Podcast appearances and mentions of christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 8:46

The Gospel of John 20:11-18 (John 20:11, John 20:12, John 20:13, John 20:14, John 20:15, John 20:16, John 20:17, John 20:18)---------- In addition to the CC Podcast: Daily Dose Devotions, which includes today's Bible overview devotion and many other Bible study texts, Christian Crusaders also publishes two other Christian podcasts: a weekly 30 minute worship service, The CC Broadcast, which is aired on secular and Christian radio stations around the world AND The CC Podcast: Conversations, where we feature inspiring stories from interesting Christians in an interview format.Along with thanking our Daily Dose Devotions sponsor, The FAMiLY LEADER, we want to highlight two other Christian ministries:(1) The Cedar Falls Bible Conference, which has gathered annually since 1922 in Cedar Falls, Iowa and features world-class, Bible-based, Gospel-centered preaching, as well as children's and student ministry programming ... all for FREE from the last Saturday in July through the first Saturday in August.(2) Power to Change Digital Strategies, which recruits and trains anonymous, online Christian mentors to help people who are searching for answers to life's problems on the internet. If you or anyone you know could benefit from an anonymous, online Christian mentor, please visit IssuesIFace.com, a website built and maintained for the purpose of connecting people searching online with Christian mentors willing to provide love, encouragement, and truth.Please subscribe to or follow this Christian podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or through our free mobile app (see below), leave a 5-star review, and prayerfully consider supporting us financially. All these steps will help us more effectively promote the Truth of God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Thanks!Our regular Daily Dose Devotions contributor is Matt Reisetter, Executive Director for Christian Crusaders Radio and Internet Ministry. Other contributors include Steve Kramer and Tim Boettger, who are preachers for The CC Broadcast, as well as Andrew Nordstrom, Technical Director for Christian Crusaders.Special thanks to, Terri, our podcast announcer!Thank you for listening, and may God richly bless you!To listen or subscribe to our podcasts and free content on various platforms, click here:Apple Podcasts:Daily DoseConversationsBroadcastGoogle Podcasts:Daily Dose

god jesus christ spotify power bible gospel truth christians executive director iowa google podcasts encounter gospel of john john 20 mary magdalene technical director risen christ cedar falls christ matt steve kramer christian crusaders issuesiface cedar falls bible conference change digital strategies christian crusaders radio

John 19:38-42 - Come Out In the Open and Have Pride as a Disciple of Christ! - Matt Reisetter

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 8:36

The Gospel of John 19:38-42 (John 19:38, John 19:39, John 19:40, John 19:41, John 19:42)---------- In addition to the CC Podcast: Daily Dose Devotions, which includes today's Bible overview devotion and many other Bible study texts, Christian Crusaders also publishes two other Christian podcasts: a weekly 30 minute worship service, The CC Broadcast, which is aired on secular and Christian radio stations around the world AND The CC Podcast: Conversations, where we feature inspiring stories from interesting Christians in an interview format.Along with thanking our Daily Dose Devotions sponsor, The FAMiLY LEADER, we want to highlight two other Christian ministries:(1) The Cedar Falls Bible Conference, which has gathered annually since 1922 in Cedar Falls, Iowa and features world-class, Bible-based, Gospel-centered preaching, as well as children's and student ministry programming ... all for FREE from the last Saturday in July through the first Saturday in August.(2) Power to Change Digital Strategies, which recruits and trains anonymous, online Christian mentors to help people who are searching for answers to life's problems on the internet. If you or anyone you know could benefit from an anonymous, online Christian mentor, please visit IssuesIFace.com, a website built and maintained for the purpose of connecting people searching online with Christian mentors willing to provide love, encouragement, and truth.Please subscribe to or follow this Christian podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or through our free mobile app (see below), leave a 5-star review, and prayerfully consider supporting us financially. All these steps will help us more effectively promote the Truth of God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Thanks!Our regular Daily Dose Devotions contributor is Matt Reisetter, Executive Director for Christian Crusaders Radio and Internet Ministry. Other contributors include Steve Kramer and Tim Boettger, who are preachers for The CC Broadcast, as well as Andrew Nordstrom, Technical Director for Christian Crusaders.Special thanks to, Terri, our podcast announcer!Thank you for listening, and may God richly bless you!To listen or subscribe to our podcasts and free content on various platforms, click here:Apple Podcasts:Daily DoseConversationsBroadcastGoogle Podcasts:Daily DoseConversations

god jesus christ spotify power bible gospel truth christians executive director pride iowa disciples google podcasts gospel of john john 19 technical director cedar falls christ matt steve kramer christian crusaders issuesiface cedar falls bible conference change digital strategies christian crusaders radio

The Assurance of Our Salvation

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2024

Before we can jump into Ephesians 1:13-14, I must address what or who it is that Paul is talking about in these verses. Until you understand what or who the apostle is talking about in these verses, you cannot understand or feel the gravity of Ephesians 1:13-14 upon your life. So, to feel the full weight of these verses, permit me to introduce you to the Holy Spirit. The first time we are introduced to the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:1-2 with these words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for Spirit is raḥ, which can also mean wind or breath, but when used in association with God, it often refers to the Holy Spirit, not as a thing or a characteristic like love or holiness, but a person. This same word is used in Ezekiel 36: And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances (v. 27). So, when we read through the Bible what we discover about the Holy Spirit is exhaustive. Of the Holy Spirit, we discover that He is the giver of life (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 33:6; 104:27-30). As the giver of life, He raised Jesus from the grave on the third day and will give life to the body of every person who is joined to Him by faith, through a physical resurrection like the one Jesus experienced (see Rom. 8:11). As the giver of life, He caused Mary to conceive with the incarnation of Jesus (Luke 1:35, 41-42). The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus before He performed any miracle, after He was baptized by John, as a way of giving life and power to His earthly ministry; it is important to note that at Jesus baptism all three persons were present and witnessed: After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16-17; see also Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). Throughout the Bible, what we discover is that the Holy Spirit sustains and empowers the people of God to do the work of God. The Holy Spirit indwelled and led Israel out of the slavery of Egypt into the wilderness (Isa. 63:11-14), the Holy Spirit empowered Israels judges after they entered the promised land (i.e. Judges 6:34), and anointed Israels kings to lead the nation (i.e. 1 Sam. 9:27-10:1; 16:1, 13). From the beginning Gods plan was to do the same not just for a select few, but for all of His people as foretold in Joel 2:28-29, It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days (Joel 2:2829). Gods promise from the beginning was that a deliverer would come, and that deliver was God in the person of Jesus the Son; this is the great theme of the Bible. This is why the Bible declares: For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you was not yes and no, but has been yes in Him. For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us (2 Cor. 1:19-20). In other words, there is no pouring out of the Holy Spirit apart from the redemption that can only come through the shed blood of the Son of God for, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us (Eph. 1:7). Against the backdrop of all we have considered so far, I want you to listen to Ephesians 1:13-14, for it will help you feel the weight of these verses for your life today: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:1314). But the question still must be answered: Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Not long before Jesus died to redeem lost sinners by going to the cross, He made a promise to His disciples, and that promise was the coming of the Holy Spirit. We find Jesus promise in John 14; Jesus told them He would be betrayed and would go to a place that they would not be able go (John 13:33). Jesus then consoled His disciples by telling them that He was going to prepare a place for them where they would one day live (14:1-6), but consider carefully what Jesus promised to His disciples that they would receive in His physical absence: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. (John 14:1620) How will Jesus not leave His disciples as orphans? He will ask the Father to send them the Helper who is the Holy Spirit. It is possible that verses 18-20 are referring to Jesus resurrection, but even after His resurrection, He ascended to heaven after He again promised to send them the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). I think that when Jesus assured them, I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you that He was referring to the Helper because of what Jesus said in John 16:13, But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come (John 16:13). Who is the Holy Spirit? Well, when Ananias lied to the apostle Peter about what he and his wife had sold and given to the Church, Ananias was told: Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? You have not lied to men, but to God (see Acts 5:1-16). The Holy Spirit is not a power, a force, or a character trait of God; the Holy Spirit is a Person, and He is God. As God, the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once (Ps. 104:30), He is all-knowing (1 Cor. 2:10-11). Jesus said that the one unforgivable sin was the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which I believe is unbelief in the Jesus that the Holy Spirit anointed and affirmed to be the Christ (Matt. 12:31-32). And like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirt can be grieved by the way we live our lives and how we treat one another (Eph. 4:3-32). The Holy Spirit is not an awkward member of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father as He is equal to the Son because He is also fully God. In his book, Simply Trinity, Matthew Barrett put it this way: The Father does not exist without his Son, the Son does not exist without his Father, and the Spirit does not exist without the Father and the Son[1] The Trinity is not God divided into three parts as if 1/3 of God is the Father, 1/3 of God is the Son, and 1/3 of God is the Holy Spirit. What we see in Ephesians 1:1-14 is a Father who orchestrated our redemption, a Jesus sent from the Father to purchase our redemption, and the Spirit sent by both the Father and the Son to secure and preserve our redemption. How is the Holy Spirit Preserving Your Salvation? Look at verse 13 again: In Him (that is God), you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed YOU WERE SEALED! What does that mean? To be sealed in the Holy Spirit simply means that I am secure in Jesus Christ and now I belong to God as His child and the only One who has the authority to remove the Holy Spirit from me is the God who chose me in Jesus (v. 4), and who purchased my redemption through the blood of Jesus (v. 7). I am sealed because the blood of Jesus secured for me the forgiveness of my wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on me (vv. 7-8). I am sealed because in Jesus, I have obtained an inheritance by Gods sovereign decree to make me His son before the foundation of the rest of creation was even laid (v. 11), and what is the guarantee that God has done all of that through the Son is the preserving power of His all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-pervasive Spirit. The moment you heard the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you were baptized by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; Rom. 6:1-7). This is not a mystical event where you feel something strange, but it is a supernatural event where upon your belief in Jesus Christ, you experience what Deuteronomy 30:6 and Ezekiel 36:25-27 spoke of when the Holy Spirit regenerated your dead soul just as Jesus said had to happen for new birth to happen (John 3:1-15). The supernatural phenomenon that happens with the baptism of the Holy Spirit is that you are now able to respond to God in love and faith in a way you were unable to previously. Why the Holy Spirit Cannot be Manipulated. For about two weeks now, there has been one thought that has haunted me during the day and in the night hours that I believe that if I did not share it with you, I would be disobedient to my God. Because the Holy Spirit is not a force, and because He is God, you must understand that He cannot be manipulated by cheap tricks or recipes couched in religious language. He is God and nothing less! There is a passage that has overshadowed my thoughts as I prepared this sermon, and it is found in Isaiah 46:9-10; here is what it declares: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:910). He declares the end from the beginning because He is infinitely sovereign, and what He is doing from beginning to end and beyond is that He is accomplishing all His good pleasure! His good pleasure includes sealing you with His Holy Spirit, which is a first instalment (down payment) of an inheritance that is guaranteed to all He has chosen and redeemed. If you are a Christian, the inheritance that we are sealed for includes the reality that today you are a son/daughter of the almighty God (v. 5), you are forgiven (v. 7), you are a new creation in Christ (vv. 9-10), and you have glorious inheritance waiting for you that will never fade with time, can never be destroyed, and will forever be untouched by sin (v. 11; see also 1 Pet. 1:3-5). If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit guarantees that your inheritance includes all things made new (Rev. 21:1-5), all things for your good (Rom. 8:28-30), and all things for Gods glory! Think for a moment what that means in light of all that we have considered in Ephesians 1:1-14, Why has God blessed the Christian with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God choose you before the foundation of the world? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God predestine you for redemption through His Son? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God seal you with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee for an inheritance we do not deserve? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. According to Ephesians 1:1-14, you have all of Gods love you will ever need, all of the redemption in Jesus that you will ever need, and all of Holy Spirit you will ever need. The question I have for you is threefold: How much of your heart does God have? How much of your loyalty does Jesus have? How much of your life does the Holy Spirit have? We will eventually get to Ephesians 4:30, but consider this verse in light of your identity in Christ: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. In Ephesians 5, we are told: Be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil but be filled with the Spirit (vv. 15-21). When the Holy Spirit has all of you, then you will begin to experience the kind of manipulation that only He can do in your life by shaping you like clay, pruning the dead branches from your life, and applying His holy fire upon your life to remove the dross out from your life. Dear Christian, your sin and unbelief is robing you of the kind of life God intends for you now. How long will you hold back the sin that is sucking the joy out from the life God has purposed for you as His child? In closing, I want you to consider Isaiah 46:9-10 before each section of Ephesians 1:3-14; I want Isaiah 46:9-10 to settle upon your heart like it has for me this past week as I prepared this sermon. I would like you to see Ephesians 1:3-14 in light of Isaiah 46:9-10 before each statement about the Father (3-6), the Son (7-12), and the Holy Spirit (vv. 13-14) in his majestic sentences concerning Gods role in our salvation: God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Chris, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. (Eph. 1:46) God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:712) God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:1314) [1] Matthew Barrett, Simply Trinity (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books; 2021), p. 144.

The Assurance of Our Salvation

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2024

Before we can jump into Ephesians 1:13-14, I must address what or who it is that Paul is talking about in these verses. Until you understand what or who the apostle is talking about in these verses, you cannot understand or feel the gravity of Ephesians 1:13-14 upon your life. So, to feel the full weight of these verses, permit me to introduce you to the Holy Spirit. The first time we are introduced to the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1:1-2 with these words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for Spirit is raḥ, which can also mean wind or breath, but when used in association with God, it often refers to the Holy Spirit, not as a thing or a characteristic like love or holiness, but a person. This same word is used in Ezekiel 36: And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances (v. 27). So, when we read through the Bible what we discover about the Holy Spirit is exhaustive. Of the Holy Spirit, we discover that He is the giver of life (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 33:6; 104:27-30). As the giver of life, He raised Jesus from the grave on the third day and will give life to the body of every person who is joined to Him by faith, through a physical resurrection like the one Jesus experienced (see Rom. 8:11). As the giver of life, He caused Mary to conceive with the incarnation of Jesus (Luke 1:35, 41-42). The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus before He performed any miracle, after He was baptized by John, as a way of giving life and power to His earthly ministry; it is important to note that at Jesus baptism all three persons were present and witnessed: After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:16-17; see also Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). Throughout the Bible, what we discover is that the Holy Spirit sustains and empowers the people of God to do the work of God. The Holy Spirit indwelled and led Israel out of the slavery of Egypt into the wilderness (Isa. 63:11-14), the Holy Spirit empowered Israels judges after they entered the promised land (i.e. Judges 6:34), and anointed Israels kings to lead the nation (i.e. 1 Sam. 9:27-10:1; 16:1, 13). From the beginning Gods plan was to do the same not just for a select few, but for all of His people as foretold in Joel 2:28-29, It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days (Joel 2:2829). Gods promise from the beginning was that a deliverer would come, and that deliver was God in the person of Jesus the Son; this is the great theme of the Bible. This is why the Bible declares: For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you was not yes and no, but has been yes in Him. For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us (2 Cor. 1:19-20). In other words, there is no pouring out of the Holy Spirit apart from the redemption that can only come through the shed blood of the Son of God for, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us (Eph. 1:7). Against the backdrop of all we have considered so far, I want you to listen to Ephesians 1:13-14, for it will help you feel the weight of these verses for your life today: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:1314). But the question still must be answered: Who or what is the Holy Spirit? Not long before Jesus died to redeem lost sinners by going to the cross, He made a promise to His disciples, and that promise was the coming of the Holy Spirit. We find Jesus promise in John 14; Jesus told them He would be betrayed and would go to a place that they would not be able go (John 13:33). Jesus then consoled His disciples by telling them that He was going to prepare a place for them where they would one day live (14:1-6), but consider carefully what Jesus promised to His disciples that they would receive in His physical absence: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. (John 14:1620) How will Jesus not leave His disciples as orphans? He will ask the Father to send them the Helper who is the Holy Spirit. It is possible that verses 18-20 are referring to Jesus resurrection, but even after His resurrection, He ascended to heaven after He again promised to send them the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). I think that when Jesus assured them, I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you that He was referring to the Helper because of what Jesus said in John 16:13, But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come (John 16:13). Who is the Holy Spirit? Well, when Ananias lied to the apostle Peter about what he and his wife had sold and given to the Church, Ananias was told: Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? You have not lied to men, but to God (see Acts 5:1-16). The Holy Spirit is not a power, a force, or a character trait of God; the Holy Spirit is a Person, and He is God. As God, the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once (Ps. 104:30), He is all-knowing (1 Cor. 2:10-11). Jesus said that the one unforgivable sin was the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which I believe is unbelief in the Jesus that the Holy Spirit anointed and affirmed to be the Christ (Matt. 12:31-32). And like the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirt can be grieved by the way we live our lives and how we treat one another (Eph. 4:3-32). The Holy Spirit is not an awkward member of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father as He is equal to the Son because He is also fully God. In his book, Simply Trinity, Matthew Barrett put it this way: The Father does not exist without his Son, the Son does not exist without his Father, and the Spirit does not exist without the Father and the Son[1] The Trinity is not God divided into three parts as if 1/3 of God is the Father, 1/3 of God is the Son, and 1/3 of God is the Holy Spirit. What we see in Ephesians 1:1-14 is a Father who orchestrated our redemption, a Jesus sent from the Father to purchase our redemption, and the Spirit sent by both the Father and the Son to secure and preserve our redemption. How is the Holy Spirit Preserving Your Salvation? Look at verse 13 again: In Him (that is God), you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed YOU WERE SEALED! What does that mean? To be sealed in the Holy Spirit simply means that I am secure in Jesus Christ and now I belong to God as His child and the only One who has the authority to remove the Holy Spirit from me is the God who chose me in Jesus (v. 4), and who purchased my redemption through the blood of Jesus (v. 7). I am sealed because the blood of Jesus secured for me the forgiveness of my wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on me (vv. 7-8). I am sealed because in Jesus, I have obtained an inheritance by Gods sovereign decree to make me His son before the foundation of the rest of creation was even laid (v. 11), and what is the guarantee that God has done all of that through the Son is the preserving power of His all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-pervasive Spirit. The moment you heard the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you were baptized by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; Rom. 6:1-7). This is not a mystical event where you feel something strange, but it is a supernatural event where upon your belief in Jesus Christ, you experience what Deuteronomy 30:6 and Ezekiel 36:25-27 spoke of when the Holy Spirit regenerated your dead soul just as Jesus said had to happen for new birth to happen (John 3:1-15). The supernatural phenomenon that happens with the baptism of the Holy Spirit is that you are now able to respond to God in love and faith in a way you were unable to previously. Why the Holy Spirit Cannot be Manipulated. For about two weeks now, there has been one thought that has haunted me during the day and in the night hours that I believe that if I did not share it with you, I would be disobedient to my God. Because the Holy Spirit is not a force, and because He is God, you must understand that He cannot be manipulated by cheap tricks or recipes couched in religious language. He is God and nothing less! There is a passage that has overshadowed my thoughts as I prepared this sermon, and it is found in Isaiah 46:9-10; here is what it declares: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:910). He declares the end from the beginning because He is infinitely sovereign, and what He is doing from beginning to end and beyond is that He is accomplishing all His good pleasure! His good pleasure includes sealing you with His Holy Spirit, which is a first instalment (down payment) of an inheritance that is guaranteed to all He has chosen and redeemed. If you are a Christian, the inheritance that we are sealed for includes the reality that today you are a son/daughter of the almighty God (v. 5), you are forgiven (v. 7), you are a new creation in Christ (vv. 9-10), and you have glorious inheritance waiting for you that will never fade with time, can never be destroyed, and will forever be untouched by sin (v. 11; see also 1 Pet. 1:3-5). If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit guarantees that your inheritance includes all things made new (Rev. 21:1-5), all things for your good (Rom. 8:28-30), and all things for Gods glory! Think for a moment what that means in light of all that we have considered in Ephesians 1:1-14, Why has God blessed the Christian with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God choose you before the foundation of the world? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God predestine you for redemption through His Son? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. Why did God seal you with His Holy Spirit as a guarantee for an inheritance we do not deserve? Because He is God, there is no one like Him, He will establish His plan, and will accomplish all His good pleasure. According to Ephesians 1:1-14, you have all of Gods love you will ever need, all of the redemption in Jesus that you will ever need, and all of Holy Spirit you will ever need. The question I have for you is threefold: How much of your heart does God have? How much of your loyalty does Jesus have? How much of your life does the Holy Spirit have? We will eventually get to Ephesians 4:30, but consider this verse in light of your identity in Christ: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. In Ephesians 5, we are told: Be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil but be filled with the Spirit (vv. 15-21). When the Holy Spirit has all of you, then you will begin to experience the kind of manipulation that only He can do in your life by shaping you like clay, pruning the dead branches from your life, and applying His holy fire upon your life to remove the dross out from your life. Dear Christian, your sin and unbelief is robing you of the kind of life God intends for you now. How long will you hold back the sin that is sucking the joy out from the life God has purposed for you as His child? In closing, I want you to consider Isaiah 46:9-10 before each section of Ephesians 1:3-14; I want Isaiah 46:9-10 to settle upon your heart like it has for me this past week as I prepared this sermon. I would like you to see Ephesians 1:3-14 in light of Isaiah 46:9-10 before each statement about the Father (3-6), the Son (7-12), and the Holy Spirit (vv. 13-14) in his majestic sentences concerning Gods role in our salvation: God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Chris, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. (Eph. 1:46) God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in the Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:712) God: I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:9-10) Paul: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:1314) [1] Matthew Barrett, Simply Trinity (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books; 2021), p. 144.

A Different Kind of Righteousness (Rob Steele)

Arrows Church Weekend Messages

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2023 35:13

While this passage is short, it is a vitally crucial passage in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus establishes his authority of scripture and teaches a different king of Righteousness.Matthew 5: 17-20Main Theme: Jesus is Lord of the Old and New Testament.This passage of scripture provides us with three aspects of our faith that of which we need to have a proper understanding.A Proper understanding of Christ (Matt 5:17)A proper understanding of scripture (Matt 5:18-19)A proper understanding of righteousness (Matt 5:20)Need Prayer?

jesus christ lord new testament righteousness proper sermon on the mount different kind need prayer christ matt rob steele

Community: True Community in Christ (Matt. 4:18-24)

jesus christ community lead pastor preached christ matt community in christ

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2023 37:06

Preached by Lead Pastor, David Cumbie, On August 27, 2023.

Community: True Community in Christ (Matt. 4:18-24)

jesus christ community lead pastor preached christ matt community in christ

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2023 37:06

Preached by Lead Pastor, David Cumbie, On August 27, 2023.

Soteriology Lesson 15 - The Suffering Servant

Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2023 61:46

It is in the understanding of the suffering and death of Christ that the sinner appreciates God's great love and the price that was paid for our salvation. Christ suffered in our place, bearing the penalty that rightfully belongs to us. Scripture tells us that “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). Perhaps no section of Scripture in the Old Testament bears greater testimony to this truth than Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, in which the prophet reveals the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 53 is mentioned several times in the New Testament as specifically referring to Christ (Matt 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:30-35; Rom 10:16; 1 Pet 2:22-25), so that there is no mistake in the minds of the New Testament writers that the passage points to Jesus. According to John Stott, “The New Testament writers quote eight specific verses as having been fulfilled in Jesus…eight verses out of the chapter's twelve are all quite specifically referred to Jesus.”[1] And Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes: "It was Isaiah the Prophet who first provided the hope that the day would come when the burden will be lifted. In Isaiah 53, God declared that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, would be the sacrifice for sin…The point of Isaiah 53 is basically this: The animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were intended to be of temporary duration, a temporary measure only. God's intent was for there to be one final blood sacrifice, and that would be the sacrifice of the Messiah Himself."[2] In Isaiah 53:10 we observe the Father's judgment on Christ for our sin, and Christ's willingness to be judged in our place. Isaiah wrote, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10). It was the Father's will for the Son to go to the cross to die for sinners, but we must also realize that Christ willingly went to His death and bore the Father's wrath in our place. It is simultaneously true that God sent and Christ went. Jesus was not forced upon the cross, but willingly, in love, surrendered His life and died in our place. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “no one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Paul wrote, “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:2), and “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), and “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered up Himself” (Heb 7:27), and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14). As a result of Jesus bearing the sin of many, Isaiah wrote, “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10b). When Isaiah said, “He will see His offspring”, it meant that Christ's death would bear the fruit of spiritual offspring as people turn to Him as Savior and are born again (cf. John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). Fruchtenbaum notes, “The Servant's seed would be those who benefit from His death by spiritual rebirth. The moment they accept for themselves His substitutionary death for their sins, they are born again spiritually by the Holy Spirit. By this spiritual rebirth, they become the Servant's seed.”[3] And the phrase, “He will prolong His days” refers to Jesus' bodily resurrection, never to die again. And the phrase, “the good pleasure of the LORD” most likely speaks of heaven's wealth that will be known to those whom Christ will justify and who will share in His riches and heavenly estate (John 14:1-3; 1 Pet 1:3-4). Though Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, His death was infinitely purposeful, as it satisfied the Father's demands toward our sin, and also justified the many who would trust in Christ as Savior. Isaiah wrote, “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11). Here is a picture of substitutionary atonement, as the Suffering Servant will “justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11b). Peter also reveals the doctrine of substitution when he states, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). It is important to grasp that Christ bore our sin, but this did not make Him a sinner in conduct. On the other hand, we are declared righteous in God's sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us at the moment of salvation, but this does not make us righteous in conduct. God gives us “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17) at the moment we trust Christ as our Savior. This is what Paul meant when he stated, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). Paul understood the doctrine of substitution, that Christ died in the place of sinners and that sinners are declared righteous because of the work of Christ credited to their account. This explains Paul's desire to “be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). Concerning Isaiah 53:11, Edward Young states: "When the servant bears the iniquities of the many and has been punished for the guilt of these iniquities, the act of bearing the iniquities in itself has not changed the character of those whose iniquities are borne. When the iniquities are borne, i.e. when the guilt those iniquities involved has been punished, the servant may declare that the many stand in right relationship with God. Their iniquities will no longer be able to rise up and accuse them, for the guilt of those iniquities has been punished. Thus, they are justified. They are declared to be righteous, for they have received the righteousness of the servant and they are received and accepted by God Himself. Of them God says that they no longer have iniquities, but they do have the righteousness of the servant. This can only be a forensic justification."[4] If we had stood at the trials of Jesus, seen His beatings, seen His crucifixion and sat at the foot of the cross, surely we would have wept at the injustice and brutal cruelty of it all. However, the Scripture reveals that it was the will of God that Christ go to the cross and die for sinners (Acts 2:23; 4:28), that His death would be an atoning sacrifice that satisfied every righteous demand of the Father (Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2). In the willing death of Christ, we have the Father's righteousness displayed toward our sin as well as His love toward us, the sinner, whom He seeks to save. There is a purpose to the suffering of Christ. He suffered that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. His substitutionary death propitiated the Father's righteous demand for justice concerning our sin and now we can come to God with the empty hands of faith and receive the free gift of eternal life and be clothed in perfect righteousness. This was accomplished while we were helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10). God graciously acted toward us to reconcile us to Himself, and this was accomplished through the suffering of Christ. [1] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, 1986), 145. [2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998), 130. [3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Isaiah: Exposition from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (San Antonio, TX. Ariel Ministries, 2021), 577-578. [4] Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), 358.

god jesus christ father lord law holy spirit cross acts scripture savior lesson tx hebrews old testament new testament prophet servant chapters rom cor gal grand rapids eph god himself ill suffering servant in isaiah stott mosaic law john stott soteriology righteous one intervarsity press god rom though jesus god heb christ matt my servant edward young eerdmans publishing co john r w arnold g fruchtenbaum

Missions Sunday: The Compassion of Christ (Matt. 9:35-38)

jesus christ compassion lead pastor preached missions sunday christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 26:49

Preached by Lead Pastor, David Cumbie, on August 20, 2023.

Missions Sunday: The Compassion of Christ (Matt. 9:35-38)

jesus christ compassion lead pastor preached missions sunday christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 26:49

Preached by Lead Pastor, David Cumbie, on August 20, 2023.

Matthew Series | MAKING DECISIONS CONCERNING CHRIST | Matt 11:16-24

Reality Church Miami Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2023 36:57

Join Reality Church Miami as Pastor Gus continues our summer Gospel of Matthew sermon series. Taking us through the passage of Matthew 11:16–24 to show us how we can navigate through doubt when following and considering Christ. For more information, follow us on Instagram @realitychurchmiami and check us out online at www.realitymiami.com. If you have decided to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and would like to know what's next, please let us know by contacting us on our socials or emailing us at info@realitymiami.com

jesus christ gospel savior making decisions series making christ matt

Gospel of the Kingdom: The Fight of Christ (Matt 4:1-11)

Wellspring Church DFW

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2023 42:05

jesus christ gospel of the kingdom christ matt

Bible Study: “Can You Handle the Truth?

Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 18:16

The outcome of sin is death, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). He has set you free from the slavery of sin and has brought you “from death to life” (Rom. 6:13). No longer are you under the condemnation of the Law, but you live “under grace” (Rom. 6:14). Such is your courage in the face of “those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28). For though “you will be hated by all” and maligned by the world for the name of Christ (Matt. 10:22, 25), you abide in the care of your Father in heaven, who numbers “even the hairs of your head” and values you more “than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:30–31). By the Word of Christ, you have become like Him, your Teacher and Master in whom you endure to the end, and “will be saved” (Matt. 10:22, 25). For He is with you “as a dread warrior,” who has overcome your enemies (Jer. 20:11). By the righteousness of faith, He delivers your heart, mind, body, and life “from the hand of evildoers,” and He brings you into the land of the living (Jer. 20:12–13). ----- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

97) Pre-Millenial or A-Millenial: Interview with Dr. Dustin Smith, Part 1

One God Report

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2023 27:05

Dr. Dustin Smith is currently Professor of Theological Studies at Reformed University near Atlanta, Georgia. Among other writings, he is co-author of the book The Son of God: Three Views on the Identity of Jesus" and he is the host of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast. In this first of a series of three One God Report podcast episodes, Dr. Smith describes some differences between pre-millennialism and a-millennialism. Eventually we are leading up to the question: is the 1000 years in Revelation 20 to be understood as a literal 1000 years, or does the 1000 years symbolically represent something else? Dr. Smith makes these points in the current episode: Both pre-millennial and a-millennial views see two levels, or two tiers, two time-periods to the kingdom of God. For pre-millennialism the two tiers are: 1) after the physical return of Jesus, a literal 1000-year rule of Christ on earth, and then 2) the eternal kingdom which begins after the 1000 years. For amillennialism: 1) the kingdom of God and of His Christ has already been inaugurated with the coming of Jesus and his ascension to heaven at the right hand of God. And 2) the eternal kingdom is consummated when Jesus physically returns to earth. The amillennialism that Dr. Smith describes believes that Jesus will physically rule over a kingdom on earth, just not for an intermediate 1000-year period. Rather, Jesus's return is the transition to his to an eternal rule on earth. In this podcast Dr. Smith begins to explain some problems with the pre-millennial view. 1) Pre-millennialism maintains that even after Jesus returns and raises the dead, some non-believers, that is, mortals, will enter the millennial kingdom. But biblically, there are considerable problems not only with mortals entering the kingdom of God, but with people continuing to die after the resurrection which accompanies the second coming of Christ (Matt 25:46; 1 Cor 15:23-26, 54-55; 2 Tim 1:10; Rev 21:4). 2) Pre-millennialism maintains that the resurrection of the just precedes by 1000 years the resurrection of the unjust, that is, the righteous are resurrected when Jesus returns, but the unrighteous 1000 years later. But in the Bible the resurrection of the just and the unjust always occurs at the same time, (e.g., Dan 12:2; Matt 12:41-42; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Rev 11:15-18). Specifically, the resurrection of all the dead occurs at the return of Jesus (1 Thes. 4:13-17). Biblical Unitarian Podcast, Host Dr. Dustin Smith https://biblicalunitarianpodcast.podbean.com/ The Son of God: Three Views on the Identity of Jesus https://www.amazon.com/Son-God-Three-Views-Identity-ebook/dp/B07FYTZFZK #millenium, #biblicalunitarian, #unitarian, #returnofchrist, #deityofchrist, #dustinsmith, #billschlegel --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onegodreport-podcast/support

god jesus christ bible professor identity acts revelation kingdom of god rev cor millenials theological studies thes his christ dustin smith christ matt

Submission to Christ (Matt. 28:18-20)

jesus christ church submission sermons reformed presbyterian preached northwest ohio christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2023 40:58

Matthew 28:18-20; Preached by Senior Pastor David Bayly

You Are the Christ

Calvary Chapel Santa Maria Weekly Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2023 54:01

05.07.23 Calvary Chapel Santa Maria Your Are the Christ Matt 16:13-20 Pastor Conor Berry

jesus christ christ matt

The Power of Christ (Matt. 28:16-20)

jesus christ church sermons reformed presbyterian preached northwest ohio christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 37:39

Matthew 28:16-20; Preached by Senior Pastor David Bayly

The Empowered Church: The Body of Christ // Matt Metzger & Tiffany Malloy | 04.16.23

Blackhawk Church Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023 40:25

The Empowered Church: The Body of Christ // Matt Metzger & Tiffany Malloy | 04.16.23

jesus christ church empowered body of christ metzger malloy christ matt

The Way of Christ (Matt Slate)

The Bridge Community Church - Ruston, LA

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023

jesus christ slate christ matt

The Way of Christ (Matt Slate)

The Bridge Community Church - Ruston, LA

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023

jesus christ slate christ matt

Pilate, Who Condemned Him

Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2023 6:30

Trapped by the Jewish leaders, Pontius Pilate asked the crowd, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ" (Matt. 27:22)? Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers the grave warning found in Pilate's own answer to this question. Read the transcript: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/pilate-who-condemned-him

jesus christ jewish pilates trapped condemned pontius pilate sinclair ferguson christ matt

Repentance Looks to Christ (Matt. 26:69-27:10)

jesus christ church repentance sermons reformed presbyterian preached northwest ohio christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 39:32

Matthew 26:69-27:10; Preached by Senior Pastor David Bayly

The Work of Christ (Matt. 26:47-68)

jesus christ church sermons reformed presbyterian preached work of christ northwest ohio christ matt

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2023 39:15

Matthew 26:47-68; Preached by Senior Pastor David Bayly.

Disciple Of Jesus Christ Matt. 16:24 | Discipulos De Jesucristo Mat.16:24 | Co Pastor David Lugo

Cornerstone House of Deliverance

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2023 93:15

Disciple Of Jesus Christ Matt. 16:24 | Discipulos De Jesucristo Mat.16:24 | Co Pastor David Lugo

jesus christ disciples cristo jesucristo lugo pastor david co pastor discipulo discipulos christ matt

DAY 18 – The Day Religion Died | 21-Day Devotional on Jesus' Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount

Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2023 7:42

The Day Religion Died Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Over the history of humanity, among people who claim to follow God, there has been a tension between what and who is right or wrong. There have always been religious leaders who have placed themselves over people as the standard for all others and doing so while claiming God's permission and a superior station in life. But those people, like the Pharisees, have always been the wrong ones. This became clear when Jesus entered the religious scene of his day. He made a distinction between God's intended purpose, and what religious leaders were actually doing. Yes, God did give the Ten Commandments and other statutes to Moses on Mount Sinai and they were designed to be understood, and followed by God's people. However, we know from Paul's writings that the Law was intended to reveal the futility of trying to obey the Law in one's own strength (Rom. 8:3–4) as well as point the people to Christ. (Galatians 3:24) Paul wrote, “The Law is good” (1 Timothy 1:8), but the problem was the sin nature and weakness of humanity as revealed in their (and our) inability to consistently do what God wanted. We know in history that religious leaders added 600+ lesser rules and man-made “commandments.” In all of this, religious leaders gave (and still give) people a false sense of security, that if they do what was told them, they would be “right with God.” During Jesus' time on earth religious leaders imposed rules such as “Sabbath ay's journey” in which now now was allowed to travel more than 2/3 mile, or mandating practices such as ritual hand washings, and much more. What is noteworthy is that Jesus routinely broke their laws, while always being true to Moses' and God's law. One day He healed a man on the Sabbath and told him to pick up his bed and walk, which was “work” and forbidden on the Sabbath. Think about it: To be critical of a man being healed a significant disability because it was done on the WRONG DAY! On another occasion, Jesus and his disciples were condemned for eating without doing ceremonial washing of their hands––something related to man made rules, not God's law. As I write this during Black history month, I'm reminded of the civil disobedience of the people of Rev. Dr. King's era. They sat at lunch counters that were “whites only,” thus breaking laws. Dr. King said, “It is just to obey a just law and it is unjust to obey an unjust law.” We see that Jesus practiced a form of religious civil disobedience. You could say, He protested religious injustice. Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus undermined religious systems while paving the way for hearts to be changed by the Holy Spirit though something called the “New Birth.” (born of the Spirit) There are spiritual disciplines, things we do such as regular prayer and serving others, which may be considered as “pure religion” (James 1:27), but nothing we do is for the purpose of gaining God's favor and “earning” His righteousness. A highly education, respected, and religious-establishment man named Nicodemus received a lesson from Jesus about a new reality: John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus forever changed the paradigm for what it means to be righteous and to walk with God, but religious leaders wanted to hang onto the old ways, maintain control over people, and present themselves as gateways to God. Sadly, we see this same behavior until this day. As a pastor, I am a spiritual (or “religious”) leader, but I know better than to present my righteousness above the righteousness of God as revealed in Christ. We don't need to follow the example of “Pharisees,” when we have Jesus, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit. Our job today is to lead people to Christ, then “shepherd” them in their relationship with God and understanding of the Word. We are are all equal in God's sight. Our purpose and roles differ, but the Body of Christ is designed to edify, or “build up,” one another. Reflection Questions: 1. How did religion die when Jesus presented a new reality with His Sermon on the Mount. 2. Why is trying to live by man-made rules ineffective as compared to the being “born again" and following Christ? 3. Why is the righteousness of trying to keep manmade rules lesser than the righteousness of God of Christ Matt. 5:17-20 17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. At a first reading it might well be held that this is the most astonishing statement that Jesus made in the whole Sermon on the Mount. In this statement Jesus lays down the eternal character of the Law; and yet Paul can say, "Christ is the end of the Law" (Rom.10:4). Again and again Jesus broke what the Jews called the Law. He did not observe the handwashings that the Law laid down; he healed sick people on the Sabbath, although the Law forbade such healings; he was in fact condemned and crucified as a law-breaker; and yet here he seems to speak of the Law with a veneration and a reverence that no Rabbi or Pharisee could exceed

Christ, Matt, Are You Serious?

Queers of Time Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2023 23:31 Transcription Available

This episode contains general spoilers about Ogiers and their origins, but nothing significant about the Wheel of Time plot past s1/book 1.Last episode on the Wheel of Time shorts (but not least!). We talked about "An Ogier's Longing", and, hum, Matt is unsure whether James and Camille are bullshitting him or not.Support the showCheck out our Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Patreon.Intro and outro music by Julius H.

jesus christ time tiktok wheel longing ogier christ matt

John 1:9-13 - A "Child of God" is One Who Has Received and Believed in Christ - Matt Reisetter

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2022 6:53

Thank you to our 2022 Daily Dose Devotions sponsor, The Family Leader!Here are a few other ministries we are proud to highlight and partner with:Christian Crusaders, where you can find weekly 30 minute worship services at ChristianCrusaders.org AND where you can hear engaging interviews and other content on The CC Podcast: Conversations.Cedar Falls Bible Conference, whose conference videos are available at CedarFallsBibleConference.com. And please consider joining us for our 102nd annual conference: Saturday, July 29 – Saturday, August 5, 2023.Power to Change Digital Strategies: If you or someone you know could benefit from an anonymous online Christian mentor, please visit IssuesIFace.com.Please subscribe to or follow this podcast, leave a 5 star review, and prayerfully consider financially supporting one of our partnering ministries.Thank you for listening, and may God richly bless you!Contributors to The Daily Dose include:Tim Boettger - Director of Spiritual Care at Western Home Communities and Associate Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet MinistryPastor Steve Kramer - Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet MinistryAndrew Nordstrom - Technical Director of Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet MinistryMatt Reisetter - Director of Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry and Director of the Cedar Falls Bible ConferenceSpecial thanks to, Terri, our podcast announcer!

god jesus christ director power john 1 received contributors believed child of god daily dose spiritual care christ matt christian crusaders western home communities issuesiface cedar falls bible conference christian crusaders radio cedarfallsbibleconference tim boettger director associate radio preacher change digital strategies if

Christmas Apart from Easter or Apart from Faith in Christ - Matt Reisetter