Psalm 31 - God is a Rock and a Refuge (Part 2)

Ten minutes of sinful pleasure, or just once giving in to our angry impulses or our covetous desires, can cost us years of sighing and a lifetime spent with sorrow. Our heart is deceitful. Our flesh is destructive. We are our own worst enemies. And David knows this first-hand.The beauty of the Bible is that it doesn't hide the flaws of its major characters. It paints their portraits warts and all. And David's sin causes him much sorrow and misery and heartache. Ours will do the same. It is the nature of the beast.

The second part of Psalm 31 is about sin and repentance and grace. In other words, it hits us right where we live. David is in despair over the temporal consequences of his sin. He cries out to God for mercy. What happens? And is God still a rock and a refuge to us even when we bring our troubles upon ourself?

This is the second of my two sermons from Psalm 31. I have linked the audio below so that you can listen. God's word, read and expounded, is the chosen means by which God works his grace in our hearts. I hope that you will take the time to listen and I pray you will be blessed as you do so.


Click here: Psalm 31 Part 2

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Philippians 3:1-4 Beware of the Dogs

When I was a kid one of my favorite Bible verses was Philippians 3:2, which in the King James Version starts like this:

"Beware of dogs . . ."

I always got a kick out of the fact that the Bible said to "Beware of dogs," like there was a Rottweiler or something behind the fence, and the Bible was warning us about it.

Only later would I find out what Paul meant by that phrase in verse two. Here it is in the English Standard Version:

"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh."

What is he talking about? Were there packs of wild dogs roving the Macedonian countryside that the Philippians needed to be careful about? And who were these evildoers who 'mutilate the flesh'? Cannibals? Witch doctors? What does Paul mean by this warning? That's what we learn in this Bible study. What Paul is warning the Philippians about is a danger far more grave than literal dogs or witch doctors. Understanding this warning is key to understanding this entire passage. Once we get a grip on who these people were that Paul was warning the Philippians about, we can understand everything else Paul tells them in this wonderful chapter.

These Bible studies in Philippians are informal, small group studies. Sometimes there are comments and sometimes there are questions. So don't think of these as sermons. They are more like discussions. I do think they are very informative, however, and good theology always leads to greater devotion. To listen just click on the link below.

Click here: Philippians 3:1-4

Psalm 31 God Is a Rock and a Refuge (Part 1)

Psalm 31 divides neatly into two parts and so I split it neatly into two sermons. Reading it actually does make you think it could have been two complete psalms at one time. Regardless, the theme is a familiar one. David is in distress. He cries out to God. God delivers him. But there is much more to learn from the psalm than that. And, of course, Jesus is in the middle of it all.

Why is it important that we learn the Bible? Why is it important that we study theology? Does it matter how much we know about God? And what is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? What is its purpose? What is my purpose?

And what sort of commitment should I have to Christ?

A Christian is not someone who merely professes Jesus. A Christian is someone who is a follower of Jesus. There is a difference.

I hope you will take the time to listen to this short sermon taken from the first eight verses of Psalm 31. I enjoyed preaching it and I think it would be a blessing and a spiritual benefit to you. Just click the link below and Soli Deo Gloria.

Click here: Psalm 31 Part 1

Psalm 30 - Praise For Deliverance

Does God chasten his people? Does God discipline his children? We know he does, but we don't like to think about it. In Psalm 30 David has gone through a time of trial brought on by God's chastening hand. What he learns from this incident is important to us, not just as an encouragement when we are going through the same thing, but as an encouragement in every trial, no matter what kind it is.

God is a God who delivers his people. This is his glory. This is how he has chosen to be known. Part of that deliverance is accomplished in us in this life through his work of sanctification in us.

And that's what we want, isn't it? The peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives? To be more like Christ? That is what God is bringing about in our lives. You see, God is doing something in us. Something important. In a sense, God is preparing us for heaven even while we're still here on earth.

Are you going through a trial? Do the events of life have you wondering if God is for you or against you? Know this. If you are in Christ, God is for you. What he brings into your life is for your good, even when it hurts. Read these words of David.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

Take these words to heart. They are beautiful words intended only for those in Christ. If you are in Christ, and you are going through struggles, write these words down, meditate on them. Memorize them. Make them your own. While we live in this world where there is weeping, we await the world that is to come where God shall wipe away every tear. There will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things will have passed away, or, as David writes: weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. All trials are temporary. In Christ, our bliss will be eternal.

I hope you will take the time to listen to the sermon I preached from Psalm 30. Just click the link below and a new window will open in your browser that takes you to a page on Soundcloud where you can listen to the sermon. It's about 27 minutes in length. May God bless you as you do so. Soli Deo Gloria.

Click here: Psalm 30 - Praise For Deliverance

Psalm 29 - The Psalm of the Thunderstorm

I love this psalm. And I loved preaching this sermon.

This is the third of the nature psalms. The first one was Psalm 8 and as we read it we imagine a young David composing it as he sits beneath a magnificent desert night sky. The second was Psalm 19 and in it David describes the glories of the sun and compares it to God's revelation of himself in the word of God. And now this, that reads as if David wrote it while witnessing a great thunderstorm arise out over the Mediterranean Sea, watching it cross over the great cedar forest of Lebanon, and out into the wilderness of Kadesh where it drops its torrents of rain upon the dry land. David sees in this great storm something that inspires him to worship, and so should we.

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

The description of the storm that follows this call to worship is so vivid that it inspires us to worship as well. Worship is the theme and as we watch the storm along with David we learn a few things about worship--the kind of worship that pleases God.

I hope you will take the time to listen to the sermon and that in listening you will be encouraged to offer the Lord the worship he demands, worship that is in spirit and in truth. Just click the link below and another window will open in your browser and take you to a page on Soundcloud where you will be able to stream an MP3 recording of the sermon I preached from this psalm. Soli Deo Gloria.

Click here: Psalm 29 - The Psalm of the Thunderstorm

Psalm 28 - A Psalm of Answered Prayer

Is God ever silent? Why does God sometimes seem not to hear us? David wonders the same thing.

To you, O LORD, I call;

my rock, be not deaf to me,

lest, if you be silent to me,

I become like those who go down to the pit.

To understand why sometimes God seems silent, we must remember that (1) God is doing something in us all the time, (2) God is doing something for us all the time, and (3) God is doing something in the world through us all the time.

Now, these three things are unchanging truths even when God is silent and we wonder what's going on. God has not forgotten us. God never forgets his people. He always hears them. He just does not always answer immediately, nor does he always give us what we want. This work that he is doing is more important than our immediate comfort. He does always give us what we need when we need it.

But there's much more in Psalm 28 than just that. The psalm also deals with the concepts of God's justice, judgment, and mercy and how we should deal with our enemies in the light of those things. What should the Christian response be to jihad, or ISIL, or ISIS, or Boko Haram? How should we pray? And what do we do, in the New Testament, with imprecatory prayers such as this that David prays in verse 4?

Give to them according to their work

and according to the evil of their deeds;

give to them according to the work of their hands;

render them their due reward.

Then we get into where the Church fits in God's program and in our lives and what this psalm has to say about that. And we always end with where Jesus is in the psalm, because that, after all, is the most important aspect.

I preached this sermon on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the Winnsboro Reformed Church. I've included a link to the audio below. I hope it will be a blessing to you.


Click here: Psalm 28 Sermon

Philippians 2:19-30 Living Epistles

It might not seem like there is much practical or theological content in this passage in Philippians 2, but there is more than meets the eye. At this point in the letter Paul is giving narrative and news and talking about his travel plans. So it is true there is not as much depth here as in other parts of the letter and that is why we covered so many verses in this one lesson, but there is still solid meat here to be digested.

Here Paul talks about Timothy and Epaphroditus and while doing so reveals some things about himself as well. What we see when we look closely is that Timothy and Epaphroditus are both living examples of what Paul has been encouraging the Philippians to be. They are the embodiment of Paul's teaching. Their lives reflect what Paul wants the Philippians to be.

I hope that you will take the time to listen to the audio and to grow in grace. Just click the link below and a new window will open in your browser where you can stream the audio live or download it for later listening. God bless.

Click here: Philippians 2:19-30 Living Epistles

Psalm 27 - Living By Faith

Psalm 27 is a beautiful and instructive hymn about the life of faith. As Christians we are to live our lives Coram Deo, or before the face of God. What this psalm contains is practical advice on what that looks like, how the life of faith is lived out.

The hymn David writes is full of beautiful lines and stanzas. Verse 1, above is an example. There is also this about worship:

One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire in his temple.

David also addresses the trials and struggles of life. When they come will you stand, or will your faith waver? Does faith in God mean that he will always deliver us? What does that deliverance look like? All this and more is addressed in the psalm and in the sermon I preached from it.

I hope you will take the time and listen. Just click the link below and a new window will open in your browser where you will find an MP3 recording of the sermon. It was preached at the Winnsboro Reformed Church on Sunday, August 21, 2016. I hope it will prove to be a blessing.

Click here: Psalm 27 - Living By Faith