Fork of The Broad/Sermons from Carlton Baptist Church

A look at the 7 spiritual gifts that Paul identifies in Romans 12.  Each Christian is given a gift at the time of their supernatural birth into the body of Christ.  These gifts are to be actively used for the benefit of the body, the Church, and for the glory of God.  Jesus, during His time on earth and through His death on the cross, is the perfect model for each of these gifts - prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy. 

Paul describes the church not as an organization, but as a living organism, and each of us as members, individual parts of the body that all have important roles to play in the life of the church.  No part of a body is unimportant, even down to the big toe - It's important for all parts of a body to be present and healthy.  In today's sermon, we note the importance of consistent church attendance, and tending to one's own spiritual health, for the glory of God and for the greater good of the entire body - the church. 

Jonathan Edwards once wrote that pride was "the main door" (for our purposes, the front door) by which sin enters a man's heart, and the work of God is "clogged" in an individual.  Paul encourages us in Romans 12:3  "not to think of (ourselves) more highly than (we) ought to think" - to be humble.  How do we attain this mindset? By remembering the Gospel, by pointing our thoughts continually to the example of Jesus.

Finishing our series on the attributes of God, we consider the idea that God is sovereign - He has the power and authority to do as He pleases.  As we break down Psalm 135, we consider three ideas - God is sovereign, God is sovereign over our suffering, and God is sovereign over our salvation - And we consider how this knowledge should affect how we handle this idea of "God".  What do we do with a sovereign God?  We worship Him.  God is God, and we are not.

An exposition of Psalm 103: 10-17.   Some say it isn't fair that some go to Hell and only Christians get Heaven.  The truth is, God isn't fair.  God is a God of justice (sin must be punished - fair enough); God is a God of mercy (He withholds punishment for those who trust in His love - not fair); God is a God of grace (He pours out the punishment we deserve onto to Christ on the cross, paying the price for our sins -definitely not fair).   If God were really fair, ALL of us would die in our sins and receive eternal punishment for the things we've done wrong.  The Good News is that God isn't fair, but He is merciful, and demonstrates His love for sinners by offering them the free gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus' blood.  God doesn't give us the punishment we deserve.  God isn't fair, but He is good.  

Continuing our series on the attributes of God, we begin part 1 of a discussion of God's mercy - the undeserved merit that God offers to those who feel the pressures of life, and those who don't deserve mercy.

A look one the foremost attributes of God, His omnipresence.  The idea that God is everywhere might sound frightening, considering He judges the actions and even the thoughts of men - Fact is, though, it's a comfort to know that even though we're sinners, we can be confident that if we are in Christ, He never leaves us, and never forsakes us.  Jesus is Emmanuel - "God With Us" - and models what Jen Wilkin calls "The Ministry of Presence" in our lives.  He's always with us, even in our deepest times of need, even in our loneliness, and even in temptation.

Continuing our series, "Summer Psalms", we begin a look at three attributes of God - His omnipresence (He is everywhere, all the time), His omnipotence (He is all-powerful), and in this episode, His omniscience (He is all-knowing).  It sounds a little terrifying to think that God knows everything we say, think, and do, but the fact is, we should see this as a comfort - He knows us completely, yet loves us fully.  The truest indicator of that great love is the cross, where Jesus shed His blood to pay for our sins, both those we commit in public, and our deepest secret sins.