Preaching in the Flesh?

In a message Paul Washer preached several years ago, he told of preaching in a church where an elder approached him afterward, saying something like this: “Brother Paul, you preached the truth tonight…. But you did it in the flesh and you need to get down on your knees and repent.” Sobering words indeed.

Though I haven’t researched exactly what sermon I heard Brother Washer say that, the story stands very clear in my mind because when he related it, I could, also, relate. No, I was not rebuked by an elder in the church in that same way; however, there were a few times several years ago, that I have come away from the sermon, convicted even to tears at times, falling on my face before God in repentance. I continually pray that I might be alert, not slumbering to the truth, that I may be ever submissive to Him and constantly communing with Him, so as not to fall again: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

It is a reminder that we are flesh and blood men. We have not yet been glorified, immortalized, nor yet made incorruptible. That is the awesome glory of God’s grace; that though we are yet sinners, we have been granted the grace and privilege of proclaiming gospel truth; God’s Word! Yes, if we are redeemed by the blood, we are growing in grace, maturing from faith to faith, and increasing from glory to glory as the Spirit of God conforms us to the image of Christ by God’s providence working all things together for good, yet, we are still merely fallen men. Remember, the best of men are merely men, at best. So we are prone to preach in the flesh and that’s why it is so very important that we, as preachers, pastors, ministers, stay in the Word of God by the Spirit’s power through prayer.

Now, before I ask you to CLICK ON the arrow in the center of this 5 minute and 51 second video segment of Mark Driscoll, let me just say that I’m not against Mark Driscoll as a person, nor do I suggest that he is unsaved. In fact, from what I’ve read from him and about him, I would say that, largely, we probably agree theologically concerning Biblical truth. Nevertheless, in this segment he very passionately rebukes sinners using terms from the vernacular (BE WARNED: use discretion when playing this segment with little children around).

The word “hell” is in the English Bible so, in and of itself, it is not a vulgar term. The phrase Brother Driscoll used, however, is of the world and easily recognized as how the unsaved unbelieving world speaks. One doesn’t have to spend a decade and a half in the U.S. Navy as a deep sea diver to detect that. Come on, you know that’s true. I’ve been around unbelievers who have let that very same expression slip out when I was around and when they saw me, they blushed and apologized.

Although Mark spoke the truth, he sunk to the level of depravity of those very same people he was rebuking. In that, was not his use of language as pragmatic as, say, some pastor using worldly marketing techniques to persuade people of spiritual truth? His passionately loud voice is not the issue. Paul Washer has inflected his voice in preaching; Rolfe Barnard did in nearly every sermon he preached; and I even heard J. Vernon McGee shout his words in a Sunday morning message once. Yet, Brother Driscoll’s use of the vernacular seemed to suggest that it was raging anger and not God’s holy wrath: “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

For those who would suggest that I’m going a little overboard here, let’s put a little perspective on this. Are the men who have not honored their wives with dignity, even in the slightest way (1 Peter 3:7), who are not ravished in their hearts for their wives (Song of Solomon 4:9), or who are not smitten to the point of love that silly metaphors are used to describe her (Song of Solomon 7:4), are they not also guilty of sin? Are they not also guilty of withholding all that is holy from a true, right, and good relationship between man and wife? We must say, yes, because sin is any lack of conformity to, or transgression against God’s revealed will found in Holy Scripture (1 John 3:4). Granted, Mark may have said those very things I mentioned concerning holy and wholesome relationships between a man and his wife in the majority of the message that was not included on this segment, but how powerful could it have possibly been when he employed the arm of the flesh in his speech. Think about this:

Could it be that the sin that needs to be rebuked in many local congregations today is there because the preaching of the gospel from the pulpit is not given the holiness and reverence God’s Word is due? To somewhat take Brother Driscoll’s own words, let me ask this: who in heaven and earth do we think that we are that we can take the grace and privilege of the precious Word of God given to redeemed men, and soil that Word with the filth of the world? Look, I’m not saying anything to you, or Brother Driscoll, that I don’t face myself daily. This is God’s precious Word we have been blessed to proclaim. When we soil it with expressions that are flesh, however slight it may be, then it has no foundation in truth, no direction in Scripture, and no place in the presence of a holy God (1 Corinthians 1:29; Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6).

When in the presence of the Holy, I repent just because I exist as sinful flesh. It’s no shame for the minister to fall on his face daily. I believe that we must; but deeper still, it is a grace also granted to us, to know the grace, glory, and goodness of repentance because of the hope of the glory of Christ Jesus; and we are so unworthy.

If the grace of God through Jesus Christ does not move me to desire holiness that I may please a holy God, then I cannot expect His people to be holy from my preaching, no matter how true the words that come from my mouth may be.

It’s not about us siding with John MacArthur or John Piper on the Mark Driscoll issue; it’s about the holiness of God and the glory of God. Yet, even as I type this, I realize this: who am I to even say such things? Yet, the Lord seems to remind me that I am a dying man preaching to dying men. It is my sincerest desire that Mark Driscoll know the joy of repentance before a holy God because, it seems to me, that the Lord may desire to do much, so very much more, through him if he would go before his Redeemer in brokenness. My heart pours out for him because it is a serious and sober responsibility to minister among the Lord’s flock, whether that under-charge is a small gathering like mine, or a much larger one like Mark’s; it is a responsibility that requires supernatural strength beyond the means of any mere man.

After the Laughter

On October 7th Justin Taylor posted an interesting article on his Between Two Worlds weblog. The article is titled, “How to Train People to Laugh at Anything” (click on the title to read that blog). When you read his article you realize that the title is meant to be ironic as he writes of John Piper’s speaking engagement for the American Association of Christian Counselors held in Nashville, Tennessee on September 16, 2009. Here is how Justin Taylor opened his article:

“A few weeks ago John Piper spoke at a conference for the American Association of Christian Counselors. You should listen to the first five minutes. Piper decided to be as transparent as possible, given the audience, and to discuss some of the prevailing sins that he has struggled with his entire life. And the audience laughed uproariously. Piper was obviously perplexed and commented on how strange their reaction was.”

Justin also refers to Greg Gilbert’s article from the 9Marks blog site, which was also given a rather ironic title, “How to Train Your Church Not to Take Anything Seriously” (click on the title to read that blog). Greg Gilbert’s article had focused upon a particular aspect of the event, but one thing that would be especially important to note before I continue with my article is that many of the original comments made concerning the laughter at this event were rather harsh, suggesting that the people laughing were not Christian. Greg writes, “Some of the comments I’ve seen about it—that these counselors are being deliberately dismissive of sin, or even that they cannot possibly be Christians—are ridiculous and beyond the pale. I don’t think that’s true at all.” I would agree with that; Greg continues, “In fact, I think the reality of what happened here is enormously instructive for us.” And I also agree with that. I think that I will be adding a few more dimensions to some of the things that Greg pointed out.

Listen to the first five minutes of John Piper’s presentation here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/4216/Audio/

Dr. Piper commented (beginning at 4:09 minutes of the Desiring God audio segment), “I know that you’ve been set up for an hour and a half, maybe a little bit differently…” From piecing together from other blogs hither and yon, coupled with that comment, it would appear that several of the speakers prior to John Piper’s message told jokes to lighten up the audience prior to their talks (John Piper’s comments about the audience’s laughter were not included in the transcript of the message). As you can tell from the audio clip, John Piper opened a very serious list of some of the sins that have beset his own life, but this list was received with laughter.

Here are some of my own observations:

First, though I was disturbed by the laughter, I basically blocked it out to hear the words of a man that has been greatly used today in conveying the Word of God (so the laughter wasn’t my focus in my first hearing of the message, and for that, I’m truly thankful). The list of sins that Pastor Piper presented, however, struck an incredible chord within my own soul. Some specifics notwithstanding, every sinful point the pastor made was identical to a list I might have prepared. Does every pastor continually repent of the sins that are in many ways very similar and very common to men who are called to the pulpit, called to feed the Lord’s flock? The confession of Pastor Piper is a very sobering and important one, not only for pastors, but for congregations that they serve as well. Fellow ministers can take heart and be encouraged that they are not the only ones weeping in repentance daily before their Savior and Sovereign. Yet, equally important is that the congregation realizes that their minister struggles beneath the same sins that so easily beset them; therefore, they might, in great love, pray that much more earnestly for their beloved pastor, pleading with God to lavish grace more abundantly upon him.

The responsibility to bring forth the glory of God’s grace and the majesty, splendor and holiness of the gospel message of Christ crucified weighs so heavily upon the sinful minister saved by God’s sovereign grace that if he has never realized Paul’s words, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling,” while standing in the pulpit, then more than likely, he wasn’t called to a preaching ministry in the first place; that is, in my humble opinion.

Second, you just can’t get away from the laughter. It’s there; and during a sinner’s confession, which is when he is most vulnerable, it’s hard not to hear it. As Brother Greg mentioned in his blog, I don’t suggest that these people were not Christian. I believe that most of them probably were Christians; many of them, perhaps, more sincere and devout than I could ever hope to become. Yet, it is by this reality that we should recognize that it could have been you or me. It may have been you and me right there in that audience laughing at our friend, treating his vulnerable position and his sinful condition with the same tenderness and compassion as Job’s companions. Many of us sometimes tend to think, “Had it been me in the garden, I wouldn’t have…” or “Were it me at the Pavement at Pilate’s judgment seat, it wouldn’t have been me that cried ‘crucify’…” Beloved, you and I are as guilty as if we were there; for the guilt of Adam’s sin, as well as the guilt of rejecting Christ, was upon us all: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8; cf. Romans 5:12).

Third, another thing that came to my mind after listening to the introduction of Dr. Piper’s message was something that was addressed by Greg Gilbert in his article. He suggests that because the previous speakers used humor, the conferees were already conditioned to laugh. And because they were conditioned to laugh, Greg draws a parallel to what may happen in the church if humor takes a prominent place in pulpit preaching:

“Apparently the conditioning of that audience to think everything is funny took no more than a couple of days.

“How deep do you think that conditioning would be for a church who sat under a funny-man pastor every Sunday for fifteen years?” (emphasis in original)

As far as conditioning goes (and I’m no expert), but it seems that laughter, like crying, &etc., is a manifestation of an emotion. Emotions are not evil in and of themselves; neither are their manifestations. Nevertheless, the manifestations of emotions can either be appropriate or inappropriate. How odd it would be to read the gospel writer record in John 11:35 that “Jesus laughed” while the Lord Christ stood outside of Lazarus’ tomb. Equally fantastic would be if we read in Luke 24:52-53 that the disciples “worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great sorrow: and were continually in the Temple, weeping and crying before God” after seeing the risen Savior.

When our emotions do not follow the truth that has renewed our minds, it is apparent that the work of the Holy Spirit is not moving in its fullness; that’s because one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control (Galatians 5:23), which is not manifested when there is an outburst of emotion that is inappropriate or untimely. Then, we must ask ourselves, “Was the impact of the truth of sin (in this particular instance) illuminated to their souls by the teaching of the Spirit through the washing and cleansing of their minds?” That, indeed, is a very sobering question to consider.

The funny thing is (and I really didn’t mean it as a pun initially, but since I wrote it, I decided I ought to leave it in because it is pretty pun-ny), that with my ALS I’m prone to laugh or cry at things that might not be funny or sad, and a bit uncontrollably at that. This is especially sobering for me because I do not want to bring shame, controversy, or even the appearance of inappropriateness to the name of Jesus when proclaiming His truth. I truly have asked the Lord that when I am unfit to preach, teach and pastor His flock, to let me know very clearly and quickly.

Fourth (and I probably could have placed this much closer to the top of my list), as a minister, as a preacher of the gospel, and as pastor called to a congregation to teach and exemplify God’s grace, I had to ask myself, “Can I deal with such a situation with grace and humility?” Honestly (and if I could only be as transparent to write this as Pastor Piper was to preach his message), I have to confess that I could feel indignation rise in the depths of my being as the introduction continued and the laughter did not cease. I didn’t rant; and no one would have known had I not written it; yet, it was there. I do pray, that by God’s grace, that I may continue to recognize that I am the chief of sinners and the least of the Lord’s ministers, and certainly not the most eloquent of His mouthpieces to proclaim Christ crucified, buried, risen, ascended and coming again. If someone laughs, disagrees, or misunderstands something I’ve said, I pray that I may be able to handle it with as much Christ-honoring humility as John Piper.

Fifth, and perhaps the most important item of note to me, is the context with which this laughter was manifested. It just so happened that Dr. Piper was going through a list of specific sins. At Sovereign Grace Baptist Church recently, as we’ve spent Wednesday nights devotionally covering questions and answers in A Puritan’s Catechism, specifically covering such topics as the fall of man, sin, man's fallen state, the result of man’s fall, and fallen man’s hope in Christ. We have also finished a verse-by-verse exposition of Romans 1-3 in our Sunday morning worship services, going over all the details of man’s radical corruption in his fallen condition; in fact, when we studied the particular passage in Romans 1:29-31, we thoroughly, albeit painfully, examined each and every sin listed. Often, I’ve heard messages that, when they get to a list of sins such as those covered in Romans 1, some of the sins were mentioned briefly, but not every one of them was explained (and for many of the messages, having good reason, as there may not have been enough time with the content of the other issues covered, &etc., so I understand—been there, done that, bought the t-shirt). Yet, I believe that in these days, when there are those who won’t even mention sin at all in the pulpit for fear of offending the hearer, there is greater reason than ever to explain just what God’s Word says about sin. As I stated in the message that Sunday morning not long ago, we hear many people quote Romans 3:23 these days, but we hear so very few quoting Romans 1:26-32. The fall of man brought such total depravity, such complete corruption to the human condition, that when we hear about sin, it doesn’t convict us because it is so general; the general truth doesn’t penetrate us; it doesn’t have the teeth, say, that the identification of specific sins has.

Therefore, when I listened to this clip, although I don’t think that this was the case here, it did come to mind that sometimes outbursts such as laughter, may be kind of a defense mechanism in the flesh to keep us from truly coming face to face with the offense of sinful flesh before a holy God. Again, I need to repeat this: I don’t necessarily believe that, in general, these folks were putting up a defense mechanism to keep them from the horrible truth; however, the situation caused me to think that emotions do often place a hedge around our flesh to keep us from truth, and godly sorrow that leads to repentance. The flesh is filled with esteem for itself; it’s haughty. The carnal mind is at enmity with God; and the flesh lusts against the Spirit.

It seems that, more now than ever, we need to “gird up the loins of [our] mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13); and that we must “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

On a final and closing note, and rather an awkward but edifying postscript following what I just wrote in the paragraph above, I do encourage you to listen to the entire message from John Piper. It is excellent.

Calvinism: Christianity without Jesus?

Since about September 29th, I’ve listened several times with jaw-dropping wonder to an audio clip of the careless misrepresentation of Reformed Theology by Chuck Smith, Brian Broderson, and Don Stewart of Calvary Chapel from an airing of their KWAVE “Pastor’s Perspective” radio call-in program. I cannot keep silent any longer.

A CAVEAT: I will say that not all Calvary Chapels take the view aired on this broadcast; and I do acknowledge that there are many Calvary Chapels that may disagree with the doctrines of grace, and that they would probably not openly declare that “Calvinism is Christianity without Jesus,” as Brian Broderson did on that broadcast. In fact, there are a few Calvary Chapels that do openly embrace the doctrines of grace.

Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries addressed this on his radio call-in program, “The Dividing Line,” and posted such on his web log on September 29th, providing links for the Calvary Chapel audio snippet, as well as to the entire broadcast of “The Dividing Line.” As with all of Dr. White’s materials, I highly commend his comments for your education and edification. On the embedded YouTube video below, posted by Alpha and Omega Ministries on October 6th, Dr. White addresses the particular point that Brian Broderson made: “Calvinism is Christianity without Jesus.”

Alpha and Omega Ministries

Alpha and Omega Ministries Weblog: "Brief Debate Commentary, Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel Leaders Demonstrate How NOT To Handle Scripture"

Calvary Chapel Pastor's Perspective Audio Soundbite

Alpha and Omega Ministries "Dividing Line Program"

Reformation Month Sale!

Beginning today, October 1st, until the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing the 95 Theses on Wittenberg’s door at the end of the month (October 31st), our printed publications will be significantly discounted. Our paperbacks are print-on-demand through CreateSpace.com and we want to make them available at the lowest price possible. We currently have 5 books available.

Please copy the discount code (copy the 8-digit code only) and follow the link to the book. When checking out, paste the discount code into the box where the discount applies.

Book #1:
Essential Spurgeon for Today’s Reformed Pastor
Link to Essential Spurgeon https://www.createspace.com/3400329
Discount Code: JZVULWCQ
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $3 off the $12.95 regular purchase price.

Book #2
A Puritan Family Devotional
Link to Puritan Devotional https://www.createspace.com/3398770
Discount Code: CBYQHZ4Y
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Book #3
Fullness of the Time
Link to Fullness of the Time https://www.createspace.com/3400470
Discount Code: M87JLJEV
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $3 off the $12.95 regular purchase price.

Book #4
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Link to Lord, Teach Us to Pray https://www.createspace.com/34027829
Discount Code: Y5PLTNTK
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Book #5
John Bunyan’s Classic: Christian Behavior
Link to Christian Behavior https://www.createspace.com/3401841
Discount Code: HYLE47GY
The Discount Code above provides a discount of $2.22 off the $7.77 regular purchase price.

Teach Us to Pray (Coming Soon)

Lord, Teach Us to Pray will soon be available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 96-page book will be available for only $7.77 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to see how you can order the book when it becomes available... or you can check it out on the Lord, Teach Us to Pray weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Christian Behavior (in Print)

John Bunyan's classic, Christian Behavior, has been updated in modern English and, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 98-page book is available for only $7.77 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Christian Behavior weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Now Available in Print

Fullness of the Time, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 194-page book is available for only $12.95 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Fullness of the Time weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Available in Print

Essential Spurgeon for Today’s Reformed Pastor, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 232-page book is available for only $12.95 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover to the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Essential Spurgeon weblog by CLICKING HERE. This is an improvement upon the May 2009 offering of this resource through I-Proclaim.com, with a reduction in cost greater than 50% of its previous list price.

Available in Print

Although its separate components, Charles Spurgeon's A Puritan Catechism, Robert Murray McCheyne's Daily Bread, and the 1689 London Baptist Confession, will remain available as free e-Books on our SermonAudio site, A Puritan Family Devotional is now available as a paperback book. CLICK HERE or on the book cover to the left to purchase the 84-page paperback for only $7.77 through CreateSpace.com. You can also CLICK HERE to go to A Puritan Family Devotional weblog.

My Personal Devotion

"What is man that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou madest him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor... O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:4-5, 9).

The greatest, most dreadful horror is to know God's holiness and not weep over our depravity; yet, even greater still, is to not weep over my depravity, my own sinfulness in the light of His glory and grace. Thank you, Lord, that I may weep, and still serve You. Thank you, Lord, that my tears fill this earthen vessel that houses this soul You have redeemed for Thyself and Thine own good pleasure. Thank you, Lord, for the blessedness of brokenness.

Summer Book Review

Trusting God:

Even When Life Hurts

Author: Jerry Bridges
Publisher: NAVPress
Copyright: 1988, 2008
Format: Paperback, 240 pgs.
ISBN: 1600063055
ISBN-13: 9781600063053

Anyone who has read the best-selling The Pursuit of Holiness will recognize the very familiar, plain-English style and sense of Jerry Bridges. In the 20th Anniversary paperback edition of Trusting God, Dr. Bridges takes the very deep and extremely important doctrine of God’s sovereignty and lays it out clearly, simply, and not only well within the grasp of the newest convert to Christ, but also presents it logically and thoughtfully so that the most mature theologian can appreciate this work and glean many great things from it.

In his Preface to the treatise, he writes, “The purpose of this book is twofold: First, I desire to glorify God by acknowledging His sovereignty and His goodness. Second, I desire to encourage God’s people by demonstrating from Scripture that God is in control of their lives, that He does indeed love them, and that He works out all the circumstances of their lives for their ultimate good” (pg. 9). In this, Jerry Bridges accomplishes his goals most triumphantly.

Trusting God is categorized as Christian Living or Spiritual Growth for the very good reason that its approach to the circumstances daily faced by the individual believer is both practical and personal. Yet, the truths that Dr. Bridges presents concerning the attributes of God, especially in His sovereign goodness, would make this book equally at home on the shelf in the Theology section.

Those whose theology tends toward an emphasis upon the free will of man will most certainly gain a better understanding of how Reformed thinkers generally view the blessedness of God’s sovereignty; and those of us whose theology stands firmly on the doctrines of grace will find a very compassionate presentation of this doctrine, which by God’s grace, may temper us away from a tendency to approach God’s sovereignty like the proverbial bull in a china shop, just because we see the urgent need to proclaim this truth in American pulpits today.

The doctrine of God’s sovereign grace is so neglected today that this book is a must-read for those who have never read it; and it is also a must-reread for those who have already read it too many years ago. Trusting God, and the sovereignty of God this book proclaims, is more culturally relevant today than it was twenty years ago during its first publication. Therefore, I highly commend the reading of Trusting God to anyone that has a desire to worship God more deeply and commune with Him more intimately.

The Sovereign Work of God

“The wind bloweth where it listeth…” (John 3:8).

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

On Thursday evening, August 20th, I had very good reason to repent before God (and repent, I did). I attended a pastor’s fellowship held in Pulaski, Tennessee for the Sovereign Grace Baptist churches in the region (we have them about every other month), and I was telling a brother during our lunch break how God had ministered in our village of Scammon Bay, Alaska by my merely preaching Christ, and Him crucified. When I got home to Anniston that night after a three-hour drive, I wept before my God and Savior as I realized how full of myself I must have sounded; how full of filthy flesh I must have appeared to others, and especially before my Master; how pitifully prideful and haughty I must have been… to imply by my zeal and to suggest in my speech that God saved souls in bush Alaska because I had the wherewithal not to stoop to programs, methods, and gimmicks, but instead preached Christ, and Him crucified.

Now, we should preach Christ, and Him crucified. We should teach sound doctrine and make clear presentations rooted in good, God-glorifying Biblical truth. We should study carefully to plow straight furrows with the Word of God unto the hearing of all those souls that would receive the Lord’s truth. Yet, it is a sin to think that because I did so, God is obligated to add to the church, grow the flock, or do any other “amazing” thing. That we have the privilege to preach His Son incarnate, crucified, risen, ascended, and coming again is an honor and privilege that none of us deserves, and yet, are allowed to do so by God’s amazing grace. In fact, it is also by His incredible mercy that we have that privilege because we are merely pathetic beings after all, wretched beings made a little lower than the angels, and our handling of the glory of His infinite truth is weak and feeble at best, for “…not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26).

We should also pray. We should earnestly seek the blessed favor of our Lord so that we may be nourished by His presence, encouraged by His abounding grace, strengthened by His enduring mercy, and uplifted by His infinite love. Yet, it is sheer folly to think that because I prayed earnestly that He would bring revival because I prayed so diligently; that I worshipped Him so earnestly; that the sincerity of my supplications, the piety of my petitions, or the thoroughness of my thanksgivings placed our sovereign and almighty God under any kind of obligation to act or respond apart from the counsel of His own will and blessedness of His good pleasure.

We should endeavor to be obedient to God’s Word and walk according to all the graces He lavishes upon us; yet, our zeal should not be without knowledge, and specifically, knowledge of just who it is we worship and serve.

We should ever keep in mind that it is all God’s work; it is His church; it is His glory; and what a blessed privilege it is to submit to His eternal will, plans, and purposes.

It is not in how much we labor for the Lord or in what specific way we labor before Him that marks our Christianity; but it is in our trust in Him and our faithfulness to Him in whatever He calls us to do, according to the truth of His Word.

Pastors: whether you minister to a small handful of souls on Sunday or several thousand souls throughout the week, you are responsible for the care, feeding, and nurture of every single one of them before God. What a tremendous responsibility for the care of just one soul! Lean upon Christ by the power of His Spirit and the Word of His truth. It requires the same spiritual power for few or many and we must trust the Lord implicitly for the results in either case. Faithfulness in the one instance is no different than faithfulness in the other.

Saints: in whatever you are called, and wherever He has placed you, rejoice that it is by God’s grace that you are there. Take comfort in the truth that He is in control of every circumstance for He is a sovereign God; and that He is working out every detail of your life, and of those around you, in order to conform you to the image of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Can I Preach Against My Own Sins?

Dr. David Murray poses a very relevant question for the pulpit ministers of these American times...

Can I preach against my own sins? from Puritan Reformed on Vimeo.

Christian Clothes Commercial

Dr. David P. Murray of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI has some excellent counsel for us in this 5-minute podcast about Christian Clothes Commercials.

Failed to Contact Pastor Drake

UPDATE: My efforts to contact Pastor Drake have been unsuccessful, and that possibly due to his phone and emails being inundated as a result of the many articles circulating on the Internet.

Other Internet resources concerning this story may be found below:

ASSOCIATED BAPTIST PRESS NEWS

FOX NEWS RADIO SOUNDBITE

Let us be reminded that the Bible commands us to pray for all men, with supplications, petitions, and thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1), which includes praying for, both, Pastor Drake and President Obama.

Pastor Prays for the Death of Others?!

SermonAudio.com has a new feature called "News in Focus" that highlights a current news item with ministers providing a Biblical perspective.

A recent article has just come in concerning SBC pastor, Wiley Drake, of Buena Park, California, who prayed the imprecatory psalms in desiring the death of abortionist, George Tiller, and continues to pray those psalms for the death of President Obama. You can get a jump-start on the news item, and a News in Focus perspective from my friend, and co-laborer in the Lord, Pastor Trevor Hammack of Victory Baptist Church in Ovalo, TX; CLICK HERE for the news item and 14 minute sound bite of Pastor Hammack.

I hope to contact Pastor Drake as soon as I can in order to find out if he actually did make comments to this effect (for we all know how the media can put a spin on anything; however, the Fox News Radio soundbite appears pretty compelling that he did so).

Meanwhile, as it pertains to the imprecatory psalms of the Hebrew Scriptures, let me offer these Biblical perspectives:

1. They are understood as inspired and prophetic and must be interpreted in the light of the whole counsel of God, particularly as it relates to "Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2).

2. As prophetic utterances, these Psalms express the wrath that we deserved when we were unsaved, unregenerate sinners who hated Light, loved darkness, and were the enemies of God (Jn 3:19-20; Rom 5:10; Rom 8:7).

3. Because Jesus Christ is the substitutionary Sacrifice for the wrath that we so rightly deserve, God the Father, with willing obedience from the Son to do so through the eternal covenant, and witnessed and sealed by the Holy Spirit, poured out His holy and just wrath upon Jesus Christ, in His death upon Calvary's Tree, He fullfilled the prophetic uttereances of the Law, the Prophets, and the Imprecatory Psalms (Gen 3:15; Isa 53; Psa 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137, 139; Gal 3:13; 2 Cor 5:21; et al).

4. Because we have been forgiven of sins through His shed blood, we have been declared righteous by Christ's imputed righteousness, because we have been reconciled to God Almighty through Christ, and have had the wrath for disobedience removed through Christ's Atoning Sacrifice, we have great reason to rejoice that those utterances made in the Psalms have been removed far from us. Our sins which were many, are forgiven, so that we may love much (Lk 7:47).

5. Since salvation was paid by the priceless, precious blood of Jesus Christ, and because His Sacrifice is of such infinite worth and eternal preeminence, through that revelation, as well as the revelation of the height, length, depths, and breadth of wrath that we have been redeemed from, &etc., how could we possibly think that we deserve to judge with finality the vengence that Scripture says belongs to the LORD, and to Him alone? (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:18-21).

6.Therefore, also through the revelation of salvation from the judgment upon the enemies of God, we, by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, upon the authority of God's Word, can submit and surrender to the commandments of God, such as "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you," because "His commandments are not grievous" (Matt 5:44; 1 Jn 5:3).

7. Finally, death is the enemy of God, and the last enemy God will destroy (1 Cor 15:26). Adam ran headlong into death when he disobeyed God in the Garden, for God said, "...in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen 2:17). This is why Jesus must pray the prayer He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane; because for Him to not pray His prayer would be as if He rushed headlong into death apart from the answer to that prayer in communion and obedience to the heavenly Father. This is why it should be unthinkable for the Christian, saved by God's grace, to wish for the death of anyone. We are commissioned to preach eternal life, not desire the death of others.

I preached the following sermons on Imprecatory Psalms in 2008 at Higher Ground Calvary Chapel while I was between churches:

Soon Available in Print

John Bunyan's treatise, entitled Christian Behavior, although it will remain available as a free e-Book, this important work will soon be available as a printed paperback publication. Click on the book cover to the left, or CLICK HERE to go to the Christian Behavior weblog.

Now Available in Print

Essential Spurgeon for Today’s Reformed Pastor, though it will remain available as a free e-Book, is now available as a printed publication… a traditional paperback book. This 222-page book is available for only $12.95 through CreateSpace.com, a division of Amazon.com. Click on the book cover on the left or CLICK HERE to order the book... or you can check it out on the Essential Spurgeon weblog by CLICKING HERE.

Born of God

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

As the new year begins, it is only natural to reflect upon new beginnings. Yet, for the first article of this first newsletter to you all, I’d like us all to reflect on the beginning we have had in Christ Jesus, that is, in our birth from above. As the days wax wickedly and the doctrines of grace seem to be pushed aside in many American pulpits, the very foundational truths are that much more precious. Therefore, I desire to put you in remembrance of the first things, the primary things, though many of you have been established and steeped in the truths of God’s grace far longer than I have; but it is even as the apostle wrote when warning of the apostasy to come: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

I pray that you would never stop rejoicing in these very basic truths; that you would not take them for granted, as there are so many people these days who profess a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, yet in the very same breath declare that their salvation came by their own choice, decision, free will, or cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit.

In John 1:12 we have the event of a soul’s salvation. First, it is expressed that a soul is saved because the person of Jesus Christ is received; He is the gift as salvation is only found in Him and given by God.

Second, because salvation comes to “as many as received Him,” we can conclude that it is not for all. The text says, “many,” which is consistent with the statement prior to v.12, that Jesus “came unto His own, and His own received Him not.”

Third, v.12 expresses that those who receive saving faith have the rights and privileges of that salvation given in Christ; that is, we have become children of God.

Fourth, John 1:12 declares just who it is that have received the rights and privileges of that intimate family relationship through the gift of salvation: it is granted “to them that believe on His name.” In other words, salvation belongs to those whose trust is founded upon who Jesus is, upon what He has done, and upon all that His holy name represents.

Then, in John 1:13, the apostle expresses how this salvation is received: it is by birth. But what kind of birth? Before the apostle declares what kind of birth, he first tells us what kind of birth it is not.

1. NOT OF BLOOD. This actually presents many truths, as the Greek literally reads, “not of bloods.” Surely, it is not speaking of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, by whose shed blood we have forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22) and justification before God and salvation from His holy wrath (Romans 5:9); for the blood of Christ is the blood of faith. Yet, it was not by some magical, mythical property in His actual blood from His spear-pierced side that dripped upon the centurion. It is not by the actual, physical application of Christ’s blood upon a man that salvation is received.

1a. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates universal salvation. As God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26), then salvation is individual and personal.

1b. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation by natural generation. The faith of our parents, grandparents, or any other relative will not save us. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23).

1c. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation that comes by the blood of animal sacrifices. These sacrifices only pointed to the Righteous sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

1d. If salvation is not born of blood, it eliminates salvation that comes by the communion cup; and that, we will look at when will look at how salvation does not come by the “will of the flesh.”

2. NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH. “Will” means desire (also a lustful desire), pleasure, or determination. “Flesh” means several things.

2a. Flesh has to do with mankind or humanity. Jesus told Nicodemus, “…that which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), meaning the actual physical body. Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, this is almost an emphatic reiteration of the fact that salvation does not come by natural generation.

2b. Flesh is also used in the Bible for spiritual things in what is represented by them; such as is the case when Jesus spoke of spiritual nourishment received from feeding off of Him. When the Lord said, “I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51), He was prophetically uttering the grace that comes by the ordinance of communion. Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, this would mean that communion, whether in the partaking of the bread, or the blood as represented by the wine (not of blood), does not save a soul.

2c. Flesh may also speaks of man’s wisdom and intellect: “For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26). Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh then it is not achieved or attained by one’s great learning or exploration of knowledge.

2d. Flesh also may refer to the acts, deeds or works performed by man: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, if salvation is not born of the will of the flesh, then it does not come by what a man does to appear righteous before God.

Flesh and blood are summed up in this verse: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50).

3. NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN. Again, “will” means desire, decision, or determination. Therefore, salvation is not born of, nor does it come by any choice, desire, decision, or determination that originates within a man.

It is interesting that I have actually heard preachers and Bible teachers, who have not come to terms with the Biblical language or the Biblical doctrines of grace, just to come to this part of the verse and run right over it as if it was not there. I suppose that it can be pretty easy to preach that salvation comes by your decision if one ignores those six words.

So how is salvation born in the soul? It is not of any other means as mentioned earlier...

4. BUT BORN OF GOD. Just as we have had no choice or decision in our physical birth, we have no choice or decision in our spiritual birth. Just as we did not choose our birth parents, we do not become sons of our heavenly Father by a determined choice. Salvation must come by the power of God: “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him” (John 6:44). Salvation is not born of men, but from above of God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with who is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

CONCLUSION

If saving faith means a trust in Jesus Christ, then teaching salvation that comes by a decision is such a horrible and horrifying sin. If we must trust in a personal decision for salvation, the evidence that one was ever saved may be elusive; and that person will tend to place more trust in self than trust in God in life’s daily walk.