Returning to the Shepherd

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-18-2025

Psalm 80

 

Introduction:

 

A. This particular Psalm was written by Asaph and was meant to be played on an instrument named Shoshannimeduth (pronounced as sho-shan-neem' (ay-dooth')). Shoshannimeduth comes from two root words that mean “lily” and “testimony” and is thought to be a trumpet. Trumpets in the Bible were used to call the people to assembly or war. Here, both are applicable. The people of Israel needed to gather together in repentance and wage war against their spiritual rebellion against God.

 

B.  The Psalm is both contemporary and prophetic as it is a cry to the Shepherd of Israel, Jehovah God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  In this Psalm, we find three distinct times.

 

1.  A time of rejection and conformity to the world.

 

2.  A description of chastisement.

 

3.  A cry of repentance and restoration.

 

C.  Israel was to follow the Shepherd.

. 

Genesis 49:24  But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

 

Psalms 23:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

Isaiah 40:11  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

 

D.  Believers are to follow the Shepherd.

 

1.  Following our Shepherd is the best life.  Luke 9:23-24  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  (24)  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

 

2.  Following our Shepherd is an illuminated life.  John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

3.  Following our Shepherd is a protected life.  John 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 

4.  Following our Shepherd is the way of assurance.  John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 

E.  Let’s make interpretation and then the application.

 

1.  The Old Testament Saints and Israel as a nation had a vast history of turning from God.  Beginning in Genesis, chapters 3-6,  from Adam/Eve, to Cain, to the “sons of God” who turned from God and paid a terrible price.  The nation of Israel, over and over and over and over, turned from God and seemingly never remembered the historic consequences.  In Psalm 80, we find them again out of the will of God and seeking restoration.

 

2.  The New Testament Saints from the birth of Christ to the present, along with Israel, have turned from God at a great price.  Seemingly, they and we do not remember the lost blessings and consequences, or chastisement, for doing so.  “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love!”

 

3.  I am glad that God commanded us to forgive 490 times! I have personally relied heavily on 1 John 1:9, and He continues to forgive and restore us to righteousness!

 

F.  In verses 3-6, we find the consequences of turning away from the Lord:

 

1.  “Turn us again.”  They were looking and going the wrong way.

 

2.  “Cause thy face to shine.”  They were walking in disapproval and darkness.

 

3.  “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?”  Their prayers were not heard, much less answered.

 

4.  “Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.”  They lived lives of heartbreak and defeat.

 

5.  “Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.”  They had no peace and security at home and their enemies mocked them.

 

G.  Israel had turned away from following God, resulting in significant consequences. The chastening of God led Israel to seek the Shepherd.

H.  In verses 1-2, along with 18-19, we find Israel’s plight and plea.

 

1.  That God would once again hear the cries of Israel.  Praise the Lord that God is always just a whispered prayer away.

 

2.  That God would once again look upon Israel with approval.  Praise God that He will restore.

 

3.  That God would once again deliver Israel from her enemies.  Jesus still Saves!

Theology: The Doctrine of God - Part 9

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-18-2025

Exodus 33:18-34:8

 

II.  The Attributes of God

 

“The Glory of God’s Person” Part 2

 

A.  A couple of weeks ago, we found Moses asking God to reveal His glory. An attribute of God that has never been fully revealed to man: The Glory of God’s Presence. Yet, in many ways, through divine revelation and the Word of God, we have touched the hem of His garment.

 

B.  God’s Presence is an unapproachable Light.  Neither the Old nor the New Testament believer can look at His face and live.  Yet, God chose to reveal His Shekinah glory (His presence with man) throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

 

C.  Because of “that which is perfect,” the Word of God, we no longer need to walk by sight.  We walk by faith.

 

D.  Having said that, we also see the Person of the Lord revealed in His performance among mankind here in Exodus. 

 

1.  In Exodus 33:20-23, God revealed His “back parts,” or afterglow, to Moses.  That alone was enough to make Moses wear a veil before the people of Israel because his face shone in such brightness.

 

2.  In verse 19, the Lord proclaimed, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

 

3.  Though we do not see the Shekinah glory of God in our day, we can see the Person and Performance of God, which is a revelation of God’s glory.

 

E.  When the Lord passed by Moses, hidden in a cleft in the rock and covered by the hand of God, this is what He proclaimed.  In His proclamation of His Person, He is the Potentate, the Monarch, the Absolute Ruler, and the Owner of the heavens and the earth.  His Glory is not only found in His Presence, unapproachable light, it is found in His glorious Person.

