Making and Maturing

Disciples of Jesus

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Ryan serves as the Lead Pastor of Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey. He is married with four children.
  • What I Value in Preaching

    What I Value in Preaching

    A sermon is very much a jar of clay; even the best are far from perfect. Even though they bear the flaws of the preacher, God is still pleased to graciously work through humble servants and their earthly efforts.

    The more I preach, the more I witness confirmation that the Spirit must supernaturally illuminate the Word of God in the hearts of people in spite of my feeble attempt to explain and apply it. I don’t think there’s a formula or process that can guarantee this, other than actually preaching from the Scriptures. (I am convinced sermons without Scripture are bueno para nada).

    I’ve recently been asked what I value in a sermon. The more I thought about it, I figured I should put these values down on paper if only for the purposes of accountability. So, upon reflection, here are 7 values I hope are reflected in my preaching. Hear me out, I am not saying I’m good at these values, but that I want to be good at them. It is my goal that my sermons would be:

    1. Expositional– An expositional sermon is one in which the main idea of a text of Scripture is the primary point of the sermon, and ideally the sermon would show the congregation how (here’s a nice summary by Mike Bullmore on expositional preaching). This is where all the original language, grammar, history, genre awareness, and literary analysis pay off in studying a passage.
    2. Informed by Biblical Theology– The sermon’s content and main idea should be nuanced in light of the whole of the Scriptures. It’s easy to become so focused on the passage in question that the forest of Scripture is lost. In this I want to be aware of NT/OT connections, as well as the way certain themes are developed in the whole of the canon.
    3. Saturated with Application– A sermon should be infused with specific suggestions and examples of how the passage should be believed, applied, and/or obeyed. I never want to leave people saying, “That was nice, but what should I do about it?”
    4. Clear– The sermon should be easily understandable while not being simplistic. This applies especially to the main idea and related sub points. If people don’t understand the main point, I’ve missed something.
    5. Anchored in the Gospel– The sermon should make reference to the gospel, and seek to explain how the passage relates to the death and resurrection of Jesus. I try to include a call to respond to the gospel in each message for those who may not yet be believers. For some passages this is natural part of the sermon, while in others it takes
      strategic effort.
    6. Aimed at the Affections– The sermon should target the heart, not merely the intellect, seeking to foster greater love for God, hunger for God, and worship of God. A sermon isn’t a lecture. The mind may be the gateway to the heart, but merely teaching a text isn’t the end goal. No one is better than Jonathan Edwards on this point: “And the impressing of divine things on the hearts and affections of men, is evidently one great end for which God has ordained, that his word delivered in the Holy Scriptures, should be opened, applied, and set home upon men, in preaching.”
    7. Empowered by the Spirit– No matter how the sermon is structured, no matter how creative the presentation, if the Spirit of God does not work in the hearts of those who hear, it will not be effective. So what can the preacher do? He must recognize his absolute dependence on God for any good to come of the sermon. He must humbly ask for the Holy Spirit’s power to draw people to Christ through the sermon, and that each listener’s ears, eyes, and heart will be opened to understand, trust, and obey God’s Word.

    As I think about these values, I realize that different preachers can check these boxes with very different styles/personalities. That’s part of the beauty of God’s design for preaching. As the years pass by, I hope to become a better preacher in these 7 areas.

  • Because I Belong

    Because I Belong

    “What is your only comfort in life and in death?”

    Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1

    This year we have been using the New City Catechism in our Kingdom Kids ministry and as a church community. The first question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” is modeled directly on the first question of Heidelberg catechism of 1563. It’s a good question. The short version answer is, “That we are not our own, but belong to God.”

    I wonder how we answer this in the United States today. My comfort is in my physical health? My comfort is in my bank account balance? My comfort is in my possessions? Job security? Relationship status?

    Those answers might apply to comfort in life, but when you add the “comfort in death” dimension, they lose their relevance. In short, on your death bed those answers will leave you without comfort.

    In contrast, here’s the first part of the original answer:

    “That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

    Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1

    So the truth of the gospel provides real comfort in life and in death. Through faith in Jesus we are adopted into his family. By his blood we were redeemed—bought for a price. We actually belong to Jesus, our faithful savior. Here are 4 practical ways this truth applies to our daily lives:

    Because I belong to Jesus, I am forgiven of my sins past, present and future.

    This truth gives us hope and comfort when we fail. It motivates us to dust get up, ourselves off, and continue to persevere in the faith.

    Because I belong to Jesus, every circumstance of my life must work for my good.

    This truth gives us hope and comfort when we are bombarded by life’s drama. This includes the small drama of traffic, laundry, and paper cuts and the big drama of break-ups, getting laid off, and cancer. So by faith, we trust our great God and walk with him through the ups and downs.

    Because I belong to Jesus, I am guaranteed of future rest and glory.

    This truth gives us the big picture perspective we need. Perhaps this is most relevant when we are in pain, or mourning, or have experienced a severe wrong. We long for things to be right—physically, institutionally, economically, culturally, morally, and spiritually. One day, they will be.

    Because I belong to Jesus, I have a purpose for every day.

    This truth gives us hope and comfort that our daily grind is more than a grind. Whether we are climbing mount Everest or going to elementary school, we have an opportunity to think, speak, and live for our Master.

    May we live differently each day because we belong.

    Bonus: Here’s the complete answer to question 1 in the Heidelberg catechism.

    Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

    A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

  • 5 Key Commitments for Any Time of Year

    5 Key Commitments for Any Time of Year

    Resolved, To be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, so that, in Prov. 20:6. ‘A faithful man, who can find?’ may not be partly fulfilled in me.

    -Jonathan Edwards, Resolution #32, 1722 (written at age 19)

    I’m not much for new year’s resolutions, mostly because they tend to be short sighted and short lived. I do think it’s wise to carefully consider how we have spent our time, and what changes we should make to our daily routines to best walk by faith. What if, instead of making new year’s resolutions, we identified key areas in which we are called to faithfulness by the Lord? To that end, following a line of thought from my friend Jonathan Edwards, I humbly submit these five commitments for your consideration:

    1-Attend church faithfully

    Failing to be faithful in our church attendance can only cause spiritual harm. It’s much harder to walk by faith without the weekly encouragement of the church body. In our culture, church attendance has serious competition: sleeping in, weekend chores, sports, travel, work, and much more.

    What if this year we decided we weren’t going to miss church unless we were sick or legitimately could not move a work responsibility? We would grow in our knowledge of God, get to know the saints in our church better, and have greater spiritual awareness every week. There’s no down side.

    2-Read your Bible regularly

    Failing to read the Bible regularly isn’t so much an active cause of harm as it is a tragic missed opportunity. It’s like having a letter from a president or king, but choosing to ignore it. The God who created the universe and every person in it has chosen to reveal himself to us. In the Bible we learn who he is, who we are, and what he has done to accomplish our salvation. In the Bible we find essential instruction on how to think, speak, and act. Why wouldn’t we treasure his communication to us? Aren’t his words the most important?

    3-Pray unceasingly

    Failing to pray unceasingly means God isn’t at the center of our worldview. To only think of prayer at meals or in worship services reveals a huge misunderstanding of his role in every aspect of our lives. Are you facing struggles at school or work? Pray. Are you dealing with a tough time at home? Pray. Are you wondering how to pay the bills? Pray. Are you rejoicing in a new birth or a milestone achieved? Pray.

    4-Love your family sacrificially

    Failing to love our families sacrificially is one way we unknowingly contribute to problems and stress in our homes. Spouses, sacrifice for each other. Children, put your siblings and parents first. Widows and widowers, reach out to your extended family. Singles, invest in your parents and siblings. We will never regret taking extra time and energy to serve our families.

    5-Engage your vocation wholeheartedly

    Failing to engage our vocation (work, school, daily tasks) wholeheartedly is a missed opportunity to show the glory of God to everyone around us. Imagine if you truly did your work as unto the Lord. Why go the extra mile on your homework? For God’s glory. Why work extra hard on that work project? For God’s glory. Why labor day in and day out cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry? For God’s glory.

    To me, these aren’t “new year’s resolutions.” They are non-negotiable components of the Christian life. Having put our faith in Jesus, let’s strive for faithfulness in living for his purposes. Let’s take another cue from Edwards:

    Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

    -Jonathan Edwards, Resolution #6, 1721 (written at age 18)

  • A Gift to Be Shared

    A Gift to Be Shared

    After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

    -Luke 2:17-18

    Merry Christmas! I certainly hope that your Christmas celebration with your family and/or friends is a time of joy and celebration over the birth of Jesus Christ, our savior. As you give and receive gifts this year, let me encourage you to praise God for the untold value of the gift of the gospel. We rejoice because Jesus was not only born, but died for our sins and rose from the dead. By faith in him we have the forgiveness of sins and the guarantee of eternal life with God. This gift of the gospel is not only meant to be enjoyed, it’s also meant to be shared.

    Back in 1521 my friend Martin Luther wrote a sermon on Luke’s Christmas narrative focusing on Luke 2:15-20. In it he highlights nine ways the shepherds responded to the Word of God by faith. In his list, the seventh way the shepherds responded by faith was by publicly proclaiming the message that had been told to them.

    Luther considers how they might not have been well received,

    Do you not think that there were many people who considered them fools and out of their minds because they dared, as uncouth and unschooled laypeople, to speak of the angels’ song and message?

    Even though such responses were likely, the shepherds didn’t care. Luther goes on,

    But the shepherds, filled with faith and joy, were happy for the sake of God to be considered foolish in the sight of humans. A Christian does the same; for God’s word must be considered foolishness and error in this world.

    This line of thinking runs parallel to what we’ve been learning in 1 Corinthians this year,  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved (1 Cor. 1:18). God’s glory and his gospel make worldly wisdom pale in comparison.

    The gospel message that fills us with joy is meant to be shared, regardless of the response of our audience. We simply don’t know in whose heart God’s Spirit has been working. Rather than keep silent out of fear of people, the shepherds shared the message because they were filled with faith and joy.

    In Jesus we’ve received the greatest gift imaginable. As we respond in faith and joy, let’s be brave enough to share the reason why we have so much to celebrate.

  • Christmas Is About God’s Glory

    Christmas Is About God’s Glory

    Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to people he favors!

    -Luke 2:14, Christian Standard Bible

    The glory of God is the ultimate end of redemption, and therefore Christmas. I must confess that sentence is a tough one for me to believe. I readily affirm its truthfulness, but man, it’s hard to live out.

    What I’m saying is Christmas is all about God’s glory. For the sake of thoroughness, let’s define the word glory as greatness, value, or supreme worth. So Christmas—celebrating the coming of Jesus to save sinners—is meant to display the greatness/worth/supreme value of God.

    I didn’t make this up. I learned it from my friend Jonathan Edwards. This year, by God’s providence, I was re-reading portions of his work The End for which God Made the World, and I saw this line:

    That the glory of God is the highest and last end of the work of redemption, is confirmed by the song of the angels at Christ’s birth.

    He then quotes Luke 2:14, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!  If the angels are right, and I believe that they are, then the birth of Jesus the Messiah puts on display the greatness of God in his plan of redemption. Christmas is all about God’s glory. Which means that technically the reason for the season is the glory of God.

    If Christmas is all about God’s glory, then Christmas is not about us. This is where it gets hard. It’s hard for me (I would guess many others as well) in these areas:

    • Christmas isn’t about getting presents. Sorry 5th avenue, but having more/nicer stuff isn’t as great as God’s glory.  It’s easy for me to get caught up in valuing stuff over God.
    • Christmas isn’t about family. Sorry, Hallmark, but family gatherings, awesome though they may be, aren’t as great as God’s infinite worth.  It’s easy for me to get caught up in family nostalgia rather than getting caught up in God’s greatness.
    • Christmas isn’t about food. Sorry, Costco, but eating tons of delicious food isn’t as great as God’s unending greatness.  It’s easy for me to seek satisfaction in food rather than in God’s glory.
    • Christmas isn’t about religious services. Sorry, church attendance record keeper, but showing up once year to church isn’t as great as God’s supreme value.  It’s easy for me to think that religious acts are more important than genuinely loving God for who he his.

    Don’t get me wrong, those are all good things.  But if we get amazing presents at a fabulous family gathering with a ton of our tasty favorites after attending a church service and we don’t realize that Jesus became a man to save sinners because he values his own glory above everything else, then we’ve missed the point. This is why Christmas in American culture feels so cheap. It is.

    The best way to have a merry Christmas is to remember that it’s not about us, it’s about the glory of God. I’m convinced that if we took time to consider how Jesus’ birth displays the supreme greatness of God, we would have a much more meaningful Christmas celebration.

    Christmas is primarily about God’s glory seen in the eternal second person of the trinity becoming human to die on the cross for our sins and rise from the dead. God is that great, and that is reason to celebrate for eternity. Take it from the angels.