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12/30/07
Comments (19)

Reality Check (VII)

This morning the Reality Check conference wrapped up with the final of Paul Washer’s four sermons on the beatitudes. After reading the text he began with this statement: “If you have been truly born again, the beatitudes must be, at least to some extent, a description of your life.”

Though the series was intended to cover all of the beatitudes, Washer got no further than this: “Blessed are the pure in heart.” The word “pure” means “unstained” or “without mixture.” It points to a single-minded devotion to Christ—a passion that eclipses every other passion. This is the very opposite of a man’s heart prior to conversion and is also the opposite of the unconverted religious man’s heart. There is a sense that when a person is born again, purity of heart will be a reality because salvation is a supernatural work of God in which you become a new creature. It is a reality. While we have been changed there is also a sense in which we need to continue changing and in which we need to pursue a pure heart. We are to be diligent in guarding our hearts because everything else springs from the heart. If we do not guard our hearts we will be transformed by this world and conformed to it. A pure heart has no competing loyalties—it has one king and one law. When God saves a person He begins to destroy all the idols in that person’s life. If you belong to God, He will be constantly working to make you pure by tearing out all the idols from your life. He is the only one who can truly satisfy. At the same time we should be hard at work destroying all competing loyalties in our hearts. God will bless you with so many good things but at the same time He will make sure to guard you so that those things do not become idols in your life. And meanwhile you must be sure to guard yourself.

Washer turned to some application but discussing the importance of examination and saying that there is both a divine and a human side to examination. He focused on the human side and taught about how I can build a wall around my heart. Each truth is like a post in the ground and you can build a wall with these posts. I am to make a commitment to the Lord that whatever is contrary to these truths will not enter into my world. This is a guide to a pure heart. I do not just need to fill my heart with goodness but to also keep the garbage out.

  1. What is good. This point and the next two are based on Romans 12:2 where we read that the will of God is good. Whatever is good can come through that fence. Whatever promotes my spiritual well-being and fence is permitted through that fence. If it will not do that it has no business in my heart, mind and life.

  2. What is acceptable. We can only allow in those things that are acceptable to God as revealed in Scripture.

  3. What is perfect. This has the idea of being complete. It is not partially true and partially false but wholly true and good.

  4. What is true. This point and the next four are based on Philippians 4:8. The devil works primarily through the lie—he will kill you through the lie (“Did God really say…?”).

  5. What is honorable. Whatever we allow into our lives must be honorable, dignified or serious; honest; respectable. We live in an age of joviality even within the church, but as Christians (though we can display and appreciate humor) there should also be a sense of seriousness about us.

  6. What is right. It must be right—it must be according to divine law. Does it conform to God’s standard and God’s character?

  7. What is pure. It must be pure and holy.

  8. What is lovely. It must be lovely. Purity does not need to be ugly or sad. There should be an elegance, a loveliness, a beauty in your life.

At this point, though the sermon had already run long and had only covered a portion of the text, Washer admitted “I’ve got 24 more pages of notes…” and he left off. And after a final word from Jeff Noblit, we went our separate ways.

I mentioned earlier that I had never heard any teaching from Paul Washer, but having done so (since he handled the bulk of the teaching at this conference), I can say that I’d gladly sit under his teaching again. I enjoyed his no-nonsense approach and enjoyed the fire in his ministry. He has a passion for what is true and right and good and he is unashamed to preach difficult and unpopular truths from Scripture.

Reality Check (VII)

Comments (19) »

1. george
December 30, 2007
2:43 PM

First time commenter Tim, always appreciate your blog and your perspective. Will Washer’s message be available online?

2. Heath Mc
December 31, 2007
11:41 AM

Reality Check was amazing!!

I’ve listened to MacArthur, Sproul, and Piper preach on the gospel so many times and have been helped greatly by their teaching, but it wasn’t until Paul Washer made the application that if someone is not bearing fruits (just like our Lord has said in so many places) they are NOT saved! Because a new heart (Ez 36:26) will bear good fruits and reveal its true desires over time if it truly loves Christ or not. If God has started the work there will be evidences of that work in our lives. If that is true (and it is) then over half of the American church is unconverted because so many people confess Christ with their mouth but do no love him with their hearts. And Washer is willing to expose this reality and use a tone of voice that reflects the weight of those implications on the American Christianity.

