RESTORING THE FALLEN

We are called to reach the sinner, but also to restore the stumbling. All of us have known church members who have been “overtaken in [some] trespass.”  These did not keep their guard up and have their armor on—were not diligent and vigilant. Thus, the temptation crept up on them and the trespass overtook them. 

One thinks of Peter—a genuine follower of Christ. Yet, he was in slumber  when he should have been in supplication. He relied on the strength of his flesh rather than the power of the Spirit. He did not heed the Lord’s warning. His resolve in which he boasted proved insufficient in the hour of trial and he was overtaken by trespasses—denying the Lord. Yet, he would be restored by the Lord, (John 21). Read that for it is the perfect pattern for the principle Paul presents here.

How do we restore the fallen?

We do so MATURELY with the resource of God as “you who are spiritual.”  The spiritual man is the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Such are mature in faith and robust in devotion. Paul describes the spiritual man in contrast to the natural man (a lost soul) and the carnal man (an immature believer) in 1 Cor. 2:12-3:3. There is maturity for such a one has wisdom from the Word—their faith nourished by moving beyond the milk of Scripture to the meat of Truth.  They have a Biblical worldview, seeing everything through the lens of the Word. Such have discernment against error and evil creeping up on them.   They have cultivated right thinking and righteous living. Yet, it is not dependence on human resolve, but reliance on heaven’s resource that keeps them from stumbling and equips them to restore those who have been overtaken. 

We do so maturely and TENDERLY, for to restore the fallen not only demands the resource of God, but also the requirement of gentleness, “restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

The Greek word “restore” was used in the ancient world for a physician setting a broken bone and in the New Testament of a fisherman mending a torn net, (Mk. 1:19).  Both of these would require a gentle touch. If someone has a broken arm, they will not recover use of it without setting it, but you do not go twisting and yanking on it or you will do more damage. A torn net is useless in catching fish, but it needs to be mended gently, lest a bigger hole results. 

My wife has accused me of being “a bull in a china shop” when it comes to repairs around the house. The repairs needed to be made, but sometimes I have pursued them with such zeal that I did more harm than good.  Some in the church may possess a spirit of legalism instead of love. They are right to detect where someone has stumbled, but they express condemnation instead of compassion. Rather than lifting the fallen out of the mud, they stomp them down further.

We do so maturely, tenderly, and HUMBLY, “considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”  This is our reflection on danger.

How do we respond when a member of our church family is overtaken in a trespass?  It is far too easy to say, “I would never…and how could they?”  Instead, it is a call for us to consider our own peril and reply, “There, but for the grace of God go I!”  The warning is, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” (1 Cor. 10:12).  

Maturely, tenderly, and humbly let us restore the fallen.

HE KNOWS MY NAME

I have never wanted to be a ladder-climber or name-dropper. That is not to say that ambition has never aroused temptation. Sadly, I confess there have even been occasions I succumbed and yielded to sin. 

To be well-known, to see your name printed on a program, to be recognized and given an opportunity to preach to thousands of preachers at a conference—that holds a powerful appeal. 

We must purge the urge for a name associated with fame. 

The Lord knows our name. He knows where we are. We need not envy another who may have attained great notoriety among men as a preacher. It may well be that at the Judgment Seat of Christ, those we might expect to be invited to the head table, will need to move back, and make way for some obscure pastor of a tiny country church to be summoned to come sit beside the Lord!

 So [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how  they chose the best places,  saying to them: “When you are invited by  anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one  more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and  him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin  with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit  down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may  say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the  presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts  himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

The Lord knows our name and that is enough!

I read this from Stephen Olford:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’” – John 20:16 

Earlier in this Gospel, the Lord Jesus had given expression to these  words, “He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him  the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own  sheep by name” (John 10:2, 3). 

The Lord Jesus had just opened the door or way to the Father by His  death and resurrection. He now stood before one of His puzzled and  confused sheep. “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’” He called His own sheep by  name and the sheep knew His voice and followed Him.

It is grand to know that He has my name carved on the very palms of His  hands.

May I ever be ready to hear my name called, and reply, “Master!”

This is a truth that speaks to all God’s children. Yet, I share it is a particular encouragement for you men of God who labor in obscurity.  The Lord is watching. ”For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.“ (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬)

HEAVEN’S HONOR

 

“I” is at the heart of sin—s-“I”-n. The first sin was in eternity where a celestial being named Lucifer became enamored with himself:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the  nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into  heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit  on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the  north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like  the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the  lowest depths of the Pit.”  (Isaiah‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬-‭15‬‬ NKJV). 

Five times we hear him say, “I will” concluding with, “I will be like the Most High,” and in that moment an angel of light became the prince of darkness. 

The first sin on earth was when the Serpent enticed Eve similarly to eat the forbidden fruit, “and you will be like God,” (Gen. 3:5). As Eve ate and shared with Adam, humanity fell into the pit of pride and the fall was catastrophic. That virus of vanity has infected all their offspring.

In John 5, we find the Lord Jesus confronted by the spawn of Satan—the Pharisees. They claimed to be children of Abraham and thus children  of God, but Jesus would later say, “You are of your father the devil…” (John 8:44).  Egotism was the motivation for their religiosity. They did not seek the honor from God that comes from seeking to honor God, but lusted for the honor of other men. 

These were in many ways orthodox in their belief and faithful—even fervent—in their teaching. Yet, they did not serve God for His glory, but for their own. Jesus said they were devoid of God’s love. They did not love others, for their hearts were consumed with self-love. 

Preachers are not immune from this peril. Seeking the honor of man can be like a drug addiction. The first dose of recognition brings brief euphoria, and then we want more and it takes increasing injections of celebrity to bring the sensation back. 

We love a pat on the back—a place on the platform—a position of power. The celebrity preacher is birthed when he basks in the celebration from other men.  It is such a subtle and sinister seduction. 

May God guard our hearts!  May the Spirit of God consume us with a desire to honor God!  I have written a prayer in my Bible from A. W. Tozer. Out of that I have starred and circled one particular sentence: “If in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them on others more worthy to receive them,”

If we are to receive honor, let it be from honoring God, and receive it not on earth, but in eternity. Humble yourself and seek God’s glory alone. Then, you will not be deflated when you  are criticized, nor inflated when you are celebrated. Trust in Jesus who promised, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John‬ ‭12‬:‭26‬‬). 

Serve the Savior rather than serving yourself. Concentrate on following Him instead of gathering your own following. Look to the acclaim of eternity and not the adulation of earth.

I preach to myself, and hope that if you listen these words will help you, also.

HERALDS OF THE KING

 

The herald was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the king. The road was to be prepared and the reception was to be planned. The herald’s cry summoned the crowds in anticipation of the king’s arrival. That was John’s mission, and models that of the preacher. As  John the Baptist was a herald of the Lord’s first advent, we are honored to prepare people for His second coming. 

There is a MANDATE for the Lord’s herald. John was “sent.”  He was sent and he went. There was the call of God and his obedience to it. Every man of God serves because he is compelled by God’s command to preach the Gospel. It is not his choice, but God’s. 

There is a MISSION for the Lord’s  herald. John was a “witness.”  The witness is summoned to court for a “testimony.” He tells what he has seen and heard. This demands our study of the Scripture, as we gaze upon its truth and hear the voice of God. This goes beyond only the mere intellectual, to the experiential; we are not repeating hearsay, but what we have known and applied.

There is a MESSAGE for the Lord’s herald. John was a “voice.”  He stood up and spoke out. There was authority in his message for he was God’s appointed herald. There was clarity in his message for he gave an explanation rooted in Scripture, quoting from Isaiah 40:3 as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”  This should be said of every man who stands in the pulpit.  His words are not the opinions of a man, but the truth of God, spoken with authority and clarity.

John was not the Light, but pointed to the Light. Since some thought he might be that Light, this means that he much reflected Christ’s Light. Do we?

John summoned people to believe in Christ and be saved. He beckoned them to look to the Light and come out of the darkness of unbelief. That is our glad privilege also.

He cried out in the wilderness.  This world is a spiritual wilderness. It is replete with thorns and thistles due to the curse of sin. But, that is where God has sent us to minister. We are to help reclaim a bit of paradise from the jungle of a wicked world.  Let us tend the garden of the local church and the church field.

John beckoned those on a crooked path to straighten up. This was his call to repentance.  That is a demand to turn to Christ and away from sin. Let us persist in preaching repentance.

His focus was on Jesus.  John the Baptist wanted no glory for himself. He never said, “Behold, I am a man of God,” but declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  Later, he would underscore this, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30). May our prayer ever be that people would not leave the worship service saying, “What a great sermon,” but “What a great Savior!”

A FAULTLESS SAVIOR AND A BLAMELESS PREACHER

There has only been one sinless human—Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy of worship. Born of a virgin, and thereby conceived by the Holy Spirit without a depraved nature, yet being a real man, tempted at all points as we are, yet without sin. To condemn Him required false witnesses and the miscarriage of justice.  Pilate upon examining Him declared Jesus to be faultless. He had no guilt. As preachers, it is imperative that we point people to Jesus. He alone can save from sin. If people will honestly examine Christ, they will see One unique and meriting submission to Him as Lord and Savior. He is in a class unparalleled—the “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” (1 Tim. 2:5). 

Yet, as His representatives, we are to be blameless. It is a different word in the Greek language than the one used to describe the sinless Savior.  Scripture demands that, “A bishop then must be blameless,” (I Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬‬).  This means to be above reproach. None may justly accuse the pastor of scandalous sin. He is a holy man of God who seeks to practice what he preaches. When he does stumble, he confesses his sin with deep contrition and makes it right. If he has offended another, he seeks reconciliation. He keeps short accounts with God and man. His wife and children see him consistent in his home life with what he teaches in the church. His character in private aligns with his claims in public. He abhors hypocrisy.

Pastor, if you want to be set on a pedestal and revered, someone will knock you off, or you will eventually fall yourself. That singular place of being faultless is reserved for the Savior, our Lord Jesus.  But, if you think your character, conduct, and conversation unimportant, then you disqualify yourself. There should be a passionate pursuit in my life to be like Jesus. Paul put it this way: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”  (1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬‬). 

Holy God, 

May I follow in the footsteps of Jesus that others might follow my leadership and not go astray.  Give me a passion to progressively become more like my Savior, so others would see Jesus in me. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, may I gaze into the Light of the world—nothing between my soul and the Savior to diminish that illumination, nor the shadow of earth to eclipse it. 

In the Name and for the Fame of Jesus,

Amen!

HE NEEDS YOU

Is this not an amazing and humbling truth?  Here is the Lord of Glory, who was able to walk on water, yet needed a donkey to ride into Jerusalem. There were several reasons why He rode on a donkey. 

He needed to do so because of the prophecy this fulfilled. The Word of God had said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”  (Zechariah‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬‬).  Not one Scripture will fail to be fulfilled. Again and again, we read of Jesus doing something in fulfillment of Scripture. As a preacher of God’s Word, I can speak with confidence in the accuracy of that Blessed Book!

He needed to do so because of the position this revealed. Among the Jews we see their rulers riding on donkeys. “The king also said to them, ‘Take with you the servants of your Lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon.’” (‭‭I Kings‬ ‭1‬:‭33‬‬). You also see rulers riding these beasts of burden in Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14). Jesus is the King of kings.  When I am faithful to my calling, I am submitting to my King and promoting Him, not myself.  The people did not cry, “Oh look at that donkey!”  They exulted in the Son of David.

He needed to do so because of the purpose this unveiled. A king would at other times mount a mighty horse, should His purpose be to go to war. The riding on a donkey represented that the king was coming in peace. Jesus will come the second time on a white horse to conquer those who war against God, but in His first advent, He was coming to be crucified—to bring us peace with God.  God sends sinners who have surrendered to Him to share with other sinners how they can be forgiven.  He could have used an angel to trumpet His truth, but we have a story that holy angels do no have—the testimony of amazing grace that saved wretches like we were.

He needed to do so because of the prosperity this promised. These beasts were used to plow the land and transport the produce. 

“Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground Will eat cured fodder, Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.”  (Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭24‬‬). Canaan was the Promised Land—a place of abundant milk and honey. Yet, because of Israel’s sin, they never enjoyed the fruitfulness God desired for them. Jesus was coming to reverse the curse, and give abundant life, (cf. John 10:10). You be faithful and trust God to make you fruitful. He can cause the hardest ground to yield the sweetest fruit!

Almighty God needs nothing. He is self-existent. We can neither add to nor take from Him in His self-sufficiency. Jesus, fully Divine, needed nothing. But, He told the disciples, “I need that donkey.”  God in His sovereign grace created man in His own image and set him to cultivate the ground and care for the creation. He calls us to share the Gospel and disciple the nations. In this sense, God needs a donkey like me!  Apart from God, we cannot, but apart from us, He will not.  Don’t get the idea that God lacks anything and is fretting over whether you are going to come through or not. His will is going to be done—with or without me. If I am silent, He can make stones cry out, (Luke 19:40). To accomplish His inexorable will, however, He has decided to use a vessel of clay like me and you. 

Paul put it this way, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”  (I Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭29‬‬).

God used a jackass to speak to Balaam (cf. Num. 22:21-35). If God could communicate through that donkey, then He can speak through me. How astonishing!  Omnipotent God needs weak men to communicate the power of salvation through the foolishness of the cross!  Stop bemoaning your weakness and making excuses. Humble yourself before God, open His Word, stand up and speak up, trusting God to show up!

Old E. M. Bounds put it this way in his classic little book, “Power through Prayer,”

God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. …What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.

Will you be that man?

A HUMBLE SERVANT

 

John the Baptist was one of the greatest preachers ever. Jesus said that concerning those of the Old Covenant dispensation, John topped the list. There had not been a greater mere mortal than John, (cf. Matt.11:11a).  That includes a lot of remarkable preachers: Noah, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and such. John was number one, as declared by the ultimate Judge!  

Yet, that is not what John saw as he looked at his reflection in the Jordan River. He was not dressed in finery, nether dined of delicacy, as he wore a robe of camel’s hair and leather belt, eating locusts and wild honey!  Though multitudes thronged to hear him and his message of repentance, delivered in the sacred anointing, resulting in masses of baptisms, he was content to be a voice crying in the wilderness. His motivation was to gather a crowd—not for himself, but to point to Jesus.  “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease,” John said as recorded in John 3:30. John’s baptism in water was significant, but Christ’s baptism with the Spirit was superlative!  John was a herald, but Jesus was the King!

In our day of celebrity preachers, who have a name that is recognizable and a fame that is considerable, it is good for us to assume John’s position of the lowliest servant whose task was to untie his Master’s sandals. Even so, John felt unworthy of that work!  That was a lowly task, but these were the lovely feet of Jesus!  May we bow at those feet today, in anticipation of the position of worship we will assume as we fall at His nail-scarred feet in eternity!

Brothers, let us make much of Jesus!  May our voice cry out in this spiritual wilderness an announcement that, “The King is coming!  Prepare to meet Him!”

GENTLE AND HUMBLE

 

“Like a bull in a china shop”—have you heard that expression?  It is used to describe someone who runs around, throwing their weight around, shattering all around. Sadly, that is how some pastors do ministry!  When a bull finishes his destructive work, the fragile, valuable people left behind are broken.  Some preachers not only fail to understand how to build people up, but they are good at tearing a church apart!

That is not the spirit of Jesus as we hear in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

We consider HIS MISSION.  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  He saw people who were worn down by the burdens of life and offered them a lift.  We are sent to a world where people are broken by sin and burdened down by life’s trouble. Being like Jesus means we see our task as attracting the hurting. As someone has said, “If you preach to the hurting, you will never lack an audience.”

Then, observe HIS MESSAGE. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…”.  His teaching summoned them to wear His yoke—one that fit them perfectly. Jesus taught them God’s Word and that truth pointed to Him.  May our message never be about us, but about Jesus. It must be rooted in Biblical exposition, “This is what God says.”  But, it then must go to practical application, “This is what we need to do about it.”  Above all, it must be Christocentric.  Wherever we take our text, it must direct people to Jesus.

Finally, we note HIS MANNER. “For I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. No wonder the weak limped to Him, the fallen dared approach Him, the rejects of the culture sought hope in Him, and even little children ran to Him.  Don’t think that Jesus was weak because He was meek. He could flip tables and whip hypocrites if need be—and there is a time to be forceful in ministry and confront wrong intensely. But, that was not the typical manner of Jesus.  Indeed, it was the brutality of the religious mafia that angered Him so, for He wanted them to be like Him—drawing people and not repelling them; lifting the burdened and not crushing them; instructing and not just demanding; gentle and humble in manner.

I have recently been studying the book of Jeremiah. On the surface, it might seem that he did not minister like Jesus. People did not want to listen to him.  His denunciation of sin and declaration of judgment was direct. Yet, he is known as, “the weeping prophet”—not so much for how he suffered, and indeed he did, but with the grief for how God was rejected and the high price the people would pay for their disobedience.  Let us be sure that when our sermons are scorned that it is because people reject the message and not our manner, and may we mourn for sinners accordingly. Over the course of nearly a half century of Gospel ministry I have seen those who despite my love for them, loathed me. I have witnessed how God disciplined them. Yet I find no gladness in their suffering, but sorrow for it.

The saddest part of all is that in some occasions when people were repelled by me, it was that I failed to be like Jesus in being directed by His mission, delivering His message, and displaying His manner. May the Lord have mercy upon me!  Brothers, let us renew our commitment that by His Spirit we will be like Jesus!

Pastors and Pride

Follow this link and let God humble your heart!


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POWER IN PREACHING

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.  (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

Good news can be presented in an orthodox form—and it should be—and remain only a form, resulting in no conversion or false confession.  So, Paul, in exhorting young Pastor Timothy spoke of those, “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  (2 Tim.3:5a)  The Apostle rejoiced that his preaching had not been so received by the Thessalonians, evidencing that there was power accompanying the proclamation!

What makes for power in preaching?  Two things are essential:  divine energizing and demonstrable example.

Concerning divine energizing, the key phrase is, “in the Holy Spirit.”  This is more than the Spirit in us—apart from that we are not converted ourselves!  This is our being in the Spirit—apart from that we cannot see others converted!  In the former, the Spirit is resident, and in the latter, He is president.  This comes in a dependence on God—seeking Him for spiritual power.  It is a refusal to rely on professionalism, rationalism, or emotionalism.  Rather, it is casting yourself upon God in faith, letting Him bear you up and carry you along in the act of preaching.   Think in terms of how God inspired the writers of Scripture, “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”  (2 Pet.1:21b).  Certainly our preaching will not be on the level of infallible inspiration, but we must honor that sacred revelation by preaching it in spiritual reliance.  Brother, on Saturday night, get naked before God—confess your utter helplessness—and then on Sunday morning, be clothed in power before you dare to enter the pulpit!  You can then speak with assured authority!

Pertaining to demonstrable example, this is a stressed by the phrase, “you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”  Power in proclamation must ever be linked to practice.  To demand in others what we are not willing to demonstrate is hypocrisy!  That is the kind of preaching the Pharisees did—and Jesus condemned it in forceful terms.  As you look at the qualifications for the pastor in 1 Timothy 3 it is quickly apparent that character is as vital as competence.  There are things we must do—there is nothing commendable in incompetence and indolence—but, there is also the matter of who we are—and that is integrity.  Failing to model the message short-circuits spiritual power.  The verbal proclamation from our lips can never be divorced from the visual pattern of our lifestyle.

When these are present there will be power in preaching—and this is the result: “And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.”  (1 Thess.1:6-7)  This is fruitful reproduction: realignment to God’s will, “you became followers of us and of the Lord,” reception of God’s Word, “having received the word in much affliction,” rejoicing in God’s work, “with joy of the Holy Spirit,” and replication in God’s world, “you became examples to all.”