Promising Liberty

"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

"And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

"And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

"And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." --Acts 19-13-16

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The devil will not go away just because somebody tells him to, or pretends that he is not doing his devil-work. Only Christ has authority over the devils and His power reveals that the kingdom of God has come (Mt 12:28). There are many voices crying in the wilderness that are part of the wilderness. They pretend that they can overcome evil, but the evil in their own hearts shows them to be liars.

A man is incapable of banishing malice and ill-will from his own heart. The strong man keeps the city and will not let it go. Ill-will toward our brother is as natural as breathing.

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." --Galatians 5:19-21

Satan keeps his kingdom and rules it with lies and malice, and no one can deliver himself. Man pretends, of course, for the natural man is a great hypocrite and is capable of a form of godliness that denies the power. He calls evil good and good evil, but none can deliver his own soul.

"He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (Isa 44:20)

Being unable to deliver himself from the power of the devil, how does a man think he can save others? Seven times nothing is still nothing, as the sons of Sceva discovered. They are blind leaders of the blind, clouds and wind without rain, in bondage to their own corruption and promising to deliver others. Deceived and deceivers.

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." (2Pe 2:19)

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Eph 4:18-19)

"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (Joh 8:34-36)

It is the Promise of God


Pr 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
Pr 10:10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.

Two kinds of empty hearts are described here:

The ignorant man, void of wisdom in the heart: Pr. 10:8 says that the prating fool who is empty of wisdom in the heart will fall. His wisdom is only of the lip [prating fool, roughly from the Hebrew means "fool of lips."] He has a show of wisdom and talks a good talk, but he has only a show. His folly will be revealed and he falls. Pr 25:14 "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain." There is a great deal of bluster and blow and the foolish are deceived, but the clouds and wind produce no rain.

The man who speaks hypocitically and winks with the eye. He is another kind of prating fool. He speaks one thing and winks to his comrades to show that he means something else. The politician, after the primary is won, moves toward the center, saying things to appeal to the general polulation, but there is always a "wink, wink" [figurative, of course] to let the base know that he doesn't really mean it.

Both types of fools "fall" because their "wisdom" is of the lips only. The offense of the second is probably the worse, because he is deliberately deceptive. But the end of both is the same, utter destruction and ruin.

The effect of ignorance, however, can be the same as that of hypocrisy. In both cases the heart is far from God.

Smelling Your Own Smell

Having no place else to go, the old bum stretched out on the park bench that afternoon. It was a beautiful day in late spring and he was content. The sun was warm and he was soon fast asleep.

A couple of boys came by and spotted the old man and decided they would have some fun. Popping into a corner market they purchased some limburger cheese and carefully smeared some of it on the old hobo's mustache. He stirred and wrinkled his nose, but did not wake up. The boys watched him for a while, but soon got bored and went off down the street.

The old man slept on for about thirty minutes and then stirred and set up. He wrinkled his nose and looked around him with a puzzled look on his face.

He got up and crossed the grass to the sidewalk. Just then a pretty girl walked past him. He sniffed, wrinkled his face in disgust, and muttered something. There were some beautiful flowers growing in a flowerbed next to the sidewalk. He reached down, picked one, and put it to his nose. He threw it away and swore under his breath.

He crossed the street to his favorite bar. Few people were in there at that early afternoon hour and he plopped down on a stool. "A beer," he said to the bartender. The bartender knew he didn't have any money, but once in a while he would give him one on the house. Something about the old bum appealed to him. He poured the beer and slid it down the counter.

The old man lifted the beer to his mouth, wrinkled his nose, and set the beer down.

"Ain't it awful?" he said.

"What's awful?" said the bartender.

"The whole world smells rotten!"

Moral: If everything stinks, you are probably smelling your own smell.


"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." (Jas 4:11)

The Hearing of Babylon

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. --Acts 17:18

Have you ever studied the idolatry of the Greeks? Have you ever read the stories of the gods like Zeus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, Aris, Hestia? And Jesus seemed strange?

Nowadays to a great many of the elites in this great nation, educated in elite universities, the Christian faith seems strange also. They can accept the stupidity of evolution, man-made global warming, political correctness, green politics, etc., but forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ seems like babbling.

It isn't the message, though. It's the ears. The babbling is in the ears.

1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

John 10:26, 27 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

You must believe Moses.

