Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. And today we want to go to part two of seven Bible verses every lost man knows. Seven Bible verses, even though he may be a lost man, maybe a secular person, there are enough Bible verses that have passed into our culture as cliches that the lost man uses them, considers himself well-armed when he faces a Christian, for example, or a pastor like myself.

I have encountered men and women in my ministry and life over the years that when push comes to shove and they get into a tight spot, you know, spiritually speaking, well, then they pull out one of these seven verses to forearm themselves and to hopefully parry some argument that may be put before them or some uncomfortable situation in their lives. Seven Bible verses that every lost man knows. And this is part two. Last week, we looked at three very important Bible verses. We looked at 1 John 4, 8, God is love.

And that is used by the lost man, isn't it? Very effectively, uh, to parry, uh, his, um, notions of what God is. We also looked at judge not that you be not judged. Oh, that one is used so often, isn't it? When the lost man gets into a tight spot, uh, morally speaking, uh, ethically speaking.

And when somebody points out perhaps an error in their lives, judge not that you be not judged. We dealt with that one too. And then we also looked at do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The, uh, from Matthew seven and verse 12, the golden rule, of course. And we looked at that in its Christian context and it's biblical, a covenantal context, which is where it was meant to be put dear friends.

But let's move on, shall we? To the remaining four Bible verses that every lost man knows. And, uh, see if we can't come to a better understanding of scripture and human nature and how we should be living these verses rather than how the lost man sees himself living these verses. So let's look at a very common one that is thou shalt not kill from Exodus 20 and verse 13, one of the 10 commandments thou shalt not kill. The lost man distorts thou shalt not kill to his own destruction.

Now this verse pops up in conversation and debate over issues like the death penalty and the Christian's participation in the military. For example, it is often fashioned into a kind of moral club against those who advocate service in the military or perhaps advocate the death penalty. Thou shalt not kill is made into an absolute blanket statement that rolls off the tongue in an easy glib fashion. I remember this being used often by one caller in particular when I would appear from time to time on a local radio program.

This well-intentioned lady considered herself a Christian and a pacifist and the prohibition in the 10 commandments was one of her proof texts against both war and the death penalty. Thou shalt not kill. And obviously anyone who sought to keep the commandments would never take up a weapon in aggression or even self-defense. Also, no Christian could possibly be for the death penalty since this involves the taking of a human life no matter how wretched that life may be. She was especially indignant that I as a pastor could not only advocate the death penalty but an act of military and even a war.

Is this lady right? Are the pacifists, people like the Quakers or the Amish and other pacifist sects, right in their understanding of this text, much less your average worldling? Well, let me point out two things in particular. Number one, contextually, this prohibition has to do with the illegal criminal act of murder, not a blanket absolute statement on death. Contextually, this prohibition, thou shalt do no murder, is a prohibition against the illegal criminal act of murder.

The ESV gets it right in its translation and it says you shall not murder. The extra covenantal act of murder is what is in consideration here. The slaughter of the image of God in our fellow man is an act of rebellion against God that reprises Adam's assault in the garden and Cain's murder of Abel. It is a breach of covenant that deserves its equal in punishment, that is the death penalty. This is, in fact, how both the Old Testament and the New Testament understands it.

Secondly, note with me as well, theologically, the Bible makes provision for both the death penalty and military service. Not only does Israel actively take up arms in battle, but several stipulations in the law call for the ultimate sanction against certain crimes, that is, it calls for the death penalty. These things are not abrogated in the New Testament either. When the Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 13, speaks of the magistrate bearing the sword, he is using this standard metaphor for both his right, that is the magistrate's right, to exact the death penalty, and also defend his subjects in battle.

The magistrate does not bear the sword in vain. And when John the Baptist is asked by Roman soldiers concerning acts of repentance, what shall we do, the soldiers say? They're not told, turn in your swords and go join a hippie commune and march against war. No, these Roman soldiers are said, do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, but be content with your wages. Within the structure of the just society, God makes provision for both the death penalty and warfare.

Government in the form of civil society is a legitimate form of God's immediate government of his creation. And as such, the just taking of a life falls within the purview of this commandment, thou shalt do no murder. In fact, we can even go so far as to say that the death penalty and warfare are within the framework of a biblically just society and a covenantal understanding of the Bible. The death penalty and warfare are the very will of God in certain circumstances. So the lost man throws this commandment in our face in vain, dear listener.

