Brokenness

 This is a great sermon by Voddie Baucham whose theme is, as he puts it, to "teach us why it is appropriate, important, and necessary to be broken."  I might define the word as "a deep contrition to sin, realizing that we have offended God.  We realize that all our efforts are  'sorely insufficient.'  Brokenness motivates us to true repentance and reformation of our lives."  When we are broken, He causes us to see the the negative path we have been on.  He reminds us that God does not want us to come to this place and then leave us--but so that He can remake us.  He wants us to conform to the very image of Christ.  Scripture has a slightly different theme as well:  Our brokenness will help Him to "prune" us. See John 15:2:

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

I have discussed elsewhere about the necessary abiding with Christ, and the fruit that we must develop in order to be saved in the end.  Brokenness makes God's job easier.  He called the Jews "stiff-necked" on occasion, don't forget.  Bad results for them.

But Voddie tells us there is a great tragedy afoot in our culture: People do have more feelings of "vague discomfort." But our goal is:  discomfort is like a flu; it is there simply to slow us down and we just need to get it out of the way.  We're saying that, suppose, here's a guy who has left his wife, or cheated in business, or has little time for the kids and now they ignore him, or he's lied or stole.  When he goes to his doctor and says he "feels bad," and instead of being told that "brother, you don't feel bad enough," they say, "take this medicine."  These doctors don't know enough about sin and don't know about our personal lives to effectively counsel us.

Unfortunately here is part 2:  It's also in the church.  Voddie says "any depression we feel has to be "over" the moment we "rededicate our lives."  The church avoids the subject of brokenness: They  think it's "inappropriate" to feel crushed under the weight of our own sin--they will not chase after the cause of this goal-less drift you're in. They want to talk you into re-orienting your thinking so you can get it out of the way.

Speaking about churches, now he gets into naming names; I should note that I have no problem with this, since Scripture does it, and it is a warning to people by pointing to false teachers.  He tweaks Rob Bell's speaking at churches trip by calling it "the gods are not angry" tour.  As one observer says it, "He walks around the altar for 90 minutes without talking about the wrath of God against sin being poured out on Christ; he did not denounce the sinful footprint by the rich:  Scripture says the rich will "weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." That verse needs explanation.  Nor did he talk about a "terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God;"(Hebrews 10:31).  Instead, catch this: Mr. Bell said, "Anytime someone makes you feel guilty about how you are living, that is part of the "old system." As  Voddie accurately puts it, "that's not Christianity."   (A note here:  Most pastors avoid discomfort by not talking about those subjects too, an error on their part; but they don't make scandalous conclusions like Mr. Bell did.)

Pastors like to assure us, by subjects they avoid. that there is no need for brokenness--even before you come to Christ.  Of course, that cuts repentance off at the knees. Pastors tend to avoid that too.  But what was the First Word Jesus says when He began His ministry?  You guessed it; repent (Matthew 3:2). Or, as another version puts it: His first words were "amend your ways."

The second name he doesn't like is a book:  "The Shack."  Highly praised, especially by Christians.  He picks on one of many quotes; this one is allegedly the speaker is God:  "Genuine relationships are marked by submission...we are indeed submitted to one another (speaking of the relationship of each Person in the Trinity)...submission is not about authority or obedience....it's all about love and respect...in fact, We are submitted to you (spoken to the main character, Mack) the same way."

Voddie obviously disavows God's submission to us (Prosperity Gospel folk would go to town on that line; they envision God as our Servant).  He calls it being pushed by the "emergent turks."  (No offense to the Turkish folk, look up the definition maybe in a slang dictionary).  The ideas of God's sovereignty and holiness, and brokenness, are gone from the new doctrines.

Now he begins another great apologetic.  Look at Psalm 51.  Background to the Psalm:  David took Bathsheba sexually, even though she was married to Uriah.  But David arranged for Uriah to be killed in battle, after failing to get him to go to bed with his wife--so in the event of her pregnancy, he would assume the baby was his.  This was a great sin.  The worst of his God-driven career.  Don't play judge, here, kings have done a lot worse.  And there is the matter of our own sin too, IF we take a hard look at it.

The first note of interest about Psa. 51:  It was one of the most poignant poetry of brokennes that you will find anywhere.  The second note:  It was written One Year after his fall.  I don't have the space to include it all, but let me just give a few verses:

....Blot out my transgressions.  ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned..make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice...Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

First, even after a year, David's sin is still ever before him.  So today, he would be depressed and in need of medication, right?  But no, he solves it by pouring out his sin to God.  But note how we will, after this kind of experience, "teach transgressors Your ways."  By feeling God's grace, and noting how He "upholds me;"  we can then feel joy; and that shows everybody that our God forgives!  Note I John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That verse isn't meant to be just a one-timer for when we were first saved. Introspection and confession brings good repair for every sin--if we mean it, of course.

Now, Rev. Baucham is not recommending that we beat ourselves up over a great sin--some of us may secretly hope that if we get mad at ourselves a few times, that might draw God's sorrow for our pathetic-ness, and give us a break. So we create some purgatory for ourselves while alive. But...the truth is, the bad results of our sin may reverberate throughout our whole life!  He calls this "scar tissue:" it can't be washed away from our mind.  The Word says that iniquities sometimes have an effect to the third or fourth generation.  Did you know that women whose mothers were abused, are more likely to pick men that are more likely to abuse them?  Psychological scar tissue.  There are likely men in your church who have scar tissue when it comes to adultery and its temptations--they beg God to have women in church who are modestly dressed. We should never have a flippant attitude toward sin; we need to feel sensitive enough to not to be tempted anywhere near it, because we are aware that sin brings scar tissue. We think "Jesus died for my sins; they're all paid for."  Read Romans 6 where Paul answers that.  The Bible is clear that me must form a relationship with Christ, and we don't get to declare a holiday every three weeks so we can do as WE like.  You're heading for a freeze in your Christ-relationship, and joining the people of Laodicea (Revelation 3), who Jesus vomited out of His life.  They obviously were no longer part of Him when that Judgment day comes.

