Last night I grabbed a few of the newest Banner books from the rather well-stocked bookstore here at the conference.
This morning Rick Phillips preached his second message on the book of Hebrews, this was entitled “Outside the Camp.” It was based on Hebrews 13:9-14: “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” Those who were at Together for the Gospel will note that this was the same text that John Piper spoke on and while Phillips’ sermon was very different, there was certainly some overlap. He focused especially on verses 12 and 13, saying that these verses are the very heart of Hebrews. It is the heart of the pastoral message and motive that is being given to these Christians (and to us today). He warned against the lure of false teaching that draws big crowds and wins popularity and encouraged instead that pastors need to be willing to go outside the camp and to suffer there with Christ. The suffering of pastors as they face persecution for the message they preach is the same suffering that Christ passed through when He was on the cross. Pastors must be willing to bear the reproach that Christ has already endured.
After a brief break, Ian Hamilton took the pulpit to preach his second message, titled “The Minister’s Character.” His text was Isaiah 42:1-5. Looking to this text he showed that here we are introduced to the servant of the Lord—Jesus Christ Himself. There is no other kind of gospel ministry than that of servant ministry. So pastors need to consider, ponder, behold this servant. God raises up servant, the second man, the second Adam. He is God’s answer to the darkness and vanity. We see here that he is set up as the model of true servanthood.
Servants are answerable only to God and are committed to doing His will come what may. We are not only the servants of God but also of the people of God. If you do not have a heart for God’s people, you should not be in Christian ministry. If our hearers do not feel that they matter to us more than life itself, if they do not see, hear and feel in what we say to them and how we interact with them than their good matters to us more than life itself, our preaching will never impact their lives.
The remainder of the message was structured around found things the Lord tells us to behold in this passage. What is it that He is particularly reminding us to behold in Christ?
His complete dependence on God (“whom I uphold”) - The Savior was upheld by God and the Spirit of God was placed upon Him. It was by the power and grace that He was enabled to carry out His ministry. He lived and ministered in humble dependence upon His Father.
His unyielding faithfulness to God - He would allow nothing to distract or divert, far less determine, what He would do. He was utterly faithful to the calling God had given Him. We need to let this mind be in us—that Christ had a commission from the Father and though it would cost Him everything, He would pursue and fulfill it. Being united to this servant of the Lord, we must go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom.
His personal humility before God - The servant’s service was humble. He does not shout others down or seek to promote himself at the expense of others, for He is the servant of Jehovah. It is never enough to speak the truth; the way we speak the truth is every bit as important as the truth we seek.
His servant’s unimaginable grace that magnifies God - The Lord’s servant in this chapter is not less than God himself. He is the true revelation of Jehovah. Here is the animating pulse of the servant’s ministry—He is gentle with the weak and the fragile. But it is far easier to preach grace than to practice it. Christ doesn’t just welcome sinners—He runs after sinners and embraces them. Does this kind of grace mark our ministries? Does it mark our churches?
And finally, we need to note that God says “Behold my servant…in whom I delight.” God delights in those who preach His Word and He loves them. This gives grace and confidence to the servants of the Lord.
Comments (2) »
1. Steve Burlew
May 30, 2008
10:47 AM
Tim -
It was great having you join us for this year’s Banner of Truth U.S. Ministers’ Conference! Thanks so much for coming. Perhaps it would be helpful to all, certainly me, to hear a summary of your experience at the conference. I know you’ve gotten to a number of conferences in the past year or more. As you know, next year’s Banner conference will bring Sinclair Ferguson, Allistair Begg, Walter Chantry and several others to the pulpit. Who would you recommend attend? What would they expect? Why should someone come? How did you find the Banner conference to be? Your insight could be helpful to the many men in ministry (pastors, elders, deacons, seminary students, etc.), who might consider joining us next year (May 26-28, 2009).
Again, many thanks, Tim, for your time at the conference and for all that you do here on the blog.
Steve Burlew, Manager,
Banner of Truth, North American office,
Carlisle, PA
2. Richard Oldham
May 31, 2008
12:58 PM
The world tells me I can not do these two messages, Tim. If I stand for truth of the gospel and am willing to bear the reproach it brings, and am willing to be cast outside the camp for Him, then I will necessarily offend those who follow the ways of the world inside the camp, whcih would preclude the later message of love. In my camp, my church, the Pastor has succumed to the ways of the world to gain popularity and draw crowds, complete with CR programs, seeker services, bands and no more hymns, 40 days and feel good groups. There are many godly men who have left with their families, and some who remain. There are are those under my teaching that look to me for leadership and to teach them the word, for when a chruch leader recently stood up and confessed they were biblically illeterate, the pastor said it was “Ok, that it is not about what we know, but just being there for each other, and loving each other. If we do this”, He said “we will have to lock the doors on Sunday morning to keep all the people out.” His false teachings are numerous and blatant, like the pelagian lie of God having empowered you to do what ever He has asked of you, so give more, give more…, and the Bible is full of errors and contradictions. And unless you come on Saturday mornings to CR, you can not believe that you can leave your sins on the altar of God by confessing them. He can not beleive that eaither, and he has to pick his sins up and he must carry his sins all week until Saturday CR. We must come to CR, too! I say all that to say, this man is decieved, and is deceiving, and doing it in Gods house. I have been writing letters to church council with no response, and to the pastor, who ignores me. Most people tell me I should leave, not stand in Gods house and fight for truth, for it will damage my reputation and witness in the community, and upset many people in the chruch, drive young covnerts away, the excuses are numerous for just leaving the wolves in the house of God to devour and deceive the sheep. Are we not to drive out the money changers? I can’t do it like Jesus did, but should I not confront lies with the word and follow the biblical mandate to bring charges agaisnt one who is sinning and remove them by the procedure given? If the chruch chooses to remove me, at least I have given them the gospel in the process and can leave knowing I was not ashamed of the gospel. In one of RC Sprouls tapes he said to leave a chruch that does not preach the gospel, you will not change the church, just risk your own soul by remaining. He indicates, and I feel it, that my own soul needs to hear the word every week and be fed and cleansed, which is why i come to your site Tim and read the Word. In ‘the nine marks of a healthy church’, it is suggested to leave and not fight for truth. It would be easy to leave if I did not have Gods’ blessing to be able to do the latter message and love the people of God and Gods truth so much that it hurts when I hear these lies, and it does not scare me to risk all for them. When I pray, the only answer I am confortable with is ‘fight for my sheep, defend my honor in my house’. Is this just my sinful pride, to think I should and can risk being cast out and fight for truth in Gods own house? If I can not do it there, with Gods known people at risk, how can I ever expect to do it where I work, or in the world where I am also to stand for truth and preach the gospel and defend my Lord at all cost to self?
I apologize if this is not the prupose of your posting Tim, but these messages strike my soul at a deep level and I need Godly adivce from some reformed minds. Thanks for your work and God bless.