Upper Room Christian Assembly: Recent Episodes
William Trudeau
The Form of Sound Words
Catechetical Preaching is an honored tradition stretching back to the Apostolic era. Paul exhorts Timothy to hold fast to the “form of sounds words” (2 Tim 1:13). Hebrews 5:12 speaks of the “first principles of the oracles of God.”
The Puritan worthy, Thomas Watson, understands the value of this ministry method and expresses himself as follows:
To preach, and not to catechise, is to build without a foundation. This way of catechising is not novel, it is apostolical. The primitive church had their forms of catechism: so much those phrases imply, a ‘form of sound words,’ 2 Tim. 1:13. and ‘the first principles of the oracles of God,’ Heb. 5:12.; and since the church had their catechumenoi, as Grotius and Erasmus observe, many of the ancient fathers have written for it, Fulgentius, Austin, Theodoret, Lactantius, and others. God hath given great success to it. By this laying down of grounds of religion catechistically, Christians have been clearly instructed and wondrously built up in the Christian faith; insomuch, that Julian the apostate, seeing the great success of catechising, did put down all schools and places of public literature, and instructing of youth. Watson, T. (1855). The Select Works of the Rev. Thomas Watson, Comprising His Celebrated Body of Divinity, in a Series of Lectures on the Shorter Catechism, and Various Sermons and Treatises (p. 8). Robert Carter & Brothers.
This study provides a sampling of catechetical works which have served the souls of God’s Sheep over the centuries.
Introduction – 02 – Of Fruits and Roots
Why catechize God’s sheep? Because the Word must be “sounded down” into our souls before roots can be sent down into the ground of God’s grace. Good preaching is like a rooting hormone, it stimulates the growth of roots of righteousness (Prov 12:12) which enable the Believer to be grounded and settled in the faith (Col 1:21-24).
A. W. Tozer expresses this need is his classic pithy style:
A tree can weather almost any storm if its root is sound, but when the fig tree which our Lord cursed “dried up from the roots” it immediately “withered away” (Mark 11:20–21). A church that is soundly rooted cannot be destroyed, but nothing can save a church whose root is dried up. No stimulation, no advertising campaigns, no gifts of money and no beautiful edifice can bring back life to the rootless tree. Tozer, A. W. (1986). The Root of the Righteous. (p. 5). WingSpread.
Introduction – 01 – Explanation of the Concept of a Catechism
The Upper Room Christian Assembly Catechism (URCAC) project is introduced in this study.
The essence of good catechizing is but the exercise of a minister’s God-given duty to “sound down” the Word of God – to echo the Voice of heaven via a thorough, systematic, plan of public preaching. This time-honored tradition has served the Saints of many generations and proven itself to be an effective instrument of instruction that helps the Believer to develop Roots of Righteousness.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the discipline of catechizing the Church should be experienced as an engaging encounter with the Word of God that draws from the efforts of our godly predecessors while flowing in the liberty of catering the project to the Spirit’s knowledge of our present needs.
Sobriety for All #3
This study concludes the Topic: Sobriety for All - an exhortation addressed primarily to our older brothers and then to every Christian.
Private and Public Prohibition are duties enjoined by the Holy Scripture which pronounce judgments against those who ingest intoxication as well as against those who provide it to their neighbors (Isaiah 5:11; Habakkuk 2:15).
Three remedies against insobriety are provided in the conclusion of this study.
Every Good Thing That Is In You
The concept of a Christian or a Christian Community encountering an unsolvable problem is a contradiction in terms because in Jesus are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3) and we are complete in Him (Col 2:10). Paul’s remarkable letter to his friend Philemon sets before us the application of this truth.
This study invites you to follow the beautiful process by which one man (Philemon) dug deep, discovered, and displayed the treasure of Jesus which forgives as we have been forgiven, which receives one who once was ones defrauder but is now profitable as ones brother.
These inspired principles presented in Philemon’s not-so-private letter will be sufficient to meet any crisis for the treasures of Jesus are found when we reach by the Spirit for every good thing that is in us in Christ Jesus.
Sobriety for All #2
Our older Christian Brothers remain the focus in this study. Paul’s directive to Timothy regarding the use of a little wine [οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ] implies Paul’s confidence in Timothy’s commitment to moderation.
Christian liberty must not become a license for excess. We count on our older Brothers to set the example of ruling over the seduction of alcoholic spirits, their own spirits, and ever evil spirit.
From morning to night, the lure of liquor and license must be resisted so that the love of God and neighbor can rule in one’s heart.
Acts 1:4–5 And, [Jesus] being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
This study attempts to give a sweeping overview of the Biblical Theology embedded in Jesus’ terminology: The Promise of the Father. From the prayer of Moses to the promise of Joel; from the New Covenant language of Ezekiel to the dawn of John Baptist’s ministry, a special Promise gains prominence.
