Who am I? It’s one of the most pressing and profound questions anyone must answer. The question, of course, is about identity. In a day when identity is increasingly rooted in how one feels about self, what one experiences in life, or what one does in life, the question is critical. If you’re a Christian, there is only one way to answer the identity question. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Colossians: Alive In Christ
TEXT: Colossians 1:1-2
TITLE: The Glory of A Greeting
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA:

POINTS:
1. In Christ, We Identify with Christ Alone
2. In Christ, We View Life Through the Gospel Always

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
” The truth is we share a common struggle in our fallenness: We are prone to live life out of our stations and struggles in life instead of our identity in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we miss so much joy and wonder that is ours as the victorious children of God. That’s where Colossians comes in. Colossians is a celebration. It’s a celebration, first, of the preeminent and victorious Christ. Over the next few months, you will find that Colossians, as a whole, is the most Christ-centered book in the Bible.”

“Second, Colossians is a celebration of being Alive in Christ. Because our identity is found in the Victorious One, we can live as victors in this fallen and challenging world.”

“That is your pastor’s prayer for this series: That we would increasingly live every day not out of our suffering but out of our victory in Jesus, living close to the cross, believing the gospel speaks to every part of life, and experiencing the joy and wonder of belonging to God, no matter the season we find ourselves in.”

“The first verse in Colossians makes it clear that Paul wrote it. He wrote this letter probably while imprisoned in Rome around 62 AD, about the same time he wrote Ephesians and Philemon. Paul is writing to a primarily Gentile church started and pastored by a man named Epaphras in Colossae (Scholarly consensus around Acts 19:10). Epaphras brought the gospel back to his hometown, a small and sleepy town roughly 100 miles east of Ephesus in modern-day Turkey. He is writing to strengthen the church against certain ideas and philosophies (primarily Jewish) that deviated from the gospel. Paul’s strategy: show them the supremacy, sufficiency, and all-satisfying nature of Jesus (15-20) which now defines their lives.”

“There is plenty going on in Colossians, but the heart of its message is a call and privilege to identify with and stand in Christ.”

“Paul’s letters are never shaped by mere stylistic formulas. There is Glory in a Greeting for Paul. His letters, from the opening to the closing words, are expressions of his deep affection, appreciation, and divinely appointed care for the churches. The Theology, Christology, and the Ecclesiology Paul packs into his greeting will be unpacked in the rest of the letter.”

“Paul uses two different terms to describe the believers in Colossae: First, Paul refers to them as saints, or you could translate that as—holy ones. Not holy in the sense of purity, that’s one use of the word. There’s a second use of holy in Scripture—being set apart. Paul reminds them that just as He is an Apostle—by the will of God (1)—by the will of God, they have been set apart to be His people. They might not be apostles like Paul, but out of millions of lost, God chose them, setting them apart to be His. Second, Paul refers to them as faithful brothers. Like saints, faithful can be used in two ways—reliable and believing. Paul repeatedly exhorts the Colossians to be faithful to the gospel, particularly in the face of false teaching. But here, Paul uses the greeting to establish their new and true identity in the gospel.”  

“They are faithful brothers in that they have faith in Jesus. They have heard and believed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their salvation.”

“These things are true about them for one reason: their union with Christ. This is the repeated refrain of Colossians—They are in Christ.”

“To be in Christ means he encompasses your entire life. You may be a Tucsonan, a mother, a student, or a doctor, but the only identity that matters is your identity in Christ. In Ch. 2, Paul says—Christ’s death becomes our death, his burial our burial, his resurrection our resurrection, and ultimately Christ’s victory our victory.”

“Jesus is not a condiment we add to who we are. He is our all in all—our complete identity.”

“If you’re a Christian, it doesn’t matter how accomplished, intelligent, or popular you are. The best thing about your life, the only thing that eternally matters about you, is you are in Christ, and he is your hope of glory in life and death!”

“A primary point Paul makes in Colossians is the various ways the believers in Colossae benefit from God’s grace. Of course, that begins with the unmerited favor of God (grace) to sinners through the forgiveness of the cross that removes God’s deserved wrath and justifies them before God (peace). But grace and peace are connected not only to future hope but also to their present lives.”

“In Christ, not only have they received saving grace that brings eternal peace, but God provides ongoing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding in even the most challenging trial because, in Christ, they belong to him. They can live faithful lives before the Lord because they know God will provide grace for any season, and their greatest need has been dealt with—sins forgiven, righteousness imputed, justified before God, and therefore, at peace with God.”

“If we are in Christ, we know grace and live by grace so we can face life and live for the Lord with true peace in our hearts instead of anger and fear.”

“Colossians was written almost two millennia ago. But its message is as real as we are gathered and unpacking it. The Spirit intends that Colossians shapes our self-view as we live on gospel mission together in Tucson, AZ.”

“Colossians isn’t a Sunday snack. It’s a divine manifesto of the supremacy of Christ, who is the sure hope of glory for his people. As an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, Paul writes it with the authority of God Himself. The Lord desires that we understand, experience, and apply its transforming and unchanging truths to every aspect of life right here where God has us in Tucson.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 17:28

QUOTES:
Jerry Bridges - “As Christians, our identity is to be found in our relationship with Jesus Christ, not in our subjective and often negative life experiences.”

David Garland - “The recipients may be Colossians, but the only identity that matters to God is that they are Christians.”

Kent Hughes - “Best of all, they were in Christ, which is one of the deepest and most joyous of mysteries. In barest terms, it means the Colossians, and indeed all authentic believers,  partook of all that Christ had done, all that he was (and is), and all that he would ever be.”

Bryan Chapell - “We should understand that, fundamentally, our faith is not about what we do (as important as that is), nor is it about what we think (as important as that is). Our faith is fundamentally strengthened by understanding who we are through the indwelling Christ. We are who we are because of our union with Him.”

G.K. Beale - “This grace and peace is to enable them to live set-apart lives and be faithful as they live in Colossae.”

John Woodhouse - “The wonderful theological assertions that have been made (holy, believing, brothers, in Christ) apply to a particular group of real people in a specific location in this world. They are not abstract ideas. They are as real as the people gathered in Philemon’s house in Colossae, listening to this letter being read.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you think about yourself and each other this way? To be in Christ means you are exclusively and inseparably joined to him (Ch 2). To be in Christ means you are part of a new family, a spiritual family, the ultimate family, serving and encouraging and fellowshipping with one another (Ch. 3-4). To be in Christ means HE shapes and determines your behavior. We can’t love the world or be into “spirituality” and be in Christ (Ch 2-3).

- What are these glasses for you? The Bible makes it abundantly clear the mark of true spiritual maturity isn’t how well you know the Bible. It’s not how doctrinally astute you are. True spiritual maturity is not about how well you can articulate complex doctrines. Spiritual maturity is revealed in a heart that views and interprets life through the lens of the gospel more and more. Because you are in Christ, your life and the world you live in are no longer about earthly matters; it’s about redemption and reconciliation and all things being made new in Jesus Christ. Do you increasingly see life through the lens of the gospel?

There is one goal: The glory of God revealed in His church as we increasingly live out of our identity in Christ because we have been made alive with Christ.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Name is Matchless
Glorious Christ
Beautiful Lord
Help Us See Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:3-8

As we wrap this mini-series, we see how Jesus’ final words in Acts 1:8 profoundly shape our mission and evangelism till He returns.  Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Acts 1:8
TITLE: You WILL BE My Witnesses
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: The ascended Christ calls you to be a gospel witness by the power of the Holy Spirit.

POINTS:
1. The People in the Mission
2. The Power for the Mission 
3. The Person who Commissions

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Acts is a one-of-a-kind unique, New Testament book.  There is no other like it.  Four gospels about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.  Thirteen epistles.  Acts could have easily been titled THE ACTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT or even THE ACTS OF THE RISEN CHRIST THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKING THROUGH THE CHURCH.”

“Only in the book of Acts do we know that it was a 40 day period where Jesus presented Himself alive to the Apostles.  Acts is also unique because it’s our crucial link between the gospels and the established Churches like Romans, Corinthians, etc.”

“We see from the earlier verses that the risen Christ ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem.  They were to wait for the power that would come with the Holy Spirit – even if they had no idea when or what it would be all about.  Then we come to this scene that begins in V. 6. As we parachute in to learn and be challenged by this account, we’ll take a closer look at the PEOPLE, the POWER and the PERSON that surfaces with Jesus’ final words.”  

“In their excitement building over a 40-day period, we can imagine Peter speaking on their behalf they ask the Risen Savior a question ‘Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus doesn’t answer the question but gives a mild rebuke.  Rather than major on correction the Ascended Christ gives them a commissioning.  He tells them they will be His witnesses.  No longer will you be hoping for a political theocracy, now you will focus on being my witnesses.  This is a crucial theme in the book of Acts, the birth of the Church and expansion of the gospel to the known world.”

“The main thread in the book of Acts – the core mission in the growth of the Church is this idea of witness. 39 times this idea of witness is used throughout this amazing book. Acts 2:32, Acts 3:15, Acts 10:39!”

“What is a witness? one that gives evidence. Specifically - one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal.” 

“All Christians are called to be His witnesses.  In Jesus’ last words, he commissions these Apostles.  In 10 days it becomes 120 people, then 3,000 then 5,000 and the witnesses of Jesus Christ fill the entire known world.”

“All Christians ARE a witness.  When the risen Christ says “you WILL BE my witnesses” then you will be.  Witnessing is not some activity you put on when there is time in your schedule.  We ARE HIS WITNESSES.  You might be a bad witness for Christ or a good witness for Christ but part of your new identity is that you ARE a witness of the ascended Christ!”

“Church, we believe God is calling us to take our witness of the gospel of Jesus to the east side of Tucson.  Begin by examining yourself as a witness of the Ascended Christ.  Be ready for God also to do a transforming work in your life.”

“Jesus says you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses.  The power of the Holy Spirit comes to transform – literally change you identity and how we see ourselves – into being His witnesses.”

“What happened to the group of 120 timid believers huddled up on the sidelines in the upper room for 10 days?  THEY WERE ENDUED WITH POWER!  God calls you and I to be His witnesses but gives the power to do so!”

“The Ascended Christ sent the Holy Spirit to give them power TO BE HIS WITNESSES.  It’s no different today. Nobody in this room who has been born again came to Christ outside of someone being a witness – a witness testifying to the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Do you feel like you are one of the timid believers in the upper room?  God has power for your witness!”

“Who do you say Jesus is? Accurately understanding WHO is tellingthe Apostles /telling us we will be witnessesis key. Who is this Person about to ascend to the heavens right in front of them?  How you answer that question is fundamentally important as we seek to be His Witnesses walking in the power of the Spirit.”

“Some would say that’s a silly question Tim.  We all know that it’s Jesus.  True. But just like we say to the unbeliever ‘who do you say Jesus is?’ I want to ask the same question to believers today.  ‘who do YOU (believer) say Jesus is?’  Or maybe I can say it this way – ‘When it comes to being on mission for the ascended Christ, who do you say Jesus is?’”

“Why is it so easy to drift away from personal evangelism? You ever wonder why you grow in spiritual disciplines like Bible reading, doctrinal growth, prayer, Biblical fellowship, recognizing/putting to death sin but never seem to get much progress when it comes to evangelism?  Ever ask yourself why you have the sincere and godly desires to BE A WITNESS and see family and friends know the living God that saved you but for some reason the sincere desires seldom translate to actual evangelism? We all have a longing to be bold witnesses but too often it doesn’t translate into actual evangelism.  Why is that?”

“If you’re not careful you can subtly resent this call on your life.  It can almost feel like bait and switch.  Living on mission as a witness of the ascended Christ is the inevitable catch for all the benefits we received in Christ. On top of that, if you’re not careful you can get way off and begin to think that God is up in heaven with his feet up on the desk and we are called to do all His messy work with sinners to make His name known. How do you see/view the Ascended Jesus?”

“Church, ask yourself this question – deep down in your soul do you find Jesus beautiful? Do you enjoy God?  God is on mission to make the beauty and glory and grandeur of who He is known into the world. His call on us to be witnesses so we will be like Him and make Him known to others.  God is filling the world with the knowledge of who He is and invites us to be His witnesses to this. This is God displaying His glory through His Son and we are called to join Him.”

“The nature of the ascended Christ fuels our mission Jesus Christ came into this world because Jesus, the Person calling us to be witnesses, in his very nature is full of life and goodness and in His very being overflows.  We are witnesses to the Person and work of Jesus because Jesus is the Person God sent in His abundance and natural fullness.  Jesus came not be served but to serve.  Jesus came to make God known.  Nobody knows who God is apart from Jesus revealing who God is. God’s mission from the beginning was to reconcile people to Himself NOT BECAUSE HE NEEDS ANYTHING but because He wants to fill the world with His goodness.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 4:13
Psalm 96:3
Matthew 28
Romans 10:14
Acts 1:8
Hebrews 1:3
2 Corinthians 4:6

QUOTES:
Kent Hughes - “To be a witness for Christ is to bring a message that is a marvel of simplicity: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh; he died to pay for our sins; he was resurrected; now he is exalted in Heaven; he calls us to believe in him and so receive forgiveness of sins. This is good news. There is nothing to join, no system to climb—just a person to receive and, in him, eternal life.”

Michael Reeves - “Unless we honestly find God to be beautiful and enjoyable, we’ll have nothing worth saying to the people around us.  Until we see him aright, we’ll have no genuine desire to fill the world with the knowledge of our God.”

Martin Luther - “I did not love, yes,, I hated the righteous God…. And secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God.”

APPLICATION:
In our mission as a Church, we state that we exist to proclaim and demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel – THAT’S WHAT A WITNESS DOES.  That’s at the heart of why we exist as a Church.  That’s the consistent message in the Book of Acts. 

The proclamation and demonstration of your life witnesses to something.  What is it?

Regardless of what position you play when you get off the sidelines and get into the game – all of us need to ask ourselves this question – what kind of witness am I? 

Do you have an accurate view of WHO THE PERSON IS THAT COMMISISONS US? If you have a wrong view of who the Ascended Christ is you will have a wrong view of what it means to be a witness.  As one author put it – you may be suffering from an impoverished view of God.

1. Examine your witness.  What does your life proclaim and demonstrate?

2. Has mission and evangelism become a clunky and despised add-on to your Christian life of forgiveness and fellowship with God?

3. In what ways does my view of the Ascended Christ need correcting?

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
There is One Gospel
How Firm A Foundation
Father You Are All We Need
Let Your Kingdom Come
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 1:1-2

Today, we look at our third purpose as a church—Outward ministry to the lost. In a word, evangelism. In two weeks, Tim will preach on personal evangelism from Acts 1:8. But today, our focus is church planting. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Ephesians 3:7-11
TITLE: There is Nothing Like The Church
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Nothing is like the Church!

