T4G 08 – The Panel Sessions

One of the very interesting things about the T4G conference is the panel sessions.

Frequently littered throughout the conference, usually after a main session, the T4G-4 (Dever, Duncan, Mahaney & Mohler) would sit together, joined by the guest preacher who had just delivered his message, and have a “round-table” discussion about the message, its affect on them as individuals, and its wider application to the hearers.

It is fascinating to observe the interaction and listen in on the discussion between these big guns, as they throw around questions and ideas about what they’ve just heard. CJ Mahaney did a great job of leading these times, and asking the initial questions to get them going.

For me, the panel sessions, brought forward some great “one-liners” of wisdom and application for each topic covered. To get a sense of what the panel session were like, here’s a short video clip to watch, showing the discussion followign R.C Sproul’s message:

The audio for each of the panel discussions can be downloaded from here.

T4G 08 – Session 7: John Piper – How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice.

Download the message for FREE from here.

John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of more than 30 books and more than 25 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at the Desiring God Website.

Piper led us through several passages in Hebrews (10:32ff; 11:6, 24, 35; 12:2; 13:12ff) to explore and answer the question: How does the supremacy of Christ create radical Christian sacrifice?

His challenge was simple: radical Christian sacrifice occurs as we treasure Christ and our future with him beyond all that this world has to offer.

He called us to lay aside the riches and stuff of this world that so easily captures our attention, and treasure the supreme Christ above all else.

The message (like the 2nd message he preached at New Word Alive, available here) also addressed the supremacy of Christ and treasuring Him in the face of suffering and persecution. We have an indestructible joy that will sustain us in the midst of present sufferings.

T4G 08 – Session 6: Al Mohler – Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution

Download the message audio from here.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., serves as the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S“.

He is one smart guy! In fact, a running conference joke was that Mohler’s mind runs on 25+ tracks, where as the average pastor only has 1! As a result of only being an average pastor, Dr Mohler’s very academic message (more like a seminary lecture than preach) was like a whirlwind of information, that I struggled to keep up with, missing the other 24 tracks he was working on!!

He led us through a historical theology of the doctrine of penal substitionary atonement, highlighting its current serious threats from scholars and popular authors (i.e. Steve Chalke), and the theological arguments that are often raised against penal substitution. He also provided a defence against these arguments.

I left this session grateful that Dr Mohler IS operating on the level he is. In our day, we need men like this who are able to think deeply and thoroughly about the great truths of Scripture, and rigorously defend them on our behalf.

I also left the session grateful for the superb book “Pierced for Our Transgressions” by Jeffrey, Ovey and Sach, that deals with, and defends this vital issue in great detail, in an extremely acessible, yet not watered down way. I highly, highly recommend that book, both for its doctrinal weight, which will help us think clearly about this central tenant of the gospel; but also, for its devotional value, as we consider afresh just what Christ death accomplished.

T4G 08 – Session 5: R.C Sproul – The Curse Motif of the Atonement

Download the message audio here.

Dr Sproul is a living Christian legend! Scholar, teacher, author, pastor. He is the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, and currently serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida.

A prolific author, Dr Sproul, he has written more than 60 books, including the classic MUST-READ The Holiness of God, and scores of articles for national evangelical publications. Dr Sproul has produced more than 300 lecture series and has recorded more than 80 video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.

As Dr Sproul approaches his 70′s, it was a wonderful joy to have the privilege of sitting and hearing this hero of the faith preach live once again.

CJ Mahaney captured the dynamic affect of the life of R.C Sproul, when he introduced him by describing him as “Luther-like” in his defence of Justification by faith.

And Dr Sproul did not disappoint! This was, for me, far and away the best session of the conference, and one of the most brilliant, powerful, anointed, awe-filled and awesome messages I have EVER heard. Looking at my notes, you would think I didn’t enjoy or take it in, but I sat riveted to all Dr Sproul was saying.

He began by explaining that though he has studied the subject for 50+ years, he still feels like he is barely scratching the surface of the meaning and significance of the cross of Christ, and he explained how he planned to explore with us one angle on the multi-faceted glory of the gospel, by guiding us through the meaning and significance of the idea of God’s divine curse.

He took us to Galatians 3:10-14 and read how Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law not just by being cursed for us, but by becoming a curse for us – that he who is the incarnation of the glory of God now becomes the very incarnation of the divine curse.

He then explored with us the Old Testament understanding of “curse”, taking us through the idea of prophetic oracles of woe, and the Day of Atonement with the imagery of propitiation and sacrifice, scape-goat and expiation.

Then he masterfully, focused in on Christ’s Curse-taking work and all that took place at Calvary. Sproul explained that God is too holy to even look at sin. At the cross, His eyes are averted from His Son. The light of His countenance is turned off; all blessedness is removed from His Son whom He loves and in its place is the full measure of the divine curse. Bearing the full measure of the curse Christ screams out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. R.C powerful taught that Jesus did not merely feel forsaken; He was utterly, totally and completely forsaken by the Father.

He finished by announcing that everyone who is not covered by the righteousness of Christ is still under this terrible curse of God, and their, and our, only hope is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our only hope, but it IS hope ENOUGH!

T4G 08 – Session 4: Mark Dever – Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology

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Mark Dever is the Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC. He is the president of 9Marks Ministries and has taught at a number of seminaries. Dr. Dever has authored several books and articles, most recently, What is a Healthy Church? and The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (Crossway 2007).

Enough of the bio details, on with the striking points of Mark’s message…

The gospel is under threat, and there is so much at stake! People are out to improve the gospel – do all sorts of things with the aim of making the gospel more palatable to our 21st Century Western world. But, as Mark Dever so powerful put forward, if you seek to improve the gospel, you – in fact – lose the gospel.

Our responsibility as pastors is to preserve and protect the gospel from current threats – especially the threat of seeking to improve the gospel by “making the gospel more relevant“.

I was so struck by his comment that any contextualisation of the gospel should NOT soften the gospel, but make the offense of the gospel clearer. The gospel is already relevant to all mankind! We don’t need to make it any more relevant. What we need to do is faithfully proclaim the saving message of a crucified Saviour, trusting the power of the gospel to do its work.

T4G 08 – Session 3: John MacArthur – The Sinner Neither Able nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability

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John MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren. John’s pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You.

MacArthur opened up by explaining that the topic of his message, total depravity, is one of the most despised of all Christian doctrines, yet one of the most God-glorifying doctrines, in that it ascribes all glory to God alone.

He then took us on a journey through a systematic study of what the Bible teaches us about the condition of the sinner, that sinners are the “living dead”, unwilling to acknowledge God and his gospel, with no desire to make a move towards God; and unable to acknowledge God and his gospel, with no capacity to make a move towards God.

He then pointed out the glorious realities of God and His gospel, in that we are chosen by the Father, through the Son’s work and acted upon by the Spirit, and saved and regenerated – all His doing!

The one thing that struck me from this message was that as a pastor I must be faithful to understand the condition of the sinner, and be faithful in my communication of the only saving message of grace. John warned:
“Soft preaching makes hard people. But, preach hard truth and it will break hard hearts and make soft people.“