Category Archives: Sunday Morning

J. C. Ryle & Passionate Preaching For Lost Souls

April 10, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , 2 Comments

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we step back into John’s gospel and the 6th sign, the healing of the man blind from birth in John 9:1-12. You can listen to part one here.

The title of the message is The Day the Light of the World Made Blind Eyes See (Part 2).

In many ways as we tackle the significance of the means Jesus employed in healing the man – anointing his eyes with mud, commanding his washing in the pool of Siloam – we will return to the gospel and the need for passionate preaching for lost souls.

After my message on Resurrection Sunday last week, someone sent me this quote by J. C. Ryle. It raised the temperature on my preaching thermostat to want to preach passionately and faithfully the gospel particularly when the text so plainly requires it. My hope is it will do the same for you on the listening end.

Would you like to know the reason why we who preach the Gospel, preach so often about conversion? We do it because of the necessities of men’s souls. We do it because we see plainly from the Word of God that nothing short of a thorough change of heart will ever meet the demands of your case. Your case is naturally desperate. Your danger is great. You need not only the atonement of Jesus Christ – but the quickening, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, to make you a true Christian, and deliver you from hell (Old Paths, “The Holy Spirit”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999], 275).

May the Lord meet us in and through His word tomorrow with grace and power to convert and strengthen.

What You Need To Hear When You Think You Know God But Don’t

March 23, 2010 By in Exposition, Sunday Morning Tags: , , Leave a comment

Last Sunday I preached on John 8:48-59, the closing paragraph of the chapter. You can listen to the entire audio of the sermon here.

Here’s how I closed the message and summarized the passage:

It’s conceivable that you may be listening to this message and think you know God when you don’t. There is only one way to tell. Do you hear the words of Jesus so as to keep, obey, treasure, guard, observe them? If not, you aren’t of God. You’re of a different father, the devil. And you need to hear certain things again: the truth of Jesus’ relationship to His Father –mutual devotion; the truth of Jesus’ relationship to His mission – singular dedication – yet one more time today He comes to you and holds out the promise – truly, truly, if you keep his word, you will never see death; and the truth of His relationship to spiritual giants of the past, like father Abraham – Before Abraham was He is. Don’t harden your heart against the words of Jesus today. Believe in the Son of God. Honor Him and then and only then will you honor the Father. Then you will be of God and never see/taste death because He tasted it for you (Heb. 2:9).

Throughout the sermon I interspersed six practical lessons for sharing our faith especially when we have the chance to do so with religious people. Here they are for your review:

  1. Don’t give up too soon on someone. You may need to share the gospel multiple times with someone even as Jesus did with His hearers.
  2. Expect persecution. The servant is not greater than the master. If they persecuted Him, they will persecute us.
  3. Do not revile in return when insulted.
  4. Stick to the message of the gospel. Keeping bringing things back to the cross.
  5. When given the opportunity, share the whole truth about the gospel, even the potentially most offensive truths.
  6. When necessary, shake the dust off your feet and move on. It is not fitting to cast the pearls of the gospel before “swine.”

You can listen to the whole message here.

A Call to Spiritual Reformation Study Guide

March 21, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , Leave a comment

Here is the study guide for our final chapter in Dr. Carson’s book!

Chapter Twelve – Prayer for Ministry

  1. With what analogy does Carson lead on p. 205 of this chapter and how does he use it to make his point, particularly in relating it to the matter of prayer?
  2. How does the prayer of Paul in this chapter differ from the others we have studied in this book?
  3. What is the first of four important lessons to draw from this particular prayer (p. 209)? How does the author unpack the text to make his point? What cross references do you find especially helpful and why? How do you react to the statement, “Prayer is the gymnasium of the soul?” Where does Carson make application at the end of this section and how do you react?
  4. What is the second of four important lessons to draw from this particular prayer (p. 212)? What other examples from Paul’s prayers does Carson cite to demonstrate his point? What two things does Paul request in his prayer in Rom. 15? What two factors does Carson emphasize about the first request? Where does Carson find application for us today in this section?
  5. What is the third of four important lessons to draw from this particular prayer (p. 219)? How does Carson tie in the context in Rom. 15 to explain his point? Why does Carson say this manner of praying for Paul is “attractive” (p. 221)?
  6. What is the fourth of four important lessons to draw from this particular prayer (p. 221)? How is this reality in Paul’s life in Acts and history reassuring to us? What other biblical examples of this reality does Carson cite? What does Carson ask us to imagine about prayer at the bottom of p. 222 as if it were magic, not true religion and what is he attempting to get the reader to understand?
  7. How do you react to the two anonymous poems at the end of the chapter?
  8. What point does Carson make as he summarizes things at the end of this chapter? How do you respond?
  9. How will your prayer life be different as a result of reading this chapter?
  10. What one or two most significant things will you take away from this overall study on prayer?

A Call to Spiritual Reformation Study Guide

March 15, 2010 By in prayer, Sunday Morning Tags: , 1 Comment

Apparently it pays to have the elders anoint you with oil and pray when you are sick. May well have broken through today with this latest bout with the plague. Thanks for all your prayers.

Here is the study guide for this Sunday’s 9:30 equipping hour. It was not available in hard copy form last Sunday.

Chapter Eleven – Praying for Power

  1. Carson opens the chapter with a question. How did you learn to pray? What was your experience in this regard and what point is he trying to make on p. 182?
  2. How does Carson reassert the theme of the book in the opening pages of the chapter? How has engaging in this study changed your approach to prayer?
  3. What are the two central petitions of Ephesians 3:14-21?
  4. How is the first petition “carefully circumscribed?” What does 2 Cor. 4:16-18 contribute to your understanding of Paul’s meaning in the first petition?
  5. What two important questions must we ask about Paul’s first petition? What analogy does Carson use to help explain the first question? How does he tie in Col. 3:5-17? What does of Phil. 4:19 contribute to your understanding Paul’s meaning in the second question?
  6. What does Paul assume with respect to the second central petition (p. 191)? What overreaction does Carson attempt to correct? How do “love” and “power” connect in Paul’s prayer at this point (p. 193)?
  7. When has the love of God in Christ been brought home to your heart with force?
  8. Why does Paul say it is important to know the love that surpasses knowledge (p. 195)? What “stunning implication” does Carson bring out? How does Carson work against “Lone Ranger Christianity” in light of Paul’s petition (p. 198)?
  9. What two grounds does Carson cite for Paul’s petitions (p. 199)? How does he tie in the earlier chapters of Ephesians to his argument? How does he tie in Jesus’ teaching (p. 201)? How does he seek to motivate us at the bottom of p. 201?
  10. How does Paul put his petitions into perspective (p. 202)? Where do you find inspiration to reform your prayer life from these closing thoughts?

Healthy Pulpits, Healthy Congregations

March 6, 2010 By in Exposition, Sunday Morning Tags: , 2 Comments

With another Lord’s Day on the horizon, I offer this quote by J. C. Ryle passed on to me by one of our deacons as a way for all of us to prepare for our encounter with God through the preaching of His word.

Let us beware of despising preaching. In every age of the Church, it has been God’s principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints. The days when there has been little or no preaching have been days when there has been little or no good done in the Church. Let us hear sermons in a prayerful and reverent frame of mind, and remember that they are the principal engines which Christ Himself employed when He was upon earth. Not least, let us pray daily for a continual supply of faithful preachers of God’s Word. According to the state of the pulpit will always be the state of a congregation and of a Church (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke volume 1, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986], 128, 129).

That last line sobers me as a preacher as it should every church goer who listens to preachers.

Let us pray daily for a continual supply of faithful preachers of God’s Word.

Coming Events of Note

March 3, 2010 By in Church Year, Sunday Morning Tags: , Leave a comment

There are two things coming up in the near future that I want to highlight in this post.

