Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050227.htm

CHRIST'S PROPHETIC MESSAGE TO CONTEMPORARY EVANGELICALS
Part II: Christ's All-Sufficiency For Evangelicalism Presented
A. Christ's All-Sufficiency For Discipling The Godly
(Revelation 3:14b(a))
  1. Introduction
    1. In prophetically addressing us believers in our current Evangelical era of Church History, our Lord implies a great lack exists of effective ministry to His godly believers in Evangelicalism.
    2. Revelation 3:14b(a) shows us Christ's All-Sufficiency for meeting this need of today as follows:
  2. Christ's All-Sufficiency For Discipling The Godly, Revelation 3:14b(a)
    1. In preparing to comment on today's Evangelical era, Jesus laid out a threefold description of Himself in Revelation 3:14b: He is "The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, The Head of the Creation of God."
    2. The first description, "The Amen," shows Christ's All-Sufficiency in discipling today's godly believers just OPPOSITE the futile attempts by Calvinist and Arminian pastors respectively (as follows):
      1. The words "the Amen" exist elsewhere only twice in the Greek N.T. -- once in 2 Cor. 1:20 and once again in 1 Cor. 14:16 (Moulton & Geden, A Concordance to the Greek Testament, p. 51-52).
      2. These passages in their contexts explain what is needed for the godly to elicit "the Amen" to a sermon opposite what Charismatic-Arminian and Calvinist pastors [respectively] errantly do (as follows):
        1. 2 Cor. 1:18-20 explains what is needed opposite what today's Calvinist pastors errantly do: (a) Paul taught for "the Amen" to occur, the speaker must be unambiguous (not "yes and no") in asserting Christ fulfilled God's Old Testament promises (B.K.C., N.T., p. 557). Paul elsewhere reveals if one holds this belief on Christ, he affirms (1) dispensational theology [especially seen in (2) the end of the Law's jurisdiction for the Church] and (3) living by the Holy Spirit's power (Galatians 3:10-4:7; Ephesians 2:11-3:6; Romans 11:25-29). (b) However, Calvinist [esp. Covenant Theology/Reformed] Evangelicals fail to extol Christ fulfilled the Abrahamic promises, leading to their failing to hold to dispensationalism (incl. failure to hold to a consistent literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation [Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today, p. 86-109; 177-191; J. D. Pentecost, Things To Come, p. 66]; thus, they fail to assert the TRUTHS that Christ ended the rule of the Mosaic Law for Jew and Gentile by the Cross, that He instituted the dispensation of the Church and offers a victorious spiritual life by grace as believers rely on the Holy Spirit's power!
        2. 1 Cor. 14:15-16 explains what is needed opposite what today's Arminian pastors errantly do: (a) Paul claimed for "the Amen" to occur, pastors had to speak in a known human language that hearers logically knew via the mind (noi, UBS Grk. N.T., 609; T.D.N.T. , IV, 959)! (b) Well, Charismatic-Arminian pastors conversely try to proclaim God's message in "tongues" that are not known human languages or to speak prophetic utterances that are not confirmed via written Scripture or state illogical beliefs or ambiguous ["yes" and "no"] statements that hinder "the Amen" coming from godly hearers (A. Mohler, Jr. "Evangelical: What's In A Name," p. 31-39 in John Armstrong, ed., The Coming Evangelical Crisis (who reports on this problem.)
    3. Thus, Christ causes the godly to say "the Amen" [cf. Phil. 2:12-13] as the pastor does the opposite of what the Arminian and Calvinist pastor does as itemized above and summarized in our conclusion below!
Lesson: (1) Christ implies Evangelical pastors FAIL to gain "the Amen" from their godly hearers as follows: (a) Arminians promote utterances in mentally misunderstood "tongues" or illogical statements or hold to pluralistic views or distrust the Bible's inspiration or do not expound it and (b) Calvinists fail to assert Christ fulfills the Abrahamic promises, leading to these pastors' rejection of dispensationalism and in turn their mishandlings of Scripture in Bible exposition! (2) To SOLVE the problem, Christ CAUSES godly hearers to give "the Amen" if (a) OPPOSITE ARMINIANISM, the pastor logically expounds written Scripture as God's infallible, verbally inerrant, inspired Word, and if he speaks its truth in a known human language the godly hearer logically understands, (b) and if, OPPOSITE CALVINISM, he asserts Christ fulfills the Abrahamic promises that in turn backs dispensationalism and that in turn backs and leads to his consistent literal, grammatical and historical interpretation of Scripture, leading to his extolling freedom from the Law and living by leaning on the Spirit's power!