Reflections...

New Blog Website

2009-07-02T09:26:00.003-04:00

I will now be concentrating my blog posts over at www.sovgracede.org

For those of you subscribed via RSS, click here for the new feed.

Middletown DE - Levels Road Park Grand Opening

2009-05-21T21:33:00.001-04:00

Levels Park grand opening set for May 23...

The Town of Middletown will hold the grand opening of Levels Park, which has been in the works for nearly three years, on Saturday, May 23.
The park will be open daily from dawn to dusk and is located on Levels Road (Del. 15), about 1 1/2 miles from U.S. 301.
The 100-acre park features a dog park, an eight-acre catch and release pond, walking trails, six pavilions and playgrounds. The park will be patrolled by the Middletown Police seasonal bicycle officers from dusk until dawn.

Read the whole thing.

God Talks-The Bible Is Gods True and Lasting Word

2009-05-20T08:15:00.001-04:00

Our God is a talking God and has chosen to talk to us in the pages of Holy Scripture. What an amazing truth with life-altering, life-shaping implications. As Dr. Ware writes, "We can far too easily ignore the Bible or spend too little time reading from it. But when we realize what it really is, we desire to spend much more time learning just what the Bible says. Yes, it is true. What the Bible says is what God says; as the Bible speaks to us, God speaks to us."

Do you want to hear God speak? I do to. Let us not fail to heed the famous words that led St. Augustine into the pages of Scripture -- " take up and read!" This subject reminds me of a great article by John Piper -- "The Morning I Heard the Voice of God." I'd encourage you to read it and be inspired to take up and read. Parents, let us also consider, how can we get our children close to Scripture? What practices do we need to adopt? What habits of family devotion do we need to instill or persevere in?

Recently, my wife Fibia and I have benefited from the little booklets you see below in teaching our children doctrine/scripture. The book of questions and answers, has a list of questions that help children to understand who God is. The book of memory verses is organized by topic--some are directly related to God's character, others are about Jesus, while still others are about sin, salvation, prayer, faith etc...These booklets are available at the resource center. They are great tools because you can review a question or a Bible verse at any time - driving in the car, while playing with the kids, during mealtimes etc...

Reflection on pp 21-23 of Big Truths for Young Hearts, by Bruce Ware.

God Has Made Himself Known

2009-05-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

What an amazing truth to consider - a holy and infinite God has made himself known to finite sinners such as you and me. One of the ways He has made Himself known is through creation (Psalm 19:1-2, Romans 1:19-20). Dr. Ware has put it this way: "We truly do learn much about God's greatness and glory just by noticing the world all around us." What will you notice of God glory in creation today? What will you notice that you will point out to your children?

Reflection on pp 18-20 of Big Truths for Young Hearts, by Bruce Ware.

This book will be available this Sunday at the Resource Center for $11

Recent Sermons Posted

2009-05-13T15:03:00.001-04:00

Download any of these sermons at

www.sovgracede.org/sermons

05/10/2009
An Encouragement To Mothers
Psalm 127:1-128:6

05/03/2009
For His Glory
Series: God's Mission, God's Community & You
Nehemiah 1:1-2:8

04/26/2009
Don't Mess With Idolatry
Series: Renewal
Ezra 9-10

Why Mother's Day?

2009-05-12T13:18:00.003-04:00

The video we showed on Sunday...

Summer Schedule of Events

2009-05-10T19:30:00.002-04:00

We have a fun summer together ahead of us! More details on these events will be forthcoming....

Summer Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 13th 8AM-12pm

Ladies Breakfast / Hike

Youth Camp, June 18—June 20

Lancaster, PA

Sunday, July 26th after church

Summer Picnic

Thursday, August 13th, 7:05PM

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Fireworks Night

Prayer and Parenting

2009-05-02T13:45:00.005-04:00

I was inspired by this post by Tony Reinke (CJ Mahaney's personal assistant) and thought it would encourage the parents in our church.

Christian parents have many reasons to thank to God for all the practical resources now available on parenting. We easily forget that biblically informed and cross-centered books, articles, and conferences have not been around forever.

But as I know from personal experience, this wealth of material at our fingertips can also subtly lead us to believe successful parenting is merely the accumulation of sound bite suggestions, reading the right material, and accurately putting all this into practice. Discernment and practice are critical, but even more essential to successful parenting is the active grace and power of our sovereign God. Like few other responsibilities, parenting reveals our human weaknesses and provides us with many opportunities for prayer.

Read the whole thing.

Joy and Conviction - Two Sides of the Same Coin

2009-04-29T14:46:00.005-04:00

Grief for sin, and joy in God's forgiveness and the assurance of his love, are not far from each other, for the God who convicts of sin is the God of mercy who saves, and repenting of sin and trusting Christ for forgiveness are two sides of the same coin. This two-sided, double-aspect turning to God is the basic discipline of each day's Christian living, and it is in relation to one or the other facet of it that the most vivid realizings of God, and enlargings of our grip on him are likely to be given to us (JI Packer, A Passion For Faithfulness).

Dave Harvey - Sovereign Grace Ministries On Reaching Our World

2009-04-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

I want to encourage those of you who weren't at church on April 19th to download and listen to Dave Harvey's recent sermon, "What Makes the Great Commission Great?" This message is an important message as it relates to our mission as local church as "Our aim is to be a people transformed by the gospel, empowered by God's Spirit, reaching our world."

Idols of the heart

2009-04-26T07:38:00.002-04:00

Today I will be speaking from Ezra 9-10 on the subject of idolatry. To help you apply today's message, I wanted to provide a link to CJ Mahaney's outline for a sermon he gave entitled "The Idol Factory." Click here to download the PDF.

What Makes the Great Commission Great? - Dave Harvey

2009-04-21T15:16:00.011-04:00

Date: April 19, 2009
Speaker: Dave Harvey

"Dave Harvey is responsible for church care, church planting, and international expansion for Sovereign Grace Ministries. He has served as a member of the Sovereign Grace Ministries leadership team since 1995." Click here to read a full bio on Dave Harvey.
Title: What Makes the Great Commission Great?
Scripture Passage: Matthew 28:19
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Taking Up Your Cross

2009-04-16T12:06:00.002-04:00

Remember, Christ's call to you is a rescue. In asking you to deny yourself and follow, he is giving to you what you could never earn or achieve on your own. You will not find it in your marriage, in parenting your children, in accumulating posessions, in the esteem of friends, in theological knowledge, or in the most beautiful location. Christ offers you what you cannot earn and what the physical creation can never offer: the all-surpassing glory of knowing him. This is the world's best prize. This is the universe's best meal. This is the only thing that will ever give your life meaning and fill you with lasting joy (p.121, A Quest For More). - Paul Tripp

Easter Message: Standing Firm

2009-04-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

Date: April 12, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Standing Firm
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:58
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Happy Good Friday!

2009-04-10T14:02:00.007-04:00

I came across this quote from Kevin DeYoung and wanted to share it with you:

Hebrews 2:14-17
"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."

