Doing Justice and Preaching Grace

One of the books I am reading this summer is Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace by Harvie Conn. I had to buy the book used as it seemingly is no longer published. The author taught at Westminster in Philly for several years and went to be with the Lord in 1999. He covers a lot of ground fast, or rather concisely. Discussing barriers to our evangelism he writes....

Racism is a part of the mythology that inhibits our message. Not the white hooded kind that burns crosses on lawns, but the sophisticated variety that runs in culture shock from a changing neighborhood to the mission compound security of the suburbs....

Writing on pastoral care (aka Listening) he quotes Bonhoeffer....

The first service that one owes to others consists in listening to them. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians have forgotten the ministry that listening has been committed to them by Him who is Himself the great listener and whose work they would share. We would listen with teh ears of God that we may speak the Word of God.

This time his own words...

Without a pastoral dimension the offense of the gospel too easily is understood as the offensiveness of the church. The unchurched have no perception of a loving God who accepts persons while they are yet sinners.

How to Preach a Good Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan

Abstract from the PCRT (cheers to Isadore)
He gave us a list of 12 things and elaborated on them. It wasn't a 'how to' message but more like a 'what am I doing?' teaching session. The 12 points were these:
1. Know what a sermon is and what you are trying to do.
2. Have confidence in the word of God. Under this heading, he gave us
ten points.

a. The Bible is God's own word to us. It is more than a human book (1
Thess. 2:13).
b. The Bible is God-breathed, God's words exhaled to us.
It is like feeling
His very breath on our ears 2 Tim. 3:16).
c. The
Bible is written under the direction of God's Holy Spirit (2 Pet.
1:19-21;
John 14:25-26; John 16:12-13).
d. The Bible is God's instruction to us on
how we are to live this life
(Psalm 119:105). e. The Bible teaches the way
of salvation. f. The Bible is
indespensible (Matt. 4).
g. The Bible was
given to equip Christians to live the Christian life (2
Tim.3:16-17; John
17:17). h. The Bible is not a dead letter, but an active
living force in our
lives (Heb.4:12-13).
i. The Bible's message is clear because God is a good
communicator (Deut.
30:11-14).
j. The Bible's truth is eternally enduring.

3. Listen to great preaching.
4. Choose your models, but carefully.
5.Know the Bible better.
6. Be a man of prayer.
7. Preach Christ and the cross as you preach the whole counsel of God.
8. Be Trinitarian.
9. Use your imagination to get people into the Word, not to entertain.
10. Speak much of sin and grace.
11. Use the plain style.
12. Love your people.

How to Listen to a Bad Sermon

A beautiful abstract from my friend Dan Isadore, who is a CCO worker at Thiel College and a youth pastor at a PCUSA church there, on Ligon Duncan's sermon on listening to a poor sermon. Though I have some serious concerns with point 2 - is every preacher God's spokesperson? I am thinking of liberal pastors, women elders, priests and bad preaching (people who talk about their soap boxes and hobby horses instead of the gospel)

6 points for this one...
1.We need to take stock of our attitude when listening to sermons. We need to listen as if our lives depended on it, which they do.
2. Remember who is speaking to you. It is God talking.
3. Remember what the Bible and life are all about.
4. Remember who we are: simultaneously sinners and children of God.
5. Prepare to hear the word.
6. Commit yourself to self application by asking what the passage teaches you about the one true God, by constantly focusing on the person, power and work of Jesus Christ, by searching your own hearts and finding your own sin rather than others, and by recognizing how the word is to touch your wills, minds and desires.

A Note on Bible Translations

Recently in Hebrew class, a student asked Dr. Duguid on picking Bible translations to preach from and how to way in "word for word accuracy" like the New American Standard, and the dynamical translations of the 2oth and 21st century?

I have been wondering the same thing lately as I bought the Holman Christian Standard Version for $10, since then I am doing some sort of mild comparison to the ESV. Duguid said that when he was in Libya he preached from a Bible with an 850 word vocabulary, something that he would not do here. Because the Liberians do not know English well and he did not want to confuse them. His preaching style was similar in that context as well (a major proof that it is a huge plus if you know the indigenous language). But for biblical students, why not use the NASB as it captures the Hebrew and Greek idioms and captures the choppiness of a direct translation, it reveals that we need something more. What do you need in the context you are in? Are you in Libya, are you in the theological classroom? Or are you in the pulpit Sunday morning preaching to a crowd of infants and youth, college students, parents, singles, old saints, the unconverted - what version are you going to use there where people can understand what is going on in the Scriptures?

What should one use in their devotions? Are you a student of the Scriptures who knows the Hebrew and Geek idioms, why not use the New American Standard. Are you a new believer who is seeking to understand words like imputation and justification? Bit more tricky, but try the English Standard Version, clear, concise, readable yet keeping with the rich heritage of the reformation.

Mark Driscoll Once Again

So I have been lazy the past three weeks since Easter in regards to blogging. It is for Good reason. School is winding down to a close, with lots of Hebrew and lots of Papers. Plus three creekings. Many good times.

Here is something to savor your taste buds:

Live from Airdrie

From Steven Steele reporting from Airdrie RPCS. Andrew Quigley preaching..

“We need a generation of preachers who will no longer look upon the church as a group of volunteers, some of whom are more committed than others. We need a generation of ministers who will go out and proclaim the Word of God with the authority of Haggai, and say to men and women “If you profess to be a believer in Jesus Christ, then, within the norms of life, I’m going to call you to be that. I’m not going to allow you to drift, I’m not going to allow you to go off and do your own thing. Why? Because it’s neither in your interests nor God’s interests to do so.” It’s no interest of the leader in the church to allow the people of God to drift into a situation where they’re spending all their time labouring and not getting the return or the harvest they should do because they’re walking in disobedience.”

Principles on battling sin

1. Not aimed at the external improvement of a personal; if this is done there can yet remain abominable sin

2.) Crucify the Flesh - You must starve the sin at it's roots as Crucifixion suffocates your breath

3.) Consider the enemy general's tactics (this is the one that I liked the best, and take it a different direction that Mr. Matthess did.)

Sin is an enemy, and Satan wants your head on a platter with your soul as seasoning on top. How often do you and I forget this? Every time we purposefully sin and grow lax in our walk with God, is my reply.

If you attacked your enemy tonight what strategy would you use? It is a no-brainer that surprise is useful, that you would exploit the known weaknesses of your opponent. You attack where he does not expect it (mis application of your time; where your guard is down, etc). This could happen in a number of ways. We need the Spirit's discernment to enlighten us in our defenses against Satan's wiles.

4.) Persevere in the Battle

Sometimes God allows us to be effected by the consequences of our sin to keep us humble

5.) fight sin from Scripture, define according to the Word of God

Hating Sin and Loving God are not the same thing. You could be a great giant for political activism for the eradication of abortion or sex trafficking but that does not equate to loving God.

6.) look for Scripture that helps you deal with Struggles

Matthew 27:32-44

The Crucifixion
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

a tightened noose

Romans 8:11-14.
Do you live the Christian life? That God's ways are your ways? IN the words of the Psalmist, "your testimony I will declare." Do you and I live by and in the Spirit? The vigor of our spiritual vitality depends on our mortification of the deeds of the flesh. (Owen) Mortification is this: keeping your sin nature under the tightened noose.

Evangelicals today sacrifice the gospel with new and innovative techniques to mortify the flesh. I am thinking of one such approach as advocated in "Every Man's Battle." The method that the authors propose is that if you would "bounce your eyes" or look away from a woman or man then you defeat sin. Other Christians have proposed asceticism, trusting in yourself, and legalism (trusting in yourself and not Christ.)

When we pick up the sword and shield we must be sure not to use them in a wrong way. It is important to rely on Christ in the way that He said. God has not appointed other means to combat the flesh. (again indulgences and asceticism.)

Mortification is not:
--Conviction without a Solution - the Gospel is sufficient for the Believer's battle vs. sin. Christ freed, Christ defeated, Christ abides within us. It is all about Christ.
--Conviction without Action - Mortification of the sin brings conviction and repentance.
-- Conviction but selective in mortifying. As Augustine prayed, "Make me pure but not yet." True Mortification is total.
-- measured by temperment
-- diverted (think of Simon trying to buy the Holy Spirit)

Principles of Mortification:
-- Continually at way with sin
-- Entirely the work of the Holy Spirit
-- Habitual weakening of sin

do you want to be filled with Grace? Do you want to feast upon the given means? Prayer, Preaching, Singing, the sacraments? Do you realize that the Fruit of the Spirit are killers of Sin? love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control?

As Christ proclaimed, "Come all who are tired and heavy laden, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We become what we take pleasure in- John Piper

If you delight in the glory of Christ. You will become like Him. If you delight in dirty jokes, humor of this world, lusts of the eyes, flesh, and material things, you become a material person.

Is this not true? While this fact may go unnoticed by many day in and day out, is this not the story of their lives? Everyone becomes what they crave most. If it is food, they become a glutton, if it is drugs, they become an addict. If it is Christ, then that person becomes like Christ.

How are we to take delight in God? God wants us to take great pleasure in Him. Think of God and all that He has done for you and His creation. Think of the Exodus, Preservation of the Remnant, but most importantly think about the Cross. Ruminate the person and work of Christ. His sinless nature, justification, love for the Father, love for His people.

While this may seem easy to do, it is hard. Our hardened hearts need to be softened by the fire of the Holy Spirit; the callous needs peeled back.

Ponder a prayer that Tim Keller offers,

"Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior. Amen."