As I mentioned yesterday, the amount of information that we are getting from our speakers means that a comprehensive report on each session is not really feasible. Tomorrow I should be able to summarise Jerry Bridges’ talks.
Today I want to emphasise one of Bryan Chapell’s talks. Bryan is a warm personality, a child of God because of Jesus, a skilled and gifted communicator and preacher. Yet as he has passed on to us today, that is not what is important. What is of sole importance for preachers is our message. And that message comes from the Scriptures alone.
Bryan began by passing on a comment that he had read in a recent newsletter from a Christian leader in China. The substance of the note was that within two generations of the explosion of faith that had seen spectacular growth in the church in China, there was a growing erosion of confidence in God’s Word among the Christians. If that seems hard to believe, then consider that Paul exhorts Timothy about the same situation afflicting the second and third generation church in the first century in Second Timothy. We should not be surprised. The church in every age must make a decision: will we believe the Scriptures? Preachers should be vigilant to preach the Word in each and every generation.
Paul says to Timothy: You must preach the Word. It is only from the Bible that we hear the voice of God to us. All Scripture is God-breathed. It is inspired, not inspiring. It is God-breathed: expiration (cf. Adam’s creation) Where the Bible speaks, God speaks.
The Reformers: the Bible is authoritative over the church. It does not share its authority with the church, nor does the church have authority over it. Consider the actions of some today who place personal ‘revelation’ alongside the Scriptures. What purpose does it serve if the Scriptures are complete?
Martin Luther’s described the church as God’s mouth house.
2nd Helvetic Confession: The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.
John Calvin: 4th book, God has so chosen to anoint the lips and tongues of His servants that when they speak the voice of Jesus resounds in His churches.
Scripture is the greater miracle than a personal revelation. For whatever situation and circumstance we face. There is a Word already recorded for all of us. Some seek signs, wonders and words. God says ‘I already said it, and by the way, I wrote it down for you and everyone else to have for all time.’
Amazing implications flow from this reality.
There should be an expectation of purity and persecution.
2 Timothy 3:10: A way of life must flow from this truth which responds to its instruction. An expectation of Godliness. There is a fallacy that authenticity requires some sort of imperfection to be present. Jesus never had that problem.
2 Timothy 3:11: persecutions will arise when the Scriptures are truly taught and lived. This is what happened when the Master was here, how can we expect anything less when we present the word of the Master to the world.
There is also a promise of power.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, preach the Word.
How powerful is that force which requires the charge of the Father and Christ Jesus. This is a power that brings life from death and changes stone to flesh.
We can afford to be tender because the Word has inherent power. We can afford to be patient, God will work the outcome He desires with His Word. (it will not return to Him void) The preacher is not alone. God is there, He is speaking to the people.
Not only His voice, but His hand is present.
Read Psalm 19 and consider the descriptors that David uses for God’s Word. If you did not know that he was describing the Scriptures you would think he was describing God Himself: The Word of God and God H are indivisible. The Word reflects His nature, because it is His. Rightly interpreted, the Word must reflect His nature. If it is not interpreted rightly, God disappears.
The Bible is true. If we stand over the Bible and select those parts we believe are authoritative or true we make it in our image and God disappears. It becomes our word and not His. The Scriptures stand over us. They guide us. It rescues us from idolatry, doubt and darkness. When we cry out ‘God, help me!’, the only voice we will hear answering is our own, unless we hear God’s Word the Bible.
The Bible claims to be the Word of God. More than 3000 (Al Mohler, see below, says about 3808) times: ‘Thus says the Lord.’
Along the lines of the popular reasoning that Jesus is either a liar, lunatic or Lord, this is either a colossal lie, or a massive collective delusion… or the Word of God.
All Scripture is God breathed.
Chapell recounted the story ‘The Spectral Hand’. The plot goes that if people put their hand into a curtain they can grasp a spirit that will speak to them.
The story of the Bible is the opposite: God has penetrated into the physical world and given us an abiding Word that we can all read and learn from. What sweetness of grace.
2 Timothy 3:15: the Scriptures able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus; a reference to the OT. We are not pure, true, sure and altogether righteous, but God speaks of forgiveness. God’s Word completes us: we are not complete. Thoroughly equipped: Ministered to by hand, heart and His Son.
Ultimate contention: the proclamation of the Scriptures is Jesus ministering. The challenge of who God is leads to understanding of who we are and of what our need is and who Jesus is.
When I am alone; when I am afraid; when I am defiled, give me Jesus; how do we do that: by preaching the Word, carefully and thoughtfully.
That is the primary means that God, in His written Word the Bible, tells us that He is pleased to work through to give the grace of regeneration to new life. By what authority can we turn away and seek His grace, guidance and saving Gospel from anywhere else.
If anything Chapell’s afternoon talk was even better.
BTW, I am currently reading ‘He Is Not Silent’ by R. Albert Mohler which complements Chapell’s (and our other conference speaker’s) material perfectly. How about this for a quote:
‘Preach the Word!’ That simple imperative frames the act of preaching as an act of obedience, and that is where any theology of preaching must begin. Preaching did not emerge from the church’s experimentation with communication techniques. The church does not preach because preaching is thought to be a good idea or an effective technique. The sermon has not earned its place in Christian worship by proving its utility in comparison with other means of communication or aspects of worship. Rather, we preach because we have been commanded to preach.
Woo hoo.
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