Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - September 24, 2024


Ep 1072 ｜ Preacher Steve Lawson Ousted for Secret Sin


Episode Stats

Length

47 minutes

Words per Minute

154.1169

Word Count

7,371

Sentence Count

536

Misogynist Sentences

7

Hate Speech Sentences

11


Summary

Prominent preacher Steve Lawson has stepped down from his position as lead preacher at Trinity Bible Church in Dallas, as well as as the president of One Passion Ministries, because of an inappropriate relationship with a woman. We are breaking all of that down today and analyzing what our response as Christians should be.


Transcript

00:00:00.900 Prominent preacher Steve Lawson has stepped down from his position as lead preacher at Trinity Bible Church in Dallas,
00:00:08.960 as well as from his position as president of One Passion Ministries because of an inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.
00:00:18.620 We are breaking all of that down today and analyzing what our response as Christians should be.
00:00:25.160 This episode of Relatable is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers.
00:00:27.980 Go to GoodRanchers.com, use code Allie at checkout. That's GoodRanchers.com, code Allie.
00:00:41.320 Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Tuesday. Hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far.
00:00:48.120 So first we've got to get into some really sad news.
00:00:51.660 I heard the news about Steve Lawson, which I will detail as much as I can today.
00:00:57.040 Last week when we were recording, I believe it was on Thursday, and I literally stopped recording and I looked at Brie and I said,
00:01:06.900 Oh my gosh, my friend texted me the statement from Trinity Bible and I could not believe it.
00:01:14.680 And that is the feeling that most people who have admired and read and listened to Stephen Lawson for years have felt.
00:01:25.200 This is stunning.
00:01:27.460 This is maybe one of the last people I would ever expect to be caught in this kind of sin and to bring his family and his church and the gospel of Jesus Christ into disrepute.
00:01:50.100 So let me give you a summary and put this into context and give you whatever details I can as well as what I hope to be a biblical response.
00:02:03.020 So Steve Lawson, if you don't know, he is a 73-year-old author, preacher.
00:02:09.660 He was the lead preacher at Trinity Bible Church in Dallas.
00:02:13.600 Trinity Bible Church started in 2018.
00:02:17.020 From my understanding, it was a few Baptist families, a few Presbyterian families that wanted to start a church that was based on the faithful exposition of Scripture.
00:02:27.400 Steve Lawson is one of the most famous expositors of Scripture.
00:02:33.420 He has a ministry that's dedicated to training men to be expositors of the Word.
00:02:39.800 He is an excellent teacher.
00:02:43.120 He leads or led One Passion Ministries as well.
00:02:47.640 He was the president of One Passion Ministries, the ministry that I just described.
00:02:51.820 But, of course, he has been removed from these posts after an alleged inappropriate relationship with an unidentified woman.
00:03:02.080 Now, this is the third pastor from the Dallas area specifically that we have discussed over the past few months that has been caught in or has confessed to some kind of sin.
00:03:17.000 In June, Tony Evans, pastor of the 11,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, stepped down from his pastoral duties due to sin.
00:03:28.000 He was in ministry for decades and decades.
00:03:31.260 Days later, we discussed Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church based in Southlake, Texas, that is a large suburb of Dallas.
00:03:39.140 He resigned as lead pastor following allegations of sexual misconduct, actually child molestation, not just sexual misconduct, dating back to the 1980s.
00:03:50.080 And it seems like there was an extensive cover-up of those crimes committed then.
00:03:55.620 Morris founded that congregation in 2000, and it is a huge church with a huge impact.
00:04:03.900 So, all of these pastors, all in the Dallas area, all part of what I would probably call at least theologically conservative realms of Protestant Christianity, they have had to resign because of some kind of secret sins.
00:04:25.160 We don't know the specifics of Tony Evans' situation.
00:04:30.160 We don't know that many specifics of Steve Lawson's situation, but we do know a few.
00:04:36.760 But let me back up a little bit and tell you more about who Steve Lawson is to try to explain the shockwaves this has caused in the Reformed world.
00:04:50.100 He has been in ministry for over 40 years.
00:04:53.780 He is, as I said, an extremely prominent figure in the Reformed Calvinist evangelical movement.
00:05:02.620 He was a teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries.
00:05:08.220 That is the ministry that was founded by R.C. Sproul.
00:05:12.740 He was the Dean of Doctor of Ministry Studies at the Master's Seminary.
00:05:18.060 He was often the guest speaker at MacArthur's Grace Community Church in California.
00:05:25.220 He often spoke for their Shepherds Conference.
00:05:28.560 And he has been married to his wife, Anne, for over 40 years.
00:05:32.520 They've got four adult kids, and they've got grandkids.
00:05:36.740 Last Thursday, while I was recording my episode, the church released a statement that announced Lawson's removal immediately from their lead preacher position.
00:05:50.720 Several days ago, the statement reads,
00:05:52.820 The elders at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas were informed by Steve Lawson of an inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.
00:06:01.300 The elders have met with Steve and will continue to come alongside him and pray for him with the ultimate goal of his personal repentance.
00:06:09.100 Steve will no longer be compensated by Trinity Bible Church of Dallas.
00:06:13.100 And he had just preached a few days before on Sunday about walking in excellence in our walk of sanctification with Christ.
00:06:28.080 In light of this, they say,
00:06:30.340 May we be reminded that we are all sinners, and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
00:06:36.620 Christ remains the head of his church, which is bigger than any fallen man.
00:06:40.840 And they go along those lines.
00:06:42.800 They cite 1 Corinthians 10-12,
00:06:45.000 Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.
00:06:49.980 Lawson also resigned, as we also pointed out, from all of his duties at One Passion Ministries.
00:06:54.700 One Passion Ministries also released their own statement that says,
00:06:59.440 The board of One Passion Ministries mournfully announces that just recently,
00:07:02.820 Stephen J. Lawson confessed to the board that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a woman,
00:07:08.760 a sin that has disqualified him from ministry.
00:07:11.660 Steve has resigned from all of his duties at One Passion Ministries.
00:07:15.700 Steve has confessed and regrets the damage he has caused to his family, the church,
00:07:21.040 the reputation of One Passion Ministries, and most of all, Jesus Christ.