When we ask God to wash us or clean us, that eliminates the sin from God's mind. But it has a harder time getting out of our mind.  David knew about that, when God promised he was forgiven. But he still would have family violence in his life.  Though we get a lot of comfort from God's forgiveness upon our brokenness and repentance over a sin, still we often must pay some consequences.  God doesn't always make "everything go away." Often these ugly reminders, flashing us pain, we might assume God will eliminate. So we might secretly get mad at God when they don't, thinking "I have been sorry all this time for what I did, and God still won't give me a psychological break."  But what we see here, with David's example, is God's way. We can really restore our spirit, our joy with Him, in true brokenness. We must think about ways in our life, even with scar tissue, that we can still serve Him.  Heaven is still awaiting us, after all, and God still extends grace to us in many ways every day.  Let us have thoughts of Him--not our lives that "could have been better."

Not only does brokenness help us to hate sin, not only does it help us to be aware of how sin scars us, but it helps us realize that sin also creates memories that remain with us. Two-thirds of people who take depression medication still have their symptoms.  People go to a counselor, complaining that they can't get these horrible thoughts of their sin out of their heads.  Remember that David, a year after his sin, says "my sin is ever before me."  "You don't believe me?"  Rev. Baucham says, "ask a woman who has ever had an abortion." God had good reason to create us so we would not forget things.  If you could forget it all--you could never testify to the goodness of God. You wouldn't be warned against doing them again.  God does this to remind us of the consequences, to corral us, to call us to repentance and brokenness.  Finally, with no memories, we couldn't rejoice in our victories, we couldn't see personal growth that the Spirit has produced in us.  Voddie then gives a touching story of returning back to central Los Angeles to attend and preach at his father's funeral.  He tells us that his father died at 55 from an addiction to cocaine; hew he traveled the neighborhood and noticed that "the gang's not all there," implying prison or early death.  He went aside and wept, thanking God as he remembered afresh who he was before God saved him.  His memories remind him of God's goodness, His bountiful grace, toward him. Brokenness helps him to be objective: "I'm not who I ought to be, but hallelujah!  I'm not who I was."

Finally, brokenness helps us see that our sin is an affront to a holy God--a God who has bought us away from rebellion.  David cried, "...against You and You only have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words. and blameless in Your judgments." His statement doesn't demean Bathsheba and Uriah,  but he was aware that his sin was against God and His creation of her and her husband.  "That's what worries me about Rob Bell, and "The Shack."  Pastors don't want to preach on sin because they claim, he says sarcastically, "People already know they're bad."  (Ed: ask any prisoner about "are you guilty?"  They will effectively deny or ignore it, talking endlessly about how the system, or their former friend, was against them.) He insists that "We don't think we're "bad."  We watch the nightly news and think, "those people are bad--not us."  But we have sinned against God, and we are deceived, even delusional, about our expectations in Judgment.  Jesus says that many people will be shocked that they will go to hell.  Their expectations of God, their measure of how He judges, are fantasy and don't line up with Scripture.  (See my blog, The Narrow Gate). We read Revelation 7, the great crowd of saved people, and we can imagine several million will be there.  But did you know that it has been estimated that 100 billion people have been on the earth?  Gee, that makes even 10 million only .0001 of the population--one-hundredth of 1%!  Assume nothing, especially as important as this--read several times through the Gospels with an open mind, what does it say?

Finally, without brokenness, we are incapable of authentic worship.  We come to church to talk to friends or "networking." We look to get a church that has high ratings if it satisfies us by doing contemporary music, or by preaching only 30 minutes. Look at portions of Isaiah 1 about how God feels about our hypocrisy in coming to church:

“When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? ¹³ Bring no more futile sacrifices;...I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. ¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. ⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow

Thomas A Kempis, in "The Imitation of Christ," said:, "Great wonder it is that I, who of my own weight, always sink to the depths, and so suddenly lifted up, and so graciously embraced by You."  We must come to the end of ourselves to know that worship is "what will make God happy?" And in church,  we say, "Let me do that, as an army of His." When we come to the end of ourselves, we can never consider boring or old fashioned songs like this:

And can it be that I should gain, An interest in the Savior's blood. Died He for me who caused Him pain, For me, who Him, to death pursued.  Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou, my God, would die for me!

You don't get there without brokenness.

 

Four False Gospels of Today

 The "Lion of Judah" company has excellent broadcasts, both for its clarity (it "tells it like it is"), and for its Scriptural proof.  I normally would do "Cliffe's Notes," but they state the points perfectly enough that I didn't like to deviate from their statements.  Enjoy.

We are warned in the Holy Bible time and time again to not fall for false teaching, the "doctrines of demons."  But because people don't read Scripture enough today, they will be seduced now more than ever.  I Timothy 4:1:

....the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

Note II Peter 2:1: But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction

There are many of these heresies being preached in our day.  Here are four:

1.Jesus is the Son of God, but he is not God 

This is taught by the "New Agers" movement.  They see Jesus as the greatest creature of God.  They regard him as a great teacher--and nothing more.  But this is not what the Bible clearly tells us.  In John 10:30, Jesus says: 

^"I and My Father are one.”  