 

1.  The Glory of His Person.  “The LORD, the LORD God”  “LORD” is the Jewish national name for God.  “JAH” or “the LORD most vehement.”  The self-existing One; the eternal One; the I AM THAT I AM!

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His condescension!  Psalms 40:5  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 

 

That God Almighty, who needs nothing or anyone, would even recognize a poor lost sinner like you and me is beyond comprehension.

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His compassion!  1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

 

He not only knows me, but He also cares for me.

 

2.  The Glory of His Salvation.  “merciful and gracious”

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His mercy and grace.  Lamentations 3:22-23  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  (23)  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

 

Mercy signifies that we do not receive what we deserve. Every person in this church deserves nothing but hell! I am so grateful that hell will never be my eternal home because of the great love and compassion of the Lord. He certainly has not repaid any of us according to our iniquity. If you are saved, you should thank God every day for His mercy.

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His grace.  Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

 

Grace means that we receive what we do not deserve. Not only is hell not my eternal home, but heaven is my eternal home! God has been more than gracious to all of us, and one day, by God’s marvelous grace, we will step on “the other side” and experience all of the goodness of God for all of eternity.

 

3.  The Glory of His Longsuffering.  “longsuffering”  God not only saves and secures us through His wonderful grace but He also “puts up with us!”

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His longsuffering.  Psalms 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

 

He never gives up on us and loves us in spite of who we are and what we represent. As we continue to love our children, He continues to love us. He’s still working on me!

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His forgiveness.  1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

 

"Until seventy times seven” shows the forgiveness of God. As often and as many times as we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!

 

4.  The Glory of His Faithfulness.  “goodness and truth.”  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His goodness.  Psalms 100:4-5  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 

 

God is good to us at all times. We need nothing today because of His goodness. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God. God is good!

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His truthfulness.  Psalms 100:5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 

 

What God says is right, and He will never change His mind on the subject. He is the same today as He always was and will be the same tomorrow as He is now. You can completely depend on Him!

 

Conclusion: The glory of God is not found in our circumstances; rather, it is found in His person.

The Natural Man

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-14-2025

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Last week, we looked at the mysteries of God found in the Bible.  It is simply a truth that has yet to be revealed through the Bible, and the revelation of the mystery always follows the mystery.  It is explained in the same context.  Verses 10-13.

 

B.  Also, last week, we saw that the natural man has no understanding of spiritual things.  Verses 7-9, 14. 

 

C.  Tonight, I want to clarify biblically what God is saying in verse 14.    I want to preface this message because I do not think that we have anyone in our church who holds the unorthodox teachings of Calvinism or Reformed Theology.

 

Calvinism or Reformed Theology teaches that God loves a few and hates the masses; Christ died for the elect but not for the sins of the world; only the “select elect” get to go to heaven, and the “unselected” multitudes go to hell; all of which are heretical teachings.

 

Calvinists are as proud as peacocks!  They did not choose to come to God for salvation; they are so very special that God chose them.  They believe that God loves them and hates everyone else, though they have done nothing either good or bad.  Oh, how wonderful to be that special.  Biblical heresy! 

 

D.  These two heresies are one and the same, with most Calvinists rejecting that “tag” because it has been doctrinally exposed for what it is and now using the “dressed up version” called Reformed Theology.   

 

Theology – theos (God) and logos (Word), does not need to be reformed, it needs to be preached.  You find out about God by the study of His Word.

 

Doctrinal heresy is exposed through doctrinal preaching! 

 

E.  Why does the Natural Man remain in spiritual darkness while the saved believer lives in spiritual light?  Because the saved choose spiritual hearing, and the unsaved reject spiritual hearing.

 

Our Lord said in Matthew 11:15: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 

 

The implications are obvious.  Everyone has ears to hear unless they are deaf, and the deaf can “hear” through sign language or braille. 

 

The key word is “let” him hear.  You can physically hear and yet choose to spiritually “turn a deaf ear”  to the Word of God.

 

F.  The Contrast of Hearing - Matthew 13:13-16  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

 

1.  The Sinner Shuts His Ear - Ezekiel 12:2  Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

 

2.  The Lord Opens The Saint’s Ear - Isaiah 50:4-6  The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

 

G.  I will list some of the biblical truths as to why

 

1.  The Natural Man Is Spiritually Dead BY Choice – Ephesians 2:1-3  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

 

John 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

 

2.  The Natural Man Has Not The Spirit Of God by Default – Isaiah 11:2-3  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

 

Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

3.  The Natural Man Is Blinded By Satan by Deception – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

a.  Blinded By The Cares Of This World - Mark 4:18-19  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,   And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

 

Isaiah 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

 

b.  Blinded By Self - Ephesians 4:17-20  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  But ye have not so learned Christ;

 

c.  Blinded by Sin - Daniel 12:9-10  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

 

Romans 1:28-32  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

 

4.  The Natural Man Will Not Seek The Obvious – They Do Not Seek After God - Psalms 14:2  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

 

Romans 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

 

5.  The Natural Man Fails To Understand God’s Word because They Continue in Their Natural State – Matthew 13:14-15  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 

Acts 8:30-31  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

 

1 Timothy 1:7  Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

 

6.  The Natural Man loves Sin and Hates Righteousness – Matthew 15:16-20  And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

 

7.  The Natural Man rejects Available Peace – Philippians 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

a.  Peace In The Storms Of Life - Mark 4:39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

 

b.  Peace In The Sorrows Of Life - John 16:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

 

8.  The Natural Man is Not Interested In The Will of The Lord – Ephesians 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

 

a.  God’s Will In Salvation - Galatians 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

 

2 Peter 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

b.  God’s Will In Sanctification - 1 Thessalonians 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

 

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

c.  God’s Will In Service - Acts 13:36  For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

 

9.  The Natural Man does Not Believe in The Judgment Of God – Proverbs 28:5  Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.

 

10.  The Natural Man will Never Know The Unsearchable Riches Of Christ – Ephesians 3:3-9  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

Living to Rejoice

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-11-2025

Psalm 30

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  I find this Psalm particularly interesting. Two aspects stand out to me as I read it.

 

1.  In the Title of the Psalm, we find that it is a Prayer of Dedication of the House of David.  This is not a dedication of either the Tabernacle or the future Temple.  God allowed David to build a house for himself.

 

2.  In this verse, we find the promise of David’s house.  2 Samuel 7:11  And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

 

3. In the context of the Psalm, it is a Prayer or Rejoicing Because God allowed David to live to build the house.  This was important to the people of Israel.  Not only to build a house, but to dedicate the house to God.

 

4.  We find the importance in the Book of Deuteronomy.  Deuteronomy 20:5  And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

 

B. I want to “zero in” on David’s rejoicing because evidently, God had allowed him to live through a near-death experience to dedicate his house.    These two verses show us that there was a time when David was not right with the Lord and was under the fear of death because of it.

 

Psalms 30:3  O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

 

Psalms 30:9  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

 

C. I also find this Psalm to be a Penitent Psalm. 

 

Psalms 30:1-3  A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.  (2)  O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.  (3)  O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

 

Psalms 30:9  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

 

D.  There was a time in the life that is not recorded in the historical books of 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, or 1&2 Chronicles when he was sick unto death because of his sinful condition.  There are two recorded occasions when David strayed from the will of God and paid a horrific price for his sin: his sin with Bathsheba and numbering the people.  Both times, after a great cost was incurred, David reconciled with the Lord. However, neither of these times resulted in David being sick unto death.

 

E.  We will deal with this Psalm later, but I want to read a portion of Psalm 38, which speaks of the chastisement of sickness for sinfulness in David’s life.

 

Psalms 38:1-12  A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.  (2)  For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.  (3)  There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.  (4)  For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.  (5)  My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.  (6)  I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.  (7)  For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.  (8)  I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.  (9)  Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.  (10)  My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.  (11)  My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.  (12)  They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.

 

F.  I believe that verse 5 is the key verse of the Psalm.  David suffered because of sinfulness more than we know because, though he was a man after God’s heart, he was still just a man.  I am glad that God does not expose all of my faults and failures.  All of us know that in our personal walk with the Lord, there are many times where we fail God.

 

1.  His anger endureth but a moment. 

 

a)  God chastens but holds no grudge.  Oftentimes, people get angry over something temporal but hold a grudge for life.  No amount of repentance and apology can cause them to restore your old relationship.  I tell people to ask forgiveness and, if they will not grant it, move on.

 

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  (32)  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

 

b)  God forgives and forgets.  God restores the sinner to a righteous state.

 

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

c)  God restores the fellowship of the believer to Himself.

 

2.  In His favour is life.  Life and death are in the hand of God.  He gives life and He can take life.  A time to be born and a time to die are designated times.

 

3.  Weeping because of sinfulness is a terrible thing. Verse 5 shows us several things relating to such sin.

 

a)  Weeping – brokenness is often the heart condition that brings about repentance.

 

b)  May – or may not endure. Most of the time, our weeping here on earth is short-lived. I thank God for that, as none of us enjoys the hardships of life; both natural and self-induced times of weeping are temporary. However, there will be times when both natural suffering and spiritual suffering are lengthy.

