Covenant Caswell

Recovering a Community of Faithfulness 
Isaiah 1:21-31 
 
I. Are We Cycling Upward or Spiraling Downward? 
1. According to polls, about 60% of Americans think the USA is on the wrong track. 
2. The Puritans show that there has been a serious decline in churches. 
3. Isaiah prophesies to the people of God who had already gone a long way down hill. 
II. Be Shocked (1:21-23) 
A. Stunned With Revulsion 
1. The first step to recovery, God tells us, is to be shocked, flabbergasted that things are so bad. 
2. Don’t fall for the smug attitude that mature people today are supposed to be used to it. 
3. Let’s not be jaded and comfortable with our failure to live up to our commitments. 
B. Shocked With Prostituting Worship 
1. A whore: a crude word is appropriate because God is talking about crude things. 
2. They are a prostitute willing to do anything for anyone if the price is right. 
3. Worship is precious. We should only give it to the One God to whom we have committed ourselves. 
4. Worship should never be sold for some human agenda like politics, raising money, or socializing. 
5. Stephen Charnock, “Spiritual Worship”: “Worship . . . adores and reverences His majesty”. 
6. Today people use worship for whatever will get the people to come back. 
7. True worship is an end in itself, the chief end of us all. It begins with a God-ward heart. 
III. Be Purged (1:24-26) 
A. God’s People Purged of Sin and Others Purged Out Because of Sin 
1. The Lord pledges to take action. “I will” four times. It is exclusively a work of God. 
2. Some are purged of their sins and others are purged out because of their sins. 
3. Those who claim to be His people but deny Him by their actions, are His enemies. 
4. He would be totally just to burn us all up. But He chooses to redeem some. 
B. The Faithful City 
1. He chooses to redeem a city, Zion, the church, the community of faithfulness. 
2. God works to separate the silver from the dross. Not everyone is cleansed. Some are dross. 
3. The leaders are rebels. Only in Israel would it be possible for the princes to be rebels. 
4. The leaders ruled anyway they wanted. They had their eyes, most of all, on self-advancement. 
5. God will purge those who think themselves “strong” (1:31) and so won’t do things God’s way. 
6. The man-ward, will be purged. The God-ward will be re-established. 
7. The Lord will restore, “judges as at the first,” “counselors as at the beginning” (1:26). 
8. Leaders like the Apostle Paul who really believed in the ideals of the Lord Jesus. 
9. In Virginia, the local sheriff flogged the preacher of a Baptist church. The preacher continued. 
IV. Be Repentant (1:27-31) 
A. The Repentant In God’s Community of Faithfulness 
1. Not that you must be repentant to be redeemed. If you are redeemed, you will be repentant. 
2. Being saved by grace is also being saved by justice and righteousness (1:27). 
3. We have been redeemed by the righteousness of Christ that God now chooses to credit to us. 
B. Rebels: God’s Enemies 
1. Rebels think as long as they name the right name, they can worship any way they choose. 
2. They were too sophisticated. They were proud of their worship centers, their gardens and orchards. 
3. Those are God’s enemies. They are often respectable people. They love to grow centers for worship. 
4. God has chosen to pull some of us out of that furnace. To restore us. 
V. Invitation: There is a new city, a community of faithfulness. Do you want to join that city? Then be shocked – shocked at yourself when you let other things draw you away from a life of worship. Be purged. Let Him who is a consuming fire, work in your life. And let Him cleanse His church. And be repentant.

Recovering a Community of Faithfulness
Isaiah 1:21-31

I. Are We Cycling Upward or Spiraling Downward?
1. According to polls, about 60% of Americans think the USA is on the wrong track. 
2. The Puritans show that there has been a serious decline in churches.
3. Isaiah prophesies to the people of God who had already gone a long way down hill.
II. Be Shocked (1:21-23)
A. Stunned With Revulsion
1. The first step to recovery, God tells us, is to be shocked, flabbergasted that things are so bad.
2. Don’t fall for the smug attitude that mature people today are supposed to be used to it.
3. Let’s not be jaded and comfortable with our failure to live up to our commitments.
B. Shocked With Prostituting Worship
1. A whore: a crude word is appropriate because God is talking about crude things.
2. They are a prostitute willing to do anything for anyone if the price is right.
3. Worship is precious. We should only give it to the One God to whom we have committed ourselves.
4. Worship should never b

