Podcasts about of god

Godhas a plan for your life. He has a purpose for your life. God has a will foryour life. That's what we're looking at here in Ephesians 2:10. “For we areHis workmanship”. We're His poem. We're His masterpiece, “created inChrist Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walkin them”. That we should walk in them. Walk in what? The good works thatGod has prepared for us to walk in beforehand. In eternity past, God chose thatwe should glorify Him by walking in His “good works”. Everyhuman being was made in the image of God. That's why it doesn't matter who youare, where you're from, what your ethnicity is. It doesn't matter what coloryour skin is. My friend, you are of tremendous value to God. God loves you. Godsent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. It doesn't matter whether you're amurderer or you're the best person in the community. God loves you. God wantsyou to know His will and plan and purpose for your life. That's one of the mostamazing things in all the world. That is that we know and can know the will ofGod, God's plan, purpose for our lives.  Yousay, "How can I know that? How can that take place?" Ephesians 5:17even hints about this very same theme where the apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore,do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." God'swill for our lives is not some mystery. God has prepared it beforehand and thatwe should walk in it. I love Psalm 139 that tells how God created us withpurpose. He created us and He has us in His mind and in His heart always. Heknows everything about us and still yet He still cares for us. The Bible saysHe cares about the sparrow and notices when it falls from the sky. God feedsthe birds of the air, the fowls of the air. God is in charge. God loves Hiscreation.  Butof all of creation, He loves the human beings that He created in His own imagemore than anything else in eternity. The most famous verse in scripture, John 3:16,tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”. Thatword world there is every human being that's ever been created and placed onplanet earth. God loves you.  Nowhow do we know that will for our lives? I love Romans 12:1-2, where Paulwrites: “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that youpresent your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God that's onlyyour reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world but betransformed by the renewing of your mind that you may know and prove what isthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.  Howdo you find and know the will of God? First, as you read in Ephesians 2:1-3, byrealizing that you're a sinner. You're condemned. You're depraved. You have nohope. Then in verses 4-7, “But God”! God is working for you. He loves you. Hecares for you. He has redeemed you by the blood of His Son. He has forgiven you!God has called you out of the grave clothes to live a changed and exchangedlife. His life living through you. God exalted you to sit in the heavenlyplaces in Christ Jesus.  Nowyou can find that will, that perfect plan and will of God for your life. As abeliever the first aspect of the will of God for your life is to live a holylife. It's God's will that we be sanctified, that we be set apart (1Thessalonians 4:3). That we live a life that pleases Him as we yield ourselvestotally to God (Romans 12:1). Then we're not conformed to this world, but welive a life that's different than the world lives because Christ is living inus. Then you will know, you'll prove, you'll understand what the will of God is(Romans 12:2).  Myfriend, when you know what that is, you have purpose in life. You have a planand a mission in life to be on mission with God! How exciting that is! Oh, I'llnever forget the day I began to find and understand God's purpose and plan formy life and the difference it has made for me. God will do the same for youtoo, if you let Him!

Introduction: Know Your Salvation (1 Corinthians 1:1-9) GRACE. (v4) Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. GIFTED. (v5-7a) Ephesians 6:19 – also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel... GUILTLESS. (v7b-9) 2 Corinthians 5:21 – For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 1:1-9What was your big take-away from this passage / message?If the Bible is so clear that we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8), why do so many people insist on earning your salvation or hold the idea that good people go to heaven?Explain 1 Cor 1:5 in your own words. How does this apply to your personal walk with Christ?What does 1 Cor 1:8 say about the doctrine of eternal security (once saved, always saved)?Why do you think Paul starts this letter by calling them sanctified (1 Cor 1:2) and reminding them of their salvation (1 Cor 1:4-6)? BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Today is our ministry year kickoff and that also means that today is our anniversary.So today we are celebrating 14 years of Harvest Bible Chapel and we're like alot of 14 year olds. We've come a long way but we have a long way to go.Right? What kind of church is this? We sit on four pillars we have from thebeginning. We've proclaimed the authority of God's Word without apology. That'swhat kind of church this is. We lift high the name of Jesus in worship. That'swhat kind of church this is. We believe firmly in the power of prayer. That's whatkind of church this is. And we share the good news of Jesus with boldness. Thoseare the four pillars this church was resting on when it was planted by God'sgrace. Those are the four pillars today. It may it always be. So I want you to openup your Bibles to 1 Corinthians and we're just going to pause. I want you to justplease pray for me to be faithful to communicate God's Word and I will prayfor you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach ustoday. Alright? Let's just take a moment.Father in heaven as we get into your Word now I pray that your Spiritwould work with your Word in the hearts of every person here. In the hearts ofevery person that is streaming or going to be listening to this podcast later.Father thanks to the technologies we have in our day. This goes out to somany people all over the planet and we thank you that you've given usopportunity and we want to use that opportunity to exalt your Word, to exaltyour Son. Father has to start right here.Father incline our hearts towards nothing but your glory. We pray in Jesus' name.All of God's people said amen. Amen. A couple of decades ago Aaron and I weredoing foster care and for about a year and a half we had a brother and sister.They were five and seven and it was at the time it was the worst case of childabuse in Butler County. I don't know if that's still the case but it was at thetime. But the five-year-old boy was pretty broken when he came to us. Hecouldn't even talk really and we tried our hardest to give them somesemblance of a normal childhood. You know? Well one of the things that we did tothat end was we signed our five-year-old, his name is Walter. We signed him up forsoccer and I played soccer in high school and in college so I was asked tohelp coach the team. Now anybody ever coach five-year-olds in soccer? It's areal hoot because coaches have to be on the field with the kids. Okay, not on theside shouting instructions. "Will, you're standing on the field with the kids andyou have to run." And did you ever see five-year-olds play soccer? Okay, it's notlike World Cup where they're all like spread out and passing. It's just thiswave of kids chasing the ball. Well we were really trying to get really tryingto get Walter to embrace this, right? It was a big part of my childhood. Justwasn't clicking. The kids would run by with the ball. We're like, "Walter, get theball! Get the ball!" And Walter would run a couple of steps and he'd go, "They're toofast." Like, "Walter, no, come on, come on, get the ball! They're too fast." And then hewould get increasingly frustrated. Walter's big insult for people was tocall them naked. So the kids would run by, I'm like, "Walter, get the ball!" He goes,"They're naked! They're naked! They're naked!" And I'm like, "Actually, they'reclothed, but we need you to hustle, right?" And I don't know if this is greatparenting or not. Probably not. But at one point, Aaron and I offered Walter 25cents for every time he even touched the ball. We paid up zero. Well the othercoach, she was the mom of the goalie. Before the first game, she pulled measide. She goes, "I just want to warn you. I can't remember her son's name. We'll callhim Joey." She goes, "I just want to warn you." She goes, "Joey doesn't like gettingscored on." I'm like, "Well, that makes sense." She goes, "No, he really, reallyoverreacts." Like, well, good to know. Well, sure enough, we got scored on. To saythat the kid lost his mind as an understatement, he started ripping hisclothes like trying to rip his jersey off. And it was this scene. It was likehe was turning into the Hulk. And I'm watching this. I'm like, "Oh, man, what isgoing on here?" And then all of a sudden, I realized, "Wait a minute. Where didWalter go?" All of a sudden, I lost the foster kid. You don't want to tell theagency that. I'm like, "Where did he go? Where is he? Where?" Then I looked down.Walter is celebrating with the other team. Hugs and high fives and...This unity on the soccer team, it was funny. But you know, when there's thisunity in the church, it's not so funny. Let's be honest, we're a lot like thosekids in the soccer team sometimes, aren't we? Irrationally losing our minds overstupid things, calling people names, not wanting to participate. That's the themeof this first stretch in 1 Corinthians. You're gonna be hearing this a lot,because it's important to the heart of God, so it's important to the heart ofthe leaders in this church. Get unified. Church, we need to get unified.1 Corinthians was written to the church in Corinth, and you have tounderstand a little bit about their background. The city of Corinth wascorrupt. Like, how corrupt were they? They were so corrupt that the city's veryname became synonymous with immorality.They were known for their temple to the false goddess Aphrodite, the goddess oflove, and they had about a thousand priestesses who served as prostitutes.So you can imagine what passed for worship in Corinth.Well, it's in that backdrop that the Apostle Paul planted a church. You can readabout this, little homework assignment for you. Acts chapter 18. Go home and read it.Not right now, but go home and read it, and you'll see how the church was planted.So you have this church planted in this horrible city, and the church, the churchitself, was absolutely perfect. They just had two problems. Bad doctrine and badbehavior. Other than that, they were perfect. What the Corinthian church neededwas unity and purity. Look at chapter 1 verse 1. Paul called by the will of Godto be an apostle of Christ Jesus and our brother Sostenes to the church of Godthat is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saintstogether with all those who in every place call upon the name of our LordJesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. Grace to you in peace from God, ourFather, and the Lord Jesus Christ. This church had a lot of problems, and we'regoing to be getting into that. And if you're familiar with God's word at all,you know. And it's so interesting to me that Paul starts this letter saying, hey,you Christians, those of you in Christ Jesus, you are sanctified. That word meansholy, I mean set apart. And then he goes, he calls them saints. Again, the wordmeans holy. Saint is a name for all true Christians, by the way. And when you lookat this little introduction, you're like, wow, Paul, that's quite a thing to saywhen you consider the rest of the book. And we're going to see as we go throughthis, but these Christians were worldly, and they were divisive, and there wassexual sin, and the list goes on and on and on. They were just, they were somessed up in so many ways. And why in the world would Paul kick this letter up bysaying you sanctified saints you? Like, why would he start that way?What, was it to butter them up? Like, I'm about to lay the hammer down, so I'm justgoing to make you feel good on the front. That wasn't it. Was Paul justignoring all their problems? Like, maybe if I don't mention it, they'll go away.No, that's certainly not it. So why did he start by calling them sanctifiedsaints? Why? Because it was true. Wait, wait, wait. How can they be holy and stillstruggle with being holy? Well, biblically, when we talk about holiness,holiness is two things. There's positional holiness, and there is practicalholiness. Positional holiness is when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord andSavior, when you believe in Him, when you are born again, God pronounces you holy.In God's eyes, He's looking at you through the lens of Jesus Christ, and from God'sperspective, He says you are perfectly holy. We're going to talk more about thatin just a couple of minutes. So while we are positionally holy, practicalholiness, that is the growing, living like Christ, growing in Christ'slikeness, doing the things that honor the Lord, growing in maturity as a Christian.Put it this way, the Christian life is growing to be what God already pronouncedyou to be. That's what the Christian life is. It's growing to be what Godalready pronounced you to be. It's like joining the army. When you enlist in thearmy, as soon as you enlist, you are a soldier. So why go to boot camp? Why doyou go to boot camp? So they make you a soldier. You're like, "Wait, I thought Ialready was." You are. That's what the army does. They're making you what they'vecalled you to be. That's what God does in holiness. He's pronounced you holy andJesus, and your sanctification, your growth, your maturity. He is making you whatHe's already pronounced you to be. So now do you understand why Paul started theletter this way? Paul says, "Granthians, this is who you are. This is your identity.You are holy people." So we're going to get to this down the road. Paul's saying,"If you're holy, why are you acting unholy? Sin is inconsistent with who youare." So if we, Corinthian church, if we harvest Bible chapel, if we are going tobe unified and purified, it has to start here. You have to know your salvation.That's where Paul starts. So on your outline, I want you to draw three wordsdown. Know your salvation. Now this passage we're looking at today says somuch in just a few short verses. It says so much about salvation. The Bibleitself says so much about salvation, but you're going to see here in this passageknowing salvation is really knowing three G's. Your cell phone might needfive G's, God only needs three. Know your salvation. Three G's, it's allstraight from the text. Here's what you have to know about your salvation.If you're going to grow in unity and purity, here's what you have to knowabout your salvation. Number one, write this word down. Grace.Look at verse 4. "I give thanks to my God always for you, because of the grace ofGod that was given you in Christ Jesus." And I get to tell you as a pastor, I lovethat. He says, "I give thanks for you." Again, the church had so many issues thatPaul needed to deal with, but notice he didn't see them for where they are. Hesaw them for who they are. It's like, "I give thanks for you." Why? They were given.Actually, that word in the Greek refers to being given something at a moment oftime in the past. You know, I'm thankful for you because at one point in your past,you were given one of the most beautiful words in the whole Bible. The word isgrace. You were given grace. You know, that's a word that we throw around a lotin church. Sometimes we don't wrestle down what exactly it means.You look up a theology textbook, grace is unmerited favor. It is undeservedkindness. But you know, the best definition of grace I've ever heard isthis, grace is God giving to you what He requires from you. That's grace. Godgiving to you what He requires from you. What does God require from you?Holiness, righteousness, perfection. God requires that. We don't have it. Grace isGod giving that to us in Jesus Christ. Sometimes we mix up grace with otherconcepts in the Bible like long suffering and mercy and things like that. Myfavorite illustration, some of you have heard this before. You're going to hear itagain. It helps me to really understand what grace is, is this. Imagine that youhave a teenage son. Some of you do and some of you did. Some of you will andsome of you can use your imaginations. But imagine you have a teenage son andyour teenage son goes to a party. And at this party there's another boy, same ageas your son, who hates your son. Something stupid probably, a girl andmurders your son. Cold-blooded murder, unprovoked murder. This other kidmurders your son. Now, if you track that kid down that murders your son, if youtrack him down and you kill him, that is called vengeance. But if you track himdown and you help the law, you help the police get him arrested, that's calledjustice. But if you track him down, help the police get him arrested and you showup at his court date and somehow, somehow, you're able to convince the judge tojust let him go. Like just let him go. That's called mercy. But you help thepolice track him down, arrest him and you show up at his court date and somehow,somehow, you convince the judge to allow you to adopt that kid as your own andraise him as your own son. That's called grace. And understand that's what God hasdone for us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have sinned against him and wekilled his son. And what's God's response to that? God's response is, "I want toadopt you." That is grace. The Bible tells us, Ephesians chapter 2, "For by grace youhave been saved through faith." By grace we have been saved, we've been adopted, we'vebeen regenerated, we've been sanctified. It's all grace. Grace isn't withheldbecause of our sin. God is able to be gracious to us because Jesus Christ tookaway our sin. Our part is faith. That's our part. Faith is believing in Jesus.It's believing Jesus is who he said he is. He is God in the flesh. It's believingthat Jesus accomplished what he said he would accomplish. That his death on thecross was to pay the penalty for my sin and for your sin. He rose from the dead togive us eternal life. It's believing that. It's receiving that. Our part is faith.God has done all the work in Christ. That's His grace.Now, this is so fundamental.But at the same time, it's so hard to believe. It's so hard to believe becauseevery single area of our lives are performance-based. Every single one. Right?My boss is happy with me when I perform. My teacher at school is happy with me whenI perform. My family is happy with me when I perform. Every area of life it's justI gotta do stuff to make somebody happy and we bring that thinking into thechurch. Like what do I have to do to make God happy? This is salvation is notbased on your performance. It's based on Jesus Christ's performance.So as we start this stretch, as Paul starts this stretch in 1 Corinthianstelling the Corinthian church, telling Harvest Bible Chapel today, get unified.You have to know your salvation and you have to understand grace because it'sonly when you understand this that you take the first step to unity. What doesthis have to do with unity? Grace puts us all on the same level.We don't have time to do this but I'd sure like to. I'd like to get everyChristian to line up here like we do for communion. We will be doing that. I'dlike to get every Christian line up here. Just have testimony time. How were yousaved? By grace? Not because you were special or you worked for it? Oh that'sawesome, me too. Next. How were you saved? Oh by grace? Not because you were specialor did anything to earn it? Oh me too. Next. Do you see what that does?None of us deserve to be saved. None of us. None of us are any better thananother.We're not going to get unified until we come to grips with that. We're all onthe same level. We all, in Christ, are recipients of grace.It's the first thing you need to know about salvation. The second one, number two,write this word down. Gifted. Gifted.Look at verse 5 through the first part of verse 7.Paul says that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and allknowledge, even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so thatyou are not lacking in any spiritual gift.You are not lacking in any spiritual gift. You see grace speaks to the past.That's what was received. Gifted speaks to the present. You are saved to serve.Notice Paul says you are enriched. You are not lacking any gift. Jesus,Paul is telling us here, Jesus has gifted you everything that you need to serve him.You're like, well, can you be more specific? He was more specific actually.Do you notice that? What is that? Verse 5, all speech and all knowledge.These are two of the gifts that he highlights here. First of all, you weregifted with all speech. You were gifted with the ability to speak the truth.All knowledge. You were gifted with all knowledge. That doesn't mean you knoweverything. That means you know everything that you need to know pertaining to the gospel.So here's what Paul is saying. Listen, church, you have been gifted to speak and you have beengifted with knowing what to say. So the question is, how are you using that?You have the gift if you're a Christian. How are you using that?Here at this church, it can be used in teaching and preaching.All speech, all knowledge. It can be used in Harvest Academy,teaching the kids back there while we're teaching in here. It can be used in small group.It can be used in youth group, in conferences, in prayer services, in workshops, in precepts,in our witnessing.You've been given a gift. How are you using it?Because the reality is the biggest problem with most Christians is not that we don't know what to say.Our problem is just opening our mouths and saying.I hear that all the time when it comes to witnessing. Well, I don't really witness becauseI don't know what to say. If you don't know enough to share, then you probably don't know enough to be saved.Look what Paul says in Ephesians 619.He's talking about prayer. He says, "Praying also for me that words may be given to me in openingmy mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel." You see that? Paul didn't say,"Pray that I can't speak or pray that I would know what to say." He says, "I need boldness."Our fourth pillar, sharing the good news of Jesus with boldness. That's what we need to be praying for.Boldness isn't jerkiness. It's not obnoxiousness. It's just confidence in God's calling and God'sgifting. It's just confidence to say, "Look, God gave me a message and he gave me the knowledgeof what I'm supposed to say, so I'm just going to open my mouth and I'm going to say it."And again, if you know enough to be saved, then you know enough to share.Share what you know. Look at verse 6 again. I love as he says, "Even as the testimonyabout Christ was confirmed among you." What's he saying? He's saying the people of Jesus usingthe gifts of Jesus is confirmation that Jesus is at work in the church.When I was little, my dad, for Christmas one year, he wanted magnifying goggles.Because he was going to undertake this hobby of putting boats and bottles. Have you ever seenthese things where you have like a bottle and there's like a boat inside? You know what I'mtalking about? Okay, my dad was going, "I'm going to make those and I need magnifying goggles."Like I said, I was just a little kid. I'm like, "I'm going to get those for dad."Now listen, I can tell already you're not impressed. So I'm going to remind you of something.This was pre-Internet. I know right now you can get on your phone and get on Amazon's orEtsy or whatever. I don't know. But you can eBay, you can get on there and you can probably rightnow find me 500 pairs of magnifying goggles. This was pre-Internet. This was pre-smartphone.This was pre-cell phone.All right? So I'm like, "I'm going to find those for him." And you know, it took me forevermaking phone calls and going to different stores and talking to people and tracking.And do you know, I found a pair of them. I went to a jewelry repair storeand I found them and I saved my money. Those weren't cheap. I saved my money,especially for a little kid. I saved my money and I bought those magnifying goggles.I bought them for dad for Christmas. I got to tell you, I can't think of a gift that I was moreexcited to give in my life. See, one of them, I couldn't get them, but I tracked them down.And I was so, I was so proud to give dad those magnifying goggles for Christmas.Well, my father died in 2003. And you know, when somebody passes away and you start tokind of go through their stuff and figure out what to do with all that,found those magnifying goggles, still in the box, never used.And I wonder, church,when Jesus returns, how many boxes of magnifying goggles is he going to find?I wonder when Jesus returns, how many of his gifts that he gave to his people,is he going to return and find? Oh, we had them. We didn't use them.We didn't use them. You have been gifted so much. And we're going to talk about this later,the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We're going to talk about this later in 1 Corinthians.But have you been using the gifts that God gave you?Listen, if your mindset is this, you know what, Pastor Jeff, I just attend church.My spiritual gift is attendance. My spiritual gift is warming a seat. And you know, I just leavethe ministry to the professionals. I don't really have a gift. That's bad news. Because not havinga gift means you're not saved, because he tells us right here that Jesus' people are enriched in him.Paul is saying, church, you have everything you need. Everything has been gifted to you,to minister to each other, and to reach the world.So look, there's no bench warmers on this team.On this team, listen, if you're saved, you're starting.All right? Don't call the other players naked. All right? If you're saved, you're starting.Get unified. Get unified. You know, the biggest unity killer in the church is selfishness.My wants, my desires, my preferences, especially in this culture where we are right now,right here geographically where we are, this is a horrible place. Because the mindset of mostchurchgoers in this area is church is the place that I go to get. And I'm going to this churchbecause they have better coffee, and I'm going to this church because, you know, they have a zipline for their youth group, and I'm going to this church because they have fog machines and laserlights. And we have this idea that church is the place that I go to get. And that is completelyforeign to the Bible. Church is not the place you go to get. Church is the place you go to get.And anything you receive here is bonus. The mindset has to be church is the place I go to get.You're expected to. It's why you're saved, and it's why you have been gifted.Know your salvation. Three Gs, grace, gifted, one more.Guiltless.Guiltless. Pick up second part of verse seven,where he says, "As you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ."That Greek word for wait means to wait eagerly. Right? I don't have to tell you on that.There's a big difference between the way a kid is waiting to open his birthday presentsversus the way that kid's dad is waiting at the DMV. Right? This is wait eagerly. It's this idea ofanticipation like, "Oh, he's coming. He's coming. I can't wait. I cannot wait. Jesus is coming, and Icannot wait." Do you see that? What are we waiting for? He tells us the revealing of our Lord JesusChrist. I don't know if you noticed, but Jesus Christ is mocked now. He's about to show up.And he's going to make everything right. And he's going to make everything new.Are you excited for that? I sure am.In the verse eight, he says, "Who will sustain you to the end? Who will sustain you to the end?If you believe that you can lose your salvation, I want you to explain that verse to me.Will sustain you to the end?" Did you ever wonder if you're going to make it?Did you ever wonder,am I going to make it to the end? Loving Jesus, following Jesus, serving Jesus, am I going to make it?Listen, if you are legitimately born again in Christ, you will make it.On the authority of the Word of God, you are going to make it.Because you didn't work to earn your salvation, and you can't work to keep your salvation.And here very plainly, God's Word tells us that Jesus will sustain you to the end.How? That's His responsibility. He's going to get you there.You're like, okay, well maybe He's going to get me there, Pastor Jeff, but I got a lot to answer for.When I stand before God, He's going to tell me how disappointed He is in me.God's going to tell me how upset He is with me. And I've had people tell me, Pastor Jeff,you know what, when we're like in line to get to heaven, don't be standing behind me.Because God is, He's got a lot of stuff that He's going to, He's really going to let me have it.You don't want to stand behind me in line to get to heaven.Well, let's keep reading, shall we? Who will sustain you to the end? Look at this.Guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.Guiltless.In that day, when you stand before Christ, it is not going to be for Himto tell you how badly you messed up. In Christ, what does your Bible say? You have no guilt.2 Corinthians 5.21 says, "For our sake, God He made Him Jesus."God made Jesus to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousnessof God. There's a trade that's going on here. Jesus took our sin on Himself, on the cross,to the point that somehow He is personified sin here.He took our sin. What did He give us in exchange? So that in Him we might become the righteousnessof God. Do you see that this grace, it didn't just take away your sin. God's gracemade you as righteous as God Himself is. And look, you can talk to me about the trinityand creation and predestination, and I've never lost a moment's sleep over any of those things.To me, this is the most baffling doctrine in the entire Bible, the fact that God would takea piece of dirt, sinner like me, and because of Jesus Christ, He would pronounce me as righteousas He is. I don't even have the ability to explain how awesome that is.Guiltless. He's going to sustain you until the day that you stand before Him when Hepronounces you guiltless. You're like, "You sure about that?"Well, look at verse 9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowshipof His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord." Yeah, I am sure about that, because it's not basedon my ability, and it's not based on my integrity. It's based on God's ability,and it's based on God's integrity. He called you to this, the fellowship of His Son.You've got to know your salvation.And you see, it's past, present, and future, right? It's justification, sanctification,glorification. It's just in this particular passage, it's grace, gifts, and guiltless.And for them then, and for us now, this isn't new information.But these are foundational truths that we seem to forget about over time.Because church harvest Bible chapel like the Corinthians over time, we tend to forget aboutour identity in Jesus Christ. We forget that we were lost, hellbound sinners saved by His grace.We forget that we are here to serve, not to be served. We forget that Jesus Christ is comingsoon, and we forget that this is Jesus' church, not our church.And when we forget these things, unity goes out the window, because we start to thinkthat church is about us. Know your salvation. It's Jesus. It's Jesus. It's His grace. It's His gifts.It's His fellowship. So our worship team makes their way forward in our communion servers.You know, Jesus gave us a way to remind us of all these truths that unite us in Him.That's what I love about the Lord's table. Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me."This keeps bringing us back when we are tempted to think this is about us, when we are tempted tothink that we are contributing to our salvation. When we are tempted to thinkthat God doesn't love us and we need to figure stuff out, this brings us back to the foundationaltruths of the way God purchased your salvation and what it means for us today.

Ep 44 - Special EpisodeIs the current movement sweeping America a true spiritual revival—or something else entirely?In the wake of recent events, churches are packed, leaders are speaking Jesus' name, and talk of revival is everywhere. In this episode, we urge believers to pause and ask critical questions: Which Jesus are people proclaiming? Is this the gospel of the kingdom—or a gospel mixed with nationalism and politics?In this timely episode, they explore: ✅ Why "Jesus plus anything" equals nothing ✅ The difference between revival FOR God vs. OF God ✅ How to test the spirits in this cultural moment ✅ Why God is not American (and why that matters) ✅ The danger of confusing political movements with spiritual awakening ✅ What true repentance and revival actually look likeThis isn't about being cynical—it's about being discerning. We want to see genuine revival, but we must ensure people are meeting the real Jesus Christ, not a political figurehead or cultural Christianity.⚠️ Key Warning: Paul said if anyone preaches another gospel, let them be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). When the gospel gets mixed with politics, nationalism, or any other agenda, it loses its power to save.

Father shows us how to share the word Of God

Over and over again, I've witnessed the power of a single conversation. Sometimes it happens over the course of an hour or more. Other times, it happens in less than twelve minutes. That's what you'll hear in this episode. Recently, I joined my friend Ray Edwards during one of his live streams. We had no plan for what we would talk about. He invited me into the conversation, and within moments he asked me a simple but profound question: “Cliff, how do you discover limiting beliefs?” That question opened the door to a live demonstration of the exact process I use with my clients when we're dismantling the lies that hold them back. In this episode, you'll hear me walk Ray through the four steps required to completely destroy limiting beliefs: Become consciously aware of the limiting belief that's holding you back. Determine the source of that belief so you can see it was never really yours. Create an empowering alternative belief that aligns with who you truly are. Condition that new belief until it becomes your default way of seeing and experiencing the world. With Ray, we didn't just talk theory. We discovered four limiting beliefs in real time. Beliefs that were keeping him from stepping back into his calling of speaking and traveling. Together, we exposed them, reframed them, and replaced them with empowering alternatives. By the end of the conversation, Ray went from: “I'm embarrassed and afraid I'll be too weak to speak.” to “I want to go. I want to speak. Let me at 'em!” And all of that happened in under twelve minutes. This is the power of awareness, truth, and presence. But we didn't stop there. After the conversation, I took the transcript and turned it into a song. It's what I call a Soul Song. Instead of using affirmations in a document that are easy to set aside, I now condition my empowering beliefs through music. Songs created directly from the conversations where the shift took place. You'll hear that song in this episode as well. It's a living reminder that even in trembling, even in weakness, there is profound strength. Here's my hope for you as you listen: You'll see yourself in Ray's story. You'll recognize the limiting beliefs that may be silently dictating your choices. You'll realize that you don't have to keep agreeing with them. I'll also share with you the exact five journal questions you can use right now to uncover your own limiting beliefs and begin dismantling them. Because sometimes, one powerful conversation is all it takes to change everything. If this resonates with you and you'd like to experience a conversation like this for yourself, send me an email at Cliff@CliffRavenscraft.com with the subject line: A Single Conversation. I look forward to hearing from you. Cliff The Five Questions What is it that you want to experience in life that you are not currently experiencing? What is one or two things that you already know that you could do to get you closer to living that experience? Why have you not already done this/these things? (Each answer is an excuse (aka Limiting Belief) What is one or two things that you know you already need to stop doing that would get you closer to living that experience? Why have you not already stopped doing this/these things? (Each answer is an excuse (aka Limiting Belief) Lyrics To The Song: The Miracle Breaking Through [Verse 1]I thought the stage required perfection,A flawless voice, a steady hand.But even trembling holds a message,A deeper truth than I had planned. [Chorus]This is strength: to rise while shaking.This is power: to speak through pain.Like David Ring, like Nick before me,My brokenness becomes the flame.Even if my body falters,Even if my words are few,The bedsheet screen, the slides keep shining,And my presence still breaks through. [Verse 2]The old belief said, You're not able,Cancel now, you can't be strong.But every stutter is an anthem,Every tremor shines with song. [Chorus]This is strength: to rise while shaking.This is power: to speak through pain.Like David Ring, like Nick before me,My brokenness becomes the flame.Even if my body falters,Even if my words are few,The bedsheet screen, the slides keep shining,And my presence still breaks through. [Bridge]It's not perfection that brings the freedom,It's the courage just to be.Every tremor tells the story,Of God alive inside of me. [Final Chorus]This is strength: to rise while shaking.This is power: to speak through pain.I am not weak, I am unbroken,Every struggle speaks His name.Even if my body falters,Even if my words are few,My voice, my life, my very being Is the miracle breaking through.

Todaywe're looking at Ephesians 1:1-3. When I read these verses, one of the thingsthat comes to my mind is a series of messages that Dr. Ron Hawkins from LibertyUniversity preached for us years ago on Sunday nights at Rainbow Forest BaptistChurch. We had asked him if he would preach through the book of Ecclesiastes.Every evening he made this statement: " We are profoundly fallen creatureswho live in a profoundly fallen world."  My friend, this still no doubt is still the currentcondition of the world today.  Peoplewonder why all the violence, why all the discord, why all the division? Why allthe hatred? My friend, it's because they don't have Jesus Christ in their heartsand lives. Everyone by birth is born with a fallen nature, and as we pointedout yesterday, are controlled by the flesh, the world system, and the devil andhis forces. And the answer to these issues is not getting a better education orto quit listening to the public and social media and all those things. Thatmight help a little, but the real answer is getting a new heart and a new mindby coming alive in Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, ifanyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,all things have become new.”  Paulbegins Ephesians 1 with this truth: “And you He made alive, who were dead intrespasses and sins”. God has made us alive through the blood and power andresurrection of Jesus Christ. And then Paul goes on to describe the conditionof the sinner: “In which you once walked according to the course of thisworld, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that nowworks in the sons of disobedience.” This is the way the Ephesians live.This is the way we lived as sinners before salvation. Verse 3 continues: “Amongwhom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfillingthe desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,just as others.”  Aswe read these verses, we have found that the sinner is dead. He's dead in histrespasses and sin. He is by nature disobedient to God and His Word. He is “ason of disobedience”. Now we find he's also depraved. And what we mean bydepraved is that he's living to please the desires of the flesh and the wishesof the mind. His actions are sinful because his appetites are sinful. When youapply the word depraved to the unsaved person, you're not saying that he onlydoes evil or that he is incapable of doing good. You're simply saying he'sincapable of doing anything to merit salvation or meet the high standards ofGod's holiness. Jesus said that sinners, lost sinners, can be good to eachother (Luke 6:33). They can be good to their children (Luke 11:13). But theycannot do anything good to spiritually please God. My friend, that's theproblem.  Beforesalvation we are living according to the desires of the flesh. Romans chapter 1goes through the steps of this depraved heart and mind and what it leads to. InRomans 8:5-8, Paul describes it clearly. Youcan't say it any more plainly than that. But the sinner is not only depraved,the lost sinner is doomed. In verse 3c, Paul adds: “And were by naturechildren of wrath, just as the others”. Children of disobedience, childrenof wrath. We're condemned already. We read this in John 3:16-21. For everyone practicing evilhates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should beexposed. This is what is happening in America today.They are haters of the light. Not so much haters of people as much as they arehaters of God. Haters of the light only because they have never come to thelight through Jesus Christ.  Let'spray for the God of mercy to open their hearts to this great truth! Man cannotsave himself, but God in His grace steps in to make salvation possible. Verse 4begins with “But God!” —what a difference those two words make! Godbless!

Today we're talking about one of the most importantsubjects in the entire Bible, and that is that we might know God. Paul'svery first prayer for the church in Ephesus, and the first of his four prisonprayers, is found here in verses 15-23. He begins by saying, "I do notcease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers." Now,it's amazing how to most of churches that he wrote to, or that he was part offounding, and that he was encouraging, that he talks about praying for them “withoutceasing”. Paul must have had an awesome continuous prayer life as he prayedfor the different saints in the different churches in the different places ofthe world. He was a man of prayer.  Whatdid Paul pray? His prayers were not for their material needs, that they wouldhave money, not that they could pay their bills, not that they could buildbetter and bigger buildings or churches. Those things could have been importantand maybe were important at times, but his prayer was that “the God of ourLord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to them the spirit of wisdomand revelation in the knowledge of Him”.  Icouldn't help but think of Hosea chapters 4 and 6. God said, "My peopleare destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). That is what happens whenwe fail to know who God is. Then Hosea gives this invitation from God in chapter6: "Come, let us return to the Lord" (v. 1). In verse 3, "Letus know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord." And then God speaksin verse 6, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice and the knowledge of Godmore than burnt offerings”. God wants us to “know Him”.  Thoughthe knowledge of God is the highest knowledge possible, the atheist claimsthere is no God for us to know. The agnostic states that if there is a God, youcannot know Him. But Paul met God in the person of Jesus Christ. And he knowsthat a man really can't understand much of anything else without a knowledge ofGod. The knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom. The “fear of the Lordis the beginning of wisdom”. Romans1 tells us that this willful ignorance of God led mankind into corruption andcondemnation. Paul describes the beginning of this progression with thesewords: “Who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (v. 18). “Because,although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, butbecame futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened”(v. 21).  And then Paul goes on to showthe development of how willful ignorance leads to idolatry, substituting a liefor the truth, exchanging God the creator for a worship of the man who wascreated. It then develops into immorality and indecency. And it all begins withan unwillingness to know God as Creator, as Sustainer, as Governor, as Savior,and as the Judge of our lives. There is tremendous danger and consequences whenthe believer does not grow in the knowledge of God.  InPhilippians 3:10, Paul said, "That I might know Him and the power ofHis resurrection," meaning to be intimately acquainted with God. Toknow God personally is salvation. Jesus prayed in John 17:3; “And this iseternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whomYou have sent”. To know God is to increase in sanctification (Philippians3:10). And to know God leads to ultimate glorification (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). Myfriend, we are made in the image of God. And the better we know God, the moresatisfied we are in Him, and the more satisfied we are even in ourselves. And thatis how we bring the greatest glory to Him. That's what God desires. That iswhat Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesus. We should pray this for ourselves.We can pray this for others.  “ThatI might know Him”—God,the true, the only God. May the Lord help us today to love and live for Himwith all of our hearts.  Godbless!

SUMMARYThis conversation, reflects on the significance of Jesus asthe Word of God, emphasizing His role in creation and His presence in ourlives. The discussion highlights the importance of trusting in Jesus throughlife's challenges, the power of prayer, and the assurance that God is alwayswith us. The message encourages listeners to focus on their faith and the lightof Jesus, which dispels darkness and brings peace.TakeawaysIn thebeginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.Jesus revealsthe image of the invisible God.All things werecreated through Him and for Him.In Him, allthings hold together.We can trustJesus in every circumstance.The fullness ofGod dwells in Jesus.He is the Lordwho heals our ills.Faith isessential to please God.The Lord is ourpresent help in times of need.We should laydown our burdens and trust in Him.Sound bites "In the beginning was the Word.""He was there before all things.""In Him all things hold together."  Chapters 00:00 The Word in the Beginning03:16 Trusting in Jesus Through Life's Challenges09:53 Faith and the Power of Prayer

Scripture: Psalm 1 Key Takeaways: Matthew 7:13-14 Psalm 1 + 2 Paths, 2 Products, 2 Prospects + Blessings FROM God are secondary to the blessing OF God himself John 5:39-40 Ecclesiastes 8:14 Psalm 92:5-9

Herein verses 13 and 14, Paul tells us that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit.Already we've talked about what God the Father has given us. We talked aboutJesus Christ and what He has given us. Now we're talking about the Holy Spiritand what He gives us even today. He says we also, who have believed and trustedin Christ, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. He seals us. That wasour lesson yesterday. Today,in verse 14, we learn about the guarantee we have by the Holy Spirit. Anotherword used for guarantee in the old King James is the word “earnest”. It reads, “Whichis the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchasedpossession, unto the praise of his glory”.  This word earnest is a very fascinatingword. In Paul's day, it meant the down payment to guarantee the final purchaseof some commodity or a piece of property. Even today, when you buy a piece ofproperty or you might hear the real estate agent mention the word earnest, thedown payment, the guarantee that you're going to pay the final price on thisproperty when you go to settlement in the lawyer's office. TheHoly Spirit is God's first installment to guarantee to you and me, Hischildren, that He will finish the work He begun in us and that He will eventuallybring us to glory. This “earnest” is for “the redemption of the purchasedpossession”. This refers to the redemption of the body at the return ofChrist for His Church. Romans 8:18-23 and 1 John 3:1-3 both speak of thisexperience! Redemption,as we know it in Scripture, is experienced in three different stages: Wehave been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7).Weare being redeemed as the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ(Romans 8:1-4). Weshall be redeemed one day when Christ returns, and we become His for eternity.  Butthe word “earnest” can also means “engagement ring”. Matter offact, in Greece today, you might find this word still being used that way.Isn't that what an engagement ring is? It's an assurance. It's a guarantee thatthe promise that you make to each other to be wed one day will be kept. Myfriend, our relationship to Jesus Christ and to God is not a commercial one. It'sa personal one. It's a personal experience of love. He is the bridegroom. Thechurch is His bride. Jesus is making the guarantee with the presence of theHoly Spirit in your life that one day He will come for His bride. He is goingto keep His promise. Maybe that is why He is called the Holy Spirit of promise. Whatgreater assurance do we need to have? I'm often asked, “Can I lose mysalvation? They say, “I don't feel saved. I don't have the assurance that Ikeep my salvation because I still sin. I still do things I shouldn't do”. ReadRomans 6 and 8. These two chapters should give you great assurance of your positionin Christ, and reminds you that you will never be separated from the love ofGod that's in Christ Jesus. Absolutely nothing can separate you. Why? The “Earnest”,the Guarantee has been given. You have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit isthere right now in your life, never to be taken away. Yes,can grieve the Holy Spirit, and you can quench Him, but you will never loseHim. Why? Because Jesus said, "He that comes to Me, I will by no meanscast out” (John 6:37). And Jesus promised in John 14:16, “And I will praythe Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with youforever”. My friend, “forever” means “forever”! Mayyou be especially blessed today as you relish the guarantee that you are His,and He is yours, and you're forever experiencing and enjoying His love.  Godbless!

Today,we want to continue in Ephesians 1. Now remember the chapter starts with twolong sentences. The first long sentence begins in verse 2 through verse 6, andtells us how God our Father has given us a great spiritual blessing in the factthat He has chosen us, He has adopted us, and He has accepted us in Christ. Allbecause of what His Son Jesus Christ has done for us. We are a blessed people.We're rich in Christ. That's the theme of the book.  Thenin verses 7-10, we have another long sentence. And this is what Jesus Christthe Son is continuing to do for us even today. We have redemption through Hisblood. We have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Yesterdaywe talked about how through His grace He made to abound toward us in all wisdomand prudence. We have the wisdom of God and the discernment of God to do what'sright to please Him.  Todaywe are looking specifically at verses 9-10: ”Having made known to us themystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed inHimself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gathertogether in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are inearth in Him”. And that's the last part of this big sentence. What we findout here is that not only has He redeemed and forgiven us, He has also madeknown to us “the mystery of His will”.  Thisletter has much to say about God's plan for His people. A plan that was noteven fully known even in Paul's day. The word mystery that we read here, and isused several times in the book, has nothing to do with something eerie. Itactually means in the Scripture a “sacred secret” once hidden but now revealedto God's people. We believers are part of God's inner circle. We are able toshare in the secret that God one day will unite everything in Christ. Eversince sin came into the world, things have been falling apart, as you well know.First man was separated from God (Genesis 3). Then man was separated from manas Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4). People tried to maintain some kind of unity bybuilding the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. But God judged them and scatteredthem across the world.  Godcalled Abraham and put a difference between the Jew and the Gentile. Adifference that was maintained until Christ's death on the cross. Sin istearing everything apart. But in Christ, God will gather everything together inthe accumulation of the ages. We are a part as His church, even as Gentiles ofHis eternal program. He unites all things in Christ. What a blessing that themystery of God's will, bringing everything back together in Christ will befulfilled one day when Jesus Christ comes back again and sets up His kingdom.  That'sGod's plan for the ages. Oneness in Jesus Christ. No matter who we are, rich orpoor, educated, uneducated, no matter our language, our culture, we are allrich in Christ. And one day we will experience that final unity. But even now,we can have that unity because we're in Christ. It doesn't matter whether we'refrom India or China or America or Africa or South America. It doesn't matter. AsI go to different places in the world, there is this oneness despite ourlanguage barriers in Christ.  Thisis the will of God that we can have this unity in Christ. This is the will ofGod that we can be saved from the sin that separates us. God is not willingthat any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Myfriend, what a great blessing we have in Christ today. And we ought to enjoythis blessing of unity, knowing the will and plan of God for the ages. Amystery that was hidden but now is made known to us in Christ.  Godbless!

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Doug Groothuis about his  article, “The Death of Credentials: How Social Media Influencers Dumbed us Down and Made Everything Worse.” This is also part of Doug's ongoing “Cultural Critique Column”. https://www.equip.org/articles/the-death-of-credentials-how-social-media-influencers-dumbed-us-down-made-everything-worse/Related articles and podcasts by this author:Episode 436: Why Read Books?Why Read Books?Episode 424 Of God and Dogs, With Constant Reference to Sunny“Of God and Dogs, With Constant Reference to Sunny“Episode 416: The Art of Bracketing in Apologetics: Switching Ground Without Losing GroundThe Art of Bracketing in Apologetics: Switching Ground Without Losing GroundEpisode 401 How Truth WorksHow Truth WorksDon't miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.  

Thethird great blessing we learn from verse 6, is that we are “accepted in theBeloved”. The first time the word “accepted” was used is in Genesis 4:7,where God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but He rejected Cain's sacrifice. Cain wasvery angry and God told him: Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will you not beaccepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire isfor you, but you should rule over it."  God was saying that if Cain would do the rightthing by bringing the right sacrifice that God could accept that he would beaccepted, otherwise sin would control him when he could have “ruled” orconquered it by the acceptable sacrifice.  Wehave been “chosen” and we have been “adopted”. And we also been “acceptedin the Beloved to the praise of the glory of His grace”. One of the worst emotionsto have in our life is the feeling that we are being rejected. We might feelrejected by our parents. Sometimes we get rejected or feel rejected by ourpeers, by our friends, and rejected by our co-workers. There's this terrible sensethat you have when you walk into the room, people don't want you in there.You're not wanted. You're not a part of the group.  I'veheard that young people will do anything to be accepted by their peers. They'llchange their looks. They'll change the color of their hair. They'll doeverything to look like those who accept them. My friend, oh my friend, you andI have the great spiritual blessing of being accepted by God. Before we becamea believer we were alienated from God. We were enemies from God. We were at warwith God. But Jesus Christ came, and He took the rejection of men. He wasdespised and rejected of men. He was a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3).  Jesustook our sin. He took our place. He is the sin offering that God accepted. Theonly offering for sin that God could accept. He was the perfect sacrifice, the Lambof God, the One without spot and without blemish. He was stainless. He wasperfect before God. He was the only sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath ofGod. God had to turn His back to His Son when He was on the cross and in asense reject His Son, as His Son, so that His Son could become our sin on thatcross and die in our place.  Nowbecause Jesus paid the full price. The offering for sin has been accepted. Whenyou read about the sacrifices and offering in the Old Testament you can't helpbut notice how many times it says that God could not accept certain sacrificesor offering because they didn't meet His standard. But thank God, now the onesacrifice of Jesus Christ has been accepted.  “Tothe praise of the glory of His grace…” It is all by the grace of God and not what wedo. It's not by our works of righteousness. There's nothing we could do. If wecould bring peace to the whole world and settle all the wars and conflicts andby doing so got the Nobel Peace Prize, that will not give you one merit to enterheaven one day. It is only by the grace of God through the blood of JesusChrist and the fact that God has accepted His sacrifice. Now,you and I are accepted in the beloved. And my friend, if you know you'reaccepted by God, what does it matter if men reject you, if friends or anyoneelse rejects you? You know that your greatest need is to be accepted by God,and you are accepted in His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. How should we respond tothis great fact and truth? We should live acceptable lives before Him as weread in Romans 12:1-2. We make acceptable offerings by giving ourselves whollyand completely to Him and please Him because we have been accepted.  Don'tever forget that you're accepted by God. You're accepted in His family. You'reone of His children. What a great, awesome, and wonderful spiritual blessing! Godbless!

Whenwe look at the words “election” or being “chosen” in theScriptures, we're speaking of the fact that God has a special people set apartfor a specific purpose. Just like He chose Abraham and chose the people ofIsrael to be His people. It didn't mean that they were all saved. It means thatthey were called to as a special people to special purpose. As believers, weare born into the family of God. But as His sons and daughters we are chosen byHim to be holy, to be a “chosen” people, an “elect” people, a people that has thepurpose of reflecting His glory as His church to the world around us.  Inverse five, it says, "Having predestined us to adoption as sons byJesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will."  Here we meet this word called predestination. Themeaning of this word has caused many divisions amongst believers. This shouldnot be the case, especially when you look at the context in which it is used inthe New Testament. We should not misunderstand this word. This word as it isused in the Bible refers primarily to what God does for saved people. Nowherein the Bible are we taught that people are predestined to hell or even toheaven, because this word is already referring to those who are saved who havebeen born into the family of God.  Theword simply means to ordain beforehand to predetermine. As we said electionseems to refer to people while predestination refers to purposes. And when youlook at scripture, you find that the events connected with the crucifixion ofJesus Christ were predestined. Read Acts 4:25-28. Jesus was slain from thefoundation of the world as the Lamb of God. God has predestined us to adoption(Ephesians 1:5). God has predestined us to conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29-30).“For whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image ofHis Son”.  Goddidn't predestine us to be saved or to be lost, to go to heaven or go to hell.He predestined us to be like His Son. And my friend, one day we ultimately willbe just like Him. God also predestined our future inheritance. This is foundhere in Ephesians 1:11, “In Him also we've obtained an inheritance beingpredestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according tothe council of His will”. This has to do with our future inheritance thatwe have when we see Jesus Christ at His coming.  Adoption,when you look at it in scripture, has a dual meaning, both present and future.You do not get into God's family by adoption. You get into God's family byregeneration, the new birth. John 3:1-18. You see this also in 1 Peter 1, we'reborn again by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit of God into the family ofGod. Adoption in scripture is the act of God by which He gives His “born ones”an adult standing in the family. Why does He do this? That's because we mightimmediately begin to claim our inheritance and enjoy our spiritual wealth rightnow. A baby cannot legally use his inheritance. Galatians 4:1-7. But an adultson can and should. It means that you do not have to wait till you become anold saint before you can claim your riches in Christ Jesus. You can claim themnow as a brand-new believer.  Thefuture aspect of adoption is found in Romans 8:22-23. Again this is speaking ofthe glorified body that we will have when Jesus Christ returns and we meet Himface to face and we're like Him even in our glorified bodies. We already havean adult standing before God. But the world can't see that. When Christreturns, this private adoption will be made public for everyone to see. As Paulsays in Romans 8, we look forward to that day! My friend. I believe Jesus'coming is just around the corner. Today,are you claiming and enjoying the riches of the glory of your inheritance in ChristJesus? (Ephesians 1:15) Godbless!

Introduction: I Am Worried About: ___________________. "I Refuse to Worry..." (Matthew 6:25–34): Because of WHO MY FATHER is. (Matt 6:26-30) Romans 8:32 – He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Because of my FAITH. (Matt 6:31-33) Because It DOES NO GOOD. (Matt 6:34) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 6:25-34What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What is it that you are most tempted to worry about? Why have you struggled to let go of this? How should you view this in light of Jesus' teaching here?What is Jesus illustrating with the birds and the lilies?What are some practical steps you can take to actively “refuse to worry”?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open up those Bibles to Matthew chapter 6, and we're going to be picking up in verse 25.We're in the greatest sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mound.And in this section that we're in here, Jesus is talking about how His followers should relateto the world.And as Pastor Taylor prayed a moment ago, the subject that our Lord covers is worry.Do not be anxious.I've shared this story with you in past time, but I couldn't help but thinking about itall week this week.Many years ago I was at the doctor, and the PA comes in and slaps on the blood pressurecuff, you know, and was taking my blood pressure.And I remember the PA, she just looked at me and her eyes were huge.She goes, "You feeling okay?"And I'm like, "Yeah, I feel good."She says, "We need to talk to the doctor."I said, "What's going on?"She said, "Your blood pressure is critically high."And then she left the room.So I sat there for what felt like an eternity, looking back at my life, regrets.And then thinking about the future, you know, am I about to drop over dead?What's going to happen to my family?What's going to happen to the ministry?What's going to...Well, the doctor eventually came in, first words out of his mouth.He says, "Buddy, we got to talk about this blood pressure."I said, "Yeah, I know your physician's assistant said it wasn't good."He goes, "Oh, it is not good."Then he looked over at the counter behind him.He said, "Is that the cuff that she used to take your blood pressure?"And I said, "Yeah."He says, "Oh, that's for little kids.He has no one to your blood pressure so high."So he got a big boy blood pressure cuff and took it.And I lived to fight another day.But I got to tell you, and that time when the physician's assistant left the room andthe doctor came in, I don't know if in my life I've ever felt such worry.But some people, sadly, live in that zone.Or it's just worry, anxious.That's what we're going to look at today.What is worry?What is anxiety?Well, it's defined as an uneasiness about the future.That's an understatement.It's that, what might happen?What might not happen?Worry has a way of consuming your thoughts.Worry has a way of keeping you from sleeping.Worry for some of you has you stop eating.And for some of you, you can't stop eating.So on the top of your outline, you'll see a line, "I am worried about..."I just want you to take a minute.Write down the thing in your life that makes you anxious.Or write down what it is in your life where you are most tempted to worry.And if you're like, "Well, Pastor Jeff, I never worry about anything."Well come and see me after service because I've never met such a person.And I would love to.But what is the thing that you are most tempted to worry about?Write that down.Maybe for some of you, you are worried right now.Write that down.Alright, we're in church right now, so I'm going to ask a question.You give me the Sunday school answer.Are we supposed to worry?We're not.It's really easy to say in here right now, isn't it?After worship, after prayer.But we're going to leave here and many of you are going to worry and you are going to justifyyour worry.It's funny how that's a sin that we're all so eager to justify.And we say things like, "We just sort of..."Try to make it sound like it's not a thing, right?We're like, "Oh, I'm just a worrier."Right?"Oh, you know, I've just stopped the bothers me because I'm a worry wart."But you know, if you really grab what Jesus has to say in this passage about worry, ifyou've ever referred to yourself as a worry wart, you're going to be pretty embarrassedthat you've ever called yourself that.You might say, "Well, yeah, yeah, Pastor Jeff, I'm not worried about stupid things,right?I'm not worried about trivial things.My worries are over legit needs."Okay?Well, let's see what our Lord has to say.Look at verse 25 in Matthew chapter 6.Jesus says, "Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you willeat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on.Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"Notice Jesus is talking about legit needs.You see that?Food and water and clothes, legit needs.And keep in mind the people that Jesus was talking to, in this day they didn't have theWalmarts.Think of food, right?How did they get their food?They had to grow it or they had to go to the market and hope that there was still somethingthere to buy.Right?Think about water.They didn't go to the kitchen sink and just flick their wrists and have water appear outof the tap.And they lived in a climate that made having clean drinking water absolutely crucial.And their clothes, again, they didn't have closets and storage.And they usually had to make their clothes.So when you consider their culture, you would note obviously it was much easier for themto be tempted to worry.I was thinking about that this week.You know, if we had a time machine and we could bring somebody from Jesus' day to ourday.I think they would be absolutely baffled at the things that we worry about.And someone's going to say, "Well, Pastor Jeff, how can I not worry?I mean, look at the environment that kids are growing up in today.Look at the economy.How can I not be worried about money?What about my health?You know what's going on health-wise.How can I not be worried about that?"You know, they're eliminating positions where I work.I might be next and I might not have an income.How can I not worry about that?You just can't help it, right?And you would say, "Well, you know, Pastor Jeff, I remember, you said in the past time,you've said feelings are feelings.Right?You can't help how you feel."That's true.But we talk about worry.This isn't about feelings.This is about a choice.Because your feelings are going to change if your focus changes.And what you focus on is your choice.What you focus on affects everything.Three times in this passage, Jesus gives the command, "Therefore, do not be worriedand anxious."He says it in verse 25.He says it in verse 31.He says it in verse 34.And each time Jesus says it, He gives a reason why we in turn must say, "I refuse to worry."You ready to say that?All right?We're going to take a run at it.I want you to say that.I refuse to worry.Not much conviction from some of you.I'm hoping that maybe in a few minutes we can change your mind about that.I refuse to worry.Why?Number one, right?Just done.I refuse to worry because of who my Father is.Let's pick up here, verses 26 through 30.Jesus says, "Look at the birds of the air.They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them."Are you not of more value than they?And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to a span of life?And why are you anxious about clothing?Because they are the lilies of the field, how they grow.They neither toil nor spin.Yet I tell you, even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.But if God so closed the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is throwninto the oven, will He not much more clothe you?Oh, you of little faith?This is where Jesus starts.I refuse to worry because of who my Father is.And He gives a couple obvious illustrations, right?He says, "Look at the birds.God feeds them."Oh, by the way, God doesn't drop the food into their nest, right?For those of you who might think, "Oh, okay, well I can just go home and sit down and donothing, and God will just door-dash me every day for the rest of my life."No, that's not how it works.Work is the God-ordained way that He feeds us, right?That's another serving for another time.But the birds are fed.And Jesus says, "Notice the flowers are dressed despite their very short life."So He talks about the birds.He talks about the lilies.And it's really the same point.God values His people more than anything on this earth.This is Jesus' point.God values you.Listen, God values you.More than anything on this earth, He values you.Not convinced of that.Well, let me ask you, when you look at all of the stuff created on the earth, what ismade in the image of God?There's only one thing on this planet that is said to have been made in the image ofGod with God's fingerprint, His likeness stamped on.And that is you.Not the dogs, not the goldfish, not the trees.You are made in His image.What is it on this planet right now that God sent His Son to die on the cross for?Jesus didn't die for the cats.Jesus didn't die for the parakeets.God bought you with His Son.Oh, and speaking of sons, what is it on this planet that is said to be adopted by God?God doesn't run down to the humane society and adopt a dog through the death and resurrectionof Jesus Christ to those who believe God adopted you.Are you starting to see your value here?Oh, oh, and what is it on the earth that God says is going to spend eternity in glory withHim?There's only one thing.You.You.You do understand now you have incredible value to God.And by the way, Jesus is obviously addressing believers here.Those who have turned from their sin, those who have received and believed in Jesus Christ,He's talking to believers because He says, "You're heavenly Father.Jesus says believers, if your heavenly dad gave you life, he's going to take care ofit."I refuse to worry because of who my father is.You know, a couple of weeks ago, my son, Cade, works at Chick-fil-A across the street.A couple of weeks ago, I pulled in to pick him up and it was hot.I had the windows down.I was sitting there waiting and there was a guy walking around the front sidewalk bythe entrance door and he was on the phone.Now listen, I wasn't eavesdropping.This guy was talking so loud I could have heard him from Zileanopoul.All right?This guy was walking around and using some choice words that we don't use while we preach.He was complaining obviously about something that happened in his interaction in the restaurant,in the Chick-fil-A.So he's walking around and he's like, "This is... this is..."Explodedly deleted.He goes, "I'm going in there to cuss somebody out."And he heads towards the door.So I'm like, "Here we go."Shut off the Jeep and I followed him in so close that he held the door open for me.He walked into the lobby.There were no customers there.Rare timing, Chick-fil-A.He walks into the lobby and stands there for a second and he turns around and sees me lookingat him and then he just leaves.Well Cade's standing there and Cade's like...Then I leave and Cade's like, "What was that all about?"Right?So Cade comes out into the car and he's like, "Why did you just come into Chick-fil-A?"And I said, "Well, did you see that guy that came in ahead of me?"He said he was coming in to cuss somebody out.Now look, I know my son and I know the last thing he would ever do is intentionally offenda stranger.I said, "That guy said he was going to come in to cuss somebody out."So I was going to make sure that that wasn't you.Cade's like, "What were you going to do?"Like throw him out the window.He could just roll right onto the hospital.I said, "But I was not going to let him cuss you out."And Cade said, "You would do that for me?"Like, "Would I do that for you?""Yes, yes I would do it."I'm like, "How could you even ask that question?"I would do anything for you, including take a beating in Chick-fil-A.I would do anything for you.And listen, if I thought dude was going in there after somebody else, I never would havegot out of the car.Not my business.But my son, oh no.That is not going to happen.I would do anything to provide for my son.I would do anything to protect my son.And when Cade's like, "You'd do that for me?"All I could think of was, "Do you have any idea how much your father loves you?"And that's exactly what Jesus is saying here."Worryer?"That's what Jesus is saying.You're worried?Do you have any idea how much your father loves you?And you're worried that you're not going to be taken care of?You don't know how much you mean to him.Like, well how much?How much?I think there's one verse more than any in the Bible that tells us how much it's Romans8.32.Can we get that on the screen?It says, "God, He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all."How will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?I wouldn't give up my son for any of you.I wouldn't give up my son for all of you.But God gave up His Son to death so that you can be saved.And that's what Paul was saying in Romans, and this is the truth that Jesus is sayinghere."If God gave you His Son, it's proof He's going to give you everything else that youneed."I refuse to worry because of who my father is.And let's see in verse 30, Jesus says, "O you of little faith."See, that's the issue.Look, some of you have little faith.Some of you do have faith enough to be saved, but you need to grow up.And you know why you're worried?The reason you're so worried all the time is you haven't really reckoned with the implicationsof what your salvation means.Your father loves you, and your father has a concern for you.Your father has a personal interest in what happens in your life.And the way a parent does for their kid, but not someone who's not their kid.You know what I mean by that?Because parents here today, whose kid do you make sure eats?Yours, right?How many times have you wondered in the past week if my kids have eaten?You're like, "Not at all."Right?Whose kids do you make sure have clothes?Yours.Right?Whose kid do you make sure brushes their teeth?So parents, what would you say to your kids?What would you say to your kids, parents, if you're home someday and you could hear yourkid in the next room pacing and worrying saying, "What if mom isn't going to feed me tomorrow?"What would you say?What would you say if you heard your kid in the next room going, "I'm really growing.What if I grow out of these clothes and dad doesn't buy me new clothes?"What would you say?That's Jesus' point.When you worry, you're acting like you forget who your father is.You're demonstrating, in the words of our Lord, little faith.Oh, speaking of faith, I refuse to worry, number two, because of my faith.I refuse to worry because of my faith.Look at verse 31.Says it again.Here we go."Do not be anxious saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'Whatshall we wear?'For the Gentiles seek after all these things.And your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will beadded to you."The Gentiles seek after all these things, obviously in this context.Jesus is using the word "Gentile" as it was commonly used in that day to refer to aheathen, in other words, somebody who doesn't know God.Right?So Jesus is saying that when I worry, I act like I don't have faith.See people who don't have faith, they just go after all the stuff.Right?It's all about me.People that don't have faith, honestly they live no different than an animal.An animal only thinks about getting needs met, right?Hungry, thirsty, tired.Like I live with animals, right?That's all they do.What they're thinking about is getting their next physical need met.When you don't have faith, that's how you are.Verse 25, Jesus said, as we already read, "Isn't life more than the physical child of God?Isn't your life about more than physically surviving, isn't it?"And when Jesus was tempted by the devil, remember what he said, "Man shall not liveby bread alone."Isn't that a statement of faith?Again, we talked about this last week, but this is exactly why people store treasureon earth.This life is all there is.I've got to make the most out of it.I've got to get what I can here now.Child of God, aren't you supposed to be different than them?Aren't you supposed to be salt and light?Do people see that in the way that you live, in the way that you talk, in the way thatyou refuse to worry?Look at verse 32 again.Jesus says your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.Your unsafe friends, your unsafe family, do they know that you know that your Father knowsand you know that He knows?Yeah.Do you say, "Well, I'm in need of something, but it's okay.My Father knows what I need, and He's going to provide it when He knows that I need it."That's faith.That's what faith looks like.And if you're right now, right now at this point in your life, if you're in a place ofneed, if you're in a place where God has to show up and provide, you're in a place ofwant, guess what?As a child of God, that means you have a front row seat to see God at work.Because according to Jesus, He already knows.So we've sort of taken the sin of worry, and in our minds, that's like a minor league sin,right?Oh, there's the big sins like murder and adultery and things like that.But worry, that's kind of a minor league sin, right?No.It's not.Worry strikes at the character and the promises of God.Worry makes some assumptions.Worry assumes that God doesn't know.Worry assumes that God doesn't care.Worry assumes that God is completely unable to provide the thing that I need.Worry is just...It's just...Worry is just bad theology.It shows a complete lack of faith, and Jesus says it makes you no different than an atheist.Are you on your own?You have to fend for yourself?You have to take care of yourself?Or are you a child of God that is richly provided for by your heavenly Father?Which one are you?Like I'm a child of God, right?So why do we worry then?Why do we worry?I'm wrestling with this question.You know, the sort of armchair, you know, psychologist, sociologist that I am.Why do we worry?So I went to that very authoritative source psychology today.I looked it up online.I wanted to see from a secular perspective how worry is defined.And I was blown away.You want to hear?Listen to this.I looked up, why do we worry?According to psychology today, their website says we worry because we have a hard timeliving with uncertainty.I want you to think about that for a second.You have a hard time living with uncertainty.If you're a Christian, what are you uncertain about?Go ahead and shout it out.If you're a Christian, shout out the things that we are uncertain about.Pastor, is there anything?I rack my brain all week.Like surely there has to be something that we are uncertain about.The only thing I can come up with is the time of the return of our Lord.If you're a Christian, you have no uncertainties.If you're a Christian and you're worrying, what you have is a lack of faith.You're like, oh yeah, I know Jeff, but I just, I got this need.I get this really bad need.I've been praying about it and look, I just don't know how God's going to provide.You don't need to know.That's His problem.You know what your problem is?Verse 33, "Let's seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these thingswill be added to you."But you need to worry about us seeking God.You seek the spiritual, He'll provide the physical.Do you see that?Focus on your walk with Christ.Instead of focusing on the stuff and your needs and what's worrying you, Jesus saidyou need to focus on being the person that God wants you to be.He'll draw near to God and He'll draw near to you.And when your heart is so near to the heart of God, you're going to have a worry-freefaith.So do you have that?Do you have a worry-free faith?I'll tell you how you can evaluate it.A worry-free faith shows up in how you pray.How do you pray?You're like, "Well, I really don't.I really don't pray."Okay, then you have no faith.All right, so we'll knock that one off.But if you pray like this, if you pray, "God, I'm desperate and God, I don't know whatI'm going to do, God, and I'm so afraid of what's going to happen tomorrow."That's little faith.But if your prayer sounds like this, "God, I'm seeking you for this and you already knowwhat I need, and I'm trusting that you're going to provide it when I need it."That is a prayer of faith.I'm asking, I'm trusting, I'm believing, but I refuse to worry.Why?Because of my faith.And finally, number three, I refuse to worry because of who my Father is because of myfaith and number three.I refuse to worry because it does no good.It does no good.Look at verse 34."Jesus says, 'Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxiousfor itself.Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'"And you're like, "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, right there, right there.Tomorrow.Tomorrow.That's what I'm worried about.That's the day that I'm worried about."And Jesus says, "Don't."Why not?Jesus says, "You've got enough trouble today.Can I get an amen?"You mean to tell me you've got nothing going on today that requires your attention?Nothing.And my schedule is clear.There is not a single thing that requires my attention, effort, energy, nothing.You're telling me that tomorrow needs all your attention?Obviously not.Obviously you would say, "Oh, you know what, Jeff, I've really got plenty going on today."And our Lord would say, "Good, go after that.Just go after that."Jesus said, "Tomorrow will be anxious for itself."Some translate that phrase, "Tomorrow," quote, "brings its own anxieties."In other words, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it because I can't cross it now,right?No, not cross that bridge when we come to it.How about cross that bridge if we come to it?When we worry about the future, what we do is we start imagining all these little scenariosthat are surely going to devastate us.What if I get sick?What if I have car trouble?What if I do lose my job?What if ... how much time, my friends, have we wasted worrying about something that neverhappens?That's what our Lord reminds us here in this verse, worry isn't just sinful, it's pointless.There's no upside, it benefits you nothing, it does no good.In fact, Jesus talked about this in verse 27.You can't add to your life by worry, can you?Because nothing good's ever added to the worrier.Nobody in the history of mankind has ever said, "You know what?I am so glad that I worried about that because I worried so hard that it fixed everything."It's pointless.It's pointless to worry about tomorrow because the reality is not everybody gets it tomorrow.You might not have it tomorrow.But if you do, if you do have it tomorrow, tomorrow has literally one guarantee thatyou can take to the bank.And that is this, tomorrow God will be just as much God then as He is today.And if God's word is true and I believe it is, the future is something to be excitedabout, not worry about.Because the Bible says our best days are ahead.All worry does in addition to dishonor the Lord is steal your joy today.It steals your peace today and it ruins your testimony today.Does no good.Far worship team will make their way back up front.Each of us might be feeling really confident right now.But when you leave here, when you walk out those doors, you are going to be tempted toworry about something.Probably not so much here now but home later, yes.I want you to take this outline and I want you to tuck this away in your Bible for later.That little thing you wrote at the top, I'm worried about.No, no, no.Instead what we're going to say is I refuse to worry about this.Why am I not worried about this?Because of who my Father is.That's why.I'm not worried about this because of my faith in that Father.I'm not worried about this because according to Him honestly, it's not going to do anygood anyways.I refuse.I refuse to worry.Let's pray.Father of Heaven, we confess before You that we demonstrate a complete lack of faith whenwe worry.We can come into this room and we can sing about Your power and Your love and Your goodness.But we deny all of those things with our lives when we choose to worry.So Father, I pray that today is a new day.From our brothers and sisters here, the thing that weighs on us, the thing that has keptus up at night, Father, I pray that we would look back at Your faithfulness throughout history.We would look back at Your faithfulness in our own lives.And that thing that burdens us, Father, I just pray that we would do, as Your Word says,that we would cast it at Your feet and we would refuse to worry about it.We pray in Jesus' name.Amen.

Paul writes, "Grace to you and peace from God ourFather and the Lord Jesus Christ." We could spend several weeks juston this one small verse, that starts with the word grace. The word graceis used 12 times in the book of Ephesians. It refers to the kindness of Godtoward undeserving people. Some people abbreviate that by saying that grace is God'sunmerited favor. That's what grace is.  Overthe years I have also expanded the description of Biblical grace to say thatgrace is God giving us everything we need to be able to fulfill and do the willof God and to find fulfillment in Christ Jesus. Peter said it this way: “Graceand peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, asHis divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which havebeen given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through theseyou may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption thatis in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4). Whenyou read through Paul's epistles you will notice that he begins every letterwith the greeting, “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the LordJesus Christ”. Paul is really big on God's grace. Paul finishes everyletter speaking of God's grace; “Grace be unto you from our Lord JesusChrist”. Next time you read through Paul's epistles be sure to notice this.Grace is a big thing with the Apostle Paul because it's a big thing with God.  TheBible tells us in John chapter 1 that the law was given by Moses, but grace andtruth came by Jesus Christ. You want to know what God's grace is? Look full inthe face of Jesus Christ and there you'll see God's grace because what you needis found in Christ. That's why Paul mentions grace and peace together so often.Now tomorrow we're going to talk about peace with God and the peace of God. Buttoday we are looking at God's grace. As I said, we desperately need God's graceto be all that we should be for the glory of God.  Graceis God giving us the desire to be saved. One of the most famous verses in theNew Testament is Ephesians 2:8- 9. “For by grace are you saved through faithand that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any manshould boast.” A person does not get saved without God giving you thegrace, giving you the desire to be saved. And when does God give you the desireto be saved? We find the answer to that in James 4:6, and also 1 Peter 5:5-6. Andthey both quote the same thing out of the Old Testament book of Proverbs 3:34. Thisis where Solomon wrote that God gives grace to the humble.  Jamesand Peter in their verses make it clear that “God resists the proud, but Hegives grace to the humble”. When we humble ourselves, when we have contritehearts. When we are broken. When we become desperate for God and the peace ofGod recognizing our great need of God's forgiveness for our sin, it is thenthat God looks down upon our humble heart and He gives us grace. First, Hegives us the desire to get saved and then He gives us the willingness to getsaved and then He actually saves us by His grace.  Oneof my favorite verses about grace is found in 1 Corinthians 15:10, where theApostle Paul proclaims, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am. AndHis grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than theyall. Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."  Paul acknowledges that, "EverythingI am and everything I hope to be and everything I have accomplished for thepurposes of God is only by His grace”. Yes,my friend it is God's grace that gives us the desire, the power, the ability todo what God wants us to do. That's why Paul would write in all his letters and say,"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord JesusChrist." Everything we really need today comes from Him.

PRAYER IS THE WORKPastor Mark Lee | Vantagepoint ChurchLuke 11:9 - Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you.Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,believe that you have received it and it will be yours.Matt 21:22 – If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for inprayer.Acts 7:55 – full of the Holy Spirit he looked up to heaven and saw the glory ofGod and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.Acts 12:1 – It was about this time that King Herod arrested some whobelonged to the church intending to persecute them. He had James, thebrother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleasedthe Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.Acts 12:12-15 – When this had dawned on him, he went to the house ofMary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gatheredand were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance and a servant namedRhonda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she wasso overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at thedoor!” “You're out of your mind,” they told her.Acts 12:5 – So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying.Haddon Robinson- Where was it that Jesus sweat great drops of blood? Not inPilate's hall, not on his way to Golgotha, (in other words, he didn't just pray whilehe was in the trial) it was in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he offered upprayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save himfrom death. Had I been there and witnessed that struggle, I would have worriedabout the future. If he is so broken up when all he is doing is praying, I mighthave said, what will he do when he faces a real crisis. Why can't he approach theordeal of his three sleeping friends with a calm confidence? Yet, when the testcame, Jesus walked to the cross with courage while his three friends fell apartand fell away.Charles Finney - I have never known a person to sweat blood (while praying);but I've known a person to pray till blood started from his nose. And I haveknown persons to pray till they were all wet with perspiration, in the coldestweather in winter. I have known a person to pray for hours, till their strengthwas all exhausted with the agony of their minds.”Augustine's mother - It is not possible that a child of such tears can be lost.

8/10/2025 Galatians 1:11-20 Paul Proves The Bible Is Truth Intro: Paul is one of the most amazing people who ever lived and one of the most important! Why would a person do all the hard traveling and tough mission work and suffer so many hardships and perils if he had not been with Jesus? What would his motivation be? Fame? Fortune? Glory? Really? His motivation according to his own writings was spelled out in Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Does this sound like a man who would tell you a lie? Yes…. Muslims die for a false religion they believe in true. But it is more of a political movement than a religion. Yes, many die for their country for they believe in the principles of freedom. Many die for their ideals or for a belief system that they have been brainwashed to believe is true and many will die honorably for a loved one. But no one would give up their whole lives and suffer daily for something they KNEW was a lie. Paul believed the things he wrote not because He was a mad man but because he actually experienced Christ on the Damascus road and actually was trained by Him and witnessed these miracles and power of God in His own life. His life is proof that the Bible IS the word Of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ is the very truth of God!

Delivered by Ariel from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Numbers 7: 9-10.13-14; Rs psalm 97: 1-2.5-6.9; 2 Peter 1: 16-19; Luke 9: 28b-36.EYES AND EARS ON GUARD Our meditation today is entitled: EyesAnd Ears On Guard. There is a young man for the third time dating with the girlhe so loves and he thinks that this time must give a positive result. Theprevious two occassions always ended in sadness because there were many problems.He evaluated himself and knew that his negative attitude had contributed to thefailure of those love relationships. Then he talked about it with his parents.His parents' adviced him in this way: our heart's decision to say and act forsomething is very dependent on our ability to see and hear. Our eyes and ears must always beactive to respond to the reality of other persons we love. When you see thatthe person next to you is busy with various jobs, or when the ears hear thatthe person's voice is rather soft and heavy, the decision of your heart willdetermine the action of your attention to him or her. The young man agrees tothat advice and is determined to make the opportunity of the third time dating tobe a good result. This can develop their love relationship up to the level ofmarriage. On the day of the feast Jesus revealsHis glory, transfiguration, the Word of God teaches us to experience the gloryand greatness of God through our capacity of seeing and listening. All threereadings describe the physical sight and hearing experienced by the prophetDaniel, the apostle Peter and his two colleagues. They saw the appearance ofGod and heard the sound that came directly from God. This is a direct faithexperience and for sure desired by many of us. When you happen to have suchexperience, you are like on the Mount Tabor where you can so marvel at theappearance of God's glory like the three apostoles. Today almost all of our faithexperiences are indirect happenings, but are considered and believed direct.Jesus says and manifests His glory through the action of the Holy Father,bishops or priest, or a brother who does good and loves us. Jesus is personallypresent but symbolized by the Eucharistic Bread which we always worship andeat. Jesus also stands at the pulpit and says directly but is represented by apreacher. Experiences like these are highly valued and continously help thegrowth of our faith. Our eyes and ears are very important intruments for thisgrowth. The problem is that if we do notlisten and see with good attention, we will lose the experience of the glory ofGod present in others, the environment, and the events of our lives. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O most loving Jesus, may we always desire to see and hear You inevery situation of our lives. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of theFather ...

 Some interesting things in thispassage of Scripture also show up in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel ofMark. Today, I want to take time to look at all three of these passages becauseit's in these passages that we read this statement repeatedly: "Hesaved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen ofGod."  (The Luke passage is above.) Matthew27:35-44 reads: “Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, castinglots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "Theydivided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Sittingdown, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head theaccusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then tworobbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. Andthose who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Youwho destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You arethe Son of God, come down from the cross." Likewise the chief priestsalso, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others;Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come downfrom the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Himnow if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Even therobbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.” Mark15:25-32 reads: “Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And theinscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. With Himthey also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. Sothe Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with thetransgressors." And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging theirheads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in threedays, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" Likewise thechief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "Hesaved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel,descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those whowere crucified with Him reviled Him.” Atleast three times in the Gospels, the Holy Spirit seems to impress upon us thisstatement: "He saved others; Himself He cannot save." This iswhat they mocked Jesus with. My friend, my main point today is that if Hehad saved Himself, He could not have saved others. He came to seek and tosave that which was lost.  Jesusset an example for us as He humbled Himself and was obedient even to the deathof the cross. God foreordained in eternity past that He is the Lamb slain fromthe foundation of the world. The only way of salvation for mankind was forthere to be a perfect lamb substitute, and that Lamb was Jesus. Peterwould write later in 1 Peter 1:18-20: “Knowing that you were not redeemedwith corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conductreceived by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ,as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordainedbefore the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times foryou.”  Yes,my friend, if Jesus had saved Himself that day, and He could have come downfrom the cross. He could have called legions of angels, but He didn't becauseHe came to save you and me. What a Savior! We should be so thankful that He didnot save Himself so that He could save you and me with His death, His bloodatonement, His redemption on the cross of Calvary.  Thisshould also teach us that if we seek to save our lives for ourselves then wecannot save others. But when we lose our lives for Christ and the sake of the Gospelwe actually find it! (Mark 8:35).  Todayare you willing to lose your life, like Christ, and save others? Godbless!

July 16, 2025Today's Reading: Galatians 4:12-31Daily Lectionary: Judges 16:4-30; Judges 17:1-21:25; Galatians 4:12-31“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Good news is fun to share. Compliments are fun to give. People tend to enjoy having you around when you say something nice or positive. And yet, it seems that when times of trials, sin, or struggles come along… people are less likely to enjoy hearing about that. “Don't connect God's Name to things He hasn't said or hasn't promised.” “Stop hurting your neighbor.” “Gossiping is lying.” “A baby is a gift from God.” “Marriage is a reflection of Jesus and His Church.” It seems as though the saying “don't blame the messenger” does not apply when speaking what someone doesn't want to hear. Paul, in this letter to churches in Galatia, is wondering at their treatment of him and his words; he suggests that they are seeing him as an ‘enemy' now. What changed? Well, sin taints everything. The recipients of this letter, and we today, do not like hearing messages that hurt our feelings or speak against our favorite sins. And yet, look at what Paul says is the ‘reason' the Galatians are treating him as an enemy… he is telling them the truth! But, what is The Truth? The Truth is you are not enough on your own; you are sinful, dead, and selfish. The Truth is, you are lost. And yet, there is more! The Truth is that you were rescued from your sinfulness and selfishness. The Truth is that in Baptism, you were brought to life, covered by Jesus, forgiven, and redeemed. The Truth is that you have a Savior, Jesus, Who paid for all of your sins and covers all of your hurts. The Truth is you are enough in Christ; You are in God's family and are loved. So, why is this message (The Truth) not well received? We sinners love control and really would prefer to live by our own works. We, like the Galatians, want to mix a little of our own efforts with the Gospel of Jesus. We want to define, adjust, or decide what is right or wrong. Repent, dear forgiven sinner. The Truth of your sinfulness and your rescue is what we daily cling to and confess. Receive the message of your ‘sinner status' with humility and rejoice that it is for sinners that Jesus died and rose again. Rest in your Baptism. Receive Jesus' Body and Blood. Hear the Truth with joy. And when you are sharing the Truth with those around you, whether they receive or reject it, know that The Truth rests on Jesus and not on us (or others). It is with great assurance that we live in grace and speak to others with hope. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.He canceled my offenses, Delivered me from death; He is the Lord who cleanses My soul from sin through faith. In Him I can be cheerful, Courageous on my way; In Him I am not fearful Of God's great Judgment Day. (LSB 724:3)- Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Step back in time to the late Reformation and learn about a divisive yet inspirational figure: Matthias Flacius Illyricus. His contributions to Lutheranism still echo in our teachings today, from the Magdeburg Confession to parts of the Lutheran Confessions. Learning about Flacius's life will help you understand more intricacies of the Reformation than ever before.

Todaywe are continuing to look at Luke 23. In this chapter, we read about the trial,the crucifixion, and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus loves us so muchthat He gave His life on the cross of Calvary. In this chapter, we see mendoing their worst and at the same time, we see God giving His best. I rememberthat verse in Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.In the darkness of that hour, in the darkness of sin all around on planetearth, and especially there in Jerusalem as men are crucifying the Lord JesusChrist, the grace of God is abounding because God is pouring out His lovethrough the death of His Son on the cross of Calvary.  Jesusdidn't just happen to die. In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “Therefore MyFather loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No onetakes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, andI have power to take it again. This command I have received from MyFather."  Acts 2:23 affirms thatthe crucifixion of Christ was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge ofGod. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (1Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8).  Aswe look at the first five verses of this chapter, we see Jesus coming on trialbefore Pilate. He has already faced three trials with the Jews during thenight. Now, somewhere between 6:00am in the morning and 9:00am, when Jesus wascrucified, this trial before Pilate takes place on Friday morning. PontiusPilate is an interesting person. This is the first encounter Jesus has withsomeone in this chapter as far as the trial and His death on the cross areconcerned. Pilate was the governor of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36, after which hewas recalled to Rome and passed out of Roman history. Pilate was hated by theJews, and it appears he hated them as well. When Jesus is hung on the cross,Pilate has a sign put over His head: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”He did this to provoke the Jews, who denied that Jesus was their King.  Jesusis taken inside the Praetorium to be tried before Pilate. The Jews are outsidein the courtyard because they cannot enter without defiling themselves for thePassover (John 18:28). Jesus is in this room, and Pilate interrogates Himindividually, personally. In Matthew 27:18-19, it says Pilate knew that theyhad handed Him over because of envy. In his handling of the trial of Jesus, thegovernor proved to be indecisive. The Gospel of John records seven differentmoves that Pilate made as he went out to meet the people and then went in toquestion Jesus (John 18:29, 33, 38; 19:1, 4, 9, 13). He kept looking for aloophole, but he found none. Pilate has gone down in history as the man whotried Jesus Christ, three times declared Him not guilty, and yet crucified Himjust the same. Itwas obvious Pilate understood some of the situation with Jesus and the Jews,knowing it was because of their hatred for Him, not because He had broken anyRoman laws that would demand execution. While Pilate was sitting on thejudgment seat, his wife also sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing todo with that just Man, for I've suffered many things today in a dream becauseof Him” (Matthew 27:19).  Pilateis convinced He's not guilty and proclaims this at least three times in thegospel accounts. But the Jews are determined to have Him crucified. In the end,Pilate makes no decision, saying, “I wipe my hands of the guilt of this justMan.” My friend, indecision is the worst decision; it is the fatal choice.Jesus says, “You're either with Me or you're against Me.”  Wemust decide for Jesus even today—whether we'll accept Him as our Savior or denyHim as the Son of God and reject Him as our Savior. What is your choice? Godbless!

Happy Fourth of July. I pray today that you'll have theopportunity to celebrate America with millions of other people. We have been soblessed to be able to live in the greatest nation in the course of humanhistory besides the nation of Israel. An America that was founded on Bibleprinciples. An America that believed, as it was being founded by ourforefathers, that we were created by God.  InGod we trust is still on our coins and on our dollar bills and other bills. Myfriend, we are blessed and yet we live in a time when America is sick. We mighteven say, “America is terminally ill.”  TodayI just wanted to take the opportunity to say a few things about America and ourresponse as believers and what it should be as we pray for our country. Today, it'shard to pray, “God bless America”. You can't pray blessings on a country or anation that has wandered away from God and has taken God out of our schools andout of our media and out of our social life and out of our politics.  Itappears that we decided that we would exchange God for the things of thisworld, for material gain, for money, for prosperity, for success, for business,for bigness and all those things. My friend, God will not be set on a shelf. Iwant to remind us what the Scripture says in several verses: Psalm 33:11, "Blessedis the nation whose God is Jehovah, Yahweh." And Jehovah is none otherthan the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing Him, having a relationship with Him. Morethan anything else America needs God.  ThroughJesus Christ, we can know God, experience God, worship God, and put God firstin our lives. We need God. Blessed is that nation. The Bible says in Psalm9:17, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations thatforget God."  Thereligion of America today seems to be humanism. The worship of man, the worshipof man being a better person, doing good things and even having prosperity andbeing taken. It's all focused on man and finding the answers to our problems inscience and psychology. But when we begin to focus back on God, wonderfulthings can happen in our land and in our country. In Proverbs 14:34 we are toldthat: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”. Whenwe are doing right things according to the word of God, living by the truth ofGod's principles and His precepts, the Ten Commandments, God, it says He exaltsthe nation. But when we allow sin, that's the transgression of God's word,transgression of God's law. It is a reproach to any people.  Acouple things I want to close with as we think about what can we do. In Psalm11:3, it says, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can therighteous do?" You know, I used to think and read that verse and say,"Wow, we've destroyed the foundations of our country. What can we do? Shouldwe just throw up our hands and quit?" No, my friend, in the last coupleyears the Lord put in my mind and heart we can do something! What can therighteous do? Well, there's another answer.  Wecan pray. We can seek the face of God. We can call on His name. We can turnback to Him. We can pray for America to have a revival, for America to repent, forAmerica to come back to God. That's what we can pray. That's what the righteouscan do when the foundations are destroyed. We can turn back to God. Ephesians5:16 tells us to be "Redeeming the time." “Be wise. Don'tbe unwise, but redeeming the time because the days are evil”. And thatmeans we buy up the opportunities more than ever before.  Wehave great opportunities to help people, to love people, to care for people, toshare the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is that day to buy up thoseopportunities. People are broken because of sin. And only Jesus can fix them. Today,let's pray for America.We can pray and we can live righteous, holy livesourselves. And may God answer our prayer and bring this country back toHimself.  

A new MP3 sermon from Audiobooks by Thomas Boston is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 08 - Of God and His Perfections 3 Subtitle: Doctrines of Christianity Speaker: Thomas Boston Broadcaster: Audiobooks by Thomas Boston Event: Audiobook Date: 1/8/1800 Length: 58 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Audiobooks by Thomas Boston is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 07 - Of God and His Perfections 2 Subtitle: Doctrines of Christianity Speaker: Thomas Boston Broadcaster: Audiobooks by Thomas Boston Event: Audiobook Date: 1/7/1800 Length: 57 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Audiobooks by Thomas Boston is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: 06 - Of God and His Perfections 1 Subtitle: Doctrines of Christianity Speaker: Thomas Boston Broadcaster: Audiobooks by Thomas Boston Event: Audiobook Date: 1/6/1800 Length: 41 min.

I think it is interesting that thischapter begins with a question by the priests, the scribes, and the elders.They asked Jesus by what authority did He cleanse the Temple and was teachingthe people. Then the chapter ends in these last verses with Jesus asking them aquestion.  Whilethe priests, scribes, and elders were still gathered together, Jesus asked thema final question: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son isHe?" (Matt. 22:41-42, NKJV) This is the key question for everygeneration and each individual, for our salvation and eternal destiny aredependent on what we think about Christ and how we answer this question. (1John 2:21-25; 4:1-6; 5:1). Ofcourse, these religious leaders knew the expected reply: The Christ, theMessiah is "The Son of David." They based this on such verses as 2Samuel 7:13-14; Isaiah 11:1; and Jeremiah 23:5. God had ordained that theMessiah should come from the family of David and be born in David's city,Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Jesusthen referred them to Psalm 110, which is quoted in the New Testament more thanany other psalm. The Jewish religious leaders in that day identified Psalm 110as a prophetic psalm and said that David was speaking of the Messiah. But ifthe Messiah is David's Lord, how can He be David's son? The only explanation isthat Messiah must be both God and man. As eternal God, Messiah is David's Lord,but as man, He is David's son (Romans 1:3; 9:4-5; Acts 2:32-36; 13:22-23). OnPalm Sunday, the multitudes had acclaimed Jesus as the Son of David, and He hadnot rebuked them (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:10). By applying Psalm 110:1 to Himself,Jesus claimed to be Israel's promised Messiah, the Son of God. Then why did thePharisees not believe in Him? Because their minds were made up, their heartswere hardened, and their eyes were blind (John 12:37-50). They did not have thecourage to confess the truth, and they persecuted those who did affirm faith inJesus Christ. And it was out of envy and jealousy that they delivered Jesus upto Pilate to be crucified (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Christ's questionsilenced His enemies (Matthew 22:46) and ended their public challenges, butthey would not admit defeat. Inthe last verses, 45-47, Jesus warned the people about the hypocrisy anddishonesty of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23). Men see the outside,but God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12). These religious leadersdid not desire personal holiness; they wanted public recognition. Therefore,they wore special garments, expected special titles and greetings, and lookedfor special seats at public gatherings. Thereis a double tragedy here. First of all, their deliberate hypocrisy was only acover-up that enabled them to fool people and exploit them. Of all rackets,religious rackets are the worst. The religious leaders had turned the temple ofGod into a den of thieves and religious devotion into playacting. The generalpublic actually thought that their leaders were godly men, when in reality theywere defiling and destroying souls (Matt. 23:13-36). Thesecond tragedy is that they rejected their own Messiah and voted to crucifyHim. They led the nation into ruin because they would not admit their sins andconfess Jesus Christ. Keep in mind that these men were "experts" inthe Bible, yet they did not apply its truths to their own lives. Their religionwas a matter of external observance, not internal transformation. How sad it isthat we see so much the same in many of our churches and religious institutionstoday. Atthis point, according to Matthew (Matthew 23:37-39), Jesus once again uttered alamentation over the blind unbelief of the nation and their unwillingness totrust in Him. He had given them many opportunities, but they had wasted them.Now it was too late.  Andone day it will be too late for us if we don't repent!

The Sadducees, a group ofJewish leaders who do not believe in angels, resurrection, or spirits pose a hypothetical question about a man who marries a woman and dies, andaccording to the law of Moses, his brother must marry her. Seven brothers endup marrying this woman, all die without children, and the Sadducees ask, inheaven, if there is a resurrection, which one of these men will she be marriedto? They think they have Jesus in a dilemma, but He answers them. InMatthew 22:29, Matthew records Jesus immediate response to their question. Jesussaid, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power ofGod." Jesus points out their ignorance of the Scriptures and the power ofGod. They only recognize the first five books of Moses, while Jesusacknowledges all 39 books of the Old Testament in the Septuagint (the Greek translationof the Old Testament available in the time of Jesus). Yet even from the Law ofMoses, Jesus affirms there is a resurrection.  Asa young pastor, I sometimes preached at funerals, stood by the casket, andsaid, "This is just a body." I wish I could go back and tell thosedear people I was wrong. God created us individually, uniquely, with a body wewill live in for eternity. Your spirit, soul, and body are eternal in a sense.According to Scripture, such as Job 14:14; 19:25-27; Psalms 16:9-10; 17:15; Isaiah26:19; Ezekiel 37; and Daniel 12:2, the bodies of both the lost and the savedwill be resurrected one day. These bodies will either go to heaven or to aneternal lake of fire, where they will be tormented day and night forever. Jesusand the Bible teach this truth. My friend, Jesus believed that God has thepower to raise us from the dead. Inheaven, we will have glorified bodies, with no need for procreation. Regardingthe Sadducees' question about the seven brothers, I've always thought after thethird or fourth brother, I'd say, "I'm not marrying her; I'm not takingthe chance of dying like the rest!" When we question Scripture and try tofigure it out logically, we miss the point and like the Sadducees we will misinterpretand wrongly apply the Scripture to our lives. ButJesus went beyond logic and referred them to the Word of God, particularly whathappened to Moses as recorded in Exodus 3. There God identified Himself withAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and thus affirmed that these three patriarchs werevery much alive. But if they were alive, then they were "out of thebody," for they had died (James 2:26). There must be a real world ofspirit beings or Moses would not have written these words. (By the way, Mosesalso affirmed the existence of angels: Genesis 19:1, 15; 28:12; 32:1.) ButJesus is also basically saying that Exodus 3:6, 15-16 teaches not only thetruth of life after death but also the reality of the resurrection. In whatway? Not by direct statement but by inference. God is the God of the wholeperson—spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23), because He created thewhole person. He does not simply "save our souls" and ignore the restof our being. Inherent in the very nature of God's creative act is His concernfor the total person. Hence, He will not keep us disembodied spirits foreverbut will give us glorious bodies to match our heavenly perfection.  ForGod's covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be fulfilled, they willneed resurrected bodies to rule and reign with Him in the millennial reign ofJesus Christ. We have something to look forward to. God knows our future. Ilove what Job says in Job chapter 19, verses 25-26: "For I know that myRedeemer lives, and He shall stand on the earth. And after my skin isdestroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God."  Godis not the God of the dead, but of the living and He made us whole—soul,spirit, and body—and He knows how to take care of all of them. Godbless!

“11:27. And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain womanfrom the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the wombthat bore thee and the paps that gave thee suck.11:28. But he said: Yea rather, blessed are they who hear the word ofGod and keep it.”

Artificial intelligence has the potential to change human society. How will it change religious communities? Will it impact how we understand the nature of humanity? Of God? Of being itself?

Here in Luke 19, Jesusis giving us this story of a rich man getting saved and making sure weunderstand what's impossible with men is possible with God. If you go back to Luke18, you might remember the rich young ruler who came running to Jesus and leftvery sorrowful. Jesus then made the statement, "How hard it is forthose who have riches to enter the kingdom of God."  The rich man in Luke 18came running to Jesus, but this man, Zacchaeus, ran ahead of Jesus because hesought to see Him. He was small of stature and had to climb up into a sycamoretree. We go by a sycamore tree whenever we go to Jericho, visiting the HolyLand, and we always get out and take a picture right there in the middle of thecity of Jericho. They believe it's possible that this very tree is from theroots of the tree that Zacchaeus might have climbed up. I don't know, but it'salways great to see that tree and think of the story about Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus ran ahead,and my friend, I think about how it says Jesus came to the place where he was. Zacchaeusset himself in the place where God's grace would come by. My friend, I'm goingto tell you, you're more apt to find Jesus at church than you are in a bar orout doing some wicked, evil deed. When you put yourself in the place of God'sgrace, that's when God's grace will pass by you. This place is called humility.Zacchaeus humbled himself. Jesus said, "If you're going to become rich andenter the kingdom of God, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is thekingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). You want to inherit heaven, you must humbleyourself and become like a beggar. So here's a rich manrunning ahead, putting himself in the place of God's grace. Jesus is going topass that way. How do you put yourself in the place of God's grace? I wouldencourage you, if you're struggling to find salvation, read the Gospel of John,study the Gospel of John, hang out with some believers who love Jesus Christ,talk to people who want to talk about the Lord, put yourself in the place ofGod's grace, get away from those who are leading you into sin and continuing toencourage you to sin. This man ran away, he humbles himself, he climbs in thetree, and I love it. It says, "When Jesus came to the place, he looked upand saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down."Interestingly, Jesuslooked up. When we read the scriptures, God is looking down from heaven. Jesuswas in heaven,  but one day, and he leftthe splendors of glory. “He who was rich became poor”. He became poor,and now he looks up to where Zacchaeus is. My friend, it is because Jesushumbled himself and became a man, became a servant, and became obedient even tothe death of the cross, that we can experience His grace of salvation (Philippians2:5-11).  Then Jesus makes thestatement, "Salvation has come to this man's house today because he isa son of Abraham." There was evidence of Zacchaeus' salvation. Hegives half his goods to the poor. He didn't have to give that much back to thepoor, but he did. Why? Because when a man meets Jesus Christ and the grace ofGod comes into his life, everything changes. We become new creatures in ChristJesus. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians5:17). A son of Abraham means he is a “son of faith” (Romans 4:12; Galatians3:7).  Today, will you putyourself in the way of God's grace? “Seek the Lord while He may be found. Callupon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, specifically verses 35-43, the last verses ofthe chapter. Jesus began this chapter by teaching about prayer, that men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. He gave us several stories about prayer. Inthese last verses Jesus teaches us that the prayer that always turns the ear ofGod to see our need, and give us the miracle that we need, is the “desperate prayer”.Now, as Luke ends this chapter, he points out a certain man who was a beggarand blind, who came to Jesus.  Inthis chapter, we've seen contrasts between different people and situations.Here, we see the contrast between this beggar who was blind and the rich manwho came to Jesus. Matthew's and Mark's gospels tell us there were two beggars,but in the Gospel of Luke, it appears Luke loves to point out how Jesus isinterested in the individual. It didn't matter if there were a hundred sheep;he's interested in one. If there are ten pieces of silver, there's one. Ifthere are two sons, there's one. If there are two beggars, here in Luke's Gospel,there's one. God is interested in you. He knows your need. He wants you to cryout to him. Ifthere's anything we learn about prayer in this chapter, it's that men oughtalways to pray. We're not to pray like the Pharisee, but we come desperately toJesus. The rich young ruler came, thought well of himself, and bragged abouthis goodness. This beggar wouldn't be quiet when he heard Jesus was passing by.He was desperate for his need to be healed and would cry out, even when peopletold him to be quiet. That's another thing you learn from this chapter: thewidow in the first verses of the chapter kept crying out, even though the judgewouldn't listen. The beggar, even though people told him to be quiet, cried outanyway. Ilove the contrast here, and we're encouraged to cry out in desperation. TheScripture says, "You shall seek me and find me when you have searchedfor me with all your heart." That's how you come to Jesus; that's howyou come in faith, believing. This man was blind and acknowledged it. He had nospecial merits to cry out and say, "Oh, I've been good; I've donethis." He had nothing. He came empty and went away rich. The rich man camevery rich and left eternally poor. Myfriend, there's so much we learn from this. I encourage you today: you mightfeel like you have nothing, no merits to come to Christ, or that you've lived alife that merits none of his grace. But you can come in your desperation. If Iknow and have learned one thing from my years of ministry it is that God hearsthe prayers of desperate people. Honestly, I don't know if we really pray untilwe get desperate. The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much because wemeet Jesus where He is, and we cry out to Him. The"human stories” we have "read" in this chapter should also encourageus to put our faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what others may say or do. Thewidow was not discouraged by the indifferent attitude of the judge, nor thepublican by the hypocritical attitude of the Pharisee. The parents broughttheir little ones to Jesus in spite of the selfish attitude of the Apostles,and the blind men came to Jesus even though the crowd told them to keep quietand stay put. Jesus always responds to faith and rewards those who believe. Whata wonderful story to end this chapter. This poor blind beggar left rejoicing,and the people were praising God. Remember, the rich man left very sad andsorrowful. Don't leave that way, my friend. Come to Jesus, meet Him, have yourlife changed, and let Hm give you your sight.  Jesusasked this blind man, "What do you want Me to do for you?"? Theman said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." God made himpoint out his need, and Jesus met that need right where he was. I trust thatyou'll trust the Lord today to meet your need. Jesus is always ready to answerthe prayer of a desperate person!

22 So when Jesus heard thesethings, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you haveand distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,follow Me." 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for hewas very rich.  Today,we're looking at Luke chapter 18, verses 18-30, the story of the rich youngruler who comes to Jesus looking for salvation. In verse 17, Jesus had justmade the statement, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as alittle child will by no means enter it." You have to come to Jesuslike a child, totally dependent upon Him, hungry for Him and Him alone. In thevery first “Beatitude” Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, Fortheirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This young ruler comes toJesus is an illustration of someone who will not enter the kingdom of heavenbecause of their pride, possessions, and their wrong views of Jesus, self, sin,and also basic dishonesty. Jesussays to this rich young ruler, "Keep the commandments", and Helists five of them: "Don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal,don't bear false witness, honor your father and mother." The manresponds, "I've done all these things since I was a youth." Hecalled Jesus "good Master," honoring the Lord with his lips, but hisheart was far from Him. He didn't truly believe Jesus is the Son of God,despite implying it by calling Him "good Master." He also had a wrongview of his own sin, claiming he'd kept all the commandments. Noticethat Jesus didn't quote the last commandment, "Thou shalt not covet."He tells the man, "Go sell everything you have, give to the poor, andfollow me." The man went away very sorrowful because he had greatriches. We see that this man had a problem with covetousness, and Jesus knowinghis heart deal with that by telling him to give his wealth away. What'simportant is that unless we come to Jesus with a heart like a child, willing inhumility to repent of our sin, our selfishness and our pride, we will notreceive the grace of God to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9; James 4:6). This manthought he could get saved by what he did, asking, "What shall I do toinherit eternal life?" He wasn't looking at his heart or the need torepent of his sins. He felt he was a pretty good guy, keeping all thecommandments. Youdon't get to heaven by keeping the commandments. I've asked people over theyears, "Are you going to heaven? How do you know?" They'll say,"I do the best I can and try to keep the commandments." But myfriend, that doesn't take away our sin. Our problem is a sin problem, acovetous, selfish, prideful heart problem. “All have sinned and come shortof the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We must come like a child, admit inhumility that we have sinned, turn from our sin, and trust Jesus. Scripturedoesn't teach that it's wrong to be wealthy. You can possess great wealth andbe a wonderful, loving Christian, making a major difference in the kingdom ofGod. But you can't let wealth possess you. Keep your focus on kingdom work, notpersonal gain. I'll never forget a wealthy friend who said, "I take careof God's business, and God takes care of my business." He was one of themost giving people I'd ever met. Keepyour focus on eternity, knowing we are sinners. The only way to heaven is torepent, turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Go to the cross, wheresin was taken care of. Jesus died in our place, gave us the only parachute lefton the plane, and went down with it. But thank God, He rose again the thirdday. He's alive, and today He can save you if you come by faith to Him.  Don'tbe like this rich young ruler who goes away “very sorrowful”. No, youcan live a happy, joyful, wonderful life in Christ when you give your heart toHim.

Todaywe're looking at Luke 18:1-8. Jesus is teaching a lesson on how men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. We are to pray without ceasing, and here Jesusgives us a story of contrast. There is a widow who has no standing with thecourt, going to an unjust judge, asking to be avenged of her adversary. In ourfirst lesson, I said this widow is like us in some ways, but that's beforewe're saved. We have no standing with God; we are lost, hopelessly andhelplessly lost.  Butthe contrast begins when we realize what Jesus says at the end of this story: "Shallnot our Father in heaven, shall not our God avenge his own elect who cry untohim day and night?" He closes by saying, "Yes, he'll avengethem speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really findfaith on earth?" Eventhough this widow is lost and helpless and can't find help unless she bribessomeone, which she has no money to do, the judge avenges her because she'sdriving him crazy with her screaming and yelling, "Help, help, help!"Jesus is basically saying to us, "Hey, you're not like that widow anylonger. You're a child of God, you are in the family of God, you have thepromises of God in the Bible."  Godis a great and awesome God; He loves His children, protects His children, andcares for His children. In Romans 8, we can call Him Abba, Father, dearprecious Father. We can sit in His lap; He longs for us to come into Hispresence. “If God spared not His own Son, how much more freely through Himshall He give us all things” (Romans 8:32). The unjust judge did it becausehe got weary of this woman crying to him. God is teaching us to pray withoutceasing, but remember, you have a Father who is ready, willing, able, andpowerful to answer your prayers. ThenJesus closes this passage asking the question, "Shall He find faithwhen He comes?" In Luke 17, we see the story of Noah and the ark,where only eight people were saved. The gospel was preached, the message ofhope was preached for hundreds of years, and no one responded by faith to trustNoah's message and escape the judgment of God. Remember at Sodom and Gomorrah,only four people were saved from that destruction.  Jesusis saying, "Shall the Son of Man, when He comes, find faith on theearth?" According to 2 Timothy 3:1-7, in the last days, it will beperilous times, evil, terrible times. People will be blasphemers, haters ofGod, and haters of Christians. It's not going to get better, my friend; it'sprobably going to get worse before Jesus comes again.  ButHe's reminding us we have a heavenly Father. You don't need to bribe Him. He'sa God that doesn't have to be bribed; He has a willing heart. The Bible says “ifwe ask anything according to His will, we know that He hears us, and we canhave this confidence that whatever we ask of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).  He will give it to us if it's according to Hiswill. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires ofyour heart” (Psalm 37:4). Jesusis teaching us to pray in this passage with faith, believing we have a loving,kind, providing heavenly Father, Who, when we come to Him, will meet every needwe have. What an awesome God we have! Come to Him today in faith, believing. Weare not like the widow with no standing. Through Jesus Christ, we have fullaccess, and He is also our intercessor, making intercession for us (Hebrews7:25). We have the Holy Spirit making intercession according to the mind andwill of God (Romans 8:26-27).  Thereis no reason we should not be crying out to our Heavenly Father day and night,"Oh God, we need help in this evil, wicked, cruel world. We need yourprotection, your grace, your strength." We can do that today.  Let'sbe encouraged to pray always and not to quit. Our Heavenly Father is waitingfor us to come to Him! Godbless!

Closing remarks on an exposition of "Chapter 2: Of God and the Holy Trinity" of Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689).Free Grace Baptist Church, Chilliwack, BCPastors: Jim Butler, Cam Porter

Lukechapter 17:1 begins with, "Then He said to His disciples."Jesus is teaching His disciples some powerful lessons, first about forgiveness,faith, and obedience in these opening verses. But now, in verses 7 through 10,He's teaching a lesson about faithfulness. My friend, when you live a life offorgiveness, faith, and obedience, doing what you're supposed to do as abeliever, you will be faithful despite what's going on around you, and you'llbe faithful for the right reasons with the right motives. Thispassage of Scripture warns to beware of offenses, they're going to come. Thegreatest offenses that come to you and me don't come from the outside worldthat hates Jesus, hates us, and hates the gospel. No, the great and painfuloffenses come from those we go to the house of God with, those we worship with;another pastor, another believer, another co-worker. That offense happens andgoes deep into our hearts, sometimes from a family member who's abusive or sayssomething hurtful. Those are the offenses we have to deal with, and many times,they cause us to quit. We throw in the towel and say, "If that'sChristianity, I want none of it." So,the Lord has a powerful lesson in verses 7-10. Youknow, so often I find that many believers, because of their past sins andoffenses toward God, and the sense that when they realize God's forgiven them,they are grateful and thankful. But they do what I call religious compensation—theytry to pay God back for His goodness. My friend, you can never pay God back,and to serve trying to pay God back is not the right motive to serve the Lord.The main motive to serve the Lord is because you love Him. "If you loveMe, you will keep My commandments." The main purpose and motive inserving the Lord is to glorify Him. When you're doing everything, whatever youdo, you do it with all your might and to the glory of God. You don't do it toget a pat on the back. Somany believers, so many Christians, serve to be recognized by somebody else—bythe pastor, some leaders, or to work their way up in leadership and be somebodyimportant. My friend, those are the wrong motives in service. Jesus makes itreally clear because here is a servant who's serving, watching sheep, plowingin the fields. Jesus used those illustrations often because we are like sheep.We're shepherding sheep as pastors, ministers, and co-workers with the Lord.We're plowing fields, working in the fields, sowing in the fields, trying toreach the harvest fields for Christ. So He says, "You're working in thefields, and you come home—do you expect a pat on the back?" No, He says,"Sit down and make me a meal." JesusHimself set the great example. He said, "I didn't come to be served; Icame to serve and to give My life a ransom." He set the example. He becameobedient to death, obedient to the death of the cross. He made Himself aservant; He humbled Himself. Humility is involved here because if we're notcareful, as workers and co-laborers with God, with faith to cast mountains intothe sea, we might get proud, and God's going to have to bring us down somehow.  So,Jesus is making it very clear here: serve with the right motives, serve for theglory of God, serve because you're simply being obedient. As you're living alife of forgiveness, handling those offenses that come, and living a life offaith, you will be faithful despite what's going on around you for the glory ofGod. Beencouraged today to be faithful. It's required in a steward that he be foundfaithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Moderator: Pastor Cam Porter In this extended Q&A panel, the speakers answer theological questions submitted by conference attendees. Topics include: – Can we grieve the Holy Spirit if God has no emotions? – How can we speak to children about sin and God's "sadness"? – What does it mean to say "God is wrath" or "God is love"? – How should we understand the covenant of redemption? – Can theology be done without metaphysics or natural theology? – How does God relate to time and eternity? – What did Calvin believe about the Son's aseity? – Is there such a thing as "bad" suffering in God's plan? – What are good introductory books on the Trinity? Speaker Bios: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California, and holds a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. Pastor Jim Butler has served Free Grace Baptist Church since 1997 and holds MDiv and ThM degrees from Whitefield Theological Seminary. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

Dr. Samuel Renihan presents a clear, biblical, and confessional overview of the doctrine of the Trinity—one God in three eternal subsistences: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He explains how the Second London Confession reflects both the unity and the distinctions within the Godhead, and why these distinctions are based on eternal relations of origin, not merely role or function. This session helps guard against errors such as tritheism or modalism, and instead reinforces historic orthodoxy. Listeners will come away with a better grasp of the biblical basis for the Trinity and why it matters for worship, salvation, and spiritual life. Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:19; John 1:1–3; 2 Corinthians 13:14 Speaker Bio: Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California. He holds an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California and a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Mystery of Christ, Deity and Decree, and Crux, Mors, Inferi. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this doctrinally rich session, Dr. Samuel Renihan explains how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are truly distinct yet fully and equally God. Using a "5–4–3–2–1" framework, he explores eternal relations and personal properties: five notions, four relations, three properties, two processions, and one divine essence. This session clarifies how classical Trinitarian theology avoids both tritheism and modalism. Rather than being distinguished by role or rank, each person is identified by eternal origin—such as the Father's begetting of the Son and the Spirit's procession. Dr. Renihan carefully guides listeners through the biblical foundations and confessional categories that safeguard orthodoxy. While the content is technical, it is deeply important for anyone seeking to understand and articulate the mystery and majesty of the Triune God. Key Scriptures: John 15:26; Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:16–17 Speaker Bio: Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California. He holds an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California and a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Mystery of Christ, Deity and Decree, and Crux, Mors, Inferi. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this session, Dr. James Dolezal teaches on the often misunderstood doctrine of divine impassibility—the truth that God does not undergo emotional change or suffering. While God is deeply relational and perfectly loving, He is not subject to mood swings, surprise, or reaction in the way creatures are. Dolezal walks through Scripture and the 1689 Confession to explain how impassibility safeguards God's immutability, sovereignty, and faithfulness. He demonstrates that this doctrine is not a cold abstraction, but a profound comfort: the God who saves does not change. This session challenges modern distortions of God's nature and helps restore a view of the Lord that is both high and holy. This message is especially helpful for pastors, teachers, and Christians seeking to recover the historic, biblical understanding of who God is and how He interacts with His creation. Key Scriptures: Malachi 3:6 – "For I am the Lord, I do not change." Numbers 23:19 – "God is not a man, that He should lie…" Job 35:6–7 – "If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?" Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God, and contributor to Divine Impassibility and Classical Theism. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this session, Dr. James Dolezal explores two glorious attributes of God: His eternity and incomprehensibility. God is not bound by time, nor can He be fully grasped by finite minds. Yet He has truly revealed Himself to us in Scripture, not in totality, but truly and sufficiently. Dr. Dolezal shows how these truths, rather than discouraging pursuit of God, drive us to reverent worship and theological humility. They remind us that God is not like us—and that's precisely what makes Him worthy of our trust. If God could be fully comprehended, He would not be infinite. This message calls us to embrace the mystery of God, not as a gap in knowledge, but as a reason for awe. It also helps protect the church from shallow or overly rationalistic approaches to theology. Key Scriptures: Psalm 90:2 – "From everlasting to everlasting, You are God." Isaiah 40:28 – "The Creator... neither faints nor is weary." Romans 11:33 – "Oh, the depth of the riches... of God!" Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter of the confession. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this opening message of the Confessing the Faith 2025 Conference, Dr. Samuel Renihan sets the theological foundation by introducing the doctrine of classical theism and its connection to confessional unity. Drawing from the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), he shows how the historic church has confessed the nature of God with precision, humility, and care. Dr. Renihan challenges the church today to recover this clarity—rejecting novelty in our language about God and holding fast to the "pattern of sound words" that promotes lasting unity across generations and denominations. This session also lays out the broader purpose of the conference: equipping believers to joyfully confess the doctrine of God as revealed in Scripture and summarized in our confessional heritage. Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:34 – "They shall all know Me…" 2 Timothy 1:13–14 – "Hold fast the pattern of sound words…" Hebrews 13:7–9 – "Remember those… who have spoken the word of God to you…" Speaker Bio: Dr. Samuel Renihan is pastor of Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in La Mirada, California. He holds an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California and a PhD from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is the author of The Mystery of Christ, Deity and Decree, and Crux, Mors, Inferi. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

In this foundational session, Dr. James Dolezal teaches on the doctrine of divine simplicity—the truth that God is not made of parts or composed of differing attributes. He explains how simplicity safeguards God's unity, independence, immutability, and perfection. Far from being an abstract philosophical idea, divine simplicity is vital to understanding the God of Scripture and worshiping Him rightly. Through careful biblical reasoning and historical confessional support, Dr. Dolezal shows how this doctrine undergirds all others. Without simplicity, the God we profess becomes subject to change, complexity, or contradiction. This message calls the church to recover this essential aspect of theology proper and to rest in the unchanging wholeness of our God. Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4 – "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." Exodus 3:14 – "I AM WHO I AM." James 1:17 – "The Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." Speaker Bio: Dr. James Dolezal is professor of theology at Cairn University and visiting professor at International Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of God Without Parts and All That Is in God, and contributor to volumes like Divine Impassibility and Classical Theism. About the Conference: Confessing the Faith promotes reverent teaching on the doctrine of God as expressed in the 1689 Confession. Each year focuses on one chapter. Upcoming: Join us in April 2026 for Chapter 3 – Of God's Decree Details and registration: www.confessingthefaith.ca

Today, we're finishing Luke chapter 15. In this chapter, Jesus tellsthree parables in response to the Pharisees who criticized Him for being afriend to tax collectors and sinners. The theme running through all threeparables is lost, found, and rejoicing. Keep that in mind.  At this point in theparable, the scribes and Pharisees felt confident that they had escaped ourLord's judgment, for He had centered His attention on the publicans andsinners, pictured by the prodigal son. But Jesus continued the story andintroduced the elder brother, who is a clear illustration of the scribes andPharisees. The publicans and sinners were guilty of the obvious sins of theflesh, but the Pharisees and scribes were guilty of sins of the spirit (2 Cor.7:1). Their outward actions may have been blameless, but their inward attitudeswere abominable (see Matt. 23:25-28). We must admit that theelder brother had some virtues that are commendable. He worked hard and alwaysobeyed his father. He never brought disgrace either to the home or to thevillage, and apparently he had enough friends so that he could have planned anenjoyable party (Luke 15:29). He seems like a good solid citizen and, comparedto his younger brother, almost a saint. However, important asobedience and diligence are, they are not the only tests of character. Jesustaught that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others(Luke 10:25-28), but the elder brother broke both of these divine commandments.He did not love God (represented in the story by the father), and he did notlove his brother. The elder brother would not forgive his brother who wastedthe family inheritance and disgraced the family name. But neither would heforgive his father who had graciously forgiven the young man those very sins! When you examine thesins of the elder brother, you can easily understand why he pictures thescribes and Pharisees. To begin with, he was self-righteous. He openlyannounced the sins of his brother, but he could not see his own sins (see Luke18:9-14). The Pharisees defined sin primarily in terms of outward actions, notinward attitudes. They completely missed the message of the Sermon on the Mountand its emphasis on inward attitudes and holiness of heart (Matt. 5-7). My friend, the heart ofGod is for lost sinners to be found, and when they are, there is rejoicing.Jesus rejoices, heaven rejoices, angels rejoice, friends rejoice. But do youknow who wasn't rejoicing? The Pharisees. They were sanctimonious,self-righteous, proud, angry, bitter religious people. Their religion was builton good works, and they thought they were better than everyone else. Jesusnails them with this story.  Jesus uses the story ofthe older brother to drive this home. My friend, we need to be aware of this.Our churches are full of people who work, work, work, serve, serve, serve, butit's often to be seen, to be commended, to get a pat on the back. Like thePharisees, they say, “I'm not like others. I tithe, I go to church, I do allthese good things.” But they miss the point. When the publican bowed his headand prayed, “I'm a lost sinner, have mercy on me, O God,” Jesus said he wenthome justified, not the proud Pharisee. Today, we don't want tobe like the Pharisees—critical, sanctimonious, self-righteous, proud, angry, orrefusing to rejoice when a sinner comes home to the Lord. This is a powerfulending to the chapter. Let's not forget the lost elder brother, who missed itall because his heart wasn't right with God or his father.  I trust these threestories of lost, found, and rejoicing will resound in your soul. Keep an eyeout for those around you who need to be found, so you can bring them to Jesus.  God bless!

One of the biggest disagreements between Baptists and Presbyterians is related to baptism, it's administration and what it means within the church. And these differences in practice are tied directly to differences in how God's Covenant and the covenants that He has made with men are understood. One primary difference that we want to concentrate on is that the Baptist view has more of an upward focus, looking at how each of God's covenants with man reveals or discovers the Eternal Covenant of Grace whereas the Presbyterian view is more downward focused with their description being that the Covenant of Grace has different administrations in the time of the law and the time of the gospel. Because of these different focuses, Baptists and Presbyterians see the effect of continuity and discontinuity very differently, with Baptists looking for those details to be expressed in physical vs spiritual typologies expressed as the earthly covenants with man reveal the heavenly Covenant of Grace (for example: circumcision of the flesh being fulfilled through circumcision of the heart, physical offspring pointing to spiritual offspring, physical households pointing to spiritual households, etc). Alternately, Presbyterians look for continuity and discontinuity within the earthly covenants. (physical households continuing, circumcision becoming baptism, etc).Most of the differences in this episode are found in Chapter 7 of both the Westminter and the Second London Baptist confessions of faith. In the Westminster, this chapter is titled, “Of God's Covenant with Man” and in the SLBC it is titled, “Of God's Covenant”Note: While we are focusing on real differences that we believe affect the church and doctrine in real ways, we are also grateful for the many areas of agreement that exist within the larger body of Christ. We also believe that it is through wrestling with God's word and doctrine with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that greater unity will come.Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2025/04/covenant-theology-baptists-discovery-vs-presbyterians-administration-ep-215-audio/Timecodes00:00:00 Confessional Differences00:12:51 Purpose of Sacrificial System00:20:58 Abrahamic Covenant00:32:53 Sacrificial System00:52:53 What the Covenants RevealProduction of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NCPermanent Hosts - Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua HornTechnical Director - Timothy KaiserTheme Music - Gabriel Hudelson

As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He enters a synagogue in Perea,teaching on the Sabbath as was His custom. There, He encounters a womancrippled for eighteen years, bent double by a spirit of infirmity. This momentbecomes more than a healing, it's a lesson in freedom, compassion, and theclash between God's heart and human tradition.  Youcan imagine the scene. Jesus is preaching when He notices this woman, bowedover, unable to straighten herself. For eighteen years, she'd endured thisaffliction—likely caused by Satan, as Jesus later reveals. Yet, she's faithful,present in the synagogue week after week, seeking God despite her pain. Jesus,ever sensitive to need, calls her forward. It might have seemed harsh to exposeher publicly, but He has a purpose—to defeat Satan, free her, and teach atruth. With a word, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” and atouch of His hands, she stands straight, glorifying God. The synagogue eruptsin awe, except for one voice. Theruler of the synagogue, indignant, scolds the crowd: “There are six days towork; come and be healed then, not on the Sabbath!” Too cowardly toconfront Jesus directly, he masks his anger in tradition. His outburst isalmost laughable, did he think healings were routine? Could he have freed herhimself? His bondage to rules was worse than hers to Satan; her body was bent,but his heart and mind were shackled. Jesus calls him out: “You hypocrite!Don't you loose your ox or donkey on the Sabbath to water it? Shouldn't thiswoman, a daughter of Abraham, bound by Satan for eighteen years, be loosed onthis day?” The argument is simple yet profound: if mercy is shown toanimals, how much more to a person made in God's image? Thiswasn't random timing. Jesus chose the Sabbath deliberately, repeating “loose”to drive home the lesson—freedom is His gift, not tradition's prisoner. Thewoman, a “daughter of Abraham,” likely had faith, marking her as one ofGod's own. Her healing wasn't just physical; it mirrored spiritual liberation.Sin, sorrow, and suffering bow us down (Psalm 38:6; 42:5), but Christ lifts usup. Satan oppresses, sometimes for years, even believers (think of Paul's thornin 2 Corinthians 12), but Jesus' power is greater (John 10:10). Not everysickness is demonic (Luke 6:17-19), but when it is, Jesus can break itinstantly. Theruler's reaction reveals a deeper issue. He saw the Sabbath as a checklist, nota gift of rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Tradition became his excuse to avoidcompassion. Jesus exposes this hypocrisy, shaming His critics into silencewhile the crowd rejoices at His “glorious things.” The synagogue ruler'spetty clock told yesterday's time, blind to the new era Jesus brought (Luke12:56). This was no violation; it was God's work, fitting for the Sabbath. Whatdoes this mean for us today? Jesus still calls the bowed-down—those crippled bysin or grief—to come to Him. He offers freedom, not just from physical chainsbut from spiritual ones, often before we even ask. Yet, like the ruler, we cancling to rules or routines that block mercy. The Sabbath here isn't aboutlegalism but heart-rest through grace. When we see suffering, do we respondwith Christ's compassion or hide behind excuses? His adversaries were ashamed;His followers rejoiced. Which side are we on? ClosingChallengeThisweek, look for someone “bowed down”—physically, emotionally, or spiritually.Don't let tradition or busyness stop you; take one step to “loose” them withkindness—a call, a helping hand, or a prayer. Reflect: Are you free in Christ,or bound by your own rules? Act in His mercy today. PrayerLordJesus, thank You for seeing us in our infirmities and calling us to freedom.Forgive us when we prioritize tradition over compassion, like the synagogueruler. Loose us from sin, sorrow, and self-made chains, and help us lift othersas You do. May we rejoice in Your glorious works, living out Your grace thisweek. In Your name, Amen.

SUNDAY COURSES | Westminster Confession of Faith 7: Of God's Covenant with Man

Pastor David teaches from Mark 12 on love FROM God, love FOR God, and the love OF God.

This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Doug Groothuis about his  article, “Why Read Books?.”This is also part of Doug's ongoing “Cultural Critique Column”. https://www.equip.org/articles/why-read-books//Related articles and podcasts by this author:Episode 424 Of God and Dogs, With Constant Reference to Sunny“Of God and Dogs, With Constant Reference to Sunny“Episode 416: The Art of Bracketing in Apologetics: Switching Ground Without Losing GroundThe Art of Bracketing in Apologetics: Switching Ground Without Losing GroundEpisode 401 How Truth WorksHow Truth WorksEpisode 393: Refuting The View: Religion Is A Myth, But Science Is The TruthRefuting The View: Religion Is A Myth, But Science Is The TruthEpisode 378 New Culture Critique Column: The Christian Self for Troubled Times and Meaning, Work, and the Value of PersonsThe Christian Self for Troubled Times: From Random to RedeemedAnd many more, Dr. Groothuis has written articles for us for over 30 years. Don't miss an episode; please subscribe to the Postmodern Realities podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Please help spread the word about Postmodern Realities by giving us a rating and review when you subscribe to the podcast. The more ratings and reviews we have, the more new listeners can discover our content.  

In previous episodes, we saw that no one in the Bible - notJesus, not Moses, not Isaiah or any other prophet, not Peter, not Paul or any other apostle – no one proclaimed or described that God is three in one.  Rather, we saw specifically that God is the Father alone, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. We looked at Paul's description of God and the Lord Jesus Christ in Ephesians 1.To Paul, God is not the Trinity, but the Father alone. And, Paul says the LordJesus Christ has a God. The Lord Jesus Christ's God is the Father. The LordJesus Christ is not God since he has a God and Jesus is someone other than God.Previous episodes:If the Bible is Right, God is NOT a Trinity (Part 1) https://youtu.be/S1-qBYVrkdUIf the Bible is Right, God is NOT a Trinity (Part 2) https://youtu.be/2x81JF9sKqc It is simple reading comprehension. When reading the Bible, nowhere is God a Triune being. I want to make one more simple reading example in the Bible where, in this case, we will see if the Apostle Peter believed that God was a Trinity, or that the Lord Jesus Christ was God.  Through simple reading comprehension, we will be able understand that the Apostle Peter's God was not the Trinity, and the Lord Jesus Christ was not Peter's God. Peter DID NOT declare that “God is a Trinity”. Peter DID NOT declare that one must believe that God is a Trinity. Peter DID declare that someone else other than the Lord Jesus Christ is God, that is, that the Lord Jesus Christ is not God. Peter DID declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We look at a couple of corroborating statements from Peter in the Gospels and one of his epistles, but focus on Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts Chapter 2.   Acts 2:2224"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you throughhim, just as you yourselves know– 23this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge ofGod, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. 24 But God raised him up… In this text, is God triune?  Is Jesus God?  Acts 2:30-33“So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandonedto Hades, nor did his body experience decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the holy spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear.” Acts 2:36Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ."  Mark 8:29, He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." Luke 9:20, Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." Matt. 16:16, Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,the Son of the living God." (Mat 16:16 NET) 1 Peter 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  1 Peter 20-21He (Christ) was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you now trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Peter never describes God as being triune, and never declares that Jesus is God.   If the Bible is right, God is not a Trinity.If Peter is right, God is not a Trinity.If your God is the Trinity, you have a different God than Peter.