Grosey's Messages

Friday, August 08, 2025

Where will you spend Eternity

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:52 AM

Jeremiah and Jesus on hell

In 2016 I had a tumour in the jaw.

The specialist believed it was jaw cancer.

There are two main types of jaw cancer One is terminal after 6 months The other they call it cheesecake cancer where the bones of the jaw basically turn to cheesecake and the jaw has to be replaced with titanium. It takes 3 months in ICU to recover. Needless to say, my boss at the Anglican Church sacked me immediately.

I since met with a variety of medical professionals as my condition was critical. From X-ray and MRI technicians to radiologists, nurses, and surgeons and specialists, I have seen excellent health care providers in several different settings.

Not one of them ridiculed me for my problem or blamed me for my condition.

The surgeon who removed the tumour in 2016 did it in one go. It left a huge gap in my jaw and I had to wait 6 months for the bone in my jaw to grow back before I could eat anything more solid than broccoli juice. Most of the health professionals treated me with kindness and compassion.

It would have been frustrating for these professionals to take a position of moral superiority as if they were somehow better people than me. They do not have my condition, but I do not face some of the physical challenges they face. They understand that we are all in this together and want the best for their patients. They know that my problem is not my fault and want to help me get better.

This is precisely the spirit Christians should manifest with those who reject biblical truth and morality. Unfortunately, such compassion can lose in competition with a "culture warrior" attitude of antagonism toward those who are antagonistic toward us.

This topic has been resonating with me as I have been reading the book of Jeremiah in my personal Bible study. I was impressed by the prophet's statement, "My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste" (Jeremiah 3:19–20).

This is just one of many examples that lead theologians to call Jeremiah the "weeping prophet." Here's another: "My joy is gone; grief is upon me; my heart is sick within me. Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land. . . . For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded; I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me" (Jeremiah 8:18–21).

Here's another: "Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" (Jeremiah 9:1).

Such compassion is echoed even more fully in the heart of Jesus. When he saw a "great crowd," Matthew tells us that "he had compassion on them and healed their sick" (Matthew 14:14). When he met blind men, "Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him" (Matthew 20:34). When he saw the city of Jerusalem, "he wept over it, saying, 'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes'" (Luke 19:41–42).

Hebrews tells us, "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" (Hebrews 4:15).

Both Jeremiah and Jesus could rebuke sin and sinners with stern boldness. Both stood courageously and sacrificially for biblical truth and morality.

But both also cared deeply for the broken people they were called to serve. They ministered not out of a spirit of moral superiority but a posture of gracious service. Jesus especially modeled this spirit when he washed the feet of the very men who would betray, deny, and forsake him that night (John 13:1–13).

Then he called us to do the same: "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you" (vv. 14–15).

Compassion for broken people is vital to caring effectively for them. The old saying is still true: People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Ken Medema says in one of his songs, "Don't tell me I have a friend in Jesus until you show me I have a friend in you."

As our sinless Savior shows, compassion for sinners is not compromise with sin. Rather, it is empathy with fellow humans as a beggar helping beggars find bread. It is a demonstration of our mutual humanity.

Lost people act like lost people. So did I. So did you. There is no sin I cannot commit. And there is no sin you cannot commit.

I also heard a pastor once say, "Beware the person who preached on hell as if he liked it." Another CH Spurgeon advised, "Always preach on hell with a tear in your eye."

The greater my problem, which before the surgery caused me no pain, the more I needed the help of physicians.

Most lost people don't feel their problem is with God. Being convicted of sin is part of the work of conversion that the Holy Spirit works in people.

The Lord Jesus explained:

John 16:7-11 NASB95 - "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged."

I felt no pain with my critical situation. Only a random dentists x ray revealed the problem. I could have died basically unaware of my situation.

Many people reject our message of salvation because they are unaware of their need.

The more people reject our Lord, the more they need our Lord.

Let's pray today for the heart of God for the people we are called to reach. I believe that "weeping prophets" are empowered prophets. The more we are able to minister with empathy, the more we will draw souls to our Savior.

John Stott stated, "The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them."

Will you weep them today?

Will you seek their salvation today ?

# posted by Groseys messages @ 7:55 AM

Wednesday, August 06, 2025

Church membership classes

Some folks will disagree with having a membership class. Arguments vary from "There aren't membership classes in the Bible" to "That'll lower our number of new members," but it's likely somebody will question the necessity of this class.
Nevertheless, more churches are requiring attendance at a membership class to join their congregation. They want potential members to know their history, their vision, their doctrine, their needs, etc.–and they want those potential members to understand their expectations for commitment and service.
Well-designed membership classes are worth the effort. I've talked with leaders who regretted some aspect of their class (poor leadership, bad scheduling, too long or too short, etc.), but I've not heard a leader say, "We simply should have never had a class." Many leaders have said, "We should have done it sooner."
Some other activity may need to be shelved to make room for this class. Because this class is important, it deserves priority of staffing and scheduling. Even if the church schedule is clear, involved staff may need to say "no" to something else to participate.
Personally recruiting for the class is not a bad idea. Some attenders will come because they are ready to make a commitment to the church. Other attenders who are, in one writer's terms "dating the church," may not take that step. Some of the same folks, though, will attend if they receive a personal invite from a church leader.
The pastor/primary preacher needs to be involved. Class attenders have told us repeatedly, "We appreciated the time with our pastor." In many cases, a membership class provides attenders the most intimate time they will have with their pastor. After that time together, they will hear him differently in the pulpit.
Relationships developed are significant. Think about it – several attenders who are considering the same membership decision (or who have made the decision already) come together during a similar part of their spiritual journey. Even a few hours together can help them develop lasting bonds.
The class must include a clear presentation of the gospel.Don't assume all potential "new members" are believers. Not only does a presentation make sure that all attenders have a chance to respond to the gospel, but it also helps them know how to present the good news.
Assuming rather than teaching doctrine in the class is risky.We've seen classes that focus well on the church's story and vision. They encourage involvement, stress giving, and talk about accountability, but give little attention to the church's doctrine. That omission may well lead to problems later.
Attenders should leave the class understanding both privileges and responsibilities of church membership. They should want to be a part of God's local Body while also understanding that membership requires something. A lack of balance here can result in a distorted understanding of the church.
Follow up is imperative. If the membership class exposes folks to ministry opportunities but no one helps them get connected, the class loses some of its punch. Likewise, someone must follow up after the class to enlist members for small groups, prayer teams, etc. (in fact, it's best to do as much as possible during the class itself).
Sometimes, a required membership class probably saves the church some headaches in the future. That "benefit" happens when potential members decide not to join a church because they believe differently than the church does or aren't willing to make the commitments that membership requires.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:08 PM

Saturday, August 02, 2025

Matthew 13 The Great Separation

Matthew 13 The Great Separation

Why would God allow this sowing of tares among the wheat to happen to the kingdom between Christ's first coming and His second coming? Why does God permit the "mystery of lawlessness" to work its way through the church (2 Thes. 2:7)? Like the dutiful workers in the master's field (Matt. 13:28), we're understandably anxious to jerk out every one of the evildoers, confront every devious act, and put a stop to every attempt to thwart and harass the work of God. Yet the parables seem to suggest that such a spread of wickedness and deceit among the people of God is inevitable. When Jesus finally got out of the boat, made His way through the crowd, and returned to the house in Capernaum where He was staying, His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field" (13:36). Notice that they didn't ask about the mustard seed or the leaven. They were troubled by the fact that God would tolerate the imperfection and impurity of the poisonous tares growing among the wheat.

In 13:37-43 Jesus explains the parable, but only to His close disciples. In almost bullet-point fashion, Jesus solves the puzzle: The one who sows = the Son of Man, Jesus (13:37) The field = the world (13:38)

The good seed = the sons of the kingdom (the saved righteous) (13:38)

The tares = the sons of the evil one (the unsaved wicked) (13:38)

The enemy = the devil (13:39) The harvest = the end of the age (13:39) The reapers = angels (13:39)

At the end of the age, when Christ returns to purge the world of wickedness and fully establish His kingdom on earth, He will send His angels to gather those wicked plants of the devil and cast them into eternal fire (13:40-42). This will put an end to the mixture of the just and unjust, a mingling that has been seen in the church throughout its history. From that time forward, the kingdom of God will be characterized by purity and righteousness, and the righteous will shine like the sun (13:43).

Hostile powers are always at work in this world. They try to cause us to stumble, through harassment, creating barriers, causing conflicts, and promoting confusion. Those who engage in lawless behavior overtly and deliberately work against the good. Without a doubt, enemies of the truth are at work in the world, inspired by the "power of the evil one" (1 Jn. 5:19). Given this reality, we can look to Jesus' parables to provide us with a few important, practical points to consider in relation to the evil in the world.

Eternity Arthur Stace Is Hell real or Does Everyone Go to heaven sooner or later?

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?'29 But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" If you read through the seven parables carefully, this theme is hard to miss. In fact, this theme of judgment is prevalent almost everywhere in Matthew where Jesus speaks in parables. This fits the idea I wrote about earlier—that parables reveal or conceal, or we might say, reward or judge.

Three of the seven parables in chapter 13 have this judgment theme. In the Parable of the Sower, the theme of judgment is subtle. It is God's judgment that those who are hard, shallow, or self-indulgent have the seed of the gospel "devoured" (v. 4), "withered away" (v. 6), or "choked" (v. 7). Because they heard but didn't heed and saw but didn't strive (see vv. 13–15), what they had is "taken away" (v. 12). That's judgment. Human responsibility? Yes. Divine judgment? Yes also.

