WWJT? (What Would Jesus Think?)

'Hipster Pastor' Launches Late-Night Comedy Show 'Mocking Sin', Making Christian Entertainment 'Not S*ck' - christiannews.net

Excerpt from this article:

"The weekly broadcast uses satire and strong language to make a 'mockery of sin' in an effort, they say, to rival secular entertainment and engage the culture with the gospel."
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The Bible says:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord..." - 2 Corinthians 5:10,11

Here are 2 sermons on this solomn (not funny!) passage of scripture:

Serious Preaching in a Comedy Culture, by Dr. David P. Murray
The Terror of the Lord, by James Hamilton, The Street Preacher

 

So, How Do You Benefit from a Funeral?

To find out, please listen to this great sermon by Dr. David P. Murray:

How to Benefit from a Funeral

3 Sermons for Those Not Able to Make it to Church Today*

Today is Sunday. The Lord's Day. The Christian Sabbath. I hope you are able to make it to God's house to meet with his people and hear his word preached. But if not I would like to recommend 3 sermons:

Dangerous Views of Romans 7, pastor Joey Faust
Not a Jezebel State Church, pastor Joey Faust
When Government Tries to Be God, Dr. David P. Murray

Recommended reading:

The Roman Road to Salvation


*If you click on the link The Christian Sabbath you can get a fourth "bonus sermon" for free!

Are You Afraid of Jesus? Maybe You Have Christophobia!

To find out, please take some time right now to listen to Dr. David P. Murray's great sermon:

Christophobia

Six Marks of a Healthy Church

Why don't you take an hour and listen to Dr. David P. Murray's sermon:

Six Marks of a Healthy Church

A much more controversial, but no less needed, sermon of the state of a healthy church is:

Why Persecution is coming to the church in America, by Pastor Kevin Swanson

Billy Graham, Pope Francis, and The Doctrine of Total Depravity

Yesterday Pope Francis said that Atheist can be good (see Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Go To Heaven: Sweet Jesus! The College of Cardinals Done Elected a Hippie!) On May 18th, I did a short post titled: "Puff Graham Murray". My goal in that post was to set the gospel and teaching of Billy Graham along side that of Dr. David P. Murray, specifically in Dr. Murray's sermon: When Government Tries to Be God.

As Dr. R. C. Sproul says in Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification, there is only one true gospel. It is my belief that the gospel preached by Dr. Murray is the same gospel that was preached by our Lord Jesus and his Apostles 2000 years ago.   To give you a little insight in where people like Billy (and Franklin) Graham and Pope Francis get their gospels from, please take the time to listen to this very informative message by Rev. Paul Den Butter:

Total Depravity

Recommended listening:

When Government Tries to Be God, by Dr. David P. Murray

Vice President Gives 'Commandment' to "Pastors, Rabbis & Nuns"

Biden Wants Pastors, Ribbis and Nuns to Tell their Flock: Enacting Gun Control Laws is the Moral Thing to Do - The Blaze

"Biden met for two-and-a-half hours Monday with more than a dozen leaders from various faith communities – Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh, to name a few. Both Biden and the faith leaders encouraged each other not to give up on what has been an arduous and thus far fruitless effort by Biden and President Barack Obama to pass new gun laws in the wake of December’s schoolhouse shooting in Connecticut."

Pastors, Rabbis and Nuns would do well to disregard Biden's 'Advice,' and rather listen to Dr. David Murray Preach on Acts 4:19 & 20: "But Peter and John answered them and said, 'Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you, judge ye. For we cannot but speak that which we have seen and heard."

When Government Tries to Be God, by Dr. David Murray

Is it Time for Philadelphia to Change its Name?

Philadelphia - the 'City of Brotherly Love' - has been in the news a lot recently. With the mass murderer trial of Kermit Gosnel finally making the news (after the liberal press desperately tried to cover it up!), the residents of Philadelphia may want to choose a different name for their city.

 Here is another news-bite from Philadelphia:

Elderly Food Vendor Stabbed to Death in Southern Philadelphia - CBS Philly

Of course, what is going on in Philadelphia is no different than what is going on in the rest of America, or the world, for that matter. Our Lord Jesus said:

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure to the end shall be saved." - Matthew 24:12,13

Recommended listening:

A Silenced World, by Dr, David Murray

Heaven Has a Floor - And Hell Has A Clock!

I believe that 'time' is a concept that is limited to this present world. Once we die, time as we have known it will cease to exist. That doesn't mean that we will cease to exist. As the last Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones once said, "The life has got to end and your soul will go on. What therefore will happen to you?"

But the idea of time, as something that can be measured by seconds, minutes, days, months and years will no longer have any meaning.  In the great hymn by John Newton, Amazing Grace, we (Christians!) sing:

"When We've been there 10,000 years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun."

That is a wonderful hymn, but I don't think there will be any clocks or calenders in heaven to remind us how long we have been there. And while I don't think there will be clocks in hell either, I do think that those who are in hell will be aware of the passing of time. And they will know beyond all shadow of a doubt that their torment will never end. Jonathan Edwards talks about this very sobering concept in his great gospel sermon, Sinners in the hands of an angry God:

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look foreword, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."


Jonathan Edwards has been called a "Latter Day Puritan." Here is what one of the earlier Puritans, Ralph Venning, had to say on this very sobering subject:

"It's as if the sinner should say to the Lord in the day of judgment, 'Lord have mercy upon us.'"
'Have mercy upon you?' says God. 'No, I will have no mercy upon you. There was a time when you might have had mercy without judgment, but now you shall have judgment without mercy. Depart! Depart!'
If they should then beg and say, 'Lord, if we must depart, let it be from Thy throne of judgment, but not from Thee.'
'No,' says the Lord. 'Depart from me. Depart form my presence, which is joy. Depart, and go to hell!'
'Lord,' they say, 'seeing we must be gone, bless us before we go, that Thy blessing may be upon us.'
'Oh no,' says God, 'Go with a curse. Depart ye cursed.'
'Oh Lord, if we must go from Thee, let us not go into the place of torment, but appoint a place, if not of pleasure, then of ease.'
'No, depart into fire, burning and tormenting flames.'
'Oh Lord, if into fire, let it be only for a little while. For who can dwell in everlasting burning?'
'No! Neither you nor the fire shall know an end. Be gone into everlasting fire.'
'Lord, then let it be long before we go there.'
'No, depart immediately. The sentence shall be immediately put into execution.'
'Oh Lord, let us at least have good company who will pity us, though they cannot help us.'
'No, you shall have none but the tormenting devils. Those whom you obeyed when they were your tempters shall be with you as tormentors.'
What misery sin has brought on man to bring him to hear this dreadful doom."

Please take time today to listen to Dr. David Murray's sermon, The Most Important Question and Answer

Recommended listening:

The Burning Hell that Jesus Preached, by Dr. Ian Paisley
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards

UK Police to Treat Attacks on Goths as Hate Crimes

UK Police to Treat Attacks on Goths as Hate Crimes - France 24

Excerpt:

A British police force on Thursday began recording attacks on goths and punks as "hate crimes" similar to those suffered by people targeted because of their race, religion or sexual orientation.
Police in Manchester, northwest England, said the new policy would allow them to better protect goths, easily identified on the streets by their black clothes and pale make-up, and members of other "alternative sub-cultures".

I don't hate 'Goths.' And I would never do anything to hurt those who are into that lifestyle/culture. But I would recommend that they listen to the following "Gothic Sermon:"

How to Benefit from a Funeral, by Dr. David Murray

Christophobia In the News!

Website Stunner: Legalize Jesus - WND News

"Campaign launches attack on global Christophobia."


Excerpt:
 "This is not a cold building with a dusty King James Bible and an unopened hymnal sitting on a pew.
This is a ministry that tries to be tuned in to today’s world and is run by, believe it or not, a Hollywood resident. 'What separates our site from groups like Open Doors and Voice of the Martyrs is we try to be a little edgier and hipper. We are also a little less institutionalized in our attempt to reach the younger generation with the reality of Christian persecution in America and around the world,' said Christian Broham, founder of Legalize Jesus."

 Christophobia is real. And while I'm going to hold back my comments on this website until I have had more time to study it, I'd like to refer you to an excellent sermon on this topic by Dr. David Murray:

Christophobia

Salvation is by Grace, Through Faith - Not of Works!

Today is Sunday. The Christian Sabbath. The Lord's Day. I hope you make it to church today to hear God's Word preached. But if you are unable to make it to church - or if you would like to listen to another great sermon today -I would like to recommend a sermon for you to listen to:

Salvation by Grace Through Faith - Not of Works, by Rev. John Koopman.

Recommended Reading:

Faith Alone - The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification, by Dr. R. C. Sproul

You may also want to check out the following sermons:


A New Accounting System, by Dr. David Murray
True Faith, by Dr. Joel Beeke

Why Should I Become A Christian?

If you are like me, you keep a To Do list.  I would like you to consider squeezing in about 30 minutes to listen to this very important sermon by Dr. David Murray:

12 Reasons to Be a Christian

The text for this sermon is Acts 26:28.  The Apostle Paul is standing before King Agrippa, and the King says to Paul:

"Almost Persuaded thou me to become a Christian."

Hymn writer Philip Bliss (1838-1876) wrote the following hymn based on this verse:

Almost Persuaded

1.  Almost persuaded, now to believe

Almost persuaded, Christ to receive;

Seams now some soul to say,

Go, Spirit, go Thy way.

Some more convenient day

on Thee, I'll call.

2. Almost persuaded, come, come today;

Almost persuaded, turn not away; 

Jesus invites you here, 

Angels are lingering near,

Prayers rise from hearts so dear,

Come, wanderer, come.

3. Almost persuaded, Harvest is past!

Almost persuaded, doom comes at last.

Almost cannot avail,

Almost is but to fail,

Sad, sad that bitter wail,

Almost but lost!

The Church is Full of Hypocrites

Today is Sunday. The Christian Sabbath. The Lord's Day. I hope you make it to church today to hear God's Word preached. But if you are unable to make it to church, I would like to recommend a sermon for you to listen to today by Dr. David Murray:

The Church is Full of Hypocrites

Other sermons by Dr. Murray you may want to check out are:

How to Benefit from a Funeral
Serious Preaching in a Comedy Culture
The Most Serious Question And Answer
The Most Important Election Ever
A Silenced World
The Strangest Person in the World
Christophobia

A Sermon for Today, January 20, 2013

Today is the Lord's day, the Christian Sabbath. As I try to do every Sunday, I want to encourage you to go to church today to worship our Lord Jesus and hear him speak to your soul. But I also recognize that there are some that are not able to make it to church, and so I always like to recommend a sermon for those people.

The sermon I want to recommend today is from Dr. David P. Murray:

A New Diet for a New Year

 No, this sermon has nothing to do with losing weight. The text for this sermon is Philippians 4:8:

"Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, thing on these things."

This sermon hit me hard. It made me take a hard look at what I post of this site, My Gospel Project. I'm not a minister (never been one, never will be one). But it is not only ministers who our Lord Jesus was speaking to when he said:

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." - Matthew 12:36,37

I look back on some of my recent posts (or 'reposts,' in some cases), and I compare them with Phillippians 4:8, and I have to wonder, am I being too negative? Here are some of my recent posts:

55,772,015 Abortions in America Since Roe V. Wade in 1973 - And Americans are Worried about the Economy?
Is Obama the Antichrist? I Say Yes!
Mark Levin: I Can Barely Contain My Fury at What is Going On!
Planned Parenthood Does 1 Abortion Every 94 Seconds
New Republican Math - $1 in Cuts for Every $41 in Taxes
Americans Stock Up on Guns to Protect Themselves - From their Government!
Hollywood Pushes Violence, Immorality and Gun Control!
The Pharisee, the Publican and the Sandy Hook Massacre
Russia's Pravda: America is Dead, and Obama is Laughing Over Its Grave!
Refuting Calvinism: And Defending it!
Mourn, God Might Hate You! Pastor John Reisinger Speaks on the Holiness of God
Some Thoughts on True Worship

And then there is my daily post, Today in the News, which is my own collection of headlines from various news sources - almost all of which are negative!

My Gospel Project is dedicated to spreading the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. That Gospel is like a two edges sword: it is negative to those who reject it (Mark 16:16) and it is positive to those who embrace it (Mark 16:16). My goal in this website is to present both edges of that sword.

Nevertheless, I am going to relisten to Dr. Murray's sermon and take a good hard look at this site to see if I need to make any changes in future posts.

If you would like to listen to another sermon today, please consider listening to Pastor Joey Faust's sermon:

Not A Jezebel State Church

"It's the End of the World as We Know it, and I Feel Fine" *

Mayan prophecy sparks dread, celebration worldwide - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG:

The Bible says:

"Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord. Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as if a man fled from a lion, only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on a wall, only to have a snake bite him."

See Dr. David Murray's sermon:

A Silenced World

*I got the title for this post from the song, "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine"

Dr. David Murray Sermons

Who is Dr. David Murray? (also, listen to more of his sermons)

Personal Testimony of Dr. David P. Murray

Sermons

How to Benefit from a Funeral

12 Reasons to Become a Christian

A New Accounting System

How to Benefit from a Funeral
Serious Preaching in a Comedy Culture
The Most Serious Question And Answer
The Most Important Election Ever
A Silenced World
The Strangest Person in the World
Christophobia

The Apostle Paul Stands Before President Obama

Picture this: The Apostle Paul is standing in front of President Obama's desk in the Oval Office. He is in hand cuffs and leg irons and Marine guards are standing on each side and behind him. The Apostle Paul says to President Obama:

"President Obama, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believests?"