Jesus’ incarnation and ministry further prepare the people of God for its manifestation by demonstrating the power of the Promise in Himself, while paying the price of His blood, so that all God’s children might be forgiven and receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
As the moment drew near when Jesus would say, “It is finished,” He not only spoke of His death and resurrection, He also pointed to the coming Promise of the Father – The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - as if to say, “Once I accomplish My redemptive work, do not start your witness until I send the Promise of the Father. I have finished, but don’t you start until you receive the Power of the Holy Spirit. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Sobriety for All #1
Older men are the first of six classes of Christians whom Paul instructs Timothy to exhort as to the critical qualities of their character. The need for sobriety emerges as the core discipline upon which their entire Christian testimony is to be built.
When the remaining 5 classes of Christians are subsequently addressed, it becomes apparent that older men are expected to set the example of sobriety so as to establish behaviour which can be confidently emulated by all.
If the Church’s older men fail the sobriety test, it is little wonder to find the entire Body unable to walk a straight line.
Richard Lenski - Christianity lends balance of mind to all its members, old and young, men and women, and fortifies them against all flighty deceivers who would unsettle them. Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon (p. 912).
Without Spot or Wrinkle
Imagine a Body of Believers (a Christian Church) so serious about their calling to be witnesses for Jesus that not a one of them defiles their garment (Zech 3:3-4 w/ Rev 3:4). That would indeed be a glorious church without spot or wrinkle (Eph 5:25-27).
Without question this is an exceedingly high calling (Philip 3:14), but it is in keeping with our basic commission to continue what Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1,8).
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, each member of Jesus’ Church can learn the behaviour befitting their special place in the Body. When all our lives adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ such that our good doctrine is accompanied by a good life, we collectively rise to the radiance of Jesus’ glorious Church (Titus 2:1-10).
Robert (Bobby) C. Freeman (1955-2013) served our Lord for over 30 years as the pastor of the Sand Hill Bible Church in Auburn, AL. Brother Bobby is now in the presence of his Master, but his life and message continue to impact those with ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand.
As Job needed a wise counselor to help him navigate responsibly through the strenuous times of personal suffering (Job 33:23), so will all Christians need sound wisdom when their journey enters seasons of difficulty (2 Tim 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12). Thanks be to God that His Word is our guide (Psalm 119:105) and His Spirit is our Strength (Eph 3:16; 2 Cor 4:16).
The Upper Room Christian Assembly was blessed to receive the ministry of God's servant Bobby as he declared the Word of God in the strength of the Spirit for such a times as this. We highly recommend an attentive hearing of this anointed message.
Clarifying Our Commitments
The last of five primary principles of Biblical Repentance is presented in this study, namely: Biblical Repentance Clarifies our Commitments. A clear pattern is present in the experiences of repentance found in Daniel 9, Psalm 51, Psalm 69, 2 Samuel 24, Joshua 7; James 5:16, Acts 9:4 with 1 Corinthians 15:9, etc.
In every case a movement from personal conviction to public commitment to the great concerns of Almighty God is demonstrated. Charles Spurgeon expresses the essence of this working out of repentance, this desire to “undo the evil” one has committed against the Plan, People, Place, and Person of God, as it occurred in David’s life with the following words:
[David] had done mischief by his sin, and had, as it were, pulled down [Jerusalem’s] walls; he, therefore, implores the Lord to undo the evil, and establish his church. God can make his cause to prosper, and in answer to prayer he will do so. Without his building we labour in vain; therefore, are we the more instant and constant in prayer. There is surely no grace in us if we do not feel for the church of God, and take a lasting interest in its welfare. Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 407). Marshall Brothers.
Turn Toward the Truth
The 4th of 5 primary principles on clear repentance is presented in this study drawn from Daniel 9:11-14. Daniel identifies the active aspect of Israel’s sin; namely, departing from the voice of God or turning from the Truth.
The remedy, therefore, is nothing short of turning toward the very Truth that had previously been resisted. The Thessalonians did not turn from their idols toward alternate creations of religious man. They turned toward the one True and Living God and began to practice Worship according to the Word (1 Thess 1:9).
This movement of repentance is critical because without a clear turn toward Jesus – The Way, Truth, and Life – pure religion before God and the Father cannot be reached. The Temple cannot be restored, nor Jerusalem rebuilt, unless the Remnant follows this example of Daniel’s Repentance. Likewise, Jesus’ Church cannot be built toward the original pattern apart from departing from our golden calves and turning toward the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, so help us God.
Who Owes Who?
This study investigates the 3rd of 5 principles drawn from Daniel’s portrayal of clear repentance as described in Daniel 9:7-10. Daniel’s relationship with God included a clear understanding of what belongs to God and what belongs to sinful men.
