Reformed Presbyterian Church Sermon Audio

Reformed Presbyterian Church Sermon Audio http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons.aspx Sermon Audio from Reformed Presbyterian Church, West Chester, PA no en-us The Hand of Providence Ray <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Psalm+139">Psalm 139</a> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.11.16.mp3 Vanity of Religion & Service Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil." Eccl. 5:1 "Change" has been the rallying cry of the recent presidential campaign. Christians have lined up behind one candidate or another in pursuit of change. The election results have provoked much angst and ardor as hopes has been dashed or buoyed. But what is God's agent of change? To what does God affix hope? The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that God is at work and hope and power for change are resident by God's design in his church. The church, however, must employ a religion that has God at its core, fearing Him and doing His will, rather than a religion in which God serves man or man manipulates God. Government is important but government is impotent for the change Christ seeks. How much genuine change has been achieved by having the "right" administration in office? The power of the church is not exercised in the voting booth but in the prayer closet. The influence of the church is not exerted at election season but in season and out of season, bringing God's truth to bear, bearing witness to Christ, being salt and light in the world. When it comes to government, Christians must take seriously their role as citizens but their hope resides in the God who directs the hearts of kings, who raises up rulers and kingdoms and brings them down. The church must be the church, faithful to its mission, faithful to its Lord, faithful to the end in whatever country, in whatever circumstance. May we repent of vanity on two fronts. First, we need to repent of the inertia of futile religion with its mindless prayers and meaningless rituals and routines. Second, we need to repent not being Christ's church, fertile and expectant in fear of the true and living God, crying out to Him to restore us to His role and function in this world, recognizing the church as God's agent for the change He desires. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.11.09.mp3 Vanity of Education & Wisdom Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester "I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly.... Then I said in my heart, 'What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?' And I said in my heart that this also is vanity." We can relate to the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes who knows that wisdom is a good thing, but who observes under the sun that the wise man often falters and the fool prospers. The Bible speaks of two kinds of wisdom: wisdom that begins with fear of man and wisdom that begins with the fear of God. James contrasts "wisdom from above" and wisdom that is "earthly, unspiritual, demonic." Paul differentiates between wisdom that is of the world and wisdom rooted in God. Wisdom from above and wisdom under the sun provide different answers to the basic worldview questions of Creation-Fall-Redemption. God's ultimate expression of wisdom in contrast to the wisdom of the world (cf. 1 Cor. 1-2) is Jesus Christ, "who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption." Wisdom "under the sun" is man-centered, trying to make sense of life and to find answers to life in the ingenuity of man without respect to God. God-centered wisdom urges: <blockquote>"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on our own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." Proverbs 3:5-7 </blockquote>Godly wisdom is concerned not with results but with submission, trust and obedience. Wisdom that begins with the fear of the Lord, to which the unnamed teacher in Ecclesiastes points us, sees God's world, serves God's ways and seeks God's glory. God is the point of reference. Wisdom is not street smarts to navigate the roadways of life. Wisdom is the compass of God to be used under the sun in this dark world where we can easily lose our bearings, the compass where due north is the glory of God and the magnetic pull is the fear of God that directs our decisions, thoughts, values, actions and goals Godward. Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.11.02.mp3 Vanity of Pleasure & Entertainment Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester <div></div>I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of no pleasure, "What use is it?" Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 God wired us for pleasure. He has filled our lives with good things and given us five senses to enjoy them. Throughout Scripture, God appeals to our ability to enjoy. The Promised Land He sensuously describes as a 'land flowing with milk and honey.' The Preacher in Ecclesiastes sees the pleasures of life as gifts of God and considers them wonderful distractions to the hardship 'under the sun,' balms to the weary soul and worn out body. But God warns us of being pleasure-driven. The good things of life can become idols as we put them before God and look to them for what only God can give. The quest for entertainment can drive our lives and dictate our agendas, to our spiritual detriment and ineffectiveness for Christ's kingdom. But in a life that fears Him and keeps His commands, God woos us to true delight. From this perspective on life, pleasure is received as a gift of God from which flows thanks and appreciation of what He has given us to enjoy. At the same time, our attitude toward these pleasures is regulated by His commandments. The Christian life will not be driven by pain-avoidance or pleasure-seeking but will model Jesus Christ, who 'for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame' (Heb. 12:2). And at the heart of life, God Himself will be our ultimate joy in whom we delight. Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.10.26.mp3 Vanity of Financial Security & Possessions Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester <div></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity... There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:18-19, 24 Eat, drink and be merry--the motto of those at ease and secure with money in the bank. Certainly, finances and material possessions provide great sources of enjoyment and security. The problem, though, is when those things obscure our view of God and we focus on the gifts over the Giver, or when we look to find our security in our bank account instead of God. The Preacher noted "under the sun" how tenuous life can be. All we accumulated can be gone in an instant and with it the confidence and hope we had tied to it. Treasure laid up under the sun can be taken from us by thieves or investment failure. We can be taken from our treasure by death. Jesus called us out on this in His parable about the bigger barn builder (see Luke 12:13-20), pointing out the wayward thinking of being driven to lay up treasure under the sun. Jesus' answer echoes that of the unnamed teacher in Ecclesiastes, who calls us to fear God and obey His commands: "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:21) In Luke 12:22-24 (cf. Matt. 6:19-34), Jesus exposes worry as red flag to idolatry and to where we are laying up our treasure, looking not just to calm our fear but to address our allegiance to God and His kingdom, the outworking of which Paul addresses in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19. </div> Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.10.12.mp3 Vanity of Family & Friends Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester <blockquote>Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)</blockquote> Relationships are a blessing. In his observations, the Preacher sees the value of relationships. He notes how shallow and hollow life is without those special people in our lives. But this religious observer to life also notes under the sun how apt relationships are to disappoint and fail us. Broken marriages, friends no longer speaking, death itself as the ultimate severer of relationships. The Preacher admits that companionship is a good thing, given by God, but the risk is high that we may be left hurt and alone. Vanity of vanities, futile. The other voice in the mix, that of the unnamed teacher, informs us that the Preacher is right. People do let us down. We let people down. Relationships may and do crumble around us, leaving us to pick up the pieces. On top of that, even if the relationships don't crumble they can never give us what we often expect of them. His answer is to fear God and keep His commands. The faithful God who has reconciled us to Himself in Christ will never leave us or forsake us. As for us, we will obey God, loving as we have been loved, forgiving as we have been forgiven. The upshot of this perspective beyond the fallen created order is to enjoy our relationships with others as gifts of God, but not be surprised by betrayal that hurts so much. In our pain, though, we find comfort, security, strength and resolve as we live under the sun in the love that will not let us go. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.10.05.mp3 Vanity of Planning & Organization Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. (Eccl. 8:6-8)The Preacher in his observations of life 'under the sun' notes that the best laid plans can be frustrated and often come to naught. They are 'vanity.' He observes an order to life at the hand of God, but we are at a loss to know what is to be. We try out best to find some measure of stability and gain control over the 'what ifs' we face, but we identify with the Preacher's angst when we realize we cannot control. Into this vanity, the unnamed teacher calls us to look beyond the fallen created world—to fear God and keep His commands. So, instead of being gripped in worry, fear, grief, depression and despair, we relinquish the role of control and the right to control to our God, accepting our place as dependent, finite beings and according God the glory and rights and prerogatives that belong to Him alone. We trust and obey. We find peace and joy and hope in this life under the sun in the knowledge and strength of our God, assured by our Savior that we will have trouble in this world, but also that He has overcome the world. We enjoy the order God does give to what would be a chaotic life in a sin-riddled world, and we do plan and organize, not in competition with God, but in submission to His will (James 4:13-16). "<a href="http://gettymusic.com/USA/lyrics.asp?id=152">In Christ Alone</a>" Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.09.21.mp3 Making Sanity Out of Vanity Reformed Presbyterian Church of West Chester Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. (Eccl. 7:16) Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. (Eccl. 10:19) It's hard to imagine these passages are from the Bible, but they are. The question is, how do we make sense of them? The key to understanding the book of Ecclesiastes is to see its goal and how it achieves that goal. The goal is stated in the last two verses of the book (Ecc. 12:13-14) summarized as 'fear God and keep His commandments.' How the book takes us there is by way of two teachers. The first teacher is a religious observer to life. He looks at life 'under the sun' and concludes life is 'vanity' (empty, meaningless, pointless), a chasing after wind. What he sees doesn't jive with the idea of a sovereign, good God. The second teacher, whose comments bracket those of the first teacher in Eccl. 1:1-11 and 12:8-14, affirms what the first teacher says but insists that there is more than meets the eye. He lifts us to a vantage point above the sun, beyond the fallen created order, to a God who is and who reigns. The Apostle Paul speaks to God's answer in Christ to this 'vanity' and futility (see Rom. 8:18-21). Ecclesiastes frustrates our efforts to find hope and meaning in all the wrong places. It is written not only to make us realists; it is intended to make us redemptive realists, finding hope and life in Christ alone. "<a href="http://gettymusic.com/USA/lyrics.asp?id=152">In Christ alone</a>" Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:00:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.09.14.mp3 Love Note Ray <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ephesians+6%3A21-24">Ephesians 6:21-24</a> Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:30:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.09.07.mp3 Family Values Ray <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ephesians+5%3A22-6%3A4">Ephesians 5:22–6:4</a> Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:30:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.08.03.mp3 Life on the Alert Ray <a href="http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Ephesians+5%3A15-21">Ephesians 5:15–21</a> Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:30:00 GMT http://www.rpcwc.org/sermons/2008.07.27.mp3