Posts Tagged ‘Charles H. Spurgeon’

Marks of Maturity (The Book of James), Part 1

Posted: February 4, 2013 in Sermons, Sermons on James
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James’ great concern for believers is not “How much of God’s Word do you know.” But rather James’ passion for the church is “How much of God’s Word that you already know are you practicing.” “Be you doers of God’s Word” (James 2:22).

One of the today’s leading OT Bible scholars of our day is Bruce K. Waltke. He tells the story of the time he was in Israel studying OT Hebrew. He and his family were renting an apartment across the hallway from an elderly Jewish couple, both of whom had taught Hebrew in Boston.

We quickly struck up a friendship. He was conversant in modern Hebrew, and I was not. So every day we world read modern Hebrew texts together for an hour or two. There are about 30,000 words in modern Hebrew not found in biblical Hebrew.

But if I came across a word I didn’t know that was also found in the Hebrew Bible, he would say, “Bruce, you ought to know that word.” Then he’d cite the entire chapter in Hebrew until he got to the word he was looking for.

One time I said to this man, now about 75, “I think you could cite the whole book of Psalms in Hebrew from memory.”

“I can.”

“How long would it take?” I asked.

“Two hours.”

“Would you be willing to chant the text while I followed in my Hebrew Bible?”

“I’d love it.” He said.

So I sat down for two hours and he recited the entire text. He never missed a vowel in the entire book of Psalms.

On another occasion he was taking me through Exodus 21 and 22 from memory to find a word that occurs only three times in the whole Old Testament. I said, “I think you can recite the entire Torah [Genesis to Deuteronomy] from memory.”

He said, “I can.” I didn’t challenge him.

At that time, however, my friend was an atheist. He could recite all the Torah, he could recite all the psalms in the original text, and he didn’t even believe in God.

But as we were leaving Israel and embraced each other, he said to me, “Bruce, I want you to know I’m now no longer a atheist. I am a theist. I believe there is a God.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said. “I could wish you were a Christian, but how did you come to be a theist.”

He said, “I saw God alive in your home.”

That is the kind of Christianity James is commanding. James wants us do God’s Word not just know God’s Word. The book of James has been called the Epistle of Action. James has five chapters, 108 verses with 54 commands. That averages out to one command for every two verses. Before we examine the book, let’s get to know the author.

I. The Biography of James

A. James the Unbeliever (Mt. 13:55; John 7:2-8)

1) According to Mt 13:55, Mary had seven children that she raised by herself for some years. It is believed that Joseph was dead at the time of Jesus’crucifixion since he was not at the cross and therefore Jesus had to comment Mary to John the Beloved disciple. Since Jesus was the oldest and died in his early 30’s then the youngest was still a teen. If Mary was a single mom part of that time Jesus was at home with His six brothers and sisters, then they were poor. Jesus and His siblings were reared in poverty.

2) According to John 7:2-8, Jesus siblings rejected His claim to be the Messiah. So Jesus’ home must have been filled with conflict. None of Jesus’ brother was at the crucifixion when Jesus died. Jesus had to comment His mother to John. James and Jesus probably did not get along.

B. James the Believer (1 Cor 15:7; Acts 1:14)

1) Jesus, after His resurrection (1 Cor 15:7) made a special appearance to James alone and won him to himself. But how? Perhaps the same way the living Jews who crucified Jesus will be converted when He returns. Zachariah 12:10 says when Christ returns and pours out His Holy Spirit, the Jews will mourn for Him and ask “What are these wounds in your hands?” And Christ will answer, “those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (13:6). When James saw the wounds in his older brother’s hand in his resurrected body, he was converted.

2) James then led his other brothers to Christ and all of them were together in Acts 1:14.

C. James the Leader (Acts 15; Gal 2:9)

1) In Acts 15 at the big church conference in Jerusalem over the controversy in the church, James the pastor resides. Criswell said pastors and members should not be shocked over controversy in the church. It has been that way from the beginning Sprugeon observed that the Devil never beats a dead horse. When all of the information is presented by both sides, James made the decision.

2)  In Galatians 2:9, Paul called James along with Peter and John, a pillar in the church. James grew quickly as a believer and was soon in a key leadership position.

D. James the Martyr in AD 62.

When James publicly refused to repudiate the claims of Jesus as the Messiah, the infuriated High Priest, Annas, forced him to the Temple roof and threw him over and, when he was not killed by the fall, beat him to death with clubs (D. Edmond Hiebert, James. BMH Books, 1992, p. 36). But Annas so enraged the populace of Jerusalem concerning their beloved pastor that they deposed Annas and the governor of Jerusalem after a reign of only three months. Thank God for church members who come to the defense of their mistreated pastors.

E. James the Author of God’s Word

James wants God’s people who are scattered for their faith and are under persecution to go on to spiritual maturity by practicing God’s Word. James gives five tests. Not tests for knowledge, but tests of maturity. In James 1:3, James admonishes believers to let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect or mature and entire, wanting or lacking nothing.

1. The Test of Wisdom (Ch. 1) Problem: Impatience in Trails

2. The Test of Works (Ch. 2) Problem: Not practicing the Truth

3. The Test of Words (Ch. 3) Problem: Not controlling the Tongue

4. The Test of Worldliness (Ch. 4) Problem: Causing Divisions

5. The Test of Wealth (Ch. 5) Problem: Coveting Material Things  

 In Part 2, we get to know the author: James. James was nicknamed “James the Just” and “Camel Knees.” Do you know why?”

6 Marks of Leadership, Mark Six, “The Leader Handles The Opposition of Personal Attacks” (Nehemiah 6:1-14) Part 3

Posted: April 6, 2012 in Six Marks of Leadership
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It helps leaders to have a sense of humor.

Spurgeon would occasionally find a nasty anonymous letter lying on his pulpit when he would stand up to preach. There would a letter but no name. One day he got to the pulpit and there was a piece of paper with one word written in large letters … “idiot” … So Spurgeon said, “Normally I get letters without signatures, but today I got a signature without a letter.”

I hope Nehemiah possessed a sense of humor because he also received nasty, anonymous letters. One such letter is recorded for us to read in chapter six. If you like to read other peoples mail you are going to like Nehemiah 6.

Nehemiah was the consummate lay leader

1. He Showed concern for God’s work (Nehemiah 1:1-4

2. He Prayed for God’s people (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

3. He Followed his leader (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

4. He Motivated his followers (Nehemiah 2:9-20)

5. He Organized his work (Nehemiah 3:1-32)

6. He Handled his opposition (Nehemiah 4-6)

A. He handled opposition from without (4) Ridicule and threats from the enemy which produced discouragement

B. He handled opposition from within (5) Selfishness from believers

C. He handles opposition from without (6) Personal attacks from the enemy

Sanballat and the other enemies once again attack God’s work but with a new strategy: Attack the Leader. “Sack the QB”; Shoot the officers; kill the snake by cutting off its head.

The enemy lauches a three prong attack against the leader:

1. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Compromise (6:1-4)

A. The opposition comes after a great accomplishment (6:1)

B. The opposition comes disguised as an opportunity (6:2)

To the request to stop his great work and meet in Ono, Nehemiah said, “No!” Most leaders have “To Do” lists. I write one out every Monday. Most leaders need to write out a “To Not To Do” list. I am not talking about a “To Not To Do Sin” list, but a “To Not To Do Good” list. Good can take the place of best in our lives. Lee Iacocca is an example in “Good to Great” pages 131-133

Nehemiah kept saying “No!” in 6:4.

2. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Rumors (6:5-9)

Someone defined gossip as “news you have to hurry and tell somebody else before people find out it isn’t true.”

A. The source of rumors is usually unknown.

B. The content of rumors is wrong.

C. The result of rumors is hurt. The intent of this slander was to hinder Nehemiah from doing God’s work. Chuck Swindoll, “I am personally convinced that the number one enemy of Christian unity is the tongue It’s not drink, not drugs, not poor homes, not inflation, not TV, not even a bad church program—-it is the tongue” (Hand Me Another Brick, page 131). God’s thinks so also. Just read Proverbs 6:16-19. Some believers need to get a post it, write 3 of the 7 things God hates and stick it on their cell phones. Who is ultimately hurt by rumors? The person who spreads them. God blessed Nehemiah not Sanballat and company.

D. The response to rumors is two-fold (6:8-9). Deny the rumor to the person spreading it. Pray for God to give you strength. You will need it.

3. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Peer Pressure (6:10-14)

Nehemiah refused to run (6:10-11). When appeals to compromise did not work and rumors did not hinder, the enemy reverted to threats in 6:10. Nehemiah refused to run from his great work in 6:11. Nehemiah’s ratings in the polls bottomed out in 6:14. Nehemiah prayed in 6:14 and went back to work in 6:15.

Warren W. Wiersbe writes that Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan on more than one occasion was the target of savage gossip that accused him of unfaithfulness to the Christian faith. His usual reply was, “It will blow over. Meanwhile, I go quietly on with my work” (Be Determined, page 76).

6 Marks of Leadership, Mark Six, “The Leader Handles The Opposition of Personal Attacks” (Nehemiah 6:1-14) Part 3

Posted: April 6, 2012 in Six Marks of Leadership
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It helps leaders to have a sense of humor.

Spurgeon would occasionally find a nasty anonymous letter lying on his pulpit when he would stand up to preach. There would a letter but no name. One day he got to the pulpit and there was a piece of paper with one word written in large letters … “idiot” … So Spurgeon said, “Normally I get letters without signatures, but today I got a signature without a letter.”

I hope Nehemiah possessed a sense of humor because he also received nasty, anonymous letters. One such letter is recorded for us to read in chapter six. If you like to read other peoples mail you are going to like Nehemiah 6.

Nehemiah was the consummate lay leader

1. He Showed concern for God’s work (Nehemiah 1:1-4

2. He Prayed for God’s people (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

3. He Followed his leader (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

4. He Motivated his followers (Nehemiah 2:9-20)

5. He Organized his work (Nehemiah 3:1-32)

6. He Handled his opposition (Nehemiah 4-6)

A. He handled opposition from without (4) Ridicule and threats from the enemy which produced discouragement

B. He handled opposition from within (5) Selfishness from believers

C. He handles opposition from without (6) Personal attacks from the enemy

Sanballat and the other enemies once again attack God’s work but with a new strategy: Attack the Leader. “Sack the QB”; Shoot the officers; kill the snake by cutting off its head.

The enemy lauches a three prong attack against the leader:

1. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Compromise (6:1-4)

A. The opposition comes after a great accomplishment (6:1)

B. The opposition comes disguised as an opportunity (6:2)

To the request to stop his great work and meet in Ono, Nehemiah said, “No!” Most leaders have “To Do” lists. I write one out every Monday. Most leaders need to write out a “To Not To Do” list. I am not talking about a “To Not To Do Sin” list, but a “To Not To Do Good” list. Good can take the place of best in our lives. Lee Iacocca is an example in “Good to Great” pages 131-133

Nehemiah kept saying “No!” in 6:4.

2. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Rumors (6:5-9)

Someone defined gossip as “news you have to hurry and tell somebody else before people find out it isn’t true.”

A. The source of rumors is usually unknown.

B. The content of rumors is wrong.

C. The result of rumors is hurt. The intent of this slander was to hinder Nehemiah from doing God’s work. Chuck Swindoll, “I am personally convinced that the number one enemy of Christian unity is the tongue It’s not drink, not drugs, not poor homes, not inflation, not TV, not even a bad church program—-it is the tongue” (Hand Me Another Brick, page 131). God’s thinks so also. Just read Proverbs 6:16-19. Some believers need to get a post it, write 3 of the 7 things God hates and stick it on their cell phones. Who is ultimately hurt by rumors? The person who spreads them. God blessed Nehemiah not Sanballat and company.

D. The response to rumors is two-fold (6:8-9). Deny the rumor to the person spreading it. Pray for God to give you strength. You will need it.

3. The Enemy Opposes the Leader with Peer Pressure (6:10-14)

Nehemiah refused to run (6:10-11). When appeals to compromise did not work and rumors did not hinder, the enemy reverted to threats in 6:10. Nehemiah refused to run from his great work in 6:11. Nehemiah’s ratings in the polls bottomed out in 6:14. Nehemiah prayed in 6:14 and went back to work in 6:15.

Warren W. Wiersbe writes that Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan on more than one occasion was the target of savage gossip that accused him of unfaithfulness to the Christian faith. His usual reply was, “It will blow over. Meanwhile, I go quietly on with my work” (Be Determined, page 76).

Do We Want to Improve or Just be Approved?

Posted: February 2, 2012 in Homiletics/Preaching
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Spurgeon would occasionally find a nasty anonymous letter lying on his pulpit when he would stand up to preach. There would be a letter but no name. One day he got to the pulpit and there was a piece of paper with one word written in large letters….IDIOT…. So Spurgeon said to his congregation, “Normally I get letters without signatures, but today I got a signiture without a letter.”

J. Oswald Sanders said, “No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it” (Spiritual Leadership, page 110). As leaders we must accept graciously the wrong kind of criticism and encourage the constructive kind.

I read this post by Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching Magizine, and thought every preacher would be encouraged, rebuked, and challenged. At least I was.

In his book Maximum Achievement, Brian Tracy observes, “Virtually everything you do is the result of habit. The way you talk, the way you work, drive, think, interact with others, spend money and deal with the important people in your life are all largely habitual.” Tracy adds: “The good news is that all habits are learned, and they can therefore be unlearned.”

As a preacher, what kind of habits have you developed — in your study, in your speaking, in your sermons? It’s very easy for any of us to fall into patterns of which we may not even be aware, but that are painfully obvious to those who hear us each week.

While you’ll likely have to analyze your own study patterns to see if you’ve developed any bad habits (such as breaking into your message prep regularly to answer e-mail), it’s possible to get others to help you evaluate your messages to see what habits you may have picked up. Why not trade out three or four recent videotaped messages with a trusted colleague so each of you can evaluate the other in terms of presentation and content patterns?

Great golfers regularly get coaches to help them evaluate their swing. Great hitters have coaches who help them recognize and eliminate bad habits. As a preacher, seek out others who can help evaluate and coach you (PreachingNOW@preachingmagizine-info.com Vol. 9, No 2, January 12, 2010). PreachingNOW is a free weekly email newsletter produced by Michael Duduit.

Sometimes we preachers do not have to seek out others who will evaluate (a kind word) our preaching. I remember reading the story of Charles H. Spurgeon’s Monday morning critic. Spurgeon said every Monday for awhile he would receive an anonymous card from one of his members at Metropolitan Tabernacle who recorded all of Spurgeon’s mistakes he made in his Sunday sermons. What was Spurgeon’s response? What would have been my response after several months of criticism? Spurgeon said he carefully considered each remark and where he could improve his preaching. Perhaps that is one reason we still read his sermons today.

Here is how Mark Driscoll advised preachers to get feedback on their preaching:

1) Exhibit a humble attitude that really seeks input even if it is negative

2) Make yourself available after preaching for instant feedback

3) Set up a section on the church’s website for questions and discussion of the sermon

4) Humbly consider the pleas of those who lovely confront you

5) Appoint preselected people to write feedback reports on the sermon

6) Encourage leaders to channel feedback from more timid members

Mark Driscoll tells this story, “One friend of mine who pastors a large church went so far as to pay a non-Christian neighbor to attend his church and write up a full report of what it was like to find the building, park, be greeted, sit the service, hear the sermon, and hang out for coffee afterward. He said it was the best money the church ever spent” (Vintage Church, chapter 4 “Why is Preaching Important?”).

John Maxwell provokes leaders to ask themselves, “Do you want to improve or be approved?” We cannot have it both ways. Thank God for those solicited coaches and unsolicited critics who can be used by God to not only humble us but, like a whetstone, sharpen our ministry to others.

Another great resource is Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast entitled Better Before Bigger. Andy Stanley quotes Truett Cathy who said this about Click-fi-A, “If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.” Stanley quotes Cathy to warn churches about striving just to get big for the sake of getting big. We should want to grow in order to help more people spiritually.

Stanley says there are two steps to getting better in any organization or ministry.

The first step is clarification and the second is evaluation. Clarification identifies what constitutes a win for our ministry or even our preaching. For Stanley, a win in his preaching is if people enjoy his preaching so much they want to come back. If they come back enough God’s Word will help them. For there to be clarification there must be evaluation. So Stanley and his staff on Mondays evaluate all of their ministries which they call environments. One of the environments is preaching. So he and his staff talk about his preaching. Stanley starts the conversation by giving himself a grade so the others are more comfortable in evaluating his preaching.

Introduction to Galatians: The Defense of the Gospel, Part 1

Posted: May 23, 2010 in Sermons
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Ian Murray in his The Forgotten Spurgeon records the three great controversies of Charles Spurgeon’s ministry in London. In each controversy, Spurgeon battled for the gospel. The first was Spurgeon’s confrontation with Arminianism or works for salvation in the 1850’s, the second was Baptismal Regeneration in 1864, and the last was the Down-Grade controversy of 1887-1891. In the last controversy, Spurgeon virtually stood alone against the false doctrine in his denomination, the Baptist Union. This last battle put Spurgeon in an early grave. On October 26th, 1891, a few months before his death, Spurgeon said to some friends, “The fight is killing me” (Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 1978, 163). This was a sacrifice Spurgeon was willing to make for the sake of the gospel.

In Galatians, Paul is equally contending for the gospel. He too will die for the gospel. A few weeks or months before his death, Paul said, “I have fought the good fight.” He states twice in Galatians the importance of “the truth of the gospel” (2:5, 2:14).

Galatians has been called Paul’s Battle Epistle and when you read his anathema on false teachers in 1:6-9 you understand Paul’s zeal for this truth.

The false teachers were the Judaizers of the first century who how had invaded the new churches Paul had just planted on his first missionary journey.

The record of Paul’s God blessed first missionary journey is in Acts 13:1-13:28. Paul travels to Asia Minor and plants churches in Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. When Paul retraced his steps to these churches, he installed pastors in each of them. A remarkable feat for this first term missionary. But just as soon as Paul is off the premises the proselytizing Judaizers penetrate those new churches with a false gospel. When Paul hears of the treat to his new converts and church plants, he fires off the Galatians epistle.

The entire letter is dedicated to rescuing these new converts from a works for salvation heresy.

1. In Chapters 1-2, Paul gives his Personal Response and Defends his Apostleship.

The Judaizers were attacking Paul’s credibility in order to under mind the message of grace preached by Paul.

2. In Chapters 3-4, Paul gives his Doctrinal Response and Defends Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Alone.

In 2:16, Paul for the first time teaches with great force the doctrine of justification by faith. Paul will give his most comprehensive explanation of the gospel in Romans several years later while in prison at Rome (Acts 28). Paul writes Galatians at the end of his first missionary journey between Acts 14 and 15. In his first reference, Paul will mention “justification by faith” three times in this one verse stating twice that justification is not by works of the Law and once that justification is by faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul was contending with the legalists in relationship to salvation. For good reasons, Galatians has also been called The Cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation. For a millennium before the Protestant Reformation, the RCC had dominated Christendom with its doctrine of infused righteousness instead of imputed righteousness which is taught in God’s Word. Infused righteousness is the false doctrine that teaches that God gives you righteousness continually based on your good works. It confuses justification with sanctification.

Imputed righteousness is the Biblical doctrine that God imputes or puts the righteousness of Christ once and for all on your record in heaven when the sinner trusts Christ as Savior (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 4:3). Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation, called imputed righteousness “alien righteousness” because it comes from God outside of us and not from our works. Martin Luther loved Paul’s defense of the gospel in the book of Galatians because Luther was also battling for the gospel in his war with Roman Catholicism. Martin Luther in his commentary on Galatians wrote, “The epistle to the Galatians is my epistle. To it I am as it were in wedlock. Galatians is my Katherine [the name of his wife]” (Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, trans. Theodore Graebner (Grand Rapids, n. d., p. iv).

Merrill C. Tenney wrote of the impact of the book of Galatians not just on Christianity but also on the entire world: “Christianity might have been just one more Jewish sect, and the thought of the Western world might have been entirely pagan had it never been written. Galatians embodies the germinal teaching on Christian freedom which separated Christianity from Judaism, and which launched it upon a career of missionary conquest. It was the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation, because its teaching of salvation by grace alone became the dominant theme of the preaching of the Reformers” (Galatians. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957, 15). Translated, if in the providence of God the book of Galatians had not fallen into the hands of Martin Luther, the world still might be controlled by Roman Catholicism and works righteousness.

3. In Chapters 5-6, Paul gives his Practical Response and Defends Sanctification by Faith.

The Judaizers were legalists who taught that a sinner in addition to faith in Christ must also keep the rules of the Law in order to be saved and continue to keep the rules of the law to be personally sanctified.

Here is how Warren W. Wiersbe opens his commentary on Galatians: “Galatians is a dangerous book. It exposes the most popular substitute for spiritual living that we have in our churches today—legalism. I didn’t say ‘among the false cults.’ I said ‘in the churches’ because that is where much legalism is today. Millions of believers think they are ‘spiritual’ because of what they don’t do—or because of the group they belong to. The Lord shows us in Galatians how wrong we are—and how right we can be if only we would let the Holy Spirit take over” (Be Free. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1981, 6).

Legalism engenders a critical spirit. Legalists are critical of any believer who does not have the same “convictions” about what constitutes spirituality, which usually has to do with outward appearance, externals such as dress, and which version of the Bible you carry. It is not surprising that in this last section of Galatians, Paul warns: “If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another” (5:15).

It has been some years now, but I know a preacher who was rebuked by another preacher because of colored shirt he wore when preaching. The non-white shirt was worldly. That is legalism in sanctification. Our spirituality is not determined by some outward measurement such as hair length on a man or pants on a woman. Paul tells us that our spirituality is measured by our love for God and each other which is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22, 23) not adherence to a man made set of rules.
(GBC Audio Sermon – May 23, 2010)

In part two, we will see how Paul even used the form of the letter to communicate his passion for Defending the Gospel.

How to Handle Critics! (For Preachers Only)

Posted: March 2, 2010 in Homiletics/Preaching, Pastoral Theology
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Spurgeon would occasionally find a nasty anonymous letter lying on his pulpit when he would stand up to preach. There would be a letter but no name. One day he got to the pulpit and there was a piece of paper with one word written in large letters….IDIOT…. So Spurgeon said to his congregation, “Normally I get letters without signatures, but today I got a signature without a letter.”

J. Oswald Sanders said, “No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it” (Spiritual Leadership, page 110). As leaders we must accept graciously the wrong kind of criticism and encourage the constructive kind.

I read this post by Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching Magizine, and thought every preacher would be encouraged, rebuked, and challenged. At least I was. He quotes Brian Tracy in his book Maximum Achievement: ”Virtually everything you do is the result of habit. The way you talk, the way you work, drive, think, interact with others, spend money and deal with the important people in your life are all largely habitual.” Tracy adds: “The good news is that all habits are learned, and they can therefore be unlearned.”

As a preacher, what kind of habits have you developed — in your study, in your speaking, in your sermons? It’s very easy for any of us to fall into patterns of which we may not even be aware, but that are painfully obvious to those who hear us each week.

While you’ll likely have to analyze your own study patterns to see if you’ve developed any bad habits (such as breaking into your message prep regularly to answer e-mail), it’s possible to get others to help you evaluate your messages to see what habits you may have picked up. Why not trade out three or four recent videotaped messages with a trusted colleague so each of you can evaluate the other in terms of presentation and content patterns?

Great golfers regularly get coaches to help them evaluate their swing. Great hitters have coaches who help them recognize and eliminate bad habits. As a preacher, seek out others who can help evaluate and coach you (PreachingNOW@preachingmagizine-info.com Vol. 9, No 2, January 12, 2010). PreachingNOW is a free weekly email newsletter produced by Michael Duduit.

Sometimes we preachers do not have to seek out others who will evaluate (a kind word) our preaching. I remember reading the story of Charles H. Spurgeon’s Monday morning critic. Spurgeon said every Monday for awhile he would receive an anonymous card from one of his members at Metropolitan Tabernacle who recorded all of Spurgeon’s mistakes he made in his Sunday sermons. What was Spurgeon’s response? What would have been my response after several months of criticism? Spurgeon said he carefully considered each remark and where he could improve his preaching. Perhaps that is one reason we still read his sermons today.

Here is how Mark Driscoll advised preachers to get feedback on their preaching:

1) Exhibit a humble attitude that really seeks input even if it is negative

2) Make yourself available after preaching for instant feedback

3) Set up a section on the church’s website for questions and discussion of the sermon

4) Humbly consider the pleas of those who lovely confront you

5) Appoint preselected people to write feedback reports on the sermon

6) Encourage leaders to channel feedback from more timid members

Mark Driscoll tells this story, “One friend of mine who pastors a large church went so far as to pay a non-Christian neighbor to attend his church and write up a full report of what it was like to find the building, park, be greeted, sit the service, hear the sermon, and hang out for coffee afterward. He said it was the best money the church ever spent” (Vintage Church, chapter 4 “Why is Preaching Important?”).

John Maxwell provokes leaders to ask themselves, “Do you want to improve or be approved?” We cannot have it both ways. Thank God for those solicited coaches and unsolicited critics who can be used by God to not only humble us but, like a whetstone, sharpen our ministry to others.

Another great resource is Andy Stanley’s Leadership Podcast entitled Better Before Bigger. Andy Stanley quotes Truett Cathy who said this about Click-fi-A, “If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.” Stanley quotes Cathy to warn churches about striving just to get big for the sake of getting big. We should want to grow in order to help more people spiritually.

Stanley says there are two steps to getting better in any organization or ministry.

The first step is clarification and the second is evaluation. Clarification identifies what constitutes a win for our ministry or even our preaching. For Stanley, a win in his preaching is if people enjoy his preaching so much they want to come back. If they come back enough God’s Word will help them. For there to be clarification there must be evaluation. So Stanley and his staff on Mondays evaluate all of their ministries which they call environments. One of the environments is preaching. So he and his staff talk about his preaching. Stanley starts the conversation by giving himself a grade so the others are more comfortable in evaluating his preaching.

“What is Man?” Or, “Who am I?” Sermon on Psalm 8

Posted: November 29, 2009 in Sermons
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David is not having an Identity Crisis when he asks “What is Man?”

Dr. John Whitcomb said, “The 2nd leading group in America to commit suicide is university students who are searching for answers and can’t find them in secular humanism. The 1st group is psychologists who think they have the answers and do not.”

How would you answer the question, “What is man?” or “Who am I?” I am a failure,” “I am rejected,” “I am the greatest.”

David is not having an identity crisis but a worship experience! Psalm 8 is a burst of praise for who God is and what He thinks of you and me. “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:1 and 9).

God is our LORD or Redeemer. God is also our Lord or Ruler. Psalm 8 does not begin and end with man, defining him. Psalm 8 begins and ends with God. Psalm 8 is not anthropology or psychology but theology. Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise to God who has redeemed us and rules over us.

We must answer the question “Who am I?” in light of “Who is God?”

1. Who Am I?  I am the Focus of God’s Concern (8:1-2)

     A. God is infinitely above me in 8:1. David praises God for His glory that is above the heavens. In Psalm 113:4-6, God in His greatness is above the universe like a scientist crouched over his microscope observing the universe as small drop of water.

“The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwells on high. Who humbles himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth.”

Psalm 113:7-9 leads to our next point that God is not only infinitely above us, but He is intimately involved with us: “He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes even with the princes of his people. He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise you the Lord.”

  B. God is intimately involved with me (8:2). God, who is atop the universe uses the weakest and frailest of human beings, infants, to silence His enemies. Christ quoted this verse to his enemies, the religious leaders, who were upset that children were praising Him as their Messiah on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:16). With this verse, He silenced them.

Another infant was born, Jesus Christ, who totally frustrated and defeated God’s enemy, Satan.

You might be saying, “God could never use me. I am too poor, too ignorant, too socially retarded.” According to 1st Cor. 1:26-29, you are the perfect candidate for God to use.

2. Who Am I? I am the Climax of God’s Creation (8:3-5a)

     A. The universe reveals God’s greatness (8:3)

Charles H. Spurgeon called Psalm 8, “The song of the astronomer.” David while tending his sheep at night could see 3 to 4 thousand stars with his unaided eyes and was breathe taken at God greatness.

The astronomer’s modern giant telescopes have made some amazing discoveries since 1920. In our universe,the Milky Way, there are 100 billion stars. And then beyond our universe are billions of universes, each with 100 billion stars.

All of this, David said, was “the work of God’s fingers.” John Wesley said, “God created the heavens and the earth and did not half try.”

    B. The universe reveals man’s smallness (8:4a)

“What is man?” Man is an infinitesimal speck in space in comparison to the measureless universe. According to Psalm 144:3-4, man is a microscopic dot on the timeline of eternity. I know timeline is a contradiction to eternity.

Job asked, “What is man?” in frustration in 7:17-21 against God, whom Jobs thinks is making a big fuss over nothing in his life: “What is man, that you should magnify him? And that you should set your heart upon him? And that you should visit him every morning and try him every moment? How long will you not depart from me, or let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto you, O you preserver of men? Why have you set me as a mark against you, so that I am a burden to myself? And why do you not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For now shall I sleep in the dust; and you shall seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.”

Job in essence said, “I am under your magnifying glass. I can’t move without your notice and punishment. When I wake up, there you are. I can’t even swallow my spit without you micromanaging me. You have placed a bull eyes on my back. If I have sinned, forgive me and let’s move on. What is man to you? Why all the fuss?

    C. The universe reveals God’s grace (8:4b-5)

1. When God is “mindful” of this infinitesimal atom in God’s universe and chooses him for Himself (Ephesians 1:3-4).

2. When God “visits” weak, frail, and mortal man. God not only chooses us but He cares for us.

3. When God made man in His image in order to fellowship with him. Psalm 8:5 states this truth two different ways. First, when David writes that God created man “a little lower than the angels.”

Here is how James Montgomery Boice explains the first truth:

“The most interesting aspect of Psalm 8 is the way in which it places man in what has been called ‘a mediation position’ in the universe. Thomas Aquinas was one of the first to stress this, saying that Psalm 8 places man midway between the angels, which are above him, and the beasts, which are below. Man is a spirit/body being, according to Aquinas. Angels have spirits but no bodies. Animals have bodies but no spirits. Man, however, has both a spirit and a body and so comes between” (Psalms, Vol 1, Psalms 1-41. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994, 70).

We know by this description from David that David was not an atheistic evolutionist or he would have written that man was created “a little higher than the animals.”

Secondly, not only does God have “glory” that is above the universe in 8:1 but God crowned man with His glory. Both of these statements equal the statement in Genesis one that God created man in His image. As great as the universe is, God did not make stars in His image. As measureless as the universe is, Christ did not die for planets, He died for you and me. God doesn’t desire fellowship with galaxies. We alone in God’s vast universe are made in His image and have the potential and privilege to fellowship with God.

3. Who am I? I am the recipient of God’s Crown (8:6-8)

     A. God created man to rule the earth.

In Psalm 8:6-8, David quotes Genesis 1:26-28 which is a reference to Adam before the Fall into sin. God crowned man with “glory and honor” which are attributes of a king. When Adam sinned, he was dethroned. Today man is not a ruler, he is a rebel. Man is not the sovereign God intended for him to be, man is a sinner. Today, man temporarily is not realizing Psalm 8.

     B. Because of the fall of the first Adam into sin, God sent the Last Adam, Jesus Christ.

The Last Adam, Jesus Christ, has regained all that the first Adam lost in the Fall. God intended the first Adam to reign and but he rebelled and lost his control and reign. The New Testament quotes Psalm 8:6-8 and applies it to Christ. “You have put all things in subjection under his feet….But now we see not yet all things put under his feet” (Hebrews 2:8). “In reality Christ is at the right hand of the Father and everything has been subjected under his feet, but the full exercise of that power will not be evident until his return” (Harold W. Hoehner. Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002, 284).

1. Even while on earth Christ ruled the fish: a school of fish (John 21:6), a single fish (Matthew 17:27). Christ ruled the beasts: an unbroken colt (Matthew 21:2). Christ ruled the fowl (Luke 22:34). Additionally, Christ cast out demons, healed the sick, and walked on water. All of these were Old Testament prerogatives of the predicted Messiah.

2. Today, Paul says in Ephesians 1:22 that God “has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.” An example of Christ reigning today is in Colossians 1:13. Every time a sinner is converted God delivers that sinner from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son over which Christ reigns.

3. The full exercise of Christ’s power and reign will happen in the future at His second coming according to 1 Corinthians 15:24-27 where Psalm 8 is quoted again. “Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he has put all things under his feet.”

Michael Moore, film director of Fahrenheit 9/11, quotes Jesus who said, “Love your enemies” to defend his position that we should not attack terrorist nations. In Revelation 19, when 1 Corinthians 15:24-27 will be fulfilled, Jesus will destroy His enemies with the sword of His mouth. We are to love our enemies. But God has said, “You shall not murder innocent people.” The penalty for murder is capital punishment. God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice. In the OT if an intruder is trying to break into your house at night you can take his life in defense your life and your family’s life because life is sacred. On 9/11, the terrorists invaded our house and we must defend ourselves and our families against future invasion.

4. Because of Jesus’ death we can reign with Him. Jesus in His incarnation was made a little lower than the angels according to Hebrews 2:9. Jesus did not become an angel in His incarnation because angels don’t die and they are spirit beings. Jesus in His incarnation became man, who does die because he has physical body, “for the suffering of death.”

On the cross, Jesus was “crowned with glory (Hebrews 2:9).” For six hours the cross was Jesus’ throne. He was ruling and reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords, conquering Death, Hell, and the Grave. Because He lives, we live. Because He reigned we shall reign with Him. Because He was crowned with “glory” on the cross in Hebrews 2:9 we shall enter the “glory” of the millennium (Hebrews 2:10) and reign  with Him and finally realize Psalm 8 and God’s original purpose for us.

Revelation 1:5-6 states the same blessed truth: “From Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

This is the same place Psalm 8 ends in verse 9: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth.” We should praise the Lord because we are the focus of His concern, the climax of His creation, and the recipient of His crown.