Unlike Esau, who mourned his loss but not his sin, Daniel did not barter with God for a blessing while bypassing shame for his sinful behavior. A profound sense of personal and public debt produced “confusion of face” (KJV) or “open shame” (NKJV). Daniel was not interested in a tickling message that touched the sin wound lightly while pronouncing, “Peace, Peace; when there is no peace.”
Knowing something of the glory, honour, and blessedness of His Redeemer, Daniel poured out his heart in the language of mourning love, otherwise known as Repentance.
Daniel’s Display of Clear Repentance
This study presents the first two of five primary principles drawn from the display of clear repentance detailed in the ninth chapter of Daniel’s book. The first two principles are the following:
- Biblical Repentance Understands BY THE BOOKS the Characteristics and Consequences of Sin – Daniel 9:1,2.
- Biblical Repentance Clears Things Up with God FIRST through Personal Conviction and Private Petition (Seeking and Praying) – Daniel 9:3-6.
Repentance Unto Salvation
Repentance is a first principle or elementary doctrine of the Christian Faith (Heb 6:1). Indeed, entrance into the Christian life is impossible apart from repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21; 2:28).
Beyond this, Scripture makes it clear that the Churches of Jesus Christ must live in a disposition of repentance, ever ready (in Paul's language) to put off the old man in order to put on the new (Eph 4:22). James expresses the same idea with these words, "lay aside all filthiness, and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 NKJV).
Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts, but rather be zealous and repent for godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation never to be regretted (Heb 3:7,15; Rev 3:19; 2 Cor 7:10).
Adorning the Gospel in All Things
Titus 1:5 (NKJV) — For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
“…Titus is to teach them ‘what is in accord with sound doctrine’ (v. 1). We infer from this that doctrine and practice for a Christian are to keep in step with each other. Soundness in the faith is to be accompanied by a lifestyle that harmonizes with it. And Titus’s responsibility is to spell out in detail what that means for various groups in the church.” Campbell, D. (2007). Opening up Titus (p. 46). Day One Publications.
Christ The Human and The Head
Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
During His Incarnation, Jesus went about doing only good in every facet of His life. “The whole story of his life was nothing else but a catalogue of good works. You find him everywhere going up and down upon this errand, that he might give sight to the blind, limbs to the lame, health to the sick, liberty to the possessed, life to the dead. You will find him either feeding the hungry or healing the diseased, and having compassion on them that are faint, and raising the dead.” Manton, T. (1874). The Complete Works of Thomas Manton (Vol. 20, p. 364). James Nisbet & Co.
While on Earth, godly behaviour was entrusted to Jesus, and He was careful to manifest glorious perfection in His body - the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph 1:23). Now that Jesus is ascended (Acts 1:8-11), His Churches are entrusted with His witness both in terms of pointing back to His unique life; and in terms of seeking to display the fullness of Christ to the Earth in our bodily presence.
Now are ye the Body of Christ and its members in particular (1 Cor 12:27). No single Christian can fulfill this calling. Indeed, no Church will every reach the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. But we are exhorted to grow up into Him in all things which is the Head (Eph 4:15) for we are presently the Body of Christ in a very meaningful way. The collective behaviour of the various members of any Church become the practical expression of the Behaviour of Christ’s Body in that location for good or bad.
God help us to not blaspheme the name of Jesus! (Titus 2:5; 1 Tim 6:1)
The historic events that culminated in Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension are in the past, but the resulting Covenant is eternally relevant. The Communion Ordinance calls upon us to observe this relevance by remembering the New Covenant ratified in Jesus’ blood.
Jesus gives a charge to His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.” How much more then will He remember His own covenant? Indeed, God remembers His covenant perfectly and His doing so brings the following blessings to the Believer’s life: 1) Exodus, 2) Discipline without Destruction, and 3) Spiritual Advancement.
Remembering is the spiritual discipline of walking in the faith of God’s Word and Acts rather than in the fear of what we face.
The Categorical Declaration Versus The Categorical Denial – 03
The common trope of a Christian Bible riddled with the relics of religious myths leading its adherents into an unscientific stance toward reality is more of a projection than it is a perception. It turns out that atheistic intellectuals are often the perpetrators of macro-myths which poison the pot of academic discourse despite the presence of otherwise rational ingredients.
The Myth of Evolution is a classic case-in-point. The hue and cry directed against Creationists is a diversionary tactic designed to keep the populous from detecting that the scientist hath no clothes. Richard Dawkins claims that the Christian Creationist is either stupid or insane. Me thinketh that the evolutionary biologist doth protest too much and should cease pouring his poison down the ears of they who are half asleep.
But their Gertrude – the glory and monetary gain derived from their shtick – is too enticing for their type to cease from betraying their own brethren - humanity.
Thank God for Jesus who tells the Truth even while affixed to the cross of cancel culture so that some can find their way back to paradise while the rest are granted mercy toward a future day of repentance – “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!”
The Categorical Declaration Versus The Categorical Denial – 02
The Modern Myth Movement is one of many assaults directed against the Word of God. Under the guise of a neutral scientific method, satanic science has made its way from the Gentile courts into the holy places where Revelation once occupied a higher seat than independent human deduction.
These maneuvers seek to undermine the Gospel by spraying the graffiti of a big question mark on the foundation of all Biblical Truth: Creation. This study seeks to scrub off this antichrist ink and restore faith in God’s Holy Writ.
The Categorical Declaration Versus The Categorical Denial – 01
Major historical events such as the Entrance of Sin, the Redemptive Work of Jesus, and the Sending of the Holy Spirit are not included in Psalm Twenty-Four’s sweeping survey of Redemptive History. We will call this phenomenon, Event Ellipsis.
The reader must supply the missing events in order to appreciate the fullness of God’s Eternal Plan. The Creation Account is linked to the Temple Account which in turn is linked to the Kingdom Account; but the actions that link these accounts must be supplied by the reader.
If any one of these links is ignored or broken, the glorious chain of events presented in Psalm Twenty-Four lose their impact and the Gospel of the Kingdom falls apart.
The Outline
A sweeping survey of salvation history is sung in Psalm 24, providing the student of Scripture with an outline of God’s plan from Creation, through Confusion, and unto Coronation. Following the entrance of sin, the Genesis Account moves to the Temple Account on its way to the Kingdom Account.
The Great Creator, in mercy toward his fallen creatures, is also the Great Redeemer. The Creator-at-rest rises as the Warrior King to overcome all opposition, conquering many hearts by grace, and casting out the residue of evil. The Great Redeemer will return as the Great King, filling the earth with His presence and fulfilling His story. Who is this One? He is the King of Glory!
“I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most distinct recollection of the joys and the sorrows, the hopes and the fears, the temptations and the difficulties, the mistaken judgments and the misplaced affections, the errors, and the aspirations, which surround and accompany a young man’s life. If I can only say something to keep some young man in the right way, and preserve him from faults and sins, which may mar his prospects both for time and eternity, I shall be very thankful.” - Ryle, J. C. (1888). The Upper Room (p. 365). William Hunt and Company.
In this message you will hear a Pastor’s call to the young men of this generation to make their walk with Jesus, the pursuit of godliness, and the strengthening of His Churches the primary purpose of their lives.
This Communion study explores the application of Jesus’ injunction to Remember Him when we partake of the bread and cup. Certainly, Jesus is a worthy “end point” of the remembering exercise. The believer does well to focus exclusively on the great acts of redemption that Jesus accomplished. But the believer does better when the remembering exercise includes the element of personal application.
As Jesus said during the night in which He was betrayed: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” (John 13:16) “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)
The steps that Jesus took become footprints for the feet of every Christian to follow. The servant of the Saviour will suffer too. The sheep will not escape the experience of the Lamb. Remember this when you partake of the symbols of Jesus’ broken body and poured out blood, but always do so in the full light of Christ’s Two-Fold State. If you do, you will remember brokenness and anticipate glory.
Out-of-Balance or Out-of-Bounds – 04
Some churches, ministries, and individuals are to be marked and avoided (Rom 16:17): the demonstrably False, the mere Formalists, and the Frozen. They are out-of-bounds. Others are out-of-balance. They too are to be noted, but as the relatively week and for the sake of loving ministry and careful handling.
The quest for unity requires the ability to make distinctions between Essential and Non-Essential issues. Jonathan Edwards expresses this need with the following words:
“We have shown how the godly differ from the ungodly. They differ specifically and essentially. [But] even the godly themselves [are not] without their differences one from another, but it is only a gradual difference. They all agree in essentials and are all exceedingly and essentially distinguished from the ungodly. They differ from the ungodly as the living differ from the dead. They differ one from another as the living differ among themselves in degrees of health and strength and stature.” Edwards, J. (1728–1729). Profitable Hearers of the Word. In W. H. Kimnach (Ed.), Jonathan Edwards Sermons (Mt 13:23). New Haven, CT: The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.
Out-of-Balance or Out-of-Bounds – 03
The ancient motto: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity" reflects the admonition of Jesus found in Matthew 23:23-24. Demanding the mint tithe while failing to weigh out the importance of mercy is to strain at a gnat while swallowing a camel. There are “gnat” issues and there are “camel” issues, and we must distinguish between the two.
John R. W. Stott expresses the genius of the ancient motto in these words:
In fundamentals [essentials], then, faith [doctrine] is primary, and we must not appeal to love as an excuse to deny essential faith [truths]. In non-fundamentals [non-essentials], however, love is primary, and we may not appeal to zeal for the faith as an excuse for failures in love. Faith instructs our own conscience; love respects the conscience of others. Faith gives liberty; love limits its exercise. Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 375). InterVarsity Press. [The synonyms supplied in brackets are my own.]
Out-of-Balance or Out-of-Bounds – 02
Apollos – A Case Study
The distance of history provides a buffer from the immediate pressures of real-time and allows us to consider a challenging situation less passionately than we might if the circumstances were right in front of us. That is the value of an historic case-study.
The first-century story which unfolded in the lives of Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila yields many principles that should guide our own hearts when we grapple with similar dynamics.
Had Aquilla and Priscilla placed Apollos in the category of Out-of-Bounds because he only knew the baptism of John, they would have lost the opportunity to bring Apollos into balance by explaining the way of the Lord more perfectly (Acts 18:24-28).
Unnecessary division would have occurred, and the Churches of Christ would have lost the enriching ministry of a man mighty in the Scriptures but still lacking balance. As it turned out, unity prevailed, Apollos evened out, and “greatly helped those who believed through grace.” (Acts 18:27 NKJV)
Out-of-Balance or Out-of-Bounds – 01
In this Age of Fallenness, nearly everything is out-of-balance until it is brought to equilibrium through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ.
Church History is too often the story of unbalanced responses to existential imbalance – an overreaction against that which does not fit our too parochial narrative of orthodoxy. The categories of Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy are Scriptural and critical; but our skill in separating that which is Out-of-Balance from that which is Out-of-Bounds may need to be refined.
Had Aquilla and Priscilla placed Apollos in the category of Out-of-Bounds because he only knew the baptism of John, they would have lost the opportunity to bring Apollos into balance by explaining the way of the Lord more perfectly (Acts 18:24-28).
Unnecessary division would have occurred, and the Churches of Christ would have lost the enriching ministry of a man mighty in the Scriptures but still lacking balance. As it turned out, unity prevailed, Apollos evened out and “greatly helped those who believed through grace.” (Acts 18:27 NKJV)
In Greek, that is known as a “win-win”! ☺
How Does It Flow? – 03
While teaching in the women’s court of the Temple, Jesus is confronted by Scribes and Pharisees with a woman in tow. They reduce her to a prop to prove that the Friend of Publicans and Sinners could not be a man of God.
But their dark intentions are no match for the Light of the World. Jesus manifests the place and power of mercy. The sinning woman leaves the scene in repentance, uncondemned; while Jesus tells her captors that it is they, not she, who will die in their sins.
Many who take in this scene believe in Jesus. They open the door to becoming disciples of the Great Liberator but tragically drop out of school through a lack of interest in being fully liberated themselves.
This study begins to argue that if we would become disciples indeed of the Great Liberator, we must be open to all the Truths that the Light of the World would bring to our darkness. If we fail to open our hearts to this oil from our Aaron, then brotherly unity will never flow.
How Does It Flow? – 02
The Knights of the Golden Rule, leading the charge by voice and volition against the powers of darkness, have often turned out to be Irreligious Reformers. Consequently, the “reformation” turns out to be a deformation which tends to harm more than it heals.
Wherever the Church constricts its heart and ministry, it also limits the flow of God’s Blessing. Inevitably, the irreligious will find a way to open things up and get a flow going. Into the desert of Christian indifference, an anointing will come from the head of a Humanist or from the heights of the latest secular theorist. A spring of tainted waters will start the flow toward the next seductive unity.
The right response to this sorry situation is not to leave the Bible and join Babylon. Nor is it to denounce the deeds of the non-Christian do-gooders while keeping one’s distance from doing anything oneself.
There should be balm in Gilead, salt in the streets, and light in the alleys if the Church serves a risen Christ. There should be a unified family of God walking in love toward their Father, one another, and their neighbor.
Ultimately, it will take Jesus’ bodily return to establish His Kingdom in the earth. But He has promised to command a blessing now into the place where Brethren dwell together in unity.
How Does It Flow? – 01
Should the Christians of our time be admonished by a “poet of their own” in a similar way as were the Cretans in the Apostle Paul’s day (Titus 1:12)? The poet Robert Frost probed the purpose behind the prevalence of walls which separate humans from one another.
His New England neighbor had nothing more profound to present as a justification than the following: “Good fences make good neighbors,” and proceeded to mindlessly mend the wall of separation.
These studies from Psalm 133 clearly acknowledge that in the age of fallenness, divisions are not entirely avoidable (1 Cor 11:19). Nonetheless, given God’s exhortations toward unity and His promise to command a blessing upon those who seek it, we do well to ask ourselves before we build or repair a wall – “What am I walling in or walling out; And to whom am I likely to give offense”?
