This article is the first in a two-part series that highlights the power of Scripture and the marvel and majesty of Yahweh's work. We begin with a story that shows how His divine hand moves using the Word, and we will see the divine orchestration of people and events leading to His predetermined outcome. This is not mere manipulation, rather, it is the working of His plan in time and space and in every detail as He had laid out before the beginning of creation.

Suppose

Imagine for a moment, meeting a young, energetic man in the ministry. A man who grew up a preacher's kid. Who had owned a Bible since childhood and was faithful in church attendance his whole life. Who was gifted with musical skills, public speaking—and who often received praise for those abilities. And, who later attended and graduated from a Christian college and served as a ministry intern outside the U.S., earned a master's degree in Christian Ministry, and studied under seminary professors. And, who was a pastor serving in a rural Baptist church. By any account, this was a young man who had prepared and was ready for years of ministry.

However, this description is not some fictional character in a supposed story. Rather, it is an actual story about a man who in time would become a living breathing example of the power and the importance of Romans 3:20: "For through the Law comes the knowledge of sin."

What is the connection? In this story the correct outward appearances and self-effort were all there. This individual was raised in a Christian home, had the resumé, the degrees, was personable, enthusiastic and well liked. The stamp of "Christian" was all over him. But then, as the story goes, he came into full contact with the Law of Yahweh.

Cross Paths

The moment I met this pastor there was a strong sense I needed to spend time to get to know him. What prompted my first visit to that little rural church was a casual text message from a mutual friend who had met this young new pastor earlier the previous year.

One simple and seemingly insignificant text message began a series of events that later revealed God's marvelous guiding hand. Unknown to those involved, this text caused two paths to cross. What developed was a friendship that would eventually result in a major collision.

First Impression

About a year and half earlier from when we first met, this man began his first pastorate immediately after marrying a girl he met in Bible college. Within a few weeks of that first meeting, he commented to me that he could use help with his ministry duties. Myself as a father of five adult children, this twenty-three-year-old man was younger than my youngest child. Since I was a father, perhaps this gave him confidence in asking for assistance.

As the weeks and months passed, we met many times in his office talking for hours. Our discussions typically revolved around Scripture and the importance of the Word in ministry. We covered many Biblical topics during this time, discussing doctrine and theology, including the necessity of preaching Jesus Christ often.

He shared much about his personal life and the small local church he pastored. At the time he was enrolled in advanced Biblical studies at Liberty University and about to graduate with a master's degree. At the same time, he was also completing course work at The Academy for Expository Preaching. Soon I met his beautiful wife in what seemed to be a happy marriage.

All of this gave the appearances of a man beginning his ministry and marriage with bright future ahead. All the ingredients seemed to be present and I looked forward to coming alongside to help move his ministry forward.

Passing of Time

During those hours and days of conversations, he shared stories of many struggles and disappointments in shepherding a group of people in a rural community. From those one-on-one meetings, inner personal conflicts began to surface, along with financial and marital issues.

Within the church there was instability among the members, personality conflicts were mounting up, mishandling of church funds were revealed, contentious public arguments during business meetings, and open sin in people's lives. Even his home life began to show outward signs of instability. His frustration and anxiety in time began to show.

The Façade

This young man's dissatisfaction stemmed from what he imagined marriage and ministry should be. He had created an imaginary world in his mind, and then expected the real world to simply fall into line with his expectations. Raised as a PK, he was self-assured. Of course, he knew how avoid ministry problems and understood exactly how to be successful and do what was acceptable in God's sight.

And yet, his imaginary world was not playing out according to his plan. The picture of success in his mind's eye, was slipping away. His effort to hold it all together caused irritation that turned into anger.

Raised in an environment of ministry and personal facades, appearances were all that mattered. What he discovered is that no matter how hard you try to prop up that facade, it will eventually begin to crumble and then collapse. In his case, the mask of success just would not stay where he wanted it to. The issue in his mind was always "those people" And at times, included even his wife.

His pride regarding his academic achievements was hanging large on his office walls. The books, the office furniture, everything was meant to give the appearance of legitimacy and authenticity.

As time went by, I listened to the numerous complaints about others and how they personally disappointed him.  But, cracks began to show in his own life.

Divine Setup

Having a basic knowledge of 1 Timothy 3, this pastor thought a solution to achieve success would be for the church to have elders, men who could take on ministry responsibilities to help him with the many issues. To this end, he utilized an elder questionnaire from another church with the intent to ensure he would have qualified men to assist him.

At the time, it seemed I was a likely candidate. During one of our meetings, he handed me the questionnaire and expressed his desire that I complete it. This caught my attention. Nonetheless, upon returning home I read through that document, answered all twenty-nine questions and returned it.

From the months of meetings, my concerns were mounting. Various indicators of underlying personal problems were bubbling up. One evening as we drove back from time spent together, I asked him when he was going to complete the elder questionnaire? Immediately, it was obvious that he was completely blindsided by my question. His hesitation before answering was telling.

In order to save face, he knew he could not avoid personally addressing each one of those twenty-nine questions. What he would soon discover is that his own questionnaire became a trap. When putting together those questions, he never thought 1 Timothy 3 or his questions applied to him. Later he admitted his pride. His initial reaction to my question was, "I am the pastor, I don't need to answer those questions."

The Reveal

Within the next day or so I received a text, "Do you have time for me to come by soon and talk?" Not often did we meet somewhere other than his office. In my mind and heart was a sense that this was not going to be a visit like so many before.

The meeting was short and revealing. The Holy Spirit was indeed at work and had moved this young man to confess a significant moral failure. While addressing his own elder questionnaire, he came face to face with one unavoidable fact, that he himself was not qualified.

The very tool this young pastor intended to use to ensure he had qualified men to assist him in his ministry, was the means God used to trap him in his hypocrisy.

Counsel

As a result of this meeting and confession, significant questions arose in my mind that needed to be addressed. Immediately I reached out for counsel to a few trusted pastors with decades of experience, men whom I knew were well grounded in God's Word. In light of this revelation, the next steps were going to be important given the position in the church the man held—and the impact this would have concerning his marriage.

The first step was accountability. My pastor, a man gifted with insight in ministering to others and who is now retired, graciously offered to take on this role. This step was intended to measure the willingness of this young pastor to submit to elder churchmen and be held accountable.

Email From Heaven

Events now began to unfold quickly. The next morning my email inbox held an inquiry from the head of a seminary doctorate program. The email was a request to complete a character recommendation form. I was being asked to give a reference on behalf of the man who had just the day before confessed to gross sin.

As I sat reading and pondering the significance and the timing of this email, many questions swirled around in my head. This, coupled with deep concern. The magnitude of this email would come to light later that day.

I prayed for wisdom as the weight of these circumstances pressed in. In my mind, this man who was newly married and who was occupying a small church pulpit was on the precipice of a devastating disaster.

Because of that email request, later that same morning it became clear in my thinking that a follow-up meeting was necessary. I considered the idea of a visible object lesson, something that would dramatically demonstrate the seriousness of this situation. As I frequently hiked in nearby forest areas, a place immediately came to mind.

On The Edge

It was a sunny afternoon early November when I invited him to go with me on a hike, to a place I wanted to show him. When we met up, we drove to the trailhead and began our upward climb. The trail was steep, and it required much effort. At this point he had no idea the reason behind the invite and where we were going.

Our destination was a spot on the edge of a steep, rocky cliff. Once we arrived we stood there for a moment, catching our breath and taking in the panoramic view. Then I turned to him and gave the reason for the hike. The message needed to be clear and shocking: His life, marriage and ministry were about to take a great fall. What lay at the bottom of this cliff were the rocks of destruction. I made clear to him that the direction he was going would dramatically end all that he had imagined, desired and worked for. He listened in stunned silence.

Still on my mind was the morning's email. It was a puzzle piece I was not sure how in fit into these circumstances. But, I sensed it was important. So I asked. His answer immediately brought the picture into sharp focus.

He revealed that earlier that very morning he had completed and submitted an application to a seminary doctorate program—which was what triggered the email to me. He assumed that his prior confession put the whole issue behind him, and he could now simply continue to move forward with his plans like before—even though he had, just the day before, confessed to a major systemic sin committed repeatedly over the course of years.

The willful ignorance of the seriousness of his sin and his disqualification to be in the pulpit was now in clear and full view. The conclusion was unavoidable, this man was not repentant.  Welling up in my mind was the shocking realization that he did not get it.

Hammer Blow

"Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God" (Romans 3:19). Never before had this man been face with or fully held accountable for his sin. His silence at this point said it all -- he was exposed!

With the puzzle piece in place and the picture of sin exposed, the hammer of the Law was in full motion. The sin he admitted the day before was the result of sorrow, but not Godly sorrow leading to repentance. The confrontation at that point was unambiguous and direct. I called him out regarding his lack of repentance and asked what other sins he may be hiding.

Pointing to the cliff a few feet in front of him. I told him that there is no self-justification would God accept. That cliff in front of him was real. And, God's judgement was just as real. Anything short of full and genuine repentance, God was about to shove him over the edge and expose his charade.  A divine "boot" on his backside, if you will. The curtain had been pulled back and his sin was fully revealed.

The hammer blow was severe. Shortly afterward, while he was still reeling and stunned, we began our hike back down to the car. Even going downhill, the trek was longer and more grueling than the initial hike up. That afternoon he returned home knowing the full reality of his sin, coupled with the realization there was no escape and no possibility of running from or hiding it. Saving face was not an option, his imaginary world had collapsed. If true repentance was not forthcoming, a humiliating end was near, perhaps even divorce.

The Spirit Knows Best

The following day I returned to the cliff edge alone and begged my God with tears to do His work, knowing that He alone can break a stony heart and bring low a sinner. I prayed that the man who was standing in this spot 24 hours earlier would repent and find in Jesus the forgiveness he so badly needed.

Later that evening I wrote him a brief note quoting Jesus' words in Mathew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  What I did not know when I wrote was that this very verse was a long-time favorite of his, his "life verse."

What this young man began to learn, try as he may, no man is able to carry the heavy burden of sin.

During the following weeks, work duties took me out of town, which resulted in limited contact with each other. Nevertheless, the Spirit's work continued in my absence—I just needed to be out of the way. God, in His grace, was going to show for all to see how He alone through the power of His Word, was going to change a life.

Gimmers of Joy

During my absence we exchanged a couple of emails. What I read gave me encouragement. He wrote, my "self-confidence has been shattered." "I find myself at a loss about where to go from here." I was "trying to hold everything together since I arrived ... little did I know that it would all come crashing down nearly a year and a half later. Everything is broken and confused. My sin has clouded my judgment."

Certainly, these were encouraging words. But what he wrote next began to bring joy to my heart. "Confessing and genuinely repenting of such immorality brings incredible freedom. I've also been liberated from the burden of trying to maintain appearances."

Was this light at the end of a dark tunnel? My prayers for him continued.

Joy Realized

When the time arrived that I was able to once again meet with him in person, we sat in his office to talk. I noticed his demeanor and how it differed from previous visits.  Within our conversation I recounted the testimony of Paul Washer's wife, that twelve years into her marriage she had not experientially known Jesus Christ, and how she came to repentance and salvation. As I paused to take a breath, the young man sitting across from me blurted out, "Tim, that is me!"

Was I surprised? Of course! For sure, doubts regarding his salvation had crossed my mind, but I left that to the Holy Spirit who indeed sees the heart. But now it all came together. Months ago, the simple text, the crossing of paths, the hours invested, the questionnaire and finally the "email from Heaven." Now I could see my God's work and plan.

But at this moment, in light of the reality of a new birth, it was time to praise our God and King! To praise Him for the marvel of His work.

As I listened, this new believer went on and continued to explain how he now understood that God used the pain of recent events to bring him to the cross of Jesus Christ and to saving faith. The burden was lifted, he finally was at rest.

Word Power

From the later testimony of this born-again believer, it became evident that God the Holy Spirit used the words of Matthew 11:28-30, sent at just the right time in an earlier email, to bring him to the breaking point. What this young man needed, was to be alone with his Creator and His Word. The power of that Word alone, is what fully, literally, brought him to his knees in humility and saving faith.

What I didn't know, God knew. This entire time God knew this man needed Jesus Christ. God knew that he had not bowed to the Lordship of Christ and that until he was made to fully face his sin, submission to Christ could never happen.

It Begins Here

At this point in the story, we have to remember where it began. "I would not have come to know sin except through the Law." God's Law/Word brought knowledge of sin, caused conviction and condemnation. This is what gives Matthew 11:28-30 it's full meaning.

The weariness and the heavy burden spoken of by Jesus, is the burden of sin. The soul rest that Jesus offers is only for those people who have been made to face their sin and are repentant. This is the Gospel! And, it begins with Romans 3:20.

By the works of the Law NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.