I’ve been trying to reflect upon my personal experience on the conference, to give the “editorial” version of things, and not merely the live-blogging experience of simply reporting on the various sermons & seminars & corporate gatherings. Here are some of my thoughts:

• I thoroughly enjoyed the conference’s emphasis on the importance of the Word in all of what the church does. I especially appreciated Al Mohler’s insight on what preaching ought to be:

We add to this problem by discussing expository preaching as the superior mode of preaching. When we add to that pattern, we do injury to it. Because according to the Bible, exposition is preaching. If it isn’t exposition, it isn’t preaching! You may speak, you may talk, but if you do not read the text and preach it, reproving, rebuking, exhorting from the text, you’re not preaching! We have to stop saying, I prefer expository preaching. We should say, “I’m a preacher, this is what I do. I read the text and explain it. Then I go home and study. And then I come back and do the same.” It’s simple, which makes it tragically absent.

He continued on later in his message

If the Bible is the perfect Word of God, it comes to the question of who’s going to speak: the preacher, or God? But when it’s the Word of God speaking through the preacher, then it is God who speaks, and that’s the difference between life & death. Do we arrogantly think that God’s people can live on our words? Obviously not. Life is only found in the Word of God. We live only because He is there and He is not silent. We have been called to this, and this is what we do. We obey the call, we study it, we get in front of God’s people, then we explain it.

Mohler’s insight is a refreshing reminder of the simplicity and significance of our job as believers (especially pastor-teachers) and as His gathered Church: to understand His Word and live it out.

• From the latter of the above quotes, Mohler made an important point: “Do we arrogantly think that God’s people can live on our words? Obviously not. Life is only found in the Word of God.” One of realities that was confirmed through my time at the conference is that even the best of preachers are but men. Even as many (including me) often raced to the front for the best seats to sit under the preaching at this conference, it was clear in conversing with other men after the conference that we did not agree 100% with all of the points made, or how they were made; by the various speakers. It helps to remember, we preach not ourselves (or John MacArthur, or Steve Lawson, or anyone) but Christ and Him crucified.
• Conferences, as intense and exciting as they may be, falls miles short of the joy of being in the local church. As well preached as many of the messages were, as inspiring the musical offerings and congregational singing, as yummy as the food was; the one thing I enjoyed most was the conversation to and from the conference (5+ hours each way), and chatting it up with my roommate at the hotel. It reminds me that what it really comes down is meaningful relationships built on the Word; applied truth, not just taught or proclaimed, is what matters in every Christian’s life. Or as James put it, being “doers of the Word” and not merely “hearers.”
• Last lesson: live-blogging expository preaching is both fun and tiring. The challenges of taking down detailed notes of exegetical considerations, while capturing broader points, is not trivial. But I enjoyed it, and Lord willing, I’d love to do it again sometime.

How about the rest of you? What did you get out of the conference?

If you’d rather not scroll through pages & pages of our blog, here are direct links to each session that I blogged on

General Sessions

1. “Why Every True Calvinist Must Affirm a Biblical Ecclesiology” – John MacArthur
2. “The Blessed Life” (Psalm 1) – Tom Pennington
3. “The Danger of Growing Too Familiar with God” (Lev. 10) – Rick Holland
4. “The Poor Widow” (Luke 21) – John MacArthur
5. Q&A with John MacArthur
6. “He Is Not Silent” – Al Mohler
7. “The Preacher’s Invincible Weapon” (Hebrews 4:12-13) – Steve Lawson
8. “On Culture, Contextualization, Conversation, and Charitableness” (Acts 17) – Phil Johnson
9. “Slaves of Christ” – John MacArthur

Seminar Sessions

1. “A God-Entranced Vision” (Andy Snider)
2. “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” (Clayton Erb, Bill Brandenstein)
3. “To Protect and Serve” (Rob Iverson et al)
4. “Delivery and the Powerful Pulpit” (Alex Montoya)

A couple of notes:

• I hope to post some reflections on this year’s conference within the next couple of days or so. Today, I’ll mostly be on the road, carpooling back to Northern CA with men from my church.
• Some have referred to my live-blogging of the speakers as a “transcript.” While I’m flattered, and while my notes are certainly more detailed than most have done in the past; I want to make it clear that they do not have the accuracy of a transcript, and there were several occasions where I missed a few nuances or possibly even qualifications on statements. So while my notes may certainly be consulted for the overall flow and content of the messages preached, they should not be considered authoritative as verbatim of what the speakers spoke, e.g., in quotation. Nevertheless, I think that my notes are reliable, if not 100% complete, representations of the sessions at the conference.
• The conference staff requested that I not upload the video clips from the conference that I took, i.e., of several of the musical offerings and congregational singing times.  Thus, they’ve been removed, in order to respect those wishes.
• Thank you to those of you who left comments and / or clarifications.  It has been a pleasure knowing that I’ve been of help to some.  This has been really fun for me, typing like a mad man, capturing the exposition of God’s Word into my laptop.  On the flip side, it’s not something I’d like to do every time I sit under preaching, as it significantly hampers my own ability to fully process what’s being spoken.
• Our blog traffic more than doubled over the course of the conference.  Cool.  Come back and visit us again. =-)

One faith, one hope, one Lord, one church for which he died,
One voice, one song we lift in praise to him who was and is and shall be evermore.
There is one body, one spirit, as you were called to one hope.
One Lord, baptism and faith, one God and Father of all, one God and Father of all,
One God and Father of all, who is in you all.
Though we be many people, diverse with various gifts,
We are given to each other for the unity of faith,
That we grow in the knowledge of the Son of God, in the fullness of Christ.

There is something remarkably dignified and awe-inspiring about music that lifts the heart up in consideration of the great truths of God’s Word.

Christian Ebner then came up and shared a song with us, accompanied by the orchestra, singing a song whose words were taken from Psalm 103:2-6:

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;
Who pardons all your sins, Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion;
Who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

John MacArthur then came to the podium and we stood for the reading of 1 Peter 5, followed by prayer.

We were then treated to another beautiful song by a vocal trio leading the choir & orchestra presenting a rousing anthem titled “Worthy the Lamb”:

Hear the cries of the shackled from the onset of time
For the chains of defeat there’s no key
See the tears of the broken the cries of the slaves
Is there no one worthy to set us free?

When the crying is stilled as the chorus rings out
Then the shackled released from their chains
And the thousands of voices are swelling the song
Worthy the lamb that was slain

Worthy, worthy, worthy the lamb that was slain
Worthy, worthy, worthy the lamb that was slain

Then all the arch angels, the saints of all time
Holding their crowns in their hands
Fall down before Him, joining the song
Worthy, worthy the lamb

Worthy, worthy, worthy the lamb that was slain
Worthy, worthy, worthy the lamb that was slain
Praise Him, praise Him, praise the lamb that was slain
Praise Him, praise Him, praise the lamb that was slain

Clayton Erb then invited us to stand and sing as a congregation once more, singing “To God Be the Glory.” ‘Twas a rousing and electrifying experience.

Finally, John MacArthur took to the pulpit, inviting the congregation to give thanks to Clayton Erb with a round of applause for his service to his; which was truly marvelous. Rick Holland had leaned over and said, “That’s a tsunami of male praise.” (laughter) There were a number of people who stood up when John invited all who came from another country to rise. He also publicly thanked all those who had ministered the Word of God to us over the course of the conference. He then announced that this year’s keynote speakers would return for next year. He also expressed his joy at seeing the many men who love the truth who came to the conference.

(The remainder will be from the perspective of the speaker)

Tonight will be the first chapter of an old book that I will be redoing, called The Gospel According to Jesus. Through the years, this book has continued to have a ministry. I was asked to do a 20 year anniversary edition of this book, to be released next month. I agreed to do that, to make some updates; with some proviso that I could add a new beginning chapter, which is one of the most overarching arguments of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. What I’m going to preach tonight is the essence of that chapter.

Last year I preached in England at Leicester University. One of the differences from usual was that I was in a dorm room, rather than a hotel or a home. I was in a tiny dorm room. I had this little tiny bed made of metal with a rather old mattress that allowed you to experience the metal. (laughter) There was a funny little shower and showerhead that hit me in the side of the head. There was a tiny metal table with a quintessential English tea pot on it. I was there seven days. There was no restaurant. I walked two miles in the morning to get a loaf of bread and some cheese; and tried to store enough for a day. I was locked up in that room. And it was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I was able to focus. I put on my Bose noise-cancelling headphones, put on classical music, and studied the theme I want to address tonight. I was deeply refreshed in my understanding of the whole of the NT and the whole of my relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Along with a brief prep for the message I was giving every day, this captured my heart in profound ways, esp. by the end of the week. As I got on the plane, I was handed a book Pierced For His Transgressions which I finished on the plane. What dominated my thinking as I thought about the sacrifice of Christ was the concept that I am and all Christians are slaves of Jesus Christ.

In John 15:14 we read this: “You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” This is one of the richest of all passages. The word of note here is slaves. No longer do I merely call you slaves, no longer only slaves; I now call you friends. But you are friends who are slaves, because you are my friends if you do what I command.

It is that about which I want to speak. If I were to ask you what is the fundamental truth, the foundation reality, the distinguishing fact of Christianity in three words, what would you say? What essential core confession should boldly mark your church, your ministry? What theological absolute should govern your life and church? Jesus is Lord! That is the great Christian confession. “If you will confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you shall be saved!” And “no man can say Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3).

That’s not how contemporary evangelism is done. We are told Jesus wants to be our personal Savior. The ambiguity of that phrase suits the current view of the gospel. I did a radio interview on a large metro talk show, Christian station, who did the three hour afternoon Christian counseling talk plan. It was clear to me that her understanding of the gospel was superficial. So off-the-air I asked “How did you become a Christian?” “Oh, it was great. One day I got Jesus’ phone number and we have been connected ever since.” “What exactly does that mean?” She replied, “What do you mean, ‘What does it mean?’ How would you explain how you became a Christian?” She had a personal relationship with Jesus, which meant that she had a personal relationship with a Jesus she defined. Guess what? Satan has a personal relationship with Jesus, as does every unregenerate person, and it’s not a good one, and they don’t define it. He does. If you listen to current psychological thinking today, you think Jesus thinks your sins are funny.

