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Search Quiet Times via a keyword or stringSearching for "cross" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "50" to "75". (106 found)
| 2010-02-21 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 1) Bible is clear - Jesus came to break down divisions - Ephesians 2:14 Worldly divisions
Can ONLY be done at the foot of the cross Only way a holy and righteous God can be reunited with his unrighteous enemy (us) - Romans 5:6-11 Reconcile = to become friends again Not to politely tolerate one another or a ceasefire The goal of Jesus is to be one - John 17:20-21 Only way Jews and non-Jews could form the church of God What Paul had is mind when writing - Ephesians 3:20 "...him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think" |
| 2010-02-25 - One Another - Forgiving One Another (part 1) Matters related to forgiveness: Forgiveness often is not easy Pain creates lasting memories The more deliberate the sin or the more we have invested in a relationship, the greater the pain Greater the pain = harder it is to forgive Forgiveness may be hardest in the church When we see sin in our brothers and sisters, there seems to be a much greater temptation of bitterness Satan's top-ranked scheme may be to lead us not to forgive Paul: I have forgiven in order that Satan might not outwit us - 2 Corinthians 2:9-11 If he can get us to forget the cross and create a different standard for our brothers and sister = victory for satan Sin can blemish the church but there is no uglier blemish than one cause by the lack of forgiveness |
| 2010-03-01 - One Another - One Another In Groups (part 3) Work out differences; maintain unity - Ephesians 4:1-7 Do not be surprised when there are differences See differences as:
Need to make the most of every opportunity Avoid lingo and behavior that make the visitor truly feel like an outsider Stay at the foot of the cross What makes a Christian group different from others is the cross Where is your group in regard to the cross? Are we dying and living a baptized life? |
| 2010-03-13 - To Live is Christ - No One Else Like Him Those with with the greatest impact are not the ones you expect Romans centurion - Matthew 8:5-10 Canaanite woman - Matthew 15:21-28 Timothy struggled with illness and fear made quite an impression on Paul
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| 2010-03-17 - To Live is Christ - Considered Rubbish Not only did Paul give up his religious past and performance, he gladly counted everything else a loss too He would give up any claim of such things so he could gain justification by grace He considered them rubbish - Philippians 3:8-9 skubala = human waste or dung (KJV) He was saying the same thing as Isaiah - all righteousness acts are like filthy rags - Isaiah 64:6 The good we do is not rubbish but it is if those works are seen as the source and trusted in Our obedience, which is imperfect, does not make us right with God Christ's righteousness saves by faith The message of the cross calls us to sacrifice everything to Christ, who sacrificed everything for us Without his sacrifice, our sacrifice would be worthless to God and to man |
| 2010-03-20 - To Live is Christ - Enemies of the Cross The acceptance of Jesus leads to joy and not to be naive - Philippians 3:17-21 Be thankful but still have our eyes wide open The cross stands as a constant reminder of the battle between good and evil Jesus did not just hang out at the cross - HE DIED there because of his enemies And the war goes on To act as though we do could do enough to earn salvation - undermines Jesus' sacrifice To act as though grace is a license for sin - undermines the purpose of the cross - Romans 6:17 Enemies of the cross = people with minds on earthly things Philippians had a unique blessing of having Roman citizenship outside of Rome Our real home country is heaven and our loyalty is to the King of Kings |
| 2010-04-07 - Life to the Full - Two Wisdoms (part 1) Wisdom can be earthly or demonic Teachers will be judged more strictly - James 3:1 The danger with the wrong type of teacher is his misuse of his tongue:
We all stumble in many ways - James 3:2 James included himself |
| 2010-05-24 - Desire's Journey - Blessed are the Nice? The enemy wants us to have small passions and desires We are producing a generation whose greatest virtue is to not defend anyone The greatest enemy of holiness is not passion but apathy If deadness is next to godliness, then Jesus had to deadest person ever - it wasn't the case God is a consuming fire - Hebrews 10:31
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| 2010-07-04 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 1) To know and to be known. It is our deepest ache. Love makes us to crazy things for love. No union on earth like the consummation of love between a man and woman Becoming one - this is what God is seeking with us Bible is the greatest romance ever written |
| 2010-07-19 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 6) From the section about Jesus' trial in the dessert 2. Trail comes after we determine not to take matters into our own hands By refusing to turn stones into bread, Jesus choose to trust God Satan tries to attack our sense of God's heart toward us If our thoughts are: "Do I really have to wait that long? Do you care me, God?" - Satan will jump all over this Jesus came to answer once and for all our question: "Do you love me?" We can stand firm on the ground of the cross against the doubt We don't need for God to prove his love for us - he has at the cross |
| 2010-08-15 - Waking Dead - Reason and Emotion Those who live only from the minds are detacted from life Those who live from the heart find those who live from the mind, unavailable. The heart is the source of emotion but we have equated heart with emotion - like saying love is a feeling If Christ had followed his emotions, we would nave not gone to the cross for us - Mark 14:32-35 Emotion are the voice of the heart |
| 2010-08-22 - Waking Dead - New Heart Most people assume the Cross is the total work of Christ The Resurrection is the epilogue of the real story If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith - 1 Corinthians 15:14 WWJD? Not wearing a cross necklace Church did not even began using the cross in a minor role symbol until 400 years after Christ Must become a witness with us of his resurrection - Acts 1:22 Proclaim in Jesus the resurrection of the dead - Acts 4:2 Apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus - Acts 4:33 Paul preached the good news about Jesus and the resurrection - Acts 17:18 |
| 2010-09-20 - Waking Dead - Christ's Great Works Son's three great works on our behalf 1. Cross accomplished many thing Forgiveness and the power to overcomes the constant attacks from the enemy 2. Resurrection Having put off the old self, we are to put on the new - Ephesians 4:24 It is life we were promised and it is life we need 3. Ascension All authority was given to Christ By the grace of God, we share that with him It was Adam who gave it away and it was Christ who won it back Lord of the Rings, Two Towers - Theoden (a king) who is reluctant to go to war Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not - Aragorn The primary reason most people do not know the freedom and life Christ promised is that they won't fight for it |
| 2010-11-15 - Power of the Cross Preached by Maurice Hooks Answers to life's question is @ the cross Power struggles happen everyday
We are at level ground at the foot of the cross Wisdom 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Are you impowered by the cross? Colossians 1:15-20
In our relationships
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| 2010-11-17 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part II) Christ - Common questions Why couldn't God just forgive and forget, as we can? Like in car accident, God is willing to forgive but someone still has to pay for the damage What kind of justice is there in having Jesus suffer instead of me? God was not a reluctant bystander The difference is that God is will and he is taking his own punishment for you You Many people are left with the impression that if they go to church or they born into a church they are saved Not everyone that calls Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom - Matthew 7:21-23 We have got to be crystal clear that a personal response is essential Do vs Done The difference between religion and Christianity is Do vs Done Religion spells DO - as in we try to do something for God's salvation It is like a salesman that needs to meet a quota but does not know what it is But we can never do enough and will always fall short - Romans 3:23 Christianity spells DONE Means that what we could never do for ourselves, Christ has already done He lived a perfect life we could never live He willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty we owed |
| 2010-11-30 - Mission - Repentance Both Luke 24 and 2 - message of repentance and forgiveness is mentioned in the light of the death and resurrection of Jesus The message to Preach 1. Repentance God wants the cross to reveal how disgraceful and disgusting sin is To motivate us to radical and rapid change Is there an example of repentance in the Bible that is not radical and rapid? Repentance is the first and foremost call to change to change our mind (metanoia) Paul preached they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance with their deeds - Acts 26:20 You can only change your action for a period of time without ever really changing your mind Change your mind, you will change your action rapidly and radically Baptism happened rapidly and radically because his heart was ready to change - Acts 8 Would we have have baptized the Ethiopian the same day? What did Philip see? Unmistakable signs of godly sorrow As soon as someone has repented, he is ready for baptism |
| 2010-12-01 - Mission - Forgiveness The message to Preach 2. Forgiveness of sins Without this, there would be nothing else God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:8 We first need to clearly teach people why forgiveness is possible Happens only in the name of Jesus It is only because God loves us and not because of anything we have done or will do We must also make it clear that is when one is baptized in the name of Jesus that one is saved - Acts 2:38 As we preach, we must be careful, but not cautious Be sensitive but not sentimental We must preach the cross so powerfully that it cuts No one will ever repent until they are brought to Godly sorrow - 2 Corinthians 7 |
| 2010-12-02 - Mission - Taking Up the Cross Two questions to ask ourselves: Is the power of the cross producing real changes in my life? Are lost souls being radically converted as I preach? The message of the cross will seem foolish to those we are teaching if they do not see the daily demonstration of its power for us who are being saved Christians described in Romans 6
Our days are composed of countless choices and decisions Each step that Jesus took towards the cross he took willingly It takes 1000s of bricks to build a house, it takes 1000s of righteous choices to build a Christ-like character Our hearts - lost world needs to know how we feel towards our Father Our conversation - we should never get tired of telling our conversation story Our example - Our daily temptations and victories should be only shared |
| 2010-12-19 - Worlds Wisdom vs Gods Wisdom (part I) 1 Corinthians 1:18-20
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| 2010-12-20 - Worlds Wisdom vs Gods Wisdom (part II) Before we go on: What is the “world’s wisdom”?
