Notes from Sunday - 2/28/10

Today was Ministry Emphasis Day 2010 at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Our worship services today were meant to challenge the church to get plugged into a place of Christian service. There was also a ministry fair to give our members an opportunity to learn more about our ministries and to get involved.

Our theme for today was “Get Plugged In.” I planned to say this to members I greeted today. However, many of the members I chatted with today were people I recognized to be already serving in some area of ministry. Praise God! And may their tribe increase!

Thanks to all our ministry leaders and teams for being on your post today. You make it happen. And I thank God for you.

I media team prepared a video that featured some of the members and ministries who are actively involved in the body life of the church. Thanks, guys, for your service.

As always, I was grateful and glad for all of the guests who were in worship with us this morning.

Our Youth Choir and Young Adult Ensemble led the musical praise today. They did a great job. I am greatly encouraged by their progress under the leadership of Reggie Bass.

The youth choir sung “I Belong to God” this morning. This is an “old school” gospel song that the youth choir used to sing when I was in it years ago. (I am getting old!)

I preached from 1 Peter 4:10-11 today. I labeled the message, “Serve One Another.’ My goal was simply to explain the priority of Christian service and challenge the membership to serve one another.

My sermon was actually the third message I selected for this morning. The first half of the week I worked on a passage from the Gospel of John. The second half of the week I worked on a message from Message. I finally landed on a message from 1 Peter. Go figure.

I was preoccupied with the clock today, for some reason.

Next Sunday’s Sermon: “The Cost of Discipleship” (Luke 9:57-62).

Praise the Lord for all of those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services today.

Many of the members were still rejoicing today from the ministry of the word this past Wednesday by Dr. John R. Adolph of the Antioch Baptist Church of Beaumont, TX. The entire Wednesdays in the Word series was a great blessing!

The kids had a late night last night, hanging out with the men of Shiloh at the Monster Truck Show. Apparently, Monster Trucks are a big theme here in Jacksonville. The football arena was sold out. Thanks P. Wesley for letting the kids tag along.

While I was typing these notes, George Hurtt sent me a text that he was having dinner with John Piper – Yes, that John Piper – who spoke to at Mt. Sinai this evening. I am officially a hater tonight!!!

John R. Adolph Speaking at Shiloh Tonight

Tonight brings to an end our Wednesdays in the Word 2010 series at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Over the past three weeks, we have been challenged and encouraged by the faithful preaching of Ralph Douglas West, Joel C. Gregory, and William C. Curtis.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. John R. Adolph, senior pastor of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas.

I have known Pastor Adolph for more than 10 years. We met as we preached together for his uncle. I have been greatly encouraged to watch the Lord’s hand on his life and ministry over the years.

God is doing great things through Pastor Adolph’s ministry within his local church and around the country. And I am excited to introduce him to the Shiloh Church family tonight.

If you are in the Jacksonville area – and your local church does not have a meeting scheduled – please join us for worship tonight at Shiloh at 7 PM. If you are not able to attend, join us only at www.smbcjax.com.

Pray for us.

God bless.

William Curtis Speaking at Shiloh Tonight

Boy, how time flies when you are having fun!

We are in the midst of a great meeting here at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church: Wednesdays in the Word 2010.

Over the past two weeks, we have been richly blessed by the ministry of the Word from Dr. Ralph Douglas West and Dr. Joel C. Gregory.

we are excited to have Dr. William H. Curtis – Senior Pastor of the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburg and President of the historic Hampton’s Minister’s Conference – as our guest speaker.

Dr. Curtis participated in this meeting last year and was a great encouragement to our congregation. We are looking forward with great expectation to what the Lord will say to us tonight through this servant of the Word.

If you are in the Jacksonville area, and your own congregation does not have a meeting scheduled to night, please join us for worship tonight at 1118 W. Beaver Street at 7 PM. If you are not able to attend, you can watch the service online through www.smbcjax.com or www.streamingfaith.com.

Please pray for tonight's service.

May the name of the Lord be glorified!

Joel C. Gregory Preaching @ Shiloh Tonight

Tonight, we will continue our series of special services at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church that we call Wednesdays in the Word.

Last week, Dr. Ralph Douglas West of the Church Without Walls in Houston blessed us in a great way through the ministry of the word.

We are grateful and honored to have Dr. Joel C. Gregory as our special guests tonight.

Dr. Gregory is a former pastor, itinerant preacher, seminary professor, author, and mentor of preachers. In fact, last night he did a seminar on contemporary preaching that was very challenging, encouraging, and beneficial for our associate preacher, Bible study leaders, members and guest pastors who joined us.

If you are in the Jacksonville area, please join us tonight at Shiloh at 7 PM. You can also view the service through www.smbcjax.com or www.streamingfaith.com.

May the Lord be glorified by the worship of the saints and the preaching of the word tonight.

We have a corporate prayer meeting at the Shiloh Church that meets every Saturday before the 1st Sunday. It is a great time of supplication and intercession.

I often prepare a prayer guide for these meetings, so help guide our times of prayer.

Here is the prayer guide from last week:

• Pray for Haiti.

- Pray for President René Préval and the entire government of Haiti.

- Pray that the suffering and grieving people of Haiti will receive the aid they need.

- Pray for the salvation of the Haitian people who have not trusted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

• Pray for President Obama and all who are in authority over us (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

• Pray for the salvation and discipleship of the children, youth, and young adults (Prov. 22:6).

• Pray that Christ would be exalted by the married couples of SMBC and for the health, maturity, and strength of their marriages.

• Pray that more members of SMBC would follow the example of Jesus by becoming active in serving one another and the world (Matt. 9:38).

• Pray for the ongoing growth, Christlikeness, and fruitfulness of Shiloh.

• Pray for our upcoming Sunday morning series on Christian discipleship: “Following Christ: What it Means to be a Disciple of Jesus.”

• Pray for the pastors of Shiloh that we would guard persevere in guarding our lifestyle and doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16).

• Pray that the Lord would help us to be more faithful stewards of the financial resources he entrusts to us (Luke 16:10-13).

Ralph Douglas West Speaking @ Shiloh

Tonight begins a series of services at Shiloh Church that we are calling “Wednesday in the Word.” The goal of these services is to encourage spiritual renewal for the new year to the glory of the God.

Our guest speaker tonight will be Dr. Ralph Douglas West, founder and pastor of the Brookhollow Baptist Church in Houston – better known as The Church Without Walls.

Having led The Church Without Walls for more than twenty years, Dr. West is an author, seminary professor, and a much sought after speaker.

Ralph West is a faithful, powerful, and compelling preacher of the word of God. And we are blessed to have him as our guest speaker tonight at SMBC.

Please pray for tonight’s service that Christ will be exalted, the saints will be built up in their faith, and lost people will be drawn to saving-faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are in the Jacksonville area – and your local church does not have a meeting scheduled – please join us for worship tonight at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church at 1118 West Beaver Street at 7 PM. Or join us via the Internet at www.smbcjax.com or www.streamingfaith.com.

What It Means To Be A Saint

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SAINT
Philippians 4:20-23

There is much confusion about what it means to be a saint. Of course, sainthood is misunderstood among the unsaved, unchurched, and uninitiated in biblical truth. But many who claim the name of Jesus do not understand sainthood, either. If given an essay requiring a formal definition of the term “saint,” some of us would fail. But that’s not important. What is important is that some of us do not know the right answer to the simple question: “Are you a saint?” Would you say, “No. I am not a saint. I’m a Christian. I love Jesus. He is my Savior and Lord. But I wouldn’t dare call myself a saint.”? We would not call ourselves saints because we think saints are highly virtuous Christians – like the Apostles of Jesus or the New Testament writers or historic Christian figures. We do not get this view from the Bible. We have Roman Catholicism to thank for this confusion.

Roman Catholicism has a detailed process for conferring sainthood. First of all, you have to die before you become a saint in the Catholic Church. But sainthood makes the dead Christian a living, functioning member of the mystical body of Christ. When someone becomes a saint, the Catholic Church appoints a feast day, dedicates churches and altars and displays statues and pictures in his honor. They even venerate his relics and pray to him publicly. Sure, you have to go through the processes of beatification and canonization in order to become a saint. But if the pope includes you in the canon of saints, the judgments reached in this process are infallible. It is an unbeatable method for honoring virtuous and sacrificial Christian living, except for one small problem. It is not biblical.

I submit that there is more truth about sainthood in these closing verses of Philippians than in the entire Roman Catholic doctrine of sainthood. Paul does not define Christian sainthood in this passage. He assumes it, mentioning it twice in these final remarks to the church at Philippi. But these remarks tell us what it means to be a saint. Verse 21 says, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.” You don’t have to be a paradigm of virtue to be a saint. You don’t have to be a historic Christian figure to be a saint. And you don’t have to have supernatural or miraculous events associated with your life to be a saint. You are a saint if you are in Christ Jesus.

Consider the church at Corinth. They were divided over who was going to lead the church. One of the members was in an adulterous relationship with his stepmother. Members were taking one another to court over financial disputes. People were getting drunk during the Lord’s Supper. Prominent teachers were denying the resurrection from the dead. The church at Corinth was the most sinful and worldly church in the New Testament. Yet in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul addressed them by saying: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is a saint. Saints are not good people. Saints are bad people who have by redeemed by a good God. That is what makes Christianity different from other religions. Christians are not just people who follow the teachings of Jesus. We are in him. No one would dare say that they are in Mohammed or Buddha or Confucius. But we are in Christ. And because we are in him, we are saints. Therefore, to be asked if you are a saint is to be asked, are you saved? And to understand what it means to be a saint is to understand what it means to be saved. So let’s walk through these final verses Philippians and consider the practical implications of Christian sainthood.

I. THE GOAL OF THE SAINTS

Philippians 4:20 is a doxology – a statement of praise in response to the revelation of God. I suppose Paul paused before writing this verse, contemplating all he had written in this letter, culminating with the promise of verse 19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” When Paul thought about the fact that God is ready, willing, and able to meet every need the Philippians had, he burst forth into praise. Verse 20 says: “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever.” This is the goal of the saints: THE GLORY OF GOD. Saints are not to be worshipped. They are worshipers. Saints are people who live with the glory of God as their highest priority.

What is the glory of God? The Bible speaks of the glory of God two ways. There is God’s INTRINSIC GLORY. In other words, God’s glory refers to the sum total of all his divine attributes. It is all that he intrinsically is. It is the weightiness of God’s character. It includes all the divine characteristics that are innately his and all the divine perfections that are inherently his – his holiness, righteousness, wrath, truth, love, grace, goodness, sovereignty, and power. “Glory is essential to the Godhead, as light is to the sun,” said THOMAS WATSON. “Glory is the sparkling of the deity.” God and his glory cannot be separated. It is who he is. The second aspect of God’s glory is called ASCRIBED GLORY. Intrinsic glory refers to the character of God. Ascribed glory is the response to the manifestation of his self-revelation to us. We cannot add to God’s intrinsic glory. But we can give him the glory he deserves through our worship, trust, and obedience. This is the goal of the saints.

Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Ephesians 3:21 says, “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 1:17 says, “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Louis XIV became King of France at age fourteen and ruled for seventy-two years. It was the longest reign in modern European history. Consumed with power, he called himself the “Great Monarch.” And declared, “I am the state!” But in 1715, Louis XIV abdicated his throne in death. The great cathedral was packed with mourners for his funeral. To dramatize his greatness, a single candle burned above his solid gold coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence as they peered at the exquisite casket that held the mortal remains of their monarch. Bishop Massillon presided over this official act of state. When the service began, Massillon stunned the nation by bending down from the pulpit and snuffing out the candle that represented the king’s greatness. Then came four words from behind the open Bible: “Only God is great!’

To be a saint is to trust, confess, and live in a manner that affirms that only God is great. A.W. TOZER said: “God is looking for men in whose hands his glory is safe.” TOZER meant that God uses people who have a high view of him and are jealous for the honor of his holy name. God is searching for men and women who will lay down their glory before his throne and give him the glory he alone deserves. He is looking for those who are absorbed in his surpassing glory and who are jealous for his name, not theirs. Could that be why so little true ministry takes place in many churches? CHARLES SWINDOLL said, “We are often so caught up in our activities that we tent to worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.” Think about it. A rowboat in the sand is hard to move. But when the tide comes in, it’s easy. The church is like that. When genuine worship is absent from the church, she struggles to do her work. But when a tide of praise uplifts her heart, everything else goes better. Everything gets better when God is the subject and object of your praise – the infinite center of your life and the life of the church.

II. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SAINTS

I believe in the plenary inspiration of Scripture. I am convinced that there is nothing superfluous or unnecessary in Scripture. I agree with 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” And I read our text as an affirmation of the full, absolute, and complete inspiration of Scripture. Verses 21-22a record simple words of greetings. In the first sentence of verse 21, Paul sends his personal greetings to the saints at Philippi. In the second sentence of verse 21, the coworkers on Paul’s ministry team send their greetings. In the first clause of verse 22, all the saints in the church at Rome send their greetings. And in the closing clause of verse 22, the saints in Caesar’s house send their greetings. Just simple words of greeting. But this simple greeting is a powerful statement about the fellowship of the saints.

Look at the text again. Verse 21a says, “Greet every saint.” Note that Paul uses the personal term “every,” rather than the collective term “all.” That is not just a greeting. It is a statement about the unity and equality of the church. Whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, bond or free, they were all saints in Christ Jesus. So Paul honors them by addressing each one of them personally. Then verse 21b says, “The brothers who are with me greet you.” We know from Philippians 1:1 and 2:19-30 that the “brothers” included Timothy and Epaphroditus. Scholars tell us that this group probably included many of the people Paul mentioned by name in Romans 16:3-16. This group was made up of men and women of great stature within the church. But Paul does not give them any special titles. He does not even call their names. He just lumps them together as “the brothers.” Then verse 22a says, “All the saints greet you,” a reference to the general membership of the church at Rome. They had never met the saints in Philippi. But when they found out that what Paul was writing the Philippians, they said, “Please send them our regards, as well.”

These are not just mere greetings. These words are meant to remind us that the gospel does not make sense without the church that makes it make sense. Mark it down. It is not accidental or incidental that the New Testament does not teach how to follow Christ on your own. The assumption of scripture is that true faith in God is lived out in partnership with other believers.

The California Redwood Trees are some of the largest living organisms in the world. The redwoods are three hundred feet high. Some of them are forty feet around. Some of them have been there for 250 years. Because of the size and strength of the Redwoods, you would think they have deep roots. But not so. They have rather shallow roots. But their roots are intertwined. So when the wind blows and the storm rages, Redwoods Trees stand tall because they hold each other up.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” How will the world know that we truly are the church of Jesus Christ?

• Not if we always agree with one another.
• Not if we solve every controversy.
• Not if we are unanimous in every vote.
• Note if we never make a doctrinal error.
• Not if we build great ministries.

They will know that we are disciples of Christ by our love for one another. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ is to be an active part of the communion of the saints. In fact, the Greek word for “saints” (hagios) is used some 229 times in the New Testament – more than any other term used to refer to Christians. Yet the New Testament only uses the singular form of the term here in verse 21. But when Paul says, “Greet every saint,” he was not doing so with our “I-have-Jesus-and-I-don’t-need-nobody-else” attitude. He used it to remind us that every person in the church matters to God. So every person in the church should matter to us. The communion of the saints is meant to remind us that God is in the people business.

III. THE JOY OF THE SAINTS

In verse 22a, Paul sends greetings to the church at Philippi from the church at Rome. But Paul ends the verse by sending greetings from a particular group within the church at Rome: Those in Caesar’s household. This reference to the saints in Caesar’s house highlights the joy of the saints. It is a twofold joy.

A. THE JOY OF BECOMING

This reference to Caesar’s household is most intriguing. Your mind is tempted to run riot when you think about it. Who exactly were the saints in Caesar’s house? Were they soldiers who had been assigned to the apostle Paul and had been saved through his ministry? Were they slaves or freedmen who worked in the palace? Were they officials in the Roman government? Or might this expression dare include members of the Emperor’s family?

We do not know. But do not let the wonderful possibilities cause you to miss the point. The point is not who these saints were but where they were: CAESAR’S HOUSEHOLD! That is the last place one would have expected to find Christians. Do you know who the Caesar was at the time of the text? NERO. Nero the unprincipled. Nero the jealous fiend who murdered his mother, wife, and son to protect his throne. Nero, the archenemy of the church and persecutor of Christians. After Nero died, a legend sprang up that he was not really dead, but had fled beyond the Euphrates and would one day return as the Anti-Christ. Centuries later, people name the sons Paul but name their dogs Nero. Yet Paul tells the Philippians that the good news of Jesus Christ had penetrated the walls of Nero’s own palace. That’s the joy of the saints.

Every Christ follower is called to Christian fellowship. But we cannot celebrate our bond in Christ and forget about those who are not a part of the communion of the saints. We are commissioned to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In Luke 15, God is pictured as a shepherd who goes temporarily insane when one of his sheep is lost. God is pictured as a housewife who has a panic-attack when she loses her wedding ring. And God is pictured as a lovesick father who spends his days watching and waiting for his runaway son to come back home. Jesus paints these unorthodox pictures of God to make a graphic point: Lost people matter to God! And if God matters to us, then whatever matters to God will matter to us. And we will be people who rejoice with God and the angels in heaven when lost people come home. I may be talking to someone who is concerned about a lost relative or friend. Don’t give up on them. I don’t care what they’re into. Never underestimate God’s power to change a person’s life.

• God is able to break any habit.
• God is able to demolish any stronghold.
• God is able to overthrow any enemy.
• God is able to penetrate any barrier.
• God is able to repair any breach.

That is what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 16:18: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” And that includes Caesar’s household!

B. THE JOY OF OVERCOMING

This reference to the saints in Caesar’s house is an object lesson that drives home the point of this letter. Throughout this letter, Paul addresses the internal and external threats to the saint’s devotion to Christ. Some of those threats were internal. Some were external. Yet Paul exhorts the church to live out the life of the teachings of the faith no matter what. As he closes, Paul says, ‘The members here in the church at Rome want me to let you know that they are thinking about you and praying for you, especially those members who are a part of Caesar’s household.” I do not know if Paul intended the strategic nature of that reference. But God did. God is saying to us that we can overcome anything that stands against our commitment to Jesus Christ. Here’s why: There were saints in Caesar’s household.

Let me ask you something.
• Do you need a favorable atmosphere in order to be loyal to Christ?
• Are you a moral chameleon, taking your color from the last environment you crawl across?
• Are you changing your surroundings or are your surroundings changing you?
• Do you create a moral fashion statement or do you merely adopt whatever happens to be in vogue at the moment?

You do not have to keep trying to run with the rabbits and hunt with the hounds at the same time. When things get rough, just remember those saints in Caesar’s house. Take heart. And press on. If they could manage, so can you. ISAAC WATTS asked:

MUST I BE CARRIED TO THE SKIES
ON FLOWERY BEDS OF EASE
WHILE OTHERS FOUGHT TO WIN THE PRIZE
AND SAILED ON BLOODY SEAS

No. You cannot get to heaven on flowery beds of ease. God has only had one child that lived without sin. Jesus. But God has no children who have lived without suffering, including Jesus. You cannot live for Jesus without facing some trouble. But you can live for Jesus, even when you are facing trouble. You don’t need to be in ideal circumstances in order to live out our faith. You can bloom right where you are planted.

IV. THE RESOURCE OF THE SAINTS

Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi ends in verse 23 with a benediction. A benediction is an announcement of God’s favor on his people. Paul affirms God’s blessings on his readers by saying, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” In Paul’s final statement to the church in this letter, he entrusts them to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was his pattern. The Apostle Paul wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. And in the closing remarks of each of those letters, Paul gives a benediction that affirms the presence and power of God’s grace. Paul closes his letters with a benediction for the same reason we end our services with a benediction: When the message is finished, the faith must be lived. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” What you learn on Sunday does not mean a thing if we do not live it out on Monday. Biblical truth is not just to be learned. It is to be lived. So Paul closes this letter by commending the saints to Jesus Christ who will provide his grace to abide with them. That is the resource of the saints. We live out the life of the teachings of our faith through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You have been saved from sin by grace. And you are sustained after salvation by grace. Do not put artificial limits on the grace of God. The same grace that will one day get you into heaven will also keep you day-by-day until you get there.

• You need grace to trust wholeheartedly.
• You need grace to live obedient.
• You need grace to resist temptation.
• You need grace to love sacrificially.
• You need grace to serve faithfully.
• You need grace to endure hardship.
• You need grave to fight victoriously.

You need the grace of the Lord Jesus to be with you every step of the way. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul says, “In order to keep me from becoming lifted up in pride, I was given a thorn in the flesh. It was like one of Satan’s henchmen beating up on me. I went to God in prayer about it three times. I asked the Lord to take the pain away. Deliver me. Heal me. Restore me. Perform a miracle. Take the pain away.” But the Lord said, “I will not take the thorn away. But my grace is sufficient for you. My power works best in weak people.” The Lord Jesus says the same thing to you today: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

‘TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS
JUST TO TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD
JUST TO REST UPON HIS PROMISE
JUST TO KNOW, “THUS SAITH THE LORD!”

I’M SO GLAD I LEARNED TO TRUST THEE
PRECIOUS JESUS, SAVIOR, FRIEND
AND I KNOW THAT THOU ARE WITH ME
WILL BE WITH ME TO THE END

JESUS, JESUS, HOW I TRUST HIM!
HOW I’VE PROVED HIM O’ER AND O’ER!
JESUS, JESUS, PRECIOUS JESUS!
O FOR GRACE TO TRUST HIM MORE!

Notes from Sunday - 01/31/10

Can you believe it? Yesterday, it was New Year’s Day. Today, January is over! Wow! Psalm 90:12.

I spent five hours in the emergency room with Crystal last night. But she is feeling better today. Praise God.

This morning, the kids and I made our way to church without Crystal. But my mind was on her all day. It was kind of hard to concentrate. But the Lord helped me get through the day, as he is faithful to do.

Thanks for your prayers for Crystal.

5th Sundays are Missions Emphasis at Shiloh. I have been introducing the church to various missions efforts on 5th Sundays. But today we encouraged the members to continue to give

It was good to have our guests in worship with us today.

Dr. Mac Brunson and the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville are hosting their annual Pastor’s Conference this week. Several conference attendees joined us in worship today. It was good to have them with us. I pray that all the servants of God at this conference will go home refreshed, renewed, and refocused for the work ahead.

Our men’s chorus led us in musical praise today. It is good thing to have men leading in the corporate worship of God. I was encouraged by their service today, as I always am.

It was my privilege to lead the morning hymn today. A congregation lifting their voices in praise to God is one of the best and most important things that happen in corporate worship.

I preached my final message in my series through Philippians. The text was Philippians 4:20-23. I entitled the message, “What it Means to be a Saint.”

I think my 8 AM presentation of the message was much better than 10 AM.

If my count is correct, I today’s message was my 30th sermon in Philippians.

This study of Philippians has been edifying for me over the past year. I have learned a lot from my studies. And it seems like I kept running into the right text at the right time, as I faced various challenges in 2009. Praise God for his word! I hope and pray that the members of SMBC have found these messages to be enlightening, challenging, and encouraging.

For the record, I still believe in consecutive exposition through books of the Bible. There are those who are claiming that congregations cannot endure long series through Bible books. The trend toward unwillingness to endure long Bible series is not the reality at 1118 W. Beaver Street.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

Was reminded today that I am not in Los Angeles anymore. Again.

I cannot wait to get back to pulpit next Sunday. I plan to begin a new series of messages entitled, “Following Christ: What it Means to Follow Jesus.”

It is weird to have no football on this evening. No. The Pro Bowl does not count.

Old Testament Survey with Dr. Walter C. Kaiser

This week I have been in an intensive Old Testament Survey class at the Jacksonville extension of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. (For the record, thank God there is a Gordon-Conwell in Jacksonville!)

This OT Survey class was taught by Dr. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. Dr. Kaiser is the former president of Gordon-Conwell and a very respected scholar, teacher, and author.

This class has been a such a benefit to me this week in helping me to put my Bible together, as it were - the unity of the Bible.

Dr. Kaiser’s focus has been the promise-plan of God in the Old Testament and that this promise-plan of salvation is a unbroken cord that unites the Old Testament and New Testament.

There are four “mountain peak” Dr. Kaiser points to that affirm the promise-plan of God: Gen. 3:15, 12:1-3; 2 Samuel 7; and Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Over the course of the week, Dr. Kaiser gave enough preaching to get me through a year. Literally. I have already mapped out my preaching plan for 2010. But I have a new and greater motivation to do more preaching in the Old Testament in the years to come, God willing.

We were assigned three texts for the class:

1. The Messiah in the Old Testament by Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Zondervan)

2. The Promise-Plan of God by Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Zondervan)

3. Recovering the Unity of the Bible by Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Zondervan)

This past Monday, Dr. Kaiser also did a seminar on Christian ethics-morality. The text for that seminar was “What Does the Lord Require?: A Guide for Preaching and Teaching Biblical Ethics” by Walter Kaiser.

You can learn more about Dr. Kaiser and his more than forty publication through his website: www.walterckaiserjr.com

Notes from the first Sunday in 2010

Happy New Year!

It was a beautiful day. But it was cold. No. It was cooooooold! The weather guy called it “deceptive sunshine.” He explained, “You will look outside and see the sunshine. But when you go outside, you will feel the cold.” He was right. I am glad the saints pressed on to worship anyway.

The Lord smiled on our first Lord’s Day worship services in 2010 at Shiloh yesterday.

I resumed teaching my New Members Class yesterday. It was good to be with our new members and to discuss with them the good news of Jesus Christ.

I thank the Lord for his protection of my flock over the holidays. It was good to see many who were traveling had made it home safely. And I pray God’s blessings on those who were visiting here and are on their way back home or to school.

I am grateful for all of the guests who were in worship with us this past Sunday.

I had the privilege of leading the congregation in our hymn for the morning. It is a joy to lead God’s people in musical praise.

For the first time, we celebrated the Lord’s Table in both of Sunday morning worship services. A big shout-out to our Deacons and Deaconess for their service to our congregation!

Likewise, we shifted our celebration of the Lord’s Supper to earlier in the service, rather than the end of it. I hope that this change will help us to put a greater emphasis on the significance of the Supper and not feel as pressured to rush through it at the end of the service.

The choir sang one of my favorite gospel hymns before the message: “Oh, To Be Kept By Jesus.” That’s my prayer.

I continued my series through Philippians. I preached, “Have Your Learned to be Content?” from Philippians 4:10-13.

It was one of the Sundays when I never felt that I really got in the rhythm in either one of the sermon presentations. Thank God for using me in spite of me.

Praise God for all those who were saved and added to the church yesterday.

It is my plan that January 10-17 will be Prayer Emphasis week at Shiloh. And it is my intention to begin this week of prayer emphasis with a message on Ephesians 1:15-19 – “Praying to Know God Better.”

The Dallas Cowboys stomped the Philadelphia Eagles 24-0 to win the Division Title.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Cleveland Browns and were eliminated from playoff contention. Maybe next year.

I cannot believe that Sunday was the last day of the NFL regular season. It went by so fast. At least we still have the playoffs. And we will have the privilege of watching the Cowboys in the Super Bowl!

