Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sunday Quotes!

We finished our series on 1 Peter by focusing upon the last portion of 5:12 "...I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it."

These two quotes were helpful as we considered how to stand in the true grace of God.

“At the end of this letter, Peter is concerned that his readers hold fast to the truth. They have received the gospel of God’s grace. Let them stand fast in it. They cling, not to an impersonal moral code, nor to philosophical abstractions. They cling to the grace of God; not what they have done for God, but what God has done for them in Christ.” -Edmund Clowney

“Forgiven souls are humble. They cannot forget that they owe all they have and hope for to free grace, and this keeps them lowly. They are brands plucked from the fire – debtors who could not pay for themselves – captives who must have remained in prison for ever, but for underserved mercy – wandering sheep who were ready to perish when the Shepherd found them; and what right then have they to be proud? I do not deny that they are proud saints. But this I do say – they are of all God’s creatures the most inconsistent, and of all God’s children the most likely to stumble and pierce themselves with many sorrows.” –JC Ryle

Friday, May 22, 2009

Coming Soon

"WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT..."

Beginning on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, Servant's Heart Fellowship will take several weeks to look much closer at the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit. Some of the questions we will consider include: Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? What about Spiritual Gifts?

Join us as we explore the ministry of the Holy Spirit together as a church.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Sunday Quotes!

“It matters nothing what a man is called. He may be a Preacher, Minister, or Deacon. He is still a fallible man! Neither the education, nor the anointing oil, nor the laying on of hands, can prevent a man from making mistakes.” -JC Ryle The Fallibility of Ministers

I quoted Ryle to reinforce the point that leaders should always be pursuing humility as they set an example for the church to follow. I actually could have quoted much more from him because JC Ryle has so much to say to leaders. His two little sermon booklets The Fallibility of Ministers and Simplicity in Preaching are "must reads" for anyone in pastoral ministry.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Things We Hold Dear: Humble Leadership

I sat at a recent conference and listened as CJ Mahaney preached about leadership. During the message he said, "We should be both amazed and humbled that God has called us to shepherd His flock." We should be amazed because, to be quite frank about it, we aren't much to look at. And we should be humbled for the exact same reason. It was very good for me to be reminded of this and it made me even more grateful for our church's leadership.

At SHF, we're not just looking to train and raise up leaders who are talented or gifted. These things are important, but they are not adequate in themselves. We also want leaders who are obviously and openly pursuing humility. Leaders who are growing in love for the Savior and for the local church. Leaders who are grateful for the gospel and eager to serve. Leaders who are still amazed by grace. As part of our 1 Peter series I'll be preaching this Sunday about humble leadership... something we hold dear.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday Quotes!

I preached from 1 Peter 4:12-19. Here's a helpful quote I shared from John Piper:

“The degrees of suffering and the forms of affliction will differ for every one of us. But one thing we will all have in common till Jesus comes: we will all die. We will come to that awesome moment of reckoning. If you have time, you will see your whole life played before you as you ponder if it has been well-spent. You will tremble at the unspeakable reality that in just moments you will face God. And the destiny of your soul will be irrevocable. Will you rejoice in that hour? You will if you entrust your soul to a faithful Creator.”

These "Sunday Quotes" posts also seem to give me an opportunity to clarify things I say in my sermons. So just in case you are not familiar with my (poor?) sense of humor... I confess it publicly -I got the speeding ticket in Maryland, not Autumn.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Sunday Quotes!

I preached out of 1 Peter 4:7-11, which includes these verses: "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." (verses 8-9). Here are two quotes:

“Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses, and even some large ones, are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts abound – to Satan’s perverse delight.” -Wayne Grudem

“Christians are to provide hospitality without complaining or whining about the time and expense involved. This is an expression of agape love.” -David Walls

The second quote prompted people to go out to eat after the service for immediate application. As a side note - I promise to never use an illustration in a sermon that involves pregnant women and stretchy pants ever again. I'm an experienced enough preacher to know when an illustration bombs big time!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Without Grumbling!

I've heard Christians say that 1 Peter 4:9 is one of the hardest verses to put into practice. Here it is: "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." The hospitality part isn't so difficult, after all, many of us are willing to at least spend some time with other believers. It is the last two words of the verse that we struggle with - "without grumbling."

What's the problem here? I'll say it as clear as I can. Hospitality is often very inconvenient. To genuinely offer hospitality we must be willing to spend extended periods of time with other Christians. The problem is our sinful hearts. Sometimes we can be too selfish with our time, and when we do spend it with other believers... we end up grumbling about it.

Is there hope for us? Absolutely! We will be looking at this on Sunday as we once again gaze upon the Savior and apply His Holy Word. To get prepared go ahead and read 1 Peter 4:7-11.