Jesus said it plainly, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John 5:46, 47

God created the reality, the "isness" of the world, so that there would be something into which His appointed Redeemer would come. You don't get to watch the play if you don't go to the theater.

Creation and history are the stage upon which the drama of redemption in Jesus Christ is performed. But this is where man's problem emerges.

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." He refuses to acknowledge or submit to the God who created the world and all that is in it. He imagines the world as something very different than it is: a world that just "is," that has no purpose, no end, and no Owner. Because of this man dreams that he can impose his own reality on the world, and mold it into an instrument for his wickedness and wicked desires. Paul puts it this way,

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." --Ephesians 4:17-19

Sinful man is blind to the reality of the world. He denies that man as a part of Creation exists and moves by the decree of God like all the rest, so sinful man tries to turn the world into an instrument of sinful desires, doing his business with all uncleanness with greediness. He comes short of the glory of God by refusing to live and use God's world for God's glory.

This is the reason for the Ten Commandments, the Law of God. They define man's sinful rebellion, and show that the world is under the rule of God.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods. If we do not start with the God of Moses, we are blind to reality and living in a dream world.
2. Thou shalt not make any graven image. Only a person who is religiously perverted would bow down or offer worship to a god he created himself. Strange!
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in Vain. If the world exists by the word of God and for the glory of God, He will certainly hold us accountable for everything we say.
4. Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy. If all things and people belong to God and live and move in Him, then man can find his peace only in God. All other searches for peace are futile and illusionary.
5. Honor thy Father and Thy Mother. God is the creator of all reality and used my mother and my father to create my reality. A person who does not honor and love his mother and father cannot love himself, his family, or the God who created him. This is the reason that under the law, cursing or striking mother or father was a crime punished by death.
6. Thou Shalt Not Kill. Man is the image of god, and the unlawful violence against man is blasphemy against God.
7. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery. Adultery, Fornication, Fornication, and other sexual sins cheapens the life that has been given us by God. Human life and its generation is not a plaything or a toy to satisfy the wicked lusts of men.
8. Thou Shalt Not Steal. Every man has a fiduciary responsibility for everything that he possesses, even his own life and body. All is to be used for the glory of God. Theft usurps that responsibility, for anyone who steals deprives his victim of the right and privilege to use God's gifts for the glory of God.
9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. Our words and the testimony of our lives are to be in tune with reality, not some dream. Liars of all sorts attempt to impose some strange imagination on reality and do great harm. God hates liars, for every lie is an assault upon Him and His creation.
10. Thou shalt not covet. We are to be at peace with God's creation and His providence for us. This is the only true Sabbath of rest for man, and can be achieved only through Christ: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," are the words of Christ.

Where True Hope Lies

"Cursed be he that setteth light by his mother and his father. And all the people shall say, Amen."

It is the temptation of every generation to think that the world began when they came into it. "Every man is first in his own cause," is the way Solomon put it, for the pride of man's heart is to think that he is smarter, and wiser, and better than his neighbor

There is great wisdom in a little flower that grew in my garden this past spring: One little columbine that has grown in the same spot every year for I do not know how long.

I do not know the history of this little flower. I do not know from whence the seed came. All I know is that one year it grew up there and each year it appears. But I do know: there was such a seed and there was a parent to this little flower.

Columbine comes in other colors, but this one is always white and blue. Something in its genes.

It is wisdom to be in touch with the facts of the world. The earth brings forth "after its kind," is the way Genesis puts it. Dogs cannot breed cats and onions cannot produce columbine. Man can do wonderful things by cross-breeding, genetics, and other tinkering, but it cannot go beyond the material that it has been given--there is always a parent material: only God can make something from nothing.

This is the reason for the Fifth Commandment, the first commandment with promise. There is no promise to those who cannot live with the factness of the facts. It is wisdom to know the root from whence you spring, to accept it, and not long for it to be otherwise.

My father was an unbeliever, who wandered from place to place, never worked regularly, always looking for the grass on the other side of the fence. I never remember being bitter about my parents, but I often wondered how the Fifth Commandment applied to me. It was through the ministry of a minister who spoke at a school chapel--a man whose name I do not even remember--that light came into my soul on this matter. Like so many other biblical truths, the illumination on this subject brought light on many other subjects.

Faith teaches the child of God that he is God's "workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that he should walk therein." But the Bible does not teach that these "new creatures in Christ" are dropped into the earth directly from heaven. No, they are taken from the corrupt clay of Adam and molded to be vessels of mercy according tothe will of the Father in heaven, as Romans 9 tells us. There is no good clay from Adam, only a corrupt clay.

There are always instruments that God uses in the molding of these vessels of mercy and in honoring these instruments, we are honoring the God who made us. "To set light by mother and father" is to despise the work of God in our lives, of which they were the first instruments. To despise magistrate and ministers is to do the same thing. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it:

Q104: What does God require in the fifth Commandment?
A104: That I show all honor, love and faithfulness to my father and mother, and to all in authority over me, submit myself with due obedience to all their good instruction and correction, and also bear patiently with their infirmities, since it is God's will to govern us by their hand.

As a child of God I must realize that there are two major components in the forming of me according to the will of God: one of nature, and one of grace. Nature put me into the world in the first half of the 20th century, in the state of Oregon, born of English, Scots/Irish stock, without wealth, but a pretty good pedigree. The families on both sides thought they were better than the other side, but neither were right: both had "character" issues and closet skeletons. I was made to mind, given a public school education, taken to Sunday School and church, and given a Bible at an early age. That's where the grace comes in. It was much later in life that I came to know that nature could never make me a child of God. That life must come from the Holy Spirit through the gospel of Christ. Nature could only make me a child of Adam, with his nature and attributes.

I read the Bible. I heard preaching two times every Sunday and at the Wednesday prayer meetings. I sent to summer camps and vacation Bible schools. I came under conviction of sin. I never ever doubted that the Bible is the word of God, but assurance of salvation was long in coming to me.

By God's grace I learned to have mercy upon my parents and worked hard to strengthen my ties to them. My father died in 1988, my mother in 1999, and I am very happy to know that I had done all I could to honor them and love them. In honoring them, I had learned that I was honoring the God who brought me into the world and saved my soul by the blood of Christ. Although Dad in particular did not live for the praise and glory of God, yet I his son have been enabled by God's grace to praise and glorify God though my honor of my father. In this way, even my father, who seemed not be be a believer, became an instrument for the glory of God. I loved him very much and realize more every day how much I was shaped by him, some of it good--some of it bad, but all under the direction of my Heavenly Father, whose ways are beyond finding out.

Discontented and bitter souls chaff against their Maker and blame God for their troubles. Because they cannot reach up to God and unleash their bitterness on Him directly, they either turn their anger on themselves in self-destructive ways, or they war with their parents, their ministers, their governors. The war in their souls disturbs all around them and they never find success anywhere. They are the authors of their own discontent, but the havoc is spread around.

When thinking of such things, it is a blessing to come back to the lowly columbine. What a beautiful flower! God did not make it a great tree or a mighty mountain. It blooms for a few days and spreads its seeds and vanishes to bloom another year, perhaps sown in another place, its history known only to God.

Gentlemen, [fo the RCUS]

We received an update on what is happening in South Africa from Eric Kayayan. We do need to keep him in our prayers as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ there.

In Christ,

Dan Schnabel

Mark, What the report does not tell you: 50 foreigners are killed and IT IS gruesome: what about the thousands and thousands of gruesome murders (in particular of elderly White people) since the end of the apartheid era, which go unnoticed by the international community? President Thabo Mbeki speaks of a "nation in disgrace" because this surge of xenophobia is currently exposed by foreign media (and is bad publicity 2 years before the Soccer World cup due to take place here); however torture and murders on a daily basis in SA never led him to speak of any disgrace of any sort. Rather, he and his government associates have regularly dismissed the outrageous extent of violence and crime amidst the "rainbow nation" as just being empty talk of disgruntled Whites who lost political control over the country. Mandela is being praised like a semi god by each and every one around the globe, but nobody will have the courage to state that his legacy to SA is precisely this Thabo Mbeki whom he pushed forward to become the next SA president - as, supposedly, being the most capable one within the ANC, the ruling party -. An estimated 3 millions Zimbabwean crowd our cities (not mentioning thousands of Mozambicans, Congolese, Nigerians, Somalians, Zambians ...), the Zimbabwean crisis has long become SA's crisis, but President Mbeki stated, after the completely chaotic election process in our neighbouring country, that "there is no crisis in Zimbabwe"......

Eventually, after much pressure from various sides, Mbeki agreed to sent troops to help police forces reinstate order in SA townships, but the army (to a large extent made up of HIV positive men and women) is incapable to deal properly with the situation, it is neither trained nor equipped to do so. In the meantime, new refugee camps without sanitations and with minimal conditions of hygiene are growing around cities like Pretoria, sheltering foreigners who'd rather live there than lose their lives. Yes, help comes from NGO organizations or churches, a tribute to people of good will amidst governmental "laissez-faire".

What the report also does not and will not tell you, but what some of my reliable Black South African acquaintances tell me: The main reason behind these xenophobic attacks is neither political nor to be ascribed to some mythological "third force" related to far right elements nostalgic of apartheid (as some, even in the government, would like to make the international community believe) but simply greed and jealousy from the part of Black South Africans who are by far not as hard working as foreigners like Mozambicans or Zimbabweans: the latter are ready to work hard (and for smaller wages if necessary). Despite many hardships, they manage to make a living and even send monies to their relatives abroad (this is for instance the case of the young and able receptionist at the workplace where my wife works).

Somalians even set up their own shops, not expecting any subsidy or help from the State.

South Africans, already largely "socialized" under apartheid (for sure in order to keep them quiet - it did not work...-) have been promised much; many received houses for free under the State sponsored RDP program. This was supposed to improve their conditions of lives. What have many of them done with their free house and little plot? They are renting out tiny little spaces on their premises so that poorer than themselves can set up a shack there, and they ask incredible amounts to these poorer fellows; this is a form of exploitation worse than anything else seen before. Others have sold their RDP house to some foreigners, in order to quickly get cash in hand (up to US$2000), and then they went back to live in their shacks (they could not care less about improving their housing conditions). Now that their cash is long gone (a large deal of it probably spent in alcohol), they see these foreigners with nicer accommodations and they are jealous of them... This is not white propaganda, this is what some of my black (hard working and decent) acquaintances who live in the townships, tell me.

South African Blacks standing along the road to get a job for the day will not accept to perform a task requiring physical hard labor, but foreigners will.... In the meantime, the price of food is soaring (like everywhere else in the rest of the world I guess), petrol price is sky-rocketting and basic services become more expensive by the day. Rather than working harder and saving money, just go and grab defenceless foreigner's meagre assets, killing them by using the infamous "necklace" method if necessary (by the way this gruesome mode of execution was quite popular among ANC members during the years of the "struggle": it was quite efficient as a means to intimidate those who didn't feel like joining the "Liberation struggle".)

Another example of the current mentality: a few months ago our very house nice cleaning lady told us that her father had recently been shot in his arm (he has recovered since). Those who attacked him were jealous that he had received a promotion at work. In the meantime he resigned from his job, by fear of being exposed to some more violence...

About crime that is seemingly not disgraceful in the eyes of our president (who likes to talk about the "Ubuntu" principle, this African concept of humaneness stating that your are a human being through and for other human beings, it is thus a community based notion). I had just returned to SA from the US when I heard the following news: our organist at church (an excellent friend of mine) lost his one cousin, his cousin's wife -who was on a wheel chair- as well as a friend of theirs who had come to help them organizing the funeral of the cousin's mother. A gruseome attack was perpetrated in the morning at their home by a disgruntled employee who had been dismissed (a driver I believe). Their throat was cut, the bodies were lacerated. The wife's mother (80) was slain too, but she survived (she is still in a coma in the ICU).

Three people were brutally murdered, the life of a fourth one is in danger but such vicious attacks have never moved Mbeki to lecture on "Ubuntu". Seemingly Ubuntu is a notion worth expanding on only when the fate of Black people is at stake (and above all when international media report about violence in SA).

Please pass on this message to your friends who might have heard something about SA lately, and wonder what to think of the current situation (I don't think many people in the US worry, but there might be a few).

Greetings in our Lord

Eric
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South African churches mobilize as anti-foreigner violence flares
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The Ninth Commandment: Part Two

Prepared for Sunday School. May 25, 2008
[Scroll down blog to Wednesday, May 14, for Part One]

The Ninth Commandment is simple: “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor.”

The HC gives the meaning this way:
Q112: What does the ninth Commandment require?
A112: That I bear false witness against no one,[1] twist no one's words,[2] be no backbiter or slanderer,[3] join in condemning no one unheard and rashly; [4] but that on pain of God's heavy wrath I avoid all lying and deceit [5] as the very works of the devil;[6] and that in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs I love, speak honestly and confess the truth; [7] also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor's good name.[8]

1 and 2: See Lesson for May 11.

3. Be no backbiter or slanderer: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents," (Ro 1:28-30)

4. Join in condemning no one unheard or rashly: "Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Mt 7:1-2) "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" (Lu 6:37)

5. but that on pain of God's heavy wrath I avoid all lying and deceit: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (Joh 8:44 av)

6. as the very works of the devil; "Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." (Pr 12:22) "A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame." (Pr 13:5)

7. and that in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs I love, speak honestly and confess the truth; “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;” (1Co 13:6); “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” (Eph 4:25)

8. also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor's good name. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1Pe 4:8)

On this last verse Calvin writes:

“And above all things. He commends charity or love as the first thing, for it is the bond of perfection. And he bids it to be fervent, or intense, or vehement, which is the same thing; for whosoever is immoderately fervent in self-love, loves others coldly. And he commends it on account of its fruit, because it buries innumerable sins, than which nothing is more desirable. But the sentence is taken from Solomon, whose words are found in Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred discovers reproaches, but love covers a multitude of sins.” What Solomon meant is sufficiently clear, for the two clauses contain things which are set in contrast the one with the other. As then he says in the first clause that hatred is the cause why men traduce and defame one another, and spread whatever is reproachful and dishonorable; so it follows that a contrary effect is ascribed to love, that is, that men who love one another, kindly and courteously forgive one another; hence it comes that, willingly burying each other’s vices, one seeks to preserve the honor of another. Thus Peter confirms his exhortation, that nothing is more necessary than to cherish mutual love. For who is there that has not many faults? Therefore all stand in need of forgiveness, and there is no one who does not wish to be forgiven. This singular benefit love brings to us when it exists among us, so that innumerable evils are covered in oblivion. On the other hand, where loose reins are given to hatred, men by mutual biting and tearing must necessarily consume one another, as Paul says (Galatians 5:15.)

“And it ought to be noticed that Solomon does not say that only a few sins are covered, but a multitude of sins, according to what Christ declares, when he bids us to forgive our brethren seventy times seven, Matthew 18:22.) But the more sins love covers, the more evident appears its usefulness for the wellbeing of mankind. This is the plain meaning of the words. It hence appears how absurd are the Papists, who seek to elicit from this passage their own satisfactions, as though almsgiving and other duties of charity were a sort of a compensation to God for blotting out their sins. It is enough to point out by the way their gross ignorance, for in a matter so clear it would be superfluous to add many words.” --Calvin on 1Peter 4:8

“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” (Pr 19:11)
_____

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (Joh 7:24)
“Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” (Joh 7:51)
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:” (1Pe 2:21)
“Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” (1Pe 2:23)
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Col 4:6)
“Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” (1Pe 3:9)

“8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. 12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Pr 10:8-12)

“13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.” (Pr 10:13-14)

“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” (Jas 3:2)

“34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mt 12:34-37)

Please click here for a discussion by Ursinus on the meaning of the 112th Question in the Heidelberg Catechism.

European Court agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights| News | This is London

Who says religion is not important? Ideas have consequences.

European Court agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights News This is London

Because the Ninth Commandment seems to be universally ignored in our modern day, especially on the blogosphere, and because this minister is doing a Sunday School study on the Ninth Commandment, it seemed good to put the fruits of that study up on this blog.

We could make a case that the public media is a professional industry directly involved in the systematic and pernicious spreading of slander and defamation. At any rate, here is the first Sunday School Lesson:

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Trinity Covenant Church Pastor C. W. Powell
Prepared for Sunday School. May 11, 2008 The Ninth Commandment: Part One

The Seventh Commandment is simple: “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor.”

The HC gives the meaning this way:
Q112: What does the ninth Commandment require?
A112: That I bear false witness against no one,[1] twist no one's words,[2] be no backbiter or slanderer,[3] join in condemning no one unheard and rashly;[4] but that on pain of God's heavy wrath I avoid all lying and deceit [5] as the very works of the devil;[6] and that in matters of judgment and justice and in all other affairs I love, speak honestly and confess the truth;[7] also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor's good name.[8]

1. Bear False Witness against no one: “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.” (Pr 19:5 av) “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” (Pr 19:9 av)

2. Twist no one’s words: “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3 He that backbiteth [to go on foot, spy out, foot it, go about, walk along, move the feet]not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” (Ps 15:1-3)

