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Time is Now to Overcome (1) (audio) David Eells, 4/5/26 Saints, I want to share some revelations with you to both exhort and encourage you today to overcome and endure in your faith for all the promises the Lord has given us.   Keeping Satan Under Your Feet L. D. – 4/1/14 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was in a big cavern with a wide river where people were waterskiing. But they were skiing on crocodiles' backs, sometimes on purpose, like for sport. There was some class going on in the water explaining how crocodiles slip into the water to attack. But dolphins were used as an example to show us how the crocodiles slipped into the water. (Satan wants us to think his demonic crocodiles are our friends when they actually want to devour us for him.) But then, what I thought were dolphins were actually the body of an underwater serpent dragon. (The demon crocodiles are a part of Satan's body and seek to devour and bring us into his body.) It was moving in a wave in and out of the water. I realized that I was on top of its head! (Notice the serpent dragon, who is Satan, was in the water, representing the peoples, but it was under her feet, who was in the heaven above the earth. Those in the heavens who exercise dominion over Satan are safe, but those who dwell in the earth or waters among the crocodile, serpent, and Dragon are not. Eph.1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ: Isa.27:1 In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent; and he will slay the monster that is in the sea. Rev.12:9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.) The nations are the body of Satan in the earth; they are the body of water in which Satan the Dragon and his many crocodile demons live, but we are to live in dominion over them. Rev.17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Isa.17:12 Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but he shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. 14 At eventide, behold, terror; [and] before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us. The Sennacherib army is spoken of here, and they are inhabited by Satan and his demons who seek to cause the Bride to stumble, as Peter, who got his eyes on the water and off of Christ, sank to what would have been his death. L.D. had the serpent's head under her feet. An exhortation to all of us that we fall not from heavenly places, dabbling in sin. Gen.3:14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this (deceived the woman), cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (the flesh of man was made from the dust of the earth, which the serpent eats): 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Those who are born of the woman Church, who was deceived, should bruise the serpent's head.) The scene changed just a little. I was alone now with the crocodiles and this big sea serpent in this tall, enclosed cavern. I was very afraid and worried about the many crocodiles in the water, but I knew I was safe on top of this serpent's head. (We are not to be afraid. As long as we take dominion over the head and mind of Satan. In this way we control his body, and we have nothing to worry about. We grow up in Christ higher and higher as we keep the serpent in our flesh under submission. Luk.10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.) The serpent just kept taking me higher and higher. I knew it was only nine feet high (the number 9 symbolizes divine completeness or maturity), but it felt much higher, like 100 feet (completion represents 100%. Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple to test him.). The cavern wall to my right had a door with a cross on it (Through Jesus, the door, one can escape the temptation in the cave through faith and bearing our cross.) and I saw the serpent being cut open by a flashing sword (of the Word - Hebrews 4:12), but then it closed again. I wanted and tried to get through the door, but could not. (Through His Word, God offers many ways of escape from the trials, but some are too slow to take them. I know of brethren who were on prescription pain drugs that were killing their spiritual life and opening them up to Satan. Some were offered the Gospel of healing instead, but became addicted to the drugs and didn't want to hear of the perfect cure that Jesus paid for. This can end with God withdrawing His offer. 1Co.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it. When the Word offers deliverance from the curse, take it by faith while the conviction is upon you.) Then the serpent spoke to me in my mind and said, “The guy before you got through this way: grace and mercy”. So I said, “Grace and mercy”, and it began to open, and a white light beamed out. (Don't count on your own wisdom or accomplishments. Cry out to God for grace and mercy, saints. It brings the light of truth and purity, for we deserve nothing. Pride, criticism, and unforgiveness can slam the door.) Then the scene changed; it was now unfolding like a camera was moving to the right slowly as it zoomed out. I was a snow leopard. (They are uniquely suited to life in winter snow, which means tribulation or trials.) I was running down a path toward a gazebo, in the top left part of the scene. There was a feast prepared outside in what seemed like a beautiful garden and a white room with beautifully designed golden chairs. (The Marriage Feast is also the time that the Lord's garden, which is His Bride, has borne fruit. Son.4:12 A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 16 Awake, O north wind; And come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden And eat his precious fruits. Son.5:1 I am come into my garden, my sister, [my] bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.) There was also a covered porch with more seating. But in the garden part underneath a giant gazebo was a giant snow leopard with a blue pendant, maybe as tall as a one-story house. (This could be Jesus, whom the tested Bride is to come into the image of, since they both are snow leopards. He has a heavenly blue pendant.) It was looking at a small dog on the porch in a playful manner. There were no humans, just animals for now. Then Jesus appeared. He said, “Do you think I will let those who will destroy My dinner/feast come in? (Those who do not have on the wedding garment of the Bride, which represents the righteous acts of the saints, will not be among them, and those invited to the Feast must also have on a clean wedding garment or, as Jesus showed, they will be thrown out into torment.) (I believe he looked at the door at this point.) He said, “Look.” A mirror appeared that looked like the oval blue-and-white one that was given to me, and Jesus was behind me to my right, and I was there. (We must look in the heavenly mirror and see Jesus to have power from God to overcome and be in the Bride garden. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.) He said something and then said, “Look.” I looked again and saw a small portion of the top of a head that looked like it had been burned by fire behind my left shoulder. I became fearful and worried that that could be me if I went to Hell. (A clear warning. We must not see the old man on the left with all his past guilt in the mirror, for it is not faith that we were crucified with Christ, and we don't live anymore, but He lives in us.) But then Jesus said, “Now do you see the fine one?” I saw the fine one behind my right shoulder, healthy-looking, maybe it could be what I should look like in Heaven, but I was still afraid about the bad one. (We have to forget about the bad “us” in our past, meaning behind us in the mirror and walk away. The fine one is who we are now by faith. We cannot wait for Heaven, for it is here that we bear fruit through faith. We have to look forward to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ. Php.3:7 Howbeit what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ (Are you ready to give up every nature that is not Christ to gain Him? Your actions will prove it.), 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, [even] that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith (Jesus took our sin and gave us His life through the reconciliation or exchange): 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death (Will you suffer with Christ so that you may live with Him?); 11 if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind (the old man and his sins), and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: 16 only, whereunto we have attained, by that same [rule] let us walk.17 Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample. (Now we begin to see those who are devoured by the crocodiles.) 18 For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, [that it may be] conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself. We exchanged a few words. He was talking about many things, but I don't remember all of them. I wanted to talk with him and ask him so many things, but I just kept remembering, let my words be few. Jesus was correcting me for some sins I had committed. He said, “May all the video games and all that would cause you to lose focus on Me be gone. Just focus on Me!” He cried, almost like a plea, “Be like the fine one!” And He wrapped Himself over me like a ‘duck-and-cover' move and was like a shield over me. I woke up. (Jesus is our covering for the sins of the past and our failures, but not our willful disobediences - Hebrews 10:26. We must now call the things that be not as though they were done at the cross, for this is faith, which is the very substance of the thing hoped for. Rom.3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment ... 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 whom God set forth [to be] a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; 26 for the showing, [I say], of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith. 28 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God [the God] of Jews only? is he not [the God] of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also: 30 if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make the law of none effect through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law. Rom. 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. 6 Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, 7 [saying], Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin.) Next, let me share with you a word from the Lord that Debbie Fenske received about a year ago, but the Lord just recently brought to her attention because it's for now.   A Vision of Jesus  Debbie Fenske 4/15/25 (David's notes in red) This word was given on April 15, 2025. I read it to us over the last live stream, March 27, 2026. I've realized how wordy what I said before the actual word was. So, I cut out unnecessary things but left in everything that was needed in explaining what took place leading up to the Lord giving the actual word. After the Zoom meeting this morning, I got in front of my computer to finish up a timestamp assignment that I had been working on. I laid my head back as I was listening to the audio. After just a few minutes, suddenly I had a vision. I saw Jesus. I only saw the right side of Him, at first. What I was looking at was not lit up, like with a bright white light. It was just kind of shadowy-looking. I watched Jesus' feet walking very slowly toward me, then He turned slightly and stood in front of me. I knew that He wanted me to come before Him. So, I got down before the Lord to enter into a real time of worship of Him. I remember how awesome it was, how Jesus gave me each song He wanted me to worship Him with, that morning, He first gave me, Holy Holy Holy Are You Lord. Then, I Live To Know You More. And then, His Love Endures Forever. I was amazed that He specifically wanted me to worship Him with those songs. Each one gave me such a greater desire for Him and to be worshiping Him. And I realized that I had not been giving Him the time before Him in worship and prayer, and being in the Word that I thought I had. Just being alone with Him, I realized His great desire for me to worship Him, to have that time alone with Him. I kept worshiping in awe of Him, telling Him, “Lord, Your Name is being worshipped in heaven forever, on, and on, and on, and on! Your holiness, and Your holy Name, Jesus, is being heard throughout all of heaven, being worshipped, and proclaimed forever, and ever, by all Your holy angels, and all Your saints before Your throne! Suddenly, the vision of Jesus continued. I was not seeing His face. I was now seeing the left side of His body. Then, He turned more toward me, and I could see from the bottom part of His neck and His shoulder, down His left side to about the middle of His robe. Then Jesus held out one hand to me. And then He stretched out both His hands to me like He was giving me something. Then there appeared a scroll in His hands. And suddenly the scroll turned into a Bible. It was closed. Then the Bible just fell open, and there was a bright light shining off and up from the pages. Then, suddenly, the bright light turned into a large flame of fire. That was the last of the vision. I was now in tears, really overcome by all of this. And being in such awe of Him, this is what I said back to Him: “Oh Jesus, You are the Word! Your Word was the scrolls that have become the Bible that we use today. Lord, Your “Word,” that we say too casually every day, should not be just something to do in order to take up some of our time, or something that we read simply to be right with You. It is Your very Life. It is Light. And it is the Fire that you want us to allow to consume us. And so, I just had to repent and acknowledge before Him that I'm not in His Word as much as I want to think I am. I told Him, “Lord, I want all of Your Life and Light. I want the Fire of Your Word to consume My little life so that I can be big in You.” And then He was saying to us: “Again, I say to you, stay in My Life, and Light, and Fire, My Word to you. Dwell there. For there I Am Your Jesus. You must be overcoming the distractions in your life that you feel you have a right to. For no, you do not. You do not have a right to put your distractions and your fleshy enjoyment before Me. I Am your Enjoyment. It has always been My plan. I give you Myself. I give you My Life. I give you My Word to distract you away from the distractions of your fleshy pleasures and enjoyments. Yes, I have given you much to enjoy. I Am your God of love. I love to see My children enjoying wholesome things. But have you noticed that I have taken a lot of that enjoyment away from you? It is because, My Children, the time now is crucial. This is the crucial time. You will not know how to handle it. And you will not know how to help others handle it, if you are not enjoying all of My presence, finding what is My pleasure, and being consumed by My Life. There was not time for leaders of the flesh, who had forgotten their goal, and are no more. Do not forget your goal. The goal of the High calling of your God in Me, in heavenly places. You don't want to be a distraction to others. I gave up all earthly and fleshly pleasure for the Life of the Father, so that you could know My Life in the Father. I gave up My Life to offer you that prize. I am handing the prize over to you. Go for it! Take it! Run after it, and do not stop until you receive the crown! This is My calling for you, My children, My Sons and Daughters of the Kingdom. Do not stop hearing and responding to My call. Very soon is coming the chosen. My children, I desire it to be you. This is why I continue to speak to you, to correct and admonish you. It is for My glory who I choose to be the glory of My Name on the earth.” I know that Jesus led me to this word. You could say accidentally, but it was not accidental. He intentionally led me to this word as I was going to clean out my Proton email box. And as I did some scrolling through, I stopped at this word from Him. In my spirit, this word really seems now like it has such a final and serious tone. A final warning. He has spoken to us about this much. And so, we have to overcome every distraction and realize He wants to be our distraction from those the things that satisfy only our flesh. But only Jesus satisfies us wholly. Everything else is nothing. Jesus is now saying, “I will not warn you anymore about this. This is it, it's either Me living in you continually, as My chosen Bride, using you for the purposes of My kingdom, or it's not. It's up to you.” I found out that this word from April 15, 2025, was not blogged. I looked and looked, but I could not find it in the blog in the area where the date it should have been posted. I discovered this word in an email from Michael that he had sent out then. Somehow, he had it, but it did not get blogged. And after I found it, before I opened it up, I touched something and caused it to be moved somewhere. Well, I couldn't find it anywhere. So I called Julie and tried to explain everything to her. She also couldn't find it on the blog, either. But thank the Lord, with Julie's help and the Lord's, I found it this morning (3/31/26). I feel in my spirit that the way this came about, coming upon this word, that it is God's final warning, being understood by the fact that the Lord hasn't given another word of this matter after the previous one. But He chose to use this one that He had already given before. I just now heard in my spirit, “Let us press on to know the Lord.” I looked that up in a search, and Hosea 6.3, KJV, came up: “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD. His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” I decided to look it up in the ASV version: Hos 6:3  And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.  Let us follow on.   Keeping Your Focus On The Light Anonymous 10/20/22 (David's notes in red) I was in the shower speaking with the Lord, and then the devil came along and gave me a thought comparing myself to another person. I have been casting down, criticizing, judgmental, and comparing thoughts a lot in the past week. I cast it down and then I heard the Lord say, “Look not to the left or to the right”.  (I.e. Stay on and keep your eyes on the straight and narrow path of the Word. Jos.1:7-8 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.) Then I saw Jesus standing up ahead. He was wearing a glowing white light garment and had His arms open. It felt as if He was waiting for me to continue walking (in this way) to get closer and closer to Him. He was constantly watching me, not taking His eyes off of me. His presence was so patient, gentle, kind, understanding, loving, so peaceful, and there really aren't enough words to describe His presence. (Psa.32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. Psa 33:18 Behold, the eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear him, Upon them that hope in his lovingkindness;) Behind Him was this giant bright light shining, and the closer I got to Him, the brighter and bigger the light was. (Coming into the Sun/Son glory of God.) Behind me was complete darkness, and it kept lessening. It looked kind of like a tunnel of light with darkness all around and an opening of light up ahead with Jesus standing in front of it. The closer I got to Jesus, the more light and peace there was. (And this is the way it is.) I felt this meant about keeping our eyes completely focused on Jesus and our own walk or race to Him and not looking at other brethren to compare our walk with them. Not looking back to the darkness or looking around, but only looking to Him. (2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Pro.4:25-27 Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Make level the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. 2Co.10:12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. Isa.26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.   Seeking In Secret Anonymous 12/17/22 (David's notes in red) I heard in prayer, and the Lord spoke: He said, “Shut out everything.” (Close off all distractions, the enemy always uses everything he can to distract us from seeking God's presence and to distract us from staying in God's rest.) (Seeking His will through the trials is a test of Faith and devotion to the Word. Just as Job gave acknowledgement and glory to God during his trials. Job.1:8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.) He said, “Prayer closet.” (Dedicate more of your time to God and His Spirit, not the flesh.) (“You have not because you ask not.” Being intimate with God in prayer has eternal rewards. Distractions will try to steal this time with God.) He said, “Have patience.” (Knowing that your prayers will be answered in His perfect time.) Jas.1:3-4 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. Rom.5:3-5 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; 4 and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: 5 and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us. (“He that endureth to the end shall be saved.”) He said, “Speak out when you can see the enemy attack and call out to Me.” (Alert the Saints and respond to duty. God sends these tests to cause us to get in line with His Word so the enemy has no advantage.) (There is safety in numbers because some brethren may have overcome some specifics that we have not encountered. It is not only Christ in you, but in your brothers and sisters too.) He said, “Turn up the heat, get into deep, fervent and desperate prayer!” (“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.” “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”) He said, “Laugh the enemy to scorn for he does this all the time.” (Call out the enemy's bluff and staying in the resolve of Jesus and the truth of the Word.) (The majority of trials are enemy lies, or a twisted truth to deceive. Symptoms, curses, and afflictions – never last. Only Jesus is the everlasting!) He said, “That test is to turn it all back for what it is.” (Refute and retake the stolen things back from the enemy.) (Act.3:20-21 and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: 21 whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old. Jesus will come and restore all for He bore our curse so we could have Abrahams blessings in all things.) He said, “In humility give all gratefulness that nothing is done for you or to you, unless I allow it.” (Praise God in all things, praise Him for He is in control, and we can trust Him only.) (Psa.149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the nations, And punishments upon the peoples; 8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: This honor have all his saints. Praise ye Jehovah.) He said, “Seek Me in fear and gladness for everything.” He said, “Bring the life of Christ into the open.” (Reveal the greatest of things for all to experience.) (Joh.10:10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.) He said, “Love all and be showing the example of Him.” (God through us to others.) (Rom.13:8 ASV Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.) He said, “See that nothing is allowed into Me unless it passes the test of being in the image of My Son.” (Nothing of self or evil can ever imitate.) (A final result of our trials is more of Christ revealed. “Christ in you the hope of glory.”) He said, “As you look to Me by the Word and heart, you can see I look through all things.” (There is nothing that can be hidden from God.) (Only the wicked do not believe He sees all and will do anything about it.) He said, “When you see that you need Me in everything and when you are that desperate, you can see Me in others too.” (Everyone is in dire need for more of the Lord Jesus and His salvation.) He said, “Pray in tongues and write down the interpretation you get.” (Exercising the gifts to be trained and gain experience.) He said, “Seeking the Lord in servitude and want.” (Nothing for selfish gain) (But to serve the Kingdom.) He said, “Draw close to Him” (Honestly and sincerely prefer the Lord as priority always.) (Talk to Him for He desires our fellowship.) He said, “Fan the flames that burn the traps and attacks.” (Nothing can withhold you when the fire of the Lord burns everything evil. Praise and worship engulf the evil.) He said, “Add to the fire the fuel of the Word and continue to add each verse in thought as it burns.” (Keep the fire burning with explosive power.) He said, “The light shines as the flames burn brighter in the zeal and desire of the Father.” (Love burns so hot, it eliminates all darkness.) (Return us, Lord, into Your wonderful garden and keep us hedged around and protected from all evil, under Your wings, in Your promises.) Amen!   Partaking of the Bread and Sufferings Marie Kelton 9/15/23 (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision of being in heaven. My hair was its natural color (God's creation should show submission to Him). I was wearing a long lace head covering, and I was kneeling. (Marie represents the Bride of Christ, who is veiled and in the position of humble submission to His will.) I saw the Lord walk up to me, His eyes were a flame of fire (Rev.19:12 And his eyes are a flame of fire,...), and He had a flame of fire in His right hand. (This represents the Word of righteousness. Jer.23:29 Is not my word like fire? saith Jehovah… 1Co.3:12-14 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. Rev.2:17 … To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna… The flame of fire then turned to what I knew was Manna. I knew He wanted me to eat it. (The Manna is the Word of God, Who is Jesus, the Living Bread from heaven. We need to eat it so we can have His Eternal Life in us. Joh.6:48-51 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. He is the Word made flesh.) Then, a Goblet appeared in His hand. He handed the Goblet to me. And I drank from it. (What came to me was the cup of suffering, to partake in His sufferings.) (Mat.26:39 And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Mar.10:38-39 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized) (We eat the Body of Christ, which is the Word of God, for He is the Word made flesh. We drink the blood because the life of the flesh is in the blood – Lev 17:11. Partaking of His life and nature is suffering the loss of our old life and nature. Baptism represents the death and burial of the old man, and coming up represents the resurrection life of the new man in Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us to be able to drink the cup of suffering, which is the death of the old man. This enables us to partake of His holiness.) (1Pe.4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you: 13 but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy. Php.3:10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death.) (When we choose to overcome in the midst of these trials and tribulations and sufferings like Jesus did, we are taking up our cross to follow Him and be His disciple.)   Endure In Your Faith To The End David Eells Have you ever received promises from God that you really desired but lost faith in because much time passed and there was much failure on your part to live up to your expectations, and you think that is the reason that the promises won't be fulfilled? We have received many times by faith at random – Psa.102:13 Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; For it is time to have pity upon her, Yea, the set time is come. (We are on the verge of many promises being fulfilled at this time and also to people who have failed to live up to what they thought they should have been. In all of your failure continue to be ‘Justified by Faith' and also forgive your fellow man their failures and believe now so the promises can come to pass.) We are entering a season of fulfillment! We also have received these verses by faith at random, about NOW is the time. Isa.33:10 Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; now will I lift up myself; now will I be exalted. Psa.12:5 Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; I will set him in the safety he panteth for. It is now that we have no time for double-mindedness because of past failures or sin. Forget the failures and inability of the past with its condemnation, be justified by faith, repent and believe now. Here is a perfect example of a man receiving an important promise but then went through much unbelief and failure and self-works in his uncircumcised heart but when the time came God reminded him of the promise and brought it to pass through his renewed faith. Rom.4:1-10 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. (Like many of us, Abraham's faith and works failed him for many years but when the set time was come it was impossible for him to bring it to pass by works of man. He and Sarah were too old and double-minded. Jas.1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. It was then that God reminded him of the promise and renewed his faith.) 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. And then the promise was fulfilled. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. (The answer can only come by Grace, which is unmerited and unearned by man's works. Pray for mercy and grace by which faith will come.) 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. (Up to this point, Abraham was ungodly in his works to bring to pass the promises. Only the works of faith are considered righteous.) 6 Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works (of man), 7 saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin. (This grace through faith was given to a man who did not deserve it by his works.) 9 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. 10 How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. (The promise was given when Abraham was sowing a seed of uncircumcised flesh. What can that get you? Ishmael. Abraham wanted God to accept him as the promised seed, but God refused because his work was of the flesh of man.) …17-25 (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he believed, even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not as though they were. (Abraham and Sarah were dead to any ability to bring forth the promised seed. We are also dead to any ability to bring forth the promised seed of “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Here is where we can receive the unmerited, unearned favor of God. We cannot pick ourselves up by our bootstraps.) 18 Who in hope believed against hope (of man), to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. (Within the year of the fulfillment of the promise, Abraham began to believe God by His grace, while ignoring his inability.) 19 And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 20 yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. (Since it was impossible for them to do this, there was only one other choice: believe God and be counted as righteous so he could have the promise. Rom.3:3-4 For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? 4 God forbid: (It was in this state of unfaithfulness to God's promise that Abraham and Sarah were to confess the promise and be justified in their words.) yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified (Accounted as righteous) in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. We prevail or overcome in Judgment when we confess the Lord's promises with our Words. When we are accounted righteous, we are entitled to Faith, which is the victory that overcomes the world. Back to Rom.4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; 24 but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification. When Jesus died, we died; when he was resurrected, we received resurrection life. Have you failed? Ask for faith through grace and confess the promises! “Confess” in Greek is Homo-Logeo, meaning to “speak the same as”. I.e. Say what God says about you and others. Heb.3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus; 4:14 Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Jesus, as our High Priest, must have a sacrifice from us to give to the Father. Mat.10:32 Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. Luk.12:8 And I say unto you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: When we confess in agreement with God's promises, the angels are given authority of Father and Son to fulfill our confession. Psa.103:20 Bless Jehovah, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. Heb.10:23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised: 13:15 Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. Speak life into every situation. Pro.18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Mar.11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. “Whosoever” shows that He wasn't only talking to His disciples and apostles at that time, but that He was talking to all disciples because disciples are the only ones who will take Him seriously and recognize this authority as a gift of faith. Again, Jesus was not only speaking to the apostles and disciples back in His time, but to anyone, from them to us, who believes he can have this authority. Is this just a silly statement that no one will ever really take Him up on? No! There have been many people who have commanded their personal mountains and giants out of the way. Multitudes of people have exercised this authority over Satan, over the flesh, over their circumstances, and over the curse. God is faithful to stand by His Word, not because we deserve it, but due to His mercy and grace. He has said, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29) and Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee (Mat.8:13). “Whosoever” includes you and me and any other believer, so this authority has been put in our hands as sons of the last Adam, and not only given to those disciples in Jesus' day, as some say. Mar.16:14 And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. Jesus is referring to the disciples of the disciples. “Disciples” (Greek: mathetes, meaning “learner and follower”) are learners and followers of the Lord. He is our Master, our Lord, our Example, and He is the One Who does the works through us. Mar.16:17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Now we see that these signs will accompany those who simply believe, not only great apostles. That is authority! Jesus is giving authority to the people who believe these first disciples, or forefathers of Christianity, who wrote these pages to us. He has given us this authority to do good in the name of the Lord. All principalities and powers have been put under Jesus (Matthew 28:18), even “his feet” and we are “his body” (Ephesians 1:20-23). We have this authority, but it can be negative or positive. For example, when the Lord brought His people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, they continued to speak negatively and exercise their faith in a negative way. Faith is just what you believe. You can believe what God has spoken to you, or you can believe the things which you see in the world, but Jesus said, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29). Faith is both negative and positive. Even fear is faith; however, it's faith in the curse, or faith in reverse – I.e. having faith in adverse circumstances and in the devil. The absolute proof in the world is what people believe happens to them comes to pass. Doctors say that approximately 90% and higher of sicknesses are psychosomatic (Greek: psuche, meaning “soul” and soma, meaning “body”). This implies “soul over body” and your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Therefore, your mind, will, and emotions are making your body sick. The doctors are wrong in stating that 90% and higher of sicknesses are psychosomatic. That number is 100%. What makes people sick is what they believe. In fact, what you believe can kill you. As we saw in Matthew 18:18, you are the one who binds and who looses, and you are the one who creates your own future. You are the one who gives authority to the devil or gives authority unto God. Jesus needed authority, but when He went to His hometown, he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Mat.13:58). They had the authority to say no to God, and they did; they did not believe in Jesus and His Gospel. They believed in the sickness and the curse and they spoke it. We can believe in the blessings of God and speak the blessings, or we can believe in the curse and speak the curse. We will have what we believe because that's the Word of God. Num.14:28 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me. They complained to the Lord that they were brought out into the wilderness to die, and the Lord heard this too many times. The Lord basically gave them what they said. The Lord still does this today, and the Bible declares that He does. One of the fruits of a believer is that they believe in their heart and confess with their mouth (Romans 10:10). Many people profess to be believers, yet don't confess their benefits in Christ, so God says what you say is what you will receive. Num.21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. What is “against God”? It's when God has spoken these awesome promises, and we think we know better and continue to agree with the curse. For example, the 10 spies who spoke and agreed with the curse and brought the bad report led to the threats made by God to those who believed those spies. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who brought the good report, in agreement with God's promises. So, speaking against God can be more subtle than what people might think. When God says you're healed, and you say you're not, then you will remain sick. When God says He's taken away your sins, but you confess what you see and feel in the world, you are speaking against God. Num.21:6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Once again, what they spoke is what they got. I believe the fiery serpents represent the curse. The cure for this was that God commanded Moses to make a “fiery serpent” out of brass and put it on a pole, and as people got their eyes on the serpent on the pole, they were healed (verse 8). As we know, the cure was Jesus Christ, since He was the One who was made sin and was crucified on a cross. So, we have a cure from the curse, but we must confess God to receive this cure. Those who profess Christianity but do not confess the benefits of the Kingdom, so that the curse, which was put upon Jesus, doesn't come on them. We cannot gain the promises in Scripture without faith in those promises. Or, in other words, what we profess must be mixed with faith. Num.21:7 And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. When people pray, God is merciful, especially if they believe their prayers. But do you have to continue to live under the curse? Is it necessary, when you can agree with God, to have the “fiery serpents” bite you? These serpents are the curse manifested in so many ways. The serpent is, obviously, also the devil, who is a vessel of dishonor that administers the curse on God's people, especially when they don't believe the benefits of God. Jesus told us, According to your faith be it done unto you (Mat.9:29) and Go thy way; as thou hast believed, [so] be it done unto thee (Mat.8:13). You can speak things into coming to pass. If you speak life, you receive life; if you speak death, you receive death. It depends on what you have your faith in. If your faith is in agreement with God's benefits, then you are justified by faith and receive those benefits. If you agree with what is in the world, then you don't receive God's benefits and have loosed the devil; you have loosed emissaries to continue to administer the curse on you. Many people are learning this and experiencing what I'm saying. This is nothing new, but is the same Gospel which is from the beginning. We have to have a renewed mind so that we understand what to believe and what we should speak. Faith can be both positive and negative. Pro.18:20 A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied. Would you like your needs to be met because of what you say? We would like our lips to come into agreement with the Word of God and learn more and more to walk in His benefits by confessing Him before men. Pro.18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. I remember back in Louisiana, where I came from, there was a church that had a visiting minister who was preaching about death and how it was not to be feared. I know the church and its circumstances and have been there. The minister was actually going to show them how simple it was to die. He pulled up a chair, sat down, and said it was as simple as going to sleep. Then he nodded his head for an example. He stayed like that for a while, until the pastor, whom I know, got nervous and went up and touched him on his shoulder, and then shook him. He was gone. He talked himself right off of this earth. What was God showing with this example? Some people talk themselves right into the grave. Many people die before their time because their faith is to die; their faith is to be cursed and to receive the things that are around them. Their faith is not in what the Lord Jesus has given to them freely. Truly, “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” This is God's Word, and nothing is being taken away or being added to it. We need to agree with God's benefits to have them, and God will supply your every need to do His will if you learn to agree with Him. The tongue doesn't speak on its own. It gets its direction from your thoughts and the words that are in your mind. We need to watch our tongue so we can correct our mind. That's one reason the Lord is telling us to be careful with what we say, because when we are careful, we are correcting our thoughts. He tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak. That's why we have one tongue and two ears. Mat.12:34 Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. If we want to speak good things, we need to put good things in our hearts and reject the other things that are there. I am sure that your mouth has spoken things that have slipped out that you wish you hadn't said. It's an automatic thing with some people, but we need to slow down and give the Lord time to correct our thinking. Good people speak good things, and bad people speak bad things. In some ways, we are both since we are both ‘son of man' and ‘son of God', but we also have authority over that part of us which is still man. The Son of God in us has authority over that man. As the outer man decays, the inner man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). That spiritual man is taking over as we walk by faith and believe more and more of the Word of God, and as we do, more and more of Jesus Himself is being manifested in us, and He is taking more and more ground from the enemy. Mat.12:35 The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Those who get this revelation about the tongue spend much time talking about the tongue, but we must really begin with the heart. We have to repent – change our mind – and believe what the Bible says. Changing your mind and repenting is renewing your mind with what the Word says and agreeing with what it says, but we must do it enough so that it overcomes our natural thinking. Our natural thinking is what kills us and all those whose tongues are connected to their natural man. Mat.12:36 And I say unto you, that every idle (Greek: argos, meaning “unfruitful, barren”) word that men shall speak, they shall give account of in the day of judgment. The Lord obviously wants His Word to bear fruit in us, but there are many words that are unfruitful and don't bear the fruit of Christ in us. Every idle word will bring judgment upon you. The day of judgment is not just that day down the road, the corporate judgment, but it is the day of judgment that you come into. Your idle words, unfruitful or vain, will bring you into judgment. Many people have spoken the curse upon themselves, like the Israelites did. They confessed continuously that they would die in the wilderness and it happened. Mat.12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The words that justify us are those words spoken in agreement with God. They are words confessing Jesus before God and men, saying what He said and agreeing with what He has taught us in the Word, and also by what He put in the disciples to teach us in the Word. We are accounted righteous, or justified, if we agree with God. But if we don't agree, we fall under judgment, for “by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” If you disagree with God's Word, it's like calling Him a liar. God told the Israelites that He was going to bring them to the Promised Land, and they basically claimed that God was a liar and that He brought them to the wilderness to die. They spoke it from their mouth, and He finally said, “as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you.” There are a lot of people who don't make it through the wilderness – what we call the “world” today. Hos.4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…. They agree with the curse and they receive the curse. It's what they believe; it is their faith. See Jesus in the mirror, all that He is, is yours. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. And 1Jn 4:17 Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

