Bible Study

John 14:16-17

[16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Ephesians 6:18-19

[18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, [19] and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

Zechariah 12:10

[10] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

John 16:7

[7] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Six Things It Means to Be in Christ Jesus

 [God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. (2 Timothy 1:9)

Being “in Christ Jesus” is a stupendous reality. It is breathtaking to be united to Christ. Bound to Christ.

If you are “in Christ” listen to what it means for you:

In Christ Jesus you were given grace before the world was created. Second Timothy 1:9, “He gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

In Christ Jesus you were chosen by God before creation. Ephesians 1:4, “[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world.”

In Christ Jesus you are loved by God with an inseparable love. Romans 8:38–39, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In Christ Jesus you were redeemed and forgiven for all your sins. Ephesians 1:7, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”

In Christ Jesus you are justified before God and the righteousness of God in Christ is imputed to you. Second Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In Christ Jesus you have become a new creation and a son of God. Second Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Galatians 3:26, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

I pray that you will never grow weary of exploring and exulting in the inexhaustible privilege of being “in Christ Jesus.”

John Piper 

When You Don’t Know What to Say

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  ROMANS 8:26

 

PONDER THIS

For the last several years, I have been praying, "Oh God, hear my prayer, God hear my prayer." I've stained Heaven with my prayer. But God said to me some while back, "Adrian, I've heard your prayer. I know what you're asking for and I'm going to answer your prayer, not the way you think, but more wonderful than you think." What a peace that was to my heart.

All of us are there sometimes. We pray, “God, I think it's this” or “I think it's that” or sometimes, “Lord, I don't know.” When we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Thank God we are asking for one thing, and God's Holy Spirit says, “Now Father, there's Adrian. He's down there asking for something. He's sincere. This is what he thinks he wants, but God, this is what he needs.”

You don’t have to have your prayer well-worded; the Lord hears your heart. He will provide what you need even when you don’t know how to express it.

When have you been at a loss for words? How does it feel to know you can approach God even when you feel that way?

What are some prayers you need to entrust to God? How have you tried to handle things on your own?

PRACTICE THIS

Surrender to God the confusing situations you have tried to figure out on your own.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Bible Study

Psalm 23:3

        [3]     He restores my soul.

    He leads me in paths of righteousness

        for his name’s sake.

Romans 5:20-21

[20] Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, [21] so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 3:20

[20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Psalm 143:2

    [2] Enter not into judgment with your servant,

        for no one living is righteous before you.

Forgiven for Jesus’s Sake

For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)

In knowing what is right, God does not consult any authority higher than himself. His own worth is the ultimate value in the universe. Therefore, for God to do what is right means acting in a way that accords with this ultimate value.

The righteousness of God is the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater.

How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation.

The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father.

Because of Christ, we can pray with new understanding the prayer of the psalmist, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great” (Psalm 25:11). The new understanding is that, because of Christ, instead of only praying, “For your name’s sake, pardon my guilt,” we now pray, “For Jesus’s name’s sake, O God, pardon my guilt.”

First John 2:12 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake,” referring to Jesus. Jesus has now atoned for sin and vindicated the Father’s honor so that our “sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.”

God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did. Therefore, “For your name’s sake, O Lord” and “For Jesus’s name’s sake” are the same. And that is why we pray with confidence for forgiveness.

John Piper 

Prayer is the Key that Opens the Morning

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” MATTHEW 6:13

 
PONDER THIS

What is wrong with so many of us is that we wake up in the morning and everything’s going fine. We jump out of bed, we get dressed, and have our breakfast. We gulp down some hot coffee. We get in the car and go to work. Everything is just fine. We think we’ve got it made, and then here comes the enemy—and we fail.

We fall and we come to the end of the day and we pray, “God forgive me.” And we should! Every time you pray that in sincerity and in truth, God does forgive you. But why do we keep on asking Him to forgive us for the same thing? You ask God to forgive you, and He does. Then you fall again and say, “God forgive me,” and He does.

The reason we keep asking God to forgive us for the same thing is that we’ve only learned part of this prayer in Matthew 6. We’ve learned to pray, “God forgive us,” but we’ve not learned to pray, “Lord lead us, lest we fall into temptation. Deliver us from evil.”

The best way to deal with your sin is not to try to clean it up at the end of the day, but to prevent it from coming at the beginning of the day. This prayer is not the lock that closes the night; it is the key that opens the morning. Pray in the morning for daily deliverance.

What are some of the ways you get ready spiritually each day? How do those things prepare you for the spiritual battles ahead?
What are some reasons you don’t prioritize getting ready spiritually each day?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a reminder for yourself to get spiritually ready each day. Make this preparation a habit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

Bible Study

Daniel 7:14

    [14] And to him was given dominion

        and glory and a kingdom,

    that all peoples, nations, and languages

        should serve him;

    his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

        which shall not pass away,

    and his kingdom one

        that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:27

    [27] And the kingdom and the dominion

        and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

        shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;

    his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

        and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

Ephesians 1:21-23

[21] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22] And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23] which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Colossians 2:10

[10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.