On that day, in the treasury, a real place in real time, what he says about Himself will stand as true in every place and for all time! “Jesus spoke to them,” and He now speaks the same to us: “I AM THE light of the world!” Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The I Am Sayings of Jesus
TEXT: John 8:12
TITLE: Jesus, The Light of the World
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because Jesus is the light of life, follow him!

POINTS:
1. Jesus: “I am the light of the world.”
2. Jesus: “Follow me.”

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“The scene was spectacular! - Vs 20. There were 13 trumpet-shaped chests “in the treasury” (for taxes and offerings). The treasury would have been in the Court of the Women, the largest court on the Temple grounds - just inside the outer Court of the Gentiles. During the Feast of Tabernacles, four massive 75-foot fiery candle opera lamps that stood throughout the Court were ignited every night. They lit the sky with dazzling light, refracting and flashing in and from the Temple Mount, illuminating the sky above the Temple and throughout Jerusalem. With torches in hand, the people filled the court dancing and singing at the top of their lungs every night during the feast under the light of these great lamps.”

“And it is THERE, in Jerusalem, on the temple mount, in the treasury where Jesus, surveying the lamps either being extinguished or being prepared for that evening, declared: ‘I AM THE light of the world.’”

“Jesus does ask, Who do the people say that I am? Who do you say that am? However, as we learned last week, we are intentionally focusing on the “I AM” statements of Jesus. In these, we learn what is paramount in our understanding, our knowing, and our faith. What Jesus says about Himself must inform whatever we would ever confess and believe about him. What we believe about Him and who we say He is must be informed first and forever framed by HIM and by who He says He is.”

“What is Jesus saying about himself here in John 8:12? What does He mean that He is the light of the world?”

“During their exodus, the LORD led and protected the people of Israel in the wilderness with a pillar of light, day and night. The celebration of this light is happening during this Feast of Festivals - Jesus is saying, that light that led you, I AM that light!”

“‘I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Jesus: I am the Servant of Isaiah 49 - I AM the light… I am the light of the world! This light of Isaiah is the Messiah! Jesus: I AM THE MESSIAH!”

“With no ambiguity. No couching of words. No over-explaining. No hidden message. A Cypher is not needed. With no reading between the lines necessary. Jesus is saying, ‘I am the Promised One of Israel, shining light into this world, bringing salvation and forgiveness.’”

“As soon as Jesus declares that He is ‘the light of the world,’ he immediately announces the imperative ‘FOLLOW ME’ followed by the immediate implication: If you follow me, you ‘will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life!’”

“FOLLOW ME - Believe in Me. Place your trust… your faith in me… submit your life to me. These are some of the most gracious words that you or I could ever hear from Jesus! ‘FOLLOW ME' - These words save a man. They change the most stubborn of men. They call a man dead in sin to repentance and eternal life!”

“Biblically, this darkness IS this world ‘alienated from the life of God.’ This is a“domain of darkness”. The darkness is a realm… a kingdom… of sin and death, lost without God. WHY should you follow Jesus? Why MUST you follow Jesus? Because if you will not, you will forever have only darkness… what John Calvin simply called A VERY DARK NIGHT.”

“Without Jesus, all we have is this ‘very dark night.’ Without Jesus, we walk in darkness! AND we are not passively living in the darkness. We love the darkness and we hate the light.”

“HE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Jesus, the light of the world, is standing right in front of you! Oh, hear the warning of verses 21-28. (Vs. 21) If you remain in the darkness, we cannot go where Jesus has gone - heaven! (Vs. 21) If you remain in darkness, you will die in your sin! BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY DEAD IN OUR SIN.”

“Heed the fuller warning: These men were men of piety, with all of the right religious answers, all of the holy living, all their ducks appear to be in order, but open the chambers of their heart and you would find only darkness. If we do not turn from our sin in repentance and follow Jesus, we will remain in this world.”

“The cross both saves and reveals. The cross exalts Jesus AND reveals who Jesus is! You may refuse to follow Jesus, but you will know who He is! When He was lifted up on the cross, it was clear… He is the light of the world. He is the Son of God. And the day is coming that you know Him… you will bow down before Him… IF you reject the Savior, all that will remain is darkness in judgment!”

“BUT, the Cross of Jesus does not only judge! The GOOD NEWS IS THAT the Cross of Jesus brings salvation! Because Jesus is the light of the world, and if you FOLLOW JESUS, He will rescue you from the darkness: John 1:5”

“A Savior! Jesus, the Lamb of God, in an “unflinching self-sacrifice” dies for the welfare of men. Jesus’ light shines brightest from the cross like a lighthouse throwing its beams across the dark waters of human guilt and misery. Eternity dawns on us when we hear Him speak!”

“Left in the darkness, we would have only death forevermore. BUT, NOW basking in the light of Jesus, we will get LIFE FOREVERMORE.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Exodus 13:21-22
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 119:105
Ezekiel 1:4, 13, 26-28
Isaiah 49:6
John 1:4
Isaiah 9:2
Ephesians 4:18-19
Colossians 1:13
John 3:19-20

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Eternity dawned on His hearers while He spoke…Oh! beloved, the light of Christ comes out brightest upon the cross. Someone called it the Ancient Lighthouse of this world’s sea. So it is. This is the lighthouse that throws its beams across the dark waters of human guilt and misery, warns men of the rocks, and guides them to the haven. A Savior!”

APPLICATION:
SINNERS, FOLLOW HIM - You MUST believe in Jesus. Your situation could not be more precarious and desperate. What is your guilt? Sex? Greed? Self-worship? Idolatry? Gluttony? What is your misery and sorrow? Death has brought you loss. Bitterness drains your life. Regret has you bowed down in darkness. You have Jesus, the light of the world, shining into all of it! Follow Jesus and you will be rescued from the darkness, and you will have Him, and He will pull you out and into everlasting life!

SAINTS, FOLLOW HIM - marvel that you have been rescued from the darkness - the light of Christ has shone on you! 1 Peter 2:9–10 “…proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” We have the joy, in following Jesus, of marveling in Him who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
Our Song From Age To Age
Christ Our Treasure
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
I am the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

Today, we begin a series on the I Am sayings of Jesus. Jesus famously asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" This series is not about who we say Jesus is. We will spend the next seven weeks hearing what Jesus says about himself. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The I Am Sayings of Jesus
TEXT: John 6:35
TITLE: Supreme Satisfaction
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: More than providing our daily bread, Jesus came to be our eternal bread.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“In one sense, we can never be closer to Jesus (gospel union). In another sense, we can never be close enough to Jesus. My prayer is that as we get to know Jesus more through these sayings, we fall more in love with Jesus, live more passionately for Jesus, and more courageously share the good news about Jesus with others.”

“Jesus' stunning claim comes as he is conversing with the crowds. BTW, so stunning is Jesus' claim by the end of the scene, even some of his disciples desert him.”

“A day earlier, Jesus fed 5k people (15-20k including women and children) with just five loaves of bread and two fish. And get this—there were leftovers. It was a miracle that revealed Christ's unmatched power and authority.”

“The next morning, the people run Jesus down again. They don't have questions about the feeding miracle. They aren't curious about its significance or implications. They aren't in awe of Jesus. They want breakfast. They aren't looking for a Savior; they are looking for a meal ticket.”

“The crowd responds in 28 by asking, "What must we do?" It's a familiar question, isn't it? What do I need to do? We are doers. We are self-sufficient. Surely I need to do something to get something. It's a daily fight to rest in Christ's work for us and the Spirit's power in us.”

“In 29-33, Jesus essentially says, You don't do anything. You can't do anything. Like the manna your fathers ate in the wilderness, this life-giving bread comes not from man but from God. Of course, the crowd loves that idea, so in 34 they say, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’”

“The idea conveyed by the word "always" is continually or repeatedly. The crowd is still misunderstanding Jesus. Their mindset is stuck in a transactional mode. Ok, Sir, we'll meet you right back here with our baskets every morning. But Jesus says, I'm right here. Look at 35—I am the bread of life.”

