Peters Journey of Surrender (Matthew 4:18-20)
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- Apr 7, 2024Peters Journey of Surrender (Matthew 4:18-20)
Peters Journey of Surrender (Matthew 4:18-20)
- Apr 7, 2024Surrender to the Lord (Luke 6:46)
Surrender to the Lord (Luke 6:46)As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus is not a god. He is the Lord God, coequal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. But what exactly does it mean to call Jesus your “Lord”? The term “lord” is not as familiar to those of us who live under a representative form of government. In other times and places, a “lord” was someone who had total rule over others. The Biblical term means much the same thing. To call Jesus “Lord” is to acknowledge His right to rule. If you call Jesus your Lord, then He should have total rule over your life. He is the Lord Jesus Christ, but the question that remains to be answered is, is He truly your Lord?In Luke 6:46, Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” It is possible to call Jesus your “Lord” and yet not be in obedience to Him. He could be your Lord in name only if you are not surrendered to his Lordship in your life.There is a direct connection between victorious Christian living and the Lordship of Christ. As long as we are following the desires of our flesh, we will continue to live in defeat to sin. As long as you are living for yourself, you will be frustrated and dissatisfied. To enjoy the victory over sin that Jesus has won for us and find peace and fulfillment in Christ, we must live surrendered to His rule in our lives.
- Mar 31, 2024“I say unto thee, Arise” (Luke 7:11-17)
“I say unto thee, Arise” (Luke 7:11-17)And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
- Mar 31, 2024“O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?” (I Corinthians 15)
“O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?” (I Corinthians 15)For all of human history, people have been obsessed with cheating death. There is something in our consciences put there by God that lets us know that death is not a good thing. Death came to creation as a result of man’s sin. Sin causes all our problems, and the greatest problem it causes is death. Is there a solution to our sin problem and, therefore, a solution to the problem of death? Despite all of our scientific advancements and attempts to avoid death, the fact remains that each of us will die.What, then, is to be done? Is there no hope? There is hope, but it is not found in us. Hope is found in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.Jesus Christ solved our sin problem when he “became sin for us” and “died for us.” He paid the penalty for our sin so that we could be delivered from death. But the gospel message also includes the fact that Jesus rose again. The resurrection proves that Jesus is the conqueror of sin and death. Death has been “swallowed up in victory,” and now God offers to give victory over sin to all who will place their faith in Jesus Christ.God does not want us to live in defeat to sin. He wants us to live in victory, and He freely “giveth us the victory through Lord Jesus Christ.” Through faith in Jesus, you can be saved from your sins and receive eternal life. And as a Christian, you can live in victory over sin and death “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” On this Resurrection Sunday, let us praise the Lord who gives us victory in Jesus!
- Mar 24, 2024Man’s First Sin (Genesis 3)
Man’s First Sin (Genesis 3)
- Mar 24, 2024Sin Is The Problem (Romans 3:23)
Sin Is The Problem (Romans 3:23)It has been said that the first step in solving any problem is acknowledging that there is one. You must then properly define the problem to be able to correctly solve it. There is no shortage of problems in our lives, but all of them can be traced back to one big problem. That big problem is sin.What is sin? Sin is any failure to live up to God’s standard. Who is a sinner? Everyone is a sinner. That means that everyone has a big problem because sin ruins everything.When God created the world, He declared that it was good, but then sin happened and all of creation was affected. We have sickness, pain, despair, death, and all other forms of unpleasant and undesirable suffering because of sin.Until we see that our problems in life are ultimately sin problems in one way or another, we will never be able to solve them. But when we accept that sin is the root cause of all our problems, then we can solve it properly.How do we solve our sin problem? The answer is, “With the gospel.” The gospel is the solution that God gave to the problem of sin. By grace through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin and resurrection, we are saved from sin. That means we are rescued from the punishment of sin which is eternal death in hell. It also means that after we are saved, we are released from the power of sin. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can live holy and righteous lives. Sin is the problem. The gospel is the solution.
- Mar 17, 2024Thy Money Perish With Thee (Acts 8:9-25)
Thy Money Perish With Thee (Acts 8:9-25)Have you ever noticed how expensive it is to exist? Money is not evil. It is quite handy to have most
of the time. Nor it is not sin to be wealthy. but it is a sin to live for money. It is a sin to trust in
riches. it is a sin to measure your worth or the value of others based on material things.
But we live in such a materialistic world and Christians are not immune to materialism. The church
at Laodicea was materialistic. They said, “I am rich and increased of goods and have need of
nothing” when in reality they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. They had to learn to
find true treasures in God instead of their money and their possessions.
In acts 8 we read of a man names Simon who had to learn that money cannot buy spiritual
blessings. His story is a great lesson to us that God is not impressed with our wealth and we cannot
pay our way to spiritual blessings. - Mar 17, 2024What You Really Need (Revelation 3:18)
What You Really Need (Revelation 3:18)We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the most affluent times in history. Even the poorest American Christians live better off than most of the world. The material things we enjoy are undoubtedly a blessing from God. But just because we enjoy material blessings does not necessarily mean that God is pleased with our spiritual condition.The church at Laodicea made the mistake of thinking that because they were wealthy, then they had everything they needed. They were materialistic because they made money, or the lack of it, the standard by which they judged the rightness or wrongness of anything. They thought their wealth was proof of their spiritual health. They did not know that they were in a miserable state. They had plenty of money, but they were spiritually destitute. They had the nicest clothes, but they were spiritually exposed. Their physical vision might have been 20/20, but they were spiritually blind.God’s counsel in Revelation 3:18 is to make God the source of your satisfaction and find everything that you need in Him. You need faith in God, Christ’s righteousness, and the Holy Spirit to correct your spiritual vision. You do not need more money, better clothes, or better health. What you really need is God.
- Mar 3, 2024Joy Through Others (I Thessalonians 2)
Joy Through Others (I Thessalonians 2)
- Mar 3, 2024The Joy of Abiding (John 15:9-14)
The Joy of Abiding (John 15:9-14)Abiding in Christ means having continual, close fellowship with Him because we recognize that He is our only source of spiritual life. Without Him, we can do nothing. When we abide in Christ, He works in and through us to produce godly fruit. God the Father purges and prunes us so that we become more and more fruitful. The result of that fruitfulness is a life that glorifies God as we live as disciples of Christ ought to live.If the branches never enjoyed any benefit from abiding fruitfulness, then it would still be best for us to abide in Christ. But God, in His mercy and grace, gives a wonderful promise to the branches that abide. He promises that those who follow these instructions would have lives that are filled with joy.Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” The first fruit of the Spirit is love, followed by joy. The same pattern is found in John 15:9-14. When we walk closely with Christ, we abide in His love. As we learn to love Him more, we obey His commandments more, including His command to love on another. The result of loving God as we should and loving others as we should is a life filled with joy.Everyone craves joy, whether they realize it or not. The search for pleasure, happiness and fulfillment is really a search for joy, and that is only found in an abiding relationship with Christ. It is vain to look for joy anywhere else, because Jesus, the Vine, is the only source. God produces in us the fruit of the Sprit that is, among other things, love and joy.
- Feb 25, 2024The Glory Of Abiding (John 15:8)
The Glory Of Abiding (John 15:8)Have you ever tasted a delicious grape or some other piece of fruit that was especially tasty? Chances are that if you have, you didn’t burst out in praise for a branch that the fruit grew on. You might have declared how much you like the variety of fruit, complimented the person who selected it, or commended the farm that it came from, but you probably gave very little thought to the last component in the process that produced the fruit, the branch. The branches get little praise because they have done little to deserve any praise.This raises an important question: one that our entire life hinges on. Who should get the praise for any good thing that comes from our lives? In the illustration of the vine and the branches, Jesus has made it clear that when we abide in Him through close, consistent fellowship, we will bear spiritual fruit because His life will be flowing through us and working in us to produce godly actions and attitudes. In John 15:8, Jesus states, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” Jesus is the vine, and the Father is the Husbandman. The Father is the one who prunes and purges to make the branches best able to bear good fruit. So logically, the one who should get the final credit for the quality and quantity of the fruit should be the Father.God should get all the praise for any good in our lives. We have nothing good to offer apart from God. We will accomplish nothing good without God. Only when our lives are filled with good fruit and giving God the glory He deserves are we living as faithful disciples of Jesus.
- Feb 21, 2024Promotion From The Lord (1 Samuel 18:1-5)
Promotion From The Lord (1 Samuel 18:1-5)Self promotion will always be a temptation for anyone that has a desire to succeed. We will be
tempted to be impatient and take matters into our own hands to advance ourselves. We must trust
God to lift us however high He wants us to go and to do it in His time. Likewise, we should be
content to be as small as God wants for as long as He wants. “For promotion cometh neither from
the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and
setteth up another.” (Psalms 75:6-7)
In God’s time, He began to exalt David, putting him on a trajectory that would culminate with
becoming king. It was not David’s scheming and manipulation that brought about his advancement.
It was God’s promotion. In 1 Samuel 18:1-5, we read of three ways that God blessed and promoted
David from a little known, small town shepherd to a well known leader of the nation. God blessed
David with a princely friend in Jonathan, with prestigious employment in the service of king Saul,
and with public acceptance by people from all classes. True promotion only comes from God,
therefore we must be content with the position God has put us in and trust God to advance us if,
when, and how He chooses. - Feb 18, 2024Secrets We Don’t Know (Deuteronomy 29:29)
Secrets We Don’t Know (Deuteronomy 29:29)
- Feb 18, 2024Abiding Through Prayer And Bible Reading (John 15:7)
Abiding Through Prayer And Bible Reading (John 15:7)We have learned that abiding in Christ means remaining in close, consistent fellowship with Him. It is living in complete dependence on Him for all things at all times because you realize that apart from Him, you can do nothing, and you are a branch that will wither and come to a wasted end.But what does abiding look like in practice? What actions and behaviors demonstrate an attitude of dependence on Christ? John 15:7 is Jesus’ answer to such a question. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Abiding in Christ looks like a healthy intake of God’s word and continual prayerfulness.Could reading your Bible and praying be that important, or is emphasizing those spiritual disciplines a form of legalism? While it is possible to read your Bible and pray legalistically, it is not legalistic to acknowledge that Jesus said a person who is abiding in him will have His words abiding in them, and they will be praying.Abiding in Christ is expressed and maintained by a constant intake of the word of God and continual prayerfulness. If you believe you are dependent on Christ, then you will go to His word, the source of spiritual nourishment, regularly. If you believe that you can do nothing without Him, you will often go to Him in prayer “to find grace to help in time of need. If you are not reading your Bible and praying, you are wandering from the Vine, and you will wither.
- Feb 11, 2024You Can’t Hide It (Joshua 7:1-26)
You Can’t Hide It (Joshua 7:1-26)
