Subtopic: Our Attitude Toward God’s Word: What Kind Of Witness Are You?

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H. Coleman Sr. for Sunday December 29, 2013

Text: Deuteronomy 4:1-2 “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. (vs2) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

 Revelation 22:16-20 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (vs17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (vs18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophesy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (vs19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (vs20) He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen’. Even so come, Lord Jesus.”

PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Page 551, a comment on Rev.22:18-19. “It would be deemed an unpardonable offense foe an ambassador to add words to, or to subtract them from any royal mandate which he was commissioned to deliver. And if anyone dispensing a physician’s prescription, which the life or death of a patient trembled in the balance, were recklessly to tamper with it, what condemnation could be too severe? Yet we fear that the tendency of many in our day is to treat a message in this book far more lightly that they would any important official human document; and instead of sympathizing with the words before us , and adding their reverent “Amen” they would in all probability either condemn the severity of these words, or else pass them as out of date and altogether exhausted or worn out.

The words of the text evidently embrace any kind of treatment of this Book of the Apocalypse which seemed to assume that a man was at liberty to take the book into his own hands, and to deal with it as he thought fit. Men do this : 1. If they put any merely human production alongside of it as if it were on a level therewith. 

2.If they distort the book at pleasure to make it fit in with a preconceived theory about it; e.g. human history, science or philosophy. 3. If they summarily reject the account which the book gives of itself, out of dislike to the supernatural, or from hostility to the principle of authority in religion. 4. If they make a human interpretation of the book of equal dignity or authority with the book itself. 5. If they deny or disown any of those great doctrines which are inwrought into the very texture of the book; e.g. the glory of Christ’s Person; the meaning of his work; the reality of his administration; the freeness of his grace; the certainty of his victory. These and other doctrines related in origin pervade the entire Apocalypse, and to omit, ignore, deny, or condemn them, from willful refusal to submit to Divine authority, would be to commit the sin which is here exposed to view. The words of the Apocalypse as a whole, and of these two verses in particular, are not human; they are Divine. We should hear a voice saying, “Take thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon  thou standeth is holy ground.” 

Subtopic: Holding On To God’s Unchanging Plan “(This Is The Plan)”

Sermon Notes By Pastor Arthur H. Coleman Sr. for Sunday December 22, 2013

Text: Ephesians 1:3-7 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (vs4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (vs5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (vs6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (vs7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

2 Timothy 1:9-11 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (vs10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (vs11) Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gen’tiles.”

Acts 2:40-42 “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (difficult to manage, restrain or control; perverse; stubborn or willful)generation. (vs41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (vs42) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary,Vol20, Page 33, a comment on Eph.1:4 “Holiness and perfection are the ends aimed at God’s electing love. It is because this is lost sight of that we have so much confusion on this subject. God could not elect any soul to a salvation without holiness; the idea has no meaning in the Divine mind. Men may desire to separate salvation from holiness, to carry their sins with them into the heavenly world; but such desires are vain, and under God’s government they can have no realization. The election is unto holiness. So long as a soul loves sin and hates holiness, he has no warrant to affirm election. He may subsequently turn from sin to God, and thus receive the evidence within him; but a soul that loves sin and hates holiness has no business dabbling with this doctrine of election. God saves no man except in the process he makes him holy. Hence we must remember “they were not chosen because they were viewed as holy, and therefore deserving to be distinguished as God’s favorites, on account of their obedience or personal purity, but that they should be holy.”

Subtopic: “A Personal Quest For God”

Text: Psalm 63:1-8  ( A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Ju’dah) “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (vs2) To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (vs3) Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. (vs4) Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. (vs5) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: (vs6) When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. (vs7) Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (vs8) My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”

PREMISE

The Pulpit Commentary, Vol.8, Page 25, A comment on Psalm 63:1-8  1. THE SOUL’S LONGING  “When we “ thirst for God”, we naturally look back and recall the times we had the truest and fullest enjoyment of his presence. We think of “the sanctuary.” It was not the outward glory; it was not the splendid ritual; it was not the excitement of the great congregation; but it was the vision of God that then brought peace and joy to the soul. And that is what is craved again--- more life and fuller: “To see thy power and thy glory.” There are often circumstances which intensify and strengthen our longings. When we come to know God, not only as God, but as our God and our Redeemer, we feel that it is a very necessity of our being, that it is our life, to see him and to serve him, to love him, to worship him, to rejoice in him as all our salvation and all our Desire.”

Subtopic: “I’ve Got Something To Praise God For”  

Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. (vs2) He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (vs3) And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and trust in the Lord.” 

 2 Corinthians 1:9-10  ( Concerning Paul’s Persecutions In Asia) “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: (vs10) Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”  


PREMISE 

From the 2200 Quotations From the writings Of Charles H. Spurgeon Concerning 1 Cor.2:10 “We shall always be in danger as long as we are here. “the Lord delivered, doth deliver, and he will deliver,” so we shall always need divine deliverance while we are in this world. We must not expect “here” to be ever out of the gunshot of the enemy” 

Text Eccl.12:13-14 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.(vs14) For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil".

1 Peter 1:13-16 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (vs14) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (vs15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (vs16) Because it is written,( Lev.11:44) Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

PREMISE

The Pulpit commentary pg.315 comment on Eccl.12:13-14 "After all the questionings and discussions, the doubts and perplexities, the counsels and precepts, of this treatise, the author winds up restating the first, the most important elementary, and the most important, principles of true religion. There are, he felt in this world many things which we cannot fathom, many things which we cannot reconcile with our convictions and hopes; but there are some things concerning which we have no doubts, and these are the things which most nearly concern us personally and practically"

1.THE GREAT SPRING AND CENTRE OF RELIGION "This is the fear of God, reverence for the Divine character and attributes, the habit of mind which views everything in relation to him who is eternally holy, wise, just, and good. We cannot begin with man; we must find an all-sufficient foundation for the religious life in God himself, his Nature and his Law."

2.THE GREAT EXPRESSION OF RELIGION "This is obedience to the Divine commandments. Our convictions and emotions find their scope when directed towards a holy and merciful God; our will must bend to the moral authority of the eternal Lord. Feelings and professions are in vain unless they are supported by corresponding actions. Where God is honored, and his will is cheerfully performed, there the whole duty of the Christian man is fulfilled. It is the work of the mediation of the Divine Saviour, of the operations of the Divine Spirit, to bring about such a religious and moral life."

3. THE GREAT TEST OF RELIGION "For this we are bidden to look forward to the future. Many things, which are significant as to the religious state of a man, are now hidden. they must be brought to light; secret deeds, alike of holiness and of iniquity, must be made manifest before the throne of judgment. With this solemn warning the Preacher closes his book. and there is no person, in whatsoever state of life, to whom this warning does not apply . Well will it be for us if this earthly life be passed under the perpetual influence of this expectation; if the prospect of the future judgment inspire us to watchfulness, to diligence, and to prayer."