Jason K. Allen: Recent Episodes
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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Mighty to save.” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, January 14, Morning) “Mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1) By the words “to save” we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all Read more
“Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, January 13, Morning) “Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber” (1 Kings Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 11, Morning) “These have no root.” (Luke 8:13) My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 10, Morning) “There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” (2 Timothy 4:8) Doubting one! thou hast often said, “I fear I shall never enter heaven.” Fear not! all the people of God shall enter there. I love the quaint saying of a dying man, who exclaimed, “I have Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 9, Morning) “I will be their God.” (Jeremiah 31:33) Christian! here is all thou canst require. To make thee happy thou wantest something that shall satisfy thee; and is not this enough? If thou canst pour this promise into thy cup, wilt thou not say, with David, “My cup runneth over; Read more
Preaching is essential to the life and ministry of a pastor. Admittedly in the 21st Century, pastors wear many hats and carry out many responsibilities. Preaching is his first priority, but not his only one. But within the context of the local church, preaching is the pastor’s preeminent role. It is what makes the preacher Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 7, Morning) “For me to live is Christ.” (Philippians 1:21) The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From Read more
Among evangelical churches, the call to ministry is often misunderstood. Some view the call to ministry as an altogether personal, individual decision. If one believes themselves to be called to ministry, that settles it. What gives the church, or any other deliberative body, the right to question what God called me to do? If Read more
Among evangelical churches, the call to ministry is often misunderstood. Some view the call to ministry as an altogether personal, individual decision. If one believes themselves to be called to ministry, that settles it. What gives the church, or any other deliberative body, the right to question what God called me to do? If a Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 6, Morning) “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) It is a happy way of soothing sorrow when we can feel–“HE careth for me.” Christian! do not dishonour religion by always wearing a brow of care; come, cast your burden upon your Lord. You Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 5, Morning) “And God saw the light.” (Genesis 1:4) This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord’s dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the light. “God saw the light”–he looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 4, Morning) “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) “Grow in grace”–not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fulness, constancy, simplicity. Read more
Here at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, I want my students to enjoy what I experienced during my own ministry preparation and what, by God’s grace, we have to offer. And I want you to be similarly selective, whether God calls you to Kansas City or to some other faithful evangelical seminary. But in Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 3, Morning) “I will give thee for a covenant of the people.” (Isaiah 49:8) Jesus Christ is himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts. He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? “In him dwelleth Read more
We must remember that stewarding time wisely isn’t just a matter of time management or life hacks; it is a kingdom priority. Consider Ephesians 5:15-16: “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Paul is calling us to Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 2, Morning) “Continue in prayer.” (Colossians 4:2) It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name Read more
This post is an excerpt from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen. The book is out now from Moody Publishers and wherever Christian books are sold. A DANGEROUS INCONSISTENCY For some inexplicable reason there has often been an inconsistency between evangelicals’ high view of Scripture, of the Read more
(Morning and Evening, January 1, Morning) “We will be glad and rejoice in thee.” (Song of Solomon 1:4) We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high Read more
This post is an excerpt from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen. The book is out now from Moody Publishers and wherever Christian books are sold. TRUST YOUR CALLING If you believe and see these internal and external confirmations that God has called you to ministry, then Read more
(Morning and Evening, December 31, Morning) “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) Not saved! Dear reader, is this your mournful plight? Warned of the judgment to come, bidden to escape for your life, and yet at this moment not saved! You know the way of salvation, Read more
This post is an excerpt from Succeeding at Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most Out of Your Theological Education by Jason K. Allen. The book is out now from Moody Publishers and wherever Christian books are sold. Tragically, some ministers disqualify themselves because of how they treat their families. Please don’t let that be you. If you can Read more
(Morning and Evening, December 30, Morning) “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Ecclesiastes 7:8) Look at David’s Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father’s right hand, Read more
We must remember that stewarding time wisely isn’t just a matter of time management or life hacks; it is a kingdom priority. Consider Ephesians 5:15-16: “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Paul is calling us to Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “What think ye of Christ?” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 29, Morning) “What think ye of Christ?” (Matthew 22:42) The great test of your soul’s health is, What think you of Christ? Is he to you “fairer than the children of men”–“the chief among ten thousand”–the “altogether lovely”? Wherever Christ Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 28, Morning) “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” (Galatians 2:20) When the Lord Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Can the rush grow up without mire?” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 27, Morning) “Can the rush grow up without mire?” (Job 8:11) The rush is spongy and hollow, and even so is a hypocrite; there is no substance or stability in him. It is shaken to and fro in Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Last Adam.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 26, Morning) “The Last Adam.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) Jesus is the federal head of his elect. As in Adam, every heir of flesh and blood has a personal interest, because he is the covenant head and representative of the race as considered Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 25, Morning) “For your sakes he became poor.” (Isaiah 7:14) Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “For your sakes he became poor.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 24, Evening) “For your sakes he became poor.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” As the rich saint cannot be Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The night also is thine.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 23, Morning) “The night also is thine.” (Psalm 74:16) Yes, Lord, thou dost not abdicate thy throne when the sun goeth down, nor dost thou leave the world all through these long wintry nights to be the prey of evil; Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I will strengthen thee.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, December 22, Morning) “I will strengthen thee.” (Isaiah 41:10) God has a strong reserve with which to discharge this engagement; for he is able to do all things. Believer, till thou canst drain dry the ocean of omnipotence, till thou canst break Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 21, Morning) “Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” (2 Samuel 23:5) This covenant is divine in its origin. “He hath made with me an everlasting covenant.” Oh that great word He ! Stop, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 20, Morning) “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3) Sometimes the Lord Jesus tells his Church his love thoughts. “He does not think it enough behind her back to tell it, but Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “And there was no more sea.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 19, Morning) “And there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1) Scarcely could we rejoice at the thought of losing the glorious old ocean: the new heavens and the new earth are none the fairer to our imagination, if, indeed, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 18, Morning) “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” (Joel 2:13) Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I Remember Thee.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 17, Morning) “I Remember Thee.” (Jeremiah 2:2) Let us note that Christ delights to think upon his Church, and to look upon her beauty. As the bird returneth often to its nest, and as the wayfarer hastens to his home, so doth Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Come unto me.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 16, Morning) “Come unto me.” (Matthew 11:28) The cry of the Christian religion is the gentle word, “Come.” The Jewish law harshly said, “Go, take heed unto thy steps as to the path in which thou shalt walk. Break the commandments, and Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “And lay thy foundations with sapphires.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening December 15, Evening) “And lay thy foundations with sapphires.” (Isaiah 54:11) Not only that which is seen of the church of God, but that which is unseen, is fair and precious. Foundations are out of sight, and so long as Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I am crucified with Christ.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening December 14, Evening) “I am crucified with Christ.” (Galatians 2:20) The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what he did as a great public representative person, and his dying upon the cross was the virtual dying of all his people. Then all Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Salt without prescribing how much.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening December 13, Morning) “Salt without prescribing how much.” (Ezra 7:22) Salt was used in every offering made by fire unto the Lord, and from its preserving and purifying properties it was the grateful emblem of divine grace in the soul. It Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “His ways are everlasting.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening December 12, Evening) “His ways are everlasting.” (Habakkuk 3:6) What he hath done at one time, he will do yet again. Man’s ways are variable, but God’s ways are everlasting. There are many reasons for this most comforting truth: among them are Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Whose Heart the Lord Opened.” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening December 10, Morning) “Whose heart the Lord opened.” (Acts 16:14) In Lydia’s conversion there are many points of interest. It was brought about by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, but just at the Read more
“Thou, O God, Hast Prepared of Thy Goodness for the Poor.” By: C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 8th Evening) “Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.” (Psalm 68:10) All God’s gifts are prepared gifts laid up in store for wants foreseen. He anticipates our needs; and out of the fulness Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “For They Are Worthy” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 8, Morning) “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.” (Revelation 3:4) We may understand this to refer to justification. “They shall walk Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I Am Made All Things to All Men” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 7, Evening) “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22) Paul’s great object was not merely to instruct and to improve, but to save. Anything short Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Ask, and It Shall Be Given You” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 5, Morning) “Ask, and it shall be given you.” (Matthew 7:7) We know of a place in England still existing, where a dole of bread is served to every passerby who chooses to ask for it. Whoever the Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Waiting for the Adoption” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 4, Morning) “Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23) This groaning is universal among the saints: to a greater or less extent we all feel it. It is not Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I Have Much People in This City” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 4, Morning) “I have much people in this city.” (Acts 18:10) This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Lord Mighty in Battle” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 3, Evening) “The Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8) Well may our God be glorious in the eyes of his people, seeing that he has wrought such wonders for them, in them, and by them. For them, the Lord Jesus Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “There Is No Spot in Thee” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 3, Morning) “There is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7) Having pronounced his Church positively full of beauty, our Lord confirms his praise by a precious negative, “There is no spot in thee.” As if the thought Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, All Is Vanity” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 2, Evening) “Behold, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) Nothing can satisfy the entire man but the Lord’s love and the Lord’s own self. Saints have tried to anchor in other roadsteads, but they have been driven out of such fatal refuges. Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Thou Art All Fair, My Love” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 2, Morning) “Thou art all fair, my love.” (Song of Solomon 4:7) The Lord’s admiration of his Church is very wonderful, and his description of her beauty is very glowing. She is not merely fair, but “all fair.” He Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “O That Men Would Praise the Lord for His Goodness” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, December 1, Evening) “O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men.” (Psalm 107:8) If we complained less, and praised more, we should be happier, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Michael and His Angels Fought” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 30, Evening) “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.” (Revelation 12:7) War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is Read more
“Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Lord Is Able to Give Thee Much More Than This” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 30, Morning) “And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Spices for Anointing Oil” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 29, Morning) “Spices for anointing oil.” (Exodus 35:8) Much use was made of this anointing oil under the law, and that which it represents is of primary importance under the gospel. The Holy Spirit, who anoints us for all holy service, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “And Not Suffer Sin upon Him” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 29, Morning) “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people … Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.” (Leviticus 19:16-17) Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Seeking the Wealth of His People” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 28, Evening) “Seeking the wealth of his people.” (Esther 10:3) Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “For I Rejoiced Greatly” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 28, Morning) “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” (3 John 3) The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “According to the Riches of His Grace” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 27, Evening) “The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7) Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word “forgiveness,” when it sounds in a guilty sinner’s ear, like the Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Joshua the High Priest Standing Before the Lord” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 27, Morning) “Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord.” (Zechariah 3:1) In Joshua the high priest we see a picture of each and every child of God, who has been made nigh by Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “They Shall Rejoice” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 26, Evening) “They shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.” (Zechariah 4:10) Small things marked the beginning of the work in the hand of Zerubbabel, but none might despise it, for the Lord had raised up one Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “I Will Have Mercy on Whom I Will Have Mercy” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 25, Evening) “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Romans 9:15) In these words the Lord Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “To Preach Deliverance to the Captives” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 25, Morning) “To preach deliverance to the captives.” (Luke 4:18) None but Jesus can give deliverance to captives. Real liberty cometh from him only. It is a liberty righteously bestowed; for the Son, who is Heir of all things, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “So Shall Thy Poverty Come” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 24, Evening) “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.” (Proverbs 24:33-34) The worst of sluggards only Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “A Place of Broad Rivers and Streams” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 24, Morning) “The glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.” (Isaiah 33:21) Broad rivers and streams produce fertility, and abundance in the land. Places near broad rivers are remarkable for the variety Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Get Thee up Into the High Mountain” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 23, Evening) “Get thee up into the high mountain.” (Isaiah 40:9) Each believer should be thirsting for God, for the living God, and longing to climb the hill of the Lord, and see him face to face. We Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Fellowship With Him” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 23, Morning) “Fellowship with him.” (1 John 1:6) When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete fellowship with him, that we were made one with him, and his interests and ours became mutual and identical. We Read more
Where have all the godly men gone? These days I ponder that question with increased frequency and concern. If the lack of godly men were only a matter of personality or ministerial preference, then little would be lost. Such is not the case, though. The church is in great need of awakening and renewal; and, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Power of His Resurrection” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 22, Evening) “The power of his resurrection.” (Philippians 3:10) The doctrine of a risen Saviour is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the corner-stone of the entire building of Christianity. It is the key-stone of the arch of our salvation. It Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Lazarus Was One of Them” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 21, Evening) “Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.” (John12:2) He is to be envied. It was well to be Martha and serve, but better to be Lazarus and commune. There are times for each Read more
Martyn Lloyd-Jones was one of the greatest preachers of the twentieth century. He pastored the Westminster Chapel in the heart of London for nearly three decades, and by the end of his ministry, he was one of the most influential ministers on earth. But before Lloyd-Jones was a great preacher, he was an accomplished physician. Read more
Lord’s Day Mediation: “O Lord, Thou Hast Pleaded the Causes of My Soul” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 20, Morning) “O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.” (Lamentations 3:58) Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, “I hope, I trust, I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded Read more
Preaching is God’s ordained method to convey his Word and build his church. As such, preaching is every pastor’s principle responsibility and every church’s primary need. Therefore, every pastor must preach, and preach well, every Lord’s day. However, good sermons, like good meals, do not just happen. They are intentionally crafted by bringing together essential Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “O That I Knew Where I Might Find Him!” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 19, Evening) “O that I knew where I might find him!” (Job 23:3) In Job’s uttermost extremity he cried after the Lord. The longing desire of an afflicted child of God is once more to see Read more
A generation ago, “surrendering to ministry” was common parlance in Baptist churches. In fact, hardly an invitation was extended in my home church that did not include a call to surrender to ministry, immediately after an appeal to follow Christ, be baptized, or join the church. As a boy, the phrase “surrender to ministry” both Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Thou Art From Everlasting” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 18, Evening) “Thou art from everlasting.” (Psalm 93:2) Christ is Everlasting. Of him we may sing with David, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.” Rejoice, believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus always was. The Read more
As the father of five young children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my greatest stewardship is my children. Many men can preach a sermon and more than a few can be a seminary president, but only one can father these five children. Thus, my wife and I approach our family with a profound Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “To Whom Be Glory Forever. Amen” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 17, Morning) “To whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36) “To whom be glory forever.” This should be the single desire of the Christian. All other wishes must be subservient and tributary to this one. The Christian may wish Read more
One of life’s most important questions for those pursuing ministry preparation is which seminary to attend. One should not choose a seminary lightly. In fact, I would encourage anyone considering seminary not to move forward with their choice without having these questions satisfactorily answered: What are the Seminary’s Confessional Commitments? Every student should know what Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Thine Eyes Shall See the King in His Beauty” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 16, Evening) “Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.” (Isaiah 33:17) The more you know about Christ the less will you be satisfied with superficial views of him; and the more deeply you study Read more
“There are two days in my calendar: this day and that day,” quipped Martin Luther in reference to Christ’s second coming. We have come a long way since Luther’s statement, with most believers erring dramatically in one of two directions. Second coming sensationalists are the most egregious, and widely lamented, offenders. They predict the timing Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Lord Is My Portion, Saith My Soul” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 16, Morning) “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.” (Lamentations 3:24) It is not “The Lord is partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion”; but he himself makes up the sum total of Read more
I well remember the swirling emotions that filled my heart as I processed God’s call to the ministry. Though I grew up in a Bible-believing, Southern Baptist church, I resisted the gospel throughout my childhood and adolescent years. It was not until my freshman year in college that I committed my life to Christ. After Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Strengthen, O God, That Which Thou Hast Wrought for Us” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 15, Evening) “Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.” (Psalm 68:28) It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to strengthen that which he has wrought in Read more
Faithful preaching has three primary ingredients. Creativity and homiletical polish are helpful, but the key ingredients of faithful preaching are preset and established by God. The three ingredients touch on who is qualified to preach, why one should preach, and what one should preach. Who may Preach? Though the gospel call is promiscuous, the call Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “It Must Not Be so Done in Our Country” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 14, Evening) We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we scruple not to learn from the custom which he quoted as his excuse. There are some things which must be taken in order, and Read more
In the Christian life, balance can be difficult to achieve. Whether it’s reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, conceptualizing the divine and human natures of Christ, or trusting God without slipping into personal complacency, the one who finds balance finds a good thing. Similarly, the 21st-century church would do well to find balance in its Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Men Ought Always to Pray” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 13, Evening) “Men ought always to pray.” (Luke 18:1) If men ought always to pray and not to faint, much more Christian men. Jesus has sent his church into the world on the same errand upon which he himself came, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Branch Cannot Bear Fruit of Itself” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 13, Morning) “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself.” (John 15:4) How did you begin to bear fruit? It was when you came to Jesus and cast yourselves on his great atonement, and rested on his finished righteousness. Read more
Few men have shaped the 21st-century church more than John Piper, and few of his books have proven more helpful than his Brothers, We are not Professionals. Piper was right. Ministers are not to be professionals, and his call for radical, sacrificial, selfless ministry is spot on. Yet, when it comes to ministerial service, we are Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “He Went out Into a Mountain to Pray” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 12, Evening) “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12) If ever one of woman born might have Read more
A paradox, G.K. Chesterton quipped, is “a truth standing on its head, waving its legs to get our attention.” In the Bible, such paradoxes abound. Paradoxically, Jesus is both God and man; and, paradoxically, the Bible was given by both human inscription and divine inspiration. One such paradox, or seemingly contradictory truth, is rooted in Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Trial of Your Faith” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 12, Morning) “The trial of your faith.” (1 Peter 1:7) Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never Read more
A call to the ministry is a call to the ministry of the Word. As such, we are called not only to proclaim it but also to defend it. The New Testament Epistles overflow with injunctions to guard the truth. Reflect on Paul’s words to Timothy—a mere sampling of the New Testament charges to defend Read more
Lord’s Day Mediation: “He Shall Choose Our Inheritance for Us” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 11, Evening) “He shall choose our inheritance for us.” (Psalm 47:4) Believer, if your inheritance be a lowly one you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest assured that it is the fittest for Read more
Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, is considered one of the greatest elected officials in our nation’s history, and one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He was a tsunami of energy—one who never saw a mountain too tall to scale or a battle too threatening to join. He shook Read more
Morning & Evening November 11, Morning “Underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) God–the eternal God–is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “It Is Enough for the Disciple That He Be as His Master” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 10, Evening) “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master.” (Matthew 10:25) No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the servant to be exalted Read more
Klemens von Metternich was one of Europe’s greatest statesmen during the 19th Century. Both as foreign minister, and then for nearly three-decades as chancellor of the Austrian Empire, his statecraft shaped Europe and prevented numerous wars. Most consequentially, Metternich presided over the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, which determined the post-Napoleonic configuration of Europe. His Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “The Eternal God Is Thy Refuge” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 10, Morning) “The eternal God is thy refuge.” (Deuteronomy 33:27) The word refuge may be translated “mansion,” or “abiding- place,” which gives the thought that God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and sweetness in the Read more
“How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). With airtight logic, the Apostle Paul sets forth the indispensable human link in fulfilling the Great Commission—the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In so doing, he instructs us in the way of the kingdom, that in every generation God is calling out preachers to Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “His Place of Defense Shall Be the Munitions of Rocks” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 9, Evening) “His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” (Isaiah 33:16) Do you doubt, O Christian, do you doubt as to whether Read more
“Does it matter what you believe as long as you are sincere?” I still remember, as a boy, posing that question to my mother. It may well have been my first theological inquiry, and it was prompted by an awareness that our neighbors went to a different church. That question I first pondered as a Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “So Walk Ye in Him” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 9, Morning) “So walk ye in him.” (Colossians 2:6) If we have received Christ himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will manifest its intimate acquaintance with him by a walk of faith in him. Walking implies action. Our Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Where I Shall Eat the Passover with My Disciples” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 8, Evening) “The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?” (Mark 14:14) Jerusalem at the time of the passover was one great inn; each householder had invited his Read more
Known as the silent killer, each year colon cancer claims close to 50,000 American lives.[1] Though treatable if detected early, colon cancer is known as the silent killer because, if not screened for, it will grow unnoticed, undetected. By the time it is discovered symptomatically, it is often too late to be cured. Like colon Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: As Ye Have Received Christ Jesus the Lord” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 8, Morning) “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” (Colossians 2:6) The life of faith is represented as receiving–an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a Read more
Transcript: Again, it’s such a delight to have each one of you on the campus at Midwestern Seminary today rejoicing with us at what God has done through the lives of these graduates and what He will do in the future. We are a hopeful people because of Christ. That hope is made all the Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “And Ye Shall Be Witnesses Unto Me” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 8, Morning) “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord.” (Colossians 2:6) In order to learn how to discharge your duty as a witness for Christ, look at his example. He is always witnessing: by the well of Read more
What makes a good Christian marriage? At its core, it is two good Christian people, joined together in holy matrimony. Yet, a good Christian marriage is so much more than this. Two good Christian people are essential for a strong, Christian marriage—but that is not enough. By tracing marriage all the way back to the Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Behold, I Have Graven Thee upon the Palms of My Hands” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning & Evening, November 7, Morning) “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:16) No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word “Behold,” is excited by the unbelieving Read more
Have you ever heard someone say, “I am into Jesus, but not the church”? Or, put another way, “I am a Christian, but I do not believe in going to church”? Over my years as a pastor, I have encountered phrases like these many times. Yet, what I intuitively knew then, and have come to Read more
There is a strange power about the very name of blood, and the sight of it is always affecting. A kind heart cannot bear to see a sparrow bleed, and unless familiarized by use, turns away with horror at the slaughter of a beast. As to the blood of men, it is a consecrated thing: Read more
Every person has a past. I do. You do. Everyone does. By past, I mean things we have done at a previous point in our lives that cause regret and embarrassment, if not outright shame. It is that laundry list of attitudes, actions, and events you aren’t proud of. How do you view your past? Read more
Lord’s Day Mediation: “I Will Pour Water upon Him Who Is Thirsty” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 6, Morning) “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.” (Isaiah 44:3) When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening Read more
Christianity is a heart religion. In fact, the Bible refers to conversion as the “circumcision of the heart” (Rom. 2:29). As believers, we speak of inviting Jesus into our hearts. And, as more than one preacher has promised, “Jesus will give you a new heart for a new start.” Additionally, one way we know the Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Be Thankful Unto Him by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 5, Evening) “Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4) Our Lord would have all his people rich in high and happy thoughts concerning his blessed person. Jesus is not content that his brethren should think meanly of him; Read more
Many Christians do not enjoy rest and recreation because they cannot. A host of factors contribute to this. For some, material excesses force them to work nonstop to pay the bills. For others, an overdone drivenness pushes them to work too much—compromising their health, family, and spiritual lives. Still others, seeking to raise perfect children, Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “In Thy Light We Shall See Light” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 4, Evening) No lips can tell the love of Christ to the heart till Jesus himself shall speak within. Descriptions all fall flat and tame unless the Holy Ghost fills them with life and power; till our Immanuel Read more
Lord’s Day Mediation: “For My Strength is Made Perfect in Weakness” by C.H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 4, Morning) “For my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our Read more
Did you know that Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic? That’s right. In fact, sixteen of Christ’s thirty-eight parables reference our handling of earthly treasure. In the Gospels, one out of every ten verses when Jesus is speaking addresses money. As John Piper observed, “Jesus spoke more about money than he did Read more
Lord’s Day Meditation: “Their Prayer Came up to His Holy Dwelling Place” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, November 3, Evening) “Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.” (2 Chronicles 30:27) Prayer is the never-failing resort of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use Read more
For me, October 15th marks seven completed years as president of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. Annually, this season prompts personal and institutional reflection and thanksgiving. This year, it’s been doubly so.
My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That question, which is so common today, would be shockingly irrelevant for the vast majority of humans who have ever lived. In the premodern world, one’s work usually was not a matter of choice. It was essential to one’s identity. It was more a matter Read more
My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy.
Transcript: This is our fifth annual For the Church Conference here in Kansas City. Have on this campus and it is a particular joy every year for me to get to preach it and to reconnect with so many friends and ministry partners and then to see over the past five years this go from Read more
Precious is the assurance that he changes not! The wheel of providence revolves, but its axle is eternal love.
Transcript: Thank you so much Dr. Swain. I can tell you, I so looked forward to every Tuesday and Wednesday to gather together and I hope you do as well. I realize there are the urgencies of life and the business of the academic semester in classes and papers and tests and all that goes Read more
All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark, no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in him?
It matters how we use our time, because ultimately, our time is a gospel issue. How will you use your time for the gospel?
If there be such a Church in our house, let us order it well, and let all act as in the sight of God.
One of the most celebrated hymns of the Christian faith is Martin Luther’s A Mighty Fortress is Our God. Drawing upon Psalm 46, Luther’s hymn buoys the spirit by reflecting on God’s unfailing providence, even in the midst of catastrophe and adversity. Luther’s hymn also serves as a reminder of the ongoing spiritual struggle between Read more
Follow Jesus into the wilderness: bear the cross with him when the heat of persecution grows hot.
Sunday is coming. Every pastor reading this article knows exactly what I mean. To be a preacher is to live perpetually in final exam week. There’s an ever-present, impending deadline hanging over you. It’s a glorious deadline but a real one, nonetheless. Sunday is coming.
Be much in prayer; live much upon the Word of God; kill the lusts which have driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch over the future uprisings of sin.
In the midst of the 2008 global financial crisis, Warren Buffet famously observed, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.” Buffet was reflecting on the banks and financial firms that had insufficient capital to meet their financial obligations during the steep market downturn, but his words apply to the ministry as well.
That voice of love with which he speaks to his beloved is more musical than the harps of heaven.
We are called to a winsome seriousness, a cheerful devotion, a happy sobriety as who we are in Christ and what He has called us to do.
Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground.
It is a blessed thing to want to see him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon him. To those who seek him he is kind; but to those who find him, beyond expression is he dear!
Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.
Jesus is not a grain of gold, but a vast globe of it, a priceless mass of treasure such as earth and heaven cannot excel.
Do not be afraid to dwell upon this high doctrine of election. When your mind is most heavy and depressed, you will find it to be a bottle of richest cordial.
The believer is a new creature, he belongs to a holy generation and a peculiar people--the Spirit of God is in him, and in all respects he is far removed from the natural man; but for all that the Christian is a sinner still. He is so from the imperfection of his nature, and will continue so to the end of his earthly life.
Paul has four of these "faithful sayings." The first occurs in 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The next is in 1 Timothy 4:6, "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
Everything sublunary is on the move, time knows nothing of rest. The solid earth is a rolling ball, and the great sun himself a star obediently fulfilling its course around some greater luminary. Tides move the sea, winds stir the airy ocean, friction wears the rock: change and death rule everywhere.
Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary operations, and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that they are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must care for their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of God is the sure way to bring ruin upon their own houses.
Her hap was. Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident, but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mother's blessing, under the care of her mother's God, to humble but honourable toil, and the providence of God was guiding her every step.
Once let the truth of God obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the whole man unto itself, no power human or infernal can dislodge it. We entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house--this is a Christian necessity, he is no Christian who doth not thus believe.
The Lord Jesus loves his people so much, that every day he is still doing for them much that is analogous to washing their soiled feet. Their poorest actions he accepts; their deepest sorrow he feels; their slenderest wish he hears, and their every transgression he forgives.
Without sap the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a Christian. There must be life--a vital principle infused into us by God the Holy Ghost, or we cannot be trees of the Lord. The mere name of being a Christian is but a dead thing, we must be filled with the spirit of divine life. This life is mysterious.
When is the Christian most liable to sleep? Is it not when his temporal circumstances are prosperous? Have you not found it so? When you had daily troubles to take to the throne of grace, were you not more wakeful than you are now? Easy roads make sleepy travellers. Another dangerous time is when all goes pleasantly in spiritual matters.
Many have forsaken Christ, and have walked no more with him; but what reason have you to make a change? Has there been any reason for it in the past? Has not Jesus proved himself all-sufficient? He appeals to you this morning--"Have I been a wilderness unto you?" When your soul has simply trusted Jesus, have you ever been confounded?
We declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are an institution that believes that confession and that also seeks to live that confession. We are a Christian institution, an evangelical institution, and a Southern Baptist institution. This means we believe the Bible is the holy, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. We believe that we are called by Christ to go out into the world and unto the nations making disciples of all men.
There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no avail, unless a gracious hand shall apply them to us. We are thirsty, but too faint to crawl to the water-brook. When a soldier is wounded in battle it is of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can bind up his wounds, and medicines there to ease all the pains which he now suffers: what he needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies applied.
Theological conflict often occurs in unlikely places. Such was the case a few years ago on the campus of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I found myself hosting a site-visit team from our regional accrediting agency; a visit that on the front end appeared innocuous enough.
This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word "freely."
"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but his particular providence is over his saints.
How much owest thou unto my Lord? Has he ever done anything for thee? Has he forgiven thy sins? Has he covered thee with a robe of righteousness? Has he set thy feet upon a rock? Has he established thy goings?
How should Christians engage on social media? We have all seen the carnage. A poorly worded tweet brings confusion; a sharply worded one alienates. The Proverbs tell us much about the tongue, and many of its punchiest verses are applicable to our social media usage. As Christians, we are to bring every aspect of our lives under the Lordship of Christ, including our social media engagement.
Although this message was sent to the south, and referred to the seed of Israel, it may profitably be a summons to ourselves. Backward we are naturally to all good things, and it is a lesson of grace to learn to go forward in the ways of God. Reader, are you unconverted, but do you desire to trust in the Lord Jesus?
Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but when a scandal comes out in the church, I feel it greatly. In fact, at times I have found myself not wanting to check social media, dreading to learn about the next scandal.
Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up-springing of advanced and refined feeling is manifest in them. They exist but do not "grow up into him in all things."
As a pastor, few things warmed my heart more than church members telling me they prayed for me daily. Their simple act of prayer both encouraged and reassured me. It encouraged me to know they were standing in the gap for me spiritually, and it reassured me to know they loved my family, the church, and me enough to do so.
Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an Aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow--the difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring.
As the father of five young children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my greatest stewardship is my children. Many men can preach a sermon and more than a few can be a seminary president, but only one can father these five children.
Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian.
Why young adults leave the church is one of the most vexing questions facing the church today. A 2007 LifeWay Christian Resources survey indicated that 70 percent of 18–22 year-olds stop attending church for at least one year. Furthermore, Barna surveys have repeatedly shown that a majority of 20 year-olds leave church, often never to return.
Saul had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for this, he declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but Samuel met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse for an act of direct rebellion.
“The history of the world is but the biography of great men,” argued Thomas Carlyle, the proponent of what has come to be known as the “Great Man Theory of History.” This theory suggests that the broader movements and contours of history all go back to the leadership of great individuals who exerted unique influence Read more
Many are "the paths of the Lord" which "drop fatness," but an especial one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have need to cry, "My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me." Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in times of drought.
This sermon was recorded on 2/13/19 at the 9Marks Biblical Theology Conference at Midwestern Seminary. Dr. Jason Allen’s message is titled “Biblical Theology and Preaching.”
Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial in his care for all his sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to him as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with his arm of power.
A paradox, G.K. Chesterton quipped, is “a truth standing on its head, waving its legs to get our attention.” In the Bible, such paradoxes abound. Paradoxically, Jesus is both God and man; and, paradoxically, the Bible was given by both human inscription and divine inspiration. One such paradox, or seemingly contradictory truth, is rooted in the gospel itself – the gospel message is simple, yet profound.
The thought of David's heart at this time was a false thought, because he certainly had no ground for thinking that God's anointing him by Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered him.
As Christians, we are absolutely responsible for our growth in Christ, yet entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit to foster such growth. This duality, one of the great paradoxes of the Christian life, is captured in Paul’s exhortation to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13).
There are times in our spiritual experience when human counsel or sympathy, or religious ordinances, fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious God permit this? Perhaps it is because we have been living too much without him, and he therefore takes away everything upon which we have been in the habit of depending, that he may drive us to himself.
While on vacation a number of years ago, I visited a church for Sunday worship but left questioning whether I had worshipped at all. I took in the full complement of announcements, shook hands with several greeters, viewed a skit, and enjoyed something of a concert. Though a rote prayer was offered, there was no congregational singing, Scripture reading, or sermon. I left puzzled, frustrated, and with a sense of loss. I felt like I had visited a restaurant but was not served a meal.
In these words the believer is invited to a holy nearness to Jesus. "Come and dine," implies the same table, the same meat; aye, and sometimes it means to sit side by side, and lean our head upon the Saviour's bosom. It is being brought into the banqueting-house, where waves the banner of redeeming love. "Come and dine," gives us a vision of union with Jesus, because the only food that we can feast upon when we dine with Jesus is himself.
How does a pastor most healthily balance ministerial service with family time? This tension is felt by all who serve the church and resides just under the surface in many congregations. Sadly, many men leave the ministry due to erring one way or the other in what is often a delicate balance.
His first coming was without external pomp or show of power, and yet in truth there were few who could abide its testing might. Herod and all Jerusalem with him were stirred at the news of the wondrous birth. Those who supposed themselves to be waiting for him, showed the fallacy of their professions by rejecting him when he came. His life on earth was a winnowing fan, which tried the great heap of religious profession, and few enough could abide the process.
Turn with me to Second Timothy chapter two, verse 15. We will consider just one verse together. I, like many of you, perhaps all of us, make something of New Year’s resolutions which are more like New Year’s goals. One of my resolutions was, in the year 2019, whenever possible, to preach from the Old Testament. In my very first opportunity, I am violating my New Year’s resolution. But it is with good cause as this verse gripped my heart over the Christmas break, and I have come back to it again, and again, and again. It just seemed like the Lord was leading me to preach this text this morning.
If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his native country?
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the longtime pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, England, described preaching as, “The highest, the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.” I share Lloyd-Jones’ lofty assessment of preaching. The call to preach is a sacred one, and the task of preaching should be undertaken with clarity, conviction, and passion.
Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with him. No, I must know him myself; I must know him on my own account. It will be an intelligent knowledge--I must know him, not as the visionary dreams of him, but as the Word reveals him.
Have you ever heard a sermon illustration that did more harm than good? I have. In fact, just recently I heard a sermon illustration that was an absolute train wreck. It sent God’s people on an unhelpful diversion, had nothing to do with the passage, and compromised the sermon’s final, concluding thrust. In other words, it was a disaster, and the results were debilitating to the sermon.
Whose love can this be which is as mighty as the conqueror of monarchs, the destroyer of the human race? Would it not sound like satire if it were applied to my poor, weak, and scarcely living love to Jesus my Lord? I do love him, and perhaps by his grace, I could even die for him, but as for my love in itself, it can scarcely endure a scoffing jest, much less a cruel death.
A while back, I received a kind email inquiring how I maintain my personal schedule, many life commitments, and most faithfully steward all the Lord has entrusted to me. There’s a sense in which I hate answering questions like this because too often it smacks of “Success and how I’ve achieved it.” Yet, I banged out a brief reply to this inquiring pastor, hoping to help him.
Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh."
With the Christmas season just behind us, year-end solicitations are upon us as well. I know this all too well. I am on the receiving end of scores of appeals, and, as president of Midwestern Seminary, I am on the requesting end also. With so many pressing needs and viable ministries to which you can give, how should you discern which causes are most deserving of your financial support? How should you consider year-end giving in light of biblical principles of Christian stewardship?
This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us, not by his personal presence, as he shall do by-and-by, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who is evermore the Comforter of the church. It is his office to console the hearts of God's people. He convinces of sin; he illuminates and instructs; but still the main part of his work lies in making glad the hearts of the renewed, in confirming the weak, and lifting up all those that be bowed down.
“How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). With airtight logic, the Apostle Paul sets forth the indispensable human link in fulfilling the Great Commission—the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In so doing, he instructs us in the way of the kingdom, that in every generation God is calling out preachers to serve His church.
There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on his Word spiritual strength for labour in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them.
My task this morning is a daunting one because my time is so abbreviated. Indeed, I have more verses than I have minutes. Daniel chapter 3 will be the focus of our attention here briefly. We typically think of commencement as being an occasion for the spring. But over these recent years, institutions like ours have also celebrated a Christmas commencement. Every time you think of commencement, you think of final words of address, final words of exhortation, charges given to the graduates before us.
In the second epistle to Timothy, first chapter, and ninth verse, are these words--"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." Now, here is a touchstone by which we may try our calling. It is "an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace." This calling forbids all trust in our own doings, and conducts us to Christ alone for salvation, but it afterwards purges us from dead works to serve the living and true God.
Recently I found myself corresponding with future seminary students about the differences between the Master of Divinity and the shorter Master of Theological Studies degrees. The dialogue, in sum, explored whether the Master of Divinity degree was worth the extra time and expense. I argued, emphatically, that for the typical minister-in-training, the answer is a hearty, “Yes.” Consider with me these ten reasons:
The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty.
There is no work quite like Ph.D. work. Those who’ve completed the degree know exactly what I’m talking about. You must set aside five or so years of your life to research and write on a topic, ending your labors with a dissertation that makes a unique contribution to your field of study.
Note the glorious personality of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah himself interposes to deliver and redeem his people. He pledges himself personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that he may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficience.
Revolve in your mind that wondrous word, "faultless!" We are far off from it now; but as our Lord never stops short of perfection in his work of love, we shall reach it one day. The Saviour who will keep his people to the end, will also present them at last to himself, as "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish."
Several years ago, I preached a series of renewal services at Rosedale Baptist Church in Abingdon, VA. Commonly referred to as a “revival,” or, in previous generations, a “protracted meeting,” each service carried a specifically evangelistic emphasis. I prayed the Lord would be pleased to honor the preaching of His Word, call many to faith in Christ, and produce spiritual fruit that remains.
Genuine seekers who as yet have not obtained the blessing, may take comfort from the story before us. The Saviour did not at once bestow the blessing, even though the woman had great faith in him. He intended to give it, but he waited awhile. "He answered her not a word." Were not her prayers good? Never better in the world. Was not her case needy? Sorrowfully needy.
What constitutes an expository sermon? Better yet, how might the preacher know if he has preached an expository sermon, and how might the congregation know if they’ve heard one? The question is a bit more angular than one might initially perceive. It is a question that has struck me in recent months, as I have heard multiple preachers describe their preaching style as expository. Never mind that they give little attention to interpreting the text, applying the text, or actually preaching the text.
In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, "My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped."
My greatest stewardship in life is not training a generation of students at Midwestern Seminary. It is training my five young children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I feel the weight—and glory—of this stewardship daily and find immeasurable fulfillment and joy as I see my children taking steps toward Christ.
Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer--"In the Holy Ghost." The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrows back to him. That desire which he writes upon our heart will move his heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with him.
Pastors are called to preach sermons, not deliver rants. Too often God’s people are subjected to the latter, but it is the former they truly need. This distinction struck me several years ago while co-preaching a conference with several other pastors. I sensed we were in for a rant when one of the speakers declined a microphone, assuring the sound-booth attendant he would be sufficiently loud without it. When his moment to preach came, he did not disappoint. I was as amazed at his volume as I was disturbed by his handling of the text.
We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
As an expositor, one must assess both the culture and the congregation in order to determine whether or not to engage certain concerns that arise. Clarity in this matter is essential. How does the preacher gain clarity in his assessment? Let’s consider these nine questions, which will serve as indicators for the expositor—helping him discern the extent of the concern and whether or not it should impact his upcoming sermon:
Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian's answer, and see if it is yours. "On whom dost thou trust?" "I trust," says the Christian, "in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are.
In John Stott’s classic Between Two Worlds, he depicted the preacher as a man positioned between two civilizations—tasked to bridge the ancient world with the modern one, and the ancient text with modern hearers.
Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's countenance is hidden.
I’ll admit it. When it comes to airplane travel, my first inclination is to be a loner. Though an outgoing person by nature, when I fly my tendency is to retract into my seat and enjoy a parenthesis of disconnectedness in an otherwise full and busy life. No cell phones. No text messages. No email or social media. This is a recipe for productivity and rest.
Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men.
How should Christians engage on social media? We have all seen the carnage. A poorly worded tweet brings confusion; a sharply worded one alienates. The Proverbs tell us much about the tongue, and many of its punchiest verses are applicable to our social media usage.
He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore. The believer is not the man whose days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in religion such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy.
When published in 1971, Fred Craddock’s As One without Authority landed like “a bombshell on the playground of preachers.” In it, Craddock called for a new homiletic, for preaching to start with the hearer, not the text, and for preaching to be inductive, not deductive.
Mr. MacDonald asked the inhabitants of the island of St. Kilda how a man must be saved. An old man replied, "We shall be saved if we repent, and forsake our sins, and turn to God." "Yes," said a middle-aged female, "and with a true heart too." "Aye," rejoined a third, "and with prayer"; and, added a fourth, "It must be the prayer of the heart." "And we must be diligent too," said a fifth, "in keeping the commandments."
In the Christian life, balance can be difficult to achieve. Whether it’s reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, conceptualizing the divine and human natures of Christ, or trusting God without slipping into personal complacency, the one who finds balance finds a good thing. Similarly, the 21st-century church would do well to find balance in its worship of Christ.
All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on the coals, and the cruse of water placed at his head, as he lay under the juniper tree, he was no gentleman to be gratified with dainty fare that he might stretch himself at his ease; far otherwise, he was commissioned to go forty days and forty nights in the strength of it, journeying towards Horeb, the mount of God.
Where have all the godly men gone? These days I ponder that question with increased frequency and concern. If the lack of godly men were only a matter of personality or ministerial preference, then little would be lost. Such is not the case, though. The church is in great need of awakening and renewal; and, in the spirit of Richard Baxter, its greatest need might well be godly men.
"If any man sin, we have an advocate." Yes, though we sin, we have him still. John does not say, "If any man sin he has forfeited his advocate," but "we have an advocate," sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever did, or can be allowed to commit, cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his advocate.
Brothers and sisters, I invite you to turn in your Bibles with me to James 1 where we will have Scriptural reflection and meditation today from James 1:19-25. This is a passage we are familiar with, a book many of us are familiar with, and words that come with a great deal of timeliness and relevance. I have entitled this sermon, “Playing with Dangerous Things.”
Oftentimes we look forward with forebodings to the time of old age, forgetful that at eventide it shall be light. To many saints, old age is the choicest season in their lives. A balmier air fans the mariner's cheek as he nears the shore of immortality, fewer waves ruffle his sea, quiet reigns, deep, still and solemn.
A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting with the executive directors of the Midwest Region State Conventions. I presented on how, together, we might best serve the churches in our region. After my presentation, we enjoyed a robust dialog about how we might best accomplish these shared goals.
It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart--Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy.
Few men have shaped the 21st-century church more than John Piper, and few of his books have proven more helpful than his Brothers, We are not Professionals. Piper was right. Ministers are not to be professionals, and his call for radical, sacrificial, selfless ministry is spot on. Yet, when it comes to ministerial service, we are not called to be amateurs either.
Angels are the unseen attendants of the saints of God; they bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our foot against a stone. Loyalty to their Lord leads them to take a deep interest in the children of his love; they rejoice over the return of the prodigal to his father's house below, and they welcome the advent of the believer to the King's palace above. In olden times the sons of God were favoured with their visible appearance, and at this day, although unseen by us, heaven is still opened, and the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of man, that they may visit the heirs of salvation.
The Cooperative Program ought not be a sacred cow, but it is close to one for me. Began by Southern Baptists nearly a century ago, it has proven to be a most effective and enduring way to support our collective ministry and mission work. I often visit with leaders of other evangelical denominations who are envious of the Cooperative Program. And they should be; there is nothing like it in American Protestantism.
Child of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this title? Ah! has your unbelief made you forget that you are greatly beloved too? Must you not have been greatly beloved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot? When God smote his only begotten Son for you, what was this but being greatly beloved?
Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was one of the greatest elected officials in our nation’s history and one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known. He was a tsunami of energy, one who never saw a mountain too tall to scale or a fight too threatening to join. He shook the nation, invented the modern presidency, and left a changed country in his wake.
Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there. Here we are weary and toilworn, but yonder is the land of rest where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the worker's brow, and fatigue shall be forever banished. To those who are weary and spent, the word "rest" is full of heaven.
Why young adults leave the church is one of the most vexing questions facing the church today. A 2007 LifeWay Christian Resources survey indicated that 70 percent of 18–22 year-olds stop attending church for at least one year. Furthermore, Barna surveys have repeatedly shown that a majority of 20 year-olds leave church, often never to return.
Bounteous is Jehovah in his nature; to give is his delight. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He gives grace to his elect because he wills it, to his redeemed because of his covenant, to the called because of his promise, to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they need it.
As a pastor, few things warmed my heart more than church members telling me they prayed for me daily. Their simple act of prayer both encouraged and reassured me. It encouraged me to know they were standing in the gap for me spiritually, and it reassured me to know they loved my family, the church, and me enough to do so.
The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has "all manner of pleasant fruits," both "old and new," and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts.
As the father of five young children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my greatest stewardship is my children. Many men can preach a sermon and more than a few can be a seminary president, but only one can father these five children. Thus, my wife and I approach our family with a profound sense of stewardship and intentionality. As parents, we are practitioners, but also observers, always seeking to learn and improve in order to be most faithful.
Life is a precious thing, and in its humblest form it is superior to death. This truth is eminently certain in spiritual things. It is better to be the least in the kingdom of heaven than the greatest out of it. The lowest degree of grace is superior to the noblest development of unregenerate nature. Where the Holy Ghost implants divine life in the soul, there is a precious deposit which none of the refinements of education can equal.
It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God's most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day.
At Midwestern Seminary, during the beginning of the spring semester, we celebrate spring convocation. Convocation signals the start of the academic semester, and it serves as a joyful reminder of the task that is ours—to train pastors, ministers, and missionaries for the church.
Does Christ receive us when we come to him, notwithstanding all our past sinfulness? Does he never chide us for having tried all other refuges first? And is there none on earth like him? Is he the best of all the good, the fairest of all the fair? Oh, then let us praise him! Daughters of Jerusalem, extol him with timbrel and harp! Down with your idols, up with the Lord Jesus.
Every pastor knows the constant weight of sermon preparation. Sunday is a standing, unmovable deadline. It is like living in final exam week, with a massive deadline before you every Lord’s Day. But the preacher’s test is a public one, for all to see. He will be judged by God’s people. And, more importantly, he will be judged by God himself.
Strange enough this regulation appears, yet there was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease proved that the constitution was sound. This morning it may be well for us to see the typical teaching of so singular a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of the leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with the defilement of sin, and no part free from pollution; when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads guilty before the Lord, then is he clean through the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God.
“There are two days in my calendar: this day and that day,” quipped Martin Luther in reference to Christ’s second coming. We have come a long way since Luther’s statement, with most believers erring dramatically in one of two directions. Second coming sensationalists are the most egregious, and widely lamented, offenders. They predict the timing of Jesus’ return; but, of course, they do so in vain.
Success is certain when the Lord has promised it. Although you may have pleaded month after month without evidence of answer, it is not possible that the Lord should be deaf when his people are earnest in a matter which concerns his glory. The prophet on the top of Carmel continued to wrestle with God, and never for a moment gave way to a fear that he should be non-suited in Jehovah's courts.
Vacation, as a planned and protracted leisurely excursion, is a relatively modern invention. Middle-class furloughs to the beach, weeks at theme parks, and recurring holiday getaways all would be unfamiliar to the premodern family. Yet, seasons of rest and recreation are a pattern as old as the Bible itself, and if we are going to vacation, we might as well optimize it. To this end, over the years I have intentionally incorporated a few objectives. Admittedly, they have been more intuitive than scripted, but I deliberately vacation—especially during the summer—with these nine intentions in mind. Perhaps they will help you as well.
Perhaps no figure of speech represents God in a more gracious light than when he is spoken of as stooping from his throne, and coming down from heaven to attend to the wants and to behold the woes of mankind. We love him, who, when Sodom and Gomorrah were full of iniquity, would not destroy those cities until he had made a personal visitation of them.
In recent days I submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Resolutions Committee a resolution entitled On Affirming the Dignity of Women and the Holiness of Ministers. Though I am responsible for the resolution and its submission, in order to speak as loudly as possible, I invited my fellow SBC entity heads to participate, as well as SBC president Dr. Steve Gaines. In order to heighten awareness going into Dallas, I elected to make it publicize it now.
Knocking was not enough, for my heart was too full of sleep, too cold and ungrateful to arise and open the door, but the touch of his effectual grace has made my soul bestir itself. Oh, the longsuffering of my Beloved, to tarry when he found himself shut out, and me asleep upon the bed of sloth! Oh, the greatness of his patience, to knock and knock again, and to add his voice to his knockings, beseeching me to open to him!
“The history of the world is but the biography of great men,” argued Thomas Carlyle, the proponent of what has come to be known as the “Great Man Theory of History.” This theory suggests that the broader movements and contours of history all go back to the leadership of great individuals who exerted unique influence on their times. Whether or not Carlyle’s theory proves true is debatable, but that certain individuals cast long shadows is not.
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God will give all the happiness to his enemies, and reserve all the mourning for his own family? Shall his foes have mirth and joy, and shall his home-born children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were penniless beggars?
Every semester at Midwestern, we host a Preview Day in order to display who we are as a school, and what we offer prospective students for their seminary education. Preview Day encourages me as I get to interact with future students and sense who the Lord is calling to study here. This year’s spring Preview Day did not disappoint. I heard the stories, sensed the passion, and felt the conviction of another wave of students coming to Midwestern Seminary for theological education.
When in the forest there is heard the crash of a falling oak, it is a sign that the woodman is abroad, and every tree in the whole company may tremble lest to-morrow the sharp edge of the axe should find it out. We are all like trees marked for the axe, and the fall of one should remind us that for every one, whether great as the cedar, or humble as the fir, the appointed hour is stealing on apace.
In his parting words to Timothy, the Apostle Paul set forth a series of exhortations so that his understudy might fulfill his ministry. As Paul wrote, he faced death, and Timothy faced discouragement. These final words in II Timothy not only strengthened the letter’s namesake but also have instructed and fortified gospel servants throughout the centuries. Second Timothy drips with application for every minister.
The vision in this chapter describes the condition of Israel in Zechariah's day; but being interpreted in its aspect towards us, it describes the Church of God as we find it now in the world. The Church is compared to a myrtle grove flourishing in a valley. It is hidden, unobserved, secreted; courting no honour and attracting no observation from the careless gazer.
Checklists can be helpful for most every area of life. For example, before traveling I always review a mental list to make sure I’ve appropriately packed and have my logistical bases covered. Over the years, I’ve also developed a mental checklist that I typically ask of every sermon before I preach it.
Man's intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little reverent and loving. They are snared in the old net in which the Grecians were taken, and have a hankering to mix philosophy with revelation.
In every era, Christians are called “to contend earnestly for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.”[1] Some struggles recur in every generation. Battles such as the veracity of Scripture or the person and work of Christ are perennial ones. The church, again and again, has to articulate and defend these doctrines.
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Conscience accuses no longer. Judgment now decides for the sinner instead of against him. Memory looks back upon past sins, with deep sorrow for the sin, but yet with no dread of any penalty to come; for Christ has paid the debt of his people to the last jot and tittle, and received the divine receipt; and unless God can be so unjust as to demand double payment for one debt, no soul for whom Jesus died as a substitute can ever be cast into hell.
In the midst of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, Warren Buffet famously observed, “It’s when the tide goes out that you see who’s skinny dipping.” Buffet was reflecting on the banks and investment firms that had insufficient capital to meet their financial obligations during the great recession.
Paradoxes abound in Christian experience, and here is one--the spouse was asleep, and yet she was awake. He only can read the believer's riddle who has ploughed with the heifer of his experience. The two points in this evening's text are--a mournful sleepiness and a hopeful wakefulness. I sleep.
On March 13, 1859, the preeminent preacher of Victorian England, Charles Spurgeon, delivered one of his most memorable sermons, “Christ Precious to Believers,” to a congregation of over 10,000. The congregation, having long since proven too large for Spurgeon’s New Park Street Church now filled London’s largest indoor auditorium, the Music Hall of the Royal Surrey Gardens.
A convoy on many accounts would have been desirable for the pilgrim band, but a holy shame-facedness would not allow Ezra to seek one. He feared lest the heathen king should think his professions of faith in God to be mere hypocrisy, or imagine that the God of Israel was not able to preserve his own worshippers.
To preach is to occasionally lay an egg. Every preacher has felt it, and every preacher hopes to never feel it again. What did I do wrong? Why did the sermon flop? How do I avoid this ever happening again? These questions, and many more, hound the conscience of the preacher who’s delivered a still-born sermon.
A certain man had a demoniac son, who was afflicted with a dumb spirit. The father, having seen the futility of the endeavours of the disciples to heal his child, had little or no faith in Christ, and therefore, when he was bidden to bring his son to him, he said to Jesus, "If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us."
Many Christians do not enjoy rest and recreation because they cannot. A host of factors contribute to this. For some, material excesses force them to work nonstop to pay the bills. For others, an overdone drivenness pushes them to work too much—compromising their health, family, and spiritual lives.
What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term "acceptance" in the Greek means more than that. It signifies that we are the objects of divine complacence, nay, even of divine delight. How marvellous that we, worms, mortals, sinners, should be the objects of divine love! But it is only "in the beloved." Some Christians seem to be accepted in their own experience, at least, that is their apprehension.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That question, which is so common today, would be shockingly irrelevant for the vast majority of humans who have ever lived. In the premodern world, one’s work usually was not a matter of choice. It was essential to one’s identity. It was more a matter of who you were than what you did.
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt.
Be glad of heart, O believer, but take care that thy gladness has its spring in the Lord. Thou hast much cause for gladness in thy God, for thou canst sing with David, "God, my exceeding joy." Be glad that the Lord reigneth, that Jehovah is King!
Did you know that Jesus spoke more about money than any other topic? That’s right. In fact, sixteen of Christ’s thirty-eight parables reference our handling of earthly treasure. In the Gospels, one out of every ten verses when Jesus is speaking addresses money.
This sermon was recorded on 2/27/18 at the 9Marks Expository Preaching conference at Midwestern Seminary. Dr. Jason Allen's message is titled "Perseverance in Preaching" and his text is Romans 10:1-17.
Fear made David pray thus, for something whispered, "Perhaps, after all, thou mayst be gathered with the wicked." That fear, although marred by unbelief, springs, in the main, from holy anxiety, arising from the recollection of past sin. Even the pardoned man will enquire, "What if at the end my sins should be remembered, and I should be left out of the catalogue of the saved?" He recollects his present unfruitfulness--so little grace, so little love, so little holiness, and looking forward to the future, he considers his weakness and the many temptations which beset him, and he fears that he may fall, and become a prey to the enemy.
Christianity is a heart religion. In fact, the Bible refers to conversion as the “circumcision of the heart” (Rom. 2:29). As believers, we speak of inviting Jesus into our hearts. And, as more than one preacher has promised, “Jesus will give you a new heart for a new start."
How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I am into Jesus, but not the church”? Or, put another way, “I am a Christian, but I do not believe in going to church”? Over my years as a pastor, I have encountered phrases like these many times.
In the evening of the day opportunities are plentiful: men return from their labour, and the zealous soul-winner finds time to tell abroad the love of Jesus. Have I no evening work for Jesus? If I have not, let me no longer withhold my hand from a service which requires abundant labour.
We live in an age where adults are trying to stop the unstoppable—the onward march of time. With only so many hours in a day and a limited amount of years in a lifetime, preserving and elongating one’s life has become high priority through trends like extreme fitness, nutritional supplements, human growth hormones, and the cryogenics movement. Fitness and healthy living are commendable, but the mind-set that through them you will outpace death is not.
Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!" This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine.
What makes a good Christian marriage? At its core, it is two good Christian people, joined together in holy matrimony. Yet, a good Christian marriage is so much more than this. Two good Christian people are essential for a strong, Christian marriage—but that is not enough.
Devout souls delight to look upon those mercies which they have obtained in answer to supplication, for they can see God's especial love in them. When we can name our blessings Samuel, that is, "asked of God," they will be as dear to us as her child was to Hannah. Peninnah had many children, but they came as common blessings unsought in prayer: Hannah's one heaven-given child was dearer far, because he was the fruit of earnest pleadings.
Every person has a past. I do. You do. Everyone does. By past, I mean things we have done at a previous point in our lives that cause regret and embarrassment, if not outright shame. It is that laundry list of attitudes, actions, and events you aren’t proud of.
This "liberty" makes us free to heaven's charter--the Bible. Here is a choice passage, believer, "When thou passest through the rivers, I will be with thee." You are free to that. Here is another: "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee"; you are free to that. You are a welcome guest at the table of the promises. Scripture is a never-failing treasury filled with boundless stores of grace.
Watch Dr. Jason Allen preach at Midwestern's Spring 2018 Convocation on "Our Seeking Savior" from Luke 19:1-10.
We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd, for he has a right to lead us wherever he pleases. We are not our own, we are bought with a price--let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the servant obeys his master, much more must we follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession.
Recently, I found myself in front of a group of Christians fielding questions about the nature of Scripture—what the Bible is and why it matters. I was struck by how many of members of the crowd, though they believed and appreciated the Bible, really lacked sufficient grounding in the Holy Scriptures. They did not really grasp what the Bible is and why it matters. Do you?
The two most important things in our holy religion are the life of faith and the walk of faith. He who shall rightly understand these is not far from being a master in experimental theology, for they are vital points to a Christian. You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ.
Discouragement is not an emotion with which I am very familiar, but over the past several weeks I have felt it acutely. My sadness has been induced by the steady drip of ministerial sex scandals and the destruction they have wrought.
God employs his people to encourage one another. He did not say to an angel, "Gabriel, my servant Joshua is about to lead my people into Canaan--go, encourage him." God never works needless miracles; if his purposes can be accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency.
Recently, I received a kind email inquiring how I maintain my personal schedule, many life commitments, and most faithfully steward all the Lord has entrusted to me. There’s a sense in which I hate answering questions like this because too often it smacks of “Success and how I’ve achieved it.” Yet, I banged out a brief reply to this inquiring pastor, hoping to help him. Here are five principles I shared with him. Perhaps you’ll find them helpful as you navigate the new year.
Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus' word, "Bring him unto me." Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them.
My greatest stewardship in life is not training a generation of students at Midwestern Seminary. It is training my five young children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I feel the weight—and glory—of this stewardship daily and find immeasurable fulfillment and joy as I see my children taking steps toward Christ.
This was a strange question for Job to ask of the Lord. He felt himself to be too insignificant to be so strictly watched and chastened, and he hoped that he was not so unruly as to need to be so restrained. The enquiry was natural from one surrounded with such insupportable miseries, but after all, it is capable of a very humbling answer.
The gospel is what we believe, and it is what we have in common. It is what we preach, and it is what we sing. It is what we reflect upon this time of year. It is what happened in our life-some of us as boys and girls, others of us as men and women—when Christ called us to himself and through repentance and faith we gave our life to him.