Last Sunday, Matthew preached from Phil. 1:12-18, where Paul looks his suffering in the eye and rejoices at how it served to spread the kingdom of God. Why could Paul rejoice in the face of suffering? Because he had a supreme ambition for the glory of God and saw how his ambition was fulfilled through his suffering. Paul was bound in the chains of a Roman prison. But the Word of God was not bound. His witness spread the gospel throughout the Imperial Roman Guard, who in turn spread the gospel throughout the city of Rome. Not to mention the inspiring effect of Paul’s faithful evangelism on the Roman church. Both in outward witness and inward example, Paul’s suffering served to advance the gospel. That’s what he cared about. That’s what mattered most to him. And that’s what must matter most to us. If our ambition is God’s ambition, then there’s no circumstance where our ambition cannot be fulfilled, suffering included. Which means we’ve discovered the secret to joy in all circumstances.
Here are a few questions for application:
- What is your supreme ambition? Don’t just give the “right” response. How can you tell? Simply look at what you find joy in more than anything else.
- How is God giving you opportunity amidst present suffering to testify to the gospel? To yourself? To others?
- What examples can you look to of Christians who are suffering to the glory of God? If you can’t think of any, what does that say about your pursuit of Christian community? If you know at least one, what can you do to learn from them?
- How has God used suffering to refine your ambitions in the past, purifying you of lesser, rival ambitions that might otherwise rule your heart?
Hope you all enjoyed a restful Memorial Day with friends and family. I’m grateful for the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy. God help us to not take that for granted! Here are a couple application questions to consider from the sermon Sunday on Lamentations 4 and 5.
- Does the reality of God’s judgment make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?
- How does any suffering in this life serve to warn us that judgment is real?
- Where else are you prone to run in the face of suffering besides God?
- How can your cry for mercy in present suffering be marked by thanksgiving? Gratitude? A supreme desire for God?
Last Sunday we looked at the parable of the wicked tenants in Luke 20 and saw how you can’t play the game we call life and avoid dealing with Jesus. Matthew ended the sermon with two application questions to consider:
1) Is there any area of your life that you haven’t submitted to the authority of Jesus? Why or why not?
2) Is Jesus Christ the cornerstone of your relationship with God? How can you tell?
Last Sunday, I preached on the parable of the unforgiving servant from Matt. 18:21-35, exploring what gets in the way of practicing the costly forgiveness Gene spoke on the week before. We saw how Jesus helped Peter understand that he who knows he is forgiven much will forgive much, but he who forgets he is forgiven much, forgives little. The primary roadblock to biblical forgiveness is a self-righteous heart that minimizes the extent of our moral indebtedness to God and exaggerates our ability to pay Him back. Bitterness (the opposite of forgiveness) grows in the soil of self-righteousness. Only by remembering the great chasm between our sinfulness and God’s holiness, and rejoicing that Jesus Christ has completely paid ALL our debt, can we maintain the humble gratitude necessary for forgiving others the debts they owe us. Here are a couple application questions to consider:
- Am I grateful for the gospel? Not cognitively. Not theoretically. In the depth of my heart, is gratitude for what Jesus has done for you through his death and resurrection alive and growing?
- Do you think of yourself primarily as someone who owes God a great debt (that has been forgiven in full!) or as someone who is owed a debt by others? Which is larger in your eyes - your debts or your debtors?
- Where in your circle of relationships do you see evidence of self-righteousness? Do you have a relationship where bitterness has taken hold as a result? What’s your next step in humbling yourself and pursuing reconciliation?
On May 16th, I had the privilege of baptizing Jone Kruger. As we were having some technical difficulties we were unable to share her video testimony Sunday morning. Please watch and be encouraged!
Frontline teens and their families are invited to cheer on the Richmond Flying Squirrels together on Saturday, May 1st. Meet us outside the Diamond at 6PM. Registration ends March 30 so sign up for $5 today!!
Click on Nutzy the Flying Squirrel to get started!
Church family and friends,
God has a way of changing our plans at times, doesn’t he? After being unable to meet last weekend, I was especially looking forward to meeting together tomorrow. Sunday is my favorite day of the week!
Due to the continued inclement weather, however, all Saturday and Sunday events have been cancelled. I’m grateful that ultimately the weather testifies to our Father’s sovereign control over all things (Ps. 147:16), reminding us of the divine power and authority at work in every detail of our lives. No matter the situation, He’s on the throne!
Here are a couple suggestions for redeeming the time this weekend:
- Gather as a family to sing, read Scripture or pray together. It doesn’t have to be formal. Have the youngest family member read a few verses (Ps. 145-150 are good places to start!), then talk about what they say about God, our need for Him, and His care for us.
- Invite a friend or neighbor to come over for a movie or to watch the Superbowl. Snow days are a great opportunity to reach out to unbelievers with the love of Jesus.
- Throw a few logs in the fireplace and dive into a good devotional book that will help you know and love the Savior. If you’re like me, there’s a large “waiting to be read” stack on the bookshelf. We’ll see how far I can get through C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters!
- FOR GUYS ONLY - Get up early and make breakfast for your family or roommates. I personally recommend a good Southern approach, including omelets, grits, bacon and toast.
I pray God refreshes each of you this weekend as we rest in His sovereignty. As my good friend Gene would say, “Snow is God’s way of inserting a little margin into our lives.” And for that I give thanks!
Grace to you,
Matthew
Bolivia Missions Application Deadline
Also, due to the cancelation, the Bolivia Missions Trip application deadline and team meeting have been postponed from this Sunday to next Sunday, February 14th. The meeting will be at noon, following the Sunday Morning Meeting.
Community Groups kicked back into high gear last month after the August break, including several new or reorganized group. The most significant change has been the creation of 3 new CGs designed for single adults as part of our Resolved ministry. Tim & Gail Emerson, who lead one of the singles CGs, shared the following encouraging testimony with me from a recent meeting!
“Our new singles community group has been meeting for a few weeks now. We’ve been excited to see God at work, especially around the Resolved message series, and the idea of thinking rightly about God. A few weeks ago we met to discuss Keith’s message on the Holiness of God. Thinking about God’s majesty, I was convicted that my life was spent more focusing on the shiny trinkets of life. We ended up praying for the last 15 minutes of the meeting that God would reveal himself to us. It seemed like everyone left wanted to know God in a deeper way.
Last week we one of the members asked for prayer that they would know God personally and not just intellectually. We had a good discussion on how God wants to reveal himself to us in our day-to-day lives. We’re praying that God continues to work in our hearts, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does over the next few months.”
Thanks for your leadership, Tim!
Written by Matthew Williams
I spent last week attending the WorshipGod09 Conference hosted by Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. Bob Kauflin, director of music and worship development for Sovereign Grace, hosted the conference entitled, From Generation to Generation. Each of the main sessions highlighted a different foundation doctrine related to corporate worship that must be transferred to the next generation. I was particularly affected by John Piper’s message unpacking the glory of Christ as the heart of worship and a seminar panel led by Todd Twining that discussed ways to identify and train future worship leaders. Michael Souders, Peter Emerson and Josh Dixon were able to attend with me. I’m so grateful for how God has blessed our church with a number of men passionate about helping others magnify the Savior through song! Main session message are available for free download by clicking here and will encourage your heart, whether or not you play a musical instrument.
Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of the annual NEXT conference are the times of worship through song at the beginning of each main session. 
In addition to providing the fantastic messages online, the folks at NEXT have also given us another way to “take the conference home with you”. This past week, Sovereign Grace Music released a download-only live album of songs that were sung at the conference. This album has some great songs that we’ve done on a Sunday morning (such as “Oh the Deep, Deep Love” and “God Over All”) as well as some new favorites (like, “I Need You, Jesus” and “The Name Above All Names”) that help us worship the Savior through song with sound lyrics and enjoyable melodies. To download the entire album (13 songs for 5 bucks!) visit http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/
