Thinking Out Loud

08/05/2024

Matthew 7:1 (ESV): Judge not, that you be not judged.

This is THE SLOGAN today that has replaced John 3:16 within Church culture, but many times those who use it do so in an attempt to either feel comfortable in their sin, or for the sake of ‘unity’ don’t want to go any further in the actual context of what Jesus is actually talking about. Let’s continue:

Matthew 7:1–5 (ESV): Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Next, let’s go to Romans 2:

Romans 2:1–4 (ESV): Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Lastly, 1 Corinthians 5:

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 (ESV): For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

To sum this all up, if we study the Scriptures further, the type of judging that is spoken against is hypocritical judgement, which is calling out someone for taking part in the very sin you’re involved in.

Also, we are told by Paul we are to judge amongst ourselves as the body of Christ, while God is currently judging those who are unrepentant and His enemies (Colossians 1:21), desiring that they would place faith in Christ alone for salvation and be saved (John 14:6).

Especially in this day and age the Church needs to have a spine regarding these things. We must meet Matthew 7:1, taken out of context, with the Gospel and the Word of God, which each of us have, and should instill into our hearts and minds.

As long as you don’t practice the very things you are lovingly correcting someone for, you are doing absolutely nothing wrong — don’t take that bait. Have the courage and the love for your neighbors and Brothers and Sisters in Christ to actually tell the truth, with the desire that their hearts and minds would be changed by the Gospel of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

24/04/2024

As Christians, we are called to forgive and show grace and mercy to those who hurt us; where it gets complicated is when the individual that hurt you seems to show no sign of conviction or remorse. Sometimes you're willing to admit your fault and acknowledge your sins against them, while the other will not do the same. It's in those moments you lean on God for the strength and mercy to forgive them anyway.

No one said forgiveness or reconciliation was easy, and it's definitely easier said than done to forget what happened, but WHAT IF we take our trials and moments that hurt us, and let God teach us something through it?

I've come to the point in my life where I'm consistently reminding myself I have no room to hold bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness against anyone in light of the depth of the grace, mercy, and favor God has shown me, even in light of how many times I've failed Him.

Sometimes people won't own up to or acknowledge the hurt they've caused you or others. Forgive them anyway.

24/04/2024

https://youtu.be/7VlTIYxe24g?si=pnDD9gAEC6MuXBix

www.christian post.com/news/john-lindell-apologizes-for-inviting-alex-magala-mark-driscoll.html

24/04/2024

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mattstewartthinks/episodes/Driscoll-vs-Lindell-Controversy-e2ir1l5

My take on the Mark Driscoll/John Lindell controversy, based on the Stronger Men’s Conference and the controversy that proceeded from it.

07/04/2024

The sovereignty of God.

It's a doctrine and absolute truth. It means no matter how out of control things may seem to us, God is completely in control, and no one can take that control from Him. Those who know God is good, perfectly just, perfectly righteous, holy, loving, merciful, and gracious, take comfort in this fact, because it's the belief no matter how bad things seem to get or look, God hasn't let go of His control of all existence.

Those who don't like the idea of the sovereignty of God want to hang on to the notion that we as human beings have more control than we actually have - it's a part of that same desire of complete control that Adam and Eve had that led to the fall in the first place, which led to sins presence affecting everything we see, including the pride in each of us, which is the root of all sin and disobedience to God in the first place.

If you know the character of God based on His Word as well as the character of man that we observed being played out in the Scriptures and in daily life, you'll take comfort in knowing God is completely sovereign and His will always has and always will come to fruition as He's meant it to.

14/03/2024

If you are basing your identity on how people perceive you or treat you, or even how you perceive yourself, you'll wind up broken, empty, and dissapointed; this is because we as human beings are fickle and sinful. It's only when we base our identity on who God says we are, that we ultimately find fulfillment and peace.

04/02/2024

https://matthewstewartblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/absolutism-vs-relativism/

There are two perspectives concerning truth people ultimately stick to, either Absolutism and Relativism, and the perspective we align ourselves with ultimately effects our walk with God and how we…

04/02/2024

26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them, because nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground ⌊without the knowledge and consent⌋ of your Father. 30 And even the hairs of your head are all numbered! 31 Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Mt 10:26–33.

Fear God rather than people. Be concerned with if you are accepted by God rather than being accepted by people. Especially in the day and time we're in within the Church, where compromise is rampant, and there is more biblical illiteracy (not in the context of not being able to read but understanding and putting together the context of passages), we have to have the courage to stand for the Scriptures as they are - as I heard a Brother say not long ago, "What do the Scriptures say? Then let us walk therein."

Jesus made it crystal clear there is a cost to following Him - a truth that the Church is shying away from telling people who come to faith in Christ, to their detriment. Christians need to be prepared for adversity from within and outside of the Church because Jesus and the Apostles made it clear this would happen. Jesus made it clear that it's enough for the servant to be like his master and the student to be like his teacher (Matthew 10:25), and that the world would hate us just as it hated Him (John 15:18-20). Its healthy for us to carry these expectations, not so we can be religious jerks to those who come against us, but that so we're not thrown off when encountered with the opposition of the world that Jesus said we would face.

It's a time for Christians to have grace, love, and compassion for their fellow man, but also enough courage and love for their fellow man to tell the truth as it stands, while not compromising the Word for the sake of mans acceptance. This is something we will actually be accountable to Christ for.

23/01/2024

I was grieved as I heard last night about the controversy that Alistair Begg is caught up in. His ministry had been a blessing for me to listen to over the years, and it would seem he is one of throng of leaders in the Church compromising biblical principle for the sake of acceptance of the masses.

As for what happened, a lady contacted him wanting advice concerning her child, who was about to be in a transgender wedding; with the woman’s biblical convictions, she was asking him what she ought to do. He asked if she had made it clear to her child what she believed and her faith in Christ, to which she responded yes. He went on to say to go to the wedding anyway and bring a gift — a symbol of acceptance of what was happening.

Prior to this, there has been just backlash due to his comments and compromise of biblical principles.

We are all made in the imago dei (image of God), therefore, God, who formed us in our mothers wombs and by whom we are fearfully and wonderfully made determines what s*x we are because He is our Creator. There ought to be no dispute by professing Christians when it comes to this. It is the height of pride to say before our Creator that we determine what s*x we are because of how we feel, and because we have the consititutional freedoms to do so.

As Darrell Harrison has said, “We shouldn’t be surprised when sinners sin” and we indeed are all capable of compromise just the same, but for the grace of God. My prayers go out to Alistair Begg and his ministry as well as applause to those who have had the courage to speak out against this compromise. My prayer is that he would recant of his statement and repent, and if he does, the Church should embrace him on these conditions.

Genesis 1:27 (LEB): 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them.

Acts 4:19 (LEB): 19 But Peter and John answered and* said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you decide!

22/01/2024

‘O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it.’

Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

16/01/2024

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you, if his son will ask him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or also if he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 Therefore if you, although you* are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Mt 7:7–11.

Matthew Henry Commentary goes on to explain in his commentary of verses 7-11, 'Whatever you pray for, according to the promise, shall be given you, if God see it fit for you, and what would you have more?' The emphasis 'if God see it fit for you' particularly stood out to me, and has over the last few years. This promise has a certain condition - the condition being that what you ask for is according to Gods will, but it's my conviction, many overlook this crucial point. You see, God is a loving, providential Father. He's not going to give us something we are not ready to receive or is not in accordance with His will for our lives. Our requirement is to ask for what we believe we need, and to show gratitude to Him for His provision, or to rest content when He says 'no', knowing it's ultimately for His glory and for our good.

15/01/2024

I put together this piece last year about the nature of man and why we need the Gospel. The starting point of the Gospel is that, though man is created in the image of God (imago dei), and whose life has intrinsic value, purpose, and meaning, the Scriptures testify that we inherit the sin nature of Adam from conception.

Why do we need to be saved in the first place, and what from? We need to be saved from the righteous and perfectly just wrath of God due to our rebellion against Him — the only means by which humanity is reconciled to God is through faith in Christ, and Christ ALONE (John 14:6)

“We can acknowledge that man has all the marks of a majestic temple about him – a temple in which God once dwelt but which is now in utter ruins, a temple in which a shattered window here and a doo…

10/01/2024

All high places are slippery places; advancements in the world makes a man a mark for Satan to shoot his fiery darts at

Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Mt 4:1.

No one should be gullible enough to think the higher they climb 'the ladder', the better things will be. The Christian should realize with increase of reputation comes increase of opposition from Satan. Sometimes that opposition simply comes in the form of believing your own hype. There are numerous examples of this in our day and time - ministries that got huge, but because of compromise, are falling by the wayside.

If you are blessed with higher position, you had better depend on God more than you ever have, be aware of your own nature, and live with the acknowledgement we have an enemy who is ready to destroy what witness we have.