The first concerns Good Friday, April 2. Orlando Grace will participate with Faith Baptist Church, 500 N. Bumby, in Orlando, in a joint Good Friday worship observance from noon to 1:00 PM. Pastor Jack of Faith will preach. I will lead worship and communion. If you are off from work and/or have the lunch hour free that day, please consider joining us for a time of remembering our Lord’s crucifixion and the priceless atonement His death secured for His own. Check the events section of this website for a map on how to get to Faith Baptist Church.

The second concerns new adult 9:30 equipping hour classes for the second quarter of 2010, set to begin on April 4. There will be four offerings from which to choose:

  1. Biblical Peacemaking Training: Matthew Antolick will lead this study in principles of biblical conflict resolution with a view to forming a reconciling team at OGC that will help people with dealing with conflict when it arises.
  2. The Thessalonian Epistles: Delroy Thompson will lead this book study through Paul’s two epistles to the Thessalonians.
  3. The Shorter Catechism (Part 2): Pastor Clay will pick up where he left off at the end of 2009 with another look at the Baptist Catechism.
  4. Discover OGC Newcomer Orientation Series: I will teach another installment of our introduction to the values, mission, and vision at Orlando Grace, the gateway to covenant membership for those interested in learning more about the church.

Please watch for more details on these classes on the website, in the enews, and in the announcements on Sunday mornings throughout the rest of the month of March. Be praying where the Lord would want you to focus attention on your spiritual growth by participating in one of these classes. For more information, feel free to contact the instructor of the course in which you are interested.

A Call to Spiritual Reformation Study Guide

March 1, 2010 By in prayer, Sunday Morning Tags: , Leave a comment

Here is the study guide for this week’s 9:30 equipping hour class in prayer in case you missed it.

Chapter Nine – A Sovereign and Personal God

  1. What challenges does Carson bring early on in this chapter to the popular notion prayer changes things?

  2. What two truths does Carson work from at the outset on p. 148 on the way to unpacking biblical reflections that can help us pray better? What problem does he say we have concerning these? Where does he offer biblical support for both?

  3. Which passages of Scripture does Dr. Carson argue bring both these truths together at the same time? Which proves most illuminating to you and why?

  4. Why does the author argue that the Acts 4:23-30 passage proves to be the most revealing of the seven passages under discussion?

  5. If we agree with Dr. Carson that the Bible affirms both truths as he attempts to demonstrate, where does he say we are to go from there on p. 156ff?

  6. How does he qualify the notion of freedom in dealing with the issue of mystery in reconciling these two truths?

  7. How does he qualify God’s relation to good and evil in furthering his argument?

  8. How does Carson relate the nature of God to the discussion? What wonderful truth does he articulate? How do you react to the statement, Christians are prepared to accept certain mysteries?

  9. What crucial lesson does Carson draw out before he concludes the chapter? How do the examples he cites help you in your understanding? How does he relate all this to prayer? How does he deal with the problem passages related to God relenting?

  10. How will this chapter make a difference in your prayer life?

How To Be Certain Your Faith Is Not Fatally Flawed (Part 2)

February 28, 2010 By in Exposition, Sunday Morning Tags: , , 2 Comments

This morning I concluded my message in John 8:31-38 with six practical applications by which we can measure our assurance of salvation in terms of the third evidence of a genuine faith – liberation from one’s sin. You can listen to the entire message here.

I blew through these applications fairly quickly. I offer them here on the blog for further consideration.  These things will be true of us in this area, if we truly belong to the One who sets free indeed.

  1. We will not habitually commit sin. – Rom. 6:2 – How can we who died to sin still live in it? We will experience over the course of time, sometimes painfully slow, the progressive, gradual, transforming power of grace from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18).
  2. We will deliberately rely on grace and the power of the Gospel for transformation not our own moral effort. 2 Cor. 3:18 begins And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord (emphasis added). It’s not about trying harder; it’s about becoming transfixed, gloriously mesmerized by the beauty and grace of Jesus who sets free by the power of the gospel appropriated by faith.
  3. We will consistently confess and repent of our sins when we do fall in this life and pursue accountability so as not to deceive ourselves. If you battle an addiction, you may battle for years. Don’t give up. As long as you have accountability, practice James 5:16, see others signs of God’s grace at work in your lives, you may legitimately have assurance of salvation. Claim promises like John 8:32 & 36 and host of other grace-empowering, sin-liberating promises of God’s word until you prevail. Get out of compromising situations and patterns that set you up. Don’t tell me you’re serious about your faith and overcoming lust if you continue to put yourself  in the wrong place at the wrong time with your boyfriend/girl friend. Tell somebody what’s going on and pick someone with guts who will get in your face when you get out of line.
  4. We will seek to live a holy life as an overall pattern by obeying God’s words and doing good works. Eph. 2:10 says we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared before hand in which we should walk. Good works are conspicuous and even those that aren’t can’t remain hidden according to 1 Tim. 5:25. Does anybody anywhere see anything of this nature going on in your life?
  5. We will practice love for all, but especially for our brothers and sisters in the faith. 1 John 3:14 – We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. Tremble, shake in your boots, if you profess to follow Christ but anger, bitterness, malice, wrath, and resentment consume you. Genuine believers give off the aroma of kindness/grace/love. They practice forgiveness. They are peacemakers.
  6. We will seek to set our affections more upon the things above as opposed to worldly things below. Col. 3:1-2 – Seek the things above, set your minds on things above not things below. If your delights and affections get more traction downtown in the bar and club scene on Saturday nights as a rule than they do in a God-centered, Christ-honoring, joy-giving church scene on Sunday morning, and I’ll grant you not all churches fit that description, you should ask yourself some very hard questions. Your faith may be fatally flawed.

If these things are true of us and growing, we may draw hope and strength from the assurance that our faith is genuine. All glory to Him who saves and keeps His own to the very end.

A Call to Spiritual Reformation Study Guide

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

Here is the study guide for chapter 8 for this Sunday’s 9:30 equipping hour!

  1. Whom have you known personally who you would describe as distinguished by a particularly gifted ministry of prayer? What made it so?
  2. What is one of the most important steps we can take according to Carson in terms of our own prayer experience?
  3. Why does Carson think Paul’s prayer in Phil. 1:9-11 has so much potential to help us?
  4. What is the first of three steps in Paul’s prayer? What are the distinguishing things related to this step for which Paul prays? How does the virtue of love tie in here? How does Carson tie in Phil. 1:6 and 3:10-11 to make his point? How does Carson use specific examples to get after his meaning and where do you need to make application?
  5. How does Carson make application of this first step to members of the clergy in particular? Where does this give you insight into the challenges of your pastors?
  6. What is the second of the three steps in Paul’s prayer? How does Carson explain two expressions in this part of the prayer? What conclusion about Paul’s praying on p. 136-137 does Carson make and how do your own prayers match up to what he calls this most urgent need in the Western church?
  7. What is the third of the three steps in Paul’s prayer? How does he caution us about our pursuit of the excellent? How do you react to the statement, God is not interested in one hundred percentism? Where does Paul take such care in the end of the prayer to guard against the risk under consideration? What practical test does Carson apply to help figure this out in our own lives?
  8. With God’s help how might your prayer life change in light of this chapter in Carson’s book?

Helpful Tools for Truth Acquisition

February 21, 2010 By in Exposition, Sunday Morning Tags: , , , 4 Comments

This morning I introduced part one of what will end up as three sermons with the same title from John 8:31-38: How To Be Certain Your Faith Is Not Fatally Flawed.

Jesus prescribes three tests for testing faith’s genuineness in vv. 31-32:

  1. Continuation in His word – If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.
  2. Acquisition of the truth – you will know the truth.
  3. Liberation from one’s sin – and the truth will set you free.

