Hope For The Heart

Title: "The Sign of the return of Christ " Matthew 24:29-30 This passage gives us the actual sign for the return of Christ. Everything listed in Matthew 24 verses 4-28 are lesser signs that point to this one larger sign. And then the fact that this sign along with most of the lesser signs are not given for the church age to witness. They are basically all given for the believers alive during the 7- tribulation period on the earth. The believers of today will not be there.

In this text we see a question posed by the disciples as to the signs that would point to Christ second coming. In this study, I want to look at what the signs are and are they for us today.

This passage does not tell us how long or when Jesus will return. But this passage does tell us for certain that Jesus is going to return. This verse also says that when we see all these things know that the time is very near. Well, what are the things that we will be able to see so we that we know His return is very near?

I truly believe that this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is telling this young church in Ephesus. God has not only given us a new heart but He has also given us the in dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, therefore, we are to live differently than unbelievers. In other words, you can ask yourself this question, how different am I really from the way I was before salvation? Am I living true to the new heart that God has given me? This passage will help you answer that question.

In order to answer the question -did I change at salvation-all I have to do is look at my life. In particular, look at the way I think about things or the way I act, is it different now that I'm a believer. Paul says we can know we are different because we really are a new creation old things are passed away and all is become new.(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Title: "Grow Up!" Ephesians 4:13-15 Once again we are encouraged in the Word of God to simply "grow up" in Christ. Here in this passage, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the young believers in the church of Ephesus to grow up to a mature person using the gifts that God has given you to be used in the local church. As a result we as believers will be not only a mature person but a more stable and solid believer who will not be shaken by any wind of doctrine.

In this passage The Apostle Paul begins to show us how God will build His church. You remember in Matthew our Lord said, " I will build my church" . So we can see that not only does his give gifts to the church but He equips the believers within the church. There are several tools He uses to equips His church. The first one is His Word and then He uses prayer.

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "spiritual gift"? For many people it stirs up a feeling that it is something that they did not receive, when in fact, this passage tells us that all believers have been given spiritual gift by The Lord. But how can I know what my gift is would be the next obvious question. I believe that all spiritual gifts have been given to bring unity in the body of Christ which is the church and I also believe that the emphasis in this passage is not on the gift itself but on your service within in body of Christ. So perhaps you could fine a place of service and you might just realize that your church actually needs you and you need your church.

This is a great passage of scripture that shows us the importance of the Resurrection in relation to our Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This begins the practical section of Ephesians in which Paul encourages these new believers in Christ to begin to live in a way that reflects this new heart that you have been given by the Lord. If you are ever to live in unity in the spirit you will new to understand what God is doing through your life and it will involve humility , gentleness as well as a genuine love for others.

According to this passage God is able to do exceeding abundantly more than we can imagine. This doxology is perhaps one of the greatest in the Bible. This verse is a praise to God ascribing all glory to Him and is very much an encouragement to believers everywhere . We can not begin to grasp what God is able to do for us.

Title: " Living to Glorify God"Ephesians 3:14-17Does your life as a believer actually glorify God. Well, in this passage Paul is praying that we as believers might understand that it is possible to live in the reality that our life should and can glorify God. There are some things we need to concern ourselves with first. There are 4 things for us to understand first before we can live in the reality of verses 20 and 21.

In this passage Paul is showing that the individual believer is a person in whom God the Holy Spirit dwells. This is one truth that proves that at our new birth all things become new (2 Cor. 5:17). Our bodies are the temple of God (2 Cor. 6:16). Just as God dwelt by His Holy Spirit in the temple in the Old Testament, so now He dwells in us. Very important when you consider that Paul is talking about Jews and Gentiles being unified together in Christ at salvation.

Title: " Jesus is our Peace"Ephesians 2:11-22Once again in this passage we see what should be clear evidence of the change brought about from our regeneration. Since we have a new heart there should be unity in the church as Paul so clearly lays out for the new believers in Ephesus . There was a long standing hatred between Jews and Gentiles and Paul Encourages the believers to get over the hatred because Jews and Gentiles are both changed in Christ .

This passage confirms for us that we were not saved by works, but by the grace of God. But, this verse also says we were saved for good works. Basically, this verse affirms the basic truth that regeneration really does change us. A great cross reference to this verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17 which also says that regeneration brings about all things new. So ask yourself, how did I change when I was saved? How you answer that might indicate you spiritual condition.

Our condition before salvation is our total inability to respond to God. We are dead in our sin, spiritually dead and we are not able to change that condition. We have eyes that can't see and ears that can not hear so God who is rich in mercy gives us a new heart . Now we have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear and a new heart to respond to God.

This passage teaches that every human ever born is born dead spiritually. That is, totally unable to respond to God in any way and is completely separated from Him. But God, quickens us , gives us life which enables us to respond to Him.He does this because He is rich in mercy and love for us.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you can read a verse of scripture and it seems that God turns on a light so that you see it and its meaning for the first time. In this passage , Paul is praying for the believers in Ephesus that God would open up the eyes of their hearts so that they might see the truths in verses 3-15 of chapter 1. In other words, Paul prays that they might understand God's word.

