IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF HIS HUMILIATION - from the moment of His conception. But undoubtedly it increased in intensity during His time here on earth.
Finally we read of the hours He spent in Gethsemane. How could we begin to understand what really transpired there! But at the same time, how could we even think of comparing it with Calvary! If Gethsemane was the prelude, think of the terrible reality of Calvary!
The sayings on the cross
In all there are seven sayings of Jesus on the cross recorded in the four gospels. This fourth saying, our text for today, appears only in Mark and Luke.
The first three sayings have to do with the interests or well-being of the people around the cross.
• Firstly Jesus does intercession for sinners - in this case His executioners: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). It is important to note that the Greek verb used is in the imperfect tense, indicating that He was praying for them continuously.
• Secondly He consoles a sinner who humbles himself - one of the two criminals crucified with Him. He gives him a wonderful promise: "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23:43).
• Thirdly He takes care of His mother's well-being by entrusting her and John to each other: "Dear woman, here is your son ... Here is your mother" (Jn 19:26-27).
• Apparently there then followed a long period of silence - it could have been as long as three hours - before Jesus uttered the last four sayings in quick succession. This time they concerned the suffering of our Lord Himself and also His relationship with the Father. Our text is followed by three short sentences: "I am thirsty" (Jn 19:28). “It is finished" (Jn 19:30). "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Lk 23:46).
It is only natural and also typical that Jesus should now be concerned with Himself and His heavenly Father. Once a dying person is finished with his worldly affairs, he turns his face to the wall, as it were, in readiness to meet death and to be alone with God.
An extraordinary event
The crucifixion of Jesus is probably the most remarkable event in world history - the creature executes his Creator! And the exclamation in our text is the most appalling moment of this terrible event: the eternal and most wonderful relationship between the first and the second Persons of the holy Trinity is shattered!
World history is no stranger to the rejection of the innocent by the guilty, or the execution of the benefactor by the very people he served. It started with the murder of the pious Abel by his jealous brother. But the One who was nailed to the tree was no ordinary human being - He was the complete, the perfect man! Throughout history not one of the people killed by their persecutors has been totally blameless - none of us is completely without fault before God. But of this Person even the pagan judge had to say, "I find no basis for a charge against this man" (Lk 23:4).
Even more astonishing is the fact that the One they executed was not only a perfect man - He was the Son of God and God the Son!
If we find it impossible to understand how God the Son could subject Himself to something like this, what are we to say of the biblical revelation that it was God the Father who delivered His Son to this shameful death? And exactly this is what the Bible teaches.
The fourth saying
It is the ninth hour, or 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The world has already been in total darkness for three hours - midnight at noon, as it were. And the Lord Jesus is dying. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
What went through Jesus' mind during those three hours of silence in the dark? Did He perhaps experience ecstatic fellowship with His heavenly Father? That would have been typical of a dying believer. Many of us have seen that happen at the deathbed of a saint. How many martyrs have not been so carried away in heavenly rapture that they could sing songs of praise in a sea of flames?
But this was not the case with our Lord. On the contrary!
The hoarse cry of anguish with which he shattered the silence was the expression of all that He had suffered during the preceding hours of darkness.
Exactly the same words are used in verse 1 of Psalm 22, the Messianic prophesy written a thousand years before: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The Hebrew word translated as "groaning" in the same verse is used for the hoarse bellowing of an animal in its death-struggle. Never before in history was there such a cry; never again will there be such a shout. It is not just any human being dying here, it is the eternal Son of God!
And the Father does not send an angel to strengthen Him. He does not perform a miracle by dramatically tacking Him off the cross. He simply leaves Him to His fate. For the first time in all eternity there is no communion whatsoever between the Father and the Son. Jesus is completely alone!
Why is this so? Because God will not, in all eternity, have communion with sin!
Something we should be quite clear about is that the suffering of Jesus did not just lie in the way He experienced it physically and subjectively. No, His separation from God was a stark reality. God literally forsook Him.
What we have here is the fulfilment by Christ of the prophesies of one thousand five hundred Days of Atonement (Lev 16). He is the fulfilment of that which was represented by the two goats: the one "for the Lord" which was sacrificed, and the scapegoat which was sent into the desert laden with the sin of the people, alone and lost, to die there of hunger, thirst and exposure.
Here the Lord Jesus suffers the torment of the doomed. God's treatment of Him is not that of a loving father. No, it is the judgement meted out to a criminal by a just and wrathful judge. Jesus is crushed by the sins of millions. He is struck again and again, mercilessly, by the lightening bolts of God's holy wrath. The eternal condemnation of millions of pardoned sinners is heaped on Him. And it crushes Him. He is alone, completely and utterly abandoned!
"But," you may well ask, "is this fair? Surely this shows His wonderful obedience to His Father? Is this not, after all, why He came?" This is exactly the point. He took our guilt upon Himself so that the Father could punish Him in our place. In this way the perfect justice of God was satisfied. This is how He made atonement for every single sin of every single one of the elect throughout the ages!
Looking at the saying word for word
• "My God, my God". In the first and last of His sayings on the cross Jesus addressed God as "Father". But here he simply calls Him "God". Is this because the intimacy between them was destroyed?
The Aramaic word for "God" which Jesus probably used, is "El". It is derived from the root "to be strong." It therefore points to God as the almighty One. The bond between Father and Son was therefore not severed because the Father could no longer hold on to His tormented Son. No, what happened here was exactly the opposite. This is what had been determined by the three Persons of the Trinity before creation.
• "Why?" What was God's reason for abandoning His only Son here in the hour of His greatest need? After all, He had given His Father no reason. He had been faithful and obedient to the minutest detail.
Of course, Jesus understands, but here we see Him in the weakness of His humanity.
• "Have". His Father has already forsaken Him. This is not some threat of what is to come some time in the future. It is an accomplished fact! This is the most terrible moment in God's eternity!
• "You". Was the emphasis in the sentence perhaps on this word? As if Jesus was saying, I know all about rejection. My brothers have done so long ago. My people in Nazareth rejected Me; in fact, they even tried to kill Me. My people have turned their backs on Me. Most of my disciples have taken offence at Me. Judas betrayed Me. So did even Peter. And the rest of my disciples have fled. I could bear all that - because I had You. That is why I could say in the upper room, "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me" (Jn 16:32).
But now my Father, You have also forsaken me!
• "Forsaken". Were the Father and the Son not always as one in mind and soul? Was the unity between them, their mutual love and delight, their intimate fellowship, not more and deeper than could be expressed in human words? Was it not like that from all eternity? But now, now that the Son seems to need the Father's assistance and fellowship more than ever before, He is suddenly alone.
• "Me". Or was the emphasis perhaps on this little word? Then the call to the Father would have been, Man is the crown of Your creation, but he has fallen into sin. Therefore the entire human race has sinned. It is therefore understandable, no, inevitable that you should reject all of mankind. But I am the second man, the last Adam. Have I not kept your covenant of works perfectly? Was I not perfectly obedient to You every day of my life - in action, word and thought? Was it not of Me that You said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased"?
The Father has simply forsaken the Son! Why? Why? Why?
Conclusion
Surely you know why. It was done to save millions of sinners from God's wrath, the very same wrath at which we have just been looking. Are you one of these saved sinners? Are you?
Can anything be more appropriate at this moment than a few minutes of quiet, personal prayer? Sometimes - no, often - one needs to do nothing but pray.
Nico van der Walt
• Nico van der Walt subscribes to the historically respected and internationally recognized 1689 Baptist Confession - like most Reformed Baptists worldwide - as well as the Confession of Sola 5, an association of God-centred evangelicals in Southern Africa.
• Weekly a sermon/study like this is sent world-wide and free of charge in Afrikaans or English by e-mail to 2000 people who have requested it.
• Subscriptions, changes of address, cancellations and correspondence: E: duplessismh@telkomsa.net; P.O. Box 35289, Menlopark, 0102, South Africa. Tel. 012-804 0316; 083 5544 941.
• www.reformed.org.za www.nunide.org.za www.sola5.org
• No copyright. Please duplicate or forward electronically.
• Past E-sermons can be found on the first website above.
• We gladly send an introduction to the sermons to those E-addresses you might wish to send us. However, we only put those people on our mailing list who request so personally.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, July 25, 2011
E-SERMON No.36 - 1TIM 4:16 : A PASTOR CAN MAKE OR BREAK HIS FLOCK
PAUL SERIOUSLY WARNS TIMOTHY TO TAKE THE UTMOST CARE IN THE WAY HE CONDUCTS HIS LIFE AND HIS MINISTRY, because this could be the determining factor, not only in his own salvation, but also that of his flock.
Do you realise that it is possible in principle for one or more of the preachers in this church to spend eternity in hell should they (a) in their discipleship of Christ fail to be what they should be, or (b) preach heresy? The shocking fact is that while the average church member may still get away with something on that terrible day of reckoning, we as preachers may be doomed - because those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).
What is more, do you realise that we as preachers hopefully play a definite role in the salvation of each of you - but could also be the cause of your eternal damnation?
Take another look at our verse: A determinative condition for the salvation of both Timothy and his flock is that he keeps a close watch on his life and his doctrine, and persevere in both.
Many pastors think that their role in the salvation of a person ends when he or she has become converted and has joined the church. All that remains is to strengthen and assist such people in their sanctification. Only the lost need to be saved, not the members of the church. They, after all, have already been saved!
However the Bible teaches that if we fail to persevere in obedience to the end, it not only leads to a lower level of sanctification, but indeed to eternal damnation. The task of the pastor is therefore not only to edify the saints, but in fact to "save them"!
Is this Scriptural?
In the first place, is it not blasphemous arrogance to say that I can save people? Surely this is something only the Lord can do? Indeed! Yet the Bible makes it plain on more than one occasion that His workers, in some sense, also save people. Paul writes in 1 Cor 9:22: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some". And James says: "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death ..." (Ja 5:20) (cp. also Acts 26:18; Rm 11:14).
We should see it this way: in almost everything that He does on earth, God works mediately or indirectly - He uses instruments. Thus He makes use of His disciples - very often His preachers - to be instruments in His hand by which He saves people. It is in this sense that they save people.
Secondly, is it correct to say that those who have already been saved, still need to be saved?
The story goes that the famous 19th Century theologian, bishop Westcott, professor in theology at Cambridge, was once confronted by a rash student with these words, "Professor, are you saved?" "Good question," Westcott replied, "but it depends on what you mean by your question." He then changed over to Greek and used three passive participles of the verb "to save": I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. Needless to say, the student quietly disappeared off without comment.
Salvation is presented to us in three ways in Scripture. We have been saved (Rm 8:24; Lk 7:50; Eph 2:5, 8); we are being saved (1Cor 1:18; 2Cor 2:15); we will be saved (Rm 5:9-10; 13:11; 1Pe 1:5). This is because salvation is a process. In one sense therefore we still have to be saved.
In several places the Bible teaches that the life of a Christian is like a marathon race and that only those who persist until the very end will be saved.
