This Sunday’s message will continue to examine Jesus’ sermon in Luke 6. We have seen Jesus teaching some hard sayings here, like “love your enemies” (vss 27-36) and “do not judge or you will be judged” (vss 37-42). This Sunday we will see Him explain the “root” from which this “fruit” flows and the “foundation” on which such radical love and mercy rest (vss 43-49).

Related, this quote from David Brainerd (1718-1747) highlights the danger of good works done for the wrong reasons:

When I had been fasting, praying, obeying, I thought I was aiming at the glory of God, but I was doing it all for my own glory–to feel I was worthy. As long as I was doing all this to earn my salvation, I was doing nothing for God, all for me! I realized that all my struggling to become worthy was an exercise in self-worship. I was actually trying to avoid God as saviour, and to be my own saviour. i.e. I was not worshipping him, but using him.

May God grant us discernment and grace to know well the difference between genuine fruit which flows from our connection to the tree (Christ) and that which is self-made “righteousness” done for our own glory — or, as Brainerd said, an exercise of self-worship.

The schedule and titles are now finalized for Clarus 09 with Drs. Ray Ortlund and Sam Storms (May 1-3):

FRIDAY

(6:15 PM – Singing Begins)

6:30 PM – 6:45 PM – Welcome, etc.

6:45 PM – 7:45 PM – Session 1 with Ray Ortlund:
“True Spirituality: Delighting in Truth” (Psalm 1)

7:45 PM – 8:00 PM – Break/Singing

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM –  Session 2 with Sam Storms:
“Jonathan Edwards on Religious Affections: the Soul Set on Fire for God”

SATURDAY

(8:45 AM – Singing Begins)

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM – Session 3 with Ray Ortlund:
“False Spirituality: Flirting Around” (2 Corinthians 11:1-4)

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM – Break/Singing

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Session 4 with Sam Storms:
“Enjoying Election: Finding Delight in God’s Decree”

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM – Lunch

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM – Panel Discussion

(6:45 PM – Singing Begins)

7:00 PM – 8:15 PM – Session 5 with Ray Ortlund:
“Dangerous Moderation: the Nausea of Christ” (Revelation 3:14-22)

8:15 PM – 9:00 PM – Panel Discussion

SUNDAY

9:00 AM – Corporate Worship with Sam Storms Preaching:
“Delighting Ourselves in the Lord: Why Joy in God Matters” (Psalm 37:4)

10:45 AM – Corporate Worship with Ray Ortlund Preaching:
“Break Through: No Other Desire” (Psalm 73)

He writes, from The Sovereign Grace Blog:

By now most of you have seen the photograph of Olympic superstar swimmer Michael Phelps filling his giant lungs from a bong of marijuana. When the picture appeared in a British tabloid, Phelps acknowledged it was ‚”youthful and inappropriate.”

Now there is no debate over whether the 23-year-old is gifted with athletic greatness. He is. And financially Phelps is set for life, his agent Peter Carlisle estimating his potential earnings will reach somewhere around $100 million.* Which I’m told would equal a stack of $100 bills 360 feet tall!

The photograph of Phelps reminds me of myself prior to conversion, a competitive swimmer (of slightly lesser skill), a sinner (of greater degree), held captive by sin, pursuing the fleeting pleasures of this world. And sadly, in my case, pursuing sin with passion.

So what was Phelps searching for in that bong pipe? What emptiness in his soul was he trying to satisfy?

Once again we are reminded that athletic gifting, championship trophies, gold medals, and million dollar endorsement deals cannot satisfy the soul.

Last year, in the wake of his third Super Bowl championship, disillusioned Patriots quarterback Tom Brady admitted on 60 Minutes,

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, “God, it’s got to be more than this.” I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be.

I commend Brady for his honesty.

And no doubt some Pittsburg Steelers players are beginning to have similar thoughts.

But in Phelps’ case, if you listen to the media (with the exception of my man Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post) you hear a common chorus of excuses like, “Give Phelps a break, nothing he did was anything worse than happens in an average weekend at a typical college campus.”

But we are not talking about a typical American college student. Phelps is a rich superstar.

This is what I find so striking: A man whose chest has been covered with gold medals, has achieved international fame, showered with awards, and blessed with an incomprehensible amount of money, still feels compelled to press his face to a bong.

It was Augustine who said that the soul is restless until it finds its rest in God. So true. Only God can satisfy the soul. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ provides forgiveness of sin, and therefore it is here in this gospel that we find rest for our restless souls.

