Podcasts about lord romans

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).   Visit our website at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com

One moment they were in their apartment building. The next they were under it. Ninety people were trapped when a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar suddenly leveled their building.Fifty Myanmar children went to preschool that day. At least a dozen died there in the sudden collapse of their school. One doctor in Mandalay said: "Wherever I looked, I saw collapsed buildings. Only dust." It's a tragedy that's almost incomprehensible. Especially when some scientists are estimating the death toll could even go to 10,000. Not numbers. Somebody's son or daughter. Husband or wife. Mom or dad. In spite of the ferocity of the quake, many did not have to die. As one expert explained, building codes in this quake-prone area "fail to fully consider earthquake resistance measures." In other words, unlike places like Japan, structures are not built to withstand the shock of a major quake. It's not just buildings with that kind of vulnerability. It's people. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What the Quake Can't Take." Cancer. Stroke. Heart attack. The death of a child. Or, like me, the death of the love of your life. It's just been a litany of loss lately among friends and acquaintances. Bad news from the doctor. Financial collapse. A devastating fire or storm. The collapse of a marriage. Mental health and anxiety issues are off the charts. It's like we're all living in a quake prone zone. The question is not, "Will there be a lifequake?" The question is, "Is what I'm building my life on strong enough to withstand the trauma that shakes everything in my world?" So many things we live for... we depend on... our "go to's" fail us when the quake hits. We look around and there's "only dust." What is there that the quake can't take? That's something the Biblical psalmist addresses when he wrote these words in our word for today from the Word of God in Psalm 46: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with surging... Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall". He's saying here that literally, everything is collapsing. But listen... "The Lord Almighty is with us." A ship in a storm can be tossed around violently. But the anchor holds. Mine did nine years ago next month. It shook my world like nothing else ever could. The Great Quake - death - suddenly took my Karen, the love of my life since I was 19. But there's something it couldn't take. My personal relationship with the only Person who ever beat death. The one man who walked out of His grave under His own power. Jesus. The Christ. The Son of God. Yes, the one who promised to love me "til death do us part" kept her promise. But death did us part. But, in the words of Scripture, "Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). It's the love we saw poured out for our sins on the day we call Good Friday. A love that didn't turn its back then. A love that never will. Millions of people for two thousand years have anchored their life to this Jesus, and found that "we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19). It seems appropriate that on that morning we call Easter the Bible says, "there was a violent earthquake" at the tomb of Jesus. For that is the day He walked out of that grave to conquer the Great Quake of death. Listen, if you want to be sure you belong to Him in an uncertain world, our website is there to help you begin a relationship with Him. Would you go there today? It's ANewStory.com. Someday I will face the Great Quake. But not alone. For, as the Bible says, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For YOU are with me!" (Psalm 23:4)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

If you're curious about how to become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (this is an EXTERNAL resource, not owned by the Morning Mindset. Please do not leave messages for Carey there. See below for contact info). ⇒ Submit a Prayer Request: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/prayer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Romans 16:12–17 - [12] Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. [13] Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. [14] Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. [15] Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. [16] Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUPPORT OUR WORK: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen _ Venmo: @CareyNGreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACT US AT: Carey@careygreen.com  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/

If you're curious about how to become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (this is an EXTERNAL resource, not owned by the Morning Mindset. Please do not leave messages for Carey there. See below for contact info).   ⇒ TODAY'S DAILY SPONSOR: David, from Ohio, who listens every morning. You can sponsor a daily episode of the Morning Mindset too, by going to https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/DailySponsor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:8–9 - [8] For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. [9] For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUPPORT OUR WORK: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen _ Venmo: @CareyNGreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACT US AT: Carey@careygreen.com  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/

If you're curious about how to become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (this is an EXTERNAL resource, not owned by the Morning Mindset. Please do not leave messages for Carey there. See below for contact info).   ⇒ TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THE MORNING MINDSET - Your personal recommendation can make an eternal difference in the lives of the people you know! STEP ONE: Go to http://YourMorningMindset.com  STEP TWO: Share that page with someone you know!   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:5–6 - [5] One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. [6] The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUPPORT OUR WORK: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen _ Venmo: @CareyNGreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACT US AT: Carey@careygreen.com  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/

If you're curious about how to become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (this is an EXTERNAL resource, not owned by the Morning Mindset. Please do not leave messages for Carey there. See below for contact info).   ⇒ TODAY'S DAILY SPONSOR: Anonymous MM Listener - Start off my daily commute to center my day in the clinic around Jesus. You can sponsor a daily episode of the Morning Mindset too, by going to https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/DailySponsor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:19–20 - [19] Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” [20] To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUPPORT OUR WORK: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen _ Venmo: @CareyNGreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACT US AT: Carey@careygreen.com  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/

Today, Cherie dives into Proverbs 2 and the intentional pursuit of wisdom. Unpacking active language in this passage—accept, store up, call out, seek, search—emphasizes that wisdom doesn't just happen; it's something we must prioritize. Cherie challenges listeners to reflect on how their time reflects their priorities and highlights how pursuing wisdom ultimately leads us to the fear of the Lord (Romans 12:1-2). The reward? Favor and provision. True wisdom isn't stumbled upon—it's pursued.WHAT IS NEUE THING?Neue Thing is a non-profit ministry, founded by Cherie Wagner, that exists to equip women with the Word of God. Cherie's life-long passion is two-fold: knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known. Author of Found On My Knees, Awake O Sleeper, Rest, Hope, Psalms for Life, and Knowing Your Name, Cherie writes Bible studies for women that will encourage them to know and believe God's Word, equip them to live it, and empower them to take it and transform this generation for Jesus Christ.CONNECT Website: https://neuething.org/Email Subscription link:https://neuething.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neuethinginc/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neuethingGive to Neue Thing: https://neuething.org/give/RESOURCESProverbs: The Wise, The Fool, The WickedKnowing Your NameFound On My Knees: The Journey from Brokenness to BlessingAwake O Sleeper: EphesiansRest: 30 Days of Exploring God's Invitation to RestHope: Tethered to an Unwavering GodPsalms for Life

Jan. 25 & 26, 2025  - You Can Have It All Lord! Pastor Ed Taylor Romans 12:1-2 | Study #20250126 TOPICAL - Take It All

CD 1689 “Opening up God's Gift”12-22-24 A.M. - “Christmas Message”Merry Christmas! I bless you in the name of the Lord this morning and I give God praise for His “Unspeakable Gift”! This morning let's “Open up God's Gift” with His instructions so we can take full advantage of all He has given  to us!*Read 2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV) Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable Gift. Note “Unspeakable” (an-ek-dee-ay'-gay-tos) that cannot be fully declared. Only here.Note “gift” (do-reh-ah' ) It cannot be that Paul had in his mind anything less than God's supreme gift, the gift of His Son, of which he speaks in 2 Cor. 8:9.*Text John 4:1-10 (KJV) When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the “gift” of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.#1 Redemption (Salvation) *Reread John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, “If thou knewest” the “gift” of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.Note “If thou knewest” - what you don't know can get you killed! God told us His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6)! Will you “Open up God's Gift” - Jesus the Living Word this morning? [Note the 8 “gifts” in this Gospel John 4:10; John 10:11; John 13:15; John 14:16, John 14:27; John 17:8, John 17:14, John 17:22).]We know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death but the “gift of God” is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)! Jesus made His way to this lady who needed something NO MAN could give her - she needed “Redemtion -Salvation” - “living water”! Turn with me to the Prophet Isaiah please. Isaiah's prophecies about the Messiah are numerous and detailed, covering everything from His birth (Isaiah 7:14) to His death (Isaiah 53) and His kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7). The "Book of Immanuel" is a term used to describe a section of the Book of Isaiah, specifically chapters 7-12.*Read Isaiah 12:1-3 (KJV) And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.*Read John 7:37-39 (KJV)Back to John's Gospel please:*Reread John 4:1-3 (KJV) When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and Support the show

Personal Revival, Nation Awakening & Generational Reformation “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord ” (Romans 12:11). Cultivating our spiritual hunger for God is part of the believers lifestyle. Our communion and relationship with Jesus through His Word, prayer, fasting and friendship is the quest that fuels sustainable personal revival. In this newest episode of The torch, Brian focuses on our personal pursuit for God's heart and specifically keeping the fire and passion burning in the midst of uncertain times. We are currently raising funds for our Sanctuary Building that we are building. If you'd like to partner with us in building a resting place for the presence of the Lord, you can give today at: https://www.victoryfla.com/give For all the latest on all things from Brian, be sure to check out our website at https://victoryfla.com and follow us on social media. Welcome to The Torch. A podcast with Brian Gibbs, presenting Biblical insights and prophetic perspectives for cultural and current events in this day and age. Contending for personal revival, national awakening and generational reformation. Download our app at: https://victoryfla.com/app Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorychurchfla/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victorychurchfla/ X: https://twitter.com/victorychurchfl/

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). We praise you, Jesus!

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved – Romans 10:9

The most basic meaning of the biblical word for judge/judgment means to "separate" or "rule over." Jesus says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Mt 7:1). Paul writes, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant?" The idea here is that everyone who is a follower of Jesus is a servant of God. Jesus alone can sit in the judgment seat (separating out wheat and tares and ruling over). Our job is to "live and die for the Lord" (Rom. 14:8). Jesus - the one true Judge and King - will take care of the rest.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Romans 14:1-12 - - Feb 19, 2012

Hell is a topic many people have misconceptions about. What is it exactly? It is an eternal separation from God and Jesus made teaching about hell a priority. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We are all filled with sin, but those who build their identities on anything other than Jesus Christ will only be disappointed with the result, here on earth and all of eternity. We encourage you all to invite the people in your life to surrender to the gospel, invite them to Paradigm tomorrow night, and share this sermon with them! Each week, the Paradigm sermons are posted on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts as free resources for you to listen to the word if you miss a week, want to re-listen, or even share with a friend! https://www.bible.com/events/49289723 Paradigm is a weekly gathering of Kansas City college and 20s-30s young adults who desire to see Jesus made known throughout the city! Want to come & see? Email us at paradigm@livingproof.co to give us a heads up so we can greet you, or just show up any Tuesday night at 7pm to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a relaxing environment, hear messages relevant to college and young professionals, and build relationships with other young adults. Subscribe to the ParadigmKC podcast and YouTube, follow us on Instagram & Facebook, find our location, and learn more at http://paradigmkc.com/.

A leader in the religious community and a woman on the fringe of society would have had little in common. But what they share is their desperate need, and their faith in Jesus to help them. He does. And in so doing, Jesus makes known that nothing, not physical suffering, not social rejection, not lack of resources, nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39; Mark 4:35-5:43). *** Join us In-Person or Online for Worship Sundays at 9:30am and 11am. Find out more about upcoming events and ways to serve our community by joining our mailing list. Email office@stjohnslutheran.church and request to be added! If you are in need of prayer or pastoral care, email Pastor Jen at pastor@stjohnslutheran.church. We are deeply grateful for the ongoing generosity of our St. John's community members, and the faithful financial support that contributes to our mission to “Know Christ and Make Christ Known.” Thank you! Ways you can Give: • Online stjohnslutheran.church • Text "Give" to 760-330-2326 • Mail a check: 42695 Washington St. Palm Desert, CA 92211 For more information about Worship and Ministry at St. John's, please email the Church Office at office@stjohnslutheran.church or call us at 760-345-2122 CCLI Streaming & Podcast License # CSPL129016 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/st-johns-lutheran-church/message

May 19, 2024  GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCHNeil McClendon, Lead PastorThe Power of ConnectionActs 17:1-91. Connect with people, v. 1Gospel capacity + Gospel responsibility = Gospel experiences2. Connect people to the story of God, v. 2-3Helpful verbs in telling the Story of God…a) reasoning- to mingle thought with thoughtb) explaining- to cause one to open their mind  c) proving- to place evidence before3. Connect people to the intellectual integrity of the Faith, v. 3-4Two things Paul labored to prove...1) that Christ had to suffer a) because sin must be punished b) because God must be understood to as holy2) that Christ had to rise from the dead  a) the resurrection proves the deity of Christ“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…”                - Romans 1:1-4 b)  the resurrection affirms God's acceptance of Jesus' death in your place and for your sins4. Connect people to the King, v. 5-9Mental worship…How comfortable are you in having a Gospel conversation? When is the last time you had what you would consider a “Gospel experience?”Do you know the Story of God or just some stories from the Bible? How would you summarize the story of God in thirty seconds? How would you explain to someone the difference in being religious or “spiritual” and actually having a relationship with God?

Today, Fran met the new manager of her department—Ben Mason—and she's not happy about him. This evening, she calls her friend Louise to commiserate about Ben, but instead Louise refuses to get into a gossip session. Fran ended the conversation rather abruptly, but her face is glowing red, both from anger and from shame. She is angry with Louise for confronting her so forcefully, and ashamed of how she behaved. Fran steams around the house for half an hour with a fierce battle inside her. Finally, she sits down with her Bible and begins to pray. But few words come out before the tears start. “Lord, I'm so sorry. How could I behave so badly? How could I?” Fran cries out to the Lord. She is so disappointed in herself. She knows better than to gossip. She knows how wrong it is to have such a rotten attitude. She knows to take her concerns to the Lord and not complain to people. She knows all that, and yet she has done just the opposite. Opening her Bible to Romans 7, she reads beginning in verse 21: So, I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:21-25)! “Wretched, Lord,” Fran prays, “that's exactly the way I feel. I want to do your will, yet so easily, so quickly, I go back to my own self-centered way of responding. Please forgive me.” After a time of prayer and assurance that the Lord has indeed forgiven her, Fran thinks about what her next steps should be. “First, I have some apologies to make. Then I have to change my attitude toward Ben. He is my manager, and no one is in my life by accident.” She turns to Romans 13 and reads again the passage about those in authority: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves (Romans 13:1-2). She prays for God to help her to respect Ben and his authority over her. Before going to bed, she phones Louise back with a sincere apology, and the two of them covenant again to hold each other accountable. The next day at work Fran finds a moment alone with George to apologize for her participation in the bad words about Ben. But now the challenge begins: She must deal directly with Ben Mason, her new boss.

Sermon preached on Sunday Morning 5/5/24 by Pastor Henry Funkhouser at the First Baptist Church of Easton. Welcome to those joining via Podcast, we are glad to have you join us. If you are ever in the Easton Area, we would love to have you visit us! If you care to support the ministry, visit us at firstbaptisteaston.com, click Donate. https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/FirstBaptistChurchofEaston

Vengeance is Mine Says the Lord | Romans 12:12-19 | 4-28-24 by Clear Water Church

Psalm 32:1 King David is very reflective in this psalm. Some commentators suggest that he wrote it some years after his disastrous adultery with Bathsheba. That agonising episode led to the murder of Bathsheba's husband and caused untold grief. When Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin the king turned back to God and discovered the wonder of his forgiveness (2 Samuel 12). It is thought that Psalm 51 was written at this critical time in David's life. He pleaded to God for his mercy and forgiveness. He asked God to purify him and to wash him whiter than snow. He wanted God to restore him and to make him new. In Psalm 32 he appears to be standing back from the experience of forgiveness and reflecting on how completely wonderful it is. David thought back over those days when he had refused to confess his sin. He recalled how his body wasted away and how he had groaned all day long. His strength had evaporated like water on a summer's day (vv 3–4). But when he confessed his sins, his life was transformed. He was a new man. All of us want to know the joy of forgiveness and David's message to us is that we can only make this discovery when we have, first of all, recognised our sin. When we face up to our failings, God is able to help us and to set us on a new path free from sin and guilt. The apostle Paul was also extremely straightforward about the reality of sin and the need of forgiveness. He recognised that he was far from perfect. Indeed, even though he was an important Christian leader, he admitted that he lived with a constant battle between good and evil. He wrote with incredible candour: “I have discovered this principle of life– that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind” (Romans 7:21–23). This all sounds rather hopeless but Paul discovered that there was one person who could help him. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25). We all need to say: “Amen!” to that. Question What has been your own experience of God's forgiveness? Prayer Loving God, I confess that I have sinned against you and ask you to forgive my sins. Help me to live more closely to you from now onwards. Amen

I'm believing for greater things! Even aged 91, there are promises from God that I'm waiting to be fulfilled. I know that God has not finished with me; that God has a plan for me to fulfil; and I'm holding on in faith for their fulfilment. What happened in the Bible should not just be repeated in our lives, but, because of our personal relationship with God through Jesus and the fact that He sent us that same Holy Spirit who empowered Him on earth, our experience should be greater! In fact, to those who either say that we cannot do the same miracles as Jesus, (but He said that we would do greater than He did), or that miracles ended with the New Testament era and are not for today, then why don't they live as in the Old Testament, because Hebrews 11 records incredible miracles done by those believers! If you don't want to live as a ‘New Testament Church', then do what they did in the Old Testament! So where are the Abrahams, Moses, Davids and Elijahs? Surely this is the whole point that the writer of Hebrews is making!!! I climb by faith, the greater my faith, the higher I climb. 

I was healed from throat cancer nearly 60 years ago, but I was sick for three months before I came to the spiritual place with God where the miracle happened – three months in spiritual growth, followed by a sudden revelation – an explosion – and in that moment the healing was instantaneous! When I was in a communist prison fifty years ago for Bible smuggling, I was almost one year in the prison, believing that God would work the miracle to get me out – but that year was the best year of my life! Yes, I was separated from my wife and my children, my youngest daughter was only three years old – but I grew all the time in my experience with God! It was a testing of my faith, but God when did it, it was sudden, a big miracle! I travelled the world for two years afterwards, talking about that miracle. I preached to more than a million people, sometimes ten thousand at a time – a quarter of a million came to Christ because of that testimony! But the miracle took one year of prayer. I'm a coward and from the first day I cried, ‘Oh God get me out!' In the early days I thought that they would torture me, then simply throw me out of the country – but God didn't get me out!  However, if He had answered my first prayers and released me from the prison within one or two days, what would have happened? Suppose God had organised things ‘extremely well' and got me out of prison really quickly – I would not be evangelising the way I do now, I would not have the ministry I have today. The longer I stayed in the prison, the bigger the miracle became. It's the same with you. Hold on. Don't let go of God! God WILL do it! If it takes three months, three years, God WILL do it! '[Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.' (Romans 4.20-21, NIV.)

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Unless you work for a Christian company, and, let's be honest, even if you do, it is important to remember that we live in a fallen world. The characteristics of a fallen world are all around us, and we all sin and fall short. Even as believers, we will still sin. The difference we have is Jesus. While there are many Scriptures that outline the differences between a worldly walk and a Christian walk, Romans 12 provides one of my go-to lists when I am thinking about the fallen world versus the perfect, new, flawless world we are promised as believers—heaven. Although we will not have heaven on earth right now, how we show people a glimpse of Jesus and this perfect world should be our focus for living out our faith through our work. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul is clear in his appeal, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. And to not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So, what does this world look like at work? In the verses following in Romans 12, Paul provides us a “do this, not that” list. First and foremost, do not think of yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3).  Simply, be humble. The opposite of humility is pride, and I think we can all think of a time when we were prideful. Of course, it is easier to see this in others, but let's think of how we can display humility. Maybe you are leading a project. The team is finding great success, and someone provides you with an opportunity to present your project to the leadership team. Pride says, I, I, I. Humility says, we did this together. Can I bring the team with me to the meeting? Let love be genuine (Romans 12:9). When I think of this, I automatically think of checking my motives. Why am I asking questions, complimenting someone, or giving them a small token of appreciation? I know this may sound strange, but sometimes we are prone to show “love” so that we can experience gain. Make sure you can answer for yourself that your compliments are genuine, and your gifts whether physical or of your time are given without the expectation of seeking something in return. Don't be slothful in zeal. Serve the Lord (Romans 12:11). Colossians 3:23, tells us that we work as to the Lord and not for man. Showing up to work with the Lord on your heart and working for him is a good reason to have zeal. Zeal is defined as showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective. Maybe you really don't love your job right now. Change your thinking. Be full of zeal as a service to the Lord! Instead of grumbling, think about how different someone will experience you today if you show up with zeal! Maybe this is your opportunity to move to faith at work 2.0! You can let them know who you work for! The Lord! Bless those who persecute you (Romans 12:14). Live peaceably and do not avenge yourself. This must be one of the most difficult things to do. C. H. Spurgeon uses a great word for this—calumny. A simple definition of this is slander, but overall, it refers to words that damage your reputation. In this instance, words spoken at work. It is way easier to put a zealous skip in your step than it is to do as Paul says and to live peaceably and not avenge yourself. Throughout Scripture we are told that the Lord will avenge us. In Romans 12:19, Paul reminds us, Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay.' He goes on to tell us the contrary way to handle this. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). I have found that the more I fight to avenge my good name, the more strife it stirs in the workplace. When someone chooses to speak poorly about you, it may be hard to outwardly bless them, but perhaps you pray for them or pray for God to care for your situation specifically.

I serve the Lord with gratitude; I didn't choose Him, He chose me and appointed me that I should go and bear fruit, and that the fruit should remain. From childhood, I wanted every day and every part of my life to be under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. Now when I look back over 70 years of ministry I know with absolute certainty that there has been both purpose and direction in my life. God has been in control of all my days and all my experiences. Everything that has happened in my life was foreknown in His plan. When I was a teenager, God so impressed on me Romans 12:1: ‘I beseech you, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.' (KJV.) God is talking about ‘normal' service, nothing exceptional – for every believer – the ‘norm'! Today the churches talk about being ‘normal', take care of yourself, don't work too hard... But the challenge given by Paul is that ‘reasonable' service – means giving your WHOLE life as a ‘living sacrifice'! EVERYTHING! Give God EVERYTHING! God did not call me to be an ‘evangelist' or ‘preacher' – He said He wanted ALL of me! A spiritual battle started in my life. I knew that the Lord was calling me, challenging me, ‘David – I want YOU!' But the devil was saying, ‘Don't you realise you're saved, you got baptised in water, filled with the Holy Spirit – that's enough!' But God was saying, ‘David, I want YOU, all of you, EVERYTHING! – Your life, your family, your time, your house, every single thing – I want the lot!' I had no peace until that night I gave Him everything.

Very grateful to have my son Toby DeMoss join me in-studio today. Toby sustained a head/neck injury in May 2019, blindsided by a friend's bear hug while having a baseball catch. Toby went from being a travel baseball player & very active young man to battling head/neck pain ever since, withdrawing from college and facing a number of other challenges. 20+ specialists later, a lot is not yet clear, though there has been some progress :). Toby shares some of his story (then through now)--including much good that has happened as he has trusted in the Lord (Romans 8:28). Toby then gives a big ol' assist to his dad as together they interview Simon Sinek--Toby's favorite leadership educator and storyteller. Sinek is author of the global bestseller "Start With WHY" and NY Times bestsellers "Leaders Eat Last" and "The Infinite Game." He hosts a podcast titled "A Bit of Optimism" which we spend time on (among other things). You can find out more at www.simonsinek.com. (You can keep up with Toby through his Dinosaur Oatmeal Club blog on Substack and on IG (@toby.demoss)) :) Sports clip: Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce (courtesy of philadelphiaeagles.com)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prophecy concerning Israel in the Day of the LORD Romans 11:25-26 Daniel 12 Joel 2 Matthew 24:21 Dr. Mitchell explores the nation of Israel and their presence during the Day of the Lord as found in these scriptures. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unchanging-word/message

Text: Genesis 1 - Revelation 22. Message Summary: Before God created the universe, His plan to forgive sins and redeem people back to Himself centered around the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  This message also serves as a prologue to the sermon series through The Book of Revelation. Pastor Matt Thornton, Speaker Sermon Date: February 25, 2024

2/15/24. Five Minutes in the Word scriptures for today: Romans 7:12-13. We owe our debt to the Lord, not our sinful flesh. Resources: enduringword.com; biblehub.com; logos.com; Matthew Henry Commentary; and Life Application Study Bible. November 2021 Podchaser list of "60 Best Podcasts to Discover!" Listen, like, follow, share! #MinutesWord; @MinutesWord; #dailydevotional #christianpodcaster Now on Amazon podcasts and Pandora! #prayforpeace

It was like a dream come true. I'll tell ya', it was right after Christmas. I was in Manger Square in Bethlehem! Near the entrance to the Church of the Nativity, which is built over the cave believed to be the birthplace of the Son of God. It felt like the whole town was a celebration. There were festive lights lining the streets and caroling choirs. There was a parade. And a dazzling Christmas tree on the square. Not this Christmas. The birthplace of Christmas will be dark and deserted this Christmas. Just like so many hearts. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about "Light For A Dark Christmas." You know the song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." Well it's not for everybody. The "joy to the world" only seems to amplify the sadness if your holiday heart is lonely or broken. You've lost a loved one. A crumbling marriage. A wandering son or daughter. Maybe a life-upending diagnosis. It could be a shattered relationship. Or just a nameless darkness in your soul. Strangely, when Jesus came that first Christmas, there were no lights, there were no parades - not even a room where He could be born. Rome had found another way to get more money from the already impoverished Jewish people. And the Son of God would come into the world in the filth and stench of a stable. And soon the little family, well they'd flee as refugees, when the evil king ordered the massacre of every Jewish baby boy under two. Yes, it was pretty dark that first Christmas. And, in a way, it was dark all the way to that Good Friday 33 years later when Jesus would die alone on a Roman cross. But for every heart that feels "dark and deserted" this Christmas, there is hope in that manger. The Bible reveals what was really going on in that stable in John 1:4 and 5 - "In Him was life, the life was the Light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." You know we often hear that God is at the top of the mountain and all the religions of the world are ways to get to Him up there. But Jesus didn't come to start or to be a religion. He was something no one had ever conceived of... The God who came down from the mountain to where we are! To be one of us. To bring God close. And, ultimately, to die for us. For the very sinning we've done against Him! For ultimately, that darkness in our heart is the absence of the God we were made for. Our loneliness is cosmic loneliness. We're lonely for God. And our brokenness well, that's the damage done by a world of eight billion people who have defied His rule over their lives. But since that "O holy night" in Bethlehem, millions have found the Light that is stronger than the darkness. A light inside you, that's not dependent on a flickering world around you. It is a new beginning, and Jesus offered it in His liberating invitation. It's our word for the day from the Word of God in John 8:12. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Imagine, every wrong thing you've ever done - forgiven. The broken pieces repaired and restored by His resurrection power. And finally, the end of lostness, the beginning of a life with eternal meaning. And one unlosable love. For as the Bible says, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39). One love that will never desert you, never divorce you, never die on you. You want this relationship with Him? It can begin today when you tell Him, "Jesus I'm Yours. I believe it was my sin You died for." I hope you'll go to our website because we're set right there to help you be sure you belong to Him as of today. ANewStory.com. Somewhere today there is a heart that has just spent its last day "dark and deserted." Because today, the Light's coming in. I pray that's you.

