Today, in the morning message at Bethel, I preached about how the mosaic priesthood (Exodus 28-29) pre-figures our role as priestly believers in Christ. We talked about the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer and boiled it all down to three great privileges…
- Itimacy with God.
- Authority before God.
- Ministry for God.
Those are our guarantees because of the gracious trade Jesus made with us - His righteousness to our account, and our sinfulness to His on the cross.
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“And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords (of the Philistines), and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life… And he judged Israel twenty years.” -Judges 16:30-31
The old Testament is filled with stories that seem very disconnected with us culturally and religiously. Samson is no exception. His life seems to be a series of moral failures and yet God sovereignly uses him to punish the Philistines (though never totally subdue them). When we read of one of God’s wild men in the Bible, we may be tempted to convince ourselves that we can live inconsistently and still be used of God. But listen to C. I. Scofield’s observation about Samson’s life…
The character and work of Samson are alike enigmatical. Announced by an
angel he was a Nazarite who constantly defiled his Nazarite separation through
fleshly appetites. Called of God to judge Israel, and endued wonderfully with
the Spirit, he wrought no abiding work for Israel and perished in captivity to
his enemies the Philistines. What was real in the man was his mighty faith in
Jehovah in a time of doubt and apostasy, and this faith God honored.
Because Samson had a mighty faith in God, he was used to temporarily punish the Philistines. But because Samson gave himself to the power of the flesh so often, he was never used to actually lead Israel into national revival or to defeat the Philistines in a final sense. The only tribute to his life was a pile of bodies, including his own. He broke his parents’ heart, disrespected his wives, misrepresented his nation, and devalued his Nazarite calling.
Let us never think that there is any thing good to come of our flesh. Let us instead give our lives to the struggle for consistency. The calling of a Nazarite was to a life separate from the world, the flesh, and the pleasures thereof. It was a picture of the high and holy calling of every believer in Christ. We are not called to compromise, but to consecration. May God use us to subdue the enemy and to lead our nation in revival through a holy and separated life.
“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching…” -Titus 1:3
To every preacher of the Word, God has committed a sacred trust. He has called and commanded us to proclaim the content of His everlasting word week after week. There are many challenges to preaching as an effective means of communication today. We battle against popular sports on Sunday, longer work weeks which displace Sunday as “the Lord’s Day,” and the decreased attention span of Americans who are addicted to high-resolution, image-oriented marketing. But perhaps the greatest danger to preaching today is the preacher himself.
There is a constant challenge from within the field to weaken or water down the proclamation of God’s Word. Church growth gurus tell us that the world doesn’t want lengthy sermons anymore, but I would contend that the church is as much to blame for this trend as the world. Rather than giving into the pressure to preach all-positive little sermonettes, let us return instead to the biblical idea of proclamation.
One temptation the church has faced is to use the pulpit as a veritable soapbox, spouting the latest political or moral opinions without much scriptural backing. At best we often loosely attach a remote verse and contort its interpretation to fit the principle we desire to communicate. Or worse, we attempt to compete with the world by offering a better self-help message than that which may be found in thousands of bookstores in the self-help section. The pastor, instead of being a theologian before the congregation becomes a mere pop-psychologist.
Another obstacle to biblical preaching is the overwhelming tendency to compete with the world’s marketing strategies, a tactic doomed for failure. Lacking the resources and expertise for the field, the church ends up being seen as a cheap imitation of the culture. In our drive to stay “relevant” we forget that the Word of God, if preached accurately and passionately, is timeless in its application to the needs of mankind.
So, what is the purpose of preaching? It is to proclaim, to make manifest, and to put on display the content of the Word of God. John R. Rice said that our preaching should be filled with “profundity wrapped in simplicity.” It is not our task to make God’s Word interesting, neither is it justifiable to make it boring. The Bible has an intrinsic, transforming power all its own. It merely needs a herald, one who will announce the good news of God to a world gone mad.
If I could think of a word to describe the approach of the Old Testament prophets to preaching, it would be “simplicity.” In a culture of idolatrous self-gratification the prophets faithfully proclaimed their message of “thus saith the Lord.” The last thing the world needs on Sunday is a shallow rehashing of world events by armchair politicians or another self-help message in an age of self-obsession. Rather, let us put on display the Word of God, as it is.
We dare not dumb down the Word, make it boring, or market it to the flesh. Rather, we must live up to the command and the calling to proclaim it loud and clear. If we want to restore preaching to a place of prominence in our culture today, we must remain faithful to this basic task of being God’s spokesmen. The world may not like our message, but they will come to listen. We may end up in chains in the end, but as Paul said, “the word is not bound.” Let us unleash God’s truth to do it’s proper work in the hearts of mankind!
“And when it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.” -1 Kins 8:10-11
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come… they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” -Acts 2:1, 4
What makes the difference between an “ordinary” church service and a spectacular one? According to much of the modern church growth movement, it depends on the lighting, the style (and volume) of music, the approach to the sermon, and the work of the greeters and ushers. All of these are important aspects of planning a worship service but none are the key factor that determines when a worship service is great. That is left to the discretion of the Holy Spirit.
God blesses excellence, so we ought to plan well and execute our plan to the best of our ability. We ought to think big and dream big, but even more we ought to pray for the Holy Spirit to overpower and overwhelm us. It is His presence that makes the difference.
In the Old Testament, during the days of the tabernacle, the Holy Spirit would come down and visit the holy place with a visible sign of His presence. It was obvious to all who were close by that God’s presence was setting the agenda for worship. In the New Testament, particularly on the Day of Pentecost, another manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence came with the sound of wind, the apostles’ speaking in languages they had never learned, and in over 3,000 souls being saved.
I hunger to have the powerful presence of God to dominate every worship service, to make Himself known by visible reminders of His ability. I thirst to see lives radically changed and impacted by His convicting voice, His healing touch, and His contagious zeal. We cannot physically be with the Lord on earth today, but oh how much I long to feel the warmth of His company through the Spirit’s presence. Won’t you pray with me for God to visit us in a special way this Sunday?
“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.” -Isaiah 1:16
Some people have the mistaken assumption that the God of the Old Testament is a harsh God and the God of the New Testament is a soft God. The reality is that God’s character has never changed at all. He said through the prophet Isaiah, “cease to do evil…” He said through His Son, “go and sin no more…” He is loving, but harsh toward our sin. He forgives, but He has high expectations as well.
Repentance is sometimes misunderstood as being the same as confession, but repentance means to change the way we think. It involves confession, which means to agree with God about our sin. So if we confess our sins, thereby changing the way we think about our sin, then the follow-through will be a ceasing, a forsaking. God is patient and knows that we often make the same mistakes repeatedly. That does not, however, lessen His expectations for us, nor does it weaken His potential to work in us.
If you feel like your sins are impossible to overcome, remember this truth: God would never command you to do something you are not capable of doing in His power, such as ceasing from sin. Instead, He wants you to learn to rely on him for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) The desire to cease from sin comes from Him, as does the ability. Before you can cease from sin, you must surrender to Him.
“Marriage is honorable in all…” -Hebrews 13:4
Perhaps the hottest social topic of the moment is the Federal Marriage Amendment, scheduled for vote on the Senate floor in the next few days. The liberal pundits have come out screaming that this is simply a ploy by President Bush and conservative Republicans to drum up votes for the November election. That may, in some respect, be true as no politician is immune to the temptation to “play politics.” But as a Christian, am I merely being duped into focusing on an issue because my conservative leaders have pulled the wool over my eyes? Hardly.
For me, as a conservative Christian, the Federal Marriage Amendment is an issue today because of the pressing need to defend the basic institution of society against attack by a liberal minority. Scripture is an eternally binding revelation of God upon my life and I’m to stand for its truths. If Jesus is Lord of who I am in church on Sunday, then He is equally Lord of who I am as a citizen in the voting booth.
The fact is, no Amendment would be necessary were it not for the imminent threat that at some time and place, a judge will reinterpret the law, override the will of the people, and choose on the side of immorality to defend gay marriage and thereby redefine what marriage is. This judicial relativism has the potential to stray far beyond the realm of normality. Who is to say what marriage is? Perhaps it could be polygamy? If such radically immoral groups such as the “Man-Boy Love Association” had their way, it might be that marriage could be a union of a grown man and a young boy. Will that be the future of marriage?
I cannot presume to speak for the world, but I can, as a Bible-believing Christian, stand for my beliefs in the public square and I’ll not be shamed into the corner for doing so. The Old Testament revealed that a marital union was to be between members of the opposite sex. The New Testament plainly clarifies that marriage should be between one man and one woman, thereby excluding polygamy. For me, as a Christian, there is only one alternative - marriage must be preserved as between one man and one woman alone. If a Federal Marraige Amendment is what it takes to protect this timeless institution from the threat of jucial activism (a reality, not just a “Bush term”), then so be it.
”And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” –Genesis 32:26
In the story of Jacob’s wrestling with a “man” (possibly an Old Testament appearance of Christ), we learn what it is to hold on to God until we receive the blessing. Don’t you know this mighty angelic being could have crushed the weak, frail Jacob in an instant? Instead they wrestle through the night.
We often wonder why God allows us to wait so long on an answer to prayer, but He has His purposes. He often tests our tenacity and our faith. Real faith hangs on to God. We can never bully God into answering our prayers, but we can certainly seek Him with importunate persistence. This persistent praying gives glory to God by proclaiming our believe that He is able!
What do you need to hang on to God for today? Keep on praying until He answers or until He adjusts what you need to be praying for.
