January 12, 2020

Scripture: Psalm 29

I. You worship God because He is King.

A. Psalm 29:1 reads, “Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.” Who are these heavenly beings? We find an answer in Exodus 15:11 where the same Hebrew word that is translated with the words heavenly beings in Psalm 29 is translated differently: “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” The heavenly beings of Psalm 29 are gods. They are idols.

B. What does it mean that God has glory? The Hebrew word for glory literally means weight. The glory of God is the weight of all that God is: the fullness of His wisdom, His goodness and His happiness. God is truly heavy. By contrast, the false gods of the nations around Israel were empty. They were weightless. They were a nothing. It is as if David is saying, “You gods are nothing in comparison with the LORD. He is the glorious one. He alone is worthy of our worship. We should only give glory to Him.”

II. You worship God because He is Judge.

A. In Psalm 28:1 David prayed to God, “To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me.”  King David was in trouble. We read David pray in Ps. 28:3, “Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil.” David was surrounded by wicked people when he wrote Psalm 28. Perhaps Psalm 29:3-9 is a description of how God answered David’s prayer in Psalm 28. These verses describe a powerful thunderstorm with great, ear-splitting cracks of lightning and a powerful wind.

B. This storm came in response to David’s prayer for help in dealing with some wicked people. God came in all of His power as righteous judge to defeat the wicked and to protect David. David calls this incredibly awesome thunderstorm the voice of the LORD. In fact, six times in verses 3 through 9 David writes about this voice of the LORD. The voice of the LORD does not speak when God comes to judge the wicked. It thunders! Our God is not a nothing. He is not to be trifled with by the wicked. He is heavy, and He will thunder against all that is evil.

III. You worship God because He is Savior.

A. When we are in danger from wicked people, we worship God as Judge. But in the last verse of Psalm 29 David speaks to our need for a judge who will also be our Savior. He writes, “May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!” We also need peace with God when we sin. We need God’s mercy and grace. What is available to us as people with faith in Christ – even though we have sinned? Peace. We can have peace with God if we trust that Christ died on the cross for our sins. Jesus’ disciple Peter once had an awe-inspiring experience with Jesus that knocked him to his knees in worship. Luke 5:8: “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’” When we see God as He is – when we see His power and His holiness – the proper response is to get on our knees and worship. We worship Him for saving us.

Application:

Sources:

January 5, 2020

Psalm 28

Pastor Travis Armstrong

“The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.” (1 Samuel 13:14)

We Call Out to God Because He is our Rock

“To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me . . . Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.” (v1-2)

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

(2 Samuel 22:2,4)

Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy

We Trust in God Because He is our Strength and our Shield

“Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped.” (v6-7a)

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts”.  (1 Samuel 17:45)

“My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.”

(2 Samuel 22:3,7)

He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy

We are Blessed by God Because He is our Shepherd

“my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.” (v7b-9)

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23)

He has answered the voice of my pleas for mercy

December 29, 2019

Scripture: John 1:1-5, 14

 I. Jesus

A. In the first verse of his Gospel, John echoes the first

B. We learn two other things about the Word in verse

II. Jesus is human.

A. As important as it is to believe that Jesus is God, it is

B. Jesus dwelt among us (vs. 14). Literally, Jesus tabernacled among

III. Jesus

A.

Conclusion:

Sources:

December 22, 2019

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9

I. Jesus is better because He brings God’s truth to the

A. While the idols are a delusion (Isa. 41:29), a lie, the

2. But how do we know the servant is Jesus? Compare the

II. Jesus is better because He is the promise of a

A. God had called Israel my servant in Isaiah 41:8. But

B. God calls Jesus a covenant in verse 6. What is a

III. Jesus is better because He brings God’s glorious future.

A. The glory of God is seen in verse 8: “I am the LORD, that

Application:

Sources:

December 15, 2019

Scripture: Micah 5:1-6

I. God is up to sending Jesus to rule on your behalf.

A. Israel at this time had indeed gone down to nothing. The events of Micah 5 take place in 701 BC. Twenty years earlier, the northern tribes of Israel were defeated and destroyed by the Assyrians. And now King Hezekiah was watching Assyria take one by one the different cities of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. Now, the only city left that has not been taken by the Assyrians is Jerusalem. And what is happening to Jerusalem according to Micah 5:1? We read there “siege is laid against us.” The city was under siege.

B. But God was up to something (verse 2). He was up to sending a king to rule over and save Israel. Yes, this king would come from the small town of Bethlehem, a nothing town five miles outside of Jerusalem. But do you know who else came from Bethlehem? Only Israel’s greatest king ever: King David! David had led Israel to its greatest heights as a nation. And now Micah is prophesying that the great David is going to have an even greater son: a Messiah, an anointed one, who would rule over Israel. This Messiah Jesus would take away Israel’s humiliation.

II. God is up to sending Jesus to restore what you have lost.

A. Think about all that Israel had lost. Israel was no longer a united nation. And 20 years before Micah’s prophecy, all of these people from the northern tribes of Israel had been defeated by the Assyrians. Many of these Israelites had been taken away into exile. What a great loss! Israel had also lost kings like David who were good shepherds (verse 4). But when Jesus came as king, the people of Israel would once again have a good shepherd who loved and protected the sheep. And when Jesus came all of Israel’s brothers would return (vs. 3) to be ruled by their Messiah.

B. In John 10:10 Jesus talks about the difference between him and Satan: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Satan is great at taking things from you that you really love. Jesus came to restore what you have lost. This is the story of the Bible. The story of the Bible can be summed up in four words. Creation. Fall. Redemption. Restoration. One great day Jesus is going to come again and restore to us all that we have lost. In fact, Jesus is going to make the new creation even better than the original.

III. God is up to sending Jesus to save you.

A. In verses 5 and 6 we see that the defeat of the Assyrians is promised through two different agents: Israel’s generals and king Jesus. These verses begin with a national war song that Israel knew well. But then Micah says in the middle of verse 6, “And he shall deliver us from the Assyrian.” He shall save us. And who is that He? The Messiah that Micah had prophesied. Jesus. Micah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 2:4-6: “(Herod) inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”” Jesus did not just come though to defeat the Assyrians. He came to defeat and save you from every enemy. No matter when in your life that you are down to nothing, God is up to something in Jesus.

Application:

Sources:

December 8, 2019

Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-17

I. God is always sovereign over all nations and all people.

A. Isaiah 7:2: “When the house of David was told, ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’ the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” Syria and Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel) had formed an alliance. They were afraid of the rising superpower in their region, the Assyrians. So, the nations of Syria and Ephraim had tried to put pressure on King Ahaz to join their alliance, and they fought against Ahaz (vs, 1) when he refused to join.

B. God knows that we want some kind of proof that He can do what He says. So God says to Ahaz in vs. 11, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” God is ready to move heaven and earth to prove to Ahaz that He will keep His promise to protect Judah (vs. 7). God has all nations and people under His control (vs. 18).

II. God always blesses those who trust in Him.

A. There is one thing that God wants from His children more than anything else: trust. God was asking, “Ahaz, do you really trust my promise to keep you safe?” Sadly, we will see that the answer is no. It sounds like in vs. 12 that Ahaz is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” But when the Israelites were at Massah, they rebelled against God and doubted Him. Clearly, we should never demand proof from God that comes out of rebellion and doubt. But a testing of God that comes out of faith in His love and His goodness and His power, is a kind of testing that God invites.

B. The real reason Ahaz did not ask God for a sign was because his mind was already made up. He trusted in an alliance with Assyria more than he trusted in God. Where is Jesus in this story? Jesus is in verse 14. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see that this verse is fulfilled in Jesus. Matthew 1:21-23: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” All of the promises of God for His people would come to ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus is a sign to us that God is still with us and for us.

III. God always saves those who trust in Him.

A. King Ahaz was worried that he and his kingdom would not be saved in his moment of crisis. But God had promised Ahaz in vs. 7 that Syria and Ephraim would not be able to defeat Judah. So, through Isaiah, God told Ahaz what to do at the end of Isaiah 7:9: “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” What did God want from Ahaz? Trust. Faith. He wants the same thing from us. If you have faith in Christ, He will save you. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is faith that saves. If you have faith that Christ died on the cross for your sins, you will be saved from the judgment of God. And if you have faith in Christ, you will also be saved during all your crises here in this world.

