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

deacons meeting

Our deacons, Scott McLeod and Bob Rabe, meet with Derek quarterly to plan and review the ministries in our church. Please pray for them as they meet on Saturday, January 20th!

regional Pastors & Wives Retreat

The pastors and their wives will be attending the Sovereign Grace Church’s West Region Pastors and Wives Retreat from January 25th to the 27th. Please pray for your pastors, Derek, Tim, and Tom, and their wives as they travel to California to be cared for along with other Sovereign Grace Church pastors in the West Region.

spiritual gifts seminar

SAVE THE DATE! Mark Prater will be at our church on February 23rd & 24th for a weekend seminar on Spiritual Gifts.

Mark has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania (our sister church) since 2002. He also serves as the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches.

Registration information and details to come!

marriage workshop

Another exciting weekend seminar coming up: a Marriage Workshop with Trey Richardson on March 22nd & 23rd!

Trey serves as a pastor at our sister church, Center Church, in Gilbert, AZ. His primary responsibilities have most recently been counseling and overseeing men’s and women’s ministries at Center Church.

More details to come!

sgu spring 2024 unit

Our next Sovereign Grace University (SGU) class will be in May!

SGU is a discipleship class focused on theology and this spring we will be going over THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH. Registration and more details to come.

Check out previous class materials and lectures HERE!

“Judges:Christ in the chaos” preaching series

In October we began a 22-week series in the Book of Judges. Judges is ugly, violent, and depressing. Yet, in all the chaos, we see God powerfully at work as He faithfully and patiently sustains His people and points us forward to our Savior.

If you have not received your FREE copy of the ESV Scripture Journal on the book of Judges, you can pick one up at the Information Center.

In the 22 words of this passage, we find a treasure trove of truth meant to move our hearts and minds to more profound wonder and awe at our God and Savior. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:12-30
TITLE:   From An Oxgoad To A Cross
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. A Mystery Setting
2. A Mystery Identity
3. A Mystery Deliverance

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Shamgar is a man of mystery. As suddenly as he appears, he disappears. Every judge gets at least two verses, some 3 or 4 chapters. The only other place Shamgar is mentioned in Scripture is in Deborah’s song in Ch. 5. Everything we know about Shamgar is in this one verse. But we also know God doesn’t waste words.”

“Regardless of how much ink and paper he gets, Shamgar matters because, like Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, and others in Judges, God called and chose him to be His people's Savior. In these 22 words, we find a treasure trove of truth meant to move our hearts and minds to more profound wonder and awe at our God and Savior.”

“As the book of Judges progresses, we will see the Philistines were a terror for the Israelites in keeping control of the Promised Land. But for now, Shamgar restored Israel’s peace and rest established with Ehud’s victory in the East. That brief history lesson is meant to take us somewhere. This obscure text is a clear reminder of the beautiful reality at the core of Christian faith and hope—heaven. Heaven is the place of perfect and unbreakable peace and rest for God’s people.”

“God used Shamgar in an emergency to keep the Philistines at bay, thus keeping His people at rest. In this way, Shamgar points us to Christ, in whom you are entirely out of the reach of Satan’s threats of eternal condemnation.”

“[His] description leads us to believe that Shamgar was an outsider. Isn’t that interesting? Israel is so destitute spiritually that she can’t save herself. Whatever Israel had going for them, economy, military might, you name it, they were so given over to idolatry, immorality, and sin that they needed someone else to save them.” 

“God is the hero. Shamgar, a gentile who carried the name of a pagan God, wielding an unconventional weapon to do what Israel could not do for themselves, was used by a faithful and all-powerful God to save His people. Shamgar was an unlikely deliverer sent by God to defeat an undefeatable enemy in the most unlikely manner.”

“Despite Shamgar's heroic feat, he could not ultimately deliver Israel. Samson had to fight the Philistines. Saul had to fight the Philistines. David had to fight the Philistines. Did you catch it says he ALSO saved Israel. So many saviors, but none of them could ultimately deliver Israel from the enemy. Why? Because the greatest enemy is not out there; it’s in here. It’s sin.”

“We may read Shamgar’s story and think it’s pure foolishness—One man killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad?! But the Bible says the most foolish weapon of all is a cross. A cross where all our sins were nailed, placed upon a divine and sinless Savior, so that all who have faith in him could have total forgiveness of sin, abiding righteousness, and unbreakable peace and rest with God. This is the mystery of mysteries unlocked for us by the Spirit and given to us by divine grace and mercy—From An Oxgoad To A Cross!”

“Shamgar’s story is meant to infuse our hearts and minds with fresh wonder and awe at our Lord and Savior.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Timothy 3:16
Romans 8:1, 33-34
Romans 8:7-8
Luke 2:11

QUOTES:
Barry Webb - “In Shamgar, we catch a glimpse of unbroken rest. He prevented the eighty-year rest that Ehud won for Israel from being disturbed by a Philistine incursion, and like all the deliverances won by Israel’s judges that is a signpost on the way to something greater—a rest in which there will be no need for emergency action to keep the enemy at bay.”

David Jackman - “We are prone to domesticate the awesome power and majestic authority of God to fit into our little minds and pockets. We still want to control the omnipotent, to predict the infinite. We feel more comfortable that way. What we do not realize is this is a quick route to spiritual disaster. Unless we recover a healthy fear and awe of the inscrutable power and sovereignty of God, we shall end up as idolatrous as everyone else.”

APPLICATION:
One day in heaven, not even Satan’s threats will exist. Only unbroken rest and peace forever with God and His people. This is what makes Christianity so hopeful. We have hope in this life, yes, but it’s the glory, majesty, and wonder of life to come in the presence of God and Christ and all His saints that fuels our perseverance in this life. What area of life do you need to apply heaven to?

Here are the questions I want us to ask ourselves: 

• Even though you can’t fully fathom it, are you still amazed that God mercifully chose to save you out of millions lost?

• Even though you don’t always see it, do you still wonder at the infinite power of God at work in your life, generously giving you all you need for life and godliness? 

• Even though you can’t fully grasp it, does it still leave you in awe that as unfaithful as you are to God every day, He remains forever faithful to you? 

In all its mystery, the story of Shamgar goads us to draw near to our Savior in humility and repentance and hope that we can live every day with greater awe and wonder of our one and only Savior—Jesus Christ.   

As we step into this new year, it is your pastors’ desire to pray for you. We know that some are suffering physically, are gripped by discouragement and sorrow, at times tempted toward sin, under attack from the enemy, battle condemnation, and need wisdom and hope for the future. In what follows, hear our heart for you.  

First, hear Paul’s prayer for the Church in Ephesus from Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV):

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

Now, hear our heart and prayer for you:
Father, as we head into this new year, we are thankful to you for our precious Church. Even as the faces and names of these saints come to mind, we are overjoyed with the knowledge that you are already at work in each one of them. Lord, be merciful and heal the sick and encourage the discouraged. Lift up the souls of the faint and brokenhearted. Move sinners into repentance. Lead us into everlasting joy in you

Holy Spirit, may our church know that you are at work in their “inner being so that Christ may dwell in” their “hearts through faith”. Strengthen, purify, and grow our church by your presence and work in their lives. Strengthen their faith, reminding them of the everlasting love of Christ. Fortify them against the enemy. Keep them anchored in the truth of your word and its sound doctrine. Exalt the Son of God, Jesus, and empower the Church to heed his command, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (Acts 2:40 ESV), and empower them to watch their lives and doctrine closely according to your word (1 Timothy 4:16 ESV). 

Jesus, thank you for your undeserved atoning sacrifice on the cross for your Church. May your church grow in our knowledge of, our need for, and our joy in you. Send us to this world with this good news and make disciples. When we gather, may our worship, singing, and encouragement of each other be our overwhelming happy response as we exalt your name. We ask all of these things in your name, Jesus.

Paul ends his prayer with these words in Verses 20 and 21: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. AMEN.”

— Tom Wilkins

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

The promise of heaven begins with Advent and its Unexpected Purpose and Message brings hope, joy, and peace to a life filled with the unexpected. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:14
TITLE: An Unexpected Message
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Unexpected Purpose of Christmas
2. The Unexpected Promise of Christmas

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our Advent series has focused on the unexpected: Lowly local shepherds. Gentile magi from afar. A Jewish virgin girl. A blip on the map called Bethlehem. The Unexpected at Advent. The irony is we tend to fear the unexpected. We like our worlds ordered. We find comfort in well-laid plans. No surprises, please. We can even struggle with something good that comes unexpectedly. The Unexpected is unavoidable, and times unimaginably difficult.”

“When the angels celebrate the first Christmas, they don't begin with you and me; they start with God—his glory, not ours. John Piper describes God's glory as—the public display of God's infinite beauty and worth. And that is precisely what the angels are responding to on this first Christmas—the public display of God's endless beauty and worth—IN A MANGER!“

“Above all things, angels were created to continually magnify and declare God's glory. For this, they have a front-row seat in heaven. But they have never seen God's glory displayed in this way. In the Incarnation, God was physically present with man—his grace, love, and power in the flesh. Throughout Scripture, we find angels worshipping, magnifying, and glorifying God. But they never saw His glory like this—Glory in a manger—and they could not contain themselves.”

“We have something in common with the angels: We, too, were created to the praise and glory of God. Our existence is meant to be upward. Our highest motivation in all that we are is God's glory. Our greatest goal in life is God glorified in and through us. Like the angels, we exist for God's glory.”

“But in the Garden, something awful happened—Adam and Eve exchanged the glory of God for the glory of self. Since then, we have been trying to rip glory from God's hands. We tend to forget God's glory. Instead of living upward, we live inward.”

“Peace is the deepest longing of the human spirit. Peace in the home. Peace in my marriage. Peace in our politics. Peace in the world. We long for peace because we were created to live in peace. We tend to think we can fulfill our innate desire for peace. Peace through strength. Peace through tolerance. Peace through pacifism. Peace through understanding. Peace through political revolution. But the peace we were created for is not horizontal; it's vertical.”

“This peace proclaimed by the angels transcends time, human relationships, political hostilities, and life circumstances. This peace is the most basic human need—an inward and eternal peace with God.“

“JUSTIFICATION is the precious doctrine that is at the heart of Christmas. It means God looks upon you just as if you had never sinned but perfectly obeyed. On account of Jesus' righteousness, God declares you righteous in His eyes. That means no sin to judge. Instead, you have eternal peace with God. The death of Jesus has removed the sin that put you in conflict with God, and his righteousness is credited to you, and the result is—Peace with God!“

“This is the Unexpected Promise of Christmas: No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, in Christ Jesus, all fear of God's holy wrath is gone. This baby boy in a manger is not only the glory of God revealed but the means of the sinner's peace with God accomplished! The good news for lowly shepherds, elite Magi, and US!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 1:19
Hebrews 1:3
John 1:14
Philippians 4:6-7
Isaiah 26:3

QUOTES:
J.C. Ryle - “Let all true Christians remember that their best things are yet to come. Let us count it no strange thing, if we have sufferings in this present time. It is a season of probation. We are yet at school. We are learning patience, longsuffering, gentleness, and meekness, which we could hardly learn if we had our good things now. But there is an eternal holiday yet to begin. For this let us wait quietly. It will make amends for all.”

Charles Spurgeon - “God is glorified in every dewdrop that twinkles to the morning sun. He is magnified in every flower that blossoms. God is glorified in every bird that warbles on the spray. Do not the fishes in the sea praise him? From the tiny minnow to the huge Leviathan, do not all creatures that swim the water bless and praise his name? Do not the stars exalt him? Do not the lightnings adore him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light piercing the midnight darkness? Do not thunders extol him when they roll like drums in the march of God's armies? Do not all things exalt him, from the least even to the greatest? But sing, sing, oh universe, till thou hast exhausted thyself, thou canst not afford a song so sweet as the song of Incarnation.”

Paul Tripp - “We have a glory problem. All of us are in the midst of a glory war. We all have moments of glory confusion. We all have times when we want the creation more than we want the Creator.”

Raymond Ortlund Jr. - “Why is the world in such a mess? You and I are the problem. Our good intentions are not strong enough to control our evil impulses. We need a Savior to rescue us from ourselves.”

