What is the gospel? History

If you’re looking for a definition of the gospel, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 is a great candidate. “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel…”  (v1). But before we get the gospel condensed in six verses, Paul first explains why we need a reminder:

• “in which you stand and by which you are being saved” (v1-2). The gospel is not a springboard – it’s an ark.  You don’t step onto it and bounce off it into something else – it’s like Noah’s ark that you stand in – it is your salvation – if you move on from it you’re in the water with the sharks.
• “of first importance”(v3). He’s just been discussing spiritual gifts and church order (1 Cor. 14) but now this is The Big One. The non-negotiable, essential, paramount, vital core. Why? (a) our eternal salvation hangs on it (1 Cor. 15:2); (b) the glory of God hangs on it (1 Cor. 1:19-31); (c) the transformation of lives and churches hangs on it (e.g. 1 Cor. 5, 6, 8).

So what is it?

Jesus – “Christ died… he was buried… he was raised… he appeared… he… he… he…” We don’t have a theory we have a person. And he is not a dead person he is living – we can have him, be one flesh with him (1 Cor. 6:15-17).

History – “I delivered to you… what I also received” (1 Cor. 15:3). It’s not a new message. It wasn’t even new to Paul. It’s history. “Christ died… he was buried… he was raised… he appeared” – all past tenses. When did all that stuff happen? 1,980 years ago. It is ancient history. 

Maybe that sounds boring. History lessons can be very boring. And I have often found this passage a bit boring. But I’m starting to realise that this is absolutely brilliant.

• For me, before I was born. “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”. It’s very personal – “our sins” – your sins and my sins – but it completely does not depend on me. Before the world was created the Father decided to send the Son to earth for me.  Three and a half thousand years ago Moses wrote about the serpent crusher, the sacrifice, the one lifted up on a pole for me. Then two thousand years ago the Word became flesh, walked to the cross, went through hell and cried out “It is finished” for me. By the time I was born in 1978 it was all long done. So it doesn’t depend on me, my faithfulness, my sincerity, my devotion.  If I wake up in the middle of the night worrying “I’m such a sinner, am I really saved?” I can tell myself, “Christ died for my sins 1,980 years ago.”
• Public Truth. “he was raised on the third day… he appeared… Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive…” go and ask them.  The gospel is not a floaty philosophy or myth (like in a lot of the Eastern religions). It is about stuff that really happened in time and space. And it didn’t happen in a corner or a cave witnessed by only one or two people (like the founding of many of the cults). This happened at the conjunction of the continents, in a time of easy communication, in broad daylight. Hundreds of people saw a Jewish man publicly executed. Hundreds of people saw that same man a few days later and touched him and saw him eat and drink and speak with them for over a month. So the gospel is not postmodern ‘truth’ as in ‘if it’s true for you that’s cool’ – this is True Truth – rock solid public truth. If I wake up in the middle of the night doubting “Is it really true? Am I wasting my life on a religious delusion?” I can tell myself, “He appeared to more than five hundred people – historical fact.”

So it’s actually brilliant that the gospel is history.  Applications:

• Hard work – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (v10). We naturally think if we preach grace, that it’s nothing to do with what we do, Christ has done it all, then that will lead to laziness. But actually grace led Paul to work harder than anyone. If I think God is a harsh master, reaping what he did not sow, then I will bury my talent in the ground, or just do the bare minimum to get Him off my back. But if I know a God of Grace who has forgiven me and justified me and is for me and with me and carrying me and working through me then I’m freed to give and invest my all for the kingdom.
• Preaching the historic gospel – “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believe” (v11). The gospel is about Jesus and specifically the history of Jesus – what Jesus did 2000 years ago – his crucifixion and his resurrection. That is the gospel that saves people. It’s great to hear testimonies of what Jesus is doing in people’s lives here and now – bringing transformation and healing and wholeness – that’s great – but transformation is not the gospel.  It’s not what saves people. The gospel that we must preach to ourselves every day and remind one another of every day and preach to the lost world is the historical gospel.  As Dick Lucas once put it, if we stop preaching this historic gospel we have stopped preaching the gospel.

 The gospel was passed to Paul, he passed it to the Corinthians, it’s been passed to us. What will we do with it?

Spirit-led preaching

 

I’ve prayerfully worked on a passage and now I’m standing in the pulpit preaching, going through my notes, when suddenly I feel that I should be saying something quite different. I sense that the congregation gathered in front of me need to hear something different – perhaps an encouragement that God will definitely come through for them this week. I feel the growing weight of this new burden and eventually I ditch my notes, shut my Bible and give the congregation this new direct, living, rhema message.

Is that Spirit-led preaching?

 

Do we believe these three truths?

1. The Spirit wrote the Bible (2 Peter 1:19-21; John 14:26) – it is his sword (Eph. 6:17).
2. The Spirit speaks – present tense – when the Bible is opened (Mark 7:6; Heb:3:7-4:12; 12:5; Rev. 2:7 etc.). What he said then he says now. The ancient text is ‘living and active’ and razor sharp (Heb. 4:12).
3. Preparation is a spiritual activity. It is the Spirit who gives us understanding, who moulds us with his word, who gives us a message, a fire in the bones… as we think over the text (2 Tim. 2:7).

If we really believe that then surely Spirit-led preaching is going to be:

1. Sequential. Working through books of the Bible, following their flow. The Spirit wrote the Bible and he wrote it in books and letters with particular orders and structures. He didn’t give us a random jumble of unconnected sentences and unconnected incidents. He gave us arguments like Romans 8 that make sense as you go through them and as you see how they work in bigger arguments (the whole book). He gave us stories – often stretching over several chapters. He wanted to teach us Acts 1 before chapter 2 and then he wanted to teach us chapter 3 and 4… Are we wiser teachers than him? Surely to work through a passage from beginning to end and then start next week with the following passage is Spirit-led preaching! Far from binding and restricting him it’s sitting at his feet and letting him teach us.
2. Awesome. As the Bible is opened we are hearing the living God speak. We are experiencing something far more terrifying and wonderful than the Israelites at Sinai (Heb. 12:18-25).
3. Prepared. We must reject the unbiblical idea that ‘if I work then God doesn’t work’ or ‘if I think and prepare then the Spirit can’t speak’. We also mustn’t think that everything spontaneous is ‘the Spirit’ and everything prepared is human. If the Bible is the Spirit’s definitive Word and if he has promised to open my eyes to his beautiful portrait of Christ (2 Cor. 3:14-18) then I’ll want to spend as long with the text as possible, praying over it, drinking it in, listening to his message as carefully as I can. Then, as I stand in the pulpit I can be confident that it is God who will speak to wound and save.

The evil one will do everything he can to get the Bible in the pulpit shut. He’ll want us to put the focus squarely on ourselves. Because he knows that when we open God’s Word and listen to the Spirit we will see Christ and be free indeed.

Are we letting the Spirit lead our preaching?

Perverted dictators and divine positioning

Staying on Old Testament narrative… I’m working at the book of Esther at the moment so let me share some of the stuff I’ve found most helpful…

Jane McNabb’s, Daylight at Midnight reflects on Esther particularly from a woman’s perspective but not at the expense of a wonderful, careful handling of the text, brilliantly bringing out the twists and turns and depths of the story.

“At first glance, Esther’s story is appealing and exciting, a true ‘rags to riches’ story… but… this isn’t necessarily the fairytale lifestyle it appears” (p.18-19).

Instead, as McNabb shows, the Persian court and Persian society is deeply chauvinistic, the king a pervert, the harem system into which Esther enters a form of cold sexual abuse. This is a deeply challenging read (particularly as a bloke):

• Why do I initially read this as a fairytale? Do I share the king’s (and my society’s) assumptions and idolatries about sex, power, physical beauty and celebrity?
• On a deeper level still – Do we sometimes think that God is like the Persian king, a self-centred dictator, concerned only to show off his wealth, make harsh demands, fly into a rage, needing to be placated and impressed and in a good mood for you to safely enter his presence (and who offers a heaven similar to the Islamic paradise)? To put it another way, reading Esther 1-2, who is more like God – the omnipotent Xerxes or the oppressed and humiliated Esther?

Another very helpful read is Barry Webb’s Five Festal Garments which has a great section on Esther from a biblical theology perspective. Here are some of the gems:

• Promise – Just as at the beginning of the book of Exodus, the promise to Abraham is in the balance, God’s people are numerous but they’re not in the land and they’re not being blessed so much as oppressed and they’re soon in danger of being wiped out.
• Deliverance – Like the whole Bible, Esther is all about deliverance, but one that looks quite different to the deliverances of Exodus and Judges…
• The ‘absent God’– How do you deal with times when God doesn’t seem to turn up?

“God is present even when he is most absent; when there are no miracles, dreams or visions, no charismatic leaders, no prophets… And he is present to deliver. Those whom he saved by signs and wonders at the exodus he continues to save through his hidden, providential control of their history.” (p.124-125)

• Fate or a personal God – Haman and co. cast lots believing in blind fate, in lucky days and inauspicious days (as have many modern political leaders). Esther and co. believe in a personal, sovereign God.
• Sovereignty not morality – Mordecai and Esther are great heroes of the story but their morality is ambiguous and sometimes questionable (Is Mordecai right to advise Esther not to disclose her Jewishness and why does he then refuse to bow to Haman which seems to contradict that advice? Is Esther a willing or unwilling concubine?). In many ways their morality is beside the point – as Webb notes, this is not a “moralizing… exemplary tale” (p.129). The point of the story is not so much that goodness is rewarded but that God is acting in sovereign grace to position and deliver his people.
• Despised exiles – as the Jews in the dispersion so are we are as we follow the despised Christ (1 Pet. 2:11; Mt. 16:24; Heb. 13:13).
• Feasting and reversal – There are three rounds of feasting (Ch. 1-3; 5-8; 9) and “each is connected with a significant reversal: Vashti and Esther, Haman and Mordecai, the Jews and their enemies” (p.116). Makes you think of what Jesus said about feasts (see Luke 13:26-30).
• Humour and reversal – It’s brilliant storytelling and you’ve just got to laugh (we’re supposed to laugh) as the ruler of 127 provinces is embarrassed by his wife, as he reads the chronicles to cure his insomnia, as Haman gets the wrong end of the stick… It’s a savage humour with a theological and pastoral point: the Hamans of this world might look powerful but from God’s perspective they are laughable (Psalm 2:4).
• Ultimate reversal – Just as Esther’s willingness to perish points irresistibly to Gethsemane and the One who really did perish for his people, so Haman points irresistibly to the great enemy of God’s people. The day when the Enemy planned his greatest triumph and it looked like Jesus the Jew was defeated became the day of Satan’s humiliation and the triumph of the true king (Esther 9:1; Col. 2:15).

You can listen to Jane McNabb speaking on Esther at a ladies conference in the UK here.

More sermons on Esther are on the Gospel Coalition site here (the ones by Christopher Ash and Dale Ralph Davis are particularly brilliant).

Preaching Kings – Part 1

We’re going to be preaching through 1 Kings in our morning devotions at the iServe Africa office. It’s also a book that we looked at during the Raising the Bar conference. So bear with us as we share some thoughts on the book as we wrestle with it over the coming weeks and please contribute things the Lord has taught you from the same…

It’s always helpful to take a helicopter over a book and look down and just get an idea of the basic landscape, the big features and divisions.  As we look down on 1 & 2 Kings (the division between the two halves is arbitrary) we see the land rising quickly to a high point, a beautiful summit, and then falling away, a long slope down and down, sometimes rough and barren, sometimes a small fertile patch but continually downward all the way to a cliff edge and a deep dark ravine.  That’s the basic shape.  What about the important features to look for?  There are at least three important ones, each connected to a promise:

1. The blessing – This is the promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). As we go through Kings are we seeing a great people with a great name, occupying the whole land, living under God’s blessing? In particular, are the relationships between God’s people and the nations healthy or unhealthy? Are the nations streaming to Jerusalem to worship or for plunder?
2. The Temple – This is the promise to Moses (Deut. 12:5,11). Look at what happens to the Temple as we go through the book. Is it being (re-)built and stocked or destroyed and plundered?
3. The king – This is the promise to David (2 Sam. 7:11-16). Will God be able to keep his promise about David’s line in the midst of all the wars and revolts and political chicanery? In particular the writer is concerned about God’s assessment of the kings – how they are in His eyes.  Very often the state of the king is the state of the nation. He is the representative. His sin takes the nation down with him.

In 1 Kings 8-10 we have the high point of the blessing, the glory of the Temple and the supremely wise king. And yet at the very same point we have the seeds of destruction and fulfilment of all the warnings about kings given through Moses (Deut. 17:14-20) and Samuel (1 Sam. 8:11-18). In an article for the Tyndale Bulletin I wonder if the famous 666 of Revelation 13:18 is an allusion to this key moment in the history of Israel (1 Kings 10:14) – the moment that seemed so close to perfection but hid hell in its glory – Solomon, the super king, the Great Man, “an overreaching Adam at the height of his glory but also on the verge of disaster” (cf. Ezek. 28:1-19). Whether or not that’s right the important thing is that through the rise and fall of the blessing, the Temple and the king we’re immediately seeing Jesus in the book of Kings.  He is the great King of whom Solomon and the others are at best shadows and at worst parodies. He is the Temple where forgiveness is to be found, neglected, stripped, destroyed and trampled. He is the salvation of his people and blessing for the world.

African beats

We’ve said before that musicians and singers should be just as much servants of the Word as preachers. And on the last ministry training week we talked about how we’ve got to be careful about lyrics in just the same way as the words we preach – not just being careful whether they are true or heretical but thinking about how they are heard (e.g. what are people thinking when they hear “There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the lamb” especially when the chorus is sung without the verses). But what about tunes and beats? Do they matter? A brother I was talking to recently expressed concern about the influence of ’secular’ music (e.g. from the nightclub) on Christian music and expressed the idea that certain beats are secular (even demonic) and putting Christian words to ‘secular’ tunes can lead to the singers being drawn back into the World. I put the issue to Wes on the blog ‘a mission-driven life’. This was his very insightful response:

From a trinitarian gospel-centered perspective, responding to the issue of secular vs sacred music is an interesting prospect.

So, first we recognize that all of reality is sustained by God who created all things. Jesus assumed humanity (100%) to redeem and restore God’s good creational order. The Holy Spirit acts to reveal the Father and the Son and to sanctify. Culture exists in relationship to the triune God. If there was no sin in the world, all human culture would be good, beautiful, and revealing of God’s grand and diverse majesty. However, because of sin and the fall, all of culture is tainted. However, no human system is completely evil, nor, until Christ returns are they completely restored. Music is no different.

Music reflects God’s creational order and goodness in several ways. Beautiful things always reflect something of God’s ultimate beauty. Music also is structured, ordered mathematically (in various degrees) reflecting God’s order placed in the universe. Truly, in whatever context, cultural products, such as music, deserve to be studied deeply to provide what anthropologist Clifford Geertz called a “thick description”. Music, especially, reveals deep things about a people’s worldview and at the same time has the power to change it. Music is not so much listened to as performed. Musicians perform the actual production of the sounds in rhythms and harmonies, but listeners participate in the music as well. Music is always active in the heart and mind of the individual. In a perfect world, these are very good things.

But we also live in a fallen world. Albert Wolters refers to a culture’s direction. Something can either be directed towards God, or away from God in satanic rebellion. A good thing, like music, can be misdirected in idolatrous self-worship (like most Western music) or in idolatrous pagan worship. Again, even this requires deep study. Music, as a cultural performance, has worldview implications. This means that the words combined with the meaning ascribed to the melodies themselves can work to shape how a person views reality, what is ultimate. For instance, if I was listening to instrumental version of “imagine” by John Lennon, that could have as detrimental an effect on me as if I were listening to the words (well because I know the words to the song). Lennon preaches and calls us to participate in a faulty godless worldview. Music has a special power to affect us. Would putting Christian words to the song be enough to counteract the meaning? Over time, yes. For me, I would be conflicted. My children, it wouldn’t bother them since they don’t know the original.

I don’t know the African context. If certain tunes and beats are closely associated with pagan rituals that perform a demonic worldview, then it is possible that those beats would continue to preach that worldview even when applied different meanings (and by beats, I don’t just mean the use of drums, but the combination of sounds that are associated with a particular ritual). Honestly, this is not an easy question to address.

Every culture is valuable because Jesus particularized a single human culture. From this particular culture, he performed a universal redemption. Every diverse human culture in its grand diversity, then, is infinitely valuable. From Genesis to Revelation this is clear. Every culture, in so much as it is directed towards God, can be redeemed and restored, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. By redirecting the worldview of the beats and music, it may be possible to both redeem and sanctify a particular beat. Overall, it is important that African music be valued. If it is possible to worship African-ly, then that reflects God’s creational order and his redemptive and sanctifying work. This may mean, though, creating new songs and new beats, by Africans in an African way. Scripture over and over affirms the singing of new songs to the Lord. Twice in the NT are believers directed to sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs to one another and to make melodies in their hearts to God.

The danger is tackling this question from a legalistic standpoint. Is it sinful to redeem secular songs or particular beats? No. Wisdom is needed though to discern what worldview is being presented. When hymns in the Western context were put to bar tunes, they were able to transcend the worldview issues (who today even thinks of a bar when singing hymns–personally, I’m just trying to stay awake!). Others, like Bach, wrote fresh music weekly in service of the church. May God raise up a thousand African Bach’s! And may the African church find the freedom to redeem and transcend misdirected beats.

What is the gospel? Jesus

A brother recently tweeted:

“For every use of ‘gospel’ as adjective I want 3 explanations of the noun & if u bang on abt gospel-centred by golly u’d better centre on it”

Harsh but fair. Let’s give another explanation then….

 

• The gospel is not a system – I repent / believe /give / surrender and I get heaven / blessings / breakthrough / peace.
• The gospel is not Jesus as a means to an end – a solution to my problems – even the problem of my struggles with sin (a sort of ‘holy pragmatism’).
• The gospel is Jesus himself.

10 times in the New Testament the gospel is called the ‘gospel of Christ’. It’s not just that Jesus is the author and speaker and possessor of the gospel – it’s more that Jesus is the content and the substance of the gospel.

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35)

500 years ago Luther rediscovered this Jesus gospel.  Surprisingly, perhaps, he saw it clearest in the Song of Songs.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his” (SoS 2:16)

The gospel is having Christ and being his. It is a marriage, a union, which even death cannot break. In this marriage the husband says of his wife’s sin, “That is mine”, and the wife says of the husband’s righteousness, “That is mine”. In this marriage we are given a completely new identity and status. But best of all we have him – the infinitely beautiful, gracious, glorious Christ.

Jesus is not just a cog in a salvation machine.  He is our foundation, our cornerstone, our portion, our life, our hope, our desire, our joy, our bridegroom. 

There are loads of implications from this but here are three to start us thinking:

• Both relationship and justification. I’ve struggled with this personally. Some brothers seem to be the ‘relationship guys’. “It’s all about a relationship with Jesus.”  They’re passionate about Jesus but it’s all a bit fluffy and it doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with the Cross and justification by faith. Other brothers seem to be the ‘justification guys’. “It’s all about the Cross and justification by faith.”  They’re clear on doctrine, there’s a strong objective base but they don’t always seem to love Jesus very much or have much of a personal relationship with him – it’s all a bit theoretical. But once we see the gospel as Jesus – union with Christ – we see it’s both-and. Relationship and justification are inextricably linked. The marriage-union relationship is my justification and it should look just as passionate as in the Song of Songs (and that is some passion!).
• Preaching and evangelism is presenting Jesus. Paul says, “We proclaim not ourselves but Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:5), “Him we proclaim” (Col. 1:28), “In that I rejoice” (Phil. 1:18). Richard Sibbes (who, like Luther, found the gospel in the Song of Songs) turned away from the legalistic preaching of his day and counselled evangelists: “Woo for Christ, and open the riches, beauty, honour, and all that is lovely in him.” We need evangelistic preaching that is full of Jesus. What is the point of an altar call at the end of a sermon which has told me nothing about Christ? What Christ am I accepting? Give me Jesus! Tell me all about him – and not just bland statements, “He’s wonderful, he’s faithful” – tell me exactly what he’s done, what he says, tell me stories about him.
• We have fullness. That’s the message of Colossians: You have the one who is the fullness of God, the one who creates, sustains and sacrificially reconciles the universe. You have him in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You have him who is the fulfilment and reality of all the shadows. So don’t let anyone come along and tell you that to live the full Christian life, to have the full gospel, you’ve got to have Jesus plus X, Y and Z. Jesus plus laws and principles. Jesus plus signs and wonders. You have Jesus! If you add to him you subtract from him. He is the fullness of God, the fullness of salvation, the full life, the full gospel.

For more on Richard Sibbes, the Song of Songs and the gospel of Jesus have a look at Dave Bish’s blog: The Blue Fish Project.

 

P.S. The iServe Africa website is experiencing some temporary technical difficulties. In the next few days you can check out the new website using this link.

Back to the Bible

Preachers groups are a great thing. A couple of months ago I was very grateful to be included in one where a dozen of us took turns to give a 5 or 10 minute outline of a sermon on a short passage we’d prepared from Hebrews 11.  A few reflections and some of the pearls of wisdom that were thrown around…

• It’s hard work! I really struggled with Hebrews 11:1-3. What exactly is the flow of thought? Why does it say it like that? How does it fit into the letter as a whole? I spent a good number of hours on it but my sharing at the preacher’s group was a bit rubbish. I went away determined to work more on it and did in fact spend several more hours. It was humbling to feel well out of my depth, floundering in the riches of God’s Word.  Good to be reminded that diamonds are not mined without sweat and the Spirit of Christ.
• It’s great as a preacher to hear good preaching. I always come away from these groups feeling I’ve learnt much from others about the section we’ve all been looking at. This time: (a) helpful summary of the challenges for the first readers of Hebrews – Shame, Sin and Suffering, (b) I saw more clearly how the faith of Hebrews 11 is faith in God’s Word, (c) loved the surprise of Hebrews 11:5//Genesis 5 – faithful Enoch is rewarded with a much shorter lifespan than his forefathers and children – being with God is a much greater blessing than long life.
• A plea for simplicity. My effort was far too complicated and convoluted – which showed I hadn’t really got there. It’s hard work and Spirit-inspiration than gives that seemingly effortless simplicity that you get in, for example, Stott’s commentaries.
• Clarity replaces the need for oratory. Clarity is to communication what simplicity is to thinking . If you can think it simple and communicate it clearly then you don’t need flowery language or shouting or emotive stories. With clarity no-one is left in any doubt what God’s Word is saying and the power is the cutting-to-the-heart power of the Spirit himself.
• Work hard on headings.  Having a two, three or four points each with short summary headings – it’s not the law – but it is really handy for the preacher and the listener. They don’t have to all start with the same letter but it helps if they are punchy, memorable, ‘take away’.  To get headings which are both memorable AND faithful to what the passage is saying takes a lot of sweat.  In other words the sweat doesn’t stop once you’ve got a handle on what the passage is saying, it continues until you’ve worked out how to get it across.
• Work hard on the inner logic.  As well as having a flow of logic through your three or four points, you need to work hard at having a clear flow within each point. So I shouldn’t just think ‘This is my next point and I’m going to ramble on for a few minutes on that topic’ – I need to have a clear idea how I’m going to show that point from the passage, how I’m going to explain and illustrate it if necessary, how I’m going to apply it and what order I’m going to say those things in.
• Get all the tanks pointing at the same target. This is an old metaphor for getting all your points to contribute to the Big Idea of the passage.
• It’s just great to get back to the Bible. I was reminded by the most senior pastor in the group how easy it is to gradually slip from studying God’s word to talking about studying God’s word; from Bible study groups to discussion groups; from expositions to topical seminars. It’s great to be taken back to the coalface, to the words of eternal life.

If you’re preaching regularly but you’re not in a preachers’ group why not join one or start one? If you’re in East Africa get in touch with us at iServe Africa (Contact Us tab) and we’ll put you in touch with Mercy Ireri the Langham preaching groups co-ordinator in our region who can connect you with a group in your area or give advice on how to get started.