Sunday Sermons - Old Du Quoin Baptist Church

Matthew writes his Gospel as a man who was stuck between two kingdoms. But in the midst of this, he saw another kingdom which had arrived. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew points us to Jesus as the King and reminds us to know which kingdom we serve.

Throughout this series we examined foolishness in order to not be like the fool. But today, we examine a type of fool that I hope we all are.

An example of foolishness that appears in both believers and unbelievers is a forgetting of who God is. Just as the Israelites in the wilderness forgot the power and might of God, so often many believers will forget the wonder and power of our God.Unbelievers on the other hand, sometimes conclude that they are simply too far gone for God to save them. This is never true.As a result, hopelessness can set in. An expectation that God will not work in our situation. This is not what we are called to. We serve a powerful God who does mighty deeds.

A fool doesn't just commit sin, he returns to it repeatedly. Sin can grasp us into a downward spiral with no escape.Only through Jesus Christ can we be freed from the deceitfulness and the grasp of sin.

God has created in nature a reminder of His Son. Just as the Sun rises each morning to give us light and life, so did the Son of God rise from the dead to push away darkness and give life to those who are in Him.And just as the Sun returns every morning without fail, Jesus too will return one day to make all things new.

Jesus arrived for the first time on a donkey heralding peace with God through His death and resurrection for us. He continues to reach out to you in peace and mercy today.But one day He will return, not on a donkey, but on a horse. He will come in war and judgement to defeat wickedness and sin. Jesus wept for Jerusalem because of the judgement they suffered as a result of their rejection of Him.Do not reject Christ while He reaches for you in mercy. One day He will return as the Judge.

The fool loves comfort. This can take the form of being a lover of pleasure or being a sluggard.But true comfort, true pleasure, true rest, is freely offer to us through Jesus Christ.

The fool makes a sport and a game out of sin.But scripture tells us that we are to mourn over our sin. We should be heartbroken over sin and turn to Christ for forgiveness.

The fool acts often rashly or impulsively. He makes statements or decisions based on limited information or little time. He does not weigh the cost of things and make decisions wisely.This is the symptom of a heart that is ruled by the flesh and not be the spirit. As humans, our only way out of living according to the flesh is the receive the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.

A fool often presents an image of himself that is not entirely accurate. Whether is be boasting of his own greatness or deceptively hiding his flaws.The Gospel provides us with an answer to this. All our flaws are exposed before God, all our best works are like filthy rags before Him. We have nothing to boast of.At the same time, we have no need to hide, because even at our worst, Christ died for us. He paid the penalty for our sin and raises us up in glory.In Christ, there is no need to present a false image, because we are simultaneously humbled and exalted.

The Bible tells us that the fool does not control his speech. A fool speaks excessively, recklessly, and self-destructively.The wise man speaks in wisdom. But ultimately, the wise man knows that wise speech only comes from a changed heart in Jesus Christ.

While we often are very accepting of anger in our culture, the Bible gives us a different picture. Anger betrays a lack of trust in the Lord that Christians are not to participate in. Ultimately, we can draw from the wonderful example of a God who is slow to anger and abounding in Mercy.

Scripture tells us that the fool hates correction. Not only does he ignore corrective advice, but he resents it. The fool interprets correction as an attack.The wise, however, desire correction because they know that it is for their benefit and for God's glory.

The fool is one who places his confidence in himself, which leads to ruin. The wise places his confidence in the Lord.

The fool says in his heart there is no God. This is more than just an intellectual rejection of God, but is also a practical atheism.We ought to examine ourselves and determine if we have been rejecting God with our heart posture.

We are beginning a new sermon series in which we will explore the biblical descriptions of a fool and what the wise alternatives are.

Every year when the new year comes around, we tend to think of renewal and second chances. People often make New Year's resolutions as a way to lean into this time of new things.These are good things, but we must recognize that only Jesus Christ brings renewal. He is the God that makes all things new.

Jesus is humble and human, as we discussed in Part 1. But He is not only man, but He is the God-man. He is God in the flesh. We must recognize who it is in the manger on Christmas, because our lives truly depend on it.

The yearly repetition of Christmas can make it easy to forget the magnitude of what Christmas is about.God took on human flesh and became one of us. He associated with the lowly and the alienated to bring us back to God.

Paul concludes the letter to the church in Rome with a doxology praising the glory of God. Everything he has shared for the last 16 chapters has been great truth about God that glorifies His Holy Name. We were created to glorify God and we were saved to glorify God. All things are for His glory.

As the letter to the church in Rome comes to an end, Paul gives a final pastoral charge to the church.He encourages the church to be on watch for false teachers, to be vigilant, and to take heart in the guaranteed victory in Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving does not just come after we are content with all that we have, but giving thanks to God actually helps us to be peaceful and content in all things.

In Paul's greetings, we see an amazing tapestry of the individuals who comprised the early church. These are those who made the church function. They were not pastor, preachers, or evangelists, but the regular church members who had a love for the Lord.God has a role for each of us to play in His church. If Paul wrote a letter to your church, would he find it necessary to mention you?

In this passage, we learn a lot about Paul's heart for mission and ministry. From it, we can also learn a lot about the type of heart we should have as followers of Christ.

Paul shows us that true ministry always flows from Christ, through the Holy Spirit, and to those who need to hear the Gospel.

Paul encourages the church in Rome by affirming his confidence in them that they are full of goodness, full of knowledge, and able to teach. We as a church should strive to have the same testimony.

Paul shows us that God's plan has always included the Gentiles and that both Jew and Gentile are a key component of God's people and God's work in the world.

Paul encourages us to follow the example of Christ and be willing to suffer for the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul continues his explanation of convictions in the church by now describing not only the attitude we should show one another, but also the actions we should take to love one another.All this we do, because there is one thing more important than all other minor issues, it is the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

In the Body of Christ, there are matters of sin, but there are also matters of conscience. We are to have a loving attitude toward those of differing convictions.

Paul says that there is one debt we owe one another, and that is to love each other.

The events of this past week have highlighted for us that the Church must take a stand for truth in the world around us.

As Christians, our faith should impact every part of our lives, even our Citizenship.God has instituted government to fulfill His good purpose.

When someone has a true faith in Christ, their actions will show it. Paul tells us that to live out a real faith we must show genuine love and a humble heart.

God has gifted everyone with certain talents, abilities, and resources to serve His Kingdom, and every individual is important.

After having explained the Gospel to us, Paul now shares with us the implications the Gospel has on our lives.

God has displayed His excellent wisdom in the way he orchestrated salvation history. Through reflecting on His wisdom, we can be prepared to trust Him in our lives.

Through Israel's rejection, God has accomplished great things, such as the salvation of Gentiles. Paul reminds us of this while also pointing to the fact that if God can do great things through Israel's rejection, He can certainly do wonders through their acceptance.

While God is accomplishing His purposes through the Gentiles, He has also promised that He has preserved a remnant of believing Jews who follow Him, just as He did in the days of Elijah.

Salvation does not require the accomplishment of huge tasks or impossible rules. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ in your heart.

Anyone who tries to establish their own righteousness will fall. Righteousness is only found through faith in Jesus Christ.

As the Gospel spread, many unexpected people were brought into the fold. Meanwhile, much of those that were expected showed themselves to be on the outside.Paul shows us that God's fulfillment of promises may look different than our expectations, but that He is free to work in the world as He chooses.

After the death and resurrection of Christ, a New Covenant people of God was formed: The Church. This church consisted of both Jew and Gentile. Many of the Jewish people, however, had rejected Jesus Christ and therefore placed themselves outside the New Covenant people of God.Paul shows that this is not a failure of God's promises to Abraham, but His continuing sovereignty in choosing in whom the promises will be found as He has always practiced.God chose Isaac to the exclusion of Ishmael, He chose Jacob to the exclusion of Esau, and now He has chosen Jesus Christ to the exclusion of all others. God's covenant promises and salvation are found in Jesus Christ alone, and He calls you today to believe in Him.

God has shown amazing love through the giving of His son to save us from our sins. But His love doesn't stop there. He continues to hold believers secure in His unwavering love.

God has given parents and namely fathers a very special role in the lives of their children. Fathers are to lead their families in faith and to show them the love of God.

Not only is the Holy Spirit a promise to us for eternal life to those who know Jesus, but He helps us in our weakness.

Though we live in a fallen world that includes suffering, pain, death, and even persecution, those who are in Christ have the promise of a great and glorious future that will far outweigh the sufferings of this present time.

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ are adopted as children of God. As his children, they will act like Him, and they are promised an eternal inheritance in Christ.