What the Lord of the Universe is Comforted By

In my devotional time this semester I've been in the Gospel of John. Now I'm in chapter 17, which is just a wonderful section of Scripture that I intend to go through a bit more slowly. When I read through John 17:1-5 it struck me that there was a similar section earlier in the Gospel. It was in the middle of chapter 12. As I read John 12:23-28 again I was also reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend a while back about that passage. I thought it'd be for our benefit to share those thoughts.

And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

So Jesus is acknowledging that the time for His crucifixion is near. We learn from the next verse (which we'll look at in a minute) that He was troubled. And that's not terribly surprising. It's not that He's just going to die an agonizing and ignominious death at the hands of those who have perverted His Father's holy Law, and have subjugated His people under a yoke of slavery that no one in history has been able to bear (Ac 15:10). That would be enough to trouble any of us, certainly.

But Jesus' trouble went deeper than that. He was troubled at the fact that soon He would lose the delightful and exuberant fellowship that He had always enjoyed with the Father. There would, for the first time in eternity, be a horrible change in their relationship; it would go from one of perfect communion, love, blessing, joy, and delight in each other, to abandonment, hatred, cursing, wrath, and shame. On the cross, Jesus would experience the full exercise of the righteous wrath of His Father -- wrath He had known objectively but never experientially. The bitter cup that He never deserved to drink would soon be pressed to His lips, and the delightful, well-pleased smile of His Father -- the apple of His eye from all eternity -- would be hidden from Him.

Very literally, Jesus is about to go through hell.

And so He's troubled. But even at that point (in verses 23-26), He is comforting Himself with the promises of His Father. He speaks of His impending death -- both physical and spiritual -- as being "glorified." Rather than focus on the condemnation He will suffer for His people, He remembers that His Father will not let His Holy One undergo decay (Ps 16:10), and that as a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied (Is 53:11), He will be allotted a portion with the great (Is 53:12). And so He reminds Himself that His death will eventually mean His glorification. He reminds Himself and His disciples that it is through this kind of self-sacrifice that one doesn't waste his life, but bears much fruit... that eternal life knowing the Father and knowing Christ (Jn 17:3) is better than a comfortable life on earth for 80 years.

And yet in the moment, He still says, "Now My soul has become troubled."

And then he asks, "...and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour."

That's so beautiful. "Father, I am troubled. My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death (Mt 26:38). I don't want to leave You. I don't want to be abandoned by You. I don't want to lay down the privilege of the consummate joy and love and delight that We've had for all eternity. I want to continue to know Your blessing and Your smile. I want to continue to be well-pleasing to You. Father, I am troubled.

"But Father I trust You. I entrust Myself wholly to You (1Pet 2:23). For I know You are in control of all things. And I know that You are most wise. And I know that at the heart of Your very Being that You are good, for I have witnessed firsthand the overflow of Your beneficence in all creation and providence. So I will not ask that you deliver me out of this trial. No, this is precisely why I have come."

And so He doesn't ask that His suffering be removed. But what is amazing, what is staggering, what is so refreshing, is what He does ask for.

"Father, glorify Your name."

That's what He wants! That's what comforts the Savior's soul! He wants to see His Father's name be magnified and honored and made to look as big and as sweet and as desirable as it actually is! He wants to see His Father's glory! The glory of the Father is so pleasing, so delightful, so enjoyable to the Son that it is what He asks for to comfort Him before the greatest trial, the greatest suffering, that anyone has endured in history.

Oh, we've got to see this! This is not just amazing self-sacrifice on Jesus' part. Jesus is not merely saying, "I'll give it all up as long as God is glorified." He's saying that, but that's not nearly the whole story! He's actually saying that what He wants to calm His troubled, deeply grieved soul is the sight of His Father's glory! This is what reassures Him of His Father's sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness. It is knowing that He Himself will be glorified with this glory that He so enjoys, as He enjoyed before the world was (Jn 17:5), that comforts Him and gives Him strength to do this terrible, awesome work. The Father's glory is the joy that was set before Him for which He endured that shameful cross (Heb 12:2)!

And the Father grants His Son's request: "Then a voice came out of heaven: 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.'"

Oh I pray that you feel the weight of that, Christian! I pray that this awesome interaction between Father and Son lands on you!

And how instructive it is for us in our Christian life, especially through the trials and sufferings that God has granted to us (Phil 1:29). In every aspect of our lives, what should be our comfort? What should be our request to God for strength to do the work He's given us? Our request should be, "Father, glorify Your name." Our comfort should be the seeing and savoring of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2Cor 4:6; 2Cor 3:18; Ex 33:18).

I can bear the scoffing and mocking of an unbelieving generation. I can gladly sacrifice popularity among my friends. I can endure the disowning and snubbing of my own family. I can face cancer, disease, and arduous medical procedures with joy. I can live my life with next to no money and worldly comforts for these 80 short years. I can lay down my life... if... if my Father will glorify His name! If the name of my God would be lifted up and exalted and magnified, if I can see Him and enjoy Him in all His majesty, well then for me to live is Christ! And to die is gain!

Be instructed, dear friends, and be comforted by what the Lord of the universe is comforted by.

...for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance
through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
according to my earnest expectation and hope,
that I will not be put to shame in anything,
but that with all boldness, Christ will even now,
as always, be exalted in my body,
whether by life or by death.
For to me,
to live is Christ
and to die is gain.
- Philippians 1:19-21 -

Shai Linne Concert

So last Sunday night, Shai Linne came to do a concert at BIOLA. Some TMS friends and Janna and I went to see him. It was really fun. We even actually got to meet him and talk for a few minuets. Hopefully it won't be the last time we hang out, as he's considering coming to TMS in Fall '10.



At about half way through his set he did an a capella, poem-like piece. He asked us, "If death could talk, what would it say?" Then he said he thought it would talk like this.

I'm the one that the movies use to entertain.
I'm the one that seems fun on video games.
I'm the one that the rappers like to shout about.
And I'm the one that does to them what comes outta they mouth.
I'm the one that's broadcast on the news nightly.
Yeah, I'm the one that most take too lightly.
I'm the one that's been the enemy for centuries.
You'll all come to me eventually.

I'm taking out all contenders / between January and December.
Destruction's my agenda. / I'm the one to remember.
And this is not hyperbole. / I'm not known to exaggerate.
So what I'm droppin verbally / I am going to actuate.
And if you're laughin you / have no clue / about my magnitude,
And how I'm smashing dudes / with a nasty attitude.
I'm sorry that was rude, / I got such a major rep,
That I never introduced myself, / Hi, my name is Death.
Nice to meet you. / And it will also be nice to defeat you,
And watch the worms eat you / when I six feet deep you.
You probably wondering why I be shoutin with hostility,
Silly wannabe / killers really be / doubtin my ability.
And they all be yappin, / talkin smack / with their sorry rap,
And when I'm called to action, / they'll be silent like Charlie Chaplin.
How long we actin? / Will you respect me like you cherish sins?
Or will I have to turn your arrogance into embarrassment?

I'm the one that the rappers like to shout about.
And I'm the one that does to them what comes outta they mouth.
I'm the one that's broadcast on the news nightly.
Yeah, I'm the one that most take too lightly.
I'm the one that's been the enemy for centuries.
You'll all come to me eventually.

I'm presently reckoned. / Statistically, I strike every three seconds,
Which makes about 80 people by the end of this record.
So check it as I indicate / and convincingly demonstrate
why I don't discriminate / with people I eliminate.
The middle class? I'm knockin em off. / And I'm even droppin the poor.
The riches of the wealthy can't help em when I knock on the door.
Everybody drop on the floor. / The hottest won't be hot anymore.
Like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction I will not be ignored.
I strike universally / from slums to universities
from nurseries / to nursing homes/ that's true diversity.
And it's the same for the drop-out /Or the well-schooled when he dies,
likewise / the cool and despised / the fool and the wise.
Oh the lunacy!
How imprudent students be foolishly / thinking they have immunity
like I won't take the opportunity!
Don't masquerade / and act like you ain't have the data
That I emasculate haters / and assassinate assassinators.
When it comes to graves I'm the real filler,
They don't really gives chills to killers / And make a killin when I kill killers.

I can't be talked away by slick politicians / or tricked by magicians
because I'm the kinda guy who mortifies morticians.
I horrify physicians, / I'm knockin all the doctors.
I rock / and shock / the block / from Stockholm to Watts / and I gotcha.
Do what I say! / I'm the last exit on your highway.
Even Frank Sinatra had to do it my way.

I'm the one that the movies use to entertain.
I'm the one that seems fun on video games.
I'm the one that the rappers like to shout about.
But I'm the one that does to them what comes outta they mouth.
I'm the one that's broadcast on the news nightly.
Yeah, I'm the one that most take too lightly.
I'm the one that's been the enemy for centuries.
You'll all come to me eventually.

This goes out to those speakin my name, / lying like you crazy,
Cuz when I greet you with pain / you'll be cryin like a baby.
And I ain't even go into all the ways that I could be taking you out,
The point is, no escaping this route.
Naked you come in and naked you're out.
You been sleepin apparently, / so now listen carefully.
Don't act like you're not aware me! / How are you gonna prepare for me?
I feel like doin some charity / so here's some free advice:
If you don't wanna see me twice,
Repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

It was awesome. Immediately after that he gave a solid Gospel presentation. I tried to videotape most of it, but the quality (of the video) isn't that great. He talked about how everybody was into what he was saying, but in a crowd as big as it was, it was likely that some folks weren't ready for eternity. He mentioned how we were all bobbing our heads and enjoying the music and the poetry, but warned that if that's all it is for us, then we're missing the point. He pointed us to our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. Then he presented that Savior and called us to repentance and faith for the forgiveness of our sins.

He shepherded the crowd.

I'm glad to have met Shai Linne. I hope I get to speak with him again some time soon.

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance,
God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,
because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness
through a Man whom He has appointed,
having furnished proof to all men
by raising Him from the dead.
- Acts 17:30-31 -

Implications for Apologetics

A very popular method of Gospel ministry employed by many Christians is to build historical, archaeological, or scientific evidence for all or part of the Christian faith, present their case to an unbeliever, and "demand a verdict." This attempt to "prove" the factuality of Christianity by presenting extra-biblical evidence is called evidentialist apologetics.

Such a method can be very useful in strengthening the confidence of believers in the veracity of the Bible. It can also be helpful when responding to questions, criticisms, or arguments against Christianity from those who speak out against Christianity.

However, in terms of evangelism -- in terms of actually bringing about the salvation of unbelievers -- a monergistic, and thus Biblical, understanding of regeneration demonstrates the futility of evidentialism to achieve what is necessary to be born again and believe.

Ultimately, the reasons Christians disagree on this is because of their misunderstanding of human nature. Remember that humanity's problem – our spiritual death – is that we can’t see what is right in front of us. No matter how elaborate, thorough, or accurate the presentation, no display of evidence will ever make a difference to a blind man. He must first be given sight.

The futility of evidences in achieving the desired effect of Gospel ministry is given throughout Scripture. Here's a sample.

John 12:37, 39-40 – But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. … For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, so that they would not see him with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them."

Do you see how crazy that is? Even though Jesus Himself performed so many signs in front of the people to demonstrate that He was God in the flesh, and therefore worth believing in, they still didn't believe in Him. The glory of Jesus Himself, to say nothing of His miracles, should be enough evidence (humanly speaking) to compel worship and joyful faith. But the problem was their spiritual death. Their eyes were blind so that they could not see. Their heart was hard so that they could not perceive.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 – And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders. Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.”

Apparently the same was true 1500 years earlier. Think about what Moses is reminding the Israelites of here. Yahweh Himself appeared in a burning bush (Ex 3:1-6). He brought the ten plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt (Ex 7-11). He parted the Red Sea (Ex 14:16, 21). He drowned the Egyptians with that same Red Sea (Ex 14:27-28). He brought them to Sinai where they saw His glory like a consuming fire (Ex 24:17). They saw Moses' face glow (Ex 34:29-30). They saw the tablets of the Law written by God Himself (Ex 34:1). They saw His glory fill the Tabernacle such that nobody could stand in it (Ex 40:34-35). They saw the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire throughout their journeys in the wilderness (Ex 40:36-38). They ate the manna from heaven (Ex 16:35). They drank the water from the rock (Ex 17:6). They saw the earth open up and swallow Korah and his fellow rebels (Num 16:31-33). They looked at the fiery serpent on the pole and were healed of their wounds (Num 21:8-9). If anyone had enough evidence to believe with all their heart in Yahweh, it was this group of people.

But what does Moses say? Even though you've seen all these things done right before your eyes, you don't have a heart to know. You don't have eyes to see. You don't have ears to hear. That kind of heart, those kind of eyes, and those kind of ears are given by God Himself. He grants them in the new birth. That's what's needed, not more evidence.

John 8:43-47 – Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.

The reason people don't believe is because they can't truly hear Jesus' words. And the reason they can't hear them is because they are not of God. You see? Only God's elect have ears to hear. He gives them those ears when He grants them new life.

John 10:26 – But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

This speaks again, now explicitly, about why people don't believe the Gospel. It is because they are not of Jesus' sheep. Again, we see that it is only the sheep (the elect) who will eventually believe, because it is only the sheep (the elect) who will receive the new birth.

Last time we looked to Cornelius Van Til as we considered the implications of regeneration on evangelism. He also has helpful thoughts as we consider the philosophy and methodology of apologetics (from My Credo):

First, any non-Christian epistemology, i.e., any theory of knowledge based upon principles acceptable per se to the "mind of the flesh," (and therefore those of [the synergist’s] own method) is doomed to utter failure.

Basically, what he's saying is that if your 'evangelistic methodology' or 'missiology' presents to people what is acceptable to the mind of the flesh -- to the natural mind -- it's faulty. The theory of knowledge upon which the evidentialist apologetics model is based is one such non-Christian epistemology. While supplying extra-Biblical evidences for the veracity of the Christian faith is extremely helpful for believers, and while it has its place in defending the faith against accusations or questions from non-believers, evidences will never contribute one iota to an unbeliever’s salvation. Because, again, as we have seen, the natural man is blind to the most convincing evidence imaginable; namely, the Glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ! If that isn't enough evidence, no presentation of any lesser evidence will make a difference.

A consistently Christian methodology of apologetics [requires] that we preach with the understanding that the acceptance of the Christ of Scripture by sinners who, being alienated from God, [determined] to flee his face, comes about when the Holy Spirit, in the presence of inescapably clear evidence, opens their eyes so that they see things as they truly are.

You see? The 'evidence,' so to speak, is always sufficient. What the unbeliever needs is his eyes to be open. And this opening of the eyes to see things as they truly are is nothing other than regeneration. And the sole means of regeneration is the preaching of the Gospel.

And so, if regeneration is wholly an act of God, accomplished solely by the means of the preaching of His Word, and will be applied only to the people whom He chooses, our evangelism and our defense of the faith should look like that is the truth. We should not put our faith in scientific data or archaeological findings or any other kind of human reasoning. As Christians, we should put our faith solely in the Gospel to do the work of bringing Jesus' sheep to Himself. For, again, it is this Gospel -- not anything else -- that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16).

The nature of the new birth is spiritual (John 3:6). Therefore, we must only appeal to the spiritual in the unbeliever. And the only thing spiritual in the unbeliever is death (Eph 2:1-3). So we are to preach the Gospel, not by appealing to something natural in people, but by appealing to the fact that they are dead, and that Christ gives life by grace through faith in Him.

It is only this message of the Gospel that will ever bring about the new birth.

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. ...and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:2, 4-5 -

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
- Psalm 138:2, NKJV -

1. The Theology of the New Birth
1.1. Man's Spiritual Death (Total Depravity)
1.2. The Dead Cannot See
1.3. The Wind Blows Where it Wishes: The Freedom of God and Irresistible Grace
1.4. Regeneration and Faith: Temporally Simultaneous but Logically Distinct

2. Implications for the Christian Life
2.1. God Grants What He Requires
2.2. The Impossible is No Longer Burdensome
2.3. The Means of Justification is the Means of Sanctification

3. Implications for Gospel Ministry
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Evangelism
3.3. Apologetics

Implications for Evangelism

I concluded Monday's post with this sentence: "Because it is through the preaching of the Gospel that this miracle of the new birth happens, we must consider what implications these things have on the way we evangelize." By "these things" I mean all that we've considered about the new birth in this series. Since man is totally depraved, since that means he can't see the glory of God for what it is, since God is the Sovereign and Free one in salvation, since we believe because we are born again (and not vice versa), since God grants what He requires, how do we preach the Gospel to the lost? How do we evangelize?

The first thing to recognize is that the new birth is the work of God alone, and He tells us that He will accomplish this work by specific and particular means – that is, by the preaching of the Gospel. People do not cooperate in their new birth any more than they cooperate in their first birth. Understanding that people are brought forth (i.e., regenerated) in the exercise of God's will -- not their own -- and by the word of truth -- and nothing else (Jas 1:18) -- instructs us to not appeal to anything in the unbeliever as a natural person. If the nature of the new birth is spiritual, then appealing to something natural will not bring it about.

Some passages of Scripture that we’ve discussed in the series remind us of this (mouse over the references):

• Acts 16:14 – The new birth happened to Lydia (i.e., God’s opening her heart) on the heels of the preached Gospel message. The progression outlined in the passage is: speaking, listening, opening, responding. We must do ministry that reflects a knowledge of and a faith in this reality.
• John 1:12-13 – The new birth happens "not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Therefore, we must not attempt to preach the Gospel as if the will of the sinner is sovereign. We must preach the pure, unadulterated Gospel, knowing that it is by this that God has said He will sovereignly and decisively act when regenerating His people.
• John 6:44-45, 65 – We are not to attempt to preach the Gospel as if God was saving some sort of indiscriminate, unknown group of people. The elect are unknown to us, but they are fully known by God. So we are not to go out and appeal to people based on any worldly demographics, because it is by the spirituality that God gives them that their hearts are awakened to reality. So we should employ only that which is spiritual, and nothing that is natural or worldly.

The viewpoint that opposes my own speaks much of the "point of contact" between believers and unbelievers. Apologist Cornelius Van Til, in his My Credo, considers this idea:

[The synergist] assumes that unless one finds a point of contact with the natural man by way of agreeing with him on his false views of man and the world then one has no point of contact with him at all. Against this position, I maintain, with Calvin following Paul, that my point of contact lies in the actual state of affairs between men as the Bible tells us of it.

And that actual state of affairs is, very simply, that they are dreadfully and helplessly sinful, and will die in their sins apart from the living God who created them. Yet we as Christ's ambassadors have a solution to such a predicament. Boiled down, our point of contact is: "You’re sinful, just like all people are. But I have a message of repentance for the forgiveness of your sin."

To look for a point of contact with the unbeliever in the unbeliever’s notions of himself and his world is to encourage him in his wicked rebellion and to establish him in his self-frustration.

That is, if we seek to engage the unbeliever with methods that fire from the vantage point of the world (e.g., engage them with the kind of music they like, the kind of philosophy they operate with, the clothes they wear, the kind of places they like to hang out at, their psychological and emotional felt needs), we’re missing the point and are not practicing Biblical evangelism. Van Til says we're encouraging unbelievers in their wicked rebellion when we do this, and I agree with him. If we’re using these methods to engage the unbeliever from his vantage point, from his worldview, or on his terms, we are by definition not engaging the unbeliever from the worldview of Scripture, because they are necessarily different worldviews (cf. Rom 3:10, Rom 8:5-8).

So, attempting to get unbelievers to identify with Christianity, or find similarities between his own worldview and the Biblical, Christian worldview, is an exercise in futility. And it is precisely this ‘methodology’ that is championed by the Seeker-Sensitive / Church Growth movement as well as the Emergent / Emerging movement. Each brand of philosophy (which is really the same philosophy in different clothes) looks out on the vast majority of society and finds hoards of people not interested in going to church and not interested in Christ. And they wonder how they'll reach such people. And the idea is that since they've declared themselves "not interested," if Christians are to reach them, we can't just take the Good News of the Gospel to them. "They won't hear it," we're told.

And so the appeal is made on the basis of the worldliness of the unbeliever. If the unbeliever doesn't like hour-long sermons and big Bible words, the Seeker-Sensitive movement shortens sermons to 20-minute speeches on fixing your emotional problems and encourages you to leave your Bible at home. Before they'll even get in the door of the church, though, the Emerging movement tells us we've got to appeal to them on the basis of an affinity for exotic coffees, for punk rock music, for tattoos and piercings, for imported beer, for Ultimate Fighting. Once we can show them that Christians are like them -- that we're human and can like the same things that they like -- then they'll be interested in "trying Jesus."

The problem, of course, is that these "methods" are solidly contradictory to the message we have to give them. Appealing to the worldliness of the unbeliever -- whether it be shorter sermons or church in a coffee house -- is not how anyone gets born again. Because the agent of the new birth is not the "will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). Trying to massage unbelievers into "decisions for Jesus" is not the means of effecting the new birth. The means of the new birth is the preaching of the Gospel. And the Gospel has, is, and always will be necessarily and radically opposed to the unbeliever’s worldview.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote the following:

The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first. That is how revival comes. That must also be true of us as individuals. It should not be our ambition to be as much like everybody else as we can, though we happen to be Christian, but rather to be as different from everybody who is not a Christian as we can possibly be. Our ambition should be to be like Christ, the more like Him the better, and the more like Him we become, the more we shall be unlike everybody who is not a Christian. (Introduction to the Beatitudes)

Christians misguided by homogeneity principles and a distorted understanding of contextualization fail to let at least one important concept rule their thinking: the glory of Christ is that He is not like the world. His own attraction to sinners was His Godliness, not worldliness – how much like His Father He was, not how much like the world He was. As Christians, then, -- as those who follow Christ -- we are called to be godly, not worldly, in order to ‘attract’ the world. Show unbelievers how much you are like your Savior, not how much you are like them.

Because, think about it: If they are attracted to you because you're like them, then really all they're attracted to is themselves. And you don't have to be born again to like yourself and your sin. And so even if they pray a prayer with you and come to church and start reading their Bibles and listening to Chris Tomlin, they could still be dead in their sins. But if they are attracted to you because you are like Christ, then it is truly His beauty that they see and want more of. And it is the spiritual sight of the beauty of Christ that we're after! Because the will of the Father is that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, will have eternal life (Jn 6:40).

So the theology of the new birth informs our evangelism. People are born again by the imperishable seed (1Pet 1:23), by the word of truth (Jas 1:18), by the word of Christ (Rom 10:17), by the preaching of the Gospel (1Pet 1:25). And so preach the Gospel to people. Conduct both your words and actions in the reality that appealing to what is natural in unbelievers will not move them one iota towards being born again. So appeal to the spiritual deadness of those you witness to, and offer them spiritual life by urging them to behold and believe in the Son of God.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 -

1. The Theology of the New Birth
1.1. Man's Spiritual Death (Total Depravity)
1.2. The Dead Cannot See
1.3. The Wind Blows Where it Wishes: The Freedom of God and Irresistible Grace
1.4. Regeneration and Faith: Temporally Simultaneous but Logically Distinct

2. Implications for the Christian Life
2.1. God Grants What He Requires
2.2. The Impossible is No Longer Burdensome
2.3. The Means of Justification is the Means of Sanctification

3. Implications for Gospel Ministry
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Evangelism
3.3. Apologetics

Regeneration: Implications for Gospel Ministry

In the first section of this series on the doctrine of regeneration, we considered the theology of the new birth. We looked at man's spiritual death (or total depravity), and how that spiritual death manifests itself in the inability to see. We looked at the freedom and sovereignty of God in salvation, and we considered the ordo salutis.

In the second section, we considered what implications all that theology had for the way that Christians, who by definition have experienced that new birth, live their Christian lives. As the theology section taught us that getting born again is impossible, we rejoiced to learn that God Himself grants what He requires. We discovered the freedom that that brings, as what was impossible for us to do is no longer burdensome. And we recognized that the means of justification is the means of sanctification; that is, the way we get regenerated is the same way we become more like Christ. And so we concluded with a resolve to fight the fight of holiness in the Christian life on the level of spiritual sight.

The final section in this series considers the implications of the theology of the new birth for how we as Christians go about doing Gospel ministry. As Christians, we love God and desire that He get the glory and worship He is worthy of from all of His creatures, and so there's a burden in our hearts to see other people get saved. So we want the new birth to happen more and more. And the truths about the nature of the new birth teach us very much about how we go about evangelizing the world and trying to reconcile people to God through Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:20).

If it is the case that we cannot cause spiritual rebirth, we must employ only those methods that God Himself has declared He will use to regenerate His people. God will only bless the ministry or method of evangelism that comes from Him, that He Himself outlines and prescribes. And so we ask, "What is that? By what means does God sovereignly accomplish this glorious work called the new birth? By what means are hearts changed, souls awakened, eyes opened?" The Apostle Peter gives us the answer.

• 1 Peter 1:23-25 - for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.

We have been born again of seed that is imperishable, that is, the living and enduring word of God. And this word of God is the word that was preached to Peter's audience. What word was preached to them? Answer: The Gospel! And what is that?

Here is a presentation of the Gospel by John Piper:

The Son of God came into the world clothed with human flesh as a God-man, lived a perfect life, and died in the place of sinners, so that all their sin is covered and it is finished! And the wrath of God has been absorbed in His suffering, and the guilt of man has been borne in His suffering, and a life of completed righteousness has been finished on the cross, which can be imputed to us, and the grave is empty … and now we can have eternal life because all of that – Christ’s birth, Christ’s life, Christ’s death, Christ’s absorbing wrath, Christ providing righteousness, Christ taking away guilt, Christ providing forgiveness of sins – all of that is offered freely to absolutely everybody who believes. For free. By faith alone, through grace alone, on the basis of the work of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, as revealed in the Scriptures alone.

He goes on to lament that so many people who call themselves Christians are trying to improve on that Gospel. They're trying to make the best news in the world better. But this news is so great that you can't improve upon it. He challenges us:

I’m gonna give you an opportunity right now to stand up and tell me something greater than the Gospel. … Something greater than the Good News of what Christ has achieved in His death and His resurrection, and His reign, His substitution, His bearing the wrath of God, His taking away sin, His providing perfect righteousness, all to be enjoyed by faith alone apart from works. Something better than that!

Any of you wanna take a shot? Something better than that?

Of course you don’t! Because make no mistake! This Gospel is the very sole power of God for salvation! And yet so many of us who bear the name of Christ are ashamed of the Gospel! Shame on us! Paul says: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom 1:16). It is, and nothing else is!

So I along with Piper ask you: What is more glorious? What is better news? What is more worth telling people? And if nothing, why do we insist on doing everything we can to confuse the matter of evangelism?! We are to Preach. The. Gospel! We're not to interview people. We're not to "share our faith." Nobody cares about your faith! But the people whom God is drawing to Himself care about Good News for their weary, sin-laden soul. And we Christians are the only ones with that Good News. You let the Muslim, the Jew, the scientologist, or the atheist share their faith. But you, men and women of God, you go out and preach the Gospel!

With the Word of God shut up in you like fire in your bones (Jer 20:9), go into all the world and preach this Gospel! The pure, unadulterated, imperishable, cannot-be-improved-upon, living, and enduring Word of God. It alone is the power of God for salvation. By it, people are born again!

Because it is through the preaching of the Gospel that this miracle of the new birth happens, we must consider what implications the theology of the new birth has for the way we evangelize.

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth
by the word of truth,
so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
- James 1:18 -

1. The Theology of the New Birth
1.1. Man's Spiritual Death (Total Depravity)
1.2. The Dead Cannot See
1.3. The Wind Blows Where it Wishes: The Freedom of God and Irresistible Grace
1.4. Regeneration and Faith: Temporally Simultaneous but Logically Distinct

2. Implications for the Christian Life
2.1. God Grants What He Requires
2.2. The Impossible is No Longer Burdensome
2.3. The Means of Justification is the Means of Sanctification

3. Implications for Gospel Ministry
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Evangelism
3.3. Apologetics

Luke 12:13-21: Portrait of the Wasted Life

Four Strategies by which We Must Guard Against All Greed and Covetousness

So our final project for Intro to Preaching at TMS was to preach a 12- to 15-minute sermon on a text of our choosing. I chose Luke 12:13-21, the Parable of the Rich Fool, and preached it to my fellow first-year TMS students. I called the sermon: "Portrait of the Wasted Life." Some of you have asked about it, and so I post it here in two parts.

A couple of things to note. I apologize in advance for speaking too quickly at points. We had to keep it under 15 minutes, and if you've known me for any amount of time you know that was a challenge for me. So if you have to rewind at a couple of points, I'm sorry. I hope it's worth it. Also, sorry for the weird camera angle. My professor set it up where he usually sits and not at a straightaway angle from the back. And also, the prayer gets cut off at the end. Basically, I prayed that the Lord would apply His Word to my heart as well as the hearts of my listeners.

I suppose those are enough qualifications. I pray that this will be a benefit to you. The preparation certainly challenged me to examine what the source of my comfort and contentment is. May God give us grace to live like our citizenship is in Heaven and not on Earth, especially in the realm of the pocket book.

For what is a man benefited
if he gains the whole world,
and loses or forfeits himself?
- Luke 9:25 -

Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to charity;
make yourselves money belts which do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven,
where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- Luke 12:32-34 -

The Thrill of Thanksgiving

The following is a slightly adapted "mini-sermon" that I gave at my church last Thanksgiving. I've highlighted words regarding thanksgiving in orange, just to visually present the emphasis that it deserves.

Introduction

It is a joyous and glorious thing to give thanks to the Lord, isn’t it? It is so wonderfully pleasing to sing to Him songs of Thanksgiving, as we express our delight in knowing Him. In fact, can any of you think of anything more pleasing and more satisfying than ascribing to the Lord the glory that is due His name (Ps 29:2)? If you can, I pity you, because you haven’t known what it is to truly worship God in thanksgiving.

It is the most satisfying, exhilarating activity we can be engaged in. We know this, not only by our experiences (which do strongly testify to this), and not only by the thousands of verses throughout the Bible that teach this clearly, but we know this even just by surveying the activity of the saints in Heaven. Consistently throughout the book of Revelation, whenever there is a picture of the activity going on in heaven – in paradise –, the saints are worshiping God, praising Him, and giving thanks (Rev 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:9-12; 11:16; 14:2-3; 15:2-4). They see God face to face, and they worship Him out of delight in knowing Him so intimately and seeing Him so clearly. Worship, praise, and thanksgiving are indeed the most satisfying activities we can engage in, because as we do them we see Him. And that’s what causes the people in Heaven to worship.

And so this Thanksgiving, if you ask me about what I’m thankful for, I’m going to tell you that most foundationally, and most ultimately, I’m thankful that I get to be thankful. Because, ya know, not everybody gets to be thankful. Not everybody gets to enjoy giving thanks. Not everybody gets such a foretaste of heaven.

Romans 1:18 and following is not generally considered a “Thanksgiving text,” but I think there are very foundational and very ultimate things that are being taught about giving thanks in that passage. Try to catch the full weight of what’s being said.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

God Demands Praise, or Thanksgiving, in Everything

The first thing that I want you to see from this passage is that God demands thanksgiving – or praise or honor – in everything. He demands to be honored for what He does, and what He does is everything that comes to pass. It says that God made Himself evident to them, but they did not honor Him by giving thanks, so He darkened their hearts and gave them over to greater evil.

We see something about God here, then, and that is that He wants to be praised and enjoyed for who He is. He presents Himself to us in all His works – whether of special grace or common grace – and says, “Look at me! See my beauty in this circumstance.” And He expects us, then, to just look at Him, see Him, see how pleasant and beautiful and satisfying He is, and just by virtue of that (by virtue of Himself) give praise and thanksgiving to Him.

Again, the passage teaches that that which was knowable about God was evident to them, but they didn’t honor Him, or glorify Him, or give thanks to Him, like He was expecting, like He is worthy of. He presents Himself in everything He does, and expects worship and thanksgiving.

And that raises the point of the absolute sovereignty of God. God demands (and deserves) thanksgiving in all things because He Himself is the fountain out of which all things flow. Thanking God in everything acknowledges His sovereignty in everything: that absolutely everything that comes to pass in anyone’s life comes from Him.

• Ephesians 1:11-12 – In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
• Romans 11:36 – For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
• Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

And so the fact that God ordains absolutely everything is central to God’s own requirement of us to give thanks in everything. In fact, denying that God is totally sovereign is how “they did not honor Him as God.” Being totally free, sovereign, and all-powerful is what it means to be God. That is God-ness. And so since God is God, and is the One from whom all things come, and since He is good, every time we receive from Him, we ought to thank Him for His goodness and His grace to us.

But like I said, not everybody can do that. In fact, by default, without any intervention on God’s part, nobody can do that.

It is the Very Nature of Unbelievers to Not Give Thanks

They are both incapable and unwilling.

Look back at the passage in Romans 1, and remember that Paul is commenting on man in his natural state. So what does it say? That it is natural for men to be thankless. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks.” That is how they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. They refuse to acknowledge Him as being worthy of thanks for all that He does.

All people, naturally, willingly, and actively suppress the revealed truth of God, demonstrating their unrighteousness and ungodliness. And that category includes all of humanity. Every human who was ever born (except one, more about Him later) has been born an unrighteous, God-hating, thankless, truth suppressor.

The Gospel

So if natural people – by nature – dishonor God by refusing to give thanks to Him in all things, that demonstrates that it is the Gospel that gives us our ability to glorify God – to honor God – by truly and properly giving thanks to Him in Christ. Do you follow me? If it is natural, unbelieving man’s nature to not give thanks, it is only the transforming power of the Gospel that enables us to give thanks, because it’s only the Gospel that can regenerate us (1Pet 1:23, 25; Rom 10:17; Jas 1:18), that can give us a different nature, a thankful nature (Jn 3:3, 5; 1Th 5:18).

And we’ve got to savor the beauty of that Gospel for a second. We established at the beginning of this post that singing praise and thanksgiving is the most satisfying, exhilarating, and pleasing thing for us to do. And now we’ve established that natural people can’t and won’t do that! Nobody could do that. But so that God would get what He’s worthy of He sent Christ to redeem us from every lawless deed, to purify for Himself a people for His own possession (Tit 2:14).

Do you see God’s purpose there? Do you see the design of His will (1Th 5:18)? We’re saved so that we can give thanks!

Ephesians 1 teaches that very thing: “We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

Do you see that? The end for which we were predestined to be saved was to praise and glorify God. What amazing grace! Now, because of what Christ has done, we who were doomed to never know the most satisfying activity in the universe, namely, praising God in thanksgiving, know it intimately!

And more than that, since God is glorified in our praise, He is manifested in glory when we praise and worship Him rightly. So when we truly praise Him – when we truly honor Him as God by giving thanks – we see more of Him. And He is the most satisfying thing to see. And so by the Gospel, by saving us, He benefits us – He graces us – with the privilege of worshiping Him in thanksgiving.

Which means, while it is the very nature of unbelievers not to give thanks, it is the very nature of believers to give thanks.

And so if you were formerly darkness, but now are Light in the Lord, walk as children of the Light (Eph 5:8). If your nature has been changed from a thankless one to a thankful one, act in accordance with that new nature! Be thankful! Give thanks and praise and glory to God!

The Greatness of Sin

And so we are to be most thankful that we’re able to be thankful. We are to be most thankful that we can enjoy this most exhilarating and satisfying activity that defines what Paradise is like. We are to be thankful that though we were dead, now we’re alive. Our sin was great. The end of Romans 1 begins to tell us how great. In Romans 1 starting in verse 29, it says we are “filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, [and] unmerciful”. That’s us. But it gets worse.

Because of that unrighteousness all of us could expect nothing but a terrifying expectation of judgment (Heb 10:27a) from a righteous judge who has indignation every day (Ps 7:11). Hebrews says that our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29) and the fury of that fire will consume the adversaries of God (Heb 10:27).

Our sin was great. We were under wrath.

The Triumph of Grace

But God’s grace is greater. He delivered us from all of this.

• We were living in darkness, but Colossians 1 tells us that we have been rescued from that darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Light.
• We were dead in our trespasses and sins, by nature children of wrath. But Ephesians 2 tells us that God was rich in mercy, and made us alive with Christ by grace.
• The Law condemns us, but Acts 13 tells us that through Christ forgiveness of sins is proclaimed, and we’re freed from all things that condemn us.
• We are God’s enemies, at war with Him, but Romans 5 tells us that since we have been justified, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• We are fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, covetous, and drunkards, but 1 Corinthians 6 tells us we were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our sin was great. And ya know what? Our sin is still great. But the Savior’s sacrifice was perfectly satisfying to the Father! And though we know Him, and we know that mercy, and we are beneficiaries of that grace, we still sin against Him. But because of the greatness of Christ, He still accepts us!

In Christ Jesus we are passed from death to life!

In Christ Jesus we are born again to be children of God!

In Christ Jesus we obtain an imperishable inheritance that cannot fade away!

In Christ Jesus we are given the privilege to worship Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength by honoring Him as God by giving thanks to Him in everything!

And so this Thanksgiving, we are thankful to God, for He has given us the greatest gift of all! He has given us Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our Savior. And so when asked what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving, we stop and remember the absolute privilege it is to worship God in Spirit and in truth, and we respond that most foundationally and most ultimately we are thankful that we get to be thankful. We are asked what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving, and we survey the Wondrous Cross on which the Prince of Glory died, where He purchased our right to enjoy worshiping God, and we exclaim at the top of our lungs along with the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Thanks be to God for His Son, Jesus Christ!

May all of our thanksgiving flow out of that, Lord! May your beauty displayed in the Gospel cause Your people to overflow in thanksgiving and praise to You in all the areas of our life. Be glorified in Your church.

No Other Gods

Last week Phil Johnson preached at Grace Community Church in the stead of John MacArthur, who has been recovering from knee replacement surgery and also a recent herniated disc in his back. (Be praying for Pastor John.)

Phil's sermon was from Exodus 20:3, the first commandment. It was a magnificent sermon. The man spoke from God, and the conviction and the weightiness that he conveyed -- so absent from so many modern pulpits -- were appropriate as a man speaking from God to His people. Phil's message exalted the Lord in our hearts, and encouraged me personally all the more to delight in Him and Him alone, and thus have no other gods before Him.

I wanted to share it with you all, as I believe the sense of the majesty of God that is conveyed would be a blessing to anyone listening. I think it is a wonderful call to worship God for His awful holiness, which helps us sanctify Christ as Lord in our own hearts, as well as excite us to help others do the same.

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