Listen to sermons from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Louisiana.
John T. Mabray & Jonathan Wagner
Introduction: ***It is our natural human instinct to want to hide our sin from God (ex. Adam) but true joy and rest is found ONLY in confession and forgiveness. In Psalm 32, David presents us with three different hiding places for human soul. 1. Hiding FROM God (vs 3-4) a. As long as he kept silent, David was an emotional/physical wreck! b. The best years of his life were wasting away! c. He became extremely irritable! d. God relentlessly pursued him/disrupting his life until he repented! e. We can’t stay hiding forever and live! Sooner or later, we have to come out! 2. Hiding NOTHING from God (vs 5) a. When David finally uncovered his sin, God covered it with his forgiveness! b. David received this forgiveness instantly! i. But here’s the condition – that he not just confess his sins…but that he also turn to God in faith and receive forgiveness. ii. Confession alone is not enough / we need a better place to hide! 3. Hiding IN God (vs 7) a. Col 3:3 – your life is now “hidden” with Christ in God. b. This is our new reality and it’s the best place to hide!! Why would we settle for these other hiding places?
Introduction and RecapMany Christians today find themselves on the “Treadmill of Religion:” running like crazy but not actually going anywhere. Many feel “stuck” in their spiritual growth anddevelopment…but this is something that every Christian ought to be pursuing.In Philippians 1:1-8, Paul has told us not only how he feels about these believers, but also how he identifies them:1. They are saints (vs 1) - set apart from sin unto God, holy, “in” Christ2. They are partners in ministry (vs 5) – financial support, cooperation in evangelism, prayer and concern for Paul3. They are partakers of grace (vs 7) – salvation grace and empowering grace for ministryPaul’s prayer in vs 9-11 is for the spiritual growth and development of the believers.The Principles for Spiritual GrowthThe Foundation: Love (vs 9)Everything in the Christian life flows from a heart that loves God and loves people.Love is the greatest of all Christian virtues!The kind of love Paul is talking about here can be defined as…A Divine Love - God is the source, he provides it!Rom. 5:5 – God’s love shed abroad in our hearts1 John 4:19 – we love because he first loved usAn Active Love – Greek word agape = love of the will or choice1 Cor. 13 – all actionsJohn 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gaveThis love seeks the good of others and meets real needsAn Intelligent Love - love that is accompanied by knowledge and discernmentKnowledge = truth of God’s word (love informed)Discernment = moral insight/perception/application of truthThe Filter: Discernment (vs 10)The foundation of love leads to the filter of discernment: the ability to “discern what is best” for our lives.Discerning between what is “good” and what is “best” for us.It’s the ability to establish the right priorities and make wise informed choices that will cause spiritual growth.The Fruit: Righteousness (vs 11)When we apply this discerning love to our lives, it results in bearing
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*As parents (grandparents), sometimes we can struggle with finding pleasure and satisfaction in our children Why we struggle to find pleasure in our children: 1. We struggle because we’re too busy! a. We’re often so busy with “serious” things that we’re uptight and just look right over them. 2. We struggle because we’ve adopted a secular worldview! a. The culture says that children are a burden and time robbers. b. Many young women today are choosing to delay child. bearing or forego it altogether. 3. We struggle because we’ve forgotten our purpose! a. What’s the purpose for having children? The goal? b. If we lose our purpose we can lose our pleasure in them. The Solution: If we’re going to take pleasure in our children, we need to see two things. 1. We need to see OURSELVES through God’s eyes! a. The way we view our children is often influenced by how we think God sees us (even our earthly fathers). b. David said that God “rescued me because he delights in me” (Psalm 18:19)…and “God delights in every detail of our lives” (Psalm 37:23). i. Not because of anything in us, but because we belong to him in Christ. c. Our children need to know that we love them regardless of what they do simply because they belong to us! 2. We need to see our CHILDREN through God’s eyes! a. Psalm 127 gives us a wonderful perspective on how God sees children. b. The point of vs 3-4 is this: children are a valuable possession. c. 3 metaphorical descriptions: i. Gift (heritage) – extremely valuable…given by God ii. Reward – a blessing and source of joy, fulfillment, satisfaction iii. Arrow – use for defense…shot out to hit a target Closing thoughts & Application What kind of a legacy are we leaving behind? What memories will our children take with them? What have we communicated to them? Practical Application for showing our children we take pleasure in them (The 4 L’s) 1. Lingering with them - Enjoy spending time with your children and having meals with them with the television off and no distracting handheld devices. 2. Lisenting to them – Pay attention when they have something to say. Ask questions and discover their dreams. 3. Learning alongside them – Do projects together, read to your children and grow together. 4. Laughing with them – Funny stuff happens in the family all the time. Lighten up! Laugh about life and tell humorous stories from your past. Having fun together is an essential ingredient in delighting in your child.
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