We were privileged this week to have our good friend Rick Harrington come to preach. Rick is the Teaching Pastor of First Baptist Church in Haverhill, MA (across the street from us). He is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL (Master of Divinity) and of Gordon College in Wenham, MA (BA). He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Here is the manuscript:
This week, I wanted to linger a bit in the precious reality that Pastor Danny presented to us last week, which was for many, perhaps, the first time they might have heard that God is God-centered.
Another way to say that is that God ultimately does everything that he does for His own glory, His own fame, His own pleasure, His own delight.
Yet another way to say that is that God loves Himself more than He loves anyone or anything that exists, or is yet to exist, or is real or is not real.
And yet another way to say this is that God loves himself more than He loves us at Haverhill Community Church.
Danny took the time last week to observe God’s God-centeredness in 3 areas and texts:
I wonder how each of you received that.
I personally think that this concept is the most beautifully illuminating and eye-opening truth that I have ever heard.
It has entirely changed my orientation in the way I understand life and the Bible.
And it is no small matter for us here at Haverhill Community Church.
As our shepherd Danny has been recasting our vision in this new season, this distinctive is forging our new direction.
We need to appreciate that most Christians in America today do not believe such a truth.
We also need to appreciate that most Christians and non-Christians in the Haverhill area do not believe such a truth.
Therefore, I do not want to take for granted the timing of this opportunity to teach you.
Instead, I would like to peer into a very important biblical text that undergirds and further supports Danny’s subject last week on the God-centeredness of God.
The Class Notes are below:
|
Event/Person |
Dates |
Notes |
|
Adam & Eve |
? |
First man & woman are created and charged to keep/guard Eden in covenant with God but sin by following the Serpent and are thus exiled out of the garden (Genesis 1-3) |
|
Flood |
? |
Humanity is in such a ungodly state that God judges the world with a flood and save only Noah & his family with a large floating ark (Genesis 6-9) |
|
Tower of Babel |
? |
After the earth is repopulated, humanity refuses to spread and subdue the earth but establishes one city with a great tower of tribute; God judges them by giving them all different languages, causing them to spread over the world (Genesis 11) |
On the very subject we heard about today, the Holy coming to be among the unholy, pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle has a very insightful interview with the panel on the weekly talk program, The White Horse Inn. In that interview, Driscoll speaks plain, refreshing Bible truth about Jesus saving sinners such as the lost of us @ HCC, and our local mission. He begins:
“The people have been marketed, they have been pitched, they have been sold, they have had their felt needs assuaged. What they haven’t had is anyone get up and open the Bible, tell them who God is, what he has done and call them to repentance in a very clear, forthright way that respects their intelligence.”
This ethos is reflected in his desire to be both Biblically faithful in content and culturally “there” in the outworking of the Christian life, emphasizing both the “exaltation” of Jesus as well as His “incarnation”.
Give it a listen…comments welcome…
Our blog is designed to provide relevant resources and discussion stemming from our gatherings as well as to update everyone about events and happenings. Discussion is vital to growth, so please feel free to comment by clicking "Comments" below any of the entries here. You don't need any special password or account. Please enjoy.
Catch us on...
