The Plowman

 

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Gospel of John #25: An exposition of John 9:1-42. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, May 29, 2011.

Intro:
Blind since birth, he spent his days begging for alms in the marketplace or wherever a crowd might gather.  His days were spent in darkness and discouragement.  He had never known the beauty of a flower, the brilliance of a sunset or the tenderness of a smile.  Life was hard, hopeless and bitter.  But one day everything changed in an instant.  From darkness to light.  From despair to joy.  From hopelessness to optimism.  It happened all because of grace.  His story is found in the 9th chapter of John’s Gospel.

Text: John 9:1-42

Jesus has been teaching and preaching in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths.  He had boldly declared himself the “water of life” and the “light of the world.”  He has confronted the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.  In chapter 8 he warned of the devastating consequences of unbelief.  As a result of His words many “believed.”  He then confronted those who believed with what it meant to truly believe.  His sermon caused them to pick up stones to kill Him!  That brings us to chapter 9 where we witness our Lord’s love and compassion for the disenfranchised and the calloused, hardened unbelief of the religious establishment.

Storm clouds continue to gather that will erupt at Calvary.

Ever since that day in Capernaum when Jesus healed that cripple man and declared his sins had been forgiven the religious crowd in Jerusalem have despised Him.  They have conspired, planned and orchestrated His destruction.  It has all be for nothing up to this point because His time had not yet come.  But that is about to change as our Lord has sent His face as a flint and begun his march to the cross.

The Context:
The Feast of Tabernacle (September or October) (chapter is over and the Feast of Dedication (November or December) (chapter 10) is about to begin.  We are not given a time reference for this particular encounter but it is sometime between these two events and serves to further establish the contrast between Jesus and the establishment.

As we work our way through this chapter the message becomes clear…

Thesis: Our God sovereignly, graciously gives light and life to those trapped in darkness while assigning the “enlightened” to eternal darkness.

In this passage the blind see and the seeing are blind.

I want you to notice three things from this text.

1. An act of sovereign, overwhelming grace.  (9:1-12)
2. A demonstration of defiant, stubborn blindness.  (9:13-34)
3. A simple, sobering truth.  (9:35-41)

 

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1 Corinthians #21: An exposition of 1 Corinthians 12:1-31. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, May 22, 2011.

Intro:
It was late on a Sunday night.  It had been a long day and I was tired so I plopped down in the chair and turned on the television.  It happened to be on a channel where a well known pastor was just entering into the “ministry” time during his sermon.  The folks lined up 3 and 4 deep.  He walked along the line touching them on the forehead and they were dropping like flies.  He got to the end of the line and started back.  They continued to drop.  At that point I changed the channel.  Jessie said, “Turn it back Papa I want to see him knock’m down again!”  During my college days we used to gather on Sunday night to watch a pastel-clad televangelist, with a really bad toupee, command demons to “Come out” as he unstopped the ears of the deaf and loosed the tongues of the dumb.  I’ve counseled some confused believers who were told to sit in a dark closet and say, “Jesus” over and over until they could no longer understand what they were saying then they could be sure they were speaking in “tongues.”  No doubt we could spent the evening sharing stories of abuse regarding spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit.  Just as bad are those who think and act as if the Spirit of God is no longer active.  When considering the person and work of the Spirit we must allow the Scripture to inform our understanding.  In this area, as in all areas of doctrine, balance is critical.  Misunderstanding an abuse of the gifts of the Spirit are not a modern problem.  Paul addressed these same issues in the first century just two decades into the history of the church.  Our text this evening is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

The Old Testament prophets foretold of a day when the Spirit of God would be poured out on all flesh (Joel 2:28ff).  On the Day of Pentecost Peter declared that day had come.  It is not surprising that problems developed.  Some impostors claimed to be instruments of the Spirit; others, deluded, thought they were uniquely gifted; some were envious of the gifts of others; some became proud and arrogant in the exercising of their gifts.  The result was envy, vanity and division.  In an effort to correct the problem Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 12-14.  Remember the context is public worship.  He is addressing that which was happening when the people gathered for worship.  In chapter 12 Paul points to the fact that gifts are directly related to the nature of the church.  In chapter 13 he appeals to love as the guiding principle.  Finally in chapter 14 he deals with the abuse of gifts, in particular, the gift of tongues.

This evening we are going to focus on chapter 12.
What is clear from this chapter is…

Thesis: God gives gifts to each believer to enable each believer to fulfill their unique role within the body of Christ.

A key thought running throughout this chapter is unity within diversity.  The call of God is to unity not uniformity.  Uniformity demands that everyone look alike, walk alike and talk alike.  Everyone must be in lock step.  Unity on the other hand allows for diversity and individuality.  That is the nature of a body.  Unity is not everyone doing their own thing, going in their own direction and being a law unto themselves - that’s anarchy.  That is chaos.  Unity is each fulfilling their part within the whole.

Think in terms of music.  If you go to a symphony concert and you arrive early you can hear the orchestra warm up.  Random notes here and there.  A run.  A melody line.  Every now and then a note of beauty but for the most part it’s noise.  But once the concert begins and all are under the command of the conductor - there is beauty.

Or to use Paul’s analogy in this chapter think of the body.  What happens if the individual parts of a body decide to function on their own without regard for the others?  You may have movement but it won’t be productive.  Spasms are not helpful.  For a body to function properly all the parts must work together.

With that in mind let’s consider our text.

I want to point out three things.

1. God gives a variety of gifts.  (12:4, 8-12)
2. These gifts manifest themselves in a variety of ministries.  (12:5)
3. These gifts are intended to build up the body of Christ.  (12:7, 11)

 

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Gospel of John #24: An exposition of John 8:31-59. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, May 22, 2011.

Intro:
The announcer’s voice was clear and distinct, “Don’t be fooled by imitations these are genuine diamels.”  Don’t be fooled by imitations these are genuine fake diamonds!  Or how about, “Get the look and feel of genuine leather for a fraction of the cost.”  It is official, we live in an artificial world.  A world of look a likes, knock offs and imitations.  A superficial world where reality is fast becoming illusion.  Unfortunately this “make believe world” is not limited to commercials and other forms of advertising.  It is not limited to consumer goods it has found its way into every area of life.  We find it in relationships when genuine concern for a friend’s well fare is replaced with an endless pursuit of self-satisfaction.  We find it in marriage when “until death do us part” is replaced with “until I’m no longer happy.”  We find it in church when “dying to self daily” is replaced with “what’s in this for me?”  Bombarded daily with empty promises and meaningless existence there is the cry for something real.  Something genuine.  Nowhere is that need more evident than in the church.

Let me ask you:

• Do you think perhaps the reason the world does not take the church seriously is because the church isn’t serious?
• Could the problem be that the church isn’t genuine?
• Could it be that a superficial faith has resulted in a superficial church?
• Are you attracted to phonies?
• Are you drawn to that which is insincere or lacks integrity?

Our text this morning is found in John chapter 8 beginning at verse 31.

Text: John 8:31-59

This is a very interesting passage.  Look up at verse 30.  Praise the Lord!  Mark it down, put it in the books, what a great evangelistic event.  Remember the context?  The Festival of Booths.  Jesus has made two great statements: 1.) If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink and out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.  2.)  I am the light of the world he who follows me will never walk in darkness.

Using the 2 central rituals of Booths Jesus declares himself God!
So much for laying low.
He had begun His march to the cross.
He has just warned of the devastating consequences of unbelief and “many believed in him.”

Wonderful!
But look verse 31 and then down at verse 59.
“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him…so they picked up stones to throw at him.”
The believers where ready to kill him!
What happened?
They didn’t care for the sermon.

I have my share of those who don’t care for my preaching but I’ve not had to dodge any rocks.  What did Jesus say to cause such a reaction?  What was so bad that it caused such a swing in mood?  Let’s work through the text and see if we can find an answer.
It is clear that…

Thesis: The teaching of Jesus does not allow for superficial faith to pass for saving faith.

What we have in this text are those who “believed” and yet did not believe.

They liked the notion of rivers of living water and light that cannot be extinguished but there was no change, no real repentance.  There was belief but not conversion.  Is that possible?  Absolutely look back at John 2:23-24: Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people…

Or consider Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity.”

There are 16 million Southern Baptist less than 5 million in church on any given Sunday.
Trinity over 1200 on the rolls and we’re having a good day when we have 200!

In this text our Lord gives us some of the characteristics of genuine faith.  I want to note three of them.

1. Genuine believers exhibit an abiding faith.  (8:31-32)
2. Genuine believers demonstrate true repentance.  (8:32-41)
3. Genuine believers reflect the character of God.  (8:42-59)

 

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Gospel Essentials #5. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, May 18, 2011.

 

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1 Corinthians #20: An exposition of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, May 15, 2011.

Introduction:
I’ve been in services when unusual things happened.  I remember preaching in Ponca City and a man sitting a few rows from the front said, in the middle of my sermon, “I don’t think Jesus said that!”  I was startled but not recovered quickly.  I said, “Why don’t you let me finish and you and I can discuss that after the service?”  We’ve had a couple of times here when EMSA participated in the service, unplanned.  Once during a sermon in my first church a man yawned so loud we all stopped and laughed for a minute.  But I’ve not experienced anything like my seminary classmate who had members throwing hymnals at each other during a rather heated business meeting.  I have been embarrassed by somethings that have gone on in services I’ve attended.  There have been musical selections I thought were inappropriate; skits that had no business in worship; and attitudes that denied the very gospel being proclaimed.  I’m not even going to address “fire engine” baptistries and canons firing confetti or liturgical dancing.  Somethings are just too obvious and do not need to be addressed but I would like to speak to what is becoming all too common - a lack of reverence and a shallow, inadequate understanding of the ordinances of the church.

I was made aware, a few years ago, about a church in our area that each Sunday observes the Lord’s Table.  That is not a problem, in fact that can be a very good thing.  The problem is the elements were set on a table over to one side and attendees were encourage to make their way over to the table and partake of the elements whenever they wanted during the service.  I joking refer to it as “the Lord’s buffet.”  A self-serve, casual and private observance of the Supper.  The problem of course is that the Supper is a church ordinance meant to be take as a body together as a means of proclaim the death of our Savior and confessing His certain return.  It is a communal act not an individual act.  Just as offensive is any observance of the Supper which fails to understand the significance of the Table and the importance of community.  It’s not a matter of location.  The proper observance can take place in a cathedral, a store front, a home or anywhere the people of God gather.  It is not a matter of style.  It doesn’t matter if elements are passed to the congregation or whether individuals or families come to be served.  It doesn’t matter if individual cups or used or a common cup.  What matters is the manner in which the Table is observed.  Our text this evening is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Some preliminary comments:
The Lord’s Table, Lord’s Supper or Communion is one of 2 ordinances given to the church by our Lord.  Baptism being the other.  The Baptist Faith & Message states in Article VII:

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

While baptism is a symbol it is not a “mere” symbol.  We do not believe that the bread and fruit of the vine actually become the body and blood of the Lord or that grace is dispensed through the elements, but there is something unique in the observance.  There is a presence.  While Catholics and some others may be guilty of making too much of the elements we Baptists often are guilty of making too little of them.

The apostle is writing the church in Corinth in response to reports he has received.  He writes as a concerned pastor but also as their spiritual father.  He had spent a year and a half ministering in Corinth.  They were a dear people to him.  In chapters 11-14 he deals with questions of public worship.  In the first 16 verses of chapter 11 he deals with the wearing of veils in worship.  From that we understand the necessity of recognizing the divine economy if we are to engage in proper worship.  Now he turns his attention to the observance of the Supper.

Here we discover that…

Thesis: The Table of the Lord is a holy, sacred act of worship and as such should be observed with reverence, joy and a sense of awe and wonder.

This is why I prefer to build the entire service around the Supper rather than just have it as an element in the service.  I do not think it is wrong to handle it in another way provided that you give it proper focus when you come to that element of the service.

It is clear that there were real problems in Corinth.  When someone says, “I wish we were more like the early church,” I like to take them to 1 Corinthians and say, “You mean like this?”  It seems the folks in Corinth followed the practice of many in the early church and celebrated the Supper as part of the “Love Feast.”

The Love Feast was a common meal referenced in Jude 12: These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;

The love feast was a meal in which rich and poor shared equally at the table.  Each brought what they could and shared all things in common.  It was to be a symbol of unity, fellowship, love and equality.  In Corinth it became an opportunity for indulgence.  The wealthy ate and drank to excess while the poor went without.  This brought serious consequences as we will see.

There are two things I want to point out from our text.

1. Proper observance of the Supper demands we be aware of and on guard against the abuses of the Lord’s Table.  (11:17-22)
2. Proper observance of the Supper demands we understand the meaning of the Table and the proper manner of approaching the Supper.  (11:23-34)
   a. The meaning of the Table - 11:23-26
   b. The manner of approaching the Supper - 11:27-34

 

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An exposition of Zechariah 3:1-10. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, May 15, 2011.

Intro:
Have you ever had one of those times when you were cleaning out a closet, a storage room or an attic and you found a treasure?  Oh, I don’t mean a priceless masterpiece placed there by a previous occupant or loot from a bank job years before – I mean something unexpected.  Have you ever been startled by the sight of something you never expected to see?  A photo album bringing back a flood of memories or a school yearbook allowing you to walk the halls and revisit old friends?  One of the glories of Bible reading and Bible study is the joy of an unexpected find.  Those moments when you stumble across a truth in an unexpected place.  One such place for me is the 3rd chapter of Zechariah.

Text: Zechariah 3:1-10

Six centuries before Christ Zechariah was called to encourage the returning exiles in the process of rebuilding the temple.  Work had quickly begun as the people returned to the land.  But due to discouragement and delays – the project came to a grinding halt and the people went about their own business.  Along came Haggai the grizzled veteran and a young visionary named Zechariah.  Together they made a powerful team as they rallied the troops to begin again the building of the temple.

Zechariah called the people to repentance.
He warned them – don’t make the mistakes of your fathers.
Don’t turn a deaf ear to God’s warning.
Don’t assume judgment delayed is judgment diverted.

Upon their repentance – God gave to Zechariah a series of visions intended to encourage and strengthen them in the task.  In the first three visions God said, “I am with you.  I will deal decisively with your enemies and I guarantee your security.”  The fourth vision deals with their spiritual condition or position.

Here, in the midst of this Old Testament prophecy dealing with the rebuilding of the temple we find a clear presentation of the Gospel!  Here we find an Old Testament picture of a New Testament truth.

Here we are reminded that…

Thesis: Our standing pure and holy before God is a matter of grace alone because of Christ alone.

Two things I want us to see.

• God’s grace and mercy are our only hope of salvation.  (3:1-7)
• Christ is our only hope of redemption.  (3:8-10)

 

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Gospel of John series, #23: An exposition of John 8:21-30. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, May 8, 2011.

 

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Gospel Essentials #4: This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, May 4, 2011.

 

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#19 in the 1 Corinthians series: This is an exposition of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, May 1, 2011.

Intro:
Harry and I met while students at OBU.  He was a few years older and we looked at things from different perspectives.  Our biggest differences were theological.  Oh we were both Baptists, in fact both Southern Baptists but in different camps.  I was more toward the fundamentalist side he more to the liberal side.  I wasn’t a fundamentalist and he wasn’t a liberal but neither of us where in the center.  Harry and I had some lively discussion in the student center over a Coke and an occasional hotdog.  I always knew how to “set him off” and I have to admit I found it pleasurable.  Harry and I both went to Southwestern Seminary.  It was there, in the students center, I found Harry reading his “Women In Ministry Newsletter.”  I set down and Harry said, “Rod, what do you think about women in ministry?”  I thought to myself, “This is too easy.”  After a pause I said, “Harry I have no problem with women in ministry provided they do it barefoot and in the kitchen.”  I thought he was going to have stroke!  After talking him down we had lively and thoughtful conversation.

It is often a volatile topic.  People tend to feel strongly wherever they stand on the issue of the roles and responsibilities of men and women.  More often then not such discussions generate more heat than light.  I’m also afraid that because it is such a hot button issue people are easily distracted and can misread certain texts.  Tonight’s text is such an example.  Our text this evening is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 beginning with verse 2.

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Paul is writing to the church at Corinth in response to certain questions raised by the congregation and in light of certain disturbing reports he has received.  He spent a year and a half ministering in Corinth so they were especially dear to his heart.  As their pastor and spiritual father, he had a vested interest in their well being.  Corinth was a mixed up bunch.  There were a multitude of problems within the church.  There were divisions as folks gathered around their favorite teachers and teachings.  Paul scolds them for being spiritual infants and exhorts them to “grow up.”  Yet, despite the problems, he addressed them as “saints.”  Those who are genuinely saved and set apart by the Spirit of God.  He says to them, “You are saints, now act like it!”

After his initial call for them to act according to their calling he addressed their divisions.
He reminded them that it was Christ who died for them.
It is Christ who gives them life.
It is Christ they are to serve.

He then dealt with issues such as sexual immorality (5 & 6), lawsuits within the church (6) and marital issues (7).  In chapters 8-10 he dealt with the question of Christian liberty.  We are free in Christ but freedom is not license.  There are limits on what we ought to do.  All things may be lawful but not everything is profitable.  We must be guided by love.  We must be concerned about the spiritual heath of others and most of all concerned with the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.

Then in chapters 11-14 he deals with three issues related to corporate or public worship.  I’m convinced that you must note this context before drawing conclusions about the meaning of our text.  There is a specific question on the table.  That question is whether or not men and women ought to wear a veil or head covering during worship.  Of necessity there is some discussion of the roles of men and women in this text but that is not the focus of the text.  This issue is discussed but in the context of a question related to worship.

Now look at the text.

As I look at this text I think the point is…

Thesis: Proper worship demands that we understand and recognize the divine economy.

Economy means “rules of the house” or governing principles.
God, as creator, is sovereign over all He has made.
The universe is governed by certain laws He has established.
There is order to all He has created.
Contrary to popular opinion the universe is not governed by random chance.

Closer to home and more to the point or our text we, as the people of God, are not free to worship God as we please.  We are not free to worship in the way that best express our thoughts and opinions.  God was specific as the Israelites were about to enter the Land of Promise, “You are not to worship Me in the manner in which they worship their gods.”  (Deut. 12:29-32)

There are three things I want to point out from our text.

1. God has established an order.  (11:3)
2. That order is to be reflected in our attitudes and customs in worship.  (11:4-10, 13-15)
3. This order, as it relates to men and women, is not about essence, value or worth but about roles.  (11:11-12)

Conclusion:
Yes I believe though men and women are equal in the sight of God as persons, they have been given different roles to play.  The man is to be the leader in the home.  He is to provide spiritual, emotional and material leadership to his family.  A logical extension of that is that men are to have leadership within the church.  Not Lordship but leadership.  Leadership as witnessed in the Godhead.  Leadership that understands, recognizes and reflects God’s authority and leadership.

God has established an order.
That order is to be reflected in our attitudes and customs in worship.
This order, as it relates to men and women, is not about essence, value or worth but about roles.

Thus we conclude - Proper worship demands that we understand and recognize the divine economy.