These are my notes from Philip DeCoursy’s evening sermon at our church today. He is a special guest pastor for a series of messages. The George Whitfield Society here in Oklahoma City brought him in and our church is hosting his sermon series.
CS Lewis warned us about the two extremes regarding prophesy
– some ignore it
– some become fanatical about it and opt out of their responsibilities in life
Loving, living, and laboring
On loving:
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Mac-e-dÅni-a. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; (I Thessalonians 4:9, 10 NKJV)
The world and the culture is marked by lust
– the church should be marked by love
Lust is selfish, it consumes, it devours, it takes and leaves nothing in its place
Love is about serving others, thinks about what is best for others
– love enriches and adds
If there is no change in someone’s life when God enters their life something strange is going on
We had two choices on going to church in my house growing up, you can go willingly or unwillingly!
You don’t need to be an identical twin to be a brother, do you?
This weekend could be a springboard
Value your faith like a Presbyterian, share your faith like a Baptist, organize your faith like a Methodist, enjoy your faith like a Pentecostal
Where love is absent it doesn’t matter what is present, where love is present it doesn’t matter what is absent
Loving and living
– love is a verb, it is deliberate action
Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to a more “rooted and responsible life”
– live a quiet life that does not neglect responsibilities here and now
– those who do the most in this life are thinking the most about the next one
Work feverishly to be at rest
But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Mac-e-dÅni-a. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
I Thessalonians 4:9-12 NKJV
“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” movie with Denzel Washington and John Travolta
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1111422/
The real heroes are the ones who bring home the milk to their family
With fanatics you can’t get them to change their mind or the subject
You have to avoid the temptation of going around and trying to fix everyone
– here we are talking about busybodies and people who act as a pain in the neck
– revisit your hermitology, this world IS broken and out of shape
– come to terms with the fallen condition, you can’t fix everything and God hasn’t called you to do that
– this doesn’t mean let the world go to “hell in a hand basket”
– don’t be in everyone’s business as a nuisance, this is what Paul is saying
There is vanity all around us
– in a fallen world we have a tendency to see the faults of others with greater clarity than our own
Matthew 7 message
“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5 NKJV)
Dwight Moody was the Billy Graham before Billy Graham
Aspire to live a quiet life
Work with your own hands
Paul says if a man doesn’t work he shouldn’t eat
– this not address those who don’t have the capacity for work
– work isn’t a 4 letter word in the bible
– certainly frustration has been added to work because of the fall
– work existed before the fall
God is presented as a craftsman or a laborer, a potter, a metalsmith
You and I are called to be good employers and good employees
– punctual and passionate in all things we do
Are you working for The Lord each day?
Forget about your wages, the raise comes later- we are all working for God! – Philip DeCoursy
Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. (Titus 2:9, 10 NKJV)
If we can’t win the acceptance of non-believers today, lets at least win their respect
– lots of postmodern thought and beliefs today
There should be no defrauding of the church’s money
Burdens are to be shared and shouldered
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. (Galatians 6:1-5 NKJV)
Paul Powell’s book “Looking Back”
When we know Jesus is coming back we need to get urgent about loving each other
Comfort one another with these words:
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. ”
I Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV
http://bible.us/114/1th.4.13.nkjv
The gospel causes Christians to approach death differently
Death is the black limousine which leads us to the gates of glory
Martin Luther left his dear 14 year old daughter, Magdalena
Christians die well in the hope of the gospel
Paul and the gospel writers were expecting Jesus to return in their lifetime
The grief, the relief, and the belief
John Piper: You can never question God, but you can ask Him questions
Get up in the morning and talk to yourself before your self talks to you
Paul challenges us to grieve within limits
– temper our grief with the knowledge that Jesus is coming again
It’s not goodbye in death, it’s only goodnight and you’ll see them in the morning
The belief aspect: We do have hope in the resurrection
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
I Thessalonians 4:13, 14 NKJV
http://bible.us/114/1th.4.13.nkjv
You can’t be a Christian and deny the bodily resurrection of Christ
Forget the Joel Olsteen’s of the world and the prosperity gospel preachers
– when you choose to follow Christ you will suffer and lose friends for Christ
John Stott: Paul had an antipathy to ignorance (theological imprecision)
– idea that “ignorance is bliss” is balderdash
Ignorance is a blight
I hope you are Bible moths, eating up scripture each day (from John Wesley)
Sound doctrine has a way of setting us at ease in the struggles of life
Rapture, resurrection and reunion
1 Corinthians 15
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by CÄ“phas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
I Corinthians 15:1-11 NKJV
http://bible.us/114/1co.15.1.nkjv
Acts 1:11
“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.†”
Acts 1:10, 11 NKJV
http://bible.us/114/act.1.10.nkjv
Are we each living with our bags packed, ready to go when God calls?
The second death is the separation of the soul from God forever, a terrible thing…
The body which God will raise will be fully filled with His Holy Spirit
“Laugh Again” by Charles Swindoll
http://www.amazon.com/Laugh-Again-ebook/dp/B00317G7CO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0
Death can hide but it cannot divide
Luke 7:15
So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. (Luke 7:15 NKJV)
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