Posted on

Things We Want to Be True

TWWTBT Podcast

From its outset we said there were a few essentials we were aiming for in our life together at Imago Dei Church. In place of core values, we preferred this language of “Things We Want to Be True.”

The semantic difference points to a few things. The first is that these are prayerful desires. They aren’t things that are necessarily or definitely true at any given moment, but we want them to be tangible nonetheless. Lord willing, this puts us in a posture of humility. Rather than saying, “We are a praying church,” we are saying, “We hope to be a praying church.” Furthermore, these things speak to something of the life we long to see flow through our fellowship. Should a guest walk into IDC we actually think it should seem “compellingly odd.” We are a counter-culture, even to the evangelical culture of our day. We want it to be strange how often we pray, how zealously we make disciples, how generous we welcome, and how joyfully we sing.

There are, of course, a lion’s list of other true things we want to be true, but we kept IDC’s list to four things: praying, disciple-making, welcoming, and singing. It is our belief that should these four things be true everything else we want to be true about the church would naturally flow in their wake. Here’s what I mean:

Four Pillars For Life in Christ

A Praying Church. The Christian life is one of war so we “pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.” It is one of the first matters of church business for Paul in his initial letter to Timothy. “First of all then, I urge men everywhere to pray.” We thus make is our business at every gathering of IDC—formal and informal—to pursue a palpable posture of prayer. Implications of this being true include: dependence, power, faith, and persistence.

A Disciple-Making Church. Mankind was created in the image of God (imago Dei). He was commanded to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth. The command still stands for His people today. We not only do this physically, we do it spiritually by going and making disciples of all nations. We want to see people from every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered before the throne worshiping the Slaughtered Lamb of salvation. Thus, we must be zealous in “baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (evangelism) and steadfast in “teaching them to obey all I have commanded you” (discipling). Gathered worship is the corporate engine for disciple-making that drives discipling efforts throughout the week in evangelism, bible studies, and small groups. Implications of this being true include: zeal, compassion, knowledge, courage, maturity, and diversity.

A Welcoming Church. We are to “welcome those as we have been welcomed in Christ Jesus.” In sovereign kindness weak and weary, stained and sinful people are adopted through faith in Christ into the family of God. We long to see this magnificent news spilling over into every area of our corporate life as we pursue the creation of a warm and inviting environment. Implications of this being true include: hospitality, humility, generosity, and love.

A Singing Church. God creates and commands His singing people. He sings over His children with great delight and calls us to sing to Him with the same fiery devotion. We are to “address one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with all our hearts.” Singing thus has a vertical and horizontal orientation. It is to exalt our Majestic King and exhort His people. Implications of this being true include: praise, delight, joy, care, and reverence.

What things do you want to be true about your church?

Posted on

Quite Convicting

“Certainly that minister that in private prayer lies most at the feet of Jesus Christ, he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the gospel, and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his own peace brought down into his heart.” – Thomas Brooks, The Privy Key to Heaven.

Posted on

A Prayer for Gospel Living

Philippians Podcast

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” – Philippians 1:9-11

Praying for Gospel Living

Andrew Fuller once said of Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11, “There is no prayer that I or any other could offer up on your behalf that would be better or more desirable.” I think he’s right. You might consider memorizing these three verses and using them often as you pray through the church directory in your devotional time. Notice how Paul begins in 1:9, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” That Paul should pray for the Philippians love to abound is no great surprise, it is after all the law of Christ’s kingdom, the lesson of Christ’s school, and the crest of Christ’s church. What may surprise you is what Paul says love feeds on and grows from: “knowledge and all discernment.” In a world that extols blind love, we discover the Bible tells us the exact opposite: knowledge and wisdom multiply true love. Jesus said the world will know we are disciples by our love and Paul says that love will abound—fly forth before the world—as knowledge and wisdom grow. He does have a more specific point here though, notice the purpose clause in 1:10, “so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” The purpose of abounding love is to approve, or test out, what is excellent and cling to it, so that we may be holy for the coming day of Christ. Here is a call to not settle spiritually. Cling not to what is merely ok, or not bad, cling to what is excellent. And this is all pervasive—probably more than we want to admit—Paul says, “Do the most excellent things. Think the most excellent thoughts. Hear the most excellent words. Join the most excellent causes.” Banish away casual mediocrity from Christianity, ours is an excellence-fueled pursuit of holiness unto eternity (“[until] the day of Christ”). It’s thus a good question to ask at every station, “Is this excellent?” And, of course, God’s word defines what excellence is. Paul is reminding us that settling for less than Christ-centered excellence results in shrinking holiness.