When you listen to Jesus, at the very core of his teaching is that He is Lord, not your buddy. He didn’t tone that down, he said that to everybody. He is absolute sovereign master, and has never hesitated to declare it to friends and enemies. All who trust in Jesus completely have yielded to His Lordship. Listen to John 13:13: “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.” The true reality of Christ’s Lordship has been eclipsed not only in the contemporary church, but for centuries. I wrote the book 20 years ago not because something just happened, but because it had been going on for a long, long time.

I want to make two points tonight. One, Jesus is Lord. Kurios. This word is used 747 times in the NT. In the book of Acts, 92 times. Soter (savior) is used twice. Kurios means “one who has power, absolute authority, total right to command.” It is a synonym with despotes, from which we get the word “despot.” If we could come to the finest point where these words have different nuance, we’d say kurios is “sovereign lord” which means he is at the pinnacle, where despotes refers to “absolute lord” meaning he’s over everything and there is no other lord. Both words are part of the vocabulary of slavery. Both words are essential to the world of slavery.

Both words are used together in Jude 4: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master (despotes) and Lord (kurios), Jesus Christ.” It’s not used to identify Christ as deity. It’s to acknowledge Him as absolute, sovereign ruler. In the culture to say someone is Lord, means he owns slaves. You’re not the absolute lord or ruler of no one. You’re not the sovereign over people with an option. Any denial of that aspect of the Lord Jesus Christ is heresy. The church, including all pastors, elders, deacons and people; is an assembly of people who have confessed Jesus as Lord (Ro. 10:9). Our life is not defined by our own will, wants, desires, ambitions, self-conceived purposes, dreams, hopes. As true Christians our lives are defined as subjected to, submitted to, under the total power & control of our Lord. That is why Jesus could say in his invitations, “let him deny himself.” You give up all control if you want to follow Jesus. That’s absolute lordship.

Who would really imagine that this great glorious truth, most basic to the Christian gospel, would be lost in the so-called church and we would have people getting Jesus’ phone number and getting connected to him on their terms? These are strong words, and bold words. Let me make the obvious connection. There’s no such thing as a kurios without a doulos – a slave. This is all part of slave language. One word axiomatically, self-evidently implies the other. If He is Lord, He has slaves. And those who call Him Lord are necessarily His slaves. He makes the obvious comment in Luke 6:46: “Why do you call me Lord and do not what I tell you?” It is the defining simple world-dominating idea. The numbers stretch out to the millions of slaves in that time, who understood what Jesus meant.

The second point: Christians are slaves. You might have a hard time buying into that. Doulos is used 130 times in the NT, and with other forms up to 150 times. And in 1 Cor 7:22 we are called Christ’s douloi. This word means one thing: “slave.” It’s all it ever means, nothing else. It’s a person owned, a person with no rights, no freedom, no standing. A slave could not own property, give testimony in a court of law, could not seek reparations from a civil court of law. No autonomy and no freedom. Doulos means that! There are 6 other Greek words that can be translated servant; doulos is not one of those words.

As I was working on this, I reached up on my shelf and pulled down my Kittel tome, the most comprehensive Greek dictionary and went to the entry on doulos. It says “the meaning is so self-evident that it doesn’t need to be explained. And it says it’s distinct from servant. And defined as someone who is not free to make his own choice, but subject to an alien will. He is under obligation and total dependence to his kurios.” Though the word doulos always means this, it is rarely ever translated “slave.” The only time it’s translated “slave” is when it’s referring to an inanimate object or an actual slave. But they won’t translate it as “slave” when referring to relationship with Christ, they’ll use “bondservant” or “servant.” Why? One scholar’s survey of 20 English translations of the NT. Only one, the Goodspeed translation, consistently translated it as “slave.” Since then, I’ve discovered that Jay Adam has a translation of the NT, and the Holman Christian Standard Bible as well is consistent in its translation of doulos. I sat down and asked a publisher of a newer translation and asked, why translate doulos as servant? The response? “It’s offensive.” I said, “lots of things in the Bible are offensive.”

I have the first study Bible in the history of the world. First edition, first printing (1560) of the Geneva study Bible. Doulos, doulos, doulos: servant, servant, servant. From the very outset, English Bible translation has shielded us from the impact of this word. And it has contributed to this necessity to battle for the issue of Lordship, because it’s sucked out the meaning of “slave.” Doulos simply means you are owned, without freedom, under the total control of an alien will. Once you understand that, you get why Jesus said (Mt. 6:24), “No man can be a slave to two masters.” If you translate it “servant” it loses impact. If you’re talking about serving someone, you’re a waiter, you’ll serve all number of tables. But if you translate it right, it makes sense, because you cannot be owned by two people, only by one. Here’s the difference: A servant works for someone, a slave is owned by someone.

A Christian journal article says early translators wanted to avoid the cruel connotation of slave. If you come to someone and tell them that He is commanding you to bow your knee to him, confess Him as Lord and become His slave… that’s biblical evangelism. You’d better think about the gospel: self-denial, counting the cost. Once you understand this concept, the whole NT opens up like a flower. Then when you read, “You’re not your own, you’re bought with a price,” you understand it! Listen to Peter: “False prophets… denying the master who bought them.” Any denial of the Lordship of Christ is a damning thing. Any denial of slavery on my part is a horrendous misunderstanding of what Christ asks of the sinner. You were bought, purchased with His blood (Acts 20, 1 Peter 1:18). Put yourself in the position of the early church. They’re going out to evangelize. They’re going to preach Messiah is God, who is killed by the Jews using the Romans as the executioner. This is a very hard message for any Jew to believe. That’s why it’s a “stumbling block.” You’re trying to convince Jews that God died on a cross. Killed by Gentiles, that’s ludicrous. Then you’re trying to convince Gentiles that a crucified Jew is the God of the universe, which is “foolishness!” Then you’re telling them that they need to become slaves of this God and submit their entire lives to an alien will, giving up everything and denying themselves to follow him even to the death. That’s counter-cultural evangelistic strategy!

I was at a pastor’s conference in N.C. recently, and heard someone say it’s hard to refer to slavery, we have such history, how do I deal with that? I told him that the Bible doesn’t commend slavery, nor condemn it. It simply borrows the metaphor. The Bible doesn’t damn the institution of slavery, but it says masters should treat the slaves right. For some it was good especially with a benevolent master. Jesus didn’t come to abolish slavery, because if He did, He failed. He simply borrowed the metaphor because it’s so perfect! In fact, when the gospel began to move out into the world, the apostles understood it. In Acts 2:18, God is referring to His people as slaves. In Acts 4:29, when persecuted, they said, “Grant that your slaves.” They lived in a world of slaves, and understood it very well. That pastor was concerned about 5 generations ago, but these folks in the NT understood about it in the immediate generation. A slave was like a tool, you could kill your slave if you wanted to! To say that this crucified man is asking you to become his slave is beyond absurdity. Everyone who is free wanted to stay free; most slaves wanted to be free.

In Acts 16:17, there’s a slave girl with a spirit of divination. “Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are douloi of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” Even the demons knew it. This is how it goes.

Col. 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a doulos of Jesus Christ.”

2 Tim 2:24, “The Lord’s douloi must not be quarrelsome…” That’s how we’re defined.

1 Peter 2:16, “Act as free men, do not use your freedom as a covering for evil. Use it as douloi of God.” Again, the general statement, he recognizes he’s a slave, demons’ recognize it, and here all believers are slaves of God.

Revelation 1:1, “which God gave him to show to his slaves… to his slave John.”

Revelation 7:3, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the slaves of our God on their foreheads.”

Revelation 10:7, “but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His slaves the prophets.” Preachers are slaves. Servants take their money and go home. Slaves are bought and work only for their master.

Revelation 19:2b, “He has avenged the blood of his douloi on her.” Even in heaven we’ll be slaves.

Revelation 22:3, “… and His slaves shall serve Him.” V. 6, “to show to His slaves the things which must soon take place.”

Romans 1:1, “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus.” Or Php 1:1, “Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.” Or James 1, “a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Or 2 Peter, “Simon Peter a slave..”, or Jude, “Jude a slave of Jesus,” or Revelation, “John a slave.”

How do you think that flew in a slave world? This is so missing from Christian vocabulary. But once you get it, when the Bible says you were chosen, you say, “You mean like when a master went into a slave market and chose a slave? And then you were bought like when a master paid a price for the slave? And then you were owned, subjected, called to account; but also protected, provided for and rewarded.” That’s all slave talk! The gospel is a call to slavery. We just have to decide whether you’d rather be a slave to Jesus Christ or the devil.

That was the introduction (laughter), and you think I’m kidding. Returning to John 15:10ff, it refers over and over to Christ commanding which is slave talk. The fundamental issue in slavery is obedience. Submission. But it doesn’t end there. I don’t just call you slaves. I now call you friends. That was really rare. But that’s what Paul asked Philemon to do when Onesimus went back, to embrace him as friend and brother. It was rare but it happened, in the church. But here is the distinction. We now know what our master is doing! The master says, “Go do that and don’t ask me why! Do what I tell you!” But among the slaves, there would be slaves who became privy to the master’s intentions and motivations. They got on the inside, to know his heart; and needed to know why he did what he did, and he needed to tell somebody that; and they became the master’s friends. You were a friend when you knew why he was doing what he was doing. “I have called you friends for all things I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” That’s what takes you from hoi polloi to the inner circle. Illustration: Caesar was lord over everybody. But there were people in his inner circle, who were also drawn to intimate friendship with him and knew his motives. This is just magnificent. Obedience does not make you Jesus’ friend, it proves you are his friend because you can’t be obedient unless you know his intentions. We are slaves, no question. But we are slaves who have become the most intimate friends because He’s told us everything. 1 Cor 2:16 – “You have the mind of Christ.” All has been revealed.

The Lordship controversy with the silly notion of Christ as Savior and not Lord would’ve been far less acceptable & influential if this had been translated correctly. It’s the only issue I know of in Scripture like this. Consider what this truth would mean for the prosperity gospel: gone! Or the market-driven philosophy that appeals to people at the level of their fallenness and promises them what they want in their fallen condition. Or the postmodern concept of truth, or your “personal Jesus.” All obliterated by the kurios-doulos relationship.

He is master, we are slaves. But we are also friends, and He is also perfectly wise, kind, generous. But He is master, He alone provides all I need; my only protector. In the spiritual realm, I have only one provider, protected. He’s my great High Priest (Hebrews), my Discipliner (john 15), my Rewarder. If you’re struggling with this, turn to Philippians 2:3ff:

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; [that's slave talk!] 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a SLAVE, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

If you think slavery is beneath you, know that Jesus became like a slave!!! He denied Himself. He perfectly obeyed the will of the father, taking up His cross and denying Himself.

By the way, v. 9ff: “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will boy, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I thought we were sons. Yes, but don’t mix your metaphors. We’re also branches, we’re a bride. The dominant component in the NT is slave talk.

Close with Luke 17:7ff:

7 “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come immediately and sit down to eat’? 8 “But will he not say to him, `Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? 10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.‘”

In prayer: We have been enslaved but our captor is a despot of mercy who makes us slaves, then sons, then heirs. Sweet master, sweet slavery. Teach us to observe all things that you have commanded us. To your glory we ask these things, Amen.

• Pyromaniacs
• The Spurgeon Archive
• The Hall of Church History

The organist provided a prelude to our post-lunch general session with “Grace Greater Than Our Sin,” “Be Thou My Vision,” and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” After a call to worship from Psalm 40:3, we were led by Bill Brandenstein in singing “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” and “How Firm a Foundation.” Then Andy Snider, a professor at Grace Church, and his wife Pam & daughter Emily sang a song, “Jesus Draw Me Nearer.”

Rick Holland then introduced Phil Johnson to the audience, emphasizing that while Phil is definitely a bulldog apologist, he is also known in Grace Church as tremendously pastoral, overseeing the large Grace Life fellowship in the church.

Phil Johnson opened his message explaining his desire to address the four key tenets of the postmodern “missional” evangelical landscape: culture, contextualization, conversation and charitableness. Opening to Acts 17 as a key text, Phil explained that Paul sets a completely opposite example from the postmoderns of our day who think the way to reach people, to be “missional,” is to be as much like people as possible. They think that the best way to reach the lost is to be just like them. This has become the prevalent way of thinking among evangelicals today, which is a bad thing. The complete opposite is shown to us by Paul’s example from Acts 17. Here is how:

Culture: When Paul arrived in Athens, and saw their false religions, he was so upset he couldn’t contain it. he was obviously well educated and knew the history of greek mythology an dth relgiion of athens. he’d memorized passages from literature. but this was first time personally in athens, and to witness the omnipresent idolatry for himself. Everythwere he looked he saw the signs of it. Completely unspiritual religion with no reference to the true God. It grieved Paul deeply. So he began confronting it by proclaiming Christ.

Paul did not have tea & quiet conversation. He stood somewhere people couldn’t possibly miss him. Then he interacted with hecklers & genuine inquirers alike. Luke uses ‘dialogomai’ to convey the sense of a debate, a verbal disputation. It can also refer to a sermon or polemical argument. In the KJV, it says he “disputed.” Not pugnacious, but he proclaimed Christ, then responded to their false beliefs. Paul deliberately counter-cultural. He didn’t say, “The resurrection is foolish to them, so I’ll low-key it.” He studied the culture and preached the very truths they were prone to reject.

Note v 18, he wasn’t getting any praise from the local intellectual elites. The Stoics were secular determinists. They believed everything is foreordained by random chance, so they thought nothing really matters. Epicureans were at the other end, trying to avoid pain and indulge in pleasure. There was yet another system, Cynicism, who are not spoken of here. Remember, Paul was grieved by athenian culture. He was not embracing any elements of that culture. His message offended all the major philosophies of that culture. He stood in opposition to all of them. It was obvious because of what he preached: Jesus and the resurrection. We know this because they called him a “seed-picker” (babbler). He was clearly out of step with every major system of human thinking at the time (“a proclaimer of foreign gods.”) But he was still articulate enough to catch their attention; and what’s more, he was a novelty, which they loved (v. 19).

Athens was the place to surf the ancient web, and Paul was like the latest viral YouTube video. They brought him to the Areopagus, and wanted to hear what he had to say.

This brings us to Paul’s sermon (v. 22ff):

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, `TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

V. 23 is where people say Paul was being relevant and not being antagonistic to their culture. But remember, in context, that was the very part of Athenian culture that grieved Paul — their ignorant worship. That was the main lie he wanted to answer with the truth! They had the trappings of religion, but their ancient religion were nothing but superstition. And all of it had morphed into a simple love of human wisdom (1 Cor 1:22). Philosophy was the only god they served. All of them either were atheistic or deified pleasure, materialism, or nature. Their quasi-spirituality was not spiritual at all. They didn’t believe in a personal God. They were all practical atheists — a mirror of our society today. Their worldly wisdom was not vastly different from what supposedly enlightened people believe today. Paul is clearly being sarcastic here! You had lots of superstitions, traditions; but all entirely devoid of any kind of true faith! The had the same significance as the massive empty cathedrals in your Europe today. They didn’t believe in real deities. They had Olympian gods, ethereal gods, the titans, the nymphs, hundreds of lesser gods. And no educated person really believed any of those gods were real. So when they ran out of things to deify someone decided to put something up so as to avoid overlooking any missed deity.

When Paul saw that altar, he seized on it. It was not an affirmation, but a condemnation of their culture! He was honing in on what was most odious in their culture. The irony was rich because they worshiped human wisdom and knowledge. Paul more or less rubbed salt into their ignorance of the one thing that matters most! It was like someone going amongst a bunch of postmodern college professors and telling them the Bible is true! That’s what this was like! Paul is not using culture as a pragmatic evangelistic tool in order to get into their inner circle; he stands in their midst as an alien to their culture and proclaimed the truth about God to them, in his words.

Conversation. Notice Paul is not sponsoring a colloquium, he’s simply proclaiming the truth! He doesn’t say, “Let’s talk about this, you tell me about your approach, your ideas & philosophies; maybe we can learn from one another.” He hones in on the heart of what he wants them to know!

24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

This is a simple declaration of truth, not an exchange of ideas. He starts with theology proper, the starting place of all Biblical truth. Even though our society wants to weasel around it, and Christians today willing to accomodate, Paul doesn’t. He affirms the authority and spirituality of God, and the sufficiency, sovereignty, transcendence, immanence of God; and His power as the giver and sustainer of life. And all of it was flatly contradictory to what these philosophers believed. No give and take of opinions. He doesn’t assume a false humility, a truth-seeker looking for companions. He declares the truth with authority and conviction. He wasn’t arrogant because he was declaring infallible truth that God had revealed. It would be arrogant for him to pretend he didn’t know for sure. He used an appropriate method: a sermon, not a conversation.

Contextualization. Paul didn’t use that tactic either. There is an obvious need to speak a language people can understand. Paul didn’t use Hebrew, he used Greek. But what he did not do was adapt his message to the basic values and beliefs of that culture. That’s what it means when we say he shunned the tactic of contextualization:

28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, `For we also are His children.’

He’s quoting Greek poets who were several hundred years passed in Paul’s time. He was quoting from their ancient literature to express his own worldview, to show that these truths were available to them also in their own ancient writings. He was using it to confront the worldview of that generation. He’s demolishing their worldview, the ideas they held in error. Amid countless temples and superstitions, amidst quasi-spiritualists and materialists, they all denied the existence of after-life or a human soul; much like our secularized culture today.

29 “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Paul could hardly have said anything more counter-cultural or less “contextualized” for these philosophers. Let me point out at least 6 points that would’ve been deeply offensive to his listeners:

• vv. 24-25: Paul was summarily dismissing all the fundamentals of Greek-style religion and preached authoritative truth from God himself, and stressed God was not just a character in their bucket of gods.
• v. 26: Paul was attacking the common assumption of the Athenian race that the Greek race was superior to every other strand of humanity
• v. 27: Paul emphasizes the immanence of God, which was ludicrous to them
• v. 26: Paul emphasized the sovereignty of God which offended their theology of chance
• He ridiculed their idols (stones, etc.), and called it ignorance!

It looks like Paul was trying to provoke them! And in a true sense, he was. And his call to repentance was no less offensive than it would be today in the U.N. General Council. Every sentence he had said something that would be offensive to those philosophers.

Paul did not employ culture, conversation or contextualization as the primary tools for evangelization.

Charitableness. This is not the biblical version of charity (e.g., 1 Cor 13, “it rejoices in the truth.). This is the postmodern notion of broad-minded altruism where you refuse to take any dogmatic position on anything. You never write off someone else’s beliefs, always looking for ‘common ground,’ full of good will toward the other person’s worldview. “Nothing we believe is any more than a personal opinion.” That approach often uses appeasement rather than confrontation. Did Paul do that here? No. He simply proclaimed the message God gave him to preach (1 Cor 2:4). Once again, he headed for the one truth that would seem like foolishness to these guys: the resurrection. To a bunch of materialists, that was unthinkable. When he got that point, it ended the sermon.

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Three reactions:

1. Some mocked. You’d expect this, from Greeks seeking after wisdom (1 Cor 1:22-23). Most of these folks simply turned away. But it doesn’t mean Paul failed! His only task as an ambassador of Christ is to deliver the message clearly and accurately. If they had picked up stones to kill him as in Lystra, God would have still judged Paul as faithful.
2. Others had an open door for future preaching.
3. A handful of people chose to follow! This was a moment of conversion. They believed and became disciples.

Real ministry isn’t shaken by rejection, isn’t changed to suit the prefs of the audience. It has one theme: Christ and his death and resurrection. One strategy: to proclaim the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection. And it confronts every worldview, false religion, superstition belief, skeptical opinion; rising above all of them speaking with authority because it is the truth of God.

