Off Color
Dealing With Unwelcome Emotions
Got To Have It - Part 2
May 1, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Exodus 20:17
Contentment is an abiding soul sufficiency rooted in a growing relationship with Christ. It has been said, “that another good word for contentment is containment.” An acrostic for Content would unfold like this: Cherish Christ, Offer thanks , Nurture love, Tithe, Embrace providence, Nix ungodly desires and Take the long view.
Got To Have It - Part 1
April 24, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Exodus 20:17
Covetousness is a gateway sin. It leads you to other sins in its fulfillment. At its base, covetousness is the longing for something that is not rightfully yours. We are encouraged to pursue contentment, which is the opposite of coveting. In this sermon we will see: the character of envy, the consequences of envy, and the cure for envy. Envy is inordinate, idolatrous and insidious. It dishonors God and depreciates life. When we covet, we fail to love God. The cure for the pleasure of sin is not prohibition, but a greater pleasure in Christ.
It's Time To Decide - Part 2
April 10, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Psalm 25
The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our choices. And that's what makes decision making the pressing present priority that it is. Do you want to live your life like Jesus lived His? How many times do the gospel writers and the commentators in Jesus' life say this? That He did that according to the Scriptures. That whatever He did was done in fulfillment of the scriptures. Jesus' life was choreographed by God's word. The Bible is there to take the guesswork out of life. God's will in many ways is an open secret. Conduct is determined by the truth of God's Word. And so He wants to walk in God's ways. He wants to travel the path of obedience. Where the word of God is not definite or where the word of God is dealing with a matter of choice or freedom, we need to deploy and employ sound judgment.
It's Time To Decide - Part 1
April 3, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Psalm 25
Life is not a choice for any one of us, but once we are alive, life is full of choices. Our journey through life will invariably bring us to certain crossroads where we need to decide this way or that way, this thing or that thing. And the other thing to remember in that, is by the way, if you don't make a decision about that thing, you've made a decision about that thing. You can't run from decisions. No decision is a decision. And the other thing to remember, is that God's not going to just hold us accountable for the things we did, but for the things we didn't do, there's the sin of commission and there's the sin of omission. What's the sin of commission? That's doing what we're forbidden. What's the sin of omission? Not doing what we're http://commanded.there's just no skipping decisions and choices. So all of that said, it's a secret thing to be able to make a choice. It's a scary thing to have to make a choice, but it's all solvable. It's a solvable thing, because God has sent down in His word, patterns and principles by which you and I can govern our choices.
What A Relief
March 20, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Psalm 32
The reason you and I feel guilty is because we are guilty. We are made in the image of a righteous and a Holy God who has written His character and law on our hearts. And we know right from wrong. And God has made it so that when we do wrong, we don't feel right. The answer for that is the blood of Jesus and the Gospel of our Savior. God conceals and covers our sins in Christ’s death and resurrection. This series addresses David’s celebration, crisis, confession & his counsel.
Losing Your Temper Part 2
March 13, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • James 4:1–12
Anger increases health risks, happiness shrinks, holiness abates, harmony decreases. The issue of anger isn’t external, but rather internal. Anger is a spiritual problem. It brings about shattered relationships. It starts wars. It disturbs our conscience. It clips the wings of our prayer. It produces folly in a man. It grieves the Holy Spirit. It damages our health and our holiness. We don't want to be stuffers, shouters, smolderers, or swervers. We need to be supplicants. The fight with anger is not one which you are on unaided in. God is our strong ally in the battle with anger. Surrender to God. It's not the fight in you. It's the surrender you've made to God's purposes and glory and will, will be the determining factor. Resign from playing the role of God.
Losing Your Temper Part 1
March 6, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • James 4:1–12
Anger is a word that is one letter short of the word danger. Anger is dangerous, when it is fleshly, selfish, uncontrolled, it's bad for your physical health. It's detrimental to your emotional well being. It's not good for our social cohesion. And it certainly undermines your spiritual vitality. Anger must be directed to a clear, moral, wrong as defined by the character and will of God. James addresses the reality that there are consequences, causes and cures of and for anger. We need to restrain, recognize, repent and resist anger.
Escape The Darkness
February 13, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Psalm 88
Psalm 88 deals with depression, discouragement and despondency. In this Psalm we will see the man, the misery and the message. There will be a time in life when your get up and go will have got up and gone. When you feel miserable, you need to struggle to shout hallelujah. Keep talking. Keep trusting. Keep teaching. In the silence and in the suffering, we must believe that God is still working. God may be silent, but He's never still.
Don't Be Scared - Part 3
February 6, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Philippians 4:4–9
We have been given a prescription for anxiety. The Christian must rejoice, recognize, recount & respond. It is possible to get the upper hand on worry. We're not to panic, we're to pray. We're not to worry, we're to worship. Instead of wringing our hands in frustration, we are to bend our knees in faith. Here's a wonderful invitation, whatever it is that burdens you, burden the Lord with it. Because for Him it is no burden. He's demonstrated His love towards us. And while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He's given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have a book full of promises. Trouble, threats and tears are temporary. Release and relief are coming.
Don't Be Scared Part 2
January 23, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Philippians 4:4–9
We have been given a prescription for anxiety. The Christian must rejoice, recognize, recount & respond. It is possible to get the upper hand on worry. We're not to panic, we're to pray. We're not to worry, we're to worship. Instead of wringing our hands in frustration, we are to bend our knees in faith. Here's a wonderful invitation, whatever it is that burdens you, burden the Lord with it. Because for Him it is no burden. He's demonstrated His love towards us. And while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He's given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have a book full of promises. Trouble, threats and tears are temporary. Release and relief are coming.
Don't Be Scared - Part 1
January 16, 2022 • Philip De Courcy • Philippians 4:4–9
In and of themselves, emotions are not sinful. Now, they can be twisted and tainted by our sin nature, and can become sinful, but just as a baseline, emotions are beneficial and beautiful. They are God given. We don’t need to flee from emotions or be frightened by them. They are part of our humanity. With that being said, while certain expressions of emotion can be healthy, holy, and helpful, given the fact that you and I are fallen, given the fact that we believe in total depravity which simply means that every part of our body and faculty has been messed up with sin, then the danger is expressing emotions selfishly and sinfully. If we are not careful, emotions tainted and twisted by sin can become unwelcome. In this series we we will look at a biblical theology on how to handle unwelcome emotions and the good news is, through the hope of the Gospel, through the sufficient instruction of God's Word, through the empowering presences of the Holy Spirit, through means of grace and active participation on your part and my part, putting off and putting on, we can show these ugly, unwelcome emotions the back door. Let’s address from God’s Word that our emotions like fear and anxiety can be due to physical factors, circumstantial factors, and spiritual factors. We don’t need to be a victim to your circumstances or a prisoner of our emotions. Through Christ, we get to live in the birthright, privileges, and pleasures of the Gospel.