Resources for Preaching

Recently I read an article by the late Dr. Robert Delnay that first appeared in Faith Baptist Theological Seminary’s July/August 1999 issue. Dr DeInay became the founding dean of Faith Baptist Seminary, in Iowa, in 1986, and he was an eminent professor of history and homiletics at Faith and other institutions for decades. I was privileged to take some of his courses at Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis in the 1960s.

In the article, he described what preaching at the turn of the then-new millennium had become. Here are some of his observations, which are even more relevant today:

“Those who have listened to preaching for a least a generation are likely to observe that it is not what it once was. On the basis of both anecdote and memory, it is on balance neither as interesting nor as compelling as it was within living memory. Furthermore, the results are not the same. First-time adult decisions for salvation used to be relatively common in many churches every Sunday. Now (1999) such decisions have to be programmed, usually after inducing people to make decisions in their own homes, and then persuading them to come to church to go forward.

There are several ways to account for the difference. First, it may be the faulty memory of the middle-aged, as they think of the good old days. Or it may be that homiletics courses are not as helpful as they used to be. Or that young preachers do not hear the able and earnest models that once were common.

While any of these may have some validity, I suspect that a major reason for the change lies somewhere else. It is that in the First Baptist Church of Laodicea the pastor has different intellectual resources that he draws on, and some of these resources are less than helpful.”

Dr. Delnay continued by suggesting some factors that have contributed to the differences in contemporary preaching versus what he remembered from the “good old days.”

“The Decline of Reading. The chain of bookstores offer quiet and coffee to their customers. The publishers are pouring out such a torrent of books that most go out of print in six months…But those matters do not assure that many preachers are reading books. Spurgeon was reputed to read three or four heavy books a week. By 1950, Howard Sugden owned a library of about 5,000 volumes, and he estimated that he had read about half of it, including the commentaries. His conference ministry is still legendary today.

However, when it comes to the use of books and study tools, my impression is that they are being used less and less. A pastor told me that he did not have time to read books, probably not one a year, and others give evidence of the same pattern.

Some pastors may object that they have the marvelous resources of their computer program, with five translations of the Bible, complete commentaries, and perhaps even the texts in their original languages. Their objection sounds pretty impressive, but I believe it could be shown that few of those programs produce Bible expositors, and few expositors make much use of those fabulous tools. I feel that the screen has proven to be a poor substitute for the printed page. It is a good medium for conveying information and data, but not for generating wisdom. It seems more than coincidence that the screen has become more common just at the time when earnest exposition has become scarce.

The Orientation Toward Entertainment. We now have a whole culture geared toward near-constant entertainment. To about World War I, about the only common diversions were vaudeville and the preacher, with maybe summer concerts by the town band. During the second quarter of this century the movies became available, but hardly for the saints. At mid-century the tube invaded the living room, attracting a viewing audience for about thirty to thirty-five hours a week. A broken TV set caused a near-panic in the family, because the medium became highly addictive. As the video reached the total population (practically nobody had it in 1947; almost everybody had it by 1952) it made its impact on preaching. More and more the TV seemed to provide the major intellectual resource that preachers drew on. Sports and the news took up the time that otherwise would have gone into books and periodicals. A notable preacher told me that he liked to go home after church and watch a movie, it helped him to relax. Twenty years before that he would not go near a movie theater; now his private life was nobody’s business. Meanwhile, his mental resources were withering, and the number of preachers going through the same change was legion.

The move to near-constant entertainment coincided with other trends. Preaching dealt less with the message of the cross and more with the concern for good self-image. The programs, games and adds provided few spiritual and sermonic insights. As the well dried up, I was astonished to hear my former students preaching as sermon illustrations the scenes they had seen in movies. Those trends coincided with the decline in pulpit evangelism, and little wonder. Those trends also coincided with a love for the world that would have driven other generations to their knees. Can anyone affirm that the saints are less materialistic than they were a generation ago? Can anyone deny a cause and effect pattern here?

So now the wave of the future is to gear the whole program of the church to entertainment. The world provided the means to draw people to Christ, and the big churches got bigger by offering experience and amusement. Worship leaders have replaced worship.”

