Few Words, Wise Counsel - Charles R. Swindoll

it is my privilege to introduce our speaker today dr charles swindoll chancellor emeritus of dallas theological seminary dr swandahl you once told me you didn't really know what chancellor meant now we've just added another word that we don't know what it means that's right our speaker is simply known around the world as chuck familiar main name to many christians around the world in fact many of you probably based your decision to attend this very seminary because of his association and affection for dts he served dallas theological seminary as the fourth president and is known by millions around the world for his practical application of the bible to everyday living he now serves dallas seminary as i mentioned as chancellor emeritus and is also the senior pastor teacher of stonebriar community church in frisco texas he and his wife cynthia reside here in the metroplex and love to spend much of their time with their four grown children and ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren would you please join me in welcoming dr swendal to chapel today i chose that hymn we sang very deliberately and after quite some time thinking on it it's an old hymn 262 years old and as is true of all old hymns for those of us who were reared from our earliest years in the church converted early in life when we sing hymns that are older they are always more familiar because of their being repeated through the years and as is true of hymns like that we begin to sing words that no longer grip us and that's regrettable because hymns unlike many other kinds of religious songs are not only dripping with great theology they also have a story behind them that is a moving and sometime as in this case tragic robert robinson was only 22 years old when he composed that him though he was young and had been through a rugged childhood having lost his father early in life and having been such a rebel his mother couldn't handle him was sent off to london where he would uh supposedly learn a trade in barbering at least that's what her plan was for him he got involved with a rough crowd began to drink and as was known in those days corrals and was living a profligate life though he was still young in age until he came under the persuasive influence of the well-known george whitefield george whitefield he was soundly converted as a result of whitfield's ministry and he instantly fell deeply in love with one who loved him even more jesus himself and immediately began his study for the ministry like all of you when you began your studies and as i when i began mine he was enamored of the things of christ he couldn't get enough of the scriptures and he had as all of you have the privilege of learning from those who mentored him and taught him and he grew even though young in the faith when he was only 25 years old he was called to the baptist church in cambridge where he ministered very effectively crowds grew as did his popularity and before long robert robinson was a name known all across the city of london and cities beyond i'll let one of my mentors the late richard sumi former chaplain of dallas seminary finished the story it's tragic his serving at the baptist church at cambridge was the beginning not only of his great popularity but of his lapse into careless ways and his eventual succumbing to his own carnality he lived in that condition for years it came about on this wise in the old coaching days a lady seated on the stage coach was reading a little book with evident enjoyment one page of that volume held special appeal to her and so she can consulted it from time to time and then turned to her fellow passenger a gentleman she presumed may be acquainted with the subject of religion she held the page toward him and pointed to the hymn she had been reading ask what he thought of it come thou found of every blessing tune my heart to sing thy grace streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise the stranger read no further he turned away from it he endeavored to engage the lady's attention in something else but she was not to be denied venturing another appeal she told the man of the benefits she had received from that hymn and expressed her admiration for its message with that overcome beyond the power of controlling his feelings the stranger burst into tears madame he said please i'm the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago and i would give a thousand worlds if i had them to enjoy the feelings i had then that stranger was robert robinson how ironic that in the end of that hymn robinson seemed to prophesy his own zigzag course when he wrote prone to wander lord i feel it prone to leave the god i love and so he did and so he died in defeat at the young age of 55. i'll never sing that hymn without remembering that story that i first read from sumi's writings i'm haunted by that story and even though i am today far older than robinson was when he died i can only imagine what it must have been like to have the end of his own autobiography be an ending of defeat marked by ongoing carnality that hadn't always been true early in his ministry he must have taken delight in having been led by god to write that hymn and as sunday night came and he would make his way home to the parsonage where they lived he and his wife he must have hummed that hymn to himself i can imagine singing words of it as he was then enjoying the joys of ministry though young in life already blessed of god as so many of you are and gifted as all of you are to one day proclaim his truth but for robinson it was a reality it was going on how often he must have sung to himself those words of praise that begin the hymn and when he got to that final verse i think he was telling the truth about himself oh to grace how great a debtor daily i'm constrained to be let thy goodness like a fetter bind don't miss this my wandering heart to thee learn to sing hymns by pondering words they're full of meaning here is a man acknowledging even in a hymn he would write the old battle with a wandering heart even came to the point of admitting i'm prone to wander lord i feel it prone to leave the god i love while he knew himself as best he could at the young age of 22 i'm confident that such wandering and such departure from the lord was the farthest thing from his mind he looked forward like you do to years of ministry on his feet on his knees touching souls reaching out with a heart full of love for christ to attract those that were out of the faith and and by god's grace would be used to draw them in who knows how many he came he led to come to christ in his early years then something happened as sumi put it the beginning of his lapse was early on i don't like reading that i don't like thinking about that i couldn't get that out of my mind when i asked patrick to sing this song and lead us in it and of all things it led me to prepare my words to you today in an unexpected way we read of demas who loved this present world and and uh by paul's own admission in the last letter he wrote departed from paul for thessalonica maybe where he could blend into the crowd and not be seen as a companion of paul what would cause demas is lapse we're never told when i was a student i believe i was about a third year student in my four-year course at the school and i was attending what was known then as a spiritual life week every year we would have the joy of sitting in shaffer chapel and shoulder to shoulder with fellow students we would listen to seasoned preachers as they would come and challenge us in our walk with christ we had heard one great challenging message to begin the series and uh we were sort of on tiptoe wondering what the next day would bring and uh the speaker didn't show up dr wolverd was leading the chapel and as he always did uh we had we'd sung a hymn and he had to sing another hymn since the speaker wasn't there it's it it's one of those things you do and you'll have to do it when you're pastoring a church and and your guest hasn't shown up let's do another hymn and you'll you'll move into another one and as i recall we were almost going to turn to a third when the man walked in a little disheveled came in that side door and and uh and was shaking his head and and had his handkerchief in his hand and he apologized to dr walver and he said i want to apologize now to all of you students that the chapel was almost packed and he said uh i have just uh had a heartbreaking experience i i just entered name number 42 in my journal like you uh we had no idea what that meant he said uh when i got into ministry i i learned from a missionary that it might be a good idea to keep a journal and my journals are all confidential i write them mainly for my own benefit and when i review them it challenges me in my walk and every year he says i'll read through them and i have made it the habit a habit of mine to record of names of once great preachers who have fallen you see he said i just received a phone call and then he began to sob he couldn't go on dr walford got up and put his hand on it she said i i'll i'll be okay walter towered over him uh and he looked up and said thank you i'll be fine he said today i just learned and i have no interest in calling a name he said but i've entered his name and he's number 42 in my journal of once great preachers who have fallen morally every one of them he said was a complete surprise a number of them administered to me as i was forming my own style of ministry and and i watched them and listened to them with great great gratitude and now they're in my journal when i arrived for this conference he said i had 41 names and now i've added the 42nd and it breaks my heart to do so i sat there stunned first at the number of names and then trying to imagine the stories of men who had stood in the pulpit and delivered the word of god some of them outstanding expositors all of them used of god greatly who were prone to wander and prone to leave the god they loved and finally they did how does that kind of moral erosion occur i've chosen that sentence carefully for it is an erosion if b meyer is correct no one suddenly becomes base no church suddenly splits no marriage suddenly breaks up no tree suddenly falls is slowly rotted from within no business suddenly fails no school suddenly closes no life suddenly falls it's a slow secret subtle falling away don't miss the word secret it's never publicly announced of course not never admitted most likely never acknowledged not even as robinson acknowledged it is him you would think these individuals were solid as a stone in their faith their eyes would never wander and subtle ever so discrete cleverly masked no pun intended but all kept so private i'll show it to you in one verse of scripture one of the short ones and i i want you to turn if you have the greek text turn there i'll refer to that in a moment first thessalonians chapter 5 verse 22 and i'm speaking today to every man every woman in this chapel or witnessing this event online and to myself as well these are words for each one of us first thessalonians 5 22 abstained from every form of evil it is rendered in the new american standard version if you'll notice the marginal reference every form of could be rendered every appearance even the appearance of evil the greek text begins by reversing the order of the sentence from every appearance of evil abstain from even the appearance may sound extreme it's not it's safe you'll never fall if you obey first thessalonians 5 22. i'll guarantee you that it's absolutely airtight you're safe it's wise it's needed especially among those of us in ministry for you see as you are in your studies here you're deeply engaged in the in in the delightful discovery of truth theology is beginning to make sense you're learning it systematically you're discovering if you're in that particular track the nuances of the languages and you're seeing how the color of the text emerges as well as you're getting to know those original languages as you study church history you're seeing the flow of god's work and it's exciting to you you've never seen that before if you're like i was it was it's all like a a brand new a story that's beginning to unfold and and you can't wait from one class to another probably more true in your first year than your last year huh but at least as you got underway would to god that we all stay that excited and remain that enthusiastic about the things of christ why is that important because we're prone to wander see you've learned the theology of depravity now you're forced to face it at least from my exhortation you've got that problem i checked the word evil because it stands out with such pulsating significance ponte ross i discovered from walter bauer that the greek term pertains to being morally or socially worthless keep listening he gives a list of synonyms to being morally or socially worthless wicked evil bad vicious malicious base degenerate steer clear of all the above is what the verse is saying steer clear of it stay away from it don't play with it don't watch it don't go to movies that emphasize it don't read books that's stimulated get tough on yourself because you're prone to wander so is the one sitting next to you in front of you and behind you and the one speaking to you today this is no lecture for others this is for all of us again it may sound extreme it's not it is the secret of living a full life in ministry serving christ without regrets without skeletons being found when you're laid away rather recently i got another story of another fallen soldier in the in the ranks and broke my heart what's worse it broke the heart of my grandson who held that man up as his model couldn't believe it i don't know why i couldn't believe it because i believe the scriptures and it's very clear that we're all needing to abstain from every form of evil men and women alike day or night early or late in church or in mission work in evangelistic work or counseling serving in music ministries being involved as a teacher look at the verse again from every appearance of evil abstain no wobble room so don't give yourself any don't risk don't don't run with those who do your mind is is uh a wonderful thing and god has given it to you to be filled with knowledge and to be equipped so that you can leave this place and go out away from the courses and the and the faculty and and the schedule that's set forth for you while in school and you're there and believe me your adversary is waiting for that moment he knows every in your armor he's made a study of you since you first took your breath on this earth he knows more about you than you know about yourself i uh appreciate it when the authors send me a copy of their of their books and uh i i recently was sent a book this is andy stanley's newest book i didn't know he had written it better decisions fewer regrets not a great title five questions to help you determine your next move really a good book i read it twice small book he offers an integrity question a legacy question a conscience question a relationship question and a maturity question it's the maturity question that grabbed my attention when i was preparing these thoughts for us today what is the wise thing to do great question since i am too and since you are too abstain from every appearance of evil what's the wise thing to do so allow me and he says it far better than i could say it listen to the way andy writes about that while it's been a while since a curfew dictated your driving habits your current driving habits are in fact influenced by a similar dynamic unless you're an unusual driver you drive at speeds at or slightly above the posted speed limit i thought how do you know that but we all do what most of us feel little to no guilt about driving faster than the posted speed limit none of us want to get pulled over for speeding so we choose the speed we're convinced allows us to break the law without or while avoiding an encounter with the law how did he know that because he does it too i'm sure and in most cases no harm done the point whether it's curfew diet driving dating spending our natural inclination is to live as close to the lion as possible you see where i'm going where he's going in this what line the line between legal and illegal the line between responsible and irresponsible the line between moral and immoral between ethical and unethical the line between i'm still in control and i now need help it's human nature is to snuggle up to the edge of irresponsibility disaster or embarrassment and stay there as long as possible it's human nature to get by with as much as we can get by with without becoming our own worst enemy without undermining our own success without being grounded expelled fired or kicked out of the house that doesn't change because you're in the ministry that doesn't change because you have a degree from dallas seminary fueling our incessant floor fueling our incessant flirtation with disaster is an unexamined assumption that informs us that informs our decision-making forgive me i'll read the sentence again fueling our incessant flirtation with disaster is an unexpected assumption that informs our decision making unexamined assumptions are dangerous we think like this if it's not wrong it's all right if it's not illegal it's permissible if it's not immoral it's acceptable if it's not over the line it's fine it's fine if the problem with those sorts of assumptions is not immediately apparent put on your older brother or sister hat for a moment if you're a parent put on your parent hat i bet you don't set the bar that low for your kids that's tantamount to organizing our lives around the lowest common denominator essentially we're asking how low can i go how close can i get to bed without being bad how close can i get to wrong without doing something wrong or if you're religious how close can i get to sin without actually sinning it doesn't stop there before long we're asking how far over the line can i go without getting caught that's how it happens that's it you mess with it but you don't go over the line but the longer you spend at the line the more comfortable you are getting beyond it before long we're asking how far over the line can i go without getting caught or experiencing the consequences how unethical immoral or insensitive can i be without creating unimaginable outcomes how long can i reject my family neglect my family my finances or my health without feeling the effects how much can i indulge in addictive behavior here's another angle why do good parents tell their children to be careful why don't parents tell their children drive as fast as the law allows drink your limit go as far as you can on your date without getting slapped don't come home until curfew what do we mean by careful we mean caution be aware of your surroundings don't take unnecessary risks don't jeopardize your safety for the safety of others this says first thessalonians 5 22 written all over it we're saying don't dangle your toes off the edge of illegal immoral unsafe or unhealthy that's good advice for everybody one more i love this illustration why do we react immediately when we see a toddler playing at the edge of a swimming pool they aren't drowning they aren't even wet well they aren't wet on the outside why do we panic we panic because we know that one small step in the wrong direction can result in tragedy while i was a student here that happened one of our dear students and they lost their son that's not what happened to david the king over 50 years old his name is a household word in all the nation the flag is named after him star of david the city is named after him if the meyer writes of that fall of david handles it beautifully without going too far in explaining it all why do we need adultery explained let us beware of our light unguarded hours moments of leisure are more to be dreaded than those of strenuous toil boy that's a good line middle life for david was above 50 years of age has no immunity from temptations and perils which beset the young one false step taken in the declension of spiritual vigor may ruin a reputation built up by years of religious exercise a message came one day to david from his companion that the sin could no longer remain hidden men and women you will one day be used by god to serve him you will take this training you will bundle it into your own style and method of ministry you will fit it with your gift mix and all of this is as it should be and little by little you will begin to be used of god people will hang on your words they will crowd into rooms where you will speak they will quote you they will read you they will admire you danger lurks you can't imagine it right now i couldn't either when i was a student thank god i've never known the fall that these 42 men did thank god but the opportunity for such was certainly mine and it will be yours as he says we're not immune let him who thinks he stands what take heed lest he fall again let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall he or she the older i get the more burdened i am about this i don't have a fixation on it i don't think of it when i first meet you i don't question things like this when i meet a person greatly used of god i'm not suspicious i'm so trusting i'm almost naive at times to my own surprise i'm not jaded but i'm realistic that verse is in the book and you better take it with you and you better never forget it abstain from even the appearance whether you're at home in your study door closed shades drawn computer on you take it from there you can traffic into the most vile sexually explicit scenes anywhere on the planet all on your own unless i miss my guest some of you are doing that i pray you're not that's the first step toward the fall and the fall i have randy alcorn to think to thank for the consequences in a piece years ago that was included in a christian magazine i found the consequences of a moral tumble i close with the list whenever i feel particularly vulnerable to sexual temptation i find it helpful to review what effects my actions could have and he lists them i'll just use excerpts our time is over grieving the lord who redeemed me dragging his sacred name into the mud following in the footsteps of these people whose immorality forfeited their ministries and caused me to shudder at the time listing their names inflicting untold hurt on nancy my best friend and loyal wife losing nancy's respect and trust hurting my beloved daughters karina and angie destroying my example of credibility with my own children and nullifying both present and future efforts to teach them to obey god why do i want to listen to a man like that they would think causing shame to my entire family including my parents who helped prepare me for ministry losing self-respect wasting years of ministry training undermining the faithful example and hard work of other christians in my community heaping judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom i committed adultery possibly bearing the physical consequences of diseases like gonorrhea and syphilis and chlamydia herpes and aids perhaps inflicting infecting nancy or in the case of aids causing her death invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment on myself don't ever forget today ever these words are meant for you for you for you for me these are words of needed warning the key listen to it again abstain final tip it may help you i hope so when i did more traveling in my earlier years in ministry i made the habit of carrying pictures of my family and when i would go to a table to eat alone i'd set the picture of my family up right there on the table uh that is a wonderful way of blocking lust you know as you're sitting there looking at the faces of your dear wife or husband and your children i would put that picture by my telephone often another picture of just my dear wife cynthia who faithfully believes i'm behaving while i'm away from home carrying a picture of your own family holding it near putting it on display is a wonderful restraint to yourself and others how many times a fall begins with a meal alone with the opposite sex stay away from that abstain from even the appearance of evil got it tough words lord but you wrote them and you meant them and you didn't stutter and you preserved them down through the centuries just as important as john 3 16 and romans 5 8-9 just as powerful as john 3 31 is first thessalonians 5 22. may these words guide us and keep us pure as we abstain from even the appearance of evil in the pure name of your son jesus who knew no sin did no sin had no sin and is able to empower us to live above the drag of sin's power we pray everyone said

Channel: Dallas Theological Seminary

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Length: 49min 44sec (2984 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 12 2020