Sep 30, 2009 
Charles Bridges wrote, “The Church is the mirror, that reflects the whole effulgence of the Divine character.” Wow. That is a high calling and big shoes to fill as the Church. Only God can do this work in us, his bride.
worshipping God, building up His church, reaching the world
Browsing the blog archives for September, 2009
No Comments Kevin Deyoung wrote a great piece on church membership today. I think it goes along with what we’ve been discussing this year about being a healthy church member. Please read his post and post what do you think?
1 Peter 1:1-13 ESV 1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cap-padocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I was reading through this and thinking about hope from what I preached on Sunday in Zechariah. This short passage speaks so much about hope and more, you could spend a few weeks (a lifetime) going over these words. Just some random thoughts:
- Each person of the Trinity was involved in mysalvation.
- I appreciate Peter’s emphasis on my election and calling and God’s sovereignty in my new birth – it was all His work
- my living hope and my inheritance
- God is guarding me
- I do have several trials, but I can rejoice in the hope I have
- My trials are to grow my faith and refine me and purify me
- the promises come from the OT and are fully realized in Christ’s coming – more assuredness I can bank my hope on
Tim Keller preached on this passage concerning “gospel-centered ministry” which I appreciate his insights and the Lord’s speaking through him
As you view the homepage, don’t forget to scroll down to find more good stuff. There are some links on the right to some good blogs I like to read from time-to-time, some helpful links, and a people-group-of-the-day to pray for. I hope this blesses you in your walk with the Lord
Matthew 6:25-34 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
“Why are you worrying about food and clothing? You’re more important than the birds and flowers – don’t you think I’m big enough to see this and take care of you? Seek me and my kingdom first, everything else will fall into place. Be faithful with what I’ve given you and stop worrying about what will happen tomorrow – there’s enough to deal with today.”
I lose sight of God’s sovereignty and care – it’s still a lesson I need to learn. There is my part to play and my work to do, but He is in control. I can’t bring things about on my own by my hard work.
“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” – how do I do that? What does that look like? Preach and teach, raise the kids, be a husband, counsel, disciple, mentor, pray (need to put pray first in that list) – all gospel activities. “Abide in Christ, pray without ceasing…”
I have so much to still learn…
I have read and taught and preached on these verses ad nauseum, but God continues to speak to me in a fresh way every time I deal with them again. I have been struggling with these very issues of worry and anxiety (raising kids, finances, people not attending church) and I am quick to get angry and discouraged. I pray and ask God for His Word and voice, then it hits me when I’m reading and studying with the youth tonight – these words again.
This is the sermon I preached Sept. 27. “Our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”
I’ve been reading Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. In their chapter on evangelism, they discuss the need for us not to be “lone ranger” Christians doing evangelism on our own, but that our evangelism occurs in community. Inviting the lost to our fellowships and BBQs and outings and us as Christians “living life” from day-to-day, and the unbelievers becoming a part of this and seeing and experiencing the gospel “lived out” in community.
This of course means we need to be having our fellowships and BBQs, etc. I’m afraid we as a community of believers don’t do this as much as we could (or should). This is the problem of the “institutionalized Sunday-only church”. We get caught up in so much busy-ness.
I don’t know the solution for this. We need to be committed more to each other, getting together, inviting lost friends and relatives to “get together” with us, not just for a “religious meeting” but just to “hang out.”
How can we restructure our lives to make these actvities more of a priority?
This is my sermon on holiness from Zechariah 5:1-11, September 20, 2009.
I quoted Jerry Bridges from his Pursuit of Holiness. I like his picture of the farmer who is dependent upon God for his crop yet he must work at the task of having the crop – this is the same as our holiness, both that we are dependent on God and yet we are responsible for working it out as well.
“Not by power nor by might but by My Spirit” – so says the Lord through Zechariah in 4:6.
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