POINTS:
1. The Gospel Creates the Church
2. The Church Reveals the Glory and Wisdom of God in the Gospel

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Today, our focus is church planting. For this, I could not think of a better text than Ephesians 3:7-11. It’s not the Great Commission. It’s not a blueprint for successful church plants. There is no call to go to the nations. But it is the starting point and foundational conviction we must have if we are to be a church that passionately pursues our gospel mission:— We exist tobuild a God-glorifying church through the proclamation and demonstration of the transforming power of the gospel. Every aspect of that mission— Sunday attendance, CG participation, personal evangelism, or personal sacrifice to see an East side plant—begins with embracing and believing Paul’s words about Christ’s church in Eph 3.”

“Nothing compares to Christ’s Church. It’s not perfect. We don’t worship it. But there is nothing like it on this planet.”

“In Ephesians 1-2, Paul brilliantly unpacks God’s plan of salvation. Before the foundations of the world, God devised a plan to choose and save and make sinners His own. Through the long-awaited sacrifice of Jesus, sinners who could not help themselves and did not deserve help from God are now mercifully saved by grace through faith. This is the gospel Paul refers to in 7. It is the mystery of Christ (4) that has the privilege of making known to the Gentiles. This mystery of Christ is revealed in 6.”

“Paul’s idea of mystery is not something unsolvable but rather something once hidden but now made known. The gospel was foretold in the OT, but now, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it has been fully revealed. Belonging to God is no longer about nations, bloodlines, or ethnicity. It’s about undeserving sinners of all shapes, sizes, and colors saved and made part of God’s new humanity that exists as His dwelling place in a fallen world.”

“That should be enough for all of us to stop, fall down on our knees, and worship. Once the enemy of God but now beloved heirs in Christ. We must remember this. We must live with a daily awareness of who we once were apart from Christ and who we now are in Christ.”

“Paul never forgets he does not deserve to belong to God and be part of His church. He lives with an amazed heart and a sense of profound privilege that Christ would save him and make him part of his church.”

“The claim of verse 10 is stunning: God makes His manifold, multi-faceted wisdom known to the cosmos through the church. Like a diamond’s brilliance is revealed in its multi-faceted cuts, the manifold wisdom of God is revealed in the church.”

“God could have used any means he desired to make his glory and wisdom known—He’s God! He has endless resources. But He chose the church, you and I, together, to make his wisdom known, not only to mankind, (10) the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. That is stunning! God intends for the angels that He created to endlessly worship Him and keep their eyes on the earthly church so that they can witness the greatness and glory of His wisdom. As they do, they can better glorify and praise God had they not.”

“The angels of Psalm 148:2 that praise God; the angels in Revelation 7:11 that fall on their knees before the throne and worship God; the angels that cry out Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts in Isaiah 6:3; they are better able to glorify and worship God as they witness all He is doing in His church.”

“What we are doing isn’t very impressive to the world. It’s primitive foolishness. But let the nations rage and boast. God has devised an eternal plan (11) where ordinary people like you and me, living ordinary lives shaped and informed by the gospel, reveal God's extraordinary glory and wisdom to the cosmos! Unfathomable! Unimaginable! Stunning! There is nothing like the church. All earthly things and institutions fade into insignificance when compared to the church. The church alone, which includes our church, represents the grandest and greatest of all His works.”

“This is why we are passionate about the church. This is why we prioritize the church. The church is Christ’s priority. He designed the church in eternity past. He left his place in the Trinity for the church. He suffered in this world for the church. He died for the church. His love for the church is so profound he views her as his bride. He is interceding for the church right now. Jesus is returning for one reason—the church. Jesus has one thing on his mind and heart—the glory of his Father through the church! Aren’t you glad and grateful you are part of His church?”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 2:11-22
1 Peter 1:10-12

QUOTES:
Martyn-Lloyd Jones - “There is nothing beyond the Church. She is the highest and the most supreme manifestation of the wisdom of God; and to look forward to something beyond the Church is to deny not only this verse but many other verses in the Scripture. The Church is the final expression of the wisdom of God, the thing above all others that enables even the angels to comprehend the wisdom of God.”

Martin Lloyd-Jones - “The Apostle is asserting that what is happening in the Church is so stupendous, so glorious, that even the brightest angelic beings who have spent their entire existence in the presence of God, even they are staggered and amazed at what they see in and through the Church.”

John Piper - “No angel will ever sing “how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” This is our song and our joy, and they can never sing it or know it. But God wants them to see it. And the angels love to stoop down and get as close as they can to the wonders of redemption and how God prepared and saved and gathered his church.”

Charles Spurgeon - “Give yourself to the church. You that are members of the church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church until I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all. And the moment I did join one, I should have spoiled it. For it would not have been a perfect church after I became a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth.”

APPLICATION:
- Have you lost your joy, passion, and gratitude for not just being saved but also being saved and made part of the Church? One of the surest ways to be like Paul is to get involved! Throw yourself into your church (Romans 12:1). Get ready because as you throw yourself into God’s work through His church, God will grow your gratitude and sense of privilege to be a part of more and more and more.

- This is why we want to plant a church on the east side of Tucson. Next Sunday evening, we will envision you for our mission for new year. Please be there—husband, wife, kids. Allow your presence at that meeting to be a declaration—This is my church. At that meeting, we will lay out three convictions that shape our vision on the Eastside: A biblical model, faith-filled risk, and personal sacrifice. Each one could be an application of today’s sermon because each one is rooted in the one big truth: There is nothing like the church

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Vast The Love
How Firm A Foundation
God Of Every Grace
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
The Glory Of The Cross

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 3:7-11

There will be much that we pour our efforts into, but by the grace of God, let’s commit together, to gather together, hold fast to the Gospel, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to praying! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Acts 2:42-47
TITLE: ALL IN
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because we belong to Jesus, we are all in for His people.

POINTS:
1. All in all the time on the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. All in all the time in the fellowship in Jesus 
3. All in all the time in the breaking of bread remembering Jesus
4. All in all the time in prayer

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our mission is to build a God-glorifying church that proclaims and demonstrates the transforming power of the gospel to our city and beyond. Biblically speaking, this is the three-fold purpose of any church:

• Upward Ministry to God, which is worship

• Inward Ministry to believers, which is edification

• Outward Ministry to the world, which is evangelism.”

“We must pursue all three purposes of the church and not allow one or more to atrophy and another become THE THING we focus on. Scripture calls us to our robust purpose in all 3 - worshipping God, edifying the Church, and going to the world!”

“Last Sunday, we beheld the transforming power of the Gospel that so moves on the soul of those saved by Jesus that we climb onto the altar as a willing, joy-filled sacrifice in praise and worship of God… our UPWARD Ministry to God. We, former God-haters, have been mercifully saved by Jesus and given gospel-fueled purpose as a Church. Now, loving the Savior, on that altar as LIVING SACRIFICES… we climb up again in the INward ministry to believers… the saints… sacrificially ministering to one another.”

“This is where we are going in Acts; we find this brand-new community of Christians beginning in Jerusalem, just as Jesus promised. We see in verses 41-42 that this new Holy Spirit-filled, water-baptized, covenant people are now the Church - “together” the “fellowship” of the believers.  Now called and gathered by the power of the Gospel, filled with the Holy Spirit, they will be going not knowing as Christ’s witnesses into their towns and villages and then to the world. Compelled and reassured by the Holy Spirit, they will be going not knowing what God will do but in faith that God was with them.”

“The word “devoted” means “continually steadfast.” The original language is one of devoted continually… ALL IN ALL OF THE TIME!”

“Shorthand for “the apostles’ doctrine” was the Gospel. The word… the teaching… the doctrine of Christ and His Cross is the foundation of our church. The Gospel, as delivered by the Apostles, is the rock on which we stand. And we are all in all of the time on this Gospel. This means that all that we are, our very identity as a people of God, and ALL that we do (our very lives personal and together) has, as its wellspring, the Gospel!”

“This is why we pound away at this same nail - Jesus Christ and Him crucified. For the Apostle Paul, it was of first importance to him because he was all in all of the time on the Gospel and resolved to deliver nothing else but the message of the Cross to the churches. He guarded and defended it and called pastors to guard and defend it. He cherished it and called the churches to cherish it. He warred against enemies of the gospel when they rose up in the churches and calls us to the same.”

“This is why we desire that all of our sermons point to the Gospel. If it’s not Christ and Him crucified, then what is it? This is why all of our discipleship points to increased faith in Jesus. This is why all of our counseling must faithfully and desperately cling to the gospel. The goal of our discipleship and counseling is this: growth in our faith in Jesus Christ! If our goal is anything other than pointing to the gospel and increased faith in Christ, then our discipleship and counsel are something other than Christian. This is why our songs for worship are robust in the clarity of the gospel. This is why when we speak of generosity and giving as grounded in the gospel mission.”

“The “fellowship” of believers in Jesus is like no other fellowship. The sense of its meaning has at its core a shared participation. ‘Koinonia’ – Christ is at the center.”

“This shared participation among the people of God includes deep concern for the financial and practical needs of fellow believers and the Gospel mission advance. Giving for the “relief of the saints” and provision of the mission. Together at their man gathering, together in their homes, the church was built up/strengthened as they edified/nurtured one another.”

“The greatest threat to the edification of the Church comes from within. Being ALL in on the fellowship of the saints compels us toward maintaining unity, forgiving one another, serving one another, weeping with one another, rejoicing with each other, discipling one another, working out conflict between each other, bearing with one another in love.”

“Breaking of bread” is mentioned again in 46 IN THEIR HOMES. Is this the commissioned Lord’s Supper that Jesus instituted in the upper room with the disciples? After some study, the answer is YES. And, yet, it’s usage here Acts allows for this to also include eating in fellowship together as believers. And this kind of fellowship around food was more than hanging out grabbing some hot wings together. These times of fellowship at the table in the homes of Christians is one of intentional identity as ones saved by Jesus, remembering Jesus and encouraging one another in Jesus. It was intimate, the sharing affections for the Savior, the sorrows and joys of this life in Christ. There is a sober reminder of the holiness of God… we are regularly filled with awe and wonder at the mercies of Jesus Christ and His Cross.”

“The difference between eating with sinners/non-believers and eating with the saints is radical. There is no fellowship “in Jesus” with those who reject him. We eat with them, talk with them… but we cannot have fellowship with them… this informs how our relationship with those who turn their backs on Christ. We do not turn our backs on them but our intimacy at the table in Christ shifts.”

“PRAYER to the Lord and for each other is an amazing gracious gift that we now have in Jesus.”

“They knew nothing would happen if God did not move, so they prayed that He would move! In Jesus, we have direct access to the throne room of God where HE LEANS IN to hear our prayers. There we worship Him, we plead with Him, we pour out our hearts to Him. The deepest longings of our souls are brought before the Sovereign King and He is ready to answer every sing time.”

“We are beginning the groundwork of a church plant on the eastside – going not knowing, BUT we must not and we are committed to not neglect the nurture and edification of the church. There will be much that we pour our efforts into, but by the grace of God, let’s commit together, to gather together, hold fast to the Gospel, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to praying!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 4:11

APPLICATION:
1. What keeps you from being all in week after week on Sundays?
2. What keeps you from day by day (46) gathering in fellowship in CG?
3. When the men the meet, where are you?
4. When the women meet, where are you?
5. Can I, in integrity, describe my fellowship as ALL IN - Continually Steadfast?
6. If not, we are ALL IN somewhere. Where?

- When was the last time you opened your home or were in another's home - for an intimate meal together - discussing the gospel and sharing life together in Jesus?

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Praise to the Lord
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Sing
There is One Gospel

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 3:7-11

The church doesn’t exist for itself—we exist for God’s glory. That means we need to understand where God Himself is going and what He is doing so that all we do serves His purpose. That’s the point of the next four weeks. Our theme for the new ministry year is Going not Knowing. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Going Not Knowing
TEXT: Romans 12:1
TITLE: Living on the Altar
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: We do what we do because Jesus did what he did.

POINTS:
1. A Life of Worship is Compelled by the Gospel
2. A Life of Worship is Complete Gospel Devotion

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Everyone is looking for meaning and purpose—Why am I here? Where do I fit in? Where should my life be going? These are crucial questions. As a local church, those questions are crucial—Why do we exist? Where are we going? What are we supposed to be doing?  Too often the answers to those questions arise from the convenience of pragmatism, the pressure of the majority, the winds of culture, or the sanctity of tradition. But the church doesn’t exist for itself—we exist for God’s glory. That means we need to understand where God Himself is going and what He is doing so that all we do serves His purpose.”

“Our theme for the new ministry year is Going not Knowing. That phrase is rooted in Acts 20:22 where Paul said—Behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there. We are going into this new year not knowing what God will do. Here’s what we do know: Our mission is to build a God-glorifying church that proclaims and demonstrates the transforming power of the gospel to our city and beyond.”

“It’s a mission that is upward, inward, and outward. Biblically speaking, this is the three-fold purpose of any church:

• Upward Ministry to God, which is worship

• Inward Ministry to believers, which is edification

• Outward Ministry to the world, which is evangelism”

“We’ll end our series with a Family Meeting to unpack the practical details of what it looks like for us to fulfill our purposes this year. Today, we begin with Purpose #1—Upward Ministry to God, which, in a word, is Worship.”

“We do what we do because Jesus did what he did. That is the big idea of Romans 12:1. We are to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice because He offered His only son Jesus as a sacrifice for us. The result is a life of worship that is pleasing to God.”

“The gospel moved from Paul’s head to his heart, and he explodes in worship. But Paul isn’t done. He spends the final five chapters of Romans showing us what the transformative power of the gospel looks like in everyday life. This is the corner Paul turns in 1 when he writes—I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God. The mercies of God are an obvious reference to the gospel. The word therefore points us back to the glories of the gospel in the first eleven chapters.”

“Borrowing some phrases from John Stott—Paul loves to move from exposition to exhortation, combine doctrine with duty, link belief with behavior, connect creed to conduct. It’s a reminder for us that while God is MOST concerned with the heart, He is not ONLY concerned with the heart. God wants my heart and my feet.”

“This is not a given. We can’t assume a gospel-driven life. A life of worship is neither automatic nor inevitable. Paul knows this so he urges us.”

“This is where a life of worship begins. We don’t do what we do to gain God’s favor. We don’t do what we do because it’s religiously productive. We don’t do what we do because its emotionally rewarding. We do what we do because Jesus did what he did!”

“Paul’s point is not that we must pay God back for His grace. The holiness of God, the nature of Christ’s sacrifice, and the pervasiveness of our sin makes that impossible. The point is a heart fixed on grace will overflow with gratitude expressed in discernable and practical ways because the gospel is the foundation and fuel for a life of worship.”

“Paul now explains the nature of our worship—a complete devotion that demands our entire existence. Drawing from 2, the gospel transforms our hearts so that our minds will be renewed to TREASURE, THINK and LIVE like Christ. The term Paul uses for bodies in 1 refers to the whole person—body and soul, head and heart, beliefs and behavior. It requires every part of us.”

“That’s what the gospel does. It leads us to full surrender. It makes us new creations who are satisfied in God and treasure Christ above all else in this world. This is the essence of  worship.”

“Ponder the picture pastor Sproul gives us here: I climb up on the altar to present myself as a living sacrifice for God’s glory and renown. It’s good to sing. It’s good to serve. It’s good to give. But a life of worship is more than that. Paul says it’s full consecration. We die to ourselves and live for Jesus.”

“If I am a Christian, the only sensible, logical, and appropriate response is to surrender my entire existence to God. He deserves it. He demands it. It’s what He saved us for. On the flip side, to experience saving mercy but live for myself doesn’t make sense. Why do dogs bark? They are dogs. Why do kids act like kids? They are kids. If I’ve been saved by grace, I make my whole life an a sacrificial offering of praise to my Savior. Why? Because I belong to Jesus.”

“To the degree we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will fulfill God’s purposes for us. The real power is in the one who climbed up on a cross and became a sin sacrifice for us. Christ alone is our strength, hope, and vision!”

“A Romans 12:1 life is individual, yes, but it is also corporate. Together we are the body and bride of Christ. I know people (so have you) who believe they are a church unto themselves. It’s Jesus, me, and my ministry and the local church is barely an afterthought. That approach may be safe and convenient, but it’s unbiblical. The dominating theme of the Bible is God’s glory revealed in His grand purpose to redeem a people for His own who will worship Him forever.”

“Church, we believe the Lord is leading us to Go not Knowing in some every specific ways this year. To be sure, our going is not an end, it’s a means. Worship is the end. It’s what we were created for. It’s why we will Go not Knowing what the Lord will do, whatever the sacrifice. Our Savior is worthy.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 5:2
Matthew 16:24-25
Ephesians 2:1-10
Jeremiah 31:33
1 Peter 2:9

QUOTES:
John Stott- “Only a vision of his mercy will inspire us to present our bodies to him and allow him to transform us according to his will.”

APPLICATION:
God’s grand purpose in it all is to create a worshipping, not person, people, to the praise of His glory forever (Revelation 21:1-4)

Church, God has always called us to be a part, as a Church. We aren’t THE part, but we are a part. As the church, we get to:

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our schedules to make the Sunday gatherings, CG, and other faith building and Christ-exalting ministries of our church a priority.

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our personal convenience as we give ourselves to the hard work and inconvenience of planting a church.

• Climb on the altar and sacrifice our personal comfort and maybe even reputation as we proclaim Christ to those around us.

Everyone has sacred cows they are unwilling to climb up on the altar with. We believe what God is calling us to will challenge those sacred cows. What are yours?

• What aspect of your lifestyle or routine needs to be hoisted upon the altar because it is hindering a life of worship?

• Maybe for you, going is just getting to church or CG consistently.

• For some here, going may be rearranging your life to be part of the groundwork on the East side this year.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
He is Our God
Holy Holy Holy
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
We Receive
My Life is An Offering

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Acts 2:42-47

Beginning in July, week after week, we have beheld and savored the Glory of God. These messages have been leading us to this glorious place: PRAISE THE LORD. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 113
TITLE: Who Is Like Our God?
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Our incomparable LORD is worthy of our endless and highest praise!

POINTS:
1. The Never-ending Praise of His Name (Vs. 1-3)
2. The Grandeur of His Glory (Vs. 4-5)
3. The Marvel of His Mercy (Vs. 6-9)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This Psalm opens with the imperative - Praise the Lord. The opening first three verses make it clear! The last words of this Psalm make it clear! Praise the LORD! From beginning to end, it is clear… Praise the LORD!”

“Recalling that this Ps was likely the first song sung at Passover, we must put ourselves in the Jewish homes worldwide at that time as they sang and prepared for the Passover. The public temple service was a responsive service in which the Levite priests would declare each part of the verse, and the people would respond.”

“This song does not first build the case that grips our hearts, leading us to praise. Rather, this song bursts forth in Praise of our God first! “Praise, O servants of the LORD!” - the prescription!”

“Now Vs. 2 provides the description - the praise of the Lord now begins to take ‘SHAPE’ and instruction.”

“How long am I to praise the LORD? We worship our God right now… FORTH with a trajectory of forevermore. We begin now and refuse to cease… if more can be, we magnify Him!”

“There is a sense in this verse in which the meaning points to the faithfulness of the rising and setting of the sun… the faithfulness of the rotation of the earth… so shall the faithfulness of our worship be.Yet it also describes our praise being lifted up every day! The effect of the verse is: The inclination and disposition of the heart is one of joy, thanksgiving, need, longing, trusting, and returning to the praise of His glorious name! ‘Praise Him every waking moment and do not stop praising the LORD!’”

“Q. Who is like the LORD our God? This question and its answer provide the framework of this Psalm. This question… really… is God’s question to us about himself, provided not simply as a test but aims us toward the praise and blessing of His name. The grandeur of God’s glory begins to be described for us by revealing the vast, immeasurable difference, distinctiveness, distance, ‘otherness’ in holiness describes the LORD in the words, “The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!”

“God is high above everything that we see, experience, or conceive in our minds and imagination. God is high above all of the people of the earth and the observable universe! God is (vs. 5) seated on high He is present, ruling over all of creation - He is seated on high as its Sovereign, Providential KING in majesty! As high and ‘other’ is He, He rules it all from His Holy throne!”

“The god of SELF attempts to pull God off of His seat - dethroning Him and we attempt to take His seat! The greatest enemy of God and His glory is not first out there somewhere declaring their rule and reign. Application for us: in our sin, we want to sit on high!So texts like these are pure gold. When my view and thoughts of God have been diminished and I am failing to behold the Grandeur of His Glory… caught in anger, complaining that things are not going MY way…A difficult situation comes to my mind, and forgetting all that is good and true about my God, I turn on him in accusation. The gods of this world obscure our view of the Glory of God.”

“Who is like our God in His humiliation/condescension? From on high, He looks down! O, how far the LORD has come and stooped down to look on us! AND this is nothing but the magnificence of His MERCY.”

“We marvel at His mercy as He stoops and looks on the heavens and the earth who raged against Him. (vs 6). We marvel at His mercy as He comes to the dust and goes into the burning trash heap (dunghill). (vs 7) Has He not come so far?! There is no sinner, so filthy and so far, that God cannot show mercy - THIS IS WHAT MERCY IS! - the undeserved saving of God. His nail-scared hand has reached into this dark place and has pulled you out! We marvel at His mercy as He raises us up when we should have be been left where we were, but HE seats his saints on high (vs 8). We marvel at His mercy in the compassion of the miracle pictured in the imagery of a barren woman.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 40:15
Isaiah 44:6-8
Matthew 1:21
Matthew 1:23
Philippians 2:6-11

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon- “While praising him aloud, the people were also to bless him in the silence of their hearts, wishing glory to his name, success to his cause, and triumph to his truth.”

Charles Spurgeon- “For ever, and more than ‘for ever,’ if more can be, let him be magnified.”

John Calvin - “… at such a distance from us…”  “he magnifies his mercy towards us”

Charles Spurgeon - “It is a marvel of mercy that the sun should rise on the rebellious sons of men…”

APPLICATION:
Who is like the LORD our God? NO ONE! Let this humble you and draw you to behold the Grandeur of His Glory. Psalm 113 gets around in front of us exhorting self-worshippers like me and you by exulting God lifting our eyes ‘UP’ to the one and only incomparable God.
- Behold the Grandeur of His Glory!!!
- Behold the Marvelous Mercy of Jesus as he came down and gave His life in our place on the cross!

The Gospel result is we have been lifted from dust and the burning trash and a cursed life and made princes in God’s kingdom! Seated with Christ Jesus to the confession and praise of His Glorious name!
Q. How high has your pride sought to take God’s seat? There is mercy for you!
Q. How far have you been buried in the filth and burning trash of your sin? There is mercy for you!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Our God
Our Song From Age To Age
Jesus I My Cross Have Taken
There is One Gospel
Jesus, There's No One Like You

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 12:1

What do you want more than anything else? Psalm 84 takes us into the thoughts of a man who wants God more than anything else. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 84
TITLE: A Bellhop’s Psalm
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. He Longs to Worship God with God’s People
2. He is Dependent On and Delights In God’s Grace
3. He is Satisfied In God’s Salvation

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Here’s a challenging thought (Ligonier Website): Where and who do you want to be? Is it more important to you to be in this world with a high position and much acclaim, or would you prefer to be a mere servant in the household of God? The world and its allurements may be enticing, but all of it will pass away. Only the household of God will remain, and only what we do for Christ will have eternal value. We can distill that thought into one penetrating question—What do you want more than anything else? Psalm 84 takes us into the thoughts of a man who wants God more than anything else.”

“Psalm 84 was written by one of the sons of Korah. You can read about them in 1 Chronicles 23-26. As a division of the Levites, the Korahites served in the temple. There were numerous temple tasks: priests, musicians, treasurers, and others. The Korahites had the lowest duty in the temple—doorkeeper. …The Sons of Korah were ancient bellhops.”

“Psalm 84 is their perspective of the privilege of being at the temple with God’s people in God’s presence. Their job was menial. Their ministry was not exalted. But that didn’t matter because they loved being in the house of the Lord. Psalm 84 is their chance to tell the world about it. And today they get to tell us about it. As they do, a portrait appears of the person who wants God and desires to be in God’s presence with God’s people more than anything else.”

“In this portrait, we find three characteristics or, as the psalmist presents them, marks of blessedness, of the one who wants God more than anything else.”

“Jewish people believed in an omnipresent God. They believed Yahweh was always with them. But they also knew God’s presence and glory was uniquely manifested and experienced in the temple. The sacrifices, the Law, God’s covenant people gathered, all of it made the temple a place where God’s people could encounter and engage with God in a way like no other.”

“The verbs longs and faints express a desire and yearning for God so strong that it exhausts his whole being. The psalmists says—My heart (spiritual) and flesh (physical) sing for joy to the living God. This wasn’t about mental assent; it was about being consumed with God. He treasures God. He longs for his glory. He finds his greatest joy in His presence. He sings for joy in God and considers himself blessed for being part of it all!”

“How important is this today? Fewer and fewer Christians are interested in gathering with God’s people to worship God in the presence of His glory. I’m too tired. I’m too busy. I’m too hurt. I’m good I read my Bible. I think the psalmist would say—What’s up with not going to church!”

“Listen, we don't need a temple to go to today. We have seen, we know, and we experience the glory of God in Jesus Christ. The gospel transforms everything. Personal peace with God. Personal union in Christ. The Spirit lives in the heart of every believer. But there’s so much more to the Christian life than me and Jesus.”

“There is nothing magical about this building. But when we gather to worship God together, in a unique and powerful way we are the dwelling place of God and we experience His presence and glory that cannot be experienced in any other way. I submit to you, if any part of this life is like heaven, it is what we are doing right now.”

“When you walk through those doors at 10 am is there a sense of awe and wonder, joy and privilege? If you think about what we are doing, there should be.”

“In the Bible, the sparrow is symbolic for something that is worthless and the swallow for something that is restless. Are you feeling worthless? Is your soul restless? This is where you belong.”  

“…the traveler had a deep desire to be at the temple and an abiding confidence in the grace of God to strengthen them for the difficult and trying journey. So they made the journey with joy AND resolve.”

“According to 6, the psalmist dug wells in the desert and trusted God for rain. His pilgrimage to Jerusalem represents ours in this world. We do our part in the Valley of Baca by making it a place of springs. We dig pools, i.e., thankfulness, studying His Word, serving and blessing others. We do that anticipating God will do His part—supplying the autumn rains, i.e., bringing joy, peace, and provision.”

“This is how we go from strength to strength as it says in 7. Seeing and experiencing, knowing and growing in Christ more and more on the road to Zion, this is how God grows our faith in and love for Him.”

“What is your Valley of Baca today? What does it look like for you to dig blessings out of hardships? Follow the highway to Zion that the Lord has put in your heart. Allow His grace to supersede any trial. Trust He will send rain in due time as he brings you closer and closer to heaven. He will do it. He is for you!”

“Here’s what makes this celebration of God’s salvation so amazing.  Numbers 16 recounts how God judged Korah and his family for their rebellious temple service by causing the earth to swallow them up. Now centuries later, one of the Sons of Korah is writing this psalm that praises that same God for His grace and favor in salvation. Whether or not 11 is a result of thinking back on Numbers 16 we don’t know. But the family who knew severe judgment from God now marvels in His salvation.”

“He’s close enough to catch glimpses of the wonder and glory of it all. And a glimpse is enough. One day of glimpses is better than a thousand in the tents of the wicked! Why? Because the doorkeeper belongs to God.”

“We’re all just bellhops right now. But the gospel has set our hearts on the highway to Zion. Heaven is our home. Like the worshiper in Psalm 84, we are on a pilgrimage. And one day in heaven our glimpses of glory will be turned to unveiled and eternal gazing.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 2:22
1 Peter 2:5
2 Corinthians 3:18

QUOTES:
Derek Kindner - “They make it a place of springs is a classic statement of the faith which dares to dig blessings out of hardships. But God may choose to send rain, which comes through nobodies enterprise and can bring a whole area to life, for he has more than one way of dealing with our dryness.”

Charles Spurgeon - “To bear burdens and open doors for the Lord’s house is better than the highest position among the godless…God’s doorstep is a happier rest than downy couches within the pavilions of royal sinners, though we might lie there for a lifetime of luxury.”

APPLICATION:
What about you and I? Where and who do we want to be?  

• Where are the highways of my heart leading me? 

• What are you exhausting your heart and flesh for?

• What is so valuable to me that it keeps me from communion with believers, serving in the strength of the Spirit, and worshipping my Savior on Sundays?

Bottom line: Have you grown familiar with Jesus? We grow familiar. Have you grown familiar with Jesus? Have you lost your wonder and awe toward him? To trust in the Lord is to give Him glory. To give Him glory is to long for and be satisfied in His Son Jesus. To be satisfied in Jesus is to be blessed. On this side of the cross, the blazing center of God’s presence and glory is Jesus.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
God Is For Us
How Rich A Treasure We Possess
Only Jesus
The Father's Love
Christ Our Glory

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 113

It’s easy to make Psalm 56 about the struggle to have faith in fearful times. Yes, it can be a struggle. Yes, there is a degree of lament in David’s words. But Psalm 56 is not about struggle; it’s about VICTORY, victory that comes through faith in the character and promises of God that belong to us in Christ. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 56
TITLE: God Is For Me!
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Our fear gives way to faith when we focus on the faithfulness of God.

POINTS:
1. The Heart of Fear
2. The Heart of Faith
3. The Heart of God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The backdrop of Psalm 56 is 1 Samuel 21-22. I encourage you to read it this week. In a nutshell, David, who was running for his life from King Saul, ran right into the hands of another deadly enemy—the Philistines. When David wrote Psalm 56, he was alone, desperate, and afraid.”

“The occasion for David’s fear is clear in the text. the first two verses, David uses words like trample, oppresses, and attack to describe what was happening to him. In 5-6, he says his enemies injure his cause and stir up strife as they position themselves to kill David. In their quest to kill David, his enemies were unrelenting. Three times, 1, 2, and 5, David says that his enemies have pursued him all day long. David lived every moment of every day, wondering if it was his last. The brave boy who slayed Goliath when everyone else was afraid. David was no stranger to fear.”

“What about you? Are you feeling alone, desperate, or afraid today? What keeps you up at night? What fears tend to grip your heart?”

“David began 3 afraid. By the end of 4, he is not afraid. What happened between When I am afraid and I shall not be afraid? Faith happened. David could face his terrifying trials because he knew where to run when he felt fear beginning to grip him. He put his faith in God.”

“Typically, our response to fear is anxiety, panic, or distress. When we are afraid, it’s easy to turn to self-sufficiency and self-preservation. Those are vain and powerless responses to fear. More than that, they are sin we must confess to, repent of, and embrace full forgiveness in Christ for. Only then will our fears drive us to Jesus instead of away from Jesus. When David was afraid, he turned to the Lord.”

“His example is so instructive for us when we are afraid and fighting for faith. I want you to notice two things about David’s faith: David’s faith is deliberate and David’s faith is theologically informed.”

“David’s faith was an intentional act of the will. In the moment of fear, David makes a decision that that defies the reality of his situation and the power of his emotions. He trusts God. David He didn’t wait for God to give him faith. Is his faith in God a gift? Is it the work of the Spirit in him? Absolutely. But that does not excuse David from exercising his faith in God.”

“In the same way, we are called to put our faith in God. The Bible never says Jesus has faith for us. Trusting God is what God calls us to do. When we do, we realize it is only by grace, so we cannot boast except in Christ.”

“Three times, David says—I trust in God, whose word I praise. The word praise means exclaim. David exclaims, declaring to himself (preaching to himself) what God is like and what He has promised according to God’s Word. His faith is not blind. He is not throwing vague prayers at the wall. His trust in God is informed by the character and promises of God as revealed to him in God’s Word that drown out the voice of fear.”

“Church, how encouraging and compelling David’s example is for us. When David spoke of God’s Word, he had the Pentateuch (Gen-Deut) and maybe Joshua and Judges, but it was enough to know God’s character and promises. We have the entire Bible. God doesn’t speak to us audibly, but He does speak to us clearly, by His Spirit through His Word.”

“God’s Word is God speaking. He is telling us what He is like. He is telling us how He feels about His people. God is telling us how He acts and what He promises to His children. He reveals what we can be sure of regarding our relationship with Him. And what He says to us in the Bible is the foundation of our faith in times of fear.”

“God knows your tossings. He personally keeps record, not of your sin, but of every tear that falls from your eyes. Verse 8 is a memorable and penetrating way of describing God’s tender care for David and us. God hears your cries. God knows your fears. Sees what keeps you tossing at night. He knows, and He is keeping track of your heart, and He will never fail to care, and He will never be indifferent to your trials and struggles.”

“You can take God at His word. God cannot lie (Heb 6:18). God is faithful (1 Cor 1:9). He is trustworthy. And it is through His Word that He faithfully cares for you. So, the degree to which you have confidence in the Word of God is the degree to which you will have confidence in God.”

“This is David’s grand conclusion— What can man do to me? This I know, my God is for me. The danger David was in did not disappear. But his fears did, and for one reason—What David knew (mental ascent) and what he believed (faith) about God. And it all culminated in this—My God is for me.”

“Man can oppress you, hate you, hurt you, slander you, and yes, even kill you. But in the deepest and most ultimate sense, they can do NOTHING to you because NOTHING can separate you from the eternal love and favor of the One whom your life and fellowship are bound up with in Christ—the God of the universe.”

“When your back is against the wall, i.e., you are being trampled on and attacked, you know that the transcendent, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, and sovereign Lord of the universe is counting your tossing and keeping track of every tear you cry. The knowledge and conviction of the promise of intimate, tender, and adequate divine care is the basis for silencing the voice of fear when it roars.”

“No one here knows God well enough. That is the Christian’s eternal duty and delight that will never end. But the more you know, the more you grow and the greater joy you will experience. As the final words of the text say—That I may walk before God in the light of life. Translation—JOY IN CHRIST!”

“Whatever gets in the way of giving yourself to this application, tear it up and throw it away because what you need is to KNOW that god is for you today, tomorrow, and forever!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 21-22
Hebrews 13:5
Romans 8:28
Philippians 4:19
2 Corinthians 12:9
Romans 8:31-32

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “We have the Bible. It contains all we need to know about spiritual things. Equally important, we have the Holy Spirit to give us understanding of what has been written as well as the ability to apply it to specific areas of our lives.”

J.I. Packer - “God is for me is in truth one of the richest and weightiest utterances that the Bible contains….The knowledge that God is on his side brings a note of triumph into David’s prayer.”

Sinclair Ferguson - “How do you know God is really for you? Where should you look for the proof that God is for you? Does it lie in the fact that your Christian life has been unbroken happiness? Does it lie in the fact that your Christian life has been one of ecstatic joy? There is only one irrefutable answer to these questions. It cannot be found in our circumstances. It lies only in the provision that God has made for us in Jesus Christ.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you doubt God cares for you? God notices, catches, and records every tear you shed. He cares because He loves you with an undying love. Do you believe that?

It’s not simply God’s got this. It’s God is FOR you. God is at work for my good. God will see His work to the end. God is intimately and tenderly involved in my life in every way as my Heavenly Father—God is FOR me!

Do you believe God is FOR you? I’m not asking if you agree with me but if you believe. If you don’t or you have even a smidge of doubt, look past your circumstances and see His only Son hanging on a cross, being crushed by His heavenly Father—FOR YOU!

Do you believe the greatest expression that God is FOR you is in the gospel?
1. Preach to yourself more and listen to yourself less
2. Get to know your Lord and Savior

• Scriptures read earlier

• Knowing God (J.I. Packer)

• Knowing Christ (Mark Jones)

3. Major on the spiritual, minor on the practical

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
The Power Of The Cross
Jesus Paid It All
All Things

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 84

As individual believers and collectively as a local church, we can never overestimate, and we must never underestimate what it means to be forgiven of our sins by God. That is the message of Psalm 32. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 32
TITLE: Better Than We Deserve
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Being forgiven is everything.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Years ago, I heard someone respond to the question, How are you doing? in this way—’I’m doing better than I deserve.’ …I am doing better than I deserve. It’s more than a religious slogan. Understood rightly, it’s a declaration and celebration of God’s heart and the power of the gospel. At its core is this eternal truth—My sins are forgiven. I am doing better than I deserve because God has chosen to forgive my sins instead of holding them against me.”

“There is no higher blessing in this life than having your sin forgiven by God in Christ Jesus. If you are forgiven, regardless of anything else going on in your life—you are genuinely doing better than you deserve.”

“The first two verses are the centerpiece of the psalm. They are theology at its finest.”

“It’s easy to underestimate the moment in these verses. If you were with David as he wrote these words, you would perceive a substantive and deep joy pouring from his heart. David knows he is forgiven, and as he considers that reality, he is undone by joy. How do we know this? Look no further than 11. David begins Psalm 32 with a declaration that to be forgiven is to be blessed. And 11 is the exclamation point of what is going on in his heart as he considers that God has forgiven his sins.”

“Now, David uses three different words to refer to sin. In 1, he uses transgression (rebellion or crime) and sin (to fall short or miss the mark like an arrow misses the target). In 2, he chooses iniquity (twisted or crooked). The point of using multiple terms to describe sin is not to draw distinctions or create categories of sin. The comprehensive nature and utter sinfulness of our sin is revealed in these terms.”

“Sin is not simply some trivial wrongdoing or bad moral choice. Sin is a rebellious and perverted offense against God and His authority. David wants us to feel that. He wants us to be sobered by that, not to condemn us, but to compel us to be amazed by grace.”

“The first word to describe what God does with our sin is forgiven—(1) Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven. …The word forgiven literally means our sin has been lifted off. Sin and the guilt and shame that accompany it is a weight upon our souls. But when we confess our sin, God removes it. He takes it away. He lifts it off so that we no longer bear the effects of our sin.”

“Where does our sin go? The innocent shoulders of Jesus Christ, who stood in our place and paid the total debt of our sin on the cross. He is the reason we can be forgiven. God doesn’t overlook our sin. He can’t. He’s a holy God who hates sin and must punish all sin.”

“The second word that describes what God does with our sin is covered—(1) Blessed is the one whose sin is covered. The blood of Jesus covers our sin. He is the sacrificial lamb whose blood shed on the cross covers our sin, hiding it in the sense that it has been resolved and is no longer an issue keeping us alienated from and under the wrath of God. The New Testament word for this covering is propitiation. Jesus is our propitiation, his blood covering our sin so that God’s wrath would be turned away.” 

“Finally, David says in 2—Blessed is the man whom the LORD counts no iniquity. This is amazing! God is the divine bookkeeper. But the one whose sin has been forgiven, God no longer COUNTS it against them. He strikes it from the record book. It’s as if it never happened.”

“Your sin is forgiven, covered, and removed from the divine record book when you repent. There is no record of your sin. Even better, the only thing COUNTED to you, what the divine ledger reads next to your name is not your many sins but the perfect obedience and righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is what God counts toward you. That’s what we call justification.”

“Church, there is no greater blessedness than being forgiven by God. It's true that God’s blessings come in all shapes and sizes. I trust you are acutely aware of God’s blessings in your life. I hope you have been counting them one by one this past week. But here’s the truth: You can have everything—health, wealth, popularity, power, success, friendships, children and grandchildren—but if your sin is not forgiven, you have nothing.”

“I humbly submit that we must redeem our paradigm of what it means to be blessed. Too often, my understanding of a blessed life is too narrow and too earthly. It’s easy for me to connect a blessed life with my current circumstances.”

“Now, in 3-4, David recounts a time when instead of confessing his sin, he was silent and, as it says at the end of 2, his spirit was living in deception. He was unwilling to confess his sin. David describes the effects of his unrepentant heart in physical terms. (3) His bones wasting away reflects an internal conflict that left him (4) weak and parched as a hot summer day with no water or relief leaves one physically. In 4, David says he felt the unrelenting heavy hand of God’s discipline upon him. Not to punish him but as an expression of God’s love for David; divine discipline mercifully moved David toward repentance.”

“Many scholars believe Psalm 32 is a response to Psalm 51, where David repented of adultery with Bathsheba and the orchestrated murder of her husband Uriah. David was carrying the weight of adultery and murder, and it was killing him.”

“David ended his silence. He owned his guilt. He confessed his sin to the Lord. He repented. And the Lord forgave David. Look at the right margin at the end of 5. See the word Selah. It probably means pause and think about what you just read. In 5, Selah follows these words—and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. God’s forgiveness is worthy of our pause and consideration. We should not read and immediately move on. But Selah applies to us, not God. As soon as David confesses, we read the Lord forgives. God doesn’t pause to consider David’s confession—He immediately forgives. God doesn’t make David earn it. God doesn’t make David sweat. David confesses his sin from the heart, and God pardons him immediately!”

“Not because our sin isn’t serious but because God is merciful. God loves to forgive sinners. God is eager to forgive His children over and over again. You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to beg. You don’t have to persuade. You don’t have to prove your case. God doesn’t vet us. God loves to forgive the penitent!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 103:12
Psalm 103:10
1 John 1:9
Isaiah 55:6-7

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “God is ready and even yearning to forgive and restore us fully —if only we will confess our sin and come to him believing in Jesus Christ, who has made atonement for it. And he will do it right away.”

APPLICATION:
For application I want us to spend time in three passages this week: 

• Psalm 51 (Magna Carta of repentance)

• 1 John 1 (Ongoing repentance as fellowship with God)

• Psalm 103 (God’s heart toward those who repent)

Our text gives us clear and immediate application—

Verse 6 is a call to repentance—TODAY—while God can be found. No one is promised tomorrow, but God promises grace TODAY. Today is a day of grace because God is available to receive your repentance. No one is promised tomorrow.

Freely come to Jesus, believing that his life and death are sufficient for your forgiveness. What you will find is that the Lord will be merciful.

TODAY is the day to run to Jesus in repentance and faith. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, the Lord won’t turn you away. He will turn His forgiving eye on you.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Praise And Glorify
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
O My Soul Arise
Judge Of The Secrets
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 56

Prosperity in this world (wealth, health, family) is a gift from God. Prosperity is also a test. It's a test of the heart meant to prove and renew our trust in and love for God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 30
TITLE: Our Prosperity and God’s Praise
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”King David knew the gift of prosperity, but he failed the test of prosperity. Psalm 30 was sung at the dedication of the Temple. David never saw that day, but his experience was the background. In the same way Moses exhorted the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6—When you live prosperously in the Promise Land, don’t forget it came from the hand of God—in the same way, Psalm 30 would remind God’s people that the Temple in all its wonder and glory, comes from the hands of God.”

“David’s experience is our instruction. Living in America, we all know prosperity. The question isn’t—Am I prosperous? The question is—How do I know if I’m failing the test of prosperity?  For this task, Psalm 30 is a gift to us. Today we will unpack David’s situation, then use his situation to draw three applications for our own praise of God in prosperity.”

“Like a bucket draws water up out of a well—imagery of verb drawn in 1—God drew David up out of the pit of death. And now David praises God from a heart overflowing with gratitude. He doesn’t forget what God did for him. He can’t forget. He won’t forget. So, he praises God.”

“David was a man who had received God’s favor in abundance. The LORD was good to David. The LORD prospered David. He provided richly for David—his kingdom, military might, and personal life. David knew God’s favor as few knew it—(7) By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain (metaphor for his kingdom and personal life) stand strong.”

“David knew God’s favor. But he forgot God’s favor—(6) As for me in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. This is David’s humble confession that he became proud in his prosperity. He allowed God’s favor to close his eyes to God. He grew numb to the reality that all he had was from God, and his pride swelled as he began to believe his own headlines. David began to think—I got this! I’ve done this!”

“David forgot that his prosperity was a gift from God, and in his forgetfulness, he failed the test of prosperity. And so, God disciplined him. God disciplines the ones He loves (Heb 12). God disciplined for his pride. At the end of 7, God hid His face from David, and David was dismayed. He felt it, and he knew it. David forgot God.”

“Let us beware, indeed. In the words of one Scottish preacher—We are never in greater danger than in the sunshine of prosperity.”

“I can find at least three ways David responds to God in Psalm 30  that three thousand years later compel us to sing God’s praises in our prosperity rather than swell our pride. [See below.]”

“Being merciful and gracious is not merely what God does; it’s who He is. It’s His nature. It’s according to his character or, as 4 says—His holy name. David is not simply observing life here in 4-5. You win some, you lose some. You have to take the bad with the good. Cheer up; things will get better. No, Anger for a moment, favor for a lifetime, weeping in the night, and joy in the morning are spiritual contrasts that communicate what God is like and how He loves to treat His people.”

“Be warned today—God will discipline you for your sin. Be sober-minded about your self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and self-exaltation. Repent. Humble yourself before the Lord in prayer. Run to Jesus and receive forgiveness, knowing the disposition of God’s heart toward you is divine favor, and that outweighs His divine anger.”

“Know that whether it is God’s discipline or suffering in a fallen world, you will have times of weeping in your life, but God’s favor and the joy His favor brings are the final words in your life.”

“Whether it is education, career, health, wealth, or cherished relationships, our prosperity comes from God, and it is for His glory, not ours. Your prosperity is meant to serve God’s eternal designs of glorifying Himself in all things. It’s the reason we exist. Through our salvation in Christ, our lives would not be silent; instead, we would worship and testify to the glory of God.”

“The discipline of the Lord has humbled David. Now he sees he should have thanked God for what he had instead of allowing what he had to swell his pride. And gratitude is the key. It’s hard for pride to grow in a heart filled with gratitude.”

“Truth is, our gratefulness should exceed David’s because Jesus did the unthinkable—he gave up his life so we could be spared from the pit of eternal death. This is truth for all of us, but my heart today is that in particular, those of you who If don’t feel prosperous. God hid his face from His only Son on the cross so He could shine His face down upon you. Jesus died on the cross. For three days, he was dead. But on the third day, God drew him up, not merely from death but over death itself.”

“Are you looking for reasons to sing this morning? Do you need to be compelled to sing? Don’t look to your prosperity; look to what God is like. His anger is but for a moment, but his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry through the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 6:33
John 3:30

QUOTES:
Oswald Sanders - “Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all is to survive prosperity.”

Charles Spurgeon - “Prosperity had evidently turned the psalmist’s head, or he would not have been so self-confident. He stood by grace, and yet forgot himself, and so met with a fall. Reader, is there not much of the same proud stuff in all our hearts? Let us beware lest the fortunes of intoxicating success get into our brains and make fools of us also.”

James Montgomery Boice - “The point is this: God is indeed displeased with sin and can never be indifferent to it. He judges sin with a holy anger, even in Christians. But for His people God’s judgments and anger are short-lived. They pass quickly. What remains is His favor, which lasts for our lifetime and indeed forever.”

Eric Lane - “God’s anger is like an overnight visitor but His favor is like a permanent resident.”

APPLICATION:
So How do we know if we are failing the test of prosperity? 

• Is your daily communion (Prayer/Word) with Jesus diminishing?

• Is your first impulse I got this or I did this?

• Do forsake the things you know God has called you to (church, Christian fellowship, giving) to pursue the things the world holds out to you (leisure, work, lifestyle, family)?

• Have the unsaved become invisible because all that matters is what you have going on?

• Do you give less to your church's mission because you need more to sustain your lifestyle?

• Do you forget to give God glory in success?

• Are people more aware of your encouragement of them or your stories about you? 

• Are you amazed by God’s grace and power less and less because you are amazed at your abilities and accomplishments more and more?

In his prosperity, David forgot God. Have you forgotten God in your prosperity? Or maybe you haven’t forgotten God but have repositioned him in your life.

1. Remember God’s Heart

2. Embrace Your Purpose

3. Excel in Gratitude

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
Jesus Your Mercy
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 32

Listening to someone pray tells you a lot about them. In our text today, we learn a lot about Israel through their prayers. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 20
TITLE: Confidence In Our King
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Psalm 20 is a prayer for victory on the battlefield (Psalm 21 is thanksgiving for the victory). It can be divided into three parts:
1. The first five verses are Israel’s prayer for David’s victory. 
2. In 6-8, we witness the people’s unwavering confidence in God for victory. 
3. Finally, one more appeal for victory in 9.
Interestingly, it’s a prayer written by David to be prayed for David.”

“If you can picture with me the scene, David is about to lead Israel onto the battlefield. That is his day of trouble in 1. Israel’s army was assembled and ready for battle. But before they leave, David orders sacrifices and prayers to be offered. As he stands before the people, they offer blessings and prayers for him, which are laid out for us in the first five verses.”

“So 1-5 is a powerfully theological prayer that reveals the people’s confidence in the character, provision, promises, faithfulness, and blessings of God. They are an outpouring of their love for the LORD, fear of the LORD, and trust in the LORD.”

“As one commentator noted, the repetition of the word May (8x’s in all) communicates their complete confidence in the LORD. This is proved out in 6-8. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. These words are the heart of Psalm 20.”

“An armory filled with chariots produced a lot of confidence on the battlefield. But Israel didn’t look to the armory; they looked to the sanctuary in heaven for their help because they believed that their all-powerful, self-existent, unchanging, ever-present, always faithful God, Yahweh himself, would win the war for them.”

“By the way, their discerning eye of faith in an invisible God was not in vain. Psalm 20 is God’s people confidently praying for victory. Psalm 21 is God’s people passionately thanking God for the victory.”

“I believe it’s natural for all of us to find our confidence in ourselves. We all have our personal chariots and horses. Our strength, will, wisdom, money, experience. The more we possess, the more we accomplish, the more we achieve, the more we are confident in ourselves—I’ve been here before; I’ve got this. It’s a vicious cycle.”

“So, facing our misappropriated trust and confidence head-on is critical. Not only is it so often the source of our anxiety, discouragement, and disappointment, but it keeps us from and puts us in opposition to God.  When our minds are filled with self-confidence, we forget God’s sufficiency.”

“When we trust in human wisdom, we get what human wisdom can give. When we trust in institutions and organizations, we get what institutions and organizations can give. When we trust in money, we get what money can give. When we trust in created things instead of the Creator, we get what created things can give us instead of what only God can give us.”

“The writer [of Proverbs 3:5-8] seems pretty clear to me—To know God. To boast in the LORD. To trust in Jesus. That’s where we find healing and refreshment; joy and contentment; peace and satisfaction everlasting. Do you feel the weight of grief? Do you feel weak in faith? Redirect your confidence. Look to Jesus. Trust in Jesus. Oh Lord, in the words of Spurgeon—Let us adore your matchless name, and never dishonor it by distrust or creature-confidence.”

“In Jesus, we have an eternal king of an everlasting kingdom. From the temptations in the wilderness to Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed on his day of trouble, to the cross and the empty grave, Jesus won the ultimate battle for us. David made sacrifices before the battle, but Jesus was the sacrifice that won the battle for our souls.”

“As a believer, your life, purpose, hope, and confidence are tied up in the life of your King. Such is your union with Christ Jesus; therefore, such is your confidence in Christ.”

“Here's the point this morning—The closer we are to Jesus, the more confident we live for him. The more we know him and all he has done for us,  the more we love and trust him.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Proverbs 3:5-8
Romans 8:28-39

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Chariots and horses make an imposing show, and with their rattling, and dust, and fine caparisons, make so great a figure that vain man is much taken with them; yet the discerning eye of faith sees more in an invisible God than in all these.”

John Calvin - “It’s impossible for him who promises himself victory by confiding in his own strength to have his eyes turned toward God.”

John Stott - “The cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough to it for its sparks to fall on us.”

APPLICATION:
Q. Where does your confidence come from?
Q. How do we position ourselves for Psalm 20 confidence in Christ? A. We have to stay close to Christ. If we don’t see him, we won’t remember him.

Four simple ways to stay in the cross's “spark zone”: 
1. Memorize and meditate on gospel verses in Scripture
God calls us to renew our minds and allow our perspective to be shaped by His Word. Start with the gospel. Nothing makes sense without it. Here are some specific verses:
2 Corinthians 5:21
Ephesians 1:3-10; 2:1-10
Romans 3:23-26; 5:6-11; 8:29-39
Isaiah 53:3-6
Titus 3:3-7

2. Study the multi-faceted nature of the gospel
Before you try to figure out what can’t be figured out, usually represented by words you can’t pronounce, do you know what propitiation, justification, and atonement are? Study the Bible and start with the gospel. The more you understand, the more you will cherish and trust. 

3. Rehearse often how the gospel changed and is changing your life
People like to say forget the past. Never forget the past. Reflect on your testimony. Remember how God saved you and continues His gospel work in you today. There is no greater way to grow your confidence in Christ.

4. Finally, Make the gospel part of every prayer you pray
Prayer is communion with God. Nothing is more central to our communion with God than what He has done for us in Christ.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
All Things
Christ is Mine Forevermore

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 30

David gives us a compelling example on how we can move towards praise and proclamation in times of trouble. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 9
TITLE: Moving Towards Praise and Proclamation in Trouble
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: Gospel power moves us to praise and proclamation in times of trouble.

POINTS:
1. God As My Refuge
2. God As My Deliverer

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Four times in the first two verses the Psalmist says “I will.”  The Psalmist is attempting to will himself into a certain action. ‘I will give thanks’… do we only give thanks when things go our way?”

“‘I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.’ Think about how powerful this is – when trouble visits your space – your mind can only hold one thought at a time – the Psalmist fights the temptation to grumble, complain, and put on self-pity but fights it by recounting all God’s wonderful deeds. Praise and proclamation can only happen when God is remembered.”

“IMPORTANT In times of trouble remembering WHO God is and WHAT God has done shapes/influences HOW you will respond.  Otherwise, circumstances will dictate how you respond. So we see the Psalmist has a certain resolve in the midst of his circumstances.  We can all relate to this difficulty. When we face trouble every thought matters.”

“Is the Psalmist talking about his resolve following the challenge or in the midst of the trouble? Has the Psalmist been delivered from his troubles or is he in the midst of his troubles? I think we can make a case that the Psalmist is in the midst of trouble.  I think there are hints in our text that would indicate David is in the midst of trouble while he pens this Psalm. Look ahead to V. 9 & V. 13 – God is a stronghold for the oppressed.  He is the stronghold in times of trouble.  ‘See my affliction’. David is in the midst of trouble.  Yet he praises.  He proclaims truths about God.”

“3 things we see in the text that fill his resolve to fill His mind with praise to God AND proclaim truth about God in the midst of trouble:
1. Praise for God’s prior deliverance (v. 3-6)
2. Proclaiming truth about God’s righteousness (v. 7-8)
3. Proclaiming God as a refuge (v.9-10)”

“Notice what V. 9 says – a stronghold for the oppressed and those in times of trouble. I would imagine just about every one of you today is faced with some aspect of oppression or trouble. Sometimes it’s direct and obvious but other times oppression and trouble simply comes because we live in a fallen world. The Psalmist holds out that the LORD is your stronghold.  He is your protection in times of trouble.”

“He says THE LORD IS A STRONGHOLD… LISTEN CLOSELY – God brings trouble into our lives so we can learn to trust Him in the midst of our trouble.  Why? It’s one thing to know God IS A STRONGHOLD, it’s another thing to know God AS YOUR STRONGHOLD. Same as refuge and same as deliverer.”

“It’s easy to just hear “do you know the Lord” as Christianese yet this is the climax of this Psalm. V.10 “Those who know His name put their trust in Him”.  Those who know Him know He will not forsake you.  David is saying with credibility that I know the LORD – He has delivered me many times in the past and He can be trusted. I DON’T JUST FACTUALLY KNOW GOD IS A STRONGHOLD I KNOW HIM AS A STRONGHOLD.”

“CHURCH … to trust God in the midst of your trouble – to move towards praising and proclaiming in the midst of trouble – you must have times of trouble where you can trust God AS your stronghold.  Knowing and trusting God can’t be a set of facts – it’s so much more – praisers and proclaimers know God will not forsake them.”

“In the midst of [Jesus’] trouble – being unjustly crucified – He did not forsake us.  We have God sending His Son to be forsaken so we could know and trust God that He will not forsake you.  NT believers have the full revelation of God Himself in His Son.  God has chosen to reveal Himself to us and He does this by forsaking His Son that we could KNOW HIM AND TRUST HIM in the midst of our trouble and afflictions.”

“What about when God doesn’t answer our prayer?  What about when it feels like you have been forsaken? David knew what it was like for God TO NOT DELIVER HIS SON. Believers don’t just have a here and now understanding of God as deliverer.  We have a LONG view of God’s deliverance.  It’s one level of trust to move towards praise and proclamation while we are in the midst of trouble and affliction but sometimes God will call you to trust Him for eternal deliverance.  That place where there is no more tears, pain, trouble or affliction.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Samuel 22:1-3
Colossians 3:1–4
Acts 16:25
James 1:3
Hebrews 4:14–16

APPLICATION:
- Have you noticed it’s easier to praise God’s goodness and proclaim truths about God after you have been delivered?  What about in the midst of trouble?  How do you do when you are facing trouble, tempted to doubt God maybe even believe untruths about God like he has left you.  

- Do you know the Lord?  Do you know Him in the middle of your trouble and afflictions?  Does that move you to be a praising and proclaiming, believer?

So how do we move towards praise and proclamation when we are afflicted this week or in the midst of trouble?
1. Recount His deeds! Start by preaching the gospel to yourself daily!  Then add to this all His wonderful deeds He’s done in your life.
2. Pursue grace as a practice  – Study Heb 5:11-14 Here’s a taste from V. 14 “powers of discernment trained by constant practice” You might ask “how do I do that? Pursue grace through God’s means of grace.  Don’t overlook the beauty and blessing of gathering with your Church every Sunday morning.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Glorious Christ
Behold Our God
It's Your Grace
Rejoice
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 20

Jesus is the light of God’s face! Come all who put their faith in Him, and you will find that you, too, now live in the goodness of God! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 4
TITLE: Joy That Comes in the Night
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: An unmatched joy is given by God that leads us to trust Him in our time of need.

POINTS:
1. A Joy that comes from God in the darkness of night
2. A Joy that is beyond compare
3. A Joy that leads to a peace-filled trust in God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Not simply ‘a’ joy, but a joy that is beyond compare and unrivaled, can only come from our all-satisfying God who has shone the light of His face on us!”

“In the darkness of night, we find King David is in distress. His trouble is real, described in vs 1 - His distress is significant enough for him to cry to God for relief! Then in verse 2, we find that the trial that he is facing is suffering under shameful assaults on his honor and lies about his character - likely sowing seeds of dissension in the kingdom. This assault on his honor is coming from ‘men of rank,’ not some lightweight opposition - (not some troll with an internet connection). This is a legit enemy wreaking real havoc! Danger is imminent. War could break out! This distress is not only real and consistent, but non-stop, and lengthy, ‘how long.’”

“THIS is important - this distress/trouble does not go away. It appears to remain! But, amid David’s distress, David is granted the relief he has prayed for in Verse 1, and that relief comes from a JOY that God graciously puts in David’s heart (vs 7). In the midst of this distressing situation that will not relent, a surprising joy from God floods the heart of David, enabling him to peacefully go to bed and fall asleep and be assured that his life is safe!”

“Oh, how we need this! LET THIS SINK INTO YOUR SOUL! ON A VERY BAD DAY - GOD GIVES DAVID JOY! And David leads the Choirmaster, and with the stringed instruments, David sings for us… instructing us as it were… in his prayer!”

“We might be hoping and expecting that as soon as we get to the end Vs. 6, the very thing we should have next is ‘You have vanquished my enemy and removed the trial! The lies and dishonor are gone’ The LORD does the unexpected. Instead of the situation being taken away, the LORD does what we will see is better. In vs 7, The LORD gives Joy!”

“In vs 1-8 there are 7 specific REASONS, found in God’s goodness and favor, for our Joy:

• Vs. 1a Reason #1 for our Joy is found in God giving His righteousness to us.

• Vs. 1b Reason #2 for our Joy is found in God’s past faithness. 

• Vs. 1c Reason #3 for our Joy is found in God being gracious to us. 

• Vs. 3a Reason #4 for our Joy is found in God setting us apart for himself. 

• Vs. 3b Reason #5 for our Joy is found in God's hearing when we call to him.

• Vs. 8a Reason #6 for our Joy is found in God granting us peace. 

• Vs. 8b Reason #7 for our Joy is found in God granting us safety (He will not let you go nor be destroyed).”

“Reason after reason after reason for Joy, and every one of them pointed to the One who makes each possible. The believer in Christ cannot help but see that all of this is ultimately possible in the Cross of Jesus Christ.”

“Jesus, the light of the world, is the expression of the light of God’s face shining forth in salvation! Joy to the world! Jesus is the reason for that JOY!”

“Jesus is the light of God’s face! Come all who put their faith in Him, and you will find that you, too, now live in the goodness of God!”

“…in our time of need, we are tempted to look to this world for relief! Where do you go in the midst of suffering and trial? Where are we going to go to get the answers and relief? Where does David go in the midst of his distress? He goes to His God. There, David finds great relief in his trouble: God’s inexplicable favor in the light of God’s face!”

“Our Choirmaster has gone before us! He has graciously heard our prayer! He has graciously saved us and will keep us safe through the night!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Numbers 6:24-26
Romans 3 and 4
Romans 5:8
Hebrews 1:3

QUOTES:
Ligoneer - “To have the light of God’s face shine upon a person, then, is to have the glory of the Lord shine in a special way… indicating His approval of the person on whom He shines as one who is righteous in His sight. Scripture describes the experience of God’s light as the greatest blessing that any human being can ever enjoy.”

Charles Spurgeon -“He will not forsake you: He will bear you through. There is a promise prepared for your present emergencies; and if you will believe and plead it at the mercy-seat through Jesus Christ, you shall see the hand of the Lord stretched out to help you. Everything else will fail, but His word never will.”

APPLICATION:
CHURCH! Behold reason and after reason to rejoice in your Savior, Jesus!

• Jesus is the righteousness of God given to us (Rom. 3 and 4)

• Jesus’ past faithfulness at the cross is the very means of our salvation!

• Jesus receives the wrath we deserve, and we receive the undeserved grace of God! (Rom. 5:8)

• We are set apart IN Jesus!

• We have direct access in prayer to the throne of grace IN Jesus!

• Jesus speaks, “My peace I give you” 

Who will show us some good? Answer: The light of God’s face shines upon us!
Q. What was on your mind/heart when the sun went down yesterday?
Q. What was on your mind the night before?

The light of the world, Jesus, has come into the darkness of this world. HIS LIGHT WAS   NOT   SNUFFED OUT YESTERDAY AND NEVER WILL! In fact… JESUS WILL SHINE BRIGHTER AS THE DAYS GROW DARKER!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Praise to the Lord
Only A Holy God
Before The Throne Of God Above
I Have A Shelter
Thy Mercy

Psalm 29 is a poetic retelling of a storm by David. It has one goal—Move us to worship. As one commentator said—Psalm 29 is Pure Praise. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 29
TITLE: Christmas in July
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. We Were Created for Glory
2. God is Worthy of All Glory

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”These verses call God’s people to give God the glory He is due. Three times, we are commanded to ascribe to God praise and worship due to His matchless name, infinite worth, and glorious character. And not just God’s people, but the angels as well—(1) Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings.”

“Of course, the angels ascribe glory to God naturally. So the thrice command to give praise to God is really for us. And we need it. But why? Why must we be repeatedly commanded to give God the glory due to His name? We are like the angels in that we are hardwired for glory. God created us for glory. But we have a problem the angels don’t—Sin. Sin has caused a glory war in our hearts. Heb 3 says sin is deceitful. One way sin deceives us is by blinding us to the glory of God.”

“But it’s not just that we are blinded to God’s glory; sin creates a craving in our hearts for personal glory. Instead of God’s glory, we pursue our glory. We live for our reputation. We praise our accomplishments. We worship our wisdom. We glory in our personal morals. We glory in our health. We glory in our respectability. We glory in our bank accounts. Our hearts are a theater of glory wars.”

“This is why we get discouraged and depressed. This is the source of our confusion and contentions. This is why some are anxious and angry. Self-glory can never satisfy a person hardwired to feast on God’s glory.”

“In the second stanza, 3-9, David shows us WHY we are to ascribe the LORD glory.”

“After repeatedly exhorting us to ascribe glory to God, in 3-9, David shows us WHY God is worthy of our continuous praise by describing a storm. Whether the storm was real or not, David's imagery and connections provide a powerful and unforgettable object lesson of God’s greatness.”

“LORD appears ten times in the description of the storm. Seven of those occurrences happen in the phrase the voice of the LORD.”

“All this is poetic imagery for the unmatched power and strength of God. His voice stands over all creation. Nothing is too strong for Him. Nothing is as majestic and awe-inspiring as the LORD. The power of the voice of God is found in other places in Scripture.”

“The imagery of a throne and king communicates sovereign power and complete control. The world may be shaken. Our country may be shaken. You may be shaken. But God is never shaken. He sits enthroned as king above it all. That applies to everything we see in the news and whatever trial you are going through today. We all try to make sense of life. We all seek comfort in difficulty. Psalm 29 is meant to help you do both by holding a God whose sovereign power is unmatched.”

“Did you notice David’s trials are nowhere to be found in Psalm 29? It doesn’t matter what he’s going through. It doesn’t matter what we are going through. God is God!”

“In these final verses, the storm has passed. The earth has been shaken, and the forests are destroyed. But God sits calmly above it all. He is in total control. As for His people, they are blessed with spiritual strength and peace.  This is where the voice of the LORD in Psalm 29 points us forward. It reminds us there is a storm of divine judgment coming one day.”

“Infinitely more terrifying is the eternal storm of Judgment Day. Every human being is a sinner under God’s judgment. Humanly speaking, we are powerless to escape God’s righteous and holy judgment that will be void of any peace and continue eternally. But God made a way in His Son Jesus. Psalm 29 is a bit of Christmas in July. It’s bookends of God’s glory, and our peace was sung by the angels in Luke 2—Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased.”

“With that song, the angels announced the birth of the one who would bring us face-to-face with the merciful voice of the Lord, enduring the storm of all storms, the storm of God’s eternal justice and wrath for our wrongdoing. Jesus bowed his head into that storm for us, paying the price for all our sin, making a way for our forgiveness, and giving us true peace with God, knowing He will never hold our sins against us but only give us grace, mercy, and joy forever.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 46:10
Romans 1:16

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “Why does David call on the angels? It is because he thinks that his praise and that of other mere human beings is not adequate. David is overwhelmed with the majesty of God revealed in the storm that he has witnessed and is now going to describe. He feels that he needs help to praise God properly. To praise God adequately the entire created order must join in, and even then sufficient praise will be lacking.”

Mark Johnston - “Baal was regarded as the storm god in Canaanite religion, and his worshipers looked to him to bring them through life’s upheavals. But like every false deity, Baal had neither the ability to hear nor the ability to answer this cry for help, and his devotees were left to the mercy of life’s crises. Not so the God of Israel.”

APPLICATION:
- What glory is commanding your heart?

- What’s your modern-day Baal? Self-sufficiency? Protectionism? Psychological therapy? A twelve-step program? Where do you run? Where do you pursue hope? Smash your Baals and trust the voice of the LORD revealed in your Bible. Nothing can happen to you apart from the voice of the LORD. He is always in control of your life. His plans for you are sure.

In the kindness of God, it’s almost monsoon season. We will watch powerful storms roll through our city in the coming weeks. As they do, allow Psalm 29 to fill your mind and move you to praise God for who He is and what He has done for you in Jesus.  

Don’t wait for the monsoons. I began by sharing how we can never exhaust our understanding of the Psalms. Even more, we can never exhaust ascribing glory to our Lord and Savior, not today, tomorrow, not even in eternity. Right now, start with one area of your life where you need to be more intentional

• Conversations

• Priorities

• Thought life

• Perspective

• Eyes

• Accomplishments

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This is Amazing Grace - Phil Wickam
Sing! (Live) - Sovereign Grace Music
Jesus Your Mercy - Sovereign Grace Music
Christ is Mine Forever More - CityAlight
How Great (Psalm 145) - Sovereign Grace Music

Judges concludes on a chilling and deeply sobering note. But even now, as we look closely, we see Christ in the Chaos. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 19-21
TITLE: We Have the King of All Kings
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”As dark and raunchy as this story is, the true horror of this story  is found in the opening words. …these words exhort us to look beyond the horrors we are about to encounter to see our true enemy. If we don’t, this story shows us how bad things can get, even for God’s people. ”

“Our story begins with a Levite who has marriage problems. His concubine (wife) is unfaithful to him, and she leaves him to live with her father. After four months of separation from his wife, 3-10 tells us he travels to Bethlehem to work it out. He hits it off with Dad, and after staying with them for almost a week, the Levite and his concubine head home.”

“In 12-21, they spend the night in the Israelite town of Gibeah. With no one willing to provide hospitality, the Levite and his wife set up camp in the town square. An older man sees this, invites them to stay the night at his house, and puts on a clinic in hospitality. But the unthinkable happens—read 22-26.”

“I’m not sure there is a passage in all Scripture containing as much wickedness as this. Everything is twisted here! A mob of perverts want to engage in homosexual rape. The wickedness and vileness of homosexuality were too much for the old man, so he refused—good for him. But then he does the unthinkable: he offers his virgin daughter and the Levite's wife to, notice the language in 24—Violate and do with them what seems good to you.”

“The perverted mob refuses his offer, and the Levite, to save himself, hastily hands over his wife to them. And the perverted monsters take turns brutally raping her all night long. Undoubtedly, the host and Levite could hear all that was happening outside their door—and did nothing. Only when the sun comes up do they stop. By then, this woman is emotionally dead and physically destroyed. Emptied of all dignity, it takes everything this young lady has to crawl to the doorstep of the very home she should have felt safe in and die. This is Sodom all over again, only worse!”

“This is hard to hear. For some, it's unbearable because it brings back memories of their own sexual abuse. If that’s you, I’m sorry you have experienced the fallenness of our world in such a horrific way. Even more, the Lord wants you to know—that He knows. He sees the pain you carry. He is aware of the emotional scars. The suffering that lingers is not unknown to Him. He bids you today to come to Him with your burden. Find your value and worth in His Son Jesus, your peace and comfort in His Spirit. Your confidence in the limitless transforming power of the gospel. Trust in his justice, if not executed today, on Judgement Day. Know, see, and taste that God is good. If you are in danger today, go to a safe place. Tell someone. Call the authorities. Call your pastors. If you are safe but still hurting, reach out to your pastors. We want to help you. Our hearts break for you. We will gladly help you carry your burden to the cross of Calvary and throne above.”

“The unthinkable nature of this story continues. The Levite knows what happened to his wife. Yet, he gets up in the morning, opens the front door, finds his wife lying there, and says—Get up, time to hit the road. When she doesn’t respond, he loads her lifeless body onto the donkey and goes home. Once home, he chops her body up and sends a bloody token to each tribe of Israel to arouse the nation to punish the perverts. His appalling tactics work, stirring up the indignation of Israel.”

“The horror continues in Ch 20. 1-17 recounts how the ten tribes of Israel meet to review what happened in Gibeah. As they listen to the Levite recount the horrific events of that night, there is immediate unity to attack Gibeah and execute the perverted monsters. But the Benjaminites will have none of it, and a bloodbath ensues.”

“To make matters worse, when they convened in Mizpah (20:1), they made an oath not to give their daughters in marriage to any Benjaminite, seemingly sealing the extinction of their brother's existence. Their solution: More bloodshed. They send 12,000 men to the unsuspecting town of Jabesh-gilead, where they slaughter men, women, and children. The only ones spared are 400 virgins who are seized and delivered to the Benjaminites. All that extreme violence and the math didn’t work. They were 200 virgins short.”

“Call it kidnapping. Call it human trafficking. Call it what you want. Anarchy has engulfed Israel. They have abandoned God’s standard for marriage, morals, and anything else you can think of. This is not the story of the Canaanites. This is Israel—God’s chosen people.”

“And after all the stories, all the judges, all the geography, and 400 years of history, it is all owed to this one great problem—read 25. Israel’s problem is our problem. So what do we do now?”

“In Judges, God’s people were broken. Rape, genocide, and kidnapping. Heinous sins. I’m pretty sure those heinous sins aren’t on your spiritual resume. But do you know what is on all our resumes? Idolatry. Specifically, an idolatrous desire for independence from God.”

“The good news and the ultimate point of Judges is that WE HAVE A KING! In Christ, we have the King of Kings who loves us, teaches, guides, and intercedes for us.”

“Believe that God is faithful and will be faithful to you and His church. Don’t presume on that, but live in the good of that. How? Live a life of repentance. Embrace divine forgiveness. Rejoice in who you are in Christ. Live like you believe God controls your life and this world. Persevere in holiness, come what may, with your eyes fixed on the return of your King. God’s grace was powerful enough to save you, and it will be powerful enough to keep you to the end, where we will see our king and worship him alone in all righteousness, joy, and peace.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Revelation 21:1-4

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis- “The problem is not so much with what each man was doing but with the standard that governed him. Hence, 21:25b expresses the ultimate perversity of every man, demanding the right to be his own lord, insisting on following the dictates of his own glands. The problem is not sins but sin, that declaration of independence—whether stated viciously or politely—which says, Yes I do want to be like God calling my own shots.”

Barry Webb - “Idolatry and immorality are bedfellows; where you have one, you also, sooner or later, have the other.”

APPLICATION:
There are three takeaways from this story and Judges I pray will be unforgettable for us:
1. Guard against underestimating the power of idolatry
You may not be able to identify with the horrors of Israel in Judges, but we can all identify with the root of their problem—We want to do what is right in our own eyes.

This is precisely what happened at the beginning when the Serpent tells Eve in Gen 3—You can be like God and Eve said Yes! Let me eat. As wicked as Israel was, we can’t separate ourselves from their problem. Our idolatry may seem respectable—personal morality, respect, achievement, acceptance—good things in themselves, but sinful idols when we want them more than we want God. That’s what idolatry is. The end of it is no different than Israel.

I believe one of the best ways, to guard against underestimating the power of idolatry—Community Group.

2. Remember who your King is
The effective refrain in Judges is found in its final verse—read 25. The idea of no king is that a king would have set things right. But there was no king to rule, lead, and exercise authority over the people. Instead, every man did what was right in their own eyes. This is important: Every man is a reference to the Israelite. Judges isn’t about Canaanites living like Canaanites. It’s about Israel living like Canaanites. The church's problem isn’t out there; it’s in here. You and I turning our backs on our King is the church’s greatest problem.

Have you forgotten who your King is? Turn back to him today in repentance and faith.

3. Celebrate the undeserved and unending grace of God toward you
The story ends with everyone returning home to their inheritance. To have an inheritance was to have a future. Israel, despite her sin, has a future. The time of the Judges was not the end of their story. And for only one reason—God’s faithfulness to pour out mercy and grace.

God will discipline you—but He will never abandon you! Our sin and idolatry are great, but God’s grace is greater.

DIY—Do It Yourself—has become very popular today. It has even crept into the church - DIY God, DIY religion. A DIY approach to God has been Israel’s problem throughout Judges, which is what our text is about today. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 17-18
TITLE: The Dangers of DIY Religion
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our story begins with a man named Micah. In the opening verses of Ch. 17, we learn that Micah steals money from his mother. After hearing his mother pronounce a curse on the thief, Micah gets nervous and confesses, then returns the 1100 pieces of silver to her. …Mom consecrates the money to the LORD by telling her son to make an idol. Her son has quite a collection of idols. He has a shrine called the House of Micah filled with idols.”

“This is crazy. These are Israelites. Mom refers to God by the holy name Yahweh (all caps LORD in 2&3). She dedicates her blessing to the LORD. The name Micah means who is like Yahweh. Micah and his mom aren’t ignorant of God. Yet, they are carrying on—blessing the LORD by making an idol and self-appointing a priest over the shrine of idols—as if they are doing nothing wrong.”

“It gets crazier. In 7-8, we meet a real-life priest, a Levite looking for a job. …There is a lot wrong with this Levite. First, Levites don’t sojourn. As priests, they lived and served where and how they were appointed (Joshua 21:2). But this Levite is doing his own thing with no clear goal. He is a DIY priest. He allows Micah to do what Micah has no authority to do—ordain him. Now, the Levite is serving not in the house of God but in the house of Micah, a pagan shrine filled with idols.”

“This is DIY religion to the core. Make your own gods. Build your own shrine. Hire your own priest. Be the kind of priest you want to be. Worship how, when, and where you want according to your preferences and advantages. All in the name of Yahweh.”

“How does this happen? We don’t have to guess. The opening words of Ch. 18—In those days there was no king in Israel— remind us that DIY religion wasn’t an isolated situation in the hill country of Ephraim. Remember the tribe of Dan? The tribe that gave us Samson? They enter the story as nomads.”

“After not doing things God’s way—driving out Canaanites—Ch 18:1-11 shows us how Dan took a DIY approach to securing land. Wouldn’t you know it? They ended up at Micah’s place and recognized the accent of his freelancing Levite. Knowing he is a man of the cloth, they ask him to ask God if their mission will be successful.”

“In 7-13, the men went north with the blessing of the Levite, where they found Laish, a prosperous town that is unsuspecting and isolated, making it easy to conquer. They report back to home base. They get the go-ahead to attack. They grab 600 soldiers and head back to Laish. On the way, they stop off at Micah’s again.”

“Micah recognizes they have taken his idols and priest. He chases the Danite army down to get his idols and priest back. When Micah catches up to them, he complains that they took everything from him.”

“The identity of the rogue priest is finally revealed: Jonathan, Son of Gershom, grandson of Moses. Even the house of Moses, the man through whom God said—You will serve and worship me this way, has been corrupted with DIY religion.”

“There is the beginning of Judges, then the cycle of Judges in 3-16, the last being Samson. The third section, 17-21, serves as snapshots of Israel’s spiritual demise. Dan serves as the poster child of the DIY religion of Israel. They went out and got their own land, worshiped their own idols, established a rival worship center to Shiloh, and appointed their own fake priests. This went on for centuries until, as 29 says, Assyria captured them in 720 BC.”

“The DIY revolution began long before our time. Micah and his mother, Jonathan the rogue priest and the tribe of Dan, all God’s people, serving themselves by serving Yahweh their own way.”

“God is not a buffet offering Himself up for our preferences and ambitions. That’s the Do It Yourself religion. That’s what Micah, his mother, Jonathan, the tribe of Dan, and all of Israel were are guilty of. They aren’t atheists. They use the name Yahweh. They have a priest. They have a place to worship. But all that is just a veneer. In reality, they are living for themselves. They worship God according to their circumstances and their preferences.”

“Here are the questions we must ask ourselves: Who determines my beliefs? Who shapes my decisions? Who establishes my priorities? Who fuels my passions? Who decides when and how you participate in corporate worship? We just did a seven-week series from the Bible on The Sunday Gathering. Has anything changed in your worship, or are you still worshipping God in your own way?”

“God doesn’t give us that freedom in His kingdom. It’s His kingdom, not ours. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples to pray this way—Father, your kingdom come, MY will be done. He didn’t say that, did he? He said—Your kingdom come, YOUR will be done. [emphasis added].”

“Micah’s idols are gone, and his response is—Now I have nothing. Let that be a sober warning against idolatry in our own lives. Idolatry always leaves us empty-handed. Like Jeremiah 2:13 says—They are like broken cisterns that cannot hold water. In all their shininess and promise, the things of this world can’t give us what we need. They always fail us. They always leave us saying—I have nothing!”

“Jesus says there are only two ways to build your life: On the sinking sand of self or the solid rock of Christ. You either believe in Jesus, or you reject Jesus. You are either in the light or you are in the dark. You are either with God, or you are against God. You are either justified in a crucified and risen Christ, or you are condemned in your sin. If you build your way, verse 24 is what you get. Here is where Micah’s response in 24 is exceedingly hopeful. If you build God’s way, no matter what happens in this life, you could lose all you have but still have everything because Jesus is everything.”

“This is where the Book of Judges points us. We do have a king. He is sufficient. He is superior. He is all-satisfying. Of all the things we can do ourselves, Jesus did what we could never do ourselves. He did exactly what his Father asked him to do for our sake, even giving up his own life.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 2:5-8

QUOTES:
Barry Webb - “Judges 17 is full of religious words, objects, activities, and persons, but none of it is governed by respect for God’s Law or to honor him as an end in itself. Rather this has all been about people using religion to serve their own interests—a mother to indulge her son, a Levite to secure a better life for himself, and Micah to achieve prosperity by adding a veneer of orthodoxy to his idolatrous shrine.”

APPLICATION:
- Who do you serve? Who is running your life? Who determines how you live? 

The Christian confession can be reduced to three words—Jesus is Lord. He has brought his kingdom, of which he is the king. If you profess to be part of his kingdom, is he your King? Is Jesus your Lord? Or are you your own Lord cherry-picking the things Jesus taught and commanded? 

Where have you become a DIY Christian? Where is your life being led by your personal preferences, circumstances, convenience, and ambitions instead of Jesus? How are you writing your own script? That’s the challenge for us—we want to write our own script instead of submitting our lives to God’s script (Bible).

Let today be the day we all come to our King on bended knee, repenting of our idols, embracing our blood-bought forgiveness, and holding fast to the grace and promises of our great Lord and King Jesus until he returns for us.

Samson’s story is the story of God’s people, which means his story is our story. As foreign and different as Samson’s world seems from ours, his life is a mirror for our own lives. In so many ways, we are Samson. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 16:1-31
TITLE: We Are Samson, But God Is God
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: We have nothing without God, but with God, we have everything.

POINTS:
1. The Faithfulness of God In Our Unfaithfulness
2. The Power of God in Our Weakness

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Samson’s story is the story of God’s people, which means his story is our story. As foreign and different as Samson’s world seems from ours, his life is a mirror for our own lives. In so many ways, we are Samson. But god is God. As tragic as Samson’s story ends today, we are provided one more opportunity to see our absolute need for God and His absolute sufficiency for us.”

“We know who Delilah is. We are familiar with the most famous haircut in the world. We have the children’s ministry images of a muscle-bound Samson bringing the house down etched into our minds. But all that has a greater purpose, and that is to help us see: We have nothing without God, but with God, we have everything.”

“The first three verses seem out of place with the chapter. But they do serve a purpose. They are a snapshot of what Samson gave his life to. Between the end of Ch 15, where God revived and refreshed Samson, and 16:4, nothing has changed with Samson. Samson keeps living for himself instead of serving the Lord and His people.”

“In 1, we learn that Samson is deep in enemy territory. Gaza is one of five capital cities in the Philistine empire. He has no business being there, and now he is trapped. But in 3, Samson outsmarts the Philistines by escaping town in the dark of night. On his way out, he rips the city gate off its hinges and carries it off, leaving Gaza unprotected. The point: Even in Samson’s foolishness, the Philistines are no match for him.”

“This is Samson, a man who possesses such incredible strength in the Lord (tearing out the gates) but who is incredibly weak in himself (fornicating with prostitutes). It is the same old story with Samson.”

“‘O mirror of our fickle state.’ Like Samson, we all struggle with besetting sin and weakness. 

• We willingly wander into that sin—AGAIN. 

• We choose our understanding over His wisdom—AGAIN. 

• We pursue our passions instead of His purposes—AGAIN.  

• We turn the gifts He gives us for His glory into instruments for our glory—AGAIN.”

“We are Samson, but God is God. Despite our unfaithfulness, in Christ, God convicts us instead of condemning us. He continues to discipline us instead of destroying us. God continues to use us instead of tossing us aside. We are unfaithful, but God is faithful in pouring out grace upon grace in Christ Jesus, even though we don’t deserve it. This is the ultimate blessing of the gospel that is anyone’s who believes in Jesus.”

“Of course, Samson is with another woman. Delilah proves to be a worthy opponent for Samson’s follies. She can get rich at Samson’s expense and runs with it. In turn, Samson teases and toys with Delilah. They were meant for each other.”

“Despite Samson’s pride and unfaithfulness to God, God continued to move Samson toward his destiny as an instrument of His faithfulness to His people. But now, for the first time, we read that the Lord had left Samson.”

“The visible symbol of Samson’s calling and relationship with God was his hair. His hair was not his strength; God was. What made him different than any other man was not his hair but his relationship with God.”

“In his pride, Samson ran his mouth. He thought his strength was his own. But when his hair was gone, God left him. And when God left him, he was powerless. The man who was not like any other man is now just like every other man. Now, shackled, bound, and blind, a prisoner of the enemy, the mighty Samson has been reduced to one of the tasks reserved for the lowest members of society: grinding grain into flour. The thud of Samson’s life couldn’t be louder. ‘O mirror of our fickle state’—Pride is always the source of the spiritual thuds in our lives.”  

“The man of faithlessness desperately cries out to God in faith one more time and God is faithful to provide His servant what he needs to accomplish His purposes. With the strength that only Yahweh could provide, Samson brings down the house of Dagon, bringing judgment on thousands of Philistines by taking them to the grave with him. ’O mirror of our fickle state.’ In his weakness and desperation, God was God making Samson strong. So it is with us.”

“God will leave us weak so we can remember He is strong. For this reason, we can boast in our weakness because, in our weakness, God manifests his power in ways our strengths could never do. We are Samson, but God is God.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 103:10
Proverbs 16:18
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

QUOTES:
Jon Bloom - “In sin, we turn from God to idols, which profanes God, destroys faith, and obscures God in the eyes of others. But weakness has the tendency to increase our conscious dependence on God, which glorifies him, strengthens our faith, and manifests his power in ways our strengths never do.”

APPLICATION:
Where are you weak today? 

• Faith in God for your future

• Contentment in Christ amid chronic pain and a persisting trial

• Courage in the Spirit to make a decision or confront someone

Wherever you feel your weakness today, don’t bury it. Don’t hide it from others. Don’t shield it from your fellowship with others. Ultimately, it is from God meant to drive you to the One who fulfilled his calling by becoming a freakshow for you on a cross. 

Samson’s death brought the walls of a pagan temple crumbling down. It wasn’t enough for Israel or us. A thousand years later, our Father in heaven, the eternal and perfect Father, sent the better Samson, His only Son Jesus, whose life and death brought the power of Satan, sin, and death crumbling down for good.

The good news of the gospel is this: As much as you identify with Samson, you identify with your perfect Savior, Jesus more. That means, Everyone who has faith in Jesus, no matter how weak you’ve been or how weak you are, you can never be defeated by the enemy—You always win in Christ Jesus! He is your unfailing hope in life and death.

The Lord mocks anyone who attempts to defeat Him, hinder His purposes, or squelch His people. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 15:1-20
TITLE:  Walking With God
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
Lesson 1: Living in opposition to God never goes well
Lesson 2: Holy Hatred guards our walk with God
Lesson 3: God is faithful to hear our prayers and provide what we need

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Three I Spy moments in our text are critical to walking with God individually and corporately.”

“This story is an odd mix of humor and tragedy. Tragically, Samson’s wife and father-in-law are murdered. At the same time, the relationship between Samson and the Philistines is humorous. Every time the Philistines think they have Samson, he blisters them. You can’t help but laugh a little at all this back-and-forth foolishness.”

