Hold Fast

Posted on by kevinjandt

paulwritinghisepistlesinprison

We’ve reached the end of a study that for me has been incredibly rewarding. It was a challenge that came out of the blue, so to speak, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to consider this topic and stand in amazement at the depth and richness of the Word of God. Each word has meaning, and each word was breathed out by God Himself, through the pen of each individual writer. Using their unique style and their own unique personalities that God caused to say exactly what He wants us to know.

I must ask you a very simple but hard hitting question. Do you believe that about the Bible? Do you believe that it is the inerrant, infallible, all sufficient, breath of God? Do you believe that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that they man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work? And it is the only means by which God saves? Get this wrong and you miss the whole thing? Because then you’ve strayed from sound teaching. You’ve done just what Paul warned Timothy against.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. – 2 Timothy 1:13-14

Paul is telling us to hold on with dear life to these words, to cling to them, as if to let go would certainly mean death. Imagine being on the deck of a ship in a big storm and the huge waves will wash you overboard. You must cling to the railing or surely you will be lost at sea. This is the imagery that comes to my mind when I think of holding fast.

However, what do you cling to? If you cling to the wrong thing it might certainly break and give way, the importance of dearly holding on is secondarily important to what we cling to and we must hold onto something solid. Something that is immovable. We must cling to dear life to the sound words committed to Timothy by Paul.

Notice here that Paul asserts his authority. Imagine the arrogance of this man claiming that his words are sound. Have you ever had a discussion or an argument with someone that wants to dismiss Paul as a notch below Jesus? “Well those words are not in red”, they might say. No, let’s put that argument in the ground very quickly… “All” Scripture is breathed out by God… Paul says so himself right here, this is the Word of God and the “words” of God.

And he goes onto proclaim that they are in Christ Jesus. Jesus appointed Paul to be a minister of the gospel, not some lesser known author, or irrelevant part of what God’s Word says. Paul is authoritative, and his words carry the full weight of God. This is a slippery slope and you will quickly descend into apostasy if you believe this lie.

Finally, hold onto the good thing which was committed to you.

Is salvation a good thing?

In this day and age we have so much going for us. Most of us live in homes that are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. We rarely if ever miss a meal. We have plenty of resources to entertain ourselves. We enjoy vacations and time for leisure. There is seldom a day that goes by that we don’t flop down on a comfortable chair and we have the opportunity to read a book or watch television. We really don’t think about eternity on a daily basis. We really don’t spend a lot of time considering the eternal souls of those around us. We seldom if ever tell someone they are in danger, and standing at the edge of a cliff being supported only by a very thin thread of life.

So is salvation a good thing? We think so little of it, because we are so arrogantly walking around as if God does not really exist. I realize this doesn’t apply to all of us. I also realize this doesn’t apply to all of us all the time. It does apply to all of us sometimes. And I would like to us think about having it apply to us less of the time.

Paul lays it out quite clearly, that the only way we grow in this grace, and that we recognize our condition is through the power of the Spirit of God. He is the “Helper”, and for God’s people, we have the ability that others don’t have. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us, sustaining our salvation, preserving us to live in His power; to do the work that we were created for. He is there to sustain, to chasten, to convict, and for some to save.

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. – Colossians 21-23

We are kept by the power of the Holy Spirit, to do the work, for which we have been called. Today, we have an opportunity to proclaim His name. We have the privilege to call on a power that is unknown to most of the world, and use that to bring Him glory. This is your purpose if you are a believer. If you are not a believer, then your purpose is to repent and turn from your sin, or you will perish in your sin. This mission is not complex. In fact it’s quite simple.

The only question that remains; will you be faithful?

Kevin

I never knew Stuart Scott…

Posted on by kevinjandt

astuartscott

 

…I don’t know anybody that does know Stuart Scott, and so I can’t say anything about him with absolute certainty. I do know that he was well liked and loved by many. By all accounts I’d be pretty certain we could have hung out and become friends. I’m confident we’d engage in good conversation and enjoy a cup of coffee together. He seemed likeable. He seemed decent. He obviously had a tremendous amount of love for his family.

I’m not a huge sports fan, but the times that I saw Stuart Scott on ESPN I thought he was incredibly talented and was on some very funny commercials. So for the most part I’d say I really liked him. Today I’m still 49 years old and on Sunday Stuart Scott’s life ended at 49 years of age. I’m not sure why his life ended and mine continues, but that’s just the way it is. God is in control, and it is His decision who lives and who dies. He’s sovereign over all of it.

This article is not about Stuart Scott. It’s about you. It’s also about me. And most importantly it’s about the God that gives us life, and takes away life. If you or I don’t recognize that truth…that reality, then this article really needs to be considered long and hard. It takes hard work to really think about things like this, because…well honestly, because it’s just plain hard. I hate thinking about death. I hate watching shows where people die, especially the young or especially those that seem “good”.

I really wish it wasn’t that way, but it is. It is because man wanted to have his own way. Ultimately a man, Adam, chose his own way. Not God’s way. So we are left with that life taking cancer, if you will. It has us all infected, infected to the point of death. There was a warning that came along with the command. Don’t eat from this one tree, and if you do, you WILL die. And now we see that clearly in the death of what seemed like a really nice man.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. – Hebrews 9:27

Every one of us will die once. That speaks of our life here on earth. Our physical bodies… they will die. There is no doubt. And we see the reality of what happens next. The judgment. This means we will face judgment after our death. It’s easy to understand isn’t it?

But do you, or do I, really understand that? Please allow that sink in for just a moment. We will stand before the Creator and be judged. He knows every thought we’ve ever had. He knows every deed we’ve ever done. He sees it all. Nothing is hidden from His sight.

That time when you were so angry with, you fill in the blank, that you just wanted to smack them… did you know that is the same as murder? Every time you looked upon another human with sexual desire, other than your spouse that is the same as adultery? Every lie you ever told has been recorded in the book and every disobedient act against your parents.

Did you know that you’ve committed treason against the One that made you? Treason is a crime punishable by death.   It really sounds grim. It sounds hopeless.

Did you know there is a way out of the bottomless pit you are now in? His name is Jesus. He died on a cross nearly 2000 years ago, and if you turn to Him, cast off your sins and repent of them, then place all your hope and trust in Him, you will be saved. You will be saved from God’s wrath and indignation toward those that are at enmity with Him.

There is still hope for you, if you are reading this. There is still hope for me as I write. I can’t save myself anymore than Stuart Scott could heal himself of cancer. That’s why we need Jesus. He came to this earth and healed to prove His divinity. He lived, He suffered, He died, and He rose again to conquer death. That is the good news. That is the best news I’ve ever heard. Will you reject His sacrifice today, or will you submit to His Lordship. You will give account.

He said these words that we could understand His grace and His mercy. He will give you rest, if you are tired of fighting against the deaths of this world. He gives life, and He gives it richly to those that place their hope in Him.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30

I hope Stuart Scott knew this.

 

Kevin

Go to Hell!

Posted on by kevinjandt

Go_to_Hell

How many times have you said this to someone? Well, as a Christian I hope you would never say this to someone, but as a Christian how many times do you say this to people in act or in deed? I’d say we all do this more times than we can imagine. I actually shudder to think how many times I do this.

Just recently a man died. His name was Jack. Jack woke up not knowing this day would be his last. I’m sure he had a lot of things on his to-do list that day and I’m certain he expected he’d accomplish all, if not most of his tasks. I didn’t know Jack; in fact, I know almost nothing about Jack except that he was in his forties. I’m sure he was a family man with a wife and kids. Maybe he was a church going man, I’m not sure. Maybe he wasn’t.

The thing is it’s possible I’ve talked to Jack at some point in my life and I wonder if in that encounter I told him about Jesus? I wonder if I told him that there is a Holy God that we will give account of our lives. I wonder if I told him that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of This God’s glory, and because of that problem justice must be served.

We are all guilty criminals; guilty of the most heinous of all crimes, against an infinitely Holy God. That God has given us life and everything good that we experience on this earth and we really have no thoughts of Him and we certainly don’t care to thank Him or honor Him. No, we just go along in our daily endeavors rarely thinking, if ever thinking, that this day might be our last, that today will be the day that we must stand in His courtroom and tell of all our deeds.

This courtroom has a much higher level of strictness and judgment than any earthly courtroom could have. In fact it is so strict that it requires perfection or we will be found guilty. In this courtroom anger is considered murder, in this courtroom looking with lust, or sexual desire is the same as adultery.

I don’t know if Jack knew that or not? I’m sure there will be a funeral where a minister will say a lot of nice things about Jack. How he was a good father, a good husband and probably a “good” man. But I wonder if that minister will remind those people that today or tomorrow could be the day they will face the judge?