Practicing the Presence of God

Philippians 4:7 is a promise of peace. It promises that God’s peace will guard the heart and mind of the believer who prays instead of worrying. Philippians 4:9 is also a promise of peace. It promises that the God of peace himself will be with the believer who lives out the teachings of our faith. The tension between these two promises is the burden of this message.

Both of these verses promise God’s peace. Verse 7 promises the peace of God. But verse 9 promises the God of peace. The difference is not mere semantics. The peace of God speaks of the resources of God. But the God of peace speaks of relationship with God. There is an important message in the progression of the text: Don’t settle for living on the resources of God. Sure, when worry, fear, and doubt attack, you can pray and God will give you peace. But don’t settle for that. Don’t settle for peace coming to rescue you will when you fall. Nurture your relationship with God so that you can live with the assurance that the God who gives peace is with you.

The Bible has much to say about the God of peace. For instance, Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.” And Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.” There are many people seek peace without God – who is the author of true peace. But that just cannot be done. To know peace, you must know God. I repeat: It is good to have the peace of God. But it is better to have the God of peace. It is good to live on the resources of God. But it is better to live on relationship with God. It is good to access the power of God when you are in trouble. But it is better to practice the presence of God on a day-to-day basis. The question is does one practice the presence of God? Philippians 4:8-9 teaches three principles that will help you live with assurance that God is with you.

I. FEED YOUR MIND WITH GODLY CONCEPTS.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever us pure, whatever us lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” If you are worried that I am going to use this text to fuss about the music, movies, magazines, and other media you enjoy, don’t worry. I am. But before I do, let me be clear about why I am fussing. I do not stand to defend so called “traditional family values.” And I am not trying to lay any legalistic guilt trip on you. The fact that you do not go to movies or that you only listen to Christian music does not prove that you are godly. Likewise, I do not embrace the position that views popular culture as the inevitable instrument of Satan. Media, like money, is morally neutral. It is either good or evil as it is slanted by the condition of the human heart.

Sure, I believe that we Christians must be more discriminate about the things we expose our minds to. But my concern is not political in the sense of the culture wars. It is political in terms of what it means to be citizens of the kingdom of heaven. The central issue is this: YOUR THOUGHT LIFE MATTERS TO GOD. Our relationship with God is not based on emotional, mystical, or sensual experiences. Instead, we are commanded to love God with our minds. Your emotions are untrustworthy. Your heart is deceitful. Your feelings are fickle. So the Bible constantly warns us about letting our natural desires govern our lives. And it challenges us to live according to what we know is right, because you cannot live right is your thinking is wrong. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” You cannot practice the presence of God if your lifestyle is shaped by this world’s false value system. You must feed your mind with godly concepts.

A certain mother was peeling vegetables for a salad when her daughter, home from college, casually mentioned that she was going to a questionable movie that evening. The mother suddenly picked up a handful of garbage and threw it in the salad. “Mother!” screamed the shocked girl. “You’re putting garbage in the salad.” “I know,” replied the mother, “but I thought that if you don’t mind putting garbage in your mind, you certainly wouldn’t mind a little in your stomach too!”

This is the sad indictment of our contemporary culture. We have fit bodies, but fat minds – even within the church. Physically, you are what you eat. But spiritually, you are what you think. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. You cannot be grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ if you live on a mental diet of suggestive music, R-rated moves, and trashy talk shows. When you fill your mind with worldly garbage, you poison yourself and lose your appetite for the spiritual nourishment that will help you practice the presence of God. So Philippians 4:8 gives a spiritual MRI of what a Christ-follower’s mind should reflect: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The term “think” means to calculate, like a workman who takes careful measurements before he begins building. Grammatically, this verb is a present imperative, which means that the text commands us to constantly examine the things we expose our minds to by asking the questions:

• Is it true?
• Is it honorable?
• Is it just?
• Is it pure?
• Is it lovely?
• Is it commendable?
• Is it excellent?
• Is it praiseworthy?

You may ask, “Do you really expect us to run everything we see, hear, and read through the grid given in this verse?” Yes and no. Sure, you ought memorize this verse and hide it in your heart. But I am not going to go through a word-by-word explanation of each of key terms in this verse, because I do not want you to miss the point by getting lost in the details. I want you to heed the call of this verse, not analyze the particulars of it. I think Paul himself would agree with that. I believe he intended this list to be representative, not exhaustive. That is why after giving his list of “whatever” things, he summarizes all he has said and could say with the all-encompassing statement: “if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” You don’t have to memorize and constantly rehearse these eight terms in order to practice the presence of God. If it will make you feel better, I’ll take all eight terms and replace them with just one – one name. JESUS. This verse has been called the briefest biography of Jesus Christ in scripture. I agree. Jesus Christ himself is the incarnation of truth, honor, justice, purity, and loveliness. There is no better model than Christ. So heed the exhortation of Philippians 2:5 – “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Set your mind on the things of Christ.”

Notice one more thing about this Christian perspective on mental health. The emphasis on the thought life here is offensive, not defensive. This verse does not condemn wrong thinking. It does not protest against sex and violence in the media. Negative thinking is never mentioned. Instead, the verse emphasizes the importance of right thinking. That is not accidental. It is an intentional process for renewing the mind called THE PRINCIPLE OF REPLACEMENT. The reason why some of us cannot break free from sinful, harmful, or negative thought patterns is because we are trying to do it through resistance, not replacement. The church’s first response to sin is always to say, “Stop it.” But simply condemning sin as wrong does not help bring deliverance. Most of us who are doing wrong already know we are doing wrong. And most of us who are doing wrong have tried to stop. But our personal reformation efforts have failed. Why?

In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus tells of an unclean spirit that had left a heart he had made home. Then the house was totally restored, refurbished, and redecorated. When the demon returned, he found it looking like new. But it was still empty. So he got seven worse demons and they reclaimed the house. And Jesus said that the last state of the man was worse than the first. The point is that religious reformation does not bring about spiritual transformation. Just joining the church will not make you a better person if the unclean spirit still has the key to your heart. You cannot change if you allow ungodly thoughts to be at home in your heart and minds. You need a strong man on the inside. You need to expel ungodly thoughts and attitude. Moreover, you need to make Jesus the landlord of your thought life. You need the word of God to dwell in you richly. You need to walk in the Spirit that you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. When Jesus is Lord of your thought life, you will experience the irresistible power of a new affection. That’s the principle of replacement. Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

II. FOCUS YOUR MIND ON GODLY COMPANIONS.

Philippians 4:8-9 records two commands. Verse 8 commands us to think right. Verse 9 commands us to do right. The main idea of verse 9 is found in the command to “practice these things.” But before we get to this command, I want us to consider its premise. It is in the opening clause of verse 9 where, before Paul tells them to do what they know, he reminds them how they know what to do: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.” In verse 8, Paul points the church to the spiritual meditations that leads to the God of peace. But in verse 9, he points the church to the incarnational models that lead to the God of peace. Both are necessary for practicing the presence of God.

In Philippians 1:1, Paul addresses the intended recipients of this letter: “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.” This is the tension of the Christian life. Paul calls the church “saints in Christ Jesus.” But they are saints “who are at Philippi.” Christians are called to be saints. But being a saint is not about retreating to some secluded monastery, surrounding yourself with classic Christian literature, and spending all day in silence as you think great thoughts about God. Rather, our sainthood must be fleshed out in the real world. In Philippi. In Jacksonville. At home or work or school. We are called to be saints right where we are. We are called to practice the presence of God right where we are. To do this we must be connected to godly people who are intentionally, constantly, and obviously growing in Christlikeness. Mark it down. You cannot practice the presence of God if you allow yourself to be influence by people who pull you away from God, rather than leading you closer to him.

Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, not sits in the seat of scoffers.” Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: Band company ruins good morals.” To practice the presence of God, you need to focus your mind on godly companions. You must forget and forsake friendships, associations, and romances that hinder your devotion to God. It may be hard. But you have got to do it. Any person who helps you sin against God is not your real friend. Any romantic relationship that causes you to disobey God is not God’s will for you. Any business association that causes you to hurt your witness will only lead God to curse your blessing. You need godly companions who talk the talk and walk the walk.

A. GODLY COMPANIONS ARE PEOPLE WHO TALK THE TALK.

In verse 9, Paul says the church learned and received from him. These two terms refer to apostle’s formal, public, and official teaching ministry. Paul was a herald of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He taught them what it means to follow the one who died on the cross to be our Savior and rose from the dead to be our Lord. And you, too, we need people in your life who will teach you the truth of God’s word. You need to be in a Bible-teaching and biblically functioning church. You need to be in corporate worship on the Lord’s Day to hear the exposition of God word. You need to be in a Bible study fellowship group to learn scripture through instruction and discussion. And you need to build personal relationships with people who are serious about studying, obeying, and sharing the word of God. You need to be under the teaching of God’s word within an organized authority structure of a local church that will hold you accountable.

I used to think that my job as a preacher was just to give you the facts and let you make up your own mind – a kind of “We report. You decide.” philosophy of ministry. I know better now. So let me warn you: I do not preach and teach to merely inform. I preach and teach to persuade. I know that you are smart and educated. You can think rationally and logically. That is why I make sure that I do not stand here unprepared. I respect your ability to think. But I really do not give you credit for being able to make up your own mind. I know this may sound harsh, but it’s true. Until someone indoctrinates you, you do not have much of a mind to make up. Don’t be offended. Just think with me for a moment.

