Saturday, November 16, 2013
Prepared For Destruction
Romans 9:14-24
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!
15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"
20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?"
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
I read an article yesterday about an Atheist who has begun a movement which is being compared to a Christian church. Why would they want to be anything like us? They model their gatherings after our Sunday morning church service. They call themselves a congregation! They sing secular music. Each service has a message delivered! There is a vast difference in what they call this gathering "godless Sundays" as compared to our true worship of infinite holy God. We stand for everything they are against. It is not about morality, good works or any other thing that make us feel good. Salvation is based on mercy and what Christ has done on the cross! We know that God exist and we follow Him, obey Him and give our life to Him! We know that the soul is eternal! We know that we will die and then comes judgment! It saddens me to see this but it is only the fulfilling of God's word! In the end times men will be lovers of themselves. They must be searching; or else they would not feel the need to gather together. Some of the leaders called themselves ministers in the Christian faith before they were "enlightened". The gospel also speaks of this in a verse that says "they were never really with us". This is definitely why a so called "pastor" would marry gay couples in direct defiance to what the gospel teaches about marriage being “between man and women". This brings another verse to mind about strange teaching! If you belief is not in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit, that is your freedom of choice but it brings consequence! You and I are sinners in need of a Savior of which there is only one who exist!
Lord, I know that they cannot see and that You alone call men to repent. I am asking in mercy for eyes to be opened to the light of Your salvation in Christ! Amen
Col.2:8-14
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
2 Tim.3:1-5
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
1 John 2:18-25
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.
21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.
23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that he made to us-eternal life.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Ephesians 4:14
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.
Ephesians 5:5-11
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not become partners with them;
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
Hebrews 9:27-28
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Genesis 2:22-24
22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
1 Corinthians 7:2
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
Hebrews 10:4-17
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'"
8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),
9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second.
10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"
17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."
1 Timothy 2:1-7
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Hebrews 9:11-14
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.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
THE CROSS AND CHRISTIAN SANCTIFICATION
2 Corinthians 3:18
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.
Sanctification is the process…
Justification occurs at a point in time; sanctification is
a process over time. (Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 1:18; Heb. 10:14)
Justification refers to how we stand before God; sanctification
refers to how we live before God. (Rom. 5:1-8:39; Gal. 2:15-21)
Justification knows no degrees; sanctification progresses
in degrees. (2 Cor. 3:18)
by which God…
We are sanctified by God the Father. (2 Cor. 1:21-22; 16:14)
We are sanctified in God the Son. (Exod. 34:29-35; 2 Cor. 3:16-18)
We become like what we behold.
The more we look to Christ, the more we look
like Christ.
We are sanctified through God the Spirit.
(2 Cor. 3:1-18; Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 36:26-27)
Spiritless Christianity…
Relies on external regulations.
Revolves around our performance for God.
Results in condemnation and death.
Spirit-filled Christianity…
Relies on internal transformation.
Revolves around God’s performance in us.
Results in salvation and life.
transforms our lives…
See the battle for transformation. (2 Cor. 2:11; 10:3; 11:13-15)
God transforms our minds. (2 Cor. 10:3-6; 11:3-6)
God transforms our affections. (2 Cor. 7:10)
God transforms our wills. (2 Cor. 5:9-10; 12:19-21)
God transforms our relationships.
We show the love of Christ to each other in the church.
(2 Cor . 2:4; 5:14; 6:1 1-13; 7:2-4; 1 1:2, 11; 12:14-15, 19)
We spread the love of Christ to others in the world.
Through a clear reflection of God’s holiness. (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1)
Through the urgent proclamation of God’s gospel.
(2 Cor. 4:1-6)
See your need for examination. (2 Cor. 13:5-10)
into the image of Christ...
Our sanctification will not be complete in this world.
(Rom. 7:18-19; 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
This is not an excuse for spiritual laziness. (1 John 2:1-6; 3:4-10)
This is an exhortation to spiritual perseverance. (Heb. 12:1-3)
Our sanctification will be complete in the world to come. (1 John 3:2-3)
Thanks Pastor David!
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.
Sanctification is the process…
Justification occurs at a point in time; sanctification is
a process over time. (Rom. 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 1:18; Heb. 10:14)
Justification refers to how we stand before God; sanctification
refers to how we live before God. (Rom. 5:1-8:39; Gal. 2:15-21)
Justification knows no degrees; sanctification progresses
in degrees. (2 Cor. 3:18)
by which God…
We are sanctified by God the Father. (2 Cor. 1:21-22; 16:14)
We are sanctified in God the Son. (Exod. 34:29-35; 2 Cor. 3:16-18)
We become like what we behold.
The more we look to Christ, the more we look
like Christ.
We are sanctified through God the Spirit.
(2 Cor. 3:1-18; Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 36:26-27)
Spiritless Christianity…
Relies on external regulations.
Revolves around our performance for God.
Results in condemnation and death.
Spirit-filled Christianity…
Relies on internal transformation.
Revolves around God’s performance in us.
Results in salvation and life.
transforms our lives…
See the battle for transformation. (2 Cor. 2:11; 10:3; 11:13-15)
God transforms our minds. (2 Cor. 10:3-6; 11:3-6)
God transforms our affections. (2 Cor. 7:10)
God transforms our wills. (2 Cor. 5:9-10; 12:19-21)
God transforms our relationships.
We show the love of Christ to each other in the church.
(2 Cor . 2:4; 5:14; 6:1 1-13; 7:2-4; 1 1:2, 11; 12:14-15, 19)
We spread the love of Christ to others in the world.
Through a clear reflection of God’s holiness. (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1)
Through the urgent proclamation of God’s gospel.
(2 Cor. 4:1-6)
See your need for examination. (2 Cor. 13:5-10)
into the image of Christ...
Our sanctification will not be complete in this world.
(Rom. 7:18-19; 1 Jn. 1:8-10)
This is not an excuse for spiritual laziness. (1 John 2:1-6; 3:4-10)
This is an exhortation to spiritual perseverance. (Heb. 12:1-3)
Our sanctification will be complete in the world to come. (1 John 3:2-3)
Thanks Pastor David!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
THE CROSS AND CHRISTIAN SUFFERING
2 Corinthians 1:1-2:17;
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge--
14 just as you did partially acknowledge us--that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace.
16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.
4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Forgive the Sinner
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely--to all of you.
6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,
7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Triumph in Christ
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,
13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10;
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.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak,
14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.
17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord's authority but as a fool.
18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!
20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.
21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast of that.
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,
33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--
4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.
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.
We experience suffering in God.
He is sovereign over all suffering.
Satan intends every type of suffering to sabotage us.
God ordains every type of suffering to sanctify us.
He is familiar with all suffering.
He is the source of all compassion.
He is sufficient for all comfort.
We extend comfort from God.
We are comforted for others’ sake.
That we might show the love of Christ to each other
in the church.
That we might spread the love of Christ to others in the world.
We are a fellowship of brothers and sisters…
Who hurt.
With hope.
We exult in the glory of God.
He is our victory.
He is our deliverer.
He is our reward.
Suffering comes full circle…
God uses suffering for our sake.
God uses suffering for others’ sake.
God uses suffering for His sake.
Suffering becomes well worth it…
All suffering for the Christian is light and temporary.
Coming glory for the Christian is vast and eternal.
Thanks Pastor David!
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge--
14 just as you did partially acknowledge us--that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace.
16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.
4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Forgive the Sinner
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely--to all of you.
6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,
7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Triumph in Christ
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,
13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10;
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.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak,
14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.
17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord's authority but as a fool.
18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
19 For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!
20 For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.
21 To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast of that.
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,
33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.
3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--
4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.
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.
We experience suffering in God.
He is sovereign over all suffering.
Satan intends every type of suffering to sabotage us.
God ordains every type of suffering to sanctify us.
He is familiar with all suffering.
He is the source of all compassion.
He is sufficient for all comfort.
We extend comfort from God.
We are comforted for others’ sake.
That we might show the love of Christ to each other
in the church.
That we might spread the love of Christ to others in the world.
We are a fellowship of brothers and sisters…
Who hurt.
With hope.
We exult in the glory of God.
He is our victory.
He is our deliverer.
He is our reward.
Suffering comes full circle…
God uses suffering for our sake.
God uses suffering for others’ sake.
God uses suffering for His sake.
Suffering becomes well worth it…
All suffering for the Christian is light and temporary.
Coming glory for the Christian is vast and eternal.
Thanks Pastor David!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Like A Child
For my precious grandson!
MiMi, are there any colors in heaven?
Yes precious there is, would you like for me to tell you what the bible says about color in heaven?
Luke 18:17
Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
The faith and wonder of a four year old child, as yet unstained by the world!
The questioning heart that knows a little about Jesus but longs for more!
The seeds already planted by parents, grandparents and faithful teachers at church and day school, yes Lord!
These tender hearts longing for the truth of the gospel!
Lets give them what God has commanded us, "Go and make disciples"!
Rev. 21:11-27
11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed-
13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.
16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
25 and its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
But MiMi he asks with a very deep sigh, is my name written in the Lamb's book of life?
Son, would you like for me to tell you how to get your name written there?
Yes MiMi! It is only written there by the mercy of The Lord, son.
1 Cor.6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Son, we are all born as sinners into a fallen world where Satan reigns to wreak havoc!
It is his intention to tempt us to stay in our sin.
Only through our study of the scriptures, our faith in Christ and standing on the promise of God can we withstand Satan.
Satan is already defeated by the death of Christ and His resurrection.
MiMi, are there any colors in heaven?
Yes precious there is, would you like for me to tell you what the bible says about color in heaven?
Luke 18:17
Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
The faith and wonder of a four year old child, as yet unstained by the world!
The questioning heart that knows a little about Jesus but longs for more!
The seeds already planted by parents, grandparents and faithful teachers at church and day school, yes Lord!
These tender hearts longing for the truth of the gospel!
Lets give them what God has commanded us, "Go and make disciples"!
Rev. 21:11-27
11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed-
13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.
16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
25 and its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
But MiMi he asks with a very deep sigh, is my name written in the Lamb's book of life?
Son, would you like for me to tell you how to get your name written there?
Yes MiMi! It is only written there by the mercy of The Lord, son.
1 Cor.6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Son, we are all born as sinners into a fallen world where Satan reigns to wreak havoc!
It is his intention to tempt us to stay in our sin.
Only through our study of the scriptures, our faith in Christ and standing on the promise of God can we withstand Satan.
Satan is already defeated by the death of Christ and His resurrection.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
THE CROSS AND THE CHURCH
1 Corinthians 16:5-24
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia,
6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go.
7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,
9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.
11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
Final Instructions
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers--you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints--
16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.
17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence,
18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men.
Greetings
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.
22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The Cross and The Church
May we stand firm in this culture.
Preaching the cross and trusting God’s wisdom.
Glorifying God through purity in our body…
Corporately through discipline and restoration.
Individually as men and women, in sexuality, marriage, and singleness.
Worshiping God in our work and our play.
May we show love in the church.
In the ways we use our liberties and the way we spend
our lives.
Through our use of spiritual gifts and a pattern of
selfless giving.
In our gathering for worship and our scattering as witnesses.
The cross compels us to make disciples.
The cross compels us to multiply churches.
Thanks pastor David!!
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia,
6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go.
7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,
9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.
11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
Final Instructions
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers--you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints--
16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.
17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence,
18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men.
Greetings
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.
20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.
22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The Cross and The Church
May we stand firm in this culture.
Preaching the cross and trusting God’s wisdom.
Glorifying God through purity in our body…
Corporately through discipline and restoration.
Individually as men and women, in sexuality, marriage, and singleness.
Worshiping God in our work and our play.
May we show love in the church.
In the ways we use our liberties and the way we spend
our lives.
Through our use of spiritual gifts and a pattern of
selfless giving.
In our gathering for worship and our scattering as witnesses.
The cross compels us to make disciples.
The cross compels us to multiply churches.
Thanks pastor David!!
Salt and Decay
Rev.1:5
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
Before refrigeration, meat was preserved by salt to prevent decay.
We, as a nation, have lost our salt!
In our hesitation not to offend people we are not sharing the power of God's word to stop the decay, that decay being sin.
I don't say this to judge because I too am under judgment from a Holy God who hates sin!
As a sinner, I know the power of Christ to save my soul!
As a sinner forgiven, I want to share this power with the world!!
Mark 9:49-50
49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We have surely let indifference creep in.
We must love people enough to share the gospel!
Father, loosen our tongues! Give us a pure heart to teach the gospel no matter the cost! Amen
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
Before refrigeration, meat was preserved by salt to prevent decay.
We, as a nation, have lost our salt!
In our hesitation not to offend people we are not sharing the power of God's word to stop the decay, that decay being sin.
I don't say this to judge because I too am under judgment from a Holy God who hates sin!
As a sinner, I know the power of Christ to save my soul!
As a sinner forgiven, I want to share this power with the world!!
Mark 9:49-50
49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."
Matthew 5:14-16
14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We have surely let indifference creep in.
We must love people enough to share the gospel!
Father, loosen our tongues! Give us a pure heart to teach the gospel no matter the cost! Amen
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Subjection of the Rebels
SUBJECTION, n.
1. The act of subduing; the act of vanquishing and bringing under the dominion of another.
The conquest of the kingdom and the subjection of the rebels--
2. The state of being under the power, control and government of another. The safety of life, liberty, and property depends on our subjection. Our appetites and passions should be in subjection to our reason, and our will should be in entire subjection to the laws of God.
The Rebel never finds peace.
He has a high opinion of himself!
He always thinks he is right, never listening to others.
We are born rebels!
We have been rebels since the Garden of Eden when our temptation began!
Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
1 Cor.11:3
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
God has commanded the order of all things!
Subjects of God are under His will!
He wants a humble willing servant!
John 5:19,30
19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
1. The act of subduing; the act of vanquishing and bringing under the dominion of another.
The conquest of the kingdom and the subjection of the rebels--
2. The state of being under the power, control and government of another. The safety of life, liberty, and property depends on our subjection. Our appetites and passions should be in subjection to our reason, and our will should be in entire subjection to the laws of God.
The Rebel never finds peace.
He has a high opinion of himself!
He always thinks he is right, never listening to others.
We are born rebels!
We have been rebels since the Garden of Eden when our temptation began!
Ephesians 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
1 Cor.11:3
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
God has commanded the order of all things!
Subjects of God are under His will!
He wants a humble willing servant!
John 5:19,30
19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
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