What is it Like?
The Two Similes – 04If Ecclesiology was thought through as a subcategory of Theology rather than Anthropology, the debate over bottom-up verses top-down church growth and government theories would be recognized as irrelevant. For Theology settles the issue: any method that begins with man is unsound by definition.
God sets every member in the body as it pleases Him (1 Cor. 12:18); hence, biblical unity is only possible where His arraignment is honored. Churches should be characterized by a concern to get things right at the top for only then will the anointing and dew flow down copiously to all the people of God.
What is it Like?
The Two Similes – 03
This study, at the direction of Psalm 133:3, steps back and begins to consider the teaching toward unity that flows from Mount Hermon. In doing so, we discover that Hermon illustrates through creation what Aaron communicates through covenant. Namely, the principle that Headship is critical to Harmony. Both similes (Aaron and Hermon) open our understanding to the deeper meaning of “the good” and “the pleasant.”
What is it Like?
The Two Similes – 02
What does oil running down the head and beard of Aaron the high priest have to do with unity? If your answer is, “Nothing really, who needs the high priest, let alone his head and beard!? Our modern age is more illuminated than David. We understand that unity is all about The People; it is all about the fringes of the garment…” then you are also claiming to be wiser than God.
This study puts its hands on the first Simile Gate and seeks to open our understanding to the inspired relevance of the oil, the high priest, and the advancement of biblical unity.
What is it Like?
The Two Similes – 01
This study begins to examine the similes in verses 2 and 3 of Psalm 133. When the key to spiritual understanding unlocks the lessons of these verses, we walk through the Simile Gates and enter the sacred path leading to beautiful, biblical, brotherly unity.
Here we discover that the fall of humanity has not destroyed the hierarchal design of God’s universe. The structure remains, but every human has fallen to the bottom. Nonetheless, at the foot of the Cross, redeemed humanity is lifted up in Christ and arranged through grace into the purposes and callings of the Great King.
Biblical unity begins on level ground at the foot of the Cross, where the equally unworthy are made brethren by grace. Hence, the arrangement of these brethren within God’s new creation, while involving “gifts differing”, always conserves the duty of humility and service.
What is it Like?
Seduction can be defined as energetic immorality: a moving of the heart in the sphere of moral indifference. Seduction does not lack the beautiful; indeed, it requires the beautiful. What it lacks is the moral. The Religion of the Great Whore (Revelation 17) spreads itself upon the waters through the seductive scheme of pressing the pleasant while diminishing the good.
Its seductive gospel preaches the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man with the utopian promise of social unity. But, absent the soteriology of Jesus’ vicarious death and satisfaction; absent the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, “the fatherhood of God becomes a sham and the brotherhood of man a cruel mockery” (George Harinck).
The True Gospel calls out a people from the mass of humanity through faith and repentance; regenerates them into the Family of God and beckons them to keep this unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. While it seeks the good of all men, it celebrates the special unity that is only possible among true Christian Brethren.
Looking For Unity – 02
What is it Like?
The Apostle Paul understood the power of the Psalms to accomplish God’s work, so he wrote the following to his Brethren in Colossae: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16).
Who but God would ordain singing as a means of teaching and correction?
What does Psalm 133 teach and admonish?
This study begins to listen to the voice of this Psalm as it describes, step by step, what Biblical Unity looks like. First, it is good; it is moral; it must be valued because it is right. Our hearts must first be transformed by the moral work of God’s Word before we will gain the eyes to behold the beauty of God’s design.
Behold the Beauty
Psalm 133 is a well-known text in our common faith, but it is no “common seed”. If it is familiar, then it is all the more prepared to work its power into an uncommon heart.
An unusual sight kindled in the heart of David a desire to beckon others to that which had so moved his own soul, and he cries out, “Behold!”. What was that sight? When did it occur? What arrangement of things natural and spiritual inspired this Psalm of Degree?
Have you ever seen beautiful, Biblical, brotherly, unity? Do you know its characteristics? Do you settle for manmade matches that lack the anointing and blessing of God? This study helps us look for the unity that God Himself longs to behold. When it is found, it will take your breath away as do all good and pleasant things into which God has commanded the blessing.
The ordinance of the communion of the bread and cup was established in an upper room somewhere in the environs of Jerusalem on the 14th of the Jewish month Nisan about the year 30 A.D. while Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples prior to His crucifixion.
But on this august occasion, at the very moment when the Paschal Sēder indicates that the father who presides over the Passover celebration is to say, “This is the bread of affliction that our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt”, Jesus dramatically departs from the centuries-old language and says, “This is my body, which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me.”
