Podcasts about god's holy word

Gfaith Christian Ministries

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2020 9:04

Readings and Lessons from God's Holy Word. The Son is the heir of the vineyard. How have we treated him?

lessons judgment persecution vineyard heirs readings mark 12 tenants god's holy word god's goodness

letting God's word explain and teach it's own self .

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020 27:26

Did you know that there's a way to allow God's Holy Word to teach and explain it's own self ? I know it maybe a strange thing to say , But God don't need a middle man or person to tell you what he wants to tell you , for example Jesus said when the spirit of truth has come ( He will guide you into all of the truth - John 16:13 ) . Did you notice Jesus said , the spirit of truth shall guide you into ( all ) of the truth . Jesus is telling us that the spirit of truth don't need a middle man for Jesus Christ himself is the middle man in John 14:6 he said no man comes to the father except though him ( Jesus is the middle man ) and he says his sheep hear his voice and they follow him. Now is not Jesus Christ telling us that there's a way to know his voice ( which is ) his word . Check Hebrews 5:12 out - This verse says For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need for someone to teach you the basic principles of the gospel . Don't want to sound like a broken record but is not that saying you can know the things of Christ and of God ? .

god jesus christ teach explain god's word god's holy word

Accidental Hope | S2 Episode 47: Journeying through God's Word (w/ Tera Elness)

Accidental Hope

Play Episode Play 60 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 21, 2020

In this week's episode Jennifer interviews Tera Elness. They discuss maturing in faith and relationship with God's Holy Word. It's truly a journey - as you fall deeper in love with God you learn to trust Him. As you learn to trust Him your relationship becomes effortless investing in the your life's journey with Him. Tera's practical advice is for such a time as this as we learn to use this time of reset to grow deeper roots that will withstand anything that life may bring.

god god's word accidental journeying god's holy word

Accidental Hope | S2 Episode 47: Journeying through God's Word (w/ Tera Elness)

Accidental Hope

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020

In this week's episode Jennifer interviews Tera Elness. They discuss maturing in faith and relationship with God's Holy Word. It's truly a journey - as you fall deeper in love with God you learn to trust Him. As you learn to trust Him your relationship becomes effortless investing in the your life's journey with Him. Tera's practical advice is for such a time as this as we learn to use this time of reset to grow deeper roots that will withstand anything that life may bring.

god god's word accidental journeying god's holy word

Come See the Place! Easter Message 2020

Porchlight Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2020 38:00

This message is centered on the events surrounding the resurrection of Christ. Also a look at some myths around the events, especially concerning the folded napkin. A caution not to get your Bible doctrine and theology from Facebook or social media, but to get it from God's Holy Word.

jesus christ bible easter message god's holy word

Mark 9:14-50 Distrust Yourself

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2020 9:52

I. Distrust your own ability. II. Distrust your own agenda. III. Distrust your own ambitions. IV. Distrust your antagonism towards others. V. Distrust your attitude toward sin and temptation. Our daily reading in God's Holy Word for the stir crazy and all the rest.

hell greatness iv mark 9 distrust millstone god's holy word servant of all god's purposes

Mark 8 Eyes To See

jesus christ signs miracles pharisees mark 8 leaven seeing jesus take up your cross god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 11:01

How do we see Jesus? And seeing him, how do we see ourselves? Our daily reading in God's Holy Word from Mark. For stir crazy kids and their families. All others welcome too!

Mark 6 Compassionate Miracle Worker

jesus christ miracles prophet john the baptist good shepherd compassionate psalm 23 herod mark 6 walking on water miracle workers god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2020 11:00

Who is this Jesus who feeds the 5000 and walks on water? Our daily reading and lesson from God's Holy Word, for all who are cooped up and stir crazy, needing hope.

Solas: Week 3, January 19, 2020 with Transcript

Istrouma Baptist Church Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020 46:40

“Sola Gratia” Sermon Series: Solas Ephesians 2:8-10 Istrouma Baptist Church – Jeff Ginn, Lead Pastor 10:45 AM Sermon January 19, 2020 Outline: Saved by grace For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We have a problem We have a provision Saved through faith For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is a response Faith is a requirement Saved for works For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). God works in us God works through us Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. “Amazing Grace” is, perhaps, the best-known and best-loved hymn of all time. The beauty and simplicity of its melody (which you just heard played) is only eclipsed only by the hope and depth of its lyrics. Listen to the first stanza: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.” The author of these words, John Newton, was, by his own admission, a “wretch.” Now, that’s not a word we use every day. It means, “a miserable person; one who is profoundly unhappy or in great misfortune; a base, despicable, or vile person.” You may think that’s an exaggeration on his part. But he was a wretch. He was a slave trader, a blasphemer, and a rebel. You know the song, I trust, but you may not know the story of the author. So I want to tell you a little bit about the life of the man who wrote that song. John grew up in a home where his mother was an instrument maker and his father was a sea captain. His mother passed away when he was about 7 years of age, and so he was reared in those later childhood years by his father. He loved his father. He looked up to his father. His father was a sea captain, and so, get this, when he was 11 years old, John Newton went to sea. He made his six voyages across the oceans with his father before his father finally retired as a sea captain. Well, he had not gotten enough. He dreamed about the adventures of life on the open seas, but his dream was soon turned into a nightmare, and I want to tell you about it. He boarded a merchant ship and plied that trade for a while. But one day, he was in a port and he was pressed into naval service. We don't understand that term because we have an all-volunteer military. There's no draft. You volunteer if you want to serve. But back in those days in Jolly Old England, you could be pressed into service; that is, basically, you’d be captured and you would be forced to serve in the military, and so it was with John Newton. So now, he's no longer living a carefree life of a sailor aboard a merchant ship. He is now in the Royal Navy. He kind of chafed under the regimen of that life. He ran afoul of his captain and was whipped, humiliated and demoted. He contemplated either murder of the captain or suicide. Before that could happen, he was able to escape and got aboard a slave trading ship called the Pegasus. He did not get along with the crew and was cast off in Africa. He was picked up by a slave trader, and became a slave himself in Africa until he was rescued. He said of that period that he was “a servant to slaves.” Later in life he wrote, “I sinned with a high hand, and I made it my study to tempt and seduce others.” Newton lived a hard life with equally harsh consequences. God got his attention though. In 1748, Newton’s slave ship was nearly wrecked by an intense storm. Surrounded by crashing waves, ferocious winds, creaking timbers, and the cries of the souls on board, John fell to his knees and pled for grace. He was born again on board that ship that tempestuous night. He comes to know Christ and begins to learn of the word of God and how to live as a Christian, but he's still a slave trader himself. He captains a slave trading ship. He hauls many a slave across the oceans into slavery, but God begins to convict him about the wickedness of that. He becomes friends with a man named William Wilberforce who was the primary advocate in England for the abolition of slavery. John Newton became an ally in that cause, and of all things, this once slave trader, blasphemer, rebel, becomes a pastor of a local Baptist Church there in England. He began to be hymn writer, and he wrote those lyrics that we know and love, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” God’s grace, which reaches anyone, anywhere, saved a wretch like John Newton—not just from the terror of that storm but from the grip and guilt of his sins. Newton wrote the song now known as “Amazing Grace” years later, while serving as a pastor in Olney, England. Today, his lyrics still inspire, encourage, and instruct people about the radical reality of God’s amazing grace. It gives “wretches” like us hope. It makes blind people like us see. And that is amazing! Only grace—sola gratia—is able to save sinners. For him, grace was amazing. God help us if we ever get to a point where we're not just astounded by grace, that it would redeem wretches like you and me, friend. But that's the nature of his grace; it is amazing. We're going to look at that theme this morning in a message entitled, Sola Gratia, the Latin phrase which means “grace alone.” I'm going to base the message today out of; really, I think the classic passage in the Bible about grace. Open your Bible please to Ephesians chapter 2, and we're going to begin reading in verse 8 and carry it through to verse 10. I’d like us all as a sign of our respect for God's Holy Word to please stand as its read. Precious words are these. Give it your very best hearing. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Let’s pray. [Prayer] Please be seated. We're celebrating 100 years here at Istrouma this month, and as we thought about this wonderful season of our church’s life, we thought we’re going to go back to some of the foundational principles upon which this great church has been built. Jesus himself, of course, is the Cornerstone. We're going to come to him in the next Sola series message. But we're looking at some of the great foundational principles, and among them are things like Sola Scriptura, which was our opening message in the series. There, I talked about how the word of God, scripture, is our only sure and sufficient guide to all matters of faith and practice, scripture. Then, last week, we took up the theme of Sola Fide, which is the Latin phrase for “faith alone.” Remember, we talked about the Philippian jailer who was terrified, near death. He fell down and he cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” The Apostle Paul answered him with words as clear as a bell, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your household.” Believe. That's how we're saved, Sola Fide. Now, today, we're taking up the third of these messages, and it's entitled Sola Gratia, which is the Latin for “grace alone.” By the way, if you're new to Istrouma, we don't usually work in Latin here but this is an exceptional season of our church’s life, and it's fun for you to know these terms, even if we never revisit them again in terms of the Latin terminology. But bear with us; here it is, Sola Gratia, grace alone. I want to begin in verse 8 and say that we are saved by grace. That's the first point, Sola Gratia. We are saved by grace. Look at the opening words to verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved.” You'll notice Paul is actually talking about something in the past, right? He says, “You have been saved,” not “You will be” or “You are being.” He uses the past tense because he's addressing this letter to the church at Ephesus. He's talking to believers. He says if you want to know how it is that you came to have life, it's by grace that you came to this life. It's by grace you have been saved. I know I'm talking to a lot of folks here that by grace you’ve been saved. But I am talking to some, and I don’t know who you are, but I'm talking to some who will be saved by grace. I pray that even this day you'll come to know the grace of God in truth. What is grace? It is one of those church words. If I were to ask you to define grace, how would you do it? What is grace? A lot of people will define it in this way, two words: “unmerited favor.” What does that mean? “Unmerited” means you don't deserve it, and grace is God's unmerited favor to us. He loves us in spite of our sin. He forgives us in spite of our rebellion. He takes us to heaven though sin once stained us. It is unmerited favor shown us because of what Christ has done. I'll give you an acrostic that I learned as a kid. I've always remembered it, and I think it's very helpful. If you'll take the letters of the word “grace,” I’m defining it for you, what is Grace? G-R-A-C-E. Write down beside each letter these terms: G God’s R Riches A At C Christ’s E Expense Did you get that? Grace. God's riches at Christ's expense. That's what grace is. What are God's riches? God's riches would be his forgiveness; his patience with us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance; it’s heaven as our eternal home; it's abundant life, joy-filled life, peace, here and now. Those are God's riches, and they come to us at Christ's expense. In other words, those great gifts that I've named were not free. Someone paid for them that they might be ours, and it was at Christ's expense that they come to us. So that is grace. We are saved by grace. I want to say two things about this. Number one, we have a problem. Houston, Baton Rouge, Luling, Lafayette, Monroe, South America, Africa, Asia, we have a problem. What's our problem? Our problem is, in a word, sin. I want to refer to jewelers for just a moment. I know we've got a couple of jewelers in our church, and I appreciate them so much, and I hope you’ll frequent their business. But these jewelers are very ingenious. If you say “I want to buy a diamond,” you know what a jeweler will often do? They'll take out a piece of black velvet fabric, and they’ll lay that black fabric down, and then upon that black fabric they’ll place the diamond or diamonds. Then they'll put a large spotlight shining down on those diamonds. Why do you think they put the diamonds against that black backdrop? It is so that you will be able to appreciate in all of their brilliance the beauty of the diamond. A diamond against a white counter may not glisten and shine as well as that diamond against a black backdrop. What's the point? You'll never fully appreciate the brilliance and beauty of grace until you see it against the black backdrop of our sin. That's why we're amazed by grace, that we, though sinners, can be forgiven and accepted by a holy and righteous God. When I see his grace against the backdrop of our filth and sin I'm amazed by it. Yes, our problem is our sin. Let me show you this in the text. If you’ll look to verse 1 of this very same chapter it'll be very clear. Let me begin reading there in Ephesians 2, verse 1: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked [that’s describing us, folks], following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience… Now, let me pause right there. He's describing humanity. You might be tempted to think that because we’re Christians we are above what he calls the “sons of disobedience.” You know, we can look down our spiritual noses at those “lesser humans.” We’re the Christians. But look at what verse 3 says. I love this. He says: among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh… Folks, look. I once walked in the passions of the flesh. I did things of which I am ashamed. Just like John Newton; he didn't have much on me, if any. I, too, am a wretch, a sinner, and when I see God's grace given me against the backdrop of my past, and how I lived in the passions of my flesh, I'm amazed and I hope you are as well. Now, that's our past. That's our problem, right? But I've come to tell you good news, not bad news. That's bad news. Let me give you some good news. Though we have a problem, it is answered by God's provision, and that's the next sub point. We have a provision. You’ll see this as we continue reading this very passage. It says, Ephesians 2 verses 4 and following: 4 But God, being rich in mercy... Let me pause to ask you to do something. As I'm reading this, I want you to watch for the word “grace,” and when it occurs, I want you to count it. All right, let’s see how many times it occurs in these verses. We are sinners. We once walked in the passage of our flesh. He says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses [even then, he loved us, yes, he], made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and [he] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [And then verse 8, our key verse] 8 For by grace you have been saved... How many times in what I just read, including verse 8, does the word “grace” appear? Three. Exactly right. Not once, not twice, but three times over he is stressing to us God's provision for our problem. Sin is addressed by grace, and by grace we are saved. I want to give you an illustration that I hope will help turn the light on in your understanding of this. I'm going to tell you a make-believe story. It's the story of a father. This father had an only son, and he loved his boy as fathers do. The boy got old enough to go out on his own. One day the boy was out, and he was attacked by some thugs. They beat him and they robbed him, and in the course of their attack the young son was killed. It was a brutal murder, and the father was heartbroken, as you can imagine. The father considered how he might deal with those who had murdered his son. He thought of four possible responses he could make. First of all, he could seek vengeance. Do you know what vengeance is? Vengeance is when you take the law into your own hands. Without police, without courts, without law, he would go and he would execute those that had killed his son. In vengeance the criminals would get worse than they deserve, because really, everybody has a right to a fair trial. Everybody has their day in court. Vengeance is inappropriate. God says, “Don't seek vengeance. Leave that in my just hands,” right? “Vengeance is mine,” the Lord's says. But he considered vengeance. Secondly, he said there's another option. I could seek justice. That could be my response. Leave it to the police to find the criminals; leave it to the court to try them; the jury to decide on their guilt or innocence; and the judge to declare the sentence. Now if vengeance giving them worse than they deserve, justice is giving them straight-up what they deserve. But then he thought of a third possible response. He thought, I could show them mercy and forgive them for what they've done and plead mercy in the court on their behalf. That would be unbelievable, would it not? I think it's beyond most of us to respond in that way. If vengeance is getting worse than what they deserve, and justice is getting what they deserve, mercy would be not getting what they do deserve. Yes, they deserve a sentence. They deserve prison. They deserve punishment. Perhaps they deserve execution. But mercy would say, “No.” Then, there remained one possible response. Not vengeance; not justice; not even mercy, as great as it is. There remained the option of grace. Now if vengeance is getting worse than you deserve, and justice is getting what you deserve, and mercy is not getting what you do deserve, what would grace be? Grace would be getting what you don't deserve. What if in that story the bereaved father looked with pity upon the criminals and said, “Not only do I forgive you, I want to adopt you into my family, and I want you to inherit the riches that would have been my son’s. You say, “Preacher I can't stand the thought of that. That's unbelievable that anyone would respond in that way.” and I would say, “Yes, wouldn't it be amazing? It would. And that's why we refer to it as “amazing grace.” Friend, we are those criminals. Do you not see that? It was your sin and my sin for which Christ was nailed to the cross, not for any guilt of his own. God in love looked down at his only beloved there. God could have sought vengeance upon us. He certainly could have executed justice or stopped short at mercy, but he went all the way, and he would adopt us into his family. Are you a part of God's forever family? Friend, if you're not, you may be this very day. How do you get into his family? You’re saved by grace. Now, number two. Not only are we saved by grace, but, number two, we’re saved through faith. When you read your Bible, I think you know this now, but let me just say it, every word in the Bible matters. Every word. You can't even change the prepositions. You can't say you’re saved by faith. You're not saved by faith, you’re saved by grace, but you’re saved through faith. Now, let's explore this just for a moment. Because God has been gracious in giving his son, you might be tempted to think that everybody's going to be saved. We’re saved by grace, and that's God's action in Christ on our behalf. He died for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2 says. Well, if he died for everyone, and grace is available to everyone, then won’t everyone be saved? There are those who hold that position. It's called “universalism,” that everyone, universally, will be saved. Many of them will even say it’s because of Christ and his death on the cross that redeems everybody regardless of their response. But friend, I'll just say in response to that, and I don't have time to address it fully, I’ll just say they didn't get that idea from the Bible. The Bible teaches that there are two destinies, heaven and hell, and there are people who will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. So no, not everyone is saved, even by the grace of God, because you see, there is a response that is required of us, and faith is a response to God's grace. Now, if you would look there again at verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved [and we’re emphasizing those two words in bold] through faith.” Grace precedes faith, and that's very important, folks. Listen. Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “Oh, it doesn't matter what you believe, just believe.” It's as though if you had faith, regardless of in whom you put your faith or in what you put your faith, just believe, and you will be saved. You can believe in Muhammad, you can believe in Confucius, you can believe in naturalism and you can believe in pantheism and worship the trees and the rocks and the lakes, it doesn't matter what you believe; just believe. We’re saved by faith. No, friends, we're not saved by faith; we’re saved by grace, the act of God in Christ, but it comes to us through faith. That's the means by which we make it our own. God alone saves, and it is through faith that that salvation comes to us. Our faith, I'll say it this way, our faith has a focus, and that focus is Christ. Remember last week when we were talking about sola fide, only by faith are you saved, and we were talking about the story of the Philippian jailer who was terrified that he might die. An earthquake had shaken the prison where he was responsible for the prisoners, and in his terror he asked this point-blank question, “What must I do to be saved?” And the answer was as clear as a bell, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Notice the answer was not, “Believe and you will be saved.” No, that would be to truncate the answer. It would be to omit the central part. It is not “Believe and you will be saved.” It is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Take out Christ, take out his grace, his atoning death on the cross, and we will all be lost. It is grace that saves us through faith. Faith is our response to God's grace. I think of it this way, and perhaps this will be helpful to you. I think of grace as God reaching down from heaven to save a drowning world, drowning in our sins, and grace is him extending his hand to save us. I view faith as the response. Faith would be us looking heavenward and extending our hand to take the hand of grace. Here's the thing, folks, listen. When God's hand of grace is clasped by your hand of faith, salvation comes to you. His hand is extended. The only question that remains is, “Have you responded? Have you taken hold of that grace?” And you do so by faith, by entrusting yourself to him who died for your sins. That's how we get saved, by grace through faith. Faith is a response, and second here, faith is a requirement. You must believe. When I say sola gratia, only grace, some might misunderstand and think we're saying you don't even have to believe. Sola gratia, only grace, that's all that's needed. No, it's “only grace” in a special sense. When the reformers like Martin Luther used that term, they were referring to salvation coming to us by grace apart from works. Would you look at these verses again? Look with me. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast It's in that sense that it’s sola gratia. It's not God’s grace plus your good works. You know, there are a lot of people who think that God admits people or rejects people into heaven on this basis. Watch. They think that God has this big scale in heaven, and on one side God's going to stack up the bad things you've done, the lies you’ve told, the lust you’ve felt, the immorality of your life, the dishonesty and the pride and the prejudice. He's going to stack all that up on one side. Then, bless your heart, he's going to come over here and he's going to stack up the good things you've done, and it's going to teeter. If you've done more good than bad, whew! You made it in. But if you did more bad than good, uh-oh, you’re lost. That's how most of the world thinks. The problem is, that is not what the Bible teaches. Sola scriptura teaches that it’s sola gratia, only grace through faith. We're not saved by our works. You see, if you were saved by the good things that that you did, when you get to heaven you be like this. You’d put your thumbs under your suspenders and you’d be like, “Hey, Lord. Good to see you. I got here because of the good things I did. You know, I was a good guy. I was faithful to my wife. I gave money. I was sweet to the little old lady down the street. I never robbed a bank. I'm good.” When we get to heaven, nobody's going to have their thumbs under their suspenders. You know what we're going to do? We're going to fall on our faces, and we're going to say, “God, how could you save a wretch like me? How great you are. How gracious you are that you would forgive me and save me.” It's all of grace, but it does require faith. Let me give you an illustration. I hope this will help. Can you see what this is? I got this in the mail this week from some sweet church members. They sent me this as a gift. It's a gift card for $200 to Fleming's Steakhouse. I’ll get a filet mignon with that. They sent this to me. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't my wife's and my anniversary. I had not mowed their yard. Just out of love, they sent this to us. Do you know what you call that? Grace. You see, I have something that's valuable here and I didn't pay one red cent for it. It's grace. But is my belly full? And do you know why my belly isn't full? It’s because I have to redeem this. The way it gets redeemed is through faith. You see, I have to believe that this is not a gimmick that this is not a fake gift card. I have to believe that it’s real. I have to believe that the magnetic strip on the back is still good. I have to believe that they haven't already spent the $200 and just sent it to me as a gag. A curse upon them if they did that! No, I know, I know. I believe this is real, and as soon as my wife and I can carve out the time, we're going to go redeem this. We're going to sit down. I think I'm going to get a filet mignon. Could I get an “Amen”? Wrapped in bacon! With a baked potato, lots of butter, lots of sour cream – and no scallions. And I'm going to eat that. My wife, she’s going to get whatever she wants. In fact, I think we may even take a couple with us. Haven't chosen who it is yet; we've got $200! And I'm going to eat that meal, and they're going to bring a bill. You know what I'm going to do when they bring that bill? I'm going to slap that card down on that bill – paid in full by the merits of another! Now, what's the point? This is grace, but I must exercise faith. I must possess it. I must make it mine, and I have to exert faith to do so. Christ offers you something much more than a gift card to Fleming's Steakhouse. In fact, I would just say pitiful in comparison. Pitiful in comparison. He offers us eternal life, and you don't pay a red cent for it. But somebody paid for it, and he didn't spend his money to do it; he did it with his blood. We were not redeemed with things such as silver and gold, but with the blood of Christ as of the spotless lamb of God. We’re saved by grace through faith. Faith is often expressed just through prayer. “Lord, I know I'm a sinner. Lord, I call on you to forgive me. I believe Christ died on the cross for me.” We make that profession through prayer and we acknowledge it and we receive by faith the gift he offers. That brings me to the last point. Sola gratia, only Grace? There are going to be a couple of people that protest what I'm preaching, and here's the way the protest goes; I know how this goes. There's going to be one group, and I'll call them legalists. They're going to say, “You mean I can be saved just by the grace of God, by putting my faith in him? You mean I don't have to do good works to save myself? That's too easy. No, no, no, they say.” They reject it. They say it's faith and works that redeem. That's the legalist. And there's another category over here, and they're going to say, “Oh, I'm saved by grace through faith and I don't have to do good works? Awesome! I'll walk an aisle, I'll pray a prayer, and then I'll just live like the devil until I get to heaven, and then I'm in by the grace of God.” That's wrong too. It’s the legalist and it’s the lawless. I'm going to do what I want. How would the Bible answer the legalist and the lawless? He does it perfectly, right here in this text. Now, look at verse 10, “We're saved by grace through faith for good works.” We’re saved for works. Folks, look up here. Remember I told you every word in the Bible matters, every word? It’s not just big words like “grace, faith, works.” Those are big, momentous, weighty words. Even the little words matter – “by, through, for.” They're called prepositions. Little bitty words, but they matter. You can't switch them and have the truth. Like you can't say, “I'm saved by works unto faith or unto grace. No, you can't invert them. They are just as God gave them. So while I'm not saved by good works, I am saved for good works. Two things about this I want to stress: Number one, God works in us. I love this. This is so good! The Bible calls us his workmanship. You know, we've got some guys in our church who are craftsman. I can think of a couple of guys who do woodworking. They do some pretty exquisite work; I’ve got some of their crafts in my home. I think of some painters that we have in our church, great artists, and you know some of them. Well, did you know, we are God's work of art? The word here “workmanship” is the word poiema in Greek, and from it we get our English word “poem.” Listen, friend, listen. You are God's poem. They used it back in those days for a work of art. It could be a piece of poetry. It could be a song. It could be a painting. It could be a sculpture. We are God's – I put it to you this way – we are God's masterpiece. You’re not unimportant. You’re not without value. You’re not without gifts and talents. No, you’re the creation of God. And could I just say, we’re twice over the creation of God. I was his by virtue of creation, and now I'm his by virtue of salvation. I was a creation of God; he knit me together in my mother's womb, but I'm a new creation by means of salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “If any man, boy, woman or girl is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” I've been made new in Christ. I am his creation and I am his re-creation. You’re God's masterpiece. You're his poem. You’re his painting. You’re his sculpture. This isn’t so that we can look in the mirror and admire ourselves. Wow, aren't I amazing! I am God's masterpiece; I'm God's workmanship! No. Notice we’re created in Christ Jesus unto, or for, good works. You were created for a purpose. You were created with a plan in mind. Listen, I've been living out the plan of God in my life for many decades now, and the journey following Christ is tremendous. Oh, the things God has done. And my task in life is to listen for the voice of God and follow the Spirit’s leading, and it's your job as well. He wants to use you to change this world. I want to stress to you an opportunity coming next Sunday night. Folks, I know we normally only come here on Sunday mornings, but look at me and listen to me please, okay? I don't often ask you guys to go over and above, but I'm asking you to do it this coming Sunday. Come back to church Sunday night. Let's just repeat that together. Come back to church Sunday night. All right? 6 PM. Here's why. You're going to be equipped to do the good work of being an ambassador of the King. That's we’re made new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is followed by 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we’re making an appeal that you'll be reconciled to God.” And God wants to use you to help this world come to Christ, to know the grace of God through faith. I'm going to tell you one last story. There's a great preacher, and I'm going to recommend him to you. He's a black preacher. His name is H. B. Charles, Jr., and if you like good preaching, look him up on YouTube. He told a story about a lady who was heartbroken. The reason she was heartbroken was she had received an heirloom from her grandmother. It may have even been passed down from a previous generation, but what it was was very simple. It was a handkerchief, and it had been passed down to her. It was a keepsake and she treasured it. But one day, she spilled a bottle of ink and stained that handkerchief. She was really sad and she was talking to a friend of hers telling what had happened. The friend said, “Send me the handkerchief.” It happens that her friend was an artist. He got the handkerchief, and he didn't tell her what he was going to do. He got the handkerchief, and using the stain of the ink as the starting point, he painted onto the face of that napkin a beautiful image. He made it a work of art. Now, H. B. didn't say what the work of art was, but I'd like to think it was the face of her grandmother. There was a face on the face of that napkin, and what was a mess became a masterpiece. She treasured that now that the stain, the mess, had become a masterpiece. Why do I tell that story? You know why? You and I are like that handkerchief. The bottle of ink has been spilled on us by our sin and our disobedience, our trespasses. We look up, despairing because of the stain, and God in grace looks down and he actually takes those stains and he covers them, and he makes a masterpiece out of our mess. And the name of that is grace. Amazing grace. Would you stand? Let’s sing together.

