Below you’ll find links both to the sermon audio and manuscript I wrote for this sermon. I pray they will encourage you in your walk with Christ and spur you on to godliness.
Month: October 2021
Piles of Anxiety
EXHORTATION
Deuteronomy 5:12–14 (ESV): 12 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
What would it be like for you to completely cease all of your work for 24 hours? No spreadsheets or Zoom meetings. No mopping or laundry. A full stop. A dead halt.
Of course, there would be volumes of work piling up for you at the end of that day, but right next to the work… for many of us… we’d also feel volumes of anxiety piling up right alongside the work. In fact, we may even fear the piles of anxiety more than the work.
In other words, work is how we fight off the anxiety of our hearts. It’s the sandbag levee holding back the fear that we aren’t significant or valuable. And, anxiety is simply another word for unrest. An anxious heart is a heart that isn’t resting… which is the very thing God commands us to do in the Sabbath. This shows us that the command to cease working goes far deeper than our actions.
You see, God’s commands don’t just challenge our external behaviors, they challenge our idols, which is to say, they challenge all of the unseen rival and rebellious loves operating in our hearts. When God commands us to cease from our work for one day a week, he isn’t just shaking up our behavior, he’s shaking up our heart. He’s revealing how our hearts have found rest in what we accomplish more than we find our rest in him alone. He’s showing us that our inability to stop working has less to do with our love for others and more to do with our love of self.
By revealing our restless heart, he’s saving us not simply from physical exhaustion due to overwork, he’s also saving us from the eternal exhaustion of making our productivity the center of our worth and value.
Isaiah 43:1 (ESV): But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
You are not what you do. You are God’s if you belong to Christ. This is your identity. This is your worth. So, with this encouragement, let’s confess our sins to God.
CONFESSION
Our Gracious God and Father,
You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. We confess that we often look to our own work, our productivity, and the execution of our plans as the supreme evidence of our worth. We even bristle at your commands to rest from our work, and this too shows that we still consider ourselves the boss of our lives. It reveals that we don’t trust you to provide everything we need.
Father, we want you to bless the work we do. We want our work to be a blessing to others, and so we know that our work must be done in faith and obedience. Forgive us for where we fail in that obedience, and cause us to trust that your commands for us are good.
We know that if we say “Amen” to this pray and yet regard sin in our heart this prayer will be ineffectual, so we confess our individual sins to you now in silence. Hear our prayers.
In Jesus name we pray, AMEN!
ASSURANCE OF PARDON – John 3:16-17
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Your Holiness is a Fire
CALL TO WORSHIP – Isaiah 25:1, 3-4
1 O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Almighty Father,
WE have gathered today because you have called us to do so, and we are able to gather because we are in Christ Jesus, your Son. We do not come on our own merits and accomplishments. We come because Christ has died in our place and was raise for our justification.
Our desire is to bring you glory and to enjoy your presence. We praise you that you are the most-high God, and there is none like you. The gods of the nations are not gods, but are idols made in our own image. You alone are God.
We know that in singing your praises we cannot add any glory to you. Your glory is essential to you just as light is to the Sun, and because you are infinite, you are infinite glory.
So, we gather and sing and pray and preach not to make you more glorious, but to explain and proclaim your glory among the nations. We join the global testimony of the communion of the saints who are lifting up your name in the world and magnifying your name to our neighbors.
You are eternal and unchanging, all-knowing and all-powerful. You are good, loving, merciful, holy, righteous, jealous, and you hate all sin.
Your holiness is a fire which none can approach. Your truth is a lamp lighting our paths. Your majesty is a lion and your protection of us is a strong tower. You are the faithful bridegroom of your people; the Father to the children you’ve adopted. You are the judge and the king over all the earth, and you are a man of war who defends his people. You are the great physician who heals our diseases, and you shepherd your flock.
Father, these are only a part of your ways, and we have only heard a little portion of who you are.
We pray that in our songs and prayers, our confessions and our preaching we would see and understand more and more of all that you are.
So, we worship you Father, through Christ the Son, in the power of the Spirit. One God. Forever and Ever. Amen.
The Everlasting God
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Father Almighty,
Your name is holy, and you alone are Most High over all the earth. The heavens declare your glory, O God, and the sky above proclaims your handiwork. We praise you for your eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. And, therefore, we draw near to you, believing that you exist and that you reward those who diligently seek you.
Father, we praise your greatness. You are the everlasting God. All of the heavens cannot contain you, much less this small building that we have built. You are beyond time and space, and our minds cannot begin to fathom your depths.
Father, we marvel that one so great would call us into your presence. We marvel at your mercy and your compassion on us. We marvel that you know our names. You know the hairs on our head. You have numbered our days.
Father, while all of our life ought to be lived for your name and your renown, we pray that this hour would be set apart wholly to you. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing and acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.
And so we worship you Father, through Jesus Christ the Son, who rules and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. One God, world without end. And amen.
Innumerable Company
CALL TO WORSHIP – Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
PRAYER OF ADORATION
O God, you are our God, and early we seek you. You are the God of our fathers and we will exalt you.
The gods of the nations cannot compare with you, and no one among men can be likened to you. You are slow to anger and rich in love, punishing the guilty, yet showing mercy to sinners.
The earth is yours and everything in it. In your hand are the deep places of the earth, and the strength of the mountains belongs to you.
All of the nations are like a drop in a bucket to you, and the kings of the earth are like grains of sand. Your dominion is everlasting. Your throne is from generation to generation.
The angelic hosts surround your throne. Ten thousand times ten thousand stand before you and obey your voice. And we have come, through your mercy, into a spiritual communion with that innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect.
Some today trust in princes and governors, kings, and senators. But we, with the Psalmist, declare, “Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is no one on earth that we desire but you. When our flesh and our heart fail you are the strength of our heart and our portion forever.
So, Holy Father, be magnified today in the hearts of your people. Jesus Christ receive our praise for you died for us. Indwelling Spirit, enable us to hear and receive the Word that is proclaimed.
All glory to you, Blessed Trinity, One God. Forever and ever, and Amen.
We are Not Cut Off
CALL TO WORSHIP – Micah 6:6-8
6“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Our Father,
To you, and you alone we lift up our hearts this morning. You are God in heaven, and we are here on earth.
Father, we praise you that you never change. There is no variance, or shadow of turning. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Though our lives change constantly, and though we often feel like we’re standing on shifting sand—we praise you that underneath all things is the sovereign power of your decrees.
You are our rock, our fortress, the strong tower of our deliverance. We run to you and we are safe. We take refuge in you, and in the promises of your Word. Our lives are just a mist that quickly vanishes, but you never grow old.
You will supply all our needs according to your riches in Christ Jesus. Because of your steadfast love we are not cut off. Your mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning for us.
So, Father, we welcome this Lord’s Day, and we worship you, through Jesus Christ the Son who lives and reigns with you and the Spirit. One God. World without end.
In Jesus name we pray….AMEN
Architect of the Church
CALL TO WORSHIP – Psalm 96:1-3
Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Father,
You are the great architect of the church. You have taken sinners of every stripe, washed them in Christ, and fit them together into a temple, as family, a kingdom.
We praise the wonders of your grace to us; grace that transforms self-centered people into spiritual servants. Who pray for their enemies and proclaim peace to those who curse them.
How beautiful a work you are doing before our eyes every week. Calling sinners to yourself, making us holy just as you are holy. Making us humble, just as Christ is humble. By your Word, you cure our spiritual blindness and cause us to walk in the light of your truth.
So now, in songs and prayers, in preaching and even in silent reflection—we proclaim the excellencies of you Almighty Father, through Jesus Christ the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God in Three Persons. Forever and Ever.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Sermon Manuscript: “What is a Human Being?” Genesis 1-2
Below you’ll find links both to the sermon audio and manuscript I wrote for this sermon. I pray they will encourage you in your walk with Christ and spur you on to godliness.
3 Quotes from Nature’s Case for God by John Frame
Frame’s short book is a wonderful introduction to what theologians have called general revelation; the idea that nature without (the heavens) and nature within (human conscience) are powerful arguments for a Creator.
Polytheism doesn’t get the job done, since it doesn’t answer the question, “Who is able to turn these many stories into one story?” p. 33
An acorn is programmed to become an oak under certain conditions. The world has a goal; it is teleological. p. 45
Tennyson called “nature, red in tooth and claw.’ But those who are reconciled to God through Christ can see nature again with the vision of Psalm 104 and Romans 8– the outpouring of God’s wonderful gifts, groaning with us for the fulfillment of redemption. p. 47
Pastoral Prayer: Armfuls of Gratitude
Father Almighty,
You have said that the one who offers thanksgiving as a sacrifice glorifies you, and because we long for your name to be exalted we bring you armfuls of gratitude.
Thank you for your kindness and common grace to all men. You make the sun rise and the rains fall on the just and unjust alike. You have bestowed gifts of intelligence, wisdom, character, and truth on all of your creatures. You’ve promised us that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. Father, thank you for the stability and firmness of your creation.
We bless you that Jesus Christ your Son came to seek and to save the lost and to deliver us from our selfishness, indolence, pride, and sloth. Thank you that in him we see the perfect picture of who we are called to be. Thank you that, in Christ, reconciling the world to yourself, and not counting our trespasses against us.
And we thank you for calling us and making us ministers of this message of reconciliation. Thank you for taking our bruised and broken lives and remaking them as trophies of your grace. Thank you that our obedience to your laws can become living testimonies to your truth.
Father, as we have sat at your table, we have reason to say with the Psalmist that a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Knowing that you possess all power and knowing that you delight to give good gifts to your children, we come to ask boldly.
Father, give your church grace to persevere through this life. Keep us from stumbling into sin and hold back our hearts from presumptuous evil. Help us to never take advantage of your mercy, but to hate sin and shun evil. Make us people of personal integrity, even and especially when that integrity comes at personal cost.
Father, we pray for all those who love the Lord Jesus that they would be one. Bring unity to the body of Christ in American and Brazil and New Zealand and Russia. We ask for the spread of the gospel to increase towards the ends of the earth. And we ask for spiritual awakening here in our own nation. Give your preachers to power and divine authority to proclaim Christ. Teach your church obedience and reverence for you above all others. Give us boldness to stand up for the truth and to stand against lies. Father, we ask that you’d shake when needs to be shaken in our nation so that the things which cannot be shaken will remain.
We look forward to the day when the wolf will lie down with the lamb. When the weapons of warfare will be beaten into tools for farming. When Christ shall reign on the earth and every eye will see him.
Until that day, we ask that you lead us by your Word in the power of the Spirit, in Christ’s name, and for his sake. Amen.