~Ernest Lee Contendin
Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
BORN A SINNER
Ernest Lee loves to discuss theology. Two of his favorite people (John MacArthur & R.C. Sproul) to do that with are now with the Lord and they know all the answers. They both thought they did down here. It won’t be long before Ernest Lee joins them. I want to look at one subject of theological debate – human nature and salvation.
First, man has an inherited sin nature. Some believe man is born innocent. Pelagius, a British monk, challenged Augustine’s view, arguing humans are born with free will and are capable of choosing good or evil without being inherently sinful. Pelagius believed sin is a result of individual choices, not inherited from Adam. But Pelagius was wrong. Romans 5:12 and Psalm 51:5 clearly teach man is a sinner from birth. Even itty bitty babies are sinners.
The Eastern Orthodox and Mormons reject the concept of original sin being passed down to Adam’s offspring. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, claimed to believe in man’s depravity, but he taught man was born with a ‘spark of good,’ that could be fanned to result in regeneration.
Eastern Orthodox Christians agree sin has weakened human beings so that we are unable to come to God apart from His grace in our lives. They believe humans sin because of garbage that is foreign to human nature, not because of sin being intrinsic to human nature. In other words, according to them- you are a sinner because you sin. but the scripture teaches you sin because you are a sinner. Sin is in the heart before it’s in the hand.
The church of Christ are militant in their opposition to Total Depravity. Here is a bulletin attacking that tenet from ‘Calvinism’ by a CofC pastor: https://www.westmurraychurch.com/about/bulletin/2018/08/19/total-hereditary-depravity Here is another: https://www.padfield.com/2005/total-depravity.html
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the church of Christ, while recognizing human sinfulness, emphasized human free will and the ability to respond to the gospel message. He believed while humanity is affected by sin, it is not entirely corrupted and still possesses the capacity to make choices, including choosing to believe in Christ.
Alex was a good Bible student up to a point. In school he was a pistol. he challenged the teachers with his idea that baptism was necessary for salvation. He hung his hat on two verses- Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38. Taking them out of context, Campbell went to seed on his ‘hang on/hold on’ gospel message. The church of Christ teach a WORKS based salvation. Alex’s real issue with his Baptist brethen was his unwillingness to let God be God. He wanted a hand in his salvation. God’s grace wasn’t quite good enough. If he were alive today, he would probably embrace Home Depot’s slogan: You can do it- We can help.
Will Alex be in glory? Ernest Lee ain’t his judge and don’t know what his faith and trust was in, but if Campbell believed his righteousness was going to get him there, then he is probably not walking the streets of gold.
Second, free will is overrated. Ernest Lee’s buddy Charlie Spurgeon said that. We act according to our inheritant sin nature. Our will is enslaved to sin after the Fall and our heart is wicked. Unless God regenerates our dead heart, we will never seek God. Our natural desire will be to not seek God. To believe God created man with the ability to save himself by saying a prayer or skipping a stone across a lake is heresy. Without the quickening of the Holy Spirit, no man will seek God. Which begs the question: Is man just a robot with no free will? This little song, in a lighthearted way, teaches the balance between God’s sovereignity and man’s FREE WILL. God has used a few hornets/wasps/bees in Ernest Lee’s life to conform him to the image of Christ.
Ernest Lee’s seminary running buddy John Piper preached a one hour sermon (you read that right- one hour) on the depravity of man. If you can stay awake it is worth watching. here’s the link:
Johnny Mac’s memorial service is going to be Saturday August 23rd at 10:30am (PDT) at Grace Community Church. It will be livestreamed. The church is asking folks to allow the Grace Community church members to be in the sanctuary and visitors will be seated in overflow areas.
HONOR THY FATHER & MOTHER
The 5th commandment is “Honor thy father and thy mother.” It is about more than obeying your folks. It invoives showing respect, love, and care for parents, regardless of age or circumstances. It’s the first commandment with a ‘promise.’ You fulfill it and you will benefit. God will bless you if you honor your parents.
Ernest Lee interacts with a lot of seniors. Some are retired- others are working, but most have the same comment: “My kids don’t respect me. They don’t interact with me. They don’t communicate with me. They act like I am a burden to them and it pains them to have to visit me.” That is not only sad- it is sinful.
The Hebrew word for honor means to be heavy, hard, burdensome. The Greek word means to set the value of. That means honoring can be hard! As we grow up, we become more independent, and our relationship with our parents’ changes. A good parent will have taught their kids to be independent- financially and otherwise. They will have taught their offspring to flee the nest and to make it on their own. They will not cling to their child, interfere in their marriage and parenting, or try and keep them under their authority. They will recognize their work is done and launch their child into the world. Their responsibilities and authority change, but they don’t disappear. Parents should provide wise counsel when asked. Children should seek counsel from their parents. Here are some of Ernest Lee’s thoughts on the 5th commandment:
First, ignoring is not honoring. Neglecting to check on parents because of a busy schedule is sinful. God won’t bless that mess! Both parents and kids should make an intentional effort to communicate. When men in the ministry ignore their parents, those they lead notice. Their kids notice. Sadly many will reap what they have sown.
Second, the past is the past. Some kids may not honor their parents because they focus on the shortcomings of their parents and not their strengths. Their memories of their parents may not be pleasant. They wrongly believe they get a pass because their parent didn’t do everything right. Focusing on responsibility and not playing the victim is a better strategy. Ernest Lee’s buddy John Piper preached a sermon about that. Here’s a link:
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-can-i-honor-my-parents-if-i-dont-respect-them
Third, it reflects your heart. How we respect and treat our parents is a direct expression of how we honor God. By honoring our father and mother, we learn to better honor our Heavenly Father. Showing compassion, concern and geniune love toward aged, elderly parents is right.
As people age, their bodies wear out, they get cranky, mean, opinionated and generally are a pain to be around. They are slow of foot and often of mind. Visiting them is not like a pleasant round of golf or tennis. They repeat themselves. They forget things, but a believer has a responsibility to honor their parents. It’s one of God’s Top Ten.
Ernest Lee’s late seminary buddy, Adrian Rogers addresses this subject very well in this 1 minute clip:
Tribute to Mac
Ernest Lee’s long time buddy, John MacArthur has went to glory. He was 86 and had been in bad health for a while. No word on when the funeral will be. John had pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA since 1969. He went to that church after he graduated from Talbot Seminary. Mac was also President of the Masters College and Seminary. He wrote over 150 books, pastored a church of thousands, and spoke at conferences all the time. John was a busy guy.
I thought I would just highlight some memories of John that come to my mind.
First and foremost, he was headstrong- in a good and bad way. That’s true of all of us, but Mac wouldn’t budge when he made his mind up. I’m sure Patrica and his four kids know that better than anyone. One time, we were arguing about mental illness being treatable with scripture. Ernest Lee takes the stand sometimes folks need trained medical help with their mental illness. Mac was adament scripture was enough. We had to agree to disagree, but John would dredge the dispute in on occasion and the debate would resume. Mac was like a dog with a bone.
Ernest Lee’s conviction is that a believer has a responsiblity to be involved in his government. Mac thought being politically active was a waste of time. “It’s temporal Ernest Lee- your home is not this world,” Mac would chide. I told him voting is not the only thing a believer should be doing when it comes to their government. Mac would fire back most politicians have a wrong world view, which I agreed with. I would counter Christ called us to be a light in the world. Mac’s interest in politics changed one day back in September 2021 when the government tried to shut down Grace Community and not allow Mac to hold services. Ernest Lee was one of Mac’s first calls because he thought I could help him. I couldn’t, but I did try. John never conceded he was wrong about political involvement, but after 2021, the scolding stopped.
Mac was steadfast in his theology. He held the same views when he died as when he was in seminary. The problem was many of our professors and leaders were legalists. They taught grace, but practiced works. Mac knew that- we talked about it. While John would preach liberty, he didn’t always extend it to those who disagreed with him. I will always appreciate his willingness and boldness to call out false teachers by name. Few, if any, had Mac’s courage to do that. Here is a link to a sermon he preached about false teachers. It’s worth the time to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ol_SscYtFc
Second, he was loyal. Ernest Lee has every one of Mac’s books- signed right after he got his copies. Other friends of John’s got them too. You got them sent to you whether you agreed with what he had wrote or not. In fact, Mac took great delight in gigging his friends, in print or in person. He delighted in having his friends at his Shepherd’s Conference- always a good time of fellowship and spiritual food.
He and another of Ernest Lee’s friend, R.C. Sproul had a great relationship. R.C. passed away back in 2017. When Mac spoke at R.C.’s funeral, Ernest Lee got something in his eye. John’s remarks were so approrpiate. Here is a link to the eulogy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv_6natO-JY
Third, Mac wasn’t perfect. He might not ever admit it (haha), but John knew he was a sinner saved by grace. He could be cocky and arrogant. He could be unkind. He was a man with feet of clay. He had quite a lot of followers and he told me once: “Ernest Lee, I worry about people blindly following a man. Authentic loyalty is not blind devotion to a mere man. It is, first of all, an allegiance to truth and duty. But it also involves devotion to the obligations of love and friendship as well.” Amen.
Mac was all about the truth. He wrote a book about it. Buy it and read it. It’s as relevant today as it was in 2007 when Mac wrote it. Here’s a link: https://shop.gty.org/store/books/451158S/the-truth-war
Ernest Lee is going to miss Mac. He was a trusted confidant, a kindred spirit and a mentor. He is singing before the heavenly throne today- he isn’t resting in peace. Mac had a great voice- most people don’t know that. Save me a seat John- it won’t be long until Ernest Lee will be there.
PRAYER!
Praying for you! I will put you on my prayer list! Praying! Ernest Lee hears people respond with those comments on social media when someone experiences the loss of a family member, sickness, or some other trial or tribulation in their life. It’s a good response, but how many of those who claim they are going to pray actually do? The truth is few follow up and bring it to the throne of grace. They say “prayng for you,” like they say “have a nice day,” with about as much conviction. Most who tell you they will pray wouldn’t know how to pray. Ernest Lee would never discourage someone who prays from telling someone they will pray for them. But for those who don’t pray, please refrain from co-oping the phrase. Tell people, “I’m thinking about you,” but don’t tell them you will pray if you don’t pray.
So why do believers pray if God is sovereign and knows our needs before we ask? It’s a question that has been asked for ages. Back when Ernest Lee was in seminary, one of the students boldly told the professor praying was a waste of time. His argument was that if God knew our needs before we ask (which is true), then why engage in it? Ernest Lee kept his mouth shut because the prof had a reputation of not being kind to idiots, but the question is not a new one. Ernest Lee’s buddy John Piper has a great answer to why believers are to pray: Heres the link to read it: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/if-god-is-sovereign-are-my-prayers-pointless
Ernest Lee’s late friend R.C. Sproul addressed this seeming contradiction: This 23 minute video is worth the watch:
What triggered Ernest Lee to write about prayer was that President Trump said he and the first lady are praying for those people in Texas affected by the flood. But Trump doesn’t strike me as a praying man. Perhaps he is, but his personality, demeanor, and mannerisms don’t project one who humbles himself before His Creator everyday in effectual, feverent prayer. Just an observation. But Trump told hurting people he was praying for them. Ernest Lee hopes that is true- those folks certainly need prayer.
Fact is-“Praying for you,” is overused. It has become a platitude, a cliche to believers and unbelievers alike. It’s superficial usage is spoken out of habit and not out of true heartfelt expression.
Co-Exist
Ernest Lee was driving behind a car that had a bumper sticker that read- CO-EXIST. It had an Islamic crescent moon for the C, a peace sign for the O, the Hindu Om symbol for the E, a Star of David for the X, a pentacle for the dot of the I, a yin-yang symbol for the S, and a cross for the T. Didn’t get to talk to the driver, so I don’t dare claim I know the motivation for having the colorful sticker on their car. But everything we see is subject to our interpretation, so here is what Ernest Lee thinks the driver was trying to tell folks: (1) they are tolerant of all religions/philosphies/people, (2) they don’t have a solid value system or worldview.
