T4G Debrief: My Favorite Sermon
Thabiti Anyabwile Blog | April 20, 2012
Some one-liners that ministered to me:
"Discouragement is no stranger to the lives of faithful pastors."
"There are things we're meant to learn in our disappointments. Our disappointments, if we will study them, we will see what we love. When the bottom falls out, I will learn things about what I love that I didn't know before."
"In deep discouragement we are tempted to forget that God is God and God is good. And it doesn't matter how long I've been teaching the people that God is God and God is good, I'm still tempted to think this."
Insightful outline:
I. Even people who believe in the sovereignty of God can fail to believe that the Lord is God.
II. Even people who fight against idolatry can succumb to it.
III. Even when it looks as if God is being hard on His servants, His goodness, grace, and gifts are lavish.
"When you hear a voice that says, 'You really ought to have everything you want,' that voice comes with a hiss!"
"God ruthlessly crushes their idols in His mercy and grace because He wants them to have a superior joy."
"Don't think God will use me in His service then leave me to writhe in my disappointments because He has a plan to give us more than we hope and think."
I hope you benefit from this sermon as much as I did, or better yet, as much as the Lord intends you to!
Comments:
April 21, 2012 at 03:59 PM
[...] am an idolater. God loves me. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2012/04/20/t4g-debrief-my-favorite-sermon/ Shoot dude. This sermon is still ringing in my head. Listen to it! My idolatry: My idolatry is [...]
April 20, 2012 at 01:13 PM
Brother, Lig's was my favorite too. One other quote that was encouraging, and I'm sure I'm not getting this 100% correct, but here it is: "God does not treat His servants/ministers as if their lives are cheap." That's an encouraging thought for anyone serving in some area of ministry!
Dan Phillips
April 21, 2012 at 07:42 AM
Right there with you, brother. Isn't Ligon a gift? Scholar's mind, pastor's heart. I found the sermon absolutely devastating, tears rolling down my cheeks pretty much throughout. Love that brother.