Podcasts about faith in jesus

Join Richard Harris and special guest In this powerful episode, Denise Scheck exposes the cultural lies surrounding gender identity, sexuality, and family values. Through raw personal stories and biblical truth, she reveals the devastating impact of moral confusion and shares how hope, healing, and restoration are possible through faith in Jesus. Charlie Kirk is coming to the T&L Annual Conference, which is scheduled for Sept 11-13. Register Now! Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.truthandliberty.net/subscribe   Get "Faith for America" here: https://store.awmi.net/purchase/tal102 Donate here: https://www.truthandliberty.net/donate   Original Air Date 07-23-25

Pastoral Chat: Salvation is a free gift from God received through faith in Jesus, but Scripture shows that it can be lost if a person willingly walks away from that faith. While believers may still sin, they do not continue in unrepentant sin as a lifestyle. True salvation is marked by ongoing faith and a heart that turns from wrongdoing. Jesus calls believers to remain faithful to the end, and Revelation warns that names can be removed from the Book of Life—indicating that some who were once saved can fall away. However, the fact that you're concerned about your salvation is a strong sign that your heart is still responsive to God. Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                  

In this episode, we unpack Jordan Peterson's ongoing struggle to clearly articulate his faith in Jesus, even when pressed by George Janko, Shawn Ryan, and others. We walk through key moments — from his ambiguous answers on podcasts, to his fiery exchange on Jubilee, to his silence when George asks point-blank if he's a Christian. We also contrast his journey with the biblical call to clarity and courage in following Jesus, exploring what his hesitation reveals about our own.

(Bilingual) このメッセージでは登牧師が「ブレイクスルーには、信仰だ！」について以下の３つのポイントから話します。ディスカッション用の質問はノートの最後に確認できます。In this message Ps Noboru talks about “FAITH LEADS TO BREAKTHROUGH” in these 3 points:Check the questions for discussion at the end of the note. ローマ10:17 ERV / Romans10:17 ERVマルコ11:23-24 ERV / Mark 11:23-24 ERVマタイ8:5-10 ERV / Matthew 8:5-10 ERVエペソ1:21ERV / Ephesians 1:21 ERVヨハネ15:16 / John 15:16 ERVローマ2:28-29 ERV / Romans 2:28-29 ERVマルコ11:23-24ERV / March 11:23-24 ERVヘブル11:1 ERV / Hebrews 11:1 ERV1.イエスの権威を認めるKNOW THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS2.イエスの力は物理的距離に左右されないTHE POWER OF JESUS IS NOT LIMITED BY PHYSICAL DISTANCE3.イエスの計画に確信を持ち既に行われたことを祝うHAVE CONFIDENCE IN JESUS'S PLAN AND CELEBRATE WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONEQUESTIONS(質問) : ・What impressed you most about the Roman officer's faith in Jesus?ローマの百人隊長の信仰で、印象的なことはありますか？・Why do you think Jesus was amazed by this man's faith?なぜイエスはその男の人の信仰に「驚いた」と思いますか？・What does it mean to have faith in Jesus' authority and power today?今の時代において、イエスの権威と力を信じるとはどういうことだと思いますか？・Is there a situation in your life where you need to trust Jesus "at His word"?今、あなたの人生で「イエスのことばだけを信じる」必要がある状況はありますか？・How can we grow in a faith that pleases and amazes Jesus?どのように「イエスが喜び、感動するような信仰」を持てるように成長することが出来ますか？ Connect with us:Web: mylifehouse.comInstagram: instagram.com/lifehouseglobal/Facebook: facebook.com/lifehouseglobalVideo Messages: ビデオメッセージ: youtube.com/LifehouseTokyoOther Podcasts:Want to listen to our messages in other languages?Lifehouse Messages (English): https://lifehousemessages.captivate.fm/listenLifehouse Hong Kong (Cantonese & English): https://lifehousehongkong.captivate.fm/listen

Satan, whose name means “adversary,” is a created angelic being who once held an exalted position in God's heavenly order. In Ezekiel 28:12-15, under the figure of the king of Tyre, we are given insight into Satan's pre-fall splendor: he was “the anointed cherub who covers,” full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, created blameless until iniquity was found in him. Isaiah 14:12-15, speaking of the fall of “Lucifer, son of the morning” (KJV), reveals the inner ambition of this being who said in his heart, “I will ascend to heaven... I will make myself like the Most High.” These five self-centered declarations form the anatomy of the first sin—prideful rebellion against God's sovereign authority. Though the passage addresses the king of Babylon, the language transcends the human plane, revealing a supernatural reality behind the earthly ruler. Satan's fall was not due to ignorance or weakness, but the willful distortion of his privileged position and beauty, which corrupted his wisdom (Ezek 28:17). His rebellion marked the beginning of moral evil in the universe. When Adam, the original theocratic steward of the earth (Gen 1:26-28), sinned by submitting to Satan's temptation (Gen 3:1-6), dominion was effectively transferred from man to Satan (Luke 4:5-6), who then became “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4) and “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). While God remains sovereign over all (Psa 103:19), Satan now exerts delegated influence over human systems, cultures, and ideologies through deception and darkness (Eph 2:2; 1 John 5:19). Following his fall, Satan became the chief adversary of God, His program, and His people. He is the “god of this world” who blinds the minds of unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4), the “prince of the power of the air” who energizes the sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2), and the “deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9). His access to heaven has not yet been fully revoked, for he presently accuses believers before God, day and night (Job 1:6-12; Rev 12:10). He is active in the affairs of nations (Dan 10:13), sows tares among the wheat (Matt 13:39), and promotes counterfeit signs, doctrines, and ministers (2 Cor 11:13-15; 1 Tim 4:1). Jesus called him a murderer and “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Yet even now, Satan operates only within divinely permitted boundaries—he is a defeated foe on a short leash. At the cross, Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities,” triumphing over them (Col 2:15), and though Satan remains active, his judgment is certain. His end has already been decreed. Satan's ultimate demise will unfold in stages. During the future Tribulation, he will be cast down from his heavenly access and confined to earth (Rev 12:7-9). Near the end of the Tribulation, he will empower the Beast and the False Prophet in their final global rebellion (Rev 13:2-7). At Christ's Second Coming, Satan will be bound and imprisoned in the abyss for a thousand years during the millennial reign (Rev 20:1-3). After the thousand years, he will be released for one final revolt, gathering the nations for battle against Christ's kingdom, only to be defeated in a moment and cast into the lake of fire, where he will be tormented forever (Rev 20:7-10). This is not annihilation, but conscious, eternal punishment. The irony is profound: the one who said, “I will ascend,” will be brought “down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit” (Isa 14:15). His story ends not with exaltation, but humiliation—forever crushed under the heel of the Sovereign God (Gen 3:15; Rom 16:20). Demons Fallen angels, often referred to as demons, are those angelic beings who chose to rebel against God. Revelation 12:4 suggests that one-third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion and were cast down with him. These fallen angels became hostile spiritual entities, operating in opposition to God's purposes and in deceptive rebellion against divine truth. Some are active in the present age (Mark 1:32-34), while others are bound in chains awaiting future judgment (Jude 1:6; Rev 9:1-2, 14). Others are active in influencing world leaders, as seen when demonic spirits go out to deceive the kings of the earth and gather them for battle at Armageddon (Rev 16:13-16). Still others are employed by God as agents of discipline and judgment (Judg 9:23; 1 Sam 16:14-16). Demons are consistently depicted in Scripture as unclean spirits (Matt 10:1; Mark 6:7), deceitful and malevolent (1 Tim 4:1; Rev 16:14). They promote false doctrine (1 Tim 4:1), oppose the truth (2 Cor 4:4), and seek to destroy lives, both spiritually and physically (Mark 5:2-5; Luke 9:39). Their activity includes demon possession (Matt 8:16; Mark 9:17-29), where they exert direct control over human faculties, often producing self-harm, mental torment, and violent behavior. While possession is a reality in the Gospels and Acts, believers today are assured they cannot be possessed by demons, for they are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Eph 1:13-14). Still, demons can tempt, oppress, and deceive (Eph 4:26-27; 2 Cor 2:11). Satan, as the leader of fallen angels, is called the “god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), and the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev 12:10). He blinds unbelievers, tempts saints, and prowls like a roaring lion seeking to devour (1 Pet 5:8). He is cunning, having disguised himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), and he works through systems of false religion, secular ideologies, and demonic doctrines to oppose the gospel (Rev 2:13-24; 1 John 4:1-3). His defeat is already secured through Christ's work on the cross (Col 2:15; Heb 2:14), and his final doom awaits in the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). Until then, believers are called to resist him by submitting to God and standing firm in the truth (Jam 4:7; Eph 6:10-18). Our victory is not in power encounters or mystical deliverance rites, but in the sufficiency of Christ, the authority of His Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Satan's Strategies to Deceive Satan's primary method of attack is deception. As “the father of lies” (John 8:44), he traffics in half-truths, distortions, and subtle misrepresentations of God's Word. His first recorded words in Scripture are an assault on divine truth: “Indeed, has God said…?” (Gen 3:1). He questioned God's goodness, denied His judgment, and promised a counterfeit enlightenment to Eve (Gen 3:4-5). This pattern persists. Satan's deception often appears religious and even virtuous. He disguises himself as “an angel of light,” and his agents as “servants of righteousness” (2 Cor 11:14-15). He promotes false doctrine that appeals to human pride and legalism (1 Tim 4:1-3), enticing people to trust in rituals, works, or mystical experiences rather than the sufficiency of Christ and the clarity of the gospel (Gal 1:6-9; Col 2:8). He twists Scripture, as he did when tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:6), seeking to lead believers into disobedience through misapplied truth. One of his deadliest tools is religious systems that use biblical language but deny grace, subtly shifting trust away from Christ to human performance. Another key strategy Satan uses is infiltration into the thought life of believers. Paul warns of being “led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3), and commands believers to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Satan sows seeds of fear, anxiety, envy, bitterness, and doubt—undermining the believer's confidence in God's character and promises. He exploits emotional instability, tempts toward discontentment, and entices with worldly lusts (1 John 2:15-17). He is the master of discouragement, often accusing believers and dredging up past failures to immobilize present faith (Rev 12:10). Moreover, Satan creates ideological strongholds—philosophies, political movements, and cultural trends—that oppose biblical truth and condition people to reject the gospel (Col 2:8). He builds systems of thought that appear noble or compassionate but are anchored in rebellion against God. His endgame is to blind minds (2 Cor 4:4), corrupt hearts, and neutralize the impact of God's people. Yet believers are not helpless. By walking in the Spirit, renewing our minds with Scripture, and putting on the full armor of God, we are equipped to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Eph 6:11-17). How to Be Rescued from Satan's Kingdom All people are born into Satan's domain of darkness, separated from God and spiritually dead in sin (Col 1:13; Eph 2:1-3). But in His grace, God rescues us through the finished work of Christ. At the moment of faith in Jesus—believing that He is the eternal Son of God who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Cor 15:3-4)—the believer is delivered from the authority of Satan and transferred into the kingdom of God's beloved Son (Col 1:13-14). This transfer is instantaneous, permanent, and entirely the work of God. Justification is by grace alone (Eph 2:8-9), through faith alone (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), and results in spiritual rebirth (1 Pet 1:3, 23) and a new identity in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Though Satan can no longer possess or eternally condemn the believer, he still seeks to deceive, discourage, and derail. The Christian life, therefore, is a spiritual battleground—not for salvation, but for sanctification, fruitfulness, and eternal reward (2 Cor 10:3-5; 1 Cor 3:12-15). To live effectively for the Lord in this fallen world, believers must learn and live God's Word by faith. Scripture is our source of truth and stability in the face of Satan's lies (John 17:17). It nourishes spiritual growth (1 Pet 2:2), renews the mind (Rom 12:2), and equips us for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). As we walk by faith and are filled with the Spirit (2 Cor 5:7; Eph 5:18), prayer becomes the posture of dependence—bringing our needs, confessions, thanksgiving, and intercessions before the throne of grace (Phil 4:6-7; Heb 4:16). Sharing the gospel is both our privilege and duty, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16), and through it, others can be rescued from darkness as we were. Doing good—as God defines it—is not about self-promotion or religious performance, but humble service empowered by the Spirit and aligned with divine truth (Gal 6:10; Tit 2:11-14). As we abide in Christ, our lives bear fruit—bringing glory to God and blessing to others (John 15:5-8). This is how we shine as lights in the world and stand firm against the darkness—not in fear, but in confident obedience to the One who saved us by grace and sustains us through truth (Phil 2:15-16; Eph 6:10-13). The Christian Armor Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians with a powerful call to spiritual readiness: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph 6:10). The verb endunamoō (“be strong”) is in the passive voice, indicating that believers are to be strengthened by God, not by self-effort. This strength comes in the Lord (en kyriō), through dependence on His strength and might. The believer stands not in personal resolve, but in the resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead (Eph 1:18-20). To walk in that strength, we are commanded to “put on the full armor of God” (panoplia), a reference to the complete suit of Roman military equipment—every piece essential for defense and stability (Eph 6:11). The goal is not to attack, but “to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” The term methodeias refers to Satan's cunning strategies—his deceitful systems, twisted half-truths, and subversive ideologies designed to lead believers astray. Paul clarifies that our conflict is not “against flesh and blood” but against unseen forces of spiritual evil (Eph 6:12). The battle is not political or cultural at its root, but spiritual. Demonic powers are organized in ranks—rulers, authorities, world-rulers of this darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness—and they operate in the heavenly realms. For this reason, Paul repeats the command to take up the full armor of God so that we may resist in “the evil day” (Eph 6:13)—those seasons of intense spiritual assault. The goal, repeated throughout the passage, is to stand, firm and immovable. Victory is not flashy or mystical; it is doctrinal, daily, and practical. We are to gird our loins with truth (Eph 6:14)—that is, fasten ourselves with God's revealed Word, which brings stability and prepares us for action. The breastplate of righteousness refers not to justification but to sanctification—practical righteousness that guards the inner life and silences Satan's accusations (1 Pet 3:16). A holy life is one of the best defenses against spiritual attack. Paul next highlights the footwear of the believer: “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). This speaks of readiness and sure-footedness. Just as Roman soldiers wore sandals studded with nails for grip, the believer stands firm when grounded in the gospel. The peace we have with God through Christ (Rom 5:1) brings confidence and steadiness in battle. Then comes the shield of faith (Eph 6:16)—the thyreon, a large Roman shield used to block arrows. Faith is trust in God's person and promises, and it extinguishes the devil's flaming arrows—temptations, accusations, and lies. When doubts or fears are hurled at the soul, faith deflects them with the truth of God's character (1 John 5:4). The helmet of salvation (Eph 6:17) protects the mind, pointing not only to justification, but also to our future glorification—our hope in Christ's return and full deliverance (1 Th 5:8-9). Lastly, the believer takes up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” This is the machaira, a short sword for close combat, and the word rhēma refers to the spoken Word—specific Scriptures applied in real-time spiritual conflict. Just as Jesus used Scripture in the wilderness to deflect Satan's temptations (Matt 4:1-11), so must we. The Spirit empowers the believer not with mystical formulas, but with rightly understood and applied Scripture. Victory in spiritual warfare belongs to those who abide in Christ, walk by faith, think biblically, and live obediently—not in fear, but in confidence grounded in divine truth. Conclusion In the end, the study of angels, Satan, and demons grounds the believer in spiritual reality. It helps us interpret the chaos of our world through the lens of God's revealed truth, not mere human observation. We are reminded that unseen spiritual agents—both holy and hostile—operate within the bounds of God's sovereign rule, and that we are not spectators, but participants in an ongoing conflict between truth and deception, light and darkness. Our calling is not to speculate about the invisible, but to stand firm in what God has revealed. As we obey His commands, share His gospel, and endure in hope, we bring glory to the One who has already secured the final victory. And so, we press on—not with fear, but with clarity, confidence, and courage, knowing that the Lord of hosts is with us, and the battle is the Lord's (1 Sam 17:47; Rom 8:37-39). Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.        