Today I wonder if you or I, Mr. and Mrs. Christian, will tell people that today could be the day that they will face the judge. Will we tell them that He is a righteous judge, and that He is angry with the wicked every day? That if they don’t turn from their sin, and place their trust in Christ Jesus as their only hope that they will spend an eternity in a place called Hell, the place where God punishes guilty sinners just like I was, or just like you were?

Do we tell the guilty sinner that the only hope they have is in Christ? Not their own goodness?

Or do we really tell them to “Go to Hell!” I don’t want to take the time… I don’t want to risk the embarrassment…   I don’t want to risk the rejection… I don’t want to risk being labeled a freak…

In other words, you just don’t care about their soul. In other words, I don’t care about their soul.

If we believe the Bible, and I expect most reading this post will say they do, did we forget the imperative command of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He said “Go” and make disciples, teaching them to obey My commands? (Matthew 28:18-20) Did we also forget He said He would be with us, as we did it?

Did we forget that He said the first and greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself?  Loving our neighbor certainly includes calling them to repentance doesn’t it?

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” – Ezekiel 3:17-19

My dear friends, if your evangelistic zeal is non-existent, or seriously lacking, please consider your testimony today. Do you really love people, or do you just love yourself? Do you prefer to protect yourself, or do you really desire to live for the glory of God?

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. – Luke 9:24

Let’s consider today, how many Jack’s we will pass by and tell them to “Go to Hell!”

 

Kevin

 

The Terrors of Hell – Part 3 – Is God just?

Posted on by kevinjandt

Golgotha

Is God just in damning men eternally to hell?

Don’t pass over this question, because this is one of the hardest questions the Believer and non-believer will ever wrestle with.  I admittedly struggle with it myself, because I know people that, unless God pours out His mercy, will spend eternity in hell.  It really comes back to a fairness question in most people’s minds.

One of God’s attributes is justice and we can’t have a complete God without Him being just.  I will not be able to completely cover this subject in one post and if you are bothered by this writing I’d encourage you to dig deeper, this writing is meant to arouse sleeping souls, and stir up Believers to preach the good news.  Without the remedy of Christ we are all without hope.

As many question the validity of a place of judgment, Love asks, “Is God just in damning men eternally who sin temporarily in this life?”  Even if someone lives only a brief time on earth, Love claims that such divine action is just for the following reasons.  First, our punishment is not based on the amount of time that we sin, but on the fact that we sin, as when a thief is sentenced to prison for much longer than then the time it took him to break into a house.  Second, we commit sin against an infinite God and so deserve infinite punishment, just as the penalty for striking a public person, such as a prince, is much greater than for striking an ordinary man in the street.  Third, if we lived forever we would sin forever, or “as long as” we can, while we are alive.  Fourth, we continue to sin in hell even after we leave earth, and so further provoke the wrath of God.  Finally, even a momentary lapse into sin shows that we reject the infinite kindness of God and so deserve infinite punishment.  That momentary sin justly brings eternal punishment ought to cause us to avoid “slight thoughts” of sin against an infinite and just God who imposes such torments, and any accusations of severity against Him for imposing them.  Apart from His secret work of grace in salvation, He may even choose to do so in an infant who lives “but a minute in this world.” [1]

Most people will reject this.  Most people that consider themselves Christians will reject this, and we must not shrink from the discussion.  It will be unpopular.  The question will always turn to the fairness of God.  Friends, we do not want fair, we want grace and mercy.  If God dealt in “fairness” we’d be without hope.  It wasn’t fair that Christ suffered the wrath of God, the just for the unjust.

In connection with just in general comes a question related to the impartiality and universality of judgment; “Will most men and women in the world be tormented in hell?”  Love believes that most will, and his confirmation of it he consider to be “one of the most dismal Doctrines” that a pastor can preach.  First, most will go to hell because most do not look to Christ to deliver them from such a torment—whether Jews, Muslims, heathen, or Papists.  Second, even among those who “profess Jesus Christ,” many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14), as most are “either profane in life, or hypocrites in heart.” [2]

Love cites four additional reasons that most are destined for hell and in conclusion says “If most are to be damned, we must see the folly of allowing the opinions of the majority to lead us in life and should try our hearts to know whether we are of the few that will be saved.  We should not be offended at the “fewness of the number of believers,” but lament over the majority that will face such torments, rouse ourselves from delusions of the great number of believers in the world, and not hold “any ill thoughts against the mercy of God” that most men perish. [3]

These words are painful for me to write, and humbling for me to consider.  Many people that I know, many people that I love, many people that you know and love will spend their eternity under the wrath of God.  Anything good we have now will be vanquished and only misery and torment will remain.   No waking up the next day and a better day is on the horizon, only pain and suffering.