Co-exist is a biblical principle. Paul told the Romans in Romans 12:18: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Jesus left believers with two commandments: Love God- love your neighbor. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10? The point was Christians should be looking in the ditch for people who don’t look or think like us. But I don’t think Paul and Jesus were teaching what the driver was pushing. Most who have that sticker on their car are ecumenists. Ecumenism is a movement that tries to get different Christian demonimations and religions to unify. But as Ernest Lee’s buddy Aaron Tippin said, “you got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.”
While living at peace with our fellow man is biblical, walking along side those who disagree with us is not. Amos 3:3 says: Can two walk together, except they be agreed?Paul warned the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 6:14: Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? The lost don’t have the same values- the same worldview as the saved. There are people in Ernest Lee’s life who don’t share his value system. Seperating from them was hard, but it wasn’t contenious or bitter. When our priorities and spriitual journeys no longer were in alignment, they took a different path. We co-exist, but did not compromise personal convictions.
Religious pluralism has been around since Ernest Lee was in short pants. Before Rodney King said, “can’t we all just get along,” religious pluralist have been trying to unite the world around the concept of there are no absolutes. But there are absolutes!
While believers are to co-exist with unbelievers, they are not to compromise the principle of Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Ernest Lee used to listen to this song. Enjoy it- it’s got a lot of truth in it.
Ernest Lee’s buddy, John MacArthur preached a sermon several years ago at an R.C. Sproul conference ten years ago that is worth listening to, titled “Is Jesus the Only Way?:
Ernest Lee ain’t mad at unbelievers. I’m burdened for them. I want them to have what I got- peace, love, and joy because I’m forgiven- I’m reconciled to my Creator through the blood of Jesus, not because of anything I’ve done, but what my Lord has done. I can co-exist and even agree with unbelievers in secular settings, but my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. My commission is to boldy proclaim the good news that Jesus is the ONLY WAY to life everlasting.
7 MOUNTAIN MANDATE?
Back in 1975, Ernest Lee went to a conference with Bill Bright and Francis Schaeffer, both Ernest Lee peers. They challenged us old grey heads to get more involved in our culture and not isolate ourselves. In their estimation- and it was probably right- we had become stagnant and complacent. “Stop preaching to the choir,” Schaeffer shouted at us. Bill Bright was bright- he started Campus Crusade and he was an Okie like Ernest Lee, so he had to be smart, right? Bill was also an outliner- he was clever in sermon organization. Bright and Francis coined the ‘seven spheres of society,’ and Bill outlined it as family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business and government. They challenged us to become more influential in those areas. I had heard dozens of such sermons- maybe not with the same 7 points, but the same idea. What Bright and Schaeffer were trying to do was to get our church members to share the Gospel more with a lost and dying world. Their message was never about dominating a temporal world.
Fast forward to the early 2000s and Loren Cunningham, who started Youth with a Mission, and Lance Wallnau got together and co-opted Bright and Schaeffer’s idea. Wallnau wrote a book touting that believers should DOMINATE society and called his idea- THE SEVEN MOUNTAIN MANDATE. Ernest Lee doesn’t know either of these two yeawhos (Cunningham and Wallnau). Correction- met Loren Cunningham once, but he was a charismatic, post millennialist and a surfer (lived in Hawaii). Ernest Lee ain’t any of those. But for all his flaws, Cunningham appeared to be right on soteriology and he had a heart for missions- both great traits. I didn’t dislike Cunningham (he died a couple of years ago)- we just didn’t have a kindred spirit and never hit it off.
Now Wallnau is something else indeed. He claims President Trump is a modern day King Cyrus and describes himself as a Christian nationalist. Wallnau preaches Dominionism, which has been around for years. But if you listen him, you would think he invented it. Wallnau says believers should take over those seven areas of society Bright and Francis identified 50 years ago and when believers do that they will usher in the millennial reign of Christ. That is totally unbiblical- hogwash. It would take a month to tell you all that’s wrong with post millennialism, but just so we’re clear- Ernest Lee hates the position so much he stopped eating Post Toasties.
One of Ernest Lee’s young buddies, Jeremy Sexton wrote a fine white paper on the errors of believers ‘ushering’ in Christ’s return (post millennialism). Here is the link: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/postmillennialism-a-biblical-critique/
John MacArthur and Ernest Lee go way back. John recently denounced Christian nationalism insofar as it is defined as an attempt to usher in the Kingdom of God on Earth. Here is an article about it: https://www.christianpost.com/news/john-macarthur-denounces-christian-nationalism-as-faulty.html BTW- pray for my friend John. He isn’t doing well health wise. He missed his Shepherd’s Conference for the first time.
The co-opting, plagiarism and distortion by Wallnau of what Bright and Schaeffer were teaching 50 years ago gets Ernest Lee’s hackles up. Bill and Francis were challenging and exhorting grace only preachers to emphasize the Gospel in every area of their life. They wanted us to let our light so shine before men that others would see our good works and glorify the Father- Matt 5. Wallnau has warped that biblical message into believers trying to change men’s behavior. The tool he claims God must use is getting like minded people in political office or in positions of influence. Bill and Francis wanted the Holy Spirit to change hearts and lives. Wallnau wants societal behavior modification. Dominionism is WORKS based. It is man centered. It is heresy!
Wallnau reminds Ernest Lee of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. Simon was amazed by the signs and miracles of the apostles and he offered Peter money for their power. What Simon didn’t know was that it wasn’t something he could just get because he wanted it. That power to heal, do miracles was given to them by the sovereign decision of a Holy God. It was completely of grace.
Believers should always be aware that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. As the hymn writer said: “This World is not my home- I’m justa passing thru.” Ernest’s Lee’s late neighbor, Jim Reeves sings it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndMZqT6i4I No where in the scriptures are believers told to dominate in this world- they’re told to sow the seed of the Gospel, which will change hearts and lives! The Christian’s only mandate is the Great Commission!
LONG WINDED
How long a preacher should preach has recently become a hot topic in Ernest Lee’s world. What is the proper length for a Sunday morning message? According to the Master’s College blog, the average sermon length ranges from 20 to 28 minutes. That is down substantially from when Ernest Lee was a kid- then the sermons lasted at least an hour. Here are Ernest Lee’s thoughts on how long a sermon should be:
(1) It should be long enough to cover the passage adequately! The important thing is to cover the main points so people are convinced of its truth and comprehend its requirements. Some can do that in a concise way- others tend to ramble.
(2) It should not lose the attention of the listeners. Ernest Lee’s buddy John Stott said, “It doesn’t matter how long you preach, it should feel like 20 minutes.” When a preacher loses the congregation because the are chasing rabbits or pontificating to impress, they are ineffective. A good speaker is keenly aware of their audience and recognizes when they are losing interest.
(3) It should be Holy Spirit conscious. If the Lord is moving in a special way, quenching the spirit by trying to limit it to a clock is ungodly. But some preachers have a hard time bringing the plane in for a landing. Ernest Lee’s homiletics professor at seminary said a 20 minute sermon took 20 hours of preparation a 40 minute sermon took 10 hours, and an hour long sermon took 20 minutes. His point was that preparation made for a more concise, precise, succinct sermon.
Ernest Lee has a preacher friend who prides himself on preaching an hour. After one of his marathon messages, I told him, “If I had just an hour to live, I would want to listen to you preach that message.” He was elated and proclaimed, “THANK YOU ERNEST LEE!” But Ernest Lee wasn’t finished. I said- “Because that was longest hour of my life.”
BLIND SPOTS
Ernest Lee has been interacting recently with some young preachers. One of them asked him to critique his sermons. Well, those that know me know I don’t pull punches. I told him it took too long for him to get to the ‘meat of the message.’ He thanked me and said his wife had told him the same thing- that his introductions were too long. He should probably listen more to his wife. The young parson thanked Ernest Lee, said he would work on shortening his messages and getting to the main points quicker. Ernest Lee listened to his next sermon and he didn’t change a thing- rambled on and on for 15 minutes about nothing.
You can’t really blame a person for not being aware of a ‘blind spot,’ because that’s why they are called a ‘BLIND’ spot, but when they are aware of it and don’t deal with it, there are two primary reasons:
First, they believe the person who pointed out their BLIND spot is wrong. That could be- Maybe Ernest Lee is one of the few people who don’t want to know some trivia about a subject other than the Bible. Perhaps people do come to church to be entertained and motivated by an engaging speaker. This young pastor must believe scripture is so boring to the average person in the pew that it has to be sandwiched between clever stories, apologues, and modern day fables. But the WORD OF GOD is what God blesses- not some clever anecdote.
Second, they are intellectually lazy. Getting on-line and printing off a Paul Harvey Rest of the Story script is easier than actually getting into the Word. Rightly dividing the Word takes time and requires a strong work ethic. Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the Bible, aiming to understand its meaning and application. Ernest Lee’s seminary professor- back in the 19th century- said: “If we believe God wrote the Bible and that he spoke through it and that he speaks through it, then the importance of having a right hermeneutic is so that we hear the voice of God. The danger of having a poor hermeneutic is that we miss the voice of God.” No matter how polished, smooth, and eloquent the presentation, if the interpretation and the exposition is off, God will likely not bless it.
Ernest Lee isn’t offended the young man choose to not heed his counsel. Ernest Lee was wrong one time before. He prays the youngster is used of God in spite of his flaws- we all are.
Ernest Lee was sad to hear that his running buddy John MacArthur is having health issues. He addressed his annual Shepard’s Conference by video saying he was on his last lap. Mac is 85 and has had some health struggles the past year. Hate to hear that but we are all going down that same road- one by one. God bless you Mac- you have made an impact in this world and influenced a lot of folk. You can watch the video by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar1N6kd5omg
INSENSITIVE OR INTOLERANT?
Ernest Lee has been busy and hasn’t been able to write anything down the last couple of weeks. The other day one of his friends called him insensitive and intolerant because Ernest Lee believes Biblical marriage is between a woman and man. The friend said Ernest Lee’s lack of tolerance showed his ignorance of scripture and revealed a lack of love for his fellow man. Ernest Lee told him his beef wasn’t with Ernest Lee, but with the sovereign Creator of the Universe. Needless to say, that didn’t go over well. But the exchange got Ernest Lee to thinking- Is intolerance the same as being insensitive and are those traits wrong?
Tolerance means a person is willing to endure something they may or may not agree with. Some people might be willing to tolerate corruption or an opinion they disagree with. Others not so much. Tolerance allows someone a viewpoint that is wrong. America was founded on that principle- all of us have a right to be wrong in the eyes of others. That is called freedom of speech, thought, and expression. In human relationships, tolerance is desirable for a peaceful society. BUT GOD IS NOT TOLERANT!
While God is loving and merciful, He does not condone or accept sin. God has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sin. God is HOLY and cannot be in the presence of sin. His characteristic of holiness requires intolerant. So believers, who hold to the scripture, must be intolerant of those things God is against, which includes same sex marriage, and steadfast for the things God is for.
Insensitive is defined as when someone shows no concern for other people’s feelings. Feelings are the result of emotions and are influenced by memories, life experiences, values, believers and dozens of other factors. Feelings can be very subjective. Some common quotes about feelings are:
- Follow your heart: Trust your intuition and emotions
- Don’t bottle up your feelings: Express your emotions instead of suppressing them
- Feelings are something you have, not something you are: Feelings are a part of you, but they don’t define you
- Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion: Don’t let a passing feeling influence a long-term choice
Truth is, no one can hurt your feelings unless you let them hurt your feelings. That doesn’t mean there are not clueless, thoughtless, cold hearted jerks who try to offend others with their words and actions. Those folks abound. But you must allow them to ‘get under your skin,’ offend or rankle to be hurt. Often your sensitivity is in direct proportion to someone else’s insensitivity.
Ernest Lee has done a thorough, exhaustive, sweeping evaluation of his life and found he is neither intolerant or insensitive. Ernest Lee isn’t guided by feelings or emotions. He is committed to following what God said in His book, driven by the two great commandments- Love God and Love his neighbor. Ernest Lee fails miserably at both often.
The real intolerance and lack of sensitivity was on the part of Ernest Lee’s friend, a self proclaimed tolerant and sensitive person. Their guide in life is their feelings, emotions, sentiments, passions and sensations. To them, there is no absolute- truth is relative. They believe truth is subject to private interpretation and depends on an individual’s perspective.
Ernest Lee’s buddy, John MacArthur sat down with Jonny Ardavanis and discussed the question- Is Truth Objective? It’s worth the watch, even if Mac’s coat looks like he bought it at a thrift store. Here’s the link:
Believers need to recognize they live in a world where those who preach tolerance are intolerant and those who pled for sensitivity are insensitive. But take heart- this world is not your home- you are just a passing thru.
RESOLVE!
Ole Ernest Lee ain’t one to make New Years resolutions because he recognizes he probably ain’t gonna follow up and keep them, but that don’t mean believers shouldn’t make them. In fact, they probably should do some soul searching each year and resolve to do better.
Jonathan Edwards was a young man of 18 when he made 70 resolutions over a two year period that guided his life for the rest of his life. Now that is RESOLVE. Edward’s father and grandfathers were preachers. He was a Presbyterian preacher, who was the president of Princeton at one time. You can read all 70 of Edward’s resolutions at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards
Young Jonathan wrote a preamble to the resolutions. It read: Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will for Christ’s sake.
Ernest Lee agrees with that- make resolutions, but be aware what you resolve may or may not be in God’s will. It goes without saying a believers shouldn’t resolve to do something that conflicts with the revealed will of God, but that ain’t what Jonathan was saying. He was stating the resolutions were ‘the desires of his heart,’ but not necessarily the plan God had for him.
A contemporary of Jonathan Edward was Ben Franklin. Ole Ben made resolutions too, but his weren’t are spiritual as Edwards. You can read those here: https://fs.blog/the-thirteen-virtues/
So here goes, Ernest Lee is going to make the following New Year resolutions: (1) Resolve to be nicer to people. To try and not be as contentious in 2025. (2) Resolve to share the Gospel more in 2025 with those God lays in my path. (3) Resolve in 2025 to REALLY love my neighbor as myself and to love God with all my heart, soul and mind.
The Bible doesn’t mention “resolutions,” but many believers (Edwards is an excellent example) believe making resolutions and setting goals is a good thing. Setting spiritual goals and making intentional changes in our lives is a mark of spiritual growth. That is what resolutions should accomplish.
Believers should always be people of RESOLVE! They should demonstrate a faithfulness and commitment to the Word of God. They should remain steadfast in their convictions, even in the midst of challenges or opposition.
Palmer Hartsough wrote the hymn, “I am Resolved,” in 1896. It’s one of Ernest Lee’s favorites because in it Hartsough emphasizes that RESOLVE is to ‘hasten to Jesus.’ The resolve is dependent on Jesus, not on us. Here are the lyrics to, “I am Resolved.”
I am resolved
No longer to linger
Torn by the world’s delight
Things that are higher
Things that are nobler
These have allured my side
I will hasten to him
Hasten so glad and free
(So glad and free)
Jesus greatest highest
I will come to thee
I am resolved
To go to the savior
Leaving my sin and strive
He is the true one
He is the just one
He hast the words of life
I will hasten to him
Hasten so glad and free
(So glad and free)
Jesus greatest highest
I will come to thee
I am resolved
To follow my savior
Faithful and true each day
Heth what he sayeth
Do what he willeth
He is the living way
I will come to thee.
Ernest Lee Contendin 