Podcast appearances and mentions of john r w

Dealing with False Teachers(1 Timothy 1:1-17) Message SlidesInterpretation - J.I. PackerFaith, Truth, and Love - Walter LiefeldFor the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Introduction: Salutation and Greeting (1:1-2)• Paul the Apostle - passing on faithful ministry • God our Savior - not Artemis or Caesar• Timothy - the next generation of ministryProblem: The False Teachers' Perversion of the Law (1:3-7)False teachers are full of confidence, arrogance, and error.• False teachers focus on fantasies rather than faith (1:3-5).• False teachers use the Scripture but do not use it correctly (1:6-7).Solution: The Proper Use of the Law (1:8-11)The function of the law is to convict sinners, not guide saints.• The proper use of the law is not to guide believers (1:8-9a).• The proper use of the law is to convict sinners of sin (1:9b-10). • The proper use of the law is compatible with the gospel (1:11).Priority: The Centrality of Grace for the Ministry of Paul (1:12-17)The grace of God manifest in Christ Jesus is the epicenter of the gospel. • The grace of God allows us to serve Him with gratitude (1:12).• The abundant grace of God flows to sinful people (1:13-14).• The gospel truth is that Christ Jesus came to save sinners (1:15-16). • The grace of the gospel leads to the praise of God (1:17).God has designed the church to be a stronghold of truth and champion of the grace of God in the gospel. Here is wisdom for the local church in every generation and in every place. Let no one say that scripture is out of date. Calvin, when dedicating his commentary to the Duke of Somerset in 1556 called this letter"highly relevant to our times". All these years later, we can make the same claim. Truly, “the Bible speaks today”. John R. W. Stott, Theologian & PastorHome Church QuestionsRead 1 Timothy 1:1-17.In Ephesus the dominant culture of the day supported the idea that yourloyalty should be to either Artemis (False Religion promising flourishing) or Caesar (False Authority promising security). Where does our culture suggest our loyalty should be placed?What is the content of false teaching in this passage?When have you encountered false teaching in the church?What are the consequences of false teaching in this passage?What criteria do you use when you hear people teaching the Bible?Why is “grace” so important for the gospel?Why is “grace” so important for sanctification? • How should we use the law today?Mission Prayer Focus: The Java Banyumasan of IndonesiaOf the approximately 9.35 million the majority identify as Muslim. Only about 20% actively practice their faith, and many blend it with animistic beliefs, including spirit worship and seeking help from shamans. While they have access to the vital ministry resources, only 2.5% are Christian adherents, and just 1.18% are evangelicals. Pray for the Java Banyumasan to recognize the truth. Ask God to send workers to share the gospel and disciple new believers, leading to a movement of multiplying disciples among them.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 04/13 26,858Giving For 04/20 37,121YTD Budget 1,482,480Giving 1,452,017 OVER/(UNDER) (30,463)Fellowship on the Lawn - Gather Together as One United Faith Family Sunday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a very family-orientated event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. There will also be Baggo, Pickle Ball and even more for the adults. This is a “Can't Miss Event”. We hope to see you there!New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Join us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register by June 6, at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. Senior Sunday | May 18Seniors 2025, complete a simple form for Senior Sunday at fellowshipconway.org/register and send five pictures to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org today, April 27, to be included in a slideshow to be shown during both worship services. Baby DedicationFellowship loves partnering with parents as they dedicate their children to the Lord. Sunday, May 11th, during both services, we will have a time for parents to dedicate their children and be prayed over by Ken. If you would like to have your children dedicated, email Lisa at lgerdes@fellowshipconway.org. Please include what service you would like.Invest in the Next GenerationWe are continuing our three-year journey through the Bible this summer and we need you to help us do that. The summer sessions begins Sunday, June 1 with positions available beginning in the nursery all the way up through fourth grade. Be a part of laying a foundation of faith for our kids. Contact Heather today at hfulmer@fellowshipconway.org or sign up at fellowshipconway.org/register. Luncheon for WidowsLadies of Fellowship, if you are a widow, Ambra Austin would like to honor you with a lunch on May 15, at 12 noon. This will be a time of fun, fellowship, and feasting! Please RSVP by May 1st to Ambra at 501-730-6795. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 PeterJoin us for Imperishable, Wednesday nights at Fellowship beginning May 28, at 6 p.m. led by Heather Harrison. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.

Everyone follows someone. The question is: who is your rabbi? And how can anyone tell?The sermon today is titled "Covered In The Dust of Your Rabbi." It is the first installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Mark 1:16-20 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 2, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Formation.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy.Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.Jonathan Storment, "Covered in Dust" (notes from this sermon preached at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ; generously provided by Jonathan; used with permission)I'd love to connect with you!Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Be with your rabbi. Become like him. Do what he did. This is discipleship.The sermon today is titled "Apprentices To Jesus." It is the second installment in our series "Follow Me." The Scripture reading is from Mark 3:13-15 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on February 9, 2025. All lessons fit under one of 6 broad categories: Begin, Instill, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under GROW: Spiritual Formation.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Podcast Notes (resources used or referenced):John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way.Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy.Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines.John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.Gregory A. Smith, “About Three in Ten US Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated,” Pew Research Center, Dec 14, 2021. “American Worldview Inventory 2023,” Barna, Feb 28, 2023 Lee Daniel's The Butler "Sit-In" scene.Jonathan Storment, "Covered in Dust" (notes from this sermon preached at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ; generously provided by Jonathan; used with permission)I'd love to connect with you!Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide on the sermon notes page.Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/instagram/twitter)Subscribe to my email newsletter on substack.

Matthew week 47 Updated: May 5             Matthew 7:24-27 ESV   24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”               John R.W. Stott- "Professing Christians, both the genuine and the spurious, often look alike. You cannot easily tell which is which. Both appear to be building Christian lives, both are members of the visible Christian community, both read the Bible, go to church, listen to sermons, and buy Christian literature. The reason you cannot tell the difference between them is that the deep foundations of their lives are hidden from view."   "The real question is not whether they hear Christ's teaching, nor even whether they respect or believe it, but whether they do what they hear. Neither an intellectual knowledge of Him, nor a verbal profession, though both essential in themselves, can ever be a substitute for obedience. The question is not whether we say nice, polite, orthodox, enthusiastic things to or about Jesus, nor whether we hear His words, listening, studying, pondering, and memorizing until our minds are stuffed with His teaching, but whether we do what we say, and do what we know. In other words, whether the lordship of Jesus which we profess is one of our life's major realities." The Message of the Sermon on the Mount: The Bible Speaks Today by John R. W. Stott (Downer's Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978)                     1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV   12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.       Acts 14:21-22 ESV   21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.       Philippians 1:29-30 ESV   29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.       2 Timothy 3:12 ESV   12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,       Luke 6:46-48 ESV   46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.             Matthew 16:18 ESV   And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.       Matthew 16:16 ESV   Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”       1 Corinthians 10:4 ESV   4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.       Isaiah 28:16 ESV   16 therefore thus says the Lord God,   “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,   a stone, a tested stone,   a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:   ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.'       Acts 4:11-12 ESV   11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”       Proverbs 10:25; 12:7; 14:11-12 ESV   25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,   but the righteous is established forever.       7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,   but the house of the righteous will stand.       11The house of the wicked will be destroyed,   but the tent of the upright will flourish.   12 There is a way that seems right to a man,   but its end is the way to death.       1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV   17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.              

On January 16, 1994, sometime after I read the verses we are going to explore this morning, I reflected on the tension I felt over how a loving God could choose and predestine a person before the foundation of the world for salvation. I wasnt angry over what I read in these verses, but I was disturbed; I was disturbed to the point of a near crisis of faith even though I had only been a Christian for just over two years. While I read over Ephesians 1:3-6; I also read similar passages such as Romans 8:28-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 6:44, and the entire chapter of Romans 9. I read these passages without the aid of books or commentaries, for it was only me and my Bible. I knew nothing of John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius, nor was I aware of their teachings by which we get Calvinism and Arminianism. I share this with you because I want you to know; that if some of you currently struggle with what you see in Ephesians 1:3-6, I also struggled with these same verses, and it took a lot of time for me to work through it, with just me and my Bible. What is clear, however, is that Gods love for you is older than dirt. There are three words that are linked to what it means to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (v. 3) that I want to focus our time on that I believe will help you work through what it is Paul is saying in these verses, and those words are: chose (v. 4), predestined (v. 5), and favored (v. 6). God Chose the Christian to be Holy and Blameless (v. 4) What was so hard about my struggle with verses 3-6 is that this verse could not have been any clearer: God chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world; the Greek word used for world is kosmos, and it refers to creation. When did God do it? Before He invented dirt. How did God do it? Through His Son, Jesus. Why did He do it? That those who were chosen, would be holy and blameless before Him. Before we can get to why God chose, we need to understand what it means for Him to choose. To choose is to pick or select someone or something. Every November we vote and when we vote, we choose certain candidates that we hope receive enough votes to be elected to whatever office it is that they are running for. In the case of verse 4, to choose is to elect. From verses like the ones before us this morning and others like it, we get the doctrine of elections (aka the doctrine of predestination). No person or theologian who believes the Bible to be the word of God denies what Paul is saying here, but where theologians, pastors, and Christians throughout the ages have disagreed is how it was that God chose the Christian before the foundation of the world. Let me summarize the most popular ways people have explained how it was that God chose. God chose you for salvation because you freely chose Him. You were drawn to him, but it wasnt until you chose Him that He chose you. God chose not only you but the body of Christ that is the Church to be the group of people who receive salvation freely by faith in Jesus. So, God does not choose individuals for salvation, but he has chosen before the foundation of the world that it would be through Christ that people would be saved. God chose you for salvation because he sees all things eternally, and because He can see peoples and events both present and future, He sovereignly chose you because he already knew you would freely choose Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Of the three views I mentioned, the third is the one I gravitated towards and believed was the best of the three options; I even stated in my journal on January 20, 1994, Due to the Scriptures and that all scripture is inspired by God, my conclusion on predestination is made: God is all-knowing therefore He predestined us for salvation, but allowed us to choose him for salvation. At the time, my conclusion seemed to reconcile Ephesians 1:3-6 and others like it with passages like 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. There is a fourth view that I have come to appreciate due to two realities I never considered back in 1994, the first concerns the fact that God stands outside of time because time is a part of creation, therefore He is not bound to time and does not make choices based on what He can see down the corridors of time because He stands outside of time. The other reality I did not consider back in 1994 was Ephesians 1:1-4, which states: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest (Eph. 2:1-3). In light of Ephesians 1:3-6, how can a person respond to God in faith when that person is spiritually dead? Can the spiritually dead do anything spiritual? Can the spiritually dead will themselves alive just enough to believe in God? What does Paul mean by dead in Ephesians 2:1? The Greek word could not be any clearer, it is nekros. Do you want to know what nekros means? It means this: no longer having life. So how dead is dead? So, the question I had to answer is a question you must answer as well, and that question is simply this: How can the spiritual dead do anything apart from God doing something? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 2:4-5, But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:45). The point of verse 4 is simply this: You, who were once spiritually dead. You who once, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of your flesh, you who followed the prince of this world, and you who were once a child of wrathHe chose you before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ. Whatever you are doing with verse 4, whatever you want to do with verse 4, and whatever you plan to do with verse 4, one thing is very clear: God acted first. When you had no ability or desire to find Him, He found you. John Stott was right when he wrote The doctrine of election is a divine revelation, not a human speculation.[1] God Predestined the Christian for Love (v. 5) What does it mean to be chosen? It means that God predestined you to something. What does predestination mean? It means, to determine something ahead of time before its occurrence.[2] So, according to verse 5, before God invented dirt, He planned for your adoption as a son or daughter through all that Jesus would do on your account for your sin on a cross that we all deserved. We know we deserved the cross because of what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:3, which is that all of us at one point in our lives were, by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. In Romans 3:10-11, we are told just how bad our spiritual deadness is: as it is written: There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks out God (Rom. 3:1011). Since when have I been spiritually dead? According to Psalm 51:5, Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Just in case you are not sure what to make of Psalm 51:5, consider Ecclesiastes 9:2, Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. So, with Ephesians 2:1-3 and a whole bunch of other verses about our spiritual problem as our backdrop, lets read again Ephesians 1:5 more closely and thoughtfully: In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. In other words, among the mass of spiritually dead humanity that has postured themselves against God as, sons of disobedience who walk according to the course of this world, God chose you, Christian, in Jesus, before He created dirt, to be holy and blameless. God chose you because you were dead, dead, dead, and because you were dead, He did the thing that no one else could have done! God raised your spiritually dead and helpless self. Why did He do it? Well, we are told that He did it In love and if that is not enough for you, Paul elaborates and tells us that He did it, according to the good pleasure of His will. And if that is not enough for you, he further elaborates on that point in the next chapter: being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead made us alive together with Christ (2:4-5). It is because of Gods love, His will, and His good pleasure that you who were once dead, now stand before Him as a son or as a daughter solely because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Dear Christian, the point of Ephesians 1:3-6 is this: you are only a Christian because of a merciful God who set His affection upon you by sending His son to endure a wrath you deserved for the purpose of adopting you to be His child out of an infinite love no one deserves. God Favored the Christian in Christ (v. 6) So, lets walk through these verses now that we have observed the scenery of Gods word that surrounds Ephesians 1:3-6. If you are a Christian, you were once dead in your sins, you were hostile towards God, and there was no real motive in you to seek the true God, and in spite of all of that, God the Father chose to make you alive in His Son, Jesus, before Genesis 1:1 ever happened, and He did it so that you, would be holy and blameless before Him. The point of verse 4 is that God did something you were powerless to do. Not only did God the Father choose you to be holy and blameless by making you alive in His Son, but He predestined us to be His adopted child with all the rights and privileges that come with being a son or a daughter, and He did it by putting His Son, who kept the Law, on a cross to atone for your guilt from breaking His cosmic Law just as the Bible declares: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for usfor it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13). If that is not clear enough for you, we also are told in Colossians 2:13-14, And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled 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. 2:1314). You were not only dead in your sins before Christ, but the Bible informs us that we are now redeemed by Jesus who were once enemies of God: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:10). What this means dear friends, is this: You were once dead in your sins, are now alive in Christ, and are now reconciled to God. You who are reconciled to God, are now a friend of God (John 15:14-15). If you are still confused as to why He did it, look no further than verse 6. Not only did He save your sorry soul because He simply loved you, and not only did He redeem you as his child out of His good pleasure of His will alone, but He did it, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored you in His Beloved Son (v. 6). By the way, the word favored literally means, to become the recipient of Gods freely bestowed, beneficent goodwill. What this means is that you were saved from your sins, and it was not due to anything in you, but solely because of the love of the Father who sent His Son who willingly became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). In his book, Friendship with God, Mike McKinley wrote what I think is a good way to end this sermon: Your status before God doesnt depend on your performance, or work, or obedience; it depends on Jesus, and he did everything perfectly to make you Gods friend. Nothing can ever separate you from Gods love in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). Once He has made you His friend through faith in Jesus, you can never be his enemy again.[3] In closing, permit me to give you some pointers that will help you listen, understand, and submit to the authority of the Bible: Do not try to bend what you read in the Bible to your will. If you want to grow as a Christian, you must submit your will to the authority of the Bible as Gods Word. The Bible is one book, therefore read every verse in the Bible within the context of its surrounding verses, chapters, and books. When you study your Bible, pray to God to help you understand and apply His Word to your life. Read every verse in the Bible with the understanding that God does not need to get better. So, if you read a story, chapter, or verse in the Bible that you do not like, understand you are the one who needs to improve at being good, not God. Just because you do not understand or do not like something you have read in the Bible, does not mean that it is untrue. At the end of the day, what matters is what Gods Word says, not what you think the Bible says, what your pastor says the Bible says, what your family says the Bible says, what your friends say the Bible says, or anyone else says that the Bible says. What matters is what Gods Word says about who He is, who we are, and what we are called to do in this short life we have been gifted. If you have heard anything this morning, I hope you have heard this: Ephesians 1:3-6 teaches us that you are a Christian not because of what you have done, but because of everything God has done, and because of Jesus, you are now a child and a friend of God Almighty! [1] John R. W. Stott, Gods New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 37. [2] From Lexham Research Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. [3] Mike McKinley, Friendship with God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2023), p. 11

On January 16, 1994, sometime after I read the verses we are going to explore this morning, I reflected on the tension I felt over how a loving God could choose and predestine a person before the foundation of the world for salvation. I wasnt angry over what I read in these verses, but I was disturbed; I was disturbed to the point of a near crisis of faith even though I had only been a Christian for just over two years. While I read over Ephesians 1:3-6; I also read similar passages such as Romans 8:28-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 6:44, and the entire chapter of Romans 9. I read these passages without the aid of books or commentaries, for it was only me and my Bible. I knew nothing of John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius, nor was I aware of their teachings by which we get Calvinism and Arminianism. I share this with you because I want you to know; that if some of you currently struggle with what you see in Ephesians 1:3-6, I also struggled with these same verses, and it took a lot of time for me to work through it, with just me and my Bible. What is clear, however, is that Gods love for you is older than dirt. There are three words that are linked to what it means to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (v. 3) that I want to focus our time on that I believe will help you work through what it is Paul is saying in these verses, and those words are: chose (v. 4), predestined (v. 5), and favored (v. 6). God Chose the Christian to be Holy and Blameless (v. 4) What was so hard about my struggle with verses 3-6 is that this verse could not have been any clearer: God chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world; the Greek word used for world is kosmos, and it refers to creation. When did God do it? Before He invented dirt. How did God do it? Through His Son, Jesus. Why did He do it? That those who were chosen, would be holy and blameless before Him. Before we can get to why God chose, we need to understand what it means for Him to choose. To choose is to pick or select someone or something. Every November we vote and when we vote, we choose certain candidates that we hope receive enough votes to be elected to whatever office it is that they are running for. In the case of verse 4, to choose is to elect. From verses like the ones before us this morning and others like it, we get the doctrine of elections (aka the doctrine of predestination). No person or theologian who believes the Bible to be the word of God denies what Paul is saying here, but where theologians, pastors, and Christians throughout the ages have disagreed is how it was that God chose the Christian before the foundation of the world. Let me summarize the most popular ways people have explained how it was that God chose. God chose you for salvation because you freely chose Him. You were drawn to him, but it wasnt until you chose Him that He chose you. God chose not only you but the body of Christ that is the Church to be the group of people who receive salvation freely by faith in Jesus. So, God does not choose individuals for salvation, but he has chosen before the foundation of the world that it would be through Christ that people would be saved. God chose you for salvation because he sees all things eternally, and because He can see peoples and events both present and future, He sovereignly chose you because he already knew you would freely choose Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Of the three views I mentioned, the third is the one I gravitated towards and believed was the best of the three options; I even stated in my journal on January 20, 1994, Due to the Scriptures and that all scripture is inspired by God, my conclusion on predestination is made: God is all-knowing therefore He predestined us for salvation, but allowed us to choose him for salvation. At the time, my conclusion seemed to reconcile Ephesians 1:3-6 and others like it with passages like 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. There is a fourth view that I have come to appreciate due to two realities I never considered back in 1994, the first concerns the fact that God stands outside of time because time is a part of creation, therefore He is not bound to time and does not make choices based on what He can see down the corridors of time because He stands outside of time. The other reality I did not consider back in 1994 was Ephesians 1:1-4, which states: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest (Eph. 2:1-3). In light of Ephesians 1:3-6, how can a person respond to God in faith when that person is spiritually dead? Can the spiritually dead do anything spiritual? Can the spiritually dead will themselves alive just enough to believe in God? What does Paul mean by dead in Ephesians 2:1? The Greek word could not be any clearer, it is nekros. Do you want to know what nekros means? It means this: no longer having life. So how dead is dead? So, the question I had to answer is a question you must answer as well, and that question is simply this: How can the spiritual dead do anything apart from God doing something? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 2:4-5, But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:45). The point of verse 4 is simply this: You, who were once spiritually dead. You who once, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of your flesh, you who followed the prince of this world, and you who were once a child of wrathHe chose you before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ. Whatever you are doing with verse 4, whatever you want to do with verse 4, and whatever you plan to do with verse 4, one thing is very clear: God acted first. When you had no ability or desire to find Him, He found you. John Stott was right when he wrote The doctrine of election is a divine revelation, not a human speculation.[1] God Predestined the Christian for Love (v. 5) What does it mean to be chosen? It means that God predestined you to something. What does predestination mean? It means, to determine something ahead of time before its occurrence.[2] So, according to verse 5, before God invented dirt, He planned for your adoption as a son or daughter through all that Jesus would do on your account for your sin on a cross that we all deserved. We know we deserved the cross because of what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:3, which is that all of us at one point in our lives were, by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. In Romans 3:10-11, we are told just how bad our spiritual deadness is: as it is written: There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks out God (Rom. 3:1011). Since when have I been spiritually dead? According to Psalm 51:5, Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Just in case you are not sure what to make of Psalm 51:5, consider Ecclesiastes 9:2, Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. So, with Ephesians 2:1-3 and a whole bunch of other verses about our spiritual problem as our backdrop, lets read again Ephesians 1:5 more closely and thoughtfully: In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. In other words, among the mass of spiritually dead humanity that has postured themselves against God as, sons of disobedience who walk according to the course of this world, God chose you, Christian, in Jesus, before He created dirt, to be holy and blameless. God chose you because you were dead, dead, dead, and because you were dead, He did the thing that no one else could have done! God raised your spiritually dead and helpless self. Why did He do it? Well, we are told that He did it In love and if that is not enough for you, Paul elaborates and tells us that He did it, according to the good pleasure of His will. And if that is not enough for you, he further elaborates on that point in the next chapter: being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead made us alive together with Christ (2:4-5). It is because of Gods love, His will, and His good pleasure that you who were once dead, now stand before Him as a son or as a daughter solely because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Dear Christian, the point of Ephesians 1:3-6 is this: you are only a Christian because of a merciful God who set His affection upon you by sending His son to endure a wrath you deserved for the purpose of adopting you to be His child out of an infinite love no one deserves. God Favored the Christian in Christ (v. 6) So, lets walk through these verses now that we have observed the scenery of Gods word that surrounds Ephesians 1:3-6. If you are a Christian, you were once dead in your sins, you were hostile towards God, and there was no real motive in you to seek the true God, and in spite of all of that, God the Father chose to make you alive in His Son, Jesus, before Genesis 1:1 ever happened, and He did it so that you, would be holy and blameless before Him. The point of verse 4 is that God did something you were powerless to do. Not only did God the Father choose you to be holy and blameless by making you alive in His Son, but He predestined us to be His adopted child with all the rights and privileges that come with being a son or a daughter, and He did it by putting His Son, who kept the Law, on a cross to atone for your guilt from breaking His cosmic Law just as the Bible declares: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for usfor it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13). If that is not clear enough for you, we also are told in Colossians 2:13-14, And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled 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. 2:1314). You were not only dead in your sins before Christ, but the Bible informs us that we are now redeemed by Jesus who were once enemies of God: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:10). What this means dear friends, is this: You were once dead in your sins, are now alive in Christ, and are now reconciled to God. You who are reconciled to God, are now a friend of God (John 15:14-15). If you are still confused as to why He did it, look no further than verse 6. Not only did He save your sorry soul because He simply loved you, and not only did He redeem you as his child out of His good pleasure of His will alone, but He did it, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored you in His Beloved Son (v. 6). By the way, the word favored literally means, to become the recipient of Gods freely bestowed, beneficent goodwill. What this means is that you were saved from your sins, and it was not due to anything in you, but solely because of the love of the Father who sent His Son who willingly became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). In his book, Friendship with God, Mike McKinley wrote what I think is a good way to end this sermon: Your status before God doesnt depend on your performance, or work, or obedience; it depends on Jesus, and he did everything perfectly to make you Gods friend. Nothing can ever separate you from Gods love in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). Once He has made you His friend through faith in Jesus, you can never be his enemy again.[3] In closing, permit me to give you some pointers that will help you listen, understand, and submit to the authority of the Bible: Do not try to bend what you read in the Bible to your will. If you want to grow as a Christian, you must submit your will to the authority of the Bible as Gods Word. The Bible is one book, therefore read every verse in the Bible within the context of its surrounding verses, chapters, and books. When you study your Bible, pray to God to help you understand and apply His Word to your life. Read every verse in the Bible with the understanding that God does not need to get better. So, if you read a story, chapter, or verse in the Bible that you do not like, understand you are the one who needs to improve at being good, not God. Just because you do not understand or do not like something you have read in the Bible, does not mean that it is untrue. At the end of the day, what matters is what Gods Word says, not what you think the Bible says, what your pastor says the Bible says, what your family says the Bible says, what your friends say the Bible says, or anyone else says that the Bible says. What matters is what Gods Word says about who He is, who we are, and what we are called to do in this short life we have been gifted. If you have heard anything this morning, I hope you have heard this: Ephesians 1:3-6 teaches us that you are a Christian not because of what you have done, but because of everything God has done, and because of Jesus, you are now a child and a friend of God Almighty! [1] John R. W. Stott, Gods New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 37. [2] From Lexham Research Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. [3] Mike McKinley, Friendship with God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2023), p. 11

Eternal Life      John wrote, “whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:15), and “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). And Jesus pointed others to Himself, saying, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40), and “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47; cf., 10:28). Jesus, when saying the believer “has” eternal life in John 6:47, used the Greek verb echō (ἔχω – to have or possess), which is in the present tense, meaning it's a right-now-truth. That is, eternal life is what the believer possesses at the moment of faith in Christ. This eternal life is connected with being in a relationship with Jesus Christ. John wrote, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:11-12).      We should also understand that eternal life does not merely refer to our unending existence in which we spend eternity with God in heaven, but that there's a qualitative dimension to it. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), and “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Merrill C. Tenney states, “Eternal, the new life God gives, refers not solely to the duration of existence but also to the quality of life as contrasted with futility. It is a deepening and growing experience. It can never be exhausted in any measurable span of time, but it introduces a totally new quality of life.”[1] In its entirety, eternal life is a free gift offered by God to those who trust in Christ as Savior (John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9), an experience to be enjoyed now (John 10:10), and a future reward for a life of sacrifice (Luke 18:29-30). As we advance spiritually in our walk with the Lord by learning His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking obediently by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), praying often (Eph 6:18; 1 Th 5:17), developing an attitude of gratitude (Eph 5:20; 1 Th 5:18), fellowshipping with other believers (Acts 2:42; Heb 10:25), engaging in worship (Eph 5:19; Heb 13:15), and allowing trials to shape us spiritually (Jam 1:2-4), we will experience what Paul told Timothy, when he instructed him to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Tim 6:12). This is the quality of life of believers who, in time, operate with positive volition toward God as their divine Parent and obey His directives to advance to spiritual maturity. Wiersbe notes, “We have ‘eternal life' and need to take hold of it and let it work in our experience.”[2] MacDonald adds, “He is to lay hold on eternal life. This does not mean that he is to strive for salvation. That is already his possession. But here the thought is to live out in daily practice the eternal life which was already his.”[3] Joseph Dillow states: "Possessing eternal life is one thing in the sense of initial entrance, but “taking hold” of it is another. The former is static; the latter is dynamic. The former depends on God; the latter depends on us. The former comes through faith alone; “taking hold” requires faith plus “keeping commandments” (1 Timothy 6:14). Those who are rich in this world and who give generously “will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19). Eternal life is not only the gift of regeneration; it is also “true life” that is cultivated by faith and acts of obedience."[4] Expiation      The doctrine of expiation is closely related to propitiation. Propitiation means satisfaction and refers to God the Father's approval of the death of Christ on behalf of sinners. Expiation emphasizes the removal of sin, as well as its guilt and punishment. Because God is holy and just, sin is an offense that demands His punishment. According to John Stott, God's wrath refers to “His steady, unrelenting, unremitting, uncompromising antagonism to evil in all its forms and manifestations.”[5] By means of the penal substitutionary atoning death of Jesus, God's wrath is satisfied concerning His righteous demands for our sin, and when we turn to Christ as Savior, all our sins are forgiven (Eph 1:7), and we are reconciled to God (Rom 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18-20). Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), and we know “He appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5), and that Jesus “released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev 1:5). Bruce Demarest states, “the focus of propitiation is Godward—Christ's sacrifice pays the penalty of sin so as to appease God's wrath. But the focus of expiation is humanward—Christ's sacrifice removes the stain of sin and the sinner's liability to suffer sin's punishment.”[6] Charles Hodge adds, “Expiation and propitiation are correlative terms. The sinner, or his guilt is expiated; God, or justice, is propitiated.”[7]      Propitiation is a word that speaks to our relationship with the Father. He was angry with us prior to our coming to Jesus, as we were “enemies” of God (Rom 5:10), spiritually “dead” in our trespasses (Eph 2:1; cf., Col 2:13), and “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). But now, because of the death of Christ, the Father accepts those who have trusted in Jesus as Savior, and has “forgiven us all our transgressions, having 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 2:13b-14). Robert B. Thieme, Jr. states: "Expiation describes the work of Christ on the cross that canceled mankind's debt owed for the penalty of sin. Man's penalty for sin is spiritual death, total separation from God. This is the status of every human being at birth due to Adam's fall (Rom 6:23a; Eph 2:1). The penalty placed all fallen humanity hopelessly in debt to God and incapable of paying the obligation. The only one qualified to pay was Jesus Christ, the Lamb without sin. He “bore our sins in His body on the cross” and was judged by God the Father (1 Pet 2:24a; cf. Isa 53:6b). Jesus Christ Himself covered the cost of man's spiritual death and “canceled out the certificate of debt” (Col 2:14). As a result, every human being is released from obligation and free to accept or reject the grace gift of salvation."[8] Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] Merrill C. Tenney, “John,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: John and Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 50. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 236. [3] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2101. [4] Joseph C. Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings, 4th Edition (Houston, TX: Grace Theology Press, 2018). [5] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006), 171. [6] Bruce A. Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, Foundations of Evangelical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 180. [7] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 478. [8] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Expiation”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 94.

Day 231 Today's Reading: 1 John 1 My wife and I have been married for more than two decades, and what she told me at the beginning of our marriage was both genius and biblical. Cindy said to me, “I will never complain or fight you on the amount of time you spend in the Word and in prayer. Because when you pray and read the Bible, you are a better husband, a better father, a better pastor, and a better man.” My wife is a very wise woman. Cindy and the apostle John give us the prerequisite for great relationships. Here's how John puts it: “If we keep living in the pure light that surrounds him, we share unbroken fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, continually cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, TPT). Fellowship with one another. The word fellowship is a strong relationship word in the Bible. The word itself means “to share” and “to be in partnership with.” Real fellowship is walking in agreement and in the same direction. In The Living Church, pastor and writer John R. W. Stott provides the three components of true Christian fellowship: our common inheritance, our common service, and our mutual responsibility. Where does this fellowship start? This is important: our fellowship with people is contingent on our walk with God. In order for there to be fellowship, according to 1 John 1:7, there must be light and blood. The light keeps everything open and accountable; the blood keeps everything forgivable if there is a sin encounter. When Cindy was urging me to my knees and the Bible, she was protecting our fellowship as husband and wife. There is no healthy, thriving relationship without light and blood. We need light and blood to deal with sin because sin is the corrupter of all relationships, starting with the most important one, with God. Why is sin damaging to all relationships? Sin alters all relationships. The essence of sin is selfishness. It's always “me and mine” first, where God, who is without sin, thinks of you and me first. In Why Prayers Are Unanswered, John A. Lavender retells a story about Norman Vincent Peale. When Peale was a boy, he found a cigar, so he slipped into an alley and lit up. It didn't taste very good, but it made him feel very grown-up—until he spotted his father coming toward him. Knowing he'd get into trouble if his father caught him smoking, he quickly put the cigar behind his back and tried to act casual. Desperate to divert his father's attention, Norman pointed to a billboard advertising the circus. “Can I go, Dad? Please, let's go when the circus comes to town.” His father's reply taught Peale a lesson he never forgot. “Son,” he answered quietly but firmly, “never make a petition while at the same time trying to hide a smoldering disobedience.” Light exposes sin. Blood forgives sin. My walk with Jesus has a direct bearing on my fellowship, not only with my family but with all people. If I am walking in the light, then I have fellowship, John says. What does it mean to walk in the light? It is to live a life that is scrutinized by the Spirit, and that's open and honest to those around you. When there is no darkness, that means nothing is hidden. When I am giving marital counseling and seeing that there is a great divide in the relationship between husband and wife, my first question to them is, “Tell me about your devotional life.” While the couple is wanting to fix a toilet seat not put down, socks not picked up, and meals not on time, the real issue is light and blood. Inevitably I hear from them both that their time in the Word and prayer is nonexistent—and so is their relationship with each other. Fellowship with one another is contingent on light that exposes our life, and blood forgives whatever is expo

     When God the Son added perfect humanity to Himself, this enabled Him to experience suffering and death with, and on behalf of, humanity. The suffering of Christ may be viewed in at least two ways: 1) His suffering during His time on earth prior to the cross, and 2) the suffering of the cross. As the God-Man, Jesus was perfectly holy in all His thoughts, words, and actions. Such perfect holiness brought with it a special form of suffering in this world that the rest of us could never know, since we are capable of yielding to the pressures of sinful temptation. When the time of His death was nearing, Jesus told His disciples “that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Matt 16:21; cf., Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22). It's noteworthy that Jesus said His suffering, dying, and resurrection were things that “must” happen to Him. The use of the Greek verb dei (δεῖ) here denotes divine necessity, which meant it was the will of God the Father that these things happen to Christ. Thomas Constable notes, “Jesus said that it was necessary (Gr. dei) for Him to go to Jerusalem. He had to do this because it was God's will for Messiah to suffer, die, and rise from the dead. He had to do these things to fulfill prophecy (Isa 53; cf. Acts 2:22–36).”[1] The absolute necessity of Jesus' death on the cross further emphasizes our helplessness to save ourselves, for if our salvation could have been secured by any other means, then the death of Christ would have been unnecessary.      While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God the Father, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). In His humanity, Jesus struggled to face the cross, understanding the scope of what it meant and the agony associated with it. Jesus prayed a second time, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt 26:42). The reference to the “cup” speaks of the suffering of the cross. John A. Witmer states, “In the Old Testament a ‘cup' sometimes symbolized wrath (Jer 25:15), and so Jesus was aware that His coming death meant He would bear the wrath of God the Father against sin. Though Christ had no sin (2 Cor 5:21), He bore the sins of the world on Himself (1 Pet 2:24). Thus He was made ‘a curse for us' because of His being hanged on a tree (Gal 3:13).”[2]      While on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46). This was the cry of Jesus from His humanity. Peter tells us that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24). Peter's reference to Jesus' “body” indicates humanity, not deity. Sin cannot be imputed to deity. Humanity can bear sin. It was while Jesus was on the cross that He bore the wrath of the Father as He died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. And the Spirit sustained Jesus' humanity while He bore our sins. Robert G. Gromacki states, “God the Son incarnate suffered and died. The Father did not suffer and die. Nor did the Holy Spirit suffer and die, even though He filled Christ when the Savior suffered and died.”[3] The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross was salvific, as Jesus was made “sin on our behalf” (2 Cor 5:21). Mark wrote, “When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'” (Mark 15:33-34; cf., Matt 27:45-46; Luke 23:44-46). Concerning this moment on the cross, Witmer states, “It was at this point, as Jesus bore the sin of the world, that God, the Judge of sin, turned away from Jesus Christ, His incarnate Son, the Sin-bearer, as far as the personal consciousness of Jesus was concerned.”[4] But there is some mystery at work here, for God the Father could not forsake God the Son, as a separation within the Trinity is not possible. Yet, somehow, the humanity of Christ—not His deity—was forsaken at the time of the judgment on the cross, otherwise the words of Jesus would be meaningless. But Jesus' suffering and death did happen, and it was His time on the cross that brought about our salvation; a salvation that is applied to us at the moment we trust in Christ as our Savior.      Even after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26). In the book of Acts, Luke records that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering” (Acts 1:3). Peter said, “the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). And Paul reasoned “from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:2b-3; cf., Acts 26:23). Jesus' suffering and death were necessary for salvation to be available to humanity.  The Cross & Crucifixion      The cross overshadowed the life of Jesus, and He knew dying for lost sinners was the ultimate purpose of the Father. When facing the cross, Jesus said, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour ‘? But for this purpose I came to this hour” (John 12:27). For lost sinners, the cross of Christ is both personal and purposeful. It is personal, because “Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), “for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3), and “not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). And His death was purposeful, as Christ “died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18), and that we might “reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom 5:10). 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.      The word “cross” translates the Greek noun stauros (σταυρός), which refers to “a pole to be placed in the ground and used for capital punishment, cross.”[5] The word “crucify” translates the Greek verb stauroō (σταυρόω), which means, “to fasten to a cross, crucify.”[6] Crucifixion was practiced by ancient cultures such as the Egyptians (Gen 40:19), Persians (Est 7:10), Assyrians and Greeks. By the time of Christ, the Romans had used crucifixion as a means of death more than previous cultures. According to John Stott: "Crucifixion seems to have been invented by “barbarians” on the edge of the known world and taken over from them by both Greeks and Romans. It is probably the most cruel method of execution ever practiced, for it deliberately delayed death until maximum torture had been inflicted. The victim could suffer for days before dying. When the Romans adopted it, they reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion or armed robbery, provided that they were also slaves, foreigners or other nonpersons."[7]      Just prior to crucifixion, a person was scourged with a whip which had thongs that were braided with sharp objects such as nails. As an act of public humiliation, criminals carried their own cross to the place of execution, and once there, were stripped naked before being fastened to the cross, either with rope or nails. Being tied to a cross with ropes was less painful in the beginning, but would leave the victim to hang for a longer period of time, even days, which would make the experience more painful in the end. Some who were tied to the cross are recorded to have lasted for nine days. Nailing a person to a cross was more painful from the beginning and would have led to a quicker death. The body would hang between three to four feet from the ground. Sometimes a soporific was given to the victim to help numb the senses. In Jesus case, it was “wine mixed with myrrh” (Mark 15:23), which our Lord rejected because it would have clouded His thinking (Matt 27:34). In some situations the Romans would break the victim's legs which would hasten death, but according to Scripture, Jesus was already dead by the time the soldiers considered doing this (John 19:32-34). Unger notes, “In most cases the body was allowed to rot on the cross by the action of the sun and rain or to be devoured by birds and beasts.”[8] We know that Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, came to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body, that he might bury it, and Pilate granted his request (Matt 27:57-60). It's most likely that Jesus was crucified in April, AD 33.[9]      The cross of Christ became central to the message of the gospel. The apostle Paul was sent by the Lord Jesus “to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void” (1 Cor 1:17). Paul was not concerned with human sophistry, winning arguments, or impressing his audience by means of rhetorical prowess, but merely with presenting the simple message of the cross of Christ, which brings eternal salvation to those who trust in Jesus as their Savior. Paul continued his line of reasoning, saying, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...[and] we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:18; 23-24). Paul summarized his message when he said, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The image of a crucified Savior seems entirely foolish to a world that creates its saviors out of strong heroes; strong in the human sense of one who can save himself and others. Jesus is certainly strong; after all, He's God! And He does save forever those who come to Him in faith. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Mt 16:21. [2] John A. Witmer, “Jesus Christ”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 352. [3] Robert G. Gromacki, “The Holy Spirit”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 468–469. [4] John A. Witmer, “Jesus Christ”, Understanding Christian Theology, 352. [5] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 941. [6] Ibid., 941. [7] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006), 29. [8] Merrill Frederick Unger et al., “Cross”, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 264. [9] See Harold Hoehner's book, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, pages 95-114.

In this episode titled "Letters to the Churches: Abiding in Truth", Pastor Duane Brooks  calls for repentance and a sincere dedication to following Jesus, highlighting the need for revival in the church. We are called to a higher challenge of resisting compromise with worldly values, particularly in the western church. The revivals at the Asbury and Wilmore campuses highlight the transformative power of the gospel. We cannot  serve God and self simultaneously by indulging in worldly pleasures while still claiming to follow Jesus. Jesus is a faithful witness who calls for repentance and correction for those who compromise their faith. There is a fear of the world trapping believers, causing them to dilute the gospel and lower their standards to avoid offense. He criticizes the tendency to value human praise over God's praise. Finally, Dr. Brooks praises the church in Pergamum for not denying the name of Jesus and encourages believers to emulate their faithfulness amidst societal pressures.Quotes:Tim Keller: Jesus doesn't just give us truths; he is the truth. Jesus is the prophet to end all prophets. He gives us hard-copy words from God, truths on which we can build our lives, truths we have to submit to, truths we have to obey, and truths we have to build our lives on, but he himself is the truth.George MacLeod: The greatest criticism of the church today is that no one wants to persecute it:  because there is not very much to persecute it about.John R. W. Stott: Honesty in business, chastity before marriage and fidelity after it, contentment in place of covetousness, self-control and self-sacrifice.  If the church were to maintain such standards it would find itself where it really belongs – outside the gate and in the wilderness.  But the fear of the world has ensnared us.  Our tendency is to dilute the gospel and to lower our standards in order not to give offense.  We love the praise of our fellow human beings more than the praise of God.Martin Luther: You can't break any of the ten commandments without breaking the first.Tim Keller: Sin isn't only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.Bill Hinson quoting another person at a convention: “I think we will be better off if we can just start explaining to people that Jesus Christ is not the way but a way.” A minister from Pakistan stood up and said, “If that is true then I need to call my brothers in Pakistan and tell them that they are dying in vain.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Lack of repentance is the root cause of powerlessness in the church, in this materialistic, self-indulgent age. There can be no spiritual power in a non-repentant church.Duane Brooks: If the church does not repent of compromise, it will have to reckon with the risen, ascended Lord who comes to fight with the sword of truth drawn.Text Revival to 94000 quote: I'm trusting God to show me who I have not yet become.To discover more messages of hope go to tallowood.org/sermons/.Follow us on Instagram, X, and YouTube @tallowoodbc.Follow us on FaceBook @tallowoodbaptist

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

See the Sermon on the Mount as an invitation to find new things to love, and a new community that shares our new loves. This fall, let's sit at the feet of the master teacher as we learn together what it means to live the good life.The sermon today is titled "The School of Christ." It is the first installment in our series "One Sermon That Changed The World." The Scripture reading is from Matthew 5:1-2 (ESV). Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on August 20, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under DISCOVER: A New Lifestyle.Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.Click here if you would like to download "Living the Sermon on the Mount," a free teachers guide and workbook resource for class and small groups.Click here for the "Outside the Walls" Podcast discussion of this sermon.Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):One teacher in Abilene: Randy Harris.David Brooks, The Road To Character.Robert Louis Wilkin, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought.Evan Andrews, “Did a premature obituary inspire the Nobel prize?” History Channel. July 23, 2020.Ronald J. Allen, “The Surprising Blessing of the Beatitudes.”Jonathan T. Pennington, The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing.Servais Pinckaers, The Sources of Christian Ethics.William C. Mattison III, The Sermon on the Mount and Moral Theology.John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.Dallas Willard quote found here. See his book The Divine Conspiracy.I'd love to connect with you!Watch sermons and find transcripts at nathanguy.com.Follow along each Sunday through YouTube livestream and find a study guide and even kids notes on the sermon notes page.Follow me @nathanpguy (facebook/

Dr. Sharp's expansive book, The Other Evangelicals, dials back the clock to the early days of evangelicalism. Isaac identifies a significant collection of high-profile, self-identified "evangelical" Christians who just do not fit the current stereotype. Some were liberal, others black or progressive or feminist even gay. What these believers have in common is that they were ultimately rejected as "evangelicals" by the self-appointed gatekeepers of the movement. In this PART II of this series, Ken and Dr. Sharp begin with a discussion of the Bible - as the inerrant and infallible authority over the movement as argued by Harold Lindsell in his Battle for the Bible. It's not just the book itself, but the sectarian interpretation of the book that for many becomes non-negotiable for many. Women like Letha Scanzoni, Nancy Hardesty and Virginia Mollenkott engaged feminism as part of their biblical faith. Dr. David Gushee (Sharp's academic advisor turned literary colleague) challenges evangelicalism's condemnation of the LGBTQ+ community. They talk about Dr. Ralph Blair, an ardent biblical Christian psychologist, and his critique of "pray-it-away" reparative therapy.  The Exodus International, promoted by Rev. Jerry Falwell, represented itself as a biblical ministry that existed to "cure" homosexuality. But it was ceremoniously shut down by founder Alan Chambers. Lawsuits, abuse and documented psychological harm overwhelmed the operation and led to its demise.  John R. W. Stott and Tony Campolo challenged evangelical assumptions, but their advice went unheeded. In the era of Trumpism, evangelicals virtually eliminated these non-conformists from their exclusive tribe. In spite of the efforts of these biblical voices, evangelicalism has become the domain of white, conservative Republicanism.  SHOW NOTESBecome a Patron: www.patreon.com/beachedwhitemaleSupport the show

Ken and Betsey reconvene for another Beach Talk. Betsey quizzes Ken on his milestone birthday this past weekend. The two reflect on aging, keeping perspective, and the power of purpose. Ken remembers his former professors, Carl F. H. Henry, Clark Pinnock, and John R. W. Stott who represented a version of Evangelicalism that is unrecognizable today. The Atlantic Monthly posted an article entitled "The People Who Do Not Read Books," especially those who seem to take pride, like Ye (Kanye West), in declaring their utter contempt for reading. It sparks a conversation around the value of engaging the written word. Ken shares his current morning read. The two reflect on the gun violence in California this week, including the massing shootings in Monterey Park the night of the celebration of the Lunar New Year at a dance studio and then just hours later, another in Half Moon Bay. It leads to a discussion on the discipline of lament.To wrap up, they briefly bemoan the efforts of the new House Speaker (Kevin McCarthy) to appoint key leadership roles. The former President is back on social media, but he gets reprimanded by a judge who ceremoniously threw out his "frivolous" lawsuit against his 2016 challenger (Hilliary Clinton). It's going to be a forgettable year with the Bakersfield Representative in charge.Ken reviews Spielberg's The Fabelmans and the joys of grandparenthood, and Betsey chimes in.Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/beachedwhitemaleSupport the show

Day 93 Today's Reading: Acts 4 Today's reading in Acts 4 is connected to a miracle story in Acts 3. In Acts 3, Peter and John prayed for a man they had seen every day at the temple, but this time with the fresh power from the Holy Spirit they received in Acts 2, they see this lame man walk and he's healed. Peter and John told the people that Jesus did this miracle. That's where we pick up our story in Acts 4. The people who saw the miracle and heard their story became Christians—5,000 of them! But there was another group listening who did not believe: As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. (Acts 4:1-3) The miracle and the message landed Peter and John in jail. And after questioning them, this is what happened: When they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20) The authorities told Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Let me say this about the Christian and our government. Talking about Romans 13, pastor John R. W. Stott says that “we are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God.” At that point our Christian duty is to disobey the state in order to obey God. If the state misuses its God-given authority either to command what God forbids or to forbid what God commands, we have to say no to the state in order to say yes to Christ. As John Calvin said, “Obedience to man must not become disobedience to God.” And that is where this story lands us. The Jewish authorities told Peter and John they could no longer speak in the name of Jesus, which has to be a no to the state to say yes to Christ. And Peter says "that's impossible. We don't have the ability to not speak," Peter says, “We cannot stop.” Dr. E. V. Hill, one of the great Baptist preachers preached on this moment when Peter challenged the “no speaking” rule of the courts: Peter spoke up and said, “You'll have to judge whether or not we should obey you or obey God. But as for us, we have a condition, and it's contagious and it's called ‘can't-help-it.' We couldn't stop if we wanted to. We could not stop in spite of your threats. We are not spectators; we are participators. No matter how you have threatened us and forbidden us to preach by this name, we will continue to do it, because we can't help it. This isn't something we can cut on and off. . ." “We were with Jesus when He turned the water to wine. We were right there with Him when He hollered to Lazarus to come forth. . . . We were there when He gave sight to the blind. Don't tell us to shut up; we've got evidence.” They said that on that basis they were going to keep on preaching Jesus. “We can't help it.” You and I need that “can't help it” condition too. We all do.

Welcome to the House of Hope! I want to encourage you during these times to visit us at FGGAMN.ORG so you get your news from a Biblical Worldview! Not a political worldview, or a TV Network view....but get it from a Biblical Worldview, we are here to serve God and you 24/7. Dr. Jim Denison wrote this week........ The renowned theologian John R. W. Stott used to say, “We must be global Christians with a global vision, because our God is a global God.” Because God is the king of the universe, every dimension of the universe falls within his care and compassion. He loves Ukrainians just as much as he loves Americans and Russians just as much as he loves Ukrainians.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air, and sea overnight in the largest attack by one nation against another in Europe since World War II. In The Daily Article for February 24, 2022, Dr. Jim Denison describes this “grave emergency,” what it could mean for the world and America, and how, as John R. W. Stott would say, “We must be global Christians.” Author: Dr. Jim Denison Narrator: Chris Elkins Subscribe: http://www.denisonforum.org/subscribe

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes (Matthew 7:28-29). PowerJesus' teaching is not only true, but it is powerful…..And compact!As one commentator has pointed out, "The Golden Rule [is] just eleven words; by contrast, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the U.S. government's attempt to oblige ethical character into the financial statements of American corporations, has eleven titles (major sections). It is one of the most complicated pieces of legislation in the history of the American republic and, in the economies of scale, places a disproportionate burden on small companies which were not the cause of the adoption" (Richard David Ramsey, "Business Ethics in the Sermon on the Mount," Leaven: A Journal of Christian Ministry [Pepperdine University: vol.16, no.4, 2008], 180).How convoluted are human attempts to exact honesty and fairness! How simple is the command Jesus gave us!AuthorityMatthew says what astonished the people was that Jesus “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” What does that mean?When the scribes taught, they spoke from the authority of others, usually Moses (Matt 23:2).Or they taught and followed the “tradition of the elders” (Matt 15:2).Mishnah (c.200 AD)—disagreements rife. Inconsistencies.Many times the rabbis disagreed with one another about what was permissible under the Law.They did not dare to speak in their own name—by their own authority. In contrast, Jesus spoke from his own authority—fulfilling, expanding, and modifying the teaching of even Moses himself. (Obviously, though we can speak from experience and out of conviction, we have no authority like his!)Chrysostom: “Everywhere in this teaching, he indicated that he himself was the person who had the power of deciding matters. When setting forth his laws, he kept adding, ‘But I say unto you.' And in reminding them of that Day, he declared himself to be the Judge, both as to the punishments and the rewards.” Homilies on Matthew 25.1The people would have been even more astonished had they realized these laws applied not only to the Jews, but to the whole world.Eusebius: “Moses was the leader of but one nation. And his legislation has proved to be applicable only to that one nation. …Whereas, Jesus gave his new law of holiness not only to the Jews, but to the whole human race. In summoning all nations, he set before them a legislation that they could obey and that was suitable for them. Then by a power more divine than that of Moses, he ordained his holy laws throughout all the world by his evangelists.” Demonstration of the Gospel 9.11AstonishedWill we go further in our study of the powerful words of Matthew 5-7?Recommended books on the Sermon on the Mount:* Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship. Hard hitting and thought-provoking. A classic.* John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Stott is a careful student and a clear writer.* Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy. Many fresh ideas. You may not agree with everything, but it is worth taking a look at.* A. M. Hunter's Design for Life: the Sermon on the Mount. Do we continue to be astonished at our Lord's teaching?Recommended audio on the Sermon on the Mount:* Kinnard and Jacoby in New York (teaching jubilee)* Malcom Cox* David Bercot's Early Christian Commentary on Matthew (a commentary series is replacing the original plan for an Early Christian Study Bible). Click HERE.* Jim Long (coming soon)Further devotional series:* 2008:  New Testament Chapter Studies ­— 400 devotional readings and studies taking us through every verse of the New Testament* 2013: Drawing Near to God — 40 days of quiet times, on Psalms, the 10 Commandments, spiritual life, and key biblical characters* 2014:  Christ Through the Ages ­— This series explores what it means that Jesus Christ is Lord of history. 30 podcasts plus 10 more on Worship.* 2015:­  Romans A-Z — Be inspired through this careful, verse-by-verse study of Paul's magisterial epistle to the Romans.* 2016:  Proverbs—A Disciplined Life — Get your life in order. Learn from the wisest men and women of ages past.* 2017:  Clean: Purity, Cleansing, Leprosy, Exorcism, & Reanimation — build biblical conviction about holiness and purity* 2018:  A Tour Through John — 50 lessons taking us through the Gospel of John, his letters, and Revelation* 2019:  The Imitation of Christ — 31 devotions for the heart from the classic work by Thomas à Kempis* 2021: Isaiah: Justice & Injustice – 40 devotions through all 66 chapters of IsaiahAlso available:* N.T. Character Podcasts — nearly 70 lessons on interesting, inspiring, informative biblical characters (men and women)* O.T. Character Podcasts — 60 lessons on major and minor O.T. characters (men and women) 

Media Description: Class 2 - The Spirit Unites Disciples Through Transformation  Five Ways The Holy Spirit Unites Disciples of Christ Class 2 - The Spirit Unites Disciples Because He Transforms Us Into Greater and Greater Christ-likeness Intro Teleios: “Recentring” - John Mark Hicks What unifies us? Visibly? The Spirit. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1–6 NIV11) last week - confession: “…no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3 NIV11) 3 more classes after this one Main Point For Today: The Spirit unites us by transforming us more into Christ-likeness As you and I become more Christlike, we get closer to Jesus, and therefore each other.  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3:17–18 NIV11) Our unity is improved and developed and deepened as we all become more like Jesus. The Spirit is the one who enables this. Freedom in Christ means transformation. If we have this connection it's like Paul is saying, “You cannot not be transformed.”! All by the love and power of the Spirit…. "It is the triumph of the grace and power of God reproducing through the Spirit the beauty of Christ in lives which are outwardly decaying and disintegrating through their connection with the world which is ‘passing away'. Only the grace of God is kind enough and the power of God strong enough to achieve this transformation in our broken and darkened lives." Barnett, Paul W. The Message of 2 Corinthians. The Bible Speaks Today. Edited by John R. W. Stott. Accordance electronic edition, version 1.3. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988. What is the result? “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1Thessalonians 4:3–8 NIV11) We are sanctified by the Spirit We live differently because we have the Spirit - not because we share same values, have church ‘standards' This produces fruit. Fruit that shows: ““Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.” (Matthew 7:15–20 NIV11) Fruit is an indication of whether we are holding to correct ‘doctrine'. True for individuals True for congregations “Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells, empowers, and gifts us for new life in Christ…. Transformation is the goal of God's agenda” Hicks It is a Christ-likeness project We are transformed by the presence of the indwelling Spirit.  When we bring God's Spirit into communion with each other, it enhances the Spirit's power to transform us personally and collectively. Having this same spiritual goal and the same experience of the Spirit's power and work unites us in a way that simply having a common material goal never could. The effect on us? Disturbing See the work of the Spirit on the church in Acts - growth through disturbance What does this mean for our congregational communities? Dare to talk with one another about what we see the Spirit doing (trying to do) in us and one another Have spiritual conversations along the lines of, “I see the Spirit doing……in you.” “What can you see the Spirit doing in me?” “How can I support the work of the Spirit in you?” “What is the Spirit doing in our congregation?”  “In what way is the Spirit growing us to produce which fruits, as a congregation?” Questions In what way does it help your unity with fellow-believers to know that you are all being transformed by the Spirit towards greater Christ-likeness? What helps your transformation into Christ-likeness by the Spirit? What is your part in supporting others as they journey into greater Christ-likeness by the Spirit? Summary The Spirit unites us by our mutual transformation into Christ-likeness Next time Liturgy: The way the Spirit unifies us in our worship Send me any comments or questions Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

Media Description: Class 2 - The Spirit Unites Disciples Through Transformation  Five Ways The Holy Spirit Unites Disciples of Christ Class 2 - The Spirit Unites Disciples Because He Transforms Us Into Greater and Greater Christ-likeness Intro Teleios: “Recentring” - John Mark Hicks What unifies us? Visibly? The Spirit. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1–6 NIV11) last week - confession: “…no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3 NIV11) 3 more classes after this one Main Point For Today: The Spirit unites us by transforming us more into Christ-likeness As you and I become more Christlike, we get closer to Jesus, and therefore each other.  “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3:17–18 NIV11) Our unity is improved and developed and deepened as we all become more like Jesus. The Spirit is the one who enables this. Freedom in Christ means transformation. If we have this connection it's like Paul is saying, “You cannot not be transformed.”! All by the love and power of the Spirit…. "It is the triumph of the grace and power of God reproducing through the Spirit the beauty of Christ in lives which are outwardly decaying and disintegrating through their connection with the world which is ‘passing away'. Only the grace of God is kind enough and the power of God strong enough to achieve this transformation in our broken and darkened lives." Barnett, Paul W. The Message of 2 Corinthians. The Bible Speaks Today. Edited by John R. W. Stott. Accordance electronic edition, version 1.3. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988. What is the result? “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honourable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1Thessalonians 4:3–8 NIV11) We are sanctified by the Spirit We live differently because we have the Spirit - not because we share same values, have church ‘standards' This produces fruit. Fruit that shows: ““Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.” (Matthew 7:15–20 NIV11) Fruit is an indication of whether we are holding to correct ‘doctrine'. True for individuals True for congregations “Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells, empowers, and gifts us for new life in Christ…. Transformation is the goal of God's agenda” Hicks It is a Christ-likeness project We are transformed by the presence of the indwelling Spirit.  When we bring God's Spirit into communion with each other, it enhances the Spirit's power to transform us personally and collectively. Having this same spiritual goal and the same experience of the Spirit's power and work unites us in a way that simply having a common material goal never could. The effect on us? Disturbing See the work of the Spirit on the church in Acts - growth through disturbance What does this mean for our congregational communities? Dare to talk with one another about what we see the Spirit doing (trying to do) in us and one another Have spiritual conversations along the lines of, “I see the Spirit doing……in you.” “What can you see the Spirit doing in me?” “How can I support the work of the Spirit in you?” “What is the Spirit doing in our congregation?”  “In what way is the Spirit growing us to produce which fruits, as a congregation?” Questions In what way does it help your unity with fellow-believers to know that you are all being transformed by the Spirit towards greater Christ-likeness? What helps your transformation into Christ-likeness by the Spirit? What is your part in supporting others as they journey into greater Christ-likeness by the Spirit? Summary The Spirit unites us by our mutual transformation into Christ-likeness Next time Liturgy: The way the Spirit unifies us in our worship Send me any comments or questions Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

Aproveitando a comemoração do centenário de nascimento do pastor e teólogo anglicano, John R. W. Stott, o Missionando traz informações sobre sua vida e obra, as ênfases ministeriais que guiaram sua carreira e o legado da rica literatura desse evangélico que amava Jesus, a sua Palavra e a sua Igreja. Ele mesmo não foi missionário transcultural, mas se dedicou muito à formação bíblico-teológica de cristãos em mais de cem países, de todos os continentes, através da Sociedade Langham Internacional. Saiba mais em: https://johnstott.com.br

Pastor Michael Foster is a man's man in a church that's been defined by women for decades. He's been blazing a white streak through the Internet, with a podcast that's exploding in popularity as his message lands with men looking for a preacher who connects with their gut, and not just the head or heart. You can hear it in his voice: clear, direct, unapologetic. He looks you in the eye and invites you into the arena with him to do battle with him against the ideas about Jesus Christ, the Bible, and Christians that have polluted these sacred waters for centuries, especially in Protestantism. As you might imagine, pastors like him are rare. But as you'll hear Michael wasn't born or raised a Godly man. God did however, raise him up, to make part of the team, just in time for a very special moment in the history of the world. In our conversation we discussed: How he went from being an atheist and a near-high school dropout to a Christian and a pastor Jordan Peterson, his relationship to Christianity, and how "12 Rules for Life" compares and contrasts with "Bronze Age Mindset" The words Justified, Convicted, and Propitiation, and how they illustrate God's lawful nature and Jesus' role in liberating us from the natural consequences of our actions Masculinity in film, including some favorite examples over the past several decades The best books about masculinity and Christianity I've been looking forward to this episode for months. I was baptized in September, and as yet I haven't found anything in the religion that conflicts with authentic, traditional masculinity. But I can't make the case as well as a man who's lived, breathed, and preached it. I think this might be testimony you've been waiting for. And know that where Michael comes from, this is just the beginning. Follow Michael Foster on Twitter (link) Listen to the It's Good To Be A Man Podcast on Apple (link) and Stitcher (link) Visit ItsGoodToBeAMan.com (link) Dr. Jordan B. Peterson – “12 Rules for Life (link) Bronze Age Pervert – “Bronze Age Mindset” (link) John Eldredge – “Wild At Heart” (link) William Mouser – “The Story of Sex in Scripture” (link) Werner Neuer – “Men and Women in Christian Perspective” (link) Stephen B. Clark – “Man and Woman in Christ” (link) John R. W. Stott – “Basic Christianity" (link) Steven Ozment – “When Fathers Ruled” (link) Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Bible (link) Gareth Crossley – “The Old Testament Explained and Applied” (link) Trailer for “Collision” film (link) Richard Cooper at 21Convention – “Be Better” (link) Trailer for “1917” (link) Trailer for “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” (link) Check out my new website at https://renofmen.com Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.

Slow down, take a deep breath, and join in on a guided, contemplative engagement in scripture and prayer. Brought to you by Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts Hosted by Lauren Becker and produced by Lora Schultz Recorded at Wine Cellar Studio Scripture references from the New International Version Biblical text. Context informed by: Bruce Milne, The Message of John, ed. John R. W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today. Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove.: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 206.

Slow down, take a deep breath, and join in on a guided, contemplative engagement in scripture and prayer. Brought to you by Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts Hosted by Lauren Becker and produced by Lora Schultz Recorded at Wine Cellar Studio Scripture references from the New International Version Biblical text. Context informed by: Bruce Milne, The Message of John, ed. John R. W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today. Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove.: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 206.

Slow down, take a deep breath, and join in on a guided, contemplative engagement in scripture and prayer. Brought to you by Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts Hosted by Lauren Becker and produced by Lora Schultz Recorded at Wine Cellar Studio Context Adapted from Michael Wilcock, The Message of Luke, ed. John R. W. Stott, The Bible Speaks Today. Accordance electronic ed. (Downers Grove.: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 125-126. Scripture references from the New International Version Biblical text.

Welcome to Day 1435 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomGrace is... – Wisdom UnpluggedWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1435 of our Trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today's trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let's jump right in with today's nugget: Today's quote is from  John R. W. Stott, and it is:    Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.      Grace Is…Complete and sufficient grace can only come from God. This does not mean that humankind is incapable of at least a measure of grace to all others. Since God created us to be bearers of His image, we can show and extend grace, even to those who may not deserve it, and to those who do not show mercy to us. God shows us grace because of His love for us, not because of our love for Him. It is because God loves us so much that He stooped down to earth and became a human so that we could be rescued through the sacrifice of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.  As God's image-bearers, we must show our love to others even when they are unlovely. This love can be shown by stooping down to tangibly rescues others that are in need. We are all created by God, and none of us should ever think we are better than others. We need to understand it is only by God's grace that we can live in such a manner that we can help others. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%205%3A8&version=NLT (Romans 5:8) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A21&version=NLT (2 Corinthians 5:21) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A21&version=NLT#fen-NLT-28859a (a)] so that we could be made right with God through Christ. That's a wrap for today's Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 11,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. Just as you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.' If you would like to listen to any of our past 1434 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to caWisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day's trek will be downloaded automatically. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day. As we take this Trek of life together, let us always: Live Abundantly (Fully) Love Unconditionally Listen Intentionally Learn Continuously Lend to others Generously Lead with Integrity Leave a Living Legacy Each Day I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to 'Keep Moving Forward,' ‘Enjoy your Journey,' and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday'! See you tomorrow for Worldview Wednesday!

We are seeing some unprecedented times in America today.  The country is taking extreme measures to slow down the "pandemic" or should I say plandemic!  And many of the measures being taken are limiting individual freedom and violating rights guaranteed by our constitution.  We are seeing people being arrested for trying to go back to work, mothers being harassed by police because they take their children to the park, citizens being physically removed from public transit because they refuse to wear masks.  I'm going to try and remain calm for this vlog because these things infuriate me.  First amendment rights are being violated by not allowing dissenting voices to challenge the current narrative and by not allowing people to gather for worship.  I believe the 1st amendment states "or prohbiting the free exercise thereof"  2nd amendment rights are being violated by governors restricting individual gun carrying rights.  To what extent should the Constitution be violated?  The answer.....NEVER.....period!Our rights should not be violated for any reason!  Otherwise we are not free.  This goes for all Americans.  As a pastor and teacher of the Bible, we cannot overlook Romans 13 in the scripture.  To put it in simple words for those who may not have read this Chapter of the Bible, it calls for Christian people to be obedient to governing authorities.  God's word consistently calls us to obey and support our governing authorities.  Paul urged that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).    His instruction to Christians living in Rome was clear: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment" (Romans 13:1-2).The apostle then stated that "the authorities are ministers of God" (v. 6) and urged his readers: "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed" (v. 7).Peter added: "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good" (1 Peter 2:13-14).It would seem clear, then, that Christians are to submit to the authority of the government, seeing its exercise of power as God's will for us. However, there's more to the story.Is there ever a time for civil disobedience?  Is there ever a time when Christians should stand against tyranny?  Are there biblical examples?  The answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes!  In Acts 4, Peter and John were ordered to stop preaching the gospel by the Sanhedrin, the highest authority in Judaism. Their response: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (vv. 19-20).After Peter was arrested again for preaching the gospel, he was again bold in his civil disobedience: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). His faithfulness to God led to his martyrdom by Rome. Paul suffered a similar fate: imprisonment (2 Timothy 4:6) and execution.And so, two apostles who counseled Christians to obey the state were executed because they would not obey the state.Theirs are not the only stories in Scripture.In Daniel 3, the Babylonian king erected a golden image and required all people to worship it. The Jewish exiles Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego testified before the idolatrous king: "We will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (v. 18). You know what happened to them.Three chapters later, Daniel refused to pray to the Persian king and was thrown into the lions' den as a result.Some people even think that Jesus was the ultimate pacifist.  They like to think of Him as the first hippie, throwing flowers and exclaiming, “Peace and love, man!” That may be the Jesus of their imaginations, but that is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of the Bible was loving. He was forgiving. He was compassionate.But the Jesus of the Bible also administered justice. He made a whip and drove the moneychangers out of the temple. He told His disciples that as the days were getting more dangerous, they may need their swords (see Luke 22:36-38). It's called self-defense. A Christian can defend himself or herself. It's also acceptable for a nation to defend itself from those who want to harm it.There is a place for self-defense. You have your rights as an American citizen.John R. W. Stott was one of the most respected evangelical theologians of the twentieth century. In his commentary on Romans 13, he asks:"Granted that the authority of the rulers is derived from God, what happens if they abuse it, if they reverse their God-given duty, commending those who do evil and punishing those who do good? Does the requirement to submit still stand in such a morally perverse situation? No. The principle is clear. We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would entail disobedience to God. But if the state commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our plain Christian duty is to resist, not to submit, to disobey the state in order to obey God."As Christians we have been commanded to have a gentle and quiet spirit.  Many Christians take that and use it to believe that we are to be doormats for everyone to walk on.  While there is a command to turn the other cheek, mess with my children and something is going to happen....you get what I am saying.  Mess with my wife and you are gong to know something!  The command to turn the other cheek and live in quietness, gentleness, and submission, is not a command to have people run over us, nor is it a command to lay down and take abuse.  That even applies to those in authority over us.You and I are citizens of two countries. We live in a secular nation with secular leaders we are to support and obey. But we also live in a spiritual society with an omnipotent King whose authority is supreme (Psalm 2:10-11).Jesus taught us to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).But when we are forced to choose, we must obey our highest authority.Peter encouraged us to "show proper respect to everyone." What does this entail? "Love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:17 NIV). We are to love each other, and we are to honor our secular leaders. But we are to fear only God.In our contemporary American society, we face a much different world than that of the Roman Christians.Paul doesn't write to command unquestioning obedience to whatever power Christians happen to fall under, because those powers are human, fallible, and sometimes need to be changed. Rather, Paul wrote to remind Christians to always respect the concept of authority. We're not to be anarchists. When we resist, we resist people, not the authority that they represent—that is always needed for human society to function.So what does holy resistance look like?This is not to sound gushy and sentimental, but it must come from a place of love, not anger.  And yes, I get it.  I am angry at the ungodly governing authorities that are stealing away our freedom.  I am angry that there are those who wish to Lord over us, and I will not idly stand by and watch us fall into tyranny, the very thing we fought against to start this great nation.  But as a believer, our heart should always be a heart of seeing people come to repentance and faith.  You see, God is the ultimate authority for the Christian, not the government, not the President, not any Governor, mayor or any other human being.  This is undisputed. But governmental authority is also necessary in a fallen world. And while these human authorities may ultimately become corrupt or inept, we are given leave to change these authorities, and even, when needed, completely change the systems they control.But Paul shows us that we must never cast aside the notion that someone will have authority. That is a spirit of rebellion. That is anarchy. It doesn't work, and God knows it. That is what Paul communicates in Romans 13.Before you ever decide to resist authority, I have a question.   Before you rush to stand or take up arms or grab our torches and pitchforks, can I ask you have you even prayed about it?Have you brought your concerns and requests to the Lord?  That is the first thing you should do.  Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.No, we do not have a king, but don't you think that God would have us pray for our leaders?  Abraham pleaded to God on behalf of the nation. Moses sought the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel.  What about Elijah, Solomon, David, and Nehemiah, YES, they all prayed and sought the Lord to intervene, and it worked!  I am afraid that many of us, myself included allow our emotions to rule us when we should be on our knees repenting and praying and pleading for the nation and those in authority over us.  So if, as a Christian, you disagree with the way America—or whatever your country may be—is being led, do something about it. But do it in love. Do it with the idea that authority, itself, is a Godly concept.Yes, we are to honor authority, but blind obedience to those who are over us is not what God has called for.  We have a God-given, not man-made right to say not to and we should resist those things we believe are oppressive and immoral, no matter how costly or difficult.  Galatians 5:1 tells us For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.Dear brother or sister, personally, I will not be placed under that yoke of slavery and bondage.  Christ's entire purpose for coming to this earth was to make us free.  In fact, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  I cannot tell you what you should do as a matter of your conscience.  And I also know that many Christian people will disagree with me.  That is fine.  But what I can tell you is that whether you ever choose to stand against authorities, I cannot and will not allow those who are corrupt in power to place me under the very chains that Christ came to deliver me from.  NO, this doesn't mean that I am ready to take up arms, nor does it mean that I have a mind and spirit of disobedience.  What it means it simply this, one day if it ever comes to defending my family, myself, or any brothers and sisters in Christ, I am ready.  Why?  For whom the Son has set free, is free indeed.      

A sermon given by the Rev. Dr. John Stott at St. Stephen's Church in Sewickley, Pennsylvania on the subject of Christian Maturity.New episodes every Monday. 

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John R. W. Stott