Sermon "Singularity of God" from Sunday, June 29, 2014

I continued my series of messages on the Attributes of God with this message "The Singularity of God" based out of Deuteronomy 6:1-9.

The notes can also be found here.


The audio and sermon notes are below:

25 Maps That Will Change The Way You See The World

Worship in a Selfie World by Stephen Miller

Wow. God really met with us in worship tonight. The room was just so full of his presence. One of the most intense times of worship I have ever experienced.

This caption came across my Instagram notifications a few weeks back.

I was curious to see the photo this student had taken to commemorate his experience. I never would have expected a picture of a young man standing in front of a mirror in his bathroom with a bewildered smirk on his face.

Yet there he was, a duck-faced teenager staring at his bathroom mirror, smart phone in hand. What this had to do with how much he loved worshiping Jesus was a mystery to me.

This Is Our World

This is the world in which we live, the world of the selfie. The world where people take something that is not about them and make it about them through the lens of their camera.

Grown men pose with their best “Blue Steel” smolder while the tip of Paris’s breath-taking Eiffel Tower protrudes from the side of their heads like a tiny, awkwardly placed steel horn.

Teenage girls attempt their cutest look while a singular stone column of Rome’s ancient, awe-inspiring Colosseum is barely visible in the background.

We are not seeing the world through their eyes so much as seeing their eyes blocking the world.

Maybe I am alone here, but I would much rather see a picture of Niagara Falls than a face obstructing my view of it. Niagara Falls is not about us. It is majestic. It demands the full frame for viewers to feel even just a little taste of the awe of something grander than themselves.

Selfie-Type Worship

This is exactly what we are doing when we attempt to make corporate worship about us. Our sinful hearts want to fill up the frame of God’s glory with our faces. Our flesh wants to distract us from the infinite worth of a holy God who has invited us into his presence to behold him and be made like him.

This selfie type of worship constantly tries to infiltrate our churches, causing us to value sentiment over substance, emotional hype over emotional health, or musical preference over meaningful proclamation.

When the content of our songs and prayers are saturated with me-centered themes and thoughts, we are buying into the lie that worship is about us. To be sure, our faces are in the frame, but they are a spec of sand on the beach of a vast ocean of beauty and holiness. To focus on the spec would be silly, if not outright madness.

God-Focused Worship

When we gather for corporate worship, we are ascribing worth to the only worthy one, and lifting him to the place where he alone belongs, on the throne of our hearts.

As we do this, he is with us in a very real way. This is not a hypothetical situation — God is with us. There is no greater privilege on earth for the redeemed and adopted family of God than getting to stand in the presence of God and worship him in Spirit and truth through his Son.

In doing so, we are building up and encouraging one another, reminding our own hearts of who God is and what he has done, and proclaiming it to a world that desperately needs to see him for who he is.

This is neither done by singing about ourselves, nor obsessing over our preferential feelings.

He Must Increase

If we are going to learn to worship in a selfie world, we must continually look beyond our musical preferences, sentimental nostalgia, and contextual idealism, in order to gaze with wonder and awe at the character and acts of our mighty King and Savior.

We must saturate our services and songs with his word and wonder at his wisdom, will, wealth, works, and ways. He is the God who created planets and stars, and he holds them all in his hands. He made electrons and protons, atoms and elements, gravity and inertia. Everything that has been made was made by him and through him, and before any of its foundation was laid, he chose to redeem and adopt us in Christ. This is too massive to be minimized with me-centeredness.

May we all resist the temptation to fill the frame with our face, but rather fill our minds with his eternal glory, and never stop repeating the refrain of John 3:30:

“He must increase. I must decrease.”
“He must increase. I must decrease.”
“He must increase. I must decrease.”

Sunday, June 15, 2014 Sermon "God As Father"

I continued the series of messages "Who Is Like Our God?" based on the Attributes of God with this message on Father's Day, June 15, 2014 "God As Father" from Luke 14:8-11.

Here are the notes of the messages.

Here is the audio of the message and the pdf of the message is also included below.

The Importance of Baptism by Charles Stanley

The Importance of Baptism Read | Matthew 3:13-17 Children will frequently identify themselves with superheroes or other characters. For a time, they will adopt the mannerisms, dress, and speech patterns of their current favorite. As Christians, we are supposed to identify closely with Jesus and emulate His actions. The Lord has commanded us to follow His example in all things, including baptism (Matt. 28:19). At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist was calling Jewish people to confess their sins and demonstrate repentance through immersion in the Jordan River. The Son of God—who had no sin—asked John to baptize Him. Jesus was affiliating Himself with sinful man. When we follow His example in the waters of baptism, we are publicly confessing our faith in the Savior and identifying ourselves with Him. By participating in baptism, we demonstrate our connection not only with Jesus but also with our brothers and sisters in the faith: We are all members of one body under the authority of the same Lord (Col. 1:18). It is important to remember that baptism is not a requirement for salvation; only faith in Jesus Christ is (Eph. 2:8-9). But in order to be obedient, we’re to be baptized after making the decision to follow Him. Belief in Jesus is not something to be hidden away like a light under a bowl (Luke 11:33). It should be expressed in words and actions. Have you matched your confession of faith with the act of baptism?

Sunday Sermon, June 8, 2014

Pastor David O. Cofield, CrossRoads Baptist Church, Rogersville, AL began a new series of messages on Sunday, June 8, 2014 on the Attributes of God under the title of "Who is Like Our God?"  This first sermon is on the Sovereignty of God.

The sermon notes are embedded in with the audio under the PDF icon.  Or you can see them here.

The audio of the message is here:

Who and What is the Southern Baptist Convention? by Jedidiah Coppenger

“The Southern Baptist Convention is made up of many individuals, churches, and entities. Although most people understand the term Southern Baptist Convention to refer to the ongoing cooperative efforts of Southern Baptists, it can also be understood as referring to the annual two-day meeting. At this convention, messengers from Southern Baptist churches approve, adjust, or disapprove budgets, committee appointments, resolutions, and more. Though there is no literal convention for the balance of the year, denominational entities carry out their respective responsibilities until the next annual meeting.

The SBC is made up of more than 16 million members who hold membership in 44,848 autonomous, local churches.(1) By calling the churches autonomous, we mean that they make their own decisions on staffing, budget, and program. No one outside the churches holds this authority.

These churches join in 1,200 local associations. Associations place churches in close-knit networks for reaching an area. Some of these associations are supported by the state conventions, while some are not.

On a larger scale, the churches assemble in 41 state or regional conventions.(2) The state conventions (such as those of Alabama and Indiana) or regional conventions (such as those in New England and the Pacific Northwest) join with the associations in such efforts as evangelism training, church planting, Cooperative Program promotion, campus ministry, camp programs, and in many cases, they establish their own children’s homes and colleges.

Finally, Southern Baptist churches partner together at the national level, with several entities: six Southern Baptist seminaries, provide theological education— Southeastern in Wake Forest, North Carolina; Southern in Louisville, Kentucky; Southwestern in Ft. Worth, Texas; Golden Gate, in the San Francisco, California, area; Midwestern in Kansas City, Missouri; and New Orleans in, of course, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Besides the six seminaries, the SBC also has an International Mission Board, which sends and supports missionaries all over the world; an Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, providing resources and leadership on ethical issues; Guidestone Financial Resources providing financial planning, insurance, and annuities for church and denomination staff members; a North American Mission Board, supporting the state conventions in evangelism, missions, and ministry, such as disaster relief; an Historical Library and Archive, preserving the denomination’s heritage and assisting scholars in their studies; LifeWay Christian Resources, the SBC publishing house, with “biblical solutions for life”; and an Executive Committee coordinating the day-to-day functions of the SBC. In addition, the Women’s Missionary Union serves as an auxiliary in promoting missions.

The doctrinal center of this massive effort is the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, expressing what Southern Baptists believe the Bible teaches about itself, and about God, man, Jesus, salvation, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, to name seven of its eighteen topics. While there are many things that are not covered in this document, Southern Baptists do believe that it addresses the key issues needed for cooperation.

The funding mechanism Southern Baptists use to support their various entities and ministries is called the Cooperative Program (CP). Established in 1925, the CP depends upon the undesignated gifts given to it by Southern Baptist churches. By unifying the funding, the CP provides a workable way through which tens of thousands of like-minded churches can cooperate for the advancement and application of the gospel.

Just as every family determines how much money to give to the local church, each Southern Baptist church determines how much to give to the Cooperative Program. Each state convention, then, determines how much money to keep in state and how much to send on to the national level. The SBC then divides the dollars it receives among its entities…. On average, state or regional conventions keep 63 percent of every CP dollar, while sending 37 percent on to the national level.

Of the money that reaches the SBC, 50 percent goes to the International Mission Board (IMB), 22.79 per- cent to the North American Mission Board (NAMB), 22.16 percent collectively to the six seminaries and the Historical Library and Archives, 1.65 percent to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and 3.40 percent to the Executive Committee.(3)

Assuming the average state allocation, each CP dollar sent from the local church is divided along these lines: 63 cents for the state, 18.5 cents for the IMB, 8.43 cents for NAMB, 8.2 cents for the six seminaries, .61 cents for ERLC, and 1.26 cents for the Executive Committee. Guidestone, LifeWay, and the WMU do not receive CP funding.

It is also worth mentioning that there are a number of special missions offerings that take place throughout the year. The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering goes directly to the North American Mission Board and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering sends all its money directly to the International Mission Board….

… A basic understanding of the Southern Baptist Convention should provide Southern Baptists with a great sense of appreciation and ownership. The massive denominational effort did not come about easily and it will not stay faithful easily. We have all been given a gift. But this gift comes with responsibility. Southern Baptists must take ownership of their roles, asking the hard questions that our predecessors were willing to ask. With a laser beam focus on the advancement of the Great Commission, we must ask what the SBC should look like from top to bottom in order to be effective and faithful in the twenty-first century.”

Excerpt from my chapter in Retreat or Risk: A Call for a Great Commission Resurgence.

Notes

1. See www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp (accessed Feb. 10, 2010).

2. See http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.asp (accessed Feb. 10, 2010).

3. See http://www.cpmissions.net/2003/CPStatistics.asp (accessed Feb. 10, 2010).

Southern Baptist Convention starts tomorrow in Baltimore

The two-day annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention starts tomorrow in Baltimore. You can watch the proceedings live here.

The annual Pastor's Conference started last evening and goes through tonight.  You can watch it here

Financial Wisdom: How to Spend by Charles Stanley

Financial Wisdom: How to Spend Read | Philippians 4:11-19 God entrusts each believer with a share of His resources. And like any wise overseer, He gives His stewards guidelines for how best to use His wealth: • The Essential Expense. A believer's wisest money management decision is to set aside the first portion of income for the church. As we promote and provide for God's work in this way, He protects what is left (Deut. 26:2; Mal. 3:10-11). • The Next Priority. God promised to supply for our needs (Phil. 4:19). We get necessities like food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and schooling mainly by paying for them with what He provides. • Pursuit of Godly Goals. Next, we're to use money to meet the Lord's goals for us and our family. He may lead us to invest in education, start a business, or purchase a particular item—whatever it may be, instead of "floating" through life, believers should seek and pursue God's will. • A High Calling. Giving to the needy is an investment in God's kingdom. While we should not promote laziness, a gracious act to a poor man "lends to the Lord and He will repay . . ." (Prov. 19:17). • Uses for What's Left. Last on the list is fulfillment of desires. Believers who delight in the Lord also obey Him. He then blesses them with good things that fit His will for their lives (Ps. 37:4). Good stewards manage the Father's resources by asking Him, "What is Your will for the wealth that You have given me?" You'll be amazed at how fulfilling it is to live according to biblical principles. Even a little money seems like more than enough when you spend it as the Lord intends.

Sunday's Sermon of June 1, 2014

This past Sunday I concluded preaching through the book of Ruth with this sermon from Ruth 4. There is no audio of the message; only notes.

Click here for the notes.

R.C. Sproul Proves that God Does Not Exist

I gave a lecture once at an Orlando conference where the whole point of my lecture was to deny, as emphatically as I could and as categorically as I knew how, the existence of God. And when I began that lecture I said, "What my task is today is to convince you folks that God does not exist." "Uhh?" came this gasp from the crowd. "What are you talking about? What kind of game are you playing?" "I'm not playing," I said, "The worst thing that could ever happen to us is to discover that God exists...in the specific meaningof the term exist." Because the term exists in our language has derived etymologically from the Latinexistere—ex means out of, and stere means to stand.

So somebody who exists is somebody who's outstanding, but outstanding in what sense? Well what was meant by this word philosophically centuries ago, going all the way back to Plato and before Plato, was the idea that there is being, pure and simple. And pure being depends on nothing for its ability to be. It is eternal, it has the power of being within itself; it is by no means creaturely.

The thing that characterizes creaturely existence is not being, but becoming, because the chief character trait of all creatures is they change. Whatever you are today, you will be different ever so slightly tomorrow. And today, you're that much different from what you were yesterday if it's only that you are 24-hours older than you were at this time yesterday.

Now the idea of existence says to exist is to stand out of something. And the idea meant to stand out of being. So that something that exists is something that has one foot in being, and the other foot in becoming, or in non-being. Unless it's connected somehow to being, it couldn't be. We wouldn't be humanbeings, we would be human becomings. And if it had both feet in being, it couldn't be a creature. Well the point I'm saying is that we don't want to think of God like this.

If you ask me, "Is God?" I say, "Yes of course God is." But does He exist? Not in this sense, because that would make Him what? A creature, a dependant, derived existence. But rather we say God is here [pointing on board to being]. God is being, not becoming, not changing. He is eternally the same. And so we say there's one being.

Now within that being are not three separate existences. Remember the difference in the prefix. Existmeans to stand out of being or non-being, but the word that the theologians use with respect to the trinity is not the word three existences, but three subsistences. That is, underneath the pure being of God, at a lower dimension, we must distinguish among these subsistences which the Bible calls Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Not three existences, not three beings, but rather three subsistences within that One eternal being.