Sunday in Retrospect

On the first Lord’s Day of 2014, God smiled on us and blessed our day of worship at the Mt. Salem Church.  I am so grateful to Pastor and lead this precious congregation whom God loves, and sent His Son to die for, and His Spirit to guide and comfort.  It has been a tremendous time of growth, tutelage and joy.  

Typically, I implement a few new changes at the beginning of February since being at Mt. Salem.  I am planning and praying about those changes now.  The changes are much more gradual, thought-through, and sensitive due to the age of our congregation.  I have seen this challenge as more of a blessing to me than a burden, amid occasional frustrations.  Patience is NOT my virtue!

My sermon title was, “The Difference the Gospel Makes.”  I had a different title (Clothing, Containers & New Beginnings) but I decided against it, going with a more ‘conservative’ label.  I have often struggled with titles and the labeling of my sermons.  Sometimes I get an epiphany of a blockbuster title; but those times have been rare.  There has been, at times, an envy of those (especially my white seminary brothers) who have such catchy titles for days.  Bryan Carter, who pastors the Concord Church in Dallas, has become one who is great in this area.  I remember visiting the concorddallas.org website once, and seeing a Resurrection series entitled ‘HeRose’, a play on words from a television show entitled, ‘Heroes.’  I remember saying, ‘Wow....that’s genius.  Why didn’t I think of that!?!?’ lol  If I ever get the opportunity, I hope to take advantage of some college or seminary interns, or bright minds, who sit around and don’t mind throwing out ideas and title to preachers who have the content but no title!  My only consolation is once hearing of one of my preaching heroes, Dr. Ralph West, stating he struggled with titling his sermons, at least creatively.  

I will say that my major reason for going with, ‘The Difference the Gospel Makes,’ came to me as I delved deeper in my study of the text.  It was one of the sermons where I went into the study of this text, Luke 5:33-39, thinking I would be dealing exclusively with ‘new wine and old wineskins’ and giving our people an encouraging message on a type of ‘new year/new you’ kind of pep talk.  BUT.....the more I began to study the parable and text, I began to notice much more - Christ is dealing with the contrast of Judaism and the gospel.  Essentially, Christ reveals to the Pharisees (who were such a pain, by the way) and the disciples of John the reason why He hangs with publicans and sinners.  The premise (or as my friend, Rev. Arthur Lane would say), the sermon in a sentence is: the gospel of Jesus Christ trumps any other religion in its message, its standard and its recipients.

I argued that:

1. The gospel begins with a new start 

2. The gospel births a new self

3. The gospel builds a new structure 

4. The gospel brings in a new seat

When I return to the Mt. Salem Pulpit on the 3rd Sunday, I plan to share on prayer.  It was my plan to preach on prayer yesterday, considering we begin our annual 21 Days of Prayer on the 7th of January.  However, the Lord be praised for the direction He led us in.  

After I speak on prayer, it is my hope to lead our church in a short series on Stewardship.  Looking forward to what God is doing in our congregation and excited to be apart of what He is doing now.  To God be the glory!

Sunday in Retrospect

Happy New Year!

I am excited about the closing of Chapter 2013, and the beginning of Chapter 2014.  With heightened anticipation, I am looking forward to seeing what this new year shall bring.

This past Lord’s Day, I had the opportunity to close out the year sharing with our congregation in the preaching moment.  Strongly, I sensed a need to speak internally on the subject of forgiveness.

Coupled with my prolonged urge to tackle one of my ‘Goliath’s’ called parables, I was led to a passaged tucked away in Matthew 18:21-35, commonly called ‘The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.’  As I’ve reflected over the past few weeks, in my 19 years of preaching ministry, I have never preached an entire message on a Parable.  This very fact blew me away!  I LOVE stories.  I TELL stories.  Many of my sermons, through the years, have been saturated by illustration and stories.  And while I have preached and taught on many of the Bible stories and narratives, and have referenced the parables on many occasions (and teaching on them in Bible studies and groups) I can not recall an entire message or sermon dedicated to the exposition of one of Christ’s parables.

Admittedly, I have often tried.  As a teenage preacher, I always wanted to deal with the story of The Prodigal Son, as it is called.  However, amid the pages of notes, I never mustered the courage to do so.  I suppose I just never felt adequate enough to do one of Christ’s great stories justice.  Add to this, I can be quite analytical and, when reading so many thoughts, conjectures and ideologies, I would often get lost and, yes, confused on what every single item in the parable meant and every person in the story symbolized.  (i.e. - does the lost coin mean the unsaved or the backslider; etc.)  Hitherto, the formulation of my thoughts never moved beyond inception.

Well....I finally did it!  I can say that studying the parable, for me, was rewarding, enlightening and challenging.  Fortunately, the formulation of the outline, points, central idea of the story, etc. all came together.  It took me two weeks to get it down to written form.  Unfortunately, my manuscript was written in rough form throughout the two weeks; and I didn’t bring them all together until Saturday night.  Fortunately, the entire story and lesson consumed so much of me throughout my study that the sermon on Sunday morning was relatively free of notes and enjoyable.  One of my strengths is stories and, I suppose, parables will help me in freeing myself from taking the manuscript into the pulpit.  This is my hope and prayer in 2014 (not my resolution!)  While I need to twerk the manuscript for my files, I can say that my outline was fairly basic:

I. The Setting
II. The Story
III. The Lesson

Within those main points were sub points, but the entire message revolved on the Central Idea of the Story which, I believe is: How we forgive others is the same way God may choose to forgive us.

I am thankful for those who made decisions and came forward, as well as those who have made the decision to act accordingly to God’s Word.

I am excited to have been selected to write a chapter in an upcoming book; and am looking to submit within the next week or so.  Please (if you’re reading this) pray for me.

With the passing of my grandfather over a month ago, I have spent quite a bit of time reflecting and praying about how best to make my life count; and how to calm myself down long enough to reflect and chronicle, more than ever before.  I have asked myself often....how awesome it would be if I could go back and read one of my grandfathers’ words from years ago; their thoughts an various events within their life and ministry; and even their vulnerabilities, as much as could be share in lieu onlookers.  Maybe one day, should the Lord suffer us to remain, my children and grandchildren can find some comfort, or perhaps direction; and, if nothing else INSIGHT into my life and thoughts.

Sunday in Retrospect

This past Lord's Day happened to simply be one of those Sunday's where practically everything went right.  While I am not naive to the realities of 'tomorrow', it was a good refresher for me and us as a congregation.  Attendance was great, all seemed to have a great attitude (if they did not, they didn't let me know), God smiled on the morning Sermon, people responded to the message, choir sang like they rehearsed, liturgical ministry danced in a way that I believe was pleasing to God, and the people were receptive throughout the entire service and day.

Of course, moving to being an experienced Pastor, this has both been Spirit-led and directed, along with premeditation on my part.  This past week we had a Mid-Year Tune Up 2-night revival.  One of my old preaching mentors, Rev. James R. Miller, shared with us last Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Monday night.  Our congregation was tremendously blessed.  More than this, God sent us just what we needed, both in terms of encouragement (as we seek to move forward for the rest of the year) and instruction.  Rev. Miller has blessed me and us in more ways than I am sure he even knows, as Pastor and people.

I began a series yesterday in First Peter.  I've been flirting with the idea of going through this great Petrine epistle for over a year; and I just decided to finally 'jump'.  Typically, I don't start a new series like this in the Summer; but it started off great.  I pray that it grows our congregation, as it has and is growing me personally and devotionally.

My greatest challenge has been to grow in the area of my study of the Word of God, as well as my private devotion.  In my sermonic preparation, I am trying to glean from what I've learned several weeks ago at the E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference, and trying to have the bulk of my sermon done by Tuesday, and written out in manuscript form by Wednesday.  While this has been only a slight change (last year I've tried to complete my sermon manuscript by Friday morning, 8am), it has been a challenge because my preaching has moved entirely to working harder to frame and construct as much of my own sermon skeleton and content, with utilizing a plethora of resources, documenting my sources.  Over the years, I became 'lazy', and utilized some 'sources' that really gave me time to simply deal with the surface elements of textual study, without digging deep in the wells of the Word, FOR MYSELF.  With this change, and wanting to publish, much of my preparation and manuscript writing is now being  re-framed and re-formed.

Here is my outline:

Subject/Title: When Following Jesus Seems to Wreck Your World
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1-2
The Big Idea: How God's people stay on course when following Christ brings pain and calamity, conflict in this world.

I.  REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE IN THIS WORLD OF CONFLICT

1.    You are Special to God – “elect”

a.    Israel, the chosen people of God (Isa. 43:20-21)

b.    Church, the chosen community (Gal. 6:16)

2.    You are Strangers to the World – “strangers” or “exiles”

a.    The example of Abraham (Heb. 11:8-13)

b.    The experience of Christians (Heb. 13:13-14)

3.    You are Scattered to Serve – “Diaspora” or “Dispersion”

II.  LEARN HOW TO HOLD YOUR HOPE IN A HOSTILE WORLD

1.   The Word of the Father

a.    Choosing to reveal Himself as Father

b.    Choosing to redeem His people as Children

2.    The Work of the Son

a.    The shedding of His blood

b.    The sprinkling of His blood (Exod. 24:3-8)

3.    The Work of the Spirit

a.    Sanctification—an accomplished fact (1 Cor. 6:11)

b.    Sanctification—a progressive necessity (2 Cor. 3:16-18)

III.  KEEP STANDING RIGHT SIDE UP EVEN WHEN YOUR WORLD IS UPSIDE DOWN 

Thankful for the souls who came forward.  And I am looking forward to continuing on with 1st Peter 1:3 this coming Sunday.

Dr. P.S. Wilkinson, Sr.

