I'll Be Honest

Marriage is indeed important and defining in the believer’s life, but it is not the most important thing to be said of the Christian’s life. Marriage on this earth is temporary, but union to Christ is forever.

Is it sinful for a married Christian couple to not have children if they can? Is it defrauding God's design to be married and enjoy sex, but not have children? We consider these questions in this Ask Pastor Tim.

In King Uzziah we see the sad biography of how fame and pride destroyed him. He was unfaithful to the Lord and was rebuked by 80 men of valor for his actions, but rather than heed their warning, he responded in anger and defended himself. So also in our generation, we've sadly seen many pastors go from famous preachers to fallen adulterers. Uzziah's life is an example and warning to us of the danger of pride and thinking you are beyond criticism.

When we are snared by the fear of man, we are no longer trusting in the Lord. We must stop regarding man in whose nostrils is mere breath. We will give an account to God who can kill the soul rather than man who can only kill the body. For the believer, they ultimately want the approval of God more than the approval of man. Rather than seek to be a people pleaser, we are to seek to please and honor God.

Do you fear that you have committed the unpardonable sin? You may have, but nevertheless run to Christ. You say, "Isn't that a contradiction?" If you press the issue, yes. But I don't know, and you don't know, if they have committed it. So even if you think you've committed it, run to Christ. Don't just stand still because that will certainly lead to death.

Notes:
1. Tim responds to the question, "Can you still commit the unpardonable sin today?" at 15:48.
2. Around 51:00 Tim discusses Esau and what it means that "he had no chance to repent" (Hebrews 12:17).

This is where we often go wrong: When we look at lost men we do not think they are as lost as they are. And when we look at Christians, we do not recognize that they are as changed as they are. We tend to take the edge off on both ends. Scripture doesn’t do that. Scripture says: If you are lost, it is extreme! If you are saved, it is the other extreme!

When it comes to preparing and delivering a sermon, there are countless questions that must be asked: Am I preaching my own opinion or what the text is saying? What should my sermon notes look like? What about using commentaries in my study? In this study, Tim seeks to deal with these questions and others.

Christ died for you; therefore He is certainly not going to require anything of you that would ultimately harm you, but He is abundantly for your good. Express your absolute allegiance to Christ and be surrendered to His love. Be able to say, "Lord, You are enough; and if I have You, though You strip everything else away, I am satisfied."

There is no other path in the ministry except one that has trials and suffering along its way. At the same time, pastors also experience many blessings.

Mack Tomlinson (https://www.providencedenton.org/) considers the trials and blessings of the ministry in this pastors' session from the 2017 Fellowship Conference.

What are you tempted to be proud of tonight? Are you girls tempted to be proud of your beauty? Do you realize you could lose that in a second? Are you proud of how smart you are? One little thing and it could be gone and you can't even put sentences together. - Charles Leiter