Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on August 16, 2015

Open your Bibles to Psalm 6. Today we continue or series from the book of Psalms. Before we begin, I want to remind you that these Psalms are worship songs for the nation of Israel. Because of that we can this is God's hymnal, due to these Psalm being the inspired word of God. With this in mind, it is interesting how lament oriented these worship songs are. They are not necessary the upbeat dance mix that some Church's tend to use. Perhaps many of you have already noticed this, but many of these Psalms come from a place of brokenness. They are songs of desperation, and I find it interesting that God uses these times of brokenness to reveal himself. Today is another example of this. With that said, let us read out text, pray, and examine God's Word.

• Psalm 6 - “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. 3My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD—how long? 4Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. 10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.”
  
  

From Sin to Sorrow

Once again we have before us a Psalm of King David; King David who defeated lions, bears, and Goliath; King David who had songs sung about him of killing ten thousands; King David who led a nation and secured it borders on all sides. King David who ushered in the greatest days of historical Israel. King David who was potentially the most manly man of the Bible, yet in today’s text we see a different picture of David. We see a man who is an emotional wreck. We see a man who says in verse 6, “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” The old adage of “real men don’t cry” does not apply to David, for he was a mess. What broke this seemingly powerful, successful leader of a nation down to a puddle of tears? It was the sorrow of his sin.

In verse 1 we see David cry out to the Lord, “rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.” David is acknowledging his wrong doing before the Lord. He knows he deserves God's correction, but is hopeful God's rebuke comes, not from God's anger, but from God's love. His hope was that he would be punished as a child of God, not an enemy of God.

We are not sure what sins were on the mind of David when he wrote these words, but we can all recognize that he was a sinner. As we have said he was an adulterous murderer. In fact it is interesting that he now sheds these tear upon a bed, for it was his bed that was a common venue for the sins of his lustful heart. His actions have now come full circle and his sin has become his sorrow. This Psalm is a window into David’s recognition that he deserves rebuking, that he deserves discipline.

Clarity in Brokenness

How did David get to this point of recognizing his sin? Staying within our text, it appears from verses 7 and 8 it is due to the pursuit of his foes, his enemies, and workers of evil. It is in the midst of this circumstance that he cries out.

Who were these foes, we do not know specifically, but we do know that David’s foes were many. In Psalm 2 David’s foes were the nations. In Psalm 3 it was his third son, Absalom. Perhaps in this situation it was King Saul. For those who are unfamiliar with the stories, King Saul passionately hated David. Saul spent the end of his days attempting to kill David at all costs. Or perhaps the foes David now speaks of are the schemes of Satan, the cosmic powers, the spiritual forces that stood against him and the nation of Israel.

No matter whom these foes were, David’s circumstances caused him to reflect upon his right standing before God. In fact, the brokenness of his life caused him to think about the afterlife. Look at verse 5, “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” Sheol is the residence of the dead. The New Testament equivalent is the word Hades. Everyone who died prior to Christ’s resurrection went to Sheol. Perhaps the best description of Sheol is by Christ himself in Luke 16 discussing the rich man and Lazarus. Upon Christ victory on the cross, the elect who had already died were taken out of Sheol and ushered into the presence of God. For us today, because we live on the others side of the cross do not go to Sheol, but into the presence of God, where we wait for the day of judgment.

For today, what is important is not the logistics of Sheol, but that David's starts to dwell upon death. I think each of us can relate to this to some degree. I commonly say that in brokenness there is clarity. And by that I mean that when tragedy strikes the insignificant things in this world fade away and you dwell upon things that truly matter, like eternity. We see this in our own lives and in the lives of others. We also see it Biblically.

The first person we tend to think of when thinking about suffering is Job. In the midst of his tragedies that many of us can't even imagine he cried to the Lord. But there are others. For example, Jonah in the belly of the whale said in Jonah 2:7, “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.“ Then there is the thief on the cross, as he stared death in the face he cried out to Christ in Luke 23:42, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

When difficult time or even death comes knocking, our inner knowledge of God comes to the surface and in those moments we tend to recognize what is important in light of eternity and we cry out to God. Why is this? It is because the brokenness of this world breaks us, and in those moments we are humbled. And despite the pain, this is a good place for each one of us to be, humbled before the Lord.

Broken and Contrite

In perhaps one of David's most well know Psalms, Psalm 51, which is the Psalm he wrote regarding his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, he writes this in verse 17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

As we stated last week, God is a Holy, Holy, Holy and his power and his worth and his wisdom and his majesty is beyond our comprehension. Yet we so often approach him with arrogance our our breath, and when we do so we approach with great risk for Proverbs 16:5 says, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” God desires us to approach him with a humble hearts. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

One way that God does this is through our circumstances. In fact, the apostle Paul knew this reality very well. In 2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul says this about the circumstances of his life, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.“ So just like David, God allow the circumstances of Paul's life to put him in a proper relationship with the Lord.

In fact, many times I pray for brokenness in people's life, not because I desire to people to suffer, but because I want them to have their eyes open to the realities of God. I want God to rip the things of this world out of their hands so that they dwell upon eternity, so that they dwell upon Him. I want them to walk in the valley of the shadow of death, so that they would feel the rod and staff of the Lord our Shepherd.

Godly Sorrow

For David, this is exactly what happened. His circumstances that caused him to feel the weight of God's hand for his sin, also caused him to cry out to God in the midst of his pain. The proper posture before God was in fact achieved, and God was glorified through David's pleas. And we are told in verse 8 that God heard the sound of David's cries.

Now it should be noted that this does not always happen. Not everyone who stares death in the face repents and cries out to God. Some do and some don't. For example, two figures who dealt with brokenness wrongly were Pharaoh and Judas. Pharaoh, upon losing his first born son initially let Israel leave Egypt, but his decision was short term, for he pursued them to his death at the bottom of the red sea. Likewise, Judas, upon feel grief after betraying Jesus returned the money, but did not flea to Jesus, but instead fled to the grave by taking his own life. Why is this? Why does David cry out to God and find peace, but others do not? The answers lies in what type of grief you have.

• 2 Corinthians 7:10 - “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
  
  

David's circumstances produce a Godly grief, Judas' circumstances produced a worldly grief. Many people do not recognize that there is a difference, but there is. A worldly sorrow is one that is sad due to circumstances changing, for example sorrow because you are in jail because of stealing. Or you are sad because you are fired from work because you were caught in a lie. Your sorrow is not that you are sorry to God for your sins. You are sorry that you were caught. The sorrow of the world does not change one’s destiny. The wage of sin is still death. God will still require a payment for your transgression.

However a Godly sorrow has a different effect upon the heart of man. First of all, Godly sorrow is not a product of circumstances, as I said earlier, it is a product of God. God is the one who places his hand upon your heart so that you feel the weight of your sins before a Holy God. There are several verses that express this reality. One example is when Peter is preaching to the Sanhedrin, a group that did not appear to feel any grief for their actions

• Acts 5:29-31- “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”
  
  

Christ did not just come to forgive, but also to give the gift of repentance; to give people the ability to see that they are sinners in need of a Savior. The next place we see the discussion of the Godly sorrow leading to repentance is in Acts 11. This passage is very interesting because it is when the Jewish Christians who realizing that God was also the God of the gentiles.

• Acts 11:18 – “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
  
  

It was the presence of repentance, Godly sorrow, that was the evidence for the Jewish Christians. They knew that this repentance that was necessary to receive eternal life was not something that is manufactured inside a dead heart. Repentance is a gift from God, and the gentiles had received this gift, therefore God was including them. Lastly, and perhaps the most relevant to us today is found in 2 Timothy 2. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 2:24-26. This text is a good one for you to be familiar with.

• 2 Timothy 2:24-26 – “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
  
  

Once again, we see that it is God who gives repentance that leads to salvation. It is not something that man has the ability to produce within himself. It is a gift of God. God may, or may not give it, for he has mercy on whom he has mercy.

Having said that, we must recognize that this gift, at times, comes through the instruments of his servants. When evil is on display, the role of the servant of the Lord is to gently correct, not to ignore the sin. It is through this correction that God's spirit may or may not blow into the person's life.

Servant's of the Lord

One fantastic example of this involves David himself in 2 Samuel 12, when the Prophet Nathan confronts David of his sin with Bathsheba.

• 2 Samuel 12:1-6 - “And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,a and it was like a daughter to him. 4Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 7Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
  
  

In order for David to be restored, he had to humble himself before the God. He had to be broken and contrite. He had to feel the weight of God's Holy hand upon his heart, and confess his Sin to the Lord. Without repentance, David had no hope to have his cries for mercy heard by the Lord. How fortunate was David that God sent Nathan to bring him to his knees.

Cornerstone, we are Nathan. We have been sent into this world to cry out repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. In the midst of evil and sin that so greatly surrounds us, we must not ignore it, but with gentleness correct the sinner, in hopes that God would give them a heart of repentance.

Without Godly grief, no one will find life. Repentance must occur before the truth of Christ can be received. So often Christians, due to their timidity, or lack of Biblical knowledge leave out the need for repentance when sharing the gospel. They leave out the wrath and judgment of God that hangs above the sinner. When you do this, disciples are not made, Judases are.

Let us be like John the Baptist who was sent to preach repentance, not the health and wealth Gospel. Let us heed the call and preach the true Gospel, let us be like Nathan who loved God and loved David enough to tell him the truth.

 

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on July 26, 2015

Open your Bibles to Psalm 3. This is our third Sunday walking through the book of Psalms. For those who are visiting, we are currently in a series entitled “A Summer of Psalms.” Up to this point we have covered Psalm 1 and 2, and today we are going to unpack Psalm 3. With that said, let us read our text, pray, and then examine the Word of God together.

• Psalm 3 – “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. 1O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah 3But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 5I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah”
  
  

As we can see, Psalm 3 is credited to be written by David, the second King of Israel. As I stated several weeks ago, this is not unusual. King David is believed to be the author of nearly half of the 150 Psalms. This particular Psalm is written by David regarding a significantly dark time in his life. In fact, it is a darkness that very few of us can even imagine, for it is a time when David's son, Absalom is trying to kill him. In order to better feel the weight of this worship song, I want to provide the context behind David fleeing his Son. I think some of you, will be able to relate to this Father/Son tension.

Background of David and Absalom

The circumstances of surrounding David and Absalom are found in 2 Samuel. Perhaps the first place we should begin is by recognizing that King David was a great King, but he was also a great sinner. It appears that the main struggle for David was sexual immorality. Many of us are most likely familiar with his adultery with Bathsheba, but unfortunately this was just the tip of the iceberg. It is not entirely clear how many wives and concubines David had. In 2 Samuel 5:13 it merely says, “And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.”

One of these wives was named Maakah. She was a daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. From this marriage came David’s third son, Absalom. Also from this marriage came a daughter named Tamar. Now stay with me, David’s first son was Amnon. Amnon came from David’s marriage with Ahimoam of Jezreel. This is where the sexual immorality of David starts to have its generational effect. In 2 Samuel 13 we are told that Amnon, David's first son, lusted after his half-sister, Tamar. His lust was so great that he tricked her into believing that he was sick and when he had her all to himself he forced himself on her. 2 Samuel 13:14 says, “being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.” So like his father, David, he was not able to control his sinful urges. Immediately after Amnon lay with her, his lust turned to hate. Verse 15 says, “Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.”

A short time later, Tamar’s full brother, Absalom, found out what Amnon had done, and he hated him for it. His hate against Amnon burned in his heart for two years until, the sin that was crouching at his door overcame him, and eventually Absalom seized an opportunity and ordered his servants to kill Amnon. So as Cain killed Abel, we see Absaolom kill Amnon. The murder of his brother caused Absalom to flea to his Grandfather’s home, Talmai King of Geshur, and he remained there for three years.

Eventually Absalom returned to Jerusalem, not to seek forgiveness, but to instead seek the throne of his father, David. This may be a good time to talk about Absalom’s appearance. We are told in 2 Samuel 14 that Absalom was extremely handsome.

• 2 Samuel 14:25-26 – “Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him..”
  
  

I can’t help but see the connection of Absalom and our adversary, Satan. The Devil is described in Ezekiel 28 as the “signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” Likewise it states, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” Then in Isaiah 14:13 it says of Satan this,

• Isaiah 14:13 - “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
  
  

While in Jerusalem Absalom used his good looks and his charm to steal the hearts of the men of Israel. We are told in 2 Samuel 15 that Absalom would set himself by the gates of Jerusalem and proclaim day after day how life would be better if he was King, basically he was campaigning. He did this for a period of four years, and it worked. Absalom was able to turn the hearts of almost all of Israel. Eventually, when Abasolom believed he had enough support he made his move to conducted a coup of his father, David.

Because the majority of Israel seem to have sided with Absalom, David was forced to flee Israel with the remnant of those who were faithful to him. This journey out of Jerusalem was of great sorrow.

• 2 Samuel 15:30 – “But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
  
  

After David’s departure from Jerusalem, Absalom took over Jerusalem and the first thing that Absalom did was sleep with all of his father’s concubines on the roof of his father’s house. Next, Absalom choose twelve thousand men with the sole mission to kill his Dad, the anointed King of Israel.

Foes and Faith

Out of this difficult circumstances the Holy Spirit inspired David to write Psalm 3, and hopefully this context gives more weight to the first two versus that we see in Psalm 3:

• Psalm 3:1-2 – “O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah”
  
  

The struggle and brokenness of David is one that not even a Hollywood movie contains. A son raping a daughter, another son murdering your eldest son, an entire nation turning against you, forced from your home, and having 12,000 men committed to kill you. We can understand why David would be weeping as he left Jerusalem and thought about his trials.

Most likely we have not experienced the depth of David's circumstance, but I am guessing almost all of us have had trials that have allowed seeds of doubt to be planted. Perhaps it is a cheating spouse, perhaps cancer, perhaps financial struggles, perhaps a broken home. In the midst of our difficulties, we start to focus on the mountain that stands before us and it begins to block out our sight of God. Each day it feels like fiery arrows are being shot one after another at us, and we begin to wonder if God has forgotten about us, or even if there is a God. The battleground goes from being waged in our circumstances to being waged in our hearts, and the fight becomes ultimately a fight of faith. This is what was happening with David, as those around him spoke lies into his life.

One thing we can rest assured, you are not alone, for this is the life of a Christian. To be a follower of Christ does not mean that we are immune to diseases, free from financial burdens, or that everyone likes you. The preaching of Joel Osteen, and the health and wealth prosperity Gospel is a false teaching. When you read the Bible, this is abundantly clear. When you are God's chosen, like David was, life becomes harder. Prior to salvation the world loved you, for you were one of them. However, the minute you turned from the world and followed Christ, the current of this sinful world started to work against you. You started to swim upstream. On top of this, you know have enemies.

• Proverbs 29:10 - “Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.
  
  
• Matthew 10:22 - “you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”
  
  
• 1 John 3:13 - “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.”
  
  

As America continues to walk the road of Sodom and Gomorrah, the difference between Christians and non-Christians will become more and more apparent, and we will most likely see an increase of our foes. Slowly as their hearts turn, they will gain strength in numbers, becoming more bold to lash out out against us, and when the time is right attempt to destroy us. So what are we to do? Do we just sit back and wait? Hoping that we will make it to the end?

Cry Aloud to Yahweh

We are to do exactly what David did. Verse 4, “I cried aloud to the Lord.” The Hebrew word for the LORD when in all caps is the word Yahweh. This word comes from Moses's interaction with God at the burning bush when God declares himself to be the “I Am.” Yahweh who has no beginning and new end. Yahweh who is so great that he cannot be defined except by his own essence. Yahweh who created the heavens and the earth. Yahweh who flooded the world. Yahweh who struck down the Egyptians. Yahweh who we learned in Psalm 2 anointed David as King over Israel. In the midst of David's weeping on his walk to the Mount of Olives, he took his eyes off the circumstances and placed them on the Sovereign Lord.

I cannot help but see the similarity that exists between these events in Psalm 3 and Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest. Just think about the parallels. Christ is the rightful heir to the throne, however Satan, a creature, created through Christ had rebelled, seeking the throne for himself. Eventually the opportunity arrived and Satan entered in Judas, who then betrayed Jesus. Judas then leaves to amass a small army of foes to arrest Jesus, and what does Jesus do?

• Luke 22:39 - “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
  
  

Isn't that fantastic? We see Jesus going to the exact same place as David, the Mount of Olives, and he did the exact same thing, cried out to Yahweh. Jerusalem who just one week prior to Jesus' arrest was saying “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9) was about ready to turn against the anointed Son of God and cry out “crucify him, crucify him” Once again, just like David.

In the midst of their circumstances, what did David and Jesus do? They prayed. In the difficulty of the moment they sought the strength that was from above, and Yahweh who lives in Heaven, on his holy Hill, heard their cry and answered. He had not forgotten about them. He had not turned his back. He answered their prayer, but how.

How did God answer? Did he reign down fire from Heaven? Did he reduce the number of foes? Did he allow the cup to pass? Did he change their circumstances? No. For David, God shielded him and sustained him.

• Psalm 3:3 - “But you oh Lord are a shield about me.”
  
  
• Psalm 3:5 - “I woke again for the Lord sustained me.”
  
  

How does this work? We already talked about it briefly, but for David it was simply an act of God lifting up his head so that he could see the greatness of His God. And next to the greatness of God, David clearly saw that it was ridiculous to doubt God, and it is ridiculous to fear man. Of all people, David should know that when we are unfaithful to him, he remains faithful to his children. And it is believing this truth that allows us to win the battle raging in our hearts.

• Ephesians 6:16 - “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
  
  

The answer for David was found in faith in the Sovereign God who had chosen him. And for us the answer is the same.

The Fight of Faith

We have an enemy that is crouching at our door. When trials and tribulations come, as they always do, the battle over our heart begins. And this the is real battle. Satan desires to sift you and cause you to shrivel underneath your circumstances and drop your head and doubt the power and strength of God. Satan wants to destroy your peace, cause sleepless nights, and steal your joy. And when he does, we are not called to just weep, but to fight. We must fight the fight of faith, and this fight takes place first and foremost on our knees. We must utilize that armor that God has provided and cry out to him for a larger shield of faith so as to protect us from Satan's fiery arrows. Do not be a victim of your circumstances, but instead be victorious through the Grace of God.

• Romans 8:37-39 - “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  
  

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on November 30, 2014

Today we come to the end of a two month sermon series on the Doctrines of Grace. To end our series I want to review the doctrines, briefly, and then I want to talk more about why understanding these doctrines matter in your day to day Christian walk.

So in review, the Doctrine of Grace are primarily about God's sovereignty in our salvation. Meaning that from beginning to end, it is God who saves. God gets all of credit for for our salvation, and therefore God gets all the glory.

The acronym for the Doctrines of Grace spells TULIP. Let us quickly go over each doctrine. First there is Total Depravity. This doctrine summarizes the Bible's teaching that man is a sinner. That our hearts our desperately sick, that nothing good dwells in us, that every intention of our heart is only evil continually, that all our “righteous deeds” are like filthy rags, that we are wretched; therefore we have no ability in ourselves to save ourselves or come to Christ. Jesus said it very clearly in John 6:44 that , “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

Which leads to the next doctrine we talked about, Irresistible Grace. Irresistible Grace is the drawing of a wretched sinner to Jesus by God. It is the shining of the light of Christ into a sinners heart by God. It is the Holy Spirit blowing into our life, birthing us into spiritual life. It is God circumcising your heart. It is God taking out the heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh. It is God giving us eyes to see and ears to here. It is God opening our hearts to pay attention to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the God's overcoming our resistance to Him by his irresistible grace, we are without Hope to repent and place our faith in Jesus Christ.

This begs the question, how does God decided whose life he will pour out His irresistible grace? He does this by His Unconditional Election. This is the “U” in TULIP. Unconditional Election is the understanding that God, before time began, chose whom would be adopted into his family to be holy and blameless before Him. That God chose whom would receive His grace. This decision is a sovereign decision, meaning that God makes this decision with no outside influence. He is the only truly free decision maker in the Universe. God has mercy on whom he has mercy. This is not based on what we do, it is based on God's free, sovereign will.

Next we examined Limited Atonement. This is the Biblical doctrine that Jesus was sent to rescue the elect, the ones chosen by God. This teaches that Jesus actually saved a specific people. That his death was a particular death, with a personal application. Jesus did not die for an opportunity to be saved, but that actually saved people. Limited atonement is the teaching that Jesus came to die for his sheep and that there is no greater love that to lay down your life for a friend.

Lastly, we looked at the overwhelming passages that point to the wonderful truth that when God begins his work in you, He will complete it to the end. This is the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, otherwise known as eternal security. This teaches that when you are adopted into God's family, He doesn't later kick you out. He doesn't give you eternal life and then say, just kidding. He doesn't open your eyes, to close them again. He doesn't love you, then send you to Hell. Perseverance of the Saints is the reality of the forever love of God.

These are the Doctrines of Grace. The question we will now address today is, why does it matter? I would argue that it matters immensely. As I stated before, other than my conversion, there has been no greater revelation in my life than the Sovereignty of God.

In this sermon series I have already spoken of two reasons as to why the Doctrines of Grace matter. First, God receives all the glory in our salvation. When we accept the truth of the Doctrines of Grace in our lives we are left with only one response, to praise God for His glorious grace. The second result we examined last week is that the Sovereignty of God is the catalyst to the Great Commission. Like Christ who was sent to rescue His Bride with victory guaranteed, we as his brothers and sisters, take the baton and go to all nations to bring in the sheep that are scattered abroad, knowing that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation and Jesus' sheep will hear his voice.

Today, I want to continue to discuss why embracing the Doctrines of Grace matter. These doctrines are not academic. They are doctrines you should build your life upon. Today, I have ten reasons why I believe that we should care about these doctrines.

1. The Doctrines of Grace are what the Bible teaches
   
   

As I was studying these doctrines over the last two months, I ran across an author who said that when people ask him, “Do you believe in Calvinism?” His default answer is, “The question is not what I believe, the question is what does the Bible teach?” I love that statement. This must be our default answer. We must embrace these doctrines for no other reason than the Bible teaches us these things.

We must remember that God's Word is His revelation to man. Jesus tells us in Matthew 4:4 that it is God's Word that is bread to our souls. Jesus then tells us that in John 17 that it is God's Word that sanctifies us. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3 that God's word is what equips us and makes us competent for all good works. The Doctrine of Grace is are doctrines of God's Word. The doctrines are not academic, they are much needed rations for this spiritual battle we find ourselves in and we must allow them to have their full effect upon our hearts and minds.

1. The Doctrines of Grace are the Gospel
   
   

Not only are the Doctrines of Grace what the Bible teaches, but these Doctrines are of first importance. These doctrines are the core of redemptive history, for these doctrines are the Gospel. Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preaches, said these words about Calvinism.

“I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.”

1. The Doctrines of Grace Reveal the Greatest and Most Personal Love of God
   
   

As Christians we love to proclaim the love of God, and rightfully so. For we are told in 1 John 4 that God is love. The understanding of the love of God as directed to us is life changing, but I wonder how many people really understand the width and depth of God's love. The Doctrines of Grace are the fullest expression of the immensity of God's love. For only in these doctrines can we speak of an eternal love of God that began before time, a personal love of Jesus that cause him to die for you, and an enduring love of God that will never forsake us. No other theology, but reformed theology expresses this kind of eternal, specific and unbreakable love.

I did a lot of driving this weekend and we had a cd with Chris Tomlin's new song Waterfall on it. Perhaps you don't know this but Tomlin is a Calvinist, but in this song he says, your love is like a waterfall. And I was dwelling upon this phrase in connection to my sermon today and I thought, yes this is true, if you see the waterfall like Niagra Falls and not the the Cascades of the Maquoketa. It is the overwhelming and powerful love that pummels us and causes us to respond with reciprical and radical love for God and radical love for others.

1. The Doctrines of Grace Give us Assurance of our Salvation
   
   

What is so good about the good news? This is the question that Martin Luther wrestled with before his conversion. He was a Roman Catholic monk that hated his life. Why? Because he was always worried that he was going to lose his salvation, or that he wasn't holy enough to be in God's family. Is this the good news that Jesus proclaimed? Is this the truth that Jesus said will make us free? Absolutely not. The good news of the Gospel is the reality that Salvation is of the Lord. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to save his Bride completely. That his sacrifice was entirely sufficient to pay for all your sins past, present and future. The good news of the Gospel is that once Jesus rips you out of the arms of Satan, and does not hand you back over to the enemy after you make a mistake.

I recall one man who told me that he hated the weekends because he was always worried that he would lose his salvation. Whether it be thinking the wrong thought, watching the wrong movie, saying the wrong word, you name it. He never had peace in his heart. Does this seem like freedom? No it sounds like a prison.

1. The Doctrines of Grace Produce True Holiness
   
   

We read in Ephesians 1:4, “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.“ This verse captures all of redemptive history from beginning to end. The end is the destiny of the elect. If you are in Christ than your are guaranteed to be Holy and Blameless before your Creator. This is who you are. This is who you are in Christ. This truth is the looking glass self. Meaning that if you believe that Holiness is your destiny than you will strive for that Holiness right now. Being guaranteed to become like Christ is motivation to become like Christ. I think this is why Paul says this in Philippians 3

• Philippians 3:12-15 - “ Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.“
  
  

This is how we must think. We must realize that our end goal is perfection, holiness. It is what lies ahead, so let us think this way the next time you are tempted by Satan.

1. The Doctrines of Grace Produce True Humility
   
   

The Doctrines of Grace are the only theology that gives God all the credit from beginning to end for our salvation. It is all grace. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing to boast about before God. This is the other side of the coin regarding giving God all the glory. The most humble understanding of our salvation is Calvinism. All other theologies exult man. Other theologies make man sovereign over his destiny and God a servant to us, but once again this is not what the Bible teaches. God repeatedly tells us that He desires a broken and contrite spirit. The Doctrines of Grace provide such contrition.

And it is from this lowly state that God can begin to use us for His purposes. It is this posture of humility that gives us the ability to wash each other's feet, put other's interest before ours, take the log out of our eye, and acts as a guard against our sinful desire to lord over our brothers and sisters in Christ.

1. Doctrines of Grace Produces True Patience
   
   One of the fruits of the Spirit is patience, but what is patience? Patience is waiting on something that is certain to come. I don't believe patience exists if the future is up for grabs. The existence of patience assumes the sovereignty of God.
   
   

• James 5:7 - “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. “
  
  

This is what the doctrines of Grace promote, the understanding that God will do what pleases Him when it pleases Him. He is the one who brings the early and late rains upon this earth. As a Pastor who so desperately desires this community and surrounding areas to have their eyes open to the faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, I must patiently trust in God's timing and His pleasure. I must constantly remind myself that we plant and we water, but it is God who gives the growth, and likewise, he will have mercy on whom he has mercy. Without this understanding of God's sovereign plan for the redemption of His people, I worry that I would have already thrown in the towel. For what hope do I have, if salvation is not of the Lord, but it is of man.

1. The Doctrines of Grace Destroys Anxiety
   
   

One of the biggest issues in America, despite our wealth, education, and health is anxiety. We are the riches nation ever to walk this planet, yet simultaneously we are a nation of worriers. Why? Because we see ourselves as ultimately in control of our destiny. The problem with this, is that we know deep down inside that we have no ability to control anything. We place ourselves as our own sovereign, but we know we have no power. This is what free will theology teaches, that you are the captain of your own ship. It is no wonder that we are always worried about running aground. What is the solution to this anxiety? It is the sovereignty of God.

• Matthew 6:25 - “"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?“
  
  

Think about what Jesus said. Worrying does not add a single hour to your life. The Bible tells us that our days are numbered, every one of them. You will die when God wants you to die. You can take every precaution but you cannot change your fate. It is this understanding that has compelled thousands of missionaries into the mission field. The truly believe that there is no safer place than to be in the center of God's will.

1. The Doctrines of Grace Are a Fountain of True Joy
   
   

This Christmas season we will see or hear the word joy several hundred times. You will probably receive at least a dozen Christmas cards with the word joy plastered all over it. How often do you think about the source of this joy? Jesus says this to his disciples:

• Luke 10:19 - “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
  
  

Jesus tells them that their source of joy should be that there names are written in Heaven. What does that mean? In Heaven there is a book. It is called the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain. We are told about this book in Philippians and also in Revelation. In this book are names. These names are the people who will not be sent to Hell, but instead will be in the presence of God forever. Here is the interesting part. We are told in Revelation 13 and again in Revelation 17 that these names are written in this book before the foundation of the world and the names will never be blotted out. So Jesus tells his disciples to rejoice because your name was written in my book before the world began and no one will erase it and because your name is in that book you will overcome and your will reign with me in Heaven. This is your source of Joy!

1. The Doctrines of Grace Improve Your Prayer Life
   
   

It is interesting. Since I have been more outspoken about my belief in the Doctrines of Grace, I find myself in more and more discussion. People love to resist Calvinism, which I believe is more evidence that it is true. However, when I do find people resisting it, I usually ask them this question, have you ever prayed for the salvation of someone? Everyone answers yes. Which is good. We should pray this way, but when you pray that God would save someone you are praying for irresistible grace. You are praying for God to be sovereign over their heart.

All Christians pray like a Calvinist. Every single one of you. If you wanted to be consistent with your claimed theology of free will, then you would not pray for peace and comfort and revivals and conversions, because free will claims that God has no control over those things. But something deep inside us knows that this is not true. The Holy Spirit groans inside of us to pray for hearts to break for Jesus, and this is a prayer that we need to pray more often.

As we stated earlier, I want us to be praying about the month of December. I want each of us to pray like a Calvinist. Pray that God would open the eyes of your neighbors. Pray that God would draw them to Jesus. Pray that God would cultivate their hearts and make them good soil to receive the Gospel. And pray like you believe He can do it.      

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, Iowa on June 8, 2014.

Today we find ourselves in Matthew 6:5-9. Today marks the second week in our four or five week sermon series on prayer. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get right to work.

• Matthew 5:5-15 – “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
  
  

Prior to the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says these things about prayer:

1. Prayer is assumed. Verse 5, “When you pray.” Every son and daughter of God should talk to their Father. Period. If you aren’t praying regularly it is a sign of a strained relationship with God.
   
   
2. When you pray it is between you and God. No one else. You are to do all you can to direct your heart and your mind to be in His exclusive presence.
   
   
3. Prayer is not about words as much as it is about your heart. Jesus explicitly commands us not to pray vain with repetitious prayer. Don’t heap up empty words. Pray from your heart, not your lungs.
   
   

After these words on prayer Jesus then gives us an example of how to pray.

• Matthew 6:9 – “Pray then like this:”
  
  

I want us to consider for a moment what is happening. Emmanuel, God with us, God incarnate, Jesus Christ is giving us an example of words that should be springing forth from our heart and out of our mouths. God is telling us how His children are to speak to Him. This is, once again, a window into what God sees as supremely important to Him and should be to us.

Having said that, how often have you taken your prayers and lined them up to the Lord’s prayer? As I stated earlier, prayer for Christians is assumed. If you are a true child of God, you will pray to him. You should pray without ceasing. When you pray, are your prayers “like this” or like something else? If not, why not? Are you praying wrongly? Perhaps.

• James 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
  
  

Today, let us commit, not only to being people of prayer, but those who pray with a right heart. With this said, what do we see in the Lord’s prayer? First, I want to draw your attention to structure. Jesus splits the prayer into two parts. The first half you see the primary focus being on God.

• Matthew 6:9-10 “…hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done,”
  
  

The second part you see the primary focus on us.

• Matthew 6:11-13 - “Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts…lead us not into temptation,”
  
  

I do not believe that Jesus is random, and I do not believe in coincidences. Jesus is intentionally giving us both a specific and general example of how we are to pray. In our petitions we should focus on God first and then ourselves. The irony is that when we put God first, we are actually the ones that are rewarded.

With all of that under our belt, I want to work through the Lord ’s Prayer verse by verse and word by Word. Therefore today, we are going to examine on verse 9.

• Matthew 6:9 – “"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
  
  

First let us look at the first two words of the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father.” As you can see, the word is “our” not “I.” The example Jesus gives us is a corporate prayer, a group prayer, a family praye. Just a few verses earlier, Jesus told us to “go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” And now he starts the greatest prayer in the Bible as “our.” Is Jesus schizophrenic? No. As I said last week, praying in secret is a matter of your heart and mind, not about individualism. Prayer can and should be both an individual endeavor and a group endeavor. God desires, and has always desired, that His chosen people would pray together.

• 2 Chronicles 20:4 – “And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. “
  
  
• Joel 1:14 – “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”
  
  
• Acts 1:14 – “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
  
  
• James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
  
  

It is time to lay down our Christian individualism, as if there is such a thing, and become the family God desires us to be. Come Wednesday night to prayer meeting. Come with an Acts 1 and a James 5 heart. Let us devote ourselves to prayer, confessing to one another praying for one another. If Wednesday night doesn’t work in your schedule find others and commit to pray with them over lunch or early mornings before work or school. Let us pray like Jesus says to pray and be able to say “our.” Not just “I.”

The next word that I want us to meditate on is “Father.” This word has become empty to us as it relates to God. In the days of Jesus, this was not the case. Calling God Father was highly unusual, prior to Jesus. Only a handful of times in the Old Testament is God referred to as Father. However, when Jesus comes onto the scene that changes dramatically. Father becomes the primary way that the Christians address God. To us this title is second nature, but to the Jews during the days of Jesus, it was enough to start a war. Jesus coming into the reality was the tipping point to this transition. Why? Because it is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that we have the right to address God as Father. It is his blood that signs our adoption papers.

• Ephesians 1:5 - “he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,“
  
  

This is the amazing thing about what is unfolding in this moment. Jesus is teaching us to pray a prayer that is radically intimate, and he is the only means by which we can achieve it. Without placing your trust in Christ, you can't say “Father”, without faith in Christ you can't say “our”, without believing in Christ this prayer is completely pointless to you. It doesn't matter how often you repeat it like a broken record, without Jesus Christ you might as well be reading off a cereal box. Jesus is the cornerstone to everything, even this prayer.

When we begin our prayer with “Our Father” we are saying something overwhelmingly profound and wonderful . With these two words we are placing ourselves on the lap of our Father, and this is by far the greatest gift we can fathom. The Almighty, Sovereign God of the Universe, is our Dad, and he wants us speak to Him with this on our lips and on our hearts.

With this said, what does God want us to request?

• Matthew 6:9 – “"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
  
  

The first request that our Dad wants us to make to Him is that His name be hallowed. First let us ask the question, what is in a name? The answer is everything. The name of something is a summation of who they are. When you speak of me, you speak of all of me. Every thought, every action, every attribute, and every emotion. When we speak of the name of God we are likewise speaking to everything He is. God's name is a description of all of Him. Nothing else completely describes Him.

Next, what does it mean to hallow. Hallowed means to be sanctified; to be holy.. To set apart as not common, sacred. What does that look like. It looks like Isaiah 6.

• Isaiah 6:1-4 - “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
  
  

To hallow God means to see Him as completely other. To stand before Him and to see Him on His throne high and lifted up. To recognize His majesty, His authority, His power, His sovereignty. To see Him in all His glory, and to respond in worship. This is what it means to hallow our Father, and Jesus tells us that when we pray we should have this be our first request, and yes, I say request.

When Jesus says, “Hallowed be Thy Name,” it is not a statement of fact. It is a petition. It is a request. Jesus is saying, “Father, make your name hallowed. Father, make your name Holy. Father, let your majesty, your authority, your glory be seen and revered. Father, cause us to see you high and lifted up and cause us to worship you! This is what “Hallowed be your name” means, and this is the first request that Jesus tells us to pray to our Father.

I want us to think about something for a second. This prayer is Jesus' example of how we are to pray in the midst of life. Let that sink in. Life is a mess. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Life consists of cancer, broken hearts, financial stress, deaths, loneliness, anxiety, stress; the list goes on an on. Life is broken, and Jesus is not oblivious to this. In fact, Jesus is more intimately aware of this than an of us. He gets your pain, and with that in mind, Jesus says to start with God's Holiness. This is to be first on your heart, despite the storm of your life.

Why? Why would God put our pain on hold, for the hallowing of his name? Perhaps he knows something we don't. In fact, what are we told in verse 8?

• Matthew 6:8 - “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
  
  

So yes, God does know something we don't, or at least He knows something and He is trying to teach us. The truth is that our greatest need, no matter what our circumstances, is that God would be hallowed in our lives. What you and I need more than anything is a heart that sees the awesomeness of our Dad.

When we approach our Father with tears in our eyes and brokenness in our hearts, and crawl up on his lap and seek His face, what we need more than anything in that moment is to feel the sovereign, all powerful, arms of God wrapped around us. We need to know that our Dad is an awesome God. We need to recognize that there is nothing that is outside His control. That he is able. We need to feel his love and his strength. The hallowing of God in your life, puts everything into its proper perspective.

When we do this, when we hallow the name of God in our lives we, we find joy in the midst of our suffering. We find peace in the midst of the storm. We find contentment in the midst of all circumstances. We are able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, for God's rod and his staff comfort comfort us.

The hallowing of God is the foundation of our lives. We are designed to stand upon the foundation that is the Holiness of God. Too often, instead of planting our feet upon the rock of God's sovereignty we seek the quick fix of the removal of the thorn.

Here is the question that I will leave all of us with today, do you believe it? Do you trust Jesus in the example that He gives? Do you believe that your greatest need is the hallowing of God's name in your life? Do you believe that the deeper you go in the hallowing of God's name the higher he will lift you above the waves crashing against your boat?

We are told not to put God to the test, but we are told to trust Him. So I say to you today, trust Him. Change how you pray, put God's glory upfront where it belongs.