The Lukewarm Church

30 “As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ 31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it.                    (Ezekiel 33:30-32 

In the book of Revelation, chapters  2 and 3 contain the seven letters Christ dictated to John to be sent to seven churches that existed in John’s time in Asia Minor. I have heard several sermons and read some exposits of these chapters that were geared towards these seven churches each representing one of the seven church ages. For this to be true there would have to be seven separate, distinct church ages that we could clearly line up with the each church description in these two chapters. First, let me say that I am not 100% convinced that this is valid  but it is intriguing.

For reference here are the seven churches and the church age each “represents.”

• Ephesus – the apostolic period of the church (A.D. 30-100).
• Smyrna – the age of martyrs of the church in the second and third centuries.
• Pergamos – the age of the state church, beginning with Constantine and continued until the first pope was recognized to have authority over the Roman Catholic church (A.D. 313-590).
• Thyatira – this church corresponds to the time period when the church was firmly established not only as a church, but also as a state (A.D. 590-1517). It begins with the first pope, Gregory the Great, and continues to the time of the Protestant Reformation.
• Sardis – this church represents the Reformation era of the church (A.D. 1517-1790).
• Philadelphia – represents the age of the missionary church which began with the rise of modern missions under William Carey (A.D. 1730-1900).
• Laodicea – represents the apostate or lukewarm church of the last days (A.D. 1900-present).

Again, I am not completely convinced of the validity of this hypothesis, however, it is compelling in many respects. I would like to concentrate on the last church mentioned, Laodicea, because I do believe that its description by the Lord Jesus in Revelation 3:14-22 does resemble the sorry condition of the Church in our own time. Here is the passage in its entirety.

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” Revelation 3:14-22 

Needless to say, I have also heard various interpretations of what Jesus meant by “lukewarm.” Some feel that this is describing a church that has lost its fire. Some believe that  they are simply distracted. All they need to do is get busy again. Others have said that Jesus’ description, taken in its entirety, gives us a picture of a church full of unregenerate, un-redeemed, lost people who are simply religious. I am in agreement with the latter. I also am in full agreement that Jesus’ description of the church of Laodicea is a valid comparison with the 21st Century church we are in now.

Let’s dig some here in this passage to see what markers Jesus was pointing out to us that we can compare to our own experience. First, he says that they are neither cold nor hot, but are lukewarm. This lukewarmness could also be described as halfheartedness. In the passage I placed at the top of this post we read of God’s description of the Judean exiles in Babylon with Ezekiel. He says they delight in “religious” things, but only to be entertained by them, not to hear from Gods in order to obey Him. Does that sound familiar? Doesn't the Willow Creek and/or Purpose Driven Church models create church environments actually built entirely in and around entertaining these types of people? The Seeker Sensitive churches actually create an climate that encourages this.

The next characteristic we see in v17 is that these people in Laodicea were backsliders. They were sinful unregenerate people. The Puritans referred to these people as “temporary Christians.” They believed when it was convenient for them to do so, but as soon as things got tough they split. As long as the only requirements put on them are religious in nature then they stay and appear to be part of the church, however, as soon as God’s genuine requirements of personal holiness are brought to bear they can’t stand. They are all form and function with no spiritual substance. They can stay and be content in a formal church setting, but forget that repentance stuff.

The Laodiceans were also indifferent. “Hey, so what if that speaker we had in here last week is anti-Trinitarian, he spoke well and I got a lot out of his message.” I call this the Unitarian complex. This is prevalent today within the Emergent Leaders, their mouthpieces, and apologists. They accuse everyone who has a problem with their indifference of being judgmental. 

We see also that since these are un-redeemed, unregenerate people they are also subject to reprobation. They have no way to control their sinful desires because they do not have the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Since they can’t control their sinful desires they do away with the “rules” so that all are welcome. After all, God doesn't expect anyone to be perfect and He loves everyone the same, so come on in.

They are self-righteous. Their theology has blinded them to the point that they see themselves as having a corner on God. Why? They have a secret. The secret to having a corner on God like them is possess that same secret. While we study theology to know God as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, they say this is a work of pride and God wants us to be humble so the secret is to profess that it is impossible to know the truth and so this “humility” God will bless. This is post-modern Gnosticism. They have him while everyone else calling themselves Christians are simply bogged down in old-fashioned religion. They say they are rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. Even in their paganism they believe they are on the inside track with God while, in reality, they are in spiritual poverty, They are full of the world and destitute with God. Their spiritual blindness keeps them from seeing their own condition. Instead they see what they want to see. When a believer rebukes them or shares the truth with them they scoff and refuse to listen. This is Spiritual Pride.

So, does Jesus’ description of the church at Laodicea bear any resemblance to our 21st Century church? I say yes. We are in the midst of a very long and protracted downgrade that Charles Spurgeon fought in his day. We are reaping the fruits of well over an hundred years of growing apostasy that began with the liberalization of the church in the 19th century. Humanism has all but replaced the genuine Gospel with a counterfeit gospel that preaches a different Jesus. Spiritual blindness is rampant. Church after church is falling under the spell of the Purpose Driven Church model where within the sheep are entertained and taught to focus on each other rather than God.

The high-jacking of the church is nearly complete. There are two clear paths before us. Either God sends a tremendous awakening to counter Satan’s lies or the Church we have before us is the Great Harlot that is judged by God in the Great Tribulation. I fear that the latter is the most probable, but I pray for the former. God’s will be done.

Mike Ratliff Soli Deo Gloria!

Having An Eternal Perspective

Having An Eternal Perspective

“If we would remember that all the trees of earth are marked for the woodsman's ax, we should not be so ready to build our nests in them.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
Morning and Evening Devotional, p. 141

The Lord’s Plumb Line

7 This is what he showed me:behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Amos 7:7 

In John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, the characters’ names usually define their character. For instance there is Ignorance. He refuses to believe Christian and Hopeful when they tell him that unless he goes through the narrow gate to begin his pilgrimage, he will not be allowed into the gate of the Celestial City. Then there is Talkative who equates making a fuss about one’s sin with actual repentance. Early in Christian’s pilgrimage, he comes across two other pilgrims named Formalist and Hypocrisy who come from a country called Vain-Glory. They tell Christian that the shortcut that they took to the path, bypassing the narrow gate, was necessary because it was too far to travel from Vain-Glory to it. All were revealed to be counterfeit Pilgrims and none of them made it into the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ save Christian, Hopeful and Faithful.

These characters had one thing in common. They were all pilgrims on the path to the Celestial City, but they entered it on their own terms. They walked according to their own rules. Man is fallen. He is incapable of knowing God or His ways without the grace of God regenerating the heart. However, even though the gate to salvation is narrow and hard to find, His standards are still higher than any Man can attain outside of His grace. He does not lower His standards nor put away His plumb line.

The prophet Amos uses some powerful metaphors, such as God’s sieve in Amos 9:9. In chapter 7 verse 7 we read of God holding a plumb line in His hand. What is a plumb line? It is used in building. To build solid, straight structures, we must use one to be as precise as possible. Spiritually, God tells us that in all that we build up, we must act by the sure rule of righteousness.

God builds this way.                                                                                                                         He removes the old walls when tested by the plumb line, and thereby found faulty.                         Truth requires the removal of falsehood. Unlike Men,                                                                         God builds in truth, reality, holiness, and purity. Those who know God and are known by Him should build the same way. Good solid structures are never built hastily, but are built according the highest standards. Spiritually and practically, truth should be our object. This standard is higher than man’s.  

Our building by faith should never be according to the eye of man because then we become man-pleasers. Instead, we build by the Word, in God’s sight, after Christ’s example, by the Spirit, unto holiness.

