GOD IS THE BANQUET AND THE BLESSINGS. It’s not something He gives that satisfies, that gives life, that gives strength, that gives delight. It’s Him. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Isaiah 55:1-13
PREACHER: Guest Pastor, Kyle Houlton
BIG IDEA: God invites the worst, offers the best, and guarantees the result.

POINTS:
I. God invites you
II. God invites them
III. God invites with certainty

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

“Even if you’re familiar with the Bible, Isaiah is a book that you might have tried to read on your own and came away with two thoughts: 1) “this is long” and  2) “I don’t get it”. But this is a book that, rightly understood, should amaze us. Here’s why: It’s a book that paints a picture of a nation undergoing catastrophic collapse. And though, at first glance, it looks like that collapse is happening because of the threats around them, we come to find that it’s occurring because of the compromise within them.”

“The first 39 chapters of Isaiah pronounce God’s just judgment on compromise. But. But. Starting in chapter 40, hope dawns. And in chapters 53-55, we’ve come to the utter climax of the book. 53 introduced us to the suffering servant – God’s redeemer who would uncompromisingly bear the penalty for compromisers. And then 54 opened the curtains on God’s Great Covenant he would make with His people – an uncompromisingly airtight covenant.”

“God has foretold His suffering Servant Redeemer. He has made a sure covenant. But who is invited to receive the benefits of the suffering servant? Who is invited into that covenant?”

“I know you’re all praying for and working toward a new church plant on the Eastside. Church planting is hard work. Slow at times. Grueling at times. Requiring sacrifice in many different forms. Both for the sending church and the church plant team itself. And in the process of church planting, questions begin to crop up: “Is this worth it?”. “Is God in this?”. “Will the outcome justify what it took to get there?” Isaiah 55 answers those questions.”

“Professionally, I work as a fundraising consultant to nonprofits. And I regularly find myself in conversations with nonprofit leaders about their upcoming charity galas. These galas are high-dollar, extravagant banquets. Hosted at the most luxurious resorts in Orange County. The price for an 8-person table can cost many tens of thousands of dollars. And in the planning process, as the invite list is being put together and reviewed, this one phrase is always said by someone: “we need the right people in the room”.  Now, what is meant by that? It means, “we need the people who can give the most money”.  Who is invited to charity banquets? The people who can spend the most money.”

This image was used in an article written on the day of Billy Graham’s death.

“The Covenant that God promises IS THE GREATEST banquet. It outstrips any event in human history, because it will last beyond history and is thrown by the richest benefactor of all. In verses 1-3 of chapter 55, the feast is described. In other words, the goodies, the benefits at the banquet. And it’s His very, very best.”

“So, if only the richest are invited to Orange County’s charity banquets, who in the world is invited to God’s banquet!? The … exact … opposite. Not the wealthiest. Not the most prominent. Not the best. Here’s the wonderful, glorious point of Isaiah 55: God invites the worst, offers the best, and guarantees the result.”

“We’re not ‘the right people’. We’re compromisers – who have nothing to offer God but our sin. And so are East Tucsonans. And the hope extends beyond just who’s invited. Listen to that phrase again: God invites the worst, offers the best, and guarantees the result. God guarantees His banquet will be everything it’s cracked up to be.”

“The first word, ‘come!” It’s the invitation. (Lots of commands in this verse). But in this verse, “come” appears four times. Clearly, this is God’s invitation composed by Isaiah on the stationery of Scripture. Two questions: 1) Who’s invited? 2) What is offered?”

“Those who thirst and those without money. The poor and the broke. Who are the poor and the broke? They’re people who have compromised God’s holy standard over and over and have become tired and have become thirsty for something better than this world can offer.”

“Friend. Is that you this morning? Broke and broken? Thirsty and dry? Come, buy the most expensive ticket with … no … money. Consider this: the poor and broke aren’t invited despite their poverty, but because of their poverty. Being poor and broke is the requirement for being on the invite list. If you think you’re spiritually rich; if you think you have any righteousness to offer to God that will get you in, you’re … not … invited!”

“[These are the ones] trying to live their best life and be their best self on their own, looking for satisfaction apart from God. But they’ve found it fleeting. And, at the end of the day, empty. Unfulfilled. So long as you’re self-sufficient and trying to be “the right person” to be in the room, you’ve lost your invitation.”

“Now, on the other hand, this is perplexing. Because the invitation still says, “come and buy”. The fee is not waived. The ticket must still be purchased. But not with your money because you have none. By whose payment, then? By the suffering servant’s of Isaiah 53 (READ 53:4-5). If you’re broke and thirsty, you are invited into God’s covenant because Jesus Christ, God’s suffering servant, paid your entry fee with His death on a cross. So, ‘Come. ’”

“What is offered? First, pardon instead of judgment (READ vv. 6-7). There’s a bit of a sense of risk in showing up to a banquet poor and thirsty, isn’t there? Showing up in your rags, you might be rejected. You might receive judgment instead of admission. But Isaiah assured us, on the basis of the Suffering Servant’s payment, there is no judgement to be found. Only pardon. Only compassion.”

“And then once you’re in… Three things: Water, Milk, and Wine. 
- Life (water)
- Strength (milk)
- Delight (wine) – beyond basic necessity. God intends your joy. Jesus paid for that joy. 
And it’s good and rich. The picture that’s being painted in front of you is the biblical picture of GRACE!”

“An invitation to those who don’t deserve an invitation, paid for by one who chose to pay your price, and given access to blessings far beyond what you could imagine. Isaiah 55 is one of the Bible’s most compelling pictures of grace.”

“Now, I want you to turn your attention to verse 3. This is remarkable. ‘Incline your ear and come to me.’ Verse 6: ‘Seek the Lord … call upon Him’. Up until now, it’s been ‘come to the covenant. Come to the place where this feast can be found.’ But Isaiah clarifies here. The invitation into the covenant is the invitation to God.”

“‘Come to me’- GOD IS THE BANQUET AND THE BLESSINGS. It’s not something He gives that satisfies, that gives life, that gives strength, that gives delight. It’s Him. Jesus paid the price to be reconciled to God. To be able to come near to God Himself.”

“It’s easy for our ears in 2025 to miss how astounding this is. The original reader would have immediately assumed that invitation of vv. 1-3 was to the thirsty and broke of Judah and Israel. But these verses reveal that when God says, “come” to His great covenant, He’s talking to anyone who’s broke and thirsty.”

“This isn’t just a sudden change of heart for God. The key is in the word ‘David’ in v. 3 and ‘witness’ in verse 4. Because in verse 3, Isaiah is making a reference to God’s covenant with David; a covenant to give him an enduring kingship. But by this point in history, David is dead. The promise of this enduring kingship is to a son of David. And this son of David, according to 55:4 will be a witness to the peoples and become their leader and their commander. In other words, He will extend His reign over the whole earth. And on this side of the cross, we know who that Son of David is. Jesus is that witness making the invitation to the poor and thirsty among all people. Jesus said in John 18:37, ‘For this reason I came into the world – to bear witness to the truth.’ Revelation 1:5 calls Jesus ‘the faithful witness.’”

“The ‘outside world’ is not invited to a soup kitchen or mere charitable handout. – Alec Motyer. They’re invited into everything we are! And don’t miss this. Our role in the inviting is not passive! Jesus makes the invitation, but then calls us to make the invitation as well. ‘You shall call a nation you do not know.’”

“Will we be dissatisfied until He has made a Covenant with East Tucsonans who today don’t know Jesus? Sovereign Grace Church of Tucson was invited to the banquet to invite your neighbors to the banquet. That’s a statement of purpose!”

“Why is it so important that we finish this passage? Because of a question that beats in the heart of every person who knows he or she is a hopeless sinner. If the worst are really the invitees … how can they be sure they’ll really receive all this? Even if God promises … is it really possible? True welcome? Satisfaction? Life? Strength? Delight? Pardon? Really? All of it?”

“In May, I went up to preach at our sister church in Pasadena – Sovereign Grace Pasadena, just about 40 miles north of Santa Ana. I asked the pastors if it would be considered disrespectful for us to drive through the Altadena community that had been burned just four months prior. They said, “No, we want people to see and to remember.” So, we spent an hour slowly weaving through the neighborhoods, heartbroken by the devastation. But at the same time, even in the most fire-blackened stretches, green peeked through … everywhere. Grass and flowers and seedling trees and new life carpet the Altadena community. How had new life so quickly emerged? RAIN. Rain brings forth life. Even in the driest climates. Even after the most devastating destruction. Here’s the point: God’s Word is as sure as rain on thirsty ground.”

“If and when God’s Word falls on a sin-charred heart that’s thirsty for God, it will bring forth fruit. As sure as the rain in Eaton Canyon in Altadena. God’s Word is His sovereign power.”

“If the hope of fruitfulness is proclaiming the Gospel to our neighbors - is in our own words, techniques, and abilities - we will be fearful of our neighbors’ responses. We will doubt they’ll actually turn and believe. But what if we were equipped with God’s Word? And what if God told us THAT word has the power to accomplish EXACTLY what He purposed it to accomplish?”

“As that Eastside community group goes into East Tucson, as you go into your own neighborhoods, as you engage with your unbelieving neighbors … you go with the power of God’s Word. Which will … not … return … void.”

“Friends, let’s go out and ‘call the nation unknown to us’ with confidence. Why? Not because of anything in us, but by the guarantee of the power of His uncompromising, irrefutable, incomparable, unconquerable, unstoppable word. God invites the worst from every nation by His Grace, offers the very best in His Son, and guarantees the result with His own Word.”

QUOTES:
John Piper - “Will we be satisfied that God has made a covenant with us to give us eternal life? Or will be dissatisfied until he has made a covenant of life with disciples from all the nations and peoples of the world?”

Alec Motyer - “It is logical to question whether the simplicity of ‘Come … Listen … Come to me … Seek … call … forsake … turn’ can really and effectively make people right with God? But it is not repentance that is effective, but the word of divine truth.”