For further proof, let's tie three Scripture verses together:  In John 1:1 it says:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

If you then ask, "What is the Word?"  The answer is in two verses: John 1:14:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

and Hebrews 1:1-3:

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person...

The Word is defined as an understandable expression of what God is.  In the Incarnation, mankind was able to see God in Jesus, to see what God was like. The meaning of the phrase "express image" in Greek locks that concept in. It also says that Jesus was in at creation.  No doubt, Scripture claims Jesus was God.  I might add, we have misinterpreted the Greek word translated "begotten" over the years, which many of you might still have the wrong usage in an older Bible translation.  The meaning of the Greek word was recently, by archaeological digs, just figured out.  It has more of a meaning of "unique."  God did not "beget" Jesus.  As we see above, Jesus was with God in the beginning--i.e., Jesus was eternal.   

This is not a minor doctrine here.  What you believe about Jesus is literally a heaven-or-hell issue.  You can be wrong about eschatology (the order of events of the future), or baptism.  But you cannot be wrong about Jesus Christ.  (A note:  this is an excellent starting point for evangelists--"what do you think about Jesus Christ?")  The Bible warns us of the danger of believing in "another Jesus Christ," thinking He's just a martyr, or prophet, or teacher.  You're expressing "tolerance," right?  But you're in danger of hell.  The Bible is narrow.  (See my blog, "The Narrow Gate.").  You have to do business with Jesus; you must deal with Him.  He forgave sins, an authority only God has (PS:  not your priest). In Mark 2, Jesus forgives a man's sin.  The Jews immediately picked up on that, calling it blasphemy--of course, they assumed Jesus was not God.  Mark 2:7:

“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Only His righteousness will get you into heaven.  If you think He is not God; THAT is blasphemy.  Rejecting Christ's saving us on the Cross, which no sinful man can do, forces you to depend on our own righteousness when the day of Judgment comes.  But that will send us to hell; it is woefully inadequate. Remember Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

(PS:  God doesn't Judge by weighing our good vs. bad; that is a fantasy.  He demands perfection--only Jesus did that).

False teaching 2. We are gods

This was also popularized by the New Agers.  But literally, it is as old as dirt.  We read of Satan's temptation of Eve in Genesis 3:4:

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God

The false teachers reasoned that because we (the saved) are children of God, we share in His divine nature.  They include the idea that since we have that "power," in the freedom of will that we are gods, we are in charge, we can plan, we can direct, we can control. There is enough truth to that that we easily believe the rest, that we are in ultimate control of everything. Unfortunately, we have warped this to include control in gaining material possessions.  This stresses materialism--it makes us focus on getting money, fame, etc.  This is "worldliness," the lustful ways of the world, which Jesus counsels to stay away from.  See Titus 2:12:

...denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age

The lesson of the Scripture, driven home again and again, is, that our "control" is not true. God is in charge. What he sends us is always designed to benefit us. The false teachers say Jesus died so we can become divine and have all we want on earth.  Truth is, Jesus died to save you from the flames of hell, which you deserve because of your sin and rebellion to God.  Not very divine.  On that final day, we will see millions of people who rejected who Christ really is, cast into a lake of fire.  If you are careful to worship Christ as Lord, and live humbly, you will definitely appreciate what He did on the Cross--you will see how material wealth is meaningless and burned up--how it doesn't compare with heaven.  This false theology attempts to equate us with God, a double blasphemy because it lifts us up, to pride, and it is disparaging to Him as the only sovereign King.  We do not have divinity, either in birth or acquired in this life; only God has that.  We get to heaven only by His righteousness.  We don't have that, no matter what we call ourselves.

Toxic teaching #3 is:

3. All Roads Lead to Heaven

They say, in this day of worshipping "tolerance," that it is narrow-minded to say that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  John 14:6:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

False teachers "explain" that that narrow doctrine was only for the disciples; the requirement was not for generalization to everybody.  Well, how convenient.  Nowhere is such a restriction on teaching even hinted at.  If you get into that wishy-washy hermeneutics, you can cherry-pick Scriptures that you like, "that's for me," and Scriptures you don't like: "that doesn't apply to me."  Sort of a Thomas Jefferson approach.

No, the Christian faith is dogmatic.  It is uncompromising.  It is non-negotiable.  "No Jesus, no heaven."  Jesus is unique--after all, He alone, among those who were on earth, is God.  Buddha is dead; Muhammad is dead; Bhagavad-Gita is dead.  Only Christ claimed to be God and had a resurrection to prove it.  Any church or pastor (or even Oprah) who preaches this doctrine is a wolf in sheep's clothing.  This doctrine has its roots in universalism.  That belief is that ultimately, everybody will get saved.  So we don't have to go through Jesus.  Some may go through purgatory (not in Scripture), some may go through enough reincarnations, but they all get "cleaned up" eventually.  Bull.  We've only got one chance to make a decision and live it out; once we die, your final choice is locked in.  No changes, no mulligans.  We only get cleaned up by the blood of Jesus.  Gory and old-fashioned, but God didn't make salvation easy on the mind to accept.

