Reflection
After a busy weekend at our 2023 Annual Meeting, full of joy, love, and truth, it is good for God’s people to reflect on what they have heard. Like the noble Bereans, we should be eager to receive preaching with all readiness of mind but we should also search the scriptures daily to see if these things are so. Many Christians avoid bible study for want of knowing where to begin. Let me suggest that regular attendance in the Lord’s house will eliminate that objection by rewarding the regular attendee with a host of verses that deserve additional consideration to see if they are so. I strongly recommend that folks take notes during the service. Write down the scripture references. Spend time reading those verses during the week. Read the verses that precede them, and those that follow. Such searches are required to prove that what is preached is “so.” Upon further reflection, those who engage in this practice will be astonished at the degree of spiritual understanding they can acquire in a 6 months time, let alone a year or a lifetime. To that end, I'd like to share some reflections on Elder Kennedy’s preaching this past weekend along with the accompanying texts that he mentioned.
FOUR REFLECTIONS
1. The gospel gives light, not life. This is a common observation among our people. In fact it is so common that our people might be apt to lose sight of how rare this declaration truly is. A great many in the professing Christian world insist that the gospel message is instrumental in the work of regeneration, but that declaration will not stand the test of the scriptures. The Apostle Paul speaks of God…
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (II Timothy 1:9-10)
Careful readers will recognize the distinction in this text between “light” (information) and “life” (vitality). The gospel reveals the truth regarding the mechanics of eternal salvation to someone who has the faith to receive it. It provides “light” on the matter of salvation, not the “life” imparted in regeneration. This idea is affirmed elsewhere in scriptures. Of the glorious gospel, Paul said…
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
In my experience, Christians are familiar with v16 and dismissive of v17. As a result, they often make assertions based upon v16 that cannot withstand the test of v17. Many speak of the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation” by which they intend that the gospel is “the power of God unto regeneration.” But this is not true. How do we know this? There are many proofs. At a bare minimum, none of the OT saints ever heard the explicit NT gospel of I Corinthians 15:3-4 (Colossians 1:26, Romans 16:25). Verse 17 provides another compelling reason, namely that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God “TO FAITH.” If you don’t have faith, you cannot receive gospel truth. This is why Paul taught…
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14)
2. Servants see things that others do not. This was perhaps one of the most profitable observations brought out in Elder Kennedy’s preaching. I heard Elder Phelan say, “That’s a good point right there!” when brother Kevin made that statement. At Harmony PBC that is a phenomenon known as “ringing the bell.” Elder Phelan has heard a lot of peaching and is usually more reserved in his response to preaching compared to some other Elders. But when he hears something that he finds particularly insightful or fresh, he speaks. I asked him about this after the service and he said, “That’s how you can tell that a brother has been doing some studying and that God has taught him some things.” I completely agree. Elder Kennedy’s assertion came from the following text:
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
“And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:5-10)
That text proves that the servants saw and knew things that the governor of the feast did not. He was able to enjoy and appreciate the wine but he did not know where it came from. All who partook of the wine at the wedding were blessed by the the Lord’s miracle, but the servants more so, for they knew that a miracle had been performed. This arrangement makes me mindful of the saving works of our faithful God even in temporal matters such as running out of wine at a wedding. Paul said that God “is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” (I Timothy 4:10) In the matter at Cana, it is certain that the Lord delivered all from the wine shortage, but the servants who believed were specially saved over and above that blessing, for they saw a miracle performed.
3. Peter was given keys to the kingdom that are found in his epistles. There are many places in Peter’s epistles where one can find such keys. I commented that there’s so many keys in those epistles that you might think Peter was a janitor. In discussions with Elder Carl Staten after the service he pointed out several to Elder Kennedy and me. In my closing comments, I made mention of the first chapter of I Peter as a place to find some keys. While there are keys to be found there, upon reflection I realized that the passage on my mind was the II Peter passage Elder Staten had mentioned and not I Peter at all. A noble Berean listening closely to those conversations would have no doubt caught that error. That passage states:
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” (II Peter 2:3-15)
There is a great deal of “adding” that we are exhorted to do in that text and I will leave that for the noble to ponder. I will, however, point out that Elder Staten reminded us that Peter says, “Add to your faith.” He never said “add faith.” Indeed faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a spiritual capacity, not the produce of the flesh. The natural man only has flesh at the job site. He can work with that material all day long. He may build something that others regard as grand and glorious, “religious” and “holy” even, but it will never be spiritual. That’s because the flesh is all he has to work with. That teaches us that if we have a spiritual mind, a spiritual heart, a spiritual hunger or thirst, or anything else that is truly spiritual, that spiritual thing came from God, because our flesh could never produce it, and only the Spirit of God can produce spiritual things (John 3:6).
4. The Jordan doesn’t look like much, but it was the gateway to the promised land. So also the waters of baptism don’t seem like much to a watching world. “So you got dunked in water. What does that matter?” Well, the bible teaches us:
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (I Peter 3:21)
Now there’s a front door key to the kingdom of God in this world - the Lord’s NT church. There’s a salvation in baptism. It’s not eternal salvation. It is the salvation or deliverance that comes through obeying the Lord (Matthew 28:19), declaring his resurrection wherein is all our hope (I Corinthians 15:17), and joining with the Lord’s people in fellowship and love to serve him as is our reasonable service (Acts 2:47, Romans 12:1). For want of crossing the Jordan most of a generation perished, never seeing the promised land that was set before them for the taking. So too, in our time many miss out on blessings of the Kingdom in this life for want of proper baptism.
We practice close communion. That means we take communion with those of like precious faith, a close, inner circle of those who share our beliefs. We do this, as Elder Kennedy stated, because we notice the Lord had many disciples but the first communion was with the twelve. We also wash the feet of the saints just as our Lord commanded us to do in language that is so plain that it is nigh on impossible to misunderstand,
“He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:4-17)
Jesus told Peter that he did not understand this matter now, but that he would afterwards (v7). The same is true in our day. While I might spend time speaking of what is represented in the act of washing one another’s feet, I am certain that my best efforts could not impart what this obedience means to a child of God. Ultimately this is a spiritual matter that must be practiced to be understood, even as the Lord promised.
Come and see,
- Elder Daniel Samons