Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 18, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

Months ago, when I was breaking down the various sections of Exodus for preaching, I wrestled long with how to tackle the part of the book we’re looking at today: the Ten Commandments. Do I go slowly through the commands and do a sermon on each one? Do I do one sermon on the whole section? For a variety of reasons, I landed on two sermons for Exodus 20, believing I could get to some of the text’s richness while not wading in too deep to all the ins and outs.

About a minute after I decided on this path, I wondered if it was the right decision. And the more I thought about it, the more I felt compelled to not miss this opportunity to do a command-by-command walk through this very important, foundational section of Scripture. But, instead of Sunday morning, I opted for Wednesday nights. So, on Wednesday nights this fall, we’re taking a slow pass through the Ten Commandments, trying to sit in and soak up as much of the richness of this section as we can.

On Wednesday night this past week, I asked the question, “Why take ten weeks on Wednesday night to teach through the Ten Commandments?” Three things came to mind:

First, the Ten Commandments are neglected in our time. Mark Twain once said, “A classic is a book that everyone praises, and no one reads.” I’m afraid the same could be said for the Ten Commandments. Yes, people generally know them – don’t murder, steal, etc. – but increasingly people do not have a sense of their meaningfulness or significance, and that’s really needed. In fact, that’s my next point.

Second, a thorough treatment of the Ten Commandments is needed in our time. Did you know that next to the Gospels, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments have been considered by the church historically to be the most important sections of Scripture for the training of disciples of Jesus Christ? For instance, nearly half of the questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism are devoted to the Ten Commandments. The reason is that our forefathers understood the Christian life as a following Christ life, and since Christ’s life was marked by law-keeping (see Matthew 5:17), our life must, too, or so the reasoning goes.

Thirdly, the Ten Commandments are often misunderstood in our time. At Cornerstone, we never want to wrongly present or emphasize the law in a way that undermines or subverts the primacy of grace. At the same time, we wouldn’t want to wrongly present or emphasize grace in such a way where God’s law or obedience was treated as if it was irrelevant or optional. What’s the relationship between law and grace? Can law and grace be harmonized in some way? Well, you should be able to tell by the title of my Wednesday night series, “God’s Gracious Law: The Ten Commandments” that I’m convinced that the Bible provides a beautiful harmony of grace and law. But in saying that, there’s still a lot of questions to answer.

So, we’re going to pursue those questions, and dig around in some of the complexities. Why? Because it’s important. It’s worth our time. And hope you’ll join us as we explore together the grace of God’s law and the law of God’s grace in the Ten Commandments this fall.





 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 11, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

In journeying through the Westminster Confession of Faith with our officer candidates, we recently reflected on Chapter 26, “The Communion of Saints.” Though one of the briefest chapters, I find the description of the church’s fellowship to be one of the most beautifully compelling portraits you’ll find anywhere.

WCF 26.1, All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and in being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

Notice, our communion does not consist in our participation in holy things (i.e. The Eucharist), as the Roman Catholics taught. Rather, our communion is a personal one; that is, it consists in the person of Jesus Christ. The whole of Christ’s life, which is the testimony of his love––“His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory” – –is our life together. Our fellowship with one another is the fruit of our shared union and communion with Jesus Christ.

Truth is, we may share very little in common humanly speaking. Some of you may sense that’s the case when you look around the room this morning. But take heart, a Christian community is full of all kinds of difference. For what makes a Christian community distinctive is the fact that it’s “founded on and animated by Christ,” to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is only Christ’s presence among us that draws us together in the communion of the saints.

At this point, the applications are endless, but I’d like to note, briefly, the importance of this point for worship. At no point is the church more the church than when the church is worshipping. For right now, we have come together to meet with Christ by faith, and Christ, by the Spirit, has promised to meet with us. In worship, the church communes with Christ and together is made into a holy habitation for God (see 1 Peter 2:5; Heb. 12:22-24).

That means the power of today’s worship is not in the liturgy. It’s not in the hymns or prayers. It’s not even in the sermon or the Lord’s Supper. As good and as necessary as these various elements of worship are, it’s only ever the presence of Christ by the Spirit in worship that can turn our praise into His dwelling place (Psalm 22:3). Churches are often so concerned about attendance numbers at worship services. But thousands upon thousands can attend a worship service, but if Christ does not attend by the power of the Spirit, the worship is in vain.

Let us never forget––worship is a supernatural reality. Good musicianship cannot change a soul. A dynamic preacher cannot save anyone. A well scripted liturgy cannot make a disciple of Jesus Christ. God may use these things. Indeed, he does! But the power is not in the things, no matter how excellently they are performed. True worship always comes from above.

As we prepare to worship today, pray that we would truly worship. Pray that God would be merciful and send the Spirit of Christ to fill and form us through worship into a dwelling place for God.





 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 4, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

Happy September! The Shurden family is visiting Rosalyn, our oldest daughter, at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, this weekend. Rosalyn’s 19th birthday was yesterday (September 3rd), so we’re celebrating her and enjoying a couple of days together as a family. As lovely as it is to worship with the saints at Grace Presbyterian Church in Starkville today, my heart longs to be with you. I can’t wait to be back with you next week and throughout the fall!

On a sadder note, I was grieved to hear the news this week of another high-profile pastor taking a leave of absence for an inappropriate online relationship with a woman not his wife. After hearing the report on Monday, I decided to take a few minutes on Tuesday morning at our weekly staff meeting to discuss it. I spoke first on a personal level about how I’ve benefited from this pastor’s ministry over the years. Then, I took a moment to note that if this man had been a businessman in the public sector he probably wouldn’t have been asked to take a leave of absence for an inappropriate online relationship, but because he’s a minister/elder, he’s held to a higher standard (James 3:1).

Paul says to Timothy that elders are to be “above reproach,” which literally means blameless (see Titus 1:7-8). Lest you get the wrong idea, to be blameless doesn’t mean sinless. It means, rather, that a minister’s life and conduct should be exemplary. That is, God’s people should consistently find their minister someone worthy of emulating. As they watch the manner of his life, they conclude, “He’s not perfect, but we see him striving to honor Christ in all things, and we find him, time and again, to be a faithful shepherd and guide.”

Saying that reminds me of a story. John Thornton was a godly English businessman in the nineteenth century who was known for his generous charitable contributions to noble causes. On the occasion of Charles Simeon’s ordination to gospel ministry, he wrote to the young minister these words, “Watch continually over your own spirit, and do all in love; we must grow downwards in humility to soar heavenward. I should recommend your having a watchful eye over yourself, for generally speaking, as is the minister so are the people.”

In light of all this, would you be willing to pray regularly for the wisdom and protection of your pastors and officers? Spiritual attack is a real thing. We are weak and vulnerable men. Nothing would pain us more than to bring shame on the name of Christ or hurt you, his precious people, because we failed to walk above reproach. For the sake of Christ’s glory and the good of the church, we ask that you pray for us––that we might fulfill Paul’s charge to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).

Your servant,





 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 28, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

I’m at Riverside Church (PCA) in Beaumont, TX, this Lord’s Day preaching the installation service of my dear friend and our long-time supported missionary, Rev. Josh Reiger. Josh, his wife, Gina, and their three children have been serving with Mission to the World, our denomination’s mission agency, in Hexham, England for the last eight years. The Lord used them to plant the only conservative Presbyterian work in Hexham.

But, as a number of you may recall, Gina was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago. That diagnosis led the Reigers to return to the U.S. for an extended time so that Gina could begin treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. Today, praise the Lord, Gina is cancer free, but given the nature of her cancer and the need to keep a close watch on her health, the Reigers decided to begin prayerfully pursuing a call state side. In God’s perfect timing, the pastorate at Riverside Church in Beaumont came available, and after an extended interview process, the church called Josh to be their pastor.

Though I am deeply saddened to not be worshipping with you all today, it is an honor to serve the Reigers in this way. If you would, whisper a pray for the ministry here this morning and please remember Josh, Gina, and their children before the Lord as they make the transition to Beaumont and begin serving Riverside Church.

In other news, the start of Midweek at Cornerstone is a little over two weeks away! On September 14, our fall programming on Wednesday nights will begin with a catered fellowship meal followed by a full slate of activities for all ages. Please, clear your schedule now and make plans to join us!

For our midweek vespers services this fall, we will be taking a slow walk through the Ten Commandments. Now, some of you may be wondering, “We’re in Exodus on Sunday mornings. Aren’t you going to address the commandments when we get to Exodus 20?” That’s a fair question. The answer is, yes, I will address the Ten Commandments on Sunday morning but only as a unit. I’m not going to devote the immense time it would take to go command by command on Sunday morning. Instead, I’m going to devote Wednesday nights to that. This is the perfect opportunity to bridge what we’re studying on Sunday to Wednesday, and to go deep into one of the most important sections in all of Scripture. I truly hope you will join me for the journey!

God’s Gracious Law: The Ten Commandments and the Christian Life

September 14, No Other Gods Before Me
September 21, Make No Graven Image
September 28, Do Not Take the Lord’s Name in Vain October 5, Remember the Sabbath Day
October 12, Honor Your Father and Mother
October 19, Do Not Murder
October 26, Do Not Commit Adultery
November 2, Do Not Steal
November 9, Do Not Bear False Witness
November 16, Do Not Covet

Your servant,