Podcasts about 25god

Key Verses: Romans 16:21-25God is able to make you strong.

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous personthough perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Rom 5:1-11 ESV) As we begin a new year, many of us are filled with hope and expectation. We set resolutions and goals in anticipation of making even more of the year ahead. However, we dont really have control over the actual outcomes. Illness can beset us. We may experience the sudden loss of someone close to us. National or global events beyond our control can intrude upon our lives, affecting our businesses, jobs, or financial situations. On top of the uncertainty of life, we are constantly bombarded with stories of what could potentially go wrong. Will the stock market crash and take your retirement fund along with it? Will the economy enter a recession and cause my company or department to downsize? What if this country goes to war with that country? Now, the question that I want to address today is: how do we, as Christians, think about and address the uncertainty of this world and suffering when it happens to us and those close to us? When contemplating this passage in Romans, I thought of a story and what it means to rejoice in suffering as a believer in the risen Messiah. This story is about a Chicago lawyer and businessman named Horatio Spafford. Now, Horatio had invested much of his wealth in real estate in the city. Unfortunately, most of these properties, and thus much of his investment, were reduced to ash during the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871. The fallout from this loss and the work that he and other property owners in Chicago had to undertake to rebuild and restore would take years. The scale of this tragedy cannot be overstated. Over 17,000 buildings were destroyed, and more than 100,000 people (1/3 of Chicagos population) were homeless. If this were not enough, the Spaffords young son died of scarlet fever at the age of four not long after the fire. A couple of years after the fire, Horatio decided to take his family on a trip to Europe to escape the constant work and stress of rebuilding. Who wouldnt want to get away after all that had happened? He and his family were also going to meet up with and help the famous evangelist D.L. Moody, who was working on the continent at the time. However, some urgent business came up that needed his attention as the trip neared, so Horatio sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him. One week after the ship set sail, it was violently struck in an accident by another boat at two in the morning. Because of how the ships collided, the vessel the Spafford family was on sank within 12 minutes. Of the 313 people on board, 226 perished. All four of Horatios daughters perished that night. His wife, Anna, was found unconscious, held up by floating debris. Nine days after the accident, Anna landed in Europe and sent a telegram. It read, Saved alone. What shall I do? Upon receiving the message, Horatio booked the first passage he could find. However, this was during the 1800s, so this was far from a rapid process. One night, the captain called Horatio aside and informed him that they were currently sailing over the location where the ship carrying his family had sunk. As I contemplate this situation, I cant help but ask myself how I would have responded. Would I be overcome by anguish or anger? Would I have broken down and wept or shouted out words of rage at God for allowing such a thing to happen? Instead of either of these things, Horatio returned to his cabin to attempt to try to sleep and felt a sense of comfort and hope overcome him. He wrote down these words, It is well; the will of God be done. These words would soon become his timeless hymn that resounds with so many gospel truths. The name of that hymn is It Is Well with My Soul. It is worth reflecting on that there is a similar story in the Bible. Job, the man God Himself called blameless and upright, lost everything he owned in a single day. Additionally, his sons and daughters all died that very same day. Job responded to these events with the statement, Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21). Notice the similarities? These are not words of quiet resignation or defeat. The LORD may give, and He may take away. In the words of Horatio, the will of God will be done. However, regardless of what happened to these two men, their response is instructive and encouraging beyond belief. Despite what comes, the believer can say, Blessed be the name of the LORD, and It is well with my soul. Now, these stories may be inspiring, but youd be right in asking, How do I develop that kind of abiding faith and trust in God? It is so easy to marvel at the faith of others. But the reality is that knowing the stories is not enough. These same types of tragedies, and many more besides, can happen in our lives. Thankfully, as in all things, God does not leave us alone. And I know this because the verses we are looking at today have been my anchor through the most challenging times in my life. They acted as my north star, the way that God guided me through trials and kept me traveling on the path that leads to Him. So, lets dive in. 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. The chapter opens with the word, therefore. This means that what Paul, the apostle who wrote this letter, is about to say directly follows what he has already said. It is essential to keep this at the forefront of our minds as we read scripture; what is the context? Uncountable numbers of irresponsible teachings have come through taking verses out of context and misapplying them. So, lets take a high-level view of what was said in the letter before our passage today. Paul was writing to the believers in Rome in anticipation of him traveling there, something he had long wanted to do. He wanted to accomplish several things. The letter to the Romans primarily concerns the gospel; Paul wanted to unify the church in Rome around the good news of Christ. Romans is a great place to start if you want a comprehensive understanding of the gospel message. Additionally, Paul wanted to prepare for the missionary journey he was planning to Spain; he wanted the Roman believers to help him on his way after he was able to visit them. Finally, Paul wanted to get in front of a growing division in the church between Jewish and Gentile believers. The focus for our study today aligns with the primary purpose for which Paul was writing: the good news of what Jesus has done. Or, as we more commonly call it, the gospel. Paul starts his letter by pointing to the grandeur of the universe as proof of Gods existence and that we can even learn some things about Him through creation. However, many, instead of worshiping the God who created everything, worshiped the things He made. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but theybecame futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22Claiming to be wise, they became fools,23andexchanged the glory ofthe immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24ThereforeGod gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, tothe dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,25because they exchanged the truth about God fora lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,who is blessed forever! Amen. (Rom 1:20-25) Paul addressed this because pagan worship was the norm in the Roman Empire. It is important to note here that the people Paul is talking about were the ones who exchanged God for created things in nature. God allowed them to choose and gave them up to what they wanted. N.T. Wright perhaps sums up this concept best. You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship. N.T. Wright This is a critical point that Paul made. It spoke directly to the heart of Roman culture and society. And it speaks directly to ours as well. The Romans, like the Greeks, worshipped a pantheon of gods who were very human in nature. They were spiteful, filled with lust, and sought their own pleasure above the good of others. Paul was saying that if you venerate that type of activity, you will act the same way. Now, consider our culture today; we may not wrap it up in religious language and ritual, but it is the same. Think about the lyrics of many of the most popular songs today. Consider the lives and actions of celebrities and others that our society lifts up and puts on a pedestal. Reflect on how often we are told in advertising by the rich, powerful, and famous how if we only buy this item or consume this service, we will be as happy and fulfilled as they are, or supposedly are. Think about how society as a whole treats marriage as trivial or that it is entirely ok to objectify other human beings, especially with what is deemed acceptable to view on the internet for our own pleasure. Paul then addresses those who did know about the one true God, namely the Jewish nation. However, instead of commending them, Paul has a very different message. What he said was precisely what Jesus did. It doesnt matter that you come from the line of Abraham or how well you know the Old Testament Law. God cares about and judges people based on what we actually do. 12For all who have sinnedwithout the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.13Forit is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Rom 2:12-13) And if we stop for a minute and honestly look at our own lives, this is what we see. We know at our core that there is an absolute standard for good and evil. We know that saying one thing and then doing another is both hypocritical and wrong. We have all, myself included, done things that genuinely hurt other people, damaged relationships, and were contrary to what we know in the deepest parts of ouor being are good and right and holy. Paul quoted the Psalms to sum up this point. 10None is righteous, no, not one;11no one understands;no one seeks for God.12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;no one does good,not even one. (Rom 3:10b-12) Now, this is a pretty bleak letter so far. This is not something that you read at the beginning of a year to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Were left with all of these questions that seem pretty important and rather urgent. What if there is a creator of the universe? Spoiler alert: there is. And what if He genuinely cares about right and wrong and how we treat each other? Another spoiler alert: He does. If weve all fallen short, and there are consequences for that, is there something that can be done to restore ourselves to God? And here is the best spoiler alert: There is. Paul tells us how this happens. 21But now apart from the law the righteousness of Godhas been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.22This righteousnessis given through faithinJesus Christto all who believe.There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,23for all have sinnedand fall short of the glory of God,24and all are justifiedfreely by his gracethrough the redemptionthat came by Christ Jesus.25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,through the shedding of his blood (Rom 3:21-25a, NIV) And there it is, the gospel, the good news that Paul based his entire letter around. There is a God who created both us and the universe we live in. He is perfectly good and, therefore, has made a moral law that we all are to live by. However, all of us fall short and sin. This causes a separation between us and God. However, God did not see fit to leave us as we are. He sent Jesus to live the life we never could and die the death we deserved so that we could be reconciled to Him. This is the good news that Paul was proclaiming. So, we return to the opening verses of our passage today. 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We now see what the therefore is there for. We were separated from God, but we can now be justified before him by faith. And because of this good news, that we have been justified by faith, certain things happen in the believer's life. First, we have peace with God. You see, it wasnt that we were just separated from God. We were, in fact, working against Him and were enemies. In another letter, Paul said, 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemiesin your mindsbecause ofyour evil behavior. But now he has reconciledyou by Christs physical bodythrough death to present youholy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:21-22, NIV). We just wrapped up an extremely deep study of the book of Ephesians here at Meadowbrooke. Remember what we were told in that letter about the state we were in before being saved? And you weredead in the trespasses and sins2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, followingthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work inthe sons of disobedience3among whom we all once lived inthe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyand the mind, andwere by naturechildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Eph 2:1-3) When Paul says that we now have peace with God, he doesnt mean that we have a tranquil state of mind or something like that. Instead, when we become followers of Jesus, we go from being against God or an enemy of God to having peace with Him. Remember what Paul said earlier in the letter. Nobody is righteous; nobody does good. But it doesnt stop there. We arent just in some truce or ceasefire with God. What has happened is so much more glorious and incredible than that. We also, through Jesus, have obtained grace. Now, grace can be a mysterious-sounding religious word. All it means is that somebody has received unmerited or unearned favor. It means we dont deserve the favor or good things God freely bestows on us. Remember, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God; we all were, by nature, children of wrath. The Greek word that is translated here as access literally means to approach or to bring into. We are brought into Gods grace and can actually have a personal relationship with Him. How much has changed because of what Jesus has done for us. We who were enemies not only have peace with God but also can draw near to Him and have a personal relationship with our Creator. Finally, we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And given what we have just read, there is so much to rejoice in. But again, there is something even more glorious behind these words. We rejoice not just in our newfound peace with God or our ability to be brought into His grace. We rejoice in the hope of something else. The word hope in our English language is quite weak. Typically, it means something like, I hope this year is better than the last or I hope my team wins the Super Bowl this year. It expresses the desire for something to be true, but with the realization that it may not turn out that way. However, the Greek word employed here means something more like joyful and confident expectation. Our hope is in something that we are confident and sure of. Tim Keller remarked on this passage that, Christian hope is not a hopeful wish it is a hope-filled certainty. But what is it that we are hopeful for? If we were to poll random people about what they most hoped for or were most looking forward to regarding the promises of God, we would likely get a broad range of answers. Many would almost certainly revolve around seeing loved ones again or being eternally happy and without pain or suffering. However, notice what Paul says here. His focus is on the glory of God. More than his own happiness or desires, the reason for Pauls rejoicing is in the hope of being in the presence of Gods glory. John Murray remarked on this passage, [Believers] are interested in the manifestation of the glory of God for its own sake. The glory of God is their chief end and they long for and hasten unto that day when with undimmed vision they will behold the glory of God in its fullest exhibition and vindication. What this means is that the hope of the Christian is not in the hope of our wants, desires, and comfort. Instead, our hope is in being with and living within the glory of God. The focus is on God, not on us. John Piper put this better than anybody else I have heard. He said, The critical question for our generationand for every generation is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? Pauls answer would be a resounding no. What makes the restored heaven and earth what they will be is that we will finally be with God in all His infinite glory. Everything else pales in comparison to that. And any heaven without that is no real heaven at all. Now, Paul has covered a lot of ground in his letter so far. The people listening to this being read for the first time would have been on a real rollercoaster of a ride. First, they heard about this God who is powerful and mighty enough to create the entire universe in which we live. But then they heard that this God is also perfectly good and, therefore, has a moral law. They, just like all of us, broke that law. And they, just like us, broke it repeatedly. They heard about how this created a separation between humanity and God, a chasm we could not overcome ourselves. However, when everything seemed lost and without hope, they heard about how God, through Jesus, redeemed them, and they were now justified. This justification was not through anything they had done but what Jesus had done for them. They heard that they did not have to try to earn Gods merit, and in fact, they never could. They heard that what God really sought after was their hearts and faith in Him. Finally, because of that faith, the believer has peace with God, access to Gods grace, and the hope-filled certainty of witnessing God in His full glory one day. What an experience it must have been to be the first people to hear this letter being read. Can you imagine hearing this fantastic news? Then, the church in Rome would have heard the words, Not only that Wait! There is more!?! What more could there be after being told this fantastic news? I can only imagine sitting there and anticipating new promises and hopes the apostle was about to relay. Instead, the audience heard, Not only that, but werejoice in our sufferings. Wait what? We rejoice in our suffering? Werent we talking about drawing close to God and witnessing His glory? But this is reality, isnt it? When we decide to follow Jesus, all the hardships and suffering weve experienced dont magically disappear. We still get sick. Our finances dont magically improve; we all dont suddenly receive private jets and mansions. We still lose loved ones, and we all certainly still experience getting older and all the wear and tear that comes from that. As I reflect upon this past year, the single word that comes most to mind is difficult. This was a challenging year for our church family, and we had to go through things, including church discipline and the termination of a staff person in a pastoral role. Individuals and families in our church have also been going through extremely difficult things. There have been cancer diagnoses, losses of family members, struggles with chronic illnesses, sudden visits to the ER, heart issues, urgent and completely unexpected surgeries, and many, many more things besides. Personally, this last year, especially the past six months, has, if Im being completely honest, been extremely difficult. Due to an autoimmune disease, my health spiraled to a place I have not experienced in over a decade. This resulted in a 10-day stay in a hospital after losing 15% of my body weight and a substantial amount of internal bleeding. But, more importantly, it put a lot of strain on my marriage and meant I was less present as a father than I should be. The stark reality is that suffering is still a part of our lives. It has real impacts on us and those around us. But, as well see, faith in Jesus is not about the cessation of pain and suffering but instead giving that suffering over to God in faith that He will use it for good. Paul lays out how this looks for us: 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Notice here that Paul says we rejoice in our sufferings, not because of our sufferings. Paul does not say that suffering suddenly becomes pleasurable for us or trivially easy to endure. He does not say that God is giving us a way to prove ourselves to Him or earn His favor by persevering through hardship. Instead, we rejoice in our sufferings because of something we know. We know that suffering can produce something within us. That something is endurance. For most of my life, and by that, I mean since I was eight, I have participated in endurance sports. This has included distance running, cycling over 100 miles in a day over multiple mountain passes, and summiting 20,000 ft peaks. I bring this up because I have learned a lot about myself and quite a bit about endurance through these activities. The first is that endurance is not something magical you hope to have on the day of your event. It is something that you train for diligently. It may take months or even years in some cases to train your body and mind to accomplish the goal you have set before yourself. It is possible to train and not reach the goals you set. However, if you dont train, the goals will forever remain out of reach. And the thing about training is that a substantial amount of suffering can be involved. Mile repeats hurt. Hill training on a bike can be painful. Interval sessions have left me draped over the handlebars of my indoor trainer like a rag doll. Watching cyclists or other endurance athletes achieve the incredible can be awe-inspiring, often making it look easy. However, it isnt. What we witness when we watch world-class athletes is the outcome of a lifetime of training and preparation. And I can tell you from experience, every day Ive had where Ive looked like this, cycling up mountain passes feeling in great shape and like I could tackle the biggest of obstacles, Ive had many more days where Ive looked a bit more like this. The key here is that, like in athletics, in life, endurance is not something that happens automatically or magically. It is something that is produced. And often, the production of endurance happens through the crucible of suffering. But, unlike endurance training for sports, the type of endurance Paul talks about is not the end goal. It serves a greater purpose. You see, our character is also changing when we develop spiritual endurance. Now, this word in Greek doesnt just mean something like, He is a really good person and has good character. Instead, it is about something proven, or something tested and found to be approved. An example of this can be seen in Pauls letter to the Philippians concerning his protg, Timothy. 22But you know Timothy'sproven worth, howas a sonwith a fatherhe has served with me in the gospel.(Phil 2:22) The phrase proven worth is the same word that is translated as character. And to some extent, weve all experienced this. If we have endured something before, when we have to endure it again, there is a confidence we didnt have before. Or, thought of in a different way, if you had to go into battle with somebody, would you rather go with a special forces soldier who had been on multiple deployments or somebody who has never been through military training but plays their fair share of Tom Clancy video games? The choice is easy, right? What Paul is saying here is that when we go through suffering, endurance is produced. And when we endure our trials and tribulations, we are tested successfully or, as Paul says, our worth is proven. But Paul does not stop there. He says that this testedness produces something else: hope. And here we return to this idea of hope. Remember, this idea Paul is talking about can be best thought of as a hope-filled certainty. As we go through suffering, the endurance and character that result produces an ever-greater certainty that God is exactly who He has said He is and that His promises are sure. Paul then offers a proof of this. He states that hope will never put us to shame because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. In fact, the relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit is so close that he has been poured into our hearts. I had mentioned earlier that these verses have been my anchor verses through suffering. That is not an understatement in any way. I had grown up in the church. In fact, I heard hymns and the words of the Bible before I was born. As I grew up, I did all the church things, camps, and confirmation; I even started participating in lay-level leadership roles in my church. If any of those things sound a bit foreign, it is because I grew up in the Episcopal tradition. Ultimately, instead of letting God into my heart and being the Lord of my entire life, I was going through the motions. Especially in college, my life looked no different than anybody elses. Remember those verses from Ephesians about living in the passions of our flesh and carrying out the desires of the body and the mind? That was me. Until that is, God got ahold of my heart. A group of us in ROTC decided that we wanted to start getting serious about our faith and started going to church together. We formed our own Bible study and as a small community of college-aged believers, we began trying to figure out what it meant to be Jesus followers. To make a long story very short, one of the members of this group would ultimately become my wife. As we deepened in our faith together as a group, I was drawn to what God was doing in her life. However, two weeks after we started dating, I started noticing an immense amount of pain in my abdomen and, even more concerning, evidence of internal bleeding. I started losing weight at an alarming rate and was ultimately diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called ulcerative colitis. Effectively, my immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking and causing ulcers and a crazy amount of inflammation in my large intestine. Unfortunately, I have a rather severe form of the disease that affects not just a part of the intestine, but the entire thing. As is common with autoimmune diseases, finding the therapy that worked for me took a long time. Because of the severity of my diagnosis, this ultimately led me to being hospitalized seven times in the first 18 months following the onset of my symptoms. In addition to the pain, frustration, and confusion over what was happening, other things also started falling apart. A military career was now no longer an option for me. Because of the impact the disease was having on my body, I was sleeping 12-16 hours a day and was unable to continue pursuing my master's program. What is more, because of how the insurance I had purchased through the university was structured, it did not cover costs from chronic illnesses beyond $20,000. But through it all, God was working on my heart and my mind. He was showing me things about himself that I would likely never have learned had it not been for this. He was teaching me that my future job was not what defined me. Who I am in Jesus is what defines me. He was teaching me that the highest goal in life is not academic or professional achievement (Im a bit of an A-type personality and struggle with making my life about accomplishments). Instead, He showed me that following Him is the highest purpose in life. Now, perhaps the most incredible thing about this entire story is that Michaela stayed by my side throughout all of it. We had only recently started dating, but she was there for everything. I can still remember her voice as I was coming out of anesthesia after the scoping procedure that resulted in the diagnosis of the disease. I was insanely sick, my planned career was completely shattered, treatments werent working, and I had a sum of medical debt that was growing increasingly large. There were so many times when I felt absolutely lost and without hope. Yet, because of this community of people, especially Michaela, I was constantly reminded of God's goodness and how He works all things for the good of those who love Him, even if we dont see it in the moment. The Bible was my source of refuge, reminding me of the eternal promises of God that transcend our momentary afflictions. Things ultimately improved for me, and through a lot of help from my doctors and a lot of prayer, my condition was able to be controlled. There were still some rough points, and I experienced the occasional flare-up, but things returned to normal. Michaela and I got married, we found a way to pay off the medical debt, and life seemed to be going just fine. But what I didnt know at the time was that as I was going through all my medical issues and seeing Michaelas character displayed, God was showing me what it means to stand beside somebody as they are suffering. About two years after we got married, Michaela started showing symptoms of something, but the doctors couldnt figure out what it was. Finally, they had her stay on a heart monitor for an extended time, and the results were so concerning that the hospital in Laramie told us that we needed to come to the hospital here in Cheyenne because they were not prepared to deal with whatever the issue was. When Michaela arrived here, they took an Xray, and they found out that there was a mass about 12cm in diameter in her chest next to her heart. We were once again told that she needed to go to another hospital because the one here had no idea what was going on. However, this time, she had to travel via ambulance. We had come in the same vehicle, but as she was leaving in an ambulance, I followed in the car we brought over. It was such a good thing that it was the middle of the night because I was an absolute mess. If there had been any traffic whatsoever, I probably would have crashed. On that drive, I was confronted with an absolutely petrifying truth. There was nothing I could do for my wife but pray. I was helpless in the face of whatever it was that she had to face. I could not protect her, and I could not save her. And this was an earth-shattering realization for me. Of course, we all intellectually know that our time here is limited and that when it is time for us to leave this world, there is nothing we can do to stop it for ourselves or those we love. However, facing that reality directly is an entirely different notion. The radical realization that I had was that in this situation, she was entirely in the Lords hands. The even more radical realization I would only have reflecting later on, was that this is true every moment of every day. I just dont live like it. To capture this idea in his book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis wrote, God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. This has been precisely my experience. The eternal truths that God exists, that we desperately need Him, and that He alone is sufficient for all our needs are sometimes most clearly heard when we are in our most desperate times of need. Upon arriving at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, we learned that the mass was a tumor, and it was an advanced stage of lymphoma. The doctors recommended that she start an aggressive form of chemotherapy immediately. We didnt have time to go home and talk about it. We didnt have time to prepare in case the therapy made it difficult or impossible to have kids. It was almost as if everything had been put onto tracks, and we were just along for the ride. Now, soon after all of this happened a good friend of mine who has been a mentor in many ways to me came by and prayed with us. Her prayers included pleas for healing, comfort, and everything else we typically lift up to God during these types of events. However, she prayed something else as well. She prayed that our hearts and minds would be open to what God had to teach us during this time of trial. It literally felt like a physical switch turned in my head. Despite all that I had been through, and all God had done in my own heart during my battles with illness, I had not stopped to consider that God may have something to teach us here as well. And teach He did. I learned how incredibly strong of a woman He made when He created my wife. I learned that I am not sufficient for her; only Jesus is. I learned that life can be extraordinarily fleeting and what we consider normal and act like will go on forever can end in an instant. Michaela spent the following months going to Denver for a week of treatment every three weeks. I tagged along and slept on the pullout bed on the couch in her room. That was our lives for almost four months: two weeks at home and one in the hospital. When I had to travel for work, her mom took my place. Now, you may be wondering who the better caretaker in our relationship is when the other is undergoing adversity. The answer is Michaela. You may also be wondering who deals with suffering better. The answer is also Michaela. Ultimately, Michaela completed the chemo regimen and has been in full remission for almost 10 years. Despite not being able to make alternative preparations, we have two incredible boys who are miracles in the fullest sense of the word. It can be easy to praise God and extol His greatness when things work out the way we hope and pray they will. However, there will come a day when I and everybody else whom I love will draw in their last breath. And in those moments, God still deserves all the glory and all the praise. I want to relay one more story before I wrap up about one of those times. My stepmoms father, my grandfather, or as we called him, Papou (that part of my family is Greek), had been extremely sick for a long time. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt. His wife, my Yaiyia, was a missionary in Kenya when he proposed to her in a letter. After starting their young family, they moved to Athens so he could pastor a church while they served as missionaries. When they moved back to the States, their home was always a place of love where all were welcome. Toward the end of his life, he was unable to care for or even feed himself and had to be placed in a home to receive the care he needed. As the end of his life was drawing ever closer, he came down with a severe infection that left him almost entirely incapacitated. One day, some of our dearest family friends were visiting him. As they prepared to leave, everybody gathered to pray, potentially for the last time, over this man who had lived his life faithfully for God. However, before anybody else had a chance to speak, this saint (by the way, if you are a follower of Jesus, you are a saint as well) who could not feed himself or even sit up started to pray. I was not there to hear these words, but they still reverberate in the deepest part of my being more than a decade later. Our precious heavenly father, he said, we just cant thank you enough. You have been so good to us. That is the strength that a life lived in the service and love of God bestows upon a person. The Christian lives not in quiet resignation in the face of a world that can be so cruel and cause so much suffering. Instead, the Christian can raise a triumphant cry that in our weakness, the strength of the Lord will be made perfect, and that is enough. We can, as Job did, bless the name of the Lord, come whatever may. We see this in the letter to the Corinthians: 9But he [God] said to me [Paul],My grace is sufficient for you, formy power is made perfect in weakness.Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so thatthe power of Christ may rest upon me.10For the sake of Christ, then,I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. Forwhen I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:9-11) This is why Paul ends this passage with a reiteration of the gospel message. Even though each of us who follow Jesus has the real experience of having the Holy Spirit residing within us, there also is an objective truth for all to see. Christ came and died for us while we were still sinners. And this point is even more important than the point that we are physically broken and endure sufferings in this world. That point is that we are spiritually broken and separated from God, desperately in need of a Savior. Reflect with me on these closing verses. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous personthough perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Jesus did not wait until we were perfect and had everything figured out before he came to die in our place. Instead, he came when we were still in sin, weak, and enemies of God. Unlike us, who so often act out of self-regard or do something because we view somebody as good and deserving, Jesus came to save us while we were still standing in complete opposition to God. This is the incredible news of the gospel. As much pain and suffering, as much physical brokenness that we may experience in this world, it is nothing compared to the spiritual sickness we suffer because of our separation from God. We all were far from God before coming to Christ, but he died in our place regardless and rose again, conquering death. We are justified, reconciled, and saved by what he did. And if you dont know Jesus yet, all you must do is accept him as your Lord and Savior and begin walking with him. Before we leave, I wanted to review some of the things I have learned from other believers and scripture about how to endure times of suffering. None of this is groundbreaking, but it works. Dont wait until you are in suffering to prepare If you wait until the morning of a marathon to train, it wont go well for you. The same is true here. If you wait until the moment of your trial to prepare, you are too late. Be in your Bible daily The stories of those who suffer in scripture are incredibly instructive and helpful. The principles you will learn from this book will help you in your time of need. But I never would have had these verses constantly in my mind and nourishing my soul if I had not read them. God uses scripture to help His followers in their time of need. Build relationships with fellow believersWhen Michaela and I have experienced times of suffering, it is the people of God, the Church, who have helped us more than anybody else. I have experienced the benefit of having somebody just come sit with you. Recently, while I was in the hospital, several friends visited throughout my stay. Mostly, we talked about the goodness of God. It helped me raise my eyes above my situation and stay focused on my Lord and Savior. Pray without ceasing Pray for those who are going through trials. Ask others to pray for you as you endure suffering. The Church was designed so that each member could help one another. And as you pray, follow Gods Spirit in how you can help. If you feel drawn to visit somebody who is ailing, go. If you feel called to cook them a meal, do it. Look for what God is trying to teach you Until our dying breath, we are running our race. As believers, we are walking down that narrow path that leads to Jesus. That path can be difficult and filled with obstacles sometimes. But even in our worst suffering, God is faithful, and He works all things for the good of those who love Him. If you let Him, He will develop in you: endurance, character, and a hope which will never be put to shame. Even in our greatest trials, He is still so incredibly good.

