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

There are very few secular companies that offer a sabbatical to their employees. Intel is one of the few well-known companies that has been doing it for 40 years. Here is Google’s understanding of Intel’s purpose and perspective on employee sabbaticals. 

• Purpose - Intel views the sabbatical as a strategic investment in its employees' well-being, offering a chance to rest, recharge, and explore new interests. This can lead to a fresh perspective and increased engagement when they return to work. 

• Perspective - Intel believes that taking time away from work is essential for sustaining creativity, productivity, and overall job satisfaction. They see the sabbatical as a way to invest in employee well-being and personal growth.

However, the Bible reveals a much more meaningful perspective on a Sabbatical rest. It actually begins with God in creation and was built into God’s people, Israel, when He gave them the law. 

The Bible reveals that God created heaven and earth in six days, then rested (Gen. 2:2). Here’s where it all begins. For God not only states the fact of His rest, but He also explains in v. 3 that the seventh day was holy. The fact that God took a “sabbatical” rest after six days reveals there is wisdom in observing a sabbath rest.  

Fast-forward to God’s chosen people, Israel. Built into their routine of life was a weekly sabbatical rest, a seven-year sabbatical rest for the land, and a 50-year nationwide sabbatical known as the Jubilee. 

Today, Pastors are encouraged to maintain a day off, not because of any law or command, but mainly as a way to both rest from ministry work and make a statement to the Lord that He is the One building the Church. In other words, God is big enough to advance His mission through a local Church if a Pastor dedicates one day a week to rest from ministry work. 

The other way a Pastor can make a statement that God is the builder of the Church is to take a sabbatical every 7 years. Take 90 days off, do some unique things that are not possible in the weekly and monthly routine of Pastoral ministry. Trust the Lord with the Church while completely disengaging.  

Pastoral ministry has some similarities to every job – a work week, job description, evaluation, etc, yet there are also many differences. A Biblical Pastor is given a flock to shepherd, lead, and disciple. This calling doesn’t fit in a 9-5 pm job routine. Plus, a Pastor carries the people in the Church on his heart every day. Most Pastors love what they do and would gladly work every day to care for the Church, especially since it’s typically viewed as a calling from God instead of a job. 

A sabbatical for a Pastor typically works in three ways. If a Pastor is sensing an unusual tiredness, lacking joy (sometimes called nearing burnout), a sabbatical can help sort some things out. If a Pastor is wondering about his calling as a Pastor, a sabbatical rest away from the daily challenges can help.  

By the grace of God, our Senior Pastor is neither of these two scenarios. Offering or strongly recommending Derek take a 90-day sabbatical is primarily to allow him to trust God with the Church, setting him free from the daily challenges, and providing him and his wife with a unique kind of rest. Our prayer would be that this allows him to come back more eager for the mission of the Church and zealous to approach his role of overall leadership, vision, preaching, etc. 

Church, what can you do to help Derek and Donna receive all the benefits God has for them on sabbatical?

1. Stay after Church on June 8 for fellowship and an intentional time in which we will joyfully send them off! 

2. Begin praying now that God will richly bless them with a sabbatical rest and continue to pray for them over those 90 days. 

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

Join us this Sunday as we sing a new song that reminds us of our daily dependence on God and cries out for Him to sanctify us. 

As the song says, “Let every effort of our life, display the matchless worth of Christ!” Church, may this be our daily prayer!

Song: A Christian’s Daily Prayer
Album: Prayers of the Saints (Live)
Artist: Sovereign Grace Music. 

Listen & Learn: https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/christians-daily-prayer/

LYRICS
Verse 1
As morning dawns and day awakes
To You, I bring my need
Oh, gracious God, my source of strength
In You, I live and breathe
Each hour is Yours by wisdom planned
Each deed empowered by sovereign hands
Renew my spirit, help me stand
Be glorified today

Verse 2
As day unfolds, I seek Your will
In all of life's demands
And though the tempter tries me still
I cling to Your commands
Let every effort of my life
Display the matchless worth of Christ
Make me a living sacrifice
Be glorified today

Verse 3:
As sun gives way to darkest night
Your Spirit still is here
And though my strength fades like the light
New mercies will appear
I rest in You, abide with me
Until our trials and suffering
Give way to final victory
Be glorified today

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

How do Christians change?
How do we become more and more like Jesus?
How does God work in and mature a follower of Jesus?