Here’s the prayer up to this point: that love would feed on knowledge and wisdom, allowing us to cherish what is excellent and so be holy unto eternity. Look at how the prayer ends in 1:11, “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” So, love, knowledge, wisdom, excellence, and holiness fertilize soil in which the fruit of righteousness flourishes “to the glory and praise of God.” There is it, joyful partnership in the gospel resounds in praise to God.

Gospel-Fueled Affections

This week saw the fall soccer season for my two older boys’ begin, and I have the privilege of coach both of their teams. To try and get the boys acclimated to the rigorous demands of keeping the ball in bounds and stopping whenever the referee’s whistle blows I had Hudson’s team—The Lion—finish with a 4v4 inter-squad scrimmage. Hudson’s squad won 2-0 and he was rather boastful in front of his teammates, probably because he’s got his daddy’s implicit pride and he happened to score both goals. So on the way home I spoke with him about this matter of boasting, saying, “Hudson, God created you to be boastful—in Him, but Satan and sin want you to boast in yourself.”

What I’m trying to do in that moment is not merely training him how to think, but how to feel. In many ways this start to Philippians is doing something similar. Our age doesn’t like being told how to think let alone how to feel, but Christ is lord over our affections. So, as we begin to close, let’s point out four gospel-fueled affections present in our text and worth pursuing in our lives (the first three I’ll briefly mention).

Grateful confidence. The savor of gratitude is all over these verses and it comes from, as we saw in 1:6, confidence in the power of God.

Prayerful joy. The letter is all about the centrality of joy in the Christian life and we see for Paul that such joy regularly overflows into unceasing prayer.

Knowledgeable love. We’ve said enough here, but we must get it straight in our hearts that, for Paul, love can only abound when knowledge and wisdom abound.

Continual hope. Twice in our text Paul thinks about “the day of Christ.” One commentator says, “Philippians is a joyful letter, but its undercurrent is the sober realization that time is running out.” I’ve found that to be true in my own life this week as I’ve studied and worked on memorizing the book. The words of Andrew Bonar were freshly impressed on me this week when he said, “I [must] strive to keep the feeling of eternity before me always.”

If you are anything like me it can be quite defeating to see the example of Paul and the call to gospel-fueled affections. So often this week I cried, “Oh, help my week affections!” My confidence, joy, love, and hope register far too small on the spiritual Richter scale. I imagine many of you would agree. What then are we to do? How are we to grow? Can we cast off affections that will lead us to death and put on those of life?

Yes, there is good news for us all—Christian and non-Christian alike. Philippians invites us into the advance of the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ. It points us to Christ (seven times in our eleven verses), both now and forever. Christ is the gospel; Christ is the Savior and Lord; thus Christ is our life; Christ is our way of life; Christ is our future; Christ is our joy. If you turn from your sin and trust in Him, He will begin the good work of transforming your affections by making you a partner in the gospel, He will complete the work He began, so that when He comes we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through him, to the praise and glory of God. Joyful partnership in the gospel resounds in praise to God.

This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Rejoicing in Partnership,” on Philippians 1:1-11.

Posted on

Don’t Rush

“My tendency to neglect or shorten prayer and reading of Scripture, in order to hurry on to study, is another subject of humiliation. [I should pray] also that I may preach not myself but Christ Jesus alone in the Spirit.” – Andrew Bonar

Posted on

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.

9780310513971mThe Gospel at Work: How Working for King Jesus Gives Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Greg Gilbert and Sebastian Traeger. Lord willing, this coming Sunday the men of IDC will meet to discuss The Gospel at Work, so it was time for a reread. If I could ensure every man in our church would read one Christian book this year, The Gospel at Work may just be it. Gilbert and Traeger are immensely clear, relentlessly practical, and unashamedly biblical. It’s as good a discipling book for ordinary church members as you will find. Tolle lege!

51XiJN8N2-L._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_Future Men: Raising Boys to Fight Giants by Doug Wilson. Another recent reread was Wilson’s excellent manifesto on parenting boys. I’ve said it before in this space, Future Men is my handbook for raising boys. As the father of four boys I’m unusually predisposed to glean from this book (and thus may be biased), but I really do think it’s Wilson’s best work. His first chapter on delineating biblical masculinity is as good a short treatment of the topic I’ve ever seen. He offers a compendium of wisdom, appropriately ripped from Proverbs, on training boys to submit to Christ and conquer the earth in every facet of life. You likely won’t agree with everything The Man from Moscow says, but he’ll make you think in ways you probably haven’t about raising boys. If you have a son, get this book.

9781433542442-1mThe Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung. Believe the hype, DeYoung’s latest work is superb. This is biblical theology made deliciously digestible for children. His emphasis on returning to God’s garden through the work of the ultimate Serpent-Crusher is a welcome one for instructing kids in God’s story. But we must say DeYoung isn’t the true star of The Biggest Story, for that honor goes to Don Clark. His illustrations are, as my boys like to say, “So awesomely cool!” I’ve never seen a kids’ resource illustrated with such profound elegance. Kudos to Crossway for their work on this project—The Biggest Story is an absolute treasure.

51BPNsNtYXL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms. It’s always good to try to understand viewpoints that differ from your own. Storms’ view on spiritual gifts represents something like “the other side” from where I stand on pneumatology and ecclesiology. His voice is probably as sound and sane as any in the continuationist camp, so I listen to be sharpened. Storms believes what the church needs more than anything else is to be set aflame in manifestations of the Spirit (9). The bulk of the book goes on to show how the most debated gifts—healing, miracles, prophecy, and tongues—should be pursued in earnest today. I’m grateful that Storms lets exegesis, not experience, be the primary arbiter of truth in his work. I just happen to disagree with the vast majority of his exegesis, often more vigorously than I anticipated.

51zU26kmJqL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_American Dreams: The United States Since 1945 by H.W. Brands. Bill Brands is my favorite lecturer on American history. History is never boring when found in the hands of Brands. He has a pronounced gift in communicating huge historical and political concepts in most compelling way. I tend to not only watch any lecture of his I can get my hands on, but also any book of his I can carve out time to read. American Dreams is something like the history of my life. It recounts the story of our country since the close of World War II, which is the story of my grandparents, parents, and my childhood. Brands and I are not on the same page politically, thus some of his interpretations rub me the wrong way, yet I found American Dreams—on the whole—to be sublime. If you are looking for an insightful and accessible account of our nation’s recent history check this one out.

41-YkFaghDL._SX302_BO1,204,203,200_The Martian by Andy Weir. About eighteen months ago a member of our church, who is an engineer, told me he was reading a fantastic book called The Martian. He said, “You’ll probably like it, but just know that it can get quite technical on the astronomical side of things.” Being a simpleton (read, not an engineer) when it comes to matters of outer space, that warning was enough to deter me from reading. Yet, I kept seeing Weir’s book rise in popularity and get made into a major motion picture with Matt Damon, so I finally decided to dive in. My thought upon completion was, “Oh man, this was brilliant!” You should go read the summary to see what’s it all about. What I’ll say here is that I can’t remember the last time I read a thriller so thoroughly laced with laugh-out-loud-you-wake-your-sleeping-wife-up humor. If ever there was a book on made for box office success, The Martian is it. If Ridley Scott messes up his soon-to-be-released adaptation . . . well, I’m really not sure how that’s possible.

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

Posted on

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

9780830837991mThe resurgence of Calvinism in the last decade has seen a simultaneous resurgence of traditional opposition to the doctrines of grace. One perpetual objection that faith in a God sovereign over salvation inevitably limits evangelism. After all, “If God is sovereign, why evangelize? People will be saved no matter what.”

Fifty years after its initial publication, J.I. Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God remains the go to resource for understanding how instead of limiting evangelism, God’s sovereignty actually compels evangelism. As Mark Dever says in the foreword, “Packer addresses the [tension between sovereignty and evangelism] so clearly and biblically that this book is good for anyone who is beginning to wrestle with questions of how God’s sovereignty can fit with any area of human responsibility” (8).

Not a Hindrance to Evangelism

It must be understood that this book is not a manual or blueprint for evangelistic action. Rather, it’s aim is to show that “faith in the sovereignty of God’s government and grace is the only thing that can sustain [evangelism], for it is the only thing that can give us the resilience that we need if we are to evangelize boldly and persistently, and not be daunted by temporary setbacks” (14-15). The book’s structure is straightforward and concise, the four chapter titles give a clear sense of Packer’s purpose: Divine Sovereignty, Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility, Evangelism, Divine Sovereignty and Evangelism.

Packer’s trademark precision and logic shine through from the start. He—somewhat surprisingly—says, “I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in his world” (16, emphasis added). Why? “There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe this already” (16). So he is not proving that God is sovereign, but that you already believe God is sovereign. He offers two proofs, the first of which is that every Christian believes God is sovereign in salvation because he/she gives God thanks for his/her conversion. The second proof that every Christian believes God is sovereign in salvation because he/she prays for the conversion of others. Thus, the difficulty is not that God is sovereign, but how his sovereignty relates to human responsibility, which is the burden of chapter two.

Packer argues for calling the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility an “antinomy,” not a “paradox” as many have done. “An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable” (26). In other words an antinomy is an apparent contradiction, not a real contradiction. Although some people have commonly referred to divine sovereignty and human responsibility as a paradox, this is not the case. For a paradox is a dispensable, comprehensible play on words intended to unite two opposite ideas. Packer recognizes this antinomy, or mystery, may lead to the temptation to an exclusive concern with one of the two sides. The way to avoid such extremism is to make “it our business to believe both these doctrines with all our might, and to keep both constantly before us for the guidance and government of our lives” (43).

Chapter three unfolds the biblical nature of evangelism. Packer points to Paul’s evangelistic ministry as a steward, herald, and ambassador as indicative of the Christian’s role as evangelist. He expertly details the gospel, or evangelistic message, as an announcement of truth regarding God, sin, and Christ, along with the summons to faith and repentance. With the gospel clearly defined he moves on to consider motivations for evangelism. The primary motive for evangelizing is love for God and concern for His glory; the secondary motive is love for man and concern for his welfare (82-84). Before the chapter concludes with helpful test of faithful evangelism, the reader discovers that proper evangelism has one means (the gospel explained and applied), one agent (Christ through His Holy Spirit), and one method (faithful explanation and application of the gospel message).

The final chapter, chapter four, aims to show that the sovereignty of God in salvation does not affect anything previously said about the nature and duty of evangelism. Four points are offered here:

  1. The belief that God is sovereign does not affect the necessity of evangelism (106).
  2. The belief that God is sovereign does not affect the urgency of evangelism (107).
  3. The belief that God is sovereign does not affect the genuineness of gospel invitations or the truth of gospel promises (109).
  4. The belief that God is sovereign does not affect the responsibility of the sinner for his reaction to the gospel (114).

The book concludes by showing how God’s sovereignty compels evangelistic action. For without God’s sovereign grace successful evangelism is impossible. Additionally, God’s effectual calling makes successful evangelism possible and certain. This in turn gives confidence to evangelists and makes them bold, patient, and prayerful. Packer’s final paragraph is worth quoting:

What, then, are we to say about the suggestion that a hearty faith in the absolute sovereignty of God is inimical to evangelism? We are bound to say that anyone who makes this suggestion thereby shows that he has simply failed to understand what the doctrine of divine sovereignty means. Not only does it undergird evangelism, and uphold the evangelist, by creating a hope of success that could not otherwise be entertained; it also teaches us to bind together preaching and prayer; and as it makes us bold and confident before men, so it makes us humble and importunate before God. Is not this as it should be? We would not wish to say that man cannot evangelize at all without coming to terms with this doctrine; rather we venture to think that, other things being equal, he will be able to evangelize better for believing it. (135)

An Unstoppable Salvo

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God deserves the title of “classic.” There is no work available that so clearly and warmly shows what folly it is to say, “God’s sovereignty limits evangelism.”

A strength of the work is how it models the necessity of definitions and distinctions in theological discourse. Theologians, pastors, and Christians need nuance when thinking about the deep things of God, and Packer offers glorious nuance aplenty. Nuanced theological distinctions need not be an exercise in verbosity or complexity; rather, when done rightly it serves the truth of God’s word. Much of the common discussion on this topic of divine sovereignty versus human responsibility is less than helpful because the right definitions and distinctions are not employed. Chapters 1-2 are masterful displays of how proper nuance in biblical discussion serve unity in the church.

Along these lines it must be said that chapter one represent a salvo of truth that cannot be stopped. What Christian, after reading the Packer’s logic, can truly argue they do not believe God is sovereign? Packer expertly shows how traditional objections to God’s sovereignty are inconsistent with normal Christian practices of gratitude and prayer. These arguments also represent a treasure trove of truth for Christian discipleship. In fact, the whole book is a discipleship resource par excellence.

Piper and Carson are to be noted for their aversion of Packer’s employment of “antimony,” and I am sympathetic to their critique. For I do not find divine sovereignty and human responsibility to be “seemingly irreconcilable,” but this point of critique is minor in my view. A more substantial weakness of the book is its focus on personal evangelism at the expense of corporate evangelism. I understand Packer wants to empower individual Christians to evangelize well and confidently, but the book would be well served to show how the local church—particularly the preaching of the Word—is the ordinary means by which God intends to bring people to faith in Christ.

