I Went to Church Yesterday

The eleventh of an undetermined number in a series on the character and need for corporate worship.

I went to church.. not yesterday, but the day before. Yesterday, I was out of town and could not post my blog because I was in meetings all day. But, I did go to church.

As I was doing some reading, I thought that I might approach this week's reflections from a different angle, from the perspective of a minister reviewing his last preached sermon. I think ministerial Monday morning quarterbacking does have many benefits; indeed, it is a privilege and honor with which the sovereign Lord presents us in order that we may review our sermons and detect ways by which we could (and should) improve them. How often have I neglected the glorious benefits of such an opportunity to prove myself faithful to the Lord! How often have I grieved the Holy Spirit by rejecting his loving nudges to return to the sermon and with the added insight that he provides through additional reading, reflection and prayer, stubbornly refused to apply myself to such a noble task! On the one hand, it shows the sinful extent to which I worship my own stubborn, fallen will and also the adoration with which I joyfully stroke the idol of my slovenliness. On the other hand, it evinces my very careless and callous attitude toward God's people, his sheep, the sheep of his pasture, those with whose care he has so graciously entrusted me. I neglect the truth that the spiritual gifts with which I have been endowed are to be directed toward the edification of God's people and the glorification of his Name, 1 Pe 4:10-11. Further, while it is true that our spiritual gifts are divine enablements, it is also true that, in some cases, like that of preaching, these abilities are also skills and as such, they need to be honed through diligent practice; constant revision; dutiful examination of the works of our predecessors and peers; a ceaseless resolve to learn and apply new insights; a determination to preach the whole counsel of God; copious reading and prayer; etc., all of which impel us to heightened faithfulness in the exercise of our duty to ".. preach Christ crucified, ..” After all,"..what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." 1 Cor 1:23; 2 Cor 4:5

So what did I do yesterday? I reviewed my sermon that was based on the first seven verses of the book of Zechariah. The scene there is the heavenly council of God in which the High Priest Joshua, representing all Israel, is standing before the Judge, the Angel of the Lord, a synonym for Yahweh, with the prosecutor, Satan the Accuser, at his right hand. His ineluctable guilt is graphically symbolized by his dress –his clothing is filthy, as well as by his demeanor – he is silent; the charges are true and he is unable to produce any alibi; his mouth is stopped, Rom 3:19. He is condemned and helpless! Here the drama of redemption reaches its apex: at the last moment, when he is about to be consumed, the Lord God, abounding in mercy and goodness, graciously intervenes by silencing Satan, by delivering Joshua from the consuming fire of God's own just wrath and by ordering that his filthy garments be replaced with righteous and pure vestments taken from the heavenly wardrobe.

Clearly this is a pictorial presentation of the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone which the Westminster Larger Catechism # 70 defines as ".. an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone." Although all the elements of this doctrine are not presented in the text, nevertheless, this teaching is sufficiently identifiable. For example, the Lord God efficaciously declares the guilty and condemned Joshua to be righteous, cf. Rom 4:5-6; 5:6, 8; Gal 2:16; etc. The great exchange of Joshua’s rags of wretchedness by pure vestments is a picture of the divine Lord's clothing the sinner with Christ's righteousness, cf. Isa 61:10 with Rom 3:21-28; 10:4; 1 Cor 1:30; Phi 1:11; 3:9; etc., indeed, with Christ himself, Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27. Throughout this entire procedure, the defendant makes no contribution; he is entirely passive. He is the unworthy recipient of God's saving mercies.

My broad sermon outline was as follows:

Text: Zechariah 3:1-7
Title: Justification: A Radical Change from Rags to Riches

I. THE MISERY OF DESERVED GUILT vv. 1, 3

II. THE MERCY OF DIVINE GRACE vv. 2, 4,-5

III. THE MANDATE TO DILIGENT GUARDIANSHIP vv. 6-7


Reviewing my sermon from the post facto advantage of the Monday morning quarterback, I realized that in the final division, vv. 6-7, I was not as effective as I should have been. I did not adequately emphasize that only on the basis of the Lord's once for all declaration are Joshua and indeed, all sinners, righteous in God’s sight. Secondly, I should have accentuated the fact that we, like Joshua, are mandated to do good works which prove and testify our justification. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Eph 2:8-10. In Joshua’s case, the Lord re-commissioned and reinstated him to his priestly duties, perhaps with added privileges.

As a result my conclusion was weak. I really needed to drive home the point that our obedience to the law (sanctification) necessarily flows from our justification and that our good works are done in gratitude to the Lord for his justification and not as a prerequisite for our salvation. Further, I could have further sharpened this truth by placing it within the context of the indicative/imperative dynamic– the indicative of God's justification of sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone necessarily leads them to carry out the mandate of presenting their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service, Rom 12:1. God the Father did not snatch Jesus Christ, his eternal Son, from the consuming fire of his wrath on Calvary's cross. Instead, Christ the sinless suffering Servant, having fully obeyed the law and bearing the sins of those that he came to save and dressed in their filthy rags, willingly endured the full immolation of a fiery divine judgment for the very ones who now receive the benefits of his finished work, imputed to them by God and appropriated by faith alone. Who, being so super-abundantly privileged, would not commit his life to such a Savior? Who, being so honored as to receive the Lord himself, would not want to serve him obediently the rest of his days? Who, being saved by God's grace alone, would not live his life in such a way as to prove that God's grace reigns in his life through righteous works “leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 5:21. This I should have done sparing no effort to present myself “.. to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”2 Tim 2:15. This is how I should have ended my sermon.

These are my reflections on my paltry service to my risen Lord. However, Deo volente, I'll have another opportunity next Sunday on which I plan to go to church. Will you be there?