00:07:25.960 They say they are saddened for the glory of Christ in this matter.
00:07:29.120 They cite 1 Peter 5-8,
00:07:31.560 Be sober-minded, be watchful.
00:07:33.760 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
00:07:40.800 Master's Seminary,
00:07:42.000 Trinity Bible, One Passion Ministries has all removed.
00:07:46.580 They've all removed Lawson from their websites.
00:07:51.760 Lawson gave a final sermon titled, Defining True Greatness, last Sunday.
00:07:57.960 And some people have pointed out on X that he seemed to be kind of getting out ahead
00:08:05.480 of this news when he said this.
00:08:10.280 Here's top one.
00:08:11.520 And you should not judge a man by his one weak moment.
00:08:16.820 You need to look at the whole body of his work.
00:08:20.120 You need to look at his whole message.
00:08:22.860 You need to look at his whole ministry.
00:08:24.740 And don't judge him on one hiccup that happens.
00:08:30.480 Now, was he talking about himself?
00:08:32.860 I'm not sure.
00:08:33.920 I hope not.
00:08:35.560 This would be far more than a hiccup.
00:08:38.780 That doesn't mean that we have to negate the truth of everything that he's ever said,
00:08:43.120 because anything that he's ever said that has been in accordance with Scripture
00:08:46.720 is true and good and edifying.
00:08:48.880 God's Word does not return void.
00:08:51.480 However, if he is referring to himself, calling it a hiccup would be a great minimization of
00:09:00.160 this harmful sin.
00:09:02.980 On Sunday, Mark Becker, elder at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, addressed the congregation
00:09:07.980 for the first time since the news broke.
00:09:11.580 And he didn't say much about it.
00:09:13.200 He said, it's been a difficult week for all of us.
00:09:15.560 I know that it's been a very emotional week.
00:09:17.520 And a lot of since it's been sobering and a lot has happened this week, he acknowledges
00:09:25.040 that there are still a lot of questions that congregants have, but he doesn't go into detail.
00:09:30.000 He doesn't say his name specifically from what I heard.
00:09:36.520 And he simply emphasizes the point that God is faithful, that he is going to preserve his
00:09:43.080 church, that Trinity Bible Church will continue on their mission to exposit the Word faithfully
00:09:50.000 and to serve their congregation.
00:09:52.700 So I've got lots of thoughts on this myself, and some of them I'm going to share, and some
00:09:58.360 of them I'm not going to share.
00:09:59.860 I only want to share what is helpful and what I know, and not speculation, even if I do think
00:10:10.840 that some speculation is fair based on what's been said.
00:10:13.980 I hope that I only say the things that are edifying.
00:10:17.820 So we'll get to that in just a second.
00:10:19.840 Let me pause.
00:10:20.480 Let me tell you about our first sponsor for the day.
00:10:22.200 It's Seven Weeks Coffee.
00:10:23.720 I love Seven Weeks Coffee.
00:10:25.500 They're going to be at Share the Arrows this weekend, providing coffee to the attendees
00:10:29.780 there.
00:10:30.740 You will be able to taste for yourself how amazing it is, how high quality it is.
00:10:35.540 And that's not even the best part.
00:10:37.140 Of course, I love that it's great tasting, super high quality, clean coffee.
00:10:41.380 But I also love that they donate 10% of every sale to pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations
00:10:47.900 across the country.
00:10:49.080 They've donated to over 500,000 pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations.
00:10:54.340 Those donations have resulted in saving thousands and thousands of lives of babies whose moms
00:11:02.980 chose life because they were able to get the resources, the information that they needed
00:11:07.280 from these pro-life pregnancy centers.
00:11:09.120 It's called Seven Weeks Coffee because it's seven weeks.
00:11:11.800 That baby in the womb is the size of a little coffee bean.
00:11:15.300 Those babies are made in the image of God, and they deserve to be cared for and saved.
00:11:20.580 If you go to sevenweekscoffee.com and use code Allie, you can save 10% on your order.
00:11:28.280 When you subscribe to the Heartbeat Club, get that box of coffee every month to your house,
00:11:32.680 you save an extra 15%.
00:11:34.500 So that's 25% discount right there.
00:11:37.840 Sevenweekscoffee.com, code Allie.
00:11:39.960 And before we get into the rest of the story, I do want to remind you guys about Share the
00:11:49.620 Arrows.
00:11:50.380 I am so excited about it.
00:11:53.380 We are praying for all of you who are coming from places like Florida.
00:11:57.520 There's apparently going to be a hurricane this weekend, y'all.
00:12:00.540 And I really don't over, I'm just not an over-spiritualizer.
00:12:04.460 I have to be reminded by godly friends in my life of the reality of spiritual warfare.
00:12:09.040 I'm always looking for the tangible, practical reason that something is happening.
00:12:15.340 I very often forget to connect it to the spiritual, and I forget that Satan hates the Share the
00:12:22.460 Arrows conference.
00:12:23.720 Like, he hates the message that is going to be preached there.
00:12:27.160 He hates for women to be encouraged.
00:12:29.740 He hates for courage to be contagious among the body of Christ.
00:12:34.220 He does not want women to hear truth.
00:12:37.940 He does not want women to be challenged by the Word of God.
00:12:41.320 He does not want women making these lifelong friendships with like-minded believers.
00:12:48.000 He does not want believers to share the arrows with one another.
00:12:52.500 He wants us to be isolated.
00:12:54.480 He wants us to be afraid.
00:12:56.000 He wants us to think that we are the only ones who believe a certain way.
00:13:00.600 We are the only ones standing against the current of the mainstream, because he knows that when
00:13:07.700 we're by ourselves, we're vulnerable, and we're afraid, and it's easier for us to compromise.
00:13:14.720 It's easier for us to doubt and to entertain those questions that Eve entertained, did God
00:13:22.420 really say, and so, like, I'm not trying to say that everything is spiritual warfare, but
00:13:30.360 I have to remember also that some things are, and we are going to have challenges this week
00:13:36.100 before Share the Arrows.
00:13:37.800 I mean, he's going to try to pull all the stops and to throw lots of obstacles in our
00:13:42.880 way, in our speaker's way, whether that's physical or mental obstacles, spiritual attacks,
00:13:51.560 all kinds of things.
00:13:52.400 I just have to keep that in mind and pray to that end that God would protect us, that
00:13:58.380 we would have his grace, that we would have his favor, that all of Satan's plans would
00:14:03.100 be thwarted, that every single person that God wants to be there will be there.
00:14:06.840 That our speakers will be protected, that their travel would be smooth, that they would
00:14:10.540 only say that which is true, that the Holy Spirit would speak through us and would change
00:14:16.060 hearts and minds, that women would create friendships, that they would be encouraged and strengthened
00:14:22.180 in the Lord.
00:14:24.780 So if you guys could pray with me, whether you're attending or not, that would be amazing.
00:14:32.280 This is going to be an amazing day.
00:14:35.020 I have already seen what the speakers are going to say, and they are going to bring the
00:14:40.300 heat, and I am pumped.
00:14:42.540 The worship is going to just be out of this world with thousands and thousands of Christian
00:14:49.040 women there.
00:14:49.840 If you haven't signed up and you want to sign up, we do still have seats left in the balcony.
00:14:54.740 The balcony, it's an amazing place to sit, so don't think that you are settling for that.
00:15:01.320 Go to sharethearrows.com.
00:15:03.960 You can get your tickets there.
00:15:05.460 You can use code ALLY15, all caps, 15% off your general admission ticket.
00:15:11.380 We do still have VIP, all access, breakfast tickets available.
00:15:16.540 If you've got any questions about the event, you can go to my highlight bubble on Instagram.
00:15:21.680 I have all of the frequently asked questions there.
00:15:25.300 Come by yourself.
00:15:26.380 That's fine.
00:15:27.140 Or come with your friends.
00:15:28.700 That's great, too.
00:15:29.880 Bring your mother-in-law.
00:15:31.300 You can bring any woman that you think would be encouraged by this, but there's a lot of
00:15:35.560 people coming by themselves.
00:15:36.820 It's a great place to make friends.
00:15:38.580 We've got awesome merch that you guys are going to be able to purchase there with Carly
00:15:42.760 Jean Los Angeles.
00:15:44.040 And so go ahead, get your tickets if you haven't already.
00:15:47.620 Candice Cameron Brure, Rosaria Butterfield, Elisa Childers, Abby Halberstadt, of course,
00:15:52.680 yours truly, Francesca Badastelli.
00:15:54.880 It's going to be amazing.
00:15:55.780 And again, whether you can be there or not, please pray for us.
00:15:59.060 Please pray for us this week.
00:16:00.420 Please pray for us this weekend.
00:16:01.920 And I know you guys will.
00:16:03.320 Y'all are so faithful to do that.
00:16:04.600 And I'm so thankful.
00:16:06.300 And honestly, I feel like I need this, too, because I always get really discouraged when
00:16:13.840 I hear a story like this from Steve Lawson.
00:16:15.640 It's just demoralizing to have listened to someone, be encouraged by someone, blessed by someone
00:16:23.960 for so long, to believe them in their sincerity and their earnestness in preaching the word
00:16:30.020 of God and wondering, like, was I duped?
00:16:34.240 Was I manipulated?
00:16:37.480 Was I just crazy for thinking this person actually meant what they said?
00:16:41.400 And I'm not even saying that he didn't mean all the things that he said.
00:16:44.800 But when something like this happens, Christians start asking those questions.
00:16:48.540 And so I'm excited to just be reminded of the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God, that
00:16:55.180 this is our our father's world.
00:16:57.640 And we all need to be encouraged by that no matter what.
00:17:01.580 Here's what I would love to hear from Steve Lawson or from one of the entities that he was
00:17:10.480 helping lead that I did not read in these statements.
00:17:14.980 Now, I am not a publicist anymore.
00:17:19.260 I had a short stint as a publicist when I was right out of college.
00:17:23.100 So I'm not saying that I am some master in PR, but I have been doing media and communications
00:17:29.480 for a long time.
00:17:31.940 And I know something about what goes on behind the scenes when these statements are crafted.
00:17:39.340 There are a lot of people in the room.
00:17:41.360 Many times it's lawyers.
00:17:42.740 It's a PR team.
00:17:45.660 It's church and ministry leaders.
00:17:49.300 It's administrative people.
00:17:51.140 It's other communications experts all coming together and deciding on every single word
00:17:58.680 that is used.
00:17:59.640 I guarantee you there is not anything in these statements, not any word or punctuation mark
00:18:09.620 in these statements that was accidental or placed there arbitrarily.
00:18:16.080 And so I would not try to read between the lines in these statements and assume that there
00:18:26.140 is a good reason why, for example, Lawson's repentance was not included.
00:18:33.820 I would not assume that because these statements say that he confessed that Steve Lawson is now
00:18:41.980 repentant.
00:18:42.920 I wouldn't even assume that these statements saying that he confessed, that that means that Steve Lawson
00:18:52.760 confessed voluntarily.
00:18:54.840 I just wouldn't assume that.
00:18:56.520 I'm not saying you should assume the other direction either.
00:18:59.280 But I'm telling you, every piece of these statements is intentional.
00:19:04.880 Here's what we don't read that I would like to read.
00:19:08.740 That is, it's purposeful.
00:19:11.560 And that I hope to hear or read very soon.
00:19:14.980 Genuinely, I do.
00:19:15.900 One, that Lawson has repented.
00:19:20.520 Two, that he regrets his sin.
00:19:23.140 Three, that he is taking the proper steps of biblical restoration with his wife and family.
00:19:30.060 Now, I know people will say, well, you know, it said that he confessed.
00:19:34.160 It says that he regrets the damage.
00:19:36.940 It says that he regrets the damage that he has caused.
00:19:40.980 I have not yet read that he regrets his sin.
00:19:43.240 I hope that that is the case.
00:19:46.880 Maybe it was an oversight by both of these entities who released their statements.
00:19:52.580 But these are very smart people who put together these statements.
00:19:56.500 I'm not saying that they're being dishonest.
00:19:58.220 I think that they're doing the best that they can with the information that they have to try to
00:20:04.500 to try to not breed speculation while being respectful of him,
00:20:11.160 while also being as honest as possible.
00:20:13.780 That is very difficult to do.
00:20:16.600 But we have not read anywhere yet that he is regretful of his sin,
00:20:22.320 that he confessed by his own volition,
00:20:26.020 and that he has repented of that sin.
00:20:29.420 I hope and pray that he has.
00:20:31.760 I really do.
00:20:32.520 For his own sake, for the sake of his heart and soul,
00:20:35.800 for the sake of his sweet wife of decades,
00:20:39.860 for his children and grandchildren,
00:20:42.420 I hope that all those things are true.
00:20:44.200 If they are not true yet,
00:20:46.840 I hope that they will be soon.
00:20:48.500 Remember, in the Trinity Bible Church statement,
00:20:50.660 they said that they are praying for his repentance.
00:20:54.860 And these ministries,
00:20:58.840 they want to latch on to every positive part of these stories.
00:21:05.740 And so I think if he had repented,
00:21:08.740 and he was regretful of his decisions,
00:21:11.840 and he recognized the depth of this sin,
00:21:18.200 that they would have included that.
00:21:20.740 But they did not.
00:21:22.760 And again, I just don't think it's smart for us to say,
00:21:26.140 well, it's implied in X, Y, Z.
00:21:28.840 Those things are not typically implied.
00:21:31.360 You want to take a win where you can
00:21:32.880 if you're one of these ministries.
00:21:34.940 And they just don't say that.
00:21:37.360 So he was apparently,
00:21:39.560 from what we know publicly,
00:21:42.380 in an ongoing relationship with a woman.
00:21:46.720 And that's all I'm at liberty to say right now.
00:21:52.760 We'll see what else comes out publicly,
00:21:54.920 and then maybe we'll feel comfortable
00:21:57.980 in discussing it further.
00:22:00.080 I don't know.
00:22:00.700 It will also depend on if it's helpful at the time.
00:22:04.640 But that's all I'm at liberty to say right now.
00:22:07.820 So he was in an ongoing relationship with a woman
00:22:10.780 while preaching to thousands and thousands of people
00:22:13.360 at Trinity Bible and around the world
00:22:16.140 about holiness and purity
00:22:18.260 and excellency in our walk with Christ.
00:22:21.900 So for me, beyond the unfaithfulness
00:22:24.260 to his wife of 40 plus years,
00:22:26.460 it is the hypocrisy.
00:22:29.160 It's the duplicitousness, the deceit.
00:22:31.980 That is what is so incredibly demoralizing to me
00:22:36.260 and to thousands of Christians
00:22:38.460 who have been impacted by him over the years.
00:22:41.360 That hypocrisy is going to test the faith of so many.
00:22:47.280 People who have learned from Lawson for decades
00:22:51.100 and have been persuaded and moved by his sincerity,
00:22:54.700 they will feel like they have been lied to.
00:22:58.240 They will have to really, really wrestle with this.
00:23:01.660 I will also say, this is my perspective
00:23:07.240 and you can tell me what you think.
00:23:10.800 I am and have always been very skeptical
00:23:14.840 of the structure of churches
00:23:17.420 that don't have a head pastor
00:23:19.220 and instead just have a preacher.
00:23:22.040 He was not the lead pastor at Trinity Bible.
00:23:24.560 He was just the lead preacher at Trinity Bible.
00:23:27.880 I really have tried to kind of push that to the side
00:23:34.600 about some churches
00:23:35.580 because they seem to be very solid
00:23:38.140 in their exposition of scripture.
00:23:41.120 A lot of churches that have this structure,
00:23:43.600 but it always struck me
00:23:46.200 as like having a flock without a shepherd.
00:23:50.840 It makes not only your congregation vulnerable,
00:23:55.680 but this entire idea of the roving preacher
00:24:01.940 who is not moored to one congregation
00:24:05.940 but is traveling the world
00:24:07.620 and not saying that it's always wrong in every case.
00:24:10.200 I guess you could say the apostle Paul
00:24:12.500 fits that bill in some way,
00:24:14.380 but you could see how it could make that man vulnerable too.
00:24:18.920 The persistent isolation
00:24:22.200 that comes along with world travel,
00:24:24.640 the lack of mooring and responsibility to a flock.
00:24:29.080 It makes the flock vulnerable.
00:24:30.700 I think it also can make the preacher very vulnerable.
00:24:34.460 My opinion is that all of that could have played a role
00:24:38.560 in how this played itself out.
00:24:41.020 Let me pause and tell you about our second sponsor
00:24:43.400 and that is Good Ranchers.
00:24:46.320 Good Ranchers is all American meat
00:24:48.640 from American farms and ranches.
00:24:50.940 They've got really high quality stuff.
00:24:52.640 I'm super excited because they are coming out
00:24:55.360 with chicken nuggets for your kids
00:24:57.940 that don't have any seed oils.
00:24:59.560 That is like impossible.
00:25:00.920 When you're at the grocery store
00:25:02.440 and you look at the ingredients
00:25:04.200 and even the organic and quote unquote
00:25:07.060 healthy chicken nuggets
00:25:09.120 that you can buy in the freezer aisle,
00:25:10.820 they always have canola oil or something.
00:25:13.700 These are going to be seed oil-free chicken nuggets
00:25:16.780 from American farms and ranches.
00:25:18.920 That is amazing.
00:25:20.060 You should go ahead and subscribe.
00:25:22.060 Get your box of meat right now.
00:25:23.640 That can protect you from inflation
00:25:25.780 for the next four years.
00:25:27.020 You can get that price lock guarantee.
00:25:28.940 Plus, when you use my code Allie,
00:25:31.600 you'll get $25 off your first box.
00:25:34.360 Goodranchers.com, code Allie.
00:25:40.640 I've been told that Steve Lawson said
00:25:42.980 that he never wanted to pastor again.
00:25:45.120 He pastored for, I think it was 25 years
00:25:47.660 in Arkansas and Alabama.
00:25:50.420 And then he's taught, he's written books,
00:25:53.440 and he joined Trinity Bible.
00:25:56.320 I believe it was 2018.
00:25:58.320 I know that's when the church started,
00:26:00.020 but sometime after that,
00:26:01.900 he began preaching regularly at Trinity Bible.
00:26:05.560 But I was told by multiple members,
00:26:07.820 he just said he never wanted to be a pastor again.
00:26:10.780 So he travels the world giving sermons.
00:26:14.860 And look, I believe that flocks need a shepherd,
00:26:17.820 not just a person to preach at them,
00:26:20.120 not just someone to perform,
00:26:22.560 but a real shepherd,
00:26:24.560 the head of the church
00:26:26.140 to visit the elderly in hospitals,
00:26:28.440 to mourn with the family that just lost their baby,
00:26:31.260 to be in the muck and the mire,
00:26:32.680 the unseen and unsung parts
00:26:34.820 of serving the body of Christ,
00:26:37.760 week in and week out,
00:26:39.840 in addition to edifying them with the word.
00:26:43.000 Now, I'm not saying that Steve Lawson never did that.
00:26:46.200 I think the elders are very faithful,
00:26:48.840 kind men who did that.
00:26:51.360 But sheep need a shepherd,
00:26:54.200 a consistent shepherd
00:26:55.940 who takes responsibility for his flock.
00:26:59.140 1 Timothy 3, 1 through 7
00:27:00.660 describes the role of the pastor,
00:27:02.320 not as a preacher primarily,
00:27:05.580 but as an overseer.
00:27:07.220 So someone who sees over his church.
00:27:10.880 The saying is trustworthy.
00:27:12.260 If anyone aspires to the office of overseer,
00:27:14.820 he desires a noble task.
00:27:16.640 Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach,
00:27:19.700 the husband of one wife,
00:27:21.260 sober-minded, self-controlled,
00:27:22.740 respectable, hospitable,
00:27:24.120 able to teach,
00:27:25.260 not a drunkard,
00:27:26.040 not violent,
00:27:26.800 not gentle,
00:27:27.440 not quarrelsome,
00:27:28.460 not a lover of money.
00:27:30.560 And I'm not just talking about Steve Lawson here.
00:27:33.020 I think that we should revisit this passage a lot
00:27:35.400 when we are deciding which church to go to.
00:27:38.560 He must manage his own household well,
00:27:40.520 with all dignity,
00:27:41.600 keeping his children submissive.
00:27:42.960 For if someone does not know how to manage his own household,
00:27:45.860 how will he care for God's church?
00:27:47.820 He must not be a recent convert,
00:27:49.700 or he may become puffed up with conceit
00:27:52.040 and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
00:27:54.760 Moreover,
00:27:55.600 he must be well thought of by outsiders
00:27:57.400 so that he may not fall into disgrace,
00:28:00.020 into a snare of the devil.
00:28:02.820 I think we as Christians would all do well
00:28:07.660 to do a few things,
00:28:09.460 to keep these things in mind.
00:28:12.060 I think that this is protective,
00:28:13.520 not just for us,
00:28:14.740 but also for very skilled preachers,
00:28:19.100 for very skilled teachers.
00:28:21.520 I think that we should take every single teacher,
00:28:24.260 preacher,
00:28:25.300 pastor,
00:28:25.920 off the pedestal.
00:28:26.900 I think that we can as much as we are able
00:28:31.620 to stop celebritizing pastors.
00:28:36.700 Don't go to church with the most famous preacher.
00:28:39.820 Go to the church with the most humble pastor,
00:28:42.540 the pastor who loves Jesus,
00:28:44.560 who loves his word,
00:28:46.440 who can teach it well,
00:28:48.180 who loves his wife and kids,
00:28:50.920 who mourns with those who mourn,
00:28:52.460 rejoices with those who rejoice,
00:28:53.840 who doesn't think highly of himself,
00:28:55.900 but sees himself as a servant,
00:28:58.400 protector of his flock,
00:29:00.180 who is never even getting close
00:29:02.980 to the line of compromise.
00:29:07.560 Nowadays,
00:29:08.420 we have access to the most dynamic speakers
00:29:12.620 on the planet through our phones,
00:29:14.380 through podcasts.
00:29:14.740 We can listen to a sermon
00:29:16.740 from a pastor who lives anywhere.
00:29:19.780 And it's easy to compare our pastor
00:29:22.520 at our local church to those speakers
00:29:24.440 and think,
00:29:25.180 well,
00:29:25.480 I'm not really at a good church
00:29:28.300 or a solid church
00:29:29.200 or like,
00:29:29.800 I don't have a strong leader at my church
00:29:32.080 because my pastor doesn't speak
00:29:34.080 the same way as this pastor
00:29:35.980 of this 10,000 person congregation
00:29:38.940 does in Idaho
00:29:40.720 or wherever it is.
00:29:42.600 But that's not really a fair comparison.
00:29:45.940 That is not the highest qualification
00:29:48.320 for a pastor.
00:29:50.160 I think communication skill
00:29:52.000 is extremely important.
00:29:53.600 I wish more pastors took that seriously.
00:29:56.000 I think they should actively work on
00:29:58.020 excelling in this area.
00:30:00.760 But being the most dynamic preacher
00:30:03.160 is not what makes someone a good shepherd.
00:30:06.620 That's what you want.
00:30:08.900 You want a good shepherd
00:30:10.320 that is going to protect you from wolves.
00:30:12.260 We live in a very scary time,
00:30:14.700 in a chaotic time,
00:30:16.420 in a confusing time.
00:30:17.660 Does your pastor bring strength
00:30:20.700 to the pulpit
00:30:21.500 through the Word of God?
00:30:23.200 Does your pastor speak
00:30:25.760 and preach with clarity
00:30:27.500 on what the Word of God says
00:30:29.280 about what is going on
00:30:31.520 in the world today?
00:30:33.240 Is your pastor humble?
00:30:35.740 Is he kind?
00:30:37.420 Does he know you?
00:30:40.140 I think these are some of the things
00:30:42.340 that we should be looking at.
00:30:45.500 Those of us in Reformed theology
00:30:50.180 and the Reformed theology camp
00:30:52.780 have a lot of head knowledge.
00:30:56.080 We love our ESV study Bibles,
00:30:57.920 our MacArthur study Bibles.
00:30:59.780 We love theology.
00:31:00.940 We love right doctrine.
00:31:02.460 These are all good things.
00:31:03.820 We love understanding
00:31:05.140 and reading about,
00:31:06.660 learning about all different aspects
00:31:08.340 of Scripture and the character of God.
00:31:09.980 We are always reforming.
00:31:11.280 We are always trying to be
00:31:12.400 more solid,
00:31:13.500 more true in what we believe.
00:31:15.140 We can identify false teaching
00:31:17.620 and false teachers
00:31:18.640 with the best of them.
00:31:20.040 We love being as discerning
00:31:22.080 and thoughtful as we can
00:31:23.200 and sharing that with other people.
00:31:25.620 But I think at times,
00:31:27.640 there is a disconnect
00:31:28.580 between our head and our heart.
00:31:31.820 What we know in our minds
00:31:33.380 is not always expressing itself
00:31:36.280 in love and humility and obedience.
00:31:39.140 That's something for us
00:31:40.360 to watch out for.
00:31:41.860 Revelation 2, 2 through 5.
00:31:44.760 We are going through Revelation
00:31:46.920 in my Sunday school class.
00:31:48.520 Chief Relatedbro is helping teach
00:31:52.280 our Sunday school class
00:31:53.800 and has for a while.
00:31:55.020 And he did a very good job
00:31:56.960 leading our class
00:31:57.940 through the beginning of Revelation 2.
00:32:01.160 But we read the words of Jesus
00:32:03.600 to the church at Ephesus.
00:32:05.540 And it just struck me,
00:32:07.660 especially about those of us
00:32:09.600 in this Reformed camp.
00:32:13.300 And I'm sure this applies
00:32:14.840 to lots of different kinds
00:32:16.020 of Christians,
00:32:16.920 but I think this is a good thing
00:32:18.840 for us to keep in mind,
00:32:20.020 a good warning for us.
00:32:21.900 Starting in verse 2,
00:32:22.980 I know your works,
00:32:24.560 your toil,
00:32:25.200 and your patient endurance,
00:32:26.580 and how you cannot bear
00:32:27.800 with those who are evil,
00:32:28.920 but have tested those
00:32:30.180 who call themselves apostles
00:32:31.580 and are not,
00:32:32.780 and found them to be false.
00:32:34.640 I know you are enduring patiently
00:32:36.680 and bearing up for my name's sake,
00:32:39.160 and you have not grown weary.
00:32:40.960 But I have this against you,
00:32:42.760 that you have abandoned
00:32:43.820 the love you had at first.
00:32:46.060 Remember, therefore,
00:32:47.260 from where you have fallen,
00:32:48.500 repent and do the works
00:32:51.260 you did at first.
00:32:53.940 So that love could be
00:32:55.320 love of Christ,
00:32:56.600 love of each other.
00:32:58.320 And that's something for us
00:32:59.920 to all check,
00:33:01.920 that our head knowledge
00:33:04.240 is translating into heart convictions
00:33:07.200 and is working itself out
00:33:09.180 in our lives.
00:33:11.700 And another thought that I have,
00:33:13.600 I've seen a lot of people
00:33:14.980 in reaction to this news
00:33:16.580 remark on social media
00:33:17.940 that if it could happen to Lawson,
00:33:21.520 it can happen to anyone.
00:33:22.680 It happened to David.
00:33:23.500 It happened to Solomon
00:33:24.240 and the Bible.
00:33:24.880 Other great men of the Bible
00:33:26.500 also sinned sexually.
00:33:29.160 And while that's true,
00:33:31.280 I'm not sure that this is the time
00:33:33.940 to draw those comparisons.
00:33:36.040 I'm not sure that this is the time
00:33:37.640 to compare Steve Lawson and David.
00:33:41.520 Those stories can be used
00:33:43.360 as warnings to the rest of us,
00:33:45.480 not to fall into sin.
00:33:46.800 But when they're used
00:33:48.520 after a public preacher falls,
00:33:51.740 it kind of looks like excuse making.
00:33:54.440 While it could happen to anyone,
00:33:56.620 everyone sins,
00:33:57.900 even David sinned.
00:33:59.680 Well, hang on.
00:34:00.820 Like, let's not minimize
00:34:02.360 what an utter disgrace this is.
00:34:05.220 We don't even know yet
00:34:06.520 if he has repented.
00:34:07.820 Yes, it is true
00:34:09.340 that everyone sins,
00:34:10.420 that all of us have to be on guard,
00:34:12.460 that the devil is prowling around
00:34:13.940 like a lion
00:34:16.280 looking for someone to devour.
00:34:18.780 But when we immediately react with,
00:34:22.080 well, everyone sins.
00:34:23.760 Everyone could fall short.
00:34:25.800 None of us is above that vulnerability.
00:34:27.780 And look, David even sinned,
00:34:29.160 a man after God's own heart.
00:34:31.400 It looks a lot like obscuring
00:34:33.320 the severity of what's occurred here,
00:34:34.860 which is not just marital infidelity,
00:34:37.580 but also deception and hypocrisy.
00:34:41.640 James 3.1 says,
00:34:42.820 Not many of you
00:34:43.720 should become teachers,
00:34:44.880 my brothers,
00:34:45.440 for you know that we who teach
00:34:46.880 will be judged
00:34:47.560 with greater strictness.
00:34:50.580 That's serious.
00:34:52.300 That's a big burden to carry.
00:34:54.720 And I think it would be a lot easier
00:34:57.520 for teachers,
00:34:58.440 preachers,
00:34:58.940 pastors
00:34:59.360 to really soberly
00:35:02.200 think through that verse
00:35:03.920 if there wasn't the prospect
00:35:05.780 of celebrity
00:35:06.980 tied
00:35:08.380 to these prominent positions.
00:35:11.880 So pray for Steve Lawson.
00:35:13.700 Pray for his repentance.
00:35:14.920 Maybe it has already happened.
00:35:16.560 If it has not,
00:35:17.860 pray hard for that,
00:35:18.580 but pray for his wife.
00:35:20.860 Pray for her comfort,
00:35:21.960 for her faith,
00:35:22.720 for her strength.
00:35:23.540 Pray for his kids.
00:35:25.380 Pray for his grandkids.
00:35:26.960 Pray for Trinity Bible Church.
00:35:29.040 Pray for the ministries
00:35:30.000 that he led.
00:35:30.840 Pray for Master's Seminary.
00:35:32.720 I mean,
00:35:33.000 Satan is loving this.
00:35:35.620 He is loving the ripple effects
00:35:37.500 that this will have for years.
00:35:39.820 And I know a lot of you
00:35:40.920 are thinking like,
00:35:41.620 how in the world
00:35:42.320 could this have happened?
00:35:43.540 He knew better.
00:35:44.900 Of course he knew better.
00:35:46.240 He knows the Bible
00:35:47.060 maybe better
00:35:48.180 than any preacher
00:35:49.120 alive on earth today.
00:35:52.200 And yet,
00:35:53.000 sin makes you stupid.
00:35:55.540 Sin makes you stupid.
00:35:58.340 That's what Satan does.
00:36:00.820 He exaggerates
00:36:02.460 the pleasures of sin
00:36:03.640 and he minimizes
00:36:05.000 its consequences.
00:36:06.740 That's what temptation is.
00:36:09.140 That is a definition
00:36:10.740 of being lured into sin.
00:36:14.000 That's his strategy.
00:36:15.140 It's been his strategy
00:36:16.180 since the Garden of Eden.
00:36:17.940 And all the head knowledge
00:36:21.380 in the world
00:36:22.440 can go by the wayside
00:36:25.740 when we are led by our flesh.
00:36:28.780 Remember,
00:36:29.560 sin makes you stupid.
00:36:33.480 May God be with his church.
00:36:35.960 The gates of hell
00:36:36.840 will never prevail
00:36:38.380 against God's church.
00:36:40.600 May God strengthen our faith.
00:36:42.980 May the schemes of Satan
00:36:44.060 be thwarted.
00:36:44.760 May he be glorified.
00:36:45.680 May God use this discipline
00:36:47.400 of Steve Lawson
00:36:49.120 for his glory.
00:36:51.260 May Steve Lawson
00:36:52.080 be closer to the Lord
00:36:53.640 than he's ever been
00:36:55.220 after he becomes
00:36:56.480 contrite
00:36:57.520 and repentant.
00:36:59.800 May he bring
00:37:00.900 beauty from ashes
00:37:02.020 because that is what
00:37:03.000 God does,
00:37:03.620 what Satan means
00:37:04.320 for evil.
00:37:05.320 God uses for good.
00:37:07.060 He is in the business
00:37:08.560 of redemption.
00:37:09.900 And remember,
00:37:10.720 his eternal plan
00:37:11.660 of redemption
00:37:12.060 is always going off
00:37:13.100 without a hitch.
00:37:13.660 He wasn't surprised by this.
00:37:15.420 He wasn't thrown off
00:37:16.280 by this.
00:37:16.880 He's not looking down
00:37:17.820 and saying,
00:37:18.420 how can I clean
00:37:19.340 this mess up?
00:37:21.160 That's not how it works.
00:37:22.500 He's suspended
00:37:23.100 outside of linear time
00:37:24.860 and he is still
00:37:26.840 working all things
00:37:28.200 together
00:37:28.600 for the good
00:37:29.760 of those
00:37:30.600 who love him.
00:37:31.940 And he is still
00:37:32.980 coming back
00:37:33.820 at the appointed time
00:37:35.080 that only he knows
00:37:36.160 and he wins
00:37:36.980 in the end.
00:37:38.440 Only thing,
00:37:39.440 the only thing
00:37:40.060 that we can do
00:37:40.620 is the next right thing
00:37:41.420 in faith with excellence
00:37:42.360 and for the glory of God.
00:37:43.720 So just remember that.
00:37:45.940 I've got just a couple
00:37:46.680 more quick comments
00:37:47.460 on that,
00:37:47.880 but let me go ahead
00:37:48.480 and pause
00:37:48.860 and tell you about
00:37:49.380 our third sponsor
00:37:50.120 for the day
00:37:50.740 and that is Preborn.
00:37:53.260 If you want to know
00:37:54.080 how to get involved
00:37:55.640 in the pro-life world,
00:37:58.620 if you want to know
00:37:59.280 how you can save lives,
00:38:01.400 then you need to check
00:38:02.920 out Preborn.
00:38:03.680 Preborn is a large
00:38:05.300 network of clinics
00:38:07.460 throughout the country
00:38:08.520 that provides
00:38:09.580 free resources,
00:38:10.640 free sonograms
00:38:11.720 for pregnant moms
00:38:13.120 in need.
00:38:14.120 We know that
00:38:14.720 when a mom
00:38:15.260 sees that baby
00:38:16.100 inside her womb
00:38:16.940 on the sonogram screen,
00:38:18.280 when she hears
00:38:18.980 that beating heart,
00:38:19.720 she is so much more
00:38:20.520 likely to choose life.
00:38:22.040 That's why
00:38:22.420 at Planned Parenthood,
00:38:23.260 they don't let them
00:38:23.920 hear the heartbeat.
00:38:25.220 They don't even allow them
00:38:26.540 to look at
00:38:28.060 the sonogram screen.
00:38:29.300 That's not really
00:38:29.840 informed consent,
00:38:30.800 by the way.
00:38:32.060 If you're being told
00:38:33.020 that this is just
00:38:33.620 a clump of cells,
00:38:34.420 it's not even
00:38:35.180 a baby,
00:38:36.440 and you're not even
00:38:37.240 able to see
00:38:38.180 the life that is
00:38:38.940 inside you,
00:38:39.840 then you can't
00:38:40.840 even make
00:38:41.260 an informed choice.
00:38:43.100 And so Preborn
00:38:44.380 wants to make sure
00:38:45.220 that women have
00:38:45.840 all the information
00:38:46.680 and they want them
00:38:47.400 to choose life.
00:38:48.780 If you can donate
00:38:49.680 just $28 to Preborn,
00:38:51.520 you cover the cost
00:38:52.360 of a free ultrasound
00:38:53.240 for one of these women,
00:38:55.140 and that could be
00:38:55.820 the game changer
00:38:56.420 for her,
00:38:57.420 that she decides
00:38:58.240 to keep her baby
00:38:59.000 after she sees
00:38:59.880 that baby
00:39:00.400 on the sonogram screen.
00:39:02.100 So go to
00:39:02.440 preborn.com
00:39:03.580 slash Allie,
00:39:05.360 make whatever
00:39:05.920 donation you can.
00:39:07.240 That's
00:39:07.500 preborn.com
00:39:08.500 slash Allie.
00:39:13.320 I thought that
00:39:14.240 John Benzinger
00:39:15.140 had a really
00:39:16.820 good statement
00:39:18.220 that he put out
00:39:19.260 on Acts.
00:39:20.040 He is the pastor
00:39:21.260 at Redeemer Bible Church
00:39:22.920 in Gilbert,
00:39:24.100 Arizona,
00:39:24.540 and he is one
00:39:27.060 of the only people
00:39:27.820 that I've seen
00:39:28.460 really sit
00:39:29.700 in the seriousness
00:39:30.600 of this
00:39:31.240 and acknowledge
00:39:32.140 how disappointing
00:39:33.900 this is
00:39:35.320 and how disgraceful
00:39:36.480 this is
00:39:36.920 while also giving
00:39:38.060 what I think
00:39:39.220 is the right
00:39:39.800 kind of biblical
00:39:40.680 encouragement
00:39:41.340 in this moment.
00:39:42.420 So he posted
00:39:44.280 on Acts,
00:39:44.920 I wrote this
00:39:45.520 yesterday
00:39:45.980 in our staff
00:39:46.740 chat
00:39:47.020 at RBC Gilbert.
00:39:48.440 Maybe it'll
00:39:49.080 help you
00:39:49.500 as you process
00:39:50.220 what is going
00:39:50.880 on with Dr.
00:39:51.740 Stephen J.
00:39:52.320 Lawson.
00:39:53.300 A thread.
00:39:54.540 Hey, everyone.
00:39:55.660 As many of you
00:39:56.320 probably know,
00:39:57.160 it came out
00:39:57.620 yesterday
00:39:57.980 that a famous
00:39:58.660 preacher and author
00:39:59.480 within the circles
00:40:00.220 our church
00:40:00.700 is most aligned
00:40:01.380 with fell morally.
00:40:02.680 Dr. Stephen Lawson
00:40:03.580 committed adultery
00:40:04.420 after being married
00:40:05.260 to his wife,
00:40:06.040 Ann,
00:40:06.160 for over four decades.
00:40:07.720 He has devastated
00:40:08.420 her,
00:40:09.020 his kids,
00:40:09.600 his grandkids,
00:40:10.580 prayed for them all,
00:40:11.520 and tens of thousands
00:40:12.400 that looked up to him.
00:40:13.700 He has disqualified
00:40:14.440 himself for ministry
00:40:15.580 and brought shame
00:40:16.740 on the pastorate
00:40:17.600 and on the name
00:40:18.160 of Christ.
00:40:19.100 In Satan's prowling,
00:40:20.160 he devoured another one
00:40:21.280 who chose sin
00:40:22.060 instead of Christ.
00:40:23.140 That being said,
00:40:24.120 I still love Dr. Lawson
00:40:25.360 truly.
00:40:26.180 Under Christ,
00:40:26.860 he was a hero
00:40:27.360 to many of us.
00:40:28.620 We admired him
00:40:29.500 for his clarity
00:40:30.080 and his boldness.
00:40:30.940 For some,
00:40:31.400 he was one of,
00:40:32.700 if not the most,
00:40:33.660 influential preacher
00:40:34.440 in our lives.
00:40:35.880 His fall has shocked us,
00:40:37.280 depressed us,
00:40:38.200 enraged us,
00:40:39.000 and sobered us.
00:40:39.960 We feel betrayed.
00:40:40.960 We feel duped.
00:40:41.840 We feel fury.
00:40:43.540 I've needed time to think
00:40:44.840 and after doing so,
00:40:46.120 I want you to allow
00:40:46.920 two texts
00:40:47.620 to shape your thinking
00:40:48.960 on this horrific
00:40:50.060 turn of events.
00:40:51.280 The first is
00:40:51.940 1 Timothy 5.20.
00:40:53.780 As for those
00:40:54.460 who persist in sin,
00:40:55.520 rebuke them
00:40:56.020 in the presence of all
00:40:56.880 so that the rest
00:40:57.780 may stand in fear.
00:40:59.060 You may have seen
00:40:59.740 people rebuking Steve online
00:41:01.140 and you may see more of it
00:41:02.500 as the days go by.
00:41:03.500 And I say,
00:41:04.440 rightly so.
00:41:05.480 What he did was egregious.
00:41:06.920 It was reprehensible.
00:41:08.060 It was inexcusable.
00:41:09.440 It was satanic.
00:41:10.660 In July of 2018,
00:41:12.080 I listened intently
00:41:12.940 as he lectured
00:41:13.760 on 28 tragic consequences
00:41:15.320 of sexual sin
00:41:16.240 in the ministry
00:41:16.860 after another prominent
00:41:18.380 pastor committed adultery.
00:41:20.240 He knew better
00:41:21.080 and he did it anyway.
00:41:22.500 He fell into,
00:41:23.300 he didn't fall into sin.
00:41:25.040 This wasn't a hiccup
00:41:26.080 and because of that,
00:41:27.420 rebuke is right
00:41:28.120 and it is good.
00:41:29.160 Not just for him,
00:41:30.080 but for us
00:41:31.560 that we may all fear God
00:41:33.420 and fear sin's consequences.
00:41:35.260 However,
00:41:35.700 a second text
00:41:36.420 should also shape
00:41:37.220 how we think about Dr. Lawson.
00:41:38.960 Galatians 6, 1-3.
00:41:40.740 Brothers,
00:41:41.220 if anyone is caught
00:41:42.040 in any transgression,
00:41:43.540 you who are spiritual
00:41:44.300 should restore him
00:41:45.280 in a spirit of gentleness.
00:41:46.760 Keep watch on yourself,
00:41:48.220 lest you too be tempted.
00:41:49.860 Bear one another's burdens
00:41:51.080 and so fulfill
00:41:52.060 the law of Christ.
00:41:53.320 For if anyone thinks
00:41:54.340 he is something
00:41:54.920 when he is nothing,
00:41:56.020 he deceives himself.
00:41:57.960 If repentant,
00:41:59.300 and he says,
00:42:00.160 which he seems to be,
00:42:01.300 and I hope,
00:42:02.040 absolutely hope he's right,
00:42:03.940 Dr. Lawson should never
00:42:05.200 be restored to ministry,
00:42:06.460 but he must be restored
00:42:07.620 to fellowship
00:42:08.220 in the body of Christ.
00:42:09.480 The circle our church
00:42:10.580 is most aligned with
00:42:11.540 is known for the doctrines
00:42:12.700 of grace,
00:42:13.380 but not for being gracious.
00:42:15.180 Yes,
00:42:15.520 that is kind of
00:42:16.560 what I was saying earlier.
00:42:18.320 We don't shun the repentant,
00:42:20.020 even if their sin
00:42:20.980 has simply,
00:42:22.080 has deeply disappointed us.
00:42:23.880 Why?
00:42:24.540 Ultimately,
00:42:25.360 because of what God
00:42:26.460 has done for all of us
00:42:27.700 in Christ.
00:42:28.820 He didn't shun us
00:42:29.620 when we confessed
00:42:30.300 our sin to him.
00:42:31.260 He welcomed us,
00:42:32.180 forgave us,
00:42:32.780 and he's talking about
00:42:33.620 Jesus here,
00:42:34.760 capital H,
00:42:35.500 him.
00:42:36.060 He welcomed us,
00:42:36.960 forgave us,
00:42:37.420 and adopted us
00:42:38.220 into his family.
00:42:39.460 Let's never think of ourselves
00:42:40.540 more highly than we ought.
00:42:41.960 Not one of us
00:42:42.700 is immune to temptation.
00:42:43.980 We are nothing.
00:42:44.860 Christ is everything.
00:42:46.180 Let's rest secure in him
00:42:47.380 and let's fight our sin
00:42:48.820 ruthlessly,
00:42:49.500 lest the sins of Steve Lawson
00:42:50.940 and sadly many others
00:42:52.180 repeat themselves
00:42:53.080 in our lives.
00:42:54.880 Now,
00:42:55.160 most of the Christians
00:42:56.180 we interact with on this,
00:42:57.400 whether in person or online,
00:42:58.720 will either be
00:42:59.360 1 Timothy 5 Christians
00:43:00.700 or Galatians 6 Christians.
00:43:02.300 Instead,
00:43:02.800 let's try to be both.
00:43:04.000 Rebuke the sin
00:43:04.760 and be gracious,
00:43:05.900 remembering the grace
00:43:06.640 we've all been shown.
00:43:08.120 Knowing that much more
00:43:09.140 could be said,
00:43:09.840 I'll end with this.
00:43:10.720 When I graduated
00:43:11.420 from the TMS
00:43:12.440 DMIN program
00:43:13.880 in May of 2021,
00:43:15.440 Steve Lawson
00:43:15.880 looked at me in the eyes
00:43:16.640 and said,
00:43:17.080 John,
00:43:17.440 God has given you
00:43:18.060 an incredible ministry.
00:43:19.200 Stay faithful.
00:43:20.220 I have thought of those words
00:43:21.360 often the past three years.
00:43:22.940 They were one of the highlights
00:43:23.900 of that whole night for me.
00:43:25.200 From now on,
00:43:26.520 I will think of those words
00:43:27.760 with great sadness.
00:43:29.200 God gave Steve Lawson
00:43:30.240 an incredible ministry.
00:43:31.620 I wish he wanted
00:43:32.280 to stay faithful
00:43:33.100 as much as we all hoped
00:43:34.780 he would.
00:43:37.040 And I hope,
00:43:38.840 I hope
00:43:40.300 that he does.
00:43:42.320 I hope he wants
00:43:43.080 to remain faithful.
00:43:44.280 Not to ministry
00:43:45.380 because I think
00:43:46.180 that he's done there,
00:43:47.340 but faithful to his wife,
00:43:49.100 faithful to his calling,
00:43:50.100 and faithful
00:43:51.460 to God.
00:43:54.080 Okay,
00:43:54.760 I've got one last sponsor
00:43:56.060 for the day
00:43:56.660 and then I'll
00:43:57.720 close this out
00:43:58.600 with just a couple more thoughts.
00:44:00.640 And that last sponsor
00:44:01.840 is America's Christian Credit Union.
00:44:03.440 None of us like
00:44:04.180 to think about
00:44:04.720 being debanked
00:44:05.880 or being punished
00:44:06.780 by our financial institutions
00:44:08.160 for what we believe
00:44:09.080 and yet that is the reality
00:44:10.280 for some.
00:44:11.380 If you want to protect yourself
00:44:12.380 against that,
00:44:13.060 make sure that you are
00:44:14.100 banking with
00:44:15.120 a company
00:44:15.960 that aligns
00:44:16.520 with your values.
00:44:17.440 That's America's
00:44:18.080 Christian Credit Union.
00:44:18.960 For over 65 years,
00:44:20.660 they've been serving
00:44:21.280 God-fearing Americans
00:44:22.200 with integrity and faith.
00:44:23.740 This was started
00:44:24.240 by pastors
00:44:24.980 to serve their congregations
00:44:26.400 and now they have
00:44:28.940 more than 5,000
00:44:30.540 shared branches,
00:44:31.580 30,000 ATMs nationwide.
00:44:34.180 Right now,
00:44:34.780 you can earn $400
00:44:35.600 when you open
00:44:36.400 a new checking account
00:44:37.240 with qualifying activities.
00:44:38.600 Plus,
00:44:39.060 my listeners get
00:44:39.700 an additional $100 bonus
00:44:40.980 with the promo code
00:44:42.280 Allie at checkout.
00:44:44.060 Go to
00:44:44.600 americaschristiancu.com
00:44:46.300 slash Allie
00:44:46.980 for complete program details.
00:44:49.060 America's Christian Credit Union
00:44:50.240 is federally insured
00:44:51.080 by the NCUA.
00:44:56.020 This is commentary
00:44:57.380 by
00:44:58.080 Kosti Henn.
00:45:00.340 He says,
00:45:01.200 one of the fastest ways
00:45:02.220 to know if a man
00:45:02.900 is not fit to be a pastor
00:45:04.160 is when he claims
00:45:05.140 that all he really wants
00:45:06.140 to do is preach
00:45:06.880 and he abandons
00:45:07.640 the shepherding work
00:45:08.440 to everyone else,
00:45:09.340 refusing to get
00:45:10.120 the stench of sheep
00:45:11.020 on his starched shirt.
00:45:12.720 Such a man
00:45:13.280 is nothing more
00:45:14.720 than a performer
00:45:15.380 who is paraded out
00:45:16.340 once a week
00:45:16.800 to wax eloquent
00:45:17.620 with his oratory
00:45:18.460 and then relegated
00:45:19.360 to his ivory tower.
00:45:20.860 Fire that man
00:45:21.620 and hire a real pastor.
00:45:23.260 So that's quite
00:45:24.160 a sharp rebuke
00:45:25.300 from someone
00:45:26.540 who is also
00:45:28.040 a very faithful
00:45:28.960 teacher and preacher
00:45:30.020 Kosti Henn.
00:45:30.800 We've had him
00:45:31.380 on the show
00:45:32.420 a couple times.
00:45:33.680 I am sure he is
00:45:34.660 someone who would say
00:45:35.820 that he has also benefited
00:45:37.100 from Steve Lawson's
00:45:38.360 teachings over the years,
00:45:39.640 but the anger
00:45:40.720 that you're seeing
00:45:41.500 from some,
00:45:42.380 the sharp rebukes
00:45:43.260 that you're seeing
00:45:43.820 from some,
00:45:44.500 as we heard
00:45:45.020 by the other pastor
00:45:46.060 in Arizona,
00:45:47.120 I think is justified.
00:45:48.960 It's okay to be angry.
00:45:50.360 It's okay to speak
00:45:51.560 about this
00:45:52.060 with sharpness,
00:45:52.840 of course,
00:45:54.340 while also giving grace
00:45:55.880 and understanding
00:45:57.340 the grace
00:45:57.780 that God gave us
00:45:58.780 and hoping for goodness
00:46:00.100 for his family,
00:46:01.000 repentance for him
00:46:01.960 and being on guard ourselves.
00:46:04.340 But that does not mean
00:46:05.680 that in any way
00:46:06.680 we should be minimizing
00:46:08.080 what happened here.
00:46:10.500 Gosh,
00:46:10.880 Satan is a liar.
00:46:11.980 He is a destroyer
00:46:13.240 and he steals,
00:46:14.900 kills and destroys.
00:46:15.900 He loves to create chaos.
00:46:17.580 He loves to cast doubt
00:46:18.920 on the faithfulness of God.
00:46:20.300 But remember,
00:46:21.420 God is faithful
00:46:22.220 even when people
00:46:23.640 are faithless.
00:46:25.080 God is love.
00:46:26.240 God is trustworthy.
00:46:27.860 Jesus Christ,
00:46:28.780 Hebrews 13,
00:46:29.420 8 says,
00:46:29.840 is the same yesterday,
00:46:31.180 today and forever.
00:46:32.100 Jesus will never fail you.
00:46:33.860 He will never lie to you.
00:46:35.540 He can never show hypocrisy.
00:46:37.440 He will never be duplicitous.
00:46:39.100 He will never betray you.
00:46:41.320 Ever.
00:46:42.700 He will be faithful
00:46:43.960 to give you new mercies
00:46:45.540 every morning.
00:46:46.660 He is the rock
00:46:47.520 on which we stand.
00:46:48.920 He is our trustworthy Savior.
00:46:51.140 He is the author
00:46:52.280 and perfecter
00:46:53.300 of our faith.
00:46:54.820 He is our steadfast anchor.
00:46:56.900 You can trust in him.
00:46:58.560 He will be good.
00:46:59.740 He will be loving.
00:47:00.800 He will be loyal
00:47:02.440 even when everyone else
00:47:05.440 fails us
00:47:06.540 or turns their back.
00:47:07.940 Let God be true
00:47:09.100 even if every man
00:47:11.080 were a liar.
00:47:12.380 And so that's the God
00:47:13.840 we serve.
00:47:14.440 Remember that.
00:47:15.240 Satan wants to use this
00:47:17.000 to spark doubt
00:47:18.920 in your mind.
00:47:20.240 Go to God's word.
00:47:21.400 Go to him
00:47:22.100 in prayer.
00:47:22.960 Dedicate yourself
00:47:24.000 even further
00:47:25.160 to the understanding
00:47:26.540 and study of Scripture
00:47:28.000 to working out
00:47:29.660 your own salvation
00:47:30.840 with fear
00:47:31.700 and trembling
00:47:32.460 and doing the good works
00:47:34.620 that God has
00:47:35.460 prepared
00:47:36.820 beforehand
00:47:38.100 for you
00:47:38.840 so that we may
00:47:40.500 walk in them.
00:47:41.600 All right.
00:47:41.980 That's all we've got time
00:47:42.860 for today.
00:47:43.580 We will see you
00:47:44.080 back here tomorrow.
00:47:44.640 We'll see you
00:47:45.080 back here tomorrow.
00:47:45.220 We'll see you
00:47:46.900 back here tomorrow.
00:47:47.640 We'll see you