Romance Jesus

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, "'But we did not yield in subjection to them "'for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel "'would remain with you.'".

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Evaluating Gospel Tracts and Their Bible Verses

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name's Mike Abendroth. I almost said welcome to Bethlehem Bible Church, but then I say that on other days. I think if it was up to me these days, I might have to pick a different name.

People say BBC all the time. I don't really mind BBC, but I don't know, Bethlehem? Does any good thing come out of Bethlehem? Hmm, interesting. Well, I have a variety of things here on my studio desk in beautiful downtown Burbank.

Probably didn't know we were filming at Burbank these days. I got some things in the mail the other day, some tracks. And I think I mentioned this earlier. And it's got some interesting ones like where will you spend eternity?

By the way, I keep sniffing, so I'm sorry for that. Please excuse me. I do not have a cold, but I ate some spicy kimchi noodle ramen. It's not ramen, but it was something I got at Trader Joe's. And it's as what my kids used to say when they were little, it's spicy, dad, it's spicy.

So how often does that happen? Note to self, don't eat any spicy kimchi noodle deal that's in the new section of Trader Joe's. I think you should just stick with Pete's Coffee. Now, some of them are good.

Where will you spend eternity? I mean, good in the generic sense where here's Armenian driven, decisional regeneration kind of thing, but still there's the cross, sin. Here's one, what must I do to be saved?

And I remember Jonathan Gershner would say, if anybody tells you what to do to be saved, then that would be blasphemous. How do you respond to the gospel? That's probably a good question, but I guess, you know, what must I do to be saved?

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you and your household. So this one's not, I guess, that bad. I'm glad for the Bible verses. Here, this one, Jesus is coming very, very soon. Are you ready? And then it talks about a new world order, the prophetic puzzle, United States of Europe, 1993.

Okay, now this one is interesting. This one says, a guide to those who are left to go through the great tribulation after the rapture. So it makes sense, doesn't it, that they would send this to a pastor at Bethlehem Bible Church.

Refuse the mark and refuse to worship the Antichrist. Study the Bible earnestly. All right, so it tells us a lot of things to do there. Don't receive the mark. And the Lord is coming, warning to all. 17 signs of his coming.

Palestine delivered by airplane in 1917. Of course, that would be Isaiah 31 .5. Now, some of these scoffers at the second coming, 2 Peter 3, I get that. National distress, men's hearts failing, devilish doctrines at large, 1 Timothy 4.

I understand those, but the one Palestine delivered by airplane, which one doesn't fit in? That's what we should have called this show. Jesus is coming quickly. He's coming suddenly. He's coming for his saints.

He wants you to be ready. So see, there's a few good things in there. Signs of the last days and the second coming of Christ. Now, most of these are simply Bible verses. Wars and rumors of wars, Matthew 24.

Men shall run to and fro, Daniel 12 .4. But this one, I think this has gone too far for me. I mean, falling away from the faith, I get that. False Christ, I understand. As in the days of Noah, yes, I understand.

But here, restaurants and taverns. You know it's the last days when there's a lot of restaurants and taverns out there. Oh man. Okay, Zechariah 8, men and horses out of work. Isaiah 31, here we go again, airships.

There's now airships. You know what, I have to look this up. Isaiah 31 .5, I don't know if it's against airships. Delivered by airplane. Let's find this on No Compromise Radio. You can always write us at info at nocompromiseradio .com.

We get quite a few emails. This week I got an email. No, somebody called the church and said, in regards to the one show where there's the rude pastors, sarcastic pastors, anyone who listens to this message on this answer machine at Bethlehem Bible Church needs to leave that church.

It's not a church. And then I think they said something about the second blessing after that. Well, I have maybe a verse for them. Isaiah 31 .5, is that what it says here? Isaiah 31 .5, yes. Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem.

He will protect and deliver it. He will spare and rescue it. By airplane. Okay, I don't know what that has to do with deliverance by airplane. Hovering, maybe it's a hovercraft or something like that.

Isaiah 60, verse eight. You know, this reminds me of who's that guy who's, he's deceased now, but he's always doing the Bible verses all the time. I think Freo makes fun of him. What's his name? I don't know.

Ray probably knows his name. Isaiah chapter 60, verse eight. Okay, here's another one. Who are these that fly like a cloud and like doves to their windows? Maybe this is of the future. It's the Death Star.

I'm not sure. Okay, what else do we have here? Coming world dictator. Okay, I understand that. How long will he rule? Doomed to those who worship him. So, don't let this track die. Pass it along. Even if you have to send it to the church.

All right, the cross of Christ divides between the old life and new life. I like that. Of bondage of sin and of glorious liberty. That's true. Under Satan before conversion. Under Christ after conversion.

God as father instead of Satan. That's pretty good. You must be born again. See, I would like that one. This one has the Lord is my shepherd and it's got a nice little kind of north star there and it goes through every phrase of Psalm 23 and then describes it a little bit.

So, this is a good one. The Lord is my shepherd. And then the writer here. The Osterhaus Publishing in Minneapolis. He is my savior, my king. He is the head of my life, my home and the chief shepherd of my church.

I know him personally. The Lord is my personal savior and he shepherds me faithfully. The Lord is my shepherd. So, see what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to tell you all these tracts that I received.

There are some good things in there. But, you know that's coming. You know that's coming. There's one in here. Again, it's Osterhaus Publishing House. O-S-T-E-R-H-U-S. Is it German? Dutch? And it's called a love letter.

And on the front it doesn't say this but that's the emblem of Luther. The heart and the cross, et cetera. Did I say et cetera or et cetera? Et cetera. And here's what it says. Here's the love letter. And I just think, friends, this sentimental eternal Mother's Day kind of thing, I don't think we need this.

I think you can talk about the objective reality of the cross and how that demands our subjective response. This is just a little much. This kind of reminds me of, I don't know, I'll tell you that in a minute.

The Problem with a Sentimental Love Letter from Jesus

Dear friend, how are you? I just had to send a note to tell you how much I love you and care about you. I saw you yesterday. I mean, I could start singing songs right now. I know them. And if Cooley was here, he would start singing them.

I saw you yesterday as you were talking with your friends. I waited all day hoping you would want to talk with me also. I mean, it just sounds like a harlequin romance, doesn't it? I saw you yesterday.

As evening drew near, I gave you a sunset to close your day and a cool breeze to rest you. And I waited. Doesn't really sound like the God who initiates salvation in Romans chapter five now, does it? In Romans chapter three, Romans chapter four, God is sovereignly initiating in his grace.

He has to seek us. He, read Ezekiel chapter 34, is the wonderful shepherd. And we're going to read that when I'm done reading my love letter. Of course, you know, we all love love letters, don't we? When's the last time you got a love letter?

I make the guys in discipleship write a love letter to their spouses if they're married. And one guy said, and then the next week I said, well, how did it, how'd it go? You guys all wrote love letters.

You do everything to woo your wife before marriage and then afterwards, you don't say anything anymore. How'd it go? One guy said, well, my wife said it was a nice letter, but did Mike make you write that?

He had to admit it. Well, I didn't tell him what words he had to write. You never came. I'm reading here a love letter, Osterhaus Publishing. You never came. Oh yes, it hurts me, but I still love you because I'm your friend.

See, it makes sense now that I have my sniffles because this is a sniffle letter. I saw you fall asleep last night and I longed to touch your brow. And this is just kind of icky. I don't know. When I think of God as a person, triune God, I don't think of God this way.

Now, maybe some ladies do because they'd like some romance in their life and maybe that explains Christian romance. Maybe that explains Amish romance. Maybe that explains K-love. But try to motivate men for ministry with talk like this.

It's going to only attract the John Elridges of the world with heart-shaped cow pies from God. I mean, that's the only kind of guy it will motivate. I don't think it motivates the kind of men that Paul was talking to in 1 Timothy and in Titus, men of God with soldier metaphors, with athletic analogies, with farming comparisons, work, sweat, toil.

I don't want men to be women and I don't want women to be men. That's not what I'm after. But king of kings and Lord of lords, how would someone in God's kingdom want to give him honor and glory? This kind of talk, this is almost inappropriate to read.

I mean, there's nothing sexual in this letter or anything like that. But this amorous language, it makes me kind of uncomfortable, even though I'm sitting here in this study all by myself with this fire Bible ignites at the touch of a button.

Swag deal. I saw you fall asleep last night and longed to touch your brow. So I spilled moonlight upon your pillow and face. Sounds like a bad song from Journey. Down with Journey. Again, I waited, wanting to rush down so we could talk.

I have so many gifts for you. See how this whole thing is based on God can't move until you move. And then I guess you're the great mover. And so God initiates and we respond. Men are dead in trespasses and sins and we can't do anything until God makes us alive.

God makes us alive. This is called the passivity and regeneration. This is called God is active and we are passive. That doesn't mean we don't respond, we do. But the cause is God. The initiator is God.

God is the one. Look at John three, you must be born again. Look at John six, unless the father draws him. And even as a Christian, it's the same thing. God is not bound until we let the gentleman Jesus in or hear the romancer Jesus.

Again, I waited, wanting to rush down so we could talk. I have so many gifts for you. You awaken late, rushed off to work. My tears were in the rain. Now I'm going to save this because when I go back on Wretched Radio, this is perfect fodder for Wretched Radio right here.

Maybe somebody will call me up again today and say, leave that church. The pastor is sarcastic. Friends, this is called talk radio. And if you don't like this talk radio station, I guess you can tune into something else.

I'm not trying to teach the Bible verse by verse on Tuesday to Friday shows. I'm trying to get you to think. And here's what I want you to think about. Don't fall for this. Don't evangelize like this.

Don't think about God this way because actually it's idolatry. Thinking about God in a way that's not biblical is idolatry. I don't want you to do that. So we have some laughs, we have some interaction.

After my interaction is I talk, you listen, right? So when Mormons and JWs come to your house, it's the same thing. It's my show after all, right? Today you look so sad, so all alone. It makes my heart ache because I understand.

My friends let me down and hurt me many times too, but I love you. Okay, we're halfway through. I don't think I can take it anymore. I need a message moment. I need something. I just need a Bible verse.

Oh, if you'd only listen to me. I love you. I try to tell you in the blue sky and in the quiet green grass. I whisper it in the leaves on the trees and breathe it in the colors of flowers. I shout it to you in mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing.

So far, I'm still waiting for a Bible verse in this one, kind of the track, the Bible verse less tracked. There's something to be said for looking at lilies, looking at flowers, see how God raised them, looking at birds, see how God provides for them, thinking about the Sermon on the Mount and how much more.

I would get that. I clothe you with warm sunshine and perfume the air with natural scents. My love for you is deeper than the ocean and bigger than the biggest want or need in your head. Now, that didn't sound so romantic.

Oh, if you only knew how much I wanted to walk and talk with you. Now, you know what I'm gonna have to say, right? This is no compromise radio. I must say this. I'm required to say this. A long life's narrow way.

Back to the letter. We could spend an eternity together in heaven. I mean, really? How could you make this stuff up? Who could write this? I know how hard it is on this earth. I really know. And I want to help you.

I want you to meet my father. He wants to help you too. My father is the way, you know. That's actually in there, you know. Just call me. No Deborah Harry references here. Ask me. No Smith references there.

Talk with me. I don't know who sings talk with me. All you got to do is talk, talk. It's some, who sang that? Not Depeche Mode, Modern Romance. That would fit if it Modern Romance really sang that. Oh, please don't forget me.

I have so much to share with you. All right. I won't bother you any further. You're free to choose me. It's your decision. I've chosen you. And because of this, I will wait. Because I love you. Your friend, this is how it's signed.

Your friend. Any guesses? Grandma? Jesus. A love letter from Jesus. Now, if you call the Bible a love letter from God, I would understand that. You know, let's not push the thing too far. I get that. I'm down with that.

I understand. But friends, if this is the Jesus with whom we have to do, then nobody can get saved. Because God will just plead, and he'll wait, and he'll plead, and he'll wait, and no one will come because they're unable.

It's something called the fall. Adam's sin, his first sin and his only sin, credited to our account. Consequently, we are by nature sinful, and we are spiritually blind, spiritually deaf, spiritually dumb, and we are enslaved by Satan, and we are totally unable to respond to God because we are wholly, W-H-O, corrupt.

Every faculty corrupt. Heart, soul, mind, will, strength. Your will is not some island of righteousness. We need a savior. We need God who's active in salvation. We need someone to justify us, redeem us, make propitiation for us, expiate our sins, redeem, ransom, save.

We need a savior because we don't contribute anything except our big pile of sin. And when you study the Bible, including the Old Testament, you will quickly see that God is the seeker. And there's no more beautiful of a, there's no more beautiful passage in the Bible, I think, than a probably not too well-known passage in Ezekiel chapter 34.

I wish Ezekiel 34 was known as well as the great passage of the shepherd in Psalm 23, or the passage of the good shepherd in John 10. To think of shepherding, where else is shepherd used in the New Testament?

In the book of Hebrews, I think he is called the chief shepherd or the great shepherd, and in 1 Peter, the opposite is used. So we've got the good shepherd, the chief shepherd, the great shepherd. We've got Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, and now Ezekiel 34.

For thus says the Lord God, behold, I will myself search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep.

And I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land.

And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture and on mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land.

They shall lie down in good grazing land and on rich pasture, they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.

I will seek the lost and I will bring back the strayed and I will bind up the injured and I will strengthen the weak and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. See, we have God is the seeker and we must not forget that because a God who's responder, not seeker, who responds and not initiates is not the God of the Bible.

How do you take a moon God worshiping Abraham to stop worshiping the moon God and to worship Yahweh? God seeks. What about Noah? God graced him and then Noah respond. What about Adam? And the list goes on.

You look at Hebrews chapter 11 and the same thing, we have God's initiating grace and people then of course respond with faith. Now just this morning, I was reading Luke chapter 19. Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he and you read all that stuff and well, what's the story there?

I read a commentary just this morning as well, kind of the fruit of faith, you know, and he went back and made everything right and paid fourfold and restitution. Well, what about Luke 19 .10? For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost.

See, he's the one, I'm going to your house today and I'm gonna save you. Jesus Christ is the one, which ties back to Luke chapter 18 because can rich people ever get saved? Is anybody rich gonna be saved?

Then who can be saved? Right, it's hard for rich people to get saved and here is a rich person that Jesus comes to seek. It was a destiny, it was a date of destiny rather. Here the son of David. Oh yes, there are other things to talk about in the passage.

The fruit of saving faith, how Jesus associated with the lowly sinner and the people that were despised. Yes, talk about those things. Subordinate to Jesus Christ, the Savior, the active one, the one that gives sovereign, distinguishing, initiating grace.

Zacchaeus had a role and his role was passivity and redemption and God gave him faith, God gave him forgiveness, God gave him a new heart, God made him a new creature. God regenerated that man because Jesus sought him out.

If you talk about how Zacchaeus sought out Jesus by climbing up the tree, we all need to climb up the tree and look at Jesus. We're gonna think about things wrongly. So while I appreciate the sentiments of people that send tracts out, good, better, best would be a nice paradigm, but Bible-centered where God gets all the glory.

Who gets the glory if I let God save me? You know the answer to that question and so we wanna be jealous for the glory of God and we need to think about God as lots of things,.

But someone knocking at the door not allowed to do anything until you do something has to be jettisoned. NoCompromiseRadio .com. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text. Please come and join us.

Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400. The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.