Well, these warnings by Dr. Delnay—issued more than a quarter of a century ago—now seem prophetic. We have seen his concerns come to full bloom, even in what are known as “fundamental, Bible-preaching churches.” For sure, technology and “the screen” have immense potential for good; but for today’s preachers—and for all believers, really—they might well come with the warning: “These tools should never be considered a replacement for the Book, God’s Word.” Selah.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) 

Your Biography

Paul was not boasting when, with his martyrdom imminent, he was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (II Tim. 4:7) That is what every conscientious Christian hopes to be able to say when departure from this life is near. It is my heartfelt hope, and I am convinced it is yours also. The words of Jesus in His letter to the church at Smyrna ring through our minds: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10)

When the world-renowned nineteenth-century evangelist D. L. Moody was facing old age, someone asked him for his permission to write a biography of him. He replied, “A man’s life should never be written while he is living. What is important is how a man ends, not how he begins.” (Vernon Grounds, “Our Daily Bread”) We should aim to be to like Secretariat in the Kentucky Derby in 1973—the greatest race ever run by a horse, some experts say. Secretariat ran each successive quarter mile faster than the one before, finishing in just under two minutes and setting a record that’s still unbroken.

Robertson McQuilkin (1927-2016) was for 45 years affiliated with Columbia (South Carolina) International University, serving as president and in various other capacities. The following words from his pen are evidence that this Christian educator was concerned about the “last lap” of his earthly pilgrimage: “It’s sundown, Lord, the shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into life: Life with You, unsoiled and free. But I do fear. I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon—or do I mean too late? That I should end before I finish or finish, but not well. That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart. Few, they tell me, finish well…Lord, let me get home before the dark.” Poignant words, worth pondering.

Faithful unto death is our goal—and His challenge to us. A Welsh postman had the British Empire Medal bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth; he had not missed a day’s service in 43 years. A Minneapolis high school teacher retired without having missed a single day on the job for 43 years. Paul Ehrlich, a German chemist, performed 605 unsuccessful experiments; the next one was a success, and it became known as “Compound 606”! Thomas Edison performed 18,000 experiments before perfecting the arc light bulb. After 50 failures on another project, Edison exclaimed: “I have found 50 ways it cannot be done!” Just a few examples of faithfulness.

Consider as well England’s William Wilberforce. (1759-1833) When Wilberforce was 25 years of age, he rededicated his life to the Lord, having just been elected to a seat in the British Parliament. Fearing that the demands of a political life might ruin his quest for spiritual victories, the statesman sought the advice of a pastor named John Newton, one-time slave trader and author of “Amazing Grace.” Newton’s advice: “Stay where you are. God needs Christians in politics.” Newton went on to suggest that Wilberforce might even be able to abolish the British slave trade. Wilberforce introduced a bill in Parliament in 1787 that would have done just that, but it was defeated; and it would be another 20 years (1807) before he was able to get a bill through Parliament that would end England’s slave trade. A Christian statesman then tried to push a bill through England’s legislative bodies that would free all slaves; that bill was not successful until August of 1833—a month after Wilberforce had died. What if he had given up his noble efforts the first time he had met with opposition? Faithful perseverance got the bill through.

John W. Stott (1921-2011), a British evangelical pastor, theologian, and author, said it this way: “It is comparatively easy to be faithful if we do not care about being contemporary, and easy also to be contemporary if we do not bother to be faithful. It is the search for a combination of truth and relevance which is exacting. Yet, nothing else can save us from an insensitive loyalty to formulae and shibboleths on the one hand, and from a treasonable disloyalty to the revelation of God on the other.”

Let us all dedicate ourselves anew to being faithful to His word, His work, and His worship as long as we have breath and being—for His glory, for our good, and for hearing His commendation and receiving His reward, the crown of Life. 

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (I Cor. 4:2)

Pastor John Aker’s Thought for the Week

With permission, I want to share with you today a post which my friend, John Aker, recently sent to his friends in his post “Thoughts for the Week.” John has served as a chaplain in the United States Army, and has pastored churches in New England and Arizona, and currently is pastoring in Florida.

At times the weight of the pastoral role and responsibilities can be overwhelming, seemingly crushing.  And yet, as one so called and privileged to proclaim the glorious gospel of our Lord, I do not want to be numbered with those who may whimper and whine about the heaviness of this mantle…

But I would want you, dear reader, to know that these are trying times for those who lead and shepherd His flock.  We are often regarded as one who has the answers for a troubled marriage that has not followed His guidelines from the beginning…as one who can win back that youth now far from family and fold because Mom and Dad were busy with other, but lesser, priorities and were far from him…as one who has the resources to settle and stabilize poorly managed family finances…as one who can address societal ills without offending congregants whose views are more personal/subjective/emotional than biblical…and as one who can confront the unending controversies emanating from the hallowed halls of government without crossing the line between the prophetic and political.  That is just a small look at what your pastor/any pastor might face at the beginning of his day.  His challenges are polka-dotted–all varying in size, shape, and complexity. How often the pastor’s plea echoes that of King David:

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me…
Psalm 131:1

Pastors are mere men.  Sometimes people forget that as they often look to us as though we possessed the wisdom of Solomon.  The truth is, and we sometime forget it ourselves, we need prayer–prayer within, disciplined, daily, and directed to our tasks…and prayer from those we lead, fervent on our behalf–for purity, integrity, guidance, and courage.

