A Wise German Preacher

Of late my schedule has been erratic, my life hectic and my writing sporadic. Ergo, this repost from one year ago today.

So you preach a sermon or teach a lesson and nobody blinks. It's a weird feeling - of amazement, astonishment, disappointment and frustration. Delivering a timely, Biblical, powerful message and having little or no response from the hearers is sort of like standing near the check out lines at Wal Mart with a sack full of 20 dollar bills, offering them to anyone who wanted one (or five, or six), and having people ignore you. It doesn't make sense, and it can really mess with the mind of the preacher!

Well, having experienced this phenomenon several times through the years, I've come to realize that as one fulfilling the teacher/preacher role, response isn't up to me, although it would be easier if that were my only responsibility. I mean, I could preach pure fluffy nonsense and then whip people into an emotional frenzy and feel like they responded to the message. Speakers - even preachers - do that all the time.

As it turns out, I have an even tougher job: to rightly divide the Word of truth, and to proclaim it as if I were speaking the very oracles of God. Oh, and don't forget that little word of encouragement from James 3:1.

All of this is a bit reminiscent of John MacArthur's Theology of Sleep. It's really a great piece of wisdom to grasp. While reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer lately, it seems he had learned it early on as a pastor and preacher:

"He took the idea of preaching the Word of God extremely seriously and wouldn't have dared to speak his mere opinions from the pulpit. He also knew that a word might be delivered that had come straight from heaven and be rejected, just as the messages of the Old Testament prophets had been rejected and just as Jesus had been rejected. The prophet's role was simply and obediently to speak what God wished to say. Whether or not the message was received was between God and His people. And yet to preach such a burning message, and to know that it was God's Word for the faithful, who rejected it, was painful. But this was the pain of the prophetic office, and to be chosen by God as his prophet always meant, in part, that the prophet would share in God's sufferings."

He Shatters And Cuts

What heavy thoughts have you had lately?

"My child is wayward; what did I do wrong?"

"My bills are mounting, my income is decreasing."

"I've prayed for them so long, my passion has drained away."

"My marriage is unexpectedly difficult."

"My health issues are an affliction, they destroy my joy."

"I'm struggling so much with my sin, will it ever end?"

Today I am thankful that my God, my Redeemer, shatters doors of bronze as if they were kindling and cuts iron bars as if they were match sticks. The impossible, suffocating situation you may find yourself in today cannot defeat the saving purpose of the Almighty.

"For He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron...Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD." Psalm 107:16, 43

Severely Merciful

Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. Isaiah 30:26

It is a fact that our heavenly Father disciplines us when we sinfully stray. At times I've been aware that it was happening in my life, but I'm sure there have been other instances in my life when His blows have gone unnoticed, either because I've been to dull or He was working mysteriously, behind the scenes, to bring me back around.

The great thing is that the blows He deals out are the wounds He binds up. See, this is like the loving and attentive earthly father who chastises the disobedient child, yet faithfully tucks him safely into bed the same night. Sometimes the earthly father withdraws his affections for a time so that the child knows for sure his displeasure. But withdrawal is not equal to abandonment.

Yes, sometimes God is distant, but He is distant in order to ignite our hearts to passion once again. He has yet to throw up his hands in disgust to say, "What am I going to do with this kid?" He continues steadily, faithfully forming us.

I think if preachers (including me) would preach these lessons on the folly of sin and the faithful wounds of the Father more often, we might spark an earnest love for and willing obedience to Jesus. It's humbling, and even a little bit frightening, to ponder such things: that our Father is strong and stern and zealous regarding what is right. But He is equally earnest about raising up His dearly loved children in the likeness of Christ.

God Speaks French....et al...

It is good for us to be reminded that God's native language is not English. I'm convinced that there are actually people here in the U.S. who think that God celebrates the 4th of July, when the only country God really favors is Israel. And graciously, the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is open to people of every nation, tribe and tongue! I don't know what language we'll use in the new heavens and new earth, but I'm pretty sure a lot of us will be in for a refreshing dose of diversity on that day!

And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth."
Revelation 5:9,10

Restless Evil

"No human can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." James 3:8

It's the spillway through which the heart overflows, like a dammed up lake at flood stage, and there's a crazy man with an itchy trigger finger in charge of the "on" switch! Think of the potential damage millions of cubic feet of water could do if turned loose. But if that water is contained, it destroys nothing. Think of how much more damaging our thoughts become when they are transformed into words that flow off of our tongues.

But why is it so easy to sin with our words? I think it's because we justify ourselves so readily and we refuse to believe that what we have to say would be unacceptable. I've justified reckless words before with that kind of thinking, and then regretted it. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is teaching me to be slower to speak and quicker to listen and then to say "...only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

Shelter Me

I just have to share this song. You'll recognize it if you watch "Sons of Guns" on Discovery Channel, but you really need to hear the whole thing. Composed by Buddy and Julie Miller and performed here by Tab Benoit, "Shelter Me" drips with Scripture and oozes Bayou Blues out of every measure.

I just love the grittiness of the way Tab plays it, especially that nasty Tele guitar solo, and by nasty I mean sick, and by sick I mean awesome. Be sure to have a close look at that lovely Telecaster when you watch the video, and let me know what you think of the song.

That's Not An Excuse

Today I want to make an ancillary point from Scripture about something near and dear to my heart. Actually it's good for my heart: exercise.

I've heard people dismiss exercise while citing 1 Timothy 4:8 "...for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

That's not a directive to ignore your health, it's an encouragement to NOT ignore your spiritual health. So, no doctrinal point is made about physical exercise, but this passage should certainly not be used to dismiss a daily jog.

Like I said, this is no doctrinal directive, but the passage does say that bodily training (exercise) is of some value. Regular physical activity helps control body weight, improves mood, combats and helps prevents all sorts of physical ailments, boosts energy levels, promotes better sleep and can actually be fun! Besides, you can't serve God if you're dead or laid up in bed.

This isn't a hill to die on (although one could possibly die on their way up a hill if they are not in good shape), but I believe that some form of regular exercise is a fantastic addition to this earthly life. Unlike godliness, which has value for both this life AND the next, physical exercise will only benefit you here, but it WILL benefit you.

You may already have a solid regimen like I have, and you know firsthand the benefits it brings to your body and mind. If, however, you are predominantly sedentary, please consider going for a walk this evening after dinner. Use the time to pray or listen to music or a sermon or just to soak up some quiet. You don't need a gym membership (unless that works for you), just get out and shoot hoop for a while or do those situps and pushups before bed or jump on a trampoline or pick up those dumbbells or ride bikes with your kids or borrow your neighbor's P90 DVDs or hoe the garden or hike the Grand Canyon in bare feet - whatever it is, get your heart pumping and your lungs huffing as often as possible. Oh, and please start eating better.....