Psalm 37:3-7; Romans 12:9-18 
March 11, 2018
preached by Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“We are to reflect Christ in all that we say and do. And the Christ of Scripture is the humble, suffering servant who, in spite of great opposition, false accusations, and public ridicule, remained faithful to the heavenly calling.”

~ David Hegg, contemporary pastor and author

“By faithfulness we are collected and wound up into unity within ourselves, whereas we had been scattered abroad in multiplicity.”

~ Augustine (354-430), Early theologian, philosopher and bishop of Hippo Regius in north Africa

“A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in the little things is a great thing.”

~ Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), British Protestant missionary to China who then founded the China Inland Mission

“Had it been published by a voice from heaven, that twelve poor men, taken out of boats and creeks, without any help of learning, should conquer the world to the cross, it might have been thought an illusion against all reason of men; yet we know it was undertaken and accomplished by them.”

~ Stephen Charnock (1628-1680), English Presbyterian clergyman

“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.”

~ Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), American novelist, short story writer, and journalist

“Facing another day, with ordinary callings to ordinary people all around is much more difficult than chasing my own dreams that I have envisioned for the grand story of my life.”

“Like every other area of life, we have come to believe that growth in Christ — as individuals or as churches — can and should be programmed to generate predictable outcomes that are unrealistic and are not even justified biblically. We want big results — sooner rather than later. And we’ve forgotten that God showers his extraordinary gifts through ordinary means of grace, loves us through ordinary fellow image bearers, and sends us out into the world to love and serve others in ordinary callings.”

~ Michael S. Horton (1964-present), contemporary theologian and seminary professor

Sermon Passage

Psalm 37:3-7; Romans 12:9-18 (NASB)

Psalm 37

³  Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
⁴   Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵  Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
⁶   He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
⁷  Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Romans 12

⁹ Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; ¹¹ not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, ¹³ contributing to the needs of the  saints,  practicing hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. ¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.