"I'm sick of my sin"

Let’s talk about this thing called total depravity. The sin of mankind is clearly evident in all that we see before us. But how far does this go? There is a lot of good being done in this world, so how do we reconcile the idea of “total” depravity with the incontrovertible fact that good is happening on a daily basis worldwide?
This idea is especially relevant in a discussion on personal freedom. Are we free to choose the path of our lives? Is freedom just an illusion/delusion on our part? Some believe this, both in the scientific naturalist position and in the Christian determinist position. Are we just prisoners to our genetic make-up, driven only by chemistry and biology, every choice having been predetermined by the whims of our parents and their parents before them? Are we pawns on the chess board of God, being moved from square to square by a sovereign hand from on high, without any say as to where we are moved?
The following points are not meant to be a thoroughly exhaustive theological discussion, only “food for thought” on the subject. Two things are sure: man has freedom of choice, and God is sovereign and not surprised by anything we do.
Essentially total depravity is the impossibility of man to save himself by good works because man is incapable of choosing good in his own power. That’s the way I define it.

• All men are born in sin and are sinners by nature
• All persons are born lost and in need of salvation
• Good works cannot save
• People cannot choose good without the power of God working with and in that person
• No person has ever accepted Christ as His Savior without the call of God (the Holy Spirit)
• The Holy Spirit calls all men to be saved
• When a person “accepts” Christ as His Savior, that person is choosing Christ and God’s plan of salvation by faith and repentance, and receives forgiveness of sin by God
• Choosing Christ is not a good work; the work is done by God; all a person does is surrender to God’s plan of salvation by their individual/personal faith and repentance
• It is good to choose Christ/God’s plan of salvation, but not a good work
• Therefore all humankind can choose to do good by accepting Christ as their Savior
• Total depravity does not mean that mankind cannot choose to do some good things, only that mankind cannot save itself without the work of God
• All people on the earth do occasional good; American citizens vote for candidates and issues that are in agreement with the Scripture and are “good” from time to time (actually this form of “good” has been done quite frequently in American history). This is why we seek to persuade our fellow man to choose Christ first, but also to make wise choices as citizens in who and/or what they vote for when each election comes along; this is a good thing (but no substitute for choosing to trust Christ as Savior)
• Indeed, as evangelical Christians we are working very hard to convince lost people to choose to do good in our communities, states and nations by being charitable and moral; we are constantly asking lost people to “do the right thing” and “choose life;” as well we ought to
• Therefore we do believe that lost people can do some good and make good choices, therefore total depravity does not mean (to most of us) that mankind can do no good at all at anytime; in other words, total depravity is not absolute, or the world would have ceased to exist a long time ago because of their total evil. The world is not totally evil; it is totally fallen and needs a Savior
• The ability of a lost person to choose to do occasional good does not save them; only faith in Christ and repentance of sin saves the individual person
• There is no such thing as universal salvation; salvation is an individual choice
• One of the great conversation blockers among Christians is their ability to talk past each other without understanding the meaning of the terms they are using. Christians have been notorious for using common theological phrases and words but then pouring different meanings into those words, thus two believers can be using the same words but meaning different things and therefore they don’t understand each other; they may as well be speaking in tongues (without an interpreter) when they do this
• For those who believe that people do not have freedom of choice to choose good, and never choose good, I submit that this is theoretical only and that no one lives this way. No matter how strong the person believes in the sovereign grace of God and that mankind has no freewill at all, no one truly lives this way. We all choose what we do first thing in the morning, where we’re going out to eat after church, where we take our car to be serviced, where we invest our 401k’s, etc. etc. Life is full of choices, both moral and non-moral, and no matter how many arguments one makes about there being no freedom of choice, the reality is that we are all choosing every day and therefore we can choose to accept Christ as our Savior or not
• Freedom of choice is the moral reality of all mankind, lost and saved, and therefore even a lost person can choose to do good. Now, “why” a lost person chooses to do good can be for a variety of reasons, either selfish or altruistic, but the fact that good was chosen, we are in agreement that it is a good thing
• It is far better to choose to do something good even if it is for selfish reasons; the individual person may not get a reward for it, but the people in his life are the better for it
• Of course, what we want is for people to choose to do good because they have a change in nature and are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit that indwells them in their new nature in Christ; one can make the argument that the only “true” good that exists is good that comes from the regenerate believer in the power of the Holy Spirit within. I believe that; but at the least we are still asking lost people to choose to do good in their lives and therefore this must be taken into account in our understanding of “total depravity.”

From the Garden to the Grave

We are concluding our study of the gospel of Matthew, now in the 26th chapter. In Jesus’ path from the Garden to the grave, the trials of Jesus lead to a few observations:

Disavowing of responsibility a legalistic trait

Judas realized the consequences of his actions at some point of time in the night (not being present at the Sanhedrin trials as he was paid to do). The conspirators that paid Judas flippantly responded that he did what he did and he was not their problem. They disavowed any responsibility, typical of mindless, detached bureaucrats, who actually wreak havoc by their obsession with protecting their precious territory. They were the truly guilty ones and yet declared themselves to be absolved of responsibility; in other words, typical legalists.
Judas’ return of the money created a problem for the leaders; even though they had no conscience in putting Jesus to death, they could not be seen using “blood money” for the temple’s purpose. Legalists can “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel;” that is, take great pains to uphold some minor moral point while committing major immorality, such as “thou shalt not murder.”

Political astuteness of the conspirators

Behind the scenes Pilate felt that Jesus had been brought to him out of “envy.” Jesus had gained a large following and the leaders were indeed jealous, pure and simple.
Pilate’s idea of attempting to release Jesus through the annual prisoner release had been anticipated by the religious leaders. They had planted in the crowd a sufficient number of people to guarantee that Jesus would be the one put to death, not Barabbas (vs. 20). Is anyone else surprised by the fact that they were so astute as to outmaneuver a Roman governor? Pilate did not get where he got by being a political novice, so how could he have let them back him into a corner?

Mob Rule

Pilate then asked the crowd what he should do “with Jesus who is called Christ?” Matthew records that they “all” said, “Let Him be crucified.” Hundreds, perhaps thousands, called out with one voice over and over again, “crucify Him.” The heart of darkness of mankind is revealed in one moment of history and in one word; the disjointed voices of evil that had opposed God through the ages were finally unified. Anyone in the crowd that supported Jesus could not be heard. When Pilate asked the crowd why Jesus should have been crucified when He had done nothing equal to the punishment they were demanding, the crowd just got louder.

Large numbers of people demonstrating in unity does not necessarily mean the right thing is being done: “mob rule” is often used as a way of manipulating those in authority. Sometimes strong leaders are needed to stand up to the wishes of the mob; obviously Pilate was not a strong leader. The ability to manipulate a crowd is as old as the crucifixion of Jesus; large demonstrations do not necessarily indicate the right thing is being done.

On “Sheep and Goats”

This week’s worship sermon is on the final section of Matthew 25: the judgment of the “sheep and goats” at the end of the Tribulation Period.

Summary of sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew:

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of perverting the meaning of the Law and that He had come to correct their errors by teaching the Law as God intended it to be
He would fulfill the entirety of the Law’s requirements and set the nation free to know God individually
Humility was the supreme attitude that all needed in order to correct their errors and set the nation back on the course God had chosen them to follow
Jesus offered His Kingdom and taught in parables what principles of His kingdom were the most important, principles that were the opposite of what the religious leaders had been teaching them for 400 years

Summary Matthew 24-25

The disciples ask Jesus about His comments on the destruction of the Temple: what will be the sign of Your coming, and when will the end of the world happen? He told them in Matthew 24-25 what the signs were, and as far as the timing of His return He told them you’re not going to be told.
Chapter 25 contains three parables/lessons on being ready:
Parable of the bridesmaids/lamps (v. 1-13), be ready at a moment’s notice
Parable of the talents (v. 14-30), in His time should not be wasted but growth and progress returned

The Separation of the Lost and Saved at the End of the Tribulation Period

Now in v. 31-46, He tells them that when He returns there will be a separation of the “sheep and goats.” The “sheep” were those who treated “the least of these My brethren” with compassion and assistance; the “goats” were those who did not offer His brethren help and assistance in their hour of need.
“If you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to Me” - The ones He described as His brethren were the ones who became believers in the Tribulation Period and were being persecuted and hunted by the Antichrist, having to go into hiding and being forbidden by the Antichrist to buy food (if anyone in the Tribulation will be able afford food).
The only way for the Tribulation Period believers to survive will be from the kindness of others. Jesus told the “sheep” that when they offered assistance to these it was the same as offering it to Him personally. Jesus will judge those who do not assist with eternal damnation as an indication of their lost condition.
When the “goats” asked Jesus when they had the opportunity to offer assistance directly to Jesus (implying that if they had known it was Jesus they would have offered it) He told them that in not helping the Tribulation Period believers they were not offering help to Him.
There is a popular belief today on this passage that “the least of these” are all the poor, destitute, oppressed and homeless of this world, and that we are to help them because we see Jesus in them. When you see a poor person, you are not seeing Jesus; you’re seeing a poor person. There are many other passages that tell us to be charitable to those in need: to our fellow Christians, to our enemies, and even to strangers. We do not need to misinterpret this passage in order to induce guilt on the part of prosperous American Christians so that promoters of social-gospel ministries can be well-funded. We know that guilt is profitable, so the temptation to twist this passage is too much for them to resist, it appears.
We are all to do our part to help those in need with love and generosity; but also with careful, reasoned stewardship. We do not hoard the Lord’s resources that we have been given to manage, nor do we waste them. Help the poor, but use your head.

How cold can it get?

This global warming is killing me! It’s cold in Colorado Springs; we’re going through temperatures that have not been above 0 in the past 2 days. This cold spell started the evening of January 31 and continues today. I think we are above zero now and may even be above freezing tomorrow. It has been good to be able to ride out the cold spell at home without having to drag myself out to work every day.

Speaking of dragging myself to work, I worked for a large insurance company as a customer service representative for 21 years, recently retiring right after my 55th birthday (August 29); my last day was September 3rd, 2010. Since then I have devoted more time to the church as well as making up for some traveling that had been put off for many years because of the scheduling requirements of the job. For many years the job was steadily 40 hours a week, but in the past few years the job was 50-60 hours a week by necessity, so the church had essentially become a very part-time thing for me. I would throw together the Sunday studies and services on evenings and Saturdays as able. The church was very patient and understanding through that time. The pitfalls and perils of the bi-vocational pastor will be discussed more in future blogs, as the spiritual challenges faced by the “bi-vo” pastor are special and merit exploration.

Since I have retired I have had more time to dedicate to my pastoral duties, so I want to make the most of this time to get some things done on our building and catch up on my Bible studies. I am working on reediting my notes from the book of Daniel (presented in 2007 I think), and working on a new study guide for the last half of Exodus, the book of Leviticus and the book of Numbers. I have not taught on those books and want to be ready if there is the opportunity to teach on those little-studied books in the future.

I have been suffering through the ravages of a cold the past 3 weeks; the past two Sunday sermons I have labeled “Laryngitic Lessons.” We are currently studying Matthew 24-25 in church as part of our expository study on the book of Matthew which began in February of 2010. The Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24-25 gives the opportunity to present the events of the Tribulation Period prior to the Lord’s Second Advent. Of special mention by the Lord in this address was the need for all of us to be ready for His return. To study prophecy for the purpose of determining the timing of His coming is futile; to study prophecy in order to more intimately know the Lord is imperative. When we accepted Christ as our personal Savior we received eternal life. Since eternity involves the future, to have information regarding the future is related to our relationship with Him. The events that close this world and “life as we know it” are a part of knowing Him personally and therefore an important part of our Christian life. If the study of prophecy does not make us more holy in our daily Christian life, then we are not studying it properly. We study prophecy for today, not just to know the future.
Pastor Greg Chandler

FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH - February 2010

FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH - February 2010

February Celebrations: Eddie Olsen, 6th, Richard and Joann Motzkus, 11th, Ben Campeau, 13th, Joy Sunderland, 14th, Vicky Burschia, 16th, Michael Eells, 17th, Melody Tucker, 28th

Church News
Please be in prayer for Brother Marshall Craig and Brother Mike Rogers; Bro Craig is in assisted living; the most recent letter from Sister Craig is on the bulletin board in the library
For Mike, he is undergoing chemotherapy; you can help Mike by visiting the transplants.org website to make a donation to the National Foundation for Transplants in Mike’s honor. The letter is posted in the library for the web address and procedures.
We heard from Mike and he is doing well. He is home and renewing his activities.
We thank Richard for the new outside light over the sign; he donated and installed it
We can get a real good deal on new blinds for the main windows in the auditorium. They would match the blinds on the interior windows.

Prayer Requests for 2010

• Shawna’s mother, illness getting worse
• Ruth’s dad, Parkinson’s
• Darrel and Carolyn’s grandson Josh and family
• Lynn, Medical Tests
• Lynn’s daughter Christie father in law, illness
• Lynn’s brother Wayne, illness
• Lynn, health issues
• Lynn’s friend Pat, job
• Joy, recuperation from surgery
• Joy’s Shawna, traveling to mother in hospice
• Joy’s Matthew, job; had interview
• David Jenkins’ brother Rich, cancer treatment
• David Jenkins, surgery recuperation
• Mike Rogers, recuperation at home
• Missionary Marshall Craig, hospitalized/assisted living
• Bertie’s sister-in-law, cancer treatment
• Jenny Peterson, friend of Carolyn, healing
• Unspoken for Lynn’s grandson
• Martha’s cousin, passing
• Jeff’s family, Flying W employee, loss of parents
• Mike Zwerlin, friend of Lisa, recent passing from illness
• Christa’s aunt, fire/property damage
• Carlton’s niece Patricia, cancer
• Chris, co-worker of Shannon
• Heidi, friend of Campeau’s, her friends
• Bob Mahan, recovery from pneumonia
• Nate & Annka, Matt's Friends, expecting

February 7, 2010's Sermon

From Malachi to the Messiah: The Time Between the Testaments

• There was 400 years from the final events of the Old Testament from Nehemiah 13:4-30 and the final prophecy of Malachi in appx 424BC
• The next event in Scripture is Luke 1:5-25, the census declared by Caesar Augustus
• Nebuchadnezzar’s vision – Babylon to Persia, Persia to Greece, Greece to Rome, from Rome to the Antichrist and the return of the Lord Daniel 2, 7 and 8
• Antiochus Epiphanes’ desecration of the temple and the rededication of the temple
• The completion of the Old Testament by the scribes and experts of the Law from the post-exilic period and the translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek
• The rise of “myopic legalism” as a reaction to the secularization of Hellenism
• The fall of the priesthood into political rule and corruption

February 14, 2010's Sermon

From Malachi to the Messiah: The Time Between the Testaments

• The Spiritual Condition of the people – “myopic legalism”
• The Rise of the Synagogue and the Oral Traditions
• The Old Testament and the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT)
• The Romans and the Herods
• The Birth of Jesus-the beginning of the Gospel

Our Dear Friend - Mike Rogers

National Foundation For Transplants
Raising Hope, Changing Lives

Winter 2009

Dear friend,


Mike Rogers is fighting lymphoma. In 2007, he felt a lump under his right arm. After the initial biopsy, his doctor was very confident the lump was not cancerous. Surprisingly, just days later, Mike received the news that he was suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s Follicular Lymphoma. In 2008, he began his first round of chemotherapy. Although his health began to improve dramatically, a few stubborn spots remained, and a second round of treatment began in 2009. Doctors told Mike a stem cell transplant was critical to his survival. Thankfully, in December, he received an autologous stem cell transplant at the University of California in San Diego, meaning his own stem cells were harvested, treated, and then returned to his body.

Mike was raised in South America, where he and his family were missionaries. Throughout his life as a missionary kid and pastor, he lived in Brazil, Paraguay and multiple states throughout the U.S. Despite his health challenges, Mike relies on God and the unwavering encouragement of friends and family members throughout the world. Mike is grateful for his valuable support system, including his 2-year-old granddaughter who prays, “Help Papa because he doesn’t feel good.” His wife, children, grandchildren and friends want nothing more than to spend many more years with Mike. They would appreciate your help.

Mike’s treatment is very expensive.

A stem cell transplant costs approximately $300,000, and that’s only the beginning. Even with health coverage, Mike faces significant medical expenses. He will need expensive follow-up care and medication to ensure his body accepts the newly treated stem cells.