As we obey God in His building of the Church, we should build just so. We should flee any temptation to be man-pleasers and thereby corrupt our work.  

We do it right when we teach the Scriptures only in all things. We preach nothing but the Gospel. We begin by laying sinners low by the Law, and exalting the grace of God. We lead men to holiness and peace by the doctrines of truth. We exercise discipline that our churches may be pure.

Decades ago, in the late 1980’s, our Pastor called a business meeting right after services one Sunday morning. Then several men went up on the platform. The Chairman of the Deacons presented the case of one of our members  to be disciplined for not repenting of leaving his family for another woman. One of the men on the platform had gone to the man to counsel him, but he refused to repent. Then two of them went together, but he still refused to repent.         After much prayer and several attempts to get the man to return to his family, they brought the matter to the church. We voted the man out of our membership and committed to care for his family.

When I shared this with some of my coworkers, they were shocked that we would do such a thing. I was told more than a few times after that that we were a bunch of hypocrites and all we were doing there was driving people away from Church.                                                                    I tried to show them that this is what we do when we are obedient, but it fell on deaf ears.

God’s plumb line is used for testing. We should always use it on the wall of self-righteousness, conceit, boasting, careless living, and trust in ceremonials or religiosity.         God most certainly uses it in our lives. If we are really His then we will find ourselves continually being offered opportunities to obey Him or not.                                                       When we do finally stand before Him our works will be judged with it. Those who do not know Him will stand before the Great White Throne and God will judge them with it.

31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Corinthians 11:31 

We must use God’s plumb line on ourselves. To not do so leads to the blindness of self-deception. We should examine ourselves most Persistently  leaving no stone un-turned in our hearts.

God’s plumb line will be used for destroying.                                                                                 All genuine Christians will be saved justly through our Lord Jesus Christ, and in their case every sin will be destroyed, and every trace of evil will be removed before they enter the Celestial City, which is, of course, Heaven. This is our Glorification.                                         Those who  reject Christ Jesus as the way the Truth and the Life, will find their doom intolerable, because they, themselves, will be unable to deny its justice (Luke 19:27).                                     They will know that their misery is deserved. God’s sentence based upon His plumb line will be infallible. There will be no revision.                                                                                                        His judgments are impartial and just, therefore, each verdict will stand forever. (Matthew 25:46)

“Nothing will induce me to form an impure church. ‘Fifty added to the church’ sounds well at home, but if only five of these are genuine, what will it profit in the Great Day?” – David Livingstone – Missionary to Africa.

Oh that our Christian leaders would grasp this truth! Sadly, just a few ‘get it.’                               The focus on ‘doing church’ is not to build a pure church setup according to God’s plumb line, but to build one with wood, hay, and stubble as building materials.                                             They do this by going for numbers alone.                                                                                       They accomplish this by bringing the world and its ways into their churches then create something that is not a real church at all.

God is holding His plumb line.                                                                                                          I fear that what passes for Christianity in our time is failing the test.                                                   May God have mercy on us.

Mike Ratliff Soli Deo Gloria!

Are we bearing the marks of Christ or are we bearing the mark of the beast?

14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor un-circumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. (Galatians 6:14-17 ESV)

The Apostle Paul did indeed bear the marks of persecution on his body. He had been found to be worthy to suffer shame for the name as had Peter and John (Acts 5:17-42). Paul had been stoned, beaten, imprisoned, run out of town, and would die as a martyr. Why were they persecuted so? They preached the truth. They preached against sin and works theology. They preached the Cross. They preached the exclusivity of the Gospel and against pluralism. They held that God’s truth was absolute. This is the message the natural, unregenerate person hates. This is the message the pseudo-Christians hate as well because the clear bright light of God’s truth reveals their compromises and false doctrines.

