Song of the Drunkards

JESUS FACED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF OPPOSITION FOR HIS HARD WORDS AND UNFLINCHING DEVOTION TO YAHWEH. NO SURPRISE THEN IF WE FIND OUR NAME FESTOONED IN BARROOM BALLADS (CF. PS 69:12).

The Discipline of the Church

October 30, 2022 in Bible - NT - 2 Thessalonians, Discipline, Meditations, Uncategorized

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15 (NKJV)

13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. 14And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Later in the service, we will have the immense privilege of welcoming several folks into membership by transfer, profession of faith, and baptism. These folks have taken our recent membership information class in which we explain the biblical basis for church membership and the obligations that such membership entails. One of those obligations is a willingness to submit to the discipline of the church. As sinners, we need the loving accountability of our brethren to direct us in righteousness and remind us of our obligation to serve the Lord throughout our lives. We need this particularly when we are being tempted to wander astray.

In our text today, Paul commands the Thessalonian church to implement the first stage of that public discipline, a stage we commonly refer to as Suspension from the Lord’s Supper. Paul begins with an exhortation, “brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” In a fallen world, it is possible to grow weary. The temptations of the Evil One, combined with the allurements of the world and the sinful desires of our own hearts, often make the task of doing good challenging. So Paul warns us lest we grow weary in doing so. Persevere. Be faithful.

Paul then commands us to practice a particular good – to take seriously disobedience to God within the congregation. Paul knows that if we permit blatant sin to go unchecked, then that sin will spread. As Paul says elsewhere, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough” (1 Cor 5:6). So Paul writes, “if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.” Paul’s command involves two parts – first, we are to note – that is, mark, point out, or publicly identify – that person. Second, we are to refuse to keep company with him – that is, we are to suspend normal fellowship with that person, including sharing in the Lord’s Supper. Why? Note Paul’s words: “that he may be ashamed.” In other words, the purpose of the discipline is to awaken the sinner to the seriousness of his sin. As Solomon writes in Proverbs 20:30, “Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.”

It is in keeping with Paul’s words here and elsewhere (cf. 1 Cor 5:4) that the elders announce the Suspension of ———— from fellowship in the Lord’s Supper. Almost two years ago —— separated from her husband. During that time the elders have striven to be patient, understanding that marital problems are complicated and that they are chiefly the responsibility of the husband to repair. During that time, her elders have repeatedly pleaded with her to submit to joint marital counseling with her husband. She has persistently refused to do so. She has hardened her heart in opposition to her husband and filed for a divorce from her husband, something that God hates (Mal 2:16). Because she has failed to give heed to our private exhortations, we are now announcing this to the church, praying that God will use this to convict and restore her to her husband and to the church.

In so announcing, we would remind you of Paul’s exhortation, “do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” Your duty is to pray for and, as occasion permits, admonish —— as a professing Christian to repent of her sinful conduct, to submit to the counsel of her elders, and to strive for reconciliation with her husband. Pray that she would desire to honor the vows that she swore to her husband “for better, for worse… till death do us part.” Her husband is still willing to fulfill those vows; pray that —— would be willing to do so as well.

Such sober moments remind all of us of our susceptibility to sin and our need for God’s grace and mercy in our individual lives and in our marriages; they remind us of our need to humble our hearts regularly and to confess our sins to the Lord, submitting to the authorities in our lives lest we bring upon ourselves God’s chastisement. So let us confess our sins to the Lord and, as you are able, let us kneel as we do so.

The Wisdom of Heeding Counsel

October 16, 2022 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Meditations

Proverbs 12:15 

15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. Today we are instructed to be humble men and women who heed counsel.

The Proverb begins with a warning, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” A fool commits himself to a plan of action and concludes it is the best course simply because he has chosen it. He closes himself off from competing counsel. So this is the man who sets himself to marry a woman, or a woman who sets herself to marry a man, that their friends warn them not to marry. It is the young man who seeks, like Rehoboam, the counsel of those who will tell him what he wants to hear rather than what he needs to hear. It is the husband who seeks out his buddies when he is contemplating a new purchase rather than discussing it with his wife. It is the wife who tells her husband her woes not so that he can give her counsel and correct her perception of the situation but so that she can nurse her resentment or bitterness or hurt. The fool is proud, believing that his or her own assessment of the situation is adequate and that he doesn’t need to hear contrary counsel. It is not a sign of foolishness to need counsel; it is a sign of foolishness to need it and not seek it; or to seek it and not heed it. Don’t be a fool.

Instead be a wise man. And what is the character of a wise man? “But he who heeds counsel is wise.” Notice that it is not the man who merely seeks out counsel but the man who heeds such counsel who is wise. Now this, of course, assumes that the counsel received is good. The wise man knows his own frailty, he knows his need for the advice, encouragement, and support of godly friends, so he seeks out their counsel when in difficulty and he implements it in his life. So if you are considering vocational options, whether and whom to date or marry, how to process a severe loss, how to shepherd your children faithfully, how to work through a relationship tangle, etc. seek out godly counsel. This is why God has given us one another, to be counselors in perplexity. Did not our Lord Jesus Himself open His heart to his friends and ask them to pray for Him in His times of need? So if He did, then how much more ought we?

So what of you? Do you count it a sign of weakness when you have to seek out godly counsel? Or do you recognize it as a gift from God that He has put godly counselors in your life whom you can seek? Do you regularly seek out wise counsel when making important decisions or do you think that you can go it alone? Are you proud and unwilling to appear weak in the eyes of others by seeking counsel? Or are you humble and willing to acknowledge your need for help? And then, having sought help, do you listen carefully to the counsel and give heed to it? “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.”

So reminded of our calling to be humble and to seek and to heed wise counsel, let us confess that we are often proud and stubborn and willfully pursue a course of action without seeking godly counsel. And as you are able, let us kneel as we confess our sin to the Lord

The Faithful Worker & the Wicked Schemer

October 9, 2022 in Bible - OT - Proverbs, Meditations

Proverbs 12:12–14 

12The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit. 13The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will come through trouble. 14A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:29 that God has predestined His people to be conformed to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Proverbs assist us in that process, directing us in the way of wisdom and teaching us what it is to imitate our Lord’s character. While last week constrasted the faithful worker with the idle dreamer, this week contrasts the faithful worker with the wicked schemer.

On the one hand is the wicked schemer. He covets the catch of evil men. The wicked schemer uses the gifts and skills that God has given him – he is not an idle dreamer; he is willing to work. However, rather than work honestly and devote himself to fruitful labor to the glory of his Creator, he emulates the actions of evil men: he covets their catch. He studies how, by their cleverness, they manage to swindle, steal, murder, and rob for personal profit. So who are such men? This would include gangsters and thieves, rapists and murderers, adulterers and homosexuals. It includes politicians who use the power of the civil government to take that which lawfully belongs to others. It includes unscrupulous lobbyists that pressure politicians for handouts. And it includes those who hide their sin, hoping that their spouses or parents or friends will not uncover their gambling, their porn use, or their spending spree. But the schemes of such men will inevitably be thwarted by the God who rules and reigns over heaven and earth. The wicked schemer will be ensnared by the trasngression of his lips. He will inevitably trip up and get caught – his own lips will betray him. His deceitfulness will be turned back against him. He will lay a net for his own feet. Don’t be him.

On the other hand is the faithful worker. The faithful worker is rooted deep in God Himself – trusting in the Lord who has given him the ability to work and using his abilities to the honor and praise of his Creator. Such a man’s labor will yield fruit. Though he faces hardship and struggle – the common infirmities of this life – yet he will come through these troubles by the grace of God. Whether in this life or the next, his labor will yield good fruit. His honest lips and his hard work will have their reward: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him. God will bless him according to his labor and he will have no cause to be ashamed even in times of trouble. By his honest speech and diligent hands, he earns the respect of his neighbors and a profit from the Lord.

So what of you? Whose work do you emulate? Do you covet the catch of evil men, studying those who deceive and scheme to advance their cause? Or do you study the work of those who are honest and hard working, speaking only what they know to be right and true and looking to God to bless the work of their hands? Our calling is to emulate the latter; indeed to be the pattern that others, especially those in the next generation, can follow.

So reminded of our calling to work with our hands that we might be satisfied with good, let us confess that we and our neighbors often scheme and plot instead of pursuing honest labor. And as you are able, let us kneel as we confess our sin to the Lord. We will have a time of silent confession followed by the corporate confession found in your bulletins.