Bible Study

1 John 1:7

[7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Romans 6:13

[13] Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

1 Peter 4:2

[2] so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Hebrews 7:27

[27] He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Jesus Will Return to Judge

PRAY OVER THIS

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Revelation 1:8

 

PONDER THIS

When Jesus came to Earth the first time, He came to a tree—but when He comes again, He’s coming to a throne. When He came the first time, He came to redeem—but when He comes again, He will come to reign. When He came the first time, He came as a Savior—but when He comes again, He is coming as the Sovereign.

I heard about an individual who was arrested for a crime and was guilty, but he thought perhaps he could find mercy in the court because the judge sitting on the bench had one time represented this man as a lawyer. The judge said to him, “I’m sorry to inform you of this, but I can show absolutely no partiality on your point. At that time, I was your lawyer to represent you, but now I am your judge to judge you.” I want to tell you this: if you do not allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Savior, you will meet Him as your Judge, and the Lamb will become the Lion when He returns. You may have cursed Him behind His back, but no one will curse Him to His face.

How have you prepared to face Jesus as sovereign and judge at His return?

How do God’s words in today’s verse give you confidence in your faith in Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Place a reminder that Jesus is returning as Sovereign somewhere you will see it every day.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Root of Ingratitude

Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

When gratitude springs up in the human heart toward God, he is magnified as the wealthy source of our blessing. He is acknowledged as giver and benefactor and therefore as glorious.

But when gratitude does not spring up in our hearts at God’s great goodness to us, it probably means that we don’t want to pay him a compliment; we don’t want to magnify him as our benefactor.

And there is a very good reason that human beings by nature do not want to magnify God with thanksgiving or glorify him as their benefactor. The reason is that it detracts from our own glory, and all people by nature love their own glory more than the glory of God.

At the root of all ingratitude is the love of one’s own greatness. For genuine gratitude admits that we are beneficiaries of an unearned bequest. We are cripples leaning on the cross-shaped crutch of Jesus Christ. We are paralytics living minute by minute in the iron lung of God’s mercy. We are children asleep in heaven’s stroller.

The natural person, apart from saving grace, hates to think of himself in these images: unworthy beneficiary, cripple, paralytic, child. They rob him of his glory by giving it all to God.

Therefore, while a man loves his own glory, and prizes his self-sufficiency, and hates to think of himself as sin-sick and helpless, he will never feel genuine gratitude to the true God and so will never magnify God as he ought, but only himself.

Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

Jesus did not come to minister to those who insist they are well. He demands something great: that we admit we are not great. This is bad news to the arrogant, but words of honey to those who have given up their charade of self-sufficiency and are seeking God.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Revelation 21:6-7

[6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 22:13

[13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Isaiah 41:4

    [4] Who has performed and done this,

        calling the generations from the beginning?

    I, the LORD, the first,

        and with the last; I am he.

Isaiah 43:10-11

    [10] “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,

        “and my servant whom I have chosen,

    that you may know and believe me

        and understand that I am he.

    Before me no god was formed,

        nor shall there be any after me. 

    [11] I, I am the LORD,

        and besides me there is no savior.

God Wants You to Endure

PRAY OVER THIS

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4

 

PONDER THIS

What is God’s plan for you? God wants you to be mature. You may think God’s plan for you is health and wealth. That’s not it. You may think God’s plan for you is service and usefulness. He does want that, but that’s not God’s plan for you. So then, what is God’s plan for you? The Bible tells us in Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

The word patience in James 1:4 is not the ability to thread a needle or build a model airplane; James used a Greek word that means “endurance.” You’ll never learn anything if you don’t learn patience. You won’t learn the piano or grow in that skill. You’re not going to learn Greek until you have enough patience to learn the verbs and you’re not going to learn to be a true child of God in true maturity until you learn patience. The only way you can learn endurance or patience to move toward maturity is by having something to endure.

What are some plans you thought God had for you that turned out differently than you expected?

What value have you seen in endurance in your own life?

PRACTICE THIS

Think about some of the difficult things that have happened in your life that have built endurance in your faith. Spend some time praising God for the different ways your relationship with Him has grown through these difficulties.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Magnify God

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30)

There are two kinds of magnifying: microscope magnifying and telescope magnifying. The one makes a small thing look bigger than it is. The other makes a big thing begin to look as big as it really is.

When David says, “I will magnify God with thanksgiving,” he does not mean, “I will make a small God look bigger than he is.” He means, “I will make a big God begin to look as big as he really is.”

We are not called to be microscopes. We are called to be telescopes. Christians are not called to be con-men who magnify their product out of all proportion to reality, when they know the competitor’s product is far superior. There is nothing and nobody superior to God. And so the calling of those who love God is to make his greatness begin to look as great as it really is.

That’s why we exist, why we were saved, as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The whole duty of the Christian can be summed up in this: feel, think, and act in a way that will make God look as great as he really is. Be a telescope for the world of the infinite starry wealth of the glory of God.

This is what it means for a Christian to magnify God. But you can’t magnify what you haven’t seen or what you quickly forget.

Therefore, our first task is to see and to remember the greatness and goodness of God. So we pray to God, “Open the eyes of my heart!” (Ephesians 1:18), and we preach to our souls, “Soul, forget not all his benefits!” (Psalm 103:2).

John Piper 

Bible Study

1 Thessalonians 5:23

[23] Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:48

[48] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

John 17:17

[17] Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

Hebrews 4:12-15

[12] For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest

[14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.