Sermon Notes
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Bible Reading: Psalm 56:1-9
GET READY! Part III
#1—Joshua 3:1-5—Consecrate yourselves
#2—Matthew 5:13-14—You are the “salt of the earth”
#3—Matthew 5:15-16—You are the “light of the world”
#4—Matthew 28:19-20—We are to “make disciples as we are going about our lives.”
Additional Scriptures to read: Acts 1:8; John 1:1-5; Colossians 4:6;
Hebrews 6:4-6; 1 Peter 3:15-16; 2 Peter 2:20-21
This past Sunday, I spoke from Joshua 3:1-5. Israel was getting ready to enter the Promised Land.
The final command of Joshua prior to crossing the Jordan River was to “consecrate yourselves.” (Joshua 3:5)
This word “consecrate” sounds ominous. It means to be “set apart for service to a deity.” Or in some cases it means to make something an object of honor or veneration. (The word veneration means to regard something as “holy” or to treat it with reverence.)
The command to consecrate yourself indicated that each one was to begin to think of themselves as being set aside for the purposes of God. They were to consider themselves as “holy” or to think of themselves with reverence and respect because they were now objects dedicated to the purposes of God.
Consecrating yourself was something only they could do. Joshua nor any of the elders could do it for them. It wasn’t a group effort. It was up to each one to determine they were going to be dedicated to the purposes of God.
For some it meant getting rid of their idols. For others it meant repenting of grumbling and murmuring. Some just needed a spiritual bath. Life had been tough and came with lots of challenges. It had hardened them and perhaps caused them to be callused to the voice of God.
Crossing the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land was a new season for Israel. Their lives were going to change. No more wilderness; no more manna; no more hot sun of the desert or cold desert nights. This was a new day.
We too are entering a new season. In some ways, every day is a new season. The command to consecrate yourselves is good advice for every day. It’s not just something we do on Sundays. It’s something we should do every day.
I love the promise made to them about why they needed to consecrate themselves. “For tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
I wonder what amazing thing God wants to do? I’m in……you in?
Always in Pursuit!
Don
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Joshua 3:1-3
Bible Reading: Psalm 4:1-5
Get Ready! Part II
Crossing the Jordan—a time of transition
Ark of the Covenant—presence of God
A distance of about 2,000 cubits—about a half mile
From Last week:
#1—We move at God’s direction
#2—We move forward with caution
#3—We move forward in faith
What does it mean to “consecrate yourselves?”
Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me God and know my heart; test me know my anxious thoughts. {24} See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting.”
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Bible Reading: Psalm 9:1-10
We have an enemy. John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8 His intent is to destroy us. To cause us to doubt God; to cause us to put our trust in someone or something other than God.
One of the “schemes of the enemy” is to make us think we must always know what to do. All of us encounter this, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, and all leaders. Truth is, we do not always know what to do. And that is fine with God. It is why He promised to never leave us or to forsake us. He will always be available to us with a plan for our lives no matter what we may face, even pandemics.
I would encourage you to read through 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. You will be challenged by how King Jehoshaphat handled the life or death situation he was facing. God was faithful; King Jehoshaphat was faithful; and God brought about a great victory.
Text: 2 Chronicles 20:6-12
We all encounter times when we do not know what to do. We all have an enemy who wants to destroy us
God has a plan—Jeremiah 29:11
God has our steps ordered–Psalm 37:23
God will never leave us—Deuteronomy 31:6
God is always at work on our behalf to bring about good—Romans 8:28
What is it that you need God’s help with today? Take a moment, as King Jehoshaphat did, admit you do not know what to do, ask God to tell you what to do, then do what God told you to do.
Sunday, May 10, 20202
Text: Proverbs 31:28-31
New Facebook Live Prayer Time for TMCC—Thursdays, 6 PM
Bible Reading: Psalm 33:12-22
Queen Mother—
In the history of Judah, the southern kingdom, whenever we are introduced to a new king, we are also introduced to his mother. As Queen Mother, an official title, she would have had her own throne (1 Kings 2:19) plus she would have been the king’s closest adviser.
