Happy Birthday John Calvin!

I will bow down toward your holy temple
and I will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
~Psalm 138:2

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
~2 Timothy 2:15

Let the pastors boldly dare all things by the word of God. . . . Let them constrain all the power, glory, and excellence of the world to give place to and to obey the divine majesty of this word. Let them enjoin everyone by it, from the highest to the lowest. Let them edify the body of Christ. Let them devastate Satan's reign. Let them pasture the sheep, kill the wolves, instruct and exhort the rebellious. Let them bind and loose thunder and lightning, if necessary, but let them do all according to the word of God
~John Calvin

I don't how many know this or care but today is the 500th birthday of John Calvin, one of the instruments God used to spread the Reformation throughout Europe. One could easily argue that he is one of the most influential theologians in history next to the apostle Paul. Personally, he is one of the "Johns" whom God has used to greatly impact my life and aid in teaching me His Word (the other two being John MacArthur and John Piper). Regardless of whether you agree with him theologically or not (while through my study of Scripture I wholeheartedly affirm, embrace, and cherish the doctrines of grace he purported, I differ with him on his understanding of infant baptism and amillennialism), there are things we all can learn from his life and ministry which had at its heart the glory of God. A fresh look at Calvin teaches us several things:

1) The Importance of the Word of God
The backbone of Calvin's ministry was the Word of God. This was central to his work in Geneva. In fact, upon seeing the many problems which existed in the church at Geneva, Calvin concluded that the only remedy to the problem would be to preach God's Word and let God straighten the people out through it. Calvin labored at teaching the flock that God had entrusted to him what God had communicated to them through His written Word. He preached ten sermons every two weeks at the same time writing several commentaries which he has blessed the church with today. His belief on the centrality of God's Word led him to preach through the Scriptures verse by verse. Such a commitment is shown in his return to Geneva after his banishment to start preaching from the exact verse he left off at his last sermon three years prior. He is known as the "prince of expositors." Every minister would do well in making the Word of God the foundation of his ministry. Every born again believer would do well in making the Word of God the foundation of their life and work; whatever God has called them to do.

2) The Importance of Embracing, Proclaiming, and Sharing the Glory of God
Calvin had one thing which drove his actions. This was his zeal for the glory of God to be made manifest and shared. The impetus for the strong commitment of teaching God's Word just discussed came from Calvin's perspective that to honor the Word of God would be to honor the God of the Word. He felt that the best way to display God's glory to the people was to preach God's Word which revealed His glorious work of redemption throughout history. He even stated at the end of his life that "I have written nothing out of hatred to any one, but I have always faithfully propounded what I esteemed to be for the glory of God."1 Such a commitment to living for the glory of God should be one which envelopes our lives as well. I have already shown from Psalm 67 what I believe reveals God's glory to be the impetus of missions (see my note: "Missions is About God"). Paul tells us that Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Nothing should be a higher priority for the Christian than seeking to bring glory to God in everything that he or she does.

3) The Importance of Scholarship
Calvin was a pastor-theologian; something many claim today can't exist. In one moment he could write a treatise explaining what Scripture actually says about "free will" and then in another minister to one who was grieving the loss of a loved one. In fact, Calvin at first could not see how the two went together. He desired to be a scholar and write books concerning the faith. His whole purpose in writing The Institutes of the Christian Religion, his "magnum opus" respectfully, was to teach the pastors who were suffering persecution in France the faith that they were dying for. However, God continued to direct the Reformer to the pastorate where he used his scholarship in his teaching. He was not only a pastor shepherding his flock but a scholar seeking to teach God's Word as thoroughly and clearly as possible. It is interesting that for many decades historical scholars were perplexed with what translation Calvin used in his teaching. It was not until recently they realized the reason for their mystery. Calvin did not use a translation but translated the original Hebrew and Greek on the spot from the pulpit without ever mentioning a Hebrew or Greek word! Such scholarship is usually laughed at today with ministers who desire to accurately handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) and pine over what God originally spoke in the original languages with them being accused of wasting their time on frivolous matters. I actually think the church would benefit more from scholarly pastors such as Calvin as well as Jonathon Edwards and John Piper which have followed him. Personally, I sense that God is calling me to be a pastor-theologian and it was through studying Calvin's life and ministry that my eyes were opened to this possibility.

4) Dedication
Calvin's hard work in ministry is enough to make the busiest pastor today in 21st century America appear lazy. Not only did he keep up with his extensive preaching schedule and strive relentlessly to write his commentaries, he also visited people in their homes and managed his administrative responsibilities at his church. He also had a wife and kids to minister to, some kids which I believe he took in. He never would have had time to waste hours in front of a TV or playing video games (not saying that these are wrong but we do need to be careful how we spend our time-Ephesians 5:15-16). These would have slowed him down from the work of ministry. Upon his latter years in poor health, people begged him to take a break. He was even preaching in his bedroom. The Reformer's answer was "What? Would you have the Lord find me idle when he comes?"2 Unfortunately, and not admirable, he occupied himself so much with the work of the church that he did not take care of his health. (Something the current commentator as well as others would be wise to take heed about.) Calvin's dedication to what God called him to do reminds me that no matter how overwhelmed I feel with what God has on my plate, I can accomplish what He would have me to do if I rely on His strength through His grace.

5) How God Uses Men Despite Their Many Flaws
Calvin is another reminder of how God uses the most flawed men to do His perfect work. The Bible is full of those who had several weaknesses which would have hindered their effectiveness if it had not been for God's supernatural work both in and through them. Abraham had wavering faith, Jacob was a trickster, Moses couldn't speak, Jeremiah was too young, Gideon was unsure, David committed adultery and murder, Samson was a womanizer, and Peter denied his Lord. Yet, inspite of all of these and possible because of them, God chose to use such weak vessels so that He might get the glory. Calvin is no different. He had his flaws. Just the mention of the name "Michael Servetus" brings the sober reminder of Calvin's role in his execution and no discussion of the church's role with the state is complete without a reference to Calvin's Geneva and how the merging of the two entities was disastrous. This birthday is not a celebration of Calvin. He was a mere man who was nothing. Instead it's a celebration of a great God who sovereignly chose to work through such a weak vessel to bring Reform to His church for His glory as He had purposed. Calvin was just an ordinary man who was used by an extraordinary God. Just as we also are. Praise God for John Calvin and the work that He accomplished with his life and ministry. May God use us, as insignificant as we are, to further His Kingdom for His glory as He sees fit.

In Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!!!

1 John Dillenberger, John Calvin, Selections from His Writings (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1975) 110.
2Preface to John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009) xiv.

The Slippery Slope of Sin

Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant" . . . Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die" . . . The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died . . . But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.
~2 Samuel 11:1-27

For the past couple of weeks I have been pondering the words of the Casting Crowns' song, "Slow Fade." One thing I greatly appreciate about the ministry of this group is their convicting songs rooted in God's Word. I mean just listen to the words of "Can Anybody Hear Her?" and "If We are the Body." The message of this song is no different. Here is a sampling of the words:

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

The point of the song is so true to life. We don't necessarily jump into sin but slowly drift into it. We start out thinking that nothing is wrong to realize that we have already veered off course. In fact, the pride of thinking that we are above falling into a certain sin, makes us all the more vulnerable to it. It is taking our guard down that places us more prone to Satan's attacks. Paul told the Corinthians to learn from the examples of the wilderness generation God had brought out of Egyptian captivity to Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall (I Corinthians 10:12). If the Israelites whom the Lord delivered out of Egypt were susceptible to temptation, what makes us think that we are above them? After all, it only takes one look, one dip, one smoke, and one drink for a sinful addiction to start while we are under the impression that "once is not going to hurt me." King David is a prime example of how one can "slowly fade" into sin.

The author of I Samuel describes David as a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:14). In fact, his name in Hebrew means "beloved". This man after God's own heart was not invincible to sin as this text shows. David's problems began when he did not do what he was supposed to. The chapter opens up with the description of the usual practice of the kings going to war every spring. The author appears to make a contrast with the fact that David was not among this group. He states: But David stayed at Jerusalem (2 Samuel 11:1). David should have went with the group as was his usual practice. Had David not strayed from what he was supposed to do, he may have never fell into such grievous sins as followed. While the author does not provide the reason for David's decision to stay home, I am sure that he did not think that it would result in him committing two high handed sins (Numbers 15:30). Likewise, we get ourselves in trouble when we are not where we are supposed to be or place ourselves where temptation lies. In so doing we open ourselves up to the greater possibility of being carried away by our lusts and falling into sin. This is what happened to David.

David's fade continued as he walked on the roof and caught sight of the beautiful Bathsheba. The next thing we know is that the lustful thoughts have turned into action as David has Bathsheba brought to him for his pleasure. David should have stopped after the first glance. Instead, he inquires about who the woman is and inspite of the fact that he was told that the woman belonged to Uriah, had messengers deliver her to him. This is a good example of James' teaching concerning the progression of sin. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death (James 1:14-15). David's lust had given way to one sin which actually led to another just as horrendous. It is true that there is a snowball effect of sin. One lie we tell leads to others to cover up the first and another bad decision is justified by another. Sin has consequences and the worst thing we can do instead of dealing with the consequences and confessing our sin, is attempt to cover up the sin.

The consequences of David's sin was a pregnant Bathsheba. Instead of coming clean with his sin, David attempts to cover it up by having Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, called home in hopes that he would sleep with his wife and David's deed would remain hidden. However, Uriah is too noble to enjoy his wife while his fellow troops are out in the battlefield. When all of David's attempts to convince Uriah to go home fail, he winds up being guilty of murder as he arranges for Uriah to get killed in battle. The author makes sure to point out that David had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

Thus David went from being where he was not supposed to be to being an adulterer and a murderer. While these events probably took longer to unfold then the brief summary of the events portray, it does convey how easy one wrong decision can result in sin. As the Casting Crowns' song points out: The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you're thinking. May we learn from David's example to be aware of what may seem like little sins in our lives and our attempts to hide them. May we not seek to hide our sin resulting in further sins. Make sure that you are where God wants you to be and be aware of the slippery slope of sin.

In Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria

Missions is About God

God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us-
That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will judge the peoples with uprightness
And guide the nations on the earth.
Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
The earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, blesses us.
God blesses us.
That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
~Psalm 67

Many Christians have the wrong attitude towards evangelism and missions. Though many mean well, their approach becomes very man-centered. Some view new converts as notches in their belt instead of celebrating the work of redemption that God has done in the sinner's life in giving him eyes to see and the desire to embrace the truth of the gospel. In fact, evangelism and missions is not about people but about God. The impetus for missions should be to make God's name great throughout the earth. Mission activity should spawn out of an intense desire to share God's great name with others and the wonderful and marvelous work He has done, part of that work being His sending of His Son in the place of sinners to appease God's great wrath and the providing of eternal life through faith in Him. Psalm 67 does well in communicating such a desire which all Christians should have in approaching mission work.

The psalmist opens up the poem with an appeal to God to be gracious and to bestow His blessing. The wording is almost identical to the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26: The LORD bless you, and keep you; / The LORD make His face shine on you, / And be gracious to you; / The LORD lift up His countenance on you, / And give you peace. This was a blessing which God instructed Aaron and his sons to say to pronounce upon the people of Israel. So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them (Numbers 6:27). In using some of the familiar language of this blessing, the psalmist is requesting God to show His favor upon His people. But note the reason the psalmist desires God to show His favor. It is not so that they can live a life of health, wealth, and prosperity. It is not so that they can be comfortable. He is not making the request on their behalf at all but God's! His desire is that God would get the glory and make His name known to the other nations. The hope is that other people will view God's work and realize that God is good and is the One who brings ultimate satisfaction. He states the reason as That Your way may be known on the earth, / Your salvation among all nations. In fact, this is God's very reason for the things which He does, to glorify Himself and to make His name known. One of the reasons that God chose to reveal His power through the ten plagues upon the nation of Egypt and Pharaoh instead of striking them dead right away was to glorify Himself through proclaiming His great name. For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth (Exodus 9:15-16). In missions we play a part of God's desire of glorifying His great name in proclaiming the gospel which He uses to bring people to saving faith in Him (Romans 1:16-17; 10:17; 1 Peter 23). In spreading the gospel, we proclaim God's way and salvation among the nations just as the psalmist invites God to use His blessings and favor upon His people to do so.

The psalmist next moves to call all to praise God. He not only calls peoples, but specifically all the peoples. God is so good and due to our own delight in Him, we should desire that all would have that same fulfillment of delight. Because He is worthy of all of our praise, we should desire that others would give Him the glory He rightfully deserves. The peace that we experience with God through Jesus Christ should prompt us to share Christ so that God may work in others for them to encounter the same peace. Our goal in missions should be to call people to rejoice in everything Christ is and all that He has done as part of God's perfect, divine plan. John Stott put it well when he stated: "The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God . . .), but rather zeal-burning and passionate zeal-for the glory of Jesus Christ."

The psalmist calls the nations to be glad and sing for joy. The reason the nations should be ecstatic is due to God's reign. Judgment and guidance are aspects of the role of a ruler. The psalmist may well have in mind the millennial kingdom where the Messiah will rule over Israel and the nations. This is the culmination of the kingdom He has promised.

The poem closes in much the same way it starts. The psalmist shares a specific material blessing of the produce of crops and then once again reiterates that the reason for the blessing is so that the ends of the earth may be in awe of God for who He is and what He has done for His people. God blesses us so that the world may see Him and reverence or fear Him.

May God send us out to proclaim His great name among the nations and bring Him glory. If we are serious about God's glory, we will be serious about missions!

In Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!

A Wonderful Website to Aid in Missions

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."
~Matthew 9:35-38

I spent some time pondering yesterday the importance that missions must play in the life of the Christian. God's heart clearly is to glorify His name throughout all the earth (Exodus 9:16; Psalm 67; Ezekiel 38:23) and having His children bring the gospel to every tribe and tongue and people group is the means He has graciously chosen to do so. This website is a nice aid in helping us be faithful to the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:19-20) as it provides information on the unreached people groups in the world. I would encourage you to look over this for any opportunity the Lord may be providing you with and to commit to pray for some of these groups that God would send feet of those who bring good news of good things (Romans 10:15) so that through the proclamation of the gospel, Satan's hold upon them may collapse and God may penetrate hard hearts with His transforming power. As Jesus told His disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). Who knows, like the disciples who prayed that prayer, God's answer might be to send you to work in that harvest. Right after Jesus exhorted His followers to pray for workers, He sent them out to do the work (Matthew 10:1-42).

Seeking to glorify God and make His name famous throughout the peoples of the earth,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!!!

The Most Dangerous and Necessary Prayer

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"
~Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus has just left with His disciples from the Passover meal and was heading into the Garden of Gethesemane to pray. Luke informs us that this was a common place where He regularly communed with God in prayer, as was His custom (Luke 22:39). Like many of us, He came to prayer with much anxiety weighing upon Him. Matthew records Him as saying that His soul was deeply grieved while Luke describes Him as being in agony. In fact, He was in so much agony that He was sweating blood (Luke 22:44)! The reason for this anxiety was the nearness He was to the cup God had prepared for Him to drink in the sinners place. In the Old Testament the prophets referred to the "cup of God's wrath" which He pours out in His anger. Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, / You who have drunk from the LORD's hand the cup of His anger; / The chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs (Isaiah 51:17). Jesus knew the hour was at hand for Him to experience this cup.

We witness Jesus' emotions in His prayer. I cannot imagine what must have been going through His mind knowing what was ahead. For all eternity God the Son had experienced complete fellowship with God the Father and was about to be crushed by the Father's good pleasure (Isaiah 53:10) and be separated from Him due to the bearing of man's sins. On the cross, when the sky became black and Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have your forsaken me? He was experiencing the separation from God that all mankind was due to experience for all eternity (and which those who refuse to repent and trust Christ may still experience). Though only for a moment, compared to an eternity with God, the pain must have been wrenching. Although led by the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), Jesus still had to deal with these emotions.

The first part of Jesus' prayer is a plea. Much like Paul who would later ask Jesus to take away his "thorn," Jesus asks if possible, if God could take away the cup of suffering awaiting Him. This is not an indication of a lack of trust in God but a struggle with the intense pain which had never been experienced before. It is similar to a man or woman who is nearing the operating room and dreading the pain that the procedure will cause, though they know that the pain is necessary to settle their affliction. Only, Jesus' pain could not compare to the pain of any medical procedure ever experienced on earth!

The next part of Jesus' prayer is key. Though He made a plea for God to take away the cup, He surrenders to His sovereignty and gives Him full control of His life. It is not about what He desires in light of what is to come but what God desires to do. Again, knowing God's plan in the matter, He states that He will do what God will have Him. if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done. This is the picture of one who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). This prayer captures one of the points of the model prayer Jesus earlier taught His disciples: Your will be done, / On earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

This is both a dangerous and necessary prayer for us to mimic. It is dangerous because we give God full control and authority in our lives to do as He pleases for His purposes. This may result in suffering God chooses to bring upon us or in Him taking away something we hold dear. However, this is also a necessary prayer because God uses such things to weed out sin, strengthen our faith, and work to conform us into Christ's image. We normally experience our greatest amount of growth spiritually in those "valley" experiences instead of when we are in the "peaks" of life. We may not be asking for things we want, but things which are necessary to be holy.

I have recently read an interview with John Piper where Piper shares a prayer he prays which resembles the point, yet not as I will, but as You will:

When I get on my knees and think about my struggles with pride or fear or greed or complacency or lack of love, what I say to God is, "Lord" (this is a really dangerous prayer, I think), "whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to break me of pride, of the fear of man, of greed, of cancer . . . if it takes loss of family, ministry-do it. I want to be holy. I want to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Do whatever it takes."
*John Piper and Justin Taylor. Eds. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006) 224.

yet not as I will, but as You will
What about you? Have you prayed this prayer? Maybe you have said it but did you really mean it? Are you willing to submit to God and take whatever He gives you, knowing that it is ultimately for our good and His glory? I pray that we would all follow Jesus' example and humbly submit our wills to God's and give Him full control and authority to do what He pleases in order to bring us to where He wants us!

In Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!

The Joy of the Word of God

The law of the LORD is perfect,
restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true;
they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold,
yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the
drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is
warned;
In keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Acquit
me of hidden faults.
Also keep back Your servant from
presumptuous sins;
Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be blameless,
And I shall be acquitted of great
transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
~Psalm 19:7-14

Without any intention of my own, I have been writing on the theme of the Word of God and what it means for Christians who desire to live and base their lives on it. My past two notes and blogs dealt with the foundational importance of God's Word for the minister (The Word of God for the Man of God) and the "Reliability and Sufficiency of the Word of God". Today I am going to talk about "The Joy of the Word of God."

This psalm attributed to David clearly reveals the heart of one who loves the Word of God. After rejoicing over the work of God in creation (vs. 1-6), David moves on to rejoice over God's Word. He uses five synonyms for God's Word (law, testimony, precepts, commandment, and judgments) and then proceeds to speak of its result. The effects of God's Word which should bring us joy are that it brings us encouragement in restoring our soul, teaching by making wise the simple, giving us joy, rejoicing the heart, as well as revealing truths to us by enlightening the eyes all because God's words are righteous altogether. While the fear of the LORD mentioned in vs 9 does not appear to be a synonym for God's Word, it does describe a proper response to it. One thing God's Word does in the heart of a Christian is inspire him to worship. In his wonderful work, Desiring God, John Piper makes a strong point that the natural response to reading God's Word is worship (while I remember reading it, unfortunately I have failed to find the exact quote in over 334 pages in his book.) I can recall several times personally studying Scripture when the Holy Spirit has revealed something to me or aided me in understanding something I had been struggling with and having to stop and take time to praise and worship God, to have that fear or awe of God David may be referring to.

Continuing in his joy of God's Word, David goes on to describe it as more desirable than gold, even fine gold. While many spend their lives searching for treasure, David has already found it in the Word of God. He would rather have God's Word than "silver and gold". Money cannot buy the joy the Word of God brings to the serious student. Material things are fleeting but the Word of God is eternal. As Isaiah points out comparing the temporal physical human life to God's messages: The grass withers, the flower fades, / But the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). It grieves my heart to know of too many who are wasting their time seeking false joy from what they mistakenly believe material wealth will bring when true joy and treasure is found in Scripture. The treasures in God's Word will make an eternal difference in one's life, much more than "bigger barns" full of stuff one accumulates on this earth which receive no eternal value (Luke 12:13-21).

In addition to viewing God's Word as "greater treasure", David describes it as "greater food". He compares it to honey and finds it sweeter. It is hard to find anything sweeter than honey, especially when it is fresh from the honeycomb itself. Yet, as sweet as it is, David finds the treasure of God's commands and judgments to be better. David must have realized what Moses had taught in Deuteronomy 8:3: man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. While it is important to partake daily of physical food for the nourishment of our bodies which are temporal, how much more important to partake of our spiritual food of God's Word for the nourishment of our souls which are eternal?

Another reason David rejoices over God's Word is the great reward of heeding to the warnings it gives concerning sin (vs. 11). Another psalmist later states that a young man can keep his way pure . . . By keeping it according to Your word, (Psalm 119:9) and Your word I have treasured in my heart, / That I may not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). The remedy for not falling into sin is to heed the warnings in God's Word and treasuring that word over all other things, which would include the pleasures of sin. 19th century evangelist Dwight L. Moody made a strong point when he held up his Bible in one of his revival meetings and stated: "This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book." In reading the words which are true and righteous altogether, one will see how unrighteous he or she is. It is God's Word which leads one to confess and repent of both sins of omission (hidden faults) and sins of commission (presumptuous sins). David ends his psalm with a prayer resulting from the reforming power of God's Word in pointing out sin in one's life. Instead of living in sin which is displeasing in God's sight, he wants everything he does to be acceptable in His sight.

David's love and joy in God's Word is undeniable. The question then is what about you? Do you find your joy in God's Word or are their material things in your life which are sweeter and valued as a greater treasure? Would you rather watch a movie or read the latest fiction novel than spend an hour with God in His Word? I pray that the passion and joy David exudes concerning God's Word would flow in our lives out to others who witness us studying and living out Scripture. May God receive glory by us satisfying ourselves in Him through His Word.

In Christ,
Lee Smith
Soli Deo Gloria!!!

The Ministry of the Word of God for the Man of God

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
~2 Timothy 4:1-5

As I have been working through a text for Sunday's sermon, the Lord has renewed a sense of importance of being true to what the Lord inspired the text to be saying and the necessity of effectively communicating His message. At the same time I have been reading John MacArthur and the Master's Seminary's book entitled Preaching: How to Preach Biblically which has also reminded me the importance of taking my personal study and exegesis of the text seriously. The last thing I ever want to do is to misinterpret God's meaning or miscommunicate a crucial truth He has inspired the authors of Scripture to record.

Unfortunately, the current state of the pulpit is a sad state indeed. Several pastors are not being true to the teaching of the Word. They are not taking time to sufficiently study to personally understand what God is saying in the text. Instead of studying to figure out the original intent of what the authors were inspired to write, they place their own agenda on the text and become the master over it instead of allowing the Scripture to be their master with their job being careful not to overstep the boundaries of what the text is saying. My heart has been broken several times as I have had the privilege to travel to different churches and preach and see how hungry some congregations are because their pastor is not doing their best to truly feed them the Word of God. He may be giving them crumbs when they are starving for a meal.

The importance of God's Word to the ministry of the pastor is apparent in Scripture. It is something which cannot be easily neglected. In fact, the Apostles were so committed to the teaching of the Word of God that they would not allow trivial matters to hinder this ministry. When a dispute arose from the Hellenistic Jews due to their feelings that their widows have been overlooked in the provision of food, the Apostles make the powerful statement, It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables (Acts 6:2). This is not to say that the care for the widows was not important, because the apostles still took care of the problem by having the believers choose seven men of godly character to handle the problem. They just realized that they were responsible to minister the Word of God and that they needed sufficient time to do this effectively. This is a reason the office of deacon probably developed, to aid the pastor in service matters so that he can devote more time to the ministry of the Word.

Paul's second letter to the young pastor, Timothy, is filled with the importance of the Word of God in his ministry. Early in the letter, Paul encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of Christ but to join him in his suffering for the gospel (1:8). He urges him to Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2:15). Scripture is able to ground the young minister and keep him from being led astray by the deception of evil men and impostors and lead to salvation (3:14-15). It is also his sole handbook for his ministry and fully sufficient for his every work (3:16-17) (for a fuller exposition of these two verses, please see my previous note entitled: The Reliability and Sufficiency of Scripture).

Right after showing Timothy how important and fully sufficient Scripture is for the ministry of the man of God, he gives the young pastor this charge: preach the word (4:2). This is a charge for ministers everywhere which should not be taken lightly. After all, this charge is given with two of the most important witnesses, God and Jesus who clearly has authority. This is a charge which is for all time. It is not just for Sunday morning or Wednesday night. The pastor must so saturate himself in God's Word that he is prepared in season and out of season to proclaim and teach it. There is no such thing as an inappropriate time to teach the Word of God. The world may make such claims, but Scripture is clear that the pastor should always be ready to live out this charge. Also apart of this charge is to reprove, rebuke, exhort. These resemble the list given in 3:16 concerning what Scripture is profitable for. In fact, the Greek verb for reprove, "elegcho," is very similar to the noun, reproof, "elegchos". This must be done with great patience and instruction and not in anger. One reason Paul charges Timothy to be ready at all times and to make sure it is done with patience is that a time is coming when men will no longer listen to sound doctrine but instead seek to be comforted with what they want to hear in contrasts to what they need to hear. We are seeing this warning lived out today with many who have problems with sound biblical teaching leaving certain churches to form their own where they teach what they want regardless of what Scripture has to say or they flock to hear pastors which preach what they desire Scripture to say instead of conforming their lives to Scripture. Too many are flocking to hear a message of "health, wealth, and prosperity" and neglecting the fact that Scripture states that God chooses to use suffering to purify His children's faith and work to conform them into the image of Christ. Several are buying into a message of how to have "your best life now." (Side note: if you are able to describe this life as your best then what does that say about your eternal destination?) Other examples exist and are too numerous to mention but Paul's point is clear. Instead, Paul urges Timothy to keep his head and stay the course of his ministry, which is not always an easy job. Paul could be instructing Timothy to do the work of an evangelist for those who are following myths and not the truth. The role could be to tell them the truth of the Word of God in hopes that the Lord will lead them to the saving knowledge of the truth. Overall, the necessity of the commitment of the man of God to the Word of God is evident.

I would like to close this note and exposition with a statement from an anonymous member of one congregation concerning the importance of the Word of God for the man of God. It is lengthy but powerful and well worth the read. I read this last night and was strongly encouraged. If you are a pastor, may this be an encouragement to you to saturate yourself in the Word of God and be faithful in your studying, teaching, and living it out. If you are not a pastor, may this be an encouragement to you to hold your pastor or pastors accountable and demand them to uphold the truth of God's Word.

Fling him [the pastor] into his office. Tear the "Office" sign from the door and nail on the sign, "Study." Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books and his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and the flock of lives of a superficial flock and a holy God.

Force him to be the one man in our surfeited communities who knows about God. Throw him into the ring to box with God until he learns how short his arms are. Engage him to wrestle with God all the night through. And let him come out only when he's bruised and beaten into being a blessing.

Shut his mouth forever spouting remarks, and stop his tongue forever tripping lightly over every nonessential. Require him to have something to say before he dares break the silence. Bend his knees in the lonesome valley. Burn his eyes with weary study. Wreck his emotional poise with worry for God. And make him exchange his pious stance for a humble walk with God and man. Make him spend and be spent for the glory of God. Rip out his telephone. Burn up his ecclesiastical success sheets.

Put water in his gas tank. Give him a Bible and tie him to the pulpit. And make him preach the Word of the living God! Test him. Quiz him. Examine him. Humiliate him for his ignorance of things divine. Shame him for his good comprehension of finances, batting averages, and political in-fighting. Laugh at his frustrated effort to play psychiatrist. Form a choir and raise a chant and haunt him with it night and day—"Sir, we would see Jesus."

When at long last he dares assay the pulpit, ask him if he has a word from God. If he does not, then dismiss him. Tell him you can read the morning paper and digest the television commentaries, and think through the day's superficial problems, and manage the community's weary drives, and bless the sordid baked potatoes and green beans, ad infinitum, better than he can. Command him not to come back until he's read and reread, written and rewritten, until he can stand up, worn and forlorn, and say, "Thus saith the Lord."

Break him across the board of his ill-gotten popularity. Smack him hard with his own prestige. Corner him with questions about God. Cover him with demands for celestial wisdom. And give him no escape until he's back against the wall of the Word. And sit down before him and listen to the only word he has left—God's Word. Let him be totally ignorant of the down-street gossip, but give him a chapter and order him to walk around it, camp on it, sup with it, and come at last to speak it backward and forward, until all he says about it rings with the truth of eternity.

And when he's burned out by the flaming Word, when he's consumed at last by the fiery grace blazing through him, and when he's privileged to translate the truth of God to man, finally transferred from earth to heaven, then bear him away gently and blow a muted trumpet and lay him down softly. Place a two-edged sword in his coffin, and raise the tomb triumphant. For he was a brave soldier of the Word. And ere he died, he had become a man of God.

In Christ,
Lee Smith
Soli Deo Gloria!!!