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USER COMMENTS BY “ MR. J ” |
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| RECENTLY-COMMENTED SERMONS | More | Last Post | Total |
| · Page 1 · Found: 189 user comments posted recently. |
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 3/17/08 6:31 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | |  |  |
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Both Pre and Amil see the world gradually getting worse. They always quote texts like "As it was in the days of Noah" and "Many will say to Me in that day" and "Will the Son of Man find faith in the earth" etc. This sounds pessimistic to me. Did not God say to the Son, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"? He did not say, "Sit here till you have to go down and make them your footstool." All throughout the Psalms (which so few know these days because of those accursed choruses) you read of the global kingdom of God; all nations, all kings and princes, all the world etc. We all think this generation is the last or close to it. I think we have hundreds, if not thousands of years to go. I do not believe evil will be eradicated in this age. But I believe that the Spirit of God will bring in His elect in His time, and I believe strongly that there are many more elect than non elect. The Bible speaks of multitudes that cannot be numbered when speaking of the saints, but the others are thrown into a relatively small place - a pit or a lake. If things are slowly going to blazes, and the elect are perishinlgly few, then I am not surprised so many "calvinists" can't be bothered evangelising. what's the point if we are in a losing battle anyway? |
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| 3/16/08 8:16 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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MurrayA wrote:
I haven't read the book, but I have read a review, and I have read others in a similar vein and I can only say I dissent most strongly. Any post-millennial approach suffers from the same sorts of fallacies as pre-millennial approaches, i.e. the failure to perceive the confusion of the two comings from the OT perspective (as in the familiar appeal to Isa.11:9), and the all-important distinction between the "now" and "not yet" from the standpoint of the NT.
Moreover, Chilton's book seems to be similar to others in the same vein by adopting a radical preterist view of prophecy, which to me is both plain wrong, and in some forms is sheer heresy. I always saw myself as an optimistic Amil, till I realised there was no such thing. Amil is pessimistic! Chilton's book proved to me that we have the wrong idea when it comes to Biblical prophecy. We tend to see everything as future; the Olivet discourse, most of Revelation etc. Everyone thinks that their generation is the end one and that the Bible speaks to them today about their tomorrow. This is plainly wrong. I know the full preterist view is wrong, but then every system of theology has its areas of extremism. Have a read of some of these things, Boettner, Chilton, Gentry etc. |
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| 3/14/08 5:51 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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Bernard wrote:
I'd support closing this one; it's been going nowhere for a while. I agree - this issue is at the heart of dispensationalist theology and is as important to dispensationalists as immersion of adults is to believers. I guess we all need to remember that true fellowship is not based on agreement but on the completed work of Jesus Christ. I think all that could be said on this topic has been said. JD has been outnumbered but has not wavered and for that I commend him. I will graciously bow out of this discusssion.
I would, in closing, like to recommend to you all a commentary on Revelation called "The Days of Vengeance" by David Chilton. It is superb, highly readable, very informative and unbelievably challenging. |
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| 3/14/08 5:43 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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jago wrote:
Bernard I agree with you. I agree also - there are many hymns both old and new which have all the criteria to make them suitable. Many of the old hymns were based on Psalms or were, in the case of many of Isaac Watts', Christianised Psalms. But isn't it interesting how much, if not most, of the debates on worship centre around music. Not preaching, praying, preparation of the heart etc, but music - as if this is the most important element of worship. Strangely, the texts on Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs do not mention singing, but speaking. The vocal praises in Revelation are said, not sung. Even the 'song' of the angels at Christ's birth was not a song as such. The reason why music has become the focus point is clear. It is derived from a desire to make church services more attractive to non-believers, so they do not feel out of place in church. This is where it all goes wrong, because church is not for unbelievers and if an unrepentant sinner feels comfortable in church something is hopelessly wrong. The whole 'seeker sensitive' phenomenon is based on a fundamental mistake. There is none who seeks after God. Church is where we seek God, it is the gathering of redeemed believers, and not for those who are still of this world. |
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| 3/13/08 4:48 AM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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jago wrote:
Do they also feel they cannot sing scripture as an aid to memory? Icon - the texts on Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs speaks about letting the word of Christ dwelling in you richly. The word of Christ is the Scriptures. The other one talks about teaching and admonishing each other. You cannot teach Scriptural truth on the basis of a man-made hymn. I cannot admonish someone on the basis of anything other than Scripture.
Jago - I do not support Psalms only. But I lament their passing and their being replaced. Many of the old hymns are great. Much of what is sung in churches today is subjective rubbish. The problem is that both truth and error can be learned in song. Arius put his heresies in songs and much of what he taught stuck. If you want kids to learn the teachings of the Bible, teach them songs. But if the songs are full of error, it is error they will learn.
I believe in worship we must bring God the best we have. Of all the Psalms, hymns, songs and choruses, which do you think is the best we have to offer? Most of the modern choruses and songs are badly written, musically poor and theologically unsound. With Psalms you know you can't go wrong - they come straight out of the Bible. |
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| 3/12/08 8:08 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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Icon O'Clast wrote:
The Lord's Church is that body of believers, elect from all eternity, bought and paid for by the work of the Lamb of God, out of every nation, tribe and tongue and out of the whole dimension of time - including all OT as well as NT saints, including all redeemed Jews as well as redeemed non-Jews, including all who died in infancy but were in the covenant of grace, and all who remained in "infancy" throughout their life because of biological or accidental damage to their intellectual faculties. AMEN Icon! That just about sums it up for me. Well said indeed  |
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| 3/12/08 8:07 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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JD wrote:
There was no repentance in Israel. They killed their king, for crying out loud! The king was killed because that was the plan of God from before the foundation of the world. They may have taken Him with lawless hands and thus broken God's revealed law, but in doing so they fulfilled His eternal purpose. That which was foretold by the mouth of ALL His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled (Acts3:18).
JD just because there is no specific verse that says an OT saint was born again does not mean that they were not born again. There is no salvation possible without the agency of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Trinity but nowhere is that word specifically mentioned in Scripture. Give me a text that has the word 'Trinity' in it! If there is no regeneration, no justification and no sanctification then there is no salvation from sin possible. God sent His Holy Spirit to apply these things by the blood of Christ and through the Word of God. If you are correct then there could not be such a thing as an OT Saint. But during OT times God 'overlooked' man's ignorance for a time (Acts17:30; Rom3:25) meaning He suspended His judgement until such time as Christ said, "It is finished!" Do you believe OT saints were saved???" |
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| 3/11/08 2:50 AM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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I still think the Westminster Confession expresses the mystery of God's eternal decrees best of all:
"God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass (1): yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin (2), nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established (3).
1 - Eph1:11; Rom11:33;Heb6:17; Rom9:15,18
2 - Jms1:13,17; IJohn1:5
3 - Acts2:23; Mt 17:12; Acts4:27,28; Jhn19:11; Prov16:33
No one can deny that there are Divine decrees, that God is an intelligent Being who knows and judges, who purposes ends and devises means, who acts from design, conceives a plan and then proceeds to execute it. Quite frankly, I can't understand how those who profess to believe the Bible and who profess to worship the Almighty God revealed in that Bible have a problem with this doctrine. If you have a problem with this doctrine, you may perhaps need to consider the possibility that you have a problem with the God of the Bible. If you cannot reconcile your human feelings with revealed Scripture,don't try to change Scripture, try to change your feelings. |
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| 3/10/08 6:44 PM |
| Mr. J | | Australia | | | |
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So you would have sheep become goats and vice versa; wheat and tares being interchangeable? Try and understand people, for once and for all - the reason why God allows us to get a glimpse of reality from His perspective is so we might be comforted and assured. Spurgeon understood that. We know that God has His elect, we just don't know who they are. So we preach the gospel to all without discrimination. Knowing that God has His elect assures us of conversions. Knowing that God has decreed all things assures us that He works all things for good for those who love Him. Asking if the Bible teaches predestination is like arguing if the Bible teaches creation. ANY answer apart from YES must be wrong; "Being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works ALL THINGS to the counsel of His will." You either take that as it is, and be comforted and assured byt it, or you argue against it and end up looking foolish on discussion forums.
"I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times tthings that are not yet done, saying; "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. Indeed, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it, I will also do it.
LISTEN TO ME YOU STUBBORN HEARTED!! (Is 46:10-12). |
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