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Sunday Preview – 11/27/11

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This coming Lord’s Day, we will jumping into John 1:1-2 and seeing 3 truths about Jesus.  In prepping this sermon, I was remembering how well-served we have been through Athanasius.  Here’s some background articles on him and a link to the Athanasian Creed.  We come this Sunday to worship Jesus, fully God and fully man, born to save us from our sins.  Come ready to look heavenward.

Gospel Centeredness For The Rest of Us…

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Many of you know that I’ve been hugely affected by all things Gospel.  I love the Gospel.  It is the message of first importance to me.  I want to be a Gospel man.  I want it to be continually shaping and forming me.  I’ve often preached against having a disciplined quiet time as a means for being accepted in God’s sight, which has probably left my loving congregation scratching their heads wondering, “Well, then, why even discipline yourself for godliness…?”  Therefore, it was with great joy that I found this article by Stuart Scott this week.

It’s entitled Gaining a Balanced Picture on God’s Counsel.

In this article, he balances the struggle we have to engage the heart or discipline ourselves and shows how important the Gospel foundation and its proper application can prove in the discussion.  I would highly commend this article as a great means to help us in thinking toward a more Biblical way in all things Gospel-centered.  Enjoy.

Weekend Recap – Gratitude…

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My sermon from 11/20/11AM entitled On Faith & Gratitude from Luke 17:11-19 is now online.  I know it was risky to preach on Gospel heart change on Thanksgiving week, but this passage seems to bring home the truth of what faith is and what it produces.

I would love for you to go deeper and noticed this post this AM by Paul Tautges entitled The Attitude of Gratitude: A Bible Study Suggestion.  It might be a wonderful devotional on the AM of Thanksgiving Day.

In the evening our church gathered and celebrated all that God’s done for us this past year.  Hope you had a great Lord’s Day as well.

Hope for the Grieving…

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I’ve had a busy few weeks with a couple of dear ladies passing on to glory and being privileged to serve the families.  Thinking about some of what I’ve said and will say in the coming week I was encouraged by these verses from Isaiah 43:

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you;    I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,   and the flame shall not consume you. 3For I am the LORD your God,   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Truly God is good.  Knowing that He is near us is sometimes all that sustains us in these times.  Jesus promised us that He is the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Him shall never die (John 11:25-26).  Today, no matter where you are, rest in this truth and find comfort from the heart of heaven.  

Weekend Preview – Faith/Gratitude

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This coming Lord’s Day, we plan to move to a Thanksgiving emphasis and I hope to preach from Luke 17:11-19.  We know the story.  10 lepers are healed but only one returns to give thanks.  I want to marinade in this passage Sunday so that we can see how faith and gratitude work together.

Here’s Bridges commenting in Respectable Sins on this, which led me to go after this text again:

We read this story (Luke 17:11-19) and we think, “How could those nine men be so ungrateful as to not even turn back and say a word of thanks to Jesus?” And yet far too many of us are guilty of the same sin of unthankfulness.

Maybe this is you (I know I’m included).  Let’s embrace God’s Word for the means of grace it is, receive the Holy Spirit’s ministry of exalting Christ and let our faith demonstrate gratitude, to the glory of God.

Weekend Recap – Jesus is Better

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My sermon overviewing Hebrews 1-9 from 11/13/11 entitled Jesus Is Better is now online.  This sermon sought to point to the big picture of the first nine chapters and, having shown that, be used to inspire us to persevere.  We should be wowed by Jesus so that lives are changed.

In the evening, we continued looking at Respectable Sins by Bridges.  Really helped by that book.

Weekend Preview – Hebrews 1-9

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This coming Lord’s Day, 11/13, we hope to gather and review what we’ve seen in Hebrews 1-9.  (We plan to get into a message for Thanksgiving and John 1 during Advent.)  I love doing these overview messages every so often so that people don’t lose sight of the big picture in the minutiae of verse by verse exposition.  Related to this big picture, I found this post by Tony Reinke (and this picture) very helpful.

This picture shows how verses in the OT relate to the NT.  We have an amazing God, who has given us His Word for good and helpful reasons to point to His grandeur and glory.

Weekend Recap – Christ’s Better Sacrifice

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Enjoyed another amazing Lord’s Day with the dear people at Crestview.  I’m so humbled to get to be their pastor.  My sermon, Christ’s Better Sacrifice, from Hebrews 9:23-28 is now online.  The thrust of the message was that Christ’s sacrifice purified better than the old way since it was in God’s presence once for all and anticipated His return.  It was really amazing truth to ground us both for today and our future.  We have amazing confidence in relating to God because of what Jesus has done and this changes everything.

In the evening, my small group continued studying Jerry Bridges Respectable Sins talking about selfishness and our lack of self control.  Again, great fellowship as our group was transparent with one another and really helped point each other to the Gospel.  What a full weekend, yet so full of grace.

Hope your Lord’s Day went well.

Book Review – Gospel Wakefulness

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I’ve had a huge appreciation for author Jared Wilson ever since his book Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior came out a few years ago. This, coupled with the tweets and blogposts that drip Gospel gold, meant that when I received his latest book, Gospel Wakefulness I knew I would be in a for a huge treat.

In recent days, certain places in evangelicalism have seen a growth in all things Gospel-centered.  Conferences that attract large numbers of pastors center on the basic message of the Gospel.  And, while many understand (rightly) that the Gospel is for those who don’t have a relationship with God, the Gospel is so much more.  The Gospel is the message the church most desperately needs.  In many ways, Gospel Wakefulness tells Wilson’s story: how he went from serving in Bible belt churches to being captured by this central message of Christianity.  The result has been a profound effect in both his life and ministry.

As Wilson weaves this book together under the heading of Gospel Wakefulness, he helps you and I realize that OUR greatest need is the Gospel.  He opens the book defining what he means by Gospel Wakefulness, then unpacks how this relates to themes like humility, brokenness, worship, spirituality, sanctification and even depression.  He applies it both individually and corporately.  This truth is meant both for today and for our future.

Time and again in reading this book my heart was crying out, “Yes!”  In many ways, Gospel Wakefulness is my story and yours.  I heartily commend this.  I wish I could get this in the hands of every person I know.  What makes this book pack the wallop that it does is not Wilson’s words, make no mistake about it.  It’s that his words point to the truth of first importance: the Gospel itself.  Read and see if Gospel Wakefulness doesn’t come alive in your life as well.