Now Is God Glorified

John 13:27-32: Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. 31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once."

John 12:24-28: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

The pivotal moment in redemptive history is also the pivotal moment in human history, as these are inseparable.

The centerpiece of all history is when God most glorified Himself, and here we have it, in our Lord and Savior's own words. He looked forward to the cross, yet counted it as done at the moment of His betrayal, and our Father's voice confirmed it.

This was the moment of glory, when, in accordance to that which was written several hundred years beforehand, "it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:10-11)

This was the moment in history that the Almighty God deigned to not only be "found in the likeness of human flesh," but the very moment He declared that the Father was most glorified among His creation. The moment of the realization of His crucifixion was the moment the Father declared that He was most glorified.

Think upon this a moment: The great miracles that led Israel out of Egypt, the great miracle of our Lord being with them in glory in the cloud and the pillar of fire, the great miracles done during various of the prophets lifetimes, and even the greatest miracles of all time, in the first advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, were not counted by God as the greatest moment of His glory.

Rather, the crucifixion, looked forward to, and counted as completed, was that moment when God declared He had and would glorify Himself.

We cannot add to His glory, but in our Lord's words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him."

God does not honor us as He did His Son; however, He does shine His glory most strongly when we do as our Lord, in His humanity, did: When we die to self, and live according to the risen life of our Lord Jesus Christ imparted to us by His Spirit, God is seen most strongly, as He has decreed.

Although pale in comparison to our unique Lord's death, many men used greatly by our Great God have been used by Him in the proclamation of His gospel, and the subsequent death of those proclaiming that gospel. Death gives rise to life, in this fallen world, and therein is the folly (according to the world's standards) of the gospel message.

To cement this, consider the apostle Paul's words as given by the Spirit of Christ:

2 Corinthians 1:9: Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. And again, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The plain picture is that the sacrifice was made by our Lord while He yet lived, looking ahead to that very close time of His death as a man; the conclusion is that we who are yet alive in this dead flesh are experiencing, by faith, the death of our mortal bodies in order to manifest the resurrected life of our Lord to our brethren for the sake of their growth in that risen life, to the glory of our Lord and our Heavenly Father.

This is the principle of a grain of wheat being buried and dying, that it may bring forth much fruit. This truth was realized in the propitiatory sacrifice of our Lord, and is continued (although not as propitiatory, but as contingent to the only blessed propitiation of our Lord) through the proper preaching of His truth and denial of ourselves for the sake of the body of Christ, to the glory of God.

This is losing our life to gain it; this is how our Lord, both God and sinless Man, uniquely glorified the Father; this is how we continue to show that sacrifice and risen life as we die to self, thereby finding our lives unto eternal life.

This is how our God has willed to glorify Himself until the restoration of all things, when the children that the Lord bought at such great cost to Himself are perfected in His glory.

Hence, the title: Now Is God Glorified.

Haltingly in His service in which He always magnifies Himself - Bill

Lessons in Life Affimed by the Gospel of Our Glorious God

If God has shown me anything at all in my many years of erroneous sins, despite my desire to serve Him, it is this:

Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Do I fully understand this promise?

Assuredly not.

Do I fully trust this promise, as a child trusts his Father, yet grows in understanding of that which His Father desires and requires of Him?

Assuredly, yes. As hard as the lessons have been, the heaviness and the burden have been on me, for placing my flesh above that which is spiritual. There is rest and ease in His yoke and burden, and His commandments are not burdensome, ever. All that has transpired, by His gentle decree, which has contradicted these facts of reality, has been of my unredeemed flesh seeking to insert itself into the picture, and His gentle remonstrances have always drawn me back to the denying of that which is already crucified and buried, yet needs be treated in that manner that sees my Lord, and His people, no longer after the flesh.

I am so grateful to so many teachers of the Word who continuously call me to realize that which is above as preeminent over that which is below. I am more grateful to our glorious God and Savior for His gentle treatment of me in all manner of my rebellion.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. Praise involves, primarily, contrition and thanksgiving. I thank the Lord that He is faithful in all things for the sake of His glory and according to His good pleasure.

- Bill

Reflections On Sandy Hook

It's been months since I last wrote anything on this blog (bad I know, but there was plenty of writing to do at school), but its even worse to come back and attempt to tackle an issue like Sandy Hook. Now, I know what's expected-- Romans 8:28 or a passage about God's sovereignty. I could do that and that passage or passages of scripture would be true regardless of our painful circumstances, but that doesn't capture how I've felt about this ordeal. Let me recap:

On that morning, as I read about a shooting in a school, I didn't majorly react to the news. I know those are harsh words, but its reality, maybe not only for me, but I bet for a lot of people, sadly. Its too common for us. Anyway, as I drove away to a friend's house, I turned on the radio. And there, for the first time, I heard the shooting was in a kindergarten through fourth grade school. As I arrived at my friends house and turned on the T.V, I heard the news that some twenty children were shot and killed. What does one say to that? Why would anyone go into a school and shoot children? As if there were a satisfying answer, but there simply isn't.

Through the course of the day, we received a lot of confusing news from the media, and sadly, a lot of unnecessary jabber from some believers. From the secular media (and we keep getting this) we get this idea that Adam Lanza was this "sick", "mentally ill", "emotionally disturbed", autistic, person. He might have had some sort or mental disability, to that I'll admit. Hey, maybe this kid was emotionally and physically abused, we don't know. But one thing I do know, is that what Adam Lanza did on that day was EVIL. Pure EVIL. It was SIN. And why is that the media shy's away from that language? Maybe its because we've gotten to the point in America where nothing is evil, where the concept of evil has vanished from minds and replaced with entertainment. Adultery, nudity, stealing, lying, that's no longer evil. Adultery is seeking fun when your marriage gets boring, what's the harm in that, dude? Our problem in America is deeper than the Adam Lanza's, its deeper than gun-control or lack thereof, our problem in America is the abandonment of the Christian worldview and the glorification of evil.

As far as believers, I believe some wanted to muster the right words to soothe hearts, but were totally off the mark. I saw plenty of promotion for homeschooling, gun control, and more guns. What is the obsession with having to say the right thing at the right moment or rather, what is the obsession with having to say something at every moment? There are times where the beauty before your eyes so captivates your soul that words fall short of adequate description, and there are others where what you feel is so painful, so wrenching, that you rather not or cannot find words. The latter was this moment. There is a time to mourn and that was it. Some will still mourn and that's okay. Your words may never comfort a mother who returns to a silent home after the death of her child. They don't need to. God in due time will take care of things like that.

-awretchsaved

The Selling Out Of The Church

It's been happening for some time. Unqualified leaders have found their way in the church and have thus decided that we live in an age that is tired of the "old" way of church and thus we need to keep we the times. Especially if we want to reach the "un-churched." There was once a time not so long ago that we called the "un-churched" unbelievers or sinners. But today that is seen as not being "nice." These men have attempted to sell out the church to "reach" such people. They understand people want less authoritative preaching, dialogue and not monologue, shorter sermons, contemporary and "upbeat" music, less convicting sermons and more messages on "overcoming the obstacles in life." In short these men know people want services centered on themselves and their needs and desires and not Christ.

These "hirelings," as the Bible refers to them (Jn 10:13), see a market. And a big market it is. This methodology of "doing" "church" is often acceptable to some that even know the Gospel and love it. Yet they see no connection to sound theology and practice in the area of church. "What's the big deal?" The big deal is that they way in which a church worships the Triune God reflects what they believe about the Triune God. The worship of God is centered on Him. A service built on the preferences of the worshipers reflects a view that worship is largely about our comforts and needs. When sinners (redeemed or unrepentant) approach the thrice holy God we do so on His terms. And these terms are given in His Word. There is no negotiating.

There really is a big market on self-centered worship. The hirelings have capitalized on it. People these days look for a church the way they shop for a car or go to restaurant. It reminds me of what the Lord God says in Jeremiah 5:30-31:

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes? 

Gary Gilley has, in my opinion, rightly diagnosed and addressed the issue. Here are some rather lengthy (but well worth the time of reading) quotes:

The church growth movement is a recent example. Having watched a large segment of the church become content with short yardage and lousy scores, some decided that there had to be a better way. The church was not penetrating society; she was not pulling in the masses; she was not making a significant impact for the gospel. It was not that the church leaders didn’t care; it was, it seemed, they lacked the ‘know-how’, the tools, to effect change. The gospel was still ‘the power of God for salvation’ (Rom. 1: 16), but it was being rejected out-of-hand by too many. What was needed, apparently, were new methods to reach the lost, new techniques to promote the church, new packages for the gospel message. People, we were told, were not rejecting the gospel or Christ; they were rejecting our out-of-date, unappetizing forms, philosophies, and methods.*

...It would appear, when it comes to entertainment, Christianity has caught up with the culture at large. One social observer, Neal Gabler, who has no axe to grind in this regard, making no pretence to be a Christian, has noticed, ‘Evangelical Protestantism, which had begun as a kind of spiritual entertainment in the nineteenth century, only refined its techniques in the twentieth, especially after the advent of television. Televangelists like Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggart recast the old revival meeting as a television variety show, and Pat Robertson’s 700 Club was modelled after The Tonight Show, only the guests on this talk show weren’t pitching a new movie or album; they were pitching salvation.’ Christianity on television, by necessity, has always been presented in the form of entertainment. Theology, rituals, sacred worship, prayer, and most other true components of the Christian faith, simply do not ‘play’ well on television. As might be expected, the local church began to pay close attention. If they were to draw the masses, like the televangelists did, it apparently could best be done by wrapping the faith in the package of entertainment — for the people, having now been trained to be consumers, have also been taught that the ultimate sin is to be bored. Hence the birth of the market-driven church that caters to the insatiable appetite for amusement in society in general.*

After partly diagnosing the problem he goes on to address it:

 Today things are very different. We live in a society that increasingly drifts toward the form rather than the substance, which embraces the superficial, lives to play, will pay almost any amount of money to be amused, and prizes fun as the highest pursuit of life. Conviction has been replaced by thrill and few seem to notice. One cannot help but think of Pinocchio and his buddies on Pleasure Island. In the midst of mindless fun only Pinocchio seemed to understand that they were all being turned into donkeys. One would hope that things would be different among Evangelical Christians, but such does not seem to be the case. It appears that the church is in lockstep with the world. The problem is this – Christians have been seduced and trained by the same forces that have enticed society as a whole. Too many Christians, just like their unsaved counterparts, are impressed by appearances rather than structure; are seeking thrills and excitement rather than substance; are more apt to respond to emotional manipulation than to rational discourse. How does a church compete in this rather crowded marketplace? If entertainment has become the standard way of life (as some are suggesting) then how can the churches vie unless they become a bastion of entertainment? But if it gives way to this powerful temptation has not the church been transformed into something other than the church? Postman, who does not pretend to be a Christian, nevertheless recognizes, ‘Christianity is a demanding and serious religion. When it is delivered as easy and amusing, it is another kind of religion altogether… There is no doubt, in other words, that religion can be made entertaining. The question is, by doing so, do we destroy it.’ 14 This is a question all serious Christians should contemplate. The problem is that the main business of entertainment is to please the crowd, but the main purpose of authentic Christianity is to please the Lord. Both the Bible and history have repeatedly shown that it is seldom possible to do both at the same time, for very long.*

...Christianity is designed by God to be a ‘thinking’ faith. If so, something appears to be seriously wrong. Os Guinness, for example, believes we are a generation that has ‘dumbed down’ everything that is important to the level of bumper stickers and greeting cards, and we are suffering the consequences. One revealing bumper sticker, of the type Guinness has in mind, reads, ‘There is no right or wrong – only fun or boring.’ Yet, God desires his people to consider, reason, analyze and study. He has given us his Word in propositional form; a Word that must be carefully dissected if it is to be understood (2 Tim. 2: 15). To allow ourselves to be pressed into the world’s mould of entertainment without careful reflection based on the Bible is a terrible loss. God is not calling his people to a life of grumpiness, but surely if we, like the saints of biblical times, are looking for ‘the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God’ (Heb. 11: 10), it will shape the way we live and enjoy our time on this earth.*

Here, and the final quote, Gilley reveals the "bait-and- switch" tactic often employed by the church growth movement (this be applied to some in the "missional" movement as well):

How do we market a foolish, repulsive product? — By changing the wrapper, apparently. Note the subtle bait and switch in Barna’s philosophy, ‘Ministry, in essence, has the same objective as marketing — to meet people’s needs. Christian ministry, by definition, meets people’s real needs by providing them with biblical solutions to their life circumstances.’At first glance most of us would be in agreement with Barna, but look closer. By altering, ever so slightly, the biblical definition of ministry, including the gospel message, as we will see, Barna has made it attractive. If we can convince people that Christ died to meet their needs, they will line up at our doors to buy our product. But is this the gospel message? Has Barna merely repackaged, prettied up, the gospel ‘product’ or has he gutted it of its purpose and value? This is an important question upon which so much hinges — a question worthy of much consideration. As we will see the market philosophy behind the modern church necessitates a mutation of the gospel message.

Marketing the church David Wells bemoans the new-paradigm church, ‘Much of it… is replete with tricks, gadgets, gimmicks, and marketing ploys as it shamelessly adapts itself to our emptied-out, blinded, postmodern world… There is too little about it that bespeaks the holiness of God. And without the vision for any reality of this holiness, the Gospel becomes trivialized, life loses its depth, God becomes transformed into a product to be sold, faith into a recreational activity to be done, and the Church into a club for the like-minded.’ Damaging accusations; are they true? The standard rhetoric coming from new-paradigm churches is that they teach the same message, the same gospel, as the more traditional evangelical churches; they differ only in methodology and philosophy of ministry. Lee Strobel (former Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, now with Saddleback) writes, ‘Objections [to the market-driven church] generally relate to the method that’s used to communicate the gospel, not the message itself, and consequently we’re free to use our God-given creativity to present Christ’s message in new ways that our target audience will connect with.’ This is simply not the case. While some of the methods may disturb us, it is their message that is of real concern. It is important to understand at this point that it is one thing to market the church; it is another to market the gospel. In this chapter we are dealing with the unfortunate fallout of marketing the church. In a subsequent chapter the far most devastating impact of marketing the gospel message will be examined more closely. But at this point we cannot avoid mentioning that while the new-paradigm churches have dressed their gospel in the gown of conservative evangelicalism, it is in reality a masquerade, a costume that disguises a gospel message that would have been unrecognizable only a few years ago. Even as we analyze the methodologies for which the new-paradigm churches have become famous: their market-driven strategies, it would be a mistake to get sidetracked by superficial differences between these churches and more traditional ones. The real issue is how this philosophy is changing both the message and the essence of the church. In other words, it is impossible to truly separate our methodology from our message, for to a large degree they hinge on one another.*

Gilley's book is a very insightful and great read. If you have a Kindle you can find it here.


*Gilley, Gary (2012-05-16). This Little Church Went to Market (Kindle Locations 112-118). Evangelical Press. Kindle Edition.

*Ibid, Kindle Locations 297-308

*Ibid, Kindle Locations 325-339

*Ibid, Kindle Locations 351-358

*Ibid, Kindle Locations 405-431

A Reason I Am Encouraged

I have reason to be encouraged by all the faithful men and women of Christ that have faithfully walked in the grace of Christ being the fragrance of the Lord among the world. They have loved Him and defended Him against those that have assaulted His name. When all have bowed to the negative influence of the culture they have stood for the Triune God. When all have stood up for the world they have bowed the knee to the King. Sure they sin and fail at times, but they always remember the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ and their faith in Him reminds them that are not only forgiven but clothed in the righteousness of Christ thereby declared righteous by our sovereign Judge and thus by the grace of God they strive for and persevere in holiness. I am sincerely thankful for such men and women. It is they that the Lord uses to encourage me to grow in Christ and to faithfully herald His Word.

As thankful as I am for such people they are not my focus right here. My focus of encouragement is the young men I believe that the Lord is training and raising up (even the ones that may be unaware) for the ministry. The young men who will be under-shepherds of Christ's sheep. The people He loves dearly and laid down His life for. These men not only submit to the Word of Christ but they love it. They cherish it and adore it. They are not afraid to share the Gospel with family members, friends and even strangers at the risk of ending or hindering any personal relationship that exists. They love to learn from the godly men of old that have gone on before us setting an example for us to follow in both doctrine and godly living. They love to stand on the shoulders of such men. These are uncompromising men who refuse to give in to the "spirit of the age" They understand or will come to understand that many of the people they minster to, or seek to minster to, will despise them and some even come to hate them. They theologically know that their Master taught them that they should expect to be hated since Christ was hated. But they will soon come to experience it in their labor for Christ. They understand or will soon come to the understanding that their joy is in Christ not in their own reputation.

Sure, they will sin and be tempted towards pride. They will early on eagerly and proudly enter secondary doctrinal arguments with the aim of simply winning the argument to demonstrate their own great and theological mind. They will be humbled when they come across a person more theologically astute and articulate than they are. They will soon learn that it is okay and commendable to change their theological positions for the better. Their is no shame in admitting they were once doctrinally and theologically wrong and repenting of it. This in turn will remind them to be more loving and gracious with those that are not as biblically mature as they are and how to be more patient and careful with those that disagree with them on secondary matters.

Just as thankful and encouraged as am for Luther, Calvin, Owen, Spurgeon, Machen, Lloyd-Jones upon whose shoulders I stand upon (among the great many others to many to mention) these young men will stand upon the Word of God and the godly men of old who have paved the way for us. After all it is one thing the have the shoulders to stand upon but just as equally important to have others to continue to stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These  young men are needed. They will be used of the Lord to lead the charge for the next generation in spiritual warfare. As many are trying to lead and take the church in new paths, these young men will be faithful in guiding her in the "old paths" (Jer. 6:16). I am extremely encouraged by such men. They will be on the front lines of battle leading the flock of God and protecting them from the wolves and even sometimes protecting the sheep from themselves. They will be used to herald the Gospel to bring the other sheep not yet in the fold. But they will face strong opposition from both outside of the church and from within her. They are the watchmen of Ezekiel 33 and warned not be the shepherds of Ezekiel 34.

I'm excited and encouraged for such godly young men. I know some of them and know of some of them. They are out there. The Lord is training and preparing them for His use. My advice to them is to stay the course. It will get rough at times. You will feel discouragement, grief, suffering, anger frustration, impatience among other things. Some of it will be your own fault while other times the fault of others. Remain faithful. As difficult as it may be remember that your labor in Christ is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Love Christ, love sinners (believers and unbelievers), be humble and pursue holiness. Remember these divinely inspired words of the Apostle Paul:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (2 Ti 2:1–13).

May our sovereign Lord sustain you by His power and grace to use you for His glory!

Did Jesus Preach Expositionally?

Mike Abendroth and the others he cites argue the case that Jesus did (I agree):

LUKE 4

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

  Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.

  He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,

  And recovery of sight to the blind,

  To set free those who are oppressed,

  To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:14–22).

Many historical events have been so significant that I wish I could have been there to experience them in time and space. The account in Luke 4 is one of those events. The word that best describes the scenario is “stunning.” As Luke is prone to do, he mentions the particular ministry of the Holy Spirit and how He, after driving Jesus into the wilderness for satanic temptations (Luke 4:1 ff.), now impels Jesus to Galilee for public ministry.

This Spirit-driven day was going to prove exceptional. Jesus arrives for worship and most likely is recognized by the leaders. His fame is preceding Him. They ask Him to be one of the Scripture readers for the day. A servant opens the box containing the scrolls, chooses the appropriate one, unwraps it, and delivers it to Jesus. Jesus stands in traditional reverence for God’s Word. Custom dictated standing while reading God’s Word, except when Esther was read during the feast of Purim. Jesus, in the town of His upbringing, is handed the scroll opened at Isaiah. Writing about the scrolls, physician Luke vividly employs the Greek word translated “unrolled” or “opened,” a medical word used to describe the “opening up” of a patient’s body ready for surgery.7 Jesus was about to open up more than a scroll; He was going to open up the sluice gates of the Messianic ministry! The LXX uses the same word, “spread it out,” when Hezekiah received a letter and read it, then took it and exposed it to the LORD (2 Kings 19:14). Just as a feast is “spread out” on the table, so now Jesus was about to give His listeners a spiritual feast that they would not soon forget.

Whether Jesus chose Isaiah 61:1–2 purposely or whether it was an assigned reading for the day, the effect was apocalyptic. There would be no reason for Jesus to deviate from custom and pick a different selection, so it was likely the next passage to be read in the synagogue. Divine orchestration is seen as Jesus reads a passage in Isaiah about the Messianic hope, which is really about Himself. In Luke 4:18, Jesus says, “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives …” He purposefully changes the tense of the verb “has sent” in LXX to a perfect active indicative, signifying that He Himself is the One God has sent. Jesus effectively says, “This Messiah is in your midst—I am He!” Jesus Himself will grant liberty to captives and He will release prisoners. He will heal and help the oppressed. He is the object of Isaiah’s prophecy. Now is the time for the prophecy to be fulfilled. The Messianic era starts today. Jesus Himself will glorify the Father by preaching the good news to sinners.

With a dramatic close, Jesus quietly rolls up the scroll, gives it back to the attendant, and sits down. Why did He sit down? The Jews knew that He sat down to teach them. That is why they were all looking at Him. The Jewish rabbis would sit to teach their disciples (Matthew 5:1ff.), so the people had their eyes riveted upon Jesus for His Messianic message. They were intently observing Him because it was now time for the teaching of the Word. Marvin R. Vincent reports that the prophetic readings in the synagogues were followed by a discourse. They were waiting for Him to begin the expositional message based upon Isaiah 61.

They were literally staring at Him. With spellbound, rapt focus they stared at Him. They were mesmerized. Paul used the word here translated “fixed” in 2 Corinthians 3:7 and 13 to describe the people gazing on Moses after he returned from Sinai with a glowing face. Jesus had dropped the atomic bomb, “Today, your Messiah, predicted by Isaiah, has come, and I am your King.” Do you think He had their attention?

It seems that Luke recorded only the first sentence of Jesus’ “sermon”: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Luke declared that this sentence was what “He began to say to them,” indicating there was more that was said. Albert Barnes supports this interpretation when he records, “It is probable that he said much ‘more’ than is here recorded, but Luke has preserved only the ‘substance’ of his discourse. This was the ‘amount’ or ‘sum’ of his sermon, or his explanation of the passage, that it was now receiving its accomplishment.” It is inconceivable that Jesus’ discourse would have been about the Sabbath, tithing, or fasting. With the Messiah sitting in front of them (or at least someone claiming to be the Messiah), the people surely heard further elucidation of the person and future work of Christ. Vincent likewise writes that Jesus “expounded” Isaiah 61:1–2.

How did they respond? Their twofold response consisted of praise and wonder. How could such words of grace come from a local carpenter’s son? Without question, the reputation and “fame” of Jesus were on the upswing.

Was this an exposition? Was it expository preaching? The answer is “yes.” Jesus exposed the Jews to the proper meaning of the biblical text, and He surely did it so they would believe Him. Robert Mounce explains, “They needed to be taught the implications of the announcement.” The real Messiah would additionally express clarifying comments so the people could fully understand the ramifications of the Scripture reading and the local man Jesus. F.B. Meyer believes this was exposition, saying,

We cannot found an argument upon this single act, but it is at least significant that the Lord gave His sanction to the systematic reading and consideration of the inspired Word in His earliest sermon. Our Lord was also careful to consider the text in relation to the context and the whole tenor and teaching of Scripture. The habit of taking a little snippet of a verse from any part of the Bible and making it the subject of discourse, exposes the preacher to the danger of an unbalanced statement of truth, which is very prejudicial. Nothing is more perilous than the partial knowledge of God’s truth, which is based on sentences torn from their rock-bed and viewed in isolation from their setting.*

You can get your copy here and (if you have Logos) here.


*Abendroth, M. (2008). Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers: Learning from the Teaching Ministry of Jesus (146–149). Leominster: Day One.

More Quotes On Preaching

 Mike Abendroth:

The church has exchanged her preaching birthright for a watered-down stew of PowerPoint presentations, drama, methods, slide shows, movie clips, felt needs, psychology, techniques, and programs that are designed to fill the pews. This “stew” will not fill the person in the pew with hygienic, sound, meaty doctrine, which is critical for healthy Christian living. We need men at our sacred desks today who will not apologize for cutting the Word of truth straightly, in context, with boldness, directed at the heart, and carefully exegeted. The world may deem these men of God “dinosaurs,” “obscurantists,” “sheltered,” “cave dwellers,” or “troglodytes,” but the Judge of the living and of the dead will call them “blessed” and “obedient servants.”

Preaching is the issue, not just any kind of preaching, but preaching that will rescue the lethargic church. It is the premise of this book that, if pastors would preach as Jesus did, their churches would flourish spiritually and God would be honored. If laypeople and congregations would rise up and demand Christ-like preaching from their pulpits, the church would immediately begin to shake off her lethargy and start on the path of full recovery. She would then begin to reach out with evangelism, because healthy sheep reproduce.*

 Walter C. Kaiser Jr.:

It is no secret that Christ’s Church is not at all in good health in many places of the world. She has been languishing because she has been fed … “junk food” … The Biblical text is often no more than a slogan or refrain in the message … Biblical exposition has become a lost art in contemporary preaching … American parishioners … are often rewarded with more or less of the same treatment: repetitious arrangements of the most elementary truths of the faith … Where is that sense of authority and mission previously associated with the Biblical Word?*

James White:

What you win them with is what you win them to. Preaching is God’s way of proclaiming the foolishness of the gospel to the weak and despised, all to His own glory. The world will always despise preaching, but when the church likewise questions God’s wisdom and starts using alternatives, a major problem exists.*

John Stott:

The main objective of preaching is to expound Scripture so faithfully and relevantly that Jesus Christ is perceived in all his adequacy to meet human need. The true preacher is a witness; he is incessantly testifying to Christ.*

 Robert Reymond:

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: ‘The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others’ (2:2; emphasis supplied). He further urged the church not to be hasty in ordaining men to the gospel ministry before they had undergone ministerial trial (1 Tim. 5:22), insisting in Titus 1:4–2:1 that along with the other requirements essential to the teaching eldership (see 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9) he who would be a pastor/teacher must be ‘able to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict’ his teaching (Tit. 1:9; emphasis supplied). Clearly, the great apostle mandates a theologically articulate ministry for the church.

The responsibility to prepare himself theologically through rigorous study is as great for both the man already in and the man aspiring to the ministry today as it was in Paul’s day—perhaps even greater; for while it is true that today he can ‘stand on the shoulders’, so to speak, of twenty previous centuries of Spirit-wrought insight into the Holy Scriptures, not only is he faced today with the ever-increasing avalanche of secular humanism in a world whose unbelieving population is even more numerous now than there were even people in the world when our Lord first issued his Great Commission two thousand years ago, but also he must combat within the church, in addition to the many ancient heresies which still abound on every hand, the myriad new forms of overt and covert opposition to the true teaching of Scripture.