Today there is hope if you are in Christ.  Are you a new creation?  Have you turned to Christ for salvation and forgiveness of sin?  Don’t fight against God and despise His truth, but turn to Him and be saved.

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:37-38

Kevin

  1. Love, Heaven’s Glory, Hell’s Terror (1671), 280-85. Cf. WCF, 10.3 and the Canons of Dort, 1.17.
  2. Love, Heaven’s Glory, Hell’s Terror (1671), 286-300.
  3. Love, Heaven’s Glory, Hell’s Terror (1671), 300-304.

R U Ready?

Posted on by kevinjandt

bp32

Photo link courtesy Boston Globe

NBC News: Explosions rock finish of Boston Marathon; 3 killed and scores injured

CNN Report: As many as 35 killed in Texas plant explosion

NY Times: Avalanche in Colorado Kills Five Snowboarders

This past week I received lots of calls, emails and text messages whether I was at the Boston Marathon.  Friends, family and acquaintances had concerns as they know that our company had done work for the Boston Marathon for many years.  This dominated the headlines for most of the week despite the fact that people died all over the country.

This act of terror was just more heinous and sinister than some of the other ways in which people died.  Similar to the Newtown Connecticut Massacre, when the evil bound up in man bubbles to the surface and acts in ways that most find despicable, Boston just struck a chord.

I wrote previously about the why and that is the question that dominates most people’s thoughts.  Here is a previous article called Heinous Acts.

Today I ask a much more important question.  If this was you are you prepared to stand before God and give an account of your life?  What will that day be like?  We will all die someday.  There is a 100% guarantee you will face the Creator and be judged (Hebrews 4:13).

Revelation 20:12-15 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.  And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the book was opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.  The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.  And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

I write this article today to disturb you…

I write today to afflict you if you are comfortable with your life.

If you have no assurance that Jesus Christ did the work you have no hope because you will be judged by your works and scripture teaches us that no one is good.  None of your goodness is good enough (Romans 3:10).  If that is your hope, it is a false hope and you will be judged and thrown into the lake of fire where you will experience eternal torment.

Today I want you to know that God will not tolerate your sin, but He is patient, and if you are living and breathing today He does not want you to perish, but commands you to repent (Acts 17:30).  He is calling you today to give up your life as you know it and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).  He wants you to have assurance of life and to know that if today is your last day you will spend eternity in perfect communion with Christ (1 John 1:5-7).

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Can you imagine anything you ever thought or said in anger, anytime you used the Lord’s name improperly, lied, cheated, stole?  All will be exposed before you; your memory will be perfect.  God will show it all to you on that day.

I will leave you today with an excerpt from an article by Dan Harris

Of this one thing we can be certain, Judgment Day is coming.  Every single day, for approximately 200,000 people around the world, today is the Last Day.  They will take their last breath, and their destiny will be finally sealed.  We do not know when our last day will be.  It could be today.  “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2).  Are you ready to meet God?

The Bible teaches that we can know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13).  We cannot attain eternal life by our own merits.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourself it is the gift of God – not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:9-10.  Salvation is through grace alone.  There is nothing that we can do to inherit eternal life.  Salvation is by grace, plus nothing.  Whether or not we are baptized, or if we go to church, read our Bible, live morally – none of these things can assure salvation.  We cannot trust in our baptism, church membership, or even in some prayer which we may have recited for salvation.  We can only throw ourselves on the mercies of God, because our salvation is totally dependent upon God alone.  If we, like the publican (Luke 18:13), out of a broken heart, in true repentance, will throw ourselves before God and ask mercy of Him, He will hear our prayer.  If we, like the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-10), who covered themselves with sackcloth and sat in the ashes (i.e., out of a truly repentant heart, totally broken before God) will “cry mightily unto God”, He will hear our cry.

Are you ready to meet God?  “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:12).

 

Sola Deo Gloria!

Kevin