Eve and Choice

"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of very tree of the garden?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (Gen 2:8 -9, 3:1-6).

Notice, after God planted the garden He made every tree to grow for beauty and food. The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil was also there.

Now comes Satan asking Eve, "Has God really said you cannot eat of the tree of good and evil."

Of Course, Eve said, "Or, we will die."

"You won’t die," advised Satan. "You will become wise, and you will be like God. Your eyes will be opened."

Noticing the tree was pleasant to the eye and would make one wise she (Eve) took and ate the fruit.


Now here are some obvious question?

1. Why did Eve consider anything Satan said? She knew God; she knew God’s command.

2. How could Eve have sinned before she became a sinner, i.e. was she born a sinner?

3. What nature did Eve possess i.e. a sinful nature or a righteous nature?

Now, I do not have the answers to these questions. I do know this however. People by the millions think they can make a decision for God any time they want. This thinking is very inconsistent given the record Eve piled up with Satan. Remember, Eve lost a son to murder, she perpetrated sin via. her husband who also violated God’s law. Does anyone really think they have the moral capacity to choose God, even Eve failed, Eve who was not born in sin.

No man makes a decision for God any more than Adam and Eve did. It even gets worse after Adam and Eve. We are born in sin, we are sinners at birth.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Rom. 3:23).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"
(Heb. 11:6).

God does rescue us from the snare of the cunning one, Satan. Yes, He does by His grace alone.

He saves us by His Grace : "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:4-5, 8).

He saves for His Glory alone: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1Pet. 4:11).

Ken
Clouse

September Reformation Society Meeting

Saturday, September 13 is the date for our next Reformation Society meeting. The meeting will be held at Twining Baptist Church in Twining, Michigan at 10am.

Our guest speaker for this meeting will be Pastor Hal Polk of Calvary Presbyterian Church, Flint, Michigan.

Please, make plans to attend. Pastors, feel free to invite your deacons, elders, other church leaders, and interested lay persons.

Twining Baptist Church

410 W Main St

Twining, MI

(989)867-4451

Pastor Jeremy Lee

"God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:4-9 NKJV).

A Plea for Faithful Ministers

“The Nazis said there's a problem with the Jewish body, so let's find a solution. And, these groups are saying there's a problem with the Jewish soul. We have another solution. It's called conversion. You have to be like us or we can't love you. If you're not like us, you're going to go to the eternal barbecue. This is a nefarious, insipid message, which has led to inquisitions, auto-da-fe, pogroms, expulsions, and ultimately the Holocaust.”

What is this is this nefarious, insipid message that this person is condemning? Is it condemning the beliefs of jihadist Muslims? NO! Is it Neo-Nazis? NO! Is it the hate-filled speeches of Ku Klux Klansmen? NO! This is the response of a rabbi to the SBC’s emphasis on evangelizing Jews. He also said, “Racist beliefs lead to racist action, and Christian anti-Judaism leads to racial anti-Semitism. Every historian knows that to be true, and that's why these beliefs are dangerous. Who would have thought that in a new millennium ...we would once again see the prevalence of spiritual dictatorship and totalitarianism?” This rabbi equates Christian evangelism with the atrocities of the Holocaust, and his perception is that we are despots presiding over a new spiritual totalitarian regime.

We should not be surprised, after all, our former Vice-President, Al Gore, delivered a speech in which he called Christians “the extra chromosome right wing.” For years, the mass media has portrayed Christians as red-in-the-face, ignorant, Bible thumpers. Obviously, our culture is a hostile environment in which to minister.

In 2 Timothy, Paul seeks to encourage Timothy to be faithful in his ministry even in troubling times. Paul discloses that many have fallen away from the truth already (vs. 1:15, 2:17, & 4:14, 15). He cautions that more difficult days and evil men are coming, and he predicts a day when pupils will find teachers who “tickle their ears.”

Timothy ministered in culture hostile toward his beliefs. How can we be faithful in a culture whose highest virtues are tolerance and inclusivism when we preach absolutes? How can we be faithful in a culture that reveres secularism and despises Christianity, which teaches that faith must influence every area of life or its not real faith? In 2 Timothy 1:8-14, Paul gives us three keys for a faithful ministry.

The first key is that we must embrace the gospel - "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Tim. 1:8 NKJV).

To be ashamed of the gospel means to be apprehensive over one with whom you are associated with.

At one church that I attended my wife had some concerns about the nursery. She addressed these concerns to the pastor, and I went with her to talk with him. While physically I was there to support her, I shied away when the pastor did not agree and let Shelley go on her own. I held back and did not want to be associated with her complaints. I was ashamed. I did not embrace her ideas or goals.

As pastors and leaders, we can never act this way towards the gospel. We should embrace it whole-heartily no matter the cost. This is true whether the cost is popularity, comfort, or the loss of one's position. After all, Paul endured prison for the sake of the gospel and the salvation of God's elect.


Pastor Jeremy Lee
Twining Baptist Church


PS - Other keys will be presented in the future.

Reformation Society Prayer Meeting

Join us for this time of fellowship, worship, seeking the Lord for reformation and revival.

August 9, 2008 Saturday 10:00 AM

Curtisville Baptist Church

3165 Curtisville Road

South Branch, Michigan48761

Pastor John BarnerHost pastor

Ph. 989-64-8339

Email J_Barner2000@yahoo.com

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:6)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Eph. 3:20)

Prayer

Prayer

Prayer is Commanded:

      Phil. 4:6 ¶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Prayer is to be offered:

To God,  Psa. 5:2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,

My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 

To Christ, Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Through Christ,  Heb. 10:19 ¶ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

God hears,  Psa. 65:2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all flesh will come.

God Answers,  Is. 58:9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;You shall cry, and He will say, “Here I am.’
‘If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

Prayer is described as:

Bowing the Knees, Eph. 3:14 ¶ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Looking up, Psa. 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

Lifting up the soul, Psa. 25:1 ¶ To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

Lifting up the heart, Lam. 3:41 Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.

Pouring out the heart, Psa. 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Pouring out the soul, 1Sam. 1:15 ¶ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Calling upon the name of the Lord, Gen. 12:8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Crying to God, Psa. 34:6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

Drawing near to God, Psa. 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.

Crying to heaven, 2Chr. 32:20  Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven.
Should be offered up:

In the Holy Spirit, Eph. 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

In Faith, James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

In full Assurance, Heb. 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water

In a forgiving spirit, Matt. 6:12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

With the whole heart, Jer. 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

With humility, 2Chr. 33:12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

With truth, Psa. 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

With desire to be heard, Neh. 1:6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

With a desire to be answered, Psa. 102:2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
Night and day, 1Tim. 5:5 Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.

Without ceasing, 1Th. 5:17 pray without ceasing,

Everywhere, 1Tim. 2:8 ¶ I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;

In everything, Phil. 4:6 ¶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Accompanied With:

Repentance, 1Kings 8:33 ¶ “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple,

Confession, Neh. 1:4,7 ¶ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Neh. 1:7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

Weeping, Hos. 12:4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in Bethel,
And there He spoke to us—

Self-abasement, Gen. 18:27 ¶ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord:

Fasting, Acts 13:3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Watchfulness, Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Praise, Psa. 66:17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.

Thanksgiving, Col. 4:2 ¶ Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Prayers are granted:

Through the Grace of God, Is. 30:19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears He will answer you.

Sometimes immediately, Dan. 10:12 ¶ Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.

Sometimes after delay, Luke 18:7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?

Sometimes differently from our desires, 2Cor. 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
2Cor. 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Beyond expectation, Eph. 3:20 ¶ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

And to present you faultless

Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 

Jude 1:25 To God our Savior,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen. 

Ken Clouse, 

NE Mi. Ref. Soc. Lay Member