Thanks again for live blogging, Tim! I hope you will be at the True Church Conference in February.

-Heath Birmingham, Al

3. Emily
December 31, 2007
12:26 PM

The first time I heard Paul Washer I was so excited to hear someone preach to others what I wish I would have heard years ago. He preached an unpopular message and it was definitely one of truth. If you have time you should take a listen to the sermon, link below. http://youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8

4. Matt Haney
December 31, 2007
12:31 PM

You can also download the video, audio or manuscript text for the Paul Washer sermon that Emily linked to in Comment #3 here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=52906154239

5. Haley
December 31, 2007
1:35 PM

The Lord has been so gracious in his use of Brother Paul, and like-minded men in the teaching of his Word. Until hearing the Word taught by such men, my view of God and the Gospel of Christ has been a half-truth and tainted with humanism. Until man’s complete depravity and helplessness is taught and understood, I do not see how God’s love and Christ’s atonement for sinners can been understood or appreciated. I pray that the Lord would continue his work through these men and use more and more men to proclaim the whole truth of the Scriptures for His name’s sake.

6. Alexander
December 31, 2007
1:45 PM

God used Paul Washer to put His fire back into my life! I am a no nonsense kinda guy and that is what the Lord seems to use in my life to minister to me as well! I was so excited to hear this kind of preaching and the Lord used it to really cause me to examine myself and to step it up in my walk with Him. I shared with my friends, and for some reason they just did not hear what I heard, it just did not hit them like it hit me…I praise God for Paul and am thankful for him - He used him to change me life radically!

7. B Alan Harp
December 31, 2007
2:00 PM

Reality Check (and I include all the speakers: Matt Fowler, Paul Washer, Jono Sims, and Jeff Noblit) was amazing! All of the messages abolutely cut me to the heart. I am so thankful that there are some preachers still out there who preach the truth in this age of false-teaching, ear-ticklers! Anyone and everyone would benefit greatly from soaking in these guys’ teaching!

8. Stanhope
January 1, 2008
11:06 AM

Washer has always seemed rather cartoonish to me — all that quivering-voice theatricality and excessive emotionalism.
He seems to get a real jolt out of scaring teenagers, as if scaring teenagers were a difficult and noble thing to do.

9. Jake
January 1, 2008
11:39 AM

Stanhope… if you knew Paul personally, you would know that none of his emotion is theatrical. It stems from the passion in his heart for the truth. Whether or not its excessive is subjective I suppose. Personally, I don’t think I would put a limit on passion for the truth, or for souls.

10. Patrick Kyle
January 2, 2008
4:37 AM

Huh? If that stuff is true, then not only am I not a Christian, I’ve never met one. Do any of you exemplify the Sermon on the Mount in the majority of your life and being? Not close or giving it your best try, but actually exemplifying these traits on a day-to-day, minute by minute basis. The standard set forth by Jesus is perfection as your heavenly Father is perfect. Preaching like that sounds like a good way to break off the bruised reeds and snuff out the smoldering wicks among us. What about Paul’s description of the Christian life set forth in Romans 7? (And yes, it is Paul’s struggle as a Christian. Check out Galatians where he uses almost the exact same words in reference to the Galatians, in Gal 5:17) This is the truth of the Christian life. Furthermore, this type of preaching doesn’t proclaim Christ-it proclaims us, what we should be doing, what we need to stop doing, what our attitude should be, prescriptions and platitudes, recipies for victorious Christian living. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and I would argue sanctification also. The proclaimation of the Gospel creates faith in the hearers and results in their sanctification. (see Galatians again) When I hear Pastors preach on the Sermon on the Mount, I am terrified and flee to the Cross where Jesus’ active and passive obedience are credited to my account. That is the only hope we have and I really question the wisdom of having Christians turned inward looking for signs of their regeneration in their “hearts.”

11. Matt Haney
January 2, 2008
8:55 AM

Patrick,

Romans 7 and Galatians 5 are not covering the same theme. Romans 7 never mentions the Spirit (or Christ) once, the struggle is between the flesh and the law (which is what you would expect if it was about a lost Pharisee under conviction). In Romans 7 the man is “of the flesh, sold under sin.” He doesn’t OCCASIONALLY do what he hates, he ALWAYS does what he hates, and NEVER does what he wants. That is the exact opposite of what we read of the Christian in Romans 6:17-18, “who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”

Paul is describing himself as a Pharisee in Romans 7. He delighted in the law in the same way the Pharisees did. This is what Paul talked about in Romans 2. He sums it up in Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.”

The issue in Romans 7 is not the struggle of the Christian and sin, but of how the law relates to the lost man under conviction… if the law stirs up sin and produces death, how can it be good? That is the question Paul is answering.

Romans 6 - 7 is divided into Paul answers 4 Questions (6:1, 6:15, 7:7 and 7:13). Paul always gives the distorted view of his position 1st. Then he always follows that by a strong denial, “May it never be!” (ESV). Then he always follows that by a condensed short answer. Then he always follows that by a body of text that flushes out what his condensed short answer meant. The question of 7:13 is, “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me?” Therefore, 7:14-25 is about the goodness of the law despite what it does to those in the flesh - so it is not some new section out of left field about the Christian battling sin.

Galatians 5:16-25 is about the flesh and the Spirit (again the Spirit is not mentioned once in Romans 7). In Galatians 5:24, at the end of that section, Paul says, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” That does not line up with Romans 7 being the Christian. He starts off the section by saying in Galatians 5:16, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Again, the Romans 7 man was never able to do that. The real parallel to Galatians 5:16-25 is NOT Romans 7:7-25, it is Romans 8:12-14, where the Spirit comes into the picture. In Galatians we “walk in the Spirit” and in Romans 8 “we are led by the Spirit.”

However, I am NOT teaching the perfectionist view of John Wesley either! One extreme is to see Christians as the wretched man that never does the good that he wants. The other extreme is to think he can obtain perfection. The Biblical middle ground is a view that the Christian can live out a victorious Christian life that involves obedience, but will still struggle with sin at times. Just because you can relate to Romans 7, in a limited fashion, as a Christian - that does not mean that is what Paul is dealing with in Romans 7.

I would recommend that you check out Charles Leiter’s book, “Regeneration & Justification” which deals with this to some degree. His book can be bought through HeartCry (Paul Washer’s Missionary Society). Their number is (256) 381-7510. Their office hours are 8 a.m. - 4-30 p.m.

Leiter’s appendix on Romans 7 can be found here: http://www.puritanfellowship.com/2007/11/romans-7-by-charles-leiter.html

12. Jared
January 2, 2008
9:46 AM

The conference was a great experience. The preaching by Matt Fowler, Jeff Noblit, Jono Sims, and especially Paul Washer challenged me to walk closer to the Lord and to serve Him with an undivided loyalty. I’ve got all of the sermons on CD so I can listen to them over again to help ascertain that the seeds that were planted in my heart continue to grow. The truth that was preached at that conference needs to be heard by all. It is the kind of conference that every youth leader should consider taking his youth group to. I recommend Reality Check to any leader who wants his flock to truly know God and fellowship with Him.

13. Thomas Clay
January 2, 2008
5:03 PM

Hey StanHope, I would love to see you try and keep up with this arthritis-ridden, cartoonish, Paul Washer in the jungles of Peru….

14. The Richardson's
January 2, 2008
8:31 PM

It’s tragic that some miss the blessing and fail to see the love and life of Jesus Christ come through our dear brother Paul Washer.

It’s also tragic that some misquote him so often. Perhaps it would be wise and more considerate to review a recording or transcript and then compare it to Scripture before speaking negatively about such a beloved brother.

Stanhope,

Have you ever considered what the tone of voice and body language of our Lord must have been like when He spoke words such as, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”? (Matthew 5:29) Or when our blessed Savior drove out by force, with a whip, those making a mockery of the temple of God, saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:12,13) and “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a market!”, with His disciples remembering what was written about Him, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.” (John 2:13-17) Or what about when Jesus pronounced curses on the unrepentant in Matthew 11:20-24: “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! …I tell you it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you.”

Do you suppose there was an intense and passionate, heartfelt zeal when the Christ said those things? Perhaps an authentic man of God would exhibit some of the same qualities of the One living in Him. How else would you expect someone sent by God to speak about such grave things? Things such as living human souls being endangered by the eternal wrath of Almighty God; endless and indescribable suffering and torments being endured by very real people. Maybe he just cares more than most. He has given much of his life for the Gospel of Jesus Christ afterall. Have you?

Patrick Kyle,

I’m curious, did you not hear Paul repeatedly ask, “Are these things in your life ‘at all’? Or are they completely foreign to you?” That was the crux of his call to self-examination. Which, by the way, is exactly what we are told to do in 2 Corinthians 13:5. Jesus did in fact say in Matthew 7:15-20 that we can know a person, including oneself, by the fruit being borne.

While I agree completely that we could never have any part in saving ourselves and that our only hope of salvation is the grace of God in the Person of Jesus Christ, and that the unattainable standard set forth by the Messiah is initially meant to show us our exceeding sinfulness and to send us to the Cross, that was not the context of Paul’s messages last weekend, and I am again left curious as to what standard of living and obedience you suppose Christian’s ought to aim for?

Please keep in mind that this is the same preacher who has been known to say, “If you knew how much I believed in grace you would be offended.”

15. rocky
January 2, 2008
11:54 PM

Tim, as I read your blog, can i recommend a book to you and your readers for the new year? It is Brown Like Coffee. Kind of wacky but real challenging. I found it at brownlikecoffee.com

16. Patrick Kyle
January 3, 2008
3:42 AM

Matt, Richardsons’s,

For an answer as to why I disagree, check out Dr. Rod Rosenbladt’s presentation entitled “The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church” available at

www.newreformationpress.com

This explains it better than I could, given the limits of blog commentary.

17. Keith
January 7, 2008
5:47 PM

I was introduced to Brother Washer’s teachings three days ago and haven’t been able to think about anything else since. I said the “sinners prayer” on September 11, 1983 but I’ve backslidden and “rededicated” many times since then.

I want to really be saved more than I want my next breath but I find myself asking the same question people in the Bible did: “What must I do to be saved?” I have 24 years of Bible teaching that I don’t know if I can trust anymore. My world has been shaken and I don’t know what to believe. The only thing I know for sure is that I need God. My life produced fruit, and people do see me as Godly, but I constantly caved in to temptation. There was no proper fear of the Lord.

I was hurt by the Word of Faith movement, and a church, 8 years ago. I left the church (but not God). I haven’t been in one since, but I LONG for it. I just don’t trust myself to pick the right church. How can I tell if they’re teaching the Truth? How do I choose a trustworthy translation of the Bible? This is a bit scary to think that I’ve wasted the last 24 years, risking my very soul, thinking I was saved when I wasn’t! I don’t know that I can concentrate on anything else until I know that I know I’m saved.

I was looking for more information about Brother Washer online and have, for three days, watched and rewatched as many of his teachings as I could find. It’s funny, because in my spirit, I’ve always KNOWN what was being taught in the church wasn’t right. I never fell for the prosperity stuff and I’ve always felt like the teachings were like “Christianity Lite.”

When I heard Brother Paul, I KNEW that I was hearing THE TRUTH and it felt like being let out of a prison! I’ve searched for his book online but can’t find it. I have put everything on hold in my life, except my job, until I know I’m saved. I can’t rest until I do. My heart just breaks when I think about everyone I know who think they’re saved but probably aren’t! But, I need to know I’m saved.

I missed out on too much, already. My life belongs totally to Jesus at this point. If He asked me to move to Los Angeles and pick-up lint off the floors of office buildings for a living, then that’s what I’d do. I want the rest of my wasted life to bring glory to Him. I want to walk as closely with Him as any man is capable of.

I found your blog when I was searching for information about Brother Paul. I appreciated reading about your posts on Reality Check. I need more of this teaching. I need to soak in it.

18. The Richardson's
January 9, 2008
9:33 PM

Keith,

As ones who were in the beginning stages of being drawn into false teachings during our early days as babes in Christ, we greatly feel your pain, frustration, anxiety, and passion.

Let us highly recommend John MacArthur’s Study Bible to aid you in your search for the true truth, spiritual growth and discernment of teachings. It has rock solid commentary on almost every verse in the Bible. Our brother Paul Washer has also recommended it highly, as have other greatly respected teachers of truth.

In our prayers.

19. Keith
January 11, 2008
11:54 AM

Richardsons,

Thank you for your encouragement and guidance. I will definitely be getting that Bible and devouring it. I can’t recall ever being so excited about anything in my life! I don’t mean to intimate that it will be easy because I know it won’t be. It’s just so exciting to know that I’m finally on the right path!

Thanks again and God Bless!