“Revealing himself with the same name God revealed himself to Moses with at the Burning Bush, Jesus reveals not only his deity, but His sufficiency to not only meet their physical needs, but infinitely more, the spiritual life and nourishment that is essential but beyond their ability.”

“Remember what Jesus said earlier—look at 33 with me. Jesus says, I am the HE. I am the true bread my Father sends from heaven. Get your minds off bread loaves. Get your mind off earthly needs. Get your thoughts off the temporal. Get your eyes off the dot (here and now) and see the line (eternal). Think spiritually. I am the ultimate bread, the bread in the wilderness foreshadowed. It's me. I can give you all the bread loaves your heart desires, but that's not why I came. I didn't come just to provide you with bread, I came to BE your bread.”

“Now, Jesus follows up this stunning self-revelation with a generous invitation and an eternal promise. Jesus says, 'Come and believe in me.' How do we do that? By faith. BTW, faith is not a work. Scripture always juxtaposes faith and works. Romans 10:9—If you believe in your heart, you will be saved. Jesus has already said in 29 that the way to receive this bread of life is by believing the One who IS the bread of life. Coming to Jesus is not simply showing up on Sundays. Believing in Jesus is not merely agreeing with the facts of the gospel. Jesus invitation is to trust him, to lean all your weight on him, place all your hope in him, in who he is and what he has done at the cross for you, paying in full what you owed by taking all your sins, and the just and eternal punishment for those sins, upon himself so that your guilt is gone and you are justified before God. When you come to Jesus with a heart that believes that, that is FAITH.”

“This ultimately happens through the miracle of regeneration, an inward work of the Spirit that makes you acutely aware of your sin and guilt and even more of the love and mercy of God in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in such a way that you come to Jesus with a broken heart and open arms in repentance and faith. God alone does this regenerating work that liberates you to come to Jesus in faith. Jesus makes that clear in the preceding verses, if you wish to study them this week.”

“This invitation comes with a promise—Supreme Satisfaction.”

“When Jesus says all who come and believe shall not hunger and shall never thirst, those promises are emphatic. In other words, the emphasis is on NEVER. When you come to Jesus, when you believe in him, you will not be disappointed. We were created for longing. God designed us to hunger and thirst after something. Physically, yes, but even more, spiritually. When we come to Jesus and feast on Him, our most fundamental needs are always satisfied.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for ACCEPTANCE without conditions. Human beings are gluttonous about love. We hunger after being loved. We thirst to be accepted without the fear of rejection. So we live promiscuously. We deceive others to stay in their good graces. But Jesus gives us a better meal to feast on. His blood and righteousness provide us with peace with God that can never be broken. Who can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? No one and nothing! Romans 8:38-39.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for PURPOSE in and beyond this world. We were created with a longing for purpose. That ultimate purpose is, to quote the Westminster Confession—Glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Only in our union with Christ is this possible. As we feast on Jesus, believing, obeying, and resting in Jesus, our hungry and thirsty souls are satisfied.”

“We Hunger and Thirst for ASSURANCE before God. The eating of Christ's flesh and drinking of his blood is the coming and believing of verse 35. The point is, if you have believed in Jesus, you are saved and will be raised one day to heaven. Are you struggling with assurance of faith this morning? Have you believed in Jesus? If you have, you may be a struggling Christian, but you are a Christian no less. Once justified, always justified, FULLY. Christian, do you doubt God is working in you? Have you come to him in faith for your standing before God? If you have, you may be resisting His work, but He is at work no less because Romans 8:29-30 says all who are in Christ are being sanctified as they wait to be glorified.”

“We could keep going—security, reputation, longevity. These are some of the most fundamental things we hunger and thirst after. And there is no amount of money or possessions, no position of importance, no degree of power, no measure of success that can satisfy our desires.”

ILLUSTRATION: Millionaire YouTuber - “I've tried everything, but there is still something missing.”

“If Jesus isn't our supreme satisfaction, something will always be off because Jesus alone is the bread of life. On the other hand, the more we feast on Jesus, the more our desire to feast on the world dissipates. I'm not thinking about a McDonald's cheeseburger when my belly is full of a ribeye.”

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Faith is a motion of the heart, not a motion of the feet…It is an act of reliance upon Christ's great sacrifice, and wherever the Holy Ghost works it in men, it makes Christ to be theirs, so that they shall never hunger and shall never thirst.”

Jean-Paul Sartre - “That God does not exist, I cannot deny, that my whole being cries out for God, I cannot forget.”

Charles Spurgeon - “The love of Jesus casts out all hankering for other loves and fills the soul. If the ocean of divine love cannot fill us, what can? What more can a man want or wish for?”

APPLICATION:
Here is the BIG question: What are you feasting on? Where are you seeking satisfaction? Where are you going to quench your hunger and thirst for things like purpose, assurance, and acceptance? Here are a few questions to help you answer the bigger question:
- What do you find yourself reveling in more, your worldly success or Christ's atoning sacrifice?
- In disappointment, is your heart ruled by your subjective feelings or the objective truths of the gospel?
- What creates a sigh of relief in your soul most, your social acceptance or your heavenly adoption?

The world and all its sparkle and promises leave us hungry, thirsty, and sick every time. We don't always feel our malnutrition. Sin is like cancer; it eats away at us even when we don't know it. 

Oh, but there is great hope! Jesus says, "I am the bread of life. Come to me. Believe in me. Feast on me. And you will never hunger or thirst." This is the Savior's promise to you! More than providing our daily bread, Jesus came to be our eternal bread of life. So come, believe in him, for the first time or the thousandth time, and be supremely satisfied.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
All Things
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
We Hunger And Thirst

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
I Am the Light of the World - John 8:12

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

Have you forgotten about the goodness of God? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 136
TITLE: Praising Our Good God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: We praise God because His steadfast love endures forever.

POINTS:
I. We praise Him for who He is
II. We praise Him for what He has done

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“I lead with this question, ‘Have you forgotten about the goodness of God?’ because today we reach the last sermon in our Sermons In The Psalms Volume 3 series. Week after week for more than 3 months, we have seen that:
The Psalms have promoted Godliness. 
The Psalms have taught us how to engage with God in our daily lives.
The Psalms have connected our lives to Jesus Christ.”

“Today, Psalm 136 will show us that intentional praise and worship of God will remind us again and again that He is who He says He is. He is good… He is good and He is good in all that he does - forever merciful, loving, and good to His people - in fact, all of the earth!”

“What an amazing Psalm we have come to! The repeated lines make it clear that this song is about Praising… Praising God… and Praising God because His steadfast love endures forever.”

“I rejoice this morning because in God's providence, our text in Vs 1 binds three names of God, and calls us to give thanks to Him.”

“Jehovah - YHWH - I AM WHO I AM. - With all that is found in the original meaning of Jehovah (I AM) is his very essence. Praise Him for who He IS. From this point forward through the rest of the Psalm is the intertwining of the amazing truth, the Goodness of God, with promised mercy and love toward His people. He is the very substance and essence of GOODNESS. Praise Him for who He is - ‘for he is good.’”

“Elohim - Vs 2 - ‘Give thanks to the God of gods’ - the Judge over all things - over false gods. Not only is Yahweh GOOD, He is the Judge over all… and this includes any made-up god. There is no other god - He is the only God.”

“For the Israelite to hear these opening words of this Psalm would be an attention grabber! There is none like him; in fact, there is no other! Pagan “gods” are made-up in man’s image - lustful, unsatisfied, moody, uncaring, AND CERTAINLY NOT GOOD by their very nature. They are good only when appeased, making them ultimately, totally unlike our God! What makes God the God of gods is that His goodness is steadfast. His love endures forever!”

“Adonai - Vs 3 - ‘Give thanks to the Lord of lords’ - the Ruler over all rulers - King over all kings. No earthly ruler rules without His providential rule. They can rule UNDER His rule. Their kingship is subject to HIS!”

“What makes God the Lord of lords is, again, that their love and mercy are not steadfast nor everlasting. OUR LORD’S LOVE, MERCY, AND GOODWILL ARE STEADFAST AND FOREVER ENDURING!!”

