Moravian Baptist Assembly-Brno

MY HIDING PLACE

Pastor Thomas Smith

Aug 03, 2024

“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:7

Where do we go when we feel overwhelmed, when life’s pressures seem to be more than we can handle? The world has a variety of responses to that question. Some turn to entertainment as an escape from troubles. Others surround themselves with friends and try to hide in the crowd. Still others rely upon strong drink, illegal drugs, or medication to help them cope with life’s hardships. However, when the noise fades and the friends are gone, the problems remain. There is a better solution. The psalmist said, “Thou art my hiding place.” God is our hiding place. He would have us turn to Him in times of trouble and find His protection to be real.

One of the reasons we all love the Psalms is because the writer spoke of personal trials and fears. In his difficulties, he trusted in the Lord for his help and protection. Slowly read the following verses and notice the examples of his “hiding place.” “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9). “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 17:8). He knew where to go when his world seemed to come crashing in on him.

God is our Protector. In the Old Testament, He ordered the establishment of cities of refuge for people to flee to for protection. Our refuge is not in a city or a geographic location. He is our Refuge. The world may not understand us, friends may forsake us, and Satan will certainly oppose us. There is a place where we can find rest and refuge. We cannot run away from our problems, or escape all adversities, but we can flee to the one who comforts and preserves us in them. He is our “hiding place.”

In times of trouble, we run to Him. When we are afraid, we hide in Him. When we feel guilty and the accuser of our souls reminds us of our failure, we have a “hiding place.” The songwriter said it this way: “There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God, A place where sin cannot mo**st, Near to the heart of God.” Let our troubles drive us to the safest and surest place, and may He always be MY HIDING PLACE.

THE REWARD OF OBEDIENCE

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Jul 23, 2024

“And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee…” Genesis 22:16, 17a

The faith of Abraham is the attribute that he is best known for. By faith, he left his home in Mesopotamia to settle in the Land of Promise. By faith, he and Sarah were blessed with a son when he was one hundred years of age. Then, God commanded Abraham to take his miracle son, Isaac, and offer him for a burnt offering. This is one of the great acts of obedience in the Bible and pictures the sacrifice of God sending His Son to die for our sins. Abraham promptly obeyed, and just prior to his carrying out the order, an angel stopped him and Abraham was directed to offer a ram instead. In referring to Abraham’s obedience, we have a part of God’s response in our text. God said, “because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee.”

There is great reward to those who obey. We will never know the full blessing of God in our lives if we are not willing to obey Him. God’s commands for us are for our good and for His glory. It is always best to obey. Some things are easier to obey than others. Undoubtedly you can think now of many areas in your life where you have been walking in obedience to God. Thank God for that. Whether we recognize it or not, God will certainly bless the obedience of His children. For instance, He said of those who obey Him in tithing, “prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

God wants to bless His children, but He will not bless disobedience. Some things are much harder to obey than others. Perhaps, as you read this, you are thinking of such an area where you struggle to obey. It will require much more faith and sacrifice than most other things. Such was the case with Isaac. God was asking Abraham to give what was most precious to him. This is one of the lessons we should remember from this story. The more difficult the act of obedience, the more sure we can be of God’s blessing and reward. Of course, we do not obey just to get a blessing. We obey because we love God and want to please Him, but rewards will come.

IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME

By Pastor Thomas Smith
May 28, 2024

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9

What is it that makes worship true and meaningful, and acceptable to God? Is it when the worship makes us feel good? Is it when our worship appeals to the appetites of the unsaved or unspiritual? Is God obligated to accept any form of worship, simply because it is what we offer? These are questions that should be considered by Christians and church leaders in our self-pleasing society. These questions are also addressed in our text. Jesus rejected the worship of these religious leaders. Jesus said in quoting from Isaiah, “in vain they do worship me.” Their religious activity was vanity.

Could it be that there is much worship today that could be described similarly? Could it ever be that our worship would be categorized as vanity? The word “vain” means “to no purpose.” Their worship was meaningless; it was a waste. Obviously, they considered their worship to be of some purpose, but God did not accept it. He did not accept it because it was offered in hypocrisy. They were not sincere worshippers, but hypocritical worshippers. They were like actors, putting on a show. Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” They were acting like they were something that they were not. Their words were declaring something that was not consistent with what was in their hearts.

A lack of sincerity and honesty makes our worship vain. If we would be honest, there are times that we can be just as guilty. If our hearts are not surrendered and we sing “I Surrender All,” that is called hypocrisy. When we sing “I Am Satisfied With Jesus” and we are resisting some area of His will, our worship is not sincere.

Secondly, their worship was in “vain” because they honored the traditions and commandments of men over the Word of God. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Worship and service that is not based on or in agreement with His Word is not acceptable to God. Our worship should be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

THE FRUIT OF PRIDE

Pastor Thomas Smith
May 11, 2024

“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” Proverbs 13:10

This illuminating verse exposes the root cause of the majority of our conflicts. From where does strife and contention spring? What is the source of quarrelling and division? These unfortunate and damaging traits do not flow from meekness and humility, but rather from arrogance and pride. So many contentions in families, friendships, communities, and churches are generally owed to pride.

It is possible that the majority of disputes could usually be prevented or resolved if it were not for the presence of pride. Would it not be wonderful to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the contention in our lives? This is very possible if we are willing to pay the price, which is recognizing and repenting of the pride that creates it.

It is pride that causes us to insist on having our way. It is pride that keeps us from admitting our wrong and asking forgiveness. It is pride that refuses to forgive those who have hurt or disappointed us. It is pride that exalts personal agendas and ignores the needs of others. Pride is such a destructive force. It damages or destroys all that fail to treat it as the enemy that it is. Pride blinds us to our own stubbornness and ambition. Pride deceives us about our own selfishness and independence. Relationships are hurt and sometimes permanently broken because of the venomous presence of pride.

If we want to free our lives from contention, we must free our lives from pride. How common it is for us to blame all of our problems on things other than ourselves. Usually the last place we look for the solution to conflict is in the mirror. It is the fault of the other party, or the fault of unfortunate circumstances, or the fault of the society, but seldom is it our fault. Our pride hinders us from seeing our role in contentions.

Even the strife we can find in our own hearts and our relationship to God is sometimes born in our pride. Contention is not only conflict between us and other people. It can also be tension between us and God or inner strife, where we are not at peace with ourselves. Again, pride is at the root of these contentions. Our pride keeps us from surrendering to God and His wisdom, from being willing to say, “Not my will but thy will be done.” To avoid contention, we must humble ourselves and walk humbly with God.

PREACHING THAT PROFITS

Pastor Thomas Smith
Apr 25, 2024

“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” Ezra 6:14

Like anything that is worthwhile, the rebuilding of the temple faced opposition. In an amazing demonstration of God’s sovereign power, Cyrus the king of Persia commissioned the work to begin. When the adversaries of Judah heard that the construction had begun, they sought ways to hinder the work. These enemies were eventually successful in getting the work to stop. What was it that revived the work of building? It was the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah that motivated the workers to continue. Our text gives us this record, “the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.”

What a testimony to the power and influence of preaching! It was the proclamation of truth that inspired the workers to return to the work and finish the project. Thank God for the way He uses the simple, truthful, and powerful preaching of the Bible. Preaching should stir us to understanding, to commitment, and to action. The idea that preaching should have no noticeable affect on our belief or behavior is foreign to the Scriptures. As a matter of fact, we are warned not to be hearers only, but doers of God’s Word. The purpose of preaching is not to entertain or pacify, but rather to rally our hearts to obedience and service.

How is preaching changing our lives? How is it changing our conduct? We need PREACHING THAT PROFITS. We need preaching that stirs us to repentance and challenges us to obedience. The people of Judah had been discouraged and defeated. Their adversaries were intent on hindering their work. When one method of interference did not succeed, the enemies came with another. We all face similar setbacks in the work of God. At times, you may have wondered if it is worth it to keep striving for the work to go forward. What can help us to stay focused and not lose our focus in times of difficulty? Remain faithful to the preaching services, and let God’s Word stir us to faith and action.

MAKE US GODS

Apr 03, 2024

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Exodus 32:1

When the children of Israel became unhappy with their leader, they went to Aaron and said, “Up, make us gods.” How could this be possible? This tendency to create new gods is definitely worth our consideration. On the surface, their actions are shocking. How could they turn away from God and Moses so quickly? How could they be tempted to forsake the living God, after all He had done for them?

The closer we look at their reaction, however, the more we realize it is not all that uncommon. What caused the Israelites to turn to idolatry? They “saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount.” They were displeased with their spiritual leader. They did not approve of Moses’ spending so much time with God. Therefore, the simple solution was to get a new commander and new gods. Herein lies the problem. People want gods and spiritual leaders who please them.

However, this is not what we really need. We do not need gods who please us. Rather, we ought to make it our life’s ambition to please God. We are not to search for men who seek to meet our conditions and desires, but for leaders who take us where God wants us to go. It is man’s selfishness and pride that causes him to seek gods of his own creation. What could be more arrogant than thinking we know better than God? There is a sense in which we can all be affected by this evil thinking.

The God of the Bible, the true God, is holy, perfect, all-wise, and does all things well. Our loyalty to Him should not be based on how His actions meet our approval. His decisions may not always be according to our preference, but we can know that they are always perfect. It is not our place to sit in judgment of God Almighty. Many people have made the same mistake the Israelites made in our text. When God or His leader disappoints them, they are ready to jump ship. When God does not do as they wish, or as soon as they wish, they are quick to blame God and go another direction. We do not need new gods, but we need faith to follow and love our great God and Savior.

MORE FOR US THAN AGAINST US

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Feb 05, 2024

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” II Kings 6:16, 17

When Elijah was taken to Heaven, Elisha replaced him as the most influential of the prophets. When the king of Syria warred against Israel, Elisha provided information to the king of Israel that delivered them from the Syrians. The king of Syria then sent horses and chariots and a great host to surround and apprehend Elisha. When Elisha’s servant saw that the enemy compassed them, he was full of fear. In our Scripture, Elisha comforts his servant by telling him, “they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

Elisha asked God to open the eyes of the servant. When He did, the servant saw “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” God had surrounded His servant with an angelic host that provided protection and assistance. Elisha knew that he could depend on God to care for him as he faithfully served the Lord.

Like the servant of Elisha, we often feel like we are outnumbered. As far as he could see with his natural eyes, the situation did not appear hopeful. But, Elisha did not depend on what his physical eyes could see. With the eye of faith, he looked into the unseen world, the world governed by the promises, power, and providence of God.

We must learn to look beyond our apparent resources and trust in the watchcare and wisdom of God. The world is definitely not for us. The devil is obviously against us. Even circumstances can be opposing us. But we rejoice in knowing that God is for us. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Not only is God for us, but so are His promises. No matter how much error seems to increase, truth will always be more powerful and will prevail. Also, God’s people are for us. Those who are truly the saints of God are supportive of the work of God and His people. Like Elisha, God’s angels also surround and protect us. Sometimes we need for God to open our eyes and let us see that there are MORE FOR US THAN AGAINST US.

FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Feb 03, 2024

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” II Timothy 4:7

The language Paul used here describes a struggle, a contest, or contending with an adversary. The Christian life for the great apostle was a constant challenge that required great effort. He was near the end of his life and anticipated his soon departure for Heaven. As a statement of fact and appreciation of God’s sufficient grace, he testified that “I have fought a good fight.” It would be wise for us to consider this matter for our own lives. Are we FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT? Are we engaged in the same type of contest or struggle that Paul was familiar with? What kind of fight are we fighting?

If you ever hear someone speaking of Christians fighting, it is usually not the same kind of conflict of which Paul was speaking. Too often God’s people are fighting with each other. Things like pride, selfishness, jealousy, and rebellion cause strife in personal relationships and churches. To be quite frank, it could be accurately stated that most of the contending done by many Christians is toward one another. This is exactly opposite of what the Bible says we should be doing. Our attitude toward each other should be loving, protecting, forgiving, and encouraging. We should not be our own enemy. Churches will never have revival until they are willing to stop fussing with each other and love one another as they should. This is obviously a grief to the Holy Spirit and a blemish to the world that is watching. It may be fighting, but it is not FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT.

Because so much attention is often directed to inner strife and bickering, the real battles that should be getting our energy are ignored. We should be fighting those things that hinder the work of God. For instance, we should fight against error and fight for the truth. A battle is raging in our day over the subject of truth. We are to earnestly contend for the faith. Part of this battle is over the source of truth and the integrity of the Word of God. We must also fight against the carnal tendencies of our own nature. We must resist the devil and refuse temptations.

As apostasy increases, we fight against compromise and worldliness. There is a good fight to be fought. When our lives come to an end, we want to be able to say that we, too, “fought a good fight.”

I miss you all and love you much!

God wants to do great things through you all!
Pastor Reaves

MAKE THY WAY STRAIGHT

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Feb. 2, 2024

“Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.” Psalm 5:8

David needed some clear direction from God. He was in danger, and was asking for God’s leadership. His simple prayer expresses what we need from God so often, “make thy way straight before my face.” It is God’s way that we need and that we need to know. Sometimes it is not plain what God would have us do. We can be uncertain or confused about which decision or direction is best. It is not always easy to distinguish between what is our way and what is God’s way.

What can we learn from David’s prayer in this Psalm? We need to be committed to finding God’s way. Too many people who claim to be Christians demonstrate no real interest or desire in discovering God’s way. They act as if their way and God’s way must always be in unison. To watch them, one would think that life for the follower of Jesus should be about doing whatever we desire, whenever we choose. Obviously, this is not an accurate description of what the Christian life is about.

The Bible tells us that the way that seems right to us will lead to death. In describing the error of the unconverted, Isaiah gives us these words, “we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). In our text, David gives us a clear testimony that he wants to know God’s way, not his way. Sometimes our impatience causes us to choose our way rather than waiting on God to reveal His way. It may be that we do not have God’s way “straight before” our faces because we do not need to know it as of yet. One thing worse than going nowhere is going the wrong direction.

We also learn from this Psalm that we can expect God to lead us into His way. This is certainly an encouraging thought. God has a way that He wants us to walk and live in, and we can be confident that He wants to show us that way. We can expect Him to make that way plain, direct, and obvious before us. If the path is not straight and clear, we can believe that God wants to clarify it for us.

Finally, we need to ask God to lead us and make His way straight for us. David knew that it was proper to pray and trust God to make His way “straight before” his face. God wants us to learn to lean on Him and depend on His leadership, and we can be sure that it pleases Him when we sincerely ask for His direction.

BE NOT TROUBLED

Pastor Thomas Smith
Jan 24, 2024

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6

The disciples asked Jesus, “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world” (3). In Matthew 24, He gave them many indications of the kinds of activities one will encounter in the end times. These signs include such things as: an abundance of false teachers, great deception, wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecutions, and great tribulation, such as has never occurred.

The world is headed for great catastrophe. It will not happen all at once. Much of this will take place after Christians are taken to Heaven, in the rapture that will precede the time of great tribulation. Most people would agree that many of these things have already begun. There are others, though, that have quite a different view about the time that we live in. And, there are even preachers that paint a much different picture about the future from the one described in our text. To hear them, you might think that great revival will accompany the last days. Some even proclaim what could be considered virtual world dominance by Christians.

The Bible does teach that Jesus will one day reign on this earth for a period of one thousand years and that His faithful followers will reign with Him in His kingdom. However, that reign will be preceded by a period of apostasy and great tribulation. When we read of and hear about the great proliferation of error, the natural disasters that seem to escalate both in number and magnitude, the serious famines and pestilences and such things, it should tell us that we are nearing the end.

What, then, should be our mindset as we ponder world conditions? Jesus said, “see that ye be not troubled.” We are not to be alarmed or frightened. For one thing, we have been warned. Jesus tells us in His Word what to expect. It should come as no surprise that there is a great falling away from the true faith, or that false gospels flourish in our day. We can trust in the Lord and know that He is in control and that He does all things well. While His return is imminent, we understand that we live in a day of tremendous opportunity to preach the Gospel and win others to Christ. We are to occupy until He comes. One day soon, our days of evangelism and discipleship will be over. We must work while it is day.

DRAW NIGH TO GOD

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Jan 22, 2024

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8

What a great promise our text provides! “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” It reminds us of the fact that our great God wants to be near us. He wants to commune with us. God made the first man, Adam, that he might have fellowship with his Creator. Even when Adam sinned, disturbing that fellowship with God, God came to the Garden of Eden seeking Adam. This is one of the most amazing thoughts our minds can ponder, that holy and perfect God would want to walk in harmony with unworthy men.

This verse is not only a promise, but it is also an invitation. We are to draw nigh to God if we want Him to draw nigh to us. That gives us both responsibility and direction. This is something we can do. By faith, we can draw near to Him. Lest we think that God is putting all of the initiative on us, we should be reminded that the Lord has already initiated all reconciliation with us.

He has come near to us in many ways. He has come near to us in His Word that reveals His will to us. He has come near to us in His Son who walked this planet and died on the cross for our sins. There would be no possibility of approaching God, had Jesus not shed His blood that we might be forgiven and cleansed. We are “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). He has come near to us in His Spirit that convicts us and indwells the life of every true child of God. God has provided every means that we might be drawn near to Him. We also know that He made us creatures of choice; and He wants us to take some steps in His direction, if we want a closer walk with Him.

Lastly, our Scripture reveals a condition for drawing near to God. “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” What is it that puts distance between our Savior and us? Is it not our sin? It was Adam’s sin that shattered the sweet fellowship that he had enjoyed with the Lord. God does not leave us nor walk away from us. It is through our sin and disobedience that we drift away from His fellowship. That is why we are responsible to draw nigh to Him, because we are the ones that have hindered that closeness. As we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness, we are assured that we can draw near to Him.

UNTIL I WENT INTO HIS SANCTUARY

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Jan 19,2024

“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” Psalm 73:17

It would do us all well to fall in love with the Psalms. In this particular Psalm, the writer expresses what many of God’s followers have felt at some time or another. The writer was struggling with what he considered the apparent success of the ungodly. Some of the words that are written in this Psalm are, “I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. . .They are not in trouble as other men. . .Behold these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches” (3, 5, 12). This logic led him to the conclusion that, “Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency” (13). The writer was in a confused and deceived state. His focus was on what seemed to be unjust. He could see no benefit in living in a godly way. It was his opinion that those who rejected God were actually better off than those who served Him.

Of course, we all know that this is not true. In a moment of difficulty and hardship, truth can somehow get lost in what our eyes are seeing. In our own way, most of us can identify with what the man of God was going through. In his dilemma, he did what we all should do in such a situation. The psalmist turned to God for counsel. Our text says, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” When he got with God, he understood that things were not as they initially appeared. After being in “the sanctuary of God” he said, “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places . . .in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. . .they that are far from thee shall perish” (18, 19, 27) He saw things differently when he got God’s perspective on what he was seeing and thinking.

This is a great lesson for all of us. Certainly things are not always as they appear. We cannot trust our observations to be accurate. God’s Word is the final authority. When our notions differ from the Scripture, we must lay aside our opinions and believe what God says. What should we do when we begin to have the kind of confusing thoughts the psalmist had? We have a choice to make. We can continue in our false imaginations and become further frustrated and confused. Or, we can get with God, look into His Word, and get His divine counsel about the situation.

GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM

Thomas Smith
Jan 17, 2024

“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33

The Book of Acts records the miraculous power and influence of the New Testament church. The world was shaken by the testimony and lifestyle of these first century followers of Jesus Christ. They were unselfish and unafraid, witnessing was a way of life, and their unity would be the desire of every true church. In describing their spiritual condition and zeal, the Word of God says, “great grace was upon them all.” Their attitude and their efforts were an expression of the measure of grace that they were receiving from God. This church’s growth and mutual love was not the result of some program or plan. It was a manifestation of what God was doing in them, and thus, through them.

All of us that are saved are recipients of God’s grace. We are saved by grace, kept by grace, sanctified by grace, and we serve by grace. However, the fact that all that we have received from God is a result of His grace does not mean that we have experienced all of His grace. We need more of His grace at work in our lives. We could say that we have experienced a measure of His grace, but we also could admit that there is more of His grace available. James 4:6 says, “he giveth more grace.” No matter how much grace we have known, there is more grace available.

Our churches need “great grace” to be upon them. It stands to reason that if we are going to have “great grace” upon the ministry of the churches, it will be because “great grace” is upon the individual members of the churches. It is only as God’s grace is manifesting itself in us and through us that we really see His work accomplished. None of us can be all that God wants us to be apart from His grace. Our conduct will not be Christ-like unless His grace is flowing through us.

Is there some means of acquiring more grace or seeing His grace multiplied on our lives and ministries? The Bible tells us in more than one place that God “giveth grace” to the humble (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5). As we recognize our inadequacies and humbly surrender to His leadership and will, He promises to give us more grace. Grace is not bestowed because of effort or achievement, but it is given to those who realize how desperately they need God’s help.