Anticipating the King

Laying Down Our Rights in the Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:40:00 +0000

I preached last week on Matthew 5:38-42. Here is the link for anyone interested. (Bear with the sound for the first 2 min, it gets better)

http://www.folfcrc.com/2011/05/15/laying-down-our-rights-in-the-kingdom/

Sanctity of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:51:00 +0000

http://thegospelforoc.com/2011/01/sanctity-of-life/

Letting go of the American Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:46:00 +0000

http://thegospelforoc.com/2011/01/letting-go-of-the-american-dream/

A few changes...

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:01:00 +0000

I have recently been invited to write for The Gospel for OC. This is an exciting opportunity because I believe The Gospel for OC is taking great strides in both uniting the Church and in declaring the one true Gospel within Orange County. For those who have frequently read my blog you know that this fits right inline with my desire for Christ's Church. I am looking forward to participating with these brothers and sisters in the very near future.

So, what does that mean for this blog? I am going to continue to use this blog to write, however these writings will be more of a personal nature. For the most part, any posts regarding theology, the local church, or the Bible will now be posted through The Gospel for OC. I want to thank everyone who has faithfully come to this blog over the last two years. I look forward to seeing your comments on the new blog.

For His kingdom,
Scott

10 Things That Forgiveness Is Not

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 06:21:00 +0000

Silly Preaching

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:27:00 +0000

Welcome to my brain

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:04:00 +0000

I just feel like writing. I am not sure why I feel this need to write. In all honesty, I don’t even know exactly what to say, but there is a strong urge to get the thoughts that are running in my head out. For those who know me well, they realize that this isn’t like me, I am usually a person with an agenda and a point to make – not this time. September was a month that stretched me emotionally and spiritually. I feel like I was put through the ringer, experiencing times of joy and difficulty – all of which lead me to Christ, in which my heart was exposed, reminding me how bankrupt I am on my own. I am grateful for this. I am grateful that Christ loves me enough to tear my heart open and reveal the black areas that still remain. I am grateful that he allows me to go through trials and exposes my idols for what they are – empty and destructive. This month I preached twice at church. God was so gracious to me. I love to preach, but it wears me out. It reminds me of my own depravity and strengthens me in Christ’s faithfulness. The Holy Spirit has been heavy upon me this week. I have found myself fighting back tears as I contemplate Christ and his love. Even now as I write this I find my eyes welling up – the guy next to meet at Starbucks probably thinks I am crazy. This is not normal, but I like it. I talked with a friend all last week who was struggling. I offered this friend comfort and reminded this friend of their worth in Christ and that because Christ shed his blood, they are the most valuable person on earth. I could use this advice for myself. I was comforted through my friends struggle. I was the one trying to encourage, but their struggle with self-worth brought me comfort because it resonated so much in my own life. I put a lot of hope into something this last week that didn’t pan out. This brought me a lot of disappointment, which I was not expecting. I still pray that it pans out one day but if not I pray that I will be satisfied in Christ. These are the thoughts that are running through my head. Not to worry, my next post will be back to defending doctrine.

Salt & Light

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:33:00 +0000

Had the opportunity to preach the other day. Here it is if anyone is interested.

http://www.folfcrc.com/2010/09/05/salt-and-light/

Are you preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:04:00 +0000

"The Church frequently is so concerned with trying to please, attract, and excuse that its witness against sin is obscured and all but lost. We may be so concerned with not offending others that we fail to confront them with their lostness and their desperate need to be saved from their sins. A gospel that does not confront sin is not the gospel of Jesus Christ." John MacArthur

What My Obedience To God Costs Other People

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:49:00 +0000

"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26
If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.
Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).
Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.
~ Oswald Chambers ~

Evangelism and Christ

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:07:00 +0000

T4G 2010 -- Session 5 -- John MacArthur from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

The Battle for Biblical Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:37:00 +0000

About a year and a half ago I posted a series entitled “What Robs Believers of Biblical Joy”. At the time, I was leading my Young Adults group through a study in Philippians and it was just a natural progression of taking what we were learning and blogging about it. To this day that series gets more hits on my blog than anything else I have ever posted. I am amazed when I see people from the US, Nigeria, Iraq, India, and all over the world go through and read each entry.

This amazement has led me to this realization – I’m not the only one that is longing for deep joy in my life and neither are you. This is a longing that is felt on every continent, every people group, and every generation. I also believe that this is a longing that can be found and had – Biblical Joy is obtainable and can flourish in our lives.

With that said, over the next 30 days (up until Easter) I plan on posting a series entitled: “The Battle for Biblical Joy”

Disclaimer:

I am no expert. Everyday I long to be more joyful than the next.
This is a community to discuss and help each other find joy. Leave comments, tell us where you are from, give us your thoughts and ideas, and encourage one another. (Even if the postings are over a year old)
Many of the ideas I am going to bring up are not my own. They come from the likes of godly men that I highly admire: John Piper, John MacArthur, CJ Mahaney, Matt Chandler, and so on.

Let's get started:

Do you ever feel like your desire to be joyful and God’s desire for obedience are at war with each other?
Must we always sacrifice our happiness to please God?
Does anyone else want more joy in their life?

The Prosperity Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:36:00 +0000

What is the Real Cause of Atheism?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:13:00 +0000

A few weeks ago a friend of mine posted some really good thoughts on a quotation I had heard many times before.

The quotation was, "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Here are my own thoughts:

I disagree with this statement. There is no doubt that Christians need to step it up when it comes to living holy and loving lives. However, to claim this as ones reason for disbelieving in God is utter foolishness. We deny God not because of others, rather because we are self-centered, self-glorifying, and filled with hatred toward the one true God who created us.

MacArthur on "Your Best Life Now"

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:23:00 +0000

"I found this on page 5, 'God wants this to be the best time of your life.' On another page it says, 'Happy, successful, fulfilled individuals have learned how to live their best life now.' On another page it says, 'As you put the principles found in these pages to work today, you will begin living your best life now.' And that is absolutely true if you're not a Christian. This is it, you better get the book because your next life is going to be infinitely worse than this one."

-John MacArthur on Joel Osteen's book "Your Best Life Now"-

For the full sermon check out...

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Videos/V8280-334

Proper Alignment of Affections

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:23:00 +0000

"I'm not on a mission to help you feel good about yourselves. I am on a mission to help you feel so good about the greatness of God, that you forget about yourselves."

John Piper

Great Sermon for Those Thinking of Pastoral Ministry

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:44:00 +0000

If you are considering going into ministry or are currently serving in

ministry... I highly recommend this video.

Lord of All

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:36:00 +0000

"...the Word Condescended to Man’s Engrossment in Corporeal Things, by Even Taking a Body. All Man’s Superstitions He Met Halfway; Whether Men Were Inclined to Worship Nature, Man, Demons, or the Dead, He Showed Himself Lord of All These."

~Athanasius~

I love my church

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:51:00 +0000

I love my church! There is not much more to be said then that. I love the people,. I love the preaching. I love the focus on God’s glory. I love the growth I have experienced in my own life through it. I love the challenges. I love that though it is imperfect, I can see Christ who is perfect, refining it. I love my church!

With that said, there are challenges. We are a small church, which means volunteers do most things. We don’t have a professional worship team. There are awkward moments when our sound does not go right. We do not have a professional secretary, I know because I am the secretary. Because we are small, we can’t hide in a crowd. Which means, we see each other often and can rub each other the wrong way. If something is going on in our lives, most people know about it. We are not flashy, simply because we can’t be flashy. In a culture driven by commercialism, the endless pursuit of worldly perfectionism, and entertainment we simply do not have what it takes to compete.

So what’s my point? To be honest… I am not sure. I long to see my church grow, but not because I long for huge crowds. I want it to grow because Jesus Christ is worthy of all praise, honor, and majesty. He is worthy of more people knowing that worth and bowing down before him. I want to see my church grow into a place where the passion for His glory is undeniably evident. I want to see more people going into our community and proclaiming His glory. I want to see my church giving thousands of dollars to make disciples in Africa, China, and the Middle East. I want us to dig wells, build houses, and provide medicine for those with Malaria and AIDS. These things seem impossible with a church of 65 people. But, since when is God limited to what I think is possible?

Rebuilding a church is not easy! It takes people who can see the strength in what we have, and look beyond the weaknesses. It takes people who have a vision for future potential, rather than what it right in front of their faces. It takes people who realize everyone must pull their weight; the “someone else will do it” mentality just won’t cut it. It takes brave people who are willing to step out in faith; people who are willing to leave behind the idea of a perfect church; people who want to set a course, rather than just ride along someone else’s course.

I love my church! I see so much potential in it. It is being built on the right things: Solid preaching and a community that wants to grow in sanctification and bear each other’s needs. I just wish others could see this potential. I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know if I can do that. It seems virtually impossible, but then again nothing is impossible with God. If you are looking for a church, might I suggest mine? We are not prefect, we are not flashy, but I have seen God work miracles in it. I have seen people who were spiritually dead come to life! I have seen people forsake the love of money, forsake lust, and forsake comfort all because Christ had changed them. I love my church!

http://www.folfcrc.com (Fountain of Life Fellowship)

Waste of my Life

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:04:00 +0000

I just finished listening to a sermon that was biblically inaccurate, based 100% upon speculation and psychology, called into question God's sovereignty and the inerrancy of scripture, and made the accusation that the apostles were wrong for writing the way they did in the Gospels. Needless to say, I was angry after listening to it. However, I am an idiot! For some reason, I have gotten into the habit of listening to horribly inaccurate sermons online. The end result is always the same: frustration, anger, self-righteousness, and pride. I know ahead of time I am going to highly disagree with them and that I am just going to be annoyed and yet I still listen; just waiting for the train wreck. Why do I do this? It is not beneficial in any manner. Does anyone else find themselves doing this, or am I just crazy?

Fun Quotation

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Calvinists do not generally like to speak of luck. Instead of wishing people "good luck," we prefer to say, "providential blessings." Yet if we were to speak of our "lucky day," we would mark that day in eternity when God decided to choose us.

-R.C. Sproul

The Madness of Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:40:00 +0000

"Men are in a restless pursuit after satisfaction in earthly things. They will exhaust themselves in the deceitful delights of sin, and, finding them all to be vanity and emptiness, they will become very perplexed and disappointed. But they will continue their fruitless search. Though wearied, they still stagger forward under the influence of spiritual madness, and though there is no result to be reached except that of everlasting disappointment, yet they press forward. They have no forethought for their eternal state; the present hour absorbs them. They turn to another and another of earth's broken cisterns, hoping to find water where not a drop was ever discovered yet."

-Charles Spurgeon-

Nominals, Evangelism, and the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:46:00 +0000

I don’t have much to add to the following quotation. (Originally I was only going to put a small portion of it, but it was so good I could not stop.) We wonder why our churches are filled with so many nominal Christians. Granted Jesus told us there would be tares among the wheat (Matt.13:24-30), but at the same time are our evangelism strategies just adding to the problem?

“Some evangelism strategies seek to make the Gospel attractive to unbelievers by fronting all the benefits of Christianity and saving the costs for later. They promise that you’ll experience more satisfaction, less stress, a better sense of community, and an increased sense of meaning in life- and you’ll be prepared for eternity to boot!- if you’ll just make a decision for Christ now. Perhaps all of these things are right around the corner for the listening unbeliever. Yet what does this kind of “benefit evangelism” do to the biblical Gospel? It makes the Gospel to appear to be all about me and improving my lifestyle and making me happier.

… the Gospel is not ultimately about me. It’s about God making His holiness and sovereign mercy known. It is about God’s glory, and gathering worshipers for Himself who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is about God vindicating His holiness by punishing Christ for the sins of all those who repent and believe. It is about making a name for Himself in the world by gathering a people and separating them to Himself for the spread of His fame to the nations.

'Benefit evangelism' fills our churches with people who are taught to expect everything to go their way just because they became Christians. But Jesus promises persecution for following Him, not worldly perks. We want to build Christians and churches who preserve through hardship, who are willing to suffer and be persecuted and even die for the Gospel of Christ, because they value God’s glory more than the temporal benefits of conversion. We don’t want people to become Christians because it will reduce their stress. We want them to become Christians because they know they need to repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and joyfully take up their cross and follow Him for the glory of God.”

Taken from "The Deliberate Church", by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander

A Puritan Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:39:00 +0000

LORD, HIGH and HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to possess all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive

that the valley is the place of vision.

LORD, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells,

and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty,

thy glory in my valley.

Youth Ministry

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:04:00 +0000

My friend Rachel sent me this link, so I thought I should pass the goodness on. If you have ever worked in Youth Ministry and have a sense of humor, you should enjoy it.

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/2009/06/564-8-people-every-youth-group-needs.html