Category Archives: Sunday Morning

How to Be Certain Your Faith Is Certifiably Genuine (Part 2)

July 11, 2010 By in Exposition, Sunday Morning Tags: , , , Leave a comment

Today’s message is now on the web. You can listen to it here.

Here is the quote from Charles Spurgeon with which I led off in the message:

Assurance of your salvation will bring you “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” If you know that you are saved, you can sit down in poverty, or in sickness, or under slander, and feel perfectly content. Full assurance is the Koh-i-noor (Persian for “Mountain of Light” – a 105 carat diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world) amongst the jewels wherewith the heavenly Bridegroom adorns his spouse. Assurance is a mountain of spices, a land that floweth with milk and honey. To be the assured possessor of eternal life is to find a paradise beneath the stars, where the mountains and the hills break forth before you into singing.

Here’s how I summarized this two part sermon on the genuine faith of the man born blind who was made to see by the light of the world, Jesus:

Genuine faith bears the marks of steadfast allegiance to Jesus – growth of insight, boldness of witness, perseverance through suffering, and admission of need. How do you stack up? When you examine your own faith, do these things present themselves as evidences as to its certifiable genuineness? If so, enjoy the Kohinoor of assurance of salvation and give thanks to God for His indescribable gift!

Next week, Lord willing, we move into John 10 and the Good Shepherd discourse, one of the most precious and beloved sections of Scripture to believers throughout the centuries.

How To Be Certain Your Faith is Certifiably Genuine (Part 1)

July 4, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

Today’s sermon is now on the web. You can listen to it here.

Here’s how I closed the message beginning with the big idea of the text and finishing with a review of the two main points/applications:

Genuine faith bears the marks of steadfast allegiance to Jesus. Two of the four we have considered today: growth of insight and boldness in witness. Yet to come are perseverance through suffering and admission of need. Don’t forget the two application questions we covered and their implications. If you want to have assurance of your salvation, give yourself to the means of grace that contribute to your growth of insight into the things of Christ. Cultivate your spiritual appetite. Behold the Lord in all the ways He prescribes from reading his word to feasting at the Communion table. If you want to have assurance of your salvation, faithfully and boldly share your faith with others when the Lord opens the door of opportunity. Write out your testimony and memorize it if you need to like they teach you to do at CCC so you can have instant recall. Memorize some gospel verses to share with others. Speak up. Take some heat. Feel the sting. It’s a privilege to suffer for the sake of Christ and the reputation of His name.

Consider these words of again, J. C. Ryle from Holiness as we close:

I bless God that our salvation in no wise depends on our own works. By grace we are saved—not by works of righteousness—through faith, without the deeds of the law. But I never would have any believer for a moment forget that our sense of salvation depends much on the manner of our living. Inconsistency will dim our eyes and bring clouds between us and the sun. The sun is the same behind the clouds, but you will not be able to see its brightness or enjoy its warmth; and your soul will be gloomy and cold. It is in the path of well–doing that the dayspring of assurance will visit you and shine down upon your heart.

Preparing Your Heart for Tomorrow

July 3, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , 2 Comments

There are two things at least that you can do today to prep your heart for the Lord’s Day at OGC.

First, you can read through 1 John 2 before bed to familiarize yourself with the text that Kevin Wilhoit will be teaching in the 9:30 hour in the fellowship hall. If you’ve been attending the Peacemaker class (now concluded) why not join those of us who are working through 1 John in a survey fashion with our summer pastoral intern? There are some terribly intriguing passages in 1 John that we will tackle tomorrow. Of course, if you have been participating in Delroy Thompson’s study of the Thessalonian epistles you will want to read whatever section of the book he has you working through tomorrow.

Second, you can read through John 9:1-41 in preparation for returning to our study of the Gospel of John. We’ve been away from this book of the Bible for two months now. I will actually preach from vv. 13ff so if you missed the messages about the sixth sign, the healing of the man born blind, you could also listen to them here as part of your preparation as well. I will seek to show from the example of this man’s faith how to be certain that your own faith is certifiably genuine. This will be a two part message spanning tomorrow and July 11 as well.

Here is a quote from J. C. Ryle’s book Holiness which stresses the importance of assurance of salvation (I have it included in the introduction to tomorrow’s message):

I lay it down fully and broadly, as God’s truth, that a true Christian, a converted man, may reach such a comfortable degree of faith in Christ, that in general he shall feel entirely confident as to the pardon and safety of his soul, shall seldom be troubled with doubts, seldom be distracted with fears, seldom be distressed by anxious questionings and, in short, though vexed by many an inward conflict with sin, shall look forward to death without trembling, and to judgment without dismay.  This, I say, is the doctrine of the Bible.

Whatever you sow this evening in the way of preparing for tomorrow’s services will cause you to reap all the more in the way of spiritual blessing and encouragement!

Ten Application Points for Dealing with Loss

June 27, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , 3 Comments

This morning’s message is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

I realize we covered a lot of ground pretty fast at the end of the message. Here are the ten points of application that I drew from 2 Tim. 4:9-18. These are ten ways to respond to the “loss” of a beloved servant like Pastor Clay, or any loss for that matter, which reflect strength in God and ultimate dependence upon Him in all things.

  1. Call for and rely on the comfort and help of other trustworthy & valued servants in the face of potential discouragement at the loss.
  2. Give thanks that the “loss” is not due to spiritual defection – a far greater burden to bear.
  3. Pray for God to raise up laborers for the harvest is great but the laborers are few.
  4. Welcome, support, and champion the efforts of those remaining and others stepping in to help with the loss.
  5. Determine to make yourself by God’s grace useful for ministry in whatever way the Lord calls even if failure has marked you past.
  6. Keep the AC running and your Bible and books open! In other words, take care of yourself in every legitimate way and keep focused on the Lord through the means of grace.
  7. Guard your heart against resentment by entrusting His ultimate judgment in every affair and manifesting a forgiving, peacemaking spirit toward all.
  8. Expect God to strengthen you in the loss particularly by claiming the same promises claimed by the apostle Paul.
  9. Stay focused on your mission to share Christ and make disciples of others as a paramount concern of your life.
  10. From the way the Lord helps you deal with the loss draw increased hope for future challenges including the ultimate challenge of death.

I also neglected to share this quote from Warren Wiersbe, an able summary to Paul’s approach to loss in this text:

What a man! His friends forsake him, and he prays that God will forgive them. His enemies try him, and he looks for opportunities to tell them how to be saved! What a difference it makes when the Holy Spirit controls your life. ?Paul’s greatest fear was not of death; it was that he might deny his Lord or do something else that would disgrace God’s name. Paul was certain that the time had come for his permanent departure (2 Tim. 4:6). He wanted to end his life-race well and be free from any disobedience.

Also, you can get an online version of the Free Grace Broadcaster I read from this morning by clicking on here.

God speed, Clay and Megan. We commend you to God and the word of His grace. Peace be with you.

How To Deal with the "Loss" of a Beloved Servant

June 26, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

Some of us who have worked closely with Pastor Clay and Megan at OGC over these last seven years gathered at my place last night for a farewell celebration. It was a sweet time of fellowship, feasting, and remembering.

The Anchored Youth gang did their version of a send-off last Wednesday night. There was food, sharing, card-writing, gift-giving, game-playing, and prayer (you can’t see him, but Pastor Clay sits underneath all these hands laid upon him).


Tomorrow, Lord willing, we will gather as a church for worship and fellowship for our final service with the Nettles, followed by a luncheon in the fellowship hall. Please remember that, in addition to our regular general fund offering, we will receive offerings toward a special love gift in appreciation of Clay and Megan and all they have meant to us at OGC in their time with us. A designated envelope will be in your worship bulletin to use for that purpose.

I opted to delay my return to preaching through the Gospel of John until next Sunday, July 4, as I felt the Lord nudge me toward helping us all deal with the real loss of such beloved servants. My text for tomorrow is 2 Tim. 4:9-18.

9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The apostle Paul describes at least five significant challenges/losses in the text and tells how he managed to make it through them all the while staying focused on his mission. I have ten specific applications to make to our loss that I trust will help us to follow him as he followed Jesus.

Will you pray with me that the Lord will visit us tomorrow powerfully with His Spirit to accomplish His purposes and that the day, sweet and sad though it will be, will linger in our memory for years to come as one of the most memorable in our history?

Giving Thanks Like a Healed Leper Should

June 21, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , 2 Comments

I mentioned yesterday that next Sunday, Lord willing, we will receive a love offering, above and beyond our regular giving, for the Nettles as they finish their journey with us at the end of this month.

As I think about our stewardship of this important act of thanks for all these dear ones have done in our midst over the last several years, this story in Luke 17:11-19 comes to mind:

11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Baffling, isn’t it? Ten lepers get made whole from their dreaded disease and yet only one bothers to return thanks. And Jesus made a point of noting the shame of it by asking, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?