Matthew 16:24-26
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| 2010-12-23 - Cross of Christ (part I) Romans 3:22-26, 5:6-8
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| 2010-12-24 - Cross of Christ (part II) Isaiah 53
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| 2010-12-31 - Baptism into Christ (part III) Sinner’s Prayer? 1 Peter 3:21
Acts 22:7-16
resurrection. |
| 2011-01-02 - Discipleship (part II) Luke 9:23-27
Luke 9:57-62 - Examine the issues involved with each person - thoughtless following, excuse making Luke 14:25-35
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| 2011-02-12 - Discipleship - Kansas City (part II) The Standard of a Disciple Luke 9:18-26
Luke 9:57-62
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| 2011-02-16 - Sin and Repentance - Kansas City (part III) Romans 6:23
John 3:1-7
Acts 2:22-24
Acts 2:36-41
Romans 6:1-4
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| 2011-02-17 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part I) Purpose: Understand how the Bible explains what Jesus went through before/during and after the cross Painful betrayal of a friend Matthew 26:14-30
Matthew 26:31-35
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| 2011-02-18 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part II) Physical and Emotional Pain Matthew 26:36-56
Matthew 26:57-75
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| 2011-02-19 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part III) Pain of Not Being Appreciated Matthew 27:1-31
Matthew 27:32-54
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| 2011-02-26 - Counting the Cost (part II) Matthew 7:21-23
Acts 2:22-24
Romans 10:9-10
Who would you like to be there? Let's meet 30 early so we can pray together |
| 2011-04-01 - Old Testament - The Cross 1st principle scriptures about the cross
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| 2011-06-14 - Mind of Christ - Intro (part VII) He is worth following:
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| 2011-06-19 - Mind of Christ - Discipleship (part IV) Christ’s word teaches us about discipleship. Mark 8:34-38
Luke 9:57-62
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| 2011-07-28 - Fearing God - Infinitely Greater Than Nature Isaiah 40:12 v40:12a - God measures the water in the hallow of his hand We can probably hold about a tablespoon and not for very long 2/3 of the earth is covered in water and in places 6 miles deep Yet God says He holds all that water in his hand v40:12b - God marked off heaven with his breadth of his hand Breadth = the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your little finger, spread apart Ours is somewhere eight inches We can not even calculate the distance across the universe Nearest star beside the sun is 26 trillion miles away v40:12c - Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket? Weighted the mountains and hills? Baskets measurement is around 1/4 of a gallon He holds the dust in such a container and weighs the mountains on a set of scales As we think about these truths we will more and more appreciate God's greatness |
| 2011-08-01 - Mind of Christ - Servant, Washing Feet (part II) The washing of the disciples feet was illustrative of Christ’s life and ministry
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| 2011-08-18 - Fearing God - Transcendent Majesty Isaiah 6 - Repeats Holy 3x - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" Hebrew language uses repetition to show emphasis From time to time Jesus frequently add emphasis using "truely, truely" - John 3:3 We never read:
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| 2011-08-21 - In Rememberence of Me Jesus called the disciples to the Passover fest before would head to the cross to reflect and remember their time together Luke 22:19-20 - Do this in remembrance of me Why? because we forget both little things and big things 1. Disciples forgot while they were at the table - v24 - Conversations they have had at the passover table:
2. Peter forgot the very same day the very same day and denied Jesus v54 - He forgot that Jesus said and he had the power to raise the dead I can relate:
Our forgetfulness is not a reflection of its importance but a reflection our weakness in remembering |
| 2011-08-30 - Fearing God - Turning Aside Wrath It is difficult for us to think about God's wrath; we prefer to think about his love We envision a wrathful person as out of control God's wrath is controlled, it is also described as anger, fury, and indignation Unrepentant people are storing up wrath - Romans 2:5 We were born by nature as objects of wrath - Ephesians 2:3 Through condemnation of Adam's sin and our own personal sin On the cross, Jesus suffered God's wrath in our place "Why have you forsaken me?" - Matthew 27:46 Really start to enjoy fearing God:
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| 2011-09-10 - Followup: Humility II (part I) Ephesians 4:1-6 - How does God want us to get along and be unified with others?
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| 2011-10-25 - Mind Change - Help These three help in our walk: faith, thanksgiving, determination Faith inspires you. Thanksgiving gives you perspective. Determination keeps you moving. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 - every act prompted by your faith Philippians 4:6 - in everything with thanksgiving Luke 9:51 - Jesus resolutely set out for the cross |
| 2011-12-13 - Day 10 - Praying Like Jesus Mark 1:32-39
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| 2012-01-18 - Ministry - The Heart of Humility Matt. 18:4, Luke 14:10, James 4:10, Phil. 2:5,7-8 Have you ever made a goal in your life to become a humble person? Have you ever prayed consistently over a period of time for God to give you a humble heart? Jesus shocked the crowds following him that day when he declared for all men to change and become like little children or they would not enter the kingdom of heaven! Then he lifts up the quality of humility in a child's heart and commands his disciples to have this heart! The world teaches us that humility is soft, weak, passive, no convictions. Jesus was certainly not this! He was a man of convictions, fearless with the opposition, and pressed on resolutely about his goals! However, he washed the disciples feet, touched the leper, served the crowds, and obeyed the Father in everything. One of the real tests comes in serving. Jesus made himself nothing, became a servant, and humbled himself on the cross for us! Do people know me to be a serving person? How do I feel when I am serving-awesome? Do I serve only when I want to serve and what I want to do if it serves my interests?Jesus came to serve and not to be served! He came to give his life as a ransom for many! Whoever wants to be great among you must be your slave! Matt. 20:26-28 Questions:
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| 2012-01-31 - Ministry - The Burden of Jesus Matthew 11:25 Jesus calls the weary and burdened to Himself and promises rest for them. The rest that He refers to is not to stop working and be idle. He is calling us to give Him the burdens of our souls. He calls us to take his yoke upon us. What is this yoke? The yoke of caring about others. The yoke of humility. It takes far less energy to be humble that it does to be prideful. It is much easier to be gentle than it is to be terse or gruff. Jesus beckons us to learn from Him. Really the yoke of Christ would finally lead him to the cross. That does not seem easy or light. In fact, our purpose to evangelize the world in this generation is neither easy nor light. The attitude that we are called to have is one of humility and gentleness. Questions/Followup:
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| 2012-02-11 - Ministry - Even While Suffering John 19:17-27 As we read the passage, particularly v25-27, it is compelling the even in the throes of pain, Jesus is taking care of his relationships. It would have been easy for him to neglect this as he was busying suffering and dying. It is easy for us as we are in transition spiritually or physically to forget to care of our relationships. This can really hurt people make them feel as though we do not care. Why did not Jesus take care of all of this earlier? Why did he get this done before everything got more harried? The scriptures are silent on this but maybe Jesus wanted to see which of his followers would remain near the cross right up until the end. Mary, formerly without her husband Joseph and now, witnessing the death of her eldest son, was sure to be hurting. Jesus saw in John the compassion and love that He knew his own mother really needed. I think he also knew that John would be for her the closest thing to her own son, Jesus. It is convicting about how much Jesus considered and thought about relationships, even while suffering on the cross. Questions/Followup
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| 2012-10-12 - Prayer of the Righeous - Arms Wide Open (part II) The lost son took his first steps home and was ready to apologize Father perhaps had been scanning the horizon day after day - Luke 15:20 Until one day his dream came true The celebration spared no expense - Luke 15:22-24 He welcomes sinners who do not deserve it - it is how he feels about us Jesus literally opened wide his arms for us on the cross He opens his arms for us all day long - Romans 10:21 Peter, at Pentecost, pleaded with the people to be saved on God's behalf - Acts 2:40 God's heart cares deeply for us His heart was filled with pain during the time of Noah - Genesis 6:6 His heart is in that same way now - Luke 17:26 |
| 2013-10-09 - Resolve to Lead Your Family When Moses died, God turned to Joshua and told him it was now his job to lead He promised him four spiritual resources to help him
Again and again Joshua heard: “Be strong and courageous!” Leadership is about courage - the courage to trust God, to do the right thing, to stand alone, and to maintain forward momentum |
| 2015-03-23 - Cost of Bitterness Asaph: I realized my heart was bitter and must have seem like a senseless animal to you - Psalm 73:21-22 Bitterness cause more damage to our relationships, health, and souls than almost anything else Even as he complained, Asaph had a moment of clarity - I was foolish and ignorant - Psalm 73:22 Asaph realized that his bitterness had cost him part of his humanity He rightly felt a sense of righteous indignation but had crossed a dangerous line of the wicked things to consume his - bitterness Bitterness consumes the one who indulges it |
| 2015-05-26 - Nothing to Fear Don't you care that we're going to drown? - Mark 4:38 A storm came up that deeply worried even the expereinced fishermen on board Jesus remined so calm he slept through the worst the Sea of Galilee could deliver The disciples didn't have a sense of Jesus' ultimate distiny of the cross Jesus knew his purpose for coming to earth and there was nothing that could keep him from fulfilling it. He calmed the storm by speaking to it and the disciples learned - When Jesus accompanies you, you have nothing to fear |
| 2015-08-03 - Interruptions Soldiers forced a passerby name Simon to carry Jesus' cross - Mark 15:21 It is important to be ready when God send you an interruption for the good of another person Jesus was exhausted:
Simon was a jewish pilgrim from north African city of Cyrene (now Libya) Hundreds of thousands traveled to Jerusalem annually to honor God in the Passover celebration The Roman centurion didn't have time to wait for Jesus to gather his strength Simon carried a part of Jesus' burden that morning that not even his disciples were around to caryy Are you ready and willing to bear the burden God asks you to carry? |
| 2015-09-03 - Hit the Ground Running In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you - Joshua 1:11 Joshua was a strong leader - he lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land He didn't hesitate for a moment in following orders: In our time, we require planning, risk assessment, and cost analysis It is unthinkable and even reckless for leaders to move on orders immediately Joshua knew that God was the Commander in Chief and was orchestrating all the nessary events - that is exactly what happened When you believe God and know that he will keep all his promises, you won't wait when God says, "Go now!" |
| 2015-11-18 - Rise to the Occasion He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus's body - Luke 23:52 Joseph rose to the occasion as a member of the Jewish council He was a "good and rigteous man" who kept his discipleship a secret our of fear of his fellow council members Somehow he had the courage to approach Pilate and get permission to remove Jesus' body from the cross so that he could be buried Joseph rolled a large stone against the tomb to protect Jesus' body from vandals and grave robbers The newly emboldened Joseph extended to Christ the honor due to him in death |
| 2015-11-23 - Forgiveness Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing - Luke 23:34 Jesus always did something first before before commanding his disciples to do something This included loving those who hated and persecuted him - Luke 6 Jesus went to the cross willingly and obediently without calling thousands of angels to destory the earth He even did the more unthinkable - he asked the Father to forgive his excutioners Who in your life seems eager to do you harm? Are you willing to forgive them as Jesus did?
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| 2015-11-27 - Peter's Changes Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized - Acts 2:38 Some people who knew Peter wondered if he was the same person they had seen fall flat on his face so many times:
It didn't look as if Peter had the right stuff to be the kind of ambassador Jesus called him to be Peter preached with power and courage without regard to what could be some painful consequences He knew that his preaching would get him into deep trouble but he did it anyway and thousands turned to Jesus in one day - Acts 2:41 Peter show what can happen to a man who knows Jesus Christ and lives by the Holy Spirit's empowerment |
| 2015-12-28 - Passionate Obedience My nourishment comes from doing the will of God - John 4:34 Willingness to obey is one thing, developing a passion for obedience is another level completely Jesus lived to obey his heavenly Father He left paradise to take a form of a man and remained passionately and single-mindedly devoted to accomplishing his Father's will Nothing could stand in the way of his accomplishing his goal - even dead of the cross The smallest deviation from what God had plan would have meant disaster for mankind Jesus' plan was never in jepardy because of the passion he had to obey everything his Father directed Do you feel eager to obey God? |
| 2019-10-10 - Love Through Forgiveness Jesus' love was boundless, foreign to his being He expected others to not have boundries on their love either When Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness and how many times to forgive, Peter suggested seven (twice as many as most liberal rabbis) Jesus blew Peter's mind and said to not set limits. There are no boundries in love. Love is not a calculation, Mathmatics is foreign to affection Jesus knew the blessedness of forgiving heart He himself was always forgiving without grudges, retaliations, revenges His heart was the most discerning that ever existed. He hated sin like no one else but loved the people like no one else No better example: on the cross with so much pain and through his love his heart was to love and forgive. |
| 2020-03-06 - Friendliness Common taunt of Scribes and Pharises that Jesus was a friend of sinners He was friendly to the lowest and the best of society, a trait which created great scandal These three statements about Jesus spoke a lot about how Jesus' heart toward others:
They tried to use his friendiness against him Example: Tax collectors - ones who gathered taxes by any means nessary including by extortion or other dishonest measures
Jesus made friends with them despite these truths It was one thing to talk down to a bad man and give good advise, it is another to eat with them Jesus cross the chasm over which no man was willing to do in that day and lost his reputation for the sake of being brotherly/friendly Made himself nothing because he was determined on being firendly to all - Philippians 2:17 Everyone is part of the human race, children of God, despite what they have done
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