Podcasts about Supper

How often should we take the Lord's Supper? Some say only once a month. Others say every week. Have a listen to hear our thoughts. REFORMATORY SHIRTS: https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_4%3AThe+Reformatory+Podcast&ref=bl_sl_s_ap_web_7141123011JOIN THE PODLUCK: https://www.patreon.com/reformatorypodMukwano Coffee: https://www.mukwanocoffee.com (Use promo code "reformatory" for 20% off your order).Twitter: https://twitter.com/reformatorypod

Wednesday // Pastor Ed Romero // Second London Baptist Confession of Faith Chapter 29 and 30

Today on the Daily Nugget, Mike reflects on the two sacraments Jesus calls His church to keep—Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are not empty rituals, but sacred moments where Christ is powerfully present to work and move among His people. Through water, bread, and cup, we encounter grace, renewal, and deeper union with Him. Come with faith, come expectant—He meets us in these holy acts.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!Everyone knows about “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” That's what God gives, and I hope and trust it's what I'm giving about Him and His word. We'll discuss the role the Ten Commandments played in ancient Israel, up to and after the time they lost them; a former U.S. president whose message was just too spectacular to be true; the assurances we can take from God's word simply because it is, in fact, God's word; and the best place to go for advice I have learned to routinely ignore.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTESFor summaries of Tim and Jon's responses and referenced Scriptures, check out the full show notes for this episode.CHAPTERSIntro (0:00-3:17)Are Jesus' Brothers His Half-Brothers or Cousins? (3:17-19:21)What Were Love-Meals? (19:21-31:11)How Should Jude Influence How We Think About the Deuterocanon? (31:11-43:50)What Did the Early Church Believe About Spiritual Beings Procreating? (43:50-50:41)Why Are Demons Never Mentioned in the Gospel of John? (50:41-55:32)Conclusion (55:32-1:00:08)REFERENCED RESOURCES"Firstborn: The Last Will Be First" (podcast series)Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary: Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah by Brant PitreThe Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul's Theology by Nijay K. GuptaWord Biblical Commentary Vol. 50, 2 Peter, Jude by Richard J. BauckhamJesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper by Brant PitreLast Supper and Lord's Supper by I. Howard Marshall"How the Bible Was Formed" (podcast series)The Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (video series)"Why the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha Is in Some Bibles and Not Others" (article)The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible by Michael S. HeiserAngels: What the Bible Really Says About God's Heavenly Host by Michael S. HeiserDemons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness by Michael S. HeiserCheck out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSICBibleProject theme song by TENTS SHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today's episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The Gospel of Christ Crucified 1 Corinthians 1–2 Introduction: If you were asked what the primary sin-problem confronting the Corinthians, I'm sure most of you would immediately answer that it was a problem of being divisive. Paul said it plainly in the opening of his letter (1:10): “I appeal to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” That solved it! Well, no. How can a church that won't even eat the Lord's Supper together, just be told to stop it, and then it happens? Even if you are very familiar with our text, Paul's teaching about the wisdom of God vs. the wisdom of man usually diverts our attention away from the subject of division. In other words, if a church called you and said, “We need help. Our church is full of division, would you come and help,” would you do a study of chapter two of 1 Corinthians with an exposition of the gospel of the cross?  Quickly notice some of Paul's key statements that will give you a feel of his foundational message on division: 1:17-18 “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  1:20-21 “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”  2:1-4 “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”  2:6-9 “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”  Now, having read those texts, would you say that Paul is correcting the divisions of the Corinthian church? Everything in this text has to do with the gospel of Christ crucified. But how is that an answer to division? That is the message we want to discover this morning. It is a message that will expose and correct every division within a church. Becoming Familiar with the Message of the Text First, Paul's emphasis is on the cross of Christ and that the message of the cross is foolish to those who hold to worldly wisdom including both Jews and Greeks. But the cross is our power to salvation (1:22-24). Second, Paul admits that it was God's intention to preach a “foolish” message to save the world (1:21).  Third, this foolish message preached is a revelation of the thoughts and words of God, and could never have been thought of or discovered by a human mind. Not even the most exalted human could have understood what was hidden in the mind of God “before the ages for our glory” (2:7).  Fourth, the thoughts of the mind of God have only been revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit alone has access, and he alone chooses to whom the message will be revealed (2:10-13). Further, God has used the Spirit to reveal to the apostles and prophets the words of the Spirit, not the words of human thought. Fifth, Paul stresses a contrast between two kinds of “wisdom.” There are those who are wise according to this world's standards, and there are those who have rejected the wisdom of this world in favor of the “foolishness” of the wisdom of God, the foolishness of Christ crucified (2:6). These two “wisdoms” are opposed to one another. Sixth, those who hold to the wisdom of the world cannot understand, nor will they accept the wisdom taught by the Spirit (2:13-14). Seventh, only the “mature, spiritual person” (one who has accepted the things of the Spirit) can understand and receive the words of the Spirit because those words are spiritually discerned. A “natural man” cannot understand the hidden message of God because he is not spiritually discerning (2:14-15).  Eighth, and possibly most importantly, Paul refused to preach this message with lofty speech or wisdom or plausible words of wisdom as was being done by the Corinthian sophists. Though Paul's preaching was considered unimpressive, the power of the sophists was in themselves, while the power of Paul's preaching was in the Spirit of God. The contrast was boasting in the man or boasting in the message of God—faith in the man or faith in the power of God. (2:2-4) Knowing Nothing Except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified As we briefly noted, Paul's concern is to rid the church of preaching that lifts up human wisdom and calls attention to the eloquence of the preacher instead of presenting the message of Christ crucified (2:2). We must get the significance of those words: “Jesus, the Christ (Messiah, King) crucified.” That really is foolish! It makes no sense!  Combine 2:2 with 1:17. Paul was sent to preach a gospel that is grounded in Jesus Christ/King being crucified. Thus every part of Paul's message had as its foundation crucifixion. Anything else would empty the message of its power.  But why is a crucified Messiah/King so important? Sure, we need to teach people why Jesus died and was raised and that he is enthroned as King. Yes, we want to urge them to obey Jesus, to repent of their sins and be baptized so they can be free from the bondage of sin. All of us get that point. But why does Paul say, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified?” In fact, in 1:18 Paul refers to the gospel as the “word of the cross,”  or the “message of the cross.” Paul is obviously magnifying the word “cross” to the extent that anything taught about Jesus or any teaching of Jesus would go right back to the cross! The problem wasn't so much that “Jesus died for our sins,” but the implications of Christ crucified. The message of the cross is that if we believe in Christ crucified we must also accept the teaching of disciple–crucified. In 2:7, this is the hidden wisdom God decreed “before the ages to our glory.” That is in contrast to 1:27, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise…even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” Do you see the message? The world seeks glory in themselves, boasting in their mental acuity, strength, and wealth. But a life of disciple–crucified seeks no glory in this world, but only the glory God has promised.  Paul will later summarize the message of the cross in 2 Corinthians 4:11-12, “For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”  The Gospel of Christ Crucified Applied, Chapters 3-4 What does Christ crucified have to do with division in the church and solving the Corinthian problem? In chapters 3-4 Paul transitions from his explanation of the gospel to how that gospel (disciple-crucified) message should be lived. When we read these first seven verses it is not difficult to see that the Corinthians are living out the wisdom of the world instead of what was considered the “foolishness of Christ crucified.” Look at Paul's directness! Imagine it read to the church! “You are still of the flesh!” I'm feeding you like an infant (Greek for “baby”) sucking on “milk!” You are “behaving in a human way” practicing jealousy and strife, exalting one teacher over another and boasting in them! “Are you not being merely human!”  “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants…!” Vs. 6-7, “…but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth!” Vs. 16-21 Listen to the power in Paul's words as he drives home how these Christians are to act in accordance with Christ crucified:  You are God's temple. Destroy God's temple and God will destroy you! (17). “If anyone thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.” How dare any Christian to act independently of the rest of the body! Ephesians 5:22, “Submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ.” “For the wisdom of this world is folly to God. The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile!”  “So let no one boast in men!”  4: 1: Regard us as servants and stewards. It is a small thing that I should be judged by you! 6-21 Mic drop!  Conclusion: The Gospel of Christ Crucified Is Lived as a Disciple Crucified “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'”  (Matt. 16:24) Berry Kercheville The post 1 Corinthians 1-2 The Gospel Christ Crucified appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Audio Transcript All right, well, beautiful singing. So I’ve not met you. My name is Aaron and I’m the preaching pastor here and glad you’re with us today. There’s a lot of sickness again in our church. Feels like this winter, maybe you felt it, it’s been feeling better. Nope, we’re sick. Feeling better? Nope, we’re sick. And so this is one of those we’re sick weeks for a lot in our church. And so I’m glad that you’re with us. And also I just want to say I had a lot of fun at the karaoke night. So thank you for those who helped put that together and got a lot of good singers in the church. And so that was just a fun night. So if you have a Bible with you, could open up to the Gospel of Luke. Today’s texture study is going to come from Luke 6, verses 27 through 42. So a little longer passage, Luke 6:27 through 42. And if you don’t have a Bible with you, it’s on page 503 in the blue Bibles that are kind of scattered throughout the fuse. So let me read the text and then I’ll pray and then we’ll work through the so Luke 6, please hear the words of our God. But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from the one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But love your enemies and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you’ll be sons of the most high. Praise kind to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, you will not be judged. Condemn not, you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give it to be given to you good measure. Pressed down, shaken together, running over, we put into your lap for the measure you use it will be measured back to you. He also told in the parable, can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into the pit? Disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye? Did you not notice the log that’s in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, brother, let me take out that speck that is in your eye when you yourself do not see the log that’s in your own eye? You hypocrite. First take out the log in your own eye. Then you’ll see clearly. Take the speck that is in your brother’s eye. That’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? God, thank you for bringing us together. Lord, I pray for the glory of Christ and our good and joy in Christ you would bless this time. Please help me to be a good communicator. Please help me to not stumble over my words. Please protect me from speaking that which is false. Help me to only speak that which is true. Lord, please be with the congregation. Please give them ears to hear. The Spirit is saying, pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. This morning I’d like to start a story with you. It’s actually kind of a shameful story about myself. So I mentioned the past. So I became a Christian in college after a friend invited me to a Bible study. We’re at the study I felt the love of Christian people and heard the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that, by the grace of God, that landed on my heart, in ways I could repent and believe in him before the time I actually did go to church where I did hear the gospel, but I heard it in ways where I remember clearly thinking to myself, I really don’t believe any of these things to be true. Because if I thought these things