Passage: Isaiah 59

The prophet points to the Sovereign Conqueror, saying to the nation …

“You are your own worst enemy. It’s not that the power of God is too weak to rescue you. But rather that you have separated yourself from Him. You have acted wickedly and that has produced more folly and even greater danger. If you acknowledge your sin and turn from it, then the LORD will do the rescuing you need. He alone is mighty to save!”

A succinct summary of the text …

Consider the three key components to God’s deliverance:

1. The Obstacle to Deliverance [59:1-8]

“They have made their roads crooked” – 59:8

2. The Opening for Deliverance [59:9-15a]

“We know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the LORD” – 59:12-13

3. The Overwhelming Deliverance [59:15b-21]

“His own arm brought him salvation” – 59:16

What might Isaiah say to us today?

“Stop blaming God for your tough circumstances long enough to consider if your sin may be part of the problem. Are your ears closed and eyes shut? Does truth have an entrance into your heart and mind? The remedy isn’t you working harder to be holy by self-strength. But rather you seeing your sin the way God sees it and the Savior who did it all.”

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” – Colossians 4:5-6

Having surveyed a Biblical Theology of ‘the city’ (Part 1), we are now able to begin to answer some of the tougher questions of a Christian’s role in society. What does it look like to be a good citizen? What is a fair expectation to have of those who govern? How ought Christians to live in order to make Christ known and use Godly influence for the good of a community?

“Significant influence does not mean angry, belligerent, intolerant, judgmental, red-faced, and hate-filled, but rather winsome, kind, thoughtful, loving, persuasive influence that is suitable to each circumstance and that always protects the other person’s right to disagree, but that is also uncompromising about the truthfulness and moral goodness of the teachings of God’s Word.” [Politics According to the Bible: Wayne Grudem]

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” – Proverbs 14:34

This subject almost needs no introduction, no setup, and no answer to the question: “Why are we talking about this?” With less than sixty days to the presidential election, we are bombarded with two campaigns viciously attacking one another and only further exposing the division in our country. Those of us who cherish the Word of God feel both angry over the state of our country and often confused over a Biblical response. If God has called His people to be “salt and light”, then the Church must wrestle to think Biblically, act courageously, and love winsomely.

Let’s figure out how to do that together!

“The simple fact is that if Christians do not speak publicly about what the Bible teaches regarding issues of right and wrong, there aren’t many other good sources for finding any transcendent source of ethics, any source outside of ourselves and our own subjective feelings and consciences. This is a matter of utmost importance for any nation: If Christians are silent about such moral and ethical issues, then where will moral standards come from?” [Politics According to the Bible: Wayne Grudem]

Passage: Exodus 3 & 4

I’ve got good news and bad news.

First, the bad news: it’s not about you. Your life is not your own. You were created not only by God, but for God. Your days, your resources, your gifts and abilities – they’re all spoken for. He’s up to something in this world…and He’s sending you.

Now for the good news: it’s not about you. You’re not limited by your weaknesses nor hindered by your lack. You’re not rendered useless by your pain nor set aside because of your failures.

It’s not about who you are or aren’t. It’s not about what you can or cannot do. It’s all about who He is and about what He can do. You’ve got the presence of Almighty God with you. He will take whatever you have – all of it – and He will use it to put the reality of who He is on display...through you.

The Context: His preeminence (3:1-6)

The Calling: His purposes (3:7-10)

The Confidence: His presence (3:11-4:20)

Many people, including Christians, take a disinterest when the topic of theology rises, thinking to themselves, that stuff is dry and boring. However, in actuality, we are all theologians. We all have a view of God and whenever we study the Bible and diligently try to understand it we are, in fact, wrestling in theology. At LCC we have a very high view of God and the Scripture He has given us. We strive for our theology to be a direct reflection of God's Word.

Unfortunately, there are times when personal theology replaces the Scriptures authority; we reinterpret a Biblical passage rather than accept the truth, as given. Some become more comfortable with their theology than with the Bible, interfering with God's revelation instead of reflecting it to a needy world. One place where this conflict arises is among Church people with the Gospel Call to Salvation, our topic for this morning.

The Gospel Call as seen in Scripture

The Universal Call to Believe - John 3:1-21

The Warrant of Faith - I John 3:23, 24

The Tension of Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility - Romans 10:20-21

The Overwhelming Love of God - I John 4:7-21

Afterglow: “None of us loves men as Christ loves them; and if the love of all the tenderhearted in the world could run together, they would make but a drop compared to the ocean of compassion of Jesus.” -Charles H. Spurgeon

Passage: Philippians 1:3-11

Your past: v3-5

Your present: v6-8

Your future: v9-11

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”