It is absolutely essential that the church of our generation train a vast contingent of qualified men who will be able to draw from the Scriptures, through the best canons of exegesis and hermeneutics, what the Bible teaches and to proclaim and to apply that teaching powerfully and winsomely to the present condition.*

B.B. Warfield:

A mutilated gospel produces mutilated lives, and mutilated lives are positive evils. Whatever the preacher may do, [his] hearers will not do without a system of belief; and in their attempt to frame one for the government of their lives out of the fragments of truth which [the indifferent] preacher will grant them, is it any wonder if they should go fatally astray?… it is not given to one who stands in the pulpit to decide whether or no he shall teach, whether or no he shall communicate to others a system of belief which will form lives and determine destinies. It is in his power only to determine what he shall teach, what system of doctrine he shall press upon the acceptance of men; by what body of tenets he will seek to mold their lives and to inform their devotions.… And this is but another way of saying that the systematic study of divine truth … is the most indispensable preparation for the pulpit. Only as the several truths to be presented are known in their relations can they be proclaimed in their right proportions and so taught as to produce their right effects on the soul’s life and growth.*

*Abendroth, M. (2008). Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers: Learning from the Teaching Ministry of Jesus (14–15). Leominster: Day One.

*Cited in: Abendroth, M. (2008). Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers: Learning from the Teaching Ministry of Jesus (14). Leominster: Day One.

*Abendroth, M. (2008). Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers: Learning from the Teaching Ministry of Jesus (4). Leominster: Day One.
*Stott, John R. W. (1994-01-01). Between Two Worlds: The Challenge of Preaching Today (p. 325). Eerdmans Publishing Co - A. Kindle Edition.

*Reymond, R. L. (2003). The God-Centered Preacher: Developing a Pulpit Ministry Approved by God (99–100). Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications

*Cited in: Reymond, R. L. (2003). The God-Centered Preacher: Developing a Pulpit Ministry Approved by God (101). Fearn, UK: Christian Focus Publications.

Some Good Commentary On 1 Timothy 2:8-15

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.



The commentary comes from John Kitchen's The Pastoral Epistles for Pastors. This first past comes right after his exegesis of verse 12:

These verses raise many questions concerning their appropriate application in the church today. One lesson we learn is that standing before God’s people with God’s Word and speaking on His behalf is a far more serious matter than perhaps many Christians understand. Something unique from all other human communication is taking place in those instances. When we reduce the significance of God’s Word being taught to God’s people, we open the door to sentiments such as “What’s the big deal?” concerning any divine restrictions upon that act. Not only must we answer the individual questions that arise from the Apostle’s words here, but we must reexamine our understanding and attitude toward the proclamation of God’s Word when His people gather for worship. What are we expecting to take place in those moments?

This next portion comes from verse 15:

One might ask why Paul would spend so much time on the women’s role (vv. 9–15) and comparatively little upon that of the men (v. 8). The answer probably lies in that the false teachers were misguiding the women concerning their role—teaching them that marriage was to be spurned (1 Tim. 4:3; cf. Paul’s counsel in 5:11, 14) and likely also that motherhood lacked the dignity and priority of other forms of leadership. This does not limit the application of the Apostle’s words as culturally irrelevant to our society, for he did not instruct the women regarding what was merely prudent in their present context, but what God has established from creation (v. 13). Rather it underscores that the answer is to return to God’s original design for humanity whenever challenges confront the church. God has not denigrated the woman’s value or diminished the woman’s role. Rather He has elevated it and dignified it. The influence of a woman is broader and fuller than what simply takes place in a local congregation. It begins from a child’s earliest days, continues throughout all those days and in all the places through which she goes with that child. She is the molder of hearts and minds and lives as a constant, unceasing presence and teacher of her children. She is not limited to the hours that a congregation may gather together for worship; she is released to exert her influence twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for as long as her children are at her side. Then she deploys them strategically into the world in hopes that her influence will compound and spread far beyond where her single voice might have been heard had she taken up a position in the church which God has not afforded her. As Hendriksen well says, “It is his will that the woman should influence mankind ‘from the bottom up’ (that is, by way of the child), not ‘from the top down’ (that is, not by way of the man).” In the end we may discover that the influence of the mother will have far outdistanced that of the father or church leader.

*Kitchen, J. A. (2009). The Pastoral Epistles for Pastors (112). The Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications.

Ibid, 119-120