Controlling the Narrative
#113 Controlling the Narrative: Faith of our Fathers - George Whitefield
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] God bless America. God bless America. God bless America. The sentiment long ago became the cliche to which people rarely gave serious thought. There used to be a sincere prayer of divine blessing. Today the nation wants blessing. As a nation we do not want God. The greatest blessing God has graciously given America has been spiritual blessing. Freedom from the gospel to be propagated, sweeping revivals like those of the great awakening and growth and spiritual prosperity for the church and our nation. The sad truth is that all those blessings are in serious jeopardy of freedom and material prosperity hanged by a fragile thread. We have rejected the God of scripture and we are promised he will reject us. How can we tell that that is happening? God gives us over to our passions. For men and women exchange the natural function for that which is unnatural. No, God cannot bless America if his word is true. He can if we to Christians repent and pray and seek his face. If we do this, he promised he would heal us. Then we can sing with assurance of a real answer. God bless America. Land that I love. God bless America. Okay, that we're going to be continuing in our study on the faith of our fathers and what this happened to Christianity in America. And what I'm doing here is going through a historical timeline so that we'll get a better understanding of where Christianity is today and why. The biggest question you can ask when you begin to study any particular subject, in my opinion, is why. Once you start determining the why you could begin to ask other questions such as who did this, what did they do, how did they do it, when did they do it, and you start putting history together into a more understandable puzzle. If you begin to see how things work and how things have work, you can see mistakes made and progress made. So that is what we're doing here in our study. That's what I'm attempting to do. Now, we're going to be considering a fellow right now that we're at the turn of the century of 1600s into the 1700s and we're moving into some periods of revival in the United States. We're going to be looking at two men in particular, perhaps a few more, but two most definite figures within their first great awakening in the United States. One was George Whitfield and the other man was Jonathan Edwards. Both were renowned men, godly men of strong, strong faith with a pure understanding of the word of God. Many men testified to the truth of George Whitfield's astonishing ability to preach God's word was such power that he was considered literally the best preacher at that time in the whole world. There was only one man whose name was widely known as this man, and he was President George Washington. Whitfield was ordained in England through the Church of England, and he worked closely with John and Charles Wesley in what was called the Holy Club at Oxford during the 1720s and 30s. It was Whitfield who introduced the Wesley's to open-air preaching, meaning they didn't preach within the brick and mortar, and they were reaching out to the common people with the gospel of Christ. The Stabilist churches did not support this. They thought it was rather rogue or being a renegade, but it was a method that was greatly blessed of God and used of God. The Stabilist churches were attended by only the finest of citizens and tended to neglect the beaten men on the side of the road or to the Good Samaritan. Whitfield put them on his teed and sought to it that these men were cared for, again reflecting on the parable of Good Samaritan. In Georgia, the state of Georgia, Whitfield assisted in the establishing of an orphanage. His ability to preach was impressive and extremely dramatic, so much so that he became a sensation throughout the region. When he preached in New England, it was not unusual to have 8,000 people in attendance every day for a month. His voice carried clear enough to speak to over 30,000 people it was estimated. Whitfield was a Calvinist without apologies. His break with the Wesley's was over theological matters, and it was a split that never really was mended. It was a serious division. Wesley was an admirer of Jacobus Arminius, the whom Whitfield was opposed, and leaned heavily into Pelagianism. Now, if you're not one who studies theology, these names and these things are going to come across as a little bit high-minded, but they're not. These are common subjects that are discussed in this particular field. One cannot commit Wesley completely, though, to Pelagianism. Pelagianism is a teaching that says that man was not completely bound by Adam's sin, that man didn't pull completely. His will was still free and left untouched. This was guarded as rank heresy in the day back in the 1600s, and if you read Wesley's doctrinal position, you may be able to say that Wesley was a semi-Pelagian, or really better put, was a semi-Ogustinian. This allowed him and Whitfield to work together for quite a while. Whitfield's theological position was Augustinian Calvinism, which teaches that salvation is all of grace. And it must be if scripture is true, that is my opinion. Paul teaches that all men are dead in sin. Now, if this is so, how can a dead man exercise free will in the spiritual sense? He's dead. The conclusion is that God must awaken the man's concern to do this. He must enliven the man by providing him with new life, which he does through the work of Christ on the cross. Man is not, however, without free will in my way of thinking. Though this by no means puts me in the rings of the Wesley's. All men, every will, and a lively conscience. He can choose his profession. He can choose his clothes, his hair, what to drive, what kind of gas to put in his tank. But he cannot choose God, because he is dead in sin. He can obey the dictates of his human nature. He is free to do that. But he is a sinner, and sin is resisted by God. Wesley approached the concept of man being at the center of things, and hearing the message to the gospel is placed in a moment of decision. Pelagianism, which was used as mentioned before as heretical teaching due to the position Pelagius took, considering man's in nature. He did not see man guilty of inherent sin or original sin, meaning that man was totally corrupt. He did not believe that man was totally corrupt. There was still good with any. He didn't believe that man was emptied of all good and filled with evil. What is being held is the idea that man did not completely fall in Adam. His will was left intact to some degree, meaning that he can make choices regarding his soul. Man was to take the initiative in salvation. God would put the message out there, and man would have to choose to embrace it. Woodfield was by no means a theologian, and he made no claims in that regard. History says he wasn't that organized of a gentleman either. Not that he was slovenly in his approach. He was interested primarily in preaching, not in studying and sitting behind a desk. His interest was found in sharing the word of God and working directly with the people. He actually wrote to John Wesley and confessed that he had never read any of Calvin's works. "My doctrines I had from Christ and his apostles. I was taught these things of God, not a man. This gives Woodfield a sense of divine purpose that made him extremely effective as a preacher, and a model to others aspiring to work in evangelism. The doctrine was disputed. The doctrine between Pelagianism and Calvinism was disputed to such a degree that a definite division was arrived at between Wesley and Woodfield. Eventually this rift was smoothed out, but the differences remained. Wesley held to a universalism of sorts, believing that God's love was bestowed equally upon all men. Men had but to respond to an active choice of his will. Woodfield held to a particular salvation, believing that God has an elect, a people of which he came to seek, his death reconciled the elect, whom he had chosen from eternity past. Wesley preached God's love for all. Woodfield preached God's love for the elect. That may sound a bit harsh, but if you understand doctrine and the teaching of scripture, it is not too harsh and should be studied. Woodfield was no ordinary preacher. Culturally, it had a tremendous impact on the way men preached. It was no longer restricted to the brick and mortar church building, but included the wide open countryside throughout all the colonies. While he was not well organized, as the Wesley's were, he would preach so powerfully that those in attendance who wanted to continue in the faith were transformed, but they were also required to locate a church that appealed to them. And there were several to choose from. He had congregationalist, Methodist, Quakers, Baptist, Presbyterians, several to choose from. And doctrinally, there was a mixture among these churches that was noticeable. These doctrines began to be blended for his synthesized and among the churches. The great awakening was helping to clarify particular positions. In his younger days, Woodfield inspired to be an actor, a desire he renounced after his conversion. As a young man, he was given to lying, filthy talk and all sorts of positions, he said. He attended the theater. He played cards and loved to read romance novels. It would appear that his days were full of activity, though of a definite worldly sort. This is the lifestyle he carried on until the age of 15. Now, in my estimation, that is extremely young to have been participating in such things. But we live in a different age. He attended the Free Grammar School in Glouchester as a day scholar in England. The only notable fact about his education was the recognition he received for his impeccable elocution and memory. This earned him the selection to recite speeches before the Corporation of Glouchester at their annual visitation of the Grammar School. This all came to a halt at the age of 15. For unknown reasons, Woodfield left his studies. It was supposed that his mother was in dire straits and needed his assistance. He helped her daily at the bell end which he owned and managed. For the next 18 months, he became the maid of sorts, maintenance man. The business was unsuccessful, and finally, after much effort, she retired. George went back to his studies. It's been noted that he had no real interest in religion during that period of time. Not until he graduated from Grammar School and began attending Pembroke College at Oxford. While there, he began to seek Christ in a most dedicated manner. He set himself to be done with worldly pursuits. He passed it twice a week. He wore worn-out clothes, vowed not to powder his hair, which was a common thing in those days. He wore woman gloves in order to discipline this flesh, and he treated himself horribly. He continued to say no to his self-desire. He persisted in aestheticism, supposing that this would earn him promotion in the spiritual life. Of necessity, in order to practice self-denial, he had to embrace legalism and other strange notions of the Christian life. He believed Christian perfection in the here and now was his aim. He was trapped in a private world of self-flagellation and darkness. But he was seeking. His heart was seeking, and he was obviously sincere in order to endure these things. But unaware of the biblical injection, their heart is deceitful about all things and desperately wicked. You can know it, Jeremiah 179. Eventually, he was able to escape these religious traps through the aid of two fellow Christians. And partly by reading the scogles of life of God in the soul of man, John Law's serious call, Baxter's call to the unconverted and Matthew Henry's commentaries. He also began reading the Bible above all else. He would pray over every line and word. This he assures us was his meat and drink from the health of his soul. There, within the scriptures, he found his repression. He found his delight. By his own declaration, he says I got more true knowledge from reading the book of God in one month than I ever could have acquired from all the writings of men. The doctrines of free grace took deep root in his heart and became bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Whitfield was possessed of a clear understanding of the grace of God, one that was unusual for a young man his age. He remained unwavering to the end of his days. When he preached, he appealed to the heart of the individual, and this struck a chord in the public. He was a gifted speaker in wise and dealing with individuals. An amazing fact, which would be understood by those involved in public speaking. Whitfield spoke extiparaneously. Now, this is amazing when you would speak for hours on time with no notes. The force of his message drove home the strength and the power of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Benjamin Franklin became an admirer of Whitfield as he preached in Philadelphia quite often. He was held by Whitfield's ability to speak so clearly for such a period of time while following a definite line of thought and having no notes. It was Franklin who estimated that Whitfield would be heard by 30,000 people at one time. Many other preachers and evangelists were able to hear Whitfield preach and they would come to listen and to learn. Whitfield was a traveling preacher, so he reached people all up and down the east coast. God's grace for guilty sinners was the central message he preached, and he preached not only what he knew, but he preached what he lived. His message was a genuine and true. He drank the same water he was providing for others. It's estimated that this man preached over 15,000 sermons during his ministry. Nathan Cole, a farmer, wrote of hearing Whitfield preach in Kensington, Connecticut. He said, hearing him preach gave me a heart wound. By God's blessing, my old foundation was broken up. And I was at my righteousness and I was thinking that my righteousness would not save me. Then I was convinced of the doctrine of election and went right into corolling with God about that whole concept because all that I could do would not save me. And he had decreed from eternity past who should be saved and not. Mr. Cole was touched to the core of his being. He argued about the ideas of election but eventually came to a proper understanding. Nathan Cole experienced a life-changing transformation when he came to Christ. Love and concern for others became a reality by his own confession. This sort of conversion is the desire of all through men of God. And Whitfield was one of those men. His desire was to make Christ known and for others to know and experience the reality of Christ. A social impact of Whitfield's work was far reaching. True conversions and transformations followed him throughout his life's work. He was such an important figure in his day. He was well known to all. He did not follow along with the ideas promoted by the enlightenment which were flooding the country at that time. But he actually stood in opposition. His message was deeply tied to the Pauline teachings in Philippians for me to live is Christ. 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