Hope for the Hopeless

Think back to a day of great pain – a day of hopelessness, of despair. A day when you lost a loved one – or a loved one betrayed you. A day it seemed as if God didn’t care for you – or He didn’t even exist.

That’s the situation for the followers of Jesus after the crucifixion. They had left everything to follow Him – fathers, mothers, homes, employment. For they thought He was the long-promised Messiah, the descendant of David who would restore Israel and reign forever. They had seen His power; they had heard His words – no one had ever spoken like that! When the religious authorities tried to trap Him, time and again He turned the tables on them. So those authorities didn’t even dare to ask him anything else publicly.

Jesus had called His followers out of their simple, normal lives. He had raised their hopes in the inevitable advance of the Kingdom of God. And He told them they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel! Simple fishermen, a tax collector!

But now, they have seen this almighty King stripped, scourged, and scorned. They have heard the soldiers mock Him as King of the Jews. They saw Him hanging on the cross. They saw Him die. They saw His lifeless corpse.

This dashes all their hopes. All their dreams. Now they just look like fools for leaving everything and following an itinerant preacher – indeed, a madman.

So they despair – as you may well have despaired on your day of greatest pain.

That’s the women’s state of mind as they come to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning. In the midst of their despair, they intend to do what they can – to honor Jesus’ lifeless body.

But they find the tomb open! And Jesus’ body is not there!

Luke tells us two men – presumably angels – then speak:

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you … that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (From Luke 24:5-7)

The women return to the apostles, reporting what they’ve seen. But Luke tells us, “These words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11).

Peter goes to the tomb and finds it empty – but does not see Jesus.

Later that day two followers are walking away from Jerusalem. The risen Jesus overtakes them, but they do not recognize Him. Still very much in despair, they describe to Him what has happened and then summarize their present state of mind: “We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). The implication: They no longer have that hope. The empty tomb has not raised them out of despair.

They go on to say that others went to the tomb and verified the women’s report, but conclude, “Him they did not see.”

What does Jesus then say?

He says what He says to us on our hardest days, when we lose all hope: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)

Foolish! Why?

We all are foolish for at least three reasons when we despair:

  • First, because we have the prophets. Over many centuries the prophets tell us that God has advanced His great plan, overcoming human sin and human opposition, culminating in the descendant of David who lives a righteous life, suffers and dies for the people, rises from the dead, and promises to return to usher in His eternal Kingdom when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Nothing can keep Him from fulfilling that plan.
  • Second, because we have Jesus. The two followers are in despair because those who went to the tomb did not see Jesus. And they are looking at Jesus when they say that! They see Jesus! Yet they are completely ignorant of His presence.
  • Third, because of what Jesus Himself said. The angels tell the women, “Remember how He told you.” He had said that a disciple would betray Him. He had said He would mocked, beaten, and killed. And He had said that He would rise from the dead. He told them all this ahead of time.

So, friends: In our times of great pain, we must hold on to these same three truths.

We too have the Scriptures and the evidence from biblical history that nothing derails God’s plan. Furthermore, we today have the privilege of seeing more clearly than those disciples how God is working out His great plan through church history and through missions.

We too have the presence of Jesus via His Holy Spirit. The night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, … he dwells with you and will be in you” (From John 14:16-17). So when we feel abandoned – He is right there with us. We too must recognize Him, like those disciples in Luke 24.

Finally, we too have the words, the promises of Jesus.

Think about this: Suppose I promise to give you a million dollars on Monday, and then a thousand dollars Tuesday.  You would have reason to be skeptical about that promise! But suppose somehow I fulfill the first half of the promise – I give you a million dollars Monday!

What then do you expect to happen on Tuesday? If I fulfill the promise to give you a million dollars on Monday, surely I’ll give you the thousand dollars on Tuesday – you will have no doubt! I’ve kept the hard promise – surely I’ll keep the easy one!

Think, now: Isn’t the promise to rise from the dead the hardest promise to keep anyone has ever made? Jesus kept the hard promise. He lived up to His word. Shouldn’t we then believe the rest of His words, and trust Him to be speaking truthfully? He’s fulfilled the million-dollar promise – surely He’ll fulfill all the thousand dollar promises He made.

Jesus’ resurrection verifies all God’s promises.

These include:

  • “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  • “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).
  • “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, Joshua 1:5).
  • Via the Apostle Paul: Nothing in all creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (From Romans 8:39).

So this Resurrection Sunday: Commit yourself not to be foolish and slow of heart to believe:

  • Remember the story of the Bible, God’s great plan;
  • Remember that if you are in Jesus, you have the downpayment of your inheritance, the Holy Spirit within you;
  • Remember Jesus has fulfilled the most difficult promise; He will surely fulfill all the others.

We experience many sorrows and sins in this world. There are times for weeping, times for mourning. Jesus’ followers were right to weep at the crucifixion.

But Jesus is risen, just as He said! Therefore, we should never despair, for we have a certain, living Hope. Trust in His plan. Trust in His presence. And trust in His promises.

[This devotion was preached at the sunrise service of Desiring God Community Church on April 20, 2025]

 

The Cross of Jesus Is “the Spring of Our Happiness”

In my sermon preparation for our upcoming outdoor service this Sunday, I have been reflecting on this strange, staggering, and sublime truth: Jesus suffered on the cross for our joy. In God’s kindness, in my reading I stumbled upon this wonderfully worded sentence from 17th century Puritan Stephen Charnock (1628–1680) that captures that sentiment much more beautifully:

 

“[Jesus’ death on the cross is] the spring of our happiness.”

 

The cross is the spring of our happiness. Without the gospel of Jesus, this would be a completely incoherent statement. A Roman device of torture and death for criminals is the well-spring of human happiness!? It makes no sense. We would not write the story this way. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Cor 1:18).

Charnock has more to say about the cross of Jesus and what it means for us. Consider this little excerpt for your edification from Charnock’s “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified” originally transcribed and posted here by Tony Reinke. As Charnock exhorts, let us with Paul determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and especially him crucified.

 

Stephen Charnock on the Cross of Jesus
Let us delight in the knowledge of Christ crucified, and be often in the thoughts and study of him. Study Christ, not only as living but dying, not as breathing in our air, but suffering in our stead; know him as a victim, which is the way to know him as a Conqueror. Christ as crucified is the great object of faith. All the passages of his life, from his nativity to his death, are passed over in the creed without reciting, because, though they are things to be believed, yet the belief of them is not sufficient without the belief of the Cross; in that alone was our redemption wrought. Had he only lived, he would have not been a Savior. If our faith stops in his life, and does not fasten upon his blood, it will not be a justifying faith. His miracles, which prepared the world for his doctrine, and his holiness, which fitted himself for his suffering, would have been insufficient for us without the addition of the Cross. Without this, we had been under the demerit of our crimes, the venom of our natures, the slavery of our sins, and the tyranny of the devil; without this, we should forever have had God for our enemy, and Satan for our executioner; without this, we had lain groaning under the punishment of our transgressions, and despaired of any smile from heaven. It was this death as a sacrifice that appeased God and as a price redeemed us. Nothing is so strong to encourage us; nothing so powerful to purify us; how can we be without thinking of it? …

This will be the foundation of all our comforts. What comfort can be wanting, when we can look upon Christ crucified as our surety, and look upon ourselves as crucified in him, when we can consider our sins as punished in him, and ourselves accepted by virtue of his Cross? It was not an angel which was crucified for us, but the Son of God; one of an equal dignity with the Father; one that shed blood enough to blot out the demerit of our crimes, were they more than could be numbered by all the angels of heaven, if all were made known to them. He was not crucified for a few, but for all sorts of offenses. When we shall see judgment in the world, what comfort can we take without a knowledge and sense of a crucified Christ? What a horror is it for a condemned man to see the preparation of the gibbets, halters and executioners? But when he shall see a propitiation made for him, the anger of the Prince atoned, the Law some other way satisfied, and his condemnation changed into remission; all his former terrors vanish, and a sweet and pleasing calm possesses him… When we tremble under a sense of our sins, the terrors of the Judge and the curses of the Law, let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy to all our miseries. His Cross has procured a crown. His passion [death] has expiated our transgressions. His death has disarmed the Law. His blood has washed a believers soul. This death is the destruction of our enemies, the spring of our happiness, the eternal testimony of divine love. We have good reason, as well as the apostle Paul, to determine with ourselves to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and especially him crucified.[1]

 

 

[1] Originally transcribed by Tony Reinke from “A Discourse of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified,” from The Works of Stephen Charnock, 2 vol (London: 1684) pp. 844-845. Taken from TonyReinke.com (https://tonyreinke.com/2007/03/29/cross-centered-life-puritans/) on 05/01/2025.

 

A Verse for Easter: The Gospel in One Verse

If you could pick one verse that captures the significance of Easter, which one would you turn to? Might I suggest 1 Peter 3:18. Here, Peter packs into one little verse the treasure trove of our salvation that Jesus won for us in his cross and resurrection. Let’s consider it.

 

For Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God, by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18. My translation).

 

What Peter says here is essentially this: Jesus died and rose from the dead to bring his people into eternal life with God.

Let’s just consider this marvelous verse a piece at a time.

 

Christ suffered for sins once and for all…
First, consider the main action: Christ suffered for sins once and for all…

Jesus’ suffering for sins on the cross was final. No other death for sins is needed. This tells us something of sin. Sin must be punished with death. The wages of sin is death.

Why was Jesus’ death for sins so final? Because Jesus was perfectly righteous.

 

the righteous for the unrighteous…
Second, notice the next phrase which explains this: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous…

Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly obedient to his heavenly Father. No sin in his nature, no sin in his heart, no sin in his hand. Perfect. If he is sinless, then why must he suffer for sins? Because his suffering was substitutionary. He was the perfect sacrifice for sins. He the righteous suffered on behalf of the unrighteous. Well if Jesus is the righteous one, who are the unrighteous? You and me.

What was the purpose of this substitutionary death? To brings us to God.

