On this final Sunday of 2023, I want to draw your attention to the zeal of the Lord of hosts. There is a great promise in these words that should create gratitude in our hearts as we look back on 2023 and hopefulness as we step into 2024. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Isaiah 9:7
TITLE: A Promise for 2024
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Promise That Got Us Here
2. The Promise That Will Move Us Forward

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This prophetic pronouncement of the birth and work of Jesus Christ was a promise that One would come and establish God’s kingdom in perfect justice and righteousness.”

“In His zeal—a combination of God’s burning jealousy for His own glory and His white-hot affections for His redeemed people—the Lord of hosts will accomplish salvation for sinners through His Son.”

“He has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to God and live in peace with God. The zeal of the Lord of hosts has done this! Fast forward; this promise is the only reason you and I are here. It is the only reason SGC exists. This promise is the only reason you have any hope as you say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. The zeal of the Lord of hosts has brought you here.” 

“Institutions come and go. Governments rise and fall. Cultures flourish and fade. Ideologies surge and subside. But God is building His church (Grudem), the community of all true believers for all time. In Christ, God inaugurated His kingdom, and now He is building His unstoppable church. It is unstoppable because the zeal of the Lord of hosts is doing this.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 4:4
Matthew 16:18

QUOTES:
Charles Bridges - “How overwhelming is the thought of this affection (zeal) possessing the heart of God—of the deep interest of His infinite mind in the progress of the kingdom of his dear Son—his thoughts engaged in it—his unsearchable plans embracing it, and controlling all the mighty moves of this world to subserve this main design! How solid, therefore, is the rock on which Christian ministry rests as the grand engine for the accomplishment of the purposes and promises of God.”

Kevin DeYoung - In his foreword to the book of the quarter, Christianity & Liberalism, “If there is one recurring theme throughout the book it is that the church of Jesus Christ cannot be sustained—and indeed was never founded—on doctrinal indifferentism. From the very beginning, Machen argues, the Christian movement was not just a way of life, but a way of life founded upon a message. “It was based, not upon mere feeling, not upon a mere program of work, but upon an account of facts. In other words, it was based on doctrine.”

Kevin DeYoung - “It is not enough to say what is true; we must also make clear what is false.”

APPLICATION:
Zeal is a passionate enthusiasm in pursuit of a particular objective. I want to give you three ways your pastors believe our zeal for the Lord should be expressed in 2024 and beyond. 

1. Grow in Sound Doctrine
   The Christian faith is built on truth. Living in a culture that has normalized turning truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth, we must be rooted in truth. We must remember we are not responsible for outcomes and fruitfulness. God calls us to faithfulness and obedience to the old rugged cross and the sound theology of the sacred writings. This is what the church needed in the first century; it’s what she needs today and what she will need tomorrow!

2. Grow in Appropriating and Experiencing the Gospel
   The Christian life is rooted in truth, but that doesn’t mean it is merely propositional; it is experiential. As believers, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, who is continually working in us to feel, think, and live shaped by the truth of Christ. The gospel is not just your “Sunday Best” but your everyday jeans and t-shirt. The gospel is not merely for our salvation; it is for everyday life.

3. Grow in Courageous Love for the Lost
   The truth and experience of the gospel are meant to be given away, not kept inside. The lost should experience our zeal for the Lord. The Great Commission is our divine invitation to join God in what His zeal is and will accomplish.

EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
Mark Prater Weekend - February 24th
Trey and Charlotte Richardson Marriage Retreat - Weekend of March 23rd
SGU Class: Doctrine of the Church - May

It’s here! A brand new year. As it begins, I pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for the abundant grace and goodness of the Lord in 2021. What the new year has for you, only God knows. But here’s what you do know as a Christian: Whatever role, season, or situation God has you in, nothing you do in 2022 will be more important than prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), preaching the gospel to yourself (Colossians 3:1-4), and reading the Bible (Psalm 1:1-3). 

For this reason, I encourage you to consider Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible reading plan. Mr. M’Cheyne was a nineteenth-century Scottish pastor. The Lord took him home just a few weeks before his 30th birthday. Though his life and ministry were short, his impact has lasted centuries, mainly through his annual bible reading plan. 

A foremost passion for himself and his church was reading the Bible with great intentionality and purpose. One gets a sense of this in his encouragement: 

You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a Psalm also; or if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an Epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the First Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel and pray, “O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man”; “let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly.” This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray.

Wherever you are in your bible reading, right now is a great time to start reading or rereading the Bible. And let’s do it together. Let’s talk about it on Sunday mornings in the lobby. Let’s share our time in the Word in the home, on the double-date, or that one-on-one coffee. In the hands of the Spirit, God’s Word is active and alive, transforming our hearts and lives to live another year in the good of the gospel and for the glory of our King!

For your convenience, I have included three ways (taken from The Gospel Coalition) you can join us this year:

1. Bible Reading Plan. Read the entire Bible according to Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s plan, which takes you through the entire Bible in a year (including the New Testament and Psalms twice). Download the PDF reading plan

2. Daily Newsletter. This daily email contains Don Carson’s devotional reflection, along with related articles and links to go deeper in each day’s Bible readings. Subscribe here.

3. Podcast. This podcast contains audio reading of Don Carson’s For the Love of God,a daily devotional commentary that follows the M’Cheyne plan: podcast (Apple | Stitcher | Spotify).

Happy New Year and Happy Bible Reading all year!

“Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you what you are.” - Iron Chef Japan

The world’s most coveted culinary title is BACK.

Sovereign Grace Church’s Iron Chef 2021.

Unexpected? It’s time to get used to the unexpected! Join us New Years Eve for this epic annual showdown. Show your audience - and the professional judges! - just what it takes to be a master of the culinary arts (or simply what it takes to make your dishes taste good with the unexpected surprise ingredient of caramel corn thrown in…thanks Pastor Derek!)

This is a great opportunity to invite family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, your favorite greeter at Wal-Mart - to compete or join us the audience! Snacks and plenty of fellowship will be included!

The Iron Chef positions fill up fast so mark your calendars, sharpen your knives, grab a sous chef, and be prepared to sign up in the church lobby on Sunday, December 12th.