4. Prosperity Gospels

This theology says, once you're saved, God wants you to ask for what you want, and He'll deliver.  It's based on Matthew 7:7:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

I don't know how many false beliefs and hurtful theologies are based on one lone Scripture, where people don't bother to compare with other relevant Scripture on the same subject. Let's look at Scripture in context. Consider the wording of I Timothy 6:8-9:

And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition

It's obvious from these verses that we should avoid worldliness, which is the opposite of the prosperity gospel, which encourages it.  As the saying goes, we "can't take it with us." Our desires for things of the world are inversely related to our faith in God as our Provider. John 15:1-6 teaches us that we must have an abiding, ongoing relationship with God to get to heaven.  This is radical theology, seldom taught.  But relationship with Christ wanes when we concentrate on the "rat race' and lusts of the flesh.  The more that we dream of the prosperity gospel, we could be dreaming our way out of heaven and into hell if we immerse ourselves in the world.

Teachers of the prosperity gospel are more concerned about filling their churches than filling heaven. That gospel treats God as a genie in a bottle.  But He is not your servant.  Your relationship with God cannot be based on what God  can do for you.  The prosperity gospel makes people focus on treasures for this world, and not the next. But what does Matthew 6:19-21 say?:

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus does not say so at the time, but the whole point of the Sermon on the Mount is outlining what leads to heaven, and what leads to hell.  People think how sweet these platitudes are.  But they have a hard edge.  The best parable with a hidden hard edge is the Sower.  Here's some of the relevant passage in Matthew 13:

4. And as he sowed, some seed fell...7....among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 

Jesus, in explaining the Sower, says it is about the kingdom of heaven--versus the kingdom of hell.  This is not Just An "Allegory," as some people complacently assume. This is more on how to end up in heaven or hell. Obviously it is vitally important.  So please pay attention to vv.22ff:

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”.

Here is a very important point:  Of the four landing grounds of the seed, only One bears permanent fruit.  The "thorns" failed.

Bearing fruit is necessary to reach heaven. This takes us back to John 15:1-6.  I'd like to focus on vv5-6:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire

What do you suppose the "fire" is, in this "allegory?"  What sends you to hell?  It's that you have not abided in Christ and borne fruit.  Not bearing fruit means you are dead.  Reaching to the other "allegory," does the prosperity gospel provide thorns leading you to unfruitfulness?  You better believe it.  Where is your treasure?  (I have other blogs on this).  We are to love God with all our heart, in the very first of the 10 Commandments.  Too many people think these are 10 suggestions.  They have God wrong; God will pay according to our deeds.  Some deeds are fruitful for God; some are not.  I feel it is necessary to remind you that our deeds are an outgrowth of our real faith.  Let's believe in the Book of James too, which stresses faith with works (alive and heaven-bound). verses "faith" without works (hellbound).  James is not taught properly; it is NOT contradictory to Paul, who teaches Faith.  But when you read Paul, the necessity of fruit from works are there too.  These two men can be taken together.  Maybe it disagrees Luther or Calvin, though (another blog).

I trust that this blog will help you identify these fleshly theologies and stay away from them, under the pain of hell. Read His Word to help you avoid deceptive philosophy.  That's especially important in these latter days.

 

Exact Month of Jesus' Birth Predicted by Stars and Scripture--and What Happened on December 25

 People tend to scoff at the Biblical record of the star of Bethlehem, saying “this star is doing things a star cannot do.” They’re  questioning Matthew 2:9:

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

“How does a star “stand over,”or stop, people say. So they assume this story is a fable. Well, science has a surprising answer to that question. Of course,if we can “prove” it, they would ask “Why do you think you can introduce some new facts now, when we haven’t heard anything convincing in all of history?” Modern science has a reason for that too.

A little background: The author of the CD I’m summarizing is Professor Larson–a lawyer, not a reputed scientist. But he has been a lifelong fan of astronomy—movements of stars and planets and constellations. (Not the same as astrology, which supposedly is predictive, telling you how to run your life–and is thus fakery and abusive). Scripture praises astronomy: it insists the stars tell us things from God. Note Job 9:9:

He (God) made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south.

And note Psalm 19:1-2:

The heavens declare the glory of God…2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

Thus, the stars communicate. God wants us to study the heavens to see what He might announce or tell us. Prof. Larson found Biblical proof that will surprise you (see also his website, bethlehemstar.net)  Now you’ll surely ask, “Why isn’t this data supported by reputable scientists?” Well, why do most of our scientific minds believe in evolution instead of creationism? And what happens to scientists who believe in creationism?  The fact is: To the world, their basic “truths” are anti-God. Hey, If those in power, are rational, why did they kill Jesus?

Final background: Johannes Kepler in 1619 discovered the math behind the movements of the solar system. With hundreds of hours of effort, he could map how the sky appeared on any date, past or future, since all movements of everything in the sky are predictable–forward OR BACKWARD. But the effort required was ponderous for math and science geniuses of his generation. Now we have the advent of computers; so these movements have been incorporated into software programs. How the sky will appear from any location on the planet for any given date can now be found in seconds—in fact, the computer can even animate and show their movements through a period of time. So we are only now able to answer the big question: “Which of them is the star of Bethlehem—if any?” There are, it is estimated, 100 billion galaxies, and 100 billion stars in each—how can you find the Bethlehem star in such a crowd?

Here is the relevant Bible passage, Matthew 2:1-9, from which we will draw necessary characteristics for the Bethlehem star:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

From these verses, the Star of Bethlehem, to be God’s purpose for astronomy, has to fulfill 9 qualifications:

a. The star has to indicate birth (2:2)

b. It has to indicate Kingship ( 2:2)

c. Has to point to Jewish Scripture (2:1)

d. Rising in east (2:2)

e. Appears at an exact time

f. Herod didn’t know when it appeared ( 2:3)

g. Endured over a considerable period of time (2:2, 9)

h. Went ahead of magi as they traveled south to Bethlehem ( 2:9)

i. The star has to Stop! Over Bethlehem ( 2:9).  This is the strange one.

So here is what Larson concluded:  It couldn’t be a meteor, which doesn’t rise in the east, and it isn’t long-lasting. It couldn’t be a comet because comet omens are perceived as foretelling doom–but Jesus’ birth is good news. Also, there were no comets in 3-2 BC (those were the conception/ birthdate, see below). It couldn’t be a nova—a spectacular exploding star–Herod wouldn’t ask “when,” because his scientific advisors (also astronomers, though I suspect not as smart as the magi) would’ve told him—along with their “interpretation.” Also, there were no novas for 3-2BC,the estimated time of Jesus’ birth.

Based on what we just excluded, and from (f) above, the “right star” wasn’t spectacular—but it must have been moderately bright. It so happens, a conjunction of planets, or planet/star, would fulfill that. Larson decided, why not look at Jupiter, the King Planet (as it is so-called—it is the largest in the planet system). If Jupiter is involved, it would help us meet requirement (b) above as well. As it so happens, Jupiter, the King planet, was conjoined to Regulus (the King Star, how “coincidental”) in September of 3 BC. Since a magus had likely seen this 2-3 times before (this conjunction happens every 12 years), that by itself is not a big enough deal to get the Magi excited enough to pack up their camels and travel to see what’s happening. Nor is it a big enough deal for Herod to hear from his scientific advisors (fulfilling (f) above).  But later, as we shall see, that is the date of the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit into Mary.

A scientific note here: planets sometimes reverse (“retrograde”) motion (like passing a car slowly on the freeway, it seems to move backward, so when earth swings past a planet, that planet seems to move backward). It so happens, Jupiter is in retrograde in 3-2BC in a very peculiar path—it passes Regulus, then reverses course, passes again, then reverses course, passes a 3rd time! This would have been exciting by itself, but additionally, if you draw this movement, it forms a halo above Regulus. Thus we have a triple-proof coronation of a king! (King planet, king star, and halo). Item “b” above is definitely solved, and we have a base “star” for further study.

Now, what about Jewishness–(c) above? A little Scriptural background will get us toward the answer: Gen 49:9 says, in summary, (1) out of tribe of Judah would come a King of all kings. (2) Judah is compared to a lion. Well, why not look and see if anything is happening in the constellation Leo the Lion? (By the way, good astronomers in those days knew many faiths’ Scriptures. The magi were not Jewish, but came out of the east.)  

Now let’s talk about Jesus’ birth.  Is it also confirmed by the stars?  Begin with Revelation 12:1-5, a prophecy of Jesus’ birth.  A “great sign appeared in heaven;” a woman “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet,” who was pregnant and due to bear a child “to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” She is threatened by a dragon wanting to kill her child. This has long been interpreted to be about Jesus and the Virgin Mary—and opposed by a dragon–Satan working through Herod at that time. Compare these verses with how the stars told us all about it:  It So Happens that as Jupiter begins to crown Regulus, an interesting event happens in the constellation Leo—and behind Leo is—guess what—the constellation Virgo (Virgin). Virgo is rising, clothed in the sun. The moon at the time (within September, 3 BC, see below) is new, so it was under her (Virgo’s) feet! Note the Scriptures above.  An amazing prophecy come true in many “coincidental” points! You must see the DVD to appreciate this amazing point!

As it turns out, the stars tie together the Conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit and the Birth. How do we know? Because 9 months after the event in the last paragraph, Jupiter is finished crowning Regulus; and has moved to conjoin with Venus, making the brightest conjunction in the world (planetariums love to show this conjunction). This was the only time in those magi’s lifetime for this conjunction. If the magi were thinking about all the activity just noted from September, this bright combo practically screamed out, “Mount Up!  Check this out.”

The bright planet conjunction happened in June, 2 BC.  Thus, Jesus was born in June, 2 BC.Yes, it “should” have been 0 BC/AD. Medieval dating experts were good, but not that good.

And the magi began planning a trip.

The next several months after June 2 BC are speculative, as opposed to the Keplerian rock-hard scientific facts above. Let’s assume the magi were, within a few months, starting their trip. We’re assuming the magi, from the East, were located at Babylon, a home base for the best astronomers of those days (and, unfortunately, some astrologers as well). After a couple more months, they would arrive at Jerusalem asking “where?” They tell Herod the details about September, 3 BC and June, 2 BC, then get sent south to Bethlehem—only 5 miles away, please note that.

It So Happens that in December of 2 BC (thus allowing 6 months from Christ’s birth to their arrival at Jerusalem), Jupiter is in the sky south of them from Jerusalem– thus it continues leading them toward Bethlehem.

This means 8 of 9 requirements above are fulfilled:

a.The first conjunction signified birth by its association with Virgo “birthing” the new moon at her feet (in the tradition of the day, a woman typically gave birth downward).

b.The King Planet’s halo-coronation of the Star of Kings signified kingship.

c.The triple conjunction began with the Jewish New Year and took place within Leo the Lion, showing a connection with the Jewish tribe of Judah (and prophecies of the Jewish Messiah).

d.Jupiter rises in the east.

e.The conjunctions appeared at precise, identifiable times.

f.Herod was unaware of these things; they were astronomical events which had significance only when explained by experts.

g.The planet/star events took place over a span of time sufficient for the Magi to see them both from the East and upon their arrival in Jerusalem.

h.Jupiter was ahead of the Magi as they traveled south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem

But Jupiter somehow stopped, since it stayed over Bethlehem for the time they traveled there. (This is what brings the scoffers out). There is a simple explanation for the scoffers.  As it so happens, when a planet (or star) goes to the end of an arc and begins to retrograde, it has to “stop” briefly. (Picture an elliptical arc, say the outline of the line leading to the end of an egg.  Say the egg is standing up—as you draw the edge of the egg in your mind, from the left, the arc, or egg outline, is moving down. At the right side of the egg, it moves upward. But for a brief period, at the bottom, it isn’t moving up or moving down—so it seems to stop). It So Happens that Jupiter was “at the bottom”—just before retrograde, it “stopped,” or so it appeared—and that day was December 25, BC 2! That must’ve been the date of their arrival to the toddler Jesus, in the house. Thus, Dec. 25th is a Significant date—not for the birth (by which we mistakenly celebrate it), but for the celebration of worship and presenting gifts to Our Lord.

Thank You, God, that your planets, stars, and constellations speak of Your great Immanuel! With perfect prediction. Jews knew the night sky well (they had no light pollution, no real air pollution, they slept on their roofs a lot—knew the constellations).

The Narrow Gate

 Here is another great sermon by Voddie Bauchan.  I will give a Cliff’s Notes rendition.  But I must confess: unlike the past, I have put many of my own thoughts in too. His sermon starts with Matthew 7:13-14, at the end of the precious, and important, Sermon on the Mount:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 Jesus is saying, in effect, “since you have listened to this whole sermon (Sermon on the Mount, Matt. 5-7) you must make a choice about heaven or hell, life or destruction. There are two gate entrances; which will you take?” 

Many of them believed that as long as they are trying to follow the rituals laid forth by Moses, they’re already leading the “narrow-gate” life, they’re good for heaven.  But Jesus, in the Sermon, was trying to correct that assumption. He did that by focusing on the mind as the real cause of sin.  Here is one example:  Matthew 5:27-28

  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

A stricter standard, don’t you agree? Many people, He knew, don’t engage in sinful behavior, but they still think sinful thoughts. They thought it was OK, if you don’t murder, to hate somebody.  Jesus said sinful thoughts are sinful too.

 In case YOU have any false assumptions about gaining eternal life, let’s talk about that eternal life or death choice in Matthew 7:13-14.  You should know, first, all of us start out our lives on the evil, Broad path. Ephesians 2:3 spells this out, too:

…among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others…

It’s our Sin nature that put us there on day 1.  Further, we grow up and tend to choose that wrong way too—even with our reasonable minds. But our minds have been corrupted too.  As Romans 3:10-12 says:

“There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

You may feel this is harsh.  First, this is God’s standard. He is the Judge, in the end, of our eternal destiny, and we have to accept it. It’s like, He lives in perfect white, so our sins and keeping God away are an abomination in His comparison.  We all live in shadows of gray; we don’t even know what white is really like.  So a “good guy” is just a little less gray to God, but He knows white, and none of our lives are anywhere near the standard.  Secondly, God has given us a free choice between two Gates. As we said, we start out automatically on the broad path, through the Wide Gate. But that’s on the way to hell.  So everyone starts out destined for hell. But, to switch to the difficult path, through the Narrow gate, you must enter into it intentionally.  People just don’t get on the right path by inheritance or by growing up in it, as the Jews often believed.  If you ask someone, “Are you a Christian?” some will answer “Of course—I go to church every week.” Well, let’s look at this.  I’m hoping they mean, “I’m a Christian AND I go to church,” or “I go to church every week BECAUSE I’m a Christian.” No, sadly, they are saying that that activity makes them a Christian. It doesn’t. Another bad response is, “I’m a Christian; I was raised in a Christian home.” Or, “I was baptized in infancy, so I’ve been a Christian all my life.” Actually, that last one is the worst response of all: It’s a theological impossibility, because Scripture clearly says it takes a reasoning person to intentionally seek God, which you can’t do as an infant.   If you really believe “I have been all my life,” you are probably not a Christian at all. Because you have not done the intentional move—which has to be entered into by Repentance and by Faith (see other blogs).  What does Jesus say in His first Gospel presentation?  Mark 1:14-15:

 Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

You were not born repentant or believing.  It’s the opposite:  all of us are born into a sin nature. So we start out on the Broad road.  We are all headed for destruction.  Unfortunately, few people intentionally find their way to the narrow gate. We have a self-deception problem; we don’t see where we stand with God.  We should beg God to show us the narrow gate. The London Baptist Confession puts it this way:

  This saving repentance…whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavor, by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things.

The problem with this confession is, it was inked in 1689; few people today feel “self-abhorrent” or feel the necessary repentance, because few people think about how bad their sin is to God. He doesn’t think like we assume.  They think God always forgives, but your life sometimes gets corrupted and you don’t even know.  As Rom. 11:22 points out, you think you’ve gained salvation because you “accepted Christ,” but there’s more to it. 

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off

Another blog explains that is necessary to abide in Christ (see John 15:1-6).  If you want heaven and not hell, you need to seriously examine the word “abide.”  It’s why the gate is narrow.

