For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
Social-justice. It is the hot topic, the buzzword of the day, both inside and outside of the Church. And arguments even about the use of the term range wide and hot. Certainly some use it as a loaded term to imply a particular system of thought. Though my guess is, most hear it and use it pretty generically – meaning that there ought to be justice in society. That, is a good and right and Biblical impulse. So there is no surprise that Scripture addresses it. Justice, is a Gospel issue. And in reading Proverbs 11 today, we get some much needed perspective on it.
I’m Reid Ferguson, and justice is our focus today on Through the Word in 2020.
Over rating and under rating are both acts of deception. We easily over emphasize and add spin when we want things to be seen a certain way. Positively or negatively. Entire industries are built on it. Ad Agencies, Public Relations and even news outlets all want to tell their stories with their spin. Politics seems founded on it. Glorify your side, and demonize the other. No matter what. And then, more personally, fear of people and desire for being viewed a certain way can result in exaggerations and minimizations to suit the hour in our personal relations.
These false balances are an abomination to the Lord.
But we need to get to the bottom of how to understand true justice. And it begins by understanding this: Justice and even-handedness are attributes of God mankind is meant to display.
In John 10:34 where Jesus cites Ps. 82 He notes that the Law says “you are gods” in the context of Israel’s leadership having perverted justice while being the recipients of God’s Law. We are meant to be His vice-regents here. And nowhere is that more manifest than in judging right and wrong, based upon God’s own just nature communicated in the rights and wrongs He delineates. Whenever people pervert justice, we openly and graphically deny God. This is true for those apart from Christ – and especially true for those who own Him. Christians above all ought to be concerned with miscarriages of justice in our society – and even more within the Church.
Nowhere is this seen more powerfully than in the Cross. For Jesus’ crucifixion is as much a matter of justice as it is of grace. The two are married at Calvary.
When we are inequitable in our dealings with others, we violate His image drastically. But worse is when we preach a Cross which was not a place where God’s just wrath was poured out and justice satisfied. Then, we deny His just nature. And when we preach a Cross without forgiveness freely offered on the basis of it, we deny His mercy and grace too.
How cautious Christians ought to be in dealing with people justly, fairly and equitably. The Gospel is at stake. A false balance, not trading and dealing in equity with all, is an affront to who God is in His very nature. And how He delights for His children to make Him known to the world in how we deal with one another. Those who are sharp in their dealings – so that they want something for nothing – to gain unfairly over another, deny Him for our 30 pieces of silver.
Honor Christ by honoring the justice and grace of the Cross by being people of equity and a just balance.
As we jump into chapters 8 and 9, which function as sort of a unit on their own – it may seem at first like Paul has totally shifted gears, but he hasn’t. He is still unfolding the features of what it really means for someone to shift from an Old Covenant law-based mindset – to the New Covenant grace-based mindset.He is bringing that idea to bear on a very practical issue which was pressing in the Corinthian Church. He is going to bring home this shift into grace-based thinking and living – in addressing an area we just all love to hear about:Financial giving. But take heart. Before you all reach for your wallets – These 2 chapters aren’t at all what most of us might think about when it comes to Biblical teaching on giving. I had an old sales manager who used to say that all salesmen and their customers were Siamese twins joined together at the wallet. And to hear some teaching today on the topic of giving, one might think that is true with Believers and The Church. But it isn’t.You are all well aware we don’t even take up an offering here each week – but have that box at the top of the stairs – leaving it up to you. We don’t talk about this topic much. And given the spiritual importance of giving, maybe we should more. Maybe I’ve been remiss in resisting it. But given the abuses of it in the modern Church, I’ve intentionally avoided it. Perhaps to our detriment.What do I mean by referring to the spiritual importance of giving? Let me set this up by pointing out a couple of things that really help frame the discussion for us – drawing on what would have been more evident to the first readers.Please note – this is all backdrop. Not the main picture – so don’t get lost before we get to the text. Under the Old Mosaic system, the Jews were required by law to give financially and quite substantially – as part of their God-appointed worship. A number of times God instructs the Israelites about this:Deuteronomy 16:16–17 ESV“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.Yearly tithe: 10% of all crops, produce, livestock & income. Annual 1/2 shekel tax for every citizen – 5%?Sacrifices connected with sin and thanksgiving offerings“Free-will” offerings as each one felt moved All these tithes and offerings were for 2 purposes: 1 – To support the Temple and those who labored in it – the Priests. To maintain the right worship of God publicly and lead the people in knowing and living before the Lord. 2 – As a surplus for the poor who were truly in need of assistance. Widows and orphans without family or those truly indigent without means to contribute to their own support. We see these same core ideas again in the New Testament. The same 2 main purposes – supporting the local assembly and the staff it takes, and having supplies for those among us in need. But! with this major difference: There are no compulsory tithes or offerings for Believers today.None. God has set no percentages or flat amounts for those in the Church to give to local assembly.That said, we also need to notice something curious in Jesus’ teaching:Matt. 6:1 – WHEN you GiveMatt. 6:5 – WHEN you PrayMatt. 