Isaiah 1:21-31, Recovering a Community of Faithfulness

1 Timothy 5-6:2 
“Do You Want Respect?” 
 
I. Everyone Wants Respect 
1. Businesses try to treat customers with respect because they will come back if they feel respected. 
2. White racists disrespected blacks. Southern segregation was really about humiliation. 
3. A great abominations of church history is that the whites treated blacks with disrespect in the church. 
II. Respect As Family (5:1-16) 
A. Treat Other Church Members Like Members of the Family (5:1-2) 
1. The key to making that real, not just an empty slogan, is respect and concern. 
2. Other church members aren’t just like fellow customers at a restaurant. 
B. The Family As the First Church (5:3-8) 
1. The family has the primary responsibility for the care of its members. 
2. The life of self-indulgence is death. Service, to God through the family or the church, is life. 
3. He who won’t take care of his family “has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (5:8). 
4. If a woman didn’t have a family to support her, the church was her family. 
C. Widows Who Commit Themselves to the Church (5:9-16) 
1. Someone who makes a pledge to serve the church deserves great respect. It’s not for just anyone. 
2. They had better fulfill that pledge, or their passions are drawing them away from Christ. 
3. God expects us to fulfill our vows, whether they be marriage vows or our church covenant. 
4. Paul gives common-sense advice to protect young people against their short-sightedness. 
III. Respect In the Church (5:17-25) 
A. Double Honor 
1. Honor God’s Word. If you really honor His Word, you’ll respect those who teach it to you. 
2. All on a championship team deserve honor. The MVP (most valuable player) deserves double. 
3. Christ rules His Church. The elders should direct the rest of us in the ways Christ is ruling. 
4. In scripture, there are always “elders” – plural – in every church, not just one man at the top. 
5. There is a special group of elders who not only direct but they labor in preaching and teaching. 
B. Pay 
1. We love the Word of God and so we should honor those who faithfully bring the Word to us. 
2. To some degree, what we pay pastors is some indication of how much we honor them. 
3. A pastor shouldn’t touch the money and the women! But we should provide for him adequately. 
C. Protection 
1. Elders should be protected from rumors and unfounded accusations (5:19). 
2. Snipers will only shoot officers. Leaders are especially vulnerable. 
3. “Do not admit” — accept or entertain — “a charge against an elder” unless supported by witnesses. 
D. Passion for Purity 
1. The flip side of an elder’s rightful protection from baseless rumors is his accountability. 
2. If guilty, the elder doesn’t get off more easily. The Church is not a good-old-boys club. 
3. John Calvin: “. . . the government of the church is conducted under the eye of God . . .” 
4. Prevention is better than cure. Wait to see if there are sins that will pop up over time. 
5. “Keep yourself pure,” but take care of yourself. We could use the problem of youthful zeal. 
IV. Respect In the World (6:1-2) 
1. Respect your employers. Don’t use your beliefs to feel superior to others. It makes the gospel reviled. 
2. The gospel is blasphemed if we use our faith to escape our duties or take advantage of other Christians. 
3. A smug, disrespect for authorities, denies that we have been humbled by the grace of God. 
V. Invitation: Do you want respect? Then start by giving it. Do we want respect? Then we need to give it. That begins with God. Give respect to the Word of God. Give respect to the Word of God come in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all that deserves respect. Do you want respect? Give it to the Lord now.

1 Timothy 5-6:2
“Do You Want Respect?”

I. Everyone Wants Respect
1. Businesses try to treat customers with respect because they will come back if they feel respected.
2. White racists disrespected blacks. Southern segregation was really about humiliation.
3. A great abominations of church history is that the whites treated blacks with disrespect in the church.
II. Respect As Family (5:1-16)
A. Treat Other Church Members Like Members of the Family (5:1-2)
1. The key to making that real, not just an empty slogan, is respect and concern.
2. Other church members aren’t just like fellow customers at a restaurant.
B. The Family As the First Church (5:3-8)
1. The family has the primary responsibility for the care of its members. 
2. The life of self-indulgence is death. Service, to God through the family or the church, is life.
3. He who won’t take care of his family “has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (5:8).
4. If a woman didn’t have a family to support her, the church w

1 Timothy 5-6:2, “Do You Want Respect?”

Judges 3:7-31 
How Do You Know Who Your Savior Is? 
 
I. How Do You Know Who Your Savior Is? 
A. How People Decide Who Their Savior Is: Charisma, personal magnetism, anointing, charm; or Institutionalism, the right organization appoints; or the celebrity they will go hysterical for. 
B. Who Your Savior Is Depends On What You Think You Need Salvation From 
1. If you think that your greatest need is romance, the “soul-mate”, then your savior is that one. 
2. The cult of romance: life is about finding that special someone. 
3. Rugged individualists think they are self-sufficient; that they don’t really need a savior. 
II. Othniel (3:7-11): the man who won his bride by conquering Kiriath-sepher (1:12) 
A. Rebellion (3:7): the Israelites do evil 
1. Forget: They forget the Lord. 
a. To “forget” means to let something slide out of memory. It’s a passive. 
b. They neglected to remind themselves about the Lord. 
2. Serve: Baal and Asheroth 
a. These people forgot and so they served the fertility gods, attractive to farmers. 
b. Today people forget God and so accept the prosperity gospel, moralistic, therapeutic religion, or maybe they chase the almighty dollar, their ego, their bank account. 
B. Retribution (3:8) 
1. The anger of the Lord is kindled against them, like a fire: hard to start, hard to put out. 
2. God “sold them” the hand of “Cushan-rishathaim”, “Cushan of double wickedness”. 
C. Repentance (3:9): they “cried out to the Lord” 
1. Repentance is more than remorse, feeling sorry. It’s turning away from sin, to the Lord. 
D. Rescue (3:9): “the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel who saved them” 
1. “The Spirit of the Lord was upon” Othniel. We can tell because he because he saved. 
E. Rest (3:11): God’s true savior gives his people rest. 
1. False saviors pile on a list of rules that you have to keep: don’t eat this or drink that. 
2. A true deliverer brings you to rest. 
III. Ehud (3:12-30): the cycle starts over 
A. The Misery (3:12-14): “the Lord strengthened Eglon” 
1. God is in absolute control. This tyrant got power over Israel because the Lord enabled him. 
2. God’s “steadfast love” will pursue them in their rebellion and use misery to bring them back. 
B. The Man (3:15): a left-handed man, implies a handicap. He was one of the weak. 
C. The Mission (3:16): Strike the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. 
1. He makes a double-edged dagger; easiest for a south-paw (left-handed) like him to get it. 
D. The Message (3:17-25): Ehud has a pointed message to give Eglon. 
1. Eglon has gotten fat off of oppressing Israel. He’s in his palace with a cool roof chamber. 
2. A gruesome scene: the blade goes all the way in and his intestines come out. 
E. The Mandate (3:26-27): Ehud he sounds the trumpet, the people gather, and he is their leader. 
F. The Manifestation (3:28-30): Ehud manifests that he was a (small “s”) savior. 
1. He leads them to seize the fords of the Jordan so the Moabites can’t rally under a new leader. 
IV. Shamgar (3:31): kills 600 Philistines with an ox-goad. He defeats the enemies of God’s people with a farmer’s tool. He also is a savior. 
V. Invitation: Shamgar shows us how simple it is: Your savior is the one who saves you. When finally we see what our need is, what we need saving from, then we’ll understand who our savior is. Our greatest problem is sin. We have kindled God’s anger against us because of our sins. Looking to money or pleasure or romance to complete us, angers the Lord the most. That is the essence of sin. Death has been raised up by God to separate us from things we loved instead of God. Death has gotten fat off of devouring nearly every person. Jesus defeated our enemies, first, with carpenter’s tools: hammers and nails. Then by conquering death. Jesus put out the fire of God’s wrath and defeated that last enemy. He rose from the dead. He’s the one who saves you.

Judges 3:7-31
How Do You Know Who Your Savior Is?

I. How Do You Know Who Your Savior Is?
A. How People Decide Who Their Savior Is: Charisma, personal magnetism, anointing, charm; or Institutionalism, the right organization appoints; or the celebrity they will go hysterical for.
B. Who Your Savior Is Depends On What You Think You Need Salvation From
1. If you think that your greatest need is romance, the “soul-mate”, then your savior is that one.
2. The cult of romance: life is about finding that special someone.
3. Rugged individualists think they are self-sufficient; that they don’t really need a savior.
II. Othniel (3:7-11): the man who won his bride by conquering Kiriath-sepher (1:12)
A. Rebellion (3:7): the Israelites do evil
1. Forget: They forget the Lord.
a. To “forget” means to let something slide out of memory. It’s a passive.
b. They neglected to remind themselves about the Lord.
2. Serve: Baal and Asheroth
a. These people forgot and so they served the fertility gods, attrac

Judges 3:7-31, How Do You Know Who Your Savior Is?

John 11:45-12:11 
What Are Your Intentions? 
 
I. What Are Your Intentions? 
1. This used to be the question a father might ask some young man coming to see his daughter. 
2. Businesses intend on making money. Our economy is rigged to make people look like they serve you. 
3. Everything that we do begins with intentions. Your intentions are the seeds of your actions. 
4. Intentions lead to resolutions which led to results. 
II. The Resolution (11:45-53) 
A. Human Intentions 
1. When people’s intentions are to not believe in Jesus, no miracles will get through to them. 
2. Most people don’t care about truth; they care about what will help them get what they want. 
3. They reason, if many people believe in Jesus, the Romans will take away “our place and our nation”. 
4. Caiaphas is practical. He’s a nuts-and-bolts kind of guy. To him it’s obvious what must be done. 
5. If Jesus is going to cause us to lose our position, our perks, our livelihood, then, Jesus has to go. 
6. The resolution that Jesus must die comes from a committee of selfish men. 
B. God’s Intentions 
1. Behind the human intentions was God’s intention. Even Caiaphas’ words were intended by God. 
2. He was prophesying. He said exactly what the Spirit intended him to say. 
3. In the inspiration of scripture, the Spirit super-intends something greater than the literal meaning. 
4. Jesus would die for [on behalf of, instead of, rather than, as the substitute for] the children of God. 
5. The “vicarious atonement”: Jesus stood in our place, He took our punishment. He was our substitute. 
6. “To gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” Jesus assembles God’s people. 
7. “There will be one flock, one shepherd.” Jesus will gather His lost sheep from all nations. 
8. The Holy Spirit says that Jesus is dying on behalf of His people to gather them into one. 
9. There is One flock (John 10:16), one tree (Romans 11:17-24), one nation (1 Peter 2:9), one people. 
III. The Results (11:54-12:11) 
A. Waiting (11:54-57) 
1. Jesus goes north. His time has not yet come. But now it’s coming soon, with this Passover. 
2. Jesus is waiting for the Passover; people are waiting in Jerusalem to catch Him. 
B. Anointing (12:1-8) 
1. Just six days before the Passover, five days before Jesus died Jesus comes back to Bethany. 
2. At dinner, Mary takes a flask of pure nard worth 300 denarii (about $30,000) and pours it on Jesus. 
3. Unconscious of how she might appear, she uses her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet. What did she intend? 
4. She intends to how valuable she thinks Jesus is; her heart, her love, her worship. 
5. Another disciple sounds like he has nobler intentions, for the poor: Judas, the treasurer, a thief. 
6. God super-intended to use her lavish gift to prepare Jesus for what’s coming in five days. 
7. God’s super-intending hand guides people to do (or say) what is in God’s intention, for His results. 
8. That large gift may have helped a few for a while. But Jesus will help many for eternity. 
C. Plotting (12:9-11) 
1. Many were believing in Jesus; “going away” from the religion of the Pharisees because of Lazarus. 
2. They were in the grip of expediency, the ends justify the means; so they resolve to kill Lazarus too. 
3. They intended only to protect what’s theirs. Their reasoning is practical. Now, Lazarus must die. 
IV. Invitation: The Lord had other intentions. He resolved, from the foundation of the world, that the Lamb would be slain to take away the sin of His people scattered throughout the world. The result of that resolution was that Jesus was lifted up on a cross. He gathered His people, around Him. The result is your salvation, so like Mary you can pour out the extravagant gift of your life at Jesus’ feet.

John 11:45-12:11
What Are Your Intentions?

I. What Are Your Intentions?
1. This used to be the question a father might ask some young man coming to see his daughter.
2. Businesses intend on making money. Our economy is rigged to make people look like they serve you.
3. Everything that we do begins with intentions. Your intentions are the seeds of your actions.
4. Intentions lead to resolutions which led to results.
II. The Resolution (11:45-53)
A. Human Intentions
1. When people’s intentions are to not believe in Jesus, no miracles will get through to them.
2. Most people don’t care about truth; they care about what will help them get what they want.
3. They reason, if many people believe in Jesus, the Romans will take away “our place and our nation”.
4. Caiaphas is practical. He’s a nuts-and-bolts kind of guy. To him it’s obvious what must be done.
5. If Jesus is going to cause us to lose our position, our perks, our livelihood, then, Jesus has to go.
6. The resolution that Jesus mus

John 11:45-12:11, What Are Your Intentions?

Luke 12:32-48 
What Are You Waiting On? 
 
