By now you know the story of the three cheaters and the Hindu priest being cheated of his precious goat. And the moral of the story? A lie when repeated several times does not turn into a truth, but it does become convincing.

One of the lies we hear today is that all religions are the same. Follow your own path and you will find peace and fulfillment. In our first lesson we saw the drastic differences between Christianity and other religions.

Then in the second lesson we covered little bit of theology; God is so exalted and high that no one can reach Him, except that He Himself comes down and makes it possible for us to have access to Him.

Then we talked about the valley too deep to cross. The holiness of God and sinfulness of man creates a vast and deep chasm between man and God that can only be crossed through the Cross. Today our topic is the place no one needs to go.

Revelation 20:11-15:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (NIV)

In a public school elementary class a teacher was having a class on biology and the lesson was on whale. Along with other things about the whale she mentioned that whale is a large mammal, but it has very narrow throat so it cannot swallow a large object, for example, it cannot swallow a grown up human being.

There was one girl from a Christian family who had learned the story of Jonah in her Sunday school class. So she raised her hand and said, “But, teacher, it swallowed Jonah!” To which the teacher said, “Well, as I told you, whale is a large mammal, but it has narrow throat so it cannot swallow a grown up person.

But the girl insisted, “But it did swallow Jonah”. The teacher by now was on the edge. She responded, “Young lady, I told you several times that the whale is large, but it has narrow throat so cannot swallow a grown up person.” The girl responded, “Okay, when I go to heaven, I will ask Jonah”.

But the teacher did not want to give up. Of course she did not believe in heaven or hell. But she responded, “How do you know Jonah went to heaven and not to hell? What if he went to hell?”

“Then YOU ask him” was the girl’s final response.

This is a joke. However, the teacher was right; whale is a large mammal but it has narrow throat and so cannot swallow a grown up human being. But that does not mean the Bible is wrong. The Bible does not mention that it was a whale or what kind of fish it was that swallowed Jonah, it just says a great fish. Also, if you remember, in our second lesson we learned that even in the twenty first century we know only five percent of marine biology. So the science does not and cannot prove the Bible wrong.

Hope you have liked the three messages we talked so far. I certainly do not like the message today. Nobody likes to be a bearer of bad news. And if there is one thing I or we all would like to be taken out from the Bible, it is the topic we are going to talk about today.

Hell? Who in his right mind would want to think of hell? We hear this word as a curse word. We use it for an extremely painful or difficult situation. But we rarely, if ever, think of it as a final and eternal destination.

When you think of hell, if ever, what comes to your mind? Fire and brimstone? Weeping and gnashing of teeth? No rest day or night? Their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched? Lake of burning sulfur? Everlasting destruction? People tormented day and night forever and ever? If you think of hell in any of these terms, you are right! Actually, that is how the Bible describes it.

Nobody wants to go there! When we think of life after death, we always have wishful thinking; we always think of heaven and never of hell. Hell is puzzling to many people. God is love; God is the epitome of love. How can a loving God send people to such a gruesome and horrible punishment and torment them forever? God sending people to a place of eternal torment has been repulsive to many.

S. Radhakrishnan, a well-known Indian philosopher of yesteryears (1888-1975) said, “God’s love would not allow even the worst sinner to slip away from Him completely… If God destroys His delinquent children, then we are attributing to God a very primitive instinct which even civilized men have sublimated. If Jesus took little children on His knees and told His hearers that the only way of pleasing God was to become themselves like little children, it is atrocious for us to thrust these citizens of the kingdom of heaven into the fire of hell” (Indian Religions (Orient Paperbacks, 1990), P. 149).

Similarly, Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) rejected Christianity mainly because of its concept of hell, “There is one serious defect to my mind in Christ’s moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment” (Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion (Touchstone, 1967), P. 17).

Can you think of the audacity of this “lover of wisdom” that he would find serious defect in Christ’s moral character and less humane than any human being! But Russell was right in one thing. Russell rightly understood that Christ believed in hell. Christ referred to hell far more than to heaven. If Christ was a moral teacher, as accepted by most people, He taught only what is true and so we have no choice but to accept the reality of hell. The word Gahanna, which is translated as hell in most of the versions, is used thirteen times in the New Testament, twelve of it by Christ Himself.

Now this raises a serious question. The Bible on the one hand does speak of the love of God and on the other hand does mention eternal punishment. How can we reconcile the love of God and the eternal punishment of hell? Fire and brimstone? Weeping and gnashing of teeth? No rest day or night? Their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched? Lake of burning sulfur? Everlasting destruction? People tormented day and night forever and ever?

Hell? Certainly Not! Three Wrong Answers

To avoid the Biblical concept of hell, people have come up with basically three explanations. None of these is new.

Universal Salvation

One of the most prevalent arguments against hell is the concept of universal salvation. All of the non Christian philosophers, as we saw Radhakrishnan and Russell, and most of the liberal theologians accept the concept of universal salvation.

“I believe that all people are included in the grace of God. I believe that all the theologies that have made a large place for damnation and hell are unfaithful to a theology of grace. … A theology of grace implies universal salvation. What could grace mean if it were granted only to some sinners and not to others according to an arbitrary decree that is totally contrary to the nature of our God? If grace is granted according to the greater or lesser number of sins, it is no longer grace-it is just the opposite because of this accountancy. Paul is the very one who reminds us that the enormity of the sin is no obstacle to grace: Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20). This is the key statement. The greater the sin, the more God’s love reveals itself to be far beyond any judgment or evaluation of ours. This grace covers all things. It is thus effectively universal… nothing in his creation is excluded or lost.” (Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), What I Believe (Eerdmans 1989), pp. 188-192).

Conditional Immortality

Another erroneous theological concept trying to avoid the concept of hell is a concept of Conditional Immortality (CI). CI says that not all human beings are immortal, only those who receive Jesus by faith will live forever in heaven with God; the rest of humanity, all unbelievers, will be resurrected at the final judgment, thrown into fire and instantly destroyed physically.

CI believes that all humanity lost their immortality at the Fall. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden “Lest they eat the fruit of the Tree of Life and live forever (Genesis 3:22–23). In Revelation 22:2 access to the tree of life is restored—but only for the inhabitants of New Jerusalem. The unbelievers are already destroyed physically before the New Heaven and New Earth come into being (Revelation 20:11-15).

Thus, immortality and eternal life are conditioned upon salvation. The lost will not live forever, in the end they will be annihilated, and will not sufferer eternally, according to those argue for conditional immortality.

Many passages in the Bible are interpreted accordingly. John 3:16 “will perish” means they would die physically forever, and not enter into heaven, or hell. Paul says, “The wages of sin is death”—not living forever in torment (Romans 6:23). Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:28 to fear God who “can destroy both soul and body in hell.” He says in Matthew 7:13—14 that the narrow and difficult path leads to “life,” while the wide and easy path leads to “destruction.”

In Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares, the weeds are “burned up” or “consumed” (Matthew 13:30) by fire, which Jesus interprets as meaning that the unrighteous will be thrown into a fiery furnace (verses 40–42) and permanently destroyed. Peter says that, in condemning Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by burning them to ashes, He “made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6). The residents of Sodom and Gomorrah were incinerated. Therefore, the ungodly will not live forever in ruin; they will be utterly destroyed.

However, one of the major differences between other living beings and the man is that, because the man is created in God’s image man is immortal. Man is separate, different from all other created living beings. Every other living being is created “according to its own kind”, a phrase used nine times in the first chapter of Genesis. But when it came to man, man was not created according to his own kind, but according to God’s own kind, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

Because man is created in the image of God his soul is eternal. The Bible says, God has set the concept of eternity in his heart (3:11b). Every culture, no matter how primitive or developed, has a concept of eternity, of something that will last forever. Because of this sense of eternity in his heart, man is looking for something that will last forever; most of all, something that will make him last forever.

So you cannot separate mankind in two groups, one in the Christ who will live forever and the other without Christ who will be annihilated and dead forever. If the one is going to live forever, the other too will live forever.

This is part of the doctrinal statement of our church: “The spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death conscious and in misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body alike shall be reunited and ultimately cast into the lake of fire not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (Stonebrair Church Membership Class Handbook, P. 17)

Temporal Hell

Third wrong concept of hell is making it temporal, a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven. People in hell suffer punishment for their sins they committed during their life on earth. The punishment in hell will purge them, make them pure, acceptable and make them eligible to enter heaven. This way hell is temporary. Love Wins by Rob Bell seems to argue for this, hell is a “temporary period of pruning” and “intense experience of correction” (P. 91). Although Catholics believe in eternal hell, their doctrine of Purgatory speaks about temporary hell.

Of course, the Bible describes hell as eternal punishment. As we see from the story of the rich man and Lazarus, there is no opportunity to cross from one place to another after death. That choice is here during the life on earth. Either person has believed in this life and so suffers no condemnation and at death goes directly in the presence of God, or has not believed and goes directly in hell; there is no third option.

The Bible clearly describes hell as eternal punishment. And if heaven is eternal, hell is eternal. If you make hell temporary, heaven becomes temporary. Because the words Ages and ages, or forever and ever are used both for hell and heaven.

The Practical Result Of The Wrong Answers

The consequences of all these wrong ideas, no fear of hell or the ultimate judgment, are obvious. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. And then it is over. No one to answer to. No accountability. No responsibility. One of the main reasons for the decline in morality and ethics in our culture is no fear of God, no fear of judgment.

“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). And so the overall lesson Solomon draws at the end of the book is, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The Bible says, “It is dreadful things to fall into the hand of the living God”. And, “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 10:31; 12:29).

We believers do not need that fear. We do not fear judgment; we have no fear of hell. “Now therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ”. We want to live life pleasing to God not because of fear of hell or of judgment, but because of love for God and for the gratitude we feel for what He has done for us, as Paul says in Romans.

Hell? Certainly Yes! Three Right Answers

Behind all these wrong concepts is human thinking. How can loving God throw His children in such a horrible place forever and ever? That punishment is far exceeding to the sin and way out of proportion!

Holiness Of God Requires It

The first right answer against all the wrong answers above is the holiness of God. That was our topic in our previous lesson. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! Without holiness no one can see God. And God’s standard of holiness is “Be holy as I am holy”. And no human being can ever meet that standard. The holiness of God requires just punishment of sin. As it was mentioned last week, the holiness of God overrules all His other attributes. Love of God is controlled by His holiness. Holy God cannot tolerate or overlook sin no matter how much He loves or would like to do so. We being sinful people have no concept of how repulsive sin is to God.

Last Sunday I used an extreme example describing a scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. I am afraid that may be too repulsive to talk about. But my point there was that is exactly how repulsive sin is to holy God.

Our Sense Of Justice Demands It

The prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament cried out to God asking for justice, “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted” (Habakkuk 1:3-4).

That is all common human cry for justice. As we see the evil rampant all around us, we cry out to God for justice. God is God of justice. And since we are made in the image of God, one of our human traits, no matter how sinful we are, is to shout out, “That’s not fair!” And you can use many examples from your own life when you suffered injustice and cried out that’s not fair!

Graham Stains was a missionary in India. He, his wife, two sons and daughter ran a leprosarium and served the poorest of the poor in Bihar, northeast part of India. He was conducting regular weekly Bible studies in a nearby village. On January 22nd, 1999, after a Bible study, he was driving home late evening with his two sons, Philip (age 10) and Timothy (age 6). On the way a mob surrounded them, tied them in their jeep, doused them with gasoline and burned them alive.

Or, think of this. James Byrd Jr, a black man, was walking home one evening on June 7, 1998 when three white men picked him up, tied him behind their pickup truck and dragged him for three miles. He remained conscious throughout most of the ordeal, but was killed when his body hit the edge of a culvert, severing his right arm and head. The murderers drove on for another mile before dumping his torso in front of an African-American cemetery in Jasper, Texas.

Both these horrible incidents happened only six months apart. The culprits in both these cases were brought to trial and found guilty. The ring leader and his accomplices in Stains case are serving life sentence. One of the culprits in the Jasper case was executed on September 21, 2011. The ring leader, John William King, was just recently executed on April 24, 2019; twenty one years after the actual incident took place. A third accomplice is serving life sentence.

Now imagine, in each of these cases at the end of the trial and conviction, the judge tells them, “Fellows, you have done a horrible thing. But I am a loving and kind judge. So, I just warn you do not ever do such a thing again” and sets them free. What kind of uproar would it create?

Our justice system is flawed and many innocent people are convicted and guilty people go scot free. Just during the year of 2018 151 inmates were exonerated who were falsely “proven” guilty. They spent a total of 1,639 combined years in jail. The unwritten rule of justice is, let hundred guilty go unpunished, but not let one single innocent suffer unjust punishment.

But even in our flawed human justice system it would be unimaginable to let such atrocities go unpunished. Why do we keep all the murderers and rapists and those who commit horrible crimes locked up? If we follow only the principle of love, we should have no jails! No, justice demands just punishment. Our own sense of justice demands ultimate judgment. But that is exactly what we expect the holy God do at the end. How can we expect holy God, a perfect standard of justice and righteousness, let sin go unpunished?

Love Of God Provides The Way Of Escape

Hell? Yes! The holiness of God requires it, our sense of justice demands it, and three, love of God provides the way of escape.

The major argument of universalism against the existence of hell is the love of God. The question is how can a loving God send people to such a gruesome and horrible punishment and torment them forever? That is what Radhakrishnan said, “God’s love would not allow even the worst sinner to slip away from Him completely”. Bertrand Russell thought Jesus was more inhumane than any of us because He talked about hell.

The answer is, God does not send anyone to hell. He desires that no one go to that place. Hell is a place where no one needs to go. God clearly says in the Bible, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23). God is patiently waiting for people to turn to Him so no one will go to that place (2 Peter 3:9). When one sinner repents, there is great rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:7, 10)!

Because of His love for mankind and desire that no one goes to that place, God has provided the way of escape. God loved people so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ who took the punishment of sin on Himself for all mankind. Now the only thing a person has to do to escape from that eternal punishment is trust Jesus and accept God’s forgiveness.

In the cross the holiness of God and love of God are reconciled. Judgment of sin is taken care of and the way for the sinner’s salvation provided. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18).

I repeat, hell is a place where no one needs to go! God does not send anyone there and does not desire that anyone go there. But because of His holiness He cannot give blanket amnesty to all mankind. God has left the choice to each person. As C. S. Lewis said, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’, and those to whom God ultimately says, ‘Thy will be done’” (The Great Divorce).

Three Appropriate Responses

One, Hell is a reality. We cannot fool with it. We cannot ignore it. We cannot believe all the lies of its non existence. But it is a place no one needs to go. We certainly can avoid it. The love of God has already provided the way to avoid it. That is what “salvation” basically means; saved from the wrath of God as the eternal punishment of hell.

But the justice of God does not and cannot give blanket amnesty to everyone. Every person has to choose it, make a conscious choice of it. By not making that choice of avoiding hell, everyone automatically makes the choice of hell. Every person born on the earth is destined to hell, unless he/she makes the choice of avoiding it through coming into relationship with Jesus. There is no other way.

Two, we warn people about it. Imagine you are working in a high rise building. You go to a restroom and see heavy smoke and flames coming out of all the vents. You realize the building is on fire. So you quietly and quickly, without telling anybody, slip out of the building and go home. In the evening news you see with horror that that whole building was destroyed by fire and most of the people working in there did not survive because they did not get early warning. How would you be able to live rest of your life with that guilt feeling of not warning people?

Three, it is only by the grace of God that we can escape from it. We realize that, as we saw in our previous lesson, nothing we have done or can do that saves us from the hell. We like the rest of the mankind deserved hell. It is only by the grace of God, we, through Jesus, are spared from that eternal destination. And so, the rest of our life we spend serving Him with heartfelt gratitude.

Most of us know that the Old Testament book of Isaiah divides in two major divisions. The first thirty nine chapters speak about God’s judgment on Israel because of their sin. The second division, twenty seven chapters speak about God’s coming salvation. The Chapter forty begins with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God”.

But along with the message of comfort and salvation in the second division, there is also a message of condemnation. Twenty seven chapters of the second division divide in three equal parts of nine chapters each. And each part ends with condemnation of the wicked.

At the end of the first nine chapter part it is noted, “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” (48:22). Then at the end of second nine chapter it says with little more detail, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘For the wicked’” (57:20-21). Then at the end of the third nine chapter division, which is the end of the book, it says in far more detail, “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm does not die, their fire is not quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” (66:24)

Who are “they” that will go out and see the dead bodies whose worm does not die and whose fire is not quenched? We can imagine, like the story of the rich man and Lazarus; the rich man looking Lazarus resting in Abraham’s bosom. Here the picture is the other way around. These are the people who are described in the previous verses. These are the inhabitants of heaven.

Now imagine, you are in heaven. And God allows you to crack open the door and lets you see a scene of hell. Living dead bodies. Whose worm would never die and fire will never be quenched. Can you smell the stench? Can you hear the agonizing blood curdling cries? Can you see the dead living bodies flailing their hands in the air crying for help? This is Gahanna.

When you see that, what would you think? Thank God! But by the grace of God I would have been there. Now it is the warning I receive with all seriousness. Now it is my responsibility to warn others of the place no one needs to go. Now it is my joy and privilege to serve Him and live life pleasing to Him.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts, 1707

May 17, 2009

I began to appreciate Psalm 73 back in the early 1970’s. I was single, living two blocks from the beach in Seal Beach, California. Most of my friends had gotten married. I had been rejected several times in my quest to get married and I was very lonely.

Living next door to me was a guy with blond hair down to his back. I was told that he made his living dealing drugs. His live-in girlfriend was stunningly gorgeous. I would be sitting out in the yard reading my Bible as she came out in her bikini and hopped on her bike to ride down to the beach. And I would cry out with Asaph (Ps. 73:13-14), “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.” I could relate very much to his honest confession that his feet came close to stumbling because he envied the wicked (73:2-3)!

At such times we’re all tempted to cry out, “God, it’s not fair! Why do You allow the wicked to prosper, while the godly suffer? Why do evil scoundrels live long and happy lives, while Your saints suffer? It’s just not fair!”

Psalm 73 tackles this problem, not from the ivory tower of philosophic ideas, but from the trenches of painful experience. The Psalms are refreshingly honest. They do not give the false view that if you’re a believer, life will be trouble-free and you’ll go around saying, “Praise the Lord!” all the time. True, the Psalms are full of praise to God and they teach us that we should be people of praise. But they are very realistic in showing that such praise does not come without a struggle. The psalmist here admits that he almost slipped (73:2). But he shows us how he worked through his problem of questioning God’s fairness in light of the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous.

The psalm falls into two halves: in 73:1-14, Asaph shows that there are times when it seems that life isn’t fair, because the wicked prosper and the godly suffer. Then (73:15-28) he shows from his own hard-won victory that the way out of the “life isn’t fair” pity party is to gain God’s eternal perspective on these matters. In two of the most wonderful verses in the Bible, he exclaims (73:25-26), “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

There is far more excellent teaching on this psalm than I can present in one message. C. H. Spurgeon preached five sermons on it, as did Charles Simeon. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached eleven very helpful messages on it, which are now the second half of Faith Tried & Triumphant [Baker]. Jonathan Edwards has a wonderful sermon, “God the Best Portion of the Christian” (The Works of Jonathan Edwards [Banner of Truth], 2:104-107). So if you want more in-depth treatment, I refer you to these men of God.

To sum up Asaph’s insight on the problem of the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous…

The prosperity of the wicked is short-lived and their doom is eternal, but the blessings of the godly are eternal, whereas their trials are short-lived.

1. There are many times when it seems that life isn’t fair, because the wicked prosper and the godly suffer (73:1-14).

The psalmist begins with his solution (73:1), “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!” But then he contrasts this with his own near fall (73:2-3), “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Then (73:4-12), he goes on to describe the wicked, who seem to prosper in spite of their arrogance and blasphemous defiance of God. His conclusion at this point was that he was wasting his time trying to live a godly life, because all he experienced was trouble (73:13-14). I offer five observations:

A. The problem of the wicked prospering and the godly suffering is a heart-matter.

The psalmist says (73:1), “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!” The first phrase centers on God’s covenant people, Israel, whereas the second phrase zeroes in on those within Israel whose hearts were right before God. In modern terms, there is a difference between being a member of a church and having a personal, heart-relationship with God. God knows our hearts and it is on the heart level that we must deal with Him. We can’t hide struggles or doubts from God. We’ve got to battle through until our hearts are pure before Him.

The struggles that the psalmist shares were not those of a skeptic or unbeliever. He was seeking to be pure in heart before God (73:13). His struggles resulted in his being embittered in heart (73:21). When he finally breaks into the light, he can confidently say, “God is the strength of my heart” (73:26).

So the point is, don’t be satisfied with putting on a happy face and saying that all is well between you and God when you’re doubting or embittered in your heart. Admit your heart-struggle and work things through so that with the psalmist, you finally can say truthfully, “God is the strength of my heart.”

B. Envy is at the root of this kind of struggle.

“For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (73:3). Asaph looked at his own lack of material goods and at his own troubles, compared himself with the rich and powerful that he saw around him, and thought, “I want what they’ve got!” His desires were wrong. He desired to get rich, thinking that money would solve his problems (see 1 Tim. 6:9-10).

The first thing he mentions about the wicked is (73:4), “For there are no pains in their death.” Hebrew scholars debate the correct translation of this phrase. Some divide the Hebrew words so that the verse reads (NIV), “They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.” But the Hebrew text probably means that the psalmist saw the ungodly dying peaceably. They don’t fear judgment, because Satan has lulled them into thinking that God will overlook their faults and reward their virtues. So “they glide into eternity without a struggle” (C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David [Baker], 3:340).

The reference to having a “fat” body (73:4, 7) in that culture was a positive thing. They didn’t know about heart disease and the risk of diabetes for the overweight. For them, the wealthy were fat because they had all the food they could eat.

Also, the wicked wear pride as their necklace and violence as their garment (73:6). Because they’re successful, they proudly attribute it all to their own hard work and ingenuity. If they were interviewed on Oprah, they would say, “I got to where I’m at because I believe in myself!” Sure, they had to step on a few people to get there (73:6, 8), but that’s life! They’re even arrogant enough to speak out against God (“the heavens,” 73:9): they didn’t need His help. They succeeded on their own. This description reminds me of Donald Trump, who reeks of arrogance and self-confidence. He gloats that he has the power to say, “You’re fired!”

Verse 10 is difficult to interpret, but it probably refers to the followers of the wicked, who “acclaim them, approve of them, flatter and follow them” (H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms [Baker], p. 526). The followers get to drink “waters of abundance” because of their association with the rich and powerful. Their attitude toward God, if they think of Him at all, is, (73:11), “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” He hasn’t interfered with their climb to success thus far, so He must not know or He doesn’t care.

I don’t think that the psalmist envied the arrogance and ruthlessness of the rich and powerful, but he did envy their easy lifestyle and fact that they had plenty of money to enjoy the finer things of life (73:12).

C. At stake in the “life isn’t fair” complaint are God’s goodness and His sovereignty in governing the world.

Asaph finally came back to affirm that God is good (73:1), but while he was envying the wicked, he was really questioning whether God is good and whether He is in control of the world. If He is both good and powerful, then why do good people suffer and wicked people prosper?

Satan attacked God’s goodness when he suggested to Eve that God was withholding something good by commanding them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan has used that same ploy down through the centuries. When you begin to doubt either God’s goodness or His sovereignty over bad things that happen, you’re on the slippery slope toward doubt and sin.

D. When we think that God isn’t fair, it leads us to question the benefits of following God.

Asaph lamented that he had followed the Lord in vain, because in spite of his efforts to keep both his inner and outer life pure (his heart and his hands), all he had experienced was trouble (73:13-14). At this point, he wasn’t viewing his trouble by faith in God’s loving discipline (Heb. 12:5-11), but rather by sight in comparison with the “good life” of the wealthy wicked. As Spurgeon remarks (ibid., 3:342), “Poor Asaph! He questions the value of holiness when its wages are paid in the coin of affliction.” We have to join Joseph, who viewed all of the bad things that came upon him as good from the hand of God for a higher purpose (Gen. 50:20). And, with Paul (Rom. 8:28-36), we must affirm both God’s sovereignty and His love, believing that He works all things together for our good. So by faith, resist the temptation to doubt the blessings of following God.

E. Self-focus and self-pity are at the root of questioning God’s fairness.

Asaph finally came to see that the problem was not that God is unfair or that the wicked prosper. His problem was his own self-focus and self-pity. He had become “senseless and ignorant,” like a beast before God (73:22). His focus was on himself. “What did I get out of being pure? Nothing but trouble! Poor me!” But, as Derek Kidner observes (Psalms 73-150 [IVP], p. 261), “the very formulating of the thought has shocked the writer into a better frame of mind, which he now describes.”

2. The way out of the “life isn’t fair” pity party is to gain God’s eternal perspective on these matters (73:15-28).

When we grapple with a difficult problem like this, we must begin by remembering God’s words (Isa. 55:8), “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord.” For one thing, we are necessarily time-bound. For us, a few years seem like eternity. But for God, a thousand years are like a day (2 Pet. 3:8). God’s ways are often mysterious to us. To understand His ways, we must study His Word in dependence on His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:6-13). There are five action points that the psalmist took to get out of his distress over the seeming unfairness of God:

A. Face your responsibility as a believer to others (73:15).

“If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.” He means, if he had stopped at verse 14 and had gone around telling everyone what he had been thinking about the prosperity of the wicked and the trials of the godly, without giving the solution that he came to, he would have betrayed God’s children. So, he turned from his self-centered focus (73:3, 13) and faced up to his responsibility as a believer to his fellow believers.

We are responsible, not only to God, but also to one another. What we say can impact our families or those in the family of God or those who are still outside the family of God for good or for evil. If we grumble and impugn God’s goodness in the hearing of our children, we may turn them against following the Lord. It’s a sobering thought to me that as a pastor, if I were to fall into sin, it would damage many of God’s children who look to me as an example! Although you may not be in a leadership position, there are those around you who look at your example. So before you spout off your complaint against God, stop and face your responsibility as a believer to others.

B. Take time to think biblically about matters before you act (73:16).

The psalmist says that he “pondered to understand this.” The answers did not come to him immediately, because he adds that it was troublesome in his sight. The full answer would come after he went into the sanctuary of God (73:17), as we’ll see. But the point is, he took time to ponder to understand things.

If people would only do this consistently, they would avoid so many problems! For example, no one would get drunk or use illegal drugs to “feel good” if they stopped to think about what they are doing, especially if they think about it in light of Scripture. But just from a rational point of view, why use drugs or get drunk? It may give immediate relief from pain or problems, but it will destroy you, impoverish you, and enslave you. The same may be said of any number of sins. If you take time to think biblically about where this sin will take you, you’d avoid it.

C. Take time to meet with God and His people (73:17).

The psalmist did not get things sorted out until he went into the sanctuary of God. Then he perceived the end of the wicked, that God will bring them into certain judgment. The sanctuary refers to the tabernacle (later the temple), where God manifested His holy presence. Asaph doesn’t tell us what happened there to jar him into the right perspective, but as he will go on to spell out, he got his muddled thinking cleared up by meeting with God.

Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], on Ps. 73:16, p. 142) interpreted the sanctuary as referring to God’s Word, since the book of the law was laid up at the sanctuary. Whether that is the meaning here or not, it is certainly true that we need God’s Word to get His perspective on how to deal with trials and with the difficult issues of life. We need private time in the Word and in prayer, asking the Spirit to give us understanding in these things. And, we need the teaching of gifted men to help us as well. Take time to meet with God in His holy place.

But God’s sanctuary is also the place where His people gathered for worship. The implication is that the psalmist had been avoiding gathering with God’s children at His sanctuary. Isolation feeds self-pity. Coming into the sanctuary, he saw others who believed in God and walked with God, in spite of their trials. Perhaps he was able to talk with some of them about his problem and gain a fresh perspective. Don’t keep to yourself if you’re struggling with doubt or some other problem. Get to the sanctuary!

D. Gain God’s eternal perspective on death and judgment (73:18-22, 27).

When Asaph went into the sanctuary, he perceived the end of the wicked (73:17). He says (73:18-20), “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.” He sums this up again in verse 27, “For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.”

These proud, defiant, powerful sinners thought that they were invincible. But in God’s sovereign time, He sets them in slippery places. Like people who step on a patch of ice and go down, these proud men were strutting along with no problems. The next second, they crashed to the ground, mortally wounded. It may seem to the godly and ungodly alike that God is now sleeping. But when He is aroused, these wicked will be “destroyed in a moment,” “utterly swept away by sudden terrors” (73:19). Verse 20 shows “how utterly inconsequential the lives of such men really are” (Leupold, 529). They thought that they were all-important, but God brushes them aside like a dream.

It is important that we always remember that God holds the trump cards of death and judgment. If the Bible makes anything clear, it is the fact that no one will escape death and judgment. If we do not live in light of this eternal perspective, we are like senseless beasts that live and die without any thought of eternity (73:22).

So, to get out of the “life isn’t fair” pity-party, face your responsibility as a believer. Take time to think biblically about what really matters before you act. Meet with God and His people. Gain God’s eternal perspective on death and judgment. Finally,

E. Recognize that God is your chief treasure for time and eternity (73:23-28).

When the psalmist recovered his perspective, that God is truly good to His people, he realized that God had been with him through the whole ordeal, holding on to his hand (73:23). The fact that he got through it was not due to his strong grip on God, but to God’s strong grip on him. He also acknowledges that God will counsel and guide him, and afterward receive him to glory (73:24). The same Hebrew word translated “receive” is used of God’s taking Enoch and Elijah to heaven (Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 9, 10; also, Ps. 49:15). So I understand the “glory” here to be the eternal glory of being with God (Kidner defends this view, p. 263).

Time and words fail me to do justice to the wonderful truth of verses 25 & 26, that God is our chief treasure, both on earth and forever in heaven. I don’t know how many of us can honestly say, “Besides You, I desire nothing on earth,” but as Martyn Lloyd-Jones states (p. 194), this “is the highest level to which we can ever attain. Indeed, in these two verses we see the goal of salvation.”

Earlier, the psalmist’s trouble stemmed from the fact that he was following God for what He could give him. When he saw that the wicked had more good things than he did, he became disillusioned and thought that he had followed God in vain. But now he comes to see that God Himself is enough. God is the treasure. Yes, He gives us many blessings, but He is the main blessing. If you have Him as the strength of your heart and your portion forever, you have it all. As Asaph sums up (73:28), “the nearness of God is my good.” Can you say that?

Conclusion

In his sermon on these verses, Jonathan Edwards applies the truth by asking five questions (p. 106). I can only cite a couple of them. First, “What is it which chiefly makes you desire to go to heaven when you die? … Is the main reason, that you may be with God, have communion with him, and be conformed to him?” Second, “If you might live here in earthly prosperity to all eternity, but destitute of the presence of God and communion with him … would you choose this rather than to leave the world, in order to dwell in heaven, as children of God, there to enjoy the glorious privileges of children, in a holy and perfect love to God, and enjoyment of him to all eternity?” Chew on those questions!

If you’re struggling with God not being fair, it may be because He is not your chief treasure above earthly prosperity. Asaph wants us to know that the prosperity of the wicked is short-lived and their doom is eternal. But the blessings of the godly are eternal, whereas our trials are short-lived. The main blessing is to know God Himself as the strength of your heart and your portion forever!

Application Questions

1. Is it a sin to struggle with doubt? How can we be honest about our doubts without sinning?
2. In what ways are you tempted to envy the wicked? How can you be on guard against these wrongful desires?
3. A skeptic asks, “How can a good and all-powerful God let little children suffer terrible trials?” Your response?
4. How do we come to the place where we can honestly say, “Besides You, God, I desire nothing on earth”?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2009, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

Осеннее издание 2019

Служение Института Библейского Проповедования

“Укреплять Церковь через библейскую проповедь и руководство”

Автор: Проф. Роджер Паскоу, Президент,
Институт Библейского Проповедования
Кембридж, Онтарио, Канада
Почта: [email protected]
Тел: 1- 519-620-2375

Часть I: Усиливая Толкование Проповеди

“Усиливая применение” (Ч. 2)

Введение

В последнем выпуске этого журнала NET для пасторов мы начали обсуждать, как вы можете усилить применение в своих проповедях. В этом выпуске мы продолжим эту тему.

Как проповедники, мы должны помнить, что богословие - очень практично и, следовательно, должно иметь практическое назначение в наших проповедях. Истина не предназначена только для того, чтобы быть интеллектуальной, она также должна быть практичной. Следовательно, применение истины должно составлять значительную часть наших проповедей. Вот, что мы подразумеваем под применением.

Многим проповедникам часто трудно определить, как применять истину, которую они проповедуют, чтобы она соответствовала для сегодняшней аудитории и в то же время соответствовала тексту. Итак, вот несколько идей, которые помогут вам сделать соответствующие применения в ваших проповедях.

A. Полезные Советы Для Обнаружения Хорошего Применения ¹

В начале рассмотрим ситуацию в тексте библии. Задайте такие вопросы, как ...

1: В чем состоит проблема, ситуация или какие были тогда обстоятельства?

• Кому писал библейский автор?
• Почему автор писал этим людям в то время?
• В чем заключалась проблема, какие были там обстоятельства, сложности или испытания, которые необходимо было преодолевать?
• Каков был характер упрека, исправления, наставления или объяснения автором?

2: Каким было библейское решение или требуемое действие?

• Как автор решил проблему? Какой совет он дал людям того времени?
• Обратился ли Бог к ним напрямую? Если так, что Бог велел им делать или как быть?

3: Какова была реакция людей?

• Какую реакцию, ответ библейский автор ожидал или требовал?
• Как люди относились к посланию автора и как отвечали на решение?
• Какое отношение они выражали к совету автора?

Во-вторых, изучите ситуацию сегодня. Задайте такие вопросы, как ...

1. Насколько схожи потребности и проблемы людей сегодня?

• Как мы похожи на людей в библейском тексте?
• Чем их жизненная ситуация похожа на нашу сегодняшнюю? Быть конкретными.

2. Какое библейское решение нужно принять сегодня?

• Что Писание говорит нам об этом вопросе?
• Какие библейские принципы мы можем применить к себе?

3. Какой должна быть наша реакция сегодня?

• Как христианин должен реагировать на указания Писания по этому вопросу
• Что нам нужно сделать, чтобы исправить эту проблему в наши дни? Нужно ли нам что-то исправлять в нашем отношении, наших убеждениях, наших приоритетах, наших ценностях, нашей воле, наших отношениях?
• Что мы должны сделать, чтобы быть послушными Божьему слову?

В-третьих, будьте конкретны для конкретных применений, которые вы будете выявлять

• Как люди в моем собрании встречаются с подобными проблемами в своей жизни?
• Есть ли сходство с людьми в отрывке из Писания?
• Какую реакцию я должен ожидать от своего собрания - убеждение, покаяние, послушание, сомнение, отвержение, гнев, вопросы, возражения, принятие, подчинение?

Задавая эти вопросы, попробуйте ответить на них, конкретно назвав типы ситуаций, которые являются современными эквивалентами. Попробуйте дать конкретные указания относительно того, как они могут применять истину Божью в своей жизни.

Будьте конкретны, реальны в сегодняшних ситуациях жизни ваших людей. Придумайте достоверные, практичные примеры, хотя, возможно, вы не можете назвать реальные ситуации из-за конфиденциальности. В этом случае вы можете, если это будет уместно, попросить кого-то дать личное свидетельство, касающееся этой темы.

Итак, подготовьте свои собственные ответы на свои вопросы и ваши вызовы, рассматривая практическое применение истины в тексте. Что Бог хочет, чтобы это собрание и эти люди индивидуально делали, кому верили или как изменяли свою жизнь? Какими людьми Бог хочет, чтобы они стали?

И всегда старайтесь, например, надеяться, что Святой Дух находится внутри нас, чтобы мы могли быть послушными истине; что наша судьба безопасна и решена, и в конечном итоге мы будем спасены от испытаний; что мы можем иметь радость благодаря нашей вере и будущей надежде на Христа.

Наконец, расскажите, что вы предлагаете сделать своим людям. Быть конкретными. Приведите примеры. Какие действия они должны предпринять, чтобы применить истину в своей жизни, чтобы жить так, как должен жить народ Божий? Какие конкретные шаги они должны предпринять? И предложите помочь им в этом процессе. Как пастор, вы несете ответственность не только за то, чтобы рассказать им, что делать, основываясь на истине Писания, но и за то, чтобы помочь им практически достичь этой цели.

Если тема связана, например, с продолжительными трудностями христианина, постарайтесь дать им конкретные предложения по борьбе (физической, духовной, эмоциональной и т. д.), которые проверят их веру. Например, 1) они могли бы запомнить уместные, ободряющие места Писания; 2) они могли бы начать молиться с друзьями христианами, которые смогут оказать им взаимную поддержку; 3) они могли бы поделиться своей борьбой с консультантом или пастором или со своей группой по изучению Библии. Дайте им место Писание о том, почему это по-библейски для нас носить бремена друг друга.

Заключение

Помните, что не каждый отрывок из Писания передает нам, как его применить в жизни. Другими словами, вы не можете предполагать, что то, что произошло тогда в библейском тексте, имеет свой точный эквивалент сейчас, или что то, как люди того времени отреагировали тогда, - это то, как мы должны реагировать сейчас. То, как вы перейдете к сегодняшнему применению, будет продиктовано отрывком Писания. Вот, где вы должны быть верны замыслу библейского автора.

Б. Основные Характеристики Хорошего Применения

1. Хорошее применение подчеркнет срочность сообщения

Должно быть ощущение срочности, что это должно быть сделано сейчас - то есть, верить Евангелию, подчиниться воле Божьей, прекратить греховные привычки и ассоциации и т. д.

2. Хорошее применение будет отражать интенсивность послания

Под интенсивностью я подразумеваю акцент в проповеди, который поощряет позитивные действия в ответ на убеждение Слова и проповедника. Это - не приятный чат у камина, а вызов. Притчи Иисуса всегда призывали к какому-то действию - например, добрый Самарянин: «Иди и поступай так же» (Лк. 10:37).

3. Хорошее применение будет соответствовать цели послания

Применение должно напрямую относиться к цели проповеди. Оно должно выйти и соответствовать цели проповеди. Какую бы цель вы не определили для своей проповеди, применение должно выполнять эту цель, существенно изменив жизнь людей.

4. Хорошее применение пробудит мотивацию послания

Одна из целей каждой проповеди - побудить слушателей к каким-либо действиям. Мотивация, которую вы хотите вызвать, - это то, что затрагивает сердце, наставляет ум, обличает совесть и направляет волю к действию - не путем манипуляций или угроз, а посредством вызванного Духом, пробужденного правдой ответа на Слово. «Наша конечная цель состоит в том, чтобы двигать волю, направлять ее в другое русло, увеличивать ее темп и заставлять ее петь «путями Божьих заповедей»²

5. Хорошее применение побудит к конфронтации послания

Применение - это когда конфронтация послания становится личностной и прямой (не безличной или косвенной) по отношению к аудитории. Они могут столкнуться с «принципом» истины и не реагировать, потому что он звучит безлично и/или косвенно. Но когда сталкиваешься с «практикой» истины, реакция неизбежна и необходима.

Объективная проповедь носит обличающий характер по прямому или косвенному принципу. У большинства применений проповеди есть два типа обличения. Например, противостояние пророка Нафана Давиду (2 Цар. 12), он начал с косвенного обличения, с истории, но в итоге он сразу же напрямую его обличил: «Ты - тот человек». Иисус обычно был прямым в том, как он применял истину.

Будучи прямым, вы не рискуете пойти по головам людей, как вы могли бы с косвенным применением, когда они вообще упускают суть того, как они должны реагировать. 2 Тим. 3: 16-17, по-видимому, указывает на то, что применение библейской истины должно быть 1) конкретным и явным, а не косвенным и неявным; и 2) убедительным и обличающим, а не наводящим на размышления и приспосабливающимся (ср. с апостольской проповедью в Деяниях).

6. Хорошее применение создаст убедительность послания

Основным объектом применения является убеждение слушателей соответствовать истине, независимо от того, произнесено ли это в проповеди, в конце ее или и там, и там. Проповедуемое объяснение предшествует применению, которому необходимо следовать. Таким образом, проповедь является информативной и преобразующей.

Сила убеждения исходит из Слова Божьего, применяемого Духом Божьим в сердце, уме, воле и совести. Средство убеждения - это проповедник, связывающий истину с жизнью таким образом, что слушатели видят необходимость изменяться и убеждены, в том, что что-то им надо с этим сделать.

Когда Дух Божий открывает понимание Слова Божьего и демонстрирует его реальность через применение проповедника, это является мощным катализатором для перемен.

Чтобы применение было убедительным, представление истины и ее применение должно быть представлено правильно, аккуратно и смиренно, чтобы слушатели были восприимчивы к нему.

7. Хорошее применение появится из объяснения послания

Применение должно руководствоваться текстом так же, как и объяснение текста. Не используйте текст, чтобы прыгнуть резко в любое применение, которое вы хотите. Это будет отсутствием целостности для вашей аудитории и самого текста. Убедитесь, что вы извлекаете ваше применение из текста, что ваши применения соответствуют замыслу библейского автора, и что основная направленность вашего применения совпадает с основной мыслью текста.

Не используйте текст для достижения своих собственных целей. Это - неправильное использование Писания. Применение не должно никоим образом искажать значение текста, поскольку оно относится к жизни. Оно применяет текст целостно. Это требует большой дисциплины. Очень важно выяснить библейское применение, как и выяснить сам библейский смысл текста.

Обратите внимание, что, хотя применение должно быть получено из текста, область применения может быть «растянутой», так как значение текста для жизни может распространиться на разные сферы жизни. Таким образом, один текст с одним значением дает несколько вариантов применения.

8. Хорошее применение разоблачит пасторскую направленность послания

Хорошее применение приведет людей туда, куда им следует прийти. Оно будет заботиться о людях, когда им больно. Оно будет осуждать людей, когда они непослушны. Оно будет кормить людей, когда они голодны. Оно защитит людей, когда они в опасности.

9. Хорошее применение конкретизирует абстрактные идеи послания

Не беспокойтесь о том, что, делая ваши конкретные примеры конкретными, вы можете позволить некоторым своим слушателям сорваться с крючка - то есть они могут прийти к выводу, что, поскольку вы не назвали что-то, что относится к ним, им не нужно к вам прислушиваться. Здесь Святой Дух заполняет пустое место. Он использует примеры, которые вы приводите, чтобы вспомнить в умах и совести слушателей то, что им нужно исправить, изменить и т. д.

Будьте определенны и конкретны. Вот что такое применение. Соотнести истину с жизнью. Чтобы сделать это эффективно, вы должны сосредоточиться на жизненных ситуациях, в которых эта конкретная истина может быть применима особым образом. Ваша задача, как проповедника, состоит в том, чтобы прояснить это и призвать к послушанию. Не оставляйте это на концептуальном уровне. Это то, что делают многие проповедники. Им трудно спуститься с абстрактного уровня богословия на конкретную жизненную ситуацию.

Заключение

Не пренебрегайте применением. Перед тем, как проповедовать, просмотрите свою проповедь, чтобы оценить, сколько различных применений вы включили. Этого достаточно? Применяется ли каждый основной принцип? Мой наставник, профессор Стивен Олфорд, обычно призывал нас сделать применение на 50% проповеди!

В. Руководство, Как Найти Применение

1. Ищите истину, обещания, заповеди и примеры

Обещания, заповеди и примеры приводятся не только для убеждений или интеллектуального согласия. Они должны быть внедрены в жизнь. Библия содержит истины, в которые важно верить и быть послушным.

Единственным приемлемым ответом на библейские истины является вера, о чем свидетельствует не только пассивное принятие этого принципа, но и понимание его последствий для жизни и их воплощение в жизнь (т.е. применение). Обратите внимание, что истины и примеры могут быть явными или неявными.

Например, явный принцип таков: «люби ближнего твоего, как самого себя» (Левит 19:18). Хотя нет никаких сомнений в том, что такое явный принцип, и что он означает, его реализация в жизни может варьироваться от культуры к культуре. Наша задача - найти применение явного принципа нашей жизни в нашей культуре сегодня.

Неявным принципом могут быть принципы, значение которых для жизни достигается посредством логического вывода. Например, «не прелюбодействуй» подразумевает необходимость в чистоте, верности, любви.

Ищите принципы и затем двигайтесь вверх по лестнице абстракции, чтобы определить их самый широкий смысл. Затем примените их к жизни, как это должно быть в нашем обществе в наше время

2. Научитесь герменевтическим вызовам применения Ветхого Завета

Для более четкого понимания почитайте на эту тему - я бы порекомендовал вам главу “Как христианин должен применять Ветхий Завет к жизни” в книге «Осмысление Ветхого Завета», автор - Тремпер Лонгман III (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), с. 103- 136.

3. Будьте в курсе, какая культура окружает вас

Таким образом, вы можете использовать Слово в реальных ситуациях реальных людей. Применение, которое непонятное и бессмысленное или является «выходом», будет иметь небольшое влияние.

Принципы истины в Библии говорят ко всем народам всех времен. Наша задача в проповеди состоит в том, чтобы применить это к нашим людям в наше время - это актуально.

4. Признайте, что нет двух проповедников, которые будут применять текст одинаково

Это не значит, что один прав, а другой не прав. Это просто означает, что их стили отличаются, или они выявляют разные аспекты одной и той же истины, или их собрания получат пользу от другого варианта применения.

5. Не потеряйте страсть во время объяснения применения

Сохраняйте свою убежденность и страсть к истине во время применения. Это критическое время для интенсивности, когда вы конкретизируете и персонализируете его.

6. Говорите так, как будто эта истина уже применяется вами лично

Это не означает, что вы не должны использовать «мы». Иногда вы можете это сделать, но лучше используйте «вы», чтобы сделать применение личностным и убежденным. Но вы должны быть уверены, что сначала применили эту истину к своей собственной жизни, прежде чем сможете убедить других делать тоже самое.

Всегда делайте эту часть в вашем процессе подготовки. Когда ваша проповедь готова и вы просматриваете ее с Господом, просматривайте ее “молитвенно”, прося Бога показать вам истины, которые вам нужно применить к себе.

7. Визуализируйте свою аудиторию

Обратите внимание на их потребности (не будучи личностными или нарушая уверенность). Охватите спектр жизненных ситуаций, представленных в вашей аудитории (например, дома, на работе, в школе, в вашем районе) - включите всех.

Используйте «возможно» ситуации для каждой жизненной ситуации. «Возможно, вы сталкиваетесь с этим на своем рабочем месте ...» и т. д. Вы можете не указывать конкретную ситуацию, с которой сталкивается каждый человек, но вы будете вызывать в их сознании другие ситуации, в которых это применение относится к ним лично.

8. Запомните четыре принципа применения

№ 1. Личный принцип

Это принцип проповедника, применяющего Писание к своей жизни. Если вы будете проповедовать другим то, что не применили к своей собственной жизни, вы не будете проповедовать с силой. Не только Бог знает, когда вы это делаете, но и люди тоже. Проповедник должен проповедовать то, во что он верит, и он должен жить этим.

№ 2. Принцип воображения

Чтобы правильно применить текст, он должен стать для вас реальностью. Люди, места и эмоции должны оживать в вашем собственном воображении. Если текст живой для проповедника, тогда вам будет легче увидеть, как его можно применить к другим людям.

№ 3. Принцип растяжения

Когда мы проповедуем людям в течение определенного периода времени и направляем их, проповедник узнает их лучше - их страхи и потребности. Наш опыт с людьми, где они живут и кем они являются, позволяет нам расширить применение Писаний, чтобы охватить как можно больше разных сфер жизни. Это не дает нам права на использование текста не по назначению или не точно. Существует только одно толкование Писания, но есть много применений к человеческому опыту и его проблемам.

№ 4. Принцип провозглашения

Применение текста должно быть заявлено с достаточной полнотой и ясностью. Не должно быть никакой неопределенности относительно применения текста. Люди приходят в церковь за четким указанием, чтобы узнать, что говорит Бог, как они должны жить и как они могут получить помощь в решении своих проблем. Следовательно, применение должно быть четко сказано, чтобы люди не оставались “зависшими” и не задавались вопросом, в чем был смысл проповеди.

Часть II. План Проповеди

Чтобы прослушать аудиоверсию этих проповедей на английском языке, нажмите на следующие ссылки: Link 1 - Откр. 2:1-4; Link 2 - Откр. 2:5-7

Название: Письма семи церквям: Ефесской, православной, но холодной

Тема: Пробуждение начинается с покаяния среди Божьих людей.

Пункт № 1: Во-первых, хорошая новость: «Внешне ваша церковь имеет хорошее духовное здоровье»

(1) Вы работаете постоянно и усердно (2а)

(2) Вы осуждаете зло ясно и решительно (2б)

(3) Вы продолжаете идти за Ним добросовестно и без устали (3)

Пункт № 2: Теперь плохая новость: «Внутренне у вашей церкви серьезное заболевание сердца»

(1) Диагноз Христа: «Ты оставил твою первую любовь» (4)

(2) Обращение Христа:

а) «Помни, откуда ты ниспал» (5а)

б) «Покайся и твори прежние дела» (5б)

в) Предупреждение: «Если ты этого не сделаешь, я сдвину светильник твой с места его» (5c)

г) Обещайте тем, кто прислушается к предупреждению: «Я дам (вам) есть с дерева жизни, которое находится в раю Божьем»

1

¹ Адаптировано из Dave Veerman, “Как применять Библию” (Уитон, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, г. 1993).

² Джон Генри Джоветт, «Проповедник, его жизнь и работа» (Нью-Йорк: Издательство «Харпер и братья», г. 1912), стр. 172, цитируется в «Руководстве по современной проповеди», стр. 211.