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Click below to fill in your information so we can connect with you!New to Church: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/people/forms/631827I've Decided to Follow Jesus: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/people/forms/631829Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/giving Stay connected with us through our:Church Alive Website: https://churchalive.tvInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchalivenj/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchAliveNJ/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

Series: Be SteadfastService: Sun PM WorshipType: SermonSpeaker: Phillip ShumakeSummary Steadfast Taking a StandDate & Time:2025-07-20 Sunday PMInstructor:Phillip ShumakeDuration:approximately 34 minutes and 17 secondsTopics Covered:Steadfastness in Christ as described in 2 Thessalonians 3Qualities of a steadfast heart (decisiveness, loyalty, humility, strength)Various metaphors for steadfastness in the New TestamentFive key areas to take a stand in: faith, doctrine, morality, mission, and hopeThe importance of trusting Jesus completelyThe necessity of adhering to New Testament doctrineMoral purity and fleeing temptationCommitment to the mission of evangelismLiving with hope anchored in Christ’s resurrectionKey Points or Explanations:Steadfastness involves discipline, consistency, and long-term commitment.Being steadfast means standing with God regardless of challenges.Faith in Jesus is foundational,…

Date: July 20, 2025 In this episode of the Overcomer series, we're talking about one of the most essential parts of your spiritual armor—the Breastplate of Righteousness. Straight from Ephesians 6, this message will challenge and encourage you to guard your heart with the righteousness that comes from God. What does righteousness really mean? It's not about being perfect. It's about being positionally made right with God through faith in Jesus (justification), and then choosing to practically live right through obedience and devotion (sanctification). When you wear the breastplate, you protect yourself from shame, temptation, and the lies of the enemy—and you're reminded that your heart belongs to Christ.

It is our prayer that today's word would encourage and challenge to walk out your faith in Jesus, shine brightly in darkness and experience Kingdom impact in all you do! Stay connected with Belmont Church on our Facebook page, website or on the Church Center App.

The ten commandments not only show us how to live but also point us to ten characteristics about God. He wants to deliver us from bondage to sin so that we can be free from His judgement. But only faith in Jesus, not the law, can save us from the penalty of our sin and makes us free.

What does it really mean to believe in Jesus—and what difference does it make? In this week's message, we’ll explore how faith in Jesus as the Son of God is not only the foundation of our salvation, but also the source of our victory, our identity, and our fellowship with God.

In moments of desperation and weakness, we often wonder if God sees us—or if He cares. In Matthew 9:18–26, Jesus responds to a grieving father and a suffering woman with compassion and power, revealing His heart for the broken. Guest Pastor Josh Moody proclaims the hope of a Savior who welcomes our faith, however small, and brings healing, life, and restoration.

Last week we saw how when we put our faith in Jesus, no matter our circumstances, sufferings joys or failures we are justified just as if we had never sinned before God. That we are saved, by grace, through faith because of Jesus's perfect life, death, and resurrection. While this is fantastic news that we need to live into… we can often apply it incorrectly in our lives. Paul very quickly addresses this misapplication without mincing any words; Does this mean since we are forgiven of all our sins can we keep on sinning?

Through faith in Jesus, you get credit for all the fruit that he produced in his entire, perfect life. Also through faith in Jesus, God does something to your heart. He puts down a layer of good, fresh soil, where things can begin to grow that could never grow before… The post Good Soil and Fruit appeared first on Intown Lutheran Church.

In a culture that often silences or shames believers, staying bold in your faith can feel exhausting. But Hebrews 12:3 gives us a lifeline: “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” This devotional challenges Christians to stop hiding and start standing—especially when it’s uncomfortable. Whether you’ve faced ridicule, workplace pushback, or quiet pressure to compromise your beliefs, this message reminds you that you’re not alone—and that your strength comes from Christ, who faced opposition and never backed down. Stay firm. Stay faithful. Stay grounded in the One who understands your suffering.

Heather and Jeremy sit down with Mike to discuss how his faith impacts his job as a bus driver. We explore a job often overlooked and how faith in Jesus can play a powerful role.

In this episode of Wake Up, Look Up, Pastor Zach discusses the high rate of unsolved murders in America and explores the hope found in the Christian doctrine of hell. It emphasizes that human justice is imperfect, but God's ultimate judgment ensures that no wrongdoing goes unaccounted for. Pastor Zach encourages listeners to find comfort in the certainty of divine justice and to consider the significance of repentance and faith in Jesus.Have an article you'd like Pastor Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!

July 19, 2008. I surrendered my life to Christ. A few months later, I was at a crossroads about how confident I was in my faith in Jesus and the Bible. After this listen, you'll understand why I have remained in Christ since taking my doubts to God. John 20:24-29 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”Following Jesus and enjoying life are not mutually exclusive. Let's connect to learn more about how that can look in your own life.Let's connect on⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

This week, we tackle one of the most pivotal proclamations in church history—salvation by grace alone. In Acts 15, the early church wrestles with a critical question: Is Jesus' grace enough, or do we need to add religious requirements? As Paul and Barnabas report how Gentiles are coming to Christ, some insist on circumcision and law-keeping for salvation. But Peter reminds them—and us—that grace can't be earned, it shows no favoritism, and it demands a response of gratitude, not religious striving.We often create our own chains of performance—rules, expectations, or spiritual checklists. But Jesus broke every one of those chains. He set us free from trying to earn God's love. So stop striving and start living in joyful response to His grace!Key truth: We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone—no additives, no exceptions, no chains.

What if one of the world's most positive people admitted he's "naturally negative"? Best-selling author and top motivational speaker Jon Gordon joins me for an incredibly honest and practical conversation about how to transform your mindset.Jon, who coaches championship teams like the LA Rams and Clemson, reveals his personal struggle with negativity and anxiety and the ultimatum from his wife that changed everything. He shares the powerful, daily habits he uses to cultivate a positive life, anchored by his deep faith in Jesus. Let's go to the Story House!

Text UsLuke 8:40-56In this episode, Josh Brockman and Dan Reed get through the end of Luke chapter 8 (it's been quit a journey!). This week the guys discuss that last 16 verses, that center around the healing of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter. They emphasize the importance of faith in Jesus, the significance of His miracles, and the hope of eternal life. The conversation reflects on the nature of belief, the power of Jesus to heal, and the transformative impact of encountering the divine.