When he was originally diagnosed, Mike and his wife, Deborah, lived in Wyoming. When they moved to California to begin working jobs that provided a more flexible schedule for Mike’s doctors’ appointments and evaluations, he had to change insurance companies. His new insurance is very selective about what it will cover, and Mike’s out-of-pocket expenses are very costly. The National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) is working with volunteers and supporters to help relieve the growing burden of expenses for Mike and his family. NFT has been assisting transplant patients with advocacy and fundraising support for 26 years. Your gift of any size will enable NFT to provide Mike with the financial support he needs.

You can help by visiting www.transplants.org/donate/mikerogers to make a donation to the National Foundation for Transplants in Mike’s honor.

If you have any questions about NFT, feel free to contact the NFT staff at 800-489-3863.

Many Thanks.

FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH - January 2010

FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH - January 2010

January Celebrations
Richard Motzkus, 4th; Calieb Griffith, 4th; Doris Tucker, 7th; Ed Griffith, 8th; Carlton and Emma Smith, 11th; Maria Campeau. 13th; Britanie Olsen, 14th; Carolyn Griffith, 21st

Church News
Please be in prayer for Brother Marshall Craig and Brother Mike Rogers who are in the hospital at this time.

Prayer Requests for 2010

• Shawna’s mother, illness getting worse
• Ruth’s dad, Parkinson’s
• Darrel and Carolyn’s grandson Josh and family
• Lynn’s daughter Christie father in law, illness
• Lynn’s brother Wayne, illnessLynn, tests
• David Jenkins’ brother Rich, cancer treatment
• David Jenkins, surgery recuperation
• Martha, tests
• Jim Weisie (Jackie’s brother), back surgery
• Mike Rogers, continued chemo, in the hospital
• Missionary Marshall Craig, hospitalized
• Bertie’s sister-in-law, cancer treatment
• Jenny Peterson, friend of Carolyn, healing
• Traveling safety this holiday season
• Unspoken for Lynn’s grandson
• Martha’s cousin, passing
• Jeff’s family, Flying W employee, loss of parents

January 3, 2010's Sermon

New Studies: The Book of Malachi and the time between the Testaments

• The time of Malachi’s prophecy dates to the time of Nehemiah and after the close of Nehemiah’s work
• Nehemiah returned to Judah to rebuild the wall in 445BC, went back to Persia in 433BC and then returned to Israel in 424BC to deal with the sins described in the book of Malachi
• The time period of Malachi is during the time of Nehemiah upon his 2nd trip back to Judah in 424BC
• Malachi would have been close to 100 years after Zechariah’s prophecy

January 10, 2010's Sermon

New Study: The Book of Malachi
The Second Oracle: Their Failure to Honor God 1:6-2:9
The first oracle ended with a proclamation that the glory of the Lord will be magnified from beyond Israel’s borders. The entire world will one day see the kingdom blessings on the nation of Israel. The Lord will be glorified in Israel and from Israel His glory will go forth to the entire world.

January 17, 2010's Sermon

The Book of Malachi
Malachi 2:10-3:6/The Third Oracle: Who’s Gonna Clean Up This Mess?

• The priesthood was corrupt and was corrupting the people
• The sins of the people were itemized in verses 2:10-16: How would God clean up this mess?
• He would send His messenger as a forerunner of the Messiah who would come and clean the people as fire and soap, to purify His house so that the worship of Him could be pure once again

January 24, 2010's Sermon

The Book of Malachi
Malachi 3:1-12
His Word is Sure: In Blessing and In Judgment/3:1-12
Will the judgment of God on His people bring about their demise? Will they be consumed by the “refiner’s fire?” No, for the sons of Jacob will not be destroyed (3:6). God’s people will be delivered in the day of the Lord. And for those that decry the spiritual condition of today’s world and ask, “Where is the God of judgment,” hold on: He’s coming. Return to Him, and He will return to you.

January 31, 2010's Sermon

The Book of Malachi - next sermon, “The Time Between the Testaments.”
A Reverential Return to the Lord
Malachi 3:13-4:6

In this final section of the book of Malachi, the Lord utters His final warning against those that denied their slide into sin and who questioned God's covenant promises. The Lord sought to correct their flagrant sin as well as their slow turn to short-sighted legalism in the time between the testaments. This slide will be challenged by God in the sending of John the Baptist and the Messiah. Ultimately the original Elijah will need to return and the judgment of God will come to all but the faithful remnant of His people. Let us be among the faithful.