John 12:42-43, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
These were saved men! The Holy Bible says that many of the chief rulers believed on Jesus. So they were in fact born-again Christians! However, the Bible says in our text passage from John 12:42-43 that those chief rulers LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN, MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF GOD.
We learn some important truths from this passage. These newly saved men 'DID NOT CONFESS' the name of Jesus before men, because they were afraid of losing their favorable reputation in the synagogue. The wicked Pharisees had announced that if any man confessed Christ, he would be excommunicated from the synagogue. You need to understand that to the Jew, their life centered around the local synagogue, which meant everything to a Jew. So being kicked out of the synagogue was like the end of the world for a Jew!
Yet, God wants all of His children to carry our cross for Jesus. This has NOTHING to do with getting saved (born-again), it deals with SERVICE, not SALVATION. Carrying one's cross for Christ is strictly a matter of obedient DISCIPLESHIP (which is by works), not about eternal SONSHIP (which is by faith alone). In fact, you don't need to confess Christ publicly to get to Heaven. You CAN be saved, and yet keep it a secret from every human being on earth! Joseph of Arimathea was “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly” of Jesus (John 19:38b). The word “disciple” in the Bible is often used to reference a believer. I love what Pastor M.R. DeHaan said:
“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, Hebrews; Zondervan Publishing House, 1959 (p. 117)
That was very well said. Bravo Pastor Martin Ralph DeHaan!
Now, what I have just mentioned is wrong. If we are saved, we ought to let our light shine to the world, so they may see Jesus in us. Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” If we fail to obey this command from God, then lost sinners may perish in their unbelief and spend eternity burning in Hell, because of our sinful poor testimony...
Hebrews 10:12:14-16, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”
How many people will burn in Hell in eternity because of YOU? How many people have you shared the Gospel with this year? 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The Danger Of Wicked Pastors Who Love Men More Than Truth
Pastor Marty Herron comes to mind. Marty was the senior pastor of the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam between 199 to 2018. He made A LOT of money there! Pastor Herron is a respecter of persons, esteeming his earthly friendships as being more important than THE TRUTH.
Marty Herron flew 9,000 miles (browning his buddy that hit the big time), securing his future career in the dirty religious business. Sadly, Christianity began as a new birth in the Bible. When it went to Greece it became a mere philosophy. When Christianity went to Rome it became an organization (the Roman Catholic cult). When it spread throughout Europe, Christianity became a culture. But when it came to America, Christianity became a business!
When I attended the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam for one year (2013-2014), God burdened my heart over the heretical Lordship Salvation, false bibles and wrong repentance that I heard preached there. So I tried to help them see, as a true friend does. I loved them dearly, God knows my heart. But for telling THE TRUTH, they wickedly counted me as their enemy and showed me the door. I was banned from returning to Harvest Baptist Church. God's judgment is upon the ungodly pastors of Harvest Baptist Church cult on Guam.
Even their new senior pastor in 2018, Gary Walton, upheld the ban, refusing to allow me to attend their church (even though I begged). I was lonely, broken in soul and desperate for their love, but they threw me under the bus again and again in their hatred. Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.” Bob Jones University zealously affect churches like Harvest, but only to their destruction! And very sadly, shameful incompetent pastors like Jeff Redlin and Timothy Zacharias at Pensacola Christian College's Campus Church, sinfully bid Godspeed to the BJU camp (accepting their students, partaking in intercollegiate sports together, hiring each other camp's graduates, refusing to contend for the faith, and hobnobbing with one another). Folks, RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!! The Bob Jones crowd are corrupt!!! They are unintentionally helping the Devil.
Pastor Marty Herron is more loyal to Steve Pettit more than he is to God. Marty loves the praise of men more than the praise of God. Pastor Herron flew 9,000 to support his apostate buddy at BJU, but wouldn't even allow me drive 1 mile to Harvest Baptist Church church on Guam, because THE TRUTH that I placed directly into Marty's bloody hands greatly offended him. Jesus said in Matthew 11:6, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Jesus is the truth according to John 14:6. THE TRUTH is only hate, to them who HATE the truth! Marty Herron has been deceived by the Devil, but he is too blind and arrogant to see it. I befriended him with THE TRUTH, but he rejected that truth and me along with it.
What saith the Scripture? Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Carefully notice that God's people weren't destroyed for being innocently ignorant of THE TRUTH; but rather, because wickedly THEY REJECETD THE TRUTH!!! And worse yet, it was THE PRIESTS (the religious leaders) who rejected that knowledge!
This Bible verse has Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College written all over it! You can't tell those knucklehead pastors anything, because they are stiffnecked and unwilling to listen to THE TRUTH. The fact of the matter is that I am banned from attending BOTH the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, and Campus Church at PCC. I received a written notice on August 2, 2022 from Pastor Jeff Redlin that I am banned from coming to their church cult. No wonder our country is going to Hell in a wheelbarrow! Our pastors are apostate fools!!!
Marty Herron is terrified of going against his peers in the ministry, lest he be put outside the gate with Jesus. Horrible pastors like Jeff Redlin, Tim Zacharias, Gary Walton, Chuck Phelps (on the board of directors at BJU), all refuse to suffer reproach for the name of Christ. They all get paid 6-digit outrageous salaries! None of them has any regard for THE TRUTH, not for hurting people. I literally begged Pastors' Marty Herron, Gary Walton, Joe Hansen, Jared Baldwin, Marty Herron for a second chance (talk about casting my pearl before the swine), but they all threw me under the bus, leaving me for dead. My good God will quickly avenge me (Romans 12:19-21), and vindicate my truthful preaching (Romans 3:4), and make them suffer in eternity for their wickedness in supporting falsehoods (Galatians 6:7; Proverbs 30:5-6).
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