A Blessed Thanksgiving and Thanks Unto the Saviour

In Colossians 3 we have consecutive verses punctuated by a command to be thankful.

1. (3.15) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

1. (3.16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1. (3.17) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Pretty clear here. Submit to the Lordship of Christ, inhale the word of God, exhale the praise of God, and do all to the glory of God—with an attitude of thanksgiving.

In the beginning of chapter 3 we read:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (3.1-4)

This priority for Christian living is anchored in the fact that you have been united to Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. And in fact you are living in light of the reality of being a citizen of Christ’s coming kingdom. We are governed and consumed by this glorious reality. This far outstrips any shadow of national pride we see and experience now. This is the joy of being a member of a new world that will forever be governed by Immanuel.

Furthermore, to elicit thanksgiving, Paul reminds us who Jesus is.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col. 1.15-20)

Jesus is God incarnate. He is the creator, sustainer and ultimate end of all things. He is the supreme authority. He rules the church. He is the rescuer of all that is broken. Awesome is understated synonym.

Further, he has come into this world to die for sinners. He won victory!

and you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Col. 2.13-14)

And listen, it is not just sinners in a general sense, some impersonal, undefined grab-bag of humanity. No, Christ came into the world to save sinners like me and you, particular people. Paul spoke of this like he was the only person in the world (Gal. 2.21) “he loved me and gave himself up for me…”

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Col. 1.21-22)

If you are like me you need some daily work done on your heart. You, (I) need to be reminded of the fact of what and who we have in Christ. It is the knowledge of this that leads to the emotion and experience of true gospel thanksgiving.

Sermon Preparation

Charles e Whisnant, November 15 2011 in home study office.

You can be sure this report is from my experience of sermon preparation. I have not mastered the art. I am indebted to those whom I have learned from. I am still very critical of my preaching and study. I am most sure of what I am preaching is truth. Why? I believe I am learning from those who I totally trust.  I take the position of not one person, but a number of theologians, pastors, teachers from those in the 100 A.D. to 1500′s and those today as well.  If I am not myself sure I will say so.

Sermon preparation is more than just reading the Bible? Of course that would really be good to do.  You would be surprise how many preachers really don’t spend a lot of time in the Word.

In today’s technology there is no reason why preachers should ever be ignorant of the Word of God.  While in the 20th century we had books to study from. In the 21st we have the websites.  

In the early days I would list to 100′s of sermons on tape. Today you can listen to sermons on the web.

Books and Bibles.  Having a Bible in every room. Having a dozen or so Bibles in our study was normal.  Reading daily and marking passages was great.  Today you can go on the web and listen to the reading of the Bible.

In our early days of ministry we had no internet, of course. It was only in 2003 that I personally was able to get the internet. Boy did that change things and study.  Of course I had the old pen and paper routine.  I did finally get the IBM typewriter. I even took typing in school and in seminary.   I didn’t take spelling.  That was a mistake. I didn’t even take writing, that would have been a blessing.

But with today’s tech we can find just about anything on the web. Thank the Lord for that. (for us old guys who did not learn in our early years.)

These are the books I am using in by study of Romans

I was reading about John MacArthur sermon preparation.  I need to post that article.  But he said he reads a lot of books on the subject that he is going to teach.  Charles Spurgeon would read 50 books on a text that he was going to use the next Sunday.

We need to take time to study God’s Word. We need get to know the Lord. We need to get to know the Word.  Taking the time to know Jesus Christ, His Word, and know how He thinks about everything is imporant.

We need to read sermons, listen to sermons and study from those who know how to preach. And then we need to learn how to deliver a message.  Also we need to know that people listen to us preach because they like us. Preacher you like you are more likely to listen to listen to them.

Charles study notes from the message from Philippians 4:6. I used in July 1993 at First Baptist Church in Altoona, Kansas

Bible Study and Sermon Preparation

STUDY THE WORD OF GOD

charles e Whisnant, teaching at Rivers of Joy Baptist

I am blessed to have a mind that loves to study and learn and research the Word of God.  I have never felt that spiritual preaching was done by just opening the Bible and preaching.

I have always had the desire to know the Word by study and learning

From early in the ministry I have studied.  Preaching and teaching the Bible is more than just getting up and saying what you would like to say.  What does God have to say about life is the question.  How does God want us to live for Him in this world?

HOW DO I KEEP MY SERMONS AND NOTES AND MATERIAL

Since the word processor replaced the  IBM typewriter, I love typing on the Word processor.  I also like to download a lot of material that I have written, and gathered from many other resources.  I use three ring binders to keep the material in.  I have a binder for each series of messages I am teaching from.

 

HOW DO I STUDY FOR A SUNDAY MORNING MESSAGE?

Just a word here since I have address this a few other times.  I know the book I am going to teach.  Example: Romans.  I teach the book verse by verse.  Therefore knowing what I am going to each becomes clear.  Now I need to prepare for the study.

Since I have done this for 30 years I am getting better at this method.  Still learning each time more and more of God’s word and how to present the truth in His Word.

My objective is to tell the people what God is saying in the text that is before us.  What does God say in Romans 8?  What is God wanting us to know in these verses?

I don’t come up with an ideal of what I want to say, and then look at the text to see if it is there.  I first look at the text and see what is there first.  What is Paul saying and trying to communicate to his readers is the key?

So I want to share with the people what Paul is saying.  What was Paul saying to the people at Rome at the time he was writing to them is my objective. Then I want to see how I can communicate to the people in 2011 the principle God wants us to learn?

So you ask how do we as preachers to that?

How do we take the passages in Romans and related to the people in our church today?

INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE HOW IS THAT DONE?

 

I have reviewed a number of other smarter men than I on this subject for sure. Principles to use to interpret scripture are for sure necessary. And I continue to study those methods of study. 

Learning the text of scripture in its context and within the doctrinal frame of the whole bible is the task before us. This is another topic of study and another post. I am sure you can find a number of articles on this subject. Search and study.

Study of the Bible

I enjoy the ministry of preaching and teaching.  Last night at Rivers of Joy Baptist in Minford Ohio, I had the joy of teaching from Daniel 7 again. My 25th lesson from Daniel.  While I enjoyed teaching, and enjoying the people who were listening, I enjoyed the fellowship as well.

I really enjoy the preparation of the lesson.

Study Office

Charles e Whisnant 1985 church study office at First Bapitst Church, Altoona, Kansas

Back in the day we had books to study from. I would have dozens of books that I would read from.  I really enjoy reading as well.  Well in 2003 I logged on to AOL for the first time and the rest is history.  While I was not in the pastorate I started a three year study of Theology and Church ministry.   Monergism.com and Calvary Chapel churches (600).

Then in July 2008 I began the ministry at Rivers of Joy.  I started teaching 1 Thessalonian and completed the first three chapters.  Then I started Romans, which I am currently teaching (chapter 8:1) and Sunday Evening I am in Philippians chapter 4)

Sunday Bible study I have been in Proverbs off and on, I am currently in chapter 14. Wednesday I have jumped from one topic to another.  I taught on a series of Prayer.

I enjoy during the week getting into the Word and reading and studying. Back in the days when I was in Altoona, Kansas at the FBC I had a totally different method of study.  Those were pre internet days, and I did a lot of reading.  I was really learning how to study. After sixteen years I was beginning to get an idea how to prepare a sermon.

Then a series on Genesis 1 thru 3 on Beginnings.  God and Science.  I loved that series and a lot of research. I used John MacArthur matters as a basis, but I research so much of the material, this was a wonderful experience.

THE WORD OF GOD THE BIBLE

Charles Spurgeon  said

Walk humbly with God…in studying his Word, and in believing his truth. We have a number of men, nowadays, who are critics of the Bible; the Bible stands bound at their bar, nay, worse than that, it lies on their table to be dissected, and they have no feeling of decency towards it; they will cut out its very heart, they will rend asunder its tenderest parts, even the precious Song of Solomon, or the beloved apostle’s Gospel, or the Book of the Apocalypse, is not sacred in their eyes. They shrink from nothing, their scalpel, their knife, cuts through everything. They are the judges of what the Bible ought to be, and it is deposed from its throne. God save us from that evil spirit! I desire ever to sit at the feet of God in the Scriptures. I do not believe that, from one cover to the other, there is any mistake in it of any sort whatever, either upon natural or physical science, or upon history or anything whatever. I am prepared to believe what ever it says, and to take it believing it to be the Word of God; for if it is not all true, it is not worth one solitary penny to me. It may be to the man who is so wise that he can pick out the true from the false; but I am such a fool that I could not do that. If I do not have a guide here that is infallible, I would as soon guide myself, for I shall have to do so after all; I shall have to be correcting the blunders of my guide perpetually, but I am not qualified to do that, and so I am worse off than if I had not any guide at all. Sit thou down, Reason, and let Faith rise up. If the Lord hath said it, let God be true, and every man a liar. If science contradicts Scripture, so much the worse for science; the Scripture is true, whatever the theories of men may be. “Ah ! “you say, “you are an old-fashioned fogy.” Yes, I am; I will not disclaim any compliment which you choose to pass upon me; and I will stand or fall by this blessed Book. This was the mighty weapon of the Reformation; it smote the Papacy, and I shall not throw it down, whoever does. Stand thou still, my brother, and listen to the voice of the Lord, and “walk humbly with thy God” as to his truth.

(excerpted from: Micah’s Message for To-day, Sermon No. 2328, delivered by C.H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, August 22, 1889)

TRUTH MATTERS CONFERENCE

TRUTH MATTER CONFERENCE 2011

September 01 -04 2011

Thanks of live stream from Grace Church I was able to see via video the entire conference.  The sessions on Friday, and Saturday, then the church services in entirety. The services as they are every week.

There were four speakers, but the main speaker was John MacArthur and the theme was the Gospel according to Paul.

John MacArthur at the Truth Matters Conference Grace Church Choir Singing

Bob Temple’s Birthday Party 2000

watch?v=neQPntFmL8c