Posts Tagged ‘David Platt’

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A Conversation on Preaching

Posted on May 16th, 2013 by Eric Parker

Pastor David talks about preaching in terms of his own life and ministry with Dr. Blake Newsom of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. This interview covers topics ranging from the life of the preacher, to what it looks like practically to prepare a sermon.
Free Download of Secret Church 13 Now Available

Posted on May 14th, 2013 by David Burnette

The audio and video of Pastor David Platt’s teaching sessions at Secret Church 13, “Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World,” are now available for a free download under our ‘Resources’ tab. Simply click here.

You can choose between two different options for the Study Guide, which is also free. You can download a Study Guide with open blanks, or with answers filled in.

In order to purchase a DVD, a hard copy of the Study Guide, or bundle packaging, go here.

If you haven’t already, get a small group together and work through these crucial topics.
Platt & Dever on False Conversion and the Sinner’s Prayer

Posted on May 10th, 2013 by David Burnette

Is it wrong to lead someone in a “sinner’s prayer”? David Platt asks Mark Dever about the dangers of false conversion and false assurance in our evangelism.

Parts 1-4 of this conversation can be seen here.
Two Ways to Miss the Gospel: Andy & Ashley (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on May 2nd, 2013 by David Burnette

Yesterday we considered two different responses to the gospel that miss the mark as far as God’s Word is concerned. You can read that first post here.

Andy represents the first wrong response to the gospel, as his faith has produced little to no fruit. Andy gladly affirms justification by grace alone through faith alone, but believing in Jesus doesn’t seem to have changed his heart or his life.

Ashley’s situation is very different: she has sought to follow Christ as long as she can remember, longing to please Him and to put her Christian faith into action. She is growing weary in her walk with the Lord, though, never feeling as if she’s quite done enough. Ashley is not really sure that she’s even a child of God.

In responding to these two different misunderstandings of the gospel, Pastor David Platt says in Radical Together that we must “embrace a gospel that both saves us from work and saves us to work” (26). Applying this truth to Andy and Ashley will, however, look different.

As for Andy, he needs to be confronted with the Bible’s teaching about what saving faith ought to produce. Platt notes, “So-called faith without acts prompted by that faith is a farce. Real faith always creates fruit” (29) This is not a call for Andy to work harder; it’s a call for him to surrender to the lordship of Christ, if he hasn’t already. He needs to be reminded that though we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, the grace that saves us continues to change us by faith. That change may be slow and gradual, but true saving faith doesn’t continue to walk in darkness (1 Jn 1:6). Andy needs to repent, maybe for the first time.

Ashley, on the other hand, should be approached differently. Pastor David notes, “I get frightened when I think about Radical in Ashley’s hands” (26), referring to the high cost of following Christ emphasized in his previous book. He remarks,

“Though in writing that book I tried to show the entirely undeserved grace of God toward us in the gospel, I know Ashley is prone to think, ‘I need to do more for God. I need to sell this possession and make this pledge in order to be right before God.’ Guilt will motivate her obedience, and action will be her obligation.

If you are Ashley and you read Radical, I must tell you something: you will never be radical enough. Now matter what you do – even if you sell all your possessions and move to the most dangerous country in the world for the sake of ministry – you cannot do enough to be accepted before God. And the beauty of the gospel is that you don’t have to.” (27)

Ashley needs to concern herself less with how radical she is, and instead look outside of herself for help. Platt notes, “Jesus alone has kept the commands of God. He alone has been faithful enough, generous enough, and compassionate enough. Indeed he alone has been radical enough.” (27) Ashley needs to know that what God has done in Christ is the ground of our hope:

“Though Jesus was free from sin throughout his life, he bore the penalty of sin in his death. He took your place and your punishment, dying the death you deserved. Then he rose from the grave in victory over sin. And, Ashley, when you turn from yourself and trust in your Savior, he will cleanse you from all your rebellion and clothe you in his righteousness. The starting point of your radical life is your radical death – death to yourself and death to your every attempt to do enough before God.” (27)

We should be aware of the tendencies of Andy and Ashley in our own lives. And we should be aware of such tendencies in others as we seek to encourage, rebuke, and give loving and true counsel.

We dare not add to the requirements of repentance and faith in response to the finished work of Christ. At the same time, it would be foolish to think that the gift of a new heart will leave us enslaved to sin (Ezek 36:26). We cannot say ‘yes’ to eternal life in Jesus while saying ‘no’ to His lordship.

