A Whitefield a Week: The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent

New each Monday I will be commenting on one of George Whitefield’s Selected Sermons available free of charge from CCEL (Christian Classic Ethereal Library). There are 59 sermons available and I will be reading them in the order of the Table of Contents, excluding a few along the way. I invite you to take this journey as well. The first sermon is entitled, “The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent.” In this sermon Whitefield sets forth God’s gracious provision for sin from the protoeuangelion the first good news), Genesis 3:15.  Here is an excerpt concerning the fall of out first parents, Adam and Eve.

Alas! What a complication of crimes was there in this one single act of sin! Here is an utter disbelief of God’s threatening; the utmost ingratitude to their Maker, who had so lately planted this garden, and placed them in it, with such a glorious and comprehensive charter. And, the utmost neglect of their posterity, who they knew were to stand or fall with them. Here was the utmost pride of heart: they wanted to be equal with God. Here’s the utmost contempt put upon his threatening and his law: the devil is credited and obeyed before him, and all this only to satisfy their sensual appetite. Never was a crime of such a complicated nature committed by any here below: Nothing but the devil’s apostasy and rebellion could equal it.

Then comes the gracious provision:

It tends so much to the magnifying of Free-grace, and plainly shows us, that salvation cometh only from the Lord. Let us take a short view of the miserable circumstances our first parents were now in: They were legally and spiritually dead, children of wrath, and heirs of hell. They had eaten the fruit, of which God had commanded them, that they should not eat; and when arraigned before God, notwithstanding their crime was so complicated, they could not be brought to confess it. What reason can be given, why sentence of death should not be pronounced against the prisoners at the bar? All must own they are worthy to die. Nay, how can God, consistently with his justice, possibly forgive them? He had threatened, that they day wherein they eat of the forbidden fruit, they should “surely die;” and, if he did not execute this threatening, the devil might then slander the Almighty indeed. And yet mercy cries, spare these sinners, spare the work of thine own hands. Behold, then, wisdom contrives a scheme how God may be just, and yet be merciful; be faithful to his threatening, punish the offense, and at the same time spare the offender. An amazing scene of divine love here opens to our view, which had been from all eternity hid in the heart of God! Notwithstanding Adam and Eve were thus unhumbled, and did not so much as put up on single petition for pardon, God immediately passes sentence upon the serpent, and reveals to them a Savior.

Steadfastness of Hope

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — We give thanks to God always… constantly bearing in mind your… steadfastness of hope.” We use the word hope casually in our culture.  Rarely do we ever use it in the biblical sense.  When we use the word, it often takes the form of wishful thinking.  “I sure hope this tastes OK”; “I hope I do well on this test today”; “I hope the weather is nice today,” etc., etc.

But the word used in this way designates uncertainty as to the outcome.  There is no firm conviction concerning our future.  We just “hope” it turns out all right.  But when Paul, Peter, and others spoke of hope, they were describing a confident expectation, a joyful anticipation.  They had in mind a settled attitude of hope, not one that is somehow determined in the future, but one that is settled already, even from before the foundation of the world.

When we approach hope in this way, then the events and circumstances of this world lose their hold on our lives.  We do not base our hope on things that are uncertain, but those that are certain.  We are not affected inordinately when things or going well or when things are going bad because our hope is not in temporal things but in eternal things.

There are two things this type of hope brings to us:

1.  Enables us to wait

Paul was thankful for the “patience” or “steadfastness of hope” these at Thessalonica demonstrated.  Paul understood this perhaps better than anyone other than Christ.

Philippians 1:20-26 – ²⁰ According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. ²³ But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; ²⁴ yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

According to Paul’s own testimony, what was the source of Paul’s patience in regards to his calling? His hope in Christ, a hope he wished to convene to those at Philippi and beyond as long as the Lord left him on this earth.

The same is true for us today.  William Jay, the nineteenth century English minister, put it this way, “Christians, you must not be impatient if you desire heaven and are assured of it, but all the days of your appointed time you should wait, till your change come.”[1] We are to live out our days, if we truly be in Christ, patiently waiting for His return for us or our home going to Him, whichever occurs first.  That is our hope.  God’s covenant promises are bestowed on those who are patient (Heb. 6:15).

2.  Prepares us for suffering

Again, Paul wrote elsewhere, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).  In light of what awaits, the believer is buoyed up by this hope, resilient to the persecution and suffering because he knows how it will turn out in the end. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17).

Again, the “hope” the believer has in the return of Christ and in receiving His glory is expanded on by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff – “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.”  He goes on to describe what the Lord’s return will be like.  While there are a variety of interpretations of these verses, we cannot lose sight of the fact that Paul wrote these words to comfort them, and us, concerning the fact of the Lord’s return and the glory that awaits those who patiently wait and endure suffering for Him.  Peter had a similar admonition.  In writing to those who were in the midst of suffering, Peter reminded them of the hope that was already theirs,  ⁴ “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

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[1] William Jay, Withhold Not Thy Hand, 426.

 

The Labor of Love

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — We give thanks to God always… constantly bearing in mind your… labor of love.”

A few days ago we considered the first of Paul’s triumvirate of praise for the church at Thessalonica, their “work of faith.” Today we look at the second of these, their “labor of love.”

The word “love” is a rather elusive concept in our culture.  You might have heard it expressed in Christian circles that love is more than an emotion, it is a state of being. I agree, though it would take another blog to unpack that more fully. Here, we must consider the fact that the world, and perhaps even those in the church, have a warped view of love.  The world’s understanding of love is often nothing more than the lust rooted in the sin nature.  We know that is not the love that Paul commends here.

However, when we look at biblical love, it too must be qualified by the language used in a particular verse. There are four words for love in the Greek: phileo (brotherly love), eros (romantic love), storge (familial love), and agape (divine love). It is this last word that Paul uses here to describe a love that is born from above, a love that John MacArthur says implies a  “willing, self-giving sacrifice.”

Love is the greatest of all virtues in Scripture.  Jonathan Edwards said,

Let a man have what he will, and do what he will, it signifies nothing without charity; which surely implies that charity is the great thing, and that everything which has not charity in some way contained or implied in it, is nothing, and that this charity is the life and soul of all religion, without which all things that wear the name of virtues are empty and vain.[1]

Love as the king of virtues is taught by the apostle Paul. In Colossians 3:12-14 – ¹² So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved (see 1 Thess. 1:4 – “Knowing, beloved of God, His choice of you”), put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.  ¹⁴ Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

And again clearly in 1 Cor. 13:13 – But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Of course, each of these needs a little more contextual explanation, but love is evidently supreme.

Peter also considered the importance of love, 1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

How is this love shown to be evident in the life of the believer? Jesus shows us, Matthew 22:36-39 – ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”  That is the baseline for the believer, the summum bonum, the supreme good of the Christian life.  The commandments reflect two things:

1. Love for God

It is obedience to the first tablet of the Law out of the sheer joy we have in being the child of God.  It is the love for God in the heart and mind of one who has the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, who has truly been loved by God.  Those who have experienced the love of God then long for communion with Him, they love His Word, they worship and adore Him, they pray Adoring Him, Confessing to Him, Thanking Him, and Supplicating to Him – asking for His good wisdom and provisions.  J. C. Ryle spoke to the necessity the love of God that is then marked by a love for God:

The charity of the Bible will never be found except in a heart prepared by the Holy Ghost. It is a tender plant, and will never grow except in one soil. You may as well expect grapes on thorns, or figs on thistles, as look for charity when the heart is not right. The heart in which charity grows is a heart changed, renewed, and transformed by the Holy Ghost… Such a heart is deeply convinced of sin… Such a heart is deeply sensible of its mighty debt to our Lord Jesus Christ. It feels continually that it owes to Him who died for us on the cross, all its present comfort, hope and peace. If it can do nothing else, it strives to be like Him, to drink into His spirit, to walk in His footsteps, and, like Him, to be full of love . . . Love will produce love.[2]

2. Love for others

In Gal. 5:13, Paul proclaimed, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Then in Eph. 5:2 – “Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  This sacrificial love, love for others first, for their joy and benefit, not your own, is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.  This is what Jesus taught in John 13:34-35 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another” (foot washing in beginning of John 13).

• John – 1 John 4:8 – The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. Especially love for the brethren – 1 John 4:19-21 – ¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

Love does not mean that you must always approve of another persons actions. Nor does it mean that you must always agree with another person all of the time. When Paul thanked God for the love at Thessalonica it was because their love was evident.  He was not referring to something easy or potential but tough and real.  It was a “labor of love.” It was hard work, but it was joyful, self-giving work.  Notice how he put it in 4:9ff:

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 – ⁹ Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, ¹¹ and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, ¹² so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

Inside and outside the church, the Thessalonians were making a determined effort to love the unlovely just as Christ loved us and died for us when we were unlovely.  Christ made us lovely, and if we are walking in love by the Spirit then we are both loving and lovable.

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[1] Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits, 3-4.

[2] J. C. Ryle, Practical Religion, 174, italics mine.

The Work of Faith

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, Paul wrote the following words to the church, “We give thanks to God always… constantly bearing in mind your work of faith.” Last week we celebrated Reformation Sunday by looking at the five solas of the Reformation.  The Reformers conclusion from Scripture alone was that justification was through faith alone, sola fide.  In other words, saving faith or justifying faith is by grace alone through faith in Christ alone apart from our works (Eph. 2:8-9).  Faith is the means or the instrument that God has provided to bring us to Christ, and it is a gift of His grace.

However, we also note that the Reformers rightly taught that though we are justified by faith alone, we are not justified by a faith that remains alone.  James was clear, James 2:17 – “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”  The problem for many interpreters comes with James 2:24 – “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”  However, when we consider James 2:26 – “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead,” we see in this discussion that James was looking at works of faith as logical evidence that one is in fact alive in Christ.  Just as the spirit is the animating life of the physical body, so works is the evidence of faith in Christ.  By works of faith one is shown to be righteous.  Hence James conclusion, James 2:20 – “Faith without works is useless.”

It is this sanctifying “work of faith” that Paul says he often remembered of these at Thessalonica in his prayers.  What did their “work of faith” look like?  What had Paul heard back from Timothy while he was in Athens (see 3:1-2, 6) that spurred him to write these things?

1.  Trusting work

Faith is taking hold of all that God has done in and through Christ.  It is trusting in God and His way of salvation, Christ finished work, rather than in our own works.  Christianity alone provides the only hope for a desperate people.  All other world religions are based upon the works of man, which are nothing more than filthy rags in God’s sight.  The Christian can have hope because his faith is in the merits of another, the righteousness of Christ.  If your trust is in anything or anyone other than Christ alone, then you should examine yourselves to see if you are even of the faith.  In our pluralistic age, we are led to believe that all roads lead to salvation.  As long as you are seeking to do good then everything will be all right in the end.  But that is not what Scripture says, Scripture that proclaims the redemptive history of man in Christ alone from beginning to end.

However, flowing from this initial faith is a real trust in God and unwavering commitment to Him that is evident in the life of one who has totally submitted himself to the righteousness that God has provided in Christ.  It is to live as the proverb says, Proverbs 3:5-6 – ⁵ “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  One writer put it this way:

A true church is made up of people who have faith in Jesus Christ. People without such faith are not Christians, and any collection of individuals without it, however religious they might be, is not a church. Faith includes the idea of confidence; it is convinced that Jesus can be trusted.[1]

Of course, the works that stifle this faith are born out of doubt.  We see this in Matthew 14 in the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water:

Matthew 14:28-31 – Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

So Paul here commends the Thessalonians for their confidence in Christ.  They were struggling.  They were being persecuted by the Jews and others.  There were probably times that even we could identify, times where they did not know whether they could make it through the day.  The trials and sufferings, their persecutions seemed more than they could bear.  But they did not doubt!  They trusted God.  They walked by faith and not by sight – not a blind faith, not a let go let God faith, but a trusting faith.  They believed God!

2.  Battling work

One of the titles that Paul used of the early church believers was that of “soldier” (Phil. 2:25; 2 Tim. 2:3,4; Phm. 2).  Paul calls the soldier to put on the full armor provided by God (Eph. 6:10-17).  As such, the believer is called to battle, as Paul put it, to “fight the good fight, keeping faith” (1 Tim. 1:18).  The work of faith is a battle: a battle against the flesh (Rom. 7 & 8); a battle against the devil, who is called our “adversary” (1 Pet. 5:8), and a battle against the world, over which the apostle John reminds us that we are “conquerors” or “overcomers,” 1 John 5:4 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  Then in Revelation each of the seven churches is called to “overcome” and the promise of the inheritance is granted to those who do so (Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7).

This is exactly the faith that Paul had heard from Timothy concerning the saints at Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 3:1-8 – ¹ Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, ² and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, ³ so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. ⁴ For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. ⁵ For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. ⁶ But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, ⁷ for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; ⁸ for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

 

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[1] J. Philip Arthur, Patience of Hope: 1 & 2 Thessalonians simply explained, 25 – italics mine.

The Pastor as Missionary

Conrad Mbewe preached this message at SBFYC two summers ago. I was once again encouraged by it as I read it this morning.

Philippians 1:1-6
Pastor Conrad Mbewe
SBFYC 2007 Session 1 – Tuesday AM

We make choices in life – our place of education, our life partner, where to attend church, whether to come to this camp, etc. What makes us decide one thing over another? Surely, it is because we put weight upon the importance of certain things that inform our choice. Why have you decided that to be here this week is the best for you? Why was it a better choice for me to cross the globe to be here rather than be with my family at home? What makes this week so important? It is in answering this question that we see the importance of being “partners in the gospel.” It is because of this that we will shed any number of perceived responsibilities. It is because of this that Paul wrote this epistle, this letter written from prison. Yet, we do not get the impression that Paul thought his imprisonment unfair. In fact, it is a joyful letter, so joyful that we forget that he was in prison. Why the joy? Because of his joy in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what excited him. But on this occasion he was further excited by the partnership he had with the Philippians in the gospel (v. 5).

Why should Paul be excited about it?

1. Because of the fact of the Fall. We need to realize as we live our lives that human beings are not as they were when God first created Adam and Eve. Something terrible happened sometime. The historic event of the Fall is found in Genesis 3:1-7. Eve, making her way around the Garden, was engaged in conversation with a serpent used by Satan. They took and they ate of the fruit.

The result can be described as being blinded. That is true today. We will blindly accept any teaching today just so that we can explain away the reality that God is and that He holds us accountable.

The Fall can also be described by the term totally depraved. We are polluted, always going in the opposite direction rather than the way that God wants us to go. Because of this, we deserve His wrath and His anger. Because He is a just and holy God, He must, He must, He must punish sin.

Evidence of the Fall is all around us. We read it in the papers and see it on the news daily. Why is this? Because some people are better than others? No, that is not it at all. It is because we are fallen creatures. The darkness and death that surrounds us in our communities lies within our hearts. We still want to passionately pursue that which is destructive. Why? Because we are born a fallen creature. God cannot accept us into heaven with that kind of heart because we would immediately want to dethrone Him. That describes our fallenness.

2. God’s rescue mission. Thankfully, God has dealt with it! He has come into the situation with good news – the gospel. Genesis 3 does not end without God bringing in this good news (Gen. 3:15). In the midst of cursing the serpent, He announces the Messiah. At the time this came, they could not appreciate fully what God was saying. But by the time of the New Testament it is clear. God said that He was going to send His Son to destroy the serpent. He would do whatever it takes, including the Cross. Satan would fight against Him, but Satan would be crushed. This is the good news, the gospel, of John 3:16. Stand back for a moment and recognize this. In this dark and hopeless world, God has not sat back but He has acted with the gospel. He brought this news. He has given us the Bible. He has spoken in the Bible. If He had not spoken, we could worship the birds in the sky or beautiful flowers but we could never have known and understood His forgiveness. But when we read His Word we understand the truth and the way of His forgiveness. He has given us His Son, His Word, and also His Spirit to enlighten our darkened minds. Any time a person turns from sin in true repentance to Christ by faith it is an act of God Himself. Thus, we abandon sin and cling to the Cross.

3. The need to get this good news to the world. Paul was excited about this partnership with the Philippians because of the need to get the gospel to every human being. He was imprisoned and persecuted for doing this very thing, for proclaiming that in the midst of this darkness, God has sent His Son to rescue you from the darkness. Some did not want to hear this and threw him into prison.

Our greatest joy is to get this good news to every human being. You cannot do it by yourself. You cannot go it alone. That is why God has called His Church to partner together in this endeavor. This is accomplished primarily through the preaching of the gospel. Paul did not simply volunteer for this. Paul in his spiritual being sensed God’s call to go and tell others of the good news, to go and rescue them from darkness and deliver them to light. And the apostle Paul said, “Send me.”

This is the way that God has always worked. In the Old Testament, He called and sent His prophets. He told them to go and proclaim His message to the people. In the New Testament, He called and sent His apostles to proclaim His Son to the nations. Today, others know this calling and with both hands they hold the plow and throw all of their weight into the work of the gospel. Some stay home, some go abroad, but all follow God’s calling to proclaim His message of saving sinners through His Son Jesus Christ.

Has God been speaking to you about being His primary spokesman to let others hear and know this good news? Then do not let the pull of the world lead you to be a disobedient Christian. Cry out, “Here I am, Send me.” Make this conference the decisive moment when you say like Paul, “Lord, what would you have me to do?”