Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

In the summer, when the weather is hot day after day, it makes us long for a break. Our bodies grow tired of the heat. We grow tired of being hot and thirsty. Everything around us grows tired of the heat – grass yellows, flowers wither, trees droop. Everything around us needs relief. We need the summer doldrums broken up by a day of cool, rainy weather – a day of renewal. This is how our lives can be spiritually too. Sometimes we go through seasons when it seems like there’s been no relief, just doldrums of summer. Sometimes it can seem like it has been a long time since the Lord has done anything new in our lives. We need renewal, revival, refreshing, restoration. We need the Lord to move again, to lead us again, to show us something of himself afresh. This was where Israel was in Mark 1. Malachi was the last prophet sent by God to the people of Israel, to speak words of the Lord. But that was 400 years ago. The people were ready for a new word. Mark 1:1-15 v. 1 – “Son of God” – written to Roman Christians,

A prayer for the community of Israelites to ask God to renew his mercies. The psalm has two main divisions of 7 lines. • Vv. 1-7 are the prayer • Vv. 8-13 are assurances of God’s response Each division is made up of a three-line stanza, then a four-line stanza. The corresponding stanzas of the second half answer to those of the first. • Vv. 1-3 speak of God’s past mercies. Vv. 8-9 speak of God’s mercies to come. • Vv. 4-7 voice the prayer. Vv. 10-13 offer the assurance that God will answer the prayer. The beauty of the structure is this: • God’s past kindness toward us (vv. 1-3) gives us assurance that God will show his kindness to us again (vv. 8-9). • The prayer for God to bring restoration and revival (vv. 4-7) is assured (vv. 10-13). The psalm is one of 7 psalms ascribed to the Sons of Korah. “Sons of Korah” refers to a choir of Levites, temple attendants, who were descendants of Korah, who were appointed to King David to serve in the temple liturgy. This psalm would have been spoken during temple se

Guest Speaker, Scott Auth

Psalm 84:1-12 v. 1 The Psalmist is thinking about the beauty of the Temple. The Temple was the place where God’s presence dwelt. It was the grounds where creation and Creator met. It was also where people came to worship him. It was where people offered sacrifice for their sins, and received forgiveness. The psalmist writes, “How lovely”. How beautiful indeed. All of this is found in Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment of the OT Temple. He is how we meet God. He is how we receive forgiveness. v. 2 The Psalmist physically longs for the experience of God’s presence. His attention is on the Lord. He longs for His presence. In a world that offers many distractions, pursuits; God himself is the treasure. He is the treasure in the field. v. 3 He sees sparrows that have nested in the temple eaves. Common birds have nested close to the altar of the Lord Almighty. The thought of those lowly birds in such a glorious place overwhelms the psalmist. “O Lord Almighty” (Jehovah tsaba) “Lord of Hosts” is the Lord who is sov

Psalm 67 The whole psalm is a prayer set to song, asking for the Lord’s blessing and ascribing kingship to the Lord. vv. 1-2 “May God be gracious to us” Every interaction with God begins with his grace and mercy. When you came to God the very first time, it was initiated by God and his grace. When you first prayed asking for forgiveness, God listened out of his grace. Our whole relationship with God is based upon his grace. God marinated us in his grace. The terms of our relationship with God began and will be fulfilled in his grace alone. “and bless us” God removes the cures and judgment of the Fall. He cares for us like a father. “Make his face shine upon us” He delights in his own. He receives and cares for us with joy. “that your ways may be known” The Psalmist is asking for blessing and grace for a purpose – that others may know the goodness of the Lord through him. God’s grace and blessings are so that people may know his way. He’s not just being nice to us, He’s revealing to us his plan for salvation

Have you ever been really tired of who you are? Have you ever really wanted to change? Have you ever tried to change yourself, but been unsuccessful? The deck is stacked against us. How can we know our desires, when our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Sin deceives us too (Hebrews 3:13) “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” 2 Samuel 12:1-10 How can we change when we cannot see the problem? Have you tried, but been unable to change? How can we change when we cannot see the depth of the problem? Hebrews 4:12-13 We can know ourselves by being in the word of God. It is a terrifying thought that my motives and thoughts can be discovered and laid bare before a Holy God. “I have never seen anyone of whom I dared to believe that he had the honesty and courage to be alone with God’s word.” Soren Kierkegaard "It is human for a person to shrink fr

No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke NT era Corinth like our society – known for drunkenness, sexual immorality, and religious tolerance. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “That is what some of you were…” Somehow these “sinners” in Corinth became followers of Jesus. Those sinners came to faith through relationships with believers. It is hard to know what to do with people who are steeped in sin. The church has a difficult time knowing what to do with substance abusers, sexually promiscuous, homosexuals. The Bible makes it clear that these are sins. We do not need to apologize for it. It is true, these are sins. These sins have a damaging affect on a person – these sins affect their • Relationship with God • Relationship with other people • Their minds – all sexual immorality has a warping affect on the mind. • Their souls – they are seeking something in a substance or in a sexual relationship. Sexual immorality is a lousy substitute for significance and love. Substance abuse is a lousy substitute for peace. • Th

We are called not just to love people for love’s sake, but to love people for Christ. In Paul Tripp’s book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, We are called as believers not just to be conduits, but instruments of God’s change. When we are instruments in the Redeemer’s hands, we are part of His story of redeeming people. God uses us as a combination of God’s truth and love, expressed through us to transform people. God’s word is the primary tool of change. 2 Cor 5:14-21 v. 14 Christ’s love compels us – God has captured our hearts. We have experienced the love he demonstrated at the cross. We have been accepted by him. We have marveled at his loving devotion toward us, his stubborn love for us. We know his love for us is so great, it overcame our sin. His love compels us. His love has changed us forever. v. 17 Christ’s love changes you. v. 16 Christ’s love changes your view of people. We don’t view people the same anymore. We don’t view people in classes. We’re all sinners. We see everyone as, th

1. God’s glory is almost beyond our comprehension. 2. He has given us revelation of his glory (enough to move us and excite our hearts). a. Hebrew “glory” in the OT is “kabod” i. Means weightiness, significance or meaningfulness. ii. There is nothing more meaningful than Him. iii. Psalm 96:3 “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” iv. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. v. He is infinitely weighty – more than all the suns and worlds of the universe. b. Greek “glory” in NT is “doxa” i. Means “outshining.” ii. His glory shines out in his creation and his word. iii. His glory most clearly shines out of Jesus Christ. iv. John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” v. The heavens declare the glory of God. It shines in the created order, but clearly in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. vi. His glory shines in the life of be

When we sat down 10 years ago to give our church some direction, we worked on core values, things that we think are important, things that we want people who come here to pick up on, things that we want to be true of the culture of our church. These are things that we want to shape our teaching, the content of our ministries and even our conversations. The first of these core values is a “great love for God.” I pray this for you. I pray this for me. May we grow in greater love and affection for God. Matthew 22:34-40 v. 37 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.” The Pharisees had added rules and regulations on top of the Laws of Moses. They thought what God wanted people to do could be attained by regulating behavior. But there was never any hope in that. Jesus gave an answer that reveals how we attain righteousness, become better, how we change. It is not a matter of behavior; it’s a matter of the heart. This i

Luke 24:1-8 I wish I could take us back to the days before Jesus was raised, while Jesus was in the tomb. I wish we could wait there at the tomb together, waiting and watching to see what would happen. While we waited, we would have questions – just like his disciple must have. They had seen Jesus die, saw him flogged, beaten, and finally crucified. They would have wondered. We would have questions during those anxious three days. Was Jesus overcome by the power of death and darkness? There was so much darkness in Jesus’ sentencing and death. Judas took money to betray him after the Bible says, “Satan entered him.” The Pharisees plotted to have him killed so they could keep their positions. The Roman government allowed Jesus to be killed even though they knew he was innocent. The Roman soldiers mocked and beat him violently for sport. The crowd rejected him and called for his blood to be on them and on their children. Did their darkness overcome Jesus? Was all the sin of mankind too much to bear? For three da

John 10:1-6 vv. 1-2 People are the sheep. There is a pen where they are kept to keep them from wandering and protect them from wild animals. Shepherds would often sleep across the doorway of the pen to protect the sheep. There are thieves and robbers who try to sneak in vs. the shepherd who goes in the gate. Thieves are robbers – false shepherds, false prophets, including the Pharisees and Chief Priests. vv. 3-6 “The sheep listen to his voice.” – There would be many flocks kept together. The sheep would respond to their shepherd’s voice and go with him. Jesus would build a new community of people who would be his. They will respond to his voice. They respond when he calls. Do you know his voice? Have you heard his call? The way to know, you respond. “He calls his own sheep by name.”He knows his sheep by name. More important than you knowing God; He knows you. He calls you by name. John 10:7-10 v. 7 “I am the gate” There was a gate on the pens that open to allow the sheep to go out into pasture. Jesus is the

John 15:1-4 v. 1 Jesus is the vine. This is OT reference to Israel, called the vine and grapes symbolized their fruitfulness in doing God’s work. (Ps 80:8; Is 5:1-7; Ez 19:10-14) The Father is the gardener. v. 2 Unfruitful branches are cut off. Not sure what these are. They are said to be “in me.” But there is something false about them. They bear no fruit and are therefore, cut off. All branches needs cutting. Even the fruitful ones are pruned. The intent of pruning is to become more fruitful. v. 3 You are clean because of the word I have spoken to you. v. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Jesus is going to express how our relationship is supposed to work. He does so by saying, “I’m the vine, you are the branches connected to me.” Our relationship with Jesus is to be a remaining, abiding, living with, dwelling with kind of relationship. Just as a branch receives nourishment from the trunk, so we are with Jesus. Remaining in Jesus is to be constantly living with him. In our homes, at our jobs, in o

