How do I teach dispensationalism to the hard-headed? -- The Crusader's Favorite Bible Studies And Web-Sites

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Subject: How do I teach dispensationalism to the hard-headed?

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Posted By The Crusader

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Date Posted: 16:11:53 09/21/02 Sat

How do I teach dispensationalism to the hard-headed?

TELL THEM ABOUT.......
THE BIBLE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL 'BUTS'

Pound for pound, Billy Goats have got to be about the most powerful creatures on the face of God's earth. And hard-headed, too. The last Billy we owned we cleverly named Billy-The-Kid; and when we put him on a lead line to go for a walk, we could only go where Billy wanted. And if you did not keep pace, he would yank your arm out of its socket until you got the idea. To stop him, the best tactic was to circle a good sized tree with the lead line: after a few minutes of constant tugging and choking, Billy generally got the idea. And heaven help you if you did not circle a big enough tree with the lead line, for you'd be going down the street: goat tree, roots and all. Now, a Billy goat's horns and head are solid as rock, but I have discovered a creature with a head even harder, and that would be a person resisting the Lord. You say any of the 'magic words: "Jesus, grace, faith, God, sin, reconciled," and the hard-headed will say "but, but, but, but but," just like a Billy goat. But for every "But" the hard-headed would offer, the Bible has a beautiful "But" in reply. The hard-headed Billy-the-Person says "But nobody can keep all those laws in the Bible and all those commandments;" to which the Bible replies "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested" (Romans 3:21) "But I can't live it," hard-headed Billy fires back. And the Bible calmly responds "But now being made free from sin, and become the servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)Hard-headed as any goat ever was Billy-the-persistent-person says "But I thought to be a Christian you had to act the way all those hypocrites in the Church act and do what the pastor tells you." Romans 7:6 answers "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (And why is it the hypocrites at the Walmart and the hypocrites at the bowling alley don't bother anybody, only the hypocrites at the church? And isn't it well said that "If there is a hypocrite between you and God, the hypocrite is closer to God that you are?") Some of the hardest heads I have ever encountered personally sat on the muscular shoulders of men I taught Bible to in a maximum security prison. Their favorite rejoinder was "But I've done too many bad things so God can't forgive me." "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) "But I'm not smart enough to understand God." "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." ((I Corinthians 1:27) Back and forth it goes. But God has a rock that will crack any nut "and that Rock was Christ." (I Corinthians 10:4) "But what if I sin again?" asks Billy-the-hard-headed. "But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13) "But I have wandered far away from God." "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13) "But, but-but ....but" There are no buts for which the Bible lacks a beautiful response, thanks to the grace and wisdom of almighty God. One nice thing about a hard-headed Billy goat is that when you get something into his cranium, it is there forever. For example, when our younger twin goats learned that the best way to get our attention was to jump onto the hood of the car, they never forgot it. (Which goes a long way to explain why we no longer own any goats.) And hard-headed people are enough to keep a person busy. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved" So don't be so hard-headed you miss heaven and don't be so hard-headed that you think it is your sins that will take you to hell. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ-for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:4-8) I know. You are saying "But, but, but..." But "being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (,quit being so hard-headed and thank God for those beautiful 'buts.')

From Web-Site: Discerning The Times
http://www.discerningthetimespublishing.com/main.htm

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