The Vision (8.25.23): The Standard For Faithful Christian Preaching

 

Image: Rembrandt, St. Paul in Prison, 1627, Staatsgaleri Stuttgart, Germany

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Acts 17:17-31.

And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening (Acts 28:23).

As Paul was under house arrest in Rome, a day was appointed for the Jews of that city to come and hear him speak to them concerning Christianity, which they knew only as a “sect” which everywhere was “spoken against” (v. 22).

In v. 23b we have a summary of Paul’s preaching on this occasion. It is both descriptive, telling us what Paul said that day, and prescriptive, telling us what should always be the content of Christian preaching. Luke tells us here that Paul addressed two related subjects from one source (Scripture):

First, he “expounded and testified the kingdom of God.” Matthew summarized the preaching of the Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 4:17b as, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God. With the coming of Christ in the flesh, God’s rule broke into this world. When he comes again with power and glory that kingdom will triumph over all.

Second, he was “persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.”

What did he have to say about the Lord Jesus? No doubt, he proclaimed the gospel (Good News) about Christ. What is the core of gospel proclamation? Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and resurrection appearances (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).

This is consistent with what Paul preached at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:27-30), and it is consistent with what Paul preached before Agrippa in Acts 26, “that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead” (26:23).

The standard for faithful Christian preaching has not changed in 2,000 years: Proclaim from the Scriptures the death of Christ on the cross for sinners and his glorious resurrection so that all who trust in him might walk in newness of life.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

My Dad's Preaching Outline for Habakkuk 3

From my twitter @Riddle1689:

My Dad was a Minister. He passed away over 20 years ago with cancer, still able to preach within a couple weeks of his death. I have a small Bible of his I often use for pastoral visits. He rarely wrote in his Bibles, but Habakkuk has some underlinings and notes.

I was preaching last Sunday afternoon in Habakkuk 3 (great text for the first Lord's Day of the New Year) and thought Dad left a pretty good (alliterative) outline for it in his Bible:

Habakkuk I. Prays; II. Ponders;

III. Praises.

JTR

The Vision (11.19.21): The Priority of Preaching

 

Image: "The apostle Paul preaching in Athens."

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 10:7-15 (audio not yet posted).

And as ye go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 10:7).

In Matthew 10 Christ sends out the twelve apostles to minister in his name. The opening words in this “First Great Commission” are very similar to the way the “Second Great Commission” will begin, as Christ says, “Go ye therefore and teach all nation…” (Matthew 28:19).

The verb for “to preach” (kerussō) means to proclaim or to herald. The content of the preaching was, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is exactly what Christ preached as he began his public ministry (see Matthew 4:17).

At the heart of that message is Christ’s declaration that in his coming to this world, in the Word being made flesh, the rule and reign of God is now a present reality.

Men who had previously asked, “Who is God?” or “What is his will?” could now look to the man Jesus of Nazareth and see the presence of God.

Consider the apostle John’s words in John 1:18, “No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Later in John’s Gospel, Philip will say to the Lord Jesus, “shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us” (John 14:8), and Christ will respond, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (v. 9). The secret of Christianity is that when you look at Jesus, you see God. When you know Jesus, you know God. When Christ is present, God is present.

Notice also that Christ called upon his apostles first to go and preach. This indicates the primacy and priority of preaching.

Christ did not say to the apostles, “And as ye go, put on dramatic performances.” He did not say, “And was ye go, organize musical performances or multi-media presentations.” He did not say, “And as ye go, set-up philosophy seminars, or build counseling centers or even hospitals.” He sent the apostles out first as preachers.

In 1 Corinthians 1, the apostle Paul will later write that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (v. 21).

We are not the apostles, but this commission to go and preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand in the man Jesus Christ is still our priority (cf. 2 Tim 4:1-2).

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Book Review: David Murray, How Sermons Work

 

 Read the review here.

