application

God’s Purpose for Our Lives

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“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Psalm 138:8, ESV)

Sometimes many in the Christian Church are worried about God’s will and purposes for their lives. The aboce verse reminds us that even though our own future may be unclear, “the LORD will fulfill his purpose for me…” This is a reference to the intimate nature of God’s love for his people. God is “high and lifted up,” yet he is also “Immanuel, God with us.”

Yet, some still worry that perhaps God’s will includes elements that are distasteful and painful or that his will is not in alignment with what we might think is in our best interests.  The second line of verse 8 (“your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever”) directs our attention to the covenantal love and goodness of our God and Savior. Because of this, even when his will does include pain and suffering or seems, from our point of view, to lead where we do not want to go, we are assured that he will never “forsake the work of [his] hands.” The Lord’s ways are always the best. Leave your future in his stronger and wiser hands.

7 Take-Aways From Jesus’ Discipleship Lesson in Matthew 10:15-25

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“Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” (Matthew 10:15–25, ESV)

  1. Be courageous as you go into the world because you go as an ambassador of God (vv. 16, 20).
  2. Cruel hatred is often a part of a faithful witness (vv. 17-18).
  3. Through great trials will come great opportunities for the gospel (v. 18).
  4. In the pain and fear, never forget that God has not left you (v. 19).
  5. Faithfulness to Christ can drive a wedge in a family (vv. 21-22), but you must stand firm with Christ.
  6. In the midst of persecution, don’t lose sight of the Second Coming of Christ (v. 23).
  7. Being like Jesus is not only reflected in love and holiness, but it also includes great suffering (vv. 24-25).

The Ministry Is No Place for Lazy Men

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“The ministerial work must be carried on diligently and laboriously, as being of such unspeakable consequence to ourselves and others. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation, to attain the ends of Christ’s death, to save ourselves and others from damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, to set up the kingdom of Christ, and to attain and help others to the kingdom of glory. And are these works to be done with a careless mind, or a lazy hand? O see, then, that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well is deep, and our brains are shallow; and, as Cassiodorus says: ‘Here the common level of knowledge is not to be the limit; here a true ambition is demonstrated; the more a deep knowledge is sought after, the greater the honor in attaining it.’ But especially be laborious in the practice and exercise of your knowledge. Let Paul’s words ring continually in your ears, ‘Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! ”

—Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor

 

 

Help For New Expositors: Applying the Bible to Your Hearers

/ Richard Bargas / 4 Comments

Preaching

In some circles, there is a question whether the preacher needs to apply the Word of God or whether that is strictly the domain of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think there needs to be an either/or question about application. When John the Baptist preached about repentance, those who heard him asked what exactly they were to do to prove they had truly repented (Lk 3:10-14). John gladly gave specifics for each  group of people present. The fact remains that you are to bring the Word of God to bear upon the hearts and lives of your hearers. This is assumed in the preaching act.

  1. Find the universal principle(s) given in the biblical text. Some passages have clear applications while others you will need to find the timeless, universal principle that can be applied to your hearers.
  2. Meditate on how you will respond to the text.
    • Does this text impact your life?
    • What will you now do, believe, be thankful for or repent of?
    • If you can’t answer, neither will your listener know what to do, either.
  3. Think about your listeners.
    • Who are they? (What are their careers, education, marital status, children, etc.?)
    • What are they going through right now? (joys, trials, spiritual life)
    • How will this text impact them when they hear it?
    • Will it help them? How?
  4. Be pointed and specific.
    • Don’t fall into the trap of just telling people to “pray more” or “read your Bible more” or “have more faith.” Tell them how.
    • Be specific enough that they have a few ideas about how they can apply the text—this is helpful for the newer believer.
    • Be generic enough that the more mature believers can see other application in their own life outside of your suggestions.
    • Use “You” in your application. Don’t shy away from being the messenger of God. He is speaking to them through his Word.
  5. Point people to the Cross and the Holy Spirit
    • You don’t want to err into moralism, where your sermon application simply tells the listener to “be better” or “do more.” Unbelievers and believers alike need to know that the imperatives can only be accomplished because of Christ’s atoning work on the cross through the power of the Holy Spirit.
    • Preach the need for Christ to unbelievers who are unable to obey without salvation. If you do not, at best you will frustrate your hearers; at worst you will lull them into a self-righteousness that only condemns.
    • Preach the necessary power of the Holy Spirit for the believer to change.
    • Preach the Gospel! As Spurgeon said, “Make a bee-line to the cross.”

 

Find help for other sermon preparation skills here:

Sermon Preparation Checklist

Help With Introductions

Help With Illustrations

5 Words of Wisdom to Live By

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Old Bible

The other day I came across the first Bible that I purchased after coming to Christ. It’s old and worn with a cover that is coming off the spine. It served me well. As I looked through it, I found some notes from a sermon that I had heard that I had written in the back. I wish I knew who had spoken these words of wisdom, but there were so many godly men speaking truth into my life during this time that I don’t know who it would have been. Whoever the teacher may have been, the truth of those words still rings true.

  1. I must understand that God very much wants to communicate to me and control my life (Heb 1:1-2)
  2. I must approach the Bible knowing that God wants me to know truth and that he put it into writing (Ex. 24:14-16)
  3. I must have the conviction that although God used human authors that he also prevailed [upon] them, that what they wrote were the very words of God (1Cor 14:37)
  4. I must have the conviction that all of Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2Tim 3:16)
  5. I need to establish a daily pattern of reading & studying the Bible.
  6. I must read prayerful and with dependence on the Holy Spirit (1Jn 2:27)