“The Reformation Pulpit” March 7, 2009

The Reformation Pulpit! (email March 7, 2009)

What’s wrong with the modern pulpit?

The Method & Manner of Preaching the Gospel must be thoroughly biblical!

The Content of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!

The Emphasis of every part of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!

The Gospel is Message about Saving Faith in Christ #4!
True Christians may Doubt that their Faith is real!

Thomas Brooks: "Now how many thousands of Christians are there, that have this faith that is here described . . . who yet question whether they have true faith or no, partly from weakness, partly from temptations, and partly from the various definitions that are given of faith by Protestants, both in their in their preachings and writings; and it is and must be for a lamentation, that in a point so great the trumpet should give such an uncertain sound."

TRUE FAITH MAY BE VERY WEAK

MATT 12:19, 20- He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;
MATT 6:30-LITTLE FAITH
ROM 4:19 WEAK FAITH (ROM 14:1)
MATT 15:28-GREAT FAITH
II THESS 1:3//II COR 10:15--FAITH GROWS&INCREASES

William Hendriksen: “As referring to those from afar, to the weak and helpless, those of little of faith. etc”

John Owen on Hebrews 4
“Hence is he able to take care of and to encourage the least beginnings of grace in the hearts of his disciples. . . . Hence he says of himself, that he “will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax,” Matthew 12:20. Be our spiritual strength but like that which is naturally in a bruised reed, which is the next degree to none at all, he will not break it; that is, he will take care that it be not bruised, despised, or discouraged, but will cherish it, and add strength unto it. The smoking of flax also expresseth the least degree imaginable of grace; yet neither under his eye and care shall this be quenched.”

A. W. Pink: “The Lord does not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax

Matthew 12:20). He gave proof of this in the days of His flesh. He found some “smoking flax” in the nobleman who came to Him on behalf of his sick son: his faith was so weak that he supposed the Savior must come down to his house and heal him ere he died—as though the Lord Jesus could not recover him while at a distance or after he had expired (John 4:49): nevertheless He cured him.”

Thomas Brooks: “A spark of fire is but little, yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire, a drop of water is but little, yet it is after as well as the whole ocean.”

Charles Spurgeon: “It is not declared in Scripture that you are to believe to a certain strength, but if you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed . . . surely it shall be saving faith.”

TRUE FAITH MAY HAVE STRUGGLES WITH DOUBTS

Mark 9:23, 24 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 5:24-34
So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes? But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction

John Flavel: “Indeed the strong believer receives Him with a stronger and steadier hand than the weak doth who staggers, doubts and trembles, yet receives Him.”

Charles Spurgeon: “It is possible for a man to be a very strong believer and yet question whether he has a spark of faith.”

John Calvin-Mk 9:22-24-“The first foundation of faith is, to embrace the boundless power of God. . . . It is not the Lord that prevents his benefits from flowing to us in large abundance, but it must be attributed to the narrowness of our faith, that it comes to us only in drops, and that frequently we do not feel even a drop, because unbelief shuts up our heart. . . . These two statements may appear to contradict each other, but there is none of us that does not experience both of them in himself. As our faith is never perfect, it follows that we are partly unbelievers; but God forgives us, and exercises such forbearance towards us, as to reckon us believers on account of a small portion of faith.”

Matthew Henry-Mk 9:22-24-“Even those who through grace can say, Lord, I believe, have reason to complain of their unbelief; that they cannot so readily apply themselves, and their case, the word of Christ as they should, nor so cheerfully depend upon it.”