APPLICATION:
Poverty and thirst: it’s how you get into the banquet. Those two qualifications continue to be essential qualifications in church planting. When you feel poor and thirsty – like you’re weak, like you have nothing to offer to get this thing off the ground, when your strategies aren’t working like you thought they would … and you come to the place where the only thing you have left to depend on is God’s grace - that’s when He works. If and when He saves East Tucsonans, it’s going to be by no different power than that which He uses to sustain you. And He IS inviting East Tucsonans.

“The nation that you do not know” - Northwest Tucson is “a nation you know”. The people in this church are a nation you know. This is a call to embrace discomfort and risk.  And the discomfort and risk will be worth it.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great You Are
Rise My Soul The Lord Is Risen
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
When We See Your Face
Come Praise And Glorify

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 3 - Brett Overstreet

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

This Psalm can be like meeting a well-known celebrity and not knowing it. This Psalm offers much more than what initially meets the eye. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 45
TITLE: A Pleasant Theme
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: Seeing the love of our bridegroom moves us to fresh affections for our  Savior.

POINTS:
I. The Groom is King and Messiah
II. The Glorious Princess is the Bride and Church

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

ILLUSTRATION: Queen Elizabeth not being recognized by tourists

“The subscript says this is a love song. The context is a royal wedding with all the normal and expected emotions and pomp we would experience at a King’s wedding. This is a  unique Psalm. There is no other Psalm like this one.”

“This Psalm is located at the beginning of Book 2 of the Psalms, follows some dark Psalms, and acts as a wedding celebration and a hint of future dynasty and victorious reign.”

“Structurally, the Psalmist speaks in first person in V. 1 and then at the end in V. 16-17, acting as bookends. Verses 2-9 address the groom, and V. 10-15 address the bride.”

“The Psalmist wrote this for the King. Whether it is sung by a choir or the entire  congregation, it’s clear that it is addressed to the King. NOTICE V. 1. Scholars can’t be sure which king the Psalmist might be addressing. What’s clear is that he would be in the Davidic lineage.”

“ NOTICE the author says his heart overflows with a pleasing theme. Overflow is like the author is stirred up or moved. A pleasing theme is literally “a good word.” The author is  stirred and moved and has this sense that he’s got a good word.” 

“The Psalmist is indeed writing about a pleasing theme. In fact, we’ll see he’s writing about the theme of themes. So his heart appropriately overflows.”

“A king, and especially the royal wedding in this Psalm, can be difficult for many of us to imagine. Apart from God’s active, illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, the natural mind has difficulty imagining the king, the primary object of this poetic love song.” 

“FIRST, we don’t live under a monarchy, have no day-to-day context for or about a king in our lives or American culture. So it’s difficult to imagine a royal wedding unless you are engaged with the gossip columns surrounding the British Monarchy.  SECOND, the king in this wedding would be part of the Davidic line of kings. There’s a certain weight and future promise attached. God had promised that the Savior would come from David’s line. Scholars aren’t sure if this wedding was Solomon’s or some other king, but all agree this love song, this poem concerning a royal wedding, would be for a king in David’s lineage. THIRD, it gets even more difficult because we will see clear evidence in the NT that this royal wedding involves not just a king in the family tree of David, but it points ultimately to King Jesus. The bridegroom in this wedding will emerge as King and  Messiah.” 

“So, let’s allow God’s Word, through this poetic song, ILLUMINE our minds and hearts – helping us to SEE & KNOW - knowing we have the Holy Spirit helping us.” 

“Verses 2-9 focus on the king. The Psalmist writes about his physical looks and his speech. He is handsome and skilled in using his words. Then in v. 3-4 he describes his military victories.”

“THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT CONCEALED. THE NEW  TESTAMENT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT REVEALED.”

“If V. 1 was a hint that maybe the author’s ‘pleasing theme’ has more to do with the future King of Kings, then notice V. 6. He doesn’t address him as King like in V. 1. He now calls Him God! To call an earthly king God would be blasphemous yet that’s what the Psalmist does.”

“So we have this paradox – The king is addressed as God, but God is his God. It’s clearly stated in God’s Word. But the best confirmation and clarity come from the NT. Hebrews 1:8- 9 shows us the Psalmist is speaking of another King.”

“The author of Hebrews is making the argument that Jesus is greater than any of the angels, and in that argument, he quotes Psalm 45:6-7 explicitly revealing that the text we’re looking at today refers to Jesus!” 

“Handsome – Our eternal bridegroom didn’t come to be admired for His physical attributes – His beauty goes far beyond being handsome. The king of kings/Messiah – our eternal bridegroom is the essence of righteousness. He hates evil, and God sent Him to come and die for our rebellion and evil against him.  He is victorious in battle – Jesus came from the glories of heaven to win the battle that you and I could not. NOTICE v. 6 – Your throne is FOREVER. God has made Him an eternal king.”

“If this royal wedding were to have been Solomon’s wedding, he could be regarded as one of the wisest kings known to man. But no one addressed him as God. No one addressed him as God, who had God as his God. This is a Psalm bursting the banks with OT language. The only fulfillment could be the future King of Kings, Jesus.”

“The romance, ceremony, a handsome king, a military conqueror, thrones, fragrant robes all in the context of a royal wedding – take on much more meaning when we see from holy Scripture it’s about our Savior Jesus Christ. Yet there’s another piece to this royal wedding scene. You don’t have a wedding without a bride.” 

“Verse 10 now addresses the bride. First, a three-part exhortation. The bride is called to hear, consider, and to incline her ear. The exhortation calls her to forget her former people and her father’s household. Positively, she is to bow or submit to her bridegroom who is also her king.”

“Remember, Jewish weddings involved a procession from one house to another. Notice in v. 13 she is glorious in her beauty, adorned with robes like we heard earlier about the King. In her multi colored robes, she is led to the king. This hints at the original wedding of God bringing Eve to Adam. There is joy and gladness as she is led in this procession to meet  her bridegroom and enter the palace of the king.” 

“Since we know the king here is fulfilled in Christ, this amazing picture emerges of Christ and His love for His bride the Church. If the OT is the NT concealed and the NT is the  OT revealed, then what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5 is another lens to understand some of the imagery we see in Psalm 45.”

“The bride gives up all allegiance to her prior people, father, and household, and fully gives herself – she bows to her new king. You and I, as Christians, are called to repent of our prior love for anything in this world and devote ourselves to Christ the King.  

As the bride “leaves” her prior “chamber,” so we leave our prior place and are led to our  King. There is joy and gladness not because an earthly king chose his bride but because the King of the universe left His place, His royal, perfect place of intimate fellowship with the Godhead, and came and died so create a way for His bride, the Church, to be led  into relationship with Him!”

QUOTES:
ESV Study Bible - “You Are a King of Beauty, Majesty, and Justice. These words speak to the king, praising him for his appearance and gracious speech, military power, and commitment to promoting justice for his subjects. These words focus the attention of a young king on the ideals he should hold for his reign and character. These are what lead to God’s  blessing for his people’s king, and to the king’s own respected position in the world.”

Derek Kidner - “This paradox is consistent with the incarnation but mystifying in any other context. It is an example of Old Testament language bursting its banks, to demand a more-than-human fulfilment.”

Christopher Ash - “Rather than try to twist the verse to make it plausible for an address to a historical Old  Testament King, it is better to see this as another indication that these Spirit-inspired words look beyond Old Testament history to the coming of the Messiah.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 1:8–9
2 Corinthians 11:2

APPLICATION:
Identity 
We are the bride of Christ. Let the affections we see in the bride/groom freshly stir up in each of us the glory of our new identity. This can be a powerful weapon in your sanctification – the expulsive power of a new  affection 

Ambassador  
For evangelism, knowing the love King Jesus has for His bride is a ‘theme’ or ‘matter’ of glad tidings all should hear – we are the aroma of Christ in this world. We bring an aroma as we live, speak, and do our deeds in a lost and dying world. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Be Thou My Vision
Our Song From Age To Age
The Steadfast Love of Christ
Turn Your Eyes
How Great (Psalm 145)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
GUEST PASTOR: KYLE HOULTON

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

What comfort and hope do I have, do we have, in the middle of the night (i.e. the repeated sufferings of this life)? We believe that one of the kindest things that your pastors can do for you is prepare you for the suffering that marks this life. It is for this purpose that we consider Psalm 16 today. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 16
TITLE: An Unshakable Calm in Jesus
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: God’s preservation of our life produces a beautiful contentment and an unshakable calm of our soul.

POINTS:
I. A Content Life (In Christ - Vs. 2-6)
II. A Calm Life (In Christ - Vs. 7-11)

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

“Until we step onto the golden shores of heaven, we will face trial after trial after trial. Ps 16, written by David, speaks into “the night” of life… into the trial that is this life, BUT it does not simply say “Hang on! Heaven is coming!” WHICH IS RADICALLY TRUE. Ps 16 speaks of a real and lasting and PRESENT hope and anchor for the soul.”

“Ps 16 begins with a cry for PRESENT help (that He would “preserve” us right now) and it grants us PRESENT help right now.”

“Are you happy today and rocked tomorrow? All seems well. The sea of your life is placid… and then… wave after wave. Don’t we long for calm? Don’t we long for rest? Isn’t this possibly our daily pursuit? And just when we think we have reached a ‘good’ stretch in life… things fall apart.”

“Yet today we find that God’s preservation of our life leads to an unshakable calm of our soul. There is a profound effect on our soul when our soul remembers and believes and grabs hold of the truth that God saves and guards the believer… preserving them forever… and the effect of that truth produces an unshakable calm in this life.”

“Verse 1 ‘Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.’ In the opening words in Verse 1, David calls out, ‘Preserve me, O God’, and the sense is that we sing-pray that God would guard and save our very lives. There is no specific or imminent threat mentioned because the Psalm is a cry for God to preserve us throughout our whole life! All the days of my life, O God, guard my life!”

“Following Verse 1, we have in Verse 2, ‘I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”’ David declares that the LORD is our Lord, and he acknowledges that anything truly good in this life is found only in and with Him, and nothing truly good is found anywhere else. That which is truly good is found only in one place: in God!”

“Now… we begin to see godly contentment take shape in our text. Verse 2 shapes biblical contentment.”

“First, contentment confesses that God is the Lord of our life! Second, contentment, biblically speaking, acknowledges that good is only found in God, and that is enough for me.”

“Contentment excludes our thinking that we have any goodness to bring and to add to God’s. Godly contentment is a deep satisfaction in all that is found in God alone and nothing else and nowhere else. Our greatest satisfaction in this life is in the Lord, and there is no lasting satisfaction apart from Him!”

“Our confession becomes: In you, Lord, is found only good. There is no evil in you, God, but only that which is righteousness and goodness. ‘Preserve my life, O God.’ ‘Guard my life, God. Guard my life in Your goodness.’”

“David now describes a people, God’s people, calling them saints. Here we have a description of God’s people in whom the king delights because they are God’s saints. And his delight in them is compared to those of Vs 4…”

“The saints… he delights in. These idolaters… (Vs 4b) He has no delight in but only disdain of their idolatry and silent rejection. They have turned “apart” (Vs 2b) from God and have run after another god in an attempt to find good, and pleasure, and joy, and satisfaction.”

“The altogether discontent people of Vs 4 do not find the good life they crave, but only that which multiplies and compounds sorrow! Their running from God to other gods leads them into a perpetual state of UNREST. Their discontent gifts them sleepless nights of the soul. Nothing satisfies them. No one satisfies them.”

“The craving of the human heart is to live the good life. Yet our sin and this world redefine what a good life is. Day after day, we wake up hoping it’s going to be a good day.
A good life is _______________?
…prosperity
… conflict-free free fruitful relationships
…health
…sexual fulfillment
…a full stomach”

“Psalm 16 teaches us an uncomfortable truth: If we look to anyone else but God and go anywhere else but God, “running after/acquiring other gods,” in the end, we do not get what we were looking for. Our searching, grasping, on-to-the-next-new-thing, ends only in our sorrow ‘multiplying.’”

“A lack of contentment in God is not simply going about our day, not thinking about him, but our discontent has lead us to turn to another god - an impatient, insatiable desire that is looking for the next high, for the next sense of feeling good/ok/angst-free… going everywhere… anywhere… to anyone… but God.”

“Discontentment is not satisfied by adding this fix to that fix. Discontentment itself multiplies, and discontentment with God, leads to trouble and sorrow that only MULTIPLY.”

“BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS! Recalling Vs. 2, “LORD, you are my Lord. I have no good apart from you.” We now come to the part of the Psalm that shapes a beautiful satisfaction of the soul. Let these words sink into your soul.”

“Here, in the words of Verses 5-6, is a PLACE. That place is the LORD himself in the words of the “promised land” Using these words: my chosen portion, my cup, my lot, my lines. The marking of the place where God is AND where he isn’t. A place that God has drawn the borders… therein is my pleasant places. Therein is my beautiful inheritance. Therein is our beautiful satisfaction. (Outside of the place, there is only mounting unhappiness and unresolved grief.)”

“[The contented person] has found satisfaction. He has found rest in his soul. A contentment with God, and a satisfaction in God, that leads to rest… a rest for the soul. Godly contentment leads to a godly calm in our lives, no matter what may happen.”

“The contentment of the soul is anchored in a deep trust in God, and taking us somewhere… into a deep calm of the soul.”

“And this remains true in the night - there will be sorrow, but not only sorrow. The reassuring counsel that God gives “in the night” brings a calm rest to the soul. The reassuring instruction “in the night” of our hearts that are informed by the promises of God brings a calming security to our soul.  Vs 9: My heart can be glad, my whole being can rejoice, my flesh also can live SECURE.”

“Yet, how is Vs 10 possible? Read with me Acts 2:22-32.”

“Now we find that Psalm 16 is Messianic - It has been leading us to see the Promised One of Israel - Jesus Christ!”

“Hear our Lord’s voice as He speaks the words of vs 5-6. Our Savior was given a ‘chosen portion and… cup’. In the Garden, Jesus falls to the ground… The lines of His lot were drawn (had “fallen”) for Him and His lot included a cup that was almost too much to bear - the Cross!”

“The cross of Christ and His resurrection, as revealed in Verse 10, lead to dwelling with glad hearts and living in a confident calm as described in Verse 9. Even our flesh will dwell securely knowing that death will not leave us in the pit to rot forever but will, in the twinkling of an eye, come alive forevermore!”

“Even in death - THE true nightmare in the night… my soul can be reassured!  1 Thes 4 - in death - HOPE because of vs 10 - the hope of the resurrection grants and leads us into a calm reassurance in Christ!”

“An Unshakable Calm is possible RIGHT NOW in the midst of sorrow and grief. It will see us through the night and into gladness and rejoicing. Understanding the wrath of God is satisfied at the Cross of Jesus leads to this unshakable calm of our soul.”

“Jesus will not be abandoned to hell. Jesus will not see the corruption. In Jesus, we will not be abandoned to hell! In Jesus, we will not see the corruption!”

QUOTES:
Jerry Bridges - “The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. He believes God will indeed meet all his material needs and that He will work in all his circumstances for his good. …The godly person has found what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.”

Thomas Brooks, The Transcendent Excellency of a Believer’s Portion above All Earthly Portions - “A Christian knows that death shall be the funeral of all his sins, his sorrows, his afflictions, his temptations, his vexations, his oppressions, his persecutions. He knows that death shall be the resurrection of all his hopes, his joys, his delights, his comforts, his contentments.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 13:32-39

APPLICATION:
Set the Lord always before you. DON'T GO ANYWHERE ELSE. Go to Him. Don't go to another God. All that awaits there is sorrow multiplied!

GO to the Cross of Jesus and see him there! Don't go anywhere else
- When all seems ok… set Him before you
- In the night, when all hell seems to be breaking loose… Don’t go anywhere else. Set the LORD before you!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Glorious
Hallelujah What A Savior
O My Soul Arise

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 45

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

Righteousness and Peace come together in Jesus our King and Priest! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 110
TITLE: Jesus, Our King and Priest Forever
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Jesus has become our King and Priest, so we freely give ourselves to Him and His kingdom.

POINTS:
I. Jesus, Our King (Vs. 1-3)
II. Jesus, Our Priest (Vs. 4-7)

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

“As a people, we have a problem with kings.”

ILLUSTRATION: Google search of AI “No Kings Day”

“It sounds like we don’t like kings. But 1 Samuel 8 tells a very different story… we crave kings… we love kings… we love kings that give us what we want. The people demanded “Give us a king to judge us.” and God told Samuel to give them what they want. They ‘have rejected me from being king over them.’”

“We have a problem with kings. But in Psalm 110 we have been given a King… the very King that we desperately need!”

“Psalm 110 has the following Structure: Biblically, an oracle is a divine message from God Himself that is spoken/written by a man (in this case, King David) to the hearers/readers (that would be us)
Vs 1 - A Divine Declaration - followed by
Vs 2-3 The Explanation
Vs 4 - A Divine Declaration -  followed by
Vs 5-7 The Explanation”

“Verse one says several things: 1. ‘The LORD speaks to my Lord:’ (Capital letters and then lower case letters)”

“David hears what no man ever deserved to hear. Yet YHWH permits it. He permits a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record what should have been a ‘secret conversation’.”

“And we know that this clearly is Jesus as we look into what is next: 2. ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’.”

“First, the phrase ‘sit at my right hand’ is seen elsewhere in Scripture, like Ps 45, 1 Kings 2, Matt. 25, and combined with ‘footstool,’ we discover that this is enthroning in honor and majesty and in victorious triumph as seen in Joshua 10:24-25 - where the commanders of the army would place their feet on the necks of defeated kings. Vs. 2 adds further emphasis to this Kings rule as ‘The LORD sends forth from Zion [His] mighty scepter.’”

“The word ‘until’ in this second part of verse 1 makes it clear that this King’s rule over his enemies has begun, but will, one by one, put His enemies underfoot - on their neck - in a final glorious and righteous act of judgement - His victories will be completed! Vs. 2 will describe His rule as ‘in the midst of your enemies!’ It is ongoing with end-times certainty of victory over every single last enemy of God and His saints. He is the King at war now, anticipating the day that enemies are finally his ‘footstool’.”

“None other than Jesus Himself alludes to and directly quotes Psalm 110:1, asserting He is the one whom David spoke of. Jesus’ words are recorded in the 3 synoptic gospels. [below]”

“If Jesus said that what David wrote was in reference to himself, Jesus’ testimony would be sufficient! …and, yet, adding to the sufficient self-witness of Christ, the witness of Scripture goes on in Acts 2:29-36 (Peter says that this is Jesus).”

“After a little of study who David is calling his “Lord” in Ps 110:1, it becomes abundantly clear that “my Lord” is the Messiah. David’s Lord is Jesus Christ, the Son of God!”

“Psalm 110 makes much of Jesus. Psalm 110 is lifted up higher and higher by Scripture itself. And this Psalm preaches Jesus… Jesus who is the Lord… the King who sits in power over all!”

“Verses 2 and 3 provide further explanation of this King's rule. We find in verse 3 that God’s people FREELY offer themselves up for their King in these battles that are being waged. In “holy garments,” they are dressed in honor of their King.”

“‘From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.’ The last part of Vs 3 is a bit more difficult to interpret, but likely means those who honor and give themselves to the King are doing so with a daily renewed energy for the fight and honor.”

“Something amazing is now spoken to Jesus our King. God speaks again to His Son. He declares an irrevocable oath to His Messiah King - ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’ Jesus, Our King is also Our Priest to God - and He will represent us to God. He intercedes for us. HE is our King who is being represented to us. HE is our Priest who represents us to God.”

“Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 make it clear that this priest, Melchizedek, was before the law. He was not making intercession to God under the law… He was a type and foreshadowing of Jesus, the greater King and Priest of Psalm 110 that would usher in a better and eternal covenant.”

“According to Hebrews 7:2, his name means king of righteousness and being from a town called Peace, he was the king of peace. - Melchizedek was the king of righteousness and peace!”

“Righteousness and Peace come together in Jesus our King and Priest! In Psalm 110:4, God is declaring that a GREATER priest than that of Levitical priesthood… completely outside and greater! - Jesus, my Son, who is on My Throne forever is Our GREAT HIGH PRIEST forever!”

“Sinners cannot approach a Holy God without a mediator, without an intercessor, without a priest that brings a bloody sacrifice as offering to God as a sign of atonement for their sin. The whole priesthood, tied to the law that proved our guilt, was put into place to teach us, to reveal God’s Holiness and our sinfulness. There is no other way for sinners to come near a Holy God.”

“So, the priest represented us to God through the daily sacrifice. OVER AND OVER AND OVER Hebrews 10 describes this daily sacrifice as a shadow (a sign) of what was to come. In fact, the act of these priests could never remove our sin.”

“Our original hope was tied to the Law of the Levitical Priesthood, yet in the end, sinners like us were hopeless without forgiveness! BUT, now eternal hope is being prophesied in Psalm 110 and FULFILLED in the coming of our GREAT HIGH PRIEST - JESUS! And He, under His new and better covenant, brings us in His righteousness before God! Our KING and PRIEST became Our Lamb that shed His blood for our forgiveness and eternal peace!”

“We desperately need Jesus Our King-Priest, because of the wrath of God.”

“In our fallen condition, we seek to be our own mediator, but we need someone who will bring us before God in righteousness. We believe that we don’t need a King-Priest. This will lead to our destruction. We both willfully will not see and blindly cannot see apart from the power of the Gospel to open our eyes to our King and Priest, Jesus. YET, our application is first found in Vs 3 [Read Vs 3 with me]. Willing and Freely (there is a Gladness in our response to King Jesus)”

QUOTES:
C.H. Spurgeon - “Jehovah said unto my Adonai: David in spirit heard the solemn voice of Jehovah speaking to the Messiah from of old. What wonderful intercourse there has been between the Father and the Son! From this secret and intimate communion spring the covenant of grace and all its marvellous arrangements. All the great acts of grace are brought into actual being by the word of God;... How condescending on Jehovah’s part to permit a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record his secret converse with his co-equal Son! How greatly should we prize the revelation of his private and solemn discourse with the Son, herein made public for the refreshing of his people I Lord!”

John Calvin - “Having the testimony of Christ that this psalm was penned in reference to himself, we need not apply to any other quarter for the corroboration of this statement…”

Martin Luther - Psalm 110 “is the very core and quintessence of the whole Scripture. No other psalm prophesies as abundantly and completely about Christ.”

Dane Ortland - “Christ is your king, representing God to you, but he is also your priest representing you to God.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 22:41-46
Mark 12:35-37,
Luke 20:41-44
Who is Melchizedek?: Genesis 14, Hebrews 7

APPLICATION:
1. We need Jesus, Our King, because we were made for Him.
2. We need Jesus, Our Priest, because He is holy!
The height of our pride leads to believe that we don’t even need a king. (“we are a government of the people”… or better yet a government of me). What in the world is a monarchy anyway? Who needs that? In our fallen condition, we cannot see that we are in the battle for our lives, our eternal lives. We were made for THE King. Yet, in our sin (1 Samuel 8:7), we reject God as our king and we demand a temporary earthly king who will get us what we want. Worse, we live as if we are the king over our own lives, and everyone around us is our subjects.

Q. We see Christ as King, but what is the importance of having Him as our priest? Why do we even need a priest? Why do we need this HIGH KING and PRIEST? Answer: Because of Verses 1 and 5-7! The King reigns and is coming in just, righteous, fury, and wrath upon all His enemies (sinners). Without this Priest-King (of righteousness and peace), we are justly “shattered” and crushed. We need a righteous Priest to bring us before the righteous King!! Death is demanded. Blood is called for and requires a priest… a mediator… an intercessor between us and God.

Knowing that we belong to the King of Heaven (turning away from our self-ruling and away from the kingdom of darkness) Vs. 3 - We freely offer ourselves as willing sacrifices for our King and Priest Jesus out of worship of Him for He sacrificed Himself for us.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Behold Our God
Your Great Name We Praise
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
From Everlasting (Psalm 90)
Before The Throne Of God Above

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 16

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

If Jesus is what we need most, and according to Jesus, the Psalms are about him, then we need to know where to find Jesus in the Psalms. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Luke 24:44
TITLE: Seeing Jesus in the Psalms
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. Jesus is the Righteous Sufferer in the Psalms
II. Jesus is “the Lord” of the Psalms
III. Jesus is the Ultimate King in the Psalms

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

ILLUSTRATION: Where’s Waldo search path optimization

“Whether you’re a Where’s Waldo fan or not, I have good news this morning. You don’t need to create a search path optimization to find Jesus. Jesus tells you right where he can be found. In a critical moment of sorrow, doubt, and confusion, Jesus brought clarity by showing [the disciples] himself in the Psalms. In essence, Jesus is saying—the Psalms are about me.”

“Today, minus the algorithms and big data, I want to show how we find Jesus in the Psalms. The Psalms are about Jesus. And if Jesus is what we need most, and according to Jesus, the Psalms are about him, then we need to know where to find Jesus in the Psalms.”

“A constant theme in Psalms is suffering. Psalm after psalm, we hear the voice of suffering. It’s a big reason we are drawn to the Psalms. We can all relate to suffering.”

“Most of the time, that voice belongs to David. But whoever the voice belongs to, there are a handful of commonalities:

• In contrast to their enemies, they are seen as righteous

• As dark as their prayers get, they are filled with unshakeable hope

• Their prayers reveal a faith-filled expectation, a confidence that God will vindicate them in the end”

“These are the prayers of those who suffer as sinners should suffer, but in their suffering, they look to God as a righteous person should.”

“But there is only one truly righteous person. There is only one person whose suffering is truly unjust. There is only one person whose confidence in God is unshakeable. Jesus Christ is the Righteous sufferer in the Psalms, not because of or for himself, but for us.”

“Example 1: Acts 2:25-31—When Peter explained the resurrection and vindication of Jesus in his great sermon in Acts 2:25-28, he quoted the hopeful words of the suffering king in Psalm 16 to show that David was not referring to himself but to Jesus.”

“Example 2: Nowhere is Jesus as the righteous sufferer of the Psalms more clear than in Psalm 22, which starts—My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Not only are the incomprehensible horrors of God’s wrath poured out on Jesus at the cross revealed, but Christ’s vindication through his resurrection is revealed in 22 when Hebrews 2:11-13 says the words—I will tell of your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you, words spoken by Jesus—are a fulfillment of a to a victorious Jesus.”

“We could go on and on—Psalm 6, Psalm 69, Psalm 18, Psalm 31—over and over, the Psalms prophetically point us to Christ as the ultimate Righteous Sufferer.”

“Over and over, the Psalms say something of God that the NT attributes to Jesus, particularly as the one who rules and judges the world. It’s paradoxical. The one who in his full humanity had to learn the Psalms as a boy is, in his eternal divine nature, “the Lord” of the Psalms appointed to be the Judge of all as King of kings and Lord of Lords.”

“Psalm 94:1 describes the Lord as the God of vengeance who will one day give his enemies what they deserve. When Paul impresses the importance of sanctification and the pursuit of holiness in 1 Thessalonians 4, he says in 6 that Jesus himself is the Great Avenger of all things.”

“Psalm 7:9 and 26:2 talk about God as the one who tests the minds and hearts of people and judges their works. Of course, John wrote in Revelation 2:23 that the risen Jesus declared to the church in Thyatira that HE is the one who searches the mind and heart and judges them by their works.”

“The clearest passage that reveals Jesus is the Lord of the Psalms is in Hebrews 1, where the author quotes Psalm 102—read 102:24-27.”

“What a tremendous celebration of the eternal nature and purposes of God. Creation is wearing out and fleeting, but He stands unchanged by time, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Behold your God!—Now turn to Hebrews 1:10-12.”

“In a letter meant to show the supremacy of Jesus in and over all things, the author identifies Jesus as the Lord of Psalm 102, who created all things and one day will roll all things up like a garment as the unchanging Lord of the universe.”

“In a world filled with injustice, this truth applies every day. We must remember we’re not in heaven yet. We can and must trust the Lord with people and situations that seem unfair or unjust, knowing the Lord of the Psalms will return one day, and when he does, he will bring ultimate and final judgment, making all things right.”

“David, the loudest human voice in the Psalms, was God’s chosen King for His people. But when we read the Psalms we find another king, a future king, a greater king.”

“Psalm 110, Tom’s text next week, is one of the foremost messianic texts in the OT. It is also the most quoted psalm in the NT.  The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool…(5) The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. Jesus quoted these verses In Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20 to show the Pharisees the authority,  greatness, and ultimate kingship of the messiah, even over David.”

“In each of those gospels, just a few chapters later, Jesus quoted Psalm 110 as an indirect affirmation to the high priest’s question—Are you the Christ, the Son of God? In Acts 2:34-35, Peter connects Psalm 110 to the gospel. Four times, the writer of Hebrews connects Psalm 110 to show Jesus as the supreme prophet, priest, and king. Paul repeatedly alluded to Psalm 110 in places like Romans 8:34, 1 Corinthians 15:25, Ephesians 1:20, and Colossians 3:1 to show that Jesus is seated at God's right hand. Simply put—Psalm 110 is about Jesus as the ultimate king in the position of cosmic power at the right hand of God.”

“This is why we should love the Psalms. Not because they are relatable but because they are redemptive. Not because they are poetic but because they are prophetic, pointing us to our living and lasting hope in the King of kings, Jesus Christ.”

“Kings make decrees. Jesus, the King of kings, Lord of lords, the innocent suffering one, has said the Psalms are about me. Look for me in Psalms.”

“If you want maximum benefit and fruit from the Psalms this summer, we all do—look for Jesus. You don’t need a search path optimization chart to find him. He’s there on every page as the Righteous Sufferer, the Ultimate King, and The Lord. Not because of original language or the NT writers say so, but according to his own words—These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled—Luke 24:44”

QUOTES:
Hans-Joakim Kraus- “If the prayer language of Israel expresses the collective troubles, the sufferings of those forsaken by God, which far transcend the specific destiny of an individual, then, according to the testimony of the early church, it is Jesus alone who fulfills this claim. He not only identifies himself with all the suffering that finds expression in the Psalms uttered in the presence of God, but also he alone is the servant of God, in whose life and death are fulfilled all the sufferings of all those who cry out in prayer. He alone is able to take upon himself the indescribable totality of what it means to be forsaken by God and to be far from his presence.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 12:2-4
Psalm 2
Acts 13

APPLICATION:
Don’t settle for David’s suffering. Everyone suffers. Suffering is an inescapable reality of living in a fallen world. One way we deal with suffering is by finding comfort and hope in the examples of others who have suffered (2 Corinthians 1:4). But human experience is not the ultimate answer, even a man like David who suffered well because he always allowed his suffering to lead him to God. But we cannot settle for David’s suffering as our hope. Be it your own suffering or the suffering of others, look to the One who suffered beyond what you will ever suffer for you.

Take time this summer to study NT quotes and allusions to the Psalms. As a pastor, I love a good commentary. But the Analogy of Faith says Scripture best interprets Scripture. The NT is the best commentary on the Psalms. Make it easy. Start with the footnotes in Bible. There are four or five just on Hebrews 1 alone.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Thou Fount
My Redeemers Love
The Wonderful Cross
God Of Every Grace
Glorious Christ

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 110

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

Today, we want to present three reasons why you should bother with the Psalms for another summer. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Ephesians 5:18-21
TITLE: Why Another Summer in the Psalms?
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. The Psalms Promote Godliness in Our Lives
II. The Psalms Teach Us How to Engage with God (prayer and praises)
III. The Psalms Connect Our Lives to Christ

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

“Of course, the ultimate answer to the question—Why another summer in the Psalms?—reaches far beyond pastoral goals. We are spending another summer in the Psalms because they are essential to a healthy, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled life that pleases and glorifies God. So much so that the NT, as we just read, assumes the Psalms would be central to the individual believer’s life and the church's corporate life.”

“We just spent the last five weeks talking about sanctification. We are being conformed to Christ as we pursue holiness in the power of the Spirit. Godliness is the point of the broader context of Eph 5 and Col 3. In both passages, Paul exhorts us to live for the glory of God. “

“Ephesians 5

• Paul begins Ch 5 by saying—Be imitators of God

• In 2, he exhorts us to walk in love as Christ loved us

• Then, in 3-15, Paul says to resist sin by walking in the light

• All this is summarized in 15-17 when Paul commands us to reject foolishness and pursue what is wise in the eyes of the Lord.”

“Colossians 3

• In 1-4, we are told to set our minds on or identify with Christ.

• Then Paul says go to war with your sin in 5-11

• In 12-15, Paul says killing sin isn’t the end; pursue righteousness”

“Both texts go on to describe what characterizes a Christian household. But before they do that, they put the psalms in the center of the activity.”

“Teaching, admonishing, singing, and addressing one another with the Psalms. The Psalms are so much more than an inspiring verse of the day that makes us feel better without demanding much from us. They offer us the perspective, wisdom, and hope we need to live godly lives pleasing to the Lord. The psalms are the very voice of God comforting, edifying, instructing, and exhorting us to godliness.”

“Psalm 128 teaches a husband and wife the key to a healthy marriage is fearing the Lord. Psalm 46 comforts the anxious soul with God’s sufficiency and trustworthiness in times of trouble. Psalm 14 warns the young person against worldly ambition. When I was in secular workplace, Psalm 73 instructed me how to fight greed and view worldly success and all its sparkle: But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went to the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end—Psalm 73:16-17.”

“The Psalms encapsulate the whole of Scripture, God Himself bringing us into a deeper understanding of what He is like and what He desires from and for us.”

“Eph 5:18—Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. Paul exhorts us to pursue the power of the Spirit daily and to live under no other influence but the Spirit in every aspect of life. In Col 3:16, Paul exhorts us—Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly. The word dwell means to be at home. In other words, we are to give the gospel and God’s word unrestricted access and freedom in our hearts. Like telling a guest our home is your home, truth should feel right at home in our hearts. In one sense, Eph 5 and Col 3 are two different exhortations. But ultimately, they are getting to the same matter, which Christopher Ash describes as “A rich and full indwelling of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, given by the Spirit through the word of Christ.”

“More than mere commands, these exhortations remind us that as God’s people, we are Spirit-filled people. And as Spirit-filled people, we exist in an intimate relationship with God. And he desires that we engage with Him.”

“So it’s no surprise that in Eph 5 and Col 3, Paul immediately exhorts us to the Psalms. Why? Like no other book in the Bible, the Psalms reveal God being engaged by His people, particularly through their prayers and praises. We learn how to engage with God in gratitude and hopefulness even in our most desperate moments in Psalm 13—How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? And yet it ends—I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

“From beginning to end, we learn how to engage with God from a genuine and grateful heart in good times and bad times, in tragedy and triumph, in loss and gain.”

“One reason we love the Psalms is that they portray human emotion in such a relatable way. But the Psalms do more than portray emotion; they show us how to express our feelings. The Psalms turn our prayers of desperation into life-giving praises, not by manipulation or threat but by presenting our reality according to God’s character and purposes.”

“The psalms also teach us how to engage with God through praise and worship. Over the years, I have learned so much from reading, studying, and meditating on Psalms like 145-150 about my liberty to worship God as He desires to be worshipped, from the heart with exuberant, faith-filled, joyful expression.”

“Simply put, the Psalms are God saying—Pray to me this way. Praise me this way! Engage with me this way!”

“Colossians 3:16 says—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly—How?—teaching and admonishing one another—with what?—in part, with the psalms. Whether studying the Psalms, teaching the Psalms, or singing the Psalms, the Psalms enrich our understanding of a Christ-centered life.”

“We will take a closer look at this next week, but briefly:

- The Psalms reveal our need for Christ inherently.

• Who can truly be the Psalm 1 person? 

• Who treasures and keeps all God’s commands as Psalm 119 says it should be treasured and obeyed?

• Psalm 49:7 says—Truly no man can ransom for another, or give to God the price of his life—no one but Jesus that is. 

In life, there are some things we should never do alone. Chief among them is approaching the Psalms. Never go to the Psalms without Jesus—The Perfect Man!

- The Psalms link us to Christ intimately.
David's physical and spiritual struggles are unique and, at the same time, ordinary. He had his place in time and calling in life. But sin, temptation, sorrow, and suffering are the same today as yesterday. Whether it’s the fight of a downcast soul for hope and faith in Psalm 42, the humility to bow one’s heart in repentance in Psalm 53, or courage in the valley of the shadow of death in Psalm 23, the Psalms draw our hearts to Jesus as our all in all.”

“Why another summer in the Psalms? They connect us to Christ, teach us how to engage with God, and promote godliness.”

QUOTES:
Hans-Joakim Kraus- “This reminds us that the Psalms are not the aimless expression of an emotion-filled faith and that in the Psalms we do not hear human voices raise to express noble thoughts but rather the voice of God Himself who speaks in His Spirit to human hearts, to exhort and comfort, to instruct and assist.”

John Calvin - “They will principally teach and train us to bear the cross…so that the afflictions which are the bitterest and most severe to our nature, become sweet to us, because they proceed from Him.”

Gary Millar - “The psalter as a whole provides us with the most detailed and sustained treatment of how God’s people can, should, and must call on Him.”

Christopher Ash - “When the charismatic movement swept across British and North American Christianity in the 1960s, one of the sad consequences was the loss of proper emotion in some conservative churches. In reaction against errors in parts of the charismatic movement, in which emotion became disordered emotionalism, those who defined themselves as conservative or classical evangelicals sometimes retreated into a spiritual life with very little emotion. This was a strange historical anomaly for those whose forefathers had been nicknamed "enthusiasts," and it meant that a young Christian in a conservative church might look across the street at the emotion of a charismatic church and wonder, by contrast, if his or her own church had room for emotion at all. The Psalms show us how to develop strong and godly affections—and indeed, fierce and healthy aversions as well. They train us to avoid both the unpredictable reefs of error and the deserts of a dusty orthodoxy. For the Psalms perfectly combine thought and feeling, theology and prayer, longings and realism, the subjective and the objective.”

Deitrich Bonhoeffer - “Whenever the psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure is lost to the Christian church. With its recovery will come unexpected power.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 5:19
Colossians 3:16

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
He Is Our God
Jesus Paid It All
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
When We See Your Face

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Luke 24:44 - Finding Christ in the Psalms

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

Our hope of being like Christ tomorrow compels us to live like Him today! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: 1 John 3:2
TITLE:   No Higher Destiny
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Our hope of being like Christ tomorrow compels us to live like Him today!

POINTS:
I. Our Reality Today
II. Our Promise for Tomorrow

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

ILLUSTRATION: Sabbatical as fuel to work hard

“The principle is central to our daily sanctification. John is writing this letter to give assurance—5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

“In this section, he builds their assurance around their current sanctification and God’s future promise of their glorification. If I had to sum the message up in one sentence, it would be this: Our hope of being like Christ tomorrow compels us to live like Him today!”

“What sustains and compels us to abide in Christ with faith, joy, and obedience as our cooperation with the Spirit’s sanctifying work? Far more powerful than a temporary sabbatical, the answer is—Our hope of eternally being like Christ.”

“Our text begins with an identity statement—We belong to God. By faith in Jesus, we are the adopted children of God. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t achieve it. God was under no obligation to make us His. He would have been perfectly just to leave us in our sins and under His eternal judgment. Instead, He mercifully gave us the privilege of spiritual adoption, sonship, and heavenly inheritance. His activity toward us is summed up with one word in 1—See what kind of LOVE the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

“God’s amazing love is the basis of our sanctification. Through the gospel, we are living expressions of the OT promise to Abraham progressively revealed through the patriarchs, kings, and prophets of Israel and ultimately focused and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Loved by God as His very own children, we are called to live as members of the holy and heavenly family of God. We live as God calls us because we belong to God as His beloved children.”

“We’ve had some great application in this series. Tim’s questions last week were beneficial. But when we humbly apply from the heart what we’ve been taught, we aren’t just applying principles; we are reflecting our true nature in Christ.”

“Before we had hope in Christ, we only loved sin. But a fruit and effect of our union with Christ is that we are learning to hate our sin and love righteousness because it’s in our new nature. As it says in 2:29—there’s only one explanation for those who love and pursue righteous living—they must be born (nature) of God. So, we say progressive sanctification is simply becoming who we already are.”

“I want to care for those who have sat through this sanctification series yet you are discouraged by your current progression in holiness. There are sins you doubt you will ever overcome. Instead of conviction, condemnation fills your heart. TAKE HEART! If your hope is in Jesus, you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit is at work in you, and you are becoming more like Jesus.”

“If that’s you, pray, thanking God for forgiving you when you fall into sin. Ask God to restore your delight in His ways and your hope in the Spirit’s preserving power so that it fuels your perseverance.”

“As beloved children of God, the Holy Spirit is progressively making us more like Jesus Christ through our daily trials, suffering, and obedience. But like a good infomercial, John says—Wait, there’s more!”

“John says there are things we don’t know about Christ’s appearing. But this we know: At his return, something amazing beyond amazing will happen—We will see Jesus and become like him. It’s the remarkable promise of glorification for all who have been justified (Rom 8:30).”

“We already belong to God. We are already being made in the likeness of Jesus. That’s our reality NOW, and it’s an inexplicably wonderful reality. But the future—the NOT YET—holds something infinitely better for us. We will see Jesus, and in the twinkling of an eye, we will become like him. In the words of Anthony Hoekema—perfect and total likeness to Christ, and therefore to God.”

ILLUSTRATION: Xander excited to show me artwork

“What gets you excited in life? If not this, then the gospel is not functioning as it should in your life. Jesus became like us so we could become like him. Nothing can compare to what awaits every Christian when Jesus finally appears in glory. We will see him, and in seeing him, we will become like him in every way.”

“Think about the promises and implications of those passages: 

• No more sin (desire/ability)

• Sickness and suffering, weakness and weariness, disease, and death—gone (imperishable)

• Our knowledge of God, which will be continual but never complete—free from error  

• Our worship of God—unhindered with undiminished joy”

“On the day Jesus returns and our faith becomes sight—we will become like Him. We will never become him. Our personal identity will remain forever. Jesus will always be the God-man; we will always simply be man. Jesus will always be the Saving One; we will always be the saved ones. Jesus will always be the worshipped one; we will always be the worshipping ones. Jesus will always be the Lamb who was slain; we will always be the ones for whom the Lamb was slain. But, we will share in his glory, reflect his glory, and proclaim his glory perfectly in every way.”

“I tried to think how I could explain or illustrate the link between seeing Jesus and immediately becoming like him. But I can’t, except to say such is the power of seeing our glorified Savior in his true majesty. We will see Jesus, and the effect of seeing the One who is, according to Hebrews 1:3, the radiance of God’s glory and exact imprint of His nature will be an immediate and complete transformation into who we were created to be.”

“This is our ultimate and eternal destiny, and there is no higher destiny in the universe. What did you want to be when you grow up? Who do you want to be like? I went through phases. First, it was Fonzie then John Elway, and now I just want to be like Tim. God has so much better for His people!”

“God has made us His, justifying us by faith in Jesus. Now, His Spirit is sanctifying us, transforming us into the image of Jesus. His target is the heart, His instrument is His Word, and His means is the church. All this with one great goal—Our glorification to the eternal praise of His glory.”

QUOTES:
Wayne Grudem- “Glorification is the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own.”

John Piper - Jesus’ presence is what makes heaven, heaven

Anthony Hoekema - “When our sanctification will have been completed, we shall be wholly like Christ in his glorification. Then we shall not only see him face to face, but shall totally and undividedly live to the praise of the glory of his grace without end.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 15:49-52
Colossians 3:4
Philippians 3:20-21
Revelation 21:4

APPLICATION:
Christian, there is no higher destiny and no greater promise! How often do you think about it? If you’re like me, the answer is not nearly enough. There is so much to think about and do every day. Life is full of temporary and ultimately insignificant distractions. Here’s our application:

Distract yourself daily with the promise of heaven

• Spend time in the texts we visited today

• Don’t be afraid to imagine heaven with your sanctified imagination

• Read Randy Alcorn’s In Light of Eternity

• Take care lest there be an unbelieving heart in you by filling it with the promise of heaven

• Encourage others with heaven

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
All Creatures Of Our God And King
How Great (Psalm 145)
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
Help Us See Christ
When We See Your Face
God Is For Us

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Ephesians 5:18-21 - Why Another Summer in the Psalms Matters

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

With the weightiness of Israel’s example, knowing Jesus is greater than Moses and the towering warning in V. 7 drawn from Psalm 95, the author of this passage in Hebrews is going to WARN,  ENCOURAGE AND CHALLENGE the people reading this letter and you and I with two action items that will serve as our two points. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: Hebrews 3:12-13
TITLE:  Sanctification Practices
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: The gospel gives power for believers to intentionally pursue and practice sanctification.

POINTS:
I.  THE PERSONAL CALL TO CARE
II. THE CORPORATE CALL TO EXHORT

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

“…with serious Biblical history behind the author’s letter and with a small band of believers struggling to persevere in the faith, the author gives some God breathed out words to the struggling believers and to us today.”

“Once again, God’s Word targets the heart. TAKE CARE. The action here is to take care.  To persevere you will need to take care.  Take care is defined as … you guessed it, guarding your heart.  Once again, we see God’s wisdom through another Biblical author targeting the heart of the believer.”

“LEST THERE BE IN ANY OF YOU AN EVIL, UNBELIEVING HEART. We are to personally care for and guard our hearts.  Guard from what?  From unbelief or as the author says – guard yourself from an evil, unbelieving heart. God calls us to personally guard our hearts from the worst of all situations.  An evil, unbelieving heart. God does not waste words in the Bible.  He uses two words here that are synonymous.  Evil, unbelieving heart.”

“Take a close look at Israel’s example then compare to your personal experience and if you’re honest, unbelief – or actively believing untruths about God can quickly creep in.  We are to TAKE CARE that this doesn’t happen. Taking care means to seriously guard your heart on what you take in and what you begin to believe.”

“For every believer, the enemy is sin. It’s not the American moral decline over the past two generations.  Is it the garbage that’s on the TV these days?  Is it the public school system polluting our children?  No, the greatest threat to you in persevering in God’s truths, guarding your heart is what Chris Lundgaard in our book of the quarter says “the enemy within.” Your greatest enemy to your faith is not out there, it’s your own heart.”

“Theologians call it REMAINING SIN.  We’ve heard that in the gospel the PENALTY OF SIN has been removed.  We’ve heard that Christ’s work on the cross has removed the POWER OF SIN to rule our lives but we’ve also learned that progressive sanctification is working in our lives until we have the PRESENCE OF SIN removed at glorification.”

“PC ILLUSTRATION w Mike Bullmore.  Church, the call to personally care, to personally guard what you believe about God is absolutely the wisdom of God to fight our chief enemy.  EVERY SQUARE INCH OF YOUR GROWTH IN SANCTIFICATION WILL BE HARD FOUGHT.”

“REMAINING SIN is our biggest enemy.  This letter is written to Christians.  The original audience is believers struggling to trust God at His word.  To persevere in the midst of trouble and persecution. The author doesn’t draw their attention to external realities but to calls them to personally care and guard their hearts.  REMAINING SIN is the enemy within.”

“LEADING YOU TO FALL AWAY FROM THE LIVING GOD. So we are to take care, why? Here’s the warning.  Look at the 2nd part of V. 12.  An evil, unbelieving hearthas consequences.  You must personally take care, guard your heart because there are serious consequences. What’s the worst case scenario?  An unbelieving heart leads you to fall way from the living God.”

“The gospel saves and sanctifies.  The Cross is sufficient to preserve us.  As we learned last week, God’s word is sufficient.  By God’s grace, He breaks the penalty and power of sin.  He gives us His word.  He gives us His Spirit to take up residence.  He also gives us one another.  This is the other tool the author points their attention to. Our practice begins personally, but then moves to a Biblical call to help you guard your heart.”

“V. 13 We are to exhort one another every day.  There are approximately 100 uses of “one another” in your Bible.  59 of them are in the context of living together as God’s children.  The practice of guarding vs. indwelling sin involves relationships, personal relationships.”

“EXHORT means to warn, encourage and correct.  The context here is the local Church.  You can’t EXHORT another person and fulfill this part of your sanctification by attending a conference once a year.  You can’t benefit from God’s grace through people in your local Church if you watch the Sunday sermon at your home.   In our Church, we prioritize Sundays and give ourselves to smaller, Comm Groups to build relationships and position ourselves to EXHORT ONE ANOTHER.”