This always results is some level of persecution. All Christians should bear some marks of some kind that testifies to their faithfulness to the Lord. These marks could be physical or they could take the form of insults from coworkers, professors, or the defenders of those forms of Christianity that are heretical. These marks could take the form of the loss of a job, the sacrifice of worldly goods for the sake of gospel ministry or other such things. The marks of Jesus do not have to be from physical abuse, but all of them, no matter in what form, give evidence of the believer’s love for our Lord in his or her willingness to suffer all manner of hardships for the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10). These believers do not attempt to substitute their own efforts for God’s grace and then claim to be Christians while following a false gospel. This is bearing the marks of Jesus.

In John 9 we read of a man born blind was brought to our Lord (John 9). They asked the Lord Jesus who had sinned, the man himself, or his parents that he had been born blind. This is the either/or fallacy. It assumes that the reason is one of only two options. Our Lord told them that this man was born blind for neither of those reasons, but that the works of God might be manifest in him (John 9:3). In this, we must understand that Christian suffering may indeed come upon believers for the very fact that they are faithful. They may indeed refuse to compromise and may indeed preach and teach things that cause offense to some. However, we must never forget that God is allowing these things that the works of God might be manifest in them. This is all part of being found worthy to suffer shame for the name in partaking of the sufferings of Christ on the Cross.

While all believers should bear some evidence of their faithfulness to Christ Jesus as marks, not all do. The contrast to this is bearing the mark of the beast. I am sure all of you have read of the number 666 being that mark.

16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom:let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18 ESV)

“what the number 666 represents is at least as significant as the beast’s human identity. When John tells us that this is “man’s number,” he may even mean that this number does not refer to a specific individual, such as Nero, but to a series of individuals who behave as Nero did. As Beale points out, “The omission of the article in 13:18 indicates the general idea of humanity, not some special individual who can be discerned only through an esoteric method of calculation. Therefore, in both verses ἄνθρωπος [man] is a descriptive or qualitative genitive, so that the phrase here should be rendered ‘a human number’ (so RSV) or ‘a number of humanity.’ It is a number common to fallen humanity.”

“In light of the beast’s attempt to parody the redemptive work of Christ so as to receive the worship of the nations, the idea that this number is to be understood as the number of fallen humanity makes a great deal of sense. If seven is the number of perfection, the number six comes close, but never reaches the goal.”1

“What, then is the mark of the beast? It may indeed be directly tied to Nero as indicative of his personal wickedness and hatred for God’s people, but Nero does not exhaust what is implied by taking the number-worshiping the state or its leader in order to avoid persecution for confessing that Christ is Lord. The beast is manifest to some degree throughout the inter-advental period but is restrained until the time of the end through the preaching of the gospel or the providence of God (see 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 20:1-10).

The meaning of the number is at least as significant as identifying to whom it applies. The number of man, 666, is “perfectly imperfect” in contrast to the number of perfection-seven. The thrice repeated number “6″ implies endless work without rest. The creational pattern was for humans to work for six days and then rest on the seventh as did the Creator. But in this case, those who take the mark of the beast work endlessly and never do enter the hoped-for- Sabbath rest.

When placed in the larger context of the New Testament, Christians are said to be “sealed” unto Christ in their baptism (Rom. 4:11; see also Rom. 6:1-11). The mark of the beast may be the theological equivalent of the rejection of baptism (in the case of apostasy) or the rejection of Christ’s lordship through the confession that Caesar (or any other political figure) is Lord. This comports with the New Testament’s repeated warnings about apostasy being connected to the final manifestation of the beast (see Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 20:7-10).” 2

With that in mind my brethren, here is a post by Kim Riddlebarger relating this excerpt from his book, The Man of Sin, with some events in the visible church, which too place about the same time as its publication. We do not know, yet, who the Man of Sin is. We do not know when our Lord will return. However, we know that the Word of God does tell us that there have been and will be many “Antichrists.” The mark of the beast is apostasy, which is what happens when professing Christians reject God’s truth and in one form or another fall into a state of unbelief. These pseudo-Christians may claim atheism or they may become part of the apostate, compromised, visible Church that is spiritually dead. This would also include all those forms of “doing church” that are un-biblical in nature. These are inclusive in the term “mark of the beast” because they are all part of un-redeemed fallen humanity instead of according to the Grace of God.

Therefore, we must all examine ourselves. Are we bearing the marks of Christ or are we bearing the mark of the beast? I pray that each one reading this will be convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent and strive to be the faithful, holy, disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are called to be.

By Mike Ratliff Soli Deo Gloria!

HE GAVE THEM NEW CLOTHES

They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

They are in the midst of a garden paradise, recipients of the bountiful goodness of the Lord God. He had created them and placed them there with a blessing: ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’

Near to where they stand is the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Before the woman had been created, the Lord God had commanded the man concerning that latter tree, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’

Also in the garden is a serpent. He is more cunning than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

The serpent speaks. The woman listens.

‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’

An ostensibly innocuous question. And the woman has the answer, so she thinks.

She converses with the serpent.

‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’

The woman overstates the prohibition.

Perhaps this is her error, or perhaps it was the fault of her husband when he relayed to her the Lord God’s command.

One of them, certainly, had added a hedge to God’s word – one tiny addition. For God had commanded the man not to eat of the tree’s fruit, but He had said nothing about not touching it.

(How easily we add to what God has spoken.)

With that one addition – oh how small and seemingly insignificant! – the woman opens the door to her adversary the Devil.

The serpent, liar and murderous deceiver that he is, assures the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’

And so the woman entertains temptation and gazes at the tree.

What a beautiful tree! How good it would be for food!

Enticed by her desire to become wise like God, she reaches out and takes its fruit.

(See, she is unharmed! The serpent was right! Surely there is no danger here.)

Having suffered no consequence from touching the fruit, she eats it. In contravention of God’s command, a fatal act.

The woman also gives to her husband, who is with her.

(Why has he not intervened to keep her from harm? Does he not see the danger?)

The man had heard the clear words of God’s voice forbidding him to eat this fruit. He had heard the Lord God’s prescient warning, ‘For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’.

In willful, unbelieving rebellion against his Creator, the man raises the fruit to his lips and eats. Sin enters the world through Adam, and death through sin. Having eaten, the eyes of the man and his wife are opened. And what they see is their own nakedness.

By God’s benevolent grace, the very instrument of their Fall is the means by which they recognize their fallen state. Innocent, they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Guilty, their open eyes now know their own evil and lack of good: they are sinners against the Lord God and breakers of His holy Law.

As are we. For all Adam’s children born of the will of the flesh are born dead as slaves to sin. From pride or desperation, we array ourselves with the filthy rags of our best good works. And thereby we only add to the guilty dept we owe to the holy, clean and righteous God. They were both naked, the man and his wife, and now they are ashamed. They sew fig leaves together and make themselves coverings.

Yet their forlorn manufacture of leafy clothes cannot cover the shameful guilt of their sin. Nothing they do can scrub away the deadly stain; it runs too deep. And so, hearing the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day, they hide themselves among the trees of the garden.

Their effort is in vain.

The Lord God calls, ‘Where are you?’, and they are found by His voice. Just as the leaves of a tree were insufficient to cover their naked guilt, even so a whole garden of trees cannot hide their shame before the Lord God who uncovers the thought and intent of every heart.

The man answers, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’

The Lord enquires as to the source of their knowledge. ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’

Confronted with their guilt, the pitiful confessions come, such as they are. Not contrition, not repentance, but a frightened attempt to divert their burning shame in the presence of the Lord God’s voice.

‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’

‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’

The voice that once spoke blessing now pronounces judgment: upon the serpent who beguiled; upon the woman who was deceived; upon the man who disbelieved and disobeyed.

And in passing sentence, the righteous Judge manifests His boundless mercy and grace. For He promises a Seed: a Messiah who will crush the head of that serpent and destroy all his works.

(Can it really be? Can the stain of our guilt before a holy God be erased? Can ournakedness be covered?)

The serpent brought guilt and shame to the naked man and his wife. The serpent brought fear. The Promised One shall take away their shame and guilt and bring new clothes. His perfect Love shall cast out fear.

And in earnest of His promise, the Lord God kills and makes tunics of skin; the first animal blood is shed to cover sin and shame. Yet the stain remains, for it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. And so countless more impotent sacrifices would be offered for Eve’s children, each death a reminder of sins, of nakedness, of shame.

To keep the man from eating of the Tree of Life and living forever, the Lord God drives him out of Paradise, placing cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to that tree. In the fullness of time, the long awaited Seed arrives. Not with kingly pomp, but in the squalor of a stable. The Son of God, the Lord from Heaven, makes Himself of no reputation and takes on human flesh. In the form of a slave, He is born to a virgin named Mary.

God made Man is born under the Law of God to redeem those who were under the Law. That Law – holy, just and good – promised blessing and eternal life in return for obedience. But it condemns and kills everyone, for all Adam’s children have inherited his guilt, and not one of them has been able to fulfil the Law’s demands.

Until now.

An angel of the Lord commands that this Seed be named Jesus, meaning ‘God saves’, ‘for He will save His people from their sins’.

Through 33 years of perfect obedience in fulfilment of the Law, Jesus fashions new clothes for His chosen Bride, the Church. Better than fig leaves, better than animal skins, these are robes of His very own righteousness.

Nearing the completion of His earthly work, the Bridegroom makes a New Covenant with His Beloved. The First Adam took forbidden fruit from His wife and at her bidding ate. This Last Adam breaks blessèd bread and gives it to His Bride, bidding her eat. ‘Take, eat; this is My body broken for you.’ In like manner, He proffers cupped wine, saying, ‘Drink, all of you. For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’

And then He lays down His life, obedient even to the death of the cross.

The spotless sacrifice Lamb of God takes His Bride’s place and for her becomes a curse. His body broken – see! – the blood of the New Covenant pours from His head, His hands, His feet. For without the shedding of this blood there can be no remission of sins. The price of her sin must be paid to propitiate the wrath of a thrice holy and righteous God – yes, even this terrible price.

The Lamb takes from His Bride her filthy rags, casting them away as far as the East is from the West. With the wine of His precious holy blood, He who is without blemish washes clean His blemished Bride. And this blood accomplishes what animal blood never could, cleansing her of every sinful stain. ‘See’, He says to her, ‘I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.’

‘It is finished’, He cries. And bowing His head, He gives up His spirit. What of the promised rich robes? Having stormed the gates of death, this holy Lamb takes up again the life He laid down. Not even all the powers of death can make Him faithless to His word.

The Father, well pleased with His Son, declares acceptable His perfect sacrifice for sin and, in exceedingly great power, raises this Lamb from the dead, seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named – not only in this age but also in that to come. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. At this name of Jesus, every knee shall one day bow – of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Bride is now holy and without blemish. She has been clothed with rich robes fit for her marriage to her King. And in her wedding joy she sings:

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

And thus the death that came into the world through the sin of the First Adam is by the Last Adam conquered. Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Having purchased His Pearl of Great Price at the cost of all He had, this risen conquering King casts open for His precious Bride the way to the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Once more He bids her eat and drink, that she might forever live:

‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven – not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’

They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.Yet the First Adam by disobedience fell, and sin and death came. The Last Adam by obedience triumphed, and sin and death were put to flight.Now He and His Bride are clothed with His righteousness, and they are not ashamed. In His resurrection life, sin and shame and death are forever vanquished.There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Gen. 1:28; 2:8–9, 15–17; 2:25–3:24; 6:5; 1 Chr. 28:9; Ps. 40:6–8; 103:8–12; Is. 6:3;25:8–9; 45:23; 61:10–11; 64:6; Ezek. 16:6–12; Zech. 3:4; Matt. 1:20–25; 13:45–46;26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 2:6–7; 22:19–20; 24:39–40; John 2:19; 6:53–58;8:34; 10:14–18; 20:24–25; 19:1, 17–30; Acts 4:12; 26:18; Rom. 1:16–3:31; 4:23–25;5:1–2, 12–20; 6:6, 21–23; 8:1–5; 9:22–24; 10:13; 14:11; 1 Cor. 11:23–26; 15:45–47,54–56; Gal. 3:1–18, 27; 4:4–5; Eph. 1:15–23; 2:4; 4:24; Phil. 2:5–11; 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:13–14; Heb. 2:17; 4:12; 8:8–13; 9:11–15, 22–23; 10:1–18; 12:24; 1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 John 2:2; 4:10, 18; Rev. 1:5–6; 2:7; 4:8; 12:9; 16:7; 20:2.

Understanding the Role of the Pastor: Called to Proclaim the Word

Ezekiel 2:1-5 says,

“And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

The previous verses cover the calling of Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel. God is giving Ezekiel a task, setting him apart, to go to Israel and proclaim His (i.e. God’s) message to Israel.

Now, first and foremost, we need to understand what a prophet is. I think a common misunderstanding is that a prophet is one who solely “tells the future.” While we certainly see that happening in the Old Testament, a much better description of a prophet is simply one who is sent to proclaim a message, a message on behalf of God. God is consistently in the business of calling people to proclaim His Word, His message. Moses was called to bring a message to Egypt. Jonah was called to proclaim a message to Nineveh. Isaiah was called too and so forth, etc… you get the picture.

As we think about this in today’s context, what about here and now? Does God still speak through prophets in today’s context? Yes he does, however, not in the way that you probably think.

As we look to the New Testament we see that the scriptures speak of churches, groups of Christians, calling/appointing and ordaining pastors for the local church. Furthermore, we see in the scriptures the duties of the Pastor laid forth. As a result the church has called and ordained pastors to serve in the local church for the past two thousand years. Thus we can say that the office or role of the pastor is a divinely instituted office prescribed by scripture. The office is laid forth for the church to have and for men to fulfill.

But what makes a pastor a pastor? Very simply, I am a pastor not because of some intrinsic worth in myself. In other words, Pastor Matt Richard doesn't have a special DNA or special divine powers that make me a pastor. I am no closer to God than you are and I am just as much as a sinner as you are, if not more. So what then makes a pastor?            The answer is that a pastor is a pastor due to his calling from the local church.   Churches call pastors and churches are made up of  parishioners.                                 The church is not a building but the gathering of believers around the Word and Sacraments.  Thus, a pastor is only a pastor when they have been called by a local church to be a shepherd. Therefore my friends, there is no such thing as a self-appointed pastor.                                                                                                                              When I was starting seminary, someone asked me why I was going to seminary and I responded to them saying, “I was called.” Responding they said, “You are not called for you haven’t been called by a church.” This offended me greatly, but do you know what? They were right! Just as God called the people directly in the Old Testament to be a messenger of the Word, God works through His church, to call pastors to proclaim the Word to the flock & beyond.                                                                                                So, now that we understand that prophets of the Old and Pastors today need to be ‘called,’ what are they called to?                                                                                                In my humble opinion, the expectations of a pastor are some of the most misunderstood things in the church today. Just what does a pastor do and what is he called to? I came across a very funny job description for the ideal pastor. Here is what it says,

The ideal pastor preaches exactly twenty minutes with an hour’s content. He condemns sin, but never offends anyone. He works from 8 am to midnight, and also serves as the church janitor. He makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, and donates $30 a week to the church. He is 29 years old and has 40 years of experience. He is a strong leader, yet also follows everyone’s advice. He can effectively relate to all teenagers and spends all of his time with the elderly. He is tall and short, thin and heavyset, and has one brown eye and one blue eye. He makes 15 house calls a day, regularly visits the hospital, and is always in his office.

Now, we can all get a good chuckle out of the previous job description. I am sure many of you can relate to similar expectations in your own field of work. However, in all seriousness though, what is the pastor called to? If we could summarize the office of pastor into a simple idea, theme and job description, what would it look like? What was the primary thrust of the prophet of the Old Testament? Simply put, the pastor is to be the shepherd of the sheep.                                                                                                           

He shepherds, protects and feeds them not by his own strength or wisdom but feeds the sheep and directs the sheep by the Word. A pastor’s main job is to be a servant of the Words of God, God’s Word as printed in the Bible.

You are a servant of the Word. Follow Jesus. The Way of the Cross is a lonely, narrow path but it leads to heaven. Be more afraid of God than you are of the people. It is not the one who signs the check who provides daily bread. Do the right thing. Tell the Truth. Suffer the consequences. That is what a servant of Christ does.

It is the Preaching Office. Don’t forget that. Your relationship to the congregation is the same as the prophets to Israel. Work on teaching and converting your own people– which includes scores of folks not on the books. Preach the Gospel to them — from the pulpit, the podium, the bedside, and behind the desk. They come looking for marital advice? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. They come looking for sympathy and a listening ear? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. They have a new baby, lost their job, are afraid of retirement? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. No matter what the circumstances, what the situation, you preach Christ crucified. Never compromise the simple Truth that has saved you.

Believe your own preaching. Jesus died also for you. He called you to this Ministry. He knows what he is doing. As good or as bad as it gets, it will not last forever. He is coming back to claim His own.

The main job of a pastor is to proclaim the Word of God to his flock.                                     He is to proclaim the Word, not his opinion.                                                                       The pulpit is tied to the Word of God and the pastor is called to preach the Word.           The pastor only has authority when he is preaching the Word of God and not the opinion of man. Furthermore the pastor has no jurisdiction apart from the Word.

So, pastors are called to proclaim the Word to their flocks, however, what is so special about this Word? Why the importance of proclaiming, teaching, sharing, applying God’s Word?

There is a temptation in the church these days to excuse the spoken Word in exchange for deeds. 

The cry is, “We don’t want creeds/words, but deeds.” My friends, while it is important for us to serve our neighbor, we can never forsake the Word of God.                                         As human beings we are prone to wander and prone to leave the God that we love. Therefore, we need to hear daily and especially in the midst of the church, God’s Word. We need the Word to stand from the outside—in, speaking to us about our human condition of sin and also God’s solution, the forgiveness of sins found and purchased in Christ for us.                                                                                                                           We need someone to give us a report from the Word, we need the authoritative Word to stand outside of us and above us to tell us how things actually are.

We don’t need good advice, good techniques and good ideas to make us better parents, better spouses and better friends. No, we need God’s Word of Law announced to us to reveal sin, show us where we have been deceived, and indicate to us where we have injured our neighbors. We also need God’s Word of Forgiveness declared to us so that we might hear that we are forgiven, that we are declared righteous for Christ’s sake, that the guilt has been removed, that there is no condemnation for us in Christ.

The reason why the church calls pastors to proclaim the Word is that the message of the Cross is the power of God. In Genesis chapter 1 we read and see that God is speaking the World into existence out of nothing. God speaks, “Let there be….” And there was. Out of nothing God makes something and He does so by simply speaking, His Word. Through God’s Word He makes all things out of nothing. There is power in the Word of God! The same word that created the world is the same Word that creates and grants faith to you and me. (Rom. 10:17) The same Word that created the world is the same Word that creates and sustains the church. Through the Word of God miracles happen! You were/are saved. You are granted assurance. You are brought from death to life.

Pastors are called to proclaim the Word because in the Word of God everything hinges. My friends hear this today,

“Christ died for your and my sins and He was buried and He was raised on the third day. In Christ there is forgiveness and righteousness for you; in Christ, you are accepted, you are accepted, you are accepted.