History is littered with the inhuman. That is, when we seek to take an honest look at those who have gone before us, we find what we manage to think is something different from us. We look at Nazi Germany as if it were some bizarre aberration, the cultural equivalent of a snowstorm in August. Even cultures we might otherwise admire have warts we think we’ve grown beyond. Whether it was the open sexual perversion and abuse of boys that marked the ancient Greeks, or witch hunts of our Puritan forebears, the skeletons do not hide in the closet but dance across the stage. Trouble is, we miss the family resemblance.
I have argued before that to compare the German holocaust with the abortion holocaust is unfair- unfair to the Nazis. The German people had some measure of plausible deniability- you couldn’t find Buchenwald in the yellow pages. The German high court did not publicly rule that any restrictions on killing Jews in the first third of their lives were forbidden. Their holocaust in the space of less than a decade took six million lives. Ours has lasted more than forty years, and taken more than fifty million lives.
We take comfort in comparing ourselves with ourselves, but only because we’ve muddied up the mirrors. Those Nazis we like to demonize, they were people just like us. The same is true with the Greeks. To be certain we have built a wall of protection around our children, naming it consent. But do we really believe consent has a sufficiently solid foundation to last? Every other wall we have built has been toppled by the hunger of desire. Already this happens with the children in private. Already people are advocating for the legitimacy of this perversion. I suspect it will not be long before Epstein’s fall will be revered like Stonewall.
Of course we shouldn’t expect much from those outside the kingdom. We are excused from seeing ourselves in them because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Just like the Puritans before us, those who drank deep of hysteria and gave substance to the expression witch-hunt. What was possible for them is not just possible, but likely for us. We may not be on the lookout for witches, but we still fall for hysteria, we still throw biblical principles of evidence and justice out the window, because, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
We have not evolved past the wickedness of our fathers. We have instead inherited it. And we in the church have not put to death the old man, but continue to struggle with him, fighting battles we too often lose. There is no wickedness in our past that is not wickedness in our present. Which brings us back to the one needful thing- repentance. We, like our fathers, are a wicked people. We believers, like our fathers, are still in ourselves, wicked people. The world, however slowly, is more and more recognizing the authority of our Lord. But it still has a long way to go. Even as we are growing in grace, but still have a long way to go. We will progress better, however, move further, the more we recognize how far we have to go. We have met the enemy, and he is us.
The children of God are rather different from the children of men. We have been reborn by a sovereign God. They have not. We have been redeemed by a sovereign God. They have not. We are being remade by a sovereign God. They are not. Despite these things that distinguish us, that set us apart there are yet ways where we are very much like those outside the kingdom. We, both inside and outside the kingdom, have drunk deeply of the modernist conceit that we are defined by what we know. Thus we think the difference between us and them, between sheep and goats, is a matter of knowledge. We are those who have been blessed to have the truth revealed to us. Once those outside the kingdom have the truth revealed them, we seem to think, they will become just like us.
Jesus, of course, dispelled this nonsense. Indeed His harshest words while ministering on the earth were directed at the scribes and Pharisees, the most widely read, the most highly educated, the most in the know. What separates us in the end isn’t that we know that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah. What separates us isn’t that we know He suffered the wrath of the Father in our place on the cross. What separates us isn’t that we know that the third day He rose again. Remember that the devil himself believes all those things. The difference is that we not only know these truths but trust in them, cling to them, depend upon them.
Now inside the kingdom of God, among His children, there are still differences. We who are Reformed, or Calvinists, know that we have been reborn from above. Others affirm that they were reborn from within. We know that we have been sovereignly redeemed. Others affirm that they cooperate with God in their salvation. We know that we are being sovereignly sanctified. Others affirm that they determine themselves how, and even if they will grow in grace. But once again, we who are Reformed make the mistake in thinking that it is what we think that separates us from our less than Reformed brothers. We think it is because we know God is sovereign, and that if they will but be so informed, they will join us.
This too is nonsense. Our calling, in the end, isn’t merely to affirm that God is sovereign, but to rest in that sovereignty, to trust in it, to cling to it. Which means, in turn, that we ought not to worry. God’s wisdom literature draws for us a rather stark contrast between how those within and those without deal with fear. Solomon tells us “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (). The difference is neither, “The wicked don’t know there’s nothing to be afraid of, but the righteous have been informed.” Neither is it, “The wicked are well aware of the dangers and are afraid, but the righteous overcome those fears.” The distinction runs on two different tracks. The wicked have fear when they need not. The righteous have courage even in the face of danger. A leaf rustles, and those outside quake. Whereas the godly man finds himself in the valley of the shadow of death, and he fears no evil. What sets us apart from them is that they are craven cowards, while we are, at least we’re supposed to be, courageous heroes. The difference is found in actually believing in, trusting in, resting in the sovereignty of God.
How, though, can we move from simply affirming the sovereignty of God to resting in it? We will rest in His sovereignty when we remember not just that He is almighty, but that He who is almighty loves us with an everlasting love. It is because He is with us in that valley of death that we do not fear. It is because He has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies that we can be assured that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. Our fears in the end are grounded in either a failure to believe in His strength, or a failure to believe His gospel. The solution is to believe both.
If our consuming zeal is to see the kingdom come in its fullness, if we are about the business of seeking first His kingdom, and if we know that He will indeed bring all things under subjection, what could we possibly have to fear, save the King Himself? This, in the end, is why we are more than conquerors, why we not only have the courage of a lion, but have the courage of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Should we not be of good cheer, knowing that He has already overcome the world? And He has made us His own. “Come, behold the works of the Lord, how He has brought desolations on the earth, He makes wars cease to the end of the earth’ He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns chariots with fire. Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (: 8-11).
Pastors are human too. That means, of course, that they sin, but it also means that they have ordinary human needs. While no one joins the ministry in order to receive riches or accolades, honor or power, while shepherds are called to serve others rather than themselves, such doesn’t mean that they are not given to discouragement.
Most of us, most of the time, love our pastor, and are grateful for him. Few of us, however, understand that he needs encouragement. What even fewer of us grasp is how we can be an encouragement to him. Here are three simple ideas.
First, pay attention to his labors. Though we do not have a duty to be at the church every time the doors are open, one thing that discourages pastors is our unwillingness to simply avail ourselves of his gifts. When the pastor labors in his study to prepare a Bible study lesson, or writes a blog post, and the sheep under his care pay no attention, it is discouraging. It says to the pastor, “I do not value what you do for me and my family. Your efforts have no effect because I won’t even be bothered to read, or to listen. I will download the sermons of celebrities that don’t know me. I will read the wisdom of those with book contracts.” It’s not that your pastor is jealous of the gifts of others. It is instead that he is jealous for you and your growth in wisdom. A less gifted man who knows and loves you is far more potent in your life than a more gifted man far, far away.
Second, speak well of him to others. When you speak well to the pastor, if he is prone to discouragement, it might not have the impact you wish it to have. Such kind words can easily be written off as kindness rather than gratitude, as flattery rather than sincerity. But if word comes back to him, and it will, that you have spoken well of him, to others in the church, or even to those in your community, he will have to take your good word to heart. It might also encourage those with whom you speak to have a deeper appreciation for your pastor, and that’s usually a good thing. Of course the one you should be speaking to the most about your pastor is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Pray with gratitude for the man Christ has given you, and the man will be encouraged.
Finally, pursue godliness. Because he loves you, what your pastor wants more than anything else is for you to grow in grace and wisdom, to become more like Jesus. What is most discouraging for him then isn’t how poorly he may be treated, how badly he may be honored, but how poorly his sheep are doing. He is encouraged most, however, when you are doing well. When he sees your wife’s beaming face, he knows it is because you are seeking to be a godly husband and father, and is encouraged. When he sees you turning the other cheek in your relationship with your pew neighbor, he is encouraged to know that the leaven of the kingdom is spreading among his flock. When he sees you visiting the widow and the orphan, he knows you are practicing true religion, and rejoices.
Don’t, in short, tell your pastor how smart he is, nor how brilliant his sermons are. Don’t tell him how funny he is, nor how dignified. Show him how his labor in showing you Jesus is making you more like Him. That is the desire of his heart, because that is the desire of His heart.
Trouble comes to the people of God. If it is not here now, it will be here soon. Those who promise that the Christian life is a breezy walk through the meadow not only have not taken up their cross and followed Him, but I fear, He may not have taken up His cross for them. Our walk, according to His Word, will be fraught with peril, our days filled with troubles. His yoke is indeed easy, and His burden light. But we follow Him on the via dolorosa. Praise God He has not left us wandering in the dark. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is with us. He has told us troubles would come, and He has told us how we ought to respond.
Take, for instance, the life of David. He was the original renaissance man, a man of deep and varied talents. Were we to look at his life with rose colored glasses, we might think he moved from victory to victory. We might remember the killing of the bear and the lion, the service to King Saul, the astonishing victory of Goliath of Gath. We might recall the cries of his countrymen who sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his ten thousands.” He was made king over all Israel, expanded her borders and established his throne in Jerusalem. He was the father to the wisest man short of Jesus ever to walk on the planet, a son whose rule is the very picture of the pinnacle of blessing. He was, and this surpasses all of the above, a man after God’s own heart.
