A CONSUMING FIRE

 

Jesus is our perfect pattern in all things good. In John 2:17, He is seen to fulfill the prophetic word of Psalm 69:9 in His consuming zeal for the house of God.   It is a startling portrait of Christ’s holy passion for His Father’s house. 

Do we have a zeal for God’s house?

I fear there are only a few scattered embers glowing in a few places—and that most “worship” services have the appearance of ashes. Once a fire burned there, but it went cold a long time ago. Revival happens when someone stirs the ash, finds a hot coal buried there, the breath of God blows upon it, and we fuel it with our prayers. It is then the fire can be rekindled. How I long to see it!

Or do I?

If revival tarries then it is not the fault of God. Nor can I point to the godless environment around me, though the world indeed seeks to water any spark. I can rightfully scorn the false fires where carnal Christians mistake emotionalism for a deep work of repentance that is needed.  But to make that the focus is to miss the coldness in my own heart. 

Will it start in the pulpit?

If the preacher does not have a consuming passion for the house of God, then it is unlikely anyone in the congregation will. I think of a chorus I heard many years ago, and invite you to make this your plea:

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold

And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew

With the wine of Your Blood. (Keith Green)

STEADFAST SERVICE

I heard a sermon recently that quoted these words from Spurgeon on 1 Cor. 15:58:

 Let us continue true to him, for evil would be our case if we were to desert his cause, and then should see him come in the glory of his Father, attended by cohorts of angels. It would be a dreadful thing to have deserted the army just when the shout of “victory ” was about to be raised. Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, for he is risen, and he ever liveth to secure the victory. Our work of faith is not in vain, because we shall rise again. If what we do for God were to have its only reward on earth, it were a poor prospect. Strike out the hope of the hereafter, and the Christian’s reward would be gone; but, beloved, we shall rise again.

     Our work is ended when our eye is closed in death, but our life is not ended with our work. We shall preach no more, we shall no more teach the little children, we shall no more talk with the wayfarer about the Saviour; but we shall enjoy better things than these, for we shall sit upon our Saviour’s throne even as lie sits upon his Father’s throne. Our heads shall have crowns to deck them, our hands shall wave the palm of victory; we shall put on the white robe— the victor’s apparel; we shall stand around the throne in triumph, and shall behold and share the glories of the Son of God. O brethren, shrink not, for the crown is just within your reach. Never think of diminishing your service, rather increase it, for the reward is close at hand. And remember that as you will rise again, so those whom you come in contact with will also rise again. When I have preached the gospel on a Sunday I have thought, “Well, I shall never see many of these people again,” and the reflection, has flashed across my mind, “Yes, I shall; and if I have faithfully, as God’s servant, preached the truth, I shall not need to be afraid to see them either.” If they have received benefit and found Christ through the witness I have borne, they shall be my reward hereafter in the land of the living; and even if they reject the testimony, yet shall they bear their witness to my faithfulness in having preached to them the word of God, for they shall rise again.

     O beloved, what is this poor world? There, shut your eyes to it, for it is not worth your gaze. What is there here below? What see I but fleeting shadows and dreams, and phantoms? What shall I live for? What is there worth living for beneath yon stars? What, if I hoard up wealth, I shall have to leave it to ungrateful heirs! What if I get fame, yet how can the breath of man add to my comfort when I lie tossing on the verge of eternity? What is there worth living for, I say, beneath yon stars? But there is a something that makes it worth while existing and makes life grand and noble. It is this: if I may crown with praise that head which for my sake was crowned with thorns, if I may honour him who was dishonoured for my sake, if to the manifestation of the glories of Jehovah I may have contributed a share, if at the reading of the records of all time it may be found that I put out my talent as a faithful servant, and gained interest for my Master, it shall be well. Saved not of debt – far hence the thought! – but of grace alone, yet shall it be no small thing, out of a sense of indebtedness to grace, to have lived and loved and died for Jesus.

     What more can I say? are there no ambitions among you? I know there are. Young men, consecrate yourselves to God this day. If you have looked to Jesus and trusted him, serve him for ever. Preach him if you can; go abroad into the foreign field if you may. If you cannot do that, make money for him that you may give it to his cause. Open your shop for his sake, let everything be done for Jesus. Take this henceforth for your motto— All for Jesus, always for Jesus, everywhere for Jesus. He deserves it. I should not so speak to you if you had to live in this world only. Alas, for the love of Jesus, if thou wert all and nought beside, O earth! But there is another life— live for it. There is another world— live for it. There is a resurrection, there is eternal blessedness, there is glory, there are crowns of pure reward— live for them, by God’s grace live for them. The Lord bless you, and save you. Amen.

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!

NO KNAPSACK BUT NO LACK

 

I’ve heard it said, “Where the finger of God points, the hand of God provides.”  If you want to make a fortune on earth, I would not recommend ministry as a vocation. But, if God calls you to serve Him, and He sends you into the field of Gospel work, then you can be confident of enough here and eternal reward hereafter!

I type this as I sit in a modest house. I drive a car that is about ten years old with around 200,000 miles on it. My wardrobe is not extravagant and my lifestyle not one of the rich and famous. So what?  It does not matter to me.  If I can meet my obligations—it is enough. 

The disciples testified to this reality. Jesus had sent them out without what one would consider even basic supplies. There was an urgency about the mission which did not allow a lot of preparation. They would learn to walk by faith and not by sight. It is how God wants us all to live. It is a counter-cultural approach that summons us to reject man’s natural inclination and live with supernatural direction.

My Father has never failed me. Day by day, He has cared for me. The One who feeds the fowls and robes the flowers, has kept me nourished and clothed. Sometimes what was going out demanded more than what was coming in. It is good to have a budget, but when you crunch the numbers, they may crash us to our knees.  But, that is a good place to be, and I will tell you that “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬‬). He has not promised to provide for greed, but to meet need. 

I was basically bi-vocational in my first pastorate—a small country church in the mountains. The membership was mainly senior saints on fixed incomes. A typical offering was $300, of which they paid me about a third of it. We went there with my wife expecting our first child. We had no insurance.  They did provide us a place to stay, but we had to pay for the utilities. The old two story, rock farmhouse had windows that were not tight and when the winds of winter blew hard, the curtains moved!  In a hard rain, water would pour in through the worn shingles and we placed jars and cans to catch the water that dripped through. 

I remember coming home with our little family one night and the furnace was off because the fuel had run out. There was nothing to do but call one of our young deacons who let us spend the night. The next day, they put some oil in. Then the church purchased a wood furnace, and they would let me cut wood off some of their land, sometimes even helping me work it up—and we made it through the winter. When it seemed the food would run out, somebody would bring us some beef for the freezer and some beans they had canned.

There are many other stories of this nature I might tell. Nearly half a century has passed and always God has provided.  Trust Him today. Serve Him always. If you have no knapsack, the Lord promises there will still be no lack. 

My old professor, the late William Willingham, sometimes would sing this song to us in chapel:

1. Sometimes the day seems long,
Our trials hard to bear.
We´re tempted to complain,
to murmur and despair.
But Christ will soon appear
to catch his bride away!
All tears forever over
in God’s eternal day!
 
CHORUS:
It will be worth it all
when we see Jesus!
Life’s trials will seem so small
when we see Christ.
One glimpse of his dear face,
all sorrow will erase.
So, bravely run the race
till we see Christ.
 
2. At times the sky seems dark,
with not a ray of light;
We’re tossed and driven on,
no human help in sight.
But there is One in heaven,
Who knows our deepest care;
Let Jesus solve your problems,
just go to him in prayer.
 
3. Life’s day will soon be o’re,
all storms forever past;
We’ll cross the great divide
to Glory, safe at last!
We’ll share the joys of heaven:
a harp, a home, a crown;
The tempter will be banished,
We’ll lay our burdens down.

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?

ENVY OF MEGA-MINISTRY

 

As I read a devotional from Stephen Olford, these thoughts came to mind. 

Who among us has not listened to a preacher on a podcast or listened to one in a pastors’ conference who leads a megachurch and not wondered, “Why not me?”  There may be several responses to that—none of them good. 

The first is to belittle ourselves. “Well, I just don’t have such gifts.  I wouldn’t be capable of leading a church like that.”  Yet none of us know what will unfold in the providence of God—if we will be faithful in that little place. But, if we become discouraged, it can hinder our growth. We should have a passion to be all we can be for God, but leave the results to Him. 

The second is to belittle others. “I am sure he compromises doctrine and that is why people flock to hear him. I will not do that!”  Or we may accuse him of rustling sheep from smaller flocks.  “They offer all this stuff to entertain the people and we are not going to do that!”  The reality is that sometimes that is true. But, not always. Some megachurches are solid as a rock doctrinally and grow evangelistically. They want to help smaller churches be healthy. Some have a kingdom mindset—and it is about God’s kingdom and not their own. Charles Spurgeon pastored a megachurch and who can question his fidelity to Scripture and faithfulness in soul-winning?

The third is to boost ourselves. We seek status. We become a ladder climber and a name-dropper. Then, we pad our resume’ and that never ends well. We plagiarize the sermons of prominent preachers to impress others. Eventually, we will be exposed. Just be who God made you to be and serve where His providence has placed you.

Be faithful and let God sort all that out. I have wrestled with these same temptations. I would like to say that I have never succumbed to envy of mega-ministries, but that would be another sin—lying!  So, when that temptation arises, let us resist and if we give in, immediately repent!