Founders Baptist Church

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot talk about what the Christian needs to work through making decisions. A questioner wants to know how to reconcile what they read about in Jeremiah 17-9 and Psalm 37-4. The questioner states that they find themselves wrestling with what the will of God is for their life when it seems that they have many good, but opposite desires within themself.

What are the imprecatory Psalms- How should Christians think about and respond to imprecatory Psalms- Do the imprecatory Psalms reflect the character of God- Can Christians today pray in an imprecatory manner----This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot discuss and explain imprecation in the Psalms. Imprecatory Psalms are those in which the psalmist calls down or prays for curses, calamity, destruction, justice, and judgment on his enemies by God. These types of psalms are scattered throughout the Psalter.

Introduction--Beware the desire to be more spiritual than God requires. -I know, when I say that, that I am speaking of an impossibility. In truth, it is impossible to be more spiritual than God requires. Indeed, the kind of attitude I'm addressing is a DISTORTION of spirituality. What I am trying to describe speaks to a kind of attitude that you sometimes find, especially in immature Christians.--Christians who refuse to find joy in the very things that God has set forth in His Word for their enjoyment - because they think that temporal joys are unspiritual.--Christians who only allow themselves a very narrow set of interests, or involvements, because general interests are thought to be unspiritual.--Christians who think of Godliness in terms of do not handle, do not touch, do not taste. In other words, they substitute asceticism for authentic godliness.-This is a kind of attitude that the apostles had to address in the early church.-ESV Colossians 2-20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-- 21 -Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch- 22 -referring to things that all perish as they are used--- according to human precepts and teachings- 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.-That is not the Christian life. That is an empty, flesh driven, man exalting, approach to living life.-I want to be clear, there IS such a thing as libertinism. There ARE people who indulge the flesh in the name of grace. -But there also people who would ta

It is the summer of 2020, and we are nearly eight months into the year. Currently, many are beginning to feel overwhelmed by the ongoing issues we see occurring in our nation and around the world. We have, and to some degree still are, experiencing a pandemic that has resulted in widespread death. We have been subject to quarantines, lockdowns, mask-wearing, social distancing, and more, all due to COVID-19. As the spread of the virus continues, the world goes on, albeit somewhat crippled. There are other deaths and tragedies that have occurred not because of the virus but despite it. We have witnessed mass demonstrations, protests, and riots. We have seen the pulling down of and destroying of historic statues, the destruction of public spaces, and even some private places. Much of this comes in response to tensions in the culture related to social justice issues, racism, and the like. There are many Christians who agree with some of what has been going on. They say it is a way of making the government listen to us. Some have even used the example of Jesus cleansing the temple and driving the people out as a basis for why it's important to do these kinds of things to get the government to listen.--Should Christians use violence to be heard- Should Christians use the Bible and Jesus as an example for their authority to behave in these ways- Is this how Christians should think, act, and respond- These are the questions that are discussed this week on The Straight Truth Podcast. Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot help us think through these things biblically, so that our perspective and understanding would be from God's Word, through rightly dividing and applyin

The biblical evidences of salvation, given to believers in the New Testament, are meant for our joy. Those evidences are not meant to fuel our doubts- they are meant to answer them.-As I said last week, that is not to deny that the Lord uses those evidences to awaken the deceived. Nor is it to deny that God has given warnings that are DESIGNED to awaken the deceived. But it is to say that we need to allow each section of Scripture to aim at its intended purpose, and the purpose of this section is an explanation of the gospel that results in the assurance of the believer.-Last week we talked about four evidences that are given in verses 12-17, by which we may know that we really are the sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

Should a church sing songs or hymns written and composed by questionable sources- Is it edifying of the church to sing songs that have been written and recorded by those with whom we might disagree- Examples of this might include- churches or ministries with whose theology or practices we do not agree- those who espouse a truncated view or distortion of the gospel- or maybe individuals themselves, who have walked away from orthodoxy all-together. What about the individual believer, does it make a difference what songs they hear and sing along with, in their car, home or elsewhere---This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot dive right into the subject matter of the songs we sing as Christians. The main focus, is should we sing songs in the church by artists or ministries that we deem questionable-

Something underestimated, at times, when it comes to the sound handling of the Word of God, is the responsibility to rightly grasp the SENSE of a passage.-What is the attitude represented in the words--What is the purpose of the words on the page--What are the words meant to accomplish in the listener or the reader--There have been many sermons preached that paid attention to the words of a passage, but plowed over the sense of the words, the goal of the passage. And when that happens, though the words might be rightly defined, and in that sense understood, they are not allowed to aim at their intended effect.

Proverbs 31 introduces us to a very industrious woman. She is busy in the home and outside the home. She takes care of her children, her husband, her servants, and others in need. She even appears to run a business from her home, that enables her to care well for her family. Can a Christian woman in today's society do all these things- What if she has young children in her home- How can a woman maintain a healthy balance- How is she able to avoid becoming a workaholic- These questions are this week's topic for the Straight Truth Podcast. Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss the qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman. More intently, they focus on the role and responsibilities of women, those who have children in the home and of those whose children are grown and no longer live at home.

Introduction- -You may remember that we said, way back in chapter 5, that from the 5th chapter to the 8th chapter the major theme being expounded by the apostle Paul is the security of salvation. -It is the freeness of salvation that assures the finality of salvation. -He is emphasizing both. -He is teaching the truth of justification by faith, and as a result, why future glorification is a certainty.-ESV Romans 5-1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.-Everything that we have been studying in the book of Romans from that point forward is just an extended explanation of truths contained in that opening statement.-Salvation is accomplished by Jesus Christ, found in Jesus Christ, and received by faith.-The result is a new standing before God, one that is both now and forever.-That salvation imparts a hope.-That hope holds despite all of life's troubles. It will not disappoint.-That hope is so certain, and so full of purpose, that the troubles of life prove to be productive. The God who saved us is the same God at work in all our circumstances producing in us that which He has destined for us.-And all of this has been sealed to us by the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. His presence is