For years, I have heard about the preaching legend and legacy of Dr. Paschal (P.S.) Wilkinson, Sr.  Born on December 8, 1905, he went Upstairs on December 3, 1977, just five days shy of his 73rd birthday.  He was 72!  Growing up, I was often told he was one of the greatest pulpiteers of his generation; from pulpit acumen to preaching prowess, he was said to be in a class all his own.  

Beginning his preaching ministry at the age of 14, he is best known for his role as the Senior Pastor of New Light Baptist Church (San Antonio, Tx) for almost 45 years.  He also served for many years as the President of the American Baptist State Convention and apart of the Educational Board of the National Baptist Convention.  

For some years now, I have been trying to get a hold of a copy of the one book he had written, 'Pilate's Judgment Hall.'  This book is a collection of the sermons and messages preached from the pulpit of New Light.  Interestingly, when I was a teenage preacher, I had the opportunity to hear a tape of an older P.S. Wilkinson preaching.  Needless to say, it left an impression.  Considering myself a student of preaching and preachers, I have coveted the idea of attaining a copy of his book.  While I am certain a few preachers have a copy, I only personally knew of two - My father, and the late Rev. R. L. Sanders, who pastored for years the Mt. Gilead Church in Forth Worth, Texas.  

After about 10 years of searching, I happened to come across a copy of Wilkinson's book.  While the book was written in 1948, many of the pages missing, I have found a richness and depth to his preaching that is peerless and impressionable.  While I am, by far, no Pashcal Wilkinson, Sr., the single book has renewed my commitment to writing and written communication.  What I would give to have more of such a great preaching legend.  I am convinced that, as I struggle to refresh my mind with new, meaningful, and varying insights from God's Word and others, that each and every servant of God would build a legacy that is unique to their own calling.  I hope to share excerpts in the future of this great preaching legend.  It has blessed me tremendously.

Sentence Sermonettes

The Almighty gives the best to those who leave the choice to him.

Sin thrills and then it kills.

The heart of religion is the heart.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Sin always carries with it a built-in deception about judgment.

If you are happy, tell your face about it.

Are you on a collision course with God?

Your soul will live forever, somewhere — ​where?

Love gives and forgives.

Good works are the fruit, not the root, of salvation.

God’s will is not always easy, but it is always right.

Not to decide is to decide.

Sin is personal but not private.

Life without Christ is an empty existence.

Every problem is in reality an opportunity.

Prejudice is a lazy person’s substitute for thinking.

Hell is a place of no hope.

People judge each other by rank; God judges all by service.

Happiness is a sweet perfume you cannot pour out on others without getting a few drops on yourself.

No joy is complete unless it is shared.

Not failure, but low aim, is the real crime in life.

A sharp tongue will cut your own throat.

Life is like a bicycle — ​stop pedaling, and you fall.

Worry is a mental tornado.

A problem honestly stated is half solved.

Blessed are those who can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. — ​Chinese proverb

One may be better than one’s reputation but never better than one’s principles.

It is evil not to do good.

Is your heart on its knees?

Love is the only effective way to deal with a problem.

To poison a person’s mind is a worse sin than to poison a person’s food.

If you kicked the one responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for six months.

Forgiveness: man’s deepest need and highest achievement.

Two things are hard on the heart — ​running up stairs and running down people.

Most friction in life is caused by the tone of the voice.

Unfounded and unnecessary fears are deadly enemies that paralyze the will, poison the affections, and if allowed to continue, may destroy the soul.

If you want to be rich, give; if you want to be poor, grasp.

Cast all your care on God! That anchor holds. — ​Alfred Tennyson

It is natural to be religious; it is supernatural to be Christian.

God’s wisdom is both timely and timeless.

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

God's Word on The Word

God’s Word on The Word

Matthew 5:17-20

A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book 'The Wonders of the Word of God.' The victim's face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in braille. Much to his dismay, however, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been destroyed by the explosion. One day, as he brought one of the braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, I can read the Bible using my tongue. At the time Robert Sumner wrote his book, the man had "read" through the entire Bible four times with his tongue.  How desperate are you to read and ingest that which is contained in this one book?

It was the saintly Whitehead who said once that, "The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the happiness of believers, the way of salvation and the doom of sinners. Every doctrine in the Bible is holy, every precept is binding, and every decision is immutable. You must read it to believe it, believe it to be saved and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's guide, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword and the Christian's charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, daily, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor and condemn all who trifle with its contents."

And whether you unconventionally use your tongue like the Kansas man in Robert Summer’s book or your own God-given eyes to read it – it’s the book of all books!

It is a book beyond age; for it is the most ancient of all books.  It is a book beyond mere interest; for it is the read by all classes in the world.  It is a book beyond sales; for it the best-seller of any book.  It is a book beyond language and linguistics; although it is largely written by uneducated men, it is superior in literary style and genius.  It is a book beyond conventional unity; for it is a library and collection of sixty-six books, yet one Book.   It is a book beyond preservation; for it is the most hated book of all time, yet it’s still in circulation and it still lives.  And it is a book beyond human limitation; for it is the only book in the world whose Author is still alive. Yes, the Bible itself is the book of all books.

And you don’t have to season it.  Just pour it out and pass it on.  In fact, I would rather be in the Word of God than to be in Heaven – for in Matthew 24:35 it says that, ‘Heaven and earth might pass away; but His Word is going to stand forever.’  And in the text Christ deals with, and presents to His disciples and us the trinity of time and trilogy of time: the reality of retrospection and introspection and prospection.  Here you have the past and the present and the future; and we catch a glimpse of eternity in the words that are couched and tucked away in these four verses.  

1. CHRIST’S BELIEF ABOUT THE LAW

Let me rush to say that, in the opening words of Christ’s great sermonic discourse of the Sermon on the Mount, after discussing the character traits of the Kingdom Citizen through the Beatitudes, and the influence the Citizen of the Kingdom has through being Salt and Light – Jesus reveals clearly and succinctly that He believes the Bible.  Of course, most are aware that the Bible, at the time of the text, consists of the Old Testament books of Genesis to Malachi.  

There are two main truths of Jesus we note regarding His belief about God’s Word:

First, that the Word of God is Inspired.  Again and again, as we examine the words of our Lord in Word, He refers to Himself as the source and the subject of the Scriptures.  Interestingly, in John 5:39, Jesus instructs them to, ‘….search the Scriptures…they testify of me.’  Tragically, the scribes were missing the key to the Scriptures: Christ!  In fact, Jesus says to them in the 46^th verse: ‘Now if you believed Moses, you would have believe me: for he wrote about me.’  In a nutshell, Jesus is the subject of the Bible.  And Jesus Himself believed that the Old Testament Scriptures were inspired—they were the words of God!

Jesus also believed that the Word of God is Eternal.  Jesus says here in the 17^th verse, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.”  The word for ‘destroy’ is katalusai, taken from kataluo, and it means to loosen down or quickly dissolve.  The word here for ‘destroy’ is given the picture and illustration of a body being dissolved at death.  Jesus says, ‘Don’t think my arrival equates or results in abolition of the Scripture.’  Now the obvious question that we raise is: why would anyone believe that Jesus came to loosen down or quickly dissolve the law or the Scripture?  This is actually an accurate foretelling of things to come in the ministry of Jesus:

• In Matthew 12, He has many controversies on the Sabbath; and the people suggest He was trying to destroy the law.
• In Mark 7, He breaks the tradition and practices of the church elders.  And they again suggest He was trying to destroy the law.
• In Matthew 21, He cleanses and reclaims the temple.  They suggest He’s trying to quickly dissolve the law of God.
• And in Mark 2, He becomes known as a friend of publicans, sinners, pimps and pushers.  And immediately they tend to accuse Christ of an attempt to hijack the prerogatives of God, hold hostage God’s holiness sand destroy the very law that God had commanded and decreed.

You can believe that Jesus Christ our Lord was revolutionary and maverick in many ways; but He did not come to do away with the Old Testament law.  The discrepancy of the law is not a contradiction on God’s part; but upon a quasi-interpretation of law on man’s part.  

We may understand what Jesus is trying to say if we better understand the definition of ‘law’.  Incidentally, law could have meant several things to Jesus’ hearers:

1. The Ten Commandments—as were given by Yahweh to Moses on the smoking summits of Sinai, as recorded in Exodus 20.
2. The first five books of the Old Testament: referred to as the Pentateuch.
3. The Law and Prophets, often referred to as the whole Bible.
4. The Scribal Law—which were all of the many rules, regulations and commentaries on the Ten Commandments.

And by the time Jesus Christ came to earth the original Ten Commandments of our Lord had been defined in a summary of rules and laws called the Mishna.  This was a book that contained over 800 pages of man-made laws and traditions based on their own commentary of the 10 commandments.  Then there was the Talmud, twelve volumes of commentary to explain the 800 pages of the Mishna.  And in all of these volumes and pages, there were myriads of traditions and commentaries on the Fourth Commandment regarding the Sabbath, which had become in Jewish mind as binding and sacred as the 10 commandments themselves.  Unfortunately, all of these traditions were held over the people and enforced as law.  Somehow, we fail to realize the pervasive nature this demonic and legalistic spirit has infiltrated them then and us now.  For even us today can take the purity of the Gospel and somehow contaminate the good news with our own commentary and interpretations.  And as with the Scribes and Pharisees in that day we often feel like we have to help God out.  This is why Jesus clashed with the Scribes and the Pharisees on more than one occasion; and often why the church seems to clash with Christ today in the 21^st century.  How often have we become judgmental and overcritical over a particular brother or sister regarding what WE felt or thought God is trying to say as if somehow God needed you to cosign or extrapolate on what He has said?  And I am convinced that commentaries may have their place but commentaries can be dangerous.  They are dangerous merely by the fact that while they are resourceful, at the end of the day, they aren’t the SOURCE.  The best commentary on what God said is God Himself.  

As a Chaplain in the Hospital I am often involved in some of the legal procedures and wishes of the patient.  Often a wife or a son or a daughter or whomever is the next of kin can serve as the ‘Power of Attorney’, and execute the wishes of the one who cannot make decisions for themselves, if the patient is incompetent, incapacitated, unresponsive or inept.  And somehow the scribes and Pharisees, who have religion but no relationship, didn’t get the memo that the God of the universe is not incompetent; He’s not incapacitated; He’s not laying on some cosmic gurney somewhere and He can’t speak up for Himself.  He is certainly able and competent; and He would declare, ‘I and the Father are One!’    

And that is why Jesus goes on to affirm His belief that the Word of God is eternal.  In verse 18 Jesus says and stresses that Heaven and Earth (which are the most stable elements one could consider) will not pass away until every “jot” and “tittle” are fulfilled.  The “jot” (jodh) is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet; while a ‘tittle’ represents a brush stroke in the Hebraic form of sentence; Jesus points to the eternality and the timelessness of God’s Word.  

II. We then move from Christ’s Belief regarding the Law, to His Behavior and the Law.

Jesus, our Lord, emphasis in this text that He has not come to alter, destroy or remove the law.  He makes it clear that He has come to ‘fulfill’ the law.  Fulfill, in scripture, is a word plerosai and it has the image of a vessel filled to the top.  We believe the vessel to be the inspired Law and Prophets—the Scriptures would be fulfilled when what the Word records ultimately comes to full fruition and comes to pass.  Christ’s behavior, actions and activity fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.  Not only was God’s eternal word His doctrine, but also His duty.  The Word of God was not only His precept; but also His practice and practicum.  In a real sense, John 1:14 expresses Christ’s behavior: ‘…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’  His life exemplified God’s Word from every standpoint.  Let me give you three aspects in which Christ fulfilled the Word:

1. Christ fulfills His Word through Prefigures

I once heard a comparison of the Old and New Testament.  The New is the Old contained while the Old is in the New explained.  The New is in the Old concealed while the Old is in the New revealed.  The gist of those statements, in and of itself, is that Jesus reveals what the Old Testament conceals in types and shadows.  Kind of like Walter Gisbon’s, ‘Who knows the evil that lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!’  In a real sense, Jesus gives substance to the shadows.

• Jesus is a prefigure in Exodus at the Red Sea.  He’s the manna from heaven, in the water from the rock, in the manna from heaven, in the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night.
• He’s a prefigure in the Old Testament Tabernacle through the showbread and the brazen altar, the ark and the mercy seat…they all point to Jesus.
• He’s a prefigure in the feasts and holy days of the Old Testament, from the Passover lamb to the firstfruits to the Atonement…they all point to Jesus.  

The Old Testament is replete with pictures and types of Jesus which have been fulfilled by His life, death, and resurrection.  

Somebody said:

- In Genesis, He’s the Creator.

- In Exodus, He’s the Redeemer.

- In Leviticus, He’s the Sanctifier.

- In Numbers, He our Guide.

- In Deuteronomy, He’s the teacher.

- In Joshua, He’s the mighty conqueror.

- In Judges, He’s the Battle Ax.

- In Samuel He’s the root of Jesse and the Son of David

- In Chronicles, He’s the High Priest.

- In Nehemiah, He’s our mighty wall.

- In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands our struggles, but has the power to do something about it.

- In Psalms, He’s our song.

- In Proverbs, He’s our wisdom.

- In Ecclesiastes, He’s our purpose.

- In the Song of Solomon, He’s our Lover.

- In Isaiah, He’s our mighty counselor.

- In Jeremiah, He’s our balm in Gilead.

- In Lamentations, He’s the ever-faithful One.

- In Ezekiel, He is our wheel in the middle of a wheel.

- In Daniel, He’s the ancient of days.

- In Joel, He’s our refuge.

- In Amos, He’s our husbandman.

- In Obadiah, He’s Lord.

- In Jonah, He’s salvation.

- In Micah, He’s the righteous judge.

- In Habakkuk, He’s the Holy One.

- In Zephaniah, He’s the witness.

- In Haggai, He’s Protector.

- In Zechariah, He’s Lord of Hosts.

1. Christ fulfills His Word through Prophecies

Not only did Jesus fulfill His Word through prefigures, but also through prophecy itself.  In how He was born, the Word points to Him.  In how He was raised, the Word still points to Him.  And even how He died, the Word can’t help but point to Him.  

1. Christ fulfills His Word through Precepts

The average Bible student and every day Christian has meager knowledge or even interest about Jesus’ fulfillment of the prefigures and prophecies of the Old Testament.  But if you are a believer today, you should be supremely interested in our Lord’s fulfillment of the divine precepts, the  Ten Commandments.  

An evangelist was trying to make a point in his service.  He said, “Do we have anyone here who is perfect?”  There was no movement in the church at all.  He continued, “Does anyone here know of anybody else who is perfect?”  A lady in the crowd raised her hand.  The evangelist recognized the sister and asked, “You know someone who’s perfect?”  The lady nodded and answered, “My husband’s first wife!”

The Ten Commandments reveal God’s ultimate standard and ultimate holiness.  It is a description of God’s ultimate ideal for His people.  The problem is that every man, woman, boy or girl who ever lived has yet to keep the law in perfect form, save Jesus Christ.  At birth, we are law-breakers in some way, shape or form; and that’s what makes us sinners at birth by default and guilty by associational connection.

There are sins of commission—where by choice we do something wrong.

There are sins of omission—where by choice we fail to do anything right.

And then there are sins of disposition—those innermost attitudes and feelings of the heart (such as pride, lust, envy, hatred, jealousy and deceit.)

And while WE have fallen short, Jesus never broke a commandment, in act or attitude.  Hebrews 4:15 says that He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  Three times Pilate said, “I find no fault in Him.”  

The efficacy of Jesus’ death on the cross depends on His fulfillment of the precepts, in and of itself.  I reiterate the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  And the reason you can shout today is because all the millions of lambs that died on the sacrificial altar over the centuries prefigured the coming of ONE who “offered himself without spot before a holy God.”  Jesus fulfilled the perfect precepts of God.

And that should be good news.

In Him I have new life: that’s regeneration.

I have a key to the house: that’s adoption.

I can now be called forgiven: that’s justification.

I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to foot the bill for breaking the law: that’s redemption.

I will see my Savior in paradise: that’s glorification.

II. CHRIST’S BURDEN FOR THE LAW

Basically and simply, in the text, Jesus lets us know that now, through His coming, He fills the Old Testament with meaning and accomplishment.  Jesus not only loved the Word of God, believed it and embodied it; but Jesus, then and now, has a burden for the Word of God; and His burden is threefold:

1. He wants us to practice it (Verse 19a)

Notice in the last part of Matthew 19 that “do” comes before “teach.”  In a real and practical sense, Jesus is saying to us that ‘doo-ya-loo-yah’ ought never be dispatched from your ‘hallelujah’.  The Christian disciple should model the law in our daily lives.  James advises us in 1:22 to ‘be ye doers of the word.’  Even now, we have a large percentage of people who actually HEAR this word today and will go out and do something else.  Of course, Jesus recognized how trifling we would be from time to time.  And let’s be honest, the law is too strong, too extensive, and too holy for mortal man to keep, even by the letter.  For that reason, Jesus says that He came to ‘fulfill’ the law.  I love the words of Romans 10:4 that reminds us that ‘Christ (not us) is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.’

In a real sense it is the WILL of God to have the SPIRIT of God use the WORD of God to make the CHILD of God look like the SON of God.

1. He wants us to proclaim it (Verse 19b)

In verse 19 Jesus says, ‘Whoso ever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom.’  First, we practice—then we preach.  I don’t know if you know it or not, but in a general sense, you’re a preacher!  Your life is your pulpit.  Question: How was your sermon last week?  What did you preach about last night?  What text are you planning to preach in the morning?  No me; I’m asking YOU! 

The word is in desperate need to hear the Word of God proclaimed.  Mark it down, loved ones: the Word still WORKS!  However, the Bible is like soap—it must be applied.  

- In a world of sin, how are you preaching forgiveness?

- In this world of financial upheaval, how are you proclaiming God will provide?

- In this society of impurity and lust, how are you preaching holiness?

- In this world of hate, how are you preaching love?

Do you want to become “great” in the kingdom?  Jesus says you have to practice and teach the Word!

1. He wants us to perfect it (Verse 20)

Verse 20 may be the pivotal verse in Matthew 5.  Jesus’ desire for His disciples is that their life-style ‘exceed’ in righteousness the life-styles of the scribes and Pharisees.  The word exceed means to be over and above a certain number or amount.  It portrays a river overflowing its banks.  Jesus wants His disciples to go above and beyond the ‘righteousness” of the accepted standards of that day.  

The customer in the bakery shop asked the little girl who was helping, “Young lady, do you ever eat the cakes?”  The child replied, “Oh, no sir…that would be stealing.  I just lick ‘em.”

The religious leaders of that day were only touching the surface of obedience.  They majored on actions on the outside, but were far removed from God’s heart on the inside.  And I would hate to come to church and carry out the rituals but never worship.  It would be tragic if I can come to church to dot every I and cross every T but never meet Jesus.  Because when I worship Him I’ll walk right.  When I meet Jesus, He’ll make me talk right.  When Jesus comes in my heart, He’ll make me love my enemies and pray for those who mistreat me.  

A woman was married to a most demanding and abusive husband.  This man, a severe perfectionist, placed a heavy burden on his wife through his expectations.  She was given a list of chores and duties each week and was expected to accomplish each item.  Her life was miserable under this taskmaster of a husband.  Years passed and her husband died.  The widow thought she would never marry again, but, in a few years she met a wonderfully kind man.  They were married, and she sincerely enjoyed pleasing her husband.  One day she discovered an old list at the back of a drawer, a list made out by her former husband for a certain week’s duties.  Upon study, she realized that she was still doing this entire list each week for her new husband.  The difference was, however, that she was doing the chores out of love rather than demand.  

And when you get to know Jesus; and He really comes into your heart…you’ll begin to realize that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.  You’ll start smiling when you should be crying; you’ll find yourself running and nobody is chasing you.  You’ll declare, in the words of the hymnist Rufus McDaniel….

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,

I have ceased from my wandering and going astray,

And my sins, which were many, are all washed away

I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,

And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,

Sine Jesus came into my heart.

Be An Original...Well, An Original Copy! (Part 5)

Following our mid-winter board, the Summer prior to my senior year of high school, in 1996, my Dad and Rev. Miller took me and one of my high school classmates, James Mosley (also a preacher) to Dallas for the annual E. K. Bailey conference.  At that time, I knew very little about Bailey.  I just knew that, in all of the sermons on those tapes my dad would bring home from the convention, those preachers would often mention 'E.K.', either in a quote, acknowledge his presence in the audience (he was in the same convention) or some word of respect and adulation.  I had come across his messages, but never really connected with them.  I thought he was old and irrelevant.  Its amazing how things can change!  To say the least, he wasn't a favorite of mine.  Little did I know that he would one day be my college pastor, and I would cry for days after his passing, often thinking of him now before I mount the pulpit.

One thing I did know - that preacher Bailey (whomever he was) knew how to put together a first-class conference. I will never forget the level of excellence, detail, manpower and preaching lineup, which included many of the preachers I had both read and heard.  Warren Wiersbe was there. Gene Getz and A. Louis Patterson were there.  Tony Evans was there.  And a preacher who had become one of my favorites, Melvin Von Wade, was there in the flesh!  I had come to learn that Wade and Bailey were best friends; and that it was Wade who, on the campus of Bishop College, introduced Bailey to his future wife, Sheila.  I remember in the conference, getting on the elevator at the Fairmont Hotel, E.K. Bailey stepped on the elevator as well.  I never will forget he said, 'Young man, I'll give you a run for your suit!'. That was it. He stepped off, and that made my entire day!  As conferences go, I was going to my room, reading voraciously.  I really wanted to see where those guys (especially Patterson) got all of his information from.  By then, I had already become a very voracious reader, especially in the languages.  I loved to read a guy named Calvin Miller, and also Max Lucado and Charles Swindoll.  And while at the conference, there were many names dropped from all of the preachers who spoke.  One of my Dad's favorites (John MacArthur) was often mentioned, along with John Piper.  Interestingly, E.K. Bailey, in one of the general sessions, told the 700 or so ministers, '...if you came to the conference, and can only make one purchase, you need to go to the resource booth and get. John Piper's 'The Supremacy of God in Preaching.'. I got it, along with some other resources, courtesy of my father.  By this time, I had also began to preach a large portion of Melvin Von Wade.  It goes without saying, I loved this guy's sermon preparation and delivery.  To this day, the guy's sermon structure and organization is so solid, concrete and genius that it blows me away.  Little did I know I was developing a sort of 'crutch' for me.  So much of what I preached became such a part of my study and preparation and prayer life...that I'd forgot the original sources often.  

I remember one incident at the close of the conference,  it wasn't the final night, but the night before.  Stephen Olford, a guy who became known for his sermon preparation and delivery, was on to preach that night.  Initially, I thought he was originally from Britain, in that he had an English accent, but was actually born in Zambia to Christian missionaries.  What set the place on fire was his closing story, in which I've never forgotten.  He was a young man who, at that time, had become a young pastor and preacher.  He had made it his practice to have quiet time prior to his morning message on the Lord's day.  This Sunday was no different.  His father had been sick, in the hospital, and had been in a sort of coma for some time.  Olford's mother called Stephen on that morning, insisting to speak with her son.  On the other end, she explained that his father had done something quite strange.  She said, he came out of his coma, sat straight up in his bed and shouted, 'Tell the lad I said 'PREACH THE WORD!''. After he uttered those words, he laid back on his bed, and went home to be with the Lord.  Stephen Olford, since that day, said that he would all the more commit to the Biblical exposition of Scripture, because of the admonishment of his father, and moreover, his Savior!  At that time, Bailey called all of the preachers to the altar; and it was there, that you could feel a sense of conviction amongst that aggregation of preacher's who were there as a re-establishing of priorities in the proclamation of God's infallible, inerrant Word.  I was at that altar!  

Of course, there would still remain within me a sense of my own inadequacy in not having the 'hooping' gift and the close.  For me, this would be a struggle I would continue to grapple with long into my adult years.  But something did intrigue me.  Many seemed enamored with a guy there by the name of Kenneth C. Ulmer.  It didn't take long for me to discover that this one guy was a gifted preacher, on many fronts.  Only years later would I discover that Ulmer actually began preaching under Melvin Von Wade, the guy whose preaching I'd grown to love and admire.  I sat In a few teaching classes of Ulmer.  The guy clearly knew his stuff.  Though I had not heard him preach up until that point, I did admire his style, and obvious intellectual prowess.  Admittedly, he seemed a little strange (in ways I will not mention here) but he knew the languages (which I liked), but he also knew how to make those languages relevant (which I liked even more), and he even did something that had become my practice by the time I actually went to college and seminary, learning Greek, Hebrew, etc....he was giving the mood, person, etc. of the words.  I learned later in college this was called 'Parsing'.  The guy was good, to me.  Interestingly, by that time, I had discovered Paul S. Morton on BET, and had seen Ulmer on the Full Gospel scene.  This did confuse me after hearing him, in not seeing that level of depth or biblical exposition in many of the Full Gospel clips I had seen.  I didn't know if this attributed to why I hadn't heard him speak on any of those televised clips, but the man was very insightful and helpful.  I walked away knowing that, at least for Patterson and Ulmer, it was at least possible to have some ministerial clout and relevance without the typical 'gravy.'. Yes, they had their own way of closing, but nothing akin to the introductions of this form I had received via Jasper Williams and Jerry D. Black.  

Sunday in Retrospect

Well...the Lord blessed us this day in worship at the Mt. Salem Church.  Yesterday, Dee, the boys and I were able to attend Victoria East High School's 'Unleash the Beast.'. I had some theological reservations regarding the name, but I didn't let that stop from supporting our students.  While we have students from our congregation that are at West and East, most of our students this year attend the East.  Three of our girls (all of which are also a part of our Praise Dance ministry that D'Ani leads) are apart of the cheerleading squad.  Hey were excited to have us there.  That made me happy, in knowing they were!

Today I enjoyed doing Sunday School review.  Unfortunately, I went over my time.  But the content, regarding the shepherd and flock, God's rendering of justice on wicked shepherds, and the promise of sending shepherds after His own heart....was worth it!

I continued my study through the Beatitudes, picking up with the 7th Beatitude...which deals with peace.  Admittedly, I stumbled on the Title of the sermon, not coming up with a clever title.  So....I picked a title I'd heard used for this beatitude: Can We All Just Get Along.  I now think I should have gone with a more basic title, such as: Blessed Peace or Happy Are the Peacemakers.  But, you live and you learn!  Overall, God has blessed us in the study and delivery of these important commands given from our Lord.

Here is the sermon skeleton:

Can We All Just Get Along?
Matthew 5:9

THE POSSESSION OF PEACE

Peaceful Deeds.

Peaceful Words.

THE PROMOTION OF PEACE

Domestic Peacemaking.  This is the one who brings peace between persons.

Divine Peacemaking.   This is the one who brings peace between mankind and God.

THE PROMISE OF PEACE

Today we had two people come by Christian Experience.  We were glad to have them.  Moreover, it has been wonderful to see God show His continuing faithfulness to our congregation.  Our church has been through quite a bit; and to see how God has restored and continues to expand the vision and grow His church, is breathtaking.

Our family ate today at a place called Gringo's in the Houston area.  I have been on a Mexican food kick.  Unfortunately, my eating capacity is apparently getting less and less.  Recently, I've noticed i have been unable to finish my meals.  So, basically, I was done after the appetizer. Maybe this will help with my diet! :-/.

My Cowboys lost their 2nd preseason game.  Dwight Howard is officially signed to LA.  I'm planning to continue on to Beatitude 8 next week, with tentative plans to continue the sermon on the Mount.

Sunday in Retrospect

Today was another great day in the life of the Mt. Salem church family.  After being out the previous week, I found myself doing catch in sermonic preparation.  Our association (American Baptist Western District Association) met this past week, Monday through Thirsday.  Somehow, I convinced myself I could get up early in Corpus Christi, on the last day of association, drive to San Antonio with our youth department, spend a few hours with them and my family at Fiesta Texas Six Flags, get back on the road and be at Moderator's night in Corpus... Well, I did it!  But I feel it now...  Nonetheless, I was able to continue my series in the Beatitudes. 

Title: It's Time for a Heart Check
Matthew 5:8

I. THE POSITION OF THE PURE IN HEART

A. The Illustration of the Heart.

B. The Examination of Purity

II. THE PRACTICE OF THE PURE IN HEART

A. Three ways to work on having a pure heart. 

1. Remember that God is watching your heart. 
2. REVIEW the movies of your heart. 

- In Mt. 6:2-3 he says we can GIVE WITH THE WRONG MOTIVES.
- In Mt. 6:5-6- Jesus says you can PRAY WITH THE WRONG MOTIVES.
- Then Jesus says in Mt. 6:16-18 you can even FAST WITH THE WRONG MOTIVES.

3. Realign the priorities of your heart. 
- Look at your activities.
- Look at your anxieties. 
- Look at your ambitions. 

III. THE PROMISE OF THE PURE IN HEART

God blessed the message today.  One came to rededicate her life.  Three others came forward to join the fellowship.  

I am looking forward to continueing our study in Matthew 5:9, next week.