Study the unflattering picture of Michael Phelps to be reminded of the deceitfulness of sin and the superficiality of fame and money. But also study the picture to be reminded of the message of Christ and him crucified for restless sinners like you, and me, and Michael Phelps.

This Sunday we’ll return to our study of the gospel of Luke. The message will focus on discerning right judgment from wrong judgment. If you get the chance, read the passage beforehand: Luke 6:36-45, especially vss. 41-42 where Jesus gives the parable of a man with a plank in his eye socket trying to “help” someone get a splinter out of their eye. What a humorous and yet sobering picture of hypocrisy. May God teach us well as we come together for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. Come prayerfully and expectantly!

At the Unashamed Workman blog, Ray Ortlund, Jr. answers ten great questions about preaching:

1. Where do you place the importance of preaching in the grand scheme of church life?

Preaching is central in the life of a church, because Jesus himself speaks savingly through the preached Word. The Second Helvetic Confession of 1566 was bold enough to say, “When this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is preached and received by the faithful.” Romans 10:14 (ESV margin: ” . . . believe him whom they have never heard”) validates that conviction.

Another verse that means a lot to me is 1 Corinthians 14:8, “If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” I have never seen a church rise in spiritual power where the preaching was unclear, indistinct, overly cautious, timid. Every church I know of that is making a gospel impact has an unmistakably clear and winsomely courageous preaching ministry.

2. In a paragraph, how did you discover your gifts in preaching?

How does one discover gifts in any area? It just appears, as experience allows and in the fullness of God’s time. My own preaching started with complete ineptitude, graduated over time to struggle, and by now has advanced to varying degrees of effectiveness and ineffectiveness. My progress seems directly related to growing theological discovery of God’s glory in the gospel, through dissatisfaction with myself as a preacher, through the joy of seeing God use me, and through the assurance that at any time God can rend the heavens and come down in revival power.

3. How long (on average) does it take you to prepare a sermon?

Early in my ministry, I needed twenty-plus hours to prepare. By now, the disciplines are more streamlined. I average perhaps ten hours or so.

4. Is it important to you that a sermon contain one major theme or idea? If so, how do you crystallize it?

I often fall in love with every detail in my text, so that I tend toward excess at that level in my preaching. But I try to ask, “What is the precise pastoral burden of this unique passage?” Every detail, however fascinating, is there in the text to help construct that one overall message. So, after I have written my sermon draft, I go back and interrogate every sentence, “Do you really need to be here?” If not, it disappears.

5. What is the most important aspect of a preacher’s style and what should he avoid?

The most important aspect, in my view, is believability – the believability of the message and of the preacher himself. The first is a matter of clarity (exposition), defense (apologetics) and force (power in application). I want so to persuade the people that they are left thinking, “Well, of course. How could it be otherwise? I receive this as truth, I love this as beauty, I want this to change me.” I try to avoid everything about myself that may distract from that outcome.

6. What notes, if any, do you use?

I use a full manuscript. But I try to be in sufficient control of the flow of thought and certain key phrases that it doesn’t get in my way. I want to enjoy the sermon and the people in the moment.

7. What are the greatest perils that preacher must avoid?

The greatest peril is forgetting what preaching is there for in the first place. It is not there as a platform for pet theories, inner-church politics, the culture wars, developing a personal following for myself or for proving how cool I can be. The preaching ministry is there for the display of Jesus Christ, according to the gospel. It is for him alone, as he wants to speak to the people, love them, help them, save them. Preaching is a sacred experience and must not be profaned by misplaced enthusiasms.

8. How do you fight to balance preparation for preaching with other important responsibilities (eg. pastoral care, leadership responsibilities)?

I wish I had a good answer here. It is a constant struggle. The only chance I have for success is setting aside protected blocks of time when I am quiet and alone with God and my books. That usually means I get away from my office. There is a difference between an office and a study. Right now all I have is an office. So I have to get out of here to do serious study.

9. What books on preaching, or exemplars of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?

My favorite is Lloyd-Jones’ Preaching and Preachers, especially the final chapter, “Demonstration of the Spirit and of the Power.” I am stirred even now just to think about it. Oh, that I might preach just one apostolic, anointed sermon before I die!

10. What steps do you take to nurture or encourage developing or future preachers?

I want to do more in this way. I did teach at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for nine years. And now, indirectly, my participation in The Gospel Coalition serves to lift up the next generation of preachers. I also desire to be encouraging to other preachers in the Acts 29 Network. And I hope that in five or six years my successor at Immanuel Church will be here, established in ministry, so that he can grow in authority as I fade away.