The Continental Divide of All Human Thinking, Mark 10:17-27
Dr. Paige Patterson, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended August 1, 2010
Everyone has an opinion about this and all come down on one side or the other. Are we working our way to heaven or resting in His work?
He thought there was something he could do. To his credit, he did know something was amiss.
Jesus is not denying His goodness or His Godness, but He is denying the validity of the comparison. It is a wrong standard of comparison. He is comparing himself to others instead of a righteous and holy God.
He is actually a pretty remarkable guy if he has never lied, but he already had a god in his life – his possessions. What is yours? What is your major motivation? What is the preoccupation of your life? Position, popularity, power, family?
You can’t come to the true God until you get rid of the false god.
You cannot save yourself. You cannot make yourself acceptable to God on your own. We are condemned and in serious trouble without Jesus.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sermon Notes – Guard Your Heart - Part 2
Guard Your Heart - Part 2, Proverbs 4:10-27J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended July 25, 2010
We spend a lot of time and money protecting things valuable to us. Advertisers take advantage of this. How much time do we spend guarding our most valuable possession – our heart?
The things of greatest value deserve the greatest protection.
Since the heart is the source of everything we think, feel, do, and desire, and since God sees our heart and judges us according to the condition of our heart, the heart is worthy of the greatest protection.
How do we protect our heart? It involves our attitude and our activity.
The attitude – Proverbs 4:23 encompasses two kinds of guarding. We want to keep the bad things out as well as keep the bad things in. We can think of it as a security guard, keeping things out, and a prison guard, keeping things in. We need to do both. Watch your heart and watch outside your heart.
This should be the priority of our life, “…above all things…” Above all else, value the condition of your heart and actively pursue a heart that is pleasing to the Lord. Choose by faith to believe that it is more important to guard your heart than anything else in life.
The activity – What we must do to guard our hearts.
1. Encounter God through His Word – This is our primary tool. Neglect of the Word is neglect of the heart, it is foundational. This is basic; we can’t look for the “advanced” tools. Be consumed with the Word of God.
Since God alone sees the heart, and since God alone can change the heart, we must seek to be changed by God through the power of His living Word. See the Word as a means to meet with the One who alone can see, discern, and change your heart.
Read it – this is embodied in the word “hear” from Proverbs 4:1, 10, 20. This must be daily, systematic and consistent.
Obey it – the word “hear” doesn’t just mean an external hearing but also an inward applying as seen in Proverbs 4:2 and Proverbs 4:4.
Internalize it – Proverbs 4:4, Proverbs 4:21 and Psalm 119:11 encourage meditation, memorization thus the Word is always available. We need a library in our head and heart.
We are always looking for steps and solutions. The Bible isn’t like that though. The solution to our problem isn’t steps and principles but God! Steps don’t change you, God does, even if we don’t know it or recognize it. When David wrote Psalm 119, at best, he had the Pentateuch. He didn’t find “steps” to solve his problems in Genesis. He found God in Genesis.
The popular technique of “bouncing your eyes” when you see something that may make you lust is an example. Although this is a fine technique, not looking won’t keep us from lust. You can lust without looking, it is your heart that must be changed, by God, through His Word.
When we look for principles or steps we are also assuming that we know our problem. We don’t always know our root problem. We may be looking for a solution to a problem we don’t even have. When we are in His Word God will heal us from within, the Word of God is active (Hebrews 4:12).
2. Encounter God through His ways – This is an active pursuing with everything we have, including our eyes, feet and mouth. If we are not engaging in the work of God we are only partially guarding. The activity is helping to guard your heart. An active pursuit of the way of God protects our heart. It must be a holistic pursuit of Him, His ways and ministry.
Mouth – Proverbs 4:24. The mouth reveals the heart but it also affects the heart. We make things worse by continually talking about our issues or problems. The mouth feeds the heart, and vice versa, they feed off each other. Whenever we are grumbling, complaining, criticizing, and gossiping we feed the condition of our heart, it makes it worse.
Eyes – Proverbs 4:25. What your eyes see affect the way your heart feels. The more we look at things we shouldn’t changes our heart, which will be manifested eventually. There is a figurative meaning also in that we need to focus on His way. If it were just literal we would need to wear a neck brace to keep our eyes looking straight ahead. Our focus determines our direction.
Feet – Proverbs 4:26-27. Don’t let our feet take you where you don’t want your heart to go. At least four times in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 17:20, 28:14) we find a verse almost exactly like Proverbs 4:26-27, in which Moses says, “Don’t turn to the right or left, turn your foot from evil”. The Promised Land is right there, if you just walk the way I told you to walk you are going to get it but they didn’t do it. Hebrews 12:2 references this as he talks about fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Primary ambition of our life should be to guard our heart and allow, by guarding, the life of Christ to be continually manifested through us. Keep your heart healthy.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
We spend a lot of time and money protecting things valuable to us. Advertisers take advantage of this. How much time do we spend guarding our most valuable possession – our heart?
The things of greatest value deserve the greatest protection.
Since the heart is the source of everything we think, feel, do, and desire, and since God sees our heart and judges us according to the condition of our heart, the heart is worthy of the greatest protection.
How do we protect our heart? It involves our attitude and our activity.
The attitude – Proverbs 4:23 encompasses two kinds of guarding. We want to keep the bad things out as well as keep the bad things in. We can think of it as a security guard, keeping things out, and a prison guard, keeping things in. We need to do both. Watch your heart and watch outside your heart.
This should be the priority of our life, “…above all things…” Above all else, value the condition of your heart and actively pursue a heart that is pleasing to the Lord. Choose by faith to believe that it is more important to guard your heart than anything else in life.
The activity – What we must do to guard our hearts.
1. Encounter God through His Word – This is our primary tool. Neglect of the Word is neglect of the heart, it is foundational. This is basic; we can’t look for the “advanced” tools. Be consumed with the Word of God.
Since God alone sees the heart, and since God alone can change the heart, we must seek to be changed by God through the power of His living Word. See the Word as a means to meet with the One who alone can see, discern, and change your heart.
Read it – this is embodied in the word “hear” from Proverbs 4:1, 10, 20. This must be daily, systematic and consistent.
Obey it – the word “hear” doesn’t just mean an external hearing but also an inward applying as seen in Proverbs 4:2 and Proverbs 4:4.
Internalize it – Proverbs 4:4, Proverbs 4:21 and Psalm 119:11 encourage meditation, memorization thus the Word is always available. We need a library in our head and heart.
We are always looking for steps and solutions. The Bible isn’t like that though. The solution to our problem isn’t steps and principles but God! Steps don’t change you, God does, even if we don’t know it or recognize it. When David wrote Psalm 119, at best, he had the Pentateuch. He didn’t find “steps” to solve his problems in Genesis. He found God in Genesis.
The popular technique of “bouncing your eyes” when you see something that may make you lust is an example. Although this is a fine technique, not looking won’t keep us from lust. You can lust without looking, it is your heart that must be changed, by God, through His Word.
When we look for principles or steps we are also assuming that we know our problem. We don’t always know our root problem. We may be looking for a solution to a problem we don’t even have. When we are in His Word God will heal us from within, the Word of God is active (Hebrews 4:12).
2. Encounter God through His ways – This is an active pursuing with everything we have, including our eyes, feet and mouth. If we are not engaging in the work of God we are only partially guarding. The activity is helping to guard your heart. An active pursuit of the way of God protects our heart. It must be a holistic pursuit of Him, His ways and ministry.
Mouth – Proverbs 4:24. The mouth reveals the heart but it also affects the heart. We make things worse by continually talking about our issues or problems. The mouth feeds the heart, and vice versa, they feed off each other. Whenever we are grumbling, complaining, criticizing, and gossiping we feed the condition of our heart, it makes it worse.
Eyes – Proverbs 4:25. What your eyes see affect the way your heart feels. The more we look at things we shouldn’t changes our heart, which will be manifested eventually. There is a figurative meaning also in that we need to focus on His way. If it were just literal we would need to wear a neck brace to keep our eyes looking straight ahead. Our focus determines our direction.
Feet – Proverbs 4:26-27. Don’t let our feet take you where you don’t want your heart to go. At least four times in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5:32, 17:11, 17:20, 28:14) we find a verse almost exactly like Proverbs 4:26-27, in which Moses says, “Don’t turn to the right or left, turn your foot from evil”. The Promised Land is right there, if you just walk the way I told you to walk you are going to get it but they didn’t do it. Hebrews 12:2 references this as he talks about fixing our eyes on Jesus.
Primary ambition of our life should be to guard our heart and allow, by guarding, the life of Christ to be continually manifested through us. Keep your heart healthy.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sermon Notes – Guard
Guard, Proverbs 4:10-27J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended July 18, 2010
The exterior mess we are dealing with now in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by an internal problem. The exterior can’t be fixed until the interior is. Why clean up the beach when the oil is still coming? The gushing well beneath the surface is your heart.
1. The identity of the heart
The father is usually very explicit in his definitions but here he is not in defining the heart. He assumes the son knows.
The heart is a hidden place – 1 Samuel 16:7. God alone sees and knows the heart thus; He alone is able to fix it. We don’t even know our own hearts.
The heart is the source of emotion – Proverbs 12:25, 15:3
The heart is the source of thoughts – Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 6:14, 18
The heart is the source of actions – Matthew 12:34, Proverbs 23:7
The heart then is the center of everything we think, feel, do and desire. Therefore, our emotions, thoughts, actions, and desires reveal the condition of our heart. What do these things say about the condition of your heart?
God isn’t looking for our actions but for our heart. (Mark 12:30) We are controlled from the inside out so guarding your heart is paramount. Our problem is the heart but only God can fix the heart.
2. The problem of the heart
Everything you think, feel, and do is all messed up (Jeremiah 17:9).
In Mark 7:1-23 Jesus confronts the Pharisees. They don’t want anything dirty inside of them but Jesus makes what many consider to be the most revolutionary statement in the New Testament when He says that it is what comes out of a person that defiles, i.e. you aren’t dirty because you ate something dirty. Dirty hearts send you to hell, not dirty hands. External reformation cannot fix an internal issue. We might be able to change some of our actions; we are unable to change our hearts.
The exterior mess we are dealing with now in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by an internal problem. The exterior can’t be fixed until the interior is. Why clean up the beach when the oil is still coming? The gushing well beneath the surface is your heart.
1. The identity of the heart
The father is usually very explicit in his definitions but here he is not in defining the heart. He assumes the son knows.
The heart is a hidden place – 1 Samuel 16:7. God alone sees and knows the heart thus; He alone is able to fix it. We don’t even know our own hearts.
The heart is the source of emotion – Proverbs 12:25, 15:3
The heart is the source of thoughts – Proverbs 23:7, Proverbs 6:14, 18
The heart is the source of actions – Matthew 12:34, Proverbs 23:7
The heart then is the center of everything we think, feel, do and desire. Therefore, our emotions, thoughts, actions, and desires reveal the condition of our heart. What do these things say about the condition of your heart?
God isn’t looking for our actions but for our heart. (Mark 12:30) We are controlled from the inside out so guarding your heart is paramount. Our problem is the heart but only God can fix the heart.
2. The problem of the heart
Everything you think, feel, and do is all messed up (Jeremiah 17:9).
In Mark 7:1-23 Jesus confronts the Pharisees. They don’t want anything dirty inside of them but Jesus makes what many consider to be the most revolutionary statement in the New Testament when He says that it is what comes out of a person that defiles, i.e. you aren’t dirty because you ate something dirty. Dirty hearts send you to hell, not dirty hands. External reformation cannot fix an internal issue. We might be able to change some of our actions; we are unable to change our hearts.
Before we learn how to guard our hearts we must have a heart worth guarding. Jeremiah 17:9 and Mark 7:1-23 tell us we don’t but the father here is assuming that the son does have a heart worth guarding so something must have happened to his heart. The only way Proverbs 4:23 makes any sense is if we have a new heart. We need regeneration and only the sovereign work of God can accomplish this. Guarding only makes sense if you have received by faith a heart worth guarding.
3. The exchanging of the heart – Ezekiel 36:24-26, John 3:1-21, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4, Titus 3:1-7
We must be careful to guard our heart after this exchange. It needs to be protected at all costs (Colossians 1:21-23, Romans 8:9-16, 2 Timothy 1:14). The very glory of Christ is in us so guard it!
Proverbs 4:7 is unusual but important here. The New Testament way to say this would be that before you can walk the way of Christ you must first get Christ. Once He is in us we have the desire to walk with Him. It doesn’t work following Him unless you have Him, because we are controlled from inside out and thus couldn’t do it otherwise.
Without new hearts, there is no hope of godly emotions, thoughts, actions, or desires. On the contrary, new hearts produce works of righteousness.
Psalm 24 talks of ascending to the hills. It isn’t saying get yourself clean before worship. The only way to ascend is to have a heart sprinkled with blood. We only ascend by Christ’s grace and by Christ taking us there. Those who have a new heart with Christ ascend.
Without His righteous heart we have no ability to have righteous emotions, thoughts, actions, and desires.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Quote - Seek Wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-4)
"You shall find this to be God's usual course: not to give His children the taste of His delights till they begin to sweat in seeking after them."
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sermon Notes – Trust
Trust, Proverbs 3 J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended July 11, 2010
This is one of the most memorable conversations between father and son. The father is imploring the son to walk in a matter worthy of his calling, and so we are to walk with Jesus.
One of the most familiar verses in the Bible is here in Proverbs 3:5-6. These words are to the Christian disciple what the wedding ceremony is to a newlywed. At the wedding ceremony vows are made, the terms of the relationship are set forth and a statement about what each intend to do for the rest of their lives is made. This text reminds us of our commitment to Christ and the expectations Christ has for us as we walk with Him. As at the wedding, what matters most is what you do with your wedding declaration. A lot of people make the declaration but the demonstration is proof.
Trust is proven by its demonstration, not its declaration.
The father knows this. He also knows that his son has “declared” but now needs to “demonstrate”. The righteous are not those who declare they are but those who demonstrate they are. We must learn to walk moment by moment in faith (Hebrews 11:6). This is a walk, not a one-time declaration. This text tells us how to live our vows.
1. Characteristics of trust – Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust Him entirely – “…with all your heart…” We will see later that “heart” is a reference to all that you are.
We trust Him in the same way we are commanded to love Him, i.e. with all our mind, soul and strength. With our mind means we recognize the truth of what He says and what He has promised. With our soul means we believe what we know with our mind. With our strength means we act on what we believe. You never find an example of faith in scripture that does not have some activity with it. Faith leads to activity. Abel “brought”, Noah “built” and Abraham “went”, their faith lead to action.
Trust Him exclusively – “…in the Lord…” Release our confidence in anything else. He never wants part of our allegiance. We have no confidence in our flesh (Philippians 3:2).
Trust Him exhaustively – “…in all your ways…” In everything you encounter, in every circumstance and in every situation.
Why do we seem to trust Him to save us from Hell but don’t seem to trust Him in our daily life? We can trust Him for our souls but we can’t trust Him for our days? We don’t trust ourselves for our salvation but we do trust ourselves in finances, marriage, work and parenting. You will do salvation His way but you don’t want to do finances, marriage, work and parenting His way? If He is gracious enough to forgive us our sins, He is gracious enough to help you in your finances, marriage, work and parenting. Seek Him in all of your ways.
Perhaps you are struggling in assurance of salvation. You wonder about “the moment” you got saved. You hear those who say if you don’t remember “that moment” then you may not know the Lord. Remember, you can’t base your salvation on something that you did, even if it is a prayer, a walk down an aisle or a talk with a pastor. If your assurance is based on a date then it is based on something you did. We have to be confident in what He did and not what we did! Assurance comes by trusting in the work of Christ, not relying on a date in your Bible or when your Mom told you did.
One of the main messages of the Bible is that you can trust God.
2. Hindrances to trust – Proverbs 3:5-10
This is one of the most memorable conversations between father and son. The father is imploring the son to walk in a matter worthy of his calling, and so we are to walk with Jesus.
One of the most familiar verses in the Bible is here in Proverbs 3:5-6. These words are to the Christian disciple what the wedding ceremony is to a newlywed. At the wedding ceremony vows are made, the terms of the relationship are set forth and a statement about what each intend to do for the rest of their lives is made. This text reminds us of our commitment to Christ and the expectations Christ has for us as we walk with Him. As at the wedding, what matters most is what you do with your wedding declaration. A lot of people make the declaration but the demonstration is proof.
Trust is proven by its demonstration, not its declaration.
The father knows this. He also knows that his son has “declared” but now needs to “demonstrate”. The righteous are not those who declare they are but those who demonstrate they are. We must learn to walk moment by moment in faith (Hebrews 11:6). This is a walk, not a one-time declaration. This text tells us how to live our vows.
1. Characteristics of trust – Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust Him entirely – “…with all your heart…” We will see later that “heart” is a reference to all that you are.
We trust Him in the same way we are commanded to love Him, i.e. with all our mind, soul and strength. With our mind means we recognize the truth of what He says and what He has promised. With our soul means we believe what we know with our mind. With our strength means we act on what we believe. You never find an example of faith in scripture that does not have some activity with it. Faith leads to activity. Abel “brought”, Noah “built” and Abraham “went”, their faith lead to action.
Trust Him exclusively – “…in the Lord…” Release our confidence in anything else. He never wants part of our allegiance. We have no confidence in our flesh (Philippians 3:2).
Trust Him exhaustively – “…in all your ways…” In everything you encounter, in every circumstance and in every situation.
Why do we seem to trust Him to save us from Hell but don’t seem to trust Him in our daily life? We can trust Him for our souls but we can’t trust Him for our days? We don’t trust ourselves for our salvation but we do trust ourselves in finances, marriage, work and parenting. You will do salvation His way but you don’t want to do finances, marriage, work and parenting His way? If He is gracious enough to forgive us our sins, He is gracious enough to help you in your finances, marriage, work and parenting. Seek Him in all of your ways.
Perhaps you are struggling in assurance of salvation. You wonder about “the moment” you got saved. You hear those who say if you don’t remember “that moment” then you may not know the Lord. Remember, you can’t base your salvation on something that you did, even if it is a prayer, a walk down an aisle or a talk with a pastor. If your assurance is based on a date then it is based on something you did. We have to be confident in what He did and not what we did! Assurance comes by trusting in the work of Christ, not relying on a date in your Bible or when your Mom told you did.
One of the main messages of the Bible is that you can trust God.
2. Hindrances to trust – Proverbs 3:5-10
There are three hindrances to trust:
Self – Proverbs 3:5, “…do not lean on your own understanding…” and Proverbs 3:7, “…do not be wise in your own eyes…”
If you lean on yourself you are leaning on the very person that needs to lean! You are leaning on a broken leg. Our understanding is broken. We elevate ourselves and lower God when we do this.
Proverbs 3:7 is explained by Proverbs 26:12. A fool never acknowledges His need for God.
Sin – Proverbs 3:7, “…turn from evil…”
Relying upon ourselves is sin, it is pride. The fear of God will kill self-reliance because is causes us to think correctly about God and think correctly about ourselves and living as if that is true.
Stuff – Proverbs 3:9
Stuff can help or hinder your trust in the Lord. Hold stuff loosely. When we release it we increase our faith. When we give our “firsts” we are trusting for more. The things we have often draw away our affections and attention. They distract us from the things of the Lord.
When we have lots of chariots (Psalms 20:7) it is hard to trust the Lord in battle. If you have less chariots than the other then you have to depend on the Lord.
3. Promises of trust – Proverbs 3:5-10
Refreshment – Proverbs 3:8. This is mental, spiritual and physical refreshment.
Provision – Proverbs 3:10. The wisdom of man does not say give first. God is overseeing your finances.
Guidance – Proverbs 3:6. The greatest of all the promises.
We still try the path of folly periodically; it is always a detour, a waste of time. In the path of wisdom God will keep you from the detours and obstacles. There will be pain and difficulty but you will not have to deal with the consequences of sin.
What is that area where you don’t trust the Lord? Give it to Him and trust Him (Psalms 37:5).
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Quote - I Will Go With You
"There’s a story told, from Civil War days before America’s slaves were freed, about a northerner who went to a slave auction and purchased a young slave girl. As they walked away from the auction, the man turned to the girl and told her, “You’re free.”
With amazement she responded, “You mean, I’m free to do whatever I want?”
“Yes,” he said. “And to say whatever I want to say?” “Yes, anything.” “And to be whatever I want to be?”
“Yep.” “And even go wherever I want to go?” “Yes,” he answered with a smile.
“You’re free to go wherever you’d like.”
She looked at him intently and replied, “Then I will go with you.”
Jesus has come to the slave market. He came to us there because we could not go to him. He came and purchased us with his blood so we would no longer be a slave to sin but a slave to Christ, which is the essence of freedom.
And now there’s no freer place to be in life than going with him—with the One who is himself our true liberty."
Tullian Tchividjian, Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels
With amazement she responded, “You mean, I’m free to do whatever I want?”
“Yes,” he said. “And to say whatever I want to say?” “Yes, anything.” “And to be whatever I want to be?”
“Yep.” “And even go wherever I want to go?” “Yes,” he answered with a smile.
“You’re free to go wherever you’d like.”
She looked at him intently and replied, “Then I will go with you.”
Jesus has come to the slave market. He came to us there because we could not go to him. He came and purchased us with his blood so we would no longer be a slave to sin but a slave to Christ, which is the essence of freedom.
And now there’s no freer place to be in life than going with him—with the One who is himself our true liberty."
Tullian Tchividjian, Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sermon Notes – The Theology of Doxology
The Theology of Doxology, Galatians 1:4-5
Vern Charette, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended July 4, 2010
“The Theology of Doxology”, or “Why We Should Be a Worshipper”, or “Why Baptists Ought to Shout”.
I am a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who will save anybody.
A doxology is an expression of praise to God, especially a hymn or verse in Christian liturgy glorifying God. Literally, “doxo”, meaning "glory", and “logos”, meaning "word", so a doxology is “a glory word”.
God saved you for one reason – to glorify Him. We should erupt in worship as Paul does here in Galatians 1:5. Worship should characterize our lives. We should be constantly praising Him at church, school and play. Unfortunately, we have forgotten His blessings and developed spiritual Alzheimer’s.
1. We should be a worshipper because of the price Christ paid for us – Galatians 1:4
He willingly gave himself up for us. He wasn’t a martyr, He gave freely (John 10:18). He didn’t lose His life, He gave it.
Pilate thought Jesus was standing before Him, but in reality Pilate was standing before Him. Barabbas goes free while Jesus is executed. We go free while Jesus dies. Is it any wonder Paul breaks forth in spontaneous praise in Galatians 1:5?
2. We should be a worshipper because of the purpose of Jesus' death – Galatians 1:4
He died to rescue us, to deliver us. Don’t develop spiritual amnesia and forget where you were before Jesus rescued you. Have you forgotten what it was like to be lost? Your enemies have been destroyed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, just as the Egyptian enemies of Israel were destroyed.
