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Weekend Preview – Hagar & Sarah

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It’s been a busy week, with some traveling and planning happening in my life.  But, I’m looking forward to Sunday morning at Crestview.  Our service begins at 10:15AM.  We’ll continue our journey through the book of Galatians.  For a few weeks, we’ve been hearing Paul’s heart for his readers.  This week, Paul will go back to the Old Testament.  He will use the the story of Abraham’s two sons to teach us about being right with God.

If you’re able, go back and read Genesis 15-18.  This passage highlights the promises made by God to Abraham.  Look for how the story teaches about his two sons.  For my sermon, we’ll be in Galatians 4:21-31.  I hope it’s an encouraging weekend for you.  I hope it causes you to marvel at God’s work to save you.  Hope to see you this Sunday.

Weekend Review – Appeal To Resist

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My 8/6/17AM sermon, An Appeal to Resist, out of Galatians 4:12-20 is now online.  This sermon really got at the Apostle Paul’s ministry heart: that Christ would be formed in others.  And, some of the application I pressed related to that?  Do you long for Christ to be formed in you?  Are you working for Christ to be formed in others?  I hope this sermon encourages you and helps you make progress in your journey to follow Christ.

Gospel Friday – God Redeemed And Adopted Us

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Occasionally, I post snippets of Gospel truth on Friday mornings to encourage hearts.  Today, drink deep of this reality:

Galatians 4:4-7

[4] But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (ESV)

Weekend Preview – Adult SS, Galatians, New Song

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We have many pieces moving this coming Sunday at Crestview Bible Church.

In Sunday School (starts at 9AM), we’re starting a new book in the First Principles of Family Life: Passing On Your Beliefs.  David Lansdowne will be leading this book, which will run through Labor Day weekend.

In Corporate Worship (starts at 10:15AM), I’ll be preaching Galatians 4:12-20.  This passage helps show Paul’s heart for his readers, especially that big aim of Christ being formed in them.  Pray that God works through His Word.

Finally, we’ll be learning a new song, Not In Me.

Plan to join us.

Jared Wilson’s Latest: The Imperfect Disciple

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I’m happy to recommend Jared Wilson’s latest book, The Imperfect Disciple (Paperback, EBook, Audio, Study Guide), to you.  Why?  I love Jared’s Gospel-centered vision for discipleship.  And, that’s not just dropping a phrase.  Jared actually believes that the good news of Jesus coming to rescue sinners, dying for them and rising on their behalf, makes a difference in their ongoing growth as ones changed by this good news.  Another reason I love this book is that it’s after growth.  God’s heart for us is that we make progress in sanctification.  Wrapping our minds and hearts with application that direct us to live–really live–are needed.  Having given this short recommendation, though, let me allow Jared to speak and whet your appetite for the vision he unfolds:

What I’m trying to say [in this book] is this: you are not your quiet time.

Okay, day to day, you kind of are your Bible reading.  The spiritual disciplines–the rhythms of the kingdom–do shape us and help us become more of what Jesus is making us through them.  But, in the end, you are not your quiet time.

You are not your cruddy prayer life.  Prayer is vital and necessary.  When you pray, you strip your soul down to your proper proportion, helpless and needy and desperate.  Prayer of all kinds is basically confessed need of God.  It is an expression of our un-God-ness and God’s total God-ness.  But in the end, you are not your prayers.  Jesus is mediating for you and the Spirit is interceding for you, making up for all your prayerlessness.

You are not your standing before people.

You are not your past.

You are not the accumulation of harsh words from others and negative self-talk.

You are not even your sin, as primary and as serious as that problem is.

I’m not trying to affirm your sense of goodness.  I’m doing the opposite, in fact.

I want to, by God’s grace, give you the freedom to own up to your not having your act together.  I wrote this book for all who are tired of being tired.  I wrote this book for all who read the typical discipleship manuals and wonder who they could possibly be written for, the ones that make us feel overly burdened and over tasked and, because of all that, overly shamed.

You are not your ability to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.

You are not the sum of your spiritual accomplishments and religious devotion.

You are a great sinner, yes.  But you have a great Savior.

Child of God, you are a child of God.  And he will never, ever, ever leave you or forsake you.  (pp.229-230)

We need this good news.  I hope you grab this book and find the encouragement it has for you.

Weekend Review – No Turning Back

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My 7/30/17AM sermon, No Turning Back from Galatians 4:8-11.  At this part of the book, Paul is expressing his concern for the Galatian believers, warning them to not go back to their own law-keeping as a way to be right with God.  So, this sermon was my attempt to get at Paul’s heart.  We need clarifying words like this, because we easily want to build our own righteousness.  I hope this sermon encourages you.

Weekend Recap – Redeemed and Adopted

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My 7/23/17AM sermon, Redeemed and Adopted from Galatians 4:1-7, is now online.

In this sermon, I agree with J.I. Packer:

“Our first point about adoption is that it is the highest privilege that the gospel offers” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God, 206).

J. I. Packer rightly considers adoption the highest privilege of the gospel—higher even than justification—because of the richness of the relationship with God that it begins.

In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship—he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge [justification] is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father [adoption] is a greater. (207)

We underestimate the privilege that is ours when we’ve been adopted by the Father.  I hope this sermon helps you marvel at this and find encouragement.

Weekend Preview – Galatians and New Adult SS

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We have a lot of things happening this holiday weekend at Crestview.

We start a new adult Sunday School unit on marriage, using BILD International’s First Principles book Enjoying Your Relationship.  Tomorrow’s lesson explores Titus 1:10-16 and how the struggles on the island of Crete relate to our current struggles about what to think and believe about marriage.  Ron Rhoades will be leading this book and we hope it’s fruitful in the lives of people.

We also learn a new song for July entitled Great Are You, Lord.

Finally, I’ll be preaching Galatians 3:15-22 in a sermon called Law and Promises.  The word “promise” shows up many times in this section of Scripture.  There’s something God wants us to understand about how He makes promises and what it means for us.  So, we’ll be exploring how we can have more confidence in God and His promises.  I hope this sermon encourages you all.  Looking forward to seeing you as we gather…

9AM for Sunday School

10:15AM for Corporate Worship

Crestview Bible Church, 2401 N. Halstead, Hutchinson, KS 67502