Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Why Study Your Bible

Text: Psalm 1

Notes:

1. Reasons why people don’t study the Bible
   • Lack of time
     • We will always carve out time for what we think will bring us joy
     • “You don’t have a busyness problem–you have a belief problem” –Melissa Kruger
   • “I don’t understand what I’m reading”
     • The Bible was written in other times, other places, other languages, and other cultures
     • It will take time to understand
     • Even Peter acknowledged that some things that Paul taught were difficult–and they shared time, language, and culture
2. Hindrances to Bible study
   • Wrong goal
     • The goal isn’t just to read
     • The goal is to spend time with God
   • Distractions
     • There are things that can be multitasked–but some things are so important they require our undivided attention
     • Real fellowship requires focus
   • Disobedience
     • If you are running toward sin, it’s going to be hard to want to run toward God
     • “Choose today whom you will serve” –Joshua 24
     • James 1:8, double-mindedness
     • “Sin will keep you from this book or this book will keep you from sin.”
3. Prepare
   • Set a time
   • Set a place
   • Remove distractions
4. Pray
   • Before reading ask God to prepare you to hear His word
     • Is there any sin I am clinging to?
     • Is there any selfishness I am clinging to?
     • Is there anything senseless I am clinging to?
   • Pray for understanding
5. Portion Correctly
   • Don’t read verses in isolation
   • Don’t jump around
   • Read for
     • comprehension
     • application
6. Ponder with Pen and Paper
   • Don’t skip meditation
   • Meditation will help you to understand and apply what you have read
   • It would be better to read and apply a smaller passage than to read a larger passage and not apply it
7. Partner
   • Find a friend to walk this road with you
8. Practical Application
   • Don’t set unrealistic goals
     • If you don’t currently have daily time in the Bible, don’t plan to spend an hour each day
   • Build a good habit
     • Start small and be consistent

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Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Developing Intentional Integrity

Text: Psalm 101

Notes:

We are called to be salt and light

• Matthew 5:13-16
• 1 Peter 2:9-10

By developing intentional integrity
and intentional influence
we can have incredible impact.

1. Delight in what is right
   • Righteousness and goodness have a source–God
   • Psalm 34, “taste and see that the LORD is good”
   • To delight in God, spend time with God
     • In prayer
     • In His word
     • In meditation on His word
   • Drinking more deeply from God’s word should make you more balanced, not more extreme
2. Do what is right
   • Be dedicated to be in private what I claim to be in public
     • “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching” – John Wooden
   • Be careful what we put in front of our eyes
     • What we put in front of our eyes will make its way to our heart
     • What lodges in our heart will become part of our character
       • Proverbs 4:23-27
       • Philippians 4:8
       • Job 31:1
   • Choose ahead of time what you will do
     • Not in the moment
       • What places will I go?
       • What media will I consume?
3. Defend what is right
   • While we do not have the same civic role that David had, we have a measure of civic responsibility delegated to us
   • We ought to vote for and support for those public officials who will support honesty and truth and goodness
     • We ought to denounce evil–but we must also offer the truth and goodness of God’s word
       • This includes denouncing wicked acts by officials we largely support
     • How will people know God’s mercy if they don’t know His justice?
   • Divide when necessary

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Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: How Jesus’s Birth Changed Everything

Text: Galatians 4:4-6

Notes:

Cling to Christ because He is the only hope for each of us and for the whole world.

1. Perfect Timing
   • “…when the fullness of time had come….”
   • Context of Galatians
     • Paul planted churches in Galatia, Acts 13, 16
     • He hears that the Galatian believers have succumbed to the false teaching of Judaizers, who had added Law to grace, perverting the gospel
   • The Law was never meant to provide salvation–it revealed our sin and pointed us to Christ alone for salvation
   • Micah 5:2, Bethlehem
   • God created time and space but is bound by neither
   • Application
     • Is God–the God of time, and whose timing is perfect–getting the timing “wrong” in your life?
     • What do your calendar and schedule–the “budgets” of your time–say about the time God has given you?
     • 2 Corinthians 6:2
     • 2 Timothy 2:
2. Perfect Person
3. Perfect Plan
4. Perfect Result

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