2010-07-08 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 5) God create male and female in his own image - Genesis 1:27 God does not have a body so it must be at the level of the soul Men bear the image of God in their dangerous, inviting strength It is the nature of love to be generous Jesus tells us to not to fear death God is not the God of dead but of the living - Luke 20:38
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2010-08-23 - Waking Dead - Life to the Full Christ died for us but he also raised for us His resurrection was as much for us as his death was Count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus - Romans 6:11 God made us alive with Christ - Ephesians 2:5 We received our sinful nature from Adam - now we receive a good and holy nature from Christ God plan is not to just forgive you but restore you Make a good tree and its fruit will be good - Matthew 12:33 The covenant has two parts: I will give you a new heart and spirit, remove the heart of stone and flesh - Ezekiel 36:26 I have come that they may have life and it to the full - John 10:10 |
2010-11-10 - Contagious Christian - Dorcas' Service Approach Dorcas was "always doing good and helping the poor" - Acts 9:36 She well-known for her loving acts of service She made robes and articles of clothing for widows and other needy people in her town It was very difficult to see her activity without seeing the love of Christ that inspired Her work was so important that when she died a premature death, God sent Peter to raise her from the dead People who take on this approach find it relatively easy to servers others Often those who are quite and enjoy expressing compassion through action No one fits perfectly into just one approach and you probably use all of them one way or another God has designed diversity on His team and each member is stronger in some styles than others A team of Christians who are made up of different styles will strong because they can reach virtually every type of seeker |
2010-11-16 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part I) Before you can bring the message to others, need to make sure we clearly understand we understand the message ourselves Making the message clear will need us to be able to illustrate it for those we talk to God Three aspects of God we need to look at:
God made us without sin but we abused our freedom and became evil Sin requires God to pronounce upon us the death penalty - both physical and spiritual This is separation from God via hell We are helpless to change this Christ God had the power and authority to devise a plan for our salvation Christ died and suffered the death penalty debt for us and
You don't deserve it, we didn't pay for it, we can not earn it He paid a debt He did not owe I owned a debt I could not pay |
2010-11-18 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part III) The Bridge Illustration
Other times God has prepared their hearts through someone else We need to give them this freedom |
2010-11-28 - Mission - Baptizing Them Heaven is a place of continual celebration God original place for us was to with him in a state of perfection
God had a radical plan to bring back into a relationship with him and to destroy the power that Satan had over us To this point, most Bible-believing world would agree What about baptism? Marginal matters are not in the Great Commission Paul included in his list of "seven ones" - Ephesians 4:4-6 We are united in baptism with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus - Romans 6 The master deceiver and father of lies has changed the road signs and send many to spiritual dead ends |
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 |
2010-12-20 - 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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2010-12-26 - Saved by Grace through Faith (part II) Ephesians 2:1-10
Romans 3:21-26
Titus 3:3-8
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2010-12-29 - Baptism into Christ (part I) 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Acts 2:36-41
Romans 6:1-4
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2010-12-31 - Baptism into Christ (part III) Sinner’s Prayer? 1 Peter 3:21
Acts 22:7-16
resurrection. |
2011-01-04 - Holy Spirit (part I) Acts 2:36-38 - At baptism, we are not only forgiven by Jesus’ death to begin a new life, we are also filled John 3:1-8 - Jesus taught that we must be born again via water and the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. John 7:37-39 - After Jesus’ glorification (crucifixion, resurrection and ascension), God sent his Spirit to John 16:5-15 - One of the primary roles of the Spirit is to convict us (and the world) with regard to sin, |
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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2011-02-19 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part III) Pain of Not Being Appreciated Matthew 27:1-31
Matthew 27:32-54
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2011-02-20 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part IV) Pain of Bearing our Sin 1 Peter 2:19-25
2 Corinthians 7:8-13
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2011-03-05 - Jesus is God (part II) Examples showing the deity of Jesus:
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2011-06-18 - Mind of Christ - Discipleship (part III) Christ’s word teaches us about discipleship Luke 14:25-35 1. Large crowds followed Jesus 2. Jesus has already called them disciples (Luke 9:18,23). Now He says they cannot be His disciples unless they meet this standard. Why does He change? Because before this they had been curious disciples, possibly convinced disciples, but not committed disciples. Now He wants them to go the full measure. We see, then, how the term disciple goes through an evolutionary process during the ministry of Christ, the story of the gospels. 3. The terms of discipleship are all-encompassing.
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2011-07-26 - Mind of Christ - Servant (part II) The nature of a servant A. He is emptied of self interest
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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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2011-08-20 - Fearing God - Holy Justice, Holy Mercy But God does not leave Isiah devastated We tend to think of justice in a positive sense - child murdered and the community wants to see justice The murder does not want to see justice The wages of sin is death - in this sense we don't want to see justice done God's justice is both holy and perfect God always wants to give mercy He can not be lenient and can not violate His own justice The solution is Christ - he reconciled God's justice and mercy The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all - Isaiah 53:6 |
2011-08-29 - Fearing God - A Father's Pain God uses 3 descriptive words to describe what Abraham is suppose to do - Genesis 22:2 Without perfection, Abraham's test would be similar to Jesus' death 1. Take your only Son God promised that he would be a father of many nations - Genesis 17:5 Jesus would be a savior of many nations Jesus was the one and only Son of God - Hebrews 11:17 2. Issac - God given name to him God named Jesus before he was born - Matthew 1:21 3. Whom you love This is my Son, whom I love - Matthew 3:17 The difference: Abraham was out of obedience for a loving God God sacrificed His Son to save an unloving people God spared Abraham's son but did not spare His own |
2011-09-26 - Proverbs on Advice - Seek Help Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.
Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls but many advisers make victory sure. In the life of a disciple we need eyes all around us (we are in a spiritual battle, not against flesh and blood but against the dark forces of this world).
Five lessons to learn about advice... 1. Seek Advice Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death Proverbs 18:15 - The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out If we were going to buy a car for the 1st time, most of us would seek a lot of advice.
If we need help in other areas (that’s good) surely our spiritual life is more important because it has an eternal destination (good or bad)
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2011-10-05 - Genesis 5 - Genealogies (part I)SummaryAdam's line was: Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. Noah's sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. ObservationsGenesis 5:2 - He created them male and female and blessed them Personal ApplicationThe challenge for me is simple: To finish the race [Acts 20:24] with great faith and perseverance. But not just to get by but to have a relationship with God that shines before others. When people talk about me, do they stop and mention my relationship with God like the Bible does with Enoch? What does God say about my faith? |
2011-10-07 - Genesis 7 - The Flood (part II)SummaryNoah and his family went into the ark with two of each creature. It rained for forty days and forty nights and the earth was covered. ObservationsGenesis 7:1 - I have found you righteous in this generation Personal ApplicationI need to look for what I see as gray areas in my life. When I am neither hot nor cold [Revelation 3:16], I am not aware of where I am. |
2011-10-19 - Genesis 19 - Sodom is destroyedSummaryAngels took Lot out of Sodom. The city was destroyed by fire and Lot's wife was turned to salt. His daughters had children for him. ObservationsGenesis 19:14 - But his sons-in-law thought he was joking Personal ApplicationBy nature, I am a jokester. I have love to laugh - there is a time for everything. I need to learn how to take the important things seriously. When I hear a call from God to repent, not sure my immediate reaction is to change. I make excuses about doing things in the near future or lie to myself that I am doing OK. The costs are too great not to hear and obey the call. |
2011-12-02 - Guarding Your Heart (part I) Keeping your heart in good condition is not just an important physical principle, but a spiritual one as well. A bad spiritual heart will cause spiritual sickness and ultimately spiritual death – separate from God. The Bible gives us some great information on how to keep our hearts in good spiritual shape and keep them beating strong and healthy for God until the day we die. We guard our hearts to keep the good and keep away the bad we’re tempted to do
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2011-12-11 - Day 8 - The Hope of Glory 1 Corinthians 15:19
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2012-01-22 - Ministry - With Jesus, You Will Not Stand Alone John 8: 1-11 Compromising circumstances were not sufficient evidence, as the Jewish law required witnesses who had seen the act. Imagine what this woman felt in the midst of an angry crowd eager to trap Jesus, she was caught in the act of adultery! She was humiliated and alone. The incident was staged to trap Jesus since the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences. So if Jesus had said to stone her, he could have been in conflict with the Romans. If he had said no to stone her, he could have been accused of not being supportive of the law. So Jesus started to write on the ground, we could only imagine what he wrote, it could have been the list of sins. Then without disagreeing with the law he gave them a qualification to cast the first stone, it was whoever was without sin instead of whoever is without the sin of adultery. As Christians, even though we know that God sees all sins the same, we categorize sin and fall in to Satan's trap of self-righteousness. We forget that deceit, bitterness, envy and anger are just as bad as sexual immorality or murder. Jesus showed the woman compassion, mercy and also commanded her to leave her life of sin. We can only imagine the woman's sense of relief and gratitude. Her life will never be the same again. At the worst point of your life Jesus stood up for you, instead of letting you be condemned. Questions:
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2012-02-09 - Ministry - Jesus Stayed Focused Amidst Challenges Matthew 14:13-21 How do you respond to bad news? Do you get angry? Faithless? Hard hearted? Self-piteous? When John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus to tell him that his predecessor and cousin had been beheaded (Mt.14: 12) Jesus "withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." When Jesus withdrew it wasn't to indulge in his emotions, but to call on his Father in heaven for the strength to handle pressure. Jesus didn't withdraw to escape the demands of the ministry. His dependence on God made it possible for him to deal with pain and still meet the needs of those around him. "Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick." (Mt.14: 14) It's a temptation for me - when I am feeling all the pressures from my life - to place limits on how much I love and serve others. Even though Jesus had just received news of his cousin's death, he didn't get irritated with the demands of the crowds. He healed their sick, then fed them. He didn't "send them away", as his disciples had suggested earlier. If we want to have impact like Jesus did, we must treasure our solitary time with God so that we can remain focused of the needs of others. At some point today or this week, you are going to be confronted with a challenge to give when you really do not want to. You may have to stay up late, get up early, or give in an uncomfortable, inconvenient way. Respond with a spiritual perspective. Respond with compassion. |
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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2012-02-27 - Fear of Failure - God Encourages Those Who Fail by Yvonne San Juan - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ 1 Kings 19:1-9 Elijah felt like a complete failure. He was tired of running, alone, and so discouraged that he preferred death. Elijah had just been a part of a great victory where God demonstrated his power to the people and they saw rain for the first time in many years. He faced a new challenge as the Queen wanted to kill him, and he ran away. God didn't let Elijah fail; he encouraged Elijah with food and rest. God reminded him there were others that were faithful to God and Elijah was not alone. God enabled Elijah to keep on going when Elijah felt like he had had enough. Through failure, I have learned to call to God in prayer, and to be completely honest with Him, just like Elijah. I have also decided to be completely open about my struggles with my friends, and to not go through my failures alone. Also, reading about godly people who have failed in the Bible has given me hope and encouragement during the hard times that when I fail, God still loves me. |
2012-10-14 - Prayer of the Righeous - Carrying Me Parable of the Lost Sheep illustrates Jesus comfort he want to provide He carries his lamb close to his heart - Isaiah 40:11 God's journey toward us:
Arms of comfort At Lazarus' death, the angels tenderly bring him to God - Luke 16:19-22 A child who is not regularly cuddled is deeply damaged As a mother conforms her child, so I will comfort you - Isaiah 66:13 Sometimes we doubt and ours lives are frantic and full of activities and without the peace of God Mary and Martha - Martha was too busy with the details of life to spend time with Jesus - Luke 10 |
2013-01-25 - Prayer of the Righeous - God is a Consuming Fire (part III) When we pray, let us give God the respect he deserves A holy God requires us to be righteous
All the prayer in the world will not get through to God if it is not uttered from a pure heart
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2013-09-06 - Consistency through Consecration Consecration, which means to clean something up and then dedicate it to God. Cleansing your life and home from any stumbling blocks or evil influences and then presenting yourself and your family into God’s hands. If there are influences in your home that dishonor God or are pulling you or your family members away from God, you should seriously consider removing them. King Hezekiah rose to the throne after the death of Ahaz,
There is nothing greater, more fulfilling, or more important than living with this goal in mind. |
2014-03-18 - Teach Them to Fear the Lord (part II) The fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil - Proverbs 16:6 How one may avoid the snares of death - Proverbs 14:2 Fear of the Lord causes our other fears to go away
How blessed is the man who fears the LORD - Psalms 112:1-2 Prayerfully ask God to help us develop a strong fear of the Lord Training them to fear the Lord sets them up to live with incredible wisdom and success:
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2015-03-08 - Approach to Life Living means living for Christ - Philippians 1:21 Death is near the top of most people's list of fears Death for the believers is nothing more than moving on to new location Paul faced the distinct possiblity of death but there is no hint of fear in his letter He knew
Paul couldn't decide which of the options he preferred Paul never forgot God superinteneded everything that happened to him When you live free from the fear of death or life, you will never have to worry about what lies ahead.
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2015-03-25 - Hope Jeremiah: Great is his faithfullness and his mercies begin afresh each morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 He surveyed th ruins of the once great city of Jerusalem Jeremiah saw death and destruction all around and felt a pain we can only imagine He found it within himslef to speak to his one Source of hope Jeremaih recognized God had granted him life and could hope for better things from the hand of his heavenly Father Where do you place your hope when you or loved ones encounter pain and difficulty? |
2015-03-29 - Peer Pressue Micaiah replied, "As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say" - 1 Kings 22:13-14 King Rahab reluctantly called for Micaiah, who was in prision at the time He was pressured to to agree with his other prophets, aka "yes" men Micaiah courageously refused and told the truth from God - The battle would mean Ahab's humiliation and death He refused to drive off the edge of the "cliff" and instead set an example of faithfulness in the face of pressure |
2015-04-13 - True Friend Jonathan loved David as he loved himself - 1 Samuel 20:17 God appointed David as Saul's successor This made King Saul jealous and he made serveral attempts on David's life Jonathon stood up for his friend David - warning and encourging him whenever his father sought to harm David Jonathan would normally had ascended to the throne after his father's death How was it possible that Jonathan, who should have been the most mad about the appointment of David, was the one who helped his replacement? Jonathan loved David as he loved himself - he sacrificed himself for his friend Do you have a friend like Jonathan? Are you a friend like Jonathan? Who is a good candidate for a Jonathan-David friendship? What would it take for you to develop such a relationship? |
2015-04-19 - Loyalty Ittai: I will go wherever my lord the goes, no matter what happens - 2 Samuel 15:21 He was one of 600 Gittites who were natives of Gath They accompanied KIng David out of Jeruslem as they fled Absalom Ittai vowed that he, his men, and their familes would follow the depoed king wherever he went even if it meant death Following King David meant trading the safety and comfort of Jerusalem for the dangers of the dessert Ittai followed and remain loyal to David and he richlly rewarded Ittai for it David made Ittai command of 1/3 of Israel's army - 2 Samuel 18 God blesses your loyality to Jesus Christ In what ways can you demonstracte that loyalty this week? |
2015-05-02 - Passion for Justice I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil - 1 Kings 21:20 Elijah courageously and steadfastly pronouned judgement on Ahab who conspired to have Naboth stoned to death Ahab misused his position as king and Elijah confronted him face to face Elijah had a passionate sense of commitment to God's justice When he saw a terrible wrong commited to an innocent man, he could not stand by and do nothing Are you willing to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves? |
2015-05-11 - Shining Lamp Full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God - Acts 7:55 Nothing prompts change likea man's courage in the face of potential personal loss. Stephen had that kind of courage. Religous leaders hoped persecuting Christians would put a stop to this new religious movement, exactly the opposite happened Stephen willingly died for what he believed in and he contributed greatly to the spread of the gospel message At the scene of Stephen's murder stood a young Pharisee named Saul - the same Saul God miraculously converted Stephen's courage and faith in the face of death apparently made a lasting impression Pauls bold preaching would change the world forever - Acts 22:19-20 Lamps do not talk, but they do shine. Is your lamp shining today? |
2015-05-28 - Contrary to Popular Opinion Leaders plotted to kill Zechariah and King Joash order that they stone him to death - 2 Chronicles 24:21 Sometimes we must stand against even the strongest public opinion Zechariah encourages Joash and the people to return to the LOrd and warned them of the consequences of their idolity You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you! - 2 Chronicles 24:21 That wasn't what the king or his subjects wanted to hear Zechariah paid with his life for his willingness to buck public opinion |
2015-05-30 - Passion for God's Word He taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accurcy - Acts 18:25 Apollos loved to teach the Word of God in the synagogues His limitation was he did not fully understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection He finally received understanding from Aquila and Priscilla and from then on, Apollos cound not stop He moved to Corinth to be with Paul and some of the believers credited him with starting the church - 1 Corinthians 1 Apollos became a great teacher and preacher because he had the passion for God's Word that all men of God need |
2015-07-05 - Bottomline Wisdom My final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 There is in hte heart of every man a God-shaped void Solomon had it all, but he eventually concluded that those things were not enough - which amounted to exactly nothing His life was empty Solomon asked God for wisdom and became the wisest man who ever lived Despite God's warnings, Solomon drifted from the Lord and turned to other gods Without God, life amounts to nothing but birth, lots of hard work, and death When you make Jesus Christ central to everything, even everyday events have meaning and significance |
2015-08-06 - Hearing God What are you doing here, Elijah? - 1 Kings 19:13 With all the noise life makes, it can be difficult to hear God Although he had preached and performed miracles, the people refused to listen Elijah Elijah had death threats and was hiding in a cave in fear and despair - desperately needing to hear from God God wanted to speak to Elijah:
All were forerunners of the rela deal was to follow - then Elijah heard God's voice and poured out his broken heart and then just listened Can you hear God above life' everyday noise?
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2015-08-07 - Bonds of Friendship My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death - Mark 14:33-34 Jesus had 12 disciples but among them he had 3 who he called friends and had a special bond with Jesus - Peter, James, and John The trio only was present at:
It later had a far reaching effect:
Peter, James, and John enjoyed a special relationship with Jesus and it helped make the biggest impact for Christ in the world |
2015-08-11 - The Spin Amos is hatching a plot against you right - Amos 7:10 In an attempt to quiet Amos and his message, Amaziah accused him of treason against Israel Amzaiah had put his own spin on Amos' words about the death of Jeroboam and Zechariah Some will always attempt to spin the words and actions of godly people and their unpopular message Amos knew he was preaching an unpopular message and Amaziah would go to great lengths to stop him |
2015-08-29 - Real Men Do Cry Then Jesus wept... "See how much he loved him!" - John 11:35-36 Jesus was never afraid to show his emotions He knew how the saga of Lazarus' death would end that day and the people would winess a spectacular miracle - yet he cried as he approached his firend's tomb Reason for tears?
Jesus was perfect in love, holiness, and his ability to express emotion |
2015-09-07 - Breaking Barriers We are akk here waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you - Acts 10:33 People tend to honor those who first do something of note Roman military officer Cornelius broke a few barriers of his own when place his faith in Jesus When Peter visited Cornelius, the apostle explained everything to him and he accepted his words They saw that God intended salvation through Jesus for the Jews and Gentiles - Acts 10:44-45 Jesus' death and resurrection broken down the long standing barrier between God and man and between the Jews and Gentiles |
2015-09-30 - To Go Ahead I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race - 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul contemplated his own end, he knew:
He felt at peace with his imminent death and did not see his life as his own - 2 Timthoy 4:6 Nothing in this life can compare with what awaits you in heaven as a follower of Jesus Christ |
2015-10-26 - Message Make the Man While I was with you I would forget everything expcet Jesus Christ - 1 Corinthians 2:2 People who encoutered Paul understood what was most important to him: Christ sin-defeating death and grave-defeating life He spent most of his life observing the Jewish laws and traditions but now everything was about Christ Paul made it a point to forget everything else besides Christ:
Paul had more education and experiences more than anyone but chose to focus on one simple message of faith and love Does your life convey the simple message that Jesus loves them? |
2015-11-01 - Secure in Love I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love - Romans 8:38 Through difficult times we are tempted to think God must really hate me Some have the misguided idea of the relationship between difficulties and God's love Paul opposed such thinking through his suffering that most of us can not imagine He never saw his suffering as an occasion to doubt God's love for him Can anything ever separate us?
No! Despite these things overwhelming victory is ours through Christ - Romans 8:37 |
2015-11-07 - Right Now So he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel - 2 Samuel 15:6 David forgave and reinstated Absalom after murdering his brother In his desire to have what he wanted right now, he lost everything After David welcomed him back, Absalom began to plotting to kill his father so he could take the throne of Israel He beagan his treason by first winning the people's hearts and minds Absalom temporarly succeeded but in the end David's troops defeated him and he died a painful death Despite of Absalom's talents, leadership skills, and potential, his impatience messed up his chance at greatness
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2015-11-14 - No Middle Man I have always been faithful, single-minded, always doing what pleases you - 2 Kings 20:2-3 Hezehiah had been deathly ill for some time and was setting all his affairs in order because his illness was terminal - 2 Kings 2:1 Isaiah had a special connection to God and it would be tempting to plead his case directly with Isaiah When Isaiah told Hezehiah he was about to die, he went to his private place of prayer and talked directly to the Lord Hezehiah didn't ask to extend his life but reminded God he had been a good and faithful servant God decided to extend Hezehiah's life Hezehiah's willingness to straingth to God saved his his life |
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 |
2015-11-29 - Stop Doubting I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands - John 20:25 Thomas rallied his fellow disciples to follow Jesus into Judea, "Let's go and die with Jesus" - John 11:16 The days following Jesus' death, Thomas was spiritually drained and refused to believe Jesus was alive while others had seen him After eight days, his Master appeared to him - "Put your finger here and look at my hands" - John 20:27 In his joy at finally seeing the resurrected Jesus - "My Lord and my God!" - John 20:28 |
2015-12-09 - Don't Miss Your Chance You missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram - 2 Chronicles 16:7 Like so many kings of Judah, Asa started out doing good things for his kingdom Prophet Azariah: The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! - 2 Chronicles 15:2 Asa trusted and obey God at first but later he failed by relying on humans instead of God He showed his true colors when he entered into an agreement with Syria to stand against Israel Asa refusal to rely solely on God contributed to his death He developed a foot disease - he went to his doctors rather than first seeking God's help - 2 Chronicles 16:12 Where do you turn in yout times of need? |
2018-02-15 - Plain Truth The people were shocked at the plainness of Jesus' words Had he been silent or pretended to ignore matters he was fully aware of - he would have been a liar like the men with whom he was struggling Was it not the duty of Jesus to inform them of their condition? What else could a sincere friend do? There was no bitterness in Jesus' language? It was calm statements of a horrible fact Jesus' unquestion loyalty to truth gives his words a value which no other person's words possess Jesus holds nothing back - what is thinks, he says - what he feels, he declares He declares all things as they are This is the man we want. A man like this can be a refuge in the time of a storm What he assers concerning the principles of a victorious life, we can act upon, never doubting When he tells us to do something, we can do it knowing it is the best thing When he warns us against a course of action, we can shun it, knowning that in that direction lies death |
2020-01-20 - Trust - A matter of perpective "Trust in God" can seem easy at times but when trouble hits, justice seems dead and love seems to vanish, many are appalled nature's "heartlessness" and "indifference" Jesus saw these same situations as evidences of God's love, his long-suffering patience, and willing to allow the lost to find him Countless people trusted God only to discover when evil fotune came, that trust was not as strong enough to stand the shock Trust shapes perpective Many things can blot out our trust in God:
Jesus had all of the dark experiences it is possible to have He has a message to commicate that would drive away gloom and woe the world to him Jesus trust was unbroken despite many rejections and even his own men forsaking him His death appeared to be a heart-breaking failure, but rather a victorious outcome for us |
2020-03-21 - Friendly with the Rich and Powerful too Jesus was best know being friendly to the poor, bad and sick but he was also was a brother to the rich and powerful too - He was a brother to every man There was more said about the Bible about the poor than they rich because Jesus was able to nearer to the poor than the rich:
Jesus was as friendly to Nicodemus as he was to the poor woman at the well He was as brotherly to Zaccheus as he was to the poor beggar in Jerusalem When Jesus went to be baptized, John would not do it because it was for the sinner but the good. Jesus wanted to participate because he wanted to be counted amoung men. Jesus knowing the other side and he could help but tell them something about the great God in world they were living The rich man in the parable of Dives and Lazarus: the rich man did not go to hell because of his fine clothes or riches - it because of his heart- not tender; sympathy did not go out to a brother's need Abraham was rich and went to heaven because he had a brotherly heart Jesus was too brotherly for people to understand Jesus - If I can not help them with my life, I will help them with my death |