Downhill At Breakneck Speed

If you don't study history, I think there's a certain poverty that comes along with your life. History is very important because we learn from history both good examples and bad examples. And church history is no different.

If you study church history, something will happen to you very quickly and you'll say things like this. The same problems that happened then happen now. Similar good things that happened then happen now.

And many of you know the man Charles Haddon Spurgeon. In the last few years of his life, the last five years of his life, there was lots of trouble. Faithfully preaching God's Word in London, people would come from miles to hear Charles Spurgeon preached.

And he was troubled at the end of his life between 1887 and 1892 with something called the Downgrade Controversy. The church was going downhill. The church was running full blast away from biblical Christianity.

So tonight I'm going to talk a little bit about the Downgrade Controversy. You'll see some similarities and then we'll look at how we can prevent our own church from going downhill at breakneck speed.

The Rise of the Downgrade Controversy

So just a little introduction and then we'll get into the Bible here shortly. Lots of people during the 1800s, the middle of the 1800s and later, they were trying to do some new thoughts about Christianity.

And anytime you have a new thought about Christianity, there's trouble. It's not really that the old truths were being attacked. They just were being ignored. And what do you know about theological vacuums?

A vacuum in general. They must be filled. And so we don't really talk too much about doctrine. Doctrine divides and substitutionary atonement and justification by faith alone and the reliability of the scriptures.

Let's work on other things. I mean evangelism is good. We'd all say evangelism is good. Let's be very mission oriented. We could be missional back in those days. Let's work on social issues. After all, we don't like poverty.

We don't like orphans. So let's work with practical things. And, you know, we don't want to look stupid. So this criticism of the Bible and manuscript evidence and could God really say such and such, let's take some of that into theological evangelicalism because we really don't want to look dumb.

Evolution is being promoted at this time in a very aggressive fashion. And so the church says, well, we've never believed in evolution before. But now we probably should because we're going to look dumb if we don't.

And we're going to lose our practical outreach. The theory of the atonement. You know, we don't want all the blood and propitiation and God's wrath. So let's just have Jesus as a nice example. Charles Spurgeon was in something called the Baptist Union.

It started in 1813 and it was particular Baptists who were part of this group. You say all Baptists, as far as I'm concerned, are particular. It's a specific name, though. There are general Baptists and there are particular Baptists.

What's the difference? They're theological differences. So general Baptists believe that Jesus died for each and every person who was ever born, including Goliath, including Judas, including others, generally dying.

And then there are particular Baptists who believe that Jesus just died for his bride, just died for the church, just died for the elect. And the Baptist Union was a particular Baptist union. And they taught things like original sin, unconditional election, limited atonement, imputation of Christ's righteousness, heaven for the holy, hell for the unholy.

And then in 1832, this is 20 years later, if we stick to our guns and have a very strict doctrinal statement, we're going to exclude people. And if we exclude people and we don't have as many people now, how are we going to do all our missional work?

How are we going to do our social justice work? How are we going to evangelize? How are we going to take care of poor people? And so if we just cut theological corners and make them not so sharp, I mean, how sharp is unconditional election?

How sharp is limited atonement? Let's smooth them down. Let's get the block plane of theological, you know, snipping the corners. And then let's just make it, just as long as you're evangelical, you can come into the union.

As long as you just generally believe Jesus died and was raised from the dead. I mean, we've got to help poor pastors. That's what we have to do. In 1873, they then drop the word evangelical. So you start off in the early 1800s, you're a particular Baptist, then you say as long as you're evangelical, and then compromise leads to what?

No more compromise. And by 1873, they drop even the word evangelical. So Spurgeon has a magazine, and it's called The Sword and the Trowel. It comes out monthly, and he begins to address this situation.

He first has a man named Robert Schindler write an article in the magazine about this downgrade, where you have convictions, and then you have fewer convictions, and it just keeps leading into other things.

So Spurgeon has someone write for him. He wrote a little footnote in Schindler's article, and it said, EARNEST ATTENTION IS REQUESTED FOR THIS PAPER. THERE IS NEED OF SUCH WARNING AS THIS HISTORY AFFORDS.

WE ARE GOING DOWNHILL AT BREAK-NECK SPEED. The second article is written, The Sword and Trowel. This time, Spurgeon doesn't have a footnote. He has a half page of comments, and it says, Spurgeon says, WE CARE FAR MORE FOR THE CENTRAL EVANGELICAL TRUTHS THAN WE DO FOR CALVINISM AS A SYSTEM.

BUT WE BELIEVE THAT CALVINISM HAS IN IT A CONSERVATIVE FORCE WHICH HELPS TO HOLD MEN TO THE VITAL TRUTH, AND THEREFORE WE ARE SORRY TO SEE ANY QUITTING IT WHO ONCE ACCEPTED IT. There's something about a guy like Spurgeon that I really like, because once he had the controversy by its throat, he didn't let go, and he ratcheted it up.

He now publishes a four-page article in The Sword and Trowel, titled, Another Word Concerning the Downgrade. If he just would have been quiet, it probably would have blown over, but here comes the scud, and this is the first paragraph, the first salvo.

FROM THE PRESS OF THE BOARD SCHOOL OF DESCENT, WHAT DOCTRINE REMAINS TO BE ABANDONED? We've given it all up. There's nothing left to lose. WHAT OTHER TRUTH TO BE THE OBJECT OF CONTEMPT? THE NEW RELIGION HAS BEEN INITIATED, WHICH IS NO MORE CHRISTIANITY, listen to Spurgeon, THAN CHALK IS TO CHEESE.

AND THIS RELIGION, BEING DESTITUTE OF MORAL HONESTY, PALMS ITSELF OFF AS THE OLD FAITH WITH SLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS, AND ON THIS PLEA USURPS PULPITS WHICH WERE ERECTED FOR GOSPEL PREACHING. THE ATONEMENT IS SCOUTED, INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE IS DERIDED, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DEGRADED INTO AN INFLUENCE.

THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN IS TURNED INTO FICTION, AND THE RESURRECTION INTO A MYTH, AND YET THESE ENEMIES OF OUR FATE EXPECT US TO CALL THEM BRETHREN, AND HAVE A CONFEDERACY WITH THEM? Spurgeon said, GERMANY WAS MADE UNBELIEVING BY HER PREACHERS, AND ENGLAND IS FOLLOWING IN HER TRAP.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF PREACHING ANOTHER GOSPEL IN FORM OF MODERN THOUGHT IS CATASTROPHIC. Spurgeon concludes, IF FOR A WHILE EVANGELICALS ARE DOOMED TO GO DOWN, THEN LET THEM DIE FIGHTING. AND IN THE FULL ASSURANCE THAT THEIR GOSPEL WILL HAVE A RESURRECTION, WHEN THE INVENTIONS OF MODERN THOUGHT SHALL BE BURNED UP WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.

Spurgeon writes to the Baptist Union in 1887 and says, I'D LIKE TO WITHDRAW. AND THE REASON WHY I'M GOING TO WITHDRAW, I 'LL TELL YOU IN MY NEXT MAGAZINE ARTICLE. He held true to his word and he said, IT IS LAWFUL FOR GOOD AND BENEVOLENT AND NECESSARY PURPOSES TO UNITE WITH OTHERS.

PAGAN, PAPIST AND PROTESTANT MAY EACH ONE HAND ON A BUCKET IN FIGHTING A FIRE, BUT IN PREACHING CHRIST, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO UNITE WITH THOSE WHO CALL THE FALL A FABLE, WHO DENY THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO CALL JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IMMORAL, AND WHO HOLD THAT THERE IS ANOTHER PROBATION AFTER DEATH AND A FUTURE RESTITUTION FOR THE LOST.

In other words, if you want to put out a fire in the neighborhood, that's fine, but when it comes to religion, you can't do it. So what do you think they did? The Baptist Union meets in 1888 under a new president and they say, WE HAVE COMMONLY BELIEVED DOCTRINES.

WE HAVE SIX DOCTRINES AND SIX ALONE. DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE, THE FALLEN STATE OF MAN, THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS, LISTEN UP EVERYBODY, DO YOU LIKE THIS ONE? JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE RESURRECTION OF THE LAST DAY.

Justification by faith alone it did not say. It did not say, SUBSTANTIARY ATONEMENT. It did not say, VIRGIN BIRTH. They said, WE WILL ACCEPT YOUR RESIGNATION, SPURGEON, AND WE 'LL CENSURE YOU AS WELL, 2000 TO 7.

2000 TO 7 YOU KICK OUT CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON. I THOUGHT LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH. I THOUGHT WISDOM FROM ABOVE WAS FIRST WHAT? PURE THEN PEACEABLE. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS TODAY.

WE DUMB DOWN DOCTRINE TO GET A BIGGER PLATFORM, THINKING WE KNOW BETTER THAN GOD. WE SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? UNITY AT ALL COST, EVEN AT THE COST OF TRUTH. SO LET ME JUST GIVE YOU A FEW LESSONS WE CAN DRAW FROM SPURGEON TO NAVIGATE THE MINDFIELDS OF OUR DOWNGRADE IN OUR DAY.

Contending for the Faith in Jude

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, AND WE DON'T HAVE TONS OF TIME TONIGHT, AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY WE DON'T HAVE TONS OF TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE THE BAPTISMS, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME PREACHING. SO LESSON NUMBER ONE, DRAWN FROM SPURGEON, IN THE DOWNGRADE OF OUR DAY, WHILE YOU SHOULD NOT LOVE CONTROVERSY, THERE IS A TIME TO DEFEND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST GLORY.

WHILE YOU SHOULD NOT LOVE CONTROVERSY, THERE IS A TIME TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH FOR JESUS. TURN YOUR BIBLES TO JUDE, PLEASE, VERSES 3 AND 4. CONTROVERSY ISN'T PLEASANT IN AND OF ITSELF. IF YOU THINK I LIKE TO FIGHT NOW, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE MET ME 20 YEARS AGO.

I DON'T THINK I FIGHT AS MUCH, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO UNITY BEFORE TRUTH, I WILL FIGHT. NOW YOU SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? HERE'S THE THING, MIKE. PASTORS SHOULD FIGHT FOR THE WORD. I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT. HOW ABOUT THIS?

WHAT IF YOU SAY THIS TO ME? I'M A LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER. Kind of sounds good, doesn't it? I'M A LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER. What's wrong with there being, you know, I'M A LOVER. Don't we want loving people? FRIENDS, JUDE IS NOT WRITTEN TO PASTORS AND TO ELDERS AND TO LEADERS.

IT'S WRITTEN TO Y 'ALL. IT'S WRITTEN TO YE. YOU ARE THE ONES TO CONTEND FOR THE FAITH. MUST PASTORS TEACH SOUND DOCTRINE AND REFUTE THOSE WHO CONTRADICT? YES. BUT YOU MUST FIGHT. YOU SAY, WELL, I DON'T LIKE TO FIGHT.

THAT'S PROBABLY WHY THERE'S A COMMAND HERE TO FIGHT. YOU'RE IN A BATTLE AND YOU 'VE BEEN RECRUITED AND THE DAY GOD SAVED YOU, YOU'RE IN THE BATTLE. HOW MANY OF YOU, AND I SEE SOME MEN HERE WHO ARE HUSBANDS, WOULD STAND BY AND LET THEIR WIVES BE MOLESTED AND TURN THE OTHER CHEEK SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE A FIGHT. I'M A LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER. Look at Jude verse 3. Second to the last book of the Bible. We fight when God's name is at stake. That's what Spurgeon was doing. That's why every person I respect theologically, every missionary I respect theologically, did this kind of thing.

Why? Because they're called to fight. You don't even have to look for the battle. It comes to you. Beloved, Jude 3. You can just hear the love He has for them. It's going to be a tough time, an unpleasant time, a difficult time, one full of trials and false teachers.

I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation. I kind of wanted to write another book of Romans. Who doesn't love Romans? It's such a great book. I was going to write to you about Romans and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

That's what I wanted to write to you about. But I felt the necessity. I was compelled to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. I just felt compelled to write.

Something happened to me. These false teachers are coming into the church and it's just a response. I have to do it. It's reflex. When a horse feels the spur go into its rib cage, there's a little giddy up going on.

And when the theological false teachers come into the church and you can feel that spur in your ribs, it's going to motivate you. He says, I want you to contend earnestly for the faith. Look at the passage there.

Now think about it for a second. Contend earnestly for the faith. The focus is on defense of the faith, not refuting the people who are after real Christianity. Although that will happen. I want you to contend for the faith.

It's okay. You just stay right here. I like that sound. But if I look over once in a while, I don't want you to go anywhere. If it gets to be too loud, the ushers will talk to you. I'm just kidding. I like babies.

Who doesn't like baby sounds? I might be a fighter sometimes and not a lover, but I love baby sounds still. That's true. Now that word contend earnestly, it's got the word agony in it. The Greek word epagony is a way I could translate it for you.

Strenuously struggling. It's when you swim across a river. It's when you swim from Alcatraz to the shore. And you're just kind of barely getting out of the water. You're using all your resources. The expenditure of all your energy.

But this is a spiritual conflict. This is a metaphor for battle. Present tense. Ongoing. And when you're in the battlefield, it costs you and it costs you sacrificially. And what are you defending? Your own pride?

Your own reputation? The church's name? No, the faith. The once delivered for all faith. Not the once upon a time faith. The once for all faith delivered. It was handed down by tradition. We didn't make it up.

Thomas Mattin said the word delivered implies a leaving things in the hands of another by way of trust. It is the duty of the church. Look what happens, Jude 4. For certain persons, this is just how they do it, don't they?

Have crept in unnoticed. Stealth. Covertly. Those who are long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. You're going to molest the bride of Christ and get away with it? You're going to try to rape Jesus' bride?

Don't you think there's going to be condemnation for those people? And look what they are. Ungodly persons. God is holy, righteous, gracious, loving, patient. And these people are the exact opposite. Whatever God is, they're not.

Ungodly. And when you realize what do ungodly people do, in this particular case, they turn the grace of our God, amazing grace, wonderful grace, matchless grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

They sneak in. They slip along. And they have no reverence for God. And now they start talking about free grace. And when you've got a lot of grace, and you like to sin, it works out perfectly in your mind.

But not for very long. Master, Sovereign, Savior, Christ is Messiahship. And these apostates renounce God in every way. He's not our Master. We'll do what we want with the church. He's not our Savior.

Save yourself. He's not Christ. And so for the church, for myself, for the elders here, and for every one of you, when the bride of Christ is attacked, you must contend for the faith. Oh, I don't want to be a fighter.

I'd rather be a lover. I want to be a part of a church where we're known for what we're for, not what we're against. Really? I'm against sin, Satan, ungodly people, people who are against the virgin birth, people who are against the atonement, people who are against the resurrection, who are all for numbers.

I'm against the whole kit and caboodle because I want to stand up for truth. This is exactly what Spurgeon was trying to do. Contend for the faith. Number two. Number two. Remember that rightness is not determined by numbers.

Faithfulness Is Not Measured by Numbers

Remember that rightness or correctness is not determined by numbers. I mean, who stuck with Spurgeon? When Jonathan Edwards in Northampton, he did a couple things to get kicked out. One was not so smart.

The other one was very biblical. The biblical thing that he did is he said, when people come to the communion table, they have to be Christians. It's an odd thought, don't you think? His predecessor, Solomon Soder, had something called the halfway covenant.

And that is, if an unbeliever comes and takes communion, maybe he'll get some kind of grace that will lead to saving grace. If he just takes a cup and just takes the bread, maybe he'll get a little something.

And Edwards said, you've got to be saved. And then they had a vote. What do churches like that do? Congregational churches? Baptistic churches? You offend one family, you offend a lot of families in some of these towns in New England.

I won't mention any names of other towns, but that sometimes happens. Edwards was voted out 232 to 23, if my memory serves me. 230 to 23, maybe. How do you determine success in a church? When I first became in corporate America, I graduated college in 1982.

They said, here's what you need to wear to be successful. Red power tie, remember those? Wingtip shoes and a navy pinstripe suit. What do you need for success in a local church? A lot of people, a lot of baptisms, a lot of attendance.

Truth is vindicated not by numbers. Truth or popularity? Faithfulness is our responsibility. I don't know if you know this or not. Bill Hull writes in the Church Growth Movement book, the fact is 90 of churches in America have 200 or fewer worshipers.

We know that our responsibility is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Our responsibility is not to get things to work, not to have a lot of people. God can have a lot of people. That doesn't mean you're a bad church, but God judges for faithfulness, not numbers.

The church is the Lord Jesus Christ. And what does He require of His undershepherds? Faithfulness, commitment, depth, not breadth. Judged upon numbers and conversions? No. I was doing some reading this week and it said George Barna, Jesus Christ was a communication specialist.

He communicated His message in diverse ways and with results that would be a credit to modern advertising and marketing agencies. See, I didn't know that. Jesus knew the four Ps of marketing before I did.

Notice the Lord's approach. He identified His target audience. He determined their need and delivered His message directly to them. By addressing the crowds on mountainsides or Jews in the temple, He promoted His product in the most efficient way possible by communicating with hot prospects.

Kind of like the rich young ruler, I guess. That would be maybe in the Message Bible, I'm not sure. Now let's think of an analogy. If we have to have an analogy for numbers and a local church, what analogy would be good?

Webster said, it's not retail. It's farming. It's farming. And what does a farmer have to do? He plants a seed and then it's, God, make it rain. God, make the seed grow. I'm at Your mercy. Versus product, place, price, promotion.

Obedience are numbers. Doing God's business God's way or man's way. Success, David Wells says, such success might just as easily be a sign that the church has been willing to prostitute itself by seeking worldly accommodation.

Anybody can get numbers. By the way, underneath one of the seats tonight in the congregation, there's a $100 gift certificate for oil changes. I hope it's under your seat. That'd be a good way to get people at church, wouldn't it?

You should see your faces. There's a couple people actually checking under your seat. You are so fired. I think you maybe need to get baptized. It's true that God's ways are for both the means and the ends.

They're both important. Cambridge Declaration. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. And success as well.

Faithfulness Before God, Not Pragmatism or Marketing

Turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 4. I want to remind you that our responsibility is faithfulness. I know you know the passage very well, but I want to remind you we are not trying to get a lot of people.

Actually, in one sense... Well, we'll talk about that later. 1 Corinthians 4. I do not think Jesus was a pragmatist. I do not think Jesus was a marketing specialist. I do not think He was a communication specialist, even though He was the greatest communicator ever.

Just because something works, it doesn't mean it's right. That's never the issue. We aren't pragmatist with Jesus' church. You shouldn't be pragmatist with your own wife, let alone the bride of Christ.

Why? Because we are men and women who focus on God and worship Him, Coram Deo, in the face of God. Well done, good and faithful, market-driven servant? I don't think so. 1 Corinthians 4, verses 1 -5.

We as elders were talking about this the other night. Paul said, this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ. We are just slaves of Jesus and stewards of the mysteries of God. And what does it require?

What does God require of stewards? Verse 2, Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found popular, that they be found successful, that they be found faithful. Trustworthy is what they're after.

But with me, it's a very small thing that I should be judged by you or any human court. In fact, I don't judge myself because it's God's judgment I'm after. I'm not aware of anything against myself, but I'm not thereby acquitted.

It's the Lord who judges me. And here comes the verse, verse 5, Therefore, do not pronounce judgment before the time before the Lord comes. See, He's going to see everything, everyone, right motives, right strategy, right methodology, right doctrine, who will bring to light the things now hidden in the darkness and disclose the purposes of the heart.

He gauges ministry. And by the way, it should blow your mind. This verse, if I was writing it, it would say this. How does verse 5 end? Then each one will receive his judgment from God. You're going to take care of the bride of Christ and you're going to minister and you're going to be faithful stewards and you're going to want to be trying to watch over God's people and then for all those who didn't measure up, they'll receive His judgment.

But that's not even what it says, does it? Then each one will receive his commendation from God. Why are we big into entertainment at BBC? People say, well, I want more entertainment. Because you're not the main audience.

And I'm with you. And I'm a congregant as well. I'm not the main audience. Consumers want entertainment. Worshippers want to be told about Jesus. We're worshippers. Who said this? All this is good sense and good psychology.

Everybody else is using it from first-class teachers to first-class advertisers. Why should so many preachers continue in such belated fashion to neglect it? Let them not start, end, but start with thinking of the auditor's vital needs.

And then let the whole sermon be organized around their constructive endeavor to meet those needs. The liberal unbeliever, Fosdick, said that. The audience is not sovereign. Douglas Webster, in selling Jesus, said, anything goes as long as it is defended for the sake of evangelism.

Got to get people in. I've said the story so many times, but I think it's just fascinating to me. Vance Havner, he tells what's going on down at Ichabod Memorial Church, how they try to get people there.

Now, this is 50 years old. How do you get people into church? There's how they get them into Ichabod Memorial Church. We'll try a TV personality. Then Pergamos says, we're going to have a fellow who can play a fiddle and beat a tap drum and blow a harmonica all at the same time.

Kind of sounds like good special music to me. Then over at Sardis, we're going to have a quilting party. Come dressed like they were 100 years ago and we'll all see Nelly home. Over at Laodicea, they have a talking horse.

How many people come to church if you had a talking horse? Vance Havner said at Ichabod Memorial Church, he said, I heard about those horses some time ago. They asked how many commandments. That horse stomped 10 times.

How many apostles he stomped? 12 times. Some nitwit, Vance Havner said, I would never say this, some nitwit in the crowd asked how many hypocrites there are in the church. And that horse started to dance on all fours.

Jeremiah 5 .30, an appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely. Priests rule on their own authority. And my people love it so. But what will you do at the end of it?

Jeremiah 5. All right. Well, we're going to have to get to the other ones next time. What do we do with the downgrade controversy? How can we respond? What can we do? We'll look at that next time. Let's pray.

Father in Heaven, I'm so thankful today that we've heard and seen visible testimonies of the Gospel. We've heard in Your Word about Jesus Christ, the Lord, casting out a legion of demons with one word, go.

We've heard about Jesus, the Lord who has died on the cross and was raised from the dead, offering forgiveness for those who will repent and believe. We've also seen that as well. We've seen baptism which shows us symbolically death, burial, resurrection.

And Father, for these vital truths and more, we pray that You'd give us the desire to stand up for these truths, to fight for them. Some things are worth fighting for. Father, protect us from being pugnacious for no reason at all.

Protect us from being mean or bitter or angry about it. But we do want to be good soldiers. And when somebody at work or somebody at the post office says something to defame our Lord, would You give us words?

Would You give us courage to contend? And Father, for the constant refrain of people on the Internet and conferences who decry truth because of unity, Father, may that never happen to Bethlehem Bible Church.

And if it does, Father, I pray it will close down long before. We recognize that everything we have is by Your grace, by Your goodness, by Your long-suffering mercy. And Father, with the right kind of attitude, we don't want to be like Peter, getting the knife out and trying to chop someone's head off.

But Father, we do want to be like Peter who after God, the Son, and the Spirit illumined his mind, who will stand up for truth no matter what. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.