Law & Order - Propagandistic Intent

A Law & Order - Criminal Intent rerun I saw recently reminded me that along with its well produced and well acted shows that have kept L&O on the air for many years and have spawned three different and seasonally-simultaneously broadcast versions, L&O has all along been a forum for its secular/liberal writers to propagandize against their favorite conservative and/or Christian targets.

This particular episode featured a twenty-something woman, cohabiting with a similarly aged man in a New York City apartment, both acting school dropouts, where the two of them, mostly she, ran a somewhat voyeuristic-oriented web-cam-site. The main plot revolves around a fake kidnapping they stage and play out over theirs and other web-cams.

During the investigation, the police find out that she is from what they term a small town (Elmira), and that she was home schooled there. One of the investigators then remarks that her small town home schooled background explains her current abnormal social behavior.

The investigators travel to her home town to interview the home schooling parents, who they find to be marginally intelligent, clueless parents who think their daughter is in Africa doing good works as she has told them she is doing. The parents show the investigators what they say is an African musical instrument sent to them from Africa by their daughter. One investigator tells the parents that the instrument is actually Australian, and shows "mom" the wood-burned image of a kangaroo on the side of the instrument. Sub-tle...

Another L&O episode featured a rural, Christian, foster family who punished one of the children by locking him in a cage in a barn. The plot line revolved around a secretive organization that rescues children from these types of abusive situations. One of the young girls being rescued was singing a metrical psalm as she was being driven away from the abusers. Even sub-tle-er...

Other episodes have depicted pro-life activists as assassins of abortion doctors and "right-wing" radio personalities as reactionary racists. Sort of reminds you of the current political campaign.

Doink-Doink.

Paul on the

Cost of Discipleship

(II Corinthians 4:8-12)

⁸ We are afflicted on every side, yet are we not in distress: we are in doubt, but yet we despair not. ⁹ We are persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but we perish not. ¹⁰ Everywhere we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our bodies. ¹¹ For we which live, are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death worketh in us, and life in you.

I. True Discipleship Brings Hardship

a. Full Bible Ministry is Difficult. "We are afflicted on every side, yet are we not in distress: we are in doubt, but yet we despair not. We are persecuted, but not forsaken: cast down, but we perish not." (II Corinthians 4:8-9)

b. God Abhors Watered Down Ministry. "Having a show of godliness, but have denied the power thereof: turn away therefore from such." (II Timothy 3:5)

c. Hardship in Discipleship is Normal. "I Beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye give up your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable serving of God." (Romans 12:1)

d. 'Thus Saith the Lord' Brings Hardship. "For then the king of Babel's host besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the Prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the King of Judah's house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hands of the King of Babel, and he shall take it?" (Jeremiah 32:2-3)

e. True Discipleship Includes Alienation and Delayed Blessing. "All these died in faith, and received not the promises, but saw them afar off, and believed them, and received them thankfully, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. But now they desire a better, that is an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:13,16)

f. Acceptance of Hardship Marks True Discipleship. "Jesus then said to his disciples, If any man will follow me, let him forsake himself: and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

II. Jesus' Life and Death Define Discipleship

a. Hardship in Discipleship Proclaims the Life and Death of Jesus Christ. "Everywhere we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our bodies." (II Corinthians 4:10)

b. Hardship in Discipleship Demonstrates the Life of Jesus Christ. ^"For we which live, are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." (II Corinthians 4:11)

c. Hardship in Discipleship is a Prelude to Everlasting Life with Jesus Christ. "It is a true saying, For if we be dead together with him: we also shall live together with him." (II Timothy 2:11)

III. True Disciples Are Used by God to Proclaim the Gospel

a. The Disciple's Suffering Reflects Christ to the World. "Everywhere we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might also be made manifest in our bodies." (II Corinthians 4:10)

b. The Disciple's Suffering Parallels the New Life of the Believer. "So then death worketh in us, and life in you." (II Corinthians 4:12)

Scripture Texts - 1599 Geneva Bible

This is the outline of a pulpit supply message noting the 35th anniversary of the SCUS Roe v. Wade travesty that has brought about the deaths of around 50,000,000 unborn children, and places the USA in the same company as other mass-murdering nations of modern history including Lenin's, Stalin's, et al's USSR; Mao's China, Hitler's Germany, Pol Pot's Cambodia, Idi Amin's Uganda, Rwanda, and the Sudan's current campaign of genocide in Darfour.

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God and the Unborn

(Psalm 119:13-16)

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

I. God Loves the Unborn

a. God’s creation of human life is worthy of praise and celebration. “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:13-14)

b. God is sovereign over the unborn before, during, and after conception. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15) “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.” (Isaiah 44:2)

II. God Loves Children

a. God directs us to have children. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)

b. God directs us to value and even emulate children. “And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” (Luke 18:15-17)

c. Children are blessings from God. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5)

III. God’ Law Protects the Unborn

a. God forbids murder, i.e. the unjust taking of innocent life. “Thou shalt not kill [murder].” (Exodus 20:13)

b. God imposes the ultimate penalty for murder, even for murder of the unborn. “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21:22-24)

c. God accurately describes the consequences to and characteristics of those who kill the unborn. “But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:36)

IV. God Expects Protection of the Unborn

a. We are called on by God to defend the defenseless. “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

b. We are called upon by God to take an active role in the defense of the defenseless. “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:11-12)

Adapted from “The Bible on Abortion: Scripture is not silent” in the January 2008 Impact from Coral Ridge Ministries

Jesus’ Letters to His Church

(Rev 1:19 – 3:22)

Part II

I. The Church in Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29)

Commendations

· Good works
· Charity, service, and faith
· Patience

Admonitions

· Toleration of Idolatry
· Toleration of Wickedness
· Toleration of Unrepentance

Consequences of Obedience

· Power over the nations

Consequences of Disobedience

· Death to idolaters and the wicked
· Be given to according to one’s works

Imperatives

· Hold fast
· Overcome
· Keep my works

II. The Church in Sardis (Rev 3:1-6)

Commendations

· Only for the few undefiled

Admonitions

· Living on their name while being spiritually dead
· Imperfect works before God

Consequences of Obedience

· White raiment
· Name in the Book of Life

Consequences of Disobedience

· Christ will come upon them a thief

Imperatives

· Overcome
· Hear

III. The Church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13)

Commendations

· Have kept Jesus’ Word
· Have not denied Jesus’ name
· Have suffered the persecution of the Jews

Admonitions

· None

Consequences of Obedience

· Be kept from the hour of temptation
· Get a crown no man can take
· Be a pillar in the Temple of God

Consequences of Disobedience

· None

Imperatives

· Overcome
· Hear what is said by the Holy Spirit

IV. The Church in Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22)

Commendations

· None

Admonitions

· Lukewarm Faith
· Self-reliance

Consequences of Obedience

· Sit with Christ on His Throne

Consequences of Disobedience

· Rebuking and chastening

Imperatives

· Repent
· Overcome
· Hear what is said by the Holy Spirit

Jesus’ Letters to His Church Part I

This is Part I of the outline for a two-part message I have presented during recent pulpit supply engagements at two churches.

Jesus’ Letters to His Church

(Rev 1:19 – 3:22)

Part I

Rev. 1:18-19 - Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

· Jesus is speaking to the apostle John

· John is in exile on the island of Pergamos, west of Asia Minor, now western Turkey

· John was exiled during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian in approx. A.D. 96 during an empire-wide persecution of Christians

· Jesus gives John seven epistles for the seven churches in Asia Minor, and to the Church of Jesus Christ as a whole

· Jesus addresses several areas of concern for each church in each epistle:

· Commendations
· Admonitions
· Consequences of obedience
· Consequences of disobedience
· Imperatives

II. The Church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)

Commendations

· Good works
· Patience
· Intolerance of evil
· Scriptural analysis of teaching

Admonitions

· Church has left its first love

Consequences of Obedience

· Salvation
· Heaven
· The Tree of Life

Consequences of Disobedience

· Church will be taken away

Imperatives

· Repent
· Overcome

III. The Church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)

Commendations

· Good works
· Suffering tribulation
· Material poverty, but spiritual richness

Admonitions

· None

Consequences of Obedience

· Crown of Life
· Salvation

Consequences of Disobedience

· None

Imperatives

· Hear
· Overcome

III. The Church in Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17)

Commendations

· Faithfulness in persecution

Admonitions

· Toleration of idolatry
· Toleration of apostasy

Consequences of Obedience

· Hidden manna
· White stone with a new name written upon it

Consequences of Disobedience

· Jesus will come and fight the heretics with the sword of his mouth

Imperatives

· Repent
· Hear
· Overcome

Mea Culpa

My humble apologies for the long gap in blog postings. Life has been very busy these past few months.

James Durham on Revelation 2:1-3 - Excerpt

There is no sort of men more hurtful to the church by obstructing Christ's end in his ordinances, viz. the edification of his people. For such profit them not at all, Jer. xxiii. yea they stand in the way of their profiting sometimes by corrupt doctrine, sometimes by example, sometimes by saddening and weakening of these who look more tenderly to the practice of Godliness. And if no other way, yet by filling the room, and so standing in the way of peoples being provided with such as might be helpful and faithful. Now considering the great respect that our Lord Jesus hath to the edification of his people, and considering the weight that he has placed upon his ministry, as a means for promoting of that end, and withal the great obstruction that follows to that end, when this means disappoints it cannot but be accounted acceptable to him to remove such an obstruction.