From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

Weekend Preview – Word, Rest, Today, Etc…

by

Now that we are through the July 4th weekend, we will return, Lord-willing, this coming Lord’s Day to working through the book of Hebrews, specifically dealing with Hebrews 4:12-13, possibly one of the most familiar verses in the book of Hebrews.

It wasn’t until I was studying this fresh again for this sermon, that I think I finally realized the importance of these two verses in context. Sure, we’ve used these verses (especially in Bible church contexts) to justify (rightly!) the centrality of God’s Word. However, the writer of Hebrews isn’t writing to give a mere apologetic for the importance of the Scriptures. He’s writing to help us persevere in the Gospel.

Remember 4:12-13 comes at the conclusion of the entirety of chapters 3 and 4. What we saw in those chapters was the need to not be like the children of Israel, disbelieving God’s good promises and failing to enter His rest, failing to have a faith that persevered when tested. Thus, the writer of Hebrews urged us to hold onto the confidence we had at the first. He urged us to not let go of the Gospel and to hold onto Jesus as the core foundation of our faith.

In this sense, then, He reminds us “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God is able to discern whether or not we are listening to the clear message He has spoken firmly and finally in His Son. This is the call of Hebrews 4. It has far-reaching ramifications and applications. Today, then, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart, but believe. His Word will expose your heart, therefore, cling to Jesus as your hope.

Weekend Recap – On Sin

by

Yesterday’s sermon, On Sin, from Hebrews 3:12-13 is now online. In that sermon, I tried to unfold how having believing hearts nurtured in the Gospel equip us to be aware of sin’s schemes and fight it together in community.

We had an amazing morning of worship, too. I’m really grateful for the musicians and singers who use their gifts to bless us week in and week out.

Weekend Recap – Vacation…

by

Well, it’s the Monday AM of our vacation. We had a great weekend worshipping at Grace Church of Ovilla. Sunday afternoon, we headed to the Dallas World Aquarium. Then, for supper, ate downtown at the Spaghetti Warehouse.

Back home at Crestview, we were served by Mickey Zimmerman from Grace Baptist in Manhattan. I was excited about his sermon on justification from Romans 3. Will get that on the web as soon as I return.

At any rate, being on vacation reminded me that it is a time to guard our hearts. I remember John Piper saying in a sermon (out of Hebrews on drifting) that “Vacation is a dangerous time for John Piper.” He was suggesting this was due to the fact that he wasn’t in the Word as consistently and was out of the normal loops of accountability with the people of the church. I feel this, too, in my soul. So, I continue to fight sin so that even on vacation, I can live to glorify and enjoy God.

Hope you had a great weekend and experienced the Lord’s favor in corporate worship.

Are you all out of whack?

by

That’s the question Kevin DeYoung asks in a blog post from Tuesday (that originally appeared in Tabletalk). He gives 4 reasons why we can get all out of whack in church life:

First, we are not always gracious in the way we talk about secondary issues.

Second, some of us have never considered that certain issues in the Christian life belong in a Romans 14 category.

A third problem is that some Christians inquire too early and too often about their particular hot-button issues.

Finally, we must be careful our passions are not out of proportion.

Read the post and see if you don’t require some recalibration.

Acts 29 Pastors Retreat…

by

I love the vision that Acts 29 has for church planting. But, this week, many of their pastors are gathered in Vail, CO for a pastors/wives retreat. This is an amazing emphasis. They realize (rightly!) that for a pastor to be effective in the local church, this must begin in the home. How a pastor serves his wife and family is just as important, in terms of Biblical qualifications, as his theological stances and beliefs (aren’t those two really tied together anyway?).

As the A29 people are modeling this for us this week, what priority does your relationship with your spouse and children get in your life? I know for me, ministry is often busy and I need those regular times to get with my wife on a date and to spend time ‘wrasling with my boys. We have to prioritize these relationships or they will quickly lose their priority. Today, then, find an intentional way to serve your family…

Worship – Remember…

by

I appreciated Brian Croft’s recent post on What Can Pastors Easily Forget When Preparing Sunday Services? In that post, he summarized his thoughts as:

The public, weekly gathering of the church provides a place of refuge, strength, and encouragement to our people who spend 5 days a week immersed in the world, surrounded by those who hate God, and constantly challenge the truths of the gospel they believe.

This is a great word and reminder for us. I love the picture of I get each Sunday as the people of Crestview gather to find hope in the Gospel, once again. Week in and week out, we want our worship gatherings to communicate much about God and how He has come near to us through the Gospel, specifically through Jesus Christ, who lived, died and rose again for us to be right with God. As you worship both today and corporately this coming Lord’s Day, how are you being encouraged in that gathering? What grace is being extended to you? Look to God and find all that you need.