Having commented last week that one of the drawbacks of listening to ministry while driving was that you couldn’t make notes, my first day back on the road saw me caught up in travel chaos because of the weather, and the journey that normally takes me one hour took around three and a half hours.  I had two or three long periods of time when I was sitting stationary and actually able to take notes of the sermon I was listening to!

During this past week I have been listening to a number of messages and talks given by my Featured Preacher of the month, Dr Steve Lawson of Alabama and about whom I plan some more posts next week.

I began by listening to the addresses he gave at last year’s Expositors’ Conference and particularly enjoyed his ‘What is Expository Preaching?’ and the two expositions: ‘Famine in the Land‘ (Amos 8v11) and ‘The Invincible Weapon’ a really powerful and timely message on Hebrews 4vv2-13.

The other sermons I listened to were the opening one from his series of expositions on Psalm 119.   This has become my very favourite Psalm after I spent a year memorising it a couple of years ago and I am beginning a series of expositions through it myself as I preach at a number of conventions, conferences and churches through 2008 with a possible view to a devotional commentary at the end of it all.   I highly recommend these and any other ministry by this anointed expositor of God’s Word.

On at least four, and sometimes five, days of most weeks I have the privilege of a one hour drive to College in Edinburgh and another hour back home later in the day. I say privilege because I actually enjoy driving, because most of the drive is through very pleasant countryside but primarily because it gives me an hour’s undisturbed listening time. I have the chance to hear about 8 hours of good ministry a week this way. Over the coming weeks, as I work through a mass of mp3s I have downloaded but not yet listened to - not to mention the ones I keep adding to my collection! - I thought that at the end of the week I would share what I have been listening to and make a few comments. The recordings will be added to my list of recommended audio (here)

I was only in College one day this week partly because of the holidays so listened to the two sessions by John MacArthur at last year’s Expositors’ Conference where he and Steven Lawson were the main speakers. MacArthur spoke twice on ‘Why I am Committed to Expository Preaching’, (here and here)working through a list he had drawn up of the consequences of a non expositional ministry. This wasn’t exposition but a call to exposition.

It was inspiring and encouraging stuff as those who are familiar with McArthur ministry’s will know. As usual, he is amusing at times, pulls no punches and takes no prisoners and it was God-honouring, Christ-centred, Bible-focussed throughout.

One of the disadvantages of listening in the car is that you can’t make notes and so have to go through material again at a later time if you want to note things down. The first few consequences he listed were:

1. usurps the authority of God over the soul.

2. usurps the headship of Christ over his Church

3. hinders the work of the Holy Spirit

4. demonstrates pride and a lack of submission

5. severs the preacher personally from the regular sanctifying grace of Scripture

6. removes spiritual depth and transcendence from worship

Next week I will be listening to the ministry of Steven Lawson and will share that with you at the end of the week. A new feature of this site is a Featured Preacher of the month and I am thrilled that Dr Lawson has agreed to be the first, but more about that next week.

Having decided my approach to and having exegeted the text I now had to work on the point, the meaning of the passage for the people who would be sat before me as I preached.

Why has the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write this complicated and detailed piece of Scripture? What is the message he wants to get over?

Let’s look at the context:

We’re forced to do that because v18 begins with ‘for’ or ‘because’, which takes us back to v17 and v17 also starts with a ‘for’ or ‘because’ which takes us back to the verses before that – which were the verses we had studied the previous week.

v17 is the hinge, the transition.

Let’s recap on verses 13-16:

v14 – suffering for righteousness’ sake brings God’s blessing

v15 - we need to be ready to explain ourselves to non-Christians as they observe us bearing witness in times of unjust suffering

v16 - we must be conscientious, making sure that if we suffer, we only suffer persecution for good reasons, for living godly lives

v17 then sums up that section and leads into some evidences to back up the statement

Based on this I came up with the following as my theme for the sermon: “Making Sense of Undeserved Suffering” and I had five points of application.

1. Suffering is to be Expected - consider Christ

2. Suffering is Part of the Battle - consider the spirits

3. Suffering is not a Mark of God’s Failure but of his Patience - consider Noah

4. Suffering does not defeat God but serves his purposes - consider the ascended Christ

5. Deserved suffering is all that awaits those who reject God’s offer of salvation in Christ - consider yourself

(mp3 recording of preached message)