Application:

Sources:

December 1, 2019

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7

I. Jesus gives you hope as a Wonderful Counselor.

A. The people of Israel are experiencing gloom (vs. 1) and darkness (vs. 2). Isaiah had prophesied in chapter 8 that the Assyrians were going to invade Israel and take away Israel’s wealth and people. It was a dark time in the nation’s history. But then God gave Isaiah a message of light (vs. 2). The child Jesus was to be given (vs. 6). One of the things about Jesus that gives us hope are His names. The first name listed for Jesus is Wonderful Counselor. Jesus would be supernatural in wisdom. Some of Jesus’ wisdom is found in Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

II. Jesus gives you hope as the Mighty God.

A. Mighty God is the second name for Jesus listed in Isaiah 9:6. This name gave Israel hope because of the nature of the enemy they were going to face. Assyria was the great, rising superpower in Isaiah’s day. The tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun are in the far north of Israel. These would be the first of the tribes of Israel to experience the darkness of God’s judgment. But they would also be the first of the tribes of Israel to experience the light of God’s salvation. Jesus grew up in Nazareth in the tribal land of Zebulon near the Sea of Galilee (vs. 1). He did many miracles in this area to reveal that Jesus was not just human. He was also the mighty God. He would be just as mighty as when God defeated 120,000 soldiers from Midian (vs. 4) in the days of Gideon with just 300 men.

III. Jesus gives you hope as the Everlasting Father.

A. Another aspect of Jesus’ character is found in his name Everlasting Father (vs. 6). The word everlasting is another way of saying that Jesus is God. Just like Jesus is called God in the title Mighty God so He is referred to as God with the word everlasting. Only God is eternal. Many kings in Isaiah’s day would refer to themselves as the father of their people and their nation. God was promising in verse 6 that He would give us an everlasting Father – Jesus – one good king, the best possible king, to rule us forever. And as a father, Jesus is a father to us in that He is concerned for us like a father, He cares for us like a father, and He disciplines us like a father.

IV. Jesus gives you hope as the Prince of Peace.

A. This is the last of the titles given to Jesus in vs. 6: Prince of Peace. Usually, when we think about peace we think about the absence of war, which is certainly true in this case. We see what Jesus will do as the Prince of Peace in verse 5. “Every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.” Jesus will burn up every weapon and every piece of clothing used in warfare. This peace is also the fullness of what is described in the Hebrew word shalom. The word shalom in Hebrew means to be whole or complete. God is passionately committed (zealous in the word of vs. 7) to bringing in the Kingdom of God, this Kingdom of Peace. And if God is passionately committed to something, can anyone stop Him? No.

Application:

Sources:

Commentaries on Isaiah by J. Alec Motyer and John Oswalt. “Prepare Him Room” by Marty Machowski.

November 24, 2019

Scripture: Exodus 36:1-7

I. You become generous when the Holy Spirit enters your life.

A. In Exodus 36:1 we see two of the primary craftsmen that God used to build the beautiful tabernacle: Bezalel and Oholiab. Verse 1 says that God had put in them skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary. And specifically, which of the three persons in our triune God gave these craftsmen their skill? Exodus 35:31 says that the Lord had filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God. It was the Holy Spirit who had given to both Bezalel and Oholiab the creative skill needed. The Holy Spirit is always creating something new.

B. The Holy Spirit made all the Israelites generous. Exodus 36:3: “And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning.” When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, the church became generous. Acts 2:44-45: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

C. The story of the Bible is a story of God wanting to live among His people. In Exodus 36 God lived in the middle of His people in a tent while they lived in tents in the wilderness. Later He sent Jesus to live among His people. John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus tabernacled among His people just like God tabernacled among His people in the days of Exodus. Then God sent the Holy Spirit to live among us. 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” God lives in you. We should respond to God’s generous gifts to us with generosity of our own.

