Espoused To Christ

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“…Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God.” Revelation 19:1b

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

I’ve never performed a wedding where there wasn’t a beautiful bride, but no bride can compare in beauty to the one we’ll behold when Jesus returns to claim us, the Bride of Christ.

You see, when we were saved, we were espoused to Christ, and an espousal is a little bit stronger than an engagement. An engagement is a promise to marry, but an espousal is a promise that you belong to this person even though the marriage has not yet been consummated.

Every child of God already belongs to Him. When we become espoused to Christ, He gives us something better than an engagement ring. He gives us the Holy Spirit.

ACTION POINT:

Read Revelation chapter 19, then spend a few moments worshipping Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Longing For His Return

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

God chose the analogy of a wedding to describe the moment when we become one with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we become one with God for all eternity, we’ll know Him in a more intimate way than we know Him now, and God calls that “the marriage of the Lamb.” When I think about the fact that being swept up to meet the Lord in Glory and meeting Him face to face is so fulfilling that the Bible describes it as the consummation of a marriage, I don’t mind telling you that really excites me!

ACTION POINT:

Examine your heart. Does the Second Coming of our Lord make your heart pound with excitement? Do you long for His return and reign?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Sexual Sin / A Form of Idolatry

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. - Romans 1:24-28

As with all sin, we turn away from God placing ourselves in God's place as Master. 

He is your Lord Almighty.

Fornication, homosexuality, lust, predatory sex, and adultery are forms of man and his brokenness. 

So we can't say one is worse than the other because they are all bad and will separate you eternally from God.

When we indulge in these acts, we are essentially saying, I don't care what God thinks or says, "I" want to do it.

We emphasize "I" instead of God.

From the beginning, God declared His creation man and woman.

God created the sexual union as a beautiful thing between His creatures He called male and female.

Man has perverted this because of his wickedness.

There is a way that is natural, ordained by God and full of goodness.

There is a way that is unnatural created by wicked man leading to destruction.

God has given us free will.

It comes down to a choice.

God on the throne.

You on the throne.

Choose carefully, the choice has eternal implications.

Thanks John for the great teaching!!!

He Who is Able

Lord, let these words of truth pierce many hearts.

Teaching, convicting, redeeming and causing all to grow closer to You.

Christ paid our debt according to Your plan and by Your power. Amen

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. - Colossians 1:13-14

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. - 1 Thessalonians 1:10

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

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. - Ephesians 1:7-14

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. - Colossians 2:13-14

19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. - Acts 3:19-21

Seizing Opportunities to Serve

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37? He was on a journey but stopped and helped a bruised and broken man. He didn’t make excuses saying, “It’s none of my business.” It was a golden moment, and he took it.

All around you are people who need the compassion of Christ. They need you to see their pain as a golden opportunity to serve them in the name of Jesus.

The chief enemy to kindness is busyness. We have our priorities, our jobs, our duties, our responsibilities, and we’re too busy. But if we’re too busy to be kind, we’re too busy.

ACTION POINT:

What’s on your schedule for today? If someone had a flat tire, could you fix it? If someone called and needed a ride to the hospital, could you take them? Clear the way for Jesus, my friend.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Meddlesome Gospel in a Many-Gods World

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"-because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean."

21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

28 for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.' 

29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this."

33 So Paul went out from their midst. - Acts 17:16-33

Aseity definition:

existence originating from and having no source other than itself

The Motivation and the Method

• Paul doesn’t view Athens as a tourist enamored with its art, but as a Christian dismayed by its idolatry.

• Paul neither smashes the images nor boils over in prophetic rage.

He reasons with them.

The Message

Given his audience, Paul starts his gospel at the very beginning, offering in basic theology. 

1) Creation : The God Who Made It All

2)  Aseity: The God Who Needs Nothing

3)  Resurrection: The God Who Appointed Jesus Christ as Savior

and Judge

4)  Repentance: The God Who Commands Exclusive Allegiance

Thanks Matt!!!

Valleys and Mountains in the Life of a Christian

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Did you know that it is an impossibility of geography to have a valley without a mountain? They are beautiful complements in God’s grand creation.

The valley is the place of vision. It is the place of repose and reflection.

The mountain is the place of discovery and a place to become strong.

If you find yourself in a valley, it is because you have come down from a mountain. If you’re on a mountain, you came to that place by way of the valley.

ACTION POINT:

Are you in the valley or on the mountaintop? Read Psalm 46 about the strength of the Lord. Rest and rejoice in His strength, wherever God has you right now.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers