The cross of Christ is the pinnacle of wisdom:
God purposed to glorify Himself by saving undeserving sinners through the sacrifice of His one and only Son!
The cross of Christ represents God's predetermined affection for sinners.
The cross of Christ represents God's past substitution for sinners.
The cross of Christ represents God's present execution of sinners.
Wisdom is not found in devotion to power, prestige, position, possessions, pleasures and prosperity.
Wisdom is found in death to pride!
The cross of Christ represents God's future glorification of sinners.
Such wisdom is not invented or discovered by man; such wisdom is graciously revealed by God.
Only by the mercy of God...
Behold the choice of God the Father.
Behold the crucifixion of God the Son.
Behold the call of God the Spirit.
Unquestionably, man is morally accountable.
Ultimately, God is sovereignly gracious.
We have the mind of Christ.
Revealed by the Spirit...
Through the Word...
To our hearts...
Let's be desperate for the Spirit in order that we might know God's glory.
Only the Spirit of God knows the fullness of the glory of God.
If we want to know God, then we need the Spirit to reveal Him to us!
Therefore, people who are desperate to know God will be desperate for His Spirit.
If we are not desperate for His Spirit, it is a sure indicator that we have grown content with knowing little about God.
When we are desperate for His Spirit, we will grow to know God with the very perspective of Christ.
Let's seek discernment from the Spirit as we trust God's generosity.
The limited wisdom of man...
We lack knowledge, perspective, and experience.
The limitless wisdom of God...
He has perfect knowledge, eternal perspective and infinite experience.
Let's live different by the Spirit as we reflect God's goodness.
Worldly wisdom results in selfish living.
Godly wisdom results in selfless love.
Let's go with dependence on the Spirit as we proclaim God's gospel.
The wasted life keeps the message of Christ crucified hidden...
For fear of rejection.
In neglect of the lost.
The wise life makes the message of Christ crucified known...
With confidence in reception.
No matter what it costs!
Thank you pastor David!!!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The Captivating Cross part two
Let's anticipate the Spirit's power in our weakness.
1 Corinthians 2:3-4
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Zechariah 4:6
Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
1 Cor. 1:26-28
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
2 Cor. 4:7-12
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
2 Cor. 12:6-10
6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Consider God's twisted economy when you feel week.
Celebrate the weakness of those who preach to you.
Come to the message of the Cross with your weakness.
Let's respond to the gospel message with obedient lives.
Respond to God's word with your obedience.
Rely on God's power for your obedience.
Let's magnify the gospel's power, not the gifted preachers.
1 Cor. 2:5
so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Acts 20:36-37
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,
1 Cor.1:10-17
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
12 What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.
16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Cor. 2:1
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
Ephesians 4:1-16
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."
9 (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?
10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
1 Thess.5:12-13
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Hebrews 13:7-8, 17
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Resist the Christian 'rock star' culture.
Celebrate the broader kingdom impact.
Affirm faithful pastors of local churches.
Credit the message, not the messengers.
Value the biblical model of teaching teams.
Come for the teaching, not the teacher.
Honor, love and obey faithful teachers.
Thank you pastor Jim for speaking the truth of Gods's word!!
Thank You Lord that You are all powerful! Bless our pastors as they help lead us to follow You and be obedient to Your command. Amen
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Godly Discipline
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of The Lord.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Col.3:20-21
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Prov.13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
All my life I have believed in spanking! I spanked my daughters and I have spanked my grand kids. We must be careful in discipline not to over use spanking or it will become ineffective. There comes a point in time, as a child matures, when a child can be reasoned with. When a child looses control, spanking may not be the answer. Time out from their favorite pass time is a good alternative. Do not be a party to a tantrum! Both you and your child will loose control. Time alone for them in their room, to calm down is key.
Then punishment can be given with an explanation as to why they are being punished. Love your kids, they are an amazing gift for which you are responsible for before God! I have made many mistakes in my parenting, as my daughters gladly will tell you!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Captivating Cross
Sermon by Pastor Jim:
1 Cor.2:1-5
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The message of the cross is the resource of God's power.
To convert those who receive it!
To condemn those who reject it!
1 Cor.1:17-31
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The preaching of the cross is the response of God's people!
Let's own the preaching event as a community of faith!
Pray for it in advance.
Plan for it in your schedule.
Prepare for it in your heart.
Participate in it every week.
Process it when it's over.
Practice it in your life.
Let's approach the preaching event as an act of worship!
Nehemiah 8:1-8
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen,"lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.
8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
Ps. 56:4, 10
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
Ps.119:48
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.
Ps.130:5-7
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
Ps.138:2
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
God has chosen a foolish message of atonement--the cross!
God has chosen a foolish method to advance it--preaching!
God has chosen foolish men and women to announce it--us!
WHY? So when He releases His power to transform lives, we can draw only one conclusion:
"ONLY GOD COULD HAVE DONE THAT!!!"
Bring your bible so you can interact with God's voice.
Record your insights so you can reflect on God's voice.
Express your emotions when prompted by God's voice.
Still your spirit when overwhelmed by God's voice.
Let's receive the message from God not about just about God.
Gen.1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen.3:22
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"
Ps.17:15
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Romans 8:29-30
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
2 Cor.3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Galatians 4:19
19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
Phil.3:20-21
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Col.3:9-10
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
2 Peter 1:2-4
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Rev.21:1
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Rev.22:2,4
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Expect the sermon to recreate you, not merely rehabilitate you.
Expect the sermon to make you Godly, not just give you guidance.
Expect the sermon to provide transformation , no just information.
Let's resolve to magnify the message of the gospel ALONE.
1 Cor.2:2
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Luke 9:23-24
23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
2 Cor.4:10
10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
Phil.3:8-11
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Listen for the crucified LORD in every sermon.
Look for the crucified LIFE in every sermon.
Crucified is a continual state!
Lord, we do loose sight of crucified being a continual state, and how we are to die to ourselves everyday and live to You. This message is filled with hope, open hearts to receive it. There are some who want to hear this message and some who want to stop it. By Your power it will flow as living water. Amen
1 Cor.2:1-5
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The message of the cross is the resource of God's power.
To convert those who receive it!
To condemn those who reject it!
1 Cor.1:17-31
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The preaching of the cross is the response of God's people!
Let's own the preaching event as a community of faith!
Pray for it in advance.
Plan for it in your schedule.
Prepare for it in your heart.
Participate in it every week.
Process it when it's over.
Practice it in your life.
Let's approach the preaching event as an act of worship!
Nehemiah 8:1-8
1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel.
2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen,"lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites,helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places.
8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
Ps. 56:4, 10
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
Ps.119:48
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.
Ps.130:5-7
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
Ps.138:2
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
God has chosen a foolish message of atonement--the cross!
God has chosen a foolish method to advance it--preaching!
God has chosen foolish men and women to announce it--us!
WHY? So when He releases His power to transform lives, we can draw only one conclusion:
"ONLY GOD COULD HAVE DONE THAT!!!"
Bring your bible so you can interact with God's voice.
Record your insights so you can reflect on God's voice.
Express your emotions when prompted by God's voice.
Still your spirit when overwhelmed by God's voice.
Let's receive the message from God not about just about God.
Gen.1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Gen.3:22
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"
Ps.17:15
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
Romans 8:29-30
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
2 Cor.3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Galatians 4:19
19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
Phil.3:20-21
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Col.3:9-10
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
2 Peter 1:2-4
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Rev.21:1
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Rev.22:2,4
2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Expect the sermon to recreate you, not merely rehabilitate you.
Expect the sermon to make you Godly, not just give you guidance.
Expect the sermon to provide transformation , no just information.
Let's resolve to magnify the message of the gospel ALONE.
1 Cor.2:2
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Luke 9:23-24
23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
2 Cor.4:10
10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
Phil.3:8-11
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Listen for the crucified LORD in every sermon.
Look for the crucified LIFE in every sermon.
Crucified is a continual state!
Lord, we do loose sight of crucified being a continual state, and how we are to die to ourselves everyday and live to You. This message is filled with hope, open hearts to receive it. There are some who want to hear this message and some who want to stop it. By Your power it will flow as living water. Amen
Friday, April 26, 2013
Stand Back and Watch God Work
What will expose your life of sin to you?
What will be your wake-up call?
Will it take the loss of your job, your family, your mobility, or the loss every material thing you have so that you are cast out on the street?
Every good and perfect thing comes from God, your family, your job, your home, your health, your knowledge, your sanity, everything!
I do watch, I do wait, to see the power of God work!
I stand amazed at His power and majesty!
Only the power of God changes a man's heart, you can not do it!
You could appear, on the outside, to be changed, but God looks at the heart!
1 Kings 8:39
39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
Lord, You alone are judge! Create in us a clean heart so that we may conformed to Your ways! Amen
What will be your wake-up call?
Will it take the loss of your job, your family, your mobility, or the loss every material thing you have so that you are cast out on the street?
Every good and perfect thing comes from God, your family, your job, your home, your health, your knowledge, your sanity, everything!
I do watch, I do wait, to see the power of God work!
I stand amazed at His power and majesty!
Only the power of God changes a man's heart, you can not do it!
You could appear, on the outside, to be changed, but God looks at the heart!
1 Kings 8:39
39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
Lord, You alone are judge! Create in us a clean heart so that we may conformed to Your ways! Amen
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Ashes to Ashes Dust to Dust
This actual phrase is not in the bible.
It was taken from "Book of Common Prayer".
It is from a eulogy; "In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God: We commit her body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless her and keep her, the Lord maketh his face to shine upon her and be gracious unto her and give her peace. Amen"
This book was originally published in 1549.
It has been repeated at many funerals.
It originated out of the Church of England which still uses it today.
Gen.1:19
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Ps.103:14
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Job 34:15
all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.
Ps.104:29
When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
Ecc. 3:20
All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Ecc. 12:7
and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
This brings us to the cause of the death of all men, sin!
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-
Are you ready to stand before your Maker?
Lord, speak to hearts and change lives by Your power! Amen
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Mother and Father
Prov.1:2-9
Godly parents and grandparents are a gift from God!
They are wise in the knowledge of the Lord!
They bring their children up to fear the judgement of the Lord!
They teach their children the commandments of the Lord!
They instill in their children that choices have consequences!
It is indeed a blessing to have loving parents who care for you and spend time with you!
Discipline is a must but a word of caution here, spanking used sparingly is a good deterrent, spanking used out of frustration is being a lousy parent and becomes ineffective if used too much!
The willful child is better served with a clear explanation and a time out from his or her favorite pursuits!
Parents, put your cellphones, Ipads, computers etc. down and spend quality time with your kids!!
They want your undivided attention!!
You can be an absent parent even when you are there due to the distractions of our many different electronic devices!!
Today would have been my mother's 82nd birthday had she lived!
She was such a loving mother, I miss her so much!
My grandmother, Mom-Me, was such a joy to me!
They taught me so much, spent many hours just being there with me and gave me such encouragement!
My precious daddy was a good and loving daddy!
He did not come to know the Lord until he was in his late 50's or early 60's!
I praise God in His mercy for it was truly a miracle!
Many older people, out of sinful pride, will not humbly go before the Lord to ask for mercy!
Don't let your foolish pride stand in the way of an eternity with a loving God who has let His Son die to redeem you from sin!
Gal.4:3-5
3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Gal.3:13-14, 22
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Eph.1:7-14
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory.
Col.1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Heb.9:11-12
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Lord, thank You for Godly parents and grandparents! Help us to teach our gifts (children) the fear and mercy of the Lord! Amen
2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth--
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
They are wise in the knowledge of the Lord!
They bring their children up to fear the judgement of the Lord!
They teach their children the commandments of the Lord!
They instill in their children that choices have consequences!
It is indeed a blessing to have loving parents who care for you and spend time with you!
Discipline is a must but a word of caution here, spanking used sparingly is a good deterrent, spanking used out of frustration is being a lousy parent and becomes ineffective if used too much!
The willful child is better served with a clear explanation and a time out from his or her favorite pursuits!
Parents, put your cellphones, Ipads, computers etc. down and spend quality time with your kids!!
They want your undivided attention!!
You can be an absent parent even when you are there due to the distractions of our many different electronic devices!!
Today would have been my mother's 82nd birthday had she lived!
She was such a loving mother, I miss her so much!
My grandmother, Mom-Me, was such a joy to me!
They taught me so much, spent many hours just being there with me and gave me such encouragement!
My precious daddy was a good and loving daddy!
He did not come to know the Lord until he was in his late 50's or early 60's!
I praise God in His mercy for it was truly a miracle!
Many older people, out of sinful pride, will not humbly go before the Lord to ask for mercy!
Don't let your foolish pride stand in the way of an eternity with a loving God who has let His Son die to redeem you from sin!
Gal.4:3-5
3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Gal.3:13-14, 22
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
Eph.1:7-14
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory.
Col.1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Heb.9:11-12
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Lord, thank You for Godly parents and grandparents! Help us to teach our gifts (children) the fear and mercy of the Lord! Amen
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