I made much of the connection between the first and second points. One glorious consequence of remaining in the word of Jesus, hearing and obeying it, is that we gain increasingly greater understanding of truth over and against falsehood.

Certain tools must belong in your toolkit if you hope to grow in your knowledge of the truth. It is not enough to read the Bible, though that certainly is essential to what Jesus means when He says we must abide in His word as a test of genuine faith. We have to get our arms around the meaning of His words and grasp the truth contained within them.

Along the way several extra-biblical helps can aid in one’s understanding of the truths taught in the Bible, truths that serve to set us free from the bondage of sin.

Some, not all, you can access online. I have sought to provide links below where this is the case.

Here are my suggestions for helpful tools for truth acquisition as a follower of Jesus Christ. More exist for sure, but these seem basic to  me.

First, you need a solid one volume commentary of the Bible. Puritan Matthew Henry’s complete and unabridged work can be accessed here. You don’t want to rely on a commentary to do your own study, but you definitely want to check your work by comparing it to a solid teacher either from the past or today. If you can afford it, John MacArthur’s New Testament Commentaries are now available. But here’s a tip. Much of those works come right from his sermons that you can access here. The same is true of John Piper’s sermons here. Save yourself some bucks. Calvin’s commentaries are online too here.

Second, make sure you have a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia at your disposal. You can access ISBE, a classic for cultural and historical background study, here. For example, if you wanted to learn more about Abraham and the significance of his reference in John 8:33, you could look up his name in the encyclopedia and have a wealth of information about him at your finger tips.

Third, invest in a one-volume systematic theology. Wayne Grudem’s is among the best for accuracy and readability. However, if you can’t afford that option, you still have online hope. John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion can be found here. You don’t get a helpful index with this masterpiece by the reformer, but you will be reading one of the all time great digests of truth that has ever come from the pen of man. This year I am reading through this work a paragraph at a time as part of my devotions. It is a must read for the reformed follower of Jesus.

Fourth, utilize a devotional guide. I love Ligonier’s TableTalk. After using this resource for a year now, I am amazed at how much truth this little booklet crams into each monthly installment. It is the first thing I open each morning as I approach the Lord for communing with Him. You will find a daily reading and themed articles each month that will greatly contribute to the increase of your truth quotient.

Fifth, make sure you include some reading from the saints of the past. You can get absolutely free Free Grace Broadcaster from Mount Zion Bible Church in Pensacola, Florida. Every quarter they publish a booklet of largely Puritan writings on different subjects. Order your subscription or read online here.

Sixth, books, you’ve got to read books! As I mentioned this morning, books change your life. They bring truth to life. I can’t even begin to tell you how often God has brought a book across my path that He has used to further my sanctification in a significant way. I have referenced often recently J. C. Ryle’s classic Holiness as a book I am currently digesting. Guess what? You can get it online too here! Reading good, solid, extra-biblical literature that opens your eyes to the truths of the Scriptures will make a huge difference in your life.

Seventh, go to conferences. God shows up at meetings that honor His name and teach His truth. Ligonier Ministries holds their annual conference every year right here in Orlando. How sweet is that! No travel costs. No hotel costs. Pack your own food if you need to save even more money. Register early like Nancy and I did and you will get the benefit of early bird pricing. This year’s conference theme is Tough Questions Christians Face.The lineup of speakers will knock your socks off. Take a vacation day or two and go to Ligonier. You can learn more about this year’s conference here.

No doubt there are more. Faithfully attend church and the preaching of the word. Utilize the 9:30 equipping hour. Get into a growth group. Attend the 1689 Confession tutorial class every other Wednesday (see the events calendar on the website) or listen to the classes online on our website.

If it is true that acquiring the truth in greater degrees of understanding is a mark of true discipleship, then let us be a people who are rabid for truth and as crazy about accumulating tools to that end as the carpenter is for stocking his toolkit with nothing but the very best equipment!