 

in order that he might bring us to God…
Third, consider the next phrase which points to this purpose: Christ suffered for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that he might bring us to God…

Peter could have described Jesus’ purpose of the cross in a myriad of ways and yet he captures it like this: Jesus suffered for the unrighteous on the cross for the purpose of bringing us to God. This tells us something about God and our dilemma. If Jesus had to die for our unrighteousness in order for us to even be brought into God’s presence, then unrighteousness, unholiness, must not exist or be able to exist in God’s presence. This is because God is perfectly holy. God is perfectly righteous. This, here, is our dilemma. Our unrighteousness, our unholiness separated us from God. This tells us a little bit more about what Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished. If Jesus died to bring us into the righteous, holy God’s presence, then that must mean that he not only eliminated our unrighteousness, but he also gave us his righteousness. Jesus died, for the dual purpose of eliminating our unrighteousness and making us righteous for the ultimate purpose of bringing us back to God.

 This final purpose unveils our purpose. If Jesus died in order to bring us to God, then we were made to be with and enjoy him. This is the greatest good for us. Alternatively, the worst place we can find ourselves is separated from him. But Jesus in his death brings us back to the greatest good for our souls, the most joyful place for you and me. He brings us back into the presence of and into relationship with our Creator God.

How can we be sure that this is ours in Jesus? Because Jesus rose from the dead.

 

by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.
Fourth, consider the last phrase which fills out what it meant for Jesus to suffer while also describing the manner in which Jesus accomplished this bringing us to God: by, on the one hand, having been put to death in the flesh but, on the other hand, having been made alive by the Spirit.

Jesus’ suffering once for sins, as alluded to, was his death on the cross. But, he did not remain dead. Jesus dying on the cross is one half of how he brings us to God. Jesus broke the power of death through his righteousness and by the power of the Spirit, he rose to new life. Thus, the resurrected Jesus is our living guarantee that if we are in him, we too will be raised to eternal life even though we die in the flesh.

 

A Verse for Easter
So here then is the gospel in one verse: Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to bring his people into eternal life with God.

This is what Jesus did for you and me on Easter.

Pride and Plagiarism

[This devotion is lightly edited from the original, written September 10, 2004.]

It all sounds so familiar.

The senior pastor of a large Charlotte church resigned this week, admitting that over the last two years he has preached sermons from others without attribution.

Eight months ago I was approached by a member of a church in another state, asking me to listen to tapes from his pastor to discern if he was re-preaching my sermons without attribution. Such was the case – that pastor preached all 27 sermons in my series on the Gospel of Mark. Listening to this unknown man speaking my words as if they were his own was eerie – particularly when he told one of my personal stories, saying he was quoting “a missionary,” – but then, after saying “end quote”, he continued to speak my very words! I felt violated – just as if someone had broken into my house and rifled through my possessions.

Why would a pastor do such a thing? The Charlotte pastor says he felt “tired and discouraged,” “devoid of any creative ability.” The other pastor said he was burned out. Both had tried to resign prior to the plagiarism, and both had been convinced to stay by others in the church.

But tiredness and a lack of creative energy are not fundamental to this problem. As I told the other pastor, if, upon reading my sermons online, he had contacted me, had told me of the problem, and had asked for permission to re-preach my sermons with attribution, I would have discouraged him from doing so, but nevertheless would have said yes. He could have preached exactly the same set of sermons, trying to restore his energies in the same way, and yet he could have been completely aboveboard with his congregation, while giving proper credit to the author. The Charlotte pastor could have done the same. But both men chose not to do so. Why?

There is only one answer, and it is an ugly one: Pride. For a pastor to admit to his congregation that he cannot compose a sermon is a statement of weakness, of inadequacy. And most church members do not want inadequate pastors.

How would you respond if your pastor were to confess, “I am burned out. I need your prayers. My time in the Word is dry. So I’m going to preach for you a fine sermon another man wrote. May God bless you through it.” Would you respond, “How unprofessional! If I acted that way in my job, I would be fired!”

Guess what? Every pastor is inadequate for the task. Every pastor is incompetent for the ministry. As Paul says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 3:5). So how much of a pastor’s impact on his congregation comes from him? Nothing – nothing that is of any ultimate importance. We are not adequate to consider anything as coming from ourselves! But Paul continues, “But our adequacy is from God.” Pastors must be called and empowered by God to accomplish God’s work in God’s church. Then – and only then – will they be adequate, competent, sufficient for God’s task.

The 19th century British preacher Charles Spurgeon admitted, “I scarcely ever come into this pulpit without bemoaning myself that ever I should be called to a task for which I seem more unfit than any other man that ever was born. Woe is me that I should have to preach a gospel which so overmasters me, and which I feel that I am so unfit to preach!” If we preachers speak before our congregations with any other attitude, we too will be subject to the bane of pride.

So what can you do? What attitude should you have toward your pastor?

First, expect weakness from him. Expect brokenness from him. Know that he struggles with pride and many other sins, and that he needs friendship, support, and accountability before others.

Second, speak to him about this recent resignation. Tell him that if he ever feels burned out and dry, you will support him in whatever way necessary. Tell him you would much rather he openly preach another man’s sermon than to pretend he is speaking his own words. Remind him that he is personally inadequate for his task – but that God will make him adequate by His power, in part through the prayers of His people. And commit yourself to praying for him.

