Month: February 2025

There is such a thing as going back in religion, after making a good profession. Men may run well for a season, like the Galatians, and then tum aside after false teachers. Men may profess loudly, while their feelings are warm, as Peter did; and then, in the hour of trial, deny their Lord. Men may lose their first love, as the Ephesians did. Men may cool down in their zeal to do good, like Mark, the companion of Paul. Men may follow an apostle for a season, and then, like Demas, go back to the world. All these things men may do.

It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose it is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins – all these are sad sights; but a backslider is a sadder sight still. That true grace shall never be extinguished, and true union with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. But I do believe that a man may fall away so far that he shall lose sight of his own grace, and despair of his own salvation.

Now what is the cause of most backsliding? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of prayer. Of course, the secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can only give my opinion as a minister of Christ and a student of the heart. That opinion is, I repeat distinctly, that backsliding generally first begin with neglect of prayer.

Bibles read without prayer, sermons heard without prayer, marriages contracted without prayer, journeys undertaken without prayer, residences chosen without prayer, friendships formed without prayer, the daily act of prayer itself hurried over or gone through without heart – these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian descends to a condition of spiritual palsy, or reaches the point where God allows him to have a tremendous fall.

We may be very sure that men fall in private long before they fall in public. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide openly in the eyes of the world. Like Peter, they first disregard the Lord’s warning to watch and pray; and then, like Peter, their strength is gone, and in the hour of temptation, they deny their Lord.
The world takes notice of their fall and scoffs loudly, but the world knows nothing of the real reason. The heathen succeeded in making Origen, the old Christian father, offer incense to an idol by threatening him with a punishment worse than death. They then triumphed greatly at the sight of his cowardice, but the heathen did not know the fact, which Origen himself tells us, that on that very morning he had left his bed chamber hastily, and without finishing his usual prayers.

If any reader of this paper is a Christian indeed, I trust he will never be a backslider. But if you do not wish to be a backsliding Christian, remember the hint I give you-mind your prayers. J.C. Ryle

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:1-16.
Aim: To exhort each other to do 14 things.

1. Let us Fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of us come short of it. Heb 4:1.
2. Let us Labour to enter God’s rest. 4:11.
3. Let us Hold fast our profession. 4:14.
4. Let us Come boldly to the throne of grace in prayer. 4:16.
5. Let us Go on unto perfection. 6:1.
6. Let us Draw near with a true heart. 10:22.
7. Let us Consider one another to provoke to love and good works. 10:24.
8. Let us Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. 12:1.
9. Let us Run with Patience the race that is set before us. 12:1.
10. Let us Have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 12:28.
11. Let Brotherly Love continue. 13:1.
12. Let your conversation be without covetousness. 13:5.
13. Let us go forth unto him without the camp ……, bearing his reproach. 13:13.
14. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. 13:15.
    From – Answers – Keith Piper

ADVOCATE

(1 John 2:1)
 Introduction:
o An advocate, according to the dictionary, is in its most general sense, “one that pleads the cause of another, esp. before a tribunal or judicial court.”
o This is precisely the sense that the Word of God presents the Lord Jesus Christ in (1 Jn. 2:1).
o The picture that the Bible paints is that of a courtroom and all the major characters are there –
• The defendant is the sinner – [you and I];
• The prosecuting attorney (or the “accuser” – Rev. 12:10; Job 1:9-11) is Satan, who brings the accusations of the sinner before the Judge, God the Father.
• And the Advocate’s job is to defend the sinner in the “eternal courtroom.”
o What are some of the qualifications of a good advocate? And how well does Jesus Christ fit the description of an adept defense attorney?
 I. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE RIGHTEOUS
o It is important to note that this passage, where the word “advocate” is used, is the only passage where Jesus Christ is called “the righteous.”
o It is critical that the advocate be, in all ways, righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
 A. He must be righteous to actually discern the truth.
o Jesus Himself, in his illustration about correct judgment, says that unless a man is himself free from the deceitfulness of sin, he cannot see clearly to properly discern the sins of another, and be in a good position to help him. (Matt. 7:5)
 B. He must be righteous to speak truthfully, and speaking truthfully is critical to the defense of the defendant.
o He must not flatter to sway the court; he must not succeed in this case by some cunning sleight of hand maneuver in the trial, but by exposing the facts truthfully; otherwise, the victory is not real at all.
o Jesus never had a word of guile in His mouth. (1 Pet. 2:22; Isa. 53:9).
 C. He must be righteous and without sin to truly understand the power and ramifications of the sin of the defendant. (Heb. 4:15).
o It is often thought in this day that the only way to know the power of sin is to give in to it.
• (Oscar Wilde said, which summarizes the philosophy of the day, “The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it.”), but the truth is just the opposite.
• You don’t know the true power of the wind by lying down on the ground, you realize its true force by standing up to it.
• The way to truly know the force of an enemy’s army is be fighting against it, not by surrendering.
o Jesus Christ, because He never sinned, because He followed every temptation all the way through until He was the Victor, is the only One Who can fully understand sin
• And therefore the only One Who can fully defend the man charged with sin.
 D. He must be righteous to let all the hearers know that, He in seeking the justice and righteousness of the case for righteousness sake, is not a hypocrite.
o He must, in His righteousness, quiet all the hecklers and people who are accusing Him of being insincere. (Jn. 8:46)
 II. THE ADVOCATE MUST TRULY UNDERSTAND THE LAW UNDER WHICH HE FUNCTIONS
o A. Jesus Christ grew up with, and under, the Law. (Gal. 4:4; Lk. 2:27)
o B. His life was an adherence to, and a fulfillment of, the law. (Matt. 5.17)
o C He was known by all of His peers to have been familiar with it (even from His youth, Lk. 2:46-48), and He customarily read it to all. (Lk. 4:16)
 III. THE ADVOCATE MUST CARE FOR SAFETY OF HIS CLIENT
o A. Jesus shows earnest concern for the client’s life. (Jn. 10:10)
o B. Jesus is very defensive about the protection of his clients. (Jn. 10:28,29)
o C. Since He cares, and the defendant knows it, the defendant can freely tell Him all the problems and concerns that relate to the case. (1 Pet. 5:7)
 IV. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW ABOUT EVERY RELEVANT
 PERSON, AND EVERY RELEVANT CASE THAT SURROUND, AND
 CAN HELP HIM IN, HIS CASE
o A. He knows His clients by name. (Jn. 10:3)
• (See also 2 Tim. 2:19; Acts 15:8,18)
o B. The knowledge of His clients is one of trust and intimacy. (Jn. 10:14)
o C. He has all of the facts at His disposal. (Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13)
o D. He knows the details of every case, and can skillfully sift the positive facts from the negative ones.
• Concerning all of the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus Christ proclaims, I know thy works,” and goes on to analyze each one’s works objectively in the light of God’s word. (Rev. 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15)
 V. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE WISE TO THE TRICKS AND STRATEGIES OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
o In the Bible, Satan is pictured as the prosecutor, or the “accuser” (Rev. 12:10).
• Since Jesus knows the hearts of all, He knows every plan of attack that Satan is going to use, and, when defending us, utilizes this knowledge to His advantage at every turn.
• We are told to watch out for the wiles of the devil, and to be wary of his tricks and schemes (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 2:11).
• Imagine how well our Advocate knows about them!
 VI. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW THE GROUND ON WHICH TO REST HIS PLEA FOR SUCCESS
o The “propitiation” is mentioned directly in context with Jesus Christ and His role as the Advocate.
• His propitiation is the faultless ground on which Christ rests His case for us.
• With this plea, He will never, and can never, lose a case.
o “Propitiation” is the atoning sacrifice offered to appease the wrath of God. – Websters Dictionary
 A. The propitiation is powerful in scope (1 Jn. 2:2) –
o It is powerful enough for any and all who will come to Christ.
 B. The propitiation is powerful in love (1 Jn. 4:10,11).
o Christ’s propitiation is one of the highest expressions of His love toward us.
 C. The propitiation is powerful in its foundation.
o There is nothing stronger than the blood of Christ. (Romans 3:25)

Tithing is an Old Testament law. Under the law, the Israelites were commanded to give not merely one-tenth, but much more of all their cattle and crops to the Lord. The Levites (of the tribe of Levi) were appointed by God to receive the tithes, and they in turn paid one-tenth to the High Priest. Then during certain feasts the law demanded a second tithe of their crops. This was commanded under the law. (Read Leviticus 27:30-34.)

The New Testament plan of giving unto the Lord is one that is determined by the heart. Jesus Himself pointed out that the tithe should be paid, but tithing is by no means your whole duty to God. In Matthew 23:23, we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cum min, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” This plan for giving is clearly set forth as we can see by the following Scriptures: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him … ” (1 Corinthians 16:2); “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

There can be no doubt but that Christians under grace should give as much, if not more, than the Israelites gave under the law. But our giving must be according to the heart. If it is not given from our heart, it will be done ” … grudgingly, or of necessity … ” which is hateful to God, for God loves a “cheerful giver.”

Many believers are afraid to trust the Lord. They say that they are too poor to tithe and to give to the Lord’s work. But God’s Word promises that if we honour Him, He will honour us. God is no man’s debtor. In Deuteronomy 8:18, we read, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth … “ If we believe John 3:16, we should just as readily believe this. You remember the Lord with your tithes and offerings, and He will remember you.

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 11:24-25, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdest more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

Malachi 3:10, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Also carefully read Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; and 2 Corinthians 9:6.) God has worked out the system of tithing whereby His people may prosper. In 3 John 2, we read, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” We all agree that God is able to help us in our physical and spiritual needs. We can trust Him to prosper us financially for His own glory. The test is, are we willing to believe what God says He will do?

Five Blessings You Will Receive

1. The joy you have from knowing that you are a partner with God. Your reward will be given in Heaven when you see the Saviour face to face.
2. The amount of money you have for the Lord’s work.
3. The thrill of seeing your own needs met with the nine-tenths you have left.
4. The deepening of your love for the Lord, and your entire spiritual life will prosper.
5. The ease of going from one-tenth to a larger amount in order to further the Lord’s work.

DOES IT MATTER?
It does to God and His work. In Nehemiah 13:10-11, we read, “And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.” The work of God is team-work. Some are called to preach the Gospel. Others are called to give in order that the Gospel might go forth.

We give Thee but Thine own
Whatever the gift may be.
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.

The Gospel Standard