Sea of Fire Ministries

In this message, James Meyers, III speaks on the fifth chapter of Hosea about the knowledge of God: both our knowledge (or lack thereof) of God and God’s knowledge of ourselves. How known do we desire to be? In our fallen condition, since we are not what we ought to be, we hide from ourselves, from others, and from God fearing complete exposure. However, God knows us and we cannot hide from Him. Rather, we should seek to know Him, and in knowing Him, we know ourselves, and by His grace we no longer hide from others, but expose Christ in us, which is the hope of glory.
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James Meyers, III considers whether the New Testament authors knew they were writing divinely inspired texts, or whether they were unaware and the church later decided they were inspired and, therefore, should be collected into a Canon. This is another secularist position which reflects the Marcionite mood of disregarding the heritage of Old Testament Scriptures. James considers this and discloses some New Testament texts which demonstrate the authors knew they were transmitting an inspired written form for the people of God, just as they would have expected due to the Old Testament dispensation.
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James Meyers, III preaches on the fourth chapter of the Book of Hosea, which is a litigious text, which is essentially an arraignment in which God charges the people for their sins. The three main charges are the loss of truth (or faithfulness), mercy (or love/devotion), and knowledge of God. James considers these as relational, marital, and covenant terms, reflecting the image henceforth of Hosea and his wife, Gomer. James compares this chapter to Romans 1:18-32, where what Hosea says to Israel, Paul attributes to Gentiles as well. He concludes with Proverbs 1:7 to consider the fear of God as the beginning of knowledge.
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Today, James Meyers, III preaches on the wonderful third chapter of Hosea. To him, this short chapter is filled with the Five Solas of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (in Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (by Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (through Grace Alone), Solus Christus (in Christ Alone), Soli Deo Gloria (to the Glory of God Alone), and is one of the finest chapters in the Old Testament containing the Gospel of Christ. In these five verses, we have the unwavering Sovereign Grace of God redeeming us to himself while we were yet sinners for His own glory which is our glory.
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In our last session, James Meyers, III discussed the Historical Definition of Canon, and how the early Christian would have expected a new written dispensation as a conclusion to the Old Testament, the terms of the New Covenant, and the Apostolic ministry. In this session, James considers the Community Definition, or the functional definition, which dates the canon late in the second century. James considers why and whether we can historically see the canon functioning in the church earlier and how early.
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As many secularist scholars are questioning the historicity and, subsequently, the reality of our New Testament Canon, James Meyers, III considers some of their objections through a historical lens. Ultimately, was the Canon some sort of forced document imposed on the early church or was it more organic? Do we have any reason to think the early Chrisian would accommodate a canon, or much more expect it? In this session, James reviews these questions and more to illustrate the latter.
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James Meyers, III preaches on the second chapter of the prophet, Hosea, by emphasizing the means of grace by God to return His people to Himself, even through forsaking them and withdrawing His mercies for a time. James argues that this forsaking and temporary removal of His mercies are in fact a means through which His presence is known and His mercy is found in its loss. In other words, sadly, the Christian senses the presence of God by the loss of it. As, “It is not good that man should be alone,” so, too, the Christian in isolation is lost in darkness and knows he needs God’s presence.
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James Meyers, III considers how we define Canon, and how divergent this subject can be. He gives 3 main definitions, which at first seem mutually exclusive. However, James thinks they are not and in fact all 3 can be useful to define what is Canon. While this doesn’t immediately address the problems discussed in our first session, it is the proper starting point for a proper perspective before considering how we respond to those problems.
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James Meyers, III continues his sermon series on The Book of the Twelve through the prophet, Hosea. Hosea’s marriage, and subsequently his family life, is to reflect our marriage union with God. Just as Hosea’s wife, Gomer, forsakes him and has illegitimate children, so the people of God, though betrothed to God through our sacred covenant which He has sealed, forsake God and produce dead fruits. However, even through the righteous judgments of God, His mercies abound as He promises to purchase His people through the priceless blood of Christ to secure His people to Himself. Thus, we might rightly pray, “He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
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James Meyers, III begins a series considering how we received the New Testament canon, how this term compares with “Scripture,” how we define “canon,” and more. In this session, he lays out many of the problems that arise when discussing the Tew Testament Canon which will be answered in this series. However, he wants the Christian to “grasp the weight” of the problems, and thus, purposefully leaves the audience in anticipation.
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