Sermon: Nicodemus, regeneration, free will, and holiness
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 11:27 AM
This teaching is about 55 minutes long. It is an exposition of John 3: 1 - 20. It is about Nicodemus, regeneration, free will and holiness. Any and all feedback appreciated, steeplefriends. May the Lord bless His Word going forth. B8
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Self-Deception
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:42 PM
In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" I was stunned speechless as I pondered this verse anew recently. Think of the judgment day. Think of being in the very Presence of God. Think of talking with God. O, the depth of self-deception, to actually view God, to actually speak with Him, and to STILL BELIEVE that you are a Christian, but you are NOT. Isaiah fell on his face as dead. John the Baptist declared he could not even touch Jesus' sandal straps. The lost argue with God and point to their prophesies, exorcisms and mighty works, never pondering infinite Holiness and Glory before their face. Jesus points to their hatred for His Law as evidence they are NOT HIS. Jesus says that those who are really His do the will of God. May we all continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Sandal Straps
Friday, December 25, 2009 12:45 PM
The Lord Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, left the infinite glory of heaven and became flesh, putting on all the difficulties of our frame, and experiencing all the details of life in this realm, save sin. As He was conceived in the virgin womb, Eternity stepped into time. As He parted the womb as a Holy newborn, Omnipotence embraced frailty. As He walked in this dark and depraved realm, Holiness inhaled the stench of deepest wickedness. As He hung upon the vicious cross, Mercy swallowed up cruelty. As He lay in the cold tomb, Patience smiled upon fear. As He arose from the dead, Life burst forth from death. As He ascended to highest glory, Sovereign crowned brokenness, where the Victory Scars shall ever remain. Indeed, we have beheld His glory Who tabernacled in our midst, we lost, selfish, hopeless, distressed, wicked souls. Even with enlightened eyes, the depths of our own deception and depravity are beyond our searching. John the Baptist, having been granted true humility - a right view of Christ plus a right view of his own dark soul - thus, stated, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” This is no hyperbole. May the Lord grant us each such genuine humility as we continue forward for His glory. Immanuel, B8.
by Bahnsen8 | 1 comment(s)
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Bait and Switch, Round Two
Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:33 PM
Bait and switch, round two. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Dems set focus on the abortion clause. Dems don't care if abortion clause is included. Dems want take over of health care. The whole bill is a giant excrement pile. The abortion clause is the most infected, oozing part of the odious pile. After the brave "conservative" Dems fight off the abortion clause, they will happily eat the rest of the excrement. Same fiasco as took place in the House. Hopefully, the Republicrats and Lieberman will filibuster and refuse to force this stool sandwich on America. Otherwise, open wide...
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More "praise" for Lincoln
Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:27 AM
China offers More praise for saint Abe. And, China presses Obama to be true to his adoration and emulation of Lincoln. Wow, for those who just love Lincoln, how do you respond when China, maybe the most advanced tyrant system on earth, uses Lincoln to justify despotism?!
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Semper Plene Radix response to satanic murders at Fort Hood
Saturday, November 07, 2009 10:03 AM
Of course, this barbarous crime flows forth straight from the pits of hell. But, we must remember that satan is only God's servant. Satan can never do other than the foreordained will of the Supreme King of all things, Almighty God. As satan attempts to destroy the Kingdom of God, satan's work ultimately builds the Kingdom of God, and this is all according to the infinite foreknowledge and providence of our Omniscient Creator. More specifically, the satanic murders at Fort Hood represent God's actions of mercy toward an unfaithful people, attempting to call us back to His ways. Listen to His promised curses upon those who turn away from Him: "“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 26 And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away." (Deuteronomy 28: 25, 26) In this section of chapter 28, God tells His covenant people how He will chastise and discipline them if they turn away from Him, and one of the ways is via being "defeated before your enemies." Sounds like a very accurate description of what happened at Fort Hood two days ago. May God grant us repentance, real and pervasive, that we may turn back to Him and keep covenant with Him, walking blamelessly before Him in all His statutes and commandments, that we may know His favor upon this land once again. If we do not, we can expect the final outcome of Deuteronomy 28: "Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. 68 And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer.”
