Podcasts about god salvation

Listen to the Message From Sunday, March 9, 2025 "New Creation Realities", Part Two: "All Things of God"   Summary: "All Things of God" – Firm Foundation Inspiration Minute #161 This talk emphasizes the biblical truth that when a person is in Christ, they become a new creation—old things pass away, and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). The speaker highlights that believers do not have a “timeshare” relationship with God; rather, He owns our entire lives because He has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. Key points include: Total Ownership by God: Salvation, blessings, grace, and provision all come from Him. Believers belong fully to God, as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. The Price of Redemption: Jesus gave His whole life to save us, so in return, we should fully dedicate ourselves to Him. Understanding Our New Creation: The greatest blessings, purpose, and provision come when we accept that we belong to God and trust Him fully.

What are the essential beliefs every Christian must hold? In this episode of The FORGE Truth Podcast, Dr. Pete Alwinson, Bishop Jayson Quiñones, and producer Zach tackle one of the most foundational questions of faith: What is essential for salvation, and what is essential for living as a mature believer?They explore topics like:• The difference between being saved and being a growing Christian• The role of Scripture as the ultimate authority• The Trinity and the nature of God• Salvation by grace through faith – and the dangers of both legalism and hyper-grace• How to have fellowship with believers who differ on non-essentialsThe guys break down key doctrines using Scripture, historical creeds, and practical wisdom. Whether you're new to faith or a seasoned believer, this conversation will challenge and equip you to grow in Christ.Subscribe, Like & Share this episode to help spread the word and build up great men as God defines greatness!

Sermon Series: The Plan of God Sunday morning sermon with Pastor Gary Clouse from Valley Community Church in El Monte, CA. Note: This message is available in both audio and video formats on our website. Notes are also available in PDF format.

Be The Church Church members should be Unity Makers Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Acts 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Church Members Should be Unity Makers Unity Maker: What is it? Being Together in One Accord John 17:21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Us togther with you Unity Maker: Why do We Need It? Live out God's for us as a church. Unity Maker: What Can I Do About It? Unified with God (Salvation), and continued repentance Unified in doctrine. Discuss our ideas, differences and all Unified in service. Sacrifice the time to serve inside our gifts Unity Maker: What Difference Will It Make? You grow We grow The church grows stronger and more effective How can I help them remember? Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! Great Wall of China story: China invaded three times after completion of the wall. Found the workers at the gates had been paid off. Without unity in purpose, we will fail. It is time that we individually and collectively begin to seek God for unity in our lives and in his church.

Send us a textFor an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free  for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessIntroduction:Welcome back to TBPDP, where we explore biblical principles and their relevance to contemporary life.Today's episode continues from last time, focusing on Acts 10:24-48, where the message of God's salvation is revealed to be open to all people.Recap:Briefly recap the first part of the story where Cornelius, a Gentile, receives a vision and sends for Peter, who also has a vision about unclean animals, symbolizing the inclusion of Gentiles.Act Three: The Meeting and the MessageVerses 23-24: Peter travels with some believers from Joppa to Caesarea, where Cornelius has gathered his relatives and friends in anticipation of Peter's arrival.Verses 25-26: Upon meeting, Cornelius falls at Peter's feet in reverence, but Peter quickly corrects him, emphasizing that he is only a man.Key Verses and Themes:Verse 28: Peter addresses the gathering, acknowledging that it is against Jewish law for him to associate with Gentiles but reveals that God has shown him not to call anyone impure or unclean. This verse highlights the breaking of barriers between Jews and Gentiles, signifying the universal nature of God's salvation.Verse 34: Peter declares that God shows no partiality, accepting anyone who fears Him and does what is right, regardless of nationality.Peter's Message:Verses 36-43: Peter preaches about Jesus Christ, emphasizing His life, miracles, death, and resurrection.Verse 36: Peace comes through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.Verse 40: God raised Jesus on the third day, witnessed by chosen apostles.Verse 43: Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through His name.The Holy Spirit's Confirmation:Verses 44-46: While Peter is still speaking, the Holy Spirit falls on all who hear the message, and they begin speaking in tongues, astonishing the Jewish believers with Peter. This event mirrors Pentecost, confirming that Gentiles are also recipients of the Holy Spirit and God's salvation.Baptism and Inclusion:Verses 47-48: Peter commands that the new believers be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, cementing their inclusion in the faith community. The sequence shows that belief and receiving the Holy Spirit precede baptism, emphasizing faith as the key to salvation.Applications and Observations:Universal Salvation: God's message of salvation is inclusive, breaking down ethnic and cultural barriers.Role of Human Messengers: God uses human instruments like Peter to spread the messageFaith Meets Academia Transform faith-based values into personal growth, career success and academic excellence.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

Send us a textFor an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free  for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessToday, we look at Acts 10:1-23, a pivotal chapter in the New Testament that shatters centuries-old barriers and opens the floodgates of grace to the entire world.In this episode, we witness Cornelius, a Roman centurion who is devout and God-fearing, receive a vision from God instructing him to seek out Peter. Simultaneously, Peter, a devoted Jew, has a vision that challenges his deeply held beliefs about purity and the Gentile world. When these two men meet, it is more than a clash of cultures; it's a divine appointment that redefines the scope of God's kingdom. Peter proclaims the gospel, and the Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius and his household, erasing all distinctions between Jew and Gentile.Study NotesOverview:Introduction to Cornelius:Cornelius is a centurion in the Italian Regiment, living in Caesarea, a Gentile city. Despite being a Gentile, he is described as devout and God-fearing, known for his generosity and regular prayers.Cornelius receives a vision from an angel of God instructing him to send for Peter, who is staying in Joppa.Cornelius Calls for Peter:Cornelius obeys the vision and sends two of his servants and a devout soldier to Joppa to find Peter.Peter's Vision:As Cornelius's men are on their way to Joppa, Peter has a vision of a sheet descending from heaven, filled with all kinds of animals, both clean and unclean according to Jewish dietary laws.A voice tells Peter to kill and eat the animals, but Peter objects, having never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice responds, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." This happens three times, emphasizing the importance of the message.  Peter is left wondering about the vision's meaning when Cornelius's men arrive.Peter's Obedience:The Holy Spirit instructs Peter to go with the men without hesitation. Peter meets them and learns about Cornelius's vision.Key Themes:God's Impartial Love: The visions given to Cornelius and Peter illustrate that God's love and salvation are available to all people, regardless of their cultural or religious background.Breaking Barriers: Peter's vision challenges the deeply entrenched Jewish beliefs about purity and the separation from Gentiles. God is making it clear that the old divisions are no longer valid in the new covenant.Application:Inclusiveness of the Gospel: We are reminded that the gospel is for everyone, and we should not let cultural or societal barriers prevent us from sharing God's love.Obedience to God's Call: Both Cornelius and Peter show obedience to God's direction, even when it challenges their understanding. We, too, should be open to God's leading, even when it takes us out of our comfort zones.Seeking God: Cornelius is an example of a true seeker of God, illustrating that God will make Himself known to those who earnestly seek Him.For further reflection, download our study notes and questions from our website or the Patreon Page.Support the showJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

MACHIAS COMMUNITY CHURCH Understanding God, Salvation, and Life Using The Light of The Covenants Matthew 26:26-29 TIM HENLE, PASTOR

Sermon by Pastor Trevor on 10/13/2024

Salvation is a GIFT of God Salvation is a gift of God. (Ephesians 2: 9) We cannot work for it.  We cannot earn it in any way.  So who is God's gift of salvation really for? Is it for the people who are religious? Is it for the people who know the bible well or for the person who thinks they are… The post The Telltale Sign of Sinner and Saint, Part 2 | Salvation is for you too appeared first on Pillar of Truth Radio.

## Introduction - Technical Delays: The speaker begins with an apology for the delay in the podcast, citing technical upgrades to internet and phone systems. - Scripture Reading: The session starts with a reading from Galatians and Colossians, emphasizing deliverance from darkness and translation into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. ## Understanding the Kingdom of God - Deliverance from Darkness: The speaker highlights the importance of being delivered from the power of darkness and entering the Kingdom of God's dear Son. - Promises of God: The Bible promises ranging from 3000 to 8800 are mentioned as accessible to believers for partaking in God's divine nature. ## Relationship with God - Adam's Dominion: Historical context from Genesis chapter three is discussed, detailing Adam's dominion and how it was lost due to disobedience and deceit by Lucifer. - Redemption and Restoration: Jesus' role in reclaiming the lost dominion and power by dying for humanity's sins is emphasized. ## Insights from Additional Texts - Apocryphal Texts: The speaker mentions extra-biblical books like Jubilees, Jasher, and Enoch to provide additional context and details about historical events and spiritual teachings. - Spiritual Control and Fear: The Kingdom of darkness is controlled by fear, lies, and deceit. The importance of understanding the nature of the adversary, Lucifer, and his tactics is underlined. ## Faith and Promises - Faith as a Requirement: Accessing God's promises requires faith. Biblical instances of individuals like Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood are cited as examples. - Personal Development: The importance of personal development through faith, perseverance, and brotherly love is discussed. ## Kingdom Benefits - Spiritual Authority: The power and authority reclaimed by Jesus and transferred to believers are discussed. Believers can exercise authority over sickness, financial needs, and other areas of life. - Prosperity Preachers: A critique of prosperity preachers who exploit followers is provided, contrasting their approach with genuine faith-based living. ## Practical Spiritual Living - Community and Study: Encouraging viewers to form Bible study groups, engage with friends and family to explore the benefits of God's kingdom more deeply. - Viewer Engagement: Inviting viewers to suggest topics and questions for future discussions to foster collective spiritual growth. ## Conclusion - Commitment to Future Teachings: The speaker reiterates the importance of studying the benefits of the Kingdom of God and promises future teachings on related topics. - Final Appeals: Encouragement to live by faith and be conscious of spiritual responsibilities and blessings.

     The gospel is the good news that addresses the bad news of human sinfulness and separation from a holy God. Despite our helplessness and deserving of eternal punishment, God's solution is the gospel of grace, which reveals Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself, died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. Salvation from eternal damnation is a free gift offered to all who trust in Christ alone, which emphasizes God's infinite grace rather than our human effort. This ultimate gift, paid for by Jesus's sacrifice, underscores the Bible's message that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23), highlighting God's generosity and the completeness of Christ's work on the cross. God is Holy      The Bible reveals God is holy. God declares of Himself, “I am holy” (Lev 11:44), the psalmist says, “holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9), and the Seraphim declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3). In her prayer, Hannah said, “There is no one holy like the LORD” (1 Sam 2:2). In these verses, the word “holy” translates the Hebrew word qadōsh (קָדוֹשׁ), which, according to James Swanson, refers “to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities.”[1] God's holiness is closely linked with His righteousness, justice, and perfection. Holiness denotes moral purity. J. Carl Laney states, “When we say ‘God is holy,' we mean He is totally separated from all that is unholy, defiling, or contrary to His nature. God's holiness is unique and distinctive in that it is without any contamination or impurity.”[2] Because God is absolutely holy, it is written, “no evil dwells with You” (Psa 5:4), “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Evil is any thought, word, or act that is contrary to the character and will of God. According to Merrill F. Unger, moral evil “is the failure of rational and free beings to conform in character and conduct to the will of God.”[3]George Howley states, “God is separate from all evil and is in no way responsible for it…[and] It can only be attributed to the abuse of free-will on the part of created beings, angelic and human.”[4] Evil originates in the heart (Gen 6:5; Zech 8:17), is part of our nature (Matt 7:11), and results in evil actions (Neh 13:17; Prov 24:8; 1 Pet 3:12).[5] According to Scripture, “the LORD is righteous and He loves righteousness” (Psa 11:7). There is a time when “He is coming to judge the earth; and He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psa 96:13), and He will “judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1). Everyone is a Sinner      Sin is the failure to conform to God's perfect righteousness. Scripture reveals we are sinners “in Adam” (Rom 5:12-13; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Psa 51:5; Jer 17:9; Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), sinners by choice (Eccl 7:20; Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8, 10), born as “sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2), and are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). The Bible reveals “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Ki 8:46), and “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20). Isaiah wrote, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa 53:6a). Paul stated that we “are all under sin” (Rom 3:9), and “there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom 3:10), for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). James wrote, “we all stumble in many ways” (Jam 3:2a), and John declared, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). This means everyone stands guilty before God. Good Works Do Not Save      Good works have no saving merit before God. Isaiah wrote, “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa 64:6a). Paul wrote, “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), for “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness” (Tit 3:5a). Though human good works may have value in the sight of other people, they have absolutely no saving merit in God's sight. None at all! The Solution of the Cross      We are helpless to save ourselves, but God made a way, and this because He loves us and desires our salvation. He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We're told, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). Nearly 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to take upon Himself humanity (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1; 14; Heb 10:5), to be free from sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5) and to live a perfectly righteous life. Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38; cf., John 7:29; 8:29; Gal 4:4). Jesus was sent by the Father to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), for “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).      Jesus willingly went to the cross and paid our sin-debt (John 10:18). His death was a penal substitutionary sacrifice for us, as the Son of Man came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Peter said, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). His death on the cross was for all sins for all time, for “the death that He died, He died to sin once for all” (Rom 6:10), He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Because of Jesus' death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). There's nothing for us to add to Jesus' work on the cross. Having paid our sin debt in full on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), and then He died.      After Jesus died for our sins, He was buried in a grave, and raised on the third day, as Scripture reveals (1 Cor 15:3-4). And “Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). After Jesus's resurrection, He was seen alive by hundreds of people (1 Cor 15:5-8), and those eye witnesses provided a written record of what they saw and heard (Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30-31; 2 Pet 1:16-18). God's offer of salvation is available for everyone. The Bible speaks of “God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3b-4), who has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).      The cross is God's righteous solution to the problem of sin, as well as His greatest display of love toward sinners. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save. If someone perishes eternally, it is because they failed to respond to God and His drawing them to Himself (John 3:18; 5:39-40; Acts 7:51). All who end up in the lake of fire are there by personal choice, not because God failed to love them or make provision for their eternal salvation.      Once we hear the good news about what Christ accomplished for us, we are asked to place our faith in Him, to “Believe in the Lord Jesus” for salvation (Acts 16:31). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire. Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the gift of God. Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing, but is open to receive that which is offered by another. No payment is required by us to receive it. Christ alone saves. No one else can save us, including ourselves. Salvation is a Free Gift from God      Salvation is a gift from the Lord. It is the most precious gift ever offered. And though the gift was very expensive to God, it is absolutely free to us. The precious gift of our salvation was paid in full by the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, who hung between heaven and earth and paid our sin-debt. According to God's Word, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The words “free gift” translate the Geek noun charisma (χάρισμα) which, according to BDAG, refers to “that which is freely and graciously given, favor bestowed, gift.”[6] And Joseph Thayer defines it as “a gift of grace; a favor which one receives without any merit of his own.”[7] Paul, when writing to the Christians at Ephesus, said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9; cf., Rom 4:4-5; Tit 3:5). To say we are saved by grace means our salvation is unearned and undeserved in any way. God's gift of salvation is totally apart from any good works we may produce, and since good works do not save, bad works cannot unsave (though they can bring divine discipline). A gift focuses on the graciousness of the giver, whereas a reward focuses on the work of the recipient. Salvation is NOT a reward for work we've accomplished; rather, it is a free gift from God and based totally on the finished work of Christ. We pay nothing. Jesus paid it all.      The realization that salvation is offered freely, based solely on the perfect work of Jesus on the cross, offers profound relief to the person who has been laboring under the yoke of a works-based system. Those who operate under a works-based system of salvation will never reach a place of certainty in their relationship with God, for they will never know whether they have done enough to gain entrance into heaven. But the truth that salvation is a grace-gift from God, received by faith alone, liberates those who accept it. When properly grasped, God's gospel of grace alleviates the pressure to perform and the fear of falling short and brings a deep sense of peace and joy, knowing our salvation is secure, not because of our own efforts, but because of Christ's finished work. Peace comes when we look to Christ and the promises of Scripture and not ourselves. This gospel of grace message transforms our relationship with God from one of fear and striving to one of gratitude and love, as the focus moves from what we must do to what Christ has already done on our behalf. This grace-based approach encourages us to live out our faith from a place of thankfulness rather than obligation, resulting in a more authentic and joyful Christian life. The Benefits of the Cross      At the moment of faith in Christ, the benefits of the cross are applied to us. Scripture reveals we are forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), given “eternal life” (John 5:24; 10:28; Rom 6:23), the “gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1), become “children of God” (John 1:12; Gal 3:26), are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24), are “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), and are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). Furthermore, as Christians, we are among those “whose names are in the book of life” (Phil 4:3). As a result, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). We will never experience the lake of fire. Never. As Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). Good Works Should Follow Salvation      To be eternally saved, the only condition is faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:14; 16:31). That's all. Once saved and justified in God's sight, the Lord expects us to submit to Him in total obedience in all areas of life (Matt 28:20; Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), and to learn His Word in order to live His will in every particular (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2).      After salvation-justification, the Lord directs us to begin a lifelong journey of faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and to “press on to maturity” (Heb 6:1). This glorifies God, edifies others, and results in the best life possible in this world. Good works is what God expects of His people. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). Paul wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10). The Lord instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:12) and to be “zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14). We agree with Paul who wrote, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10). God clearly calls His people to a life of obedience and good works. There is no question about this. The Scriptures are plain on the matter, instructing us, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). It is never the will of God that we sin; however, when we sin (and there is no Christian who does not sin), it is always His will that we handle it biblically by means of confession (1 John 1:9), which always results in forgiveness and restoration of fellowship. If we fail to walk in regular obedience to the Lord, we are subject to divine discipline in time (Heb 12:5-11), and loss of rewards in eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Though believers may turn from the Lord and pursue a life of sin, these will also experience divine punishment, even to the point of physical death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16-17), but will not forfeit their salvation, which is not possible (John 10:28).      In summary, salvation is free. The Lord Jesus purchased it for us on the cross, and He offers it without cost to those who place their trust in Him. It is freely offered and freely received, and there's nothing for us to pay. That's grace. Our justification before God is a one-and-done event that happens at the moment of faith in Christ. Good works are not a prerequisite, corequisite, or postrequisite to salvation. That is, beyond simple faith in Christ, nothing is required of us before, during, or after we believe in Him as our Savior. We are saved by grace alone (we don't deserve it), through faith alone (not by works), in Christ alone. Good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:10), but they are never the condition of it.      Once saved, God calls us to a lifelong process of sanctification. Sanctification is the life we live after being justified, and this process continues until we leave this world, either by death or rapture. The sanctified life requires us to learn and live God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and make ongoing good choices to stay on the path of God's will. Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] James Swanson, “קָדוֹשׁ”, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [2] J. Carl Laney Jr., eds. Charles Swindoll and Roy Zuck, “God is Holy”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 188. [3] Merrill Frederick Unger, “Evil” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 382. [4] George Howley, “Evil,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 349. [5] To be evil means we conform ourselves to Satan's world-system (1 John 2:15-16), and that we, by default, are self-centered and not God-centered. To be righteous means we are conformed to God's character and will, both in a salvific and sanctified way. [6] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1081. [7] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 667.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao   ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT   This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/   Dr. Emily Qureshi-Hurst is Stipendiary Lecturer in Philosophy at Oriel College and a Junior Research Fellowship at Pembroke College, University of Oxford. She completed a D.Phil at the University of Oxford in Science and Religion (2021). Her thesis examined the theoretical support for a B-theory of time provided by special and general relativity, and re-interpreted Paul Tillich's doctrine of salvation in light of this metaphysical temporal model. She is the author of God, Salvation, and the Problem of Spacetime.   In this episode, we focus on God, Salvation, and the Problem of Spacetime. We start by talking about the metaphysics of time, and we go through how ancient and medieval philosophers understood time, the link between time and theology, and how people think about time nowadays. We discuss how physics relates to metaphysics, and how spacetime relates to theology. We explore questions related to the nature of God, human salvation, and resurrection. Finally, we discuss whether science and theology can be reconciled. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, OLAF ALEX, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, CHARLES MOREY, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, ERIK ENGMAN, LUCY, YHONATAN SHEMESH, MANVIR SINGH, AND PETRA WEIMANN! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, AND NICK GOLDEN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Scholars say that Charles Dickens wrote his most famous work to to alert people to the terrible plight of England's poor, especially poor children.I say that he wrote it to tell a story of salvation. This week's Bible passage: Matthew 16:24-27 Podcast resource: 52 Weeks of Strength for Men (ebook, paperback, study guide)Other resources:Chris Bolinger's other devotional: Daily Strength for MenMike Hatch's book: Manhood: Empowered by the Light of the GospelRelational men's discipleship programs: CLC

On today's Equipping You in Grace show, Dave considers the peace of God and our salvation, the meaning and purpose of practical peace with God, union with Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.What you'll hear in this episodeThe peace of God and our salvation.The meaning and purpose of practical peace with God.The meaning and purpose of union with Christ.The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian.Subscribing, sharing, and your feedbackYou can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you've heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show). You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook, or via email to share your feedback.Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!

A new MP3 sermon from Servants of Grace Ministries is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Peace of God: Salvation and Practical Peace For All of Life Subtitle: Equipping You in Grace Video Speaker: Dave Jenkins Broadcaster: Servants of Grace Ministries Event: Podcast Date: 1/22/2024 Length: 36 min.

Romans 1:16-17

Romans 1:16-17

In this episode, we look at the phrase "Salvation belongs to the Lod or God" Salvation is the possession of God and he gave it over to Jesus according to "Hebrews 5:9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him". And when someone rejects Jesus he is rejecting God's salvation and there is not hope for that person. Revelation 7:10Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”Revelation 19.1After this, I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…"The Greek is saying that salvation, glory, and power are the possession of God.Psalm 3:7-8Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. SelahJonah 2:9But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.Titus 2:11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,Acts 28:28Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”Romans 1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.Acts 16:31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”John 3:36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.Hebrews 5:9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.Romans 10:9-10Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved.John 3:17-21For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”Isaiah 44:22I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.Acts 2:21And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'Psalm 60:5That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!Psalm 25:5Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you, I wait all the day long.Psalm 37:39The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the times of trouble.Ephesians 2:8For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VIDEO  VERSION OF PODCASTOur series - "the Book of Mormon is not Mormonism",  looks at what the book actually says versus additional teachings and traditions of the church. This episode continues to focus on Salvation.  We look at the warning to us for polluting the word of God. Show notes and powerpointhttp://www.restoredgospel.com/PODCAST...Contact us at:restoredgospelpodcast@gmail.com#thefullnessofthegospel, #salvation, #thebookofmormonisnotmormonismContact us:restoredgospelpodcast@gmail.comMusic by Michael Barrett

This Sunday, Pastor Nathan continues our series on By the Grace of God, with a message on, “Salvation”. Notes can be found in the YouVersion app under Events. (Available for a week only, so click “save” if you want for later.)To learn more about Thrive and to see all our upcoming events visit our website:https://www.livewithpurpose.church/SOCIALS:ThriveCCAthensFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThriveCCAthens/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thriveccathens/GIVING:Giving Online: https://www.livewithpurpose.church/giveGiving By Mail: 610 ½ Old Tyler Highway Athens, Texas 75751You were made to thrive.

A message by Pastor Brian Childs. Part of our "Rest Assured" series.

“For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) One week before Passover, Jesus entered the bustling city of Jericho and encountered Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax col... More...

What is joy? Where can I find it? How can I develop it?There are nine Hebrew words translated as “joy” in the Old Testament. They describe: A deep feelingTaking delight in someone or somethingJoyfulness that accompanies musicTaking pleasure in somethingShouting for joyWhere Do I Find Joy?There are two kinds of joy: Temporal and EternalTemporal joy is found in the world. Temporal joy is not all bad. However, it will never bring lasting satisfaction (Eccl 2:1-2). And certainly, sin is enjoyable for a season (Heb 11:24-25), but the consequences are significant (Gal 6:7). Temporal joy is found in the world.Joy for today and forever is experienced only in Jesus.Temporal joy is circumstantial.Eternal joy is positional.DEVELOPING JOY1. Engage daily in God'sWord in a meaningful way. 2. Engage daily in meaningful prayer.3. Obedience4. Trials5. Focus on JesusWhat was the joy of the cross? The joy of doing the Father's will (Obedience).The joy of providing the way to God (Salvation). The joy of paying sin's penalty once and for all (Substitutionary Atonement).The joy of defeating death and Satan (Resurrection).The joy of celebrating his completed work (Exaltation). The joy of living in us through the Holy Spirit (Indwelling Presence). The joy of his return (Second Advent).The joy in presenting us blameless us to the Father (Justification: Declared not guilty and righteous). Joy for today and forever is experienced only in Jesus.---------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!

Jesus feeds the five thousand—He walks on the sea—He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat His flesh and drink His blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah. The post John 6 appeared first on Sacred Text Daily.

Despite the clear teaching of Scripture, a recent survey from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research reveals that approximately half of evangelicals believe that God learns and adapts to various situations, meaning that they believe that God does change. This may indicate the influence of open theism (which denies God’s complete knowledge of future events) and may also indicate a lack of clear, biblical teaching on the character of God in evangelical churches. On Tuesday's Mornings with Eric and Brigitte, Dr. Mark Turman, Executive Director of the Denison Forman joins us to discuss the findings of this research survey on Americans belief in God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Righteousness is credited by faith alone: Romans 3:22, 26, 28, 4:3, 5, 6, 8 Embedded in the fallen human heart is the idea that we can do something to commend ourselves to God Salvation doesn't come through religious rituals or the Law, but through God crediting righteousness through faith alone The blessing of salvation doesn't come through keeping religious rituals, but through God crediting righteousness to us through faith alone (4:9-12) God credits righteousness to the ungodly sinner who believes in Jesus Christ Abraham was circumcised 14 years after he believed God in Gen 15:6 The Jews must enter through the gate of Gentile faith apart from circumcision Religious rituals serve as signs and seals of the reality that comes through faith in Christ A sign is not the real thing, but it points to the reality Circumcision, baptism, and the Lord's Supper are all signs A seal authenticates or attests to the reality of something Circumcision, baptism, and the Lord's Supper are all seals Salvation doesn't come through keeping the Law, but through God crediting righteousness to us through faith alone (4:13-15) If you seek to be justified by keeping the law, you make faith void and you nullify God's promises If you mix human works with God's grace, then grace is no longer grace If you seek to be justified by keeping the law, rather than gaining the blessing of salvation, you actually incur God's wrath There are two and only two possible eternal futures for every person: Either you are an heir of the world as a true descendant of Abraham (v. 13) Or you are an heir of wrath as one who sought to be right with God by keeping the Law (v. 15)

Last week, Dustin Quick invited me onto his podcast, "Holy Smokes: Cigars, Catholicism, and Conversation" to talk about one of my most favorite things: Theosis. We talked for almost two hours and could have gone on longer. It was a blast. He's graciously letting me share the conversation in the Pope Francis Generation feed as well. Enjoy this bonus episode and be sure to check out Dustin's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/etruth1 ABOUT DUSTIN QUICK In 2020, Dustin Quick, a convert from Protestantism and Islam, started a podcast called Holy Smokes: Cigars, Catholicism, and Conversation on YouTube. Dustin seeks to show how the Church is the restoration and fulfillment of the First Temple in Jerusalem - everything from the Liturgy, to Mariology, to the Papacy. He also delves into church history, apologetics, and contemporary church issues. Thus far, Dustin's guests have included folks like Brant Pitre, Mike Aquilina, John Bergsma, Margaret Barker, Tim Staples, Jimmy Akin, Scott Hahn, Matt Fradd, Michael Lofton, Paul Fahey, and many more! Dustin's channel can be found at www.youtube.com/etruth1 ABOUT POPE FRANCIS GENERATION Pope Francis Generation is the show for Catholics struggling with the Church's teaching, who feel like they might not belong in the Church anymore, and who still hunger for a God of love and goodness. Hosted by Paul Fahey, a professional catechist, and Dominic de Souza, someone who needs catechesis. Together, we're taking our own look at the Catholic Church– her teachings and practices- from 3 views that changed our world: the Kerygma, the forgotten doctrine of theosis, and the teachings of Pope Francis. Together, with you, we're the Pope Francis Generation. SUPPORT THIS SHOW: This show is brought to you by Pope Francis Generation, a project to explore Catholicism inspired by Pope Francis. Founded by Paul Fahey, you can follow the newsletter, join the group, and become a supporting member. Your donations allow us to create the resource you're enjoying now as well as much more. Paid subscribers get to watch each episode before everyone else, join private Q&As, and pitch ideas for future episodes! Check out: popefrancisgeneration.com ABOUT PAUL FAHEY Paul lives in Michigan with my wife, Kristina, and four kids. He's a catechist, retreat leader, counseling student, as well as a contributor and co-founder of Where Peter Is. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popefrancisgeneration/message

Sovereignty of God - Salvation by grace alone

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 (This Is The Will Of God: Salvation) - Nate Crew by CityLight Church

Jesus feeds the five thousand—He walks on the sea—He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat His flesh and drink His blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah. The post John 6 appeared first on Sacred Text Daily.

“Take the helmet of salvation…” Ephesians 6:17In this episode, we reflect on what we see through out scripture about salvation. We continually see that the Lord is often called our salvation, and we spend time considering what it may look like to give the Lord that title in our every day lives. Together we ponder: What are we calling our salvation in this life? Are we depending on anything or anyone else other than God to bring us life everlasting? Follow Ponderwell on InstagramPonderwell Website

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of ...

In this episode, Caleb and Jeff once again, get an opportunity to discuss the Bible, and specifically, salvation. Just like many of these other topics, the world views this one so differently than how the Bible shows it. Listen in and learn about true salvation, and what it can do for you. Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org and remember to subscribe to our email list. "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_scattered_abroad_network/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnWEDTTNFe-LBsbOrIBcsA Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in anyway, please reach out to us through this email. Don't forget about our sponsorship/giveaway for the month. Head on over to our joint podcast (Scattered Abroad) and find out what you need to do in order to win.

In this episode, Caleb and Jeff once again, get an opportunity to discuss the Bible, and specifically, salvation. Just like many of these other topics, the world views this one so differently than how the Bible shows it. Listen in and learn about true salvation, and what it can do for you. Visit our website: www.scatteredabroad.org and remember to subscribe to our email list. "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_scattered_abroad_network/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWnWEDTTNFe-LBsbOrIBcsA Contact us through email at: thescatteredabroadnetwork@gmail.com. If you would like to consider supporting us in anyway, please reach out to us through this email. Don't forget about our sponsorship/giveaway for the month. Head on over to our joint podcast (Scattered Abroad) and find out what you need to do in order to win.

Eccelesiastes 5:10-20, Psalm 119:9-16, Hebrews 4:1-16, Mark 10:23-31

My friend what is holding you back from having a close and personal relationship with your Heavenly Father? Our time on earth isn't forever, friend, make good with God now only in Jesus can you and I be saved! Be bless! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In times where we feel lost and not on the right path, we often seek counsel from God. As people on spiritual journeys, we are often revered as those who went off the path and strayed away from God. And while that may be true for many, I don't think it is true for those who truly balance their trinity (mind, body and spirit).

If linking from the Twitter feed, click the little POD icon right below the date to listen Subscribe at iTunes, search Istrouma Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Jun 13, 2021 ========== June 13 | Amen Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org.   We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo June 13, 2021  | Jeff Williams "Forgive Me" Matthew 6:9-15 ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9-13‬‬ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. God... I worship You I surrender to You I need You Forgive me Protect me Forgiveness of sin is necessary for a relationship with a perfect God Salvation provides eternal forgiveness from a just God Confession focuses on our daily relationship with God the father ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬‬ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. A person with a forgiving heart recognizes the severity of their sin A person with a forgiving heart understands the magnitude of Gods grace Meet Pastor Tim Keith We're excited to announce that Istrouma members voted to affirm Tim Keith for the position of senior pastor! Please click the link below to learn more about Tim and his family. https://istrouma.org/meetpastortim Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? Click here to add your name to our mailing list: https://istrouma.org/email Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

The Story of God—Salvation & Eternity in ONE Podcast! Dude—strap in and prepare to be ROCKED UP FOR JESUS! In this episode Pastor Brad Windlan, 80s Christian metal recording artist and teaching pastor Rocks You Up with an inspirational Bible teaching, wrapped in a classic, 80s Christian Metal Vibe! Each episode ends with a Pastor Brad 80s Christian metal song! Become a PATREON https://www.patreon.com/pastorbradrocks WEBSITE: http://www.pastorbradrocks.net & http://www.guitarjams.net FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pastorbradrocks YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/pastorbrad1985 If you enjoy Christian metal and encouraging teaching from the Bible you will love the Pastor Brad Rocks Podcast. The Pastor Brad Rocks Podcast is all about classic Christian metal/hard rock music, inspirational Bible teaching and Christian community. Fans of bands like Stryper, Bloodgood, Whitecross, Barren Cross, Sacred Warrior, Holy Soldier, Angelica, etc. will love this podcast! Pastor Brad is exactly who he sounds like, a Christian Pastor named Brad. He is the lead pastor at First Christian Church in Cookeville, TN. Brad is also a gifted, 80s style, Christian metal artist. Growing up in the era of "Hair Metal" & "The Guitar Hero," Brad couldn't help but pick up a guitar and start rocking. In 1987 he became a follower of Jesus Christ--a decision that reshaped his life--and continues to do so to this day. In 2004 he launched GuitarJams.Net (now pastorbradrocks.net) as a platform for sharing his music and Bible teaching with the world. To date, Brad has had the honor of releasing more than one-hundred fifty Christ-exalting songs worldwide. He's been blessed to work with several of his heroes from the classic days of Christian metal! Richard Lynch and Dee Harrington of SAINT (RESHREDDED (2006), Les Carlsen of Bloodgood (BREAK OUT, 2010), and Ken Tamplin (BREAK OUT 2010). "If KISS, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Ozzy and Iron Maiden jumped into a Christian blender and came out playing Christian music--that's pretty much what you get with Pastor Brad."

When it comes to an apostolic meeting, there are three important things: - To see souls saved. - To see the gifts of God on display - To strengthen your conviction and help you grow spiritually. It is impossible to believe a God who can give eternal life cannot heal. It's easier to heal diseases than to make a man live forever. What type of power will it take to power a human being forever? It has to be tremendous power. A God who offers eternal life must heal the sick Phil 1:25 Paul lets you know the basis of his apostolic ministry is the great commission. Spiritual growth takes time. You can't achieve it in one special program. This is why we plant churches. If sustainable spiritual development is what you are looking for, it is going to take time. Don't just come to church for the sake of it, expect to grow This conference must put in you a dissatisfaction for spiritual mediocrity. Philippians 1:25 If you don't know joy in the faith, it means no one has continued with you. The only reason a child if God will tell God to take his time in coming is because he needs more time to tell more people about the gospel. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: This means God doesn't leave you to yourself. God is not irresponsible, He is a loving father.

This episode looks at Jonah 2:9, “But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” Salvation belongs to God, but have we recognized our need for it? Jonah didn't, so he could say true statements without actually coming to the place of repenting of his sins. We ask for grace to not walk in the same folly.

Fr. Josh answers questions about what it means to glorify God with our actions, how salvation for non-Christians works, and how to understand the symbolism in the fall of Adam and Eve. Snippet From the Show We give glory, honor and praise to God not just for what he does for us, but most importantly for who he is. Text “askfrjosh” to 33-777 to subscribe to Fr. Josh’s shownotes or go to www.AscensionPress.com/askfatherjosh Submit your questions and feedback to Fr.Josh by filling out a form at www.ascensionpress.com/askfatherjosh

Acts 28:17-31

Going on with God - Salvation assurance - 1st John 5 - Richard P Oldham - Recorded Apr 27 1980

Taking over for Pastor Lucas this week, we have Guest Speaker Jerry Lewis who shares with us about God's promise of salvation to Abraham, and how that extends to us today.

This episode looks at Psalm 3:8, “Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!” God does the work! We don't save ourselves; he does the saving. We praise him, and we look forward in hope to him working blessing into our lives even in the midst of crisis. This is a verse worth memorizing!

Be Born of the SpiritJohn 3:3 (NLT) – “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”John 3:5-8 (NLT) – “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don't be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit.”John 3:16-17 (NLT) – “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”Romans 3:22 (NLT) – We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.Titus 3:4 (NLT) – But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.Be Filled with the SpiritMatthew 3:11 (NLT) – “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”Acts 2:1-4 (NIV) – When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.Acts 2:14-17 (NIV) – Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.Acts 2:36-39 (NLT) – “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God [SALVATION], and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins [WATER BAPTISM]. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [SPIRIT BAPTISM]. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”Acts 1:4-5 (NLT) – Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”Acts 2:39 (NLT) – This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”Be Led by the SpiritRomans 8:14 (NLT) – For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.Galatians 5:16 (NLT) – So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

How did Michael get started in music? How does his faith impact what he does? What does he think about modern drumming? ......ALL this and much more as the drummer for Whitecross and King James joins us!

Kingdom of God = Salvation of the people; Psychology of repentance = quest for hope, thinking a different way; Life continues due to reproduction - giving life to others; Or predators - take life from others; Slicing meat thinner; Not OK to keep sinning; Beware the image of Christ given to you by ear-ticklers; Glad tiding may upset "many"; Facts matter; You need the whole Christ; Are you giving life?; New "earth" in the bible; Changing minds is hard - remain humble to improvement; Coronavirus - what is the danger?; How valid are the predictions?; Climate change?; Consider the facts; Slowing, not stopping the virus; Ways to transmit the virus; Living things reproduce viruses - like lies; Virus doesn't cause damage, but your reaction to it; Example: Bubonic plague; Average age of dying from coronavirus is 82; Who is really at risk?; Protect them!; Transmitting immunity; Disease die-offs; Does coronavirus death rate warrant economic collapse?; Virus interference - Flu vax increases vulnerability to other respiratory diseases; Fear as a contagion; Faith it the vaccine; Wuhan virus storage facility; Only 3 Italian victims had no recorded compromise; Protecting those at risk; Why Italy more affected?; Quality information sources; Elderly die from disease every year; Proper precautions; Purposefully creating panic?; Media hype?; Most not threatened; Free stuff; How to get to the place where we have more life?; Humanity has survived viruses for thousands of years; Economic depression is not warranted; Why shut down the whole economy?; Why so many CEOs retire in recent months?; Solutions; Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness; People sitting in darkness - lost the skill of caring; The "way" Christ commanded; Networks of congregations; PCR test - inappropriate; Herd immunity to polio achieved before vaccine; Viruses strengthen immune systems of society; Food shortages? - due to panic; Hoarding is not Christian; Care that others get what they need; Neighbor with multiple myeloma; Sugar's effect on the immune system; Spanish flu not worse - but practices; What we learned; Wise as serpents, harmless as doves; Angels to our neighbors; Love, not force; Creating sureties; Covetous practices; Be DOers of the word!

As Dave launches into this new series, he shares four things that “we are” because of the Gospel: 1. We are Completely saved from the penalty of sin, and given eternal life with God (Salvation). 2. We are Declared righteous because of Jesus' perfect life exchanged for ours (Justification). 3. We are Children, fully loved and accepted by our Father, made part of his forever family (Adoption). 4. We are Given a whole new life and identity by the Holy Spirit (Sanctification)

Ps Dan Gorry - Expecting God (Salvation) - 23rd February 2020 AM

This is an older episode from "The Will of God" series given back in 2012. thegac.org anchor.fm/thegac

Jonathan Gray, www.BeforeUS.com, Truth of Gospel of Most High GOD, Do GOD add O to do GOOD, End of Hopelessness, Start of Eternity Hearing and Doing Shemah God’s Will Today, Repent and be Filled by Joy and Hope from GOD, Dr Bill Deagle MD AAEM ACAM A4M, NutriMedical Report Show, www.NutriMedical.com, www.ClayandIRON.com, www.Deagle-Network.com,About Dr. Bill Deagle For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a podcast of our radio program, Rejoicing Heart and teaches about the Truth (The Word of God) setting you free from the lies and deception of the devil. /// If you have any questions, or you would like to share how our teachings have affected your life, please email us or visit us at www.rejoicingheart.net God bless you! Rob and Donna Rejoice In You From the Integrity Music Release One, featuring Planetshakers Ministries Int'l ©2009 Planetshakers Publishing (APRA) (admin. By Music Services, www.musicservices.org) All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Have you ever wondered about God’s plan for your life? Do you feel like you don’t know your purpose? Lean in as Ps. Sam encourages us to follow God’s way for our life and have the courage to say yes to the right things.   : : See you in church – www.c3toronto.com

How is your relationship with God? What a personal and thought provoking question. Is your life ok. . . with God? Salvation includes not only Justification but Sanctification. Even though forgiven, Christians still sin. If you sin, are you still ok?

Peter continued our series on Joshua. Joshua presumed God's blessing, and had been beaten in battle. Cash machine You presume it will give you money. What we forget is that when we treat God like a cash machine, sometimes He says I don't like what you are going to spend the money on, so I am not dispensing any money! God allows harm to come as his people go outside his will. The family of achan take the spoils of war despite what God had told them. Stoning of the whole family is how we finished. All complicit? Maybe they all at least knew. This week, Israel return to Ai. Genocide? Ethnic cleansing? Norms of society were very different. Child sacrifice. Sexual liberty. Multiple wives. Intermarriage within a family. Marriage as a young teen, or even before. Capital punishment, even for what we would see as minor crime, like stealing. Views on this passage have changed over the years. Matthew Henry, died 1714 The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just. ie it's fine to plunder those who don't know God. Crusades. Rwanda Oliver Cromwell used Jericho as a justification for persecution of Catholics, and even their death Spanish Inquisition used the Bible as it's justification. God has told me to do this...... We believe God speaks and tells us to do things. Murderers and rapists use this justification. God's judgement. Plenty of warnings to those rebelling against him. How could God condone death? Noah, what about those killed. Exile Israel, Egyptian army killed. Sodom and Gomorrah Jericho Death Jesus. They are all judgements God spares the ones he loves...... But doesn't he love all mankind? Jesus died for all..... Some things happen in the Bible that weren’t meant to be repeated. But they repeatedly were, due to sin. All changed with Jesus. This is the key. God kept trying to get people to follow him, but they rebelled. After Jesus, they had a real choice.... God is just and loving and cannot do wrong. It is God's place to judge. God made us, and can destroy us if he chooses. God cannot abide sin. But….. God made a way out for us. Ps94 God of vengeance v1. Giving people what they deserve. V23. God destroys the sinner Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 NLT God had a plan, despite knowing what Israel would do, turning away from him again and again. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 NLT New covanent, old covanent Today, do not harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion….. Heb 3:15 Mercy of God? Salvation for all. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT Questions

Bible Study

River of Life A/G

River of Life A/G

Can I lose my salvation? With what weapon can I fight the Devil? Paul answers these questions in his letter to the Ephesians. But, he doesn't stop there. This week in 'Marching Orders,' Pastor Jon dives into the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and the ingredient that holds it all together.

The 2 Streams of Messianic Prophecy (the Sufferings and the Glory) correspond to the 2 Comings of Christ, based on the 2 Programmes of God (Salvation & Kingdom). First Jesus had to come as the Suffering Saviour before He can return as the Conquering King. First the Suffering, then the Glory.

The 2 Streams of Messianic Prophecy (the Sufferings and the Glory) correspond to the 2 Comings of Christ, based on the 2 Programmes of God (Salvation & Kingdom). First Jesus had to come as the Suffering Saviour before He can return as the Conquering King. First the Suffering, then the Glory.

David Sommerdorf 0:00 Salvation, Will of God https://riverview

John 06—Jesus feeds the five thousand—He walks on the sea—He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat his flesh and drink his blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah.

Join us today as Pastor Vincent share a message about the 2 Greatest Gifts from God: Salvation and the Holy Spirit. Key Text: Acts 1:1-8 He wants to live in us Romans 8:11 He wants to sanctify us Romans 15:16 He opens our spiritual eyes 1 Corinthians 2:10 He teaches us John 14:26 He will … Continue reading "2 Greatest Gifts"

For more information about Rob Bell's new book, click here: http://bit.ly/15Mve2T Rob Bell returns to Unbelievable? 2 years after his debate on the controversial best-seller 'Love Wins'. He talks about life after Mars Hill Bible Church and his latest book 'What we talk about when we talk about God'. Andrew Wilson is an author and theologian with the New Frontiers church network. He quizzes Rob about his view of God, salvation and his recently stated support for gay marriage. For Unbelievable? the Conference 2013 www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable2013 For more theological discussion between Christians visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable Join the conversation via Facebook and Twitter For Rob Bell's new book https://www.robbell.com/newbook/ For Andrew Wilson http://thinktheology.co.uk/theology/contributors/21 Get the MP3 podcast of Unbelievable? http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes You may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 23rd April 2011 - Rob Bell defends 'Love Wins' vs Adrian Warnock Full Video of the Rob Bell "Love Wins" debate Unbelievable? 14 Apr 2012 - What's wrong with the world? Christian Andrew Wilson & atheist Geoff Lillis

Who we are in Christ is our identity, our direction, and our destiny. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 “In Christ,” is our union or relationship with him through faith. In Christ, I have a new identity. I am a new creation. Before Christ I was sinful, far from God, hopelessly lost in my own sin and selfishness. Romans 3:10-12 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” We were all the fool in proverbs – morally deficient. Like people wondering around in the dark. If you are in Christ (in relationship with him) through faith, then your identity has changed. 1. In Christ, you are a new creation - It is hard to over-state the change Paul is taking about. - it is not just that we’ve had our sins wiped out like a white board’s been wiped clean. - Christ’s work has made us new creatures. “New” (kainos) (kī-no's) – in respect to form: recently made, fresh, recent - in respect to substance: new kind Usage: “Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins.” “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” “Creature” – (ktisis) (ktē'-sēs) is creation or created thing. Usage: -But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female. -Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation The old has gone – who you were – lost in sin, slave to sin, turning away from God – all gone. All that you were is gone – all your sin, all your shame, all your guilt is taken away in Christ, because He died for your sin. He took all the punishment for it and there is no more. You are free from your past. (from It is Well With My Soul) My sin, O the bliss of this glorious tho't, My sin, not in part, but the whole Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! When the enemy reminds you who you have been, you remember who you are in Christ – you are a new creations. The new has come – in Christ, who you are has changed. You are according to 1 Peter 2, • A royal priesthood, • a chosen people, • a holy nation • a people belonging to God • I Cor 5:17 you are a new creation v. 18-20 – This is from God – “Salvation is from the Lord” (Jonah) God reconciled us to himself. 2. In Christ , you are reconciled to God. “Reconcile” – to change or exchange (as in changing money). He exchanged our former lives of sin with a new life that is “in Christ.” We’ve gone from being lost and hopeless to being alive in Christ. Not only that, but after he reconciled us, He gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 3. In Christ, you are his ambassador. We who have received the privilege of being reconciled now have the responsibility of being instruments in God’s hands to minister the message of reconciliation throughout the world. Just like we talked last week, we are a royal priesthood - v. 21 – Summary of the Gospel: Christ is the only one who is entirely righteous. At Calvary he took our sin upon himself and the punishment we deserved, which was death. By marvelous exchange, he gave us his righteousness and to be reconciled to God. Our acceptance and our standing with God are completely based in Christ. It is all his doing. 4. In Christ, you have become the righteousness of God. In this marvelous exchange, Christ took our sin, we get his righteousness.

2011-01-30-0830 Pastor Loran Livingston is the speaker this morning January 30th, 2011 in the 8:30 service. Scripture: Luke 8:12-15; I Timothy 4:1-2; II Thessalonians 2:10; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Hebrews 10:26-27 Topic: Faithfullness Notes: - We have a lot of religion but little commitment to Jesus- Where do we stand with God? Salvation is bearing fruit every day- Sometimes I get scared when I read the Bible; we should be somewhat fearful- Parable of the sower: seed on rocky ground... those who believe for awhile...- Saved people keep, obey, learn and search the Word- Some depart because they start listening to deceiving spirits- People don’t want to be convicted; conviction is a gift from God- We fail to take the Bible seriously... become too familiar- This is about loving God, truth, righteousness; we must hate everything evil- Love the truth or eventually reject the truth- It is possible to have head knowledge with no heart relationship- We get caught up with the here and now rather than the there and then- David fell when he took his eyes off the Lord- Are you double-minded?- Parents are following their kids to church; maybe there’s no conviction “over there”- Stay before God and allow Him to convict or you’ll start tolerating sin- Adulterers, homosexuals, liars... in the pulpit; God hasn’t changed His mind about sin- If I willfully sin then there is no longer a sacrife

2011-01-30-1030 Pastor Loran Livingston is the speaker this morning January 30th, 2011 in the 10:30 service. Scripture: Luke 8:12-15; I Timothy 4:1-2; II Thessalonians 2:10; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Hebrews 10:26-27 Topic: Faithfullness Notes: - We have a lot of religion but little commitment to Jesus- Where do we stand with God? Salvation is bearing fruit every day- Sometimes I get scared when I read the Bible; we should be somewhat fearful- Parable of the sower: seed on rocky ground... those who believe for awhile...- Saved people keep, obey, learn and search the Word- Some depart because they start listening to deceiving spirits- People don’t want to be convicted; conviction is a gift from God- We fail to take the Bible seriously... become too familiar- This is about loving God, truth, righteousness; we must hate everything evil- Love the truth or eventually reject the truth- It is possible to have head knowledge with no heart relationship- We get caught up with the here and now rather than the there and then- David fell when he took his eyes off the Lord- Are you double-minded?- Parents are following their kids to church; maybe there’s no conviction “over there”- Stay before God and allow Him to convict or you’ll start tolerating sin- Adulterers, homosexuals, liars... in the pulpit; God hasn’t changed His mind about sin- If I willfully sin then there is no longer a sacrife

Why do some people respond positively to Jesus while others ignore him? Is it because we are somehow spiritually or morally better than them? Nothing could be further from the truth, as we find out in Genesis chapter 0.....

Why do some people respond positively to Jesus while others ignore him? Is it because we are somehow spiritually or morally better than them? Nothing could be further from the truth, as we find out in Genesis chapter 0.....

Introduction So, I'm going to just tell you, I had a lot of different ways I was going to begin the sermon, but I'm just going to tell you my strategy today. I'm just going to tell you the nuts and bolts of the sermon, so you can just know right away what I'm going to try to achieve. I'm preaching today a sermon of contrast. I'm going to set up a contrast, and I'm going to contrast Solomon to Jesus Christ. And I'm going to make much of Solomon, so that I can make even more of Jesus Christ. I'm going to talk about the greatness of the wisdom, the gift of wisdom that God gave to Solomon, not so you think highly of Solomon, but so that you think highly of Jesus Christ. I want to talk also from Proverbs 8 about the greatness of the wisdom of God displayed in physical creation, in the physical universe that surrounds us, so that you may marvel in the wisdom that God displayed in the physical universe but so that you can marvel more in the cross of Jesus Christ, because I think the wisdom of God displayed in physical creation is small compared to the wisdom of God in the cross of Jesus Christ. And so, I'm going to talk to you also about the gift of the book of Proverbs, and the wisdom displayed in the proverbs of Solomon that we have, and the nuts and bolts of it, and the rubber meets the road, and trying to understand how to live a wise life and the value that there is in that. I want to make much of that, but I want to make even more of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, Solomon is great; Jesus Christ is greater. The wisdom of God in creation is great. The wisdom of God and the new creation and the gospel is greater. The wisdom of God in the book of Proverbs is great, but the wisdom of God displayed in the cross of Jesus Christ is infinitely greater. That's the sermon. And so, if you get that, you get it all. So now I have to go do it. I have to find a way to make you think great thoughts of all of these things, and I'm trusting in the Holy Spirit and the Word of God simply to do it. So, let's start with Solomon. Let's try to understand just how great he was, and we'll start with the Queen of Sheba. You know who she was. She had heard a reputation, by reputation of Solomon, of this Jewish king living in Jerusalem, raining in Jerusalem - how there didn't seem to be anything that he couldn't explain. She had this reputation from other kings, perhaps in that region, she was down in perhaps modern-day Ethiopia, somewhere down in that area, Eritrea, somewhere there, and she had by reputation, this man, Solomon. And she resolved she was going to believe enough with that reputation to make the 1,200 or so mile journey to Jerusalem and see if it was really so. I have a feeling she was a brilliant woman, and she wanted an intellectual challenge. And she wanted to go and test him with hard questions, see if she could best him, like she'd probably best all the men in her life. So, she wanted to see if she could take Solomon on and win the chess game of conversation with him too. I don't really know what her motives were, but I do know she made the journey. She came from the ends of the earth, for a thirst for wisdom, a thirst knowledge, a seeker of truth, and she's willing to spend herself and of her resources lavishly to get it. And so, she came and maybe she came across the burning sands of the desert. In any case, you have to imagine that a 1,200-mile journey would have been arduous and difficult in that day, and so she arrives to see and to meet Solomon. Solomon, his court was arranged, she saw all of the arrangement of how his servants worked, and she brought with her gifts of spices and gold and precious stones. I don't think she realized just how common gold had become in Jerusalem at that point, but she brought it anyway. And I wonder if Solomon's advisor said, "Put it over there with the rest," but she did bring some spices that he hadn't had before, and she brought her questions. She came to ply him with difficult questions. And 1 Kings 10:3-9 says this, “Solomon answered all of her questions, there was nothing too hard for the king to explain to her. And when the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace that he had built. The food on the table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord. She was overwhelmed.” That's what it says in the NIV. I like another translation better: “there was no breath left in her.” She was breathless. Now, you have to know how infrequently this happens in life - how rare it is that reality exceeds great expectations. It doesn't happen often, but it happened in this case. There was no breath left in her. And she said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true, but I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes, indeed not even half was told me, in wisdom and wealth, you have far exceeded the report I heard, how happy your men must be, how happy your officials who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom" (1 Kings 10:6-8). Now, just stop there. I just want to jump ahead to my purpose in the sermon: how happy will we be to stand in Jesus presence and hear His words for all eternity? Just to stand in the presence of the King of kings and listen to Jesus speaking. Oh, what joy that will be for us, just to hear him speaking to each one of us who have believed in him individually. But she's just saying to Solomon, how happy they are to stand and listen to you. "Praise be to the Lord your God," she said, "who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel, because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness" (1 Kings 10:9). She was a woman deeply satisfied by her journey. She was happy she made the journey; she went away filled with praise for the Lord, who had given such wisdom to a man. Solomon was indeed the wisest man who had ever lived. But a thousand years later, one of Solomon's own descendants was born, 26 generations later. He was supposedly the son of a carpenter; He was before his calling into ministry a carpenter himself. He went around teaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Of course, I'm speaking of Jesus of Nazareth, and this is the claim one day that Jesus made concerning Himself. In Matthew 12:42, speaking to his fellow citizens there in Capernaum, who knew Him well - had kind of watched Him from the very beginning, who understood who He was in a physical sense, but who greatly underestimated who he truly was -4 He said this, "The queen of the south will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here." And it's in the name of that one, the one greater than Solomon that I stand and preach to you today. Jesus is infinitely greater than Solomon, and I want to explain how. I want to show how Jesus is the wisdom of God for us. Not merely that he speaks wisdom or He displayed wisdom, or He lived a wise life, but how He actually is wisdom from God for us. We're going to see that in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Greatness of Solomon’s Wisdom An Origin of Humility So, let's talk more about the greatness of Solomon's wisdom. Solomon's wisdom came. It had its origin in humility. You remember the story: Solomon was about to take over the kingdom from his ailing and soon-to-be-dead father King David. And so, he knew he was the heir apparent. He had some time to think about it. We don't know for certain. I looked and researched, and I could not find out how old Solomon was when he took the throne, but he was following the greatest king that Israel would ever have in the Old Testament - His daunting father, David, a man of great achievements, militarily and wisdom and leadership and in piety godliness. And now ruling, Solomon would feel grossly inadequate, way over his head. He felt he did not have what it took to rule. He felt intensely his inexperience and perhaps even felt ashamed of himself, unready to take over this great responsibility. So, he went to Gibeon one day to offer sacrifices. It says in 1 Kings 3 that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord. And that evening, the Lord came to him in a dream and made an astonishing offer. I bet you wish the Lord would come to you in a dream and make this kind of offer. "What shall I do for you? What shall I give to you? Whatever you wish, it will be granted for you." Solomon made a wise reply. Isn't it interesting how wisdom gives birth to greater wisdom? So, he already had a certain level of wisdom in his humility; that's what he said in the dream. He answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father, David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart, you have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, oh Lord, my God, you have made your servant King in place of my father, David, but I am only a little child and I do not know how to carry out my duties, your servant is here among the people you have chosen, great people too numerous to count or number. So please give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong, for who is able to govern this great people of yours” (1 Kings 3:6-9). At the core of this request is humility. He finds himself what I think Jesus would later call in Sermon on the Mount a spiritual beggar. He doesn't have what it takes. And so, he goes to God, and he begs for wisdom. King David had said of him, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced” (1 Chronicles 22:5). It was true. Solomon wisely assessed himself in the same way. The wisest thing any of us can do is recognize who we truly are before God, and I would say flee to Christ as a result. That's the wisest thing you can do. A Supernatural Gift And so, Solomon shows the kernel of wisdom here, in that he finds himself inadequate for what is facing him, and so God gives him a supernatural gift. It says the Lord was pleased that God had asked for this, and then He gives him a promise in three parts. The first two are unconditional, and the third one is conditional. First of all, unconditionally, He's going to give him wisdom - the very thing he asked for - greater wisdom than anyone had ever had up to that point, this is what God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do all that you have asked, I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be" (1 Kings 3:11-12). See, but that's God, isn't it? The God who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. He asks for wisdom. He gets this kind of wisdom, almost immeasurable wisdom. What must heaven be like then? What must it be like, the new Heaven, the new Earth? Words cannot describe what heaven is going to be like, to be in God's presence. Let your heart be captivated. You can't meditate on it enough. It's not a guilty pleasure, friends, let's meditate on it. How great must it be to be in the presence of such a generous God as this? So, he lavishes wisdom on Solomon. That's the first gift, unconditional, lavish gift of wisdom, but secondly, he gives him the gift of wealth and honor. Moreover, he says, "I will give you what you have not asked for, both riches and honor, so that in your lifetime you'll have no equal among kings," (1 Kings 3:13), and so it was given to him again, unconditionally, just a gift. You didn't ask for it, but I'm going to go ahead and give it to you. But then the third would be conditional, and I think it really stood as a warning to Solomon, stood as a warning. “And if you walk in my ways and obey My statutes and My commands, as David, your father did, I will give you a long life” (1 Kings 3:14). Conversely, if you don't, I will kill you. Isn't that about what he's saying? You will not have a long life. You will die. And so, this stands as a warning over all of Solomon's life, I believe. God holds the power of life and death. So be careful, keep my commands and keep my statutes as David, your father did. And so, this is the promise God made. God keeps His promises and how? 1 Kings 4 describes just how lavish the reality was, that was just a promise. What did God actually do? Well, 1 Kings 4 tells us what He did. God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, greater than the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan, the Ezrahite; wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. He described plant life from the cedar of Lebanon to the Hyssop that grows out of the walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom sent by all the kings of the world who had heard of his wisdom. So, this is a sense of the greatness of the gift of wisdom that God gave to Solomon, and this is what the Queen of Sheba came to listen to. Plant life, animals and perhaps rivers and laws of physics before there even was an Isaac Newton, and stars and planets and all kinds of things. I mean, it must have been an incredible time if you had a curious heart and wanting to learn some things as I'm sure she did. So, we see the greatness of Solomon's wisdom and, I think even more, the book of Proverbs itself - inspired scripture, inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Solomon wrote these proverbs. Over 800 of Solomon's proverbs are recorded here. Choice proverbs. A picture of wisdom. Now, one chapter in Proverbs, which you heard Wally read earlier, Proverbs chapter 8 gives us an insight concerning the antiquity or even the origins of wisdom itself, and, as we come to Proverbs 8 which we're going to look at briefly, try to understand what Solomon is saying about the origins of wisdom. There are some questions that come to our mind. The Ancient Existence of Wisdom – Proverbs 8 This is a fascinating chapter, and it's linked to Jesus Christ is really what attracts me this morning. I'm preaching on the greatness of Jesus Christ and the wisdom of Jesus Christ, and I'm starting in Proverbs chapter 8. So, I want to ask three questions about Proverbs 8. First of all, what does the chapter say? What does Proverbs 8 say? What does it teach us about the wisdom of God displayed in creation? Secondly, I want to ask the question: why is wisdom personified as if it were somehow separate from God and working alongside of God? What does that mean? Why this language? How do we understand it? And thirdly, how does Proverbs 8 relate to Jesus Christ? How do we