JTR

Book Review: Albert N. Martin, Preaching in the Holy Spirit

 

You can read my review here on academia.edu.

JTR

Book Review: Albert N. Martin, Pastoral Theology, Volumes 1-2

 

I have posted audio versions (above) of my review of Albert N. Martin, Pastoral Theology, Volumes 1-2 (Trinity Pulpit Press, 2018).

I completed this review of the first two volumes in the Pastoral Theology trilogy and submitted it for publication in the Midwestern Journal of Theology (which supplied the second volume to me to review) before the third and final book in the series was released.

You can also read a pdf here of my written review which appeared in Midwestern Journal of Theology, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2021): 124-128.

Blessings, JTR

The Vision (2.19.21): The Preaching Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ

 

Image: Ruins of the ancient synagogue of Capernaum. Matthew 4:13: "And leaving Nazareth he came and dwelt in Capernaum...."

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).

Matthew begins his account of Christ’s public ministry by placing the spotlight on the Lord Jesus as a preacher.

His ministry did not begin with the performing of miracles, signs and wonders, though he had the power and authority to do such things.

It did not come with him leading a political movement. Thus, the Lord Jesus will say to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

It did not come with him establishing an army. Later in Matthew, when the Lord Jesus is arrested and Peter draws a sword to defend him, Christ will say to Peter, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matt 26:52).

He did not come as a community organizer, trying to make things just a little bit better for everyone.

He did not come as a social worker, as a psychologist, or as a counselor, saying, “Let me help to soothe your troubled mind.”

He came as a preacher. He came to exercise the ministry of the Word. To proclaim God’s Word has it had been revealed to man. What was the content of his preaching as Matthew summarizes it?

His first word was, “Repent….”

Christ’s first word to men was not, “You are OK just the way you are, and you need to just love yourself and live your best life now.” No, his first word was that you need to change. You need a change of heart that leads to a change of mind and life.

His second word was, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The rule and reign of God is present now in me and my ministry. He will tell his disciples in Luke 17:21, “the kingdom of God is within you.” Heaven has broken into earth, awaiting the day when God will be all in all.

You will notice that the Christ’s preaching seems to be exactly what John preached (cf. Matt 3:1-2). The difference is that John was the opening act and Christ was the main event. John said he baptized with water unto repentance, but Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (3:11). Christ would tell men not only to repent of their sin, but also to believe in him. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Christ still preaches to men through his Word and the ministry of his servants, calling upon them to repent and to believe in him.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

What is expositional preaching?

Image: Scene from worship at the Lynchburg Reformed Baptist Mission

One of the odd things about being a preacher is that we do not often get the opportunity to listen to “live” preaching ourselves. On Sundays, we are usually in the pulpit or behind the lectern. I can just hear someone now telling me that I could always share the pulpit more often to remedy this. I agree, however, with Pastor Poh’s exhortation in the 2017 Keach Conference when he charged ministers to “labor to the point of exhaustion.” Poh noted that the man who is called to preach will not be content over-frequently to share his pulpit. Those with the call to preach desire to exercise their gifts for the good of the kingdom. Their unwillingness to sit on the sideline need not be ascribed to pride rather than zeal. They want to labor in the word and doctrine. If other men can do what he does, then perhaps those men need to be sent out or he needs to be sent out to establish more churches.

Still, the minister needs the hearing of preaching in order to receive the means of grace as well. He is a Christian man before he is a minister. In the pre-internet days, he could do that by reading the sermons of other men. He can still do this. Now he can also listen online to sermons. Rare indeed is the week that I do not have the opportunity to listen to a number of sermons or teachings. There is usually some variety in what I hear. There are some preachers I come back to hear over and again.

Aside from this discipline for spiritual nourishment, I also listen to learn about preaching. This includes sometimes listening back to my own sermons, often with cringes, and trying to sharpen the saw. I listen to men from the past and present, from various denominations and nations. I even listen at times to some liberal mainline Protestants to get a vibe for what is happening in those fading circles.

Very often I will listen to sermons from evangelical, Calvinistic churches—ones that say they affirm the five points but stop short of full confessionalism. What is called “expositional preaching” is popular in those circles. As I have listened to some of the preaching in these churches, however, I find that this term can mean different things to different people.

The common factor to qualify as expositional preaching seems to be the fact that each week the preacher takes as his text a consecutive set of verses, working through a book from the Bible. What I have sometimes found, however, is that the reading of the passage in consecutive order can serve merely as a jumping off point for what is a topical rather than an expositional sermon. BTW, I am not against all topical preaching. If the message claims to be expositional, however, I expect it to be something different. I want to hear a sustained meditation on one particular passage in God’s word. I expect the passage to dictate the topic, theme, and application. I expect there will be focused reflection on the content of this passage. That there will be line by line exposition of the text. There will be evidence that the minister has read the text in the original language, compared translations, studied commentaries, and labored to rightly divide the true meaning of the text. The view will not come from the air but from the ground. He will deal with the words of the text. He will tell us the meaning of key terms. He will hold every jot and tittle to be indispensible, because he believes in the plenary, verbal inspiration of Scripture. The expositor mines the truth in God’s Word and brings it to the surface for all to see. He will trust that the reading and hearing of these words will have an effectual impact on both himself and his hearers. This alone is powerful. He does not need jokes, stories, disconnected quotations or illustrations, references to contemporary culture or current events, pithy phrases, sports references, etc., to hold the attention or interest of his hearers. To claim to be doing expositional preaching and then to leave off exposition for topical reflection is false advertising and can confuse hearers as to what exposition of the text really means. Most importantly, it withholds from God’s people that which they most need to receive and which will do them the most good: an encounter with the Lord through his inspired, God-breathed Word.

JTR

The Vision (6.17.16): Noah Condemned the World

Image:  Pulpit, Christ Church, Philadelphia

Note:  Devotion taken from last Sunday morning’s sermon on Hebrews 11:7.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith (Hebrews 11:7).

There have been many fanciful imaginings of Noah’s conversations with his neighbors while building his ark.  Most are largely extra-scriptural.

There is however, this brief note that Noah “condemned the world” and Peter’s brief description of Noah as “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).  From these we get the sense that Noah attempted to warn his fellow men of the wrath to come.  He identified the sins of the people, and he called for repentance.  Noah was willing to be an unpopular preacher preaching an unpopular message.

We don’t know how long it took Noah to build the ark.  Some have suggested 120 years. Even the lowest guesses have suggested it took decades.  Noah preached and warned for years.  John Owen observed:  “And there is no doubt but that before, and whilst he was building the ark, he was urgent with mankind to call them to repentance, by declaring the promises and threatening of God” (Hebrews, Vol. 7, p. 3).  But at the end of that time, when the door of the ark was closed and the flood began, he had not won a single convert outside his own household.  We hear of pioneer missionaries like Carey in India and Judson in Burma who labored in preaching for years before seeing their first converts.  Noah labored for years, but apparently saw no fruit!

The Canadian writer Roy Daniells wrote a poem titled “Noah” in which he imagined Noah’s opposition:

            They gathered around and told him not to do it.

            They formed a committee and tried to take control.

            They cancelled his building permit and they stole

            His plans.  I sometimes wonder he got through it.

            He told them wrath was coming, they would rue it,

            He begged them to believe the tides would roll,

            He offered them passage to his destined goal,

            A new world.  They were finished and he knew it.

            All to no end.

                                    And then the rain began.

            A spatter at first that barely wet the soil.

            Then showers, quick rivulets lacing the town,

            Then deluge universal.  The old man

            Arthritic from his years of scorn and toil

            Leaned from the admiral’s walk and watched them drown.

[From Garrison Keillor, Ed. Good Poems (Viking, 2002):  p. 90.]