by Bahnsen8 | 2 comment(s)
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Toppling Idols
Friday, November 06, 2009 9:23 AM
We are governed by callous children. This is an excellent article, because it is true in fact and in interpretation. Idolatry comes in various forms. Wooden totems with scary faces are nothing compared to the stone-hearted American leaders we have come to idolize. Party politics is bankrupt. The Democrats don't have the answer. The Republicans don't have the answer. But, the greatest shame is that Christians, those who are SUPPOSED to have the answers, are silent, or worse, argue AGAINST the ONLY hope for any people. The only politic of hope must come from the only Living God of Hope. Maybe it is a sign of God's mercy that Americans are awakening to the hopelessness and emptiness of the current civil magistrate. They see that all the "new answers" are really old, recycled failures. Hybrid liberalism/socialism cannot survive because it eats itself. Americans, even the liberal/socialists, see this. They just hope they get their piece of the pie before they die and before the system devours its own heart. Libertarianism cannot survive because it urinates on itself, with personal freedom as its only compass. "At least the urine keeps me warm in the winter", they say. What is missing? Everyone knows that something is missing. Well, we Christians, we who have been given the words of eternal life, we who have been made one with the very King of kings, the Eternal Creator of the universe, we know what is missing, if we will listen to His Words to us. Psalm 2 says, "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." We must take refuge in Christ, not only as our soul's Savior, as our family's treasure, and as our life's only joy, but also, we are to take refuge in Christ, as the only King of our land, submitting to Him and His Word, and electing civil leaders committed to Him and His Word as the only authoritative guide for all legislative, executive and judicial functioning. THIS is the ONLY politic of hope.
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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John Calvin comments on the 2nd Commandment
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 9:10 AM
"There is no contradiction in the sense, that he should first of all altogether forbid that idols should be made; and, secondly, speak only of worshipping and adoring them; for it is already in itself a wicked error to attribute any image to God; and another superstition always accompanies it, that God is always improperly worshipped in this visible symbol. There is a strong confirmation here of what I have previously stated, that whatever holds down and confines our senses to the earth, is contrary to the covenant of God; in which, inviting us to Himself, He permits us to think of nothing but what is spiritual, and therefore sets His voice against all the imaginations, whereby heathen nations have always been deceived; because they have been deprived of the light of that doctrine which would direct them to the heavenly greatness of God Himself. But those who have been taught by God’s Law, not only that He alone is to be worshipped, but that He may not be represented by any visible effigy, are justly accounted covenant-breakers, if they do not confine themselves within these bounds; for they violate that Second Commandment by which they are commanded to worship God spiritually; and consequently are forbidden to make to themselves likenesses, or images, whereby they would deface and pollute His glory."
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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Obama's Lincoln Impersonations Continue
Friday, October 23, 2009 11:29 AM
This Conservative Black Woman presents the facts on saint Abe. Looks a lot like Obama's Lincoln Impersonation.
by Bahnsen8 | 3 comment(s)
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A Sabbath Moment with Bahnsen
Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:22 PM
"Nobody argues, for example, that the ancient case laws governing fenced rooftops, goring oxen and flying ax heads are themselves directly applicable today. Instead, theonomists argue, they have a literary character which requires us to discover how the general principles illustrated by those ancient laws should be applied in contemporary culture. [Critics] have asked for examples of practical application of theonomic ethics today. Let us close with a few, and with a challenge of our own. Here are a few suggestions; study God’s Word and see if you agree. · Homosexuality is not a civil right (Lev. 20:13). But readers should be careful here. No one should claim this part of God’s law to be applicable today if he is not willing to claim the same for the rest of the Biblical context. · Prisons should be replaced with a system of restitution (Exo. 22:1-4, 7-9). · Compensation should be made for industrial pollution (Exo. 22:6). · Malicious malpractice charges against doctors should be punished with a fine equal to that the doctor would have had to pay (Deut. 19:16-21). · Elective abortion is not a constitutional right (Exo. 21:22-25). · Skyjackers should be executed (Exo. 21:16), as should rapists (Deut. 22:23-27). · Loan sharking to the poor should be forbidden (Lev. 19:9-10; 25:35-43), along with favoring the rich in the courts of the land (Exo. 23:6, 8; Lev. 19:15). · Debased, inflationary currency should be forbidden (Isa. 1:22) so as to gain just weights and measures (Deut. 25:13-15). If critics of theonomic ethics find these requirements inapplicable, on what other basis do they presume to speak to such social ills today? If critics object to this choice of examples because they are so obviously just and right, we ask: What else would you have expected from the Lord? Let us go on with the rest of His law, applying its rich details to all our lives. And if critics feel that some of the law’s provisions are binding, but not others, then it is their task to explain the principled basis on which they pick and choose among God’s righteous commands (Deut. 12:32). What did Jesus mean when He warned believers against teaching the breaking of even “the least of these commandments”? We cannot get to the heart of the issue until serious attention is paid to the extensive Scriptural support, theological reasoning and confessional insights set forth by advocates of theonomic ethics. Critics of the position have not responded in kind, at either the book or the article level. Until they do, what professor John Frame wrote in his review of Theonomy in the Journal (Aug. 31, 1977) still holds: “For those who disagree with Bahnsen’s position – well, the ball is in their court.”
