How to Listen to the Word

What attitude should we bring into to worship as we prepare to listen to God's Word preached? Pastor Danny Hyde gives us five attitudes we should bring to the preaching of God's Word. Everything below is a quote from his book From the Pen of Pastor Paul. 

Expectantly-Lord, I expect you to speak. 
This means we assemble not merely out of ritual or merely out of routine. God is no dead idol, but the living God...Therefore he still speaks. Because of this we must come before him in worship expectantly, clinging to his every Word as heard from the mouth of the minister...This also means that we need to prepare ourselves to hear him speak his Word through his minister.

Hungrily-Lord, I need you to speak. 
We have a hunger not just that God will speak in general, or that he will speak to someone else, but that he would speak to me...Why do I need God to speak to me through the words of a man, which are in reality the Word of God? It is because the Word of God, not merely written but as it is explained, exposited, and expounded is the food for our souls...The Word satisfies the longing soul of the hungry. Like our forefathers in the wilderness had to learn, "man does not live by bread alone," but most importantly, "but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:30). What kind of appetite do you bring to worship?

Attentively-Lord, I will listen to you speak.
Sermons seem to be a monologue. In reality, they are to be a dialogue. While the minister is preaching there is communication from God to us and from us to God in our hearts. We are to hear and affirm, hear and be challenged, and hear and grow. This means that every moment of every sermon we must be saying to ourselves in an attentive way, "These are not the words of my pastor, these are the words of God. These are not the words of men, but as they are in truth the Word of God." Since we recognize that God is in our midst speaking, we should be attentive. We should have our eyes open, looking up upon the minister but our ears perked up listening to the Lord.

Faithfully-Lord, I believe you when you speak. 
To hear the Word "faith-fully" is to hear it with a full faith, with a whole-hearted trust, with a giving of ourselves and laying ourselves before God...Because preaching is itself an act of faith and hearing it is also an act of faith, the devil is going to attack...We need to listen to what God says and focus our hearts on that, even though it comes through sinful and fallible men.

Obediently-Lord, I will obey you when you speak. 
John Calvin once described preaching like this, "The preaching of the Gospel has life when men are not merely told what is right, but are pricked by exhortation and summoned to the judgment seat of God, so that they may not sleep in their errors." The Word of God that pastors preach and that the people receive can never be fruitless; it must always abound in fruitfulness...Receive his Word, with the well-prepared soil of your heart that the seed of the Word that is planted may be watered by the Spirit that you may be fruitful. Hear his Word in an obedient way and follow through on what God says in it.

The Danger of Hearing God's Word

God's mercy is great, but it is not endless. In the life of a man, a church, a denomination, a community, or a country a place can be reached where even God's mercy cannot be found.  II Chronicles 36:15-16 describes one such a circumstance: 

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy. 

God loved His people, Israel. He loved them enough to send them prophets and messengers. He loved them enough to send them messengers early and late or as the ESV says, "persistently." He sent Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Hosea, Amos, and others. They came and they preached and they preached and they preached. They risked death and ridicule to bring them God's Word. Why? God loved His people.

But the people would not hear. They mocked, despised, and scoffed at the prophets. They killed them, ran them out of town, threw them into pits, ignored them, and laughed at them. They continued to worship idols, commit adultery with the nations, oppress the weak and poor, commit sexual immorality, and ignore God's law......Until there was no remedy. Look at that sentence. Let it sink in. "Wait," we say, "Isn't God's mercy always there for the taking whenever I need it?" No. There was a point of no return. There was a line where God's wrath could no longer be stayed. His mercy did not just keep coming and coming. Eventually His mercy dried up. Then He sent the Babylonians and they besieged Israel, burned her, led her best men away as prisoners, left the land ravaged, and killed her women and children.

Whenever we hear the Word preached it is God's mercy to us. He is being kind to all, but especially to the hard-hearted. He is saying, "Here is my Word one more time. Now repent and turn." He is saying, "Don't take advantage of my patience. Don't wait. Turn and be saved."  

Sitting under God's Word week after week, month after month is only good if we are repenting and pushing on to greater obedience. Hearing God's Word without seeing the holiness of God, our own depravity, the wonderful provision of Christ, and the need to be forgiven will lead to hearts of stone, eyes that glaze over when the Word is preached, and a life that is not conformed to Christ. Often the hardest hearts in the world are those who hear the Word of God over and over and yet do not repent.

God's compassion can run dry. A man who sits under the preaching of God's Word week after week, but does not turn and change will find himself crying out for help and it will not come (Proverbs 1:28-29).  A denomination that tolerates sin despite the prophets in her midst will find her gates battered and the sheep slaughtered.  A church that allows grievous sins in her midst to go without rebuke and without discipline will find Jesus striking her with sword of His mouth (Revelation 2:16). There comes a point where there is no remedy, where the only option left is judgment. This idea is echoed in Hebrews 6:1-8 and in James 1:21-27, as well as numerous other passages throughout God's Word.

II Chronicles 36:15-16 is a warning for all of us who enter God's house week after week. Hearing is not enough. We must pray that the Spirit will work through the Word to change us. We must strive for holiness and the death of sin in our lives (Romans 6:12). Where we fail we must confess our sins and throw ourselves upon the mercy of Christ. Where we grow in holiness we must give thanks to the One who has begun a good work in us (Philippians 1:6). Otherwise we will find ourselves looking for a remedy when there is none. And we will be cast out with those who mocked God's messengers.

Similar Posts:
Are You Embarrassed? 
Two Types of Preaching
Questions on Repentance

Where and What, But Not Who?

It has become common, even among conservative Christians, to hold that the restrictions on women teaching and having authority over men in I Timothy 2:11-12 are limited to preaching and in some cases church discipline. Mixed Sunday school classes, small group studies, and church conferences can all have women teaching men and not be in violation of this passage. Pastor Philip Ryken argues this in his commentary on I Timothy 2:11-15. He bases this on the use of the Greek word διδάσκω, which means to teach. Here are some quotes from his commentary on I Timothy 2:12. By the way he titles this section of his commentary "But Not to Preach."

He says the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:17-18 means that all "God's sons and daughters exercise prophetic ministry" which makes "it clear that at least certain kinds of teaching are to be carried out universally within the church." He does not explain what he means by this, which is odd because in principle no one disagrees. The question is not can women teach in the church. The question is can they teach men. He then notes that Priscilla taught a man and thus it must be okay for women to teach men at least in some circumstances (Acts 18:24-26). Again no clear indication of what these circumstances are.

Then he says (all bold is mine):

There is at least one place where it is not appropriate for women to teach however:in the authoritative proclamation of God's Word in the context of the public worship of the church...What he [Paul] writes is not intended to govern men and women in every situation, but applies especially to those occasions when the church gathers for the preaching of the Word of God...What the Holy Spirit does not permit women to do is to transmit apostolic doctrine publicly and officially. To put it more simply, the main thing God forbids women to do is preach (or to exercise the doctrinal and disciplinary authority that is tied to the preaching ministry). 

Ryken goes on to link "authority" with teaching, thus restricting the entire phrase "to teach or have authority" to:

Writing of creeds and confessions that summarize Christian doctrine, and also the formulation of church policy on theological issues. The word authentein [authority] hints that church discipline also may be in view. These things are the exclusive work of the elders of the church....to preach is to exercise teaching authority.  

Depending on the discretion of the elders in the church, some other teaching situations may fall under the category of teaching with authority. The training of elders, for example, or classes on fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. But elders are by no means required to teach every  Bible study and Sunday school class in the church. Women and men who are not ordained may teach a wide variety of biblical, historical, and practical subjects (although they should not, in my view, teach confessional doctrine).

Perhaps this is the best place to emphasize that beyond this one biblical restriction, women are at liberty to use their spiritual gifts to their fullest extent in the church.  

Why He is Wrong
"At least one place where it is inappropriate...the main thing God forbids women to do is preach...beyond this one biblical restriction."

Ryken believes Paul's restriction on women in I Timothy 2:11-12 is about where they teach (worship) and what they teach (fundamental doctrines), but not who they teach. They can teach mixed Sunday School, Bible studies, and small groups, but what they cannot do is preach at the regular gathering of the saints and they cannot pass on apostolic doctrine in any official way. Ryken's interpretation falls flats for several reasons.

First, in the text the key is not where they are teaching or what they are teaching, but who they are teaching. Women cannot teach men in the church, which is the subject of Paul's letter (I Timothy 3:15). Ryken's commentary on this section of Scripture is a classic exercise in trying to get around in any way possible what the text actually says.

Second, Ryken wants didasko (the Greek word for teach) to mean preaching, as in Sunday morning in the pulpit. But unfortunately for him the word and its derivatives have a wide variety of meanings including teaching from house to house (Acts 20:20), all Christians teaching all Christians (Col. 3:18), older women teaching younger women (Titus 2:3), the whole teaching ministry of the apostles ( Col. 1:28, 2:7),  and what nature teaches us about men having long hair (I Cor. 11:14).  Didasko cannot be restricted to official preaching on Sunday morning. It can include that of course, but it also includes other teaching as well.  More than likely, Paul here is talking about the entire teaching ministry of the church. There is no reason in the passage, I Timothy, or in the use of the word to restrict this the Sunday morning preaching.

Third, Ryken wants the content of the teaching to be "apostolic doctrine," "confessional doctrine," "church policy on theological issues," and possibly church discipline. Ryken is not clear about what he means here. Obviously, the whole New Testament is apostolic. But Ryken does not mean that women cannot teach men the Bible. He says later that women can teach men "on a wide variety of biblical, historical, and practical subjects." According to Ryken, women can teach men the Bible in a public setting. It just can't be Sunday morning. And they cannot teach the fundamentals of the faith.

However, the word didasko is not limited to fundamental doctrines. Paul's teaching covers a whole host of "Biblical and practical" subjects that are not creedal or confessional in nature. In I Timothy Paul encourages Timothy to "teach (didasko)" on things like sex, marriage, food, and exercise (I Timothy 4:1-11) and how slaves are supposed to react to masters (I Timothy 6:2).  In Titus, there are false teachers who are "teaching things they ought not to" (Titus 1:11). In response to these false teachers, Paul encourages Titus to  "Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine (Titus 2:1)." The word "doctrine" is a derivative of didasko. Paul then tells Titus to teach older men, older women, younger women, and younger men about things like wise speech, loving their husbands, being reverent in behavior, being sober minded, and not drinking too much wine.  In other words, sound doctrine includes a lot of practical stuff (Titus 2:1-10). This section ends with an appeal to slaves to be faithful so the doctrine, again a derivative of didasko, of our God may be adorned (Titus 2:10). Some form of the word for teaching is used in Titus 1:9, 11, 2:1, 7, 10.  Paul does not encourage his pastors, Timothy or Titus, to restrict their teaching to the fundamental doctrines of the faith. In other words, teaching includes "Biblical and practical subjects" and therefore Ryken's assertion that didasko is limited to key doctrines is wrong. I Timothy 2:11-12 does not mean women shouldn't teach men the fundamentals of the faith. It  means, in the church, women should not teach men at all, whether the subject is fundamental doctrine, other Biblical subjects, or practical subjects.

Ryken's position has become popular over the years. The restrictions on women teaching men in the church have become lax. We don't let them in pulpit...just yet. But anywhere else in the church it is often fine for women to teach men.

Ironically Ryken goes on in the next section to say this:

The preceding explanation of I Timothy 2:11-12 (or something close to it) has been the nearly universal understanding of the Christian church. Only in the late twentieth century did it come under relentless attack...The liberal strategy has been to deny the authority of these verses. 

Ryken counts himself among the conservative interpreters. But he isn't. He is just a softer liberal than the evangelical feminists he mentions later, but his interpretation will eventually gets us in the same mess.The way he limits I Timothy 2:11-12 is exegetically untenable. His restriction of the word didasko is unnecessary and strips the passage of its force. His failure to be clear on what he means provides the necessary wiggle room to look conservative while not sounding too harsh on the fairer sex. This is an interpretative and pastoral failure right at the point where the barbarians are storming the gates. Ryken believes he is preserving the church from the forces of liberal, feminist, Christians. But the reality is he has cracked open the door just enough for them to slip in.

Related Posts
Why a Conservative Interpretation of I Timothy 2:11-12 is Not Enough

Ten Quotes: On Being a Pastor by Derek Prime and Alistair Begg

Here are ten of my favorite quotes from the excellent book on ministry, On Being a Pastor. 

Service, not dominion is a minister's calling. 

When our tongues let us down, it is because we have not first watched over our hearts and thoughts.

As shepherds and teachers we should stand out as those who love what is good (Titus 1:8). Our approach to life is to be essentially positive. We know that we live in God's world, and that all his gifts are good; it is man's abuse of God's gifts that is the problem, not the gifts themselves. Whether it is a matter of sport, or what is on television, we are to love what is good and to set an example in this respect.

A principle temptation in the ministry is to be carried along by its sheer busyness to the neglect of prayer.

The principal part of our pastoral care [prayer] is unseen by those who benefit from it, since it is exercised in secret

Throughout the book the authors emphasize that prayer is the primary form of pastoral care we exercise over the flock.

The mark of a good teacher is that what is difficult and complicated becomes simple to understand.

After expounding truth, it is vital to apply is so that the hearers go away with an awareness of what the verse or passage has to say to them in their immediate situation and how they may be doers of God's Word.

All for whom we care should be aware that we are in the same battle, and that we speak not as professional Christians but as members with them of God's family. Just as it is of immeasurable comfort to know that our Great High Priest was tested in every way as we are-although He, uniquely without sin-it is an encouragement to the flock to know that undershepherds are made of the same stuff as themselves. 

We all need something of interest, totally distinct from our work, to which we can turn our minds for rest and relaxation.

This last quote comes from their chapter titled Family and Leisure.  It was a well-balanced and helpful section of the book. I found it interesting that Derek Prime, who ministered in England, got four consecutive weeks of vacation or as they call it over there "holiday."

We [pastors] should be outstanding for conveying our convictions without heat or animosity.

And one:

The trials of ministry require two virtues in particular: patience and self-control. 

Six Barrier Beliefs

This little book contains several short essays outside of the main content on how the pastor theologian should conduct his ministry. Jason Hood, an Anglican pastor in Tanzania, has an essay on why the pastor should be an apologist in the pulpit. Often I view apologetics as what I do outside the pulpit. Hood reminded ministers that many sitting in the pew, even solid Christians, have questions about the faith or they have friends who ask questions about the faith. Therefore Sunday mornings should be used for defending the faith. He then gives six beliefs which dominate the post-Christian West that make Christianity difficult to believe. These beliefs are barriers to people coming to Christ. He encourages ministers to find ways to address these barriers in their preaching.

1. There cannot be on one true religion that falsifies all other views.

2. Evil and suffering make the powerful God of the Bible impossible.

3. Personal choice is sacred and cannot be violated by any religion or ideology that requires my submission to lordship.

4. The church's track record is dismal.

5. God's anger or wrath is unpalatable, perhaps even criminal.

6. The Bible is untrustworthy and socially regressive.

Hood says, "These barriers to Christian belief are not just found in New York: they are found everywhere, part of the cultural air."

If we are going to effectively minister to our congregations and our culture then we should be aware of these underlying beliefs that are obstacles for people coming to Christ. #1 and 3 are the most common I run in to. #3 is the most dominant worldview in America. Individual choice is god.

Craving Compliments

The greatest temptation for any minister is pride. A great sign of pride in a minister is a willingness to compromise the message of Christ to get strokes from his flock. Calvin addresses this when he comments on the phrase from Luke 6:26 "Woe to you when all men speak well of you."

"Was there ever a more detestable conspiracy? Prophets and teachers of the church whose task is to instruct-mere fiddlers, playing sweet songs which tickle the ears of their audience but which achieve nothing! Meantime the flatterers are lavish in their praise, 'Ah! An outstanding teacher! An excellant man! What more could we ask for?' So while some crave compliments and others tell them what they want to hear, our Lord Jesus Christ gives the lie to all such notions: Woe to you when men speak well of you. 'In the end,' he says, ' you will see that the false prophets deceived you with their flattering words. Cursed are you if the world speaks well of you.'"

Carving a Middle Road: Two Types of Preaching

One of the best things about Herman Bavinck's book Saved by Grace is how he unfolds the impact various theologies have on preaching.  In the latter section of the book he notes that there are two main types of preaching, evangelistic and ethical preaching. We could rephrase this as preaching which assumes the listener is not a Christian and preaching which assumes they are. He then goes on to give the dangers when one type of preaching dominates congregational preaching.

Evangelistic preaching-Preaching Only to the Unsaved

When this method under the blessing of the Lord has brought someone to conversion, it separates that person from the environment wherein God has place him, and it has no eye for the apostolic exhortation that each one after his conversion should remain in the calling entrusted to him. This approach appreciates the first part of Jesus' word: preach the gospel to every creature; but it neglects the second part: teach the nations that are made my disciples to keep all that I have commanded. This method does lay the foundation but does not continue to build on that foundation, and therefore runs the danger that the entire foundation, constructed with little effort out of unstable materials, will later be washed away by the storms of unbelief and superstition. 

Preaching that always assumes unbelief never builds on the basics. A church like this eventually atrophies. I have seen Baptist and Presbyterian churches where the sum of every sermon is, "Believe in Jesus." The most pressing matters of the day are rarely dealt with from the pulpit. The Biblical text is often twisted to fit an agenda.  Many texts are avoided all together. The saints do not become strong. Assurance of salvation is hard to find as all members walk around with a "?" on their foreheads.

Ethical Preaching-Preaching Only to the Saved

This approach to preaching leads people gradually to confuse believing the confession with confessing belief, yielding a situation of dead orthodoxy that is satisfied with intellectual assent to doctrine and that bothers itself very little with disposition of the heart and purity of life. Such an approach teaches church members to think and talk this way: Are we not members of the church? Did we not receive baptism when we were young? Did we not make a profession of faith, and have we not participated in the covenant meal? Just as Israel exalted itself because of its descent from Abraham and because of the temple of the Lord in its midst, so too many New Testament church members often build their hope for eternity on outward ecclesiastical privileges in which they share, and they surrender themselves to a false security. But the Word of the Lord testifies against all of this; it is not the one who says, "Lord, Lord," but the one who does the will of the Father who will enter the kingdom of heaven. 

As the revivalistic, seeker sensitive model described above weakened, so the ethical model of preaching began to ascend. People are assumed to be regenerate. Instead of a "?" they all have a big "E" on their heads for elect. This leads to presumption and often a stagnate Christian life.

Bavinck goes on to write that it is hard to carve a middle road between the two but it must be done.

The difficulty of including both of these components in preaching and keeping them in balance is recognized by every minister of the Word according to his capacity. 

In a healthy church there will be sermons or portions of sermons that exhort the members to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith and sermons or portions of sermons that build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. There will be the Gospel proper, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" and what I call the broad Gospel, "Walk worthy of your calling." Finally, he notes that understanding the covenant allows a pastor to do both:

Congregational preaching ought never to omit the serious summons to faith and repentance. Proceeding on the basis of the covenant does not exempt the preacher from that, but rather it is precisely this that obligates him to issue such a summons...for no matter how inestimably great the blessings already are that God bestows upon us when from our birth we are included in the covenant, born in a Christian church to Christian parents, baptized with holy baptism and nurtured in a Christian family-all these blessings are still not enough. Each person is confronted with the obligation of personal, saving faith; only one who believes in the Son has eternal life... The preacher's sermons should connect God's work that has preceded, to the gifts and blessings He has bestowed in His covenant, in His Word, and in His baptism. His sermons should continue building upon the foundation God Himself has laid, but then should also continue warning of the need for self-examination, so that people do not deceive themselves for eternity. Biblical sermons seriously summon church members to faith and conversion both initially and continually, for only those who believe will be saved. 

How one applies Bavinck's insight will vary from church to church and even from phase to phase of church life. In a large church with dozens of visitors each Sunday exhortations to examination may be more frequent.  A smaller body of believers where each member is known by the minister will mainly need discipleship.  The type of preaching will also vary from text to text. Some texts are more evangelistic and others less so. I would argue that most regular Sunday morning preaching should be discipleship based, Bavinck's second type of preaching. But even in those situations the call to faith and trust in Christ should be regularly given. And sometimes when it is, a baptized Christian believes for the first time.

Why a Conservative Interpretation of I Timothy 2:11-12 is Not Enough

Attacks on Scripture must be defended by exegesis of specific passages. For example, hammering out the meaning of I Timothy 2:11-12 and the surrounding verses is an essential exercise in dealing with men who want to subvert God's teaching concerning women pastors and elders. But correct interpretation of key passages is not sufficient. Exegesis of specific passages must be placed in the overarching paradigm of Scripture. Is I Timothy 2:11-12 an extension of the way God made the world, the creation order applied to leadership and teaching in the church, or is it the exception to God's created order? How we answer this question will probably have more impact on our view of ordaining women than the specific exegesis of the passage.

The reason is that if we believe that men and women are interchangeable then a conservative interpretation of I Timothy 2:11-12 does not make sense. Why would God restrict women in the pulpit, but no where else? If men and women are interchangeable in the created world as a whole, in places such as homes, businesses, politics, parenting, seminaries, etc. then why would they not be interchangeable in the church? A man can hold to the conservative interpretation of I Timothy 2:11-12, but if his position is egalitarian everywhere else then he is putting a square peg in a round hole. Eventually something has to give. Usually the first generation holds the line despite the incongruity. But the following generation will often smooth out the square peg, which usually means denying the plain teaching of a passage.

But if God made men and women for complementary, but distinct roles in creation then I Timothy 2:11-12 fits with the way God created the world. If men and women are not interchangeable then the conservative interpretation of this passage (and many others such as I Corinthians 11:3-16, Ephesians 5:22-33) is not odd or strange, but naturally flows with the teaching of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. It is round peg in a round hole. What Paul says in this passage is what we would expect him to say given the rest of Scripture.

My point is simple and applies to other areas of interpretation as well, such what is love or marriage in the sodomy debates. We should exegete specific passages, but we must do so using all of Scripture, not just the specific passage in question. We should not assume that correct interpretation of a passage is enough. Even if we get I Timothy 2:11-12 correct, if our paradigm is off then feminism will win. A conservative interpretation of this passage that is not rooted in creation order cannot hold the line.

Book Review: On Preaching

On Preaching: Practical Advice for Effective Preaching by H.B. Charles, Jr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very solid book on the nuts and bolts of preparing to preach and preaching. There were several themes that stuck out. First, he emphasized prayer throughout the book, which was an encouragement to me. We are to be men of prayer and you can tell for him prayer is not on the edges, but at the center. Second, he focused on clarity. Be clear he said over and over again. This emphasis on clarity shows he is interested in feeding the sheep instead of impressing the sheep. Third, I liked his idea of writing out a sermon manuscript, but taking nothing into the pulpit except his Bible. I have never done that, but I will try it in the future. Finally, he has several chapters that other books on preaching don't, such as how to be a guest preacher, avoiding indecent illustrations, how to prepare a sermon calendar, and how to be an associate minister.

There were a few drawbacks. He does not spend very much time on the body of the sermon. He probably felt this was covered in more in-depth books on preaching. At times, he is a cliched. He also repeats himself a bit, though my guess is that this comes from many of the chapters originally being blog posts.

For a young preacher like myself this book was helpful in keeping the target, faithfully handling and preaching God's Word, in my sights.

View all my reviews

Gay Marriage, Civil Disobedience, and the Christian Future

This was originally posted at Kuyperian. 

“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” George Orwell, 1984

Jack Phillips is a Christian baker in Lakewood, Colorado. In 2012 Jack Phillips refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. This couple then reported him to to Civil Rights Commission. A lawsuit followed. The judge ruled against Jack Phillips. The Civil Rights Commission has now come back with its ruling, which consists of three parts.

First, Jack Phillips must change his store policies immediately and begin make wedding cakes for gay couples.

Second, his entire staff must attend training on Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws and agree to abide by them.

Third, for the next two years he must submit quarterly reports to show that he has not discriminated against customers based on their sexual orientation.

Jack Phillips might appeal the decision, but it is hard to see how anything will change.

Here are few quotes.

The Commission chairwoman, “You can have your beliefs, but you can’t hurt people at the same time.”

The ACLU attorney, “Religious freedom is undoubtedly an important American value, but so is the right to be treated equally under the law free from discrimination…Everyone is free to believe what they want, but businesses like Masterpiece Cakeshop cannot treat some customers differently than others based on who they are as people.”

The judge, ”At first blush, it may seem reasonable that a private business should be able to refuse service to anyone it chooses. This view, however, fails to take into account the cost to society and the hurt caused to persons who are denied service simply because of who they are.”

Let the tearing begin.

So how should we live in this country where the rejection of God’s created order is law? How should we live when those in power want to reshape our minds in ways contrary to Scripture? Here are a few thoughts in no particular order.

First, we are past the live and let live stage (if one ever existed).  The sodomites are not saying, “We will live this way and you live that way and we can coexist.” They are demanding that we publicly accept their sins. Anyone who believes that we can all just get along will soon wake up to find their position overrun.

Second, they will come for our children. How long before the State demands that home schooled children and children in Christian schools get “sensitivity training?” If they can make a business owner train his employees why not a principle his students and teachers? Why not a parent their children?

Third, Christians in all walks of life should expect more traps. Think of Daniel 6. Pastors should expect homosexuals to visit their congregations to see if they are preaching against homosexuality. Christian business owners should expect homosexuals to come in and see if they get turned away.  Christian politicians should expect homosexuals to try and out them in some way. I am not encouraging hand wringing, just open eyes.

Fourth, human sexuality, including male-female roles, marriage, procreation, female ministers, sodomy, abortion, divorce, rape, pedophilia, sexual abuse, transgender, etc.  is the battle line right now in America. There are other issues, but few are as pressing as this one. Therefore this is where we must fight.  I am not saying this is all we talk about. And I understand that there are many ways we fight against this wave of immorality, such as love our wives, worship the living God, evangelize our neighbor, teach our children, live holy lives, and preach the Word. But let’s not miss the obvious: one way we must fight is by saying clearly and without apology what God’s Word teaches on these subjects.

Fifth, any pastor or public Christian leader who refuses to speak against these things is a coward. Again, I am not saying this is all we to talk about or that we speak with malice . But our stance on sodomy, and issues related to it needs to be clear and public.  It is our duty to stand in the line of fire, to preach the Word, and to rally God’s people around the truth. A pastor or Christian public leader whose stance on the above issues is vague or unknown is not being a faithful shepherd.

Sixth, pastors and Christian leaders need to teach their people what godly civil disobedience looks like. There is a lot of freedom in how we resist the State’s growing power.  But the time for abstract theological discussion about civil disobedience is passing quickly. We must study God’s Word, meditate on it, pray through it, and study our fathers in the past to learn from them. Then we must teach our people the proper responses to the State. What can we do as Christians? Is there any place to take up arms?  (Maybe those debates about the Revolutionary War and the Civil War are not so arcane after all.) Should we march? Should we keep our businesses open even if there is the threat of police action? Should a Christian business owner reject a homosexual job applicant? What should we do if they come for our children?  What if they come for our guns? Should Christians accept government money in any situation? What should Christian schools do if they are commanded to teach that homosexuality is fine? How should Christian magistrates function? Should Christian soldiers get out or resist from within? Pastors and churchmen should be leading the charge in answering these and other questions.

Seventh, Christians should expect to lose money, businesses, tax breaks, jobs, etc. for taking a stand against unbiblical sexual practices. The Church and her members need to be prepared for this. We should think long term in our financial dealings so that we can “have something to give him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

Eighth, churches should pray for leaders in corporate worship. I Timothy 2 is clear on this point. Do we pray for our leaders? Do we pray for new, righteous leaders to rise up? Do we pray that God would cast down those who hate his Church? Do we pray for pagan leaders to repent and turn to Christ? Do we pray for that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness (I Timothy 2:2)? Do we pray for our leaders by name?

Ninth, Christians need to be known as a peaceful people. Psalm 120:7 says, “I am for peace, but they are for war.” We should be the ones who long for peace. This does not mean we are quiet about everything. Nor does this mean we compromise the Gospel to be at “peace with all men” (Romans 12:18).  But it does mean we are careful about what battles we fight. Young people, of whom I am one, especially need to hear this.  We tend to think that every sin is worthy of fire bombing.  But we need to make sure we are hitting the big targets and not spending days chasing one lone enemy through the forest.

Tenth, we must not despair. Jesus sits on throne. We should act from faith, not fear.  We should not be anxious, worried, fretful, fearful, depressed, or discouraged. Our Lord told us this would happen. Our Lord told us to rejoice when we are persecuted.  The Church will march on. We have a job to do. Let us do it with joy in the Holy Spirit, faith in Christ, and dependence upon our Father. In the end, all will be well.

We are Not Here to Retell the Story

It has become a fad to see preaching as primarily as a retelling of the Gospel. Pastors are story tellers. We stand up each Sunday and retell that old, old story. This approach is used in some gospel-centered churches and missional churches But it is also a common approach in more liturgically and sacramental churches like mine. We are past the fire and brimstone preachers of yesteryear. We are past Calvin calling out the Libertines (and the Pope and the Anabaptists) and Chrysostom calling out women who beat their maids. We are past Jonathan Edwards declaring with authority that Judgment Day is coming.  Now we believe that just retelling that wonderful story is enough. We are afraid of being moralists. We are dread that awful phrase, "legalism." So we pander in our sweaters telling the world that Jesus died and rose again, but never telling them to repent. We never tell them that the sexually immoral do not inherit the Kingdom. We just keep telling the story and trust the Holy Spirit to apply the Word. We have the sword, but instead of using it we just remind people that it is there and they should really think a lot about cool it is and how it gleams in the warm sunlight.

There are several problems with this approach.

First, the examples of preaching and exhortations to preaching in the Bible are not like this. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is not simply a retelling of the Old Testament. It is a proper interpretation and extended application of the OT. Paul often takes OT passages and tells us what they mean and how we are to apply them. For example, in I Corinthians 10:1-13 he does not just tell us what happened to Israel. He tells what it means and how it applies to the lives of those at Corinth. He doesn't just say, "Look the Israelites grumbled." Or in I Corinthians 15 he doesn't just say, "Look Jesus rose from the dead. Remember that." When Paul tells Timothy what to do he does not say, "Tell the story." He says, "Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all patience." (II Timothy 4:2)

Second, if all we need is the story, then we don't need preachers. We need readers. Reading the text and going over it is not preaching. Preaching is the text interpreted and applied with authority to the congregation. This is what Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John did. This is a preacher is to do.

Third, this approach may leave the congregation feeling fed, but it does not actually feed them. This type of preaching can leave a warm glow. The pastor talks about Jesus, grace, the forgiveness of sins and the glory of redemption. But he never exhorts, warns, rebukes, challenges. So people don't grow, but they leave thinking they have.

I am not saying there is never a place for preaching on grace and forgiveness. Obviously there is.  And pastors are to leave their people with a proper view of Christ as welcoming repentant sinners. But pastors are not here to retell the story. We are here to interpret and apply the story. We here to tell our people what the Bible means, why it means what it means, and what our congregations should do about it. In doing this we are not being arrogant or proud, we are fulfilling our office. If we aren't doing that then we are not doing our job.

Book Review: Preaching

Preaching?: Simple Teaching on Simply Preaching by J. Alec Motyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good solid book on preaching. It is almost like having your grandfather walk you through a preaching course on your back deck. It had a great conversational tone that gave it warmth. I really enjoyed his focus on variation and personality. He gives solid instructions without saying, "You must do it this way." The last chapters on the pastor's personal walk with Christ were excellent. He shows clearly how the private life of the minister is the source of his public life.

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Sermon on the Covenant Home

I don't usually post my sermons. You can find them all at christchurchofmorgantown.org. However, this one got some really positive feedback, so I thought I would share it with my readers. It is the second in a series on the covenant home. I am talking about the foundations for a godly covenant home.

Thanks also to Chris Warnick for posting them each week.

Other People's Dung

John Calvin is known for his spicy language. His polemical writings are filled with invectives against the Pope, the Anabaptists, the Libertines, etc. His sermons are less that way, but sometimes he can't help himself. I am almost done reading his sermons on Ephesians . The language in his sermon on Ephesians 5:11-14 was striking even for Calvin. He spends a large portion of the sermon talking about rebuking those who do wickedly. That is the context for the following quotes:

"Behold, God has a fatherly care over us, and yet we allow his name to blasphemed, his majesty to be robbed and spoiled of all reverence, his Word to be torn in pieces, all (that he has commanded) to be broken, the church (which is his wife) to be corrupted and misused, and his children to be debauched, and in the meanwhile we keep our mouths closed. I ask you, whether such silence does not sufficiently show that we are not worthy to eat one morsel of bread, nor to be counted in the number of earthworms, lice, bugs, and all the vilest an filthiest things in the world."

"Therefore when God's Word is put before men, and we show offenders their faults with such liberty as is necessary, it is as though we show them a mirror and said to them, See what you are: you are as filthy as possible. Are you not ashamed to see yourself? Go and wash your face."

"Most men and women nowadays wink at all manner of evil and disorder, and stop their ears at the things they might hear, and every man seeks to conceal his fellow's wickedness, men of men's, and women of women's They might remedy a great number of enormities [sins] that are committed, but they would rather go and pollute their gowns and coats with other people's dung and filthiness, than expose their vices." 

Digging Down Deep

“Indeed, if a text is regarded as the Word of God, it takes on depths of meaning and beauty and dimensions of such fullness as the human mind cannot fully grasp. The preacher who digs below the surface of a text to explore it depths will soon end up in the predicament of having more material than the sermon can contain…And how helpful is this depth-probing of a text. Nothing will do more to help one become a solid and enriched biblical theologian. Superficial preaching on biblical generalities is profoundly detrimental to the preacher.  The congregation gets little spiritual nourishment, and the preacher does not grow in an understanding of the Word.” James Daane in Preaching with Confidence

Are You Offended?

“The Jesus that offends no one is not the Jesus of the New Testament; and if the proclamation of him offends no one, it is not the Christ of the New Testament who is being proclaimed.” James Daane in Preaching with Confidence

How is the World Reassembled?

Christopher Ash in his book The Priority of Preaching spends an entire chapter talking about how the preached word is God's method for bringing people who very different from one another together in harmony. He talks about how human beings are scattered because of sin. In Christ they are brought back together. He uses the term "reassemble" to describe this process. Here is a summary of a portion of that chapter along with a quote at the end.

The broken world cannot be reassembled by:

-Technology: We are finding that technology does not reassemble people at all.  We still “connect” with those most like us. 

-Force: A unity created by force is lost as soon as the source of that force is lost, such as a king or ruler.

-  Natural Human Affection: There is no natural human affection that will reassemble people who are not like each other. Naturally we divide. Naturally we get into our little circles and stay there. 

-Religion: There can be religious assemblies that gather people together.  However, because they reject God and refuse to submit to his word they are assemblies of lies and deceit.  They are dangerous and they do not bring together diverse groups of people. Nor do they heal what is really broken.

The world can only be reassembled through grace.

“Only the preached word of Christ, the word of grace preached again and again and again, pressed home with passion and engagement, only that word will create God’s assembly to rebuild a broken world. It has been said that the church is crater formed by the impact of the word of God (Karl Barth); or that ‘the scriptures are God’s voice, the church is his echo’ (John Donne). Those are vivid pictures. But it is perhaps more scriptural to say that the church is the living organism conceived, shaped and grown by the seed of the word of God within (cf. James 1:18, 21; 1 Pet. 1:23). The church’s DNA is the DNA of the preached word of God. And by that word Jesus gathers unlikely people.”

The Faithful Church

What must the church do to combat the idea that homosexuality is fine for Christians? 

1.       She must faithfully and courageously preach the whole Bible. She must particularly preach those passages which the world finds offensive.

2.       She must faithfully preach Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This means two things: First, he, as our Savior, has defeated sin and can forgive all of our sins. Second, he, as our Lord, commands us to leave off sinful desires and actions.

3.       She must faithfully preach that Christ has given his Spirit that we might overcome our sins.  Those in Christ are freed from their sins.  Sodomy is not excluded.  This doesn’t just mean forgiveness, but it also means victory over those sins in our lives.

4.       She must faithfully show love to Christ, His Church, and to homosexuals by calling them to repent and turn from their sins.  This is to be done graciously, but without compromise.

5.       She must faithfully excommunicate all Christians who refuse to turn from their sins. This includes sodomites, adulterers, thieves, liars, pedophiles, pornography addicts, Pharisees, abusive husbands, etc. Here is one of the greatest failures of the modern church. Her refusal to discipline sinners has caused the inner life of the church to rot. It is hypocritical for a church to refuse to discipline the adulterer, but try to discipline the homosexual. Thus most don't discipline either. 

6.       She must faithfully work to drive wolves out of the Church. Any man or woman who teaches that sodomy is an acceptable lifestyle for Christians is a wolf who is working with Satan to tear the lambs into pieces. Pastor, elders, seminary professors, etc. must be exposed and disciplined who teach that sodomy is not a sin. 

7.       She must expect the world to hate her and persecute her. To combat this hatred she must fight with faith in Christ, steadfastness in prayer, clinging to God’s Word, holy living, the communion of saints, faithful worship, and Biblical love for neighbor. 

Book Review: The Word Became Fresh

The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts by Dale Ralph Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A really good introduction to preaching OT narrative. Pastor Davis doesn't just tell you what to do. He shows you how to do it. Also, he has an easy to follow writing style. I especially enjoyed his gentle critique of some of the negative aspects of the "Christ-centered preaching" movement. His chapter on the nasty portions of the Old Testament was excellent as well.


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Thunder and Lightning in the Pulpit

"We were not sent to clear our throat nervously, trying to get somebody's attention. We were not sent in order to make a few mild suggestions. We were not sent to indulge in a few postmodern dabblings of a theological nature. We were commissioned-I believe the word is ordained-to compel every manifestation of worldly power, glory, wisdom and exaltation to yield to and obey the majesty of God, in full accordance with God's Word.  We were sent to bind and loose, and all by God's Word.  And if need be, we have been ordained to open the Word completely,  press it flat against the pulpit, hold on to both sides of that pulpit, pray for divine protection, and preach as though we were thunder and lightning.  How could we not?  The Scriptures are a great thunderhead." (Doug Wilson in With Calvin in Theater of God, p. 95)