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Saturday, June 27, 2009
Back in the saddle again...
This past week twenty-four teens and parents made their way out to Clymer, PA for Youth Camp 09. We enjoyed 3 days of worship, teaching, games, and the incomparable experience of sleeping on 1 in foam mattresses. All in all, God blessed us by giving us a greater appreciation for our new birth in Christ as we studied John 3 and Ephesians 2 together. Some at camp were assured of their new life in Christ, some grew in their enthusiasm for their new birth, and some experienced the miracle of being born again this past week. What a great time we had!

Here's my concern for us as a church: YC09 marks the 3rd conference our church has made a concerted effort to attend just this year. In January married couples attended the conference "Marriage and the Mercy of God" as we heard how God intends us to transfer the mercy we've received from God to our spouses. In May, young adults attending NEXT were refreshed by looking again at the person and work of Jesus Christ. And now Youth Camp... why should we be concerned with that?

Because hearing God's word always comes with the danger that we aren't going to do anything about it. James 1:22-27 describes this danger and uses the analogy of someone looking into a mirror, seeing the truth about themselves, and walking away without making any adjustments. James calls this deception... the deception that we're changed by hearing alone. And we've heard a lot at SGC over these past few months... a lot at conferences, a lot from the pulpit, and a lot personally as we've looked at the books Worldliness and When Sinners Say "I Do" over these past few months. And next week, we're starting a brand new sermon series from the book of Ecclesiastes. So here's the question: what have you been doing about what you've heard?

Don't get me wrong... James isn't asking us to work our way into God's good graces or to find a way to earn our salvation- that was all accomplished by Jesus. Instead, James is asking us to seriously consider how what we've heard is affecting the ways we're living. In particular, James asks us to look at our speech (v 26), our compassion (v 27), and our purity (v 27). As we've looked into the mirror of God's Word over these last 6 months, we've all seen areas that need adjustment and repentance. Have we humbled ourselves by confessing these sins and asking for help from God? That's the means by which God helps us because God "gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6).

So... how have you been humbling yourself lately in order to receive grace to change?

Saturday, May 16, 2009
Preparing for Sunday...
I was looking back over the last sermon Don DeVries delivered to us in July of 2007. Our series was from 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and was called Final Words... partly because it reflected Paul's last charge to Timothy and partly because it reflected Don's last series of sermons to Sovereign Grace Church.

As he was closing out this message he gave us five ways of preparing for the Sunday meeting... particularly in preparing ourselves to hear God's Word preached. Rereading them, I thought these were so good that I wanted to share them with you here as we prepare for tomorrow:

1st Recognize the unique place of the preached word in your life. Last week I shared that the four legs of Christian growth included: Scripture, prayer, biblical fellowship and preaching. Something unique happens when we sit under God’s word in the context of the local church. The Holy Spirit anoints His word and He anoints those who are listening.


2nd Go to bed early on Saturday night so you are ready to listen and engage with God’s word. I must draw on John Piper here, “Without sufficient sleep our minds are dull, our emotions are flat, our proneness to depression is higher and our fuses are short” He goes on to write, “I especially exhort parents to teach teenagers that Saturday night is not the night to stay out late with friends…It is a terrible thing to teach children that worship is so optional that it doesn’t matter if you are exhausted when you come.”


3rd Avoid worldly entertainment on Saturday night to prepare your heart for the message on Sunday. Again, John Piper brings a very sobering exhortation when he writes, “It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same… empty... trivial… suggestive…immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch. This makes us small and weak and worldly and inauthentic in worship. Instead turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise. Your heart will unshrivel and you will be able to feel greatness again.”


4th Put aside preferences. We all have the temptation to prefer a particular style of preaching or a particular theme. We might prefer to have the OT preached to the NT or a gospel preached to one of Paul’s letters. None of these desires are inherently wrong unless they hinder you from hearing and applying God’s word or they tempt you to become sinfully critical.


5th Be humble and teachable. Each week, listen to what the Spirit might be speaking to you from His word. Look for one thing each week that you can apply. As you do, the roots of your spiritual life will grow deeper and your communion and walk with the Lord will only grow sweeter.

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Parkside Intermediate School
24525 Hillard Blvd.
Westlake, OH 44141

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30135 Lorain Rd.,
North Olmsted OH 44070
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