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Posts Tagged with The Circuit Rider’s Library

From the Circuit Rider’s Library

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Today as I opened the treasure chest of sermons preached from the Circuit Rider (Clyde Thompson, my dad) this sermon titled “Threefold Temptation of the Church” based on 1 John 2:15-17 became an interest to me. It was a sweet moment to imagine him in his homemade suite jacket, his trademark facial hair of sideburns connected to the mustache, and glasses. It was August 30, 1981 in Rifle, Colorado.

It was 1981 in Rifle, Colorado, it was just before the massive oil shale bust of 1982 so the church house was probably full to capacity.  The Circuit Rider would preach with a few notes alongside of his Bible.

Here is the outline: (I think this could preach)

 

 

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Three fold Temptation of the Church: 1 John 2:15-17

He was tempted in all point as we are.
We are tempted as he was.

I. The Bread Business

  • Jesus’ first temptation – turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:1-4 a physical appetite)
    • Satan wanted Jesus to go into the bread business
      • A church tempted to go into hunger programs – poverty projects may become very occupied and forget that: Man shall not live by bread alone.
    • Hunger is a matter for the church to concern herself with – seven men were chosen in Acts to serve tables (food)
    • The temptation in this the competition of feeding bodies vs. feeding souls
    • “I am the bread of life
  • Some churches make institutional members by trying to take care of food, entertainment, social life, sports, etc…
    • More in producing social relief rather than producing Christians that live life by Biblical principles.
  • Soap – Soup – Socializing – Salvation
    • Salvation become a low priority soap – soup – shows – socializing take over.
    • If the prodigal son had been given soup and a bed he might not have returned home.
    • Jesus said “Don’t labor for the meat that perishes but of the meat that endures.
  • Our business- Proclaim the Gospel! Jesus Saves!

II. The Show Business

  • Jesus’ second temptation – Jump! (Matthew 4:1-4)
  • If the town crier announced “Jesus of Nazareth will leap from the Temple at 10:00 a.m. there might be a great crowd but there would be few converts.
  • Many think that the end justifies the means. If this is so, Satan would have had Jesus in show business
  • The church is to run a lifeboat not a showboat
  • The gospel is not meant for entertainment. It is not a 3 ring circus.
  • The Devil suggested that angels would assist in the act, but God ordered them to minister to Jesus after the temptations.
  • Angels are to help us when we resist the devil not when we obey the devil.
    • Jesus…
      • walked on water
      • fed the multitude
      • raised the dead
      • healed the sick
      • made blind to see
      • made cripple to walk
      • cast out demons
      • healed the leper
      • turned water into wine
    • not for show… not because the Devil suggested it… To glorify the Father, to do the work of the Father.
    • Pentecost had no publicity… but had the power of God!
    • Jesus didn’t send the Demoniac to publicize… he told him to go home and witness.
    • At the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus asked the disciples to wait until the resurrection to tell what happened.
  • Christ was “low-key”

III. The political Business (Matthew 4:8-11)

  • All the kingdoms of the world. “It’s Yours”.
    • Was it his to give? (temporarily) God owned it – Satan possessed it.
  • Christianity should get into everything, including politics… but… politics should not get into the church.
  • The peace that passes all understanding… not the peace that passes legislation… through Jesus Christ!
  • John saw a vision of God on the throne with the scroll on which was written the “secret destiny and meaning of history.
    • He saw the lamb slain
    • We are redeemed by the blood.
  • The church does not survive by playing politics or by power plays… the church survives because of the blood of the slain lamb.
    • In the first days of the church, Christians got into trouble… but because they were praying, they would recall God’s words (Psalm 2).
      • BOLDNESS:
        • 3 times in Acts 4, boldness of these Christians was..
          1. seen by the world (Acts 4:13)
          2. Sought by the Churches (Acts 4:29)
          3. Supplied by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31)
      • Today, few are shaken by what Christians believe
      • Because many churches are on shaky ground

Church, Beware of the…

  • Bread Business
  • Show Business
  • Political Business

Jesus did not change the power structure of His day.

Pentecost did not convert Jerusalem.

The world needs to see what a church is like when it is a church.

Church, meet the devil the way Jesus did

  • “It is written…”

 

Vance Havner…

“If Jesus could defeat Satan with these 3 statements, we ought to be able to defeat him with the whole Bible.”

photo courtesy of Terrell O’Brian

 

 

Religious Freedom

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From the Circuit Rider’s Library

Sermon Title: Religious Freedom
Sermon Text: Matthew 22:15-22

This sermon was preached on July 4, 1976 in Rifle, Colorado at the Rifle Southern Baptist Chapel. It was the bicentennial of the nation. There was unrest in the nation and unrest in the church across the nation regarding the inerrancy of Scripture. Following are from his hand written notes from his Lord’s Day sermon, July 4, 1976.

I was 9 and 1/2 years old.

The Circuit Rider took to the pulpit reading a portion of the U.S. Bill of Rights, Amendment #1 followed by reading from the Baptist Faith and Message Sec. 17.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Bill of Rights, Amendment #1)

“God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has Left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.” (Baptist Faith and Message, Section 17)

Two great liberties that have challenged the devotion, love, loyalty of freedom loving people:

  1. Political Liberty
  2. Soul or Religious Liberty

they go together

No genuine religious liberty without political liberty – no political liberty without religious freedom.

Desire for freedom has been the battle cry of men through the years…

  • Magna Cart grew out of oppressive circumstances
  • Reformation…
  • American Revolution…
  • Racial unrest…

“We want freedom! We want freedom!”

  1. the Battle for Freedom
    the Battle for religious freedom played a [primary] role in the colonization of the United States.
    the idea of religious liberty is not just a Baptist idea
    -it is a God given right!Church and state united in 325 under Constantine and not separated until —
    * 1663 in Providence colony by a Baptist, Roger Williams
    * in 1786 Virginia adopted a similar law
    * in 1791 it was incorporated into the Bill of RightsThere are those in the world today who would destroy “this silly protestant idea.”
    illustration: Herbert Hoover told a story after a dinner at a certain home concerning a priceless heirloom, a family treasured it very much, a vase handed down for many generations…
    Little Girl – “Mother, you know that wonderful, beautiful vase that has been given to us, handed down from generation to generation?” the mother thought sh had finally realized it’s value… “Yes, I do!” “This generation just dropped it!”We stand in danger of dropping freedoms handed down to us.
  2. What is Religious Freedom?
    the average American understands freedom to mean “unrestrained”. Every individual must be left free under God to perform his duties and responsibilities according to the dictates of their own conscience.”We must obey God rather than men.”Bound only by the word of God.

    Martin Luther brought before the council and was asked to recant:
    “Every conscience is bound to the word of God. Unless convinced of error by clear argument of reason, I will not [recant], I cannot recant. Here I stand, I can do no other. God Help me!

    Three attitudes toward religious liberty: 1. Destroy it. 2. Stamp it out. 3 Tolerate it.

    No other country on earth enjoys the freedoms that we do.

    Look at the difference between North and South America

    Eisenhower – “Let people choose weather to live under communism…”

  3. Freedom of Worship
    Right along with freedom of choice is freedom to worship or not to worship.George W. Truett, at an address delivered from the East Steps of the National Capitol at Washington, D.C., on Sunday, May 16, 1920 (full speech HERE):
    “Baptists have one consistent record concerning liberty throughout all their long and eventful history. They have never been a party to oppression of conscience. They have forever been the unwavering champions of liberty, both religious and civil. Their contention now, is, and has been, and, please God, must ever be, that it is the natural and fundamental and indefeasible right of every human being to worship God or not, according to the dictates of his conscience, and, as long as he does not infringe upon the rights of others, he is to be held accountable alone to God for all religious beliefs and practices. Our contention is not for mere toleration, but for absolute liberty. There is a wide difference between toleration and liberty. Toleration implies that somebody falsely claims the right to tolerate. Toleration is a concession, while liberty is a right. Toleration is a matter of expediency, while liberty is a matter of principle. Toleration is a gift from God. It is the consistent and insistent contention of our Baptist people, always and everywhere, that religion must be forever voluntary and uncoerced, and that it is not the prerogative of any power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, to compel men to conform to any religious creed or form of worship, or to pay taxes for the support of a religious organization to which they do not believe. God wants free worshipers and no other kind.”
  4. Worship in Spirit and in Truth
    The freedom to interpret God’s Word.
    Everyone can have a Bible
    This is not so everywhere
  5. Present Day Enimies1) Totalitarian Religion (religion that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience.)
    2) GovernmentWe must realize that the freedom we champion had its source in God. “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.You shall know the truth

    We need to face the fact that it can happen here [we can loose this freedom here]…
    * if we forget what it cost.”
    * If we quit fighting.”
    * if we fail to exercise practical freedom.”

    Romans 13:11-14

The Centrality and Sufficiency of the Scriptures

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From the Circuit Rider’s Library

Sufficiency of ScriptureSermon Title: The Centrality and Sufficiency of the Scriptures
The sermon was prepared on Tuesday August 20, 1974 and preached in Rifle, Colorado at the Rifle Southern Baptist Chapel. What is unclear at this moment is if this was intended as a mid-week bible study or sermon notes for the following Lord’s Day.

A little bit of background first: In 1974 Southern Baptists were in conversation with two growing problems in the denomination and the culture at large. First, the battle for life in the womb as a hot topic and Southern Baptists were active in the conversation. And by active I mean among the first to speak out against it. Second, a serious issue was surfacing in churches across America concerning the Bible. This sermon was preached while the Circuit Rider was preaching in New Castle, Colorado and Rifle Colorado. At that time he would preach an early sermon in Rifle and then drive back to New Castle and preach.

I notice that his sermon notes are not copious long-hand notes but rather more outline bullet points. There are no references to quoted statements, it is likely he knew who said it and was not writing a document for publication.

The Centrality and Sufficiency of the Scriptures – 1974

  • the Bible is central in Baptist theology; most use the Bible, but with Baptist it is central.
  • The Bible is our final authority.
  • Catholic’s have the Pope as their final authority.

Where you stand on the Scriptures determines where you stand on all doctrines.

There is enough guidance in the New Testament to direct the New Testament church.

there is no need for other books such as the…

  • Christian Science
  • Jehovah Witness
  • Mormon

Man doesn’t need a new revelation as much as he needs to act on the revelation God has already given.

God has used various ways to contact man in the past but now he has sent his final revelation – His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2)

The Bible is its own defense; like a roaring lion or a two edged sword “Let it loose” it speaks for itself!

When God’s people fail, God’s word is not to be on trial. His people are.

“Thus Saith the LORD” used 361 times in the Bible.

The Bible testifies to itself

  • “Lamp unto my feet” (Psalm 119:105)
  • “Thy Word have I hid…” (Psalm 119:11)
  • “Heaven and earth shall pass away but My Word shall not pass away (Matthew 74:35)
  • “The Word of the Lord endureth forever” (1 Peter 1:25)
  • “The Word is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12)

I was 8 years old when this sermon was preached by the Circuit Rider. I don’t pretend to remember the sermon but one thing is clear as I remember the Circuit Rider’s life, I had heard this truth and seen this truth lived out as a truth he lived by. The sufficiency of the Scripture is as critical an issue today as it was the day he preached it.

 

 

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