Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme:

Text: Psalm 46, 1 Timothy 2

Notes:

The Gospel is for all people in all nations.

The church must pray fervently to our sovereign God that we might
love our neighbors and that they might come to faith.

God’s people ought to pray:

• for all people
• in all levels of authority

Prayer is the God-given and God-desired antidote for:

• ungodly anxiety
• ungodly anger
• ungodly despair

Paul instructs Timothy to make intercessory prayers for wicked men–and it has a historical precedents:

• Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah
• Moses prayed for Israel

“Any [theological] framework that wants you to pray less for the lost–there is a problem with it.”

• We are to pray for the lost
• We are to proclaim the gospel
• We are to rely on God’s providence

Where can I start?

• Start praying for 2-3 people
• Be ready for opportunities to share the gospel

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: How to View Difficulty God’s Way

Text:

• James 1:2-5
• Genesis 4
• Hebrews 12:2
• Philippians 3:

Notes:

Biblical Patience:

• Resilience of soul
• Steadfast
• Durable

Biblical Maturity:

• Healthy
• Resilient
• Complete
• Perfect
• It is important that we learn to go through trials well, so that God may mature us.

Trials/pain have a unique way of exposing what is truly ruling our hearts:

• What makes you happiest
• What hurts you most
• Trials are excellent times to see and know lurking sins that we otherwise might be blind to
• We must see / know our sin that we may properly confess and repent
• If we refuse to cooperate with what God is doing through trials the pain will have been of no profit to us

“It’s always easier to watch someone else go through trials and to just stay back and be the supporting friend”

A heart ruled by Christ will have the right:

1. Priorities
2. Pursuits
   • What brings you the most happiness?
   • How do you spend your free time?
   • What do I really want
     • What I will do to get it?
     • How will I react when I don’t get it?
   • Are my blessings rightly ordered–or have they become idols?
3. Principles
   • What voice pops in your head when you are making a decision?
   • What do you do when what you desire is at odds with what Scripture says?
   • God will give grace to do what He desires
     • “Lord command what you will, and grant what you command” –Augustine
   • People have a tendency to make commitments based on negative experiences–but those commitments are often at odds with what Scripture commands
4. Protection

Preacher: Caleb Ogle

Theme:

Text: Joshua 24:14-15, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Notes:

1. You need a mentor
2. You need to purpose to do what is right–no matter the consequence
3. You need to be bold–about the right things
4. You need to be a person of the word
5. You need to be rid of your idols

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Christian Brotherhood

Text: James 1:2, Romans 12:9

Notes:

• James 1:2, “My brothers/brethren/brothers and sisters”
• Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy”
• 1 John 4:8, 16, “God is love”
• Leeman, “without God our love is an idol dressed up in a costume”
• 1 John 3:18, “let us love…in deed and in truth”
• Proverbs 14:4, “Where there are no oxen the manger is clean,
  but abundant crops come b the strength of the ox”

How do we develop this biblical love?

• By feeding on Christ
• By spending time together
• Horton, “…to disregard the kingdom is to disregard the king”
• Harvey, “to love the church we must come to terms with her imperfections”

Cultural Roadblocks to Loving Others

• Individualism
• Consumerism

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Focus on Faithfulness, and let God build your legacy

Text: James 1:18-22

Notes:

Our goal is not to leave a legacy–our goal is to be faithful.
A legacy is the result of faithfulness.

1. Conviction
   • Our source of truth
     • “receive with meekness the implanted word”
     • We are convinced that God’s way is the only way to live life
     • We hear God’s truth
     • Truth demands action
       • Right beliefs are not enough
       • “be doers of the word and not hearers only”
   • Our methods of handling problems
     • “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”

2. Consistency
   • Doing the right thing–over and over
   • Consistency = faithfulness
   • Faithfulness over time results in maturity
   • Faithfulness <> perfection
   • There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity
3. Compassion
   • “speaking the truth in love”
   • Loving God will always involve loving your neighbor
4. Courage
   • Galatians 2–Paul refers to James as a pillar
   • James was faithful to the end
   • “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point,
     which means at the point of highest reality. ”  –C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Understanding the Paradox of Jesus Christ

Text: Hebrews 9:11-15

Notes:

Jesus Christ:

• Almighty God, yet born a man
• Eternally existent, yet born in flesh
• High priest, and yet also sacrifice
• Christ is described both as a lamb and as a lion
• Christ was a priest like no other
• Christ was a lamb like no other

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: The Apostle James

Text: John 7:1-9

Notes:

The Apostle James

• aka James the Just
• son of Mary and Joseph
• half-brother of Christ
• head of the Jerusalem church after Peter
• martyred 62 AD

God uses unlikely people to do His will

• God can use who you were–and who you still are–to do His will
• Don’t skip the skeptics when sharing the gospel
  • Even two years into Jesus’s ministry James is still a skeptic
  • CS Lewis was an avowed atheist into his 30s
  • “the hardness of God is softer than the kindness of men”

Preacher: Jeremy Herbert

Theme: Road Trip: Prayer

Thesis: Prayer is a journey with God
where He chooses the route and the destination
and along the way we get to know Him better

Text: Luke 11:1-13

Notes:

1. Prayer’s Perspective
   • “Our Father”, We are praying to a Father who cares for us
   • “in Heaven”, We are praying to a Father who is control of all things
2. Prayer’s Priorities
   • “Hallowed be your name”, pursue God’s glory and rejoice in God
     •  A person’s name represents their character and who they are
   • “Your kingdom come”
   • “Your will be done”, Christ will empower you to do God’s will
     • God is good, and His will is good
     • Psalm 84, “no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly”
3. Prayer’s Petition
   • “Give us our daily bread”,
     • Supplication – intense prayer / request
     • Intercession – supplication on behalf of others
   • “Forgive us our sins”,
     • God desires to show mercy through forgiveness
     • Those who desire to be like Christ will show mercy through forgiveness
4. Prayer’s Protection
   • “Do not lead us into temptation”, pray God will empower you to resist temptation
5. Prayer’s Patient Persistence
   • God may wait to provide an answer to prayer in order to train your heart through persistence
6. Prayer’s Proof
   • God’s provision for your needs reminds you how much God cares for you in particular

Christ taught this prayer to His disciples while He was in prayer.

Christ’s prayers for us are much greater than our own prayers for ourselves.

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

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