Notes that I made from Charles Bridges about 15 years ago on this passage:

What is the character of true Christians? Who are the true believers? this question is of the greatest importance. Jesus said that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord," but the one that does the will of the Father. Many deceive others and very man deceive themselves. The Bible takes away all our delusions.

vs. 1. "Holy Hill" means God's temple and kingdom. The true church now, and heaven at last. Only God knows the answer to this question; only God can discern some of the evidence that is given in this Psalm. Two principles are set forth in II Tim. 2:19: God knows those that are his; our duty is to depart from sin.

vs. 2. A tree is known by its fruit. These are the fruit of the regenerate and good man. His nature has been transformed by the Spirit of God. These are not fruits that are tied on to the old stock, but the living produce of a new man in Jesus Christ.

1. He walks uprightly. Not bending from side to side. Neither seeking to please all men; nor seeking to please himself. "Walking is far more important than talking."

2. He works righteousness. His faith is therefore alive, and not dead. He is grateful for what people do for him, including the Lord Jesus; he does not seek to have others in debt to him; but rather sees himself in debt to others. This is the true cure for legalism: a thankful heart.

3. Speaks the truth in his heart. What a contrast with the last Psalm! [The fool hath said in his heart “There is no God.” True men scorn double meanings, evasions, equivocations, lies of all type. He has faced the truth in his heart and does not fear it in the marketplace of ideas.

The man who has enthroned the virgin of truth in his inner man will see through the sham of the world and its hypocrites. Those who despise truth will follow the devil's bait into quagmire and ruin. Truth is not what I perceive to be true, but what God has spoken.

4. He doesn't backbite. Slander is the devil's best and first work. He slandered God in the Garden of Eden, and slanders God's people in every age. Often the minister most evilly spoken of in a community is the best man there. Backbiting is the cowardly way of "standing for righteousness." The coward nips at the heels of those whom he fears to confront.

5. He doesn't do evil to his neighbor. What are the Ten Commandments but an expression of true love? They sweep away the sham counterfeit of love which pretends love while doing all sorts of wrong. We will not injure the name, person, nor estate of those whom we truly love.

6. He doesn't take up a reproach: The receiver of stolen goods is equally guilty as the thief. Good venders will seek to know the source of good offered to them in sale. A good man does not trade in the good name of those whom he loves. The person who buys is necessary for the sale and is part of the transaction. Drug dealing would cease if either party is eliminated. So it is with the trade in slander. An angry look driveth away a backbiting tongue. The slanderer’s tongue is set on fire of hell; we ought to cry "Fire! fire!" and chase them from us. [Bridges]

7. If you love the church, you will hate backbiting, for there is nothing more deadly for the church. False doctrine and heresy is slander and untruth about God. Slander against the people of God is slander against the image of God. Slander against the minister and the officers of the church is especially pernicious. The only resources that the minister and elders have to enable them to do the work of the church effectively is their good name. If slander and bitterness rob them of that the whole church will suffer, sometimes for years to come.

More of this next week.

Edwin Arthur Powell

In Memoriam

A blessed Mother's Day tribute to my beloved son and daughter, Joshua and Minami, far from us in Japan, in memory of Edwin Arthur Powell, whom God in His Sovereign Wisdom and Mercy took to Himself.


As I wrote at the time, my faith teaches me that the souls of babies who die in infancy, are with the Lord Jesus who said, "Suffer the little ones to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."


I know that someday I will see and know this precious little one, whom God in His unquestioned wisdom and grace, took from us before we knew him. He was taken away in weakness and frailty, but we will know him in strength and glory.


A number of years ago I planted a small bunch of violets just off our front porch. Since then, every year, they have reseeded themselves and seem to come up in random places, as God wills. The picture at the top of this post is published in memory of Edwin.


I do not know if they observe Mother's Day in Japan, but Sunday is Mother's Day in America, and this flower is for Minami, who is loved dearly by Grandma Penny and Grandpa Bud.

We will never forget.

Do not think that the world does not have its doctrines of justification, but not by faith in the blood of Christ. It is justification by whim and political advantage.

During the 90's liberals justified the lying and the repeated fornication and sexual assaults of Bill Clinton and attacted viciously those who deemed them immoral and a disqualification for office.

Now these same people are justifying the bitter hatred and racism of the pseudo-minisster Jefferson Wright whose church Obama joined in ordr to gain politcial advantage.

Of course liberals have morals only when it suits their politics and then only those morals that suit their purpose. They can change them like actors changing costumes in 15-second blackouts..

"In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? 2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4 ¶ The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men." (Ps 11:1-4)

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The man who trusts the Lord might rightfully say, "Why do you call me to flee like bird."

You say, "But the wicked are bending their bow; their arrows are poised to fly at you; they will suddenly destroy you."

"Ah, that is true," says the righteous, "and if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do against evil men? But God is in his holy temple, His throne is in heaven, He is aware of the devices and plans of men--He even sees the archer who secretly aims at the righteous." Exactly

The foundations of the work of God in the world are not Hillary, Barack, or John. Thank God for that. If you are distressed over the prospects of this next election, then you have not properly considered what the promises of God are, and you maybe look to too much from government.

God is on His throne in heaven and He rules all things and brings everything into judgment. What happens in the world should not affect our peace and tranquility, for God is judge of all the earth.

"I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace." (Ps 37:35-37)

"Yet he passed away." Where is Hitler? Where is Mussolini? Where is FDR? Where is Mao? Where is Napoleon? All of them are gone. The godly of years past have gone on to glory; the wicked have been turned into hell. The world continues along in the path ordained for it.

"Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;" (Isa 51:11-12 AV)

Why should a man, or a woman, who are going to die, bring distress to the inheritors of eternal life? Amen and Amen.

The Scourge of a Lying Tongue

20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
23 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation.
27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.
28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. (Pr 26:20-28)

The Apostle James declared that the tongue is set on fire of hell. Solomon said that contentious men are wood and coal to kindle and keep the fire going. The slanderer is not to be believed because he has many abominations in his heart and covers up his wickedness.

James also puts it this way: "Where there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil work." The phony words cover up iniquity, and in time the rottenness will be revealed.

Faithful ministers are the especial butt of railings and bitter words, because the preaching of the word stirs up the flesh. In order to hide his sin the contentious man adds sin to sin. "He hath a devil," they said of the Lord Jesus. "Who do you think you are?" they added. "He said he would build the temple in three days," others said. "We be not born of fornication," still others said, meaning that Mary had conceived the Lord out of wedlock. The angrier they got, the more vicious their words were, for anger and hatred burned within them, "He casts out devils by the prince of devils."

God, however, has a very special care for his faithful ministers. "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment." (Pr 12:17-19)

The lying tongue may gain a temporary goal, but the lying tongue cannot change the fabric of the universe, which is the creation of God. Truth arises from the grave that the contentious person prepares for it; it rises up and says, "You are a liar."

1Ch 16:22 Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Ps 105:15 Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

EU defends biofuel goals amid food crises - Yahoo! News

EU defends biofuel goals amid food crises - Yahoo! News: "The EU Commission on Monday rejected claims that producing biofuels is a 'crime against humanity' that threatens food supplies, and vowed to stick to its goals as part of a climate change package."
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"How Sweet It Is," to quote Jackie Gleason. People shouldn't fool with Mother Nature, especially when they are playing God.

The First Draft of History Looks a Bit Rough on Bush - US News and World Report

The First Draft of History Looks a Bit Rough on Bush - US News and World Report: "President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history."
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Yes, but current historians are like new magazines such as the US News and World Report. They do not write history, they write propaganda, because they are products of their age, just like reporters, subject to the same prejudices.

Any act cannot be judged except by future events and no one knows now what those events will be.

So the story is asinine. No body knows it better than the historians, but modern history, just like modern journalism has become organized and profitable transgression of the Ninth Commandment.

Contemporary history thought that Harry Truman was a terrible president, but subsequent events proved him right about the cold war and communist agression.

Gram

My grandmother was known as Gram, and she died in Oregon when I was about six years old. She had lived in the hills of Kentucky, married to a petty county official, part-time preacher, bootlegger, and general scoundrel. She had several grown daughters and five children at home, my mother then being the youngest at 3 years old. One day Granddad packed up every thing in a wagon, hitched the horse to it, called the kids and Gram and drove away, never looking back. Gram never saw her daughters or her grandkids again. One thing Granddad knew about the Bible was that women were to be in subjection, and Gram knew that, too. She kept the five kids with her and Grandpa and rode the wagon clear to Oregon. They stopped for a year in Missouri, where my youngest uncle was born.

Granddad always had money in his pocket but spent nothing on the family. Everyone had to shift for himself; Gram had to make do the best she could to feed the family. It took them about three years to come into northern Oregon and make their way south to Medford. It was there that Gram found out that in the case of a divorce, the Oregon courts often awarded the kids to the mother. This would never happen in Kentucky in those days for the father always had custody.

Gram decided to stay put. She squatted in an empty house with her six kids, took in washing, went to the Methodist church, and reared the lot of them, all through the great depression. The boys generally married good wives and the grandchildren went to church and confessed Christ.

Gram never saw most of them. Granddad went on South to Yuba City and died there, never seeing his family again or sending a dime of support. Most of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren confess Christ and live Christian productive lives today. The sins of the father were not visited upon them; the Lord worked in their lives; and they were added to the church.

They are the offspring of a woman who had a few years of grammar school education, who worked from sunup to sundown, walking miles to the homes of the rich to do their washing, read her Bible every day, made quilts, went to church every Sunday. Among her children no one could lay a finger on her and they spoke reverently of her until the day she died in my mother’s arms. She would not have been comfortable in any of our modern churches, but she knew the grace of God, loved her Bible, and believed in Jesus Christ. She never went to a spa, never visited a hairdresser, never knew anything but toil and faith. But she had iron in her veins.

I have only a very dim memory of her, and I am not sure the one I see in my mind is that of the small picture that my Mother always had in a place of prominence in our home. I am not proud of my grandfather, but I am immensely proud of that heroic Kentucky woman.

Wonderful quote, worthy of one named after the great reformer!

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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It is too bad that so many of our black brothers today have listened to other voices and would say, "Who wants to be like one o' them white folks?" But they should pause a moment and listen to their best friends like Bill Cosby.

It's an Unmitigated Disaster!!

Lloyd's warns of a lack of natural disasters Business The Guardian: "Lloyd's of London warned yesterday that an absence last year of natural disasters or man-made accidents was putting pressure on firms to reduce premiums in 2008.
The world's oldest and biggest insurance market said that though the lack of major disasters had allowed firms to push up profits 5% in 2007, underwriting margins were being squeezed."
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What are we going to do without more disasters? Liberalism will have nothing to scare people about in order to increase the power and size of government. Algore will have to give up the billions he stood to make in selling indulgences for those who use too much carbon. Conspiritorialists will have to find other things to blame on their favorite enemies. What will Bush-haters do with no disasters to blame on him.

Worst of all, the dispensationalist will have to change his predictions about the immanent return of Christ; for if there are no earthquakes, hurricanes or other natural disasters, how will he be able to read the signs of the times. Its a disaster!

We need to pray [to whatever god you pray to] that we will see an immediate increase in disasters so that these careers can be saved, and by saving these careers we can revive the world's economy. Without disasters who is there to save?

The Heidelberg Catechism, Question 105 asks, "What does God require in the sixth Commandment?"

The answer in part is: "That I do not revile, hate, insult or kill my neighbor either in thought, word, or gesture, much less in deed...."

The law is spiritual, the Apostle Paul said, which means that sins against the commandments originate in the spirit or in the heart of men. The ill will of the heart manifests itself in many ways, in thought, word, or deed. The outward manifestation of hatred, or inward murder, is described in four words:

Revile: Webster says this means "spread negative information about." It means to speak evil of a person, whether the information is true or false. When he was on the cross, the enemies of the Lord Jesus [Matt. 27:39] "reviled him" saying, "Thou who destroyest the temple and buildest it again in three days, save thyself." Paul said in 1Cor. 4:12 that it is the lot of the ministers to be reviled, but they must not revile again, for this is the example that the Lord Jesus set for us.

Hate: "33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." (Mt 18:33-35 AV) These are the words of Christ, and need no explanation.

Also: 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5

Insult: Webster says that this means a "deliberately offensive act or word." The Bible forbids me to deliberately give offense to my neighbor. We are not to tempt others into sin, by hooking their anger, or triggering their sinfulness, for this is not love. We are to be gentle unto all men and patient.

Kill: This is obvious. We are not to shed the blood of our neighbor.

Reviling and insult are prime ingredients of contentiousness in a church. Because of the destructiveness of contentiousnes it is especially marked out for discipline in the constitution of the Reformed Church in the U.S. Webster defines contentiousness as "a disposition to fight." The Greek word implies quarrels among friends.