“God uses humor in the Bible to make a sobering point. Here, the sobering point is about the Philistines. Samson repeatedly makes them look like bungling idiots. In a few verses, he will kill 1,000 Philistines with nothing but the jawbone of a donkey. From foxes to jawbones, the Philistines are on the wrong side of God, and that is not a good place to be.”

“The Philistines are enemies of God’s people. They are cruelly oppressing Israel. They do not fear God; they mock God. But they are no match for God.”

“Derision is mockery. The Lord mocks anyone who attempts to defeat Him, hinder His purposes, or squelch His people. Psalm 2 and Judges 15 warn that opposing God and His people is perilous. It’s always been this way. From Egypt to Canaan to Babylon to Rome, it never goes well for those who oppose God and persecute His people.”

“It isn’t going well for our nation today or any other nation that denies and defies God. God’s kingdom will come. His Church will be built. The gospel will go forth. Whether from sheer terror of the pits of hell or the absolute bliss from the heights of heaven, Phi 2:10-11 is clear—every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the praise and glory of God!”

“No matter how well life is going for you if you oppose God, it will not go well, if not in this life, in the eternal life quickly approaching.”

“Israel is in self-preservation mode. Their desire for peace has moved them to be content in bondage. They can’t imagine being free. They will forsake Yahweh to serve pagan gods. They will serve Yahweh’s enemies as their lord. They will turn on the Lord’s chosen deliverer. They won’t kill Samson, but they will turn him over to be killed by God’s enemies.”

“The irony is rich: Israel delivers their God-given deliverer FROM the Philistines TO the Philistines. This is a dark day in the history of God’s people.”

“This story is a mirror for us. This will sound weird, but enmity is a gift from God. As Christians, we should experience holy hatred for the right things.”

“We should hate ungodliness. We should hate unrighteousness. We should hate injustice. We should hate opposition to God. We should hate any philosophy or ideology that denies God or prefers and exalts man over God. We should hate sin.”

“Jesus’ point couldn’t be more straightforward: Hate sin more than you love your life. It’s better to be physically crippled than comfortable with sin. Why? Because sin is opposition to God.”

“One man with one bloody jawbone exacts God’s holy and just judgment on 1,000 Philistine soldiers. The Book of Judges repeatedly reminds us we can never predict what God will do or who He will use.”

“You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant. For the first time, we see why Samson is listed among the people of great faith in Hebrews 11. Samson was thirsty, and he cried out to God in his need. Samson recognized that even though his hand destroyed Israel’s enemy, it was God’s doing—salvation belongs to the Lord alone.”

“He gave Samson what Samson could not give himself and what he desperately needed most; notice in 19—he brought forth water from a rock (wilderness—Exodus 17), and Samson drank it, and his spirit was refreshed and revived in the grace of the Lord.”

“This moment is a giant flashing neon arrow pointing us to the gospel. The true and better Samson, the one every judge in Judges and the entire book of Judges points to, Jesus, came a thousand years later to bring great salvation to sinners like us. We once opposed God and loved sin and evil. At one time, we were at enmity with God. But God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ. He did not negotiate with Satan. He did not entertain temptation. Jesus did not fool around with sin. Jesus guarded the divine enmity and destroyed the enemy at the cross so that we would not die but be refreshed and revived, walking with Him today and forever.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 2:1-2, 4
Philippians 2:10-11
Psalm 97:10
Matthew 18:7-9

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis - “The Philistines are the enemies of Yahweh’s people. Here their stupidity is held up for ridicule; here, they are made the laughing stock. Why? To show us the peril of being an enemy of Yahweh’s people (even his sinful people), for Yahweh makes fools of those who seek to ruin and crush his people. His enemies—and theirs—are kid’s stuff for him; he toys with them and makes his people able to laugh at them. It is a ghastly thing to make oneself the object of divine laughter.”

Dale Ralph Davis - “Whether it is the evil or sin within us or some form of it outside us God does not call us to negotiate with sin and evil but to wage war on them, to nurse a holy hatred toward them in all their multicolored forms.”

APPLICATION:
- Are there certain sins you have become comfortable with? Are there sinful thoughts you are at peace entertaining? Where has the pursuit of personal comfort trumped the pursuit of personal holiness? Do you hate what God hates and love what God loves? These questions are critical because, to the degree we answer yes, we live as opposed to God. Not walking with God never goes well. 

- This story ends with God hearing Samson’s cry and providing for his needs. Today, God remains accessible and available to all who cry out to Him, regardless of their background or situation. 

• Do you need fresh gratitude for your salvation

• Do you need a humble and holy hatred for evil restored in your soul

• Do you need to repent of your friendship with a specific sin

Whatever you need to walk with God, God stands ready to provide. He wants to grow you. He wants to encourage you. He wants to use you. Cry out to God. He will hear your prayer because in Jesus, you are his precious child, and His ear is yours.

God’s purposes are bigger than us. God can use whatever and whomever he wants to bring about His purpose. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 14
TITLE:  The God Who Is There
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. God Always Has A Purpose In Our Chaos
2. God’s Strength Is Sufficient In Our Weakness

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”From his conception, Samson was being prepared to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Yet, Samson was a disaster. Our text is the first window into his life, and we see an arrogant and insolent hot-headed young man who does life big, bold, and exactly how he pleases. Yet, God is there, working behind the scenes using Samson in all his imperfections.”

“This is a terrible sign for Israel. Instead of following the word of the Lord, Samson follows his heart. He is his own god. The hope of Israel is acting just like Israel—Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

“In many ways, Samson’s life is an illustration of Israel’s own spiritual demise. Like Samson, Israel was supposed to be set apart as holy for God and His purposes. Like Israel pursuing foreign gods, Samson pursues foreign women. Both turned their back on their calling and their God and did what was right in their own eyes.”

“In the chaos, we are reminded—God is in control. There is nothing righteous that Samson is doing. Samson’s lust for a good time with a good-looking girl controls him. But God is in control of it all, working His unstoppable will. The Lord’s intentions for Samson revealed in chapter 13 still stand in chapter 14.” 

“God is bigger than any one person. God’s purposes are bigger than us. That’s hard for us to swallow, but it’s true. God can use whatever and whomever he wants to bring about His purpose. He’s the potter, we are the clay (Romans 9). Samson’s life illustrates this truth. Hebrews 11:32 says that Samson was a man of faith. He was, but he certainly wasn’t a faithful man. He wasn’t faithful to his parents’ teaching, his Nazirite vow, or the laws of the Lord. We will learn that it didn’t take long for Samson to lose almost everything the Lord had given him, except his great strength, and he finally lost that as well.” 

“God was using Samson’s lust for this Philistine girl to set the stage for the Israelite's liberation from the Philistines. He is in control, even of Samson’s chaos. This doesn’t mean God approves of Samson’s sinfulness.  Samson is exchanging God’s will for Him for what is right in his own eyes. That is idolatry and God hates idolatry. The point of verse 4 is this: Keep your eyes on God not on Samson.”

“Samson is on his way to marry a Philistine, something God has explicitly forbidden. Yet, God is with Samson, showing him—You can trust me. In my strength you can do what you could never do in your own strength. One would think this would get Samson’s attention. You would think he would have built a stone altar to Yahweh on the side of the road. He doesn’t.”

“Samson is weak in so many ways. He can’t say no to a drink. He can’t say no to a hustle. He can’t say no to a seductive girl. He can’t control his anger. He even loses the girl. He is self-absorbed, self-centered, and void of self-control. Samson is weak. But again, in his weakness (19) The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, empowering him to do what he could never do in his own strength. This savage act by Samson was more than a personal revenge tour—It was the power of God.”

“We are just like Samson. Through the gospel, not through a Nazarite vow, but through the Nazarene, Jesus, God has called us, saved us, and set us apart for His eternal and glorious purposes. But, like Samson, we get distracted and misdirected. The grass always seems greener on the other side. We don’t want to miss out on the world’s pleasures. We become enamored with the ways of our culture. Like Samson, we start heading in the wrong direction, away from God doing what is right in our own eyes.”

“This riddle draws us to the gospel. That’s you and me. We think we are strong in ourselves, but we are not. The truth is we are weak, hopeless, and spiritually dead. But in God’s love and mercy, His Spirit rushed upon us, bringing us salvation and making us the object of God’s divine attention.”

“Now, every day, He is forming us into something sweet and desirable in His eyes (sanctification). One day in heaven that work will be complete (glorification). But until that day, you have the promise that you can rise to any occasion God puts you in. You can resist the temptation that presents itself. You can accomplish what God calls you to. You can fight the sin that wars in your heart. Your life can bear spiritual fruit in keeping with your calling as my beloved. Not in your own strength but in the unmatchable and all-sufficient strength and power of the Spirit God provides.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 1:11
Hebrews 11:32
John 15
Ephesians 3:20
1 Corinthians 10:13

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis - “Yahweh can and will use the sinfulness or stupidity of his servants as the camouflage for bringing his secret will to pass.”

George Schwab - “The riddle of the world is this: What is life about? What is the meaning of life? Samson gives the cosmic answer: it is about God forming something sweet and desirable from something that seemed strong, but is spiritually dead.”

APPLICATION:
- We must never view God’s providence as permission for our disobedience. We must never assume that just because God uses me, I am right with Him.

- Parents of spiritually wayward Children: When your child’s sin and chaos and your disappointment and heartache dominate the scene—don’t lose hope. Keep your eye on God, who has a purpose, even if you don’t know what it is. Your child is still breathing, and that means God isn’t done with them yet.

- Do you need a spiritual redirecting today? What part of your life is at odds with your calling as a Christian? You’re a Christian called to live for Jesus, but you look more like a Philistine living for yourself. Where have you exchanged God’s will for you for what is right in your own eyes?

Following our Easter Service and 7-week Series on the Sunday Gathering (check out Tim’s recent blog post regarding the Gathering series), today we have returned to the book of Judges. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Judges: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 12:8-13:1-25
TITLE:  The Faithfulness of God on Display
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The Gospel opens our eyes to behold the faithfulness of God.

POINTS:
1. God’s faithfulness on display
2. Our sin that blinds

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The people did what was right in their own eyes as we witness the cycle of them returning to grievous sin. This is the way of the world. YET, through this book of Judges, we can marvel at the shocking Grace of God as we witness His mercy that meets His people’s sinfulness, immorality, rebellion, idolatry, and loss of innocence.”

“In the face of all of the CHAOS, the LORD mercifully raises up judge after judge… deliverer after deliverer… savior after savior… each chosen and sent by God. We witness the repeat cycle: the people turn away from their God and run after idols and sin. Yet, all of this has been pointing to their (our) need for THE Deliverer… THE Savior… the book of Judges has been revealing CHRIST in the Chaos!”

“Chapter 12:8-15 reveals three Judges that ruled over a combined 25-year period - Ibzan of Bethlehem, Elon the Zebulunite, and Abdon of Pirathon. This stretch of 25 years can be summarized as one of peace. Following the death of Abdon in Verse 15, we find in Chapter 13:1 that the people of Israel return to their sin. The peace that they were enjoying had come to end. They were at it again! This time they are lower than ever before. They were suffering dearly for their sin and this time the oppression lasted longer than ever before (40 years)… under the hand of the Philistines (13:1). Forty years and no one cried out to the LORD!”

“Manoah’s wife was barren (vs 2). This would have been of double concern for them, being both Hebrew and intertwined with the Canaanite culture and gods. For the Israelites, to be barren was to be in a sense bearing under God’s curse. She and Manoah would have believed themselves to be suffering under God’s reproach. Others would have believed the same. AND to make matters worse, they had become one with their pagan Canaanite worldview. Being barren would carry with it the stigma and self-judgment that somehow you had offended one of the gods that ruled over reproduction and were now bearing under their punishment. In both worldviews, their hope of their family continuing on would die with them. This was judgment on judgment!”

“How the husband and wife must have felt regarding this personal matter is not recorded here. But we can imagine how difficult this must have been. They likely ached privately and likely over time their hearts could have given up. BUT what we do know from the text is that like the people of Israel who were so lost, they had not cried out to the LORD for help.”

“Their child was to “be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death”: A Nazirite vow (literally - “oneself in dedication/consecration”) was voluntarily made by the individual to God for a season of time. During this time, the individual would “separate” themself apart to God (consecrate themselves to God). During this brief period of time, they were to abstain from three things: no wine/alcoholic beverages, no cutting of the hair, and no contact with a corpse. (Numbers 6:1-21) If you failed at this… if you became defiled during this vow (read Numbers - if some guy “dies very suddenly beside” you) - your vow time clock starts all over again - your previous time is voided!”

“The point of the Nazirite vow was to call God’s people to wholehearted dedication to God!”

“There is a beautiful truth in God’s calling of Samson’s whole life to this “wholehearted dedication to God!” Yes, Samson was to exemplify this for the people as God called them back to himself (Samson will fail miserably at this), But God's faithfulness to his people, even in the face of their terrible sin, is on display because of God’s own “wholehearted covenantal dedication” to his people!”

“Enter the woman’s husband…We find in the unfolding verses Manoah clamoring for center stage, seeking to manipulate the messenger of God - struggling for control.”

“Manoah requests to have the ‘man of God’ return. He is blinded by unbelief that this man is divine (certainly refusing to acknowledge it). This is the first step in trying to gain control of the situation - I want to hear this for myself and understand what is happening. (vs 8) This is way outside his wheelhouse of understanding so he is now going to get to the bottom of this and get on top of what is happening. Hold this man to account…”

“The husband declares what is truth for us all - In the presence of the holiness of God, we see clearly that we deserve the fires of hell! …YET… God who is faithful to His promise gives them GRACE and MERCY.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:1
Ephesians 4:1
2 Peter 1:3-11

QUOTES:
”Christ Our Wisdom” by Sovereign Grace Music -
Christ our wisdom, we will follow
Though the way ahead is veiled
As we journey through the shadows
Grant us faith where sight has failed
Help us cling to Your commandments
Strengthened by Your faithful Word
We will never be abandoned
You are God and we are Yours

APPLICATION:
- Marvel at the grace of God. God comes to us when we have not come to him, for He is Faithful!! While our eyes were on ourselves, His looked upon us, because He is faithful! Christian - are you at a new low? God will meet you there! He has not and will abandon you! He is faithful to you. 

- Marvel at the Cross of Christ 
The LORD has wholeheartedly dedicated Himself to His people - to the point that His son, Jesus, would die in our place to save us!

- God’s faithfulness toward us now calls for our faithfulness to Him
In a sense, we have been called by God into a “Nazirite Vow.” He has called us out / “separated” us from death into life and calls us to respond by “separating” / consecrating ourselves unto Him… to wholehearted dedication to Him!