Each of the four Gospels is unique. Matthew is written from a perspective that proves Jesus is the Messiah. Mark is written from a brief, action-packed perspective, showing that Jesus is the Servant-Savior. Luke is written from a historical perspective, very detailed, and focused on Jesus’ humanity. More than 90% of John’s gospel isn’t mentioned in the other gospels. There is no genealogy, no record of Jesus’ birth, transfiguration, temptation. There is no record of the appointment of the apostles. There is no account of Jesus’ parables, no ascension. But what John recorded for us is a profound unfolding of Jesus’ divinity, even from the first verse. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Just in the first chapter, Jesus is described by six names. • The Word – (1:1, 14) • The Light – (1:5, 9) • The One and Only – (1:14) • The Lamb of God – (1:29) • The Son of God – (1:34) • The King of Israel – (1:49) There are only eight recorded miracles in John,

Knowing God

Greater Grace. Hosea 2:14-15 God intends all our trouble to be a door into greater grace and greater revelation of his sufficiency for us. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 We sit back and let our view of God and life be shaped by constantly shifting feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. We choose to passively listen to circumstances when we need to [start talking back]. We act like Jesus' work on the cross and God's kindness toward us have no real bearing on our lives. Of course they do. Of course they matter. They matter in every circumstance of life. Full sermon: Hosea 2:14-15 God is talking through Hosea about how he is going to restore Israel. He talks about Israel as an unfaithful wife. "into the desert"- he will take everything away so she will finally see his kindness. He simplifies life for her. He takes away all the men of her unfaithfulness and all the things they gave her. Why? Because they were false. They did not love her like he did. They confused her. He took th

So long as a man can find a fullness in any creature, He comes not to God. - Jerry Bridge. Christian marriage is built on receiving God's unconditional love and then showing God's unconditional love to your husband or wife. Here is the full sermon... You save me and I'll save you. John 4:7-18 Jesus is saying, "you are looking in men for what you can only find in me." Make me happy. Make me feel secure. Make me feel significant. Make me feel important. Make me feel loved. Make me feel worthwhile. Make me feel accepted. You cannot get from your husband or wife what you need from God. But you'll try. It is (fallen) human nature to look to anywhere but God for our needs. Hosea chapter 11 is a sad chapter. God is reflecting on His love for Israel, but Israel kept going to idols. Hosea 11:2 "The more I called Israel, the further they went from me." Hosea 11:7 "My people are determined to turn from me." So long as a man can find a fullness in any creature, He comes not to God. - Jerry Bridge. Look to

God is glorious and loves to reveal his beauty and glory to us so that our hearts turn to Him. He is continually winning us over, turning our hearts back to Him. Psalm 3 - the first Psalm ascribed to David. V. 1 "how many are my foes" David had an army coming to hunt him down, directed by his rebellious son, Absalom. 2 Samuel 15, the story of Absalom's rebellion and King David had to flee Jerusalem. Even some of David's friends had deserted him. V. 2 They mock him, saying that the Lord will not take care of him. They hint that God had forsaken David. Why would they say that? 2 Samuel 11-12, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and conspired to have her husband killed. 2 Samuel 12-14, David's life was torn apart by serious family trouble. 2 Samuel 15-18, David's son has an army and is leading a coup to take over the kingdom. It looks like God has forsaken David. It appears that God's favor has ended. You would think by these circumstances that God has abandoned him. This is the most bitter situat

1 The gospel and the church are empowered by God; they will triumph in his power. 2 In the face of imprisonment, beatings, and riots, God gave his people boldness to speak of their faith. 3 Acts 20:17-24 4 The gospel isn't accepted by every person, but it has power to change any life. 5 1 Timothy 1:12-17 6 People will not believe the gospel is important if they can't see that it is crucial in your life. - Life Application Bible Here's the sermon: The gospel and the church are empowered by God; they will triumph in his power. So, don't be intimidated by human theories or religions. God's gospel and church will prevail. In the face of imprisonment, beatings, and riots, God gave his people boldness to speak of their faith. God worked through the disciples to spread the gospel all over the known world. You too can have courage and boldness to share your faith - ask him for it. He can work powerfully through you. I remind you of these things because I want to fan the flame of faith in you. I want you t

3 themes in Acts: 1. Everywhere they went, the disciples witnessed about their faith in Jesus. 2. They were persecuted, jailed, mobbed, killed. 3. The Holy Spirit gave the disciples power to spread the gospel. Major theme: the triumph of the church. Despite severe persecution, the church triumphed by the power of the Holy Spirit and the witness of courageous disciples. Chapter 7 - Stephen was martyred. Acts 8:1-3 What hope is there in the face of such opposition? The Jewish leaders were willing to kill to stop Christianity from spreading. The encouragement and boldness that the disciples had from being all together was gone. What would happen to this fledgling movement? What hope was there that it would continue? Remember what the disciples did the very first time they were persecuted? Acts 4:29-30 They prayed for boldness and for the Lord's power in the face of opposition. What hope did they have now in the midst of such harsh persecution? Their hope was that God would answer their prayer and give th