were true, they should have some major bearing in my life and how I lived. For that being said, even though I knew I didn’t believe, I would still go to church. In fact, fairly consistently, I would go to church. And the reason why I would go to church was kind of twofold, two very related reasons. So first, I went as like, a source of pride for myself is I would go to church when my roommates in college were still sleeping in. So it made me feel a little bit better about myself that I would do the right thing, made me better than them. Second, I would go to church as a meeting just to try to satisfy my guilty conscience. So before becoming a Christian, I really hit every stereotype of being a college kid from small town Wisconsin. I mean, I loved everything related to like party life and drunkenness. However, you know, I love these things in many ways. These were my identity, this lifestyle that I had, it did eat at my conscience where I’d feel guilt and shame for all the things I was doing. So I’d go to church, but honestly, on many Sundays, like still inebriated from the night before, and I’d go just to try to satisfy my conscience. The guilt, the shame I was carrying, although that often just resulted in more guilt, more shame. So I knew that my lifestyle was not adding up as I pretended to the rest of the church I was something I was not. Okay. So with those things in mind, now back to my shameful story. I thought those things weren’t shameful, but one year, trying to get maybe a little bit extra credit to fill my pride, use my conscience, I began to volunteer at a Christian school to be an assistant basketball coach for their seventh grade boys team. Now I do love basketball and I love coaching. So that is part of the reason why I helped out. But more than that, I loved getting praise from the head coach, the players, the families. For being a college kid who’s helping out at a Christian school. It added to my pride, pride that I tried to help ease some of my conscience. Once again, the more praise I got, the more guilty I felt became more clear. It’s like living this double life as I tried to hide my party life and all the other dumb things I did from the team, from the families. Well, my shameful story during one of the games on the bench, I was exposed. My hypocrisy was exposed. So one of the kids on the team did something he was not supposed to do, only for me to yell out from the bench in my frustration. Yell out for everyone to hear the precious name of Jesus Christ. Seeing it as a curse to what just happened on the court, which is something I had no problem using as a curse in every other place. I wasn’t trying to pretend to be something I wasn’t around church people, but I yelled that out of the game. It felt like really everyone in the gym was looking at me. And I do know that the head coach and the kids on the bench all turned and looked at me for screaming that out. I was exposed. Exposed to everyone, including myself, of how much of a hypocrite I was. I wasn’t this nice, godly college student who is pretty Good at going to church. Rather, what came out of my lips, that’s what reflected what was actually in my heart. That was the real me that I was trying to hide from everyone else. Exposed in very humbling ways. I tell you this story this morning with hopes you actually send us up for our passage where I do think hypocrisy is at the core of this passage. Hypocrisy that is painful as it is to be exposed, friends, it does need to be exposed in our hearts. Now, before we get back to our text real quick, where we left off last week in our study of Luke was part of a sermon. We started out with a sermon that Jesus gave while standing on a plane. As mentioned last week is often referred to just as the Sermon on the plain, which is similar but a little different from the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus recorded in Matthew 5. So similar information, but a little bit different. Mentioned this last week because Jesus gave a similar sermon at least two different times. The sermon that Jesus gave is often, I think, arguably the greatest sermon of all time. For this last week, you may remember that as Jesus gave this great sermon started with a series of blessings for those who follow Jesus as his disciples, and then they’re followed by a series of woes for those who reject Jesus. When our text last week, the blessing and woes were actually grounded in the eternal life that is to come, which actually we see is important in our text today as well. As Jesus often thought through this life as it relates to the next life, the eternal life that is about to come. We also mentioned we learned last week the primary audience by which Jesus gave his sermon on the plain was to his disciples, to those who had faith in him. And this is actually important to our text today, we receive instruction from Jesus on what disciples are to look like so that his disciples will not be hypocrites. And for us this morning as it works, this passage, I do want us just to be really humble before this text. Humble in ways we’re actually asking the Lord to search our hearts to expose like any hypocrisy that may be there. Now, none of us necessarily enjoys having hypocrisy exposed. I mean, it’s actually still embarrassing to me how I was exposed at that basketball game. However, as embarrassing and perhaps even painful as it is to be exposed as a hypocrite, it’s the best thing for us for multiple reasons. So living like a hypocritical, almost double life, that’s exhausting, it’s stressful, it’s anxiety building. We have like no freedom to be ourselves if we just pretend to be something that we’re not. But also having our hypocrisy exposed made plain for everyone to see, including ourselves. It should drive us to confess our sins in ways that they’re running to Jesus rather than continuing to try to hide our sins. So through confessing our sins to the Lord, we can find forgiveness and healing and even freedom that he offers. That’s far better than holding on to hypocrisy, even if there’s, like, consequences that possibly might come for having our hypocrisy exposed. So say it again this morning. Let’s just be humble here, humble before God’s word, and let the Lord search our hearts. So back to the text. So let me read reread verses 27 through 31 if you want to follow along there. I’m going to read this together as a whole just to try to feel the momentum once again that Jesus said in the sermon and the weight which Jesus is calling his disciples to when it comes to loving others. And after reading through it, then I’m going to try to walk back through and just try to maybe answer some questions that maybe you have with that passage. So Jesus to the congregation of plain But I say to you who hear, which by the way includes all of us here today as we hear God’s word, love your enemies, which the love of our enemies result in doing good to those who even hate you, where we even seek to bless those who curse you, where we love in ways, we’re even praying for those who abuse you. Furthermore, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to love our enemies in such a way in verse 29 that if one strikes you on the cheek, we are to offer the other as well. And if one takes away your cloak, we actually do not withhold our tunic either. Verse 30 as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to love others and it results in even like if someone comes and begs for you like to give it to them. We love in ways that we wish others would do to us, or we to love others in ways that we wish to be done to us. This here is often referred to as the Golden Rule. How we’re to live our lives with love, where we seek to love others around us in ways we want them to love us if we were in their shoes. Walk us back through the text. So first, I do think it’s really important to understand this teaching on loving our enemies. It’s really important for us to See this in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So Scripture is clear that before faith in Christ, we actually all stand as enemies of God, where we all have sinned against Him. However, the message of the Gospel, the good news, that while we are yet sinners, that enemies of God, Christ loved us in such a way that he died for us to take on the punishment of our sin as he made like sinful wretches his treasure. So back to this teaching. If God loves us, his enemies in this way, would it not be hypocritical for us to now in turn not love our enemies? So I think it’s really important we understand this love in the context, in relation to how God loves us. Second, this love that Jesus is calling the disciples to is not actually a love that we can do within ourselves. This is the type of love that only God can do with his strength through us, where his love is like compelling us to be able to love in this way for us. I think that’s kind of the point of this passage here, right? God putting his great and powerful love on display through us. We can’t do this on our own. It’s God’s love controlling us, compelling us to be able to love our enemies. Third, this love that Jesus is calling his disciples to, this obviously is a radical love. This one is so far different from what we see in the world around us. And I also think that’s part of the point of this type of love. Because as we love others by doing good works to others, loving in radical ways, that the hope that others will see like the glory of God, see it in ways that maybe they will turn and trust in him like we have, this is part of the point as well. We are to love our enemies for the glory of God. This is actually part of our worship of him and hopefully for the salvation of others. Fourth, loving others in this way, loving our enemies in this way, loving. Not only is it a real part of how we worship God, but actually helps indicate on whether or not we actually are true worshipers of God, if indeed we do know his love. Or like me in the story I just shared before I was a Christian, for just maybe someone going through the motions for self serving reasons. Remember the first character trait of the fruit of the Spirit? Love, making love the greatest of all. So without love, even love for enemies, how can we say we have the spirit of God living inside of us, the one who is empowering and compelling us to live out his love. Not that we’re gonna be perfect in loving like this, but this type of love should be present, which we’ll talk about more when we get to verse 35. Fifth, with all this being said, I do think it’s important to understand the principle that Jesus is preaching to us here from this passage, which we are to love others in ways that we want others to love us. Right? Once again, verse 31 because this is a principle to love others, the main principle that Jesus is stressing through these examples that he gives in verse 27 through 30. We do actually have a little bit of discernment here. So one of the commentaries I read this week, I rightfully wrote that this call to love in the sermon by Jesus. So Jesus is not advocating for suspension of like like normal civil justice procedures. Likewise, Jesus is not teaching this sermon some type of like hyper passivity in the face of evil. Rather, Jesus is teaching us the lengths by which we are willing to go to love other people, the rights we’re even willing to give up in order to love other people. Another commentary I read this week posed a question. Is Jesus abrogating to leave all personal self defense and rights to private property? The commentary no. Rather he’s demanding a loving attitude that’s not vengeful but is generous and giving. A loving attitude that is so real, so tangible. As mentioned, we’re even willing to lay down our rights in order to love others who do not love Jesus with hopes that through this radical love, not only will it bring glory to God, but God will use our love to bring our enemies to Himself. Okay, so keep that in mind as we think through this. So keep going. Verse 32 so after Jesus set the bar on the depths by which his people are to love even their enemies, we see him then in the text address maybe some pushback that his listeners were having in their own heart with this call to love. Maybe even pushback that some of us might even have on our own hearts. Jesus continued the text. If you love those who just love you, which is a pretty easy thing to do, we don’t need God’s strength to do that. And the text really what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good just to those who do good to you, also pretty easy to do something we can do on our own once again, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. Verse 34 and what if you lend to others who you expect to receive a payment back? What credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. So giving to others, knowing you’ll get back, that’s also pretty easy. That’s not hard. But in the sermon, what is hard, verse 35. But to love your enemies and do good and lend, expecting nothing back in return, friends, that’s hard. That’s not something we can easily do in our own strength and power. Once again, we need the Lord’s help, his strength, to be able to do that. In the text, by the help and the strength of the Lord. Indeed, we do these things. Jesus said, your reward will be great, a reward that will indeed bring benefit to you, which is you learned last week. Verses 20 through 23. This reward found in eternal life, a reward that will actually last for all eternity, where God will greatly reward his people for all their acts of faith, for all of their acts of love. And not only will we be rewarded for our acts of love and our acts of faith in the text, these acts of love actually prove to be the fruit of being this true disciple of Jesus Christ. So in the day that is to come, everyone will see, everyone will recognize, you’re a son of the Most High, who in the text is the very one who is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Thus, for his people, in verse 36, they are to be merciful, even as your Father is merciful, meaning if you receive such love, such mercy from God, it’d be hypocritical if we did not show love and mercy towards others. Keep going in the sermon on the plane. If loving our enemies is not an easy thing to do, or we need God’s strength to be able to do that, what is easy for us to do where we don’t need God’s strength is judging others, which is kind of the opposite end of loving. Verse 37. You want to take your eyes there, Jesus, people, judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. Instead, forgive and you will be forgiven. Give it’ll be given to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. Be put into your life for with you measure, for the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Okay, let me hit pause here and try to explain it. Try to explain a few things from that portion of the passage. So first, there seems to be a shift in who Jesus is referring to in verses 37 to 42 in terms of application. So application, verses 27 through 36 is clear to those who are not Christian. Right we are to love our enemies, show love and mercy and kindness towards others, even if they are putting hardship on us because of our faith in Christ. But now, Starting in verse 37, seems like Jesus now shifted the application and he’s speaking towards how we are to love each other in community, which New Testament expectations are primarily done like in a local church setting. So as this people live in community with another, they’re not to judge one another, they’re not to condemn one another, they’re not to hold forgiveness from one another, which, say it again, is not not always an easy thing for us to do. Even in church life. Even though we all follow Jesus Christ, even these things in church life, in community, Christian community, we need God’s strength and be able to do this command faithfully. By the way, just a little bit, we were taking the Lord’s Supper together. And one of the great purposes of why we take this meal together as a church instead of just like privately as individuals, is this meal has helped to remind us of our common faith in Jesus Christ. To help protect us against judging and condemning one another, to help us to live with forgiveness towards one another. Remember that Jesus was judged and condemned for us on the cross to forgive us of our sins. Second, I do also think it’s important to distinguish between judging and discerning as you think through this passage here. So as Christians we should have discernment when it comes to those around us like even others in the Christian community. So Jesus is not advocating to drop any type of discernment of right or wrong here, of like wise or foolish discern that between is like healthy or toxic. Rather, Jesus is telling his people to flee from these types of attitudes where we like want the worst for others, where we hold like bitterness towards others. Different commentaries I read this week where we’re like almost like eager to like fault find where we have like this like sensorious spirit where we want to like bind others up in our community rather than help them find like freedom and joy in Christ. By the way, this is one of the many reasons why it kind of continually cautious us when it comes to like how much like social media and podcasts that we can consume. You know, there’s so much of those things are just littered with nothing but like judgment, condemnation, fault finding. If we start consuming them, some type of attitudes can start to bubble out of us. Third, I do think it’s important for us to see the reciprocal reality that takes place in community, even Christian community. So look back at verses 36 through 38 and see the reciprocal principle here. So if you are a person who’s clearly not going around Judging others, guess what? Others are not going to go around judging you. If you are a person who is clearly not going around condemning others, guess what? Others are not going to go around to quickly condemn you. If you are a person who is quick to forgive, that’s your reputation. Guess what? Others will be quick to forgive you as well. If you’re one who has a reputation, who is quick to give when times of need comes up, guess what others are gonna be quick to give to you in your time of need. In fact, not only be quick to give in your time of need, in the text, they’ll be like generous towards you. This is what Jesus was speaking towards in that phrase. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your lap. So you’re kind of confused with that. So maybe think of a picture of someone holding a sack and like someone’s pouring grain into it and the person is like so generous with the grain, they’re pouring the grain down, they’re like pressing down, they’re shaking the sack, they’re squeezing as much grain as they can. But even in their attempts to do that, the generosity is so much, the grain is still like pouring over, filling your lap. When we consistently do good to others, where we know that others are for them, not against them, friends, that’s a picture what others will be for us as well. Reciprocate back to you for the measure you use, it will be measured back to you by the way we know this. This reality is not only true in the positive, but also in the negative. If in our hypocrisy we’re like judgmental, condemning, unwilling to forgive, unwilling to show any type of generous spirit towards others in the community, in the end, that hypocrisy will be turned against us as others in the community will reciprocate those types of attitudes and actions towards us. By the way, kind of on this note, if you’re kind of wondering on how well you’re treating others, a very real indicator could be how others are treating you, both positive and negative. Finally, we’re going to end our text today. Verses 39 through 42. Jesus continues to challenge his disciples, like to basically flee hypocrisy. We read that Jesus gave a parable to help illustrate what like judging, condemning, unforgiving, a non generous person can look like, as well as how we can like fall into the traps of being that type of person. Verse 39. He also told him the parable with a question at the start of the parable. Can a blind man lead A blind man with the obvious answer to Jesus question of no. Because in the text, if a blind is leading the blind, they both will fall into the pit. In this parable, Jesus is using this illustration to talk about teachers and disciples that they’re leading. We’re in verse 40, a disciple is not above his teacher. The teacher is the one who leads and trains so that everyone who is fully trained by his teacher in the end will be like his teacher. Which can also be on the negative or on the positive, but quite closely to the text on the negative. If the teacher is like a blind man going over the pit, disciple will follow and also go over the pit. And this illustration here, this parable here, this is Jesus hopes trying to protect his disciples false teachers was in the context he’s particularly speaking towards, like the Pharisees, who are like teachers of the law, who were judgmental, condemning, unforgiving, having a lack of generosity, who Jesus often called out for being hypocrites. So Jesus is warning his people to avoid such teachers, to not sit with men of falsehood, or to consult with hypocrites, because false, negative, judgmental, condemning, unforgiving, non generous teachers will raise up those who are just like them. Which by the way, for those like me who teach particularly God’s word, this is a real warning for us to hear that we are not hypocritical blind compassion guides. As mentioned, this is also a warning for all God’s people to hear to ensure they’re not sitting under those who are teaching, who are hypocrites, who hypocritically did not show love and mercy for others in verses 27, but instead they show the things listed in verses 37 through 88, where they’re always on the attack, always fault fighting, always belittling, always tearing others down rather than trying to build them up. Well, is always doing the things. Listen, verses 41 through 42, if you always want to look back there as false, judgmental, condemning, unforgiving, non generous teachers both exhibit and train their disciples to do the same. We see that they go around, they try to spot the speck in a brother’s eye, more than willing to tell everyone even their smallest faults. But in this parable, this judgmental, condemning, fault finding person, while they can spot the speck in the brother’s eye, yet somehow cannot not notice the huge log sticking out of their own eye. And not only that, if that’s not bad enough in verse 42, the judgmental, condemning fault finder has like the gall then to go over to his brother with a speck in his eye to tell him, brother, let me take that speck out of your eye. I mean, what nerve to say that to someone when there’s like this obvious plank in your own eye. It’s like almost hard to find words on the gall the nerve to do something like this. However, in the sermon on the plane for Lord Jesus, he was able to find a word. The end of verse 42. If you take your eyes there, you hypocrite, how dare you do that? How can you be so prideful, so full of yourself? First take the log out of your own eye and then from there, sure, with love, tenderness, compassion, humility, then sure, you will clearly be able to take or see and take out the speck in your brother’s eye. For us, as we’re in our text today, before we close, there’s one thing I do want to leave us with, which is actually not necessarily some ideas on how we can like better love our enemies or better love or show mercy towards others, or even how to like avoid like false teachers, like blind guides, or how we can keep our community free from like judging and condemning fault finding within each other or even give you thoughts on like having planks in your eyes. You know, to me, this sermon from Jesus really needs no help for us on that end. I’m sure we know what these things look like. So what I wanted to do in this time is I just want to invite all of us just to simply put away any and all hypocrisy that we know we are currently living with friends. Living with hypocrisy obviously does not unlock honor the Lord. It is not how we worship Him. It does not reflect the love and the mercy that we have been given through Jesus Christ. A hypocritical life is not one that result in a great reward given to us by God in eternal life. Rather, a hypocritical life is really a wasted life. One in the end will only bring us harm. We’re going to feel like anxiety and worry of others, like finding out who the real you is. You can just leave us exhausted, always trying to cover things up. A hypocritical life will lead to more and more others from the community actually pushing away from you, reciprocating towards you in negative ways. Hypocritical life also brings just harm to other people, particularly those who are closest to you, who maybe can see through the hypocrisy. So to say it again this morning, I just want to invite you to trust God, confess your sins, make no provision for the flesh. Repent of your hypocrisy and come to the Lord for forgiveness, for healing, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is loving towards those who come to faith in Him. If you come to faith in Jesus, he comes, or he’ll meet you full of his mercy, a mercy that is greater than all of our sin. So what should you do today for the glory of God, for your own good, for the good of others? Would you repent of your hypocrisy and come for healing? If I go back to the story I started with. So after my hypocrisy was exposed, it really did put me into a tailspin. And I tried to run from everything, which not only led me to some real depression and isolation from others, but actually it actually led me to transfer schools. I was just eager to just get away from what was exposed. But now, looking back, as painful, as embarrassing as it was to have the hypocrisy exposed, I could now see how the Lord’s hand of love and mercy was on me, like through it all, because as the exposure of my hypocrisy put me on the run. So I ended up in college, a different college, where I met a friend who invited me to a Bible study. We’re at that study I felt the love of Christian people where I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that by the grace of God, it landed in my heart so I could repent and believe in Him. So one last time, as painful, as embarrassing as it may have hypocrisy exposed, let that pain, let that embarrassment lead you to Jesus, the One who is perfect in every way, who has no hypocrisy in himself, where he actually perfectly fulfilled this passage that he preached on the plain, wherein his love and mercy gave his life over to his enemies who cursed him, who struck him on the cheek, who tore off his clothes before they nailed him to the cross, where on the cross, Jesus even prayed for those who nailed them there, praying, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Yet it was on the cross where we see the greatest act of love and mercy and generosity. Because Jesus laid down his life for his people and died for them, even hypocrites. Jesus died even for hypocrites to take on the just judgment of God to provide forgiveness, that we need forgiveness of sin, whether they’re big plank sins or little speck sins, so that through his death resurrection we would know his love. We know in ways, and not only that allows us to love him back, but we know it. And now we can love others as well, even our enemies. Church May the greatest act of love found in Jesus, may that affect us in ways that would push out hypocrisy where his love would fill us so we could love him and we can love others. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for loving hypocrites like us. Thank you for Jesus, who is no hypocrite, but who is true and right and faithful without sin in all that he did. And Lord, I do pray that you would help us today to push away our hypocrisy wherever it may be found, that we take it and we nail it to the cross. And Lord, I pray that the hypocrisy that we carry would just be so nailed to the cross that you just give us freedom, that you fill us with your love and your joy. Pray this on Jesus name. Amen. The post Love Your Enemies – Luke 6: 27-42 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Love & Compassion | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1842 | Br. Damien Antony

Question: What is the Lord's supper? Answer: The Lord's Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ's appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://gift.ligonier.org/1267/westminster If this podcast has been a blessing to you, try these other podcasts from Ligonier: Renewing Your Mind: https://renewingyourmind.org/ 5 Minutes in Church History: https://www.5minutesinchurchhistory.com/ Ask Ligonier: https://ask.ligonier.org/podcast Open Book: https://openbookpodcast.com/ Simply Put: https://simplyputpodcast.com/

Favour & Recognition | ദൈവപ്രസാദവും അംഗീകാരവും | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1841 | Br. Damien Antony

February 13, 2026Today's Reading: John 4:46-54Daily Lectionary: Job 9:1-35 “Jesus said to him, 'Go; your son will live.” (John 4:50)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Isn't it amazing how Jesus can make the most ridiculously absurd statements and no one from among His followers ever questions Him? Pharisees and Sadducees seemingly get paid by the inquiry, but that's for another time. But really, if we made some of the claims Jesus did, people would stare at us and no doubt argue.  Not so, though, with Jesus. Because Jesus does something we cannot do. He backs up every statement He makes with proof, with action. In fact, without fail, everything He says comes to pass!  What a reading we have before us today. In John 4, Jesus heals the official's son. The man desperately searches out the One he has heard could do something for his son—heal him before he dies.  If only we had the faith of this official. While we give lip service to knowing the One who heals the sick, casts out demons, raises the dead, and saves the sinner, all too often our actions don't support that. Deep down, we cling to bits of doubt. Yes, Jesus has healed, but what if He doesn't this time? Sure, He has risen from the dead, but what if I am not worthy enough? I know He has forgiven some sins, but what if He doesn't forgive mine? Surely I have to assist in salvation in some way.  Such thinking is dangerous and does not seem to enter the mind of the official in our text. “The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.'  Jesus said to him, 'Go; your son will live.' The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.  As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.” (John 4:49-51) Now, here is what we need to remember from this account. First, what faith this man has to believe Jesus would do exactly what He says. Second, Jesus NEVER enters the official's house. He NEVER physically looks upon his dying child. He doesn't need to. His power does not lie solely in seeing or touching… No! What we sing in the hymn “Thy Strong Word” is absolutely true. What breaks the darkness? What bespeaks us righteous?  The strong, powerful Word of God! In Baptism, in the Lord's Supper, Creation, the Word of God holds ALL the power! It does. In His Word, He declares you to be His precious child. In His Word, He declares you forgiven of all your sins! In the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us, who took you who were dead in your trespasses and sins and raised you to new life. Nothing our Lord says is ridiculous, absurd, or untrue. He speaks peace, truth, and life for you. Which is why He urges us to “abide in My word.” (John 8:31) Remain in that which holds all the power. That which creates, gives light, and makes us righteous. The Word of God.    In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Thy strong word did cleave the darkness At Thy speaking it was done For created light we thank Thee While Thy ordered seasons run. (LSB 578:1)Rev. Timothy Chase, pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Truman, MNAudio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.

Sometimes communion services in Mennonite churches can be a time of anxiety and bring up questions about assurance of salvation. Why is that? What is a proper way to think about and prepare for communion? Verlon Miller and Marlin Sommers explain how Mennonite churches traditionally have observed communion, and how we can come to the Lord's Supper with joy rather than fear.Anabaptists and the Sacraments: It's Complicated! - Dean TaylorThis is the 306th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Divine Intervention | ദൈവിക ഇടപെടൽ | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1840 | Br. Damien

Time Stamps:0:00 - Intro0:27 - Coffee Segment (Darkcyde Conspiracy Theory Coffee "B.I.R.D.")8:25 - What is Lunch? Supper? Dinner?11:45 - The BEST early 2000's Christian band?20:39 - Parable Discussion: "Wise & Foolish Builders"References:This Week's Coffee (Darkcyde Conspiracy Theory Coffee "B.I.R.D."): https://darkcydecoffee.com/product/b-i-r-d/The Parables of Jesus (James Montgomery Boice): https://tinyurl.com/3vztan5tSend us questions: pbclc.com/podcastWebsite: pbclc.com Facebook: facebook.com/pbclc Instagram: @pbclc

Dr. Wiles is back from Rome—and this week's episode is part travel debrief, part church-life update, and part deep dive into worship.The team swaps stories about jet lag, Super Bowl naps, and the behind-the-scenes “moose-level” logistics of leading a church pilgrimage through Rome. Along the way, Dr. Wiles reflects on one unexpected highlight: the remarkable hospitality of Roman Catholic priests and friars who welcomed a Protestant group with generosity—letting them lecture, tour, and even share the Lord's Supper on sacred ground.Back home, the conversation turns to what's ahead at church: Ash Wednesday and the start of a Good Shepherd focus, a men's retreat, Faith at Home (“Mission Possible”), and the kickoff of Ramadan gift bags—along with encouragement to engage Muslim neighbors with humility, prayer, and simple faithfulness.They also honor the long-awaited retirement celebration for David Butts, celebrating decades of faithful children's ministry and the lasting impact on families across the church.Finally, they unpack Sunday's sermon from Isaiah 6, exploring worship as a whole-life response to God's holiness—one that confronts sin, heals what we can't fix ourselves, and sends us back into the world with purpose: “Here I am. Send me.” Next week: John the Baptist.

Divine Strategy | ദൈവിക യുദ്ധതന്ത്രം | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1839 | Br. Damien Antony

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!Each and every one of us has a reputation. Whether yours is for good or ill, or whether you want to keep it or change it, that's up to you. This week we'll cover Solomon's thoughts about pursuing a good reputation vs. chasing a big bank account; the world's most famous gunfighter and how he both lived and died for his reputation; the future apostle Paul and how he built confidence in people he previously wanted to kill; and the two different reputations we chase in games and in the church, and how we can make them compatible.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.

This week at First Baptist Church Lake Dallas Pastor Lucas Pinckard preaches about The Lord's Supper If you would like to plan your visit to FBC Lake Dallas or partner with us in ministry you can do so at https://fbclakedallas.com

Authority | അധികാരം | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1838 | Br. Damien Antony

Jesus commanded that during the Lord's Supper that it should be done in Remembrance of Him. Today's message is about the things we should remember before and during Communion.

What is really happening when the church comes to the Table?In this message from 1 Corinthians 11:17–34, Pastor Elliott walks us through the beauty, depth, and seriousness of the Lord's Supper. Far more than a religious routine, Communion is a sacred gift from Jesus—prescribed by Him, proclaimed among His people, practiced by the Church, and reserved for those who belong to Him.This sermon explores how the Lord's Supper points us to Christ's once-for-all sacrifice, seals the promises of the gospel, and unites believers in shared life with Jesus and one another. Along the way, we examine the early church's failures in Corinth, the danger of approaching the Table selfishly, and the call to self-examination, repentance, and humble unity.You'll also hear how Communion situates us in God's great story—remembering Christ's death, awaiting His return, and being shaped in holiness today.Whether you've taken the Lord's Supper your whole life or are still learning its meaning, this message invites you to come to the Table with gratitude, reverence, and renewed faith.“Because we all receive freely from Christ, we are called to freely give.”

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that’s where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and whether places can become sanctified or the opposite. It’s a wide-ranging conversation around topics that Reformed guys don’t often talk about. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that's where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord's Supper, and whether places can become sanctified or the opposite. It's a wide-ranging conversation around topics that Reformed guys don't often talk about.Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that’s where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and whether places can become sanctified or the opposite. It’s a wide-ranging conversation around topics that Reformed guys don’t often talk about. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

We're Still Learning Pt. 2 | February 8, 2026Pastor Wes Morris Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NLT) Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.√  BECAUSE WE CONFUSE PROXIMITY WITH CONNECTION.√  BECAUSE WE AVOID HARD CONVERSATIONS.Hebrews 12:15 (NLT) Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.√  BECAUSE WE LET HURT GO UNHEALED.Colossians 3:13 (NIV) Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.√  BECAUSE BEING VULNERABLE FEELS RISKY.Acts 2:42-47 (NLT) All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. LEARNING TO GROW TOGETHERI. WE CHOOSE ONE PLACE TO BE CONSISTENTLY CONNECTED.Acts 2:46 (NIV) Every day they continued to meet together…Psalm 92:13 (NIV) Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God.II. WE SHOW UP FOR EACH OTHER.Philippians 2:3-4 (MSG) If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.III. WE ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER.I Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT) So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

In this episode, the Pugsters discuss the relationship between nature and grace. In theology, this usually deals with how the two work in human life, and that’s where the guys start. But the topic can be bigger than that, so Glenn leads the discussion into whether grace can be conveyed through the physical world, such as the elements in the Lord’s Supper, and whether places can become sanctified or the opposite. It’s a wide-ranging conversation around topics that Reformed guys don’t often talk about. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about First Pres. Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Provision | കരുതൽ | Malayalam Christian Messages | Morning Glory 1837 | Br. Damien Antony

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February 8th, 2026 Pastor Chad McDonald The deepest desire of every human heart is to know that someone cares for them. Is there anyone out there that really cares about me? As we turn our attention this weekend to Psalm 8, you can almost imagine David as a young shepherd staring into the night sky. He sees the vastness of God’s creation displayed in the heavens. He considers the majesty of the God who has created all that he sees and is overwhelmed that this same God would care for him. Not just care for him, but love him, know him, and be concerned with his life and activity. The stability of David’s life was rooted in the knowledge that God loved him. Now, more than ever, we need this same stability. In a world where we face all kinds of intellectual and atheistic pressures, we can stand firm because we know that our heavenly Father cares for us. I pray that you will join us this weekend as we worship in song, in the study of God’s Word, and in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. In Christ, Pastor Chad

Introduction Okay, maybe the Church is essential, but certainly not baptism or communion. Too superstitious. Don't like needing others. Why would Baptism and Communion be essential to the ministry of reconciliation? The Body of Christ in Corinth was sick and immature—divided, ignorant, sinful, selfish—and…

Introduction: Genesis 2:24 - Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Enjoying Your Gift from God. (1 Corinthians 7:1-7) Married? Enjoy God's Gift for MARRIAGE. (1 Cor 7:3-5) 3 Laws of Marital Intimacy: The Law of DEBT. (1 Cor 7:3) The Law of OWNERSHIP. (1 Cor 7:4) The Law of HIATUS. (1 Cor 7:5) Single? Enjoy God's Gift of SINGLENESS. (1 Cor 7:6-7) Matthew 19:10-12 – The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 00:36-00:41Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians 7.00:43-00:51And as we said last week, it's going to continue for the next few weeks because we go where the text goes.00:54-01:00And today we're going to be talking about the relationship between a man and his wife.01:03-01:44discretion advised. We are going to be direct, but you know some pastors want to be like edgy by kind of pushing the envelope there and that's I don't think that's cool, but I do think we need to teach the Bible straightforwardly. So we are going to be direct but not explicit, okay? So whether you're sitting here or streaming this from home, parents you decide. If you saw last week's message that would be a good gauge as to whether or not your kids should hear this one.01:44-02:01But again I'll remind you that somebody's talking to your kids about this. I think you should really consider you know whether it's time for them to hear this from God, what He says about these matters.02:02-02:17Alright, so with that said, let's just bow our heads. I'm going to ask that you would please take a moment and pray for me to be faithful to clearly communicate what God said and I will pray for you to receive what it is that this passage teaches today. Let's pray.02:23-02:28Father in heaven, we are once again turning to Your Word for wisdom.02:33-02:38And we're dealing with what is going to be for many here a sensitive subject.02:38-03:05And I pray, Father, against distractions, and I also pray that our hearts and minds are open to what You actually say in Your Word. Not our opinion or not what we think your word might say about these matters, but to examine what it is that you have said, and that we would be faithful to apply.03:08-03:53Come meet us now, Lord, through the proclamation of your word, we pray in Jesus' name, and all of God's people said, "Amen." Amen. Many years ago, I was leading Bible study the prison, and one man raised his hand. He said, "I have a question. I have a question about what happens when we die." Well, I was ready for this. You should have heard. You should have heard the sermon. It's probably the best sermon I ever gave. It was just both barrels, and I explained to him, "Okay, first of all, let me explain how death came into the world. We went through Genesis chapter 3. Death We need Jesus Christ.03:54-03:56Jesus died on the cross to take our sin away.03:56-03:59He rose from the dead to give us eternal life.03:59-04:00We all need the gospel.04:00-04:05And if you've received Christ, when you die, the Bible says you are in the presence of the Lord.04:05-04:10Okay, and someday he is going to come and he's going to take his people to be with him.04:10-04:12John chapter 14, we talked about the rapture.04:13-04:17But if you have not received Christ, I talked about the tribulation that's coming after the rapture.04:18-04:21There's seven years of just hell on earth.04:21-04:26and then Christ returns, and I talked about all the millennial kingdom, right?04:26-04:41And then after the kingdom, there's the great white throne judgment, and at that point, you know, if you die and you're not in Christ, you do go to a place of suffering, Luke 16, but then you're thrown into the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment, and you should have heard it.04:41-04:44It was comprehensive.04:47-04:49So I got done, it was about 20 minutes.04:50-04:57I got done and I said, "So, does that answer your question?" He stared at me blankly.04:59-05:01And he goes, "No."05:02-05:03(congregation laughing)05:04-05:25I said, "Why not?" He goes, "I just wanted to know "if we become angels when we die." And I said, "No." He goes, "Okay, thanks." And I learned that day to answer the question that's being asked.05:27-05:30Well, the Corinthians, they had a lot of questions.05:31-05:35They had a lot of questions about marriage, about idols, about women in church, about the Lord's Supper.05:36-05:38Look at chapter 7 verse 1.05:39-05:45Paul says, "Now concerning the matters about which you wrote," stop there, we're entering a new section, okay?05:45-05:49He talked about the church unified, chapters 1-4.05:50-05:55He talked about the church purified, chapters 5-6.05:56-05:58And now you can see there's a shift.05:59-06:06He says, "You sent me questions and I'm going to give you answers now to the questions that you sent me." Do you see that?06:07-06:09And first up, marriage.06:12-06:13You're going to be shocked.06:13-06:14I'm glad you're sitting down.06:15-06:17But the Corinthians had a lot of problems when it came to marriage.06:20-06:28But you know, the problems that we bring into marriage are our own doing, because the Bible was clear on marriage.06:30-06:34Genesis 2.24, this is the most important verse in the Bible about marriage.06:34-06:38I know this because when asked, this is the verse that Jesus quoted.06:39-06:42When writing about marriage, this was the verse that Paul kept quoting.06:42-06:55The most important verse in the Bible about marriage says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." It's clear.06:55-07:00You leave, you join to your wife, and then the two become one.07:02-07:10Jesus was asked about marriage, divorce, all these matters, Matthew 19, we're going to talk about this later, but Jesus made, it was very clear.07:11-07:15Jesus said marriage is between a man and a woman.07:15-07:19Jesus said in a marriage, it's two people that are brought together by God.07:19-07:24Jesus said it's two becoming one, and He said it's meant to be unbroken.07:24-07:25That's God's design.07:28-07:32Bible's clear about marriage.07:32-07:38But in Paul's day, the Corinthian culture, there were basically four different ways to get married.07:38-07:51I'm just gonna, I don't usually like to preach my homework, But this might be helpful to give us some context as we go through this section, because there are a lot of ways that people got married in that day, all right?07:52-07:54So one way was for slaves.07:54-07:56Slaves weren't considered people, they were considered property.07:57-08:02So for slaves, the owner had the right to just pronounce them married.08:02-08:08If there were two slaves that wanted to get married, it's like, okay, you two are married, so you go stay over there or whatever.08:09-08:09And that was it.08:11-08:14There was also, in that day, common law marriage.08:14-08:20People that were living together unmarried for a year were considered married at that point.08:21-08:23A third way is a father selling his daughter.08:26-08:30And then the fourth way was the sort of the official Roman way.08:32-08:37Interestingly, it's through the Roman customs where we get our customs for marriage.08:37-08:38Did you know that?08:39-08:44from veil to flowers to vows to ring to cake, all came from the Roman culture.08:47-08:49So here's the point of all that.08:50-08:57In this section, Paul is teaching the sacredness of marriage no matter how you got there.08:57-09:07Okay, because there's going to be a lot of people that could raise objections, "But I was married this way, but I..." Paul's like, "However you got there, we're dealing with from here forward.09:08-09:10Let's talk about the sacredness of marriage.09:12-09:14They were a culture that had a high divorce rate.09:16-09:28They were a culture that had homosexuality, a culture of affairs, a culture of, believe it or not, feminists, and a culture of - we talked about this recently - prostitution.09:30-09:32So it's a culture a lot like ours.09:32-10:03There's nothing really new here as far as the kind of sin that they had to deal with with the same stuff. So the question is, "Well, what about sex and marriage?" Well, again, you're going to be shocked, and I'm glad you're sitting down, but the Corinthians had something else that they were divisive over, and that is this. Should you get married, or should you be single?10:06-10:08Which is the godly path?10:09-10:10That's the issue on the table here.10:11-10:13Which is the godly path, married or single?10:14-10:20Because some people said that righteousness is everybody must get married.10:21-10:22That was the Jewish mindset, by the way.10:23-10:24Everybody must get married.10:24-10:27You're not really fully righteous unless you're married.10:27-10:30In fact, you couldn't be a member of the Sanhedrin unless you were married.10:31-10:38So the Jews especially said, "Look, what's right is everybody has to get married." But then there's the other camp.10:40-10:42And the other camp said, "No, no, no, no.10:42-10:43No one should get married.10:43-10:45I mean, have you been paying attention?10:46-10:48Sexual sin is completely out of control.10:49-10:50Marriage is hard.10:50-10:57So being single and never touching a woman, that's the godly way.10:57-11:00In fact, you want to be godly.11:00-11:03If you're married and you want this godly path, you're just going to have to get out of your marriage.11:04-11:05Both of you be single.11:06-11:07That is more spiritual.11:08-11:09That is more devoted to God.11:09-11:13If you're single, you are more devoted to God.11:13-11:17And you know, there's people today that still hold that mindset, like in the Catholic church.11:17-11:18All right?11:18-11:19Priests don't get married.11:19-11:20Nuns don't get married.11:20-11:20Why?11:20-11:24Because you're devoted to God, and you can't really be devoted to God if you're married.11:27-11:30Well, what does the Bible say about that?11:31-11:35Well, let's see how Paul answers this under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.11:35-11:36Look at verse 1 again.11:36-11:48"Now, concerning the matters about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." Okay, stop there.11:48-11:50He goes, okay, first of all, it's good.11:51-11:53He didn't say it's the only good.11:54-11:54Okay?11:55-11:59Paul's not saying singleness is better than marriage.11:59-12:01He's not saying it's worse than marriage.12:01-12:09All he's saying in verse 1 is, "It's not wrong to be single." It is a fine option if you're single.12:11-12:12But there's another option.12:13-12:13Look at verse 2.12:14-12:36He says, "But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband." So Paul says, "The other option, which is marriage, is good too." I mean we saw this, right?12:36-12:42Chapters 5 and 6, there was so much sexual immorality in the church.12:42-12:44They tolerated sexual sin.12:44-12:46They excused sexual sin.12:46-12:48There was no sacredness for marriage.12:48-12:49Huge problem.12:49-12:56So you see, in Corinth and here, it is hard to be pure because of temptation.12:57-12:58That's what Paul is teaching here.12:59-13:04Because there are so many ways to sin sexually.13:08-13:14So Paul here says, because of the temptation to sexual immorality, get a spouse.13:16-13:28Notice he says, "Get your own spouse." design. It's one man for one woman and that one woman for that one man. That is how God designed it. Get your own.13:30-14:11So Paul is saying physical desires are natural and should be enjoyed the way God designed them to be enjoyed. All right? So we're gonna play a quick game here. We're gonna play a game called "Which is Good?" I'm gonna give you a list of two options and you're gonna shout out which is good. You ready for this? You ready? Come on, don't lay an egg here. I need you. I need you. I'll start over. I mean I'll start way over at the beginning. We'll bring the worship team up. We'll start the whole thing over. All right, so you You ready to shout it out?14:11-14:13Which is good, country music or rock music?14:13-14:14Rock.14:16-14:18The answer is both.14:20-14:21All right, which is good?14:22-14:22You ready?14:22-14:23Try again.14:23-14:24I'm gonna give you another chance.14:25-14:26Which is good, pancakes or waffles?14:27-14:28Both.14:28-14:31Both are good, okay?14:32-14:35All right, I think some of you are getting the hang of it.14:35-14:36Let's try one more.14:37-14:39Which is good, baseball or football?14:41-14:42(congregation exclaims)14:49-14:50I'm sorry, the answer is both.14:52-14:53All right, one more, you ready?14:55-14:57Which is good, being single or being married?14:58-14:58Both.14:59-14:59Both.15:02-15:02Both.15:04-15:05The answer's both.15:08-15:12Paul says here - look, if you don't get that, you're going to miss the whole sermon, so you've got to get this.15:12-15:17Paul says here in this passage, look, what you have, church, you have two good options.15:19-15:22Okay? You have two good gifts from God.15:22-15:24You can't have them both at the same time, by the way.15:24-15:26I think I don't have to explain that.15:27-15:29But you have two good options, two good gifts of God.15:30-15:31Single is good.15:32-15:34And married is good.15:35-15:37That's Paul's point here in these first two verses.15:37-16:13expounds on each. So on your outline, draw some things down here. Enjoying your gift from God. Number one, married. Are you married? Are you married? Well, enjoy God's gift for marriage. Okay, now Paul here starts with marriage because it's the norm. Most people are married. Again, one's not better or worse. Most people are married, so that's where he And again in Corinth, many thought you had greater devotion to God if you avoided physical relations.16:14-16:14But there's a problem.16:15-16:22There are some people that thought you have greater devotion to God by avoiding physical relations even if you're married.16:25-16:37And all the men said, "What?" And it's good to not touch a woman even if you're married, and especially if she's not a believer, or vice versa.16:37-16:47If your husband's not a believer, they believe that, look, if you're married to a non-believer, you definitely should not be engaging in any kind of relationship that way.16:48-16:50That was what the people thought.16:51-16:53So here in these verses, Paul's saying, look, are you married?16:53-16:58Then you should enjoy regular times of intimacy.17:01-17:04You should enjoy regular times of intimacy.17:05-17:20And you're like, "Oh, isn't that obvious?" And the answer is it must not be because God spent some time here in His Word explaining some things.17:21-17:22So I don't think it is so obvious.17:24-17:35So what we have here are three laws, three principles for married couples regarding God's design for healthy marital relations, okay?17:37-17:42So we're just gonna break these down by calling them the three laws of marital intimacy.17:43-17:45The three laws of marital intimacy.17:48-17:51First of all, letter A, let's talk about the law of debt.17:52-18:00If you're married, if you're married, You should be enjoying your spouse physically.18:01-18:03And here's the three guidelines, three laws for that.18:03-18:05The first one, the law of debt.18:05-18:06Look at verse three.18:07-18:22He says, "The husband should give to his wife "her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband." Stop there, that's the law of debt.18:22-18:23You're like, why do you say debt?18:23-18:26Because do you know in the Greek, it's literally the debt.18:26-18:30literally in the Greek, it says the husband should give the wife the debt.18:31-18:34And the wife should give her husband the debt.18:34-18:36That's what it says.18:37-18:47Also in the Greek, it's a continuous verb, meaning, Paul's saying husbands and wives, you should continuously be paying a debt to one another physically.18:50-18:57Now listen, the physical part of your marriage is not the most important part of your marriage.19:00-19:06But, it is a very important part of your marriage.19:08-19:09Okay, I'm gonna say that again.19:09-19:13I don't know if I've ever been so careful about the way I worded things in a sermon.19:15-19:20Because I don't want anybody to misunderstand, and I know there's a lot of things that can be easily misunderstood here, so I'm gonna say that again.19:21-19:27The physical part of your marriage is not the most important thing, but it is a very important thing.19:28-19:42And Paul here says, "You owe it to your spouse to allow your spouse to enjoy this." Listen, this is a very sensitive subject.19:42-19:43I know that.19:43-19:46Because there are people that have endured abuse.19:47-19:50There are people who are emotionally scarred.19:50-19:52There are people that have health issues.19:52-20:01And these things make regular, normal relations more difficult.20:06-20:08It might require extra work.20:08-20:12It might require coming to see one of our pastors for counseling.20:12-20:14We can help you with that.20:14-20:17If this is an issue in your marriage, we can help you.20:22-20:24But the principle here is very clear.20:26-20:29If you're married, you are expected to go after this.20:32-20:39God's design is that husbands and wives enjoy meeting each other's needs.20:44-20:59There's a book in the Bible all about that, by the way, right? Song of Solomon. That's what And I know there's some scholars that are like, "The Song of Solomon, you know what the Song of Solomon is about, Pastor Taylor?20:59-21:00You know what it's about.21:00-21:08The Song of Solomon is about the love relationship between Jesus and the church." Spoken like someone who never read the Song of Solomon.21:09-21:10It's not about that.21:12-22:19It is about a couple enjoying the physical aspect of their relationship, their love for another and all its expressions of that love, that's what it's about. God wants you to enjoy each other. I've heard stories of couples that only come together for a physical relationship when it's time to procreate, almost like it's some business exchange. And look, if that happens. If that happens, awesome, awesome. We'll always make room in the nursery. But to reduce the purpose of that just for procreation is still missing the point. The purpose of sex in marriage is intimacy. That's the purpose. It's not just a physical act. It's an act that strengthens love and is an act that sustains love.22:21-22:30But I know, listen, somebody can read this verse, "The husband should give to his wife the debt." Likewise, the wife give to her husband the debt.22:30-22:34Somebody can look at this verse and say, "That sounds so violating.22:36-22:38You mean to tell me…." Is that what you're saying?22:39-22:47I can't… What a patriarchal, male chauvinist church this is, that you're telling me that I can be forced to pay the debt.22:48-22:48Right?22:48-22:49Is that what you're saying?22:50-22:51Not even close.22:53-22:58And I would say that if that's your takeaway, then all due respect, you are completely reading the verse wrong.23:02-23:02Listen closely.23:03-23:10He's not saying that we go into our marriage relationship saying, "You owe me!" No, no, no, no.23:12-23:13Not lording it over.23:14-23:20It's not "You owe me!" It's the mindset of "I owe you." It's submission.23:23-23:26Notice he says to give the debt.23:26-23:27He doesn't say take the debt.23:27-23:28Do you notice that?23:29-23:32He doesn't say, "Husbands, go take what she owes you.23:32-23:35Wives, go take what he owes you." He doesn't say that.23:36-23:43He says in mutual submission, you have to give what you owe your spouse.23:45-23:46That's what he says.23:47-23:52A healthy marriage always focuses on the other person's needs.23:55-23:59And that applies also specifically here to intimacy.24:01-24:02That's what we're saying.24:05-24:09Give your wife, give to her what you owe her.24:10-24:12Wives, give to husbands what you owe him.24:12-24:13It's mutual submission.24:16-24:16All right?24:16-24:17So that's the law of debt.24:18-24:20Secondly, we have letter B, the law of ownership.24:22-24:23Law of ownership, look at verse 4.24:24-24:32And he goes on, "For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does.24:32-24:40Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does." Stop there.24:40-24:43Again, please do not read it wrongly.24:43-24:48Don't go through this and totally miss what he's saying because it would be easy to do.24:48-24:52This is not a pass for abuse.24:54-25:05This is, listen, this verse is not allowing for any kind of situation where someone is being forced into something in any way.25:06-25:08It is not saying that whatsoever.25:08-25:19You're like, "Well, what is it saying then?" In marriage, listen, when you make the decision to marry someone, you have released the authority of your body to your spouse.25:20-25:22And again, in the Greek, that's continual.25:23-25:26What you have in marriage is an exclusive claim.25:27-25:34It's saying no one else owns my body the way that my spouse does, and that includes me.25:36-25:37That's what he's saying.25:38-25:43He's speaking again of a mutual love and selflessness.25:44-25:45That's what he's talking about.25:47-25:55He's talking about a mentality of a husband going before his wife and saying, "Hey, hey, this is all yours.25:57-26:04This is all yours." And then the wife in turn turns to her husband and says, "Yeah, and you know what, baby?26:05-26:06This is all yours.26:11-26:14So have fun." That's what he's saying.26:18-26:20There's the law of death, there's the law of ownership.26:21-26:23Letter C, there's the law of hiatus.26:24-26:25The law of hiatus.26:26-26:27Look at verse 5.26:30-26:55He says, "Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time that that you may devote yourselves to prayer, but then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." The law of hiatus.26:57-26:59Again, he goes, "Stop depriving.26:59-27:07Stop depriving." Again, the Corinthian culture, "Oh, it's holy to deprive my spouse." No, he goes, "It's not holy.27:08-27:08It's just not.27:09-27:14Do not deprive each other, husbands and wives, do not deprive each other.27:15-27:16He says there is an exception.27:18-27:19There are rules for hiatus.27:22-27:23There are rules for hiatus, right?27:24-27:28First part of the rule, number one, is agree, right?27:29-27:30Agree.27:32-27:33That means consent.27:33-27:38That means it's not just one person making the decision.27:41-27:43It's not the wife saying, "You know what, honey?27:43-27:50I've really been thinking about this, and I decided we're taking a hiatus." And the husband's like, "Wait, what?27:51-27:52That's not how it works.27:52-28:00There has to be an agreement on that, all right?" And also number two, it says for a limited time.28:02-28:29a limited time. It's temporary. Again, that time should be agreed upon. You're like, "All right, well, why are we taking a break?" Well, he says very specifically, "If you two decide to take a break for a time from having normal relations, it should be for prayer." And he's not talking about prayer in general. I think he's talking about praying for something specific.28:31-28:43Maybe there's something in your life that is so burdening, so distracting, that you probably can't even enjoy intimacy in that season.28:43-28:45Do you know what I'm talking about?28:46-28:58Maybe you have a child that is really sick and in the hospital and like, "I can't." Obviously neither of us are in the mood for this right now.28:58-28:58We need to pray.29:01-29:33there's the looming threat of a job loss and the stress that comes with, you know, what am I going to do to provide for my family? And you know what, sweetheart, I think we should take a break from this for a season and focus on praying for God's provision in this way. But you agree upon it and you set the boundary of time, but when you're like, man, I just can't get into it as I should, then you take a hiatus, you agree to pray.29:33-29:53But Paul says, "Then, then you have to come together again," he says, "so that you don't get tempted." But the first part of that verse says, "Do not deprive each other.29:55-29:57Stop depriving each other.30:03-30:08Husbands and wives, you cannot use sex to manipulate.30:11-30:19Or more accurately, you can't withhold sex to coerce or punish the other person.30:21-30:35Listen, when you do that, when you use that as coercion or punishment, what you're doing ultimately is only hurting your marriage.30:36-30:37That's what you're doing.30:39-30:42Notice he says, "Come together again." Why?30:42-30:43Why should we come together again?30:44-31:12may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. In other words, closing the kitchen makes you a partner of Satan. All right? Because the urge is still there, and now all of a sudden the person who is supposed to satisfy me absolutely refuses to do that.31:13-31:15And then what happens?31:21-31:23Bitterness is resentment.31:25-31:27Then the evil thoughts start to creep in, right?31:29-31:32I'm so sick of not having my needs met.31:32-31:35I'm so sick of the bedroom being so cold.31:37-31:39And eventually that leads to adultery.31:42-31:55to physical, you find somebody that's scratching the itch that you have, whether it is that emotional itch for affection, whether it's a physical itch.31:58-32:20And then it's justified because, and I've heard it hundreds of times over my ministry, justified because I'm in a loveless marriage." You know, marriages struggle and ultimately individuals walks with Christ struggle because they're so frustrated physically.32:21-32:29It's like I have this appetite and it's just not being met and nothing good comes from that married people.32:30-32:30Alright?32:33-32:35So this is from the Lord.32:37-32:39Enjoy each other as much as possible.32:40-32:40Okay?32:42-32:43It's fun.32:43-32:50It's God's idea and in this passage he reminds us it is the best help in avoiding temptation.32:55-32:56It's the best help in avoiding temptation.32:57-32:58Think about it this way.32:58-33:00Just imagine this scenario.33:01-33:02Imagine this scenario.33:02-33:09Husband wakes up and he comes downstairs and he sees that his wife is baking chocolate chip cookies.33:11-33:13Seven in the morning she's baking chocolate chip cookies.33:15-33:16What a great wife, right?33:17-33:18Oh, it gets better.33:18-33:47He's baking chocolate chip cookies and he sees on the counter, she's obviously been at it for a while because there's a plate and there's a stack of them. And his wife says, "Honey, have all the cookies that you want." And like the dutiful husband that he is, he sits down and he has one, three, six, ten of them! And you know how you feel after eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies, right?33:49-33:50Just me?33:52-33:52(audience laughing)33:54-33:57You know how you feel after you eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies, right?33:59-33:59Thank you.34:00-34:01Thank you.34:02-34:09Your wife says, "Sweetheart, before you go to work, "I want you to have as many of these cookies as you want, "and I wanna tell you something else, honey.34:10-34:17"When you come home, there's gonna be more." So, you indulge.34:20-34:22Let me ask you something, when you get to work, are you hungry for cookies?34:25-34:25No.34:26-34:27Thank you.34:28-34:29Thank you.34:30-34:33One of you is on board now, the rest of you will catch up.34:34-34:35No.34:35-34:39You get to work, you're not hungry for cookies.34:40-34:46So what happens when the co-worker comes over to you and says, "Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink.34:47-34:48Would you like a cookie?34:50-34:56What do you say?" You're like, "I am full.34:58-35:03You wouldn't believe how many cookies I ate before work today." Well, you probably wouldn't say that.35:08-35:09We need to cut that one.35:10-35:11(audience laughing)35:15-35:19You would say, too much Taylor?35:19-35:20Too, oh, okay.35:20-35:27You would say, if she says blink, blink, blink, would you like a cookie?35:27-35:29You would say, no, thank you.35:31-35:31I'm full.35:34-35:35I have all the cookies that I wanted.35:38-35:45And you know, if you go a long time without cookies, self-control is much harder when someone else offers you one.35:49-35:52So if you're married, enjoy the wedding present that God gave you.35:52-35:52Alright?35:54-35:56Number two, single?35:58-35:59Enjoy God's gift of singleness.36:02-36:04I'm going to touch on this quickly.36:04-36:04Why?36:05-36:08He goes way into more detail later.36:08-36:11But right now, understand the point of what he's saying now.36:11-36:14The point of what he's saying now is two good options, right?36:14-36:14Two good options.36:15-36:16Marriage, good option.36:16-36:20And he's like, let's talk about the other good option, being single.36:20-36:21Look at verse six.36:22-36:35He says, "Now as a concession, not a command, I say this." In other words, he's like, look, I'm not commanding everyone to get married.36:35-36:38I'm just putting this out there because of human needs.36:39-36:39Right?36:39-37:19Verse seven, he says, "I wish that all were as I myself am, but each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." So Paul says, "I have this gift and I wish everyone had this gift." Paul's like, "You may not have this gift." Bible's clear, God gives different gifts to different people and some people are uniquely gifted by God for singleness.37:20-37:21Some people are.37:21-37:24Like that is from God himself.37:28-37:33Quickly, Jesus, Matthew chapter 19, again, we referenced this earlier.37:33-37:38He was speaking of marriage and divorce and adultery.37:38-37:41Look, Jesus, this is where Paul gets this.37:42-37:45Paul's just repeating what Jesus was saying here about singleness.37:46-38:07Like I said, Jesus just got done talking about marriage and divorce, and the disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But Jesus said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only to those to whom it is given.38:09-38:19For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.38:20-38:24Let the one who is able to receive this, receive it.38:26-38:28Same thing, same point.38:29-38:32Some people have a gift of singleness given by God.38:34-38:41If you're sitting here, you're like, "Man, I couldn't do it." Well, then you don't have the gift.38:43-38:45That's just all there is to it, right?38:47-38:48If you're sitting here and you're like, "You know what?38:48-38:59am single but I really don't want to be, then you don't have the gift. Because it's a gift from God to be single and content.39:02-39:17It's from God to be single and content, not single and consumed by lust. You don't have the gift if that's the case. Not if single and constantly tempted, you don't have the gift.39:17-39:23Not if single and constantly preoccupied by the fact that I am single, you don't have the gift.39:26-39:26Right?39:27-39:32But for some, it is a gift.39:33-39:45And there are definite advantages to this gift that we're going to talk about very shortly down the road, he picks up on that really in verse 32.39:46-39:56So Paul is saying to the Corinthians, "God's Word preserved by His Holy Spirit saying to us same thing." Look, don't judge the single people, right?39:57-39:58Don't judge the single people.39:58-40:04Maybe they have a gift from God to be single and content, to serve Him in a unique way.40:04-40:04Don't judge them.40:05-40:08And on the other hand, don't judge the married people either.40:09-40:24God has given the gift of marriage, and each side here, the single, the married, each has a gift, so enjoy yours how God intended." Our worship team would make their way up.40:25-40:35You know, in talking about this subject, it's hard to not think about how I heard of this subject when I was but a wee lad.40:38-40:46And you know, growing up, I thought, I'm just gonna be honest with you here, I thought sex was a bad, dirty thing.40:50-41:05Growing up, I thought sex was just this really, it was this really secretive, dirty thing that adults kind of whisper about, and you're like, "Why did you think that?" Because that was the only way it was ever presented.41:07-41:27And you know, so much church, so much church is, "Don't do this, don't do that, don't do this." So much church is, "Let me tell you everything that we're against." And too seldom does the church say what we're for.41:29-41:35But listen, sex is not a bad, dirty thing.41:38-41:41You realize God created it.41:43-41:45You realize the whole thing was His idea.41:46-41:52God is 100% for husbands and wives enjoying the heck out of it.41:55-41:56That's what he intended.41:58-42:01Sex to be one of life's greatest pleasures for a married couple.42:03-42:10So it's a gift for the married and the unmarried get the gift of not needing that wedding gift.42:10-42:13So, which is good?42:15-42:17Married or single?42:20-42:21Both are good.42:23-42:23Enjoy.42:24-42:25Let's pray.42:26-42:31Father in heaven, every good and perfect gift comes from above.42:32-42:55And I pray, Father, that you would give us eyes to see the way that you have blessed and gifted us and that we would use the gifts in a way that honors and glorifies you, whether it's single, to serve you in a unique way, whether it's married, to enjoy this picture of Christ and the church to enjoy the intimacy that comes from knowing somebody so deeply.42:57-43:01Whatever it is, God, let us recognize and enjoy.43:02-43:04And thank You and praise You for all of Your gifts.43:05-43:07We praise You in Jesus' name.43:07-43:08Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 7:1-7What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Explain the “3 Laws of Marital Intimacy” in your own words (1 Cor 7:3-5).What does it mean that “the wife doesn't have authority over her own body, but the husband does, (and vice-versa)”? Is this making allowance for some kind of coercion to intimacy? Why or why not?How would you respond to a single friend who asks, “How do I know if I have the gift of singleness?”BreakoutPray for one another.

