January 4, 2022

All Things Will Not Continue As They Are

There are two potential mistakes that can be made when we view every day based on the present. First, we can mistakenly think that the present is the key to understanding the past. This error leads to the erroneous philosophy of uniformitarianism, which denies God’s catastrophic judgment of the world through the worldwide flood. The uniformitarianist thinks every day in the past was just like today as they proclaim, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4b).

Those who hold to uniformitarianism are also guilty of the second mistake, that the present is the key to understanding the future – “All things continue as they were.” But sometimes even believers can be guilty of buying into that philosophy when we live as if all things continue as they are. Consider the following truths from the Scriptures that teach us not only that all things will not continue as they are, but these future events ought to impact our lives today:

First, things will not continue as they are for us personally. There is coming a day when we will depart from this earth. We don’t know when, but the Scriptures clearly teach that our lives are “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14b). Only the Lord knows the number of our days and therefore we ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15). Furthermore the Scriptures tell us that “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”(Hebrews 9:27). All things will not continue as they are for us personally! Are you ready to stand before the Lord? I’m thankful that the Scriptures not only tell us what to be prepared for in the future, but also how to be prepared. The Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:15). The only way to be prepared for the judgment is to believe on Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose victoriously from the dead. Salvation from judgment is found by faith alone in Christ alone! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will be prepared for that coming day!

Second, things will not continue as they are for the church of Jesus Christ. There is coming a day when the trumpet will sound and Jesus Christ will come and receive His bride to Himself (John 14:1-3). There is coming a day when those who are dead in Christ will rise and those in Christ who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess. 4:13-18). That coming day will be completely different than any other day in human history! Believers ought to live in anticipation of this future day known as the rapture. We don’t know the day or the hour, but we do know that He will come again. All things will not continue as they are! Again this truth has ramifications for our lives today: “But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him (Christ) purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2b-3).

Finally, things will not continue as they are for the nations of this world. After the church of Jesus Christ is caught up to be with the Lord, the nations of the world will be deceived (Rev. 18:23). They will form a one-world government under the control of the anti-Christ, not allowing people to buy or sell unless they worship the anti-Christ and receive his mark (Rev. 13). The nations will say, “Peace and safety,” yet sudden destruction will come upon them (1 Thess. 5:3). They will experience the day of the Lord’s wrath and judgment which will culminate in the Great Tribulation. All things will certainly not continue as they are, as Jesus speaks concerning this future day with these words, “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). This future judgment of the nations ought to cause all unbelievers to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! It ought to cause every believer to warn people to flee from the wrath to come! All things will not continue as they are! This could be the year!

August 3, 2021

The Seventeenth Day of the Second Month

If you made a list of the most important dates in the history of the world, what dates would be included on that list? One date that should make everyone’s list is the seventeenth day of the second month of the 1,656th year from the creation of the world. The significant events of that day are recorded in God’s history book in Genesis 7:11-16. Genesis 1-9 gives us the history of the first 1,657 years of this earth. Obviously, in nine chapters, we do not have a detailed account of every day. Many days were ordinary or routine, but there were several days that God wanted us to remember as important days. In Genesis 1, we have a description of the various days of creation week. Genesis 2 provides some specific details about the sixth day of Creation week. Genesis 3 marks a very significant historical event, as mankind sinned for the very first time. Genesis 4-5 outlines for us approximately 1,500 years worth of history. But then God writes four chapters to draw our attention to a significant historical event, the worldwide flood, which began on the seventeenth day of the second month of the 1,656th year of the history of the world. This event made God’s list of the most important dates in the history of the world and it ought to be on our list.

Genesis 7:11 describes what happened on the seventeenth day of the second month of the 1,656th year of the history of the world: “All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” The two verbs, “were broken up” and “were opened” are in the passive or reflexive voice, which means the subjects of the sentence weren’t doing the action. Rather the subjects were being acted upon! This was not just a natural disaster, but rather God caused all the fountains of the deep to burst open and the LORD God caused the windows of heaven to be opened. In Genesis 7:4, the LORD spoke to Noah and said, “I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights.” This day is significant because it teaches us that our Creator God is involved in the affairs of this world. Psalm 29:10 declares that this day shows that the LORD reigns over the earth, serving as a historical reminder that the LORD as King, has and will righteously judge the wickedness of mankind.

Now it is important for us to consider the catastrophic and worldwide ramifications of the events of this day. During the last few weeks in Western New York, we have had several rounds of rain. One weather report warned that an inch of rain could cause flooding in light of the saturated ground. The seventeenth day of the second month of the 1,656th year of the history of the world marked the beginning of 40 days and 40 nights of heavy rain! Imagine the flooding from that much rain. But that day also marked the day that God caused all the fountains of the deep to burst open. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and destructive geysers began to take place all over the world. And these events continued for 40 days so that “all the mountains were covered”(Genesis 7:20) and He destroyed all living things from the earth” (Genesis 7:23).

Today, approximately 5,000 years later, evidence remains all over this world in the fossil records of death and destruction that began on the seventeenth day of the second month of the 1656th year of the history of this world. Every major mountain range includes marine fossils. Some have been found nearly 15,000 feet above sea level. Yet with the overwhelming evidence of the fossil record, some deny or doubt the historic events of that day (2 Peter 3:1-7). What they really reject is the truth that the LORD is the righteous King over all the earth and there is coming another day in history when He will destroy the earth again because of the wickedness of mankind (2 Peter 3:10).

“On that very same day Noah . . . entered the ark . . . and the LORD shut him in.” (Genesis 7:13-16) This important day in history not only teaches that the LORD will judge this world again, but also that the LORD is a merciful King who will save all those that put their faith in His gracious provision of salvation (2 Peter 3:8-9). God, in His goodness, wants His creation to know this important day in history, so that we don’t make the same mistake of history and perish in the judgment to come.

September 2, 2020

Proverbs to Ponder in light of Protests and Politics

I know what you might be thinking, “Pastor, we are not suppose to talk about politics.” But the reality is the Scriptures talk a great deal about politics. There is even an entire book in the Bible written by a king to prepare his sons to govern a nation; the book of Proverbs. Certainly, Proverbs is written so that every person can gain wisdom from God, but the specific context of the book is King Solomon training his sons to be the future rulers of Israel.
With the context for Proverbs in mind, it is important to consider the origin of the word “politics.” Consider the following two Greek words: “polis” meaning “city” and “politicos” meaning “a citizen.” By definition, every citizen of a city, state or country is a political being. There is much talk about “police” today and you can notice that there is similarity between “police” and “polis.” Police refers to the government department designed to keep the city or state safe. Every law abiding citizen is thankful for the police departments that protect citizens from evil. So if you are a citizen of a country, then you by definition are involved in politics! One value of Proverbs is it gives us wisdom to be wise citizens of a country.

The starting point for every biblical political foundation is God. Notice how Proverbs begins in Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Sadly, not all political philosophies begin with or acknowledge the Lord. Some, like Marxism, blatantly reject and deny God. The founder of the Black Lives Matter movement claimed to be a “trained Marxist” in 2015 and the BLM’s website supports anti-God philosophies like “the disruption of the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure” and other areas of how citizens should behave. As this movement and other movements sweep across our country, it should not surprise us that the words “under God” are being left out of the pledge to our flag and that we have witnessed rioters burning Bibles in American streets. As believers in Christ, it is important for us to remember that our citizenship is ultimately in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and we have been given the greatest message, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to share with those who don’t know the Lord.

With the foundation for the wise politics being the Lord, Proverbs continues with many descriptions of what is just, right, and wise and what is unjust, wicked, and foolish. When a Proverb is repeated, it is meant to grab our attention. Ponder that as you read these two Proverbs: “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked” Proverbs 10:6. “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked” Proverbs 10:11. In the next chapter, we read further about the mouth of the wicked, “It (the city) is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked” (Proverbs 11:11). It is sad to see violence rise in American cities. Without righteousness, there will be no safety and cities and countries will be overthrown. Looting, rioting, burning buildings, attacking people and police is wicked and it is not good for any country. However, just like in Solomon’s day, there are unrighteous and unjust people who are demanding a “new” America. They want to overthrow the city!

In contrast to the mouth of the wicked which is covered with violence, the righteous ruler is to open his mouth and judge righteously. “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” Proverbs 31:8-9. The largest group of “speechless” individuals in the United States is the unborn. In Solomon’s day, the nations that didn’t know the Lord sacrificed their children to their false gods. Recent reports from the CDC indicate that abortions are the leading cause of death in the United States with over 623,000 “reported legal” abortions in 2016. Furthermore, the wise ruler is to open his mouth and “judge righteously.” True justice is when righteous laws are correctly applied without bias or prejudice to every citizen of the land. May the Lord allow us to ponder these Proverbs and be good citizens as we represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ here on this earth.