These questions, and many others like them, emerge in our lives and in our church in many contexts: at lunch with a Christian friend who may be struggling, in our Community Groups, in our fellowship, and in counseling. In these contexts, much is discussed regarding our need for change and growth. 

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus reveals a profound truth about us. The heart is the issue, and this is one of the hardest things to accept. We are quick to assign blame. At times, we are blind to the fundamental truth that the bad fruit we bear in our lives is the result of what is in our hearts. The core issue is not the difficult situation or trial. It is not a particular person. It is my heart, and it needs to be changed. But, trusting that God is right on this matter, we have real hope that our hearts will experience real change for His glory.

Over the years, our church has come to deeply appreciate an illustration and approach that helps us speak to Gospel hope and change in our discipleship, fellowship, Community Groups, etc. This illustration, or model, is The Three Trees. Authors Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp introduced us to this illustration, and we have used it for years. Let me be clear. The Three Trees is simply a model. It is not the life-changing word of God. No model is. With that said, The Three Trees model has at it very heart, THE “tree”... the Cross… the Gospel that is the hope for our real change. This model is Gospel-centered. 

We are providing you this graphic (created by CCEF) of The Three Trees model along with its companion application questions - “Helping People Make Gospel Connections.” We encourage you to use this in your study and application of God’s word on the matter of the heart and change.

Also, we highly recommend this outstanding book by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp - “How People Change”. Real hope for real change by the power of the Gospel is offered by the authors of this book. There they unpack the The Three Trees in depth.

A Closing Encouragement from Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp: “Our hearts, once under the domination of sin, now are the dwelling place of Christ, the ultimate source of righteousness, wisdom, grace, power, and love. Our hearts can respond to life in brand new ways because we are no longer dominated by sin, but we are liberated by the gracious rule of Christ. We base our lives on the fact that because Jesus lives in us, we can do what is right in desire, thought, word, and action, no matter what specific suffering or trial we face.”

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

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! 

membership class

Sundays, April 27th, May 4th, May 25th, & June 1st

The Bible uses imagery like the body, a family, a building, and a household to describe the church. Our lives are being knit together. We are connected. We need one another. This is why we practice church membership, so everyone who calls Sovereign Grace Church their church can enjoy the benefits and blessings of being part.

Our Membership Class started last Sunday, April 27, but there is still time to jump in! If you are interested in membership at Sovereign Grace Church, or if you want to learn more about our church, please CLICK HERE.

woven ladies brunch

We’d love for you to join us for a WOVEN Ladies Brunch on Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Come enjoy a morning of food and fellowship! Cathy Letkeman, who serves on our Worship Team, will be teaching our women on the topic of "A Woman's Devotion As Her Worship of God," providing Gospel hope in our struggles with the idols of our hearts that are unique to women. 

All women are invited! Bring your teen daughters, friends, and family.

mother’s day celebration

Join us after the service on Mother’s Day, May 11, for a special gift just for you.

Your kindness, patience, and sacrifice for your children are a reflection of God’s love for us! Moms, we are praying that you are encouraged and strengthened by the grace of God this Mother's Day.

sermons in the psalms: volume 3

​Over the summer, our sermon series will take us into the Psalms again with "Sermons in the Psalms: Volume 3," starting on June 1st! Join us as we dig deeper into the life-giving Psalms together.

Eastside Community Group

Please continue to pray for our Eastside Community Group! Pray that the Lord would draw our Eastside neighbors to this community group.

This special group meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month at 7pm at Coffee X Change. If you know anyone on the Eastside who might be interested in visiting or joining this group, please feel free to invite them and let Derek know!

Check out our EASTSIDE COMMUNITY GROUP webpage for more details.

Today, we begin with God’s Design for Sanctification—The Roles. We start here because if we get the roles wrong, we get everything wrong. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sanctification: Being Conformed to Christ
TEXT: Philippians 2:12-13
TITLE:  Working Because He Works
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because God works, we work.

POINTS:
I. Our Efforts
II. God’s Power

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

”Today, we begin 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.”