Praise God that he sent his Son not just to share in our weaknesses, but to bear our iniquities. Praise God that the Suffering Servant was not just wounded for our identification, but for our transgressions. Praise God that the Son of man came not just be a restoration of our humanity, but a ransom for our sin. Praise God that our Brother shared not just in our humanity, but shared in our humanity that he might become a high priest in the service of God, a high priest who offered himself once for all as our eternal redemption. Because without the shedding of blood there can still be identification with humanity, but there cannot be the remission of sin.

Happy Good Friday! I pray God fills you with joy and thankfulness as you contemplate the glories of calvary.

HT: Josh Harris

Renewal (pt.3) -- When Life Dissapoints

2009-04-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

Date: April 5, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: When Life Dissapoints
Scripture Passage: Ezra 5-8
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Renewal (pt.2) -- In the Face of Opposition

2009-04-01T15:12:00.001-04:00

Date: March 29, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: In the Face of Opposition
Scripture Passage: Ezra 4
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

“I’m With Jesus”: A Simple Approach to Apologetics

2009-03-31T09:54:00.006-04:00

Let the following serve you as you interact with those who may be skeptical about or exploring Christianity:

From Tony Reinke (personal assistant to CJ Mahaney):

Question: In that silly story about Jonah getting swallowed by a whale, certainly you don’t believe that really happened, do you? Was he a real man or a fictitious character to begin with? Did he really spend a weekend inside a whale? Did he really go on to preach in Nineveh?

Good questions.

Answer: Yes, I believe Jonah was a real man, a prophet, who was also swallowed by a “great fish” (whale?), who spent three days inside that fish, before eventually finding his way to Nineveh. How do I know? I know because Jesus confirms these facts by the testimony of his own mouth (Matt. 12:39-41). Jesus assumes the validity of the story, so I affirm it, too. I’m with Jesus.

Let’s try another one.

Question: Did the Genesis flood really happen? Did Noah really build an ark? Did the flood really destroy the population? Wasn’t the flood story just a rip-off from some ancient flood myth told by the Babylonians?

Let’s ask Jesus.

Answer: “And he said to the disciples, ‘… Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:22,26-27). I’m with Jesus.

Let’s turn to the authenticity of scripture.

Question: How many authors composed the book of Isaiah? Some scholars would say the book has multiple authors (2 or 3), some doubt that any of the authors could have been the prophet Isaiah himself, thereby undercutting the authority of scripture in some ways. So how do we answer? Ask Jesus.

Answer: In the gospels we see that Jesus assumes that the prophet Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah, citing Isaiah as the single author, and alluding to no secondary authors (see Matt 13:14 and Isa 6:9-10, Matt 15:7 and Isa 29:13). I’m with Jesus.

The same works on a critical issue of personal salvation.

Question: Is Jesus really the only way to God? Aren’t there multiple paths to heaven?

Answer: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). I’m with Jesus.

That’s how it works.

Actually, consider collecting your own list of difficult questions and then go read the gospels. See if Jesus answers your questions or makes allusions that help to answer your questions. You may be surprised at what you learn.

This method of apologetics will not answer every question (I know) but it certainly helps out with some of the biggest questions.

Read the whole article here.

Isaiah 40:1-11

2009-03-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

Date: March 22, 2009
Speaker: Josh Blount
Title: Thanksgiving
Scripture Passage: Isaiah 40:1-11
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Renewed In Purpose

2009-03-19T16:44:00.000-04:00

Date: March 15, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Renewed In Purpose
Scripture Passage: Misc. Texts.
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Our Mission

2009-03-08T16:43:00.000-04:00

Date: March 8, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Our Mission
Scripture Passage: Misc. Texts.
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.7) -- Biblical Correction

2009-03-03T15:19:00.001-05:00

Date: March 1, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Thanksgiving
Scripture Passage: Misc. Texts.
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.6) -- Thanksgiving

2009-02-24T17:55:00.005-05:00

Date: February 22, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Thanksgiving
Scripture Passage: Misc. Texts.
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

On Christ The Solid Rock

2009-02-21T10:03:00.011-05:00

Last night, we had a most wonderful refreshing time at Care Group. During our time of singing to the Lord, we came to the song "On Christ the Solid Rock." As we sang, the Holy Spirit freshly strengthened me by the truth contained in the song. And it seemed to me, that God was doing the same for all present. And so I paused our time and asked the other Care Group members, as they were so inclined, to begin to thank God for how we can trust and depend on Him at all times. Well that began a most wonderfully edifying time of prayer and thanksgiving--where many expressed their hearts to God; one individual read from Romans 4 about Abraham's faith.

Paul Tripp has a most wonderful heart-warming and convicting post entitled, "On Christ the Solid Rock" -- a meditation on Psalm 27:5b. I'd encourage you to check it out, and be strengthened by what you read.

Psalm 27: On Christ the Solid Rock

"...he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon on rock." (v5b)

We all look for it. We all refuse to live without it. We all think we've found it, but it can only really be found one place. What is it that I'm talking about? Well, here it is; every human being is on a search somehow someway to find that solid rock on which to stand. That one thing that they can bank on. That one thing that will keep them upright when the storms of life are raging. That one thing that will remain firm for the duration. That one thing that will give them security when nothing else does. That one thing that will give them that deep and abiding inner sense of well-being that every rational human being desires. That one thing that gives you the courage to face what you otherwise wouldn't want to face. That one thing that you can rely on. That one thing that will keep you safe. Everyone is searching for that solid rock.

Read the whole thing.

"Evangelical church leaders detained in China"

2009-02-19T12:22:00.005-05:00

I came across this article the other day...please pray for the release of these fellow believers..

BEIJING (AP) -- Police raided a private evangelical seminar in central China and detained more than 60 worshippers, with four of them still in custody a week after the roundup, a U.S.-based Christian group said Wednesday.

More than 30 police office broke into the gathering Feb. 11 in Nanyang city in central Henan province, the China Aid Association said in a statement.

Read the whole thing here.

Misconception of the lost

2009-02-19T11:48:00.008-05:00

In the excellent evangelism course produced substantially by my good friend Jim Donohue, one of the pastors at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA -- Jim makes the point that Christians can at times perceive non-Christians to be more hostile to the gospel than they really are. In the course manual, according to one survey, "82% of unbelieving men and women in the U.S. said they would be somewhat likely to attend church if they were invited" while "ONLY 5% were openly hostile or antagonistic to Christianity." Jim goes on to explain that rejection definitely happens when we share our faith, but that "often, people are more open to hearing the gospel than we are to telling it." Though our most significant motivations for sharing the gospel are rooted in Scripture, this statistic helps us to see that often our fears in the area of evangelism "exaggerate reality" as Jim puts it, "making us see a monster in every shadow." May this encourage us to all the more share the good news of Jesus Christ with those around us!

Note: survey referred to is cited in "The Unchurched Next Door," by Thomas Rainer

New Middletown Police Headquarters Opening

2009-02-18T13:31:00.002-05:00

The Town of Middletown and the Middletown Police Department invites you to join us as we celebrate the grand opening of our Middletown Police Headquarters on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009.

Read the whole thing

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.5) -- Identifying Evidences of Grace

2009-02-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

Date: February 15, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Identifying Evidences of Grace
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Tomorrow: Identifying Evidences of Grace

2009-02-14T17:53:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I will be preaching on identifying evidences of grace in the lives of our fellow believers. If you would like to read ahead, my text is 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. In our time of corporate singing, we will be singing about the greatness of God and the salvation that He provides. Before you go to sleep tonight, please pray that God would meet us in a powerful way tomorrow.

The Psalms...about Jesus

2009-02-11T10:31:00.007-05:00

The other day in my devotions, I was in Luke and was struck by the following statement Jesus made to his disciples after his resurrection: "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44)." That statement was recalled to mind when today I was reading Psalm 41:9 which says, "Even my close friend in whom I trusted who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me." This obviously speaks with great specificity of the betrayal of Jesus by his close friend and ministry associate--Judas. Jesus Himself referenced this verse before his betrayal by Judas as John 13:18 says "But the Scripture will be fulfilled, 'He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.'"

Seeing Jesus in the Psalms causes me to rejoice again that Jesus, our Savior, our Lord and the One that we live for -- is indeed the fulfillment of God's plan to save sinners such as you and me. Praise the Lord -- we have a Savior! And what a beautiful, wonderful Savior He is!

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.4) -- Gossip, Slander and Sinful Judging

2009-02-10T13:23:00.002-05:00

Date: February 8, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Gossip, Slander and Sinful Judging
Scripture Passage: James 4:1-2
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

A Pleasant Thought...

2009-02-09T00:13:00.006-05:00

In reading a sermon by the great 19th century preacher CH Spurgeon, I came across this wonderful quote that I wanted to share with you:

"God for Christ’s sake has accepted us in him, has forgiven us in him, and looks upon us with love infinite and changeless in him. This is how all our blessings come to us—in and through Christ Jesus; and if we are indeed in him, the Lord doth not only forgive us our sin, but he bestows upon us the boundless riches of his grace in him: in fact, he treats us as he would treat his Son, he deals with us as he would deal with Jesus. Oh, how pleasant to think that when the just God looks upon us it is through the reconciling medium, he views us through the Mediator." - C.H. Spurgeon

Shopping local -- Middletown DE

2009-02-05T14:58:00.009-05:00

The article below talks about the financial woes of several local Middletown business owners. In addition to friends, family members and fellow church members, let's not forget to pray for the people in our community particularly affected by the economic recession -- that God would provide for their physical needs and more importantly that He would save those who have not already come to know Jesus Christ and the eternal security that He alone provides. And oh....the next time you're out, consider shopping local.

As some Middletown businesses close their doors, others look for new solutions in the rough economy and all business owners request residents shop local.
“[Residents] can find everything they need in Middletown,” said Stephanie Sutton-Gose. Sutton-Gose, co-owner of Home Décor in Dove Run Center, said the country has been over-spending for the last 10 years. They’ve gotten their supplies away from their towns and shopped at big box stores, but the economic downturn has caused people to spend more time at home with their families and spend less money. “I think everybody’s back to basics and being conservative,” she said.
However, as residents hold onto their money, some local businesses have felt the effects. For Sam Facciolo of Lori’s Cards and Gifts, the recent economic troubles have been a nightmare. “I don’t make any money,” he said. “I haven’t earned a paycheck in the four years I’ve been there. I’ve laid off all my staff.” Facciolo opened his gift shop in the Dove Run Shopping Center in 2005 after having previously run a Hallmark store. He decided to move to Middletown as it was a growing into a commercial area. However, while he had received loyal customers and high ratings for his business, things began to go bad in December 2007 and progressed to the point where he had to close his business.

Read the whole thing here.

2009-02-04T19:00:00.001-05:00

From CJ Mahaney:

By now most of you have seen the photograph of Olympic superstar swimmer Michael Phelps filling his giant lungs from a bong of marijuana. When the picture appeared in a British tabloid, Phelps acknowledged it was “youthful and inappropriate.”

Now there is no debate over whether the 23-year-old is gifted with athletic greatness. He is. And financially Phelps is set for life, his agent Peter Carlisle estimating his potential earnings will reach somewhere around $100 million.* Which I’m told would equal a stack of $100 bills 360 feet tall!

The photograph of Phelps reminds me of myself prior to conversion, a competitive swimmer (of slightly lesser skill), a sinner (of greater degree), held captive by sin, pursuing the fleeting pleasures of this world. And sadly, in my case, pursuing sin with passion.

Click here to read the rest

Book Recommendations For Our Series

2009-02-04T15:58:00.005-05:00

There are two books that I'd like to recommend, both available at our Resource Center, that compliment the teaching we've been receiving in our series The Power of Words and the Grace of God.

The first is the War of Words, by Paul Tripp. The subtitle is "Getting to the heart of your communication struggles." I recently read this book devotionally and benefited greatly.

And the second is The Peacemaker by Ken Sande which is subtitled, "A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict." CJ Mahaney, who leads our family of churches says it all when he writes of this book, "Occasionally a book comes along that is both unique and invaluable. You are holding such a book in your hands. The Peacemaker is an indispensable counseling tool for pastors...There is no need for another book on this topic to be written, now that this volume exists."

With both of these books here's my recommendation: Buy them and be transformed by their biblical content!

Warmaking...a prime trait of sinners

2009-02-04T14:07:00.004-05:00

Sunday we talked about conflict from James 4:1-2. One of the points that I made from the passage is that the language of war James uses these verses "is not hyperbole or exaggeration but rather its Spirit inspired language that God caused James to use because He wants to sober us and to help us to see that often when we engage in conflict, we engage in nothing less than war with the other person – and sadly most of would say that often the other person is someone that we love very much."

Along these lines I came across an excellent quote by David Powlison who writes:

"Warmaking is a prime trait of sinners. It's the image of Satan: liar, murderer, divider, aggressor. Peacemaking is about God in Christ and about human beings renewed in His image. The Lord is the supreme Peacemaker. Even in His common grace, God inhibits the outworking of evil's logic, often preventing human life from disintegrating into anarchy and barbarity. Those forms of partial peace negotiated and sustained by diplomats, mediators, counselors, and other well-intended people are gifts of common grace. But God's grace is even more profoundly about peacemaking. Warlike humans surrender to Christ. He made peace once for all between us and God; He continues to make peace, teaching us to do the same with each other; and He will make peace finally and forever (Getting to the Heart of Conflict, Anger, Part 3)."

Aren't you thankful for the grace of God which teaches us how to be peacemakers instead of warmakers?

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.3) -- God's Way Through Conflict

2009-02-04T13:57:00.003-05:00

Date: February 1, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: God's Way Through Conflict
Scripture Passage: James 4:1-2
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Mercy: The Only Hope For Real Love

2009-01-30T19:10:00.004-05:00

As I've mentioned at our Sunday Meeting, at the recent Sovereign Grace Marriage Conference I attempted to take detailed notes for my own benefit -- and Lord willing to serve both the folks in our church who attended the conference and those who did not. After I returned home, I sat down to fill in the end of session 4 for my notes as my laptop had run out of batteries during that session. Well as I listened and typed, I found myself doing more of a transcript than sermon notes and so I decided to try and listen to the recordings and then turn the entirety of my notes into more of a transcript. I've finished this for session 4 with Paul Tripp and I hope to do this for the remainder of the main session messages as well (though it might take me a while). I hope this serves!

