Category: Ministry

Looking for New Ministry — A Prayer Request

It’s been a couple of months now since I stepped down as pastor from Waco Reformed Church, and loaded up in my 2000 Saturn LW1 for eastern Tennessee.

When I stepped down, I wasn’t retiring from the ministry. But Heidi and I both felt we needed to move to Tennessee so we could be with our daughter, and her four children. That was the easy part of the decision.

The hard part: stepping down and knowing that Waco Reformed would cease to exist. There were only two elders, myself and one other man, and he did not feel led to continue on with Waco Reformed. So the church closed.

What makes this hard is knowing that God’s call upon my life as a pastor, has not ceased. I still long to preach the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27), proclaiming His truth to the saints for their edification.

The problem is: I really don’t fit in any of the denominations in the area. I am Reformed. I am a Calvinist. I am postmillennial. I am covenantal. But I also have distinctives that set me apart from the PCA and the OPC.

In fact, I probably don’t fit in the CREC either. While at Waco Reformed, we attempted to join the CREC, and they ended up rejecting us. They never had the decency to give us a reason as to why.

So here I am, in an area saturated with PCA churches. It would be OK if  could just take exceptions to the Confession where I differ, but the GA of the PCA ruled they would not allow exceptions on paedocommunion any longer. Not only did they say it, they said “good riddance” as well. (See my posts on paedocommunion below).

But that is not the point of this post. The simple point is for prayer. My request is that Christ would open a door for a church where I do fit theologically and in all the ways that matter.

God may answer our prayers by leading me to plant another church, and if so, then I need like minded people to join with me to start this wonderful endeavor. Therefore, if you are reading this, please pray that our King would open the door to another church where I can serve and glorify Him. Thank you.

If you would like to hear a sampling of one of my sermons, go HERE.

The Problem of Self Examination

 

 

Self Examination

One of the problems that occurs during the call for self-examination during the LORD’s Supper is that members of the body of Christ judge themselves subjectively, and then wrongly excommunicate themselves from the sacrament. In other words, they base their freedom to partake in the LORD’s Supper upon their own judgment of themselves, and their own feelings.

Continue reading The Problem of Self Examination

Chip & Joanna’s Fall and How Their Pastor Played a Part

It has been said that culture flows downstream from the church. More specifically, culture flows downstream from the pulpit.

This truth can be seen in the recent dustup over television stars Chip and Joanna Gaines.

For those of you who do not know, Chip and Joanna Gaines are local and national celebrities because of the show Fixer Upper, and because of their empire known as Magnolia. I have never seen Fixer Upper, but I have been to Magnolia. The cookies are worth the high price of $4 a piece. I’ve never tried the cupcakes, but I’m told they are splendid.

The problem for Chip and Joanna has come about because of a new show they are producing called Back to the Frontier.

The New Show

The new show features three couples who pretend to go back in time, and live in the 1880s. The problem with this scenario is that it involves a sodomite couple, who are pretending to be married, and who paid a woman to bear (sell) twin boys to them. My intent here, is not in discussing the couple. You can read more about them here and here. It is much worse than it sounds.

Also, please watch CrossPolitic’s presentation on the entire ordeal here. The guys at CP not only explain what is going on, but also show how wicked the entire show is. It is not as though Chip and Joanna were just providing money to produce the show. They are actively supporting and promoting sodomite marriage. The stated goal of the sodomite couple is to normalize sodomite marriage. This shows that they know it is not normal. It’s evil. In propping up this couple, Chip and Joanna are complicit in this normalization.

Yet, I think what is even more disturbing than all this, is the role their pastor is playing (or not playing). Chip and Joanna attend the church, Antioch Waco. And here is where the real problem begins.

The Pastor Bears the Responsibility

Now you do need to know, that the pastor of Antioch Waco, Jimmy Siebert, has come out against gay marriage, and has expressed that marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a bare minimum of what should have happend. Yet, there is more. He should not have just stated the positive of what they believe, but he also should have called both Chip and Joanna (and all who hold to sodomite marriage) to repentance.