• How do you know that the earth orbits around the sun? Indoctrination.
• How do you know that 2+2=4? Indoctrination.
• How do you know that the sky is blue? Indoctrination.

You don’t know anything by inherent knowledge. Every thing we know, we are taught in some form or another. But when it comes to the things of God, we assume that we can make up our own minds about God without help or interference. But that is just not true. We need to be hooked up with those from whom we can learn and receive the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 calls the church as “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” When the pillars fall and the foundations cave in, the building will not stand. Likewise, truth cannot stand in your life without the church. The gospel does not make sense with the church that makes it make sense. You need godly companions who talk the talk.

B. GODLY COMPANIONS ARE PEOPLE WHO WALK THE WALK.

Notice the second set of verbs Paul uses in verse 9. He says the church had heard and seen some things in him. They learned from Paul in the formal settings of teaching and preaching. But they also learned from Paul by just watching what he did and listening to what he said during informal moments. He talked the talk. But he also walked the walk. May the Lord deliver us from people who are just spiritual on Sunday mornings! You do not need those kinds of people in your life. They will not help you practice the presence of God. They will only teach you how to be a hypocrite. You need to be hooked up with people who live out the teachings of their faith on a day-to-day basis.

Let me get in your business for a minute.
• Who are the people in your life who talk about Jesus even when they are not in church?
• Who are the people in your life who you can call if you need someone to pray for you?
• Who are the people in your life who model sacrificial, humble, and joyful Christian service for you?

A church member told his pastor, “We have some neighbors who believe a false gospel. Do you have any literature I can give them?” The pastor opened answered by reading 2 Corinthians 3:2 to him. In the KJV, it says: “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” His point was that the good literature is not a substitute for your own life. The most powerful weapon against the enemy is not a stirring sermon or a powerful book. It is the godly lives of believers. If you let people see you walk your talk, it will open opportunities to share the gospel with them.

YOU ARE WRITING A GOSPEL, A CHAPTER A DAY
BY THE DEEDS THAT YOU DO AND THE WORDS THAT YOU SAY
MEN READ WHAT YOU WRITE, WHETHER FAITHLESS OR TRUE
SAY, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO YOU?

III. FORTIFY YOUR MIND THROUGH GODLY CONDUCT.

Notice verse 9 again: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Verse 8 stresses the importance of meditating on godly principles. But verse 9 stresses the importance of the application of godly principles. After emphasizing how vital it is to think right, Paul then lets us know that right thinking is not enough to make us sensitive to the presence of God. Learning and receiving and hearing and seeing are not enough. In order to practice the presence of God, you must fortify your mind with godly conduct. OSWALD CHAMBERS wisely said, “The best measure of the spiritual life is not its ecstasies, but its obedience.” You must do what you know is right.

I am burdened by the crisis of biblical illiteracy among Christians. I can intimately identify with the grief expressed in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” But the longer I pastor, the more convinced I am that biblical illiteracy is not the church’s biggest problem. Our biggest problem is indifference, not illiteracy. There are many people in the church who do not know what is right to do. But there are many more of us who do not do what we know is right. And if God is grieved by those who do not know what pleases him; how much more is God grieved by those of us who will not do what we know is pleasing to God. To practice the presence of God, you must adopt a personal covenant of obedience that says: “If it’s God will, I will.”

TRUST AND OBEY
FOR THERE’S NO OTHER WAY
TO BE HAPPY IN JESUS
THAN TO TRUST AND OBEY

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things now seen.” This verse is good news. But it is not what we really want to hear. We want faith to guarantee that what we desire will come to pass. But faith is not certainty. It is trust. The assurance of things hoped for is not itself the things hoped for. Batter in the bowl is the substance of hoped-for cake. But is not cake. Likewise, the conviction of things not seen does not guarantee what the specific outcome of your circumstances is going to be. Faith does not guarantee that your desires will come to pass. Faith is trusting that God is able and willing to give you the desires of your heart, while conceding that God has the sovereign right to do what he wants to do. And that whatever God’s will is always right. “Faith,” writes PHIL YANCEY, “is trusting in advance, what can only be proven in reverse.” That can be frustrating. But if you trust God enough to do what he says, The God of peace will be with you. Faith honors God. So God honors faith. God honors those who honor him by taking him at his word. Things may not turn out the way you want them to. But the God of peace will be with you. James 1:25 says, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Let me close by saying that the assurance of God’s favor is not based on a supernatural experience. It is not based on your ability to follow some blessing plan. And it is not based on some preacher laying his hand on you. If you want to know that the God of peace is with you, just do what he says. If you put God’s word into practice, he will make his presence known to you – even if everything around you seems to be going wrong.

That’s what happened in Luke 5:1-11. Simon Peter was a skilled fisherman. But one night he could not catch anything. When morning dawned, his nets were empty. But the Lord Jesus borrowed his boat and made it his pulpit. And when the Lord finished teaching, he told Simon to go out into the deep waters, drop his nets again, and get ready for a big catch of fish. Simon responded, “Lord, we have been fishing all night long and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, we will let down our nets again.” When Simon obeyed, they caught so many fish that their nets broke and their ships began to sink. If you want the God of peace to be with you, you must learn how to say, “Nevertheless, at your word…”

STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF CHRIST MY KING
THROUGH ETERNAL AGES LET HIS PRAISES RING
GLORY IN THE HIGHEST, I WILL SHOUT AND SING
STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

STANDING ON THE PROMISES THAT CANNOT FAIL
WHEN THE HOWLING STORMS OF DOUBT AND FEAR ASSAIL
BY THE LIVING WORD OF GOD, I WILL PREVAIL
STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

Notes from the Last Sunday in 2009

Today was the last Sunday of the 2009. God has been faithful. And it was a joy to be in worship again with the saints of Shiloh.

We only had one service today at Shiloh. We met at 9 AM. I do not know if the change of time threw some people off or whether people were out because of the holiday. Regardless, I am grateful for all of the members and guests that pressed their way to worship today.

Our young adult ensemble led the musical praise this morning under the leadership of Reginald Bass. I am grateful and encouraged by the service.

I continued my series of Philippians today with a message from Philippians 4:8-9 that I entitled, “Practicing the Presence of God.”

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

During the invitation, I began to sing, “Lord Keep Me Day By Day.” This song has been in my system for about two weeks. It has been my daily as I end the year and face 2010. Thanks Lance for resurrecting this song for me more than a year ago. Remember?

Thanks K.B. for praying for me this morning. I was desperate. The assurance of your prayers was a great encouragement.

It’s official. I have preached every Sunday in 2010. I preached away from home twice – one Sunday in Los Angeles and one in Chicago. I am have been in my own pulpit every other Sunday. This is not a good thing. I need to take period breaks to care for my own soul and keep my mind fresh. But I am humbled with gratitude for the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord in helping me to carry out my assignment.

Next Sunday’s Sermon: “Have You Learned to be Content?” (Philippians 4:10-13)

If all goes according to schedule, I should be finished with the book of Philippians at the end of January. It has been a fruitful study for me. I hope and pray that it will bear fruit in the life of SMBC to the glory of God.

May the Lord richly bless the ministry and fellowship of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in 2010!

The Dallas cowboys put the smack down on their archrivals, the Washington Redskins. We are headed in the playoffs!!!
The Jaguars were beat down today by the Patriots.

There are now no more undefeated teams in the NFL. I can’t believe that the Indianapolis Colts pulled their starters early and chose not to pursue a perfect season.

The Good News of the Incarnation

Dad called a family meeting and proclaimed, “Christmas is going to be different this year.” He challenged them to be more disciplined in their time management during the busy season and to curtail excessive spending on gifts. He talked about having a more congenial atmosphere in their home and better relationships with visiting relatives. And he brought his speech to a climax with a final rally cry, “Let’s make this the best Christmas ever!” Then he asked, “Any question?” His second-grade son raised his hand and said “Dad, I don’t see how we could ever improve on the first Christmas?”

That little boy’s complaint is the burden of this sermon.
• How can you improve on the first Christmas, when a teenaged virgin gave birth to the infant-God?
• How can you improve on the first Christmas, when a star led the Magi from the East to worship the baby Christ?
• How can you improve on the first Christmas, when King Herod went into an infanticidal rage upon hearing of one who was born King of the Jews?
• How can you improve on the first Christmas, when an angel of the Lord proclaimed to a group of lowly shepherds: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
• How can you improve on the first Christmas, when an angelic choir sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

No matter how special the gifts you receive or how good the food you enjoy or how warm the fellowship you experience, your celebration of Christmas today can never measure up to that day when Joseph’s virgin betrothed wife gave birth to the Son of God. In fact, your celebration will ultimately be meaningless if it does not flow from your understanding of, faith in, and gratitude for what happened on that first Christmas Day. If you do not acknowledge, believe, and reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas, you will miss the beauty of this day in the clutter of trees, gifts, parties, food, and eggnog. The good news of Christmas is essentially and inextricably tied to the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Incarnation is succinctly explained in the creedal statement of Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” These two verses teach four aspects of the good news of the Incarnation.