Then President Obama said to the Apostle Paul:

"Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

While this never took place, a similar event involving the Apostle Paul and King Agrippa did take place in the first century A.D. You can read about it in Acts 26.  But if the Apostle Paul were to have an audience with President Obama, I have no doubt that he would not have given his opinion on Obamacare. He would not have tried to persuade the President to cut back on government spending. He may have sharply rebuked the President for his support of same sex marraige and abortion, but I think what the Apostle would have said to the President would have been similar to what Dr. David Murray says in his sermon:

12 Reasons to be a Christian

And then when/ if the President told the Apostle Paul to go his way the apostle may have softly sung the hymn: 

Almost Persuaded

1.  "Almost persuaded," now to believe;

"Almost Persuaded" Christ to receive;

Seems now some soul to say, 

"Go, Spirit, go Thy way,

Some more convenient day

On Thee, I'll call."

2.  "Almost Peruaded," come, come today;

"Almost persuaded," turn no away;

Jesus invites you here,

Angels are lingering near

Prayers rise from hearts so dear;

O wanderer, come!

3. "Almost persuaded," harvest is past!

"Almost persuaded," doom comes at last!

"Almost" cannot avail

"Almost" is but to fail!

Sad, sad, that bitter wail -

"Almost," but lost!

If Mitt Romney had won the election, and the Apostle Paul were to be standing in his presence - in handcuffs and leg irons - I'm sure Paul's words to Mr. Romney would have been the same as if he were talking to Mr. Obama. And perhaps Mr. Romney would have responded the same way that King Agrippa responded to Paul: "Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian!

And if the Apostle Paul prayed - if would be for Mr. Romney's soul, and not 'with Mr. Romney for America,' as Evangelist Billy Graham did recently (right after removing Mormonism from their website as a cult; see Evangelical Giant Compromises Again).

The Lord's Table? Or the Table of Devils? One More Reasons Churches Need to Drop 501c3 Tax Exempt Status

Probably most churches celebrate some version of the Lord's Supper, or Communion.  Many of these churches offer this sacrament to anyone who walks in the door. Others, especially those that still believe the Bible, try to restrict this sacrament to those who profess to be Christians.

And then there are churches who offer the Lord's Supper only to those who are members of that church and are in good standing (not under church discipline) in that church.  This practice is called closed communion.

The New American has an article about a Plymouth Brethren Church in England that is facing the loss of its tax exempt status because of its practice of closed communion (see British Gov't: Closed Communion Means Brethren Church Not a Charity).

There are good arguments for and against both open and closed communion. Personally, I lean toward closed communion. But the issue this article brings up is really more broad than who may or may not be admitted to the Lord's Supper. The issue is this: Can the state dictate what Christians believe?

If Churches ask the state for special treatment (tax exempt status), then they are placing themselves in a position where the state can indeed dictate what that church believes (open or closed communion, for example).

Please take some time to listen to Dr. David Murray's sermon:

Communion Table Address

Also Recommended reading/listening:

Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part I
Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part II
Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part III

Render to Obama, unless...

On November 9th, 2008, Dr. David Murray of the Free Reformed Church preached a sermon titled: Render to Obama.  The text for his sermon was Jeremiah 29:5:

"Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat fruit of them;"

This sermon was preached just a couple of days after Barack Obama had been elected president. The Prophet Jeremiah was writing these words to the children of Israel who had been taken captive into Babylon around 600 B.C.

The Israelites did not like their new King, Nebuchadnezzar, any more than most Christians like our new King/President, Barack Obama. But that does not mean we do not have to continue to live our lives and be the best citizens we can be.

The Bible tells us very specifically that we are to obey those in authority:

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake," - I Peter 2:13

And also Romans 13: 1-7:

"Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.  For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."

But the Christian's obligation to obey the state is not without qualification. Our first allegiance is not to Barack Obama, but to our Lord Jesus Christ. And when Barack Obama tells us to disobey our Lord, then we have to stand up to him and say with the Apostle Peter:

"We ought to obey God rather than men." - Acts 5:29

Recommended reading and listening:

Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part I
Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part II
Pulpit Freedom Sunday - What's it All About? Part III