understand this chapter as it relates to Jesus Christ? The Wisdom of God in Creation So, let's start with the first and just try to understand Proverbs 8 and what it teaches us about the ancient, the origins of wisdom itself. And Solomon goes back to the wisdom of God in creation, and wisdom is personified. He uses a technique of personification here to make wisdom, which is an attribute of God, somewhat come alive. The beginning of the chapter, personified as a wise woman. And Proverbs 8:1-6, it says, "Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way where the paths meet, she takes her stand, beside the gates leading into the city at the entrances, she cries aloud to you, oh men, I call out, I raise my voice to all mankind, you who are simple gain prudence, you who are foolish gain understanding, listen for I have worthy things to say. I open my lips to speak what is right." Wisdom’s Origin: Before Creation So, there is wisdom speaking to us. Wisdom is personified as a woman calling out and beckoning for people to come and listen. So, Solomon there is arguing for the value of wisdom as worthy of human desire, and it's going to do it, saying that God possessed it since the creation of the world. And so, Proverbs 8:22-31 describes the wisdom of God in creation, but he's using again this technique of personification, so he says wisdom's origin is before creation. Look at verses 22 through 26: “the Lord brought me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old, I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning before the world began when there were no oceans, I was given birth. When there were no springs abounding with water before the mountains were settled in place, before The Hills I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any dust of the world.” So, wisdom here is celebrated as ancient from the beginning, from the creation of the world, from before the creation. Verse 22, the mysterious key: “the Lord brought me forth as the first of his works were possessed me, at the beginning are acquired.” There are different ways of translating that Hebrew word as the first of his works. Simply put, I think we can at least say this, that Solomon is celebrating wisdom as ancient. It's not some new thing, but it's been around since the creation of the world. And it's not a human creation; it's really tied to God Himself. That's what he's saying. It was by wisdom that God created all of these things. Now, what is wisdom? Well, we've defined wisdom, especially as it's nestled in the book of Proverbs, as skillful living or dealing with the physical world and all of its surroundings in a skillful and wise way, dealing properly with this physical creation. And so, Solomon is arguing that God used wisdom itself in arranging this physical world, this universe, and all of its marvelous and complex systems before the oceans, before the springs, before the mountains, before the earth or the fields or the dust. Often, we use that expression that something's older than dirt. I think that Solomon's literally saying that wisdom is older than dirt here. We wouldn't have dirt if it weren't for the wisdom of God. That's about what he's saying. It's about that practical. And wisdom is about making right choices, right selections from an array of possibilities and opportunities. So, I believe that, as God in his infinite understanding searched out all of the possible ways he could express himself in creating some universe, He chose wisely. He chose the best way to display Himself. He chose the best way to put His wisdom on display. I think that's all that Proverbs 8 what Solomon is saying here. Wisdom’s Presence and Celebration During Creation God selected wisely as he created. As he looked at the various options, he selected wisely. So, wisdom is ancient. It predates the universe and, therefore, a worthy object of human desire and ambition. He also personifies wisdom as kind of being there while God was making everything and just enjoying it, celebrating it. Look at verse 27 through 31. Again, wisdom personified says, "I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, and when he gave the sea its boundary so that the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth, I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with the light day after day, rejoicing always in His presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." So, wisdom just is enjoying what God is making. That's the personification of wisdom, and wisdom is just delighting in what God's doing. Again, just pause for a moment and meditate on your own personal happiness and delight in the new heaven and the new earth. How much delight will there be in your heart as you range out over the new earth and you see all of the hills and the valleys and the streams and the clouds, and whatever it is there? I don't want to say something would be here and it won't be there, but I'm just saying just all of the beauty and the glory and the majesty and just how much pleasure that's going to bring you. Satan has lied to us about God, that He is against pleasure. He is the God of pleasure, and there's all this delight and joy in what God has made. And so, it is wisdom delighting in what God has made. Wisdom soars up into the cosmos, to speak of the realm where God made the sun and the moon and the stars and set them in perfect order. You know the wisdom of God, and this is really amazing, how God set up the solar system exactly right with forces balanced in just a marvelous way. We are just the right distance from the sun, not too close, not too far away. And there's actually... You can go on websites and they'll go on much further than you probably want to about how much God displayed in science, how much God displayed His wisdom in the cosmos and the arrangement of the universe, with the stars and the planets and the sun. Just marvelous - the wisdom of God there. Everything focused on life, that there would be life here on this planet. Or, the wisdom of God in the careful crafting of the earth's atmosphere. Proverbs 3:19, it says, “By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, and by understanding he set the heavens in place,” including the clouds and just what we would call the atmosphere. He celebrates that in Proverbs 8. When scientists writing about this put it this way: “Earth biosphere is poised between a runaway freeze-up on one hand and a runaway evaporation on the other. If the average temperature of the earth surface cools by even a few degrees, more snow and ice the normal form, snow and ice reflect solar energy more efficiently than other surface materials, and it would result in ever lowering temperatures, resulting in more ice in a downward spiral into a great freeze. But on the other hand, if the average temperature of the earth's surface warms just a few degrees, more water vapor and carbon dioxide will go into the earth's atmosphere, resulting in a much stronger greenhouse effect, this would in turn cause the earth's temperature to rise even a little bit more and you get runaway heating.” Everything's just set perfectly for life, and it's not an accident, dear friends; it's something that the wise God did so that we would be able to live. Wisdom is also seen in the boundary of the oceans, God setting a limit for them, so that they cannot inundate the earth as they once did in the flood of Noah. God is able to set a boundary, and the ocean cannot cross. And so, wisdom is personified as delighting in what God has made. Look again at verse 30 and 31, "I was the craftsman at his side, I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world, delighting in mankind." So, wisdom speaks of herself as somewhat of a craftsman, a craftsman makes and shapes and crafts things, but it doesn't seem like wisdom is doing that, but that just delighting in God doing all of those things. Wisdom’s Final Invitation and Warning And the chapter ends in verse 32 through 36 with wisdom making a final invitation and a warning. Look at verses 32 and following. "Now then my sons listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise, do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death." So, wisdom is just standing there begging to you, as the reader, as the hearer, saying "Come to me. Follow me." Wisdom is a worthy object of desire; it will lead you well in life. You'll have a wise life. You'll be fruitful and productive in this world. Conversely, you'll be cursed in this world if you do not follow my ways. As a matter of fact, if you hate me, you love death. And so wisdom is making an invitation. Alright, so this is what Proverbs 8 says. What does all this have to do with Jesus Christ? Well, in order to answer that, we have to go back into church history and clear up what's known as the Arian error. Arianism is the doctrine that Jesus is God the Father's first created being, that Jesus Christ is actually a created being, His greatest created being. And He's the first created being that He ever made. Arianism kind of resurfaced in the 19th century with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and they're around us today. So, when the Jehovah's Witnesses come and talk to you about Jesus, they do not believe in Jesus the way we do. They believe He's a created being. The slogan of Arianism is, “There was when He was not.” In other words, there was a time when Jesus didn't exist, and Arias sees this in a number of places. Colossians 1:15, for example, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” That's what they think is an Arian verse, "For by Him, all things were created, things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible." So, in their mind, the order in Colossians is, God brings Jesus forth and then, with Him, kind of creates the universe, and then they take that understanding and they go back to Proverbs 8. And what do they do with it? This is definitely Jesus. Do you not see? “I was the first of His creations, and then I was by His side while He was making everything.” The Son speaking of the Father. And so, you look at verse 22, "The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works." Verse 27, "I was there when he set the heavens in place," kind of observing and watching. Verse 30, "I was the craftsman by His side” - I was participating in creation. Well, Arias thought that these verses were speaking of Christ. Now, as you heard, read right here earlier, how God revealed through John that it was through Jesus that God created all things. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning, through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3). But the way they think about that, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Arians, the way they think about that is that God first created Jesus and then with Him in some way created the universe, and they think that Proverbs 8 teaches that. Arias was very successful in selling this for a while. It really teetered on the edge of being accepted as the orthodox view of Jesus, until God raised up Athanasios, one of the great heroes of church history, who stood famously against the world with his view that Jesus was not a created being. He was eternal God, the doctrine of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, co-equal, co-eternal. There was never a time that Jesus didn't exist. And so, we have the Nicene Creed as a result of that doctrine, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father, before all worlds, God of god, Light of light, very God of very god begotten, not made. Being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made." And so, that's the creed that we hold together with Christians all over the world. Athanasios then taught us that Proverbs 8 cannot possibly be teaching that Jesus is a created being. Alright, well, that leads us to the next question in Proverbs 8: Why is wisdom personified here, as though it is somehow separate from God? Now, you could just... I think in one sense, kind of... I think a lazy answer is saying it's just poetry. It's a poetic representation of wisdom and how great wisdom is. I guess that would work, but it doesn't really satisfy me. I just wanted to know a little bit more. I said why? It just so leads to that Arian error. I just am troubled by it but not in any way disrespecting Proverbs 8. I just want to understand it. First of all, let's establish this: Isaiah 44 in verse 24 says that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God that gave the Ten Commandments, the God of the Old Testament, the Lord was completely alone when he made the universe. There was no one with him. Very plainly taught many places. But listen to this, Isaiah 44:24, "This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself." Now, what is the significance of that? There was no non-Yahweh being at that time. No one by his side celebrating anything. There weren't any angels. There was nothing. There was just Yahweh, the Lord. That heads right to the doctrine of the Trinity. Do you not see it? Father is Yahweh, Son is Yahweh, Spirit is Yahweh - that is the Lord. Now, if that bends and kind of breaks your mind, it's okay. It's been bending and breaking human minds from time immemorial. But it is the doctrine of the Bible. Yahweh was alone when He created heaven and earth and all things. But the Bible does reveal that it was through Jesus Christ that God made all things. I think then to answer my question - Why does he, Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, personify wisdom as though it's somehow by the side of God? This isn't what I make of it, and do what you want with it. These are the kind of things that trouble me. They won't trouble you, you'll go home and say, "It's just Scripture, I have to accept it, I'm in trouble." But it's my job to be troubled by these things and to make you troubled as well, so here we go. What I'm thinking is, that God, not having created anything yet, contemplating creation is contemplating why He would create it. The end for which God created all things, as Edwards put it. Why did He do it? And the answer the Bible seems to give is to display or to put on display His glory, that He would put Himself on display. His glory in my mind are His attributes shining brightly and radiantly through what He's made. One of those attributes is wisdom, and when God wisely crafts a universe, wisdom pops up and starts to sing her song. You start to see the wisdom of God in all that God has made, and you wouldn't be able to see it displayed if God hadn't made the world. And so, we look in Psalm 104:24, it says this, "How wondrous are your works, O Lord. In wisdom you made them all." So, we see wisdom by looking at the physical universe. Jesus said this about wisdom in Matthew 11:19, "Wisdom is proved right by her actions." So, wisdom is justified or displayed or put on display by what it does. When God set forth to create, He brought wisdom into existence and put it on display. That's the best I can make of it. You can come afterwards and talk to me about my heresy, whatever you'd like to do, but I say this to you: Jesus Christ was no created being, no matter what Proverbs 8 says. Jesus’ Wisdom is Greater than Solomon’s Alright, so Jesus's wisdom then, as it relates to Solomon, how much greater is it? Well, I don't, at this point, want to talk Solomon down, but you know his sad history, don't you? You know what happened to Solomon? Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived, but he may have been one of the greatest fools that ever lived too. And it's very tragic what happened. Like so many other wise men, he did not practice what he preached. Solomon began the book of Proverbs with this central assertion that I preached on last week. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Again, Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." He mentions the fear of the Lord 10 times beyond that first reference in Proverbs 1:7. He carefully tells us what it means to fear the Lord. He says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7). Proverbs 8:13, "To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance." So, in other words, Solomon needed to stay humble with all of his great learning. He needed to stay humble or else he's going to stop fearing the Lord, and he's going to lurch off into wickedness. And that's precisely what happened. He stopped fearing the Lord, he became presumptuous, he lost his fear of God, and then thought he could do anything. Now, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The word “Lord,” as I said, “Yahweh,” the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who revealed Himself at Mount Sinai through the Ten Commandments. God gave the Ten Commandments and indeed the Old Covenant to Israel, and that included Solomon. All of these commands were binding on Solomon. He needed to obey them, but he didn't. 1 Kings 11 tells a sad story of Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God as the heart of David, his father, had been. He followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. So, Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not follow the Lord completely as David, his father, had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. And he did the same for all of his foreign wives who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods, and he sacrificed one of his own sons on one of these altars. Thus Solomon, for all of his wisdom, became an arrogant fool. Jesus: The Wisest Man Who Ever Lived Thankfully, for him, and for the entire human race, God raised up one of Solomon's descendants to atone for Solomon's sin, and yours and mine too, if you believe in Jesus. He raised up Jesus, the One of whom we spoke at the beginning, who said, “One greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). Solomon was known for his incredible wisdom, for observations on living things like plants and animals. His reputation spread around the world, and yet Jesus said He was greater than Solomon. He said the Queen of the South would rise at the judgment day with that generation, Jesus's own generation, because she recognized Solomon's wisdom enough to sacrifice to get it, to make that long journey. And she's the one that said that Solomon's wisdom far exceeded his reputation, but the Jews of Capernaum, indeed of the whole Jewish nation, grossly underestimated Jesus and the greatness of His person and of His wisdom. Well then, in what ways was Jesus greater than Solomon? Well, Solomon studied and described plant life; Jesus created it. Solomon's kingdom was wealthy beyond anything the Queen of Sheba had ever seen; Jesus owns every atom in the entire universe. Solomon's wisdom penetrated great mysteries, but Jesus is omniscient; there are no mysteries to Him. Solomon's glory was great but temporary. Jesus's glory is ultimate and eternal, and His glory is going to radiate the New Jerusalem so that you don't need any sun, moon, or stars, or any lamp. That's the greatness of the glory of Jesus. Solomon, to feed his ambition, I guess, worked his people half to death, so much so that they wanted Rehoboam to go easy on them. But Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28). Solomon became an idolater and committed spiritual adultery against the living God; Christ died for Solomon's sins. Solomon died and was buried, and his kingdom was torn from his son because of his sins - Solomon's sins. Jesus died and rose again on the third day, and His kingdom - of the increase of His kingdom - there'll be no end. His kingdom's just going to keep on increasing and increasing and increasing. In those ways and a hundred thousand others, Jesus is greater than Solomon. Paul made this statement: 1 Corinthians 1:30, "Christ Jesus has become for us wisdom from God, that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption." Colossians 2:2-3, it says, it speaks of Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures," all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In other words, if you have Christ, you have all the treasures of wisdom. You have everything you need of wisdom. And it's a mystery to me; I don't really know how it works. But both of these verses speak of Christ as being wisdom from God, not merely that Jesus lived a wise life, not merely that Jesus spoke wise things, or He displayed wisdom or any of that. He is wisdom. Just as He says in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is saying, "I am truth." I don't know fully what that means. I've been a Christian now for 27 years, and I'm still learning what it means that Christ has become, for me, wisdom from God. I think what it is, it just simplifies the quest, go to Jesus all the time. Go to Jesus, go to the cross, all the time. Go to the empty tomb for wisdom. If you're confused, go to Jesus. If you're discouraged, go to Jesus. If you're sinful, go to Jesus. Jesus is wisdom, not merely that He teaches wisdom. Solomon, for all of his wisdom, is inferior to Christ. Solomon spoke of the ideal king. Proverbs 16:12, he said, "Kings detest wrongdoing for a throne is established through righteousness." He described it; Jesus lived it. Because it says in Hebrews 1:8-9, God the Father speaking, God the Son says, "Your throne, O God will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom." Solomon commanded sons to obey their fathers. He says in Proverbs 23:24, "The father of a righteous man has great joy, and he who has a wise son delights in him." Well, that's good, but Jesus lived it perfectly, constantly obeyed His Heavenly Father. John 8:29, He said, "I always do what pleases Him." John 14:31, "The world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me to do." And of the Son, God the Father said, "This is my Son whom I love. With him, I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Solomon spoke of worldly treasures and wealth, how to get money and keep it and make it grow. I'll do that sermon in a couple of weeks, God willing. It's like, "Oh, that sounds good to me, how to make my first million by age 75" or whatever it is. Jesus says, “It would be better for you to trade all the wealth of the world and gain the kingdom. For the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, when a man found it, he hid it again, then in his joy, went and sold everything material and physically he had and bought that field,” (Matthew 13:44), so that he could have the kingdom. He said to the rich young ruler, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven, then come follow me." Solomon spoke of the danger of the tongue and urged people to be careful with what he said; every single one of Jesus's words was perfect. Solomon said that holding on to his words led to a wise and prosperous life. If you followed his proverbs, you'll be a wise and prosperous life. Jesus said this, "Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he's crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). Jesus's words are greater than Solomon's. Solomon's wisdom is compared to a bubbling brook (Proverbs 18:4). But Jesus said to the woman at the well, "Whoever drinks the water I give Him will never thirst. Indeed the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). Solomon spoke of a protected tower to which a person can run and be kept safe; Jesus's name is that tower because everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. Solomon's wisdom calls for obedience, but Jesus actually obeys on our behalf and hands it to us as a gift. Solomon's wisdom commanded that we feed our enemies, but Jesus actually died for His enemies. Again, in this way and a hundred thousand others, Jesus's wisdom is better than that of Solomon. Application: Wise for Salvation True Wisdom from God: Salvation through Christ Christ has become for us wisdom from God - our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, can I just urge you? Be made wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The greatest wisdom God has ever displayed is at the cross of Christ. Jesus shed His blood for sins. Are you a sinner? Are you a sinner? You have no other Savior than Jesus, but God didn't leave Him dead, on the third day, He raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms. And from that place, He will come someday to judge the living and the dead. The wisest thing you can do is fall at His feet and trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. That's wisdom. And it will always be wisdom. Embracing Solomon’s Wisdom and Jesus as Wisdom Secondly, I want to say to you this: let's embrace both Solomon's wisdom and Jesus's. The beauty of the Christian life is you get both. You don't have to choose, like what will I do? You get them both. As one commentator put it, if you have a $100.00 bill in your wallet, you don't despise also the $5.00 bill you have in your wallet. You get them both. You get to keep them both. And so, we not only have the nitty-gritty every day kind of wisdom of the book of Proverbs, we also get the infinitely greater wisdom of Jesus that saves our souls. You get both. And frankly, I'm glad for it. Therefore, as a Christian, I want to come to the book of Proverbs and read it through the light of the cross. I want to read it as a Christian, so I want to learn how to parent from the book of Proverbs, so that I can bring my children to faith in Christ Jesus. I want to learn how to handle my money the way the book of Proverbs tells us to do in terms of business practices and saving and hard labor and all that, so that I can have more to give for the kingdom of God. Study Proverbs as Christians See, Proverbs is valuable. Just let's connect it to the cross and the kingdom of God, and it becomes incredibly valuable. I want to learn about the fruit of the tongue, so I can speak carefully the way that Solomon said that we should. But I want to speak the gospel to one another. I want to learn from Solomon about the dangers of a sluggard's ways. I don't want to be a sluggard; I don't want my house overgrown with weeds. There is a patch... Never mind. There's a part of my land that needs some attention right now; I don't want to be the sluggard, okay? So, the book of Proverbs is a gift from God, but weeding my yard is not going to get me to heaven. Trusting in Jesus will. And having trusted in Jesus, I then go out and weed my yard, so I'm not a sluggard, and I can glorify God, and every weed I pull brings glory to God through the gospel. Learning from Solomon about the dangers of alcohol will help you avoid that trap, so you don't have that woe and misery that Solomon described, but it's in the New Covenant that we get the indwelling Holy Spirit. That's far better than anything alcohol can ever do. Learning from Proverbs about the virtuous wife will help a Christian man who's unmarried know what to look for. It can help parents of young daughters know what to raise their daughters to be. It can help a young woman - unmarried woman - to know what kind of woman she needs to be, for God to bring a godly husband to her. It can help married men and women to know also how to esteem one another, and it can be a challenge and encouragement to a wife to be a more godly wife. And learning from Proverbs about the dangers of the wayward woman and her dress and how she entices people is valuable to Christians in this sex-crazed age. We need the warning. We need to read Proverbs 6 and 7, about the adulteress. It will help Christian women to dress modestly and not in alluring and enticing sort of way. It'll help men to avert their eyes if there is temptation. It'll help us to lead more godly lives. But apart from the cross of Christ, it's really worthless. It will not save us. And so, one of my great fears, especially with you parents raising your kids, is that you substitute the morality of the book of Proverbs for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It isn't. You can have all of this wisdom and still end up as poorly as Solomon lived toward the end of his life. The gospel alone saves. So, my final application to you is this: Delight in the infinitely superior wisdom of Jesus Christ. He is a greater, wiser king than Solomon. What He did at the cross and at the empty tomb is infinitely greater than what God did at the original creation. And the gospel gives us a better wisdom than the book of Proverbs. The joy is we get it all. As it says in Corinthians, all things are yours. Close with me in prayer.