Monthly Archives: July 2015

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What Should a Pastor Be?

M'Cheyne

No man has influenced my pastoral life and vision more than Robert Murray M’Cheyne. He was a man of ordinary gifting, but of tenacious love for the sufficiency and beauty of Jesus Christ. The more I read him the more I’m convinced few pastors of old are as worthy to hear today as Mr. M’Cheyne (hence why I hope to do my PhD research on him).

26 Traits of a Faithful Pastor

In one morning’s bible reading M’Cheyne meditated on 1 Thessalonians 2 and Paul’s example of ministry to the church at Thessalonica. In a manuscript quarto—think “journal”—M’Cheyne answered the question, “What should a minister be?” from Paul’s instruction. He came up with twenty-six different characteristics of healthy gospel ministry. May these encourage and challenge you:

  1. Bold in our God. Having the courage of one who is near and dear to God, and who has God dwelling in him.
  2. To speak the Gospel. He should be a voice to speak the gospel, an angel of glad tidings.
  3. With much agony. He should wrestle with God, and wrestle with men.
  4. Not of uncleanness. He should be chaste in heart, in eye, in speech.
  5. Not of deceit or guile. He should be open, having only one end in view, the glory of Christ.
  6. Allowed of God to be put in trust. He should feel a steward, entrusted of God.
  7. Not as pleasing men, but God. He should speak what God will approve, who tries the heart.
  8. Neither flattering words. He should never flatter men, even to win them.
  9. Nor a cloke of covetousness. Not seeking money or presents, devoted to his work with a single eye.
  10. Nor of men sought we glory. Not seeking praise.
  11. Gentle even as a nurse.
  12. Affectionately desirous of you. Having an inward affection and desire for the salvation and growth of his people.
  13. Willing to impart our own souls. Willing to suffer loss, even of life, in their cause.
  14. Laboriousness night and day.
  15. To preach without being chargeable, to any of his people.
  16. Holily.
  17. Justly.
  18. Unblameably we behaved among believers.
  19. The daily walk.
  20. Exhorted every one. Individuality of ministry.
  21. As a father. Authority and love.
  22. Thank we God. He should be full of thanksgiving without ceasing.
  23. Should be with his people in heart, when not in presence.
  24. Endeavoured to see you. His people his hope. That which animates him.
  25. And joy. Immediate delight.
  26. And crown of rejoicing. When he looks beyond the grave.
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Thirsty and Thriving

PrayingForPreaching

My daily prayer list includes specific petitions for the preaching ministry at IDC. I pray that those who preach at our church would do so with clarity (Col. 4:4), boldness (Eph. 6:19), tenderness (2 Tim. 2:24-25), and faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2, 2 Tim. 2:15). A couple weeks ago I realized I was spending vastly more time praying for the preachers than the hearers. So I set out to remedy the imbalance.

I’m a believer in trying to make spiritual concerns memorable—be that in matters of sermon application or intercessory prayer. I want to construct hooks on which truth can hang and be easily taken down. As I tried to coalesce everything I long for to be true about the hearers at my church I settled on two regular requests. Maybe they will be helpful for your ministry and prayer life.

“Lord, Make Them Thirsty”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for faithful preaching, for they will be satisfied. The joy of satiation depends on one coming thirsty to God’s word. Let every heart gather eager and expectant for an encounter with God through His word. I pray for sinners to come with longing in their heart for something more than this life, for the life found in Christ alone. I pray for saints to come ready to experience God’s living word with the full force of its glory.

Alongside this request is for God to use His Spirit in the souls of our people to replace thirst for the things of earth with thirst for the things of heaven. May every heart long for the word that cannot fail, for the proclamation more sure and steady than any experience of earthly power and glory.

“Lord, Make Them Thrive”

May God let our congregation thrive spiritually under our preaching. I pray this comes in part from all of those who preach at our church to do so with increased power and deeper reverence. But, on the whole, I’m praying here for God to let the Spirit take our feeble attempts at heralding and multiply their effect exponentially in the church’s soul.

Let not the hearer focus on homiletical goofs in the sermon, but on that which exposes the truth of the text and their heart. Protect them from anything that robs attention and steals beauty from the gospel. Let them thrive equally under God’s promises, commands, and threats. Let them thrive in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Let them thrive no matter the genre—in narratives, poetry, prophecy, epistles, and anything else the Spirit inspired to be in the canon. We want continual growth and steady transformation, so Lord, let the preached word be their fuel for Christlikeness.

May the word thrive “overflowingly” in their hearts so they might be earnest ambassadors who carry the gospel with them wherever they go.

Lord, give make us a thirsty and thriving congregation.

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Working from Hunger

The Heart of Prayer

I’m finding P.T. Forsyth’s The Soul of Prayer full of insightful meditations on the joys and travails of prayer. He rightly says prayerlessness is the equivalent to spiritual starvation. To carry the metaphor further the Scotsman writes,

Prayer brings with it, as food does, a new sense of power and health. We are driven to it by hunger, and, having eaten, we are refreshed and strengthened for the battle which even our physical life involves. For heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

We must work for this living. To feed the soul we must toil at prayer. And what a labour it is! “He prayed in an agony.” We must pray even to tears if need be. Our cooperation with God is our receptivity; but it is an active, a laborious receptivity, an importunity that drains our strength away if it do not tap the sources of the Strength Eternal. We work, we slave, at receiving. To him that hath this laborious expectancy it shall be given. Prayer is the powerful appropriation of power, of divine power.

Blessed are those who hunger, for they shall be satisfied.

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Leading in Worship

We live in a wonderful time of historic recovery among mainstream evangelicals. Reformation theology has surged once again—just before the Reformation’s quincentenary—and thus it’s only logical that many are now taking the next step in Reformation recovery: a reformation in worship. “Liturgy” is on the lips of many. Just a couple weeks ago I was with a church planter working in a denomination quite opposed to set forms of worship, yet he excitedly spoke about “a call to worship, “confession of sin and assurance of pardon.”

As many senior pastors and music pastors find themselves joyfully swept up by the beauty of Reformed worship I thought it could be helpful to point out a few timeless resources for those who lead in worship. These books don’t argue for a particular liturgy in worship, but rather offer numerous ways to think about, implement, and then lead a congregation each element of worship.

4 Books for Leading in Worship

31n6822EPKL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_Leading in Worship edited by Terry Johnson. Having become disillusioned with the shallowness, incoherence, and mancenteredness of mainstream contemporary Christian worship, a growing number of ministers and laypeople within the Protestant Church are beginning to recover the biblical roots of traditional Reformed worship. If you count yourself among this number, Leading in Worship was compiled for you. Here is a rich profusion of liturgical material carefully selected from the various directories and prayer books published during the heyday of the Protestant Reformation and compiled into a robust liturgical directory with adaptable forms of worship appropriate for every occasion. But this is more than just a directory of worship. Editor Terry Johnson also explains the importance and purpose of the different services, outlining the biblical foundations for the varied worship practices of the Reformers. Created for ministers, this book also edifies and encourages congregants by providing a biblical rationale for liturgical forms. Leading in Worship is a practical handbook of utmost importance to the modern reformation.

9780801015915mThe Worship Sourcebook edited by John Witvliet and Emily Brink. The Worship Sourcebook is a collection of more than 2,500 prayers, litanies, and spoken texts for every element of traditional worship services held throughout the seasons of the church year. This indispensable resource for worship planners and pastors includes texts that can be read aloud as well as outlines that can be adapted for your situation. Teaching notes offer guidance for planning each element of the service. Thought-provoking perspectives on the meaning and purpose of worship help stimulate discussion and reflection. The companion CD contains the entire text of the book for easy cutting and pasting into bulletins, PowerPoint slides, orders of worship, and more. This second edition includes new and revised liturgies, additional prayers for challenging situations facing today’s church, and new appendices.

0802808212mLeading in Prayer by Hughes Oliphant Old. This comprehensive guide to ordering, improving, and doing prayer in Christian corporate worship is for pastors, worship leaders, teachers and anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the use of public prayer. Old discusses the historical and theological background of prayer, instructs readers in the various kinds of prayer as they are used in worship, and examines the ordering of prayer in congregational worship. Includes sample prayers and sample church services.

9781845504274mWestminster Directory of Public Worship discussed by Mark Dever and Sinclair Ferguson. The Scotsman writes, “To read and study the Puritans is akin to standing in a familiar house and noticing there is an extra door one had never noticed. Press it open and a large basement full of unimagined resources come into view. Here one may linger often, and from here Christians – and not least Christian pastors – may return to the world of their daily service with renewed vigor, with a greater sense of the gospel and its power, deeply challenged to live for their chief end: ‘to glorify God and enjoy him for ever.’ Here we find ourselves in a world of men with a clear vision of the nature of true pastoral ministry, and an unreserved commitment to it, whatever the personal cost. This is an environment of clear-sightedness, single-mindedness, and a deep love of God which, if applied to the work of the pastor today would have a profound, if at times a disturbing, impact on our understanding of the real task of the ministry.”