“Specifically in our text the call is to EXHORT one another, every day.  This magnificent, Christ-centered letter is written to a Church, a group of believers at risk of drifting away.  Just like you and I at times are at risk, so is the recipients of this letter.  After calling them to TAKE CARE, now the author warns them to exhort one another every day.”

“This aspect of your sanctification takes some work.  The call here is to personal relationships, trusting relationships.  It’s a call to build relationally, invest in relationships.”

“You must know people and they need to know you if you expect any sanctifying fruit in EXHORTING one another. EXHORT one another EVERY DAY.  That is why God has ordained the local Church to be that place for proximity to others – proximity for doing the ‘one another’s.’”

“To EXHORT means to warn, encourage and correct.   Our relationships in the Church should be filled with consistent and regular encouragement to each other.  I hope we are a Church that is growing in both looking for and communicating to people encouraging evidences of God’s work in a person’s life.  Looking for it AND encouraging people.  That’s one aspect of EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER.”

“EXHORT also means to warn or correct.  That’s not just the job of your Pastor’s or your CG leaders.  When was the last time you called a brother or sister in the Church and asked “hey just wondering what’s going on cuz I haven’t seen you in CG for a while?” Do you love your brother or sister enough to inquire about something you’ve heard or seen that may be sinful or a distraction in their relationship with Jesus?”

“When you hear us use the phrase “living out life together” think WE’RE CALLED TO EXHORT ONE ANOTHER.  Hopefully that’s in a relationship where you’re bound together in mission, you know each other at some level. You won’t find this in an online Bible study. The para Church ministry falls short when compared to a local Church that gathers each Sunday in person, Comm Groups, outreach events, like pop up pizza stands or going out on a Sat morning to talk to our neighbors about an invitation Sunday or when you consider the times you’re together for birthdays, baby showers, Forge/Woven events, etc.”

“AS LONG AS IT IS CALLED TODAY. Israel had their now but not yet. Every Christian alive today lives in the now but not yet. As long as it is Today, we are called to exhort one another. But notice what the end of V. 13 says. READ IT. So that none will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. God’s wisdom.  God’s why.  We are to exhort one another – daily – not because this is nice religious activity.  No, this is the wisdom of God to guard us from the deceptive, hardening effects of sin.”

“Sin is subtle and deceitful.  That’s why we can drift so easily. That’s why our hearts can slowly but definitely get hard toward the things of God.  For example, your appetite for God’s Word isn’t the same as it was year ago. Your love to gather with your Church has slowly and gradually diminished.  Your conscious slowly gets insensitive to sin.  Confession is without sorrow.  Gradually, you are no longer amazed by grace.  You see, sanctification is actual growth in God-likeness.  You become more and more like Jesus.  You’ve been DECLARED righteous by God, but now, by His grace, the work of the Spirit and His Word, you actually become more holy, more Christ-like.”

“This is all done and lived out with loving brothers and sisters who are on mission together with you- your local Church.  Why do we need others?  We don’t see all we need to see.  We don’t detect when our hearts get hard.  We don’t notice that we are resistant to repentance. In most cases we are blinded to our blindedness!! That’s why we need each other.”

CREAM CHEESE IN THE MUSTACHE ILLUSTRATION

“I will believe my own lies.  I will have a flattering assessment of myself. Assume some things.  Assume you have cream cheese on your mustache.  Assume others see it.  Assume they are reluctant to say something.”

QUOTES:
Paul Tripp- “Personal insight is the product of community.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 10:6
Hebrews 3:7
James 4:1
Galatians 5:16–17
Ephesians 4:29
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

APPLICATION:
Q. How do you take care of your heart?  How do you regularly stir up affections for Jesus?

Q. What is your commitment to Sunday’s gathering?  How much do you guard your Community Group schedule?  The local Church is God’s tool to put us in proximity with one another.

Q. Have you ever intentionally reached out to a CG member, friend or spouse and given them permission to tell you that you have cream cheese on your mustache?

Take some time this week and re-examine how you guard Sunday gatherings and Community Group times in your calendar.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Reformation Song
Our Song From Age To Age
A Christian's Daily Prayer
Show Us Christ
As You Go

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Goal: 1 John 3:2

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

The Holy Spirit, God's manifest presence in the world, takes people who have been transformed in Christ and progressively transforms them to Christ through the Word of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
TITLE:  Transforming Words for Transformed People
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God's Word is God's words for our sanctification

POINTS:
I.  God's Sanctifying Word
II. The Word's Sanctifying Work

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

”(16) All Scripture is breathed out by God. This is an astounding claim—God speaks to us. Think about that—the God who…speaks to us.”

“God has been speaking since the beginning of time:
- Creation
- Adam
- To and through Moses (Ten Commandments)
- Through the OT prophets—Thus saith the Lord
- Through Jesus, the living Word of God.”

“Now, to the degree God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, the Bible is the fullness of God's self-revelation, telling us what He is like, what He has done, what He desires, and what He has promised.”

“What does breathed out by God mean? It means God breathed out (expire) His words into (inspire) the minds and hearts of chosen writers to reveal precisely what He wanted to reveal about Himself and His purposes, not as robots, but through their personalities, abilities, and experiences. Theologically speaking, this is inspiration, the work of the Holy Spirit that ensures the writers wrote precisely what God intended.”

“What does all mean? Paul and Timothy did not have the whole canon of Scripture—Paul's reference to the sacred writings in 15 references the OT. But the NT itself, and its writers, affirm that all Scripture means the Old and New Testament.  In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter calls the writings of Paul Scripture. In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul quotes the words of Jesus as Scripture. Paul even speaks of his own words as the commands of God in 1 Corinthians 14:37. All means the whole Bible, the 39 books of the OT and the 27 books of the NT as originally written, every word and part is entirely and equally breathed out by God.”

“God's Word is God's Word. This is the basis for what Paul says next.”

“In 14-15, Paul reminded Timothy how the Scriptures made him wise for salvation. His point is that the Scripture reveals our need for a Savior and who that Savior is. In this way, the Bible is a powerful means by which God brings people to salvation. But Paul also points us to the Word for sanctification. In 10-12, he talks about living and continuing to live a godly life in Christ. How? (14) by continuing in the Word of God. That's the language of sanctification. If we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, how do we know, where do we go to learn what that looks like?”

“God knows exactly what we need, even more than we do. It’s right here (Bible). His promises fuel our perseverance in godliness. His commands put us back on the right path. The examples of His people that went before us affirm our faith and strengthen our hope. The Bible is God's primary tool for transformation in our lives. Jesus himself affirmed this when he prayed for his disciples after he was gone: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth—John 17:17”

“The Word of God is profitable. Or, given the fact that the Scriptures are God-breathed and make us complete, we could say even stronger—they are sufficient. What is God's Word sufficient for? Paul mentions four things that fit in two categories.”

“The context Paul was speaking into was Timothy's battle with false teachers. So Paul tells Timothy—(16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof. The Bible is the only true source for teaching sound doctrine. Whatever doctrinal books you enjoy learning from, they must be rooted in the Bible. Why? Because the Bible alone is breathed out by God. Not the church fathers’ writings. Not the systematic theologies. Not the creeds and catechisms. Those books deepen and broaden our understanding of God's Word, but God's Word alone is sufficient to teach us sound doctrine.”

“That makes the Bible our best ammunition for—notice what Paul says next—reproofing or rebuking the false teachers and preserving sound doctrine. This is why just a few verses later in Ch. 4, Paul tells Timothy to fight the false teachers and protect the church by doing one thing—Preach the Word!”

“Doctrine is critical if God is progressively sanctifying our hearts. Wrong doctrine leads to wrong living. So Paul's progression is intentional.”

“The word correct means to straighten out. It implies the same idea of reproof only in regard to behavior. God's Word straightens out our behavior. It puts us back on the right track, which is righteousness. In this way, as Paul says, it trains us in righteousness by correcting us and showing us the right path. The truth is we don't drift to straight, i.e., God's ways. But God is merciful, and in His deep love for us, He uses His Word to turn us right-side up when our sins turn us upside down. This is precisely what Scripture teaches: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and Spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart—Hebrews 4:12”

“The author of Hebrews reminds us that we can't escape the Word. Acting as God Himself, it exposes us. It reveals our hearts. It has its way with us, exposing and correcting our hearts. Scripture sanctifies by guarding our hearts: How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word….I have stored up your Word in my heart Psalm 119:9, 11”

ILLUSTRATION: Psalm 1 man like a healthy tree planted by streams of water

“It pleases and glorifies God to work through the means of His Word as we give ourselves humbly to preaching and personal time in the Bible, praying and trusting the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds so we can understand, treasure, and obey His Word and become more like Jesus, the true Psalm 1 man.”

“This is the effect in 17. In a phrase—Spiritual Maturity. In a word—Sanctification. Capable for all that our Savior has for us and calls us to, foremost, living a life of godliness.”

“Are you confident in the power and sufficiency of God's Word for your Holy Spirit-empowered sanctification? You should be. We all should be because God's Word is God's words for our sanctification.”

QUOTES:
SGC Statement of Faith - “As we devote ourselves to God's Word, we commune with God himself and are fortified in faith, sanctified from sin, strengthened in weakness, and sustained in suffering by his unchanging revelation in Scripture.”

Sovereign Grace Catechism, Question 61 - “How do we grow to be more like Christ? A) Compelled by grace and dependent upon the Spirit, we joyfully devote our lives to God and his purposes, striving for holiness in every area of life. The primary instruments for our sanctification are the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship, which train us to glorify God, love others, and testify to Christ in the world.”

Charles Spurgeon - “This volume is the writing of the living God; each letter penned with an almighty finger, each word in it dropped from the everlasting lips, each sentence was dictated by the Holy Spirit…Everywhere I find God speaking; it is God's voice, not man's; the words are God's words, the words of the Eternal, the Invisible, the Almighty, the Jehovah of the earth…The Bible is a letter from Him, and we prize it beyond the finest gold.”

SGC Statement of Faith - “All of Scripture is breathed out by God, being accurately delivered through various human authors by the inspiration and agency of the Holy Spirit. We therefore receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament as the perfect, infallible, and authoritative Word of God.”

Charles Spurgeon - “The prayerful study of the Word is not only a means of instruction, but an act of devotion wherein the transforming power of grace is often exercised, transforming us into the image of him whom the Word is a mirror.”

John Stott - “Let the Word of God make you a man of God! remain loyal to it and it will lead you on into Christian maturity.”

Kevin DeYoung - “Sanctification will be marked by penitence more than perfection.”

APPLICATION:
1. Study and memorize passages that deal specifically with your besetting sins.

• Anxiety

• Greed

• Lust

• Gluttony

• Bitterness

• Impatience

Learn to ask yourself—What does the Bible say about that? 

2. Live in the indicative as you pursue the imperative

• Paul's pattern

3. Prioritize putting on righteousness—This not that

1. Colossians 3:5-17

2. Ephesians 4:25-32

3. Romans 12-14

4. Park in Proverbs
John Calvin said—Scripture contains a perfect rule of a good and happy life. You want a good and happy life? Park in Proverbs! It's a treasure for sanctification because it corrects and trains us in godliness for so many areas of life in a joyful and hopeful way. 

5. Read the Bible with a contrite spirit (Isaiah 66:2)
Repentance is a primary mark of the Spirit's work of sanctification because it's the pathway to genuine growth.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
His Mercy Is More
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Church: Hebrews 3:12-13

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

The heart is the center of our being. The heart is the real you as you really are. There is a connection between who we are on the inside and the lives that we lead. Whatever fruit we produce is rooted in the true condition of our souls. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: Luke 6:43-45
TITLE:  Sanctification - It’s About The Heart
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: God’s target in his gracious work of sanctification is the heart.

POINTS:
I. Sanctification - God’s target is the heart
2. Sanctification - God’s desire is a good heart

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

”Last Sunday, we began a five-part series on Progressive Sanctification. Progressive Sanctification is the process described in Scripture whereby God is progressively freeing us from sin and making us more like Christ.”

“We learned that the earthly Christian life is lived out between two realities: conversion and death, and in between is a life of Sanctification that begins the moment we are saved and ends the moment we die. Sanctification is at the heart of everyday life for Christians, making it a big part of our lives together as a church, from personal fellowship to CGs to counseling.”

“Each week, we will unpack one aspect of Sanctification: 
( TODAY ) God's Target—The Heart
God’s Tool—His Word
God’s Means—His Church
God’s Goal—Our Glorification.”

“A sanctified heart produces a sanctified life. Jesus’ words to those gathered to hear some of the most important words regarding the nature of man and their desperate need for a savior! We are going to unpack this and find that THE matter Jesus now raises is IT’S ABOUT THE HEART.”

“Look again with me at verses 43 and 44. Jesus, using a horticulture illustration, reveals something about the heart of men and women that is simple yet profound. Your heart is a rooted tree that “bears/produces fruit (good or evil).” The Root of the person is the Heart. The Fruit is how we live, what we think, believe, and do.”

Illustration - the Bottle of Water. “What is inside is who we are (our hearts) - situation hits - and “we” (our hearts) spill out.”

“The heart is the center of our being. The heart is the real you as you really are. There is a connection between who we are on the inside and the lives that we lead. Whatever fruit we produce is rooted in the true condition of our souls.”

“There is no disconnect between our hearts and our actions. Sadly, we don’t see that the two are inextricably connected… after saying something ugly or hurting someone, we say, “That’s not who I really am. You know my heart.” Christ says the opposite: What you do and say, IS who you really are, because it comes from the very nature, root of who you truly are.”

“Look with me now at the end of Vs. 45 - Jesus declares: ‘...for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.’ Let’s take a moment and consider how our mouths reveal what our hearts are really like.”

“Of course, God wants our hearts, but we have to see that something is wrong, and we tend toward trying to fix it ourselves. [REMEMBER THESE TRUTHS FROM LAST WEEK’S SERMON]
Hebrews 12:14—We are to strive for holiness
2 Peter 1:5—We are to make every effort to grow our faith 
1 Timothy 4:7—Train yourself for godliness
1 Timothy 6:12—Fight the good fight of faith by fleeing unrighteousness and pursuing righteousness”

“1. Fruit Stapling is a futile (the temporary fruit will rot and the bad fruit will produce)
2. Fruit Stapling is self-deceiving (we blindly believe that this will actually work and will bring lasting change)
3. Fruit Stapling is deceptive to others (we deceive others into thinking that all is good when it’s not)
The problem is that the tree root is bad. The problem is the heart, and a bad heart will never bear good fruit.”

“Examples of our ‘fruit stapling’:
In Counseling and discipleship, we at times bypass the heart problem (the heart/root sinfulness of idolatry, evil desire and cravings, selfishness, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, self-worship, fear, worry, hatred, idleness, stealing, deception, greed) and we staple fruit on - ‘giving more,’ deleting apps, doing something nice for someone, smiling more, leaving a love note, turning off the TV earlier in the evening…
In parenting, we stop short of the heart problem (the dishonor, disobedience, selfishness, anger, loving the world, demanding their own way… and our provoking them wrath, our rage, impatience, ) and we staple fruit on - now go hug your little brother, give him your toy, be nice, say your sorry, ‘is that the way you are supposed to talk to mommy,’ … ‘I’m sorry I raised my voice son’ we effectively give them miniature pruning clippers and cute little staple guns and small bucket of staple ready apples. All the while, never getting the problem of the heart, and wondering why we continue to produce bad fruit. Wondering why when our kids get older, they wander off into the world.”

“God desires your heart bearing true everlasting goodness. He desires holiness. He wants men and women after His own good heart, in the likeness of His precious and holy Son, Jesus. Just look back a few verses in Luke Chapter 6: Vs 27-31, 35, beginning with LOVE and capping it all off with ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.’”

“The doctrine of regeneration is glorious in that God, in love, calls a people to himself whose hearts cannot and will not be good, and births in us new hearts, empowered by the presence of the Spirit. Beginning with this new birth of new hearts, God begins the ongoing process of a full renovation of our hearts - His glorious work of sanctification. It’s glorious because He gets what He desires, a people with good hearts called by His glorious name, now being made holy to glorify Him forever.”

“The Cross of Christ changes EVERYTHING and has the power to restore, forgive, and redeem any situation. It is HERE at the cross that THE heart work in God’s sanctification is done. We bring the heat/situation to the cross. We behold the Son of God bearing ALL situations and sinful actions and responses on Himself, turning away the wrath of God by receiving it Himself. Through faith, our heart of stone becomes one that can change and is willing to change.”

“That Good News remembered and applied day after day is what changes you. Application of the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit and the daily promised grace brings about this change.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 15:18
Ezekiel 36:25-27

QUOTES:
Philip Graham Ryken - “...we all produce the kind of fruit that is in our hearts to grow. The heart is the center of a person’s being—the real you as you really are. Jesus said that a good life comes from a good heart, whereas an evil heart inevitably produces an evil life. There is a living, organic connection between the people we are on the inside and the lives that we lead out in the world. Whatever fruit we produce—whether good or evil—is rooted in the true condition of our souls. We can only produce the kind of spiritual fruit that it is our nature to produce.”

Paul Tripp (Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands) - “Pretend that I have an apple tree in my backyard. Each year it buds and grows apples, but when the apples mature, they are dry, wrinkled, brown, and pulpy. After several years, I decided that it is silly to have an apple tree and never be able to eat its fruit. So I decided that I must do something to ‘fix’ the tree. One Saturday afternoon, you look out your window to see me carrying branch cutters, a staple gun, a step ladder, and two bushels of Red Delicious apples into my backyard. You watch as I carefully cut off all the bad apples and staple beautiful red apples onto the branches of the tree. You come out and ask me what I am doing, and I say proudly, ‘I've finally fixed my apple tree!’ What are you thinking about me at this point!? It is clear that if the tree produces bad apples year after year, there is something wrong with the system of this tree, right down to its very roots. I won't solve the problem by stapling apples onto the tree. What will happen to those new apples? They will also rot because they are not attached to the life-giving roots of the tree.… The problem with much of what we do to produce growth and change in ourselves and others is that it is nothing more than ‘fruit stapling.’ It is a "sin is bad, so don't do it" view of change that doesn't examine the heart behind the behavior. Change that does not reach the heart rarely lasts; it is temporary and cosmetic.”

APPLICATION:
Q. What does the fruit reveal about MY life?
Q. What comes out of MY mouth?

Q. What does a good heart in God’s eyes look like?
Galatians 5:22-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Root, Fruit, and the Gospel Illustration and Model to Apply to Life’s Situations
1 - Heat/Situation- What happened? Who was involved? What was the effect on you?
2 - Bad Fruit- How did you react/respond? What have you said and thought?
3 - Bad Root (1st Tree) What do you want, fear, or believe? What lies are you believing about God, yourself, and others?
4 - Consequences - What are the results and consequences of MY sinful response?
5. The Cross (2nd Tree) - At the cross, Jesus paid the price for all of our sins and forgives us an immeasurable debt of sin. He sacrificed His life for us and saved us even when we were enemies. He reconciles us (former enemies) to Himself. How does this reality affect your circumstances and your heart? Will you turn from the lies you have practiced and believe? Will you believe the truth of the Gospel?
6. Good Root (3rd Tree) - What truths do you now believe about God, others, and yourself? What hope do you now have in this situation? What does Scripture now encourage you to desire, fear, and believe?
7. Good Fruit - The LOVE of God is shed abroad in your heart, molding it into a Heart of LOVE that now is able and willing to cover a multitude of sins. You now believe and trust God. You believe that He has power to change others. Forgiveness, humility, servanthood, goodness, burst forth.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Come Praise And Glorify
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119)
The Steadfast Love of Christ
O Great God

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Word: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon