Sermon Notes from Two Words based on Psalm 78:3-7
Here are my sermon notes from my message today at Hesston MB:
Two
Words—2/18/18
1
Timothy 5:1-2 & Psalm 78:3-7
Introduction: 24 hours ago this message was not
written. I received a voice mail from Pastor Brad on Friday night at 5 p.m.
while I was at the basketball game. He
thought he was getting better but his fever had returned. I told him, I would take care of the message. I began to pray. I asked others to pray. Why?
Because I know my personality. I
am planner. I prepare weeks before I
preach. I go over a message several
times before I preach it on Sunday. But
I was reminded of my own words from last Sunday:
·
Many
will walk away from a sermon like this and get busy trying to do the actions by
trying harder, doing more. Our actions must be centered on WHO not just the
WHAT. Timothy would do the things written
by Paul not because he was good, worked hard, was well educated, well trained,
but because an all-powerful, loving, good God had transformed Him and empowered
him by the Holy Spirit.
·
I needed to practice what I preached. I
needed to NOT rely on my preparation, my training, my routine and instead rely
on God to direct me. So as I arrived in
my office on Saturday morning, I was led to two specific passages both of which
were things I had been thinking about: one related to this morning’s
parent/child dedication & the other a prayer by Paul in Ephesians that was
part of the lesson I was teaching in Go Deeper Hour.
Let me start by reading the passage that Brad had
planned to preach and then we will go from there. Read 1
Timothy 5:1-2.
·
These verses are connected to what I
preached last week. I dislike Chapter
numbers. They break up thoughts. Remember the verses and chapters were later
additions to the Bible-they are not part of the infallible, authoritative, inerrant
word of God.
·
The people (older men, younger men, older
women, younger women) needed to be corrected.
For what? Look at 4:16-their doctrine and if you remember,
I said last week there is only one doctrine that saves and that is the gospel.
·
So, Paul is instructing Timothy to correct
those in the church without being harsh, with respect and with purity. Their doctrine is wrong, but that does not
give them (and us) an excuse to be jerks.
Preston Sprinkle has said on several podcasts, “we can get doctrine right,
but our posture can be very wrong.” I agree. We in the church like to be right,
but often our posture (how we correct, how we disagree, how we speak, how we
treat others) has been wrong. This is so evident in what we post on social
media and how we disagree with others in the family, in the church, in the
community and beyond. Our disagreement with others does not give us an excuse
to treat them without kindness, respect and love.
·
So this morning I am going to focus on two
words that we often get wrong: law and
gospel and we will use Psalm 78:3-7 as the text.
Gospel
(Vs. 3-4)
·
Gospel is what God has done.
·
Listen to this tweet from this week from
Michael Horton “I am a
Christian, not because I think I can walk in Jesus's footsteps, but because He
is the only one Who can carry me. I am not the gospel; Jesus Christ alone is
the Gospel.
§ Jesus
(Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension)
·
fulfilled the law in our place, perfectly
obedient
·
Cross-defeated sin, death, Satan, our
substitute, sacrifice, righteousness, victory, intercedes for us, Sits at right
hand of God
·
Vs. 3-what we have heard & known, what
our fathers have told us
·
Vs. 4-We will not hide them from their
children-We will tell the next generation
o
Praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power,
wonders He has done
LORD- Hebrew divine name, YHWH. Yahweh is used in a number of phrases which are considered names
of God.[1]
Literally I AM-not just who He is but what He does.
·
Yahweh Rapha (Healer)-Exodus 15:26
·
Yahweh Rohi (Shepherd) Psalm 23:1
·
Yahweh Jireh (Provider) Genesis 22:14
·
Yahweh Shalom (Peace) Judges 6:24
·
Yahweh Tsidqenuw (Righteousness) (sid-k-na)
Jeremiah 23:5-6
·
Yahweh Shammah (is There) Ezekiel 48:35
·
Yahweh M’kaddesh (Sanctification)
Leviticus 20:8
o
Them--Praiseworthy
deeds of the Lord, His power, wonders He has done
§ God’s
Covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15), Joseph-saving of many lives, Moses &
Crossing Red Sea (rescue)
o
Us--Not
forget his deeds-what has been DONE (Gospel)
§ Gospel’s
Message is Because-Therefore
§ Keeps
his covenant, his promises-Faithful when we are faithless
§ Spirit-never
alone, guides us to truth, empowers us
How
about you? Write down a few ways that
you are thankful for the gospel (in Scripture & in your life)
Law (Vs. 5-6)
·
Vs. 5-Decreed statutes for Jacob, law in
Israel
·
Vs. 5-Commanded to teach their children
(10 Commandments, imperatives (do))
o
The law’s message is If-Then
o
The law tells us what to do, but does not
have to power to bring about change.
o
What is purpose of law? To crush us, point
us to need of a Savior
§
Galatians 3:19, 21, 24-25 19 Why
then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring
should come to whom the promise had been made.21 Is the
law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been
given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
24 So then, the law was
our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith
has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
o
The law is good, right, and holy. God’s
way is best.
o
The law speaks not just to behavior but to
the heart (motives)
o
The law is absolute. Be perfect (Sermon on
the Mount) not just progress.
·
Vs. 6-Passed on to future generations who
would tell their children (multi-generational)
·
Vs. 7-Trust in God
o
Would keep his commands
§ Because
they were told, because they worked hard, because they were good, because they
were afraid of punishment if they didn’t obey
§ If
they bore God’s works (remember the Gospel), they would be the more disposed to
obedience.[2]
§ Out
of delight not dread (Byron Yawn), gratitude not obligation
·
Closing:
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians and for us: 14 For this reason
I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the
riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his
Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length
and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.20 Now
to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
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