Prayer Meeting 27/6/2023

The Servant In Battle - Part 4

Hebrews 11:24-25

Well we started on another work by the puritan Jeremiah Burroughs two prayer and devotion meetings ago, which we said will be a four part series. This time from his extensive exposition is from one verse in Hebrews 11.

The man just has a gift of delving into the human condition, and has an amazing gift of understanding how we as humans process our thoughts. To date, he is only second to Jonathan Edwards in the sphere of philosophy, out with of course Christ Himself and Apostle Paul.

The work is written in a seven hundred page book. The book is called ‘Moses Choice’. Of course, we can’t cover all the book in four weeks. But I have picked out certain parts as to give us at least a broad overview. Let me read the previous verse in Hebrews first:

Hebrews 11:24-25

²⁴By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”

Before we go into the verse again, for the last time, let’s start as always with a puritan prayer. We don’t usually do this, as I said, but I’m going to share the same prayer throughout this four part series - from the ‘Valley Of Vision’, it’s on page 328 of the little leather version, and page 181 of the paperback.

As I said last time, it is one of the best prayers I’ve ever read, and so fitting for the subject at hand, that you could have a good argument that Burroughs wrote it:

O Lord, I bless thee that the issue of the battle between thyself and Satan has never been uncertain, and will end in victory. Calvary broke the dragon's head, and I contend with a vanquished foe, who with all his subtlety and strength has already been overcome. When I feel the serpent at my heel may I remember him whose heel was bruised, but who, when bruised, broke the devil's head. My soul with inward joy extols the mighty conqueror. Heal me of any wounds received in the great conflict; if I have gathered defilement, if my faith has suffered damage, if my hope is less than bright, if my love is not fervent, if some creature-comfort occupies my heart, if my soul sinks under pressure of the fight. O thou whose every promise balm, every touch Life, draw near to thy weary warrior, refresh me, that I may rise again to wage the strife, and never tire until my enemy is trodden down. Give me such fellowship with thee that may defy Satan, unbelief, the flesh, the world, with delight that comes not from a creature, and which a creature cannot mar. Give me a draught of the eternal fountain that lieth in thy immutable, everlasting love and decree. Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble, my sword never rest, my shield never rust, my helmet never shatter, breastplate never fall, as my strength rests in the power of thy might.

Tonight will be the last message on Burroughs’ work, which I’m sure like me, you have loved and also have been challenged by. Please get a look over the notes which are available. I will close tonight with the final four consolations/blessings Burroughs writes of regarding the subject; he has 16 in total. We have shared four each time.

However, tonight to wrap up this whistle stop tour of this wonderful work, I want to take us to chapter 32 of the 58 chapters. Burroughs has entitled this chapter ‘How Are We To Bear Reproaches’. How are we to bear: disapproval, anger towards us, slander, judgement.

To bear reproach, in Greek:

ὀΝειδίζω - On-ee-deet-zo - to insult, or injure.

I think one of the great weaknesses that we see in the world today is that of people being so easily hurt and offended - being so affected by what is flung at them.

When I got saved I was shocked that, that condition and mindset was hardly different in the church. In fact, due to me thinking that Christians were more aware and strong, and balanced, I found it shocking that so many were so fragile and unable to handle so little.

You will never ever be able to continue to preach the gospel and stand on the gospel, and God’s Word without it causing offence. Even more so now in this climate of acceptance of everything under the banner of love.

One of the issues of course with insults and judgements, and reproaches is that people tend to re-live them by taking them to heart; over personalising. Burroughs tells the reader at the beginning of the chapter of the need for wisdom, and that wisdom starts with learning to not take it to heart.

Burroughs writes:

It is wisdom for people to go away and take but little notice of anything that is cast upon them.

He adds:

It is a dishonour for you to receive them, as if you would take notice of every word, as if you had no other things to take up your thoughts.

Surely as believers we have much, much more precious, valuable things to take up our time, and thoughts. As I read and studied that, my thoughts were drawn to the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and oil.

The pharisees were incensed, and were appalled. Yet she was totally oblivious to it, because her mind and heart were on much greater things, something so much more valuable.

Her Lord was in the room: the one who loved her and forgave her of her sins.

In the book ‘Cloud of witnesses’, that records the last words of Scottish martyrs in the ‘killing times’ of the covenanters, it speaks of one such man who kept his focus on greater things in the moments before his death - Donald Cargill, martyred in 1681. Here is the account of his last moments:

Then he was commanded to go up the ladder, and as he set his foot on it, he said, "The Lord knows I go up this ladder with less fear and perturbation of mind than ever I entered the pulpit to preach."

And when he was up, he sat himself down, and said: "Now I am near to the getting of my crown, which shall be sure; for I bless the Lord, and desire all of you to bless Him that He hath brought me here, and makes me triumph over devils, and men, and sin: they shall wound me no more. I forgive all men the wrongs they have done to me, and pray the Lord may forgive all the wrongs that any of the elect have done against Him. I pray that sufferers may be kept from sin, and helped to know their duty."

Then having prayed a little within himself, he lifted up the napkin and said: "Farewell all relations and friends in Christ; farewell acquaintances and all earthly enjoyments; farewell reading and preaching, praying and believing, wanderings, reproaches, and sufferings. Welcome joy unspeakable and full of glory. Welcome Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! into Thy hands I commit my spirit."

Then he prayed a little, and the executioner turned him over praying.

Amazing. There’s one who was facing such hardship, yet his eyes and his focus was on something much greater. Surely to be consumed with rejection and hurts, affliction, and wounds is to lose sight of who truly loves us, and to where those who are His will spend eternity.

Burroughs writes:

So we should let those who reproach us know that we do not have the leisure to think of them.

Burroughs then says this. I smiled as I read it:

When reproaches are opposed they grow as hair does, the more it is cut the more it grows. When they are despised they vanish away. There is a great deal of evil that comes from making much ado about reproaches.

Basically, simply don’t give it the time, as it grows if you keep touching it. Not only that of course, we keep giving the reproacher energy. It gives them more credit than they deserve.

I know its maybe hard to pick one, but one of my go to Proverbs verses is:

Proverbs 26:4-5

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

The lesson from Solomon is this: The moment you answer the fool you give way more credit to them than they deserve. They hear your reaction or reply as: “I’m smart , I have wisdom, I know what I’m talking about, I’ve got under their skin”. It fills them with more pride and ego. Hence Solomon says, don’t even enter into dialogue: answer them by your silence, lest you weaken your own value and integrity.

Burroughs then, as he does brilliantly in his work, (not just in this work but also, as we learned from his wonderful commentary of Hosea) he poses a question that he knows many will wrestle with. He writes a serious of questions, as what many may think:

• But men will take me as guilty if I let it pass quietly?

• But it will give them heart to keep accusing us if we say nothing back?

• How can I get them to stop?

He answers them, I won’t give you them in full as he does but it will give you a flavour of his wisdom.

Burroughs answers:

Jesus Himself took no notice of a great deal of evil that was said against Him.

He also says:

We walk innocently. Innocence will clear all and overcome in time.

On innocence he adds:

If there is anything that should uphold your heart it should be your innocence. Therefore let not such a speech be heard out of a man or women’s mouth, much less out of a Christian’s mouth.

To defend innocence is utter folly. Surely that in itself ought to keep us in peace. Yet it does not for many. Of course for some, the reason is they are defending guilt, or a kernel of guilt.

Burroughs writes:

It’s harder to bear the burden of the reproach when you are guilty.

Another great thought Burroughs captures is that, and I will paraphrase this. Burroughs writes of how many think that, due to being slandered or reproached, it will indeed hinder them in the work they desire to do for the Lord.

I myself have seen this. And I think in my earlier years often felt I was somehow affecting the church negatively, and the kingdom negativity due to the reproaches against me (as a buffer: I’m not saying some people are not bringing it on themselves due to their own actions). However, Burroughs writes this, that I think is very, very helpful and encouraging.

I’m simply going to read this out direct from the book (pages 370 – 371):

Let no man lay so much upon the service he shall do, but let God have His work His own way. God expects humility from us, that He may have His work done His own way, and if God pleases He may make use of us to do so much work for Him, as if our names were never so clear. The prophets were scorned and reproached, and did they never do service? Never did any man in the world do God more service than Saint Paul, and yet no man was ever so reproached as he. He was whipped up and down as if he had been a rogue, and he was glad to go about in tatters, not having wherewithal to cover his nakedness. He had no bread to put in his body, and was called a seditious fellow, and counted the filth of all things – and yet this St. Paul was used as the most worthy instrument of God’s service that ever was since the world began, next to Christ Himself.

Brothers and sisters let me tell you, and encourage you. Never let what others say of you or think of you, or lie about you, or judge you, or slander you, to allow it to afflict you to the point you think you are no longer worthy of standing up for Christ and His gospel, or for standing on His Word boldly. That’s the goal of Satan, who works through them.

Over the years I’ve had hundreds of that come my way. And at first it can make you throw away your confidence, or at least make you second guess yourself.

However, as Burroughs says: Let God have his work His way.

God has never told anyone to not stand on the truth because they were bombarded with lies or hatred. Paul never flinched. When he faced the tough, hard hearted, worldly environment of Corinth:

1 Corinthians 2:3 (in Greek):

• Καὶ ἐγὼ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ

• (Kai, ego, en, asthenia, kai, en, phobos, kai, en, tromos, paloos).

• ‘And I was with you in weakness, and in fear and in much trembling.’

That weakness and trembling and that fear was not a fear of man. It was that Paul had nothing in himself that was special, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. And he feared more that he was not faithful to that, than he was what man did to him.

The bottom line is, or it’s almost wrote like this by Burroughs: ‘If Christianity can’t help you to be able to bear the reproaches, what will it enable you to do?’ (If we are consumed by looking bad in the world, or having our name tarnished in the world).

Burroughs reminds the reader of the way, way greater names than ours who have done more, and been used way more by the Lord than us, yet they never feared, or folded at their name being tarnished or abused.

While on the subject of name protecting - Burroughs adds a very sobering thought in pages 373-374, entitled ‘argument 4’:

Consider the great mercy of God in concealing the secret sins of your thoughts. There are none, let them be never so innocent in the world, yet there is so much filth and baseness within the heart that if God should but turn the inside outward, and reveal it all to the world, certainly it would make them ashamed of the society of man, make them ashamed to come into the congregation. What confusion, and what matter of reproach, would there be then? Now seeing that God in His goodness favours His people so far as he keeps in much secret evil that He could reveal before the world, if He should withdraw Himself a little from you He could let you fall into such sins as your secret sins would be discovered. But God favours your names so much that He has kept in that secret evil that you have had secret inclinations unto. Now consideration of God’s goodness in tendering you so far may very well quiet your hearts when you begin to be troubled for every reproach that is cast upon you. “Now I see my adversaries are glad to watch and search and pry for occasions of reproach, God might have given them matter enough, and therefore it is mercy they have such little matter as they have”. It is a great work of nature to keep the filth of the body when it is in a man from being unsavoury unto others; so the filth of the soul, though it is unsavoury to God, yet it is God’s mercy that keeps it from that unsavouriness that is might be to men.

I remember Dr MacArthur sharing of the time a woman wrote to him abusing him and calling him out for everything. He said:

It wasn’t true. However, there were much worse things true she could have said.

God has taken us, and took our name, as Burroughs writes:

God has taken charge of the names of His people, as He truly has of their souls and if God is in charge of your names, why are you troubled by anything that befalls you in regards to your name?.… …He has charge of you.

Burroughs concludes the chapter by this final argument:

That there is more honour in bearing the reproaches patiently than there is in disgrace in having them cast wrongfully upon you.

To bear reproaches, hatred, slander, gossip, etc. I believe is one of the greatest components that make us Godly and more like Christ. It’s truly sanctifying work.

Too much praise from man is great stumbling block. Oh how many a person is so weak and sensitive to being way, way over praised and protected.

Burroughs writes in his final paragraph of the chapter:

Consider there is much danger in being honoured by men.

Martin Luther wrote to a friend:

My greatest fear is in the praises of men, but my joy is in their reproaches and evil speeches.

Does much of what I said above mean that we should only ever be silent and say nothing and defend nothing? Not at all. We must stand up when Christ is reproached as if it was us ourselves.

As Burroughs writes in chapter 37:

If Christ will take our sufferings and our reproaches as His, then we are to take Christ’s sufferings and Christ’s reproaches and make them ours.

Burroughs gives us many things that Christ is reproached by. I will again be brief, and paraphrase:

• When the Word and the gospel is abused and approached, so is Christ.

• When God’s people who He has called walk unworthy, He is reproached.

• When the blood of Christ is counted as a common thing, and every carnal lust is counted greater and more sought, He is reproached.

• When Jesus is mocked and all He has done is seen as nothing to care for, He is reproached ( for example, Christ on the cross: ‘hail king of the Jews’).

Burroughs writes:

Consider whether your hearts are more broken when Christ is reproached than when you yourselves are reproached. This is a good sign of grace.

Yet so many believers spend way, way more time weeping over, and defending, and being offended by their own sufferings, while not feeling a thing towards His suffering. I would say this:

---To suffer more for self than Christ is reproaching Him ourselves.---

Burroughs writes:

Our spirit should rise in indignation against such desperate evils and wickedness as this, that any should dare not be so bold as to reproach the holy one of God, such a blessed one as Christ is, it is good for the heart to rise.

We ought to live a life where to mock Christ, to blatantly sin - our company should be something people are very, very weary of due to our strong, bold defence of Christ and the gospel. To flaunt sin in front of a true believer and fear not any backlash is a sign of a believer whose faith is weak, and whose self-consumption way, way too great.

This is also the case when defending those who are abused i.e. a brother or sister who is reproached. We should treat that reproach as it was done to us.

Burroughs writes:

When we hear of any of God’s people being reproached, we should not say, “what have we to do with them? Let them clear themselves”. But we should be willing to interest ourselves in it, and take it upon ourselves as if our own name were to be cleared.

Sadly it is all too common for a fellow believer to fear more of their own loss than to stand with those being persecuted. That in itself is reproaching the Lord, by treating His people and your own people like an enemy treats them.

Moses chose to face affliction with his people than sit back and sin and be comfortable.

Hebrews 11:24-25

²⁴By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”

Verse 26:

²⁶ esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

The NASB translates it: ‘considering the reproaches of Christ greater’.

Okay we need to close. Quickly, the last four blessings and consolations of suffering affliction for Christ sake:

13. We can go to God in prayer in all sufferings, because we can go with the argument: “it is thy own name”.

14 . The suffering of us is the sufferings of Christ, therefore they have a mighty cry to ears of our Father.

15. Our sufferings are His, and His ours by the relationship we have.

Lastly:

16. There will be an end to sufferings. They cannot last always. For they are the sufferings of Christ. There will be a time thereafter when God’s people shall be too high to be reproached.

Amen.