A Must Read

Few books currently available fall into the category of “must read.” J.I. Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God is a notable exception. I would be hard pressed to think of how any pastor, church leader, or lay member would not greatly profit from the book’s content. While it may be wished that more reflection on the local church’s role in evangelism was offered, it cannot be denied that Packer – in my view – offers the best, and clearest, dismantling of the objection that God’s sovereignty in salvation limits man’s responsibility in evangelism. We should look at this book and, like Augustine, hear a childlike voice saying, “Tolle lege!”

Posted on

Ferguson’s “Best and Most Important Book”

9781433548000Every once in a while a book comes along and you just know it will stir up evangelical discussion. This kind of a book usually addresses a topic of peculiar interest or debate for the time. It does so with uncommon wisdom and skill. And it regularly comes from the pen of a most trusted author.

If those criteria are true, then Sinclair Ferguson’s forthcoming The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters will surely be a conversation starter in our circles. The sanctification debates of recent times have often needed a mature, seasoned voice to cut through all the rhetorical noise. Sinclair Ferguson is indeed a voice worth listening to on this most timely topic. He uses the Marrow Controversy as the backdrop for rightly understanding the gospel’s relation to holiness and assurance. If you know nothing about the Marrow Men you are in for a historical treat. If you know all about Marrow theology you know why this context is vital for our day.

Read the summary below and then check out the endorsements—the praise is already running unusually high. The Whole Christ is scheduled to drop January 31, 2016.

Book Summary

Since the days of the early church, Christians have struggled to understand the relationship between two seemingly contradictory concepts in the Bible: law and gospel. If, as the apostle Paul says, the law cannot save, what can it do? Is it merely an ancient relic from Old Testament Israel to be discarded? Or is it still valuable for Christians today? Helping modern Christians think through this complex issue, seasoned pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson carefully leads readers to rediscover an eighteenth-century debate that sheds light on this present-day doctrinal conundrum: the Marrow Controversy. After sketching the history of the debate, Ferguson moves on to discuss the theology itself, acting as a wise guide for walking the path between legalism (overemphasis on the law) on the one side and antinomianism (wholesale rejection of the law) on the other.

Endorsements

“The volume in your hands is not just a helpful historical reflection but also a tract for the times. Sinclair does a good job of recounting the Marrow Controversy in an accessible and interesting way. However, his real aim is not merely to do that. Against the background and features of that older dispute, he wants to help us understand the character of this perpetual problem—one that bedevils the church today. He does so in the most illuminating and compelling way I’ve seen in recent evangelical literature.”
Timothy J. Keller, Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City; best-selling author, The Reason for God

“This book has three things I’m very interested in: eighteenth century Scottish church history, doctrinal clarity on the gospel, and learning from Sinclair Ferguson. As fascinating as this work is as a piece of historical analysis, it is even more important as a careful biblical and theological guide to the always-relevant controversies surrounding legalism, antinomianism, and assurance. I’m thankful Ferguson has put his scholarly mind and pastoral heart to work on such an important topic.”
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church, East Lansing, Michigan

“This book could not come at a better time or from a better source. Sinclair Ferguson brings to life a very important controversy in the past to shed light on contemporary debates. But The Whole Christ is more than a deeply informed survey of the Marrow Controversy. It is the highest-quality pastoral wisdom and doctrinal reflection on the most central issue in any age.”
Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California; author, Calvin on the Christian Life

“Ferguson unearths an ancient debate and shows its compelling relevance to gospel preaching and Christian living. This may be Sinclair’s best and most important book. Take up and read!”
Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

“Sinclair Ferguson scratches through the surface definitions that we have become comfortable with when it comes to legalism and antinomianism, to reveal the marrow, the whole Christ. When we are offered the whole Christ in the gospel, we do not want to settle for anything that undermines the greatness and power of God’s grace. Both pastors and lay people will benefit from reading this historical, theological, and practical book.”
Aimee Byrd, author, Housewife Theologian and Theological Fitness

“Would it be an exaggeration to insist that the issue dealt with in this book is more important than any other that one might suggest? No, it would not be an exaggeration! For, as Ferguson makes all too clear, the issue is the very definition of the gospel itself. Preaching Christ requires constant and diligent self-examination of what we understand by and how we communicate the gospel. The errors of antinomianism and legalism lie ready to allure unwary hucksters content with mere slogans and rhetoric. I can think of no one I trust more to explore and examine this vital subject than Sinclair Ferguson. For my part, this is one of the most important and definitive books I have read in over four decades.”
Derek Thomas, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina; Robert Strong Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia

“I marvel at Sinclair Ferguson’s grasp of historical detail, but I praise God more for Sinclair’s love of and zeal for gospel clarity. The grace that saves our souls and enables our obedience is defined, distinguished, and treasured in this discussion of our faith forefather’s wrestling to keep the proclamation of the gospel free from human error or contribution.”
Bryan Chapell, President Emeritus, Covenant Theological Seminary; Senior Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church, Peoria, Illinois

“This is a stellar exposition. It takes up the perennial issue of how grace and works relate to each other in our salvation. Ferguson begins with an old debate that took place in Scotland to illumine the issues at stake. He writes with deep knowledge and acute judgment, bringing clarity and insight to this issue and showing us the way out of our contemporary muddle.”
David F. Wells, Distinguished Senior Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Posted on

Lessons from Preaching Genesis

Genesis Podcast Lessons

Over the weekend we concluded a summer series through Genesis at IDC. Finishing a sermon series through a given book is a bittersweet occasion for me. It’s sweet because I sense a fresh understanding and love for the book at hand. Treasures have been discovered and cherished. However, to be honest, leaving a book behind is one of the hardest things I do in pastoral ministry. Clearly, the book isn’t forever forgotten in my life. Yet, I do think, “Will I ever preach through the book again?” If I’m being honest the answer is, “Probably not.” That’s a sobering thought. Also, a bitter flavor comes from the fact that it’s only when I’ve finished preaching the book that I actually feel ready to preach it.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t sleep on Saturday night after preaching the life of Joseph—”bittersweetness” kept my soul awake. Lest I lost the moment, I decided to list the various things I learned about Genesis and from Genesis while preaching through it this summer. Here they are, in no particular order, ranging from the clearly spiritual to the not-so-clearly-spiritual.

What I Learned in Preaching Genesis

  • God is the Lord of all. This is the truth to rule all truths.
  • It is quite literally impossible to understand the Bible apart from understanding Genesis.
  • You can preach through narrative texts quite quickly (and probably should), but you better be a good storyteller if you do so. I need to find a local storytelling fair to learn this skill.
  • From the very outset God wants us to see He is the Sovereign who: 1) makes promises and 2) keeps promises. He deserves our faith.
  • He also deserves our fear. Jacob didn’t call Him “the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac” for nothing. Just ask Er and Onan.
  • While I’m on Jacob, was he more a scoundrel or a saint? I’m still not sure.
  • The victory over the serpent will come slowly, but surely. (It’s quite appropriate here bust out singing, “Victory in Jesus / my Savior forever . . .”) Patient faith in God’s promises is the jet fuel for Christian living.
  • As it is the book of beginnings Genesis shows us the beginning of just about everything, including why we should all eat meat to the glory of God.
  • God is undeniably and unalterably sovereign. He chooses godless and idolatrous Abraham to be the father of many nations. He selects Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Judah gets the nod over Joseph. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!“
  • Holiness is important, like really important. So much so that if you tell modern man how important it is, he tends to get uncomfortable. As he probably should.
  • Someone should also tell modern man how perilous worldliness is. He may brand you with the scarlet “L” for “legalist,” but you wouldn’t deserve it. God put Israel in Egypt for centuries to protect them from the temptations to worldliness in Canaan.
  • If you preach the life of Joseph—chapters 37-50—you’re silly at best and senseless at worst.
  • Nothing exists outside of God’s providence rule. Put your finger on any page in Genesis and you see this played out. Yet, it’s also apparent that God is often content to work subtly and silently in the background. One reason surely is to increase his people’s faith. “We live by faith, not by sight.”
  • Speaking of sight, Genesis consistently shouts, “Seeing is dangerous!” Eve sees the fruit, takes it, and we get death. Ham sees Noah’s nakedness and then shamed his father. Shechem sees Dinah and then rapes her. Judah sees Shua and takes a Canaanite wife. We should often remember the little diddy from Sunday School, “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.”
  • A man should only have one wife. Enough said.
  • God consistently cripples our self-sufficiency, but blesses our dependency.
  • God is a terrifying judge—see the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Judah’s wicked sons.
  • God is a trustworthy Savior—see the patriarchs.
  • Grace abounds to the chief of sinners.
Posted on

The Lord of Providence

Genesis Podcast 1

A few years ago I listened to an iTunesU course on the Civil War from Yale University, taught by Professor David Blight. He is an incredible lecturer with this fantastic drawl, and he ended almost every lecture on a cliffhanger saying, “I’ll leave you here.”

