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“Tribes are a normal part of life. They can be as simple as a high school hockey team or a label like ‘Presbyterian.’ Our family is a mini-tribe. Tribalism turns a tribe into a center of worship. Tribes tend towards tribalism, largely because that’s what the heart does. In tribalism, the tribe then becomes not just an affinity grouping but a source of life. In short, the tribe becomes an idol. It’s easy to see tribalism in others, but it’s hard to see our own.”
— Paul Miller
[Unfortunately, sermon audio is not available for this week. Please check back for the first sermon in our Advent series.]
“How we react is often a better thermometer of our heart than how we act.”
—Sinclair Ferguson
“It is in the dark struggles with God that we are surprised by His response to our anger and fear. What we receive from Him during our difficult battle is not what we expect. We assume He wants order, conformity–obedient children. Instead, we find that He wants our passionate involvement and utter awe in the mystery of His glorious character.”
—Dan Allender and Tremper Longman, Cry of the Soul
“Biblical repentance… is not merely a sense of regret that leaves us where it found us. It is a radical reversal that takes us back along the road of our sinful wanderings, creating in us a completely different mind-set. We come to our senses spiritually.”
—Sinclair Ferguson
“Thy Mercy is more than a match for my heart
Which wonders to feel it’s own hardness depart.
Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.”
—John Stocker, Thy Mercy My God
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will cures, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
—Genesis 12:1-3
“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy I cannot find in my own,
And He keeps His fire burning, to melt this heart of stone;
Keeps me aching with a yearning, keeps me glad to have been caught,
In the reckless raging fury that they call the love of God.”
—Rich Mullins
“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps on the sea, and rides upon the storm. Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break, with blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter, and He will make it plain.”
—William Cowper, God Moves in a Mysterious Way
“When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down, sinking down
When I was sinking down, beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown, for my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown, for my soul!”
—What Wondrous Love is This