Solas: Week 3, January 19, 2020 transcript only

Istrouma Baptist Church Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020

“Sola Gratia” Sermon Series: Solas Ephesians 2:8-10 Istrouma Baptist Church – Jeff Ginn, Lead Pastor 10:45 AM Sermon January 19, 2020 Outline: Saved by grace For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We have a problem We have a provision Saved through faith For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is a response Faith is a requirement Saved for works For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). God works in us God works through us Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. “Amazing Grace” is, perhaps, the best-known and best-loved hymn of all time. The beauty and simplicity of its melody (which you just heard played) is only eclipsed only by the hope and depth of its lyrics. Listen to the first stanza: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.” The author of these words, John Newton, was, by his own admission, a “wretch.” Now, that’s not a word we use every day. It means, “a miserable person; one who is profoundly unhappy or in great misfortune; a base, despicable, or vile person.” You may think that’s an exaggeration on his part. But he was a wretch. He was a slave trader, a blasphemer, and a rebel. You know the song, I trust, but you may not know the story of the author. So I want to tell you a little bit about the life of the man who wrote that song. John grew up in a home where his mother was an instrument maker and his father was a sea captain. His mother passed away when he was about 7 years of age, and so he was reared in those later childhood years by his father. He loved his father. He looked up to his father. His father was a sea captain, and so, get this, when he was 11 years old, John Newton went to sea. He made his six voyages across the oceans with his father before his father finally retired as a sea captain. Well, he had not gotten enough. He dreamed about the adventures of life on the open seas, but his dream was soon turned into a nightmare, and I want to tell you about it. He boarded a merchant ship and plied that trade for a while. But one day, he was in a port and he was pressed into naval service. We don't understand that term because we have an all-volunteer military. There's no draft. You volunteer if you want to serve. But back in those days in Jolly Old England, you could be pressed into service; that is, basically, you’d be captured and you would be forced to serve in the military, and so it was with John Newton. So now, he's no longer living a carefree life of a sailor aboard a merchant ship. He is now in the Royal Navy. He kind of chafed under the regimen of that life. He ran afoul of his captain and was whipped, humiliated and demoted. He contemplated either murder of the captain or suicide. Before that could happen, he was able to escape and got aboard a slave trading ship called the Pegasus. He did not get along with the crew and was cast off in Africa. He was picked up by a slave trader, and became a slave himself in Africa until he was rescued. He said of that period that he was “a servant to slaves.” Later in life he wrote, “I sinned with a high hand, and I made it my study to tempt and seduce others.” Newton lived a hard life with equally harsh consequences. God got his attention though. In 1748, Newton’s slave ship was nearly wrecked by an intense storm. Surrounded by crashing waves, ferocious winds, creaking timbers, and the cries of the souls on board, John fell to his knees and pled for grace. He was born again on board that ship that tempestuous night. He comes to know Christ and begins to learn of the word of God and how to live as a Christian, but he's still a slave trader himself. He captains a slave trading ship. He hauls many a slave across the oceans into slavery, but God begins to convict him about the wickedness of that. He becomes friends with a man named William Wilberforce who was the primary advocate in England for the abolition of slavery. John Newton became an ally in that cause, and of all things, this once slave trader, blasphemer, rebel, becomes a pastor of a local Baptist Church there in England. He began to be hymn writer, and he wrote those lyrics that we know and love, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” God’s grace, which reaches anyone, anywhere, saved a wretch like John Newton—not just from the terror of that storm but from the grip and guilt of his sins. Newton wrote the song now known as “Amazing Grace” years later, while serving as a pastor in Olney, England. Today, his lyrics still inspire, encourage, and instruct people about the radical reality of God’s amazing grace. It gives “wretches” like us hope. It makes blind people like us see. And that is amazing! Only grace—sola gratia—is able to save sinners. For him, grace was amazing. God help us if we ever get to a point where we're not just astounded by grace, that it would redeem wretches like you and me, friend. But that's the nature of his grace; it is amazing. We're going to look at that theme this morning in a message entitled, Sola Gratia, the Latin phrase which means “grace alone.” I'm going to base the message today out of; really, I think the classic passage in the Bible about grace. Open your Bible please to Ephesians chapter 2, and we're going to begin reading in verse 8 and carry it through to verse 10. I’d like us all as a sign of our respect for God's Holy Word to please stand as its read. Precious words are these. Give it your very best hearing. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Let’s pray. [Prayer] Please be seated. We're celebrating 100 years here at Istrouma this month, and as we thought about this wonderful season of our church’s life, we thought we’re going to go back to some of the foundational principles upon which this great church has been built. Jesus himself, of course, is the Cornerstone. We're going to come to him in the next Sola series message. But we're looking at some of the great foundational principles, and among them are things like Sola Scriptura, which was our opening message in the series. There, I talked about how the word of God, scripture, is our only sure and sufficient guide to all matters of faith and practice, scripture. Then, last week, we took up the theme of Sola Fide, which is the Latin phrase for “faith alone.” Remember, we talked about the Philippian jailer who was terrified, near death. He fell down and he cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” The Apostle Paul answered him with words as clear as a bell, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your household.” Believe. That's how we're saved, Sola Fide. Now, today, we're taking up the third of these messages, and it's entitled Sola Gratia, which is the Latin for “grace alone.” By the way, if you're new to Istrouma, we don't usually work in Latin here but this is an exceptional season of our church’s life, and it's fun for you to know these terms, even if we never revisit them again in terms of the Latin terminology. But bear with us; here it is, Sola Gratia, grace alone. I want to begin in verse 8 and say that we are saved by grace. That's the first point, Sola Gratia. We are saved by grace. Look at the opening words to verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved.” You'll notice Paul is actually talking about something in the past, right? He says, “You have been saved,” not “You will be” or “You are being.” He uses the past tense because he's addressing this letter to the church at Ephesus. He's talking to believers. He says if you want to know how it is that you came to have life, it's by grace that you came to this life. It's by grace you have been saved. I know I'm talking to a lot of folks here that by grace you’ve been saved. But I am talking to some, and I don’t know who you are, but I'm talking to some who will be saved by grace. I pray that even this day you'll come to know the grace of God in truth. What is grace? It is one of those church words. If I were to ask you to define grace, how would you do it? What is grace? A lot of people will define it in this way, two words: “unmerited favor.” What does that mean? “Unmerited” means you don't deserve it, and grace is God's unmerited favor to us. He loves us in spite of our sin. He forgives us in spite of our rebellion. He takes us to heaven though sin once stained us. It is unmerited favor shown us because of what Christ has done. I'll give you an acrostic that I learned as a kid. I've always remembered it, and I think it's very helpful. If you'll take the letters of the word “grace,” I’m defining it for you, what is Grace? G-R-A-C-E. Write down beside each letter these terms: G God’s R Riches A At C Christ’s E Expense Did you get that? Grace. God's riches at Christ's expense. That's what grace is. What are God's riches? God's riches would be his forgiveness; his patience with us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance; it’s heaven as our eternal home; it's abundant life, joy-filled life, peace, here and now. Those are God's riches, and they come to us at Christ's expense. In other words, those great gifts that I've named were not free. Someone paid for them that they might be ours, and it was at Christ's expense that they come to us. So that is grace. We are saved by grace. I want to say two things about this. Number one, we have a problem. Houston, Baton Rouge, Luling, Lafayette, Monroe, South America, Africa, Asia, we have a problem. What's our problem? Our problem is, in a word, sin. I want to refer to jewelers for just a moment. I know we've got a couple of jewelers in our church, and I appreciate them so much, and I hope you’ll frequent their business. But these jewelers are very ingenious. If you say “I want to buy a diamond,” you know what a jeweler will often do? They'll take out a piece of black velvet fabric, and they’ll lay that black fabric down, and then upon that black fabric they’ll place the diamond or diamonds. Then they'll put a large spotlight shining down on those diamonds. Why do you think they put the diamonds against that black backdrop? It is so that you will be able to appreciate in all of their brilliance the beauty of the diamond. A diamond against a white counter may not glisten and shine as well as that diamond against a black backdrop. What's the point? You'll never fully appreciate the brilliance and beauty of grace until you see it against the black backdrop of our sin. That's why we're amazed by grace, that we, though sinners, can be forgiven and accepted by a holy and righteous God. When I see his grace against the backdrop of our filth and sin I'm amazed by it. Yes, our problem is our sin. Let me show you this in the text. If you’ll look to verse 1 of this very same chapter it'll be very clear. Let me begin reading there in Ephesians 2, verse 1: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked [that’s describing us, folks], following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience… Now, let me pause right there. He's describing humanity. You might be tempted to think that because we’re Christians we are above what he calls the “sons of disobedience.” You know, we can look down our spiritual noses at those “lesser humans.” We’re the Christians. But look at what verse 3 says. I love this. He says: among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh… Folks, look. I once walked in the passions of the flesh. I did things of which I am ashamed. Just like John Newton; he didn't have much on me, if any. I, too, am a wretch, a sinner, and when I see God's grace given me against the backdrop of my past, and how I lived in the passions of my flesh, I'm amazed and I hope you are as well. Now, that's our past. That's our problem, right? But I've come to tell you good news, not bad news. That's bad news. Let me give you some good news. Though we have a problem, it is answered by God's provision, and that's the next sub point. We have a provision. You’ll see this as we continue reading this very passage. It says, Ephesians 2 verses 4 and following: 4 But God, being rich in mercy... Let me pause to ask you to do something. As I'm reading this, I want you to watch for the word “grace,” and when it occurs, I want you to count it. All right, let’s see how many times it occurs in these verses. We are sinners. We once walked in the passage of our flesh. He says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses [even then, he loved us, yes, he], made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and [he] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [And then verse 8, our key verse] 8 For by grace you have been saved... How many times in what I just read, including verse 8, does the word “grace” appear? Three. Exactly right. Not once, not twice, but three times over he is stressing to us God's provision for our problem. Sin is addressed by grace, and by grace we are saved. I want to give you an illustration that I hope will help turn the light on in your understanding of this. I'm going to tell you a make-believe story. It's the story of a father. This father had an only son, and he loved his boy as fathers do. The boy got old enough to go out on his own. One day the boy was out, and he was attacked by some thugs. They beat him and they robbed him, and in the course of their attack the young son was killed. It was a brutal murder, and the father was heartbroken, as you can imagine. The father considered how he might deal with those who had murdered his son. He thought of four possible responses he could make. First of all, he could seek vengeance. Do you know what vengeance is? Vengeance is when you take the law into your own hands. Without police, without courts, without law, he would go and he would execute those that had killed his son. In vengeance the criminals would get worse than they deserve, because really, everybody has a right to a fair trial. Everybody has their day in court. Vengeance is inappropriate. God says, “Don't seek vengeance. Leave that in my just hands,” right? “Vengeance is mine,” the Lord's says. But he considered vengeance. Secondly, he said there's another option. I could seek justice. That could be my response. Leave it to the police to find the criminals; leave it to the court to try them; the jury to decide on their guilt or innocence; and the judge to declare the sentence. Now if vengeance giving them worse than they deserve, justice is giving them straight-up what they deserve. But then he thought of a third possible response. He thought, I could show them mercy and forgive them for what they've done and plead mercy in the court on their behalf. That would be unbelievable, would it not? I think it's beyond most of us to respond in that way. If vengeance is getting worse than what they deserve, and justice is getting what they deserve, mercy would be not getting what they do deserve. Yes, they deserve a sentence. They deserve prison. They deserve punishment. Perhaps they deserve execution. But mercy would say, “No.” Then, there remained one possible response. Not vengeance; not justice; not even mercy, as great as it is. There remained the option of grace. Now if vengeance is getting worse than you deserve, and justice is getting what you deserve, and mercy is not getting what you do deserve, what would grace be? Grace would be getting what you don't deserve. What if in that story the bereaved father looked with pity upon the criminals and said, “Not only do I forgive you, I want to adopt you into my family, and I want you to inherit the riches that would have been my son’s. You say, “Preacher I can't