May 2, 2020

What Needs to be Saved?

There are many things that we as Americans are currently concerned about saving. Save lives, save the economy, save our liberties, save jobs, and save the sports season are just some of the many things we want to save. And in this time of crisis, many people out of fear are asking the question, what must I do to save my life from COVID-19?

In Acts 16:30, a prison guard asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?”  This guard was in a state of panic. He had just woken from sleep and he saw the prison doors open, and he thought that all the prisoners had fled. In those days, if a prisoner escaped, the penalty for the prison guard would be his life.  The panic this man was in caused him to draw his own sword, and he was about to kill himself.  And that is the context for the man’s question to the Apostle Paul, one of the prisoners. The guard, in fear and panic, is thinking he is going to lose his life.  Trembling, he falls down before Paul and Silas and asks them the question, “what must I do to be saved?”

It is interesting to hear how Paul and Silas responded.  They did not address the man’s primary concern about being executed for losing a prisoner, but rather they addressed this man’s greatest need of salvation.  This guard wanted his physical life spared, and that is a good desire. It is a good desire to be pro-life and to see lives spared. There is nothing wrong with desires to save jobs and the economy and other noble things. But what would happen if we saved everything, but lost our own souls?  Paul and Silas responded to this man by telling him how his soul could be saved; “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28).  Today, we recognize that viruses can kill. But the Lord says that is not something we should fear. The prison guard was fearful of being put to death, but Paul and Silas told him how his eternal soul could be saved. Job loss, economic loss, liberties lost and even death itself cannot touch the soul that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. Why Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again, and there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus himself said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26. The good news for the prison guard is he did believe and his eternal soul was saved.

Our neighbors and our fellow-citizens are conversing about “what needs to be saved?” May the Lord give us the love and boldness to speak about what really needs to be saved.  Here is a link to a fitting resource during this time that might help you in sharing the message of eternal salvation!

March 20, 2020

A message from our church leaders

As worshippers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one of the highlights of our week is to gather together with our church family to worship our great God. The corporate gatherings of believers for prayer and worship are glorious privileges for each one of us. One of the things the Lord has been teaching us through 1 Thessalonians is that we are to put on the breastplate of faith and love (1 Thessalonians 5:8). One of the prayers is that the Lord would make our love increase and abound toward one another and toward all (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

Our President has issued guidelines for all of us to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people for at least the next 15 days. This guideline and others were given to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. One of the ways that we can express love to all is to honor this guideline as a church family during this difficult and strenuous time as a nation. Therefore, we will not hold our regularly scheduled Sunday and Wednesday worship services until further notice. We will continue evaluate this very fluid situation and determine the next steps.

We also still want to increase and abound in love toward one another during this time. Thankfully, because of modern technology, we have some unique opportunities that will help us through this time. Pastor will continue the series of messages through both 1 Thessalonians and Revelation the next two weeks and the sermons, along with a song service, will be uploaded on our website by the respective Saturday evening.

Here are some practical ideas that will help us to keep growing as a church family during this time:

  1.  Pray! Every time you hear news or update concerning the virus, take time to pray for God’s mercy and that His Word will continue to go forth.
  2.  Worship! Although we will not be meeting together as a church, take time by yourself, with a few other individuals, or as a family to worship the Lord through the sermons and song services that can be found on our church website.
  3.  Evangelize! Since most things are closed down, many people have extra time on their hands. Consider reaching out to those who need Christ with a link to an online sermon from our church or another applicable resource.
  4.  Reach out! Make a phone call to at least one person from the church just to see how they are doing and to see if they need anything during this time. Maybe make a phone call to another church member on Wednesday night just to pray with them.
  5. Give! This can involve giving of our food supply or personal items to someone in need or giving of our offerings to the Lord so that His work in Hamburg and around the world can continue to go forth. Without our regularly meetings, giving to First Baptist Church of Hamburg can either be done online at fbchamburg.com/give or through a check in the mail.
  6.  Guard! Guard your mind by putting on for a helmet the hope of salvation! Keep waiting for Jesus Christ to come from heaven to deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:8-9). This will help us to run with patience (1 Thessalonians 1:3) during this time of missing our corporate gatherings for worship.
  7.  Anticipate! With great joy and anticipation, we long for the next time that the body of Christ in Hamburg will meet together. It might be here or it might be in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but either way, we know we will meet again!

Keep looking up,

Pastor Leary & the Deacons