 

c)  Endure – often our sinfulness brings about chastisement that is lengthy or unending. Frequently, our tears are related to a lack of self-forgiveness. When God forgives us and restores us to a state of righteousness, we must learn to forgive ourselves as well.

 

c) Night – such sinfulness is referred to as “night." A time of darkness and loneliness.  A type of loneliness and confusion. 

 

G.  But joy cometh in the morning. 

 

1.  I often tell mourners that the sun will still come up in the morning.  Time is a great healer. 

 

2.  Our tears may never entirely go away in this life, but time will lessen the sharpness of the pain of suffering. 

 

3.  It is not God’s will that His people weep forever. 

 

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

 

H.  Psalm 30 is a song of the sinner made free.

 

1.  Verse 1.  I will extol thee, O LORD!  Extol – to promote or to make high.  I will lift Thee up in praise and glorification.

 

2.  Verses 1-3.  Reflection.  Thou hast lifted me up.  Thou hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.  Thou hast healed me.  Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave.  Thou hast kept me alive.  Thou hast saved me from the pit.

 

3.  Verse 4.  Singing and thanksgiving.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Some never sing nor are thankful.  Learn to sing, as it is the prelude to praise.  Learn to be thankful for everything.  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 

4.  Verses 10-11.  Learn to “think myself happy!”  Happiness is a heart condition, but a circumstance. 

 

Psalms 90:14  O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

 

Psalms 118:24  This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

5.  Verse 12.  Psalms 30:12  To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

 

a.  Regardless of how dark the night, there is always hope.

 

b.  Regardless of how wicked the sin, there is always forgiveness.

 

c.  Regardless of how far you have gotten from the Lord, He is just a whisper away.

Eve

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-11-2025

Genesis 2:20-25

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  This must be one of the most amazing, profound, and beautiful stories found in the bible! 

 

1.  The Book of Genesis thrills my soul, especially the first three chapters. I know that the entire Bible is wonderful, but this was such a special time in history when God created a perfect world and placed the man and woman in it.  God made this earth for us!  God patterned life for us in Adam and Eve.

 

2.  A “Fairy Tale?”  “Fiction?”  Just a “Figment” of man’s imagination?

 

3.  This is not a story; it is history! It is true, and it is right! To believe that this entire perfect universe is a random act or an accident takes far more “faith” than simply knowing that God perfectly designed both man and nature. 

 

B.  Today is Mother’s Day and I want to praise all of you special ladies: mothers, mothers to be, and special ladies who have no children but are mothers and grandmothers to our children and grandchildren.  I want you to know today that you are so special to both God and this pastor.

 

C. Eve was the “crown” of God’s creation.  The last thing that God made was woman, the finishing touch to His creation, never to add anything else.  God made Eve SPECIAL!

 

D.  Eve was the “gift” that God gave to Adam.  Adam had a special need, and with that special need came a special fulfillment. 

 

1.  Adam lived in a perfect environment and lacked nothing in the physical realm.  His need was not food or shelter; his need was not entertainment; his need was not freedom or purpose; his need was companionship!

 

Genesis 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

 

2.  Eve was created IN Adam and then Eve made FROM Adam.  God created Adam by breathing into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul.  God did not create Eve!  Eve was “made” from something that already existed, Adam. 

 

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

Genesis 5:1-2  This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;  (2)  Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

 

3.  Eve’s life came from Adam just as our lives came from Adam.  Eve’s life came for Adam.   What a wonderful “gift” that God gave to man. Woman!  She was made special; she was made purposeful; she was made perfect. 

 

4.  Eve’s gift to Adam and Motherhood were innate.  Eve had no mother to give her a life to be patterned after.  Eve knew innately how to be a woman, wife, and mother.

 

5.  I thank God for the pattern that we all have in our mothers, but I also believe that every woman has innately, just as Eve, all that she needs to be the woman, wife, and mother that she is meant to be.

 

E.  Eve was Purposed. God made Eve in Adam on the day that Adam was created!  I want to look at two passages of Scripture that are coupled together. 

 

Genesis 1:26-27  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  (27)  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

Genesis 5:1-2  This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;  (2)  Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

 

1.  I find this interesting because it would have been logical that, since God created Eve in Adam, that He would have made them come forth at the same time.  God did not!

 

2.  Though Eve was created in Adam when Adam was formed, there was an expanse of time that lapsed before God took a rib from Adam and made Eve.  I believe that Adam needed to know that he needed Eve!

 

3.  God knew that Adam would need Eve before Adam ever got lonesome!  God knew that Adam could not function properly without Eve.

 

4.  I love Mother’s Day but every day should be “Mother’s Day!”  May the Lord help us men and children to know just how special mom is.

 

F.  There are three names found in Genesis that were given to Eve.  Two were given by God and one was given by Adam:  1) help meet  2)  mother  3) Eve.

 

1.  Help meet – “to aid” and the “opposite part” or “counterpart.”  Face to face!  The “mirror image” which is both the same and yet exactly opposite.  Eve was man’s “completer.”  Without Eve, man was lonely.  With Eve, man knew the fulness of life and companionship.

 

Genesis 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

 

2.  Mother – “bond.” The word “mother” is described as a “primitive word.”  The word “mother” means “to bond.”  Mother is as old as time. 

 

Genesis 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  (Cleave-To bond.  Cling, adhere, or to stick to.)

 

3.  Eve – “life giver.”  Because she was the “mother of all living.”   Mother not only gives birth to the children but she is also the “bond” of all living.  We know that she is the bond of the home but she is also the bond of every person who was ever born.  Other than Adam and Eve, we have all had a mother!  God chose for the mother to bond with her unborn child for 9 months: hearing her heart beat and listening to her voice!

 

4.  What makes Eve and all other mothers so special is that they not only give us birth but are always there with us and for us the rest of our lives.  I understand that there are some mothers who forsake their families, but the rule is that mom is always there for her family.  The father is the head but the mother is the heart!  The father is the head but the mother is the bond!  Without mother, the home becomes a house.

 

G.  Eve was the Perfection of God’s creation.  The first woman was everything that God intended for woman to be.  She was the pinnacle; she was the zenith; she was the apex; she was the benchmark; she was to be the role model for all womanhood to follow; she was made by God and she was perfect!

 

H.  Eve was the Priority of happiness!  It was not good for the man to be alone so God made a helpmeet for him.  Everything God made was perfect except for Adam.  Adam had a need!  She was what Adam needed first and foremost.  Eve was so special!  Made just for Adam.  It was not Adam that sought a helpmeet; it was God who gave her.  I want to say again this morning, “Ladies, God made you special!”  I want to give you a few simple things about Adam and Eve:

 

J.  Have you ever thought of how moms are made?  She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 moveable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands.  She must have 3 pairs of eyes.  One pair of eyes is to see through the closed door as she asks the children what they are doing even though she already knows.  Another pair in the back of the head is to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can.  The third pair is in the front of the head.  They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word.  She heals herself when she is sick and can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower.  She is made both soft and tough.  She can endure and accomplish anything.  She will be able to think, reason, and negotiate.  She has tears as her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, and her grief.  SHE IS BOTH SPECIAL AND SPECIALLY MADE!!!     

 

K.  Mother’s Day: let’s make this day and every day special for the moms and ladies of our lives.  How do we do that?

 

1.  Love Her - Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  (The wife and mother is the heart and soul of the home.  Mom was always there for me and Barbara is always there for our sons.  Thank the Lord for a lovable mother.)

 

Proverbs 10:1  The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

 

Proverbs 5:18-19  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.  19  Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.  (Men, love your wife!  Children, love your mother!)

 

2.  Honor Her - 1 Peter 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.  (Honor means to place upon a pedestal.  To worship and reverence her.  Be careful how you treat your wife, husband!  Be careful how you treat your mother, young person!)

 

Proverbs 20:20  Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.  (Be careful how you talk to her!  You disrespect mama and you get in trouble with God!) 

 

Proverbs 30:11  There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.

 

Proverbs 30:17  The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

 

Proverbs 31:28  Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.  (Place her on a pedestal in both the home and in public.)

 

3.  Remember Her - Proverbs 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. (Sometimes her labor, love, and strength go unnoticed by her family.  If you have a good, loving, faithful, conscientious wife—be grateful and thankful.  Never take your wife or mother for granted because they will not always be here.)

 

Proverbs 15:20  A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

 

4.  Relish Her – Proverbs 23:22  Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. 

 

Ecclesiastes 9:9  Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. (Make every day with her a special day.  One day, she will be here no longer!  When she is gone, make sure that you have no regrets!  I miss greatly mom and dad.)

 

5.  Take Care of Her – John 19:26-27  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  27  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.  (The last act of our Lord Jesus Christ was to make sure that mother was cared for in the best way possible.  The disciple “whom he loved.”)

 

Conclusion: Once again, I would like to wish each of you dear ladies a very special Mother’s Day this morning. You truly deserve it!