Though we are told that Noah condemned the world, we can assume he took no joy in it.  Compare:

Ezekiel 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

It is said that the Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne could hardly preach to his people about hell but with tears pouring down his cheeks.  Perhaps that is also the way that Noah preached about these things, and the way we should too.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

100 Sermons on the Gospel of Luke

Last Sunday morning at CRBC I preached a sermon on the last four verses of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 24:50-53), the 100^th message in a sermon series through the Gospel of Luke.  The series (all 100 messages here) began on June 3, 2012 with a message on Luke 1:1-4, titled “Those things most surely believed among us.” There were a few breaks along the way, including a parallel series through Galatians.

I still believe that systematic expositional preaching of the Scriptures is the key means both for evangelizing and for discipleship.  I was recently encouraged when a CRBC-er who began regular attendance about the time we started this series, noted his appreciation for the familiarity he now has with Luke’s Gospel and how it has helped him understand Christ and the faith better. SDG.

At the start of the last message I called attention to how Luke began in the introduction (Luke 1:1-4) by stating that he wrote this Gospel in order to reinforce in “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3) and in all his hearers “the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (Luke 1:4).  Whereas John seems to state that the purpose of his Gospel was evangelism (cf. John 20:31:  “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”), Luke seems to have as his original purpose discipleship. That said, there is no doubt that in the larger purpose of God, both John and Luke (and all the Gospels) have proven useful both for evangelism and for discipleship.

Luke begins with angels and shepherds worshipping at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14, 20), and it ends with the apostles worshipping him at his ascension (Luke 24:52:  “And they worshipped him…”).  From beginning to end it summons its hearers to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.     

The Vision (12.12.13): Confidence in God's Appointed Means

 

It was one of those “man bites dog” news links on the Drudge Report website that I just couldn’t pass up.  It enticed with something like, “Pastor tames wild horse while preaching sermon.”  The link sent me to this video on youtube.com where, in fact, you can watch Pastor Lawrence Bishop II of Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio actually tame a wild horse within a ring set up in the center of the church’s sanctuary (more likely, “worship center”).  Pastor Bishop (great name) is also apparently a former rodeo professional, and the “sermon” was the seventh and climactic in his “Conquer the Beast” series.

The stunt reminded me of the time a few years back when I attended the Pastors’ Conference at the annual Southern Baptist Convention, held in Greensboro, North Carolina (back when I was still a Southern Baptist).  At that meeting one of the keynote messages was preached by a pastor from Texas who stood at center stage while daredevils jumped over him on motorcycles (I kid you not!).  At the sermon’s close we were encouraged to follow this model in order to draw a crowd and grow our churches.

Is there anything wrong with sermons where wild horses are tamed?  Or where motorcycles scream through hoops of fire over the preacher?  Is this what Paul was talking about when he said, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22)?

In fact, I would say this is not at all what Paul was talking about.  Rather than demonstrating innovation or zeal for souls, it shows a fundamental lack of confidence in the simplicity of preaching as the God-ordained “converting ordinance” (as the Puritans called it).  It is an attempt to improve on the God-called minister standing forth in the midst of the gathering of the Lord’s people with an open Bible to preach the gospel.  Paul said, “it pleased God by the foolishness of the message preached to save them that believe” and “we preach Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 1:21, 23).

OK, we might not be tempted to put up a horse ring or build a motorcycle ramp, but we may have our own subtle expressions of lack of confidence in divinely ordained means.  Before the wild horses and motorcycles there were other attempts to spice things up and hold the interest of the audience whether Christian puppet shows, ventriloquists, organs, handbell choirs, praise bands, video clips, etc.  These more recent expressions just prove how fleshly craving for entertainment must always push the envelope for the next spiritual “high.”

May the Lord keep us from this temptation and give us confidence in his appointed means for converting sinners and edifying the saints.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

New Word Magazine: Interview with Richard Barcellos on Preaching and Hermeneutics (10.2.13)

Image:  Inside Christian's Pizza Downtown Mall

 

I uploaded another edition of Word Magazine today.  It features an interview I did with Richard Barcellos (along with Steve Clevenger) on the topic of preaching and hermeneutics.  The interview was done over lunch on Friday, September 27 at Christian's Pizza on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville.  In the interview I make reference to the sermon God's Editors:  Modern Protestant Hermeneutical Attacks on the Bible Alone by Tim Kaufman.

The Vision (8/22/13): Dabney on the Three Stages of Preaching

R. L. Dabney (1820-1898) was a staunch Presbyterian minister who boldly preached the doctrines of grace.  As a young minister, Dabney served Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church in Fishersville, Virginia.  As a mature minister he taught theology at Union Seminary when it used to be located in Farmville.  Among other things, Dabney wrote a series of lectures on preaching which was printed under the title Evangelical Eloquence (reprinted by Banner of Truth).

In the opening lecture Dabney offers a historical survey of preaching, noting “there are three stages through which preaching has repeatedly passed with the same results” (p. 27).

The first stage is when “scriptural truth is faithfully presented in scriptural garb—that is to say, not only are all doctrines asserted which truly belong to the revealed system of redemption, but they are presented in that dress and connection in which the Holy Spirit has presented them, without seeking any other human science.”  He refers to this stage as “the golden age.”

The second stage is “the transition stage.”  In this stage “the doctrines taught are still those of the Scriptures, but their relations are molded into conformity with the prevalent human dialectics.” In other words, Biblical truths are still taught, but preachers attempt to make the message more relevant by conveying them in contemporary thought forms and ideas.

Finally, in the third stage, “not only are the methods and explanations conformed to the philosophy of the day, but the doctrines themselves contradict the truth of the Word” (p. 28).

Dabney traces this pattern from the preaching of the apostles in the primitive church (stage one), to the “scholasticism” of those who later allegorized the Scriptures (stage two), to the dark ages (stage three).

Then he notes how the cycle was repeated from the Reformation (stage one), to the revivalism of the Great Awakening (stage two), to the age of Rationalism (stage three).

Dabney’s three stages reminded me of the old adage that the first generation discovers the gospel, the second assumes it, and the third compromises it.

He closes by calling his hearers not to wrap “the body of God’s truth” in “the drapery of human philosophy,” urging:  “May we ever be content to exhibit Bible doctrine in its own Bible dress!” (p. 29).

Sounds like some wise counsel.  May we strive to remain “stage one” in our preaching.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Evangelism Series (Part One): The Primacy of Preaching

 

Last month at CRBC we had an afternoon “Sunday School” lesson on the topic of Biblical evangelism.  Time was limited, so I thought it might be worthwhile to write a series of blog posts as a follow-up.  One of the obstacles to overcome in understanding Biblical evangelism is the fact that most of us in conservative churches have been affected by the views of evangelism popularized in mainstream, broad evangelicalism.  For the most part, these approaches are rooted in an Arminian rather than a Reformed view of salvation.  We have been influenced by methods that arose in the First and (more importantly) Second Great Awakenings, with ripples that extend to today.  Such views have been popularized by “evangelists” from Charles Finney and D. L. Moody to Billy Graham, Bill Bright, and Rick Warren (for the readers and studiers in our midst who want to know more, get hold of Iain Murray’s Revival and Revivalism:  The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-158 [Banner of Truth, 1994] and his Evangelicalism Divided:  A Record of Crucial Change in the Years 1950 to 2000 [Banner of Truth, 2000]).  Thus, when one mentions the word “evangelism” he might immediately think of mass “crusade” events, “four spiritual laws,” the “Jesus Film,” or gospel bracelets (black is for sin, red for the blood of Christ, white for forgiveness, yellow for streets of gold in heaven), etc.

In contrast to much of what we see and hear promoted in the name of “evangelism” today, however, Scripture emphasizes the simple primacy of preaching.  Here are just a few relevant texts:

In Mark 16:15 Jesus commands the eleven apostles:  “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

The apostle Paul declares that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21).

