Mark Scholten

My cell phone can do 10 million things. I use it, poorly, for 5 or 6. I vastly underutilize my phone. The preached Word of God can do 10 million things. I wonder if we only benefit from 5 of 6? Do we know the full power of the preached Word of God? “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). Or, even more surprisingly, Romans 10:14 states “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (ESV) Let’s look at these verses in another, in this case, more accurate, translation. Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?” (NASB 1995) Do you see it? Preaching is not speaking about Jesus merely; it is Jesus speaking! The God-man speaks about Jesus through the preacher in preaching. Amazing!

Well, what is preaching? Nate Shurden gives the following definition. “Reformed preaching is that which preaches the whole Christ in the whole Word for the whole person to the whole of life.” Let’s unpack that definition for a minute.

The Whole Christ. The Bible is about Jesus Christ. He is the main character. From beginning to end, the Scriptures paint the portrait of Jesus. Christ is in all the Scriptures and therefore ought to be preached from all the Scriptures. Jesus is the central theme of the Bible, and he ought to be the central theme in the sermon.

The Whole Word. The whole counsel of God must be preached, as Paul tells us in Acts 20:27. Consecutive expository preaching aims to preach from all the Scriptures all the time. We do not avoid any text. And any text that we preach seeks to be consistent with the whole Bible.

The Whole Person. Experiential preaching enlightens the mind, stirs the heart, and motivates the will. Preaching seeks to mend all the broken parts of mankind. The Word preached is a healing balm to the mind and the heart. It aims for a life change. “Jonathan Edwards said preaching requires both “light and heat’—the light of truth and the heat of affection, leading to a change in action and direction of life.” (Shurdan)

The Whole Life. God’s Word applies to all of life. Cornelius Van Til once said, “The Bible is thought of as authoritative on everything of which it speaks. Moreover, it speaks of everything.” Preaching reaches every aspect of life. Christ is Lord of all, even the small details of life.

Preaching seeks to apply the whole Christ to the whole man. Preaching brings the heavenly life down to us. It is God’s voice that is heard in the Sunday sermon. That voice should always be honored. Would you pray for the Word of God to come in power? To us and to others? That is the revival we need. It is like learning to really use your cell phone.

My Aunt Margaret, my father’s last living sibling, is dying. I am now promoted to the terminal generation. The last great enemy is slowly, or is it quickly, approaching. “We are all on the clock,” writes Ben Sasse. At 54 years old, just before Christmas, he sent out this sad but hopeful note. “Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and (I) am gonna die. Advanced pancreatic cancer is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too—we all do.”

Are we prepared to fight the last great enemy? We have the tools. We have heard the sermons on eternal life and listened to many hopeful funeral orations. The armor and the weapons to grapple with that “wicked thief” are within our reach, but do we know how to wield them? Ben Sasse is dying as a Christian with true grief, great joy, and a life-giving hope. And he is dying publicly for our benefit! The quotes are all his.

“Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived.” He is living while he is dying. He is boldly speaking into the world practical wisdom, certain hope, and living faith. “God smashing idols for us is a blessing, and having a death sentence is a really good way.”

What sustains you in your battle with death? “I said I believe we’re all on the clock. We’re all dying. So, this is not the scariest thing to me. I’ve always known that we’re going to be pushing up daisies eventually. This is more finite. Death is terrible. We should never sugarcoat it. It is not how things are meant to be. But it is great that death can be called the final enemy. It’s an enemy, but it’s a final enemy, and there will then be no more tears.” “I believe in the resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world. So, I did not feel great fear about my death. I didn’t want the pain I was going through. I knew that God wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis. There is not a maverick molecule in the universe.” 

“To live is Christ, to die is gain,” quoting Philippians 1:21. “The resurrection is the reason we have hope even when we’re dying.” What would you change, looking back from the edge of death? “The foolishness of our works is pretty apparent when you try to really look at the accounting of a life. One thing I tell my kids a lot is, ‘Man, I wish I’d taken the Lord’s Day more seriously…it’s a really good antidote to all those idolatries.’”

“The eternal city—with foundations and without cancer—is not yet, but it is real, and it is coming. We hope in a real Deliverer.” “I’ve continued to feel a peace about the fact that death is something that we should hate. We should call it a wicked thief. And yet, it’s pretty good that you pass through the vale of tears one time, and then there will be no more tears; there will be no more cancer.

Are you angry at God ever? “No. I wouldn’t want a sovereign God to defer to all of my prayers with a yes. I’m not omniscient. I don’t know what the weaving together of the tapestry of full redemption should look like, but I know going through the period of suffering that I’m going through is a benefit because it is a winnowing. I’m filled with dross. This suffering is not salvific, but it’s sanctifying, and I’m grateful for it.”

“Tim Keller said, I hate pancreatic cancer. I would never wish it on anyone, but I would never want to go back to a time in my life where I didn’t know the prayer (life) of pancreatic cancer. “I now, in the midst of this disease, know much more the truth of my finitude than I ever let myself believe in the past. The hubristic nonsense—I believe in God, and I’m grateful and blessed, but I can build a storehouse that can be pretty deistically persuasive. My soul thinks Ben should be God, and I want that to die. Cancer sucks. But I’m pretty grateful that cancer is a stake against my delusional self-idolatry.”

Do you think you’re ready to die? “I don’t feel ready. But to whom would I go?… And we’re told that we get to approach the Almighty, we get to approach the divine, and call him Daddy, Abba, Father? That’s pretty glorious. And I know that that’s what I need.”

“I’m with Paul when he says to live is Christ, to die is gain. Obviously death is a wicked thief. I don’t want it to happen. But we’re mortals, and it seems like it’s not sophisticated or modern or naive to pretend we’re not mortals. It’s true. And so you gotta grapple with big questions. And this is not news to me that I had numbered days. It just became a more precise number. We all (have) numbered days. Redeem the time in my theology means it is a great blessing to be able to live a life of gratitude to God by doing stuff that tries to benefit your neighbor. It is a blessing to get to be co-creators, but we don’t build any storehouses that last. The things that matter and endure are human souls and things way bigger than any of my projects… The chance to love your neighbor and serve is a blessing. And that’s what the Puritans meant by redeem the time.”

We are all called to fully live while the last great enemy approaches. The terminal generation welcomes us all. Let us redeem the time and nurture our certain hope in Christ. The best is yet to come. Live like that today. I will see you next Sabbath.

 

We can’t keep good news quiet.

When I hear good news about anything, I am immediately compelled to share it. There is a powerful, joy-inducing element in good news. When your team wins the championship, it must be shared and celebrated! When the lab results reveal total healing, we ask others to share in our joy! The gospel good news of our Lord Jesus Christ is the best news ever. Why do we find it so difficult to share?

Paul could write, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them (my fellow countrymen) is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). Paul had a passion for souls, and it showed. In other words, he really did believe the good news, and he could not keep it to himself.

What is it that hinders our gospel witness?  

1) We do not understand the gospel. We cannot share something that we do not possess. We must grasp the gospel in order to proclaim it. I am stunned that so many Christians cannot recall a basic gospel outline. We cannot share what we do not understand. Study the gospel. Delight in the good news and you will be compelled to share it.

2) We don’t want to be hypocrites. We realize, much to our shame, that our lives are not 100% consistent with the gospel. We do not always act as Christians. Therefore, we tend to hide our convictions so as not to be exposed as two-faced.

3) We won’t want to risk our friendships, jobs, or social standing by taking a much-maligned, minority opinion. To speak truth is to rock the boat, to stir up commotion, and to disturb the comfortable status quo. So, we coast in neutral, avoiding conflict. We go with the flow and refuse to swim against the tide.

I think if we had some measure of Paul’s zeal for the lost, all of these hinderances could be swiftly overcome. “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3). With a touch of that zeal, we would learn the depth and power of the gospel and continually delight our souls in it! We would recognize our inconsistencies with the truth of the gospel and make steady, lasting change. We would realize that peace outside of the gospel is truly impossible. The status quo is not to be rested in but overcome and transformed by the joy of the gospel. The good news makes all things better!

I have good news for you. Jesus has conquered, and his kingdom is coming. He invites all to join him in the freedom offered in the gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are at odds, how do you get even? When we enter the minefield of relational turmoil, revenge is often our first, knee-jerk reaction. How can I get even? You poked my eye; therefore, I will blind you. And so spreads the poison of sin. Interpersonal strife is mutually assured destruction. Is there a better way to deal with sin?

The fall of our first parents separated us from God and from one another. Adam and Eve became gold medalists at the blame game. ‘Who is to blame for my rebellion, failure, and foolishness? Certainly not me. I will pin the blame on someone else.’  Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed God for giving him ‘the woman.’  We are great at tearing down relationships but very poor at repairing them.

How can we reconcile our broken relationships? This road less traveled, the path of repentance and forgiveness, is difficult and very humbling. Here is the brief formula. First, when you are wrong, admit it. Second, confess your failure and sincerely turn away from it. Third, go to the wounded person and repent before them. Own the harmful wrongdoing and ask specifically for their forgiveness. Believe it or not, that is the easy part. 

Here is the hard part of the formula for reconciliation. When someone has humbled themselves before you and admits their wrong and asks for your forgiveness, you must forgive them. Luke 17:3, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” And how does God forgive us? Whenever we ask!

While there are consequences even to forgiven sins, forgiveness is a promise not to punish their sin or to harm them with revenge. It is to choose not to bring up their sin against them. That is asking a lot. In granting forgiveness, we absorb the wrong. We take a punch for Jesus. We place the relationship on the road to a fuller reconciliation. Forgiveness seeks to make our enemies our friends. We can only make peace with our enemies.

Another thing: nearly every broken relationship has more than one in the wrong. It takes two to tango. Admit your portion of the damage done even if it is only 2% of the problem. Admit, own, repent, confess, and finally forgive sin. That is the prescription to overcome sin’s destruction of relationships. Now this formula, this process, does not fully heal the relationship, but it puts it on the road to a healthier place.

How did God deal with our sin and the relational separation that it caused? It paid for it from His end. The innocent paid the price that the guilty could not fully pay. Everyone has had a hand in destroying relationships—everyone is part of the problem. But not everyone is part of the solution.Forgive them, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

What is the greatest grief of a parent? Many say the death of a child die. As a loving parent I can imagine the heartbreak of that grief and loss.“There’s no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were.” (Dwight Eisenhower) Or this anonymous quote, “My child died. I don’t need advice. All I need is for you to gently close your mouth, open wide your heart and walk with me until I can see in color again.” Perhaps a close second to this great grief is daily watching a child flounder in unbelief.

Children who reject God can can spawn agonizing questions for parents. ‘Did I do something wrong as a parent? How could God allow this to happen?’  There is something here of the raw emotional pain that we see in Psalm 38:10, ‘My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.’

I am not a survivalist but I read about the Rule of 3 for survival. ‘You can survive 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, and 3 minutes without oxygen … but you won’t make it 3 seconds without hope.’  Without hope, all is lost. If you believe things are hopeless, they most likely are.

Where do you find hope when those dearest on earth are living in rebellion against the God of grace?  Many search for hope in their lost loved ones.  They scrutinize their every action looking for some slight sign of hope.  They are looking in the wrong place.  The character of God is the ground of hope.

Ezekiel 33:11, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “God our Savior … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

God is in the business of seeking and saving the lost. He bled and died to redeem them! He has found millions, even billions of fallen sons and daughters of Adam! He saves hopeless sinners everyday! There is always hope – hope in the character of God and in the certainty and power of His Word!  

God, for our greater assurance and comfort, has entered into a covenant with us and with our children.  God set aside the children of Abraham from the world to be His very own.  They are covenant children and they belong to the believing community. “In baptism, parents link the spiritual livelihood of their child to the spiritual life of the church. They promise to intertwine their family’s life of faith with the life of the church so that they and the child will hear wise counsel from others (including more experienced parents), encounter the reality of God’s presence in worship, and learn from the example of mature saints how God’s grace forms the beauty of the soul in both good and difficult circumstances. . . . as the church repeats its own testimony year after year, the whole body of Christ learns of its obligation and power to influence the eternity of her children.” (Bryan Chapell)  

The Covenant hope is that God works his salvation along family lines. He is the God of our Children.  In fact, the Canons of Dort, Section 1, Article 17 could state on the basis of God’s covenant that, “godly parents ought not to doubt the election and salvation of their children whom God calls out of this life in infancy.”

So, what should we do if our children to not currently believe?  

Pray.  Salvation is God’s work. Only he can do it.  And He does! Ask him to save your children. 

Don’t blame yourself. You are not the Holy Spirit. Confess your failures as a parent but entrust your children to the perfect Father. Do not wallow in self-pity. Live in the joy of the Lord.  The best thing that you can do for unbelieving family and friends is grow in godliness yourself.

Love your children. Praise what you can. Serve them when you are able. Be yourself around them. Let them see the love, mercy, and grace of God in you and the way that you live with them. Don’t always ‘witness’ to them and don’t force feed your views on life or the gospel.  It is God’s work.  If they know the gospel, it is enough that they see its effect in you. Wait for the opportune moment – the teachable moments. They will certainly arrive if you wait for them.

Ask others to pray for them.  When God works, he often starts with stirring up prayer among the people of God.

Where God is, there is hope. Not in signs of possible change in unbelievers, nor in your punching all the right spiritual buttons, but rather in the God of hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

We don’t think much about the words that we speak.  And that is a big problem. “The tongue is set among our members…setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” “It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” An unbridled tongue, it seems, is worst than a stampede of wild horses. “No human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:6,8). So much for the tongue lashing from James. We do need to think more carefully, biblically, about our words.

Thoughtless words can deeply wound. That is no surprise. Weaponizing speech is so easy.  Just speak your mind.  Say what you really think. Be frank.  It seems so justified and even righteous.  I have seen many draw blood with their biting words of ‘truth.’  But the Scriptures call us to a higher standard in our speaking.

Ephesians 4:29 instructs, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”  Corrupt talk is foul or rotten; like spoiled fruit or rotten meat.  Listening to some people speak can make you sick! Our words should be good, appropriate, and intended to build up.  We can minister grace with our words! Our words can wound or they can heal. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  Salt flavors and prevent corruption – so should our speech.  Always gracious.  Do you know such angels? I just love to talk to those people. They minister grace and healing with kind words. They speak health into our souls.  What a gift.  Be that angel! Be that gift to others!

Proverbs 18:21 shares her wisdom with us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  We promote life or death with the words that we speak.  I have noticed that the more I speak harsh, cruel, bitter, and angry words, the darker and more corrupt my heart becomes and the greater distance others keep from me.  Yet, the more wholesome, grace dealing, thoughtful and kind, my speech becomes, the more smiles I see.  In many ways, our speech creates our environment. “For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit” (1 Peter 3:10), and “A gentle tongue is a tree of life” Proverbs 15:4.  Think before you speak. Filter your words through the high standard set by the Word of God.  If you do, you will bring a little of heaven down to earth.

Something is not right with me. I know it. Yet when others tell me where I am failing I still attack them. I even defend my wrong. I blame others for my situation. I shelter my diseased heart and cherish my sin.  Why do we do that? Well, we are fallen. Change is hard. We are fighting against our very nature. So then, how can we overcome our sin?

I want to change but I don’t know how.  I make resolutions but they are simply a bridge too far, they become the road not taken. My resolutions are often a dead end street.  I fail. Continually. Guilt and shame multiply with every defeat. The only path to peace, it seems, the way to reach some level of comfort, is to stop trying to change.  I grow comfortable right where I am. So, how can I change my failing resolutions into victorious resolve?  Stop fighting alone!

When God gave his people his law, his perfect law, that we are to obey, what were his very first words?  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). God declares deliverance and victory before he gives the law! To change your nature you must start with God and embrace his steadfast, covenant love.  He has already delivered you! So, put on the armor of God and be who you already are!

Augustine prayed to God,“Command what you will and grant what you command.” Demand away, but give us the strength to obey. God’s grace enables God’s people to fulfill God’s commands. Fallen man is unable to self-generate self-control nor embrace the transforming love of God on their own. It is grace that empowers obedience.

Look at Philippians 2:1-4. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  The encouragement and comfort of Christ is required to selflessly slay the dragons of sin.

Or take Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to all ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” The grace of God empowers us to say no to ourselves and yes to God. The love of God makes us willing, eager, and able to overcome our sins.

You cannot slay sin on your own. 

Resolutions are pointless. God given resolve cannot fail. Stop fighting on your own. Receive the victory of Jesus.

“What can I do to fill the empty pews at church? I have no idea; but someone should do something! Church growth is for the experts, right? We need the Madison Avenue crowd’s advice to grow the church. I can’t do anything to grow the church, can I?” Yes you can!

Pray – Church work is God’s work. God grows his church. He builds his own temple and beautifies his own bride. Ask God to grow the church. Every church member can, and should, pray that God would make and mature disciples here at Westminster.

Participate / Connect – Be a larger part of what the church is already doing. Come to Sunday School, Sunday Night prayer, and Wednesday Questions Dinner. Participate in the church community more than you do already. Do one more thing. Good things happen when Christians gather together. I knew a church that expected all their members to attend Sunday Morning Worship, Sunday Night, and Wednesday meetings. If they did not, they would put you under discipline. We won’t do that. Worship is commanded but not Sunday School and Prayer meetings. Your participation in addition to worship should be willing, eager, and enthusiastic. If it is not, your presence will not be a blessing to you or to others. Still, come. But lead with your heart. That makes the church attractive.

Grow Yourself – Be a mature disciple. Grow in the fear and knowledge of God. Think often and deeply of God. Commune with him on more than Sunday morning. Read good books. Listen to sermon. Walk with God. “A holy man is a mighty weapon in the hands of God.” (Robert Murray M’cheyne) You are a walking advertisement for what God is doing at Westminster. Let your light shine.

Invite Others – Statistically this is the foremost engine of church growth. “Someone invited me.” Invite them to worship, to church events, and into your home. Have your lives overlap in simple things. Do them a solid. Invest in the relationship and then include them in what you are doing – walking in friendship with God!

Use Your Gifts – Serve. Many hands make light work; but they also do more work. Volunteer on a Ministry Team. Be an usher. Mow the church lawn. Share a meal. The talents that God has given you belong to the church. When the church is firing on all cylinders that car moves just fine.

Fellowship – Don’t simply hang out. Talk about more than football and politics. If you never talk about your best friend, what he is doing, why you like him, what your fellowship is like and how it helps you; is He really your best friend? Love one another in the church. Invest in others; in normal, everyday things. Bring a meal, send a card, give a chainsaw to your brother. Be the church and the church will grow.

Give – What you give to and sacrifice for you eagerly desire to succeed. If you invest money you regularly check your mutual funds and property. “But I do give to the church!” Yes, but do you invest in the church. Do your heart and hands follow the money? Give of your time, talents, and treasures to kingdom work and the church will grow.

Pray – Did I mention that already? Why list it again? I want you to pray more than once. So, pray. Pray like you mean it; like you expect it to happen! Growing the church is God’s work. He includes us in his work, but it is his labor. We have not because we ask not. Ask God to grow the church. And be the answer to your own prayers.