I visited two churches this past Sunday.  I attended the 8:30 service at Parkside Church in Cleveland where one of my heroes Dr. Alistair Begg is the preacher and then went at 10:00 to the cafe contemporary service at Hudson Community chapel where my son-in-law and daughter attend.  The two services were very different to say the lease and both, as do all services of worship, had things commendable and things that caused concern.  Let me begin with the positives at both the services and then turn to what I saw as points of concern.

First you need to know that is was cold in Cleveland on Sunday morning.  Winds were blowing from 35 to 50 mph.  Our trailblazer was blown about in the early morning as I made my way from Haley’s house to Parkside.  I arrived at 8:10 and walked into an almost empty huge sanctuary.  All of that changed by 8:20 when almost empty became almost full, at least 800 people present for the first of three services that Sunday.  The service began with a Scripture reading from John 1 [+/-]John 1 [1:1]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2]He was in the beginning with God. [3]All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4]In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5]The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [6]There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7]He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. [8]He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. [9]The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10]He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. [11]He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. [12]But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13]who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. [14]And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. [15](John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") [16]And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. [17]For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18]No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. [19]And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" [20]He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." [21]And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." [22]So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" [23]He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." [24](Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) [25]They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" [26]John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, [27]even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." [28]These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. [29]The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! [30]This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' [31]I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." [32]And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. [33]I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' [34]And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." [35]The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, [36]and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" [37]The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. [38]Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" [39]He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [40]One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. [41]He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means Christ). [42]He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter). [43]The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." [44]Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45]Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." [46]Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." [47]Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" [48]Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." [49]Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" [50]Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." [51]And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (ESV)
and then a praise segment let by a praise team and praise band.  Three songs gave way to a brief welcome and a very well delivered pastoral prayer.  The pastoral prayer included specific mention of various concerns in the congregation.  More music followed and then the receipt of the offering prior to which guests were asked not to give.  I had for me  ”God Moment” as I sat there and heard, “if you are guest today, just sit back and relax; we do not want you to give.” I was mildly offended:  how can one worship God and not give!  Giving is at the heart of the worship of God and in the early church was always done at the end of worship as the most clear communication of commitment.  That has not changed.  It still is that.  Our giving shows our love for Jesus, really.  Oh, I had a thought as I looked around at the beauty of the place that this church did not need my gifts, but that passed; because my gifts are given to the glory of God for the work of the Gospel through that church.  So I gave with a joyfully obedient heart.  Then came the sermon that was well done.  The text was 2 Peter and the theme was the need to know the Word of God by reading and studying the Word of God.  There was no invitation but there were “read the Bible” New Testaments given to everyone as we departed worship. It was a very good experience. 

But there were concerns that I carried away.  First, nobody ever spoke to me until we had that “greet your neighbor” time.  Now, you have to know that I despise those times because they are are so structured to have no substance.  This one didn’t.  None do.  A “greeter” passed by me four times and never spoke.  The service, further, was very structured.  I knew from the first downbeat what the theme of the worship was which is good but it was so carefully ordered and organized that there was no room for spontaneity.  The sermon though well done was thoroughly rehearsed to fit within a carefully coordinated time sequence.  And everything was set up to move toward that moment when the people leaving were to accept the gifts of the New Testament.  I stood in the foyer for a few minutes and watched.  Most didn’t.  It lasted for one hour because the next group of congregants had to come in.  I did not leave feeling that I had enjoyed an intimate encounter with the living God.  Now those of you who know me well will find this strange.  This church is fully reformed in her theology so her doctrine is orthodox.  But it showed me yet again the serious shortcomings of multiple services in mega churches.  It is more like a cattle drive than a communion of the saints.

I then made the twenty minute drive down interstate 271 off Ohio 8 to the Hudson Community Chapel to enjoy the cafe service where the place was packed with hundreds, and more than one hundred standing in the back of the room without seats.  We observed communion and baptism.  The music was contemporary and the lyrics glorified God.  It was loud with all the instruments.  But it was passionate.  One of the pastors gave a brief presentation on the meaning of the supper and it was brilliant.  He then “fenced the table.”  He made it clear that the Supper was for believers only even saying that what he was doing was a help to unbelievers to keep them from coming under the further judgment of God by partaking of the elements in a way that dishonored God.  Communion was a reverently holy celebration followed by baptism in which all kinds of candidates first gave testimonies before being baptized.  Now my struggle with this service was first the carefully timed structure so that the leaders could again get us in and out in one hour.  My larger issue, however, was participating in singing about the great holiness of God while watching people around me sipping coffee and sharing a pastry.  Those two are irreconcilable to me.  I know, I am fifty-six; but I think there is more here than my age.  I would not walk into the presence of Bush or Obama with  a cup of coffee and cheese danish in my hand; and worship is about entering into the presence of the King of Kings.  We sang one song that had these lines juxtaposed, “brilliant creator and beautiful friend.”  He is both but I wonder if in singing these lines so closely together if we don’t lose the luster of His brilliance in the light of the love of His friendship.

Anyway, it was a good experience for me.  I learned a lot at both places.  I learned yet again that there really are all kinds of ways to worship our great God and the most to be pitied among us are those who have reduced the focus of worship to the forms of worship.  Can I be so bold to suggest that only the religious would do that; the righteous know that our God is so great that we cannot and will not reduce the worship of His Name to any set forms.

 

 Simeon: He was Ready [25:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Luke 2 [+/-]Luke 2 [2:1]In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. [2]This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. [3]And all went to be registered, each to his own town. [4]And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, [5]to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. [6]And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. [7]And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. [8]And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9]And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. [10]And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11]For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12]And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." [13]And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, [14]"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" [15]When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." [16]And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. [17]And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. [18]And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. [19]But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. [20]And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. [21]And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [22]And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [23](as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24]and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." [25]Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26]And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. [27]And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, [28]he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, [29]"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; [30]for my eyes have seen your salvation [31]that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, [32]a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." [33]And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. [34]And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed [35](and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." [36]And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, [37]and then as a widow until she was eighty- four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. [38]And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. [39]And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. [40]And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. [41]Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. [42]And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. [43]And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, [44]but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, [45]and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. [46]After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47]And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48]And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress." [49]And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" [50]And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51]And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. [52]And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (ESV)
: 21-36

Don concludes the advent series as he looks at Simeon and Anna, 2 older people who awaited the coming of Christ. This was really a great message, and wonderful conclusion to the question “What happened as people encountered Jesus”

It is the eve of Christmas.  It is late afternoon and I am excitedly awaiting the Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service.  I love this service as much as I love anything that happens here during the year.  I look forward to it every year and the closer it comes, the more excited I get.  I have not always loved this service because I have not always been a believer, but I have always loved the eve of Christmas.

As a child it was all about Santa Claus.  As morning passed into afternoon and afternoon into evening, the exitement would build.  The family would begin to gather.  My grandfather, “Papa;” would begin to watch the sky.  I would join him.  The local TV station, we could get only two; would track Santa in the night sky.  But we had our own way of  looking toward the sky.  Somehow the stars were brighter and moon more full on the eve of Christmas.  The sky excited the imagination of this young boy as I used to behold the majesty above me.  I still examine the night sky on the eve of Christmas more than any other night.  It is for me at least a night unlike any other.  It will be tonight.  After the service, I will stroll silently through our church giving praise to God that He has given me the incredible privilege of serving among such wonderful people.  It is a gift far beyond my deserving and a trust that I treasure.  This annual silent stroll will be filled with the tears of great gratitude for the profound privilege of being the pastor at FBC Waynesboro.  Then it is off to the house where this year for the first time we will break a tradition of having people over and grilling steaks  with all the trimmings.  We leave early Christmas Day for a brief visit with Anne’s family and then on to Ohio.  So, it is early to bed this eve of Christmas.  But like most, I won’t sleep much not because of Santa; but because of the joy that will well up within me as I lie in bed and reflect on what a blessed man I am.  I hope you know His blessing in your life on this eve of Christmas, and I pray that your Christmas will be a “mass” of Christ.  Merry Christmas everybody.

Well, I read it.  After getting the right book at last, I have read it.  I discovered that there was more than one book with the title, “The Shack.”  I now own two books with that title by two different authors.  But I finally got the “right” one and read it.  All I have time to do for now is simply to give my first but very deep impressions of this book.  I will return to it later and give further and  hopefully more clear and concrete reflections.  I want to reduce my initial response to this book to three.

First, it is a rather quick read.  I could have read the book in just a couple of hours but given its popularity; Iwanted to spend more time here.  Page after page left me asking the same question, “where is the beef?  What is the real substance and sustenance of this book?”  It was a page-turner alright and a tear-jerker but when I had finished I wished that I had turned the pages faster and not invested so much emotion.  The very fact that I did invest emotion in the book and stay with it is a testimony to the tenacity of the story line.  It grabs and holds.  Second, beyond the basic story line of the book that would grab  any parent with children, the book is basically shallow and superficial.  I commented along the way to a good friend that the reading public in America is in serious troulbe if this book represents what attracts and keeps us.  I love Koontz and Patterson novels, but reading them can be done a book a day; I do not consider either of the above named authors as culture shapers, but some seem to think this book by Young has that kind of impact.  To compare this book to Pilgrim’s Progress is like comparing the fourth grade Recreation League football team to Lombardi’s Packers or Chuck Noll’s Steelers.  Only those who do not know the genre would make such a silly if not sacrireligious comparison.  Third, this book makes mincemeat of the precious doctrine of the Trinity.

In an attempt to be clear, this book makes a mess of the most meaningful of Christian doctrines.  We may not get the doctrine of the Trinity exactly right since what we know of it is limited to what is clearly revealed in Scripture, and even there; there is mystery.  No human analogies ultimately really work in explicating this doctrine.  All human analogies of flawed.  We may not get it exactly right, but we had better at least be in line with what Scripture says and not setting forth that which contrary to Scripture.  The Bible makes clear that the essence of the Trinity is that God is one God manifest in three Persons with the Persons equal in identity but differing in activity which requires of necessity a hierarchical order of submission.  The Father is the Sovereign over all who manifests Himself in the Son who submits to the Father but not vice-versa as this book suggests, and the Spirit emerges from the Son and the Father submitting to both in conducting the will and work of both.  The Shack makes the Trinity “The Big Three” who are equal in relationship and in responsibility because in the view of this book:  responsibility is relationship.  Now wouldn’t that be just peachy if all that life in relationship to God was about was just the relationship?  What if it were true that there are no responsibilities that emerge out of the relationship and what is wanted from God along with the other two is just the enjoyment of the relationship?  Oh, don’t diminish the desire of God for a relationship with His own but don’t deny that that relationship always is fleshed out in the form of expressed and embodied responsibility.  Anything short of it is heresy.

This book is scary to me.  It will seduce many who mean well in making much of this book.  It says so much that is right that it is very hard to see and to say what is wrong.  But there is so much in the book that is wrong particulary if Scripture is right.

 

 Real Grace [37:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Matthew 1:18‐25

What is the primary and priority strategy of Satan in our society? Remembering that his aim is to appear as an angel of light which simply means that he is not after our disowning God but simply declaring God to be someone and something other than He is, I would contend that the primary and priority strategy of Satan in our society is the continual communication of cheap grace. We owe this phrase “cheap grace” to one of the great martyrs of the twentieth century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  The wonderful man of God stood tall and strong against the Nazi regime in Hitler’s Germany when so many in the church were either aligning with Hitler or at least choosing not to stand against him.  And it was these latter that bothered Bonhoeffer the most.  They contended that their relationship with God was a private affair of the heart and that being a Christian was about enjoying the blessings and benefits of God in this life and the comfort He brings us in the midst of conflict.  They believed in what Bonhoeffer called correctly cheap grace.  Let me let him define it for us:  “cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession and absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.  Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it man will go and gladly sell all that he has.  It is the pearl of great price that the merchant will sell all that he has to get.  It is the kingly rule of Christ for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves everything to follow him.  Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.  It is costly because it calls us to follow and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.”  Put simply, real grace is costly grace.  It is the work of God in us to change us from an orientation to ourselves to an orientation to God of which there is vital, visible, and victorious evidence.  We see real grace at work in the life of Joseph.  He experienced grace and evidences of grace are very present in his life. Let’s take a close look at this man this morning.

Learn more about this message by downloading the sermon notes here!

I wrote on this slippery subject last year about this time.  But I have been moved to return again to the whole bruhaha about Santa and Christmas.  What has moved me this time is my experience last week with our Senior Adults at The Cove in Asheville.  We sat one day in one of our sessions singing Christmas music. Yes, we sang lots and lots of carols; but this time we were singing songs like “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” and “Rudolph.”  Some sat in the room with Christmas hats on top of their heads and jingle bells on various places on their clothes.  And I began to wonder why in the midst of some who seem to have so much trouble with Santa,  that these “old folks” were just having a joly good time.  They were singing as if they believed in him or at least as if they were just having fun during this most wonderful time of the year.

I understand, I better understand; the impetus to make sure that we do not miss the meaing of Christmas.  What I do not understand is “throwing out the baby with the bathwater.”  I believe that there are three basic approaches that believers can take to Christmas with only one of them being appropriate in temrs of being true to who we are while bearing witness to those in the world in which we live.  The first approach is to refuse to participate in anything Santa.  No trees.  No stockings.  No ornaments.  No holly and Ivy.  No Mistletoe.  I love the Mistletoe.  This is the “Saint Scrooge” apporach.  I do not believe that those who adopt this approach intend to be superior Christians, but it comes across that way.  The second approach is simply to be sucked into the whole atmosphere of the season.  Spend your money on stuff.  Talk to your children about Santa as if he really is real and make Jesus just an appendage to the season.  This approach will win you many friends but will produce no real influence on the culture.  If we are just like the pagan culture during this particular time of the year, then it is most likely true that we are like them the rest of the year too.  That is why over the years and even now, I have adopted a third approach.

It is to celebrate some of the traditions of this season that are secular, but to celebrate them as they are for what they are.  For example, I can talk about Santa Claus and the story of this man in red.  I can speak even to my children when they were younger about the stories and lores of legend that have accrued to the Clause.  I can talk about Rudolph and all the rest but never in terms of history or factuality, always in the languge of story.  Now let me be clear:  there is a danger here and I know it.  Because if we speak of Santa in the language of story and then read to our children “Bible Stories,” what are we saying to them?  A story is a story.  That is why it is so important that when you read the Bible to your family, you make sure that you make sure they know that what you are reading is the absolute truth of God.  This is no fiction.  This is foundational truth that is given to us by God from His Holy Hand.

This last approach is the one I have taken all of my adult life.  I do not think that it has wounded our children.  I do not think that they have warped psyches because their dear ole Dad talked with them about the this man of fable that comes round once a year.  But in the midst of this approach it has been my practice to make sure that our house through the celebration of Advent that we have made the main thing, the main thing.  At the end of the day, that is what is really important.

Matthew 2:1‐12

The Gospel of Matthew is thoroughly Jewish.  The Holy Spirit designed intent for this book is to show that Jesus is the Son of Abraham as the fullness of the fulfillment to the Father of the Faithful, and the Son of David as the one who rules the world as the Messiah King.  The Book opens with a genealogy that all of us who went to the Celebrators’ Conference at The Cove know better now than we have ever known before.  The genealogy has a very clear purpose:  it moves from Abraham to David and from David to the exile and from the exile to Jesus in three distinct movements, each movement equivalent to a Hebrew character. The first movement equivalent to what we would call a “D” and the second to what we would call a “V” and the third to what we would call a “D,” spelling out the name of David.  The account of the birth of Jesus begins right after the genealogy and is moved along by five verses from the Old Testament that find fulfillment in the coming of Jesus.  The Jews could not hear the number five and not think of the first five books of the Bible written by their first prophet Moses and thus would read these accounts and see them as the fulfillment of the promises of God to Moses and through David found in the birth of Jesus.  And I could go throughout the book and show you on page after page how prominently Jewish is this proclamation from Matthew.

Learn more about this message by downloading the sermon notes here

I am sitting looking at the rain fall outside my window here at “The Cove” in Asheville, North Carolina.  The building in which I am sitting is right next door to the Billy Graham Training Center where the group from our church eats meals and attends meetings.  Both have been wonderful.  The basement of the Billy Graham Training Center houses the museum and the bookstore and just across the mountain is the majestic chapel.  It is a quite a sight to see even in the rain.  Sitting here watching the rain fall has caused some musings about the ministry of Billy Graham.

I spoke last Sunday about the shepherds.  There really was a time when they were the most trusted and respected among the professions.  Everybody loved the shepherds.  But that time had changed by the time we get to what is recorded in Luke 2 [+/-]Luke 2 [2:1]In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. [2]This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. [3]And all went to be registered, each to his own town. [4]And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, [5]to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. [6]And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. [7]And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. [8]And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9]And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. [10]And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11]For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12]And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." [13]And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, [14]"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" [15]When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." [16]And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. [17]And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. [18]And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. [19]But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. [20]And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. [21]And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [22]And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [23](as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24]and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." [25]Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26]And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. [27]And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, [28]he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, [29]"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; [30]for my eyes have seen your salvation [31]that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, [32]a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." [33]And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. [34]And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed [35](and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." [36]And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, [37]and then as a widow until she was eighty- four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. [38]And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. [39]And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. [40]And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. [41]Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. [42]And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. [43]And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, [44]but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, [45]and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. [46]After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47]And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48]And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress." [49]And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" [50]And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51]And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. [52]And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (ESV)
.  The image of the shepherd by this time was not the regal David but rogue robbers who would enter a town only to take from it what they could take away by stealth.  They were no longer trusted.  What happened to the shepherds long ago has happened to the “pastoral” ministry in our day.

The word from which we get shepherds and sheep is the same Greek word from which we get the word for “pastor.”  And there was a time both in Europe and America when the pastors were not only the most educated in the community but also the most respected and admired.  Little boys grew up wanting to be pastors.  But that day has long gone.  There are as many charlatans in the pastoral ministry of the church as there are men who are committed to the call of God.  There are as many who are after money as there are those who are after manifesting the Truth of God through His Word.  Follow the ministries of some in our day and the self-centered “gospel” they preach is simply the outward expression of the self-centered lives they are living.  But not Billy.

He has always been and even now continues to be a stalwart standard of integrity.  His ministry has stood the test of time and trial.  He is a man for whom we give praise to God.  His goal has always been to magnify Jesus and to minimize Billy.  But one cannot be on these grounds and not recognize that God’s hand was upon this man.  His ministry will never be replicated; it must be emulated.  He is a worthy model for any man who wants to know what  a God-honoring ministry really looks like.

Luke 2:8‐20

There were shepherds in that region.  The NIV has it that they were “living out in the fields.”  Those words are an attempt to capture the flavor of one word here from which we get the prefix “agri. .”  The term is tied to field, to forest and to farm.  These were men who spent the bulk of their time under the sun by day and the moon by night.  Moving from place to place during the day looking for food and water and settling down in safe places for the night.  They saw few humans beyond their small band and heard little conversation beyond the howling chats of hungry wolves looking for wandering sheep during the night.

Learn more about this message by downloading the sermon notes here!

It really is a grace of God to you and to me that I did not write this post when I was wanting to write it.  I was so angry that I could have bitten a ten penny nail into.  It may have been a better article and more to the point but it would not have been in obedience to Scripture which commands us to love our enemies and it surely would not have been written in the Spirit of Jesus.  The first time I sat to write this post, the phone rang and I had to leave.  Several hours later when I got back to it, I was called away again.  The next time that I sat to write this post with the “steam” still present; I was called away again.  The third time I sat to write this article, I was sitting at a computer in a motel lobby in North Carolina and could not access this particular place.  So, I have finally come to write this post with some better perspective on what I want to say and why I think it needs to be said.

I have thought for years that theolocial liberalism is an atrocious lie of the devil.  And then I would begin to think that it is not really that, but just another way of seeing God, His Word, and His Work in the world.  I would begin to think that liberals are not enemies of the Gospel but men and women who represent another and a different way of viewing the Truth.  I do not need to attack them as those who need to be corrected, but walk alongsisde them as brothers who need to be better informed.  Then again I would read New Testament books like 2 and 3 John, along with Jude; and see how these godly men handled liberal theology.  They did not mince words.  So, I have bounced back and forth over the years:  love them and lead them along as brothers or speak the Truth of God and expose the seduction of Satan that is at the heart of liberalism.  What to do?  How to relate to liberals?

Now let me briefly, oh very briefly; explain what a liberal is.  To get there I need to make two introductory statements.  First, most liberals in SBC life call themselves by a different name.  They are not known as liberals but as “moderates.”  I am reminded of what W. A. Criswell said years ago  about this reality, “people in some parts of the country call a skunk by the name of polecat and vice-versa but they both smell the same.”  Maybe a bit blunt, but I have always wondered even when I was one why we would not want to own what we are.  The theological definitions for liberals and moderates is the same.  The second introductory remark is that many theological liberals are in fact political conservatives.  It is an odd anomaly, but it is true.  It is not my task here to explain why it is true, but it is easy to see and to explain.  But here is the reality put in practical political terms:  many very theologically liberal people are die-hard Republicans when it comes to poliltics.  It is such an odd mixture.

So, who is the liberal?  Well, he is the man or woman whose view of God is defined by the love and grace of God to the exclusion of His holilness and wrath.  Liberals see the wrath of God as an Old Testament concept that is barely to be seen in the New Testament.  Second, the liberal sees the Bible as a book written by humans who were seeking to understand and thus explain God.  It is reliable to the extent that we understand that so much of it is the result of the culture of which it was inescapably a part.  So, what the Bible teaches about everthing from elders to women to sexuality has to be interpreted in light of the culture.  The ultimate criterion for interpreting Scritpure, and this is critical to liberals; is the person and practice of Jesus.  It is equally important to understand that for the liberal,  who Jesus is, is superior to what the Bible says so that, for example, Paul can say that women are to be submissive to men in the church and in the home, but the liberal will argue that that teaching contradicts what we see in the life and ministry of Jesus so that Jesus trumps Paul here.  I could go on and on with these kinds of supercilious views.  Liberals are divided today on the homosexual issues even in Baptist life.  Some in the liberal Cooperative Baptist Fellowship would support homosexuality as an inevitably genetically induced way of being that is acceptable so long as the person is either celibate or engaged in a monogamous relationship while others are still struggling with this issue.  This raises, at least among Baptist liberals, the most powerful and problematical piece of their perspective, what they call “the priesthood of the believer.”

Now what needs to be understood here is that this precious doctrine historically is “the priesthood of all or every believer (s).”  It simply means that our access to God is not through a priest but through Jesus alone, and that we do not need a priest to pray for us or to forgive us, we are “priests to each other.”  The perverted form of this precious doctrine held tenaciously by liberals is that each person can interpret the Bible for himself.  It can mean for us whatever we make it to mean.  We let it inform us as we read it as a part of a our culture and context.  The result is that we make the Bible fit into the framework of our lives as we understand life to be.  So, for example, if  I want to belive in evolution then I read Genesis 1-2 [+/-]Genesis 1-2 [1:1]In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [2]The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3]And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. [4]And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. [5]God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. [6]And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." [7]And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. [8]And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. [9]And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. [10]God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. [11]And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. [12]The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13]And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. [14]And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, [15]and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. [16]And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. [17]And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, [18]to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19]And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. [20]And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." [21]So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22]And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." [23]And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. [24]And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds--livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. [25]And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [26]Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27]So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. [28]And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." [29]And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30]And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. [31]And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. [2:1]Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2]And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. [3]So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. [4]These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. [5]When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, [6]and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- [7]then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. [8]And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. [9]And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. [10]A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. [11]The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. [12]And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. [13]The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. [14]And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. [15]The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. [16]And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, [17]but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." [18]Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." [19]Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20]The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. [21]So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22]And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23]Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." [24]Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25]And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (ESV)
as a simple story without any connection to how God created the world.  In doing that I am effectively dismissing the a fundamental way fo understanding these texts that has been in existence for almost two thousand years.  I am exchanging the truth of God for a lie or I am exchanging how the Bible has been understood for years with how I want to understand the Bible.  What a travesty of the Truth of God.  What a tragedy!

Here is where my temperature rises.  In recent weeks I have talked with two or three very lonely and very empty people.  I have spoken with these persons at different times and in different places but the stories are the same.  They went like this:  I grew up in a Bible-believing church.  I went off to college.  I was required to take a Bible course.  By the end of that course, they had taken away everything that I had ever believed.  Can I give you a parenthesis here?  When I was a liberal and taught at a liberal college and seminary, I was told that my task was to to destroy what was learned in Sunday School so that we could rebuild into the students the truth of the historical-critical method.  What  a travesty.  In each situation described above, tears flowed.  Gratitude was expressed for preaching and teaching that is showing them the Truth of the Word of God.  One spoke of wandering around in a desert and not knowing where to turn because of losing the anchor for his life when the professors told him that what he had always believed was not true.  How many are in our church like these?  How many in our community?  Oh, make no mistake about it:  liberalism does not bring life.  It may bring what some see as a sense of freedom.  It allows people to live socially as they please while thinking they have real relationship with God.  But don’t be fooled.  Liberalism kills.  It creates a “god” who is not “God” at all.  Thanks for hearing me out on this one.  And pray that we who love God and His inerrant Word would be faithful in loving and praying for our friends who have been led astray by “gods’ that are in fact demons.

One of the nice things about the holidays is the food.  It seems that we both cook too much and eat too much and have plenty left over.  Then we eat the leftovers for many days after the family and friends have gone from our home.  Leftovers can often be better than the first taste.  It is sometimes true for me as it was this past Thanksgiving Day that I am so busy doing the things that are necessary to get a meal ready that eating and enjoying what I am eating are not really possible.  So, I look forward to the leftovers.

I have them every week following Sunday.  No preacher can preach all the material that comes out of a week of preparation for Sunday.  Any man who is lacking for material on Sunday is a man who is spening far too little time in prayer and preparation.  I never get to the end of a Sunday Sermon without having what I deem to be significant material that has been left out and thus becomes “leftovers.’  Let me share just a couple of these with you from this past Sunday.

We began our Advent Journey this year in the Gospel of Luke.  We are raising a question during this Advent and going to the text to find the answers:  “what did people do when they saw Jesus; how did they respond?”  The thesis for this series is that however they responded in that day should shape how we respond in our own day.  God is still making Himself known to us as Sovereign and as Savior.  We are told that through the  Scriptures we have a more certain word from God than did those who heard from God in those days.  More certain even than what the Shepherds received.  So, it is not true that we would have been as responsive as were the shepherds had we seen what they saw and heard what they heard.  We have been given a revelation from God that is more definitive than what was declared to them.  We are without excuse when we do not respond to what the Word of God declares about the Savior who has come.

We looked Sunday at how the angels responded.  We sought to establish the context in which we are told that a “registration” was ordered by Caesar Augustus and this was the “first” registration while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  I went right by that due to lack of time.  But here is a place that liberals seek to lambaste the doctrine of  inerrancy.  We know that Jesus was born during the time of  Herod who died in  4 B.C.; we also know that Quirinius was governing in Syria around A.D. 6-7.  So the liberals say that here is a place where the Scripture is just not accurate.  What they fail to note is that the word for “first” holds the key.  It is found in this reference and combined with the word for birth is used in reference to Jesus as the “firstborn.”  It does not here or elsewhere denote anything of numerical value.  The meaning is not that this registration was the first to be followed by a second etc. no more than firstborn means that Jesus is simply one son of others to which Mary gave birth with all of them being equal.  “Firstborn” signifies uniqueness and speaks of one who is special and set apart in every way.  So, the word “first” in relationship to the registration simply means that this registration was the foundation or template for other registrations.  Now we know that the registration during the rule of Quirinius was particularly painful and problematic so that the reference here is simply that this registration was the foundational registration and it happened prior to the ruinous registration of Quirinius.

The other issue that I just did not have time to develop is the reality that the peace that Jesus brings to earth comes through those whom God reconciles to Himself through Jesus.  Every person who belongs to God is by God’s design and for God’s delight a peacemaker.  It is one of the manifest distinctives of the people of God in the household of faith.  Does it then surprise us that the world has little attraction to the church when so many local bodies of believers are not marked by peace but by power plays among the people?  Would you agree that such people in such churches may have seen something, but it wasn’t Jesus?  He is the one who brings us peace and makes us men and women of peace in every relationship in which we are engaged.  There is peace where Jesus reigns and rules.  This peace is not the absence of conflict but it is contentment in the midst of conflict.  I think even now as I write these words of so many whom I love whose hearts are so conflicted during this season due to unexplainable episodes in their lives.  How can they know peace?  They can “know peace” the only way anyone can:  through trusting Jesus who is always faithful.  The slogan is right:  Know Him and Know Peace, Know Him Not and No Peace.