A Glorious Home On the Horizon

May 19, 2019

Rev. Bruce Brown

Revelation 21:1-8

1. What Is Glorious About It? (verses 3-4)

2. Whose Home Is It Anyway? (verses 5-6)

3. How Do We Take Our Place? (verses 6-8)

“How do we take our place in the new world of glory and bliss?... It is free to us sinners, but it was very costly to Jesus, and it is the most valuable of all gifts.  Who is thirsty for eternal life?  For total pardon of sin, fellowship with God now, and everlasting joy beyond the grave?  All you need to get on board is this thirst.  Indeed, this very thirst is a gift from God, to orient our souls homewards.  What a generous God He is!  He causes us to want the gift, and then provides the gift at His own expense.” Douglas Kelly

The Faith Our Mothers Live By

May 12, 2019

Rev. Bruce Brown

Habakkuk 2:1-4

I. The Foundation of Faith (verses 2-3b)

2. The Humility of Faith (verse 4)

3. The Perseverance of Faith (verses 1, 3b-4)

“To lie by faith means to believe God’s Word and obey it no matter how we feel, what we see, or what the consequences may be…. The men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11 were ordinary people, but they accomplished extraordinary things because they trusted God and did what He told them to do.  It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence; its obeying in spite of consequence, resting on God’s faithfulness.”   Warren W. Wiersbe

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Rev. Bruce Brown

Habakkuk 1:1-12

May 5, 2019

I. Question: Why Such Silence in the Face of Wickedness? (verses 1-4)

II. Answer: God Is Sovereign Over Human Pride (verses 5-11)

III. The Worship of God Brings Hope (verse 12)

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r.

William Cowper

Our Lord and Our God

John 20:24-29

Mr. Jay Krestar

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (ESV)

Do You Not Know These Things?

Rev. Bruce Brown

Luke 24:13-35

1. Jesus Seeks Us In Our Confusion (verses (13-24)

2. Jesus Opens Blind Eyes With the Word (verses 25-31)

3. Jesus Moves Our Hearts With Resurrection Hope (verses 32-35)

“This very moment Christ knows where we are.  He knows the geography of our lives inside and out.  He knows the temperature of our souls.  He knows whether there is ice or fire.  Whatever our state, his method is the same – to meet us where we are with his own person framed in the beautiful context of His Word… He delights to bring fire to cold hearts.”   R. Kent  Hughes

O Death, Where Is Your Victory?

April 14, 2019

Rev. Bruce Brown

I Corinthians 15:50-58

1. What Is Death? (verses 50-53; Genesis 3:17-19; Revelation 20:11-15)

2. What Does Jesus’ Death Mean for Death? (verses 54-57; 2 Tim. 1:10; Ro. 6:5-10)

3. Where Is Your Victory? (verse 58; John 11:25; Romans 4:25)

“The constantly recurring theme and the grand climax in the great symphony of the gospel is the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ… His triumph becomes our only hope of victory.  If we subtract this from our message of love and hope, then we really have nothing to say, for it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that assures us of our own personal salvation.”  ~ Charles Swindoll

Surely Not I, Lord?

Rev. Bruce Brown

April 7, 2019

Matthew 26:17-30

I. Before the Cross the Disciples See Jesus’ Self Control (verses 17-19, 30)

II. Before the Cross the Disciples Hear of Their Own Treachery (verses 20-25)

III. Before the Cross the Disciples Taste of It’s Coming Blessings (verses 26-29)

“But God did not abandon his people.  Instead, he commissioned his prophets to promise a new covenant (Jer. 31:31; Ezek. 36) which Jesus inaugurated.  The new covenant still involved blood, but it was Jesus’ blood – not the blood of a lamb and not the blood of guilty men and women.  Jesus paid the debt we owed God.  We owed him our life blood and he gave his blood as a substitute for ours.  By this act he atoned for our sins, so that we have peace with God.”  ~ Daniel M. Doriani

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Pastor Bruce Brown

Matthew 27:45-54

I.      At the Cross Jesus Experiences Social Rejection (Vss. 27-31; 35-37; 39-43)        

II.    At the Cross Jesus Suffers Emotional Desertion (Psalm 22)

III.   At the Cross Jesus Enters into Spiritual Abandonment (Psalm 27; 2 Cor. 5:21)

“The pain that Jesus endured went beyond the pain that any other human being has ever endured. It may be that others have experienced equal or greater physical pain. But no other human being has ever been sinless like Jesus was. No other human being has ever known the fellowship that Jesus had with His Father in heaven before He came to this earth. So, no one else has ever felt the shock that Jesus felt, in His innocence, when He was forsaken by God.” ~ Phil Ryken

Who Has Believed Our Message?

