Reliable Truth

Today Dr. John Guest brings a message of hope in the certainty of Jesus Christ.

"I wasn’t raised to go to church. I did think Christians were soft. Pastors in England would talk in a rather slow and boring tone, and it was sort of remote.

I didn’t go to church, but I picked them up on the radio and when there was no such thing as television when I was a child and from time to time, you’d hear one speaking for whatever reason on the radio and I gave it no credence until I got into my adolescence and was asking questions about my own life..." - John Guest

John is the author of ten books. He co-founded Trinity Episcopal School of Ministry and was a participant in the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism and a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals. He founded the Coalition for Christian Outreach, an evangelistic organization employing approximately 150 staff on college campuses.

Also, he co-founded South American Missionary Society (1976), hosted a daily radio broadcast, “New Life In Christ,” on WPIT-FM, Pittsburgh (1983-1990), and currently has a daily broadcast on WORD FM, 101.5 in Pittsburgh as well as several other cities. John married Kathleen Heggar in 1967 and has four daughters: Carrie, Chelsea, Sarah and Susanna.

Dr. Mark Gignilliat from Beeson Divinity School joins us today with a special Advent message from the book of Isaiah.

Does God seem distant to you? Do you wish that God would fill you in on what he's doing in this chaotic world that we live in?

Hebrews 1 tells us that, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."

The Lord has not left you and me to the best of our own imaginative devices. He has not left us to the best of our own intellectual enterprises to figure out who he is.

Jesus is the speech of God on display. The scriptures are God's inscribed word that witness to him.

The Lord has spoken. He has given himself to be known - to truly be known. But we must remember: we only get to know God on his terms. We don't get to know God on our terms.

I pray that in this season that each of you will be able to enter into Advent with joy and with hope.

Lord, thank you for these words from the prophet Isaiah. Even though they were written hundreds of years ago, they continue to resonate to us even today, as they point to you, oh Jesus, our wonderful counselor and our Mighty God.

I pray that you will bless these listeners during this season. Draw us to yourself, draw me to yourself, oh Lord!

In repentance and renewal, I pray in Jesus name, Amen!

⁠Dr. Mark Gignilliat⁠ is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, and also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children. ⁠Watch on YouTube here

What is the single most important factor in an abundant life, or even a successful life?

Maybe you would say it's education or health, or maybe it's money.

If we thought it through, I believe that we would come back with the answer of character.

Well then, where does faith belong? Faith is a part of character, but I think that character is the single most important building block or factor in an abundant life - in a successful life.

And truthfully, in today's world, it seems that we have lost an understanding of what character is.

The Greeks were the first culture that studied character, and probably outside of the Bible, has left us the greatest legacy with respect to what character is. They used the word ethics for character.

The Greek said that to be ethical people is to be people of strong character. If we are people of strong character, then we will do the right thing, and like a healthy tree, we will produce good fruit.

So, what is the single most important question relating to character?

Today's special guest is my friend Drayton Nabers, Jr., successful attorney and former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He is discussing the subject of his book The Case for Character. Get your copy here.

Richard's guest is Russell Levenson, speaker at our recent Men's Breakfast, sharing about his special relationship with President George and Barbara Bush, as well as his newest book In God's Grip: What golf can teach us about the Gospel.

Today he shares many heartwarming and inspiring stories about the Bush's. You don't want to miss this!

⁠Watch on YouTube

Russell is the pastor of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston Texas, the largest Episcopal Church in America, with over 10,000 members. He was President George and Barbara Bush's pastor and performed the eulogy/sermon at each of their funerals. Russell's book about the Bush's is Witness to Dignity: The Life and Faith of George H.W. and Barbara Bush.

In God's Grip: What golf can teach us about the Gospel is a unique collaboration by two Texans, both among the best in their field, sharing hints to improve golf and faith. The family of Ben Hogan, one of the game's immortals has permitted Rev. Russell Levenson to use the four-time U.S. Open Champion's words on both subjects in this profound and joyful book.

Get your copy of Russell's book

Where am I in my relationship with God?

In I Peter 2:25, Peter writes, “For you are continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and the Guardian of your soul.”

I love that phrase, the “Guardian of your soul”. Peter is writing to a group of Christians who were suffering persecution, going through a difficult time, and he’s saying to them, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He’s the Guardian of your soul, when you stay close to Him.

As he writes, Peter says that the problem is that we are continually straying like sheep.

Even as Christians, either we are drawing near to God, or we are drifting away from Him. In looking at my own life and in interacting with men and counseling with them, I've observed that usually when you drift away from Him, you’re not really aware that it’s happening.

It’s usually happening when you’re real busy, and you’re thinking, "I can get back to this later, but I’ve got to get through this over here..."

This is the last message in our 14-part series of the study of John!

As we wrap up this study, I would challenge you with these words to think about. Am I diligently seeking God, and seeking to hear from Him and drawing close to Him each day? Or am I at a point in my life where I’m just kind of slowly drifting away, or just kind of drifting?

I share this, because it’s so apparent that the state of our spiritual life is ultimately our responsibility. And that’s why we’re told, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Do you feel like you’re close to God? Do you feel like you have a close relationship with Him?

Missions leader John Oswald Sanders says, “Today, right now, you are as close to God as you choose to be.” Think about that. I believe he is saying that we determine the closeness of this relationship.

In author H.D. Morton's book In the Steps of the Master, he witnesses a scene in a cave near Bethlehem. Two shepherds had sheltered their flocks in the cave during the night. How were the flocks to then be sorted out?

Well, one of the shepherds stood some distance away, and gave his peculiar call. Each shepherd had a unique call, he says, which only his sheep knew.

Morton writes, “I watched it with my own eyes. His whole flock had run to him because they knew his voice. They would have come for no one else, but they knew the call of their own shepherd.”

How about you?

I believe that many modern people don’t believe in Satan. Or, they don’t see him as being much of a threat.

Interestingly, a number of ministers or teachers never teach or speak on the issue of Satan and the forces of darkness. Why do you think that might be?

Maybe the ministers think, "Since my sophisticated audience doesn’t believe in this stuff, I’m not going to talk about it. It seems to cause discomfort to go there.

What about you? Do you see Satan as a threat to your life, and to your family?

Are you bored with life? Are you happy with where your life is headed?

Last week we discussed how boredom can ruin your life and the danger of an easy life - a life of leisure. This can lead to a life of complacency

Historian Alexander Tytler wrote this in the late 18th century:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote for themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

He goes on to say:

“The average age of the world’s great civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; then from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence, you go back into bondage.” 

Does this remind you of where we are today as a nation? What will each of us do with the prosperity we have been blessed with?

I believe that it’s not so much that prosperity corrupts us. It’s what prosperity makes available to us that can potentially corrupt us.

What is God calling you to do?

What do you think a false Christian is? Someone who goes through the motions? Someone who thinks doing good things will get them into heaven?

Well, that’s what the Pharisees thought.

And yet, Jesus says in Matthew 15:7-9 that, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

Jesus had great concern for this group, and He addresses this often in the Bible.

But, what is true belief? You see, true belief transforms who you are, because it involves the heart, and not just the head.

That is where repentance comes in. The surrender of your heart to Christ. How is your heart toward God?

How would you describe the quality of your life?

We are back in the book of John, continuing our study in chapter 6. In the Greek language there are two different words that are used for the English word "life" - bios and zoe.

Bios is the physical and biological life - our physical bodies. The life of the body. The experience of the body.

Zoe has to do with the quality of your life experience. You see, you can be physically alive and have a horrible quality of life.

In the book of John, every time you see the word “life”, it’s the Greek word zoe. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

We are not here just to exist. God’s will is that we really live, and this is what zoe is. This is what Jesus offers. To live with a sense of purpose and joy and exhilaration. The abundant life.

Is this true of your life?