Do you develop indignation at all the sin around you? Don’t forget who you were at one time. You were delivered from this present, evil world.
3. We should be a worshipper because of the plan of the Father– Galatians 1:4
Jesus’ death was according to the will of God. This was not plan B. There was no emergency meeting of the Trinity. He was our Savior before the foundations of the world.
We all worship something. We either worship the Holy Trinity or the unholy trinity – me, myself, and I. Our hearts are idol factories.
Worship is the fuel for missions. We want all the nations to be doxologized.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Vern Charette, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended July 4, 2010
“The Theology of Doxology”, or “Why We Should Be a Worshipper”, or “Why Baptists Ought to Shout”.
I am a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who will save anybody.
A doxology is an expression of praise to God, especially a hymn or verse in Christian liturgy glorifying God. Literally, “doxo”, meaning "glory", and “logos”, meaning "word", so a doxology is “a glory word”.
God saved you for one reason – to glorify Him. We should erupt in worship as Paul does here in Galatians 1:5. Worship should characterize our lives. We should be constantly praising Him at church, school and play. Unfortunately, we have forgotten His blessings and developed spiritual Alzheimer’s.
1. We should be a worshipper because of the price Christ paid for us – Galatians 1:4
He willingly gave himself up for us. He wasn’t a martyr, He gave freely (John 10:18). He didn’t lose His life, He gave it.
Pilate thought Jesus was standing before Him, but in reality Pilate was standing before Him. Barabbas goes free while Jesus is executed. We go free while Jesus dies. Is it any wonder Paul breaks forth in spontaneous praise in Galatians 1:5?
2. We should be a worshipper because of the purpose of Jesus' death – Galatians 1:4
He died to rescue us, to deliver us. Don’t develop spiritual amnesia and forget where you were before Jesus rescued you. Have you forgotten what it was like to be lost? Your enemies have been destroyed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, just as the Egyptian enemies of Israel were destroyed.
Do you develop indignation at all the sin around you? Don’t forget who you were at one time. You were delivered from this present, evil world.
3. We should be a worshipper because of the plan of the Father– Galatians 1:4
Jesus’ death was according to the will of God. This was not plan B. There was no emergency meeting of the Trinity. He was our Savior before the foundations of the world.
We all worship something. We either worship the Holy Trinity or the unholy trinity – me, myself, and I. Our hearts are idol factories.
Worship is the fuel for missions. We want all the nations to be doxologized.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Quote - Trust God
"Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence."
Augustine
Augustine
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sermon Notes – Pursue
Pursue, Proverbs 2J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended June 27, 2010
This is the second of a series of conversations between a father and his son. The father is pleading with his son to pursue the way of wisdom, which is to pursue Christ. Think about God the Father having the same conversation with us.
This is a classic “if/then” conversation. Parents should be extremely familiar with what makes an effective “if/then” conversation.
1. The “if” must be clearly defined.
2. You must be willing to follow through with the “then”.
3. The “then” must be a good enough motivation to do the “if”.
Another way to state this is to say:
The only things worth pursuing are the things worth having.
“If” – Proverbs 2:1-4
1. If you pursue wisdom humbly then you will receive the rewards – Proverbs 2:1
You must see your need and be humbled. A hard, prideful heart will not see the need to pursue (Matthew 5:3).
2. If you pursue wisdom submissively then you will receive the rewards – Proverbs 2:2
The terms “hear and listen” mean to externally hear and inwardly obey. You must be making changes as a result of your hearing, i.e. submitting. “As long as I am hearing and reading the Word then I am OK” is not a true statement. You can read the Bible through twelve times a year and attend a Bible preaching church every Sunday but if you aren’t obeying then you aren’t pursuing wisdom (James 1:22, Mark 8:34).
3. If you pursue wisdom primarily then you will receive the rewards – Proverbs 2:3-4
This must become the primary pursuit of your life (Matthew 6:33). God will take care of the things that we, most often, spend the most time pursuing. Having wisdom and a relationship with Christ is the greatest treasure you will ever have (Matthew 13:44-45). Seek Christ above everything else.
“Then” – Proverbs 2:5-11
1. If you pursue wisdom in the right manner then you will know God – Proverbs 2:5
Knowledge of someone means intimacy. Knowledge of God is reserved for those who pursue rightly. The reason some don’t hunger God is because they have never tasted. Once you have tasted you are always hungry for more. Paul got a taste (Philippians 3:8-10).
2. If you pursue wisdom in the right manner then you will know the way of God – Proverbs 2:9
He gives you the discernment to know the right way and the wrong way, i.e. His way. You have the ability to make the right decision.
3. If you pursue wisdom in the right manner then you will be protected on the way – Proverbs 2:11-19
We need protection from evil men, evil women and the evil way. The “strange woman” is a woman outside the covenant of God. The “strange woman” is an analogy of idolatry or something that takes your affections away.
The failure to actively seek is always a decision to passively fail.
We find then some strange realities about pursuing Christ:
1. Sin keeps us from pursuing Christ but Christ keeps us from pursuing sin.
2. Passion is often a result of seeking (Proverbs 2:10). If you start pursuing Christ you will get a passion for it. You cannot wait for a desire to pursue, passion follows the pursuit. Passion is borne out of pursuit. It takes faith to believe it is worth your life and it is the only thing worth pursuing.
Do not think that you will receive the rewards of pursuit if you are not pursuing. Begin pursuing Christ now, trusting (even if you do not feel like it) that God will keep His promises and He will reward those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). The pursuit of God produces passion for God.
The question isn’t the “then” it is the “if”. He keeps the “then”, will you keep the “if”? Proverbs 2:20-22 show us how important this is. He will uproot those who aren’t pursuing and send them to hell.
Are you pursuing anything worth having?
Do your life, thoughts, time, and energy reflect that Christ is your primary pursuit? If not, what do they reveal as your primary pursuit? God promises that those who seek Him humbly, primarily, and submissively will then receive intimacy, protection, and discernment.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sermon Notes – Listen
Listen, Proverbs 1:8-33J. Josh Smith, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, attended June 20, 2010
These are conversations between father and son that we get to listen into. They are not casual conversations. You can sense the love, passion, and desperate emotions of the father in encouraging his son to walk the way of wisdom. He is pleading with him. He focuses here through chapter 9, not on the specifics of what one should do, but the character qualities that one should possess.
Although they are conversations between a father and his son, they are also communications between our Father and His children. When we see a father in Proverbs we should think of our Heavenly Father. When we see children in Proverbs we should think of us, the children of God, those who have repented and trusted Him for our salvation. When we see wisdom in Proverbs we should think of Christ.
The father says that you have to learn to listen to walk the way of wisdom. Listening is mentioned in every single chapter of Proverbs. Learning to listen, i.e. to listen right, is imperative. Listening as Proverbs defines it is listening externally and responding internally.
The voice you listen to determines the direction you go.
We are bombarded with thousands of voices. You hear a voice in every book, song, movie and friend. All are telling you of a different way to live. You can’t escape these voices even when alone. Our mind and flesh has its own voice. We must practice “discerning listening”. The father doesn’t shelter the son from these other voices. There is the perverse voice, the wicked voice, the idolatrous voice, and many others. All are the voice of folly.
The voice of wisdom is standing at the crossroads, warning and inviting.
The father tells his son that he:
1. Must hear what you have heard – Proverbs 1:8-9
The son here is obviously in a home where they took seriously the command of God in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
Listen right. The father knows there are two kinds of hearing. He wants the son to outwardly hear and inwardly obey. The way to do this is not to close down all the voices. The way to do this is to tell them what they are going to hear and teach them how to discern. God commands all families to “homeschool”. Not necessarily science and math, but God’s instructions.
2. Must see the stupidity of folly – Proverbs 1:10-32
He shows here the plan, promise and path of the fool. Their plan always makes light of the things God takes seriously. Their plan always breaks down.
Proverbs 1:14 shows the promise of brotherhood and acceptance. They also promise life (Proverbs 1:12) and wealth (Proverbs 1:13). All of their promises (life, wealth and brotherhood) can only be fulfilled by God.
Proverbs 1:17 compares their folly to a bird. No bird watches a net and just sits there waiting to be captured. Even the small brained bird knows when danger is coming and flees.
Proverbs 1:18 is a re-statement of Proverbs 1:11. It turns their own words against them. They are ambushing themselves. They are dumber than a bird in that they don’t even see that their plan leads to their own destruction.
Proverbs 1:18-32 shows us that they are going to want wisdom at some point in their lives but they won’t get it. Proverbs 29:1 tells us that they will reach the point of no return if they continually ignore wisdom. Your heart hardens every time it is ignored. Folly always writes checks that can’t be cashed. If you listen to folly you are accepting fraudulent checks that can never be deposited. The promises can’t be fulfilled.
3. Must listen to the voice of wisdom – Proverbs 1:33
Christ can keep every promise He makes. His path always leads to life.
The plan of wisdom is always the plan to sanctify you, to make you like Christ. Proverbs 8:35-36; Proverbs 3:17, 23; and Proverbs 9:6 highlight and contrast the way of life.
The call of wisdom in this first chapter of Proverbs reminds us of Jesus’ call in Matthew 11:28-30. The offer of wisdom is always the offer of Jesus Christ. If you refuse to listen you will receive the fullness of the consequences of your decision.
What are the prevailing voices in your life? Who has your ear? Choose to immerse yourself in the voice of God – His Word.
Train yourself, through the constant reading and memorizing of the Word of God, to recognize the messages that you are hearing. If you are being bombarded with opposing voices, you must fill your mind even more with the Word of God. We must think carefully and critically about the messages that we are hearing every day. Satan is purposefully using the messages from media, friends, and culture to lead us down the path that leads to destruction. Therefore, we must moment by moment examine them and reject them. Every moment of the day, recognize that each choice you make is leading you down a certain path. Choose wisely and quickly, lest you be forced to eat the fruit of your wrong choices.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
These are conversations between father and son that we get to listen into. They are not casual conversations. You can sense the love, passion, and desperate emotions of the father in encouraging his son to walk the way of wisdom. He is pleading with him. He focuses here through chapter 9, not on the specifics of what one should do, but the character qualities that one should possess.
Although they are conversations between a father and his son, they are also communications between our Father and His children. When we see a father in Proverbs we should think of our Heavenly Father. When we see children in Proverbs we should think of us, the children of God, those who have repented and trusted Him for our salvation. When we see wisdom in Proverbs we should think of Christ.
The father says that you have to learn to listen to walk the way of wisdom. Listening is mentioned in every single chapter of Proverbs. Learning to listen, i.e. to listen right, is imperative. Listening as Proverbs defines it is listening externally and responding internally.
The voice you listen to determines the direction you go.
We are bombarded with thousands of voices. You hear a voice in every book, song, movie and friend. All are telling you of a different way to live. You can’t escape these voices even when alone. Our mind and flesh has its own voice. We must practice “discerning listening”. The father doesn’t shelter the son from these other voices. There is the perverse voice, the wicked voice, the idolatrous voice, and many others. All are the voice of folly.
The voice of wisdom is standing at the crossroads, warning and inviting.
The father tells his son that he:
1. Must hear what you have heard – Proverbs 1:8-9
The son here is obviously in a home where they took seriously the command of God in Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
Listen right. The father knows there are two kinds of hearing. He wants the son to outwardly hear and inwardly obey. The way to do this is not to close down all the voices. The way to do this is to tell them what they are going to hear and teach them how to discern. God commands all families to “homeschool”. Not necessarily science and math, but God’s instructions.
2. Must see the stupidity of folly – Proverbs 1:10-32
He shows here the plan, promise and path of the fool. Their plan always makes light of the things God takes seriously. Their plan always breaks down.
Proverbs 1:14 shows the promise of brotherhood and acceptance. They also promise life (Proverbs 1:12) and wealth (Proverbs 1:13). All of their promises (life, wealth and brotherhood) can only be fulfilled by God.
Proverbs 1:17 compares their folly to a bird. No bird watches a net and just sits there waiting to be captured. Even the small brained bird knows when danger is coming and flees.
Proverbs 1:18 is a re-statement of Proverbs 1:11. It turns their own words against them. They are ambushing themselves. They are dumber than a bird in that they don’t even see that their plan leads to their own destruction.
Proverbs 1:18-32 shows us that they are going to want wisdom at some point in their lives but they won’t get it. Proverbs 29:1 tells us that they will reach the point of no return if they continually ignore wisdom. Your heart hardens every time it is ignored. Folly always writes checks that can’t be cashed. If you listen to folly you are accepting fraudulent checks that can never be deposited. The promises can’t be fulfilled.
3. Must listen to the voice of wisdom – Proverbs 1:33
Christ can keep every promise He makes. His path always leads to life.
The plan of wisdom is always the plan to sanctify you, to make you like Christ. Proverbs 8:35-36; Proverbs 3:17, 23; and Proverbs 9:6 highlight and contrast the way of life.
The call of wisdom in this first chapter of Proverbs reminds us of Jesus’ call in Matthew 11:28-30. The offer of wisdom is always the offer of Jesus Christ. If you refuse to listen you will receive the fullness of the consequences of your decision.
What are the prevailing voices in your life? Who has your ear? Choose to immerse yourself in the voice of God – His Word.
Train yourself, through the constant reading and memorizing of the Word of God, to recognize the messages that you are hearing. If you are being bombarded with opposing voices, you must fill your mind even more with the Word of God. We must think carefully and critically about the messages that we are hearing every day. Satan is purposefully using the messages from media, friends, and culture to lead us down the path that leads to destruction. Therefore, we must moment by moment examine them and reject them. Every moment of the day, recognize that each choice you make is leading you down a certain path. Choose wisely and quickly, lest you be forced to eat the fruit of your wrong choices.
NOTE: These are my notes, taken as I listened to the sermon live. Any errors, misunderstandings or misinterpretations are my responsibility entirely and not the fault of the preacher.
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