Anchor Passage: Mark 11:12-25God created us to be “walking houses of prayer”—people who are filled with the Holy Spirit, connected to Him in prayer, and producing spiritual fruit in our lives. Join us as we learn how to live as walking houses of prayer!First Time? Start Here: https://rock.marinerschurch.org/connectcardCan we pray for you? https://rock.marinerschurch.org/page/692You can find information for all our Mariners congregations, watch more videos, and learn more about us and our ministries on our website https://www.marinerschurch.org/---------------------------------------------------------------- FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinerschurch • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marinerschurch • Twitter: https://twitter.com/marinerschurch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinerschurch • Online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariners.online-------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the ministry and help us reach people worldwide: https://www.marinerschurch.org/give/Like podcasts? Check out more from Mariners Church https://www.marinerschurch.org/podcast-channels/

Text me your thoughts! “Why is God punishing me?” An answer to the age-old question affects our well-being in many ways. Modern psychology and progressive theology offer insights built on God's love and human choices which inspire hope in the toughest times of life. Explore the teaching Jesus offered when the disciples struggled with the same question to develop greater resilience in your own journey.Segments include:Everyone knows the answer 1:00Jesus said, “Not so fast” 2:10A loving God doesn't do bad things 4:05The natural world and human choices 6:25God's work inspires resilience 9:24(Artwork by Stocksnap on pixabay.com)Learn about the TRACKS EXPRESS NewsletterSupport the Show.Subscribe to the TRACKS EXPRESS newsletter and find more resources for well-being at https://www.tracksforthejourney.comEnjoy the Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@tracksforthejourney77

The devotion for today, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 was written by Dan Peeler and is narrated by Jay Williams. Today's Words of Inspiration come from Genesis 1.25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Support the Show.

Read - 1 Corinthians 13:11 Ephesians 6:10 Genesis 1:1-31, 2:8-25God made the environment and then He places the things that need to survive in that environment. When He created Eden He created us after, to place us in that environment because that is the thing we needed the most. Like a fish out of water we will not survive out of His presence. The enemy does everything he can to get us out of the environment we were designed to be in, because we are made from dirt and spirit there's a constant battle between our flesh and our spirit. That battle is won in the mind and in order to win we must put aside the following childish thought patterns: Personalizing Everything - Not everyone is mad at you. Magnifying Thoughts - Making mountains out of mole hills. Everything is Awful - Expecting the worst out come. Jumping to Conclusions - Assuming the end result. Mind Reading - Thinking that you know other's motives. Negative Filters - Using the lenses of past hurts. Emotional Reasoning - Letting your emotions be your guide. Blame Game - When it's everyone else's fault but yours Selective Thinking - Picking and choosing your narrative 10. Closed Minded - Seeing things only your way.Prayer is the one thing that can change our thoughts because in prayer we get to put on the mind of Christ. Prayer is learned by praying and it takes persistence from us in order to yield results. It is in prayer that we enter Eden which is God's open door into His presence. As we renew your minds in His word we will find our whole life changing!Application - What are some childish thought patterns that you need to break from your thinking? How can you begin to pray into a new direction today?Prayer - Father as I go on this journey to mature in my Spirit, I ask that you reveal all childish thoughts that are deeply rooted within my heart. Give me the courage to face my immaturities and allow you to prune and grow me. I pray that I will begin to put aside childish ways and stand firm in your truth today!

Jesus taught the "Beatitudes," but what are some of the ME-attitudes that make us MEligious? In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares about the worldly thinking that opposes Jesus' teaching on living in the Kingdom. Matthew chapters 5-7 contain Jesus' famous sermon often called "The Sermon on the Mount." The sermon starts in verses 3 through 10 with 8 statements that all begin with the phrase "blessed are ________."Over time, these statements were called The Beatitudes from the Latin word for "blessed." 1. Beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.The "poor in spirit" are those who recognize that their need for God.  MEattitude: I am blessed when I don't need anyone else's help.Galatians 5:25God will be your crisis manager, but he would rather be your daily planner. 2. Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. MEattitude: I am blessed when I never experience loss, grief, or mourning.Acts 14:22 John 16:33The Kingdom of God is now and not yet—at the same time. 3. Beatitude: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.Meekness is ability restrained by wisdom.  MEatittiude: I'm blessed when I get to say and do what I want, because I am right.James 3:132 Timothy 2:25Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. 4. Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.Righteousness is the state of being in acceptable condition to God.  MEattitude: I will feel fulfilled when I get everyone else's approval.Galatians 1:10 5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. MEattitude: People need to get it together and be more like me.James 2:131 Corinthians 4:5Judge actions, but don't judge people.   6. Beatitude: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. MEattitude: How I live doesn't really matter.Just because God loves us, doesn't mean He won't instruct us.1 Cor. 9:27Your purity will affect God's presence in your life. Your behavior doesn't earn you a relationship with Jesus, but a relationship with Jesus will affect your behavior.  7: Beatitude: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.Peace is not the absence of conflict or troubles, but the learned skill of remaining unaffected by them. MEattitude: I am under no obligation to help the world around me.Ephesians 2:101 Peter 4:10The church has got to be more concerned with making a difference than making a point.If you want to be recognized as a child of God, give what you've got. 8. Beatitude: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MEattitiude: I am blessed when everyone agrees with my faith.1 Peter 3:14 If nobody ever disagrees with you, you're probably not standing for anything. Are you living according to the MEattitudes?

Jude 24-25God secures the ultimate victory against any and all false teachers which brings about praise and glory to him and him alone..

Genesis 1:1-31 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morning the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water. 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault sky. And there was evening, and there was morning the second day. 9And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so. 10God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. 16 God made two great lights the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky. 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth. 23And there was evening, and there was morning the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind. And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. 27So God created mankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them;male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. 29 Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in itI give every green plant for food. And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morningthe sixth day. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shcc/message

Feast of The Trinity The Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Genesis 1:1-2:4a 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. Psalm: Psalm 8 or Canticle 2 or 13 1 O Lord our Governor, *        how exalted is your Name in all the world! 2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *        your majesty is praised above the heavens. 3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *        to quell the enemy and the avenger. 4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *        the moon and the stars you have set in their courses, 5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *        the son of man that you should seek him out? 6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *        you adorn him with glory and honor; 7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *        you put all things under his feet: 8 All sheep and oxen, *        even the wild beasts of the field, 9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *        and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea. 10 O Lord our Governor, *        how exalted is your Name in all the world! or Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; *        you are worthy of praise; glory to you. Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; *        on the throne of your majesty, glory to you. Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Glory to you, beholding the depths; *        in the high vault of heaven, glory to you. Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *        we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. Epistle: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 11Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. 13The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If you're human, at some point in your life, you are going to deal with shame. Whether that's over past mistakes or over present consequences, shame doesn't merely tell us that we made a mistake, but rather it tells us that we are a mistake. However, I hope you know that shame couldn't be further from the truth and as Christians, we always need to remember that God doesn't write us off whenever we fall. Isaiah 43:25 reminds us:“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." - Isaiah 43:25God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything he creates. Every plant and every animal was planned by God, and every person was designed with a purpose in mind. God's motive for creating you was his love. The Bible says:"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." - Ephesians 1:4aYou are not a mistake or an accident. Don't ever let shame have the last word. You matter. You are loved. You were created for a purpose and no matter what you do or how many times you fail, that never changes. 

In the last episode, we read Genesis 1:1 through 23 about the account of creation over the first five days. The scripture that we're going to cover today is Genesis 1:24 through chapter two, verse four. And this will wrap up the last two days of Creation Week, day six, and of course, day seven. Now, there are three questions that I'd like you to consider asking yourself as you listen. Number one, when we're reading the scripture, what is it saying? Number two, what does it mean? And then finally, how can we apply what we're learning or hearing to our life? The Beginnings: Era 1, Episode 2 Show Notes Genesis 1:24 through Genesis 2:4 NLT 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. Three Questions to consider as we read through today's scripture: 1. What is the Scripture saying? 2. What does it mean? 3. How can I apply what I've learned to my life? II. This wraps up Creation Week. Days 6 and 7 A. God created human beings, man, and woman, in our image, in our likeness. He created them to be like us. B. What does “us” mean? What does “image” mean? Colossiansb1:15-17 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. C. What is the Trinity? D. What is the distinction between male and female? E. What is the Sabbath? III. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. F. What does this say about our own self-image?

Holiness is the essence of what God is. Everything about God is holy, so in order to get a revelation or understanding of His holiness, we need to know who God is and what He is like.7 attributes of God:God is Light - 1 John 1:5God is Love - 1 John 4:8-11God is Justice and Judgement - Deuteronomy 32:3-4 & Genesis 18:25God is Anger and Wrath - Nahum 1:2 & Revelation 22:18-19God is Mercy and Lovingkindness - Psalm 51:1 & Psalm 106:1God is Grace - Hebrews 4:16God is Power - Psalm 93:1-4

DEVOTION AND MEDITATION Psalm 37: 23-25God is doing more for you, than the enemy is doing to you.

DEVOTION AND MEDITATION Psalm 37: 23-25God is doing more for you, than the enemy is doing to you.

 Message Notes”The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. […] So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” Exodus 2:23-25God will generally not do for you what he enables you to do yourself.God helps people who ask for help.God is able. - What we pray matters much less than who we pray to.God is willing. - God is willing to hear, to notice, to love, and to act.God helps people who can't help themselves.Send questions to email@redeemermn.orgScriptureExodus 2:23-25, Exodus 17:9, Exodus 2:23-25, James 1:27, Proverbs 21:13, Proverbs 22:9, Matthew 25

DEVOTION AND MEDITATION Psalm 37: 23-25God is doing more for you, than the enemy is doing to you.

THE WEEK OF CANTATE - THURSDAYLESSON: PSALM 32[Christ] is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25God makes it quite clear to us that, if we want to get rid of our sins, we must be able to pay the price with quite different works from those which we perform for ourselves. For even our very best works are still marred by sin, even the works by which we imagine that we are reconciling ourselves to God and atoning for our sins.Is it not foolish to try to blot out sins with sins? Even in the very best works that you can perform you are sinning, for the simple reason that you cannot perform these works gladly and readily with all your heart. If you were not motivated by fear of some sort of punishment, you would probably prefer to postpone these works.With these works of yours, you actually try to atone for little sins with big sins, or you commit sins just as great as the ones of which you are trying to rid yourselves. It is really great blindness for a man not to see what sin is, or to know what good works are, and to confuse sins with good works. The Holy Spirit, therefore, comes and convinces the world of sin by showing men that it is sin to reject Christ and not to believe in Him.What is the solution? Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sin away and your sins will be gone. If you do not get rid of your sins in this way, you will fall deeper and deeper into sin and its clutches.SL 11:869 (12-13)PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, may our faith in the sufficiency of Your work of salvation never weaken but ever increase in and through the consolation of Your Gospel of grace and love. Amen.Editor's note: No American Edition (AE) equivalent for today's sermon excerpt exists at the time of this publication. For an alternate English translation of this sermon, see Lenker, Church Postil—Gospels, 3:110-124.

Romans 3:21-26 21But now, quite apart from the law (though the law and the prophets bore witness to it), God's covenant justice has been displayed. 22God's covenant justice comes into operation through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah, for the benefit of all who have faith. For there is no distinction: 23all sinned, and fell short of God's glory – 24and by God's grace they are freely declared to be in the right, to be members of the covenant, through the redemption which is found in the Messiah, Jesus .25God put Jesus forth as the place of mercy, through faithfulness, by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his covenant justice, because of the passing over (in divine forbearance) of sins committed beforehand. 26This was to demonstrate his covenant justice in the present time: that is, that he himself is in the right, and that he declares to be in the right everyone who trusts in the faithfulness of Jesus. The Bible for Everyone: A New Translation . SPCK. Kindle Edition. Lord, you have given me so much, I ask for one more thing - a grateful heart.

Casting BreadEcclesiastes 11:1-8Matthew 16:21-25God refuses to operate according our ideas of what should happen and until we accept this, our lives will filled with anxiety.I. Practical AtheismA. Living as if There is no GodB. What it AccomplishesC. Why We do itII. Spiritual Math (vv. 1-3a, 6)A. If You Love Something… Let it Go (vv. 1-2)B. Defying the Laws of Nature? (v. 3a)C. Dying to Live (Matthew 16:21-23; John 10:17-18)III. God is a Mystery (vv. 3b-5, 7-8)A. Identifying What You Can’t Change (v. 3b)B. The Paralyzing Desire for Certainty (v. 4)C. Burying the Hatchet with Reality (vv. 5, 7-8)D. Casting Bread (Matthew 16:24-25)Discussion Starters1. Monday—Why do you think Peter rebuked Jesus when he heard that Jesus must die in Jerusalem? How do you think you would have responded?2. Tuesday—What does it mean to live as if there is no God? Do you ever fall into that trap?3. Wednesday—What do we end up accomplishing when we expect life to simply operate according to certain rules and deliver certain results? So why do we keep trying?4. Thursday—What does it mean to cast your bread upon the water? What gives us confidence that we can hold onto our possessions lightly and that we will be okay?5. Friday—What does it mean that God is a mystery? Does following him remove all risk in life?

Casting BreadEcclesiastes 11:1-8Matthew 16:21-25God refuses to operate according our ideas of what should happen and until we accept this, our lives will filled with anxiety.I. Practical AtheismA. Living as if There is no GodB. What it AccomplishesC. Why We do itII. Spiritual Math (vv. 1-3a, 6)A. If You Love Something… Let it Go (vv. 1-2)B. Defying the Laws of Nature? (v. 3a)C. Dying to Live (Matthew 16:21-23; John 10:17-18)III. God is a Mystery (vv. 3b-5, 7-8)A. Identifying What You Can’t Change (v. 3b)B. The Paralyzing Desire for Certainty (v. 4)C. Burying the Hatchet with Reality (vv. 5, 7-8)D. Casting Bread (Matthew 16:24-25)Discussion Starters1. Monday—Why do you think Peter rebuked Jesus when he heard that Jesus must die in Jerusalem? How do you think you would have responded?2. Tuesday—What does it mean to live as if there is no God? Do you ever fall into that trap?3. Wednesday—What do we end up accomplishing when we expect life to simply operate according to certain rules and deliver certain results? So why do we keep trying?4. Thursday—What does it mean to cast your bread upon the water? What gives us confidence that we can hold onto our possessions lightly and that we will be okay?5. Friday—What does it mean that God is a mystery? Does following him remove all risk in life?

A study in the book of Judges. In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25God relentlessly offers His grace to people who do not deserve it, or seek it, or even appreciate it after they have been saved by it. We discuss the half hearted discpleship approach, to God in this discussion.Support the show (http://pushpay.com/pay/opendoornj)

A study in the book of Judges. In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25God relentlessly offers His grace to people who do not deserve it, or seek it, or even appreciate it after they have been saved by it.God wants lordship over every area of our lives, not just some.Support the show (http://pushpay.com/pay/opendoornj)

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and wild animals according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its […]

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and wild animals according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its […]

Acts 5:12-25God loves to use us to bringing about His plans on earth. But what does it look like when we partner with Him?

Acts 5:12-25God loves to use us to bringing about His plans on earth. But what does it look like when we partner with Him?

God Is Righteous – August 26, 2018 – Steve MillerWhat does it mean to be righteous?From dictionary.com: characterized by uprightness or morality; morally right or justifiableBut who determines what is right? Many people justify in their own minds behaviors and beliefs that are clearly wrong.Avengers Infinity War: Would it be right to euthanize half the universe in order to save the other half?In our modern world, many don't believe in absolute truth regarding right and wrong. The result of this thinking is that often “Might makes right.”We believe that God is righteous, and it is He who determines what is right. And although God is almighty, He doesn't use that attribute to cause His mere whims to be “right.” He is righteous because He is love.1 John 4:7-8 – 7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:16 – So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. Jesus Himself boiled down all righteousness to loving God and other people:Matthew 22:35-40 – 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” God gave the Law to Moses and Israel in the Old Testament in order to show them the right way to live. Israel's obedience to it was the basis of God's covenant with them.Deuteronomy 6:4-5 – 24The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.That's not good news. Even when we think we do righteous acts, they aren't, because they flow out of corrupt hearts with wrong motives like selfishness, pride, or fear.Isaiah 64:6 – We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Israel failed to keep their covenant with their righteous God, and it resulted in judgment.Daniel 9:14 – The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.If that's the case, are we then without hope? No – praise God! Paul teaches amazing truths about God's righteousness in Romans:Romans 310As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.21But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.God's righteousness is demonstrated most through His greatest act of love and mercy!Jesus is the One who justifies us; He, through His death on the cross, is our only source of righteousness. Does that mean that God doesn't care how we live? Certainly not. The grace of God within us through Jesus is an overflowing source of love for all of us who believe. We've been given new garments of righteousness to wear.Ephesians 4:20-24 – 20That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We have a new covenant with righteous God through the blood of Jesus. By repentance we can take off those filthy garments tainted by sinful motives and failure, and daily put on new ones. The redeemed life is one of constant renewal and regeneration in His righteousness.John 15:9-11 – 9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Our righteousness comes through abiding in relationship with our righteous Lord!

God breaks His silenceSermon series on the book of Job. 5/6Job 38-42:6Job's did not suffer due to personal sin, but Job did sin due to personal suffering.I think this is something we can all relate to, whether we care to or not. It is all too easy to allow difficult circumstances - or even not so difficult circumstances - to lead us into temptation. We question God all too easily. We hurdle accusations - spoken or unspoken - at the God of love and wisdom. Job's sin is one that I can relate to.Throughout the long droning chapters of Job, righteous indignation has welled up within me. I have wanted to take up Job's cause. I become angry at Job's friends. I discover I'm questioning God along with Job - perhaps not as outright, but I find myself understanding where he's coming from. “Why?” drips from my lips as well and the I wonder why God has kept silent. Why when this man IS righteous, does God seem distant and does heaven seem to turn brass. Why is it that when we need God most, we feel our loneliest. And this is why Job is such a long book. Suffering doesn't have easy answers… it isn't fixed with a band-aid. Superficial axioms and simple theology don't do the trick. We must struggle to hold the course that God has plotted for us in order to learn, to glean, to discover and to suffer for the sake of our holiness. God has a plan and often it takes long lonely tear-stained nights to achieve the work that God is wanting to accomplish in us.Elihu started with angry words of truth, but ended with profound insight into righteous suffering and a heartfelt urging that Job listen and consider how great God is, how great His acts are and how great His justice is… and that He is beyond our comprehension.It is at this point that the skies turn grim and God begins His monologue. It has been long coming. But what is not said in these monologues is nearly as important as what is said. So let's discover what God says.In two monologues God asks five questions of Job. First three questions. Then in the second, two.Do you grasp Creation? 38aGod moves from the foundations of the earth, to the design of its laws and asks Job if he was there to witness it. He designated the shorelines and the depth of the sea. Can you do that Job? Can you make a sunrise? Can you end a day? Do you know the hidden secrets of the earth?There are still places that we know little about on this earth.Do you grasp Outer Space? 38bDo you know where light comes from? Can you tell me where the snow is stored? How about rain? Dew? Clouds? What about ice? Or lightening? Can you bind the stars together into constellations? Can you control their influence on earth at all? Can you make a storm come?The weather man might be able to tell us a storm is coming, but there still isn't a thing we can do about the weather.Do you grasp the Animals? 39God moves through various animals. Six land animals and four flying animals. Can you tell them where and what to hunt? Do you know when it's time for the goat and the deer to procreate? Did you five the donkey its freedom or make the ox meek? Have you considered the ostrich? Did you give the horse its strength or teach the falcon where to build its nest and how to find its prey?Job falls silent and says as much when God asks for him to answer in verses 35-38. Job feels very small. He has nothing to say. He's starting to get the picture.God asks two more questions in His second dialogue, but first offers Job a job.Job is permitted to be judge, if…God tells Job to man up. Teach me, if you will. You question my justice and want to prove me wrong. So you may deliver judgment and God will praise you, if you can do the following:Do you control Behemoth? 40:10-19God describes a great beast. Some translations supply “hippopotamus” here, but any honest reading of the description falls short. The tail of a hypo in no way compares to a cedar tree (verse 12). God is describing a mightly beast of His creation… a dinosaur. The largest dinosaur we have unearthed - the sauropod - fits the description here.Job, can you control this beast? No answer is needed. He can't. God says: I can.Do you control Leviathan? 40:20-41:25God goes into even more detail in describing Leviathan. This is an ocean beast that is incredible. In the latter half of chapter 41 it is described as breathing fire. A dragon. Now, this is where many just discredit the book as folklore and put it away. But God's entire argument would be lost if He was speaking of some fictional beast. There are fossils that match this description and fossils can't tell us if it breathed fire. Throughout history tales have been told of beast in the sea - even modern history. There is much about the deep blue sea that we don't know.Job… I control this beast. Do you?And this is where Job rightly repents of His sin. He does so in chapter 42 verses 1-6. It is a sweet confession of a suffering saint that said too much. He quotes God's introductions in verses 3 and 4 and acknowledges: “I spoke before understanding; I drew conclusions about things that were too wonderful for me to comprehend.”“You said I could teach you… I had heard spoken of You, but now I have tasted. I take it all back. I repent.”This is the impact of seeing everything God does and everything He controls. This is what happens when you boggle you mind to consider how you really have no control to change anything. And this is when we are ready to really taste and see that God is good. And we are ready to trust. When God is big.What do we learn?God controls things that I don't even know about with a wisdom that far supersedes my understanding and an omnipotence that dwarfs my abilities.The intimate work of suffering in the life of a righteous man deepens the relationship with God and reveals aspects of His character that could not have been learned any other way.These chapters are precious for us to read when we find ourselves in a Job-like frame of mind. When we question God's timing, His providence, the circumstances He is allowing, the trouble at work, with my spouse and the stress with the kids. When we don't understand what God is doing and how it makes any kind of sense. When we begin to ask the Why? Question. And when the Sovereign seems distant and heaven seems silent. That's when you need Job chapter 38 through 42. Listen in as God helps Job to find the right perspective. Let your heart be quieted by God's questions.Learn to be corrected and brought back to reality… God's in control and He knows a lot more about everything than you do.The biggest question in the midst of your biggest suffering is... do you trust He knows what He is doing?

Matthew 1:18-25God became one of usRev. Michael Orsmondwww.abergavennybaptist.co.uk