Praying for the Glory of God

Hezekiah truly made his prayer in II Kings 19 about the glory of God — a model for us all. Faced with invasion by Sennacherib’s army, Hezekiah sought the Lord (:1, :14). As we observed in the last post (here), he began his prayer with praise to God. And even in his request to the Lord, Hezekiah implored God to act, not merely for the benefit of the king or for his people, but for God’s own glory.

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Begin With Praise

Psalm 100:4 instructs us to open our prayers to God with adoration: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” Jesus’ Model Prayer teaches us to do the same: “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name …”. (Matthew 6:9) In II Kings 19, King Hezekiah gives us an example of this very thing:

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Take It To The Lord

In II Kings, the Assyrian army under Sennacherib had come up to Jerusalem and threatened Hezekiah, the king of Judah who was besieged there. Hezekiah’s reaction to the Assyrian threats is a model for our response in times of difficulty:

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“God Told Me”?

In II Kings 18, the Assyrian King Sennacherib had sent his army to capture Jerusalem. In verse 25 he had his messengers tell Hezekiah, King of Judah: “Yahweh said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.'” Continue reading

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Will God Find Nothing?

In Psalm 17:3 David proclaims his innocence before God: “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” David (or perhaps as is so often the case in Psalms, the Messiah, the ultimate “Son of David” whom he represents) is confident that he is blameless when God examines him. Can we say the same thing?

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Brother Against Brother

II Kings 13:12 summarizes the reign of Joash the King of Israel by describing “all that he did and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah …”. What a sad summary of a legacy …

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“The Little Condo on the Prairie” (August 5, 2014)

What’s it like to live in a pastor’s family? You don’t have to guess — just read it here in “The Little Condo.” No names have been changed … 🙂

DRIVERS ED
It’s hard when you are riding along in the car while your child with his newly acquired learner’s permit is driving — especially when you see the need for a stop coming and it doesn’t seem like he is braking in time.
After several animated “conversations” Cheryl & I tried to stop telling Michael about how he needed to put the brakes on at every intersection — but as we approached each stop we would grimace and push our feet on the imaginary “brake” on the floorboard, all of our muscles tensed.
After one particularly excruciating stop, neither of us said anything for a few seconds, until Cheryl finally said quietly: “At least we’re getting a good ab workout …”. Continue reading

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God’s Not In Our “Box”!

II Kings 14 tells a story which is hard for many of us to put in our “box”, theologically speaking. It relates how Jeroboam II came to reign over the northern tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was named for the infamous king who split Israel from Judah, and whose deviant religious practices influenced generations to come. Jeroboam lived “down” to his namesake! 14:24 says “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” But it is the story of the prosperity of his reign which is difficult to deal with.

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“Are You A Disciple?” Luke 9:23 Sermon

(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, OK 8-03-14)

In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His Great Commission to go and “make disciples.” The most important business of the church is to make disciples. But what does it mean to be a disciple? It means more than raising your hand, or going forward and filling out a card, or being baptized, or being a member of a church. It is a commitment of your life to Jesus to be His follower. Jesus tells us something of the kind of commitment He requires of His followers in Luke 9:23:

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'”

I. To Be A Disciple Means to Deny Your SELF

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The Secret of Confidence

If Christians would train themselves to apply Psalm 16:8, it would give them the ability to overcome every fear and anxiety, and bring God’s power to bear on every situation in their lives: “I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

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