“The repetition of the refrain “because His steadfast love endures forever” is because we miss this as true in all situations. As clear as this truth is, we forget it. We don’t get what we want. We charge Him (Him!) with not being good. We think the daily grind of our lives goes unnoticed by His mercy and goodness toward us.”

“26 times… Oh, how we need to hear again and again of God’s unearned “sacred affection of mercy, grace and bountiful goodwill” toward us to humble us, to teach us, and therefore lead us into worship!”

“Second, we praise him for His great wonders bear His steadfast love. OT Context - Israel would have understood “His great wonders” is a summary statement of ALL THAT HE HAS DONE. They would have recalled from Creation through their Redemption from Egypt and been rescued from their enemies to the very daily provision of food. All of this - His great wonders, His works are enumerable, uncountable, we cannot quantify them in a final sum! Together, His works are incalculable.”

“His works are ‘great’ - unequalled, unmatched, incomparable, and infinitely marvelous! And this is so, because these great wonders are done by HIM ALONE. None other than God could have performed them, and these great and awesome wonders He has performed display His eternally enduring steadfast goodness, mercy, and love! EACH and every single wonder performed by God carries within it His steadfast, faithful goodness.”

“It is as if the psalmist breathes IN thankfulness for each great thing done by God in His marvelous creation and breathes out ‘for his steadfast love endures forever!’ He will not move on from that which permeates every atom of the universe—stopping at each proclamation to assert that in the very substance of each step of God’s creation, His sacred affection of mercy and grace is found!”

“The Psalmist is not done. What has He done? Vs. 10-22 - We praise him for His Redemption bears his steadfast love.”

“All this to declare that there was never a moment that His people were on his mind! He heard their cry while in bondage! Stopping at key and memorable moments of God’s deliverance of his people from their bondage and saying “Right there… right then… God’s faithful goodness was at work. THERE WAS NEVER A MOMENT in their redemption that God’s grace was not at work. Merciful and MIRACULOUS were each done for them.”

“Drilling down further into God’s merciful redemption, the steadfast love of God shifts from macro to micro, from the large and grand to the small and personal, to include His personal remembrance and daily provision. Vs. 23-25 - We praise him for His Remembrance bears his steadfast love.”

“Oh, how we need to hear that again! His steadfast love continues like a river still running! At times, we wonder if the goodness of God has run dry! This proclaims that it has not run dry!”

“When WE look back on His great wonders and salvation, THE CROSS of Jesus Christ shines the faithful, relentless, never-ending merciful goodwill of God into every area of our lives. The river of God’s mercy is still running! “...the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7) floods that river of His goodness.”

“Like never-ending flood waters pouring in, each of these wonders that He has done foreshadows the grace of God in the Good News of Jesus Christ and Him crucified that will never come to an end. ‘Oh, the crimson wave, hallelujah! / Now is flowing full and free; / Brother, come, while yet there's pardon, / And the Savior pleads with thee’”

“Jesus, His life, His cross, His death, His resurrection, His glorification to the Right Hand of God  - and Psalm 136 - ALL OF IT… All of these redemptions… providing us with an inexhaustible spring that we return to again and again and again - leading us to join in the worship with all of the saints, our final verse - Vs 26.”

“We praise the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever! It’s not too late to call out for His mercy in salvation. It’s not too late to call out for His mercy if you have blown it. You are NOT too “low” for him to reach down and rescue.”

“You are NOT too “low” for the God of Heaven to reach down and rescue. What is looming over your life? Truly, look up to Jehova, to your God of gods and your Lord of lords and see, and know, enjoy that which ‘will break in blessings on your head’ - Being blessed by the God of heaven for his steadfast love that endures forever, Bless Him - PRAISE HIM!”

QUOTES:
Henry Ainsworth - The steadfast love of God (His”hesed”) “signifies a sacred affection of mercy, piety, grace,... and bountiful goodwill toward any without respect of merit.”

David Dickson - This mercy and love “continueth as a river still running.”

God Moves… by William Cowper:
”God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines, of never-failing skill; 
He fashions up his bright designs and works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds that you much dread, 
are big with mercy and will break in blessings on your head.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 43:10
Proverbs 21:1

APPLICATION:
Q. Have you forgotten about the goodness of God?
- You may assume that he is good, yet you are not mindful of it.
- Maybe you have found something better. He is good, but he is not “this” good.
- You question whether or not he is good, going as far as to accuse him of not being good after all.

Q. Is this an attention grabber for you? 
Is God’s steadfast love for you enough for you… to praise Him? Is He, His very nature, His very essence… enough for you to thank Him and worship Him? Can you be satisfied in Him alone, or do you need something else? What are you longing for?

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
All Creatures Of Our God And King
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
Name Above All Names
My Redeemers Love
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
I Am the Bread of Life - John 6:35

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

GRACEkids Elementary Class is back!

Summer break has come to an end, which means the GRACEkids Elementary Class (1st–5th grade) is starting back up!

The first class of the new GRACEkids year will be this Sunday, September 7. On this special Sunday, our 1st graders will also graduate from the Preschoolers Class and join the Elementary Class.

If you have any questions, please reach out to John & Joelle McCauley.

NEW Sermon Series

We are looking forward to welcoming Derek back from his summer-long sabbatical on Sunday, September 14. After a season of rest, he will step back into the pulpit and kick off a brand-new sermon series that we are eager to walk through together as a church family: The Seven “I Am” Sayings of Jesus.

Baptism Sunday

As if September 14th isn’t exciting enough, that Sunday is also Baptism Sunday! The baptisms will be held after the Sunday morning service. A light lunch will be provided.

If you would like to be baptized, or if you want more information on baptisms, please contact any of the pastors. You can also check out a blog post that Pastor Derek wrote about water baptisms titled “The Importance and Joy of Baptism Sunday”.

woven ladies’ Tea party

Date: Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Theme: Tea Party (Feel free to dress for the occasion!)
Speaker: Lisa Wilkins
Message: “Women Adorning and Passing on The Gospel” (Titus 2:1–14)

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

Invite your teen daughters, friends, and family. All women are welcome to join us for this special time of fellowship!

25th Anniversary Celebration!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19TH AT 5 PM

Save the date! Our Church is 25 years old this year, and you are invited to gather with us to celebrate this milestone of God's grace and faithfulness!

Together, we will share a special dinner, reflect on the story of how God established our church, hear testimonies of His work in individual lives, and enjoy a few surprises.

Relay Conference - registration is open!

The RELAY Conference exists to inspire young adults to live for the glory of Christ. The Theme this year is “The Church: The Dearest Place on Earth”.

While the conference is aimed at college students and young adults (18-25 years old), high school students ages 16-17 and those in their late 20s and 30s are welcome to attend!

For more information about this exciting conference, please CLICK HERE!

This past Sunday, we were reminded from Psalm 96 that every time we gather together, we are invited to do something precious as we sing: join with all of creation to praise God’s majestic name. 

What a gift that we can do this openly and freely! What a privilege to join in with all of creation in celebrating His glory… and even more… celebrating His grace towards us in Christ!

We invite you to join us in singing a new song this week that calls on all of heaven and earth to Praise His Name. We can’t wait to sing with you!

Lyrics

VERSE 1
Reaches of heaven, starry heights
Lights of the evening dancing in silent skies
Brilliance of morning, breaking day
O let them praise Him, praise His name

CHORUS
O praise His name, O praise His name
Let all His wondrous works declare His praise

VERSE 2
Mightiest mountains, peaceful plains
Snowfall and fire, thundering ocean waves
Kings and their kingdoms, age to age
O let them praise Him, praise His name

BRIDGE
King enthroned in majesty, all things made by His decree
Hear creation’s melody, “Praise Him! Praise Him!”
Everything with life and breath, everywhere from east to west
Every heart raised from the dead, praise Him, praise Him
Angels echo the refrain, “Jesus, Lamb for sinners slain!”
Name above all other names, praise Him

Psalm 96 falls in the middle of 7 kingship Psalms about God’s kingly rule over the world.  These Palms invite us, call us, to wake up from our slumber and lethargy and sing to the  Lord around one grand theme. THE LORD REIGNS. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 96
TITLE: A Grand Missionary Hymn
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: We celebrate God’s reign till God’s reign is celebrated by all peoples.

POINTS:
I. The Call to Worship
II.  The Invitation to the Whole World

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“Psalm 96 falls in the middle of 7 kingship Psalms about God’s kingly rule over the world.  These Palms invite us, call us, to wake up from our slumber and lethargy and sing to the  Lord around one grand theme. THE LORD REIGNS. But there is one major difference in this Psalm. I titled this A GRAND MISSIONARY  PSALM, not because I’m smart and creative, but because Spurgeon is. This phrase, now our title of the message, captures what’s unique about this Psalm.”

“One of the great benefits of reading your Bible through in a year is you get to see, over a course of a year, some patterns you typically wouldn’t see if you read your Bible in smaller chunks.”

“One pattern you’ll see rooted in God’s Word is how people celebrate after a mighty work of God. God’s people experience an undeniable display of His character, power, and glory.” [See below for further study.]

“The pattern you see is that when God provides a significant victory, what follows is typically a significant song from God’s people. An appropriate song for the mighty  work of God displayed.”

“Before we break down the structure of this Psalm, let me show you why this Psalm is unique and why Spurgeon would say this is a GRAND MISSIONARY HYMN.  Nine times in this Psalm, the author speaks beyond Israel, way beyond your human situation or emotion, and addresses the vision of God’s missionary work.”

“Here’s how this Psalm is structured – there’s a triple imperative – a call for us to do something in V. 1-3 SING, SING, SING. Then, reasons are given for why we should do these things. The Psalmist repeats in V. 7-8 the triple imperative ASCRIBE, ASCRIBE, ASCRIBE TO THE LORD. Then in V. 10, it gives the reason why. Then once more in V.  11-12 LET THE HEAVEN’S; LET THE SEA ROAR, LET THE FIELD EXULT and V. 13 the reasons why.”

“V. 1 & 2 you have a triple imperative calling us to SING. Let’s all just admit that even  today in our walk with the Lord, during weekly times of gathering, we can get lethargic.  Worshipping can take on the posture of hands in our pocket, arms folded, sipping on some coffee, checking the box of my Christian call to gather with the saints.  Complacent and casual while singing radical, life-transforming truths God has revealed  to us.”

“So why the exuberant language here? There has been a significant event. There’s a reason to break out of their casual and complacent routines and celebrate the great salvation Israel has. What happened? The context is David bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. The ark represented God’s presence to God’s chosen people, Israel. The original promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12 was threefold and easily remembered with three P’s. He promised Abraham a place, the Promised Land. He promised through Abraham that He would build a people for Himself. And He promised His presence. Place, People, and  Presence.”

“David literally prepares a tent, prepares Levites and singers for the grand arrival of the ark. Once it arrives, David calls all Israel to sing this Psalm in the presence of the Lord. The ark has been returned to God’s people after 20 years of life without God’s presence among them!”

“God’s people are celebrating that ‘OUR GOD REIGNS’ yet there’s clearly a sense of getting back to God’s mission – ‘ALL THE EARTH.’”

“The LORD is to be feared above all gods …. the gods of the people are worthless  idols. V. 5 says all the gods are worthless idols … in the original they are “no thing.”  They are nothing.  

God, through His Word, Holy Scripture, reveals the all-sufficiency of His name and at times will contrast it with other gods, idols Israel would make, and idols we create in our hearts. The OT idols - Baals, Beelzebub, Chemosh, Ashtoreth, Dagon, Molech & the golden calf created at Mt. Sinai. Have you noticed that the Bible many times will mock the worthless idols that man makes?”

“First, it says we are to ascribe to the Lord – then notice what it says immediately after that “O families of the peoples” – the invitation goes out beyond Israel, beyond individuals. The word there means more than one family but smaller than a tribe or nation. God’s invitation to ascribe glory and strength to Him is meant to be spilling outward, expanding.”

“The Psalmist doesn’t realize this, but God as the Author does…there will be a day  when all the families of the people groups/all the nations will say, ‘the Lord  reigns!’ That day is coming. But this Psalm also points to a day when the NT fulfills God’s promise to Abraham from Genesis 12.”

“The invitation to the families of the peoples/nations is mentioned here, but fully realized in Christ. THE LORD REIGNS in Christ and through His work on the Cross.  When we say THE LORD REIGNS, we say Christ reigns because he has conquered sin and death. Our sacrifice, our offering, is now captured in Romans 12:1: ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.’  1 Peter 2:5, ‘you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’”

“I am afraid there are many people of faith who attend church each week, give regularly to God's work, know their Bible pretty well, and don't live overtly evil lives,  but who aren't living with the glory of God as the primary motivation of their life.”

“THE LORD REIGNS – So why do I have all this trouble? Sure, the reality is that Satan goes around roaring like a lion, and sin is present, and we live in a fallen world. God in his wisdom chose to send His Son to “inaugurate” the kingdom of God. In His work of redemption, He will send His Son to complete that work. That’s coming in VV. 11-13.”  

“The repetition of the words LET THE, LET THE anticipate God’s promise being fulfilled not just in His people but in all the creation! The HEAVENS/EARTH/SEA/FIELD help us to look forward. There’s a day coming when the heavens will BE GLAD, the earth will  REJOICE, the sea will ROAR, the fields will EXULT! Why? Because what Christ did at the cross guarantees the redemption of His people AND all the earth.”

QUOTES:
Christopher Ash- “Ascribe means to acknowledge that these things are true and therefore to bow in worship before the covenant Lord.”

Sidney Greidanus - “For He is coming. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming to set things right, to make straight what is crooked, to restore justice.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
A study of God’s people celebrating after a mighty work of God: Exodus 14-15, 1 Chronicles 16, Luke 1-2
God mocks our idols: 1 Samual 15, 1 Kings 18, Isaiah 40:18-19, Isaiah 44:9-17
Galatians 3:13–14
2 Corinthians 1:20

APPLICATION:
Q.What are your idols? Sex, fame, money, reputation, independence? In the NT, idols tend to be idols of the heart. Something that gets a hold of your heart … you crave it, lust for it, and it then controls you. Sometimes idols can start as good things – being a good parent, homeschooling, doing ministry with excellence, taking care of your body. But good things, good desires that get too big, become idols. They own us. These are the idols of NT believers. They make promises to us but never deliver. Why? Cuz they are a ‘no thing.’ They are nothing. They are worthless.

Let’s grow in a holy dissatisfaction – to live for the glory of our little world of family, work, or the next vacation, truncates the reality that God calls us to live for a kingdom far greater than going all out for our football team, our family, our career, or our next vacation.  Living for the glory of God doesn’t mean we do something crazy, unrealistic. No, it means we approach daily life, family, work, and the next vacation in a whole new way.  In all these scenarios, we live with a holy dissatisfaction till all the nations are invited to come into His courts, come into a relationship with Jesus Christ. THIS is why we get stirred and affected when we hear about people getting saved and added to the Church in Santa Ana or Bolivia. THIS is why we plant Churches around the world. THIS is why we put time and energy into the East Side initiative to plant a Church!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Hope of the Ages
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Nothing That My Hands Can Do
Death Arrested
Sing

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 136

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Books that Shaped Us (Sovereign Grace Journal, October 2024)

By Churches, Sovereign Grace

Buy on Amazon

To download a FREE PDF version of this journal (and other past issues), please visit: https://www.sovereigngrace.com/journal

As inexplicably wonderful as God’s deliverance of our souls and His salvation are, God’s gracious saving of our lives grants us rest in the present and moves us toward thankful worship. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 116
TITLE: Thanksgiving in August
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because God mercifully hears His saints' pleas, we offer Him our thankful worship.

POINTS:
I. Because God mercifully hears His saints, we call on Him for mercy (Vs. 1-9)
II. Because God mercifully hears His saints, we offer Him our thankful worship (Vs. 10-19)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Russell Moore in his book Adopted for Life wrote: ‘The creepiest sound I have ever heard was nothing at all. My wife, Maria, and I stood in the hallway of an orphanage somewhere in the former Soviet Union… Orphanage staff led us down a hallway to greet the two 1-year-olds we hoped would become our sons. The horror wasn’t the squalor and the stench... The horror was the quiet of it all. …I stopped and pulled on Maria’s elbow. “Why is it so quiet? The place is filled with babies.” Both of us compared the stillness with the buzz and punctuated squeals that came from our church nursery back home. Here, if we listened carefully enough, we could hear babies rocking themselves back and forth, the crib slats gently bumping against the walls. These children did not cry, because infants eventually learn to stop crying if no one ever responds to their calls for food, for comfort, for love. No one ever responded to these children. So they stopped.’

“So they stopped… BUT NOT SO FOR GOD’S PEOPLE! God hears us when we call and He graciously responds!”

“In the context of Ps 116, We find that David had been in great distress had faced certain death, he called out to the Lord, and the Lord heard Him and delivered him, and this changes David forever, and he responds by committing his love for God, his faith in God, and his thankful worship of God. This will remind us again that God hears us and saves when we call out to him. This moves us to thankful worship of Him.”

“Beginning this first section of the Psalm with the words ‘I love,’ we find the summary theme of the whole Psalm - ‘I love, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. My affections for God deepened because He has heard my voice and inclined his ear to me.’”

“David declares that God hears our voice, and He inclines His ear to His saints. He is leaning in and listening to us when we call.”

“How kind of the LORD? Is this not amazing and gracious! He hears us when we call! In our helpless estate, He “brings his ear close.” He draws His ear near, close to hear what we need. Child after Child going silent because no one hears their cries, BUT GOD draws close to hear!”

“Vs 3 gives us a glimpse into the trouble that David had been in.

David was afflicted in “the snare of death” that “encompassed,” and trapped without escape. He is “suffering” deep “distress and anguish,” tormented by the “pangs of Sheol”  that have “laid hold on” him. Sheol, the place where the dead go, had gripped him with hands from the grave. Surely he would be pulled down!”

“Vs 4 He calls “on the name of the LORD.” He calls on His covenant making and covenant keeping LORD. He “prays” - original meaning “pleading out of utter dispair” O LORD, DELIVER MY SOUL!”

“Vs 5 Because of what David has experienced from God when he called out to him - that God heard his pleas for mercy - he will declare the capstone verse of His song - “GRACIOUS is the LORD, and JUST; our God is  MERCIFUL! Grace is receiving what we do not deserve. Justice is receiving exactly what we deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we deserve.”

“Vs 6 “The LORD preserves the simple” - being in such a low place, the sufferer does not know which end is up. The LORD SAVES the one who cannot figure his way out! GRACIOUSLY - He gives us his ear! HIS JUSTICE  - is unleashed on our enemy. MERCIFULLY - we are not left in the very clutches of death, we are not consumed with our enemy.”

“David now tells his soul to rest. “Return, O my soul, to your rest.” He had been in the snare of death that encompassed him, in the distress and anguish of death’s clutches. Yet, the LORD “saved” him! And He now preaches to his soul.”

“As inexplicably wonderful as God’s deliverance of our souls and His salvation are, God’s gracious saving of our lives grants us rest in the present and moves us toward thankful worship.”

“Our first section began in Vs 1 with the words “I love” the LORD. David transitions to “I believed” the LORD. David believed. He believed that God hears him, and he was confident that God would respond. He had a faith that met him in the darkest place, and He knew… He “believed”… that God was powerful to save! He is saying that in his lament, he had an anchor for his soul in believing that God heard him and would respond.”

“I cannot recount the list in Psalm 116 without the “benefits” that we/I have received in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With or without knowledge of the jeopardy in which we were found - in the very snare of sin and death, our souls perched on the clifftop in threat of the eternal distress and anguish of death, Jesus saved us by snatching us from the clutches of sin and death. Eternity was held in the balance. Our sin against a Holy God condemned us forever to hell. Ignorant of God and unaware of our precarious state, we certainly could not have done anything on our own. We needed mercy, and God saved us! The good news is that He not only saves our lives, but He gives us eternal life. Oh, we now and forevermore “walk before the LORD in the land of the living AND eternal life!”

“Vs 12 Asks this QUESTION and what follows ANSWERS. Q. What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefit to me? Vs 13: “I will lift up the cup of salvationand call on the name of the LORD.”

“The original sense of this is celebration of the LORD, a tribute to HIM, by a joyful lifting up a holy “toast” as it were in THANKING HIM who has delivered us - the ONE WHO SAVED US!”

“Apparently, David found himself in such a desperate place (brought low) of torment and anguish that he made a vow to God. Without putting any binding on God to somehow manipulate Him into helping, David promises that he will worship the Lord for saving him. “Lord, if you do save my life, I will glory in and worship you!” …stopping short of if you don’t, then I won’t. David is now making good on his vow to the Lord!”

“David adds something amazing! Adding to his vowed worship of the LORD, David will do so “in the presence of ALL of (God’s) people.” His affections are so stirred by the salvation of God that he commits and does worship the LORD publicly. In the presence of all his people, … He will loudly proclaim God’s salvation in the presence of God's people!”

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” In the middle of His loving, faith-filled worship, the Psalmist says something amazing about God. Lord, your people are so precious to you! You, LORD, see even their death as a precious thing to you.”

“He lifted up the cup of loving worship to his Savior, and now he offers up a “sacrifice of thanksgiving.” This offering is a very public proclamation of our thankfulness to God, performed in the gathering, in the sanctuary, together with His people.”

“This is why we gather! We gather together to offer our cup of salvation (in honor of Him) and our sacrifice of thanksgiving (giving thanks to Him)! GOD deserves our THANKSGIVING!”

“…we are tempted at times toward silence after receiving His great benefits. Time and again, we are rescued, and then we can completely disregard it. Romans 1:21 is grievous if not outright terrifying! “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” No cup of HONOR. No offer of THANKSGIVING.”

“Christian, this is not you and me. We have all the benefits of the Cross of Christ: We called on the name of Jesus Christ. He saved us. So we lift Him and honor Him, and we thank Him, in the presence of all of His people!”

QUOTES:
Basil the Great - “as if, when some sick person is not able to speak clearly because of his great weakness, a kind physician brings his ear close, (that he) should learn through the nearness what was necessary for the sick person.”

APPLICATION:
1. Recall God’s specific past deliverance in your life as a means of fresh affection for God - reasons for your love for and faith in, Worship of our Savior, Jesus!

2. For those who are in distress, cry out in faith again for God’s deliverance. He will not leave you as an unattended orphan. If you are his child, He will hear you and respond!

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 16:5
Psalm 23:5

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Your Great Name We Praise
Only A Holy God
Name Above All Names
Because He Lives
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Guest Pastor - Erik Rangel

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

“God has graciously revealed every reason under the sun to humbly glorify Him.” Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 19
TITLE: God’s Glory Preached
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: God has graciously revealed every reason under the sun to humbly glorify Him. 

POINTS:
I.  God preaches His Glory in His works
II.  God preaches His Glory in His Word
III. God preaches His Glory, and this moves us to humble prayer and worship

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“I love how Spurgeon refers to the two major halves of this Psalm,
’the world-book, and the Word-book’
The world-book - the heavens (Vs. 1) - the creation - 1-6
The Word-book - the Law of the Lord (Vs. 7) - 7-11”

“‘To The Choirmaster…’ David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes this song and hands it to the Choirmaster who leads the sanctuary worship. What we have in our hands today is none other than the song of God that begins with the words,  ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.’ The world-book - the heavens (Vs. 1) - the creation - 1-6
The heavens and the ‘sky above,’ language used here in Verse 1 would be drawn from Genesis (1:6-8) - the expanse, the firmament - declares the glory of God, yet not simply the atmosphere but space, the galaxy, the universe seen in the day and at night.   
The heavens - they declare! 
The sky above - they proclaim! 
Q. And what do they declare? Answer the Glory of God.
They proclaim - they preach, and they preach His handiwork.
God preaches His Glory in His works!”

“His handiwork… His works… His creation speaks. It proclaims. The heavens PREACH! His handiwork reveals and declares His Glory. His work bears a message, a sermon as it were, and that message preaches the Glory of God. God reveals Himself in the proclamation of His heavens.”

”Verse 2 - ‘Day to day pours out speech, and night after night reveals knowledge.’ He is unveiled and clearly revealed and is made known, and this revelation of Himself is proved ‘day to day’ and night after night. The amazing truth of this verse is that there is a constant divine sermon in His handiwork that is preached every single day and night, proclaiming His glory! But that is only part of the meaning of verse 2! YES, His glory is preached every day and night without ceasing AND the fact is a predictable and certain fact that we have day and then the night and then the day and then the night… You can set your clock to it! You can bank on the operation of the universe as each and every day, ushering forth reveals the Glory of God.”

ILLUSTRATION: Winding up a cuckoo clock - “We do not have to wind up the universe. We do not have to keep creation’s tank full. There is no need to charge the cosmos like your phone or your car, or the hydroelectric, nuclear power plants. The repetitive, constant, daily, and nightly sustaining power of God keeps the lights of the universe on!”

“THE Conductor of the universe has written this song and day to day and night after night, ever-occurring movements “pour out speech” and “reveal knowledge” of the Conductor’s glory!”

“Verse 3 and 4, using language of ‘speech, words, voice’ refer to ‘declaring’ of verse 1 as unspoken speech that (Vs 4) ‘goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.’

‘All the earth’ and ‘end of the world’ combined with the heavens in verse 1 essentially refer to the very fabric of all of creation - the fabric of the cosmos.”

“Emerging like a ‘bridegroom’ and a ‘strong man,’ the sun runs its course with joy. It ‘rises’ from the ends of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. Meaning, that there is nowhere in the fabric of the universe that God is not right now preaching His glory!”

“Every nook or cranny, asteroid, space dust particle, quark, planet, Galaxy, star, dark star, black hole, worm hole, mountain top, ocean trench, and all that is contained in them will proclaim God’s glory. Most importantly, every human being will ‘hear’ the continual proclamation of God’s glory! God over all reveals Himself in it all to all! God preaches His Glory in His works!”

“Although a fool might say ‘there is no God,’ no man can ever truly say they did not know about God. Romans 1:20 (ESV) - ‘For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.’ We are looking for any excuse under the sun to justify our sinfulness.”

“We cannot say that we need more from God to explain Himself. His Glory has been declared sufficiently to us through His works and His Word. They, each, are more than enough. Together, they are altogether more than enough! Any claim otherwise places us as a judge over Him! We have all the reasons in the world, sufficient reasons, to glorify Him, yet sadly, they are not enough. We want more proof. We want more promises.”

“After beholding all of God’s creation preaching His Glory in His works, His Word now preaches His glory, we now arrive at an amazing section of Scripture. Written by David, in parallel form, we have in Verses 7-9 six astounding statements about the Work of God.”

Six Statements Regarding the Word of God:

1. (v 7) “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”

   “The law of the Lord - The law is God’s word, the Torah, His Scriptures that are His instructional manual teaching man how to live in His created world in relationship to God, others, and His world. Where are we to go for help in every matter under the sun? He has given us His law, His Word, His Scriptures.

   His word is perfect - meaning it is comprehensive. It is completed. It is “all-sided.” Nothing in His Word is missing. It’s all there, and it is sufficient… sufficient to what?

   His word is perfect, reviving the soul - the soul is the true and real life of a person. Their soul is their eternal inner person. And the perfect Word of God revives the soul, meaning totally transformed, changed unto salvation completely. Only the word of God, the Gospel, can save, and save it does!!! The word of God is what renders a man Born Again - THE WORD does this. Only the word can transform a man. The preacher does change a man or woman. The program does not transform a person. The class does not save them - the WORD of THE LORD DOES! - History says that the Reformation changed the world. The man at the heart of it, Martin Luther, would said, ‘I did nothing; the Word did everything.’”

2. (v 7b) “the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;”

   “The testimony of the LORD - is the divine witness, God testifying to His own glory. His Word in this sense is His own witness to who His is and what He has and will do.

   His testimony is sure - His word is trust-worthy, follow-worthy because His word is unwavering!

   This sure Word of the LORD has the power to make the simple wise. In Hebrew, the meaning of this word includes “open door.” To be simple was to have an open, vulnerable mind, an undiscerning mind that is open to let just about anything in (NT giving way to any wind of doctrine or silly myth). 

   BUT the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The Word of God grants wisdom and discernment to let in what is of the LORD’s word and keep out evil and foolishness.

   God preaches His Glory in His Word, and the Word of God has granted us wisdom to hold onto His WORD.”

3.  (v 8) “the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;”

   “The precepts of the LORD - These are God’s doctrines, His statutes. The are NOT “more or guidelines” but rather, they are His razor sharped-edged principles. In a real sense, they are not open to our interpretation, but they are His fixed statues - unmovable.

   And they are right - meaning, not just the opposite of wrong, but they are right in the sense of being the RIGHT PATH, the RIGHT WAY. His Word is HIS WAY for us! 

   And His right way leads to rejoicing the heart. JOY fills the heart of the one who walks in the right way of God.”

4. (v 8b) “the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;”

   “The commandment of the LORD - Commandments of God are His sovereign decrees. God’s binding demands on us ALL and carry His supreme authority.

   These sovereign decrees are pure. They are abundantly clear. His decrees are not murky. In fact, their clarity opens our eyes - enlightening the eyes to clarity. We can disobey his commands, but he cannot say that he didn’t know with clarity what God’s word said.”

5. (v 9) “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;”

   “The fear of the LORD - is the worship of God in awe and wondering. God preaches His Glory in His Word, and here we find that the Word of God itself is worship of God. Our worship of God is our preaching back to Him what He has preached to us!

   The fear of the LORD is clean - meaning that His word is uncorrupted and free from error, sinless and undefiled. His Word is clean. It comes from His clean heart.

   Contrast this with: Matthew 15:18 (ESV) ‘But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.’

   And now rejoice at what we heard earlier in verse 7. God’s word has the power to transform this heart!

   The word of God is the worship of God, and it is clean, enduring forever, because it is uncorrupted, clean, God’s word is eternal. The word of the LORD will last forever, AMEN.”

6. (v 9b) “the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.”

   “The rules of the LORD are God’s judgments. They are His verdicts and divine rulings. The Word of God is His judgments. If He has ruled a thing as an abomination, that is His eternal verdict. We cannot tweak His rulings to make them any easier or make them any worse. His Word, His verdicts stand and never fall. And they are TRUE! They are THE truth. They are TRUTH itself. All that His word says is truth!

   And His truths are righteous altogether. They are His comprehensive righteousness - and this is why His Word testifies to itself as being the power unto salvation. His Word brings to us SALVATION!”

“Now David arrives at verses 10 and 11 and after he has just expounded on the Glory of God revealed in His Word, he cannot move any further without seeing and proclaiming the value of God’s Word, and He can immediately declare how satisfying they are! He will not leave out the sober fact of their warning us, and he reminds us of God’s reward that comes through His word!”

“After beholding the Glory of God in the very fabric of creation and in His eternal Word - both of which are still proclaiming, David turns to repentance, a call to be justified, a life of prayerful desire that his very heart/soul would be kept holy and meditate on the LORD, his rock and redeemer.”

“Verses 12-14 are a prayerful, worshipful confession that we now see it and hear it, and we need Him! We need His grace. We need His help. We need his forgiveness. We need Him to change us.”

“The last verse of Psalm 19 confesses our need for our Rock and our Redeemer - We need Jesus!”

QUOTES:
Gregory of Nyssa - “the primal, archetypal, true music… this music that the conductor of the universe skillfully strikes up in the unspoken speech of wisdom through these ever-occurring movements.”

