For those who follow this blog regularly and for several years know of my love and deep respect for the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I daily receive her emails of the transcripts of her radio broadcast "Revive Our Hearts."
This week I was excited to see another favorite speaker, Richard Owen Roberts. I have written of him before on this blog.
He was the guest for three days sharing about how he was called to preach at twelve, his definition of revival and the main manifestation of a real revival.
The transcripts are too long to include here, but I am including the links to each day for you to read. Beside each link is a brief description of some of the topics of that day.
May revival come in our hearts and churches.
The Beauty of Holiness - his definition of revival, his call to ministry at the age of twelve, and the number one way of knowing what is revival is
Reversing the Decline - he shows why revival is possible in our day, further discussion about early influences on his life at the age of twelve, and encouraging parents to realize their nine-ten-eleven year olds have great ability to know God.
More Than Praying a Sinner's Prayer - tells the story of converted church members and how to know you are truly converted.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sermon Notes from Sunday, September 25, 2011
Here are the sermon notes from yesterday, September 25, 2011 "Talking Back to God" from Romans 9:14-24. Click here.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday night (9-21-11) notes from Galatians 2:11-21
I continue the teaching through Galatians on Wednesday nights. Here are the notes from last night "Standing Up for the Gospel" from Galatians 2: 11-21.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sermon Notes from Sunday, September 18, 2011
Here are the sermon notes from today, September 18, 2011 "God is God" from Romans 9:6-14. Click here.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Two sets of sermon notes from Sept. 7 and Sept. 11
This blog post is catching me up on two sets of sermon notes.
First, from Wednesday night, September 7 from Galatians 2: 1-10. Click here.
Second, I started again preaching through the book of Romans. I have been taking sections of Romans for the past five years and now I am starting chapters 9-11. (Click here to see some past sermons.) This past Sunday (9-11-11) I preached "God's Passion for Israel" from Romans 9: 1-5. click here to see the notes.
First, from Wednesday night, September 7 from Galatians 2: 1-10. Click here.
Second, I started again preaching through the book of Romans. I have been taking sections of Romans for the past five years and now I am starting chapters 9-11. (Click here to see some past sermons.) This past Sunday (9-11-11) I preached "God's Passion for Israel" from Romans 9: 1-5. click here to see the notes.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sermon Excerpts from 9-11 Memorials
From Tim Keller’s 9-11 Memorial Sermon:
One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff!
But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in – suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.
But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way: “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”
Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength.
From John Piper’s 9/11 Sermon:
The way I want to strengthen your hope this morning is not by glossing over how utterly vulnerable we are in our earthly existence, or by deflecting your attention away from the Biblical truth that God’s judgments fall on believer and unbeliever alike – purifying in some cases and punishing in other cases, depending on whether we repent and make Christ our Treasure instead of the idols of this world. I want to stare those realities of vulnerability and judgment square in the face with you and give you real, solid, Biblical hope. Not just hopeful feelings based on naive notions of earthly stability or escape from painful, purifying, disciplinary judgments.
So then, what is this hope and what is the basis for it? I’ll give you my answer, and then show you where I got it from the Word of God.
· Our hope is that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ, not suffering and not even death.
And the two foundations for this hope are the death of Jesus and the sovereignty of God.
· Our Savior and King, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to bear our sins, become our curse, endure our condemnation, remove our guilt, and secure our everlasting joy in the presence of the all-satisfying God.
· And the sovereignty of God over all persons and events guarantees that what Jesus Christ bought for us by his own blood will infallibly become our inheritance.
One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff!
But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in – suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.
But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way: “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”
Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength.
From John Piper’s 9/11 Sermon:
The way I want to strengthen your hope this morning is not by glossing over how utterly vulnerable we are in our earthly existence, or by deflecting your attention away from the Biblical truth that God’s judgments fall on believer and unbeliever alike – purifying in some cases and punishing in other cases, depending on whether we repent and make Christ our Treasure instead of the idols of this world. I want to stare those realities of vulnerability and judgment square in the face with you and give you real, solid, Biblical hope. Not just hopeful feelings based on naive notions of earthly stability or escape from painful, purifying, disciplinary judgments.
So then, what is this hope and what is the basis for it? I’ll give you my answer, and then show you where I got it from the Word of God.
· Our hope is that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ, not suffering and not even death.
And the two foundations for this hope are the death of Jesus and the sovereignty of God.
· Our Savior and King, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to bear our sins, become our curse, endure our condemnation, remove our guilt, and secure our everlasting joy in the presence of the all-satisfying God.
· And the sovereignty of God over all persons and events guarantees that what Jesus Christ bought for us by his own blood will infallibly become our inheritance.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
9/11 Prayer by Max Lucado
As we remember 9/11, below is an actual prayer that Max Lucado wrote for America Prays, a national prayer vigil held Sat., Sept. 14, 2001:
"Dear Lord, We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye and think, 'What a horrible dream.'
"But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream; and, dear Father, we are sad.
"There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost its priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor; and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only 3 years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)
"We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried; our innocence is buried, as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better, but we didn't.
"So we come to You. We don't ask You for help; we beg You for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what You can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories; and now we plead, 'Do it again, Lord. Do it again.'
"Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.
"And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
"You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.
"Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, You saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced. By dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.
"But You did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, You rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.
"We thank You, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank You for these hours of unity.
"We thank You for these hours of prayer. The enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before You; and he has no idea what You can do.
"Let Your mercy be upon our president, vice president, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.
"And look kindly upon your church. For 2,000 years You've used it to heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
"Through Christ, Amen."
"Dear Lord, We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye and think, 'What a horrible dream.'
"But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream; and, dear Father, we are sad.
"There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost its priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor; and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only 3 years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)
"We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried; our innocence is buried, as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better, but we didn't.
"So we come to You. We don't ask You for help; we beg You for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what You can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories; and now we plead, 'Do it again, Lord. Do it again.'
"Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.
"And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
"You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.
"Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, You saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced. By dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.
"But You did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, You rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.
"We thank You, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank You for these hours of unity.
"We thank You for these hours of prayer. The enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before You; and he has no idea what You can do.
"Let Your mercy be upon our president, vice president, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.
"And look kindly upon your church. For 2,000 years You've used it to heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
"Through Christ, Amen."
Friday, September 9, 2011
American Airlines Pilot Testifies about 9/11
This Sunday we remember 9/11. American Airlines Pilot Steve Scheibner signed up to be the pilot on AA 11 but did not make the trip. Hear his powerful testimony. It is a powerful testimony of the gospel of Christ. Listen to the entire 15 minute presentation.
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