Daily Morning Prayer and the Lord's Supper (Sexagesima 2026) from Trinity Anglican Church (Connersville, IN).

Deliverance | വിടുതൽ | Morning Glory 1836 | Br. Damien Antony | Malayalam Christian Messages

Daily Dose of Hope February 6, 2026   Scripture: I Corinthians 11   Prayer: Dear Holy God, Your love is amazing.  Thank you for the way you care for us.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, help us focus on you...Lord Jesus, help us set aside every distraction and take this time to lean on you.  We want to hear your voice.  Amen.   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We have been walking through Paul's letters and it has been challenging!  We've made it through Galatians, I and II Thessalonians, and we are now in I Corinthians. Our reading for today is I Corinthians 11.  The first part of the chapter has to do with head coverings. I didn't choose that for our main focus today but I do think it is worth a brief mention. Paul implores the women to cover their heads and the men not to cover their heads. This is confusing to us in a time and place in which head coverings serve an entirely different purpose (typically shade from the sun, warmth, or an accessory). But in ancient Greek and Roman culture, the main difference between a man and woman's attire was that women covered their head with a scarf-like material. The only women who did not do this were high class mistresses, slaves, prostitutes, and pagan prophetesses. Thus, when the women didn't wear their head covering or it fell off in the movement of worship, it was a significant distraction. In a highly patriarchal culture, it definitely sent the wrong signal, one that Paul really didn't want these women to send. Then, there is this whole issue with the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion.  Remember, they didn't have church buildings and they met in people's homes.  In fact, they met in some of the wealthier members' homes, because they had bigger homes that could accommodate a larger group.  Makes sense.  But the wealthier church members, who probably knew each other fairly well because they all ran in the same circles, were meeting ahead of time for a grand meal, that they would pair with communion, and they were eating and drinking and eating and drinking.  You can see where this is going.   By the time the poorer church members got off work and arrived, the wealthier people had been eating and drinking for quite a while.  All the food was eaten and they were drunk.  There were also no seats in the main room.  So, the poor people were basically sitting in a different area, hungry, without what they needed to receive communion together with the rest of the church.  It was like two separate churches, one for the rich and one for the poor.  And, not surprisingly, resentment was growing.  This is totally patronizing for the poor people.  Paul is appalled.  You can hear it in the letter, "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? Why are you bringing this mess to church???"  Paul was basically saying that the Corinthians could not call what they were doing the Lord's Supper.    Keep in mind, the Corinthian society was very segregated.  Rich people didn't associate with poor people.  Classes stayed separate.  It isn't surprising that the rich in the church didn't want to hang out with the poor people.  They were dirty and hard to make conversation with.  And the poor people probably were really intimidated by the rich people.  Yet, Jesus had set up his church to be different from culture and that is what Paul is getting at here.  The Gospel turns things upside down.   We can look at Christians throughout the ages – the huge disparity of rich and poor, the way people of color were often turned away at the church door.  We had that in our own denomination.  I just got done reading White Trash (by Nancy Isenberg), which attempts to tell the story of class in America.  And it talks about how the wealthy classes totally discarded the poor.  They called the poor "waste people."  It was like their lives had totally no value to them.  And this is what got me: The wealthy aristocracy, who called the poor whites and blacks around them waste people, they attended church every Sunday.  They believed in God, they professed faith in Jesus.  And Jesus walked closely with the poor.  The Gospel was good news to the poor.  So, what happened?    As a church, I'm not sure we have really wanted the Gospel message.  We like it, as long as it gets us into heaven but we don't like it when it means we have to change our lives and our prejudices and our perspectives.  We like wearing a cross but not carrying one.    In Corinth, they were basically showing that their belief wasn't genuine.  They were demonstrating a value system, it just wasn't Jesus'.  I think through the ages, the church has demonstrated a value system, it just often has not been Jesus' value system.    What about New Hope?  What value system do we demonstrate?    What value system do you demonstrate?  I promise you, the way we live Monday – Saturday is showing the people around us who we are and who we belong to, just like in Corinth.  It's just as true today.  Who do we belong to?  Is it going to be about us or is it going to be about Jesus?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!Here we conclude my discussion with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe on the topic of honor; I hope you've benefitted from it half as much as I have. We wrap up by talking about the honor God says is waiting for us at the end, how we build confidence in His promises, and how we sustain ourselves along the way while He waits to give it to us. If you're thinking we may not quite be done talking about the book of Philippians, prepare to not be disappointed.Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Cedar Park church of Christ in the Austin area. He and Paul White host the Stand Strong Podcast. Check it out at https://standstrong.buzzsprout.com/BJ Sipe, also a husband and father of three, is with the church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl3Ug77n1gc for links to simulcasts from the work at Danville and to https://setyourmindabove.buzzsprout.com/ to find the Set Your Mind Above podcast.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.

Acceleration | വേഗവർദ്ധന | Morning Glory 1835 | Br. Damien Antony | Malayalam Christian Messages

Why is the Lord's Supper so important for the Christian life? Today, W. Robert Godfrey considers the meaning and significance of this sacrament instituted by Christ. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/ask-ligonier/why-is-the-lords-supper-important/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ Submit a biblical or theological question of your own by calling 1-800-607-9386 or by emailing an audio recording of your question to askligoniervm@ligonier.org. You can also receive real-time answers through our online chat service at https://ask.ligonier.org/. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

OPC minister/prolific author Harrison Perkins and PCA pastor/author Stephen Spinnenweber join us to talk about the importance and frequency of the Lord's Supper and the finer points of Reformed worship.  Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Vkd3n6cjw Articles: https://gospelreformation.net/passive-worship-makes-passive-christians/ https://gospelreformation.net/passive-worship-makes-passive-christians-pt-2/  

We ask for God's kingdom to come among us. Where you find the kingdom, there you find the King (Jesus). Where you find the King (Jesus), there you find the kingdom. We ask that He would give us His Holy Spirit to believe His Word. An earthly kingdom is found by the work of its people and by force. God's kingdom is found by the work of God in Christ and by His grace. His kingdom is seen now by the Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. We anticipate beholding the kingdom that is yet to come, that we may keep our focus on what truly matters in this life! Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Minot, ND, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study the 2nd Petition of the Lord's Prayer.

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!Believe it or not, we're not done yet talking about how we show honor to politicians and other public figures. I guess we just can't help ourselves. Again, Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe are here sharing their thoughts; as the conversation continued, we tried to get a little more practical in our application. Regardless of your political affiliation, I think they will both exhort you to stand for the right and urge caution in dealing with those you think are in the wrong.Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Cedar Park church of Christ in the Austin area. He and Paul White host the Stand Strong Podcast. Check it out at https://standstrong.buzzsprout.com/BJ Sipe, also a husband and father of three, is with the church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl3Ug77n1gc for links to simulcasts from the work at Danville and to https://setyourmindabove.buzzsprout.com/ to find the Set Your Mind Above podcast.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.

Release | തുറന്നുവിടൽ | Morning Glory 1834 | Br. Damien Antony | Malayalam Christian Messages

Register your feedback here. Always good to hear from you!We're back with more from my conversation with Noah Diestelkamp and BJ Sipe, preachers with the churches in Cedar Park, Texas, and Danville, Kentucky, respectively; check out their links in the show notes. It's the segment you've all been waiting for: a definitive answer as to whether we really have to honor our governmental officials, even the ones we think – nay, we KNOW – are agents of the devil. Something's telling me we might need more than one segment for this question.Noah Diestelkamp, husband and father of three, works with the Cedar Park church of Christ in the Austin area. He and Paul White host the Stand Strong Podcast. Check it out at https://standstrong.buzzsprout.com/BJ Sipe, also a husband and father of three, is with the church of Christ in Danville, Kentucky. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl3Ug77n1gc for links to simulcasts from the work at Danville and to https://setyourmindabove.buzzsprout.com/ to find the Set Your Mind Above podcast.Check out Hal on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@halhammons9705Hal Hammons serves as preacher and shepherd for the Lakewoods Drive church of Christ in Georgetown, Texas. He is the host of the Citizen of Heaven podcast. You are encouraged to seek him and the Lakewoods Drive church through Facebook and other social media. Lakewoods Drive is an autonomous group of Christians dedicated to praising God, teaching the gospel to all who will hear, training Christians in righteousness, and serving our God and one another faithfully. We believe the Bible is God's word, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that heaven is our home, and that we have work to do here while we wait. Regular topics of discussion and conversation include: Christians, Jesus, obedience, faith, grace, baptism, New Testament, Old Testament, authority, gospel, fellowship, justice, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, Twenty Pages a Week, Bible reading, heaven, hell, virtues, character, denominations, submission, service, character, COVID-19, assembly, Lord's Supper, online, social media, YouTube, Facebook.

Podcast Episode 213 - The Lord's Supper by Saylorville Church

Tonight we partake of the Lord's Supper. All of us must drink from a cup. Which cup will you choose?