This involvement of shepherds in the salvation of their flocks is not something to which they may adopt a casual approach - it demands their all. Paul writes: "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory (2Tm 2:10). In 2Cor 1:6 he says, "If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation ..."
In the case of the Corinthians we have a good example of how a pastor can intervene to save his flock. They had fallen into sin, so Paul wrote them a letter which greatly disturbed them - the so-called "letter of tears". However, it had the desired effect, because the Corinthians repented. In his next letter Paul writes that he was strict with them, but not with bad intentions. No, he was concerned about their salvation - because "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2Cor 7:10).
The letter to the Hebrews is perhaps the best example of such pastoral censure for the sake of believers' salvation. The Hebrews were at the point of forsaking the faith and reverting to Old Testament Jewish religion. The writer tried to stop them from doing so at all costs, and in the process bombarded them with some of the most serious pastoral warnings and reprimands to be found anywhere in the New Testament. "It is a dreadful thing," he says to these people who had been disciples for several years, "to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hb 10:31). As far as the writer was concerned, the eternal salvation of these people depended almost entirely on his pastoral effectiveness.
It is the responsibility of every pastor (and every elder) to perform his duties and live in such a manner that none of his brothers or sisters are lost. He is responsible to the Lord for this, and if any of them were to quit before reaching the winning-post, he is in a sense responsible. Have I put it too strongly? Well, that is the attitude with which every pastor should carry out his duties.
But, of course, the Bible emphasises the other side of the coin as well. While Scripture places a heavy emphasis on the responsibility of the under-shepherd and minister, a similar responsibility rests on the shoulders of each believer personally.
Paul warned both the Romans and the Corinthians not to become a stumbling block to their fellow believers, even in such trivial matters as their eating and drinking. To the Romans he writes, "Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died" (Rm 14:15). And to the Corinthians he says, that if you were to use your Christian freedom in such a manner as to have a fellow believer follow you contrary to his own convictions, you would be leading him to do something against his conscience - and that could cost him his salvation. "So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge" (1Cor 8:11).
How much more may the leaders of a church, who are naturally more prominent and influential, be the cause of fellow Christians losing their way?
A few points of application
1. Nothing should be more important to us than holy perseverance in the race of faith.
One thing that the apostles regarded in a very serious light is our responsibility to force our way into the Kingdom with everything in our power. Herein they were following the instructions of the Lord Jesus who said that the kingdom of heaven should be laid hold of forcefully (Mt 11:12), and that we should cut off our right hand or gouge out our right eye if either of them were to cause us to stumble (Mt 5:29-30).
It is correct to emphasise and rejoice in the fact that we owe our salvation to the sovereign intervention of the Lord in our lives. But this should never be the only way in which we consider our redemption. Unless we also continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, the chances are that we will never see the Lord. This is a terrible thought, but do you realise that unless the Lord shows us great mercy, some of the people listening to me today will spend their time in eternal damnation!
This I can say with a Biblical mandate: nobody, not one single person, will inherit the kingdom with a lackadaisical attitude and approach.
2. I must take great care not to be a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters in their race.
All this does not mean that those who have been truly saved can be lost. It emphasises that perseverance to the end is the ultimate proof of true salvation. Those who are not true believers will drop out. But note carefully what the Lord says in this respect: if you cause someone to stumble it will be better for you to be drowned in the depths of the sea with a millstone hung around your neck (Mt 18:6-7). Our influence on fellow-believers is no small matter!
3. The answer: the solid food of the Word.
In the light of what has been said above, it would be easy to reason that preachers should limit their preaching to the delivery of evangelistic sermons. Not so! This was exactly the problem in the case of the Hebrews: they never progressed beyond the milk of the first principles (Hb 5:11-6:3).
4. Innumerable people go on to eternal doom because they believe that it does not really matter to which church you belong.
Many think that it is quite sufficient merely to live in a personal relationship with the Lord. What they lose sight of is the fact that the race you run to a large extent depends on the preaching you receive every Sunday, and the quality of the discipleship with which you surround yourself. We tend to forget that the Christian race that ends in eternal glory, demands your all. And if you are not continually fed and strengthened by your church - not to mention the poisoning influence of some churches - chances are that you will not make it.
5. One of your most important and often repeated prayers should be for your minister(s).
In this church we are reluctant to attach too much importance to the office of the pastor. We much rather emphasise the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. But this does not take anything away from the fact that a heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of our preachers and elders.
Please pray that the gravity of our calling may be engraved ever more deeply in our hearts - because one of our gravest dangers is underestimating this responsibility before the Lord. According to Hb 13:17 we will have to give account for you!
But also pray for us, for your own sake. I think it is true that nobody plays a more vital role in your spiritual growth and perseverance than the elders and preachers of this church - apart from yourself, of course.
6. The secret of success in this race of faith is to keep your eyes rivetted on Jesus Christ.
Let me conclude with three quotes from the book of Hebrews: "...and, once made perfect, he [the Son] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ... (5:9). "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (3:14). "... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith ..." (12:1-2).
Do you realise that it is possible in principle for one or more of the preachers in this church to spend eternity in hell should they (a) in their discipleship of Christ fail to be what they should be, or (b) preach heresy? The shocking fact is that while the average church member may still get away with something on that terrible day of reckoning, we as preachers may be doomed - because those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).
What is more, do you realise that we as preachers hopefully play a definite role in the salvation of each of you - but could also be the cause of your eternal damnation?
Take another look at our verse: A determinative condition for the salvation of both Timothy and his flock is that he keeps a close watch on his life and his doctrine, and persevere in both.
Many pastors think that their role in the salvation of a person ends when he or she has become converted and has joined the church. All that remains is to strengthen and assist such people in their sanctification. Only the lost need to be saved, not the members of the church. They, after all, have already been saved!
However the Bible teaches that if we fail to persevere in obedience to the end, it not only leads to a lower level of sanctification, but indeed to eternal damnation. The task of the pastor is therefore not only to edify the saints, but in fact to "save them"!
Is this Scriptural?
In the first place, is it not blasphemous arrogance to say that I can save people? Surely this is something only the Lord can do? Indeed! Yet the Bible makes it plain on more than one occasion that His workers, in some sense, also save people. Paul writes in 1 Cor 9:22: "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some". And James says: "Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death ..." (Ja 5:20) (cp. also Acts 26:18; Rm 11:14).
We should see it this way: in almost everything that He does on earth, God works mediately or indirectly - He uses instruments. Thus He makes use of His disciples - very often His preachers - to be instruments in His hand by which He saves people. It is in this sense that they save people.
Secondly, is it correct to say that those who have already been saved, still need to be saved?
The story goes that the famous 19th Century theologian, bishop Westcott, professor in theology at Cambridge, was once confronted by a rash student with these words, "Professor, are you saved?" "Good question," Westcott replied, "but it depends on what you mean by your question." He then changed over to Greek and used three passive participles of the verb "to save": I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved. Needless to say, the student quietly disappeared off without comment.
Salvation is presented to us in three ways in Scripture. We have been saved (Rm 8:24; Lk 7:50; Eph 2:5, 8); we are being saved (1Cor 1:18; 2Cor 2:15); we will be saved (Rm 5:9-10; 13:11; 1Pe 1:5). This is because salvation is a process. In one sense therefore we still have to be saved.
In several places the Bible teaches that the life of a Christian is like a marathon race and that only those who persist until the very end will be saved.
This involvement of shepherds in the salvation of their flocks is not something to which they may adopt a casual approach - it demands their all. Paul writes: "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory (2Tm 2:10). In 2Cor 1:6 he says, "If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation ..."
In the case of the Corinthians we have a good example of how a pastor can intervene to save his flock. They had fallen into sin, so Paul wrote them a letter which greatly disturbed them - the so-called "letter of tears". However, it had the desired effect, because the Corinthians repented. In his next letter Paul writes that he was strict with them, but not with bad intentions. No, he was concerned about their salvation - because "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2Cor 7:10).
The letter to the Hebrews is perhaps the best example of such pastoral censure for the sake of believers' salvation. The Hebrews were at the point of forsaking the faith and reverting to Old Testament Jewish religion. The writer tried to stop them from doing so at all costs, and in the process bombarded them with some of the most serious pastoral warnings and reprimands to be found anywhere in the New Testament. "It is a dreadful thing," he says to these people who had been disciples for several years, "to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hb 10:31). As far as the writer was concerned, the eternal salvation of these people depended almost entirely on his pastoral effectiveness.
It is the responsibility of every pastor (and every elder) to perform his duties and live in such a manner that none of his brothers or sisters are lost. He is responsible to the Lord for this, and if any of them were to quit before reaching the winning-post, he is in a sense responsible. Have I put it too strongly? Well, that is the attitude with which every pastor should carry out his duties.
But, of course, the Bible emphasises the other side of the coin as well. While Scripture places a heavy emphasis on the responsibility of the under-shepherd and minister, a similar responsibility rests on the shoulders of each believer personally.
Paul warned both the Romans and the Corinthians not to become a stumbling block to their fellow believers, even in such trivial matters as their eating and drinking. To the Romans he writes, "Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died" (Rm 14:15). And to the Corinthians he says, that if you were to use your Christian freedom in such a manner as to have a fellow believer follow you contrary to his own convictions, you would be leading him to do something against his conscience - and that could cost him his salvation. "So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge" (1Cor 8:11).
How much more may the leaders of a church, who are naturally more prominent and influential, be the cause of fellow Christians losing their way?
In pastoral ministry and preaching
it is not only the members' growth in sanctification that is at stake,
but their very inheritance of eternal salvation.
it is not only the members' growth in sanctification that is at stake,
but their very inheritance of eternal salvation.
A few points of application
1. Nothing should be more important to us than holy perseverance in the race of faith.
One thing that the apostles regarded in a very serious light is our responsibility to force our way into the Kingdom with everything in our power. Herein they were following the instructions of the Lord Jesus who said that the kingdom of heaven should be laid hold of forcefully (Mt 11:12), and that we should cut off our right hand or gouge out our right eye if either of them were to cause us to stumble (Mt 5:29-30).
It is correct to emphasise and rejoice in the fact that we owe our salvation to the sovereign intervention of the Lord in our lives. But this should never be the only way in which we consider our redemption. Unless we also continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, the chances are that we will never see the Lord. This is a terrible thought, but do you realise that unless the Lord shows us great mercy, some of the people listening to me today will spend their time in eternal damnation!
This I can say with a Biblical mandate: nobody, not one single person, will inherit the kingdom with a lackadaisical attitude and approach.
2. I must take great care not to be a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters in their race.
All this does not mean that those who have been truly saved can be lost. It emphasises that perseverance to the end is the ultimate proof of true salvation. Those who are not true believers will drop out. But note carefully what the Lord says in this respect: if you cause someone to stumble it will be better for you to be drowned in the depths of the sea with a millstone hung around your neck (Mt 18:6-7). Our influence on fellow-believers is no small matter!
3. The answer: the solid food of the Word.
In the light of what has been said above, it would be easy to reason that preachers should limit their preaching to the delivery of evangelistic sermons. Not so! This was exactly the problem in the case of the Hebrews: they never progressed beyond the milk of the first principles (Hb 5:11-6:3).
4. Innumerable people go on to eternal doom because they believe that it does not really matter to which church you belong.
Many think that it is quite sufficient merely to live in a personal relationship with the Lord. What they lose sight of is the fact that the race you run to a large extent depends on the preaching you receive every Sunday, and the quality of the discipleship with which you surround yourself. We tend to forget that the Christian race that ends in eternal glory, demands your all. And if you are not continually fed and strengthened by your church - not to mention the poisoning influence of some churches - chances are that you will not make it.
5. One of your most important and often repeated prayers should be for your minister(s).
In this church we are reluctant to attach too much importance to the office of the pastor. We much rather emphasise the fact that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. But this does not take anything away from the fact that a heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of our preachers and elders.
Please pray that the gravity of our calling may be engraved ever more deeply in our hearts - because one of our gravest dangers is underestimating this responsibility before the Lord. According to Hb 13:17 we will have to give account for you!
But also pray for us, for your own sake. I think it is true that nobody plays a more vital role in your spiritual growth and perseverance than the elders and preachers of this church - apart from yourself, of course.
6. The secret of success in this race of faith is to keep your eyes rivetted on Jesus Christ.
Let me conclude with three quotes from the book of Hebrews: "...and, once made perfect, he [the Son] became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ... (5:9). "We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (3:14). "... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith ..." (12:1-2).
Nico van der Walt
Friday, July 22, 2011
TITBIT No.2 - GARDENS HAVE GARDENERS
The brilliant author, R.C. Sproul, tells a story in one of his books. Here is my version of this gem of a parable.
Two explorers penetrated a remote area of African jungle. With pangas they had to hack open every yard of the way. Suddenly the bush opened up and a clearing appeared - containing a marvellous garden, half the size of a soccer field. A wide range of fully cultivated plants grew in straight, symmetrical rows. The most beautiful rose bushes, freshly pruned, formed a border right around. The excited travellers immediately set up camp, waiting for the gardener to appear. They had, after all, not seen fellow human beings for two weeks. But no one turned up. After three days the first explorer suggested that they move on. The second one protested, suggesting that perhaps the gardener was invisible. Maybe he was slipping into the garden during the night. So our two friends set up a wire around the garden. They fastened some empty tins to it that would make a noise should the gardener trip over the wire in the dark. Nothing happened, however. After another three days the first explorer insisted that they move on. But the second one pleaded: could it not be that this mysterious gardener was not only invisible, but immaterial as well? To this his friend replied: 'What is the difference between an invisible, immaterial gardener - and no gardener at all?'
The answer is obvious, is it not. The difference is the garden!
Some years ago I went through a most difficult and traumatic time. I had been a Christian for almost two decades, but this experience shook my faith to the core. In my disillusionment I was bombarded daily by many questions and doubts. Did God exist? Was He aware of me? Was He in any way involved in my life? How could He allow these things to happen to me? Was my Christianity real?
So I started thinking through the ABC of my faith again. What did I really believe? What were the foundation stones of my convictions, the non-negotiable absolutes of my life? What were the benchmarks of my faith?
I had to start at the very beginning: Did I really, really believe in God? I had never seen Him, touched Him, smelled Him. How can one believe in such a God?
But then I became aware of the "garden". It was there - unmistakable. Not only could I see the mind-boggling glories of creation around me; my own life had changed completely since becoming a committed Christian. If ever a man understood 2 Corinthians 5:17, it was me: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And, of course, there is much more to the garden.
My first benchmark was therefore in place: God is who He is - the sovereign, omnipotent and eternal Creator of heaven and earth! And this benchmark has become one of the cornerstones of my life. To this day I have great joy in pondering the glories of creation and reminisce God's dealings with me and my family over many years. And involved with us, He has really been.
The answer is obvious, is it not. The difference is the garden!
Some years ago I went through a most difficult and traumatic time. I had been a Christian for almost two decades, but this experience shook my faith to the core. In my disillusionment I was bombarded daily by many questions and doubts. Did God exist? Was He aware of me? Was He in any way involved in my life? How could He allow these things to happen to me? Was my Christianity real?
So I started thinking through the ABC of my faith again. What did I really believe? What were the foundation stones of my convictions, the non-negotiable absolutes of my life? What were the benchmarks of my faith?
I had to start at the very beginning: Did I really, really believe in God? I had never seen Him, touched Him, smelled Him. How can one believe in such a God?
But then I became aware of the "garden". It was there - unmistakable. Not only could I see the mind-boggling glories of creation around me; my own life had changed completely since becoming a committed Christian. If ever a man understood 2 Corinthians 5:17, it was me: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And, of course, there is much more to the garden.
My first benchmark was therefore in place: God is who He is - the sovereign, omnipotent and eternal Creator of heaven and earth! And this benchmark has become one of the cornerstones of my life. To this day I have great joy in pondering the glories of creation and reminisce God's dealings with me and my family over many years. And involved with us, He has really been.
TITBIT No.1 - WATERSHEDS
THE LATE FRANCIS SCHAEFFER, well-known twentieth century Christian theologian and philosopher, uses a very striking illustration in his book, The Great Evangelical Disaster. He tells about a ridge of rock high up in the mountains near his home in Switzerland. On either side of this ridge runs a deep valley. In winter, as everyone knows, the Alps receive heavy snow falls. And on such occasions these particular rocks are completely covered by an unbroken bank of snow. The impression of unity is, however, an illusion. Why? Simply because the ridge beneath the surface acts as a divide, a watershed. One portion of snow, when melted, would flow into the one valley, whilst snow right next to it, would end up in the other valley.
But this is not all. What makes this watershed all the more striking, is the fact that the one valley is part of the Rhine River's catchment area. It means that water running down that side of the mountain flows through Germany and eventually ends up in the cold waters of the North Sea. But snow melting less than a metre away, runs down the other side of the mountain. It then flows into Lake Geneva, and from there down the Rhone Valley through France. Ultimately it enters the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, more than a thousand kilometres from the Rhine's mouth.
This is what a watershed does. It cuts, it divides. Watersheds determine destinies!
All of us have our watershed moments. We can look back through the passages of our personal history and clearly see a number of destiny determining experiences. And usually these turning points come unannounced. It is only in retrospect that you can recognize them for what they were. Many years ago, on a very ordinary night, I was introduced to a not so ordinary girl. Eighteen months later she would become my wife, and in ensuing years the mother of my four daughters.
Some things in our lives have virtually no long-term consequences. But then there are those watershed actions, decisions, encounters, priorities, convictions. And, surely, no watersheds can be more critical than those determining our eternal destiny.
This is what a watershed does. It cuts, it divides. Watersheds determine destinies!
All of us have our watershed moments. We can look back through the passages of our personal history and clearly see a number of destiny determining experiences. And usually these turning points come unannounced. It is only in retrospect that you can recognize them for what they were. Many years ago, on a very ordinary night, I was introduced to a not so ordinary girl. Eighteen months later she would become my wife, and in ensuing years the mother of my four daughters.
Some things in our lives have virtually no long-term consequences. But then there are those watershed actions, decisions, encounters, priorities, convictions. And, surely, no watersheds can be more critical than those determining our eternal destiny.
Nico van der Walt
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
E-SERMON No.90 - 1Cor 2:1-5 : OUR MESSAGE IS CHRIST
1Cor 2:2 : For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
A ridiculous message
# In his book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott makes this statement: "The Christians' choice of a cross as the symbol of their faith is the more surprising when we remember the horror with which crucifixion was regarded in the ancient world" (p.23).
# This cruelest form of execution deliberately delayed death to inflict the maximum torture. The helpless victim could suffer for days before dying. The Romans reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion or armed robbery - provided that they were also slaves, foreigners or other non-persons. Except in extreme cases of treason, Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixtion.
# The Jews made no distinction between a tree and a cross - and so between a hanging and a crucifixtion. They out of hand applied to crucified criminals the terrible statement of Dt 21:23 that "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse". It is therefore not difficult to understand why the Jews could not bring themselves to believe that God's Messiah would die such a death.
# To the world of the first centuries therefore the Christians worshipped a god who was dead, who was a condemned criminal and who had died under God's curse. As Stott says: "This combination of death, crime and shame put him beyond the pale of respect, let alone of worship" (p.23). Surely, one cannot think of a more insurmountable obstacle to the spread of the gospel than this deep-seated perception. Whether Jewish or Roman, the enemies of Christianity lost no opportunity to ridicule the claim that God's anointed and man's Saviour ended his life on a cross. The idea was crazy.
An unacceptable method
# Corinth was a large Greek city - sophisticated, but at the same time terribly decadent. And, being Greek, it had a high premium on intelligent debate, watertight logic and acute eloquence. They were much more interested in discussion than in truth; in skilful presentation than in reality.
# Don Carson, in his book The Cross and Christian Ministry, writes: "It has been persuasively argued that Paul is alluding to the sophists of his day. Many intellectual movements greatly prized rhetoric. Philosophers were as widely praised for their oratory as for their content. But the sophists brought these ideals to new heights.... They enjoyed such widespread influence in the Mediterranean world, not least in Corinth, that public speakers who either could not meet their standards, or for any reason chose not to, were viewed as seriously inferior (p.33-34).
# One can therefore hardly believe your eyes when you read that Paul, before coming to Corinth, had intentionally decided that he would "not come with eloquence or superior wisdom" (1), nor "with wise and persuasive words" (4).
From the world's point of view the apostle's decision seems foolish to the extreme. Surely, here we have something worth exploring.
Paul's resolve
# Why did Paul not demonstrate his considerable learning and oratory abilities? Why this apparent foolish two-fold resolve concerning content and delivery? Did he not realize that he would only impress the Corinthians if he could beat them on their own turf – if his wisdom and eloquence would prove to be stronger medicine than their own? Did he not understand that the content of his preaching would be ridiculed? Was he not aware that it was necessary to fire on all rhetorical cylinders if you wanted to get anywhere – especially in Corinth?
If it was a case of not having what it takes, one can possibly understand Paul's approach. But surely, with regard to his message, his wisdom could match any philosopher's insights. And when it came to the method of delivery, his competence was such that in Lystra he had even been called "Hermes", the Greek god of communication (Acts 14:12). And in Thessalonica he had "reasoned" with the Jews, "explaining" and "proving" that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 17:2-3).
And yet, and yet, he had made up his mind not to preach a message that would thrill the unbelievers, nor to depend on grand rhetorical techniques.
# The word translated "resolved" (2) emphasizes a deliberate act of the will, and furthermore that Paul had come to his decision before arriving in Corinth. He had decided not to
"know" - not to exhibit any knowledge (Gr.) - in their midst, except his knowledge of Jesus Christ, and specifically his understanding of Christ as the crucified one. Clearly, the apostle was adamant not to ride the Corinthian bandwagon. Why? Why?
Paul's reasons
It would seem that the apostle had at least five reasons for his decision - all five of vital importance to us.
