Just Amazing!

Driving down 49South at 4:30AM, I got to enjoy the most amazing lightning storm. At times, the entire sky lit up as if it were day. Other times, the most powerful bolts were coming right down to the ground; I expected to see trees and fields ablaze beside the road. There were even these horizontal blasts that looked like macro-static electricity. Truly and evidence of God's majesty.



Making it even more spectacular, I was listening to a message by Matt Chandler from Advance 09. Wonderful, wonderful message! (A delight to see the Word of God as far more brilliant than any lightning shower.)

If You Are Looking for Me...

I'm without my cell for the next couple days...

the best way to reach me is probably by email.

Clowney on the New Perspective

As I'm working through the Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World podcast, Ed Clowney made the following observation regarding the New Perspective on Paul*:

Romans 4:13: For not through the Law was the promise made to Abraham or to his Seed, that He should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they that are of the Law are made heirs, faith is made void and the promise is made of none effect. For the Law works wrath, but where there is no Law, neither is there transgression.

So, you see the Law works wrath because it exposes our sin, it stimulates our sin, it bars the way to life, it condemns us, it shows us we can't do it and it's all because it is given--in the history of redemption--to point us forward to the fulfillment of the promise. That's all! Galatians says--Paul says this in Galatians all the time, doesn't he? He keeps talking about the time of the Spirit. The coming of the Spirit. Life through the Spirit. And Paul's doctrine then, is against the works righteousness of the synagogue.

Now, I know the arguments made by Sanders and others that we've had a wrong take on the Pharisees; that they were really very much into grace. You can quote rabbis that show grace in things they say.

I mean, c'mon, we're hearing from a guy who was one!

I'd have to agree with Clowney, that though New Perspective theology may be academically stimulating and intriguing, it just seems to deny arguments that Paul is making. Consider:

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.--Romans 3:28

Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.--Galatians 2:16

It sure seems like Paul understood second temple Judaism to be works-oriented. Acts 2 tells us that many priests came to know Christ, so it should not be surprising to find some teachers who would be oriented toward grace. However, we should remember that all of humanity, since the time when Satan tempted Adam and Eve to strive for god-likeness, that man has attempted to work his way to God.

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*The New Perspective on Paul is a view that says most Jews at the time of Christ did not believe they were justified by their works but depended on God's grace for justification. This view attempts to bridge the gap between Catholics and protestants formed during the Reformation, by stating both sides get the text slightly wrong. It claims the purpose of Romans and Galatians is more racial unity and how people should act once in the church, rather than explaining how one becomes part of the church. NT Wright is probably the biggest advocate of a New Perspective, and John Piper has a well-written response to NT Wright, if you'd like to investigate further.

Giving God Credit

Though I try to keep it in proper proportion, right now is a great time to be a sports fan. The NBA Finals are compelling, baseball is heating up, camps are opening up in the NFL and I'm even headed out to a drag race laster this month. It's amazing to watch athlete compete at a level you could only dream of and to exercise abilities God has given them, whether they acknowledge Him as the source or not. It's especially thrilling to follow an athlete who professes Christ as Savior. (I intentionally keep from knowing about any believers who attend the School Up North so I won't feel compelled to root for any player.) However, there is one trend that bothers me a bit, lately:

First of all, I want to thank God, for without Him, none of this would have been possible.

What do you think?

Is there a better way to seek to glorify God?

Are there lessons for us to consider?

I'll attempt to break down some of my thoughts through the week.

More on Sobriety

The day I put the finishing touches on Lesson 5, I later read the following by James White:

Finally, there is a key term used here that has been lost in the large portion of preaching and proclamation today, one we saw in Paul's instruction to Timothy and Titus: solemnity. This is actually part of the term "to testify." Our testimony is to be solemn, serious, and befitting the subject of proclamation. There is something unnatural about speaking of eternal judgment, redemption, forgiveness, lordship, and life in the context of light-hearted entertainment and Hawaiian shirt informality. I'm sorry, but it is hard for me to take a man seriously who rides a Harley into the sanctuary, for example, (nothing wrong in riding one to the service!) or who is going out of his way to be viewed not as a herald of a majestic person with a weighty message, but as my buddy, my pal, my next door neighbor. This kind of seriousness, fervency, and gravity is not inconsistent with joy that marks one's own testimony of redemption and forgiveness. It does not mean that one's proclamation has to be boring, stiff, or lacking in interest or even appropriate humor. Sadly, we live in a day when many who come into the fellowship lack basic listening skills or the discipline to pay attention for almost any length of time at all. An appropriate, topic-sensitive use of humor can "refocus" an audience so that one can press home an important statement. However, humor can never become the vehicle of real Christian preaching. When we testify that Jesus is the Judge of the living and the dead, that is not a joking matter. One cannot but speak of such weighty matters with a solemnity fitting the subject.

Pulpit Crimes, pp 44-45

Lesson Learned [5]

As I mentioned previously, Charity and I have recently come out of an intense time of learning. It is my desire to record some of these lessons learned for the sake of perhaps encouraging others. It is also my desire that I do not forget the lessons learned, even by encouraging accountability from readers to help me remember these lessons.

Lesson Five: Ministry calls for sobriety.

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.--2 Timothy 4:1-5

Can my ministry be marked by sobriety and a solemn charge? Eleven years ago, it was not.

One of the great "dark clouds" of my ministry happened while serving in Richmond, Virginia. Our Senior Pastor had just been asked to step down and our entire church was reeling from the recent events. Our elders were emotionally spent and the people were confused. And as the only other paid staff at the church, they turned the pulpit over to me. My sermon series in the midst of all of this? "Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned from Baseball. Though never a competitive baseball player, I had a number of humorous stories to supply and found "moral lessons" for each. I even had the series kicked off with two people doing Who's On First? At the time, I thought the series was just what the doctor ordered; something fun and refreshing. I later came to realize it was fool-hearty and stupid. Now, I think it was probably offensive.

As I was preaching Leviticus 14, I'm looking out at people who have lost children, battled cancer, been abandoned by the spouse, faced unemployment and recently lost their spouse of 50 years (just to name a few). This doesn't include marital struggles, battles with sin and other emotional strains that I'm not aware of. The sermon was certainly sober, and it is the only appropriate response to such situations.

Our youth pastor sometimes wears a shirt that says, "Life is more than laughter." (Apparently, a regular quote from his father-in-law.) As Charity and I faced the severity of her possible diagnosis my mind eventually considered my preaching. If I had just heard my wife may have in inoperable tumor and came to church to hear Baseball Sermons, I would have left hungry (at best) and possibly angry at the pastor (in worst case). I thought the "Baseball Series" was edgy back then, but would be considered pretty tame today. In our "entertain and win them" church culture today, things have been elevated to costumes, shock language and perceived "taboo topics." Ironically, these methods are often done under the guise of reaching the lost. But why do many unsaved people visit a church? Is it not often that a person is seeking answers after a tragedy? Do they want to hear stupidity, stand-up routines and pretend that life is a joke? How about your sheep? What will really provide answers and hope for them? Is it best for them to have to put on a plastic smile, sit through your entertainment and pretend to everyone else that life is good? The Wisdom Literature suggests that we shortchange our ability to grow when we choose laughter and silliness over dealing with difficult issues in life.

I love to joke. In fact, one of my biggest problems in preaching is to not get carried away with humor. Ninety percent of the time, a comment I later regret after a sermon was a comment I made intended to incite laughter. Life can be enjoyable and the believer certainly shouldn't walk around the earth declaring, "Woe is me!" However, realizing the solemn call of ministry is to do our work with sobriety. Then we can be honest with people...life is hard, but our God is good.

The Leviticus 14 passage was a heavy passage to deal with. By God's grace (and my lack of creativity), I knew of no other way to preach the text than with sobriety. But once we heard the potential diagnosis, my wife and I both realized that sermon was exactly what we needed to hear.

Lesson Learned [4]

As I mentioned previously, Charity and I have recently come out of an intense time of learning. It is my desire to record some of these lessons learned for the sake of perhaps encouraging others. It is also my desire that I do not forget the lessons learned, even by encouraging accountability from readers to help me remember these lessons.

Lesson Four: Sanctification in advance

and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.--1 Thessalonians 3:2-4

Pastoral care can often feel reactionary. There are fires to put out, people that need counseled on specific topics, and current events to investigate through Scripture. Even the elements of reproof and correction are reactionary, for you are calling the person to think and act differently than they had.

However, God reminded me that much of the shepherding process is also preparatory. Just as Paul knew the Thessalonians would be better prepared for his suffering by being informed ahead of time, God graciously prepares us for some things before they come. Really, this is the only way 1 Corinthians 10:13 makes sense. How does God prevent you from being tempted beyond what you are capable? Clearly, this comes through the renewing of the mind. Just as God prepared good works for us in advance (Ephesians 2:10), He also prepares the believer for the trial in advance. This does not mean the believer does not grow in the midst of the trial or that the Word of God is not needed for wisdom to endure the trial, but it certainly reminds us that a Sovereign God who knows my needs better than I is laying all things out for His glory.

I was renewed to see God's grace as I examined the passages He had me in around the time of this trial (as I mentioned in Lesson One). However, my focus was also sharpened to think about my congregation. Again, I was reminded that looking at the current felt needs of the congregation exclusively will not necessarily help equip people for future trials. God, in His wisdom, desires to not only equip people for their current circumstances, but desires to prepare them in advance for trials they will face.

And yes, it caused me to think of sequential exposition again. Say what you will about a Sovereign God and His ability to move in my heart to preach on a particular topic. I will not deny His ability to do such things. All I can speak to is what did happen. All I know is that the week before my bride received a troubling diagnosis, God saw fit to have me see His sovereign hand in the midst of suffering, and while we waited to hear the results of test, God strengthened me by reminding me of His absolute hatred of death. Could He have instructed me of those lessons from any number of texts? Certainly. Would I have naturally ended up on Leviticus to see those points? I very seriously doubt it.

How gracious to know the Heavenly Father knows both dates that will be etched on my tombstone, and that He will never leave me nor forsake me in between!