Pastor Bruce Brown

Isaiah 53:1-12

I.      The Cross is Shocking Because of Who is Suffering (Vss. 1-3)        

II.    The Cross is Shocking Because of Why He Suffers (Vss. 4-6, 10)

III.   The Cross is Shocking Because of How He Suffers (Vss. 7-9)

“Why did God bruise His Son and bring Him to grief? … It was not for His own sin that the Father bruised him. I was becuase he wanted to show us mercy. He wanted to forgive and heal and save and rejoice over us with loud singing. But he was righteous. That means His heart was filled with a love for the infinite worth of His own glory. And we were sinners, and that means that our hearts were filled with God-belittling affections. And so to save sinners and at the same time magnify the worth of His glory God lays our sin on Jesus and abandons Him to the shame and slaughter of the cross.” ~ John Piper

Is There Another Way?

Pastor Bruce Brown

Matthew 26:36-46

I.      The Cross Was Necessary to Provide a Suffering Priest (Hebrews 2:17)        

II.    The Cross Was Necessary to Show God’s Righteousness (Romans.3:24-26)

III.   The Cross Was Necessary to Reveal the Glory of the Father (John 17; Ro. 8:32)

‘“The Wonder of the love of Christ for His people is not that for their sake he faced death without fear, but that for their sake he faced it, terrified. Terrified by what he knew, and terrified by what he did not know, he took damnation lovingly.”’ ~ Donald Macleod

Growing in Grace

Pastor Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 26

I.      Growth in Grace Brings Patience in Obedience (verses 1-12)           

II.    Growth in Grace Receives Signs of Reassurance (verses 12-16)

III.   Growth in Grace Feels Anguish Away from Home (verses 17-24)

“David will not always be an example of faith. But at least in this text, he is convinced of God’s guidance, even if he does not have immediate confirmation… As we grown and mature in our faith, we also become more confident about God’s guidance, and we spend less time seeking constantly for evidence of his moving.” ~ Bill T. Arnold

Restraining Grace

Pastor Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 25:1-39

I.      A Ruthless Response to Abuse (verses 1-13)           

II.    The Rescuing Grace of Wisdom(verses 14-35)

III.   God’s Righteousness Displayed (verses 36-39)

“No man stands a moment longer than divine grace upholds him. The strongest are weak as water immediately the power of the Spirit is withdrawn; the most mature and experienced Christian acts foolishly the moment he be left to himself; none of us has any reserve strength or wisdom in himself to draw from: our source of sufficiency is all treasured up for us in Christ, as soon as communion with Him be broken, as soon as we cease looking alone to Him, we are helpless.” ~ A.W. Pink

What a Chance!

Pastor Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 24

I.      A Test of Circumstances (verses 1-7)           

II.    Trust in the LORD’s Righteous Ways (verses 8-15)

III.   Truth from an Unlikely Source (verses 16-22)

“Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.” ~ Psalm 37:34

“Are you tempted to justify worldly means because the outward results will come more easily? May God grant us the power, along with David, looking at the crucified and resurrected Jesus, never to lay our hands on the blessings God has promised in a manner contrary to the will of God in his Word. Let us, instead, commit to receive whatever blessings God has for us from God’s own hand or not all.”

~ Richard D. Phillips

Help in Every Trouble

Pastor Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 23

I.      The LORD Provides Divine Guidance (verses 1-13)           

II.    The LORD Provides Devoted Encouragement (verses 14-18)

III.   The LORD Provides Delivering Providence (verses 19-28)

“With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you, I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” ~ Psalm 54:6-7

“If it is God’s purpose to deliver you, He has thousands of unseen methods, to any one of which He may resort, when, to the eye of sense, there seems not the shadow of a hope.”

~ William Blaikie

When Evil Rises

Pastor Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 22:6-23

I.      Evil Rises When Truth is Rejected (verses 6-16)           

II.    Holding On When Evil is Unleashed (verses 16-19)

III.   A Refuge Remains (verses 20-23)

“David and Saul illustrate two types of people… David illustrates the person who responds to God’s call and begins the lifelong process of transformation. Saul is the contrast. He shows the natural and inevitable consequences of refusing God’s call. In this text, the two are going in opposite directions. The narrator has driven a wedge between Saul and David, and the distance is greater with each passing chapter.” ~ Bill Arnold

Desperate Times Call for Gracious Aid

Rev. Bruce Brown

1 Samuel 21:1-22:5

I.      Provision for the Destitute (verses 1-9)           

II.    Praise for the Panicked (verses 10-15)

III.   Prophecy for the Wandering (chapter 22:1-5)

“Do you find yourself under a heavy load of worry and cares? Do you sometimes think you will crumble under the pressure? Look, then, to God’s daily provision and remember that just as God did not cast off David in his folly and sin, God will remain faithful to His children.” ~ Richard D. Phillps

Jesus On Investing

Rev. Bruce Brown

Luke 16:1-15

I.      Material Resources Require Creative Thought (verses 1-9)           

II.    Material Resources Provide an Index of Character (verses 10-12)

III.   Material Resources Raise the Possibility of Idolatry (verses 13-15)

“The parable… is deeply instructive. It may well raise within us great searchings of heart. The diligence of worldly men about the things of time — should put to shame the coldness of professing Christians about the things of eternity. The zeal and tenacity of men of business in compassing sea and land to get earthly treasures — may well reprove the slackness and indolence of believers about treasures in Heaven.  The words of our Lord are indeed weighty and solemn, “The children of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light.”  May these words sink into our hearts and bear fruit in our lives!”

~ J.C. Ryle

Loving God; Loving Neighbor

Luke 10:25-37

January 20th, 2019

I.                   A Calculated Question About Eternal Life (Vss. 25-29)

II.                  The Parable That Reveals God’s Desire (Vss. 30-35)

III.                Of Love and Sacrifice (Vss. 36-37)

Pastor Bruce Brown

“Let us not forget… to prove our own selves. Do we love God with all our heart, and soul, and strength, and mind? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Where is the person that could say with perfect truth, “I do?” Where is the one that ought not to lay his hand on his mouth, when he hears the questions? Truly we are all guilty in this matter! The best of us, however holy we may be, come far short of perfection. Passages like this, should teach us our need of Christ’s blood and righteousness. To Him we must go — if we would ever stand with boldness at the bar of God.” ~ J.C. Ryle

A Congregation of the PCA

Established in 1789

5533 PPC Drive, Charlotte, NC 28269

All Are Welcome - Come Join Us for Worship!

Two Ways to Pray; One Way to Be Heard

Luke 18:9-14

January 13th, 2019

I.                   The Problem - Relating to God by What We Have Done (Vs. 9)

II.                  The Parable - Relating to God by What he Has Done (Vss. 10-13)

III.                In Praise of Humility (Vs. 14)

Pastor Bruce Brown

“Let these things sink down into our heart. He who has learned to feel his sins has great reason to be thankful. We are never in the way of salvation until we know that we are lost, ruined, guilty, and helpless sinners. Happy indeed is he who is not ashamed to sit by the side of the tax collector! When our experience tallies with his — we may hope that we have found a place in the family of God.” ~ J.C. Ryle

A Congregation of the PCA

Established in 1789

5533 PPC Drive, Charlotte, NC 28269

All Are Welcome - Come Join Us for Worship!

Persevering Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

January 6th, 2019

I.                   The Purpose - We Give Up on Prayer (Vs. 1)

II.                  The Parable - Correcting Through Contrast (Vss. 2-5)

III.                The Power for Our Prayer Life (Vss. 6-8)

Pastor Bruce Brown

“But many are still discouraged by God’s seeming silence. We desperately need to learn that in the silence our loving God is answering, whether we see his working or not, for he delights to answer His children’s prayers.” ~ R. Kent Hughes

A Congregation of the PCA

Established in 1789

5533 PPC Drive, Charlotte, NC 28269

All Are Welcome - Come Join Us for Worship!