So treat yourself to the fruit of the official (professional) photography here: http://www.lukasvandyke.com/photos/shepherds2008/

He began by noting that many churches in America are dying. The American church is not in a healthy state. Why is that, and what can we do?

First churches are dying for a lack of preachers. Men who are dedicated to preaching the Word of God. We have too many dabblers in ministry. They’re not committed to the Word, to preaching the Scriptures. They’re mercenaries and professionals, and they end up killing the churches.

Churches are dying for lack of preaching. That’s been the focus of this conference, both in example & exhortation. That’s not done around the land, around the world. Churches have confused what preaching is about. In Acts 6, we see they devote themselves to the Scriptures & prayer. But we fail to see, as in 5:42, they’re daily not ceasing to preach & teach Jesus as the Christ. Somehow we’ve used the “attractive model” for preaching: we see the pulpit as the only means to preach the Word. This is wrong. All the energy we spend is only directed to the pulpit, which is not the only calling we have. We are to preach the Word outside the pulpit as well. We need to be preaching in the apostolic way: in the temple and also house to house. We need to unleash men to preach the Word outside the halls & pulpits. We are not devoting ourselves to preaching the gospel to the lost. Many of us never go soul-winning, never confront sinners. We spend all our time just working on one or two sermons a week. We need to prepare sermons, but apostolic preaching is also to get outside & do evangelism and visitation.

Also, churches are dying for lack of purposeful preaching. We tend to confuse expository preaching as an end. Preaching is not an end, its a means to an end. It is but one of the ministries God has given us for the salvation, sanctification & building up of God’s people. Examples of confused expositors:

1. “Longer sermon”: We think the longer the sermon, the better. You have to be awfully good to preach for over an hour!
2. “Dump truck sermon”: you spend all week on all the exegetical niceties, and pack it up and Sunday morning back it up and dump it on all the people.  “I love filet mignon; I don’t want the whole cow on the table!”
3. “Sausage sermon”: serve it in links & pieces. All you do is explain a verse, then hit the end and say, “let’s continue next week.” A sermon should have its own beginning, climax and finish.
4. “Deep sermon”: you go so deep no one can follow. You have to be understood!
5. “Nowhere sermon”: we get in the text, and go and go, going nowhere! No purpose, no proposition. You have to preach the point of the text with a specific purpose for it!
6. “Boring sermon”: Don’t put people to sleep.

Delivery matters. Put some zeal into your communication. Passion is the life of your sermon; without passion you have a lecture, you have a moral address. People come to be excited about the things of God.  Spurgeon said, “A dull preacher is a contradiction of terms.” There has to be a zeal in you for the Word of God, for the things of God.

How can we be more passionate?

First, we need to preach with spiritual power and purity. Passion originates in the heart of God. “Enthusiastic” = “en theos” = “God in you!” It’s the man who is desperate for God’s help in preaching. “Without you, God, I cannot preach without your power!” The apostles waited in Jerusalem until they were empowered to be his witnesses. We need to preach with clean hands and heart, e.g., “lifting up holy hands without wrath or dissension.” Make sure you’re spending time with God! Be worshipers of God. Baxter says, “Be careful that your graces are kept in vigorous and lively exercise, and that you preach to yourselves the sermons which you study before you preach them to others.” Worship with the saints! Sing, partake, fellowship, don’t just sermonize. M’Cheyne noted, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”

Second, we need to preach with great conviction. That this is the Word of God, and then to preach it! Let the Word come into your life; not just preaching as an exercise. Preach something that keeps you awake on Sat. night! To preach the Word is not to preach every letter; but to study each truth that is there. You preach it to yourself and then take it to the pulpit and then preach it. Do not preach “I think”: who cares what you think? Also, are your people looking at the text, with open Bibles? Don’t just preach because you have to, or because you’re paid to.

Third, we need to preach with compassion. It’s a soul pleading with other souls. It’s the burden for others which creates compassion. Lloyd-Jones said, “To love to preach is one thing. To love those to whom we preach quite another.” If you love your people, as a pastor, you cannot preach a bad sermon! All preaching is to help people. We’re to make God’s people more Christlike (Col. 1:28) by teaching, admonishing, caring, loving. Have a passion for lost people, please.  John MacArthur said, “Have your people in your heart and you will be in theirs.”  How do we gain compassion?  Look at your own heart.  And live among the people.  Spend time with them, weep with them, rejoice with them.

Fourth, we need to preach with authority.  The same was Jesus preached with authority.  Don’t just give suggestions, say, “thus saith the Lord.”  This is why visitation & house-to-house matters.  “If you don’t come to listen to me, I’ll come to your home & preach to you!”  You’re an ambassador for God to your people!

Fifth, we need to preach with urgency.  Preaching is sanctified madness.  These are not simply Bible studies.  A sermon needs to be urgent.  We’re not dialoguing with people, we’re dealing with souls in need of God’s power!  Richard Baxter: “I preach as a dying man to dying men.”  If your folks are sleeping through your sermon, it should bother you!   Lives are at stake.

As Charles Spurgeon wrote:

How shall we describe the doom of an unfaithful minister?  And every unearnest minister is unfaithful.  I would infinitely prefer to be consigned to Tophet as a murderer of men’s bodies than as a destroyer of men’s souls; neither do I know of any condition in which a man can perish so fatally, so infinitely, as in that of the man who preaches a gospel which he does not believe, and assumes the office of pastor over a people whose good he does not intensely desire.  Let us pray to be found faithful always, and ever.  God grant that the Holy Spirit may make and keep us so.

This morning is the last day of the conference, and it feels like all I can take. Not only because I’ve been blogging like crazy, but also because we’ve just been so blessed with the Word and worship, that I want to take some time to reflect; but there’s scarcely a moment I’ve had to do so. As soon as I head back to the hotel, catch up with e-mail and chat with my wife… I’m ready to hit the sack.

However, there’s no question this conference has been a blessing. Waiting outside the doors this morning, we chatted up with a young man from the Modesto, CA area. Not only is this his first conference, he’s also a new believer; and according to him this was the best experience of His life. It’s so great to hear that kind of enthusiasm and love for God’s Word. May God bless him and all the others who are here at this conference, to be reminded by example and exhortation of the importance of God’s Word and bring that back to all their local churches.

The I-5 nearby was shut down, so the initial session was delayed by 30 minutes to allow time for more conferees to arrive. As Bill Brandenstein put it, “Welcome to Southern California!” This allowed folks a bit of a breather to enjoy fellowship, and for me to clean up some of the previous posts from this conference.  A couple of pews worth of men toward the front, about 10 men, gave their best shot at starting a musical “wave,” loudly and boldly singing together a number of great hymns and hoping to get the rest of the room hooked. It didn’t happen so much…. Folks enjoyed the downtime, I suspect; and were already anticipating some great singing with the whole room in just a few minutes. But we did enjoy hearing them; lots of folks wondering whether there was a soundtrack playing in the worship center in the background. Here’s a photo of this enthusiastic group (standing and seated to the left of the photo):

As things were about to finally commence at 9:30am, a band including a bass guitarist, pianist, electric guitarist and synth keyboardist played a instrumental prelude of “Be Unto Your Name.”

Bill Brandenstein then called us to worship from Scripture, as we as a congregation stood to sing a medley of praise to God with the song team, including “Holy Is the Lord God Almighty,” “See, What a Morning,” and “How Deep the Father’s Love.”

As has been the case throughout this conference, the corporate singing was powerful!. We were then ministered to in praise by a soloist singing a song titled, “Creation Song” along with the other singers on stage.

John MacArthur then introduced Steve Lawson as an “alien” preacher preaching an “alien” message, and joked that there are a few other things about Steve that are “alien.” Steve is willing to preach a message that is alien to the desires of the unregenerate, and John reminded us that we talk to people to whom God gives ear to hear. Apart from God’s intervention, we’re talking to the blind and the deaf. But once God opens the heart, that message becomes the most cherished of all. Steve has for years preached faithfully the Word of God without hesitation. Steve has begun a five-volume set which John suggests will define his life, “A Long Line of Godly Men,” tracing the doctrines of grace throughout Biblical through modern history.

[Personal note: this was, for me, the most powerfully preached message of the conference thus far. As thorough as the below notes/transcript is, it fails to convey the power of the actual preaching of it.]

(The remainder of this comes from the speaker’s perspective)

Thank you, John, for those alien remarks (laughter). It is such a joy to be here if I was thinking on the front row if I could just preach just one sermon to one group of men it would be to you men this morning. And to be able to stand in this pulpit, which to me is the most dignified & sacred pulpit in the world, is quite a humbling experience. There is a cloud of witnesses who have surrounded me and influenced me; John has been the Moses of that cloud. I thank the Lord for how he has used John not only to shape what I believe, but the character of my life. And I’m thankful for what this pulpit has stood for the last 40 years. So in our lifetime that we will ever experience with a more distinguished expository pulpit than this one.

Open to Hebrews 4:12-13, I want to bring a message titled, “The Preacher’s Invincible Weapon.” May God open the echoes within our own heart and soul as we consider the weapon God has placed in our hands as we minister His Word.

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Somewhat hidden below street level in Geneva, there is a monument that pays lasting tribute to the dramatic change in world history that occurred there 500 years ago. It’s known as the “reformation wall,” Over 30ft long and 300 ft long, the wall visually portrays the four key figures, leading influencers of the Reformation in Geneva. They stand together as one because of their singular commitment to the word of God. First is William Farel, then Theodore Beza and John Knox on the right. But in the center is the great expositor, the chief influencer himself, he whose ministry was the heartbeat of this movement: John Calvin. Calvin stands dominantly slightly taller, leaning forward, poised, erect, ready. Both hands are on the Bible, in the Bible. One hand is the Old Testament, the other in the New. And he’s ready to turn to the appointed text, to preach the whole counsel of God. Where are men like this today, whose hands are in the book, ready to open it and bring it to their generation. It was the Bible which marked Calvin’s stay in Geneva. He had no weapon but the Bible. From the first, his emphasis was on Biblical preaching and Biblical teaching. He taught from it nearly every day. Geneva was transformed, Reformation ignited, Western civ altered. The Bible is an invincible weapon in the hands of God’s servant. When ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit, it brings life-changing and history-altering effects. This passage is what we read in Heb. 4:12-13. It’s the supernatural weapon put into our hands. The author of Hebrews gives us one of the most dramatic & graphic pictures of the power of the Word of God that is found anywhere in Scripture. Here he likens the Word of God to a sword, a sharp-two-edged sword. One that is living, active, that cuts, pierces, divides, exposes, judges, saves. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon. We must not sheath it, we must wield it, we must use it.

I want to give 7 distinguishing marks of the sword of the Lord that has been put in our hand, this superior, supernatural weapon.

First, it is the divine Word (v. 12): “For the word of God”. The word that we preach is of God. This is God’s book, God’s message that we bring. We say rightly that there is dual authorship of Scripture, but there is only one primary Author. There are over 40+ secondary authors, the human instruments God used to record it. But standing behind them, there is only one primary Author, God Himself. Hundreds of time in the OT, it says “Thus says the Lord.” That’s what the word of God is. When the prophets wrote the Scriptures, they were claiming to be dispatched messengers of the Lord, bringing the Word to those who would hear them.

Six times David in Psalm 19 refers to the written word as “the law, the testimony, the precepts, the commandment, the judgment, the fear of the Lord.” Each claims that it’s the word of God. Jesus asserted the divine authorship of the word we ministry. Matthew 4, “Man shall live… by every word that proceeeds out of the mouth of God.” Paul in 1 Th 2:13, “… you accepted it not as the word of men, but what it really is the word of God.” Romans 3:2 – “the oracles of God.” Mark 7:8, ‘the commandment of God”, Revelation “the oracle of God.” It speaks to the divine authority of this book.

This first truth begs me to say because the Bible is the word of God and not merely a collection of the wisdom of the world, it requires things of us who pick up this sword. it requires humility. Our ministry must be under the authority of Scripture. We have nothing to say apart from the word of God. We say, speak, warn, promise of what Scripture warns. We go no further. Not only sola Scriptura, but tota Scriptura: all of Scripture is proclaimed.

It also speaks to the dignity that is required of us, because it’s the divine Word. We’ve been commissioned by the High King of heaven to minister His word, and we must do so in a manner befitting of the one who has issued the word, and we must stand in congruence with the one who has given us His word. We are not free to be court jesters; there is a dignity that is required. It also requires an authority when we speak. We are to speak the truth in love, but nevertheless as we speak, we are to do so in an imperative manner. “Let no one disregard you” (2 Tim). This is because we minister the divine word. May God raise up a generation of men who will minister the divine word. How greatly this is needed.

Second, it is the living Word (v 12): “the word of God is living.” It is not merely a natural book, but a supernatural book. this book alone has the life of God in it. this word “living” is in the emphatic position of v.12. It’s the finger of God pointing at the word “living.” Literally, “Living, for the word of God is.” All other ancient books are dead manuscripts, but this book is alive. This book pleads me, it has power to save, has power to sanctify. This book is after us. Moses said, “Take to your heart all the words I am warning for it is not an idle word. Indeed, it is your life.” It’s not an idle word, it’s a living word! It has life, and it imparts life. Jesus said in John 6:63, The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life!” Acts 7:38, Stephen referred to “living oracles.” 1 Pe 1:23, “For you have been born again not of seed that is perishable but imperishable that is through the living and enduring word of God.” Spurgeon said this book was alive! I’ve read other books, this is the only book that has ever read me! No book is more relevant, up to date, fresh contemporary than this book. Some pastors are wanting to have a contemporary service. Great: be an expositor of the Word of God! If you preach trends and current events, you are old news before the words come out of your mouth. But when you preach this book, you’re more up-to-date than tomorrow’s newspaper.

I was in England not long ago and mentioned that on Wednesdays I am preaching through Ezekiel. A man came up afterwards and said, “How are you going to make Ezekiel relevant?” I waited 20 years for that question! (laughter) “I do not have to make the Bible relevant, it is relevant. My responsibility is to explain its relevance to those who are there.” I often enter into the pulpit empty or tired, but this book never is! It’s alive. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon.

Third, it is the powerful Word (v. 12): It is active and therefore dynamic, “the word of God is living and active.” It’s a Greek word energeis from which we get energy. This book is energetic, dynamic, powerful. It’s not only that it has life, but has all the essentials of life and the power of God to convict, convert, conform, console. This book is active and energizing in its effect. Full of life-changing power. It’s unceasingly active and relentlessly effective. It’s fully able to carry out all of God’s saving purposes as it’s accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 55:10 says as much. It is a triumphant word that will carry out and fulfill all of God’s sovereign purposes. It’s undefeatable book. It has power to save, does it not (1 Pe 1:23). It has power to sanctify (John 17:17). It has power to satisfy (Psalm 119:103). It has power to strengthen (Joshua 1:8). It has power to steer (Psalm 119:105). It has power to sustain (Matthew 4:4). If you want a dynamic ministry in which the power of God is unleashed in your efforts, in which God will carry out His sovereign purposes here on earth, then pull forth the sharp two-edged sword that is active.

Fourth, it is the razor-sharp Word. No instrument is sharp as this sacred tool. “… and sharper than any two-edged sword.” It’s sharper than the sharpest instrument in this world. No surgeon’s scalpel can compare with the razor-like edge of this sword. That it’s two-edged means it’s all edge. Every way this book cuts, it cuts with razor-like precision. there are no dull verses in the Bible. Every book, chapter, verse, word, jot and tittle is razor sharp. The word for sword is the chief offensive weapon of the Roman soldier, small sword in close hand-to-hand combat; used with razor-like precision. Any passage of this book ministered rightly cuts deeply into the soul of man. Eph. 6:17 calls it the sword of the Spirit. As a two-edged sword, it cuts both ways. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. It both convicts and converts; saves and damns; softens and hardens; justifies and judges; it’s law & grace; exposes sin by conviction and covers up sin by forgiveness. In Acts 2, Peter wielded this sword. He quotes Joel 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 132, Psalm 16 again, Psalm 110. With each of these citations, Peter thrusts the sharp sword into the conscience & soul of those who were listening. The result? They were “pierce to the heart,” as being stabbed with a knife. Then 3 chapters later in Acts 5, Peter and John standing before the Sanhedrin, Peter preached the Lord Jesus Christ, even after being told to stop. In v. 33 the Sanhedrin “were cut to the quick.” It cuts both ways. You can be both the most loved man in town and the most hated at the same time. You can walk into a room and either duck or pucker (laughter).

Fifth, it is the piercing Word. Because it’s so razor-sharp, it pierces and penetrates into the depths of the inner man. In v. 12, we see “piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit.” It penetrates the outward facade of the hearer and plunges deeply into the heart. The Word of God gets through to us, to the very depths of our being; it penetrates all the way down to the hidden recesses of the heart. When he speaks of soul and spirit, he’s referring to one’s innermost heart. If you do not preach the Bible, you will have a very superficial ministry. All you’ll be able to do is massage egos and tickle ears. But when you minister the Word rightly, it cuts, it penetrates, it pierces. So often people set up barriers against God and remain aloof from the truth. There’s a “do not disturb” sign around their neck. They try to cover themselves with a thin veneer of religion, fig leaves of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. But the Word penetrates the outer facade and cuts down all the way in: not to harm but to heal. The phrase is a figurative way of saying “to the very core of your being, to the very innermost being of who & what you are on the inside.” It’s only the Word of God that can get down to the bottom of one’s life. It alone can discriminate the division of soul & spirit. He then adds “joints and marrow” referring figuratively to the inner parts of the body as a picture of the soul. This parallels “soul & spirit.” It’s saying when this book is ministered in your hand, it cuts into the depth of a person and exposes secret thoughts, unveils base motives, reveals inner attitudes, and it is only the Word of God that can do this: performing open heart surgery, brain surgery. No mere flesh wounds or surface cuts; but comes with penetrating precision to the depths of joint & marrow. This is the preacher’s invincible weapon.

Sixth, it is the judging Word. At the end of v. 12 and into v. 13, once the heart is pierced, once the soul is laid bare; then it begins to judge. What is exposed within a man? The context here is addressing many religious Hebrews with a non-saving faith. They are under the Word, and in the midst of the fellowship of believers. But many have not come all the way to Christ. Their hearts are uncircumcised. The hardest person to reach with the gospel is someone who is religious and lost. The only way they can be saved is for God’s Word to pierece to their soul and administer judgment. And them to sense their own condemnation before a holy God. No one can be saved until they know they’re lost; and that’s the ministry of the Word of God, to show them their lostness and drive them to Jesus and His saving arms. Only the Word of God that can reveal to a blind person and expose them for who they truly are before their own eyes, and to see they’re lost and in need of a Savior. This is the ministry of the Word of God. It’s in this context, we read that once the Word penetrates, then it is able to judge. It is fully sufficient and entirely capable to judge (kritikos). It’s fully capable of rendering God’s judgment to the heart; you’ve been found weighed in the balances and found wanting, under His wrath; but there is a Savior who can save you. But it must first bring about the sentence of condemnation; the word of God is to sit in judgment as a “critic.”

Liberal critics want to sit in judgment on the Bible. But the Bible is not on trial — we are. It’s the Word of God that is able to judge… notice “the thoughts & intentions of the heart.” It judges and exposes and renders God’s verdict on the secret thoughts, inner desires, personal ambitions, the driving motives. It gets behind, deeper than just outward actions. It alone is able to judge the heart, thoughts and intentions that stand behind our evil actions.

V. 13: “and there is no creature hidden from his sight.” The word “and” shows it’s a a continuation. It’s saying it’s the Word of God that uncovers everything and the secret thoughts of the unbelievers. It’s the Word of God that opens us up and allows us to see what God sees when He looks into the inner person. That’s what v. 13 is saying. “All things”: every attitude, motive, action… “are open” out in the open exposed, made visible. The word “open” comes from the root word where we get “gymnasium,” where the athlete goes to work out. He would strip down so there would be no hindrance from his clothing. Same word used here. It tells us the Word strips the conscience and exposes the inner heart. We stand naked and uncovered before a holy God with no place to hide behind. We stand stark naked before God because the ministry of the Word of God because the ministry of God’s Word has made us open and transparent before God. And we realize how God sees us, that we are sinners an fallen short. Then he says, “and laid bare.” Once the word of God strips us down, we are then “laid bare,” from which we derive “trachea.” It refers to the neck. Laid bare, conveys the idea of seizing by the neck, to expose a victim’s neck for killing. To pull back whatever would be covering the neck; in opening the neck of a sacrifice; or a wrestling opponent held back to the point of choking the neck. The Word of God is able to bring a man under a deep conviction of sin because their heart is exposed before God. How many times has someone come up to me after a service in a quiet tone, “You’ve been talking to my wife, haven’t you?” What has happened is the sharp two-edged sword has laid him bare and for the first time in his life he begins to see himself as God sees him.

Notice end of v. 13 “… to whom we must give an account.” The Word of God heightens our sense of accountability before a holy God; to the One who is speaking to me in and through His Word. This is the effect when the Word is ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. The sinner will be stripped naked, completely exposed and see himself as God sees him. No longer hiding under rags of self-righteousness, but his head will be pushed up and neck laid bare. And the sharp sword is pressed to the neck, and the throat slit, heart pierced, conscience smitten. The sinner is naked before a holy God is hopeless, helpless, exposed & ready to give account to God; and ready to agree that he stands before the holy throne of God.

Only the word of God can convince sinners that they are sinners; only it can bring them to the end of themselves, stripping off self-righteousness and leave them naked before almighty God and under a sense of guilt before Him who has sent the Holy Spirit into the world to convince men of sin & self-righteousness and judgment.

Finally, it is the saving Word. We need to see this final word. It doesn’t just judge, it judges for a higher purpose: to bring sinners to Christ that they might receive His forgiveness and mercy. Notice the “for” at beginning of v. 12, which connects this verse with what immediately preceded. And what precedes? One of the great evangelistic pleas of the Word of God, to hesitant Hebrews. In chapter 3, he is pleading with those who are still unwilling to fully commit themselves to Christ. Look at v. 7: “therefore just as the Holy Spirit says” and quotes Psalm 95:7. Even in this 1st century he was speaking through His Word to compel them to come all the way to God through faith. How it provokes God for men to hear the gospel and halt between two opinions and not come all the way to Christ. In 3:15, 4:2, “the word they heard didn’t profit them… it was not united by faith.” It’s not enough to be a hearer, but you must respond by faith and be a doer of the Word and to come all the way to Christ. It’s God pleading sinners to come to the grace of God in the Lord Jesus. In v. 4:7, let us be diligent to enter that rest; not by our own religious routines, efforts, traditions. Let us be diligent to enter into the rest of the Lord Jesus Christ… and the next verse “for the Word of God is active.” That is why you must hear his voice, why you must respond in faith, why you must repent of your sins, why you must humble yourself and surrender your life to him today. This is the saving word. That is why it’s our greatest joy to say, “Come let us reason together…” We stand before sinners and say, “Ho everyone who thirsts, come to the water…” We stand before sinners and say, “Enter by the narrow gate… few are those that find it.” And “Truly, truly he who hears my words.. is like the wise man who built his house upon a rock…. he who hears and doesn’t act upon [my words] is like a man who built his house on the sand… great was its fall.” We preach this saving Word: “if any man thirsts, let him come and drink and out of his inner being shall come rivers of living water.” “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” When that seed is poured on soul prepared by God, God causes it to germinate and bear fruit.

This word cuts in judgment but also salvation; and brings sinners into the glorious state of no condemnation before God. You must be a man of one book. O preacher man, unsheath the sword. No battle was ever won when the sword was not pulled out. Take this book: open it,read it, study it, preach it, proclaim it. Put down all other blades, they are all dull & blunt. Too many preachers have taken up battle with a butter knife & plastic utensils. Pick up the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God! Wield the sword confidently; no armor is thick enough to repel its thrusts. No heart too hard to resist it when accompanied by the power of God. Take up the sword it, wield it, let it do its work. Be a minister of death unto death and life unto life; for we have nothing to say apart from the Word of God.

It’s been a longer day, so to speak, today, with 2 general sessions in the morning in addition to two full seminar sessions. And tonight looks to be no less intense, with the respected Al Mohler bringing the keynote. This is my first time hearing him in person, and I’m looking forward to his insights (from Scripture); I always appreciate his exhortations for Christians to be in the world, yet not of it.

My goal, by the way, in including notes on the music is to help provide the sense that conferees have expressed over and over; that the glory of these sessions isn’t just from the excellent preaching, but the musical offerings and corporate praise as well.

The session began with an organ prelude of “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.” It’s interesting that the organ doesn’t sound so nearly as antiquated when played by a gifted organist. Clayton Erb then called us to worship with an exhortation to sing to the Lord. We opened with “Come Thou, Almighty King.” We were then blessed with a musical offering from The Master’s Chorale, singing the gospel spiritual, “I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind Stayed on Jesus.”

They then sang, a cappella, another beautiful meditation, “You are the light we seek,” highlighting the centrality of God as the one we adore, seek, glorify, sing to, pray to, and honor. Wow, how lovely was that. Can I just say, I love a cappella ensemble music? =-)

This was followed by yet another piece, with piano accompaniment, the hymn “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” whose lyrics, as sung, were:

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

This was done with a subtle, light piano between verses, but a cappella for the actual verses. Beautifully sung, almost a lullaby. It really conveyed the peace that comes with having the King of love as our tender shepherd. It didn’t hurt that the song is set to the same beautiful tune (St. Columba) as my favorite hymn, “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place.” I’ll definitely have to add this one to our church’s repertoire.

John MacArthur stepped up to the podium, greeted the choir, and then offered praise for the beauty of the music, and led us in the reading of God’s Word in Revelation 1:9-20 before leading us in corporate prayer.

The Master’s Chorale then sang a song in Swahili. Josh Maseko, a student studying biology at TMC and yearning to be a doctor so he could go back to his home of Uganda in Africa to plant hospitals, gave some context on his country’s situation. He came to the U.S. which is unusual for a Ugandan boy, and even more unusual going to the Master’s College. He’s learned the wonders of God’s grace esp. since coming to TMC, and seeing so many at the conference who love the Lord excites His heart. It’s very exciting to see that we see a very big God. The chorale then commenced to sing “All Creatures of Our God and King” in Swahili, with an African responsive chant style.

Clayton Erb then took to the pulpit and thanked the chorale for their music, and Dr. Plew, the director, for the beautiful music; and then invited us to sing together “All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” based on Psalm 100.

John MacArthur then came up and expressed his joy at his privilege at serving as president of The Master’s College (among whose students he’s known as “Johnny Mac”), and the chance to influence the students there for the cause of the kingdom and the cause of the gospel. He then introduced Al Mohler, who has ministered at this conference and to Grace Church over the years. Mohler’s story is amazing, and per MacArthur has lived a full and influential and impactful life. At age 32, he became president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He encouraged conferees to tune into Al Mohler’s radio program, and to read his blog; you’ll have someone who articulates the issues we face today better than anyone he knows. Mohler’s finishing a book, He Is Not Silent, which is a theology of preaching. He’s finished the book, except for one chapter, which will be done after tonight — which will be the first chapter of that book.

(The remainder is from the speaker’s perspective)

What an honor to be here with you, with Dr. MacArthur. Listening to that marvelous chorale, and I thought how many have heard what has been preached from this pulpit (which disappears at times!). But there is no time when Dr. MacArthur’s voice is not heard somewhere around the world. We are drawn here because of the ministry of John and GCC and all that is represented here. Some of you have said you make it through the year to get here once again. I know as I look out at you, I see a lot of preachers who find tremendous encouragement from being here, in the company of so many other preachers. This is one of the few places where you don’t have to explain what you do for a living, or defend preaching, or when faces light up when they learn you’re a preacher (laughter).

We are living in strange times. One of the hallmarks of our time is a crisis in preaching, something we have to admit (unless we want to exercise mass delusion). How likely to you believe one is, or you would be, to hear an expository sermon when you go in and sit in an evangelical church? An honest answer says you really don’t have an assured expectation that you’ll hear the exposition of the Word of God. When you visit an evangelical church, what is your real expectation? When you consider your answer to that question, do you believe that as time goes forward that it’s more likely or less so that you’ll hear an expository message?

Look at the literature, resources, websites published in the Christian world. See how little exposition is there displayed. By God’s grace and mercy it’s not true here, or among us. But it’s increasingly true in the church at large. So we have to ask why this is the case. It seems as if there has been the unilateral disarmament of the evangelical church, exposition should be the easiest thing to understand. You have to be clever to mess it up! In Neh. 8, we see the display of what preaching is all about. It’s simple to conceive:

1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. 2 Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand. 5 Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

I didn’t say exposition was an easy thing to do, just an easy thing to understand. Look at v. 8. Just how possible is it to misunderstand verse 8?!!! What is it in those few words we are capable of misunderstanding. It’s simple: read the book and explain it. Here’s the pattern, write it down; there’s nothing hidden here: re-explain, re-explain, re-explain.

Here’s the thing about preaching & exposition: you read the text, and explain it. You go home, come back, and do the same. What don’t we understand? Instructions are really important. I’ve decided instructions aren’t really important, I don’t have the patience to read instructions. I go to Toys R Us and pay them to assemble the bicycle for me. And sometimes the instructions aren’t adequate anyway. One of my students went and bought a crib for their soon to be born baby. He committed to putting it together that night. And he did. But he missed something. He put together the crib only to discover one missing instruction: put it together in the room to be used. But there’s nothing missing from our instruction: you read the book and you explain it.

Now there’s a little bit more to it than that. But think of preaching today. How can it be so pervasively missed? There is one more thing, a calling. Turn to Ezra 7:6: ” This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.” Not just anyone is assigned to do this, to take up this instruction and give the Word. Calling is very important, indispensable. Even Artaxerxes recognized this. We understand the evidence of the call as well. In 7:10 we see “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Calling and study were both very much a part of what made Ezra a preacher.

Then we look at v. 11: ” Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD and His statutes to Israel.” A preacher is one called by God, a man in whom the congregation recognizes the hand of the Lord is upon him, they see his preparation, his study. Then it’s simple: read, explain, repeat.

2 Tim 4:1-2: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” Again I ask you, how clever do yo have to be to misunderstand this? Paul used straightforward words. The English translation uses simple words, no polysyllabic constructions here: “preach the word, in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort with great patience and instruction.” Lather, rinse, repeat. Again and again.

So why is it not happening? Why is the exposition of Scriptures so evacuated, missing, alien from so many of our pulpits & preachers. Mark Twain once commented, “There’s no preacher happier than a writer not writing.” I think I may know one, because there are so many. We add to this problem by discussing expository preaching as the superior mode of preaching. When we add to that pattern, we do injury to it. Because according to the Bible, exposition is preaching. If it isn’t exposition, it isn’t preaching! You may speak, you may talk, but if you do not read the text and preach it, reproving, rebuking, exhorting from the text, you’re not preaching! We have to stop saying, I prefer expository preaching. We should say, “I’m a preacher, this is what I do. I read the text and explain it. Then I go home and study. And then I come back and do the same.” It’s simple, which makes it tragically absent. The problem is not faulty technique, but faulty theology. It’s not that preaching as an art is in eclipse. It’s a deeply theological problem.

I want to center our thoughts on Deut. 4:32-40. I want us to see what is at stake, and a means of recovery, and to feel the urgency of this text as it applies to the exposition of the Word of God.

32 “Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33 “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34 “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 “To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. 36 “Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37 “Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them. And He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. 39 “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40 “So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

The Lord here is speaking through Moses. Moses is a prophet through whom God is speaking to His people, the first person is God speaking through Moses, and then Moses gives a commentary. Deuteronomy is so intensely theological that scholars refer to a deuteronomic theology. It’s the 3rd most quoted book in the NT behind Psalms and Isaiah. Moses is preparing them to enter the promised land, and behind them is all sorts of history. This is the generation that shall enter the land of promises, without Moses. In the great sermons of Deut, the Lord is speaking to His people that they may be prepared for the challenge before them. It is the 2nd giving of the law, because even as Moses as once again speaks the 10 commandments and the law of God; this is the 2nd time for them to be faithful unlike those who died in the wilderness. Now how will they be ready, prepared? The book of Deut is not primarily a military or geographical briefing. It’s about the Word of God. It’s about the gift that God has spoken, and the necessity of hearing when God speaks, and the regularity of hearing when God speaks, and the mandate of doing what God says. After the introductory word of the first 3 chapters, he begins chapter 4, “Now, O Israel, listen.” Deut is a word-centered theology. What Moses says here is hearing His word is not a matter of success, but of survival, of life and death. The entire logic of Deut is hearing & obeying is life, refusing to hear and disobeying is death. Moses wants them to know that life & death hang in the balance of the Word. The Word will constitute who they are because God has called them and He has spoken. I want to submit that the central problem in our crisis in preaching is somehow we believe this has changed. Somehow we must believe that in the wilderness it’s life & death; but something less in our churches. The only diagnosis I can offer that expos. preaching is in decline, is that we lost the belief that the Word of God is a matter of life and death. But it always has been, and always will be, and woe to the preacher that forgets this.

I want you to see that the true & living God is the one who speaks. We didn’t entice God to reveal himself, but out of His love & mercy He speaks to us. The true and living God is the one who speaks. Schaeffer wrote a powerful book, He Is There and He Is Not Silent. Those two phrases express the starting point for Christian theology. I’ve taken the second half of that as the title of my theology of preaching. Why are we preaching? Because He is not silent. What is our confidence in our preaching? Because He still speaks. This is the miracle of revelation, it’s God’s mercy & grace manifested. In Deut 4:10-19, this is clear:

10 “Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, `Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11 “You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12 “Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form–only a voice. 13 “So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it. 15 “So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16 so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19 “And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

Note how he lovingly reminds him that they were at the foot of the mountain.

[At this point, I'm wondering if Al Mohler has a manuscript I could sneak up and photocopy! *grin*]

Notice the language: “you were there at Horeb.” Remember, many of those who are listening weren’t there because they weren’t born. But they were there in their fathers, and because God loved their forefathers, they were there. This is the sense in Christian preaching, this is living Word, and we too were there because by God’s gift of revelation we are there. This Word is for us, because He chose us and we were there. “You heard His voice,” Moses said, “and you saw no form. You did not see a likeness, you heard a voice.” The great danger here is idolatry. We haven’t moved past this ourselves, we’ve just become more sophisticated in our idolatry. That’s the distinction of the OT: the pagans speak to the idols, whereas the true & living God speaks to His people. Elijah would use this when he confronts the pagan priests of Baal in 1 Kings. The priests raved, but there was no voice, no one answered. Think about where we would be if God had not spoken. We’d be in the same place as those pagan priests. We could draw a crowd, but if God had not spoken we are just as damned, dead and lost. Jeremiah 10:5 compares idols to scarecrows in a field. You’ve either got the Word of God or scarecrows in a cucumber field. The scarecrow can’t speak. Paul in 1 Cor 12 tells them when they were pagans they followed mute idols. This has to be a chastening. This is different from Moses in Deut 4. Moses said remember when God spoke. Here Paul is saying the opposite. This again demonstrates to us the gift of revelation.

One of my theological mentors is Carl Henry, who said God forfeits his own personal privacy that His creatures may know Him. God is infinite in perfections, sovereign in majesty. Wow. Wouldn’t you think people who are recipients of that gift would live by it? Nourished by it? Cling to it? Wouldn’t you think that those who were called to preach that word would read the text and explain it.

Again in Deut 4, the gift of revelation, there is a revelation given to all peoples everywhere, as Paul alludes to in Romans 1 of creation. There isn’t a single human being made in God’s image who doesn’t have a conscience that cries out the knowledge of a creator and a moral sensibility that one has violated the law. But Paul also says in Romans 1, the problem is perpetually idolatry. And also that the consequence of the fall who by general revelation is going to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. this is where we are dependent on special revelation. And we know this comes as God speaks.

I fear that there are many evangelicals, pulpits that think that God spoke (past tense only!). But if you think that God’s speaking is all in the past, then resign. If you do not believe that God now speaks, what are you doing? If you haven’t the confidence that God is speaking through because God is speaking through His word, then quit. We are completely dependent on spiritual revelation. Even as God spoke in the past, we have this God-breathed revelation, we have in Scripture God speaking to His people now even as in time past. This is inspired Scripture, the inerrant and infallible Word of God. If you believe anything less, you believe that God speaks haltingly. That His voice is “somewhere,” rather than in every word of Scripture. But Hebrews 1 makes it clear that God has spoken to us in His Son. That’s why we are here as Christian preachers. It is a matter of life & death. We have to ask, “What if God had not spoken? What if He hadn’t called Moses from the burning bush? What if God had not spoken at the mountain, through the Law, through the Prophets, and finally through His Son?” We would lost in a meaningless nihilistic cosmos. If God does not speak, eat drink & be merry for tomorrow we die.

Let’s admit there is no middle ground between these two positions. Let’s have nothing to do with those who are trying to come up with meaningful messages that are not true: if not true, the only meaning is diabolical. But God has spoken and it makes all the difference. Let us see clearly that if God has spoken it is life to those who hear, and death to those who do.

The second point you should see is that God speaks to His people. Have you noticed that hearing is tied directly to election? That God spoke to Israel is indicative of their election: “You’re the people to whom God spoke!” If not physically there, you were the seed. He didn’t speak to everyone, He spoke to you. Not to produce an arrogant, self-confident people; but a humble people who know it’s only by grace and mercy that God chose to speak to Israel and not the rest of the nations. That’s exactly the thrust of vv. 32ff.

32 “Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it?

No, there hasn’t! No, Israel is along among the nations.

33 “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34 “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

How did Israel become captive? Because God intended to redeem them!

God intended to show His mighty arm to them and to the nations. Later on, we’re going to see that when their sons ask them, “What do these things mean?” In Josh 4 he tells his sons that the stones show us that God brought us out that we come in.

The primary focus is v. 33: “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?” How does Israel know that it’s God’s people? How do they know they’ve been chosen, that they are His? It’s because God spoke to them, and they’re alive to talk about it! No other people get to hear God speak through the fire, the omnipotent God, and survive.

This is where Calvin reminds us that it’s a good thing that God lowers His voice when He speaks to us so we’re not annihilated. Remember the sweet, “God spoke to us as a father to His children.” We see in the OT that Israel got to see its privilege, its place in God’s economy & covenants. But it’s also in the New Testament.

In Matthew 13, Jesus says, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” Not so the disciples would be arrogant, or because they were so sharp. How do you know you’re Mine, Jesus asks. Because it has been granted to know! What does he say later? “Blessed are your eyes because they see, blessed are you ears because they hear!” In Deut 4, Moses makes clear that God’s purpose for speaking to His people (v. 35): “To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.” How do you know you’re a believer? It’s all of grace. And how does that happen? Because it’s by grace you heard! It has been granted to you to know, but not them. That’s hard to hear. It’s no different than when God spoke to Israel. It’s not about Israel’s power, their glory, their wisdom, their talents, their potential. God chose this tiny little people who couldn’t even draw a straight line through the wilderness in order to show His glory as the redeeming saving God who is faithful to His promises.

Why did God choose us? Why the grace of revelation to us? Paul says God chose the weak, the foolish things to shame the strong, the wise. It’s all about the grace and mercy of God. We find out who God’s people are because they hear his voice and obey. This shouldn’t lead to arrogance but humility. And it should lead to witness as well. Deut 4:6-8 says “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, `Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? 8 “Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?” It’s not about you, it’s about my glory what I’m going to do through you. When you follow my statutes, the other nations are going to say, “What’s going on there? What nation has a God so gracious as to give them such just laws, that has heard from the one true and living God and survives?”

God’s saving, electing purpose is to create a people by the blood of His Son for His glory, and we in parallel with Israel are identified by the fact that we hear.

Third, see that God’s people hear and survive by hearing His Word. We see this in Deut. 30:11ff:

11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, `Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, `Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

Israel didn’t find the Word. It was given to them. Preacher doesn’t say, “Guess what I found!” The Word is near.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17 “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

For Israel the Word was like manna. Had to have it every day, fresh every day to survive. Every day they lived as God’s people by His Word. This word became health & life & blessing & identity. That’s why if we had time we’d look at Psalm 19, 119:89-112. How do I survive? By the Word of God! Israel cannot survive without the constant presence of God’s Word. And we again see that this is NT as well! Paul in Romans 10 that saving faith comes by hearing, and that by the word of Christ. In 2 Tim. 3:16-17, we have an eloquent testimony that the man of God is equipped for every good work by the Word of God. This is a testimony not only to the excellency of the Word but to its sufficiency. We have to live by the Word as much as Israel. That’s how we know who we are, who God is, who Christ is. Jesus himself testified to the lasting perfect nature of Scripture: “Not a stroke shall pass from the law til all is accomplished.”

How are we going to know who we are, we are His, how we are to live, that crucial life & death issue of obedience? How are we going to grow in grace? Only through the ministry of the Word.

Fourthly, preaching is always a matter of life & death. Therefore preaching had better be the exposition of Scriptures. Not just how are we going to grow our churches, ins pire our people; it’s a question of whether they’re going to live or they’re going to die. I believe it’s the entire logic of Scripture. It is a matter of life and death, blessing and curse. So it is always with Christian preaching. If the Bible is the perfect Word of God, it comes to the question of who’s going to speak: the preacher, or God? But when it’s the Word of God speaking through the preacher, then it is God who speaks, and that’s the difference between life & death. Do we arrogantly think that God’s people can live on our words? Obviously not. Life is only found in the Word of God. We live only because He is there and He is not silent. We have been called to this, and this is what we do. We obey the call, we study it, we get in front of God’s people, then we explain it. We preach, we reprove, rebuke, exhort & patiently teach and do it again until Jesus comes or we die.

Here’s what we hope for. This is what happens when God speaks. Here’s what we yearn for. When people leave a service and they walk out the door until they come back again; and as they walk out saying to one another, “Did we really hear the voice of God speaking through the midst of the fire and survive?”

We are more staff-run, than elder-run. We expect the staff to manage day-to-day operation. When the elders come together, they think long-term. That’s their general mode of operation at Grace Church.

* Rob Iverson is the chairman of the elder board.
* John Bates, elder since 1971.
* Rich Haricek, been at Grace Church since 1979
* Chris Hamilton at church since 1972

Q: If John MacArthur were going to retire tomorrow, what would be the process for finding a replacement look like?

A: Jokingly, Rob Iverson said he would simply take over, as the chair of the board. =-) Our bylaws indicate that 75% of the congregation has to vote for the subsequent pastor. So they’re looking at changing that by-law. We don’t really think about this much. The reality is John will be probably like his dad, who preached til 80+, couldn’t get up the steps to preach. Retirement has never crossed his mind. He’s 68 now, so he takes more time off than he did when younger; which is trend will probably continue. When he dies, we’ll have to deal with it. There are probably no more than a handful of people in the U.S. that we could consider. It’s complicated, we have a seminary, a church, etc. It would be nice if we had one guy to take over both.

Q: How do elders make a decision? Start at top? Start at bottom? What are expectations for elders?

A: We have both pastor-elders and lay-elders. We work very hard to bring men on staff who have established character equal to the job we’re going to give them. We do believe in hiring men and getting out of the way. But there’s accountability between the broader board of elders and the pastor-elders. That comes out of relationship, not just position. It’s all about trust, holding together our leadership team. Are lay-elders organized over ministries? No, but it happens to work that we’re usually paired up with staff guys in ministry. We had a staff retreat a few years ago, and we got a laid out history of the trust between elder board and staff. There’s been an increasing level of trust. A lot can get done when you have a lot of trust get done.

Q: Our church recently moved to an eldership model. What’s the relationship between lay-elders and teaching/vocational-elders?

A: We believe that the elders are equal, but how? In the sense that we all get one vote. All our skills & gifts are different. We use them wherever we find opportunity. But we clearly see John as our primary leader. No point in hiring him as senior pastor and not expecting/demanding vision & leadership from him. In what sense does he attempt to lead & guide? He spends little time in day-to-day operation of the church. He’s generally present one day a week on campus, for staff meetings. So we operate andmake decisions with John not here, and we keep in touch with him, but mostly expect him to provide long-term direction & vision. He scarcely dominates an elder meeting, most of the time says nothing. But in terms of ministry direction and changes, he weighs in with principles and strategy.

A plurality of elders doesn’t mean you don’t have someone in the eldership with a special role. Note that John has never made a motion in an elder meeting that might create tension. He influences in other ways.

Q: Does the elder board have a formal process for risk assessment, esp. in strategic decisions?

A: Generally, we have an annual staff retreat, sometimes elders as well. We talk about SWOT: “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats,” from which comes a strategic plan, and 4-5 key initiatives for the coming year. That becomes a grid by which you measure new decisions.

Q: How do you identify & develop potential new elders?

A: We’re consistently inconsistent. Chris describes that growing up in Grace Church, aspiring to be like one of the other men on the panel, who was an elder. He learned to love the church through that. The answer is, discipleship, discipleship, discipleship. What has built Grace Church is the process of discipleship. Ultimately that’s the role of an elder (cf. Acts 20). It answers how you interact with the pastoral staff, and you pour into their life with their now agenda. He meets with several guys right now who have an aspiration to being a lay elder at Grace Church years down the road. You can pour yourself into pastors, but what keeps the elders/church going is the next generation of (lay) eldership.

Three key principles from John’s book on leadership: availability, loyalty (to Scripture, to fellow elders/staff) and leadership (setting the standard from Scripture that others will follow, setting the vision that others will follow).

Also we operate on the process of unanimous agreement. Been there since day one. We live and die on this; we defer on decisions until we’re in full agreement.

Also a warning, don’t make an elder too quickly. Better not to do it, than suffer from poorly qualified men on leadership.

Q: What’s the dynamic between elder board & deacon board?

A: We don’t have a deacon board. We have no boards other than elder board. Deacons serve (GCC has 800). How do we involve them? They’re underneath various ministries, they’re not a “board.”

Q: Are all elders involved in some kind of ministry consisting of shepherding/teaching? Or are some involved in just oversight?

A: Generally, yes. There could be some older shepherds who are having trouble with finding time & energy to do it. You have to be shepherding/teaching or we’re going to wonder why you’re an elder. We’ve had that come up.

Q: How do you interpret “having children who believe?”

A: We have a high standard, which is that to be in leadership your children have to believe. If your child at any point in life abandons the faith in an obvious way, you should step off the elder board and minister to your kids. We’d rather walk away from higher principle in favor of lifting up the integrity of the office. If you know your kid is getting into trouble, you should raise your hand and take a year off from being an elder; and many times doesn’t come back.

If you have very small children, you wouldn’t be an elder. You could be on staff, young and ordained, but they wouldn’t be elders.

Q: What’s the church’s philosophy toward debt? How much cash on hand?

A: We have $4.3M of debt. In the last five years we’ve been growing our debt by fixing up bathrooms and other renovations (while interest is low, etc.). We’re not anti-debt. Neither are we “step out in faith.” We have healthy arguments on elder board. We capped out debt at $5M, because we felt our budget could handle it without hurting ministry.

Q: How do you resolve issues of trouble finding unanimity?

A: Usually issues come because things are “sprung” on the board. So it’s usually for lack of careful preparation. Most things aren’t critical, so we push it off for a week or a month. It’s usually clear, though, that we make a decision the next time. Those who are opposed, usually become the committee to resolve it. It’s not a free pass to say, I don’t like it; we make resolution happen.

Q: Are meetings public?

A: Yes. We don’t publish our minutes, but we’re not terribly good at publishing the decisions. We could do a better job. There’s a public part of the meeting, then private where non-elders are excused (e.g., discipline, issues we’re wrestling over) and then lay-elder only portion of meeting. We spend 5% on finance, of the remainder 50% on ministry updates and 50% of the time on discipline issues.

Q: On elder qualification, and “one wife,” if a person has been divorced prior to conversion what do we say?

A: We pass, usually because people won’t understand.

Q: What are things you’ve discussed at your level?

A: We sent out a pastor recently, we asked is it the right place to send, etc. Our former high school pastor just took a church in Indianapolis. One of the lay-elders traveled to meet with that church. It was an involved, collaborative process, part of shepherding our pastors. In the context of church discipline, restoring two people. John MacArthur gives reports on what’s on his agenda, ministry plans. Note that we’re a very mature church here, so a lot of the big battles were fought twenty years ago; the current eldership benefits from that now.

Trust issues are often dealt with among individual elders, which might previously have been dealt with by the entire board.

Q: What would you do for a situation where there is only one elder/pastor?

A: Your first priority is developing at least one other man. Find someone else to help be seen as a leader in the church. You’re vulnerable because you’ve got nobody but you. You have to work as quickly as possible to nurture someone into leadership.

Q: Thoughts on balancing between ministry and home, esp. lay elders?

A: It’s a huge problem here, there’s so much to do, you could lose your family in a heartbeat. We have to hold each other accountable. We’re usually paired up with a staff guy for that. You have to learn to say “no.” If you don’t make your family a priority, they won’t be. You don’t want your kid saying, “Why do you always have time for everyone else, but not for me?” We say ministry is your fifth priority after the Lord, your wife, your kids and your job. You do not have a ministry if those four aren’t functional.

Q: Qualifications for deaconnesses? Is a deaconness required to be married?

A: No.