In some cases, some of the many false evangelists among us  believe that we don’t even have to ask God for forgiveness—or we can do that on our death-bed.  This kind of self-deception will send many to hell.  There is plenty of self-deception going around.  The fact is, from the time we knew right from wrong, we were in desperate need of a Savior.  We knew He is there, we knew what was right, and we deliberately transgressed. 

What is the “formula” for salvation?  Unfortunately there are many who proclaim the “Gospel,” but they make it sound easy. “It’s easy as ABC:  A, Acknowledge; B, Believe; C, Confess.  Just word your prayer of confession after me.”  They may make it sound easy, but Jesus Did Not. Jesus said that entrance into the Kingdom was not easy—the entrance gate is portrayed as Narrow, and it must be searched for.

Here’s what they preach today: “Believe.  Believe God loves you and has made you for a purpose.  Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, Who died on the Cross for you.  Believe that no matter what you’ve done, God wants to forgive you. Second, Receive.  Receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior.  Receive His forgiveness for your sin.  So I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity.  What’s that prayer?  “Jesus, I believe in You and I receive You.”  If you sincerely meant that prayer, Congratulations!  Welcome to the Family of God. (This is the actual Gospel presentation in The Purpose-Driven Life). Notice that you see no repentance, no sin, no wrath of God, no nothing.  Just believe—God loves you. And you’re on your way–so they say.

I can be saved just like that?  No. To God (and He is the Judge, not you), you are a wretched, sinful creature, who, as clearly pointed out in Scripture, deserves to die and go to hell. See Romans 1:32 and 9:22. Unless you repent of your sin. Unless you are aware of the fact that you deserve to be crushed under the weight of the majesty and holiness of God, you don’t “get it,” it’s not deep in your heart. “Believe in Jesus,” they say…well, which Jesus?  Today’s preachers usually don’t define Him—well, you ask, what about the Jesus of the New Age Movement?  Or, what if I know Jesus as “lowly Jesus, meek and mild, who wouldn’t hurt a fly?” Then can I be saved?  Unlikely, since both those ideas have the wrong view of Jesus.  That also means you haven’t truly read your Scripture. He will disappoint the image you made up of Him, and you will leave Jesus and the faith.

“It’s really easy,” the experts say.  Yes, initial salvation is easy: you go through the narrow gate with repentance and belief.  But you then must endure to the end As Matt. 24:13 says:  

.But he who endures to the end shall be saved

So it’s also a journey, a Path, seeking what Christ wants every day, opening up our sin problems to Him; that’s not easy. The difficulty comes because our sinful lusts, still there after we make our emotional confession of belief, lead us to bend toward our own will.  We must appeal to the Holy Spirit for help (Gal. 5:24-25).  People don’t like to humble themselves and ask for help.  They want to keep God far away when they sin. Also, too many people still believe that “My sins aren’t bad.”  Especially if they’re rich; they’re convinced they deserve heaven.  What does “being saved” mean to you?  That you want to keep following your own path, and you just want God to bless it? You want Jesus to be an appendage on your self-centered life, not an eradication of it?  Are you willing to make His will the center of your life?  He deserves to be Lord, since His death saved you from hell. Those things are hard. But…His Spirit is a solid help, if you appeal to Him.  It’s possible to stay on the narrow path, and reach heaven.  Revelation says that millions of people will be there.

Your “old sinful man” (Rom. 6:6) within you doesn’t want to let Christ put him to death; the old nature is willing to lie to you, to tell you, “Hey, don’t go to the narrow gate. On this broad road, there are lots of people who talk Jesus; they go to church, they don’t have that narrow theology.  That ‘narrow’ stuff….that’s negative; you don’t want to be narrow.”  People often tell me, when I preach, “That’s so narrow.”  Yes, that’s the Gospel.  God’s not a politician; He’s not running for God, so He can afford to be narrow. He sets the rules; our wishes about what we want of His personality have no impact.

The Christian life must be lived purposefully—that is, every day to every day, you desire more to be sanctified to His pleasure and glory. Sanctification, or fruits, are essential to keep salvation.  But modern preachers separate justification and sanctification in such a way that they actually believe that you can be saved, yet not have your life affected at all.  On the contrary, the requirement is, there’s not only a gate, there’s a path involved, a lifestyle. Of growing faith-relationship with God. I remember a church, and the whole sermon that day was on tithing.  They never mentioned Christ–then suddenly, at the end, pastor does a quick, manipulative, altar call to invite anyone to accept Christ and be saved.  I almost got whiplash.  People start walking toward the front—why, I asked?  He had said nothing about Christ’s expectations.  There’s been no layout of the Gospel. Nothing about sin, or why Christ died. They’re then led in the sinner’s prayer—a prayer, I remind you, that you will find nowhere in the Bible.  Then they’re told they are saved, sealed in the Lamb’s book of life.  But the truth is, I’ve met a whole lot of people who were led in somebody else’s prayer, and “meant it,” but their life says They Lied. Somebody put the pressure on them; they were uncomfortable, in many cases, and just wanted to agree to get outside and breathe again. The preacher might’ve said “You can die and go to hell, or you can pray this prayer.”  “Will you pray that and mean it?”  You’re uncertain, intimidated, maybe a little scared. You say “Sure! Absolutely.” That’ll do it, right?