In Romans 10, Paul waxes eloquently on the centrality of preaching in evangelism:

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 

He then adds, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (v. 17).  Likewise, in Titus 1:3 Paul argues that God “hath in due times manifested his word through preaching.”

 

We should be clear as well as to what is meant by preaching.  This refers to the minister of God, a man appointed by the Lord and recognized by the church, standing in the midst of a gathered congregation in a meeting usually hosted by a local church, attended by believers, and open to the “unlearned, or unbelievers” (1 Corinthians 14:23), where the Biblical message of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proclaimed as God’s means of saving sinners and where hearers are commanded to repent and believe this gospel.  Thus, it is not a sermon by example or metaphor but the objective verbal and propositional declaration of the good news.

 

Charles Spurgeon once gave “An Address to Open-air Preachers” in which he offered this encouragement:

 

And, first, we must work at our preaching. You are not getting distrustful of the use of preaching, are you? ("No.") I hope you do not weary of it, though you certainly sometimes must weary in it. Go on with your preaching. Cobbler, stick to your last; preacher, stick to your preaching. In the great day, when the muster-roll shall be read, of all those who are converted through fine music, and church decoration, and religious exhibitions and entertainments, they will amount to the tenth part of nothing; but it will always please God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Keep to your preaching; and if you do anything beside, do not let it throw your preaching into the background. In the first place preach, and in the second place preach, and in the third place preach (from The Soul Winner, Pilgrim Publications, p. 188).

 

The emphasis on preaching as the Biblical means of evangelism invariably raises the following question:  Since only those appointed to the preaching ministry are sanctioned to this task does this mean that there is no place for “personal evangelism” to be practiced by all believers (e. g., all who hold the general office of believer but who do not hold the specific office of minister or elder)?  Lord willing, we’ll tackle that question and others as the series unfolds.

 

JTR

Calvin's sermons on Luke 1-2

Another source I have found helpful in preaching the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel is the collection of John Calvin’s selected sermons on Luke 1-2, translated by Robert White under the title Songs of the Nativity (Banner of Truth, 2008).

I used this quote from a Calvin sermon from Luke 1 in last Sunday’s sermon My soul doth magnify the Lord (Luke 1:39-56):

The greatest praise we can render Mary is to take her as our teacher:  she must instruct us, and we will be her pupils.  Not like the papists, who sing masses in her honour, erect altars and chapels, daintily dress her images and sweeten them with incense, yet ignore all she said in the power of God’s Spirit.  We on the contrary must follow her example, and remember that God looked on her with pity.  She should be to us a mirror of God’s mercy.  For in mercy God chose us for himself, sinners though we were, rescued us from the abyss of death and had compassion on us.  Mary is thus set before us as an example to imitate.  With her we acknowledge that we are nothing, that we count for nothing, and are utterly reliant on God’s goodness.  That is how we can be Mary’s pupil, proving by our aptness that we have been attentive to her teaching….  Following her example, we should praise God and learn to rejoice in him (pp. 30-31).

More from Horton on preaching: Teaching, inspiration, or word from God?

Here are a few more thoughts from Horton on preaching from The Christian Faith.   He notes that evangelicals are guilty of the same downgrade in preaching as liberal Protestants and Catholics, namely reducing the sermon to an "expression of the personal piety of the speaker" or a "high level of instruction in religion and morals."  In contrast, Biblical preaching is an announcment from God himself.  Horton then adds the following:

To the extent that in more conservative circles preaching has been reduced to its didactic function or to inspiration and moral uplift, it is not surprising that younger believers look for alternative means of grace.  Typically, we prefer what we can see to what we can hear:  "A picture tells a thousand words."  Our new images may be not statues that we venerate, but there is a real danger in Protestant churches of once again silencing God's living and active speech (i.e., the exposition of Scripture) in a sea of our own insights, visual drama, and the blue luminosity of our computer screens.  Yet the Lord chose not only the content but the medium.  We do not find God; he finds us.  Faith comes not by feeling, thinking, seeing, or striving, but by hearing (pp. 762-63).

This is an insightful diagnosis of much that is happening in the contemporary worship scene among evangelicals, where many are seeking "alternative means of grace" (in music, drama, candles, etc.).  The parallel he draws between old images (medieval statuary) and new images (video projections) is also striking.  God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to spread the gospel and to build his church!

JTR 

Horton on the apostles' preaching and "ordinary" preaching

I'm still working my way through Michael Horton's The Christian Faith.  As one might expect in a Reformed systematic theology, Horton presents a high view of preaching as a means of grace.  In chapter 23 on "Word and Sacrament" he notes how the "ordinary" preaching of men today compares to the "extraordinary" preaching of the apostles:

Only the written canon occupies constitutional status in the church, but the subsequent preaching of ministers after the apostles communicates exactly the same Word (i.e., Christ and all his benefits) in the power of the same Spirit....  The difference between Peter's Pentecost sermon and that of an ordinary minister today  is that the former is part of the canon that norms our preaching.  However, when preaching today is faithful to that canon, it conveys exactly the same content and therefore is the same Word as that spoken by the prophets and apostles (p. 754).

What does the Reformed pastor preach when December 25 falls on Sunday?

What do you preach when December 25 falls on Sunday?  This is a particularly important question if you are a Reformed church and try to hold to the Regulative Principle. Do you preach on the Incarnation, taking obvious advantage of the season to preach the gospel, or do you ignore it altogether so as not to give credence to man-made holy days?

Last Sunday at CRBC, I chose simply to continue the two series we have been completing. In the morning I preached on The Death of Saul from 1 Samuel 31 and in the afternoon on How does God execute his decrees? from the Spurgeon Baptist Catechism series.

I glanced at sermonaudio.com today to see what other preachers/churches chose to do with their December 25, 2011 messages.  One thing I noticed is that with the holiday season, lots of churches (our included) have not yet updated their messages from last Sunday.  Here is a brief sample:

Heritage Netherlands Reformed:

AM Donald Vanderklok, The Miracle of Christ’s Incarnation (Luke 2:7)

PM Joel Beeke, Springing Into Gospel Action (Luke 2:15-17)

Robert McCurley, Greenville Presbyterian Church (Free Church of Scotland, Continuing)

AM A Holy God and Holy Days (Deut 7:5, 6)

PM Folly in the Faithful (1 Samuel 27). 

John Thackway, Holywell Evangelical Church

AM  The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10)

PM  The God-Man (Isaiah 9:6,7)

Greg Barkman, Beacon Baptist Church

AM How God Impoverished Himself (2 Cor 8:9).

On this topic, you might especially find Robert McCurely's am message of interest.

Otherwise grace is no more grace

Last Sunday's message was A Remnant (Romans 11:1-10).  Here are some sermon notes reflecting on Paul's emphasis on free grace, centered on the phrase "otherwise grace is no more grace" in Romans 11:6:

We should pay special attention to the final phrase in Romans 11:5. We are a remnant “according to the election of grace.” Paul never tires of stressing the fact that salvation is all of grace and not of works. He follows this theme up in v. 6 by writing, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Once your eyes open to the grace-code in Scripture you see it on every page. The formula for salvation is not God’s grace plus our works equals salvation.

It is not grace plus personal piety;

grace plus church attendance;

grace plus the sacraments;

grace plus church membership;

grace plus service to the poor;

grace plus conservative politics;

grace plus Sabbath keeping;

grace plus moral purity;

grace plus homeschooling; etc.

In gospel math it is only grace plus nothing equals salvation. We can be just as pharisaical as the most pharisaical Pharisee of the Christ’s day.

Paul makes this clear for those who still don’t get it in v. 6: “And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace….” This is a verse I so want to share with my Arminian friends who somehow do not see the contradiction when they say, “I believe that salvation is conditioned on my free will response to Christ, but I still believe in God’s grace and his sovereignty.” Do they not see that they have not only watered down Biblical grace, they have washed it away? “And if by grace, then it is not more of works; otherwise grace is not more grace…” A few Wednesdays ago we were looking at the account of the raising of Lazarus in John 11 and discussing it as a picture of salvation. Lazarus did nothing to raise himself. Dead men cannot even extend their hands to receive a gift! Biblical salvation is not about beggars extending their hands to get alms; it is about dead men coming to life!

The second half of v. 6 further emphasizes the point, though modern translations wrongly remove it: “But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is not more work.” Let’s call a spade a spade, Paul is saying. Let’s call a work a work. Let’s not hide behind pretty words. Do you think you can save yourself or do you understand that if any man is saved it can only be due to the work of God alone? Only he can reserve to himself those who bend the knee at the cross of Christ and not to Baal.

Again, once you eyes open to this truth you see it everywhere. Let me throw out just one passage for your contemplation:

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Let me challenge you to be a Berean. Sit down and read the NT and mark each time the emphasis is on free grace. Rightly done you will nearly mark down every line and every word on the page.

JTR

I have stretched forth my hands

Here are my notes from last Sunday's message on Romans 10:16-21, reflecting on the passage's closing image of the Lord reaching toward Israel with outstretched hands:

But what of Israel? Remember, this is Paul’s compelling concern here in the heart of the book of Romans. See again Romans 9:1-3 ff.

The quotation from Isaiah 65 continues in Romans 10:21: “But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”

What a powerful image we find here both of the character of God and of the depravity of man!

First, note the intensity of the Father’s actions. His arms are stretched forth toward his people. God is pictured as holding out his arms continuously. He stretches them forth “all day long.” Boice: “Have you ever tried to hold out your hands (or arms) for even a few minutes? It is a terribly difficult thing to do. Very few persons could hold out their hands for even an hour. No one on earth could do it for a day. Yet God says he has done this continuously” (Romans, Vol. 3, p. 1278). I thought of that scene in Exodus 17 when the Israelites are fighting the Amalekites and as long as Moses held forth his hands, they prevailed, but when his hands grew heavy and dropped they began to lose the battle. So, Aaron and Hur had to stand by Moses side and uphold Moses’ arms. But here is God standing all day long with outstretched arms, and he needs no help to keep them outstretched.

Second, note the compassion of the Father. He does not stand with arms crossed and his back turned. His disposition is like that of a parent who is bending down and stretching wide open his arms to embrace a child, or like a husband who is reaching out to embrace his beloved wife.

But what is the response? He stretches out his arms to “a disobedient and gainsaying people.” The participle for “disobedient” here is from the verb apeitheo and might also be rendered as “unbelieving.” The participle for “gainsaying” is from the verb antilego, which literally means “to speak against.”

I have had the sad duty of sitting a few times in trying to give counsel to those in a marriage crisis where I have seen one spouse reach out with open arms to the other and see the other spurn those loving overtures and lash out with reviling and even cursings. This is what Israel has done to an all-patient God.

The extreme reaction of each side accentuates the other. The intense love and compassion of the Father is made even more remarkable by the perverse and biting rejection of the people.

John Murray: “The perversity of Israel, on the one hand, and the constancy and intensity of God’s lovingkindness, on the other, are accentuated by the fact that one derives its character from the other. It is to a disobedient and contradicting people that the outstretched hands of entreaty are extended. The gravity of the sin springs from the contradiction offered to the overture of mercy” (Romans, Vol. 2, p. 63).

Again, Paul can rest in the sovereignty of God when contemplating the rejection of Christ by his fellow Israelites. They are only doing what the prophet Isaiah wrote about years before. God is on the throne, and he is at work even men are rejecting his loving overtures in the most perverse manner.

JTR