Paul Tripp - If you would for a moment, reflect on your last couple weeks, you will recognize, brothers and sisters, that you and I still have a glory problem. We don't always get glory right. Recognize that we have a peace problem; we don't always care about peace with God. We don't always have peace within. We surely don't always experience peace with one another. And so the work of that grace is as needed by us this morning as it's ever been. The angels announce your hope. The angels announce your redemption. The angels announce to you grace; grace of a life lived, grace of a death offered so that you may live for His glory, and you may experience in all the ways possible, His peace.”

APPLICATION:
As we await our eternal holiday in heaven, may our song be the angel’s song—Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased!

To my non-Christian friend, Luke wrote these verses and the entire gospel to a man named Theophilus. His reason, according to 1:4: Theophilus would be certain of Jesus. You are here. You have heard the purpose and promise of Christmas. Will you believe? Luke and the rest of the Bible is God's story of saving sinners to himself. And this Christmas, you can become a part of it. Believe in Jesus today.

To my fellow Christian, are you anxious about the future? Are you discouraged about life? Are you angry at God about circumstances? All these sinful attitudes rob you of the full benefit of God’s peace. In their own way, each one is an expression of trying to wrestle God's glory for yourself. The answer: turn your heart back to God and trust Him. 

The Advent of Jesus is the greatest news of all time! A three-message Christmas mini-series may at first seem insufficient to proclaim THE GOOD NEWS of the Advent of the Savior, but it does have the power to grab our attention again and refocus our minds and hearts on truths that have become all too familiar to us. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:1-12
TITLE: Wise Men From Afar
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The Good News of the Savior and King, Jesus, has come to the unexpected who are far off.

POINTS:
1. They Were Directed by God
2. They Were Used by an Evil King
3. They Worshipped the Savior

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Because of misinterpretation in religion and culture over 2,000 years, these [wise men] can be misunderstood, and the point of them being invited can be completely missed.”

“The ESV Study Bible notes that [the ‘wise men from the east’, literally ‘Magi’] were ‘...priests and experts in mysteries in Persia and Babylon’. The Magi were well-educated counselors, wise men, and they served kings through their knowledge, interpretations, and 'wisdom, speaking into difficult and everyday matters. …The closest thing we have to these guys in the U.S. would be presidential advisors - cabinet members.”

“The Stars belong to God and this star compelling the Magi to the west was HIS DOING. God was directing every single detail and that includes the heavens above and the earth below. His Star is what moved them!”

“While some have described this star as supernova, a comet, or the aligning of planets, Verses 2 and 9 reveal that something more supernatural is occurring - coupled with no one else mentioning it. …God uses Bethlehem’s star as His unique and gracious invitation to the star-led magi.”

“The Magi would have likely been familiar with some of the Old Testament, (the Prophet Daniel in particular) including the promise of the coming Jewish king (See Vs. 2). “His star” that drew their attention westward toward Israel would likely have driven them from studying this star to studying the Israelite Scriptures as they sought to understand what was happening.”

“All of this - the magi and their entourage, the star, and the message they came proclaiming about the birth of a new king - was deeply troubling to Herod. And if Herod was troubled, then all whom he ruthlessly ruled were troubled.”

“Herod ruled through violence and manipulation. He was known for his bloodthirst. Emperor Augustus was quoted as saying, “It is better to be Herod's pig than his son.” As a Jew, Herod refused to kill pigs but killed three of his sons, along with many others, including one of his wives and a number of her family members. AND, like Pharoh of old, under the threat of being replaced by another king, he sets out to find and kill this newborn king.”

“The Gospel reveals that this is the pattern - the Jewish leaders will reject Christ and seek to kill Him but the Gentiles will believe in Christ and be saved according to God’s word!”

“All of this…is completely unexpected! The very ones whom the Messiah came from and came to, they seek to kill him! But, from these unexpected ones who were far away from Him, Jesus would receive extravagant worship… worship fueled by EXCEEDING rejoicing and with GREAT joy!”

“[These Gentile Magi] are on God’s invite list of the birth announcement of The King of the Jews, Jesus, to make it clear that the Savior has come for SINNERS, and this includes sinners LIKE YOU AND ME!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8:3
Matthew 2:16-17
Matthew 23:37
Ephesians 2:12-13

QUOTES:
 Daniel M. Doriani - “...God… chooses to speak to stargazers through a star. Stars had significance for these men. God descended to the Magi’s level to communicate with them. Stars got their attention, so God used a star.”

APPLICATION POINTS:
- Everything is God’s doing. What is going on in your life? It is God’s “invisible hand” directing and guiding it all!
-Satan is at work right now deceiving whoever will listen and follow him (Ephesians 6:12, John 15:18)

Unbeliever
Whether or not you are aware, you are lost in this world, but the Savior has been born unto you and me!
Q. Are you a sinner? The Good News is that You are invited! There is no place where the Gospel cannot reach. There is no sinner who is too far off that the Gospel cannot reach. COME, BEHOLD THE CHILD, JESUS, THE SAVIOR!

Looking into the unexpected people and events God uses can help us not just guard verses mindlessly walk through this Christmas season, but deepen our awe and appreciation of these historical and objective gospel events. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Unexpected at Advent
TEXT: Luke 2:8-20
TITLE: Shepherds In The Field
PREACHER: Tim Lambros

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our Christmas series is titled “The Unexpected at Advent.” Advent means “arrival” and typically Christians take a few weeks each year to celebrate and remember afresh the events of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. I think this sentence captures our  approach this year - It’s a time to reflect on the unexpected nature of Jesus’ humble birth.” 

“What makes this story so stunning is all the unexpected people and events that occur. Let’s explore together the unexpected first recipients of this profound birth  announcement.”

“In one of God’s providential movements of people and nations, Caesar Augustus dictates there will be a census, all of Israel is seriously inconvenienced and once again reminded of Roman rule and oppression. Even if you’re 9 months pregnant, you are required to register in your home town. Yet Augustus and the local governor Quirinius are simply unsuspecting tools in God’s hand. God uses these secular leaders to fulfill yet another OT prophecy. Micah 5:2 states 700 years prior to this day that the One who would rule Israel would come out of  Bethlehem. God is directing people and nations. ” 

“Luke states that in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch  over their flock at night. We can be quite confident these shepherds were not prepared for what was about to happen. For us, 2000 years later, to grasp the depth of  shock and surprise, we must know a few things about shepherds in Christ day.”

“These are unnamed shepherds in the field. We have to be careful in a number of places during the Christmas story because we tend to bring our rendition of who the players are and what the culture was like. 

• Shepherds lived in the fields, could not keep the ceremonial law so they were  treated as unclean  

•They were regarded as liars and thieves and their testimony was inadmissible in a  court of law. 

• Shepherds did not enjoy a very good reputation in their day.”

“The most important announcement in all of history, anticipated for centuries and it comes to these  UNNAMED shepherds working their mundane, dirty, boring job are the recipients! Now listen to the content of the announcement – GOOD NEWS, GREAT JOY ….Not just any news but GOOD news. Not just joy but GREAT joy. Not just for some  people but for ALL the people …”  

“Let’s not be romantic about these manger scenes that populate our homes and public places. The Christ came into this world and lay in a feeding trough.. Jesus is born and is laid in a feeding trough for animals in a barn that stinks of animal smells and sounds. Of all the babies born during the census period, the Shepherds would find Jesus in a barn, looking like every other newborn and drawing no attention  to Himself.”

“God is a speaking God. The revelation of Himself in creation speaks. The revelation of Himself in the OT speaks. But they are like whispers compared to the  Incarnation. This is God shouting! This is the highest revelation of Himself. God sent His Son to take on flesh. We can gaze upon the exact imprint of God. We can see the radiance of the glory of God in that manger! To truly grasp Christmas, we must grasp what a monumental moment this truly is!“ 

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity - hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory - because at the Fathers’ will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he would hang on a cross.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 4:4
Hebrews 1:1–3

QUOTES:
Phillip Ryken - “Shepherds were despised. With the exception of lepers they were the lowest class of  men in Israel.”
”The shepherds would not find the child couched in royal splendor, as they might have expected, but lying in poverty. This was the humiliation of the incarnation, that the Son of God humbled Himself to save us.“

J.I. Packer - “It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. The Word became flesh. …The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation.”

APPLICATION:
1. An unexpected event creates a monumental turning point
To truly grasp the real meaning of Christmas, one must be in awe at God working His redemptive plan. Each time we look at a manger scene, it should move us to awe and humility.
QUESTION – What do you see when you look into the manger?

2. An unexpected audience for profoundly good news  
Why did God appear to these unnamed, lowly shepherds? The answer lies in verse 11.
QUESTION – In what ways does the Incarnation of Jesus Christ help you see your need for a Savior?

All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:12-30
TITLE: Certain Victory at the River
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness. 

POINTS:
1. God’s people turn away from him again
2. God’s utter contempt for His enemy
3. God’s certain victory for the ages

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Here we are again!  The repeating cycle in the Book of Judges turns again as we turn the page on God’s deliverer. After 40 years of rest, Othniel, the paradigm judge, has died, and the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

“This is their constant shame. Their apostasy, their rebellion, and their cosmic treason against their Holy God (using the words of R.C. Sproul) will not be tolerated.”

“God sovereignly strengthens Eglon [and the Moabites] for the purpose of afflicting His rebellious people. He will not let them continue to sin in the face of His patience and kindness.His name, His holiness, and His justice are at stake. Therefore, He must move to correct them!”

“The Geography is important! Check out the maps in your Bible. This is happening in a real time in real places. These places are important. Moab is the kingdom located on the South/East coast of the Dead Sea. Eglon moves North, gathering armies from the Ammonites and Amalekites. They continue North around the Dead Sea, turn west and cross the Jordan River, and take possession of  Jericho (“the city of palms”)... rebuilding it to a degree, and, from there, ruthlessly rule the people of Israel.”

“God was still leaning in toward his people, longing for their return. We can see His providential hand on his sinful people has not been removed. He will not let His own go! And now we will see His sovereign hand of strength that was on Moab is now removed. Praise God that he has not let His own go! He raises up his ‘deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamin-ite, a left-handed man.’”

“God’s Contempt of the Enemy was revealed in the stature and very name of King Eglon. It is here in the story that the satire, mockery, and coarse humor begin to emerge.”

“The laughter, the irony, the coarse humor, and the uncomfortableness are purposeful in revealing God’s utter derision and His mocking laughter that makes it clear that HE will not be mocked by man.” 

“You see, these “fords” (these SHALLOWS) in Verse 28 are strategic in cutting off the enemy’s escape. The enemy will be HALTED at the fords of Jordan, leaving no way of escape for any of them - not one of the 10,000 will escape.”

“Maybe you find yourself in the clutches of fear when you see what’s going on in the world. The wars, the death, the immorality, the terror, the economies. You fear that we will get caught up in the wars. You fear that we will get hit by another terror attack. You fear that you could lose it all and quickly. BUT! God is not a spectator on the world stage. God is Sovereign and Reigning from on high in and through it all.”

“From these same fords of the Jordan River, God’s certain victory reverberates across the ages… across all of Redemptive History. Fast-forward over another millenia through Salvation History and another deliverer will stand in the shallows of the Jordan River - THE Deliverer Jesus will wade into these waters and be baptized! Standing in the fords of the Jordan River would be the very Son of God on whom the Holy Spirit descends.”

“Repentance and faith in the Son of God brings salvation to all who will believe. THIS Advent Season we now head into includes that moment when Final Deliverer, Jesus, was dipped into the fords of the Jordan River! All of our sin and the contempt of God is washed away by THE Deliverer, Jesus, in the waters of His forgiveness.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 2:4
Psalm 139:7
John 1:10-11

APPLICATION:
This must drive us to our knees before our Holy God. 

God will not be mocked, either by His people in their sin and certainly not by the kings of this earth who seek to devour His own.

Unbelievers - God’s contempt of your sin is real, and your very eternal life is at stake. This is just a taste of what will happen in God’s final judgment when He unleashes HIS FULL DERISION! Cry out to God for Salvation!

Christian - let this text arrest your attention! Let it wake you up from your slumber! Are you caught in sin? Cry out to Christ in repentance!

Today, we will see in the text the Grand Pattern of Salvation - that marks all of Redemptive History. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 3:7-11
TITLE: Grace - God's Paradigm of Salvation
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA:  The only hope we have after forgetting our God is that in His mercy, He will not forget us!

POINTS:
1. They forgot Him (Vs. 7-8)
2. He did not forget them (Vs. 9-11)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”There is a larger repeating cycle (for at least 6 of the judges). Each repeated cycle is broken about 7 basic parts:

• The people sin against the LORD - turning away from Him and turn to idol worship

• The LORD disciplines them by selling them into the hands of their foreign enemies

• The people cry out for deliverance

• A divine word is spoken to the people

• The LORD raises up a judge/deliverer to save His people from the oppression of their enemies

• Peace reigns for a time

The judge dies bringing an end to the cycle and the setting up of the next. In today’s story in 3:7-11, the theological pattern in Chapter 2 now begins to take on flesh, names, places, and times.”

“This forgetting of the LORD is described in Vs. 7 as “evil in His sight” and in Chapter 2:17, likened to an unfaithful woman who has turned away from her faithful husband and ‘sells’ herself to other men. …The biblical language is stark. The imagery is revolting, and when they beheld what was out there, THE LORD becomes to them unattractive, unsatisfying, undesirable… in their minds that have turned to worldliness, their very Creator and Sustainer and Provider and Protector has become to them unnecessary, uncaring, not providing enough for them and weak… THEY FORGOT HIM, their living Holy God, and ran after dead and filthy gods.”

“The text is clear - “forgetting of the LORD” = their serving of the idols, namely the Baals and the Asheroth. The result: God’s Anger. We cannot miss this. In all of history. In all of creation… there is someone that we do not want to anger – the Holy God!”

“We forget Him! But the good news is that His discipline is an act of His remembrance of us! They forgot the LORD their God, but God will now move to deliver them and grant them rest… He has NOT forgotten them!”

“God’s retribution in judgment (for those who are outside of His covenant) is unmitigated by grace. Yet, His judgment for those who are His covenant people is not retribution but, rather, corrective, and it is tempered by grace. THIS is why He will not forget them! They belong to Him, and He keeps them as His own. He will not break His covenant with them.”

“This deliverer is, by and large, a mystery. What does seem clear, though, is that not much is said of this man for the purpose that much will be said of THE DELIVERER. God is the one who is saving!”

“In our text, we see it is God who is at work, and while the King of Double Wickness is God’s ‘agent of discipline,’ Othniel is God's ‘agent of grace!’”

“Recall the cycle/spiral that today’s story follows. Verse 11 includes the death of the first judge/deliverer. The death of Othniel is a clue that the cycle is about to restart… the downward spiral into moral depravity, and this will include both a decline in the people and a decline in the judges. BUT… THIS CYCLE HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED BY THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL. Jesus, the Son of God, comes and does what no other deliver can! And Othniel begins to present a pattern that ultimately points us to the Great Deliverer, Jesus!”

“At the end of Verse 11, we have the death of our 1st deliverer, the death of Othniel… and the death of the judges to come will mark in the cycle the people returning to their sin, BUT the death of THE Great Deliverer, Jesus, will mark the END of their sin. Instead of a judge dying and the people turning away to sin, Jesus takes away their sin upon Himself. God’s anger burns again our Sin Bearer instead of us. He dies AND WE LIVE!”

QUOTES:
C.J. Mahaney - “The epitaph on the gravestone of the people of Israel often read: “They Soon Forgot”

Barry G. Webb - “They are not snatched from God’s hand (no tyrant has the power to do that), but (literally) ‘sold’ by him in a deliberate transaction that he initiates and controls. It is a carefully measured act of discipline, in which the punishment fits the crime. Those who ‘serve’ foreign gods are made to ‘serve’ a foreign ruler (vv. 7,8), and those who do ‘evil’ are handed over to one who is ‘wicked.’”

Dale Ralph Davis - “Our primary problem is that verse 9 moves us only to yawn. After all, we already know the theological truth of verse 9 - we’ve read that sort of thing often before. So we respond with a please, nodding ho-hum. Isn’t God nice? What’s for supper? If we fail to see, to feel, to delight in the miracle of God’s own nature, are we not strangers to rather than partakers  of such unbelievable grace?”

APPLICATION:
Q. Have you forgotten the LORD your God? Are you in bed with other gods?

Q. Has the world become so attractive to you that you are forgetting the beauty and steadfast love of the LORD your God?

We’re not advancing the narrative chronologically today. Instead, our text parallels what we have already seen, focusing on the five-alarm emergency of Israel’s spiritual condition. While finding anything to smile about here is hard, we will find something if we look close enough. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Christ in the Chaos
TEXT: Judges 2:6-3:6
TITLE: My Sin, God’s Mercy, And Everyday Life
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. Faith Matters
2. Sin Is Serious
3. God Is Merciful

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The author begins by providing a contrast. The details of Joshua’s death and burial are essential. In 7, we learn how God’s people thrived spiritually under Joshua’s faithful, God-centered leadership. Then, in 9, the author tells us Joshua was buried in his promised inheritance. The point is that God rewards the faithful.”

“Amid difficulty and crisis, Joshua was faithful to God personally and in his leadership. And God rewarded him. But it’s a new era in Israel. An entire generation did know the Lord and what He had done for them.”

“Not knowing isn’t innocent ignorance or memory loss. They had been taught of God’s love, holiness, and faithfulness. They had been taught about Egypt, the Red Sea, and crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. They just didn’t care. They had no regard for God. They weren’t atheists—they were agnostic.”

“Our faith matters. The Israelites had all the knowledge in the world about God. But knowledge saves no one. The demons know exactly who God and Christ are—they are still demons. Faith in Jesus is everything. Without it, you have nothing. That’s not to say our hope is in our faith. Our hope is the object of our faith, Jesus—He alone saves. But faith is the God-ordained conduit by which we receive the gospel's life, blessings, and promises.” 

“The author could have simply said—They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. But he is hammering away at, in a word—Idolatry. …They didn’t combat the culture around them. Instead of evangelizing, they assimilated. Instead of being an influence, they were influenced. Their loyalty was horizontal, not vertical. Now, they don’t look like God’s people. They look like Canaanites.”

“We may not be joining ourselves to sacred prostitutes, but as John Calvin famously put it—Our hearts are idol factories. An idol is whatever you allow to become more significant in your life than God. I need IT for happiness. I want IT for status. I have to have IT for sanity. Whatever IT is, even if IT is something good—family, leisure, marriage, children, convenience, godly reputation, health—if you want IT more than God—that will be evident in your priorities—if you are willing to sin because you don’t get IT or to get IT, IT is an idol. Idolatry is loyalty to self and this world. Idolatry is sin. The sin of idolatry is with us every day!”

“Be assured that the penalty of sin was paid at the cross. Be assured that the power of sin was defeated in the resurrection. But be equally assured that sin is still present and powerfully deceptive. If we ignore it, like Israel, our hearts will be hardened as we spiral downward spiritually.” 

“Was this an overreaction by God? I thought God was always faithful to His people? He is—read verse 15. God’s anger is an expression of His faithfulness. It’s a faithful anger. Israel was not innocent. God is doing exactly what He promised to do so many times in the past. …God’s anger is an expression of His holy love.”

“Astonishing! Discipline—Yes! Abandon—No! God is faithful. He is a covenant-keeping God. And despite Israel’s utter failures, God was merciful. God, who rightly casts Israel down, lifted them up! Through individual stories and as one BIG story, this is how Judges reveals the gospel to us. It points us to one who would do what no earthly judge could do.”

“God disciplines those He loves. He knew what Israel needed. But He was merciful through it all. He sent judges to save them. He was longsuffering with them. He loved them with an undying love to restore them as His covenant people.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 3:12-13
Deuteronomy 28:25
Leviticus 26:17

QUOTES:
Dale Ralph Davis - “Love divine is not soft laxity but blazing intolerance and absolute claim. Such is the God of Israel whose jealous love makes him faithful in his anger toward you. Who ever heard of love and fidelity like that?”