April 21, 2020 Show with Rev. Geoff Thomas on “If Disaster Occurs in the City Will Not the Lord Have Done It? (Amos 3:6)”

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April 22, 2020

April 21, 2020 Rev. GEOFF THOMAS, who, beginning in 1965, served for over 50 years as pastor @ Alfred Place Baptist Church of Aberystwyth, Wales, will address: “If DISASTER OCCURS in the CITY Will Not the LORD HAVE DONE IT? (Amos 3:6)”

00:05: Live from the historic parsonage of the 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown
00:10: Carwile, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors,
00:23: Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.
00:31: Proverbs chapter 27, verse 17 tells us iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
00:38: Matthew Henry said that in this passage we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have a view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.
00:50: It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours and we hope to hear from you, the listener, with your own questions.
00:58: And now here's your host, Chris Arnzen. Good afternoon,
01:09: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Lake City, Florida, and the rest of humanity living on the planet
01:14: Earth who are listening via live streaming at ironsharpensironradio .com. This is
01:20: Chris Arnzen, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, wishing you all a happy Tuesday on this 21st day of April 2020.
01:28: And I am thrilled, as always, to have back on the show for two days in a row.
01:34: This is the second day, and I am thrilled to have Reverend Jeff Thomas back on.
01:40: He is one of my favorite people to interview live, and he is also one of my favorite preachers and teachers and authors.
01:51: And he was, for over half a century, pastor at Alfred Place Baptist Church of Aberystwyth, Wales.
01:59: I really got a hang of saying that, didn't I, or don't I? Pronouncing it correctly, don't
02:05: I pronounce it fairly well? You pronounce it very well,
02:11: Chris. And Pastor Thomas is very well known for his affiliation with the
02:19: Banner of Truth ministry. He has spoken at their conferences. He has written books for them.
02:25: He has also written for Reformation Heritage Books. And today, for day two of our two -day interview, we have switched the topic to,
02:37: If disaster occurs in the city, will not the Lord have done it?
02:42: From Amos chapter 3, verse 6. It's my honor and privilege to welcome you back to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, Reverend Jeff Thomas.
02:50: Well, the privilege is all mine. And I hope that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable to God, and so will be acceptable to all the
03:05: Lord's people listening wherever they are, from County Cork to Wales and across the
03:13: United States. Amen. And I know that we do this every time that you're on, but you never know who's listening for the first time.
03:21: If you could, let our listeners know a little bit more about Alfred Place Baptist Church of Everest with Wales, where you pastored, as I said, for over half a century.
03:30: And now, thanks be to God, your grandson is at the helm, pastoring after you retired.
03:39: That's right. In the very same month in which I raised three girls, he's raising his three boys.
03:47: Wow. The church is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
03:56: I'm giving the 150th anniversary address in November. Oh, great.
04:03: Yep. And so I gave it, I gave the 150 years ago, and we had
04:12: Dr. Martin Lloyd -Jones as our preacher for our centenary. Oh, nothing but the lightweights over there, huh?
04:25: So, yes, the railway, of course, the railroad came to Aberystwyth 150 years ago, and the university was, the first Welsh university was planted in that little town, because it's halfway between the north and the south, 150 years ago.
04:45: And, well, things started to bustle then, and the church was built for the
04:54: English visitors. It was a Welsh -speaking area, an enclave of Celtic religion.
05:02: And then the English came in by the train road to have a vacation.
05:08: It's a resort area, and students came to study there. And so the chapels, the
05:15: Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the Wesleyans, the Anglicans, and the Baptists, all built their new premises and welcomed their non -Welsh speakers.
05:32: Now it's... Go ahead, I'm sorry. The town changed, and the town has become then an international town, full of students from China and Africa, and yeah, like that.
05:47: Now, as far as you know, has Alfred placed Baptist Church in all of its 150 years? That would be 100 years prior to you.
05:56: Has it always been a theologically reformed Baptist church? No, no, it... Whenever a university goes to an area, like the universities of New England, the
06:07: Ivy League, they're not known as centres which promote biblical
06:17: Christianity. Rather, a humanism, a confidence in man, a man's ability, science, that's their god.
06:26: And it was just the same in Aberystwyth. There was an enormous decline from the 1859 revival, which affected the mid -Wales very much.
06:39: But unfortunately, I had to turn them back on the old paths, the old ways.
06:49: And I had a lovely minority group of praying men and women who supported me, and it was just wonderful what the
06:59: Lord did. Amen. Well, if anybody is visiting Aberystwyth, Wales, or if you live in that area and you need a church home, the website is alfredplacechurch .org
07:11: .uk alfredplacechurch .org .uk Well, this, as I said at the outset of the program, is a very timely theme and a very timely passage for the days we are living in right now.
07:28: If disaster occurs in the city, will not the Lord have done it? Amos chapter 3, verse 6.
07:35: That's a very unpopular thought, even amongst probably the majority of evangelical
07:42: Christians today. They don't like to think of God having anything to do with disaster in the world, let alone having done it.
07:52: But if you could give us the context for this passage that you wanted to address today.
07:58: Well, Amos spoke about 700 years before Jesus Christ. But we know that the
08:05: Spirit of Christ was in the prophets. And he preached at a time when there were big city states always threatening
08:15: Jerusalem and the people of God. In Damascus, in Syria, they thought they had their own
08:23: God and he looked after them. Well, that was the God who punished them when they were wicked and brought calamities and disasters into their lives.
08:35: And they thought, well Israel, you've got your own God and he looks after Israel and he chastises disobedient
08:43: Israelites. But Amos says, oh no Syria, our
08:50: God is Jehovah the One Creator, the only God there is, and he's going to judge
08:58: Syria. And then he goes to Gaza, another big city state, and he tells them it's the
09:05: Lord who sends fire from heaven and destroys Gaza under strongholds. This is 6 -8 of Amos chapter 1.
09:12: And then he goes to Tyre in verse 9 and Edom in verse 11 and Ammon in verse 13 and Moab in chapter 2.
09:21: And they all think that it's their idols who take care of them and prosper them and punish them when they do disasters.
09:32: But God is saying, uh -uh, it's not like that. The Lord, Yahweh Jehovah, he's the one who sends fires of judgment on them all.
09:47: And that's how he begins. And then, of course, he turns the screw. The knives come on the table and he turns then to Judah, the people of God, and Israel, the people of God.
10:00: And he tells them from chapter 2 verse 4 right until the end of the book that it's the
10:08: Lord of Hosts who is going to send disasters and calamities on them too.
10:15: On his own chosen covenant people that these kingdoms who think they're safe now because they've got the mighty
10:25: God, the only God there is looking after them. His planned disasters are going to fall on them too.
10:33: And they imagine that because he was the living God, their shepherd, their savior, their sovereign protector, they could sin with impunity.
10:42: But he says in verse 5, I'll send a fire on Judah. It shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.
10:51: He says in verses 23 and 24 and 25 to Israel, I'll press you down in your place as a cart full of sheaves presses down flight shall perish from the swift.
11:05: The strong shall not retain his strength nor shall the mighty save his life. And he was stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day.
11:17: So he's blowing warning trumpets and telling them that the
11:24: Lord is hungry with the wicked, whether they are professing servants of his or whether they are serving idols and other gods.
11:35: He's hungry with the wicked every day. His wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
11:43: That's the first lesson then that he wants all the nations, all the world to know that they ultimately have to go back to the first cause of everything that happens and the first cause then is
12:03: Almighty God. Well, praise God. We already have a listener with a question.
12:12: We have B .B. in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania who says, when we read passages like this or when our friends who do not know
12:23: Christ especially read passages like this or hear them preached, how do we overcome the objection that the
12:31: God of Christianity is nothing more than a tyrant? Yeah, yeah.
12:39: Well, where do disasters come from?
12:48: That is the huge, that is the crucial question at this time.
12:56: And our tendency then because of thoughts like B .B.'s
13:03: mentioned is don't blame God for this.
13:09: It's not God. God wasn't there when it happened. God was looking the other way.
13:15: God was helpless to do anything. God was wringing his hands in frustration just as much as anyone else.
13:25: And you know, that's no comfort at all. The grieving wife now who can't see her husband, he's in hospital and he's got the virus and she's longing for God to be present in that ward like she wants to be there too.
13:52: But God was in the party when the drugs were distributed and the boy took them.
13:59: But God was there when the man lost control of the speeding car and it hit and partly injured someone.
14:08: When men mean it for evil, God is there when men are worshipping other gods.
14:21: You see when people ask that question they are putting themselves forward as being blameless and innocent people.
14:35: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts is only evil continually.
14:47: We are rebels, sinners and we forfeited the right for wonderfully happy and blessed lives by the sin of our father
15:00: Adam, our federal head and by our own follies.
15:10: So we've got to get back to that that we deserve nothing.
15:17: God then is wonderfully good to us. He gives us long life and health and prosperity and peace and many many blessings.
15:30: God is good but God is also righteous and just and holy and God says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
15:44: God. So we start with omnipotence on the throne but it's the omnipotence of our good and wise and holy loving
16:00: Heavenly Father. Amen and we have let's see here we have
16:09: Harrison in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania who says when we talk about God being sovereign above all things that ever will occur and ever have occurred how do we avoid the accusation or should
16:25: I say how do we answer the accusation that we are teaching
16:31: God is the author of evil? You know you know God is is light and in him is no darkness at all.
16:52: You go into him and he's light and in and in and he's light and in and in and in and he's light and in and in and in and in and God is is only light and he does no evil and he doesn't tempt us to do any evil.
17:13: He will then control and determine when evil comes and when it touches our lives he will use the evil actions of men for good.
17:36: You know you have the three cases which always strike me of the of the people that God permits judgment and sends judgment into the lives of Job no more righteous no more holy man in all the world the holiest of them all and yet God permits a band of outlaws to take his children's possession and a wind to blow down the house and all the family except one servant is is killed and God did that and then he took away the health he let a virus come into the life of Job which produced terrible boils all over his body and when his wife said curse
18:31: God and die he said shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity shall we not accept the virus but my my first wife she had
18:51: Alzheimer's and I nursed her for three years before she passed away almost four years ago now where did that come from well of course it came from the fall of Adam and it came from the sin that's passed upon all men and death by sin but it also comes from the
19:16: Lord the calamity on Job or you think of how there was a great
19:27: Joseph and we don't know of any sins that Joseph committed and his brothers hated him because he was a favourite and he was naive in describing the dreams of grandeur that he had and they hated him and they were going to kill him they sold him into slavery and when
19:51: Joseph finally revealed himself to them you know what he said to them
19:59: God sent me before you Genesis 45 God was there the famous chapter 50 and verse 20 as for you you meant evil against me but God meant it for good the whole responsibility was these brothers the wicked brothers but God taking it and God meaning it for good
20:29: God using it for good 100 % the resolution of wicked men 100 % the resolution of the holy
20:37: God 100 % plus 100 % equals 100 % calamity comes to a city by the folly of fallen man but wickedness comes to a city and calamity because of the wisdom of an omnipotent
20:57: God I think of Jesus Christ and the perfect man and God brings disaster on him doesn't he?
21:10: He was smitten by God and afflicted it pleased the Lord to bruise him Isaiah says
21:16: Peter says on the day of Pentecost he was delivered by the determinate purpose and full knowledge of God and you have taken and by lawless hands you've crucified and slain so when judgment comes upon us we have sinned and we have done folly and other men sin and do folly and bring judgment on themselves and on us wickedness 100 % the action of evil men and 100 % the action of almighty
21:47: God that's something that we may never in fact
21:53: I'm certain we'll never fully understand this side of heaven the same as the hypostatic union how our savior of Christ could be 100 %
22:05: God and 100 % man that's right that's right exactly and how
22:12: God can be himself 100 % one hear oh
22:17: Israel oh Lord your God is one Lord and yet he is also free the father is
22:24: God the son is God the Holy Spirit is God and these three are one
22:31: God Amen by the way what you just read is known as the
22:36: Shema in the Old Testament I was very thrilled to hear that Master's Seminary is working with the publishers of the
22:49: New American Standard Bible and they're going to use in their translation what was the original word for God there or name for God Yahweh whereas all other translations or at least the majority of them that I'm aware of use the term
23:07: Adonai which was a change centuries ago when the
23:15: Jews did not out of terror of using the name of the
23:21: Lord in vain did not want to say the word Yahweh to name Yahweh so therefore people even
23:28: Christians have been repeating the Shema with Adonai in there but it's actually the true name of God Yahweh and I just heard that this new addition of the
23:41: New American Standard Bible is going on very good let's see here we have another listener we have this one is an anonymous listener who says when we are having discussions with our friends which often break out into arguments in my town how do we explain to the folks that this is not just merely a natural phenomenon that we are experiencing with the virus that is plaguing this globe that God is intricately involved in this how do we explain this better to our friends and family who do not believe in the sovereignty of God yes yes, quite so well this is a foreign world we certainly know that it's a groaning world although we see on one hand glorious beauty, magnificent breathtaking splendor we see that we also see all through the history of man and every kind of society we see depravity and John Knox never suffered the illusion that the people of Scotland were simply people of the book many of them couldn't stand the book and Whitefield and Worthy were pelted by mobs with dead cats and manure when they preached the gospel in the 18th century in England and commercial and industrial life of Imperial Britain and well
25:31: London where I lived tolerated evils that would shame us even today and what about this 25th century is it
25:43: Godless? yes it is do our politicians refer to God?
25:51: well they do it sometimes for rhetorical effect and they do it for vote catching of the gospel community they don't do it because they fear his name and had
26:06: God marked the iniquity of 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th century
26:12: Great Britain or America we would have been wiped out long ago the fact that we haven't been owes nothing to the godliness of past generations but to the fact that there is forgiveness so that the amazement should be that we are still here, we are still alive our sins are being forgiven,
26:37: God is blessing us in wonderful ways when people ignore him and hate him what the bible refers to when it speaks of the anger of God so very often is not anger against the world but anger against his own people his chosen people he punishes he says to a church you're not cold
27:05: I like cold lettuce and I like cold ice cream and you're not hot,
27:12: I like hot soup and hot wheat but you're just lukewarm in your attitude to me,
27:20: I'm lukewarm, I'm going to spill you out of my mouth I'm going to reprove you and chasten you and that should be troubling us our inconsistencies as people of God and if we want to speak of the current pandemic as a judgement, well where does judgement begin?
27:45: 1 Peter 4 17, it begins with God's own household and if that is the case then
27:52: I would say Lord is it me, is it I Lord how calamities come into my life because of me and because of my sin yes, we very quickly, even when we are born again believers in Christ and are filled with the
28:17: Holy Spirit, we often sin by immediately looking around us to see who else is to blame other than looking into our hearts we have to go to our very first break right now and if anybody would like to join us on the air with a question of your own, our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail dot com c h r i s a r n z e n at gmail dot com.
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40:04: We are now back with Pastor Jeff Thomas, who is the retired pastor of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Everest, with Wales, where he served in the ministry for over 50 years.
40:16: And today we are addressing, If disaster occurs in the city, will not the Lord have done it?
40:24: One of the things that you were mentioning before about those that teach that God could not and is not the source of anything that is a disaster or a calamity or something that brings sorrow into our lives, they think they are defending
40:44: God's character when they do that, and they somehow say anyway,
40:50: I don't believe that they're being honest, not that they're intentionally lying, but I think that they're unconsciously not telling the reality of how it is, but they say they find more comfort in that thought.
41:04: How could one possibly find comfort in knowing that God is omniscient and omnipresent and omnipotent, and yet He just sits and watches as a spectator as what we are going through in this world, the pain and the suffering?
41:29: It is, our minds are confused.
41:40: What Christianity says is that there is not one rogue molecule in all of the cosmos which can act independently of Almighty God.
42:01: That everything lives and moves and has its being in God.
42:08: That in Him is life, and that life is the right of men.
42:15: So the thoughts in men's hearts, the decisions that they take, when you go back and you go back, eventually the first cause is the living
42:32: God. And so here is our only comfort in life and death, that Jesus Christ has got the whole world in His hands, and He's got me in His hands.
42:53: You know, this coronavirus, it's unimaginably tiny.
43:02: You could have a million of them in the palm of your hand and you couldn't see them, they're so tiny.
43:08: I have a dear grandson who has some learning difficulties.
43:14: He has a rare complaint called Tyne -Felter Syndrome. He's 20 years of age, he's a lovely
43:24: Christian boy, but he's got an extra -male chromosome.
43:29: And so he has some learning difficulties. He's not very good in social relationships.
43:42: He's got a job, he's a dog walker, and he's a happy Christian. My daughter says to me when we talk about him and love him to bits, we say, imagine one little chromosome, a tiny chromosome, just an extra chromosome, a male chromosome that he's got, and look, his whole life, his whole future is different because of it.
44:15: And, ah, but it wasn't a rogue chromosome that defied
44:21: God. And that, our chromosomes, our DNA, it, you know, is doing what
44:31: God wants it to do. We see through a glass darkly now. God says to us, what
44:38: I'm doing, you don't know now. You don't know why this coronavirus, why
44:45: I've permitted it. You don't know, but you will know. Heaven will not be a world of eternal perplexity where we wring our hands and say, why, why this disease, why the mental handicap, why this stillborn child.
45:05: God, God determines when sparrows shall fall.
45:10: God is a God of micromanagement of the whole world and of all that happens, and then we rest in him.
45:22: But we take responsibility then for our own folly and our own rebellion and our own rejection of him so that all the world is groaning because of this.
45:38: A hundred percent human responsibility, a hundred percent the sovereignty of God.
45:46: We believe them both. And we have, let's see, we have
45:53: Arnie in Perry County, Pennsylvania, who asks, I don't know what the situation is in Wales, but here in America, very often those who believe they are patriotic tend to look upon this country as something superior to all other countries in the world.
46:16: And they think that we innately have the ability to press through such national tragedies as the pandemic and even those that have been much worse in our past due to something that is inborn in us or at least culturally raised up in us.
46:39: And this, although has a right place, patriotism that is, I fear that it very often becomes idolatrous, the way that you may not even hear
46:51: God mentioned when you hear about the way that Americans bravely work through these things and also demonstrate great compassion and charity and benevolence.
47:08: What you say is true for London and for the
47:15: British Isles also. I think one positive response that we should be showing as Christian believers at the present time is to be giving our full support to the powers that be and the measures that a president and a governor and a mayor proposes.
47:46: One marked feature of the crisis has been the response that's come from Westminster and has come from Washington.
47:59: They are armed with the best medical and scientific advice that our countries can give to them.
48:11: They have focused firmly on limiting the spread of this virus to save lives and make sure that the medical profession and hospitals are fit for the purpose.
48:32: Now there are times when we must raise our voices in protest against government policies.
48:43: We love our country and we are patriotic but there are things that happen in London and in Washington and we grieve over them.
48:54: But at this juncture in the history of our two nations, those who fear
49:05: God must honor those that he has appointed to God. We must submit to every directive of the state for the
49:17: Lord's sake as if we were obeying the Lord. We are staying in our house here.
49:28: We can go out for groceries and for medical reasons and we can go out for some exercise and then back home.
49:39: Stay home. Don't spread. And after a few weeks have gone by, we are getting rather restless.
49:50: But I've got my wife with me. I'm just so sorry that there are single people who have to spend now hours and hours day and night in their little apartments and they can't get out.
50:12: But there's no point in us protesting against that while the coronavirus, while COVID -19 is still a very vital force in the land.
50:27: I've lost three good Christian friends who have died because of this disease.
50:35: I don't want to provoke other people to anger with me by my interfering in their lives.
50:46: I'll stay apart until we've got some antidote. And they're all working on that at the present time and we're praying much that they'll find it swiftly and that we can conquer this coronavirus.
51:03: Amen. Well, we have to go to our midway break right now. This is the longer than normal break.
51:09: Please be patient with us, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, as we take this longer break because Grace Life Radio 90 .1
51:18: FM in Lake City, Florida, they have to air their own public service announcements and other things that localize this program to Lake City, Florida.
51:28: And while they air their own public service announcements in the middle of the show, we air our globally heard commercials.
51:35: And so I'm asking you, please, to make the best use of this time. Write down as much of the information provided by as many of our advertisers as possible so that you can patronize them more frequently and successfully, which will enable us to remain on the air for a longer future, because we rely upon our advertisers for the financial support those advertisements provide.
51:59: And also, if you hear an ad, let's say a church that's far away from you, you know, you'll likely never visit it.
52:08: Well, why not just write them a letter or send them an email or call them and thank them for sponsoring
52:15: Iron Trump and Zion Radio if you do love the show? And because that will go a long way,
52:21: I believe. And of course, write down your questions for our guest today, Jeff Thomas.
52:27: We have been discussing Amos chapter three, verse six. If disaster occurs in the city, will not the
52:34: Lord have done it? And our email address is chrisarnson at gmail dot com chrisarnson at gmail dot com.
52:40: And please, as always, give us your first name, your city and state of residence and your country of residence.
52:46: If you live outside the USA, only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter.
52:52: Don't go away. We'll be right back with Jeff Thomas after these messages. James White of Alpha Omega Ministries here.
53:02: If you've watched my dividing line webcast often enough, you know, I have a great love for getting Bibles and other documents vital to my ministry rebound to preserve and ensure their longevity.
53:12: And besides that, they feel so good. I'm so delighted. I discovered post Tenebrous Lux Bible rebinding.
53:19: No radio ad will be long enough to sing their praises sufficiently, but I'll give it a shot. Jeffrey Rice of Post Tenebrous Lux is a remarkably gifted craftsman and artisan.
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54:27: Chris Arnsen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio, announcing a new website with an exciting offer from World Magazine, my trusted source for news from a
54:44: Christian perspective. Try World Now at no charge for 90 days by going to get world now dot com.
54:52: That's get world now dot com. I rely on world because I trust the reporting. I gain insight from the analysis and world provides clarity to the news stories that really matter.
55:03: I believe you'll also find world to be an invaluable resource to better understand critical topics with a depth that's simply not found in other media outlets.
55:12: Armed with this coverage, world can help you to be a voice of wisdom in your family and your community.
55:18: This trial includes biweekly issues of World Magazine, on scene reporting from World Radio and the fully shareable content of World Digital.
55:27: There's no obligation and no credit card required. Visit get world now dot com today.
55:34: Also check out World News Group's podcast, The World and Everything in It at WNG dot org forward slash podcast.
55:43: That's W for World, N for News, G for Group dot org forward slash podcast.
56:02: I'm Dr. Tony Costa, professor of apologetics and Islam at Toronto Baptist Seminary.
56:08: I'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where I've been invited to speak and have grown to love.
56:14: Hope Reform Baptist Church in Coram, Long Island, New York. Pastored by Rich Jensen and Christopher McDowell.
56:21: It's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of God like the dear saints at Hope Reform Baptist Church in Coram, who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of Christ in his holy word, and to enthusiastically proclaim
56:38: Christ Jesus the King and his doctrines of sovereign grace in Suffolk County, Long Island and beyond.
56:45: I hope you also have the privilege of discovering this precious congregation and receive the blessing of being showered by their love as I have.
56:54: For more information on Hope Reform Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
57:01: That's hopereformedli .net. Or call 631 -696 -5711.
57:10: That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island, New York that you heard about them from Tony Costa on Iron Sharpens Iron.
57:28: Chris Sorensen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio here. I want to tell you about a man I have personally known for many years.
57:35: His name is Dan Buttafuoco. Dan is a personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer, but not the type that typically comes to mind.
57:43: Dan cares about people and is a theologian himself. Recently, he wrote a book titled Consider the
57:49: Evidence for the Bible. Ravi Zacharias wrote the foreword. Dan also has a master's degree in theology.
57:57: Dan handles serious injury and medical malpractice cases in all 50 states. He represents many
58:03: Christians in serious injury matters all over the country. Dan is an exceptional trial lawyer.
58:09: He wrote the test for the National Board of Trial Advocacy. And currently his firm has over 100 cases that have settled for $1 million or more, and in approximately 10 different states.
58:23: In Illinois, his lawyers had the fourth largest settlement in the state's history. In New York, his case involving a paralyzed police officer made the front page of the
58:33: Law Journal. If you have a serious personal injury or medical malpractice claim in any state,
58:39: I recommend that you call Dan. Consultations are free. There is no fee unless you win.
58:46: Dan Buttafuoco's number is 1 -800 -669 -4878. 1 -800 -669 -4878.
58:53: Or email me for Dan's contact information at chrisarnson at gmail dot com.
59:00: That's chrisarnson at gmail dot com. Lindbrook Baptist Church on 225
59:10: Earl Avenue in Lindbrook, Long Island, is teaching God's timeless truths in the 21st century. Our church is far more than a
59:16: Sunday worship service. It's a place of learning where the scriptures are studied and the preaching of the gospel is clear and relevant.
59:22: It's like a gym where one can exercise their faith through community involvement. It's like a hospital for wounded souls where one can find compassionate people and healing.
59:30: We're a diverse family of all ages. Enthusiastically serving our Lord Jesus Christ. In fellowship, play, and together.
59:36: Hi, I'm Pastor Bob Walderman, and I invite you to come and join us here at Lindbrook Baptist Church and see all that a church can be.
59:43: Call Lindbrook Baptist at 516 -599 -9402. That's 516 -599 -9402.
59:50: Or visit lindbrookbaptist .org. That's lindbrookbaptist .org. Iron Sharpens Iron welcomes
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01:01:06: The coronavirus pandemic has rapidly changed our way of life, bringing so many uncertainties.
01:01:13: When will it end? Why do disasters like this happen? How do we deal with anxiety, fear, and the like?
01:01:19: Well, join us each Friday on the program Iron Sharpens Iron with your host
01:01:25: Chris Arnzen and Pastor Joe Jacobs as they explore God's Word for answers to this and other of life's related issues.
01:01:34: Tune in at firstloveradio .org. That's firstloveradio .org.
01:01:40: Each Friday at 1 p .m. Pacific, 4 p .m. Eastern. That's Iron Sharpens Iron on firstloveradio .org.
01:01:49: Fridays, 1 p .m. Pacific, 4 p .m. Eastern. To hear what the Bible has to say about pandemics and how we should respond.
01:02:04: When Iron Sharpens Iron Radio first launched in 2005, the publishers of the
01:02:10: New American Standard Bible were among my very first sponsors. It gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the
01:02:18: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the
01:02:23: NASB. I'm author Gary DeMar, president of American Vision, and the
01:02:29: NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Dan LeBennick of West Hills Baptist Church in Huntington Station, New York, and the
01:02:37: NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Justin Peters of Justin Peters Ministries, and the
01:02:43: NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Reverend Buzz Taylor, author of God's Lawson, and the
01:02:50: NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Dr. William Webster, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Battle Ground, Washington, founder of the ministry
01:02:59: Christian Resources, and the NASB is my Bible of choice.
01:03:04: I'm Pastor Ryan Galan of Central Islet Community Church in Central Islet, New York, and the
01:03:10: NASB is my Bible of choice. I'm Pastor Brandon Smith of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in Jackson, Georgia, and the
01:03:18: NASB is my Bible of choice. Here's a great way for your church to help keep
01:03:24: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio on the air. Pastors, are your pew Bibles tattered and falling apart?
01:03:30: Consider restocking your pews with the NASB, and tell the publishers you heard about them from Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
01:03:39: Go to nasbible .com. That's nasbible .com to place your order.
01:03:55: This is Pastor Bill Sousa, Grace Church at Franklin, here in the beautiful state of Tennessee.
01:04:01: Our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support
01:04:07: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio financially. Grace Church at Franklin is an independent, autonomous body of believers, which strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture through the person and work of our
01:04:23: Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, the end for which we strive is the glory of God.
01:04:30: If you live near Franklin, Tennessee, and Franklin is just south of Nashville, maybe 10 minutes, or you are visiting this area, or you have friends and loved ones nearby, we hope you will join us some
01:04:43: Lord's Day in worshiping our God and Savior. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about Grace Church at Franklin.
01:04:52: Our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org. That's gracechurchatfranklin .org.
01:05:01: This is Pastor Bill Sousa wishing you all the richest blessings of our
01:05:06: Sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King, Jesus Christ, today and always.
01:05:19: Every day at thousands of community centers, high schools, middle schools, juvenile institutions, coffee shops, and local hangouts,
01:05:27: Long Island Youth for Christ staff and volunteers meet with young people who need Jesus.
01:05:33: We are rural and urban, and we are always about the message of Jesus. Our mission is to have a noticeable spiritual impact on Long Island, New York by engaging young people in the lifelong journey of following Christ.
01:05:45: Long Island Youth for Christ has been a stalwart bedrock ministry since 1959. We have a world -class staff and a proven track record of bringing consistent love and encouragement to youths in need all over the country and around the world.
01:05:59: Help honor our history by becoming a part of our future. Volunteer, donate, pray, or all of the above.
01:06:06: For details, call Long Island Youth for Christ at 631 -385 -8333.
01:06:12: That's 631 -385 -8333. Or visit liyfc .org.
01:06:22: That's liyfc .org. Hi, I'm Buzz Taylor, frequent co -host with Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
01:06:37: I would like to introduce you to my good friends Todd and Patty Jennings at CVBBS, which stands for Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service.
01:06:46: Todd and Patty specialize in supplying Reformed and Puritan books and Bibles at discount prices that make them affordable to everyone.
01:06:53: Since 1987, the family -owned and operated book service has sought to bring you the best available
01:06:58: Christian books and Bibles at the best possible prices. Unlike other book sites, they make no effort to provide every book that is available because, frankly, much of what is being printed is not worth your time.
01:07:11: That means you can get to the good stuff faster. It also means that you don't have to worry about being assaulted by the pornographic, heretical, and otherwise faith -insulting material promoted by the secular book vendors.
01:07:24: Their website is cvbbs .com. Browse the pages at ease, shop at your leisure, and purchase with confidence as Todd and Patty work in service to you, the
01:07:35: Church, and to Christ. That's Cumberland Valley Bible Book Service at cvbbs .com.
01:07:42: That's cvbbs .com. Let Todd and Patty know that you heard about them on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
01:07:50: And don't forget, you can always call them as well at 800 -656 -0231.
01:07:55: Well, you can't always call them. You can call them Monday through Friday, 10 a .m. to 4 .30
01:08:01: p .m. Eastern Time at 800 -656 -0231. 800 -656 -0231.
01:08:08: Those are the only days and hours that that phone line is manned and there is no voicemail.
01:08:13: So call Monday through Friday, 10 a .m. to 4 .30 p .m. Eastern Time. Always tell them that you heard about them from Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
01:08:22: Before we return to Jeff Thomas and our discussion on Amos 3 -6, if disaster occurs in the city, will not the
01:08:30: Lord have done it? We just have a few important announcements to make. First of all, as I have already started mentioning,
01:08:38: I believe, yesterday, we are very sad to announce that we had to postpone the
01:08:43: Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Pastor's Luncheon because Banner of Truth has postponed their
01:08:50: East Coast Ministers Conference where Dr. Conrad Mbewe was going to be on the roster and he was our keynote speaker at the
01:09:00: Pastor's Luncheon. And I'm not even 100 % sure whether Conrad would even be able to fly out of Africa at this point until a ban is lifted on foreign flights entering into the
01:09:14: United States. So please pray that we can reschedule that luncheon very soon.
01:09:21: I have never had Dr. Mbewe preach at one of my Pastor's Luncheons. He's a dear friend of mine that I've known since 1995.
01:09:28: The church where I was formerly a member, Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Merrick, Long Island, was the very first church where Conrad ever preached in the
01:09:38: United States during his first visit to the United States in 1995.
01:09:44: And I've maintained a close friendship with him ever since, so I am really looking forward not only to see him preach and hear him preach, but to enjoy fellowship with him.
01:09:55: So pray that we can reschedule that soon. Also tomorrow on the show, my very dear friend,
01:10:03: Reverend Roger Salter, he is the rector at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
01:10:11: He is a delight to interview and to spend time with, and he is a thoroughly
01:10:20: Reformed and thoroughly Protestant Anglican. And he always has a wealth of information and a wealth of wisdom to share with my listeners, and we have not yet decided a specific topic yet, but we will let you know as soon as possible.
01:10:38: And then Ron McKinney is going to be our guest for the very first time on Thursday the 23rd of April.
01:10:46: He is the pastor of Kinsey Drive Baptist Church in Dalton, Georgia, and he is going to be giving the testimony of how his whole family, starting with his father
01:10:56: Don McKinney, who is now in eternity with Christ, how Don led that whole family out of Arminian Pentecostalism and into Reformed and Baptistic theology.
01:11:11: And I mean no disrespect to my Pentecostal and Charismatic listeners by saying that, but I happen to be somebody who is madly in love with the doctrines of Sovereign Grace, and I will never shy away from rejoicing when someone else embraces those teachings.
01:11:29: So please forgive me if my exuberance may offend anyone who does not share those convictions, but I'm sure this is going to be a fascinating interview on Thursday the 23rd of April.
01:11:44: And then we have Joe Jackowitz returning for his weekly coronavirus update and biblical application on how
01:11:54: Christians should respond to this. That's Friday the 24th of April. And I might as well plug a couple of programs next week.
01:12:04: My former pastor before moving to Pennsylvania, my most recent former pastor
01:12:09: I should say, Mark Grimaldi is going to be my guest on Monday the 27th.
01:12:14: We still don't have a topic. And Mack Tomlinson, who is a mutual friend of Jeff Thomas and mine, he is going to be on both the 28th and 29th of April.
01:12:26: So I'm looking forward to that as well. And folks, if you love this show,
01:12:32: I'm urging you please to go to ironsharpdesignradio .com, click support, then click, click to donate now.
01:12:37: You could donate instantly with a debit or credit card in that fashion. And you could also send in a check via snail mail to the address that appears on the screen when you click support at ironsharpdesignradio .com
01:12:52: if you indeed prefer doing that. We have been hit with some hard times financially.
01:13:00: Our financial situation was already very shaky before the coronavirus hit the world.
01:13:06: And now it's even shakier because two of our largest advertisers have postponed any further financial support for this program because their own businesses were hit very hard by the coronavirus scare.
01:13:21: And so please help us make up for that loss financially. If you love the show and you have extra money collecting interest, also a lot of you folks who still have jobs at this moment and nothing has affected you in a negative fashion during this crisis, you've got some money saved up because you're not going to your favorite sporting events anymore, at least for the time being.
01:13:49: You're not going to concerts. You're not going to theatrical performances. You're not going out fine dining.
01:13:58: And many of the other things that you enjoyed. Well, could you use some of that money to help Iron Sharpens Iron remain on the air?
01:14:05: We would really appreciate it. And again, I'm saying this if you love this show and you don't want it to disappear.
01:14:11: Well, please help us out. And if you want to advertise with us, if you're a business owner, a professional person like a doctor, a lawyer, a dentist, a chiropractor, if you are a pastor, if you are a ministry leader in a parachurch organization and you want to advertise, please send me an e -mail to chrisarnson at gmail .com.
01:14:31: And as long as whatever it is you want to advertise is compatible with what we believe, we would love to help you launch an ad campaign immediately because we are in urgent need of your advertising dollars.
01:14:41: That's chrisarnson at gmail .com. And put advertising in the subject line. Also, folks, if you are not a member of a local
01:14:50: Bible -believing church, and you're not even prayerfully looking for one, you are living in rebellion against God, please rectify that situation immediately and send me an e -mail to chrisarnson at gmail .com.
01:15:03: chrisarnson at gmail .com. I may be able to help you find a church no matter where you live on the planet Earth. I've already helped quite a number of people find churches.
01:15:12: I have lists of biblically faithful churches all over the globe. So send me an e -mail to chrisarnson at gmail .com.
01:15:17: But I need a church in the subject line. That's also the e -mail address where you can send in a question for Jeff Thomas.
01:15:26: For half a century, over half a century, he was the pastor of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Everest with Wales.
01:15:33: He is an author. He is a highly sought -after conference speaker, especially in reformed circles.
01:15:41: And our e -mail address is chrisarnson at gmail .com. And we are discussing, If disaster occurs in the city, will not the
01:15:49: Lord have done it? From Amos 3 .6. And we have
01:15:55: Ronald in Eastern Suffolk County who says, Is it true that historically most revivals that have occurred came from a time where a nation was negatively affected by something that drove people to their knees in prayer?
01:16:18: Well, sometimes. I think to find a naturalistic explanation to why a great awakening occurs and to say, ah, there was a cholera epidemic or there was a war or there was a famine or a drought or a civil war.
01:16:48: I don't know. We lived through a very bloody century, the 20th century in Europe.
01:17:01: And all those things happened. And disasters seemed to beckon to another disaster to come running hot on its heels and to crash into the lives of nations and cities and families.
01:17:19: But there was no turning to God. The people at the end of the 20th century were witnessing the closing of churches and the disappearance of gospel pulpits and seminaries did close.
01:17:46: And I was talking to a friend in Korea when I was visiting and speaking there and I was saying to him,
01:17:56: It is one of the reasons for the vitality and spread of the church in Korea is that you are attached to a billion atheistic
01:18:10: Chinese in that country. And you need to assert your independence and your individuality and not to be swamped and threatened by China and its atheistic
01:18:32: Marxist materialism. And you are then asserting very strongly that you believe in the living
01:18:43: God. And churches are everywhere because Seoul is just full of churches. And he said, well, that might have something to do.
01:18:52: But look at Japan. Japan is as much intimidated by the nearness and power of Chinese atheism and Marxist materialism.
01:19:12: And yet Japan has not taken the road that we have in Korea in humbling ourselves and preaching the
01:19:23: Bible and believing the Bible and casting ourselves on God. And so I took that from him.
01:19:33: And so that would be my answer. But occasionally there have been naturalistic episodes of cholera and the
01:19:50: Black Death, which have caused some people to cry to God for help and mercy.
01:19:58: But that has not been the normal pattern. Salvation is of the
01:20:03: Lord. God gives his spirit. God opens the windows of heaven and pours out his spirit.
01:20:12: And he does so when it pleases him, when he makes his arm bare.
01:20:19: And then he fills the church with joy and the Holy Ghost. And that's what we are being provoked to do at this time.
01:20:29: To cry to God for his blessing to come on our suffering
01:20:35: Western world. Now, although the, as you said, revival doesn't always come about from or in the midst of a global or national period of suffering, isn't the church historically at its most powerful and dedicated during those times of suffering?
01:21:02: Yeah. There are the most wonderful men who've done the most brave self -sacrificial actions to minister in the name of Jesus and have laid down their lives for it.
01:21:25: The blood of those men has been the seed of which God has caused a church to grow.
01:21:36: But one is so impressed with an earlier grace in the
01:21:42: British Isles, which has caused unbelieving non -Christian doctors and nurses and medical staff to work tirelessly to help and deliver people.
01:22:01: Ah, you wish they were all Christians. But it's because of a grace in their parents or their grandparents' generation that has made them live such credible, caring lives.
01:22:21: And we thank God for them. We have an anonymous listener who says,
01:22:29: Last Thursday, I heard Chris Arnsen, the host of this program, say that if you are married with children, you are supposed to be putting your spouse and children above the neighbors in your community in a priority.
01:22:47: In other words, their needs are to come first before your neighbor. Is this true, or do you agree with Chris on this?
01:22:57: Well, what an interesting question. Yes, and let me emphasize, those that have families,
01:23:05: I think that should be, not that they are supposed to ignore the needs of their neighbors or be greedy or selfish or not give when they can and share when they can, but I believe that, as the scriptures teach, if a man doesn't provide for his own home, he's worse than an infidel, so we can't put the needs of the children of others above our own children if we have them, and spouses, etc.
01:23:30: Of course you've explained that. There's one woman, and she's my wife, and I am to nourish and cherish her in a special way, aren't
01:23:43: I? By Christ laid down his life for the church, so husbands are to love their wives, not to love all women, but to love their wives in this particular way.
01:23:58: We're not polygamous Mormons after all. That's right. The children that God has given to us, and he says, in the nurture and admonition of me, you have a special responsibility to them, not for all the children of the neighborhood.
01:24:19: So there are special responsibilities that we have.
01:24:26: I have a wonderful friend who's an evangelist, and he has a lovely family of boys, only one of them trusts in Jesus Christ, and the others don't.
01:24:43: And I'm so sorry for him, you know, he's traveled exhaustively around the world, much in demand, he has an awakening ministry, and yet he has cared for other vineyards, but his own vineyard he hasn't kept.
01:25:04: That is a great grief to him. And it's that sort of emphasis that,
01:25:11: I'm sure, last week in Shabbat Zayin, that was being emphasized.
01:25:20: Amen, yes it was. Yes, I've even heard of great difficulty that has reached the point of divorce, tragically, with pastors who are far more involved in the lives of the congregation than with his own wife and children.
01:25:43: So even a pastor could fall into that serious error and lose his marriage.
01:25:50: Quite so, quite so. And let's see, we have
01:25:56: Bobby in Hartsdale, New York, who says, Can you recommend, other than the Bible of course, books that you highly urge us to read during this time of isolation that could benefit us spiritually?
01:26:10: Oh, what a wonderful question, oh that's a gift. Bobby, bless you for asking such a question.
01:26:18: Reformed people love hearing that kind of a question. The thing is, you see,
01:26:24: I have to use my poor listening Samaritan tongue. I have to think, I have to care,
01:26:31: I have to explain and defend the cause of God and open up and try and preach the
01:26:42: Gospel from the pulpit and individually to people. Oh, it's so much easier to say, here's a book, and to recommend books.
01:26:54: But I do, I think one of the most important books would be
01:27:02: Dr. Martyn Lloyd -Jones, who studies the Sermon on the Mount. And that has helped me.
01:27:10: I wanted to live a joyful, righteous life, and I wanted to preach like him.
01:27:18: And then J .C. Ryan's Holiness, that was a very, very helpful book.
01:27:26: Anything that J .C. Ryan writes. In fact, somebody, not knowing that I've already read that book, reminded me to read it again because they recommended that book to me this very day.
01:27:38: Very good. Very good. There we are. That would be terrific. And then anything that Iain Murray writes,
01:27:45: I find, he scratches where I itch, Bobby.
01:27:52: And so, it may not be so for you, but he has written a biography of Dr.
01:28:03: Martyn Lloyd -Jones, which is very, very valuable, and really tells the story of my life. And his book,
01:28:11: The Forgotten Spurge, and you've all heard of Spurge, and what a wonderful preacher he was, but who was he?
01:28:18: What did he believe? What battles did he fight? What victories did he win? And so, that would be very, very useful.
01:28:28: Excellent book. And then Walter Gentry, we were told, his Forgotten, and his
01:28:36: Today's Gospel is such a helpful 90 -page paperback, which explains what the gospel is and how it needs to be rediscovered and preached.
01:28:52: So, I would think those would be the books that would immediately come to mind, and the authors that come to my mind at this time.
01:29:06: Well, I would recommend anything by Jeff Thomas, And you could go to banneroftruth .org,
01:29:17: banneroftruth .org, and find out more about books he has written.
01:29:23: You can also go to the website of Reformation Heritage Books, the publisher founded by Joel Beeky, and that's heritagebooks .org,
01:29:35: heritagebooks .org. And by the way, after you find books that you want to order, please go to our sponsor to actually purchase them.
01:29:44: Many times, they are actually less expensive than the publishers themselves sell these books for.
01:29:51: So, go to cvbbs .com, c -v -b -b -s, which stands for Cumberland Valley, biblebookservice .com,
01:29:58: and you can order them. And during these times of trial,
01:30:03: I would highly recommend a book. Wow, his name just flew out of my head.
01:30:10: I can't believe his name flew out of my head. I've interviewed him. He's now with the Lord. He wrote the book,
01:30:16: Trusting God. Jerry Bridges. There, I rescued my memory. Or God did,
01:30:22: I should say. Jerry Bridges wrote the book, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts. I think that's an ideal book.
01:30:29: And if anybody out there has lost loved ones especially, Surprised by Suffering by R .C.
01:30:35: Sproul is an excellent book. In fact, I have given out, I've given away dozens of copies of both of those books.
01:30:44: I try to make it a habit when I hear about somebody who has a loved one who has died,
01:30:50: I typically buy those two books and either hand them to them personally or mail them to them.
01:30:55: Yeah. Very good. Yes, I would highly recommend them both too.
01:31:04: Just out of curiosity, I've been mentioning Banner of Truth and Reformation Heritage books. Are there other publishers that have published you yet?
01:31:11: Or are those the two exclusive publishers that you have? Well, there's one that the
01:31:18: Brintirian, the Evangelical Movement, and the Wales Press has produced on scripture.
01:31:26: But I have this new book coming out now within a month that Reformation Heritage is going to bring out.
01:31:32: You Could Have It All, it's called. And I hope it's an evangelistic book.
01:31:41: And it shows the extraordinary range of blessings that God gives us.
01:31:53: And if we have Christ, we are complete. And we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.
01:32:04: And I've just outlined those. And I've finished the proofs and the proofs have come back.
01:32:13: And I've asked Sinclair Ferguson and Ian Hamilton and Ian Murray and my son -in -law
01:32:21: Gary Brady. I've asked all those to write little blurbs. They all have said how much they've appreciated reading it.
01:32:28: And they are there on the back cover. So I can't wait now until this book will appear from Reformation Heritage within the next month or two.
01:32:42: I don't know whether all the delay that's happening these days with the virus, whether that will delay it.
01:32:50: But then I think that is going to be a very useful pastoral evangelistic tool for gospel churches.
01:33:00: In fact, our mutual friend, Pastor Mac Tomlinson of Providence Chapel in Denton, Texas, just chimed in and said that he heartily recommends
01:33:10: Spiritual Depression by Dr. Martin Lloyd -Jones. Oh, right. Well done,
01:33:15: Mark. That's another good one. Oh, another great author that I'm sure you are familiar with, because he pastored the very first church that Dr.
01:33:28: Martin Lloyd -Jones pastored in Wales, Sanfields. I'm speaking of Peter Jeffrey, who is now with The Lord for Eternity.
01:33:39: You could look up his books. I think his primary publisher has been Evangelical Press over the years.
01:33:46: Yes. And also Solid Ground Christian Books, our sponsor. Yes. And then you would say
01:33:53: J .I. Parker's Knowing God. Yeah. And that has sold a million copies.
01:34:00: What do you think of that? Articles that appeared in Evangelical Magazine brought together in a book, and it sells year after year.
01:34:10: J .I. Parker, Knowing God. You know it, don't you? Yes. You can't be
01:34:15: Reformed and not know that book's existence. And as much as I disagreed on some of the decisions that Dr.
01:34:26: Parker has made over the years in regard to ecumenism, he still has written things that are priceless.
01:34:33: Yes. And we have to go to our final break. It's going to be a lot quicker than the last two breaks.
01:34:39: So if you would like to join us, please send in your question immediately before we run out of time. ChrisArnzen at gmail .com.
01:34:47: ChrisArnzen at gmail .com. Don't go away. God willing, we'll be right back after these messages.
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01:36:33: When will it end? Why do disasters like this happen? How do we deal with anxiety, fear, and the like?
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01:37:22: Chris Arnzen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio here. I want to tell you about a man I have personally known for many years.
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01:38:33: I recommend that you call Dan. Consultations are free. There is no fee unless you win.
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01:38:53: That's chrisarnson at gmail .com. I've had the privilege of opening
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01:39:49: I also want to congratulate Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram for their recent appointment of Pastor Rich Jensen's co -elder,
01:39:55: Pastor Christopher McDowell. For more information on Hope Reform Baptist Church, go to hopereformedli .net.
01:40:02: That's hopereformedli .net. Or call 631 -696 -5711.
01:40:09: That's 631 -696 -5711. Tell the folks at Hope Reform Baptist Church of Coram, Long Island that you heard about them from James White on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio.
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01:42:07: Hail the power of Jesus' name.
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01:43:25: Sovereign Lord, God, Savior, and King, Jesus Christ, today and always.
01:43:34: Music Listening to Christian radio can be a big gamble spiritually.
01:43:52: Even many of the major Christian networks that include excellent, biblically faithful teachers on their line -up sadly often also include the worst of doctrinally dangerous heretics.
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01:44:46: Spread the word about FirstLoveRadio .org. Welcome back.
01:45:00: This is Chris Arnzen. If you just tuned us in, our guest today has been Reverend Jeff Thomas, formerly the pastor at Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth, Wales, where he served as the under -shepherd there for over half a century.
01:45:17: And we have been discussing Amos chapter 3, verse 6. And that very powerful verse reads,
01:45:25: If disaster occurs in the city, will not the Lord have done it? And if you have a question,
01:45:30: I would send it in immediately to ChrisArnzen at gmail .com ChrisArnzen at gmail .com
01:45:37: because we have less than 15 minutes of the program.
01:45:46: We have, let's see here, Pastor John Green of Grace Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
01:45:55: First time questioner, I believe. And he says,
01:46:01: Thank you, Brother Jeff, for these two days of sharing your insights and wisdom. We pray for you and long to see you again.
01:46:08: Oh, I guess you know, Pastor. Good, good, good. How lovely.
01:46:13: Yes, good friends. Thank you very much for calling in. Great, well, writing in, you mean.
01:46:22: Pastor John, if you want to send me another email with your website, I will gladly let our listeners know about it, because any friend of Jeff Thomas's, if he is a pastor, certainly should have his church advertised.
01:46:38: So just send that in, and I'll let our listeners know what the website is.
01:46:45: You know what that brother has bought me and gave me? He gave me a pair of Martin Luther socks.
01:46:52: Have you seen those socks? Oh, you don't mean an actual pair of... Here I stand.
01:47:04: So you don't mean an actual pair that he... And he and his daughter and his wife, they brought out their cell phones, and they looked it up, and they said,
01:47:14: Do you want them in blue or black? Black will go with everything. And they bought a pair of socks,
01:47:21: Martin Luther socks. Here I stand in them. Well, Pastor John, let me know where I can get those socks myself.
01:47:29: Obviously you weren't referring to a pair that Martin Luther actually wore. These are novelty socks.
01:47:36: They're novelty. They came up because of the big anniversary, of course, of the nailing of the 95 theses to the door on the celebration of 500 years of the
01:47:47: Reformation. Yes, well I happen to have a pair of John Calvin's boxer shorts, so beat that.
01:47:58: Let's see here. We have Christian in South Central Pennsylvania, who says,
01:48:05: I loved hearing the books you recommended. Can you recommend preachers we can listen to either by CD or on the
01:48:13: Internet during this time of isolation? Oh, yes.
01:48:19: There are so many out there. Paul Washer, Al Martin, John MacArthur, Ian Murray, Alistair Begg.
01:48:36: Just for starters, those are Sermon Audio. You can listen to them.
01:48:45: Yeah, you can find a treasure trove of probably thousands of preachers on Sermon Audio.
01:48:52: Yes, quite so. And of course, Jeff Thomas. And by the way, if you're looking for him on the
01:48:57: Internet, his first name is spelled G as in George, E -O -F -F. He doesn't spell it with a
01:49:04: J. So look up Jeff Thomas. And I would obviously, as I've been saying nearly every opportunity that I have a chance to say,
01:49:13: Dr. Conrad Mbewe of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, Africa. Truly a powerful preacher.
01:49:20: Hensworth Jonas, H -E -N -S -W -O -R -T -H
01:49:26: Jonas, J -O -N -A -S, who is a Reformed Baptist pastor in the
01:49:31: Caribbean. And I could also go on and on. Yeah, Tim Conway, of course, down there in San Antonio.
01:49:43: I've greatly profited from his preaching. I just heard him preach.
01:49:51: I don't know what exactly month it was. It was right before the coronavirus panic.
01:49:57: He preached at Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Long Island in Merrick.
01:50:03: Right. And of course, Ted Donnelly, also known as Edward Donnelly.
01:50:12: Can I say some things, just what we ought to do now if God is in control?
01:50:18: Firstly, we've got to pray. And that can sound so glib. Nothing's easier than prayer.
01:50:26: And nothing's more difficult. But prayer is based on trust and knowledge.
01:50:33: And what do we know? Well, we know the world isn't going for itself. But I do believe that in the
01:50:40: White House there are a group of Christians, groups of Christians who meet and pray.
01:50:46: And I was thrilled to hear that somebody who is a member in Spurgeon -Tapernacle,
01:50:51: Metropolitan -Tapernacle, is the doctor who is in charge of our prime minister. And our prime minister was taken with coronavirus just two weeks ago and spent a week in hospital and was wonderfully cared for.
01:51:06: And the man largely responsible for caring for him is a member with Peter Masters there in the
01:51:13: Met Top. And that was thrilling to me. And that he was able to give him our Gideon Bible.
01:51:20: So, you know, the world doesn't pray for itself. But the
01:51:25: Christian community, we must pray. We are a nation of priests.
01:51:31: And the Lord says, Jeremiah 29 -7, Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile.
01:51:41: And pray to the Lord on its behalf. For in its welfare you will find your welfare.
01:51:49: Well, no, that's a great encouragement for us to pray. And then to pray specifically that the
01:51:57: Lord Jesus has got the whole world in His hands and everything lives in Him.
01:52:03: We are speaking to God, a living God, a loving, an all -powerful, a personal, intelligent
01:52:10: God who holds all the component parts together. He's permitted this virus to mutate and to become what we can see.
01:52:19: It's for us an unguided missile of biological warfare. But God can cause it to mutate again and cause our bodies to enhance their immune systems.
01:52:31: And He can guide and resource and fight with this vast hostile army.
01:52:38: And then God cares deeply for the world and for its distinguished inhabitants, the human race.
01:52:46: And so it doesn't mean He'd never permit epidemics or natural disasters.
01:52:54: But He still loves it and it remains a world of incredible beauty. We walked in a park this afternoon here and we went to see the eight swans that are there on the lake.
01:53:05: And the sky was blue and what a lovely sight it was, a world of stability and order.
01:53:13: And nothing has happened to shake my confidence that I live in a magnificent universe under a caring
01:53:20: Lord. And finally that He promises grace to help in every time of need.
01:53:27: It's a wonderful phrase, that would help. It's a technical term used by sailors when their ship was caught in a severe storm and belts or ropes were slung around the hull to prevent a breaking up.
01:53:41: Luke says they use supports, helps to undergird the ship.
01:53:46: And in this crisis of mental health and isolation, we could go to pieces.
01:53:54: But there's help. There's a help, a source of help in the
01:53:59: Lord. God's grace is sufficient because it's power acting to sanctify and save us.
01:54:09: And He is standing with us now, the God of all consolation and comfort and encouragement.
01:54:17: And so Isaiah puts it, Isaiah as you say, Wait for the
01:54:23: Lord, shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.
01:54:30: They shall walk and not faint. It's in the power of that verse I'm looking forward to the days to come.
01:54:37: Amen. And by the way, I prefer the way you folks in the UK pronounce Isaiah.
01:54:44: In fact, the first time I ever heard somebody pronounce it that way, I was a brand new Christian attending the
01:54:50: Philadelphia Conference on Reform Theology, a 10th Presbyterian church where James Montgomery Boyce once pastored before entering eternity.
01:54:59: And Eric Alexander was one of the speakers. By the way,
01:55:06: I took the liberty of looking up Pastor John Green's website.
01:55:14: For those of you listening, it's gracebaptistchurchmp for mountpleasant .org.
01:55:24: gracebaptistchurchmp .org and that's Grace Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, Texas. Thank you for writing in, and I hope that you keep listening and keep writing in questions for our guests in the future.
01:55:34: And please spread the word about the program in Mount Pleasant, Texas and beyond, Pastor Green. Well, I want you to have at least three minutes to summarize what you most want etched in the hearts and minds of our listeners today.
01:55:50: Well, there have been remarkable achievements that fellow men have made.
01:56:01: We've learned to fly and go under the sea and split the atom and put man on the moon.
01:56:08: And I can talk here from London and you can hear me across America.
01:56:15: And many diseases have been conquered. Smallpox, tuberculosis, malaria,
01:56:21: AIDS. Remarkable achievements and enormous credit to those who pioneered them.
01:56:27: But then this calamity of bloody 20th century. So our greatest scientific insights and our greatest technological achievements put to hellish use.
01:56:41: Prodigal use of natural resources, polluting sea and sky, fields and rivers.
01:56:47: And now a tiny virus undetected, unforeseen by science, suddenly threatens hundreds of thousands of lives and forces whole nations into lockdown.
01:57:01: And we're no longer steering a steady course. We are forced into a series of evasive actions, hoping to stave off the disaster.
01:57:13: And I'm praying that God may grant our leaders generous measures, not only of wisdom, but of humility.
01:57:22: And may he grant all of us the grace to go on our knees and to cry,
01:57:28: Lord, we're way out of our depth. Have pity on us and save us for Jesus' sake.
01:57:38: Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. What a great way to conclude the program. Well, folks, please remember, as I said earlier, if you are visiting the
01:57:51: Everest with Wales area on vacation, or if you have loved ones there, or perhaps you already live near there,
01:57:57: I highly urge you to pay a visit to alfredplacechurch .org
01:58:05: .uk.
01:58:15: Pastor Jeffrey, it's been such a joy these past two days to have you on, and I'm thrilled that we have already booked you for the first, or should
01:58:24: I say, yeah, the first two days of the last week in May, the 25th and the 26th.
01:58:32: You will be returning, God willing, to be on two days in a row, once again, on Iron Trupman's Iron Radio, and I look forward to many future visits from you after that.
01:58:44: Thank you very much. I'm honored. I am honored with the privilege of having you on every time you share your time with us.
01:58:54: And I want everybody, first of all, I want to thank everybody who listened, especially those who took the time to write in today.
01:59:01: And I want you all to always remember for the rest of your lives that Jesus Christ is a far greater