The Old “Good Example” Objection Revisited

One of the most common objections in evangelistic conversations is that “the church is full of hypocrites.” The horrible example of professing Christians is one of the favorite and most reliable refuges of a cornered unbeliever. Listen to how Ichabod Spencer handles just such an objection . . .

“I know some Church-members who are no better than other people – not a bit better than a great many of us who make no profession.”

“Perhaps you do. But what of it? Will their imperfections do you any good? Will their sins save you or excuse you?”

“Why,” hesitatingly, “they ought to set us a better example.”

“No doubt of that. And allow me to say, you ought to set them a better example. You are under as much obligation to set me a good example, as I am to set you a good example. You and I are under the same law. God commands you to be holy as he commands me. It is quite likely that those church-members of whom you complain would be better men, if it were not for such persons as you - persons who set them no holy example.”

“Well I believe many members of the Church are great stumbling-blocks; I know they are.”

Said I, “I believe many, who are not members of the Church, are great stumbling-blocks; I know they are. You are one of them. You are a stumbling-block and a hindrance to many impenitent sinners . . . “

Ichabod Spencer, A Pastor’s Sketches (Vol 2), Solid Ground Christian Books, 206-207.

Jonah’s Place in the Bible’s Great Story and the Mystery of God’s Salvation

The book of Jonah is without question the most familiar of the twelve minor prophets, but for years I have been guilty of viewing it in isolation from the great story that Scripture is telling. It is not merely an entertaining tale of a man swallowed by a fish; it is part of the Gospel! Through this story of Jonah, God is revealing something of a “theology of missions,” his plan to ultimately bless all the nations through the preaching of the Gospel. (I have found Peter Leithart’s A House for My Name and Stephen Dempster’s Dominion and Dynasty especially helpful in thinking through these Biblical theology themes)

God’s Absolute Sovereignty in Jonah

I am struck by the absolute sovereignty of God over all things as presented in the book of Jonah. He governs every aspect of his creation, “hurling a great wind upon the sea,” (1:4) and then calming it in an instant (1:15). He “appoints a great fish” to swallow his rebellious prophet, (1:17) “speaks” to it again and has him vomit Jonah onto dry land. (2:10) But he is not only master of the great forces of nature; he also “appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah,” (4:6) and the next morning “appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.” (4:7)

But God’s sovereignty also extends to the human heart, for he changes a salty collection of pagan sailors (1:5) into a boatload of fearful Yahweh worshipers. (1:16) He disciplines his wayward child into submission to his will, (1:1-3:4) and brings a miraculous movement of repentance to the godless, bloodthirsty city of Nineveh. (3:4-10) Ultimately, he is bringing about his purposes to bless the nations, (Gen 12:3) making wicked Israel jealous by pouring out mercy onto those who were not his people. (Deut 32:15-22) He is sovereign over the shortest episode in the history of Assyria, and he is carefully watching over his grand designs in the great sweep of history, ensuring that they will come about according to his good pleasure.

This brief book radiates the good news of the merciful Creator God who rules every square inch of his universe with wisdom and power. No force is powerful enough to thwart his plans to exalt his Son and give him a Kingdom populated with those who have been redeemed from every nation, tribe, and tongue, and conformed to the image of Jesus. There is no worm that eats one leaf in the silent corner of one forest on the planet that does so apart from his appointment. Every breeze creating every ripple on every pond or puddle today goes forth by his decree. And there is no heart in our community today so hardened with sin that he cannot overcome it by his grace through the proclamation of his word. Whatever our circumstance today, may we rest and rejoice in the knowledge of the providential care of this great God!

“Salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9)

Preach To Us Like We Are Sinners

One more story from Preaching and Preachers.Lloyd-Jones was given the opportunity to preach at a college chapel in the University of Oxford, and the wife of the Principal came rushing up to him afterwards. Here is the exchange they shared:

“Do you know, this is the most remarkable thing I have I have ever known in this chapel.”

I said, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she said, “do you know that you are literally the first man I have ever heard in this chapel who has preached to us as if we were sinners.” She added, “All the preachers who come here, because it is a college chapel at Oxford, have obviously been taking exceptional pains to prepare learned, intellectual sermons, thinking we are all great intellects. . . We have listened to these essays and our souls are left dry. They do not seem to understand that though we live in Oxford, we are nevertheless sinners.” (Preaching and Preachers, 126) 

After years studying Scripture and simply observing my own astonishingly wicked heart, I have a robust doctrine of sin. I know that I have no hope outside of whatever God will mercifully give to me in the Gospel. However, there are times in the pulpit when Satan discourages me from preaching this way. He can work on me to the point that I am ashamed of what I am saying, ready to shrink back, even to apologize for proclaiming the total corruption of man before a holy God. This is wickedness, and this woman’s words call me back to the truth, because she makes the confession of every true child of God: preach to us like we are sinners! Remind us of our helplessness and our desperate need for mercy, and the riches of God’s grace he has lavished on us in Christ! Do not worry about entertaining us or intellectually stimulating us or pleasing us or boosting our self image or impressing us – - preach to us like we are sinners!

Away with Satan’s lies and the cowardice of my own flesh! Let us preach as a sinner to sinners, dwelling long on our own wickedness, that the grace of God in Christ might be magnified. Anything less is simply an essay that leaves the soul dry.

When It Doesn’t Last 24 Hours

Any believer who desires to see sinners come to Christ but also wants to trust God’s power rather than manipulative gimmicks will inevitably encounter situations where a difficult decision must be made (by the evangelist). The Gospel has been faithfully shared, the listener has been attentive and interested, and appears willing to “close the deal.” What should we do? Even though I cherish the doctrines of grace, there is still something inside me that compels me to lead them in a prayer right then, as if fearful that if I don’t do that, they will somehow “get away.” Call it my inner Arminian used car salesman:  ”Friend, what do I have to do to put you into right-standing with the Almighty today?” But this often results in rushing in upon the work of the Holy Spirit. Now, rather than leaving the door open for the person to wrestle with the Gospel and speak with you about it more later, you have presented with a counterfeit version of what true, saving faith is. The long-term effects of such an experience can, obviously, be devastating.

I have been greatly helped in this matter by an illustration from Lloyd-Jones. There was once a man who was greatly affected during his preaching one Sunday evening, “weeping copiously.” But at the end of the service, Lloyd-Jones did not feel the Spirit urging him to say anything further to the man, and he did not want to interfere with whatever work was taking place there. The next night, he saw the man again:

He came across the road and said to me, “You know, doctor, if you had asked me to stay behind last night, I would have done so.”

“Well,” I said, “I am asking you now. Come with me now.”

“Oh no,” he replied, “But if you had asked me last night I would have done so.”

“My dear friend,” I said, “if what happened to you last night does not last for 24 hours, I am not interested in it. If you are not as ready to come with me now as you were last night you have not got the right, the true thing. Whatever affected you last night was only temporary and passing, you still do not know your real need for Christ.” (Preaching and Preachers, 276)

It is helpful to keep this story in mind when sharing the Gospel. If the Lord has truly taken hold of them, it will last for longer than 24 hours, and there is no need to fear letting them get away. Let us share the Gospel frequently, compellingly, passionately, persuasively . . . and then trust the Holy Spirit to give the increase.

Preaching and Preachers, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I have really benefited from reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Preaching and Preachers last week. It had been recommended to me for several years, and now that I have read it, I realize how influential this book has been on my own preaching instructors. Preaching and Preachers is actually a series of lectures given at Westminster Seminary back in the 1970’s, and so it reads very easily, like listening to a conversation on preaching. Lloyd-Jones certainly spoke to the necessity of expository preaching and the content of the message, but he also laid out a theology or a philosophy of preaching, examining what it means for a man to speak of God before a crowd of listeners. He also spoke of preaching as an art form, a ”romance,” “the highest and greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can be called.” It was fascinating and also quite moving to listen to these themes drawn out by the man considered by all my contemporary theological heroes to be the greatest preacher of the 20th Century.

There are other preaching books to read if one is looking for a more technical guide for preparing expository sermons (Stott’s Between Two Worlds or Goldsworthy’s Preaching Christ from all of Scripture), but Preaching and Preachers crackles with the fire of a passionate preacher commending the great calling like no manual could. I found his reverence for preaching to be humbling, and his love for preaching to be stirring. It made me profoundly grateful to be a preacher, and excited about next Sunday!

Dr. Van Neste Endorses New Book on Pastoral Care

Dr. Ray Van Neste endorsed a new book on pastoral ministry over at his blog Oversight of Souls today: Visit the Sick by Brian Croft. You can read his review here.  Dr. Van Neste alludes to the fact that those of us who want to reclaim the primacy of Biblical expository preaching are often tempted to do so to the neglect of basic pastoral duties:

“Visiting the sick used to be one of the top things thought of in pastoral ministry but today it is often overlooked or shuffled off to others as much as possible. This ought not be the case. Even as we hold up the importance of preaching and teaching, we may not neglect shepherding such as in this area. This is not what was done by those who went before us.”

I heartily agree, and am very interested in learning from Pastor Croft in this vital area of shepherding. I hope to read it soon!

Lloyd-Jones on the Condition of our Listeners and the Content of our Preaching

“And beyond this, we must never give the impression that all that is needed is for people to make a little adjustment in their thinking and ideas and behaviour; that is to militate against our message. Our message is that every man ‘must be born again,’ and that whatever may happen to him short of that is of no value whatsoever from the standpoint of his relationship to God. The New Testament teaching is that the unbeliever is all wrong; everything about him is wrong. It is not merely his ideas of art or drama that are wrong; everything about him is wrong. His particular views are wrong because his whole view is wrong, because he himself is wrong.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in Preaching and Preachers, 149)

This quote comes from Lloyd-Jones’ chapter “The Congregation,” which was filled with helpful reminders of basic Biblical insights on the condition of our listeners, and what they need the most from the pulpit. This notion of the total corruption of man is thoroughly Biblical, would hardly be disputed as a doctrinal matter in any Baptist church, and yet so often we deny it practically, in our preaching and counseling. There is many a Pelagian in our pews, and this very point of Lloyd-Jones is one I have tried to emphasize again and again as I have preached the Gospel in my own church. May the Lord add his blessing to the preaching of his word.

The Doctor on the Dangerous Combination of Puritans and Young Preachers

“I have observed that certain young men who have developed a new interest, for instance, in the Puritans, start speaking and writing as if they lived in the seventeenth century. That is quite ludicrous.” (137) 

“The new interest in the Puritans, at any rate in Great Britain, has tended I fear to produce a number of young preachers who seem to think that you have not preached unless you have preached for an hour. That seems to be the big thing in their minds. They are thereby doing themselves and the Truth great harm. Their reason for preaching for an hour is that the Puritans did so. How ridiculous can we become!” (242) 

- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971.

I found this fascinating (and humorous), not only because I’m quite sure that I am one of these young preachers enamored with Puritanism, but because Dr. Lloyd-Jones is often called the last of the real Puritan preachers! And if I am not mistaken, it was he who played some part in the founding/support of Banner of Truth Trust, the publishing house dedicated to making available Puritan works for young men like myself. But he still makes a number of such warnings in his classic book on preaching, which leads me to reluctantly admit that there can always be too much of a good thing, even if it is the Puritans. 

This deserves more reflection, but The Letters of Samuel Rutherford is calling to me from the shelf.

Homesick: The Beauty of Bygone Grace, the Value of a Place, and the Eternity in the Heart of Man

I am writing this, not from my home of four months in Curve, TN, but from the familiar window seat at the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies at Union University. I chose this seat for my studies often during my four years at Union, because the view from the third floor of Jennings Hall allows the viewer to look out over much of the campus that is so precious to me. I see the long, sturdy treeline, towering over the flat West Tennessee landscape and blazing with the yellows and reds of early November. I see the path I ran so many times when I was clearing my mind as a student. I see the maintenance shop where I worked like Jacob for Rachel to earn money for my upcoming wedding, and where good friends are still at work right now.