Earlier this month I concluded a decade as senior pastor at my beloved church with a final worship service and following celebration. I will remain in the same city, training pastors for ministry, but it was still a parting and I wanted to choose my words wisely.
The Bible offers several models for a parting message. Jesus gave his disciples a great commission in Matthew 28. Paul reviewed his way of life and ministry in his farewell to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20; I chose that text for a more personal sermon the week before). But for my last sermon I chosen Moses' "song" in Deuteronomy 32 as my model. Moses begins, "I will proclaim the name of the Lord." Then he tells Israel to join him: "Ascribe greatness to our God" (Deut. 32:3). Moses celebrated the justice and faithfulness of God that led him to redeem his people from Egypt; I wanted to celebrate the love and justice that lead to the gospel.
This seemed right since we had celebrated the gospel for 548 consecutive Sundays. Some might call that repetitive. If the preacher's ultimate crime is to propound heresy, the penultimate crime is to make the faith seem boring. Blessedly, the gospel is so multifaceted that tedium should never be a problem. The challenge, rather, is to taste and see that the gospel, and the character of the Lord who accomplished it, solves our essential problems and establishes the foundation for the Christian life.
Do you feel guilty? Do you condemn yourself or feel condemned by others? The answer is in the gospel. For there is no condemnation for those who join Jesus by faith. He died for our sins and rose for our justification. If God justifies, who can condemn? We shouldn't even condemn ourselves (Rom. 4:1-25, 8:33-34).
If we feel trapped by circumstances, by habitual sins, or by character flaws, Jesus ransoms or delivers us from that captivity (Matt. 20:28). He has redeemed us from sin's iron grip, so we find substantial freedom.
If you feel alienated from God and without a friend (or even estranged from yourself), Jesus came to reconcile us to himself (Rom. 5:11). He invites us into his circle and befriends us. Are you lonely? Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. He adopts us into his family, and calls us his children and his brothers (Matt. 1:23, Heb. 2:11-13). If we feel insignificant, we remember Jesus values us enough to die for us and call us his family.
The roles of Christ that connect to his redemption provide the solution to need after need. If we believe we have been wronged and seek vindication, he is the Judge of all flesh (Matt. 25:31-46). If we need guidance, he is the Prophet, with words of correction and direction. If we need protection, he is the King, who leads and protects his people. If we need mercy, he is the High Priest who atones for our sins. Everything Jesus is and all that he does meets a need, cures a sorrow.
Beyond all that, as we meditate on the gospel, we also find essential guidance for our conduct. For example, we should be humble, even as Christ humbled himself and became a servant (Phil. 2:5-8). If we worry that humility will make us too soft, we remember that Jesus is both the Lamb of God and the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5-12).
In marriage, we sacrifice for each other, for we love as Christ loved the church. Instead of trying to control behavior, we seek each other's holiness and maturity (Eph. 5:2, 25-27). At work, we delight in finishing good tasks, even as Jesus finished the work the Father gave him (John 4:34, 19:30). If we wonder how to be a good friend, we recall that Jesus revealed himself to his friends and laid down his life for them (John 15:13-15). At home, we love our neighbors as ourselves and become neighbors, even as Jesus became our neighbor (Luke 10:25-37). If we are prone to worry and anxiety, we remind ourselves: God gave his own Son for us; surely he will graciously give us all we need (Rom. 8:32).
With these words I exhorted my beloved friends to believe the gospel, return to it, and remember it, since it is the foundation of the Christian's life.
Dan Doriani serves as vice president of strategic academic projects and professor of theology at Covenant Seminary. He teaches two core courses for the master of divinity program—ethics and Reformation and modern church history—as well as some elective courses on exegesis and church life. He previously served as senior pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton, Missouri.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/10/21/farewell-in-the-multifaceted-gospel/