Title: "Our Best Life is not now"Ephesians 1:11-14This is a wonderful passage of scripture that assures us that our best life is still to come. Contrary to some who would teach that our best life is right now . For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ our best life is when we are in heaven with our savior Jesus and not now in a world filled with evil and violence. Remember that we were saved out of this world whose ruler is satan himself. Our citizenship is in heaven which will be the last phase of our salvation.

This passage is a message of love for the believer. God so loved us that He predestined us to be conformed to His image in love. Just think God has chosen us , in Christ, before the world was even created and did this for His own glory. After all the Bible says, God sits in the heavens and He does whatever He wishes.

A very important exercise in your daily routine today, is try describing God? Write down on a piece of paper words that you would use in describing God. In this passage this is exactly what the apostle Paul is doing for the young believers in Ephesus. He begins at the same place we should probably begin and that is with the absolute sovereignty of God. Explaining to them we are blessed with all heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus because He chose us before the foundations of the world to have them.

Did you know that according to this passage you can be guided by the wisdom of our creator ,God Himself, through this entire year. We are encouraged to live as believers not unbelievers. We are to walk in wisdom and not as fools.

Title: "An Explosion Of Glory"Luke 2 :6-15Have you ever thought about the star in the story of Christ birth that is known as the Christmas story?Or the glory that the shepherds saw around them on the night of Jesus' birth? I believe that these 2 passages will probably shed some insight into the subject. The magi saw His Star in the east was none other than the very explosion of glory around the shepherds on the night of our dear saviors birth. Yes, the star was the glory of God shining in full majesty and it was not a real planet or star in the sky. Something to really think about-don't you think??

Title: "Benefits of a Quiet Time"Psalm 119:9-16According to this passage one of the greatest benefits of a quiet time is being able to actually read God's Word. For in reading His Word we fine encouragement for life, and strength for our troubled times or difficult times where we simply don't know which way to turn.This passage also gives us 4 simple and practical steps that we can take to get us on the right path to developing a consistent time with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you have as a priority of your life to read God's Word everyday ? I'm talking about a personal time , or a quiet time where you spend time reading God's Word and praying. A time that could be described as a devotional time or even a time of worship just between you and The Lord Jesus Christ. In this message the emphasis is on actually reading God's Word to see what it says . Not reading a paragraph or something written talking about what God's Word says but actually reading His Word for yourself. After all, it really is God's Word. When the Bible speaks, God speaks, so try reading it every day.

First I need to remind you that a quiet time is simply a personal time you set aside to spend time with The Lord. It usually involves prayer and bible reading. This passage gives us a great example in the life of Daniel. He had a certain place, time and position for his time with God 3 times a day -every day. I not suggesting 3 times a day but for sure one time a day that you set aside as your priority for the day to spend time with Your lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is one of the great foundational truths of the Christian life-that we have our own personal time alone with God. What better person to look at than Daniel himself. In fact, we can learn several things by reading passages in Daniel's book where he prays . He had a regular place for his prayer times as well as certain times where he set aside the time and a position which was on his knees. We can learn by studying people like Daniel. Do you have a personal quiet time with God every day?

John in his gospel presents several convincing proofs that Jesus is in fact, God. Three of these proofs are found in the first 5 verses of his gospel . He tells us that Jesus is eternal and already existed before the beginning of all creation. John also presents Him as the creator of all things, which means that Jesus is separated from His creation. And then John presents Jesus as Life, by simply saying that in Him was life and the life is the light of man. Does this sound like the same Jesus you pray to? Our Christian life demands that we have a real and biblical view of who Jesus really is. Jesus is God.

This amazing prophetic passage in Daniel lays out for us a 490 year time line. Only 483 years have passed and the last 7 years have not even started as of today. The reason that is true is because there is a gap in the time line - between v. 26 - v. 27-.-And the name of that period of time is the church age. In other words, we are living in the gap found in Daniel 9- 26 -27. When the church age is finished the last week or 7 years - Tribulation Period- will begin.

This amazing prophetic passage in Daniel lays out for us a 490 year time line. Only 483 years have passed and the last 7 years have not even started as of today. The reason that is true is because there is a gap in the time line ( between v. 26 & v. 27).And the name of that period of time is the church age. In other words, we are living in the gap found in Daniel 9: 26 -27. When the church age is finished the last week or 7 years ( Tribulation Period) will begin.

These scriptures teach that Israel will survive these difficult days because we see His decree and it is all about Israel. In it God tell us He has decreed 70 weeks of years in which He will accomplish 6 things and they have not happened as of this day. We can be assured that God's plan will be accomplished.

These scriptures teach that Israel will survive these difficult days because we see His decree and it is all about Israel. In it God tell us He has decreed 70 weeks of years in which He will accomplish 6 things and they have not happened as of this day. We can be assured that God's plan will be accomplished.

According to this passage there is not only a real devil but we are warned to be prepared to stand firm against his schemes- methods or tactics-. Satan and his demons stand in opposition to the things of God and all believers who are born of God. Yes, we are in a war where we can not see our enemy. Therefore, we need to be wise in the scriptures to understand how we are to dress and stand against our enemy.

According to this passage there is not only a real devil but we are warned to be prepared to stand firm against his schemes- methods or tactics-. Satan and his demons stand in opposition to the things of God and all believers who are born of God. Yes, we are in a war where we can not see our enemy. Therefore, we need to be wise in the scriptures to understand how we are to dress and stand against our enemy.

According to this passage there is not only a real devil but we are warned to be prepared to stand firm against his schemes( methods or tactics). Satan and his demons stand in opposition to the things of God and all believers who are born of God. Yes, we are in a war where we can not see our enemy. Therefore, we need to be wise in the scriptures to understand how we are to dress and stand against our enemy.

Title- -Do You Have Saving Faith- -John 2-23-25--Nothing is more important than understanding what it means to believe unto salvation. Nothing is more tragic than deception about your salvation. Too many people think they're saved but they simply are not because their faith is not a saving Faith. Take a look at this passage along with Hebrews 11 and discover that there is a world of difference between a natural human faith and a supernatural God given faith.

Title- -Do You Have Saving Faith- -John 2-23-25--Nothing is more important than understanding what it means to believe unto salvation. Nothing is more tragic than deception about your salvation. Too many people think they're saved but they simply are not because their faith is not a saving Faith. Take a look at this passage along with Hebrews 11 and discover that there is a world of difference between a natural human faith and a supernatural God given faith.

Title: "Do You Have Saving Faith" John 2:23-25Nothing is more important than understanding what it means to believe unto salvation. Nothing is more tragic than deception about your salvation. Too many people think they're saved but they simply are not because their faith is not a saving Faith. Take a look at this passage along with Hebrews 11 and discover that there is a world of difference between a natural human faith and a supernatural God given faith.

We are living in some tough times and anyone who doubts it is out of touch or blindly optimistic. 2 Tim. 3-1 refers to these times as exceedingly violent, savage , painful or perilous, therefore, the believer of today must answer the question, -how am I to cope or how am I to remain stable in my walk with The Lord-- Well-this passage gives us some timely advice that will help us to stand firm in our faith

We are living in some tough times and anyone who doubts it is out of touch or blindly optimistic. 2 Tim. 3-1 refers to these times as exceedingly violent, savage , painful or perilous, therefore, the believer of today must answer the question, -how am I to cope or how am I to remain stable in my walk with The Lord-- Well-this passage gives us some timely advice that will help us to stand firm in our faith

We are living in some tough times and anyone who doubts it is out of touch or blindly optimistic. 2 Tim. 3:1 refers to these times as exceedingly violent, savage , painful or perilous, therefore, the believer of today must answer the question, "how am I to cope or how am I to remain stable in my walk with The Lord? Well-this passage gives us some timely advice that will help us to stand firm in our faith

This passage teaches us that the faith that God gives us pleased Him when we trust Him. In fact, if we are not trusting Him it is impossible to please Him.

This passage teaches us that the faith that God gives us pleased Him when we trust Him. In fact, if we are not trusting Him it is impossible to please Him.

This passage teaches us that the faith that God gives us pleased Him when we trust Him. In fact, if we are not trusting Him it is impossible to please Him.

This passage teaches that by faith we can believe the impossible . Now, not everyone has this kind of faith and we can see by what comes next in the chapter that it belongs to believers. This is the same as saving faith or the faith that is a gift from God -Eph. 2-8-9- This faith , which is a gift from God, allows us to believe that God created everything that is visible out of nothing -or the invisible- A faith that unbelievers do not have because they still need to be born again. They cannot believe God, believers can believe God and His word.

This passage teaches that by faith we can believe the impossible . Now, not everyone has this kind of faith and we can see by what comes next in the chapter that it belongs to believers. This is the same as saving faith or the faith that is a gift from God -Eph. 2-8-9- This faith , which is a gift from God, allows us to believe that God created everything that is visible out of nothing -or the invisible- A faith that unbelievers do not have because they still need to be born again. They cannot believe God, believers can believe God and His word.

This passage teaches that by faith we can believe the impossible . Now, not everyone has this kind of faith and we can see by what comes next in the chapter that it belongs to believers. This is the same as saving faith or the faith that is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9) This faith , which is a gift from God, allows us to believe that God created everything that is visible out of nothing (or the invisible) A faith that unbelievers do not have because they still need to be born again. They cannot believe God, believers can believe God and His word.

This passage according to James Montgomery Boice, is a must for study if you are a believer and want to really begin to understand our great salvation. Paul very clearly describes for us the condition of fallen man before salvation. According to this passage we are dead , unable to respond or take one step towards God . In other words, we do not cooperate with God to accomplish salvation. God alone, gives life to our spirit so that we can respond to the gospel in faith, which is not a natural but a supernatural faith in the lord Jesus Christ. And then we are born again.