Alienation to Adoption

Sermon Outline from April 22, 2007 - Pastor Scott Stout

Alienation to Adoption

Hebrews 11:21

Galatians 6:10 NIV

Genesis 17:8

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali,

Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin

I. Alienated

Genesis 48:1-5a (5a being,"And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt.)

Ephesians 2:2-3

Psalms 51:5 HCSB

II. Adoption

Genesis 48:5

Genesis 48:5 AMP

John 1:12 NASB

Ephesians 1:5

Romans 8:14-17

III. Assurance

Genesis 48:21

I Peter 1:3-5

Small Groups - Part 3

-Remember The Big Idea of this habit- The Holy Spirit has more options to help you when you are part of a small group.

Pat Morley's final point in his presentation for Habit #3, "Spiritually happy men are in a small group," in his series the "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men" asks the question-What are some ways to make the most of your small group?

The notes that I took while I listened to the presentation follow:
3. Make the most of your small group.
What would you do in a small group?
1. Outreach
2. Pray
3. Accountability - man in the mirror weekly check up card. (apparently this is a free resource that is available by calling the offices of Man In The Mirror.)
4. Encourage one another.
5. Counseling one another.
6. Fellowship.
7. Mentor one another.
8. Participate in a common challenge like "praying with your wife."
9. Bible Study.
10. Book Study
11. Group discussions.
12 Some combination of the above.

There is not one best way to do a small group. The best way to do a small group is to do a small group. (This reminds me of a great quote I once heard "The best way to make sure you finish something is to begin.)
The real benefit of the small group is really the by-product of being together. That is you become brothers. There are many resources available at Man in the Mirror->Search term "Small group"-> Search Results.

What about you as a participant? What can you do to make the most of your small group?
1. Show up, participate, not to be on the fringe.
2. A willingness to be personally vulnerable.
3. Be forthcoming. This comes with a covenant of confidentiality, and there must be trust...this comes over time.

Small Groups - Part 2

Continuing on where we left off in Pat Morley's presentation of the third "Habit of Spiritually Happy Men", we find ourselves searching for things that a small group can do. Here Pat Morley references three passages of the Bible to bring out six things that small groups can do for you.

2. What a small group can do:
-Hebrews 10:24 - and following...
a. It can give you someone to spur you on. It can inspire you.
b. It can give you someone to encourage you.
Galatians 6:1 - and following...
c. Carry each other's burdens.
d. Restore one another.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 - and following...
e.Give you someone to pick you up when you fall down.
f. Give you someone to give you strength for the battle.

Pat Morley points out that these things are part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. He ties this work in to the big idea of this presentation which is the Holy Spirit has more options in the life of a believer when they are in a small group. When you are on your own you are a little more vulnerable then when you are part of a small group. You've got some guys watching your back.

To illustrate this point in the presentation, Morley called four guys up to the front of the room. He had them standing next to each other in a line. Then he pushed on the first one of them. Instinctively, the others supported the first, but not before he moved a bit. Next he had the four men lock arms in a circle facing each other. He then pushed on the first again. Automatically, the others helped the first and there was little movement of the first person. Finally, Morley had the men lock arms in a circle, facing out. Again he pushed on the first and there was little movement because there was lots of support from the rest of the group--and because they were facing out, they could prepare for what was coming.

Morley suggested reading "A Look in the Mirror" issue number 94 for ideas on how to lead a weekly small group study. Jesus used a small group to generate momentum. Jesus knew that most meaningful change takes place in the context of small group relationships. men sharpening men with truth, encouraging each other for the daily battle and sticking with each other over the long haul. Even secularists understand the value of small group. "never doubt the power of a small group to change the world," one commentator said, "That's about the only way it has ever happened." But the main method of Jesus has fallen into disuse. The next post will be about the third item in Morley's presentation--How to make the most of your small group.

Small Groups - Part 1

I had the opportunity to watch the video presentation of the Habit #3 in our series the Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men, namely "Spiritually Happy Men are in Small Groups", last night. The following is a brief outline of the presentation with notes on the first point. Notes on the other points will come in subsequent posts.

Spiritually Happy Men are in Small Groups

1. Why men need small groups.
2. What a small group can do.
3. Make the most of your small group.

Regarding point number one above: Why men need small groups. Pat Morley answers the question with a short and to-the-point answer-"Because you need a small group." He goes on for much of the rest of the presentation to support that short statement. Also, the Big Idea of this habit is presented with respect to why men need small groups. The Big Idea is:

"The Holy Spirit has more options to help you when you are part of a small group."

Regarding this point about the work of the Holy Spirit, Morley asks for patience on the part of the listener as he defends this supposition for the rest of his presentation. The next post on this topic will highlight ways that the Holy Spirit can use small groups in the life of the believer.