Spurgeon, commenting on Paul’s plea to The Church at Thessalonica: Brethren, pray for us… (I Thessalonians 5:25), wrote:

This one morning in the year we reserved to refresh the reader’s memory upon the subject of prayer for ministers, and we do most earnestly implore every Christian household to grant the fervent request of the text first uttered by an apostle and now repeated by us.

Brethren, our work is solemnly momentous, involving weal or woe to thousands; we treat with souls for God on eternal business, and our word is either a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death. A very heavy responsibility rests upon us, and it will be no small mercy if at the last we be found clear of the blood of all men.

As officers in Christ’s army, we are the especial mark of the enmity of men and devils; they watch for our halting, and labor to take us by the heels.

Our sacred calling involves us in temptations from which you are exempt, above all it too often draws us away from our personal enjoyment of truth into a ministerial and official consideration of it. We meet with many knotty cases, and our wits are at a non plus; we observe very sad backslidings, and our hearts are wounded; we see millions perishing, and our spirits sink.

We wish to profit you by our preaching; we desire to be blest to your children; we long to be useful both to saints and sinners; therefore, dear friends, intercede for us with our God. Miserable men are we if we miss the aid of your prayers, but happy are we if we live in your supplications.

You do not look to us but to our Master for spiritual blessings, and yet how many times has He given those blessings through His ministers; ask then, again and again, that we may be the earthen vessels into which the Lord may put the treasure of the gospel. We, the whole company of missionaries, ministers, city missionaries, and students, do in the name of Jesus beseech you, Brethren, pray for us… 

As His undershepherds,  we often cry out to The Lord that we are apprehensive of this task He has given us…that we are not able in our own strength and wisdom…that there are times we would flee to the solitude and safety of the wilderness.  On behalf of your pastor, and friends you have in ministry, I earnestly and fervently plead with you, my brothers, pray for us…

John

Beware the Scorner

There is a person that the wise king Solomon said a great deal about in warning his son to watch out for and beware of. That person is mentioned in the first verse of David’s Psalms: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Ps. 1:1)

To scorn is to treat someone with extreme contempt or disrespect. It is to look down upon someone as worthless or beneath you.

In a family, church, community, or body politic, a scorner produces a poisonous, odious atmosphere. That is no doubt why King Solomon raised more than a few red flags about scorners in his heart-to-heart talks with his son to prepare him for life’s journey. (Unless otherwise noted, all Biblical references will be from the book of Proverbs, attributed to King Solomon.)

  1. Right up front, Solomon sounded the warning: “How long, ye simple ones will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in scorning?” (1:22) The scorner is happiest when showing his disgust and contempt for persons of integrity. Think: Haman in the book of Esther.
  2. Solomon warns his hearers that scorners will bring shame upon their teachers: “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame.” (9:7)
  3. And, to be sure, the scorner will hate anyone who tries to correct him: “Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee.” (9:8)
  4. In fact, a scorner will not listen to wise counsel: “A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.” (13:1) Can you imagine a young person in a class who is full of scorn toward the teacher and the teaching of truth?
  5. Solomon says a scorner seeks wisdom and does not perceive it—would not recognize it if he saw it. He has given his heart/mind over to despising the truth. (14:6)
  6. Scorners have an uncanny ability to attract other scorners. (Psalm 1:1)
  7. Scorners reject wise counsel. (15:12)
  8. They are ungodly in their witness. (19:28)
  9. They are “proud and haughty.” (21:24)
  10. They are the source of strife and contention. (22:10)
  11. They make no positive contributions to society. (24:9)
  12. They breed confusion. (29:8)
  13. God will “scorn” the scorners. (3:34)

Most often, when the Apostle Paul mentioned some person by name in any of his epistles, it was in a positive, praising sense. Not so with the scorner Alexander, a coppersmith of whom Paul says that he did him “much evil.” (II Tim. 4:14) It is not too much of a “stretch” to believe that anyone who did Paul much evil was probably a scorner who had proven to be a major headache to the apostle. Likewise with Diotrephes, whom John cites in his third epistle as one who “loveth to have the preeminence… prating against us with malicious words…neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” (III John 9,10) Sadly, from the earliest days of the church that Jesus founded to the present hour, there have been people who qualify as “scorners,” according to the characterizations of such as set forth by King Solomon.

God said, at one time, through the prophet Isaiah: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.” (Isa. 28:14) He went on to describe those scornful men as having made a covenant with death, and with hell. God promised those scorners in Isaiah’s day that He would deal with them through “a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone.” (Isa. 28:16) Jesus would deal with those scorners…and today, as Head of His Church, He will deal with all such scorners. We must do as the apostle did with Alexander the coppersmith when he turned him over to the Lord to be dealt with: “The Lord reward him according to his works.” (II Tim. 4:14)

Should we not, then, in the ministries God has entrusted to our stewardship—even yet today—beware of the scorner? Their potential for destruction by their presence cannot be overstated. Selah.

“Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil…of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.” (II Tim. 4:14,15)

Children, an Heritage of the Lord

Because our church held its annual week of Vacation Bible School last week, children are front and center on my mind—their place and importance in our lives, and the urgency that ought to characterize our ministry to them in the matter of their soul-salvation.

Some argue that small children are too young to reasonably be expected to make crucial decisions as to their soul’s eternal destiny. Others retort that reaching a child whose heart is tender, and whose mind is not yet radically infected by anti-Christ indoctrination, must be our priority.

You have probably read the startling statistic that 19 out of every 20 people who ever get saved do so before they reach the age of 25. Pastor R.G. Lee (1886-1978) once wrote about a survey of 4,500 people who were present at a meeting. The results: 400 were saved before they were 10 years old; 600 professed Christ between 12 and 14; 600 were saved between 14 and 16; 1,000 accepted Christ between 16 and 20 years of age; 25 were saved after 30 years of age; and 1,875 were unsaved.

A speaker related that “I tried my best not to act surprised and retold the story, but it left me stunned. I realized how little of the Bible the average person knows these days. Child Evangelism Fellowship reports that 60 to 80 percent of children in America are unchurched. That means that most kids have never heard a clear and compelling presentation of the Story. The only thing they know about Jesus and the gospel is what they hear on TV and in the movies, and most of those references are just for making fun. If ever we need to pull together as a group of Christ-followers—especially among our pastors and leaders—to do more, to reach more, now is the time.” (Author unknown)

Now is the time because, “Whatever you write on the heart of a child, no water can wash away. The sand may be shifted when billows are wild, and the efforts of time may decay. Some stories may perish, some songs be forgot; but this graven record, time changes not. Whatever you write on the heart of a child, a story of gladness or care, that heaven has blessed, or earth has defiled, will linger unchangeably there. Who writes it has sealed it forever and aye, he must answer to God on the judgement day.” (unknown)

Nineteenth-century evangelist D.L. Moody was conducting a meeting in England when he returned, one evening, to the home where he was staying. The father said, “Well, how many were converted tonight?” “Two and one-half,” said Mr. Moody. His host smilingly said, “Two adults and a child, I suppose.” “No, two children and one adult. The children gave their whole lives, and the adult had only a half of his left to give.” (Selected)

Author and pastor David Jeremiah understood the need to model the Biblical attitude toward children when he said: “God places children in our lives so we can lead them to Him. Being a parent isn’t just a job—it’s a joy!  If you want to see a future preacher, leader, missionary, or hero, just sign up to work in the church nursery. When God gives us children, He gives us the privilege of nurturing the future.”

A voice from yesteryear, Pastor T. DeWitt Talmage (1832-1902), warned against starting too late: “The reason we don’t reclaim our children from worldliness is because we start too late. Parents wait until their children lie before they teach them the value of truth…You put all care upon your children between the ages of 12 and 18. Why do you not put the chief care between four and nine? It is too late to repair a vessel when it has got out of dry dock!” (Deut. 11:1-21)

Pastor and author David Roper, writing in Our Daily Bread, queries: “Why do we sometimes exhaust ourselves rising up early and going late to rest, ‘eating the bread of anxious toil’ (Ps. 127:1,2), busying ourselves to make our mark on this world, and overlooking the one investment that matters beyond everything else—our children? We can make time for our children and trust that the Lord will provide for all of our physical needs. Children, whether our own or those we disciple, are our lasting legacy—an investment we’ll never regret.”

Years ago, a dear old man who faithfully attended every service—with his devoted wife—of our church, shared with me this sad saga: “When our daughter was young, she would tug at me and beg me to go to church with her. I never did, always replying that I had too many things to do. Well, my daughter grew up, and in the meantime, I found Christ as my Savior. Now, pastor, I beg our grown daughter to come to church with us, and she always replies, ‘I have too many things to do.’”

As far as I know, my dear friend went to his grave regretting that he had not taken time for his daughter when her heart was tender towards God, His Word, and His church. Parents, think on these sobering words: “Now, it’s too late.”

“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” (Ps. 78:5-7)

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

On a special occasion when he was president, Ronald Reagan spoke of our nation’s greatness. He said, “The greatness of America doesn’t begin in Washington; it begins with each of you—in the mighty spirit of free people under God, in the bedrock values you live by each day in your families, neighborhoods, work-places.”

William Arthur Ward (1921-1994, American motivational writer) spoke to those bedrock values: “I believe in America. I believe it became great because of its faith in God, its hope for independence, and its love for freedom. I am grateful for America’s glorious past; I am awed by its unbelievable present; I am confident of its limitless future. I am not ashamed to take my hat off and to stand at attention when Old Glory passes by. I do not apologize for the lump in my throat when I repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. I am not embarrassed by the tears in my eyes when I hear ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Like millions of Americans, I want free choice, not a free hand-out.” (copied)

Dr. Bob Jones was once in Northern Ireland for an evangelistic meeting. One night, following the service, Dr. Bob said: “I was talking with a very cultured, charming Irish woman. This woman said to me, ‘Dr. Jones, I would be afraid to live in America. I would be afraid somebody would kill me. I would be afraid of your mobs and gangsters.’ About all they knew of us at that time was our Hollywood pictures, our mobs, atrocities, crimes…and so forth. Well, you know when you are away from home and the Atlantic Ocean is between you and your native land, you feel awfully patriotic and you want to say something. So I said, ‘Well, my dear woman, you must remember America is a young country. When England was no older than America, your kings were cutting the heads off their wives.’

‘Oh,’ she said, ’I never thought of that before.’ Well, just between you and me, I never had either! And I thought of something that day I did not tell her. There is a difference between 
America and other countries. America began with God. Other countries started with savagery, superstition, heathenism, and paganism. Our forefathers came to America to worship. Listen! God will not endure from America what He will endure from other nations. We cannot get away with it.”

Big cities are endorsing socialists to run for office. A socialist embraces the tenets of communism, the core principle of which is “there is no God.” At the Constitutional Convention, it was NOT a preacher who said, “In the beginning of the contest with Great Britian, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for divine protection. Our prayers were heard, sir, we were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity…I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire cannot rise without His aid?” (Ben Franklin, thought by most historians to be a deist)

R.G. Lee, the renowned Pastor whose best-known sermon was probably “Payday Someday,” once reminded his audience of the factors that the British historian Edward Gibbon (1737-94) cited—in his monumental work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire—as contributing to the fall of Rome: “(1) The rapid increase of divorce and the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, the basis of human society; (2) Higher and higher taxes and the spending of pubic monies for free bread and circuses for the populace; (3) The mad craze for pleasure—sports becoming more exciting and attractive to millions; (4) The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within; (5) Religion decayed—falling into mere form and becoming impotent to guide the people. The Empire was not conquered, it collapsed.” (copied)

I will conclude this special “4th of July” column with a wonderful, familiar tribute and a pertinent, powerful, poetic prayer. 

First, the tribute: “O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain; for purple mountains majesties, above the fruited plains! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!” (Written by Katharine Lee Bates (words) and Samuel A. Ward (music) though the two never met; first published July 4, 1895)

And the prayer: “God of our fathers, known of old—Lord of our far-flung battle line beneath whose awful hand we hold dominion over palm and pine—Lord God of Hosts, be with is yet, lest we forget—lest we forget.

The tumult and the shouting dies; the captains and the kings depart: still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, an humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget, lest we forget.

Far-called our navies melt away; on dune and headland sinks the fire: Lo, all our pomp of yesterday is one with Ninevah and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, lest we forget—lest we forget.

If drunk with sight of power, we loose wild tongues that have not Thee in awe; such boastings as the Gentiles use, or lesser breeds without the Law—Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget, lest we forget.

For heathen heart that puts her trust in reeking tube and iron shard—all valiant dust that builds on dust, and guarding, calls not Thee to guard, for frantic boast and foolish word, Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord!”

(Written by Rudyard Kipling on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.)

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will l hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, land will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)

God’s Word for Today’s World

Decades ago, Theodore Roosevelt prophesied that “the things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price; peace at any price; safety first instead of duty first; the love of soft living; and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”

Look around and you will have to conclude that the five things that Theodore Roosevelt predicted would destroy America are indeed destroying our nation from within.

We have too often sought prosperity at any price; we have sacrificed duty first for safety first.

We have chosen the soft life over the character-building hard life.

More often than not, our philosophy has been driven by the get-rich-quick mind set.

What America needs more than anything else on this 250th anniversary of our independence is not total disarmament; not a world-wide ban on nuclear weapons; not a woman president; not the elimination of all unemployment and inflation or a successful war on poverty. What America needs more than anything is what our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, once pinpointed in a speech: “While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that the struggle going on for the world will never be defined by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis is a spiritual one: at root it is a test of moral will and faith.”

There is an ancient message that God delivered to an ancient nation—Judah—that applies to our nation today:

  1. The Predicament of the nation (Judah), Jeremiah 3:1-5
    •  Judah had committed “spiritual suicide.” Nahum reminded Judah that God has His way in the whirlwind and in the storms. (Nahum 1:3: draughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, heat-waves, floods, frost, snow, rain.)
    • Who guided America to legalize the murder of infants? Or to ban the Bible and prayer from our public schools? Once we sang with our hearts, “Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.” 
  2. The Pride of the nation, vss. 6-11
    •  Evidenced in their refusal to repent: “She returned not….” (v. 7); “Her treacherous sister, Judah, feared not but went and played the harlot.” (Jer. 3:7-9)
    • America has some sins to repent of: abortion, alcoholism, divorce, child abuse, pride, idolatry. 
    • Evidenced in her hypocrisy, v. 10b. “… but feignedly saith the Lord.” She fakes it, goes through the motions.
  3. The Plea of God for the nation (Israel), vss. 12ff.
    •  What the nation needed to do:
      • Return, v. 12
      • Acknowledge, v. 13
      • Turn, v. 14
      • Return, v. 22 (“Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling…calling O sinner come home.”)
    •  What God would do
      • Show mercy, v. 12
      • Bring them into a good place, v. 14
      • Give them good pastors, v. 15
      • Heal their backslidings, v. 22

It’s not too late! There is a divine remedy for backsliding: turn, return back to God today! As a nation, let us be reminded often: “My country, ‘tis of Thee; sweet land of liberty, of Thee I sing; land where our fathers died, land of the Pilgrims’ pride, from every mountain side, let freedom ring.

“Our fathers’ God to Thee; author of liberty—to Thee we sing: long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light; protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King!”

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”  (Proverbs 14:34)

Character Counts!

Yes, it does. A. A. Stagg (1862-1965) thought so. Stagg was one of the most distinguished coaches in sports history, serving 40-plus years as head football coach and 20 years as baseball coach at the University of Chicago. In a baseball game, during which his championship team was defending its title, one of his players rounded third base without actually touching the bag. Coach Stagg rushed out of the dugout and hollered to his baserunner that he had to go back and touch the bag: “Get back to third base—you cut it by a yard,” the coach demanded. “But the umpire didn’t see it,” the runner remonstrated. Coach Stagg assured the runner that it made no difference whether the umpire saw it or not: He had to go back and make contact with the bag. It cost the game, but a future businessman watching from the bleachers later testified that the incident on the diamond that day changed his life—and impacted his business ethics forever. He said, “When I saw that, I determined always to play square.”

Jeff Kemp, a quarterback on several NFL teams in the 1980s, embraced Stagg’s value system. Speaking at Hillsdale College on one occasion, Kemp said: “Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Sports helps us conduct an intense form of self-examination. With that in mind, here are several principles I think will apply to the most important relationships in life: marriage, parenting, family, and service. We live in an age when, too often, rules are scorned, values are turned upside down, principles are replaced by expediency, and character has been sacrificed for popularity.” (Kemp went on the speak of humility, honesty, value systems, leadership, vision, perseverance, and spirit).

Yes, character counts. As Napoleon Bonaparte, a very small man in physical stature, affirmed. He was often made fun of because of his height. One officer especially enjoyed “pulling rank” on the “Little Corporal,” as he was called by other men of his company. Said the needling one: “I’m a bigger man than you any day.” “Not so,” replied Napoleon, “just taller.” History proved him right.

Years ago, a radio broadcaster related the following story: “There was an old man who was a great admirer of democracy and public education…so much so that he tried to bring both institutions together in one grand experiment. There would be no regulations in the public college he founded—just self-governance practiced by the college students. The school, after much careful planning, was finally opened. But as the months went by, the students proved time and time again that they were not models of discipline or self-governance. They skipped classes, drank in excess, and wasted hours in frivolous pursuits. One night 14 students, disguised by masks and ‘animated by wine,’ went on a rampage that ended in a brawl, resulting in one professor being struck by a brick. In response, the college convened a special meeting. The old man, now 82 years old and very frail, was asked to address the student body. In the speech he recalled the lofty principles upon which he had founded college. He said he had expected more—much more—from the students. He even confessed that this was the most painful event of his life. Suddenly he stopped speaking. Tears welled up in his failing eyes. He was so overcome with emotion that he sat down, unable to continue. His audience was so moved that at the conclusion of the meeting, the 14 offenders stepped forward to confess and admit their guilt. But the damage could not be undone. A strict code of conduct and many regulations were put into place at the college. The old man’s experiment had failed. Why? Because he had taken for granted the one essential ingredient: virtue. Only a virtuous people can maintain freedom. A short while later, on the 4th of July, the old man passed away. Engraved on his tombstone were the words, ‘Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and father of the University of Virginia.’ Jefferson’s setback at the University of Virginia illustrates the truth that success or failure is determined by virtue. ‘Virtue is the oxygen of a free society.’” And, so, in the words of the late, famous radio broadcaster Paul Harvey: “Now you know the rest of the story!”  (This story can easily be Googled.)

Our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, spoke the truth when he said, “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true; I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have. I must stand with anybody who stands right, and part with him when he goes wrong.”

“As a tree falls, so must it lie;
As a man lives, so must he die;
As a man dies, so must he be,
All throughout eternity.” (An old English proverb, probably inspired by Eccl. 11:3)

Live right, die right. Trust Christ with your soul’s eternal destiny. (John 1:12)

“For I am the least of all of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (I Cor. 15:9,10)

Praise Ye The Lord!

The last five psalms in the Book of Psalms begin with the same words: “Praise ye the Lord.” It is a fitting way, of course, to conclude this hallmark book of songs of praise, “for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” (Ps. 147:1) One observer noted that “the attention span of a typical human is ten praises, six promises, or one preachment.” (Jocco Grand, Reader’s Digest, March, 1980) Well, the psalmist, in his praise book, no doubt understood the worth of sounding the chords of praise continually: “Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints.” (Ps. 149:1)

An elderly man at the midweek service of his church offered this prayer: “Oh, Lord, we will praise Thee; we will praise Thee with an instrument of ten strings.” People wondered what he meant but understood when he continued: “We will praise thee with our two eyes by looking only unto Thee; We will exalt Thee with our two ears by listening only to Thy voice. We will exalt Thee with our two hands by working in Thy service. We will honor Thee with our two feet by walking in Thy statutes. We will magnify Thee with our tongues by bearing testimony to Thy loving kindness. We will worship Thee with our hearts by loving Thee. We thank Thee for this instrument, Lord; keep it in tune. Play upon it as Thou wilt and ring out the melodies of Thy grace! May its harmonies always express Thy glory.” (Unknown)

The Psalmist, in Psalm 148, praised the Lord: “The heavens…His angels…sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars of light…ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens; praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: fire, and hail; snow, and vapors; stormy wind fulfilling his word; mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl: kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: both young men, and maidens; old men and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent.”

Charles Spurgeon, the 19th-century English preacher, spoke to the need for being constant in our praise of Him: “When we bless God for mercies, we prolong them. When we bless God for miseries, we usually end them. Praise is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace.”

“It is said that two kinds of birds fly over the California deserts—the hummingbird and the vulture. All the vulture can see is rotting meat, because that’s all he looks for. He thrives on that diet. But the hummingbird ignores the carcasses and the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, he looks for the tiny blossoms of the cactus flowers. He buzzes around until he finds the colorful blooms, almost hidden from view by the rocks. Each bird finds what it is looking for. What are you looking for? Better still, what are you finding? What you are finding tells what you are really looking for. Your expectations of life will determine your outcome. Expect miracles and you will find love. Expect joy and you will be filled with happiness. What are you finding?” (“Perspective,” Nazarene Church, E. Liverpool, OH.)

James Packer, the Canadian theologian, said it well: “The habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy and zeal.”

The Scottish catechism says that man’s chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” “But we shall then know that these are the same thing,” says C. S. Lewis: “Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” (C. S. Lewis, Reflecting on the Psalms, pp. 96,97)

Listen in as saints in heaven sing a new song: “And every creature which is in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, ‘Blessing and honour and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.’” (Rev. 5:13)

“The American hymn writer Rev. Johnson Oatman, Jr., wrote over 5,000 hymn texts with perhaps his best loved being, “Count Your Many Blessings.” Even in Great Britain, Gypsy Smith reported that in South London, ‘The men sing it, the boys whistle it, the mothers rock their babies to sleep by it.’ ‘Count Your Blessings’ was a favorite during the great revival in Wales. E.O. Excell composed the music for this wonderful song. For about twenty years, Excell worked with the southern revivalist Sam Jones and was one of the greatest song leaders of his day. May we please pause to give thanks and ‘count our many blessings!’” (copied)

“Count your blessings—name them one by one;

Count your blessings—see what God hath done;

Count your blessings—name them one by one;

Count your blessings—see what God hath done.”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!” (Eph. 1:3)

Victim or Victor?

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” (Proverbs 25:28)

Someone has suggested, and with good basis, that a man’s greatest enemy has always been himself.

Sages have been trying for centuries to devise a formula that would ensure victory in the battle against this ancient foe. And some of the world’s eminent philosophers and poets have made untimely exits from this world because they were never able to control their own spirit. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), English writer and poet, was purported to be a genius with his pen, especially in poetry; but his spirit was unrestrained and, living a life abandoned to selfish “pleasures,” he died spiritually destitute at the age of 29.

King Solomon likened such a man—a man who has no rule over his own spirit—to a city that is broken down and without walls. Thomas à Kempis, in his book Imitation of Christ, wrote: “Be not angry that you cannot make others to be what you wish them to be since you cannot make yourself what you want to be.”

Control of one’s self is often called temperance in the Bible. What are the marks of a spirit that is not under control? What are the means whereby a spirit is brought under control? And what are the manifestations of temperance and a spirit that is under control?

First, the marks of a spirit NOT under control: Selfishness—satisfying the lusts of the flesh without regard to consequences; pampering the lusts of the flesh without regard to proven Biblical principles; adultery, “free sex,” and drinking intoxicating liquids; embracing the “woke” philosophies of the day; taking a job promotion without seeking God’s will in the matter, or without making sure a move would land you within reasonable distance from a Bible-preaching church; and one could cite a plethora of other selfish, demonic, or worldly distractions. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh of the flesh shall reap corruption.” (Gal. 6:7)

John the apostle warns that the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” are all full of worldly, not heaven-ward, appetites and pitfalls. (I John 2:15-17) Some of these appetites are not necessarily evil in and of themselves; but embraced intimately so that they control you (food, clothes, sex, material possessions, ambitions), they can be areas that Satan will work through, as He did with Eve and Adam in the beautiful garden of Eden—and as he tried unsuccessfully to do with Jesus in the wilderness temptation. (Matt. 4:1ff.) We could add pride, anger, bitterness, depression, suicidal gravitations, and many other “darts” of the wicked one that he will shamelessly use on a believer to destroy his/her testimony—and ultimately kill whom he can. He has been a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44; John 10:10)

Second, the means of the spirit that is under control: (1) regeneration, i.e., not renovation but the new birth that only comes by grace, through faith, by the Holy Spirit—without which no man will see God or enter into heaven. (John 3) Paul said that he was “wretched” and questioned, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” He affirmed that his need was not rejuvenation but (2) Redemption: “I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 7: 24,25) Know this, that “our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed that we henceforth should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:6) With redemption and regeneration comes (3) Renewal (Eph. 4:23)—a renewed mind. The prayer that Augustine prayed, “O that a man would arise in me, that the man I am would cease to be,” can be answered for every person who trusts God for deliverance through faith: That Man is the God-Man, Jesus Christ!

Finally, the manifestations of temperance and a spirit that is under control: meekness, such as in I Pet.3:4: “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” (In context, this speaks of godly women, but without doubt meekness is a fruit of the Spirit that also abides in the heart and mind of the regenerate man.) Also, contentedness: “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.” (I Tim. 6:6) Third, moral purity: “Flee youthful lusts, but follow after righteousness, faith, charity, peace with all them that call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart.” (I Tim. 2:22)

Conclusion: Many sad stories could be told of brilliant lives, past and present, dissipated and destroyed for lack of self-control. God will not destroy you; and the devil cannot destroy you (without your cooperation). But you can destroy yourself. Earlier, I mentioned the poet Shelley, who was exceptionally talented but whose life illustrates perfectly the above statement. I am not sure of the source, but here is one author’s assessment of his tragic life—and death:

“A youth in revolt. A fervent apostle of liberty; a man who wronged, yet knew no wrong—who bound himself by the conventions he defied—who shocked his contemporaries by his life’s work, and dazzled posterity by his genius. From an early age he was fastidious about manners and appearance. He was expelled from Oxford at the age of 22 for writing ‘Necessity of Atheism.’ He died at sea when he defied nature; with his pen he could command legislative bodies, but he never had control of his own spirit.”

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph. 5:18)