Jason K. Allen's Blog, page 23

Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Had Married An Ethiopian Woman” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Had Married An Ethiopian Woman” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 6, Evening)

“He had married an Ethiopian woman.” (Numbers 12:1)

Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men. Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus’ love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret guiltiness, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dissolved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and sovereignty of grace. Jesus must have found the cause of his love in his own heart, he could not have found it in us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Rutherford said of himself what we must each subscribe to–“His relation to me is, that I am sick, and he is the Physician of whom I stand in need. Alas! how often I play fast and loose with Christ! He bindeth, I loose; he buildeth, I cast down; I quarrel with Christ, and he agreeth with me twenty times a day!” Most tender and faithful Husband of our souls, pursue thy gracious work of conforming us to thine image, till thou shalt present even us poor Ethiopians unto thyself, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Moses met with opposition because of his marriage, and both himself and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and his spouse, and especially when great sinners are converted? for this is ever the Pharisee’s ground of objection, “This man receiveth sinners.” Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, “Because he had married an Ethiopian woman.”

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Three Questions for Christians on Social Media

How should Christians engage on social media? We have all seen the carnage. A poorly worded tweet brings confusion; a sharply worded one alienates. The Proverbs tell us much about the tongue, and many of its punchiest verses are applicable to our social media usage. As Christians, we are to bring every aspect of our lives under the Lordship of Christ, including our social media engagement.

Through our social media, we can bless or curse, build up or tear down, honor or dishonor the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider these three questions to help you navigate social media.

Question #1: To whom are you speaking?

This was a breakthrough question that I began asking myself several years ago. I use my social media platforms primarily to speak to fellow Christians. The principle I follow is one derived from years as a pastor. In short, I view my social media platform as, in a sense, a large church. I want to speak to them as I would have spoken to my literal congregation when I was a pastor. As a pastor, I encouraged, informed, and occasionally warned the sheep. Sometimes I was outright prophetic. But I was never shrill, snarky, or belittling. I spoke to them, and seek to do so now through social media, as the flock of God, fellow heirs of his grace.

Though my primary audience is Christians, I know that I reach many unbelievers as well. But, the same principles largely apply. To be unkind, ungenerous, or needlessly antagonistic, does nothing but offend and alienate. To do so repels them from Jesus and the Christian convictions we hold dear.

Question #2: What are you trying to say?

We all know that within the realm of interpretation, context is king. To rightly understand a text or a message of any type, you must consider the context. Twitter provides almost no context. Therefore, every time we tweet we are in jeopardy of being misunderstood. And it certainly does not permit nuance. It is just hard to convey much of anything complex or nuanced in a two-sentence tweet. Beware and be warned.

If our message is not clear or will likely need a follow-up clarification or qualification, then we probably ought to pass on it. Ask yourself, “What am I trying to say?” You may not be able to say it in 140 characters.

Question #3: Do you have any misgivings?

We have all paused, reread our tweet with our finger hovering over the send button, thinking should I or shouldn’t I? If you have lingering misgivings, do not send it. The types of things that give me pause are “How will this be interpreted?”, “Would I say this to their face?”, “Is this clear and able to be understood without being misunderstood?”, “Is this self-promoting, or humblebrag.” The truth of the matter is, I have regretted a few social media posts over the years. I have never regretted not sending one.

In Conclusion

I find myself in an ongoing love/hate relationship with social media. I appreciate it as a conduit to give and receive content, news updates, and to connect with ministry friends and family. I hate that I am occasionally misunderstood, that I occasionally misunderstand others, and that social media manages to take more of my time than I intended to give. Yet, I am at peace with my usage, and seek to be faithful by filtering my interactions through these three questions.

 

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Whosoever Drinketh of the Water” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Whosoever Drinketh of the Water” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 6, Morning)

“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” (Jonn 4:14)

He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore. The believer is not the man whose days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in religion such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy. Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, he will meet the “friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Blast all his gourds, and he will find shadow beneath the Rock of Ages; sap the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord. The heart is as insatiable as the grave till Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to overflowing. There is such a fulness in Christ that he alone is the believer’s all. The true saint is so completely satisfied with the all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more–except it be for deeper draughts of the living fountain. In that sweet manner, believer, shalt thou thirst; it shall not be a thirst of pain, but of loving desire; thou wilt find it a sweet thing to be panting after a fuller enjoyment of Jesus’ love. One in days of yore said, “I have been sinking my bucket down into the well full often, but now my thirst after Jesus has become so insatiable, that I long to put the well itself to my lips, and drink right on.” Is this the feeling of thine heart now, believer? Dost thou feel that all thy desires are satisfied in Jesus, and that thou hast no want now, but to know more of him, and to have closer fellowship with him? Then come continually to the fountain, and take of the water of life freely. Jesus will never think you take too much, but will ever welcome you, saying, “Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.”

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As One with Authority: The Four Pillars of Authoritative Preaching

When published in 1971, Fred Craddock’s As One without Authority landed like “a bombshell on the playground of preachers.” In it, Craddock called for a new homiletic, for preaching to start with the hearer, not the text, and for preaching to be inductive, not deductive.

Craddock argued preaching was in hopeless decline and the church must reinvent homiletics or forfeit the sermon altogether. At the core of his critique was the issue of authority. According to Craddock, the modern preacher cannot—and perhaps should not—preach with authority. Thus, in the words of Craddock, the preacher exists as one without authority.

In a sense, Craddock’s diagnosis was right. The modern mind may well be adverse to authority and disinclined to trust the “sage on the stage.” Nonetheless, his prescription was dead wrong. Where there is no authority, there is no true preaching.

Authority, Essential to True Preaching

The Bible assumes an authoritative sermon. In biblical terms, it is impossible to conceptualize preaching without authority. The many biblical injunctions associated with preaching—admonish, instruct, warn, exhort, rebuke, reprove, correct, confront—presume and necessitate an authoritative sermon.

As a teacher, Jesus distinguished himself from the religious leaders of the day by speaking with authority.  In the synagogue, he amazed his hearers, because he was “teaching as one with authority, and not as their scribes.”[i]

What is more, Paul’s command to Titus is a timeless charge to every preacher, “These things teach, reprove, and rebuke, as one having all authority; let no one disregard you.”[ii] Such authoritative preaching rests on four pillars.

Authority, Established by the Scriptures

John Stott, commenting on the preacher’s authority, rightly argued, “Our formula, if we use one at all, should be in the well-known, oft-repeated and quite proper phrase of Dr. Billy Graham, ‘The Bible says.’”[iii]

Stott was right. The preacher’s authority is the Bible itself. God chose to reveal himself to his people through his Word. His Word is inspired, infallible and inerrant, thus it is authoritative. As the Reformers reasoned, Vox Scriptura Vox Dei, the voice of Scripture is the voice of God. God’s voice is an authoritative voice and his word is an authoritative Word. God meant it to be preached in an authoritative manner.

Throughout the Bible, Scripture references its own power and authority. Jeremiah declared God’s Word is “a hammer that breaks the rock,”[iv] and Isaiah testified God’s Word “will not return void.”[v] His prophets of old, like Jonah, heralded his message authoritatively.

The pattern continues in the New Testament. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul all preached with authority. II Timothy 3:16–4:2 unites the authority of the text with the authority of the sermon. All Scripture is “inspired by God” and “profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.” Since the Bible, as God’s inspired Word, is powerful and authoritative, the minister is called to “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season reprove, rebuke, and exhort with great patience and instruction.”[vi]

Since the preacher’s authority is the Scripture itself, the preferred form of preaching is biblical exposition. Expository sermons are based upon the text of Scripture, in which the passage is explained and applied to the congregants. Thus, biblical exposition affords the sermon an authentic “Thus sayeth the Lord.”

Authority, Emboldened by the Spirit

The foundation of a preacher’s authority is the Scripture, but it doesn’t end there. The Lord is always pleased to bless his Word preached, but on occasion, he chooses especially to bless it.

Peter at Pentecost preached with the power of the Holy Spirit resting on him. Weeks prior, he denied Jesus before a slave girl, but now, under the power of the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed the gospel with authority, indicting the people of Israel with the murder of the Son of God. The difference in Peter was the power of the Holy Spirit.

This, in part, is why we pray for the preacher and the sermon. We pray that the Holy Spirit will embolden the preacher and apply the sermon to the lives of the listeners. There is no greater force this side of Heaven than the Holy Word preached by a Holy man in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Authority, Enhanced by the life

A sermon’s authority is based in the text, not the man himself or his ecclesiastical office. As Luther argued, Popes and Councils have erred; the preacher’s mind should be held captive to Scripture. At the same time, one cannot separate the message from the man preaching it.

The preacher’s authority is enhanced by a life of integrity and ministerial credibility. I Tim 3:1–7 documents the qualifications for ministry and the necessity of being “above reproach.” Moreover, Paul frequently pointed to his life and character to buttress the credibility of his ministry and the authority of his message.

Sterling character takes time to cultivate and it takes even more time to be appreciated by others. A preacher’s credibility with his congregation is slowly accumulated but abruptly forfeited. It enters town on foot, but departs on horseback.

Authority, Enriched by the Delivery

Finally, the preacher’s authority should be enriched by the delivery itself. Church members are not fools. They ask themselves, “Does the preacher believe his own message?” If the preacher does not believe the sermon, why should they?

Perhaps no man more exuded authority in preaching than George Whitefield. His life demonstrated confidence in God’s Word, thus he preached it with boldness. Even unbelievers marveled at his power, including men like Benjamin Franklin and David Hume.

David Hume, one of the 18th century’s leading skeptics, closely followed Whitefield’s ministry. On one occasion Hume traveled more than 20 miles before dawn to hear Whitefield preach. A fellow attender recognized Hume and inquired as to his attendance. “Where are you going this early hour?” “I am going to hear Whitefield preach” replied Hume. “But you don’t believe a word he preaches,” said the man.” “No,” Hume answered, “but he does.”[vii]

Conclusion

Modern preaching has been described as “A mild-mannered man encouraging mild-mannered people to be more mild-mannered.” The church—and the world—needs the opposite. Bold, authoritative preaching is the urgent need of the hour. Such preaching will hasten revival in the church, and further the Great Commission.

Authority is not something the preacher talks into himself on Sunday mornings. Nor is it granted by title, office, attire, or by brutishly pulling rank.

But, when the sermon is indeed biblical and delivered by a man with a life of integrity, in the power of the Holy Spirit and with full conviction, a supremely authoritative event has taken place—one has preached with authority.

[i] Matthew 7:29.

[ii] Titus 2:15.

[iii] John R. W. Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988), 29.

[iv] Jeremiah 23:29.

[v] Isaiah 55:11.

[vi] II Timothy 4:2.

[vii] Cited in John R. W. Stott, Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982), 269–70.

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “He That Believeth And Is Baptized Shall Be Saved” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “He That Believeth And Is Baptized Shall Be Saved” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 5, Evening)

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16)

Mr. MacDonald asked the inhabitants of the island of St. Kilda how a man must be saved. An old man replied, “We shall be saved if we repent, and forsake our sins, and turn to God.” “Yes,” said a middle-aged female, “and with a true heart too.” “Aye,” rejoined a third, “and with prayer”; and, added a fourth, “It must be the prayer of the heart.” “And we must be diligent too,” said a fifth, “in keeping the commandments.” Thus, each having contributed his mite, feeling that a very decent creed had been made up, they all looked and listened for the preacher’s approbation, but they had aroused his deepest pity. The carnal mind always maps out for itself a way in which self can work and become great, but the Lord’s way is quite the reverse. Believing and being baptized are no matters of merit to be gloried in–they are so simple that boasting is excluded, and free grace bears the palm. It may be that the reader is unsaved–what is the reason? Do you think the way of salvation as laid down in the text to be dubious? How can that be when God has pledged his own word for its certainty? Do you think it too easy? Why, then, do you not attend to it? Its ease leaves those without excuse who neglect it. To believe is simply to trust, to depend, to rely upon Christ Jesus. To be baptized is to submit to the ordinance which our Lord fulfilled at Jordan, to which the converted ones submitted at Pentecost, to which the jailer yielded obedience the very night of his conversion. The outward sign saves not, but it sets forth to us our death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus, and, like the Lord’s Supper, is not to be neglected. Reader, do you believe in Jesus? Then, dear friend, dismiss your fears, you shall be saved. Are you still an unbeliever, then remember there is but one door, and if you will not enter by it you will perish in your sins.

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In Spirit & in Truth: Bringing Balance to Christian Worship

In the Christian life, balance can be difficult to achieve. Whether it’s reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, conceptualizing the divine and human natures of Christ, or trusting God without slipping into personal complacency, the one who finds balance finds a good thing. Similarly, the 21st-century church would do well to find balance in its worship of Christ.

Survey the Christian landscape in North America and you often find churches leaning too heavily in one of two directions. Some churches are inclined towards truth, emphasizing doctrinal straightness, in-depth preaching and rigorous Bible study. These disciplines are good, but not enough. As A. W. Tozer said, “You can be straight as a gun barrel theologically, and as empty as one spiritually.”[1] Conversely, other churches tend toward the emotive and affective. Careful Bible study and biblical, expository preaching are displaced by emotional impulses. Either of these overreaches can tilt the worship service in an unhealthy direction, hindering the growth of God’s people and leaving the worship service in want.

Yet, what Christ has joined together—worship in spirit and truth—no man should separate. Rightly understood, biblical truth and heartfelt worship complement each other. Indeed, theology does inspire doxology.

This balance is precisely what Jesus expressed in John 4 in his famous encounter with the woman at the well. At first glance, this lady looks ill-equipped to worship God. A Samaritan by birth and an adulteress by choice, she’s unlikely to be on the shortlist for any first-century church’s worship committee.

Though the Samaritan woman inquired of Jesus as to the proper location of worship, Jesus points her to the real components of worship, saying, “An hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24).

“In spirit” is a call to worship the Lord from one’s inner person, from the heart, so to speak. Though not necessarily emotional, such worship touches the emotion and impacts the affection. Having been converted and filled with the Holy Spirit does not ensure that one worships in spirit, but it does mean one is capable of worshiping in spirit.

“In truth” means faithful worship is done in accordance with and in light of God’s revelation, his holy Word. The public reading of Scripture and the preaching of God’s Word bring the truth to bear on the gathered congregation, thus informing and inspiring worship. Like two wings on an aircraft, both spirit and truth are essential for biblical, Christ-honoring worship to occur.

Worship is not a condiment, meant merely to flavor the Christian life. The worship of Christ is at the heart of the Christian life. As followers of Jesus Christ, we await the final worship scene, when for all eternity the redeemed will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

In the meantime, let’s be found faithful to worship—in spirit and in truth—and to be about extending the number of redeemed, thus enhancing the worship of Christ for time and eternity.

[1] A. W. Tozer, Fellowship of the Burning Heart: A Collection of Sermons by A. W. Tozer (ed. James L. Snyder; Aluchua, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2006), 8.

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Arose, And Did Eat And Drink” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Arose, And Did Eat And Drink” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 5, Morning)

“He arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.” (1 Kings 19:8)

All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on the coals, and the cruse of water placed at his head, as he lay under the juniper tree, he was no gentleman to be gratified with dainty fare that he might stretch himself at his ease; far otherwise, he was commissioned to go forty days and forty nights in the strength of it, journeying towards Horeb, the mount of God. When the Master invited the disciples to “Come and dine” with him, after the feast was concluded he said to Peter, “Feed my sheep”; further adding, “Follow me.” Even thus it is with us; we eat the bread of heaven, that we may expend our strength in the Master’s service. We come to the passover, and eat of the paschal lamb with loins girt, and staff in hand, so as to start off at once when we have satisfied our hunger. Some Christians are for living on Christ, but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Earth should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven is the place where saints feast most and work most. They sit down at the table of our Lord, and they serve him day and night in his temple. They eat of heavenly food and render perfect service. Believer, in the strength you daily gain from Christ labour for him. Some of us have yet to learn much concerning the design of our Lord in giving us his grace. We are not to retain the precious grains of truth as the Egyptian mummy held the wheat for ages, without giving it an opportunity to grow: we must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send down the rain upon the thirsty earth, and give the genial sunshine? Is it not that these may all help the fruits of the earth to yield food for man? Even so the Lord feeds and refreshes our souls that we may afterwards use our renewed strength in the promotion of his glory.

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Where Have all the Godly Men Gone?

Where have all the godly men gone? These days I ponder that question with increased frequency and concern. If the lack of godly men were only a matter of personality or ministerial preference, then little would be lost. Such is not the case, though. The church is in great need of awakening and renewal; and, in the spirit of Richard Baxter, its greatest need might well be godly men.

Not that long ago, “man of God” was a common and honored descriptor in the church. The phrase ranked alongside “great preacher,” “brilliant theologian,” or “gifted writer” in frequency and surpassed them in value. Now, it seems as though the designation “man of God” has gone the way of the bus ministry and the youth choir—a largely passé referent to a bygone era of church life.

It is as though someone snuck into the shopping mall of the Kingdom and changed all the price tags, upsetting and inverting God’s value system. We have increased the mundane and ancillary aspects of Christian ministry, all the while cheapening its true virtues and values. In God’s economy, though, character is valued over talent and holiness over giftedness.

Why So Few Godly Men?

Why is there a dearth of godly men? Admittedly, godliness is nearly impossible to measure, and godly men are nearly impossible to quantify. Yet, three factors seem especially to contribute to the paucity of godly men.

Many churches don’t seek men of God. Given the complexity of modern ministry, many churches prioritize giftedness and experience above godliness in their candidates for ministry. Churches often look for competent administrators, capable speakers, polished people skills, a cute family, and other secondary concerns before assessing the heart. Like ancient Israel, we have the propensity to look on the outward; all the while God looks on the heart.

Many ministries no longer necessitate godliness. There may now be more distance between the minister and the congregation than ever before in the history of the church. Through the years, pastors have lived among their people (New Testament), by their people (parsonage), and near their people. Now, everything from the size of the church to the expansion of auxiliary campuses has created distance between the pastor and his people. Moreover, video-screen pastors often have no relationship at all with their people.

An overcommitted laity does not desire personal interaction with their ministers, and overcommitted ministers have less time for personal interaction anyway. Though social media grants the appearance of personal engagement, the truth can be altogether different. The distance between the pastor and his people means there is less life-on-life engagement and less moral accountability one with another.

Ministry “peer pressure” is not toward godliness. The “peer pressure” of ministry is oriented toward events, products, conferences, and materials. It is as though the paraphernalia and garnishes of ministry have displaced the more biblical and eternal aspects, like godliness. Perhaps this is why Matthew Henry lamented some preachers who, “when in the pulpit, preaching so well that it is a pity they should ever come out; but, when out of the pulpit, living so ill that it is a pity they should ever come in.”

Man of God, in Biblical Terms

“Man of God” is a biblical designation granted to Old Testament giants like Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, and Elisha. In the New Testament, Timothy is the singular designee. The title was not merely honorific. It was a lofty and noble designation—granted to men with lives that merited it.

In the context of I Timothy 6, the title “man of God” is associated with action. It is found in a list of admonitions, commands, and encouragements that flow both descriptively and prescriptively. Paul instructs Timothy that the man of God is known for fleeing from immorality, fighting for the faith, and for following after Christlikeness. Moreover, II Timothy 3:15–17 links the adequacy of the man of God with the power and authority of holy Scripture.

Clearly, the New Testament prioritizes godliness in the life of the minister. The qualifications for ministry found in I Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9 deal almost exclusively with character, with little reference to giftedness beyond the ability to teach. Thus the timeless ministerial admonition, “Beware of letting your talent gain you a ministry position that your character cannot keep you in.”

Men of God, the Need of the Hour

In the main, the modern church has most everything it needs—save revival. We have more conferences than ever, but fewer conversions. We have more books and blogs than ever, but fewer baptisms. We have more products and paraphernalia than ever, but little power. Indeed, we have a surplus of resources, but a deficit of revival.

Of course, revival is a work of the Holy Spirit, initiated and carried forth by God. At the same time, we cannot expect God to bless our shallowness, staleness, and carnality. Perhaps revival will not arrive in the pew until it first arrives in the pulpit. It may well be that the greatest need of the church is godly men who shepherd the flock of God with holiness and grace.

Conclusion

Where have all the godly men gone? I am not exactly sure, but I pray God will call forth a new generation of men consecrated in heart and devoted to his glory. As the hymn of old begs, “Rise up, O men of God! The church for you doth wait, her strength unequal to her task; rise up, and make her great!”

 ____________________________________________________

[1] Matthew Henry, Comprehensive Commentary on the Holy Bible: Matthew through John (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1859), 229.

[2] William P. Merrill, “Rise Up, O Men of God.”

*This article was originally published 11/21/13*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “If Any Man Sin, We Have An Advocate” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “If Any Man Sin, We Have An Advocate” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 4, Evening)

“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

“If any man sin, we have an advocate.” Yes, though we sin, we have him still. John does not say, “If any man sin he has forfeited his advocate,” but “we have an advocate,” sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever did, or can be allowed to commit, cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his advocate. The name here given to our Lord is suggestive. “Jesus.” Ah! then he is an advocate such as we need, for Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to save. “They shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” His sweetest name implies his success. Next, it is “Jesus Christ”–Christos, the anointed. This shows his authority to plead. The Christ has a right to plead, for he is the Father’s own appointed advocate and elected priest. If he were of our choosing he might fail, but if God hath laid help upon one that is mighty, we may safely lay our trouble where God has laid his help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; he is Christ, and therefore qualified, for the anointing has fully fitted him for his work. He can plead so as to move the heart of God and prevail. What words of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion will the anointed use when he stands up to plead for me! One more letter of his name remains, “Jesus Christ the righteous.” This is not only his character but his plea. It is his character, and if the Righteous One be my advocate, then my cause is good, or he would not have espoused it. It is his plea, for he meets the charge of unrighteousness against me by the plea that he is righteous. He declares himself my substitute and puts his obedience to my account. My soul, thou hast a friend well fitted to be thine advocate, he cannot but succeed; leave thyself entirely in his hands.

 

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MBTS Fall 2018 Convocation Sermon: “Playing with Dangerous Things” (James 1:19-25)

Brothers and sisters, I invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to James 1 where we will have Scriptural reflection and meditation today from James 1:19-25.

This is a passage we are familiar with, a book many of us are familiar with, and words that come with a great deal of timeliness and relevance. I have entitled this sermon, “Playing with Dangerous Things.”

James 1:1-19

Being a minister of the gospel, indeed, is to play with dangerous things. We are charged with a great and mighty responsibility to preach the Word, to shepherd the flock, to probe souls, and to lead churches. We are to engage in these things–each and every one of which are weighty–and press in on eternity.

I was reminded anew of this reality this summer while away from the seminary. My wife and I were able to take our two oldest daughters on a junket to Europe. We had looked forward to this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe with our daughters for several years. We had planned the trip to last a little over two weeks. We first traveled to London, and after a few days, we then traveled to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich, and then Paris on the last stop before we came back home. It was a memorable trip. It was not restful, but memorable in so many different ways. We saw all of the different international sights. We ate a lot of great international food, like 5 Guys, Chipotle, and other places like that. My goal was to see the foreign sights, but eat the American food along the way.

Our first stop was in London. I have been there a few times over the years, and I always look forward to going. Some of it is the practical feasibility of navigating as an English speaking individual. Some of it is that I love the history as a confessed Anglophile, and it is just particularly delightful for me to be in London. We left there and wound up flying overnight due to the time change. We arrived Monday morning, and the plan was to push through and not take a nap. That evening we would go to bed and hopefully reset our bodies then. We were able to meet up with our European Study group and connect with them for a couple of outings and a meal. We were pushing through and quickly taking in the sights of London. Through a series of remarkable, unforeseen, and kind providences, we were able to enter Westminster Palace. We were able to go in to spend a time in the viewing galleries of the House of Lords. This was no small feat, and it was a particular joy for me to enter the House of Commons while it was in session. We got to sit in the gallery and watch the debate taking place. Over the years, I have loved watching Prime Ministers’ questions. Some of you know what I am talking about. There are some geeks in the room who have done it and enjoy it. It is fascinating to watch these volleys to and fro, and as I do, my mind races back to what must have been a delightful scene to watch Churchill and Lady Astor spar back and forth. They would have these great exchanges in the House of Commons and other places. Lady Astor would say things to Churchill like, “If you were my husband, I would poison your tea.” Churchill retorted, “If you were my wife, I would drink it.”  They would have these exchanges back and forth. I also imagined that room in the hours of World War II when Churchill would give his great speeches. “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.” “If the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say, this was their finest hour.” These great speeches riled a nation in the Western World to stand up to Hitler.

There I am, entering the house of commons, again, unplanned, but through remarkable and unforeseen circumstances we are in the gallery of the House of Commons. While taking it in, they are debating nothing less than Brexit. It was scintillating. I was geeking out; I could not believe I was there. It was an out-of-body experience. I was even sneaking my phone, which was strictly forbidden, to get some footage, and I looked over to contextualize the moment for my wife and children to make sure they were tracking with me, and that they understood the importance of what was taking place, and the three of them, ladies and gentlemen, were conked out, sleeping beside me.  I nudged them, and then I felt empathy for them given our flight pattern and the fact that they had been up for so long. But I realized in that moment and was chastened in that moment, of how we gather weekly, regularly, with a far more august body, at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We engage in a far more powerful and sacred task -the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. We engage in a task that is far more consequential -the shepherding and care for souls. Are we in danger of, at times, snoozing through such a grand assignment? Are we in danger at times of losing sight of how weighty our responsibility is? How precious our stewardship is to teach the Word of God, to shepherd students in New Testament and Old, in Theology and Church History, in Ethics and Philosophy, and all of the disciplines we teach. Are we, conversely, as students, consumers of an academic product? Have we lost sight of the grandeur that we have? Are we in danger of becoming familiar, of playing with dangerous things?  It seems to me, as we look at this text, we are reminded of this danger in sharp, sharp ways. As James is writing, he tells us of this grand danger of being a hearer of the Word, but not a doer; of being a receiver of the Word, but not an appropriator; of being one who listens without applying, who takes in without digesting, who imports without acting it out in faithful response. We are playing with dangerous things every time we ascend the pulpit, every time we stand behind a lectern, every time we open a book across a coffee table and begin to talk through the text of Scripture.  We confess no less, do we not? We believe this book is indeed the divine, inerrant, inspired Word of God. We do not sheepishly state that. We do not state that with our fingers crossed or kind of sort of confidence. No. We believe it as a people with full conviction, and we hold ourselves as a group to that level of accountability. So, we take the book, we teach it, we preach it, we speak it, and every time we do, something dangerous is taking place. Why?  Because inasmuch as there is discontinuity in what we teach and what we live, there is danger. Inasmuch as there is discontinuity between what we hear and how we obey, there is danger.

Of course, this passage we read is preceded by verse 18. The great statement on the power of Scripture. “In the exercise of his will, He, God called us forth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first fruits among his creatures” -this is a reminder of the potency of Scripture. Indeed, all that experience the new birth, experience this. This happens by the working of the Spirit, by the preaching of the gospel, by the ministry of the Word of God in our lives, and by conviction working in our lives by the power of Scripture.

We see this presented to us here in verses 19-25, the need to receive, the need to obey, and the charge here relates in particular, of course, to those who hear. What about us? We have a lot of speakers in the room. We have preachers in the room, we have teachers in the room, we have those who are called and paid to open the book to speak it. There is an even more sobering warning is there not? There is a warning that ought to haunt us, and I suppose it does. It is found in chapter three, verse one: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such, we will incur an even stricter judgment.” Brothers and sisters, we are playing with dangerous things.

Now, we must confess, and even a token amount of self-awareness resonates with what I am about to say, to preach or to teach is to engage in a touch of hypocrisy every time we do it. Is it not? Have we ever preached a sermon on evangelism where we did not feel conviction of our lack thereof? Have we ever taught a lesson on prayer where we did not feel a touch of conviction of our lack thereof? Have we ever spoken about personal holiness where we did not feel a punch about our lack thereof? Yes, to preach and to teach faithfully is to engage in a touch of hypocrisy every time we do it. We are assuaged in that reality by understanding that ultimately the strength of our message is not in our personal accomplishment, but in the authority of Scripture itself. Yet, at the same time, we are called to be men and women of sanctification, of commitment, of faithfulness, of application. That the touch of hypocrisy must not become in full supply. We feel a touch of hypocrisy every time we preach or teach, and I suggest to you this morning, that first time we do not feel a touch of hypocrisy is our first step toward personal and ministerial ruin. If you feel a touch of hypocrisy every time you come to God’s Word, perhaps, that is a good sign. If you have grown accustomed to handling dangerous things without feeling the danger therein, that is a ruinous one.

Notice what we are presented with here. We are presented with a passage where we get this explanation on Scripture itself, on how we are to receive it and act upon it. So, my outline is simple this morning with two brief words of reflection and exhortation.

First is this: we must receive God’s Word with careful reflection. Now, when I say receive it, I am believing, assuming, and hoping for you and for me that when we teach and speak God’s word we are also in the discipline of hearing that which we are speaking. That we are also in the discipline of what comes out of our mouth does not come out without having first been washed through our hearts and lives. We must receive God’s Word with careful reflection.

Notice verse 19. Again, in the aftermath of verse 18, “in the exercise of his will he brought us forth by the Word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among his creatures. This you know, my beloved brethren, everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” As our verses proceed here, this gets unpacked a touch more and there are these different words of instruction and exhortation about how to receive the Word of God. Any time we come to something like this where we get these innumerate, sequential set of exhortations of instructions about how to receive the Word of God, we must slow down and pay attention, “Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God, therefore putting aside all filthiness, all the remains of wickedness, in humility, receive the Word implanted.” When we come to these different sequential exhortations, it is easy to cruise by and assume it is a pileup of words, but it is not. It is the Word of God. It is indeed true. Each one of these words is to be chewed on, they are to be held up and savored in full light with all of the dimensionality of it. We are taught here that we are to receive God’s Word with careful reflection.

Now, each one of these sub-exhortations here really merit a camping out on. To be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” To be quick to hear: eager to receive the Word of God. How I grow weary of hearing people say, “I wish I could hear from God.” Brothers and sisters, you have heard from God. How I grow weary of false teachers and false preachers on television, scandalizing the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ by promising direct revelation from them or to you based upon a generous contribution. Brothers and sister, God has spoken, and we are to be quick to receive it. This is not just a chapel plug, but that is one reason chapel is so important. For many of us, and many weeks I am in this list, the only time we will sit under the preaching of the Word of God is in chapel. Our ministry is one of speaking the Word of God in the classroom or speaking the Word of God on Sundays, but this is a time to be poured into. So, while we are normally the ones who are pressing it out and distributing the Word of God, chapel is a time for us to be poured into. Many of our students are pastoring and serving as student ministers. You are operating on the mission field locally, and you are in the ministry of pressing out, pressing out, pressing out. But, this is a time to be poured into. We are to be quick to hear.

Oh but the next phrase: is this not a needed word for our generation? “Slow to speak.” We live in a loquacious age. Everyone talks. Everyone opines. To live in the year 2018 is to be constantly assaulted with a barrage of words. This comes through mass-media, television, and social media where many, evidently do not have a un-tweeted thought. All of this comes at you, and at you, and at you. We live in a world where everyone talks, everyone distributes words. James says that we should be, “Slow to speak.”  That is not just a general sense of, “We need to not be that chatty.” It comes to us here in the broader context of the Word of God and receiving the word of God. And the simple fact is, if we are all talking, talking, talking, opining, opining, opining, and giving public commentary after public commentary after public commentary, we are not in a position to hear, to receive.

As I was thinking of this sermon over the past couple of weeks, my mind raced to President Calvin Coolidge, America’s 22ndpresident. I have had a hobby over the past couple of years of reading presidential biographies and working through the lives of several different presidents. Calvin Coolidge is one of the most forgettable presidents, but also one of the most unique and peculiar. He was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1918, Vice President in 1920, and on August 2nd, 1923, he became President after Warren Harding died. His moniker was, “Silent Cow,” because the man simply did not speak. He was not a man of few words, he was a man, evidently, of no words. His goal was to shrink the role of the federal government and the role of the presidency itself, and he quickly earned the label, “Silent Cow.” When he went to Washington as Vice President, his successor as governor of Massachusetts was a man named Channing Cox. Cox came to Washington to meet with Calvin Coolidge and he said, “Mr. President, how do you get done everything you have to do?” He said,” I work until 10 p.m. every night, and I cannot seem to get on top of my responsibilities, but as president, you seem to have sufficient leisure time.” Coolidge said to him, “Channing, the trouble is you talk back.” He said, “What you need to do when you have guests in your office, is simply let them talk and if you say nare a word after three minutes they will stop.” He said, “If you say, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ it will reboot them for 20 minutes. Say nothing.” He asked Coolidge if he had a secret button to call in staff of the Secret Service to remove guests. Coolidge said, “Such a device is not needed. There is no one who visits me who does not know when it is time to leave.”

Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth said of Coolidge, “He seemed to have been weaned on a pickle. In meetings, he pursed his lips, folded his arms, and said literally nothing.” With his wife, there evidently was a little discontinuity between her chattiness and his lack thereof. She would be exasperated with Coolidge. One Sunday, Coolidge went to church without her, he came home and she said, “What did the minister preach on?” And Coolidge, in his usual self, simply said, “Sin.” Exasperated, she said, “Well, can you elaborate, and Coolidge simply said, “He was against it.” Coolidge was so quiet that around Washington it was the talk of the town. At dinner parties bets would be made over how much or how little he would say. On one occasion, the Washington Socialite, Dorothy Parker made a wager that throughout the course of the evening, she could get President Coolidge to say three or more words. The evening was coming to an end and Coolidge had said nothing. Ms. Parker was aghast and frustrated. She stood up as the crowd was about to adjourn and she announced to the whole group the wager that she had made. She said, “Mr. President, I made a wager that throughout the course of the night, I could get you to say three or more words. The evening has ended and you have not said a single word.” Coolidge peered at her, smiled, and said, “You lose.” A few years later he died. Dorothy Parker, in the same wit, said, “How can they tell?”

Coolidge, at the end of his life, would reflect, “The words of a president have enormous weight, and they ought not be used indiscriminately.” The words of a minister have enormous weight, and they ought not be used indiscriminately. They ought not be used too promiscuously either, because the more we are given to idle chatter, the less we are positioned in accordance with verse 19 to receive the Word of God.

Why? Verse 20, “For the anger of a man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Notice verse 21 -“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your soul.” Now, reading that feels like salvation is contingent, does it not? It can sound like our justification is contingent. We get whiffs of that in other places, right? Paul told Timothy, “Guard your life and your doctrine. In so doing you ensure salvation for yourself and those who hear you.” We understand justification is a permanent reality. We understand and believe that we cannot lose our salvation, but our doctrine of assurance must never be used to erode the Scriptural warnings. It must never be used to hollow out the Scriptural warnings about persistent faithfulness and growing in our personal sanctification. Indeed, to live the Christian life is to be involved in a collision of interests. This collision of interests is typified in verse 21 -the word, the spirit, the ministry, the forces of light come at us in one way, and in the other way would be the things of darkness, filthiness, and the vestiges of wickedness that unfortunately remain. There is a collision there. And James says, “You engage this collision by humbling yourselves, receiving, digesting the Word implanted.” The picture here we get it the fact that spiritual growth and preaching and teaching the Word of God is deep work. It is not to be taken lightly or to be engaged in a shallow way. The roots of sin grow deep, and in time they reveal themselves in the fruits of sin. Coals that burn down deep ultimately cause smoke to rise out of the chimney. Springs that flow low beneath the surface over time bubble up and reveal themselves on the land.

Notice what we are told in verse 22: The tone here shifts from receiving the Word to acting on it, and our second charge here is to receive God’s Word with intentional obedience. Now, again, we have the flavor for the book, right? James is writing to Jewish believers who have been scattered. Chapter 2 verse 14 and following is this great section on faith and works and again, we understand James is combating, in particular, antinomianism. He is not fighting with Paul, as many Bible teachers have noted. Paul and James are, in a sense, standing back-to-back fighting two different enemies -James the Antinomians, those who would reject the Law and obedience, and Paul fighting the Judaizes and others who are corrupting the gospel by tacking on old Jewish expectations to it. So if this book is anything, it is a book of action, right? To read it is to go from topic to topic, from subject to subject, to act out the faith, to live out the faith, and to endure and persevere, to work to tame your tongue, etc. etc. etc. right?

So, we come to this next charge of how we are to receive the Word of obedience, understanding that Antinomianism was around then and it is still around now. Anyone who fundamentally compromises the message that we are to be busy about obeying the Word of God is engaging in Antinomianism. We obey understanding that it is not to earn our salvation, nor to keep our salvation, nor is it to gain or to keep a favorable standing in the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pursue faithfulness as those who have been immersed in the goodness of God, those who have been lavished in the grace of God, those whose standing in Christ is certain and unshakable. What does James say? Verse 22: he says, “demonstrate, prove yourselves doers of the Word, not merely hearers,” now notice this phrase, “who delude themselves.”

Have you ever talked with someone and thought, “That guy is delusional.” He thinks he is accomplished in athletics or accomplished in some area, and it is like no one has had the courtesy to tell him actually he is not that good at all. You are thinking, “This guy really is delusional. He is self-deluded, he has a stunning lack of self-awareness.” And that is what we pick up here, but it is tragic because it touches on the spiritual realm. “Prove yourselves doers of the Word, not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Self-awareness moment: What is a sign that you are living a life of spiritual self-delusion? The comfortability in hearing the Word of God with no intent or desire or conviction to live it. This comfortability is even more tragic James 3:1, there it is a comfortability of not only hearing the Word of God, but preaching it without an interest, desire, or pursuit of applying it.

Now, occasionally in pastoral ministry and a time or two as a seminary president, I’ll take to a church member, and they will say something like this, “Dr. Allen, Jason, Pastor, I am concerned I am not a Christian.” I will say, “Why?” And they will say, “Because I find myself wrestling with sin and wrestling with sin and struggling with sin, and I just cannot quite seem to get it together. I am afraid I am not a Christian because no matter how hard I fight, I just cannot quite get it together.” I will say, “God bless you, that is one of the surest signs I know of that reveals that you are actually a Christian.” The person who is not a Christian is not wrestling or convicted or frustrated because they are not living the Word of Christ. They are actually quite comfortable not living, not following, and not pursuing the Word of Christ. You see?

The one who is deluded can listen and cruise on, can hear and cruise on, can even preach and teach and cruise on. So what is it like? Verse 23: “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.” The analogy is this: you can engage in accountability that is so temporary, so brief, and so momentary that it only lasts for a moment. You brush up against it and kind of sort of feel it and, like looking in a mirror and turning away, it is gone as quickly as it happened.

The faithful minister, the faithful Christian, the one who does not have to be alarmed and worried that he or she is the deluded one, is the one who is willing to reflect protractedly, thoroughly, and to seek intentionally to obey the Word.

Verse 25, “but the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

The verses that follow here, 26 and 27, detail application about how we engage the poor and the orphan and so forth. The point for us brother and sisters, as we begin a new academic year and all the possibility it portends, is that we do not want to be, we are not to be, we must not be the type of people who would hear the Word without any intent to reflect and obey. Moreover, we dare not be, we must not be the type of people who can teach or preach without an intent to reflect and an intent to obey. Jesus says at the conclusion of the greatest sermon ever preached, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and slammed against that house, and it fell and great was its fall.”

There is not a special caveat for those who are pursuing or who have obtained an M.Div degree. There is not a special caveat for those who are pursuing or who have obtained a Ph.D. There is not a special caveat for those who aspire or who are teachers of the Word. “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes.” Brothers and sisters, we are playing with dangerous things. Let us be faithful and equal to the task.

 

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