by Bahnsen8 | 21 comment(s)
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A Sabbath Moment with Spurgeon
Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:12 PM
"Dear brethren, is it not a very high honor put upon you, as soldiers of the cross, that you should be allowed, nay, commanded to take the sword of the Spirit? The raw recruit is not trusted with the general's sword; but here are you armed with the weapon of God the Holy Ghost, and called upon to bear that sacred sword which is so gloriously wielded by the Lord God himself. This we are to bear, and no other. Does the timid heart enquire, "Wherewithal, my Master, shall I meet my adversaries"? "Here," saith the Holy Ghost, "take this! This is my own sword; I have done great marvels with it; take it, and nothing shall stand against you." When you remember the potency of this sword, when the Spirit tests it upon yourself, you may take it with confidence, and use it in your holy war with full assurance. That Word of God which could convert you, can convert anybody; if it could kill your despair, it can remove another man's despondency; if it has conquered your pride and self-will, it can subdue the like in your children and your neighbors. Having done what it has certainly done for you, you may have a full persuasion that, before its power, no case is hopeless. Wherefore, see to it, that you use from this day forth no other weapon than the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
by Bahnsen8 | with no comments
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A Sabbath Moment with Calvin
Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:06 PM
"The characteristic of a true sovereign is, to acknowledge that, in the administration of his kingdom, he is a minister of God. He who does not make his reign subservient to the divine glory, acts the part not of a king, but a robber. He, moreover, deceives himself who anticipates long prosperity to any kingdom which is not ruled by the scepter of God, that is, by his divine word. For the heavenly oracle is infallible which has declared, that "where there is no vision the people perish." (Prov. 29:18)
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Self-contradicting double-speak from POTUS, but not an original thought
Wednesday, September 23, 2009 11:15 AM
The President said the following words to the UN this morning: "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed." Really? Sounds all nice and friendly-like, but even the muddle-minded POTUS knows he himself has not lived up to this phrase. How to categorize his tariff on Chinese tires entering America? I would say that act "elevates" American interests over China's, wouldn't you? How to categorize his attacks on those who will not submit to the tyrannical power grab called "health care reform"? I would say that "elevates" the "group of people" called Liberals over those called Conservatives, wouldn't you? How to categorize his subversive work as a "community organizer" in Chicago? I would say he daily worked to "elevate" minorities over whites, and to "elevate" the poor over the rich. This guy is a complete joke of a hypocrite, and anyone who actually even slightly examines his words compared to his actions will quickly see this. But, ultimately, this phrase is self-contradicting: "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed". From the statement itself, he is saying that he wants to "elevate" a particular world order, and the nations and people groups of that world order, over all other world orders. The accepted world order to elevate over all others? The one that will not elevate itself over another?! Hmm, something stinks. Really, the POTUS' phrase is another example of the logical impossibility of neutrality. Every nation and people group is either for God or against Him, either at peace with Him or at war with Him, either bowed before the Lord Jesus Christ or raising angry fists at Him, either wholeheartedly submitting to all of His Law for all of life or following man's fallen, corrupt ways. We, as God's children, all of us, of every age, every color, every nation, men, women, in every life station, are called to continuously "elevate one nation", to constantly "elevate one people group" over ALL others. We are to proclaim the supreme excellency of the One, Almighty, Pure, Sovereign, Triune, only Living and True God of the Bible, at all times in all places, and the applicability of His Law over all spheres of life. His Kingdom and His people shall reign in the earth. POTUS' statement quoted above contradicts the King of Kings' instructions to us His people, and thus, POTUS statement first originated from the mind of the evil one: "‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’"
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One Piece of the Health Care Puzzle
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 4:32 PM
My family participates in Samaritan Ministries. We share our health care expenses with about 14,000 other Christian families who have promised to pay a certain amount per month for one another's health care needs. The administrating body, Samaritan Ministries, is a salaried organization whose income does not increase by withholding payment to members. Remember, insurance companies' first loyalty is to their shareholders, so profit comes before patients. Health insurance companies, over the years, have gradually payed less and less (proportionally) of their expenses to patients. Hence, with wise targeting of our family health care dollars, American families could greatly decrease the cost of medical care by shifting their dollars AWAY from profit-motivated insurance companies and TOWARD health care sharing associations. In fact, a close inspection of Scripture will show that this is one of the main purposes of the tithe, and in the past, faithful local assemblies administered the tithe so as to provide emergency relief for faithful members. But, until the sick church returns to right actions, I recommend ministries like Samaritan Ministries.
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Humbled government
Sunday, August 16, 2009 7:29 AM
"Emergency service providers including police, firefighters and paramedics will be working at full strength, but most services not directly related to public safety, including street sweeping, will not be provided, the release said." This event in Chicago is just one of the many examples of how going broke often restores sound practice, even if done reluctantly. If governments would stick to their Biblically defined jurisdictions, then "services not directly related to public safety" would not be provided by the government in the first place....
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