Podcasts about first john

First John has one of the most succinct and clear summaries of what it means to be a Christian. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior or if you've not yet met Him, this study will make it very clear to you what this life of following Jesus is all about.

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, GOD IS LOVE, comes out of 1 JOHN 4:7-21.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, CONFIDENT CHRISTIANITY, comes out of 1 JOHN 3:19-4:6.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

Can a believer lose his salvation? Does one need to work really hard and show visible works to be saved? Is it necessary to maintain a near sinless life to be assured of heaven? Hutson Smelley in his commentary on the three epistles states emphatically, no! He examines First John to demonstrate that the Tests of Fellowship view is correct rather than the Calvinistic approach of the Tests of Life view. Join us in our exploration of the Free Grace understanding of John's first epistle.We, Scott and Gabe, need to know if you guys like the content. Honestly though, every like, subscribe, and follow shows us that our conversations are helping you. We are on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Anchor, and any podcasting platform. Support us on every platform below! #hearthebookpodhttps://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fakes-Fellowship-Mission-Epistles-ebook/dp/B0DVPP5QVK?ref_=ast_author_dp_rwInstagram: @hearthebookpodBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hearthebookpodYouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC8AAn7YxgYVoWa7RmeojyFQFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hearthebookpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/hearthebookpodAnchor: https://anchor.fm/hearthebookpodThank you to Brook Sprague and Michael Card for their music in our podcast!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvI-t0MK5kgMJw7REobBCbQSong: The BookID: 362574Writers: Michael CardPublishers: Mole End Music

Introduction: How Do You React... (Matthew 5:38–42) ...When you are INSULTED? “Eye for an Eye” or REFUSE RETALIATION? (Matt 5:39b) 1 Peter 2:23 – When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ...when people are HEARTLESS? “Eye for an Eye” or GRATUITOUS GRACE? (Matt 5:40) Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ...when forced to OBEY? “Eye for an Eye” or DOUBLE Your DUTY? (Matt 5:41) 1 Peter 2:16 – Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. ...when someone wants your STUFF? “Eye for an Eye” or RELEASE Your RESOURCES? (Matt 5:42) 1 John 3:17 – But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Philippians 2:5–7a – Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant... Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:38-42What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Tell of a time you were offended and retaliated. Why did you do what you did? What would you do differently if you had another chance?Why do you think “eye for an eye” (revenge) is our natural default response?Why do you think how you react is a good gauge of where your heart is?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT And before we dig into God's Word together, let's just pause.I'm going to ask you just take a moment and please pray for me to be faithful,to clearly communicate God's Word.And I will pray for you to have your heart open to receive what it isthat the Lord wants to teach us today. Let's pray.Father in heaven, your Word challenges us and convicts us and we thank you for that.We didn't come in here today looking for a stamp of affirmation on how we already are.We've come in here to encounter you and allow your spirit and your Word to conform us into the image of your Son.That's why we're here.So Father, I pray to that end you would open our hearts.Your spirit would speak to every heart, the wisdom that you have recorded in your Word.That we walk out of here different people than how we were when we walked in.Thank you Father for the promise of your Word.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said, "Amen."I have a nonverbal Son, as many of you know.But years ago, I was with a group of pastors and one pastor was commenting on the fact that I had a nonverbal Son.And he said, very compassionately, he said,"It must be very difficult for you to not have a conversation with your Son."And I said, "It is."But the way I look at it, we'll have all of eternity to catch up.And a different pastor said, if he's elect,and I said, "I feel like you're predestined to take a weapon."And I was a prophet that day.Okay, I made that last part up.But I still think about that.I still think about retaliation.Getting even.Why are we like that?Why are we like that people, that there's something in all of us that makes us demand respect?Hey, you can't talk to me that way.You know I am?You can't treat me like that.There's something in us that we demand our rights.We say things like, "I don't get mad. I get even."And you're not going to get away with this.You're going to pay for what you did.Our hearts are naturally, sinfully retaliatory.I was listening to a sermon about a month or so ago from one of my favorite preachers, Ron Don.It was a sermon on meekness.And he reminded me of something that I loved when I was a kid.He was a little comic book.Do you remember the Charles Atlas ads in the old comic books?Do you remember those?It was a little one page, it was a little comic strip in the book.Well, in this little comic strip, there was this little weakling, like a little skinny guy,on the beach and this bully was like kicking sand in his face.And all the girls were like, "Tee hee hee hee."And the kid takes Charles Atlas course.The skinny kid.And in 90 days, he was kicking sand in the other guy's face.And there's something innocent.We're like, "Yes! Yeah!"We love that stuff, don't we?Don't we love that revenge stuff?Oh, come on.Don't you leave me up here.Don't we love that revenge stuff?The getting even stuff?Yes, you do.Yes, you do.There are many of the plot lines of movies.Like, and your soap operas and your westerns and your superhero movies.I was thinking about this this week. It's everywhere.That's what Popeye is.Popeye is nothing but a cartoon about a guy that gets even.We love that stuff.We love the guy that is not going to take it.Payback.Because the guy that gets the sand kicked in his faceand belittled and humiliated and he just takes it.Well, that guy is a coward, right?Weak.It's like, dude, punch that bully in the trot.Don't take it.Right?There's biblical precedence for this, isn't there?An eye for an eye.Right?An eye for an eye.Oh, I like that.Because that's in the Bible.You know what that is?Eye for an eye.That is biblical permission to get even.No, no, no, no, no. I'm sorry.That's a biblical command to get even, isn't it?Well, the scribes and the Pharisees thought so.And many people sitting here even and watching thisand listening to this podcast later, still believethat an eye for an eye is our biblical mandates to get revenge.Well, let's see, shall we?Look at verse 30.Why don't we say verse 38? Yes.Jesus continuing the Sermon on the Mount.He said, "You have heard that it was said,an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."Yeah, that's a real Old Testament quote.Yes.100%.And it's also one of the most misinterpretedand misused verses in the entire Bible.Because the scribes and the Phariseesand we take this verse way out of context.Is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?Is that our charge to get even?No, it's not.All right, then what does it mean?I'm so glad you asked.Let's get biblical, shall we?Mark and I shows up three times in the Old Testament.Three times.It's in Exodus 21, it's in Leviticus 24,and it's in Deuteronomy 19.Don't look now, but you look later,and you're going to see in every one of those passages,every single one of them,the context of that verse areit's God's instructions for Israel's courts and judges.Eye for an eye, that was for Israel's courts,not for personal vendetta.And eye for an eye was a guideline for Israel's judges,not for Batman, okay?So what's the purpose?Eye for an eye.What does eye for an eye mean?Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.What does that mean?It just simply means this.The punishment should fit the crime.In court, justice demands being fair.So judges in court, God's instruction for Israel,when you punish someone,the measure of punishment should fit the measure of the crime.That's what eye for an eye means.And God is saying an eye for an eyemust be determined by the courts.The courts determine that. Why?Why did God leave that up to the courts?Why? I'll tell you why.Because when we're wronged,we, by nature, want to retaliateway beyond the level of the offense.Here's what I mean.Our mindset is this.You dinged my 93 Toyota.You owe me a new car.Fair is fair.We take it way too far.We say things like,"Hey, we were messing around.We were playing basketballand you accidentally elbowed me in the mouthand broke my tooth.You owe me a set of grills."Justin, do the kids still wear grills?Do they still wear a thing?The cool ones.You are right.You could not be righter.But that's the point.We take it too far.You owe me way more thanyou should have to pay.So God's like, "No, no, no, no.Leave that to the courts."So here it is. Here it is.If a crime has been committed against me,if I've been wronged in any way,I'm not going to take the law into my own hands.I'm going to take the courts to be fairin the way God commanded the courts to be fair,which is an eye for an eye.A tooth for a tooth.Be fair.So in Jesus' day, the ascribes and the Pharisees,and again us, we take this way out of contextand we take it out of the courtsand we take it as our command,our personal responsibility to get even.But look at verse 39.You probably saw this coming.Jesus says, "But I say to you,do not resist the one who is evil."Do not resist. What does that mean?It literally means this.When someone wrongs you,when someone offends you,when someone is against you,Jesus says, "Do not set yourself against him."Now let's be clear.Jesus is not saying,He is not saying,"Do not protect yourself.Do not protect your own."He's not saying that.If you break into my home,my dog will shoot youand my wife will bite you.Wait.No, no, that's right.He's not saying, "Don't protect yourself."He's not saying, "Don't protect your church."Jesus isn't preaching passivity here.Like, "Okay, go ahead.Go ahead. You can sin,and you can abuse me all you want.I don't care because Jesus said not to resist."That's not what He's saying.He's also not saying,"Don't confront sin."He's not saying that.Because the Bible is clear that sin must be confronted.It must be addressed and dealt with in the church.Here's what Jesus is sayingby this statement.And it's going to be crystal clearbecause Jesus actually illustrateswhat He's teaching here.But here's what Jesus is saying.He's saying,"Don't start a feud.Don't try to get even.Don't try to get even.If you think that your rights were violated,you don't need to fight about it."That's what Jesus is saying.We are not to be a peoplewhose knee-jerk reactionis to be retaliatory.That's what Jesus is saying.In the Sermon on the Mount,we've seen it over and over.Jesus is saying, "My people are different."My people are different in how they act.They're merciful. They're hungry for righteousness.They're salt and light. They're influencers.They reconcile with broken relationships.They cut off lust and they take marriage seriously.And they keep their word.My people act differently.Because when Jesus Christ enters us,when you receive Christ,when you turn from your sin and believethat He died for your sinand He rose from the dead to give you eternal life,when you believe that the Bible saysGod's Holy Spirit lives within you.And when God's Spirit lives within you,you are called to something greater.And you demonstrate that you belong to Christby how you act.God wants your heart.And your heart is revealed by how you act.But perhaps more so,your heart is revealed by how you react.You can show me what a man is made ofby how he acts.And I can show you what a man is made ofby how he reacts.So let me ask you,how do you react?How do you react when you have been personally offended?How do you react when you've been insulted?How do you react when you've been disrespected?Do you react in kind?As your mind said immediately,"No, no, no, no, no, no, no.You're not getting away with this.I'm getting even."As your mind said,"An eye for an eye."Wrongly interpreting it like the Pharisees.Or do you not resist?As our Lord said,do you refuse to emotionally reactand retaliate in the flesh?And I'm sure there's somebody here,self-deluded, that's like,"Oh, my pastor's got to hang it along with everybody."I never respond negatively when I'm offended.I just bake them muffins.Okay.But I think there's something here for the rest of us.Because Jesus elaborateson how His followers should reactto difficult peopleand difficult situationsby giving four scenarios.So that's what we're going to ask ourselves today,a little self-examination.We're going to ask ourselves, "How do you react?"How do you react?Number one, how do you reactwhen you are insulted?When you are insulted, how do you react?Eye for an eye?Or do you refuse retaliation?Look at verse 39.Jesus says, "But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek,turn to him the other also."Stop there.To the Jews,this was the absolute most insulting thingto be slapped.In fact, I read this past week that a slave in those days,a slave would rather be whipped than slappedbecause a slap was utterly humiliating.And you know the worst was the backhand slap.That's why Jesus said, "Right cheek?"Sorry about that.That's why Jesus said, "Right cheek?"Because when you get a backhand with a right hand,it's going to hit you in the right cheek.That was the worst insult in their mind.We get it.Nothing's really changed there. We get it.If somebody walks up to you and just...That's just total disdain.It's like you're nothing to me.You're not even worth arguing withbecause you're nothing.It's just a complete, complete insult.And all the moment I'm insulted,I want to retaliate.Eye for an eye, right?Oh, okay, now I get to slap you.And I bet I can slap harder.Wait, wait, wait, wait. What does Jesus say?He says, "Turn to Him the other also."You're like, "Aha, okay. That's very gracious."He gets two slaps in on me and then it's go time.No.If you're believing that,then you completely missed the point that Jesus was making.Because here's the thing.It's not even about the slap.It's about being insulted.That's the point.How do you respond when you're insulted?Because look,unless you're Chris Rocket and Smacked by Will Smith,you're probably not going to get a slap.You probably are not.But you're going to be insulted in other ways, aren't you?Verbally.How about social media?All these keyboard warriors out there?Because they know they won't get slapped in the teeth.They're real strong and brave throwing out their insults at youfrom behind their keyboard.Maybe that nasty text or email that you get,you're going to be insulted.It's all the same application here from our Lord.At the same point, Jesus says, "Turn to Him the other."He's saying, "You're insulted?Have you been grossly insulted?"Jesus says, "Let Him do it again."You.You refuse to retaliate.Like, "I shouldn't be insulted.Don't you know who I am?I should be respected."Yeah.I agree.You should be respected.But you won't be.Someone is going to insult you.So you can react the world's way."I" for an "I"?Like, "Oh, you're going to insult me?I'm going to go full-dawn wrinkles on you."You have brought a knife to a gunfight, my friend.That's "I" for an "I."Or you could respond the kingdom way,which is refusing to retaliate.And right now, somebody's sitting there going,"Oh, okay.So you're saying, when people insult me,I should just take it?"Now you're thinking like Jesus.Because 1 Peter 2, 23, he says,when He was reviled,He did not revile in return.When He suffered, He did not threaten,but continued in trusting Himself to Him,who judges justly.How do you react when you're insulted?Number two, how do you react when people are heartless?How do you react when people are heartlessand "I" for an "I"?Or gratuitous grace?Look at verse 40.Jesus said, "And if anyone would sue youand take your tunic,let them have your cloak as well."Okay, Jesus isn't saying,"Everybody consume me for everything."Now, He's obviously,He's talking about being suedwhere there is some justification in the lawsuit.That you went to court and legally,you were sued and lost your tunic.Like, what's a tunic?Well, in those days,the tunic was the long undergarment.It was like a long, basically, the shirt.It was your shirt.And look, they didn't have a closet full of themwith a bag of them for the good will sitting in the garage.Most of them would have had one or three at the most.And this was more than just your shirt.It was also your blanket.That's the thing that kept you warm at night.So I think this is quite a shocking thingfor our Lord to say that someonewould sue you for the shirt off your back.And look, in court,if someone sues you for the shirtthat's on your back that you're wearing,that's a little more than I for an I, isn't it?That's pretty heartless.The reality is, people do sue heartlessly.It's like suing a Christian school.Like, why would you do that?Unless there was a real egregious crime going on.But a lot of times, it's just spite.And I believe that's what Jesus is saying here.Perhaps Jesus was being hyperbolic,like saying even if somebody sues youfor the shirt that you're wearing.Well, you could react the world's way, couldn't you?Like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.I'm not giving you the shirt that I'm wearing.That's unreasonable and it's unfair.And I will fight you all the way up to the Supreme Courtover my shirt.Or you could react the kingdom way,which is, did you lose your shirt in a lawsuit?Well, show them you're really sorry for whatever the offense was.And give them your coat too.You know, it's an interesting way that Jesus worded thisbecause in Jewish Old Testament law,you were not allowed to sue a man for his coat.That was illegal.Do you think Jesus is making a point?Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.Okay, so you're saying it was illegal to sue a man for his coat.So if somebody sues you for your shirtand you give them your coat,that would be awfully gratuitous.Now you're thinking like Jesus.Romans 12-21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil."But overcome evil with good.Don't retaliate.Show them that you're willing to give even more than they asked for.So how do you react?How do you react?Number three, when forced to obey.Eye for an eye or double your duty?Look at verse 41.Jesus, next illustration.He says, "And if anyone forces you to go one mile,go with them two miles."Now the Romans had a law.And that was actually a variation of an old Persian postal law.But here is the Roman law.An official could on the spot recruit a citizenfor official duty to perform a task.You know the most famous example of this?This commissioning Simon of Cyrene to carry our Lord's cross.That was law.Specifically here, what Jesus is referring to was legally,legally a Roman soldier could recruit a citizento carry his pack, his gear, one mile, and no further.You think about it from a Jewish standpoint,that's, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.You mean my enemy, a Roman soldier,is going to make me carry his stuff for a mile?So Jew, that would have been very degrading and disgusting.I think here our Lord is speaking to man's natural resentmenttowards the demands of the government.Does anybody remember COVID?Well, you can react the world's way.Right?You can react the world's way.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.You can act the way you want.The entire way.Give me your stuff.Baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo.Baby shark doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.Never mind, I'll carry it myself.That's the world's way.Or you can react the kingdom's way.What's according to our Lord is what?Go two miles.Did you carry his stuff for a mile and you're like,"You know what? I'm just getting limber.I'm just getting warmed up.I'll go another mile."It's like giving the cloak, right?Same principle.Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.So you're saying,"I should give more than the law demands.I should give double of what's required of me."Now you're thinking like Jesus.Because 1 Peter 2.16 says,"Citizens, live as people who are free.Not using your freedom as a cover up for evil.But living as servants of God."Don't just do what's demanded.Go beyond.Force them to ask,"Why in the world is she acting like that?"And then you have the opportunity to talk about grace.Number four.How do you react when someone wants your stuff?How do you react when someone wants your stuff?Eye for an eye?Or do you release your resources?Look at verse 42.Jesus says, "Give to the one who begs from youand do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.It just got real, didn't it?My money?My possessions?Bless you.We get so...We get so possessiveover things.Jesus is saying if somebody begs,if somebody wants to borrow,He's not talking about beggars along the side of the road.This implies a real need,a need that's known and a need that's verified.That's what Jesus is talking about.And again, we have the two options before us.We can react the world's way.Someone comes to you with a real need.Eye for an eye means...All right, look, look, look.I'm going to give this to you, but you owe me, okay?And you're... Listen, you're going to pay me backevery cent that I'm giving you.Do you understand me?I want it in writing.That's the world's way.And when we have that attitude,it just demonstrates that we care more about things than people, right?Well, why are you entitled to my stuff?Go get your own stuff.Where you can react the kingdom way.Jesus, what's the kingdom way?He says give the one who begs and do not refuse.The one who would borrow.What's the kingdom way?Self-sacrificing generosity.He's like, "Oh, you need something that I have?You know what? Here, take it.You know what? I'll buy another one,or I'll learn to live without it.No begs, whatever. Go ahead.Looks like you need this more than I do.If God thinks I need it,He'll make sure I get another one, all right?That's the kingdom way.Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.So I should just give away everything that I have?Now you're thinking like Jesus.First John 3 verse 17 says,"But if anyone has the world's goods,Jesus' brother, Anid, yet closes his heart against him.How does the love of God abide in him?"It's just stuff.It's just stuff.It's eventual garbage, right?Release your resources. Bless people with it.Look, in Jesus' four scenarios here,in every case, your heart is revealed.Not in how you act,but in how you react.And you're like, "Man, man, how can I live like that?"Right now, I guarantee you,every single person here is looking at us going,"I agree that this is right!"But I don't know if I can actually do it.I mean, to do this,I would have to not insist on my rights.I would have to deny myselfand I would have to act like a slave.Now you're thinking like Jesus.Because, oh, by the way,not insisting on your rights and denying yourselfand acting like a slave.Philippians 2.Have this mind among yourselves,which is yours in Christ Jesus,who though he was in the form of God,did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.He didn't insist on his rights.But emptied himself.Denied himself by taking the form of a servant.He became a slave.When you leave here today,someone's going to offend you.Someone's going to insult you.And somebody's going to stomp all over your rights.What you need to do right nowis decide how you're going to react.Let's pray.Our Father in Heaven,we thank You for Your Word,because this is contrary to how we think.There's something in our heartsthat demands retaliation.That would say getting even is the way to go.We teach our kids that.When Your Son very clearly taught usthat we're to be a peoplethat act opposite the way the world acts.Father, I pray right now thatdecisions are being madeas we sit in the fellowship of the congregation,as we sit under Your Word,as we're sitting in a setting of worship.I pray right now, Father,that we are making decisionswhen we walk out this door.We are not going to be people who retaliate.But instead,we're going to follow the examplethat Your Son gave us,and we're going to trust in the power of Your Spirit,whom You put within us.To Your glory and honor, Father,grab our hearts and minds.We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, LOVE IN DEED & TRUTH, comes out of 1 JOHN 3:11-18.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

Joy is a wonderful thing. And it turns out that Jesus died in order that we might have His joy. True. But sometimes, sometimes we squander that joy – what an incredible waste.   Paint the Picture Over these last few weeks we've been taking a look at joy, especially God's heart for us to have His joy in our lives – a complete and overflowing sense of joy. I don't know anyone who doesn't want joy in their lives but I'm not talking about some fleeting happiness; not some warm and fuzzy that we get when we've had a good day or something good has happened to us. Those warm and fuzzes, well, they're nice but somehow, they seem to evaporate so quickly. Now when Jesus talks about joy, He talks about something quite different. Have a listen. On that last evening together with His disciples, before He was to be crucified He talked so much about joy and what an odd time and place to do that. He is about to die and He says in John chapter 15, verse 11: I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. And again you can read for yourself in John chapter 16, verse 20. He says: I tell you the truth – you'll weep and mourn while the world rejoices you will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. A women giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into this world. So it'll be with you. Now is your time of grief but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one can take away that joy. In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you haven't asked anything in My name - ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. And again, His final prayer before He is crucified – you read it in John chapter 17, verse 13. He says to God, His Father: I'm coming to You now but I say these things while I'm still in the world so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them. See, when Jesus is talking about joy He is not talking about a warm and fuzzy. He said all of these things just before He was about to be crucified. Clearly, He wasn't having a warm and fuzzy. There is a clear distinction between the world's happiness and the joy of the Lord. And He does this on the night before He is to be crucified as if to draw a clear line between the two. He talked so much about joy so close to His brutal crucifixion. The Holy Spirit is nothing if not absolutely consistent. And again He draws this peculiar distinction by including in the New Testament, a whole book about joy – written by the Apostle Paul whilst he was in a Roman dungeon, in chains and on death row. We've been looking at that book over these last few weeks on the program, it's the Book of Philippians. It's a letter that Paul wrote whilst in jail, to his friends in the church in Philippi. Now let's continue there today. If you have got a Bible, grab it and open it up at Philippians chapter 2. Come with me into God's Word. I truly believe and I've seen it often in people and I've seen it in days gone by in my own life; that we ourselves do so much to rob ourselves of this joy that the Master – let me say this quite deliberately now – that the Master died in order that we may have. That is the price He puts on this joy, His joy in us, complete and abundant and overflowing. How sweet it is! Yet we ourselves, we can rob ourselves of that joy which has such a high price on its head. Come with me now to see what the Holy Spirit writes to us through Paul in his prison cell about this tragic robbing. Comes from Philippians chapter 2: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ; if you got any comfort from His love; if any fellowship with the Spirit; if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded; having the same love; being one in Spirit and purpose. Don't do anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Just short four verses! So what is Paul saying to the Philippians and what is the Holy Spirit whispering to you and me today, all these centuries on? "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ ...” In other words, if there is any benefit at all from knowing Jesus; any comfort from His love; any fellowship with His Spirit; any tenderness and compassion, if you have got anything out of knowing Jesus Christ, make my joy here in this dungeon complete. How? By doing what? Well effectively, by being humble. Here is Paul with his own life in serious risk if the truth be known, shackled in a prison, talking to his friends in Philippi about such a serious matter. The thing that will rob them of their joy is their pride. Listen again to these words: ... then make my joy complete by being like-minded; having the same love; being one is spirit and purpose; do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Let me ask you this. How much joy is there in selfish ambition and vain conceit? At the end of the day when all that matters is looking after "number one", our own interests, it's so empty and hollow and let me say, completely joyless. When we manipulate and strive to get our own way; when we harbour selfish ambition and vain conceit in our hearts and live them out in our lives; when we tread on people and destroy our relationships, in truth, what we discover is that we are completely alone. What joy is there in that? But when we, in humility, consider others better than ourselves; when we look after other people's interests and not our own, well, we turn that around completely and that, my friend, removes a blockage to joy. Listen to how James and Peter put it. James chapter 4, verse 6 and First Peter chapter 5, verse 5 as they quote Proverbs 3:34: God opposes the proud but He gives grace to the humble. If we would have that deep and abiding joy of which the Master spoke on that frightful evening before He was crucified; the joy that He prayed over us in that final prayer; that joy that He died to purchase, then let me say bluntly, that we too must come to that cross and lose our lives.   An Odd Place I remarked earlier in the programme that a dungeon on death row is an odd place for Paul to sit and write a letter about joy. It's a short letter, just a few pages, but it oozes the joy of the Lord. Earlier we saw that the Holy Spirit through Paul's words was putting His finger on one of the things that robs us of joy – selfish ambition and conceit, getting our own way. And he pleads with his friends, "If you have any benefit from knowing Jesus Christ, put all that other stuff behind you." Well, that's easier said than done. I mean, we're all a bit selfish; we all want our own way, and one of the first words we learn to utter as little children is, "No!", so how do we get beyond that? How do we grow and move on so that instead of being disobedient to God and being robbed of His joy, we love Him through our obedience and live "in" His joy? See, obedience – it's not a particularly trendy word these days – it smacks of old fashioned, rigid, out dated religion, doesn't it? Yet John writes in First John chapter 5, verse 3: The love of God is this: that we obey His commandments. That's how we express our love to God. Ok, well, that much most of us know. We know the theory but what about the practice? The prize is the joy of the Lord, so how do we get over our sin of selfish pride that robs us of that prize? Well lets go on to see what the Holy Spirit is whispering into our hearts through the next part of this Book – Philippians chapter 2, beginning at verse 5 – he writes this: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who being in the very nature of God, didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not just in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. This is a wondrous picture of the cross. Have you ever thought about it this way? I mean, it's tough for anyone to do, to go to the cross, but Jesus humbled Himself. He stepped out of His glorious heavenly realm where angels bowed down and worshipped Him and became a man. What a huge step of humility. And Paul is saying here, "Let your attitude", literally, "Let this be in you, just as it was in Jesus." I love that. See, Jesus comes first; He does it first. He never asks us to do something He hasn't already done and when we hear His gentle call, we hear a call to follow Him. Do you hear that call in your heart today? "Follow Me; come follow Me to the cross – the place where I poured Myself out for you." Jesus, God Himself, didn't consider what He was entitled to out of His love for us, you and me. He humbled Himself and became – wait for it, here it is, that word – obedient to death, even such an excruciating death as death on a cross. And He is calling us here, to lay down our lives – this great paradox. We think we can get joy our own way but we don't discover the joy of God until we lay our lives down; until we die to self. This is the heart of the message of joy. So long as you and I reign as our own little tin pot, despotic dictators in our lives there can be no joy of the Lord. So long as the self, selfish, self absorbed, self centred wraps its tendrils around our heart, that heart will be constricted and all joy squeezed out of it. I mean, real joy, the joy that comes from God Himself. That when we go to Him and say, "Jesus, I crown You as Lord of my life, every part, every dealing, what I eat and drink and say and do and think and feel and hope and dream; every dealing and every transaction." When we crucify that "self" on the cross, look at what happens, Jesus is exalted and there in comes the joy. Listen again to His prayer that night before He died; a prayer that He prayed very deliberately for you and me. His final prayer before the cross, the purpose of His suffering. Father, I'm coming to you now but I say these things while I'm still in the world so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them. Do you see this? Obedience is a word of liberation not oppression. The sweetest paradox of the human experience is that ‘the self' is a ruthless tyrant. It is at the cross where we invite the Spirit of God into our hearts to breathe His joy into us. Here is that peculiar distinction between the world's happiness and God's joy. Listen with me to the last part of the passage we just read, Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13: Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed not only in my presence but now much more so in my absence, continue to work out your salvation in fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. We are going to come back and look at God's work in us next.   Shining Like Stars My prayer for you today is that God's Word has quickened your heart to His purpose, His purpose for joy in your life. See, dying to self is such a scary concept; such a step of faith and not just once but daily. Look at what Jesus says in Luke chapter 9, beginning at verse 23: Jesus said to all of them “If anyone would come after Me he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. This is the great paradox of dying to live. And you see, God wants us to shine like stars – we are going to look a little bit further what Paul writes about that. And that's what happens when we have the joy of the Lord in us because there is something that happens; something that the rest of the world sees when God is at work in our hearts; when we live the joy that can only be found at that cross. See, this last bit is so important because it speaks about the attitude we take as we suffer as the self dies. Make no mistake, death is always painful. When Jesus talked about taking up our cross daily and following Him, He was talking about nailing ‘the self' to flesh and the flesh will hang on for dear life. It will be prone to complain and grumble; it will want to turn back; to run from the cross. Listen again as the Holy Spirit whispers His wisdom into our hearts. We are going to pick up what Paul was saying at Philippians chapter 2, beginning at verse 14: Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God, without a fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you so that you too should be glad and rejoice with me. See, humility; laying down our lives at the cross, stands out but it's not humility when we complain and argue and grumble. Humility is when we submit obediently to the will of God; dying to self. There are times in my walk where this dying has been particularly painful I can tell you, the power of the temptation to lash out and blame others; to grumble and complain. You see, dying at the cross never seems fair. "I have rights you know, I am entitled", the flesh cries. But the Spirit of God calls us to this odd place to discover joy. Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ, who being in the very nature of God didn't consider equality with God to be something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of the servant, being made in human form and being found in appearance as a man, humbling Himself, He became obedient to death, even death on a cross. We should be like that. That is what Paul is saying; that is what the Holy Spirit is saying and here is what happens. We all of a sudden appear different to those around us – utterly different – other worldly. Like something that is rarely seen on this planet, we shine like stars amidst a crocked and perverse generation. We shine with a light of joy that only glows in a life surrendered to Jesus Christ. And that light is what will draw others naturally to Jesus. What a great deception of the devil that is, to have us think that joy only comes when we assert our rights and follow our driving ambition. What a great deception! You see the truth is exactly the opposite. Real joy; the joy of the Lord comes in that bitter sweet surrender of our lives on that cross. There is Paul in the dungeon – see how he talks about himself? He says: Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith. You see, Paul is facing execution because he preached the Gospel of Jesus, not just to the Philippians but right around the known world. Paul is coming to the end of his life and is looking martyrdom right in the face. He is looking death right in the face and yet his greatest concern is the joy of those in Philippi, that they experience the joy of God; that they don't do anything through selfish ambition or vain conceit to miss out on the joy of the Lord. And here is Paul in this dark dungeon shining like a star amidst a crooked and depraved generation. Have you ever looked up at the stars lately, away from the light of the city and the smog of the city, and looked up at the stars and what a wondrous sight it is? That's what the Holy Spirit wants us to be in this world that's so dark sometimes – in this world where people just follow their noses and do what feels right and look after their own vain interests. Jesus wants us to stand out and be different and that joy is what makes us different. It shines like a star. The joy of the Lord comes in that bitter sweet surrender of our lives on that cross – a life-long surrender; a daily surrender. “Take up your cross every day and follow Me,” said Jesus. A surrender that will mean loss and pain as the self is crucified, but a surrender that little by little will reveal this purpose of God – that our joy would shine like a star in a dark and hurting world. I want encourage you – if you haven't surrendered all of your life to Jesus Christ, do that right now. The prize is so wondrous. Yes, it's a step of faith; yes, it's a scary thing to let go of things that we know are wrong, but the prize is the joy of the Lord. The prize is living a life where God takes just who we are and who He made us, for us to shine like stars amidst a crooked and depraved generation.

This is Harry Dantona's Sunday message, taken from the Book of First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 6.

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, CHILDREN OF GOD, comes out of 1 JOHN 2:28-3:10.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, ABIDE IN HIM, comes out of 1 JOHN 2:18-29.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, COMMANDED TO LOVE, comes out of 1 JOHN 2:7-17.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay up-to-date with our weekly messages! In Week 2 of our Four Loves teaching series, Pastor CJ Ward explores Storge love—the kind of love rooted in family, familiarity, and affection. While often overlooked, Storge is foundational to relationships and reflects God's tender heart for His people. “Storge is the love that doesn't need an invitation. It's just there.” – Pastor CJ Discover how the Bible reveals Storge love through stories of broken families, restored relationships, and the Church as a spiritual family. Learn how to live out this loyal, consistent, and compassionate love in your everyday life. Scripture References: Romans 12:10 1 John 3:1 Genesis 45 Luke 15:20 Psalm 103:13 Matthew 12:50 ✨ Key Takeaways: What is Storge love? How the Bible displays familial affection Living as the family of God Why consistency and presence matter Loving others through spiritual family ties ❤️ Let's grow together in love and community. Join us every Sunday in-person or online! Visit our website: newlifegillette.com New Life Church – Gillette, WY Follow us on social media: @newlifegillette #Storge #FourLoves #PastorCJWard #NewLifeChurch #Agape #BiblicalLove #FamilyLove #StorgeLove #ChristianTeaching #ChurchOnline #GilletteWY @newlifegillette Chapters (00:00:00) - New Life Church Teaching: 100 People Decided to Follow Jesus(00:01:24) - 4 Loves of First John(00:04:04) - What Is Storge (Loving Affection)(00:10:43) - The blurry picture of family(00:18:19) - Whatever Cycle exists in Your Family Can Be Broken(00:25:00) - He Lavished His Love on Me(00:30:43) - He Loves You and He Likes You

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, WALKING IN THE LIGHT, comes out of 1 JOHN 1:5-2:6.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

It's been said that First John "is a masterpiece in the art of edification" (George Findley, 1909).In this series, we will see how the Apostle John exhibits tender, pastoral care as he calls the church back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and fervent devotion.This week's message, FOR OUR JOY, comes out of 1 JOHN 1:1-4.Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.rittmangrace.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rittman Grace Brethren Church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RittmanGrace⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXPiaa4z3iZMA4DkCihtHg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rittmangbc⁠

Hi, I'm John Sorensen, President of Evangelism Explosion International, and you're listening to Share Life Today. Have you ever thought, 'that may be true for them, but that's not my truth'? But if something is actually true...then, it is in fact...true! Jesus Christ said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free."  In fact, He declared that there is truth and not a relativistic truth.  He didn't say you will know “a truth” or “your truth” but He said, you will know “the truth.”  Today, people will say that we can't know anything for certain but, again, the Bible tells us in First John five verse thirteen, that “These things have I written that you may know that you have eternal life." Now this is something you can count on to be true: Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and He alone can save you. By believing the truth that Jesus took your sin upon Himself and broke down the wall that kept you from a relationship with God, you can have eternal life. Visit our website at sharelife.today.

Three great interviews for this weekend. First John speaks with Yehuda Cohen who is the father of Nimrod Cohen, a 20 year old Israeli-American IDF soldier who was beaten and taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th 2023. Next, he interviews NYC-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer - Clayton Fletcher about his new book “The ROI of LOL: How Laughter Breaks Down Walls, Drives Compelling Storytelling, and Creates a Healthy Workplace”. And lastly, John chats with guitarist and songwriter Mike Campbell. They discuss his career and time with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers plus his new book "HEARTBREAKER: A Memoir".See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Living Way Community Church

Our study today continues with the assurances and the confidence that we can have before God through Jesus Christ.First John chapter 5 beginning with verse 14 here's our study with Dr Mitchell, on the Unchanging Word Bible broadcast.

Our study today continues with the assurances and the confidence that we can have before God thru Jesus Christ because as He is so also are we in this world. We are in the last chapter of the First Epistle of John.Let's turn in our Bible to First John 5 beginning with verse14 in our study with Dr. Mitchell.

Confidence is the subject of our study today. Confidence of our eternal life in Christ and confidence in prayer that God hears us when we ask according to His will.Dr. Mitchell continues our study in First John 5 verse 13. Turn with us to 1Jn 5 verses 13 - 15. Here is Dr. Mitchell.

Living Way Community Church

Living Way Community Church

(Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is the gift of God. It is a gift to be received and to be shared! Rejoice today in God's grace to you and pass the truth on to someone else. (0958250306) ----more----   Salvation by Grace  We're discussing day by day what the Bible says about great truths, a great Bible doctrine, and I know that normally today we would move on to. Yet another doctrinal section, but I can't, I'm sorry. Forgive me. The last time we met, we talked about so great salvation. Lemme just tell you, it's so great that there's more to talk about. In fact, we're not even scratching the surface. We really aren't on any of these doctrinal sections, but I feel like I can't move on yet. You see what the Bible says about salvation is so rich and so full that we must press it just a little more. We've talked about the greatness of this salvation. Let's consider today the grace of this salvation. Ephesians chapter two and verse number eight and nine says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." God's perfect salvation is all of grace. You don't deserve it. I don't deserve it. You don't get to the place where you're worthy of it. Instead, it is just the free gift of eternal life. That's what grace is. Let me read another scripture to you from two Timothy chapter one. The Apostle Paul, who is a great sinner, but he met a great savior, testified and said in second Timothy chapter one, verse nine, "Who have saved us and called us with an holy calling. Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace." There's that word again, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ, who have abolished death and have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. In other words, it's all of grace. Every good thing in my life is because of God, not because of me, and everything connected to salvation is the gift of grace in my life. In the same chapter in two Timothy chapter one. He goes on to say this in verse number twelve, "for the which calls, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and then persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day."  Past, Present, and Future of Salvation Did you know that there's a past, present and future tense to your salvation? There's a past transaction. It's done, it's already paid for. It's been already settled and dealt with on the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ paid for your sin in full. I. When Jesus went to the cross, all of your sins were future. You weren't alive when Christ died. When He died on that cross, he paid for all of mankind, sin for all time, past, present, and future that settled. And the moment you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive him as your personal savior, all of your sins are dealt with at that moment. In a moment of time, Isaiah chapter one, verse number 18. Jesus said come now. Let us reason together though your sins be a scarlet. They should be white as snow, though. There'll be a red light, crimson. They should be as wool. In other words, salvation is instantaneous. My sin was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ. He paid for my sin, debt in full, all of it. And the moment I come and acknowledge that and accept the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, I'm delivered from the penalty of my sin and the guilt of my sin, P.P. Bliss, one of my favorite hymn writers, he died as a very young man in his thirties, but he wrote these words, "My sin, all the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole. It is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Even so it is well with my soul." I wonder, can you say it's well with your soul today? That's done. That's cared for in my life. I trust it's cared for in your life. If not, it needs to be at this moment. Today's the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Would you receive the free gift of eternal life through God's wonderful grace? That's what salvation is all about.  The Assurance of Eternal Life But then not only is there a past transaction. There's a present possession. Salvation is not an event that happened to me years ago. Salvation is my present possession. I'm not even waiting till I die to get eternal life. I receive eternal life the moment I receive Jesus Christ. Salvation is a present tense thing because God, the God of salvation is a present tense. God, remember his name is I am. If you're a believer, he's with you right now and you are his child right now. You don't get any more of God. You got it all the moment you got saved. First John chapter three, verse number two says, beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know when he shall appear. We shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is now. We're coming to the future in just a moment. There are coming some changes, but friend, you're never gonna get any more of Jesus than you have at this moment. You have him right now. One John five says, verse 13, these things have I written to you? That you may know that you have eternal life. You can have a no so salvation. You can be assured for heaven as if you were already there, because salvation is not about a place, it's about a person. It's not simply about you going to heaven. Rather, it's about you having him in your heart. That's what salvation is all about. John, chapter five in verse number twenty-four, describes it this way, when you're saved, you pass from death unto life, so you have. Changed kingdoms. You've changed worlds. You've come into a new relationship with Jesus Christ, and salvation is your present possession. The Free Gift of Salvation The grace of salvation is not only a past transaction and a present possession, it's a future hope. I do have hope for the future. First John chapter three talks about this hope. Lemme clear this up. When we usually use the word hope, we think of something that we are crossing our fingers and wishing for. Maybe it'll happen and maybe it won't, but the Bible word hope is a word of calm assurance. It's confidence in an absolute promise, an absolute truth. I'm not hoping that Christ is coming in the way that we use the word hope today. No. My hope is in the fact that he is coming. There's no doubt in this only confidence and assurance. One John three in verse number one says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father half bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God." Do you hear the past tense half? Therefore the world knoweth us, not because it knew him, not beloved. Now are we the sons of God? Do you see the present possession? And it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. This is my future. Hope Jesus Christ is coming and I'm going to be with him for all of eternity. It's wonderful to know that the grace of salvation is the free gift of salvation to me. It is the free gift of eternal life. When someone offers you a gift, what do you do? Do you work for it? If I say, you gotta get out of your car, that's where you are right now, and run around the car ten times to get it, I've just made it work. If I say to you, you've gotta leave your house, if that's where you are right now and you've gotta go across town and do something, no matter how insignificant it is, I've just made it a work. But the Lord Jesus added nothing to it. He simply said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. We repent of our sin. Repentance is not mere emotion. It's not reformation. It's not some work. What is repentance? It is looking away from yourself and your sin to God and God alone, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And believing on the Lord Jesus and Christ alone for your soul, salvation. And the moment that you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he comes to live in you, and he brings within this wonderful salvation. Oh, it is so great. It is so gracious, and it is the free gift of eternal life.  What to do With the Gift of Salvation I'd like to ask you to do one of two things today. Number one, if you've never received the gift, receive him now. Receive Jesus. Now by faith as your savior. Tell him right now I'll receive that free gift. And if you have received the gift, would you share it with somebody else? Would you pass it along? Would you offer the free gift of God's grace and eternal life to someone else today? Take what we've just discussed, even one verse of it, and pass it along to someone else. Tell someone else what the Bible says about salvation. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. Outro and Resources We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book by book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on enjoying the Journey.

(Romans  3:23) How would you draw sin? Satan and the world draw only a picture of the pleasure of sin. God draws vivid pictures of sin's results. Today we examine three words that picture perfectly what sin is in the eyes of God. (0955250303) ----more----   What Does Sin Look Like? If you had to draw a picture of what sin looks like, what would that picture be? Our world draws a picture of pleasure and riches and happiness. That's the picture the devil wants to draw. But let the Lord, the true artist, the one who most accurately reflects all truth. Let him draw the picture, walk through scripture and see the pictures that he gives symbolic of sin. Biblical Symbols of Sin When He paints the picture, He says, it is darkness. It blinds. He calls it leaven. It spreads. He says, it's sickness and disease. It corrupts and it is pervasive. He calls it cords and chains. It binds a man, he calls it fire all consuming. He calls it poison deadly. I tell you, if we could see sin, like God sees it, no matter what kind of sin it is, we would think differently about the sin in our own life. Examples of Sin in the Bible It doesn't matter what your sin is. With Aiken, it was stealing with David, it was adultery. With Saul, it was jealousy. With Cane, it was murder. Judas was betrayal. Nebuchadnezzar's pride lot. And Deus loved the world. Coral rebelled against authority. Solomon loved pleasure anoni and of fire lied. Why do you think God gives us all of these pictures? He draws these pictures for us in scripture so that we will come to see sin like he sees it. Sin is worse than you think it is. It is worse than you think it is.  The Nature of Sin It's a state of rebellion against God, an absence of righteousness. It is a nature that has come into every one of us. Romans chapter three, verse 23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Do you know that you are a sinner by nature? That no matter what you have done or haven't done, you're a sinner because you were born that way? We're all born that way. It was passed on from Adam and Eve. In, into all of our lives and that we have become sinners by nature. You don't have to teach a child to misbehave or to cry. You have to teach it to be good and obey. Why is that? Because the rebellious part comes naturally to all of us. And then in a practical way, sin is an act. It's disobedience to the known and revealed will of God and our sin. Nature works its way out in our sins every day. Three Words That Describe Sin Now God calls sin many different things in scripture, but I want today to talk to you about three words, if I might, three words that really describes sin and the way God paints the picture of sin in scripture. God uses words to convey great truth. Every word is purposeful. And there are many different words used in the Bible for sin that help us understand it. Words like evil, that's a good word for sin. Or unrighteousness or wickedness or ungodliness. Those words are all used frequently. But there are three words that are used primarily to represent what sin is in the sight of a holy God. And I'm giving you these three today and I'm gonna give you a little object lesson and if I might for each, that I think will help you remember it. I hope you can see what I'm about to say.  Sin, Transgression, and Iniquity The first word, the most obvious word is the word sin for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now that word is used over 500 times in the Old Testament. It's used over 200 times in the New Testament. And the New Testament word that is used for sin literally means to miss the mark. Listen to Romans 3:23 again, "For all of sin and come short of the glory of God." So it is to fall short of the mark. You shoot at it you try to be good. You try to do right. You want to be perfect, but you miss it, and you miss it. Be it intentionally or unintentionally. You not only miss the mark, you hit the wrong mark. Imagine that we were shooting at a target. Some friends and I recently were doing that, had a great time together, and these men that I were, was with, they were much better shots than me. Let me tell you, it doesn't matter if you miss the bullseye by an inch or by a hundred yards either way, friend. You missed it, the bullseye, the perfection of a holy God. God is holy. Heaven is perfect. And it doesn't matter if you're a good moral person or you've lived the most immoral life possible. Either way, you are a sinner. You have missed God's mark. So if you can imagine a mark of holiness, of righteousness, that's God's standard. You fell short of that. Sin is missing the mark. The second word is the word transgress. And the word transgress is used all through scripture. It literally means to cross the line. So there's some lines God draws and he says, this is my law. This is what I expect out of you. This is what I want you to do in obedience. And when we transgress God's law, we rebel against God. We literally cross his line. So remember, sin falls short of God's perfect line. Transgression goes beyond God's line. It literally means to step over the line to cross the property line. One illustration of this in the Old Testament frequently we have reference to the ancient landmarks. Remove not the ancient landmarks, which thy fathers have set. Those ancient landmarks in Bible days were simply property lines. They didn't always have fence rows like we have today to mark property distinction. And so they had these landmarks set up and you didn't cross the ancient landmarks, and you certainly didn't remove them. They were there to show you what was yours and what was not. And God says, I have erected some ancient landmarks. That's my word. It's my law. And when you disobey me, you've crossed the line, you've transgressed. So now remember, sin is falling short of the line. Transgress is to go over the line. And the third word is the word iniquity. What does iniquity mean? It means crookedness. So imagine that iniquity is to draw a crooked line sin. It falls short of God's holy line. Transgression goes beyond God's. Line of law and iniquity means that where God wants a straight line drawn, I've drawn a crooked line. See, our God is always straight, always forthright, always the same, unchanging. But as sinners, we fluctuate back and forth. We break God's law. It literally means to be lawless. And when you live without law, you are living a crooked life. Did you know as a sinner, you're a crook? We wanna talk about other people being crooked and committing crimes, but we all are criminals in the sight of a holy God, we all. Are crooks. And if you think that's awfully cruel, that's awfully unkind. No friend. That's the truth that leads you to the greater truth. And what is that? That only God can forgive sin, and only God can bring his righteous record onto your account and only God can straighten out the crookedness that's in your soul. The Consequences of Sin Only God can do all of that in the life of an unbeliever sin. His unbelief, his rejection of a holy God will send him to hell forever. And the life of a believer sin is also awful. We have this idea, sometimes it's only bad for lost people. God especially deals with it in the lives of his own children. He hates sin in the life of his children and the life of a believer. You lose fellowship with God. You break fellowship with him because of your sin. Would you look at yourself today? It would you look at your sin, your transgression. Your iniquity, like God sees it. Would you look at the picture he has painted? Is that really what you want for your life? Oh my friend, the only victory over sin is through the savior.  The Need for a Savior Sin is why we need a savior. There's no sense talking about Jesus. If you're not a sinner. If you don't need a savior, we need Christ because we are lost without him. If you don't know him as your personal savior, would you pray that simple prayer that Jesus taught Lord to be merciful to me, a sinner? And if you're a Christian and you say, I've already been saved, acknowledge this. You still have a sin nature. Be willing to agree with God about your sin. First John one, nine says, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  What to Do About Sin Look, when you start talking about what the Bible says about sin, don't stop with sin. Run to Jesus. Just talking about sin will lead you to despair, getting beyond that to the savior now that will lead you to hope. Look to Jesus today and see what the Bible says. Not only about the reality of your sin, but the reality of his grace. Only Jesus can deal with your sin. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe.  Outro and Resources We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our Library of Bible teaching resources, including book-by-book studies of scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on enjoying the Journey.

Living Way Community Church

As we continue with our study in 1st John, we are now entering into chapter 4 and the section entitled Fellowship with God who is Love.Dr. Mitchell, first, gives a warning from the scriptures of what not to believe. You mean the Bible actually tells us not to believe something? Yes! And what is it?Well here's Dr Mitchell to explain, First John chapter 4 verse 1.

Living Way Community Church

Do you ever wonder how deeply we're called to love those around us?In today's episode of My Morning Devotional, guest Lauren Alessi invites us to explore this profound question through the lens of First John, Chapter 4. Lauren discusses the humbling truth that we only love because He first loved us. Delving into personal anecdotes, she shares the enduring wisdom of her grandmother, who said, "You have to love everybody. You do not have to like everybody." This episode challenges us to love authentically and unconditionally, even when it's difficult, as a reflection of our love for God.Join Lauren for this heartfelt devotional as she prays for the strength to embody God's perfect love towards everyone we encounter, drawing from the unwavering love that God has shown us first.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

What does it mean to truly embrace God's perfect love?In today's episode, guest Lauren Alessi explores this profound question by diving into First John, chapter four. She reflects on the deep and sometimes perplexing nature of God's love, especially as it pertains to the idea that "perfect love drives out fear." Lauren shares her personal journey of grappling with the complexities of this biblical verse, encouraging listeners to seek wisdom and understanding of how God's love can dispel anxiety and nervousness in our lives. She emphasizes the transformative power of love that provides confidence even in the face of judgment.Join Lauren for this enlightening devotional as she prays for insight and guidance, inviting listeners to ponder the true meaning of living fearlessly in God's perfect love.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

If our sins are forgiven, why do we need to confess them? First John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But if our sins are already forgiven, why do need to confess them?  That's the question Steven and John explore in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support this ministry: Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below. http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/   The Listener's Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com   Connect with John: Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram Email - john@johnwhittaker.net If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Have you ever wondered if God truly dwells within us?In today's episode, host Lauren Alessi explores this profound idea rooted in First John, chapter four. As she delves into the concept of divine love, she reflects on how acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God leads directly to God living within us. Drawing an analogy from a moment in the movie "The Wedding Planner," Lauren beautifully illustrates how love is intertwined with respect and trust. She emphasizes that this mature love transcends mere physical connections, empowering us to express the same love in our personal relationships.Join Lauren for this heartfelt devotional as she prays for guidance in understanding and demonstrating a deeper, more mature love, mirroring the love God has for His children.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

Living Way Community Church

Do you ever wonder why we say that God is love?In today's episode of My Morning Devotional, join host Lauren Alessi as she embarks on an insightful exploration of God's love, inspired by First John, chapter four. Lauren opens up about her personal struggle with the concept of divine love, addressing the challenge of moving beyond earthly interpretations of love we often see in movies and TV shows. Through verses 7 to 9, she reflects on how true love emanates from God, emphasizing that God's love wasn't just spoken but demonstrated through the ultimate act of sending His Son for our salvation. Lauren invites listeners to delve into the understanding of God's perfect love, a love that is backed by compassionate action.Tune in for this heartfelt devotional, where Lauren prays for a week filled with life, laughter, and the profound joy of experiencing God's love.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

Pastor Brian McMath preached out of First John 1 from the pulpit of Valley Bible Baptist Church.

(Proverbs 9:10) While there are many things we do not know about God, there is much that we can know about God. He wrote it down for us! The deeper we go into Scripture the deeper we can go into our knowledge of God. (0941250214) ----more----   The Mystery of God There are many things that I do not know about God. There are many things that are beyond my understanding. And why is that? Because I am a finite being and He is an infinite God. And yet, isn't it glorious? Isn't it wonderful? That God, through His Word, has revealed Himself in such a way that there are many things we do know about God. So many people get stuck on the things they don't know and can't understand but they miss in that what they should know and what we can understand.  The Fear of the Lord Is Beginning of Wisdom Proverbs chapter 9, verse number 10 says this, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy. Is understanding." Did you hear that expression? The knowledge of the holy, not of holy things, but of the holy one.  Understanding God's Holiness In fact, holiness is the one attribute that is most often attached to God in Scripture. That does not mean that He is more holy than He is any of His other attributes. He's the perfection of all of them. You can't chop God up. You can't divide Him. He's not one. He is all. He's not more of one. He is perfectly all. But the reason Holiness is attributed to God more than any other thing in Scripture is that His holiness is the perfection of all of His attributes. Everything about God is holy. His knowledge, His power, His love, His mercy, His judgment, everything is a revelation of our holy God. Knowing God Through Scripture And I want to say to you that We should begin, when we are studying what the Bible says, by saying, Lord, we want to know our Holy God. We want to know Him personally. It's one of the great marvels of our God. He is both infinite and knowable at the same time. There's no limit to Him. There's no end to Him, and yet, there is a place to begin. We can know Him by finding out what Scripture says about Him. This is God's revelation of Himself. I heard for years preachers say that when we get to heaven, we're going to know everything. I don't believe that's what scripture teaches. The Bible says we will know even as we are known. But I believe when we get to Heaven, when we get into Eternity, we're going to spend the rest of Eternity entering in our knowledge and understanding more and more to the depths of our great God. I don't think you'll ever exhaust who God is. That's what's going to make Eternity such an ongoing adventure. More and more of His love and beauty and perfection. And friend, that journey is not to begin when we die or Jesus comes. It is to begin right here. And right now, it is to begin by us discovering what the Bible says about God. So what does the Bible say? We can't be exhaustive about this, certainly not in this brief time we have to study together. But may I just give you a few thoughts to, to meditate on today? Some things that you can study further for yourself and look for in Scripture.  Attributes of God: Self-Existence and Immutability In Scripture, we learn that He is self-existent and self-sufficient. It means He is the Great I Am. The only limits on God are the ones He places on Himself. The limits of His own holy will. He holds back, for example, His justice with His mercy. God may limit Himself in certain areas at particular times, but there is no limit to Him. He is I Am. He's the only one who can say I Am and put nothing after it. He is the self existent and self sufficient one. Imagine Him saying to Moses, Tell them I Am sent you. I Am what? Yes. All of the above. More than you could ever imagine. Not only that, He's immutable. That means he never changes. James chapter 1 and verse number 17, Malachi chapter 3, verse number 6, all through scripture we get this truth. He says in Malachi 3 verse 6, "I am the Lord, I change not." God's Eternal Nature and Omnipresence And then, He is eternal. Eternity has no beginning and no end. It's like an open ended front and an open ended back. And God is beyond the limits in both directions. God's not in time. Time is in God. God holds time in the palm of His hand. He's the eternal God. Did you know that the word eternity is only found one time in all of Scripture? I would challenge you to find it. I could give you the reference, but I'm going to challenge you. I'll give you a homework assignment. See if you can find the one verse in the Bible where the word eternity is found, and in that verse, The Bible references the God who inhabits eternity. Think of a God so big, He fills up eternity. God is not bound by anything. Not by time or not by space. No, because He is the great I Am.  God's Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence Then we know He's all powerful. Some people refer to that as His omnipotence. He is all powerful. He is omniscient. That means He knows everything. He's omnipresent. That means He's everywhere at once. If I say to you, where's God, some people say he's in heaven, other people say he's in my heart. The truth of the matter is, you can't limit Him to either place. He may be in both places, but He's everywhere at once. Psalm 139, the psalmist cries out, "Where then shall I go from thy spirit? Where then shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, thy right hand shall hold me." God's everywhere.  God's Faithfulness and Mercy And then we know that God is faithful. He is true. He never lies. He never fails to keep His word. He is a God of truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. We know He's a God of mercy and of goodness. That means He holds back what we don't deserve. And He, or what we do deserve rather, and He gives what we don't deserve. Think of that. He holds back the judgment and He gives good things. What was the Psalmist saying in Psalm 23, "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." I tell you, you can't beat the Christian life. Mercy and goodness come to live with you now, and you go to live with the God of mercy and goodness for all eternity. I hope you know the Lord as your personal Savior.  God's Justice and Love And then, we know He's a God of justice. And a God of righteousness. That's what the cross was all about. That's what Calvary revealed. God doesn't laugh at sin. He doesn't simply turn a blind. Turn a blind eye to our unrighteousness. Isaiah 53, verse 11. He saw the travail of Christ's soul and was satisfied his justice, his righteousness was satisfied at that moment. Then, praise God, we know He's a God of love. First John 4:16 says, "God is love." It's not just something He does, it's who He is. And then we come full circle back to where we started, He's a holy God. He's the thrice holy God. Do you remember? Isaiah chapter 6, what are they saying? Holy, Lord God Almighty. When you come to the revelation of Christ, what are they saying? "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is to come." The Father is holy, the Son is holy, the Spirit is holy. He was holy in the past, He is holy in the present, He always will be holy for all eternity He is the Holy God.  Loving and Sharing the Knowledge of God I would challenge you to study the names of God all through scripture because his names reveal His character. Study His attributes, learn more about the God of the Bible, and I'll tell you what I think you'll find. Number one, you're going to love him more. To know him is to love him. And the more you come to see what the Bible says about God, the more you're going to say to the Father, I love you, I'm so glad to be your child. The more you're going to say to the Son, thank you for saving me and bringing me into this family. And the more you're going to say to the Holy Spirit, I'm so glad you're with me right now. Learn what the Bible says for your own soul, but then don't keep it to yourself. Pass it along to somebody else. Peter says, "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." I hope today you'll both learn and share what the Bible says about our great God. Repeating what other people have said about the Bible is not enough. Outro We must know the biblical reason behind what we believe. We hope you will visit us at etj.bible to access our library of Bible teaching resources, including book by book studies of Scripture. You'll also find studies to watch, listen to, or read. We are so grateful for those who pray for us, who share the biblical content, and for those who invest to help us advance this ministry worldwide. Again, thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time on Enjoying the Journey.

How do we truly love those who are different from us?In today's episode, Stephanie explore the challenge of loving beyond political differences and personal affiliations. Drawing from First John 4:21, she reflects on God's command to love our brothers and sisters, irrespective of their political beliefs or the frustrations of our current national climate. As she shares her own experiences of navigating relationships strained by differing views and offers insights into overcoming these barriers with a heart full of God's love. And encourage us to focus on our similarities rather than our differences, fostering forgiveness and unity.Join us this heartfelt devotional as she challenges us to embrace and spread divine love in every encounter.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

Just how much are you willing to sacrifice for the ones you love? In this episode, Stephanie opens up about the personal challenges she faces as a devoted wife and mother. She shares a heartfelt journey inspired by First John 3:16, reminding us that love drives our sacrifices. The episode explores the idea of laying down our lives for others, just as Christ laid down His life for us, and challenges us to prioritize love over exhaustion and distractions.Tune in for a heartfelt reflection that empowers you to prioritize love and family, modeling the love Christ shows us every day.Tap HERE to send us a text! BECOME A FOUNDING "MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL" MEMBERIf you enjoy your 5 minute daily dose of heaven, we would appreciate your support, and we have a fun way for you to partner with the MMD community! We've launched our "Buy Me a Coffee" membership where you can buy us a latte, OR become a founding member and get monthly bonus video episodes! To donate, go to mymorningdevo.co/join! Support the showNEW TO MY MORNING DEVOTIONAL? We're so glad you're here! We're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in a church in Miami, FL, and we're so blessed to partner with the My Morning Devotional community and continue the great work done by the show's creator and our friend, Alison Delamota. Here's how to join our community! Subscribe to the show on this app Share this with a friend Follow Us on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Leave a review KEEP UP WITH ALISON: https://alisondelamota.com⁠⁠⁠⁠IG: https://instagram.com/alisondelamotahttps://instagram.com/delamarried NEW WORSHIP MUSICHear the new music project "Praise the Lord EP" from Metro Life Worship and Mary AlessiListen on SpotifyWatch on YouTube

Living Way Community Church

“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.” (James 1:13 NLT) The urge to “pass the buck”—that is, to blame others when you get caught doing something wrong—was one of the first byproducts of sin. Genesis 3 tells us that sin entered the world when Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Shortly thereafter, they heard God walking through the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Him. “Then the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He replied, ‘I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the Lord God asked. ‘Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ ‘The serpent deceived me,’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it’” (verses 9–13 NLT). First, Adam passed the buck to Eve. What happened to the Adam who said of Eve after she was created, “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man’” (Genesis 2:23 NLT)? He quickly changed his tune to “She did it!” He threw Eve under the bus and then drove it over her a couple times. What he really did, though, was blame God. If you read between the lines, you see that he’s essentially saying, “Hey, I was just taking a nap. When I woke up, my rib was missing, and she was here. If You hadn’t created her, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Eve tried a different approach: “The devil made me do it.” Nope. The devil can’t make you do anything. He can tempt you, but you have to want what he’s offering, or the temptation won’t work. Ultimately Eve was responsible for her sin, even though she was deceived by the serpent. You’re responsible for your sins, too—no matter what the circumstances were that led to them. The devil’s not to blame. And neither is God. (Look at those words in James 1:13 again.) We all do a pretty good job of getting ourselves into trouble because we have a sinful nature. But if we try to shift the blame, we miss a golden opportunity to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. First John 1:9 promises that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT). To claim that promise, we must take full responsibility for our sin. The verse doesn’t say, “if we incriminate others”; it says, “if we confess.” When we take responsibility for our sin, we also set a powerful example for our kids. Or other loved ones. Or people who look to us for guidance. Through our example, we give them the courage to take responsibility for their own sin. — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living Way Community Church

A common theme today is that people are just tired of chaos—both public and private. It's exhausting sometimes dealing with bad relationships. Global problems are with us every day. And we wonder when it will end.There is good news for you, though. Literally, Good News.1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”This is a message to us that we don't have to win the war ourselves. We don't have to win a battle. Don't have to take part even in a skirmish. Jesus has overcome it all. If you wonder how this can play out in practical terms, do this:Read this verse several times—First John 5:4. Make the choice to believe it's true. And then just literally sit back and close your eyes for a couple of minutes, and rest in the truth of God's Word.He is telling us that our faith overcomes all setbacks and difficulties. Our faith. Scripture tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. We might not be able to see the end, but we trust God that He will be standing there.Choose to be a warrior for Christ, and let Him lead. That is what will make the difference.Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for winning the war already. We worship you alone. In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

The Bible tells us God is love. Yes, He’s loving, but First John 4:8 says God IS love. And it says, “He who does not love does not know God . . .” So it should come as no surprise that hatred is not a part of God’s plan for believers. But today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie addresses the hatred we see around us in our culture. What are we as believers to do? Good insight is coming. And a word to parents – the content of today’s study may be a little too strong for younger ears. Grow spiritually with Harvest Online Discipleship Listen on harvest.org --- Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bible tells us God is love. Yes, He’s loving, but First John 4:8 says God IS love. And it says, “He who does not love does not know God . . .” So it should come as no surprise that hatred is not a part of God’s plan for believers. But today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie addresses the hatred we see around us in our culture. What are we as believers to do? Good insight is coming. And a word to parents – the content of today’s study may be a little too strong for younger ears. Grow spiritually with Harvest Online Discipleship Listen on harvest.org --- Learn more and subscribe to Harvest updates at harvest.org A New Beginning is the daily half-hour program hosted by Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California. For over 30 years, Pastor Greg and Harvest Ministries have endeavored to know God and make Him known through media and large-scale evangelism. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners.Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another special interview show! First John talks about Biden speaking at the COP 27 Climate Summit in Egypt. Then he chats with Rachel in L.A. about current victories in Ukraine as they expelled Russia forces from Kherson and meeting up at The Sexy Liberal Save Democracy Tour. Next John interviews constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel about laws, SCOTUS, and his new book "American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom". Then finally the big interview with legendary journalist Bob Woodward. They discuss revelations in Bob's new audio book "The Trump Tapes" which is a compilation of 20 recorded interviews with Trump and others in his cabinet that shows an up-close, unvarnished self-portrait of Trump and his presidency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15 NLT) It is mind-boggling to think that the Creator of the universe became an embryo. He who created the solar system chose to become an infant. The Almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human being, unable to do anything more than wiggle and make noises. Jesus didn’t arrive with His full faculties intact. He was a baby who cried and needed His diaper changed. That is the mystery of the Incarnation—that God would allow Himself to live within the limitations of a human body. There wasn’t a moment when Jesus suddenly became God or ceased to be God. First John 1:1 tells us, “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (NLT). Jesus was God before Bethlehem. He was God in the manger. He was God as a young man. And He was God during His earthly ministry. He also was God as He hung on the cross, and He was God when He rose from the dead. Jesus came to live among us. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (9:6 NLT). At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of God’s Son on Earth. But it also was a departure from Heaven. Jesus came and walked among us, enduring the limitations of a human body. He experienced the things we experience. Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry and thirsty. And like anyone else, He got tired and had to sleep. While He had the ability to perform miracles—and He did so–He never performed a miracle for His own benefit. Also, Jesus knew what it was like to be lonely. Imagine how He felt when His disciples deserted Him. When He hung on the cross and all the sin of the world was placed upon Him, at that moment He was the loneliest man who ever lived. He knew what it was like for His friends to betray Him. And He knew what it was like for someone to lie about Him. Jesus experienced all those things. That is why the Bible says of Him, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT). When we go to God, we’re not talking to some distant celestial being who has no idea of what it’s like to live on Planet Earth. We’re talking about God who became a man. He knows exactly what we’re going through. Therefore, He can help us in our time of need. It is hard for us to imagine both deity and humanity in one person. Yet when Jesus came to Earth and walked among us, that is who He was. — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ezekiel 4-7; Psalm 125-126 Proverbs 27:25-29; First John 4:20-5:21

Ezekiel 1-3; Psalm 123-124 Proverbs 27:21-24; First John 4:1-19

Lamentations 5; Psalm 121-122 Proverbs 27:16-20; First John 2:28-3:24

Lamentations 4; Psalm 119-120 Proverbs 27:11-15; First John 2:2-27