“Living” the gospel?…

“Living the gospel?”…

What does that even mean? We often hear it in Christian speech, in tag lines, prayed about, exhorted, etc. But is it even biblical? Is it even logical? I say, no. In fact, the evidence says, no.

*The “gospel” IS a message to be proclaimed NOT a life to be lived.

We proclaim the gospel…
We preach the gospel…
We hear the gospel…
We believe the gospel…

The gospel is “news” … even “good news.” But we would no more “live out the gospel” as we would live out the six o’clock evening news.

This has important implications.

When considering the biblical data in the NT, every verb used in conjunction with εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion – “good news”) is listed below; there are 43 occurrences. Only 1 time – 1 time – is the “gospel” even used with the verb, “to live” (which I will talk about below).

Even if you include a couple vague references which have to do with living – in conjunction with – the gospel, the evidence is overwhelmingly against its use.

40/43 (93%) times, “the gospel” is used in proper context of making known or receiving the message (proclaiming, preaching, hearing, believing, etc).

Only 3/43 (7%) of the time is the term used in relation to our lives.

This is so important. I will explain soon, but first review the biblical data for yourself:
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κηρυσσω (“preach”): This verb is used 12 times: Matthew 4:23, Matt. 9:35, Matt. 24:14, Matt. 26:13; Mark 1:14, Mark 13:10, Mark 14:9, Mark 16:15; 2 Cor 11:4; Gal 2:2; Col 1:23; 1 Thess 2:9.

πιστευω (“believe”): This verb is used 8 times: Mark 1:15; Acts 15:7; Romans 1:16, Romans 10:16; Gal 2:7; Eph 1:13; 1 Thess 2:4; 1 Tim 1:11.

ευαγγελιζω (“proclaim the good news”): This verb is used 5 times: 1 Cor 9:18, 1Cor 15:1, 2Cor 11:7, Gal 1:11, Rev 14:6.

ακουω (“hear”): This verb is used 3 times: Acts 15:7; Eph 1:13; Col 1:23.

‘υποκουω (“obey”): This verb is used 2 times: Romans 10:16; 2 Thess 1:8.

ερχομαι (“come”): This verb is used 1 time: Philippians 1:12.

λαλεω (“speak”): This verb is used 1 time: 1 Thess 2:2.

ορθοποδεω (“walk consistently”): This verb used 1 time: Galatians 2:14.

απειθεω (“disobey”): This verb used 1 time: 1 Peter 4:17.

μεταδιδωμι (“share”): This verb used 1 time: 1 Thess 2:8.

πολιτευομαι (“live”): This verb used 1 time: Philippians 1:27.

γινομαι (“became/came”): This verb used 1 time: 1 Thess 1:5.

παρειμι (“be present/come”): This verb used 1 time: Col 1:5b-6.

γνωριζω (“make known”): This verb used 1 time: Ephesians 6:19.

μεταστρεφω (“turn/distort”): This verb used 1 time: Galatians 1:7.

καλυπτω (“covered/veiled”): This verb used 1 time: 2 Cor 4:3.

τιθημι (“put/present”): This verb used 1 time: 1 Cor 9:18.

μαρτυρομαι (“testify”): This verb used 1 time: Acts 20:24
———————————————
So why am I on this high horse?

Because, though the gospel is the foundation by which we live, it is not the means of Christian living, itself. It’s a message. A life altering-message.

What do I mean by that?

First,
Understand what the gospel IS:

“The Gospel IS the life-altering news that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, lived a sinless life under the law, died for sinners, and rose again to reconcile them to himself, eternally victorious over every enemy that stood between God and man.”

This message being LIFE-ALTERING certainly affects the way we live (i.e., the things we do), but it does not prescribe the way we live.

The “way we live” and “the things we do” are done in relation to righteousness.

We either live for ourselves, which has been proved since the beginning of time to separate us from God because our living is “unrighteousness living” in relation to God’s standard (i.e., disobedience).

OR

We live in accordance with that which brings glory to the one who created us in his image (God, himself), the standard presented to us throughout the whole of scripture, “righteous living” (i.e., obedience).

Now immediately, if you are thinking, “that’s impossible.” You’re right! You and I fall waaay short of that standard! Who can keep the law?! Keeping the law is not the point.

THIS is the point. This is why the message of the gospel is SO important. Because the Son of God was able to live obediently, keep perfectly, fulfill righteously – the law, defeating death, and every sin that separates us from God….

We are NOW, as a result of believing THAT news, empowered to “live” in light of the truth of the gospel. Our eyes have been opened.

This is an important distinction.

We are not “living the gospel.”
We are “living in light of the truth of the gospel.”

The message, itself, is so important, so life-altering, that it produces within us a desire to obey. The gospel produces obedience!

Not perfect obedience, but desired obedience.

And those areas where we fall short, our disobedience, our unrighteousness living are brought again and again before the news of the gospel…causing us to repent and believe again and again! This is a necessary way of life for the Christian.

The Gospel REQUIRES repentance and faith.
The Gospel PRODUCES obedience.

Not a perfect obedience, but a desired obedience. We strive to please God by pursuing his righteous standard. His perfect law. And his law is summed up in loving God, and loving others.

Summed up – not condensed down to. The moral law is vast and beautiful and we ought to desire to honor it in our lives as King David did in Psalm 19. The law was precious to him. We still honor our mother and father, we still remain faithful to our spouse, we refrain from stealing, lying, and killing. We still love God first, we honor his name, we don’t make idols in place of God. We love God. We love others.

But please understand. We can only rightly love God, love others, by first believing the gospel.

By the power of the message of the gospel, we are able to love God and love others, rightly.

So “living the gospel,” no.

Living in light of the gospel, yes.
Live worthily of the gospel, yes.
Living as if the gospel is true, yes. Living out truth of the gospel, yes.

But first…
Proclaim the gospel…
Preach the gospel…
Hear the gospel…
Believe the gospel…

As a result…IT WILL CHANGE YOU.

Hallelujah – Psalm 116

https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/5241713452110/

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God – Psalm 19

https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/524171351526/

The Miracle of Complete Forgiveness – Psalm 32

 

Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming Expository Preaching – Bryan Chapell

Chapell, Bryan Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming The Expository Sermon. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Co., 1994. 375 pp. $19.58.

Bryan Chapell’s, Christ-Centered Preaching, is a breath of fresh air! This book is more than just an ordinary book one picks-up and puts-down once complete. Instead, you will find this book to function more like a textbook than a monograph over a particular topic. I found myself reading, and rereading, certain sections to ensure I understood the principles being taught, taking notes in the margins of each page to capture thoughts later to be applied to my sermons, and rethinking the structure of my own outlines during sermon prep. This is not a book one reads to then put it on a bookshelf as a trophy and look at it for years to come. No, although it certainly is a trophy of a book, it is also much more than that. For the pastor, this book will likely function as his “go-to” resource manual during sermon prep. Christ-Centered Preaching will not only inspire the preacher in the pulpit, but it will instruct him in his study. This book is an indispensable resource!

I believe the thesis is best stated in the heart of Chapell’s book, Preparation of Expository Sermons (Part 2). He says, “My hope is that students will learn techniques that will allow them to prepare sermons with knowledge and confidence. I do not intend that these specific techniques ‘rule’ sermons, but rather that they contribute to rich and powerful messages crafted according to the insights, individual abilities, and informed choices of those led by the Spirit of God (156).” Chapell is a student of homiletics and sermonology, it is clear he wants good preachers to become great preachers. His experience is clear in the way he instructs his readers and students in preparing an effective sermon.

In Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapell engages with more than 110 other scholars on the topic of “preaching,” which is what makes this book such a helpful resource. His book is separated into three sections, plus an appendix. The first section, Principles for Expository Preaching, is necessarily to be thoroughly understood by the preacher, prior to sermon preparation. It covers topics such as, the Fallen Condition Focus (FCF), unity in a sermon, meaning is the message, power and priority of the word, the necessity of application, cautions for the preacher, and the meaning of expository preaching.

The second section, Preparation of Expository Sermons, is in my opinion the heart of the book. This section covers the nuts-and-bolts of sermon preparation, from questions to ask the text to grammatical outlines, from organization to presentation. Chapell explains the “inside-baseball” of outlines and structure, main points, sub-points, the need for a strong propositional statement, to include anchor and magnet clauses. He also gives great instruction and resources on how to develop and deliver illustrations, the components and attitude of application, and the purpose and necessity of introductions, transitions, and conclusions.

The third section, A Theology of Christ-Centered Messages, looks back at all previous chapters in order to develop a Christ-centered theology for preaching. Chapell instructs preachers how to find common “fallen” characteristics they share with the contemporary audience of the message, common redemptive elements that apply to our fallen condition, and then how to extract that truth from the text and crafting it into a sermon.

Lastly, and not least importantly, Chapell has developed an appendix, which alone, is worth the price of the book. The appendix is certainly unique. It is the most practical instruction one will find for the ministry of preaching. It covers everything from delivery, dress, and style (app. 1), to specific divisions of the message and the length of time proportionally devoted to each section (app. 2), and them most help is the section on funerals, weddings, and evangelistic messages (app. 6, 7, & 8). One will walk away from these chapters asking, “Where was this instruction 20 years ago at the start of my ministry?”

In evaluating this book, one will be drawn to its practicality. Theologians often find themselves working through minute details of difficult doctrines, theories upon theories, and swimming through the newest competing philosophy of this world, but rarely do they get the clarity of practical instruction as given by Chappel, in Christ-Centered Preaching. For example, in Chapell’s discussion on the proposition, he says, “Sermons are built on propositions.” He describes the proposition as a universal “truth” plus a hortatory “application” is that which equals a “proposition.” In other words, an indicative plus an imperative, equals a proposition. This proposition can be presented in a consequential (because/therefore) or conditional (if/since) form. The form selected will determine whether the preacher uses magnet or anchor clauses to explain in his main points, and consequentially how his sub-points are developed from the main points, into bullet statements, interrogative questions, or analytical-question responses. The fruit is hanging low from the tree and all the preacher has to do is reach up, grab it, and eat it. Both he and his congregation will be satisfied for years to come.

As a result of, Christ-Centered Preaching, I for one will be editing and preparing future sermons with this book close at hand. A one-time “read-over” of this book will not do in order to grasp the fullness of knowledge presented here to the preacher. If ever I were to teach a Christian preaching course, this book would be a mandatory text for my students, and we would work through it, chapter by chapter, to master the material. This book is that important! To end on a conditional proposition: If you want to become a more effective communicator of God’s word, get a copy of Christ-Centered Preaching today!

Between Two Worlds, John Stott – “A Sermon To Preachers”

Stott, John R. W. Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982. 351 pp. $10.95.

John R. W. Stott’s, Between Two Worlds, hardly needs an introduction because it is well known as a time-tested masterpiece on the art of preaching. This book has helped preachers to better feed their flock for over three decades now. Although, the Christian faith has a rich tradition of preaching, done rightly, it is able to balance its’ message between the “Word” and the “World.” Maintaining this balance is truly an art. Stott does a fine job in teaching the Christian minister how to maintain this balance and effectively communicate God’s word to a contemporary audience. Better described, Between Two Worlds, is a sermon from Stott to preachers, and if read with an open mind, it is sure not to disappoint.

The thesis of Stott’s book is the art of “bridging the gap” in preaching between idealism and reality. The problem of abstract “idealism” in preaching is not incorrect theology, but a lack of application of correct theology to a real word in desperate need of the truth. The problem with overzealous worldly preaching that conforms to the world with which we live, is its sole focus on “reality” which leads to the adopting of modernity at the expense of sound doctrine. The first shepherd, the shepherd of idealism, tends to overfeed his sheep in such a way that the flock merely become fat followers of their shepherd and are eventually attacked by the wolves of the world, because they recognize them not. The second shepherd, the shepherd of reality, tends his sheep in such a way that his flock is famished and live among the wolves, many of them eaten by their foe, thinking them to be fellow sheep. However, a good shepherd tends and feeds his sheep in such a way that his flock follows the shepherd, knows the wolves, dwells within the boundaries of the green pastures, and all the while in their efforts are producing new lambs.

Although the analogy of the shepherd and his sheep will eventually break down, the truth gleaned from this analogy is the point of Stott’s thesis. Stott desires to train preachers how to effectively preach the word of God in such a way that honors God and allows them to maintain foundational convictions. A conviction about God, that He is light, He has acted, and He has spoken. A conviction about scripture, that it is God’s written word, which He still speaks through, and that His word is powerful. A conviction about the church, that the word of God is not dependent upon the church, but the other way around. A conviction about the Pastorate, whose task it is to feed God’s flock as the responsible teacher of the Church. Lastly, a conviction about preaching, that true Christian preaching be expository in nature and done with confidence and integrity.

However, I believe the heart of Stott’s book to be chapter 4, Preaching as Bridge Building. It is here where the rubber meets the road, to use a worn-out, but applicable analogy. Preaching, according to Stott, “is not just exposition but communication, not just exegesis of a text but the conveying of a God-given message to a living people who need to hear it (137).” How true! Stott goes on to paint a picture of this truth by way of metaphor in the building of a bridge. Stott says there is a deep chasm between the biblical world and the modern world. Our task is to preach sermons in such a way that crosses this divide and reaches the lives of real people, a contemporary message that affects people in a biblical, yet relevant way. This means engaging in ethical, social, political, and controversial issues of our day, biblically. Over the next two chapters, Stott shifts his thesis from theory to practice and teaches the preacher the importance of study and how to prepare a sermon.

In the last chapter, the preacher will learn how to properly choose their text, the importance of meditating on a text long before preaching it, and how to isolate and arrange material in such a way to preach the dominant thought of the text. Stott has a good section on the use and purpose of illustrations, he says, the word illustrate means “to illumine,” thus in order “to see” we use illustrations which serve the purpose of “throwing floods of light upon the road” which we travel (239-241). Also discussed in the last chapter are the nuts and bolts of sermon preparation, the structure, outline, introduction, body, and conclusion of a message. Much insight is gained by the attentive reader in the last few pages of Stott’s book, such as the emphasis on continual prayer throughout sermon prep, in an effort to “get your sermon by your heart,” quoting Cotton Mather. Stott sums his discussion up on sermon prep by a fitting quotation from a black American preacher, who once said, “First I reads myself full, next I thinks myself clear, next I prays myself hot, and then I lets go.” I could not say it any better.

Between Two Worlds is Stott’s best sermon yet. He is preaching to fellow preachers and calling them back to the art of effective proclamation of the gospel. Though this book is among many monographs on preaching, it is special in the sense that its message never gets old because there will always be the need to bridge the gap between the Word and the world. The Word will always be “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,”[1] and so long as the Lord tarry’s, our task will always be to, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”[2] John Stott has helped us in doing just that by writing Between Two Worlds.

[1]Hebrews 4.12 (ESV)

[2]Mark 16.15 (ESV)

Know When To Simplify

For instance, the great problems of sublapsarianism and supralapsariansim, the trenchant debates concerning eternal filiation, the earnest dispute concerning the double procession, and the pre- and post-millenarian schemes, however important some may deem them, are practically of very little concern to that godly widow woman, with seven children to support by her needle, who wants far more to hear of the loving-kindness of the God of providence than of these mysteries profound.

I know a minister who is great upon the ten toes of the beast, the four faces of the cherubim, the mystical meaning of the badgers’ skins, and the typical bearings of the staves of the ark, and the windows of Solomon’s temple: but the sins of business men, the temptations of the times, and the needs of the age, he scarcely ever touches upon.

C. H. Spurgeon

Amazing Legacy

Ray Comfort’s Testimony

Ray had a great impact on my spiritual life early in my Christian walk. I am grateful for his continued, and faithful, ministry.

The Companion for Man

Studying marriage in Genesis 2 and came across these quotes:

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” – Matthew Henry (via Augustine)

“Similarly, it was observed, that God had not formed woman out of the head, lest she should become proud; nor out of the eye, lest she should lust; nor our of the ear, lest she should be curious; nor out of the mouth, lest she should be talkative; nor out of the heart, lest she should be jealous; nor out of the hand, lest she should be covetous; nor out of the foot, lest she be a busybody; but out of the rib, which was always covered. Modesty was, therefore, a prime quality.” – Alfred Edersheim

“Just as the rib is found at the side of man and is attached to him, even so the good wife, the rib of her husband, stands at his side to be his helper-counterpart, and her soul is bound up with his.’ – Umberto Cassuto