6:16 – WHEN you Fast Notice Jesus’ wording here. He considers 3 things as simply normative for the Christian. He doesn’t say “if” in any of these- but “when”. They are each a given. And each deserves to be given their own treatment – which we cannot do today. But you get the point. Financial giving is assumed by Jesus as normative for us. What does that look like for us under this New Covenant today? That is what is outlined for us in a series of principles all the way through Chap.s 8 and 9. I can only breeze over some of them briefly this morning on my way to zeroing in 8:1-15. The Principle of GRACE in giving (8:2) Our focus this morning.The Principle of JOY (8:2) A joyful heart is a generous heart. The Principle of PRIVILEGE (8:4) New Covenant giving is not exaction – but the honor of contributing to Christ’s cause and people. The principle of SPIRITUALITY (8:7) Paul sees giving liberally as exercising a spiritual gift on par with faith, preaching, teaching and revelation. And, it is the challenging of covetousness and materialism in us.The Principle of SINCERITY (8:8) Not giving as an investment to get material payoffs – but to bless out of love.The principle of EQUALITY (8:13) Taking how God has providentially blessed you at this moment, to make up the lack for those He has providentially left with less.The Principle of FAMILY (8:14-15) Seeing needy brothers and sisters in Christ as true family in need.The principle of PRIVACY (9:7) That how much you give, when and how is a matter between you and God, and not for public scrutiny.The Principle of CERTAINTY (9:8, 10-11) Exercising true faith that God honors and repays as He sees fit.The Principle of ENRICHMENT (9:11) That there are spiritual benefits for my own soul for material liberality in Christ’s cause.The principle of WORSHIP (9:13) That God is glorified by others for your generosity toward their need. Your giving results in their worship of Him. All these and more can be drawn directly from these 2 chapters. But as I said, my assignment is just 8:1-15. Let’s focus our attention there, and see how this shift in topic, is not a shift in theme, but an expansion and application of living under the New Covenant. Back to the situation Paul was writing into.The Corinthians, had given ear to the “super-apostles”, and a legal rather than a grace-based mindset had crept in. And whenever this happens, it manifests itself in this way: We get stingy. We get stingy financially AND personally in how we extend grace to others in their sin & brokenness. Sky reminded me Friday night of a conversation she had in sharing the Gospel in college. When Sky asked the other person what grace was – she replied: “It is something you earn.”And we can unconsciously begin to deal with others on the basis of: “they don’t deserve grace.” When the very essence of grace is – that we become the beneficiaries of what we don’t deserve. Otherwise, it isn’t grace. Paul is after his audience, and the Holy Spirit is after us to grasp this very, VERY important principle:Our attitude toward giving of our material resources and grace toward other’s sins, is directly proportional to our sense of being fully graced and lavishly given to – in Christ.You get this when you look at the passage as a whole. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.In these 9 verses, GRACE appears 5 times. That’s a big hint as to the Holy Spirit’s emphasis. All that is about to be said about giving revolves around grace! Not quotas, obligations, tithes, percentages, taxes or anything else. Grace. Grace must inform how we handle our money – especially in regard to living and carrying out the agenda of Christ in the world – through the Church. Grace. Let’s look at the text.2 Corinthians 8:1 ESVWe want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,Paul’s first thought is this: He wants us to hear about the way salvation had come to those in Macedonia where he was. And isn’t this the way we think of grace first – in terms of salvation? That we as lost sinners deserve only God’s wrath, and He not only shows us mercy in not punishing us for our sins – laying our guilt on Jesus – but shows us grace in lavishly giving us fountains of blessings we don’t deserve! Adoption as His own children; Eternal life; The indwelling Spirit; The Promise of the resurrection; Prayer; Fellow Believers; The Word – etc. There’s an excitement in Paul’s voice, as he recounts the way these people responded to the Gospel. When someone is suddenly endued with great stores, they want to bless others by it.When you FEEL rich, you get generous.If you FEEL poor, shortchanged or self-made (not graced), you will not be generous. And we know well enough that feelings are not a measure of the truth, but they are the response to what we think – deep down.So here. Having been so overwhelmed by the Gospel of grace regarding their sin, their first impulse was to give to “the saints”. Note too, that Paul does not look to they themselves as the source of this great impetus. This is “the grace of God which has been given in the Churches of Macedonia.” He recognizes such an outpouring as a work of God in their hearts, independent of him. Such hearts come from God, not from begging, pleading, cajoling or arm twisting.2 Cor. 8:22 Corinthians 8:2 ESVfor in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.Now look at the convergence of 2 unlikely things here. The abundance of their joy in the wonder of salvation – coupled with their extreme poverty – overflowed in a wealth of generosity! The joy of understanding the true nature of grace received in Jesus Christ – inevitably overflows into a generosity of soul, both materially and spiritually. And these two are tied together in such a way that they can help us understand when we might be slipping back from a grace-based mind-set. Remember this law-keeping focus was a core part of what the super-apostles had been bringing into the Church. And it can be so subtle and nearly unconscious, that we can easily fool ourselves into thinking we are grace-based, when in fact we’ve backslidden.Side-note: Why law- keeping is so natural. Because our fallen souls love, love, love to think of ourselves in ways that absolve us from needing a salvation that is completely free and beyond our ability to impact by being good in some way, or at least better than some others. Ever since the Fall when we first tried to be Godlike, we have shared this inward compulsion to think well of ourselves. To think we can undo what we’ve done at least in SOME regard. We so want to contribute in some way, or at least not be SO bad that everything has to be totally a gift received without any merit or work on our behalf. Nothing is so foreign to our fallen nature than this.But when we really see ourselves as totally “graced” we become joyful and generous to others. When we are still law or works based in any way, to that degree, we are stingy toward the needs of others, materially and spiritually.This really is an amazing spiritual barometer.Let me show you this dynamic in what we had read for us in Luke.Jesus gets invited to dine at a Pharisee’s house. And while eating, a woman the text says was a “sinner” – meaning she had a public reputation for being loose – shows up with an alabaster box of perfume. This would have been pretty expensive, and was probably either a gift from a paramour, or purchased with her ill-gotten gains. She stands behind Jesus, sobbing so much, that her tears wet His feet. And lacking another means, she tries to dry them with her hair, begins kissing His feet, and then breaks this expensive box to spread perfume on Jesus’ feet.The Pharisee is pretty indignant. This is unseemly. And he says to himself that if Jesus really were a prophet – He would know this gal is unsavory and reject her actions. When all at once Jesus says to the Pharisee, Simon, I have something I need to say to you. And Simon says: Say it. So Jesus tells the parable of a loan-shark that had 2 clients. One owed him the equivalent of a little less than 2 month’s pay, and the other almost 2 year’s worth. But the loan-shark for some reason canceled both their debts. So Jesus asks: “Which of them will love him more?” Simon guesses right – the one who was forgiven the most. Now you have to get the scene. Jesus is still talking to Simon, but the text says He looks at the woman while talking to him and says: I came into your house, you didn’t even show me the common courtesy of offering me water to wash my feet – while she washed them with her tears. You didn’t greet me with the customary kiss of of friendship – while she repeatedly kissed my feet. And you didn’t anoint my head with oil to signify I was an honored guest, while she anointed my feet with precious and costly ointment. So here’s the deal: She has been forgiven much, and so she loves much in return. The implication for Simon being, you don’t think you need me very much – and so you don’t love me very much.Forgiven much, she loves much. She lavishes the perfume. Lavished her gratitude.The lesson is clear isn’t it? The less we make of or forget about the enormity our sin and the debt we’ve been forgiven, the less we make of what it took to secure our salvation from it. The less “graced” we understand ourselves to be, and the less graced we feel.Here is a profound paradox in the Christian life: The reason we must not ignore or make light of our sin, is so that we might more fully know and lavish in His mercy and grace, and love Him more. When we fail to do this, it isn’t long before we show how our hearts have unconsciously drawn back into some form of legalism – because we lose the joy and the desire to be lavish with meeting the needs of others, both materially and spiritually. The less we give out of a sense of having been given lavishly to. We see it in leading up to this passage. Ben preached 2 weeks ago how the Corinthians had become restrained in their love for Paul.In effect they had said: “yes Paul, you came at great personal expense to preach to us the unsearchable riches of Christ. We know you risked your life to do so and supported yourself while here – refusing our patronage. Yes, you labored night and day and taught us of Christ and how to apply the Gospel – but, you really don’t preach all that well. You really don’t fit into our social structure. You rebuke us for sin. So we’re gonna go with these guys over here.”AND, it’s why Paul had to remind them – as Jim preached last week – to forgive and reaffirm the brother who had been disciplined for publicly challenging Paul. “Sure – we’ve been forgiven all our sins and God continues to forgive us when we fall, but THIS GUY! Whoo-boy, we don’t know.” They were no longer gracious with grace. It wasn’t being freely and lavishly given.And a key tip off as to what was happening in their hearts is that they had stopped setting aside money to send with Paul to the needy saints in Jerusalem. Grace was no longer driving their motives, even though they claimed great grace in their spiritual gifts. You see how these things all tie together. If we only see these two chapters as good advice about giving, we will miss the real importance altogether.We never give or forgive in a vacuum. We do both out of the plenitude of the riches of Christ in having forgiven us.Back to our text.2 Corinthians 8:3–5 ESVFor they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.Note Paul’s words, neither deep poverty, nor great ordeals of affliction are hindrances to an abundance of joy and a wealth of liberality. Or even better, the first two will not prevent the last, if joy is the prevailing factor. How we need His joy in the hours of heaviness and darkness. The joy of the Lord truly is our strength.When salvation first bursts in on us, joy fills the soul and transcends all else. But this is only for a season. It’s not long before the harsh realities of life begin to clamor for their place in our thoughts and emotions.Sustained joy only comes from a sense of or the realization of – just how much we’ve been both given and forgiven.It is all rooted in being filled again and again with a sense of His grace – of His delight to pour out for our benefit no matter the cost to Him. And so the Macedonians begged for the privilege – (privilege here being the same word – grace) they begged for the gift of giving to Christ’s cause and people.The question is – do we still have that same impulse? Or have we stepped away from grace into something else?When the heart is warmed by the Spirit in contemplating the lavish way God has dealt with us in Christ, we get so filled with joy that a certain holy abandon takes place, then giving is not a matter of law and percentages, it is a matter of honor. One begins to look at giving as an opportunity of great privilege. The heart is freed from the concerns that ordinarily weigh it down in covetousness, and liberated so that it seeks out places and opportunities to bestow blessing upon others.And I can say I know personally of some here who groan at present because they cannot give what they wish they could. Their present circumstances pain them in this regard. And maybe there’s some others, who have become a little more Corinthian? 2 Cor. 8:6-92 Corinthians 8:6–9 ESVAccordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.So, Paul says to the Corinthians – when we saw this, we were reminded of how it went that way with you at the first – how you too wanted to contribute. And I have sent Titus to see if that is re-kindled in you. To stir it up again. To challenge you to get back to seeing yourselves as immensely – immeasurably graced so that you jump back in. And he emphasizes that this is NOT a command. It is an opportunity to check themselves to see if that grace-based dynamic is still operative, or if it has been stifled. And then he draws it all together in this massive reality that really needs to saturate their souls and ours: 2 Cor. 8:92 Corinthians 8:9 ESVFor you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.And this statement works 2 ways.First, he is NOT asking them to become poor in order to bless others – but as 13-15 reveals – he is appealing to them only to give out of their surplus:2 Corinthians 8:13–15 ESVFor I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”Secondly he is asking them to see how this dynamic is a central feature of divine grace itself. And if we are Christ’s – ought it not to occupy a chief place in us?If the entire plan of salvation is built on lavish grace – how can it not be central to the Christian life? So the root of the giving heart, is not duty, law or precept, it is grace which flows out of having received grace.In light of this, how grotesque, garish and unseemly are most appeals for money in the Church?Most appeals seem to be void of such motivations. We tell men that if they give, it shall be given to them.And by this is meant only that if they give $10.00, God will give them that $10.00 back with something added to it. What a travesty of the beauty, simplicity, practicality and ministry this is meant to be. How desperately too do we need men and women who can be engaged in the work of dispensing such gifts responsibly within the Body.It is why we need spiritual, grace-based deacons in the Church.Here is an appeal to follow Christ in a most extraordinary way – this is not an attempt to get them to “invest” so that they can get a “many fold return.” Here the example is Jesus’ own. He left all that Heaven had. He cared nothing for position, power, reputation or material goods. His great and only concern, was to fulfil the will of the Father, concerning those who were the objects of the Father’s great love. And having loved them too – He then poured out whatever was necessary that they, that WE, might be brought into redeeming grace.It is the “readiness”, the willingness that is acceptable unto God. Why? Because such willingness is not from ourselves, but is a manifest token of His glorious work in us after the manner of Christ.Men and women of God should be people of a generous spirit. After all, look at what we have been given.And lastly, should anyone feel pressured in this – so that our giving really does issue from grace – he reminds them:2 Corinthians 8:12 ESVFor if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.This whole topic isn’t about the wallet – but about the heart. Some can do. Some can’t. Some can only do a bit. God is more pleased with the readiness of the heart – with the desire to bless.There are some who at times think – “if I can’t do something REALLY impactful, I won’t do anything at all.” And he is saying not to let such thinking creep in. God accepts our readiness to pour out to others. He looks to what we have – not what we don’t have. So what are we to do with all of this?1. Renew your gratitude into overflowing grace by regularly revisiting the magnitude of God’s grace in your salvation. NEVER, NEVER, EVER forget the depths of your sin. In fact, increase your knowledge of it. I know this is counterintuitive. And I am not asking you to walk around guilty all the time, but instead, to walk around grateful all the time. Pull out that paper often that is marked “PAID IN FULL”. Remind yourself of the enormity of it – that it required nothing less than the blood of the eternal Son of God to discharge your debt. Be astounded again at how great it was – but – BUT, only do so as you look at the Cross at the same time, and see it fully paid. When is the last time you wept in joy over the reality of it? Each time you do, it will result in generosity toward the work of the Lord in the local assembly – that the deepest need of other’s souls might be met in preserving a place of public worship and the preaching of the Gospel and teaching of God’s Word in this community.Just last night, I had the privilege of preaching to a congregation in Secunderabad India, because your generosity not only pays my salary, but upgraded our technological capabilities in the midst of this Covid-19 crisis to allow for such ministry as an extension of this Church. For them and for those who must worship at home right now. And, it will renew in you generosity toward the resources of the local assembly to meet the temporal needs first of those among us in this assembly, and then in mercy to those beyond our walls. And it will make you lavish in forgiving one another their sins against you. 2. If providence finds you unable to give financially – give of what you have. Remember, as vs. 12 says: “for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.”Be lavish in your prayers for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Be lavish with words of encouragement for other Believers.Be lavish in sharing the Gospel with those outside of Christ. Be lavish in forgiving those who sin against you. Be lavish in thanksgiving for all God has done, provided and promised. Let me tell you about Ruth Stewart. She was my older brother’s Mother-in-law.Ruth was a simple woman, who loved Christ. And when she died, alone in her apartment, I was asked to preside at her funeral. Abandoned by her husband to raise a large brood of children alone, she labored endlessly to provide a home for them. She was forever without means. And suffered numerous illnesses and accidents. Just before her funeral, someone told me something very few knew about her. Her tender heart toward others also in straits and in need of the Gospel, she began to read the newspaper each day – to read the police blotter. We don’t have that any more. Her focus was to find the names of those women who had been arrested and jailed for prostitution. And she would write those names down, then go and buy them a card. She would write to them, sharing the Gospel, telling them that they were loved and being prayed for and send it to them in jail. In her poverty and affliction – her joy overflowed in a wealth of generosity. And only eternity will tell of the thanksgivings that ascended to God because of it. For the price of a card, a stamp, and a few minutes of time. I want my share in being the means of others glorifying Christ Jesus. And I pray you do too. And the way there, is to be perpetually steeped in the wondrous, matchless, fathomless grace of God toward us in Jesus Christ.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
Due to some glitch in the algorithm, we not only had Titus 3:12-15 and Luke 13:22-35 to read, but 20 entire chapters in Proverbs. I’ll suggest that we simply read 1 chapter of Proverbs a day with the other readings until we get through the book. The daily visit will be well worth it – as chapter 10 today will make abundantly clear.
So today on Through the Word in 2020 – let me just highlight a few of the profound gems in Proverbs 10 – and ask you to consider especially how the Believer is to think of wealth. It’s not the World’s view for sure.
I’m Reid Ferguson.
10:4 is as true in the spiritual as it is in the natural. One simply cannot make true spiritual progress apart from the discipline of working at it. The Bible must be read. Prayer must be engaged in. Fellowship must be sought out and cultivated. Worship must be participated in. We would never dream of telling our doctor that he was legalistic for telling us we must eat, drink, exercise and breathe. These are the things which make for the sustaining of life. So it is with our souls. They will grow weak and impoverished if we do not tend to them.1
0:11 What a question to ask ourselves – How do our words impact others? Do we minister life to them? Or violence? It leads me to pray, Father, let my words feed and refresh and nourish the hearts and lives of others, and let me not (as I have so often in the past) send out the stings of death and destruction through an acid tongue. Deliver me from ungracious words, unseasoned with salt. With my spouse. With my children. With my siblings. With my parents, co-workers, my brothers and sisters in Christ. With the lost. With those who sin against me. With you.
10:15 Can be taken two ways.It could be a straightforward statement of truth: The Wealthy have the security of a strong city in their wealth, and the poverty of the poor is in fact that which is their ruin. Or, the thought could be a rich man imagines his wealth to be real security and so he has no need – especially spiritually, while the poor often imagine that poverty is their big problem as opposed to their spiritual state.
Proverbs has several different angles to consider on wealth and poverty. On the one hand, wealth is NOT to be something we seek – Prov. 23:4 will state that categorically. On the other it is also the product of diligence and honesty Prov. 12:27.
Then too Proverbs contrasts two kinds of wealth, spiritual and temporal. Which is being referred to in each passage requires careful study. Men can live illusory lives no matter what their condition. The rich can think they have safety and security because they have money. They’re wrong. The poor can imagine they can have nothing but ruin because they are poor. They are wrong too. Both need to look to Christ. The one for true security, the other, for true wealth.
10:17 One who cannot receive reproof or instruction, is one who is not fit to lead – for they will lead others only after themselves, and not after Christ. This too bids me pray: Father, forgive me for the hardness of heart and the pride that has so often made it difficult for others to reprove me, and for me to receive it.
10:19 The point here is not to play down sound discourse, but to increase LISTENING, and giving answers with discretion. We so much more want to be heard, than to hear. What a timely word.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
WWJD, What Would Jesus Do? It was all the rage a few years ago. You saw the slogan everywhere, on bracelets, hats, T-shirts, handbags, tote bags, Bible covers, bumper stickers – everywhere. While the intent was to goad people into considering their actions in light of how Jesus might have conducted Himself in our circumstances, it left out a very important detail that made the whole thing extremely subjective. It didn’t first ask or answer the question: “How did Jesus think?” What would have been His thoughts behind His actions? Our text in Titus 3:1–11 has something to say about that. We read it today along with Luke 13:18–21; Psalm 119:73–80 and Proverbs 6:20–9:18 on Through the Word in 2020. I’m Reid Ferguson.
Proverbs 9:10 reminds us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – and that it is the knowledge of the Holy One Himself which gives us that insight. We must come to know Him. What He likes and dislikes. What He has said about Himself. What He has done in human history. How He thinks. What only Scripture and the incarnation can reveal to us. And 1 Cor. 2:16 says that Believers have the mind of Christ. So we are pressed to examine Scripture for those places that reveal how Christ thinks as a way of grasping Him, fellowshiping with Him, and revealing Him to the World.
A wonderful snapshot of that comes to us in the way Paul instructs Titus in ministering to the Church where he is.
Note 4 things.
1. (1-2) We need to be REMINDED what Christianity looks like lived in the World. We so easily lose sight of this, lose focus. Forget that we are on mission – and not just living our lives for ourselves. That we are part of the great, unfolding cosmic plan of Christ – carried out in the most mundane of everyday occurrences and relationships. There is no sacred/secular division allowed. We are not to be one thing in Church and with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and another at work, at home, in the store, in the restaurant, in our business dealings, at play, etc. So our attitude toward authority structures, how we speak to one another, avoiding and not walking into quarrels, being gentle and showing courtesy toward all people are things we need to be constantly reminded of. In this text, that is an imperative, not a suggestion.
The Spirit inspired this.
This is how Jesus thinks.
2. (3) We need to REMEMBER who we once were, lest we grow hard against unbelievers. Condemning, contemptuous and uncaring. Complaining and lacking in compassion and concern for their souls and eternal destinies. Jesus never grew hard, even though He had never fallen. How much more us? He had compassion on the lost.
This is how Jesus thinks.
3. (4-7) We need to REFLECT on who we are and what we have. When we lose sight of these realities, we open ourselves up to being dazzled and tempted by the world. You can’t bribe someone who has everything. The World loses its power over us – when it can only offer us lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life, if we are convinced of God’s promise to have our fill of every legitimate desire for eternity.
This is how Jesus thinks. Re-read His temptations in the wilderness.
4. (9-11) We need to REFUSE those things which work contrary to what we’ve received.
This is the mind of Christ: “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” John 8:29
HDJT? That’s the bigger question.
And we can’t answer that by mere imagination or speculation. Only by revelation.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
My house sits about 25 yards from Mud Creek. It’s not quite large enough to be a river. But it does take a bridge to get across. Several years ago, the town decided that bridge needed completely rebuilt. And due to my location, when that bridge, 25 yards from my house was out of commission – there was no shortcut to getting to the other side. The shortest route was nearly 5 miles around. 5 miles to go 25 yards. But as the old saying goes, when I wanted to just get across that small creek – “you can’t get there from here” was true. I couldn’t get there directly, even though it was so close. I needed to go somewhere else first. And that dear one is what it takes to understand the fear of the Lord.
It’s mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. I have had many people ask me to explain exactly what the fear of the Lord is. And I always struggle to make it understood. Proverbs 2:1-4 tells us why. God’s appointment is that one does not come to know the fear of the Lord without His ordained process. You can’t just leap to it. You have to take His prescribed route. Watch the words of the text carefully.
1. God’s Word must be RECEIVED. We cannot obtain and understand the Word, if we do not take it in. We must be receiving it. Taking it in every day. Otherwise, we will not understand and apply it.
2. God’s Word must be TREASURED. We must count His communication to us as precious. Every syllable. Nothing omitted. God never makes small talk. Everything He has to say is of eternal importance. Do I treat His Word as an inestimable treasure?
3. My heart must be ATTENTIVE to His Word. I cannot just let it pass in one ear and out of the other. I must take it in, consider it, mull it over and think about its implications. Otherwise, it will do me no more good than rubbing an aspirin on my head in an attempt to ease a headache.
4. I must INCLINE my heart to understanding. I must have a heart that intends to respond positively to what is heard. I must want to know the truth. If I have no intention of obeying God’s Word, it will not yield its treasures up to me.
5. I must PRAY to understand and apply it. I must “call out”, and raise my voice to God in regard to it. I must make my application to the Author, to give me the same light to read it – that He penned it by. The same Holy Spirit who breathed it into the human scribes, must breathe it afresh in me if it is to have any effect. And I must be actively engaged in the pursuit of that in prayer if I would have it become my own.
6. I must SEEK for it. Those who sit back waiting for God’s wisdom to just seep into their brains and hearts without doing the necessary labor – are in for a rude awakening. You cannot sit in a vat of food and imagine you’ll get nutrition. One must do all the necessary work of planting, cultivating, harvesting, preparing, cooking – and yes – eating.
THEN – and ONLY then, will we actually obtain the promises contained in it. Because true Godly wisdom is something we can gain only from Him Himself. And this, is how He desires for us to get it – from His own hand.Then, and only then, we will begin to grasp the Fear of The Lord. For the revelation of Jesus Christ is found only in His Word.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
Christians are to be a thinking people. God made us so. We are meant to dig into things, to seek answers to the big questions of life. What are we as human beings? How did we get here? Why are things the way they are? Why are we here? Where is all of this going? How do we understand pain and suffering in our world?
I’m Reid Ferguson. Join me today on Through the Word in 2020.
The Bible has a lot to say about how we think, as well as what we think. How to think according to God’s understanding of the universe. Developing a faculty for taking things in, and then breaking them down properly. Proverbs is God’s gift to us of a handbook on critical Christian thinking.
William G.T. Shedd wrote that: “The Book of Proverbs is the best of all manuals for the formation of a well-balanced mind…by which the Christian character, having been originated by regeneration, should then be educated and made symmetrical.”
Proverbs is designed to: Bring God’s world-view into play for each of us in all of our various roles in life: Child, Adolescent, Teenager, Adult, Male, Female, Father, Husband, Brother, Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Grandparent, Laborer, King, Merchant, Philosopher, Academic, Professional, name it.
Proverbs is not interested in us simply acquiring generic wisdom. The wisdom here is understanding the fear of the Lord. As it says in vs. 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Sadly, there are those who treat this supreme wisdom as worthless. Scripture calls them – fools.
We are being encouraged to acquire the wisdom above all wisdom. Eternal wisdom. And it is not gained by osmosis, mere age, the passage of time, or stumbled into. It must be sought – at its fountainhead. Justice, fairness, equity, all flow from the right knowledge of God first of all.
Truly, there is no fairness or equity, without justice. And there is no justice, without it being carried out in perfect righteousness, against the backdrop of God’s own perfect righteousness.
This is at the heart of the Gospel isn’t it?
God’s justice demanding resolve. God’s righteousness being the standard. The Wisdom of God in making Christ Jesus our substitute so that all things are done equitably. So that justice is neither suspended nor distorted. Righteousness is not lowered. Those in Christ find mercy and grace perfectly paid for, and those outside of Him receive true justice still. All remains in balance. And yet sinners are saved, by the blood of Christ.
You who are rich in this life. Don’t imagine your day before the bar of God will be one whit less or easier than the most impoverished in this life. You’ll be judged by the same standard without regard to the special station or status which has been afforded you here. There is no 1st class seating in that courtroom. Your disregard for those with less, your thoughts of status and privilege will find no truck there.
You who are poor here. Do not imagine your rough circumstances will entitle you either to revenge, anger or resentment carried over toward the rich in this life. Nor your sins accounted as any less, because you did not have access to means to exercise your sins as the rich did. You will be just as accountable on every front as the wealthiest mogul or the most powerful potentate.
Each will stand in this light: What have I done with with regard to Jesus Christ and His gospel?
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
The technology of today has made transpiring events available to almost everyone simultaneously. We watch even the most horrendous tragedies unfold in real time. Then again, because we see so many things in the moment – we often lack the full context of what came before (perhaps precipitating the event) or what came after – uncovering facts we couldn’t see, hear or digest in the moment. The result? We draw conclusions – and maybe even act on those conclusions before we get the whole truth, and not just a fraction of it. Then again, that’s really nothing new. In fact, it is central to all that is happening in the book of Job, as today’s reading in 37-42:6 demonstrates.
I’m Reid Ferguson, and we’ll talk a bit more about that today on Through the Word in 2020. Thanks for joining us.
In addition to our Job passage today, we also have 2 Timothy 4:19–22 and Luke 12:54–56. Jesus’ words in that short passage also showing how we can have information right in front of us, and yet still draw wrong or inadequate conclusions. And in the case of Biblical truth, that can have eternal consequences.
Finally, after all of the speeches of Job himself denying that his sufferings are traceable to some specific area of sin in his life; after all 3 of his comforters telling him there absolutely must be a direct correlation between his sins and his suffering; and after the younger Elihu rises up and pronounces Job and his friends wrong – God Himself speaks.
The problem God points out is that all sides were drawing their conclusions about the whole affair, when they needed a whole lot more information than what they had been working with. Job rushed to judgment about God. His 3 friends rushed to judgment about Job. Elihu rushed to judgment about all of them. And God needs to set the record straight.
And while the following is horribly simplistic, it seems to me that what happens in today’s portion comes down to these few things.
1. God begins by challenging Job’s right to question Him. God is never on trial. We are. And whenever we get that upside down, everything else suffers.
2. God goes on to address the reality that He knows all, when they are trying to arrive at ultimate truth with a limited number of facts. “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Why have you determined that because you can’t figure this all out, that there is no answer at all – or at least a legitimate one? Our lack of being able to understand something, is no argument that it is unreasonable, irrational or wrong.
3. God addresses the problem of not paying attention to Creation as a whole so as to conclude something critical: It’s as if He says – “I’ve ordered and administrate the entire habitable world for the benefit, safety and blessing of man. And if I’ve designed and operate the entire physical creation – out into the far reaches of the cosmos – then can there possibly be anything in what I have allowed in your case to be any less constructed? And as the whole of creation demonstrates deep complexity and wisdom – then is my wisdom somehow suspended in your case? Why not, from comprehending the frame and operation of it all, obviously created in beauty, form and function – assume that the same remains true in your circumstances even now? Why not give me the benefit of your doubt, that simply because you cannot understand what’s going on doesn’t mean I have in anyway changed? If my beneficence operates on a cosmic scale, doesn’t it make sense to assume that it holds true for you? After all – you are part of the fabric of it all as well.”
How many times I’ve needed to rehearse these very same things in my days of pain and questioning.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
What do you think of when you hear the word rescue? Most of us I would imagine have something in mind like the lyrics from Fontella Bass’ 1965 hit “Rescue Me.” The words to the song go on to say that she’s lonely and blue – and just wants her man to take her in his arms and rescue her. To change her circumstances. To be rescued. Maybe that’s the kind of rescue you want too. Which is what makes Paul’s concept of rescue in 2 Timothy 4:1-18 so radically at odds with the worldview we are most familiar with.
What kind of rescue was he talking about? One that only makes sense this side of the Cross. More on that today on Through the Word in 2020 – I’m your host, Reid Ferguson.
Job was certainly crying out for rescue in the book that bears his name. Today we read some of that in Chapters 31-36. In Psalm 119:57-64 David wants rescued from the cords of the wicked that ensnared him. In Luke 12:35–53 Jesus warns that we need rescued from the malaise of the soul which can capture us while we wait for His return. And that gives us some real insight into where Paul was when he declared he would be rescued from every evil deed and brought into Christ’s kingdom.
So what kind of rescue was Paul talking about? One thing is for sure, he wasn’t talking about a change in circumstances. The fact is, despite the confident assertion in vs. 18 that the Lord would rescue him from every evil deed – Paul was most likely martyred a short time after he wrote this. So either he was gravely mistaken, or he had something very different in mind. And I think the context helps us get at what he meant.
This chapter starts with Paul exhorting Timothy to make sure he preaches the Word of God no matter what. When he feels like it, and when he doesn’t. When it’s convenient, and when it’s not. When it’s safe, and when it’s dangerous. And he warns him that people won’t listen. That they will want to hear messages that appeal to them above what they really need. And that only by staying sober-minded – clear-headed, balanced and self-controlled while enduring suffering, can he fulfill his ministry and be a real evangelist. For you see evangelists and evangelism is far more than just declaring the message of the Gospel – it is living out how the Gospel stabilizes you in all of life as you serve Christ and are unmoved by circumstances.
So when we get to vs. 10, we read about a close friend who deserted him, and of others who would have been a comfort, laboring in different places – leaving him alone. In 14, he tells of someone who had really opposed his ministry. And how when he stood up at his first trial, there was no one there to support him. He was all alone. But he was rescued. So, in what sense? vs. 17 – “the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that the message might be fully proclaimed.”
In other words, he remained sober-minded, clear-headed and self-controlled while enduring his suffering. Paul’s idea of “rescue” here isn’t a change in the circumstance, but rescue from being tempted to give up the faith, to lose his trust and rest in Christ in outward trials. He trusts his Savior to keep him steadfast no matter what evil deeds may be perpetrated against him.
Just the kind of rescue we need most today in a world gone mad.
Lord Jesus – rescue me. Rescue us – for the sake of your Gospel.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
Mentoring. I don’t know how often I hear that word. But it’s a lot. I hear it mainly from younger men, but certainly not exclusively from them. It’s a hot topic in business, in life in general, in the Church, all over. There’s something attractive, comforting about having someone with more experience to lend sound advice and guidance, especially at key moments in life. Some of us are fortunate to have one or more in our lives. Some of us never find one. And some of us no doubt have a picture in our own minds of what that mentoring relationship ought to look like should we have one.
In Job 25-30 , we see that Job once served as a mentor of sorts to some in his day. A position he mourned the loss of. In Luke 12:13-34 we see Jesus filling that role less in terms of one-to-one relationship, and more publicly. And in 2 Timothy 3:10-17 we get a chance to analyze mentoring between Paul and Timothy. And it gives us some wonderful insight.
I’m Reid Ferguson, and we’ll look at how Paul followed Jesus’ pattern, and what that might look like today. This is Through the Word in 2020.
I’ve no doubt that the paucity of intact homes in our generation has left many a young man and woman wishing they had had more direct guidance on living life. It is never comfortable jumping in the deep end of a pool without some sense of what swimming ought to look like. But alas, it is the sad reality of a society which has disdained a Biblical pattern of home life.
That said, all is not lost. None of this has taken our God by surprise. And as is ever true with Him, He makes perfect provision for the Believer, no matter what providential advantages or seeming disadvantages we may face. But all too often, we aren’t content with His provision. We want something else. Something more to our personal taste and liking. Our perception of our “needs” may be far different than His.
Now in our Luke passage, Jesus is going to give us some mentoring on the fly. He is approached by someone who wanted Jesus to intervene in a domestic dispute with financial ramifications. And what does Jesus do? He teaches the man about eternal values. Not one word about how to deal with his brother. He teaches him regarding a heavenly focus.
Paul, had apparently been mentored by Jesus without having ever interacted with Him. For as he pens this farewell letter to Timothy, he leaves him with this – you have followed my teaching. My teaching. My doctrine. If you want to know how to navigate life Timothy – go back to solid doctrine. Which is not something Paul has exclusively, but that which belongs to the whole Body of Believers.
The chain of thought in vs. 10 could read like this: What I believed and taught (doctrine); Was the basis for how I lived, my conduct. And, it informed my goal(s); Fueled my faith and gives me patience, love and steadfastness, even in persecutions and sufferings.
So in 14 he reinforces that by saying: “as for you, continue in what you have learned.” Don’t let your doctrine be merely an intellectual attainment – continue in it – live it out.
And where is he to access this great wealth of doctrine so as to live as his mentor did? All scripture. You see God Himself breathed it out. That’s why it’s profitable for instruction, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. In Scripture, God Himself mentors us better than any human agent.
But, is that sufficient? Depends. If righteousness is our goal yes. If we have something else in mind. No. It IS sufficient to equip us for every good work.
For the audio Podcast of this and every episode, find us on Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Spotify or HERE
If you’d like to join us in our journey reading all the way through the Bible this year, drop me a line at reid.ferguson@gmail.com, and I’ll be glad to email back a copy of the reading plan we are using.
I have to admit that I am amused at my fellow Believers and the shock they seem to register at the foolishness, violence and disarray of society. When we read the Scriptures and understand the nature of the Fall – what surprises me, is how humanity has survived this long. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised either – for that is the goodness of our God writ large on the page of human history. A bit more on that today on Through the Word in 2020. I’m Reid Ferguson.
Before us today is the continuing saga of Job’s suffering and his antagonistic comforters in chapters 19-24. David’s consternation over the wicked in Psalm 119:49-56 . Jesus’ warning about blaspheming the Spirit, denying Him before men and coming persecution in Luke 12:8-12 . And Paul’s bracing words in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 . A few decades back, theologian John Gerstner wrote a book titled: “The Problem of Pleasure”. It was sub-titled: “Why Good Things Happen to Bad People.” His thesis was simple; if man is really as fallen as Scripture says he is, and God is as holy as Scripture says He is – then the question isn’t “why do bad things happen to good people?” There are no “good people” in that sense. What is astounding is that God still gives us good things. That there is any pleasure granted to us at all given that the greater part of the race still stands in open rebellion against His divine rights over us. Why do good things happen to such bad people? To which there is but a one word answer: Grace. God, is a God of grace.
So, given the reality of Genesis 3 and the Fall, and passages like 2 Timothy 3:1-5 , why should any of the madness that we see exhibited in society around us surprise any of us in the least? It really shouldn’t. Except for this – that we are so used to God’s restraining goodness against letting sin have its full sway – even in un-Believers – that we’ve mistakenly thought that is because of decency in the creature, instead of grace in the Creator.
“Get this” Paul says in 3:1 – really wrap your head around this so you aren’t thrown for a loop when you see humanity’s gross inhumanity and insanity: In the last days – throughout the period between Christ’s ascension and His return – we are going to have a rough time of it.
Why?
Because people will be shown to be lovers of self above all else. Lovers of gain – whatever their currency might be. Proud. Arrogant. Abusive, in and outside of the home. Disobedient to parents. Ungrateful. Unholy. Heartless. Can you spell abortion, rape, mob violence, sex-trafficking, road-rage and government oppression? Impossible to please. Slanderous – can you spell social media? Without self-control – even my most deviant sexual urges MUST be accommodated no matter what. Brutal. Not loving good. Treacherous. Reckless. Swollen with conceit. Lovers of pleasure as their god replacing the true and living God. And having religious or vaguely spiritual trappings, without seeking to be ruled by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
Given all of that – are the headlines today any surprise? No. Nor is the answer to it all shocking either – the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nor is the coming end to it all – the return of Jesus to judge the wicked, reward the righteous and establish His eternal kingdom.
Be amazed at the long-suffering of God. At His mercy in still reaching out to the world with the Gospel. At the preservation of His Church and His Word. That He still redeems lost people like you and me. That we have room for abundant joy and pleasure even in the midst of this wicked and perverse generation. That none of His promises will fail. And that Heaven is just before us.
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