If you’re interested in more resources on worship Westminster Books has an excellent five-book set for 40% off. Included are:

  • Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper
  • Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin
  • Give Praise to God edited by Phil Ryken, Derek Thomas, and Ligon Duncan
  • Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell
  • Engaging with God by David Peterson
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Retribution and Rescue

Genesis Podcast 1

It was said that Spurgeon was once walking with a friend down the street when they came upon a drunken homeless man prostrated on the street. Spurgeon’s friend proceeded to make some snide remark about the poor soul. He turned to see if Spurgeon would join in the heckling, yet he saw tears running down Spurgeon’s face and heard the great preacher say, “But for the grace of God, there would I be.”

I’m not sure about you, but I find stories in Scripture of God’s judgment to be quite dangerous for a similar reason. We can smell the sulfurous smoke falling on Sodom and snidely say, “That was deserved,” all the while I believe God’s means for this story to lead us to say with the Prince of Preachers, “But for the grace of God, there would I be.”

To help us do just that I want to consider two truths about God’s relation to man according to our passage.

How God Relates to Man

Our sin demands God’s retribution. This is the first step in what it means to be a Christian, to understand our sin deserves death. And Jesus says the story of Sodom is there to serve as an example and warning to us. As we read earlier tonight in Luke 17 the day of Jesus’s return will be a day of Sodom-like destruction for all who reject him as King. Oh, how I pray that we’d all today feel afresh the force of God’s justice—retribution we deserve. We must know the full terror of God’s wrath in order to love the full treasure of God’s mercy. Which leads to the second point . . .

Our rescue depends on God’s mercy. Look back at 19:16, “But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” Mercy rescues. Are you lingering today? Lingering in unbelief and unrepentance? Maybe you are lingering in secret sin or worldly fear. Oh, linger no more as you see tonight the retribution and rescue of God. His mercy is available through Christ, because the same wrath of that consumed Sodom crushed the Son. God’s judgment fell on His Son in the ultimate act of mercy to us.

But God’s rescue doesn’t stop at the cross. Our Lord continues to rescue us each day as he intercedes for us on high. Remember Abraham’s intercession back in chapter 18. The Bible gives unusual prominence to Abraham’s relationship with God, he is regularly called “the friend of God,” but our text tells us the “friend of God” is unable to fully intercede for Sodom—his intercession 19:29 tells us saved Lot, but not the city. Where the friend of God’s intercession was limited, the Son of God’s intercession is unlimited. It is unlimited because He didn’t just turn away God’s wrath due to us, instead He turned it into Himself. And thus the book of Hebrews says, “He always lives to make intercession for,” us, to plead our case, to rescue us.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

So we need not run in terror from God’s justice, we can instead trust the justice He poured out on Jesus in order so save us. Our God is the Lord of justice.

This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Lot,” on Genesis 18-19.

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Recent Reads

I love to read. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

9781433549373What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung. If ever there was a book uniquely suited for the times it’s DeYoung’s latest. What Does the Bible . . . ? is after an admittedly small slice of the categorical pie, for DeYoung writes, “This is a Christian book, with a narrow focus, defending a traditional view of marriage” (15). The work’s utility lies in it’s simplicity: part one deals with the five most debated passage on homosexuality and part two deals with the seven most common objections to the traditional view. As we should expect by now DeYoung is winsomely logical, ruthlessly biblical, and pastorally helpful. Every pastor should get have multiple copies on hand to distribute to church members. We can’t seem to keep the book in stock at IDC and I continually hear of it being an immense help to our congregation. One of the must reads of 2015.

WWSWater, Word, and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism by J.V Fesko. The appropriate word for Fesko’s volume on baptism is “tome.” It’s an immense work of scholarship spanning the disciplines of historical, biblical, and systematic theology. The immensity is matched by a density of language; this is really an academic monograph on the subject. Fesko is strongest in the section on biblical theology as he highlights the reality of baptism being covenant and eschatological judgment—these are often neglected in my baptist circles. He also usefully points out how often baptism in Scripture is connected to the Noahic flood. Of particular importance is chapter 14, “Baptism and Its Recipients,” as Fesko goes full throttle to convince readers of paedobaptism’s rightness. I’m still not convinced, but if you want to understand the historic “Reformed perspective” this is the book for you.