Click here to download the PDF of session 4.

The Don't Song -- From the Marriage Conference

2009-01-27T12:07:00.001-05:00

At the marriage conference we all enjoyed a humorous moment watching this video. Enjoy!

Marriage and the Mercy of God

2009-01-27T12:05:00.002-05:00

Unable to attend the Sovereign Grace Ministries Marriage Conference that occurred earlier this month? Looking to review what you learned at the conference? Good news! MP3’s of all of the messages are available for FREE download here.

The Power of Words and the Grace of God (pt.2) -- The Power of Words

2009-01-27T11:51:00.003-05:00

Date: January 25, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: The Power of Words
Scripture Passage: James 3:1-12
Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Mercy In Marriage

2009-01-23T22:19:00.007-05:00

This is a quote from Paul Tripp's message at Thursday evening session (Mercy: The Only Hope For Real Love) at the Sovereign Grace Marriage Conference. Husbands and wives, consider watching the video in the previous post and then reflecting on the quote below from Paul Tripp's message:

...any time I fail to give the mercy that I have been given, I am outside of the boundaries of the will of my Lord. Any moment my marriage is not an expression of that mercy that I am moment by moment given – my relationship now exists outside of the boundaries of the Word of God. You see, in the deepest, hardest call to mercy your Lord is not calling you yet beyond what you are being given moment by moment by moment; because you would not be in this room, you would not be alive, you would not have what you have and experience what you experience if it were not for the glorious, expansive, perserverent mercy of the Lord. Oh, praise His name! I stand before you as one who feels like my words are too small and too limp to capture the glory of the moment by moment mercy that is showered upon this earth every day. And God would do that so that we would turn and so that His judgment tarries. The paradigm is mercy. You are not called to step beyond the paradigm. You are not called to give what you are not receiving. You are qualified to give because you are bathed in what you are called to give every day. Do you get that? You can never say – hear me husbands – hear me wives – you can never say, “I have no mercy to give” -- because every day, whether you recognize it or not, whether you feel it or not, whether you see it or not, you are bathed in the mercy of the Redeemer. You’re dripping with mercy – how about getting the person next to you wet. Mercy should drip off of you. It should be like hugging a sweaty person. Mercy is sweet old redemptive sweat. Because you are made wet with the showers of God’s mercy every day. You’re showered with mercy, because mercy is His paradigm.

The Cup

2009-01-23T22:10:00.003-05:00

God's love for us is first and foremost revealed in and through the Cross of Jesus Christ. Watch this video and be freshly affected by His love! This is CJ Mahaney's preaching set to video and music. For those who may not know, CJ leads the family of churches known as Sovereign Grace Ministries that we as a local church are part of.

Hat Tip: Sovereign Grace Blog

Set Apart (pt.6): Modesty

2009-01-22T16:40:00.003-05:00

Date: January 18, 2009
Speaker: Warren Boettcher
Title: Modesty
Scripture Passage: 1 Timothy 2:8-9
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon.

Sermon Summary and Application Questions(PDF)

Preserving Our Unity

2009-01-13T12:12:00.006-05:00

Date: January 11, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Preserving Our Unity
Scripture Passage: Ephesians 4:1-6
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon

Click here to download sermon summary and application questions.

Mercy For Marriage Conference Registration

2009-01-13T09:23:00.002-05:00

From the Mercy For Marriage Conference Website:
Registration Rates Per Couple

$249 | Walk Up Registration

Online registration is now closed. However, you can still register at the conference itself. Please book a hotel room prior to arriving at the conference. Thank you!

Please note that registration does NOT include a hotel room. Please see the "Lodging and Directions" link for more information on hotel rooms.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations submitted by midnight on November 30th, 2008 will receive a refund minus a $30 processing fee. No refunds will be given after that deadline.

Click here for more details.

ESV Study Bible -- sold out!

2009-01-12T21:14:00.004-05:00

From the ESV Bible Website:

Back in Stock February 26th

The remarkable response to the ESV Study Bible has also created a huge challenge – first, for people to obtain copies, and second, for us at Crossway to keep it in stock!

As indicated on our website, the ESV Study Bible is currently out of stock at Crossway. And although the reprint order was placed a couple months ago, the earliest that we can get copies from the next printing is the last week in February. (Some editions are still available though from e-commerce and retail stores – feel free to contact us at sales@crossway.org for more details.)

Click here to read the whole thing.

Hat Tip: Between Two Worlds

Middletown Historical Society Museum

2009-01-08T16:52:00.008-05:00

Looking for something interesting to do as a family on a weekend? Did you know that Middletown actually has a museum? According to the January 8 edition of the Middletown Transcript, the Middletown Historical Society Museum will be open the "First Saturday of every month, 9 a.m. to noon; third Wednesday of every month, noon to 3 p.m."
From the Transcript:

Since the education display was showcased at the Victorian Stroll, the museum has received more education artifacts for loan to display until spring. The Historic Odessa Foundation lent the society old books, an abacus and a slate, all more than 100-years-old. The alumni of what is now known as Louis L. Redding Middle School also loaned memorabilia about the school before integration, when it was a school for blacks.
In addition to the temporary education exhibit, Matsen said the museum will feature permanent exhibits. An exhibit of an old parlor room has been set up, and another room will showcase a printing press and other items from The Middletown Transcript. The society is also planning a display on the old roads and land grafts in the area, to illustrate how the roads have changed throughout the years, and a research library.

Click here to read the whole thing

ESV Study Bible

2009-01-08T16:41:00.005-05:00

In light of my comments in the last post regarding the ESV Study Bible, I thought some of you might like to see these informational videos.

Bible Reading Plans -- not too late to start!

2009-01-08T11:33:00.012-05:00

The New Year is a great time to begin a Bible reading plan--and its not too late to start! If you start tomorrow, either spend an hour or two sometime soon reading your Bible and catching up OR just move your end date back to January 9, 2010. After all, our resolve to read and meditate on God's Word does not depend on a date, but on the command of God to love and be devoted to His Word.

As the owner of a new ESV Study Bible, since last week I've been going through the plan at the back of the ESV Study Bible. The plan introduction reads as follows:

"This schedule of daily Bible readings is designed for reading through the entire Bible in one year. There are four readings each day. These readings are divided into four main sections: Psalms and Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch and the History of Israel; Chronicles and Prophets; and Gospels and Epistles."

Now if you think that you might like to do this plan, but don't own an ESV Study Bible, let me first encourage you to consider purchasing one as soon as you are able as this is the single most helpful supplemental aid for studying Holy Scripture that I am aware of. The hard cover version is available at our Resource Center. You can also purchase a copy here. And also for those who do not yet own an ESV Study Bible, you can download a copy of the Bible reading plan here. Also, click here for a list of 10 FREE downloadable Bible Reading Programs (Hat Tip: Between Two Worlds).

If you aren't currently reading through the Bible in a systematic way, I would encourage you to start as soon as possible. Perhaps you have never done this before and are intimidated or perhaps have stopped and started before only to end discouraged. If that's you, I remind you of the wise counsel of Mike Bullmore, a teacher of mine at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College and pastor of Crossway Church in Wisconsin. He said once -- though I don't remember what it was in reference to -- "Anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly." And so remember, even if you stop and start again several times and even if getting through your Bible reading plan takes you longer than a year, reading your Bible and meditating on your Bible is worth doing--even if you end up doing more poorly and being less faithful than you might hope to be. And also as you proceed, don't forget that your past doesn't predict your future -- faithlessness in the past doesn't mean faithlessness in the future. For as the Apostle Paul has said, "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13)." And it is in this hope that we confidently give ourselves to change. And it is for this reason that tomorrow is not too late to start a new Bible reading plan!

God Is Great and God Is Good

2009-01-06T10:17:00.006-05:00

Date: January 4, 2009
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: God Is Great and God Is Good
Scripture Passage: Psalm 145
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon

Sermon Summary:

Main theme: God is great and God is good.

Introduction: At one level this Psalm is easy enough for a child to understand for it tells us that God is great and God is good. However, though the message is simple, its application is not always as simple – because although in our minds - we know and affirm that God is the only One who is truly Great and truly good – other things frequently seem and feel more great and more good than God.

Along those lines, the question that Ps. 145 begs us to ask of ourselves is “do these two aspects of God’s character mean something to us?” In other words, do we not only believe, but feel and sense and realize in everyday life that – above all else – God supremely great and good?!

1) God is great!

By setting God’s greatness at the beginning line of this psalm David is setting up God’s greatness as the main theme of His song of praise. And so as continues to praise God for his righteousness, mercy and goodness and so and so forth we should understand that David is praising God for ways that God’s greatness is expressed.

In verse 3, David uses a word that serves to describe greatness as it applies uniquely to God-- “unsearchable.”

This word refers to the “incomphrehensibility” of God meaning God can be known, but not exhaustively or comprehensively. God is “greater than we can imagine” (Psalm 145; Psalms CD, Sovereign Grace Praise).

“Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms…The glory of God has not been revealed to this generation of men. The God of contemporary Christianity is only slightly superior to the gods of Greece and Rome, if indeed He is not actually inferior to them in that He is weak and helpless while at least they had power.” A.W. Tozer

Our hope in this life is not in any great political system, its not in having a great economy, its not in going to a great church (though I love the church), its not in sitting under a great pastor (though I believe in pastoral ministry), its not in some great person, its not in the alteration of our circumstances, its not in the fulfillment of our great dreams, but it is in the greatness of God!

2) God is good!

Here in this psalm, Dave worships God for His greatness as manifest in His goodness towards His people.

We took time to consider the various ways God’s goodness is expressed as revealed in this Psalm.

“The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy…By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people…That God is good is taught or implied on every page of the Bible and must be received as an article of faith as impregnable as the throne of God.”
– A.W. Tozer

“Divine goodness, as one of God’s attributes, is self-caused, infinite, perfect, and eternal. Since God is immutable He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness. He has never been kinder than He now is, nor will He ever be less kind….The cause of His goodness is in Himself; the recipients of His goodness are all His beneficiaries without merit and without recompense.”
– A.W. Tozer

The greatest expression of His goodness is that a little over 2000 years ago, God the Father sent His son Jesus, who was in the beginning with God, and who was God, into the world. And He was punished on the Cross not for His own sins but for your sins and my sins in order that we might not receive punishment that we deserved, but grace and goodness and mercy.

Key point of application:

We all tend, I'm sure to sometimes relate to God as if we can merit God’s goodness with our own goodness and morality. We can be sure that we are like this when we find ourselves having something of a “waiting for the other shoe to drop” mentality. We somehow expect that something bad might happen because we know that we have fallen short of God’s holiness and righteous standard. We know that we haven’t spent as much time with the Lord as perhaps we should, we haven’t loved our spouses as we resolved to do; we've gotten angry at our children. And do you know what God wants to assure you of today? He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindess. And he loves you right now as much as he ever has. And why? Well just because. Because He is good.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1) What insurmountable difficulty, what grievous sin or what great blessing can at times seem greater to you than God? How does Psalm 145 adjust your perspective?

2) Do you believe that God is good--and not just mentally, but in the deepest recesses of your soul? Do you believe that He is kind? That He is tenderhearted and full of goodwill towards you – even in your failures and sins? If not, what prevents you from wholeheartedly trusting in His goodness?

3) What does the Gospel communicate to us about how God relates to us with respect to our failures and sins?

4) How does this passage help you to process through difficulties that you may be facing? How about the blessings?

5) What reasons do you have to bless God? Make a list of those reasons and then spend time in prayer praising His name. Share with your spouse, children and others what you are blessing God for. Dad’s, consider leading your families in a time of family devotions where every family member shares three things that they want to bless God for. Then take time in prayer to bless God!

The Conquest of Compassion

2008-12-30T12:50:00.003-05:00

Date: December 28, 2008
Speaker: Doug Plank
Title: The Conquest of Compassion
Scripture Passage: Jonah 3-4
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon

Summary and Questions Prepared by Crossway Church in Lancaster, PA where Doug serves as a Pastor.

Sermon Summary:

Theme: True gratitude for God’s compassion compels compassion to others.

Introduction: We can easily take the role of “critical spectator” toward others, and the book of Jonah gives us ample opportunity for critique. However, Jonah’s dullness and self-righteous conceit are meant to serve as a mirror for our own examination. As we see God’s compassion toward Jonah, we are being called to reflect upon his great compassion toward us.

1) God is compassionate.

●God’s compassion is manifold: he gives Jonah a second chance, and he offers repentance (not just condemnation) to pagans.

●The purpose of God’s compassion is seen in the response of the Assyrians: they repent and God relents. He loves to be merciful—mercy is such an established characteristic of God that Jonah cited it as a reason that he did not want to go to Nineveh in the first place. God is merciful.

2) Man is conceited.

●Jonah’s response is shockingly conceited. Even as he rightly recognizes God’s compassion, he complains about it and asks for death.

●Far from judging Jonah, we should identify ourselves with him. How often do we presume upon the compassion of God, believing that we are somehow entitled to it?

3) The conquest of compassion

●In chapter 4, an astounding transition occurs. The hunter becomes the hunted. The prophet becomes the pursued. Even though he had been used by God to preach to the Ninevehites, Jonah now becomes the recipient of the divine message of mercy.

●God’s pursuit of Jonah is further evidence of his love—God disciplines those he loves. Through both circumstances and the truth of his word, he leads Jonah to understand God’s compassion toward him.

●Our greatest confidence is located in our knowledge that God’s grace will conquer our sinfulness. The life, death and resurrection of Christ completely assure us of God’s love and power toward us.

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

1) How does the example of God’s mercy toward Jonah provoke you? Where have you personally and specifically seen God’s mercy in your own life? What do you think is an appropriate response to that mercy?

2) Read Romans 2:4. Where have you seen God’s kindness lead you to repentance? Is there an area where you need to see God’s kindness that you might be led to repent?

3) Do you struggle with apathy or conceit in evangelism? How does knowledge of God’s mercy toward you affect your desire to evangelize? How does it affect your approach toward evangelism?

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

2008-12-22T17:58:00.004-05:00

Enjoy!

HT: JT

What Do The Angels Say?

2008-12-21T21:46:00.005-05:00

Date: December 21, 2008
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: What Do The Angels Say?
Scripture Passage: Luke 2:1-21
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon

Sermon Summary:

Focus Verse: Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

- The mood and the flurry of activity that characterizes this particular season can at times begin to cast a pretty thick fog in front of our eyes that makes it difficult to fully appreciate and rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Savior.
- For many advent very quickly can become about two things: busyness and deep emotional life reflection
- This angelic praise as found in verse 14 has wonderful potential to lift the fog for us and to help us to remember and to reflect upon an amazing moment in the unfolding of God’s plan to save our broken and fallen world.
- This angelic praise reminds us that God sent His Son into the world on that first Christmas for two very specific reasons—FIRST that we might praise God and SECONDLY that we might know His peace.

Jesus’ coming was meant to produce:

1. Praise from God’s people

- The lesson of this verse is – that as those angels praised and glorified His name on that first Christmas so should we lift up our hearts and our voices this Christmas and every day of our lives in praise to God for what He has done in sending His Son into the world!
- When we make make praising God for sending us His Son our highest priority during this time of year, we follow in a pattern established at least in part by angels.
- If the angels glorified and praised God with all that they had on that first Christmas night, how much more should we praise Him—we who this babe in a manger would grow up to die for.
- Christmas is a day on the calendar that reminds us not primarily of what has gone wrong with our lives, but of what is forever and eternally right--and so we should praise Him!

2. Peace for God’s people

- When the multitude of angels appear to the shepherds, they not only say, Glory to God in the highest, but they also say, “and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
- Though we wait for eternity to experience the fullness of God’s peace, we can still experience a good measure of it now.

- The peace we get here is a glorious and wonderful peace—greater than any other peace that can be offered by any other source in this life.

- What is the peace that He gives?
- Peace with God.
- The peace that the Holy Spirit brings.
- We look forward to eternal peace.

Will you allow God to lift the fog of the season – whatever that may represent for you? Perhaps the fog of busyness or deep emotional life reflection or both? And will you endeavor by faith to see what the angels saw of the brilliant colors of God’s grace and mercy towards us? This we must do. Because if the angels sing, how much more should we who have experienced the firstfruits of the peace that this child came to bring—how much more should we sing?

Questions for Reflection/Discussion

1)What “fog” do you find yourself encountering this season? What steps would God have you to take in order to remain focused on Jesus throughout this week?

2)Consider what ways you’ve experienced God’s peace at different points on your Christian journey. How does it affect you to think that the incarnation made that peace possible?

3) We were reminded today that Christmas is a day on the calendar that reminds us not primarily of what has gone wrong with our lives, but of what is forever and eternally right. In what ways are you tempted this season to be pre-occupied with "what has gone wrong?" Take a few minutes and jot down on a piece of paper as many blessings that you can think of that have come to you through Jesus -- the One who Christmas is all about. Suggestion: This could be a helpful exercise to go through for family devotions. Have everyone write down all of the blessings that come to mind and then come together to discuss what everyone came up with.

New Dress Code

2008-12-16T12:26:00.007-05:00

Looks like Leonard and Doug are trying to start a new trend...
From Patton Care Group Thanksgiving Lunch

A Divine Rescue Mission

2008-12-16T10:29:00.015-05:00

Date: December 14, 2008
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: A Divine Rescue Mission
Scripture Passage: Luke 1:39-80
Go to Sovereign Grace Website to download sermon

Sermon Summary:
Our story today reveals the power and mercy of God as He now acts to rescue His people from sin. And its all here as Luke said in the prologue to strengthen our faith in what we’ve already learned about Jesus.

And to that end, Luke draws our attention to the means that God has used to rescue or to save us, what our rescue says about God, and the blessings that are ours because of our rescue.

1. The means of our rescue

Are you thankful for a Gospel that is mighty to save? Well understand that as Luke informs us, the Good News we have received comes to us today in significant part as the result of God working in and through three ordinary people: Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah.

2. What our rescue says about God

Through Zechariah’s and Mary’s song, we discover that when God put in motion the saving events of our story, His mercy and His faithfulness to the covenant promises he made to Abraham and to the people of Israel was put on full display.

3. The blessings that our rescue brings

- Redemption (vs.68)
- Deliverance from enemies (vs.71)
- Freedom from fear (vs.74)
- Holiness and righteousness (vs.75)
- Forgiveness (vs.77)

What should the effect of being reminded of these blessings be? Confidence in the hope we have received. This is expressed well by Luther's famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
The Lord of Hosts His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1) Zechariah and Mary both had a song to sing of God's faithfulness and mercy. What is your song? How has God been faithful and merciful to you? Consider spending some time this week writing out "your song."

2) What difference has God's Divine rescue made in your life?

3) What unbelieving friend or relative is God calling you to share your testimony with this Christmas season?

Marriage and the Mercy of God

2008-12-10T15:00:00.011-05:00

If you haven't registered for this Sovereign Grace Ministries regional marriage conference and you would still like to, its not too late to register!

From the Mercy For Marriage Conference Website:

Online registration is now closed. However, you can still register via email by contacting us at info@mercy4marriage.org. Thank you!

Visit the Mercy For Marriage Website for more information about the conference.

Dave Harvey - Sovereign Grace Ministries - On Marriage

2008-12-10T13:17:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, Dave Harvey served us with a wonderful message entitled "Stubborn Grace For My Marriage." Much of the content from this message came from chapter 8 of Dave's book, "When Sinners Say I Do."

Here is a video clip of Dave discussing that chapter of his book. Enjoy!

Safe To Believe

2008-12-09T10:57:00.007-05:00

Date: December 7, 2008
Speaker: Chris Patton
Title: Safe to Believe
Scripture Passage: Luke 1:1-38
Sermon Audio (Streaming & Download)

Sermon Outline

Luke, inspired by God, invites struggling Theophilus and us as well into a scan of history that we might see God accomplishing His purpose in order that we might be more certain of the things we have been taught—in order that our faith and trust in Jesus as the One who fulfills God’s plan to bring salvation to God’s people -- might be deepened and grow.

Luke begins that scan of history with two distinct angelic appearances.

1) Gabriel appears to Zechariah

- The events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth speak of Divine and not merely human involvement in the details and in the process of bringing Jesus onto the scene.

2) Gabriel appears to Mary

- John was great, but Jesus is greater in every way. John was the fruit of God opening Elizabeth’s barren womb, but Jesus' conception was even more miraculous.

- Though the virgin birth is incomprehensible to us, it was as Luke explains, part of God’s plan to go about establishing His kingdom. We are now part of this kingdom because of the work of Jesus on our behalf.

Conclusion:

“People struggling with life in a fallen world often want explanation when what they really need is imagination...They need imagination – the ability to see what is real but is unseen...They need to scan history and see God accomplishing his purpose.” -Paul Tripp

-Our passage scans a portion of history and comes back to tell us and to assure us that Jesus fulfills God’s plan to bring salvation to God’s people. Knowing this should strengthen our faith that God will continue to accomplish His purpose in our lives and in the world today.