stand the thought of that. That's unbelievable that anyone would respond in that way.” and I would say, “Yes, wouldn't it be amazing? It would. And that's why we refer to it as “amazing grace.” Friend, we are those criminals. Do you not see that? It was your sin and my sin for which Christ was nailed to the cross, not for any guilt of his own. God in love looked down at his only beloved there. God could have sought vengeance upon us. He certainly could have executed justice or stopped short at mercy, but he went all the way, and he would adopt us into his family. Are you a part of God's forever family? Friend, if you're not, you may be this very day. How do you get into his family? You’re saved by grace. Now, number two. Not only are we saved by grace, but, number two, we’re saved through faith. When you read your Bible, I think you know this now, but let me just say it, every word in the Bible matters. Every word. You can't even change the prepositions. You can't say you’re saved by faith. You're not saved by faith, you’re saved by grace, but you’re saved through faith. Now, let's explore this just for a moment. Because God has been gracious in giving his son, you might be tempted to think that everybody's going to be saved. We’re saved by grace, and that's God's action in Christ on our behalf. He died for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2 says. Well, if he died for everyone, and grace is available to everyone, then won’t everyone be saved? There are those who hold that position. It's called “universalism,” that everyone, universally, will be saved. Many of them will even say it’s because of Christ and his death on the cross that redeems everybody regardless of their response. But friend, I'll just say in response to that, and I don't have time to address it fully, I’ll just say they didn't get that idea from the Bible. The Bible teaches that there are two destinies, heaven and hell, and there are people who will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. So no, not everyone is saved, even by the grace of God, because you see, there is a response that is required of us, and faith is a response to God's grace. Now, if you would look there again at verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved [and we’re emphasizing those two words in bold] through faith.” Grace precedes faith, and that's very important, folks. Listen. Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “Oh, it doesn't matter what you believe, just believe.” It's as though if you had faith, regardless of in whom you put your faith or in what you put your faith, just believe, and you will be saved. You can believe in Muhammad, you can believe in Confucius, you can believe in naturalism and you can believe in pantheism and worship the trees and the rocks and the lakes, it doesn't matter what you believe; just believe. We’re saved by faith. No, friends, we're not saved by faith; we’re saved by grace, the act of God in Christ, but it comes to us through faith. That's the means by which we make it our own. God alone saves, and it is through faith that that salvation comes to us. Our faith, I'll say it this way, our faith has a focus, and that focus is Christ. Remember last week when we were talking about sola fide, only by faith are you saved, and we were talking about the story of the Philippian jailer who was terrified that he might die. An earthquake had shaken the prison where he was responsible for the prisoners, and in his terror he asked this point-blank question, “What must I do to be saved?” And the answer was as clear as a bell, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Notice the answer was not, “Believe and you will be saved.” No, that would be to truncate the answer. It would be to omit the central part. It is not “Believe and you will be saved.” It is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Take out Christ, take out his grace, his atoning death on the cross, and we will all be lost. It is grace that saves us through faith. Faith is our response to God's grace. I think of it this way, and perhaps this will be helpful to you. I think of grace as God reaching down from heaven to save a drowning world, drowning in our sins, and grace is him extending his hand to save us. I view faith as the response. Faith would be us looking heavenward and extending our hand to take the hand of grace. Here's the thing, folks, listen. When God's hand of grace is clasped by your hand of faith, salvation comes to you. His hand is extended. The only question that remains is, “Have you responded? Have you taken hold of that grace?” And you do so by faith, by entrusting yourself to him who died for your sins. That's how we get saved, by grace through faith. Faith is a response, and second here, faith is a requirement. You must believe. When I say sola gratia, only grace, some might misunderstand and think we're saying you don't even have to believe. Sola gratia, only grace, that's all that's needed. No, it's “only grace” in a special sense. When the reformers like Martin Luther used that term, they were referring to salvation coming to us by grace apart from works. Would you look at these verses again? Look with me. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast It's in that sense that it’s sola gratia. It's not God’s grace plus your good works. You know, there are a lot of people who think that God admits people or rejects people into heaven on this basis. Watch. They think that God has this big scale in heaven, and on one side God's going to stack up the bad things you've done, the lies you’ve told, the lust you’ve felt, the immorality of your life, the dishonesty and the pride and the prejudice. He's going to stack all that up on one side. Then, bless your heart, he's going to come over here and he's going to stack up the good things you've done, and it's going to teeter. If you've done more good than bad, whew! You made it in. But if you did more bad than good, uh-oh, you’re lost. That's how most of the world thinks. The problem is, that is not what the Bible teaches. Sola scriptura teaches that it’s sola gratia, only grace through faith. We're not saved by our works. You see, if you were saved by the good things that that you did, when you get to heaven you be like this. You’d put your thumbs under your suspenders and you’d be like, “Hey, Lord. Good to see you. I got here because of the good things I did. You know, I was a good guy. I was faithful to my wife. I gave money. I was sweet to the little old lady down the street. I never robbed a bank. I'm good.” When we get to heaven, nobody's going to have their thumbs under their suspenders. You know what we're going to do? We're going to fall on our faces, and we're going to say, “God, how could you save a wretch like me? How great you are. How gracious you are that you would forgive me and save me.” It's all of grace, but it does require faith. Let me give you an illustration. I hope this will help. Can you see what this is? I got this in the mail this week from some sweet church members. They sent me this as a gift. It's a gift card for $200 to Fleming's Steakhouse. I’ll get a filet mignon with that. They sent this to me. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't my wife's and my anniversary. I had not mowed their yard. Just out of love, they sent this to us. Do you know what you call that? Grace. You see, I have something that's valuable here and I didn't pay one red cent for it. It's grace. But is my belly full? And do you know why my belly isn't full? It’s because I have to redeem this. The way it gets redeemed is through faith. You see, I have to believe that this is not a gimmick that this is not a fake gift card. I have to believe that it’s real. I have to believe that the magnetic strip on the back is still good. I have to believe that they haven't already spent the $200 and just sent it to me as a gag. A curse upon them if they did that! No, I know, I know. I believe this is real, and as soon as my wife and I can carve out the time, we're going to go redeem this. We're going to sit down. I think I'm going to get a filet mignon. Could I get an “Amen”? Wrapped in bacon! With a baked potato, lots of butter, lots of sour cream – and no scallions. And I'm going to eat that. My wife, she’s going to get whatever she wants. In fact, I think we may even take a couple with us. Haven't chosen who it is yet; we've got $200! And I'm going to eat that meal, and they're going to bring a bill. You know what I'm going to do when they bring that bill? I'm going to slap that card down on that bill – paid in full by the merits of another! Now, what's the point? This is grace, but I must exercise faith. I must possess it. I must make it mine, and I have to exert faith to do so. Christ offers you something much more than a gift card to Fleming's Steakhouse. In fact, I would just say pitiful in comparison. Pitiful in comparison. He offers us eternal life, and you don't pay a red cent for it. But somebody paid for it, and he didn't spend his money to do it; he did it with his blood. We were not redeemed with things such as silver and gold, but with the blood of Christ as of the spotless lamb of God. We’re saved by grace through faith. Faith is often expressed just through prayer. “Lord, I know I'm a sinner. Lord, I call on you to forgive me. I believe Christ died on the cross for me.” We make that profession through prayer and we acknowledge it and we receive by faith the gift he offers. That brings me to the last point. Sola gratia, only Grace? There are going to be a couple of people that protest what I'm preaching, and here's the way the protest goes; I know how this goes. There's going to be one group, and I'll call them legalists. They're going to say, “You mean I can be saved just by the grace of God, by putting my faith in him? You mean I don't have to do good works to save myself? That's too easy. No, no, no, they say.” They reject it. They say it's faith and works that redeem. That's the legalist. And there's another category over here, and they're going to say, “Oh, I'm saved by grace through faith and I don't have to do good works? Awesome! I'll walk an aisle, I'll pray a prayer, and then I'll just live like the devil until I get to heaven, and then I'm in by the grace of God.” That's wrong too. It’s the legalist and it’s the lawless. I'm going to do what I want. How would the Bible answer the legalist and the lawless? He does it perfectly, right here in this text. Now, look at verse 10, “We're saved by grace through faith for good works.” We’re saved for works. Folks, look up here. Remember I told you every word in the Bible matters, every word? It’s not just big words like “grace, faith, works.” Those are big, momentous, weighty words. Even the little words matter – “by, through, for.” They're called prepositions. Little bitty words, but they matter. You can't switch them and have the truth. Like you can't say, “I'm saved by works unto faith or unto grace. No, you can't invert them. They are just as God gave them. So while I'm not saved by good works, I am saved for good works. Two things about this I want to stress: Number one, God works in us. I love this. This is so good! The Bible calls us his workmanship. You know, we've got some guys in our church who are craftsman. I can think of a couple of guys who do woodworking. They do some pretty exquisite work; I’ve got some of their crafts in my home. I think of some painters that we have in our church, great artists, and you know some of them. Well, did you know, we are God's work of art? The word here “workmanship” is the word poiema in Greek, and from it we get our English word “poem.” Listen, friend, listen. You are God's poem. They used it back in those days for a work of art. It could be a piece of poetry. It could be a song. It could be a painting. It could be a sculpture. We are God's – I put it to you this way – we are God's masterpiece. You’re not unimportant. You’re not without value. You’re not without gifts and talents. No, you’re the creation of God. And could I just say, we’re twice over the creation of God. I was his by virtue of creation, and now I'm his by virtue of salvation. I was a creation of God; he knit me together in my mother's womb, but I'm a new creation by means of salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “If any man, boy, woman or girl is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” I've been made new in Christ. I am his creation and I am his re-creation. You’re God's masterpiece. You're his poem. You’re his painting. You’re his sculpture. This isn’t so that we can look in the mirror and admire ourselves. Wow, aren't I amazing! I am God's masterpiece; I'm God's workmanship! No. Notice we’re created in Christ Jesus unto, or for, good works. You were created for a purpose. You were created with a plan in mind. Listen, I've been living out the plan of God in my life for many decades now, and the journey following Christ is tremendous. Oh, the things God has done. And my task in life is to listen for the voice of God and follow the Spirit’s leading, and it's your job as well. He wants to use you to change this world. I want to stress to you an opportunity coming next Sunday night. Folks, I know we normally only come here on Sunday mornings, but look at me and listen to me please, okay? I don't often ask you guys to go over and above, but I'm asking you to do it this coming Sunday. Come back to church Sunday night. Let's just repeat that together. Come back to church Sunday night. All right? 6 PM. Here's why. You're going to be equipped to do the good work of being an ambassador of the King. That's we’re made new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is followed by 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we’re making an appeal that you'll be reconciled to God.” And God wants to use you to help this world come to Christ, to know the grace of God through faith. I'm going to tell you one last story. There's a great preacher, and I'm going to recommend him to you. He's a black preacher. His name is H. B. Charles, Jr., and if you like good preaching, look him up on YouTube. He told a story about a lady who was heartbroken. The reason she was heartbroken was she had received an heirloom from her grandmother. It may have even been passed down from a previous generation, but what it was was very simple. It was a handkerchief, and it had been passed down to her. It was a keepsake and she treasured it. But one day, she spilled a bottle of ink and stained that handkerchief. She was really sad and she was talking to a friend of hers telling what had happened. The friend said, “Send me the handkerchief.” It happens that her friend was an artist. He got the handkerchief, and he didn't tell her what he was going to do. He got the handkerchief, and using the stain of the ink as the starting point, he painted onto the face of that napkin a beautiful image. He made it a work of art. Now, H. B. didn't say what the work of art was, but I'd like to think it was the face of her grandmother. There was a face on the face of that napkin, and what was a mess became a masterpiece. She treasured that now that the stain, the mess, had become a masterpiece. Why do I tell that story? You know why? You and I are like that handkerchief. The bottle of ink has been spilled on us by our sin and our disobedience, our trespasses. We look up, despairing because of the stain, and God in grace looks down and he actually takes those stains and he covers them, and he makes a masterpiece out of our mess. And the name of that is grace. Amazing grace. Would you stand? Let’s sing together.

POP 197 - Sex Gone Wild - Part 2

Power of Purity | Helping Men to Honor God with their Sexual Gift

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 40:47

How about these for examples of SEX GONE WILD? (1) A female Lutheran Pastor who thinks we should do away with the old fashioned teachings of the Bible about sex... because those teachings cause us to have shame... and have hurt our lives. (2) The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has produced a video series on the topic of sex intended for school teachers in the United Kingdom to teach to 9 - 12 year old children. Among many other lessons... these children are being taught that there are now over 100 different gender identities. (3) The news media... including People Magazine and Oprah Winfrey... have announced to the world that men can now have babies! An example of this is a transgender "man"... who was born as a female... who has now had 3 babies. Despite the fact that this person still has ovaries... a womb... XX chromosomes... and has had 3 babies... they're celebrated as a "man" who can now have babies! Talk about... SEX GONE WILD! In this 2 part series Tony explores how SEX inevitably GOES WILD when people reject God's Holy Word... and begin to place their own thoughts... feelings... and preferences above the opinion and voice of God. In Part 1 of this series Tony reviews the craziness of SEX GONE WILD... and in Part 2 he reflects on several Bible passages that help us understand the roots of the dilemma... and what God has to say about... SEX GONE WILD!

god bible men marriage talk sex united kingdom addiction oprah winfrey porn xx pornography adultery masturbation gone wild people magazine intercourse lutheran pastor god's holy word bbc british broadcasting corporation

John 8 King James Bible Reading

Bible Time, Reading the KJV together

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2019 10:36

Reading through John chapter 8 from the Authorized King James Bible. No commentary. Just Truth from God's Holy Word. Thanks for listening and sharing. Find us on Twitter: @KJVBibleTime Instagram : @KJVBibleTime --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bible-time/support

reading john 8 bible readings king james bible god's holy word

John 7 King James Bible

Bible Time, Reading the KJV together

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2019 8:39

Reading through John chapter 7 from the Authorized King James Bible. No commentary. Just Truth from God's Holy Word. Thanks for listening and sharing. Find us on Twitter: @KJVBibleTime Instagram : @KJVBibleTime --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bible-time/support

reading john 7 king james bible god's holy word

POP 196 - Sex Gone Wild - Part 1

Power of Purity | Helping Men to Honor God with their Sexual Gift

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019 29:22

How about these for examples of SEX GONE WILD? (1) A female Lutheran Pastor who thinks we should do away with the old fashioned teachings of the Bible about sex... because those teachings cause us to have shame... and have hurt our lives. (2) The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has produced a video series on the topic of sex intended for school teachers in the United Kingdom to teach to 9 - 12 year old children. Among many other lessons... these children are being taught that there are now over 100 different gender identities. (3) The news media... including People Magazine and Oprah Winfrey... have announced to the world that men can now have babies! An example of this is a transgender "man"... who was born as a woman... who has now had 3 babies. Despite the fact that this person still has ovaries... a womb... XX chromosomes... and has had 3 babies... they're celebrated as a "man" who can now have babies! Talk about... SEX GONE WILD! In this 2 part series Tony explores how SEX inevitably GOES WILD when people reject God's Holy Word... and begin to place their own thoughts... feelings... and preferences above the opinion and voice of God. In Part 1 of this series Tony reviews the craziness of SEX GONE WILD... and in Part 2 he reflects on several Bible passages that help us understand the roots of the dilemma... and what God has to say about... SEX GONE WILD!

god bible men marriage talk sex united kingdom addiction oprah winfrey porn xx pornography adultery masturbation gone wild people magazine intercourse lutheran pastor god's holy word bbc british broadcasting corporation

Gazing into The Mirror of God's Law

Reformed Bible Presbyterian Church

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2019 58:00

James 1-22-25--All our listening, reading, studying, etc is meaningless if we don't, through a living faith, put God's Holy Word into practice in our lives.

mirror gazing god's law god's holy word

Had The Lord Not Been On Our Side

Northcrest Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2019 61:00

Had The Lord Not Been On Our Side Psalm 124 3 Sources of Danger To The Church 1. Angry People 2. Flash Floods 3. Bird Traps This sermon was part of Harvest Night with Dr. Kevin Hamm at Northcrest Baptist Church, 3412 N Hills Street, Meridian, MS, Sunday Night, October 6, 2019, 6pm. Dr. Kevin Hamm is the Senior Pastor at Gardendale First Baptist Church Gardendale, Alabama. Dr. Kevin Hamm has been the Senior Pastor of Gardendale First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Alabama since April 2006. GFBC is committed to passionate worship and anointed preaching of God's Holy Word. The church is consumed with taking the Good News of Jesus across the street and around the world and is consistently among the state leaders in baptisms. Pastor Kevin often says, "God blesses a church that will worship Him in spirit and truth. Celebrative, passionate worship combined with Biblical, anointed preaching is a match made in Heaven!" He previously served nine years as the Senior Pastor of Valley View Church in Louisville, Kentucky which grew dramatically under his leadership. Pastor Kevin has the unique ability to hold an audience's attention by communicating God's Word with tremendous clarity and enthusiastic passion. His preaching schedule includes Evangelism Conferences in Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi. Pastor Kevin has served on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and as President of the Alabama Baptist Pastor's Conference. His articles have been published in Growing Churches, Leadership and Leader Life. He has his B.A. from Western Kentucky University, M. Div. from Mid- America Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married his wife, Kim, in 1987 and they have three daughters: Lindsey, Lauren and Kayla.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Lakeview Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2019 40:00

As we finish up chapter 6 of John we, as did the Apostles ask who else can we go, that holds the only Truth- except Jesus himself- So for all of those who make excuses, for those who do not think that the Bible is God's Holy Word, or that Jesus is not God- then ask, who can you go to, unless you take it to the God of the scriptures-

god jesus christ bible truth apostles god's holy word

#288: "Nobody" by Casting Crowns feat. Matthew West

More Than a Song - Discovering the Truth of Scripture Hidden in Today's Popular Christian Music

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2019 23:14

Every somebody started out as a nobody. Inspired by Casting Crowns' song, "Nobody," I consider the early days of Samuel's life. Even though Samuel was the son of a barren woman who was dedicated to the Lord for a life of service, he still had to GROW from somewhere. Join me as we zero in on Samuel's beginning to see what we can learn from this "nobody" who eventually had two books of the God's Holy Word bear his name. On this episode I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Read in context Study a topic Consider the opposite Consult an outside resource Share with a friend Reading Samuel's story with an eye toward the details of his life...everyone comes from somewhere - 1 Samuel 1-3 Considering the opposite of a nobody Coming to the conclusion that it's out of a life of obedience that Samuel actualizes a life of significance Understanding where Samuel comes from by learning more about his birth and dedication (and ultimately his mother's commitment to God) The idea that Hannah probably passed on her devotion to God to her young son The first time God reveals Himself to Samuel in a personal way - 1 Samuel 3:1-10 The context of Samuel's "world" at that time in history Examining some reasons as to why Samuel and Eli did not immediately recognize the voice of God Recognizing that we are NOT like the Israelites. The Word of the Lord is NOT rare in our time...it is revealed! All we have to do is read it! Additional Resources Lyrics and chords - Praise Charts Behind the song "Nobody" by Casting Crowns - FreeCCM This Week's Challenge Read 1 Samuel 1-3. Spend some time really taking in the context of the world around Samuel's existence. Grab a friend and discuss the details together. Once you've read and re-read the text a few times, it's okay to peek down at your study Bible notes, or seek out a trusted commentary. And the next time you hear God speaking to you, be sure to obey. It may just be like it was for Samuel...more about your obedience and less about the message.

god lord israel bible study scripture israelites examining consult matthew west casting crowns god's holy word

Episode 11 Bringing Bach Back - BWV 113 - Lord Jesus Christ, You Highest Good

Bringing Bach Back

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2019 54:05

Lord Jesus Christ, You Highest Good - A Cantata prepared for The Eleventh Sunday After Trinity. A production of KNNA the Cross Radio. Bringing Bach Back examines the theology and music of Bach Cantatas. This Cantata finds God's salvation earned by Christ on the cross delivered to us through God's Holy Word. The Gospel of this particular cantata is clear and sweet. Cover art - Icon of the Publican and the Pharisee

god jesus christ lord gospel pharisees icon publican highest good god's holy word cross radio bach cantatas

08-25-19

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2019 43:25

Pastor Paul Dyar brings God's Holy Word today.

god's holy word

08-18-19 Mark 10

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2019 39:38

Elisha St. James leads our worship experience and brings God's Holy Word to us today.

mark 10 god's holy word

07-28-19 Another Level of Surrender

surrender pastor paul another level god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2019 38:55

Pastor Paul brings us God's Holy Word.

Satan: He can't touch you! Armor of God, Part 3

Truth On The Go: With Andrea Lennon

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2019 26:00

Andrea and Bethany wrap up their three-part conversation on the Armor of God. The conversation begins with a recap of the individual pieces of God's armor: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Sandals of Peace, Shield of Faith, and Helmet of Salvation. The final two pieces of the armor are discussed: Sword of the Spirit and Prayer. The Sword of the Spirit is God's Holy Word. This is the only piece of the armor that is offensive in nature. We use the Bible to go after the enemy and to slay his lies. The benefit of the Bible is described in Psalm 119. God's Word produces: 1. A blessed life (1-2) 2. A blameless life (9-11) 3. A free life (vs. 45) 4. A peaceful life (vs. 165) The Bible allows us to defensively stand against the lies of the enemy as we offensively move forward by faith! We area called to pray in the Spirit on all occasions! (Eph 6:18) Prayer activates our faith and moves the heart of God in the midst of our circumstances. A balanced prayer life honors God and protects us from living according to a temporary mindset. ACTS Prayer Model Adoration- Praise for Who God is Confession- Confess sin of sin in our life Thanksgiving- Heart of gratitude for all that God has done Supplication- Requests for deliverance and help At the end of the program, Andrea shares about taking her kids to a haunted house and how it ultimately taught her about spiritual warfare. Here is the bottom life: our enemy is real, but he can't touch you. You are protected by the power of God and the Word of God. It is our right as believers in Jesus Christ to walk through life and know, live, and share truth. We are protected by the word of God and armor of God. Daily we can surrender to God's plan and walk in victory and truth!

The Enduring Value of God's Holy Word

Hamilton Square Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2019 48:00

enduring god's holy word

Bringing Bach Back - Episode 5 - BWV 172

With Intrepid Heart Sermons and Bible Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2019 50:01

Resound, you songs, ring out, you strings! - A Cantata prepared for the Celebration of Pentecost . A production of KNNA the Cross Radio. Bringing Bach Back examines the theology and music of Bach Cantatas. A Cantata in which Bach teaches us that the Holy Spirit is every attached to God's Holy Word.

holy spirit celebration pentecost bach cantata resound god's holy word cross radio bach cantatas

Episode 5 Bringing Bach Back - BWV 172 - Resound You Songs! Ring Out You Strings!

Bringing Bach Back

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2019 51:02

Resound, you songs, ring out, you strings! - A Cantata prepared for the Celebration of Pentecost . A production of KNNA the Cross Radio. Bringing Bach Back examines the theology and music of Bach Cantatas. A Cantata in which Bach teaches us that the Holy Spirit is every attached to God's Holy Word.

holy spirit songs celebration pentecost bach strings cantata resound god's holy word cross radio bach cantatas

05-12-19 Elements of Faith

elements bewley god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2019 46:11

Dr. Bewley brings the message to us today from God's Holy Word!

Resurrection Goals

Followers of the Way Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2019 32:23

How are you doing with your "New Year's Resolutions"? We're well into 2019 and, unfortunantly, some of us aren't as "goal oriented" as we were at the beginning of the year. Webster defines a goal as, "the end toward which effort is directed." Last Sunday, as we celebrated our Lord's resurrection, we opened God's Holy Word to the Book of Philippians, chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul shares with us his three goals as a follower of Christ. We see "the end" toward where Paul focused his effort. Pastor Olu challenged us to ensure that our efforts, like Paul, were focused to a very specific end, found in a very specific person. Join us in your copy of God's Word in the book of Philippians, chapter 3 verse 10.

jesus christ lord goals resurrection philippians apostle paul god's word webster god's holy word

The Mystery of the Prince of Greece and the Last Beast Empire Revealed with Ali Siadatan

Deception Detection Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2019 145:31

Ali Siadatan has been a welcomed special guest since very early in the beginning of Deception Detection Radio. His insight is sharp and fresh giving new insight and light to God's Holy Word that never fails to create thought provoking conversations. The Mystery of the Prince of Greece and the Last Beast Empire Revealed will be sure to spark your interest. * "A little bit about Ali Siadatan Ali is the founder of Think Again Productions in Canada. A multimedia teaching ministry shedding light on mysteries and treasures of scriptural knowledge coming from the Lord to this generation…Knowledge which is making the bible more real than ever…just when we thought it was all myth! Evidence keeps agreeing with the bible’s tale…from biblical cities peering through the sand to “alien” abductions and prophetic events, the mysteries of the bible have opened up to our generation in a way no other could see it… In 2006 Think Again Productions released the ground beaking documenatry UFOs Angels & Gods on google video it received 270 thousand views in 9 months."* *Written by Ali Siadatan Thank you for all you do, Team DDRN!!! Keith Spears Josh Stone Jeremy Stone Julie Gabler Tim Kareem Darrin Geisinger Cliff Davis Penny Cachia Hope-Rados Deyn Thaddeus Chauvin Sian Eyre o'Sullivan Yeshua Wins Deborah MacMillan Brent Geddie Carlos A. Velgara Lisa Grant Samantha Winburn Karen Neal Annie Olivo-Champagne Betty Clark Dale Olson Melia White Robert Black Deception Detection Radio Network Deception Detection Radio

BEREAN BIBLE CHAPEL BLOG TALK RADIO BROADCAST

Maranatha Baptist Church, Okinawa, Japan

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2019 120:00

Come Join Brethren-In-Christ as They Gather Together in the Blessed Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ,Led by God's Holy Spirit around God's Holy Word--on Sundays from 5:00PM---7:00PM EASTERN TIME for THE BEREAN BIBLE CHAPEL BLOG TALK RADIO BROADCAST --Join Pastor/Chaplain Bill Herrmann,Host and Brother-In-Christ-CoHost Dave Horner as We Gather Together In Jesus Name---for PRAYER/PRAISE & WORSHIP MUSIC/TESTIMONY TIME/and a BIBLICAL MESSAGE FROM THE SCRIPTURES wherein We Exalt & Magnify Our Risen Savior and Lord,Worship God The Father In Spirit and in Truth---and Preach and Declare the Gospel of God's Grace! Bring Your Bible--Invite a Friend or Family Member and Come and Be Blessed!!!

lord gospel friend truth led preach declare talk radio family members god's grace blogtalkradio radio broadcast be blessed our lord jesus christ berean god's holy spirit bible chapel god's holy word blessed name

The Holy Bible is Almighty God's Holy Word

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2019 40:39

Sunday Morning, 27 Jan 2019 - Pastor Ed Navato

almighty sunday morning holy bible god's holy word

Matthew 2 verses 1-12 The Star That Leads the Way

Sermons From My Heart

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2019 5:55

Wise men, women, boys, and girls are still searching for Jesus. There are people who want to help -- people like pastors and Sunday School teachers. There is no map to help us find Jesus and there is no star to follow, but we do have the Bible. We can find the way to Jesus by reading God's Holy Word! The Bible is the map and star that will lead to Jesus. All of us should read it every day to make sure we are headed in the right direction!

jesus christ bible leads wise verses matthew 2 sunday school god's holy word

5 Vital Facts You Must Know About Your Bible [Ep. 1810]

Ted Shuttlesworth Jr.

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2018 41:22

The Bible is the centerpiece of the Christian religion. It is God's Holy Word. It is the final authority on all matters of faith and morality. In this episode, I want to show you five things that every believer MUST understand about the Bible. When you understand how accurate and authoritative the Bible is, it develops a boldness in your spirit to preach and live your life for Christ with a new fervor! I want to highly recommend our online training courses found at https://www.miraclewordu.com/ Each course is designed to equip you with biblical knowledge that will give you the fuel to overcome in every area of life. Monday Music Mashup playlist on Apple Music: https://apple.co/2o4V9Qs or Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2o2bl5c Sow a seed and help us change this generation before it's too late: http://bit.ly/2B81pjY For more great content, follow me on Instagram: @tedshuttlesworth and Facebook: @MiracleWordMinistries

jesus christ spotify bible vital apple music must know god's holy word

3-18-18 Lent Sermon Series - 4 "Read And Mediate On God's Holy Word"

Lakewood Anglican

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2018 19:26

Sermon Delivered By: The Rev. Sean Templeton Vicar of Lakewood Anglican *We apologize for the bad recording a setting was off

series 4 sermon series mediate god's holy word lent sermon

Exploring Ash Wednesday, Lent, And Palm Sunday

God's Elijah To The Church!!!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2018 37:15

In this month's bimonthly Sermon Selection, I'll be bringing you a message about the triditions surrounding the holidays of Ash Wednesday, Lent, And Palm Sunday. As well as if they are really a part of God's Holy Word!Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=PSWB5QY2KE4GJ)

jesus christ bible palm sunday lent ash wednesday roman catholic god's holy word

Kingdom Perspectives "Hot Topics In our World Today"

Reaching Out Radio International

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2018 116:00

Hello everyone welcome to Reaching out radio where we are reaching out to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ sharing the mesage of the cross into the nations. Tonight on Kingdom Perspectives we're going to talk about DACA, Hollywood Sex Scandals, Florida School Shooting and Guns, Billy Grahams' Passing, President Donald Trump, and VP, Mike Pence. These are just a few of the "hot" topics in today's American culture. We're are going to look at all of there conversations, but this time through the eyes of the Bible, God's Holy Word.

jesus christ american donald trump bible kingdom truth guns biblical reaching perspectives mike pence hot topics daca worldviews world today florida school shooting god's holy word

Jehovah Witnesses 05

Partakers Church Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2017 7:53

Part 5 - Jesus Christ' Resurrection and the Holy Spirit If you look at the principles on which the Movement is built (which I referred to in lesson 4) you will notice a very important fact. With all their teaching, not once do they go directly to the Bible! With every statement they make they first refer to their own books and the Watchtower in particular. What they do in fact is to come to their own conclusions and then back them up from the Bible rather than the other way round! What does this reveal to us? Especially when they say they adhere closely to the Bible but do not accept all of its teaching. Please keep that point in mind as we continue to study the Person and work of Jesus Christ and when we come to see what they say concerning the Person of The Holy Spirit. Yes, I said Person not energy source which they call it. We shall see clearly from Scripture that The Holy Spirit is a Person. A He not an it. 1. What do Jehovah Witnesses believe about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? "There was no bodily resurrection of Christ. He was raised only as a spirit creature. No one knows what happened to his body. The post resurrection appearances of Christ were materialisations in 'different bodies' ""(Reasoning from the Scriptures p334 & 335.) Note the title of their book "Reasoning from the Scriptures". So if we find verses of Holy Scripture that conflict with their 'reasoning' ,which takes preference? Are they not saying that all that is in the Bible is not God's Holy Word to be accepted by faith? Only if it is reasonable to our way of thinking is it to be accepted? Please bear that in mind as we continue. Resurrection of Jesus Christ There is clear testimony of Jesus appearing in human form after his resurrection. Jesus came to his fearful disciples after his resurrection and appears to them. Initially they first could not believe their eyes and supposed they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus assured them he was not a spectre. He said to them "See my hands and my feet that it is I myself, touch me and see, for a spirit (spectre) does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39-40) You cannot touch a ghost but you can a physical body. Much earlier in his ministry Jesus had forecast that He would die and then rise from the dead. Speaking to his enemies who wanted him dead he said "Destroy this temple(body) and I will raise it up" (John 2:12;) If you are saying he was speaking about the physical temple Jesus knew people would think that way so he added these words to clarify what he meant. "But The Temple he spoke of was His body" (John 2:21;) The Bible teaches that the atoning death of Christ and the bodily resurrection of Christ are the two main pillars on which the Christian faith stands. We read in Romans 4:25; "Jesus Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised again for our justification." Again in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1-5 (the great resurrection chapter), a very long chapter ,where Paul makes it abundantly clear that Jesus was raised from the dead and not only Him but all shall be raised from the dead. There in that chapter Paul makes a special point of saying that these two major doctrines are of first importance (verse 3) "That Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. He appeared to Peter and to the twelve and to five hundred on one occasion!!! Jehovah Witnesses say it is not important what happened to the body of Jesus after His resurrection yet the Apostle Paul went to such lengths to prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In John chapter 21 Jesus , following his death and resurrection not only appeared to his disciples by the sea of Tiberius but also provided breakfast for them. Is The Bible true? Every word of it. So why do Jehovah Witnesses deny such clear evidence? Because it conflicts with what they are taught by Jehovah Witness Leaders. And for good measure the resurrected Jesus performed another miracle in causing a great number of fish to come into the nets of Peter and his other fishermen friends. Finally on the day He ascended into Heaven his disciples witnessed the event and were told by two angels as you see Jesus taken up into heaven so one day people will see His descent from heaven in similar fashion. (Acts 1:9-11;) 2. What do Jehovah Witnesses say about The Holy Spirit? It is a very short statement. "The holy spirit is not a person but the invisible force of God, which moves people to do God's will."The Person of The Holy Spirit In Acts 5:1-3 we read the account of a man and wife who lie about a business transaction concerning the sale of some land. Peter having received from God the gift of discernment rebukes them saying "How is it that Satan has so filled your hearts that you have lied to The Holy Spirit...you have not lied to men but to GOD." Further on in the book of Acts in 8:29; The Holy Spirit SPEAKS to Philip giving him instructions and directions in his work as an evangelist as he is brought into contact with the Ethiopian Eunuch. In chapter 13 The Holy Spirit is instrumental in setting apart Barnabas and Saul for a special work of ministry. In Acts 16:17; The Holy Spirit actually prevents Paul and Silas going in one direction and re-routing them in the direction of Europe and Macedonia. Paul then says and these words are so important as to Who The Holy Spirit is.."We concluded that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them" May I again say we are each one responsible to study to show ourselves approved unto God so search The Scriptures and see if not what I have put to you is true. I am a mere mortal but God is immortal and always speaks The Truth. Search the Word diligently and it will reward you with understanding that will bring you great joy , satisfaction and peace. Jesus is God and The Holy Spirit is God and they are joined to a loving Heavenly Father, blessed Trinity. Next time we shall look more closely at the Jehovah Witness translation of the New World Translation and see why it cannot be trusted. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

Star Of Hope Mission - A Moment Of Hope With Dick Druary - God's Holy Word

Star of Hope Mission

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2017 1:26

Hosted by Dick Druary, Director of the Men's Development Center - Star of Hope Mission. A brief inspirational message sure to touch your heart.

director god's holy word hope mission

Sola Scriptura (2 Timothy 3.16-17)

Reforming the Church

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2017 42:07

"Gosh, I wish God would just speak to me, that He'd give me some direction here." Today we consider the second of the five solas, the heart cries of the reformation: Scripture alone, or sola Scriptura. Do you know God's Word? Do you know God? Can you know God apart from His Word? Pastor Burke Parsons of Ligonier Ministries recently tweeted that "The protestant church is in greater need of reformation today than the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century." How far have today's protestant churches drifted from Scripture? Sola Scriptura was the driving force behind the Reformation. Many gave their lives in order to translate or distribute copies of God's Word into various languages so that many could know the Lord through His Word. May our time studying this sola strengthen our love for and dependence upon God's Holy Word.

Roles in Relationships 03-05-2017

Elevation Community Church's Weekly Sermon

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2017 39:23

In part 2 of our "Back to the Basics: Healthy Relationships" series, Pastor Daniel walks us through what scripture says about the roles that make up some of our most important relationships and how they are truly defined according to God's Holy Word.

relationships roles pastor daniel god's holy word

Your Vote Counts for Eternity - PDF

god donald trump politics vote republicans democrats abortion voting eternity clinton god's word counts pastor mike same sex marriages god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2016

Pastor Mike talks about Politics in todays message. The right and freedom that we have to vote is God given and we are instructed in scripture to be concerned and involved in the political process of our government but not be controlled by it. We have the most important election in the history of our nation this week and your vote is very important. You may say, it's only one vote of millions, how can it be that important? We will discover this morning, that God sees and weighs the intents and motives of the hearts of men, and we will be accountable to God's just justice when we stand before Him. If you line your self up and vote for something that is contrary to God's Holy Word understand that God will see your heart and you will be held accountable even if you're only one vote. Your vote will last for eternity so be sure that you understand and that it agrees with God's Word before you cast your vote.

Your Vote Counts for Eternity - Audio

god donald trump politics vote republicans democrats abortion voting eternity clinton god's word counts pastor mike same sex marriages god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2016 45:57

Pastor Mike talks about Politics in todays message. The right and freedom that we have to vote is God given and we are instructed in scripture to be concerned and involved in the political process of our government but not be controlled by it. We have the most important election in the history of our nation this week and your vote is very important. You may say, it's only one vote of millions, how can it be that important? We will discover this morning, that God sees and weighs the intents and motives of the hearts of men, and we will be accountable to God's just justice when we stand before Him. If you line your self up and vote for something that is contrary to God's Holy Word understand that God will see your heart and you will be held accountable even if you're only one vote. Your vote will last for eternity so be sure that you understand and that it agrees with God's Word before you cast your vote.

1 Peter - Faith's Solid Foundation - PDF

holy spirit foundation suffering emotions sin salvation prophet prophecy suffer 1 peter baptized pastor mike solid foundation god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2016

Pastor Mike continues in the study of 1 Peter, verses 8-12. This week we establish our spiritual foundation as being of utmost importance when it comes to understanding what we believe in. The emotional experience of being a Holy Spirit filled and Baptized believer is powerful without question. Yet it's so important that we have a "Solid Foundation" to build upon so that we don't depend on our emotions as our foundation. Emotions can be fleeting and fickle, thus a life of drastic highs and lows, and prime for false teachings. This is what Peter is helping us with today. So listen in and build you life on the foundation of God's Holy Word and all that He is teaching us and then expecting us to follow and build upon.

1 Peter - Faith's Solid Foundation - Audio

holy spirit foundation suffering emotions sin salvation prophet prophecy suffer 1 peter baptized pastor mike solid foundation god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2016 46:17

Pastor Mike continues in the study of 1 Peter, verses 8-12. This week we establish our spiritual foundation as being of utmost importance when it comes to understanding what we believe in. The emotional experience of being a Holy Spirit filled and Baptized believer is powerful without question. Yet it's so important that we have a "Solid Foundation" to build upon so that we don't depend on our emotions as our foundation. Emotions can be fleeting and fickle, thus a life of drastic highs and lows, and prime for false teachings. This is what Peter is helping us with today. So listen in and build you life on the foundation of God's Holy Word and all that He is teaching us and then expecting us to follow and build upon.

Taking It To The Streets: Scoop From The Stoop - Unsung Heroes Of Fatherhood

Spirit Alive Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2016 84:00

MONDAYS ON THE SPIRIT ALIVE NETWORK Taking It To The Streets with Bishop Shirleen Cook Join Me @ 5:00 PM (PST) -7:00 PM (CST) - 8:00 PM (EST) Call: 424-675-8300 THE SCOOP FROM FROM THE SCOOP WITH SISTER TERESA VASSER, Join us as we give honor to all of the unsung heroes of fatherhood. We are praising God for men who are stepping in and stepping up to plate by making themselves meaningful, active, and neccesary in the lives of children that they themselves did not bring into the world. We are going to celebrate as we continue to educate and equip our brothers and sisters by the power of the Holy Spirit through God's Holy Word. Yes, we're giving you more of what your soul is looking for right here on the Spirit Alive Network Taking It To Streets: Mondays @ 5:00 PM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Network Tuesday Teachings: Tuesdays @ 7:00 AM (EST) On The Spirit Alive Ministries Network Tell It Tuesday: Tuesdays @ 11:00 PM (EST) On The Spirit Alive Network The Faith Cafe: Wednesday @ 4:00 PM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Ministries Network Prayer Changes Things: Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Network Walking Wounded: Thursdays @ 7:00 PM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Ministries Network Every Man Standing: Fridays @ 5:00 PM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Network Stories of the Bible: Saturdays @ 9:00 AM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Ministries Network Spirit Alive Praise & Worship: Sundays @ 9:00 AM (PST) On The Spirit Alive Ministries Network

god holy spirit transformation salvation restoration streets fatherhood deliverance scoop unsung heroes stoop god's holy word

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Praise & Worship Blog Talk Radio Broadcast

god spirit kingdom truth worship pray praise kingdom of god risen talk radio blogtalkradio radio broadcast online church berean bible chapel god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2016 116:00

Come Join Brethren In Christ Of Berean Bible Chapel Online Church 5:00PM EST-------7:00PM EST Sunday 17 April 2016 For Blog Talk Radio Broadcast! Prayeer,Praise & Worship Music, Testimony Time,and A Timely Message Challenging & Edifying From God's Holy Word As Jesus Christ Is Preached Crucified,Risen,And Coming Again!!! Come & Worship! Come and Pray! Come and Magnify & Exalt Jesus Christ and God's Holy Word! Worship The Father in Heaven in Spirit and in Truth ! Reach Out To The Lost and Backslidden Wth The Gospel of The Kingdom of God!

Every Man Standing In His Place: The Real Meaning Of Christmas Is Christ

Spirit Alive Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2015 89:00

FRIDAYS ON THE SPIRIT ALIVE NETWORK Every Man Standing In His Place * The Real Meaning Of Christmas* Join Them: Fridays @ 5:00 PM (PST) - 7:00 PM (CST) - 8:00 PM (EST) Call: 424-675-8300 God's Mighty Men of the Round Table are here to share with us what keeping Christ in Christmas means to them. So prepare to be blessed by Pastor Lester Carver, Ministers; Kevin Parks, Isaac Wright, & Anthony Brooks, along with teachers; Supt. Kevin Hinkston, & Pablo Rangel as they bless us with messages about the real meaning of Christmas, and what keeping Christ in Christmas means to them. We are personally committed to bringing to you, our listeners, some of the most anointed preaching, and teaching that you are going to hear this side of the New Jerusalem, because all of us here on the Spirit Alive Network, are here to give God all the glorification and magnification as we bring you relevant information and solutions based on God's Holy Word that will literally transform your faith walk, and change your world.

christmas god jesus christ men transformation salvation standing roundtable deliverance ministers new jerusalem everyman meaning of christmas real meaning supt god's holy word

Taking It To The Streets With Bishop Shirleen Cook- "Sing Hallelujah"

Spirit Alive Network

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2015 100:00

MONDAYS ON THE SPIRIT ALIVE NETWORK Taking It To The Streets with Bishop Cook Join Me: Mondays @ 5:00 PM (PST)-7:00 PM (CST)- 8:00 PM (EST) Call: 424-675-8300 "Sing Hallelujah" with Pastors Kadesta & Ed Prothro-Harris Join me to hear this anointed "power couple" tag team preach and testify to the goodness and greatness of God. Pastor Ed, Pastor Kadesta, and their family are a dynamic combination of gifted musicians, vocalists and preachers and are known for leading high, spirit-filled Praise and Worship experiences. (Adrian, Kenan, Lennon, Richard, Edward Jr. and Essie) and one daughter (Keturah). And for information about this wonderful place of worship please visit their website at mtpisgahamezchurch.org. First, Pastor Kadesta will bring us a word on forgiveness, and then Pastor Ed will bring it on home with his timely message; Followship-Faith vs. Fear as recorded in Ephesians 5 I am personally committed here at Taking It To The Streets to bringing to you, our listeners, some of the most anointed testimonies, preaching, and teaching that you are going to hear this side of the New Jerusalem, because all of us here on the Spirit Alive Network, are here to give God all the glorification and magnification as we bring you relevant information and solutions based on God's Holy Word that will literally transform your faith walk, and change your world. .

god fear worship transformation salvation praise ephesians sing cook streets evangelism deliverance hallelujah new jerusalem kenan keturah god's holy word taking it to the streets

SUNDAY EVENING FELLOWSHIP WITH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

facing trials living the life life of faith god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2015 117:00

You are Invited To Gather In Jesus Blessed Name, Led by The Holy Spirit of God around God's Holy Word, With Brethren-in-Christ for Prayer,Praise & Worship Music ,Testimony and a Message from The Holy Scriptures in these Last Days and End Times that Offers the Gospel of the Kingdom to the Lost and Backslidden. Come and Worship The Father-in-Heaven in Spirit and in Truth,Magnifying and Exalting Our Lord Jesus Christ, Encouraging,Edifying,and Empowering the Saints to Praise The Lord and Reach the Lost and Backslidden. Berean Bible Chapel Preaches Teaches Jesus Christ Crucified,Risen,and Coming Again!!! Bible Believers all across the Globe Are Invited to attend Berean Bible Chapel's Online Church Services!!!

Living the Life of Faith "Facing Trials" Part 3

StanleyMOBC

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2015 30:03

This weeks sermon deals with two special forms of trials. One being rich the other being poor. We will take a look at what the bible God's Holy Word says.

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Services Blog Talk Radio Broadcast

god jesus christ father israel child jewish jerusalem good news flight covenant faithfulness hosea herod matthew 2 flee matthew's gospel god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2015 118:00

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Services are Broadcast on Blog Talk Radio from 5:00pmEST------7:00pmEST----Sunday Evenings----You are Invited to Join The Broadcast and Chat Room as Brethren-in-Christ Gather Together in The Holy & Blessed Name of Jesus Christ,Led By The Holy Spirit of God around God's Holy Word to Worship The Father-in-Heaven in Spirit and in Truth. Join Us for Prayer,Testimony, Praise & Worship Music and a Sermon Message from The Word of God . Join Us as Jesus Christ Our Savior and Lord is Magnified,Exalted,and the Gospel of God is Shared with the Lost in need of Salvation and Redemption,and the Backslidden are Urged to Be Restored. Berean Bible Chapel Online Church is an New Testament End Times Online Church Fellowship that can be found on Facebook. Berean Bible Chapel Preaches & Teaches Jesus Christ Crucified,Risen,and Coming Again! Bible Prophecy,Bible Doctrine,Biblical Preaching and the Gospel Proclaimed....

Out of Egypt (Matthew 2.13-15)

Matthew

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2015 25:55

Matthew continues his proclamation of Good News, primarily to his Jewish born brothers and sisters. This week Matthew tells of another angelic visit to father Joseph in a dream: "flee to Egypt, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy Him." So how would death-threats of Jerusalem's non-Jewish king further reveal Jesus as Israel's true Messiah? Have you ever entered into a covenant? Perhaps you've vowed to be faithful to one in marriage? What is the difference between a contract and a covenant? Which would you prefer God make with you? Matthew has a lot to say in three short verses, borrowing some help from Hosea, 700 years prior. Grab a copy of God's Holy Word and join us in Matthew's Gospel, chapter two, verses 13-15.

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Services

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2015 117:00

Join Brethren-in-Christ Jesus ,Led by The Holy Spirit of God as They Gather Together in Jesus Christ Blessed Name,around God's Holy Word as They Worship The Father-in-Heaven in Spirit and in Truth! You Will Be Edified & Uplifted through Prayer before God's Throne of Grace, Praise & Worship Music, and Godly Christian Fellowship with Brothers-and-Sisters in Christ Jesus. Hear a Sermon Message from God's Word that Magnifies & Exalts Jesus Christ as The Gospel of God is Presented to a Lost & Dying World for Whom Christ Died on the Cross ! Berean Bible Chapel is heard every Sunday Evening and reaches across the Globe with the Agape' Love of Jesus Christ,The Only Begotten Son of The Living God!

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Broadcast

god jesus christ power holy spirit brothers led broadcast risen testimonies holy scripture sharing the gospel online church berean coming again bible chapel god's holy word

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2015 117:00

Join Berean Bible Chapel Brethren Gathering Together in The Blessed & Holy Name of Jesus Christ, Led by The Holy Spirit of God Worshipping The Father in Heaven In the Power of The Holy Spirit and in the Biblical Truth Found in Jesus Christ !!! Prayer, Praise & Worship Music, Testimonies from God's Holy Word, and a Message from The Holy Scriptures from The Holy Spirit of God. Berean Bible Chapel Preaches Jesus Christ Crucifid,Risen,and Coming Again!!! Biblical Preaching & Taching, Biblical Prophecy & Eschatology, Biblical Doctrine, Sharing The Gospel of God to a Lost Humanity in these Last Days & End Times. The Brothers-in-Christ and Sistrs-in-Christ at Berean Bible Chapel Invite You,Your Family & Friends!!!

Berean Bible Chapel Online Church Service

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2015 118:00

Join Us as Brethren-in-Christ Gather Together in the Blessed Name of Jesus,Led by The Holy Spirit of God around God's Word to Worship The Father in Heaven in the Power of The Holy Spirit and in the Truth Found in the Only Begotten Son of God. We will Have Prayer,Testimony from God's Holy Word,Praise & Worship Music,and Preaching & Teaching Jesus Christ Crucified,Risen,and Coming Again. Join Us as We Magnify & Exalt Jesus Christ Our Savior & Lord

god jesus christ power holy spirit testimony led risen god's word brethren church services online church berean coming again only begotten son bible chapel god's holy word blessed name

Holiness - Legalism or Holy Conviction? - Audio