Queen Mother in Scripture: 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Kings 10:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16; Jeremiah 13:18; Jeremiah 29:2; Daniel 5:10
1 Peter 3:15-16
Proverbs 13:20
Duties of the Queen Mother—Gebirah (gheb—ee-raw)
#1—Assist in the choice of the next king
#2—Provide counsel for the king
#3—Intercede on behalf of the king’s subjects
Proverbs 13:20—Be cautious about the influences in your life. Take note of Philippians 4:8
1 Peter 3:15-16—When Christ rules and reigns in your heart, what is on the inside will come out.
The fifth and final word in the “sequence of salvation” is glorified. It is found in Romans 8:30. It is a fascinating word. It has both a “now” and “future” or “not yet” meaning.
For now, we are glorified because we have been adopted, or chosen. God chose us. He has called us by name and has given us a portion of His glory. Earlier in Romans 8, we read that it is part of God’s plan for us to be “conformed into the image of Christ.” (Romans 8:29) Being transformed into the image of Christ is a process called “sanctification.” This is an “on-going” work of God’s Spirit within us. It is a transforming work of the Holy Spirit as we give ourselves over to Him.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul refers to this process as going from “glory to glory.”
From “glory to glory” is a great description of what our lives should look like here on the earth. From glory to glory describes the on-going process of spiritual growth and becoming conformed into the image of Christ. Then as we go from “glory to glory” there will come a God-appointed time where we will experience the ultimate glorification.
Ultimate glorification is when we take our final breath here on the earth followed by our first breath in the presence of God. This is the ultimate and final glory we will experience. It just will not get any better than that.
Salvation, which is described in these five words (foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified) found in Romans 8:29-30, is followed by Sanctification (glory to glory) which is followed by our glorification or eternity with God.
Glorification is our destiny here on earth as well as our destiny for eternity.
Always in Pursuit!
Don
The fourth word that Paul used to describe what happens when we accept Christ as our Savior is the word “justified.”
For the sake of review, the first word found in Romans 8:29 was “foreknew” referring to the fact that even before the beginning of time, our omniscient God knew all about us.
The next word found in Romans 8:29 is “predestined.” Not only did God foreknow us, but He determined a wonderful plan for our lives. He determined that He wanted us to be His child and that we would accept His invitation to become our Heavenly Father, Savior and coming King.
The third word in this sequence is found in Romans 8:30. It was the word “called.” God has called us to follow Him; He has called us out of a sinful life and opened the way for us to live life abundantly.
Our word for today, justified, is a wonderful word. It is a legal term that was used in the court of law, back in the day. It means that all charges against us, due to our sin, have been dropped. We have been acquitted. It means that more than being forgiven happened. Now it is as if we had never even sinned. There is no record of our sin.
As a result, we have been reconciled with God. Now, we can walk with Him, talk with Him, listen to Him, follow the plan He prepared in advance for us, and we can have he assurance that He will never leave us, nor will He forsake us. He will always be our helper, our healer and our hope.
This also eliminates guilt, shame and condemnation. Paul wrote in the first verse of Romans 8, “…. there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” We are free to serve Him unencumbered by our past.
By the way, being justified is a gift. It is not something we can earn. The price for our sin was paid by Christ when He gave Himself as the once, for all, sacrifice. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
My prayer for you is that you “live free” and live the abundant life that God has planned for you today!
Always in Pursuit!
Don
The next word we discover in the sequence of salvation, as explained by the Apostle Paul in Romans 28:29-30 is the word “called.”
First, we are told that God “foreknew” us from before the beginning of time. Then we are told that God “predestined” us to be in right relationship with Him. Now we are told that we are “called.”
This is a great word. Everyone of us is called. Unless people are involved in full-time vocational ministry, most do not think of themselves as being called. But that is a fallacy. We are all called. It does not matter if you are a pastor, janitor, stay-at-home mom, carpenter, doctor, nurse or schoolteacher, you are called.
This call was created at the same time as when God foreknew you and when God predestined you. He called you before the beginning of time.
God wants you to be His own. He created you to be in fellowship with Him. Sin got in the way. This is why God sent Jesus to die and be resurrected so you and I could be reconciled to Him. This would fulfill the call on your life.
Another aspect of being “called” is that of authority or ownership. In Genesis 2:19-20 we read how God put Adam to work and gave him the responsibility of naming the animals. In effect, this gave Adam authority over the animals. He named them. He called them.
In some ways, it is like naming a pet. You try to pick a name that fits. A name that will make that pet uniquely yours. God has done the same with you. He created you, then He called you to be His.
God has done the same with us. He called us. We are His. We are His unique possession. There is not another human like you. One translation of Scripture uses the word “peculiar.” We are peculiar to God. We are His one of a kind. Paul described us in Ephesians 2:10 as God’s masterpiece, His workmanship.
In Romans 11:29 informs us that this call is irrevocable. In other words, you will not be able to make God stop loving you. Nor can you make Him love you more. You are His. He called you. He desires relationship with you. He is patiently waiting for you to accept His invitation.
Always in Pursuit!
Don
The second word we encounter in Paul’s explanation of what happens when we come to Christ as our Savior is the word “predestine.”
Many evangelical Christians do not like this word. When they hear it, they feel as if someone is taking away their God given privilege to make up their own mind. In some theological circles, the word is used to describe how some have been predestined to be saved while some have been predestined not to be saved.
The problem with the idea of some not being saved because they were predestined to be lost is that it contradicts the teaching of God’s Word. Take a moment and read through John 3:16; Matthew 18:14; and 2 Peter 3:9. It is not God’s will for any to perish. It is His will for all to be saved.
Just as God foreknew you from before the beginning of time, He predestined you to be saved at the same time. At the same time, He predestined a wonderful plan for your life that included healing, freedom and victory over sin.
Of course, you have the privilege of rejecting His plan. Many do so because it does not fit their pre-conceived idea of what God should do for them or the type of life, they think they want to live.
If you go back to the text, Romans 8:29, you will discover that God predestined you to be “conformed into the image of His Son.” This means to be God’s son or daughter following the pattern that Jesus lived. This does not mean we have to be perfect. But we are forgiven, free from sin and marching to the drumbeat of the Holy Spirit just as Christ did. (Read Acts 10:38)
This is His plan for you. It was predestined. You cannot earn it. It is a gift. It is yours. Just receive it.
Always in Pursuit!
Don
Ever felt like you were a mistake? Perhaps you were a surprise to your parents? These things happen along with many other scenarios that sometimes can make us feel as if we were mistake or even worse, not wanted.
Truth is that while you may have been a surprise to your parents, God knew all about you before you were conceived. Even better, He promised to bring good things out of those circumstances. (Romans 8:28)
In Romans 8:29-30 we are introduced to five terms that describe why and how God can bring good out of the good, bad and ugly circumstances of life. (Please understand the word “good” is defined by the “goodness” of God. This does not always include what we think might be good for us. We need to lean on God, not our own understanding about what might or might not be good. Ask yourself the question, how does this measure up against what God’s desires are for my life. Do not forget what Solomon wrote for us in Proverbs 3:5 and Proverbs 14:12; and Proverbs 16:25.)
The first of these five terms is found in verse 29. There we read that God “foreknew” us. The action attached to these five words took place prior to creation or prior to the beginning of time.
He knew you. In addition, there is also an underlying sense that God not only knew you but understands you. He knows all about you. He knows your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows how circumstances effect you. He knows when you are angry, frustrated, disappointed, and even offended. He created you and knows every single detail of who you are.
He loves you. He sent His One and only Son, Jesus, to die for you (John 3:16) and to be resurrected for you. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) God also has a wonderful plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11)
One final thought regarding this topic is that God is crazy about you, He sings over you, He has your name written (engraved or tattooed) on the palm of His hand and He will not forget you. (Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 147:11; Isaiah 49:16)
The promise of Romans 8:28 is that no matter what happens or no matter what the source is of these things, God is more than able to bring about good. Sometimes the good is immediate, sometimes the good is delayed. Sometimes we find there is both an immediate and a long-term good that God brings about through the circumstances of our life.
Do not ever forget that God knew you “when.” And when you confess Him as your Savior, He will not allow anything to separate you from His love. And that is good!
Always in Pursuit!
Don
In Pursuit! 