Bless the LORD, O my soul!

When words don't suffice, go to the WORD!

Psalm 103:1-22 A Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
[2] Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
[3] Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
[4] Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
[5] Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

[6] The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
[7] He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
[8] The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
[9] He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
[10] He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

[11] For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
[12] As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
[13] As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
[14] For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

[15] As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
[16] For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
[17] But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
[18] To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

[19] The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

[20] Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
[21] Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
[22] Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

The Power of Effective Preaching

When basic principles in construction are ignored it will always lead to ruin. The building must be constructed in accordance with a set of drawings prepared by a trained architect. The materials used in building must meet or exceed specifications. A slab must be poured level with concrete that is strengthened with steel. The walls erected should be plumb. This seems very logical because we have seen how erosion, bad planning, poor quality of construction, or inferior material can ruin a project. Yet when many preachers take the pulpits on Sundays across America, they can make the mistake of ignoring the basic fundamentals of a good sermon. They build according to their own design; their foundation is anything but flat; their walls anything but plumb. It is as if they build their sermons from cream or froth, depending on their mood. Creativity trumps substance, and opinion has replaced truth.

This is not intended to be a rant on the present-day lack of Biblical preaching, but as I listened to a sermon delivered in 1961 I considered it a great sermon. My next thought was, what are the facets of a good sermon? Sometimes we don't know what we are missing. It's like a man who has ordered oatmeal every day for the last 20 years for breakfast at a restaurant. He decides one morning to give some fresh fruit a try. Whoa! Like Jonathan whose eyes were enlightened as he tasted a little honey, when we find spiritual nourishment it invigorates us. Unless you are one of the blessed people who have a Bible-teaching pastor filled with the Holy Spirit, "near-gospel" is all you will hear. And near-gospel has never been the Gospel, nor will it ever be.

As a pastor, I am constantly inundated by ministries who believe their purpose is to make my ministry "easier." For a price they will send you loads of sermons, illustrations, pretty much everything but the stiff up front who regurgitates it. If ministry ever becomes easy, then you are not doing the work of the ministry! Again, there's nothing wrong with using illustrations, even one from a book of illustrations. But too often the windows of the illustration are bigger than the house. Off the top of my head, here are what I see as the foundations of good Bible teaching by a person filled with the Holy Spirit:

• A sermon ought to glorify God. If a man holds forth the Word of God, he must make God's glory his chief aim. The best of men sometimes miss this mark. Since the end of man is the glory of God, His name ought to be made famous by our speech, conduct, and sermons.
• A sermon ought to be saturated with the Gospel. If a man cannot discern the Gospel in a message, how shall he receive of it? Is this not what Paul preached continually, Christ and Him crucified? This is not to say that every message must be evangelistic, but the necessity for confession, repentance from sin, and trusting in Christ should never be left out.
• A sermon ought to magnify the attributes of the Almighty God. Instead of focusing on what a man can obtain from God, a man grows in praise and thankfulness when he is introduced to the Living God! Knowing the character of God is indispensable. When a child lives in another country as his Father, how he relishes hearing of his Father's exploits! How much more do we grow in appreciation of our God by hearing of His grace!
• A sermon should be God's truth, not man's opinion. If opinion is what you want, turn on the television or read a magazine! The purpose of a sermon is to hold forth the Word of God with His authority. A preacher is a messenger who speaks the Word of God from a pure conscience. If he misses the truth, he makes himself a liar.
• A sermon should be simple yet profound in depth. Jesus was able to teach the children with adults, the harlots with the experienced scribes. It was easy to understand His simple illustrations, yet many times the most learned walked away without a word. They were unable to contradict His wisdom. We need not preach to the angels, but to men about what things men and children can both understand.
• A sermon should challenge the listeners. As God is lifted up and glorified, the minister and congregation alike should see their shortcomings. We should be challenged in our level of commitment, devotion, the potential for bitterness, unforgiveness, and pride. John said that if we say we have no sin we make God a liar. Sermons should not be passive or painful, but compelling. Whom God breaks He desires to heal.
• A sermon should have "knots in the thread." As a seamstress knots a thread to prevent it from passing through the fabric without effect, so a preacher must place well-crafted points, quotes, and illustrations in a sermon to cause the discourse to remain in his hearers, to "stick."  A sermon should have a lasting effect.

What kind of spiritual food have you been receiving from the sermons you hear? Of what kind are the sermons that you deliver? Though I have by no means mastered preaching, I know the difference between good preaching and bad preaching when I hear it. Take care that you do not go to church to laugh through a sermon, for none man has laughed himself into the Kingdom of Heaven. If it is the personal stories you love, be sure that you have not become dull to the Gospel. We are careful to look at the nutritional content on boxes to make sure we are eating nutrition our bodies can use to remain healthy and strong, but too often we do not discern what we allow into our ears, minds, and hearts. Paul says in 1 Cor. 3:10: "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it." We should take heed of how we build our lives on the foundation of Christ, and this applies to sermons as well.

Enemy awareness!

I was reading a portion of scripture the other morning and was struck by the profundity of a verse: 1 Cor. 16:9 says, "...For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." Whenever God opens a great and effective door for ministry, there will be enemies to contend with. The word "adversaries" here means, "to lie opposite, be contrary, to oppose." As we follow Jesus Christ we must be watchful for all opposition, whether subtle or obvious. It is for this reason we must fervently pray God would grant us discernment of spirits, so we may know what is of God and what is of the enemy who masquerades as an "angel of light."

Satan, the enemy of our souls who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), will always seek to distract, deter, confuse, and oppose the work of God. In proclaiming our allegiance to Christ, we now pose a threat through the Holy Spirit's power to the strongholds of Satan through which he holds men captive in sin and deception. 2 Cor. 10:4-5 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, [5] casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." As Samson was empowered by God to push down the pillars of the idolatrous temple, all born-again believers whom the Holy Spirit has regenerated, filled, and baptised are enabled to walk in the purity, sanctification, holiness, and power that marks the life of Christ.

As I prepare to march forth to Australia, I am heading toward territory long held captive by the devil. When I visited the first time I was told on several occasions, "You know we have never had a revival here in Australia?" There have been spiritual revivals, but some have lost hope in having one.  The spiritual ground is as hard as it is dry in the Great Desert. But hailing from Southern California, isn't it amazing what a little irrigation will do? When our eyes flow with tears in repentance and pleading for the deliverance of the captives, God's Spirit will pour out like a river of Living Water. I believe the signs that followed Christ will follow all who abandon themselves to His service and that this scripture can be fulfilled as spoken by Christ in Matthew 11:5: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them."

As a farmer takes time to prepare the soil, we must pray that God would prepare all hearts involved in this venture of faith: the sent, the senders, and those who I am being sent to. The enemy will try to convince you that praying is pointless, that many have tried to impact Australia for the Gospel without success! This pack of lies remind me how Sanballat and Tobiah tried to withstand the work Nehemiah had been commissioned for by King Artaxerxes and the KING of Kings, God Almighty. Sanballat and Tobiah provide a great study in spiritual warfare because they exhibit all the tactics the devil uses to impede spiritual growth and progress. He sees the open door and the great potential for God to work and will do his best to resist the work, though ultimately he is a defeated enemy.

Here are some of the tactics of our enemy as I briefly scan through the book of Nehemiah:

• The enemy hears of the plans of the righteous and is "exceedingly grieved" that any should seek the welfare of men (Neh. 1:10).
• The enemy laughs us to scorn and despises us, accusing us (Neh. 1:19).
• The enemy observes progress with wrath, is indignant, and mocks us using intimidation (Neh. 3:1-3).
• The enemy becomes furious at the fortification of our defenses and conspires to openly attack us (Neh. 3:7-8).
• The enemy attempts to destroy us through subtle strategy and stealth (Neh. 3:11).
• The enemy will try to make peace with us so the work might cease (Neh. 6:2).
• The enemy will pester us to cause us to lose focus (Neh. 6:4).
• The enemy will lie to us to manipulate and weaken us (Neh. 6:5-9).
• The enemy will use hirelings to put fear in our hearts to flee the work (Neh. 6:10-14)
• The enemy will seek to undermine our faith with fear through false reports (Neh. 6:16-19)
• The enemy will seek to pollute the fellowship with ungodly alliances, idolatry, and make room for himself in the temple like a squatter (Neh. 13:3-9).

Should this put us in fear? No! But we must not be ignorant of Satan's devices and schemes. Praise God that perfect love casts out all fear! Here are two verses of promise set among the dangers of working for the glory of God: Nehemiah 4:9 says, "Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night." I must be watchful at all times, praying without ceasing. I exhort you to do so for yourselves as well as me and my family as we seek the LORD. Nehemiah 4:15 is a great verse of promise: "And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work." As God brought the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness, so the plots of Satan are brought to nothing! Praise the LORD!

Wilderness Experience...

I'm in a mood that is rare for me, waxing philosophical. I'm also fed up with something that I have recently come to realize. In our modern day Christian view, the wilderness experience has been classified as unwise. We are so "production" oriented that many feel that spending a day walking and talking with God is not really "doing" anything. I can hear the conversation: "Honey, what did you do at work today?" "I didn't go to the office this morning." "You didn't go to work?" "Oh, I was working alright...I walked along a trail and talked with God." This poor idiot may lose his good-night kiss over such a stunt (No offense, ladies - these actors are arbitrary).

But seriously, we can perhaps justify a day of talking to God. How about a week strictly dedicated to seeking God? No paycheck, and not on vacation time. How about a whole month? How about 40 days? Or longer? Can you imagine Jesus arguing with the Holy Spirit over the wisdom of being led out to the wilderness - not just to be alone with God, but to be tempted by the devil? "I've got disciples to call into the ministry, I have the message of salvation that will save men from the fire of hell, and you want me to fast and endure temptation for forty days?" Jesus was led by the Spirit and walked in perfect harmony with the will of God. Maybe there were people that questioned what Jesus was thinking, but Jesus didn't question the Holy Spirit. He obeyed. What a display of the wisdom and power of God over temptation from the lips of our Savior, during what some would call a "fool's errand." You can take that up with Jesus.

Elijah was another man who the Bible records as spending 40 days in the wilderness as he traveled to the mountain of God. Moses spent 40 days and nights on two occasions on Mt. Sinai as he met with God. Ah, but that is Moses and Elijah. I have three questions: is the God of Moses and Elijah around today? Yes. And who was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration? Moses and Elijah, not a coincidence. Final question: do you fear the God of Moses and Elijah? God is looking for men like Moses and Elijah that will obey Him no matter the cost. Do men like them exist today? The Spirit of God who empowered Christ empowers every single believer to serve and glorify Him. He has not lost His potency and power: it is the church who bears the weight of guilt that we have not allowed God to make us the men He can.

Instead of saying, "Where is the God of Elijah?" we should rather ask, "Where are men like Elijah?" I freely confess that I am thoroughly dissatisfied with my level of commitment to God. He is so much more worthy than any of my poor offerings. What do I have that He has not provided? The day that I am satisfied with my performance in obedience, devotion, and piety cannot occur until I am freed from this body of flesh. If the day comes when I am ever satisfied with myself as I dwell in this flesh, I pray God free me from it by death!

The wilderness experience is no more outdated than God's love. Gladys Aylward told of a story early in her ministry when she said, "We serve a God of common sense!" She later realized her error. God's sense is uncommon, because His wisdom is not a man's wisdom. When we try to make sense of God's wisdom without eyes of faith, we will stumble at His commands. We will justify and rationalize like a worm trying not to be hooked. We try dodge our purpose our calling because God should think like us! God hasn't changed. It is man who changes. We need to get back to the basics of knowing God, believing, and obeying Him. "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Heb. 11:8, KJV) Abraham had an earthly inheritance of vast riches in his homeland, but he forsook it in obedience to God to receive a heavenly inheritance of inestimable value.

I close with the word of Paul to the Corinthian church: "But this I say, brethren, that time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; [30] and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; [31] and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away." (1 Cor. 7:29-31, KJV) Paul is not advocating a shirking of earthly duties, like providing for your family. But your family and your business are not your life: the business of a follower of Christ is to deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Jesus. Our lives pass away as a vapor. Let us use what time we have, whether we are in the wilderness or the city, whether in eating or fasting, with your family or alone, use all for the glory of God!