Torches and Bonfires

Upcoming Preaching Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:50:00 +0000

May 26th
11AM: Godless (Part 1) Job 27:7-10
6 PM: Godless (Part 2) Job 27:7-10

June 2nd
11AM: Pastor Merle Preaching
6 PM: Pastor Merle Preaching

June 9th
11AM: The Spear (Lord's Supper Service) John 19:34
6 PM: Godless (Part 3) Job 27:7-10

June 16th
11AM: Lessons on Shepherding from the Good Shepherd (Part 1) Psalm 23
6 PM: Lessons on Shepherding from the Good Shepherd (Part 2) Psalm 23

June 23rd - THE GREAT EIGHT
Our verse by verse exposition of Romans 8 begins.

Order of Worship - May 5th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:20:00 +0000

3 Hymns I've Been Loving Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:18:00 +0000

There Is a Land of Pure Delight by Isaac Watts

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign,
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

There everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flowers:
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heav’nly land from ours.

Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood
Stand dressed in living green:
So to the Jews old Canaan stood,
While Jordan rolled between.

But timorous mortals start and shrink
To cross this narrow sea;
And linger, shivering on the brink,
And fear to launch away.

O could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy thoughts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love
With unbeclouded eyes!

Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o’er,
Not Jordan’s stream, nor death’s cold flood,
Should fright us from the shore.

There Is No Night in Heaven by Francis Knollis

There is no night in heaven;
in that blest world above
work never can bring weariness,
for work itself is love.

There is no grief in heaven;
for life is one glad day;
and tears are of those former things
which all have passed away.

There is no sin in heaven;
behold that blessèd throng:
all holy is their spotless robe,
all holy is their song!

There is no death in heaven;
for they who gain that shore
have won their immortality,
and they can die no more.

Lord Jesus, be our Guide;
O lead us safely on,
till night and grief and sin and death
are past, and heaven is won!

This last one is actually a combination of two hymns that I've been playing/singing as one. The two hymns are Stand Up, My Soul by Isaac Watts and Oft in Danger, Oft in Woe by Henry Kirke White

Stand up, my soul; shake off thy fears,
And gird the gospel armor on.
March to the gates of endless joy,
Where your great Captain, Savior's gone.

Oft in danger, oft in woe,
Onward, Christian, onward go:
Fight the fight, maintain the strife,
Strengthened with the Bread of Life.

Stand up, my soul! Stand up, my soul!

Hell and your sins resist your course,
But hell and sin are vanquished foes:
Your Jesus nailed them to His cross,
And sung the triumph when he rose.

Onward Christians, onward go.
Join the war and face the foe.
Faint not; much doth yet remain;
Dreary is the long campaign.

Stand up, my soul! Stand up, my soul!

Then let my soul march boldly on,
Press forward to the heav'nly gate;
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glitt'ring robes for conqu'rors wait.

Shrink not, Christians, will ye yield?
Will ye quit the painful field?
Will ye flee in danger's hour?
Know ye not your Captain's power?
Let your drooping hearts be glad:
March in heavenly armor clad:
Fight, nor think the battle long,
Victory soon shall tune your song.

Stand up, my soul! Stand up, my soul!
Stand up, my soul! Stand up, my soul!

Let not woe your course impede,
Great your strength if great your need.
Let not sorrow dim your eye,
Soon shall every tear be dry.

Order of Worship - April 28th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:11:00 +0000

Order of Worship - April 21st, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:40:00 +0000

Order of Worship - April 14th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:45:00 +0000

Reasons Young Adults Forsake the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Reasons Young Adults Forsake the Church

KEY TEXTS: Psalm 145:1-7; Proverbs 22:6

Statistics

40% of American teenagers attend church weekly (National Study of Youth and Religion)

20% of American young adults attend church weekly (NSYR)

Half of all teenagers who grow up attending church weekly stop when they become young adults.

3 out of 5 (59%) of Americans who identify themselves as “Christian” disconnect from church either permanently or for an extended period after age 15 (Barna)

A Summary of Reasons that Young Adults Offered for Why They No Longer Attend Church (Barna)

1. Their church was too overprotective.

2. Their church experience was shallow.

3. Their church was antagonistic to science.

4. Their church handled questions relating to sex in an over-simplistic, judgmental way.

5. Their church insisted on the exclusivity of Christ and yet seemed afraid of the beliefs of other religions.

6. Their church seemed unfriendly towards those struggling with doubts.

Interesting Statistics from the NSYR

- Only 11% of young adults who stopped attending church indicated that it was because of “disbelief”.

- 41% of young adults who stopped attending church said either “I don’t know” or “No reason”.

- 17% said that they just weren’t interested in church anymore.

What the NSYR researchers found is that the young adults who were most likely to stop attending church were those who, though they basically believed the “right” things, lacked a real understanding of those beliefs, appreciation of their importance, and ability to apply them to their everyday experiences. According to Christian Smith, director of the NSYR project and author of two books on the subject of youth and religion, it was as if the teenagers and young adults were being asked to speak a “second language” that sounded confused and awkward, especially when it came to how their “faith” impacted their daily lives. Smith coined the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” to describe what he and his colleagues frequently heard in their interviews. Most young people believe that God created the world and sent Jesus to die for their sins, but in terms of their everyday experiences, God seems to be little more than a cosmic therapist (to make them “feel loved, happy, secure,” etc.) and giver of moral advice (to teach them how to be “good” people and occasionally help them resolve their “problems”).

Is it any surprise, then, that so many young adults (about 80% of them)...make such little effort to nurture a “faith” that is so shallow, impersonal, bland, and inconsequential? Why would young people, in the midst of their busy lives, go through the trouble of going to church when they can get the same “advice” or “inspiration” they’re looking for by reading Chicken Soup for the Soul or watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show? Such a “faith” hardly seems worth rearranging one’s life around. Sure, these young adults were agreeable enough to attend church as teenagers without much kicking and screaming, but now that they have the freedom to make their own decisions, they are merely giving church the level of commitment that they have always felt it deserved (which isn’t very much). - John Rohrman

Some Lessons

- The utter importance of the gospel and regeneration

- The importance of giving our teenagers real depth in the things of God, and not watering things down for them.

- The importance of a biblical worldview that rightly understands the role of the local church.

- The importance of parents and churches lovingly and patiently walking alongside teenagers and helping them make sense of life, culture, sex, science, other religions, etc. in a way that reflects our confidence in God’s Word and doesn’t condemn them for having questions or doubts.

Order of Worship - April 7th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:24:00 +0000

Cultivating Your Friendship with Your Spouse (Notes from Today's Sunday School Lesson)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:11:00 +0000

6) Cultivating Your Friendship with Your Spouse

KEY TEXT: Song of Solomon 5:10-16

What We Have Learned in the Past Concerning Friendship

The Bible Seems to Emphasize Four Chief Elements of Friendship:

1. Loyalty (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 19:4-7; 27:10)

2. Sacrifice (1 Samuel 18:4; 20:1-3, 30-33)

3. Honesty (Proverbs 27:6, 9)

4. Forgiveness (Proverb 17:9, 17)

3 Key Points about Friendship in Marriage (That Overlap!)

1. Live life together.

a. Share your thoughts, your feelings, your fears, and your dreams with one another.

b. Trust each other with secrets and thoughts that you would not share with others.

c. Don’t ever break that trust, but let there be a body of knowledge that is shared by you, your spouse, and God alone.

NOTE: New couples especially need to remember that they shouldn’t share everything their spouse says with mom or dad!

d. Make decisions together.

e. Do new and fun things together to strengthen the bonds of friendship.

f. Have common projects.

g. Read a book together.

h. Seek to encourage your spouse when he/she is down.

2. Communicate constantly.

a. Have at least a brief time each day to share with one another the experiences of that day and to express your own thoughts and feelings about those experiences.

b. Have regular date nights where you can have an extended time of conversation.

c. Occasionally, get away for a whole day or more, just you and your spouse, to think and talk and pray together.

d. Throughout each day, communicate and know where each other is (especially for the sake of prayer!)

e. When you are away from each other over night, which you should always avoid as much as possible, take some time to speak to one another and to express your love for one another.

3. Walk with God together.

a. Engage in spiritual conversations with one another.

b. Share with one another your spiritual highs and lows – your moments of spiritual joy and your moments of spiritual depression or doubt.

c. Be in church together, and use what you learn there to prompt good conversation.

d. Pray with one another, both husband and wife praying out loud.

* Highly recommended on this subject is Joel Beeke's Marriage and Family Class lessons available for free on sermonaudio.com

Order of Worship - March 31st 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:35:00 +0000

Order of Worship - March 24th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:03:00 +0000

Order of Worship - March 17th, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Glorious Inheritance Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:09:00 +0000

God was very good to us during the Glorious Inheritance Conference this past week. You can hear the audio from this conference on our website here.

Narnia Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:25:00 +0000

It's way too early for me to be promoting this, but I am very excited about it! Check it out here.

Deliverance - Part II (God's Providence and Evil)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:12:00 +0000

Deliverance – Part II

Genesis 45:1-15

February 10^th, 2013

AM Service

Introduction

Albert Fish appeared to be a very kind man. He was a grandfather, not at all intimidating, and was generous. He seemed to care about people. His wife loved him dearly and believed him to be a great husband. His children looked up to him and respected him as their dear father. But Mr. Fish had a secret. Over a period of many years, he befriended a number of young children. Using false names and false identities, he earned the trust of their families, ultimately luring these children into his trap. He abused them. He murdered them. He did unspeakable things to their bodies. He cooked them and ate them. He created his own favorite recipes using the bodies of children. If his own words are to be believed, Albert Fish had around 100 victims in his lifetime.

This past Christmas Eve, a church in northern Nigeria gathered together for a Christmas Eve service. During the service, gunmen came into the church and killed six people, including the pastor. The following Saturday, December 29^th, Nigerian gunmen entered the homes of Christians who had recently moved into a neighborhood and slaughtered 15 of them. The next day, gunmen entered a northern Nigeria church and killed another fifteen people. These gunmen are a part of Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group.

Friends, we live in a world in which real evil exists. This is a world in which six million Jews were systematically killed through gas chambers and other means for simply being born Jewish. This is a world in which people will strap themselves up with explosives and intentionally seek to kill as many victims as possible. This is a world in which a young man will walk into a school and take the lives of 20 first graders.

How do you make sense of this? If our God is real, and He is good, and He is all-powerful, then how can evil exist? Surely if He is good, He is against evil. Surely if He is all-powerful, He has the power to vanquish evil. So if this good, all-powerful God is real, why is there evil in this world? Could it be that our God’s sovereignty is limited? Could it be that He does not have control over evil? Could it be that evil exists in this world and in your life because God is incapable of stopping it?

The glorious truth that we are studying in our passage this morning gives us clear answers to these questions. Our God is all-powerful and good. He has infinite sovereignty – nothing is outside of His control. Evil exists because God has ordained it to exist, and all for the purpose of good.

The key verses of this chapter, and of all of this portion of Genesis, are verses 5, 7, and 8. Verse 5: “And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” The brothers sold Joseph in to slavery. This was an evil deed. Yet Joseph said that through this deed, God sent him to Egypt for a good purpose. Lives are being preserved.

Look at verse 7: “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” In other words, the sin of these brothers was used by God to show mercy to these brothers. This family – the family of Jacob, of Israel – is God’s remnant on the earth. They are among the very few who know the true God and worship the true God. God has been working even through their sin to preserve their lives.

Look at verse 8: “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Yes, the brothers were the immediate cause of Joseph being sent to Egypt. But they were not the primary cause. God’s will was the primary cause. This is the doctrine of providence: God works all things according to the counsel of His own will.

Last time we looked at this passage we saw that God’s providence extends even to the thoughts, words, and actions of human beings. Even the things which we do freely of our own wills are still ultimately a part of God’s plan, accomplishing His purpose.

This morning, we are going to notice a second truth about providence taught here. God’s providence works good from evil. God’s providence works good from evil.

To unpack that truth, I want us to answer three questions. 1: Is God truly sovereign over evil? 2. Does this make God the Author of evil? 3. Why would our good God ordain for evil to exist?

Is God Truly Sovereign Over Evil?

1. Is God truly sovereign over evil?

Our passage seems to indicate that this is indeed the case. The evil actions of these brothers was not outside of God’s control, but was part of His will. In Genesis 50:20 we will hear Joseph say this, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

If these were the only verses in the Bible that spoke this way, we might assume that Joseph’s story was a special case. But his was not a special case. Over and over again the Bible shows God’s control over the evil that happens in this world.

Surely Pharaoh hardening his heart against God, refusing to submit to God’s will – that was evil. That was wicked rebellion and pride. And the book of Exodus tells us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Yet, listen to what God told Moses ahead of time in Exodus 4:21: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Pharaoh did – he was the immediate cause. He committed the sin. But ultimately Pharaoh did only what God ordained and caused him to do, so that God could get glory over Pharaoh.

We see something very similar in Joshua 11, when kings from Canaan lead an attack against God’s people. Listen to verse 20: “For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy, but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses.” It was the LORD’s doing.

In the book of Job, we are told that Satan himself was at work to destroy Job’s livestock, and to kill Job’s children and servants. Yet when Job, in his misery, reflected on the evil that had happened to him, he said, “Naked I came from mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” We might say, “Job, you’ve misunderstood! It was Satan who did these things. Don’t charge God with doing wrong!” But the very next verse says, “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” You see, Job was not being sinful or misguided – he was acknowledging the truth. Even the worst that Satan can do can only come to pass with God’s permission.

Amos 3:6: “Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has done it?

Isaiah 45:7: “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.”

The greatest example of God’s providence extending to evil is the cross itself. The murder of Jesus was the greatest evil act ever committed. This was not just the killing of an innocent man – it was the torture and murder of the very Son of God, the King of glory, the Creator and Sustainer of us all. Who committed the vilest act in human history? Was it Pilate? Was it the Roman soldiers? Was it the crowd who yelled, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Is Judas to be held responsible? Yes – all of these played their part. All of these contributed to the murder of Jesus. But listen to Peter preaching to the crowd in Acts 2:23: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” Did you hear that? According to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. Or listen to Acts 4:27-28. Here we have the Christians in Jerusalem praying, and they say to God, “for truly in this city were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” Is that not clear? Yes, Herod and Pilate and the Gentiles and the Jews all had their part. But they did what God’s hand and plan had predestined to take place.

God is sovereign over evil – even the evil in your life. No calamity, no evil word spoken to you, no evil deed done to you is outside of His control. No, it is a part of His plan for your good. Even your own sins, though He hates them with true and furious hatred, are still a part of His plan to cause you to love the mercy and grace given in Jesus Christ. God’s providence extends even to evil.

Is God the Author of Evil?

Now, this creates a problem. If God’s working of all things according to His plan includes evil thoughts, words, actions, events – doesn’t this make God the Author of evil?

If, by Author, we mean that God actually commits sin, the answer is absolutely not. The Bible is clear that God cannot nor will not commit evil:

Deuteronomy 32:4: “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

Job 34:10: “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.”

Psalm 5:4: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.”

James 1:13: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.’”

1 John 1:5: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

To say that God commits sin is to be guilty of blasphemy. He is pure and blameless, and all sin is disgusting to His eternal soul.

Now, added to this, we know that God rightly holds responsible those who do commit sin, even though that sin was in His plan. For example, God judged Pharaoh for hardening his heart against God, though we know that God had ordained this.

Consider Judas. Jesus said this about Judas in Matthew 26:24: “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” What Judas did was not only ordained by God, but was prophesied centuries before he did it. Nevertheless, Judas did it willingly, and Jesus says that his punishment will be so severe that it will have been better for him had he never been born.

In 1 Samuel 24 we are told that God incited David to take a sinful census of the people of Israel. A few verses later, we find David grieving over and confessing his sin. God punishes him. God had ordained the sin and worked to bring it to pass, but He still punishes David, and does so justly. You see, though God ordains and works to bring sinful things to pass, He is never the direct cause. The wickedness in our hearts is the direct cause. God knows what is in each person’s heart, and He knows how to arrange circumstances so that we choose willingly to do good or evil.

Think about our study of Joseph. God knew He wanted to get Joseph to Egypt. He also knew that Judah’s heart in particular was prone toward the sin of greed – always looking for a way to make money. So, just at the time that the brothers have attacked Joseph, what does God do? He brings a slave caravan by. The timing is perfect. God does not cause Judah to sin. Judah is no robot here. But by arranging circumstances in this way, Judah will sin, and God’s purpose will be done. Judah’s wicked heart will be the main mover, but God has orchestrated it all. And don’t forget, in all of this, God is working for ultimate good. Judah’s life will be saved because of this.

The Bible is clear that God ordains evil, but does not commit it. Moreover, evil no more springs forth from God than darkness springs forth from light. Would we argue that darkness comes from the sun? No. Darkness is the absence of the sun’s influence – it’s the absence of light. So it is with sin in this world. God is pure goodness and light. He overflows with grace and love. But at times, He withholds Himself from the heart of someone. This is what it means for God to harden someone’s heart. God is constantly overflowing in grace on everybody – or we’d all be worse than Hitler. But at times God chooses to pull the shades a little lower, let a little less light in. He lessens His influence and grace on a heart, and wherever God is not, darkness is. Sin is not so much a thing as the absence of a thing. Sin is the absence of God-ness. Evil does not come from God. Evil is the absence of God in us. And when He lessens His gracious influence on our lives, we live in un-godliness.

So is God the Author of evil? No. He is the Author of good. And for goodness’ sake, He wills that evil be.

Why Would Our Good God Ordain Evil Acts?

But why? This is question 3: Why would our good God ordain that evil be?

This is where men like John Piper and Jonathan Edwards have been so helpful in my life. Jonathan Edwards in particular tackled this question, seeking to bring to us a biblical answer. What I would like to do is read you his answer, and then show it to you in the Bible.

It is a proper and excellent thing for infinite glory to shine forth; and for the same reason, it is proper that the shining forth of God's glory should be complete; that is, that all parts of his glory should shine forth, that every beauty should be proportionably effulgent, that the beholder may have a proper notion of God. It is not proper that one glory should be exceedingly manifested, and another not at all. . . .

Thus it is necessary, that God's awful majesty, his authority and dreadful greatness, justice, and holiness, should be manifested. But this could not be, unless sin and punishment had been decreed; so that the shining forth of God's glory would be very imperfect, both because these parts of divine glory would not shine forth as the others do, and also the glory of his goodness, love, and holiness would be faint without them; nay, they could scarcely shine forth at all.

If it were not right that God should decree and permit and punish sin, there could be no manifestation of God's holiness in hatred of sin, or in showing any preference, in his providence, of godliness before it. There would be no manifestation of God's grace or true goodness, if there was no sin to be pardoned, no misery to be saved from. How much happiness soever he bestowed, his goodness would not be so much prized and admired. . . .

So evil is necessary, in order to the highest happiness of the creature, and the completeness of that communication of God, for which he made the world; because the creature's happiness consists in the knowledge of God, and the sense of his love. And if the knowledge of him be imperfect, the happiness of the creature must be proportionably imperfect.

In other words, God’s purpose in this universe is ultimately to have for Himself a people, bearing His image, who share in His eternal joy as they behold His glory. God’s purpose is to thrill these people with all His glorious character, including His awesome love. But apart from evil in this world, there is so much of God’s glory that we would never see. We would not understand His justice or righteousness. We would have no concept of grace or mercy. Even His love would seem not so great, because it did not cost God anything. You see, church, though God hates evil with an infinite passion, He has ordained that evil be for the purpose of the greater good. With evil in the world, He is able to display all of His attributes in wondrous and perfect proportion, and His people can grasp something of the height, and the width and the breadth, and the depth of just how awesome God’s love for them really is. Evil exists for the same reason Satan exists – so that God can get glory over them, and good can be truly known and celebrated forever and ever.

Where do we see this in the Bible? Do you even have to ask. I know we’re being slow in getting there, but we are going to get to Romans 8. And you know that precious verse which means so much to us. Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” All things for good! For good! Even evil things ordained and worked for good.

This is the message of Joseph and his brothers. This is the message of the Bible to you in the midst of your suffering and hardship. God has not brought difficulty in your life for no reason. Trust Him. He loves you. He has your welfare in mind. He has your eternal happiness in mind. He is doing you good.

At the very center of this great plan is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The cross is the hinge on which God’s great plan swings. It is at the cross that we see God’s great hatred of evil, as He pours out hell upon His Son for the guilt of sinners. Christ cries out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” as His soul endured an anguish greater than you or I can imagine. But it is also at the cross that we see God’s great love and mercy, as it is revealed that Christ is standing in the place of sinners like you and me. Dear friend, you cannot come to God without coming to the cross. It is through the cross that the glory of God is most clearly expressed to you. Do you see it, or are you still blind? Does your heart melt as you stand in awe of this God, both His power and His great compassion towards you? Can you now say with David that the steadfast love of the LORD is better than life?

Friends, do not reject this God. Do not ignore Him. You won’t be able to ignore Him forever. I am here as His ambassador this morning, bringing to you His message. He says to you, “Dear sinner: you have done much that is wrong. You have done much that has grieved Me and roused up My righteous anger. But I love you. Through Jesus Christ, I have done everything necessary for you to be right with Me. Humble yourself and receive my love. See that I am good and wise, turn from your sins, follow Me. Trust Me.” This is what God says to you. He says, “Trust my Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I will forgive your sins. I will make you my special child. I will bring your soul safely to heaven, and I will find My joy in blessing you with the wonder of My own glory.”

Dear friend, to reject this God is to commit spiritual suicide – don’t do it. Don’t reject a God so good. He is full of love and tenderness, but He is not safe. If you spurn Him, then for the sake of His own glory and for the sake of the happiness of His people, He will come against you. This is a God who loves His people with a love deeper than the Pacific Oven, greater than the expanse of the universe. Will you not be one of His? Will you not raise the white flag, surrender yourself to His truth and His teaching, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ? I pray you will. Let’s pray.

Deliverance (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Deliverance – Part I

Genesis 45:1-15

January 13^th, 2013

AM Service

Introduction – Providence vs Chance

What do believe about the unfolding of time? What do you believe about the events which have occurred just this week? President Obama nominated Senator Hagel to be the new Secretary of Defense. Hospitals around the country reported that they are dealing with an unusually high number of flu cases. Alabama won the college football national title. The earth continued to spin, and you and I lived another week.

But could it be that all of this is just a matter of chance? Could it be that you and I are just a random conjunction of molecules, and that everything which occurred this week – big and small – happened without the guidance of any sovereign hand? Could it be that they future is completely unknown, it has not been written yet, and that no one is in control? Could it be that this universe has always existed, with no beginning, energy becoming matter, matter becoming energy, an endless cycle in which everything we know has no lasting meaning?

Friends, the wise our age tell us that this is how it is. Religion served its purpose of helping ignorant people explain things they couldn’t understand, but science has now given us the answers. There is no God. Everything can be explained on the level of physics and chemistry. And in the end, there is no meaning to any of this.

The Bible has a very different message. Religion and science are not at odds with each other. But religion trumps science. That is, God does exists, and nothing happens by chance, and your life and my life does have meaning. Science is simply the uncovering of the way God normally works. Science is the study of God’s ways with His creation. Any form of science that puts God out of the picture will always come to deeply flawed conclusions. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. Remove God from your equation and you have neither knowledge nor wisdom.

Mount Hermon, this world is not governed by random chance. The future has been written, and your life has a purpose within the great story. The final chapters of Genesis have been given to us to teach us the sweet doctrine of the providence of God. He is not far off from us. Rather, He is here, intimately involved with His creation, so that nothing happens apart from His sovereign will. Not one sparrow falls to the ground. Not one name is put forward for Secretary of Defense. Not one person is affected by the flu. Not one football play succeeds or fails. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens apart from God’s sovereign will. He is at work. Everywhere and in everything – He is at work.

The Passage

Joseph was attacked by his brothers, sold into slavery. He ended up being falsely accused of attempted rape, and spent years in an Egyptian prison. Now, he is the second in command over all of Egypt. Through him, thousands of people have had their lives spared in the midst of a severe famine. The famine is not yet over. But because Joseph is in power, his family – the chosen family, from whom the Messiah will come – will be preserved. Until now Joseph’s brothers did not know that the man from whom they were receiving help was their brother. But now Joseph reveals who he is to them. Let’s read verses 1-15.

(READ VERSES 1-15)

What Is Providence?

We see the doctrine of providence set clearly before us in these verses. I especially want us to note verses 5, 7, and 8. Verse 5: “And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” The brothers sold him. Yet God sent him. The brothers did the selling. Yet through their evil deed, God was sending.

Look at verse 7: “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” In other words, even the sin of these brothers was used by God to show mercy to these brothers. This family – the family of Jacob, of Israel – is God’s remnant on the earth. They are among the very few who know the true God and worship the true God. God has been working to preserve their lives.

Look at verse 8: “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Joseph, what do you mean? It was they who attacked you. It was they who stripped you of your coat. It was they who put you into the hands of the slave traders and took money for your life. How can you say that did not send you to Egypt.

The brothers had a very short-term goal in mind when they sold Joseph. They wanted to get rid of him, and Judah seemed to want to make a little money off of him. But behind their very short-sighted purpose was God’s deeper and ancient purpose. God had purposed this to take place in eternity past, long before there was a Joseph, or a family of Israel, a place called Egypt, or even a universe. God scripted this story, and ultimately it was about His plan to display His awesome mercy by sending His Son to be a Savior for sinners.

So, what do we mean when we use the word “providence”? One definition we might use is this: God’s providence is His sovereign and wise working of all things according to His preordained plans for His preordained purposes. Let me say that again: God’s providence is His sovereign and wise working of all things according to his preordained plans for His preordained purposes.

God’s sovereignty is His authority to rule. God’s sovereignty is His right to govern all things because He is God. God’s providence is the exercise of His sovereignty. God’s providence is what He chooses to do as the sovereign over all things. All that God does is wise. All that God does is in accordance with the great plan which He developed before He created this world. He is the Master architect of history – He did not simply create the world and then decide to sit back and see what would happen. No, He is the author of history, and it is from His heart and mind that every character and every event has come. And this story has a purpose – namely, to put on display before Himself, His holy angels, and His redeemed people all of His glorious attributes. The purpose of history is for God to set forth what could not be seen otherwise – His justice and wrath, His mercy and love. God is intrinsically just and gracious, righteous and merciful. But these attributes would never have been seen without a stage for God to put them on display. This universe exists as God’s handiwork, a palette on which He can display all His glorious character.

Now, from our passage this morning I want to note four truths concerning God’s providence. All of our time today will be spent on the first one.

Four Truths

1. God’s providence extends to all things, including the decisions and actions of human beings.

We see this clearly in our passage: the brothers of Joseph had acted wickedly, and yet their actions were ultimately a part of God’s sovereign plan for good. When Ephesians 1:11 says that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will”, it clearly means all things, including the actions of people.

It is a bit easier for some to acknowledge God’s providence in other things than it is to acknowledge His providence in the decisions and actions of human beings. The Bible is clear that it is God who causes the sun to rise, both on the evil and the good. It is God who sends rain on the just and on the unjust. It is God who controls the weather, God who causes the grass to grow. God is in control of the harvest, which is why we pray to Him for our daily bread. As Thomas Watson said, “We are fed everyday out of the alms-basket of God’s providence.”

Nothing happens by chance. “The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33) Even an ax-head flying off its handle and killing a man is part of the providence of God according to Exodus 21:13 and Deuteronomy 19:5.

God controls the sparrows and all other animals. At His word Egypt was full of frogs, and at His word they all died. At His word the gnats invaded, and then the flies, and later locusts, but at His word they also departed. But sometimes people are hesitant to suggest that God exercises the same control over human beings. They will acknowledge that God works in groups of human beings – He causes nations to rise and fall. Job 12:23 says, “God makes nations great, and He destroys them. He enlarges nations, and leads them away.” But when it comes to your life and my life as individuals, the Bible is clear that God’s providence does not shrink back. God is as intimately involved in steering our lives as individuals as He is in the steering of universe as a whole.

God has already predetermined the number of years and months that will make up your life. Job 14:5 says that man’s “days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.”

Ultimately, the steps you take are being steered by God to accomplish His sovereign will. Jeremiah 10:23: “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” Proverbs 20:24: “A man’s steps are ordered by the LORD.” Proverbs 16:9: “A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

Even the words we say are ultimately a part of God’s plan. Proverbs 16:1: “The plans of the mind belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.”

This doesn’t mean that you don’t make real choices. You absolutely do. We are all led by what is in our hearts. Nobody has to tell you to follow your heart – we all do that every moment naturally. It is out of your heart that your mouth speaks. It is out of your heart that you make choices.

But God has power over the hearts of men. Through His ordering of outward circumstances, and through His secret, invisible working upon souls, He moves and compels people into conformity with His sovereign plan. He does not do violence to your will, forcing you to act in some way. Rather, He works in a thousand ways to decisively compel you to do or say or think what He has appointed. You do what you want, and yet you are doing what He has chosen for you to do. Sometimes God acts in grace upon the heart, moving and compelling a person towards righteousness. At other times, He chooses not to act in grace, but in righteous judgment, hardening the heart. Romans 9:18 says, “He has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” This is His right – He is the Potter and we are the clay.

Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever He will.” We have many examples of this in the Scripture, the most famous of which is God hardening the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let God’s people go, all so that God could display His mighty power and make His name known among the nations. But another example is found in the book of Ezra. There, the Jewish exiles have returned to Jerusalem and are eager to rebuild the Temple that has been destroyed. However, they have no resources for this building project. What does God do? The answer is in Ezra 6:22. God “…turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”

In Daniel 5, Daniel stands before King Belshazzar and says, “…you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath and Whose are all your ways, you have not honored.” In other words, Daniel tells King Belshazzar that all of his ungodly, evil ways were actually a part of God’s plan all along. Just like with Satan himself, the very worst that can be done against God is ultimately a part of God’s story to glorify His name.

Lest we begin to think that God only gets involved with the hearts of kings, the Scriptures are clear that God operates this way with all of us. For example, who would have ever dreamed that the Egyptians would give the people of Israel their silver and gold jewelry? In the book of Exodus, the Israelites were their slaves. Yet God, through His 10 plagues and through His sovereign work in the hearts of the Egyptians, made it so that just before Israel departed from Egypt, the people asked the Egyptians for their silver and gold, and the people gave it. We are told that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians – not forcefully, but by simply asking for their valuables. We are told that God had given the people [of Israel] favor in the sight of the Egyptians.

God’s providence over your life and my life is so comprehensive that it covers everything we say, think, or do, as well as every event of our lives, every words spoken to us or about us, every action done by others concerning us – all is scripted and brought to pass by Him. Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.”

History is His story – God is the Author, and we the characters. Romeo and Juliet thought their own thoughts, said what they wanted to say, did what they chose to do. Yet everything they did was written by Shakespeare, and without him they did nothing, nor would they exist. So it is with us and God. We are characters in His story. This story is very true and very real.

Now, there is a lot of mystery here. These are the kinds of truths should cause us to marvel at the wisdom of God. We must not expect to fully understand how God’s providence works in this life. We must simply acknowledge what the Scriptures teach: that God truly works in all things, including the thoughts, words, and actions of human beings. He works in such a way that His every purpose is accomplished. He works in such a way that He does not do violence to the wills of human beings, and we are justly held responsible by Him for the things we think, say, and do.

Now, you may have questions. Next Sunday we will try and address some of the more common questions as we look at our second truth from this passage. This morning, however, I want to draw out a few implications from this first one.

Implications of This First Truth

Our truth this morning is that God’s providence extends to all things, including the thoughts, words, and actions of human beings.

Implication 1: We should be encouraged towards greater faith, because our God sees the big picture. You and I do not see the big picture yet – certainly not the way God does. Joseph must have been greatly tempted to doubt God’s goodness and love when everything was taken away from him and he was placed in chains and marched through the desert to a foreign land. He may have wondered if God had forsaken him when he sat in that Egyptian prison. At that point, Joseph could only see pieces of the puzzle. But God could see the whole thing.

When Jesus knelt down to wash Peter’s feet, Peter couldn’t make sense of it. Jesus said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” That is the way it is with us and providence. In glory, things will be much clearer to us. The Puritans liked to compare this to seeing the inner-workings of a mechanical clock. There are disjointed wheels crossing one another, an array of scattered pins, and to our perspective it all seems very chaotic. But then you close up the clock and see the time-piece as a whole, and it makes sense. Another illustration is that of the human body. There are so many things happening in the inner-workings of the human body. There are veins here, arteries there, blood pumping, systems working, organs fulfilling their function. On a microscopic level you have viruses being fought off and neural transmitters functioning and synapses firing and cells reproducing – the amount of activity is mind-boggling, and we wonder who can make sense of it all. But when we see the big picture, how it all works together, we marvel at God’s handiwork. The human body is an amazing thing.

Thomas Watson uses this illustration: He says, “Suppose you were in a [blacksmith’s] shop, and should see there several sorts of tools - some crooked, some bowed, others hooked - would you condemn all these things, because they do not look handsome? The [blacksmith] makes use of them all for doing his work. Thus it is with the providences of God; they seem to be very crooked and strange, yet they all carry on God’s work.”

So be encouraged. Right now, you don’t see the big picture. I don’t either. We don’t understand why God brought this or that into our lives, or what He is accomplishing. But He knows. And He is good and wise and perfect in all His ways. Trust Him.

Implication 2: We should be encouraged towards more earnest prayer, because the God to whom we pray holds the hearts of men in His hands. It would be very silly for us to argue that God doesn’t move and bend the wills of men, because when we pray that is exactly what we ask Him to do. In prayer we ask Him to increase our faith and love. We ask Him to save people. We ask Him to help brother so-and-so forgive and sister so-and-so to not be discouraged. All of these prayers show that we are counting on God working in the hearts of people.

Psalm 119:36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” Father, take my heart, compel it to love your truth. Move my heart to treasure Your Word. It is good and right for us to pray those kinds of prayers. You and I cannot change someone else’s heart – we can’t even change our own – but we know the One who can! We know the One who can bend the will and melt the heart of even the vilest sinner.

Solomon spoke this way when he prayed for the people of Israel. He said, “The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statues, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.” I wonder, do you pray this way? Do you ever pray, “O Father, don’t leave so-and-so to himself. Don’t leave so-and-so to his own desires. Compel his heart to desire You. Compel her heart to love the Lord Jesus. Cause so-and-so to care about You and Your word and to walk in Your ways.” Those are the kinds of prayers that should be a daily part of our lives.

Implication 3: We should be encouraged towards greater hope, because our God is fully capable of fulfilling His promises.

Remember, “hope” in the Bible refers to the eager expectation of receiving something you have been promised. Christians are to live in daily, eager expectation of the day when all God’s promises to us will be fulfilled. Jesus will come back. We will see God’s face. We will dwell in a New Heavens and a New Earth. We will be glorified and made perfectly holy. There will be no more sickness, sorrow, pain, or death. This is the hope in which we are to live.

This doctrine, that God’s providence includes even the thoughts, words, and actions of man, should bolster our hope. This truth reminds us that God has not just planned the ends, but He has planned the means to get to the ends. God is at work, this very moment, in every square inch of this universe, to bring His promises to pass.

Earlier, I mentioned how Israel plundered the Egyptians. God had promised to Abraham centuries earlier that this would take place. He had made a promise that Abraham’s descendants would leave Egypt with Egypt’s wealth. This promise looked ridiculous in the opening chapters of Exodus. Egypt is mighty, Israel is not. Israel is suffering under harsh slavery to the Egyptians. Yet God worked mightily outwardly and inwardly to cause the people of Egypt to be moved to give their wealth to Israel. You see, thought he promise seemed unlikely, it was God’s providential dealings with the hearts of men that caused the promise to come true. So also, you can be sure that every promise God has made to you will come true. Grace brings us the promises; providence brings us the fulfillment.

So you need not doubt for a moment whether God’s promises for you will come true. There is no one who can hinder them from coming true, nor delay them. They will come to you at the exact moment appointed by God.

Now, I close with this: Of all that God has appointed in His providence for our good, the centerpiece is the cross of Jesus. God has promised that all things work for the good of those who love Him, those called according to His purpose. These are Christians, those who have turned from their sins and are following Christ. If you are here this morning and you are a believer, resting in Jesus, seeking to follow Him, you have every reason in the world to be encouraged by the providence of God. But if you are here and you are not a Christian, then all that God is doing in this world right now will end in your condemnation. All things are not working for your eternal good, but rather, you will be cast into hell and God will get glory as He justly punishes you for your sins. This is a God that you should tremble before. And this is a God that calls you to salvation. He calls you to turn from being the god of your own life, and to submit yourself to Jesus. Don’t try and make yourself right with God by your own actions – trust in what Christ had done instead. Let Christ be all your righteousness. Lean on Him and learn from Him. This is what it means to be a Christian. This is how you can be sure that all of God’s providences are leading you to heaven and eternal joy. Run to Christ. Let’s pray.

Are You a Good Listener?

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:15:00 +0000

"Know this, my beloved brothers: Let every person be quick to hear..." (James 1:19

See how you do! Use these questions to evaluate some areas where you can grow in listening.

When others are talking to me . . .

1. I find myself finishing their sentences.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

2. I give my opinions before hearing them out.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

3. I get restless and impatient.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

4. I don’t maintain eye contact and my eyes wander or I lose track of what is being said.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

5. I fidget with objects.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

6. I mentally rehearse or worry about what I am going to say next instead of listening.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

7. I take control of the conversation.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

8. I interrupt with frequent comments or questions.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

9. I try to quickly diagnose and fix their problems.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

10.I worry about how to respond instead of listening.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

11. I often misinterpret what has been said.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

12. I answer before gaining real understanding.
__ rarely __ occasionally __ often __ usually

You should want to answer "rarely" to all of these.

Questions courtesy of here.

Order of Worship: 2/17/13

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 13:51:00 +0000

Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church

5556 Bend of the River Rd

Rocky Mount, NC 27803

(252) 977-7906

http://mhmbc.net

Order of Service - February 17^th, 2013

Prelude

Welcome

Opening Prayer

Responsive Call to Worship:

Psalm 66:1-9

Singing Together

Come, Thou Fount

Psalm 6

Reading through John’s Gospel

John 3:22-36

Confessing the Faith:

Article V

Singing Together

The Solid Rock

Prayer for the Offering and Sermon

Offering

Sermon

Deliverance III - Genesis 45:16-28

Responding in Prayer

Responding in Song

How Deep the Father’s Love

Benediction

How a Church Should Care for Its Pastors

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:06:00 +0000

Look at 1^st Timothy 3:1 with me again: “The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” The task of pastoring is a noble one. The pastoral office is a noble office. There is a dignity to it. God has established this office, and he has set it apart and given it this dignity.

Friends, it is good for our own souls and for the souls of others to work to maintain the nobility of the pastoral office. As soon as we start denigrating this office, refusing to esteem it as we ought, we put needless obstacles in the way of our benefiting from our pastors. If you think little of the pastoral office, then you will not value preaching, and you will not value the Sunday gatherings. If you think little of the pastoral office, you will not value the counsel of your pastors, the example of your pastors, the exhortations and admonitions of your pastors. In other words, so much of the good that God seeks to do in your life through your pastors will be hindered.

So I want to frame our study this way: How can we continue to protect the nobility of the pastoral office? Especially in a day when the pastoral office is being constantly denigrated both by church members and pastors themselves?

Here are seven answers to how we can protect the nobility of the pastoral office.

Here is the first answer: We should treat the office of pastor with respect by taking great care not to put someone in the office who is not qualified. There is a reason God gives us 1^st Timothy 3:1-7! Notice the warnings that are there. Notice in verse 6 that putting a man into the pastoral office before he is ready can ultimately lead that man to hell. “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” That’s serious. Look at the next verse: “Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” When you put a man who Is unqualified into office, you put his soul in danger!

Look at 1^st Timothy 5:22. There Paul says to Timothy, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others…” This shows us several things. First, Timothy, who was already serving as a pastor in Ephesus, was to lead the way in appointing other pastors. Its’ because of verses like these that we don’t believe pastor search committees are the best ways to bring on pastors. Rather, those who have already been appointed and shown to be qualified are to lead the way in appointing others.

But this comes with a heavy responsibility. Paul seems to be saying that by hastily appointing someone to be a pastor, Timothy himself would have a part in the sins of that pastor. Timothy will bear some responsibility for the damage that is done by putting a man in office recklessly.

Second, we should treat the office of pastor with respect in the way we install pastors into office. In the New Testament, it appears that church leaders would lay their hands on him as a sign of their solidarity with him and support for him. Moreover, this was a way of blessing him, calling for God’s grace and power to be at work in him. Paul not only speaks of this in 5:22, but also in 4:14. There he reminds Timothy of that day when the council of elders laid hands on him. For the rest of his life Timothy would look back on that day and remember the sacred task to which he had been called.

This was done in a public way. By having a special time of installation through the laying on of hands and asking God to bless, the church showed that this was a big deal. This is how it should be with us. When we bring a new pastor into the leadership of our church, the whole church ought to gather. This ought to be a day of celebration and rejoicing, a day of thanksgiving to God and a day of great prayer for the future. It is no small moment, because this is no small office. Christ’s ministers are a great gift to His Church.

Third, we should treat the office of pastor with respect by relating to our pastors in love. Look with me at 1^st Thessalonians 5:12-13 and let’s spend a few moments here. Here is what we read: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”

Here, Paul is writing to the Christians in Thessalonica, and he addresses specifically the relationship that church members are to have with their pastors. There’s a few things I want us to note here. The first thing to notice is that Paul calls these church members brothers. The word is adelphoi, as in the word Philadelphia. It refers to siblings – to brothers and sisters. Though he is an apostle, with authority over these believers, Paul addresses these Christians as fellow members of the family of God.

This is important to remember as we think about the relationship between pastors and church members. The sharp distinction between clergy and laity that claims that clergy are somehow cut off and different from laity is simply unbiblical. Pastors and church members are all part of the same spiritual family, and all have their gifts and callings. Though pastors are over others by virtue of their office, at the end of the day they are still brothers in Christ to their church members. Thus, Paul told Timothy in 1^st Timothy 5 to treat older men in his church as fathers, older women in his church as mothers, younger men in his church as brothers, and younger women in his church as sisters. Mount Hermon, we are a church family – we are united with a bond that will last into eternity. Our earthly families are temporary, but this family isn’t. We are to treat each other as family members, full of love and honor for one another.

The second thing to notice here is that we are to respect our pastors. The word used here is an interesting one: it literally means “to see”. It was used not of seeing with your physical eyes, but of seeing with your mind. Sometimes we’ll say, “Oh, I see what you mean.” That’s the kind of “seeing” this word refers to. It means to take notice of, to acknowledge

So the point is that we as Christians are not to take our pastors for granted. We are to take note of them, the work they do, and the service they offer to our souls. We are to know our pastors. And this is not a shallow knowledge, but a knowledge that comes from having conversations with them. Christians should regularly talk to their pastors, coming to them with their questions and issues of conscience. Their counsel and thoughts are to be sought after. Over time, a mutually caring relationship should form. Certainly our pastors can do us little good on a personal level if we don’t really know them. Similarly, we can do them little good if we do not know them.

We are to acknowledge the office that pastors have, and show appropriate respect because of the dignity of that office. We are to remember that pastors come to us as ambassadors of Christ, and are weak, fallen, but true instruments in the hands of Christ for our good. We are to know our pastors as brothers in Christ, but also as under-shepherds to whom we owe esteem and honor.

To help us, Paul draws our attention to the work of pastors. He reminds the Thessalonian Christians that their pastors are laboring among them, overseeing their souls, and admonishing them. The word labor is meant to remind us that the work of pastors is just that – true work. Any pastor who is fulfilling his calling will be able to testify that the work he does is labor – happy labor, I hope – but still labor. Moreover, there is an added weight to the work because it is a work of authority. Souls are entrusted to their care. The stakes are high. If pastors fail at their work, it isn’t the same as failing at some other work. If a lawyer loses his case, or a doctor misdiagnoses a condition, those failures are significant and not to be demeaned. But if a pastor fails at his work and leads those people under his care away from Christ, the consequences are eternal. On top of this, pastors have the difficult task of being responsible to bring correction to souls. How many of us like being corrected? How many of us enjoy having our sins pointed out to us? To do this work, and to do it with genuine love, often brings a lot of inner-stress and heartache. In light of all these aspects of a pastor’s work, Paul encourages us to take note of our shepherds.

He then says that we are to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. To esteem them simply means that we hold our pastors in high regard. We are to do this in our own hearts and minds, and we are to do this in our speech and behavior. Even when we have disagreements with our pastors, we are not to speak in a way that dishonors them. We are to honor them in the way we speak of them before others. We should seek to intentionally speak highly of our pastors before our children and grandchildren, so that they will learn to esteem this office.

Paul could have simply said that we are to esteem our pastors, but instead he adds the double emphasis – very highly. We are not simply to respect them, but we are to respect them to a great degree. This is to be a serious matter to us. We are not to take the name of the LORD our God in vain, and pastors serve us in God’s name. We are to show no tolerance, then, for a disrespecting of our leaders. We are to go to great lengths to protect the dignity of the pastoral office.

We are to do this in love. That is really the key of what I want us to see here. There is to be a real love that is shared between pastors and church members. The relationship is not to be a superficial, formal, shallow one, but a relationship of genuine care and concern. Our pastors are we to rejoice with us when we rejoice and weep with us when we weep. We are to rejoice with them as they rejoice and weep with them as they weep. Love should be at the center of a church’s relationship with its pastors.

Why? Again, Paul draws our attention to the work of pastors. The weightiness of the work, the importance of it for our souls, these call us to love our pastors. These men have taken on the obligation of helping us make it safely to heaven. They’ve taken our concerns as their own. They are devoting their time to praying for us and to preparing messages or Firm Foundations lessons that will edify and encourage us. If I know myself, I know that being a shepherd to me cannot be very easy – especially since my flesh doesn’t even want a shepherd. Therefore, any man willing to take on this difficult task ought to have my love.

And then, Paul adds this last thing: Be at peace among yourselves. Do you want to know one of the most important ways that we can bless our pastors, honor them and show them love? It is by being at peace with one another. When church members are divided, striving against one another, doing one another harm, it makes a pastor’s work to be a terrible burden. It tempts a pastor to be devoid of joy in his work, and instead to be plagued by sadness and anxiety for the sheep under his care. And so, Paul calls us to bless our pastors by being at peace with one another. So all of this is an example

Fourth, we should treat the office of pastor with respect by submitting ourselves to our pastors. Look with me at Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Imagine two shepherds, each caring for a flock of sheep. One flock of sheep is very submissive to its shepherd. The sheep come when he calls, go where he leads, enter into the sheepfold when it is time to rest at the end of the day. That shepherd is happy, singing with joy as he leads these faithful sheep. The other flock refuses to come when its shepherd calls. He tries to lead them, but they won’t follow. The sheep constantly bite and attack one another. At the end of the day, the shepherd is running this way and that, frantically trying to gather all the sheep into the sheepfold. This shepherd is unhappy, frustrated, stressed. My question is this: which sheep are likely to be best served? Which sheep are likely to have the most benefits, be the healthiest and happiest?

How do we submit to our pastors? First, realizing that pastors are first and foremost men of the Word, we must come to be fed. Don’t be like sheep on a hunger strike. Pastors spend hours and hours in prayer, study, preparation to care for you through preaching and teaching. Nothing discourages a pastor more than seeking to care for sheep who won’t eat. Come to the worship services. Come to Sunday School classes and the Wednesday night meetings if you are at all able to do so. Empty rooms discourage the few who come; full rooms encourage not only the pastors but all in the church. It’s the sign of a healthy flock

Don’t just come, however, but come eager to receive. Come hungry, ready to be served. Pay attention. Take notes if it helps you. Please understand, I am well aware that listening to a sermon often requires hard work and discipline. It’s so easy for us to get sidetracked in our thoughts, caught up in what we need to get done in the coming week. Sundays, however, are rest days. They are days for putting those thoughts away and feasting on God’s truth. Come ready to feast, and feast well. Don’t come sit at the table and then just pick at the food. Devour it! Talk about it with your family after the service. Discuss it with others. Pray about what you have heard. Meditate on it. Trust me, this makes pastors joyful!

Of course, what makes pastors most joyful of all is when they see real change occurring in the lives of the people they serve. When Christians actually believe and obey what they are being shown in the Word of God – nothing makes a true pastor happier. Godly pastors do not exist to preach their own ideas – they love the Word of God and long to see others conform to it. When Christians live obediently, putting into practice what they are hearing – there is just nothing sweeter than that.

Fifth, we should treat the office of pastor with respect by caring for the needs of our pastors. Turn with me again to First Timothy 5:17-18: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and ‘the laborer deserves his wages’”.

Paul uses the phrase “double honor” here. All pastors are worthy of honor because of the office they hold. There is a kind of honor and respect that is to be shown to all pastors, even those who are not fulfilling the office well, because of the nobility of their office. We often here people speak of public offices this way. We should honor the president because he is the president, even if we disagree with his policies and the decision is making. There is a base honor that all pastors are to receive.

But certain pastors are to be given double honor – honor not only for the nobility of their office, but for the way they are fulfilling that office. Those who rule well – they lead and oversee the church well – these are to be worthy of this honor. What’s more, Paul particularly singles out those who labor at preaching and teaching. When a pastor takes the Word of God seriously, and gives his all into preaching and teaching well, serving up truly nourishing and sumptuous feasts to God’s people – that pastor is to be worthy of this double honor.

There are lots of ways that we can show honor to those who lead us. In verse 18, however, we see that the kind of honor Paul has particularly in mind is the kind that shows itself in the practical care of pastors. He quotes Deuteronomy 25:4, which told Israel that they were not to muzzle the mouth of an ox when the ox is treading the grain. Oxen eat grain, and it would not be right to make the ox work in and among the grain and yet not be allowed to eat of it. The ox’s work among the grain will serve the family; the family ought to make sure the ox is well-served as well. The other verse Paul quotes actually seems to be a statement of Jesus when He was sending the 72 followers out to preach the gospel. Jesus told them that as they went from city to city, preaching the gospel, it was right for them to be welcomed into homes and to receive the food and hospitality of the people they were serving. They were not to feel guilty for doing this; it was right for these folks who were being served by the disciples to have an opportunity to care for them. In fact, if they came to a town where the people would not receive them, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on to the next town. Jesus said that those towns that would not take them in would fare worse on the day of judgment than Sodom and Gomorrah.

So the laborer deserves his wages, and it is a very poor testimony when churches fail to meet the needs of their pastors. As we look forward to bringing on a lay-pastor, the circumstances will be different than in caring for a "full-time" pastor. A lay-pastor is typically supported at least in part by other work. In many cases, a lay-pastor already has a full-time job that supports him and his family. But that doesn’t mean that a church has no obligation to that man. Churches should always keep close tabs on the financial and material needs of their pastors, and be quick to jump in when there is a need.

Sixth, we should treat the office of pastor with respect by praying daily for our pastors. Pastors bear a huge responsibility. Not only are they responsible for the continual study of God’s Word, the preparing of messages, preaching and teaching from the pulpit. They are also responsible for providing counsel to those who are hurting and struggling. Pastors bear the weight of not only the concerns of their own families, but the concerns of many, many others that are brought to their attention. Pastors are given the sacred duty of helping prepare Christ’s Bride for the great Wedding Day. If we really understand the gravity of the pastoral office, we will pray often for our pastors. If we understand the role they are to play in our spiritual growth, and the danger we are in if they do their job poorly, we will pray! When we remember that our pastors are just men, with limited gifts, limited understanding, limited strength, and their own sins and foibles – we will pray!

Seventh, we should treat the office of pastor with respect in the way we fire pastors. There are two points to be made here. The first is made in 1^st Timothy 5:19: “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” The point is that we should exercise caution when we hear bad reports about our pastors, and not believe every accusation we hear. Pastors are particularly vulnerable to slanderous attacks simply because they are public figures. We are to be charitable to all people, and we should never assume the worst, but rather, presume the best until the worst has been proven to us. Be that way towards one another, not just pastors. Don’t be quick to assume the worst about each other, but in Christian love hope the best.

The second point is made in the following verse: “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” The point is that when a pastor does continue in sin, it is not to be taken lightly. The pastor needs to be dealt with in a way that lets the whole church know that sin is dangerous and deadly. Pastors who abuse their office by living in sin and refusing to repent are disqualified by 1^st Timothy 3:1-7 and should be removed from their positions (and in most cases the membership of the church. cf. Matthew 18:10-20) The dignity of the pastoral office means that when a pastor has dishonored that office, he should be disciplined in such a way that shows to everyone the high honor of that office.

Now, what does all this have to do with Jesus? Pastors are simply instruments in the hands of Christ whereby Jesus washes His Bride and prepares her for Himself. So ultimately pastors should be for us arrows pointing to Christ. If pastor is faithful and serves us well, we should see this as an expression of Jesus’ love for us – it is Jesus who by His Spirit is working through that pastor to bless you. So let us love our Savior, and praise Him, for being so good to us.

New Sunday Night Series

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:13:00 +0000

Faithful Evangelism

February 17th - April 28th

Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist

6pm

Answering Objections

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:26:00 +0000

All people everywhere have an innate knowledge of right and wrong. God has written His law onto the hearts of all people. That is Paul’s message in Romans 2:11-16.

This is important, because it explains why God is just in condemning those who have never heard of the Ten Commandments. It explains why it is right for God to judge those who have never heard the Christian message, never encountered a Bible, never received on table or scroll or paper divine instruction on how to live.

Here’s the objection: "God, how dare You judge people for committing sins when You in Your providence never gave them anything to tell them that what they were doing is wrong! How can You hold them accountable for breaking a law they never had?!"

Here’s the answer: God has given all people a law. Its written on their hearts. All people have an innate sense of right and wrong, and all people have done things that they know are wrong. Therefore, they have no excuse and God is right to judge them.

We must not think that God will just excuse those people who have never heard the gospel! We must not think that He will just save them and forgive their sins because they never heard the name of Jesus. No, they are willful sinners, and apart from us reaching them with the Gospel and God moving them to believe on Christ, they have no hope. Even today thousands will perish having never believed, many having never heard. We must go with the gospel.

God owes no one an opportunity to be saved. Yet He has entrusted us with His gospel and now calls and empowers us to take it to the world so that all might have that opportunity. Are we going with the gospel?

That's the message of the last post.

Here, my task is to answer three objections and one question about this passage. These are common objections and I think a reasonable question that you might have. So allow me to serve you and love you this morning by doing whatever I can to help you answer these questions so that when you read this passage again in your devotional time or with your family or in Sunday School you will have a firm grasp on its meaning.

Objection 1

These objections are not new. They have been around for over a century. C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity goes a long ways in providing helpful answers to those questions. He has helped me and I hope that his answers will help you as well.

Here is the first objection: Isn’t it true that when we look at different cultures and societies who haven’t been influenced by Christianity or Judaism, they often have very different moral codes? How can you say that God has written this law on the hearts of all men when all these different societies seem to disagree on what is right and what is wrong? In fact, doesn’t the differences in what various cultures say is right and wrong show that there is not one common law written on the hearts of all people?

This is the easiest objection to answer. The evidence is just overwhelming. It is true that there are differences in morality between cultures. But those differences are small compared to the similarities. Lewis says, “If anyone will take the trouble to compare the moral teaching of, say, the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Hindus, Chinese, Greeks, and Romans, what will really strike him will be how very like they are to each other and to our own…Think of a country where people were admired for running away in a battle, or where a man felt proud of double-crossing all the people who had been kindest to him. You might just as well try to imagine a country where two and two made five.”

I’ll never forget hearing the story of the Huaorani tribe in Ecuador. This is the tribe that Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming went to reach with the gospel. You know their story, how they were deceived by a native that they called “George” and how all five missionaries were murdered by the tribe in 1956. Over the next several years, however, through the work of Elisabeth Elliot and others, the Huaorani were largely reached with the gospel and became Christians. One of my professors in college told the story of having been to a gathering where one of these converted natives spoke about the life of that tribe during their violent, cannibalistic, pagan days and then about the change that had happened in their lives. One of the things that this tribesman said was that even in those days when they would kill their enemies and eat their bodies they always had a nagging sense that this was wrong. Before they had ever encountered the laws of God or the message of Christianity, though they sought to suppress these feelings and thoughts, there was a sense that what they were doing was not right.

Because of the fall, man does seek to suppress the innate knowledge of right and wrong. The Nazi’s suppressed it as they murdered millions of Jews in the Holocaust. Yet years later many of those Nazi’s expressed great dismay that they had done such a thing and were the first to admit it was wrong. The same can be said about the genocide in Rwanda and the rampant murder and rape that took place there just over 15 years ago. Many, many Hutu have acknowledged how in that season they did some of the most vile, despicable things you can imagine, but they knew even then that such things were wrong.

Friends, while the effects of the fall are absolutely evident in the moralities of different cultures, there is a universal sense among all people that some things are right and some things are wrong.

Objection 2

The second objection goes like this: How can you be sure that our inner sense of right and wrong is not a human invention, something that we learn from our parents and our culture? How can you be sure that naturally we have no sense of right and wrong and we only gain that sense by the way we are raised? Maybe God had nothing to do with this at all, but rather, our parents are the ones most responsible for writing laws into our lives.

Lewis answers that objection this way: Yes, of course we learn right and wrong from our parents and from many others. Yet that does not mean that right and wrong is a human invention or that right and wrong is not written on our hearts. So, for example, we learn that 2 times 2 equals four. Yet that is not a human invention. It’s a truth. If there was never a human being that walked on this earth, 2 times 2 would still equal four. The fact that it is taught and learned doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. So also, were there no human beings on this planet, or let’s say there was just one human being on a deserted island, murder would still be wrong and kindness would still be good. These things are like math, they are not human inventions. God established the laws of math and wrote them into the fabric of the world; so also, God established the laws of good and evil and wrote them into the fabric of the world, too. The fall has its effects and people often fail at articulating and keeping these laws, but they laws are still true. And deep down we know this.

Friends, are we really to believe that a man who grew up without parents, a savage on a deserted island, wouldn’t know that if someone suddenly appeared and burnt down his house and took this things that he had been wronged? Do we really think that he would think this a good thing? If this man had no one to teach him right and wrong, and suddenly someone appeared and threw at an axe at him and cut off his arm, do you think he would look at that act as a positive thing, an expression of love, a good thing? Of course not.

Objection 3

That leads us to the most common objection in our own day. This is what our young people are most likely to hear in the college classrooms of our state universities. Isn’t it more likely that our inner sense of right and wrong is a result of evolution? Isn’t it more likely that human beings have evolved, and during our evolutionary history we learned to have negative feelings toward actions that would harm our species and positive feeling toward actions that would help our species? In other words, isn’t it better to see a scientific explanation for our inner sense of right and wrong?

As Christians, we would answer that question in several ways. First, we take God at His Word. Therefore, we do not agree with evolution and we affirm that what Paul says in Romans 2 is true. However, what if we are talking to someone who is not a Christian? What if we are talking to someone who does not believe the Bible? Is there anything that we can point to that would help them see that evolution is not an accurate explanation of human morality?

I think there is. According to evolution, our sense of right and wrong is really just our sense of what is good or bad for us and our species. Yet think about Nazi Germany. What was going on there? Hitler and the Nazis had bought into a theory of social evolution that said that the best way for the human species to survive is to rid of ourselves of those human beings who are inferior in some way. Thus, the mentally handicapped and those whose features and characteristics were deemed not good for our species were taken into concentration camps where they were experimented on and ultimately killed. According to evolution, this was a good thing. This was a weeding out of competitors for resources and mates so that the human race might survive. Yet according to what all people know is right and wrong in their hearts, this was not a good thing.

In fact, if evolution is true and is the source of our morality, we need to realize that evolution is inherently selfish. Watch any animal show on the Discovery Channel. When the animals are fighting over a mate, or when they are fighting over food, or when they are disguising themselves to hide from predators, or when they are attacking other animals to have as their prey, the narrators always tell us that this is an evolutionary act. These animals do these things based on the principle of the survival of the fittest. Every animal wants to be one of the fittest and wants to survive and reproduce and therefore evolution makes animals inherently selfish.

Then, when it comes to human beings, which evolutionists say are also animals, suddenly they say that evolution explains why we all know its right to be unselfish. Lions and tigers and bears are all selfish and fight over mates and resources because of evolution, but human beings are to be kind and compassionate toward one another, even the weakest among us, and this we know because of evolution? It doesn’t work. These arguments contradict themselves.

Friends, in the end, evolution fails to explain why we can agree that certain things are right and others are wrong. The Bible is right and true and trustworthy in its explanation. All people have the law of God written into their hearts, all have broken it, and therefore all are criminals deserving of God’s just punishment.

That’s why we all need Jesus.

The Question

Now, that brings us to a question: How is this writing of the law on the hearts of all people different from what God says is true of Christians? Speaking of His people in Jeremiah 31:33, God says, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: ‘I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’” How is the writing of God’s law on the hearts of His people when He saves them different from the writing of His law on the hearts of every person who has ever lived?

The difference is this. From the very moment your life began, God’s law was written on your heart in the sense that you had an innate knowledge of right and wrong. The moment your new life began of faith in Jesus, God’s law was written on your heart in the sense that you now have not only an innate knowledge of God’s law but a desire and will to embrace that law and keep it. When you are born physically you know God’s law but do not have a will to keep it. When you are born again, you not only have the knowledge but the will to keep God’s law. That which was impossible before is now possible. This is why Christians will be marked by their obedience and good deeds.

Let me show this to you in one place (though we could look at many). Turn to Ezekiel 36:24-28. This passage is very important because it parallels the passage in Jeremiah. Both passages are about how God is going to save His people. Both speak of God putting something into our hearts. Both end saying that God will be our God and we will be his people. Jeremiah says that the law of God will be written in our hearts. Ezekiel says a very similar thing but differently. Look with me beginning in verse 24:

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

So in Jeremiah God will put His law into our hearts; in Ezekiel He will put His Spirit into our hearts. In Jeremiah the promise is that God will save us by putting in His Word in us; in Ezekiel by putting His Spirit into us. Here is a connection between God’s Word and His Spirit. It’s the same connection we see in Ephesians and Colossians where Paul says in one place, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” and in another, “be filled with the Spirit”. The point is that when we are given a new heart, and we start resting in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and works in us by bring God’s Word into our hearts.

But what is different about God’s Word in our hearts now and God’s law in our hearts before we were saved? Look at verse 27 and rejoice! “And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” The very thing we couldn’t do before! The very thing that made us sinners against God! The very thing that made us failures as people, as husbands and wives and mothers and fathers and employees and employers and citizens – our inability to keep God’s good law – has now been changed! Christ on the cross purchased the Holy Spirit for us, made it so that God can be just and still place His Holy Spirit into unholy us so that now we are able and more and more willing to do what is right. No longer are we slaves to sin we have been set free! We still battle with remaining sin, but we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Christian, take courage! Be bold! Do not fear! Do not cower and become a wimp and act as if your sin has you defeated and you can never be useful to Christ and a blessing to others. You will never be perfect in this life, but you can make great leaps forward. Not in your own strength. Rather, trusting in God’s promise that His Spirit is in you and that He will empower you fight for holiness! Fight to be more sacrificial, more loving, more God-centered, more missions-minded, more radical in your efforts to give yourself as a blessing to others. Christ saved you for this! He saved you not only for heaven but that you might take some of what heaven is and live it out here on earth!

Dear friends, if there are any reading this who are not walking with Jesus, resting in Him, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I have bad news for you. You can’t. You will never become that kind of person. You are incapable. You may have some moments when God’s common grace allows you to do a deed or have an attitude that seems good, but even that will be wrongly motivated and it will fade away. Your hope of heaven and your hope of real, eternal happiness and your hope of holiness are the same – Christ alone.

Verse 16

So, let me point us to Romans 2:16. This verse is about the Day of Judgment. It’s a day that is coming for all of us. No one will be able to claim ignorance of God’s laws, for it is written on their hearts, and their own consciences and their own thoughts prove that this is true. Let people say with their lips that they don’t believe in right or wrong; on the Day of Judgment the God who judges the secrets of men will point not to what you said but what was in your heart and your head and your conscience and your thoughts as evidence that you did know. Your sins were no accident. You and I both knew better. We are guilty. We have no excuse. We are deserving of hell.

Notice who the Judge is: He is the Lord Jesus Christ. God will judge us on the last day via His Son. As Jesus says in Matthew 25: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Dear friend, ask yourself now: Do you really believe those words. If so, are you resting in Christ? Do you now see that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God? Will you not receive the free gift of salvation and reconciliation with God and a new life and an ability to grow in holiness and heaven by trusting in Christ this moment? Will you not give evidence of your faith by being baptized? Will you not give evidence by joining with this body and basking in the grace of God given in this church family? There are some in here who need to do that. They are foolish not to do that. They are hurting themselves. Is that you? What will you do?

What Happens to Those Who Never Hear God's Word?

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:49:00 +0000

Let me begin by asking you a question: What happens to those who never hear the Word of God? What happens to those who never see a Bible, hear it preached, or have any contact whatsoever with the Christian message? What happens to those tribesmen who still today live in far off jungles, shut off from the rest of the world, never hearing about the one true God?

I imagine you’ve asked that question before. Many Christians have. How will God deal with these who never believed in His Son, never repented, but also never had an opportunity? How can He count their sins against them? How will He treat them? This post will seek to answer that question as well as others.

The Context and Argument

Read Romans 2:12-16. Paul has just made a statement in verse 11. That statement is that God shows no partiality. God does not play favorites when it comes to His judgment. He is absolutely fair and renders to each person what the law requires. In verses 6-10 Paul argues that God will not judge Jews any differently than Gentiles. The Jews will be judged first, but they will not be judged differently. All will be judged according to their works. Unbelievers will have their sinful deeds lifted up as evidence against them. Christians will have their evil deeds covered by the blood of Christ, but the good deeds which God’s grace worked in them will stand as evidence of their union with Christ and they will receive heaven. There will be no respecting of nationality or ethnicity or family tree. God will be impartial in His judgment.

But there is an objection. How can Paul say that God is impartial when God has chosen to give His law to some people and not to others? Here is an objection that Paul may very well have had to answer time and again as he preached in city after city. How can he call God’s judgment impartial when for centuries the Jews have had the law revealing to them what is good and what was evil while the rest of the world did not? The rest of the world received no Scriptures from God, not law book, no tablets with commandments etched upon them. How is it fair for God to condemn people for breaking commandments they didn’t know existed? How can God hold them accountable for actions they did not know were wrong? God chose not to give these peoples His law; how dare He judge them for not keeping it?

Paul’s answer to that objection is that not only will God judge all people according to their works, but He will also judge them according to the law that they possessed. Those who had the most privilege and were given the greatest revelation of God’s law will be held accountable for all that they received. Those who received less of God’s law will be held accountable for what they received. God will be fair.

How Verses 12-16 Make the Argument

Now, let me show you how each of these verses (12-16) contribute to this argument. Then I will bring out its implications for us.

Look with me at the first half of verse 12: “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law.” Who is being described here? Look at the verse again. Who is being described? It is those who did not have the law. The law here is the Law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, the commands of God given in Genesis through Deuteronomy that reveal how a righteous person should live. The people described in the first half of verse 12 are the vast majority of people who lived on the earth in the days of the Old Testament and many who have lived on the earth up to this day. These are non-Jewish people, Gentiles, who have never received the Law of Moses, never heard it, and never had access to it.

What does Paul say about them? First, he says they are sinners. How is that possible? To sin is to break a law. How can people who don’t have the law sin? They must have some kind of law for their sin to be sin. Paul does not tell us yet what kind of law they have (he will in a minute), but only tells us that they do not have the law, that is, the Law of Moses. Nevertheless they are sinners.

Second, he tells us that they will perish. These Gentile sinners, these who have never had the Law of Moses, will perish for their sin. For them, like everyone else, the wages of sin will be death.

Third, Paul tells us that they will perish without the law. In other words, on the Day of Judgment, it will not be the Law of Moses that condemns them. They will perish, but it will not be because of the Law they never had. The implication is that there is a law that they did have, a law that they did break, and it is that law which will condemn them.

Now, look with me at the second half of verse 12: “All who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.” This is easier to understand. The people described in this part of the verse are those who do have the Law of Moses, have broken it, and therefore will be held accountable to it on the Day of Judgment. This is us. Every one of us in this room has access to a Bible with the Law revealed to us not just in Genesis-Deuteronomy but in Genesis – Revelation. We have had the privilege of having God’s commands revealed to us in black and white on the pages of His Word. Yet all of us have all broken these commands. Apart from Jesus, these commands will stand against us on the Day of Judgment.

So, to summarize verse 12, there are two groups of people that Paul put before us. There are those who did not have the Law of Moses who nevertheless are sinners and will perish, but not because of that Law. Then there are those who did have the Law of Moses and have broken it and will be condemned by it.

Look now at verse 13: “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” Who are we talking about here? We are talking about a third group of people, a people who will not perish on the Day of Judgment, but be saved. Paul is speaking here of those that are justified – that is, counted righteous – before God.

Who will these people be? Will they be the ones who had the Law of Moses and heard it? No. After all, there are many who have had the Law of Moses and have heard it yet remain rebellious sinners against God. No, it is those who do the Law of Moses who will be righteous in God’s eyes. Remember the verses before this? Paul has in mind here the kind of person described in verses 7 and 10. He has in mind a person who by grace through faith in Jesus has been changed, and is now being enabled and moved by the Spirit of God to keep God’s commands and to fulfill the Law of Moses. These people, those who by grace keep the law (not perfectly, but the best they can as they depend on Jesus’ power), these are the ones who will go to heaven. This is a call to us, to make sure we heed the words of the book fo James: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It is the doers who reveal by their actions that they belong to God and will be with Him forever.

So now we have three kinds of people before us: 1) Those who have never had Moses’ Law yet are still sinners and will perish. 2) Those who do have the Law of Moses and will perish because they have failed to keep it. 3) Those who have been saved by grace and reveal that they have been saved by keeping the Law of Moses.

Now, verse 14 is about that first group, those who have never had the Law of Moses. Look with me at verse 14: “For when Gentiles, who not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.”

When people who do not have the Law of Moses do what the Law of Moses requires, they show something about themselves. Namely, they show that they have some inward concept of God’s law. When people who have never heard of Yahweh or Jesus and never seen or read a Bible honor their parents, or do not tell a lie, or do not murder, because they sense that there is something right or wrong involved in those actions, they are a law to themselves. They do not have the external Law written on scroll or paper, but they do have an inward law, a law in themselves. And of course, though they at times keep this inner law and do what they know is right, all people have at other times broken that inner law and done what they deep down know to be wrong.

So you see, we are getting now an answer to our earlier question: What law do people sin against if they do not have the Law of Moses? Paul is arguing that people naturally have a law in themselves, an innate sense of right and wrong.

He says more in verse 15: “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.”

There are three important truths taught in this verse. First, Paul says that these Gentiles, pagans without the Law of Moses, show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. That phrase ‘work of the law’ is a difficult one; it is not found anywhere else in the New Testament. Think about this with me: ‘The work of the law is written on their hearts.’ This isn’t ‘work’ as a verb. This is ‘work’ as a noun. You do work and the result is your work. Well the law works and the result is its work. What is the work, the product, the result of the law in our lives? My best guess is this: the work of the law is the knowledge of right and wrong. This is what the law does. It informs us of right and wrong. That is the issue here: how can God judge people who have not known right or wrong? The objection is that it is law that gives people this knowledge. How can people without God’s law have that knowledge of right and wrong? Answer: these Gentiles who do not have the Law of Moses nevertheless have an inner-law, and its result in their lives is an innate knowledge of right and wrong.

This knowledge of right and wrong, this work of the law, is written on their hearts. Let me ask you this: Who do you think wrote this onto the hearts of men? Isn’t there only one possible answer? God. God and God alone has the power to write something onto the hearts of all people. It is God alone who created us in His image and knits us together in our mother’s womb. God gave the Jews a law, the Law of Moses, and they will be held accountable to that. We have that law as well, and the full expression and application of it as it comes to fulfillment in Christ and the New Testament. We will be held accountable to what we have written in these pages of our Bibles. Yet even if we did not have these, the fundamental laws of God are written into the fabric of our beings and we will be held accountable to those laws.

The second thing to see in verse 15 is that the human conscience bears witness to this. Have you ever felt guilty before? Even people who have never seen or heard the laws of God in the Bible feel guilty. Yet what is guilt but your own conscience judging you, telling you that you have done something wrong. How can your conscience judge you unless it knows that something is right or wrong? Every time a human conscience, whether it is functioning well or not, causes someone to feel guilty, it bears witness to this truth that there is an inward law.

The last thing to see in verse 15 is that our thoughts bear witness to this inner law as well. What happens when our consciences makes us feel guilty? What thoughts go through our mind? Do we say, “Oh, silly conscience. There is no such thing as right and wrong. You have no reason to make me feel guilty. There is no such thing as guilt since there is no such thing as doing wrong.” Is that they way you think? Some people might try and pretend they think that way, but no one really does. No, when our consciences make us feel guilty, our thoughts go in either one of two directions: either our thoughts begin accusing us or they begin excusing us. If our thoughts are accusing us, they are saying, “You deserve to feel guilty. What you did was shameful. What were you thinking? Look at the harm you’ve done!” Those thoughts show that we know right from wrong and have an inner-law. Or, if our thoughts try and come up with excuses, saying, “You shouldn’t feel guilty. You had no choice. Other people do worse things. How bad could it really be?” the very fact that your thoughts are trying to come up with excuses reveal that you know that there is a law, a standard of right and wrong by which you will be judged. People who do not believe in right and wrong and consequences and judgment do not need excuses. Yet no such people really exist. So you see, whichever way our thoughts run, whether they accuse us or excuse us, they stand as yet another witness to this inner-law that God has written onto our hearts.

How C. S. Lewis Taught This

We can now summarize the main argument: there is an inner law, written by God on the hearts of all people, which all people have knowingly broken and by which they will be judged on the Day of Judgment. We’ve seen how Paul teaches this. I would now like to let you hear how C. S. Lewis taught this. Lewis certainly was not an apostle or a divinely-inspired writer, but there is no doubt that God has used his book Mere Christianity to bless His Church in mighty ways. Many of you have heard of Chuck Colson, a popular preacher, founder of the Prison Fellowship ministry, a man who turned himself in for his crimes in the Watergate Scandal and served time in prison. A friend gave Colson a copy of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis and it was as he read that book that the gospel was made clear to him and he believed and was saved.

Lewis has done a fantastic job of explaining Paul’s message here in this section of Romans 2, so just sit back and listen as I read:

“Every one has heard people quarrelling. Sometimes it sounds funny and sometimes it sounds merely unpleasant; but however it sounds, I believe we can learn something very important from listening to the kinds of things they say. They say things like this: ‘How’d you like it if anyone did the same to you?’ – ‘That’s my seat, I was there first’ – ‘Leave him alone, he isn’t doing you any harm’ – ‘Why should you shove in first?’ – ‘Give me a bit of your orange, I gave you a bit of mine’ – ‘Come on, you promised.’ People say things like that every day, educated people as well as uneducated, and children as well as grown-ups.

Now what interest me about all these remarks is that the man who makes them is not merely saying that the other man’s behavior does not happen to please him. He is appealing to some kind of standard of behaviour which he expects the other man to know about. And the other man…nearly always…tries to make out that what he has been doing does not really go against the standard, or that if it does there is some special excuse. He pretends there is some special reason in this particular case why the person who took the seat first should not keep it, or that things were quite different when he was given the bit of orange, or that something has turned up which lets him off keeping his promise. It looks, in fact, very much as if both parties had in mind some kind of Law or Rule of fair play or decent behaviour or morality or whatever you like to call it, about which they really agreed. And they have. If they had not, they might, of course, fight like animals, but they could not quarrel in the human sense of the word. Quarrelling means trying to show that the other man is in the wrong. And there would be no sense in trying to do that unless you and he had some sort of agreement as to what Right and Wrong are; just as there would be sense in saying that footballer had committed a foul unless there was some agreement about the rules of football.

Now this Law or Rule about Right and Wrong used to be called the Law of Nature…This law was called the Law of Nature because people thought that every one knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it. They did not mean, of course, that you might not find an odd individual here and there who did not know it, just as you find a few people who are colour-blind or have no ear for a tune. But taking the race as a whole they thought that the human idea of decent behaviour was obvious to every one. And I believe they were right. If they were not, then all the things we said about the war[1] were nonsense. What was the sense in saying the enemy were in the wrong unless Right is a real thing which the Nazis at bottom knew as well as we did and ought to have practised? If they had had no notion of what we mean by right, then, though we might still have had to fight them, we could not more have blamed them for that than for the colour of their hair.”

So you hear Lewis’ point. Even just looking around at how people relate to each other everyday gives clear evidence that deep down there is an agreement among people about certain things being right and certain things being wrong. This is the Law of Nature, the law written on the hearts of man by God. This is the law that all people have broken and by which they will be judged justly on the law day.

This teaching is under heavy attack in our day. Here are just some of the objections people raise: 1) Isn’t it true that when we look at different cultures and societies who haven’t been influenced by Christianity or Judaism, they often have very different moral codes? How can you say that God has written this law on the hearts of all men when all these different societies seem to disagree on what is right and what is wrong? 2) How can you be sure that our inner sense of right and wrong is not a human invention, something that we learn from our parents and our culture? How can you be sure that naturally we have no sense of right and wrong and we only gain that sense by the way we are raised? Maybe God had nothing to do with this at all, but rather, our parents are the ones most responsible for writing these laws into our lives. 3) Isn’t it more likely that our inner sense of right and wrong is a result of evolution? Isn’t it more likely that human beings have evolved, and during our evolutionary history we learned to have negative feelings toward actions that would harm our species and positive feeling toward actions that would help our species? In other words, how do you that there is not a scientific explanation for our inner sense of right and wrong?

Each of these objections is raised against the Bible’s teaching concerning natural law. Each is important and deserving of our time. In our next post, we will address each and everyone of them.

There is also a question that needs to be addressed, namely, how is this writing of the law on the hearts of all people different from what God says is true of Christians? Speaking of His people in Jeremiah 31:33, God says, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: ‘I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’” How is the writing of God’s law on the hearts of His people when saves them different from the writing of His law on the hearts of every person who has ever lived?

We will address that question in our next post as well. Let me close by bringing us back to the issue with which we started this sermon: What happens to those who never hear the Word of God? What happens to those who never see a Bible, hear it preached, or have any contact whatsoever with the Christian message? What happens to those tribesmen who still today live in far off jungles, shut off from the rest of the world, never hearing about the one true God?

The answer, as we have seen, is they do have a law. God has put within them a sense of right and wrong. They have all broken that law. They will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment and they will perish eternally in hell. Dear friends, this is why the Great Commission is so important! This is why Paul was passionate to get the gospel to as many places where it had not yet been preached as quickly as possible! If never hearing the Word of God meant that those people would not perish, the best thing we could do would be to keep people from hearing God’s Word. That is not how it works. All people are sinners, all people are under God’s just condemnation, and all are in desperate need of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has entrusted His gospel to His people and said, “Go!”

People are perishing; are we going? This is why it is of such important that we devote substantial time, money, resources, energy, and prayer to the task of reaching those who have never heard the name of Christ. As long as there is no missionary among them, no Bible in their language, no evangelical church reaching out to them, these people have no access to hope!

From Greenland's icy mountains,
  From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains
  Roll down their golden sand,
From many an ancient river,
  From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
  Their land from error's chain.

What though the spicy breezes
  Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle,
Though every prospect pleases,
  And only man is vile!
In vain with lavish kindness
  The gifts of God are strewn;
The heathen in his blindness
  Bows down to wood and stone.

Can we, whose souls are lighted
  With wisdom from on high,
Can we to men benighted
  The lamp of life deny?
Salvation! O salvation!
  The joyful sound proclaim,
Till each remotest nation
  Has learnt Messiah's name.

Waft, waft, ye winds, his story,
  And you, ye waters, roll,
Till, like a sea of glory,
  It spreads from pole to pole;
Till o'er our ransomed nature,
  The Lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator,
  In bliss returns to reign.

(Reginald Heber, 1819)

Could it be that God is moving the heart of someone reading this to go to the unreached with the gospel? Friends, we are never happy to see members leave our churches, but if we had members being sent out to Southeast Asia, to Latin America, to the Middle East, to Russia or China, how could we not rejoice? There is more than a billion people with little or no access to the gospel. Will you go?

Dear friends, if you are not willing to go, it ought to be because you are confident that you are where God would have you. Yet even you have a role. Those who are not goers must be senders. We must be those who work in the offices and the schools and the hospitals and the factories to earn the money that will not only support our families but support our brothers and sisters in Christ taking the gospel to the world. We work so that they can go. Are you giving? Sending also means supporting those on the field with prayer and with words of encouragement via letters, care packages, emails, and the like.

Paul was a goer. He longed for the church in Rome to partner with him and to act as senders. There were millions perishing in his day and he knew that the Lord Jesus Christ was worthy of the honor and worship of all of them. So today there are billions perishing and our Lord Jesus is worthy of their love. Who will point them to Christ?

‘For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’

[1] He’s speaking of World War II

If I Had a Million Dollars

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Introduction

It is a real joy to be back with you this morning.* I am certainly grateful for the privilege of worshiping with you and opening God’s Word with you. I also want to bring you greetings from Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC. Our two churches share many things in common, not the least of which is a love for our dear Savior.

I understand that you as a church family are in the midst of a series of messages on stewardship. My message this morning deals particularly with a subject that always brings conviction to my own heart. We’re going to look at the subject of generosity and giving.

I make no apology for preaching on this subject. Jesus told us to teach all that He commanded, and that certainly includes this subject. But I do want to say a word upfront to any visitors who may be here, especially if you are not a Christian. I want to make clear to you that the subject we’re looking at this morning is not the main message of Christianity. Do not leave here today saying, “All that church wanted was my money.” Friend, keep your money. What this pastor and this congregation desires most is to see you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. We are thankful you are here, and we are seeking to get something from you. We are seeking to give something to you. And the best we have to give is the gospel – the message that you can know God. So even as we talk about generosity and giving and money this morning, listen also for the gospel. That is the main message, and the message that matters most.

Title

Now, have you ever wondered what you would do if someone wrote you a check today for a million dollars? I bet you’ve thought about that before. I know many in our community have been thinking about that lately as they’ve purchased their lottery tickets and dreamed big of what they might would do if they won.

The truth is, many of have bought into a great lie. The lie is that true happiness lies in material wealth. We think of all the things we could have. Or, we think simply of what it might mean for us to pay all our debts and to not have to worry so much about the bills. We consider the places we could go or the many ways we could bless others in this world. As we think this way, we begin to believe that if we just had more money, we could be truly happy.

The words of Jesus hit us like an electric shock: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” That word “blessed” is the Greek word makarios. It refers to a deep-seated, unshakable happiness that weathers any storm. To be makarios is to dwell in the abiding in the favor of God. It is to have His face shine upon you. It is to be truly content in your soul, given peace and joy by God Himself. Jesus says this kind of happiness comes not by receiving. He says it comes by giving. There is greater makarios to be had in giving than receiving.

And so I need to ask you this question: Do you really believe the Lord Jesus on this matter? After all, this one of those statements that seems to fly in the face of logic. Surely we would think that greater happiness is found in having, not in giving away. Certainly your flesh is telling you even this very moment that Jesus was wrong. Everyone knows you’d rather have the last piece of pie than to give it up.

This is why it has been said many times that our faith is tested by our checkbooks. It’s one thing to say we trust Jesus. But then He puts us to the test with a statement like this. In this matter, do we trust Christ, or our own flesh?

The Bible on Giving

When we look to the Bible on this subject of giving, some very basic points are taught. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on these, because I want us to dive into our passage, but if read our passage without acknowledging these things we’ll get Paul’s message here out of balance. So here are 6 basic truths from Scripture about money and giving.

1. Everything we have comes from God. Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell within.” Haggai 2:8 – “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts.” Deuteronomy 8:18 – “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth…”

Sometimes we want to pat ourselves on the back and say, “Look at all that I’ve earned. It’s mine. I worked for it. I sacrificed. Look at all that I’ve gained.” But even if we’ve worked hard for what we have, we need to remember that underneath it all is God’s grace. If you worked hard, it is because God’s grace was at work in your heart to compel you to work hard. You didn’t just do that of yourself – it was grace in your life. Moreover, you could not have done what you did had God not given you your health, and the strength that you needed, as well as the opportunities. In the end, it doesn’t matter how you’ve received what you’ve received, if you trace the path carefully, you’ll see that ultimately everything you have has come from God.

God is the Creator. There is a sense in which everything is His alone. He has Creator-rights over all creation, including over you and me. He is the Potter, we are the clay, and He owns the clay and can do with it as He pleases. So when God takes part of His creation and entrusts it to you, He’s simply entrusting one lump of clay with more clay. And we are called to be faithful stewards of what He entrusts us with. He who is faithful over little will be made a steward over much.

2. Money is dangerous. It isn’t that money is inherently evil. It isn’t. We are. We are born in iniquity. Our hearts are idol-factories that can turn anything in this world into a false god. Jeremiah said the human heart is deceitful above all else and desperately sick. Therefore, throughout history, men have destroyed their own souls through money. Listen to these very strong words from the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:9-10: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Possessing money is dangerous. It is very easy for money to start possessing you. It’s been said that handling money is like handling explosives – you need to be properly trained and equipped and experienced. If God does not give grace, those who have wealth will destroy their souls with it. Jesus said it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to go to heaven.

But the verses I just read were not so much about having money as desiring it. Here is the real danger. It is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through a craving for money that many have wandered away from Christ, and pierced themselves with many pangs. Beware, church, the love of money!

3. Money is to be used to take care of our families. The Scriptures are clear on this. Part of honoring God with your money is using it to care for those in your family. 1Timothy 5:8 says this: “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” That’s a strong word. Husbands and fathers especially, know that you will be held accountable before God for whether or not you used what God entrusted to you to care for your wife and children. If they went hungry because you wasted away your money on gambling or foolish expenditures, you will answer to God. Your wife and children are precious gifts to be cherished and lovingly cared for by you, so much so that you would deny yourself and even die for them. Don’t fail to care for your family with what God has given you.

4. Money is to be used to pay debts. Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows but does not pay back…” The truth is, if we fail to pay our debts, we are guilty of breaking the eighth commandment: You shall not steal. Christians ought to be known for their integrity, and that includes being faithful to pay our bills on time, to avoid debt as much as possible, and to pay off our debts as quickly as possible. The borrower is a slave to the lender; being a slave to others limits what we can do in our service to Christ. We can’t give to Christ what doesn’t belong to us.

5. Money is to be used to save for the future. The Proverbs in particular teach us that the wise will be marked by saving. Proverbs 21:20 – “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” The wise man stores up the treasure and oil, while the foolish man is quick to use it all up. The ants and other animals in God’s creation set the example for us – they store up food in the Summer and Fall, when it is plentiful, so that they will have it come Winter. There is a discipline that is required here. This is why we so often read of people who come suddenly into a great deal of wealth losing that wealth just as quickly. Many lottery winners or pro-athletes suddenly find themselves with a great deal of money, but they’ve never developed the discipline to practice self-control and put a substantial amount away for harder times. Thus, Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”

6. Money and possessions are to be given away. God’s people are given money and possessions not only to fulfill the things I’ve just mentioned, but also to be a blessing to others. We all know John 3:16. But what about First John 3:16? “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

A Model of Cheerful Giving

In the passage we read earlier, we have a remarkable example of cheerful giving. Paul speaks here of the Macedonian church. These were the Christians living in the cities of Thessalonica and Philippi. Paul is taking a collection for the saints in Jerusalem. Paul points to the incredible response of the Macedonian Christians in order to stir up the Corinthians to similar giving.

Paul says in verse 3 that the Macedonian Christians gave not just according to their means, but beyond their means. In other words, the Macedonians didn’t just give what seemed reasonable. They went beyond that. They truly sacrificed, giving above their means. They were risky, radical givers.

Question: Why do we need to hear that? Because our temptation is to take what we learned from 1 Timothy 5 about taking care of our families, and twist it to become a justification for our own greed. “I have to take care of my family” suddenly means that I have to make sure that my teenage son has a place to park the new Mercedes I bought him. Or, “I have to take care of my family” starts to mean that I need to pay over a thousand dollars a year so that we can have 500 channels on the television.

I’m sure you’ve heard the statistics. The vast majority of professing Christians do not tithe. Christians in America spend more money on dog food than on the spread of the gospel. Meanwhile, there are evangelical churches in Romanian villages that have no pastor because they can’t afford the $4400 a year it would take to support him. They have no shepherd for their congregation, no one to explain the Bible to them and feed their souls on a weekly basis.

We have brothers and sisters in Christ in part of the world who cannot afford the medicines that you and I take for granted, and therefore suffer and die of ailments that only keep us out of work for a few days. There are at least 6900 languages being spoken in our world today, and around 2100 of these languages have no portion of the Bible at all. There are 340 million people – more than the entire population of the United States – who speak those languages and have no access to any Scripture in their language.

The truth is, we in America are rich. Much of our world still lives on less than a hundred dollars a month. Many of us in this room make 20, 30, 40, or even 50 or more times that. There are a thousand kingdom needs. Are we willing, like the Macedonians, to give according to our means, and even beyond?

Here is what was so amazing about the Macedonians. Look at verse 4. Paul says that these Christians were “begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” Apparently, Paul had instructed these Christians to stop giving. They had given enough. They did have their own families to think of. But even when wisdom dictated that they needed to hold back, these Christians were begging earnestly for the favor - the privilege – to give even more.

These Macedonian Christians would not have fit in to our American culture. Is it not amazing that we are so much wealthier than these Christians would have ever dreamed of being, and yet we have a hundred reasons why we can’t give, while all they wanted was a chance to keep giving!

So let’s ask this question: Where does this kind of generosity come from? Where does this kind of generosity come from? This is what I want for me and for you. How do we get it?

Note first that God did not make them generous by making them rich. Verse 2 says that these Christians were giving out of their own extreme poverty. These Christians were not only poor, but they were extremely so. Sometimes we think, “If only I had more money, I would give it to the kingdom of God. I’d invest in gospel endeavors.” Surely the Macedonians could have thought like that. “If only we weren’t so poor, we would give to help our brothers and sisters struggling in Jerusalem.” But that’s now how they thought. In their poverty, they gave, and gave, and begged to give more. The fact is, if you aren’t generous with what you have now, you have no reason to believe that you would be generous if God gave you more.

Note second that God did not make them generous by taking away their suffering. These were not Christians travelling to heaven on a soft cushion. Paul says they were facing a severe test of affliction. God did not remove their suffering; just the opposite – He was behind it. Paul calls their affliction a “test”, meaning that God had sovereignly brought affliction into their lives in order to refine their faith. The more a diamond is cut, the more it sparkles. It is through hardship and suffering that Christians are made fit for the boundless of joys of heaven. These Christians were being taught by suffering to trust in God alone. They were learning that He alone is a refuge and a fortress. Through affliction, their hearts were being weaned away from love for this world, and their eyes were being set on the things that matter – the things of eternity. It was through suffering that their faith was growing, and because their faith was growing, they were becoming much looser with their money and possessions. They had learned not to put their faith in their checking accounts or IRAs, but on God.

Church, life on earth will always have its afflictions and hardships. If you wait for everything to be good before you start giving radically, you will never start.

MacArthur says this: The Macedonians rose above their trying circumstances. They did not allow their situation to have a negative effect on their giving. In the midst of their trials, they put the needs of others, whom they had never met, ahead of their own. Though their poverty may have limited the amount they could give, it did not diminish their love. Devout Christians give no matter what the situation, because even the worst circumstances cannot hinder their devotion to Jesus Christ.”

So then, where did this kind of generosity come from? God made these Christians generous by giving them joy. Paul says in verse 2 that it was out of their abundance of joy that they gave. They did not have an abundance of wealth. But they had an abundance of joy. They were cheerful givers! They not only gave freely, but they gave earnestly, with delight!

What kind of joy was this? It was joy in the gospel. Look at verse 9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” In other words, though these Christians were poor in earthly terms, they did not think of themselves as poor. Christ gave up the riches of heaven and went to the cross for them. Now, in Christ, they were rich. God had graciously poured out His riches upon them. God had blessed them in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Their sins were forgiven. They were saved from hell. The Holy Spirit now lived inside them. They had been adopted as God’s children. They had access to His throne of grace. All of His promises were now theirs. All was working for their good. Surely goodness and mercy would follow them all the days of their lives, and they would dwell in the house of the LORD forever. God had given them a peace this world could never understand. Heaven was ahead for them. Above all, God had given them the gift of Himself. He is His greatest gift, and if you have nothing but God, you still have everything!

This was the joy in which these Christians lived – the joy of knowing God through Jesus Christ. He had been so good to them – so generous to them – how could they not be the same towards their brothers and sisters in need. Like Father, like son. These sons and daughters of God were eager to imitate their Father and His generosity.

Friends, here is the key to generosity. It is more blessed to give than to receive when we have learned that there is more happiness in knowing God, serving God, and imitating God than there is in collecting the stuff of this world. Have you found that suprene joy in Christ that will make you eager to overflow onto others?

This joy is found in realizing the depths of your own sins. You haven’t just made a few mistakes in life. The Bible says that we are all crooked deep down. Our hearts are full of wickedness, and if God treats us fairly, we will be cast into hell forever and ever. Hell is real and its pains are real and we deserve every bit of it. But God, in His great love, has given His Son for sinners. He calls us to Himself. He calls us just as we are. He calls us to stop bearing the burden of trying to earn His favor. He calls us to simply rest in Christ. Stop being the master of your own life, turn from the snare of sin, give yourself to Jesus. Trust in Him and all that He has done for you. The Bible declares that He loves you with an ocean of love; now believe that and live in that love. Through prayer and the Bible and Christian fellowship, draw near to Christ and learn what it is to commune with Him and fellowship with Him. Compared to this, everything else is rubbish. If we draw near to Christ and His awesome love, our hearts will overflow in happy, generous love towards others.

Let’s pray.

* This message was preached at FBC Foley on 1/27/13

Obadiah - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:14:00 +0000

The Minor Prophets which make up the end of our Old Testaments are not minor in importance – they are called minor because their books are shorter than the books of the Major Prophets. Obadiah is the shortest of all. At 21 verses, this is the shortest book in all of the Old Testament. Sadly, Obadiah is also a book of the Bible of which many Christians – even many pastors – know very little. It gets neglected and ignored. Do you know what this book is about? Have you ever taken time to consider its message? I think you will find that this little book carries a big punch. Its message is an important one.

The book is named after the prophet who received this vision from the LORD and wrote these words down. The name “Obadiah” means “servant of the LORD”. We know almost nothing about him. The name Obadiah appears twenty times in the Old Testament referring to at least a dozen different men, but we have no evidence that any of these are the same as the Obadiah who wrote this prophecy. Obadiah was a common name in ancient Israel.

We also know very little about when this book was written. The backdrop is that the nation of Edom has participated in an attack on Jerusalem. What attack is in view? When we look to the rest of the Bible to learn about an attack on Jerusalem in which the Edomites took part, we find explicit references to them joining with Babylon in that great attack on Judah that resulted in Jerusalem being destroyed in 586 B.C. This was the great attack that Jeremiah foretold and witnessed, and then lamented in the book of Lamentations. Psalm 137:7 says, “Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!’” Listen to what God said to the Edomites through the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 35 concerning that attack: “I will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the LORD. Because you cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; because you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you.”

It is possible, however, that Obadiah has a different, much older attack in mind. In 2^nd Kings 8 we ready about the days when King Jehoram reigned over Judah. For many years before, Edom had been under the authority of Judah, paying Judah a tribute. In the days of King Jehoram, however, Edom rebelled and staged an attack against Judah. Jehoram was able to defend himself against Edom, but his control over Edom was lost. Soon after an alliance of Philistines and Arabs invaded Jerusalem and according to 2^nd Chronicles 21:17 “…carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.” It is possible, though not certain, that Edom participated in this attack and that this is what is in view in Obadiah.

The main argument for this view is that the books of the Minor Prophets tend to be organized from earlier to later. We know that Hosea, Amos, Jonah, and Micah are all from the 9^th and 8^th centuries B.C, leading up to the period when the 10 northern tribes of Israel would be captured by Assyria. Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah belong to the 7^th century B.C., leading up to the period when Judah would be destroyed by the Babylonians and the people taken into exile. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are prophecies given to Israel after they were brought home from exile. So the Minor Prophets come to us in a fairly chronological fashion.

However, in the middle of those oldest Prophets – Hosea, Amos, Jonah, and Micah – are Obadiah and Joel. These two books are the hardest for us to day. The fact that they are included with the first group of prophets seems to imply that when the Old Testament canon was being put together, those who organized it believed that these two books were older and belonged with those other four. If they were right, then probably the attack in the days of King Jehoram is the one that has taken place.

The Edomites

Since this book is all about God’s judgment on the Edomites, we need to take few minutes to remember who the Edomites were. The father of the Edomites was Esau, the twin-brother of Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham. We are told in Genesis 25 that Jacob and Esau struggled with one another even while they were in the womb, a sign of what was to come. Esau became known as Edom – which means “red” – because of the red stew that Esau received by trading his birthright to Jacob. He had his blessing stolen when Jacob duped his blind father into thinking he was Esau. As you may remember from our study of those passages in Genesis, in those days, Jacob was just as wicked if nor more-so that Esau. Later, we see Esau show extraordinary forgiveness and kindness to Jacob for how Jacob had treated him. However, it was Jacob and Jacob’s descendants that God chose to make His own and His special people. Jacob became a man of faith; Esau did not.

Esau settled just east of what became southern Judah. Throughout the Old Testament, Edom is Judah’s southeastern neighbor; the Moabites dwell just north of Edom. Teman, Bozrah, and the capital Selah (later called Petra), were the three major cities of this kingdom. If your Bible has maps in the back you will probably find one that shows you where Edom was in relation to Israel. The Horites dwelt in this land before Esau’s people, and sometimes Edom is referred to in the Bible as the land of Hor. An even older name for the land of Edom was Seir; often you will find Edom referred to in the Scriptures as Seir or Mount Seir. Today we know this land as part of the nation of Jordan

Here is the blessing/prophecy that Isaac gave to his son Esau after the greater blessing had been given to Jacob:

“Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,

and away from the dew of heaven on high.

By your sword you shall live,

and you shall serve your brother;

but when you grow restless

you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

We find this prophecy fulfilled throughout Edom’s history. By the time Israel was coming out of Egypt and being founded as a nation, Edom was already well established, organized, and defended. Edom was a land of wealth, partly from copper mining, and partly from trade along the King’s Highway of which 70 miles was in Edom. When the nation of Israel asked Edom if they could pass through in order to enter the Promised Land, Edom refused. Moses had promised that the people would not turn off the road to the right or to the left, and that he would pay for any water that they drank. Considering that these nations came from twin brothers, Edom’s refusal was considered an outrageous offense against Israel. Yet in Deuteronomy 23 God instructed Israel to treat Edom well – to remember that they are brothers. This was not the spirit of Edom, however, and the kingdom seemed to harbor a continual hatred of Israel. In Amos 1:11 we read: “Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment: because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.”

Saul was the first king of Israel, and we are told in 1^st Samuel 14 that he fought against all his enemies, including Edom. David fought and conquered Edom. This was a huge moment. One commentator notes, “Until this time Edom must have been thought as Israel’s elder brother in being stronger, older, and more developed. By this battle the elder was supplanted by the younger in clear historical analogy to the Jacob – Esau parallel in Genesis. From this point on one can trace the bitter rivalry which is documented in the prophecy of Obadiah.”

Solomon had to put down a revolt from Edom, but ultimately felt so comfortable in his control over it that he chose to build his fleet of ships there. Edom revolted again under Jehoshaphat and broke free from Israel’s reign during the days of Jehoram. King Amaziah led Judah in conquering Edom again, only for Edom to break free under King Ahaz. Edom then was conquered by the Assyrians, later the Babylonians, and were ultimately driven east into what was the kingdom of Judah, now known as southern Palestine. They began to embrace Judaism. In Jesus’ day the Edomites were called the Idumeans, and Herod the Great – who sought to kill the baby Jesus – was an Idumean. This was the pinnacle of the enmity between Edom and Israel as this wicked king sought to destroy the great Messiah of Israel. The Idumeans joined Israel in revolting against Rome, and the response from Rome was severe. We remember how the great Roman military commander Titus laid Israel to waste, destroying the Temple that had been rebuilt. The Idumeans were also crushed by Titus, and ceased to exist as a people from that time.

The Structure

Let’s read the book of Obadiah in its entirety. As we do, I want you to notice its structure. Verses 1-9 are God’s declaration of coming judgment upon Edom. Verses 10-14 are the indictment, declaring the wicked things Edom has done and why it is that God’s wrath is kindled against them. Verses 15-21 declare how the day of Edom’s defeat will be the day of Israel’s blessing and victory. I’ve seen many outlines of this book, but one that I think keeps it easy and memorable is this: Verses 1-9 declare God’s Verdict, verses 10-14 declare Edom’s Violation, verses 15-21 declare Israel’s Victory. God’s Verdict, Edom’s Violation, Israel’s Victory. Let’s read the book.

[Read the book.]

The Implications of this Book for Us

Why is this prophecy against Edom important for us? Why should we spend time understanding its message? Friends, this book is about two peoples – a people who belong to God, and people who in rebellion against Him. The true Israel of God are all of those from every nation who know God and love Him, submit to Him and trust Him. Those who are in Christ – these are the true Israel of God.

But who is the true Edom? The true Edom are all of those who live in rebellion against God. This theme stretches through the whole Bible – all of humanity is separated into two groups. There is the ungodly line of Cain and the godly line of Seth. There is the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. There are those who are Israel and those who are Edom. In fact, Obadiah himself points out that all the nations will be included in this great judgment. All who have rebelled against Him and His people and treated them with hostility will receive the wrath of God.

This will be our key to seeing the implications of this book for us. When we read of Israel, we will understand that though in its immediate context it refers to ancient Israel, ultimately the Israel God is speaking of here is the Church – all who believe on Jesus. Though we will understand that in the immediate context Edom refers to that ancient neighboring nation to Israel, we will also understand that ultimately the Edom God is speaking of here is all those who are not His – all who are still His enemies and the enemies of His people.

Just to show you that we are not wrong to understand the book this way, let me show you that this is how the apostles understood these things. Look with me at Romans 9:6-13.

Here we have the Apostle Paul addressing this question: why is it that so many Israelites have rejected Christ? Didn’t God promise that He would be Israel’s God, and they His people? His Messiah, Jesus Christ, comes to Israel, and how do they respond? They crucify Him. They refuse to believe on Him. From town to town Paul finds his gospel message being rejected by the Jews of that city but received by many Gentiles. How can this be? Has God’s Word been proven untrue?

Look at verses 6-7: “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

So Paul says 1^st that God’s Word has not failed, and he then explains this by declaring that we need to change the way we think about Israel. There is a physical Israel – a people descended biologically from Abraham – but these are not the true Israel. Not everyone who was descended from Abraham is an Israelite. This is clear even from the very beginning, for Abraham’s first son was Ishmael, yet declared that it would be through Isaac that his offspring should be named. From the very start we learn that not everyone coming from Abraham is a true Jew.

Now, look at verse 8: “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

That is a loaded verse. When Paul says it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, he means that it is not those who are physically connected to Abraham who are God’s children. No, it is the children of the promise, that is, those chosen by God and promised to Abraham. God’s promise to Abraham was not that every biological descendent of his would be a part of God’s people, but that those selected by God would be a part.

Look at verse 9: “For this is what the promise said, “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” In other words, the son that was coming would come about by the special act of God. Ishmael, who was conceived when Abraham looked away from God’s promise and tried to take matters into his own hands, would not be a chosen child of God. God determines who are His. We see this even clearer in verses 10-13:

“And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls – she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I hated.”

So Paul puts forward Jacob and Esau as a prototype, a picture of God’s election. It’s clear here that Paul isn’t mainly talking about Jacob and Esau, because he is answering the question of why more of his fellow Jews haven’t believed on Jesus. He is saying that just as Jacob was chosen by God and not Esau, so the true Israel are those chosen by God. Jacob therefore represents all from every tongue, tribe, and nation who by God’s grace come to believe on Christ. Jacob represents all who are in the love of God through Christ. Esau represents all who are under the wrath of God, those who have been left to themselves and their own sins and will one day be punished in hell.

So turn back to Obadiah, and understand that this is the New Testament lens through which we look at this book. And here is where I show my cards. One of the main reasons that I want us to study this book at this point in the life of our church is that I believe it will do us good to carefully consider the fate of those who are enemies of God. This book reminds us of how God feels concerning the lost, the hard-hearted, the wicked. This book reminds us of the judgment that is in store for them. So many of our family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others are included in this number. Unless by God’s grace they come to believe the gospel, to turn from their wicked ways and trust Christ, they too will experience the condemnation of God.

Friends, these are our brothers and sisters! Just as Jacob and Esau sprang from one man, so we all are children of Adam. We who belong to God are flesh and blood, just those who do not belong to God. They are like us. Moreover, just as Jacob began life perhaps even more vile than Esau, so we know that we are not by nature any better than those who are still lost and hardened against God. Yet here we are as vessels of God’s mercy – how should we feel about these who right now appear to be vessels of God’s wrath?

How do you think Israel felt about this Word from God concerning Edom? Remember, though this Word of God is addressed to Edom, it was given to Israel. You can see how this message would have brought Israel joy. The wrongs that have been done to them will be avenged. The wickedness of Edom will be recompensed. The days of persecution will end. This message is similar to the message of Revelation – trust Christ and look to the future when He bring judgment and make all things right!

But even as Israel probably felt great hope and joy in this message, might there also have been a sense of sadness and grief? This is not the Assyrians or the Babylonians that God is mainly addressing – it is Israel’s kindred nation.

My desire is that the Holy Spirit would break our hearts for the lost. Yes, I want us to rejoice in the justice of God. Yes, I want us to tremble at the thought of His wrath. Yes, I want us to find sweet security in His jealous love for us. But I also long for us to consider the fate of the wicked and to be broken-hearted. Hell is real. The suffering there is real. My prayer is that we would contemplate the fate of the lost to such a degree that we cannot stand the thought of keeping silent about Christ. I want to see a surge in evangelism, a surge in compassion towards those who are still blind. I want to see it in me. I want to see it in us.

We’re not going to change God’s eternal decree of election. We aren’t going to make non-elect people elect. But there are many around us who right now look like goats and not sheep, and who are far away from God. We don’t know God’s decree concerning these people. Could it be that if we would care enough for them to bring them the gospel, they might believe and be saved. We thought they were of Esau – we thought they would forever be an enemy of God! But in God’s great and amazing grace, they are brought to faith, proven to be one of those whose name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundations of the world.

Why is this book important? We will see that God is a God of righteousness, and that righteousness will triumph in the end. We will see that God’s punishment of the wicked is both terrible and just. We will see the jealous love that God has for His own. I want us to see and marvel at the glory of God’s character revealed in these verses. And I want us to be stirred up with compassion to point our lost neighbors towards Him. Like Jesus weeping over the lost sinners of Jerusalem, we need to weep for those who still do not see.

So may God cause us to love Him all the more, to be thankful for His sweet salvation, and to be energized in living for His glory in this dark world. Let’s pray.

The High Calling of Husbands and Fathers

noreply@blogger.com (Justin Nale) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:40:00 +0000

Introduction

The greatest need of our world today is not the need for godly fathers. The greatest need of our world today is for people to know our heavenly Father. The greatest need of our world today is not the need for godly husbands. The greatest need of our world to today is for people to know the Husband, the Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest need for our world today is not the need for a message about how to have a godly home. The greatest need of our world today is the need for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God has entrusted us with this gospel. We call ourselves “Christians” because we believe this gospel and rest in this message of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. Through our Savior, we believe ourselves reconciled to God, living in His grace, with eternal life in heaven before us. And since we know this gospel, and since it is shaping our lives, and since there is a world around us that needs it so badly, how now shall we live?

The Church is the instrument God has chosen to get His gospel to the lost of this world. If the Church of Jesus Christ is healthy and vibrant, its witness to the gospel will be strong. If the Church of Jesus Christ is unhealthy and riddled with worldliness and sin, its witness to the gospel will be weak. The gospel is what the world needs most and the Church is God’s appointed vehicle to get the gospel to it.

But here’s the thing. The Church of Jesus Christ is made up of local churches. And local churches are made up of families. Not just families. Singles are an important part of God’s Church. The New Testament teaches that singleness is a gift, and whether our season of singleness is a few years or a whole lifetime, we should use our singleness for the glory of God. Local churches need singles – their perspective, their gifts, their input. Local churches include singles. But they also include families. And as a general principle, the health of a local church will depend in large measure on the health of its families. When Christian families are healthy and strong, local churches are healthy and strong. It is not too much to say that the health of the Church of God in this world and the strength of its witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ depends in great measure on the spiritual health of its families. Why would the world listen to us and our message if our families are as broken and disorderly and full of hurt as theirs?

The health of the Church of Jesus Christ depends in large measure on the health of Christian families and the health of Christian families depends in large measure on the godly leadership of the husbands and fathers in those families. My goal tonight is to help all of us in this room who have families to grasp the heaviness and the weight of the responsibility that is upon us. We are to lead our families well not just for the sake of our families, but for the sake of the glory of God in this world!

I. Who Are These Verses For?

1^st Timothy 3:1-7 is a list of qualifications which a man should meet if he is to serve in the office of Overseer. The words “overseer”, “elder”, and “pastor” all refer to the same office in the local church. These qualifications are important because pastors are to be leaders. Pastors cannot lead people into a kind of life they themselves know nothing about. A shepherd must know where he is leading the sheep in order to get them there.

But it isn’t just pastors that are called to be shepherds. So are husbands. And so are fathers. In fact, one of the qualifications for the office of pastor is that a man must have proven himself to be a faithful shepherd of his own home. Verses 4-5 say, “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”

So when we look at these two verses, we must not see them as God’s expectation for pastors only. No, these verses describe what all Christian husbands and fathers are to be.

D. A. Carson famously said that the most remarkable thing about this list of qualifications is how unremarkable they are. Every qualification but one can be found elsewhere in Scripture commanded of believers in general. Pastors must be able to teach; this is not required of all Christians. But we are all to be above reproach. We are all to be faithful in our marriages. All Christian husbands are to manage their households well, and all Christian wives are to be helpmates in this. We are all to be sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable and hospitable. These qualifications are not just a description of what pastors should be; these qualifications are a description of what every mature believer should be.

Now, I want to lead us in asking three questions concerning verses 4 and 5, and the first question I’m leading us to ask is this: “Who are these verses for?” The answer is that these two verses are for all of us. These verses are for all of us because they teach us what to look for in a candidate for pastor. These verses are for all of our married men, for they teach us that part of following Christ is being managers of our households. These verses are for the men in our church who are single today but in God’s providence may have a wife and children in the future. Young men and boys, listen carefully to this message. God is speaking to you, preparing you for the responsibilities that are coming your way. This passage is for all of us because it gives instruction for our prayer lives. It teaches us how to pray for our brothers in Christ. When you are on your knees interceding for your brothers in this room, here is one thing you should be asking God for: O God, help my brothers to manage their households well. So you see, this passage has something to say to all of us.

II. What Does It Mean for a Christian Man to Manage His Household?

The second question we’re asking is this: What does it mean for a Christian man to manage his household? We’re not yet asking what it means to manage a household well, rather, we just want to know what it is we are talking about. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of managing a household?

This word “manage” is found only six times in the Bible, all in Paul’s letters. By looking at how Paul uses this word, I think we can get an idea of what he means by it. Let me point out three aspects of this word “manage”:

First, this word has the aspect of authority. A manager has authority over those whom he is to manage. This word “manage” is the same word used in 1^st Timothy 5:17: “Let the elders who rule well…” That word “rule” is the same word translated “manage” in 3:4-5. That men are to manage their households means that they have authority to rule, or to govern, their households.

Turn back a few pages to 1^st Thessalonians 5:12: “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you.” The words “are over” in this verse are the participle form of our word. To manage is to “be over” something or someone. In 1^st Thessalonians 5:12 pastors are over their congregations. In 1^st Timothy 3:4-5, husbands and fathers are over their households. So we have the idea of authority. Husbands and fathers have a God-given authority over their families.

Second, this word has the aspect of leadership. When you picture the Christian man ruling over his household, you should not picture a selfish man sitting on his lazy-boy throne giving commands to his wife and children as they serve him. “Wife, fetch me my dinner. Kids, go clean your room and don’t bother me. I’m the ruler of this house, do as I say.” That is an abuse of a man’s authority in the home, not the right use of it. The reason God has given husbands and fathers authority is not so that they will be served, but so that they will serve. Men are to be servant leaders of their households. They are to serve their families by setting the direction of the family, leading the family in the way it should go. Turn with me to Romans 12:6-8 and let me show you something:

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Where you see that phrase “the one who leads”, that verb “leads” is our verb. The same word translated “manage” or “rule” also means “to lead”. So we see here that this word is used not of a passive authority, but an authority used to lead, to direct, to guide. Men are to serve their households through leadership. This requires work and sacrifice.

Then there is the third aspect of this word, the aspect of care. For a man to manage his household means not only that he has authority over it and leads it, but that he cares for it. We see this clearly in 1^st Timothy 3:5. In this verse, Paul connects managing to caring. Look at the question Paul asks again: “for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”

Paul throws a changeup at us. We would expect him to say, “If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he manage God’s church?” But instead, Paul says, “If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” In other words, in Paul’s mind, these words “manage” and “care” are interchangeable. So when we speak of men managing their households, we must include in that the idea of mean caring for their households. The authority that men have is to be put into action, so that they can provide for and protect their households. They are to use their positions in their households to show loving-care to their families.

When we put all of this together, we have a picture of a man who governs his family, leads his family, and cares for his family. And all of this points us to the Fatherhood of our God. He has authority over us. He leads us by His Word and by His Spirit. And aren’t we thankful that He cares for us?

Let us not forget that God Himself has a household over which He is Father. Paul mentions that the church is the household of God down in verse 15. Christian husbands and fathers are to relate to their households in the same way that God relates to us! He is over us. He gives direction and instruction to us. He gives each of his family members an important role to play in the life of the family. Though at times He must discipline us, yet He loves us immeasurably and ultimately does all for our good. Our God manages His household with all wisdom and love, with righteousness and tenderness; this is how Christian men are to manage their households.

Let me sum this up: What does it mean for a Christian man to manage his household? It means that he is to exercise his God-given authority to lead and care for his family as he looks to the example of his God.

3. What Should Be Included in a Man’s Management of His Household?

Now we come to our third question. What should be included in a man’s management of his household?

Men have been given authority to lead and care for their wives and children looking to God as their example. But what does this leading and caring for look like? Practically, what is it that husbands and fathers are supposed to be doing?

I have five scriptural answers to that question, but we’re only going to have time for two. Here is the first one:

1. Instruction

Men are to serve their families by providing instruction to them.

Men are to teach their children about the things of God and what it means to walk with God. This is the example we see in the book of Proverbs, where a father is instructing his son in the path of wisdom. We just read Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Husbands are to provide instruction for their wives too. 1^st Corinthians 14:35 says of Christian wives, “If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.” The idea in that passage is that a wife should be able to come to her husband with questions about things they’ve learned at church and that the husband should seek to provide answers. It doesn’t mean that the husband knows all the answers – sometimes a husband must say to his wife “I don’t know” - but it does mean that he should be the kind of man who knows and loves the Word of God enough that it makes sense for his wife to come to him with questions.

If the greatest need of our wives and our children are that they know and love God, and if it is through the Bible that this happens, then certainly one of the greatest ways a husband and father loves his family is by seeking to have it read and taught in his home. Maybe its gathering the family together at breakfast, or maybe at supper, or maybe at bedtime, but a man should seek to do all he can to instill the Word of God which is more valuable than gold into the hearts of his family.

As a manager, by the way, this just makes sense. A family that is hearing the Bible and learning to obey the Bible is going to be an easier family to manage. When the principles of the Bible are being taught and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is being exhorted in the home, should we not expect to see that make a difference? Will not God in His grace come and bless His Word? How many needless squabbles and family difficulties we avoid when we teach our families to follow Christ and obey the Bible!

How many of want families characterized by joy and peace? Where else will our families find that joy and peace but in Christ? And what is our primary tool for pointing our families to Christ? Is it not the Bible?

Men, how are you doing in this regard? Are you teaching the Word of God to your families? Are you providing the instruction their souls need? Their souls are very precious and they have been entrusted into your care – don’t starve them! What they receive here on Sunday is not nearly sufficient; this must be the climax of what they’ve been receiving all week at home!

The Word of God is to be pervasive in our lives. Remember the Shema! Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Friend, how prevalent is the Word of God in your home? Let me encourage you to have at least some part of the day when you are reading the Bible with your family. Maybe right now you don’t feel that you are able to teach or make comments about what you read. Okay, just read the Bible together. Maybe read a little bit of Matthew Henry’s commentary or use one of several good books in our library to help. Then, look for opportunities to help connect what you are reading to the lives of your wife and children. If the kids are back-talking their mother, discipline them, but also remind them, “Didn’t we read together where God said that we are to honor our father and mother? Doesn’t God know what is best for us? Isn’t it foolish for us not to trust what He has said?” Connecting our lives to the truth of God’s Word is a huge part of being a faithful husband and father.

There are two other kinds of instruction that fathers are to provide for their families. The first and most important is religious instruction, but the second is also important: general instruction. A man who loves his wife and children will do all that he can to provide for them a quality education. Supremely he wants them to know and love God, but he also wants them to be able to read and write and do math and have a solid understanding of the world in which they live. Remember, Psalm 127 says that children are a heritage from the LORD, and that they are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. We are intended to prepare our children so that we can shoot them off into the world and see them defeat the powers of darkness. Whether they grow up to be doctors or lawyers, missionaries or pastors, homemakers or university professors, we want them to be equipped to make a difference in this world for the glory of God. We want them to be able to stand for truth and to be a blessing to others. We don’t want to shoot of shoddy arrows that crash and burn; no, we want them to hit the mark of holiness and usefulness to our Lord Jesus Christ.

How can a man love his children and not want them to have the very best education he can provide? Shame on that father who in his laziness and selfishness has taken no time to consider the education of his children. If you have carefully considered the curriculum and teachers and worldview of the public school system, and you believe that this is what is best for your children, then by all means place them in public schools. If you have carefully considered the curriculum and teachers and worldview of a private school and believe that it is best for your children, then by all means place them in that private school. If you have considered the pros and cons of homeschooling and believe it will be most beneficial for the education of your children, then homeschool them. I will not judge anyone for the decisions they make concerning the education of their children, and I will not look down on any man for the path he chooses in providing an education for his children. Yet I can say with absolute confidence that God Himself will judge that father who has made no effort to ensure he is giving his children the best education he can provide. We are to do all things to the glory of God. Our children are a stewardship from God and they are precious in His sight; we will be held responsible for how we have cared for them.

Fathers, don’t disconnect yourself from the education of your children. It is easy for us to think we can outsource the responsibility for educating our children to a public school or a private school or even onto our wives in a home-school, but fathers, it will be us called to give an account before God.

By the way, a man should not just seek to provide an education for his children, but also for his wife. That is, it is good for us to seek to provide for our wives books and materials that will help them to be smarter and wiser in their duties. The responsibilities that our wives have will differ from family to family, but if there are books or conferences or other things available that will help our wives improve and succeed at those responsibilities, we should seek to provide those for them. Obviously there are financial limitations and we want to be good stewards; we can’t take advantage of every good thing. But husbands, consider how you might provide for your wife in this way. I can testify as to what a gift it is to have a wife that its fun to go out on a dinner date with her because she’s more intelligent than I am, she’s well-informed, and therefore I truly benefit and grow from our conversations together. As her husband, I should be willing to sacrifice to in order to cultivate her and her pursuit of knowledge.

So a man is to provide religious instruction for his family, general instruction for his family, and thirdly, he is to provide wise counsel for his family. That is, every husband and father should strive to be a well of wisdom which his wife and children can come to and drink from and be strengthened. In Proverbs 5:11 the father is able to say to his son, “I have taught you the way of wisdom.” Can you say that to your family? Can you say, “I have you taught you the way of wisdom”? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a Wonderful Counselor to us. As we pray to Him and learn from His Word, He gives us wise counsel and guides our steps. Men, we are to be instruments in the hands of our Redeemer to give wise counsel to our families. How sweet is a word in season! We should strive to be available to our wives and children with words of timely truth when they need them.

Justin, how do I become that? Friend, our only hope of becoming fountains of wisdom for our families is that we ourselves continue being filled by the greater fountain. We must daily go to the Word of God, calling out on our Savior, pleading with Him to give us His wisdom. We must carefully study the Bible, especially the Proverbs, and instill them into our own hearts so that the Holy Spirit can bring them to our mind when the time comes.

So, just as our heavenly Father and precious Bridegroom have provided instruction for us in the family of God, so husbands and fathers are to provide instruction for their families.

Management Means Modeling

There is a second activity which is included in managing a household well. It is the activity of modeling. Men are to model for their families what it means to walk with God. Men are to model with their lives before their families what it means to follow Jesus Christ. As important as instruction is, it is often through our examples that we will best lead our families into good and faithful living. God the Father looks at us and says, “Be holy as I am holy.” We should be able to look at our families and say, “Be holy as I am holy.”

Men, our lives set an example for our wives and children. Our actions and words and attitudes set a certain tone in our families. Jesus taught that we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Well if our desire is that our wives and children would live with love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control, guess how we must act towards them! Can you imagine a shepherd who instructs his sheep by saying go that way, but then doesn’t go that way himself? No, the sheep will go where the shepherd goes. Our families need instruction, but they also need to see with their own eyes us going before them into the kinds of attitudes and behaviors we are pointing them towards.

What do we want most for our wives and children? More than anything, don’t we want them to rest in our Lord Jesus Christ? Don’t we want them to know the peace and the joy and the comfort of trusting Jesus? Then let us not just teach them to trust Jesus, but let them see our trust in Jesus. Let them see us calling out to Him for help. Let them see us opening the Bible to hear from God. Let them see us singing songs of praise. Let them see us responding with forgiveness to our enemies and making bold, godly choices because our hope is set on Christ alone.

Justin, I want my children to grow up with a heart for the nations. Good; are they learning that from you? How often are the names of unreached people groups on your lips? If they are listening in on your conversations, how often will they hear you talking with a burden about the darkest places of our world and the great need to get the gospel to those who have never heard it?

Men, we must model the virtues we long to see in our wives and children. So let us acknowledge again our utter need for Christ. If He does not move our hearts to long for these things, and if He does not move us to be mindful of these things, we will fail. Our only hope is that He will give us the hearts to pursue these things with all our might, knocking, seeking, asking, trusting our Lord to give us what we so desperately need. Let us grab a hold of the means of grace God has given us – the Bible, prayer, Christian fellowship, solid hymns, self-examination, good books, moments of confession and repentance before God – and let us use them all to grow up as Christians for the sake of the families we live before and love so dearly.

We’re out of time. I’ve given you two of the five ingredients of managing your household well. The other three were these: provision, protection, and discipline. These five together: instruction, modeling, provision, protection, and discipline – these are required to lead a family well.

To be a husband and father is to have a high calling, a wonderful privilege, and a heavy responsibility. But we also have a Savior who is the Bridegroom of our own souls. We are to do everything not in our own strength, but in His. Let us be sure to turn to Christ each day, hold fast to His promises, find strength by resting in His love, and give attention to His Word. This is what it means to be a Christian and to follow Jesus.

So I call on all of us now. Let us all run to Christ. Let us all declare that we need Him every hour. Let us cry out for His help and His grace. Let us remember that nothing we do will make us right before God, but that Christ has done everything necessary so that this very moment, as we trust in Him, we are God’s children. Our Father is with us and for us and He is fully able and willing to make us holy and happy witnesses for Him. Let us trust our God, step out in faith, and do as He says. To God be the glory. Let’s pray.