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A Snake-Handling Church (Authentic Ministry #19)

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INTRODUCTION

When preachers preach about money, it is too often the case that they focus on how the rank-and-file believers ought to be handling their money. But if we follow the lead of Scripture, and especially Paul, we will find ourselves talking about how preachers ought to collect money. And how they ought not to.

THE TEXT

“And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not . . .” (2 Corinthians 8:10–24).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Against the background of “get to, not got to,” Paul is now willing to give some advice on giving to the Corinthians, who had a year before indicated their eagerness to give (v. 10). As you were willing a year ago, now would be a good time to execute on that commitment (v. 11). Paul wants them to give from what they have (v. 11), and he lays down the principle—if there is a willing mind, God reckons the gift according to the resources available (v. 12). Remember the widow’s mites (Mark 12:42). Paul’s intention is not to burden them in order to ease others (v. 13). The principle is one of reciprocity—what goes around comes around. He wants their current abundance to be a blessing for the saints in Jerusalem, and another time it can run the other way. This is what Paul means by equality (v. 14). He then quotes Ex. 16:18, where in the gathering of the manna there was always enough (v. 15). Paul then returns to the eagerness of Titus to return to Corinth (v. 16). He was exhorted to go back to Corinth, but he didn’t require persuasion (v. 17). Paul then introduces two (unnamed) brothers. The first is a famous brother (v. 18), of great reputation among the churches, and elected by them to escort the gift to Jerusalem (v. 19). The reason is so that everything might be above reproach (v. 20), doing what is prudent and honest in the sight of both God and man (v. 21; Prov. 3:4). Paul then mentions a man we might call the “earnest brother.” Paul knew him, and apparently had selected him, but both men in v. 23 are called messengers (lit. apostles) of the churches, and so they both had official status. Paul then strongly commends all three men to the Corinthians (v. 23). This passage then concludes with Paul exhorting the Corinthians to show these men the proof of their love, and for them to vindicate Paul’s boasting on their behalf (v. 24).

THE MONEY TRAP

There is an old warning for Christian leaders that cautions them about the 3 G’s—glory, gold, and girls. This portion of 2 Corinthians is about the gold. A story is told of a time when Thomas Aquinas called upon the pope, and came in upon him when the pontiff was counting out a large sum of money. “You see,” the pope said, “the church can no longer say, ‘silver and gold have I none.’ Thomas replied, ‘True, holy Father, and neither can she now say, ‘Rise up and walk.’” The point here is not that mammon is an idol out in the world—everyone knows that. The point is that it is a snare within the church, and is particularly a snare for leaders within the church.

You cannot serve both God and mammon (Luke 16:13). Because of this teaching, we are told the Pharisees scorned Jesus because they were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17, NKJV). Christian elders must not be covetous (1 Tim. 3:3; 2 Tim. 3:2). When Paul thanks the Philippians, he is careful to let them know that his desire for them is not grasping (Phil. 4:17). False teachers according to Peter are cursed children, with hearts “exercised with covetous practices” (2 Pet. 2:14). There is a certain kind of teacher who supposes that godliness is a means of financial gain (1 Tim. 6:5).

OUR RIGHT OT TALK ABOUT THIS

One of the abuses Paul had apparently been accused of by his adversaries at Corinth was the sin of fleecing the flock financially (see 12:14-18; 2:17; 7:2; 11:7-12). That is why he is at great pains to explain his financial precautions to the Corinthians. And as the great apostle has set us a good example in this, let me take this opportunity to do the same thing.

In the history of our congregation, we have never once passed the plate. The offering box is in the back, if you can find it. We present the offering during worship, but we do not gather it then. And you may have noticed that after the service the offering is counted, on the premises, by a team of men, not one man. When that offering is deposited in the bank by the church office, it is walked to the bank by a team of two staff members. The person who does our bookkeeping has no authority to cut checks. And so on. Now we do not do this because we are in a constant state of suspicion, but rather because—like Paul—we know that we live in a fallen world, and like Paul we want to do what is right in the sight of God and all men (v. 21).

A SNAKE-HANDLING CHURCH

There are two kinds of idols. One kind of idol is simply a false god, a carved piece of wood or stone that you bow down to, light candles or leave baskets of fruit in front of, and so on. This kind of idol must simply be toppled, in the most literal sense. But there is another kind of idol—where a legitimate part of your life assumes an importance it ought not to have. In this case, repentance means restoring that person or thing to their proper role. For example, Paul teaches us that covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5), but after repentance, a man must still handle money. That means he must learn how.

Some misguided brethren have thought that the promise of Mark 16:18 means that handling rattlers ought to be incorporated into the liturgy. Although we do not agree with that interpretation, we are nevertheless a snake-handling church. We have an offering box in the back, and after the worship service men take it out and count it. Thus far, thanks to God, we have been spared.

THE GLORY OF CHRIST

The only way it is possible for this to happen is by the grace of God found in Christ. And when this happens, it happens in such a way as to magnify, not the church where it happens, but rather the reason it happens. Notice the phrase Paul uses to describe the team of three men who are coming to collect the offering at Corinth. What does he call them? He calls them “the glory of Christ” (v. 23). And that is what a worship service is all about, the presentation of the offering included. The whole thing is calculated to glorify Christ.

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State of the Church 2023

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INTRODUCTION

As you all know, it is our custom sometime around the first of the year to give a “state of the church” message. Sometimes it relates more to the condition and challenges of the national church, and other times the emphasis is more local. This year, for reasons that should become obvious, the observations and exhortations will be more local.

THE TEXTS

“But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (Exodus 11:7).

“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).

“And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly” (Acts 5:12–13, NKJV).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXTS

I have selected three texts that all have a common theme. When the children of Israel departed from Egypt, they did so with the rank-and-file Egyptians respecting them highly. “And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:36). Pharaoh was hostile to them, but others around him could see the bigger picture (Ex. 10:7).

Too many modern Christians believe that the Lord’s requirement to love our enemies somehow means that we are not supposed to have enemies. But a simple glance at Scripture (not to mention church history) should show this to be false. Nevertheless, the fact that we must have enemies does not mean that we must be perpetually belligerent. Just the opposite, if we believe ourselves to be under the Lord’s favor, then we should seek for that favor to grow and increase. One tell that this is happening is that the Lord grants a measure of stability, and even our enemies get tired of the hostility. And then last, right after Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by the Lord for lying about their generosity (Acts 5:1-11), we are told that the attitude toward the Christians held by the general population was something that ran along the lines of whoa.

SUMMARY OF OUR SITUATION

For a number of complicated reasons, Moscow, Idaho has made a series of splashes. Something is going on here, and seemingly unrelated events are conspiring to turn it all into one big something. I am talking about Meet the Press, other international news organizations showing interest, the reach and influence of Canon+, the international news created by the horrific and sensational murders, the national controversy over Christian nationalism, and the fact that our disintegrating national culture has decided that the conflicts in our small town are a microcosmic representative of the larger chaos. That is where we are. Like it or not, that is where we are.

HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE?

When we come to the realization that a bunch of people are staring, a natural question is “what are we supposed to be doing?” While I have a few specific suggestions for you, the main things we should be doing in this unique circumstance are all the things we should be doing in all the mundane circumstances. That is, worship the Lord—every Lord’s Day, come before His presence with singing (Ps. 100:2). Love your family and hang together with them (Josh. 24:15). Work hard at your vocation and seek to bless the city (Jer. 29:7). Use all the content that has been generated here over the decades as a force multiplier—do what it takes to get up to speed (1 Chron. 12:32).

And then just a few unique things . . .

  • The Moscow Police Department: It should be possible for you to pray for two distinct things at the same time. The first is that you be praying earnestly for their success in capturing the one responsible for the recent murders. This is the job that God has assigned to them. At the same time, you should also remember that they are currently being sued (rightly) by one of our deacons for an unlawful arrest, and in another suit (rightly) by one of our elders for a host of tangled and incompetent corruptions. You can pray that the extra scrutiny that has resulted from the murder cases might be used by God to bring about some much-needed reforms. Remember the spirit of this proverb: “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him” (Prov. 24:17–18).
  • Don’t get conceited or giddy: The fact that God can work through insignificant people does not make them important or significant in their own name or in their own right. “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). If God is just giving us Warhol’s fifteen minutes of fame, we shouldn’t be acting like we are a new Geneva. If we were to be privileged to be part of something like that, it won’t happen through us plumping it up. “For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; And a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; And an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.” (Proverbs 30:21–23). In short, focus on your assigned duties, and don’t act like an idiot with a full tank of gas.

CHRIST BUILDS HIS KINGDOM

As we are engaged with all these different issues, with moving pieces everywhere, it is easy to find yourself chasing squirrels, all of which are faster than you. Let me return to the earlier point that we should keep the main thing as the main thing.

And worshiping is always the main thing, and it is something that cannot be approached or done apart from the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ. We gather here on the Lord’s Day in the name of Jesus Christ. And that is the name that has authority over every other name.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

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Christmas as Cornerstone (Christmas 2022)

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INTRODUCTION

On a number of different occasions, we have reminded you of the importance of having all our times and seasons defined in relationship to Jesus Christ. The only real alternative to this is to have them defined in reference to someone or something else, and this is obviously an unacceptable alternative to all faithful Christians.

Jesus Christ really has been established as the king of all heaven and earth. The federal building downtown has a stone embedded in the wall that tells us the building was put up in the administration of Richard Nixon, 1973. The dating of Christmas 2022 tells us the same kind of thing, which is that the new heavens and the new earth are under construction, and have been for just over 2,000 years.

THE TEXT

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Is. 9: 6-7).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

There are many things to note in this glorious text, and it is right that we are reminded of this on many Christmas cards. The message of Christmas is politically incendiary, if you think about it, and it is not for nothing that secularists are trying to get us to forget Jesus with their C.E. (Common Era) and B.C.E. (Before Common Era), and seasonal conifers instead of Christmas trees. Nice try, but we aren’t buying any.

We were not given a son who aspired to have the government be on His shoulder. The result of His coming is promised just as surely as His coming was, and that result was that the “government shall be upon his shoulder” (v. 6). No, the child is born. No, the Son is given (v. 6). This government will be established in fact (as it was over 2,000 years ago), and the growth and increase of that government will necessarily be inexorable. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end” (v. 7). His government will not be manifested all at once because this same prophecy describes it as needing to be ordered and established with judgment and justice. But this will happen, and we have the assurance that God is zealous to accomplish this. And so this is the point of Christmas—a cornerstone in the building of a new humanity, a new heaven and a new earth.

AN “INSIGNIFICANT” FAITHFULNESS

A moment’s reflection should reveal that the calendar system we have now was not instituted by Herod the Great just after the wise men got away, or by Caesar Augustus. When did this happen? And who did it? Anyone who has read their Herodotus knows that the Scythians were a rough bunch, a reputation that may be reflected in the New Testament (Col. 3:11). But by the 5th century, there was a thriving Christian church in Scythia, and at that time there was a Scythian monk named Dennis. The ancient form of that name would have been Dionysus. Because that name was so common then, he took the nickname of Exiguus. And so you are now introduced to Dennis the Insignificant, who, as the providence of God would have it, was one of the most significant figures of all church history. He moved to Rome around 500 A.D. and he was the one who proposed that the calendar system be changed to date from the birth of Jesus Christ.

In his calendar, the New Year was the 25th of March (the Feast of the Annunciation), ninth months before Christmas. After all, that is when the Incarnation happened. So for a thousand years, the Christian new year was March 25, and it was not moved to January 1 until Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar once more in 1582. And of course, we now know that Jesus was probably born in 4 B.C. and not four years later. But the issue is symbol, not simple reenactment.

SYMBOLS AND FAILED SYMBOLS

Several centuries before Dionysus, the emperor Diocletian revealed himself as a serious megalomaniac by trying to change the dating system to count everything from the year he became emperor. The Jewish false Messiah, Simeon Bar-Kochba, did the same thing. The devotees of the French Revolution attempted the same trick, dating the events of the whole world from 1792. But the Scriptures stand firm. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. But these clowns at least knew how important the issue is, which is more than we can say of many Christians. The Anti-Christian Liberties Union (ACLU) knows that getting Christmas trees off public property is well worth fighting for.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AS INSURRECTION

How do we define our lives? More than this, how do we define our lives as a people? Far from retreating into a minimalist celebration, or no celebration at all, we as Christians must take far greater advantage of the opportunities we have in all of this. Now the Lord Jesus is on His throne. And His government will continue to increase, whether or not you put up a Christmas tree.

But He works through instruments, and one of His central instruments for establishing His kingdom on earth is the faith of His people. Faith in what? Not faith in a holiday, or in the spirit of Christmas, or anything like that. We are talking about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We are talking about His Incarnation, His sinless life, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His enthronement at the right hand of the Father.

Another version of this message was preached many years ago.

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Unbelief on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve 2022)

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Unbelief has a mysterious ability to tie knots in just about anything. Because unbelief is a function of the heart and will, it can operate in defiance of right reason, known facts, unambiguous texts, and just plain good sense. Unbelief knows what it wants, and what it wants most of all is the liberty to lock its knees and to just say no.

On one occasion, the Pharisees and chief priests sent out some officers to bring Jesus in (John 7:32). When they came back empty-handed, they were asked the reason why, and they said that no one ever spoke the way Jesus was speaking (John 7:46). The unbelieving rulers replied with a verbal sneer. Has anyone important or accredited believed in Him (John 7:48)? Nicodemus intervened and asked whether or not they ought to hear Jesus out before passing judgment (John 7:50-51). At this the rulers and Pharisees responded with another sneer. Are you from Galilee too? Check into it, bozo, and you will find out that no prophet arises from Galilee (John 7:52).

But what does Isaiah say, that prince of prophets? What did he say about Galilee?

And this was no obscure passage in an obscure book. We need to realize that this great light arising from Galilee is one of the brightest lights in the entire Old Testament—and it shines in words familiar to just about everyone here, because they are kind of impossible to miss.

That is what rises in Galilee.

And if we wanted to speak with a biblical trope, we could say that this passage has adorned a multitude of Christmas cards, in number like the grains of sand on the sea shore. It is one of the most well-known passages from the entire Old Testament.

What was the nature of this light? The light was going to begin small. Unto us a child is born. The light was going to start as a fertilized egg, and was going to appear in the world as an infant boy. This boy was doing to grow up in Galilee, but because the prophet Micah had also spoken, it was necessary for Caesar Augustus to wield what he thought was his prerogative, and to order that the whole world be taxed (Luke 2:1). As a consequence, this boy was born in his ancestral town, which was Bethlehem of Judea, but afterward His family returned to Nazareth, which was in Galilee.

Christ is that light who came into the world, and He did so in order to enlighten every man (John 1:9). Wake, o sleeper, Paul says, and Christ will shine on you (Eph. 5:14). This is the light of the kingdom that this child king brought into the world. This is the rule and realm of Jesus Christ, and the light of this kingdom is an ever-increasing light. Isaiah tells us this expressly. Does he not? “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it.”

This rule of Christ is the light, and the rule is an ever-increasing light. Not only will it never go out, it will never stop getting brighter. Christmas lights are the future of the world.

But when we look at the stupidity of our race, coupled with our venality and corruption, we find this kind of staggering promise a little hard to believe. And this is why we must pay attention to the last phrase in this promise—the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. It will not be the wisdom of man that does it. It will not be the pure motives of our parliaments and presidents. It will not be the sophistication of our universities that ushers in this state of affairs. No, it will be the zeal of the Lord.

I spoke a moment ago about the stubbornness of unbelief. We think in our folly that we can brace ourselves in such a way as that such unbelief could put God off. No, remember that the zeal of the Lord is going to convert the entire world, and will never stop growing in that world.

And so I want to conclude with a word to the unconverted. Christmas is a time of year when you are reminded more often than usual of the centrality of Christ. So if the zeal of the Lord of hosts is coming for you, then realize that whatever you do to resist will be entirely futile. There you are, barricaded in the dirty little apartment of your heart, and you have all the furniture you possess piled up against the door. You think that will do it? You think you can hold out against this Christmas message? Christmas is just the first few words of the message, and the whole thing includes His life, His passion, His burial, and His resurrection. And after His resurrection, remember how He just appeared in the upper room, with no need to use the door. So when He wants you to follow Him, He can just come in, without so much as a “by your leave,” and start cleaning things up. The zeal of the Lord of hosts is up to whatever challenges you present.

And so here is your Christmas invitation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Come. Come now. No need to hold out, and as you should realize, no use holding out. Christ is Lord. Give up your unbelief. Lay down your arms. A prophet does arise from Galilee.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen

And merry Christmas.

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Incarnate Emotions (Advent 2022)

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INTRODUCTION

An essential part of the Christian confession is that Jesus of Nazareth is “fully God” and “fully man.” If you sometimes wonder why the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon are so specific and so detailed, it is because there are numerous ways to slip off the point and into heresy.

One of the easier ways to do this is to imagine Jesus as having a human body, but being “God on the inside.” But no. We confess that Jesus was and is entirely human, and a good way to reinforce this in our minds is to consider what the Scriptures teach about the emotional life of Christ.

THE TEXT

“That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:37–38).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The apostle Peter is preaching to the household of Cornelius, and in the course of his message he reminds them of something they already knew—how after the baptism of John, the message of Christ spread from Galilee and throughout all Judea (v. 37). The first part of the message was that God anointed Christ with the Spirit and power, and as a consequence He “went about doing good” (v. 38). He went about doing good, which was a capital offense. God was with Him, and He healed all those who were oppressed by the devil. Peter goes on to proclaim the cross and resurrection (vv. 39-40), but our concern here is the Incarnation, the precondition of that vicarious substitution.

SOME GUARDRAILS FIRST

As we will see in a moment, Christ experienced true human emotion. But we have to hold two things together. He was truly human, but He was also sinlessly human. When we experience the analog emotions that Christ felt, we need to remember that there is a sinful component in it for us that was not present for Him. But at the same time, the writers of Scripture were able to describe His emotional responses with human vocabulary.

For example, we are commanded in Ephesians to be angry—“be angry and sin not” (Eph. 4:26). But in the next breath we are told to put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor (Eph. 4:31). This is because there is a righteous anger from above . . . and then there is the other kind. “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20).

COMPASSION

The gospel writers frequently mention how the Lord was internally moved with compassion. This internal state routinely resulted in an external blessing for someone. “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:41; cf. Matt. 20:34; Luke 7:13). This happens in numerous instances. There is one time when Jesus Himself refers to His own compassion, and that is before He fed the multitude. “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far” (Mark 8:2–3). We have numerous occasions where the Lord exhibits a spontaneous pity that was provoked by the misery of the people who were coming to Him. He did good to them because He wanted to. “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

ANGER

We just noted that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. But sympathy for Mary and Martha was not the only emotion He felt there. We are told twice that Jesus groaned in His spirit (John 11:33,38). But a better translation of this, even if it seems disrespectful, is that Jesus raged in His spirit, He raged in Himself. Against whom? Against His great enemy, death.

And in the incident with the man who had a withered hand, we are told that the Lord was angry and grieved with their hardness of heart (Mark 3:5). But note that when Jesus got angry, the end result was that a withered hand was healed. When man in the flesh gets angry, the end result is a hole in the sheetrock.

We are not told expressly that He was angry when He cleansed the Temple, but He almost certainly was. He was consumed with zeal for His Father’s house the first time (John 2:17), and the task before Him was enormous, and required great motivation.

And there is another occasion where a lesser form of “anger” was displayed. When His disciples were being grown-up and very officious, and were keeping little children away from Him, we are told that Jesus was vexed, annoyed, greatly displeased (Mark 10:14).

SORROW AND EXULTATION

Christ went to the cross—for you and for me—with a strange combination of emotions within His breast. When He contemplated the cross, He exulted in His spirit (Luke 10:21). For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). At the same time, He went into the black shadow with His eyes fully open to the price that He would pay. The emotional side of it was agitation, perplexity, and disquietude (John 12:27; 13:21). What He experienced was agony. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Was the Lord despondent and appalled? He was. “And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy” (Mark 14:33).

TRUE SALVATION

Christ was sent by the Father to save His elect. And so when Christ came to earth, He came to save all of you, and not just a portion of you. Our tendency is to think of our humanity, in its broken and shattered state, as the true meaning of what it means to be a real human. But no—the unfallen Christ is the ultimate meaning of true humanity. And so in the resurrection, it will not be the case that all your emotions will be freeze-dried and stored in a cooler somewhere.

No, you will be men and women forever. You will be restored men and women, and you will be truly human, all the way through, like the Lord Jesus.

“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream” (Psalm 126:1).

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