Kevin Tucker

Pastor Matt Pierson

Stir Up / Christ the King Sunday

1 Chronicles 16:8-36

“You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to you. Come Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness.” – Augustine

1 Chronicles 16:8-36

• David’s Song of Thanks
• On the occasion of the ark being placed in the tent in Jerusalem
• The ark had been on an approx. 100 year journey
• David appointed that “thanksgiving be sung to the Lord.”

David’s Song of Thanks found also in the Psalms:

• 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 = Psalm 105:1-15
• 1 Chronicles 16:23-33 = Psalm 96:1-10, 11-13

Indicatives of 1 Chronicles 16:

• He is a covenant-making and a covenant-keeping God.  (v. 15, 16)
• He is a saving God.  (v. 23, 35)
• He is a God who remembers.  (v. 15, 19-22)
• He is an everlasting God.  (v. 36)

Imperatives of 1 Chronicles 16:

• Give thanks to the Lord
• Seek the Lord
• Remember His wondrous works and His covenant
• Tell of His salvation
• Declare His glory
• Worship the Lord

Christ the King offers:

1. Grace for our past
2. Courage for our present
3. Hope for our future

“Because in no other person but the historic Jesus of Nazareth has God become man and lived a human life on earth, died to bear the penalty of our sins and been raised from death and exalted to glory, there is no other Savior, for there is no other person who is qualified to save.”
– John Stott, The Authentic Jesus

“Christ’s way of life is a holy attack on everything that leaks the brightness out of our lives or detracts from the promised joy of our faith. It demolishes anything that promises liberation but, in fact, imprisons us in boredom. Following Him evokes a life pursued heartily and meaningfully.”
– Eugene Peterson, On Living Well

“Before we pray, ‘Lord, Thy kingdom come,’ we must be willing to pray, ‘My kingdom go.’”
– Alan Redpath

The reality of Christ the King coming to us doesn’t mean the darkness doesn’t exist, but it does mean there is one greater than the darkness who has come, who has defeated death, our greatest enemy, and has promised to return to make ALL things right.  

Call & Response
1 Chronicles 16:8-13, 34

A:  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; Make known his deeds among the peoples!

B:  Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Tell of all His wondrous works!

A:   Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

B:  Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His presence continually!

A: Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgements He has uttered.

B:  O offspring of Israel His servant, Children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

ALL:  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His steadfast love endures forever!

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
– Acts 3:19 (NASB)

Pastor Jim Thomas

1 & 2 Kings: The King of Redemption History

1 Kings 11:14-43

When All is Said and Done…

1. We need a better king.
2. The God of the Bible is sovereign over all human history and faithful to all His promises.
3. God’s judgment and discipline do not negate God’s promises.
4. Jesus Christ is the King of redemption history

“Those who decline to respond to God’s goodness by repentance, and faith, and trust, and submission to His will, cannot wonder or complain if sooner or later the tokens of His goodness are withdrawn, the opportunity of benefiting from them ends and retribution supervenes.” 
– J.I. Packer, Knowing God

“And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of his father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 
– Luke 1:31-33

“And it is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men,
And knowledge to men of understanding.
It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness,
And the light dwells with Him.”
– Daniel 2:21-22

“A time of social upheaval and chaos such as ours is likely to send even the most devout Christians into despair unless they can place the terrifying flux of life in the earthly city against the unchanging reality of the sovereign God Himself.” 
– Carl R. Trueman, Protestants Need to Go Back to Basics

“When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.”
– C.H. Spurgeon

“Corporate worship is designed to humble you by pointing out the depth of your need and enthrall you by pointing to the glory of God’s promises.” 
– Paul Tripp

“God’s forgiving love to me in Christ is a sheer marvel that passes all comprehension. Only where we understand His wrath, do we understand the might of His love. It is as we understand His love that we know that His wrath is just.” 
– Lesslie Newbigin, Signs Amid the Rubble: The Purposes of God in Human History

“Christ is everywhere throughout the Old Testament. It speaks of Him explicitly and implicitly, in promises, patterns, types, hints and images. Through these various ways, the Old Testament reveals and anticipates the richness of His character:  His work, His life, His glory, His hope, His might, His love, His suffering, His wisdom and so much more, and it does this all before the historical event of His incarnation.” 
– Scott Redd

Pastor Jim Thomas

Proverbs: The Wisdom and the Ways of God

• Humility: The One Virtue I’m Really Good At
• Humility: The One Virtue My Spouse Needs More Of
• Humility: 7 Easy Steps to Humble Someone
• Humility: Why It’s Not Always All About You
• Humility: How to Get Over Yourself
• Humility: The Trouble with Self-Esteem
• Humility: The Joyful Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

Proverbs 11:2  

When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 15:33  

The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

Proverbs 15:33  

The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.

Proverbs 16:18  

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

Proverbs 16:19  

It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 18:12  

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.

Proverbs 22:4  

The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.

Proverbs 26:12  

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 29:23  

A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud… If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”
– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” 
Matthew 23:12

1. Humility before God

“Thus says the Lord to Josiah, ‘Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words . . . and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the Lord.”
2 Chronicles 34:27 

“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:4

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
James 4:6

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. “
James 4:10

“I wish I had got a bit further with humility myself: if I had, I could probably tell you more about the relief, the comfort, of taking the fancy-dress off – getting rid of the false self, with all its ‘Look at me’ and ‘Aren’t I a good boy?’ and all its posing and posturing. To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of water to a man in a desert.”
– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

2. Humility about ourself 

“Humility… means you don’t interpret everything in relation to yourself, and you don’t need to. It is the death of the narrow, suffocating filter of self referentiality.”
– Gavin Ortlund, Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness

“How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it.”
– G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy 

3. Humility toward others

“The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself. Not needing to connect things with myself. It is an end to thoughts such as ‘I’m in this room with these people, does that make me look good? Do I want to be here?’ True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self forgetfulness.”
– Tim Keller, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 
Philippians 2:5–8

“Christ is the humility of God embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us.”
– Andrew Murray, Humility

Jim Thomas, Senior Pastor

Mark 4:35-41

1. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we will always have smooth sailing.
   • Storms of Correction
   • Storms of Perfection
2. Following Jesus does mean we will always have a Savior to turn to.
3. When you have a healthy fear of God, you don’t need to have an unhealthy fear of anything else.

Who is Jesus?

How should we respond to Jesus?

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

“Thinking people know that the problems facing us – bewildering in their number, magnitude and complexity – are beyond us. Only a return to the living God who created us, sustains us and can remake us through Christ, and a recovery of the authentic Christian faith in its biblical fullness and contemporary relevance, can enable us, with confidence and without fear, to look forward to the Year 2000 A.D.”

– John Stott

“‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen

you, surely I will help you; surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

– Isaiah 41:10

“‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.’”

– Isaiah 43:1-2

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

– Proverbs 1:7

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

– Proverbs 9:10

“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.”

– Proverbs 10:27

“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have refuge.”

– Proverbs 14:26

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.”

– Proverbs 14:27

“The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.”

– Proverbs 19:23

“When pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Scotty Smith, Guest speaker

Guest speaker Scotty Smith teaches through Matthew 26:1-29.  As the plot to kill Jesus takes shape, He gathers with His disciples and institutes the Lord’s Supper – an event we commemorate in the Church to this day.

Scotty Smith is Teacher in Residence at West End Community Church in Nashville, TN, and Pastor Emeritus at Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.

Pastor Jim Thomas

Matthew: The King and His Kingdom

1. We must beware begrudging the generosity of God’s grace towards others. (v. 1-16; “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard”)
2. The paradox that the cross becomes the power of salvation (v. 17-19)
3. Our endemic lust for privilege, prestige and power (v. 20-28)
4. Jesus shows compassion on all who cry out for His mercy. (v. 29-34)

Matthew 8:18-27
Ryan Motta

SERMON NOTES

Outline of Matthew 8-9 

• 3 miracles (8:1-17)
• 2 teachings on Discipleship (8:18-22)
• 3 miracles (8:23-9:8) 
• 2 teachings on Discipleship (9:9-17)
• 3 Miracles (9:18-34)

“The man wanted to follow Jesus, but not just yet. He knew it was good and that he should do it, but he felt there was a good reason why he could not do it now. If the scribe was too quick in promising, this ‘disciple’ was too slow in performing.”
– D.A. Carson

“When Jesus speaks, leprosy, paralysis and fever obey. The question is, do you?”
– David Platt 

Exhortations

1. Following Jesus involves our unconditional trust.
2. Following Jesus involves our undivided affections.
3. Following Jesus involves His unfailing presence 

“Following Jesus may mean losing everything in this world. This is another problem with the prosperity gospel – it makes Jesus a means to an end. You come to Jesus to get health, wealth, or anything else you want; just fill in the blank. The problem is that you shouldn’t come to Jesus to get stuff; you come to Jesus to get Jesus. You may lose everything in this world, but He is enough.”
– David Platt 

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
– Philippians 3:8

“Most of us have chosen heaven over hell, but not many of us have chosen heaven over earth.”
– Erik Reed 

Our faith is not that trials and hard times will never come our way. 

Our faith is confidence that no matter whatever kind of storms, winds and waves come your way in this world, the God of the universe will be right there in the boat with you.