The Ugly, the Bad, and the Good (Psalm 53; Romans 3:9-26)

The bad news is that man’s moral condition is universally ugly, but the good news is that God has sent help from heaven in Jesus Christ to grant us salvation.

I.    THE UGLY (REALITY) (VV. 1-3)
    A.    The Popular View of Humanity
    B.    God’s View of Man (vv. 1-3)
    C.    To Err is Human… or Is It?

II.    THE BAD (NEWS) (VV. 4-5; ROMANS 3:9-20)
    A.    We Are in Need (of Salvation) (vv. 4-5; Romans 3:9-20)
    B.    We Cannot Save Ourselves (or Each Other)

III.    THE GOOD (NEWS) (V. 6)
    A.    The Prayer (v. 6; cf. Romans 3:21-26)
    B.    The Invitation (to Joy)
    C.    Help has Come (and is Coming Again!)

Why? (Psalm 52; 1 Samuel 21:1–9; 22:9–23)

Both pride and love can drive us to do things that don’t make sense, but in very different ways.

I.    WHEN YOU ARE YOUR OWN REFUGE (VV. 1-5, 7; 1 SAMUEL 21:1-9; 22:9-19)
    A.    King Saul’s Obsession
    B.    Doeg’s Deceit
    C.    Why? (v. 1)

II.    WHEN GOD IS YOUR REFUGE (VV. 6-9)
    A.    Making God His Refuge (v. 7)
    B.    Trusting the Steadfast Love of God (vv. 8-9; 1 Samuel 22:20-23)

III.    THREE (OR FOUR) IMPORTANT WHY’S (V. 1)
    A.    Why Choose Evil Over Mercy and Grace? (v. 1)
    B.    Why Offer Grace to Those Who Afflict You? (v. 1)
    C.    The Great Why (John 3:16)
    D.    Why We Eat (v. 8)

Only the Broken (Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 12)

Those who admit that they are spiritually broken and ask for mercy find cleansing and are made whole.

I.    SIN DESTROYS LIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS (VV. 4, 8-11)
    A.    The Price of Sin (Leviticus 20:10; 24:17; Num 35:20-22, 30-31; Deuteronomy 19:11)
    B.    Broken Relationships and Hidden Faces (vv. 4, 8-11)
    C.    The Lost Son (2 Samuel 12:13-17)

II.    REPENTANCE EXPOSES ALL AND HIDES NOTHING (VV. 1-17)
    A.    I Am Wholly Sinful (v. 5)
    B.    I Will Not Hide it from Myself, God, or Others (vv. 3-6, 13-17)
    C.    I Need to Be Washed and Reconciled (vv. 1-2, 7-12)
    D.    Make Me Wholly New (v. 10; 2 Corinthians 5:7)

III.    RECONCILIATION COMES THROUGH DEATH (VV. 7-10, 18-19)
    A.    Purge Me with Hyssop (v. 7)
    B.    Only the Broken are Made New (vv. 8-9, 17-19)
    C.    The Given Son (v. 7)

When Unity Comes Down (Psalm 133, Acts 2:42-47)

God comes down to bless a community that lives to serve one another

I.    SEEING UNITY (V. 1)
    A.    Beholding Unity (v. 1)
    B.    Qualities of Unity (v. 1; cf. Genesis 2:18)
    C.    Unity Among Brothers (v. 1; cf. Genesis 4:9; 11:3)

II.    GROWING IN UNITY (VV. 2-3A)
    A.    Serving Like Priests (v. 2; cf. 1 Peter 2:4-5)
    B.    Finding Refreshment (v. 3a)

III.    BLESSING OF UNITY (V. 3B)
    A.    Blessing from God (v. 3b; cf. James 1:17)
    B.    Unity and Heaven (v. 3b; cf. Revelation 7:9-10; Matthew 6:8-13)
    C.    The God of Unity
    D.    The Unity of Jesus
    E.    United Around a Table

Going Up For Worship (Psalm 122, John 4:19-26 )

Life together must center around worshipping the LORD.

I.    GLADNESS OF WORSHIP (VV. 1-2)
    A.    A Cause for Joy (v. 1)
    B.    The House of the LORD (v. 2)

II.    UNITY IN WORSHIP (VV. 3-4A)
    A.    A Firm City (v. 3)
    B.    The Ascending Tribes (v. 4a)

III.    CALL TO WORSHIP (VV. 4B-5))
    A.    Praising in the House (v. 4b)
    B.    Thrones for Judgment (v. 5)

IV.    PEACE OF WORSHIP (vv. 6-9)
    A.    Extending Peace (vv. 6-9)
    B.    Worshipping Jesus (John 4:19-26)
    C.    Praise During Supper

The God Who Dwells with the Lowly (Isaiah 57:14-15; John 14:1-6)

The God who is high and lifted stoops down to your lowliness. 

I.    PREPARING THE WAY (V. 14)
    A.    Building Up and Preparing the Way (v. 14; cf. Isaiah 62:10)
    B.    Removing our Stumbling Blocks (v. 14; cf. Leviticus 4:8-10)

II.    HIGH AND LIFTED UP (V. 15)
    A.    He is High and Lifted Up (v. 15; cf. Isaiah 6:1)
    B.    He Dwells Eternally(v. 15)
    C.    The is the Holy Lord (v. 15; cf. Exodus 20:7; Isaiah 8:11-15)

III.    CONTRITE AND LOWLY (V. 15)
    A.    God is with the Contrite (v. 15; cf. Isaiah 57:1)
    B.    God is with the Lowly of Spirit (v. 15; Proverbs 29:23)
    C.    The God who Revives (v. 15; Ezekiel 37:1-14)
    D.    Jesus Dwells with the Lowly (Isaiah 53:10; cf. John 14:6)
    E.    A Table for the Lowly

Wounds of Forgiveness (John 20:19-31)

The crucified and resurrected life is shaped by forgiveness.

I.    JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES (VV. 19-23)
    A.    Peace Behind Closed Doors (v. 19; cf. John 10; 1 John 3:17)
    B.    When Seeing Leads to Joy (v. 20)
    C.    Forgiveness and the New Creation (vv. 21-23; cf. John 17:18; Genesis 2:7)

II.    JESUS AND THOMAS (VV. 24-29)

    A.    Doubting Thomas (vv. 24-25)
    B.    When Seeing Leads to Confession (vv. 26-29; cf. Genesis 2:22-23)

III.    JESUS AND OTHER BELIEVERS (V. 31)

    A.    The Word and Believing (v. 31)
    B.    The Word and Forgiveness
    C.    A Table of Forgiveness

Quid Pro Quo? (Psalm 50; Romans 2:1-5)

God cannot be bought or bargained with and wants only one thing from us, sincere dependence upon his mercy and grace.

I.    GOD CANNOT BE BOUGHT (VV. 1-13)
    A.    Bargaining with God
    B.    Modern Examples

II.    GOD IS NOT FOOLED BY HYPOCRITICAL SPEECH (VV. 16-21)
    A.    The Art of “God-Talk” (vv. 16-20)
    B.    When God Breaks His Silence (vv. 3-4, 21)

III.    GOD OFFERS MERCY AND GRACE TO THE HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL (VV. 14-15, 22-23; ROMANS 2:1-5)
    A.    Naked and Ashamed
    B.    Quid pro nihilo? (vv. 14-15)
    C.    When God is Silent (vv. 3, 21-23; Romans 2:1-5)
    D.    Receiving without Giving

The Bully's Bluff (Psalm 49; 2 Corinthians 8:9)

You need not fear the rich of this world, for the wealth of this life has no benefit in the life to come.

I.    WHAT RICH MEN CAN AND CANNOT DO (VV. 3-12)
    A.    They Can Boast (vv. 3-4, 11, 18)
    B.    They Cannot Cheat Death (vv. 7-10, 12, 20)
    C.    They Cannot Determine Your Eternity (vv. 5-6)

II.    WHAT GOD ALONE CAN DO (VV. 13-20)
    A.    He Can See Through Empty Boasts (vv. 10, 13)
    B.    He Can Judge the Wicked (vv. 14, 17-20)
    C.    He Can Ransom Your Soul (vv. 15-16; 2 Corinthians 8:9)

III.    A LIFE FREE FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY
    A.    Free from Fear (vv. 5-6; 16)
    B.    Free to be Generous (Ephesian 4:28; 2 Corinthians 9:7)
    C.    The True Division (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Zaphon (Psalm 48; Hebrews 12:22–24, 28–29)

In the face of adversity, God invites his children to find comfort in who he is, what he has done in the past, and what he promises to do on the Last Day.

I.    PRAISE FOR ZION (VV. 1-11)
    A.    A Call to Praise (vv. 1-3)
    B.    The Reason for Praise (vv. 4-8)
    C.    The True Fortress (vv. 2-3, 9-11)

II.    THE DAY OF DELIVERANCE (V. 2)
    A.    The Lies of False Teachers
    B.    Zaphon & Armageddon (v. 2; cf. Isaiah 14:13-15)
    C.    The Fortress Destroyed

III.    TOURING ZION (VV. 12-14; HEBREWS 12:22–24, 28-29)
    A.    Walk about Zion (vv. 12-14)
    B.    Destroyed Temples and Empty Tombs

The Deeper Bonds of Christian Unity (Philippians 1:1-18)

Our bonds in Christ are displayed in our suffering together.

I.    Our unity is fundamentally in Christ Jesus (vv. 1-2)
II.    Our unity is best displayed through suffering (vv. 3-5, 7-8)
III.    Our unity helps us look past suffering to glory (vv. 6, 9-11)
IV.    This unity is the basis our witness (vv. 12-14)
V.    Paul's Final Takeaway (vv. 15-18)

Love (John 13:1-20, 31-35)

Sacrificially loving and serving one another is one the most powerful things we can do before a watching world to testify to the grace of Jesus Christ.

I.    MAKING GOD KNOWN (THROUGH WHAT WE DO)
    A.    The Witness of the Image of God
    B.    The Evangelistic Function of the Law (Deuteronomy 4:1-8)

II.    MAKING GOD KNOWN (THROUGH LOVING ONE ANOTHER)
    A.    A New Commandment (John 13:1-11, 30-35)
    B.    Be a Re-Gifter (John 13:12-17; cf. Matthew 25:14-46)

III.    POPPING THE BUBBLE
    A.    Those Who Need Love (Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10)
    B.    Getting out of the Christian Bubble (1 Corinthians 5:9-10; Matthew 9:9-13)
    C.    The Divine Example (Supper)

Boldness (2 Timothy 1:3-14; 4:1-8)

The unpopularity of the gospel in this world should not cause us to shrink back in fear, but drive us to proclaim it all the more boldly, knowing that it is most needed when it is least popular.

I.    FANNING THE FLAME (2 TIMOTHY 1:3-14)
    A.    Do Not Be Ashamed (2 Timothy 1:6-8)
    B.    Fan the Flame (2 Timothy 1:6, 9-14)

II.    THE PARADOX OF THE GOSPEL
    A.    Not of this World (John 18:36)
    B.    Setting Our Expectations (2 Timothy 1:12-14)

III.    IN SEASON AND OUT (2 TIMOTHY 4:1-8)
    A.    Two Kinds of Fear (2 Timothy 4:5-8)
    B.    Preach the Word (Always) (2 Timothy 4:2-4)
    C.    The Calling of the Cross (2 Timothy 4:5-8)

A Culture of Evangelism (1 Corinthians 3:1-23)

Because evangelism is chiefly a work of God, he accomplishes it not through our power, but his own, and uses many parts in harmony together to accomplish his ends.

I.    PAUL, APOLLOS, AND A DIVIDED CHURCH (VV. 1-9)
    A.    Life in the Flesh (vv. 1-3)
    B.    Identifying with Servant (not the Master) (vv. 4-9)

II.    CHRIST IS MADE THE SURE FOUNDATION (VV. 10-23)
    A.    The Only Foundation (vv. 10-15)
    B.    Building, Not Destroying (vv. 16-23)

III.    RULES OF CONSTRUCTION
    A.    Essentials of a Culture of Evangelism
    B.    Working Together
    C.    One Loaf, One Body

Hearing (Romans 10:5-17)

God uses the official preaching of the word as the primary way of calling sinners to faith.

I.       Two Kinds of Righteousness (vv. 5-13)
         A.     Based on the Works of the Law (vv. 5, 6)
         B.     Based on the Hearing with Faith (vv. 6-13)

II.     Hearing the Gospel (vv. 14-17)
         A.     How Will They Hear? (vv. 14-15)
         B.     Preaching Christ is Beautiful (vv. 15, 17)
         C.     No Guarantees (v. 16)

III.    Addressing Pride and Fear
         A.     Text and Subtext
         B.     Avoiding Dangerous Extremes
         C.     Hearing the Visible Word

The Powerful Gospel (Romans 1:8-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18)

The power of evangelism comes from the message we proclaim and the God who gave us that message.

I.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL PROCLAIMED
    A.    Not Ashamed (v. 16)
    B.    The Power of God unto Salvation (vv. 16-17)
    C.    The Reason—God’s Glory (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

II.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL ILLUSTRATED
    A.    Paul in Corinth (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
    B.    Moses in Egypt (Exodus 4:10-12)

III.    THE POWERFUL GOSPEL EXPERIENCED
    A.    Power Made Perfect in Weakness
    B.    Avoiding Misunderstanding (John 13:35)
    C.    Power Made Visible in Weakness

Getting the Gospel Right (1 Peter 3:13-22)

The gospel is the good news that, though we are sinners who deserve hell, Jesus Christ has lived a perfect life and suffered the curse we deserve so that all who put their trust fully in him will be saved.

I.       Man’s Need (v. 18)
         A.     Unrighteous (Not by Design)
         B.     Sin and Its Consequences

II.     Jesus’s Provision (v. 18)
         A.     A Perfect Life (v. 18)
         B.     A Perfect Death (v. 18)
         C.     Redemption (v. 18)

III.    Making It Yours
         A.     Received by Faith Alone (Acts 16:31)
         B.     The Gospel Made Visible (vv. 19-20)
         C.     What Happens if We get it Wrong?
         D.     The Gospel Made Visible (Again)

God's Heart for the Lost (Ezekiel 33:1-20; 1 Timothy 2:1-7)

God’s heart takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but rejoices when one turns to him and finds mercy and grace—it is this heart that must drive us in evangelism.

I.       The God of Justice (vv. 1-9)
         A.      Goodness Requires Justice
         B.      The Ugly Temptation (of Self-Righteousness) (Jonah 4)
         C.      God’s Warning to His Watchmen (vv. 1-9)

II.      The God of Mercy (vv. 10-16)
         A.      No Pleasure in the Death of the Wicked (vv. 10-11; Exodus 34:5-7; Luke 15)
         B.      The Demonstration of Love (vv. 12-16; Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 2:5-7)

III.     After God’s Own Heart
         A.      Seeking the Heart of God
         B.      Seeking the Salvation of the Lost (1 Timothy 2:1-7)
         C.      A Gracious (and Visible) Warning (vv. 12-16; 1 Corinthians 11:17-20)

Making Disciples (Matthew 22:34-40; 28:18-20)

The church has been called to make disciples—those who are conformed to the image of Christ in knowledge, righteousness and holiness, exercising dominion over sin.

I.       When All Else Fails (Go Back to the Beginning)
         A.      Cosmic Fullness (Adam’s Goal in Creation) (Genesis 1:26-28)
         B.      Image Bearing (Adam’s Job in Creation) (Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24; Genesis 1:26)
         C.      Heavenly Glory (Adam’s Would-be Reward in Creation) (1 Corinthians 15:44-53)

II.      Identifying a Disciple
         A.      The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40)
         B.      The Finished Disciple (v. 20; Luke 6:40)

III.     Making Disciples (Not Just Converts)
         A.      Disciples or Converts?
         B.      The Tools of Discipleship
         C.      A Disciple is not Above His Master

Ascending Zion (Hebrews 12:18-29)

As a worshipping community, the church is most clearly the church when she is in worship—possessing heaven, feasting with angels and communing with the saints throughout the ages in the presence of God.