R.T. Kendall's Blog, page 13

I have said many times that there are some things I believe that I would not go to the stake for – my ecclesiology and eschatology, for example. The New Testament teaches three forms of church government. You can decide which you prefer – the congregational, episcopal or presbyterian. As for eschatology I certainly don’t think the Bible teaches more than one point of view but, it seems to me, has purposefully been less than clear as to the details of the very last days. Why? Possibly to keep us from gloating should we get it exactly right, that is, in advance of the unfolding of events. Never forget that the details of the First Coming of Jesus were not fully understood until after the events transpired. What if it should be that way regarding the Second Coming? Would you be disappointed?

I would go to the stake for my soteriology and doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, my views on salvation and the Spirit have got me into more trouble than anything else. I have had to fight the “Elijah complex” for years! As for the doctrine of last things, I would love – I cannot exaggerate how much – to have the Book of Revelation unraveled before my eyes. If this were to happen, does it mean I should preach it? Or keep it to myself?

What I believe as I write these lines is this: Jesus – the same Jesus who died on a cross and rose from the grave – is literally, physically and openly coming again. I believe His coming will be preceded by a Great Awakening – the most stunning in the history of the Church. This awakening will include the lifting of the blindness on Israel and the conversion of hundreds of thousands of Jews. It will also result in the overthrow of Islam by virtue of so many Muslims openly coming to Jesus Christ. Parallel with this will be the Church being awakened and a restoration of power as in the days of the earliest Church – including people being raised from the dead.

Would I go to the stake for these opinions? No. But I believe what I just wrote. Not as much as I believe what I do about the Holy Spirit and salvation. But almost!

It is my prayer – most fervent prayer (only God knows how deeply I want this) – that an “oath level” clarification will come to me regarding things eschatological in my lifetime. Were this clarification to come I would then be willing to announce that I would go to the stake for what I have put in this brief blog.

Question: how much of what you believe would you be willing to go to the stake for?

RTK

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Published on July 28, 2013 07:32

A Vision of Jesus Revelation 1

Revelation Chapter One

An interesting irony has taken place in me since November 1954 (when I first felt called into the Ministry). At that time the Book of Revelation was the one book in the New Testament I understood best (so I thought). Now that I am old (78 in July 2013), it is the book I understand the least! When I was a student in Trevecca Nazarene College (now University) – even before I felt called to preach – I took a course in “New Testament”. I remember the professor announcing, “Next week we come to the Book of Revelation. Frankly, I don’t understands this book. Is there anyone here who does?” I raised my hand. “Oh, Brother Kendall, how would you like to teach the class next week?” Without the slightest blushing I agreed.

So I did. I went through the whole book of Revelation from Chapter One to the End – explaining it all in 50 minutes: the Rapture, Great Tribulation, the man of sin – the antichrist, the Second Coming, the Millennium, Final Judgment and Heaven. It was all so clear to me. I had read one book on it and heard my pastor preach on it. I was so proud of myself. I then awaited the praise of my fellow students. They all quietly filed out. One student (I will never forget it) came up to me and said, “Do you always hold your mouth like that?” As for the professor’s verdict, he only said, “You may be right R. T. I don’t know.” It was a day of humbling. I needed it. But now – some 60 years later, I have to say that the Book of Revelation is the book I least understand. And yet I probably understand it better now than I used do, and what I now believe about it is a lot different from what I used to believe.

The first Sunday evening series I did at Westminster Chapel was on Revelation Chapter One. When Dr. Lloyd-Jones heard I started a series on Revelation he said to me, “I was surprised to hear that”. I quickly assured him I was only going to deal with the first chapter. He was relieved!

Not that I fully understand Revelation 1! But I would stress one thing: the title of the book is not the book of “revelations” but the Book of Revelation; technically, the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a book about him. That said, I have my own book on it – it is based in fact on the very series I just referred to. A secretary typed the sermons from a tape recorder; we edited them and gave it to a publisher who had requested them. The publisher chose to call the book A Vision of Jesus. I deal with the entire chapter but mainly with the various descriptions of Jesus that are given in verses 13-16. They really aren’t that difficult to figure out. So no great insight or wisdom was needed to deal with Revelation 1. But people were blessed by it. I even had some tell me it was their favorite book of all that I have written. The theme is “Who is Jesus?” but based upon those verses which unveil the way he is depicted in John’s vision of him.

The big thing I feel about the Book of Revelation now however is that what will shortly come to pass is what will be unveiled. In other words, if the fulfillment of these things was two thousand years later – after John received the revelation on the Isle of Patmos, no wonder it was not understood when it was first written (presumably around 100 A.D.) Or 500 years later. Or 1,000 years later. John Calvin wrote a commentary on every book of the Bible except the Book of Revelation. He did not understand it. I am not even sure the Apostle John himself understood it; he merely wrote down what he saw. Keep this mind: not what he understood but what he saw. But if we get close to the time of the actual fulfillment of these things in the Book of Revelation, I have a theory that some of God’s servants will see clearly what this book means. I wish I would be one of those servants!

By the way, A Vision of Jesus is out of print. We are going to reprint it down the road but have a few copies we want to get rid of. The proof of this is that we are selling them for $5.97 plus postage/shipping.

I have done some sixty “tweets” on Revelation 1 this month. May do more later. If I have got it right: the reason no person has understood the Book of Revelation is that the true meaning will be unveiled only when we are very close to the fulfillment of it. That is the meaning of the words “to show his servants what must soon take place” (Rev.1:1).

RTK

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Published on July 06, 2013 08:25

A July 4th Relevant Word for America

My pastor Dr. Bruce Chesser has given me permission to use some of his July 4th sermon for my blog in view of July 4th. I thought it was painfully relevant for America at the present time: RT K

Psalm 126 is one of the Psalms of Ascent. The people would sing these songs as they would make their way into Jerusalem for the celebrations. It helped them to remember and to thank God for His blessings upon them. The first three verses of Psalm 126 are characterized with the words ‘laughter’ and ‘joy.’ They were remembering the time when they were in exile. They have been restored to their homeland. Sometimes you do not realize what you have until it is gone. We do not miss it until we no longer have it. They had been in exile and, as a result, they now knew just how special it was to live in the land of Canaan. Verse 2 and 3 said “Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ America is the envy of the nations, too. Every day we hear about immigration reform. Have you ever wondered why we have some an immigration problem in America? It is because people want to come here. They are trying to figure out ways to get here. Out of almost 200 nations on planet earth, most of them do not have an immigration problem. We do because it is a blessing to live in America.

We are blessed to be able to move freely. If you want to go on vacation to the beach, go! If you don’t like the beach you can go to the mountains. This July 4th holiday will see almost 41 million Americans travel more than 50 miles from home. And it’s not just freedom around vacation. If you want to live somewhere else you can pack up your belongings and move. We have great freedom. If you want a better job, go for it. If you need more training or education there is a school just down the road and if that one doesn’t work there is another one just past it. Opportunities abound! Most of us have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a little extra spending money. While we might not consider ourselves rich the fact is that compared to most of the world we are, indeed, wealthy.

The last half of the Psalm changes tones. The mood goes from joyful to sad. Words like ‘tears’ and ‘weeping’ characterize the verses. The Psalmist realized that while the people have returned to the land physically, spiritually they are still far away from God. He is praying for them to be restored to the Lord. The fact that they are not makes him sad. I am sad today for what I see around us. I am sad about the materialism of our day. I am sad about the political correctness that tries to silence those that speak truth. I am sad about the lack of basic morality in our nation today. But there is a positive note to be sounded. There was a day when being a good person looked very similar to being a Christ follower. It was really hard to tell the difference. The result was a ‘cultural Christianity’ that may have used the right words and treated people with kindness but lacked the spiritual regeneration that comes thru a relationship with Jesus Christ. No more. Those days are gone. If we determine to be followers of Jesus Christ we will stand out and be different than the world around us. Perhaps now more than any time since the days of Peter, Paul, James and John do we have an opportunity to be salt for a decaying society and light for a dark world.

I am sad for the spiritual frauds that fill the landscape. Man is hopelessly religious and will continue to seek to fill that God-shaped vacuum with something that will bring meaning and purpose. The result is all of the ‘isms’ of the world and the new age movement and harmonic convergence and on and on it goes. The world needs to hear in a loving, kind, gracious and Christ-honoring way that there is only one way to God the Father and that is thru the Lord Jesus Christ. The Psalmist said “Going…weeping…sowing…reaping.” We must go where they are. The world is no longer coming to us. We must go. We must go weeping. We are weeping because they are lost. And lost people will spend eternity separated from God. We must go weeping and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. When we do that the result will be that we will reap a harvest.

Dr. Bruce Chesser

First Baptist Church Hendersonville TN

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Published on July 01, 2013 16:03

The Judgment Seat of Christ 2

Two things come to mind as I write this word about the Judgment Seat of Christ. The first is a comment made by J. B. Chapman, “We will know a lot more about Heaven five minutes after we get there than all the speculation this side of Heaven”. How true. So too when it comes to the Judgment Seat of Christ – the translation of bema – the Greek word that referred to the ancient place in Corinth where rewards and punishments were given. You can visit ancient Bema Seat in Corinth today – platform about ten feet high. Athletes were given garlands; criminals were given their sentences.

The second comment came from Dr. R. T. Williams, the man I was named after. He gave this advice to young preachers: “Stay away from prophecy and eschatology, let the old men do that; they won’t be around to see their mistakes”.

Well, I am old. And yet I don’t want to say anything that is not true regarding the Final Judgment. Whatever else can be said, it will be a fearful event. Indeed, the scariest moment I can imagine. The Old Testament prophets talked about “the day of the Lord” which possibly refers to a series of happenings at the End. Jesus spoke of “that day” (Matt.7:22). The affect of the Bema Seat on Paul was “therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord” (2 Cor.5:11 – ESV). And yet John spoke of having “confidence” (boldness – KJV) in the day of Judgment (1 John 4:17).

So, knowing that the Final Judgment will be a fearful, awesome event, how is to possible to have confidence or boldness?

First, it seems to me that the Final Judgment will be in two parts: (1) the saved and lost being judged; and (2) the saved being judged – whether they will receive a reward of saved by fire.

So if part of the Judgment will be when all people – saved and lost – stand before God, with the saved going to Heaven and the lost going to Hell, surely we may have confidence. Reason: our hope is in the blood of Christ. Those people whose hope of going to Heaven is in the shed blood of Jesus shed on the cross two thousand years ago should have no fear. None. If your hope is your good works, your faithfulness or sanctification, I would not want to be in yours shoes for anything in the world! You should fear. I would be scared to death! But I am not afraid. You need not be nervous or afraid if your sole hope of going to Heaven is trusting Jesus’ death on the cross.

Second, if part of the Judgment however has to do with rewards and punishments for the saved, how can one be so confident? Can you and I as believers have confidence, or boldness, on the Day of Judgment when as Christians the truth about us comes out? After all, Paul said we must all appear before the Bema Seat to give an account of the thing done while in the body – whether good or bad. That is very, very scary. How can I have confidence on this Day of days? Would a person be trusting his or her good works in this case? After all, 1 Corinthians 3 is all about building a superstructure of gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, straw – and the Day will declare it. It will be revealed by fire. So only those with a surviving superstructure of gold, silver, precious gems will get a reward. How can you and I be confident NOW?

I answer: Paul spoke of an earnest, or deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. See Ephesians 1:13-14. That is (in my view) the immediate and direct witness of the Holy Spirit. It is what enables you to be confident and fearless in that Day without being self-righteous about it at the same time.

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Published on June 18, 2013 14:17

The Judgment Seat of Christ 1

As I look at the influences on my life I think of my chief mentors and the key teachings that have shaped my life and thinking. My two greatest mentors were Dr. Billy Ball (now 86, very fragile) who entered my life in 1955, and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981), who entered my life in 1963. The key teachings spring from three verses: (1) John 5:44, “How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (KJV). From 1957 to the present day that has been my life verse. Then there is (2) John 1:32: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him”. I develop this verse in my book The Sensitivity of the Holy Spirit. This has been absolutely life changing – finding out what grieves the Holy Spirit and not doing that. Believe me, it is a major challenge. But if have to say that alongside these two verses (3) is 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad”. I can remember where I was when this began to grip me the most – waiting for an order of fish and chips in a shop near Shepherd’s Bush in London. I came to see in a flash that it is there – at the Judgment and not until then – that we receive the recognition that matters.

To receive Christ’s own personal commendation, when he looks into our eyes and says “Well done”, is what will ultimately matter most of all to us. Not whether we get recognition, vindication or success here below. What we receive here below is a mere shadow of what Christ’s commendation will mean. When I became gripped with this truth my whole perspective changed. Although I wanted to see Revival in Westminster Chapel – yes, I surely did, I saw how this would mean almost nothing when I stand before God. His verdict of my life will be the true, objective one; not how I may be regarded here below.

One big question: will everything in our entire lives be revealed before all – including sins repented of and forgiven? Yes, according to my friend Arthur Blessitt. He says adamantly that ALL will come out – including past sins, even sins confessed and repented of. His reasoning is this: why would the people of the Bible (e.g. Moses, David and Solomon) be written up in Scripture? All they did was laid bare. Why should we be any different? He makes a good argument, but I disagree with him. I believe confessed sin – sin truly repented of – will be buried in God’s sea of forgetfulness never revealed (Psa.103:12). We have nothing to fear at the Judgment Seat of Christ except unconfessed sin and lack of true repentance.

These things said, I want to live my life as if all that is knowable about me will come out. It seems to me that living like this will make me more guarded and careful with my thoughts, words and deeds.

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Published on June 04, 2013 10:07