“Why a series on Sanctification? It’s simple. The earthly Christian life is lived out between two realities: conversion and death. 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: 

• God's Target—The Heart

• God’s Tool—His Word

• God’s Means—His Church

• God’s Goal—Our Glorification

Today, we begin with God’s Design for Sanctification—The Roles. We start here because if we get the roles wrong, we get everything wrong.”

“Because God works powerfully in our Sanctification, we work persistently for our Sanctification.”

ILLUSTRATION: Airplane wings

“Imagine the plane again, but this time, you’re not in it; you’re on top of it. As you look down at the wings, one wing has the word Dependent written on it. The other wing says Discipline. Two wings, two words—Dependent Discipline. Spiritually speaking, you need both wings to fly in Sanctification. You need the wing of Dependence and the wing of Discipline.”

“Our passage begins with the word Therefore, which makes it a response to 6-11. Jesus obediently condescended to save sinners, and God eternally exalted him for it. Therefore, offer your lives to God through grace-fueled, sober, and hopeful obedience—Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

“What does Paul mean? Paul is not saying—Work for or toward your salvation as if God meets us halfway. Jesus did His part, and now you do your part. He is not saying—Now that you have received the gift of salvation, work to preserve it or prepare to lose it. Paul tolerated a lot in the churches he served (Corinth), but did not tolerate a works-based approach to God. Paul excoriated the church in Galatia for their arrogant legalism, saying in Galatians 3:3—Are you so foolish, what the Spirit began in your hearts are you now perfecting with your hands?”

“The context isn’t conversion; it’s obedience (12). Jesus did two things on the cross: he paid the penalty of sin for us, and he broke the power of sin over us. But we live in a fallen world where the presence of sin remains and will remain until the glorification of God’s people at the return of Jesus. Until that day or the day we die, the Holy Spirit is sanctifying us.”

“Two distinct yet inseparable spiritual realities, two sides of the same coin, define every believer—Justification and Sanctification.”

“Justification describes your position before God in Christ. It has nothing to do with obedience. The moment you have faith in Jesus through the miracle of regeneration, you are declared righteous, holy and blameless, justified before God (Rom 5:1). Your justification is immediate, complete, and permanent. No matter how much you obey and grow spiritually throughout your Christian life, you will never be more justified than you were at the moment of your conversion, when all you knew was that Jesus saved you.”

“Sanctification describes your practice or how you live before God based on your justification. Where justification is immediate, Sanctification is a process. The moment you are declared righteous, the Spirit begins the lifelong process of conforming your life to the image of Christ. While you can never be more justified over time, you will be more sanctified as you give yourself to grace-motivated obedience. This is why we call it progressive Sanctification. In a sense, Sanctification is simply becoming who we already are in Christ.”

“IMPORTANT: Your justification always leads to your Sanctification. It is never the other way around. The moment we flip them, we enter into a legalistic works-based salvation, and we will be confused about the Christian life, frustrated with the Christian life, and unfruitful in the Christian life.”

“To work out your salvation is to live out of the good of and according to your justification. Our salvation is not something we simply possess. Our salvation is an unchanging reality we express and experience as we give ourselves to the Spirit’s work of Sanctification through joyful and sober obedience SO THAT we may grow and mature in our salvation—Become more like Christ, which is God’s ultimate pleasure for you in this life.”

“You have a hand in your spiritual growth. We must work on our walk with the Lord, constantly cultivating our salvation and vigorously aligning our attitudes and actions with Christ. In the words of John Owen—God works in us and with us, but never without us.”

“Scripture bears this out.

• Heb 12:14—We are to strive for holiness

• 2 Pet 1:5—We are to make every effort to grow our faith 

• 1 Tim 4:7—Train yourself for godliness

• 1 Tim 6:12—Fight the good fight of faith by fleeing unrighteousness and pursuing righteousness

Colossians 3 describes our work as day-by-day vigorously putting off, actually killing sin and putting on righteousness. We aren’t called to change ourselves. We aren’t self-sanctifiers. God is the Chief Sanctifier. We’re called to a life of grace-motivated obedience, which God uses to transform us into the image of Christ.” 

“Just as we begin to feel the weight of 12, that three-letter word that begins 13—for—suddenly transfers the weight and emphasis to God. To the one who spoke and things came to be; the one who set the moon and stars in place and continually sustains them in their place; the one who powerfully raised Christ from the dead, ascended Him to His side, and exalted above as Lord of all. The one who is outside of time and space and is at work in your space and time.”

“The idea here is not that God is pursuing holiness for us as if we sit back, relax, and do nothing. God’s commands are not hollow. What God calls us to we are responsible for! However—and this is a huge however because it is where we find our confidence, assurance, and perseverance for our work in Sanctification—in our working, we can be sure God is at work in us, empowering and enabling us, supplying us with the necessary and sufficient grace to make our efforts possible,  effective, and Christ-exalting.”

“Notice the comprehensive nature of God’s work in 13—God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. In any work, there are two principles: the will and the power to carry out the will. Paul says God is the lead player in both.”

“God is not only empowering my doing; He is empowering the willing behind my doing—God is at work in you, both to will and to work. God enlivens my desires to please Him with my life. God is at work transforming my affections toward Christ so that my actions will be increasingly characterized by what is pleasing to Christ.”

“Now, the effect is two-fold for us. First, you are not alone in your call to be holy. God doesn’t do the work He calls us to do. But He does promise to be with us in power. So, you rely on and rejoice in God’s empowering presence as you work hard at living the Christian life. Second, you can forget about getting any credit for the godly fruit in your life. God always gets the game ball. Our Sanctification requires conscious effort, but that effort is informed by the truth that without Christ, we can do nothing, so he alone deserves the glory.”

QUOTES:
John Murray - “God's working in us is not suspended because we work, nor our working suspended because God works. Neither is the relation strictly one of cooperation as if God did his part and we did ours so that the conjunction or coordination of both produced the required result. God works and we also work. But the relation is that because God works we work.”

J.I. Packer - “Regeneration is birth; Sanctification is growth. In regeneration, God implants desires that were not there before: desire for God, for holiness, and for the hallowing and glorifying of God's name in this world; desire to pray, worship, love, serve, honor, and please God; desire to show love and bring benefit to others. In Sanctification, the Holy Spirit "works in you to will and to act" according to God's purpose; what he does is prompt you to "work out your salvation" (i.e., express it in action) by fulfilling these new desires.”

Moises Silva - “While Sanctification requires conscious effort and concentration, our activity takes place not in a legalistic spirit, with a view to gaining God's favor, but rather in a spirit of humility and thanksgiving, recognizing that without Christ we can do nothing and so he alone deserves the glory.”

John Murray - “All working out of salvation on our part is the effect of God's working in us...We have here not only the explanation of all acceptable activity on our part but we also have the incentive to our willing and working. ... The more persistently active we are in working, the more persuaded we may be that all the energizing grace and power is of God.”

APPLICATION:
All this will be unpacked over the next four weeks. Today, I want to equip us for the series in two ways

1. Know Your Heart

   When it comes to sanctification, I think most of us fit into one of two categories:

   Legalism

   If you are aware of 12 at the expense of 13, you have probably drifted away from Christ into legalism. Legalism is relating to God through your efforts for God. It’s arrogant, deceptive, and subtle. But it is detectable. If your first response to obedience is I have to do this rather than I get to do this. If spiritual weariness and drudgery characterize you. If the Christian life seems like a joyless duty, legalism has a hold in your heart.  

   Licentiousness

   If you are aware of 13 at the expense of 12, you have probably drifted away from Christ into licentiousness. Licentiousness is an apathetic attitude toward Christian obedience in the name of grace or inability. It leads to worldliness, strips you of joy in Christ, and produces an unfruitful Christian life because it’s a perversion of grace and distortion of the gospel. It arrogantly mocks Christ and all he is and did according to 6-8; it defies God’s love, and it is a refusal to do in this life what all will do when Jesus returns according to 10—bow at the name of Jesus.

2. Anchor your heart

   Whichever category you are in, you have lost sight of the precious truth of justification.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Grace Alone
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
It's Your Grace
All I Have Is Christ
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
The Heart: Luke 6:43-45

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

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

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon