In studying the creation account in Genesis, we see God’s sovereignty in natural creation. This also reveals God’s sovereignty in spiritual creation, as we are made a new creature in the new birth. Man is not cooperative in allowing God to create him in natural creation, and the same is true in spiritual creation. Man is born again by the sovereign work of creation in the soul by God the Creator, not by the cooperative effort of man in spiritual creation.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Israelites in Egyptian bondage served with great rigor and bondage, and in time, the Pharaoh required the same tale of bricks, but they had to twice the work, with no straw provided. This makes us think of the law, the standard of the law does not change, but our ability to meet that standard gets harder and harder. The only hope is not to meet the quota, but to be liberated from the tale of the bricks by the sacrifice of the lamb on the passover.
(Preached at Gum Log PBC on 9/21/2025)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In following the example of the heroes of faith in Heb. 11, we see that our faith should be edified by looking unto their examples. The faith that we have been given by the Lord is our foundation that provides us stability in our lives. Our faith also give us inspiration to have encouragement, strength, and energy to run with patience the race of faith that is set before us.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
During the early 1800’s it was a time of great outpouring of God’s Spirit and additions to the Baptist Church. From 1801 to 1802 AD in the churches of Kentucky, about 6,000 persons were baptized within about an 8 month period. During the same two-year period in the Kehukee Association in North Carolina, about 1,500 members were baptized into their churches. Within 18 months beginning in 1812, Elder Wilson Thompson baptized some 400 to 500 persons into Bethel Church in Missouri. In 1829, Elder John Leland wrote, “In the south part of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, there are more than a thousand Baptist churches, now existing, which arose from that beginning” (referring to the constitution of Sandy Creek Church in North Carolina by Elders Daniel Marshall and Shubal Stearns in 1755.) This period of growth continued for many years until, unfortunately, in response to the great number of additions and baptisms, the unscriptural necessity of “missions” to continue to convert men to the church was introduced. This caused the division between the Old School, Primitive Baptists, and the New School, Missionary Baptist in the 1830’s. (numbers and quotes above are taken from Hassell’s History)
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:7)
In America, we want the “effects” of revival without the uncomfortable and life rearranging “causes” of revival. We all want to see new converts come to the truth, baptisms, churches growing, even churches being planted; we all want to see the effects of revival. However, we are unwilling to deeply and intimately evaluate the areas of our life that need to change and repent of the actions that initiate such a revival. Radical repentance – not just casually feeling sorry for some of our actions but radical, life rearranging changes in our lives – is one of the great causes of revival that we are unwilling to undertake. THERE IS NO REVIVAL WITHOUT RADICAL REPENTANCE.
“O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2)
This prayer of Habakkuk should set the tone for our prayers every day, but especially during the times we are living in today. It seems we live in a culture very similar to Habakkuk’s day, bemoaning the reality of ungodliness and justifiably frustrated with the wickedness in the culture around us. We question like Habakkuk, “O Lord how long?” How long will you seemingly not answer the prayers of your people and allow wickedness to continue to wax greater and greater every day? God, why are you allowing all of this violence and iniquity to occur (Hab. 1:1-4)?
One of the reasons why Habakkuk is so overwhelmed by the rapid downward spiral of the culture around him is just a few years before, he could remember the “glory days” of the revival led by king Josiah. We go back and consider the characteristics of Josiah’s revival and how he grew in his devotion to the Lord throughout the years and purged out many things for his nation to serve Almighty God more fervently in accordance with God’s word. We see characteristics of every great revival: 1) a tender and contrite heart, 2) humility, 3) radical repentance, 4) public commitment to honor God’s word above all else, 5) holding others accountable to also obey God’s word above all else, 6) renewal of proper manner and fervency of worship.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Unfortunately, at times in our lives our faith might not be worked out like it should be. We might exhibit no faith or dead faith. It’s possible our faith can err, be shipwrecked, and even overthrown. However, even if we make those mistakes and don’t work out our faith like we ought to, nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure and nothing can separate us from the love of our God.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
As we begin a study of the book of Genesis, we begin the standard of God that predated even the creation. There is only one, true, and living God – there is none else. There is no room for none other God, and just like Dagon, all other false gods fall down and are destroyed before Almighty God.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Unfortunately, it has become very popular in the Christian marketplace today to deify faith to such a degree that some would erroneously teach that if your faith ever falters or fails, that is evidence you are not truly saved and probably have been a false professor up to this point. Faith is incorrectly exalted and deified above all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. No doubt faith is vitally important in the life of God’s children; without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), and whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). We do not want to diminish faith, but we also have to ensure we do not put God’s children in bondage by making them doubt their salvation because of inevitable failures in their working out of the gift of faith. As we will see is true of all the fruit of the Spirit, active faith (belief, worked out faith) is “enabled” by God and “exhorted” by God but “not executed” by God. We are “enabled” to believe by the gift of God of faith in the new birth and the Spirit exhorts us to believe, but that measure of faith is only “executed” in our life when we are diligent and obedient to follow the testimony of the Spirit in our hearts and work out (Phil. 2:12-13) the faith that God has given us and worked in.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén
