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Jul 11
Worship Service 07/11/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
Theme:
Notes:
Look for counsel in older, godly Christian parents who raised children.
Our children are not our own–they are God’s, and their care is stewarded to us by God.
Our Mission is Gospel Centered
- We are preparing our children (God’s children) for eternity
- No matter how much time God gives us, our job is to prepare an eternal soul for an eternal future
Our Methods are God-dependent
- We are aiming for heart change, not just behavior modification
Our Manner is Grace-based
- We are committed to our children’s best interest–as described by God
- Parents are–by design–their children’s primary disciplers
- Only parents who know God themselves can lead their children toward God
Parenting Pitfalls
- Fear/control-based parenting
- Instead of trusting in Christ, attempting to create/control the perfect environment
- It is rooted in fear, and leans into control
- Extreme forms:
- Amish
- Monasticism
- Communes
- Behavior Modification
- Attempting to impose enough rules to force children to be good
- Image-Control
- Desiring to look good by your children acting well
- May impose multiple good activities
- Crowd Parenting
- Pragmatic/faddish, looking to cultural norms for parenting
- Often inconsistent
- Lacks intentionality
- Duct Tape Parenting
- Laissez faire, reactive, half-hearted solutions
- Emergency Room Parenting
- Just trying to keep the kids alive
All of these fall far short of biblically-informed, grace-based parenting.
Grace-based parenting:
- Seeks to void parenting pitfalls
- Realizes that our greatest problem is inside us, not outside us
- Sin indwells you as a parent
- Sin indwells your child
- Romans 7:21-25, “…evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good….”
- “…Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it / Prone to leave the God I love…” –Robert Robinson
- The only hope to rescue sinners–both parents and children–is Jesus Christ
- You cannot provide a perfect environment
- This does not mean you don’t try to protect them
- It just means you don’t put your hope in that protection
- Understands that the extremes of legalism or license aren’t the answer
- Legalism–seeking to impose enough rules to create holiness
- The Law only has the power to reveal God’s will–but it cannot empower obedience
- God’s Law was given in the context of relationship, and our parenting needs to be in the context of relationship as well
- License–seeks to counter the excesses of legalism by erroring in the opposite direction
- Failure to teach self-control has life-long–and often, eternity-long–consequences
- Even in an unbelieving, secular life delayed gratification is one of the most fundamental lessons everyone must learn
- Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit
- Legalism–seeking to impose enough rules to create holiness
Live It Out
- Honestly examine your parenting
- Repent of worthless parenting practices
- Accept God’s forgiveness and embrace grace–for yourself and for your child
- Change your thinking through God’s means of grace
Book recommendations:
- Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
- Parenting by Paul David Tripp
- Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
- Family Discipleship by Matt Chandler & Adam Griffin
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Jul 04
Worship Service 07/04/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Theme: Praying for the Lost
Notes:
Effective evangelism begins with praying for the lost.
How to Pray
- “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings” (v.1)
- Pray with awareness of the need –supplications
- Pray as worship to God –prayers
- Pray with compassion for people –intercessions
- God-honoring prayer is not detached and aloof
- Matthew 9:35, Christ moved with compassion for the lost
- Pray with a grateful heart –thanksgivings
- When you are truly grateful for a good gift, it is hard not to tell about the one who gave it
- Pray with holy hands (v.8)
- Sin undermines your confidence in God–and your prayers suffer as a result
- Pray while proclaiming the gospel
- We are not to either pray or go–we are to pray and go
- Who should we pray for?
- All men (in general)
- Those in authority (in specific)
- Paul exhorted this–knowing full well that Nero was the emperor at the time
- Pray that our leaders would come to Christ, pray for their well-being
- Romans 2, “The goodness of God leads us to repentance.”
- It’s hard to draw people to Christ if you don’t love them
- Result: that we may live quiet and peaceable lives (v.2)
- Why Pray?
- God says it is good (v.3)
- God wants to rescue people (v.4)
- It pleases God joy (v.3)
- Salvation uniquely glorifies the godhead (v.5-6)
- Christ became a ransom not for masses, but for particular persons
- It reflects the heart of our Savior (John 7)
- Scriptural Examples
- Samuel
- Jeremiah
- Daniel
- Stephen
- Paul (Romans 9)
- Historical Examples
- Knox
- Whitefield
- Martin
- Spurgeon
Live It Out
- Pray for our community to come to Christ
- Pray for local, state, national leaders to come to Christ
- Pray that our church would be a lighthouse of hope
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Jun 27
Worship Service 06/27/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Theme: 4 Principles To Be A Disciple-Making Dad
Thesis:
Notes:
- Our mission is gospel-centered
- Our methods are God-dependent
- Our motives are God-glorifying
- Our manner is grace-based
It is your responsibility as a parent to teach and model the gospel to your children–
but their salvation is God’s responsibility.
If our kids turn out well, it is a testament to God’s grace and goodness–not a testament to our parenting.
4. Our manner is grace-based
- Paul described his manner with the Thessalonians to a nursing mother (12:7)
- Paul’s intent was to shepherd them toward spiritual health
- cf Ephesians 6:4, “…do not provoke your children to anger….”
- “…we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves….” (12:8)
- Your children do not need more stuff–they need you
- It is easy to buy into the lie that “this project/event/chore/task/sermon will not be done if I don’t do it”
- “…we worked night and day….” (12:9)
- “[we walked worthy, and exhorted you to do the same]” (12:10-12)
Live It Out
- Be honest and open about your failures
- Embrace grace
- Prayerfully plan changes
- Get help
Jun 20
Worship Service 06/20/2021
Preacher:
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Theme: 4 Principles To Be A Disciple-Making Dad
Thesis:
Notes:
- We are called to emulate the character of our Heavenly Father and be a father to the fatherless.
- Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians to encourage the believers in Thessalonica to continue in the faith.
- Our mission is gospel-centered
- Our methods are God-dependent
- Our motives are God-glorifying
- Our manner is grace-based
- Our mission is gospel-centered
- Parenting is disciple-making
- God gives us children for His glory
- Our primary goal is to point them to Christ, that they would follow Him
- All other goals are secondary at best
- What you praise your children for is a good indicator of what you truly find important
- The goal:
- v12, “…that you would walk worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom….”
- Not making us or our our children happy
- Children develop their attitude toward God by how they respond to their God-ordained authorities
- Our methods are God-dependent
- vv3, 5, “…our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive…we never came with words of flattery….”
- Only Christ will empower your kids (and anyone else) to do what is right
- Lying, tricking, emotionally manipulating are all wrong methods of parenting
- Our motives are God-glorifying
- v4, “…just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel….”
- You, as a believer, has been entrusted with the gospel
- As a believer, and also as a parent, a spouse, etc.
- God-glorifying motives vs motives that rob God of glory
- Pleasing God vs pleasing ourselves, our children, or anyone else
- Doing what is best for the child vs. doing what is convenient for me
- Being concerned about what God thinks about your children, vs. being concerned about what others think about your kids and/or your parenting
- Parenting is not about us
- Children will not make us whole or complete
- Wholeness will never be supplied by anything apart from Christ–even good, Christ-given gifts
- Our children do not exist to make us feel loved
- You cannot make right, gospel-driven choices if we are slaves to our appetite for our children’s approval
- v4, “…just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel….”
Live It Out!
- Be honest and open about your failures
- With your kids
- With your self
- Make excuses with neither
- Embrace grace
- There is grace for your kids–and for you
- Prayerfully plan changes
- Talk to God, talk to your spouse
- Don’t overwhelm yourself
- If you realize you have a lot of changes to make, start small and be consistent
- Get help
- Find godly people in your church
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Jun 13
Worship Service 06/13/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: Proverbs 3
Theme: Everyday Wisdom
Thesis:
Notes:
Prov 1, “…the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
Wisdom is neither internal or instinctual–wisdom is outside of us, and must be pursued and applied.
Wisdom enables us to hold a right tension between truth and mercy, balancing them perfectly.
Wisdom starts with faith–because you won’t follow who you don’t trust.
Trust = faith
- “…trust the LORD with all your heart….”
Hebrews 11, “…without faith it is impossible to please Him….”
There is nothing off-limits to wisdom–including money.
- The Scripture talks extensively about money; your view of money is a clear window into your soul.
“Blessed/happy is the man who finds wisdom.”
- Happy–man’s perspective
- Blessed–God’s perspective
- Both are true
Wisdom helps you avoid unnecessary pain
- “The way of the sinner is hard.”
Live It Out
- Test everything by God’s Word, 1 Thess 5:20-22
- Actively and intentionally pursue wisdom in your home, inform your kids why you do what you do, Deut 6:5-9
- What does the Bible tell us to do in this situation?
- What do you want to know and know how to do biblically by the time they leave home?
- Book recommendation: Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
- Stay humble and hopeful
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Jun 06
Worship Service 06/06/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: Proverbs 3
Theme: Wisdom for Every Day
Thesis: When you choose the path of wisdom, you choose joy, peace, and purpose.
Notes:
What Qualifies As Wisdom?
- The application of God’s truth to everyday life
- We are naturally bent toward foolishness, it takes the application of external truth to help us be wise
An Overview of Proverbs
- Short sayings of encapsulated truth
- Most of the book of Proverbs were written by Solomon
- Solomon was supernaturally gifted by God with wisdom, 2 Chronicles 1:7-13
- Proverbs teaches us to live God’s way
- Proverbs1, “…to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity….”
- Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
- The Rule of Wisdom
- The Root of Wisdom
- The Realm of Wisdom
- The Rewards of Wisdom
The Rule of Wisdom
- Proverbs 3:1-8
- Something will always rule your heart and your thinking
- God wants us to:
- Love Wisdom
- Foolishness happens as a natural matter of course
- Wisdom only happens by purposeful application
- Learn Wisdom
- Gardening takes intentionality
- Weeding
- Pruning
- Fertilizing
- Gathering wisdom takes intentionality
- Foolishness grows naturally
- Judges, “…every man did that which was right in his own eyes….”
- Jeremiah 17:19
- Proverbs 22:15
- Foolishness grows naturally
- Gardening takes intentionality
- Live Wisdom
- A right application of wisdom isn’t knowing the truth
- A right application of wisdom is living the truth
- Proverbs 1:2, “…length of days and long life….”
- “Length of days” is not the same as “long life”
- Length of days refers to purpose and productivity
- Christians who lived short, meaningful, God-honoring lives
- Jim Elliot
- Augustus Toplady
- Wisdom helps you balance grace and truth, so that you can hold and apply both rightly
- Proverbs 3:3, “…bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart….”
- Take wisdom and internalize it, and it will result in external ornamentation to your spirit
- Love Wisdom
Live It Out
- Build a love for wisdom
- Listen to godly teachers
- Read godly books
- Develop godly friendships
- Learn wisdom by consistent Bible study
- Live wisdom through meditation and application of God’s word
- Identify wrong thinking in your life
- Replace it with right thinking from God’s word
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May 23
Worship Service 05/23/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: Matthew 6:5-8
Theme: Prayer When It’s Hard to Pray
Notes:
Check Engine Lights
- Get Real
- God desires authenticity
- Matthew 6:1, ““Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
- John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- When I am not praying, I should ask myself what it says about my relationship with God.
- God desires authenticity
- Get Right
- John 14:14, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
- Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 a thorn was given me in the flesh, ha messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
- Get Revved Up!
When You Don’t Know What God Is Doing, Remember…
- God is not just working for me, He is working in me
- James 1:2-8
- It is not just conversation, it is communion
- God answers in unexpected ways
When You Don’t Like Where God Is Going, Remember…
- Rough roads shake us from our comfort zone.
- God often shows us where we need to change before He starts changing us
- Rough roads keep us from feeling like we’ve got it all figured out
- They show us where we are still weak and immature
- Rough roads knock off the rough spots in our life
- Rough roads help us experience God’s sustaining grace and power
When You Don’t Know Where God Is Going…
- Focus on the driver, not the passenger
- Rough roads don’t necessarily indicate we displeased God
- Job
- John 9:1-3, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
- Rough roads don’t necessarily indicate we displeased God
- Focus on the light (God’s word) and not the darkness (situation)
- Focus on faith, not fear or feelings
- How you feel isn’t necessarily wrong
- But God’s word is the measure of truth, not how you feel
Live It Out
- Plan, prepare, and protect your prayer time
- Remember that God is working in you and for you
- Discipline your delight in God
- Look to Jesus to rescue your prayer life
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May 16
Worship Service 05/16/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text:
- Colossians 4:2,
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Theme: Prayer
Thesis: A vibrant prayer life needs both discipline and delight
Notes:
Prayer and the word of God are both necessary to know God properly.
- The word informs our prayers
- Prayer empowers the word in our life
Maintenance Schedules: Regular habits necessary for staying close to God
- Plan your prayer time
- “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”
- “He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.” –Bunyan
- Prepare for your prayer time
- Prepare your Heart
- “Prayer doesn’t offer you a less busy life, it offers you a less busy heart.” –Miller
- Don’t multitask–focus on God
- Intimacy requires focus
- Luke 5:16, “…Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness to pray.”
- John 15:5, “…without me you can do nothing.”
- Prepare your Hands: tools to help
- Journal
- Index cards
- Apps: OneNote, PrayerMate
- Prayer plan: offers balance to prayer life
- Adoration
- Confession
- Thanksgiving
- Supplication
- Prepare your Heart
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May 16
Worship Service 05/09/2021
Preacher: Jeremy Herbert
Text: Esther 4
Theme: Lessons from the life of Esther
Notes:
Esther takes place between the returns of Zerubabel and Ezra.
1. Lean on God and his promises
2. Listen to wise and godly people
3. Live by faith not fear
4. Love people genuinely and sacrificially
5. Lead others to God at every opportunity
6. Lift those around you
7. Leave a legacy of faith to follow
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