Highlights from Reformation Sunday

To my knowledge, yesterday marked the first time in the 120 + year history of Curve Baptist Church that Reformation Sunday was celebrated, and the end of the long drought was met with great rejoicing. I preached in the morning on justification by faith from the beautiful passage of Zechariah 3, and Dr. Brad Green was gracious enough to speak to us about Martin Luther and the Gospel in the evening. It was a wonderful day for resting in the work of Jesus Christ. You can listen to the two messages below:

Clothed in His Righteousness: The Filthiness of Sin, a High Priest Named Joshua, and the Glory of Justification Zechariah 3

Luther and the Gospel by Dr. Brad Green

Soli Deo Gloria!

John Bunyan on Justification

I have been reading with my friend Gabe through John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, the spiritual autobiography of the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress. I came upon the free online edition through the Monergism website, which you can find here. This work deserves a much lengthier treatment, because it unfolds the violent, ongoing wrestling for assurance of the man we now know as such a spiritual giant. But in light of Reformation Sunday tomorrow and our celebration of justification by faith, I found this quote by Bunyan, when the truth of the Gospel finally and forever siezed him, to be particularly powerful. He makes this statement in light of Romans 3:21-26: 

“Now was I as one awakened out of some troublesome sleep and dream, and listening to this heavenly sentence, I was as if I had heard it thus expounded to me: Sinner, thou thinkest that because of thy sins and infirmities I cannot save thy soul, but behold My Son is by Me, and upon Him I look, and not on thee, and will deal with thee according as I am pleased with Him. At this I was greatly lightened in my mind, and made to understand that God could justify a sinner at any time; it was but His looking upon Christ, and imputing of His benefits to us, and the work was forthwith done. ” (258)

Amen! Happy Reformation Day!

The Wisdom of Discipline and the Wisdom of God

I mentioned earlier this week my need and struggle to gain greater self-discipline, and the conviction and the guidance I have found in the book of Proverbs. The life of wisdom, described by the book of Proverbs, encompasses more than being self-disciplined, of course; it is literally the Christ life, following the narrow way that leads to life. (cf. Prov 13:14-15;14:12, 27; Mat 7:13-14) But it is certainly not less than a life of self-discipline, and the inspired author of Proverbs frequently identifies personal discipline, diligence, and hard work with the Godly life of wisdom. Here are a few examples from my reading yesterday:

Ichabod Spencer, Evangelism, and Total Depravity

In my devotional reading, I am working through A Pastor’s Sketches by Ichabod Spencer, a faithful pastor in 19th Century New England. The subtitle is “Conversations with Anxious Souls Concerning the Way of Salvation,” and it is a collection of his personal evangelistic encounters, many of them only 3 or 4 pages long. It has given me a great deal of help as I strive to be a Biblically faithful evangelist in my community and church. There is much that could be said here, but I wanted draw attention to one quote in particular that has resonated with me:

I have often thought that a truly regenerate man cannot have any doubt of the entire depravity of the heart. If he does not see that, it is probable that he does not see his heart. And hence his repentance, his faith in Christ, and his reliance upon the Holy Spirit, will probably, all of them, be only deceptions. (127)

This is quite a claim, but one I have also become convinced of in my own experience. Those who are quick to say, “Of course I never really was all that bad,” or, “I was always a pretty good guy,” when you ask them about first trusting Christ, are always a concern to me. The complete inability of the natural man to love God or do good should have been the first truth they were confronted with when they heard the Gospel! Sadly, the doctrine of total depravity may be admitted when we back a preacher into a corner, but it is largely denied in practice. This is simply further evidence that we do not really believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Certainly, many who profess Christ without a first possessing a full understanding of sin, will ultimately embrace the truth of their natural depravity when they are finally instructed, which shows evidence of their conversion.  But there was a day among faithful men when presenting the Gospel without unfolding the total corruption of man was unthinkable. Let us magnify the grace and righteousness of God in the salvation of hopeless sinners!

He Must Be Disciplined: Meditation on Titus 1:8

I have been planning for weeks now to write a new meditation on the qualifications for elders in Titus 1, but I keep putting it off. The reason for this is simple: shame over my failure. The qulaification I have been hiding from is He must be . . . disciplined. 

Of all the instructions for church overseers, this qualification has been the most difficult yet for me to meditate upon, because of the sharp conviction it brings to me. The call for discipline comes in close to where I live each day, but left open enough that I am immediately reminded of numerous areas of my life where it is required.  Am I disciplined in my thoughts? Am I disciplined in my spiritual development, reading, meditating upon, and memorizing Scripture, praying, etc.? Am I disciplined in my eating, or do I gorge myself at meals without control? Am I disciplined in my speech, or do foolish words come pouring forth unchecked in my conversation? Most piercing: am I disciplined with my time throughout the day as I go about the work of the ministry and take up the role of a loving husband?

As I sit under this word from the Lord, I can only confess that my life is marked by staggering inconsistency.

Resting and Rejoicing in the Salvation of the Good Shepherd

I have had the undeserved honor of spending the week studying and meditating on John 10, and then preaching it to my beloved church this morning. Surely this is one of the most beautiful and powerful pieces of Scripture in all of the Bible, showcasing what a great salvation has been wrought for the church by Jesus, the mighty Shepherd King. These glorious truths are revealed through rich Old Testament imagery (grasping Ezekiel 34, Jer 23, etc. is essential to interpreting this passage) and the unveiling of the mystery of God’s counsel from eternity past (unveiled more completely in Jesus’ prayer of John 17). 

I was reminded of how often we refer to Christ as Savior, when the gospel we present sounds much more like we have simply saved ourselves with a bit of help from him. This is how we end up with pathetic invitation hymns like “The Savior is Waiting,” which picture Jesus forlornly waiting outside the proud, powerful sinner’s door, hoping to be pitied enough to be let inside. John will have none of this in his Gospel. Instead, we read that Jesus knows his sheep just as surely as he knows the Father and the Father knows him (:3-4, 14-16), he then purposefully and authoritatively lays down his life for his sheep and then takes it back up again (11-18), he then calls his sheep and they know his voice and follow him (3-4, 26-27), and he keeps his sheep firmly in his grasp, and none can snatch them out of his hand, world without end (27-30). He accomplishes the salvation for these wicked, rebellious sheep, because the Father charged him to do so before the world ever began, and because he and the Father are one (17-18, 27-30). As the Father watches his Son completing the mission that was charged to him, he loves him, delighting in the obedience with which he completes his divine mission. (17) The sheep, on their part, have only to follow his voice, knowing that none can snatch them from the hand of their shepherd, because the very power of God is at work to guard them and give them all that they need. (4-5, 15-16, 27-30) 

Now that is a mighty shepherd and a great salvation in which the sheep can rest and rejoice on this and every Lord’s Day.

Pilgrim’s Progress: Journey to Heaven

I mentioned last week that my favorite book outside the Bible is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Because of my deep appreciation for this work, I was very skeptical when my friend Gabe told me about the film version that was recently released. As any book lover is quick to say, the movie is never as good as the original, and this is no ordinary book. The spiritual riches found in Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life are unmatched in today’s often painfully shallow Christian culture. I was sure that the solid Puritan theology would be watered down to give the movie greater mass appeal, so when I sat down to watch it with several church members, I resolved not to hold it to my high standards. 

However, I was soon delighted to discover that this modern adaptation was remarkably faithful to the original story! They handled the issues of heaven and hell with appropriate gravity and reverence, glossed not over the sufficiency of the work of Christ, and portrayed the conceit and hopelessness of the would-be pilgrims with convicting accuracy. I re-read the book the following week, and was encouraged to see that the movie basically follows Bunyan’s original text, preserving good puritan theology and the beauty of the Gospel. This is no Facing the Giants. Tears even streamed down my face in the scene where Christian’s burden tumbles off his back as he gazes at the cross. In addition to the solid content, the movie was also well-made. It may not have been a perfect, big-budget film, but it was certainly well-acted enough that I do not remember cringing even once. Most of all, the Gospel of the Narrow Way is presented with clarity and power in Pilgrim’s Progress: Journey to Heaven, and I gladly recommend it.

Songs for the Poor in Spirit

I can vividly rememeber weeks at a time in college when I would pop out of bed in the morning just so I could pray and nourish myself from the Word of God before class. Every chapel message, John Piper mp3, and page of Systematic Theology was sweet to my mouth, as I learned of Christ and was filled with the joy of the Lord. There were other stretches of time, however, when I was so low that every facet of my life was thrown into the chaos that remains when Christ seems distant. Relationships, academic focus, and sleep all suffered when my idolatrous heart gave itself to unworthy objects of worship. I could not bring myself to go to God in prayer, and there was no gladness in Scripture.

Learning from Mr. Great-heart, the Pilgrim’s Pastor

John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress has been my favorite book outside the Bible for several years now. When I was very young, my mother read a very faithful children’s version to me, and these memories are still vivid to me. Then in college, the “grown-man’s” version of Pilgrim’s Progress became for me a source of spiritual nourishment in seasons of struggle and discouragement. There was nothing like reading of Christian, straying off the path, grieving over his sin, and then being returned after chastening to the journey, to encourage me in dark days. But with all of the value I already placed on this book, I had never read this work as a pastor. And now, having been entrusted by God with the souls of his people, its reading was to me a sweeter encouragement than ever before. I particularly benefitted this time around from Part II of Pilgrim’s Progress, the story of Christian’s wife Christiana and their children making the journey to the Celestial City.

A Violent Question for All Readers

With all the talk of violence this week, I have a question for the handful of brothers and sisters who may happen upon this blog. What is your favorite violent Gospel text? What Scripture has the Holy Spirit used to jar you to a realization of your sinfulness and Christ’s sufficiency? Let us share in the beautiful, violent message of the cross together this weekend!