This study focuses in on the call to Remembrance and argues for a dynamic, participatory engagement with our Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose body was afflicted for our deliverance.
Remembering Jesus must go beyond envisioning the spectacle of our Crucified Saviour because Jesus' imperative to remember Him was uttered from a loving heart of service toward His Bride as a plea for her to benefit from the riches of His example and the treasures of His redemptive act.
Robert (Bobby) C. Freeman (1955-2013) preached the following message on a Wednesday evening in 2010 while serving the Lord (for over 30 years) as the pastor of the Sand Hill Bible Church in Auburn, AL. God’s servant Bobby is now in the presence of his Master, but his life and message continue to impact those with ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand.
The Upper Room Christian Assembly experienced real edification and healthy conviction while taking in this message based on John 17. Pastor Freeman sets forth one of the key petitions of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, namely: that Saints would be Sanctified for Jesus’ Service. Amid a rising tide of wickedness, God seeks standard bearers who will walk in the old paths of apostolic faith and live exemplary Christian lives.
We highly recommend this anointed message which concludes with a very hopeful proclamation of good things to come!
A Tricky Text - Part 4
Jesus’ description of Missionary Conflict, as recorded in Matthew 10:17-23, clearly exceeded the actual experiences that the Twelve encountered on this their first Apostolic Trial Trip. Obviously, Jesus knew this was the case. Albert Schweitzer’s interpretation makes a mockery of Jesus’ mind; but John Calvin correctly observes, “the contests of which Christ forewarns the apostles must not be limited to the first journey, in which they met nothing of this description.”
The Great Master of all ministerial students, the Lord of the Harvest, has established the principles of Place, Provision, Persecution and Power as a paradigm for all who respond to the Great Commission and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom.
We thank God for the Ministerial Manual authored by the Faithful and True Witness Himself and detailed in the 10th chapters of Matthew and Luke. The details of this Manual are not to be ditched. Mark 16:14-20, among other passage (including the entire book of Acts), stands in opposition to the arguments of Cessationism by confirming that Kingdom Power should continue to attend the preaching of the Gospel.
A Tricky Text - Part 3
This study drives a wedge between Albert Schweitzer's cynical “literal” lid, which restricts the meaning of Jesus' words into a shallow box, and the genuine meaning of the text.
What Schweitzer claims is nothing more than "plain words" is actually a profound discourse weaving together wisdom for Witnessers with promises of proleptic displays Jesus' power.
They who preach the Gospel of the Kingdom faithfully in their assigned field of labor will not only experience persecution; they will also see the Son of Man come with power as He confirms the Word with Signs following.
A Tricky Text - Part 2
Albert Schweitzer, Johannes Weiss, and others of the Consistent Eschatology School seize on Jesus’ statement recorded in Matthew 10:23 and argue that Jesus thought the dawn of the Kingdom would come before the Twelve finished a hasty journey through the cities of Israel in AD 29.
Preterists argue that the Son of Man came in the power of the Kingdom when the Roman legions under Titus destroyed the Jewish temple in AD 70.
This study interrogates these interpretations and argues that while there was a true sense in which the Son of Man came in AD 29 during the ministry of the Twelve, and at the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, these comings were proleptic foretastes of the future and final Coming of the Son of Man predicted in Daniel 7:13-14.
A Tricky Text - Part 1
Jesus calls twelve men from among His disciples and commissions them into a training exercise — a Trial Trip — in order to prepare them for their apostolic labors, which will be entered into in earnest following Jesus' ascension.
Some of what Jesus said on that occasion applied only to the Twelve. But much of what Jesus said on that occasion was spoken through the Twelve as representing Believers of all time. Comprehending where the emphasis lies in terms of what was limited to the Persons before Jesus over against what was spoken as a Principle applicable to all Believers, has proven to be a tricky task to accomplish.
Matthew 10:23 is at the heart of this challenge. This study begins to wrestle through the various views of this passage in order to pin down the errant ideas and submit them to the strength of the correct understanding.
Content To Be A Christian - Part 3 - Final Exhortations
Four key considerations conclude this study of 1 Tim 6.
- Contentment Comes Through Crucifying Cravings - 1 Tim 6:9-10
- Be Content To Contend For The Faith - 1 Tim 6:11-12
- Be Content To Confess Christ - 1 Tim 6:13-16
- Be Content To Be Charged and Chastened - 1 Tim 6:17-21
Content To Be A Christian - Part 2
The Lord of Glory set the standard of Christian godliness when He released His rights to the riches of His regal standing. In His commitment to faithful Sonship, Jesus allowed Himself to be stripped of virtually every external indication of Divine favor to the point of being esteemed “smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isa 53:4).
He went to the cross with nothing but His Father’s approval and was required to endure the sense of losing even this, the only thing He owned. But in the end Jesus could say, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46), knowing that He was soon to be in paradise.
