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Banner of Truth 2011 “So Great A Salvation”

The opening sermon was given by Rev. Mark Johnston on John 17:20-26.

He made three points:
1. Jesus is praying for us.
2. Jesus is praying for us to be in union in the same way that the Godhead experiences union.
3. That union is expressed in us through the love that we have for each other in Christ.

Dr. Joel Beeke had two sessions:

The first was “Gethsemane’s King and Lamb” on John 18:1-14.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the King’s Threefold Sovereignty:
1. Jesus only had eleven with Him.
2. Jesus proclaimed His Divinity in saying “I Am.”
3. Jesus became our Sovereign Substitute in asking the others be let go.
In this, we understand we have nothing to fear, for the work is done.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the Lamb’s Threefold Submission:
1. Jesus was willing to be arrested.
2. Jesus was willing to be bound like a criminal.
3. Jesus allowed Himself to be led away as the Lamb to the Slaughter.
In this, we ought respond by offering ourselves wholeheartedly.

The second was “Christ Forsaken!” on Matthew 27:46.

Dr. Beeke warned us he could only begin to approach the meaning of this text.

These words do not mean:
1. Jesus’ Divinity was diminished.
2. Jesus’ Human Nature was divided from His Divine Nature.
3. The Trinity was destroyed.
4. Jesus was detached from the Holy Spirit.
5. Jesus disavowed His Mission.

It does mean:
1. Jesus expressed the agony of unanswered supplication.
2. Jesus experienced the agony of unbearable stress.
3. Jesus expressed the agony of unmitigated sin.
4. Jesus expressed the agony of singular solitariness.

Why was Jesus forsaken? Four possibilities:
1. God is capricious. NO
2. God did it out of malice towards the Son. NO
3. Jesus’ Suffering is merely didactic. NO
4. Jesus’ Suffering was a penal/vicarious suffering. YES
When we feel sorry for ourselves, we ought to sit at the feet of the cross and listen to Jesus’ Words. Let us love ourselves and our people enough to leave our petty complaints at the cross. Let us understand that the Father loves us with everything – we may give a tithe, but He has given us His Son. How do we dare not completely surrender?

Dr. Richard Gaffin gave two sessions on “So Great a Salvation in Paul.”

First, he looked at I Corinthians 15 and explained that the Gospel, according to Paul, is that Jesus rose from the dead according to the Scriptures.

Thus, 1. Christ’s Resurrection is our justification.
2. God is the One Who justifies.
3. Jesus continues to pray for us and maintain us in our justification.

Second, he looked at Philippians 1:6, arguing that sanctification is “the Gospel of Good Works,” noting that the Reformation was not just about justification by faith alone, but also about the restoring of good works to their proper place. The anti-text is the bumper sticker: “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” The word “just” is anti-Christian.

1. The text assures us that God has really begun a good work in us. It is the work of causing us to delight in God’s Law and everything in which God delights and not delighting in what God does not delight in.
2. The work that God has begun in us is a resurrection work – a future hope and a present reality. We are alive from the dead in our mortal bodies.
3. Thus, we walk in the good works that God has prepared for us.
We are not “just forgiven.” The work of sanctification is God’s Work. Our good works are ultimately God’s good works in us. Our being conformed to the Image of Christ is the end for which we created and elected unto salvation.  The bumper sticker would be correct if it read: “Christians aren’t perfect, but God has forgiven them and is completing a good work in them.”

Rev. Tom Chantry spoke twice on King Josiah.

The first, on II Kings 22:8-20, was entitled, “The Penitent Minister.”

God calls us to be servant leaders and God-fearing men.
Six observations:
1. Josiah took God and sin seriously.
2. Josiah did not exclude himself from the list of the guilty.
3. Josiah wept over sin.
4. While under the conviction of sin, Josiah sought the Lord.
5. Josiah was answered by a merciful God.
6. When he was burdened, Josiah redoubled his efforts to eradicate sin.

The second, on II Kings 23:21-32, was entitled, “The Insufficient Minister.”

Our call is to proclaim He Who is the Resurrection and the Life to those who are perishing. How do we know if our work has been effective?
Three measurements of Josiah’s ministry:
1. Vv 21-23 compared with all of the other kings, his kingship was an unqualified success.
2. Vv 24-25 as far as his thoroughness in rooting out idolatry, his kingship was an unqualified success.
3. Vv 26-32 but he could not turn back the Wrath of God against their sin – this is the true measure of our ministry. He changed the people’s actions for a time, but he did not change their hearts to the Lord. This shows the themes of the OT – the insufficiency of men.
We ought to direct the hope of our people to the Great King, the Master-Shepherd. He alone fulfills His Ministry as one of our brothers and God. We ought to admit to our people that they ought to have better shepherds that us.  We ought never desire to be kings, because we will never be as effective as we ought to be. We are royal heralds, not kings. But, through Jesus, our King, God’s Wrath is turned aside.

Dr. Joey Pipa spoke twice – on Psalm 1 and Psalm 2.

The first talk was called “the Righteous Man.” (He explained that he chose to speak on these two Psalms because he sees them are summarizing all of the themes of the Psalter.)

1. The character of the righteous man – he is focused on God’s Truth, repudiates the wicked, turning to the Word of God, and getting lost in the treasure box of God’s Word.
2. The condition of the righteous man – he has been transplanted to a place of blessing, vitality, utility.
3. The confidence of the righteous man – looks ahead at the great assembly and knows the fate of the wicked.

The second talk was called, “The Warrior King.”

Even though the dark kingdom seems pervasive, Jesus will run rampant through it and defeat it.
1. The people are involved in orchestrated rebellion against God.
2. The Warrior King is perfectly calm, with joy for His people and mocking disdain for the nations.
3. The King is completely confident in His Victory.
4. That Victory extends throughout the whole Creation.

Rev. Ian Hamilton gave one mini-talk, called, “Preachers Beware!, quoting John Owen,
"Without the Holy Spirit, we might as well burn our Bibles.”
1. The Word apart from the Spirit is a dead letter.
2. Some things are so basic, we can lose sight of their vital importance.
3. We can become obsessed with our doctrine. Beware, conveying the Reformed faith accurately is not the same as conveying it truly.

Rev. Jonathan Watson gave one mini-talk in which he asserted that the success of Spurgeon’s’s ministry was his relying on the Holy Spirit.