Psalm 17 - A Prayer For Help

David has been falsely accused and he turns to God for help. Is God here for us when we need him? What is God's single defining attribute in relation to his people? How has he shown that to us? What is the gospel about and what is the end game? All of this and more in the sermon I preached this morning at the Winnsboro Reformed Church from Psalm 17.

Is God on the side of his people? How has he shown that to us? What does it mean for us? This is a wonderful Psalm with some powerful truths meant to comfort and encourage God's people and give us something to look forward to. Take a listen.

Click here: Psalm 17 - A Prayer For Help

Psalm 15 - The Necessity of Holiness

Some psalms are encouraging. They speak of hope in God, of God's faithfulness. They remind us that those who trust in God will be delivered, that though bad times come we have a glorious future promised us in Christ. Some of the psalms speak directly of Christ and what he has done for us. Themes like redemption and mercy and the steadfast love of the Lord come up over and over again as we flip through the pages of the Psalms. And then there are psalms like this one.

Psalm 15 starts by asking a poignant question.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

Then it responds in the next four verses:

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue

and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

And if we look at these verses honestly and then look at ourselves honestly we don't get a very hopeful picture, do we? What are we to make of this? What is holiness and why is it import? And what if we can't meet God's standard? Is there anyone who has?

Click here: Psalm 15 - The Necessity of Holiness

Introduction to Philippians

The book of Philippians is a tiny little book in the New Testament, just four chapters, yet packed full of good gospel and Christian living. D. A. Carson called Philippians "Basics For Believers" and so it is. What is life about? What does the Christ-life look like? Who is Jesus anyway? What can I expect from making Christ my life? What does the pursuit of Christ look like? Will God take care of me? All of these questions are addressed in Philippians.

I have taught through the book of Philippians for several years now, both as pastor of a church and in my capacity as a hospice chaplain in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I am currently teaching through it in our Wednesday night Bible studies at the Winnsboro Reformed Church. This audio link will take you to a page on Soundcloud where you can listen to the introductory lesson in this series. It was/is a very informal setting and following the introduction to the book there was a group discussion that centered on evangelism and what that looks like in a Reformed context. The study itself consisted mostly of an overview of Acts 16.

Here is the audio from that session: Intro to Philippians

I hope you will follow the example set by Paul and Silas and the others as they sought to glorify Christ in the world they lived in. God is always at work. Proclaim the good news. Go and make disciples.

Psalm 14 - Depravity and Hope

"The fool hath said in his heart there is no God."--Psalm 14:1a KJV

The classic anti-atheist verse, right? Or is it? What is the Psalm really talking about and what does it say about our human condition? Is there hope in it anywhere?

This is the first sermon I delivered as pastor of the Winnsboro Reformed Church--preached on Sunday, May 1, 2016. Psalm 14 is a classic law and gospel psalm, declaring our guilt and then pointing us to Christ. To listen to the sermon just click the link below. It will take you to a page with an audio recording which you can either stream or download for listening later. God bless and may you be blessed by God's great grace.

Here is the sermon: Psalm 14 - Depravity and Hope

Isaiah 12 - God Is My Salvation

One of the most beautiful hymns to be found in the Bible is not in the book of Psalms at all, but rather in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 12 is recorded the great hymn to be sung by God's people in the day of their redemption, when God redeems them and turns them and saves them. It is known as the great hymn of God's salvation and looks forward to a time then future. Though they were about to suffer the consequences of their rebellion toward God, Isaiah gives them this glimpse into the future when God's anger will be turned away and God will comfort his people.

Is God right to be angry? What should we think about that? Is sin worth getting angry over? And if God loves sinners anyway, doesn't that mean that sin is not that big a deal? How is God's anger appeased?

I ask and answer these questions in this sermon and, although I do not even come close to doing justice to this great passage, pay attention to the Scripture itself and not the poor job I do of expounding it. Below is the link to the audio.

Click here: Isaiah 12 - God Is My Salvation

Psalm 13 - Where Is God When I Need Him?

Psalm 13 is known as the "How long" psalm, because of David's repetition of that question in the first two verses.

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

It is a song of lament sung by David at a time in his life when he felt like God was nowhere to be found. Have you ever felt that way? Why does God sometimes seem far off? Why does he allow trials into my life and then seem silent when I cry out to him? And how should I react to that? And where is Jesus in all this? Can Jesus be found in this psalm? Click on the link below and it will take you to the page on Soundcloud where you will find the sermon I preached on this psalm this morning at the Winnsboro Reformed Church in Winnsboro, Texas. There you can either stream the sermon and listen to it now or download it to listen to it later. May God increase your faith as you open your heart and mind to his word.

Click here: Psalm 13 - Where Is God When I Need Him?

Psalm 12 - The Faithful God

Does God hear my prayers? What if I haven't prepared well? What if I'm not worthy?

Does it seem as if the godly have failed from the earth and the wicked prosper on every side?

Is God's word trustworthy?

What is my place in the world and how am I to view what is taking place around me?

These and other questions are asked and answered as I take a look at the 12th Psalm in a sermon I preached on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Winnsboro Reformed Church of Winnsboro, Texas. How relevant is an Old Testament book like this to us today? Take a listen and you will hear that God's word is very relevant to us.

Click here: Psalm 12 - The Faithful God