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East Cooper Baptist Church - Sermons Podcast
Hosted by East Cooper Baptist Church · EN
This is the podcast for the Sunday sermons at East Cooper Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Our senior pastor, Conrad 'Buster' Brown is normally teaching but we also have other resident pastors and guest speakers at times.
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The Lord's Prayer: Our Father in Heaven
1w agoTap to summarize"Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" Matthew 6:9-13In prayer, we come to the eternal God with our needs, knowing we are heard because of the Mediator, Jesus Christ. And so by the Holy Spirit we cry out, Abba, Father.“By the benefit of prayer, we reach those riches which are laid up for us with the Heavenly Father. We see that to us nothing is promised to be expected from the Lord, which we are not emboldened to ask for in prayers. Therefore, we dig up by prayer the treasures that were pointed out by the Lord's gospel, and which our faith has gazed upon.” John Calvin, Institute 3-20-2OUR NEED:"O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us.You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow." Psalm 60:1-4 "And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 189Q: What does the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?A: The preface of the Lord’s prayer (contained in these words, Our Father which art in heaven,) teacheth us, when we pray, to draw near to God with confidence of his fatherly goodness, and our interest therein; with reverence, and all other child-like dispositions, heavenly affections, and due apprehensions of his sovereign power, majesty, and gracious condescension: as also, to pray with and for others.Heidelberg Catechism, Question 20Q: Why did Christ command us to call God “our Father”?A: To awaken in us at the very beginning of our prayer what should be basic to our prayer—a childlike reverence and trust that through Christ God has become our Father, and that just as our parents do not refuse us the things of this life, even less will God our Father refuse to give us what we ask in faith.AWAKEN CHILDLIKE REVERENCE AND TRUST:"You sum up the whole of the New Testament teaching in a single phrase if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator. In the same way, you sum up the whole of the New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. ‘Father’ is the Christian name for God.” J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 182“All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption: by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God; have His name upon them, receive the Spirit of adoption; have access to the throne of grace with boldness; are enabled to cry, Abba, Father; are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him, as by a father; yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation.” &nb... Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Generation to Generation: Generation to Generation
2w agoTap to summarize"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.'" Proverbs 31:10–11, 23, 28–29“Because we recognize that God has ordained the institution of the nuclear family and called us into the greater familial community of the body of Christ, we celebrate and strive to build strong families within individual homes and across the generations within our church.” ECBC Core Value: We are a Family.The Generations (Generational Sins/Curses or Blessings?)1. We are not judged for the sins of our forefathers."One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts." Psalm 145:4 "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:5-62. We are judged for our own sins."The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." Ezekiel 18:203. The cross breaks all curses (generational or otherwise)"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'." Galatians 3:13-144. We aren’t compelled to renounce the sins of our forefathers, but we are emboldened to continually announce the victory, grandeur, and glory of the cross of Christ. 5. We should be aware of family patterns/systems and the negative or positive impact they have upon our behavior and worldview."Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina 6. The principle of reaping and sowing."Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:7-97. We are to continually submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the devil (James 4:7-8) as we experience the beauty of the Lord and continually taste the goodness and greatness of Jesus."In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel." Isaiah 4:2"Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary." Psalm 96:6"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:7-8QUESTIONS / APPLICATIONS:1. How are all curses (real and potential) broken in the life of the believer? 2. We are called not to (primarily) renounce generational sins, but to boldly announce the victory of the cross. 3. As we submit to the Lord and resist the devil, we are to plead to taste/experience the goodness of Christ.4. We're to live as called-out people (1 Peter 2:9-10) who strive to honor the Lord (seeking to live a life ... Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Spiritual Reality and Warfare: Prayer, Daily Grace, and Empowerment
3w agoTap to summarize"...Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..." Ephesians 6:18"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray,'..." Luke 11:1 “Prayer is the chief exercise of faith and by which we daily receive God's benefits.”John Calvin, The Institutes, Book 3, Chapter 20.New City Catechism Question 38Q: What is prayer?A: Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.“We dig up by prayer the treasures that were pointed out by the Lord's gospel, and which our faith has gazed upon.”John Calvin, The Institutes, 20-3-2CONSIDERATIONS:1. By prayer, we call forth the empowering presence of the Lord and tap into His goodness."One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to GAZE upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock." Psalm 27:4-5“For in Christ He offers all happiness in place of our misery, all wealth in place of our neediness; in him he opens to us the heavenly treasures that our whole faith may contemplate His beloved Son, our whole expectation depend upon him, and our whole hope cleave to and rest in him. This is that secret and hidden philosophy but they whose eyes God has opened surely learn it by heart, that in his light they may see light (Ps 36:9).” John Calvin, The Institutes 3.20, 1“The power through which He sustains us, calms us in our weakness…and offers goodness, through which He receives us…It is by prayer that we call Him to reveal Himself as wholly present to us.” John Calvin, The Institutes 20-3-22. Because of the mediatorial work of Christ, we have an “all-access pass” to the trinitarian throne room (Hebrews 4:14-16).“We see that to us nothing is promised to be experienced from the Lord, which we are not also called to ask of him in prayers. So true, is it that we dig up by prayer the treasures that were pointed out by the Lord's gospel, and which our faith has gazed upon.” John Calvin, The Institutes 3-20-2"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6"Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Romans 8:343. The kingly rule of God (sovereignty and prayer).“It is important for him (and for us) to believe that the Bible teaches that God is all-knowing, good, and sovereign, and that He works all things according to His perfect will. And it is important to know that in the Bible, God repeatedly assures us that He will hear and answer our prayers. Logically, one cannot have it both ways, but, according to Calvin, scripturally we can.” David B. Calhoun, The Theological Guide to Calvin's Institutes, p. 352-3534. Pray the scriptures, especially the Psalms.5. Prayer, worship, and singing.Calvin's Four Rules for Right Praying:• Careful thought and deep devotion (reverence)• Repentance and a sense of need.“Prayer is the genuine cry of the human heart for help in the midst of circumstances that cannot be met by merely human resources.” John Calvin.• Humility and repentance. “To sum up: the beginning and even the preparation of proper prayer is the plea for pardon with a humble and sincere confession of guilt.” Institutes 3.20.9•Confident hope. “If we would pray fr... Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Spiritual Reality and Warfare: Empowerment in Warfare
Apr 26Tap to summarize"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..." Ephesians 6:10-18The Apostle Paul wants the believers in Ephesus to realize that a life of dependence/waiting on God in prayer is essential if they are to engage successfully in their continual warfare with the powers of darkness. Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 98Q: What is prayer?A: Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.New City Catechism, Question 38Q: What is prayer?A: Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.The four A-L-L-S:1. Praying at all times in the Spirit. The Christian is to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5.16), put sin to death in the Spirit (Romans 8.13-14), worship by the Spirit (Philippians 3.3)."Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:302. Pray…with all prayer and supplication, (all types of prayer at all times).3. Keep alert with all perseverance. (We pray as awakened and informed believers as we renounce the spiritual sleepwalking of the darkness around us.) We pray with an expectation of the Lord's return (Philippians 4.5)."Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:24. For all the saints. "Stand up, stand up for Jesus,stand in His strength alone;the arm of flesh will fail you,ye dare not trust your own.Put on the gospel armor,each piece put on with prayer;where duty calls or danger,be never wanting there.Stand up, stand up for Jesus,the strife will not be long;this day the noise of battle,the next the victor's song.To him who over-cometha crown of life shall be;they with the King of Gloryshall reign eternally."George Duffield Jr., Stand Up for JesusAPPLICATION/STATEMENTS:1. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and the crucified, risen Christ Jesus intercedes for us at the Father's right hand!2. The life of worshipful obedience is linked to the ongoing power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). 3. …All types of prayers, at all times, at all places. 4. Always awake versus unfocused and drifting.5. The continual wa... Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Lord of Life: Lord of Life
Apr 19Tap to summarize"They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, 'What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.' For he was saying to him, 'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' And Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'My name is Legion, for we are many.' And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.' So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.' And he went with him.And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, 'if I touch even his garments, I will be made well.' And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my garments?' And his disciples said to him, 'You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, "Who touched me?"' And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, 'Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?' But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not fear, only believe.' An... Speaker: Leland Brown
Transcribe →In High Seas or In Low Seas: In High Seas or In Low Seas
Apr 12Tap to summarize“Several times, waves passed over our heads, but they fell back the next instant. We were drenched, we were numbed, we were blinded, we were deafened; but always we were saved.” Susanna Clarke, Piranesi"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, 'Let us go across to the other side.' And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace! Be still!' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'” Mark 4:35-41A QUESTION OF CARE"This God does not give us something that is other than himself, or merely tell us about himself; he actually gives us himself. If he just dropped a book from heaven, he could keep us at the sort of distance we would expect. But he doesn’t. The very Word of God, who is God comes to us and dwells with us." Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16A QUESTION OF TRUST"And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.'" Mark 11:22-23"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1A QUESTION OF IDENTITY"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:15-20"And he asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are the Christ.'" Mark 8:29"Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus. It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. 'The Word became flesh' (John 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so ... Speaker: Van Barnhill
Transcribe →Easter: Easter
Apr 5Tap to summarizeSpeaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Palm Sunday: The Cross and the Highest Privilege
Mar 29Tap to summarize"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:4-7"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Romans 8:15-16"All those that are justified, God graciously guarantees, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the Spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are Pitied, Protected, Provided for, and Chastened by him, as by a father: yet Never Cast Off, but sealed to the day of redemption; and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation." Westminster Confession of Faith (12-1)“You sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father.” J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 182 GENERAL PRINCIPLE:1. The recipients (of the Book of Galatians):• Jews, who saw God as the ruler and lawgiver, but now, because of the glory and wonder of the person and work of Christ, know him as “Abba Father” (Hebrews 12:18-24).• Gentiles “unmoved mover” (Aristotle), now see God in His trinitarian splendor and goodness as Abba Father.2. Adoption is the highest blessing/privilege for the believer; not only are we forgiven by the King, but we are embraced by the Father.“But it is in the act of adoption that God becomes to the redeemed a Father in the highest sense that divine Fatherhood can belong to creatures, or rather, can be predicated of creatures.” John Murray, John Murray's Collective Works, Volume II, p. 2283. It is the blessing that abides (unchanging).4. It brings experiential joy.“The entire Christian life has to be understood in terms of adoption. Sonship must be the controlling thought– the normative category, if you like–at every point. This follows from the nature of the case, and is strikingly confirmed by the fact that all our Lord's teaching on Christian discipleship is cast in these terms.” J.I. Packer, Knowing God“Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be ADOPTION THROUGH PROPITIATION, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.”J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 194COMMENTS/QUESTIONS:1. Ben Hur (1959 - Academy Award-winning movie) or Mephibosheth?2. Do you come from a nice home in a manicured community or from Lo-debar? (a desolate, unproductive place where Mephibosheth was living when David called him into his home)3. How is adoption the highest blessing for the believer?4. Benevolent King and embracive Abba Father.5. To enter into the wonder of our adoption, believers should glory in and survey the wonder of the cross. Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Spiritual Reality and Warfare: Sword of the Spirit II
Mar 22Tap to summarize"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Ephesians 6:17"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.He is like a tree planted by streams of waterthat yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."Psalm 1Meditation - to ponder the scripture in such a fashion as to inform the mind, stir up the affections with life-enhancing energy; which leads to personal transformation.“Meditation is thinking a truth out and then thinking a truth in, until its ideas become ‘big’ and ‘sweet’, moving and affecting, and until the reality of God is sensed upon the heart.” Tim Keller, Prayer, p. 162“Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, thinking over, dwelling upon, and applying to oneself the various things one knows about the works and ways and purposes of God.It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communication with God. Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let his truth make its full and proper impact upon one's mind and heart.” J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p. 18-19MEDITATION:1. Is centered on Scripture (rational thought) vs. mantra meditation. 2. Leads to rootedness/stability."'See the man who would not make God his refuge,but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!'But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.I will thank you forever, because you have done it.I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly."Psalm 52:7-9"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-93. Produces character/life transformation.4. Leads to blessedness/delight. 5. Gives a sense of destiny and hope (v. 5 & 6).“If we settle for mere speculations and mental notions about Christ's doctrine, we shall find no life-transforming power communicated to us. But when, under the conduct of spiritual light, our affections do cleave unto Christ with full purpose of heart, our minds fill up with thoughts and delight in Him. This will increase our holiness, strengthen our graces, and fill us sometimes with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” John Owen, The Glory of Christ, p. 400-401 Speaker: Buster Brown
Transcribe →Spiritual Reality and Warfare: Sword of the Spirit
Mar 15Tap to summarize"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places… and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10-12,17"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23“To keep the heart… is nothing else but this constant care and diligence of such a renewed man, to preserve his soul in that holy frame (attitude) to which grace has led him and strives to hold it…to keep the heart is carefully to preserve it from sin, which disorders it; and maintain that spiritual gracious frame (attitude), which equips it for a life of (happy) communion with God.” John Flavel, Volume Five of his Collective Works, p. 426IN TAKING UP THE SWORD WITH THE SPIRIT:1. How did Jesus contend with the devil? “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4"Jesus said to him, 'Again, it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Matthew 4:7“Then Jesus said to him, 'Begone Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:102. To understand the synergistic link between the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God."I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints," Ephesians 1:16-18 "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:12-14“Supposing we had awakened today to find everything concerning the Holy Spirit and prayer removed from the Bible….What difference would it make practically between the way we worked yesterday and the way we would work today and tomorrow? What difference would it make in the majority of Christians’ practical work and plans?... Isn’t much work done by human talent, energy and clever ideas? Where does the supernatural power of God have a real place?" Francis & Edith Schaeffer, L-Abri, p. 64-65The church “Reformed and always reforming according to the Word of God”. Jodocus Van Lodenstein"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT "…how will he not graciously give us all things in him?" Romans 8:32"…my shepherd…makes me lie down in green pastures…leads me beside quiet waters…restores my soul." Psalm 23:1"…a tree planted by streams of water." Psalm 1:3"…seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33... Speaker: Buster Brown
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