II. You become generous when God stirs up your heart.

A. Because God had set the people free from slavery in Egypt and forgiven their sins, their hearts had been stirred to give to worship this God who loved them. In Exodus 36:2 we read that God had called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. This focus on the heart is also seen in Exodus 25:2 when God says to Moses: “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.”

B. In the New Testament Jesus always talks about money. Jesus told 40 parables – stories with a spiritual truth at the end of them. How many of those parables had something to do with money? 11 out of 40 parables had to do with money. And the reason Jesus spoke about money so much is found in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What did Jesus mean by this statement? Your heart always goes where you put the money God gives you. Where is your heart? What would Jesus say about your heart for Him and His Kingdom based on what you give to your church?

Application:

Sources:

November 17, 2019

Exodus 35:30-36:2

We are Called by Name

“See the LORD has called by name Bezalel . . .” (v30)

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)

__________________________ , I have chosen you.

*see John 15:19

We are Filled with the Spirit

“. . . and he has filled him with the Spirit of God . . .” (v31)

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God with your body.”

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Being filled with the Spirit is a choice.

* see Ephesians 5:18

We are Gifted with Skills

“ . . . with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge and will all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver  and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for every work in every skilled craft.” (v31-33)

“As each has received a gift use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. . . in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. . .” (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Your gifts and abilities are chosen by God to build up the church. *See 1 Corinthians 12:18

We are Inspired to Teach

And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.”.” (v34)

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all.   (1 Thessalonians 5:11-14)

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another . . .” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Faithful service done out of a thankful heart is contagious.

“And I have given all men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.” (Exodus 31:6)

November 10, 2019

Scripture: Jonah 4:5-11

I. God sends difficulty to make you more compassionate.

A. In the first four verses of Jonah 4 we saw last week that Jonah was angry with God. What exactly is Jonah hoping in verse 5? He is hoping that God will change His mind about forgiving Nineveh. He is hoping that God will destroy these wicked people. So, Jonah builds himself a booth while he waits to see what God will do. But while Jonah waits and watches, God also does something. God makes Jonah joyful by providing a plant that brings him shade, and then God quickly takes that plant away (vs. 6-7).

B. Clearly, God had sent a lot of difficulty Jonah’s way in this book. God sent a violent storm, a large fish and then a plant that grew and quickly died. But was God just being mean to send all this pain to Jonah? No. God was working on Jonah to change him. He was mainly trying to free Jonah from his idols of self-righteousness and his excessive love for his country. If Jonah were to develop a compassion for the people of Nineveh, he would need to have all of that pride and self-righteousness removed from his heart. And that would mean very painful surgery for Jonah.

II. God sends the destruction of your idols to make you more compassionate.

A. It was the idol of a love for country above all else that God was trying to destroy in Jonah by destroying the gourd plant. The plant revealed that God has the power to give life, and God has the power to take life away. God quickly gave Jonah this plant that provided shade. And God quickly caused this plant to wither and die. This plant then was a parable. God had given Israel life. He had brought the nation that Jonah loved into existence. But this nation had wandered far from God into idolatry. So now God was going to judge Israel and take its life away.

B. Jonah is really angry with God (vs. 9). He is confused by God. He thinks that God is totally inconsistent in His actions. One minute God is merciful to people, and the next minute God destroys people. Just like one minute God gave life to a plant and the next minute God destroyed that plant. But it is actually Jonah who is inconsistent. What does Jonah have compassion for? A plant. But who does he not have compassion for? The 120,000 people of Nineveh. God has compassion for all He has made. But God’s greatest compassion is for people.

III. God sends Himself to make you more compassionate.

A. In his conversation with Jonah, God was saying to Him, “I am weeping and grieving over this city of Nineveh with 120,000 people. Why aren’t you? If you are my prophet, why don’t you have my compassion?” But while Jonah did not weep over the city, Jesus, the true prophet did. I want you to notice the difference between Jonah and Jesus. Jonah did not weep for Nineveh. But Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Luke 19:41-42: “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’” Jesus’ heart is broken for Jerusalem. He knows that the city has rejected Him as their true Messiah. And he knows that as a result judgment from God is coming for Jerusalem. Jesus has compassion. He now lives in you to give you compassion for the people around you.

Application:

Sources: