“Sacred Passion” Psalm 84:1-12 Bible Study 07/02/17

This morning we turn our attention to Psalm 84 and the psalmist’s intense longing for the presence of God. While we are unsure of the writer’s exact circumstances at the time of the composition of the psalm, we can be sure of the intense use of poetical Hebrew language to express the inestimable and incomparable value of fellowship with the living God.

I. Background/Context

-Gittith
-sons of Korah
-significance of “blessed”

II. Longing for God (1-4)

-intense longing
-not architecture but presence
-satisfaction in the living God
-blessed rest

III. Journeying with God (5-8)

-blessed seeking/pilgrimage
-expectation of Baca
-strength to strength

IV. Delighting in God (9-12)

-a king and a King
-the infinitely better status
-no good thing withheld
-sun and shield
-blessed trust

V. So What?

-View your pilgrimage through this life as an ongoing opportunity to respond to the living God with delighted trust.
-Magnify your pilgrim status.
-Rejoice in the fact that “God does not waste our experiences.”
-Ponder the current level of your passion for the presence of God.
-“The least degree of fellowship with God has delights superior to the greatest measure of earthly joys.” (Maclaren)
-Reflect on 2 Peter 3:8 and Romans 8:32!

“Thanks for a Reason” Psalm 138:1-8 Bible Study 06/25/17

This morning we will examine the first of eight Psalms of David which are found in the latter part of the Psalter. Psalm 138 is an excellent example of praise offered up to God that is supported by accompanying and specific reasons.

I. Resolve and Reflection (1-3)

-action, object, scope and reasons

II. World Brought to Worship (4-6)

-kings thank and sing
-regard for the lowly

III. Completion of Mercies Begun (7-8)

-plans thwarted
-plotters judged
-promise fulfilled

IV. So What?

-Because His mercy endures and His glory is infinite, praise the LORD and proclaim the conquest and completion of His promises.
-“Heal me of my damnable self-sufficiency.” (T. Keller)
-“A line of praises is worth a leaf of praying.” (J. Livingstone)
-“Were our hearts as they ought to be when we read the word, we would tremble at that more than any manifestation of God since the world began in all His works.” (J. Burroughs)

Guest Speaker: Daniel Dickard

“The Lord is my Shepherd” – Psalm 23

I. “The” signifies the exclusivity of the Lord.

II. “Is my shepherd” indicates that the Lord is present with us
and is our personal shepherd. We rest in the person of God.

III. “I shall not want” signifies that God is in control.

IV. “quiet waters” (A sheep cannot drink from rushing water.)

V. “He restores my soul” – rest is not just of the body but of the soul.

VI. “guides in the paths of righteousness” – paths signifies the ways God
requires us to go.

VII. “the shadow of death” reminds us that God is with us even in the inevitability
of death.

VIII. “rod and staff” signifies the Lord’s protection.

IX. “prepares a table” signifies the Lord’s forethought.

X. “dwell in the House of the Lord forever” – the promise of eternal life in the
presence of the Lord for the believer.

Guest Speaker: David Norman

“Remembering Who We Are” – Psalm 78:1-39

I. Every generation has a responsibility to remember and
teach the things God has done (vv. 1-4)

II. Remembering God’s works leads to obedience to God’s Word. (vv. 5-8)

III. Forgetting God’s Works leads to defiance. (vv. 9-37)

IV. Remembering God’s character gives us hope. (vv. 38-39)

“The Blessed Man” Psalm 1 Bible Study 06/04/17

This morning we begin a thirteen week survey of the Psalms. The “worship manual” and “hymnbook of the Hebrews” has been a source of comfort, correction, conviction and challenge for believers of every generation.

I. Overview

-Psalmoi (LXX): poem to be sung to stringed instrument
-Historical Significance
-Dating: latest 2500 years ago/ earliest 3500 years ago
-informing the intellect, arousing the emotions, directing the will, stimulating the imagination
-Interpretive Challenges: chronological, cultural and theological
-Pervasive principle of repetition
-Connection to Christ: Luke 24:44
-Three Assertions: reality, reign and response

II. Designated “Books”

-1-41
-42-72
-73-89
-90-106
-107-150

III. Genre Classification

-Hymns
-Lament
-Thanksgiving Psalms
-Psalms of Confidence
-Psalms of Remembrance
-Wisdom Psalms
-Kingship Psalms

IV. Psalm 1: The Blessed Man

-Because your eternal destiny is at stake, nothing matters more than a right relationship with God.

1. Consider the direction of the righteous man (1-2)
-negative assessment and use of parallelism
-positive assessment-delight in “torah”

2. Consider the description of the righteous man (3-4)
-planted tree
-fruit in season
-does not wither
-contrasted with the wicked: “Not so the wicked.”

3. Consider the destiny of the righteous man (5-6)
-contrasted with the wicked
-“for the LORD knows…”
-contrast: “blessed” and “perish”

V. So What?

-Affirm the enormous value of biblical meditation.
-Recognize the absolute necessity for scriptural saturation.
-Appreciate the profound connection between the Psalms and Christ.
-Consider Psalm 119:9-16 this week.

“What Now?” Matthew 28:16-20 Bible Study 05/28/17

This morning we turn our attention to the concluding verses of Matthew’s gospel. After recording the reality of the resurrection (28:1-15), he closes his inspired writing not with Christ’s ascension but with His commission. The “Great Commission” constitutes Christ’s “marching orders” for the church in every generation.

I. Background/Context (16-17)

-after resurrection
-instruction to meet in Galilee
-commission before ascension (Acts 1:6-11)
-eleven disciples: worship and “hesitation”

II. Authority (18)

-all authority: every conceivable realm
-right to rule and power to exercise rule

III. Assignment (19-20a)

-connection with “therefore”
-one command: make disciples of all nations (ethne)
-disciple: learner, pupil, apprentice
-three amplifying participles: going, baptizing, teaching
-going: active, initiative, offensive
-baptizing: name, Trinitarian formula, identification
-teaching: instruction, comprehensive-all that I have commanded you

IV. Assurance (20b)

-Look!
-I AM (John 8:58)
-with you always to the “completion of the age”

V. So What?

-Armed with the authority and presence of Jesus, invest in the task of making disciples of all nations.
-“Jesus came to seek and save the lost and on the same mission He has sent His church.”
-“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.” (Stott)
-“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” (Hudson Taylor)

Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry McCarty

“Paul’s Mentoring of Philemon” – Philemon

Colossians 4:7-9 — Tychicus carries Paul’s letter to the Colossians
to Colossae and also brings along with him Onesimus, who carries the
letter to Philemon.

“A Case of Contrast” Matthew 26:57-75 Bible Study 05/14/17

This morning we will focus on a text that presents us with the dramatic contrast between a loyal response to the Lord and a disloyal response to the Lord. Our loyal Lord Jesus is resolute under pressure and is vindicated ultimately. Peter, in his disloyalty, fails miserably but goes on to become the beneficiary of the loyal Lord’s restorative mercy. This case of contrast communicates the majestic consistency of Jesus, reminds us of the reality of human frailty and holds out hope for faltering followers.

I. Silence and Abuse (57-68)

-before Caiaphas
-Peter follows at a distance
-“kangaroo” court proceedings
-silence of Jesus (Isa. 53:7)
-“You have said so.”
-Son of Man designation (Dan. 7:13-14)
-torn robes and charge of blasphemy
-verdict and abuse

II. Denial and Remorse (69-75)

-evasive response
-emphatic response
-more emphatic response (anathema)
-rooster crows (Luke 22:31-34)
-remembrance and grief

III. So What?

-Because of the complete loyalty of the Son to the Father, there is hope for faltering followers.
-Remember the “rest of the story.” (John 21: 15-19)
-Affirm that, because God is faithful and forgiving, failure does not have to be final.
-Bless the Lord regularly for His “benefits.” (Psalm 103:1-5)

“A Place Called Gethsemane” Matthew 26:36-46 Bible Study 05/07/17

Following the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the prediction of Peter’s denial, Matthew offers a Spirit-inspired account of our Lord praying in the garden of Gethsemane. These verses record the last period of time in the earthly ministry of Jesus leading up to His betrayal, arrest and crucifixion. Spurgeon, referring to this text, noted that “we come to the holy of holies of our Lord’s life on earth.” Carson observes: “As His death was unique, so also was His anguish; your best response to it is hushed worship.” Facing ultimate rejection and an agonizing death, Jesus utterly resigns Himself to the will of His Father.

I. Prayer of Submission

-instructions to disciples
-emotions of Jesus: grieved and distressed (Psa. 42:6, 11; 43:5)
-three-fold prayer and progression: not “impositional” praying
-sonship, cup and will
-significance of “cup” (Psa. 11:6, Isa. 51:17)

II. Prostration of Person

-fell on His face
-only in Matthew (Luke 22:39-46: sweat drops, attended by angel)
-prostrate in prayer in the “oil press” (Gethsemane)
-Isa. 53:3 and 2 Cor. 5:20-21

III. Picture of Disciples

-exemplified in the “inner circle”
-drowsy disciples as the “hour” is at hand
-failure to keep on watching and praying
-human frailty: willing spirit, weak flesh

IV. So What?

-The submission of Jesus in drinking the cup of God’s wrath means that sinners can be delivered from having to drink it.
– Meditate on “Man of Sorrows, What A Name” (Bliss) and “ I Stand Amazed in the Presence” (Gabriel)
-Affirm the full humanity and deity of Jesus. He suffered for us. He sympathizes with us.
-Spend some time this week in prayerful awe and hushed worship.
-“One shrinks from touching this incomparable picture of unexampled sorrow, for fear lest one’s finger-marks should stain it.” (Maclaren)

“Sovereignty, Supper and Mercy” Matthew 26:17-35 Bible Study 04/30/17

In our text this morning we find Jesus and His disciples gathered together in an upper room on the Thursday evening before His crucifixion on Friday. In the context of the Passover meal, Jesus institutes what we refer to as the Lord’s Supper. Interestingly, the account of this memorial within a meal is bracketed by two shattering predictions: the betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter. In his Spirit-inspired narrative account, Matthew emphasizes our Lord’s sovereignty and mercy. As desperately as the disciples needed a Master who manifested these attributes, so also we need Him today.

I. Context (26:1-16)

-prediction of death
-plot to kill
-anointing at Bethany

II. Preparation for Passover (17-19)

-question of disciples
-instruction of Jesus

III. Prediction of Betrayal (20-25)

-reclined at table and eating
-pronouncement of impending betrayal
-“sick at heart” disciples
-“Surely, not me!”
-perpetrator present at the meal
-identification of Judas

IV. Portrait of the Lord’s Supper (26-30)

-as they were eating
-blessing, breaking and distribution of bread
-Take, eat; this is my body
-cup, thanks and command to drink
-blood of the covenant (Ex. 24:8)
– a hymn and a declaration

V. Prediction of Denial (31-35)

-predicting behavior of disciples (Zech. 13:7)
-predicting His own resurrection
-predicting Peter’s denial

VI. So What?

-Because Jesus is both sovereign and merciful, remember His passion and rely on His provision.
-“What is certain is that Jesus bids us commemorate, not his birth, nor his life, nor his miracles, but his death.” (D. A. Carson)
-Remember that there will never be a time that Jesus is not in control.
-Magnify the miracle of mercy.
-“What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend, for this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? Oh, make me Thine forever! And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for Thee.” (Bernard of Clairvaux/Paul Gerhardt)