Paul Washer:
Part 1
Part 2
Final Judgement
Reply
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Calvin’s Legacy Today
From the Ligonier website:
“On July 8th, we were joined by Dr. Ligon Duncan, chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster Seminary California, and Dr. Stephen Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College. As we discussed the life and legacy of John Calvin and the ongoing necessity of reforming the church, Dr. Godfrey participated in this special event live from Geneva.”
You can watch the Google Hangout below:
Preaching for the Glory of God
“we especially enjoyed the hand out notes you provided.” Because of this encouraging feedback, I post these hand out notes here, knowing that I am merely a gatherer of helpful material on this subject, over many a year. I claim no exclusivity of insight. Hopefully we can all see a little further because each of us stand on the shoulders of giants.
Because we as preachers collect much information along the way, from many different sources, it is often times very easy to quote someone and fail to identify the quote or even realize that someone else is being quoted.
The humorous story is told of a preacher quoting a fellow preacher. The first time he did so he said, “As our brother, Rev. Brian McDonald once said…” The second time he quoted him, he said, “As someone has wisely said…” Then, the third time… “Like I always say…”
“Mistakes” such as these happen all too frequently, and, believe it or not, they are not always intentional. If such is the case below, I apologize beforehand if I have failed to identify any of my sources. I do know that much of the content comes from Bryan Chapell’s excellent book, “Christ Centered Preaching”, which continues to instruct and inspire me, a number of years after I first read it.
If these brief notes can be used to encourage just one fellow preacher/teacher out there in the greatest of all tasks of preaching the very oracles of God, then I will be more than happy.
Soli Deo Gloria!
PREACHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
(A Brief Introduction to Homiletics)
Quote from Dr. John Piper – “People are starving for the greatness of God. But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the market, but the benefit of any other remedy is brief and shallow. Preaching that does not have the aroma of God’s greatness may entertain for a season, but it will not touch the hidden cry of the soul: “Show me Your glory!” The greatness and the glory of God are relevant. It does not matter if surveys turn up a list of perceived needs that does not include the supreme greatness of the sovereign God of grace. That is the deepest need. People are starving for God. People need to hear God-entranced preaching. They need someone, at least once a week, to lift up his voice and magnify the supremacy of God. They need to behold the whole panorama of His excellencies! It is not the job of the Christian preacher to give people moral or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world; someone else can do that. What people need is for someone to tell them, week in and week out, about the supreme beauty and majesty of God.” (The Supremacy of God in Preaching)
First, the preacher needs to realize that God’s Word is not the preacher’s word. But rather:
He is a messenger, not an originator.
He is a sower, not the source (Matt 13:3, 19).
He is a herald, not the authority.
He is a steward, not the owner (Col 1:25).
He is the guide, not the author (Acts 8:31).
He is the server of spiritual food, not the chef (John 21:15, 17).
A Preacher stands under Scripture, not over it, allowing it to speak through him, delivering what is not so much his message as its message.
In Expository preaching: The MEANING of the passage is the MESSAGE of the sermon
No matter what the length of the portion explained may be, if it is handled in such a way that its real and essential meaning as it existed in the light of the overall context of Scripture is made plain and applied to the present-day needs of the hearers, it may properly be said to be expository preaching. The message is God’s intended message.
Urged on by devotees of “needs-based preaching,” many preachers today have abandoned the text without recognizing that they have done so. These preachers may eventually get to the text in the course of the sermon, but the text does not set the agenda or establish the shape of the message. This inevitably leads to a loss of biblical authority and biblical content in the sermon. Without doubt, few preachers following this popular trend intend to depart from the Bible. But under the guise of an intention to reach modern secular men and women “where they are,” the sermon has been transformed into a success seminar. Some verses of Scripture may be added to the mix, but for a sermon to be genuinely biblical, the text must set the agenda as the foundation of the message–not as an authority cited for spiritual footnoting.
EXPOSITORY PREACHING
Forces the preacher to address a greater number of issues than what readily springs to mind.
Sensitive matters can be addressed without the appearance of pointing a finger at people or problems in the Church – the matters simply appear in the sequence of the text itself.
Much time can be saved trying to come up with a new subject.
Each new sermon does not require a new study of the book’s author, background, context, etc.
The congregation enjoys a healthy diet – ALL of God’s Word in the SEQUENCE in which He inspired it.
2 Tim. 4:1-5 – The word for “preach” is the word for ‘herald’ or ‘announce’ or ‘proclaim’. It is not a simple word for teaching or explaining. It is what a town crier did: “Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye! The King has a proclamation of good news for all those who swear allegiance to his throne. Be it known to you that he will give eternal life to all who trust and love his Son.”
Preaching is a public exultation. It is not disinterested or cool or neutral. It is passionate about what it says.
KNOW YOUR DOCTRINE – 1 Tim. 4:16
If it is at all possible, seek to master the original Bible languages. It will put you at a tremendous advantage, to be able to check things out for yourself – and remember, not every so called ‘scholar’ can be trusted.
Take a course in systematic theology – it will help you enormously (you don’t have to leave your home, I can recommend courses for you, should you be interested)
Plenary Inspiration (the very words of Scripture are “God breathed” – 2 Tim. 3:16) favors an Essentially Literal Bible translation – word for word
– such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB), English Standard Version (ESV), KJV, NKJV, Net Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible.
NOT dynamic equivalent translations or “thought for thought” (New Living, NIV, Contemporary English Version)
The Message is even more of a paraphrase
At least start your study with a translation as close as possible to the original words inspired by the Holy Spirit.
PROCLAIM THE WORD BOLDLY AS A HERALD
Don’t leave anything out – an ambassador has no right to delete or adjust the message his King, or his President gave him. In fact, it is treasonous to do so.
“Little is that ministry worth that never chides you. If God never uses his minister as a rod, depend upon it he will never use him as a pot of manna, for the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna always go together, and he who is God’s true servant will be both to your soul¦ If you always enjoy sermons, the minister is not a good steward. He is not acting wisely who deals out nothing but sweets.” – C. H. Spurgeon
1 Cor. 1:17-25
Paul knew what it was that the Jews and Greeks wanted to hear – Jews wanted signs, Greeks wanted wisdom – BUT we preach Christ crucified.
Paul knew before he ever opened his mouth that what he said would be offensive (either a stumbling block or foolishness) to everyone except the called
It is God who determines what it is we preach, not rebel sinners!
This is not a seminar on exegesis or correct interpretation of the Scripture, so I will not develop this here. Yet, finding the correct interpretation is absolutely vital before setting about to organize your sermon. I believe it is the most important part of the study process, and by far, takes the most amount of time in sermon preparation. Proper exegesis will tell the student what the text says, what the text means, and how the text applies personally.
But assuming you have taken the time to do all this – remember that the sermon is about ONE thing
Speakers need focus
Listeners need focus
ASK, ASK, ASK
What does the text ACTUALLY SAY?
What does the text MEAN by what it says?
What is its PURPOSE in being written? (it was written to real people with real struggles)
WHAT was the intent of the author?
WHY did the Holy Spirit include these words in Scripture?
Until we have determined the PURPOSE of the passage, we are not ready to preach its truths, EVEN if we know many true facts about the text.
This may seem obvious, but this part is so often neglected
WHAT HUMAN CONDITION IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ADDRESSING?
What is the HUMAN CONDITION that caused the Holy Spirit to inspire the text, so that God would be glorified in His people?
Could be specific sins – un-forgiveness, lying, racism, etc.
But it need not be a sin.
Grief, illness, the need to know how to share the gospel, the desire to be a better parent, the need to discern God’s will, understand our gifts – which are not sins, but they are needs that we have as fallen beings, and which Scripture addresses.
In other words WHY are these concerns being addressed?
HOW does the Holy Spirit address this condition?
If we don’t understand this, and address this same issue in our hearers, we give them no reason to listen to us.
WHAT is the author of the passage talking about?
What is he SAYING about what he is talking about?
MAKE YOUR SERMON GOD CENTERED AND GOSPEL CENTERED
Ask what does the text tell us about God?
What does the text tell us about the Gospel?
Then preach what the Bible says
How?
Its not complicated, but it can mean much hard work – 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
Read and re-read the passage to determine the MAIN IDEA the writer is communicating (what is the big concept here?) OR if you using the text to support an idea, make sure there is sufficient material in the text that can be developed into the main subject of a message
Condense the idea into one short sentence
This should be what your sermon is about
REVIEW
WHAT does the text say?
What spiritual concerns does the text address (in its context)?
What spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those (or about) whom the text was written?
APPLICATION
No text communicates facts for information alone
The Bible itself tells us that its purpose is to instruct, reprove and correct
God expects scriptural truths to transform His people.
Faithful preaching does the same
SO WHAT?
Every time you preach, imagine an elderly man sitting on the back row. He hears all you say but has one question… “so what?” Make it your aim that he never has to ask:
What do you want me to believe?
What do you want me to do?
People have the right to ask, WHY did you tell me that? and WHAT am I supposed to do with that information?
O.K. I hear you – so what?
Unless we answer the “so what?” question, people will wonder why they bothered to listen.
However well selected the meat of the sermon is, the message remains uncooked without thoughtful, true to the text application.
Pastor your people when you preach – apply the message to the people’s lives.
A SERMON
Interprets the text accurately (Remember – there’s only ONE correct interpretation, though there may be many applications)
Addresses the textual rooted human condition we have.
Provides relevant textual application.
TIPS
Folder set aside for upcoming sermon
Contains insight, quotes, newspaper clippings, illustrations, textual insights
Even if you don’t use all the information, its very presence will take much of the pressure out of your weekly sermon preparation
Build a folder library – family; salvation; justification; sanctification, etc.
Remember – God called YOU to preach this sermon.
He called you to this situation to preach to these people.
Don’t shrink, don’t shirk, preach His truth with boldness!
God is glorified when His truth is proclaimed (not merely when people respond positively)
You’re a herald and you preach to the audience of One.
If the Master was pleased, that’s all the feedback you need.
Recommended For Further Reading:
Christ Centered Preaching – Bryan Chapell
The Supremacy of God in Preaching – John Piper
Recomended Video Training:
The Mechanics of Expositional Preaching – Dr. Steve Lawson at the Master’s Seminary:
http://www.reformationtheology.com/2016/07/the_mechanics_of_expository_pr.php
The Supremacy of Christ in Truth in a Postmodern World
Voddie Baucham:
Every human being is asking, has asked, or will ask these questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is wrong with the world? and Can what is wrong be made right? It is very important that Christians not only answer these questions, but answer them in a manner that distinguishes the Christian worldview from all others. Paul gives us a model for doing so in Colossians 1:15-22
Reforming the Church
John Calvin on the Necessity for Reforming the Church – by Robert Godfrey (original source a request came to John Calvin to write on the character of and need for reform in the Church. The circumstances were quite different from those that inspired other writings of Calvin, and enable us to see other dimensions of his defense of the Reformation. The Emperor Charles V was calling the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire to meet in the city of Speyer in 1544. Martin Bucer, the great reformer of Strassburg, appealed to Calvin to draft a statement of the doctrines of and necessity for the Reformation. The result was remarkable. Theodore Beza, Calvin’s friend and successor in Geneva, called “The Necessity for Reforming the Church” the most powerful work of his time.
Calvin organizes the work into three large sections. The first section is devoted to the evils in the church that required reformation. The second details the particular remedies to those evils adopted by the reformers. The third shows why reform could not be delayed, but rather how the situation demanded “instant amendment.”
In each of these three sections Calvin focuses on four topics, which he calls the soul and body of the church. The soul of the church is worship and salvation. The body is sacraments and church government. The great cause of reform for Calvin centers in these topics. The evils, remedies and necessity for prompt action all relate to worship, salvation, sacraments and church government.
The great cause of reform for Calvin centers in these topics. The importance of these topics for Calvin is highlighted when we remember that he was not responding to attacks in these four areas, but chose them himself as the most important aspects of the Reformation. Proper worship is Calvin’s first concern.
Worship
Calvin stresses the importance of worship because human beings so easily worship according to their own wisdom rather than God’s. He insists that worship must be regulated by the Word of God alone: “I know how difficult it is to persuade the world that God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by His Word. The opposite persuasion which cleaves to them, being seated, as it were, in their very bones and marrow, is, that whatever they do has in itself a sufficient sanction, provided it exhibits some kind of zeal for the honour of God. But since God not only regards as fruitless, but also plainly abominates, whatever we undertake from zeal to His worship, if at variance with His command what do we gain by a contrary course? The words of God are clear and distinct, ‘Obedience is better than sacrifice.’” This conviction is one of the reasons that reform was required: “. . . since . . . God in many passages forbids any new worship unsanctioned by his Word; since he declares that he is grievously offended with the presumption which invents such worship, and threatens it with severe punishment, it is clear that the reformation which we have introduced was demanded by a strong necessity.” By the standard of God’s Word Calvin concludes of the Roman Catholic Church that “the whole form of divine worship in general use in the present day is nothing but mere corruption.” Continue reading
Fourth Commandment – Teaching Series
The following teaching series is by Pastor Dan Caffese (Sovereign Grace Bible Church, Phoenix, AZ). Though lengthy, in my opinion, it is an exceptional and thorough overview of the fourth commandment and its implications for today. Dan addresses the subject matter with a great deal of precision and care. One word of advice though: I would highly recommend going through each of the teachings in order as each biblical study builds on the previous one.
(1) Fourth Commandment – Introduction
(2) More than One Purpose
(3) Typological Purpose (Part 1)
(4) Typological Purpose (Part 2)
(5) Typological Purpose (Part 3)
(6) Unchanging Moral Law? (Pt 1)
(7) Unchanging Moral Law? (Pt 2)
(8) Unchanging Moral Law? (Pt 3)
(9) How Was It Understood by New Testament Churches? (Part 1)
(10) How Was It Understood by New Testament Churches? (Part 2)
(11) New Covenant and Eternal Sabbaths?
(12) Conclusions and Implications
(13) Why Go to Church – Unchanging Obligation
(14) Why Go to Church – God Chooses Where He Reveals Himself
(15) Why Go to Church – God Reveals Himself in His Temple
(16) Why Go to Church – God’s Assembled People are the Temple
(17) Why Go to Church – Applications (Part 1)
(18) Why Go to Church – Applications (Part 2)
The Sabbath for Israel
What did the 4th commandment mean to the Israelites to whom it was given?
The fourth commandment was to be observed as a sign of the Mosaic Covenant the Israelites had just entered:
Exodus 31:12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.
Ezekiel 20:9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them… 19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.
Sabbath observance was to remind Israel that they were in covenant relationship with Yahweh. The reason the sign was a day of rest was to remind them that Yahweh redeemed them from the house of bondage and gave them rest.
Deut. 5:12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
They practiced this command because they were a redeemed-by-Yahweh-people. This is what the Sabbath in the Decalouge, in the Mosaic Covenant, is about. This is not a natural law matter written on all human consciences. It’s a redemptive revelation revealed in the “gospel” in the law – God giving His people rest and rolling back the curse.
None of the Israelite observance was applicable to non covenant members, i.e. Gentiles. Actually it would be a misuse of the command for Gentiles to practice this Sabbath as if they were one of Yahweh’s people; much like an unbeliever practicing the Lord’s Supper in our day.
*The WCF/LBCF sabbatarian needs to show that 1) Non covenant members were required to keep the 4th commandment and 2) when they do keep it, keeping it means something different for them from what it means for covenant members.
Only Love Can Drive Out Hate
By Demari James Thompson
I want to tell you all a story. When I was 16 years old, my mother dropped me off at a rehearsal early. So early that no one else was there yet and the building was locked. So I sat outside, put my stuff down shake the officers hand and say, “hello officer”. The cops entire body shifted from defensive to calm. He smiled and shook my hand. He then informed me that Someone had called the police saying there was a young black man loitering and acting strange infront of her workplace and she was scared.
Unbeknownst to me, there was a janitor inside cleaning. A little white lady. She was the one who called the police. After I explained to the officer what I was doing there and pointed to my picture on the wall through the window to help prove my story and directed his attention to my shirt which had the name of said theatre on it, he then knocked on the window and asked the lady to come out. She did. Once the officer and I explained the situation, she apologized and gave me a hug. The office shook both of our hands and went on with his day. The lady even allowed me to wait inside with her so that I would not be in the heat.
This entire situation could have ended very badly had I gotten defensive when seeing the cop approach me, but instead, I chose to show him the respect he deserved.
Racism is real, but we can’t fight it with violence and riots. We fight it with education, love, respect, and Kindness.
“Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that!” -MLK
Dr. James Dolezal on Classical Theism
The following are a series of lectures from Dr. James Dolezal on such doctrines as Divine simplicity, the unity of the Trinity, impassibility, immutibility, etc.
Divine Simplicity and the Grammar of Classical Christian Orthodoxy
Theistic Personalism and the Erosion of Classical Christian Theism
Divine Simplicity and Its Modern Detractors
Divine Eternity and the Challenge of Creation
Substantial Unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Calvin, Baptisms in the SBC & Evangelism
Believe it or not, John Calvin is being actually blamed for a lack of baptisms taking place in the Southern Baptist movement. I was interviewed about this today (and the wider issue of divine election and evangelism) on Pastor Kevin Boling’s “Knowing the Truth” broadcast (26 minutes) in South Carolina.