[3] And this, in Keller’s mind, means that Roman Catholics are real Christians. He frequently quotes from Roman Catholic sources and authors. (Points 1-3 above taken from here http://www.newcalvinist.com/kellers-affinity-with-rome/kellers-mysticism/) Continue reading →