1. Paul knew that he had a very narrow mandate: his only task was to preach the gospel of God's grace in Christ, nothing more.
In 1 Corinthians 1:17 he says: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." In no way Paul wanted to draw attention to himself - he did not want to preen his own feathers. Throughout the book of Acts and the apostolic letters it is overwhelmingly clear that his one and only passion in life was to glorify Christ. This is of course true of all the apostles, but of no one more so than Paul. The one response he desired from his listeners was, "What a great Saviour!"; never, "What a great preacher!"
2. If there was one thing the apostle feared, it was insulting and quenching the Spirit by trusting the arm of flesh.
Paul depended on God through His Holy Spirit to powerfully bring the Corinthians to faith (4b; 5b). But he knew two things: firstly that the Spirit had come to glorify Christ (Jh 16:14-15); and secondly that the Spirit will never allow Himself to be drawn into elevating man - not even Christ's beloved apostles. Paul was therefore acutely aware that he had to stay within the bounds of his mandate, because he would quench the Spirit if he stepped outside. And without the unction of the Spirit his mission - his whole life-task - would be an exercise in futility.
3. Paul knew that his task was to proclaim the sovereign God's command that all people everywhere repent and bow their knees before Him (Acts 17:30).
In verse 1 the words, "the testimony about God", can also be translated, "the testimony from God". Whilst the gospel is the revelation of God's wonderful salvation in Christ, it is also an urgent and serious proclamation - and a divine command to repent - coming from God.
The gospel is therefore not something to be discussed, debated or judged. It is the message that all men are under the judgement of God, and that it would culminate in eternal damnation unless they humble themselves before Him. God is never hard up for our acceptance, He never negotiates, He never compromises. He proclaims, He promulgates, He confronts.
Paul knew that by playing eloquent Corinthian games, he would be pandering to his pagan listener's pride and arrogance. They would see the gospel as something which could be weighed and disposed of at will - and as just another alternative to all their religious theories.
4. The last thing Paul wanted to do, was to lure people into accepting Christ for unacceptable reasons.
Paul knew that not every conversion is real. He understood that the seed of the gospel easily falls in rocky places or among thorns. And he was painfully aware of the God-dishonouring damage false conversions cause. So he wanted to avoid persuasion that is manipulative, to steer clear of preaching that moves people by its eloquence without faithfully presenting the gospel. He firmly believed that conversion had to be brought about by the truth and power of the gospel; not by glamourous oratory or emotional stories.
5. Paul left no stone unturned to make sure that each and everyone of his listeners understood that there is but one mediator between God and men – Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Preaching which is not consistently Christ-centred can easily create the impression that mere religiosity leads to salvation. Even when preaching focusses on Christ, but is delivered in a way which is inconsistent with the content, it causes all sorts of twisted ideas in listeners.
No, we must never grow tired of emphasising that true Christianity is not being religious; it is not even in the final instance a way of living - it is being united to Christ through a true and living faith. And although true faith allways shows, its deepest mark of authenticity is hanging onto Christ the crucified like a drowning man. A true Christian is not in the first instance being known by his morality, but by his deep, deep conviction that he never dares to appear before the thrice-holy God without a perfect Mediator.
Preachers must never presume that their flocks have sola gratia, solus Christus and sola fide written on the tablets of their hearts - they must preach it, again and again. Why? Because the true gospel goes against the grain of everything in fallen man. In a sense it is the exact opposite of religiosity, churchianity and moralism. Let us never forget the remarkably pious Cornelius who was only saved after the grace alone, Christ alone, faith alone gospel took root in his heart. Before that he was heading for hell - with all his devotion, fear of God, generosity and regular prayers (Acts 10:2; 11:14)!
Paul wanted to make sure that nobody misunderstood him. He had one message only: Christ and him crucified - and nothing else! There is but one Saviour! There is but one salvation!
A few qualifying remarks
Let us not stretch the apostle's statements too far.
1. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he could not care about the cultural orientation of his listeners.
If in the book of Acts you compare his addresses to Jews and gentiles, you find quite a difference in approach. He explicitly tells us that, in order to win as many as possible, he became like a Jew to the Jews, and like a gentile to the gentiles (1Kor 9:19-23). In fact, one suspects that his cultural adaptation would have shocked many of us.
What he is saying in our text, is that he would never compromise his main calling - to preach Christ and Him alone as the crucified - in order to gratify people's cultural whims and hobbys. He would bend backwards not to cause his listeners to stumble, but never would he allow their cultural fads and fancies to dictate the content of his message or the style of his delivery.
2. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he preached a simplistic message.
It was Luther who said to Erasmus: "There is more involved in preaching Christ crucified than going up and down saying simply, Christ was crucified!" Surely at Corinth, as everywhere else, Paul would have expounded the whole counsel of God. But he would have done it in such a way that the cross was always his centre of reference. He would never have allowed himself, or those to whom he was speaking, to get out of sight of the hill called Calvary.
So, whatever we preach, must always, in some way or another, be tied to the cross - whether it be Old Testament or New Testament, indicative or imperative, ethics, ecclesiology or eschatology. We must always be gospel-centred, cross-centred, Christ-centred.
3. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that the manner of our presentation is unimportant.
Every man with red-hot words from a heart on fire streaming over his lips, will appear to be fighting with bees. What is more, we should continually ask ourselves whether we communicate in a way which penetrates our hearers' minds and hearts. But cleverness, wit, flattery, amusement, smooth showmanship and entertainment is something completely different. No, our presentation must always be an expression of the solemnity of our message.
In conclusion
# The first question to ask in our missionary, evangelistic and pastoral work - and especially in our preaching - is not about methods, programs or institutions, but about the message. And the message is a Person. And the Person is Christ - the One who was crucified 2000 years ago for the sin of the world.
# Let us never forget that a Christ- and cross-centred ministry can depend on God's promises.
Paul's remark that he had preached "in weakness and fear, and with much trembling", tells us that he did not find it easy to keep to his resolve. It made him feel and look foolish.
We know that when he first came to Corinth he was at the point of throwing in the towel. But "one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God" (Acts 18:9-11).
And the result? The church at Corinth!
# Let us remember that our weaknesses, fears and inadequacies do not disqualify us for ministry. When I am at the end of my tether, that is often the moment God most greatly displays His power. As long as people are impressed by our powerful personalities and impressive gifts, there is very little room for us to impress them with a crucified Saviour.
Later Paul would write these telling words to the Corinthians: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me (his thorn in the flesh). But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2Cor 12:8-10).
# O, let us stay with the Paul of 1Cor 2:1-5!
A ridiculous message
# In his book, The Cross of Christ, John Stott makes this statement: "The Christians' choice of a cross as the symbol of their faith is the more surprising when we remember the horror with which crucifixion was regarded in the ancient world" (p.23).
# This cruelest form of execution deliberately delayed death to inflict the maximum torture. The helpless victim could suffer for days before dying. The Romans reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion or armed robbery - provided that they were also slaves, foreigners or other non-persons. Except in extreme cases of treason, Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixtion.
# The Jews made no distinction between a tree and a cross - and so between a hanging and a crucifixtion. They out of hand applied to crucified criminals the terrible statement of Dt 21:23 that "anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse". It is therefore not difficult to understand why the Jews could not bring themselves to believe that God's Messiah would die such a death.
# To the world of the first centuries therefore the Christians worshipped a god who was dead, who was a condemned criminal and who had died under God's curse. As Stott says: "This combination of death, crime and shame put him beyond the pale of respect, let alone of worship" (p.23). Surely, one cannot think of a more insurmountable obstacle to the spread of the gospel than this deep-seated perception. Whether Jewish or Roman, the enemies of Christianity lost no opportunity to ridicule the claim that God's anointed and man's Saviour ended his life on a cross. The idea was crazy.
An unacceptable method
# Corinth was a large Greek city - sophisticated, but at the same time terribly decadent. And, being Greek, it had a high premium on intelligent debate, watertight logic and acute eloquence. They were much more interested in discussion than in truth; in skilful presentation than in reality.
# Don Carson, in his book The Cross and Christian Ministry, writes: "It has been persuasively argued that Paul is alluding to the sophists of his day. Many intellectual movements greatly prized rhetoric. Philosophers were as widely praised for their oratory as for their content. But the sophists brought these ideals to new heights.... They enjoyed such widespread influence in the Mediterranean world, not least in Corinth, that public speakers who either could not meet their standards, or for any reason chose not to, were viewed as seriously inferior (p.33-34).
# One can therefore hardly believe your eyes when you read that Paul, before coming to Corinth, had intentionally decided that he would "not come with eloquence or superior wisdom" (1), nor "with wise and persuasive words" (4).
From the world's point of view the apostle's decision seems foolish to the extreme. Surely, here we have something worth exploring.
Paul's resolve
# Why did Paul not demonstrate his considerable learning and oratory abilities? Why this apparent foolish two-fold resolve concerning content and delivery? Did he not realize that he would only impress the Corinthians if he could beat them on their own turf – if his wisdom and eloquence would prove to be stronger medicine than their own? Did he not understand that the content of his preaching would be ridiculed? Was he not aware that it was necessary to fire on all rhetorical cylinders if you wanted to get anywhere – especially in Corinth?
If it was a case of not having what it takes, one can possibly understand Paul's approach. But surely, with regard to his message, his wisdom could match any philosopher's insights. And when it came to the method of delivery, his competence was such that in Lystra he had even been called "Hermes", the Greek god of communication (Acts 14:12). And in Thessalonica he had "reasoned" with the Jews, "explaining" and "proving" that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 17:2-3).
And yet, and yet, he had made up his mind not to preach a message that would thrill the unbelievers, nor to depend on grand rhetorical techniques.
# The word translated "resolved" (2) emphasizes a deliberate act of the will, and furthermore that Paul had come to his decision before arriving in Corinth. He had decided not to
"know" - not to exhibit any knowledge (Gr.) - in their midst, except his knowledge of Jesus Christ, and specifically his understanding of Christ as the crucified one. Clearly, the apostle was adamant not to ride the Corinthian bandwagon. Why? Why?
Paul's reasons
It would seem that the apostle had at least five reasons for his decision - all five of vital importance to us.
1. Paul knew that he had a very narrow mandate: his only task was to preach the gospel of God's grace in Christ, nothing more.
In 1 Corinthians 1:17 he says: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." In no way Paul wanted to draw attention to himself - he did not want to preen his own feathers. Throughout the book of Acts and the apostolic letters it is overwhelmingly clear that his one and only passion in life was to glorify Christ. This is of course true of all the apostles, but of no one more so than Paul. The one response he desired from his listeners was, "What a great Saviour!"; never, "What a great preacher!"
2. If there was one thing the apostle feared, it was insulting and quenching the Spirit by trusting the arm of flesh.
Paul depended on God through His Holy Spirit to powerfully bring the Corinthians to faith (4b; 5b). But he knew two things: firstly that the Spirit had come to glorify Christ (Jh 16:14-15); and secondly that the Spirit will never allow Himself to be drawn into elevating man - not even Christ's beloved apostles. Paul was therefore acutely aware that he had to stay within the bounds of his mandate, because he would quench the Spirit if he stepped outside. And without the unction of the Spirit his mission - his whole life-task - would be an exercise in futility.
3. Paul knew that his task was to proclaim the sovereign God's command that all people everywhere repent and bow their knees before Him (Acts 17:30).
In verse 1 the words, "the testimony about God", can also be translated, "the testimony from God". Whilst the gospel is the revelation of God's wonderful salvation in Christ, it is also an urgent and serious proclamation - and a divine command to repent - coming from God.
The gospel is therefore not something to be discussed, debated or judged. It is the message that all men are under the judgement of God, and that it would culminate in eternal damnation unless they humble themselves before Him. God is never hard up for our acceptance, He never negotiates, He never compromises. He proclaims, He promulgates, He confronts.
Paul knew that by playing eloquent Corinthian games, he would be pandering to his pagan listener's pride and arrogance. They would see the gospel as something which could be weighed and disposed of at will - and as just another alternative to all their religious theories.
4. The last thing Paul wanted to do, was to lure people into accepting Christ for unacceptable reasons.
Paul knew that not every conversion is real. He understood that the seed of the gospel easily falls in rocky places or among thorns. And he was painfully aware of the God-dishonouring damage false conversions cause. So he wanted to avoid persuasion that is manipulative, to steer clear of preaching that moves people by its eloquence without faithfully presenting the gospel. He firmly believed that conversion had to be brought about by the truth and power of the gospel; not by glamourous oratory or emotional stories.
5. Paul left no stone unturned to make sure that each and everyone of his listeners understood that there is but one mediator between God and men – Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Preaching which is not consistently Christ-centred can easily create the impression that mere religiosity leads to salvation. Even when preaching focusses on Christ, but is delivered in a way which is inconsistent with the content, it causes all sorts of twisted ideas in listeners.
No, we must never grow tired of emphasising that true Christianity is not being religious; it is not even in the final instance a way of living - it is being united to Christ through a true and living faith. And although true faith allways shows, its deepest mark of authenticity is hanging onto Christ the crucified like a drowning man. A true Christian is not in the first instance being known by his morality, but by his deep, deep conviction that he never dares to appear before the thrice-holy God without a perfect Mediator.
Preachers must never presume that their flocks have sola gratia, solus Christus and sola fide written on the tablets of their hearts - they must preach it, again and again. Why? Because the true gospel goes against the grain of everything in fallen man. In a sense it is the exact opposite of religiosity, churchianity and moralism. Let us never forget the remarkably pious Cornelius who was only saved after the grace alone, Christ alone, faith alone gospel took root in his heart. Before that he was heading for hell - with all his devotion, fear of God, generosity and regular prayers (Acts 10:2; 11:14)!
Paul wanted to make sure that nobody misunderstood him. He had one message only: Christ and him crucified - and nothing else! There is but one Saviour! There is but one salvation!
A few qualifying remarks
Let us not stretch the apostle's statements too far.
1. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he could not care about the cultural orientation of his listeners.
If in the book of Acts you compare his addresses to Jews and gentiles, you find quite a difference in approach. He explicitly tells us that, in order to win as many as possible, he became like a Jew to the Jews, and like a gentile to the gentiles (1Kor 9:19-23). In fact, one suspects that his cultural adaptation would have shocked many of us.
What he is saying in our text, is that he would never compromise his main calling - to preach Christ and Him alone as the crucified - in order to gratify people's cultural whims and hobbys. He would bend backwards not to cause his listeners to stumble, but never would he allow their cultural fads and fancies to dictate the content of his message or the style of his delivery.
2. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that he preached a simplistic message.
It was Luther who said to Erasmus: "There is more involved in preaching Christ crucified than going up and down saying simply, Christ was crucified!" Surely at Corinth, as everywhere else, Paul would have expounded the whole counsel of God. But he would have done it in such a way that the cross was always his centre of reference. He would never have allowed himself, or those to whom he was speaking, to get out of sight of the hill called Calvary.
So, whatever we preach, must always, in some way or another, be tied to the cross - whether it be Old Testament or New Testament, indicative or imperative, ethics, ecclesiology or eschatology. We must always be gospel-centred, cross-centred, Christ-centred.
3. We are not to understand Paul as telling us that the manner of our presentation is unimportant.
Every man with red-hot words from a heart on fire streaming over his lips, will appear to be fighting with bees. What is more, we should continually ask ourselves whether we communicate in a way which penetrates our hearers' minds and hearts. But cleverness, wit, flattery, amusement, smooth showmanship and entertainment is something completely different. No, our presentation must always be an expression of the solemnity of our message.
In conclusion
# The first question to ask in our missionary, evangelistic and pastoral work - and especially in our preaching - is not about methods, programs or institutions, but about the message. And the message is a Person. And the Person is Christ - the One who was crucified 2000 years ago for the sin of the world.
# Let us never forget that a Christ- and cross-centred ministry can depend on God's promises.
Paul's remark that he had preached "in weakness and fear, and with much trembling", tells us that he did not find it easy to keep to his resolve. It made him feel and look foolish.
We know that when he first came to Corinth he was at the point of throwing in the towel. But "one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God" (Acts 18:9-11).
And the result? The church at Corinth!
# Let us remember that our weaknesses, fears and inadequacies do not disqualify us for ministry. When I am at the end of my tether, that is often the moment God most greatly displays His power. As long as people are impressed by our powerful personalities and impressive gifts, there is very little room for us to impress them with a crucified Saviour.
Later Paul would write these telling words to the Corinthians: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me (his thorn in the flesh). But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2Cor 12:8-10).
# O, let us stay with the Paul of 1Cor 2:1-5!
Nico van der Walt
Thursday, June 30, 2011
E-SERMON No.28 - HB 6:4-12 - THE DREADFUL DANGER OF APOSTACY
THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS WAS WRITTEN TO JEWISH CHRISTIANS WHO WERE GROWING TIRED OF RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH, AND THEREFORE CONSIDERED TURNING BACK TO OLD TESTAMENT RELIGION. The writer does everything in his power to dissuade them from such foolish, fatal action. The letter therefore contains five grave warnings against apostasy: 2:1-4; 3:7 - 4:13; 5:11 - 6:12; 10:26-39 and 12:14-29.
A closer look at Hb 5:11 - 6:12
# Some of the Hebrews are in danger of making shipwreck of their faith. Since they have tasted in wonderful ways the goodness of the Lord, they will have no excuses should they do so.
# Much is made of the addressee's knowledge of the truth. Although 6:4-5 speaks of imaginary people, it clearly alludes to the experiences of the Hebrews. They have repeatedly received irrefutable evidence about Christ.
Five experiences are mentioned: at one stage they were enlightened; they have tasted the heavenly gift; they have shared in the Holy Spirit; they have tasted the goodness of the word of God; and they have tasted the powers of the coming age.
# However, returning to the Jewish faith would amount to a rejection of Christ - and it would be impossible to be brought back to repentance again.
# The sin against which they are being warned here is the conscious and calculated rejection of irrefutable evidence about Jesus Christ - as manifested over a period of time in their lives, and confirmed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Possibly this is the same sin as that mentioned in Mt 12:31-32; Mk 3:28-30; Lk 12:10; 1Jn 5:16-17 and 2Pt 2:20-22.
What about the perseverance of the saints?
# What the writer says here makes sense. People who turn their backs on the Lord after so clearly experiencing His grace, deserve to be rejected. That we can understand and accept.
The problem comes when we compare what is written here to other truths which are strongly emphasised elsewhere in Scripture. What, for instance, about the Lord's assurance that He will forgive us if we turn to Him again in humility after we have sinned? And what about the clear Biblical teaching that the Lord will keep those who belong to Him to the very end?
Does the Bible not teach that not a single one of the elect will be lost? What about the Lord's explicit assurance in Jn 10 that the sheep given to Him as the good Shepherd by the Father will never perish? He does, after all, "give them eternal life". No-one can snatch them out of His or His Father's hand. They "shall never perish" (26-30).
# All this is true! But the writer to the Hebrews does not think of those who forsake the faith as born again people. In v.7-8 we have a short parable, connected to the preceding with the little causal conjunction, "for" (ESV; NASV). The parable therefore explains v.4-6 - and in the process solves the riddle of the previous paragraph.
The "rain that often falls" is a Biblical reference to God's blessings. In this case it refers to the experiences in v. 4-5. But rain falls on all types of soil. And while the land is still bare earth, it is impossible to tell what it will produce - useful crops or weeds.
Thus the difference does not lie in the rain that falls, but in the type of soil. People who abandon the faith after experiences such as mentioned in v.4-5 produce weeds. It is what follows after the blessing of the Lord that shows the true condition of a heart.
# The Bible is very clear about the fact that there is an unbreakable relationship between the condition of a person's heart, and his or her lifestyle. Exactly this is the point of this short parable: apostasy is simply proof that the heart has never been regenerated.
Hb 6:9-12 confirms our conclusion. In spite of his warnings, the writer believes that his readers have indeed been saved and will accordingly not abandon the faith: "... dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case..." (9). What are these "better things"? The answer is given in verses 10 (their love), 11 (their hope) and 12 (their faith).
Better than what? Better than the experiences in verses 4-5! Why? Because love, hope and faith "accompany salvation" (v. 9b). For a long time already they have been displaying the irrefutable signs of true salvation - the only trustworthy signs!
Can the unregenerate experience this?
# Another question now arises: Is it at all possible for the unregenerate to have the experiences described in Hb 6:4-5?
Yes, indeed! Think of the many examples throughout Scripture. Think of King Saul. Consider Balaam, the New Testament's classic example of a false prophet (Num 24:15-19; 31:8, 16; 2Pt 2:15-16; Jd 11; Rev 2:14). What about people like Judas Iscariot and Simon the Sorcerer? Did these people not all have practical, in fact, remarkable experiences of the Holy Spirit's work?
Once we become aware of this fact, it is shocking to note in Scripture to what extent people can experience the Spirit's work - short of regeneration (cp. Mt 7:21-23).
# The respected theologian, John Murray, writes in his classic work, Redemption - Accomplished and Applied: "The Scripture itself, therefore, leads us to the conclusion that it is possible to have very uplifting, ennobling, reforming, and exhilarating experience of the power and truth of the gospel, to come into such close contact with the supernatural forces which are operative in God's kingdom of grace that these forces produce effects in us which to human observation are hardly distinguishable from those produced by God's regenerating and sanctifying grace and yet be not partakers of Christ and heirs of eternal life. A doctrine of perseverance that fails to take account of such a possibility and of its actuality in certain cases is a distorted one and ministers to a laxity which is quite contrary to the interest of perseverance. Indeed it is not the doctrine of perseverance at all" (p.153).
What then is this sin?
# For at least two reasons we need to understand clearly the nature of this sin. Firstly, many devout Christians are plagued by the fear that they might be guilty of it. Secondly, thousands believe that they enjoy eternal salvation on the strength of a short prayer in which they "made a decision for Christ". To them "once saved, always saved" constitutes a free pass to heaven, irrespective of how they live after their so-called "conversion".
# The unforgivable sin has at least three elements:
* Firstly, this sin is committed by people who know in their hearts that Christ is exactly what the New Testament tells us about Him. They have often seen irrefutable proofs, and have experienced the convicting work of the Spirit. More than likely they have also seen the Lord's grace manifested in a living church.
* Secondly, this sin is committed by people who reject Christ knowingly, in spite of what they have experienced.
* Thirdly, it is impossible for such a person to be brought to repentance again. By this Scripture does not mean that the Spirit is unable to bring such a person to true salvation, but rather that those who minister to him or her will find it impossible to get through. A petrified heart is impenetrable!
Why is this so? Because the Lord simply withholds His illuminating grace. As a result such a person has no desire to be saved. But what about Esau who tearfully tried to rectify his foolishness (Hb 12:17)? His was not genuine repentance at the wrong he had done. No, it was mere sadness because a blessing had slipped through his fingers.
What this sin is not?
# This sin cannot be committed unknowingly. In Lk 23:34 the Lord Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing". In 1Tm 1:13 Paul writes that the Lord appointed him to His service even though he had once been a blasphemer and a persecutor ...". He was shown mercy "because I acted in ignorance and unbelief."
# People who genuinely desire peace with God and assurance of salvation can be sure that they have not committed this sin - because it leads to an inner hardening and an unconcern towards the Lord.
# Those who hear the gospel - even if this happens repeatedly and clearly - and still refrain from accepting Christ, cannot be said to have committed the unforgivable sin. Of course they are in sin, but if they have not experienced the deep convicting work of the Spirit, they are not guilty of this particular sin. Let anyone who has rejected Christ up to now, and is worried about having committed this sin, flee to Christ. If you approach Him with a sincere and broken heart, the Lord will certainly accept you.
# People who have said blasphemous things about the Spirit in unbelief, ignorance or plain stupidity, have committed a grievous sin - and deep confession and repentance is necessary. But the unforgivable sin as such, it is not.
# Scripture warns us that our sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30), and that we can put out His fire (1Th 5:19). This has to be taken very seriously. But, once again, this is not the unforgivable sin.
Perseverance of the saints
According to Scripture there is a terrible possibility that people may move for a long time within the circle of the true church, and therefore within the sphere of God's grace - only to find in the end that theirs was a false faith. That is why John speaks of people who used to be members of the church, but then left because they never really were members of the body of Christ (1Jn 2:19). That is why Paul calls on believers to examine themselves whether they are in the faith (2Cor 13:5).
However, perseverance of the saints remains a glorious Biblical truth. But then the doctrine needs to be understood correctly: God will empower those whom He has sanctified (i.e. separated) for Himself to persevere in holiness until the end. And a holy life has but one watermark of authenticity: obedience to the Word of God, from a sincere heart full of faith in Christ, driven by a passion for His glory.
A closer look at Hb 5:11 - 6:12
# Some of the Hebrews are in danger of making shipwreck of their faith. Since they have tasted in wonderful ways the goodness of the Lord, they will have no excuses should they do so.
# Much is made of the addressee's knowledge of the truth. Although 6:4-5 speaks of imaginary people, it clearly alludes to the experiences of the Hebrews. They have repeatedly received irrefutable evidence about Christ.
Five experiences are mentioned: at one stage they were enlightened; they have tasted the heavenly gift; they have shared in the Holy Spirit; they have tasted the goodness of the word of God; and they have tasted the powers of the coming age.
# However, returning to the Jewish faith would amount to a rejection of Christ - and it would be impossible to be brought back to repentance again.
# The sin against which they are being warned here is the conscious and calculated rejection of irrefutable evidence about Jesus Christ - as manifested over a period of time in their lives, and confirmed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Possibly this is the same sin as that mentioned in Mt 12:31-32; Mk 3:28-30; Lk 12:10; 1Jn 5:16-17 and 2Pt 2:20-22.
What about the perseverance of the saints?
# What the writer says here makes sense. People who turn their backs on the Lord after so clearly experiencing His grace, deserve to be rejected. That we can understand and accept.
The problem comes when we compare what is written here to other truths which are strongly emphasised elsewhere in Scripture. What, for instance, about the Lord's assurance that He will forgive us if we turn to Him again in humility after we have sinned? And what about the clear Biblical teaching that the Lord will keep those who belong to Him to the very end?
Does the Bible not teach that not a single one of the elect will be lost? What about the Lord's explicit assurance in Jn 10 that the sheep given to Him as the good Shepherd by the Father will never perish? He does, after all, "give them eternal life". No-one can snatch them out of His or His Father's hand. They "shall never perish" (26-30).
# All this is true! But the writer to the Hebrews does not think of those who forsake the faith as born again people. In v.7-8 we have a short parable, connected to the preceding with the little causal conjunction, "for" (ESV; NASV). The parable therefore explains v.4-6 - and in the process solves the riddle of the previous paragraph.
The "rain that often falls" is a Biblical reference to God's blessings. In this case it refers to the experiences in v. 4-5. But rain falls on all types of soil. And while the land is still bare earth, it is impossible to tell what it will produce - useful crops or weeds.
Thus the difference does not lie in the rain that falls, but in the type of soil. People who abandon the faith after experiences such as mentioned in v.4-5 produce weeds. It is what follows after the blessing of the Lord that shows the true condition of a heart.
# The Bible is very clear about the fact that there is an unbreakable relationship between the condition of a person's heart, and his or her lifestyle. Exactly this is the point of this short parable: apostasy is simply proof that the heart has never been regenerated.
Hb 6:9-12 confirms our conclusion. In spite of his warnings, the writer believes that his readers have indeed been saved and will accordingly not abandon the faith: "... dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case..." (9). What are these "better things"? The answer is given in verses 10 (their love), 11 (their hope) and 12 (their faith).
Better than what? Better than the experiences in verses 4-5! Why? Because love, hope and faith "accompany salvation" (v. 9b). For a long time already they have been displaying the irrefutable signs of true salvation - the only trustworthy signs!
Can the unregenerate experience this?
# Another question now arises: Is it at all possible for the unregenerate to have the experiences described in Hb 6:4-5?
Yes, indeed! Think of the many examples throughout Scripture. Think of King Saul. Consider Balaam, the New Testament's classic example of a false prophet (Num 24:15-19; 31:8, 16; 2Pt 2:15-16; Jd 11; Rev 2:14). What about people like Judas Iscariot and Simon the Sorcerer? Did these people not all have practical, in fact, remarkable experiences of the Holy Spirit's work?
Once we become aware of this fact, it is shocking to note in Scripture to what extent people can experience the Spirit's work - short of regeneration (cp. Mt 7:21-23).
# The respected theologian, John Murray, writes in his classic work, Redemption - Accomplished and Applied: "The Scripture itself, therefore, leads us to the conclusion that it is possible to have very uplifting, ennobling, reforming, and exhilarating experience of the power and truth of the gospel, to come into such close contact with the supernatural forces which are operative in God's kingdom of grace that these forces produce effects in us which to human observation are hardly distinguishable from those produced by God's regenerating and sanctifying grace and yet be not partakers of Christ and heirs of eternal life. A doctrine of perseverance that fails to take account of such a possibility and of its actuality in certain cases is a distorted one and ministers to a laxity which is quite contrary to the interest of perseverance. Indeed it is not the doctrine of perseverance at all" (p.153).
What then is this sin?
# For at least two reasons we need to understand clearly the nature of this sin. Firstly, many devout Christians are plagued by the fear that they might be guilty of it. Secondly, thousands believe that they enjoy eternal salvation on the strength of a short prayer in which they "made a decision for Christ". To them "once saved, always saved" constitutes a free pass to heaven, irrespective of how they live after their so-called "conversion".
# The unforgivable sin has at least three elements:
* Firstly, this sin is committed by people who know in their hearts that Christ is exactly what the New Testament tells us about Him. They have often seen irrefutable proofs, and have experienced the convicting work of the Spirit. More than likely they have also seen the Lord's grace manifested in a living church.
* Secondly, this sin is committed by people who reject Christ knowingly, in spite of what they have experienced.
* Thirdly, it is impossible for such a person to be brought to repentance again. By this Scripture does not mean that the Spirit is unable to bring such a person to true salvation, but rather that those who minister to him or her will find it impossible to get through. A petrified heart is impenetrable!
Why is this so? Because the Lord simply withholds His illuminating grace. As a result such a person has no desire to be saved. But what about Esau who tearfully tried to rectify his foolishness (Hb 12:17)? His was not genuine repentance at the wrong he had done. No, it was mere sadness because a blessing had slipped through his fingers.
What this sin is not?
# This sin cannot be committed unknowingly. In Lk 23:34 the Lord Jesus prays, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing". In 1Tm 1:13 Paul writes that the Lord appointed him to His service even though he had once been a blasphemer and a persecutor ...". He was shown mercy "because I acted in ignorance and unbelief."
# People who genuinely desire peace with God and assurance of salvation can be sure that they have not committed this sin - because it leads to an inner hardening and an unconcern towards the Lord.
# Those who hear the gospel - even if this happens repeatedly and clearly - and still refrain from accepting Christ, cannot be said to have committed the unforgivable sin. Of course they are in sin, but if they have not experienced the deep convicting work of the Spirit, they are not guilty of this particular sin. Let anyone who has rejected Christ up to now, and is worried about having committed this sin, flee to Christ. If you approach Him with a sincere and broken heart, the Lord will certainly accept you.
# People who have said blasphemous things about the Spirit in unbelief, ignorance or plain stupidity, have committed a grievous sin - and deep confession and repentance is necessary. But the unforgivable sin as such, it is not.
# Scripture warns us that our sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30), and that we can put out His fire (1Th 5:19). This has to be taken very seriously. But, once again, this is not the unforgivable sin.
Perseverance of the saints
According to Scripture there is a terrible possibility that people may move for a long time within the circle of the true church, and therefore within the sphere of God's grace - only to find in the end that theirs was a false faith. That is why John speaks of people who used to be members of the church, but then left because they never really were members of the body of Christ (1Jn 2:19). That is why Paul calls on believers to examine themselves whether they are in the faith (2Cor 13:5).
However, perseverance of the saints remains a glorious Biblical truth. But then the doctrine needs to be understood correctly: God will empower those whom He has sanctified (i.e. separated) for Himself to persevere in holiness until the end. And a holy life has but one watermark of authenticity: obedience to the Word of God, from a sincere heart full of faith in Christ, driven by a passion for His glory.
Nico van der Walt
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
ANTIPAS HERALD No.9 - REV 2-3 - THE LOCAL CHURCH AS A LAMPSTAND - A few perspectives on the letters of Rev 2-3
IT IS STAGGERING TO SEE HOW MANY CHRISTIANS PAY LITTLE OR NO ATTENTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION CONCERNING THE CHURCH. How few really understand what the local church [1] is all about. How few grasp the role she is playing in the outworking of God's eternal plan. O, what has happened to the passion for the church truly to be the church?
There must be few passages of Scripture that are both more well-known and more neglected than the seven letters in Revelation 2-3. Each letter justifies an in-depth study, but there is also value in an overall approach in order to examine the message of the letters as a whole - as we will now undertake.
The truths which this study deals with have made an indelible and life-changing impression on the author, and he believes that many thoughtful readers will experience the same.
Seven facets of the church
The theme of The Revelation is Jesus Christ’s war against, and ultimate triumph over the Evil One. This war rages on in the struggle between the church and the anti-God world system. The book therefore contains abiding lessons for the church through the ages. This holds par excellence for chapters 1-3.
# The book is a revelation of the glorified Jesus Christ to the Apostle John towards the end of the first century. It is addressed to seven specific local churches in Asia Minor (1:4) and deals, in the first instance, with their situations.
Nevertheless, the number of completion - seven - is meaningful. It indicates that these churches represent, as it were, the entire church of the dispensation between the first coming of Christ and His return. We have here seven facets of the universal church. Time and time again, each facet has to a greater or lesser extent been visible in the world-wide church through the ages.
# Thus one finds in these letters the weal and woe of the church’s history in embryonic form. On the one hand there is the tragic, the scandalous, the sin and the failure. On the other hand, there are the triumphs, the heroic faithfulness, the unswerving perseverance. The warnings are therefore directed against typical dangers - which really haven’t changed much through the ages. Here is counsel for every crisis, comfort in every trial, encouragement for every desperate moment. They are love-letters, these - from the heart of the Heavenly Bridegroom to His beloved bride, His pilgrim church through the ages.
# If there is one thing that these letters bring home, it is that every local church is of the utmost importance to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, every letter is a pointed analysis of each one’s condition.
The priorities of the King
# It is a simple exercise to read through the letters in order to determine those things on which the Lord Jesus places a high premium - what He regards as important:
* Christian love - towards the Triune God and one’s fellow-man, especially brothers and sisters in the faith.
* Servanthood and good works.
* Faith, patience and perseverance in a hostile environment.
* Uncompromising purity of doctrine and rejection of false teachers.
* Hatred, avoidance and eradication of sin.
* Zeal for the purity of the local church, as well as the discipline and correction which serve this purity.
* Faithfulness in the congregation’s calling to proclaim the gospel of truth.
# Let there be no illusions: this is what being a church is all about; this is what the Lord seeks in His churches. And this holds non-negotiably for every congregation, irrespective of time, culture or circumstances.
# It is equally obvious in these letters what the Lord despises and judges in His churches - and what we must guard against with everything in our power:
* Lovelessness towards God and man.
* Tolerating false teaching and those who proclaim it.
* Laxity in the congregation’s discipline, and acceptance of both sin and sinners in its own midst.
* Religious formalism and spiritual lukewarmness.
* Self-satisfaction and a sense of having arrived in a religious sense.
# It is very meaningful to note the things to which the Lord Jesus makes no reference whatsoever in these letters. Surely it is reasonable to conclude that He does not regard them as of primary importance:
* Membership figures and growth.
* The congregation’s budget and facilities.
* Qualifications and giftedness of staff and ministers.
* Organization, programmes, activities, authority structure.
* Involvement in local or national politics and culture.
Evaluation by God and man
# Two of the churches receive only positive appreciation from the Lord. Smyrna (2:8-11) and Philadelphia (3:7-13) receive, as it were, A symbols.
On the other hand, two of the churches receive only criticism and rebuke. Sardis (3:1-6) and Laodicea (3:14-22) get F symbols. At least Sardis still has a few people who lead holy lives (3:4). Laodicea, however, is so far gone that one wonders whether it still has any left (3:20).
# A study of these four letters reveals a few issues that make anyone with a grasp of the church’s high calling and with the Lord’s honour at heart, to stop and take notice.
* The two A-churches are both struggling. Smyrna is poor and oppressed (2:9-10). Philadelphia has little power (3:8). In terms of today’s ideas both are really failures - but from the Head of the church they receive only praise.
On the face of it, the two F-churches are models. Even outside her own circle Sardis has a reputation for being alive (3:1). This probably indicates all kinds of activities. Laodicea is very rich and thinks that she has everything that a church could need (3:17). Today these two would be viewed as successful churches - but Jesus Christ has not a single good word for either of them!
Do we realize how much today’s ideas about the success or failure of a church differ from Biblical norms? It is vitally important for every church to evaluate herself continuously in the light of Scripture. Some "failures" might come out very encouraged; and some "successes" will certainly be shaken to their foundations! Say your church were today to receive such a letter from the Head of the church - what would the contents be? What would your symbol be?
* And let’s be careful not to form an opinion too quickly. A further observation shows how terribly easy it is to miss the ball completely when you evaluate a church. Twice we see in these letters how human evaluation is directly in conflict with Christ’s.
Outsiders reckon that Sardis is alive, but the Lord Jesus declares her dead! (3:1). The church in Laodicea pats herself on the back, but the Lord delivers devastating criticism: she is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked!
It is grace indeed when a church refuses to lend her ear to the praises of others, because she knows how completely unreliable human opinion is. And very, very wise is the local church which, deeply conscious of her tendency towards self-deception, looks at herself again and again with ruthless honesty in the mirror of God’s word.
The Reformational fathers understood these things. Hence their clarion call: Semper Reformanda! (Ongoing Reformation). But, take careful note, reformation is not the discovery of new things; it is the fresh discovery of age-old things. He who does not regularly thank God for the eternally steadfast, universally authoritative, ever reliable Word, understands but little of God’s complete otherness and of human depravity!
The lampstand
# In these first three chapters of Revelation a very telling symbol is used for the local church [2], namely the lampstand (1:12, 13, 20; 2:1,5). Notice also the Lord’s intimate involvement with each congregation: He walks among the churches (1:13; 2:1).
# It is of decisive importance that the Greek word translated as "lampstand" (NIV) is properly understood and translated. The original word is luchnia, and is used twelve times in the New Testament (Matt 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33; Heb 9:2; Rev 1:12, 13, 20 (2x); 2:1, 5; 11:4).
Authoritative lexicons [3] agree: the word signifies a stand on which one or more lamps were placed, so that the light could shine as far as possible. It does not refer to the lamp itself - there are other Greek words for that. The first four verses mentioned above highlight the distinction between the lamp (luchnos) and the stand (luchnia).
The best English translation, therefore, is lampstand, which is the word used throughout by nearly all the modern English translations.
# What is the point? In this last and exalted piece of revelation which the glorified Christ gives to His people, it is said of the local church that her essential task is to be a lampstand. Here the question necessarily arises: what, then, is the lamp, the light? Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12)!
What can be meant here other than that proclamation of the Christ-centred gospel is the central calling of every church! This deduction is completely in step with the rest of the New Testament. Philippians 2:15-16 spells out the same calling: "... you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (NIV). And Paul wants to do nothing but proclaim Christ, the Crucified (1 Cor 2:2).
# Now someone might say that he has always been taught that the "lampstand" stands for the Holy Spirit. That might be the case elsewhere, but here, clearly, it refers to the local church. It makes little difference anyway, because the Holy Spirit came precisely to glorify Christ (John 15:26; 16:8-11; 16:14).
Removal of the lampstand
# The church in Ephesus is warned that the Lord will remove her lampstand if she does not repent (2:5).
What does this mean? How does Christ remove the lampstand? What precisely happens in a congregation when the lampstand is removed?
# The Bible does not answer these questions explicitly. But experience has taught us many lessons. Church history is full of examples of what happens when a congregation's lampstand is removed.
* Spiritual blindness slowly sets in. Members gradually begin to lose sight of the wonder of their salvation. The consequence is that Christ’s radiant glory dims progressively in their hearts. And, unavoidably, their testimony about His Name and great acts of redemption gradually dies away.
* There is a shift in emphasis. People and their affairs start becoming the primary concern. There is an ever increasing obsession with making the church more enjoyable and social, and the world a better place.
# The tragic consequence is that "the Light of the world" no longer shines out of such a congregation. Christ is no longer held out to a dying world. And He is no longer the members' wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption. There is just no more boasting in Him - at least not from the heart and with wet cheeks (1 Cor 1:30-31, NIV).
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great Prophet. Proper exposition of the Word is replaced by all kinds of man-centred and "practical" topics in the preaching. God’s Law is in the background, as well as its unfolding by Christ and the apostles in the New Testament.
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great High Priest. The gospel, the true gospel, is seldom heard from the pulpit. And even when an attempt is made to present the gospel, the emphasis differs from that of the Bible: it is man-centred and sentimental. Because the members have become strangers to God’s righteousness and holy standards, the cross and its true meaning no longer matter so much anyway. God’s free grace in Christ towards sinners has made way for the self-merit of moralism.
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great King. You will go in vain to such a church to hear of His sovereign authority and rule in the lives of Christians. The necessity of self-denial and of cross-bearing in His footsteps is replaced with an emphasis on all the here-and-now benefits of being a Christian. Of His power to equip sinners supernaturally for a holy life, precious little is said; still less of Him as coming Judge.
# Normally such a church now becomes popular. Why? 1 Corinthians 1:23 gives the answer. The "stumbling block" (NIV) has been removed and hypocrites feel at home. The preaching no longer contains "foolishness" - with the result that fleshly unbelievers don’t take offence.
Self-satisfaction soon follows. When God’s Law and holy standards are not preached, what is there to keep people humble? Add popularity to this - and a sense of having arrived is unavoidable.
# The absence of Christ-centredness in a church is not the cause of its losing the lampstand - it is the proof that the lampstand has already been removed!
It is tragic, but a church can exist lampstand-less like this for centuries. All that is necessary is to build in enough institutional props and it will stand by itself - a ruin dressed up with pomp and splendour. And nobody inside the walls realizes it, because everyone who walks in the light has long since left. Where the Lord Jesus is, His servants will necessarily be there with Him (John 12:26).
A destiny-determining choice
# Through all the ages there has always been a razor-sharp choice before every local church (as well as every preacher and member): Do you choose faithfulness, or do you choose success?
What is faithfulness? It is living according to God’s standards. What is success? It is measuring up to man’s standards.
Of course one can choose faithfulness and also impress men (in the grace of God). And one can choose success and still fail in the eyes of men. But it is impossible to choose success - and at the same time to succeed in God’s eyes.
# Oh, if we could only remember: there are two paths before each congregation. And this demands a quality decision. A choice is unavoidable - a radical, intensely conscious, and destiny-determining choice. Either we choose the honour of man (so that we can be glorified), or we choose the honour of God (so that He may be glorified).
[1] The Greek word ekklesia is translated as "church" in English. It may refer either to the local church or to the universal church.
[2] Note that it is not the church in general which is here described as a lampstand, but each local church or congregation. Indeed, it is repeatedly emphasized that there are seven lampstands (1:12, 13, 20; 2:1).
[3] Cf. Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich, p.484; also Louw & Nida, 6.105.
There must be few passages of Scripture that are both more well-known and more neglected than the seven letters in Revelation 2-3. Each letter justifies an in-depth study, but there is also value in an overall approach in order to examine the message of the letters as a whole - as we will now undertake.
The truths which this study deals with have made an indelible and life-changing impression on the author, and he believes that many thoughtful readers will experience the same.
Seven facets of the church
The theme of The Revelation is Jesus Christ’s war against, and ultimate triumph over the Evil One. This war rages on in the struggle between the church and the anti-God world system. The book therefore contains abiding lessons for the church through the ages. This holds par excellence for chapters 1-3.
# The book is a revelation of the glorified Jesus Christ to the Apostle John towards the end of the first century. It is addressed to seven specific local churches in Asia Minor (1:4) and deals, in the first instance, with their situations.
Nevertheless, the number of completion - seven - is meaningful. It indicates that these churches represent, as it were, the entire church of the dispensation between the first coming of Christ and His return. We have here seven facets of the universal church. Time and time again, each facet has to a greater or lesser extent been visible in the world-wide church through the ages.
# Thus one finds in these letters the weal and woe of the church’s history in embryonic form. On the one hand there is the tragic, the scandalous, the sin and the failure. On the other hand, there are the triumphs, the heroic faithfulness, the unswerving perseverance. The warnings are therefore directed against typical dangers - which really haven’t changed much through the ages. Here is counsel for every crisis, comfort in every trial, encouragement for every desperate moment. They are love-letters, these - from the heart of the Heavenly Bridegroom to His beloved bride, His pilgrim church through the ages.
# If there is one thing that these letters bring home, it is that every local church is of the utmost importance to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, every letter is a pointed analysis of each one’s condition.
The priorities of the King
# It is a simple exercise to read through the letters in order to determine those things on which the Lord Jesus places a high premium - what He regards as important:
* Christian love - towards the Triune God and one’s fellow-man, especially brothers and sisters in the faith.
* Servanthood and good works.
* Faith, patience and perseverance in a hostile environment.
* Uncompromising purity of doctrine and rejection of false teachers.
* Hatred, avoidance and eradication of sin.
* Zeal for the purity of the local church, as well as the discipline and correction which serve this purity.
* Faithfulness in the congregation’s calling to proclaim the gospel of truth.
# Let there be no illusions: this is what being a church is all about; this is what the Lord seeks in His churches. And this holds non-negotiably for every congregation, irrespective of time, culture or circumstances.
# It is equally obvious in these letters what the Lord despises and judges in His churches - and what we must guard against with everything in our power:
* Lovelessness towards God and man.
* Tolerating false teaching and those who proclaim it.
* Laxity in the congregation’s discipline, and acceptance of both sin and sinners in its own midst.
* Religious formalism and spiritual lukewarmness.
* Self-satisfaction and a sense of having arrived in a religious sense.
# It is very meaningful to note the things to which the Lord Jesus makes no reference whatsoever in these letters. Surely it is reasonable to conclude that He does not regard them as of primary importance:
* Membership figures and growth.
* The congregation’s budget and facilities.
* Qualifications and giftedness of staff and ministers.
* Organization, programmes, activities, authority structure.
* Involvement in local or national politics and culture.
Evaluation by God and man
# Two of the churches receive only positive appreciation from the Lord. Smyrna (2:8-11) and Philadelphia (3:7-13) receive, as it were, A symbols.
On the other hand, two of the churches receive only criticism and rebuke. Sardis (3:1-6) and Laodicea (3:14-22) get F symbols. At least Sardis still has a few people who lead holy lives (3:4). Laodicea, however, is so far gone that one wonders whether it still has any left (3:20).
# A study of these four letters reveals a few issues that make anyone with a grasp of the church’s high calling and with the Lord’s honour at heart, to stop and take notice.
* The two A-churches are both struggling. Smyrna is poor and oppressed (2:9-10). Philadelphia has little power (3:8). In terms of today’s ideas both are really failures - but from the Head of the church they receive only praise.
On the face of it, the two F-churches are models. Even outside her own circle Sardis has a reputation for being alive (3:1). This probably indicates all kinds of activities. Laodicea is very rich and thinks that she has everything that a church could need (3:17). Today these two would be viewed as successful churches - but Jesus Christ has not a single good word for either of them!
Do we realize how much today’s ideas about the success or failure of a church differ from Biblical norms? It is vitally important for every church to evaluate herself continuously in the light of Scripture. Some "failures" might come out very encouraged; and some "successes" will certainly be shaken to their foundations! Say your church were today to receive such a letter from the Head of the church - what would the contents be? What would your symbol be?
* And let’s be careful not to form an opinion too quickly. A further observation shows how terribly easy it is to miss the ball completely when you evaluate a church. Twice we see in these letters how human evaluation is directly in conflict with Christ’s.
Outsiders reckon that Sardis is alive, but the Lord Jesus declares her dead! (3:1). The church in Laodicea pats herself on the back, but the Lord delivers devastating criticism: she is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked!
It is grace indeed when a church refuses to lend her ear to the praises of others, because she knows how completely unreliable human opinion is. And very, very wise is the local church which, deeply conscious of her tendency towards self-deception, looks at herself again and again with ruthless honesty in the mirror of God’s word.
The Reformational fathers understood these things. Hence their clarion call: Semper Reformanda! (Ongoing Reformation). But, take careful note, reformation is not the discovery of new things; it is the fresh discovery of age-old things. He who does not regularly thank God for the eternally steadfast, universally authoritative, ever reliable Word, understands but little of God’s complete otherness and of human depravity!
The lampstand
# In these first three chapters of Revelation a very telling symbol is used for the local church [2], namely the lampstand (1:12, 13, 20; 2:1,5). Notice also the Lord’s intimate involvement with each congregation: He walks among the churches (1:13; 2:1).
# It is of decisive importance that the Greek word translated as "lampstand" (NIV) is properly understood and translated. The original word is luchnia, and is used twelve times in the New Testament (Matt 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33; Heb 9:2; Rev 1:12, 13, 20 (2x); 2:1, 5; 11:4).
Authoritative lexicons [3] agree: the word signifies a stand on which one or more lamps were placed, so that the light could shine as far as possible. It does not refer to the lamp itself - there are other Greek words for that. The first four verses mentioned above highlight the distinction between the lamp (luchnos) and the stand (luchnia).
The best English translation, therefore, is lampstand, which is the word used throughout by nearly all the modern English translations.
# What is the point? In this last and exalted piece of revelation which the glorified Christ gives to His people, it is said of the local church that her essential task is to be a lampstand. Here the question necessarily arises: what, then, is the lamp, the light? Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12)!
What can be meant here other than that proclamation of the Christ-centred gospel is the central calling of every church! This deduction is completely in step with the rest of the New Testament. Philippians 2:15-16 spells out the same calling: "... you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (NIV). And Paul wants to do nothing but proclaim Christ, the Crucified (1 Cor 2:2).
# Now someone might say that he has always been taught that the "lampstand" stands for the Holy Spirit. That might be the case elsewhere, but here, clearly, it refers to the local church. It makes little difference anyway, because the Holy Spirit came precisely to glorify Christ (John 15:26; 16:8-11; 16:14).
Removal of the lampstand
# The church in Ephesus is warned that the Lord will remove her lampstand if she does not repent (2:5).
What does this mean? How does Christ remove the lampstand? What precisely happens in a congregation when the lampstand is removed?
# The Bible does not answer these questions explicitly. But experience has taught us many lessons. Church history is full of examples of what happens when a congregation's lampstand is removed.
* Spiritual blindness slowly sets in. Members gradually begin to lose sight of the wonder of their salvation. The consequence is that Christ’s radiant glory dims progressively in their hearts. And, unavoidably, their testimony about His Name and great acts of redemption gradually dies away.
* There is a shift in emphasis. People and their affairs start becoming the primary concern. There is an ever increasing obsession with making the church more enjoyable and social, and the world a better place.
# The tragic consequence is that "the Light of the world" no longer shines out of such a congregation. Christ is no longer held out to a dying world. And He is no longer the members' wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption. There is just no more boasting in Him - at least not from the heart and with wet cheeks (1 Cor 1:30-31, NIV).
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great Prophet. Proper exposition of the Word is replaced by all kinds of man-centred and "practical" topics in the preaching. God’s Law is in the background, as well as its unfolding by Christ and the apostles in the New Testament.
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great High Priest. The gospel, the true gospel, is seldom heard from the pulpit. And even when an attempt is made to present the gospel, the emphasis differs from that of the Bible: it is man-centred and sentimental. Because the members have become strangers to God’s righteousness and holy standards, the cross and its true meaning no longer matter so much anyway. God’s free grace in Christ towards sinners has made way for the self-merit of moralism.
* Christ is no longer preached as God’s Great King. You will go in vain to such a church to hear of His sovereign authority and rule in the lives of Christians. The necessity of self-denial and of cross-bearing in His footsteps is replaced with an emphasis on all the here-and-now benefits of being a Christian. Of His power to equip sinners supernaturally for a holy life, precious little is said; still less of Him as coming Judge.
# Normally such a church now becomes popular. Why? 1 Corinthians 1:23 gives the answer. The "stumbling block" (NIV) has been removed and hypocrites feel at home. The preaching no longer contains "foolishness" - with the result that fleshly unbelievers don’t take offence.
Self-satisfaction soon follows. When God’s Law and holy standards are not preached, what is there to keep people humble? Add popularity to this - and a sense of having arrived is unavoidable.
# The absence of Christ-centredness in a church is not the cause of its losing the lampstand - it is the proof that the lampstand has already been removed!
It is tragic, but a church can exist lampstand-less like this for centuries. All that is necessary is to build in enough institutional props and it will stand by itself - a ruin dressed up with pomp and splendour. And nobody inside the walls realizes it, because everyone who walks in the light has long since left. Where the Lord Jesus is, His servants will necessarily be there with Him (John 12:26).
A destiny-determining choice
# Through all the ages there has always been a razor-sharp choice before every local church (as well as every preacher and member): Do you choose faithfulness, or do you choose success?
What is faithfulness? It is living according to God’s standards. What is success? It is measuring up to man’s standards.
Of course one can choose faithfulness and also impress men (in the grace of God). And one can choose success and still fail in the eyes of men. But it is impossible to choose success - and at the same time to succeed in God’s eyes.
# Oh, if we could only remember: there are two paths before each congregation. And this demands a quality decision. A choice is unavoidable - a radical, intensely conscious, and destiny-determining choice. Either we choose the honour of man (so that we can be glorified), or we choose the honour of God (so that He may be glorified).
[1] The Greek word ekklesia is translated as "church" in English. It may refer either to the local church or to the universal church.
[2] Note that it is not the church in general which is here described as a lampstand, but each local church or congregation. Indeed, it is repeatedly emphasized that there are seven lampstands (1:12, 13, 20; 2:1).
[3] Cf. Bauer, Arndt & Gingrich, p.484; also Louw & Nida, 6.105.
Nico van der Walt
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)