Vayahiy... Web Articles

Reformation Month Sale!

2009-10-02T17:21:00.001-08:00

Beginning today, October 1st, until the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing the 95 Theses on Wittenberg’s door at the end of the month (October 31st), our printed publications will be significantly discounted. Our paperbacks are print-on-demand through CreateSpace.com and we want to make them available at the lowest price possible. We currently have 5 books available.

Please copy the discount code (copy the 8-digit code only) and follow the link to the book. When checking out, paste the discount code into the box where the discount applies.

Book #1:
Essential Spurgeon for Today’s Reformed Pastor
Link to Essential Spurgeon https://www.createspace.com/3400329
Discount Code: JZVULWCQ
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $3 off the $12.95 regular purchase price.

Book #2
A Puritan Family Devotional
Link to Puritan Devotional https://www.createspace.com/3398770
Discount Code: CBYQHZ4Y
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Book #3
Fullness of the Time
Link to Fullness of the Time https://www.createspace.com/3400470
Discount Code: M87JLJEV
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $3 off the $12.95 regular purchase price.

Book #4
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Link to Lord, Teach Us to Pray https://www.createspace.com/34027829
Discount Code: Y5PLTNTK
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Book #5
John Bunyan’s Classic: Christian Behavior
Link to Christian Behavior https://www.createspace.com/3401841
Discount Code: HYLE47GY
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Teach Us to Pray (in Print)

2009-10-02T17:17:00.001-08:00

Lord, Teach Us to Pray is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 96-page book is available for only $7.77 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Lord, Teach Us to Pray weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Fullness of the Time (in Print)

2009-10-02T17:15:00.001-08:00

Fullness of the Time, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 194-page book is available for only $12.95 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Fullness of the Time weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Puritan Devotional (in Print)

2009-07-13T18:29:00.004-08:00

Although its separate components, Charles Spurgeon's A Puritan Catechism, Robert McCheyne's Daily Bread, and the 1689 London Baptist Confession will remain available as free e-books on our SermonAudio site, A Puritan Family Devotional is now available as a paperback book. CLICK HERE or on the book cover above to purchase the 84-page book for only $7.77 from CreateSpace.com. For more information, you can also check out A Puritan Family Devotional weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Christian Behavior (in Print)

2009-05-27T15:51:00.004-08:00

John Bunyan's classic, Christian Behavior, has been updated in modern English and, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 98-page book is available for only $7.77 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Christian Behavior weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Essential Spurgeon (in Print)

2009-05-19T15:25:00.008-08:00

Essential Spurgeon for Today’s Reformed Pastor, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 232-page book is available for only $12.95 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover on the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Essential Spurgeon weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Casting Pearls Before Swine

2009-01-08T09:07:00.004-09:00

Here's an excellent sermon from Evangelist Rolfe Barnard (1904-1969). Possibly my favorite from this anointed grace preacher. It is our latest recommended pick on SermonAudio.

You can listen to the sermon, "Casting Pearls Before Swine" by clicking on the right arrow in the embedded SermonAudio flashplayer below; or you can CLICK HERE to go to the SermonAudio webpage to download the sermon for later listening.

A Happy Marriage

2009-01-04T13:03:00.003-09:00

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:22-25).

This excellent message by Henry Mahan, entitled "A Happy Marriage," is our latest recommended pick. From the televsion broadcasts Brother Henry aired years ago, you can view the video message through the embedded player right here on this page by clicking on the green arrow below; or you can go the the SermonAudio page by CLICKING HERE for this message and download the audio or video for viewing and listening later.

The Fullness of Israel

2009-01-02T10:30:00.006-09:00

Doug VanderMuelen, pastor of Community Baptist Church of Fargo in North Dakota, excellently exegetes the text from Romans 11:11-15 to provide the body of Christ an outstanding perspective of what our christianity should be, as well as the kind of perspective we ought to have concerning the church particularly.

You can listen to the sermon, "The Fullness of Israel" by clicking on the right arrow in the embedded SermonAudio flashplayer below; or you can CLICK HERE to go to the SermonAudio webpage to download the sermon for later listening. This sermon is our latest recommended pick.

The Preacher

2008-12-20T21:55:00.008-09:00

Here's an excellent sermon from Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986). Click on the right arrow on the SermonAudio flashplayer below. The message, entitled "The Preacher," is only 19 minutes long.

A Song from Our Sister Dwayna

2008-12-08T17:44:00.004-09:00

Our beloved sister in the Lord, Dwayna Litz, wrote and recorded an absolutely beautiful song offering for our Lord. It's titled "My Prize" from Jeremiah 39:18. You can read her posting here, and listen to the song here.

Sister Dwayna is the founder and director of Lighting the Way Worldwide.

Why Did Christ Have to Be God?

2008-12-08T14:29:00.003-09:00

Dr. Alan Cairns, Pastor Emeritus of Faith Free Presebyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and teacher on Let the Bible Speak Radio, answers questions in a straight forward conversational format in this brief video:

Why Did Christ Have to Be a Man?

2008-12-08T14:26:00.002-09:00

Dr. Alan Cairns, Pastor Emeritus of Faith Free Presebyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and teacher on Let the Bible Speak Radio, answers questions in a straight forward conversational format in this brief video:

What is the Gospel?

2008-12-08T14:19:00.004-09:00

ECC at Scammon Bay

2008-12-04T12:49:00.003-09:00

This video was done recently by the Evangelical Covenant Church in conjunction with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. Produced after my family and I left, this particular YouTube clip presents Scammon Bay, Alaska. We pray that this is a helpful blessing to those who have partnered with us on our mission.

Dr. James White on John 3:16

2008-12-03T19:23:00.001-09:00

On Purity

2008-11-22T16:57:00.003-09:00

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3).

We are bombarded all the time with evil and wickedness because we live in an unregenerate world; we are surrounded by the depravity of the human condition that exists without God. It’s in the workplace. It’s in the stores we shop in. It’s in the parking lots before we even get to the stores. It’s in our very neighborhoods. It’s everywhere; we can’t help that.

Often, the images of the things we see and the sounds of the things we hear stay with us for quite a long time. So when we see something of the depraved condition of mankind, or hear of its corruption, it can affect us.

The salvation that Christ has purchased does not only save us from future judgment and give us the promise of being eternally with Him in the sweet by and by; it also strengthens our characters through sanctification as we experience real eternal life daily though we live in the midst of the corruption of a dying world. This is one of the reasons why the sovereign Lord left us on the planet until He come again. Death is around us, yet His life doth abound in us.

It is one thing to be in the world and not of the world, yet, quite another to run after its wickedness. “Wait a minute,” someone objects, “what wickedness do I run after?” One of the worst evils that we run after in 20th and 21st century America is entertainment in general, and with movies, sports, and television in particular.

“Now you’ve gone too far, Cardwell” another objects, “not all the things we see in them are evil and wicked.” Agreed; when we compare them to themselves they may not be that wicked or evil, and with that regard, your objection is correct; nevertheless, I ask you to take them to the Cross of Jesus Christ in the light of His precious Word and then tell me that they are not vile, evil, and altogether wicked. When we compare entertainment with entertainment and evaluate it within its own category, we are really doing so in order to justify our own indulgences in them.

Please keep in mind that I’m not saying that the medium is evil; that is, the technology that is used to convey the entertainment: cameras, projectors, film, tapes, recorders, TV sets, and etceteras (the rationale used to say these things are evil would imply that books are an evil medium as well). The medium to convey information, even truth, is neutral, neither good nor bad. There are some good, virtuous, and glorious media produced through these mediums today. Personally, I have been and continue to be blessed with audio recordings of Alexander Scourby’s narration of the Bible. In fact, I understand that there is a DVD available that allows you to read the Scriptures on the television while Mr. Scourby reads the blessed Word. Praise God! for when my hands can no longer turn the pages of my precious Volume, I will still have a way with which to read and hear God’s awesome revelation.

“Christianity” has synthesized so much of the world in the name of “cultural relevance” that we, as sincere Bible-believing Christians, almost have no choice but to justify the entertainment media, because to do so would condemn us as hypocrites through the millions of dollars we have spent to produce Christian entertainment in movies such as the Left Behind series, The Chronicles of Narnia, or even movies based upon historical figures like William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace or Corrie ten Boom in The Hiding Place. I know, I know; I can already hear the arguments, even the outrage, that I have desecrated the sacred cow of movies that not only “have so much of God’s truth in them for the edification of the saints, they are also great tools for evangelizing the unchurched and the unsaved.” I hope that I might still maintain my disagreement with the “good view” of Christian entertainment in the spirit of meekness and humility by saying that those things are still only mere entertainment for the saints and misleading error for the unsaved (and I have combined the unchurched with the unsaved because someone who doesn’t love Christ’s church, no matter what her faults, hates her Husband, Jesus Christ).

[I must insert this parenthetical note: I understand that because what I’ve just said may take someone quite off guard so I ask that if it has taken you off guard or offended you, please read the rest of the article carefully before rushing to judgment on the entire piece. I ask this, not for my sake; I care not that I be thought as vile and offensive— apart from Christ, I am nothing but a vile offense; but I ask, for your sake, dear reader. Please, read the entire treatise and consider it thoughtfully with a perspective of the Cross of Jesus Christ according to God’s holy Word.]

Also, I must quickly interject here that there are anointed men of God, men that I recognize as servants of the Most High, who seem to me, to be far more holy than I could ever think to aspire to be, yet, they watch an occasional Hollywood theatrical release, one that has a reasonable “rating” from the MPAA and a story that is uplifting and seemingly edifying. Why would that be? I would suggest that the grace of God so overflows from His throne, so lavish at Calvary’s tree, so mercifully pouring forth from the blood of His wounded side, that God’s love covers a multitude of sins. Let me put it this way…

When we come before the Cross of Jesus Christ and its truth as revealed in God’s awesome Word, even the best of our prayers and our most sincere devotions and worship fall short, and in fact, are utterly sinful, compared to the pure glories, the infinite majesties and eternal splendors found in the love, grace, and mercy of God displayed in the Trinity during the crucifixion of Christ. How, then, could we possibly glorify a movie or television program as something better than our prayerful meditations in God’s Word when that form of entertainment only has a small portion of God’s truth or principle at best, and is merely only the director’s interpretation of it. And if the writer and director in Hollywood are unsaved, are we supposed to believe that he or she is a false and greedy prophet like Balaam, going forth in a trance like Balaam to prophecy good tidings and God’s blessings upon God’s people?

And as I mentioned earlier, the medium of film, video, audio, &etc. is not wicked in and of itself. It is only the technology of communication that we have progressed into in these last days. Yet, are we now slaves to that technology that we cannot communicate without it? Here’s an example of what I mean…

I received an email recently for a petition that was circulating to receive one million signatures in order to express a multitudinous concern with regard to Christian ministry broadcasted on American airwaves. It appears that a petition with 287,000 signatures, only 1 percent of the U.S. population, is being brought before the federal government so that religious broadcasting would be removed from the American airwaves. Now, frankly, I have been quite blessed by some of the anointed teachings from ministers I have heard on the radio or seen on a video, either videotape or digital disc. I, myself, have also been on the radio frequently in Alaska, and have even been told by others what a blessing it has been to them. Therefore, in one sense, I would like to see the freedoms we have in America, particularly the religious freedoms purchased by the lives, blood and prayers of our founding fathers continue to flourish. Nonetheless, I believe that there’s an important spiritual perspective that we are truly missing when we don’t bring this before the Cross of Christ. Would it actually be that bad if religious broadcasting were removed? Perhaps, it may actually be a greater blessing than having it at all as it currently exists. Consider this:

1. Not only would the good ministers be removed from broadcasting, but also removed from the airwaves would be the false, injurious and altogether heterodox teachers and teachings that have been expressed lately in the name of Jesus.

2. Such removal may stimulate actual Biblical evangelism because now, instead of having our beloved pastor preaching on the radio to reach the masses, we, the body of Christ, would have to be mobilized to do that work in our communities. My, whatever did the Reformers, Puritans and Covenanters do before radio? or our apostolic and prophetic fathers two thousand years ago for that matter?

3. Think of the time our pastors and teachers would have in prayer and the study of God’s Word for the flocks under their care if they didn’t have to spend time on today’s technology in appearing on television, preaching on the radio, or teaching in videos for conferences and home Bible studies, &etc.

4. In fact, though this may actually be a part of point 3 above, by not broadcasting, the pastor may actually have more time for visitations, praying for and with the parishioners, and building up the man of the house to be the leader of his home by training him in the catechism and confession of faith so that that husband and father could be the head of his family for God’s glory.

5. Think of the time we might have in conversation with one another as the Lord’s people, speaking to one another as the oracles of God and making merry in our hearts with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, instead of turning on the radio to hear our favorite Christian broadcaster.

6. Think of the time we might have in praying with one another, and reading the Scriptures to one another, as a family in our homes, again, instead of turning on the radio to hear our favorite Christian broadcaster.

7. Think of all the other financial and material resources that could be saved for something like missionary support, Bibles for the people and translations in their native tongues, orphanages for the fatherless, homes for the widows indeed, mercy for the despairing, food for the hungry, help for the needy, healing for the infirmed, clothing for the destitute, and hey… how about this one: a salary for our pastors (and with that, I believe that you are all sophisticated enough to know that I’m speaking of pastors that take on one or more full or part-time jobs to feed their families so they can continue in the work God called them to do: minister to a local congregation).

8. By all means, keep religious broadcasting and support it prayerfully and financially; but if it is kept to the downfall, detriment, or dismissal of any of the points mentioned above, especially in those graces and mercies mentioned in point 7, then let our current Christian broadcasting be anathema, and may it perish in the most severe compartment of hell along with every vile and wicked sin of the ungodly world. In fact, if our Christianity is merely represented by the technology we use, though the Word that comes forth through the airwaves is blessed, the means to convey the truth is actually blasphemy because the truth becomes mere lip service: “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8); and again, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not” (Matthew 23:2-3).

The example above has exposed some important points that allow us to look at the overall area of entertainment with a good and godly perspective. If these points, and I believe that they are valid and very important for our consideration, apply to the outright preaching and teaching of God’s Word in using the technological mediums available to us, then these points mentioned above would most assuredly warrant the same consideration with regard to religious entertainment, i.e., Christian movies produced from fictitious literature, such as the Left Behind series; and Christian theatrical releases of a biographical or historical nature, like the movies Amazing Grace and The Hiding Place.

Through Christian entertainment we have spent a great deal of money for a marginal result. If we would rather watch a movie about the church of Christ than be the church of Christ then there is really something wrong with what we are doing and it is time that we stop, bring it before the Cross of Grace, and seek its correction, instruction, and training in righteousness through God’s holy Word.

After looking at this subject from the perspective of Christian radio preaching and Christian movies and television, we might think that to discuss the secular world’s influence upon us through the entertainment media would be unnecessary. Yet, I sense that as I write, if I don’t reiterate these same truths about Hollywood’s contribution in polluting our purity, someone may say, “Well, you never said anything about renting at Blockbuster or subscribing to Showtime!”

With regard to Hollywood entertainment, both theatrical and television, let us ask ourselves the following questions and consider the following points:

1. Does the movie or television program you intend to watch come from the world or come from God? from darkness or light? If it comes from darkness, then it is a given, we should have no part of it, and in fact, are commanded to rebuke the unfruitful works of darkness: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11).

2. Does the movie or television program you intend to watch glorify God in its entirety or are there some scenes, segments or portions that glorify Satan, evil, wicked works, sinful man, or the unbelieving world? If so, we are commanded not to set it in front of us: “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3). Justifying the good parts over the wicked parts in a play, show, movie, or program turns us aside from the glory of God and causes their works to cling to us, and us to them.

3. Does that movie or television program you intend to watch take you or any members of your family away from delighting in daily prayer to God, worship of God, and reading and meditating upon God’s Word? It is written, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17); “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5:16); “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalms 1:2).

If a movie or television writer, director, and producer are unsaved, their interpretation of even a good thing is from a dead, unredeemed, unregenerate, reprobate heart and spirit. Therefore, why would we go to them for spiritual truth? Simply, we wouldn’t because it’s not appropriate. It’s not fitting. The disciples didn’t fast while Jesus was with them. A lawyer, as educated as he is, is not the best choice for having a medical exam; and we certainly wouldn’t have our physician defend us in civil court. “No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old” (Luke 5:36).

In fact, the scholarly divines who framed the Westminster Confession of Faith and those saintly men who penned the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 would have considered the casual viewing of a Hollywood movie or television program equal to breaking the seventh commandment of God, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). That’s right. The Westminster shorter catechism states that the things forbidden by this commandment are “all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions” (Answer 71; with Scripture proofs from Matthew 5:28; Ephesians 5:3-4).

So, as Francis Schaeffer puts it, “How should we then live?”

Personal purity comes from a determination not to willingly set those vile, evil and wicked things before us. When we do not “walk circumspectly” (Ephesians 5:15), we willingly and, or, unwittingly place ourselves in the very situations that do not bring glory to God, and will furthermore, bring less glory to Him if left uncorrected because it retards our spiritual maturity, our growth in faith.

Remember that determination does not come from the innate strength within us, but from His supernatural power from above: “for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

The more we surrender to God by the reality of Christ’s Redemption Truth, the more we will desire to set the good and pure things before our eyes, meditate upon the true and pure things in our thoughts, and listen for and hear the holy and pure things with our faith.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalms 12:6).

The purity of God’s pure word purifies our minds; then with pure minds, subjects our wills; then with submissive wills, strengthens us to increasingly turn aside from the wicked things and increasingly embrace the honest, the just, the pure, the lovely, the virtuous, and the praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

The greatest distance that the truth must travel is not the eighteen inches from the head to the heart, but instead, the eighteen inches from the heart to the head. The reality of the regenerated life in Christ, a new creation with a new heart and new spirit, must now be realized by a renewed mind. The mind must now get in step with the new life wrought by the supernatural power of God by His sovereign grace; and that mind is renewed by the truth of God’s Word.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23).

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Now, although I mentioned sports as part of entertainment, and I concentrated mainly on movies and television, we’ll just have to leave that as a topic for another time. Let us, go with and grow with that which the Lord has given us here, and press toward the mark of our high calling in Jesus Christ by renewing our minds with His blessed Word, and taking every thought captive unto the obedience of Jesus Christ.

The Simple Gospel

2008-11-21T12:45:00.007-09:00

Having only twenty minutes at a Christian School's chapel service is not a lot of time to preach the infinite truths of the gospel.

After having been invited to share the gospel at the Moreno Valley Christian School in Moreno Valley, California, I was upon my knees much to seek the Lord in what to say, what text to preach from, and how I can possibly speak of His eternal Sacrifice of infinite worth in 20 minutes. Finally, after praying that the hearts of souls would be plowed to receive the Word by the preaching of Christ and Him crucified the Lord ministered to me to whittle down my typical 50 minute presentation to 20 minutes. I continue to pray that the Word that went forth continue to work by God's sovereign grace and for His glory alone.

The whole title of this message is: "The Gospel: As Simply As I Can Declare It"

Click on the arrow below to hear the message...

Vayahiy Devotionals on the Web

2008-10-18T07:08:00.004-08:00

I've been writing devotionals for my own personal growth, and later, as a pastor, for the spiritual growth of my family (although I should have been doing this as the husband and father of my family all along).

At any rate, I began posting my devotions on SermonAudio... and most recently here, Vayahiy... Devotional (http://vayahiydevotional.blogspot.com/).

Quyaciu Angayuqaq ("Praise Ye the Lord" in Yup'ik)

2008-10-15T11:46:00.002-08:00

In Other Words...

2008-08-13T15:20:00.003-08:00

I wish that I had written it this way in the article I just posted; yet even this expression falls short of the glory our holy God deserves...

Our purest and most reverent worship of God, even in glorified bodies in that Day, is only given by God’s grace because, apart from God’s grace that comes by Jesus Christ, no glory, honor, or praise given to the holy God will ever be as glorious as what He most richly and worthily deserves.

A Salient Comment Concerning Worship

2008-08-13T13:20:00.004-08:00

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:1-3).

These days there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding worship within the services of our local congregations. Typically, when someone mentions worship, many of our minds are immediately transported to the portion of corporate worship that consists of lifting up a united voice in praise, thanksgiving, and honor unto God. Yet, even with that thought, most of us do recognize that every other aspect of ministry, whether public or private, is also worship unto the Lord, be it prayer, the reading, preaching, and teaching of the Word, the fellowship of saints, provoking one another to love and good works, the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Table, and etceteras.

I believe that there is an aspect of worship, perhaps the most important aspect of worship in Scripture, which is often overlooked. I hope that I may convey this truth properly and reverently, so as not to be misunderstood. It is the truth concerning God's holiness.

The Holiness of God

After God parted the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh's mighty army, Moses sang a song that expressed the God's holiness:

"Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Exodus 15:11).

In His holiness, God is so gloriously above all His creation that nothing can compare with Him. God is incomparable in His glory and superlative in His excellence. Through the prophet Isaiah, God asks us to ponder that truth:

"To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? …To whom then will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One" (Isaiah 40:18, 25).

It is not only in who He is that is holy, but also in what He does:

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).

In Worshipping a Holy God

Have you ever considered that God's holiness is so high above all that He has created the purest and most reverent of all of our worship toward the Lord is by His grace?

How corrupt the flesh is that wars against the truth of the Spirit that we cannot see that the Word of God also says…

"For all… come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

How dreadfully haughty and presumptuous we must be to think that as created beings we could be equal to God, or somehow match His glory in anything that we are, or anything that we think, say, or do, apart from the glorious Redemption found in Christ, and Him crucified.

Even when all of the redeemed saints have received glorified bodies, when "death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54) and when this corrupt mortal has put on incorruptible immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53), our purest worship will still fall short of the glory, honor, and praise God deserves as the holy Creator, holy Redeemer, holy Sustainer, holy Restorer, and etceteras. The work of God and the attributes of God on display at the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and promised return of Christ, according to all that are in the Scriptures, is so holy in its infinite and eternal glory, and so holy in its superlative excellencies, that for all of eternity, we could never possibly give to God the praise, honor, glory, and worship due His most worthy name.

God's grace by the shed blood of Jesus Christ through His Spirit not only grants us access to His eternal presence (Ephesians 2:18), but that same grace also grants the believer access to worship Him with joy:

"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).

This is the wonder and glory and beauty of Christ Jesus.

"Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever" (Psalm 73:25-26).

Oh, the great joy that comes with the revelation that Christ Jesus is my desire; that I get to worship Him now; that I get to worship Him for all eternity because of His infinite glory; and because His glory is infinite, my worship will be eternal, and it must be eternal, because although I am an eternal creature in Christ Jesus, I can never be infinite, and therefore, must worship and will worship His infinite glory eternally.

Let us, therefore, approach our worship of Him now in holiness and godly fear, though often frail and failing because of the corruptions of the flesh. Yet, even if we fail, falter, or have been unfaithful in our worship, let us confess unto repentance and rejoice because the same grace given to forgive us those sins has received our scant worship as worthy, as it is written, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20).

Therefore,

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker" (Psalm 95:6).

The Excellence of the Cross of Christ

2008-08-03T14:46:00.007-08:00

One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from the fifth chapter of a little 19th Century classic entitled, All of Grace:
“The law of God was more vindicated by the death of Christ than it would have been had all transgressors been sent to Hell. For the Son of God to suffer for sin was a more glorious establishment of the government of God, than for the whole race to suffer.”

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON
“Just and the Justifier”

It Was Providence

2008-05-15T12:38:00.002-08:00

About 2 weeks ago, I wrote an article for the "Chilling News," the Newsletter/Magazine for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. The article may not appear in its entirety until sometime this summer because the newsletter is distributed every two months. So, I decided that I'd take the article that I written for them and post it to one of may latest sermons as an itinerant preacher. Below is the article I wrote:

IT WAS PROVIDENCE

Lisa and I just received a phone call this morning from our dear friends in Scammon Bay, John and Carolyn Uttereyuk. It was wonderful to hear from them as I was just thinking about Scammon Bay (actually, a day doesn't go by when I don't think about Scammon Bay, at least two or ten times); and I even had to wipe away a few tears about an hour before they called because I was really missing everyone in Scammon Bay.

I'm so tremendously blessed that they called as it has given me this opportunity to write a follow up to Rodney Sawyer's Chilling News article informing all that I was sick and had to leave Alaska... and writing this article will also allow me to say thank you to all of you who have prayed for my family and I, as well as for my beloved Yup'ik brethren and sisters in Scammon Bay. We are so grateful for your loving support and unreserved generosity throughout our 28 months of ministry in Scammon Bay and our transition out of the Alaskan bush in the last weeks of January 2008.

We flew out of Scammon Bay on January 16, 2008 and out of Alaska on January 23rd with many of the same symptoms that had been coming to me on and off since about March 2006: extreme fatigue and occasional cramping in my hands and feet; muscle weakness, especially on my left side; muscle twitching; occasional loss of dexterity and coordination. Since ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease) was suspected, we went through some extensive testing with the top ALS specialist at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Because my electromyogram (EMG) did not yet show any abnormalities (which it should if I have ALS), there can be no official diagnosis without the EMG corroboration. The neurological team also eliminated every other possible cause of my symptoms and because my symptoms are real, albeit intermittent (causing me to even occasionally fail certain neurological tests), the prognosis is that I may have a rare form of ALS that has a slow onset and a slow deterioration rate. In six months, a year, or even five years from now, the disorder may show up on the EMG. What that means is that I'll be around for a while, unless a truck or something hits me.

Where does that leave us? With certain medications prescribed to me, I can still function in a ministry capacity; and even return to bush Alaska, if that's what the Lord wills for us. I still have a heart for ministry within the local church, so we're praying about whether the Lord will open up the pastoral ministry for us again. And because God has placed within our hearts to see the local church exalt Christ by growing in His Word and in the knowledge of God's grace and His work on Calvary's Tree, I've been blessed with opportunities to preach as an itinerant minister. So with that, we will be reworking our websites (www.vayahiy.com and www.sermonaudio.com/vayahiy) to provide contact information for any church or gathering of believers interested in inviting us to preach Christ and Him crucified... or speak about what God is doing in bush Alaska.

When we were leaving Scammon Bay, we knew that God had been growing the congregation to minister as a fully functioning body of believers. We knew that God had identified certain leaders within His church. We knew that John Uttereyuk had as solid a foundation in God's Word as anyone in Alaska, and was gifted by the Lord to express His truth without compromise. Yet, we also realized that the sun didn't rise and set with the Cardwell's. God had been doing His work in that village for years, through many of His servants, whether home grown in Scammon Bay, like David and Irene Kaganak, or called from elsewhere like some of our predecessors, such as Pastor Harvey Fiskeaux and Pastor Wassilie Mute. We were just blessed to be a part of what God was doing.

So when John and Carolyn Uttereyuk called this morning and told us of what God continued to do in Scammon Bay; how the choir has grown again and ministers to other villages; how members of the local body just step up and fill in whenever there is a need; how the centrality and importance of the Cross continues to be preached; how the exhortation that Jesus Christ is EVERYTHING and not just something is the very real truth of Biblical Christianity in Scammon Bay Covenant Church, and etc. The news of those things brought tears of joy to Lisa and I. Those are the things that are truly reminiscent of the acts of the Holy Spirit in the first century church!

....And that John and Carolyn called us on the phone because they were thinking about us; that they wanted to tell us that they love us and miss us; that they wanted to tell us that they are still so thankful to the Lord that He sent Lisa, Rachel, and I to Scammon Bay just to be with them, to love them, to encourage them with the truth of God's Word; that they wanted to let us know that we are still as much a part of Scammon Bay, and as much a part of their hearts as when we were there with them. O, how God shares His love for us through one another; and how precious was His love manifested through John and Carolyn's call!

In Anne of Green Gables, as they watched the train roll away with their beloved Anne Shirley heading off to college, Matthew Cuthbert said to his sister Marilla, "Miss Spencer made a lucky mistake, I guess," referring to their being sent Anne from the orphanage instead of the boy they had requested. Without batting an eye, and trying so hard not to cry, Marilla replied, "It wasn't luck, it was providence.... He knew we needed her."

Unlike Marilla, I can't fight back my tears. So with trembling hands, whether from the Holy Spirit or from my ALS I know not, I type this with as much joy and love as when I expressed this three months ago... "God's sending us to the people of Scammon Bay was His good providence. He knew that we needed them."

New Web Articles Change

2008-04-17T11:54:00.002-08:00

This Blogger Page, http://vayahiy.blogspot.com, used to be our weekly devotional page. In streamlining our web presence, we are making this Blog site our primary page for articles, features, commentaries, and etceteras.

Because many of our past articles at http://thewordunbroken.blogspot.com are linked to Christian Research Network, we are leaving them as originally posted on that blogsite.

Our newsletters will continue to be posted at http://vayahiynews.blogspot.com.

Our sermons and expository teaching and preaching will continue to be available at http://www.sermonaudio.com/vayahiy

Thank you,

jon & lisa cardwell