I. What Are You Waiting On? 
A. Are You Waiting on Something Big Before You Start Living? 
1. Sometimes we’re so focused on what’s next that we don’t see life is happening. 
2. Some people are waiting for something before they’ll become a Christian or be serious about God. 
3. They think first they need to get married or get the house paid off and get enough savings. 
B. Do We Have to Wait for the Kingdom of God? 
1. Some Christians say the Kingdom of God is coming in the future; they have it all charted out. 
2. Jesus already proved that the God’s reign is now here, in part. At the end it will be fully here. 
3. Seek God’s Kingdom instead of all the things other people spend their lives seeking. 
4. God the Father’s will, His “good pleasure”, is to give you the Kingdom He tells you to seek. 
5. Not only will you be perfectly ruled by Christ but you’ll also be ruling with Him. 
II. Store (12:32-34) 
1. “Store up a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” 
2. Care more about meeting the needs of needy people than you do about your need for stuff. 
3. You have to do it, not just have an attitude or a doctrine as we horde luxuries or splurge on ourselves. 
4. Do really believe that grand promise, that the Father wants to give us His Kingdom? If so, it will show. 
5. The Lord Jesus tore into the religious hypocrites for being full of greed. They were told to give alms. 
6. You know your heart is for God if that’s where you’re storing your treasure, by where your money goes. 
III. Stay (12:35-40) 
A. Stay Ready for the Master to Return at Any Time 
1. “Stay dressed for action”. Have your work clothes on. “Keep your lamps burning”. 
2. Stay ready so if He comes back now, you’re not in bed and he has to wait for you to get up. 
3. Two errors that are commonly taught today that tempt us relax, that make us slack: 
a. “that was then”; it doesn’t apply to us now. We don’t need to wait on anything else. 
b. He’ll be coming with plenty of warning. They’ll be signs. Maybe, He’ll text us first. 
4. The servants who stayed ready will be told to “recline at table” and be served by Christ Himself. 
5. The great role reversal! If we’re ready, we’ll be blessed to have Him serve us. 
B. Stay Ready for an Unexpected Coming: like a burglar doesn’t make an appointment so too Jesus will come with no notice. He’s coming when you don’t expect. 
IV. Steward (12:41-48) 
A. All Must Stay Ready, Especially the Stewards (answer to Peter’s question) (12:41-46) 
1. A manager or steward was a servant who was over the other servants. He’s to care for the others. 
2. If he abuses his authority; or uses the church to get rich, to indulge himself, he’ll be judged. 
3. Know that what you have is entrusted to you by the true Owner who expects you to manage it well. 
B. To Whom Much Is Given, Much is Required (12:47-48) 
1. “That servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready” will be disciplined. 
2. You must do what you know you should do. With knowledge comes responsibility. 
3. Not knowing what you are supposed to do is not an excuse. You should care enough to learn. 
4. “to whom much was given, of him much will be required . . .” Knowledge brings responsibility. 
5. Increased knowledge increases your responsibility to practice what you know. 
6. There’s no room for fake discipleship, for saying the right words but not doing it. You must act. 
V. Conclusion: What are you waiting on? God’s Kingdom is now here but not completely. You can’t have a perfect life, yet. But as you wait, you can have perfect hope because the Father’s good pleasure is to give you the Kingdom. So, now, as you wait, you store up treasure in heaven; you stay ready, being prepared for Him anytime; and you steward what you have, by doing what you know. If you’ll do that, amazingly, you’ll find Christ Himself waiting on you.

Luke 12:32-48
What Are You Waiting On?

I. What Are You Waiting On?
A. Are You Waiting on Something Big Before You Start Living?
1. Sometimes we’re so focused on what’s next that we don’t see life is happening.
2. Some people are waiting for something before they’ll become a Christian or be serious about God.
3. They think first they need to get married or get the house paid off and get enough savings.
B. Do We Have to Wait for the Kingdom of God?
1. Some Christians say the Kingdom of God is coming in the future; they have it all charted out.
2. Jesus already proved that the God’s reign is now here, in part. At the end it will be fully here.
3. Seek God’s Kingdom instead of all the things other people spend their lives seeking.
4. God the Father’s will, His “good pleasure”, is to give you the Kingdom He tells you to seek.
5. Not only will you be perfectly ruled by Christ but you’ll also be ruling with Him.
II. Store (12:32-34)
1. “Store up a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, 

Luke 12:32-48, What Are You Waiting On?

Luke 11:29-12:3 
Is Image Everything? 
 
I. Is Image Everything? 
1. A lot of people will pay more for the sizzle even if they get less steak. 
2. Beautiful people make 5% more than their homely counterparts. 
3. Guys care a lot about looking good and like they don’t care how they appear. 
4. Our image dazzled culture is more about appearing than being. We see the importance of being. 
II. Be Aware (11:29-30) 
1. Be aware of the sign that God has given you: the resurrection of Jesus. 
2. Seeking a sign is “evil” because it shows a lack of awareness of who Jesus is. 
3. Jesus is not just another teacher like Confucius or someone who can be put off for a while. 
4. Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh by reappearing after 3 days. So will Jesus. 
III. Be Amazed (11:31-32) 
1. The Queen of Sheba, was amazed at Solomon (2 Chronicles 9). 
2. She will condemn those who were less amazed at Jesus than she was at Solomon. 
3. The people of Nineveh were amazed at a prophet who came out of a fish and so repented. 
4. People who say they believe in Jesus but continue unrepentant show they aren’t amazed at Jesus. 
5. Who talks like this? Who calls Himself “greater than Solomon”? 
6. C. S. Lewis: Jesus is either (1) an egotistical liar, or (2) a lunatic (deluded) or (3) the Lord. 
IV. Be Light (11:33-36) 
1. If we’re to share light with others, first we need light in ourselves. We need to be lighted. 
2. First, recognize where the light comes from. The light comes from outside, from the Lord. 
3. Just like our physical eye sees light so the eyes of our heart can see the light. 
4. If our spiritual eye is imperceptible to the light of the world, then we’re in the dark. 
5. “Be careful” (11:35): Be careful whether you have light within you. Care about that most. 
V. Be Clean (11:37-44): A Pharisee was astonished that Jesus didn’t follow the cleansing ritual 
A. Be Cleansed of the Love of Money 
1. Why clean the outside of a cup but not the inside? Inside they were full of greed. 
2. They were scrupulous tithers. Jesus says “these things you ought to have done” (11:42). 
3. Their focus on these small matters made them overlook the justice and the love of God. 
4. Be clean of greed by giving from a pure heart; then “everything is clean for you.” 
B. Be Cleansed of the Love of Prestige 
1. A lot of people get into religion for the prestige. They want to look good. 
2. They loved the best seats in the synagogue; up front, facing the congregation. 
3. Don’t be like an unmarked grave, that looks like nothing, but is full of dead bones, defiling. 
VI. Be Aghast (11:45-54): Woe to the scribes 
1. Woe to you for loading people with burdens but doing nothing to help people follow it. 
2. Be appalled at the coming judgment because you wanted to appear like someone you aren’t. 
3. Woe to those who take away the key of knowledge of God’s Word; hindering others 
4. Jesus had torn off the mask of their hypocritical religion and they hated that.. 
VII. Beware (12:1-3): “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” 
1. A little leaven infiltrates a large lump of dough. Hypocrisy is like an infection. It’s contagious. 
2. You’ve been exposed to the contagion of hypocrisy. Beware that you didn’t catch the disease. 
3. The hypocrite is a functional atheist. He is thinking and living as if there is no God. 
4. The hypocrite believes nothing will be revealed; his reality will stay hidden. 
5. Woe to you if you’ve been infected with a disease that makes you that delusional. 
VIII. Invitation: Be aware of who Jesus is. He is the judge who sees. Beware that the time is coming when who really are will be proclaimed from the housetops. Don’t think appearing like a believer, like a lover of God, a giver, a champion of justice, a humble follower of Jesus is enough. Be one.

Luke 11:29-12:3
Is Image Everything?

I. Is Image Everything?
1. A lot of people will pay more for the sizzle even if they get less steak.
2. Beautiful people make 5% more than their homely counterparts.
3. Guys care a lot about looking good and like they don’t care how they appear.
4. Our image dazzled culture is more about appearing than being. We see the importance of being.
II. Be Aware (11:29-30)
1. Be aware of the sign that God has given you: the resurrection of Jesus.
2. Seeking a sign is “evil” because it shows a lack of awareness of who Jesus is.
3. Jesus is not just another teacher like Confucius or someone who can be put off for a while.
4. Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh by reappearing after 3 days. So will Jesus.
III. Be Amazed (11:31-32)
1. The Queen of Sheba, was amazed at Solomon (2 Chronicles 9).
2. She will condemn those who were less amazed at Jesus than she was at Solomon.
3. The people of Nineveh were amazed at a prophet who came out of a fish and so r

Luke 11:29-12:3, Is Image Everything?

I. Judgment Is Unthinkable To Many People: some can’t accept the idea of irrevocable, final judgment 
1. Some object to the death penalty because it is too final and doesn’t rehabilitate the criminal 
2. Rob Bell (of Michigan) teaches that “Love wins”, eventually love will win everyone over 
II. Judgment Is For God’s Children: “Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”. 
1. Sin maybe exciting and attractive at first but it gets boring. Sin isn’t creative and new. 
2. 1 Peter 4:17 says “judgment begins at the house of God”. Hebrews 12:7ff about discipline. 
3. Sisera cruelly oppress Israel for twenty years (4:3) because they choose new gods (5:8). 
III. Judgment Is Risky (4:4-10): Israel is vastly out-matched 
1. Deborah summons Barak (4:6) and tells him to lead an army against Sisera. 
2. Sisera has 900 iron chariots, like tanks today. Israel hardly had spears and shields (5:8). 
3. Several tribes talked it about and it thought of it was too risky. Some were too busy. 
4. Barak mustered 10,000 from Zebulun and Naphtali. They “risked their lives to the death” (5:18). 
5. To be a Christian who lives his faith outside of church is risky. 
IV. Judgment Is Providential (4:11): at first looks like it is an irrelevant detail 
1. Heber the Kenite moved near an oak tree near Kedesh because God arranged it. It’s providential. 
2. Everything was arranged so that the right person was in the right place. 
3. The problem with astrology is that it gives credit to the creation that belongs to the Creator. 
4. There was a storm so that river Kishon, flooded (5:21). Those iron chariots were bogged down. 
5. God’s providence arranges things, in ways we are unaware of, like a trap before it springs. 
V. Judgment Is Unavoidable: many people today think judgment is unnecessary 
1. Judgment, some think, is a barbaric idea for people who don’t understand the right techniques. 
2. Sisera believes his vastly superior army, his better equipment would keep any judgment away. 
VI. Judgment Is The Lord’s: “the judgments of the Lord are true and right altogether” (Psalm 19:9) 
1. Keep two things in mind: (1) God is in control of all things and (2) God is always right. 
2. The Lord “routed” Sisera. Barak was just His instrument. (4:14-15.) 
VII. Judgment Is Unexpected: Jael, wife of Heber, invites Sisera to come into her tent. 
1. Jael covers him with a “rug” (blanket) and gives him milk. He is lulled into relaxation. 
2. The last thing that went through his head was something he never expected. 
VIII. Judgment Is Brutal: Jael knew what she was doing all along 
1. Jael takes a tent peg and a mallet and drives it so hard it goes through his skull into the ground. 
2. It was a horrific scene, with blood and brains and bits of bone lying around. Disgusting. Gory. 
3. Hell is so brutal it’s known for its wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
4. Either God is out of control or else there is something so wrong with us that we deserve the brutality of death and God is right to give it. 
IX. Judgment Is Humiliating: the great general who has cruelly terrorized them for 20 years, has a smashed skull and his mother is mocked for looking out her window, vainly expecting him to return. 
X. Judgment Is Without Mercy: 5:28-30 contradicts what many of us have been taught is Christian 
1. Sisera’s mother knows that they’ve been raping and pillaging and she couldn’t care. 
2. “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.” (James 2:13) 
XI. Judgment Is Thorough: this was the beginning of the end of the power of Jabin and the Canaanites (4:23-24). Judgment doesn’t just curtail evil. Judgment will thoroughly destroy it. 
XII. Judgment Is Celebrated: Chapter 5 is for celebrating their victory. When finally the world is judged, the response is, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just.” (Revelation 19:1f). 
XIII. Invitation: The sins that make judgment necessary are borne by the Son for His people. Isaiah 53 says, Jesus made “many to be accounted righteous.” the Servant, Jesus, was taken away by judgment. He bore our iniquities. Judgment was without mercy on Him, on the cross, so that He could have mercy on us. In the end, love does win: love for God’s people, whom He saved; love for God’s glory in all things. Love wins because God is love.

I. Judgment Is Unthinkable To Many People: some can’t accept the idea of irrevocable, final judgment
1. Some object to the death penalty because it is too final and doesn’t rehabilitate the criminal
2. Rob Bell (of Michigan) teaches that “Love wins”, eventually love will win everyone over 
II. Judgment Is For God’s Children: “Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”.
1. Sin maybe exciting and attractive at first but it gets boring. Sin isn’t creative and new.
2. 1 Peter 4:17 says “judgment begins at the house of God”. Hebrews 12:7ff about discipline.
3. Sisera cruelly oppress Israel for twenty years (4:3) because they choose new gods (5:8).
III. Judgment Is Risky (4:4-10): Israel is vastly out-matched
1. Deborah summons Barak (4:6) and tells him to lead an army against Sisera.
2. Sisera has 900 iron chariots, like tanks today. Israel hardly had spears and shields (5:8).
3. Several tribes talked it about and it thought of it was too risky. Some were too busy.
4. Barak mu

Judges 4:1-5:31, "Judgment Is . . .  "

Exodus 9:13-11:10 
What’s It Take to Get Through? 
 
I. what’s it going to take to get through to him or her? 
A. People Living With Obvious Problems: bad relationships, over spending, Buddhism, ignorant opinions, etc. 
1. About homosexuality: What’s it going to take to break-through to people when they deny the obvious? 
B. Why pummel Egypt like this? (9:13-17) 
1. Are some people too hard, unreachable, impossible to break through to? Like Judas, “the son of perdition”. 
2. Why did God create them only to punish them? To know and to show: 
3. “So that you may know that there is none like Me.” (9:14): the Lord is like nothing we’ve ever known 
4. “But for this purpose I have raised you up” (or ‘let you live’): (1) to “see my power” and (2), “so that My name may be declared in all the earth”; for them knowing (His power) and people showing (His name). 
5. People exalt their opinions thinking they are the center of the universe and God exists to cater to them. 
II. The Final Round 
A. Hail (9:18-35): the only blow in which they are told how to protect themselves 
1. The warning: tomorrow “very heavy” hail will come. If they “fear the ... Lord” they can protect themselves. 
a. You’ve been warned. The Lord says it’s better to cut off your hand than to fall into sin — if it’s the problem. 
b. If you believe that you cannot serve both God and money, you’re willing to sacrifice business. 
2. the will: that you will know that “the earth is the Lord’s” (9:29) 
3. the withdrawal: Pharaoh confesses, in verse 27, “I have sinned . . .” 
a. Moses will pray but, “I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” (9:30) 
b. Pharaoh wanted to avert the consequences, like a lot of people, suffering some problem, like prison. 
4. the willfulness: he sinned yet again and hardened his heart. He is responsible. 
a. Same incident: 10:1. The Lord says, “I have hardened his heart”. The Lord says He did it. 
b. How can God command something but then work to ensure the command won’t be obeyed? 
c. God’s will of command and His will of decree: the Lord is decreeing that His own commands be disobeyed. 
(1) that I may show: to show His power — and His mercy to those He saved, even when He didn’t have to. 
(2) that you may tell: especially children and our grandchildren, of how great the Lord is. 
(3) that you may know: His absolute power and our complete dependence. 
5. To those who say “It’s not fair,” what does it take to get through to us that God is God and we’re not? 
D. Locusts (10:1-20) 
1. the warning: whatever is left from the hail, locusts will take care of; they’ll cover the ground. 
2. the will: Pharaoh tries to negotiate with God, then is “angry with God”, is sinful and self-righteous. 
a. People try to negotiate with God: If He’ll heal, they’ll go back to church. If He’ll prosper, they’ll give 10%. 
b. As though we have some kind of leverage with God. We don’t have any leverage with God! 
3. the withdrawal: another shallow confession just to avoid the consequences 
4. the willfulness: the ultimate cause is that the Lord hardened his heart (10:20). 
C. Darkness (10:21-29): the Lord is discrediting the chief Egyptian God, Ra, the sun god 
1. the warning: No warning! The Lord will blot out the sun in Egypt, except for where the Israelites were. 
2. the will: Pharaoh tries to negotiate again, to dim torch light. Then, angry, he threatens to kill Moses. 
III. The Final Warning (11): Moses’ parting words to Pharaoh 
1. The Lord has told Moses already what is coming (11:1-3). So he warns Pharaoh of the final blow. 
2. At midnight, every first born of the land of Egypt shall die, even Pharaoh’s son. 
3. People today have the warning of hell, of eternal destruction but, still, they don’t listen. 
IV. Invitation: What does it take to get through to a man like Pharaoh or people like us? The Lord is discrediting our gods — gods of romance, or the dollar — while we angrily, self-righteously demand, threaten, refuse. The only thing that will get through to us is that the God who can harden would graciously choose to soften. It takes God’s grace.

Exodus 9:13-11:10
What’s It Take to Get Through?

I. what’s it going to take to get through to him or her? 
A. People Living With Obvious Problems: bad relationships, over spending, Buddhism, ignorant opinions, etc.
1. About homosexuality: What’s it going to take to break-through to people when they deny the obvious?
B. Why pummel Egypt like this? (9:13-17)
1. Are some people too hard, unreachable, impossible to break through to? Like Judas, “the son of perdition”.
2. Why did God create them only to punish them? To know and to show:
3. “So that you may know that there is none like Me.” (9:14): the Lord is like nothing we’ve ever known
4. “But for this purpose I have raised you up” (or ‘let you live’): (1) to “see my power” and (2), “so that My name may be declared in all the earth”; for them knowing (His power) and people showing (His name).
5. People exalt their opinions thinking they are the center of the universe and God exists to cater to them.
II. The Final Round
A. Hail (9:18-35)

Exodus 9:13-11:10, What’s It Take to Get Through?

Exodus 6:2-7:7 
What’s Going On? 
 
Expectations and Reality of What Is Going On 
1. Curiosity creates “rubber-neckers”, people who stare at the wreck on the other side of the road. 
2. Sometimes we think we know what’s going on at a weight room or pool but we’re wrong. 
3. We’re first curious, then confused and baffled when what we expect is going on is not really going on. 
Revelation and Redemption 
 A. El Shaddai and Yahweh (6:2-5) 
1. “I am the Lord” (Yahweh). That declaration will frame the beginning and end of the revelation. 
2. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as “God Almighty”, El Shaddai. 
 a. The Lord appeared to Abraham in a dream and told him “I am El Shaddai” (Genesis 17). 
 b. God the mountain-like one, like a mountain to us puny creatures, over-shadowing, immovable. 
3. Yahweh, the I Am, the eternally existing One, The Free One, asserts His is-ness, the one who is. 
4. Although perfectly, absolutely free, He has covenanted Himself. He’s made a commitment. 
5. Many people today think of freedom and commitment as two mutually exclusive things. 
6. The Lord “cut” a covenant. In Genesis 15, God tells Abraham to set up a covenant cutting. 
7. Now God will begin acting in a way that can be seen to fulfill the promises of His covenant. 
 B.The seven “I wills” of redemption (6:6-8) 
1. “I will bring you out . . .”. Salvation is first from something: out of bondage (6:6). 
2. “I will deliver you . . .”. A key word is “you”: the people the Lord has committed Himself to. 
3. “I will redeem you”. Literally, “I will be kinsman-redeemer”, the price-payer who takes care of us. 
 a. He’s a close relative of His people, like Boaz did for Ruth. Being bought back is “redemption”. 
 b. With “great acts of judgment”, not only judging and killing the Son but also raising Him up. 
4. “I will take you to be My people” (6:7). When the Lord saves people it changes who they are. 
5. “I will be your God.” Their relationship with God is changed. Their god isn’t their belly, money, etc. 
6. “I will bring you into the land that I swore” (6:8). Before He brought us out. Now He brings us in. 
7. “I will give it to you for a possession.” The key word is “give”. The Lord gave the land to them. 
Identification and Glorification: the identified and the glorified 
 A. Dejection and Rejection (6:9): They’re dejected and that leads them to reject God’s promises. 
 B. Charged and Recharged (6:10-13): the Lord renews His charge to bring the people out of slavery. 
1. The Lord charges the brothers again: lead the people out. It’s not about your skills. 
2. The genealogy traces their ancestry back to Levi, the priestly tribe, proving they could stand between the people and the Lord; they could represent people to God (6:14-27). 
3. God’s human saviors are being identified: Moses and Aaron, these two brothers, not anyone else. 
4. God’s equipping (6:28-7:2): Moses can’t speak well. So the Lord equips him with a speaker, Aaron. 
 C. What is God doing all this for? (7:3-6): To save people? What about Pharaoh? 
1. The second hardening of the heart pronouncement. The Lord is doing it. What’s going on with that? 
2. God is not doing what many people expect God to be doing: softening his heart, saving him. 
3. God is going to do miracles (7:4) that should impress and convince anyone. But He hardens Pharaoh. 
4. Why? “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand. . .” (7:5) 
5. “For this very purpose I have raised you up: that I might show My glory in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16, Romans 9:17). 
6. God is being glorified. It’s not all about our worth, our freedom, our glory. 
7. God is most glorified when He saves His people and shows His power and judgment to others. 
Invitation: God is so great that His purpose isn’t just to help people. It’s to glorify Himself. He’s so loving that in glorifying Himself He does save His people. God is saving, some, and always glorifying Himself. Now, what’s going on with us should be that we too are always glorifying Him.

Exodus 6:2-7:7
What’s Going On?
 
Expectations and Reality of What Is Going On
1. Curiosity creates “rubber-neckers”, people who stare at the wreck on the other side of the road.
2. Sometimes we think we know what’s going on at a weight room or pool but we’re wrong.
3. We’re first curious, then confused and baffled when what we expect is going on is not really going on.
Revelation and Redemption
       A. El Shaddai and Yahweh (6:2-5)
1. “I am the Lord” (Yahweh). That declaration will frame the beginning and end of the revelation.
2. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as “God Almighty”, El Shaddai.
    a. The Lord appeared to Abraham in a dream and told him “I am El Shaddai” (Genesis 17).
    b. God the mountain-like one, like a mountain to us puny creatures, over-shadowing, immovable.
3. Yahweh, the I Am, the eternally existing One, The Free One, asserts His is-ness, the one who is.
4. Although perfectly, absolutely free, He has covenanted Himself. He’s made a commitment.
5. Many

Exodus 6:2-7:7, What’s Going On?

Exodus 4:21-6:1 
Why Now? 
 
I. Why is this happening to me now? 
A. I’ve tried to do the right thing: did my job; gone to church, given, pulled my weight, prayed, etc. 
1. Now I’m unemployed; divorced; children are prodigals; business is bankrupt; I’m lonely and tired. 
B. The Watered-Down, Less Magical Prosperity Gospel: principles for success, practical insights, perks 
1. What do they do when things don’t work out? They double-down. Others suspect them. 
2. That’s what happens when you think God works automatically like a vending machine. 
II. The control (4:21-23): God says, “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart” (4:21) 
A. The Lord is in control: Some argue that we’re in control; God goes along with whatever we decide. 
1. The inclination: sinners are always inclined to evil, slaves of sin, unable, dead in sin, hostile to God. 
a. God doesn’t have to intervene in sinners to make them sin. Sinners will sin by nature. 
b. When the God’s Word comes to a sinner’s heart with no grace, it will harden his heart. 
2. The causation: Who’s will is ultimate? God’s or ours? Who makes the initial choice? a. It is telling that first God says He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. God is the ultimate cause. 
3. The Biblical indication: Scripture interprets scripture. “So then He has mercy on whomever He wills and He hardens whomever He wills.” (Romans 9:18) 
B. The Implication of Trouble: If Pharaoh is going to resist that means they will have tribulation. 
1. We celebrate God’s control but miss that we still have enemies, that death still has a sting. 
2. God assures Moses of His absolute control but then says He is going to make things more difficult. 
III. the carelessness (4:24-26): Moses hasn’t lead his own family to obey the covenant yet. People today are often careless, thinking that they can be in relationship with God without blood. 
IV. the confession (4:27-31): now they confessed that the Lord had visited them; they bowed and worshipped 
V. the confrontation (5:1-5): ‘Let my people go.’ 
A. Moses and Aaron Were Provocative: they didn’t follow the instruction of 3:18 at first 
1. They were supposed to be courteous and under-state their request to help Pharaoh save face. 
2. Pharaoh scoffs back “Who is the Lord” (5:2)? ‘Then he determines, “I will not let Israel go.” 
B. a battle of wills: Is this how the Lord ordained that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened? 
VI. the condemnation (5:6-21): same quota of bricks but now they must gather the straw themselves 
A. why do our enemies afflict us?: the world, the flesh and the devil afflict us 
1. Our enemies afflict us (with temptations and mockery) to get us to pay no attention to God’s Word. 
2. We’re tempted to believe that we can live on bread alone; that we just need money not God. 
B. More Work in the Same Time: 
1. They scramble to do it. When they fall behind, the Israelite foremen are beaten and taunted. 
2. They cry out to Pharaoh (like they did to God) and point fingers and complain to Moses. 
3. Why did Israel collapse so soon? As in the parable of the seeds, when trouble and persecution came because of the Word, they quickly fell away. 
VII. The conclusion (5:22-6:1): Moses turns to the Lord: “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people?” 
1. Moses is dismayed (5:22-23). Why are we experiencing evil if it’s under God’s power? 
2. We pray for God to fix the situation, not realizing He put us in the situation to fix us. 
3. “Now”, Moses, after you’ve tasted the bitter, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.” 
VIII. Invitation: why are you suffering? If the Lord’s hand is stronger, why do you still have these problems? God’s strong hand is controlling the tribulations. If we think believing is all about the benefits, we missed that the great benefit — salvation, eternal life, sanctification, becoming more like Christ — is worth more than all the perks. If we’ve missed that, we’ve missed a lot. We’ve missed why in this world we have tribulation. And so, when we turn to God, cry out to Him in our pain, we might miss, tragically miss, the relief. Jesus says, “Take heart, I’ve overcome the world.”

Exodus 4:21-6:1
Why Now?

I. Why is this happening to me now?
A. I’ve tried to do the right thing: did my job; gone to church, given, pulled my weight, prayed, etc.
1. Now I’m unemployed; divorced; children are prodigals; business is bankrupt; I’m lonely and tired.
B. The Watered-Down, Less Magical Prosperity Gospel: principles for success, practical insights, perks
1. What do they do when things don’t work out? They double-down. Others suspect them.
2. That’s what happens when you think God works automatically like a vending machine.
II. The control (4:21-23): God says, “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart” (4:21)
A. The Lord is in control: Some argue that we’re in control; God goes along with whatever we decide.
1. The inclination: sinners are always inclined to evil, slaves of sin, unable, dead in sin, hostile to God.
a. God doesn’t have to intervene in sinners to make them sin. Sinners will sin by nature.
b. When the God’s Word comes to a sinner’s heart with no grace, it will harden hi

Exodus 4:21-6:2, "Why Now?"

An exposition of Joshua 5:13-6:27, "Total War", by John B. Carpenter, at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (Providence, NC), June 23, 2013. 
www.covenantcaswell.org

An exposition of Joshua 5:13-6:27, "Total War", by John B. Carpenter, at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (Providence, NC), June 23, 2013.
www.covenantcaswell.org

"Total War", Joshua 5:13-6:27 with Justin song

History is His Story, Dr. John Carpenter gives exposition of Matthew 24:1-35, on the end of history, at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, Providence, North Carolina, December 16, 2012, www.covenantcaswell.org.

History is His Story, Matthew 24:1-35, On the last days

Exposition of Matthew 22:1-14, "The Parable of the Wedding Feast", by Dr. John Carpenter, Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (Providence, NC), November 11, 2012, www.covenantcaswell.org. About how God calls many people, including the disinterested, the hostile and the self-righteous but only chooses some; shows how Jesus teaches the sovereignty of God in salvation. "For many are called but few are chosen."

You Don't Know What You're Missing, Matthew 22:1-14, Parable of the Wedding Feast

Expository Preaching of Matthew 21:18-21, "Moving Mountains", at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, Providence, North Carolina, October 14, 2012, Dr. John B. Carpenter, prosperity gospel, word of faith movement, cursing of the fig tree,

"Moving Mountains", Matthew 21:18-21

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, September 30, 2012, Dr. John Carpenter. Exposition of Matthew 20:20-34, the Request of James and John to sit next to Jesus in the prominent positions, "The Son of Man came not to serve but to serve and give His life a ransom for many", Trinitarianism, striving to be somebody; and the healing of the two blind men, faith healing. 
www.coveneantcaswell.org

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, September 30, 2012, Dr. John Carpenter. Exposition of Matthew 20:20-34, the Request of James and John to sit next to Jesus in the prominent positions, "The Son of Man came not to serve but to serve and give His life a ransom for many", Trinitarianism, striving to be somebody; and the healing of the two blind men, faith healing.
www.coveneantcaswell.org

Covenant Caswell Videos