Stuart Presbyterian's Podcast

Psalm 147 is all about God.  In the opening eleven verses "Lord" or "God" is used eight times.  And the pronouns "He, His, and Him" are used fourteen times to refer to God. The opening eleven verses give us at least three reasons we should praise God: God cares for His people God cares for the least significant. God cares for all of creation.

God is all Loving.   God's Love is: Sacrificial Jealous Unconditional Chastening God-Initiated Steadfast and Everlasting

God is all-merciful and God has demonstrated His great mercy in Jesus. Our response to God's mercy is to: remember it; delight in it; demonstrate it; and declare it!

God is all-knowing and all-wise. God's knowledge is exhaustive and perfect; whereas, our knowledge is partial and imperfect. God is also all-wise. We see God's wisdom in creation, God's plan of redemption, in the Church, and most of all in Jesus. God's knowledge and wisdom is a call to humility. It's a call to Scripture and to prayer.  It's a call to seek the mind and will of God.

God is All-Sufficient. We can not add anything to God.  God does not need anything or ultimately anyone beyond himself. But the good news is that though God does not need us; God wants us; God chose us. God chose to create us; God chose to redeem us; God chose us for service. And because God is all-sufficient we can depend upon God!

Two "secret disciples" buried Jesus along with two women. Really no such think as a secret disciple.  We must stand with Jesus. Four people at his burial, but oh what a difference the empty tomb made. Transformed the disciples and the early church and it transforms us.

Jesus was mocked and forsaken upon the cross to take away our shame and guilt. He was forsaken so that we might be accepted!  Forsaken so that we might not ever be forsaken by God!

Look and remember the humiliation Jesus endured.  Remember he endured it for our salvation; he endured it because he loves us. Look and see yourself in this scene. Repent, obey, and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.  

Two Trials were going on that Thursday evening: Jesus was before the Sanhedrin. Meanwhile, Peter had a trial of his own before a servant girl.

The symbols or images in the garden of Gethsemane tell the story. Warren Wiersbe suggests we find in this text: a lonely garden, a costly cup, a hypocritical kiss, and a useless sword. This message looks at each of these images and asks,  Which will we choose in our own Garden of Gethsemanes?"  Betrayal, Our Own Strength, or Trust in God?

Jesus had a definite plan.  Jesus and God were in control of that last Passover meal with the disciples.  Even the location was kept secret. Judas was the betrayer. However, all the disciples understood that they had the potential to betray Jesus.  Thus they asked, "Is It I, Lord?" We all must ask that difficult question.  It could be and probably has been all of us. But the good news is that the story doesn't end here.  Jesus was in control, thus it means Jesus willing gave his live for us.  His body was broken; his blood was shed for us.  

This message following along with the Prayer Course is about contemplation and listening. Not only should we speak to God in prayer but we should also listen to God. It is hard for us to listen because we are distracted by busyness.  If we're going to listen, we must "ruthlessly eliminate hurry" (Dallas Willard). Meditating on God's word and practicing "Sacred Reading" or "Lectio Divina" is one way to listen to God; and this message presents one way to do so (A method suggested through the Prayer Course).

Unanswered Prayer is difficult for us all. Sometimes there are reasons why they are not answered like: We're not right with God or we ask with the wrong motives or what we ask is not in accord with God's will.  Sometimes we even give up too soon. But what about when we feel like we're asking with the right motives and in accord with God's will and God's Word? It helps to know that Jesus had to abide by the same rules.  He prayed, "Yet not my will but Thy will be done." It helps to know God is storing up our prayers (Rev. 8:3-5). And then we've got to trust and keep asking, seeking, and knocking.

Confession is acknowledging our sins.  Agreeing with God that we have sinned. It includes being sorrowful for our sins. 1 John 1:9 is beautiful - if we confess sin, God is faithful to forgive us! Practical way to confess is the Examen or "Ignatius Examen."

God calls us to articulate our needs and to exchange our wills for His will. The story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52 reminds us that though God knows our needs we are called to call out to God. We are called according to Philippians 4:6-7 to pray and exchange anxiety for peace. The message concludes with some practical steps: keep a prayer calendar or a prayer box or prayer basket.  Use the image of the hand to teach intercessory prayer to children.

Jesus models the adoration of God. "Our Father" makes God intimate. "Hallowed be Thy Name" reminds us God is also holy and majestic. To praise God is to vocally adore God, to render honor, to esteem, to love and worship God. This message provides some practical ways to do so: Praying the Psalms. Pausing and Rejoicing Praising with Music Posture of Praise

Of all the things the disciples could have requested, they asked, "Lord, Teach Us to Pray."   They didn't ask, Teach us to evangelize, or teach us to preach, or teach us a leadership axiom.  No they asked, "Teach Us to Pray." So in this series paralleling the "Prayer Course" we will learn to pray using the Lord's Prayer as our model.

Give thanks to God with your whole heart and recount again and again his wonderful deeds! Declare what God has done and trust God for the future! Charles Spurgeon once said, "Half heart is no heart!"

This message is a call to go deeper in our relationship with God.  Deeper in faith, deeper in service. It's a call to take the next step to walk closer with God.

The texts today are a reminder to go deeper in our praise of the Lord. The message suggests that we can go deeper by reflecting on who God is, what God has done, and what God has promised.  And the Psalms are a great place to reflect upon these truths!

Simeon's song reminds us that we can have hope in the midst of the waiting. We can hope for Jesus is our hope in the hopelessness.

Mary's Song of Worship is intense and humble. She is clear that the object of her worship is the Lord and Savior. She has reason to worship.  She worships because of God's redemptive history and she is assured God will continue those mighty acts in Jesus.

In Jesus, we can have peace with God. It is peace from our past, peace in the present, and peace for the future.

Christmas and Christmas Songs are beautiful and even enchanting. But what about when life is not so "Holly Jolly?" Well, we still have songs of faith and one of those which is part of the birth of Jesus is Zechariah's song in Luke 1:67-79. Zechariah and the Israelites had been waiting a long time for the Messiah - more than 400 years in fact. We learn something from Zechariah and even more so from Jesus about what to do while we are waiting.

This message looks at the final two pieces of the whole armor of God: the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Update on SPC Youth Program A Hidden Life of Prayer

Two pieces of the armor of God are considered in this message:  The shoes of Gospel readiness and the shield of faith.   The shoes of the Gospel is on one hand offensive as we take the good news of the Gospel to save lost souls.  It is also defensive as the truth of the Gospel protects us against the attacks of the evil one. The shield of faith is a reminder to "put our whole weight on God" when the enemy attacks.  We can trust God to do what he says he will do to protect us.

In this message, we look at two pieces of spiritual armor: Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness.

Spiritual warfare is real and our adversary is real. But Christ is stronger and has won the ultimate victory! Therefore, we should; we must; and we can stand strong by putting on the full armor of God!  

There is a call in this text to "stay salty": Minister in His name; nor for our fame. Avoid jealousy; rejoice with other ministries Be careful to cause no one to sin. Ruthlessly cut out sin in our lives.  

Followers of Christ are called to be servants. Servanthood is foundational to being a Christian. Being a servant leads to a rise in the grace of humility.

Jesus in this text asks "life's most important question" - "Who do you say that I am?" Most important because: It's about the most important person. It's personal. It's Eternal. It impacts our lives every day.  Determines what or who is Lord of our lives.

We don't like to be put on hold! So What do we do when God seems to put us on hold? We do what the Syrophoenician woman did; we ask and keep asking; we trust and keep trusting!

God has a plan We are called to obey God instead of the culture around us. God's promises are trustworthy

Jesus' encounter with the Pharisees and Scribes revealed that they were concerned with the external.  But the problem they and all of us have is internal; it's a heart problem. A problem that only Jesus can solve!

God is in the business of making things right. Not only was God working out his eternal purposes through Joseph and his brothers, but God was also reconciling Joseph to his brothers. But Joseph and his brothers had to do their part.  The brothers had to come to some level of remorse.  And Joseph as the authority figure and the one sinned against had to come to a place of forgiveness; and he did!  He went above and beyond! What about us?  How are we making things right with one another?

Through it all the Lord was with Joseph, even when he couldn't see it. Likewise, the Lord is with us.  The hard part for us is that it is in His time!

Joseph's Big Dreams were part of God's plan for Joseph and through it all God was working out His plans. However, the dreams only fueled his brothers' envy. We see here a practical warning to guard against envy and to understand that every one of us are children of God.  The "playing field" is level at the foot of the cross!

Isaiah invites us to come to water, milk, and wine which represent refreshment, nourishment, and exhilaration, respectively. The invitation is to those who are spiritually bankrupt as well as to those who think they're self-sufficient thus they do not know they're spiritually bankrupt. It's a call to leave behind emotional and spiritual junk food and instead make the healthy choice and feed upon God's Word.

This message considers the final phrase of the Apostles' Creed:  "I believe .... in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen." The forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting are great riches we have in Christ!  

This message considers the following phrase from the Apostles' Creed:  I believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, ..."

Sermon is part of the Apostles' Creed series and considers the statement, "I believe in the Holy Spirit." General look at the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son or The Parable of the Loving Father is the Gospel in parable form. It's all about the mercy of the Father! We can always come home!

This message looks at the following segment of the Apostles' Creed:  "... He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead."

This message takes a look at the following phrases from the Apostles' Creed: "He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;"

This message considers the following phrase from the Apostles' Creed:  "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried."

In this message, we consider the names and titles for Jesus found in the Apostles' Creed's opening statement about Him: "I believe "in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary."

A look at the opening phrase of the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."