The Gospel of Matthew – Chapters 1-2

Posted on January 22, 2015 by ccpastormike

In a couple of weeks I will be begin teaching through the Gospel of Matthew for the third time. In light of that I will be posting some of my old sermon notes from previous trips through this wonderful book. Feel free to share, use, and comment below. God bless you my friends.

Matthew 1-2

Any Sherlock Holmes movie fans out there this morning? Remember the “Hounds of the Baskerville? In that movie Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr. Watson went on a camping trip.

After a very good evening meal cooked and ate around an open fire the 2 went to sleep in their tent. Some hours later, Sherlock nudged Watson and said “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

So Sherlock asked, “What does that tell you?”

Continue reading →

A Prayer for Those Battling Sin

Posted on January 17, 2015 by ccpastormike

Puritan theologian John Owen wrote the classic work The Mortification of Sin in 1656 to analyze and apply what Paul meant in Romans 8:13 when he said, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you “put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Owen has much to share about the important topic of killing our sin including what we need to believe about our common struggle, what mortifying sin is and isn’t, and practical principles for putting your sin to death. Below is a prayer based on the book that should help us mortify our sin and live in joyful obedience to Christ:

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to you a needy and contrite sinner,
with no power on my own to put to death the deeds of the body.

Daily come to my aid making it my business
to mortify the indwelling power of sin in my life.

May I never attempt to mortify in my own strength,
forgetting that without Your Spirit my efforts will be in vain.

Lord, through Your Spirit help me put to death
the subtle and crafty strength of the enemy.

As I wake each day, give me strength to remember my task of killing sin,
and remember that sin will kill me if I do not kill it.

Keep me from ever letting up in my battle with sin,
knowing constantly that sin will take advantage.

Help my heart abound in grace that flows from your Spirit,
and destroy in my heart the consuming lust for sin.

Give me a life characterized by the mortification of sin,
and give me life, vigor and comfort
for my life and for that battle.

Lord, each day remind me to strive after total obedience,
and so weaken the power of sin upon my life.

Aid me to know the methods and occasions for sin’s success,
and to fight and contend constantly for holiness.

May I constantly be aware of the guilt, danger, and evil of sin,
knowing that without you, I fall into a seared conscience,
hardness of heart, and deception of my soul.

Lord grant that your holy law is always upon my mind,
so that it may guide me and cause me to fear you.

By the graces of Your Spirit,
implant humility to weaken pride,
purity of mind to cleanse uncleanness,
heavenly-mindedness to counter a love for this world.

May Your Spirit,
cause my heart to abound in grace and the fruits that are contrary to the flesh,
consume and expose the root of my sin,
bring the cross of Christ into my heart through faith.

For it is only by gazing at the grace displayed on the cross of Christ
that I will be able experience its sin killing power.

I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ that is above every name,
AMEN.

Author: Kevin Halloran. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KP_Halloran or on his blog Kevin Halloran – Books, Christ, Culture

Direct Link to this post – http://www.kevinhalloran.net/tag/prayer/

Men – Pray For Your Wives (Part 5)

Posted on January 15, 2015 by ccpastormike

In this series of posts we have discussed the need we have as men to pray for our wives. If you’ve been with us for the first four parts in this series, you’ve learned that the biggest reason we need to pray for our wives is so we might be changed. No doubt this reasoning has taken many of you by surprise.

Men we pray for our wives so that God will fundamentally change us; so that we will have hearts in-tune with God’s heart for our wives. It is easy to develop tunnel-vision so that all we see are our perspectives, our struggles, and our needs in the marriage. We want God to incline our heart to our wife; to enable us to show compassion always, to demonstrate a respectful attitude without a hint of condescension.

Today I discuss the last two reasons we pray for our wives. The first is because she needs it. Men, here’s a newsflash – our wives are sinners too. Ok, we don’t need a headline to know that right? But in the midst of all this talk about praying for our wives so that we will be changed, lies this nugget of truth – our beloved, the one we are called to honor, esteem, and celebrate as God’s gift to us, is herself a sinner in need of forgiveness and grace. Pray God will grant her that each day.

Then secondly, we must pray for our wives because this is the primary weapon of our warfare on her behalf. Life is a spiritual struggle. The stresses we face as men are equally present in our wives’ lives. Today many wives work outside the home, juggling career with responsibilities to children, family, home, church, and community. Where will her support come from if not from us?

Men, when you read the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians to take up your spiritual armor every day in order to stand firm against the schemes of the devil, do you read this challenge in the context of your marriage? Do you understand that one very effective strategy of our enemy has been to undermine the marriage relationship?

When husbands do not pray for their wives there is left a gaping hole in the battlements. Neglected prayer leaves a powerful weapon lying on the spiritual battlefield that we must occupy.

Men, love your wives as Christ loved the Church. This includes praying for her so that you will become all she needs you to be in Christ.

Be the transformation you want to see. God bless you today as you seek Him.

Throw A Matthew Party

Posted on January 10, 2015 by ccpastormike

“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.”

Matthew 9:9-10

Most of us enjoy parties. We love the friends, food, and interaction between people who are gathered together at the invitation of their host. Parties are a great American tradition where the stressors of life are momentarily set aside and a healthy dose of laughter, conversation, and encouragement is bountifully supplied.

Did you know Jesus enjoyed parties too? Our focus passage highlights one such event held at Matthew’s house. Apparently after Matthew was called by Jesus to follow Him, the first thing he did as a new disciple of Christ was to throw a party. But this wasn’t just a party with no purpose. Matthew’s party had a clear intention.

Note the invitation list for Matthew’s party consisted entirely of Matthew’s former co-workers and peers who are described simply as “tax collectors and sinners,” as well as Jesus and the few disciples who were following Him at that time.

What we see in this narrative is a heart overflowing with love for Jesus. Matthew’s life had been fundamentally changed by Christ’s love for him and so one of Matthew’s first actions was to extend an invitation to his former colleagues and acquaintances to come and experience the same life change in Christ.

How do I know this was a purposeful strategy of Matthew? By the words Jesus spoke at the party to some who criticized His presence there with sinners. Here is what Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:12-13). Jesus understood clearly what Matthew wanted for his friends.

Friends, the next time you throw a party be sure to invite some of your unbelieving friends along with some friends who are able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a conversational fashion. Be intentional with your guest list. That is how you throw a “Matthew Party.”

Men – Pray For Your Wives (Part 4)

Posted on January 9, 2015 by ccpastormike

I’ve been speaking primarily to men in this series. The topic has been praying for our wives so that we will be changed. I know many of you men are of the attitude that you pray for your wives so that God will change her. My point in this series is that God is going to change you in order to change her.

So far we’ve discussed the fact that praying for your wife will result in you evaluating your relationship with her, your responses to her, and the type of love you show her. Guys, this is “gut check” time. Will you be honest with yourself? Will you listen as well as hear when God answers you concerning your prayers for your wife?

This process will yield the sweet fruit of confession and repentance toward God and if necessary, to your wife. Men, you have a high calling as spiritual leader in your marriage. This leadership position can only be powered by the Holy Spirit who will enable you to love her sacrificially.

You will see a definite change in your heart attitude toward your wife. You will cherish, treasure, and celebrate her as God’s gift to you. You will see her as God’s appointed helper to walk alongside of you. She is your biggest supporter. She is worthy of celebrating and praising with a thankful heart.

This in turn changes your behavior. Men, the way we show that we treasure something is to spend time engaged. Schedules can be cruel task masters that will ransack a fruitful marriage. Make sure your priorities are right which means that time with your wife is near the top of your list.

This transformation will change the way you pray for your wife. It will no longer be “God change her because I can’t take much more,” and will instead become, “God change me so that I don’t take my wife for granted, so that I’m not bitter, so that I’m not hateful.” Your prayer life for your wife lays the foundation for a marriage God designed it to be.

Men, praying for our wives is a powerful and much-needed discipline. But I will boldly tell you that we need to pray for her as much, if not more than she needs us to pray for her. God change us so that we might be the men our wives need.

Grasping these truths will create a transformed heart. The next post will be the final in this series, “Men –Pray For Your Wives Part 5.”

Friends, I welcome your comments.