Well, you can “mean it” and not know who Jesus is. You will do well to read Scripture and secure His expectations, not the preacher’s—after all, God is the Judge in the end. Have you been brought to a place of conviction and brokenness over your sin? The Bible says, “Test yourselves, to see if you be in the faith.”  Remember, there’s not just an entrance, there’s a path. With intention, get off the broad path, and onto the narrow path. 

There are, in Greek, two different meanings that could apply to our word “narrow.”  One meaning that we haven’t covered is “compressed, pressed in.” It has the meaning of “harassed.”  So we can think of it as “persecuted.”  Jesus is saying, “You can enter a way that is narrow, a life with persecution.”  The opposite gospel of our day says “you need Jesus so your life won’t be hard.”  Well, here’s the truth:  Paul says in II Tim. 3:12: …all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  What can you do?  Following Christ points you out to people that you’re weird. How are you blessed?  By suffering verbal attack, or even physical violence, God will reward you in heaven. You should be striving for that treasure of reward, not treasure on earth.  If we consistently withstand persecution, we feel assurance of salvation. Yours is the kingdom of heaven.  This is important enough that Jesus began and ended His famous sermon on the mount with this theme.  For proof, see the beginning of the Sermon, Matt. 5:44 (And you can add 10:22, too), on the last days:  “…You will be hated by all….the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Not the one who just parrots the “sinner’s prayer” and eventually gets tired of Jesus not making his life what he wants.

The Apostle John says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us.”  Those who left the faith had the wrong expectations.  If they were of us, they would have remained.  Remaining is an evidence of salvation.  Staying on the Path.  Yes, believers can fall into sin—but only for a season.  But if you belong to Him, you will turn your behavior about—the Holy Spirit won’t leave you alone, you can’t stand it.  Think of Revelation 3:19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  This is spoken to believers, remember.  Look at Matthew 24:9-13 for the last days, which we may be getting close to:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 

Can you hack this kind of trouble? You may not feel it, but the Holy Spirit will embolden you.  The last days may be coming soon.  Read verse 13 again.  It’s how you keep salvation.

On to the last step. In this salvation exercise, we have the entrance, the path, and the crowd. Now let’s talk about that. The narrow entrance and the hard path are necessary for salvation.  The crowd problem (different than the parable) is this:  You entered the narrow gate, but you might note, while  walking the path, that BOTH “narrow” and “broad” people are around you. “Wheat” and “tares” are all there.  God knows who the “narrow” people are—those are the real church, those are in His kingdom. Broad people are living off their fleshly lusts—tempting though it is, we stay away from that world. We tend to find our way to other “narrow” folk, so we provide mutual strength and encouragement to one another. If church on Sunday were made up of all that folk, it would make life easier. But that’s not the way it is either.  One way we know who is who (assuming we’re a light and not hidden), is that those walking on the broad way despise us.  We give them conviction of their sins.  Just by our lives, we don’t have to broadcast it.  They don’t like the light when they live in darkness. They accuse us, “You’re so narrow-minded.” “Why, thank you very much,” we might respond slyly, “I’m really working on that.”  (But don’t forget this: The Gate is Narrow, but we don’t have to make it more narrow than it already is. It’s way too easy to fall into pride with this thinking. We don’t want to become the Pharisees). 

Most of the people on the Broad way believe that they are on the right road.  They believe the lie that says, “All roads lead to God; you just need to find the one that works for you.”  It says there are many roads, when in fact, there are only two:  There’s Christ and His kingdom—and there’s everybody else.  Most are on the Broad way because most people believe that Man is essentially good.  Where did they hear that?  Not from Scripture. 

Most people record every good deed in their head, and forget the bad.  That’s the way we are.  They will lie and cheat, which is active rebellion against God (“no fear of God before their eyes”), but they still think they are “good enough for God.” It’s hard to break from a whole life of ignoring God and from sin.  That’s why it’s hard to find the narrow gate. But there are still evangelists who make it harder.  They lie and tell us, all we have to do is just say a few programmed words, as long as you’re sincere—and you’re sealed in the Lamb’s book of Life! But for many who don’t work on sanctification, but think they’re still saved, they end up just sealed in their unbelief! To think about confession would expose them as hypocritical. Remember:  You can just say words, only words, and die and be separated from God. And don’t think of trying to match good deeds with bad deeds.  God’s not on a scale system.

Part of that Broad path crowd is a group of people who go to church on a regular basis, and know how to use very familiar Biblical language.  Crafty folk. The skin of truth surrounding the meat of a lie. Many of the innocents are unaware they’re on the Broad road—because somebody guaranteed them salvation.  If they see a glimpse of that hard, narrow path, they say, “Hey, they’re on a different path than us.”  The crafty one will say, “No, that’s just a different KIND of Christian path. They’re just extra committed.”  Or, they’ll say, “they’re over-committed.” Could we be wrong, with hundreds of people coming in to our church, getting saved every week? God is blessing our work!” So, it seems….

Finally, the Christian life must be completed faithfully: “Those who endure to the end are saved.”  A warning, though: if you endure, you still don’t get to share credit with Jesus for your salvation.  You never “earn,” or “joint-earn” heaven. Read Phil. 1:6:  I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.  He is the One who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13). He is our Lord, so we respond in obedience—if we are truly saved. All our greatest and correct thoughts on doctrine come from God and His Word.  Study it!

May God help us to “test ourselves,” to see if we are truly in the faith.  Do we have the necessary fruits?  John 15:5-6 has a warning: he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned..

Have a faithful relationship with Christ, and His Word, and you’ll abide. The result—heaven!