Everyone is unique. Certainly, we differ in personalities, our appearance, and our backgrounds. In addition, our DNAs and our fingerprints are unique to us. But there is at least one way we are the same. Every one of us has sinned. The bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). While some have sinned more than others, the one thing we all have in common is that all of us have sinned—we have fallen short of God's glory. The bible also says that there is a consequence for our sin. It says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). Just as everyone will one day die physically, we who have sinned will experience a spiritual death as a result of our sin. However, because God loves us, He has offered us the free gift of eternal life through what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

Christ's Church is called to unity, holiness and mission and you can only fulfill this calling when you do everything “for the Lord.”

We had a few days off, and the phone rang in our little cabin in the woods. A family member was calling. She said, "You need to turn on the news. A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." I watched the news for much of the next three days. I was trying to absorb a scene that I had no mental file folder for. I don't think any of us did. I felt sickened, I felt vulnerable and profoundly sad beyond words. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "September 11th and Its Haunting Question." Radio stations began calling and asking if I would do an interview the next day to talk about what had happened. How could I help thousands of listeners process this unprecedented trauma when I was still trying to sort my own thoughts and feelings? Then I just bowed my head and prayed: "God, would You please help me see what's happening today through Your eyes? What are You seeing here?" Suddenly, I wasn't just seeing collapsing towers or a terrorist attack. This was about thousands of people unexpectedly rushing into eternity at one place and one time, ready or not. Nothing can diminish the deep grief and the horror of that defining September morning. But looming above those images and memories is a deeply personal question for each of us, "Am I personally ready for eternity whenever it comes, however it comes?" That's why the Bible tells us in our word for today from the Word of God in Amos 4:12, "prepare to meet your God." See, you and I have an appointment with God that's long been scheduled in His calendar. But it's not in mine. It will come without warning, and only one thing will matter at that moment. Listen to this from the book of 1 John in the Bible, "God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12 ). All that matters in a person's eternity moment is, "What did I do with Jesus?" Because it was only Jesus who did the dying that I deserve for the lifetime of the wrong things I've done against God. If a religion could have taken care of my sin or your sin, there's no way Jesus would have been butchered on a cross like that. But He loves me too much to lose me. He loves you too much to lose you. So He died for you; He died for me. One of God's greatest blessings to us is the stunning discovery that we actually can be sure - right here and now - that we will go to heaven when we die; never have to sweat that question again. Not because of how good we are, but because of how good God is. In the words of the Bible, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). From the moment you take that gift, it's yours and it's yours forever. Every day in America alone, it's like there are two September 11ths, at least in terms of lives lost. Six thousand Americans go into eternity each day and 150,000 in our world. One day that will be you. One day it will be me, and we don't know when that is. To be ready for eternity, to know you're going to heaven when you die, means to know that you have had every sin of your life - the sin that would keep any of us out of heaven - it has been erased from God's Book forever. Only one person can do that; the man who paid the penalty for it. That's Jesus. He did it when He died on the cross. But He's alive - resurrected - to give you life. He walked out of His grave. He's ready to walk into your life today, if you'll just open up your heart to Him. Put your life in His hands. Let me encourage you to join me at our website, and I can explain to you there exactly how to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. There's one final heartbeat, and then God, ready or not. It's life-or-death stuff to make sure you are ready for eternity.

Romans: The Simple Gospel Join us every Sunday at 10am at River of Life church in Guilderland, NY Find us online at facebook.com/riveralbany, youtube.com/rivercast, or riveralbany.com.

Anticipating the Day of the Lord | Romans 11 | Jews and Gentiles

Sermon Notes Date: 08/06/2023 Preacher: Monty Simao, pastor Series: Romans Key Text: Romans 7:1-6 Description:   The Believer has experienced a change in relationship with the Law.  Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues with our study in the book of Romans in which we read, as Believers, how this change in […]

What does genuine belief in Jesus look like?

Pastor Bryan reflects back on the mission trip to Hungary and the amazing way God worked through our youth and leadership team to minister the love of Jesus into this community. Then, we return to the Book of Romans Chapter 11 (verses 25-36) with a message titled, "Who Has Known the Mind of the Lord?"

Pastor Bryan reflects back on the mission trip to Hungary and the amazing way God worked through our youth and leadership team to minister the love of Jesus into this community. Then, we return to the Book of Romans Chapter 11 (verses 25-36) with a message titled, "Who Has Known the Mind of the Lord?"

There is an objective standard in Christ. This means that there is one equal path to the Lord (Romans 10:8-13), there is one equal faith in His name (Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6) and one equal truth that applies to EVERYBODY. The standard doesn't change if you don't like it, if you don't "think" it should be like that, if you don't agree or if you feel like you don't qualify or can't reach it. It is the same path and requirement for everybody, so what we should do is seek daily the grace of God and the assistance of His Holy Spirit to reach toward that standard, rather than making many excuses as to why it is too hard, or needs to be changed for us. God is always righteous - His standard is not burdensome for any who seek Him for understanding. Rather, it is attainable for everyone because the invitation is for everyone. The Cross was for everyone, HIS SPIRIT IS THE STAIRWAY TO IT AND CHRIST'S SACRIFICE IS THE DOORWAY TO ENTER THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FATHER. "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT BY ME." John 14:6 "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:27- 28 "Brethren, I do count not myself to have already attained: but this one thing I do, FORGETTING THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND, and reaching forth unto those things which are AHEAD, I PRESS TOWARD THE MARK for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:13- 14 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Listen closely to the truth. No one can justify God, He justifies Himself. No one can say "My punishment is more than I can bear!" (Genesis 4:13), each man earns his judgement from the Lord and also his rewards by righteous faith in Christ. Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-18) so we must prove our faith by deciding to live each day moving toward the ONE UNIVERSAL STANDARD OF CHRIST which is set for all men. Read the description also, God bless. God will not leave anyone behind who learns to ask Him for HELP. Learns to accept that it's better to confess fear, doubt, unbelief and weakness, in order to receive grace. That is better than *COMPLAINING* against God, accusing Him of unfairness or saying He is not righteous in how He makes His judgements of people and nations. Whoever humbles himself saying "Lord have mercy on me and help me", that one will receive GRACE TO SAVE AND HELP IN TIME OF NEED. That one will be granted the power of the Holy Spirit to grow and overcome his weaknesses. But whoever thinks the standard will change "per individual", no it is not like that. Leave the corrupted gospel and come into the knowledge of Truth.

Do you have a favorite place to think or pray? I do. Most mornings I grab my coffee and head to the back porch. There, I meet with God in prayer, asking to be led by His Spirit and asking for grace to face the day. This is one way He brings me comfort. Along with prayer, Scripture reveals other ways we can know Christ's comfort..First, we have God's people. Scripture teaches believers that we “belong to each other” (Romans 12:5) and make up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). Thus, we can say that God is present, comforting believers through one another (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)..Second, we find comfort in God's Word. John 1 teaches that Christ is the Word made flesh who has “revealed God to us” (verse 18). What an unfathomable comfort. And Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word is “sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword... It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Because of this, we can take comfort in being fully known and completely loved by Christ—He is the Word of God who has come to us..Third, we have God's promises. His final word on suffering declares two things. One, evil and pain will be hijacked (transformed and remade) into good (Romans 8:17-39). And two, every wrong will be made right: “‘I will pay them back,' says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). So, we can give all our desire for vengeance to God, who will ensure justice prevails at Jesus's return. When this happens, all will be made new. “There will be no more death or sorrow... or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:3-4). When Jesus returns, we will celebrate with joy as we are made whole by the presence of God. And we will enjoy the unceasing comfort of Christ forever. • G. Kam Congleton.• Although Scripture doesn't explain why evil and suffering exist, we know suffering entered our world when sin entered it (Genesis 3). And we know that in the end, God's goodness and justice will triumph. In the meantime, when we experience pain, we can ultimately trust in God's love, demonstrated visibly in the person of Jesus, as Romans 8:39 says, “indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you want to dig deeper into the topic of suffering, consider reading through one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), and ask God to help you see His love made visible in the life and sacrifice of Jesus.....God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5b (NLT)

Sunday Service | How Can I Please God??   Website: www.PastorTodd.org To Give: www.ToddCoconato.com/give When talking about His Father in heaven, Jesus said, “I always do what pleases him” (John 8:29). Because Jesus was the Son of God, of one nature with the Father, He knew what pleased God. But we are fallible human beings. How can we know what pleases Him? God has always made it clear to His people what it takes to please Him. He is not random or arbitrary in His judgments: “To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law” (Romans 5:13). Although humankind had been sinning since creation, God was patient because He had not yet given His written law to Israel (Exodus 25:22). But even without a written law, people knew right from wrong. Romans 1:20 explains: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.” We have a moral code written on our hearts (Romans 2:15). We know instinctively when we are doing wrong because we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). So when we choose against that inner knowledge, we harden our hearts, sear our consciences, and eventually cannot tell good from bad (Romans 1:28). As unregenerate sinners, nothing we do pleases God. Romans 8:7–8 says, “The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” The only way we can please God is to submit to His authority in our lives. We start by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9–10). Only those who come to God through His Son can be forgiven and made right with Him (John 14:6). We receive salvation as a gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). It cannot be earned no matter how good we try to be. But it pleases God when we receive the gifts He offers us: forgiveness (Acts 2:38), eternal life (John 3:16–18), and a relationship with Him as our Father (Romans 8:15). Once we've been born again as a child of God (John 3:3), we are pleasing to Him. We are “in Christ” and therefore seen by God as perfect, as Christ is perfect. The Lord's righteousness was placed on our account while our sin was transferred to Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We don't have to work toward becoming pleasing to God. We are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6, NKJV), cleansed and forgiven through faith in Jesus. Because of that great gift and the love poured out on us by our heavenly Father, we discover many more ways to please Him. The concept of pleasing God can be compared to a marriage. A woman accepts a man's proposal and becomes his wife because she loves him and he loves her. They are as married and in love as two people can be, yet they seek ways to continue pleasing each other. He brings her flowers, not so that they will remain married, but because he delights in pleasing her. She gives him a backrub and wears the perfume he likes, not so that he will love her but because she loves him. Likewise, once we've entered into a spiritual relationship with God, we want to do things that honor and delight Him. Micah 6:8 tells us what pleases God, listing three basic actions: to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. When we live with integrity in both our public and private lives, when we show mercy to those who wrong us, and when we cling tightly to God's Word and crave His presence, we will make choices that please God. We will never become perfect while living in this broken world, but we can aim for perfection as we model ourselves after Jesus (Romans 8:29). God was “well pleased” with His Son (Matthew 3:17), and the more we resemble Jesus, the more we will also please God.

Istrouma Baptist Church (BR) Apr 23, 2023 ========== April 23 Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo April 23, 2023 | Tim Keith Text: CONTACT to (225) 425-7773 ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬‬ He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. 1. God created you and me to live forever. 2. God created 2 forever places. ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬‬ In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭41‬‬ “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 3. You choose your forever place. ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭30‬:‭19‬‬ I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 4. You must make your choice now. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬‬ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; For all have sinned ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬‬ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift —  not from works, so that no one can boast. ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬‬ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The wages/payment of sin is death How can a sinful person enter Heaven where God allows no Sin? ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬‬ But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for us ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭13‬‬ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. A commitment is required - Confess - Believe - Receive How to receive Christ: - Realize your sinfulness – (Romans 3:23) - Realize sin's penalty – (Romans 6:23) - Realize what Jesus did for you – (Romans 5:8) - Receive Jesus as your Savior & Lord – (Romans 10:9-10) Text: CONTACT to (225) 425-7773 Want to receive weekly announcements in your inbox each week? https://istrouma.org/email Give Online Text ISTROUMA IBC to 73256 or go to: https://istrouma.org/give Our Website https://istrouma.org

How could He just storm the gates like that?” “Do we have a plan?” “Is the war over?” Hundreds of questions attacked from all sides as we stared at the broken gate. “This was a fortress—no one should have been able to break through.” “Today we were supposed to revel in our victory!” “Didn't we all hear the Savior cry out for the last time? Didn't we see Him take His last breath? He was dead.” “So, how could He have broken through the gate and stolen the key?” “Not only that, but He stared us in the face and declared victory—over death itself!”.“ENOUGH! Not another word,” the Great Darkness ordered. Then the voice dropped dangerously quiet. The Great Darkness was not in the mood for questions. “Today, the Chosen One from above thinks He has won, but we will wreak havoc on all His land until the end. If we cannot defeat Him personally, we will attack that which is most precious to Him... His people.”.As we prepare for war, we can't help but shudder. The gates were breached, and the so-called Savior took the keys. The Great Darkness declared there are more battles to fight. Yet today, there is another who is more worthy of our fear. This Chosen One who defeated death and darkness certainly isn't afraid of us..Yes, there may be more battles to fight, but the war is over. The Savior has stolen the victory. Nothing we do now could ever change that. And the Great Darkness knows it. • Kayla Miller.• Today's story is an allegory, showing Jesus's victory over sin, death, and all the forces of evil and darkness. Once we've put our trust in Jesus, we get to celebrate that our Savior holds “the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). Now, even though we will experience suffering as the forces of darkness wage war on God's people, we can know that nothing will ever “be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). How could pondering these truths help us rest in Jesus's undefeatable love for us?.• As Christians, we don't need to be afraid of death or evil. Instead, God calls us to come to Him with all our worries, and He empowers us to resist the enemy and stand firm in His true grace, which He has given us in Jesus (1 Peter 5:6-12). When you're facing hard things, who are trusted Christians in your life who can pray with you and help you follow our Lord? How can you be this kind of friend to others? .“I [Jesus] am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:18 (NIV)

Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Easter VocationsDevotional: 1 of 4Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane…and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:36-38)Peter and “the two sons of Zebedee” (James and John) had a broad vocation to follow Jesus. But on the night before their rabbi's crucifixion, they were given a more specific job: Simply to stay awake while Jesus went away to pray.As they were all walking into the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus “began to be sorrowful and troubled.” He was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”What's going on here? In his phenomenal sermon The Dark Garden, Tim Keller explained Jesus's sorrow this way: “Jesus…got all of his power…and his love from his relationship with the Father, and therefore...as he was walking to [Gethsemane], he would have started praying….In his heart, he would have turned to the Father, the way he constantly does…and that's when it hit him. Because when he turned in his soul toward the Father, there was nothing there.”Jesus was experiencing a first sip from the “cup” of God's wrath due to humankind's sin (see Matthew 26:39). He was catching a preview of what he would drink in full the next day: Total separation from his Heavenly Father.Meanwhile, back at the camp, Jesus's disciples were (literally) falling down on the job. Three times Jesus asked them to do the easiest job in the world while he went off to consider whether or not he would do the hardest—dying for these men who couldn't even stay awake.As Keller explains, “Peter, James, and John are the representatives of the human race…Every time [Jesus found them sleeping] it's like the Father is saying, ‘That's the human race for you. Swallow hell for them. Take into yourself this spiritual atomic bomb and let it explode for them.'”And Jesus did! What does that mean for you, believer? At least two things.First, it means that God loves you on your absolute worst day at work. The day that represents your biggest regret. The season of unproductiveness. The time you had a golden opportunity to share the gospel with a co-worker but didn't. God knows all about it. And because Jesus chose to die for his disciples on their worst day at the office, you can be confident that he loves you on yours.Second, I hope this scene at Gethsemane reminds you that you are free to risk greatly. Start that business, speak up for the injustice you've seen in your office, share your faith boldly. Why? Because even in failure, nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).Because Jesus spent three days separated from the love of God, you never will, believer. Don't take that for granted. May the assuredness of God's love lead you to be bold for Christ's sake today!