Jesus gives His peace to His followers (John 14:27), a peace that the money-centered, gain-driven, number-focused, world cannot give. His is the peace that passes this understanding. His is the peace that believes that godliness with contentment is great gain.
Content To Be A Christian - Part 1
Among the riches of wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which Paul directs Timothy to defend, is the peaceful truth that godliness with contentment is true wealth (1 Tim 6:6). This value stands in opposition to the epistemologically greedy worldly-wise who hold that gain is proof of God's favor (1 Tim 6:5).
This study is the first installment of an investigation into the principles Paul promotes in the sixth chapter of his pastoral epistle to Timothy, which lead the Believer into the wealth of Christian Contentment, regardless of one's temporal circumstances.
Facing Fear and Standing Firm
We rejoice to behold God’s grace developing devotion in Abraham’s life as God draws him into deeper divinity. Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Clearly a deeper “knowledge of the Holy” was deployed by Abraham when he replaced the worry that once restricted his faith with worship from a well-wrought heart. The man who fled to Egypt when facing famine in the womb of the earth and in the womb of his wife, walked in the worship of El Shaddai as he ascended Mount Moriah with steps of faith.
God had begun a good work in Abram’s life from the moment he was called out of Ur of the Chaldees. His journey had its jitters; but, ultimately, through difficulty and divine disclosure, God worked a strong faith into Abraham’s soul that believed that God IS and that He is a rewarder of them that (rather than fleeing) diligently seek Him – Heb 11:6.
Facing Famine and Fleeing – Part 2
This study continues the investigation we began in last Sunday's teaching: Facing Famine and Fleeing - Part 1
Abraham's response to the initial trial of his faith upon entering the Promise Land initiates an impulse which will plague the history of Israel: Fleeing to Egypt in Time of Trail. Facing famine in the desert region of a strange land is no small test; but nor was the command to sacrifice Isaac.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac (Heb 11:6). In fear Abraham, when he faced famine, fled to Egypt. His remarkable journey of faith from Ur to Haran and into the Promise Land was commended by God through a more intimate theophany experienced at Shechem. Even so, Abraham had yet to develop the roots of a deeper spirituality (Matt 13:20-21) which would keep him planted in the Promise Land through all the perplexities of his pilgrimage.
Facing Famine and Fleeing – Part 1
Abraham, the great grandfather of Joseph, lived a remarkable life. Indeed, the apostle Paul exhorts the believer to walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham (Rom 4:12). But were all of Abraham’s steps clearly steps of faith? Did Abraham ever fumble, fail, or fear? This study presents a reverent reading of Abraham’s reaction to the experience of Famine in the Promise Land and finds fault with his steps into Egypt.
Remarkably, the first four generations of the Patriarchal Family face Famine in the Promise Land. This trial serves as a hermeneutical motif by which to measure the spiritual health of the family of God. Ultimately, Joseph alone renders the right reaction. His ability to do so has everything to do with his journey – a journey which this series of studies seeks to set forth.
[Our apologies for the relatively poor quality of this episode. The original recording was faulty and had to be remastered.]
The striking parallels between the original Patriarch Abraham's life and his great grandson Joseph's life are remarkable. They both are called upon to be a seed or a son that changes everything. But the contrasts that manifest themselves within these similarities are also very instructive.
Join us as we take a closer look at these two ancient types of Christ - Abraham and Joseph. May we be personally exhorted and challenged while growing in our appreciation of Jesus - the Chief among ten thousand. The Bright and Morning Star Who illumines the lesser lights within the constellation of human history.
Joseph's life was marked by color. External colors could be seen in Joseph's patriarchal coat, his Egyptian clothing and even in his coffin (given the ancient Egyptian methods of embalming). But more importantly, Joseph's character had something of the coloring of Christ. This, however, was not easily attained.
Joseph's life was also marked by many trials into which he fell with not a little help from his "friends." As James teaches, trials perfect character (James 1:2-4). The variety of Joseph's sufferings worked into his character the pigments of perfection as the providence of God worked out all things together for the good. A good outcome for the Chosen People; but also, at the personal level, a good outcome in a person named Joseph who, by the grace of God, becomes a type of Christ.
Join us as we Join Joseph's Journey with the prayer that his life will admonish us into deeper Christlikeness (1 Cor. 10:11).
Paul's call to the Colossians (Col 3:1-4) and prayer for the Ephesians (Eph 1:15-23) is rooted in Jesus. The Power of a Risen Mind sets forth scriptural standards for sound thinking (2 Tim 1:7). Against all the man-centered magic mind messages of past and present deceivers, this study draws the listener to the believer's inheritance in the exceeding great power of the Risen Christ (Eph 1:18,20).