Christopher Ash - “...no human being is excluded from this continual proclamation of praise.”

APPLICATION:
GET OUT - into His marvelous world and behold God’s handiwork that preaches and preaches and preaches, with divine clarity, His glory!

GET IN - into His perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, most desirable word that promises His amazing and gracious reward, forgiveness, and righteousness that comes only in Jesus Christ. THE Word that is Christ! The words of God that preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

LISTEN - to what God is preaching about - His glory revealed in His Son, Jesus. Matthew 17:5 “... behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’”

PRAY - humbly asking God for forgiveness, help, and power to…

PREACH - the same sermon, God’s Gospel, in your town, to your neighbors, friends, and family.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 1:6-8
Romans 1:20
Matthew 15:18
Colossians 1:16-20
John 1:1-4
Matthew 17:5

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
The Glory Of The Cross
We Receive
Jesus Thank You
The Father’s Love
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 116

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

Today, we get a glimpse into David’s response to a ‘wilderness moment’. Today, we get to look into God’s Word and see what it looks like to be a worshiper in the midst of fiery trials. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 63
TITLE: True Worship
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: True Worship comes FROM God, is nurtured BY God, and results in glory TO God.

POINTS:
I. True Worship is Rooted in Relationship with God
II. True Worship will be Tested
III. The Certainty for True Worshipers

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Horatio Spafford responding with hope and worship in the face of severe trial

“How do believers respond like this in the most difficult times in their lives?  Today, we get a glimpse into David’s response to a ‘wilderness moment’.  Today, we get to look into God’s Word and see what it looks like to be a worshiper in the midst of fiery trials.”

“David’s life isn’t hopeless and actually reveals and displays the heart of a true worshiper.”

“God is David’s personal God – a relationship built upon the covenant-keeping nature of God.  Too many believers today have this overly existentialist sense of their relationship with God. By stating YOU ARE MY GOD, there’s clearly a sense of a personal relationship, but the use of the term “my God” for an OT believer would bring God’s covenant-keeping nature to mind.”

“O God, you are my God.  One constant theme all through the OT from Abraham all the way to David is “I will be your God and you will be my people.” That’s part of David’s relationship with God. While in a desert wilderness, experiencing all sorts of fleeting emotions, David stands on the bedrock understanding that he is in a covenant relationship with YHWH.”

“So David SEEKS God.  He THIRSTS for his God.  Speaking of his heart he says MY FLESH FAINTS FOR YOU AS IN A DRY AND WEARY LAND WHERE THERE IS NO WATER.  Thirst, dry and weary land, no water.  The picture is easy to understand, but God is painting this picture so we can place ourselves in this scene. God always holds up an example of a person’s actions in Scripture not to say to us “be like him” but to show us how their actions are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Remember our encouragement when we began the Psalms series – don’t be satisfied with David’s example.”

“David is a type, an OT picture of Christ.  Jesus came into the wilderness of His created world, put on flesh and lived under the limitations of His creation.  To an all-powerful, holy and transcendent being that would be a desert compared to the glories of Heaven.  He also literally spent 40 days in a wilderness before being tempted by Satan himself. He was sinless and the perfect fulfilment of what we are reading about today.”

“David would have no idea that there would be a future day when the phrase ‘Oh God, you are my God” would be the person of Jesus Christ and He would experience and endure the most intense wilderness experience to fulfill God’s covenant-keeping promise to all who would be saved.”

“As we look closer, ask yourself how you have passed recent tests God has brought you through? V. 1 towers over all this Psalm, but now we go back to the context for this Psalm.  David is being tested.  How will he respond?  How do you respond when God tests you?”

“David loved being in the presence of the Lord.  Like every Jew, the people of God built their life around God’s promise to be with them.  The sanctuary.  The temple. That was the place of God’s presence.”

“In the past tense, David recalls the times he could be in the presence of the Lord.  He wasn’t thirsty or dry; he could behold God’s glory, and his soul was satisfied. Now David has no access to the tabernacle, the only place on the face of the earth he could behold his God.”

“When an Israelite spoke about beholding God in the sanctuary we must remember that the tabernacle was where they met with God. God’s presence was in one place.  OT worshipers had a life that revolved daily around the tabernacle because God’s presence was in a location, not in their hearts.”

“Now David is being tested.  He’s thirsty; he is in the wilderness.  David’s life has been shattered; he’s lost everything, and his own son is looking to kill him.  Of all situations, most of us would understand if a person in this dire situation wanted to “vent” a little bit.  But David was a man with a heart after God.  Why doesn’t he complain?  How does he keep this perspective in what was probably the most difficult test in his life?”

ILLUSTRATION: Monday morning grumpiness David vs. Tim

“Pay attention to the smaller tests God brings your way.  They will reveal what’s in your heart.”

“What does it mean that he says experiencing the steadfast love of God is better than life? What he means is that his relationship with God is better than all the good things in this life.  Yes, even family, kingship or status in life, riches and comforts, etc. Experiencing the steadfast love of his God is better than life. The reverse of this true also – there is no comfort, no created object, no fame, NOTHING that is more valuable to me NOT EVEN MY LIFE now that I’ve experienced God, my God! So what comes out of his lips – PRAISE TO HIS GOD.  Not in the sanctuary, not in the presence of the Lord but in the wilderness, when he’s thirsty. Does this describe your relationship to God?” 

“It’s good for God to test what’s in the worshipers heart!  It’s good when you are facing wilderness experiences and you respond like David. But because we are NT believers, we can repent and turn to Jesus in those moments we fail. Those times we DON’T respond like we see David responding.”

“Blessing you, God, lifting up my hands AS LONG AS I LIVE regardless of my circumstances. V. 2 was past tense of a time David enjoyed and thrived in the presence of the Lord but V. 4 becomes a future expectation. He’s not NAMING IT AND CLAIMING IT, he’s simply looking forward, trusting God for a time when he can raise his voice and his hands in the sanctuary. In the presence of the Lord as he knew it.”

“Notice a slight shift in V. 4-5 “So” speaks to David’s response to his circumstances. Initially David delights in the covenant nature of his God – his relationship to YHWH. As a result of that, he moves from thirst to being satisfied.  V. 3 his lips will praise Him, then he lifts his hands in praise, and in V. 4 he is satisfied with the richness of his covenant relationship with God.”

“There are many reasons why God saves us and keeps us on earth.  One of them is definitely to refine our faith and rid us of worldly desires and false saviors that capture our heart.”

“David transitions from the clinging/upholding place of relationship with God to the certainty of how things will turn out.  Those enemies of David, the enemies of God’s people, His Church, will go down to the depths of the earth. The OT sheol. David might be picturing Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:31-34).”

“David wouldn’t have known that the future King of kings would be a sinless Savior who would go down to the depths to pay for the sins of those who would be redeemed.  Those enemies of God who refuse God’s offer of perfect reconciliation on behalf of the work of Jesus will finally and eternally be condemned to the depths of hell.”

QUOTES:
Horatio Spafford - “When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll—
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.”

C.S. Lewis - “These poets knew far less reason than we for loving God. They did not know that He offered them eternal joy’ still less that He would die to win it for them.  … They long to live all their days in the temple so that they may constantly see “the fair beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:1) … lacking that encounter with Him, their souls are parched like a waterless countryside.”

APPLICATION:
Examine your relationship to Jesus. 2 Cor 13:5 What kind of relationship do you have with our Savior?  Is it based upon Him giving you good stuff?  A hassle-free life?

Take a walk this week. Take a walk when you’re unhurried and don’t take your phone so you’re undistracted – ponder David in the wilderness. Ponder what David knew of God, like last week, I’m sure David saw God through the covenant-keeping keeping marvelous works God did for Israel and David as an individual. 

While pondering David’s confidence in God, think about David as an imperfect “type” of Savior. Meditate on Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of a worshiper.

Evaluate how much you value gathering with the Church?

Is there a thirst in you to gather and worship with your Church?  When you’re away for a few Sundays, do you hunger and thirst to experience God’s presence with the gathered Church?  

Illustration – Growing up Catholic.  Adult friends with Catholics.  Behaviorally doing their religion, checking the box of religious activities BUT ABSOLUTLEY DEAD ON THE INSIDE. Is that you?  If so, guess what will happen when God tests the longings of your heart? Self-pity, false humility, boasting of all the things you’ve done for God.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 17:7
Deuteronomy 8:1–3
James 1:2–4
Hebrews 12

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
The Wonderful Cross
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
It Is Well With My Soul

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Guest Pastor - Jeff Schlieder

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

Because of the marvelous things that He has done and will do, the Lord is worthy of the loudest symphony of joyous noise and song. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 98
TITLE: A Joyful Noise For Our King
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The heart that sees the marvelous things that God has done breaks forth into a joyful noise.

POINTS:
I. The marvelous things He has done!
II. The joyous song we now sing!

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Secretariat - “Who here is a fan of horse racing? I’m not, but when I watched the film of Secretariat’s win at Kentucky, I suddenly realized that I was standing in my living in front of my TV and yelling WOW WOW -  I got up off the couch and STOOD, held captive by the images and the sound of the announcer voice growing more and more excited - EXHILATERED, I kept yelling WOW WOW… Honey! You’ve got to see this! What got me out of my chair? I don’t even remember drawing the breaths to yell and exclaim. I just did! I wasn’t even there! But suddenly, just beholding this recording and hearing of something that had happened over 50 years ago, I was captivated. I began to herald and marvel at this amazing horse and the race that this was!”

“The grand truth claim of Psalm 98 is ‘the LORD has done marvelous things!’ The grand call to action of Psalm 98 is ‘a joyful song is to be sung!’”

“At the beginning of this Summer’s Series in the Psalms, we learned that the Psalms reveal Jesus to us! Psalm 98 speaks of God’s Messiah… the coming King of Kings… who ‘.. will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity.’”

“Psalm 98 is prophetic. And it reveals things that happened when the Savior came, His first coming, and what will happen when He returns.”

“Opening, in Vs 1, with the imperative “Oh sing to the LORD a new song.” we see that there is a reason that we are called to sing this new song. The LORD ‘has done as marvelous things!’… marvelous things that would only happen when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Promised One of Israel, would come. The marvelous things of Vs 1-3 foretell the FIRST coming of Jesus into the world! Jesus HAS come and He has done these marvelous things through His life, death, resurrection, and glorification. One marvelous thing after another has been enumerated in verses 1-3 and all of them have been accomplished by our Lord and King Jesus! This Psalm intends to make known these marvelous things.”

“The First Thing: The Marvelous Triumph of His Cross
(Vs 1) ‘His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.’ The words “right hand and his holy arm” speak of God’s triumphant victory that would be accomplished at the Cross that His beloved Son would bear. Speaking in past tense (“he has done”), prophesying of marvelous things that would happen. The LORD takes us to Jesus’ cross where we behold with Him now His triumphant victory in defeating His enemies and redeeming sinners - purchasing them out of bondage to their sin, setting them free and making them His own. These marvelous things that have been done are described as HIS salvation. ‘...have worked salvation for him.’ The salvation that He has worked has been first and foremost FOR HIM!” Romans 11:36 says, ‘For from him and through him and to him are all things.’”

“ ON THE CROSS - Jesus “by his own unweaponed hand” triumphed over these who held weapons in their hands stretching his hand and holy arm out  - blow after blow - as they nailed Him to His Cross… by his own nail driven hands… He triumphantly “worked salvation for Him”  He alone accomplished our salvation by his own right hand, his most holy arm, receiving all the glory alone. These marvelous things were done by Him as He worked His salvation! What a marvelous thing He has done!”

“The Second Thing: The Marvelous Display of His Cross
Please read with me Vs 2. This is a marvelous display of God’s grace! His salvation was ‘made known.’ He ‘revealed’ his salvation… in plain ‘sight’ for all to see. If he had not made it known so plainly by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would have missed it! The marvelous things that Christ has done have been revealed! HE makes it known. WE could not have found. At the Cross, what was once veiled in types and shadows in the OT is now on full display. From Abraham’s hopeful answer to his son, Isaac, (Genesis 22:8) ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ To John the Baptist’s proclamation in John 1:29: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ The message of the Cross is now ‘in the sight of the nations’ for all. The Scriptures make it clear for all.”

“The Third Thing: The Marvelous Atoning Blood of His Cross
Please read with me Vs 2b. A little bit of study will reveal that God’s Righteousness is synonymous with justification. But let’s look at one place for some help on this: Romans 3:24-25. Sinners stand guilty and justly under the wrath of God. BUT He has done an almost indescribable, wonder-filled, and marvelous thing in revealing his righteousness. The good news is ‘he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.’ He is our justification. God the Son, Christ Jesus, has put himself ‘forward as a propitiation by blood,’ ‘to show God’s righteousness!’ Jesus, by the Marvelous Atoning Blood of His Cross has done the unimaginable! He in full display, offers Himself (being “put forward” by the Father) as the sacrificial Lamb of God, and sheds his blood on the Cross.”

“The Fourth Thing: The Marvelous Promise-Fulfilled in His Cross
…to the “ends of the earth”: VS. 3. The language of Vs. 3 makes it clear that the covenant promise to God’s people will stand. Though they would forget him, he would not forget His covenant (steadfast) love and faithfulness. The joyous truth of 3b is that the Cross would fulfill his promise that salvation would be for all people … to ‘all the ends of the earth’. The message of the Cross knows no bounds. There is nowhere on earth that the Marvelous good news would not reach and bring salvation!”

“BY GRACE we draw near to the Cross and SING A NEW SONG”

“After seeing the marvelous things of Verses 1-3, as we surveyed the wondrous Cross of Jesus, we have reason after reason after reason to SING and SING like we never have before… truly singing a JOYOUS NEW SONG. …and Psalm 98 ups the volume now in Vs 4-9 as they describe what can be none other than divine accompaniment to our new song! Beginning with another imperative in Vs 4 -  “Make a Joyful noise” - An Orchestra now gathers, joining the song that we sing! The volume begins to rise as ‘instruments’ in Vs 4 - 8 join the Choir of the Saved!” 

“ALL EYES… FIXED ON THE KING. ALL JOY… FOUND IN THE KING. ALL PRAISE AND MUSIC CONDUCTED FOR THE KING. Everything in all of creation proclaiming loudly in a symphony of joyous noise (not one instrument left out, not one voice - no matter how strained - harmonized in a particular direction - not just singing to whoever might hear, not singing to whoever might care, not singing in a random blast of noise to cosmos but a SONG ARRANGED by the Spirit of God and SUNG to and for HIM!”

“See how marvelous it is that Jesus, our Savior, has come! Look for the marvelous return of Jesus, our Judge, falling on his mercy and grace. Marveling that His justice has been satisfied by the Cross of Jesus. (Vs 9) ‘He will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with equity.’ Revealed at the culmination of all things, we behold the justifying work of the Cross for all who will believe on Jesus Christ for His salvation.”

“The loudest thing that Psalm 98 says is this: Because of the marvelous things that He has done and will do, the Lord is worthy of the loudest symphony of joyous noise and song. His praises sung by all of creation - the loudest voices being of those that He has saved!”

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Idols have fallen, superstitions have withered, systems of error have fled, and empires of cruelty have perished… not by the aid of others—but by his own unweaponed hand his marvelous conquests have been achieved. Sin, death, and Hell fell beneath his solitary prowess, and the idols and the errors of mankind have been overthrown and smitten by his hand alone.”

Song Lyrics from “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”:
”When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain, I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose, so rich a crown

Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name”

APPLICATION:
The sense of awe and wonder should fill our minds when we behold the majesty of God in the marvelous things that He has done…SO SEE AND WORSHIP.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 11:4
Hebrews 1:8-9
Revelation 19:11
Colossians 2:15

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Rejoice
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
I Have A Shelter
All Things
Sing

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 63

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon