Stability in Unstable Times

 Temple Baptist Church - 4-21-2024

1 Corinthians 15:58

Introduction:

 

A.  The Corinthian Church was a carnal (fleshly) church and spent both their time and resources upon their natural, temporal desires.  Paul loved this carnal, worldly church as it is the only one that Paul expressed his love for.

 

1 Corinthians 16:23-24  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  (24)  My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

B.  Chapter 15: 1-49, Paul speaks of their great salvation through the gospel.  Verses 50-57, the victory that has been won as one day all the church of God will be at home.

 

C.  The Holy Ghost admonishes the church to be heavenly minded in verse 58 because the real treasures are those that are eternal, not temporal.  The therefore ties this verse to the preceding verses and is a summation or conclusion.  His plea is based upon our blessed position in the body of Christ, the hope of His soon return in the rapture, and our eternal change. 

 

D.  “My” denotes ownership.  “Beloved” denotes our dearness to both the Apostle and our Saviour.  “Brethren” denotes a family relationship which is important because our dependence is not only upon the Saviour but also upon each other!

 

1.  Steadfastness – deals with the possibility of quitting - Galatians 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  (People are quitting on every hand.  Pastors, missionaries, evangelists, SS teachers, soul winners, church workers, etc.)

 

2.  Immovability – deals with the possibility of being swayed - 2 Thessalonians 2:15  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.  (We are in the midst of the “falling away.”)

 

3.  Abounding – deals with possibility of sitting down instead of serving - 2 Corinthians 9:8  And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work.  (The closer to the end of the church age, the more we should labor.  Unfortunately, it is just the exact opposite is true.)

 

4.  Knowledge – deals with the understanding that our labor is not in vain - Matthew 10:40-42  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Though we are in the gleanings stage or the Days of Noe, God is still in control of the harvest)

 

5.  Reward – God will certainly reward us with fullness - 2 John 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (full reward) for our labors (Parable of those who labored through the heat of the day for a penny while others entered the fields much later and received the same.)

 

ALL OF THIS IS GOING TO TAKE TWO THINGS:

 

1.  It Takes A Real Conversion – 1 John 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

 

2.  It Takes A Real Conviction – Jesus is coming again just like He said!

 

SOME THINGS WE NEED TO CONTINUE IN:

 

1.  We Need To continue In One Accord

 

Acts 1:14  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

 

2.  We Need To Continue In Prayer

 

Acts 1:14  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

 

Colossians 4:2  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

 

3.  We Need To Continue In Doctrine

 

Acts 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 

1 Timothy 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

 

2 Timothy 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast earned them

 

4.  We Need To Continue In Fellowship              

 

Acts 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 

5.  We Need To Continue In The Grace of God  (Salvation’s Message)

 

Acts 13:43  Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

 

6.  We Need To Continue In Encouragement

 

Acts 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

 

7.  We Need To Continue In Soul Winning (Both at home and abroad)                                                                                                                   

 

Acts 26:22  Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great

 

8.  We Need To Continue To Live Godly

 

Romans 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

 

9.  We Need To Continue Contending For The Faith

 

Galatians 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

 

10.  We Need To Continue In Service

 

James 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Return Unto Thy Rest, O My Soul

 Temple Baptist Church - 8-20-2023

Psalms 116:1-8

 

Introduction:

 

A. In many of the Psalms, we find the man of God in distress because of either his surrounding circumstances or the oppression of the wicked.

 

B.  In verses 1-2, we find the love of the psalmist for the LORD.

 

1.  He knew Who he loved.  “the LORD”  Jehovah God, the One who would be Israel’s Messiah, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!  We love Him because He first loved us and gave Himself for us.

 

2.  He knew why he loved Him.  Not only did Jehovah God love man, but also, He heard his cry.  His prayers and supplications.

 

C. Despite these verses that I read, we find a sorrowful saint.  Verse 3 describes the depths of his sorrow. 

 

1.  Our Battles are Long and Hard

2.  Our Way is Rough and Weary

3.  Our Tongues are Bitter and Complaining

4.  Our Spiritual Eyesight Dimmed 

5.  Our Hearts Ungrateful and Selfish

6.  Our Soul Disquieted

 

D.  In this life, we find much in the way of sorrow and trouble but, thank God, there is a better day coming!

 

Revelation 21:3-4  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  (Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!)

 

E.  Verses 4-6.  His supplication.  “O LORD”  He cries out to God for deliverance yet fails to trust God to do so!

 

F.  Verse 7.  I want to call your attention to verse 7 for a minute.  The Psalmist said, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul!”

 

1.  His soul has left a promised rest. Matthew 11:28-29  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 

a)  “I will give you rest” vs. “ye shall find rest”.  Though God has promised rest, there are times when we do not seek that rest and become restless in our souls.

 

b)  He beseeches his personal soul (in which he should have control of) to “Return” to its place of rest.

 

2.  Return unto thy rest, O my soul”  Return means that there is the possibility of our soul leaving a promised rest.  You cannot return to what you never had.

 

G.  Our spiritual rest is not to be based upon our circumstances.

 

1.  There are times when we lay down at night and sleep flees.  Our minds remain active while our body tries to sleep.  I hate those nights as I peep at the clock a dozen times and wish for the day.

 

2.  There are times when we worry about or dread things that are coming and sleep flees.    Our REST is found in the LORD.

 

Psalms 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

 

H.   We NEED rest.

 

1.  Rest In Our Salvation - Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

2.  Rest In Our Service – 2 Corinthians 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

 

Mark 6:31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

 

3.  Rest In Our Stand - Jeremiah 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

 

4.  Rest In Our Spirit – 2 Corinthians 2:13  I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

 

5.  Rest In Our Sanctuary - Acts 9:31  Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

 

6.  Rest In Our Saviour - Matthew 11:28-29  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Troubled Hearts

 Temple Baptist Church - 10-17-2021

John 14:1-6

 

Introduction:  My message this morning will be simple in content and yet profound in practical application. There will be no great “depths of theology,” but rather a simple, down-to-earth message geared to help each of us.

 

A.  I believe that all of God’s people, at one time or another-in one way or the other, have troubled hearts. 

 

1.  Moses, a man who spoke to God face to face, was troubled.  Numbers 11:11  And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

 

2.  David, a man after God’s own heart, was troubled.  1 Samuel 27:1  And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

 

3.  John the Baptist, the greatest preacher born of woman, was troubled.  Luke 7:19  And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

 

4.  Paul, the greatest missionary who ever lived, was troubled.  2 Corinthians 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

 

5.  The list could go on but I think we all get the message.  There are times when each of us has a troubled heart.

 

B.  One of the signs of the last days (I know that this verse is speaking of the Tribulation Period, and I am simply making application) is “Men’s hearts failing them for fear.”  With great knowledge comes great fear.  With our ability to see or hear the news in a moment’s time lends to more and more worries.  When I was a boy, people did not know what was going on around the world like they do now. 

 

C.  The number one killer in America today is stress related problems.  God’s people are not exempt, and I know of even preachers who have taken their own lives when their fears were not handled properly.  People are different and their areas of concern are often diverse. 

 

D.  Some people are strong in certain areas while having weakness in others.  We can have great faith in one area of live and then have a trembling soul in another.  This makes it easy for us to indict others when they become troubled or worried while we worry about our problems in other areas.

 

1.  Fearful Concerning Our Health

2.  Fearful Concerning Our Finances

3.  Fearful Concerning Our Families

4.  Fearful Concerning Our Future

5.  Fearful Concerning Our Foes

6.  Fearful Concerning Our Failures

 

E.  The key to peace of heart could be summed up in one word:  TRUST!  Trust is a big word! Troubled and fearful are the exact opposites of trust.  God’s Word says much about trust and we will tie those verses to those concerning fears. 

 

F.  Fear is a hard taskmaster that can both control and ruin the lives of God’s people.  Even those who have placed into the Lord’s hands the safe keeping of their souls have concerns and fears.  Fear and faith are polar opposites and cannot cohabitate.

 

Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable-and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God.

 

G.  Martha, the sister of Lazarus, was troubled about “many things.”  Luke 10:41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.

 

H.  Some people worry about not having anything to worry about while others live in a more peaceful existence.  One of the main culprits in this area of worry and distress is found in Psalms 25:17, which reads, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.”  (Notice that the troubles were enlarged in the heart.  Not that the problems were enlarged for they remained constant but they became enlarged when the heart became troubled and fearful.  The more you worry about something the worse it seems to get.)

 

J.  God’s Word commands us not to worry - Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

 

1.  There Is The Certainty Of Troubled Hearts – “be troubled” - 2 Corinthians 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.  (Notice I said, “The certainty of troubled hearts.”  Everyone is plagued with this problem.  Even God’s men are troubled in heart at times.)

 

2.  There Is The Choice Of Troubled Hearts – “Let not” - John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (It is simply up to us when and how much we worry!  We can either have a trusting heart or a troubled one.)

 

3.  There Is The Cause Of Troubled Hearts – “if it were not so”  (Troubled hearts are a result of unbelief and mistrust.)

 

Mark 4:35-38  And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 

 

a.  They Relied Upon Their Own Strength – “so that it was now full.”  (They rowed and bailed until all hope was gone before awaking the Lord.)

 

b.  They Failed To Realize Who Was With Them – “Master”  (Dear Lord, you got us into trouble again!)

 

1)  The Realization Of His Omnipresence

2)  The Realization Of His Omniscience

3)  The Realization Of His Omnipotence

 

c.  They Forgot Who They Were – “carest thou not”  (You had better believe that He cares!  Oh, yes He cares!)

 

d.  They Forgot His Promise – “Let us pass over unto the other side.”

 

4.  There Is The Cure Of Troubled Hearts – “ye believe in God, believe also in me”

 

a.  Trust In The Lord - Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 

Psalms 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Psalms 56:3  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

 

b.  Rest In The Lord - Psalms 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

 

c.  Commit Unto The Lord - Psalms 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

 

Job 23:10-11  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.  My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.