But that is just the subtle stuff. There is nothing subtle about the endings of the Parable of the Weeds and the Parable of the Net. Both parables end with these same words, "and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vv. 42, 50). The weeds represent "the sons of the evil one" (v. 38). But then, quite interestingly, these weeds are defined as being within the kingdom (v. 41). They are gathered out of Christ's kingdom. Thus, they appear to be those who profess faith in Christ but don't walk their talk. This is why they are defined as "law-breakers" (v. 41) and, even worse, as not merely sinners but those who cause others to sin. These weeds will be gathered, bound, and burned (vv. 30, 40–42). That is judgment, isn't it?

A similar judgment happens with the fish. In the final parable (vv. 47–50) we read of a great catch. The net that was thrown into the sea "gathered fish of every kind" (perhaps a reference to every tongue and tribe and nation). When this net was "full," the fishermen brought it ashore and sorted through the catch. They put the good fish "into containers" to preserve, but they "threw away the bad" (v. 48). Now, being thrown away doesn't sound as bad as being thrown into a fiery furnace. But Jesus isn't finished. Sure enough we see in verses 49, 50 that the throwing out of the bad fish is just an analogy for when the angels on behalf of the Son of Man7 throw the unrighteous "into the fiery furnace" (yes, another reference to Daniel). Is this simply a moment of extinction or annihilation? No, it is not a period of time but a place of punishment—a place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth [sorrow and regret]" (vv. 42, 50).

Be Aware Of The Corruption of the Crop

Matt 13: 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.

If anything is clear here, it is that there are people who will be tares. The weed involved looked just like wheat, except n fruit in the head of the wheat. This parable of judgment is to remind us that there are people who will look just like Christians who aren't and they are the ones that get snatched up at the end and thrown into the fire. It is a word of warning for us gathered here on a Sunday. Make sure you are really a Christian. Make sure you are really in the faith. This also reminds us that there are people in churches sewn by Satan who will undermine the gospel with false teaching or just plain distraction from the gospel.

Be careful about plucking the wheat out by harsh handling of others.

Be careful also to make sure that the gospel is proclaimed that the seed is spread.

Be Prepared For The Coming of The King

Mat 13:40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,

There are two events in the future which are absolutely certain. First of all, it is absolutely certain that Jesus Christ is coming again to receive His people unto himself, and to reward them according to their works; and in the second place, it is absolutely certain that Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the world. Folks ask me "What will be the outcome of Trumps Tariffs on Australia business and the economy?" And I replied, "I do not know." Men often come to me with the question, "What will be the outcome of the Chinese governments increasing naval strength around Australia and the South Pacific?" And again I reply, "I don't know." Or what will be the outcome of the wars in the Ukraine or Israel?

But I will tell you what I do know, and it is infinitely more important. I know that some day the Lord Jesus Christ will come back again, and receive His waiting and faithful people unto himself, and I know that there is going to be a judgment day for the world, and that judgment day is the subject of our thought today.

It Is Certain "The Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who know not God." John, says of the lost: "They shall be tormented with fire and brimstone." In another place he says: "The adulterers, the sorcerers, and all liars shall have their place in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." And in another place he says : " They shall both be cast alive into the lake of fire." The last book of the Bible closes with a dark scroll on the sky. "The smoke of their torment ascended for ever and ever."

It is Jesus

Jesus describes His own role at the end of the age in verse 41 . The Messiah will be Judge, as foretold by John the Baptist, but Jesus places His action at the end of the age. This judgment is spoken of in Old Testament passages. The description, "the furnace of fire" is no doubt lifted from the apocalyptic language of Daniel (3:6), as is "the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father"

(Dan. 12:3 ). Note the significant use of the two phrases, "of His kingdom," identifying it as a present reality at work in the world and "the kingdom of their Father", the eternal kingdom.

Who is to be the judge in that day? Jesus Christ himself- "God hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead."

Christ is to be the Judge. That same Christ whom you are rejecting is to be the Judge. That same Christ whom you are robbing of the honor which is His due is to be the Judge. That same Christ whose divinity you are denying, not that you have any reason for denying it, but simply you don't want to have to believe it and want comfort in your sin-that same Christ whom you are trampling under foot will sit as Judge in that day. That will be a very dark day for some people. It will be a dark day for Annas and Caiaphas, who robbed Jesus of every form of justice. Now they stand before the bar, and Christ sits upon the throne. I can imagine Pontius Pilate in that day, who knew that Jesus Christ was innocent, and yet condemned Him to appease the Jewish mob. Pilate will stand at the bar, and the Christ he so basely wronged will be on the throne. I can imagine - the soldiers who spat upon Him, and mocked Him, and crowned Him with thorns. The Christ they spat upon, buffeted and crowned with thorns, sits upon the throne and they stand at the judgment bar. I can imagine Judas Iscariot, who for thirty pieces of silver sold his Master after three years of close association with Him; now he stands before the bar, and the Christ he betrayed sits upon the throne. I can imagine that man and woman in this audience today who have been telling their friends that they do not believe that Jesus is divine, who have been trampling the Son of God under foot, who have been resisting the invitations of mercy it may be for years; you stand before the throne, and the Christ whom you have defamed, slandered, rejected and trampled under foot, sits as Judge.

Be In Awe of The Cursing of Criminals

Mat 13:40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is absolutely certain that there is to be a judgment day. "God hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness." Men who are living in sin may laugh at it; they cannot laugh it away. In the days of Noah men laughed at Noah's predictions that there was to be a flood, but the flood came and swept them all away. In the days of Lot the men of Sodom laughed at the idea that God would rain fire and brimstone out of heaven, and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain; but the fire and brimstone fell, and these cities were blotted out. In the days of Jeremiah the people of Jerusalem laughed at Jeremiah's predictions that Nebuchadnezzar would come and lay Jerusalem in the dust and destroy their temple. But it all came to pass just as God said, and just as Jeremiah believed and predicted. In the days of Jesus Christ men laughed at Christ's prediction that the armies of Rome under Titus and Vespasian would lay Jerusalem's walls even with the ground, and that calamity would overtake that city such as the world had never seen; but historians outside the Bible tell us that it all came to pass just as Christ predicted, and that Jerusalem was overtaken with the most appalling siege in the world's history. All of God's predictions about judgment on individuals and nations in the past have come true to the very letter in spite of all the false hopes that were held out by false prophets. If we are to judge the future by the past -and there is no other way to judge it- Gods predictions about the future with regard to judgment upon individuals and nations will come true to the very letter, in spite of false hopes held out by the false prophets; that is by the "liberal preachers" of the day. It is absolutely certain that there is to be a judgment day for the world.

God has given us a special guarantee of the judgment day, and that special guarantee is the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

The Lord Jesus said, " At the end of the world the angels shall come forth and separate the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire." Can you not explain it away ? Oh ! yes. I could make these angels fairies ; I could represent this fire as only something looking like fire

Burnings . The Bible sixteen times says it is fire. The whole race is sinful and rebellious, and underneath that race there is a furnace glowing, cracking, roaring, raving, and we shall all be plunged in it unless we escape through faith in Jesus.

The Bible more frequently speaks of the wrath of God than it does of the love of God. Not because God has more wrath than mercy, but because he knew the world would be slow to believe it. We have not enough backbone of moral courage to preach the whole Bible. So we go preaching a one-sided God, with a character which we In Thessalonians : " Taking vengeance on them that know not God." In Revelation: "They shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Almighty God, poured without mixture into the cup of His indignation.'

What does a man want to know of a life raft when he is sure of no shipwreck ?

Revelation ; "The wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."

God fifty-six times, in the plainest, most unmistakable, stupendous, and overwhelming way, declares that there is a hell. It is burning now. It has been burning a long while. It is becoming fiercer by the victims that are ever being dropped into it. Yea, I will go further, and say there is a possibility, aye, there is a probability that there are some in this house to-day who will spend eternity in the lost world. Nothing but the hand of an outraged, defied, insulted, long-suffering, indignant, omnipotent God keeps this whole audience this moment from sliding like one avalanche into it.

"It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched'" (Mark 9:47–48).

1. The punishment is deserved.

2. The punishment consists of suffering

3. The punishment is constant.

4. The punishment is conscious.

5. The punishment is continual - eternal.

Revelation 14:11, where it is said that the wicked "will have no rest day or night." The endlessness of the punishment is also confirmed by the forceful pronouncement in Revelation 20:10, "They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10

Be Assured By The Collecting of the Called

but gather the wheat into my barn.

43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

1 Thessalonians 4: For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Gather the wheat. The saints will be found in all ranks of society.

It will be a gathering from very great distances.

They will come from all the ages.

Assured Of The Contentment of the Chosen To the wheat the barn is the place of security. A place of glory 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

D. L. Moody at death caught a glimpse of heaven. Awakening from sleep he said, "Earth recedes, Heaven opens before me. If this is death, it is sweet! There is no valley here. God is calling me and I must go!"

I twice sat with folks who experienced this absolute joy of knowing the presence of the Lord Jesus as they passed into glory. .

Just before John Bunyan died, he said, "Weep not for me, but for yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will through the mediation of His blessed Son receive me though a sinner; there we shall meet to sing the new song and remain everlastingly happy, world without end."

Lorelle and I have stood by another who experienced terror, unmitigated terror

Where will you spend eternity?

Lutzer writes: Five minutes after you die you will either have had your first glimpse of heaven with its euphoria and bliss or your first genuine experience of unrelenting horror and regret. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable. In those first moments, you will be more alive than you ever have been. Vivid memories of your friends and your life on planet earth will be mingled with a daunting anticipation of eternity. You will have had your first direct glimpse of Christ or your first encounter with evil as you have never known it. And it will be too late to change your address.

The good news is you can change your destination right now. This very minute you can pass from spiritual death to spiritual life.

John 5:22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Hear. Believe Pass from death to life.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 10:32 PM

The red Mazda mistake

at north Cronulla. After going for a surf I went to put the board on the top of my car but someone had swiped my roof racks. I was annoyed I stuck the board in the car stripped off my wetsuit stuck the key in the ignition and it wouldn't turn. My red Mazda 1200 also had steel Venetian blinds in the back (head dicers to my friends). They had swiped those too! It was then that I noticed my car a couple of spaces up.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 11:45 AM

Where are we going ?

# posted by Groseys messages @ 11:37 AM

2 Corinthians 13. Grace

if we experience this Triune blessing, there is nothing we could face that it does not overwhelm: 'Everything in the Christian life is essentially a footnote to this Triune blessing.'

The verse is a benediction - 'Not what God has for you if you have the maturity for it, but what God has for you if you have the humility to receive it.' It is 'defiant trust for anxious Christians'. It is the antidote to what the Devil wants us to believe - which is 'the scrutiny of the Son, the indifference of the Father and the evasion of the Spirit.'

We need to grasp the comprehensiveness of this blessing:

1. The Grace of the Lord Jesus

'Grace imparts pardon and power. It is undeserved and free'

'We easily think our effort + his help = acceptance with God. Jesus says 'My efforts don't complete your effort, but replace them''

'Roman Catholic theology treats grace as a 'thing' to be stockpiled and distributed, but grace is the person of Jesus.'

'Grace is not money in the wallet of the Lord Jesus but air in his lungs that he is exhaling'

'It is the gladness of the heart of Christ…to take poor sinners into relationship with himself' (Owen)

2. The Love of God

'God' here is clearly the Father - Trinitarian context

'This verse does not refer to God's 'love of benevolence' of all people (cf John 3v16) but to his 'love of complacency' exclusively to believers. His fatherly love for his children.'

'There is no difference in intensity of the love of the Father for us than the love of the Son.'

'We are like minnows swimming in the ocean of God's love. We can see 100ft, and there is so much more.'

'The greatest unkindness you can do to the Father is not to believe that he loves you' (Owen)

'Jesus is the beam who leads you to the sun of the love of the Father'

3. Fellowship of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the warmth of the Son - the consolation of God's love

'Fellowship' is used twice in 2 Cor - 9v4 translated 'taking part in' & 9v15 translated 'contribution' - It means togetherness/oneness/deep trust/felt friendship

'The Father loves you, the Son is next to you, and the Holy Spirit is in you'

'The Comforter gives a sweet and present persuasion of the love of God to us. That is his distinctive affective work.'

4 Be With You All

This is the greatest surprise of the verse. The Corinthians were a dysfunctional church (tolerating sexual immorality, inebriated at the Lord's Supper, suing each other, etc), yet Paul says this Triune communion is for all of them.

'In the Triune God you have the perfect older brother, the perfect father, and the perfect friend'

These are the words from John Owen's tombstone. He was born in 1619 and died in 1683. All his eleven children and his wife pre-deceased him:

'Leaving other things aside, he cultivated, and realised in practice, the blissful communion with God of which he wrote; a traveller on earth who grasped God like one in heaven…A scribe instructed in every way for the kingdom of God, this pure lamp of gospel truth shone forth on many in private, on more from the pulpit, and on all in his printed works, pointing everyone to the same goal. And in this shining forth he gradually, as he and others recognized, squandered his strength till it was gone. His holy soul, longing to enjoy God more, left the shattered ruins of his once-handsome body, full of permanent weaknesses, attacked by frequent diseases, worn out most of all by hard work, and no longer a fit instrument for serving God, on a day rendered dreadful for many by earthly powers but now made happy for him through the power of God, August 25, 1683'

# posted by Groseys messages @ 9:49 AM

Psalm 142 no one cared for my soul by HB Charles

Psalm 142:1-7 CSB

[1] I cry aloud to the LORD; I plead aloud to the LORD for mercy. [2] I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him. [3] Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me. [4] Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. [5] I cry to you, LORD; I say, "You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living." [6] Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. [7] Free me from prison so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me. …

Bill Sands grew up in a well-to-do home. His father was a respected judge. His mother was a popular socialite. At the age of twelve, however, Bill's life came crashing down when his parents divorced. His mother used him as a weapon against his father, cutting off contact. She physically abused him in terrible ways. By the time Bill was twenty, his name became a number – 66836 – as he served a life sentence in San Quentin penitentiary. When a new inmate threatened his father, Bill nearly killed him before guards intervened. Bill spent months in solitary confinement until the warden, Clinton T. Duffy, visited him. Duffy asked, "Why are you here?" Filling the room with profanity, Bill answered, "Because no one cares for me." In his book, My Shadow Ran Fast, Sands wrote, "My whole life was turned around with just three words as the ward said, 'Bill, I care.'"

How many broken lives, desperate decisions, and terrible mistakes are the result of feeling that no one cares? No one is exempt from the awful sense of total abandonment – including those who know, trust, and serve the Lord. You may feel that way right now. I have good news for you: Someone cares! That's the message of Psalm 142. The ascription reads: "A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer."David wrote this psalm. He was moved to write it when he was in a cave. Scripture details two occasions when David hid Saul in a cave.

In 1 Samuel 22, David hid in a cave in Adullam.
In 1 Samuel 24, David hid in a cave in En Gedi.

The content of this psalm suggests it is about David's experience in the cave of Adullam. On the run from Saul, David sought asylum in Gath, the hometown of Goliath. The people of Gath immediately recognized the giant-slayer. When the king of Gath arrived, David was so terrible that he pretended to be insane. 1 Samuel 22:1 says, "David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam." With nowhere to turn, David sang the blues. He did not sing to a human audience. There was no one to hear him. This lament was David's prayer to God.

The title calls this prayer a "Maskil" – a song of instruction. David put this lament in the hymnal, not his diary, so the worshiping community could learn from his experience. Douglas Webster wrote, "This psalm deserves to be better understood and prayed more often because it honors the soul of the troubled believer. It gives real validity to our discouragement without easy, pious retorts that spiritualize our pain and leave us even more isolated." Who cares? Psalm 142 gives three characteristics of the one who cares.

Someone Cares Enough to Hear Your Cry.

The psalm begins by telling us how David responded to his desperate situation. Verse 1 begins, "With my voice I cry out to the Lord." David had no one else to cry to in that cave. So he called on God. Who you cry to is who you trust. Thus, God sometimes places you in a cave alone to teach you to trust him alone.

Verse 1 ends by telling us the content of David's cry: "With my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord." The needy inferior made his plea to the gracious superior. He solicited "mercy," acknowledging that what he requested was not what he deserved. Neither do we! Prayer is not declaring and decreeing things for God to accomplish. It is to humbly but confidently approach the throne of grace for mercy and grace in time of need.

The repeated phrase "with my voice" is significant. Prayer is more than Godward thoughts or feelings. Prayer is talking to God. Sure, you can pray without words. God can hear what you can only say through tears. But our prayers become concrete when we pray with our voices. Your spoken words express faith that God is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. You can feel a sense of relief from someone listening to you talk through what you think or feel. If there is relief in telling someone who cannot do anything to fix the situation, how much more is there relief in telling God about it!

Verse 1 repeats the phrase "to the Lord."
Verse 2 repeats the phrase "before the Lord."

David says, "I pour out my complaint before him." "Complaint" means his tongue expressed what he was thinking and feeling. He did not grumble against God. He was not bitter or angry. He did not charge the Lord with wrongdoing. David talked to God with freedom of speech. But it was not irreverent speech. "Pour our" is temple terminology for a drink offering. God considered it an act of worship when you tell him like it is. David says, "I tell my trouble before him." David didn't know what to do about his great distress, desperate straits, and bitter circumstances. But he did the best thing he could do. He told the Lord about it.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Someone Cares Enough to Feel Your Pain.

There are two types of God-talk in this psalm.

The psalmist talks about God in verses 1-2.
The psalmist talks to God in verses 3-7.

Specifically, verses 3-4 record David's lament. He sings the blues to the Lord. These verses teach a critical lesson about the nature of prayer. You don't have to work through what you think, feel, say, want, or need before you bring it to God in prayer. You can tell God like it is – the good, the bad, and the ugly. David makes two candid confessions about his feelings.

I feel attacked. Verse 3 says, "My spirit faints within me…" David felt devastated, exhausted, and overwhelmed. He was at the end of his rope mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. David admits that he felt like giving up, caving in, and letting go. You can be honest with God when you can't take it anymore. What do you do when your spirit faints? David answers, "When my spirit faints within me, you know my way." David dealt with his failing feelings by talking about it with the one who knows. Psalm 139:1-2 says, "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar." This is our assurance in prayer: God knows your way in, through, out, up, and over.

David did not ask, "If God knows, why pray?" The fact that God knew his way motivated David to pray about it. Have you ever struggled to tell someone something important because you didn't know how they would take the news? Job 23:10 says, "But he knows the way that I take, when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold."

What did God know about David's situation? Verse 3 says, "In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me." As David walked the path of righteousness, his enemies worked to distract, defeat, and destroy him. They did not ambush David with an all-out attack. They set traps for him along the way. David trusted God to safely navigate him through the traps. Psalm 14:9-10 says, "Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely."

I feel alone. Verse 4 is the centerpiece of the psalm structurally and thematically. David says, "Look to my right and see." We can exaggerate the situation to make it seem worse than it is. Not wanting to misrepresent the facts, David tells the Lord to look and see for himself. He specifically asks the Lord to notice his right side – the place of power, favor, and honor.

There was no friend on his right to support him.
There was no lawyer on his right to defend him.
There was no soldier on his right to protect him.

David laments, "There is none who takes notice of me." "Take notice" is used in Ruth 2:10 to describe how she found favor in the eyes of Boaz. No one looked favorably on David. He adds, "No refuge remains for me." David needed a place of escape. The cave felt more like a prison than a refuge. He was trapped with no place to turn for safety and security. Verse 4 ends, "No one cares for my soul." This is the low point of the psalm. It seemed that it didn't matter to anyone whether he lived or died. That was not the truth. Jonathan loved David. His brothers came to him. Supporters followed him. Yet David was right to tell the Lord that he felt like no one cared for his soul.

John Philips claimed, "This must be one of the most powerful missionary texts in the Bible." We agree that the church should care about people. There is confusion about how we should do so. As a result, the church is prone to minor in the majors, and major in the minors. We care for people's physical needs, personal relationships, financial status, mental health, and civil rights. What if they stand before God and say, "No one cared for my soul"? Every person will spend eternity somewhere – heaven or hell. Your eternal destiny is determined by your relationship to Christ. If we care for souls, let's make disciples of all the nations!

Someone Cares Enough to Meet Your Needs.

In verses 3-4, David laments. In verses 5-7, David asks the Lord to intervene. Lamentation and petition must go together. Without lamentation, prayer can become a ritualistic formality. Without petition, lamentation can become sinful grumbling. Someone cares enough to feel your pain and meet your needs. Why trust God to meet your needs?

God is there. In verse 1, David tells an unidentified audience about his cry to the Lord. Verse 5 is addressed to God: "I cry to you, O Lord." What did David cry to the Lord? He said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Verse 4 complains that people were not there for David. God was there. The Lord was David's "refuge." God was his shelter from the storm, oasis in the wilderness, and stronghold against the enemy. Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

The Lord was also David's "portion." When Israel made it to Canaan, the tribe of Levi did not receive a portion of the Promised Land. Numbers 18:20 explains, "I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel." The Lord is everything you need. Psalm 73:25-26 says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Matthew Henry asked, "What danger need we fear if God is our refuge, or what wants if he be our portion?" Turn that question inside out.

You have everything to fear if God is not your refuge.
You lack what is most important if God is not your portion.

God is able. Verse 6 records two requests for divine intervention that express David's confidence that God is able to meet his needs.

Able to hear. Verse 6 pleads, "Attend to my cry." Dave begs, almost orders, the Lord to pay attention. He gives a reason for such bold language: "for I am brought very low." David had a lowly life as the shepherd of his father's flock. His slaying of Goliath, his promotion by Saul, and his anointing by the Lord had lifted him up. Circumstances weakened, humbled, and diminished him. Brought "very low," David cried to the Lord so boldly, firmly, and loudly. Psalm 116:6 says, "The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me."

Able to help. Verse 6 also pleads, "Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!"This is the primary request of the psalm. David asks God to save, rescue, or deliver him. Persecutors pursued him and put him on the run. Caught, cut off, and cornered, David asked God to deliver him. He gives a reason for his cry: "For they are too strong for me."

Saul had the power of the government on his side.
Soldiers had the power of weapons on their side.
Spies had the power of information on their side.

David's persecutors were too strong for David. They were not too strong for God!

A missionary led the children of her orphanage out of a war-ravaged city. As they found themselves cornered with no means of escape, the missionary lost hope that they would make it out alive. One of the children encouraged her with a Bible story she had taught them about Moses at the Red Sea. "But I'm not Moses," she said. "I know," said the child, "But God is still God!"

God is good. Verse 7 says, "Bring me out of prison." The lonely cave felt like a prison cell. When you are arrested, you are allowed one phone call. David called on the Lord to bring him out of prison. He states the reason or result of this petition: "that I may give thanks to your name!" David wanted to be rescued from his pain, prison, and persecutors. He just wanted it all to be over. That was not his goal. His goal was to "give thanks to your name!" Charles Spurgeon says, "Escaped prisoners are sure to speak well to those who give them liberty."

Verse 7 points to the future: "The righteous will surround me." No one took notice of David. No refuge remained for him. No one cared for his soul. But his story would not end that way. The righteous would surround him. This statement may mean that help was on the way. It may mean that David will finally be vindicated. Or it may mean that David will make it back to the house of worship. We do not know how the righteous will surround him. But we do know why: "for you will deal bountifully with me." You can't get to this final statement without going through the previous verses. Hang in there!

Someone cares enough to hear your cry.
Someone cares enough to feel your pain.
Someone cares enough to meet your needs.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:32 AM

Monday, July 28, 2025

5 things to avoid

Five Things to Avoid in Your Preaching
How to Stay Faithful, Clear, and Spirit-Led in the Pulpit

Every preacher has a voice. Some have volume too. But what matters most isn't how loud you are or how smooth you sound—it's whether your message is anchored in Scripture, fueled by the Holy Spirit, and aimed at the hearts of real people in real pews.

Over the years, I've heard sermons that sizzled but didn't stick. I've watched rookies fresh out of seminary swing for the theological fences and completely miss the congregation. I've sat through messages that felt more like lectures, and others that felt more like TED Talks with a verse taped on at the end.

If God has called you to preach, then preach with all your might—but preach with wisdom, humility, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That means knowing what to pursue, and just as importantly, what to avoid.

Here are five things to steer clear of if you want to preach faithfully, fruitfully, and powerfully.

1. Avoid Preaching Without Prayer
The first step in sermon preparation isn't pulling out the commentaries or opening up Logos. It's hitting your knees. If the sermon isn't born in the prayer closet, don't be surprised when it falls flat in the pulpit.

Preaching is not merely a transfer of information. It is a spiritual transaction. You are declaring the Word of the living God to a congregation filled with souls who need encouragement, conviction, direction, and transformation.

2 Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word!" Not perform the word. Not pontificate about the word. Preach it—with urgency, clarity, and the unction of the Spirit.

Charles Bridges wrote, "Prayer is the conduit through which all real preaching flows."

No prayer, no power. No fire, no fruit. Period.

You may study for hours, polish every point, and rehearse your delivery, but if you haven't pleaded with God for His hand to rest on your message, you've missed the main ingredient. Ask God to prepare the soil of the congregation's heart before you cast the seed.

Pray before you study. Pray while you study. Pray after you study. Pray before you preach. Pray during the invitation. Pray for the Spirit to do what only He can.

2. Avoid Preaching Over People's Heads
God didn't call you to impress a room full of scholars. He called you to feed His sheep. If your message is too complex for the average 14-year-old in your congregation, you've likely missed your audience.

Sermons shouldn't require a theological dictionary and a decoder ring. Clarity isn't compromise. Simplicity isn't shallowness. Jesus used everyday language about sheep, coins, fish, and farmers.

"Profound truth, simply stated." That's not just a clever phrase—it was Adrian Rogers' entire approach to preaching. He believed that the deeper the doctrine, the clearer the delivery ought to be. You're not watering down the Word when you speak plainly—you're making it livable.

As Haddon Robinson once said, "Get the hay down where the sheep can eat it."

Use Greek only when it brings light—not to show off. If you need to define a word, define it simply. Don't teach people a vocabulary lesson. Teach them how to obey Jesus.

And remember Spurgeon's warning: "Some preachers put the food so high that neither sheep nor lambs can reach it. They seem to have read the text, 'Feed my giraffes.'"

You're not watering down the Word when you make it understandable. You're lifting it up so people can see the glory of Christ more clearly.

3. Avoid Preaching Without a Text
You don't have to preach verse by verse through books to preach the Bible. But if your sermon doesn't come from the text, it's not a sermon—it's a speech with a few verses tacked on.

You might have some good stories. You might even have some good advice. But if you don't start with the Bible, center your message in the Bible, and let the Bible shape your sermon's flow, tone, and aim—you're off the rails.

Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword..."

Your words aren't living and powerful. His are.

As Martyn Lloyd-Jones insisted, true preaching is not man's ideas lightly seasoned with Scripture. It is the heralding of divine truth with authority and power. It is text-driven, Spirit-empowered, and Christ-centered.

Start with the passage. Stay with the passage. Let every point, illustration, and application serve the text.

4. Avoid Preaching Without Application
Sermons aren't term papers. They're not designed to be admired for their structure and citations. They're meant to move people.

Biblical preaching should be rooted in truth and aimed at transformation.

Every sermon ought to answer the basic question: So what?

What does this mean for my marriage?
How does this shape how I raise my kids?
What should I repent of?
How should I respond?

Al Mohler once told our preaching class, "In every text, there is something to learn and something to do."

Warren Wiersbe added, "Truth without application leads to pride. Application without truth leads to error. But truth applied leads to transformation."

Don't let your people walk away thinking, "That was interesting." Let them walk away thinking, "That changes how I live."

Show them how to take the truth and walk it out in traffic, at the ball field, in the break room, and around the kitchen table.

5. Avoid Preaching Without the Gospel
If Jesus isn't the center of your sermon, you're telling the wrong story.

You can preach about marriage and miss the true Bridegroom. You can preach about parenting and never point to the Father. You can preach on finances and ignore the Treasure in Heaven.

We are not life coaches. We are not moral cheerleaders. We are preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ—crucified, risen, reigning, and returning.

You may not extend a full-blown crusade-type invitation every week, but every sermon should breathe gospel air. Don't assume the people in the pew already know the gospel—or that they've truly responded to it. Don't save it for a special Sunday. Weave it into every sermon like salt in a good meal—subtle, essential, and always present.

As Adrian Rogers rightly said, "The gospel is not the ABCs of Christianity. It is the A to Z."

Preach Jesus. Preach the cross. Preach grace. Preach repentance and faith. Preach the gospel until people see that their only hope in life and death is Christ alone.

Final Word: Preach With Purpose
Preaching isn't a performance—it's a stewardship. When you stand in the pulpit, you're not giving a talk. You're delivering a word from the throne room of Heaven.

Don't get distracted. Don't get detoured. Don't get diluted. Preach the Word with clarity, courage, compassion, and conviction.

Stay close to Jesus. Stay in the Word. Stay on your knees. Love your people well. And when you step into the pulpit, preach—as Richard Baxter said—like a dying man to dying men, never sure to preach again.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 8:18 PM