Finally, examine your own heart. Is your own pride wrapped up in the status of your pastor? Do you brag to others about his skills and leadership? That’s part of the problem. So many of us put our pastors on a pedestal, and then we pastors feel we must live there, pretending we are perfect, pretending that all is going well, plastering a smile on our faces, effectively lying to our congregations, thinking that if we admit our problems we will damage our peoples’ faith in God.

Fellow pastors, God has entrusted us with a magnificent ministry – but He wraps this ministry in the inadequate, weak, easily-broken jars of clay that we are. Our admitting our weakness does not diminish God’s glory – rather, “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Let the glory of God shine through your weakness, so that all might know that whatever our churches may accomplish, all results from God’s power, and not from our professionalism.

How Does Deuteronomy Help Us Rejoice in the Lord?

As our name suggests, Desiring God Church emphasizes the importance of our delighting in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We often quote verses such as Psalm 16:11 and Philippians 4:4:

In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

But consider how often we find similar commands in the book of Deuteronomy – often prescribing rejoicing during the regular feasts or when bringing tithes and offerings:

Deut. 12:7 (NET): Both you and your families must feast [at the place God designates] before the LORD your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you.

Deut. 12:12 (NET): You shall rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God

Deut. 12:18 (NET): In that place you will rejoice before the LORD your God in all the output of your labor.

Deut. 14:26 [When the people bring their tithes to the place God designates]: You shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.

From Deut. 16:10-15: Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. 11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there…. 14 You shall rejoice in your feast…. 15 For seven days you shall keep the feast to the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Deut. 26:5-11 [When the people offer from their first harvest in the Promised Land]: You shall make response before the LORD your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

Deut. 27:7 [After crossing the Jordan and building an altar]: You shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God.

From these and related passages, consider four observations that help us today to rejoice in God:

First: Rejoice corporately! In our individualistic culture, we easily internalize commands such as Philippians 4:4: “I must rejoice in God in myself!” In contrast, all the quoted passages refer to rejoicing in God together with others. So today we should rejoice together in God not only in our worship services but also at our meals, at family events, at gatherings in our homes. By so doing, we help one another also to rejoice internally.

Second: Recognize that all you have is a gift from God! God owes you nothing. You have earned nothing. As the excerpt from Deuteronomy 26 emphasizes, only a handful of people went to Egypt, and God multiplied them, making them a great nation. Then He rescued them from oppression and by His power brought them into a fruitful land. Just so with us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and by His great mercy through the work of His Son He made us alive in Jesus. Every breath, every heartbeat, every morsel of food is an undeserved gift from God.

Third, and related: Recognize that even what you “earn” is a gift from God! Deuteronomy 12:7 says we are to “rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he has blessed you.” Thus, even what seems to result from our work is a blessing from God. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 elaborates on this idea: “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” If I produce more output than others through diligent work, that doesn’t mean I am better than others, or that I deserve the additional output. Rather, the diligence and the ability to work well are gifts that others do not have. I should therefore rejoice in God all the more.

Finally: Rejoice in the Giver rather than the gift! When they prosper, the Israelites are to rejoice in the giving of tithes and during their regular feasts as repeated reminders of the One Who is Himself good and holy and loving. The houses, the herds, the flocks, the silver, the gold, health, children, protection – all these are pointers to God. Just so with us. Every good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17). We must not be like the thousands in John 6 who ate the miraculous bread and simply desired more, failing to see what it signified. Rather, we can take the occasion of every delight – cardinals at the feeder, sunshine on new leaves, a whiff of Clematis flowers, a brisk early-morning walk, tasty cobbler, a toddler’s smile – and rejoice in our trinitarian God, from Whom, through Whom, and unto Whom are all these joys.

[All quotations are ESV unless otherwise indicated.]

Evangelism: Dying Men Preaching in Love to Dying Men for God’s Glory

Richard Baxter famously wrote: “I preached as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.”[1] God has given the great privilege and work of evangelism to the church, which it has carried out since its inception. The first six chapters of Acts illustrate this quite strikingly. Not only does Luke explicitly report four gospel presentations to unbelievers in the first six chapters (Acts 2:14–41; 3:11–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32), but we read formulas that point to ongoing evangelism like:

 

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:40–41).

 

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).

 

But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand (Acts 4:4).

 

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

 

Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles (Acts 5:12) (The Holy Spirit bears witness to the gospel through signs and wonders. Therefore, Signs and wonders in Acts go hand-in-hand with gospel proclamation. Cf. Acts 2:22; 5:32; 14:3).

 

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (Acts 5:14).

 

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus (Acts 5:42).

 

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).

 

Evangelism is and has always been the work of the church. But, is there a way to go about this great work of evangelism in a wrongly? Is there a way in which we preach the gospel not as dying men and women to dying men and women for God’s glory?

 

The Right and Wrong Way to Evangelize from Paul and Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Paul says in Philippians 1:18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” Does this mean that the ends justify the means when it comes to evangelism? Not really. When Paul rejoices that Christ is preached even when the motive of that preaching is envy and rivalry (Philippians 1:15), this is a testament to his utter dearth of selfish ambition when it comes to gospel proclamation, not an approval of motive or how to go about it. Rather, Paul himself here offers us an the right example to follow when it comes to evangelism. For Paul, evangelism is not about himself or his influence. It is about loving and glorifying God in Christ and loving the lost at the expense of oneself.

It must’ve been in this same spirit that the great Welsh pastor (and in many ways evangelist) of Wales and England Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) (ML-J) offered these five principles for evangelism at a conference in England in 1942:

 

  1. The supreme object of this work is to glorify God…The first object of preaching the Gospel is not to save souls…Nothing else however good in itself, or however noble, must be allowed to usurp that first place.
  2. The only power that can really do this work is that of the Holy Spirit…
  3. The one and only medium through which the Holy Spirit works is the Word of God…The medium which is used by the Holy Spirit is the truth.
  4. The true urge to evanglization must come from apprehending these principles and, therefore, of a zeal for the honour and glory of God, and a love for the souls of men.
  5. There is a constant danger of error, and of heresy, even amongst the most sincere, and also the danger of a false zeal and the employment of unscriptural methods.[2]

 

ML-J’s fifth principle here makes clear the assumption of the biblical foundation of the first four. Therefore, this affords us a helpful exercise. If the first four principles define biblical evangelism, then the opposite of each should help us define unbiblical evangelism. So let’s rewrite the first four principles as the photo-negative version of themselves:

 

  1. The supreme object of this work is to glorify man…The first object of preaching the Gospel is to save souls…
  2. The only power that can really do this work is that of man and his innovation…
  3. The only mediums through which the Holy Spirit works is man’s personality, celebrity, clever words, and persuasive rhetoric.
  4. The true urge to evangelization must come from apprehending these principles and, therefore, of a zeal for the honor and glory of man and a love for self.

 

These principles define an evangelism that will err—stumble headlong into heresy, produce a false, manufactured and manipulated zeal, and employ unscriptural methods. Such evangelism is not the work of dying men seeking to rescue dying men and bring them to God for his glory and influence. This is the work of dying men seeking to rescue dying men and collect them for their own glory and influence. This type of evangelism is evangelism of self-love. But true evangelism is not about self. It is about loving God and loving the souls of lost men even at the expense of oneself.

 

Jesus: The Supreme Evangelist
Jesus is the supreme model for evangelism. In Jesus we see every principle that ML-J articulated. Jesus came evangelizing: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’ (Mark 1:14–15). And what Jesus called lost men to, he fulfilled in love for men and for God’s glory: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13); “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus suffered and died to bring lost souls, whom he loves, to God for God’s glory. Jesus, the living Word, the man of the Spirit, gave his life for the glory of God and in love for the lost. Jesus was the epitome of a dying man bringing the gospel to dying men in love for the glory of God.

 

A Call to Evangelize
Let us be like the founder of our faith. Let us continue his great evangelistic work that he passed on to the church, who has continued to pass on this great work down through the centuries ultimately to you and me. Let us “do the work of an evangelist” and so “fulfill (our) ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Let us not evangelize for man’s glory and for love of self, but for God’s glory and for love of the lost. Let us “preach as a dying man to dying men.”

 

[1] Baxter’s Poetical Fragments (1st ed.; 1681), p.40, lines 7-8.

[2] Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939–1981 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2016), 2:90.

Jesus Is Worth It

In Acts 5:40–42, we see a fascinating situation unfold. The religious leaders in Jerusalem beat the apostles for preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus and charge them to cease and desist. And what happens next? The apostles leave the council, rejoicing!

What leads to this kind of response to suffering and dishonor? Simply put: Jesus is worth it. The apostles treasure Jesus and his gospel promises.

 

Man’s Honor or God’s Honor
Luke notes that the apostles rejoice because they were deemed worthy on behalf of the name to be dishonored (Acts 5:41; My translation). Luke does something interesting here. A few verse before this, a Pharisee named Gamaliel counsels the religious leaders concerning the apostles. Luke makes this observation of Gamaliel: he was held in honor by all the people (Acts 5:34). While this is just an observation on Luke’s part and not necessarily an indictment on Gamaliel, Luke makes this observation to add a flourish of irony to this scene. Desiring honor among the people is the heart of the religious leaders’ problem.

The religious leaders resist the gospel and Jesus because he threatens their influence and authority over the people. Their desire of not wanting the gospel to spread among the people (Acts 4:17) motivated their original ban on gospel preaching by the apostles. The religious leaders covet their glory, authority, and honor among the people. Therefore, when the apostles grow in their influence and the followers of Jesus exponentially increase, the religious leaders are filled with jealousy (Acts 5:17). Jealousy, James notes, goes hand-in-hand with selfish ambition (James 3:16). The religious leaders’ are so bought into their own glory and honor among men that they would gladly trade the glory of God for it. But not the apostles. The apostles, God’s people, gladly choose dishonor among men for Jesus’ sake in order to gain honor from God. Therefore, they rejoice. And this honor from God is guaranteed because they gain it through their treasure Jesus and his gospel promises.

 

Jesus and His Promises
Jesus offered his apostles these words in Luke 6:22–23,

 

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”

 

The apostles suffer dishonor among men to gain honor from God because they hold fast to Jesus’ gospel promises. Jesus promised his disciples that their suffering for his sake would lead to great reward in heaven. Here in Acts 5:40–42, with every strike of the rod or whip upon their back, the apostles hear these words ringing in their ears “Your reward is great in heaven! Honor from God!” They hold fast to Jesus’ gospel promises of reward and honor. What is the essence of that reward and honor? Eternity with their treasure, Jesus. How do they know it’s guaranteed? Because Jesus gain it for them.

The apostles suffer dishonor among men to gain honor from God because they hold fast to their treasure, Jesus, who is their life. The apostles are able to endure and hold fast to these promises because they are not the first ones to walk this road. In fact, the path to eternal life in heaven with God has already been paved for them by a forerunner, a pioneer, the Author of Life, their Savior, Jesus (Acts 3:15; 5:30–31). They hold fast to these promises because they hold fast to Jesus who suffered the dishonor and shame of the cross for the sake of the joy that was before him (Hebrews 12:1–2). And, he rose victorious, exalted to God’s right hand as the Author of Life (Acts 3:15; 5:30). Therefore, when the apostles suffer dishonor for Jesus’ sake, they do so because they cling to him as their savior, trusting in the life he won. Furthermore, when they suffer dishonor among men for reward set before them, they have never looked more like Jesus. This last observation—looking like Jesus in suffering—is worth a closer look.

 

Deemed Worthy of Dishonor
Luke notes that the apostles rejoiced not just because they suffered dishonored, but because they were deemed worthy to suffer dishonor. The apostles saw their suffering as an affirmation from God of their worth. This is remarkable. We often consider our suffering to be tied somehow to our being unworthy in the eyes of God, but here we see it is often just the opposite. While the apostles do suffer persecution, which is a unique kind of suffering, the purpose of suffering in general in Scripture points to this same remarkable reality. First Peter 1:7 notes that various trials grieve us in this life for the purpose of proving the genuineness of our faith.

Trials and suffering are not applied because of lack of faith. God applies trials and suffering to reveal for all to see the true, genuine, worthy faith that was there all along, like gold encased in raw ore that only appears once its passed through the crucible. When Christians suffer it is because God has deemed us worthy to suffer. And, we are only worthy because we are united to the great sufferer, Jesus. Because he was perfectly worthy we can rest assured that our suffering points to our worth in him. And so, in the eyes of the world and the heavenlies, when the Christian suffers and still clings to Jesus, God is glorified. And, when the Christian suffers and clings to Jesus, God adds another jewel into the unfading crown of glory that he deems you worthy to receive amidst much praise, glory, and yes, honor (1 Peter 1:4, 7; 5:4). This calls for rejoicing.

 

Rejoice
Whether we suffer persecution for the gospel or suffer the trials of life, let us rejoice. Rejoice because in God’s eyes, we have been deemed worthy of the highest honor: suffering like our king who endured for the joy set before him. Rejoice because of the life we have in and with Jesus our greatest treasure now, and because of the reward he won for us in that awaits in eternity. And as you rejoice, be like the apostles and continue to proclaim Jesus (Acts 5:42). Let the psalmist in Psalm 73:25–28 instruct us,

 

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;

you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.

But for me it is good to be near God;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

that I may tell of all your works.

 

When suffering and dishonor come in this life, rejoice! Jesus is worth it.

Don’t Stand Aloof. Fly to the Fount.

In Acts 5:12–16, we see an amazing scene glowing red hot with signs and wonders and astounding church growth. But nestled within this wild scene is an exhortation that we can’t allow to sneak past us for all the action. Don’t stand aloof from Jesus. Come to him.

We find the action that gives rise to the dramatic results in verse 12,

 

Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.

 

God the Holy Spirit powerfully works signs and wonders through the apostles among the people and in the gathered church. The result:

 

more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

 

Now, at this point in Acts, the Lord had already been adding people to the church in huge numbers: Three thousand at Pentecost. Two thousand or perhaps even five thousand after Peter and John heal the lame man. So the church, counting women and children, is already pushing ten thousand at this point. And now more than ever believers were added to the Lord (Acts 5:14). The scene had to have been a wild one in Jerusalem. How do you even begin to report it. Well, Luke essentially drops us into a theater seat here and offers us a glimpse of the glorious, divinely directed play. People in the streets on cots. People pouring in from all the surrounding cities threatening to burst the walls of Jerusalem. All healed.

A good question to ask at this point is this: did the signs and wonders do this? They certainly played a part, or Luke would not have pointed them out. But what part did they fill in this divine comedy? Were they the lead role? Or, were they the supporting role. Acts 2:22 gives us the answer:

 

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22).

 

The purpose of signs and wonders and the miraculous when Jesus walked the earth was to attest to Jesus. Acts 14:3 confirms that this remains the purpose of signs and wonders and miracles in the ministry of the church. There Luke describes Paul and Barnabas’s ministry in Iconium, saying,

 

So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands (Acts 14:3).

 

Thus, the Holy Spirit performs signs and wonders through the church for the purpose of attesting to and bearing witness to Jesus and the gospel. Signs and wonders are the supporting character that shines the spotlight on the lead character, Jesus. Signs and wonders show Jesus. That’s their purpose, and they cannot be divorced from that purpose. They are never alone, but accompany the gospel.

So, when we consider a scene like Acts 5:12–16, we must recognize that Luke assumes the gospel here. These signs and wonders were done while the apostles boldly proclaimed the gospel (Acts 4:30–31). If this is the case, then, people are flocking to Jesus and availing themselves of all his benefits promised in the gospel. Thus, as Luke notes, believers, that is believers in Jesus, were added to the Lord (5:14). And as they came bringing the sick and demon afflicted, or perhaps sick and afflicted themselves, they found healing. Here in Acts 5:12, you can see the desperate hope. You can almost smell the mass of humanity. You can hear the commotion—cries of need from the sick and afflicted mingled with spontaneous exultations of the healed and delivered. Wonder upon wonder!

And, tucked away in this sensory scene is an implicit exhortation. In v. 13 we read,

 

None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem (Acts 5:13).

 

While believers frantically flock to Jesus, there are others or the rest, the people (formulaic in Acts for those outside the church) who keep their distance. And yet, we also see that these people are divided even within themselves.

The people, while not daring to join the church still hold them (the apostles and the church) in high esteem. A more literal translation could be they magnify them. This Greek word that we render hold in high esteem or magnify (μεγαλύνω) usually attaches itself to the Lord or Jesus in the NT. For example, the Lord Jesus was extolled or magnified in Acts 19:17. In the OT, the Greek word translates the Hebrew word that communicates the idea of making great. Again, this word most often refers to God being made great. However, when it is applied to a man in the OT, that man is typically made great or magnified only because of his association with God and his glory. That is, God makes them great in the eyes of men (For example, Genesis 12:12; 2 Samuel 5:10).

The payoff of this little word study is this: These people who keep their distance magnify the apostles and the church not in spite of Jesus and his glory, but because of him. They recognize that God is with the church and doing something through them for his glory in the name of Jesus. And yet, they dare not join them.

When Jesus enters the scene, we can rest assured that there will always be division. That’s because Jesus demands all or nothing. But in return, he gives so much more,

 

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35).

 

When these people in Acts 5:13 see Jesus, they sheepishly stop short—content just to spectate and admire. Others see Jesus and furiously fly—not content until he is theirs and they are his. And it is only those who come to Jesus who find healing (Acts 5:16).

Let this exhort us.

When God reveals his glory to us in face of Jesus

When Scripture shows Jesus in all his exacting elegance

When the preached Word pricks our hardened hearts with the call of Christ

When the Holy Spirit works a sign or wonder or miracle to throw light on the love of God in Jesus

Do not stand aloof. Fly to the fount.

 

Nothing in my hand I bring

Simply to the cross I cling

Naked come to thee for dress

Helpless look to thee for grace

Wretched to the fount I fly

Wash me Savior or I die [1]

 

[1] Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me by Augustus Toplady (1776).

Quiz: Identify What is Left Out

Consider the following version of Ephesians 2:1-10, without looking at your Bible. Is something wrong?

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This version of the text clearly states essential aspects of the Gospel: We were dead in trespasses and sins; we thus cannot save ourselves; God saves us by grace through the work of Jesus, through our faith in Him; He has made us alive, raised us with Christ, and seated us with Him, so the work is complete; He will delight to show us His grace in kindness to us forever and ever; He has prepared good works for us to do in this life.

So is anything important missing?

This version leaves out nine words: “In Christ Jesus,” repeated in verses 6, 7, and 10.

Did you notice that?

Many presentations of the Gospel highlight the essential aspects detailed above, yet do not explicitly state that these benefits are all in Christ Jesus. We tend to highlight that the benefits of the Gospel come to us through Christ Jesus, because of Christ Jesus – His death, His resurrection, His teaching, His example. The Apostle Paul, in contrast, emphasizes strongly that these blessings are ours if and only if we are in Christ Jesus. Indeed, in Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul repeats that idea six times.

Other biblical images elaborate on this truth: We are the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Corinthians 10:16); He is the vine, we are the branches (John 15:1-10); we are the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-33, Revelation 19:7-8, 21:2); we are to be rooted and built up in Him (Colossians 2:6-7); we are to feed on Him, the true Bread from heaven (John 6:32-35, 53-56).

When we focus solely on the Gospel benefits we receive through Jesus, we have a tendency to think of salvation in legal terms: we are guilty, but Jesus paid the penalty. We are now free from condemnation.

By emphasizing that these benefits are in Christ, Paul highlights the essential relational nature of the Gospel – and thus the point John emphasizes: our need to keep feeding on Him, to continue to depend on Him, to keep cultivating that love for Him, and to be alert to disruptions in the relationship, being quick to repent and turn to Him.

As a participation in the body and blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:16), the Lord’s Supper pictures these truths. So as we approach a season of celebrating this ordinance every Sunday, come to the table with these thoughts in mind: “I am in Christ Jesus; I feed on Him; I have no good apart from Him; He is the blessed man (Psalm 1) and those blessings are mine in Him.”

Praise God for the Gospel benefits that come through Christ Jesus. And praise God that we have Gospel blessings in Christ Jesus for all eternity.

God Loves You More Than You Love Him

God is more excited about your redemption than you are. Zephaniah 3:14–20 prophesies of the coming day of redemption for God’s people through the gospel of Jesus. It is a day of great joy. And, the joy of some is greater than others. In short, God’s joy in and love for you so outshines your joy in and love for him that when you finally witness it in full, it will quite literally take your breath away. Consider some bits of the passage.

 

The Joy of the Redeemed
Zephaniah 3:14 exhorts you to express your joy fervently:

 

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14)

 

God through his prophet gives you three commands: (1) Sing aloud, (2) Rejoice, and (3) Exult. God’s people are a people who must sing and sing loudly! They are a people who must rejoice and exult with all their hearts. In the same way the Great Commandment exhorts you to love the LORD your God with all your heart, Zephaniah exhorts you to sing loudly as you rejoice and exult with all your heart.

Why? Two categorical reasons. Because of your redemption and because of your redeemer. The next verse makes this clear.

 

The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (Zephaniah 3:15)

 

The three commands of sing aloud, rejoice, and exult have three reasons that we can shuffle into the two categories of redemption and redeemer: (1) the LORD has taken away the judgments against you; (2) the Lord has cleared away your enemies; and (3) the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst.

 

Your Redemption
First, you sing, rejoice, and exult because of your redemption. Consider the first two reasons that make up your redemption. (1) “the LORD has taken away the judgments against” you, and (2) the LORD “has cleared away your enemies.” Zephaniah makes a word play here that we don’t get in our English translation. The Hebrew word that we translate “take away” conveys the meaning of turn aside. We could translate then, “the LORD has turned aside the judgments against you.” Similarly, the Hebrew word we translate “cleared away” conveys the meaning of turn to. So we could translate “he has turned to your enemies.”

The full effect here is this. In your sin, you were an enemy of God under his rightful judgment. Yet, the promise of redemption in Jesus means that God has turned aside his judgments against you because they have all landed on Jesus. No more wrath for sins remains for you. Thus, as a result, the LORD now turns to all your enemies—sin, Satan and his demonic forces, and death itself—in order that they may feel the full weight of his divine judgment. Because of Jesus, the LORD has turned aside his wrath from you and has turned toward your enemies in his hot, blazing wrath. This is enough in and of itself to lead to great joy. But there’s more.

 

Your Redeemer
Second, you sing, rejoice, and exult because of your redeemer. The third reason in Zephaniah 3:15 doesn’t describe your redemption but your redeemer—the King is in your midst. Notice how the prophet describes the king. He is not merely “the King of Israel.” He is “the King of Israel, the LORD” who is in your midst. This King is YHWH. That is, Jesus Christ your King, the Son of God, dwells in the midst of his people now spiritually, and he will dwell in the midst of his people forever in the new heavens and new earth.

The reasons for joy have piled up so high that you should be boiling over with loud singing, rejoicing, and exulting! You who are in Christ should be the most joyful people because of your redemption and your redeemer. And you should be experts at expressing it with passion. However, there is one whose excitement for your redemption outpaces even your own. Look at what else the prophet has to say.

 

The Joy of Your Redeemer
In Zephaniah 3:17, the prophet moves away from describing the joy of the redeemed and begins to describe the joy of the redeemer.

 

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17).

 

The command to you is to sing loudly, rejoice, and exult with all your heart in your redemption and in your redeemer. And yet, what you read here is that your redeemer—the King, the LORD who is in your midst—also rejoices. And notice what or rather who he is rejoicing in—“he will rejoice over you with gladness.” Specifically, the prophet says (1) he will rejoice over you, (2) he will exult over you, and (3) he will sing over you. The prophet begins to paint a picture for you here.

As you come to the LORD, singing, rejoicing, and exulting with everything you have, he is doing the exact same thing. And what is the result? Is it a joyful back and forth of singing? Surprisingly, no. The prophet says you will actually stop your singing at the sight of the LORD—he will quiet you by his love. The Hebrew word for “quiet” here does not convey the idea of calming down or comforting like you might comfort and quiet a fussy or sad child. Rather, the word conveys the idea of keeping silent. The picture suddenly takes on more color. You come to the LORD with great joy, singing loudly, rejoicing and exulting with all of your heart. But you quickly find that the LORD’s joy completely eclipses yours. God’s delight in you, whom he has redeemed, is so great that it moves you to shocked silence.

 

Stand in Awe of Your Redeemer
God is more excited about your redemption than even you are. And his joy in and love for you will so outshine your joy in and love for him that it will quite literally take your breath away. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that right now for you in Christ, you should worship him with all you have. Specifically, according to Zephaniah, (1) you must sing and sing loudly, (2) you must rejoice with all of your heart, and (3) you must exult with all of your heart. You should express the entire scope of your joy and happiness in your redemption and in your redeemer. But it also means that you should expect in foretaste now and in full flavor in eternity to be moved to shocked silence—hand over your mouth, awe—when you see, experience, and know God’s joy and love for you in Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:17–19). It also means that even when you are not delighting in and rejoicing in him or when you may be tempted to doubt his love for you, he has not ceased to delight in and rejoice in you.

As excited as you may be about your redemption, and as much as you might delight in and love your redeemer, his excitement over, delight in, and love for you far surpasses it. Look at the joy and love of your redeemer, and be moved to silence. Stand in awe of King Jesus, the LORD your God, in your midst.