I’ve thought that often this week as Genesis concludes and Moses concludes with a cliffhanger saying, “I’ll leave you here.” Where does he leave us? Notice 50:26, “So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” The book that began with life ends with a coffin. It seems the serpent has won. But in reality God is providentially setting the stage for the great revelation of His power by redeeming His people from Egypt. So, where does the covenant with Abraham stand? God is making Israel into a great nation (just turn the page to see how large they are in Exodus 1), they are already a blessing to at least one nation as Egypt prospered because of God’s kindness through Joseph, but they have yet to occupy the Promised Land. So Genesis ends with God’s people in the wrong place—in Egypt.

We might ask, “Why did God choose Egypt?” We know from Genesis 15:16 part of the reason for God not yet bring His people to the Promised Land is “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” But the real answer to, “Why Egypt?,” is to protect His people’s holiness. Egypt was notoriously prejudiced towards other nations and so they were more than content to let Israel do their own thing in Goshen, growing in great number away from the consistent threat of intermarrying with the unholy, idolatrous Canaanites.

Genesis and The Story of God

What then does the story of Joseph reveal about the story of God? In many ways our text encapsulates all the highlights of God’s dealings with his people in Genesis. So, let me mention them briefly as we close.

God is the ever-present Lord. He never leaves nor forsakes His people. He is with you in your humiliation and he is with you in your exaltation.

God is the ever-subtle King. Have you noticed throughout our story how God so often works out His promises over long periods of time, often preferring to move in the background—in part to increase His people’s faith. The time will soon come when Christ will split the heavens and God will no longer be subtle. But remember these truths from Joseph’s life: He is not overlooking some of the details in your life, rather He is orchestrating all of the details in your life. Oh, what trust this ought to grow in our lives that we are not forgotten, but He has a specific purpose with every event, every thought, and every action.

God is the ever-faithful Savior. If Genesis teaches us nothing else we see how God keeps His promises and preserves His people. How amazing and awesome is the providence of God! Not one promise has failed for He reigns sovereign over all. Our God is the Lord of providence.

This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Joseph,” on Genesis 37-50.

Posted on

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.

41uPANGbOYL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_Awakening: The Life & Ministry of Robert Murray McCheyne by David Robertson. Robertson’s chronicle of M’Cheyne comes with the author’s unique vantage point: he is the current minister of St. Peter’s in Dundee, M’Cheyne’s church of old. The consistent interest and “unrealistic expectations of many who came to inquire about M’Cheyne” set Robertson on a course of discovery. He cynically thought, “Was [M’Cheyne] not just famous because he died young and had a book book written about him?” Robertson’s research lead him to conclude . . . wait for it . . . M’Cheyne has amazing relevance for today! The saintly Scotsman continues to awaken ministers today. Like almost every biography of M’Cheyne, Awakening is arranged topically instead of chronologically. Will we ever have a modern, chronological biography of RMM? One day, I hope. I personally found Robertson’s lack of citations maddening from a scholarly perspective, but his work on setting M’Cheyne in his historical context is magnificent.

9781433523731mJoseph and the Gospel of Many Colors: Reading an Old Story in a New Way by Voddie Baucham. Several years ago Baucham woke up from homiletical moralism when a Conservative Jew sent him a letter after listening to one of his Old Testament sermons. She said she’d “never imagined being able to get so much out of a message preached by a Gentile!” This started Baucham on journey of evaluating the degree to which his preaching was Christ-centered. Joseph and the Gospel of Many Colors represents his model of Christocentric, not moralistic, preaching on the Old Testament. I figured I’d give the book a whirl as I plan to preach Genesis 37-50 tomorrow night at IDC. He does an excellent job focusing on Genesis’ land, seed, and covenant themes, but I felt he missed some big redemptive-historical points on God’s election of Judah and providential protection of His people by placing them in Egypt. Ironically, almost every chapter’s exposition ends with a section of “Takeaways,” which—from my perspective—are actually very . . . well, moral. So, maybe there is a place for moral application after all.

0801021073mCreation & Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis by Allen Ross. Throughout the summer we’ve been preaching through the book of Genesis with some noticeable velocity (doing all fifty chapters in fourteen weeks). As such, I simply didn’t have time to read many commentaries cover to cover. Walton’s commentary alone takes almost two hundred pages to just get through Genesis 3! Ross’s work is long (coming in at over 700 pages), but gloriously useful. Not every expositor will agree with what Ross contends to be the main point of a given pericope, but I found him especially helpful on historical context and contemporary application. Any pastor preaching through Genesis should have this resource on hand.

9780830842018-1mGenesis by Derek Kidner. The only other Genesis commentary of which I read every page is this one by the venerable Derek Kidner. I found it characteristically lucid, occasionally brilliant, and consistently insightful. The book’s brevity (just over 200 pages) means it won’t be as exhaustive as some preachers might want, but it is nonetheless a model of essentiality in biblical studies. Thus, Kidner doesn’t veer into every possible debate, but instead chooses to focus the reader’s concentration on the concentration(s) of Genesis itself. Well done.

51Ht7pv4TtL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism by Matthew Avery Sutton. Sutton’s history of modern evangelicalism breaks from the common historical mold on four points: 1) he places substantial emphasis on World War I’s impact on radical evangelicalism, 2) he argues historians have exaggerated the significance of the Scopes trial, 3) he stresses greater continuity in the fundamentalist story than Marsden, and 4) he eschews sharp distinctions between the politics and tactics of pre-World War II fundamentalism and postwar evangelicalism. Knowledgeable readers understand that what Sutton attempts in American Apocalypse is nothing less than a reshaping of how we interpret the history of evangelicalism. The unifying force for his interpretation is late-19th century to late-20th century evangelicalism’s love affair with premillennialism. His impressive, sweeping research shows how apocalyptic sensibilities dominated evangelicalism’s political moves in the 20th century. Not everyone will agree with his conclusions, but this reading of modern evangelicalism is one to be reckoned with. Tolle lege!

AWTA Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer by Lyle Dorsett. Before reading Dorsett’s work my knowledge of Tozer was limited to his two most famous works: The Knowledge of the Holy and The Pursuit of God. He had a huge impact on my grandparents and subsequently my parents, so I thought it’d be enjoyable to dive into this brief introduction. I can’t say I was disappointed; what an interesting life and ministry! Here we find many strange inconsistencies housed in one man (but isn’t that true of us all?). He came out of Pentecostal background and didn’t ever repudiate it, nevertheless he focused not on Christ as Healer, but Christ as Savior and Sanctifier. He was a powerful preacher and man of prayer, but fell way short as a shepherd, husband, and father. Dorsett ably moves the story along, but I found his pen regularly repetitive and somewhat odd (see his affinity for the word “purposive”).

51bFUMo4RJL._SX296_BO1,204,203,200_Flight of Passage: A Memoir by Rinker Buck. In the summer of 1966 brothers Kern and Rinker Buck—aged seventeen and fifteen respectively—flew from New Jersey to California in an old Piper Cub. Their story captivated the media and had reporters chasing them from one country airport to the next. Rinker’s memoir of that special summer makes for perfect summer reading. The prose is breezy, the story is simultaneously poignant and hilarious, and the history is joyfully informative. I found myself longing for youthful days of old when summers with friends were times of unusual freedom to pursue our wildest dreams.

61Zx9Zxba+L._SX301_BO1,204,203,200_A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett. Around twenty years ago, while gardening at High Glen House, Follett found a prisoner’s collar with the engraving, “This man is property of Sir George Jamisson of Fife, AD 1767.” The keepsake became a paper weight and eventually the catalyst for A Place Called Freedom. Here Follett creates some historical fiction about one who may have borne the collar, a Scottish protagonist he names Mack McAsh. With Follett’s usual intensity the story moves along rapidly, finding McAsh heading off to the New World to find freedom, all the while with his enemies in hot pursuit. The portrait of plantation life in early Virginia is particularly fascinating, even if a few of Follett’s sociological conventions are a bit too modern.

92375Hornet Flight by Ken Follett. Before his smashing success with The Century Trilogy Follett’s bestsellers usually were works of World War II-era historical fiction. Hornet Flight is one of those works. Here Follett’s invents immense intrigue in the realm of Danish resistance to Nazi occupation. The Danes developed one of the most successful Nazi resistance movements of the war, helping almost all Denmark’s Jews escape Hitler’s grasp. Follett tells the story of a few ordinary Danish citizens trying to help the RAF successfully breakthrough the Luftwaffe’s hold over Denmark. I’ve come to the conclusion that Follett is so adept at historical fiction page turners because he’s quite superb at developing believable, yet tyrannous villains. And few places in history had so many ghastly, ordinary villains as Nazi Germany. This one is entertaining all around.

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