TITLE: Be careful how you hear

TEXT: Luke 8:4-15

What is a Parable?

A parable is an earthly story illustrating a spiritual reality.

Why Parables?

Both to reveal truth & to conceal truth.

Luke 8:8-10 – …As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”

D.A Carson – “…secrets means the plans of God concerning his kingdom which had long been hidden but were now being made known…other people refused to accept God’s message, and so it was now being presented in a veiled form, so that if they did not make the effort to understand and accept it, they would be none the wiser.”

William MacDonald – “It forms the basis for a very solemn warning as to how we hear the word of God. It is no light thing to hear the Scriptures preached and taught. Those who hear are made more responsible than they ever were before. If they shrug off the message, or consider obedience an optional matter, they do so to their own loss. But if they hear and obey, they put themselves in a position to receive more light from God.”

4 kinds of hearing the Word of God:

1 – HEARING THAT DOESN’T EVEN GET STARTED – V.4-5,11-12

Main elements of the parable

The Sower: The preacher or messenger of God’s Word

The Seed: The Word of God

The Soils: The different responses to God’s Word

Luke 8:1 – “Soon afterward he [Jesus] went through cities and villages and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God.”

2 – HEARING THAT LASTS UNTIL THE TIME OF TESTING – V.6,13

3 – HEARING THAT GROWS UNTIL WORLDLY THINGS CHOKE IT – V.7,14

4 – HEARING THAT BEARS FRUIT WITH PURITY & ENDURANCE – V.8,15

7 ways to properly hear the Word of God (From CH. Spurgeon)

· Hear attentively, retentively.

· Hear believingly, obediently.

· Hear candidly, honestly.

· Hear devoutly, sincerely.

· Hear earnestly, spiritually.

· Hear feelingly, sensitively.

· Hear gratefully, prayerfully.

TITLE: How to have peace in 2020

TEXT: Philippians 4:8-9

John Piper - “Peace is the condition of the heart when anxiety and fear and conflict are not troubling the heart.”

How to have peace in 2020…

1 – A DISCIPLINED MIND – V.8

Philippians 4:6-7 – “...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”

A disciplined mind…

1A. Believes the Truth

1B. Focuses on the Spiritual & Eternal

1C. Embraces what is Right

1D. Enjoys what is Pure

1E. Seeks what is Pleasing to God

1E. Pursues what is commendable

1F. Meditates on all that is excellent

2 – A DISCIPLINED LIFE – V.9

TITLE: Finding Peace

TEXT: Philippians 4:6-9

It is possible to…

1 – OVERCOME ANXIETY – V.6

How to overcome anxiety in my life...

1A. By conscious prayer – V.6a

1B. By thankful prayer – V.6b

F.F Bruce – “…a grateful remembrance of past blessings is a safe-guard against anxiety for the future: It adds confidence to the prayer for continued blessings. Hence the importance of thanksgiving in all true prayer.”

1C. By specific prayer – V.6c

2 – FIND PEACE – V.7-9

Colossians 1:21 – “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death…”

Sinclair Ferguson – “In our modern world many people seek freedom from anxiety by trying to empty their minds; Paul teaches us that true peace can be ours only when our minds are properly filled.”

Top 7 questions to consider before you think:

Is it True?

Is it Honorable?

Is it Just?

Is it Pure?

Is it Lovely?

Is it Commendable?

Is it Excellent or Worthy of Praise?

TITLE: No Compromise

TEXT: Philippians 4:1-5

If we are going to be a church of no compromise WE MUST…

1 – STAND FIRM – V.1

Galatians 5:1 – “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore…”

1 Corinthians 16:13 – “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong…”

2 Thessalonians 2:15 – “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us…”

Ephesians 6:10-13 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

2 – MAKE PEACE – V.2-3

Relational conflict in the church…

2A. Should break our hearts – V.2

2B. Is sometimes best resolved with the help of a third party – V.3

2C. Can creep up on even the most spiritually mature – V.3

3 – REJOICE – V.4-5

TITLE: I want to grow!

TEXT: Philippians 3:17-21

To grow in spiritual maturity I MUST…

1 – WATCH & LEARN – V.17

1 Corinthians 11:1 – “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ”

1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

2 – CAREFULLY DISCERN – V.18-19

Two questions to help us carefully discern whether to imitate OR avoid:

2A. What do they really believe about the cross? – V.18

Sinclair Ferguson – “The cross is the touchstone of both true doctrine and true practice. When we hear new teaching, or when a preacher or teacher is given special prominence, we must always ask: ‘what does he say (or not say) about the cross. Can they say with Paul, ‘But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world? That is the test. Where the cross is denied or ignored, there we may begin to suspect enemies of the cross of Christ, however plausible they may seem at first.”

2B. What are their fruits? – V.19

Matthew 7:16 – “You will recognize them by their fruits.”

Discerning the fruit of false teaching:

Is this teaching promoting selfish gain? - V.19

Is sin justified, excused, ignored or even celebrated? - V.19

Is there a preoccupation with earthly things, like money, prosperity, physical health, success? - V.19

3 – WAIT & YEARN – V.20-21

TITLE: Press On

TEXT: Philippians 3:12-14

Concerning spiritual maturity….

1 – I HAVE NOT FULLY ARRIVED – V.12

Philippians 3: 7-11 – “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

2 – I MUST RUN AFTER IT – V.12b-13

Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”

Ephesians 1:4 – “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

1 Thessalonians 4:4 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”

3 – ONLY HOPE WILL COMPEL ME – V.13b-14

A prayer from A.W Tozer

“God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

TITLE: REJOICE IN THE LORD

TEXT: PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11

Sinclair Ferguson “Our circumstances provide an all-too-fickle foundation for profound and lasting joy. But joy in the Lord is able to co-exist with all kinds of situations. Its source does not lie in our changing circumstances but in our unchanging Saviour and in the joy-giving word he has spoken to us.”

We will HAVE JOY when we…

watch out for FALSE TEACHING

Acts 17:10-11 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and EXAMINED the Scriptures DAILY TO SEE IF THESE THINGS WERE SO.

1 Peter 1:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

put no confidence IN THE FLESH

Frank Thielman [NIV Application Commentary] “This does not mean that Paul thought cof himself as sinless prior to his conversion, …It means instead that his parents had done everything for him that the law required Jews to do and that he had himself diligently observed the law. Paul trusted that one day his HERITAGE and these ACHIEVEMENTS would help him stand acquitted before God. …But when God apprehend him [saved him], Paul saw them for what they were—fleshly and therefore fallible human effort, tainted with sin and therefore UNABLE TO RECEIVE GOD’S APPROVAL.”

treasure Christ ABOVE ALLc

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that WHEN HE APPEARS WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM

Robbie Symons | Philippians 1:27-30

Ted Duncan | Philippians 1:12-26

Chris Shipley | Philippians 1:9-11