“The gospel that saves us from work also saves us to work” (28). So don’t be like Andy or Ashley. Repent and believe (Mk 1:15). Rest in Jesus and take his yoke of discipleship, for he is “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt 11:29).

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Platt & Dever on Pastors Engaging the Lost

Posted on May 2nd, 2013 by David Burnette

David Platt interviews Mark Dever on how pastors can engage with lost people around them.

This is the fourth part of a conversation dealing with topics such as disciple-making and evangelism. If you missed the first three parts of the conversation, they’re posted below.

Part 1: Mark Dever’s testimony, including his conversion out of agnosticism.

Part 2: Apologetics, evangelism, and disciple-making.

Part 3: The biggest influences on Mark Dever, how he disciples others, and encouragement for those who aren’t extreme extroverts.
Two Ways to Miss the Gospel: Andy & Ashley (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on May 1st, 2013 by David Burnette

Responding to the gospel is, in one sense, quite simple. Repent and believe (Mk 1:15). That’s it, really. To be sure, this response comes only as a work of God’s Spirit, but it is not meant to be confusing. “Turn to me,” the Lord says, “and be saved” (Is 45:22).

So is it possible to misunderstand our response to that invitation? Well, if the last two thousand years of church history are any indication, including the responses we see in our own day, it’s pretty common for the gospel to be misunderstood. But how can that be? The short answer is this: sin.

Because we are dead in sin (Eph 2:1), and because everything in us and around us has been affected by the Fall, we seem to find countless ways to misconstrue the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus. Luther once compared the church to a “drunken peasant” who is prone to fall off either side of the horse. In other words, we will find a way to err, be it one side or the other. Below we’ll consider two common ways we misunderstand the greatest news in all the world.

In Radical Together, Pastor David Platt gives an illustration using two fictitious characters – Andy and Ashley – who have polar opposite views of the Christian life (25-26).

Andy professed faith in Christ a few years ago, and he holds firmly to salvation by grace alone through faith alone. However, according to Andy, his actions have nothing to do with his salvation, a notion that is clearly evident in his life. “Though he boldly claims belief in the gospel, there is no fruit of faith in his life beyond the religious routine of cultural Christianity” (26).

Ashley, on the other hand, has been in the church all her life, she’s been baptized four times, and she’s heard countless sermons about what she needs to do for God. “She wants to please God, and she works hard at putting Christianity into action. Yet she never feels as if she has done enough, and she is never sure of her salvation. Trying to live out the gospel is wearing Ashley out” (26).

So which is it for you? Are you prone to take Christ’s lordship lightly? Or do you have that nagging sensation that you’re just not radical enough to be called a Christian? Are you Andy or Ashley? In reality, all of us have both tendencies; we’re all prone to treat grace as something cheap and we’re also tempted to be little legalists at times. Even still, most of us typically find ourselves in one camp or the other.

Gratefully, God’s Word has a corrective for both of these errors. Tomorrow we’ll consider how Scripture corrects both Andy and Ashley on their misguided notions of the gospel.

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Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?

Posted on April 25th, 2013 by Eric Parker

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church today. We see amazing signs and wonders being done in the New Testament, and we may even hear stories from overseas about people being healed, or demons being cast out, all the while wondering about the validity of these stories.

In this clip Pastor David explores the question of whether the miraculous gifts recorded in the New Testament are still continuing today.

To view the entire teaching session, “Exploring the Holy Spirit,” go here.
The Name is Still Good

Posted on April 18th, 2013 by Eric Parker

The name of Jesus can often be said without a second thought. The name of Jesus can be spit upon and abused by the world. However, there is power in this name. The blind have received their sight, the lame have been healed, and leapers have been cleansed, all through the name of Jesus.

The question for us today is this: Do we believe God is still working powerfully through this name? Pastor David encourages us to have a deeper trust in the person and work of Jesus in the mission.
Who is Jesus?

Posted on April 11th, 2013 by Eric Parker

Our Christian culture is often times marked by a small view of God. In this clip, David Platt reminds us of the wonder and majesty of Jesus that we all too often forget.

Excerpted from the “Who is God?” Secret Church. To view the entire teaching session, go here.
A Conversation with Mark Dever: Part 3

Posted on April 4th, 2013 by Eric Parker

David Platt talks with Mark Dever about disciple-making.

Platt and Dever on Disciple-Making: Part 3 from David Platt on Vimeo.