This is what a true shepherd does. He should not just state what marriage is, but for those who are under his spiritual care who are supporting sodomite marriage, he should deal with them in such a way that either leads to their repentance or their excommunication from the church.

But to say nothing… is to neglect the calling of a shepherd.

I admit, church discipline may be going on behind the scenes. Yet, at some point, it has to be public since the sin was public. You cannot ignore the fact that other sheep are watching and need to see discipline in the lives of those who publicly sin.

The greater problem in all this is the fact that the pastor undermines his own stance on marriage every time he allows a woman to preach in the pulpit.

Women in the Pulpit Undermine Marriage

Gabriel Rench shares a video clip of the pastor of Antioch Waco introducing a woman to the congregation who “has a word for us today.” I strongly recommend that you watch it.

What you are seeing is the foundational problem that the pastor has embraced, of allowing women to preach, that results in the acceptance of sodomite marriage. How so?

It is so because the pastor is tacitly approving of role reversals when he allows a woman to preach.

Continue reading Chip & Joanna’s Fall and How Their Pastor Played a Part

Waco Reformed Church — What About Feeding the Sheep?

In our previous post on what makes Waco Reformed Church different, I stated that the worship is not about feeding the sheep. Many people make the mistake of thinking this is the point of worship. The question even came up on x.com last week when Meg Basham posted the following:

As you can see, this is a common error that most people make when it comes to the purpose of the worship of the church. The purpose of worship is to focus upon and glorify God in the liturgy of the church. The focus is our Father, not the congregation. We are not looking to the congregation to dictate what we do in worship to glorify God. We are looking to His word.

Feeding the sheep is actually the stated purpose of the pastor. He is to feed the sheep “in worship.” Feeding definitely takes place “in worship.” But feeding the sheep is not the purpose of the church in worship.

We get the foundations of feeding the sheep from John 21:15-17. In that passage, we see Jesus reinstating Peter to the ministry by asking him three times, “Do you love Me?” With every affirmative answer that Peter gives, Jesus stated that Peter’s focus was to tend and feed His sheep.

He wasn’t speaking of literal food, although we do literally eat the bread in communion, as well as drink the wine of the table.  Jesus could well have been speaking of communion. The pastor is to serve communion every LORD’s day, and in this, as we partake by faith, the literal bread and wine feed us both physically and spiritually.

Milk and Solid Food

But primarily, when Jesus told Peter to “feed My sheep” HE was speaking of the word of God as the means for feeding them. The word of God is often referred to as milk or solid food (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Hebrews 5:12-13, 1 Peter 2:1-3). It is, in the spiritual sense, the most important food there is, as we will see below. When the word of God is faithfully preached to the congregation, the congregation is being fed on a spiritual level.

Living Upon Every Word

We also know the word of God to be spiritual food from the Temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Satan tempts Jesus by challenging Jesus on being the Son of God. “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

This was after Jesus had fasted for 40 days. Jesus was being tempted on His identity and for His basic physical needs. Yet, He did not give into the temptation, but responded by saying: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

The word of God is what sustains us spiritually speaking, for in His word, life is found. This is why the word as the food is the most important food we shall every dine upon. God’s words feeds us spiritually.

But please note also what Jesus said to Satan. Jesus says that we shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This means we live from the entirety of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments.

Far too many evangelicals want to “unhitch” themselves from the Old Testament, as if it were somehow holding us back from true spirituality. But please note: when Jesus preached the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, He preached from the Old Testament. The same was true for Paul, and Peter, and Stephen, and all the rest of the men God ordained to preach in the first century.

We point this out because worship has to be informed by the entirety of God’s word, not just the New Testament as so many wish to believe. The Apostle Paul endeavored to preach the full counsel of God’s word to the Ephesian elders, and we should to the same (Acts 20:27).

Conclusion

The point of this post is to help you see that we are indeed fed spiritually by God’s word when we come to worship. But this feeding is not the purpose of worship. The purpose of worship it to actually worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. When this is done, God graciously feeds us the food we so desperately need. We can trust Him to serve us the meal we need. We will be nourished, cleansed, and sent out every LORD’s day for the purpose of His glory. But let us not make the mistake that many make: when we gather, we don’t do so for what we get out of it. We do so because He has called us to worship and He is glorified when we do.

Links:

Waco Reformed Church: What Makes us Different?

Waco Reformed Church: Substack

Waco Reformed Church: YouTube Channel

Waco Reformed Church: Facebook Page.

Waco Reformed Church: Website.

Waco Reformed Church — What Makes Us Different?

What would I say if someone were to ask: “What makes Waco Reformed Church different?”

That’s a hard question, simply because it’s difficult to know where to start. But I believe the best place to start is with the verse that is foundation to our worship, John 4:23-24. Just the fact that I felt a need to start with the subject of worship, should tell you something about who we are. As we learn from John’s Gospel:

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers willworship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.”

This verse is the starting point in informing our worship. There are two key points that should stand out. The first is that the Father is seeking such to worship Him. Since He is seeking us, then our gatherings on the LORD’s Day should be focused upon Him and worshipping Him. In seeking us, He is making the first move, to bring us into fellowship with Him, to worship Him.

This is a departure from much of what many churches do. Many seek to worship God, by focusing on evangelism, or feeding the flock, or entertaining the flock, or meeting the felt needs of those people who join them in worship. Hopefully you can see the difference already. Most church focus on the flock and what the flock needs in worship, instead of turning to God, and looking to His word to drive our worship.

This misguided focus is born out of a misunderstanding of the verse above and the second point that needs to be driven home, which I hope jumped out of you in the verse I quoted. Notice the capitalization added in verse 24.

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.”

Most translations do not capitalize Spirit and Truth. However, I believe it should be capitalized. To not do so, is again the same mistake that many churches make in forming their understanding of worship, which it is to be focused upon the one worshipping, and not the One worshipped. When we are not specific about worshiping in spirit and truth, then this leads it open to interpretation, and much error.

We need to turn it back around, and see Spirit and Truth as being rooted in God Himself. Without the Holy Spirit and the Truth (Christ) we cannot worship at all.

Both Christ and the Holy Spirit are essential for us to worship the Father. Christ is the atoning sacrifice needed to enter into God’s presence. The Spirit is the means by which we do. The blood of Christ washes us clean. The Spirit carries into the Holy of holies, or brings us to Mt. Zion (Hebrews 12). Without Christ or the Spirit, there is no amount of genuflecting we can do to please the Father. We must have the Spirit and the Truth.

When we are off of these things, then we err in thinking worship is about us, and for us. It is not. It is always about the Triune God and worshiping Him.

The sad reality of those who miss the directional change,  is that in the end, evangelism doesn’t take place, the flock isn’t truly fed, the entertainment never satisfies and demands more and more of the spectacular, and the felt needs simply change their feelings with each passing week.

When we begin our focus upon what God desires, then we begin to see the need for all of Scripture to inform our worship. We know and understand that we are not free to do anything we please when it comes to worshipping God. Simply see Leviticus 10:1-7, the story of Nadab and Abihu offering profane fire before the YHWH. YHWY brought immediate judgment upon them for doing so.

This simple principle shows us the need to look to Scripture to inform our worship. This of course, is more than I want to say here. But I would say that this is the biggest item that makes our worship different from the average evangelical church. The focus begins and ends with the Triune God.

In changing the focus from ourselves, to God, then true evangelism will take place. The feeding of the flock will occur. The need for entertainment will righfully be replaced with the desire to honor our Father. The felt needs we think we have, will melt away with the realization that our real needs are being met because we re letting God’s Truth, His Spirit, His word, work in us, instead of trying to replace all these things with what we think should be there. It really is about trusting in God, His word and His provisions for us.

Now, I’m not saying we are the only church in town with such and understanding. There are other parts of the body of Christ who are spot on, but this point itself sets us on the right path. And this is one of the key differences that set us apart from others in the evangelical world.

Day Four: Sermonizing on Prayer

This morning (Friday)  I decided I would spend most of the day working on my sermon for Sunday. This meant that I would also be praying a lot, since the sermon is on prayer. Reading about prayer always inspires me to pray more than usual.

I noticed this truth years ago when I was reading through John Calvin’s Institutes of Christian Religion, the section on prayer. I believe it is in the beginning of Book III. Getting through that section took me longer than any other part of the book because I kept putting the book down in order to pray. It was a wonderful lesson to learn.

The sermon I’m working on is the second one from Matthew 6, which deals with the way hypocrites corrupt the religious practices of charity, prayer, and fasting. You can listen to the sermon on charity here. The hard part is actually honing in on the definition of what a hypocrite is, according to the Bible. I think I finally got close:

But before we jump to the two ways the hypocrites make prayer an abomination, let us think through what it means to be a hypocrite?

Some would say that a hypocrite is someone who believes one thing and does another, or does the opposite. But the definition biblically is one who is pretender, or a stage-actor. The person is performing in a role, as if they were in a Greek play. This if fine for a play, but not for things of the faith.

Hypocrisy, when it comes to the faith, is a problem. The hypocrites were pretending to be godly. It wasn’t so much that they were believing one thing, and doing another. They were not believing at all, and acting as though they did believe.

It is actually worse than one who believes in Christ, but then fails in an area of our faith. In fact, when we fail, we actually affirms the truth that we profess: we are saved by grace through faith, yet, we still stumble and fall into sin.’

This reality is not hypocrisy because we do have faith. When we fail and repent, we are restored. This is typical for the Christian. I’m not trying to belittle our failures, but to show that hypocrisy is much worse.

They hypocrites didn’t believe at all. There was no faith in them. There is no belief in God at all. They were and are performing as if they are in the faith, yet they lack faith all together.

Therefore, the audience and the praise they hope to gain, becomes their god. Their praise and attention they seek, is their god. When it comes down to it, they themselves are their god.

Hopefully you can see that hypocrisy is more than just failing to do what we believe. It is the absolute absence of belief, but pretending in belief for the praise of others, instead of the honor of our Father in heaven.

 

Day Three: Lots of Yard Work

Today (Thursday) was perfect for yard work. The temperature in the morning was in the mid 70s, and it was overcast. So the sun was prevented from beating down on me as I worked.

I went immediately to work on the front flower bed. Since I hadn’t worked on it since last year, it was a mess. The joy, was ripping out weeds that I had been fighting for while. The work: there were a lot of weeds. But that was done, after about four hours of work. Why so long? Most of the soil was in its “mud form.” It kept caking up my tools and my boots, and I had to stop and break it free for my tools to function properly.

ADDED Bonus: as I was working on the flower bed, I found a Southern Oak sapling behind the biggest bush. I pulled it up, and decided to plant it in the lower 40 just to see if I could get it to grow. I haven’t had much luck transporting trees from one part of the yard to the other. I think this is because the two times I’ve tried, I didn’t take the soil with it. Hopefully, with enough TLC, this one will take root. See the picture below.

Relief came when Heidi called me to lunch. We had a Sloppy Joe salad. Yes, delicious. It hit the spot.

Who would have ever dreamed Sloppy Joes could have been added to a salad? Heidi. And she did it.

The movie of the night: Shawshank Redemption.

The quote of the day: J.C. Ryle.

“I hold salvation by grace as strongly as any one. I would gladly offer a free and full pardon to the greatest sinner that ever lived. I would not hesitate to stand by his dying bed, and say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ even now, and you shall be saved.” But that a man can have salvation without asking for it, I cannot see in the Bible. That a man will receive pardon of his sins, who will not so much as lift up his heart inwardly, and say, “Lord Jesus, give it to me,” this I cannot find. I can find that nobody will be saved by his prayers, but I cannot find that without prayer anybody will be saved.”

That is part of my sermon preparation on prayer. See Matthew 6.

All photos are copyright © Timothy J. Hammons, 2025. 

Day Two: Summer Vacation!

Coffee, breakfast and eventually a dash out the door is how today got started. I was hoping to take it easy since the rains came again. But alas, I remembered something I had to do.

Our church, Waco Reformed Church, has been meeting in my living room for about three months now, and we have to find a new location. Not only are we too crowded inside my living room, but Heidi and I have cats. You would know this if you follow along. When we got the cats, Pericope and Synecdoche, we had no idea we would end up with the congregation meeting in our living room. Wasn’t on our radar.

But providentially, this is how things are. What makes this more difficult is that we have two families in the church who have family members who are allergic to cats. This means finding a new place to worship is a top priority.

I committed to going by an older church this week and speaking to the pastor in the hopes that they would be able to allow us to use their building in the afternoon. Turns out, his congregation and another congregation are looking to merge. The building will be sitting empty if that happens. Details are sketchy, but we may be able to lease it. We are praying to that end.

AS for the rest of the day:

  • More projects completed.
  • Another episode of Band of Brothers watched.
  • A lot more rain and thunder, making my reading time more enjoyable.
  • Worked on my sermon for Sunday.
  • Fixed a cat toy out in the garage.

Here is my rain gauge.

Whoever Looks at a Woman — Gospel of Matthew Sermon #28

The sin of adultery is so great, that Jesus’ remedy for it, is to pluck one’s own eye out instead of falling into it. Now, we know He is using hyperbole, but this shows just how wicked adultery actually is. It is a sin against one’s own body, against the body of another, against the spouse who is being robbed, but more importantly, against a Holy God, in who’s image is being violated.

Here is the full sermon.

The Law and the Prophets — The Gospel of Matthew Sermon 26

When Jesus begins to preach the Sermon on the Mount, He starts with the nature of those who make up the Kingdom. Then, He turns to the Law and Prophets, showing that He is the fulfillment of both. He is not removing the Law and Prophets, but making it more effective for us.

One way to understand this fulfillment is to consummate the Law. We think of the consummation of a marriage when we hear the word consummate. This is actually helpful.

When the consummation of a marriage takes place, it doesn’t make the marriage go away, or the requirements of the marriage disappear. In fact, it brings the requirements of faithfulness, which should have been present before the marriage, to an even more important level in the marriage. Faithfulness in marriage, begins before marriage, and when the fulness of the marriage comes about, it heightens the need for faithfulness.

The same is true for God’s Law. The fulfillment of the LAW didn’t make LAW go away, but made it more important because Christ fulfills the Law.

This is what it means for Christ of fulfill the Law and Prophets.

Three Sermons on Head Coverings and More…

Women wearing head coverings in worship has become controversial here in the past few years. There are those who are steadfastly against it, declaring that it was merely cultural in Paul’s day, and now no longer necessary for women today.

For example, since I started putting this post together, Doug Wilson has come out with 21 Theses on Head Coverings For Women. You can read his position for yourself. But I would like to draw you attention to one of his points. Wilson asks:

Thesis #6: At Corinth, the men were covering themselves and the women were not. This leads us to wonder why.

Sixth, the men in Corinth were for some reason covering themselves in worship, because Paul tells them not to, and the women were uncovering themselves, because Paul makes a point of saying that if they pray during the meeting, or if they bring a prophecy, they must do so covered. What might those reasons be?

Apart from Doug’s added question, this is exactly what we believe the text to be saying. Men are not to pray covered. Women are not to pray uncovered. Wilson grants this point in this statement, and also shows that the issue is not cultural, because it is dealing with worship.

Those who oppose head coverings love to offer all kinds of cultural and Old Covenant references to show how coverings were viewed, and used, but miss the main point: Paul is telling the church in Corinth, and all the churches, what the cultural setting should be in the church, and he is rooting that cultural setting in creation.

Paul bases his arguments on creation, the hierarchy of Christ, the husband, and the woman, and for the purpose of the angels. In other words, it doesn’t matter what the Jews use to do, or what the Jews were doing. It doesn’t matter what the Romans used to do, or what they were doing. In fact, it doesn’t matter what the church has been doing today, but what we should be doing. Paul sets the culture for us, by rooting his arguments in the created order, and we are to submit to his instructions, as do all the churches (1 Corinthians 11:16).

We also believe, as Bnonn Tennant so beautifully shows, that only God’s glory is to be seen in worship, therefore, women are to cover their hair. Bnonn writes:

The way in which we worship matters. To have another glory on display—a glory that simply by merit of being present is competing with (H)is, suggesting itself as worthy of appearing alongside (H)im—is embodied blasphemy. And glory that is present alongside (Him) suggests also that we may worship the creature, rather than the creator, who is blessed forever! Amen—and is thus implied idolatry.

You can read the full article here. You can also listen to Bnonn and Smokey (Bnonn’s wife) answer questions to objections here. Most of the objections they address, will deal with the statements in Wilson’s article, and others as well.

Just by looking at what the text actually says, like I do in my sermons below, and what Bnonn and Smokey do, we answer most of the objections people have.

I am sharing the three sermons I have preached on the subject of head coverings from 1 Corinthians 11. I did this back in April and May of 2023 at Waco Reformed Church. Most of our congregation has since adopted the practice. However, even those who do not accept the practice, are welcome to worship with us.

You can also read other articles here and here.

 

First sermon: Head Coverings and Hierarchy

This first sermon not only deals with the hierarchy of those in the body of Christ, but also the culture in which Paul was working. It does answer the question: are head coverings a result of culture?

 

Second Sermon: Head Coverings and Prophecy

 

Third Sermon: Head Coverings and Glory

At Waco Reformed Church, we believe that it is right and proper for women to wear head coverings in worship. However, we accept that there are many men and women who are not convinced from Scripture to do so. Therefore we allow for those who are not convinced to act upon their conscience, as long as they don’t teach otherwise in our congregation.

The Salt of the Earth — The Gospel of Matthew Sermon 25

The Salt of the Earth

Now, I do want you to see the allusion. It isn’t a strong one, but I think it’s there. In bringing the new heavens and the new earth, Jesus shows us how this will happen: through His people being salt of the earth, and lights unto the world. The salt brings about the new earth. The light brings about the new heavens.

Jesus starts with the new earth.

“You are the salt of the earth…”

 

Abandoned By God

This was originally published June 15, 2013 when I was going through a dark period in life. Heidi rediscovered it through her Feedly account. I’ve revised it since the first publication, and republish it now because there are always more people going through similar situations who need the encouragement.

Recently, in the deepest part of the night, while facing struggles personal, and vocationally, I came to the point of feeling truly abandoned by God. The pain of loss, broken-heartedness and hopelessness truly gripped me and as I cried out to God I truly felt He had turned His back upon me. I felt completely rejected and dejected.

I’m not trying to be melodramatic, but life was so disrupted and out of sorts that I could see no real hope on this side of glory at all and truly felt as though God had turned His face away from me and left me to myself. I know that many will immediately react to such feelings and such a position, but I’m not the first believer in history to experience such a black moment in my life.

I was reminded of this as I was leading my Sunday school through the psalms and someone wanted me to go through Psalm 13. David starts with the words:

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

What comforting words they were to me. David was showing me that he too, struggled from feelings of abandonment. I was not the first, nor am I alone. A lot of people struggle from such feelings in their Christian walk, but because of some false pollyanna view of Christianity, we are not allowed to talk about it or admit to such dark feelings. So many, when hearing of such struggles, just want to pop off a quick verse about all things working together for good, and move on to the next happy moment. It is as if we are to ignore such dark feelings and break into a chorus of Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Please note the irony here. While singing of such a happy life, they are hanging from crosses and facing death. (See the video here.)

How many have struggled with such feelings and have been afraid to admit it, thinking that by having such feelings we are sinning against God? The psalmist was not sinning against God when he uttered such words. He was merely recognizing God’s active movement in His life. He was being honest before God about what he felt and before the all-knowing and all-seeing God of the universe.

Having such feelings and being honest about them can be a blessing if we will let them be. How so? These feelings show us that something very vital is missing to in our lives. We are missing the presence of the LORD. David had to endure this absence for quite some time and finally that absence leads him to say, How long, O LORD?

I thing what struck me about this reality is that often times when we enter into sufferings, we are OK with those sufferings initially because we know through such sufferings God refines us and purifies us. However, it is the “How long…” that trips up most of us. Suffering for a week, we can endure. Doing without something for a month, we can handle. But the prolonged period of suffering, where there seems to be no end in sight, that is what dooms many of us.

We are like David asking, “How long, O Lord?”

And that is safe to ask. It shows us that the answer to our pain and suffering are only going to be found in the LORD.

But David doesn’t just ask, How long? He also asks: How long will you hide your face from me?

This question is a matter of blessing for it is a blessing for the LORD to turn His face toward us. This is why the Aaronic benediction is so important in the believer’s life:

Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.  Amen

His face toward us is a blessing in the areas of our lives. For David, God had turned His face away and He knew the turning was the removal of blessing. For us, the blessing can be removed in our marriages, our jobs, our health, our country, etc.. There are many areas that God can choose to remove His blessing from us, so it is right for us to ask Him: How long will you hide your face from me?

Again, in asking the question, we are telling the LORD that we know all the blessings we have in every realm of life come ultimately from Him. We also recognize that those blessings have been removed for some time and that it is only through the LORD that the blessings will return.

So we petition the LORD in these dark moments, dark months, or dark years. If blessing is going to return, then it must come from the Father of lights.

How does David petition? Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes. He is asking for understanding. He is asking that God would help him understand why the blessing has been removed and why it has been so long since he had it.

The is the turning point for the psalmist. It is after that in which he proclaims: But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart rejoices in Your salvation, I will sing to the LORD because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Not that his situation has changed, or that blessing has been restored. But David, like us, realizes that God has and is blessing us even in the moments when we feel abandoned. By understanding God’s providential hand, we know that ultimately He will never leave us nor forsake us, even though we may feel like He has. Because we feel like He has, tells us of His bountiful blessing on us.

 

 

For Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven — The Gospel of Matthew Sermon 24

Preparation for Worship: Psalm 73:25-26

Call to worship: Hebrews 12:18-24 (Keep it, same as last week).

Reading of the Law: Proverbs 10:30-32 (Dichotomy continues: righteous and wicked)

AOPG: Isaiah 1:18; Hebrews 12:24

Old Covenant Reading (read first):  Ezekiel 47:1-5

New Covenant Reading: Matthew 5:1-10

(This is the inspired and holy word of God.)

Sermon – For Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

Introduction –

Our text reads: “He sat on a mountain…” I’ve tried to show that more is going on than meets the eye. If we remain in an elementary understanding of Scripture, we will never see the true richness of what Jesus is doing. This is why I spent much of last Sunday’s sermon showing the significance of Jesus sitting on a mountain, teaching the people of God.

This means something. It shows us the greater spiritual reality of what takes place when we gather for worship, on the mountain, with the people of God, sitting at the feet of our Savior.

He is the Temple of God. We are the building blocks of that Temple. When we gather, true worship takes place. When we gather, He feeds us, and gives us drink.

The Apostle John also hits upon this theme as well, but not directly.

John gives us another picture of this reality.

Revelation 21:2-6

2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Part of the already/not yet reality)

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” (Including us) And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

As Jesus sits on the mountain to teach, He is laying the foundations for this new city, this Tabernacle. He is setting up the fountain of the water of life, which we know from Ezekiel that it becomes a flowing river.

When Jesus started preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” the trickling of the river of life began. It then continued to grow into a stream. As Jesus teaches on the side of the mountain, that stream becomes a river flowing to all the people who hear. As His ministry continued, and He ascended into heaven, then the river flowed to the point that no one could cross it. It was too deep, too wide.

In other words, as we sit here this morning, the waters of life are a river that …(we) could not cross… for the waters of life flow around the world… the waters of life seek to sustain those who are citizens of the kingdom.

And it is the citizens of the kingdom that Jesus is speaking to.