Darkened and Lost – Dr. Richard D. Phillips
Ephesians 4:17-19 English Standard Version (ESV) 17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
TEXT: I John 5:13-17
SUBJECT: I John #17: Why Your Prayer Life is So Bad
How’s your prayer life? In almost sixty years of going to church, I have met only one person who said her prayer life was good. Whether it was or not, I don’t know, but that’s what she said.
As for the rest of us? Our prayer lives are not what we want them to be-and they’re not what the Lord wants them to be. We don’t pray without ceasing; we don’t pray in faith; we don’t pray in hope; we don’t in charity. In a word, we hardly pray at all, and when we do, we pray more like the Pharisees and Sadducees than the disciples of Christ and the children of God.
This is not a new problem. The twelve disciples didn’t know how to pray, and, when Jesus needed them most, Peter, James, and John couldn’t pray at all. If you read the Devotional Literature from all ages, you’ll find everyone from the Church Fathers to the Medieval Doctors to the Reformers, Puritans, and Christian leaders today, decrying the fact that we don’t pray very often and we don’t pray very well! If this doesn’t apply to you, thank God! And I can only wonder why I’m up here instead of you.
What the disciples said to Jesus, needs to be said time and again- Lord, teach us to pray.
Spiritual Depression: Regrets – Michael Phillips Sermon
Psalm 31:15 King James Version (KJV) 15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Michael Phillips Serving since 1983 as the primary teacher at Grace Baptist, his special interests are Biblical Theology, Redemptive-Historical Preaching, and Church History.
Church History: Constantine (312 – 337 AD) – Michael Phillips Lecture
Michael Phillips Serving since 1983 as the primary teacher at Grace Baptist, his special interests are Biblical Theology, Redemptive-Historical Preaching, and Church History.
Puritan (Richard Baxter) View on Backbiting 1/2 – Michael Phillips Sermon
James 4:11 King James Version (KJV) 11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Michael Phillips Serving since 1983 as the primary teacher at Grace Baptist, his special interests are Biblical Theology, Redemptive-Historical Preaching, and Church History.
James 4:11 King James Version (KJV) 11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge thew, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Michael Phillips Serving since 1983 as the primary teacher at Grace Baptist, his special interests are Biblical Theology, Redemptive-Historical Preaching, and Church History.
“The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want” first appeared in print in the Scottish Psalter of 1650. This Psalter was assembled by the Westminster Assembly, which also gave us the Westminster Confession and the Book of Common Prayer. In it, portions from various sources were combined to create the beautiful hymn we know today. Though it was well-loved in Scotland, “The Lord’s My Shepherd” did not enjoy popularity outside the Church of Scotland for nearly 300 years. It finally appeared in the Methodist Hymnal of 1876 and later the Congregational Hymnal of 1916. But it wasn’t included in an Anglican hymnbook until 1965. The hymn version of Psalm 23 remains faithful to David’s psalm. Its popularity in England grew in part because of its use during the 1947 marriage ceremony between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Since that time, it’s become a well-known hymn, often requested for weddings and funerals today.
The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by. My soul He doth restore again; And me to walk doth make Within the paths of righteousness, Even for His own Name’s sake. Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale, Yet will I fear none ill; For Thou art with me; and Thy rod And staff me comfort still. My table Thou hast furnished In presence of my foes; My head Thou dost with oil anoint, And my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my life Shall surely follow me; And in God’s house forevermore My dwelling place shall be.
