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It’s amazing how clear things become in the final chapter. Whether it be the final chapter of a book, the end of a season, or life itself, the end often brings clarity to what has been true all along the way. Perhaps nothing brings more gravity to the weightiness of life itself than recognizing that it will soon be over. The final chapter of God’s revelation ends with a similar weightiness that brings clarity to the past, the present, and the future. Themes that began in Genesis that have reverberated throughout the story of Scripture become even clearer in this final chapter. Revelation 22 continues to reveal that (Fallen Condition Focus) we are often far too satisfied with less than all that God intended. As we immerse ourselves in this text, I hope that this final chapter will help you to see your life from an eternal perspective. … because what we actually value will determine how live … “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). (AIM) In our text tonight, God gives us a foretaste of ultimate glory that we might know how to live. Outline. We are going to look at three overlapping themes that rise from this text … (1) Abundant Life; (2) Freedom in Christ; and (3) the Glory of God … Abundant Life, Freedom in Christ, and the Glory of God. 1 - Abundant Life: Revelation 22:1-2 Context. In the book of Revelation, Jesus offers a perspective of history in light of its final outcome through the apostle John. John begins this text by using symbolic illustrations to try and describe the indescribable glories of heaven. This revelation of future realities gives us a hope that we can see, smell, taste, hear, feel, and thus savor and live for. Lifegiving Waters. The angel continues his tour with the apostle John through this celestial city … and in v1, shows him “the river of the water of life.” Woven into creation itself is the illustration of the vivifying effects of water. Most planet earth type documentaries revolve around water returning to a dry and parched land. When the waters return, they produce banks of luscious, vibrant flourishing. Wherever the water goes, life emerges. Entire spectrums of glorious, vibrant color burst forth. God often uses this imagery to portray the vivifying work of His Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters before creation burst forth. The one who delights himself in the law of the LORD in Psalm 1 is “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.” In Jeremiah 2:13, God says that “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” When Jesus comes, He causes the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and those who were dead back to life! Like living water to parched land, He restores life … yet He promises that something better is coming! John 7:37-39 serves as a key text for understanding the river of the water of life here. Here, Jesus invites anyone who thirsts to “come to me and drink … 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said (quoting Isaiah 44:3), ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive’” And, in this final chapter, we see this beautiful Trinitarian theme repeated … v1 “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city.” Lifegiving Spirit. This crystalline river gives us an image of God’s pure, vivifying presence amongst people who are parched, barren, and spiritually dead! … Amongst those who long for a deep satisfaction but who continue to settle for the fleeting veneer of momentary pleasures. God’s Spirit reveals to us something of the light of the holiness and the glory of God and, in this light, the wretchedness and the unworthiness of our sin. He convicts us of sin and judgment and righteousness … causing us to hate the lie of sin that leads to death and love the truth of God that leads to life. God the Father and God the Son have delighted from all eternity to share their eternal goodness through God the Spirit. Like a river, the Spirit brings life. I love the description that Michael Horton gives of the Spirit… “The Spirit is an extrovert, always going forth on mission with His Word, creating an extroverted community that can at last look up to God in faith and out to the world in love, witness, and service.”[1] Like the river that began in Eden and then flowed throughout the world, the Holy Spirit flows from the throne of God and the Lamb to bring life. Nations at the Tree of Life. Practically speaking, we see this most clearly in the book of Acts, where all of the nations that were dispersed at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 begin to be brought back together by the Spirit as promised to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. The Spirit applies Christ’s work by regenerating people from every age and from every nation, tribe, people, and language to create one universal church. Their thirst will be quenched … and they will be eternally satisfied as we read in v2 about … “the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.” Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, rich and poor, slave and free, black and white … will all gather by this river … each having regained access to the tree of life based on the merits of Christ … and will each experience a perpetual spring to enjoy God and one another in the garden of the new Eden. Truth and Application. God the Father and God the Son offer abundant life through God the Spirit. What God offers is not simply a ticket out of hell to paradise one day … but abundant life through His Spirit today. God is the fountain of life to those who turn from their sin and trust Him. Where might you be trying to live out of your own cistern? Where are the world, the flesh, and the devil are stealing, killing, and destroying life that God designed good? Do your spouse and your kids know when you’ve spent time with Jesus … when you’ve been planted by His Word? God offers abundant life through His Spirit. The second theme that we see is freedom in Christ from the curse of sin. 11:17 2 - Freedom In Christ: Revelation 22:3 Genesis. No one who has ever lived has lived without a first-hand experience of the curse of sin—death, judgment, and life separated from God and His good design. Sin is so alluring because it masks itself with a veneer of good … but it never has the substance to deliver what it promises … and it will draw you in over and over again until one day the doors lock behind you … and you’ll find yourself eternally quarantined with nothing but guilt, shame, and a bad memory of the fleeting pleasure of sin. There is a reason that hell is compared to a beautiful prostitute. Sin always looks better through the front windshield than it does in the rear-view mirror … and its’ affects are far broader than you could ever imagine. Constitution. To illustrate, imagine someone spilling a pot of coffee on the Constitution of the United States such that the entire document was soaked. The ink would be blurred. Every fiber of the parchment would be stained and warped and … as it began to dry out, it would begin to crack. In the same way, the curse of sin affected every square inch of the constitution of our being. Though a vestige of what was intended could still be seen, the stain of the curse of sin would blur the truth and warp our thoughts, emotions, our decisions … everything about us. While we were not as bad as we possibly could be, we had severed ourselves from our only lifeline. Our first-hand knowledge of the depths of the curse of sin should cause us to see verse 3 as one of the most glorious verses in all of Scripture … V3 … “No longer will there be anything accursed.” Why? Why will there be no more curse? There will be no more curse because the Lamb on the throne became the curse for us … look at the end of v3 … “but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.” Because in the same way that an animal was sacrificed as a blood offering to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve in the garden, Jesus gave His own blood that we might be clothed in His righteousness! In the same way that the earth was baptized by water in the days of Noah, Jesus was baptized by the curse of death for the sins of the world … that the world would never again have to experience God’s wrath. He was nailed to a tree as the curse for sin so that we might again have access to the tree of life. We like sheep had gone astray—each turning to our own way—yet He became the Lamb who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities … that we might be freed from sin’s curse, healed of sin’s power, and be wholly restored to live at peace with God and one another. Holy. Understood in these terms, to be holy is not something that we have to muster up. To be holy is our greatest joy and our deepest delight … to know Christ and be found in Christ and to be like Christ. Jonathan Edwards helpfully states: “Our hungering’s and thirsting’s after God and Jesus Christ and after holiness can’t be too great for the value of these things, for they are things of infinite value … Therefore, endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of allurement.” To be holy is to be whole … wholly liberated from the tyranny of self … wholly conformed to God’s good design … wholly free to love God and to love others. Joni Earackson Tada. Joni Earackson Tada gives us a beautiful picture of the type of holiness and freedom that we should long for. In July of 1967, Joni was paralyzed from the shoulders down after diving into the shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Despite her physical struggles with pain, quadriplegia, and cancer, hear what she hopes for in heaven … “Don’t be thinking that when I get to heaven that I am most looking forward to a new body, free of cancer or pain, or quadriplegia … don’t be thinking that when I get to be with Jesus, I’m going to relish in mostly jumping up and kicking and doing aerobics … No(!) … what I am most looking forward to is a new Heart. I want a glorified heart that is free of sin, free of selfishness, free of self-centeredness, free of fear of the future, free, free, free...a heart that is no longer trapped by circumstances or resists God or looks for an escape or tries to justify itself when it is wronged. When I get to heaven, that will be glory for me.”[2] Truth and Application. My question to you tonight is what does glory look like for you? And how does that glory affect the way that you are living right now? Where are you choosing to live under the curse rather than the throne of God’s grace? To be free in Christ is to be free from the power of sin and long to be free from its’ presence. Do you want to be free like Jesus was free? … free from the tyranny of self … free from the bondage of sin … free to love and forgive even your vilest enemy? Free to not be consumed by your own self-image and vain glory … but rather to be totally consumed by your love for God … such that there is nothing in this life that is more valuable to you than His glory? Abundant life … freedom in Christ. And finally, the glory of God. 3 - The Glory Of God: Revelation 22:4-5 See His Face. Then, in the twinkling of an eye, we’ll turn … and what we have trusted by faith we will know by sight. V4 … We’ll see His face, and His name will be on our foreheads.” Like the thrill of a son or a daughter turning and seeing their father after an extended deployment … our ecstasy will be multiplied a hundredfold when we turn and see His face … The face of Him who knit us together in our mother’s womb … The face of Him for whom our souls find their deepest delight … The face of Him for whom the prophets longed to see but couldn’t … The face which bled from a crown of thorns that we might receive the crown of life. We will see Him in all of His glory without any hindrance of shame or remnant of the curse. Everything that John has seen in heaven so far—the luscious landscape fed by a lifegiving stream … the endless supply of the sweetest of fruits … the gates made with the finest of pearls … the floors plated with the purest of gold and whose walls sparkled with the rarest of jewels—all of these will pale in comparison to the glory of His presence … such that not only will there be no more night … but that even the light of an oil lamp and the light of the sun are put in the same category when they are compared to the infinite, glorious light of God! V5 … And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. The light of a lamp and that of the sun are like the glory of a short-lived match compared to the infinite radiance of God’s divine glory shown in the face of Jesus. Again, this is not something that we have to wait for … it is given in some measure now … Second Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Glory in Giving. And here again in our text, we see that God’s glory is a glory of giving of Himself. We wrestle with the idea of God seeking His own glory because we are born selfish and sinful … wanting to take rather than to give … but God is not like us. His seeking His own glory is in seeing His goodness multiplied. His glory is our good. Our good is a byproduct of us seeking His glory. And one day, v4 … His name will be on our foreheads. His name—representing His character—will be given to us. Aaron prayer in Numbers 6:25 for the Lord to “make His face to shine upon us” is answered in full. The work that God began God will complete as you and I are made to be wholly restored to His image and likeness. Bass Notes. When I was in college, I took a social dance class. The teacher would often call those of us who were less musically inclined to come put our hands on the speakers so that we could learn to hear and feel the bass notes. The more we learned to keep in step with the bass notes, the more the dance became a joy. The bass notes of God’s Word is His glory. As the fountain of life itself, God delights in seeing His goodness multiplied. When you come to the Lord in the morning, put your hands on His Word and ask Him to help you hear the bass notes. Ask Him to satisfy you in the morning with His steadfast love. Ask Him to continue to conform you to His image … for your good and His glory. Reign. V5 ends by stating that we will reign forever and ever. What does it mean that we are going to reign … and what are we going to reign over if there is no more sin … and all of the nations have been gathered to worship together? Theologians answer this in various ways. When we look at all of the allusions to the earliest parts of Genesis in this text—the river flowing through Eden giving life, the satisfaction of the tree of life, of walking with God in the garden, and the lack of any curse—I tend to think that to “reign forever and ever” is a fulfillment of God’s original commission to multiply and fill every square inch of this new Eden with His glorious image restored in us. Application. How does this future glory impact us today? In a general sense, what we hope for determines what we live for. The way that we spend our time, energy, and money reflect where our hope truly lies. In the chorus of an old hymn, Have the things of earth begun to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace? More specifically … Is your heart more invested in the fleeting pleasures of Amazon or the eternal treasures of Eden? If your heart more invested in your reputation or the eternal glory of God? Are there people that you know who beam with the glory of God … that you can tell that they have been with Jesus … that every time you’ve been with them its been like a mini-retreat? Conclusion. Brothers and sisters … the final chapter of what lies ahead has already been written … and it’s been written by Him who shed His own blood … proving that He is the One who is faithful and true … that He is who He says He is … and will do what He said He’s going to do. This is the best final chapter in history. If you have never turned from your sin and trusted Christ, turn now, be saved, and begin to experience the restoration of the good life you were made for. If you are in Christ, this is your inheritance. Bask in the glory of this! Live for this. Let the certainty of this future impact the way that you live today. Abundant life through the Spirit, freedom in Christ from the curse of sin, and the glory of God forevermore. Postscript. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Mr. Standfast at the end of his journey to the Celestial City, says that “the thoughts of what I am going to, and of the conduct that waits for me on the other side, doth lie as a glowing Coal at my heart. I see myself now at the end of my Journey … I am going now to see that Head that was Crowned with Thorns, and that Face that was spit upon, for me … I have formerly lived by … faith, but now I go where I shall live by sight, and shall be with Him, in whose company I delight.”[3] [1] Michael Horton, People and Places as found in Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, Foundations of Evangelical Theology Series (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012), 118. [2] Revive Our Hearts, True Woman ’14: Joni Eareckson Tada—A Different Kind of Freedom, 2014, begins at 31:45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXhyyQ14Ens. [3] John Bunyan and W. R. Owens, The Pilgrim’s Progress, New ed, Oxford World’s Classics (Oxford [England] ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2003), 283.

Below are my “top ten” takeaways from the Weekender at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Quotations are not word for word but transcribed from my notes in an attempt to capture main ideas. 1. Evangelism and discipleship. “Evangelism and discipleship undergird everything else that we do and everything else that we’ve published. If you say you’re following Jesus but you’re not teaching other people to follow Jesus, I’m not sure you’re following Jesus.” (Dever) “What you win them with is what you win them to.” 2. A culture of discipleship. “The whole personality of the congregation is making and shepherding disciples. This is not a program but something in the DNA of the church … a natural part of what it means to be a part of this congregation … discipling one another is a fundamental part of being a member. Mark repeats the emphasis on discipleship so that it gets into the bloodstream of the church.” (Deepak Reju) How do you develop a “culture of discipleship” practically? Leeman: One of our questions in the members interview is “do you want to be discipled?” If yes, then we encourage that person to pursue discipleship with another member in the church. If they answer ‘no,’ that’s a problem. We try to encourage all of our prospective members to want to be discipled. 3. Team Jesus. “We must see the beauty of Christ’s Church in our bones … not simply in this particular church. You are on the same team as all of these other pastors … and you’re trying to see how this area gets evangelized together. It shouldn’t be ‘CHBC is best.’ It’s not 'team CHBC' … you want to be a church and work with other churches who are on team Jesus.” (Dever) It’s not 'team CHBC' … you want to be a church and work with other churches who are on team Jesus. 4. Culture of missions. “We try to infuse missions throughout our church. We want to guard against this idea of a ‘set apart super child’ or a ‘special interest category.’ Missions is a very normal part of our ministry. Our chief goal is to make men and women who are like Christ. When that happens, more will go.” (Riley Barnes) Our chief goal is to make men and women who are like Christ. When that happens, more will go. 5. Selecting elders. “You don’t want a guy who is a built-in contrarian … someone who is going to ‘play the devil’s advocate’ or try to ‘bring balance.’ Good elders will know the difference between principle and preference ... Look for men who are doing evangelism and have a fruitful discipleship ministry as good elder candidates ... In 5 … 10 … 15 years, those that you are discipling now will be standing next to you shepherding the church with you.” (Schmucker) Look for men who are doing evangelism and have a fruitful discipleship ministry as good elder candidates. 6. Budget reveals priorities. “Show me your budget and I can tell you a lot about the vision of your church.” (Schmucker) 7. Red dot/green dot churches. “Red dot churches are importers. Green dot churches are exporters. Green dot churches are outpouring gospel churches that are pushing out. We want to see preachers raised up and sent out. We want to see more that are raised up and able to teach God’s Word.” (Dever) 8. Congregational singing. The volume and affections of those singing were inspiring. The congregation’s voice was sweet. The words of more modern hymns like Christ is Mine Forevermore also seemed to resonate more deeply as the congregation sang the lyrics together. 9. Prayers. Prayers were short and concise. At the conclusion of the prayer, everyone joined together in saying “amen.” 10. Church discipline. "Church discipline only makes sense in a culture of discipling. Sins that require church discipline are: (1) outward (evidence); (2) serious/significant; (3) and where the sinner is unrepentant." (Leeman)

The application of the Old Testament to the Christian today is a source of much discussion. Murmurs of “legalism” and “not earning salvation” seem to arise anytime the “Law or the Prophets” are discussed (Matt 5:17). Yet such accusations blur the glory of God’s Word, functionally diminish—even if giving lip service to inerrancy—the influence of nearly three-quarters of the Bible, and hamstring both the need for unbelievers to be saved and for believers to grow in Christlikeness (2 Tim 3:14-17; Rom 8:28-30; ESV).[1] In this essay, I make the case that the Old Testament is both necessary and beneficial in developing an ethic that is thoroughly Christian. I will make this argument in three steps. Jesus’s view of the law and the prophets from Matthew 5:17-20 will be used to give the foundation for why the Old Testament is significant in developing a thoroughly Christian ethic. Second, I will articulate how the Old Testament informs a Christian ethic specifically. Third, I will provide uses of this ethic for Jesus’s followers today. Why It takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian. Ethics and morality are rooted in the eternal law of God. The Old Testament displays God’s character and His eternal plan of redemption that helps make sense of the New Testament. The Old Testament displays the tension caused by humanity’s covenantal failures with God and thus their desperate need to be reconciled to His “very good” design. This eternal story climaxes in God taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus, in the words of A.W. Tozer, “Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” Matthew 5:17-20. Critical to understanding the continuity and discontinuity spectrum between the Old and New Testaments are Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:17-20: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. A proper understanding of what Jesus meant to “fulfill” the “Law or the Prophets” is necessary to interpret the Old Testament in light of the New. The law was divided into three parts for ancient Israel: (1) the civil law, (2) the ceremonial law, and (3) the moral law. Jesus fulfilled the civil (or judicial) law—a temporary safeguard providing consequences for those who disobeyed the moral law (e.g., Exod 21:15; Deut 22:8)—as the One who is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith” in Him (Rom 3:26). Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law—revolving around the sacrificial offerings to atone for sin and restore a right relationship with God—by both observing this law and becoming the sacrificial atonement for sin (John 1:29, 36; 1 Cor 5:7; Col 2:16–17; Heb 9:11-28, 10:1–10). Jesus fulfilled the moral law—articulated by the Ten Commandments (Exod 19:1-17)—by living a life of perfect obedience to God the Father (2 Cor 5:21). While parts of the law that related to ethnic Israel are now obsolete, the moral law—rooted in the eternal law of God—will remain forever (Matt 5:17-18; Mark 7:19; Acts 10:9–16). Jesus fulfilled the “Law” and “the Prophets.” Yet not one iota or dot has passed or will ever pass from the eternal law of God. These laws provided a two-dimensional line drawing for Israel of God’s eternal character that Jesus fills in with living and vibrant color as the image of the invisible God (John 1:18; Col 1:15). While there are aspects of the “line drawing” that can no longer be seen, the image is unmistakable. Thus, grave consequences and glorious rewards are assigned to those who denigrate or propagate the intent of the “least of these commandments” (Matt 5:19). Under Grace. A proper understanding of what it means to be “under grace” is necessary to alleviate the perceived tension between Paul’s words “not under law but under grace” and Christ’s warning that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:20; Rom 6:14; 10:4; Gal 5:18). The Old Testament alleviates this perceived tension. Ezekiel prophecies about the day when God will put His own Spirit within someone and “cause” them “to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezek 36:27). Jeremiah also prophecies, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:33). On this subject, Jonathan Pennington writes, “as with the Beatitudes, the priority of internal disposition over external purity is the vital issue.”[2] This “righteousness” far “exceeds” that of the religious elite tangibly because the eternal law of God is not a dutiful burden applied externally but a means of inner delight within the heart. While Christ’s imputed righteousness is necessary for anyone to be born again, the righteousness that is in view here refers to a holistic righteousness that manifests itself in visible ways as the result of having been “born again” (John 3:3). Paul himself writes to the Corinthians that he is “not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law” and calls the Galatians to “fulfill the law of Christ” (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2). Tom Schreiner summarizes, “Theologically, what we find here fits with what is called the law of Christ in Paul. The law is fulfilled in Christ and must be interpreted in light of Christ’s coming. Hence, the focus is no longer on the law but on Christ himself.”[3] How Having identified why the Old Testament is necessary, this section will identify how the Old Testament informs a Christian ethic in three specific areas. 1 - The Genesis Blueprint. The first two chapters of God’s Word provide a sense of order, purpose, and beauty inherit in His creation. Genesis 1 and 2 are referred to as the “Genesis blueprint.” This blueprint provides humanity with God’s “very good” design. The first two chapters of Genesis answer the fundamental questions of life: who we are as people made in God’s image, where we came from, and what our sense of purpose is (Gen 1:26-28). 2 - Sexual ethic. The Genesis blueprint also provides humanity with God’s sexual ethic that has endured for millennia upon millennia as that which is true, good, and beautiful. While the word “good” is repeated twelve times in the first two chapters of Genesis, God sees that it was “very good” after creating male and female (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31; 2:9, 12, 15, 17, 18). Genesis 1-2 presents God’s “very good” design for sexual ethics: (1) one man and one woman (2) united in a one flesh union (3) for a lifetime. God uses this union to display His relationship with humanity. God brings forth children from the complementary and intimate union of a husband and wife knowing each other as naked and unashamed (Gen 2:25). This union is the means by which humanity is to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). The beauty of God’s sexual ethic is confirmed by Jesus, the apostles, and Paul (Gen 1:28; 2:23-25; Matt 5:27-28; 19:3-9; Mark 7:21; 10:2-10; Acts 15:28-29; 1 Cor 6:9-11, 13-20; Eph 5:22-23). This biblical sexual ethic is also vindicated by modern day statistics that show the deteriorating effects of sexuality that reject the Genesis blueprint.[4] The Genesis blueprint has significant implications on ethical issues such as artificial reproductive technologies, in vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, contraception, birth control, abortion, homosexuality, the transgender movement, etc.. 3 - Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments provide God’s moral standard for all people across all time. God has written this moral standard both on tables of stone and on all people’s hearts (Eccl 3:11; Rom 2:14-15). David Jones writes, “As a revelation of God’s character, the moral law is timeless, unchanging, and the standard by which God judges’ man.”[5] Thus, moral law does not begin with the Decalogue. The Decalogue simply identifies for humanity the moral law that exists in the eternal law of God. Christians recognize, however, that this standard is merely a starting point for a higher moral standard—the eternal law of God that is manifested in God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. The New Testament repeats the Decalogue with the implication that the moral code to which it points to is still in effect (Matt 5:21, 27; 19:17–19; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Rom 7:7; 13:9; Eph 6:2–3; and Jas 2:11.47). Jesus articulates this higher standard in His Sermon on the Mount (e.g. “you have heard that it was said, but I say to you …; Matt 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). Paul notes that the “law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Tim 1:8). No one is or ever has been saved by keeping the moral law (Rom 3:10-11). At the same time, those who are saved “by grace” are drawn to Christ’s higher moral standard (Eph 2:8; Matt 5:20). Jesus did not just fulfill the law. He is the very embodiment of the eternal law. The three forms of law are an essential “shadow of the things that were to come” that point to the “reality … found in Christ” (Col 2:17). To be “born again” changes one’s posture from “what can I get away with” to “how can I be restored to and best enjoy God’s ‘very good’ design?” One cannot negate the broader standard of the law and then uphold the higher standard for which this law points. Understood properly, the pursuit of holiness is not a burdensome duty but becomes one’s greatest delight. In this way, “Holiness turns out to be our greatest joy.”[6] Use There are three areas where this ethic is immensely important for Christians to embrace. First, the moral law as found in the Old Testament is insightful for evangelism and apologetics. Evangelism and apologetics. Every unbeliever is living a life that is less than the “very good” design that God created them for. God has written His moral code on both tablets of stone and stony hearts (Exod 20:1-17, 34:1; Deut 6:22; Rom 2:14-15). Perhaps there is no more powerful “gospel bridge” than to appeal to the moral code that God has already written on the unbeliever’s heart (Rom 2:14-15). Unbelievers have to know that they are lost and that they are suppressing the truth (Rom 1:18). The moral law helps them recognize their lostness. It provides a broad road map towards fulfillment. The Old Testament speaks to the condition of the human heart like no other work in history. Thus, the Old Testament has immense value in evangelism. Salvation (conversion and sanctification). The Old Testament has soteriological value for both conversion and sanctification. Paul reminds Timothy of the scriptures that were able to make him “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). God uses the Old Testament to “mortify sin and vivify the Spirit.”[7] Paul writes to Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). Reading the Old Testament in light of Christ’s first coming causes a Christian’s affections for Christ to grow. It heightens the sense of need and the glory of God’s salvation. In so doing, the believer lives out God’s plan for salvation by becoming more and more like the One they worship (Rom 8:29-30; 1 Cor 15:48-49; 2 Cor 3:18; Phil 3:21; 1 John 3:2). Societal. Finally, the Old Testament—particularly the Ten Commandments—provides a framework for the laws regulating society. In reference to the Decalogue prohibition of murder, Andrew Walker states, “we think all of society should abide by this … this is binding on all of humanity” (Exod 20:13).[8] The same could be said for commandments five through ten of the Decalogue. The Old Testament is particularly helpful because it is regulative and thus policeable by its very nature. Conclusion The Old Testament provides substantial insight into the eternal law of God. Jesus affirmed its importance for His followers (Matt 5:17-20). The Old Testament also has profound implications for the “abundant life” for which these followers were designed (e.g., purpose, sexuality, rest). Thus, it is essential in the development of an ethic that is thoroughly Christian. God is glorified when we enjoy life according to His good design. The Old Testament provides a necessary “shadow” that is recognized both on a societal level and also within the chambers of every human heart. Christians can use this “shadow” to point the “reality,” calling those who are weary and heavy laden to Christ, that they might learn from Him and “find rest for … [their] souls” (Matt 11:28-30). [1] All Bible references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. [2]Jonathan T Pennington, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary (Baker Academic, 2017), 179. [3] Thomas R. Schreiner, 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law (Grand Rapids, Mich: Kregel Publications, 2010), 162. [4]“‘Gay Marriage’ and Distant Consequences: Homosexuality, Sexual Immorality and the Downfall of American Civilization » Americans for Truth,” accessed January 15, 2022, https://americansfortruth.com/2013/08/09/gay-marriage-and-distant-consequences-homosexuality-sexual-immorality-and-the-downfall-of-american-civilization/. as well as Mark Regnerus, “How Different Are the Adult Children of Parents Who Have Same-Sex Relationships?,” Social Science Research, Findings from the New Family Structures Study, 41, no. 4 (July 2012): 752. [5]David W. Jones, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, ed. Daniel R. Heimbach, B&H Studies in Biblical Ethics (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2013), 60. [6]Zane Pratt, “Spiritual Warfare in Evangelism and Missions: Lectures” (Lecture, Spiritual Warfare Lectures, Southern Seminary (Zoom Meeting), December 2020). [7]Andrew Walker, “Survey of Christian Ethics” (Lectures, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, January 2022). [8]Walker, “Christian Ethics: Lecture.”

Anyone who has experienced the pain that accompanies theft, gossip, racism, adultery, or murder has experienced the acute sense of "oughtness" for the way in which life was meant to be—and not be—lived. Where does that sense of “oughtness” come? Natural Law Theory proposes that a universal moral order exists that can be deduced from reason and intuition (natural) that can govern behavior and purpose (law). In this essay, I will first explain Natural Law Theory’s (1) biblical-theological foundations, (2) its value, and (3) its applicability to society today. Biblical-Theological Justification There are three principles that can be derived from Scripture for Natural Law Theory. Universally understood. First, special revelation is unnecessary to arrive at the constructs of natural law.[1] For instance, people intuitively know and conform to the first principle of practical reason: “Good is to be pursued and evil is to be avoided.”[2] This principle provides a barometer for humanity to measure “good” and “evil.” Thus, natural law is and has been accessible to every person of the human race across the ages. In this sense, one can understand how God has “put eternity into man’s heart.” Yet man by his unrighteousness—his “ungodliness”—suppresses “the truth” for a lie (Gen 3:1; Eccl 3:11; Rom 1:18-25; ESV).[3] When people do good apart from the special revelation of God, they bear witness to the natural law of the universe, showing “that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them (Rom 2:14-15; ESV).[4] In doing good, they bear witness to God’s good design, perhaps even unknowingly. Immorality occurs when people suppress the God-given intuition and reasoning capacities of their conscience and take that which was created “very good” to use it for its unintended purpose (Rom 1:25). God created a world that was “very good.” Evil, immorality, and sin are not the direct result of God’s good design but a distortion—by people who have suppressed the truth—of that good design. Rooted in God. Second, natural law is rooted in and thus testifies to the eternal law of God. In Genesis 1:26-28, God creates humanity in His own image. Thus, the natural law by which humanity is able to deduce what is good from that which is evil emanates from the eternal law of God.[5] “Oughtness” is derived from the image and likeness of God imprinted onto humanity. C. S. Lewis summarizes this sentiment, stating, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world … earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.”[6] People know that death, mourning, crying, and pain are not the way that life “ought” to be (Rev 21:4). This understanding points humanity to what Lewis refers to as “the real thing.” Fulfilled in Christ. Third, because natural law is intuitive to humanity and because that which is ultimately good is rooted in the eternal law of God, the God-Man Jesus is the highest revelation of natural law. As the One who perfectly kept the natural law, He fulfilled the natural law as the second Adam where the first had failed. Thus, He is the example of the good life for which humanity was designed. There is no greater “good.” Jesus images forth the ultimate good to which the natural law points. Value The value of Natural Law Theory is immense. Three of these values will be spelled out in broad strokes. Objective. First, Natural Law Theory maintains that morality is ultimately objective. It removes the subjectivity of conventions, consensus, or majority opinion because “it is there whether we want it there or not.”[7] The sentiment of the moral arc of the universe bending towards justice speaks to the objective qualities of the natural law.[8] Natural law provides “a remedy against the great evils of, on the one side anarchy (lawlessness), and on the other side tyranny.”[9] The first value of natural law is that it provides humanity with a morality that is objective. Resonates. The second value of natural law is that it resonates with all of humanity. Jesus’s golden rule, “do to others as you would have them do unto you,” reflects the simplicity and applicability of this first principle of natural law on its smallest scale (Matt 7:12). It is a small step to understand how the happiness, health, and harmony for the individual relates to the happiness, health, and harmony of others. In the words of Andrew Walker, “This matters because we are trying to understand those principles of right action that our nature is made for.”[10] Natural law is of great value for its ability to resonate with all people who live within the same moral ecosystem. Flourishing. The third value of Natural Law Theory is how it promotes human flourishing. One’s eyes are opened when they believe that there is an objective purpose for which creation is heading. Jesus states, “If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Matt 6:22). The reference to the eye in the singular form is a reference to an eye of integrity—a single-eyed, wholehearted devotion to one purpose. To this end, Paul prays that the Lord would “open their [unbelievers] eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). Similarly, the Psalmist writes, “There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” (Ps 4:6). Flourishing accompanies the one who follows the “path of wisdom in the way that God has made the world.”[11] Societal Application The applicability of Natural Law Theory is immense. Three areas will be discussed. Order, purpose, and intelligibility. First, natural law illuminates the order, purpose, and intelligibility that is reflected in God’s “very good” design. This is significantly relevant to sexuality and gender. Jesus and Paul affirm the creational law of Genesis 1 and 2 (Matt 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-8; 1 Cor 6:18; 11:4-16). In the words of an unknown author, “If you can convince society that a man is a woman, what can’t you convince society to believe?”[12] Statistical data gives evidence that higher levels of human flourishing result from living in accord with the natural grain of the universe rather than against it. For instance, Mark Regnerus discovered that children of gay parents are nearly four times more likely to receive public assistance, two times less likely to have a full-time job, three and a half times more likely to be unemployed, over three times more likely to have had an affair while married, twelve times more likely to have been sexually abused by a parent or adult, and nearly four times more likely to have been raped than the children raised in heterosexual, intact, biological families.[13] Historical data also validates the good design of natural law. In his work Sex and Culture, Oxford anthropologist J. D. Unwin studies eighty-six human civilizations and concludes “that a society’s destiny is tied inseparably to the limits it imposes on sexual expression. The highest levels of social development are reached only by cultures that practice what Unwin called “absolute monogamy,” in which marriage is limited to one man and one woman, sex outside marriage is not tolerated, and divorce is prohibited.”[14] Statistical and historical data validate God’s “very good” design. The perversion of God’s good design results in devastating consequences on both the individual and societal levels. Evangelistic and apologetic. Second, natural law offers profound evangelistic and apologetic opportunities. For example, natural law provides a sound response to the objection to the existence of God because of the “problem of evil.” Natural law helps to unveil the reality that evil is so recognizable because it is set in contrast to the immense goodness of the natural law of creation. While acts of atrocity abound, natural law subdues immorality, sin, and evil as a means of God’s common grace to all. He allows the sun and the rain to fall on both the good and the bad (Matt 5:45). Examples of God’s goodness in nature abound (breath, beauty, purpose, order, sleep, experiences, music, etc.). Humanity’s sense of “oughtness” for what is true and good and beautiful is universal. It also points to the design of a Designer. Restoration to one’s Designer and His good design brings flourishing. In this regard, Timothy Paul Jones contends, “Because that which is moral will bring us the most happiness, following the designer’s order leads to the greatest fulfillment in life.”[15] The opposite is also true. Rejecting the Designer and perverting His good design stifles the flourishing life that humanity was meant for. Liberation. Finally, understanding natural law can liberate people from the distortion caused by sin. The good news that the natural law points to is freedom from the tyranny of self. In his work Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund writes, “Beneath our smiles at the grocery store and cheerful greetings to the mailman we were quietly enthroning self and eviscerating our souls of the beauty and dignity and worship for which they were made.”[16] Humans are designed to live for something greater than themselves. The natural law points humanity to this sense of purpose—“dignity and worship”—for which they were made. This purpose is liberating. The Psalmist writes, “I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts” (Ps 119:45). Living according to the natural precepts of the Designer liberates people from their bondage to self and the degenerating effects of sin. Conclusion God is not far from any one of us (Rom 10:8). Those who reject God have no excuse because “what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom 1:19-10). What is “plain to them” is the natural law of the universe. Natural law provides a sense of “oughtness” to life that is universal in scope. While simple in concept, the implications of this law are vast. Natural law offers profound opportunities to expose the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil that have suppressed the truth and offer Jesus’s promise of abundant life (John 10:10). The most loving thing that Christians can do is to walk in humility and meekness and point those who are living a life less than the fullness God intended to the restoration accomplished and offered at the cross. "Our willingness to embrace the realities of our neighbor’s difficulty is what empowers our witness and makes our testimony of Christ effective and hearable."[16] Natural law points us to an abundant life of “dignity and worship.”[17] Followers of Christ can point unbelievers to that which is ultimately “good … the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” (Ps 4:6). Bibliography [1]David Haines and Andrew Fulford, Natural Law: A Brief Introduction and Biblical Defense (Moscow, ID: The Davenant Institute, 2017), 5. [2]Andrew Walker, “Survey of Christian Ethics” (Lectures, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, January 2022). [3] All Bible references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. [4] All Bible references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. [5]Thomas Aquinas, “Summa Theologiae,” Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas, accessed January 14, 2022, http://summa-theologiae.org/question/21002.htm. [6]Clive Staples Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Touchstone, 1996), 120–21. [7]Walker, “Christian Ethics: Lecture.” [8] While this phrase was popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King, this notion should be credited to Theodore Parker and his sermon “Of Justice and the Conscience.” [9]John Finnis, “Natural Law Theories,” in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Summer 2020 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2020), https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/natural-law-theories/. [10]Walker, “Christian Ethics: Lecture.” [11]Walker, “Christian Ethics: Lecture.” [12]Walker, “Christian Ethics: Lecture.” [13]Mark Regnerus, “How Different Are the Adult Children of Parents Who Have Same-Sex Relationships?,” Social Science Research, Findings from the New Family Structures Study, 41, no. 4 (July 2012): 752. [14]“‘Gay Marriage’ and Distant Consequences: Homosexuality, Sexual Immorality and the Downfall of American Civilization » Americans for Truth,” accessed January 15, 2022, https://americansfortruth.com/2013/08/09/gay-marriage-and-distant-consequences-homosexuality-sexual-immorality-and-the-downfall-of-american-civilization/. [15]Timothy Paul Jones, “Apologetics” (Lecture, Christian Apologetics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Spring 2021). [16]Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 176. [16]Christopher W. Brooks, Urban Apologetics: Why the Gospel Is Good News for the City (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2014), 34. [17]Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly, 176.

The spiritual discipline of time is the king of all of the other disciplines. Below are 3 texts from God's Word, 3 warnings, and 3 principles to steward our time to the glory of God. Three Scripture Texts Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Ephesians 5:15-17 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. James 4:14 What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Three Warnings 1-Don’t let “busyness” become your idol (i.e., your identity). It used to be that when people asked how you were doing, the common response was more often “good.” Today, the most common response is “busy.” We see the dangers of busyness in Jesus’s warning to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). God has made us stewards by His grace. Anxiety quickly sneaks in when we begin to trust ourselves rather than God. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? … Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you” -Jesus in Matthew 6:27, 33). 2-Don’t let a sense of urgency lead to impatience. If you’re too busy to be kind, you’re too busy. Jesus was neither in a rush or wasted time. Don’t let the “cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word,” and prove it “unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). Grace + Intentionality = Transformation (Brad Rhoades) 3-Time drifts towards disorder. Like an unkempt garden, all things—including time—drift towards disorder. God called us to be stewards so that we could extend—or “multiply”—His goodness throughout the earth (Gen 1:28). This takes ownership (dominion) on our part. Don’t waste your life … few things if any fill me with more longing these months and years than the longing that my children not waste their lives on fatal success. … Don't coast through life without a passion … whatever you do, find the God centered, Christ exalting, Bible saturated passion of your life and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it.[1] Three Principles 1-We make time for what’s most important. Your calendar reveals what you actually value. We are accountable for how we spend the time we’ve been given. Therefore, live with the end in mind. Resolve to live in such a way that you will not think on your deathbed “Why did I spend so much time _________ (watching TV, playing video games, doom scrolling). “How many people tie their shoes in the morning not knowing that the undertaker will be taking them off. Every breath is a gift.” -Don Whitney 2-Discipline = Freedom: Take ownership of your time and plan how you’re going to spend it wisely.[2] Everything, including time, drifts towards disorder. It will take effort on your part to restore order. A mentor once told us, “If you plan your vacations, why don't you plan your life.” Take time early in January to get away and plan how you’re going to spend your life (Family Retreat Template). Prune branches that aren’t bearing good fruit so that the nutrients can get to those that are (John 15:1-11). “Prioritize and execute” -Jocko Willink and Lief Babin 3-Ruthlessly eliminate hurry and distraction from your life. Being hurried and being distracted are the two ditches in our era that seem to be our greatest temptations. There are times that I get up from the table and don’t feel like I have tasted my food. There are other times where I have been distracted and unfaithful to the task at hand. Yet, I have never gotten any sense that Jesus was ever in a rush or that He wasn’t diligent with His time. The quality of craftsmanship comes to mind as the narrow road between these two ditches. Jesus was both intentional and patient. He spent the time that was necessary to do the job well. “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Jesus (Luke 8:15) Prayer: Lord, teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom. Give us wisdom to make that which is most important to you most important to us. Other Resources on Time 20 Quotes from Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport Billy Graham Video: Life is Short (4:25) Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper Extreme Ownership by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink [1]John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2003), 46–47. [2]Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win, Second edition (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2017).

Purchase this work here: Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake Phil Campbell and Gary Millar’s book, Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake aims to “help us all to preach in a way that is faithful to Scripture without being dull. Some of the steps we need to take to achieve this or spiritual, some are technical, and some are theological” (26). In the following review, I give a brief summary of each chapter along with supporting quotations before giving strengths and weaknesses of this work. While there were certain aspects of this book that I would quibble with (sermons with slide and videos, and very short sermons), I greatly appreciated how immensely practical Campbell and Millar were in this work. I would highly recommend it to anyone who preaches or teaches God’s Word. Chapter Summaries An Aussie and an Irishman walk into a pulpit… (about the authors) “Our prayer is that this book will equip and encourage you to preach the word of God in a way that fits your own personality and his faithful Anne fresh in your own context.” 9 Saving Eutychus (Introduction) “Our challenge is not just to avoid being deadly dull. Our challenge is also to be faithful, accurate and clear as we cut to the heart of the biblical text and apply what God is really saying in a way that cuts to the hearts of people who are really listening.” 14 Chapter 1 - Saving Eutychus 101: it’s not about you Summary: The preacher, not possessing any power in and of himself, must remember that “God uses weak and sinful people” and thus be dependent on God in prayer. “Preaching and praying go together.” 24 Chapter 2 - Preaching that changes the heart Summary: Expository preaching “uncages the lion” of God’s Word and allows God to speak to the human heart. “I want everyone to be bowled over by the power and beauty of God. I want people (myself included) to become more like Christ. To borrow Edwards’s language, I want people to be ‘affected.’ I want to preach in a way that results in change. Real change. Heart change.” 27 “The key to preaching, then, is to make the message of the text obvious. Help people to see it and feel it. Help people to understand the text … I am utterly convinced that the kind of preaching that changes people’s lives, that changes people’s hearts, is preaching that allows the text to speak … Expository preaching happens when the message of the text = the message of the sermon. Or perhaps better, expository preaching happens when the vibe of the passage = the vibe of the sermon.” 29-31 “When we preach the gospel, we are not simply telling people how to be good or leaving them to wallow in the overwhelming sense that they are irredeemably bad.” 41 Chapter 3 - Deadly, dull, and boring Summary: Speak clearly, simply, and naturally. “If you master the art of natural scripting—writing exactly the words you’d naturally speak, exactly the way you’d naturally say them—then you can eliminate the downsides of scripted public speaking.” 45 “I want to push you to prepare in a way that combines your heartfelt passion with hardheaded clarity, in a package that’s well planned, conversational and clear … and not too long.” 50 “To make easy things seem hard is easy, but to make hard things easy is the office of a great preacher.” (George Whitefield; 49) 10 practical tips for being clearer (The most helpful part of this book) 1. The more you say, the less people will remember. 50 2. Make the ‘big idea’ shape everything you say. 51 3. Choose the shortest, most ordinary words you can. 52 4. Use shorter sentences (average sentence length should be between 17 and 20 words). 53 5. Forget everything your English teacher taught you. 54 i. “Get rid of ‘thats’ and ‘whiches.’” 6. Repeat yourself (strategically). 56 7. Translate narratives into the present tense. 58 8. The $6 million secret of illustrating: “illustrate the obvious, and the complex ideas will take care of themselves, because your listeners will be fresh and focused enough to stay with you.” 58-59 (not sure I agree here) 9. People love to hear about people. “Populate your preaching with real people.” 59 10. Work towards your key text. “Lead your listeners towards the text. Instead of quoting it then explaining it, do the reverse. Explain and then show … let the words of scripture close the deal.” 60 Chapter 4 - So what’s the big deal? Summary: Determine the big idea of the text, summarize this idea in one sentence, and let this big idea drive everything else. This is an essential and critical first step toward preparing a sermon. “It’s easier for your listeners to catch a baseball [the big idea] than a handful of sand.” 64 “The big idea of a passage most often emerges when you spot the repetitions in the text and follow the chain of logic between them.” 67 Chapter 5 - Why preaching the gospel is so hard (especially from the Old Testament) Summary: Preaching that is shaped by biblical theology will connect themes that run through Scripture and will help the preacher avoid the dangers of both legalism and license. “Paul says that these things happened to them but were written for us. In that one simple sentence, I think we can find the hermeneutical key to preaching Christ affectively, hopefully, and in a way that makes people gasp.” 80 Chapter 6 - Stand and deliver Summary: Heartfelt passion around the big idea of the text will enable the preacher to deliver God’s Word with the unction necessary to move others to faith and obedience. 110 “A lot depends on your heart—are you passionate, excited by the gospel, enthused by your passage, and in love with the church the Lord Jesus has put under your care? If you’re just going through the motions It will show.” 101 “It’s about owning your words—using the words you’ve prepared to communicate the big idea of your passage in a way that moves people towards faith and obedience.” 110 Chapter 7 - Faithful wounds and the importance of critique Summary: One of the most valuable helps that preacher’s need is “loving, godly, perceptive criticism.” 111 Chapter 8 - Let’s build a sermon: Phil walks through the process of writing last Sunday sermon Summary: Phil talks through his thought process to craft his latest sermon on Acts 8. Critical Review The greatest strength of this book is how immensely practical it is. Interesting: “Old-fashioned handwriting activates a different set of brain pathways, slows me down, and helps me see and digest the text up close, one thought at a time.” 66 Helpful list of what preachers could get wrong: “getting the big idea wrong/not preaching the passage; self-indulgence; not preaching the gospel; not preaching the gospel to people’s hearts; insensitivity; trying to be too clever.” 113-116 Talk to your wife (or somebody) about the creative process of how you crafted the sermon. This will help you distill the most important parts of what you will preach. 118 Practical helps on the application aspect of a sermon. Practical helps on “unflinching application”: “Bryan Chapell’s words, ‘Say exactly what you mean exactly as you’d say it to a loved one’. Gently.” 73 “Be direct. ‘If you are on the verge of an affair with that girl who understands you at the office, don’t do it!’ Carries much more punch than the vague, “do we sometimes struggle with sexual temptation?” 74 “The application comes at the end of your research, but it comes first as you design and build your sermon.” 74

The following quotes are taken from Cal Newport’s book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate. 3 Shallow Work: Noncognitively demanding, logistical-style tasks, often performed while distracted. These efforts tend to not create much new value in the world and are easy to replicate. 6 The Deep Work Hypothesis: The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive. 14 This ability to fully disconnect, as opposed to the more standard practice of sneaking in a few quick work e-mail checks, or giving in to frequent surveys of social media sites, allows me to be present with my wife and two sons in the evenings, and read a surprising number of books for a busy father of two. More generally, the lack of distraction in my life tones down that background hum of nervous mental energy that seems to increasingly pervade people’s daily lives . . . A deep life is a good life. 17-18 High-Quality Work Produced = (Time Spent) x (Intensity of Focus) 40 People experiencing attention residue after switching tasks are likely to demonstrate poor performance on that next task. 42 When we step back from these individual observations, we see a clear argument form: To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction. Put another way, the type of work that optimizes your performance is deep work. 44 Depth will become increasingly rare and therefore increasingly valuable. 71 The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile . . . To build your working life around the experience of flow produced by deep work is a proven path to deep satisfaction. 84, 86 Craftsmanship, Dreyfus and Kelly argue in their book’s conclusion, provides a key to reopening a sense of sacredness in a responsible manner. 87 “We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals.” . . . Whether you’re a writer, marketer, consultant, or lawyer: Your work is craft, and if you hone your ability and apply it with respect and care, then like the skilled wheelwright you can generate meaning in the daily efforts of your professional life. 89, 90 This brings me to the motivating idea behind the strategies that follow: The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration. 100 Four Rules: Rule #1: Work Deeply 95 Rule #2: Embrace Boredom 155 Rule #3: Quit Social Media 181 Rule #4: Drain the Shallows 215 Four Disciplines: Discipline # 1: Focus on the Wildly Important 136 Discipline # 2: Act on the Lead Measures . . . Lead measures turn your attention to improving the behaviors you directly control in the near future that will then have a positive impact on your long-term goals. 137-38 Discipline #3: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard (that measures the hours of deep work). 138 Discipline #4: Create a Cadence of Accountability. 140 Only the confidence that you’re done with work until the next day can convince your brain to downshift to the level where it can begin to recharge for the next day to follow. Put another way, trying to squeeze a little more work out of your evenings might reduce your effectiveness the next day enough that you end up getting less done than if you had instead respected a shutdown . . . To succeed with this strategy, you must first accept the commitment that once your workday shuts down, you cannot allow even the smallest incursion of professional concerns into your field of attention. 149, 151 When you work, work hard. When you’re done, be done. 154 There is, however, an important corollary to this idea: Efforts to deepen your focus will struggle if you don’t simultaneously wean your mind from a dependence on distraction. Much in the same way that athletes must take care of their bodies outside of their training sessions, you’ll struggle to achieve the deepest levels of concentration if you spend the rest of your time fleeing the slightest hint of boredom. 157 The strategies that follow are motivated by the key idea that getting the most out of your deep work habit requires training, and as clarified previously, this training must address two goals: improving your ability to concentrate intensely and overcoming your desire for distraction. 159 To summarize, the motivation for this strategy is the recognition that a deep work habit requires you to treat your time with respect. A good first step toward this respectful handling is the advice outlined here: Decide in advance what you’re going to do with every minute of your workday. 227 For many, there’s a comfort in the artificial busyness of rapid e-mail messaging and social media posturing, while the deep life demands that you leave much of that behind. There’s also an uneasiness that surrounds any effort to produce the best things you’re capable of producing, as this forces you to confront the possibility that your best is not (yet) that good. 263 Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World: Newport, Cal: 9781455586691: AmazonSmile: Books

The following "nuggets" are taken from Brad Rhoads “Having a Marriage that Lasts” lectures at Southern Seminary. If you are interested in having a stronger marriage or a more robust marriage ministry at your church, you can visit Brad’s website, GraceMarriage.com for more details. 1. The best thing you can do for your church is to invest in your marriage. What is your vision for your marriage? If it was ideal, what would it look like? The opposite is going to happen unless you write it down and are intentional to do it. Grace + Intentionality = Transformation 2. I'm staying qualified for ministry by spending time with my wife. Good marriages form the DNA of our church. 3. You can either be liked by all or respected by all. As a pastor, you will be applauded for bad decisions. You don't want a growing church and a declining family. Being able to say no is critical. You don't have to die for your church … Jesus did that. Be willing to upset people in your church by prioritizing your family. Bad leaders are ones that take it all on their own because they like the attention that they get. You can either be liked by all or respected by all. 4. We have a successful marriage ministry in our church because our pastors have good marriages. The healthiest churches are churches where the pastors have a healthy family. 5. Shepherds need shepherds pouring into them. Invite others into your hurts. 6. Focus on laying down your life for your wife. 7. If you have more to do than there is time to do it, you're likely walking in your will rather than God's. Spend a life in pursuit of Jesus not in the pursuit of ministry. 8. Do you dig deep into her heart? Are you loving her deeply? “I just did what I wanted when the Scripture says that I am to lay down my life for her.” Do the most menial of tasks. When you do that, you'll see what a great wife you have. Focus on service and on love and on sacrifice. 9. If you have to remind your wife or your congregation that you're in charge and she needs to submit, that’s a good indication that you're a poor leader. 10. You don’t drift toward emotional connection. Grace + Intentionality = Transformation. Let the one word that describes you as a husband be "grace." What sets Christians apart is what they do when they are wronged. 11. Ministry is no stronger than your own marriage. You can succeed in ministry but fail spiritually in life. To the degree that your ministry is doing better than marriage, it’s hypocrisy. 12. Live a life pursuing Jesus, not ministry. Your life will be more fruitful if its spent pursuing Christ. 13. Three practical steps to have a healthier marriage: (1) set boundaries; (2) excel at delegation; (3) have someone to hold you accountable. 14. "I've been asking you to give me what only Jesus can give me." 15. You want influence, lead out of your marriage. 16. [Statistics] You can track the decline of the local church with the decline of marriage and the decline of the family. 72% of churches have no substantive marriage ministry (study by communio.org). There has been a 900% increase in co-habitation in the last 50 years. 17. Go and love your wife in a way that young people watch you and say I want that. Make her feel so loved. Don't just give her the scraps. [To his kids] You want me to do this [date my wife]. You have no clue how confused your life will be if we separate. 18. Marriage in your church needs to be a gospel magnet. How many people in their 60's and 70's that you want their marriage? This needs to become the norm, not the exception. 19. How can we have a gospel-oriented marriage ministry? It has to be full circle—(1) youth and college students (beautiful, biblical branding of marriage to your youth); (2) pre-marital counseling; (3) protection and enhancement; (4) crises counseling. 20. One hour in prevention is far more effective than three hours in recovery. It takes hours and hours to move from a 1 to a 2. In prevention, you can quickly go from a 5 to a 9 . . . and there is a lot more pay off. It’s also super attractive. A culture of folks that are happy in their marriages are far more effective in evangelism. When they have a wonderful marriage, they breathe life.

In his work The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman derives eight guiding principles from Christ’s strategic approach to evangelism. In the following review, I provide my own brief summary to each chapter along with key quotes from each (twenty quotes in all). 1. Aim: Robert E. Coleman has presented a set of principles and sketched a scheme that, if studied carefully, will go far toward rescuing the concept of evangelism from the realm of the “special” and the “occasional,” and anchoring it where it belongs in the essential, ongoing life and witness of the congregation. 11 Preface: The Master and His Plan 2. This is a study in principles underlying his [Jesus's] ministry—principles that determined his methods. One might call it a study in his strategy of evangelism around which his life was oriented while he walked on the earth. 14 3. Contrary to our superficial thinking, there never was a distinction in his mind between home and foreign missions. To Jesus it was all world evangelism... His life was ordered by his objective. Everything he did and said was a part of the whole pattern. Not for one moment did Jesus lose sight of his goal... The following pages attempt to clarify eight guiding principles of the Master’s plan. 18, 19, 20 Chapter 1 – Selection: Jesus poured much of his life into a select few who would lead the multitudes when he was no longer present. 4. It all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow him. This revealed immediately the direction his evangelistic strategy would take. His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men whom the multitudes would follow. 21 5. We must decide where we want our ministry to count—in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone. Really it is a question of which generation we are living for. 36 Chapter 2 – Association: Jesus discipled this select few through the close proximity of continual engagement rather than a periodic and formulaic system. 6. Jesus would have it no other way. He wanted to be with them [His disciples]. They were his spiritual children (Mark 10:24; John 13:33; 21:5), and the only way that a father can properly raise a family is to be with it . . . Building men and women is not that easy. It requires constant personal attention, much like a father gives to his children. This is something that no organization or class can ever do. Children are not raised by proxy. The example of Jesus would teach us that it can be done only by persons staying close to those whom they seek to lead. 43, 46 Chapter 3 – Consecration: Jesus called His disciples to follow Him in a life wholeheartedly consecrated to God, ultimately demonstrating the cost of such consecration with His own life at the cross. 7. The cross was but the crowning climax of Jesus’ commitment to do the will of God. It forever showed that obedience could not be compromised—it was always a commitment unto death. 56 8. There can be no dillydallying around with the commands of Christ. We are engaged in warfare, the issues of which are life and death, and every day that we are indifferent to our responsibilities is a day lost to the cause of Christ . . . There is no place in the Kingdom for a slacker, for such an attitude not only precludes any growth in grace and knowledge but also destroys any usefulness on the world battlefield of evangelism . . . Indeed, it would appear that the teachings of Christ regarding self-denial and dedication have been replaced by a sort of respectable “do as you please” philosophy of expediency. 58-59 Chapter 4 – Impartation: Jesus imparted His Holy Spirit to His disciples to produce in them His own burning compulsion for evangelism. 9. Love is like that. It is always giving itself away. When it is self-contained, it is not love. That is why he lost no opportunity to impress on his followers the deep compulsion of his own soul aflame with the love of God for a lost world. How else could they ever fulfill the commission of their Lord with joy and inward peace? They needed an experience of Christ so real that their lives would be filled with his presence. Evangelism had to become a burning compulsion within them, purifying their desires and guiding their thoughts. Nothing less than a personal baptism of the Holy Spirit would suffice. 62, 68 10. The very ability to give away our life in Christ is the proof of its possession. Here is the great paradox of life—we must die to ourselves to live in Christ, and in that renunciation of ourselves, we must give ourselves away in service and devotion to our Lord. 70 Chapter 5 – Demonstration: Jesus demonstrated His evangelistic technique to the disciples by allowing them to watch the best methods for approaching others, letting them see the fundamental need for all people and across all social classes, the emphasis He put on Scripture (sixty-six references to the Old Testament in different dialogues with the disciples and more than ninety allusions to it in speaking with others) how He won their confidence, opened the way of salvation, and called them to a decision. 11. They observed how he drew people to himself; how he won their confidence and inspired their faith; how he opened to them the way of salvation and called them to a decision. 75 12. Our weaknesses need not impair discipleship when shining through them is a transparent sincerity to follow Christ. 78 Chapter 6 – Delegation: Jesus delegated His own authority in commissioning His disciples to go out in pairs and represent Him to others. 13. They were not hand-shaking emissaries maintaining the status quo of complacency . . . They were going forth with a revolutionary gospel, and when it was obeyed, it effected a revolutionary change in people and their society. 84-85 14. Evangelism is not an optional accessory to our life. It is the heartbeat of all that we are called to be and do. It is the commission of the church that gives meaning to all else that is undertaken in the name of Christ . . . But it is not enough to make this an ideal. It must be given tangible expression by those who are following the Savior. The best way to be sure that this is done is to give practical work assignments and expect them to be carried out. When the church takes this lesson to heart, and gets down to business with evangelism, then those in the pews will soon start moving out for God. 89-90 Chapter 7 – Supervision: Jesus asked questions, gave illustrations, warned, gave reminders of their ultimate identity, and admonished His disciples so that they would be thoroughly equipped to fulfill His mission of world evangelization. 15. His questions, illustrations, warnings, and admonitions were calculated to bring out those things that they needed to know in order to fulfill his work, which was the evangelization of the world. 91 16. Here was on-the-job training at its best. Jesus would let his followers have some experience or make some observation of their own, and then he would use this as a starting point to teach a lesson of discipleship. The fact that they tried to do his work, even though they may have failed at it, gave them greater awareness of their deficiencies, and hence they were more disposed to the Master’s correction. Moreover, their encounter with life situations enabled Jesus to pinpoint his teaching on specific needs and to spell it out in the concrete terms of practical experience . . . We always appreciate an education more after we have had the opportunity to apply what we have learned. 96-97 17. He did not expect more from his disciples than they could do, but he did expect their best, and this he expected always to be improved as they grew in knowledge and grace. His plan of teaching—by example, assignment, and constant checkup—was calculated to bring out the best that was in them. 97 18. We have not been called to hold the fort, but to storm the heights. 98 We have not been called to hold the fort, but to storm the heights. Chapter 8 – Reproduction: Jesus called His disciples to follow His example of faithfulness to a few who would reproduce and teach their disciples to reproduce also. 19. The criteria on which a church should measure its success is not how many new names are added to the role nor how much the budget is increased, but rather how many Christians are actively winning souls and training them to win the multitudes. 106 Epilogue-The Master and Your Plan. There is a need for everyone to be given some form of specific evangelistic work within the church. 20. Our satisfaction is in knowing that in generations to come our witness for Christ will still be bearing fruit through them in an ever-widening cycle of reproduction to the ends of the earth and unto the end of time. 122 AmazonSmile: Master Plan of Evangelism (Audible Audio Edition): Robert Coleman, Scott Grunden, christianaudio.com: Audible Books & Originals

The content below is taken from Dr. Hershael York’s “Pastoral Ministry” lectures at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Spring 2021). The Pastor and the Church 1. A church that is not focused on evangelism is going to be focused on criticism. When people are busy doing things, they’ll be too busy to be complaining. No one is being more spiritual by sitting in a room waiting for a dove to descend. Expect every deacon, every teacher, to be a soul-winner regularly. Start every deacon’s meeting with a report of who you’ve shared the gospel with. 2. As a new pastor in a new church, make your goals personal goals. Preach well. Visit the sick. Invite people to church. Be present in the community. If you love your people well, you’ll gain more of a voice. When they trust that you are seeking to honor the Lord with every decision, they'll trust you. 3. You reproduce what you honor. [The emphasis here was against being overly critical, but verbally encouraging from the pulpit and by other means good things that the Lord is doing through His people.] 4. You never get a second chance at a first impression. Stop by and see people at their work. Have them over for dinner. Write handwritten notes. Make a good first impression. Preach well. Love people and they’ll be able to forgive a lot of other things. It takes a long time for it to be your church . . . you just have to put in your time. The way people perceive you is a massive part of your ministry. Be real. Don’t just look generous. Be generous. My greatest task as a minister is to show God as holy. 5. There are five things that help determine calling: (1) God’s Word; (2) Desire; (3) Gifting; (4) Opportunity; (5) Testimony of others. 6. When you learn to say these things (tough truth) flatly without bringing tension into your voice, it terrifies people. Always be kind. Be non-threatened, gracious, and stalwart with a backbone like a railroad. 7. You're going to have a crisis in your church at 1, 3, 5, and 9 years (roughly speaking). It’s going to happen, but you’ll be more the pastor after one of these experiences than before them. 8. You must have a biblical reason for every decision you make. Within my convictions, I'm a pragmatist. I don't change my convictions for pragmatic reasons. You've already lost when pragmatism [rather than God’s Word] becomes the basis of your decisions. The Lord’s Supper 9. The Lord’s Supper pictures three tenses: (1) the historical fact that Jesus gave His sinless body and that His blood was shed in His death; (2) the present reality that I still believe and am presently trusting in his death, burial, and resurrection; (3) the future reality that I will one day sit with the Lord Jesus in the Kingdom and feast forever. 10. I can't tell you how many people I have led to Christ because I said they shouldn't partake of the Lord’s Supper [as unbelievers or those sprinkled before being born again]. It's not my supper and it's not my rules. If it so troubles them that they cannot rightly partake such that they come to me and say so, then this is an opportunity for them to be born again and baptized. Fencing the table often causes the resistance that is needed to bring someone to Christ. I want them to feel that estrangement. Marriage 11. There is nothing that gives my ministry more credibility than my marriage. Good marriages overlook the flaws. The best marriages get to a point where they are so in love with one another that they don't even see one another's flaws. There is no such thing, however, as a marriage without work. 12. It ought to be a rule that you will just wipe out divorce in your church. I take it very personally when a divorce happens. If I were planting a church, I would put a lot in my covenant about marriage. We have been way to hands off with marriage in our churches and are constantly getting involved too late. The big three issues in marriage are (1) money, (2) sex, and (3) communication. In-laws and how one disciplines their children can sometimes also be in this mix. [here is a great resource for your marriage and marriage ministry within your church: gracemarriageathome.com] Death 13. The world gets really small at the end of life. The people that are in that room at the end mean a lot. You need to be in that room. It's not that you've got the right words to say. It's just that you are there. 14. God is in touch with our feelings of grief. God's heart is for His broken people . . . especially if they were a believer. You have to try to get them to see the big picture. We grieve not like those who have no hope. What makes heaven heaven is that Jesus the lamb of God is there. Our grief is a hopeful grief that has great expectations because of the truth of the gospel. But it still hurts. Guests and Membership 15. The goal is not to move the guest from guest to member, but to have them actively engaged in the mission and vision of our church. 16. Our churches must be guest friendly and gospel centric. The sermon starts in the parking lot. A guest usually decides within seven minutes if they are going to come back. "The gospel is offensive, nothing else should be." (Danny Franks) Church Discipline 17. Sin destroys life on earth and it condemns one to hell in eternity. While many of us would rather call ourselves tolerant, priding ourselves on not making people uncomfortable, this ignores the reality that sin is the most self-destructive thing that anyone can do to themselves. The cruelest thing you can do is to leave someone in their sin. The kindest thing you can do is to deliver them from their sin. Satan has twisted it. He’s got people thinking the other way [that it is mean-spirited to want them to be free from their sin]. If they persist in their sin [and we don't do anything about it], we are literally saying, 'you can go to hell and we don't really care.'" The worst thing you can say is "we're going to leave you where you are." If this person is going to stay in their sin, he is going to do it over our pleading against it. 18. In the same way that we don't argue against spanking because some people abuse it, we shouldn’t argue against church discipline because of misuse or abuse. When you just ignore it, it makes it awkward for everybody and it lies to people to say sin isn't that big of a deal. When you address it, “it frees people up to bless those who have repented.” The greatest indicator that someone is on the right path [of repentance] is when they accept responsibility for other people’s reaction to their sin. 19. The primary purpose of church discipline is restoration and reconciliation. The primary means of church discipline is going to your brother one-on-one and working stuff out. More often than not people are more willing to work things out when they sense the sincerity in the person bringing it out. Don't go in angry. Go in with compassion. Sin should break your heart. Confront people in their sin, show them where the sinful road is going, and call them to repent. Call them to the long hard road of repentance. It is the only road worth being on. The only other road you will take you to a place of destitution. The circle of knowledge determines the circle of repentance. The most miserable person in the world is a believer in sin. 20. You [the sinner] don't get to judge people's reaction to your sin. Own the fact that this [the awkwardness] is because of you and your sin. You need to have grace toward others whom you have put in a tough and awkward position. Definitions: Three Positions for Communion: Close Communion: Members of the local church and everyone who is there who is scripturally baptized and is involved a church of "like faith and order." Closed Communion: only the members of the local church can partake. Open Communion: holds that any believer may partake of the Lord’s Supper.

“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Pet 3:15-16). The content below is taken from Dr. Timothy Paul Jones’s “Introduction to Missiology” lectures at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Spring 2021). 1. Apologetics: The church’s reverent, reasonable, and humble defense through Spirit-empowered words and lives of the hope we have in the risen Christ, as this hope has been revealed in His Word and in the world. The purpose of apologetics is to partner with the Spirit of God and His people by means of Scripture [special revelation], reason [a rational defense], nature [general revelation], and history [evidential]. As R. C. Sproul has stated succinctly, the goal is to “unmask the unbeliever’s suppression of the evidence.” 2. “In a time when biblical preaching is shunned by many and lifestyle evangelism apart from gospel proclamation is the preferred evangelistic methodology, we are in danger of trying to win people through kind acts and social service alone. But the example of the apostles and earliest followers of Jesus contradicts this sort of approach.”[1] 3. The strongest thing you can do as a witness will often be marked by humility and meekness. "Our willingness to embrace the realities of our neighbor’s difficulty is what empowers our witness and makes our testimony of Christ effective and hearable."[2] 4. The most important apologetic is that which proceeds from parents to their children: “My mother was in greater labor for my salvation than she ever was for my birth.” -Augustine 5. “Apologists should have calluses on their brains from thinking, on their hands from serving, and on their knees from praying.”[3] Four Methods of Apologetics 6. Classical Apologetics uses the following four arguments to first establish that God exists before contending second, to contend for the truth of the Christian faith in particular. J. P. Boyce, B. B. Warfield, R. C. Sproul are notable classical apologists. a. Ontological Argument: We can know about God through reason and/or nature [general revelation] apart from special revelation [the Bible]. b. Cosmological Argument: There is nothing independent from nature; all things depend on something else. c. Tassalogical Argument: The order and symmetry of nature gives evidence of a designer. d. Teleological Argument: The orientation of all things towards a certain purpose give evidence for God and His purposes. 7. Evidential Apologetics demonstrates how the Christian faith is evidenced in history. It is not true because of the evidence . . . the evidence shows us what is already true. Simon Greenleaf and Hugo Grotius are notable evidential apologists. 8. Transcendental Apologetics demonstrates how an Christianity offers a more coherent and probable explanation of human rationality, morality, and desire than any non-Christian alternative. This method of apologetics is effective in a secular age. Francis Schaeffer and Tim Keller are notable transcendental apologists. 9. Confessional (Ecclesial) Apologetics defends the truth of the gospel by appealing to evidences of the presence and power of the resurrected Christ in the life of the church and its confessions. The Authority of Scripture 10. “When one examines how the world looks whenever Christian ethics are properly applied, the evidence is clear that divine imperatives are far superior to social constructs and subjective emotionalism.”[4] 11. Simon Greenleaf argued that the testimony of Scripture would stand up in any common law trial because the case for the truth of Christianity could be proven as a legal certainty through (1) admissions against the personal interest of the writers, (2) the ability for honest reporting, (3) the sufficiency and consistency of the witnesses, (4) the conformity to experience, and (5) the conformity to historical evidence. It would be crazy to talk about God being crucified unless it were true. 12. "Charles Manson used the White Album in a way that the Beatles never intended [via murder] - and that's worth remembering when you consider all the ways the Bible has been used, abused, and misused over the centuries."[5] The Problem of Evil, Pain, and Suffering 13. Most often, the issue that keeps people from trusting God is pain, not evidence. It will be difficult to share evidence if we do not first empathize with the pain. “Leadership begins by identifying with the pain of the people you are trying to lead.” -John Perkins 14. How a good God can allow evil is the greatest challenge that college students who walked away from the faith faced. There are three responses to this challenge. a. Soul-Making Defense: Evil and suffering are necessary to form us into virtuous people. b. Free-Will Defense: A world with moral goodness requires at least the possibility of moral evil. c. Felix Culpa Defense: There is a goodness and a beauty experienced through God’s redemption that would never have been possible if the cosmos had never needed redemption. God entered into our suffering through Christ. This is, perhaps, the strongest argument for the ‘problem’ of evil. Creation and Design 15. If Jesus believed His Bible and if I trust what He taught on the basis of the testimony in the Gospels, it makes sense for me to believe the same texts that He believed. 16. William Paley and the Watchmaker Analogy. Paley contended that if we were to discover a rock in nature, we may assume that it had always been there. Yet, if we were to discover a watch, we would come to a different conclusion. Paley illustrates how the several parts that have been so formed as to form a purpose would lead us to rightly believe that "there must have existed, at some time and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer, who comprehended its construction and designed its use."[6] 17. Because that which is moral will bring us the most happiness, following the designer’s order leads to the greatest fulfillment in life. 18. Every human pursues understanding through belief, even if misplaced. All humans strive for beauty, goodness, and truth. “Values like artistic beauty are what we would expect if humans were created by a personal, loving, and beauty valuing God.” -William Davis Moral Therapeutic Deism and the Drift from Orthodox Christianity 19. Universalism (all people will experience salvation), pluralism (all religions are equally lead to salvation), inclusivism (Jesus's work on the cross accomplished salvation even for some who have not believed in Him as the only means to be saved) have become increasingly popular, even within the church. Yet the Bible is clear that there is no salvation apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:18, 36, 6:29; Acts 4:12). Faith includes both allegiance and assent. There must be a "that" to which one is allegiance belongs to (John 3:18, 20:31; 1 John 5:1). 20. The first thing to be disregarded of confessional creedal orthodoxy is typically the doctrine of hell. The ground of condemnation before God is not the rejection of the gospel but the guilt that results from rebellion against what is known about God (Romans 1:20). Definitions a priori – knowledge/reasoning that is derived prior to experience or observation. a posteriori – knowledge/reasoning that is derived from experience or observation. compatibilist free will: free will is affected by human nature but a person cannot choose contrary to the fallen nature and desires.[7] (Jonathan Edwards) libertarian free will: free will is affected by human nature but retains the ability to choose contrary to fallen nature and desires. [8] epistemology: the branch of philosophy that studies how we know what we know. metaphysics: a division of philosophy that studies what is outside of objective experience that includes ontology, cosmology, and epistemology. ontology: relating to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being. [1] Christopher W. Brooks, Urban Apologetics: Why the Gospel Is Good News for the City (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2014), 105. [2] Brooks, Urban Apologetics, 34. [3] Brooks, Urban Apologetics, 150. [4] Brooks, Urban Apologetics, 104. [5] Timothy Paul Jones, Why Should I Trust the Bible (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2019), 99. [6] Zondervan et al., The History of Apologetics: A Biographical and Methodological Introduction, 2020, 347, http://www.vlebooks.com/vleweb/product/openreader?id=none&isbn=9780310559559. [7] “What Is Compatibilist Free Will and Is It Biblical? | Carm.Org,” Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (blog), September 11, 2010, https://carm.org/about-philosophy/what-is-compatibilist-free-will/. [8] “What Is Compatibilist Free Will and Is It Biblical? | Carm.Org,” Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (blog), September 11, 2010, https://carm.org/about-philosophy/what-is-compatibilist-free-will/.

In his classic work, The Mortification of Sin, John Owen articulates nine means by which the believer mortifies sin. Owen’s work is a buttress that stands in stark contrast to currents of self-deception and antinomian thought. Behind this classic is a desires to see “mortification and universal holiness . . . be promoted” that the gospel “may be adorned in all things” (7). Summary Owen begins this work by laying Romans 8:13 as his foundation: “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body ye shall life.” He extracts five key components from this verse: (1) a duty (to “mortify”) that is (2) prescribed to a person (“ye”) that (3) contains a promise (“shall live”) that is (4) brought about by a cause (the Holy Spirit) that is (5) conditional (“if”; 8-9). Building on this foundation, Owen contends that believers who are free from the condemning power of sin will mortify the indwelling power of sin (14). The Holy Spirit is the only person sufficient to accomplish this work (23). The Spirit “works in us and with us, not against us or without us” (28). Whether one finds the Christian life a duty or a delight largely depends on the mortification of sin (29). Unmortified sin weakens the soul by depriving it of its life and darkens the soul by depriving it of its comfort and peace (30). Owen gives practical cases on the mortification of sin. He defines the mortification of sin in three general ways: (1) a habitual weakening of sin, a (2) constant fighting and contention against sin, and (3), to see the guilt, danger, and destructive wickedness of sin while endeavoring to “give it new wounds, new blows every day” (44). Owen argues that sin must be put to death specifically with the utmost “sincerity and diligence” for three reasons: (1) it grieves the Holy Spirit, (2) it hurts Jesus once again, and (3) it will “take away a man’s usefulness” (46, 55, 74, 75). Owen outlines nine elements as “preparatory to the work” of mortifying sin (107). First, one must analyze the symptoms to better understand what measures are necessary to kill it (59). Second, one must bring the weightiness of the “guilt, danger, and evil” of this sin into full view. Third, the believer must “load thy conscience with the guilt of it [sin]” by viewing it through the holiness of God’s law and by looking upon “Him whom thou hast pieced” (77-78). Fourth, the Christian must long for the breath of deliverance from this sin. Fifth, understanding one’s temperament in relation (sixth) the circumstances that enflame the proclivity to fall into this sin will help to better define the parameters for avoiding the temptation. Eighth, one must fix their mind on the excellency of God to see “thine own vileness” (86). Ninth, the believer must not speak “peace to thyself before God speaks it” (96). Owen warns that unless one’s peace is “attended with the detestation and abhorrency of that sin which was the wound and caused the disquietment, this is no peace of God’s creating, but of our own purchasing” (99). While the nine steps above are preparatory, Owen gives two steps for the actual work of mortifying sin within the heart. First, faith in the shed blood of Christ is the “great sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls” (107). Second, one must act on this faith in expectation of power and endeavors for conformity (114). Owen ends his work by noting that the duty of this entire work is “effected, carried on, and accomplished by the power of the Spirit, in all the parts and degrees” (114). He defines five ways that the Spirit works: (1) He brings sin under conviction in the heart, (2) He reveals the “fulness of Christ for our relief”, (3) He “establishes the heart in expectation of relief from Christ”, (4) He kills sin by bringing the cross into one’s heart, and (5) He will finish the work of sanctification that He began by providing “new supplies and influences of grace”, and (6) by supporting and enabling believers to “look on him whom they have pierced” (Zech 12:10; 115-17). Evaluation The Mortification of Sin is an excellent resource for pursuing holiness and the mortification of sin for several reasons. First, Owen gives clarity to the particular work of the Holy Spirit that is so often left vague. The six aforementioned aspects of this work provide a noticeable handle of what the Spirit is speaking to the soul. Recognizing the subtle whisperings of the Spirit allows believers to heed the promptings of God and experience His power. Second, Owen’s vivid illustrations give a tangibleness to his argument that is particularly persuasive. He warns that “prayer, fasting, meditation, and the like” are “streams” rather than “the fountain” (25). He describes sin as a thick cloud that “spreads itself over the face of the soul, and intercepts all the beams of God’s love and favour” (31). Crucifixion is the graphic metaphor Owen uses to illustrate the three stages of war against sin: (1) the “great violence” of the initial struggle; (2) the faint cries that follow the initial struggle; (3) the “dying pang” that shouts out with its last breath. The law is “a glass to represent sin in its colours” (78). The illustrations that permeate this work bring vibrant color to a weighty subject. Third, the dangers associated with too small a view of sin are gripping. Owen warns that those who “talk spiritually, and live vainly; mention communion with God, and are every way conformed to the world; boasting of forgiveness of sin, and never forgiving others,” are being hardened in “their hearts in their unregeneracy” (22, emphasis mine). He corrects the dangerous notion that one can be a believer and not be concerned about sin. Likewise, he cautions against presuming upon God’s grace and notes, “In all other things I will walk with God, but in this thin, God be merciful unto me” (62). While such notions are clear on an intellectual, Owen presses deep into the thoughts of the heart to test one’s true spiritual condition. While Owen’s work is clear, persuasive, and practical, his rebuttal to the soft-pedaling view of sin moves from one ditch to another in two ways. Using guilt as one of the main drivers to the practice of killing sin is questionable when it stands against the plumb line of Scripture. Owen describes sin in the life of a believer as a means of “crucifying him [Jesus] afresh” (75). He promotes “affecting thy conscience with the terror of the Lord in the law, and how righteous it is that every one of thy transgressions should receive a recompense of reward” (77). Admonitions such as these have a hard time squaring with “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). In a similar manner, the picture of God that Owen gives lacks nuance. Owen quips, “perhaps God will shoot his arrows at thee . . . make thee a terror and an astonishment to thyself and others . . . frighten and scare thee . . . so that thou shalt wish death rather than life, yea, thy soul may choose strangling” (72). While there are notions of God’s mercy and grace that Owen touches on, such statements paint God as a vindictive Father that wants to punish His children rather than one who disciplines them out of a love for their good. Personal Reflections While this lack of nuance and heavy weight on guilt would give me serious pause in recommending this book to anyone besides a mature believer, this work is a powerful instrument for one who is desperate to mortify sin. It stands directly against the currents of our day and has been effective in mighty ways throughout the centuries. The Mortification of Sin has brought about specific conviction regarding my own life and ministry in several ways. First, this work had an effect of my posture towards what I would previously call the “slightest” of sins. Owen asserts “God will justify us from our sins, but he will not justify the least sin in us: ‘He is a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity’” (104). He warns that an unclean thought has its end “rolling thyself in folly and filth,” while envy aims at “murder and destruction” (84). He also warns that one who is “standing still” will suffer “double blows” and will “undoubtedly be conquered in the issue” (17). The concept of killing sin at its root—rather than its branches—before it breaks out, is another excellent illustration. Likewise, I appreciated the warnings of trading one sin for another. Owen quips, “A sin is not mortified when it is only diverted . . . He hath changed his master, but is a servant still” (36-37). Much like C. S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, Owen carefully outlines the danger of one sin dying while another takes its place, while also noting that the Holy Spirit is sufficient for this difficult work. Third, besides the impact of the illustrations above, the pictures of the glory of God that Owen paints moved me. He writes, “The light of the gospel whereby now God is revealed is glorious; not a star, but the sun in his beauty is risen upon us, and the veil is taken from our faces” (92). This being the case, he comments on Isaiah 35, “He can make the dry, parched ground of my soul to become a pool . . . my thirsty, barren heart as springs of water . . . this heart, so full of abominable lusts and fiery temptations, to be a place for ‘grass’ and fruit to himself” (108). The takeaway here is simple: God is worthy of all worship and glory and honor. Finally, my biggest takeaway from this book was a better grasp of the work of the Spirit. Owen provides a grid to differentiate the subconscious intimations of my own thoughts and the voice of God’s Spirit. Knowing the difference, I hope to better heed the Spirit’s whisperings as those of God and not my own. In addition, I appreciated Owen’s explanation that believers are free from the condemning power of sin because of the meritorious work of Christ on the cross. This work of Christ also provides believers with the Spirit that convicts me and enables me to mortify the indwelling power of sin within my own heart (10). Owen stresses, “Not to be daily mortifying sin, is to sin against the goodness, kindness, wisdom, grace, and love of God, who hath furnished us with a principle of doing it” (19). I thank God for this provision. The Mortification of Sin - Kindle edition by Owen, John, Walter, Mark. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.