Such an account of the life of David shows some glaring holes. First, there he was tending the flock, and a bear came after them, and at another time a lion. The King that he served was at best a mad man, given to fits of rage. Facing Goliath was no picnic, nor could it have been easy to go so often into battle throughout his life. Saul killed his thousands, but his special target was David, leading to exile in Egypt, and fleeing for his life. His own son toppled him from his throne, and in the end, his hands were too bloody to allow him to build the Temple of the Lord. David’s highs and lows were as varied as his talents.
David’s greatest influence over the ages, however, is found in none of the above. He was a great warrior. He was, for the most part, a model king. He was an outstanding shepherd. But it is his music that still shapes the world. The truth of the matter is not only that the Christian’s life is much like David’s, with both breathtaking highs and soul numbing lows, but that the life of the church is the same. The church of Jesus Christ has had, over the millennia, moments of grand triumph, and episodes of grave sin. It did move, however, under the care of the great shepherd of the sheep. And she went on her way singing the wisdom of David:
“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice.
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.”
This blessed hope, however, is no mere hope. He delivers in the day of trouble precisely because He is the author of the day of trouble. He sends the trouble and the deliverance for the same purpose, to strengthen us, to grant our hearts’ desire, to fulfill all our purpose, that we would be like the One whom He remembers, Jesus His Son.
In times of trouble, which the church faces now and will face again, David tells us,
“We will rejoice in Your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.”
He calls us not to fear, not to worry, but to seek first the kingdom of God,
“Now I know that the Lords saves His anointed;
He will answer Him from His holy heaven
With saving strength of His right hand.”
In times of trouble, which the church faces now and will face again, David tells us that we must look to the resurrection. The Lord has saved His anointed, and in Him, He saves us. So we will walk as the fools,
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.”
David’s wise son told us that there is nothing new under the sun. Troubles, like the poor, we will have with us always. But the Son of David reigns on high. And He shall reign for ever and ever. Thus we cry out in times of need,
“Save Lord!”
May the King answer us when we call.
And yesterday’s podcast, for those who had trouble accessing it, is now accessible. Tune in and tell your friends.
It’s a temptation I know all too well, that man-pleasing desire to have a reputation as someone not at all given to man-pleasing. The pathway there is pretty well worn, and pretty clearly marked. All you have to do is pick up the prophet’s mantle, and head in the wrong direction. You can rant and rave, bluster and bloviate, spew acid ink and flap razor lips, all against those terrible people your actual audience doesn’t much care for. They will love you for it. They will laud your courage, crown you the new Luther for a new Reformation. They will tickle your ears for tickling theirs while the message falls to the ground, harmless and ineffective.
Go to the charismatics and denounce the pointy hat wearing, head-knowledge having theological scolds in the Reformed camp, and they will love you. March into the Reformed world and mock those chaotic charismatics, those holy laughter, roaring lion, slain in the Spirit snake handlers and you will be crowned a champion. And once again, your message will drown in the same barrel in which you are fishing. It’s worse than a waste of time- it’s entrenching our weaknesses.
The real prophet brings this message- repent. He comes to call the people he is speaking to to repent of their own sins, not to tsk-tsk the sins of their neighbors. His message is never, “Rejoice that you are so much better than those other people” but is always “Mourn that you have failed to keep covenant.” His message is never, “Lead those people over there into the righteousness you have managed to master” but is always, “Look to your sins and turn from them. Weep and return to your Father.” Sometimes the message falls on deaf ears. Sometimes it arouses the ire of the hearers. Sometimes God graciously gives them ears to hear. What never happens is that the hearers walk away with more pride in themselves.
This is what makes for a weeping prophet. First, he loves those to whom he is sent, for they are his own people. Second, he recognizes their sins in himself. He knows that the only way to hit the sins of his own is to hit his own sins. In his weeping, in his seeing his own sins he finds humility. In his humility he finds His grace. In His grace repentance is found. And thus His Word does not return void.
When the Lord calls you to Nineveh He does not tell you to tell the Jews what awful people of Nineveh are. When He calls you to Jerusalem He does not tell you to tell the people of Nineveh how awful the Jews are. Whatever audience He has given you. He has given you that you might bring His Word to bear on them. We don’t need more erudite prophets, nor more eloquent. What is needed is both courage and humility. We need prophets who are less concerned with their reputations, more concerned with the souls of their audience. Lord, bless us with such men.
Fascism all around us, but not where many think, and an exploration of all our cultural blinders.