Matthew Henry comments:

How poor we are in our returns: “Where are the nine? Why did not they return to give thanks?’ ’ This intimates that ingratitude is a very common sin. Of the many that receive mercy from God, there are but few, very few, that return to give thanks in a right manner (scarcely one in ten), that render according to the benefit done to them.

I realize, of course, that the context speaks to the realities of our salvation and the need to give thanks to God for His mercy in cleansing us from the leprosy of sin by the blood of Christ on the cross. But surely we may make application on a broader scale, including honoring and esteeming servants like Clay and Megan who have given of themselves to us so generously at OGC.

So as I exhorted on Sunday, I exhort again. Please prayerfully consider what God might have you give toward this love offering for these dear ones as they head off to St. Augustine. A special envelope will be included in the bulletin this Sunday in which you may enclose your gift. If you know that you will be away this Sunday and unable to attend OGC as usual and would still like to give, please send your gift duly designated to the church office and we will include it in the total.

Let us be like the one and give thanks like healed lepers should and may God save us from the all too common sin of ingratitude.

Encouraging Words for Strategic Leaders in Kingdom Work

May 23, 2010 By in New Building, Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

Our five week capital fund campaign for our building has come to an end.

The image above was taken by one of our folks on the property this morning as we gathered for a prayer service at 9:30 AM. What a sweet time we had in the relative cool of the morning!

Tonight we meet at the SDA for a celebratory meal and report of what God has done. Whatever the outcome, He is good, all the time.

The closing message from Haggai 2:20-23 is now on the web. You can listen to it here.

Here is how I summarized the sermon and made application to our church:

So clearly this prophecy to Zerubbabel had unique application and fulfillment to him and through him to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It was designed for his encouragement from two angles: God’s intention most thoroughly to abase the nations of the world through a cosmic and historical shaking of events soon to come and His intention most assuredly on that day of visitation to exalt the Leader (I made it capital on purpose as pointing to Jesus, the Messiah) of His people. So whatever comes church, however much we raise in these commitments, whenever we get a building and subsequent phases if God blesses, wherever we seek to engage peoples everywhere for pursuing ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, let us leader and follower alike take courage, be strong, keep working, go on believing that God will most certainly do whatever it takes to accomplish His kingdom purposes. Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15).

If per chance you were not able to attend the service today and would still like to give your campaign pledge/gift, you may send it to our offices at any time.

Another huge step toward making a permanent home for OGC now lies behind us. May God give us continued grace to run the race set before us and not grow weary. He most certainly will do whatever it takes to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

Lessons from Another Capital Campaign in the Past

May 22, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , Leave a comment

Tomorrow marks the conclusion of our five-week capital fund campaign toward the end of raising commitments totaling $500,000 or more toward the building of our facility.

As we anticipate the exciting events of this memorable Lord’s Day, arguably one of the most important days in the history of OGC, consider with me some lessons from another capital campaign in the lives of God’s people in the past.

First Chronicles 29:1-9 describes the stunning freewill offerings made by the Jews in response to David’s call to the people to consecrate themselves to the Lord in giving to the construction of Solomon’s temple. The people gave with such whole-hearted generosity that they and David alike rejoiced greatly (v. 9).

Quite beside himself with delight, David does what any God-centered leader should do on such a momentous occasion – he prays. You might not find a more God-centered prayer in all the Bible in vv. 10-19.

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.  16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

From David’s prayer, and the people’s response in vv. 20-22, I see four things for us to keep in mind as we gather together tomorrow to see what God will do in the conclusion of our capital campaign.

  1. Acknowledge with thanks that everything belongs to God (10-13). David overflows with praise in the midst of the peoples’ giving acknowledging that all that is in the heavens and in the earth is His (11). As was the case with this version of God’s people in the past, so shall it be with us tomorrow that we must respond, whatever the outcome, this way: we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name (13). I fully intend after the presentation of our gifts and pledges contained in our envelopes (available tomorrow on the resource table in the entryway) for us to sing the Doxology – Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
  2. Remember with humility that generosity comes from God (14-16). David thinks very little of himself or the people in terms of the generosity on display remembering that all things, including the grace of giving, come from God in the first place (14). Furthermore, as strangers and pilgrims soon passing from earth’s scene, we have no room to boast before God (15). If we near, make, or even exceed our goal tomorrow, it will be only because God Himself graced us to do so.
  3. Consider with prayer that devotion depends upon God (17-19). David knows that raising funds for the temple served as God’s test for the people as to the nature of their affections and commitment to His purposes. So he prays that God would keep them and his son, Solomon, fixed in such a direction. Matthew Henry observed on this part of the prayer:

Great consequences depend upon what is innermost, and what uppermost, in the imagination of the thoughts of our heart, what we aim at and what we love to think of. If any good have got possession of our hearts, or the hearts of our friends, it is good by prayer to commit the custody of it to the grace of God: “Lord, keep it there, keep it for ever there.”

The final insight comes from the response of the people in vv. 20-22.

20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness.

Anticipate with delight that worship results before God (20-22). David exhorted the people to bless God in worship and they responded with bowed heads and numerous sacrifices. It all culminated in feasting before the Lord on that day with great gladness (22). This, of course, is exactly what we anticipate doing tomorrow evening as we gather at 6 for our meal and then learn of what God has done.

We have given ourselves to these five weeks taking our cue from the prophet Haggai, considering our ways and asking the Lord to reveal what He may require of us in sacrificial giving toward this campaign.

As we gather tomorrow for the culmination of it all, may we keep these lessons from the past in mind and may God grant us the grace to keep Him uppermost in our affections from that point forward, for His glory and our joy.

Planning for the Lord's Day

May 15, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , Leave a comment

Someone recently sent me this excerpt from Tim Challies’ blog about how to plan for our Sundays.

In his book Expository Listening (read Challies’ review here), Ken Ramey offers a list of ways you can “Plan Ahead, and Schedule Your Week Around the Ministry of the Word.”

“For the majority of people, even church members, church is not the priority of their week. Too often school, work, sports, and other activities take precedence over going to church. They make the mistake of letting their time be ordered by the world, which views the weekends as a time to relax, to play sports, to stay up late and sleep in. For Christians, however, Sunday should be the most important day of the week. You should try to schedule your work, activities, get-togethers, and vacations around church. You should live by the principle that Sunday morning starts Saturday night.”

He offers several practical suggestions on how to prioritize the Lord’s Day:

  • Make it a habit to be home on Saturday night.
  • Be careful not to do, watch, or read anything that will cause lingering distractions in your mind the next day.
  • Get things ready on Saturday night to alleviate the typical Sunday morning rush (lay out clothes, set the table, write the offering check, stock the diaper bag, etc).
  • Get a good night’s sleep so you can be sharp and energetic to worship and serve God. It’s hard to listen when you’re nodding off.
  • Eat a simple but adequate breakfast that will hold you until lunch. It’s difficult to hear over the grumbling of your stomach.
  • Work together with the other members of your family to get ready, and to establish and maintain a godly atmosphere on the way to church. Listen to music, sing, and pray together.
  • Arrive at church ten minutes early instead of ten minutes late so you have enough time to find a parking spot, drop the kids off in the nursery or their Sunday school classes, get a cup of coffee, visit with your friends, and find a seat.

“When you fail to plan ahead,” he warns, “Sunday morning ends up becoming a chaotic crisis, and by the time you get to church, you are frustrated and frazzled and your heart is in no condition to receive the Word. But when you plan well and are able to arrive in a relaxed, leisurely way, you will be in a much more receptive frame of mind.”

I trust God might use these suggestions to prepare us all the more for our fellowship tomorrow and every Sunday to come.

My New Nickname

April 18, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

My niece and her family attended OGC this AM. Sweet. They’re looking for a budget place to rent in central Florida. If you have a lead, please let me know.

Elise informed me that she dubbed me with a nickname. Something to do with warrior cats or some such that she is into. Never heard of it. She wanted me to guess. I didn’t have a clue. She said, It has something to do with you being a pastor. Still no clue. I gave up.

It’s Wild Breath. Really? I suppose that fits, in more ways than one, especially after this morning’s sermon in 2 Tim. 3:14-4:5. You can listen to the message in its entirety here.

Preaching warrants a certain wildness to it, I suppose. I kind of like it.

We heard a testimony from another wild breath type preacher this morning in the person of Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas, Texas.

Here is the video of his entire presentation at T4G last week.

Pray for him. Pray for me. Pray for all of us who dare step into a pulpit to exposit the sacred writings before a holy God and His Son, the coming Christ.

As for the new nickname, I’m still kind of partial to PCBO – beloved ox. But I suppose it’s not bad to have two nicknames. PCWB it is as well. Thus saith Elise.