9781587433498mSpiritual Friendship: Finding Love as a Celibate Gay Christian by Wesley Hill. Back in May I sat in a doctoral seminar entitled “Patristic & Celtic Spirituality” and heard Dr. Michael Haykin say something like, “Wesley Hill’s book Spiritual Friendship is teaching me things about friendship I’ve never seen before—and I’ve been studying the topic for years!” I immediately ordered the book and finally got around to reading it this week. Although I’m not convinced of Hill’s apparent desire to resurrect “vowed friendship” is a wise move (Allberry’s spot on in this review), I found myself continually rethinking my own views of friendship. Part 1, “Reading Friendship,” is illuminating in every way as Hill traces the decline of friendship in the Western world over the last few centuries. Part 2 is less helpful, for me at least, because it more acutely applies to those struggling with same-sex attraction. Nonetheless, I think anyone’s understanding and practice of spiritual friendship will be improved by this book.

9781433544613mThe Prodigal Church: A Gentle Manifesto Against the Status Quo by Jared Wilson. Wilson says he doesn’t want The Prodigal Church to be a rant, an argument for a traditional church, or reactionary rejection. Rather it’s a “gentle manifesto” in which he dares attractional church aficionados to ask, “What if what we’re doing isn’t really what we’re supposed to be doing?” By “attractional” he means “a way of doing ministry that derives from the primary purpose of making Christianity appealing” (25). Although I think the overwhelming majority of readers won’t actually be attractional apologists (I imagine he’ll be mostly preaching to the choir), this book does achieve its stated aims. With gentility and honesty Wilson pokes at the sacred cows of attractional churches to see if they can stand withstand the light of Scripture and reason. If you know a pastor withering at an attractional church or wondering if the model is actually misguided, give them this book. They will be helped.

513F52vnKLL._SX341_BO1,204,203,200_The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. There isn’t anyone from whom I’d rather learn about American history than David McCullough. The two-time Pulitzer winner writes with such a warmth and familiarity of understanding I feel as though I’m listening to my grandfather tells stories of days gone by. His latest work focuses on how Wilbur and Orville Wright created their “flying machine.” This story of the boys from Dayton, Ohio is quintessentially “American”—two men rising from obscurity to change the world through undaunted industry and ingenuity. The Wright Brothers is a story we all should know. And McCullough’s reverent and beautiful prose is the perfect guide. Highly recommended!

51U9Ph+IX6L._SY498_BO1,204,203,200_The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. After almost seven months of nonstop PhD reading I permitted my mind a two-week break of relative mindlessness in terms of bedtime reading. For some reason—I’m still not exactly sure how—I grabbed Larsson’s international senstation The Millennium Triology (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). Interestingly enough, Larsson was never able to bask in the success of his greatest success as Millennium was published after his death. Aside from a few brutal scenes and occasional reveling in innuendo the trilogy is taut, keep-you-up-too-late reading. I can definitely see why it’s such a smashing success.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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How to Preach to the Heart

Tim_Keller_TGC11

For my mind there are two reasons Tim Keller’s preaching continues to reach such a swath of hearers: 1) he knows how to vividly preach the gospel from the whole counsel of God, and 2) he is a master at preaching to the heart.

Chapter six, “Preaching Christ to the Heart,” in his recent Preaching: Communicating Faith in a Skeptical Age offers untold homiletical riches on the subject of heralding heart-searching sermons. It includes a section appropriately designated, “How To Preach to the Heart.” Keller offer’s six adverbs to help preachers connect their sermons to their people’s hearts. Here they are with some brief comments from The Manhattan Man.

Preach Affectionately

“If you want to preach to the heart, you need to preach from the heart. It’s got to be clear that your own heart has been reached by the truth of the text. This takes non-deliberate transparency. Heart-moving preachers (in contrast to heart-manipulating ones) reveal their own affections without really trying to. What is required is that as you speak it become evident in all sorts of ways that you yourself have been humbled, wounded, healed, comforted, and exalted by the truths you are presenting, and that they have genuine power in your life.”

Preach Imaginatively

“To engage the heart is also to engage the imagination, and the imagination is more affected by images than by propositions. Here we are talking about what are usually termed ‘sermon illustrations.’ . . . The essence of a good illustration is to evoke a remembered sense experience and bring it into connection with a principle. That makes the truth real both by helping listeners better understand it and by inclining hearts more to love it.”

Preach Wondrously

“If we are going to preach to the heart, we need also to evoke wonder . . . Christian preachers and teachers must preach in such a way as to show people the profound good news of that truth. They must point these things out at every turn and have the sense of wonder appropriate to such astonishing claims. Even those of us who believe in the gospel cannot take it in. We do not preach with the tears of joy we should so often have. As we preach we should always open ourselves to let the wonder sink in.”

Preach Memorably

“Some modern expository preachers spend so much time on understanding and explaining the text that they have little time to think about two other things: practical application and striking, memorable, fluent use of language. One thing that makes a sermon memorable is its insight. Rather than telling the listeners things they already know in terms they know, a memorable address is filled with fresh, insightful ways of conveying concepts—concepts the listeners may already know at one level but find new and interesting.”

Preach Christocentrically

“Here I need only to say that preaching Christ is not only the ultimate way to fully understand a text, nor just the best way to simultaneously reach those who don’t believe and those who do, but also the way to be sure that your address moves beyond a dry lecture and becomes a real proclamation of the truth that reaches the heart.”

Preach Practically

“Preaching to the heart is to preach practically . . . diversify your conversation partners . . . diversify whom you picture as you prepare . . . weave application throughout the sermon . . . use variety . . . be emotionally aware . . . Be sure, when you deal very specifically with people’s behavior and thoughts, that you combine an evident love for them with your straight talk about sin. Be both warm and forceful when dealing with personal questions—never scolding, never even disappointed.”

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A Hymn for All Seasons

how-firm-a-foundation

Part of ordinary ministry is leading our churches to sing the best songs possible. We want songs full of biblical and theological truth that soar on congregational melodies. One such song is the classic, “How Firm a Foundation.”

Singing Scripture’s Powerful Promises

For sixty-three years Rippon pastored Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London, starting in 1775. During his years at Carter’s Lane Rippon developed a vision for a congregational hymnal and with the help of Robert Keene (his minister of music) A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, Intended to Be an Appendix to Dr. Watts’ Psalms and Hymns was published in 1787. It was a runaway bestseller, especially among the Baptists, going through eleven different editions in Rippon’s lifetime.

It was here “How Firm a Foundation” made its debut. No one knows its author as the author’s line simply bore the letter “K.” Thus, our best guest is the song came from the pen of Keene. What’s undeniable is the songs lyrical power. Each of the original seven verses are based on explicit biblical promises, including:

  • “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isa. 41:10)
  • “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isa. 43:2)
  • “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9)
  • “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5)

It is not surprising then to find out the song was originally titled, “Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises.”

Lyrics

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Various Arrangements

Here are four different arrangements of the hymn. The first three retain the traditional melody and the fourth channels all the production of modern CCM music.

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1 Timothy 4:13 Pastors

Read the Word

I tend to think you can tell a lot about a homeowner by looking at his yard. Is the grass thriving and weeds diminishing? Are the plants tended and trimmed? Rarely have I seen a lawn so cared for and not found out that it’s owner is not known for diligence, precision, and care.1 The yard of a home announces something of the character of its owners—whether we like it or not.

There is something similar for those of us who preach. Something that generally comes in the front of our sermons and reveals much about how we approach God’s word: the Scripture reading.

The Forgotten Command of Pastoral Ministry?

One of the forgotten pastoral commands in Scripture is that ordinary pastors are to read Scripture in public. Paul told his young protégé in 1 Timothy 4:13, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” My aim in this post is two-fold: 1) to convince you to start your exposition by reading God’s word, and 2) to introduce your reading of God’s word in a particular way. The degree to which we are doing these things is a measure of our obedience to Paul’s command. It’s also a mirror into what we believe about God’s word.

Start with God’s Word

My first aim need not take us long. I believe the best sermons are begun by the preacher reading part of or the totality of the passage he is about to exposit. Just as a call to worship lets God have the first word in the worship service, so too does a Scripture reading of the given text let God have the first word in the sermon.2 Now, I’m not saying that the first word out of the preacher’s mouth must be the reading of his passage. Transitions and segues are often necessary for services to retain some sense of smoothness. Yet, what I am saying is that before any real work of exposition is done we ought to read our passage.

This not only let’s God have the first word in the sermon, it also implicitly communicates something to our congregations. It points to hope and faith in the truth that God’s word brings life to His people. Our reading of Scripture consists of the only guaranteed-to-be-inspired-and-so-bring-life words we will speak that day.

I assume many of you are convinced of this necessity. Let’s then think about how we can introduce the reading in a way that perpetuates reverence and expectancy in our hearers.

Think Of Yourself As a Covenant Lawyer

I was trained in a Presbyterian context where the preacher would say something after, not before, reading the passage. Usually it was something like, “Thus far the reading of God’s word,” or, “Thus ends the reading of God’s holy, inspired, and inerrant word.” It must be said that such an approach is not bad, not bad at all. But I do think we can do something better.

You may not have thought about it in this way before, but preachers—like the prophets of old—are something like God’s covenant lawyers. They defend God’s word and prosecute the truths of Jesus Christ in order to establish and edify Christ’s church. Do you remember how the old-school covenant lawyers introduced God’s word? ‘Thus saith the LORD.” Now that’s an introduction to God’s word full of power. It demands attention and raises expectation. God is speaking! “Hear ye! Hear ye!”

Modern-day heralds can, and I think ought, to do something similar. Whenever we read God’s word prior to the sermon there is great wisdom in introducing it with a powerfully precise phrase. It’s my own practice to say, “Let’s hear now as God speaks to us through His word.” I want my congregation to know something supernatural is about to occur, God is speaking to us. Whenever someone reads Scripture in the middle of our service they do so by saying, “This is the word of the Lord . . .” Some other introductory statements I’ve heard from other people are:

  • “These are the very words of God.”
  • “These are the perfect, life-giving words of God.”
  • “Listen to God’s unchanging and unfailing word.”
  • “Hear God’s holy word.”

Whatever you say, say something authentic to your personality. Say something honoring to God’s word. And then unleash the power of God.

—————————————————————————————————–

  1. This is, of course, not to say that any lawn not so cared for is thus owned by someone lazy or disorganized. Maybe the owners just moved in. Maybe they have an impossible sprinkler system. We don’t need to stretch the analogy too far. ↩
  2. I know many churches will have someone other than the pastor read the text before the sermon, but I’d encourage something different. Let that individual read, at another point in the service—maybe before the song that precedes the sermon—, a passage complementary to the sermon text. This allows God’s word to more permeate your liturgy and it allows the preacher to a 1 Timothy 4:13 kind of pastor. ↩
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The Fragrance of Grace

Genesis Podcast 1

So, here’s where we stand on the promises of chapter 12 by the end of chapter 14. Abram’s name is great, but he still has no family. This now becomes the central issue of chapters 15-17 as we see “The Covenant.”

The Covenant

Some time after the defeat of the rebel kings God speaks to Abram in a vision. Notice what God says in 15:1, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” What’s Abram’s fear? That he has no son. Such a fear is mostly lost in our culture, but few fears were greater in the ancient world than having no heir. Abram says in 15:2-3 that God hadn’t yet given him offspring and so the heir of his house would just be servant Eliezer. Look at how God comforts him in 15:5, “’Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” It’s seems like this illustration of the promise is just what Abram needed for 15:6 says, “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” From this point on in Scripture Abram becomes the epitome of faith as Paul consistently uses this verse to prove justification by faith alone. Faith, according to Genesis 15:6, is readiness to accept God’s promise.

Abram’s faith is small though for he asks how will he know he can take God at His word (15:8). God says get a cow, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon. Abram get them and cuts all but the birds in half—a covenant service is about to happen. Like He did with Adam, God causes a deep sleep to fall over Abram. And God says, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.” But God would eventually deliver them. Why the four-century-long wait to gain the promised land? Look at 15:16, “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” What an amazing statement. God is making His chosen people wait for the promise so that the sin of those filling the land would be so great He could not but wipe them away. What patience this ought to instill in us when we see enemies of God flaunting their success and apparent security. It could just be God is waiting until their sin is complete to send forth His wrath. Our God is trustworthy and terrifying.

What comes in 15:17 is among the most astonishing verses in all of Scripture. Look at what happens, “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram.” A covenant is a binding agreement sealed with an oath, not unlike marriage is a binding agreements sealed with vows—“till death do us part.” In the Ancient Near Eastern world parties of a covenant would often pass through a cut animal to signify “may such a thing be done to me if I break the covenant.” What’s astonishing about this is that only God, the smoke and fire were a theophany, makes the covenant. It’s His initiative and His gift. The God who cannot die says, “May I die if I don’t fulfill my promises.” This is how sure His grace to Abram is.

Yet, no child has yet come. So Abram and Sarai take matters into their own hands. Look at 16:2, “And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.’” Just as Adam should have rebuke Eve for handing him the forbidden fruit, Abram should have rebuked his wife for taking the matter of children into her own hands. Yet, just like Adam, he listens to his wife’s dubious council and proceeds to have a child by Hagar—ten years after he first heard God’s call. Once the child is conceived Sarai proceeds to despise Abram and Hagar for the very thing she wanted to happen. Unrepentance means never taking responsibility. Sarai treats Hagar so harshly that Hagar flees with the boy to “a spring of water in the wilderness.” You see in 16:7 that the angel of the LORD arrives. He comforts the mistreated servant saying in 16:11, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him.” The child is eventually born and the story goes silent for thirteen years.

The Sign of the Covenant

One can only wonder what must have run through Abram’s mind all those years as he only got older and older, with each passing year making the birth of a son seemingly more impossible. When Abram is 99 years old God shows back up and look at what he says in 17:1-2, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and my multiply you greatly.” God goes on to say that He’s changing Abram’s name to Abraham, for he would be the father of many nations, and God will establish with Abraham “an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Abraham must prove his faith in the covenant by walking in obedience to the covenant’s condition: circumcision. Every male in his household from henceforth must be circumcised. Circumcision functions as a concrete reminder to Abraham this his children were the result of the grace of God, not Abraham’s own reproductive power.

What then about the promise of offspring? Now 25 years after the call Abraham has Ishmael, but look at 17:16. God is going to do something in Abram’s wife. Her name will change from Sarai to Sarah and God says, “I will give her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her . . . kings of nations shall come from her.” With happy incredulity Abraham laughs aloud at the thought have a 100-year-old man and 90-year-old woman having a son, why not just let the line come through Ishmael? God’s says—sovereign election is on full display here—in 17:21, “I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” God gave a promise to Abraham, Abraham waited for twenty-five years, and now he has a name for that promise: a covenant with Isaac. Our God is Lord of the covenant.

The Fragrance of Grace

Last Friday I spent a good portion of the day laying down some fresh mulch in all the beds of our house. I got the mulch from a new place and it didn’t take me long to recognize this mulch had a very distinct, earthy smell to it. Later on in the day I was out running and as I came down the street I could smell the mulch some thirty yards away. Every time I’ve walked outside this week or opened our garage door it’s only been a matter of seconds before the whiff of mulch flew by on the breeze. For better or worse, our house seems to have a fragrance about it.

Did you notice the fragrance of Genesis 12-17, the distinct spiritual smell that permeates the entire account? What is it? God’s grace as expressed through His abundant promises to Abraham. To know God is to know grace, to be God’s people is to be recipients of grace, to live by faith is to live in grace. As we close let’s do so by noticing the two distinct, but inseparable truths of grace we find permeating this story of Abraham.

Nothing can earn the favor of God’s promise. There is not one thing in the entire story that Abraham did to earn the favor of God’s promise. He simply is a humble, faithful vessel God calls and covenants with in sovereign grace. The plan Sarah hatched cannot earn the promise, it’s simply an example that human attempts to receive God’s grace will fail in the end. Is there anywhere in your life you are striving to earn the favor of God’s promise? I pray tonight you are challenged and comforted by the reality that God’s promise is never earned, it is only received by faith.

Nothing can stop the fulfillment of God’s promise. Not one man’s failure of faith, nor the opposition of unbelieving kings. The wave of sovereign grace will flow where it will and nothing can stop it. If you’re a Christian, God’s faithfulness to His promises of grace is something on which you can stake your life. If you’re not a Christian, it’s the same for you. You see the promise wouldn’t come to full fruition until God sent His Son Jesus Christ. For Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answered the call of God to leave the comfortable and familiar home of heaven and go out into the world to create a new people of God. And through faith, turning from your sin and trusting in Christ, you too can be part of the family of God.

Through Christ God is creating a new covenant people, giving them a promised inheritance in heaven, and using them to accomplish a global purpose. This we are to do by forsaking all to follow God and bring blessing to the nations by preaching the gospel of Jesus to the nations. God’s covenant people are to be heralds of the covenant relationship found in Christ alone. Our God is Lord of the covenant.

This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Abraham,” on Genesis 12-17.