Number five, the fifth Bible verse that every lost man knows and twists to his own destruction is love thy neighbor. Oh, how often do we hear this? Love thy neighbor. This verse shares a lot with the previous verse, do unto others as you would have them do unto you in the minds of lost men and women. And I won't dwell too extensively on it or repeat it in its entirety, but this verse has become a cultural nostrum, a cure-all for the selfish tendencies in human nature.

Love thy neighbor. It is a maxim to live by rather than what it was intended to be. That is a summary of the table of the law. Do you remember having to do with our treatment of the covenant brother? Additionally, our Lord insists upon a very important point, which the lost man ignores completely.

That is love thy neighbor hangs together with the first and greatest commandment. That is to love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind from Matthew 22 verse 37. This is indispensable to accomplishing the second, which is like unto it. Jesus says, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus goes on to say on these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.

Oh, but the lost man doesn't want to hear that. How often in the heat of day-to-day living, when someone quotes this to you, expecting you to treat them better for some other purpose, like increasing government welfare, I've heard this verse mustered to support government welfare rather than decreasing government welfare. How often is this maxim to live by linked with its irreducible partner, love the Lord, your God? How often does that happen? Not very often.

The lost man is ready to love his neighbor if it doesn't put him out too badly, but he certainly is not ready to love the Lord as God. This is what makes this vital covenant responsibility for the believer, nothing more than a nice worldly sentiment for the lost man. You cannot have true love for neighbor without love for God. One of my, one of my teachers, Dr. Donald Carson says, disciplined altruism is not love. Disciplined altruism is not love.

And this is how the lost worldling uses love thy neighbor as a disciplined altruism rather than true biblical love. So the lost man's love of neighbor is really nothing more than a disguised form of what philosophers call enlightened self-interest. Enlightened self-interest, where one treats his neighbor well because he knows it benefits him in the long run. True biblical love, however, true biblical love of neighbor springs from a heart of love that has loved God first and has loved God in depth long before it has loved neighbor.

So then number six, our sixth Bible verse that every lost man knows, but distorts to his own destruction, twists to his own destruction is, blessed are the peacemakers. We're looking at seven Bible verses every lost man knows today. And this is one of them. Blessed are the peacemakers. Every lost man distorts this one to his own destruction too.

Here we have another text from the Sermon on the Mount. So many of them come from there. And this text from the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are the peacemakers, shares a lot in common with our previous treatment of thou shalt not kill. It comes right out of the Jimmy Carter, Bono, and John Lennon school of politics, blessed are the peacemakers. That wants nothing more than to give peace a chance, right?

Give peace a chance. All we are saying is give peace a chance. When we say blessed are the peacemakers with this slant upon the phrase from Bono and Lennon and Carter, we're bestowing a kind of heavenly Nobel peace prize, aren't we? Upon the person we are so blessing. Such a person will, like the proverbial Miss USA contestant, work for world peace.

They will negotiate in dialogue. These are buzzwords of peace, aren't they? With all the parties of the Middle East, whether the Sunnis and the Moonies or the Shiites and the Samsonites. The assumption is that Jesus himself bestows his blessing upon such behavior and that if he were here, if Jesus were here, he'd be doing precisely what Sean Penn and the Hollywood in crowd would be doing, singing with John Lennon, give peace a chance, right? This is generally how that is taken.

But let me point out to you, number one, contextually, the chief focus is peace with God. Contextually, this verse, the chief focus is peace with God. In all covenant documents, which the New Testament is and Sermon on the Mount summarizes, the main obsession is how the vassal, that is the subject, might remain at peace with his suzerain, the king of the covenant. Peace with the king was paramount. It is no different with the New Testament.

The first order of business is making peace with God, an order of business the lost men will not even admit to. The Bible constantly uses the language of alienation and reconciliation to describe this relationship. Colossians 1, 21 and 22 says, for example, you who were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death. That is, God has now reconciled us in his body of flesh by his death. It is the work of Christ in dying to justify us before the bar of God's justice.

That has accomplished peace. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans 5, 1, it is the man who brings this message of the gospel, who is the blessed biblical peacemaker. In this context, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation. Isaiah 52, verse 7.

This is the prime directive of the peacemaker, making peace with God. This is the prime directive of the peacemaker who would be blessed. Secondly, note with me, theologically world peace is an ephemeral illusion until the kingdom of God comes in eschatological fullness. You must always remember, dear Christian, world peace is an ephemeral illusion until the kingdom comes in eschatological fullness. Man's arrogance and rebellion will continue to lead him to think he can achieve world peace without God.