Podcast Description Join us for Week 9 of “Books of the Book” as we explore the brief yet powerful letter of 2 John—the shortest book in the Bible by verse count, but filled with rich guidance for every believer. In this episode, Pastor Chris walks us through John's compelling call to live lives rooted in both truth and love, two virtues that cannot be separated in the Christian walk. We unpack some of the major themes found in this often-overlooked book: Love Anchored in Truth — Discover why genuine love must be grounded in God's unchanging truth, and how obedience to His commands shapes authentic Christian living. The Dangers of Deception — Learn how to recognize and guard against false teachings that distort the identity and work of Christ. John's warning to the early church is just as relevant in today's culture of shifting beliefs. Rewards and Blessings — Be encouraged by the promise of both eternal rewards and present blessings—grace, mercy, and peace—for those who remain steadfast in truth and love. This episode challenges us to evaluate our own walk with Christ: Are we loving others according to God's truth? Are we guarding ourselves from deception? And are we building our lives on the firm foundation of Christ? Tune in as we continue our journey through Scripture and discover how the timeless message of 2 John speaks powerfully into our lives today.

Living a Christ Centered Life OUTLINE 1. Assurance of Faith - Without Faith it is Impossible to please Him 2. Ambition for the Gospel 3. Abandon the Flesh - For me to live is Christ - Are you willing to give up things to serve God? 4. The anticipation of meeting God - Are you passionate about the Savior? - Are you investing in the things of eternity? Don't lose your focus on Christ!!

It is not merely a logistical chapter on land distribution but a deeply spiritual message about holiness, justice, and mercy among God's people. This chapter reveals God's care for the Levites, His provision for the innocent, and His unwavering commitment to uphold justice in the land He has given His people. ⸻ Verses 1–8: Provision for the Levites God commands Moses to designate forty-eight cities for the Levites, scattered throughout the inheritance of the other tribes. These cities include pasturelands for their livestock and daily needs. •Spiritual Insight: The Levites, chosen to serve God in the tabernacle, were not given a tribal inheritance of land like the others. Instead, their inheritance was God Himself (Deut. 10:9), and these cities ensured their integration among the people as spiritual leaders and teachers of the law. Their dispersion symbolized God's Word being near to all. •Application: God's ministers are to dwell among the people, not above them. The community should support those who dedicate their lives to spiritual service. Their presence in every region also represented accountability and access to God's wisdom. ⸻ Verses 9–34: The Cities of Refuge Six of the forty-eight cities were to be designated as cities of refuge, where a person who had killed someone unintentionally could flee and find safety from the “avenger of blood” (a family member seeking justice). •Three cities were to be located east of the Jordan, and three west, making them accessible to all. Key Principles of the Cities of Refuge: 1.Mercy and Justice Intertwined The cities of refuge were not to protect murderers, but those who committed manslaughter—unintentional killing. Once the person fled to the city, the community was to hold a trial to determine guilt or innocence. 2.The Role of the High Priest If found innocent, the person had to remain in the city until the death of the current high priest. After that, they were free to return home. •Symbolism: The death of the high priest points prophetically to Jesus Christ, our ultimate High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–16), whose death sets the guilty free. 3.No Ransom for the Guilty God made it clear: no bribes, no shortcuts, and no ransom could substitute justice for a murderer. •The land would be defiled if justice was not served. 4.Blood Defiles the Land God declares that bloodshed pollutes the land, and the only atonement for such blood is the blood of the one who shed it. •This echoes God's deep value for human life, created in His image. ⸻ Spiritual Reflection The Cities of Refuge are a beautiful blend of grace and order, a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as our refuge. Like the manslayer, all of us have sinned, often unintentionally, and we need a place of safety. Christ receives us, protects us, and takes the punishment we deserved. •Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” •Hebrews 6:18 – We who have fled for refuge may lay hold of the hope set before us. ⸻ Modern Application 1.Refuge in Christ: Are you carrying guilt? Jesus offers refuge—not to hide sin, but to transform and release you. 2.Justice in Community: God demands justice but also provides mercy. Our legal and social systems should reflect both. 3.Support for Servants: Do we honor and support those who serve in spiritual roles like the Levites? 4.Value of Life: Do we uphold the sanctity of life in our culture? God takes the shedding of blood seriously. ⸻ Conclusion Numbers 35 isn't just about cities—it's about the heart of God. He is both just and merciful, protective and holy. He provides places of safety, demands justice in the land, and shows us through the Levites and the High Priest what it means to live in covenant with Him. As we journey through life, may we remember that Jesus is our refuge, and He calls us to build communities that reflect His heart.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.

-No creed but the Bible-- -No creed but Christ-- Are these statements accurate-- Are they healthy-- This class introducing a Haven Sunday Seminary series will not only tell you why these statements are misleading at best- but it will also give you four important reasons why churches NEED full statements of what they believe, i.e. creeds and confessions.

-No creed but the Bible-- -No creed but Christ-- Are these statements accurate-- Are they healthy-- This class introducing a Haven Sunday Seminary series will not only tell you why these statements are misleading at best- but it will also give you four important reasons why churches NEED full statements of what they believe, i.e. creeds and confessions.

My favorite cartoon of all time is Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.  I can remember getting up early on Saturday morning as a kid to watch cartoons.  I could not wait for the Roadrunner.  I asked my 22 year old daughter who Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner were and she had no clue.  It seems like I have failed in part of my parenting.  I was about to say that most of you would know what I was talking about, but I guess I need to say that you have to be in your 30s or older to remember this cartoon.In each episode, the cunning, devious and constantly hungry coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, but is unsuccessful in catching the Road Runner except on only extremely rare occasions. Instead of his animal instincts, the coyote uses absurdly complex contraptions to try to catch his prey, which comically backfire, with the coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion. Many of the items he uses are mail-ordered from a variety of companies implied to be part of the Acme Corporation.One running gag involves the coyote trying, in vain, to shield himself with a little parasol against a great falling boulder that is about to crush him. Another involves him falling from high cliffs, after momentarily being suspended in midair—as if the fall is delayed until he realizes that there is nothing below him. The rest of the scene, shot from a bird's-eye view, shows him falling into a canyon so deep that his figure is eventually lost to sight, with only a small puff of dust indicating his impact.In one of the episodes, Wile E. tries to lift a boulder out from the ground using a crowbar as a type of lever. When the crowbar gets wedged under the boulder, Wile E. tries jumping on the upper fulcrum position of the crowbar. However, when he does, the boulder gets launched up in the air and then lands Wile E, crushing him.  When he pushes the boulder off, his body is like the bellow section of an accordion and he makes the same type of sound when he walks.  Yes, I will admit it is a slap-stick type of humor, which most people would not find amusing, but it always brings a smile to my face.Of course this episode of the podcast is not all about Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner.  When I thought about the episode I just described, I began to think about the fulcrum that the coyote used to wedge the crowbar against.  You remember what a fulcrum is right?  It is the pivot point or prop about which a lever turns. It's like a hinge or support. On a see-saw, it is the hinge in the middle that the see-saw balances on.In a figurative sense of the word, it has a meaning of something that is essential. Simply put, in a figurative sense, the fulcrum would be the main thing or that thing which everything balances on.  Sometimes I sit in church with the realization that for a lot of folks, and when I say a lot of folks, I mean the vast majority, think the center point of the Christian walk with Jesus is building attendance. We have been raised to make church that "can't miss" thing of the Christian walk.  I am trying to teach myself the correct biblical language on this subject because biblically speaking, we do not GO to church.  the Bible clearly states that people who have placed their faith in Christ ARE the church.  We cannot go to something that we are!I need to clarify something before I go any further, because many people are good at hearing what I don't say.  Don't hear what is not being said in this podcast.  Listen to what is being said.  The only text that most preachers and even church people will use is Hebrews 10:25 where the author says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I agree that this is a command to meet with other believers, but this is NOT the main thing we are to do, yet so many Christians use this as that one thing to determine if a person is walking with the Lord.  Can I tell you something today?  There are many people who attend the building who do not have a close relationship with the Lord.  There are even people who attend the building who are lost and on their way to hell.  In evangelicalism, the practical disciplines of the spiritual life are:Go to church, read your bible, and pray daily.  If you want bonus points:Go to Sunday School and serve in a ministry of the church.  Do not get me wrong, these are wonderful expressions of the Christian life, but they are peripherals, not the fulcrum!!The church building is not the centerpiece of your walk with Jesus and if it is, you need to repent of idolatry.You can't sit in church and say… “YES! This is it.” Attending church as a passive action, which most church goers do, is not active participation, anymore than watching football on TV is the same as playing in the game. Jesus didn't come so you could go to church.He didn't tear the veil between the Holy of Holies and the people so you could attend a service. That's a foundational misunderstanding in the person and action of Christ.It really irritates me how people will act like others are not “good Christians” because they don't make it to church much.  I see posts on Facebook and other social media platforms all the time where people posting about church attendance in the most condescending manner, basically telling others they aren't good Christians because they don't' attend the building.  News flash, the thief on the cross never attended a worship service a day in his life.Again, don't hear what I am not saying.  I'm not saying we shouldn't meet together, but did you know I can do that on a Tuesday with three of my Christian friends where we talk about the Lord and read scripture together?We have this westernized view of worship service.  Did you know there are church gatherings all over this planet that still meet in houses? Where do we get this idea that a person is less of a Christian or not right with GAWD because they don't come to the same building we go to at the same time we go?We are not accepted by God by our building attendance.  Me attending the building or gathering no more makes me acceptable to God than dressing up a monkey in a three-piece suit, handing him a Bible and a tambourine, and then setting him on the front row, makes him acceptable to God.Our hearts have to be right, no matter where we are at. This is what's most important to God, our hearts. Does Jesus dwell there? Is it brand new? Every Sunday morning millions of people get ready for church. They put on their best clothes and head off to a geographical location to learn about God and worship Him. But really, it doesn't matter where the actual church-going Christian is physically. God is much more interested in us understanding what kind of church we are—you and I. Luke even penned what Paul said about this, in Acts 17:24:“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands”Friend, we house His Spirit at all times (see 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)–but do we show the world who Jesus really is through us? Or are we thinking that God is giving us a gold star for driving our rears to the nearest church building and sitting there for an hour?Can we get really honest? I've said this in many messages throughout the years.  Some of the meanest people on the planet go to church! Some of the meanest acting, most unloving people I know attend the building.They say things like.....“Well…if they don't go to church then they just ain't Christian.”“BACKSLIDERS! You better get back into church if you don't want to go to hell!”You know what I want to say to some of these people in response to the things they say?  “So what! You don't show it! Show me Jesus! If going to church makes me like you, then you can keep it! I don't want to be like you at all!”We place so much importance on church attendance, but what about controlling your tongue? What about putting away pride and walking in humility? How loving are you towards those who you don't "go to church with?" Are you filled with the Spirit?  Do you show love? Joy? Peace? Gentleness? Meekness? Kindness? Self-control? Can I tell you something, if not, then it doesn't matter if you go to the church building every day!!Friends, we gotta have change. We gotta change the way the world looks at church-going Christians! Church attendance means nothing if we don't allow Christ to live through us. If we refuse to do this, then why are we going? We may as well sleep in or go fishing–or whatever. Be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to live through you! Be being the Church! LET HIM OUT OF YOU!!Listen to me carefully, I'm all for meeting together to worship.  Go. Please go.  Find one and get plugged in. You are a vital part of the body of Christ! But never find your identity in that building–or in what you do for the building. Find your identity in who lives in you! Why? Because YOU really are, His Church. 

-Is the lamp of your life being burned out for Christ-- Are you laying up treasure on earth or in heaven--- - Dr. Larry Ball, General Director of International Baptist Missions--Watch the final message from our 2023 Missions Conference. This message is from Ecclesiastes 7-2 and entitled -Lessons from a Funeral-.

How do we grow as Christians? Be careful how you grow Stay grounded in Christ (v6-7) Continue the live in Christ Be rooted & built up in Christ Learn more of Christ Overflow with thankfulness Find fullness in Christ (v9-10) The fullness we discover in Christ The fullness we receive from Christ Realise what we have in Christ (v11-15) We have fellowship with Christ We have forgiveness in Christ We have freedom through Christ Are you growing in Christ?

What we covered today:• What are thorns in the flesh actually mean • We cover how Paul said the thorns in his flesh helped him lean on Christ • Are thorns bad or good for our Christian walk?• Are thorns similar to convictionConnect with Ashley: https://www.ashleyhenriott.com/Grab any freebies here! https://www.ashleyhenriott.com/freebiesApply for coaching here! https://www.ashleyhenriott.com/coachingSubscribe to Confidence and Coffee here Support the show

Join Chris and Peach as they take a look at what it means to witness to the unbelieving world. Do we know what it means to witness?Topics Covered:Witnessing - It may not mean what you think it means!Imitate Me, as I imitate Christ - Are we willing to say this?Jesus is available - unhurried, presentJesus is impartial - His grace was and is available to allJesus is sensitive to the pain of others - he was willing to sit with the suffering and offer hope Stay connected with us!Instagram - @biblebuffoonsTwitter - @biblebuffoons

Was Jesus merely a wise man and a good teacher, or is He currently God incarnate; sent to set right all that ails the world? We talk about this and much more, including: Can we live a “chicken fried” life Does inflation alone steal parts of our life away Are there dangers that require our attention Can we afford to be wrong about who Jesus is Sloppy scholarship vs good scholarship when it comes to how we got our bible What are the prerequisites required to be The Christ Are there more reasons to believe in Jesus than we believe in ourselves Are the prophecies about Christ accurate and can we trust them What are the chances Jesus fulfilled these prophecies by chance Why is God's character attacked more than his existence Do we always enjoy being a Christian Who is Jesus You knew it was coming, so don't miss this week‘s episode! Referenced On Air The Questions Christians Hope No One Asks Learn The Bible in 24 Hours Loss Of Military Bearing What are the Odds (Jesus/Prophecy) Presidential Prerequisites Pliny the Younger on Christianity Julius Africanus Additional Resources Why You Can Believe The Bible Do You Really Know Him?

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? You have, haven't you? Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘We act impulsively and realise, after the fact, how foolish we were…On top of all that, we hurt the ones we love the most. All this stuff caves in on us…and we wonder how anybody could ever love us…especially God. When we start thinking like this, we need to turn our mind to the “one anothers” in the New Testament. Love one another, build up one another, live in peace with one another, confess your sins to one another, speak to one another, admonish one another, comfort one another, pray for one another. “Bear one another's burdens” (Galatians 6:2 NKJV). Imagine two mountain hikers. One…has a…light pack…while the other poor soul…is…loaded down…It could be a long-standing grudge…poisoning his insides…[Or,] a broken relationship with his wife or one of his kids. That pack could be loaded with unpaid bills. The question is, Where can…[he] go to unload? By sitting in church alongside a…couple thousand other folks? Hardly. What he needs…is…a place where there is person-to-person caring and…authentic sharing. Where he will feel free, without embarrassment…to tell his secret or state his struggle; where someone will listen, help him unload, and give him fresh strength. Adult fellowships…are not miniature church services. They are pockets of people who love Christ and believe in helping one another. They don't point fingers or preach or compare. They are your brothers and sisters in Christ…Are you involved in a…fellowship group? If not, consider joining or starting [one].' Once you begin unloading, you will discover how much easier the journey seems.

What does it mean to be in Christ- What does it mean to be in the Body of Christ- Are they both referring to one and the same- The Scriptures tells the difference.

What does it mean to be in Christ- What does it mean to be in the Body of Christ- Are they both referring to one and the same- The Scriptures tells the difference.

What does it mean to be in Christ- What does it mean to be in the Body of Christ- Are they both referring to one and the same- The Scriptures tells the difference.

Open calls, questions, and discussion with guest host Luke Wayne LIVE in the studio. Topics include---1- Luke discusses the upcoming interview with Voice for the Voiceless, an anti-abortion ministry, on Thursday, 01-13-22.--2- Luke gives some background on himself and how he became involved in apologetics.--3- Why does Jesus point out to Nathaniel that he saw him under the fig tree- Why was that such a big deal---4- Is Baptism necessary for Salvation---5- Are you familiar with the term of the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of Christ- Are they separate---6- What does apologetics mean-

What, in our lives is inconsistent with our identity in Christ--What, in our lives are we doing that is not consistent with the call of Christ- Are we blameless, and what does that mean- For answers to these questions and many more, please listen to Pastor Samuel Morgan's teaching entitled -To the Praise and the Glory of God. - This is the first sermon in a series based off the letters Paul wrote to the Philippian Church.

Welcome to the power of prayer podcast. I am your host, Sherrie T., and this is the best day of your life because God is in control. Our affirmation is we are excited, blessed, grateful, and, most of all, we are Believers 4 Life. We hope these moments of prayer and bible reading will empower you to have faith in God's word. Believe in John 3:16 and be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Inspire you to pray for your family, friends, and community. Let us always bless the Lord; His mercy endures forever. Let us bless the Lord our God, who has sanctified us by the blood of Jesus. Our Father, which art in heaven, how great is your name. May your Kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven with a grateful heart; we give you honor, glory, and praise. Give us this day our daily bread; Forgives us of our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us, keep us in the shadow of your presence as we declare and decree You reign forever. Blessing and power to our King who sits on the throne and unto the lamb. May the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouth be acceptable in your sight. We call on the name of Jesus to heal our broken hearts and open blind eyes. Teach us your ways as we study your word. May the Spirit of wisdom...quote from Maya Angelou, "I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens. Not just to the person or persons I am praying for, but also something wonderful happens to me. I'm grateful that I'm-heard. I believe this quote is relevant to our text as we seek to answer the question "Are We Living the Life of Christ": "Are you and I living the life." Paul reveals three things that will answer our question. First, we must be servants; secondly, we must be grateful; and lastly, we must pray. I will get to that momentarily. Take a journey with me over in Romans chapter 16, where we find Paul helping start a church in Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city in Macedonia. Listen as I read verses 13-15 On the Sabbath...Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, and scholarship research. Feel free to comment. Share. Like. Subscribe (copy RSS on Anchor) to receive my weekly message Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Purchase books on Amazon; Sharon Bethea and Tina Mashushire. Get your Believer 4 Life T-shirt @ www.believer4life.com/tshirts and www.tees4believers.com. Submit your prayer request @ believer4life.com/prayers  Thanks for Listening, Peace and Blessing --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/livingbiblehub/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/livingbiblehub/support

Are you willing to obey the Master and go out into the deep like Simon, Andrew, James - John-- Are you willing to leave all behind and follow Christ-- Are you playing in the shallows or have you been affected by Jesus-- The church desperately needs individuals who are acquainted with and affected by Christ.

Are you willing to obey the Master and go out into the deep like Simon, Andrew, James - John- Are you willing to leave all behind and follow Christ- Are you playing in the shallows or have you been affected by Jesus- The church desperately needs individuals who are acquainted with and affected by Christ.

The Power of Intimacy with Christ | “Are you still thirsty?” Do you desire more of God? In this episode, I share how Jesus set up the Samaritan woman for a blessing and how that at the well was the place that she found a life-changing water. God will set you up to fill you up with His Spirit. I discovered that God creates the situation to fill you up for the purpose of sending you out to tell everybody what he did, so too are made thirsty and come running to him. He is the satisfying portion of the soul. When we yield to God's call to be spirit-filled we find life satisfaction in soul, spirit, and heart. God will birth a well of water springing up inside of us and that water will be more than enough to cope with whatever life brings. We can quench our thirst and find peace in God when we live in intimacy with him and allow the water of God to fill our very being.  You will take away from this episode, that God wants to water your soul with his Spirit and there are great dividends to letting him on the inside to take his residence and release his love, grace and power.  

The Lord Jesus is teaching us how to conduct ourselves in our everyday lives as His children. -As-Christians-.- We must not be known in the world as people who are filled with the spirit of revenge and retaliation-against others when we are attacked, hurt, or slandered. This is NOT who the Christian is, this is NOT-who you are to be-- Romans 12-17-21, Leviticus 19-18, Exodus 23-4-5- You might be sitting here thinking in your heart- if someone attacks me, I'm gonna get them back, I-can't do what you're saying-- If you're a child of God- Philippians 4-13. AND- Don't forget the Beatitudes- -V3-12-- These are the exceptional attitudes, virtues, characteristics of every child of the Kingdom of Christ- Are-you cultivating these attitudes in your life-- I don't see, Blessed are the vindictive, those that avenge themselves- Or Blessed are they that-GOT THEM BACK-- YOU tell me how you feel next time you GET SOMEONE BACK for what they did to-you- Blessed- Happy- Galatians 5-19-24

The Power of Intimacy with Christ | “Are you struggling with bringing your heart to God for developing intimacy with him?" If you are struggling with developing a relationship with God, the Holy Spirit specializes in doing heart work and seeks to walk the hungry ones right into the presence of God. The Holy Spirit calls believers into intimate relationship with Christ. From this relationship, flows power for discovering the love and wisdom of God, which fills our hearts with his empowering presence. Deciding to totally give ourselves to God is an intentional decision. You will take away from this episode important principles for how to yield your heart and spirit to God for developing intimacy with Christ. Giving yourself to God opens tour heart to an intimacy with Christ that will regenerate, restore and ignite the power of the Holy Spirit for living the abundant life promised in Christ.

Are you kind? Are you compassionate? Does your life reflect the life of Christ? Are you a fully devoted follower of JESUS? Today, Pastor Ben asks us these, and other, questions to help us check ourselves, to make sure that we are leading a life that reflects Jesus Christ. First comes LOVE....(you have to listen to today's podcast so that YOU can fill in the rest of this sentence).

Are we in a new place considering the Body of Christ? Are we in a new age of Reformation?

Do you desire fellowship with the brothers and sisters in Christ- Are there some Christians with whom you do not desire fellowship- Join Pastor Andy as he unpacks the final few verses and brings to a close our study of Philippians.

It is very trendy to “brand” yourself right now and social media is filled with influencers and brand ambassadors. What does it mean to be an influencer? Today Sara and Kathy discuss how we, as Christian women, are all ambassadors for Christ. The way we live our life tells people a story, and as believers we can either be good or bad ambassadors for Jesus. What is the fruit you are showing as a representative of Christ? Are you making people want Jesus with the way you speak or treat people? Do you live in peace or chaos? We have the good news that many people don’t know about and our actions do matter as believers. We have a high calling and to be able to fulfill our role, be useful and eternally significant to the Kingdom, we must know Jesus. Just like influencers must know their product, we must know ours! The best way to be transformed into a useful disciple of Christ is to pursue Him, know Him, believe Him and trust that as you do that, He will change you from the inside out. He truly is all we need and in a world that seems to be falling apart, that is good good news. When we are changed by the gospel, it comes out of us naturally and people crave the peace that comes with knowing and being known by Him. Allow yourself to get curious about Jesus this week, open your bible and see what it means to be an influencer for Jesus. He is better than anything and is more than enough! He is worth it.

1- James is an implicit call to Christian servanthood - humility.-2- James is a testimony of the divinity of Christ as he submits to the brother whom he calls to be one with God, Lord. and the promised Messiah.-3- James' use of OT language shows us that the church is the fulfillment of Israel, united in Christ. All those who believe in Christ ARE family.-4- James reminds us that we are pilgrims in a fallen world, dispersed, yet not without hope, united to our Savior not only for the glory to come, but also for the afflictions of this present age.

This week Pastor Chris and Streeter take a look at Ligonier Ministry's survey of American Theology. Check it out at stateoftheology.com. What do people believe about God? The trinity? The divinity of Christ? Are evangelicals consistent in their theology? **Find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and our website www.providence-baptist.com** Email us! youaskpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode we talk with Chris Sharrock about the power of vulnerability in Christian community. What does it look like to walk fully with brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we settling for a cheap imitation or going after the real thing? Power words and a powerful story!

How would you describe what it means to follow Christ? Are there laws or expectations that Jesus has for us? In the final chapter of Galatians, Pastor Steve Heron examines how Paul shows us that following Christ isn't characterized by rituals and disciplines but by love, care, and perseverance with one another.

Do you have this new identity in Christ- Are you resting in what Christ has done and what he will do-

The Truth Hour Bible Study - a Facebook live Bible Study. Looking at Romans 8:12-17. What does it mean to be children of God, Heirs of God and Joint Heirs of Christ? Are you part of this awesome inheritance?

Main Point: What if you could know the one thing on earth that literally everyone else is dying to know? Scripture: Genesis 3:1-6; Matthew 16:21-27, 19:16-22, 28:19-20 Questions: 1. Read Genesis 3:1-6. Do you trust God to define what is good and what is evil? Why or why not? Explain. 2. Is it possible that we have created a cultural Jesus and a cultural Christianity? 3. Would you define yourself as a true follower of Christ? Are you living with the eternal kingdom in mind or is your hope and trust in the man-made kingdoms of this world? 4. How do we change our hearts to be conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ? 5. Read Matthew 28:19-20. The call of the kingdom, and following Jesus, is defined by the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ. Are you actively involved in making disciples? How?

UNSHACKLED: UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF FREEDOM •••Bible Study Verses: John 3:16, Luke 1:74-75, Luke 1:71, Genesis 1:26, Galatians 5:13-15, John 8:32-36, John 10:10, Matthew 11:28-29. “Logic Is The Antithesis To Faith" Dr. Daniel Passini † “...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6, NKJV Why was it difficult for God’s chosen to maintain freedom after being freed from captivity by the awesome and powerful hand of Our Creator God? Why is it that God wants us to be free, but for some reason many of us are living in one form of bondage or the other? Why is that living a life of freedom in Christ can be such a struggle? What are 3-Basic concepts about your liberty and freedom in Christ? Why is the experience of freedom elusive EVEN in the lives of many who claim to know Him? What are 4-key life actions for experiencing true freedom in Christ? Are you willing to bow your knee to the only One who can give you true freedom, Our Creator, the Lord Christ Jesus? Pastor Godwin Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on July 4, 2020 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible. This Teaching Podcast is brought to you by Christian Leadership International and all the beloved of God who believe in it’s mission through prayer and support. Thank you. COVER ART CREDIT: Photos by joshua woroniecki art direction by gil on his mac. † https://danielpassini.org/logic-is-the-antithesis-to-faith/ FERP200704 Episode #127 GOT200704ep127Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/Fresh-Encounter-Radio-Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you finding yourself going around the same mountain even tho you have given your life to Christ? Are you still experiencing the same pain that's causing you to believe that you have failed in your relationship with Him? In this episode you'll discover that it's all a signal of something more that we want to help you with. Inspired by Philippians 2:13

Do you know you have a God-given calling as a believer in Christ? Are you living out who God has called you to be? Listen to Part 5 on the Priesthood of Believers in our Living Passed the Altar Series Sanctuary Family Worship Center May 2020

Title: Instruments of His Love Text: I John 4:13-19 FCF: We often struggle remaining assured of our salvation. Prop: Because God’s Spirit continues to complete God’s love with His Children, we must examine ourselves to see if we are His children. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I John chapter 4. After a brief break from I John last week, let us return to John’s encouragement of his readers. We’ve seen John come back to the chorus of his hymn. Once again he extols the great assurance that it is to love other believers with the love of Christ. But why is loving one another such a great assurance to God’s people of their status in Christ? John started to explain by telling us that God is the source, definition, revealer, and greatest doer of love. That He lavishes His boundless love on His children. This, in John’s estimation, leads to His children loving one another. But still, this does not really tell us why our love for other believers is so assuring. Today, John will explain exactly why it is that when we show love to our fellow Christians, we can draw assurance that we are a child of God. I am in verse 13 of chapter 4. I’ll be reading from the NET but you can follow along in whatever version you prefer. Transition: John’s thought extends beyond the passage we have marked out for today and really does not quite finish until chapter 5 verse 4. That is, however, too much for us to bite off for this morning. So we will cut short the fullest expression of what John is saying and save that for next week. Don’t let that fool you though! We have more than enough to cover today, so we must get right down to it. I.) God in us and we in God means we have His truth and love in us, so we must examine ourselves to see if we are His children. (12-16a) a. [Slide 2] 12 – No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and His love is perfected in us. i. We actually unpacked this a couple weeks ago. So we won’t spend long here. ii. The only reason I am including it in today’s sermon is to pull the key themes that John elaborates on in the text this morning. iii. First is this idea that No one has seen God at any time. This is John’s way of saying that if people are going to see God in this world, they will see Him through His people. That is a point John will bring up in a few ways in the next several verses. iv. Second, is this idea that if we love one another then God resides in us. John will pick up that theme to further explain how we can know that God resides in us. v. Finally, John mentions that God’s love is perfected in us. Not just our love for God, or even His love for us, but rather, His love channeled through us toward one another. The circuit is complete. God gives His love to us, we give His love to other believers, and we all give His love back to Him. vi. So let’s start our text in earnest this morning with these three themes from verse 12 in mind. b. [Slide 3] 13 – By this we know that we reside in God and He in us: i. First, John desires to address this “residing in God and He in us” aspect. ii. AGAIN – we must recognize this word to reside. I cannot emphasize enough that this word in scripture is most often used to talk about status, being, or who you really are. iii. In other words, it is not an activity that one continually strives to accomplish. It is instead continually living out a reality. iv. If it is not talking about status and is talking about an activity that can be failed or abandoned then John very clearly has established that not only can we forfeit our salvation by what we do, but here he establishes that God can also abandon us at His own whim. v. Neither of these are theologically possible compared to all of scripture. vi. Therefore, we MUST continue to understand this word reside as a status that we have been given to live out, not a work that we must continue lest we lose it. vii. John again says “by this” and as always, we are left to wonder is it something that he has said already or something he is about to say. viii. It makes the most sense that it is what he is about to say that gives us assurance that we reside in God and He in us. What is that assurance? c. [Slide 4] In that he has given us of His Spirit i. Our assurance of God residing in us and us in Him is that He has afforded us and availed us of the power, presence, and indwelling of His Spirit. ii. It is the fact of our indwelling that John points to. iii. No one is indwelt with the Spirit of God if they are not in God and God in them. iv. Residing in God = having His Spirit. One more coal for the fire of the word “reside” referring to status and not work. Unless you believe the Spirit can leave you? v. John has already dealt with how to know that the spirit you have is from God or from Satan. He did that in verses 1-6 of chapter 4. vi. In fact it was there that we found that clinging to doctrinal confession of the scriptures, not privately interpreted but mutually assured in the church’s agreed interpretation as led by the Spirit, is the way we know we have the Spirit of God. vii. And this is the very first point that John draws here as well. Having been given of His Spirit means that we will confess certain doctrinal truths… why? Because they are revealed by the Spirit to us! What truths have been revealed by God’s true Spirit? d. [Slide 5] 14 – And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. i. We, despite all cost, do cling to and boldly proclaim the truth ii. That God the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. iii. His Son is the object of the entirety of the redemption. All of the atonement is in Him. iv. Every person saved from destruction and judgment is only saved in Him and the world as a whole, this entire spinning ball, will only be delivered through Him. v. There is no other way, no other truth, and no other life. vi. Not just for the Jew, but people from the whole world will inherit this salvation. vii. And we have seen and testify these truths – why? viii. Because he has given us of His Spirit! e. [Slide 6] 15 – If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God i. We have to understand this phrase. ii. Confess – again – does not mean to simply admit with the mouth. Nor does it mean to decide something or even to think something is true. iii. Confess is covenant language. It is to place all hope and trust into something. It is to sign your life away on the dotted line. You have woven your very existence and all your hope upon the stipulations of this covenant. What are those stipulations? iv. That Jesus is the son of God. v. If you have so signed… f. [Slide 7] God resides in him and he in God. i. Then you have God and He has you. ii. This does not negate all the other proofs that John has mentioned. iii. This doesn’t mean that God working through you to produce righteousness and obedience suddenly are irrelevant. iv. But it does mean that true faith – faith that is given by God through His Spirit is sourced in Christ v. Faith that comes from and in Christ himself vi. Faith thrown to us to catch vii. This is an evidence that we are in God and He in us. Because those who are not in God, do not have this faith, because they do not have the Spirit that reveals it. g. [Slide 8] 16a – And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. i. To know and to believe are used often in John’s writings. We have seen it in I John and he uses it in his gospel as well. ii. What is obvious is that there is very little difference between them. iii. To know is to become suddenly and intimately connected with a truth or person. iv. To believe - is to have faith or to have received conviction or hope. v. So to believe and to know constitute a complete expression of a divine awakening of our hearts. Life is breathed into us and we do suddenly know the truth and do become convinced of a truth to the point of placing full hope in it. vi. This is the gift of faith that God gives. He opens our eyes to see the truth and then gives it to us to receive. vii. And what have we come to know and to believe by true faith? viii. The love that God has in us. ix. This is an interesting way to phrase what John is saying. Although many translations use the word “for” here. The love that God has for us. In the two other places in I John where he uses the word “has” with the word “in” it is always refers to something possessed inside or in the interior. x. And so, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us – or rather – God’s love which He placed in us. xi. Certainly, this would include His love for us, but it would also include our capability of loving Him and other believers with His love. xii. So The Spirit of God not only delivers the truth to us that we might believe, but also informs and communicates God’s love to us that we may live in it. Both toward Him, and toward others! xiii. Another quote from John Stott’s commentary on I John which I found worth mentioning, which speaks to the entirety of the Spirit’s work in us. xiv. [Slide 9] “Without the Holy Spirit our minds are dark and our hearts cold. Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten our minds to believe in Jesus and warm our hearts to love God and each other. So believing and loving are evidences that His spirit is at work within us” Stott 168 h. [Slide 10] Passage Truth: Johns words to his readers are crystal clear. God in them and they in God means that they have His Spirit. When they have His Spirit, they will believe the truths He gives and have His love. i. Passage Application: So for an application to his readers John no doubt desires that they walk away with great assurance. Knowing that they are in God because they are actively believing the doctrinal truths and displaying godly love, thus proving they have God’s Spirit. j. [Slide 11] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture, we must understand that as Paul says in Ephesians 4 we ought to be unified in the Spirit of God. Why? Because there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and in all! But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ! Therefore, we are one in this Spirit, hope, Lord, Faith, Baptism, and Father. We are one in Christ. And therefore – we can paint with a broad brush what every single Child of God looks like, because they all look the same! They hold to the same confession. They practice the same love. They have the same Spirit. Because they have the same Christ. Sent by the same Father. We are alike more than we are different. There is no room for deviation, exception, interpretation, or experimentation. This is true of all genuine followers of Christ. k. Broader Biblical Application: And as much as I would like to be so certain, like John, and say that all of you have this assurance. The truth is that I don’t know who is listening right now. And even if you were all in the room with me today – I still could not hope to know each and every heart. So once again this is a test. A test that produces great assurance and comfort for God’s children – and great concern for those who are only pretending. Do you conform to the doctrinal confession of orthodox Christianity? What we have agreed upon about God, man, and all the teachings of the apostles since the beginning of the church? Do you have within you a love that is self-sacrificing, unconditional, enduring and loyal to those who claim Christ? Are you intimately connected to God’s people in a way that you just can’t explain? They didn’t do anything to earn it, and you aren’t a particularly loving person, but you just have this urge within you to care for them – even if it means you suffer? If the answers to these questions are yes… then you must know that the Spirit of God is in you. Take comfort Christian. But if the answer is no – my friend, you must search your heart. Transition: [Slide 12(blank)] John now will pivot. He has explained, from verse 12, how we can know that we are in God and He in us. That we have His truth and love in us from His Spirit. But now John will explain what he meant by saying that God’s love is perfected in us. How is God’s love completed in us? And how does that contribute to our assurance of being His child? II.) God’s love completed with us loving others gives us assurance of our status in Him, so we must examine ourselves to see if we are His children. (17-19) a. [Slide 13] 16b God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. i. God is the definition of love ii. And all who abide or reside in this status of love do reside in Him. And God in them. iii. But what does it mean to reside in love? Again, reside speaks of status. We could, perhaps, replace the word reside with “be”. Be in love. Just as we are in God and He in us, so when God’s love is in us, we are in His love. iv. In other words, a person cannot reside in God’s love but not in God Himself, nor can a person reside in God Himself but not in His love. Why? v. Because God IS love. You cannot have one without the other. vi. Why is this so important to John? b. [Slide 14] 17 – By this love is perfected with us i. The next word seems to point to the purpose of the love being perfected – which makes it likely that this particular “by this” is pointing backward. ii. So our previous question… why is it so important for John to emphasize that those who are in God and God in them are those who have His love in them and are in His love? Why is this so important? iii. Because it is by this fact that love has been perfected with us with continuing effects even up to when John wrote this letter. iv. What does it mean that love has been perfected WITH us? v. In us would make sense, for us, even on us… but with us. That is challenging. vi. How is it that love has been perfected with us? vii. Friends, If God is love and His love is in us, meaning He is in us and we are in Him… His love has been completed with us. The circuit of His love is complete with us. How? viii. By us loving one another. Which is exactly what John said in verse 12. ix. Since God is love, Him placing His love in us is how He will complete His love with us. But for what purpose? c. [Slide 15] So that we may have confidence in the day of judgment i. God completes His love with us… why? ii. For us! It is an assurance for us! iii. When His love is displayed with us, we walk away confident that in the day of judgment we will be accepted by God and not rejected. iv. Why would this give us this kind of confidence? d. [Slide 16] Because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world. i. Remember when John was saying that no one has seen God – but that by loving one another we prove that God resides in us and that His love has been perfected in us? ii. What he means by that is that although none have seen God, they should see Him in us. Namely in our love for one another. iii. We become little Christs! iv. We become lovers of the sheep! v. We walk as He walked – in holiness and self-sacrifice for one another. vi. If we live like Christ – that is confidence that we will be accepted… why? Because Christ’s love displayed in our words, thoughts, and actions – CANNOT be explained by anything other than God’s indwelling love. Which CANNOT be explained by anything other than God’s indwelling presence in His Spirit. e. [Slide 17] 18 – There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear i. We must be careful not to strip this out of its context. It is tempting to do so because of the situation we are in today. It is also tempting to do so because elsewhere in the bible we know that love and fear do not go together. ii. But the fear mentioned here is of a specific kind. iii. The fear here is the fear of judgment. iv. But John says that in love – specifically in the love that God has given. Because it is of Him and He is love – there is no fear in that kind of love. v. Why? vi. Because completed love actually drives out that fear. Completed love gives confidence and assurance. vii. Why is this true? f. [Slide 18] Because fear has to do with punishment. i. This fear of judgment really comes down to the fear of being punished by God. Being rejected by God. Being consigned to eternal death by God. ii. This is where that fear of judgment comes from. iii. A guilty conscience desires to postpone judgment for as long as possible. But a clear conscience doesn’t mind enduring judgment for it knows that it will be accepted. iv. So John makes a logical conclusion to the matter and says… g. [Slide 19] The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love. i. If you fear being judged by God – it is because you have not been completed in love. ii. You cannot be confident to face the judgment of God unless you have been completed in love and that effect has continued. iii. But lest we think this completed love is generated from within us or because of who we are… h. [Slide 20] 19 – We love because He loved us first. i. The object of this love is not specified. ii. Many translations supply God – we love God because he first loved us. This is certainly a possibility. iii. However, in the context we cannot eliminate the possibility of loving other believers because God loved us first. iv. But perhaps John means all of this and more. v. Perhaps John reveals a component of our depravity here. In that mankind is incapable of showing God’s definition of love to anyone or anything. Mankind is a loveless creature. We can express shadows and hints of that love – but never can we fully express God’s true standard of love to anyone or anything. vi. Unless… He loved us first. Unless He sent His Son to pay for our sins. Unless He has placed His love in us. Unless He has indwelt us with His Spirit. vii. At that point, when God shows His love to love the unlovable and save the undeserving. When God chooses to love the wicked and rescue them based on the pleasure of His will and not of anything the thing loved can offer… viii. At that point… that wretch is changed forever. They are perfected in love. And then God can complete His love with them. i. [Slide 21] Passage Truth: Again John wants to communicate to his readers that love is antithetical to fear. His readers do not need to fear judgment from God because His love is being perfected with them. They are showering it upon each other and because of that – they can draw great confidence that they will NOT be punished at the judgment. God’s love in them means they are in God and He is in them. j. Passage Application: So for his readers he encourages them not to fear, but rather to comfort each other by their existing love they have for one another. k. [Slide 22] Broader Biblical Truth: Broadening this out, again Jesus said that they will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another. That you love one another just as I have loved you. This godly love, that we can only offer if we have His Spirit in us, is an overwhelming evidence that we have been changed. That we will not face punishment. But rather that we will, like the Son, be given a great inheritance. l. Broader Biblical Application: Again, for us we must understand that if we have this love then we need not fear the judgment. We know that we will be accepted and adopted into the family of God. Given the right to rule with Christ. But for those who do not show this love – the only appropriate response you can have is to fear. To fear the judgment of God. God loves His children, and He puts His love in His children. So if you don’t love His children, then you aren’t His child. And if you are not His child, as John has already said, you are of your father… Satan. Transition: [Slide 22(blank)] So how do we apply what we have learned today? How can we then live? Conclusion: It is interesting to see how John provides comfort for his congregation. He has already declared to them that he knows that they are genuine believers. His desire is to continue to lavish them with comfort after comfort, test after test, to make sure they know that they are God’s dear children. Today is no different. John answers the question… why is godly love in us and God’s truth in us so assuring? Why are these supposed to provide comfort? And John draws a very clear and logical argument that basically says that godly love and doctrinal fidelity is simply not possible without the Spirit of God indwelling you. It is not possible without having received of the Spirit of God. And you can’t have the Spirit of God in you unless you have been Fathered of God. It is one big tapestry woven together that cannot be stripped down or parted out. You are either all or nothing. And his readers were all. To be clear, of course they weren’t perfect. Did they ever have a tiff, squabble, fight or sin against one another? Of course. Did they ever have differences of opinion over this minor point or that? Sure. But that isn’t what John is talking about. He is talking about who they are on a soul level. Who they have been made to be. [Slide 24] Imagine all of this in the context of a composer. In the mind of the composer he hears the entire piece of music played for all to hear. So he sets out to produce what he hears in his head. So he first puts it all down on paper. He writes the sheet music for every single part. Each part weaves its way together. Then, having both skill and ability, he takes up each instrument and plays the piece. As each instrument comes together, they join with each other and create harmony and beauty. Exactly what the composer had dreamed. [Slide 25] The Father is the great composer of His church. He has His great divine plan for what they will be. He sent His Son, the sheet music, the exact specifications for that plan. His Spirit is able to play with masterful precision every single note in perfect execution upon each member of His church. The song… is love. His love. God’s Love. So in true children of God, not in unison, but in perfect harmony, the notes ring true, the music is followed, and although the instruments are broken and tattered, beaten and highly imperfect, the song comes through and to an increasing degree, becomes more and more of what the Father desires. What does this mean? What can it mean? The only thing it can mean is that the Spirit is reading the pattern of Christ and empowering us – the instrument to fulfill the Father’s plan… namely… to conform every note to the image of His Son, the embodiment of His plan for His church. But in those who are only pretending to be God’s children, the notes are harsh, hit wrongly and unevenly. They often are out of key. They are often silent when they should be playing and playing when they should be silent. What does this mean? The instruments are just as broken, no better or worse than the others. There is no discernable difference between them. But the Spirit, the music, and the composer… they only look like God. It is a fake. A facsimile. It has been dressed up to look like God’s Spirit, Son and The Father Himself but it isn’t so. And so those who claim to be followers of Christ, but do not follow Christ, that is exactly who they are. Those who claim to follow Christ but do not have His love. They are but a clanging symbol, a noisy gong. They are just noise. Though they know all secrets, though they die a martyrs death, though they have wonderous gifts and talents, without Christ’s love in them… they are nothing. They are following a god, a jesus, a spirit, that is not Yahweh. And thus- they lack His love, His faith, His trust, His laws. [Slide 26(end)] So how do you fix it? Do you play better? As an instrument how do you fix the problem we just identified? Do you just try to play better? Do you try harder? What good will that do? If you don’t have the sheet music and the musician providing skill and breath is a fake… how can you possibly play the composer’s song? You don’t need to play better friend. You need a new composer. You need to seek after the real God, the real Jesus, and the Real Spirit. Desperately seek Him. If you continue to seek after Him – He promises that He will reveal Himself to you… for the first time. But how comforting it is, when our song is sweet and continues to repeat the joyous notes of our redeeming love, played toward those who are also redeemed. Not only does it make a harmonious melody with the other instruments of His song, but it does also assure us that the composer of our faith, love and hope will welcome us home when this life is done, to ever play His glorious refrain.

Living The Last Words of Jesus! The Dying Words of Christ Are the Living Words of the Believer!First Word: “Father Forgive Them” Luke 23:33-35 Be Forgiving even In Your Worst Circumstances.Second Word: “Today You Shall Be With Me In Paradise” Luke 23:29-43Desire To Populate Heaven With The Very People You Come into Contact With.As illustrated in the response of two criminals, some will choose life, and others will continue to choose death!Third Word: “Behold Your Son, Behold Your Mother” John 19:26-27 Even Under Duress Make Certain Your Life is in Order.Fourth Word: Matthew 27:46 “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Understand the Severity Of Your Sins. Isaiah 53:4-6Jesus' Fifth Word: “I Am Thirsty!” John 19:28 Desire The Complete Will of God.Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and Thou dost lay me in the dust of death. Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Jesus' Sixth Word: “It Is Finished” John 19:30 Live Your Life As To Finish Strong!John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit. 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. Jesus' Seventh Word: “Father, Into Thy Hands, I Commit My Spirit”Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit." And having said this, He breathed His last. Commit Your Entire Life To The Lord! 1 Peter 2:23

Is there room to grow in your abiding in Christ? Are you longing for more of Him? In today’s episode, Jodi encourages and challenges us to answer a few questions. She looks at the manor Jesus walked, his prayer life, and the need for the dependence of the Father. Listen in to hear how she answers her own question and invites us to join a private group she has on Facebook. Below are a few scriptures Jodi references: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4) “… and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” (Colossians 3:10) “By this, we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:5b-6) “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12) I’d love to hear how you answer the questions asked in this episode! If you need a community of women prayer warriors I invite you to join me in a private prayer group on Facebook. Look up Trusting God Through Prayer or contact me through my website at JodiAiken.com. LINKS: Click below to learn more about Jodi and places to hear her podcast “Pennies In Your Path”: Website Stitcher Spotify iTunes Facebook Instagram Twitter

Are freewillers to be considered as brothers and sisters in Christ- Are we to have fellowship who believe in the freewill religion-

Do our fears prevent us from living a full life in Christ? Are we afraid to step out of our

What does it mean to actually "build a bridge" to someone who doesn't know Christ? Are we supposed to disciple everybody? We explore the answers to those questions, and it involves doing the stuff you're already doing - including pizza!

Hate it or love it, you'll want to spread the word on this one -- Bernie (Sanders) Vs. Christ, the Capitalist. Our special guest is Dustin Johnson of ChristandCapital.com. You may find this a little provocative. Does the Garden of Eden inform our experience in Christ? Are we designed as Vice-Regents ... to reign on God's behalf? And can we access this in Christ? >> Go to the show notes page for this episode at JesusSmart.com Get the Jesus Smart eLetter and keep current with podcast episode releases Podcast Archive >> JesusSmart.com/category/podcast ----more---- In this episode, we discuss the Garden of Eden as seminal, filled with Kingdom DNA and precedents for Christ-Followers. What is the image of God in humanity? It’s not only a claim about the transcendental nature of human beings but also a claim about representation, role, and purpose. What does the question “Adam, where are you” mean? Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and save the Lost.” What is Jesus seeking? We suggest that he is seeking to restore humanity to their place of exercising dominion under God. Regeneration in Christ is the beginning of returning to the Eden Dynamic, starting now. Those who are born again in Christ are to reign in Christ, on behalf of his Kingdom. Explore the content on Dustin Johnson’s website — Christ and Capital Check out the brand new Christ and Capital podcast! Christ and Capital on Facebook Christ and Capital on Instagram

Join Evangelist Mac as we deal with a topic all Saints can relate to,  how to conduct ourselves as it relates to earthly authority and government.  Are we representing ourselves in the way that glorifies Christ? Are we showing  the presence of a loving Savior in our public social media communications and  posts? We invite you to listen and ponder these and other points.  

In our culture, it’s difficult to find an occupation that equates to the despised tax collector from Jesus’ day. Matthew was born a Jew, but once he decided to become a tax collector, he worked for Rome, which means he was considered a traitor by his family, friends, and neighbors. So it’s safe to say that prior to meeting Jesus, Matthew was stuck between two worlds: He was not a Roman and was certainly not considered a Jew. It’s therefore easy for us to see how Matthew jumps at the chance to follow Jesus. Surely he had heard of Jesus and the stories of miraculous healings. Depending on which commentary you read, he might have already established a relationship with Jesus. Yet all it takes in this moment is two words from Jesus for Matthew to leave behind his life as a tax collector. After Jesus says, “Follow me,” Matthew does just that--he drops everything and literally walks away from everything he knows. What do you need to walk away from in your life? Is there an unhealthy relationship or friendship that is getting in the way of your relationship with Christ? Are you visiting websites that you are hiding from your spouse? Are you comparing your real life to the Facebook lives of strangers? Husbands, are you planning your date nights with as much creativity as your client dinners? Have you bought into the lie that being too busy for your family makes you a hard worker or a good provider? What priorities that you have you lost sight of? Jesus invites us not into a life of mundane rule-following but instead into a life of abundance. He wants us to taste and to enjoy life. So here is my encouragement: Know who you are in Christ. Like Matthew, find your home not in your career but in Jesus, even if you think it’s too late. Take a moment today to be still. Listen. What is Jesus inviting you into?Read the full devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-matthew-9-9-what-is-jesus-inviting-you-into/

The True Measure of Greatness Luke 3:15-23 Exegetical Main Point: While many wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ, he taught that the Christ far surpassed him in greatness. In his baptism, God himself declares Jesus Christ’s identity. He is the divine Son of God. Main Point of the Sermon: Since there is none greater than Jesus, our greatness must be measured by him. Me: I remember growing up seeing performers, athletes who were the best of the best and dreaming of becoming like them. I would see the singer hit that high note and the crowd go wild, or the guitarist mesmerizing crowds with his licks, or the home run kings step to the plate… I wanted to be like them and in many ways what I spent my time doing, for a lot of my childhood, was trying to be great like these people. I was and still am so often mesmerized by greatness. Now, I’m not trying to become a baseball or Rockstar anymore, but my vision of greatness has changed with my season of life. Now, it’s the best preachers, song-writers, writers, and church leaders who catch my attention. It’s the beautiful and the winsome that catch my eye. We: What makes someone great in your mind? There have been many great men and women throughout human history beyond our 21stcentury ideals: prophets, teachers, reformers, and the like who have lead masses, helping shape human history sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But of them all do you know who Jesus said was the greatest? His cousin John, known as John the Baptist. I’ve always wondered why Jesus said that. What made him so great? Was it how hardcore he was? The fact that he ate honey and locusts? That he wore sackcloth and lived in the wilderness? He never married. He never wrote a book, probably never traveled outside of Israel. John was a prophet like many of the Old Testament prophets who came preaching repentance, but John’s ministry lasted only six months before he would be imprisoned and beheaded by king Herod. Could it be that John was the greatest because his entire life pointed to the greatest of all, Jesus the Messiah? We saw in last’s weeks text that John the Baptist, had masses following him. He was considered a great prophet by many. But in the moment of his spotlight, he turned the attention away from himself to the one coming after him. This is what made John the Baptist great. Is this your measure for greatness? Tonight I want to show you from our text: 1) Jesus is the greatest of all 2) The true measure of greatness 3) Jesus was baptized so that even sinners could be great Main Point: Since there is none greater than Jesus, our greatness must be measured by him. Text: Jesus is the greatest of all 15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ… If you’re new with us, we are taking a journey together through the Gospel of Luke. Luke was the Apostle Paul’s personal physician and travel companion who wrote his Gospel most likely to a new believer named Theophilus. He tells us that the purpose of his writing is that those who read might be certain of the things that have been told them concerning Jesus. Here in chapter 3, Luke records that John the Baptist, came out of the wilderness after the Word of God came to him and he preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Verse 7 tells us that crowds were coming to him from all over and being baptized by John. People from every walk of life, the rich and poor, soldiers, religious leaders, and common people came to him, and the word was spreading quickly so that people were in expectation and wondering if John might be the long awaited Messiah. He was the headliner of the show, the celebrity pastor – he was famous, and he had every opportunity to live in the glory of that moment. But listen to how John responds to the crowds. Verse 16: 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John doesn’t take the glory for a second but rather points to the one coming after him who is “mightier” than him. John doesn’t stop there though, he wants us to understand how much greater the one coming is. He says, “I’m not even worthy to unstrap his sandals.” In his time only non-Jewish slaves would perform this task of unstrapping sandals. The roads were filthy with mud, animal urine and droppings, garbage and the like, so this was a servants task of the lowest rank. And yet John says that he is not even worthy to take on this task. John goes on: “I baptize you with water…but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” In other words, John was saying, “I work on the outside – external baptism, but the one coming, works on the inside – he can make your heart clean. He can cause you to be born again. He has the power to give the Holy Spirit.” But not only will this Messiah wield the Holy Spirit and fire, he also has authority to judge. Look at verse 17: “17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” John paints the picture of judgment with that of a thresher at harvest gathering the wheat and putting it in his barn but removing the chaff – which was the excess shells and waste of the crop – to be burnedwith unquenchable fire. This one coming after John actually has authority to judge whether one would receive salvation or eternaljudgment under God’s wrath. These descriptions should leave you asking like it would have his listeners, “Who then is this man?” This was not just any man. John’s description of the roles of the Messiah, in fact, describe the very roles of God as seen in the Old Testament. Psalm 50: The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Likewise, Joel 2 says that Yahweh would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. God is the one who has the power to give the Spirit, and God is the only one with authority to judge. But this one coming, John the Baptist taught, will have the same power and authority as God. Luke is putting the pieces together for his readers. John the Baptist understood that he was making a highway for God who was about to show up. He knew that he was one prophesied about in Isaiah 40, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepar[ing] the way of THE LORD (All caps in your Bibles). He was preparing the way for the one true God, Yahweh… John believed that this one coming after him was the Lord. He was far superior than John. He was indeed the greatest of all. Luke’s account kind of leaves the reader hanging, just like the crowds would have been, wondering what this coming would look like – wondering who this person would be. The text would suggest that not even John the Baptist knew exactly who this person was. John only speaks in pronouns about this great One. But then beginning in verse 21, Luke tells the story of the revelation of the Messiah. Imagine the expectation you would have if you heard this message for weeks and months from John the Baptist leading up to this day. Let’s read it together: 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke’s account of Jesus’s baptism should make every reader stop and marvel like I can imagine those who witnessed this event did. Masses of people were being baptized by John. It was a day like any other. Nothing spectacular had come about. But then this man Jesus shows up in the wilderness at the Jordan and wants to be baptized by John. Matthew’s Gospel says that John was hesitant to do so because he was aware of his own sinfulness before God. But after Jesus was baptized everything changed. John the Baptist, though he knew his cousin, and doubtless had heard the prophesies about him, and seemed to have some understanding of Jesus’s identity, came to know with certainty that Jesus was the divine Son of God, the promised Messiah. Anyone who knew the Scriptures and the prophesies about the Messiah would have recognized the significance of these events. Listen to Isaiah 42:1:Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. Or Isaiah chapter 11, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse [that is, from the line of David] and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him… The Spirit rested on Jesus in a unique way just like the prophecies had said. Like a dove gracefully descending to perch on some object, or like the tongues of fire that descended on the disciples at Pentecost, the Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form. What was happening here? The Father was preparing his Son with his Spirit for this task ahead. This is not “divine begetting” or adoptionism or even his becoming the Messiah, but rather equipping for ministry. He was already king; he was already God’s Son, but this was God’s affirmation of that reality for the sake of those listening, as well as the anointing for the work ahead. Jesus was equipped by the Spirit for ministry to show us the way that he would equip the Church for ministry by the Spirit. Accompanying this amazing Spirit baptism was the affirmation of the Father from heaven, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am pleased…” In this moment, God the Father was identifying Jesus as his uniquely loved Son. This was God’s “only Son” from the Father (Jn. 1:14), the Word made flesh. But not only was he the divine Son of God, he was a son pleasing to the Father for his holy life. Out of his identity came his action. Here, the Father is offering his seal of affirmation for the way Jesus had fulfilled the Law perfectly. He is the second Adam, or the faithful Israel, who unlike the first Adam or Israel, lived his life spotlessly. This spotless life is what made his sacrificial death on the cross a pleasing sacrifice to the Father on behalf of his people. Notice also that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all present in this moment. Father affirming his Son, Jesus submitting to his Father as the Savior of the world, and the Holy Spirit sent from the Father to empower Christ for the mission. What a beautiful picture of all the members of the trinity present right at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, like a poised team ready to take on their holy mission. That’s what made Jesus so great. This was the Son of God in the flesh, who had lived his life perfectly before the Father. He was the hope of the world come from God. That’s why John the Baptist talked the way he did. “I must become less. He must become more.” When the masses stopped coming to John but started going to Jesus, John told his disciples: “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success” (John 3:29). John was content to lose his ministry and even his life to be able to watch the greater one exalted, to see the Bridegroom King get to come and take his bride. He was content with his calling to get people ready for the king. Now, you may have noticed that Luke goes out of chronological order here in the description of John the Baptist’s life. We know from the other Gospels that John was the one who baptized Jesus, but Luke doesn’t mention this in Jesus’s baptism story, but rather records John’s ministry as coming to a close in his imprisonment. He preached this message of Good News until he was imprisoned and eventually beheaded by Herod, who was angry at John for his rebuke of his adultery, recorded in verse 19 and 20. I don’t think Luke’s order is an accident. Luke is trying to show us that Jesus picks up where John left off. And just like that, in John the Baptist’s short 33ish year life and only six month long ministry, it was over. He made much of Jesus, got to baptize him, and confirm to everyone that Jesus was in fact the Christ. But his mission was complete, and Jesus would later say that amongst those born of women, no one was greater. This is similar affirmation to what the Father said about Jesus. This was like John’s “well done, good and faithful servant.” God was pleased with John’s life. This is what made him great in the sight of God. Let me ask you today, is this the measure of your greatness, of your success? If John was called greatest among men when he had focused his entire life on bringing Jesus glory, how should we measure our greatness? The True Measure of Greatness Your greatness should be measured by 1) what God says about you 2) how your life brings glory to God in Jesus. Let me explain why this should be the measure of your greatness. When God created mankind, he created us in his image. Our lives were meant to be little pictures of God spread all of the world, like mirrors reflecting his image, making his glory shine. But the reality is, rather than living in that incredible purpose, we have all been like king Herod and have taken what is not ours. Rather than making much of God and seeking to reflect him with all of our lives, we have all set ourselves up as kings and queens. We’ve created a god in our own image and demanded that he submit to our desires and be our genie. Rather than hearing the Word, we have turned our back in rebellion and hardened our hearts. We’ve taken God off of his throne and put ourselves in his place. My desire as a kid, and still so often, to be the best, most praised, is a hunger to be seen by others, not by God. You and me and all the world are glory thieves. Like Satan we have marveled at our own beauty, and set ourselves above God in our hearts in pride. If God is the sun, we were meant to be the moon, but we have all made ourselves the sun in our hearts, and in so doing we have subtly demanded the worship of others. The greatest temptations I see in the church today – and I know this largely because of my own sin – is the desire to be seen as better or holier than we are. We want our families to look so put together. God forbid someone see us fight or have a hard day. We might confess our sins, but only in such a way that it doesn’t sound as ugly to those who hear it. We keep some of its ugliness hidden. As singles we try to present ourselves to others as always put together, always cheerful, adventurous, beautiful – this is especially exacerbated by the social media world. But in trying to paint this picture of ourselves, prettier, holier, more exciting, we are redefining what makes us worthy of another’s attention, we are being dishonest with ourselves and with others, and we are doing nothing but making ourselves more anxious, more self-conscious, and more crippled by one another so that we are not able to serve God or others. Every one of us are glory thieves. Every one of us deserve God’s unquenchable fire for our failure to reflect the creator like we were made to. But I have Good News for us today. Jesus was baptized so that even sinners could be great This is why Jesus came. Jesus didn’t need to get baptized! This was a baptism of repentance. Those who did it were fleeing from the wrath of God. Jesus didn’t have the wrath of God hanging over him. The Father was pleased with him for his holy life. But when he got down into the filthy water of the Jordan and was dunked backwards in the water, Jesus was showing us that he would not flee from God’s wrath but that he would run into it for us, that he would be crucified for our sin. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus took the baptism of death for you. He took the judgement that you deserve for your glory stealing so that by faith in him you would have God’s pleasure as his faithful and beloved child. This is the Gospel. When you believe in Christ and get baptized in his name, you are making a profession of faith that you are identifying with Jesus’s perfect life and with his death for your sin. But it doesn’t end there. When you come out of the water, you are identifying with the resurrected Christ who is ascended to heaven and seated now at the right hand of God. Because we have put on Christ in this way, like new clothing, when the Father looks at you he can say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” This is the true measure of greatness – to be accepted by the Father in Christ. Jesus said in Luke chapter 7 that though John was the greatest born among women, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. What this means is that if you are in Christ, your righteousness exceeds that of John’s because of Jesus. Our oneness with Christ means that just as Jesus is greater than John, so is the person who is least in the kingdom who believes in Jesus. Your place in the kingdom is contingent not on your works, not on your Bible reading faithfulness, not on your beauty or competence, not on your net worth, not on those you’ve lead to Christ, but by your union with Jesus. But the question for you today is this: is God pleased with you in Christ? Are you following him? Will Jesus come to you in peace like a dove or as a judge with a winnowing fork? How you respond to Jesus determines whether his baptism of the Holy Spirit is one of salvation or of judgment for you. Jesus is no longer in the grave. He is seated as the judge of all humanity at the right hand of the Father, ready to take up his winnowing fork. If you are not already, I urge you today to turn to him and receive his mercy. What is the true measure of greatness? One, it is to measure our success, our greatness, by what God thinks of us, and two, by how well our lives bring glory to God through Jesus. What made Jesus’s life pleasing to the Father? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God. What made John’s life pleasing to God? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God. What will make your life pleasing to God in Christ? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God by turning the attention away from self to Christ. This identity as God’s beloved child will never end in apathetic, unfruitful living. A true child of God, united to Christ by the Spirit will look like Jesus, bearing fruit to the glory of Christ. So let me ask you, does your life show your co-workers, friends, and family that you believe that there is no one greater than Jesus? We are commanded in Colossians, “Whatever you do, in word or deed,do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). Our aim at this church is to follow Jesus in everyday life and to help others to the same, especially those far from God. This happens in the way you eat, work, play, spend money, date, marry, and on and on. If I asked your neighbor or co-worker or boss what about your life showed that Jesus was the most important thing to you, what would they say? Better yet, if we followed you around for a day, would your life show that Jesus is the most important thing to you? Are you intentional in the way you seek to know him, obey him, and serve like him. Conclusion: So, I ask again, what will be the measure of your greatness in life? Will it be your own good works, accomplishments, net worth, the praise of men, marital status, friendships, number of children? Or will it be the praise of God that can only come as a child of God united to the perfect Son of God? Will it be to hear the words of God on the last day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Oh that this would be true of us all! Church, there is no one greater than Jesus. Let us live for him intentionally before the world. If you are in Christ, God is pleased with you in the same way that he pleased with his own Son Jesus who lived a perfect life to the glory of God. So, let’s stop pretending that we are better than we are and glorify Christ in our weakness. If you are in Christ, he has given the same Spirit to you who descended on him and empowered him for ministry so that you might point to Christ like John the Baptist. This is the true measure of your greatness. So church, let us focus our energy not on making much of ourselves, but of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Forevermore, we will turn our eyes upon the greatest of all. So let’s take our eyes off of ourselves right now and worship him.

Does God open doors to preach Christ- Are there divine appointments in which we must share Christ- As a Christian, our responsiblity is to tell people of the gospel at every opportunity we get. We must go near to the lost, warning them of sin and witnessing to them of the Savior.

Are you a devout disciple of Christ? Are you living a life that is dedicated to the Spiritual principles of the Christian faith? In this study from Luke chapter 2, Pastor Bunjee Garrett considers three examples which will help us to develop into devout disciples. The post Developing into Devout Disciples – Luke 2:21-38 appeared first on Calvary South Austin.