Why is reading the Bible So Valuable? - Part 5

One more article on this subject. I recently read and listened to the following article by John Piper. It is relevant to this topic. I would be very interested to read your comments after you read or listen to this article excerpted below:

"The Morning I Heard the Voice of God" by John Piper

Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today...

Why is reading the Bible So Valuable? - Part 4

This past Sunday, during the men's first hour study, I turned the discussion back a couple of weeks to cover a little more about the first of the "Six Habits of spiritually happy men", namely spiritually happy men read their Bible regularly. I read a bit from a rather long sermon given by a 19th century preacher on this subject, J.C. Ryle. I mentioned that I would put a link on the blog to the full text of the sermon:
Bible-Reading by J.C. Ryle
The link above points to the great website: The Bible Bulletin Board. I have written about this site in a previous post and there is a link provided for you over on the sidebar on the right.

Habit #3: Spiritually Happy Men Are In A Small Group - Part 2

The following material was prepared by Allan Trigg for distribution last Sunday morning, April 14, 2007. Allan wanted everyone to read over the material and come ready to discuss it next Sunday.

HABIT 3: MEN ARE IN A SMALL GROUP

Bible Verses: Hebrews 10: 24-25, Galatians 6:1-10, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Focus Questions: Why small groups? What can a small group do? How do you make the most of your small group?

Why meet in a small group? What are some advantages? What can small groups accomplish that large groups cannot?

-Jesus used small group dynamics and one-on-one methods to change lives.

-Hebrews 10: 24-25: What do these verses tell us about meeting together and what can result as we meet? Meet to encourage, meet to exhort, meet to fellowship, and meet to encourage outreach.

Read Galatians 6:1-10: How can a small group work in these verses? What do we see happening in verse 1, and how can a small group work in this scenario? What do we see happening in verse 2 and how a small group can work well here? Verse 10 talks about another opportunity that we have working together as men. What is that opportunity?

Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: What do these verses tell us about what a small group can do vs. and individual? What can a small group do when a fellow brother fails?

Accountability, Trust, Responsibility, Confidentiality: These 4 attributes are very important in the success or failure of a small group. Discuss how these attributes can be developed and used positively in a small group setting.

FOR DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK: We will discuss an make a working model of a dynamic, positive, active, Biblically based, spiritually grounded small group. We will use your small group experiences as to what has worked, what hasn’t and other scriptural directives there are.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Having previously introduced Albert Barnes in a prior article, I figured it would be nice to add some biographical information to this blog. As noted at Wikipedia,

Barnes was an American theologian, born at Rome, New York, on the December 1, 1798. He graduated at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, in 1820, and at the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1823. Barnes was ordained as a Presbyterian minister by the presbytery of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, in 1825, and was the pastor successively of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey (1825–1830), and of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia (1830–1867).

Other Barnes resources that I found after a quick search on Google follow:

• Brief biography at SwordSearcher.com
• Brief biography at FamousAmericans.com
• Works by Albert Barnes at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Habit #3: Spiritually Happy Men Are In A Small Group

Last Sunday, April 15, 2007, the men's group finished up Habit #2 and covered some additional topics regarding Habit #1 in the series which we are now working through, the "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men." Consequently, we will begin to look at the next "Habit" in the series, Number 3, "Spiritually Happy Men Are In A Small Group." There are video and audio (both streaming and downloadable) versions of the official "Man In The Mirror" presentations available for Habit #3 here. If you have about 35 minutes or so head on over and check them out. A downloadable "listeners outline" can be found here.

I don't have it with me right now, otherwise I would post it with this article, but Allan Trigg has put together a study sheet that corresponds to this habit. I will post that in a new article later on tonight.

Two Manner of People

Sermon Outline from April 15, 2007 - Pastor Scott Stout

Two Manner of People

Hebrews 11:20

The Description

Genesis 25:19-27

Genesis 25:23

The Despising

Genesis 25:29-34

The Disqualification

Genesis 27:30-36

Romans 1:24,26,28

Hebrews 12:16-17

Hebrews 12:16-17 AMP

Habit # 2: Spiritually Happy Men Pray With Their Wives

Last Sunday, April 8, 2007, the men's group broke into the next topic, Habit #2, in the series which we are now contemplating, the "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men." During the presentation that covers Habit #2 three main topics are discussed.

1. Is this hard and if so, why?
   
2. What make this important?
   
3. How to make it happen.
   

There are video and audio (both streaming and downloadable) versions of the official "Man In The Mirror" presentations available for Habit #2 here. If you have about 35 minutes or so head on over and check them out. A downloadable "listeners outline" can be found here.

I understand that the men's group will be looking at this topic again this coming Sunday, the 15th as we did not really finish up last week.

Why is reading the Bible is so valuable? - Part 3

Reason number 2 for the statement that we are exploring "Why reading the Bible is so valuable" from our series "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men" by Patrick Morley of Man In the Mirror is that "It is true." Jesus said if you continue in His word, then you will know the truth. (See John 8:32 -KJV):

Jhn 8:31	Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed;
Jhn 8:32	And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 17:17b declares: "Thy Word is truth."

While thinking on this topic I was reminded of a book I have been reading recently, Truth Matters, which was written by John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Southern California. The book itself is a compilation of various chapters from several of MacArthur's books. In the first chapter, Truth in a world of theory, MacArthur quoted American theologian Albert Barnes in reference to his explanation of the word translated "perfect" in Psalm 19:7 (KJV). The quote comes from page 171 of Barnes' work entitled Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms, vol. 1, the text of which is reproduced below:

The meaning [of "perfect"] is that it [Scripture] lacks nothing in order to its completeness; nothing in order that it might be what it should be. It is complete as a revelation of Divine truth; it is complete as a rule of conduct. As explained above, this refers not only to the law of God, as the word is commonly employed now, but to the whole of Divine truth as revealed. It is absolutely true; it is adapted with consummate wisdom to the wants of man; it is an unerring guide of conduct. There is nothing there which would lead men into error or sin; there is nothing essential for man to know which may not be found there.

A more complete and succinct definition of that word I have not read. Barnes' complete commentary can be read over at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library at their "Works by Albert Barnes" section.

Robert Moffat

I thought I'd continue today by adding some biographical information on Robert Moffat, a missionary to South Africa that I mentioned in a previous post. One of the lengthier on-line articles that I found on him is on a website called Wholesome Words, specifically in their missionary biography section here. Their introduction to Moffat is quoted below:

"Scottish pioneer missionary to South Africa for over 50 years. He opened mission stations in the interior, translated the Bible into the language of the Bechuanas, and wrote two missionary books on South Africa: Labors and Scenes in South Africa and Rivers of Water in a Dry Place. His oldest daughter Mary, married David Livingstone."

Other on-line Moffat resources are listed below:

• Encyclopedic Entry at Wikipedia.
• Biographical Sketch from East Hull Presbyterian Church.
• Short Biography (with Bibliography) at the Dictionary of African Christian Biography.
• eBook at Project Gutenberg.

Feel free to post other links to Moffat sites that you might find online in the comments area for this post

Isaac: A Symbolic Picture

Sermon Outline from April 8, 2007 - Pastor Scott Stout

Isaac: A Symbolic Picture

Hebrews 11:17-19

Romans 5:9

I Thessalonians 1:10

I Timothy 2:5

Hebrews 4:14

I. The Sacrifice

Genesis 22:1-5

Leviticus 1:1-4

II. The Submission

Genesis 22:6-9

III. The Substitute

Genesis 22:10

Genesis 22:13

Genesis 17:19

Hebrews 11:17-19 (again)

Genesis 22:14 NIV

IV. The Symbolic Picture

Acts 2:23 HCSB

Revelation 13:8 "...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

I Peter 3:18

John 15:13

Luke 22:42

John 1:29 "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

Galatians 1:3-4

Romans 4:25 NIV

Why is reading the Bible so valuable? - Part 2

I was reading another blog that I monitor this week called Challies Dot Com when I stumbled across this quote from a famous old missionary to South America, Robert Moffat, regarding his relationship with the Word of God. I thought it was particularly applicable to this part of our study on the "Six Habits." (The following text is the entire post from Challies Dot Com, the part in italics is the quote from Robert Moffat).

Robert Moffat was a Scottish missionary to South Africa and this quote is drawn from a letter he wrote to his wife Mary. In the mid 1850's he completed the great work of translating the entire Bible into Sechuana and subsequently revised the translation several times. Despite this work he provides an assessment of the limitations imposed by his humanity.

It was only yesterday, after laying down the Bible, that I wondered what kind of mind I would have had if I had not the Book of God, the Book containing the astounding idea of 'from everlasting to everlasting,' the development of all that is worth knowing ... One would think, that as I have critically and, I think, devoutly read and examined every verse, every word in the Bible, some a score of times over, I should not require to open the pages of that unspeakable blessed Book. Alas, for the human memory! I read the Bible today with the same feeling I ever did, like the hungry when seeking food, the thirsty when seeking drink, the bewildered when seeking counsel and the mourner when seeking comfort. Don't you believe all this? For alas, I read it sometimes as a formal thing, though my heart condemns me afterwards ... I am yet astonished at my own ignorance of the Bible!

Why is reading the Bible so valuable?

During his presentation on Habit 1 of his series "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy People", Patrick Morley offers three points that surround the topic of Habit 1 - "Spiritually happy men read the Bible regularly", as I wrote in a previous post, they are:

1. Why reading the Bible is so valuable.
2. What is our goal?
3. What are some Bible reading strategies?

In this post we will look a bit closer at the first topic, namely, Why reading the Bible is so valuable. Patrick Morley offers three reasons as to why Bible reading is particularly valuable:

1. It works.
2. It is true.
3. It is how God speaks to us.

Let's take a closer look at the first reason: "It Works." What does Morley mean by this? Well, he turns to a few key passages in the Bible to explain his point. Isaiah 55:11 says in the KJV:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.

Here Morley points out that God is speaking of his Word, that it is efficacious, it works, it is powerful, it shall accomplish what God wants it to and it will prosper in doing so. He goes on further to read from Hebrews 4:12 (again the the KJV):

For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Here he notes that the Word of God is full of living power and it exposes us for what we really are. Ponder these points for a bit. In what way has the Bible been "Working" in your life? What has it accomplished in your life? What has it discerned about the thoughts and intents of your heart?

Video Article for Habit #1

If you have about 35 minutes or so to watch a video presentation of "Habit #1: Spiritually Happy Men Read the Bible Regularly", head on over to the Man in the Mirror website. There is an archive there of video presentations for each of the Habits. You can download the whole video free of charge and watch it offline (beware, the file size is about 123MB) or you can stream it directly into a video player depending on which link you select. I believe the file type is Windows Media Player.

Habit #1: Spiritually happy men read the Bible regularly.

During the presentation that covers Habit #1 in the series "Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men", three topics are discussed.

1. Why reading the Bible is so valuable.
2. What is our goal in reading the Bible?
3. What are some Bible reading strategies?

Over the next couple posts, I will add information that covers each of these questions. Please feel free to add comments that help explain these topics as you study them out individually.

Six Habits

This past Sunday morning, April 1, 2007 Allan Trigg introduced the new series of lessons that the Men's first hour class will be working our way through for the next few weeks. The series is called "The Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men." The series is presented at the Man in the Mirror website under the "A Look in the Mirror" section, Item 122-Six Habits of Spiritually Happy Men. Each week--or so--we will be looking at another of the "Habits" and discussing the impact that they have on our relationship with God, our spouses, our children, the people at church and our acquaintances outside of church.

I suspect that each week a lot of additional material will be made available through this blog prior to the discussion on Sunday mornings.

The Voice of God

One of the topics in this week's lesson is the question "Why is Bible reading so valuable?" The third answer to that question is that "God uses the reading of His word to speak to us". While studying this point I was reminded of a recent post by John Piper, the Pastor for Teaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In it Piper describes his experience this past March 19th at 6:00 in the morning. He titled his article "The Morning I Heard The Voice Of God."

Baptist Concern Center

I received the email below from Joe Gearo a couple days ago regarding the Baptist Concern Center in Salt Lake City. Please consider what part you and your family may be able to take in meeting this need.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

1. Jonathan Jones at the SLC Baptist Concern Center (BCC) is very appreciative of the way Stansbury Park Baptist Church (SPBC) members/attenders have supported his ministry over many months. The BCC continue to request food/supply donations to help meet needs of others, which serves as an outreach for the Gospel of Christ. That said, the SPBC leadership team encourages you all to pray and support these needs as the Lord moves your heart and provides opportunity for you to give to the BCC's ministry.

2. During the months of April and May 2007, SPBC will be collecting items to take to the BCC. If you desire to give to this need, please bring your donations to SPBC (Rose Springs Elementary School) on Sundays and place them in the maroon Rubbermaid container for the BCC. For the next two months, the BCC has requested:

• Shampoo
• Canned Meats
• Canned Tomatoes
• Canned Tomato Sauce

3. Any items donated that do not exactly fit in one these four categories will be donated by SPBC to the Tooele Food Bank to help meet local community needs.

4. Please prayerfully consider if and how you can participate in this demonstration of love as SPBC partners with the BCC and the Tooele Food Bank. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call me on 843-4343,

Rejoicing in Jesus,

Brother Joe Gearo

Palm Sunday

Sermon Outline from April 1,2007 - Pastor Scott Stout

Palm Sunday

Hebrews 11:13

Hebrews 11:13 (again)

I. Promise Fulfilled

Luke 19:28-35

James 4:15

Acts 18:21

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

Luke 18:31-33

II. People's Foolishness

Luke 19:36-40 and Luke 23:18-24

Luke 20:1

Proverbs 1:7

Ephesians 5:17 NIV

III. Peace Forfeited

Luke 19:41-44