This is arrogance. This is hubris. Treaties and talk and good old-fashioned milk of human kindness will make it possible to have world peace, won't it? If we just trust the UN, we'll be able to patch over our differences, right? No, no, no, no.

The Bible is clear that conflict and alienation between God and man, between God and man, and man and man will continue right to the end. It is only the Christian soldier having been reconciled to God in Christ who ironically has found true peace and who thereafter wars to be a blessed peacemaker. Well then, finally, number seven. We're looking at seven Bible verses every lost man knows. And here we come then to the final one.

We have looked at seven Bible verses every lost man knows. We've looked at God as love, haven't we? And we've seen the errors of its way. We have then looked at judge not that you be not judged, which is used by the lost man to avert any kind of guilt or judgment or guilt feelings perhaps that he may have been brought to him by someone, perhaps a Christian brother. Judge not that you be not judged.

And that's twisted to their own destruction. The lost man also seems to know do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which is a cultural nostrum, a cliche in our culture. And it's meant, of course, to have your behavior reflected well on him. And then we've also looked at number four, thou shalt not kill. And we've seen that that is better translated, thou shalt do no murder.

We've seen that earlier today. And then love thy neighbor. That's one that's twisted, of course, by the lost man, because it depends on loving God first. And then we've also looked at blessed are the peacemakers and see that how that has been twisted and distorted by the lost man. Being the chief purpose of that being peace with God first and foremost.

And now finally, I'm going to need some help from my brothers on this one. And that is the Lord helps them who helps themselves. The lost man distorts this one. The Lord helps them who help themselves. And the lost man knows this Bible, verse two, to his own destruction.

So let us turn in our Bibles to this last text. The Lord helps them who help themselves. And I need some help from my brothers and sisters because I can't find this in the Bible. Perhaps you can help me with this reference. Anyone who can, please call me at the church, area code 208-523-0196, because I'm just in a frantic panic in trying to find this verse.

Actually, dear listener, perhaps you can sense the tone of irony in my voice. The Bible does not teach this at all, does it? A Harris poll, however, tells us 75% of Americans believe that this is in the Bible. The Lord helps them who help themselves. 12% of Americans also believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

Where does this come from? Huh? This is biblical illiteracy, isn't it? Well, let me tell you that first of all, this phrase, the Lord helps them who help themselves. I've heard this over and over again.

It first appeared in the 1730s in Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. Yes, Poor Richard's Almanac. And Benjamin Franklin, of course, in Poor Richard's Almanac has come up with some phrases and some sayings that have passed into American culture that sound very much like biblical principles. For example, Poor Richard's Almanac also has, whatever has begun in anger ends in shame. That sounds like it could almost come from the Proverbs, couldn't it?

Poor Richard's Almanac also says, he that cannot obey cannot command. That's true, but it's not from the Bible. Poor Richard's Almanac also says, three may keep a secret if two of them are dead. I've always liked that one. And I just realized recently that comes from Poor Richard's Almanac.

And then, of course, the famous one, early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Many of you may not have known that that came from Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. But because the Lord helps them who help themselves has the Lord in it, and because it sounds so plausibly like it came from the Bible, many people otherwise unfamiliar with the Bible easily assume it's from there, don't they? What does this say, of course, for the necessity of knowing the text? Much.

It says much for it, doesn't it? I've had numerous encounters with this phrase, and none more memorable to me than a man from our church at the time, and this was back in the 90s, who was attempting to sell me on his resume portfolio seminar. For $200, he'd give me a notebook and two days of advice on how to best sell myself to churches and elders with any church at which I might be a candidate. He exhorted me to do this for myself and clinched the deal with a wink and the sentence, presuming to ingratiate himself to this pastor. He says, for as you well know, being a pastor, like the Bible says, the Lord helps them who help themselves.

Oh my, I could barely contain myself. And I guaranteed him, though, as I left, that I would give him cash for the seminar if he would just get back to me with the Bible reference for that verse, the Lord helps them who help themselves. Well, I'm still waiting for his call here 30 years later. The widespread belief that such sayings exist in the Bible is a measure of the biblical illiteracy prevailing in our nation. Dear listener, you need to study the Bible.

You need to go to a church that properly exposits the word of God. Expository preaching is what you will find at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. And you need to find a pastor who can exegete the text, who knows his Greek and his Hebrew and knows the process of exegesis that is drawing out of a text rather than eisegesis, which is reading into a text. So many of the verses, the seven Bible verses that every lost man knows are precisely that.

They are verses into which many, not only lost men, but I must say, I must confess, sadly, that many Christians also end up eisegeting, that is reading into texts, things they want there, they want to see there, and end up distorting these Bible verses, seven of which we have treated here today. It is also indicative of the easy impressionability that exists, whereby the average person can be persuaded that the Bible can say just about anything we want it to, including the Lord helps them who help themselves. Are sinking into a living, breathing document view of the Bible in addition to the Constitution? Is that what we're doing?

Sinking into a living, breathing document view of the Bible as well as the Constitution? We've seen that with the Constitution that a text that is held in high regard by every American, should be held in high regard by every American, that is the United States Constitution has been distorted to our own destruction and our own demise. Well, the same thing can happen with the Bible. It can be twisted. It can be distorted to the demise and to the destruction of all who read it.

This principle of a living, breathing document of the Constitution and the Bible underlies the urgency for teaching more than a superficial familiarity with the Bible, dear listener. You need to go to a church that has a clear understanding of the text, that exegetes the text, and that preaches expository sermons, that is, sermons which unfold the meaning of the text in its context, and then goes on to apply that meaning to present-day circumstances.

There is nothing like taking a text out of its context, which many churches do, and we have treated a few of the verses that are subject to this, but many churches take texts and make them into pretexts for proof texts. A text out of its context is nothing but a pretext for a proof text, and if you do not carefully exposit the word on Sunday mornings in expository sermons, these things can happen.

Find yourself, if you're not in a church that does so, you need to find a church that does properly exegete the text and places before you on Sunday mornings an expository sermon, not a 15-minute mech sermon, but rather a dense and complex, if it needs to be, but a dense and thorough treatment of the text for us today. A true understanding, not only of the text per se in its context, but also how to interpret and apply it. Your pastor, as he goes through in preaching, should also be simultaneously teaching you how to interpret and apply the text, as we have done here today.

So I just hope that for you, dear listener, as you come to church on Sunday morning, especially in this important season, this election season, that you will have yourself a year where your understanding of and your love for the Bible grows and matures into a fruit for the kingdom, including turning many sinners and lost men into the way of life rather than the way of destruction. We at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church aspire to do precisely these things, myself and my elders.

We attempt on Sunday mornings to give to our people an expository sermon that unfolds the text, that takes a good substantial piece of text and shows you its meaning in its context for the day in which it was written and shows you all of the implications. We define words, we define terms, we go into theology when we need to, but we do give you an expository sermon where the text is unfolded and then applied to your daily life.

Find yourself a church if you are not at one already that does this, dear listener, and you will find yourself blessed, you'll find yourself growing in grace because the Bible is indeed a text that is efficacious, that is, it works, it is a means of grace, God uses it to save souls. And so it is very important for us, for myself as a pastor and a preacher, to unfold the meaning of the text in its context. New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Now, we also have a website where you can find many of the sermons that I preach that are precisely what I've been telling you.

They are expository sermons where the text will be unfolded in its meaning and you will come to understand the text. I urge you to go to our website, newgenevaopc.org. And we have another website too. We have two websites now, one that's just getting up and running. And it is called omnispotestas.org.

Omnispotestas.org. Let me spell that for you. That's O-M-N-I-S dash P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S dot org. Omnispotestas. O-M-N-I-S dash P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S dot org.

And on that website, you will find our cataloged sermons from about the last year and a half. The radio messages that you hear on this station, KID 590 AM and 106.3 and 92.1 FM. And the previous message treating those three Bible verses that every lost man knows, but twists to his own destruction. You'll find that message on that website. Plus all the backlog ones, the ones that I know many of you have called and wanting copies of previous messages.

Well, voila, you have them now on that website and you can direct people to them. I would encourage you to do so because we have treated of this election year to this very important cycle in our republic. Every four years, we ostensibly elect a president and executive of the executive branch that has morphed into a pagan king, as we have treated of in previous messages to this idea that a president was designed to be an executive of an executive branch in its own place in ratio to the legislative and judicial branches and equal. Well, he has ascended, has he not, to a pagan king and we Americans have liked it just fine.

You'll find my treatment of these things and other election year issues on this website in various messages as well. Well, brothers and sisters, this has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I encourage you to join us in worship. We meet for worship at 10 AM at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And many of you have been considering visiting us.

This is the time to come and visit us. It's time to come out of the shadows. You know that you need to be at a church that proclaims not only the word of God exegetically, but also that applies it to this world in which we live politically, socially, culturally as well. You need to be with us. New Geneva, 10 AM, 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard.

And you can call us at 523-0196. That's 523-0196 for further information and input. 523-0196.