You're not just a believer. You're not just a servant. You're not just trying to make it into heaven. If you are in Christ—you are God's child. Let that sink in. You've been adopted, accepted, and sealed by the Father. And that changes everything about how you live.Our springboard for today's discussion is:“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” — John 1:12 (ESV)There's a big difference between knowing about your identity and living like it's true. A child doesn't beg their father for love. They run to him expecting it. A child doesn't worry if there will be a seat at the table. They know there's a place with their name on it.That's how God wants you to live—not in spiritual fear or striving, but in the security of sonship.You've been given the right to be called His child. You didn't earn it. You didn't fake your way into it. You received it through faith in Jesus.So why do we often live like orphans?Why do we wonder if we're enough?Why do we approach God as if He's tolerating us instead of delighting in us?Living as His child means trusting in His provision, walking in His protection, and resting in His presence. It means praying like you belong—because you do. It means lifting your head, not dragging your feet.You don't have to prove yourself to God. He already picked you.Question of the Day:Do you relate to God more like a slave begging for approval—or a child confident in His love?Mini Call to Action:Take 5 minutes today and speak to God as your Father—not your boss. Talk to Him like a son or daughter who knows they're fully loved.Let's Pray:Abba, thank You for adopting me into Your family. Teach me to live each day as Your child, not in fear, but in freedom. Remind me that I have a seat at Your table. In Jesus' name, amen.Let's Get To Work!You're not working for God's approval—you're living from it. Walk like His child. Because you are.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myr2b.substack.com/subscribe

Daily Dose of Hope July 15, 2025   Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46   Prayer:  Lord God Almighty, You have given us everything.  Not only did you create the world, but you created us.  Everything we have is a gift from you.  Forgive us for when we begin to think that things are “ours.”  Soften our hearts.  Help us become more generous.  Lord, I give you my whole self.  I want to offer myself as a living sacrifice; may I be pleasing in your sight.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are finishing up Matthew 25.   We closed up our devotional yesterday by talking about the importance of earning a spiritual profit for the Kingdom.  If you recall, we read the parable of the bags of gold, also called the parable of the talents, and we talked about how God expects us to be diligent with the resources he provides us.  Afterall, everything we have is from God and he expects us to use our finances, gifts, and skills, to expand his Kingdom, to earn a spiritual profit.    But what does that look like in a very practical way?  Well, the rest of Matthew 25 gives us a picture of how God expects us to use our resources – our time, our money, our talents, and our skills.  It's the text about Jesus separating the sheep and the goats.    There are a lot of thngs about this parable that are worth mentioning.  First, Jesus is clear that the Son of Man, that would be him, will be coming in glory to judge the nations or all the people.  Some people say that Jesus will not return and others say he will not judge.  Actually, he himself says he will do both.  I think it is clear throughout the Gospels but it is also very clear right here.   What are the criteria for judgement?  It's pretty clear.  Jesus has already spoken about how he came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20).  Thus, he expects us also to serve the least of these.  But we have to be very careful here.  Salvation, as we know, is a free gift that comes through faith in Jesus alone.  We have to not turn this into a lesson in works-righteousness.  The Kingdom is a gift.  Think about it.  Those who are deemed righteous in this text don't even know what they have done.  They are like, “Lord, but when did we see you hungry?”  They haven't been out there trying to earn salvation.  They have just been overflowing with the love of Jesus, doing what should come naturally to a person who follows Jesus.  Their actions are evidence that they have a relationship with a loving, compassionate, merciful God.    Scripture definitely demonstrates that Jesus strongly identifies with the poor and oppressed. Whenever we use our resources and talents to help alleviate the suffering of the poor or oppressed, then it is like we are doing it for Jesus.  But we really have to examine our hearts.  Are we trying to earn spiritual merit badges?  Are we serving out of obligation?  Are we serving or giving to feed our ego?  OR...are we serving and giving as an outpouring of the love, grace, and mercy that Jesus has shown us.  Yes, God expects us to use our resources well.  He expects us the earn a spiritual profit for the Kingdom.  But if doing so leads us to resentment and bitterness, then we have to look deep in our soul.  God loves a cheerful giver.  God wants us to want to serve him.   I guess this would be a good time to stop and just allow all of us to spend time in prayer.  First, are we working to earn a profit for the Kingdom?  If not, why?  And then, where is our heart in all of this???  Do we feel joy in serving and giving?  What is our motivation?  Let's just talk to Jesus.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Miracles Week 7: Praise in the Midst of the Storm In our ongoing series on miracles, we have explored the spiritual dimensions of reality and how God occasionally breaks through into our material world. This week, we delve into the power of **praise** during life's storms and how it positions us to witness divine intervention. ## The Context: Acts 16 This week's sermon is anchored in **Acts 16**, a chapter full of miraculous events. Paul and Silas, after being unjustly imprisoned for casting out a spirit from a slave girl, demonstrate the power of praise. Despite their dire circumstances, they choose to sing hymns and pray, creating a "thin place" where God's presence becomes profoundly tangible. ## Key Themes ### 1. **Faith and Praise in Adversity** - **Courageous Faith**: Just as Joshua prayed boldly for the sun to stand still (**Joshua 10**), Paul and Silas exhibit courageous faith by praising God amidst their suffering.- **Acts of Praise**: Their hymns and prayers focus on God's mighty acts in nature and history, reflecting a deep trust in His sovereignty. This is echoed in passages like **Psalm 59:16** and **Psalm 71:22**, where praise is given for God's strength and faithfulness. ### 2. **Divine Breakthroughs** - **Miraculous Deliverance**: An earthquake, a symbol of God's power over nature, shakes the prison, opening doors and loosening chains. This miraculous event is not for Paul and Silas's escape but to reveal God's glory to the jailer and his family.- **Conversion and Salvation**: The jailer, witnessing the miracle and moved by the apostles' faith, asks how he can be saved. Paul and Silas lead him and his household to faith in Jesus, underscoring the ultimate purpose of miracles: salvation and the expansion of God's kingdom. ### 3. **Purpose Beyond Personal Gain** - **Selfless Witness**: Paul and Silas's actions illustrate that miracles are not for personal gain but for God's glory and the salvation of others. Their willingness to return to prison after the miracle demonstrates their commitment to God's mission over personal freedom.- **God's Sovereign Plan**: The sermon emphasizes that while we can create conditions ripe for miracles through faith and praise, the outcome is always in God's hands. Our role is to remain faithful, trusting in His plan and timing. ## Conclusion The story of Paul and Silas in **Acts 16** teaches us that praise, especially in adversity, can transform our circumstances into "thin places" where God's power is revealed. As believers, we are called to use our trials as platforms to glorify God, trusting that He will work through us to reach others. In doing so, we participate in the divine mission of spreading the good news and witnessing the transformative power of faith. In closing, the message encourages us to evaluate our motives when seeking God's intervention. Instead of focusing on personal relief, we should aim to glorify God and advance His kingdom. By praising God in all circumstances, we open the door for His presence to transform the world around us.

This week on VOMOz Radio, hear from Neda, who was born in Iran to a Muslim family. As a young woman, she felt broken and empty. Neda's heart searched for God, and she came to faith in Christ through her relative's witness, and her life was radically transformed. Neda's husband also found faith in Jesus. Over the next 13 years, Neda and her husband faced persecution from the Islamic government. In one incident, officials raided their home and threatened her husband at gunpoint. She and her husband ultimately decided to leave Iran, yet they continue to serve from abroad through Iran Alive Ministries. Neda encourages every Christian to lay down their own desires and fully surrender to God's will, even when it means enduring suffering. Iran Alive Ministries A post from Farzin Tarat on Iran Alive Ministries provided by: https://iranalive.org

John 6:28-29 “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” In the previous verse, Jesus told the crowd to work for the food that endures to eternal life. Their response shows they missed the point Jesus was making about Himself being the giver of the food. Their natural frame of reference was work they had to do to get eternal life. We want to be careful not to make the same mistake. Notice, Jesus didn't say, “This is the work you have to do; believe in Him whom He sent.” Jesus didn't answer their question directly. Instead, He told them the work that God is interested in. It isn't the work of man, but the work of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus told them the work God does, namely, believing in Him. We are going to learn later in this chapter that, indeed, it is God who does the work in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus (44-45). In effect, in this verse, He told them to do something they cannot do. They cannot do the work of God. Only God can do the work that results in eternal life. This is why it is misleading to tell people to put their faith in Jesus, which by the way, isn't in the NASB. When I typed in “put your faith in” in the search box of my Bible app, the app replied, “There are no verses in the current range of the NASB which fit the current search entry.” To tell people they must put their faith in Jesus to be saved is dangerous and destructive in two ways. First, it implies that God gives eternal life on the basis of something they do. It puts the power of salvation in their hands, so to speak. That's exactly what the crowd was looking for. “What shall we do?” Second, it robs the person of assurance. Faith is the assurance we receive as a witness from God that we have eternal life in Christ. This is clearly taught in Hebrews 11. As Jesus said in this verse, faith is the work of God. It is a witness to us and to the church that we belong to Christ. Peter testified to this reality after the Gentiles believed in Christ in Acts 15:8-9. “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” Furthermore, later in this conversation Jesus confirms this truth by saying no one can come to Him unless they are brought and taught by God. It is God's work that they believe in His Son. Jesus spoke the truth in love to this crowd, and we should as well when people ask what they can do to be saved. We should say what Jesus said. It is God's work that you believe in Jesus. Share the gospel. God sent Jesus to die for the unjust, to do what they cannot do—namely, pay the price for their sinful, self-glorifying lives, putting an end to their attempts to justify themselves by anything they do (1 Pet. 3:18). Then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead to declare that the sacrifice of His life is acceptable and pleasing to Him. God raised Jesus from the dead because He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Jesus has been authorized by the Father to give eternal life to those the Father gave to Him (John 17:2-3). Jesus was raised to live for them and produce fruit in their lives for the glory of God (John 15:7-8). He therefore calls all men to repent and believe in Jesus, which entails turning from reliance on their own efforts to live for God. Dying to their own life in this world, and turning from seeking to please God in their own strength and good deeds. Rejecting the desire to receive glory and significance from men rather than from God.

I AM 1 We are now on day 15 of our series "Glimpses", looking at the story of the Bible in 30 days, from the time of creation through to the time of the fullness of redemption! The long awaited for king is here, his public ministry has begun in earnest. His teaching is met with amazement yet also fury and we looked at last time, how Jesus taught; what he taught; his methods and who he taught? Today we start looking at one particularly aspect of his teaching - himself! I AM Introduction It may come as a surprise to you but Jesus talks about himself - a lot! But, not only just talk about himself but always put those words into action. In other words, he backed up his claims with action, which even a cursory look at the Gospels will reflect. John Stott says this about it: ‘The self-centredness of the teaching of Jesus immediately sets himself apart from the other great religious teachers of the world. They were self-effacing. He was self-advancing. They pointed away from themselves, saying "This is the truth, so far as I perceive it, follow that." Jesus said, "I am the truth, follow me."' Jesus' teaching about Himself? In John's Gospel, the writer John records statements where Jesus said "I AM". These are unique to John and are not recorded in the three other Gospels. Here Jesus is reinforcing his claims to be God because, when he says "I AM", he is referring back to the time when God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3v14 and through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41v4. That's why crowds often picked up stones in order to kill him for blasphemy. This was in accordance, so they thought, with Deuteronomy 13, which dictates that anyone who tries to turn people away from the living God is to be stoned to death. They knew Jesus was claiming to the very God they thought they worshipped. Little did they know at the time that he was the living God! So lets go look at our first "I AM" I AM the bread of Life John 6:30-51 They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day." Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven'?" But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh." ___________________________________________ Three times in this passage, Jesus refers to himself as the living bread. By this he meant that he was the only one who could gratify the appetite and yearning of every person's spirit and their spiritual needs. For those he was speaking to, bread was a basic staple food for living, just as it is for millions of people today. Jesus indicates when saying he is the bread of life, that he will supply all needs! Just as he said to the woman at the well in John 4v4, and repeats here, that whoever drinks his living water, shall never again go spiritually thirsty. When Jesus referred to the bread in the desert he talked of it being merely temporary, despite being a gift from God. He however, as the true bread of life, would give permanent satisfaction and life everlasting to all those who believe and follow him! But this bread he offers has to be eaten; it has to be taken up by the person wanting spiritual life! In this passage from John 6 he offers glimpses of what is lying ahead for him. He also gives glimpses of the intimacy he held with God the Father. Soon after this, some people stopped following him and abandoned him because they found it too difficult to understand. How easily people give up and not persevere. Jesus is the bread of life! To have true spiritual life is to believe in Him! No works or good deeds can earn this spiritual life from God - just believe by having faith in Jesus alone. All spiritual needs are met through Jesus alone as the bread of life! Jesus will supply needs - spiritual as well as physical. This is only a glimpse at what Jesus taught about himself and we continue on this theme tomorrow! Thank you! Right mouse click or tap here to download as a MP3 audio file

Pastor Ara Tarosian joins Mike and Tim to share his incredible journey from persecution in Iran to building a vibrant church community in Los Angeles. He went viral a few weeks ago for a visdeo he posted of members of his congregation being abducted by ICE (See our instagram this week for the video). From surviving the Iranian Revolution to smuggling Bibles and leading a massive underground church, Pastor Ara's story is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. In this thought-provoking discussion, he recounts the challenges faced by Iranian Christians, the cultural and political hurdles of immigration, and how faith can endure under immense pressure.  This episode explores themes of cruciformity, faith and politics, the role of the church in society, and navigating cultural challenges in a deeply divided world. Pastor Ara's experiences shed light on the global realities of persecution, the resilience of faith in Jesus, and the call for the church to embody justice, mercy, and compassion in the face of injustice. Join the conversation as we examine how the teachings of Jesus intersect with real-world struggles and what it means to stand in solidarity with persecuted communities.  Key Topics: Pastor Ara's background and journey to the U.S. The realities of seeking asylum and the legal hurdles involved The role of faith and community in navigating these challenges A call for compassion and reform in immigration policies Guest: Pastor Ara Tarosian, Cornerstone West LA Call to Action: Listen, reflect, and share this episode to raise awareness about the human stories behind immigration and asylum. Hashtags: #Immigration #Asylum #Faith #HumanRights CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Seth Introduces the Episode 01:29 - Ara's Early Life in Iran 12:38 - Ara's Arrest in Turkey 21:34 - Becoming a Pastor 23:50 - Starting Cornerstone West LA 32:44 - The Story of the ICE Raid at the Church 46:20 - Emotional Toll of the ICE Raid 49:13 - Impact on Ara's Wife and Mother 50:39 - Effects on Ara's Second Family 51:34 - Community Impact of the ICE Raid 53:49 - How People Can Help 59:40 - Community Action and Support 1:04:08 - Closing Thoughts 1:06:08 - Support the Podcast 1:06:53 - Outro As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram. We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV. Our Merch Store! ETSY Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Today on The Evangelism Podcast, I talk with Aaro Kumpulainen who recently led an evangelism training workshop in Tampere, Finland. We talk about the core elements of the gospel message: the problem of sin, the solution of Jesus' sacrifice, and the choice to put one's faith in Jesus.  We also cover the importance of presenting the gospel clearly and directly, without forgetting to talk about Jesus. You will be blessed as you listen today.

If you placed your faith in Jesus, we are celebrating with you!Click below to fill in your information so we can connect with you!New to Church: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/people/forms/631827I've Decided to Follow Jesus: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/people/forms/631829Subscribe to Our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEHNDPb5XMkf1LyqoTU30vg Help Support and Grow our Ministry to reach people around our community and spread the love of Jesus: https://churchalivenj.churchcenter.com/giving Stay connected with us through our:Church Alive Website: https://churchalive.tvInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchalivenj/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchAliveNJ/Plan your next in-person visit. We are located at:Rutherford Location- The Williams Center9AM, 11AM, 1PM 15 Sylvan St, Rutherford NJLyndhurst Location- 10AM, 12PM525 Riverside Ave, Lyndhurst NJ

Struggling to hold on through life's storms? Discover how to anchor your faith in God's unshakable promises in this powerful teaching! In this message, we explore Hebrews 10:23, “Let us HOLD FAST to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Learn how to cling tightly to hope, even when you feel crushed, through the inspiring story of Martha's faith in Jesus during her darkest moment. You'll discover: • How to persevere through doubts and setbacks with unshakable faith • Why God's faithfulness fuels your hope, even in the middle of a battle • Practical ways to live out God's promises in your daily life Join us as we dive into this Anchor Scripture, transforming our perspectives and reigniting hope! Watch now to find strength in the promises of our faithful God!

Hi, I'm John Sorensen, President of Evangelism Explosion International, and you're listening to Share Life Today. I'm excited this week to continue telling you more about what God is doing around the globe. And Oceania is our spotlight! In the ministry of Evangelism Explosion, we have seven key nations that span almost four thousand miles each way across the Pacific...and they help disciple Christians all across this vast continent! From New Zealand to the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea to the Cook Islands, and everywhere in between, Oceania is a large area to cover. And yet, the Gospel is going forth! Our Vice President of Oceania, Anne Bowie, shared with us recently that they have never experienced a better year in the ministry or more exciting time to be a Christian in Oceania. And this is because they are seeing young leaders being raised as disciple-makers in the church and more people than ever are making professions of faith in Jesus. To learn how you, too, can share your faith, visit sharelife.today.

This weekend, we're focusing on the transformative power of personal faith in Jesus for healing and overcoming impossible situations.Join us next weekend at The Branch Church and invite your friends and family!Find out what's going on at The Branch here: https://thebranch.org/eventsTo support this ministry, click here — https://rb.gy/rc53uxDownload Our App – http://thebranch.org/appCheck In — https://rb.gy/htq0qySermon Notes —https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=rJ1qD9prggSermon-Based Bible Study — https://thebranch.org/studyRequest Prayer — http://thebranch.org/prayerLike and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube — https://rb.gy/atpff4Like and Follow on Vimeo — https://rebrand.ly/d1ibt93Website — https://thebranch.org/Facebook — https://rb.gy/m4vhz6Instagram — https://rb.gy/p8g1blTwitter — https://rb.gy/xiwg68YouTube — https://rb.gy/icv7x2

This weekend, we're focusing on the transformative power of personal faith in Jesus for healing and overcoming impossible situations.Join us next weekend at The Branch Church and invite your friends and family!Find out what's going on at The Branch here: https://thebranch.org/eventsTo support this ministry, click here — https://rb.gy/rc53uxDownload Our App – http://thebranch.org/appCheck In — https://rb.gy/htq0qySermon Notes —https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=rJ1qD9prggSermon-Based Bible Study — https://thebranch.org/studyRequest Prayer — http://thebranch.org/prayerLike and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube — https://rb.gy/atpff4Like and Follow on Vimeo — https://rebrand.ly/d1ibt93Website — https://thebranch.org/Facebook — https://rb.gy/m4vhz6Instagram — https://rb.gy/p8g1blTwitter — https://rb.gy/xiwg68YouTube — https://rb.gy/icv7x2

It is our prayer that today's word would encourage and challenge to walk out your faith in Jesus, shine brightly in darkness and experience Kingdom impact in all you do! Stay connected with Belmont Church on our Facebook page, website or on the Church Center App.

During this message, we looked at Romans chapter 3 to see Paul's teaching on righteousness. Being right before God means… We all miss the mark and faith in Jesus is the standard. This weekend, Pastor Steve Huffman guided us through these two important points as we continued our summer series When in Romans. This week be encouraged to be aware of your sinful behaviors. Full Service

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.Psalm 92,“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.5 How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!6 The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this:7 that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish,they are doomed to destruction forever;8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,15 to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Father, I want to thank you again for this moment, and for your Word. We ask that you would show us the glory of Jesus in the Scriptures, and that you would help us to live in light of his realness. Do that, we ask, in Jesus's name, amen.“If I had only known then what I know now!” — that's a statement you've probably heard before (maybe it's one you've said yourself) — it's what we could call the clarity of hindsight.Standing where we are in the present and looking back, we see more from here than we saw then, and it's a kind of wishful thought-experiment to imagine ourselves then knowing what we know now:Think about Middle School (I've been reading a book about how weird Middle School is for kids — it's tough) — just imagine, parents, if you could go back to Middle School with the wisdom and chill you have now.Or here's one: what kind of stock would you have bought in 1997 when a company called Amazon went public at $18 a share?This is the clarity of hindsight — and if we could've had the clarity back then we have now, we would've done some things differently.And this way of thinking helps us make sense of Psalm 92. Now let me explain why. This is gonna take a minute, but bear with me …The Heavenly PerspectiveNotice in the superscript — those little words above verse 1 — Psalm 92 is called,“A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.” Now this is a little funny, right, because isn't this true of every psalm? Every psalm is a psalm, and all of them were used for worship on the Sabbath, so how is Psalm 92 special? What is this superscript saying? Well, what's unique about Psalm 92 is that the Sabbath referred to here is not talking about the weekly Sabbath, but this is about the final Sabbath that's realized in the end-time new-creation. I think Sabbath here is referring to heaven.Think back a couple years ago to the Book of Hebrews — remember that the writer of Hebrews (commenting on Psalm 95, just a few psalms over), he says “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” He says there's another Sabbath day yet to come, a final Sabbath — and that's what's in view here in Psalm 92.Psalm 92 is a song for the Sabbath of our future, heavenly rest! Which means this — if you use your imagination — Psalm 92 is a song that we're gonna sing in heaven looking back on our lives in this world.Psalm 92 is us saying in heaven one day “If I had only known then what I know now!” — except that it's given to us now! We get to read this today! We have a true heavenly perspective right in front of us, and it shows us at least two big things we need to know.So for the sermon this morning, I wanna tell you two big truths that we'll know with certainty in heaven, but that Psalm 92 is letting us in on today. The first is this:1. We sing with our Savior. Now I already told you that we're gonna sing this song, but now I want to be extra clear that we're gonna sing this song not with Jesus over here on the side somewhere, but we can only sing this song in union with him.And to make that case, first I want you to know that this psalm is about him. Mainly About JesusSomething that you've heard us say over and over again about the Psalms is that the Book of Psalms is mainly about the Messiah. The individual psalms were composed at different times (almost half of them by David), but the Book of Psalms as a whole was compiled for the people of God in exile. And it's that final form book we have. So we shouldn't isolate the individual psalms and focus only on the historical context of their composition, but instead we read the psalms as a single book that has been compiled and arranged in a particular way. And the driving concern of this book as a whole is that God has a future for the house of David! The house of David is the hope of God's people because it's through David's lineage that the Messiah would come. So the Psalms really are pointing to him. They're pointing to Jesus. That's why the Psalms are the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament — and this is the book that Jesus himself most quoted!Which is an amazing thought … we know for a fact that Jesus read the Book of Psalms. The same book that we're reading here, Psalm 92 we're looking at this morning — Jesus read it and prayed it and sang it, and he knew it was about him. Last week, we saw in Psalm 91 that Jesus knew all of the promises of Psalm 91 were to him as God's anointed one, and the same is true of Psalm 92. Psalm 92 is the celebration of the victory he experienced in Psalm 91 — which means we don't read this psalm and draw a straight line from these words to us, but instead we read Psalm 92 and first imagine Jesus reading it. In the Voice of JesusI want us to try this. Try to hear the praise and celebration of Psalm 92 in the voice of Jesus …He starts in verse 1 by saying it's good to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing his praises, to declare his steadfast love and faithfulness all day long. It's good to do that! Why? Why is it good to praise God?It's because, verse 4:“For you, O Yahweh, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”This is straightforward: It's good to praise God because we're glad in his work — what he's done! Jesus says, verse 5,“How great are your works, O Yahweh!”But what works is he talking about? God does a lot of works — there's creation and providence and salvation (and a trillion details) — what works does he have in mind here?Well verses 10–11 tell us. Psalm 92, verse 10:“But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.”This is describing triumph — victory. And that's the work of God he's talking about in verses 4–5. And notice: this is God's work specified in the experience of a single person. This is first-person singular — it's “my horn,” “me,” “my enemies.” Check out that phrase to “exalt the horn” — and the idea of a “horn” is power — so to exalt the horn is to establish this power as supreme … which happens through victory. He's saying, I'm the top dog! I'm the Alpha-ox! Because all of my rivals have been subdued!This singer in Psalm 92 is saying this about himself … the singer is Jesus. And of course Jesus would say this about himself because it's true. And this metaphor of an exalted horn is used for the Messiah in other places in the Old Testament. Take 1 Samuel Chapter 2. Like Hannah Says1 Samuel 2 is Hannah's prayer. She's rejoicing in God and what he's gonna do for his people, she ends the prayer with this, 1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of Yahweh shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”You hear that? Victory over adversaries and exalted horn. It's the same thing we see in Psalm 92, verse 10 — but in 1 Samuel 2 it's clear that it's about the Messiah. Hannah says this is for “God's anointed.”Now do we see anything about being anointed in Psalm 92? Yeah, look at the very next line in verse 10! Verse 10 again:“You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox [and look at this! —] you have poured over me fresh oil.”That is anointing!So you have here: (1) Exalted horn; (2) victory over enemies; (3) anointed one.Psalm 92 is about Jesus. Jesus is the one saying this. He's singing this song in the victory that God has given him.Can We Sing It, Too?And now we're reading it and we want to sing it too! We wanna sing this song, but it's not about us. How does this work? How can we sing this song about Jesus and claim it for ourselves?Here's how: It's because all the blessings of Jesus are shared with those who belong to Jesus. And this is something that you might know, or maybe you've heard it before, but honestly, if we could really grasp this, it'd change everything for us. Seriously. I mean it. Personally, I wanna get this more. That in union with Jesus, we get Jesus and all his benefits. This was one of the great recoveries of the Protestant Reformation, that by our faith in Jesus all that belongs to Jesus get applied to us: His righteousness becomes our record. His Sonship becomes our status. His peace becomes our anchor. His Spirit becomes our strength. His resurrection becomes our new life. His intercession becomes our confidence. His inheritance becomes our future.All that is his becomes ours. Every possible good thing from God in our lives comes through Jesus. We exist now only in him. So we're actually seated with him in heavenly places! We're hidden in him. Our eternal destiny is as secure as his throne. That's all true, right now …And this is glorious — it means that your worst days, your most painful moments, will not endure. They will not last. Now they might be part of your story, but they are never ‘your story' — and the only way they could be would be if Jesus ceases to be who he is. See, our hope is as alive and indestructible as Jesus is himself. Jesus shares his Psalm 92-triumph with us! His victory is our victory! So we don't sing this song apart from him, but we sing it with him, through him, united to him.By our union with him, because Jesus is blessed, we are blessed. That's what it means to be a Christian!And I just want to pause here for a minute and say: I cannot imagine a more compelling reason to be a Christian than this.If you're here and you don't believe — if you've never put your faith in Jesus — this is why you should: You get Jesus and all his benefits. He will share with you everything that is his. What will it cost you? It'll cost you your whole life, in one sense — it will cost you your life as you know it. You have to turn away from your sin. But this song becomes your song! You receive the victory of God. And one day, when we look back here, we'll know: Psalm 92 is about Jesus, and we get to sing it with our Savior!Second truth here. One day we'll know for sure …2. We age with glory.This is verse 12.In verse 12, Jesus, the singer, goes from thinking about his own experience of salvation to thinking about the reality of the righteous. The “they” in verses 13–14 is plural. Now I'm gonna read the last part again, but before I do I want to remind you of Psalm 1. There's an allusion here and I want us to catch it. Remember the very first psalm opens with a vision of the blessed man — Psalm 1, verse 3:“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”And we, as the readers of the Psalms — as those who have faith — we're often called “the righteous” in the Psalms and we're supposed to be like this blessed man. He's the paragon of faithfulness.Now listen to Psalm 92, starting in verse 12:“The righteous flourish like the palm treeand grow like a cedar in Lebanon.13 They are planted in the house of Yahweh;they flourish in the courts of our God.14 They still bear fruit in old age;they are ever full of sap and green,15 to declare that Yahweh is upright;he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”Now here Jesus is taking about us. We have become like that blessed man — and Jesus is singing about it.And that's not a strange idea, that Jesus would sing about us, because in Zephaniah 3:17, we read that God rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with loud singing. And so if we ever needed an idea of what that singing might be, here's one. Imagine this: Jesus is singing about you, and do you want to know what he's saying?The Older, the BetterHe's saying that you're like a tree. We're trees! We are flourishing palm trees, rooted and nourished by the presence of God. And here's what that means: the older, the better. The older, the better — now that takes a different perspective, doesn't it? That takes a heavenly perspective.Because nothing around us in this world is saying that. So many in our society despise aging and they do all they can to stop it (or to at least disguise it!) I read last week that in America, we spend around $30 billion every year on anti-aging products and services. We pretty much do everything you can imagine when it comes to aging, except honor it!But Psalm 92 says something radical: aging when you're a Christian is not decline, but flourishing. The older we get in Jesus, the more fruitful we become. Not less valuable — but more. Not less alive — but more alive because “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:17)Do you see? Aging is a glory for those united to Jesus. The song of Psalm 92 is sung loudest by those who've walked with God the longest. And we're gonna know that with certainty one day, but wouldn't it be amazing if we really knew that now?!The stupid man cannot know this! The fool cannot understand this! Because they're fixated on the ephemeral. They only see the here and now. Our perspective, though, is different! And that's the point. The clarity of hindsight is a gift Psalm 92 gives us today.“If I only knew then what I know now” — we don't have to wait to know. What if we lived today in light of heaven? What if we built our lives in this world as if we're looking back on our lives from heaven?That's the invitation this morning. That's what we get to do! And one thing that means, for sure, is that we're gonna praise God. We can't praise him enough! Our whole lives are just Praise! Praise! Praise!“It is good to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night!”And that's what we do now as we come to this Table. The TableWe come to this table to remember the death of Jesus for us, and to rejoice with him in his victory. The one who sings Psalm 92 is the one who triumphed at the cross and empty tomb, and he invites us to share in that triumph.

July 13, 2025Guest Speaker: Bill WarnerDaily Declaration: While I was a helpless sinner and God's enemy, He still sent His Son Jesus to die for me. And because I have placed my faith in Jesus and His finished and complete work on the cross, • Today…I am in good standing with God. Not only that, but • Today…I enjoy a position of complete wholeness before God, with nothing to hide. Not only that, but • Today…I have access to God's favor which empowers me to rejoice in hope, to rejoice in any sufferings that may come my way, and to rejoice in my God. Not only that, but • Today…God's love is being poured into my heart and He chooses to take up residence within me by His Holy Spirit. Not only that, but • Today…I am reconciled to God and any sin I may commit will not intimidate Jesus. This is who I am because of Whose I am. So Today I have a choice on how I will live, and I choose to live for the glory of God and the good of my neighbor, because my life is a gift and it's worth living! Songs that Preach the Gospel “All Sufficient Merit” by Shane & Shane “Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me” by City Alight

This week, Pastor Tim Ingram unpacks Habit #4 in our “Seven Habits of Jesus People” series: Suffering Well. In a world where pain and grief are inevitable, what sets Jesus people apart isn't the absence of suffering, but how we respond to it. Discover how faith in Jesus empowers you not just to endure, but to overcome and shine like stars, even in the darkest moments.CONNECT WITH US:→ Request Prayer: https://bit.ly/3zMyf5E→ Request Care: https://bit.ly/3fBTX5G→ Share a Testimony: https://bit.ly/3Jo7Ped→ Find Events and More: https://bit.ly/3TcrkcR→ Leave us a Review on Google: https://bit.ly/47925jP→ Plan a Visit in Person: https://bit.ly/3sfQdg7FOLLOW US:→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminatec...→ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@illuminate_ch...→ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illuminatech...WE HELP PEOPLE FIND ABUNDANT LIFE IN JESUS!

Through every sentence and paragraph that makes up Jamess epistle, it oozes with wisdom as to how the Christian can live out his/her faith. The epistle helps us understand what faith looks like while suffering, how it responds to both poverty and wealth, how faith in Jesus impacts our speech, and how our faith as Christians helps us navigate life in our upside-down world. The group of Christians James addressed his letter to were Jewish Christians who understood what it meant to be a marginalized people, even before faith in Jesus; but after belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah, they were also ostracized by members of their community, and for some, their own family members. So, who was James? Let me begin by stating the two things that we know about the person who wrote this epistle: 1) James was the half-brother of Jesus, and 2) he did not believe in Jesus until he witnessed His resurrection. Here is why I am mostly certain that James, the half-brother of Jesus (and not the apostle James) wrote this epistle: The apostle James died by execution under Herod before this epistle was written (Acts 12:1-2), and the James mentioned in Galatians 2 and Acts 15 is the brother of Jesus who became a predominant leader in the Jerusalem church. We are told in the gospels that Jesus had biological brothers who were born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus birth who did not fully believe in Jesus even though they grew up with Jesus (see Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:3-5). Jesus appeared to his brother, James, and then to the rest of His brothers, after his resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:6-7). However, when James did finally believe in Jesus, he was all-in on who his older brother claimed to be, and his belief was backed up by his life, actions, and convictions. Not only was James all-in when it came to Jesus, but how he introduced himself in his epistle tells us a lot about who he was as a man of God: James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad... (v. 1). James does not introduce himself as the half-brother of Jesus, but as a bond-servant of God. The Greek word for bond-servant is doulos, and it literally means slave. In other words, James authority as a leader does not come from his biological relationship to Jesus, but his submission to the Lordship of Christ, not as his older brother, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. The other thing to note here is that James places God and the Lord Jesus side-by-side, implying that Jesus words before James believed are the truth that he has since bowed his knee too (see John 10:30). I believe that James finally believed that his brother was the Messiah when Jesus appeared to him after He rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:6-7), which is a good reminder right from the very beginning of James, that no one who has truly encountered the resurrected Christ can remain unchanged by an encounter with the living Christ. James went from a doubter who grew up with Jesus to a believer who would identify himself as a slave to God, and held Jesus as the Lord over his life. The dispersed Christians James addressed his letter to most likely include hundreds of Christians who fled Jerusalem as a result of the stoning of Stephen and the great persecution Saul (before his conversion and was renamed Paul) and others brought upon the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. I think James originally addressed his letter to those we read about in Acts 8:1-3, Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison. It was to these Christians (and others), and now to us, that James letter addresses. The two great themes that are repeated through this epistle are faith (a word used at least 14 times) and obedience to God as the fruit of genuine faith (there over 50 imperatives given throughout James regarding this). This is the reason for the title of my sermon series: Faith and Works. There were other titles I thought of while preparing for this sermon series that came to mind, such as: Faith-Acts, Faith-Works, but settled for Faith and Works. If you are looking for a verse that encapsulates the theme of James, I submit to you James 2:17, In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. With the time that I have left, I would like to direct your attention to three categories that James addresses in verses 2-11 that set the tone for the rest of the epistle: 1) suffering and joy (vv. 2-4), 2) wisdom and knowledge (vv. 5-8), and 3) poverty and wealth (vv. 9-11). Suffering and Joy are Compatible (vv. 1-4) Suffering and joy sound just as incompatible as water and oil do they not? Whoever wanted to sign up for a healthy dose of suffering? You might be thinking to yourself: Jesus did. You are correct in thinking so, but do not forget that on the eve of His suffering, we are told our Lord prayed while in agony over what He was about to suffer: And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground (Luke 22:44). Jesus even included in His prayer, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done (22:42). The world tends to look at joy and suffering as incomparable, but James gives us a different perspective, he informs these dispersed Jewish Christians who have lost their homes and loved ones, Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials... Notice that James does not use the word some but the word all when it comes to the level of joy that we should have over the various trials we will experience in life. Why should we consider it all joy when things get difficult in life? On the surface, it sounds like James is giving us the same advice Bobby McFerrin gave us in the late 80s with his one-hit-wonder song, Dont Worry, Be Happy. Some of you remember the song: Here's a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don't worry, be happy In every life we have some trouble But when you worry you make it double Don't worry, be happy Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style Ain't got no one to make you smile Don't worry, be happy Cos when you worry, your face will frown And that will bring everybody down So don't worry, be happy Did you know that McFerrins song was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks straight and that he received a Grammy for Song of the Year for that song? If James told these Christians the same thing Bobby McFerrin wrote in his song, they would have assumed that James was out of touch at best, and crazy at worse! Thankfully, James is not telling Christians who face the various trials that come our way to fake a smile and repeat to ourselves: Dont worry, be happy. That just will not work! James also experienced the fear his dear brothers and sisters experienced when persecution came into their city, and he no doubt felt the loss of dear Stephen when he had his head and body crushed under a barrage of rocks that resulted in Stephens martyrdom (see Acts 7). James is not talking about putting a smile on your face or faking your joy after receiving news of a terminal illness, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one. He is reminding us that there is purpose behind our suffering even when it is brought to us by the hands of evil men or rouge cells in your body. Behind your suffering is a good God who does not waste your tears nor your hurts. What James wants these Christians to understand, and what the Spirit of God wants us to know, is that the various trials you will experience are allowed into your life by design and with purpose. Consider what two other apostles had to say about the purpose of suffering in the Christian life: The Apostle Peter: In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ... (1 Pet. 1:67) The Apostle Paul: ...but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom. 5:35) It is also important to note that James informs us that trials will come. The question is not if they come, but when they come (v. 2). We will come back to the significance of verses 3-4 next week when we look at verse 12, but for now you should know that your trials are producing something in you dear Christian. What those trials are producing is the kind of endurance that is fueled by hope because what others mean for evil, or what the hard things in life will ultimately be used for is not your demise or destruction, but your good, because such trials are allowed for two purposes in your life: Gods glory and your good. What else could verse 4 mean? Such trials are wielded by the Almighty to bring about the following in your life: ...that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Again, we will unpack this truth a bit more next week, but for now, think of trials as trails that God has purposed to use, to bring about verse 12 in your life: Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Wisdom for Life is Found in God (vv. 5-8) When we walk through the various trials that will come, such painful experiences can throw us through a tailspin. This is why some deconstruct their faith and walk away from the Christian faith and ask questions like: How can a good God allow such and such into my life? You can look at your circumstances and draw from those things your own conclusions without any regard for how God intends to use such trials to produce something much more lasting and beautiful in your life. Think about how easy it is to walk through your suffering and the hard things of life with little regard to seek wisdom from the One who has called us to walk through such trials. The point of verses 5-8 is that all of life requires a greater wisdom that can only come from the One whose knowledge and understanding of your life and the world is infinite. The fact of the matter is that you really do not know what is coming in while you sit and listen to this sermon. You do not know if there is some rogue cell in your body that threatens certain parts of your body. On a Monday (June 30th) I was told that my uncle was in hospice and by Thursday morning (July 3rd) he was dead. This is why Jesus said, For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they (Matt. 6:2526)? Jesus did not just tell us to not worry but provided the best way to fight and push back our anxiety: But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you (Matt. 6::33). Listen, when the trials come in the form of waves or even tsunamis, if your faith is not tethered to the One who is sovereign over such waves, you will be driven and tossed by the wind (Jas. 1:6). The point James is making in verse 5 is that we do what Jesus told us to do: Dont lean onto your own understanding in the midst of your trial but seek wisdom from the God who wants to use your trials to produce what is lacking in you. Instead of asking, Why me? You ought to ask: Lord, please use this trial in a way that helps me know and understand you more so that I can live the life you have called me to live better. Instead of running to your own conclusions, seek wisdom from the One who sees the whole picture of your life. Instead of running to whatever solution you think is best, run to Him who knows what is best! Our Treasure is Not Earthly (vv. 9-11) Finally, regardless of what you have in your bank account, your position and status before God has nothing to do with what the world thinks of you but what God thinks of you. The real question is not how much you have of this world, but how much of your heart does the Lord have of you? What is your so-called faith? Is it just religion? Where or who is your treasure? Most of those to whom James was writing, were poor. With the persecution that came to Jerusalem, they had lost their income, property, and social status. However, there were some who were wealthy. For those who are poor, it is easy to conclude that God has forgotten them. For those who are wealthy, it is easy to forget God. The danger for both groups of people is to become spiritually near-sighted to the point that you fail to set your eyes on what it is that you did not work for and cannot lose. How can you experience joy in suffering? Where does lasting wisdom really come from, wisdom that guides rather than blinds? It comes from setting our eyes upon that which has been given and promised to those who have been truly saved by the grace of God through faith in His Son, to receive the gift of salvation that you cannot work for or earn. Those who share in James status as bond-servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1), are heirs of Him who spoke and owns the cattle on a thousand hills! The poor are to glorify in their high position as those whose inheritance and status is found in the King of kings and Lord of lords! The rich person who also is a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, must hold his/her wealth with an open hand in a way that honors God and serves His people. Why? Well, in the words of the famous missionary, CT Studd: Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last. Let me leave you with this final thought: When you are going through the hard stuff, know that because of your identity as a Christian, that God is more interested in your good than you can ever wrap your mind around. When the trials come, because you are a Christian this much is true: You are more sinful than you know and more loved than you imagine.

Introduction: Why Should I Confess from My Heart? (Psalm 51) Because My God is MERCIFUL AND LOVING (Ps 51:1–2) Because My Sin INSULTS GOD (Ps 51:3–6) 2 Samuel 12:9 – “Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in His sight?” Because My Heart NEEDS RENOVATION (Ps 51:7–12) Because My Worship and Witness is HINDERED BY HIDDEN SIN (Ps 51:13–19) James 5:16 – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Psalm 51What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Why is sin such a big deal in the life of the Christian and why must it be confessed? What happens if you don't confess sin but keep it hidden?What often keeps you from confessing your sin to God? What often keeps you from confessing your sin to other believers?BreakoutSeparate by gender and confess your sin to one another. Encourage and pray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Who has ever received a bad haircut?Don't point to the person next to you. I'm asking you personally that'd be really rudeWhen I was a kid back in the mid 90s, I got a bad haircutMy barber really messed up my bowl cutAnd that may sound like an oxymoron because you think well a bowl cuts already kind of messed upAnd they're all kind of lame, but mine actually look pretty goodfor bull cuts except for this one timeAnd for the rest of this story, I'm gonna shift to my mom's perspective to give the story some more dramatic weightSo we get home from the haircutLater on that day my mom goes into the bathroom to find quite the crime sceneThere's hair everywhere and there are scissors right on the sinkMy mom didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what had happened because there is an abundance of evidence right in front of her faceI had obviously tried to fix my bowl cut and made it way worse in the processAnd like any good detective my mom tried to get me to confessShe came up to me and said TaylorDid you cut your hair?I said no I didn'tEven though there's a huge chunk missing right out of the front of my bull cutSo my mom tried a different approachWell, I found hair in the sink. I found scissors and there's a huge chunk just gone from your hairAnd I kept digging my own graves. No that lady messed it upAnd my mom tried one last attempt. She said TaylorYou're not gonna be in trouble for cutting your hairBut you will be in trouble if you keep lying and you don't tell the truthWell, that was the final strawI finally broke down and I confessed like in one of those over-the-top crime dramas on TVI told my mom everything even though she already knew everythingAnd I'm sure that many of you have a similar story to tellIsn't it interesting that no one has to train you to cover up what you're ashamed ofIt comes so naturally to youIt started at a young age and even continues to this dayYou knock over something very valuable in your house as a kid and it shatters on the groundWhat do you do?You pick up all the pieces and you try to hide it somewhere, right?But you're just a kid so you're hiding place stinks and your parents find it almost immediatelyYou hit your brother or sister and they start to weep and to wailWhat's your response?You cover their mouth and threaten him or her to not tattle to your parentsYou finally get your driver's license and you promised your parents you will take care of their carBut then you immediately scratch itWhat do you do?You try to buff out that scratch and try to cover it up with the cheapest paint you can findOr how about now?At work you make a very serious and embarrassingmistakeWhat's your first blush response?To say nothing and hope that no one notices what you didHiding is easyComing clean is hardYou and I struggle to confess our sins to other people and we also struggle to tell God everything that we have doneEven though he already knowsWhat we have doneThis reluctance to be honest about our failures reveals that we have deep issues within our hearts that we cannotignoreThere's a second week of our latest series heart problems what to do when you don't want GodNo matter who you are or how long you've been a Christian you have a heart problem of some kind right nowMaybe it's spiritual lazinessMaybe it's indifference to the things of GodMaybe it's a lack of connection with the Lord in prayer or maybe it's serious doubts that you have about the Christian faith or ahabitual sinThat is hiddenAll of these problems require a surgical solution and not a quick fixLast week we studied the parable of the sower and unpacked the importance of evaluating our hearts to see how seriousof a heart surgery the Lord needs to give usThis morning we will dig into Psalm 51 as the Lord lays out the importance of another surgical solution that we must cooperate with andparticipate inConfession of sinIs this the most popular of topics in the church today?Sin is often affirmed and accepted rather than confessedAnd this is why there are so many unhealthy and dying churchesThis is why there are so many unhealthyhuman hearts within those churchesThat are spiritually withering awayFor you to get better the infection of hidden sin needs to be pulled out by the root and the method of that extraction isheartfelt confessionto the Lord andYour natural response to a message like this a passage like this will be to inwardly cross your arms and dig in your heelsAnd I want to plead with you not to do thatLower your defenses and prepare your heart for what God is going to command you to doSo let's go to the Lord and ask for his help because we certainly need itFather we come to you and we admit that we so often hide from youWe're like Adam and EveFoolishly hiding in the garden when you can see them right thereLord there are people in this room who have others fooled, but they do not have you fooled IPray that today would be the day ofRevealing what has been hidden to others ofConfessing to you what you already knowAnd we thank you for the healing we thank you for the change that you will bring through this genuine confessionWe ask all these things in Jesus name amenThe turn your Bibles to Psalm 51Psalm 51It's important to note that you should never skip the descriptions at the beginning of many of the Psalms because these descriptionsGive you helpful background informationSkipping these descriptions would be like fast-forwarding through the first two minutes of Star Wars asThe music blast the logo appears and the background text of the storyScrolls on the screen in front of you if you fast forward through thatYou're gonna miss a lot of helpful background information that will really lead you not fully understand the storyAnd the same is true for this description at the beginning of Psalm 51 if you skip itYou're not gonna understand why David wrote it in the first placeSo let's see what he says to the choir master a Psalm of David when Nathan the prophetWent to him after he had gone into BathshebaDavid may have been a great king of Israel and a man after God's own heartBut he was not free from sin and heart problems far from it. He committed adulteryand murderHe had sex with a woman who was not his wifeAnd he thought everything was under wrapsAnd no one knew but then BathshebaGets pregnant and the problem is she's married to a man named UriahInstead of confessing what he had done David decides to have Uriah killed in battleThen he movesBathsheba into his house they get married and they have their childIt seems once againThat David got away with these things got freeBut he hadWho was the one who saw what David had done?God himself the one who sees all thingsWe were told this in 2nd Samuel 11 27, but the thing that David had donedispleasedthe LordAnd God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David in his sin and thankfully David doesn't cross his arms and dig in his heelsNo, he confessesAnd he acknowledges what he had doneAnd he accepts the consequences for his sinWhich is the death of his son who was a result of this affairAnd violent division within his own familymoving forwardAnd after this confrontation David writes one of the rawest most hard-hitting songs in the entire bible in Psalm 51David honestly confessed his sinfrom the heartI know what you may be wondering after all this setupTaylor i'm certainly not a perfect person. I've made mistakes in the past. I've never done anything as bad as DavidI'm actually a pretty good person. I'm nice to other people. Why should I?confess from my heartSome of you have a different thought that has that ends with the same exact questionI see why David should confess his sin. He lived in the old testamentBut i'm a christian living after the new testament. I'm covered by the grace of jesus christ. All of my sin has been forgiven. Why should I?confessfrom my heartWell, that is a great question that we're going to spend the rest of this message answering. Why should I?Confess from my heartReason number one because my god is mercifuland lovingMy god is mercifuland lovingDavid kicks off this psalm by getting as low as he can as fast as he canHe humbles himself before his maker and admits his need for compassionIn verses one through two. Let's read that togetherHave mercy on me. Oh godAccording to your steadfast love according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressionsWash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse mefrom my sinDavid makes zero excuses for his sinHe doesn't try to minimize what he has done or try to lessen its seriousnessLike celebrities and politicians who get caught in underhanded scandalsYou know what i'm talking about, right? You've received those press conferencesOr statements from famous people that are non apologeticapologiesOh, what I did was unfortunate. I got caught up in a moment of weakness. I'm sorry if what I did offended anyoneAka what I did wasn't that bad so lighten upDavid doesn't do any of this soft peddling nonsenseHe describes his affair in three different waysas transgressionas iniquityand as sinAnd these three words cross over with one another but communicate different aspects of the same conceptTransgression is purposeful rebellionIniquity is perversion a twisting of god's ways and intentionsSin is falling short and missing the mark of god's holy standardDavid is brutally honest here because he knows that he has abused his role as king to satisfy his own evil desiresDavid knows that he deserves nothing good from godBut david also knows that he serves a god who is willing to forgiveAnyone of anything if that person comes to him in repentance and faithDavid knows that he shouldn't run away from the one who is readyto embrace himIf you have not yet turned from your sin and trusted in christ, what are you waiting for?I have to be honest with youYou are not a good personI am not a good personYou may not have ordered a hit on someone else like david, but you are just as guilty as him ofPerversion, iniquity, and sinYou have rebelled against god's rightful rule and authorityYou have perverted how life should be livedYou have fallen away short of god's perfect and holy standardYou are far more wicked than you could possibly understandBut god is far more gracious than you could ever imagineGod wants to show you mercyHe doesn't want to give you what you deserve, which is eternal punishment in hellGod wants to give you what you don't deserve, which is graceEternal joy in heavenGod wants to show you his steadfast love and his abundant mercyHe wants to blot out your transgressions and erase all record of your evil deedsHe wants to wash you thoroughly of your iniquity and cleanse you of all your sinBut god will only do those things if you ask him toIf you humble yourself before him like david and make no excuses for your evil desires and decisionsYour heart problem may be that your heart is spiritually deadIt needs to be brought to new life in christIf that's the case confess your sin for the very first time and plead for christ's forgiveness and he willGive it to youHe will fix your heart problemHe will give you the solution which is faith in jesus christ and what he achieved by dying on the cross and rising againPlease don't let your pride keep you from the abundantMercy and steadfast love of godWhy should i confess from my heart?Reason number two because my sin insults godBecause my sin insults godDavid goes even deeper in verses three through six to reveal why his sin and your sinIs such a big deal. Let's read that together for i know my transgressions and my sin is ever before meAgainst you you only have i sinned and done what is evil in your sightSo that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgmentsBehold i was brought forth in iniquity and incended my mother conceived meBehold you delight in truth in the inward being and you teach me wisdomin the secret heartDavid has a constant reminder of his affair and murder right in front of him all the timeIn the form of bashebaI think that's one of the reasons why he says my sin is ever before meEvery single time he sees basheba. He remembers that he took her when she didn't belong to himAnd he ended the life of her first husband uraya who was a man of great integrityYes, he wronged this woman. Yes, he wronged her husband, but they're not the ones that david is most concerned about wrongingListen again to verse four against you. You only have i sinned and done what is evil in your sightWho is david most concerned about wronging?The lordNo one matters more than god. So offending him matters more than offending anyone elseEvery sinful thought every sinful word action inaction reaction is an insult to godIt is a slap in his faceAnd this inescapable reality is highlighted when the lord asks a direct question to david through the prophet nathanIn second sancton 12 9Why have you despised the word of the lord to do what is evil in his sight?In the following verse god says that david didn't just despise his word. He despised himWhen you take the word lightly you take god lightlyWhen you disobeyGod's wordYou disobey the one who spoke it into existenceChristians in the room and watching onlineI want you to understand what you communicate to god when you choose to do something that you know you shouldn'tOr you fail to do something that you know you shouldYou are telling god. I love this sin more than I love youWhen you click that link and watch that pornographic video you are telling god. I'd rather look at this than behold you in your wordWhen you gossip and slander you're telling god. I care more about other people think about me than what you think about meWhen you lie and cover your tracks you are telling god. I care way more about my comfortThan honoring youWhen you intentionally disrespect your husbandOr selflessly dishonor your wifeYou are telling god. I'd rather do things my way than your wayin this marriageIn those moments you dismiss god and act like he is worth nothing to youHow insulting is that?If that view of your sin doesn't make you want to confess. I don't know what else to tell youWhen I am rude and disrespectful to my wife, we are still marriedMy bad behavior doesn't divorce or separate me from herIn that moment, but it does affect how close I feel to herAnd I can't enjoy that closeness that fellowship again until I confess to herHow I have wronged herIf you are a true believer in jesus christ, you confess to draw near to the lordIn fellowship to enjoy a closeness with him that you cannot enjoy when you were holding on to sin and refusing to let it goYou confess because you're already forgivenYou confess because you love god and are loved by godSo often we feel like god forsakes usBut he's not the one who forsakes youYou are the one who forsakes himThe hymn come now founten nails this on the headProne to wander lord. I feel it prone to leave the god I loveDoes that describe anyone else besides me this morning?Is your heart problem that you feel distant from the lord because you've been wandering off the path of his wordIf that's you admit that you've strayed because he already knows that you haveConfess that you need his help because god is well aware that you already need his helpDraw near to god and scripture promises that he will draw near to youWhy should I confess from my heart third reason because my heart needs renovationBecause my heart needs renovationInVerses seven through twelve david continues on with morePlease for god to wash him of what he has done and then he pops the hood so to speak and ask god to work on the engineof his heartPurge me with hissup and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be wider than snowLet me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoiceHide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquitiesCreate in me a clean heart. Oh god and renew a right spirit within meRestore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with the willing spiritDavid asked god to create in him a clean heartAnd that hebrew word for create is the same word used in genesis one one when god made everythingIn the beginning god created things that were not there to begin withHe did something brand newAnd david is asking him god do something brand new and me creating me something that doesn't existA heart that desires you a heart that would rather choose you than sinAnd david doesn't want this change to be a passing fad or a flash in the pan. He wants it to lastThat's why he says renew a right spirit within meUphold mewith the willing spiritIn other words god, don't let me be lazyDon't let me go back to business as usual. Let this change last for the rest of my daysHelp me to step into who you've created me to be instead of sliding back into who I used to beDavid understands that his life is a marathon not a sprintHe needs to focus on the long termNot just the short termAnd david says something in verse 11 that may have surprised youCast me not away from your presence and take not your holy spirit from meMaybe that verse unlocked a new fear within you and you're starting to wonder waitCan that actually happen? Can god take his spirit away from his people?You just said that god doesn't forsake his people. Aren't you contradicting yourself?Well, I don't have the time to fully explain the theology of this verseSo let me try to do my best in 90 seconds. You can even time me if you really want toIn the old testament the holy spirit did not live within god's peopleas he does todayInstead he would rush upon people and anoint them for specific tasks and rolesHe would empowerthe prophets the kingsJudges and others to say and do what god told them to say and doAnd one such man was king sallThe first king of visual he certainly looked the part. He was tall dark and handsome, but the problem was his heartHe had a heart problem that was never resolvedHe sinned he disobeyed but he didn't truly confess and repent as david wouldSo god took away his holy spirit from sallWhich also meant that he took away the throne from sall as wellAnd that's what david is thinking about in this verse god. Don't let me be another sallDon't take the throne away from me. Don't take your holy spirit and his help away from meBut if you are a follower of christ this side of the cross in the empty tombYou don't need to share this fear of davids because you are sealed and indwelt by the holy spiritHe has made you into a new creation and given you a changed heartThe holy spirit can never be taken away from you just as your salvation can never be taken away from youHow amazing it is to enjoy the blessings that david longed forA brand new heart and the constant presence the constant indwelling of the holy spiritBut you and i often take these blessings for granted don't weWe often take advantage of these blessings and acts as if we don't need to do anythingIn our personal journey of holinessLike david asked god to uphold you with a willing spiritTo maintain this heart that has been given to youYou know who likes new stuffA new car with a new car smellNew shoes that don't stink like a gym locker roomA new phone that can do one do stuff that your old one could nota new carHow about a new house that doesn't have the issues that your last one didAnd i think one of the reasons we like new stuff is that we think we can enjoy a break from maintenance and upkeepIs that trueThat's a really false hope that really goes away very quickly a new car can be trashed in a few daysIf you're not diligent in cleaning it outA new phone can be broken and shattered if you don't have a protective case in screen shieldNew shoes will look very old and gross if you don't spray them out every once in a while and clean the dust and the grime that accumulatesI want you to imagine that a wealthy friend has a brand new house built for you free of chargeThis house is state-of-the-art everything inside and outside the house looks fantasticBut how fantastic will that house look if you never cut the grassIf you never do any upkeep of any kind if you never keep up with ongoing renovationsAs the years pass byThat new house will not look new for very longThe same goes to the new heart that god has gifted to you it needs ongoing maintenance and renovationThis isn't a task you could do once a year really quickly. This is a 24/7 projectAnd we'll talk about this heart maintenance in even greater detail in two weeksBut for the time being I want you to understand that this heart maintenance includes personal time with the lord in prayer and in his wordParticipation in the life of the church not just attend attendanceParticipation in the life of the church and yes ongoing confession and repenting of sinIt's hard to maintain a car and keep it runningIt's hard to maintain a house and keep it looking presentableIt's way harder to maintain your heart and keep it dialed in to the lordWhat's the motivation for this difficult projectWhat keeps you on task on schedule on mission?Well, david gives us the answer in verse 12 restore to me the joy of your salvationYou will not continually maintain your heart if you are not continually blown away that you are saved in the first placeYou will not constantly confess to your father if you are not thrilled that you belong to himAnd you are a part of his familyThe moment you take your salvation for granted is the moment you stop growingIs the moment you stop making progress? It's like all the gas is siphoned out of your tankAre you running on empty in this current season of life?If so ask the lord to fill your tank ask him to restore to you the joy of your salvationAsk that you would once again celebrateThat your name is written in heaven and nothing and no one can scratch it outDo you know what the best thing about me is?That I belong to jesusAnd if you're a christian the best thing about you is that you belong to jesusDo you truly believe that this morning?Is that a truth that's on the forefront of your mind and fills your heart?If not ask god that it wouldBecause otherwise you're not going to grow and your heart problem will not be solvedWhy should I confess to my heart final reason because my worship and witness is hindered by hidden sinBecause my worship and witness is hindered by hidden sinLet's wrap up with verses 13 through 19Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will return to youDeliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh god. Oh god of my salvation and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousnessOh lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praiseFor you will not delight in sacrifice or I would give it you will not be pleased with the burnt offeringThe sacrifices of god are a broken spiritI'm broken in contrite heart. Oh god, you will not despiseDo good design and your good pleasure build up the walls of jesusThenWill you delight and write sacrifices and burn offerings and whole burn offerings then bulls will be offered on your altarDavid's heart is broken in contriteAs we studied a few months ago in the beatitudes david is poor in spirit and one who mourns over his sinDavid understands that his sin doesn't just affect himIt affects everyone in positions underneath of himIt affects everyone in israel as the nation goes as the king goes so goes the nationIn this section david isn't me focused. He is othersfocusedHe asked to be used for god's purposes. Listen again to verse 13 that I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners willreturn to youdavid wants to be a living testimony of god's grace and kindnessVerses 14 through 15 deliver me from blood guiltiness. Oh god. Oh god of my salvationAnd my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. Oh lord open my lips and my mouth will declare your praiseDavid wants to demonstrate what it truly looks liketo holy worship godVerse 18 do good design and your good pleasure build up the walls of jr.David doesn't want to hoard all the blessing for himself. He wants jr.And all of israel to experience the blessing of god as wellDavid isn't interested in keeping his sin a secret any longerHe's ready to go public with it and one of the ways he does this is by writing this psalm that we are readingright nowThink about it. How many transgressors have been taught? How many sinners have returned to god because of this psalm?How many countless numbers of sins have been confessed because david gives us a clear example of how to do thisIn a godly way, but this wouldn't have happened if david kept his sin a secret and only confessed it to godConfession increased david's worship andstrengthened his witnessAnd the same can be true for you as wellconfession will increase your worshipand strengthen your witnessBut the problem is you often believe the exact oppositeYou think to yourself, I don't want to ruin my testimony. So I'll just keep my struggles to myselfI won't tell anyone about my failures except godThat is a horrible planThat plan is pride disguised as humilityThat plan is self-interest disguised as an outward focusPlease listen to me. There is only one sinless person in all of existenceAnd this person is without a doubt not you or meNo one will benefitFrom a false image of your fake perfectionPeople will only benefit from a true image of your genuine confessionHow many unbelievers could you point to the forgiveness of christ by sharing how you have experienced his forgivenessHow many fellow believers can you remind can you remind them of that?It is a good and godly thing to be transparent in the body of christYou can model that because so often we think this isn't a safe placeBut this should be the safest place to confess our sins and be honest with one anotherFor the rest of my life, I'll never forget one particular night at Geneva college during my freshman yearWhen my guy friends and I were completely honest with one another about what we struggled withAnd to a man we all admitted that we at one point had struggled with pornography useI'll never forget the looks on people's faces. Everyone was shocked. We were all amazed because each guy thought he was the only oneBecause that's how satan wanted us to feelaloneisolated selfcondemningNo one wants you to confess your sin less than satanHe doesn't want you to confess to godHe doesn't want you to confess to others because then you will receive loveAnd prayer that will help you to make those needed changesListen to james 516Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one anotherThat you may be healedIt is so healing to shine a light on what you've kept in the darkIt is so freeing to unearth what you've kept covered upIt is such a blessing to share what you have done to a person who is ready to build you upwith the truths of the gospelYou don't need to hide your sins any longer because god himself has already hidden his face from your sinAs we close let me ask you what sins are you so desperate to keep hidden?What are you holding on to and refusing to confess to god and to those who are willing to help you?Maybe it's a sexual sin of some kindMaybe it's a substance abuse problem. Maybe it's an anger issue or a pattern of lyingMaybe you've destroyed someone's reputation and they don't even know itMaybe it's an all-consuming worry that no one knows the full extent of besides you and godWhatever it is you can and should confess it to the lord and your loved ones todayNot next week when you've had more time to think about it because you're just going to talk yourself out of it in the meantimeNot when it's more easy and convenient. No, it's never going to be easy and convenient to confess your sin do it todayBut I know what some of you are thinking taylor you just don't get itIf I share this secret my life will be ruined. I'm going to hurt so many peopleWell over the past 10 years in ministry, I've had people confess some doozies to meAnd then to other people who need to knowAnd guess what it was hard. It was painful, but they survivedAnd most those people not only survive they are thriving right now. They are closer to god than ever beforeIf you don't plan to confess to godThat tells me that you may not truly understand his saving graceIf you don't plan to confess to others that tells me that you don't actually plan to changeYou should confess from your heart because god is ready to pour out his love and mercy upon youYou should confess from your heart because you shouldn't want to indulge in what insults godYou should confess from your heart because you are in desperate need of renovationYou should confess from your heart because hidden sin will shipwreck your worship of god and your witnessto everyoneThere is no better place to come and confess our sin in the table of the lord supperThis god-given meal reminds you of god'sGiven solution to your heart problemThe sacrifice of his one and only sonJesus christ came down from heavens that you could join him thereSomedayHis heart was set upon the cross so that your heart could be transformed and set to worship him foreverand everAs you come to the lord and communionwithhold nothing from himBecause he withholds nothing from youOur servers can now make their way forward as well as the worship teamYou don't need to belong to this church to take part in the lord supperBut you do need to belong to jesus christIf you have not yet confessed your sins and asked jesus to save you please remain seatedBut please don't just tune outPlease considerHow your sin has offended godHow it has hurt others and how it has damaged your own soulBut also find hope in the fact that you can lay those sinful burdens down at the foot of the crossAnd receive forgiveness today

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today's shout-out goes to Tom Ludy from Tutle Lake, WI. Thank you for your partnership with us through Project23. You're helping spread God's Word to hearts that are hungry for truth. This one's for you. Our text today is Mark 10:46-52: And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. — Mark 10:46-52 Bartimaeus had one shot. One moment. He couldn't see Jesus—but he had heard the stories. So he cried out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And what did the crowd do? They told him to shut up. That's how the world responds to visible, verbal faith. They don't mind if you stay quiet about your beliefs. But start crying out to Jesus—start declaring your need for him—and people get uncomfortable. They'll try to shame you. Silence you. Pressure you to tone it down. But Bartimaeus wouldn't be silenced. He cried out even louder. Because real faith breaks through cultural pressure. Real faith speaks when others say, “Be quiet.” Real faith refuses to blend in. And here's what's beautiful: Jesus stops. Right there in the noise, the crowd, the pressure. He hears the cry of faith and calls Bartimaeus forward. Then he asks: “What do you want me to do for you?” It's not a trick question. Bartimaeus doesn't hesitate. “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus heals him. But more than that, he makes him a follower. Bartimaeus leaves the roadside and joins Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Faith in Jesus will set you apart. And that will make people uncomfortable. And good! The world will tell you to stay quiet. Stay polite. Stay private. But Jesus isn't looking for silent believers. He's calling out to those who cry out. So don't let the world mute your worship, your convictions, or your witness. Speak up. Cry out. Follow boldly. Because Jesus stops for those who won't stay silent. #BoldFaith, #SpeakUpForJesus, #Mark10 ASK THIS: When have you felt pressured to keep your faith quiet? What would “crying out” look like for you this week? Who in your life needs to see bold, unapologetic faith? What's keeping you from following Jesus fully, like Bartimaeus? DO THIS: This week, speak openly about your faith at least once. Don't hide it—declare it. PRAY THIS: Jesus, give me the courage to speak up when the world wants me to be silent. Let my faith be louder than fear or pressure. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Gratitude."

Over the centuries, the word faith has accumulated layers of meaning—some helpful, others deeply misleading. In this first of two lessons, we begin to peel back those layers and rediscover what faith meant in the biblical world. Today, many view faith as blind belief or intellectual agreement with abstract propositions. But in the world of the Bible, faith was far more concrete. Rooted in the Hebrew verb 'aman—from which we get words like amen, truth, steadfast, and established—faith was about trust that leads to action. It was confidence in God's character, not certainty in theological formulas. This lesson explores how the modern church's language around faith has drifted from its biblical foundation, and why returning to the ancient understanding can radically transform our walk with God. We may say we “have faith” in Jesus as Messiah, but do we have the kind of faith that trusts him enough to forgive our enemies, love our neighbors, and walk in the ways that lead to the peace of God? Join us as we rethink what it really means to have faith—and how that rethinking can shape the way we live. -------------------------------------------------------------- www.figtreeteaching.com Join the Fig Tree Coffee Club: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/store/p3/Fig_Tree_Coffee_Club.html Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Fig Tree Amazon Portal: https://amzn.to/3USMelI Lesson Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/blog/is-your-faith-just-belief-thats-not-biblical Article - Rethinking Faith (PDF) https://www.figtreeteaching.com/uploads/1/1/9/7/119763168/fig_tree_ministries_rethinking_faith.pdf YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/8SDZ9VHqdCA

Welcome back to The Shawn Bolz Show!

Jesus' Love and Authority Bring Healing   Pastor Barbara Perdue shares a powerful message about receiving healing through faith in Jesus. In “Bulldog Faith Part 4,” she explains how God […] The post Bulldog Faith Part 4 – Barbara Perdue appeared first on Charis Christian Center.

In this insightful workshop from the 2024 Rooted Conference in Dallas, Dr. Danny Kwon explores how to cultivate a youth ministry culture that embraces intergenerational integration. He unpacks why connecting generations within the church is vital to discipling students for a lifelong faith in Jesus, and offers practical steps for how you can implement intergenerational ministry in your unique context.Danny Kwon, Ph.D., is the Senior Director of Youth Ministry Content and Cross-Cultural Initiatives at Rooted Ministry. Prior to joining Rooted, Danny served for 29 years as the Youth and Family Pastor at Yuong Sang Church, a bicultural and bilingual Korean-American congregation outside Philadelphia. He is married to Monica, a Christian counselor and psychologist, and together they have three children.Rooted Resources:Book Review ‘Faith Beyond Youth Group' by Kara Powell, Brad M. Griffin, and Jen Bradbury by Danny KwonWhen Intergenerational Integration Feels Impossible by Skyler FlowersFollow @therootedministry on Instagram for more updates Register for Rooted 2025 Conference in Chicago Follow @therootedministry on Instagram for more updates andSubscribe to Youth Ministry Unscripted wherever you listen to podcasts

A deep, personal devotional from Vivian Bricker. When life unraveled after the death of her mother, Vivian found herself standing at a spiritual crossroads. Her story is honest, raw, and deeply relatable. She trusted Jesus for salvation—but everyday faith? That was harder. Like many of us, she knew the truth in her head before it reached her heart. She believed God could heal and redeem, but wrestled with why He hadn’t stopped the pain in the first place. Yet through grief, studying Scripture, and time in His presence, her fragile faith grew into deep trust—one small act of belief at a time. ✨ Highlights: We often trust God with eternity but struggle to trust Him with tomorrow. True faith isn’t blind; it’s based on knowing God’s heart and seeing His faithfulness. Jesus still turns toward us, sees us, and says, “Take heart, daughter.” Faith grows when we take our pain to Jesus instead of pushing Him away.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comRomans 14 All Christians share a faith in Jesus and a commitment to obey His commands. However, believers hold differing convictions on various issues. In Corinth, some feel free to eat any foods, while others feel compelled not to. Some believe that certain days are sacred, while others do not. Paul urges the brethren not to judge or despise one another over such matters, reminding them that each person is ultimately accountable to God. They are encouraged to act in ways that promote peace and avoid causing others to stumble in their faith. Regarding their differences, Paul reminds them that the kingdom is about their common righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Consciences may differ on certain issues, but God's people are patient and encourage one another as they grow.  God's people prioritize love, unity, and peace within the body of Christ, even when we differ in personal convictions. There are areas where God has not clearly spoken, in which individuals hold strong beliefs, often shaped by their backgrounds. In times of disagreement, we must be careful not to judge others, recognizing that we all answer to the Lord for our convictions and how we treat one another. A major priority in our lives is to encourage fellow Christians and to avoid being a stumbling block to their faith. It is not our place to impose demands on others that violate their conscience. Fulfilling this responsibility may require personal sacrifice or concessions on our part for the benefit of others. Merciful God, thank You for reminding us of the need for love and grace among our fellow believers. Help us avoid judging or despising those with different convictions, and grant us the patience to hear them, read scripture together, and continue learning. Create opportunities for us to cultivate peace where turmoil has previously reigned as we speak with grace, knowing our conduct will be judged by You. Strengthen our understanding of the difference between personal convictions and unalterable law. When we are unsure, grant us the wisdom to honor our conscience while also being mindful of the conscience of others.  Thought Questions: -       Does every Christian hold the same convictions as you in all areas of faith? How is unity possible with such differences existing? -       Can your judgment of, or negative regard for, a fellow believer be considered a sin before God? How do you guard against such a serious sin? -       What are practical things you have been doing to “pursue the things that make for peace and the building up of one another”? 

How does God want us to pray? How can we pray for wisdom and revelation? Will God reveal your purpose? Rabbi Schneider shares how the apostles modeled prayer for us in the New Testament. We can learn to pray and believe that we will receive what we ask for, including purpose. If you have a living faith in Jesus and you're growing in walking in love, then this Apostolic prayer of Paul is for you. The most important questions in life are who am I, where am I going, and why am I here? Through prayers for wisdom and God's revelation, we can get a sense of who we are, why we're here, and our destiny. You are significant and God has a purpose for your life. **** BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER - https://djj.show/YTAPartner  **** DONATE - https://djj.show/YTADonate  **** TEACHING NOTES - https://djj.show/e6g   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com