Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

The way a Christian lives should showcase who he/she is in Christ. Christians should understand their calling as missionaries who live out what they say they believe. A Christian’s true identity is found in the eternal appointment of a sovereign God. God’s people are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying action of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus and to be sprinkled with his blood. When Peter considered God’s mercy in being born again, he knew that the motive for God’s work is found in Him, not in us. We are born again to “a living hope” because we have eternal life in a Savior who has conquered death Himself. It’s a "living hope" because it’s tied to the resurrection. Through His great mercy God has caused Christians to be “born again” to an inheritance that is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”. But it's not only the inheritance that's being kept - Chr

Peter’s letters to the church were more than just friendly notes of encouragement; they were to teach Christians how to live as missionaries. He said that Christians are spiritual exiles awaiting their heavenly inheritance. Paul Akin says, "Who we are in terms of our identity as Christians shapes the course of our mission.” Said another way, "Who we are determines how we live". What a Christian proclaims with their lips and their life matters. The inheritance of God’s people is one that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven by the power of God.

Isaiah was sent to king Ahaz in Isaiah 7 to challenge him to believe and obey God, but he would not "put the Lord to the test" (despite the Lord's instructions to do so). So GOD took matters into His own hands and chose the sign [v.14] - "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The sign of God’s power and faithfulness to His people would be that He would come to earth and be born in the likeness of men. It may not have been a royal birth, but make no mistake – this baby would rule. He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The names of this future King are names associated with God Himself. God was born and walked among us in the person of Jesus.

King Balak tried to bribe Balaam to curse Israel three different times, but each time God told him to bless Israel instead cursing them. In Balaam's fourth oracle we find a shadow of the Savior in [v.17] - “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near...” The man prophesied about would be a "star" and a "scepter". These are both names and titles given to the Messiah. Christ was born as a little baby in a manger, but He has brought light into the world and He rules it with complete authority.

In Jeremiah 22:4-5, Jeremiah is holding out a promise or a threat, prosperity or destruction. The prophets of old confronted wickedness & warned of judgment, but they also proclaimed God’s truth with confidence and held on tightly to hope. They reminded God’s people of the promise of a lasting, eternal kingdom found in the distant hope that a “righteous Branch” will be raised up for David. But the kings of Israel & Judah were, by and large, not good at leading God's people in His ways. They earned judgment after judgment due to their disobedience and self-centeredness. And yet, there’s hope nestled here in the midst of all these guarantees of hard judgment. God would install a King who would reign and rule with wisdom and justice and righteousness throughout the earth. He would be our righteousness, and He would bring about peace with God.

Phillip (John 1:45), Jesus, & the New Testament authors all concluded that Jesus was who all the writers of the Old Testament were writing about. All of Scripture points to Christ as Emmanuel, “God with us”. Before God even pronounced judgment on Adam & Eve for their sin, He revealed His plan to defeat the devil through one unique man who would come from the family of Eve. Genesis 3:15 promised that one special man from the woman’s seed would destroy the works of the devil, and that He would be wounded in the process. Genesis 3:15 is the first promise of the Incarnation, the first glimpse of God in the flesh, the first Shadow of the Savior. And when Jesus conquered death, He crushed the head of the serpent. He is the Savior seed of Eve who was bruised & killed in your place, but who victoriously conquered sin & death & Satan and is calling you to find life and purpose in Him today.

In these last five Hallelujah Psalms, every word is praise. As the psalmist instructs all created things to praise the Lord in Psalm 148, he follows the creation order from Genesis 1. God made everything in His image and good, but He is still superior in every way. He is to be exalted, not us. “He is good to all, but he is God to His people.” - Charles Spurgeon on v.14. God’s people are pictured in 149:6 as ready for battle, equipped with two mighty weapons. 1. “the high praises of God in their throats” 2. “two-edged swords in their hands” Christians still go into battle the same way today – with the praises of God on their lips and the two-edged sword of God’s Word in their hands. The Lord’s plan isn’t always what we would expect, but it always accomplishes exactly what He intends. - In every place – praise the Lord! - For every reason – praise the Lord! - With every expression – praise the Lord! - With e

God teaches us that it’s best left up to Him to avenge, because we find it extremely difficult to react in justice rather than in revenge. You can’t read Scripture & come away with any other conclusion but that God loves righteous justice. So when earthly authorities aim to dispense justice according to what God says is good, then God - in Romans 13 - calls Christians to submit to that kind of authority. But when those in authority carry out their wicked purposes under the disguise of “law”, it gives evidence to the fact that they aren’t really aligned with God (1 John 1:6). But no matter what the lawmakers do, God is the rock of refuge for the Christian. - "No matter the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand" - WorldWatch News. wicked person in [v. 8-11]. - dull - fools - thoughts are futile God in [v.8-11]: o He hears because He planted the ear o He sees because He formed the eye o He rebukes because He is the only righteous judge o He knows who men really are The

Notice right away that we aren’t being told just to give thanks because of everything the Lord has done for us; we are commanded to give thanks to the Lord because He is good. Gratefulness should come from a recognition that He is in and of Himself good. The author gave thanks for answered prayer & salvation (v.21). Exodus 15:2 - "The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." If you have been rescued from the domain of darkness and brought into the light, saved from eternal spiritual death by God’s grace, doesn’t He deserve your devotion? Psalm 118:27 -> Numbers 6:22-26 The love that sustained Jesus on the cross is the same love given to every person who believes.

Both confession and forgiveness are blessings from God that produce joy in the believer. - Last verse of Psalm 32 – “…shout for joy, all you upright in heart”. - First verse of Psalm 33 – “Shout for joy in the Lord, you righteous…”. [v.1] No matter what you see going on around you, you can be sure that God’s purpose will stand. Though it sometimes seems strange to us, God’s ways are always right. For those who hope in His steadfast love, God will rescue them from ruin and nourish them in time of need. God alone is our dependence. God’s love is continually given to help our unbelief, bolster our faith, and to increase our hope.

Confession of sin is a foundational truth upon which good relationships are created and maintained. If the truth about our sin should drive us to confession (it should), the truth about God’s forgiveness should drive us to joy! Instead of fearing the correction & discipline of the Lord, we should fear being indifferent to our sin. But when we humble ourselves in confession, God is faithful to forgive.

Before David slayed the giant or was considered for kingship, he was a shepherd. But we need to read Psalm 23 not from David’s perspective as a shepherd, but from the perspective of a sheep (as David says). God has chosen to shepherd His people, so He has a vested interest in His sheep. He guides the flock, protects it, and cares for it Himself. The phrase “I shall not want” is both a declaration and a decision. It's something that's already true but also a decision that Christians make each day - Jesus is (more than) enough. The shepherd knows when his sheep need rest, green pastures, & quiet waters, and he knows when his sheep need to be guided down paths they might not go themselves. Being close to the shepherd didn’t remove the presence of evil, but it certainly took away the fear of evil. More than anything else, David’s greatest comfort and deepest joy was that he would “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”. We only face “the shadow of

David was tempted the very way that we are tempted: to put our trust in other things. But he sits and waits in silence because of his confidence in God, because he trusts God alone. He is right to think of God as a Rock because of His strength and stability, but God isn’t insensitive and unfeeling like a rock is. We’re invited to pour out our hearts before Him, because He cares for us. “Nothing which does not shake the rock can shake the frail tent pitched on it.” David’s silence is not vague nothingness. He seeks times of silence because he hopes in God & because he’s hearing from God. David connects his hope in God to the Word of God [v.11-12]. David seeks quietness of soul so he can fill the space of the noise of life with more of God and His Word. It’s a purposeful silence. It’s a surrendered silence. It's a settled silence.

"God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong..." (1 Cor. 1:27-29). As strange as it seems to us, God wins with weakness. Compared to the self-existent and all-powerful God, we are so small. Despite the glaring contrast between God and man, the wonder of the incarnation and the beauty of the Gospel is that God DOES care about us, God DOES remember us. 1 Corinthians 15 and Hebrews 2 (quoting Psalm 8) show that this promise of "dominion" is now only incompletely fulfilled among men. Yet, it will be ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the ultimate Man, the second Adam, and not only that, but it will also be completely fulfilled in His resurrected followers. So where do we clearly see the majesty of God? In the face of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In life's difficult moments, it’s awfully easy to run from God instead of to God. It's also easy to get angry and complain. But David explains and demonstrates a better way. He says to examine your heart, choose to worship, & determine to put your trust again in the Lord. David knew that more than understanding all the answers, what we really need in trials is to experience the presence of God. This is the story of what the grace of God can do in the heart of everyone who puts their trust in Him.

Storms serve a purpose. Like the miracles, they are meant to point us to something greater, Christ Himself. David saw an intense storm front coming in and was immediately reminded of the voice of God, the power of God, and the presence of God. Mankind is drawn to glory, and if we’re not reveling in God’s glory, we’re either blind to it or we’re replacing it with something else. The deer giving birth is a reminder that God has a personal (intimate) relationship with His creation. He commands the wind and rain and thunder, and He cares for His creation. The voice of the Lord is powerful (what an understatement!), but perhaps the greatest display of His power was shown when He came to dwell with His people. Not only did God chose to dwell in the midst of His people, through Christ, He has chosen dwell within His people. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16.) Paul Tripp says, “You don't hav

Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

The author of Psalm 103 is preaching a specific message to himself here: “Bless the Lord, O my soul…” No matter the circumstance, bless the Lord. The God of the OT is the same God of the NT and He’s the same God today. He is a God of compassion, justice, grace, truth, mercy, and love. He does not deal with according to our sins, or treat us as we deserve (thankfully!). But we need to remember this truth: God only forgives sins by grace through faith in Christ alone. That’s how He forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, & satisfies - in Christ alone.

It’s not a lack of intelligence that leads a person to reject belief in God; it's a lack of righteousness. For a person to reject the existence of God, they must also reject the existence of sin. The Bible says that our conscience itself bears witness to the truth and existence of God (Romans 2:15). The real reason behind denying God is almost never intellectual at its core, it’s moral. A wise/mature person learns how to navigate life well and develop skills to handle problems biblically. Only in Christianity does God Himself leave heaven and come down to rescue sinful people who could never earn His favor on their own. When the Lord redeems and restores His people by means of salvation from His own hand (out of Zion), His people will rejoice.