-If Jesus indeed fulfills God’s plan to bring salvation to God’s people well then knowing that, we should understand and feel that it is safe to believe and to trust and to hope in everything He ever did and said.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1) Where do you tend to look to for peace amidst life's challenges? In light of what we learned today, in what ways does that need to change?

2) Consider Paul Tripp's quote above. What do you think he is saying there?

3) How does this particular "scan of history" strengthen your faith?

4) What promises of Jesus are dear to you? Isn't it good to know that in light of who Jesus is, it is not risky, but safe to believe those promises?

Together for the Gospel CD Now Available

2008-12-06T07:25:00.005-05:00

From Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace Ministries:

Last April I had the joy of leading over 5000 individuals, mostly men, in times of corporate worship at the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville, KY. Dave Mackenzie, who works for Sovereign Grace, set up mics to record the event, and I’m happy to let you know you can now buy the CD at the Sovereign Grace store.

I’ll warn you. If you’re looking for incredible drum tracks, awesome guitar sounds, and a thumping bass, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Together for the Gospel Live is just me on the piano and 5000 voices belting out 16 hymns, old and new, that magnify the gospel and glory of Christ. That’s it.

Turns out that’s enough. Numerous times while we were mixing the CD I was overcome by the passionate singing. I think you will be, too.

Visit the Sovereign Grace Music site for details and download three free songs while you’re there.

This CD will be available at the Sovereign Grace Church Resource Center shortly!

Levels Road Park

2008-12-05T15:49:00.010-05:00

Kristen Krenzer from the Middletown Transcript writes:

Middletown’s 100-acre Levels Road Park has been under construction since February 2007. When complete, it will feature a walking trail, pavilions, a baseball diamond, playgrounds and sport fields. The park also includes a man-made pond with a pier.

Read the whole thing.

View park schematic designs

What a blessing this park will be to the Middletown community! I'm sure that as a church we'll be able to occasionally enjoy this park together as well as MOT Charter School is nearly right across the street.

Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm Outing

2008-12-04T22:15:00.004-05:00

What a joy it was on the day after Thanksgiving to go with my wife Fibia and our four boys to Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. This was a wonderful memory for me, to be able to enjoy this special moment with Fibia and our young children. This also was also the first time that I've ever cut down a Christmas tree. And without question, my boys derive great joy from seeing me with saw in hand as at this stage of their lives Daddy handling tools uniquely provides me with hero-like status in their eyes. What a great time we had together!

"Jane Austen sets theme for Historic Odessa Foundation's holiday tours"

2008-12-02T13:23:00.006-05:00

Guys, as you know Christmas can be a great time to surprise and delight your wife in some romantic way. If your wife is a Jane Austen fan, you might consider taking her to the Corbit-Sharp House in Odessa sometime in between now and Dec.31st. The Middletown Transcript notes that the house will host a display of "scenes and vignettes from author Jane Austen's famous novels." For more information from the Historic Odessa Foundation click here.

Stubborn Grace For My Marriage

2008-12-02T11:07:00.045-05:00

Date: November 30, 2008
Speaker: Dave Harvey
Title: Stubborn Grace For My Marriage
Scripture Passage: Titus 2:1-15

Download Sermon (at Sovereign Grace Church Website):

Main point: The grace that brought salvation is also the grace that trains us. In other words, the grace of God didn't just appear, it remained. The grace of God isn't passive, its active. Grace doesn't end at conversion, but it still hangs around after we pray the sinners prayer. This is good news for our marriages!

Key ideas:

God gives a persistent grace to run the race.
- He reveals the enemy through this persistence grace that remains.
- God's grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.
- It begins by exposing ungodliness and worldly passions.
- God's grace helps us to know where we need to change.
- Ungodliness and worldliness are in the cross-hairs of grace.

How does this grace work in marriage?
It gives us the power to RENOUNCE - LIVE - AND WAIT

God's grace gives us the power to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions
- It gives us the power to deny sin its satisfaction.

God's grace gives us the power to live
- Power to turn from what is to wrong to what is right.

God's grace gives us power to wait
- Change takes time. That means that for both you and your spouse, change takes time.

God calls us to help our spouses in this stubborn grace.
- They need our help to see this grace.
- We need to remind one another of this grace.

Four things to keep in mind when encouraging your spouse in the grace of God.
- Your spouse is inclined to drift from grace to self-effort.
- Your spouse may tend to become discouraged.
- Your spouse needs not only to be pointed to grace, but to the One from whom all grace flows.
- Thank God together for the power behind our change.

Quotes from Dave's Sermon:

“No need in Christendom is more urgent than the need for a renewed awareness of what the grace of God really is.”
- JI Packer

“In one sense, life doesn’t get complicated until one becomes a Christian. When we are born of the Spirit we are born anew into a fierce struggle between the old man and the new man.”
- R.C. Sproul

“Grace is here almost personified in its task of educating us in the art of living.”
- Don Guthrie

“Human sin is stubborn, but not as stubborn as the grace of God and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.”
- Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Questions for Discussion/Reflection:

1) Take time as husband and wife to simply encourage one another in the grace of God. Identify and share with your spouse ways that you see God's grace at work in their life. Consider doing this on a date night.

2) Prayerfully evaluate your own "talk" to your spouse and invite your spouse's input. Ask your spouse, "When I talk to you are you typically more aware of areas that you need to grow in OR of the grace of God at work in your life?"

3) If you were to pick one area of sin that if you were to "renounce" would make the greatest difference in your marriage, what would it be? (Hint: If you don't know the answer, ask your spouse!) What steps do you need to take to begin growing in that area? This would be a great opportunity to seek the accountability and prayers of a trusted brother or sister in your Care Group.

4) If you haven't read them, read The Discipline of Grace, by Jerry Bridges and The Enemy Within by Kris Lungaard. These resources provide a deeper understanding of the doctrine of sin and of how the grace of God meets us as we seek to grow in Christlike character. Dave Harvey's book, "When Sinners Say I Do" is excellent for further exploring how the Gospel applies to marriage. Much of the content of this sermon can be found in chapter 8 of Dave's book which is entitled, "Stubborn Grace." For those couples who are interested, and excellent study guide for Dave's book has been produced as well and can be found here. These resources can also be found at our Resource Center at the Sunday meeting.

"Television, the Great Life Waster"

2008-11-25T17:52:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, I gave a message entitled, "Philippians 4:8, Media, and You." As the title indicates, we sought to apply Philippians 4:8 to our media habits. In his book, Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper makes a great point that I didn't make in my message, but when I read it, I thought it might be helpful to pass along here. Piper stresses that the problem with so much of what we see and view is not only the lack of morality, but in the fact that as he puts it:

A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind was made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capactity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers, and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels (p.120).

What a wise pastoral insight--there is a direct connection between how much TV we watch and our capacity to think deep and wonderful Philippians 4:8 kinds of thoughts.

Money and Possessions

2008-11-25T14:20:00.006-05:00

Date: November 23, 2008
Speaker: Chris Patton
Series: Set Apart (pt.5)
Title: Money and Possessions
Scripture Passage: Luke 12:13-21
Message available for download here

Sermon Outline

Here before us, Luke provides for us two examples of men who viewed money and possessions from a worldly perspective. We want to discover what we can learn from their error in order that in keeping with our series goal, we might become in increasing measure, distinct and holy--both as individuals and as a local church.

(1) What characterizes a worldly orientation towards money and possessions?

Summary Answer: Relating to God’s good gifts of money and possessions as a means to satisfy self rather than to fulfill God’s purpose. We do this by (1) coveting what others have and by (2) looking to money and things to deliver the peace, joy and inner satisfaction that only God can give.

We must be on guard against the deceitfulness of sin which often leads us to believe that we don’t struggle with materialism—when we often do.

(2) What characterizes a godly orientation towards money and possessions?

Summary Answer: Rich-hearted generosity towards God. This means viewing all of the wealth and resources God gives us as existing to fulfill the purposes of God. The applications of Jesus' words are broad and many.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion.
Please note that questions 1, 2 and 6 would serve particularly well for family devotions.

1) Read the Luke 12:13-21 again. How can you relate to the two men in this passage?

2) What are the dangers of embracing a worldly perspective on money and possessions?

3) Do you consistently worry about finances? Explain what that looks like for you. What does this reveal about your heart?

4) When given opportunties to bless others, are you more aware of seeking to be as generous as possible or of “saving face.”

5) Chris shared a perspective on how we as Christians can model a distinct attitude in the midst of our nation’s economic crisis. Along those lines, what thoughts do you have about how we should be distinct in our response to these challenging economic times?

6) How does this passage apply to our Christmas gift giving and receiving?

The Goodness of God

2008-11-25T11:19:00.005-05:00

"With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures." -- A.W. Tozer (Knowledge of the Holy, p.64)

Music Matters

2008-11-17T13:11:00.010-05:00

Date: November 16, 2008
Speaker: Chris Patton
Series: Set Apart (pt.4)
Title: Music Matters
Sermon Download Available here.

For main idea and sermon outline, click here to download PDF

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

1) We learned on Sunday that that the human capacity to create music is a reflection of the fact that we have been made in the image of God. How does knowing this increase your appreciation for music?

2) In what ways does music uniquely have power to influence us?

3) How can music be used to promote the believer’s relationship with God?

4) How can music be used in such a way that hinders the believer’s relationship with God?

5) Does being a Christian help one to appreciate music more or less? Explain.

6) Read Romans 12:1-2. Read also Phillipians 4:8. What do you think the application of these passages to our music listening looks like?

7) In what ways has this sermon clarified or adjusted your own convictions as it relates to your music listening habits?

Great Quote from Parenting Message

2008-11-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

Here was one quote in Marty's sermon on Sunday that was so encouraging and envisioning for the parenting task that I have included it at length here....

Deut 6:5 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart."

This is both the most sobering and comforting of any parent teaching you will ever get. If you get this one point right, you can fail in the rest of your parenting and your children will have all that they need. That is how critical this is. The reason why is because if your relationship with the Lord is vibrant and strong, you've got the Spirit of God to convict you in all the other areas. None of us are perfect. And it's actually those imperfections, if directed under the gaze of the Gospel and repentance that are our best tudors for our children. So often we can find ourselves thinking things like: "I just want to do really good at raising my children, but I haven't always done a great job spending a lot of time with them. Or I want to read to my children, but I haven't always done that well either. Or I just was a lousy teacher when I homeschooled my kids—or I never went over their homework." We can think things like, "I've broken a lot of promises."

Our mistakes are opportunities. If we love the Lord, our successes in life and in parenting will tell our children "God's grace is sufficient." If we love the Lord in front of them, all of our successes will be translated into "Do you understand? I have this because God has given it to me. My success is not of my own strength. It is the grace of God. And that communicates to our children, "Christianity works!" But if I love the Lord and I fail, well then I confess my sin and I receive forgiveness. And so for example, if I sin against my wife and out of my love for the Lord I restore quickly my relationship with her, I am a failure as a husband in that moment when I sinned, but my children don't see failure, they see hope. We must remember, if we love the Lord, our successes communicate the grace of God; and our failures communicate the grace of God. And so if you get this point right--if this is the only point you get right in your parenting, get this right.

Our indifference to God is the only killer. If we fail to be stirred up toward godliness and to pursuing God, what testimony do we have to pass along? If we are indifferent to sin and we fail to repent and confess, we have no credibility in the eyes of our children. They see us as hypocrites. Hypocrites are not ones who say one thing and do another if when they do the other, they realize that they are wrong and confess that they strayed. That's not a hypocrite. A hypocrite is to say one thing, do another and be indifferent to care.

Distinct Parenting

2008-11-11T14:44:00.002-05:00

Date: November 9, 2008
Speaker: Marty Machowski
Title: Set Apart: Distinct in Parenting
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 6:4-12
Download Sermon here

Main point: Families stand out when they are set apart to God.

Key ideas:

* Secular "parenting experts" understand the parenting challenges we face--the challenge of raising a family amidst a culture that celebrates irresponsibility and self-indulgence. However, they do not have the answers parents are searching for.
* When we raise our children according to the pattern of scripture we stand out as distinct before our culture. God gives us the inspiring vision of parenting the parents of the world are searching for. Not just to be "scream free," but to be truly free.

There are three disctinctives in Christian parenting we can learn from the way God set Israel apart.

1) The parents in Israel were called to love God first (vs.4-6)

God places the future of His kingdom in the hands of parents leading by example. That is God's plan – Father's and mothers humbled by the Gospel, living that example in front of their children. If you want to know the secret to successful parenting – Here it is – Parents love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your might.

Important quote from Marty:

"Hypocrites are not ones who say one thing and do another, if when they do the other they confess that they're wrong and admit that they've strayed. That's not a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone who says one thing, and does another and is too indifferent to care."

2) Discipleship of their growing children was critical for the future of the nation of Israel (vs.7-9)

Christian parents become distinct in their parenting when they press in and disciple their growing children.

3) Israel must not forget the Lord in times of prosperity (vs.10-12)

Christian parents become distinct in their parenting when they are not distracted by worldly gain or live for worldly pleasure.

Questions For Reflection/Discussion

1. Parents, prayerfully consider before the Lord, "Where has my own love for you grown cold?" and then select one way that you might pursue a deeper love for Jesus Christ. Married couples, this would be a great question to talk about and discuss on a date night or other time when the two of you are alone.

2. Husbands, consider taking time to ask the Lord to give you greater clarity regarding how you and your wife should be actively discipling your children. What challenges in faith/godliness are your children experiencing?-- and how do you believe God is calling you to address those challenges? Get your wife's input and come up with a plan that you as a couple can implement for the discipleship of your children

3. How can you be distracted by worldly gain or worldly pleasure? How could those tendencies, if left unchecked, undermine the parenting task?

4. Married couples consider taking time to encourage one another in the grace of God. What godly attributes do you see in your spouse that you are excited to see affect the lives of your children?