Jason K. Allen's Blog, page 30

MBTS Spring 2018 Convocation Sermon: “Our Seeking Savior” (Luke 19:1-10)

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “And They Follow Me” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “And They Follow Me” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, September 18, Evening)

“And they follow me.” (John 10:27)

We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd, for he has a right to lead us wherever he pleases. We are not our own, we are bought with a price–let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the servant obeys his master, much more must we follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession. We are not true to our profession of being Christians, if we question the bidding of our Leader and Commander. Submission is our duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our Lord say to us as to Peter, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Wherever Jesus may lead us, he goes before us. If we know not where we go, we know with whom we go. With such a companion, who will dread the perils of the road? The journey may be long, but his everlasting arms will carry us to the end. The presence of Jesus is the assurance of eternal salvation, because he lives, we shall live also. We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which he leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true they may not be smooth paths–they may be covered with sharp flinty trials, but they lead to the “city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant.” Let us put full trust in our Leader, since we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, his purpose shall be worked out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of mercy. We shall find it sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ; and when rain and snow blow into our faces, his dear love will make us far more blest than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world’s fire. To the top of Amana, to the dens of lions, or to the hills of leopards, we will follow our Beloved. Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will run after thee.

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Bibliology: What The Bible Is and Why It Matters

Recently, I found myself in front of a group of Christians fielding questions about the nature of Scripture—what the Bible is and why it matters. I was struck by how many of members of the crowd, though they believed and appreciated the Bible, really lacked sufficient grounding in the Holy Scriptures. They did not really grasp what the Bible is and why it matters. Do you?

While most Americans grant the Bible unique status, and most churchgoers think of it—to some degree—as a book from God, confessional evangelicals believe the Bible is much more than that. We believe it is God’s Word.

The Bible is unlike any other book – it is God’s written revelation to man. By it, we can know God and truly know ourselves. More importantly, by it we can know Christ and the way of salvation.

The sad reality is that many who serve churches and fill pulpits do not believe the Scriptures, and the sadder reality is many who sit under their ministries are not equipped to detect it.

Exactly how should we think of the Bible? In what way is it unique? How should Christians view the Bible? Let us look at five ways that helpfully describe the nature of Scripture.

The Inspiration of Scripture

Drawn from II Timothy 3:16, where the Apostle Paul states “All Scripture is inspired of God”, inspiration literally means, “God breathed out the Holy Scriptures.” They come from his innermost being. Operationally, it means God superintended the authors of Scripture in such a way that the words themselves, not just the authors, were inspired.

Inspiration is the most common and historic descriptor for the Bible, but it has proven to be an insufficient one. Historically, inspiration also implied truthfulness and authority and functioned as a catchall descriptor for the Bible as God’s Word.

Liberal theologians commandeered the term and severed it from its original usage. Their practice of “using our vocabulary, but not our dictionary” left an insufficient doctrine of inspiration, where the authors—much like Shakespeare or Bach—might be inspired, but not the text itself.

Confessing evangelicals understand inspiration to be both verbal and plenary. Verbal means the words—not just the author or the sentiments behind the words—are inspired, and plenary means all of the words of Scripture, not just a subset. Literally, each and every word of the Bible is fully inspired by God.

The Infallibility of Scripture

As the word inspiration became insufficiently clear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “infallibility” entered the confessing church’s lexicon. Infallibility means the Word of God accomplishes all it intends and is incapable of error or untruth. Thus, the Bible is infallible.

By the second half of the twentieth century, infallibility, like inspiration, had been weakened of its original force. This hollowed out version of infallibility meant something much more narrow—the Bible was infallible in matters of faith and practice. Thus, implying the Bible may not be true when it spoke to more technical, less spiritual matters like science, historical records, or genealogies.  Another, more forceful and unambiguous term, became necessary, hence the word “inerrancy.”     

The Inerrancy of Scripture

Now, in the 21st century, the most robust designation for the Bible is “inerrancy.” Inerrancy asserts the original autographs were without error, real or perceived. Inerrancy applies to the entire Bible, including scientific references and historical accounts. Though the Bible is not primarily a book of science or history, when it does reference such matters it does so truthfully. In its original usage, infallibility meant the Bible, in theory, could have no errors. Inerrancy means that the Bible has no errors.

Inerrancy does not mean there are no challenging texts, apparent contradictions, or human mistakes in translation. Rather, it points all the way upstream and asserts that the Bible’s original sources and texts were error-free in every way. In fact, inerrancy holds up even in light of modern scholarship, when textual variants and other ambiguities of transmission are taken into consideration.

Inerrancy became the delineating issue in the SBC controversy in the last quarter of the 20th century and remains the most defining and clarifying referent to the nature of Scripture. Inerrancy is built on the simple logic—if the Bible is errant at any point, it may be inaccurate at any point. For a more thorough explanation of the doctrine of inerrancy, consult the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

The Authority of Scripture

As God’s revelation to man, the Bible comes with binding authority. From how to live the Christian life, to doctrines we must embrace, to how the church should order itself, Holy Scripture is an authoritative Word, requiring Christians to obey.

The Bible’s self-attestation assumes this. Throughout Scripture, those who believe and live the Bible are affirmed as wise, faithful, and genuine followers of Christ. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,

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. And 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, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

The Sufficiency of Scripture

Finally, as the living Word of God, the Bible is sufficient for Christian ministry and living. As Paul reminded Timothy, since the Holy Scriptures are inspired by God, the Bible itself makes us “adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Christians need not look to second blessings, mystical experiences, or other human authority. We have a more certain and more powerful word, the Word of God.

Conclusion

Each one of these five aspects of God’s Word are interlinked and interdependent. They form five links in the chain of God’s revelation to man. Only an inspired book can be infallible and inerrant, and a book that owns these three strengths is authoritative and sufficient.

The Bible is truly unlike any other book. It is God’s written self-disclosure to humanity. As such, we must read it, study it, teach it, and live it.

Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:7-11, John 8:31-32, Joshua 1:8, II Timothy 3:16-17

Matthew 7:24-27.

II Timothy 3:17.

*This article was originally published on 3/14/16*

 

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “If We Live In The Spirit” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “If We Live In The Spirit” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, September 18, Morning)

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:25

The two most important things in our holy religion are the life of faith and the walk of faith. He who shall rightly understand these is not far from being a master in experimental theology, for they are vital points to a Christian. You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ. Woe unto those who seek after the one without the other! There are some who cultivate faith and forget holiness; these may be very high in orthodoxy, but they shall be very deep in condemnation, for they hold the truth in unrighteousness; and there are others who have strained after holiness of life, but have denied the faith, like the Pharisees of old, of whom the Master said, they were “whitewashed sepulchres.” We must have faith, for this is the foundation; we must have holiness of life, for this is the superstructure. Of what service is the mere foundation of a building to a man in the day of tempest? Can he hide himself therein? He wants a house to cover him, as well as a foundation for that house. Even so we need the superstructure of spiritual life if we would have comfort in the day of doubt. But seek not a holy life without faith, for that would be to erect a house which can afford no permanent shelter, because it has no foundation on a rock. Let faith and life be put together, and, like the two abutments of an arch, they will make our piety enduring. Like light and heat streaming from the same sun, they are alike full of blessing. Like the two pillars of the temple, they are for glory and for beauty. They are two streams from the fountain of grace; two lamps lit with holy fire; two olive trees watered by heavenly care. O Lord, give us this day life within, and it will reveal itself without to thy glory.

 

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Four Reasons for Pastors to Guard Their Hearts

Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but when a scandal comes out in the church, I feel it greatly. In fact, at times I have found myself not wanting to check social media, dreading to learn about the next scandal. When they come out, it is easy to find ourselves asking, “How could he…?”. Yet, upon sober reflection, we are reminded of how dangerous our sin nature truly is; and that Total Depravity is not just a theological point, but a malignancy within each one of us. Therefore, we must intentionally guard our hearts, and one way of doing that is to meditate on the catastrophic ruin that accompanies sexual sin.

Our Ministry Depends Upon Our Character

The qualifications for ministry listed in I Timothy 3 are almost entirely character related, and they are binding on all who are called to ministry. First Timothy 3 is not a one-time threshold to cross; it is an ongoing accountability to God’s Word and God’s people. One can be a godly man without being a pastor, but one cannot be a faithful pastor without being a godly man.

We Are Stewards of God’s Glory

Every church is a prism of God’s glory and every pastor is a steward of it. When a pastor falls into sin—and especially when it is uncovered—God’s glory in his church is sullied. The pastor’s scandal lands like a bombshell in the church and community. The reverberations are often never-ending, lasting decades into the future. When this happens, it is not just our name that is tarnished, but Jesus.’ Our sin impugns his name and undermines God’s glory in his church.

We Are Stewards of Our Call

Every pastor enjoys a double call on his life: the call to both salvation and ministerial service. As Paul challenged Timothy, so we must kindle afresh the gift of God within us, and guard what he has entrusted to us. One’s call to ministry is indeed a sacred stewardship, a call we must cherish and guard. Moreover, countless people have invested in our calling. Pastors have mentored us, friends have supported us, congregations have followed us, and our families have sacrificed much for us. All of these dimensions—and much more—amplify the stewardship that is ours.

  The Price of Falling is too High to Pay

The wise pastor will soberly reflect on all the pain he will cause if he falls into sin. Imagine explaining to your children why you must resign your church. Contemplate forfeiting years of study and ministerial service in one act of indiscretion. Reflect upon your wife’s response to an act of sexual betrayal. And, most of all, remember that God’s all-seeing eye is upon you. Even if, for a season, sin is hidden from the brethren, it cannot be hidden from God.

Conclusion

Guarding our hearts will take more than accountability partners, Internet filters, or even pondering sin’s catastrophic consequences. Ultimately, our hearts are most guarded when they are most satisfied in a person: Jesus Christ.

As C. S. Lewis famously observed, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

The heart that is best guarded is the heart most given over to Christ. May we find our true joy—and our lasting pleasure—in him.

*This article was originally posted 09/07/15

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Encourage Him” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Encourage Him” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, September 17, Evening)

“Encourage him.” (Deuteronomy 1:38)

God employs his people to encourage one another. He did not say to an angel, “Gabriel, my servant Joshua is about to lead my people into Canaan–go, encourage him.” God never works needless miracles; if his purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency. Gabriel would not have been half so well fitted for the work as Moses. A brother’s sympathy is more precious than an angel’s embassy. The angel, swift of wing, had better known the Master’s bidding than the people’s temper. An angel had never experienced the hardness of the road, nor seen the fiery serpents, nor had he led the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness as Moses had done. We should be glad that God usually works for man by man. It forms a bond of brotherhood, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused more completely into one family. Brethren, take the text as God’s message to you. Labour to help others, and especially strive to encourage them. Talk cheerily to the young and anxious enquirer, lovingly try to remove stumblingblocks out of his way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel down and blow it into a flame. Leave the young believer to discover the roughness of the road by degrees, but tell him of the strength which dwells in God, of the sureness of the promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim to comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the desponding. Speak a word in season to him that is weary, and encourage those who are fearful to go on their way with gladness. God encourages you by his promises; Christ encourages you as he points to the heaven he has won for you, and the spirit encourages you as he works in you to will and to do of his own will and pleasure. Imitate divine wisdom, and encourage others, according to the word of this evening.

Five Principles for Maximizing Your New Year

Recently, I received a kind email inquiring how I maintain my personal schedule, many life commitments, and most faithfully steward all the Lord has entrusted to me. There’s a sense in which I hate answering questions like this because too often it smacks of “Success and how I’ve achieved it.” Yet, I banged out a brief reply to this inquiring pastor, hoping to help him. Here are five principles I shared with him. Perhaps you’ll find them helpful as you navigate the new year.

1. Stewardship. I view my life, family, and calling all through the lens of stewardship. I do not own these things; I am a mere custodian. I will give an account one day for how I stewarded every aspect of my life, and all the Lord has entrusted to me. How I allocate my time, who I intentionally invest in, when and where I devote my energy, how faithfully I minister the gospel and the Word of God, and so much more, all matter. I am just a steward, but I am the steward of these things. I will give an account for how wisely I exercised my stewardship.

2. Intentionality. I intentionally plan, schedule, and track, every meaningful aspect of my life and ministry. For example, I schedule an hour of devotional time early every morning. After that, I schedule an hour of exercise. When at all possible, I keep my mornings for study, sermon preparation, and writing. My afternoons are for meetings and office matters, and my evenings are for my family. Of course, every day has its own wrinkle, but living an intentional life is key.

3. Saying No. Learning to pronounce the word no was a breakthrough for me. Earlier in life, I had trouble saying no. Once I learned to say no, I felt liberated. I could not imagine my life at this stage without the ability to kindly, but firmly, decline opportunities and requests. This is especially important when it comes to calendaring. From a distance, most everything seems manageable. Yet, when in the day-to-day throes of life’s responsibilities, you often find yourself asking, “Why in the world did I agree to this?” A basic principle, which I learned from Greg McKeown in his book Essentialism, is if the answer isn’t “heck yeah,” the answer probably needs to be no.

4. Discipline. Having a routine and sticking to it, whenever possible, is key. I am mindful of how much time I give to social media, web surfing, and other rabbit trails that will distract and move me from the important to the intriguing. John Piper once quipped that Facebook will be used at the judgment seat as evidence that we had enough time for prayer, but we squandered it away. Don’t fritter away your life due to a lack of discipline.

5. Productivity. I enjoy being productive. It gives me a sense of fruitfulness, and of accomplishment. I even find it restful. I track my faithfulness in most every meaningful area of my life. This primarily takes place through goal setting, to-do lists, Evernote planning and review, and journaling. Whether it is one’s personal or professional life, one’s avocations or one’s vocation, the maxim is true: you occasionally get what you expect, you consistently get what you inspect.

As I told the gentleman that emailed me, I’m just a beggar telling another beggar where I’ve found a little bread. I hope he found my email to be helpful, as I hope you’ve found this brief article helpful. May the Lord use these five principles to help to make your 2018 maximally lived for him.

*This article was originally posted on 1/18/17*

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Bring Him Unto Me” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Bring Him Unto Me” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, September 17, Morning)

“Bring him unto me.” (Mark 9:19)

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him unto me.” Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one receipt for the curing of all their ills, “Bring him unto me.” O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes! Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, “Bring them unto me.” When they are grown up they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember the great Physician’s words, “Bring them unto me.” Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless while Jesus lives.

The Lord sometimes suffers his people to be driven into a corner that they may experimentally know how necessary he is to them. Ungodly children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us to flee to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning’s need may be, let it like a strong current bear us to the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow, he delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to him while he waits to meet us.

Ten Tips for Leading Kids to Christ

My greatest stewardship in life is not training a generation of students at Midwestern Seminary. It is training my five young children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I feel the weight—and glory—of this stewardship daily and find immeasurable fulfillment and joy as I see my children taking steps toward Christ.

I am sure many Christian parents feel the same way I do—awestruck by the opportunity and responsibility that is ours. In fact, my wife Karen and I are often asked about building a Christian home and rearing children who grow up to follow Christ. We will be the first to admit that we are far from accomplished. On the contrary, we just keep plugging away, seeking the Lord’s grace in our children’s lives, as in our own.

This is definitely not an article about “success, and how we have achieved it.” Rather, as the old adage goes, we are beggars telling other beggars where we have found some bread. If you are seeking to influence little ones toward Christ, you might find these ten tips helpful:

1. Remember, children do not have to become like adults to be saved; adults have to become like children. When Jesus made this point in Matt. 18, he was not referring to spiritual innocence. Rather, he commended a spirit of humility, dependence, and deference—virtues which are common in children and essential for whoever would follow Christ.

2. Remember, you are responsible for your child’s spiritual formation, not your church, your pastor, or your children’s minister. Be faithful to teach them the Word, to shape their hearts, and, yes, to indoctrinate them. Even if your church is healthy enough to outsource your kid’s spiritual formation, do not do it. It is unbiblical, and it robs you of some of life’s greatest joys.

3. Remember what conversion is. Conversion is more than intellectual. We are looking for more than our children’s ascent to biblical facts about Jesus. My children have known the broad contours of the gospel since preschool, but that is not enough to save them. Have an ear for confession, repentance, faith, and submission to Jesus as Lord. Ask yourself, has Jesus changed their life?

4. Share your testimony with your children. Do your kids know how much Jesus means to you; how he changed your life; and when and how you became a Christian? Sharing your testimony with your children provides a natural context to discuss what God is doing in their lives too.

5. Share the gospel with your children. Do not assume they have heard it at church, and do not leave it to them to connect the dots from Sunday School lessons and sermons. Share the gospel with your children plainly, passionately, and frequently.

6. Share the gospel in front of your children. As you do, your children can overhear the gospel in a less intimidating, more natural context. Moreover, they will sense how important the gospel is to you, that it applies to all people, and that you value the gospel and people enough to acquaint the two.

7. Provide natural contexts for spiritual conversations. In our house, we strive for spiritual conversations to be as natural as talking about school, activities, sports, or any other aspect of our lives. For us, this most naturally takes place during family worship. The key is not the context but the consistency. Infrequently talking about the things of God ups the awkwardness for your children. Frequency makes it more natural.

8. Encourage steps toward Jesus.A. Criswell, the famed pastor of First Baptist Dallas, coined this phrase. It is a helpful phrase—and a helpful concept. When your children express interest in following Christ, even if they are quite young or you have other reservations about their inquiry, you can still affirm them as they ask questions and “take steps toward Jesus.”

9. Talk to your pastor. Though you should not outsource your child’s spiritual formation, you should seek your pastor’s counsel. Do not ask him leading questions or make too many assumptions. Just let him visit with your child and join in shepherding them toward Christ. Sometimes the church assumes parents are leading their children to Christ while the parents are assuming the church’s ministers are doing the same. Assume nothing. Your child’s heart is too precious for ill-informed assumption. Partner with your church.

10. Be quick with the gospel, but slow with the baptistery. Just because your child expresses interest in following Christ—or even professes they are following Christ—does not mean you have to baptize them right away. Baptizing young children who are not yet genuinely converted confuses both the child and the congregation. Even worse, it may mislead the child into thinking they are converted while they yet remain outside of the Kingdom. Instead, be patient and trust the Lord. Let their desire for Christ ripen. Look for the fruits of conversion. Baptize them as you gain confidence they have truly met Christ.

Conclusion

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of baptizing one of my own children. The joy of leading her to Christ and seeing her grow over many months has been an unmatched joy.  I now resonate with the Apostle John’s assessment, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in truth.” Let these 10 tips guide you as you shepherd your children toward Christ, and, as you do, may you know the joy of seeing your children walk in the truth as well.

____________________________________________________

III John 4.

*This article was originally published on 9/14/16*

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Am I A Sea, Or A Whale, That Thou Settest A Watch Over Me?” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Am I A Sea, Or A Whale, That Thou Settest A Watch Over Me?” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, September 16, Evening)

“Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?” (Job 7:12)

This was a strange question for Job to ask of the Lord. He felt himself to be too insignificant to be so strictly watched and chastened, and he hoped that he was not so unruly as to need to be so restrained. The enquiry was natural from one surrounded with such insupportable miseries, but after all, it is capable of a very humbling answer. It is true man is not the sea, but he is even more troublesome and unruly. The sea obediently respects its boundary, and though it be but a belt of sand, it does not overleap the limit. Mighty as it is, it hears the divine hitherto, and when most raging with tempest it respects the word; but self-willed man defies heaven and oppresses earth, neither is there any end to this rebellious rage. The sea, obedient to the moon, ebbs and flows with ceaseless regularity, and thus renders an active as well as a passive obedience; but man, restless beyond his sphere, sleeps within the lines of duty, indolent where he should be active. He will neither come nor go at the divine command, but sullenly prefers to do what he should not, and to leave undone that which is required of him. Every drop in the ocean, every beaded bubble, and every yeasty foam-flake, every shell and pebble, feel the power of law, and yield or move at once. O that our nature were but one thousandth part as much conformed to the will of God! We call the sea fickle and false, but how constant it is! Since our fathers’ days, and the old time before them, the sea is where it was, beating on the same cliffs to the same tune; we know where to find it, it forsakes not its bed, and changes not in its ceaseless boom; but where is man-vain, fickle man? Can the wise man guess by what folly he will next be seduced from his obedience? We need more watching than the billowy sea, and are far more rebellious. Lord, rule us for thine own glory. Amen.