I. THE TIMING OF THE INCARNATION IS GOOD NEWS

The first promise of the coming of Jesus is recorded in the Genesis 3:15. Addressing the Serpent who deceived Eve, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heal.” Centuries later, in Genesis 12:1-3, God promised Abraham that he would have a son through which all the earth would be blessed. Several generations later the promise of the coming Savior was given in the words of Genesis 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, God promised David that one day he would have a son on his throne whose reign would be everlasting. And in Daniel 9:24-27, the prophet was given insight into the exact time frame when Christ would come to earth.

The Jews knew these prophecies. And even though they may not have fully understood them, they understood enough to have a deep desire and great expectations for the imminent advent of the Messiah-King. When the Old Testament ends the promise is not fulfilled, even though it is repeated many times. In fact, between the end of the Old Testament in Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament in Matthew, God stopped talking. And when the ministry of John the Baptist began, there had not been a prophetic voice for over four hundred years. When Jesus came on the scene, the Jews – who were under Roman occupation – were desperate for the arrival of the Messiah. It seemed as if God was sitting on his hands, dragging his feet, and wasting time. But that was just from the limited viewpoint of earthbound creatures. Galatians 4:4 declares the truth about the timing of the Incarnation: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.”

The Incarnation of Jesus took place according to the sovereign schedule, providential orchestration, and perfect timing of God. Christ was born in the fullness of the time. Admittedly, we do not and cannot know for certain that Jesus was actually born on December 25. But even though we may not know the exact date of Christ’s birth, his coming into the world was so significant that it split history into B.C. and A.D. The life of Christ is the hinge of history. Jesus is the blending of deity and humanity. He is the intersection of earth and heaven. And he is the meeting pace of time and eternity. And the Bible affirms that he invaded history in the fullness of the time, at the right time, at the appointed time.

• It was a time of prophetic fulfillment.
• It was a time of religious fervor.
• It was a time of international peace.
• It was a time of moral decline.
• It was a time of cultural harmony.

In the fullness of time, God sent his Son into the world. The Incarnation was no last minute solution for sin. It was not a hastily thrown together rescue mission. It was not too early or too late. It was the fullness of the time. The good news proclaimed in the Incarnation is that God’s timing is perfect. Because God is God, there are no such things as accidents. Nothing just happens. Everything happens according to God’s sovereign will, schedule, and timetable. And God’s timing is perfect. He is never late and he is never early. He is always right on time. God proved that ultimately by sending his Son in the fullness of the time.

Jesus will come again in the fullness of time. The Old Testament believers were waiting for the Messiah to come. As New Testament believers, we are waiting for the Messiah to come again. Yet the church still wrestles with the same doubts, questions, and impatience. When will the Lord come again? Why has the Lord come again yet to rapture the church, consummate the kingdom, and judge the world? Is there a reason why the coming of the Lord is being delayed? 2 Peter 3:9 answered, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God’s timing is perfect. And Jesus will come again in the fullness of time. But the Lord is delaying because he is being patient toward those who have not repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ. In his mercy, the Lord is giving the lost time to defect from the life of sin and to run to the cross to put their faith in blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

WHEN HE SHALL COME WITH TRUMPET SOUND
OH MAY I THEN IN HIM BE FOUND
DRESSED IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ALONE
FAULTLESS TO STAND BEFORE THRONE

II. THE SOURCE OF THE INCARNATION IS GOOD NEWS

Verse 4 says. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.” This clause, “God sent forth his Son,” tells us how much the Incarnation cost God. The term sent forth means to send forth or to send away. It was used to refer to sending an army off to war, commissioning a person for some duty, or even banishing someone. Paul uses it here to speak of the source of Incarnation: God sent forth his Son. This statement assumes the Preexistence of Christ. Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. And when a Savior was needed to be man’s substitute, God sent his own Son. When a Savior was needed, God gave us his very best. When Adam and Eve rebelled against the government of God, and humanity needed a Savior to restore us to right relationship with God, God did not send Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Isaiah, or Jeremiah. God did not even send an angel. God sent forth his Son.

Matthew 21:33-46 Jesus tells of a landowner who planted a fully equipped vineyard a leased it to tenants. When the season of fruit came, he sent his servants to get his fruit. But the tenants beat one, killed another, and stoned another. The master of the house sent more servants. They did the same to them. Finally, he sent his son, thinking, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they plotted, “This is the heir. Let’s kill him and have his inheritance.” And they killed his son outside of the vineyard. Then Jesus asked, “What do you think the owner of the vineyard is going to do to the tenants when he comes? Everyone knew the answer. Then Jesus quoted scripture to back up his parable: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

When the religious leaders heard these things, they perceived he was talking about them. They would have arrested him on the spot, but they feared the crowds. At least the religious leaders understood the theological implications of Jesus’ life and ministry. If Jesus claimed to be a wise rabbi, a mighty prophet, a miracle worker, a social reformer, or a revolutionary leader, they would have known how to deal with him. But Jesus claimed that he was the Son of God and that God will make sure that everyone answers for how they treat his Son. This is still a scandalous idea. Some ask, “Why did God sent his Son? Did Jesus have to die on the cross? Couldn’t he just declare us forgiven?” The answer is no. To ask this reveals that you do not understand how sinful your sin is to God. Our sin offends the holiness of God and Jesus is the only who is able to satisfy God’s righteous demands. So God sent forth his Son to pay the penalty for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10 says, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

III. THE MANNER OF THE INCARNATION IS GOOD NEWS

A little girl heard sounds in the dark and became afraid. So she rushed into her parent’s bedroom, begging to sleep with them. They refused. Instead, they prayed with her and sent her back to bed, instructing her to remember that God would be with her. She went back to her room and tried to sleep. But it didn’t work. So she went back to her parent’s room, only to be sent away again with the reminder that God was with her. So she went again to her room and tried to sleep. And, again, it didn’t work. So she made her way to her parent’s room one more time. They were less patient with her this time. “Didn’t we pray with you?” they scolded. “Didn’t we tell you that God was with you? What’s the problem?” Her reply was classic: “God doesn’t have any skin on him!”

Before the Incarnation, every method God used to declare his love for humanity was misunderstood. God didn’t have any skin. So his expressions of love – like the Law of Moses, for instance – were viewed as acts of divine tyranny. But in the Incarnation, God perfectly declared his love for us. He spoke in a language that we could understand. He did so by becoming one of us. In fact, that is what the term Incarnation means: “in the flesh.” God took on human form. Paul put it this way: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.” Think about that. The statement, “God sent forth his Son,” can only be said of one person – the Lord Jesus Christ. But the phrase “born of woman” can be said of every one of us. So much so that it is ridiculous for Paul to point out that Christ was born of woman if he was no more than a mere man. But the fact is that on Christmas the eternal Son – the second Person of the undivided Trinity became human in the Person of Jesus Christ.

• God became a fetus.
• The creator of life was created.
• He who is larger than the universe became an embryo.
• The omnipotent one made himself breakable.
• He who had been spirit became pierceable.
• The ancient of days became of the infant of days.
• He who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.

The question of the ages is how can one get to know God personally? In Jesus’ day, the answer was shockingly simple: You know him the same you get to know anybody else. You walk up, shake his hand, introduce yourself, and ask how he’s doing. Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call his name ‘Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Jesus is the God-Man – fully divine and fully human at the same time. He was born. He grew. He lived. He ate. He drank. He slept. He cried. He even died. The God who fills the universe imploded and became a baby who, like every other infant who ever lived, had to learn how to walk and talk and dress himself. In the Incarnation, God’s Son deliberately handicapped himself, exchanging omniscience for a brain that learned Aramaic, omniscience for two legs and an occasional donkey, and omnipotence for arms strong enough to saw wood but too weak for self-defense. God became a human being.

IV. THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION IS GOOD NEWS

Salvation comes through faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. So the Incarnation is essential to salvation, because it affirms the Person of Christ – who he is. But we must not forget that the hope of salvation rests in both the Person and Work of Christ. The Incarnation alone does not save. According to the Bible, Calvary – not Bethlehem – is the center of Christianity. MARTIN LUTHER hit the nail on the head when he described Christianity theology as “THEOLOGIA CRUXIS” (a theology of the cross). Yes, we praise God for the virgin birth, irreproachable life, matchless teachings, astonishing miracles, and moral example of Jesus. But all of these wonderful things would have availed nothing for our salvation had they not found their consummation in his perfect atoning sacrifice on the cross. So why verse 4 proclaims the timing, sacrifice, and manner of the Incarnation, verse 5 proclaims the purpose of it.

A. THE REDEMPTION FROM SIN

Verse 5 says that God sent forth his son in the fullness of time “to redeem those who were under the law.” The word redeem means to release by paying a ransom price. It is a commercial term that was used of buying slaves or purchasing the freedom of slaves in the marketplace. That is the picture of our sinful condition. In John 8:34 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Sin is bondage from which we cannot get free through our own goodness, wisdom, strength, merit, or resources. Without a Redeemer, the bondage of sin will separate us from God for both time and eternity. In John 8:35-36, Jesus declares, “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The only way you can avoid the holy wrath of eternal judgment is if the Son sets you free. That is the purpose of the Incarnation. Jesus was born with an assignment from the Father to die on the cross, where his blood would be the ransom that sets us free from the bondage of sin and its consequences.

• If information was our greatest need, God would have sent an educator.
• If technology was our greatest need, God would have sent us a scientist.
• If money was our greatest need, God would have sent an economist.
• If pleasure was our greatest need, God would have sent an entertainer.
• But our greatest need was salvation, so God sent us a Redeemer.

Matthew 20:28 says, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:12 says, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” And 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” The blood of Jesus was the purchase price for our redemption from sin.

• He stood before God with all our sin on him that we through faith might stand before God with none of our sin on us.
• He who was righteous was judged as unrighteous that we who are unrighteous should be judged before God as righteous.
• He was made for us all that God must judge and by faith we are made in him all that God cannot judge.
• At Calvary, Jesus paid a debt he did not know for those who owed a debt we could not pay.
• On that cross, God treated Jesus as if he had committed all of our ss so that he could treat us as if we had practiced all of the righteousness of Christ.

B. THE ADOPTION AS SONS

The doctrine of redemption is three-dimensional. First of all, we are redeemed from something (the bondage of sin and its consequences). We are redeemed by something (the blood and righteousness of Christ). But we are also redeemed unto something (the adoption as sons). Verse 5 says that the purpose of the Incarnation is “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” A man would redeem a slave for only one of two reasons: to set him free or to personally enslave him. But a man would not redeem a slave, take him home, and make him the heir of his estate. But that is the good news of the Incarnation. God dispatched his Son to the marketplace of sin in order to set us free from the bondage of sin. But the grace and mercy of God did not stop there. In Christ, God redeems us and adopts us. The moment you are saved, God takes you from slavery to sonship. He adopts you as his own.

John 1:11-12 says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God.” Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” And Ephesians 1:5-6 says, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Do not confuse adoption with regeneration. Regeneration is the act of the Holy Spirit taking a heart that is dead in trespasses and sins and making it alive in Christ. It is the radical change God makes in us so that we can know, acknowledge, and believe the gospel. But adoption speaks of the resulting relationship with God enjoyed by those who receive regeneration. We are adopted into God’s family. And we are adopted as sons. Do not let the desire for inclusive gender language cause you to miss the blessing of this text. Galatians 4:1-3 says: “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” In spite of sin, God has always had children in this world. But they were under bondage. So how would God move his children from where they are to where he wants them to be? Galatians 4:4-5 answers: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” God does not want you to be a slave. So in redemption, he doesn’t just make you his child. He puts you in the place of a son. He makes you an heir. He gives you access to riches, rule, and righteousness.

BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE
OH WHAT A FORFEIT OF GLORY DIVINE
HEIR OF SALVATION, PURCHASE OF GOD
BORN OF HIS SPIRIT, WASHED IN HIS BLOOD

In closing, let me point out one more word in the text. It is the word “receive.” We receive the adoption as sons. We are not forgiven because we deserve it. We are not saved because we work for it. And we are not redeemed because we earned it. Independent of any good works we do, God adopts us into his family through the agency of Jesus Christ and his perfect atoning sacrifice on the cross. The good news of the Incarnation is that in order to be saved all we have to do is receive by faith what God has doe for us through his Son – Jesus Christ. Only a phony god would be pleased with our self-righteousness. Only a temperamental god would be satisfied with sacrifices. Only a puny god would be impressed with our pain. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidder. And only a holy, sovereign, and gracious God would step out of eternity into time and do for us what we could never do for ourselves. That is what God did for us.

The evangelist, BILLY SUNDAY, was helping workers take down the tent after a meeting, when a young man came running in. Out of breath, the young man said, “I wanted to come to the revival, but I missed the meeting. But please tell me, what must I do to be saved?” Sunday responded, “You’re too late,” and kept taking down the tent. The young man responded, “Just because I missed the meeting, you’re not going to tell me how to be saved?” Sunday answered, “No, you’re too to do anything to be saved, because Jesus did it all almost two thousand years ago. Now you must receive the finished work of Jesus Christ.” What good news! Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you do not have to do anything. God has offered salvation free of charge through the offering of his beloved Son. So do not try to earn his love. Just receive it.

God's Answer For Your Anxiety

Philippians 4:1-9 is a call to Christian steadfastness. Verse 1 exhorts the church to “stand firm in the Lord.” The next eight verses teach practical steps that lead to the steadfastness of faith verse 1 calls for. Our text is a part of this inspired strategy for Christian stability. It begins with a command: “Do not be anxious about anything.” The term anxious means “to deeply care about something or someone.” It can refer to proper or legitimate concern. Paul uses it this way in Philippians 2:20 when he says of Timothy, “I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.” It can also refer to sinful or undue concern. Jesus used the term this way in Luke 10:41, when he told Martha, “You are anxious and troubled about many things.” Our text uses the term in this latter sense. We are not to be carefree or unconcerned about the important things, issues, and people in our lives. But we should not worry about them. And legitimate concern turns into sinful anxiety when we allow our hearts and minds to be pulled into different directions by our circumstances.

Faith pulls in one direction. Doubt pulls in another direction. Hope pulls in one direction. Fear pulls us the opposite direction. Peace pulls is one direction. Confusion pulls in a different direction. And we are pulled apart with worry. Our word WORRY is derived from an Old English word that means, “to strangle.” Yes, worry is internal strangulation. Jesus affirms this in THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER when he speaks of seed being planted among thorns. Matthew 13:22 says, “This is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” So our text says: “do not be anxious about anything.” The verb is in a grammatical emphasis that forbids an action that is already in progress. Literally, God is not saying, “Don’t worry.” He’s saying, “Stop worrying!” Am I talking to you? What are you worrying about? Is it your family? Your health? Your finances? Your job? Your future? Whatever it is, God says stop worrying. But he does not leave you with just a command to obey. He gives you an answer for your anxiety. Here it is: PRAY YOUR WORRIES AWAY!

• Don’t worry. Pray!
• Turn your worries into prayers.
• Take everything off of your worry list and put it on your prayer list.
• Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray.
• Give each worry – one by one – to God in prayer.

“I have a mountain of credit card debt,” one man told another. “I’ve lost my job, my car is being repossessed, and our house is in foreclosure. But I’m not worried about it.” “Not worried about it!” exclaimed his friend. “No. I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me so I don’t have to think about it.” Playing along, the friend asked, “How much does your professional worrier charge?” “$50,000 a year,” replied the first man. “$50,000! Where are you going to get that kind of money?” “I don’t know,” came the reply. “That’s for him to worry about.”

In a real sense, we – as followers of Christ – have the services of a professional worrier. 1 Peter 5:7 says: “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Have you ever thought about that? GOD IS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!

• He’s worried about your sin – That’s why he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sins.
• He’s worried about your sickness – That’s why he has declared himself to be “Jehovah-Roa,” the God that heals.
• He’s worried about the daily affairs of your life – That’s why he’s the Good Shepherd who leads us in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
• He’s worried about your spiritual growth – That’s why he has given the Holy Spirit and scripture to facilitate your development in Christlikeness.
• He’s worried about your future – That’s why he announced that he is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

God is worried about you. Of course, God doesn’t worry as we do – pacing the floor, scratching his head, and biting his fingernails. God is sovereign, holy, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. So God cannot have panic attacks. But he is worried about you in the sense that he his intimately aware of what your dealing with. He cares about your situation. And he is actively at work on your behalf. Jeremiah 29:11 puts it this way: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” If that is true, what in the world are you worrying about? Pray your troubles away. Let me show you how to do it.

I. REMEMBER THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER.

Verse 6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” This verse succinctly states the privilege of prayer with two words: in everything. Feel the tension of the text. Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything. Nothing is worth worrying about. Everything is worth praying about. Did you get that? Worry and prayer cannot coexist. Worry and prayer are two great opposing forces. BENGEL said, “Anxiety and prayer are more opposed to each other than fire and water.” So this verse teaches us that the way to be anxious for nothing is to be prayerful in everything. And the word everything literally means everything. There’s no fine print, qualifiers, loopholes, or exceptions. We are to come to God about everything. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God has an open door policy with those who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to hold anything back. And you don’t have to keep your worries to yourself. Our heavenly Father is interested in every detail of our lives. He has flung wide the gates of his presence and says, “Come and tell me all about it.”

OH, WHAT PEACE WE OFTEN FORFEIT
OH, WHAT NEEDLESS PAIN WE BEAR
ALL BECAUSE WE DO NOT CARRY
EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER

Not some things. Certain things. Or spiritual things. Everything! Take everything to God in prayer. No request is too small, difficult, or inconsequential to God. We are to talk to the Lord about everything in our lives. Nothing should be left out. Here are two reasons why:

A. THERE IS NOTHING TOO BIG FOR GOD TO HANDLE!

A woman once asked G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, “Dr. Morgan, do you think we should pray about the little things in our lives?” He answered, “Madam, can you mention anything in our life that is big to God?” There is nothing too big for God to handle. Whatever it is, God can handle it! JOHN NEWTON said it well:

THOU ART COMING TO A KING
LARGE PETITIONS WITH THEE BRING
FOR HIS GRACE AND POWER ARE SUCH
NONE CAN EVER ASK TOO MUCH

Whatever it is, God can handle it. Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:27 says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Luke 1:37 says, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 18:27 says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

B. THERE IS NOTHING TOO SMALL FOR GOD TO CARE ABOUT!

The Lord is dynamically involved in the monumental decisions, problems, and issues of our lives. The Lord also gets down into the nuts and bolts of life. God is the one flung the sun, moon, and stars out into space. He is also the one who has numbered the hairs on your head. God is the one who owns all the silver and gold. He is also the one who monitors the falling of every two-bit sparrow. God is the one who parted the waters in creation. He is also the one who turned water into wine for a newlywed couple who didn’t order enough wine for the wedding reception. There is nothing too small for God to care about.

• God cares about the things that embarrass you.
• God cares about your appliances that keep breaking down.
• God cares about those lost keys that made you late.
• God cares about those extra few minutes of sleep you need in the morning.
• God cares about the things that you think are too silly to share with anybody else.

Let me bottom line this for you: WHATEVER IS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE, IF IT MATTERS TO YOU, IT MATTERS TO GOD.

II. REHEARSE THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER.

A soldier was court-marshaled after his superiors found him apparently sleeping on his post. His defense was that he was not sleep. He was praying. Of course, the authorities didn’t buy that story. During the hearing, the prosecutor mockingly challenged him to pray right there in court. And he did. Right there, he passionately and confidently prayed to God. When he finished, the case was thrown out. It was concluded that he never would have been able to pray like that under pressure, if he hadn’t been practicing that kind of prayer before the pressure.

If you are going to be able to pray your worries away, you must learn how to practice the discipline of prayer before problems arise, pressures attack, and pain afflict you. The text teaches three ways to discipline your prayer life.

A. DISCIPLINED PRAYER INVOLVES TIME WITH GOD.

Verse 6 says: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The word prayer translates a Greek noun that is the broad, generic, all-encompassing word for prayer in the New Testament. It speaks of the act of addressing God. It is conversation and communion with God. It’s the prayer that enjoys the presence of God and honors him in worship. Paul uses it here to teach us that believing prayer involves time with God. When Paul says, “By prayer… let your requests be known to God,” he is saying that prayer should involve more than making requests to God. Prayer should be more than offering petitions. Prayers should be more than the presentation of your sanctified wish list. You should pray in order to spend time in personal, deliberate, and intimate communion with God - not just to get God to do something for you.

Daniel’s enemies were jealous of his promotion. So they plotted against him. But they soon found out that Daniel could not be bribed, tempted, or discredited. He was too devoted to God. So they determined that if they couldn’t get Daniel to break his devotion to God, they would set him up based on his devotion to God. They convinced King Darius to sign a decree prohibiting his subjects from praying to any God but him for the thirty days. But Daniel 6:10 reports, “When Daniel knew that the document had been sighed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber opened toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave hanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Don’t miss that last line. Daniel prayed, as was his custom. He did not start praying when he heard the decree was signed. He was already praying. So rather than worrying, he just kept doing what he had already been doing. He prayed! That may be why your prayers don’t work. Many of us are practical atheists. We don’t formally deny the existence of God. But we live as if he doesn’t exist. We forget God when life gets good.

• Our prayers become perfunctory.
• Our church attendance becomes sporadic.
• Our giving becomes a tip rather than a tithe.
• Our service becomes inconsistent.
• Our time in the word becomes nonexistent.

But when your money gets funny, your body gets sick, or your loved-ones start tripping, then you rush to God for strength, guidance, and comfort. But “crisis Christianity” doesn’t work. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” You can’t plant sinful seeds and then quickly turn to God when you see that your harvest didn’t turn out the way you thought it would. I am not saying that God cannot hear emergency prayers. I am saying that prayer without commitment is presumption. Prayer is not some spiritual 9-1-1. You try that and you may get put on hold like 9-1-1. Prayer is like two lovers getting together. They really don’t have to go anywhere special; they just want to be together. And they don’t have to have anything special to talk about. But they stay on the phone because they don’t want to hang up. Pray should be like. Authentic prayer involves time with God.

B. DISCIPLINED PRAYER INVOLVES TRUST IN GOD.

Verse 6 says: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The word supplication refers to the act of seeking, entreaty or asking. The picture is that of an inferior bringing a petition to a superior. It is to pray with a sense of need. But supplication is not just about the act of taking your needs to God in prayer. It’s about the implication of that act. By taking your need to God in prayer, you are not informing God of something he does not know. God is omniscient. God knows everything known, unknown, and knowable. You cannot inform God of anything. By taking your needs to God in prayer, you are affirming that God is the one who is able to meet need. Supplication is a statement of trust in God. It is a declaration of dependence upon God. It’s the simple act confessing to God that you are going to trust God with your situation. Jesus taught this in Matthew 6:25-34. It is the section of THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT where Jesus directly addresses the issue of worry. His position on worry is clear and simple: Don’t do it. Don’t worry about what you will eat, drink, or wear. And don’t worry about tomorrow. GERALD MANN suggests that Jesus really doesn’t tell us not to worry, as much as he tells us to wait to worry.

• Worry when it will feed and clothe you.
• Worry when it will make you live longer or grow taller.
• Worry when you want to know how people who don’t God react to problems.
• Worry when you want to make tomorrow to be worse than it’s already going to be.

Otherwise, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33). Mark it down: Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. So just trust God.

WHEN THE WORLD FROM YOU WITHHOLD OF ITS SILVER AND ITS GOLD
AND YOU HAVE TO GET ALONG WITH MEAGER FARE
JUST REMEMBER, IN HIS WORD, HOW HE FEED THE LITTLE BIRD
TAKE YOU BURDEN TO THE LORD AND LEAVE IT THERE

…IF YOU TRUST AND NEVER DOUBT, HE WILL SURELY BRING YOU OUT
TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD AND LEAVE IT THERE

C. AUTHENTIC PRAYER INVOLVES THANKSGIVING TO GOD.

One reason why many of us worry so much is because we are ungrateful people. We don’t thank God enough. And because we are often short on praise, we are short on peace. MARTIN LUTHER wisely asserted that if God was stingy, close-handed, and inconsistent in blessing us, we would be more grateful for every single thing he did. However, we respond to God’s extravagant grace with indifference. Consequently, we spend more time rehearsing what’s not going right in our lives, rather than rejoicing over the undeserved goodness of God. But I dare you to make thanksgiving a habit. Your worries would vanish. Your fears would subside.

Verse 6 says that we are to make our requests to God with thanksgiving. And note that Paul is not saying that when God answers your prayer, go back and thank him. On the contrary, the phrase with thanksgiving means that gratitude is to characterize the very act of prayer – not just the answer to it. When you make your requests – right then and there – thank God. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

WHEN UPON LIFE’S BILLOWS YOU ARE TEMPEST TOSS
WHEN YOU ARE DISCOURAGED, THINKING ALL IS LOST
COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS – NAME THEM ONE BY ONE
AND IT WILL SURPRISE YOU WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE

III. RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF PRAYER.

I have good news and bad news for you. I’ll give you the good news first. When you go to God in believing prayer, you can expect God to respond to your prayer. God hears. God knows. God cares. God answers. God responds when you pray. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he may not respond the way you want him to. Verse 7 records a beautiful promise that affirms God will respond when you pray. But it does not promise that God will change your circumstances. No healings. No supernatural debt cancellation. No promotion. No Mr. or Miss Right. No miracles. The verse does not promise DIVINE INTERVENTION for your circumstances. But it does promise DIVINE INSULATION for your heart and mind.
This is not to say that God is unable or unwilling to move in your circumstances. He is. But that’s not point here. The point is that God is more concerned about what’s on within you than he is about what’s going on around you. God is more concerned about what’s happening in you than he is what’s happening to you. So verse 7 makes a wonderful promise: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Have things really changes? Not necessarily. You may still be in a war zone. The battle may still be raging. The enemy may still be advancing. But even though war is raging around you, something has happened within you. God has dispatched his peace to guard your heart and mind. That’s the promise of the text. In fact, that’s God’s promise throughout scripture. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” And Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

In Daniel 6, King Darius issued a decree prohibiting his subjects from praying to anyone but him for 30 days. But that didn’t stop Daniel from going to his room and praying to the true God, as he had always done. And Daniel got the death penalty for it. Darius put him in a lion’s den and put a stone on the mouth of the den, so he couldn’t escape. And Daniel 6:18 says, “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.” He was in the palace, but he couldn’t sleep. He was surrounded by luxuries, but he couldn’t sleep. He was protected by armed soldiers and trained guards, but he couldn’t sleep. He stayed up all night long. The next morning he rushed down to the lion’s den and called out to Daniel. To his surprise, Daniel answered. Daniel 6:22 says, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths.” The king couldn’t sleep all night. But at the same time, God was keeping the lions quiet so that his child could rest in safety. That’s what the peace of God will do for you, if you take your worries to God in prayer.

A ship was wrecked in a furious storm and the only survivor was a little boy who was swept by the waves unto a rock. He sat there all night long, until he was spotted and rescued the next morning. “Did you tremble while you were on the rock during the night?” someone asked. “Yes,” said the boy. “I trembled all night. But the rock didn’t.

MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS
THAN JESUS’ BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
I DARE NOT TRUST THE SWEETEST FRAME
BUT WHOLLY LEAN ON JESUS’ NAME

ON CHRIST, THE SOLID ROCK, I STAND
ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND