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When Jesus finally arrived at the home of Mary and Martha, their brother Lazarus was already dead and buried. Their first words to Jesus were, "If only you had been here." Was this a statement of anger, or blame, or faith? What did Martha expect Jesus to do when she said to Him, "Whatever You ask of God, He will do?" Could she have anticipated what would happen next at Lazarus' tomb after Jesus proclaimed, "I Am the resurrection and the life?"
Saturday, 31 May 2025 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. Matthew 10:24 “A disciple, he is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord” (CG). In the previous verse, Jesus noted that His disciples will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Now, He will make a point about the treatment they will receive, building upon what He has said in the previous verses, saying, “A disciple, he is not above the teacher.” This is why one is a teacher and the other is a disciple. The disciple is inferior to the teacher in the subject in which he is being taught. This is to be taken as an axiom. Someone may be more proficient than others in one area while being less so in another. Therefore, the teacher in one case may be a disciple in another. In the case of Jesus, however, He will always be in the place of instruction. Along with this, He continues with, “nor a servant above his lord.” This, too, is to be taken as an axiom. There are those who are in exalted positions, and there are those who are below them. This may be based on any of the innumerable reasons, but when someone is lord over another, the other is in a subservient position and will remain at the disposal of the Lord. In the case of Jesus, it is this way for all of humanity. He alone is God incarnate and the sinless Son of God. The reason for His words will be further explained in the verses ahead, but what He says here is restated in other ways several times by Him – “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40 “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.” John 13:16 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:20 Life application: In schools in America today, there is little discipline, almost no respect for teachers or others in positions of authority, and the schools have become a breeding ground for societal degradation. This has been planned and executed by communist ideology that hates faith in Jesus Christ and the Christian nature of the nation. The same is true with other once-Christian societies. There are various ways in which those in power are working to destroy the Christian heritage of those nations in order to remove the supposed bonds of faith in Christ as a principal tenet of national morality. Because this is true, for those who espouse Christ and the values He established in His word, it can be expected that those who hate this way of life will grow increasingly vociferous against Christians and Christian ideology. This will continue to the point where it is acceptable to harm Christians without any negative repercussions from the government. This was certainly the case during the Biden administration, where the government itself became a weaponized tool against Christian colleges, Christian teachings, and Christian churches. The pendulum has swung back in the opposite direction under President Trump, and he is establishing groups to secure religious freedom as well as bring to account those who previously persecuted Christians in the government. They are being weeded out, and some will hopefully be going to jail for their illegal conduct. This is good news, but it is something that is one election away from going back in the other direction. Therefore, Christians must always be ready to speak up for their faith and to work against the forces of evil that are out there. Be informed of what is going on. A real battle is being waged, a spiritual battle. Unless you make yourself aware of it, you will not be able to do anything about it. Jesus' words ring just as true today as they did two thousand years ago. Glorious God, thank You for the hope we possess concerning a new world where righteousness rules forever and ever. Whatever You have in store for Your people, we know it will be glorious. Someday, all wickedness will be removed, and there will be joy everlasting. How we long for that day! Amen.
Join us in our first service with Pastor Billy as he delivers the message "Whatever You're Doing, Don't Do It Without Me"CCLI: CSPL170728 Size B.
Moms often start the summer feeling energized, encouraged and ready to go! Then around week 6 or 7, the kids are fighting, they never seem happy and everything sucks. This is your late summer pep talk to help you get out of that funk and get through the rest of summer.If you're having a great summer, I love that for you. But if you're struggling, if you're burned out, resentful or overwhelmed, if you're feeling like your kids are out of control, then this is your episode. You'll Learn:Why this late summer with kids feels so tough (it's totally normal!)How to get what you want out of the rest of the summerWhat to do when your kid's behavior has gotten out of controlHow to fit mini breaks into your busy dayI'm giving you 3 strategies to help you reset your body, mind and limits. If you're feeling crappy about how things are going, your kid is pushing boundaries or you're just plain exhausted, these are for you.-------------------------------------Believe me when I tell you that you are not the only one feeling this way. We're in the doldrums of summer, where the initial excitement has worn off but it's not back-to-school time just yet. Whatever You've Done Is EnoughIt's easy to look around and think that other families have it easier, other moms seem happier and other kids are having more fun. But whatever you've done is enough.Whether your kids are home or at camp, no matter what they're doing, they're probably going to look back on their summer as being pretty great. Because they're not at school. Summer is magical for children. There's fun and late nights and ice cream and maybe a vacation. You don't have to create some unicorn magical experience for your kid in order to create a good feeling for them. So whatever you've done or whatever you've planned, I want you to sink into the fact that it's enough. Your kids are having a great summer because it's summer. That is enough. Late Summer StrategiesThat being said, there's some summer left to go, and you might need a little boost to help you through it.This time of the summer can be a great time for a reset. I'm sharing 3 different strategies you can try. Option #1: Mindset ResetThis reset will help you figure out what you want out of the rest of the summer and make it happen.I often talk about chasing feelings, and this is exactly that. How do you want the rest of your summer to feel? How do you want to feel while it's happening? Personally I have been feeling a bit discouraged, sad and disappointed lately, thinking things like, “This summer was wasted,” and “I didn't plan well. I didn't do it right.” So I'm working to shift to a more positive mindset. For the rest of my summer, I'm chasing connection. I want to feel really close to my kids. I'm practicing thoughts like, “I can make family time happen,” “My kids love hanging out with us,” “My kids want to be part of a family,” and “Connection happens in simple ways.”From these thoughts, I'll decide on some actions I want to take to feel that connection. Then, I'll ask my kids if they'd be interested in or willing to do those things. If not, we'll brainstorm together and come up with some new ideas. Choose the feeling you want to chase, come up with some thoughts that will help you feel that way and make a list of actions that will help you get the thing you want for the rest of the summer. Option #2: Limit ResetIf your kids seem super dysregulated or you're seeing a lot of sibling squabbles or out-of-bounds behavior, it might be time for a Limit Reset.A big thing that happens during the summer is that we go outside of our boundaries and get loosey goosey...
During this sermon, we will examine the prayer: Send me. Sample Prayer: God, I know You want to use me to show Your love in this world. Give me eyes to see needs of others and a heart that dares to get involved where You are working. God, my life is Yours. Whatever You want, wherever You lead—here I am, Lord, send me.
Do you stop yourself from making mistakes? Do you want to shift your perspective on fear? Today, let's welcome the one and only Orlando Bloom. Orlando gained widespread fame for his roles in some of the most popular films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Pirates of the Caribbean series. He will be seen starring in Peacock's limited adventure docuseries, To The Edge, which he also produced. Off-screen, Orlando is known for his humanitarian efforts, including his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Orlando shares insights from his life as an actor, adventurer, and someone deeply involved in spirituality. He talks about how meditation and mindfulness help him stay balanced despite the hectic nature of being a celebrity, his views on masculinity, the importance of embracing both masculine and feminine qualities, and striving for balance and introspection in life. We also get to hear stories about facing and overcoming fears, embracing vulnerability, and the lessons he's learned from these challenges. This episode isn't just about getting to know a renowned actor but diving into the personal journey of a man who is constantly looking for deeper meaning and connections in life. In this interview, you'll learn:How to overcome fearHow to maintain balance in a hectic lifeHow to incorporate mindfulness into everyday activitiesHow to explore and embrace different aspects of your personalityHow to use life's challenges as growth opportunities Tune in now for a discussion full of insights on overcoming fears, embracing spirituality, and pursuing personal growth. With Love and Gratitude,Jay Shetty What We Discuss:02:28 Working in an Unscripted Space06:09 What's Your Earliest Childhood Fear?08:35 Practicing Buddhism13:49 The Lotus Sutra20:16 The 8 Wins26:28 Trusting Your Life and Becoming Capable36:33 Being Present While on the Edge44:48 Any Moment Could Be Your Last45:43 The Deepest Mirror You'll Ever Have48:58 What Did You Learn from Your Past Relationships?51:22 Introducing Buddhism Practice to My Kids55:33 Whatever You're Saying, You Become01:02:22 Loving the Parenting Journey01:07:16 The Impacts of Your Decisions01:09:13 Opportunities Through Obstacles01:17:40 Buddhism Is My Anchor01:18:59 The Fear You're Currently Overcoming01:26:04 Orlando Bloom on Final Five Episode Resources: Orlando Bloom | Instagram Orlando Bloom | Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Every Saturday, we review the promises of the week so we can allow them to go deep into our hearts and lives. Here are the promises we covered this week. Colossians 3:16 – The Word of Christ Dwells in You. Romans 8:1 – In Christ, there is no Condemnation. Galatians 5:22-23 – You Have the Fruit of the Spirit Hebrews 4:16 – Come to God with Confidence. Psalm 1:3 – Whatever You do will Prosper.
In this first of 2 episodes on Psalm 135 Chad talks about our plenteous supply of other gods, and meditates on how the God aboves all gods cares for us. John and Cathy Schreiner sing "I Know That the Lord is Great" Show Notes: Support 1517 1517 Podcasts The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 on Youtube What's New from 1517: Remembering Rod Rosenbladt New 1517 Academy Course: The Early Church: Christ, Controversies and Characters with Bruce Hillman Preorder: Encouragement for Motherhood Edited by Katie Koplin Available Now: Be Thou My Song by Kerri Tom Here We Still Stand 2023 Videos are Available on YouTube Last Chance: NWA Conference May 3rd-4th More from the hosts: Chad Bird Lyrics to "I Know That the Lord is Great" You send the wind The clouds and rain You send forth justice And You send forth pain Whatever You please Whatever You wish You alone can do And It is good Chorus For I know the Lord is great above all gods Christ reigns as King Forever and ever And You provide Every loving, perfect gift Whatever You please Whatever You wish Whatever You please It is good Kings and kingdoms You raise them up And strikes them down And give us their land And we fill Your temple To praise the Lord For His power and grace I will praise His name I know the Lord is great I know the Lord is great
We love a girl that can do both: get into a super juicy meditation and breath work sesh, and then later in the day be relaxed on the couch binging the new season of Real Housewives. And we're never feeling guilty about it!!!We're getting real in this episode about being the most authentic version of you. We are allowed to be spiritual AND watch reality TV, enjoy celebrity gossip, be obsessed with hip hop. Whatever YOU like is ALL THAT MATTERS!Sometimes when we are on a spiritual journey, we can think that we are meant to leave behind some of the things in our past, like we were meant to ascend past liking Real Housewives or shaking our booty in the club or just being interested in whatever the TikTok drama of the week is.But here's the thing…WE get to choose how we spend our time as individuals. WE get to embody the electric, powerful, magnetic authenticity that we are all so blessed to experience. And as we've deepened our authenticity, we've come to the realization that we GET to do whatever the hell that we want, and we will not spend one more day feeling guilty about it.So this is your sign to embody your authentic self, your FULL expression, no matter what that means for you. IT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT TO EMBODY YOUR FULLEST EXPRESSION!Join us as we champion the idea that living a spiritual life doesn't have to fit within a box—it breaks it wide open.We want to share with you our FREE Self Doubt Workbook with you, so that you can push past limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and fears to arrive at a place of self-acceptance and self-love. This workbook will help you get in the PRESENT moment, through understanding of your brain, our favorite tips and tricks, and so much more. This workbook is meant to launch you forward in 2024, to align with your highest self and open you up to new possibilities.For more information visit our website here: https://www.mindfully-moody.com/xoxo, Sara & Hannah
It was Christmas Eve a long time ago, and we got an emergency S.O.S. phone call from a school principal that we knew in Patterson, New Jersey. She actually had promised to supply Christmas toys for some of her students who were burned out families, and I think at that time Patterson was one of the arson capitols of the country. Actually, she had come up short and it was Christmas Eve. So - this emergency call was asking if we could help. Well, I was pretty thrilled to see our kids respond. They dropped everything and started digging into their old toys for things to give, and then came the fire engine. It was my oldest son's favorite. It was this big, new, bright red Tonka fire engine. And with both hands he carried it upstairs and extended it to me to be put in the Christmas bag. And I said, "Oh, son, are you sure you want to give this? I mean, I don't want you to feel bad about this tomorrow." I think he was almost offended. He looked at me with those big, blue eyes and he said, "Dad! Isn't this what Jesus coming here is all about?" Oh, man, I melted. You see, even at his young age, my son knew that even your most precious possessions really belong to the Lord and are to be held loosely, whether they're toy trucks or the children who play with them. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hug Them Tightly, But Hold Them Loosely." Our word for today from the Word of God, it's from 1 Samuel 1. It's about a mother who could not have wanted her child more. Her name is Hannah. She has suffered many childless years, frustrated years. She gives God a desperate prayer, "Lord, give me a child." And He gives her a glorious answer in the person of a baby - Samuel. She says in verse 20, after the baby comes, "I will name him Samuel because I asked the Lord for him." Then in verse 22, it says, "Hannah did not go up to the temple. She said to her husband, 'After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord and he will live there at the temple always.'" She wants him to be raised for the Lord's service by the High Priest. Verse 27: "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." Man! Hannah loved her child dearly, but she held him loosely. You know, I think many of us Christian parents can say, "Whatever You want, Lord, about everything we have except maybe my son or my daughter." You see, it's one thing for our children to need us; it's something else for us to need them too much. Had Hannah needed Samuel too much, she would have restricted God's training, and God's movement, and God's plans for his life. Without realizing it, we often end up standing in the way of God's best for our kids because, well, we might lose their attention, or their closeness, or their help that we need. Or the identity that they give us. Maybe our dreams for them are different from God's dreams for them. But we continue to press our expectations, maybe even using spiritual language to do it. It's so easy to let our children become an extension of our ego, our hopes, our dreams rather than letting them simply be God's servants. Maybe you even have a child God is calling into His service and you're kind of standing in the way. We just dare not forget that our children are God's property trusted to us. We dare not hijack them from His service to be in ours. Oh, love them deeply, but don't hold them back. Hug them tightly, but hold them loosely.
Whatever You want is what I want! ❤️
Homily from the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Whatever You ask of me, the answer is yes. One of the more challenging reminders of this series is that God is the point of all of this. He is not only the Main Character, but this is also His Story. Nonetheless, we have been given a role; we have been created and redeemed in order to play our part. Mass Readings from December 24, 2023: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16 Psalms 89:2-5, 27, 29Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38
You know, you and I are living in a, well, a pretty adjustable world. I mean, we have adjustable rate mortgages, and I have an adjustable wrench that changes sizes for different jobs. Good thing we have adjustable clothes, because it seems like we have adjustable bodies don't we? We have one size that fits all even . And, of course, negotiations that go on between nations, oh yeah, constantly adjusting their views, and their policies, and their public statements. And then politicians...you get it. As the situation changes, we all seem willing to change almost everything with it-sometimes including the truth. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "My Bible, My Bottom Line." Now, our word for today from the Word of God. We're in Luke 5:5. And we find out that Simon Peter, for all of his weaknesses, had one thing that gave him the heart of a disciple. There was one bottom line in his life that simply was not negotiable. And that must have been what Jesus loved about him. Maybe you remember the incident where he had just been out all night fishing, and he came in and Jesus said, "Now, I'd like you to go out again." Okay, it was already the heat of the day, and Simon Peter could think of all kinds of reasons to do something else. It's going to be inconvenient, we're going to get the nets dirty again. You don't catch fish in the day if you don't catch them at night. I'm going to look foolish to the other fishermen. "Hello! Nobody goes out in the middle of the day, Simon." It's not going to work. No, and he'd already tried and he failed. A lot of reasons; a lot of things that told him not to do what Jesus said. But listen to what he says, "Master, we've worked hard all night. We haven't caught anything" - which sounds like that's going to be the reason he won't do what Jesus said. But listen to the next sentence: "but because You say so, I will let down the nets." That's the heart of a disciple. "If you say so, Jesus, I'll do it." That's the bottom line no matter what anyone else says. Now, today there's kind of a dangerous drift from that kind of spirit-filled, scripture-anchored stability. "Thus saith the Lord." Well, that's often compromised by "thus saith society" or "thus saith the Gallup Survey" or the culture, or it's compromised by the latest best seller or what somebody said on a talk show or a website. Sometimes I think we have a tendency to follow sociology more than theology. For example, you could take the issue of divorce. In the Christian world, divorce became accepted pretty quickly. Now, society says it's okay, but has God changed His mind? He uses strong language in Malachi 3, and He doesn't say he hates divorced people, He doesn't. But He does say, "I hate divorce." He hates to see a marriage break up. See, the problem is we tend to have an adjustable truth. There are a lot of examples of that if it's out-of-step with what's culturally cool or personally convenient. God's truth has always been out-of-step with the culture. Like Peter, we must go to the Bible alone for our view, not to what makes sense to us or to say, "Well, now this is affecting someone I know, or maybe I could change my view." I always say, "When the verse gets a face, the verse is going out the window." See, the Bible clearly tells us what fulfilling womanhood is, no matter what sociology says. It tells us what manhood is; it tells us that marriage is forever. It talks about sex that is meant to be between one man and one woman within a lifetime, permanent commitment. Anything else is outside of God's boundaries. It certainly shows us that politics are not the focus of a Christian's energies. No, it's the Kingdom of God that we're supposed to seek first. It's time that we returned, I think, with humility to an open Bible and say, "God, how do You feel about this? Whatever You say, that's it! I'll do it." Now, we have to always speak with love and with humility, but always with His authority too. We, who love the Bible, are the only ones with the whole story; we've got God's truth. And those things? They're just not adjustable. They are not negotiable.
One of the most difficult things about the faith is not simply desiring God with all of our heart, but allowing God and His desire for us to transform us and shape us. It means allowing Him to draw us into His own life and virtue. We are to become in the world what He is to us. Therefore, we are immediately confronted with the fact that we have to let go of the limited powers of our own reason and judgment. We must place our faith and hope in the providence of God to guide us along the path that leads to salvation. Like Saint Peter there often comes a time in our life when another binds us and leads us where we do not want to go. There will likely be many occasions when we are called to die to self and sin and to live for God alone - come what may.! The afflictions that we bear and our desire NOT to force our will upon others can only emerge from this reality. We must put on the mind of Christ. We must become what we receive in the holy Eucharist. All that we suffer must be seen as united to Christ's redemptive work on the cross. Christianity is about as far from being a philosophical system or ideology as something could be. It is Divine Life and Love. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:01:48 FrDavid Abernethy: page 374 00:02:05 FrDavid Abernethy: Welcome Susanna 00:02:15 FrDavid Abernethy: Facebook friend :-0 00:02:33 Susanna Joy: Reacted to "Facebook friend :-0" with ☺️ 00:02:49 Susanna Joy: Thank you, Father. 00:02:57 FrDavid Abernethy: You're very welcome 00:41:30 John: Would making asceticism an end in itself a type of obeying the letter of the law, rather than the spirit? 00:42:31 Susanna Joy: This is very helpful advice for me right niw, as I have been staying at my friend's spiritual community, and being so distressed at members' contentiousness...wondering what to do and stay cenetered/bring a spirit if peace 00:42:50 Susanna Joy: *spirit of peace 00:46:15 Susanna Joy: Yes...exactly. .. Love must return to its Source in order to flow ever onward... Remembering to turn to Christ in these moments 00:49:02 TFredman: (My name is Tracey) The hardest Lent I ever had was when my spiritual director suggested a different type of fast - a fast from just what we are talking about. Taking his counsel to heart, I decided that a contentious coworker would not disturb my peace and I would love her - oh yes, she was my Lenten project. It was incredibly difficult. She did her best to destroy me and to talk about me to others and to in effect destroy our "team" during the most difficult season of our work. I suffered through that Lent and beyond more than I can express. But through it all, I was at peace and grace followed. 00:51:52 John: At a retreat in June, I was given a Holy Card with a prayer of St. Charles de Foucauld: An Act of Abandonment: "Father, I abandon myself into Your hands. Do with me what you will. Whatever You may do, I thank you. I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures - I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into Your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to Thee with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into Your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence. For You are my Father. Amen. 00:52:43 carol nypaver:
Pistis Means Faith. Whatever You're Feeding Your Soul Is What Is Going To Come Out: GIGO. Is It God Or Garbage You're Feeding Yourself? Hebrews 11:6 6Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
Welcome to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast," where we explore how to listen and respond to God's voice. I'm your host, Matthew Adams, and today we're focusing on Luke 6:49, a verse that reminds us of the importance of not only hearing God's voice but also obeying His commands. "Anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation." Let's dive into three key points to consider as we learn how to approach God's voice with a heart ready to obey and a commitment to act on His guidance.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it.When we desire to hear God's voice, we must understand that we're making a commitment to follow His wisdom and direction. In today's discussion, we'll explore the importance of embracing God's guidance, the responsibility that comes with hearing His voice, and the power of obedience in building a solid foundation for our lives.Point 1: The importance of embracing God's guidance When we hear God's voice, we must be prepared to follow His wisdom and direction. This commitment to obedience is essential for a strong relationship with God and for building a life grounded in His truth.Point 2: The responsibility of hearing God's voice Hearing God's voice comes with a sobering responsibility. Once we've heard His guidance on a particular issue, we must choose to either embrace His wisdom or turn our backs on Him. This choice can have significant consequences for our spiritual lives.Point 3: The power of obedience in building a solid foundation Obedience to God's voice is the foundation upon which we build our lives. By committing to follow His guidance, we create a strong, stable, and lasting relationship with Him.Conclusion: As we seek to hear God's voice, let us remember the importance of embracing His guidance and the responsibility that comes with hearing His voice. By choosing to obey God's commands, we build a solid foundation for our lives, one that will withstand the challenges and trials we may face.Call to Action: This week, as you listen for God's voice, make a commitment to not only hear His guidance but also act on it. When you receive His direction, embrace it as absolute truth, and let it shape your choices and actions. Share your experiences of obedience with friends or family members, and encourage one another to build your lives on the foundation of God's wisdom and direction.Thank you for joining us on "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast." If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and subscribe for more discussions on hearing and responding to God's voice. Until next time, may you build a solid foundation in your life through your obedience to God's voice.Let's Pray…Father, my heart is Yours. Whatever You say, no matter how unexpected or challenging it is, I'll do it. My desire is to accept Your will, even before I know what it is. Please share it with me clearly.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to My Reasons To Believe at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast," where we explore how to listen and respond to God's voice. I'm your host, Matthew Adams, and today we're focusing on Luke 6:49, a verse that reminds us of the importance of not only hearing God's voice but also obeying His commands. "Anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation." Let's dive into three key points to consider as we learn how to approach God's voice with a heart ready to obey and a commitment to act on His guidance.Thank you for reading My Reasons To Believe. This post is public so feel free to share it.When we desire to hear God's voice, we must understand that we're making a commitment to follow His wisdom and direction. In today's discussion, we'll explore the importance of embracing God's guidance, the responsibility that comes with hearing His voice, and the power of obedience in building a solid foundation for our lives.Point 1: The importance of embracing God's guidance When we hear God's voice, we must be prepared to follow His wisdom and direction. This commitment to obedience is essential for a strong relationship with God and for building a life grounded in His truth.Point 2: The responsibility of hearing God's voice Hearing God's voice comes with a sobering responsibility. Once we've heard His guidance on a particular issue, we must choose to either embrace His wisdom or turn our backs on Him. This choice can have significant consequences for our spiritual lives.Point 3: The power of obedience in building a solid foundation Obedience to God's voice is the foundation upon which we build our lives. By committing to follow His guidance, we create a strong, stable, and lasting relationship with Him.Conclusion: As we seek to hear God's voice, let us remember the importance of embracing His guidance and the responsibility that comes with hearing His voice. By choosing to obey God's commands, we build a solid foundation for our lives, one that will withstand the challenges and trials we may face.Call to Action: This week, as you listen for God's voice, make a commitment to not only hear His guidance but also act on it. When you receive His direction, embrace it as absolute truth, and let it shape your choices and actions. Share your experiences of obedience with friends or family members, and encourage one another to build your lives on the foundation of God's wisdom and direction.Thank you for joining us on "The Power Of God's Whisper Podcast." If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others and subscribe for more discussions on hearing and responding to God's voice. Until next time, may you build a solid foundation in your life through your obedience to God's voice.Let's Pray…Father, my heart is Yours. Whatever You say, no matter how unexpected or challenging it is, I'll do it. My desire is to accept Your will, even before I know what it is. Please share it with me clearly.My Reasons To Believe is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Power Of God's Whisper at myr2b.substack.com/subscribe
Rebecca, Laurie and Hannah chat to Demi Anter about her collection Small Machines, the different poetry scenes in London, Berlin and the US, and the fun of attempting to get an artist's visa in the UK. There's also a poem from Ned Ashcroft and a sneak peak of our book review episode on Whatever You've Got by Molly Naylor. That episode will be out in the next couple of weeks. You can find out more about Demi here: https://www.demianter.com/ She will be hosting an online event, celebrating Small Machine's first birthday on April 30th, and you can find tickets for that here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/small-machine-one-year-anniversary-tickets-592216283847 You can find out more about NEd Ashcroft here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ZvvLlfHLHQSgaAgf10082 ALSO our friends at Boomerang and Speak Equal are holding a special fundraising event for our friend Caz Teague's top surgery at the Jago in Dalston on May 3. You can find out more about the event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fundraiser-for-caz-london-queer-writers-x-boomerang-club-tickets-616675812957 and Caz's GoFundMe is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/caz-top-surgery ALSO,
We close out the week with a Friday Free For All. Whatever YOU want to talk about, goes. That's the focus of today's TDN Daily.
Father,I abandon myself into Your hands;do with me what You will.Whatever You may do, I thank You;I am ready for all, I accept all.Let only Your will be done in me,and in all Your creatures-I wish no more than this, O Lord.Into your hands I commend my soul;I offer it to You with all the love of heart,for I love You, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into Your handswithout reserve,and with boundless confidence,for You are my Father.-Charles de FoucauldSupport the show
We can all, at times, have dreams of grandeur. What if I were rich and famous? What if I had great power in this world? What if I were the Pope or the President? But what we can be certain of is that God does have great things in mind for us. He calls us to a greatness we could never imagine. One problem that often arises is that, when we begin to sense what God wants of us, we run away and hide. God's Divine Will often calls us out of our comfort zone and requires great trust of Him and abandonment to His Holy Will (See Diary #429).Are you open to what God wants of you? Are you willing to do whatever He asks? Often times we wait for Him to ask, then think about His request, and then become filled with fear over that request. But the key to fulfilling the Will of God is to say “Yes” to Him even before He asks anything of us. Surrendering to God, in a perpetual state of obedience, will free us from the fear we can be tempted with when overanalyzing the details of His glorious Will.Dear Lord, I say “Yes” to You this day. Whatever You ask of me, I will do. Wherever You lead me, I will go. Give me the grace of complete abandonment to You no matter what You ask. I offer myself to You so that the glorious purpose of my life may be fulfilled. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Have you ever been driving somewhere, or even walking in the city or on a trail, and found yourself hopelessly lost? In the era of smartphones and GPS, this has become a lot less likely, but we can all recall moments where we didn't have the tools at our disposal to lead us back to where we needed to go, and we ended up wandering, trying to remember where we came from and how to get back to that spot. It's a scary feeling not knowing where you're going, and even more scary when life presents situations to us where we're just not sure what to do or who to turn to to help us get where we need to be. When we feel lost in life, confused about what to do next, God promises that “He will stand by us and strengthen us, so that through us His message can be fully proclaimed.” (2 Timothy 4:18). Grammy-award winning worship leader Chris Tomlin knew from a very young age that he wanted to connect with the people around him in meaningful ways by playing and singing music, but wasn't exactly sure how that would pan out in his life. As a young man, he found himself speaking a prayer that he didn't really understand at the time, but has been a constant throughout his life: “Whatever You want, for the rest of my life, I'm available and will follow you.” Brigadier General Kelvin McElroy was raised to believe that committing yourself strongly to anything you wanted to pursue would get you where you wanted to be, but still needed a nudge from others who believed in him when he himself couldn't see his own potential. Both of these men would go on to powerfully lead others into lives of service and commitment to God, using what God gave them to point people in His direction. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Kevin Olusola Upcoming interview: Cam Ayala 2 Timothy 4:18 NIV Chris Tomlin Always Kelvin McElroy Department of the Space Force Department of the Air Force Scott Air Force Base Interview Quotes: “I just like it when people sing. I don't really like standing up there and playing with everybody watching me. I like when people join in.” - Chris Tomlin "I wasn't trying to [become a worship singer]. Never looked to do it. Wasn't something I set out to do. It was just God opening up the doors in an incredible way." - Chris Tomlin "When you hear my songs, those don't come from just making something up. It really comes from God. Some of the prayers come out in public because they're my songs." - Chris Tomlin "Our willingness is our wealth, our soul is the soil, and God's word is the seed." - Kelvin McElroy "When you serve others, you will always find that no matter where you go, people are faithful and willing to pull you in and take care of you." - Kelvin McElroy “God's Word is our one. Right? It leads us, it guides us, and if we take the time to listen and apply God's Word, the answer's already there, and He's given us everything that we need.” - Kelvin McElroy ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What's Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website
Whatever You're Going Through Today, God Knows All About It And, He Cares♥️
Connections Track 19 Prayer for Israel. You yearn for the land you set your heart upon as for a first-born child. Lord we declare your glory among the nations Your marvellous deeds among all peoples, for You take especial care all Your hand has formed. We give you now the land You first set Your heart upon, whose soul Jesus quite reshaped, and for whom You yearn as for a first born son. We pray for its people, so long the despised among the nations, who all but wandered from their Messianic expectations; and Jerusalem, that You set in the midst of the nations with hostile countries all around. We give You now its immediate future, its texture, soil and infrastructure. The outreach of Your people there, and the nation's response to them, Pour out upon these mountains the longed for springs and fountains that the prophet Jeremiah foresaw concerning the promised Messiah, and whatever direction and protection will prove the key to bring the nation to its knees. Whatever You desire the enemy opposes, and so we pray, let not those who gaze upon the land with envy succeed against Your will, but rather let Your full and perfect blessing rest upon the people and the land, and all the peoples of the Middle East who are invited to Your feast.
Tired of making decisions? If you abdicate responsibility, sometimes you unfairly burden others. What small steps can you take to make up your mind? We explore in a tale I call "Whatever" You can find the transcript for this episode in my blog. https://www.thingstothinkabout.co/blog/things-to-think-about-podcast-transcript-49403f8c-7949-431b-8bdb-00e1db36c1c8 Musical Credits: Stacy Casson Podcast Jingle Opening & Closing by Stefany Prince © 2021 Stefany Prince Background Music - Deep Relaxation Preview by Kevin MacLeod 1/1/2020 Courtesy of Filmmusic.io Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stacy-casson/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stacy-casson/support
Today on the show we're replaying Jayson's talk with professional racecar driver, Josef Newgarden. Josef has won the Indie series twice, he has been racing since he was a kid, and he didn't finish high school or college! We talk about Josef being an introvert and not allowing anything to hold him back in his race to be the best driver in the world. Having passion for what you do, becoming obsessed with beating the competition, not letting failures become deterrents, but using them to fuel your passion; that is what Josef brings to the table in today's interview, and everyday he races. Highlights: 00:00 - Josef Newgarden 01:53 - Josef growing up in Nashville 03:46 - Chasing Your Why 05:03 - Loving the Process of Whatever You're Doing 06:55 - The Importance of 20% Talent and 80% Hard Work 08:35 - Winning Comes First 12:14 - Josef Selling Himself to Sponsors and Coming Out of His Shell 15:19 - Becoming Stronger From Hearing “No” Many Times 21:49 - Learning Life Lessons From Hardships 24:25 - Life Becomes Your Mentality 27:10 - Loving the Challenge of Climbing New Mountains 33:34 - Becoming a Father And much more… GET A COPY OF OWN YOUR POWER - AN AMAZON'S NUMBER 1 BOOK RELEASE! Immerse yourself with 8 key life-changing principles, worksheets to create your own map, and how to reach another level of your game! It's all Real Life Stories! It's You vs You! Warning: This book is not suitable for pessimists, excuse-makers, and haters! SPONSORS: LightStream - Go to lightstream.com/trueunderdog. PINK ENERGY is the leading solar energy company installing solar panels and solar power for homes. Looking for a job in the Energy Industry Serving Communities? Join the solar movement! www.Powerhome.com/careers Social Media: Check out Jayson's website: https://www.jaysonwaller.com/ Follow True Underdog and Jayson Waller on your favorite social media channels and digital podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/trueunderdog True Underdog is a Top 3 Entrepreneurship podcast on Apple hosted by Jayson Waller, CEO of Pink Energy, one of the fastest-growing private companies in the USA, and his high-profile guests share motivational tips, inspiring stories, and business-building lessons to help each listener grow in their entrepreneurial journey. Reach out to Jayson directly at: Jayson@trueunderdog.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome to the first in what I hope will be a long series of daily conversations with YOU about... Well... Whatever YOU want to talk about. We call it CALLER 9; heard Tuesday to Friday live on WBTR.ca and on Facebook, Youtube, Twitch and Twitter! Today... I wonder where the workers are? School buses cannot find drivers. And they're not alone. Plus... Electric cars when we can't even keep power on in downtown Ottawa... Redblacks games have become a bore and NOT because of the team.
Welcome to the first in what I hope will be a long series of daily conversations with YOU about... Well... Whatever YOU want to talk about. We call it CALLER 9; heard Tuesday to Friday live on WBTR.ca and on Facebook, Youtube, Twitch and Twitter! Today... I wonder where the workers are? School buses cannot find drivers. And they're not alone. Plus... Electric cars when we can't even keep power on in downtown Ottawa... Redblacks games have become a bore and NOT because of the team.
≈We had the pleasure of interviewing The Kentucky Gentlemen over Zoom video!The Kentucky Gentlemen just released a fantastic new single called “Whatever You're Up For,” and they're gearing up to release more new music!The Kentucky Gentlemen is the twin-brother duo of Brandon and Derek Campbell originally from Versailles, KY. We first discovered these guys last year when Mickey Guyton tweeted about them, and we (like her) were completely blown away. We started digging and quickly found their Love & Acceptance Concert performance of “Vibin',” an absolutely infectious song that was featured by CMT, who praised "Derek's twanging baritone and Brandon's timeless Southern soul.”The duo's follow-up single "Whatever You're Up For" combines their love of ‘90s country and R&B into one helluva country bop that perfectly depicts the excitement of a new relationship. Wide Open Country called it “an irresistible country jam that makes for the perfect first date soundtrack,” and Music Row said it's "a sexy, good-time come-on that is ready for any country dance floor. This jam is star-making stuff.”They've been making a name for themselves around Nashville this last year, working with songwriter/producer Chris Sligh (Rascal Flatts) and Grammy-nominated producer Matt McClure (Lee Brice, Dylan Scott).We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com.www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #TheKentuckyGentlemen #NewMusic #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/follow/ Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpod
You know how we say “Black Twitter,” “Legal Twitter,” “Academic Twitter,” or “Soccer Twitter”? What if those were real and distinct communities? What if there was a smaller “[Whatever You're Into] Twitter” free of ads,...
VERSE: Anyone who hears and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. LUKE 6:49 1️⃣ When we say we want to hear God's voice, we need to understand that we aren't just expressing curiosity. 2️⃣ Either way, whether purposely or not, we've set our hearts against His. 3️⃣ We don't want to find ourselves in that position. 4️⃣ Afterward, we have only one clear, sensible response. And it may not be easy. TAKEAWAY: He wants us to hear Him as the absolute truth. When we come with a commitment to believe what He says, He is much more eager to speak. PRAYER: Father, my heart is Yours. Whatever You say, no matter how unexpected or challenging it is, I'll do it. My desire is to accept Your will, even before I know what it is. Please share it with me clearly. ▌ABOUT US ▌
Reflection 96: The Great Plan God Has For YouWe can all, at times, have dreams of grandeur. What if I were rich and famous? What if I had great power in this world? What if I were the Pope or the President? But what we can be certain of is that God does have great things in mind for us. He calls us to a greatness we could never imagine. One problem that often arises is that, when we begin to sense what God wants of us, we run away and hide. God's Divine Will often calls us out of our comfort zone and requires great trust of Him and abandonment to His Holy Will (See Diary #429).Are you open to what God wants of you? Are you willing to do whatever He asks? Often times we wait for Him to ask, then think about His request, and then become filled with fear over that request. But the key to fulfilling the Will of God is to say “Yes” to Him even before He asks anything of us. Surrendering to God, in a perpetual state of obedience, will free us from the fear we can be tempted with when overanalyzing the details of His glorious Will.Dear Lord, I say “Yes” to You this day. Whatever You ask of me, I will do. Wherever You lead me, I will go. Give me the grace of complete abandonment to You no matter what You ask. I offer myself to You so that the glorious purpose of my life may be fulfilled. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Never mind if the first thirty minutes of the episode had to be re-recorded, The Dead Licks know what they're doing. Friends and bandmates drawn together by destiny, there is no doubt that things lined up perfectly for The Dead Licks. Especially considering the positives produced by recent worldwide limitations.Stay tuned after the episode for a one-minute sneak preview of their track “With a Bottle of Whatever You're Having”, from their upcoming album (due out in the next few months).The Dead Lickshttps://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-dead-licks/1143786511https://open.spotify.com/artist/1OWHfbi7Vts8ylBB1lsn15https://www.instagram.com/thedeadlicks/https://www.facebook.com/thedeadlicksAUX Populi | Andy Kinghttps://www.auxchicago.com/auxpopulihttps://www.auxchicago.com/https://www.instagram.com/AUXPopuliPod/https://www.instagram.com/auxchicagoandy/Theme by Kevin MacLeodLogo by Baitul Javid
On January 06, 2022, @ 8 pm Season 1: Relationships we picked this title because it's something everyone can relate to. We are not just talking about couples; we will be talking about ALL types of Relationships: The first topic will be a question that we want the listeners to answer. Please note that your statement may be used on the podcast. And the question is How Long Should You Date Before Moving in Together? We Look forward to your listening ear. So, Get Your Glass of Whatever You drink, get comfortable and listen to Sipping with Maria & Tika Gee Every Thursday at @8pm EST. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sippingwithmaria3tikagee/message
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. (Hebrews 4:3-4) 217 But the Holy Spirit will bring you back to pentecost, every time. They did in the Scripture, to everybody, and it will in this day, to everybody. It'll bring you back to that reality. It will bring you back to a baptism of Power of the Spirit, that will lead you and will never take one Word off the Bible. It'll stay right in the Bible. Where It says this, It'll follow right on through It. The Holy Spirit will. It brings a reality. 218 What did He do? He had to get these ignorant fishermen, didn't even have clothes; just something wrapped around them, fish-aprons, and so forth, no clothes. So ignorant, they couldn't sign their name; unlearned, no education. But He found somebody. He had to get somebody. But He found men in that kind of a state, that was willing to surrender, that was willing. They had nothing else to hold. They didn't have any churches, any denominations and anything. They were just ignorant fishermen, sheep herders; didn't know how to write, didn't know how to read, nor nothing. But they had nothing to lose, and He got to them and they surrendered it. They said, “Whatever You say, Lord, we'll do it. We'll follow You.” 219 But when they completely surrendered and gave their selves over to God, God gave them a pentecostal reality. He led them up to Pentecost, and give them the Holy Ghost. There, where they were, there, under the Spirit of God, making all kinds of foolish signs to the people, stammering and stammering, and carrying on, and trying to…The Bible said. What was they on? They was on the highway. 220 The Bible said, “With stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people, and this is the Rest, of the soul. This is the thing that will come.” Isaiah 28:18, read it. “With stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people. This is the Rest.” Not Sunday; ain't the Rest day. The Holy Spirit is the Rest day. You Advent brethren; not the seventh-day sabbath is the Rest. The Holy Spirit is the Rest! “With stammering lips and other tongues will I speak to this people. And this is the Sabbath. This is!” Sabbath means “Rest.” This is the Rest, to the soul, you have Eternal Rest. 221 Like God, when He made the world. The seventh day, He rested after that. He rested, He went on resting. 222 When we enter into God, we rest all the time; not from one Sunday to another. We rest, Eternal. We got Eternal Life. The Holy Spirit gives you Rest. 223 Now, they had a pentecostal experience, a reality of God. They had found something. 60-0626 - "The Unfailing Realities Of The Living God" Rev. William Marrion Branham ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org Appreciate what we do? Consider supporting us: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ten-thousand-worlds/support
We are all unique and unrepeatable.Father, I abandon myself into Your hands;Do with me whatever You will.Whatever You may do, I thank You.I am ready for all, I accept all.Let only Your will be done in me,And in all Your creatures.I wish no more than this, O Lord.Into Your hands I commend my spirit;I offer it to You, Lord,and so need to give myself,to surrender myself into Your hands,Without reserve and with boundless confidence,For You are my Father.Amen. By Charles de Foucauld Support the show (http://stceciliachurch.org/donate)
Pray this Lazaroo in fervent spirit: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom…” (Obadiah 1:1) Edom, Jesus. The people descended from Esau whom You rejected in favor of his twin brother Jacob. Though he was deeply flawed, You loved Jacob but hated Esau – along with his descendants. This makes me wonder: If that's what You said about Jacob and Esau what do you say about me? Whatever You didn't like about Esau, keep from me! But cause to rise up within me whatever You loved about Jacob. [LISTEN to today's Lazaroo by phoning (812) 473-7729…or by clicking the PLAY button below:] _________ Exodus 15:15; Numbers 20:14-21; Numbers 24:18; Deuteronomy 23:7; 1 Samuel 22:18; Malachi 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:16… The post Lazaroo – Wednesday, October 27, 2021 first appeared on Lazaroo.com.
I was hanging with my grandma one day and she spoke these words to me, "Whatever You're Doing, Is The Right Thing!". I've carried those words with me for nearly two years. I didn't always feel like I was doing the right thing all the time, let alone when she said it. Join me this week for a conversation on what the 'right thing' is and how we can move differently to get there. Hoodie Season is back! Grab a hoodie on www.theydidnttellyou.com! Season 3 Playlist on Apple & Spotify! Follow the Podcast @theydidnttellyou or Me @legallyblack!
In this episode we talk about body goals, and what we've experienced in our professional careers as personal trainers as well as in Subconscious Imprinting. We discuss the curious fascination people have about how they look, are supposed to look, are ALLOWED to look and how to navigate yourself to YOUR truth. Whatever YOU want for your body is your damn business and nobody else's! Period. Much love, AshVal & Mel Ashval link: https://linktr.ee/theashval Reknowing Link: www.reknowingseries.com IG: theashval Mel link: https://linktr.ee/mel_connects_the_dots
Auto & General Insurance, together with East Coast Radio, are giving YOU a chance to win up to R6 000 in cash when YOU share a reliable Life Hack. Perhaps you have figured out how to fold fitted sheets! Whatever YOU have mastered, we want YOU to brag about it, for a chance to win your share of R60 000. Visit ecr.co.za, click on with WIN TAB and enter the Auto & General life hacks competition or SMS the word 'Reliable' followed by your name and your Reliable life hack to 33116. SMS cost R1.50 Ts and Cs apply
Auto & General Insurance, together with East Coast Radio, are giving YOU a chance to win up to R6 000 in cash when YOU share a reliable Life Hack. Perhaps you have figured out how to fold fitted sheets! Whatever YOU have mastered, we want YOU to brag about it, for a chance to win your share of R60 000. Visit ecr.co.za, click on with WIN TAB and enter the Auto & General life hacks competition or SMS the word 'Reliable' followed by your name and your Reliable life hack to 33116. SMS cost R1.50 Ts and Cs apply
Auto & General Insurance, together with East Coast Radio, are giving YOU a chance to win up to R6 000 in cash when YOU share a reliable Life Hack. Perhaps you have figured out how to fold fitted sheets! Whatever YOU have mastered, we want YOU to brag about it, for a chance to win your share of R60 000. Visit ecr.co.za, click on with WIN TAB and enter the Auto & General life hacks competition or SMS the word 'Reliable' followed by your name and your Reliable life hack to 33116. SMS cost R1.50 Ts and Cs apply
Auto & General Insurance, together with East Coast Radio, are giving YOU a chance to win up to R6 000 in cash when YOU share a reliable Life Hack. Perhaps you have figured out how to fold fitted sheets! Whatever YOU have mastered, we want YOU to brag about it, for a chance to win your share of R60 000. Visit ecr.co.za, click on with WIN TAB and enter the Auto & General life hacks competition or SMS the word 'Reliable' followed by your name and your Reliable life hack to 33116. SMS cost R1.50 Ts and Cs apply
We can all, at times, have dreams of grandeur. What if I were rich and famous? What if I had great power in this world? What if I were the Pope or the President? But what we can be certain of is that God does have great things in mind for us. He calls us to a greatness we could never imagine. One problem that often arises is that, when we begin to sense what God wants of us, we run away and hide. God’s Divine Will often calls us out of our comfort zone and requires great trust of Him and abandonment to His Holy Will (See Diary #429).Are you open to what God wants of you? Are you willing to do whatever He asks? Often times we wait for Him to ask, then think about His request, and then become filled with fear over that request. But the key to fulfilling the Will of God is to say “Yes” to Him even before He asks anything of us. Surrendering to God, in a perpetual state of obedience, will free us from the fear we can be tempted with when overanalyzing the details of His glorious Will.Dear Lord, I say “Yes” to You this day. Whatever You ask of me, I will do. Wherever You lead me, I will go. Give me the grace of complete abandonment to You no matter what You ask. I offer myself to You so that the glorious purpose of my life may be fulfilled. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2021 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
There are 7 days left in our manifestation journey this month !!! ( The 31st is a recap day :). So now is the time to make the entire portion of the last 22 days of teachings and methods make sense ... There truly are only 3 things happening in every manifestation process ... They just happen super quickly and erratically inside of our unconscious .. This is why the awakened human can more deliberately create their reality .. because they are more aware of the process...where they are inside of the process... and how they feel about what they are intending to create ... Whatever YOU ask for in Faith.. Believe YOU have received, and it shall be given to YOU. Today we cover this process... THE process in depth.. so there can be no questions as to what needs to be done.. or allowed based on what part of the process you are in resistance to... It's time to shift into truly understanding that YOU are a deliberate creator working with an amazing Universal, Spiritual and Conscious Source of infinite potential... .All we have to do is let go of our old narrative for long enough that we allow ourselves to see the unseen manifest in this current life ... MUCH LOVE TO YOU ! ~ Pat IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOU CAN USE THIS LINK BELOW TO HELP KEEP YOU CENTERED AND ON TRACK FOR THIS 30 DAY JOURNEY! ⬇️⬇️⬇️ FREE: Journaling and Scripting Mini Master Class !!! https://linktr.ee/likeattractslike Enrollment for The Next 1:1 Consciousness Mastery Programs: Click Link for more INFO! https://linktr.ee/likeattractslike Support the podcast through Patreon : ) THANK YOU !! to all who do !! I am so grateful ! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=22969209
( English Note Below ) ルカ 8:43-48 JCB けれども途中で、一人の女が、いやされたい一心で、うしろからイエスにさわりました。十二年もの間、出血の止まらない病気に悩まされ、どんなことをしても治らなかったのです。ところが、イエスの着物のふさにさわったとたん、出血が止まりました。(45)イエスは、「わたしにさわったのはだれですか」とお尋ねになりました。みなが自分ではないと答えたので、ペテロは言いました。「先生。わかるわけがありません。回りにはこんなにたくさんの人がひしめき合っているんですよ。」(46)「いや、だれかがさわりました。力が出て行くのを感じたのですから。」(47)女は、イエスがすべてをご存じなので、わなわなと震えだしました。とても隠しきれないと知って、イエスの前にひれ伏し、さわった訳とすっかりよくなったこととを、包み隠さず打ち明けました。(48)イエスは女に、「あなたの信仰があなたを治したのです。さあ、安心してお帰りなさい」と言われました。 1.「なんとか大丈夫」よりもっと良い状態になる ルカ 8:43 JCB けれども途中で、一人の女が、いやされたい一心で、うしろからイエスにさわりました。十二年もの間、出血の止まらない病気に悩まされ、どんなことをしても治らなかったのです。 ローマ 8:28 JCB 私たちは、神を愛し神のご計画のうちを歩んでいる人のためには、その身に起こることはすべて、神が益としてくださることを知っているのです。 2.どんな状況でも、イエスと過ごす一瞬の時間、イエスのたった一言で全てが変わる ルカ 8:44 JCB ところが、イエスの着物のふさにさわったとたん、出血が止まりました。 3.フラッシュバックが来たら 2 コリント 5:17 JCB だれでもクリスチャンになると、内側が全く新しくされます。もはや今までと同じ人間ではありません。新しい人生が始まったのです。 ピリピ 4:6-7 JCB 何事も心配しないで、どんな時でも神に祈りなさい。そして、祈りに答えてくださる神に感謝しましょう。(7)そうすれば、人間の理解をはるかに超えた、すばらしい神の平安を経験します。キリスト・イエスにあって、その平安はあなたがたの心と思いを静め、安らかにしてくれるのです。 Luke 8:43-48 TPT In the crowd that day was a woman who had suffered greatly for twelve years from slow bleeding. Even though she had spent all that she had on healers, she was still suffering. (44) Pressing in through the crowd, she came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his prayer shawl. Instantly her bleeding stopped and she was healed. (45) Jesus suddenly stopped and said to his disciples, “Someone touched me. Who is it?” While they all denied it, Peter pointed out, “Master, everyone is touching you, trying to get close to you. The crowds are so thick we can't walk through all these people without being jostled.” (46) Jesus replied, “Yes, but I felt power surge through me. Someone touched me to be healed, and they received their healing.” (47) When the woman realized she couldn't hide any longer, she came and fell trembling at Jesus' feet. Before the entire crowd she declared, “I was desperate to touch you, Jesus, for I knew if I could just touch even the fringe of your robe I would be healed.” (48) Jesus responded, “Beloved daughter, your faith in me has released your healing. You may go with my peace.” 1.It's Gonna Be More Than Alright Luke 8:43 TPT In the crowd that day was a woman who had suffered greatly for twelve years from slow bleeding. Even though she had spent all that she had on healers, she was still suffering. Romans 8:28 TPT So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God's perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. 2.Whatever You're Going Through, 1 moment, 1 touch from Jesus can change everything Luke 8:44 NLT Pressing in through the crowd, she came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his prayer shawl. Instantly her bleeding stopped and she was healed. 3.When the flashback comes 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (7) Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Support this podcast
Adding Agents To Your TeamIt is the most consistent and predictable way to add income.Get Good at Whatever You're DoingIf you don't do your best in whatever you're doing, you'll regret it later.Find A CoachWhatever level you want to go to, find someone who has done it. If you want to grow a Real estate broker, find a coach who has grown real estate to the way you want it to. To find out more about Phil Duke, you can check these links:https://www.facebook.com/1stClassRealEstateLLC/https://www.linkedin.com/in/phildukerealtor/Get your free copy of the Real Estate Evolution here:bit.ly/RealEstateEvolution_GetYourBookThis book shows you the step by step of how to:Step 1: Believe in your unknown potentialStep 2: Deconstruct persuasion techniquesStep 3: Find business and get hired consistentlyStep 4: Be proactive in the relationship with your clients.Step 5: Learn and implement the exact steps to hire, train, lead, and train virtual assistants so that they can build, support, and guide a winning team to scale.And if you'd like to have a consistent and predictable income, like this page, and don't forget to join the Facebook group to network with the top agents:https://www.facebook.com/groups/cpicommunitygrp/
In this episode, we look at three tiny yet effective ways to practice self-love, even when you’re busy and exhausted. Inner Monkey: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inner-monkey/id1440076093 The Problem How do you practice self-love? How do you learn to love yourself? And, when you are incredibly busy or tired or frustrated, how do you continue to fit it in? Digging Deeper Self-love is defined as a regard for one’s own well-being and happiness. Now of course this idea can be taken too far. There is no end to narcissistic individuals who believe their priority of self at the expense of others is a good thing. But self-love is inherently a good thing. If we look at that definition, a regard for one’s own well being and happiness, it simplifies things. In order to practice self-love we simply need to start paying attention to the things that affect our well-being and happiness. The Solution Get More and Better Sleep Getting more sleep is one of the first things you can do for yourself that can produce the biggest results. With lack of sleep comes lack of patience, an inability to focus, and a number of other negatives that can bleed into the rest of your life. By getting just 20-30 minutes more of good quality sleep you can improve your overall quality of life significantly and position yourself to accomplish more each day. Eat Happier We often set eating healthier as a goal we want to work towards. We may do this because we want to lose weight or for any number of other reasons but it is one of the more common goals out there. With that said, eating happier on it’s own can also be an amazing way to practice self-love. Think about how you feel when you eat poorly. Maybe you get a stomach ache. Maybe you feel disappointed in yourself for breaking you goal. But when you focus on eating happy you give yourself permission to eat some of those “less healthy” foods while also giving yourself permission to eat the things that are healthy. It's the best of both worlds. Start Your Day for Yourself or End it With Yourself I’ve talked about this before and I want to reiterate it here. Making time for yourself is critical to your own growth and development. And without your growth and progress you won’t be able to truly serve everyone else around you. It can be tough to find the time during the day to prioritize your own issues. Between work, school, your family, your friends, your health and other things taking time for yourself and your mental health can often be pushed to the back. This tip is about starting your day for you. Wake up 10 minutes earlier and be with yourself, by yourself. Do a meditation, get a quick stretch in, go for a walk, or do nothing. Whatever YOU want to do with no input from anyone else. If you’re struggling to get it done in the morning then try ending your day for you instead. Block off those last 10 minutes of the day or just let it happen naturally in bed. Do something that is yours and yours alone. Make the choice for yourself. That’s such a rare luxury now a days as we all live in a reactionary space but it doesn’t have to be. ‘ Instagram: http://instagram.com/tinyleaps --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Whatever You're Feeling Make It Count, Meaning Your Body Still Needs MOVEMENT! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cookie-clan/message
The Punch Drunk Soul Podcast - Soul Alignment + Business Chats
Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of the Punch Drunk Soul Podcast! The number one podcast made just for coaches! I can say that because it's my podcast. I'm your host Ali Daniel of course. Today I'm back with an interview with Jennifer Longmore - CEO of soul journeys, elite business coach, best selling author, podcaster and world-renowned as a leading authority on soul purpose. I'm excited to dive into this episode with you guys because we dive into all sorts of topics from Jennifer's journey, bending time & space, Akashic records - what they are and how to use them, when to pivot your business, and SO much more. This is a juicy episode, filled to the brim with tips, insights and shifts for you to start making in your business now. One of my favorite takeaways from this episode is when Jennifer talks about doing whatever it takes for your business - to rise above fears and laziness, period, to serve your clients. This hit me hard because I am by nature, a creature of comfort and I'll just say it...laziness! I'm not the type of person who LOVES hard work. I'm just not. So I've built my business in a way that incorporates a lot of down time and time for fun. But in the beginning I definitely struggled with this. Sometimes laziness would kick in and I just wouldn't put in the work necessary. Once I started investing heavily in myself, that kind of kicked my laziness to the curb, so that got handled. But if this resonates with any of you out there, I feel ya. Not everyone is into the whole hustle hard mentality. And that can be hard if you're trying to start a business because you DO have to put in effort and face your fears and overcome laziness. One of my other favorite parts of this episode is when we get into the Akashic records, what they are, how Jennifer uses them for guidance, and what the records have to say about this Covid19 crisis and how to handle it. Jennifer shares what the records advise us to do during this time so be sure to listen in closely for that! We also touch on the key activities you need to be working on right now in your business if you're trying to make some money. I like to call them revenue-generating activities, Jennifer calls them High Dividend Activities. Whatever YOU want to call them, you have to do these every single week! Be sure to let us know if you're listening by posting a screenshot of this episode and tagging us on instagram I'm @PunchDrunkSoul and Jennifer is @JenniferLongmore and let us know what you think of this interview! Aha Moments: Jennifer's #1 piece of advice and why you MUST implement it if you want to see results fast in your business The only 2 issues in business and how to overcome them What you should be making your #1 priority when starting your coaching business What are high-dividend activities and why you need to be doing at least one every day Why investing in ourselves isn't as big of a gamble as we think it is What the Akashic records want us to know about this covid19 crisis and how to respond Links Website: http://www.souljourneys.ca Twitter: jenlongmore Facebook: @soulpurposeexpert Facebook Group: The Purpose Posse Instagram: @JenniferLongmore Jennifer's freebie for healing money blocks: SoulJourney.ca/money Join the Path to Freedom Waitlist
We can all, at times, have dreams of grandeur. What if I were rich and famous? What if I had great power in this world? What if I were the Pope or the President? But what we can be certain of is that God does have great things in mind for us. He calls us to a greatness we could never imagine. One problem that often arises is that, when we begin to sense what God wants of us, we run away and hide. God’s Divine Will often calls us out of our comfort zone and requires great trust of Him and abandonment to His Holy Will (See Diary #429).Are you open to what God wants of you? Are you willing to do whatever He asks? Often times we wait for Him to ask, then think about His request, and then become filled with fear over that request. But the key to fulfilling the Will of God is to say “Yes” to Him even before He asks anything of us. Surrendering to God, in a perpetual state of obedience, will free us from the fear we can be tempted with when overanalyzing the details of His glorious Will.Dear Lord, I say “Yes” to You this day. Whatever You ask of me, I will do. Wherever You lead me, I will go. Give me the grace of complete abandonment to You no matter what You ask. I offer myself to You so that the glorious purpose of my life may be fulfilled. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: www.divinemercy.lifeCopyright © 2020 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Episode notes:In this episode, I chat with Sammy Singh who is a Strategic Account Executive at Clío. Sammy has also worked at Salesforce and SAP.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.Related resources:Sammy Singh’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammysingh1/?originalSubdomain=caTo share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402
ALL CAPS TITLE! Yeah, we bust hard out with Marketing Corner aka Whatever You’re Doing, Kick Down the Door! 4 out of 6 Success Secrets for Legal Reasons! 1) Go Hard, 2) Go Harder, 3) Go Scary Hard, 4) Hat Dog Hat, and here’s a taste of 5) 50’s Cowboy! Sports Corner, Kansas City Chiefs Edition! Will’s Sports Analysis is Largely Innuendo! Sunderland’s Failings Can Be Put Squarely on the Tories! My Kid is an Asshole! Starter Butterfly Knife! You Make Me Feel Like I Have to Poop! Video Games, as Promised! Keepin an Eye Without Keepin an Eye! Contact Us! Follow Us! Love Us! Email: doubledeucepod@gmail.com Twitter: @doubledeucepod Facebook: www.facebook.com/DoubleDeucePod/ Also, please subscribe/rate/review/share us! We’re on iTunes, Android, Libsyn, Stitcher, Google, Spotify, Radio.com, RadioPublic, pretty much anywhere they got podcasts, you can find the Deuce! Podcast logo art by Jason Keezer! Intro & Outro featuring Rob Schulte! Brought to you in part by sponsorship from Courtney Shipley and listeners like you! Do you like comics? Check out the Chop Shop Podcast where Nelson is a frequent guest and go buy some comics at Chops Comics in Lawrence, Kansas!
Episode notes:In this episode, I’ll discuss 5 things you should consider since that influence your success as a sales professional.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
Episode notes:In this episode, I talk about how data from Gong.io confirms that how talk-to-listen ratio effects that success of your sales calls.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.Related resources:Gong.io article: https://www.gong.io/blog/talk-to-listen-conversion-ratio/To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
Episode notes:In this episode, I talk with the top performer sales rep Michael Marfetan at Clio. Michael explains how he got his first job in sales without any previous sales experience and the key factors that have lead to his success.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.Related resources:Michael Marfetan’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-marfetan-67a8bb178/To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
Episode notes:In this episode, I talk about the 3 Questions To Ask Yourself That Will Give You Faster Success in Sales. These questions will dramatically accelerate your learning gap towards success.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favourite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
Episode notes:In this episode, I talk about the number one thing to say during a discovery call that will help uncover your prospect’s pain.How To Support My Work:Appreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
Episode notes:In this episode, 8 things I’ve learned from my 1 year in SaaS B2B sales. After making 13,407 sales calls, sending out 9,521 sales emails and reading 15 different sales books.How To Support My WorkAppreciate my work? Make a donation. This is a member-supported podcast. You tip your favorite bartender, right? How about a buck, $2, $3, $5, maybe $10? Whatever YOU feel its worth, every time you feel I have given you a good sales tip, new knowledge or helpful insight. Please feel free to donate any amount you think is equal to the value you received from my episodes. Just click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AKT3L7EJ4ZF9U&source=url to enter your donation/gratuity. Thanks in advance for your support! From my heart to yours, Ian Agard.To share your thoughts or contact Ian:If you have any questions, email me at iagard@gmail.comTo help out the show:Leave a 4 or 5-star review on iTunes. Your reviews really help my podcast reach more people. You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-top-20-percent-podcast/id1481670402My new ebook:You can also get a copy of my new ebook “Crush Your Quota: A simple guide on how to hit your sales quota consistently in 60 days or less”. Go to https://gum.co/UVDCO for more details
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Archives Listen to the Prayer Audio: Heavenly Father, We come in humility and thankfulness before You because of Yeshuah, Your Son and our Messiah and King. Such a great sacrifice of Love. Innocent and pure He stood in our place and suffered judgment for us and died on a Roman stake to set us free from sin and iniquity and allow us to be close to You now and into eternity! We cannot thank You enough. So we pledge to you our honor and all that we are and have to You. Lord, we are here as your servants willing to be used as instruments of reconciliation so that others can be brought into Your family and this great army You have raised up to spread Your Kingdom here on earth! Father as we assemble here as Your Army of Prayer Warriors keep us under the shadow of Your Wings and release Your Holy Angels to be our shield of protection against all the wiles, plots and schemes of the evil one and his minions. Keep us off the enemies radar and scramble his frequencies so that there is an open and direct communication from Your heart to our heart and You will hear Your Warriors as we make our prayers before You. Let all confusion, chaos and anxiety and distractions stay in his camp and fall on those who are aligned with him in our land and in the nations of the earth. Father, we are here to offer You our sacrifice of Praise in the name of our True High Priest, Yeshuah. Whatever You ask of us we will do for You. Give us strength even in our weakness. Lord, when we die to ourselves we draw closer to You. There is really nothing that this world has to offer that makes us happy unless we are one in the spirit with You. Lord, we know we are free from sin and that we can walk without shame, guilt, embarrassment or condemnation because the Blood of Yeshuah has washed us clean. Our past has been wiped clean and You have said don't look back to the sin of the past but walk now as new and redeemed! Thank You Father! Lord, we want to be prepared for the change that is coming. You have answered our repentance and prayer to save America and made us again a shining Light among the nations to spread Your Kingdom and to keep Israel a sacred place. Israel is forever! Lord we seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to be ready to bring love and Your healing Grace to all those who are sick, imprisoned, weak, lost, hungry and wounded. Lord prepare our hearts to make any sacrifice even for our children and those who depend on us to be a friend in time of need. Lord it is by sacrifice we draw closer to You and one another. May our sacrifice be a pleasing aroma in Your Temple. Lord we want to place a special protection on our President as he leads us to bring down all that is not what You want for us. Especially all that is being done to stop all the abuse and horrible things done to our children from the unborn to all the children that have been brought into sex trafficking and blood sacrifice. Lord bring the Hammer of Justice on these evil ones swiftly to stop this iniquity and to have them face the consequences of this evil that is in our land and across the earth. We seek special protection for the men and women who are willing to sacrifice themselves in harms way to rescue and save these children wherever they find them. May all those who live in arrogance and mockery be brought to shame for ignoring this evil toward children. Lord enough is enough. We are not here to worship Satan or any other idol or false god, but only You the Living and True God, our Father in Heaven in the Name of Yeshuah, Your Son! Lord through the divide that we find in America may the convicting power of the Holy Spirit bring an awakening to those who have fallen asleep or lost their hope. We proclaim and decree Now is the hour of our God revealing what needs to fall and to build up that which You have destined for our time. Bring forth more of those who are willing to sacrifice to make America a land of true ...
ਕਲਿਆਨ ਮਹਲਾ 4 ॥ Kalyaan, Fourth Mehl: ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੀਜੈ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਨਿਧਾਨ ਹਮ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਨ ਗਾਵਹਗੇ ॥ O God, Treasure of Mercy, please bless me, that I may sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord. ਹਉ ਤੁਮਰੀ ਕਰਉ ਨਿਤ ਆਸ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਮੋਹਿ ਕਬ ਗਲਿ ਲਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥1॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ I always place my hopes in You; O God, when will you take me in Your Embrace? ||1||Pause|| ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ ਮੁਗਧ ਇਆਨ ਪਿਤਾ ਸਮਝਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥ I am a foolish and ignorant child; Father, please teach me! ਸੁਤੁ ਖਿਨੁ ਖਿਨੁ ਭੂਲਿ ਬਿਗਾਰਿ ਜਗਤ ਪਿਤ ਭਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥1॥ Your child makes mistakes again and again, but still, You are pleased with him, O Father of the Universe. ||1|| ਜੋ ਹਰਿ ਸੁਆਮੀ ਤੁਮ ਦੇਹੁ ਸੋਈ ਹਮ ਪਾਵਹਗੇ ॥ Whatever You give me, O my Lord and Master - that is what I receive. ਮੋਹਿ ਦੂਜੀ ਨਾਹੀ ਠਉਰ ਜਿਸੁ ਪਹਿ ਹਮ ਜਾਵਹਗੇ ॥2॥ There is no other place where I can go. ||2|| ਜੋ ਹਰਿ ਭਾਵਹਿ ਭਗਤ ਤਿਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਭਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥ Those devotees who are pleasing to the Lord - the Lord is pleasing to them. ਜੋਤੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਮਿਲਾਇ ਜੋਤਿ ਰਲਿ ਜਾਵਹਗੇ ॥3॥ Their light merges into the Light; the lights are merged and blended together. ||3|| ਹਰਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੋਇ ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾਲੁ ਆਪਿ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥ The Lord Himself has shown mercy; He lovingly attunes me to Himself. ਜਨੁ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਸਰਨਿ ਦੁਆਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਲਾਜ ਰਖਾਵਹਿਗੇ ॥4॥6॥ Servant Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of the Door of the Lord, who protects his honor. ||4||6|| Photo Creds @artofpunjab
Another dope Mix brought from the Archived Urban One Radio Catalogue, just more chill vibes to kick back to! Playlist: 1. Raining (w- Fishdoll & Kow)by Froyo Ma 2. This right here by More // Night 3. This is about You by Stanzah! 4. Insomnia by Haan808 5. Greatest by Lege - Kale 6. One Two feat Ezra byCavalier Beats 7. YU by Sango & Waldo 8. Two AM by SZA 9. Whatever You want by PYRMDPLAZA & Abraham Blue 10. Frontin (Remix)by L0tso 11. Chimera pt II by Christopher Dixit 12. Juicy Fruit (feat. OMAC)by Mars Today 13. Late night feat. Masego (Falcons Remix)by Goldlink 14. April Showers by Young Troubled Minds 15. Spectrum (GEOTHEORY Remix)by Goldlink 16. All In My Head by Krisbeatz 17. Compromise (Sinead Harnett, Goldlink & Secaina Hudson)by Christian Rich 18. HigherbyTay Svpreme 19. Attempt by Blvck Svnd 20. Compromise by James Gent 21. Dump Truck by Tay Svpreme
063- Four Steps to Success at Whatever You’re Up To! by Kendel Rodriguez
Today I'm going to teach you how to go beyond the diagnosis, labels, and symptoms. For years I’ve watched so many people go through hell and back because they didn’t know this. Their definition of health was more like “HELL-TH.” It's time to find the CAUSE of what’s NOT WORKING, and get on board with what IS WORKING… SHOW NOTES... Today’s S.O.L. STORY takes us back over two decades. The adventure in healing began when I graduated from Chiropractic College in 1995. I’ve been privileged to share in this adventure of healing with thousands of individuals and families ever since then. Healing looks differently to different people. Everyone defines it in their own unique way. The number one question I’ve asked of my patients and clients is this: How do YOU personally define health? Usually I get one of these two answers: It’s feeling well. After taking care of patients with cancer, I saw firsthand the failure of this particular definition. Never before had I witnessed such devastating sickness, in someone that seemingly “looked and felt well.” From the outside, we can appear to look great and even feel “well.” However, be very UNWELL…SICK. I spoke with many who felt “healthy” except for having the diagnosis of cancer. It’s eating well and exercise. The problem with this definition is that we can eat well and exercise, and STILL be unhealthy. I've got news for you, being thin or skinny doesn’t equate to being fit or healthy. “Eating well and exercise are not a guarantee of great health. They are merely the expression of the great health that’s within you.” There’s so much more to health than what meets the eye. My deeper definition of health is this: Health is full expression of life. Often symptoms can be a sign that the body IS working well. For example, a fever is a sign that the body is working the way it’s designed to work. The immune system is healthy. Healthy bodies have cancer cells (oncogenes). It’s when these cells get out of control and are no longer in balance with the rest of the body that there’s a problem. The body’s meant to be in a balanced, harmonious state. It’s called, homeostasis. It means that everything’s working the way it’s designed to work. How do YOU know if your body’s working the way it’s designed to work? Function is a more valid indicator than feeling - when it comes to health. Feeling also has its place. Oftentimes we dismiss feelings like, “being tired, unhappy, and/or weak emotionally.” These can be early signs of losing health. It's the body’s way of saying that something isn’t quite right within. Unfortunately many will use caffeine or anti-depressants to change the way they feel. Yet, never addressing the root cause of WHY they feel the way they feel. If this is you, I’m not shaming you. Instead, I'm encouraging you to think about what you're doing. Please consider a new way of thinking about your health. If you have pain, it’s not because your body’s lacking pain medication. It’s your body way of speaking to you. It’s the body’s alarm system. It’s asking for your attention. Perhaps it’s asking for rest or proper nutrients (life-giving food.) If you’re taking anything to get rid of symptoms, be aware that there are side-effects (consequences) to everything we do. Whether it’s a thought, feeling, and/or action. Every time you take a drug, prescribed or not, there’s a side-effect or consequence. What if you looked at your health more completely and thoroughly? As a WHOLE. I like to call this WHOLISTICALLY? (Yes, I did perhaps just make up this word….but it’s true.) Look at YOU as a WHOLE individual. All aspects of YOU. And how you’re fitting in your life. How BIG is the vision you have for your life, and health? Health isn’t due to good luck or chance. Dis-ease is created. Dysfunction is created. You can focus on disease or cancer prevention, OR you can proactively create health. Working with your body versus against it. Which is more compelling and inspiring to you? I’m encouraging you to expand the way you’re thinking about health. So here’s WHAT to do when you get THIS diagnosis… What if that diagnosis is “HEALTH?” (One that’s likely “terminal.”) But YOU can GET RID OF IT…if you DO THIS: STOP eating life-giving foods, and increase your intakes of food from a box, can, or plastic. And definitely eat MORE sugar. STOP moving. Stop moving ahead in your life and day. STOP moving - with exercise. Sit still. Don’t do anything, except talk about how others are doing everything Don’t move. Perhaps you may even consider staying in bed. STOP drinking water. Increase soda, caffeine, alcohol, and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners. This will definitely get rid of the diagnosis of “HEALTH.” STOP sleeping. Stay up. Spend time worrying and stressing. Increase your stress level. Concern yourself with everyone else’s business. Don’t look at your own life. Spend time thinking about everyone else, and talking about them. STOP taking care of YOURSELF. Take care of everyone else. Put your needs at the bottom of the list. Whatever YOU feel doesn’t matter. What you do, think, feel, and practice on a day to day basis affects this diagnosis. In fact, it’s really a CHRONIC problem. But we can likely manage it. As CRAZY as this sounds, this is happening for so many people (unconsciously.) We put a label on everything. And often take a drug to get rid of the label, or work against ourselves by doing things that are destroying the thing we say we desire. Now that's crazy. If you’re going to label yourself, why not carry the label of "GREAT HEALTH?" STOP thinking about (or doing) things to get rid of it! Everything you do each day affects your HEALTH. Period. Everyone defines the label of "HEALTH" differently. How do YOU define it? Again, I define it as full expression of life. This requires showing up, speaking up, stepping up, stepping into what I believe. What you do every day MATTERS. What you think about you become about. If you desire to make a change in the diagnosis of “HEALTH” or “ILL HEALTH”, it starts on the inside…out. Health (Life) is an inside, out game. When you allow your inside to begin to engage with your outside in harmony, balance, belief, and behaviors that match up with what you say you desire, your life will transform. Whether you get a full healing and regain your health or not, what you do MATTERS. WHO YOU ARE MATTERS MOST. What’s RIGHT with you matters more than what’s WRONG with you. When you begin to tap into what’s right with you, the wrong things that aren’t working have a greater opportunity to work. Go beyond the diagnosis, labels, and symptoms. Find the CAUSE of what’s NOT WORKING, and get on board with what IS WORKING…and watch what happens in your life. I’m sharing this because for years I’ve watched so many people go through hell and back because they didn’t know this. Their definition of health was more like “HELL-TH.” It’s time to go back to the “HEAL” of health, and begin to restore it. YOUR SACRED S.O.L. STEP FOR TODAY: Grab your SACRED S.O.L. D.A.T.E. Journal (Daily Action To Engage with yourself), and write out your personal definition of HEALTH. How do you define health for yourself? What is your heart telling you right now? Allow this to not only become your health philosophy, but also your life philosophy. Life without health is HARD. It's time to live with EASE. Circle your definition, and ask yourself if you’re willing to EXPAND your definition to go beyond where it is today. Please do this for yourself right now. Health is so much MORE than symptom management. It’s LIFE. It’s YOUR LIFE, my dear! It’s time that you begin to live it. Regardless of the labels. As long as life is flowing through you, there’s always hope for healing. There’s so much more to health than a DIAGNOSIS. I’d LOVE to hear from you and how it’s going for you SIPPING. ON. LIFE. Let me know how you’re doing. Yes, you have to do your life for yourself, but you do not have to do it all by yourself. xo Dr. Shannon. Inspiring minds that want to grow and hearts that want to know, so you can love you, your life, and your life’s work well. ONE SIP AT A TIME. A special thanks to the following souls for helping me launch our WOMEN SIPPING ON LIFE podcast… Intro/Outro done by Uni V. SOL Outro music by Jay Man: Mind Over Matter (www.ourmusicbox.com) Podcast cover design and web site done by: Pablo Aguilar (www.webdesigncreator.com) Podcast cover photo by Kate Montague of KM Captured (www.kmcaptured.com) Women Sipping. On. Life. (with doctor shannon) is YOUR daily podcast for something new. Different. Satisfying. Soul quenching. Unscripted. LOVE. Practical Solutions. Powerful coaching that equips and empowers you to show up. Speak up. Step up. Step into your life. Fully engaged. Loving your life + life’s work well. Starting from the very first sip. Uncover and discover your TRUTH, so you can drink it all in. Live it all now. Naked. Unafraid. Unashamed. Unapologetic. Unconditionally loved. Heart + Soul. Become the great lover of your life. ONE SIP AT A TIME.
Learn More HERE After interviewing over 50 women I have identified 5 Top commonalities among them: They belong to mastermind groups. They have accountability partners or belong to accountability groups. They are planners and goal setters with great time management skills. They are very health conscious (Body Mind and Soul). They all have a group of women that they can talk to about anything, business or family. These 5 elements are being incorporated into the Working Women Entrepreneur Online Mastermind community. I want you to join me! This is a paid community that includes: Weekly mastermind calls via Google Hangouts (in the evening for you 9-5er's) Discussing weekly wins and struggles and helping each other to turn those struggles into wins. "Hot Seats." Putting members on the virtual "hot seats" where other members will be asking specific questions about their current business or business ideas. Monthly Q and A’s with previous podcast guests and other business experts. Goal setting and sharing as an accountability group. Connecting individuals with others who want separate accountability partners. Weekly fitness challenges. Secret Facebook group. Issues that come up from our Mastermind meetings. Milestones and goals reached (or not reached). Time Management Tips. Business ideas. Whatever YOU want to discuss Share daily practices with each other and how they have made our lives better. Book Club where we will agree on a book to read and meet as a virtual book club in our Facebook Group. Resource Library Goal setting tools Video recordings of our meetings and Q and A's Mind mapping tutorials MORE LET's JUGGLE IT TOGETHER! Learn More HERE
This message is a first-persona narrative account of the leper Jesus heals in Mark 1:40-45 to emphasize that Whoever You Are, However You Feel, and Whatever You've Done...God loves you and welcomes you.
This message is a first-persona narrative account of the leper Jesus heals in Mark 1:40-45 to emphasize that Whoever You Are, However You Feel, and Whatever You've Done...God loves you and welcomes you.
Pastor Tim Bales: July 17, 2011 Going Beyond, Part XII, “Beyond Obligation.” If you're new to the church or haven't been here in a while, I'm not Pastor Jeff. My name is Pastor Tim, and I'm the Discipleship Pastor here at Faith Community Church. I'm often tucked away in the classroom, so you may not be as familiar with me. Pastor Jeff is on a well-needed vacation with his family. I believe he's in northern California enjoying the redwoods; so he gave me the opportunity to preach, and here I am. We've been going through a series for several weeks now, if you're new to the church or haven't been here in a while. We're going through the “Going Beyond” series. We're talking about taking our faith to the next level. We've talked about several topics already: “Beyond Giving,” giving sacrificially; and “Beyond Success,” what it looks like to be successful as a Christian. Last week we talked about going “Beyond Mediocrity” and the warning that God gives us that He doesn't like lukewarm Christians. This week, we're talking about “Going Beyond: Obligation.” I imagine that everyone at some point in your life, if you haven't in the past-maybe in the future-if you've ever been at a low point, been frustrated, or if you're just looking for guidance, you've looked up to Heaven and said, “God, what do You really want from me?” Now, if you're still waiting for an answer, I have good news for you. He's going to answer that for us today. Today, I want to share with you your obligation to God and our freedom in Christ. My desire is that we will have a clearer understanding of what God truly desires, what He deserves, and that we will consider whether or not we are offering it to Him. Let's talk about obligation. I'm sure you are somewhat familiar with that word, but I want to look at that word because it has certain aspects that we're going to be talking about this morning. By definition, we could say that an obligation is a morally-based expectation of commitment or loyalty to repay a debt owed. You have obligations; you understand this. You have moral obligations. You have a moral obligation to your family, if you have children, to provide them with food, a roof over their head, security, shelter, and education. If you have past relationships, you understand your moral responsibility to child support. You also have financial obligations. You have financial obligations if you have a mortgage or a loan. If you've taken money from the bank, you have an obligation to pay it back. If you go to work, your employer has an obligation to pay you for the work that you do. In the sports world, the athletes who sign contracts have an obligation to live up to a certain level of performance in order to earn all the millions of dollars they've been promised. We have financial obligations. You also have legal obligations. On the way to church today, you were obligated to stop at the stop sign or light. There are other laws we are obligated to obey. When Pastor Jeff asked me if I would be willing to preach today, I had an obligation to follow through, to show up here, and to share what God has laid upon my heart. We also recognize that with an obligation, if there is failure to meet that obligation, bad things start to happen; and there is judgment that is incurred. If I fail to live up to the obligations of the law, I may end up in jail. If I fail to live up to my obligations as a good husband, I may end up divorced. If I fail to pay back the money I owe on my mortgage, I may end up in foreclosure. When we fail to live up to our obligations, bad things start to happen. We recognize with an obligation, there is a cost involved. There is a debt incurred; and then if we fail to meet that obligation, there is judgment. Okay? That's pretty clear. I think we get that much. Now I want to share with you one more illustration that comes from recent headlines. Maybe you're familiar with this. It is about the space shuttle Atlantis. If you're not familiar with it, nine days ago-on Friday at 10:30 a.m.-the last space shuttle was launched into orbit under the Space Program. The Space Program has now been shut down. Future missions will be funded by private investors. For all practical purposes, the Space Program-which has gone on for decades-is now shut down, so it was a pretty exciting opportunity if you were able to watch it. I don't know if this excites women as much as it does men, but there is just something really cool about strapping yourself to a rocket, putting flammable liquids inside, and lighting it with a match. That's just really cool! Maybe some of you ladies understood what we're trying to say [based on] the Fourth of July with fireworks. There is just something that draws our attention to things that shoot up into the air. As I was watching, I went to Nasa.com, I think it was. I watched this for about 45 minutes. The events leading up to the moments before the launch consisted of talking about the weather and the precision of the calculations before they would be launched up into orbit 234 miles. Right now they're orbiting the earth every 90 minutes at 234 miles high. It's just interesting to me, but as I was listening, I recognized very clearly that NASA had a plan. Their plan was to join the International Space Station in this endeavor to benefit all of mankind. They wanted to join in this effort, and they called upon four astronauts: Christopher Ferguson; a pilot, Doug Hurley; mission specialist, Sandy Magnus; and Rex Walheim. This is the kind of mission that makes you proud to be an American. We're reaching beyond our four walls to benefit mankind. NASA shares with these four astronauts the vision. They catch the vision, and they recognize that we are looking for a better tomorrow to benefit mankind, to bring international peace on some level because the International Space Station is represented by so many different countries to increase our knowledge of the created universe we live in. They took in the vision, and then NASA poured commitment into these four individuals. They poured in their efforts, their time commitments, and they poured in a great price tag financially. The estimated cost to spend the space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station was $1 billion for just this mission. That's a lot of money! Considering all that NASA has invested into these four individuals, do you think they had an obligation to show up for the launch? Yes! They had a great obligation. If they hadn't shown up, there would be a great disappointment by NASA and by the American people everywhere. We're going to come back to that in a while, but we get the idea of obligation. There is a cost; there is a debt; and then there is a judgment for failure to meet that obligation. What is our obligation to God? He created us; He sets the standard of how we relate to Him. How can we please Him? Maybe another way to ask this question-it's kind of cold-but what are the rules I need to follow in order to get into Heaven? That's the bare minimum of what we want to know. Fortunately, God made it very clear to the Israelites what He expected of them by giving Him His law, what He expected of them to be in right relationship with Him. This story starts back in Exodus. You may be familiar with it. The Israelites were in bondage for 400 years in the land of Egypt. They cried out to God; they prayed to Him, and God responded. He sent them Moses to draw them out of the land of Egypt. He performed these great plagues and these manifestations of His power, and He drew them out of the land of Egypt and into the wilderness. Eventually, He led them to the base of Mt. Sinai. At Mt. Sinai, God appeared to them in this great pomp and circumstance by thunder and lightning and a booming voice. He gave them the Ten Commandments, the Mosaic Law. Later on, He gave them the details of what He wanted them to abide by: the Sacrificial Law; the atonement for their sins; to be giving a tithe of what God has blessed them with of their first fruits; and to celebrate certain festivals. God laid out for them a detailed list of what they ought to do in order to be in right relationship with Him. The Jews took that upon themselves-at times doing very well, at times not so well; but for the next 1,500 years, they lived under this law until Jesus came and made a very pointed statement. He said in Matthew 5:20 (page 959 of pew Bibles), “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Now keep in mind that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were the holiest people on the planet at that time. Jesus had just said that the holiest people on the planet failed to live up to their obligation to please God in a right relationship. Then the natural response for us is if the holiest people on the planet can't live up to God's expectations, who can? Jesus' point is if you're living under the law and living by your sinful nature and your faith does not go beyond what you do for God, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There's nothing you can do to acquire God's pleasure, His favor. There is nothing you can do; it's impossible. Why would God give us this standard that we can't live up to? Let's talk more about that. The main Passage I want to look at this morning is in Romans 8:1-14 (page 1118 of pew Bibles). Paul is talking to the church in Rome, but by extension, he's talking to Christians in general. This is a fairly long Passage, so I encourage you to just hang in there. We'll get through all of it. There is a lot of information in there. It talks about our relationship with God under the old law and under God's grace in Christ Jesus. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful Man to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you. [Romans 8:12, page 1118], “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Jesus says that there is a standard we cannot live up to. There is an obligation. Regarding obligation, if there is a failure to meet that obligation, there is judgment. I like what Paul has to say in Verses 7-8. It's very clear, “…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.” It's impossible. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Why would God create us with an obligation, a standard that we cannot live up to? His perfect character cannot tolerate anything less than perfection. We cannot live up to His standard. Why would He do that? What is our obligation to God? Our obligation, under God's law, is to die in our sin, to suffer God's wrath. That's our obligation. That's what God created us to do. Thanks a lot, God! The law obligates us to sin. What a pitiful place to be! We are sinful. Paul says, “We are condemned. We are hostile to God, and we cannot please Him.” This message keeps getting worse, doesn't it? Hang in there with me, and like a good sitcom, we'll get this all nicely wrapped up in a half hour. But, if we don't take time to start here, if we don't realize the magnitude of our spiritual depravity, we cannot fully appreciate what Christ has done. The reality is our sin really does cause God pain. When I lose my temper, it hurts my family, and it also hurts God's heart. When I use His name in vain, I rob God of His due glory. When we doubt, we are not trusting Him. When we live in sexual immorality, we mock His power. When I pursue selfish dreams of wealth and grandeur, I'm saying, “God, You're not generous enough.” When I say that I am a Christian and yet do these things, I am a detriment to the name of God and to His church. Sin destroys relationships. It hurts people. It can ruin you financially. It affects every part of your life. Sin is a big problem in God's book. It's as if we were saying, “I am the God of my life.” In Romans 3:23 (page 1114), it says, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” All of us have sinned; therefore we are obligated to die in our sin, to suffer God's wrath. Keep in mind that death is not ceasing to exist. When you die, you don't just go poof! and everything is over. It's not like that. Death is separation from life, and life comes from God. We are separated from God because of our sin and obligated to suffer His wrath. The Bible is very clear that we are eternal beings. At the end of Matthew 25, Jesus said, “Those who obey God will go off to eternal life, and those who reject God will go off to eternal punishment.” That's hard to hear. We are eternal beings. I like what the Christian author and theologian, C.S. Lewis, has to say. He said, “You have never met a mere mortal, somebody who will die and then cease to exist.” You have never met a mere mortal person. We are creatures of infinite glory or everlasting destruction, and each one of us is helping everyone else to one of these destinations-even within the church. There are people living under the sinful nature, living under this law that we cannot live up to. We are obligated to die in our sin and suffer God's wrath. It may be somebody sitting next to you. It may be the person sitting in your very own seat. As a church staff, we are reading a book together chapter by chapter. It's called, “Radical.” I mentioned it before. Maybe you recognized it. It's by Dr. David Platt, who is a young pastor of a mega-church in Birmingham, Alabama. He made a comment [that we came across] this past week when we were reading together that I could not help but empathize with as a fellow pastor. Maybe as a Christian you will be able to empathize with this as well, or you've had this same thought. He says, “As a pastor, I shudder at the thought and lie awake at night when I consider the possibility that scores of people who sit before me on a Sunday morning might think that they are saved when they are not. Oh, God, may this not be true of our congregation.” Jesus says at the beginning of Matthew 7 (page 961) that you will know a tree by its fruit. “A good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit.” A Christian will bear fruit for Christ. At the end of that same chapter in Verse 21, Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “‘Not all who say to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only He who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven.'” What Jesus is saying is some people call themselves Christians, but they're not. They call themselves Christians, yet they are still living under their own selfish, sinful nature. We think that we can be Christians and still live in sin because, after all, we're forgiven. That's what Christ did on the cross, right? Maybe we try to hide our sin from other people and think that somehow we can fool God into believing that we're pretty good. You may know people like this. You may know people who say, “I'm not really worried about Heaven and hell because nobody has ever really been there. You know what? If I go to hell, so what-because all my friends will be there, and it will be a great big party.” Well, I don't think that's the picture God paints for us in Scripture; and I really don't believe it's going to be all that pleasant. I don't ever plan on going there to find out, and I can't even say I've been to Heaven; but I know that the Bible paints a very pleasant picture of Heaven and a very unpleasant picture of hell. Jesus, who was the Creator of all, had this to say about hell, “It would be better for you to cut off your own hand or your feet or to gauge out your own eyes than to allow you to let your sins send you into the eternal fire of hell.” Something tells me Jesus is trying to get our attention here. Something tells me that there is an important message that he wants us to understand about how unpleasant hell is. If we continue to live under the law of our sinful nature, we are obligated to die in our sin. You may be looking at the Passage that we looked at and saying, “Now, Pastor Tim, I realize what you're saying. It sounds really bad, but I think you missed Verse 1 here. It says, ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.' What about that?” Well, I'm so glad you asked. I have great news. The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 (page 1209), “…God is love.” God is love, so why would He create people to be condemned to die, to suffer His wrath, and have no way out? Because He had to. Because He needed to show us the depth of our spiritual, our sinful condition in order that we might understand the depth of His love for us. He had to give us the free will to choose to love Him because love cannot be demanded. It must be freely offered. He wants us to love Him. God didn't want us to suffer or to die for our sin, but because of His righteous integrity, He had to maintain justice. We mentioned under the definition of obligation, if there is a failure to meet that obligation, there is judgment-the judgment of God's wrath. Therefore, God sent His only Son into the world to be a sin offering for us, to die in our place on the cross. Under God's law, we are obligated to die. Because of what Christ did, we are freed from that obligation. We are freed from the obligation to die in our sin and to suffer God's wrath. Everybody has been freed from that obligation, but not all choose to receive that gift. Romans 6:23 (page 1117) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” A gift needs to be received. It's offered, but it's not necessarily received. It is as though all of us, all of humankind, have been placed into a big prison cell with bars and gates. The door is closed and locked, and you are put on death row and will certainly die. There is no way out. Then someone comes along; they unlock the bolt and open the door. They say, “You are free to go.” Some people get up and are really excited. They go out to a new freedom. They enjoy a new life and immense joy because of their new freedom. Then there are others who choose to stay in that prison. Why would they do that? “It's safe in here and secure. I know what to expect. I get three square meals a day and get to watch television. What more is there? What could be better than that?” Because of this deception, this lie, that there is nothing better beyond the prison cell walls, they choose to remain in that prison. They're missing out on a great freedom. It's a personal choice though. It's made by you. It's not made by your parents; it's not made because you were baptized as an infant into the church. It's not because of your good church attendance. It's not even because of some magical prayer you prayed in the past. Receiving Christ is a paradigm shift. It's a lifestyle change where you exchange your will for Christ's will in your life. It's received through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. We need to be careful here because we may be guilty of something that the early church was guilty of. We recognize what Christ did on the cross in forgiving our sins, but that doesn't give me the license and the freedom just to live as I want. That doesn't mean I can go out and live a sexually-immoral life because God has forgiven my sins. It doesn't mean I don't need to worry about tithing, what I do with my money, or obeying God because God has forgiven me and I can live anyway I want. Well, the early church did this, and that was not God's intention. In fact, Paul had to address this. He addressed it in 1 Corinthians 9:21(page 1134). He said, “(…I am not freed from God's law, but I am under Christ's law)…” We are free from the penalty of our sin. We are free from the obligation to die and suffer God's wrath. You are either under a law that brings death or you are under the freedom of the law that brings life. By default, you are under the law that brings death. Now earlier we mentioned the definition of an obligation. There is a cost involved, and we mentioned that Jesus Christ died and paid the cost for our salvation. What happens when there is a cost? There is a debt incurred. Ironically, choosing freedom from our old obligation-choosing Christ-leaves us with a new obligation, but not for sin and death. If you should so choose to receive Christ's gift of salvation, you are obligated to live by the Spirit of God. I like what Paul very clearly says in Romans 7:12, “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the sinful nature.” In Romans 7:9, Paul makes a contrast. There is a shift in focus. In Verses 7:5-8, he talks about our sinful nature, our condemnation, our inability to please God. In Verse 9, there is a change. He says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” This is very serious stuff. He is speaking to people who are not condemned. What makes them different? Is it because Jesus died? In part, yes, but not fully. It is because they have the Spirit of God living in them. The key to eternal life is in the Spirit of God which we receive through faith in Christ. How do we know that we have the Spirit of God? Well, Paul tells us in Romans 7:5 (page 1118), “Our minds are on what the Spirit desires.” What does that look like? Does having the Spirit of God in my life mean I have to go to church every week? That's a good thing, but not necessarily. Does it mean that I enjoy going to church every week? Well, that would be good too, but not necessarily. Does it mean that I read my Bible every day or pray for hours on end? Does that mean that I have the Spirit of God in me? It might, but not necessarily. If I am blessed by God in my life-if I'm healthy, if everything is going well-and is the sign of God's blessing showering down upon me, is that a sign that I have the Spirit of God in me? Well, I know a lot of missionaries from the past and people who were holy people who did not have very pleasant lives and did not appear to us to have the blessing of God upon them; yet they were very holy and the Spirit of God lived through them in a mighty way. So, what does it look like? How do we know that we have the Spirit of God? Well, the Spirit of God brings peace in your life; joy in your relationships; patience in your trials; love in your marriage; self-control in temptation. It makes you wise so you can make good decisions. It helps you to resist sin, anger, and jealousy. When you overflow with the Spirit, you become a blessing to others, not a burden. You give to other people and you don't take. People start to like you more; you realize that you start to love people more too because you recognize that they're made in the image of God, and God loves them too. The Spirit of God is the promise-the seal of our eternal life with Him. It is the opportunity to be in God's presence, to praise Him, and to live out our purpose that He's created us for; to bring glory to Him with our lives and not glory to ourselves. When you have the Spirit of God, you are passionate about the things that God is passionate about. You love what He loves; you hate what He hates. If there is an injustice, it makes you angry. If there is corruption, it grieves your heart. The will of God will consume you, and you will not be able to sit down and do nothing about it. If you are truly a follower of Christ, then you are obligated to live by the Spirit of God because the Spirit of God defines the life of Christ. If you do not have the Spirit of God, then you are truly missing out on God's greatest blessings. I mentioned before that we'd come back to that illustration about the space shuttle Atlantis because there is an element of that obligation that we haven't talked much about. We mentioned that they were obligated to show up for the launch, but the reality is that Commander Christopher Ferguson had the freedom to choose to say no. He had the freedom to walk away. He could have said, “You know what? It's been a great journey these past several years. I've learned a lot. It's really interesting, but you know what? The whole flammable liquid thing gets me a little uneasy. The lighting of the match and shooting up in the air, I'm not so sure about that. Quite frankly, my wife reminded me I have a dinner appointment tonight, and I don't want to miss that. You know what she would have to say about that? It might send her into orbit.” That would be ridiculous! That would be ridiculous if he failed to show up, but the reality is he has the freedom to choose; but this is what he's living for. This is what defines his life as being his purpose right now. This is what he was trained to do. People are looking to him as an icon of American pride, scientific advancement, and a symbol of what man can do. It would be a huge disappointment to NASA and to everyone else, all Americans all around, if he failed to show up for the launch. Yet, many people who call themselves Christians have done just that. God has shared with us His great vision to bless mankind. He has called us. He has given us this vision. He has equipped us with all we need to be successful, and we have actually responded with, “Yes, I want to be a part of this exciting plan to bless mankind.” Just like the billions of dollars spent on the International Space Station, Jesus' priceless blood was the cost for the mission that we elected to choose. Yet many Christians never follow through with their obligation. They never launch. They just sit there on the launch pad looking all pretty with this potential but never achieving anything. Like other people at times in my life, I have found that I am too busy with my own agenda to listen to the Spirit of God. At times, I tend to be more interested in happiness than holiness, [more concerned about] momentary pleasures than eternal joy. I spend more time being concerned with storing up treasures for my retirement than treasures in Heaven. I'm more bothered by what other people do wrong than my own sinful behavior. Quite frankly, oftentimes I'm more focused on me. When it's time for God to show up in a situation and I see there is a need, or I see somebody who is hurting, the best I can do is say, “I'll pray for you,” “I hope you get better,” or “I'm sure that God will provide.” That is not what God had in mind. At that point, if the Spirit of God is in you, He will prick your heart and say, “No, that's not what I want. I don't want you to pray for them. I want you to say, ‘Hey, I'm here to pray with you right now. I can tell that you're hurting. Tell me more about it. Talk to me. I want to listen.'” I don't want to just hope that you get better. I want to say, “You know what? Can I bring you a meal? I can see that you're sick? Can I bring you to a doctor appointment? Do you need a ride? What can I do to help you through this difficult time?” Instead of saying, “You know what? I can see that you're struggling, whether it be financially or you have a need…” Instead of saying, “I'm sure that God will provide. He's a generous God,” ask what has God given me that I have to offer? He has given us what we have that we might be a blessing to other people. God wants us to be concerned about what He is concerned about, even in the little things. Under God's law in our sinful nature, we are obligated to die, obligated to suffer His wrath. In Christ, we are freed from that obligation. If we choose to receive that obligation, then we are obligated to live by the Spirit of God. So, back to what God wants from us. Well, Old Testament/New Testament, it hasn't really changed. In fact, it goes back even before the law. What God really wants from us…is us. He wants our love and devotion. We asked the question before: what are the rules I need to follow in order to get to Heaven? Well, there really is only one rule. God says, “Love Me. Love Me with all your heart. Don't just like Me like you would like a friend on Facebook. Love Me with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength-more than money, success, power, or things that bring momentary happiness. More than anything, love Me with all your heart.” When you love God like that, then you will have the Spirit of God living in you, and oh, the power of God's love. The power of God's love holds within it the solution for world peace; an end to war; an end to poverty, to sickness, and corruption. God's love can even fix a messed-up life. My heart is still concerned as a pastor that there may be some in our own congregation who may think that they are Christians, but are they really? I don't want anyone to stand before God only to be rejected and to have them turn to God and say, “Why didn't You tell me?” He is telling you right now. Do you know without a doubt that you are living by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God is in you, and you are loving Him with all your heart? I might not be able to tell you the exact day or time, but I can tell you without a doubt that there was a time in my life when I gave my life to Christ. I was about seven years old, and my mom had shared with me the condition of my sinful nature and the good news that I have in Christ. I said, “Yes, God, I give You my life. Whatever You ask, I will do.” In just a minute, we're going to pray, but before we do, I want to say it again: not everyone who calls himself a Christian will enter the Kingdom of God, Matthew 7:21. Having said that, you can be confident of your salvation-you can be assured of your salvation-by being honest, open, and vulnerable before God about the condition of your heart. Maybe you've grown up in the church and have been warming a pew for years, but you know you're not wholly-devoted. You take a look at your life and you clearly know that God is not pleased with all areas of your life. Are you really living by the Spirit? Is the Spirit of God in you? Today you are faced with a choice. You can choose to live in freedom by the Spirit, or you can choose to live, again, by your sinful nature under the law that you cannot live up to the obligation, and you are destined to die and to suffer God's wrath. I want to ask you to bow your heads and close your eyes. If there is any chance that anyone in this room might be among those who think that they are saved and are not, let's take care of that right now. I'm not going to ask anyone to raise their hands or stand up, say your name, come forward or anything because I don't want you to be swayed by what other people are doing. I want this to be honest, open, and genuine in your own heart before God because if it's not honest, open, and genuine, it will not stick. First, I want to ask if you know this morning that you are living in the Spirit, I want to ask you to pray right now wherever you're at in silence. I ask that you pray that the Spirit of God would move in our congregation. If you want to make today a turning point in your life; if you've never given your life to Christ; if you want to say, “Yes, I want to stop living for myself and want to put God at the center of my life”; if you have never given your life to Christ, I want you to pray with me silently right now: God, I know that I am a sinner. You've told me this in Your Book, and I believe it. I recognize that in my sin, I am obligated to die and to suffer Your wrath. I thank You for what Christ did on the cross, freeing me from that obligation; and I choose today to give my life to You. I don't know exactly what it looks like to live in the Spirit, but I want to learn and I want to please You with my life. Thank You for showing me the Truth. Give me the strength and surround me with people who will show me the way, that I might live my life for You. I ask that in Jesus' name. If you've been in the church for years but know you aren't truly following God with your whole heart or if at one time in your life, you were living by the Spirit and now you've fallen away, I want you to draw a line in the sand today and turn your life around. Get back on track. If that describes you this morning, I want you to pray with me silently where you're at: Heavenly Father, I know what You've done for me, and I thank You for what Christ did on the cross; but if I look at my life right now and if I'm honest with You, my life does not please You. I'm living under my sinful nature, my selfish desires. Lord, if I'm living under my sinful nature, there is judgment to be had. I recognize, Lord, that You have destined me for greater things. I want to live for You with my whole life. Help me to launch out of my place of apathy that I might show the world and shine Your light on what You have done for them. God, I draw a line in the sand, and I'm turning my life in a new direction. Thank You for reaching into my life and reminding me what Christ has done and giving me a second chance to live my whole life for You. Thank You, God, for Your generosity, for Your forgiveness, for Your blessing. Lord, we pray that Your Spirit will bless our congregation now. Wherever we're at, we give our lives to You, that You might be glorified in our lives, in our community, and our families. Lord, help us to shine our lights with Your glory. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Hopefully, youll learn some things thatll encourage you and challenge you in your framework and world view. As we looked at Larry this morning and heard what he had to say, [I thought] Im glad to be in a church thats not afraid to ask the big questions. We obviously in a half hour dont have time to address all of the things and all the questions that Larry asked, but believe me there are answers to all of those. We do want to look at a few things, and we want to talk about secular humanism in light of the Bible because what you may not believe is after Christianity and Islam, secular humanism is probably the prevailing religion in the world today. And you say, Secular humanism religion? I didnt know that. I thought it was secular. But, friends, the reality is if you were to read, The Humanist Manifesto, the first one that was put together in 1933, about 5 of the 14 planks of The Humanist Manifesto call humanism a religion. Interesting, ha? So theres nothing new under the sun, and these people believe what they believe passionately. They believe it ardently, and they believe its the answer to human beings ills, needs, and salvation, and so as such-as we talk over the next six weeks and start this series on World View, one of the things that we need to address right off the top is one of the prevailing religions in the world today-which is secular humanism. Its interesting too that since in the second and third revisions of The Humanist Manifesto that that kind of religious tone has been edited out of that, but, again, going back to 1933, the founders of that viewed secular humanism as a religion and a world view that embraced all of life. The first thing that we see out of that-if you were to go to the secular humanist website and read The Humanist Manifesto, you will find words like this: secular humanism provides a cosmic outlook, a world view, in the broadest sense. By world view, we mean a big picture kind of look at the world that embraces everything, everybody and everything we do. Secular humanists see themselves as undersigned, unintended beings who arose through evolution possessing unique attributes of self-awareness and moral agency. I always chuckle how they got self-awareness and moral agency if there was no God, and they came to exist all by themselves by accident; but thats a whole other topic. Friends, as we look at this Passage and look at this religion in light of the Scripture, well look at Psalm 14:1 (page 538 of pew Bibles) to begin with. We will look at three Passages, but lets first turn to Psalm 14:1. David, 3,000 years ago, wrote these words. He said, Only fools say in their hearts there is no God. They are corrupt. Their actions are evil. Not one of them does good. When we talk about fools and Pastor Jeff asked me to entitle this message on secular humanism, The Fool, I dont mean that in necessarily a derogatoral way whereas we talk about being a fool; I dont mean in the terms of being mentally deranged or mentally handicapped. Were talking about someone who is simple, someone who is naïve, someone who doesnt get the big picture, someone who doesnt take the farthest look, somebody who sets aside reason and intellect in order to come to the conclusions that they do. There are many wonderful illustrations that children make. In Jesus Takes, we had little Nolan this morning, and God talks about little children as the examples of faith because they embrace things and believe things, almost unequivocally. You know you tell a child the sky is blue and the moons made out of green cheese, and, Okay. And so Jesus said trust Him as the faith of a little child. The flip side is that we want to use children as an illustration-not in a derogatory way but just an incomplete way. The children are also very naïve, arent they? If I were to ask the question, how many of you were afraid of the dark when you were a kid? Some brave people. If you were like me, I was very afraid of the dark, and basements, it was like, Oh, my goodness. Please, Mother, dont send me down to the basement for potatoes or something! I remember when the movie Home Alone came out and Macaulay Culkin went down there and the furnace kicked on. It was like, Ahhhhh! Youve got to be kidding me! I remember going down to the basement and turning on the lights, creaking down the stairs and looking for potatoes. I found their little eyes looking back at me. Then the furnace came on, and I would just make a bee-line up the stairs. It was like the bake of potatoes playing Chariots of Fire. I was sprinting up the stairs. I was terrified of the dark. That carried over every time I went to bed, you know. You had monsters and all those things. I had nightmares almost every night of my childhood in to my teenage years. As a child, when youre afraid of the dark, and youre dreaming of monsters, what do you do to get away from it? You pull the covers up over your head, right? Because if you cant see them, they cant get you, right? The secular humanist and the fool as God looks at here are very much like that. Pull the covers up over your head and pretend that God isnt there. He doesnt exist. Why? Because I cant see Him. Regardless of what youve heard in history books, the majority of the people in Galileos time or Columbus time did not believe that the world was flat. They didnt. Youve heard that, but its not true. Regardless of what some of our modern movies say, the Catholic Church did not reject Galileo because he said the earth went around the sun. That was not the issue at all. The point is that people like Sir Isaac Newton who believed in God, who made the world, said that science was possible and that you could study the world, study the universe, and study things in a scientific way specifically because there was a Creator who made it all and therefore, it was knowledge. Solomon said in Proverbs [25:2, page 650 of pew Bibles], Its the glory of God to conceal a matter. Its the glory of kings to search it out. Thats what the early scientists believed. Im going to read this other Passage from The Humanist Manifesto as we talk about religion. Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists… This is straight out of the first one. …religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life. In fact at the tail end of the first The Humanist Manifesto, it says this: Do you know what the essence of living here on the earth is? Its to have The Good Life. Isnt that interesting? It sounds like a beer commercial, doesnt it? You only go around once in life, so you have to grab for all the gusto you can. Lets pull the covers over my head. Going back a bit as I remember what I was going to say. You think about that, pretend it isnt there, that foundation of science led to all kinds of horrific experimentations or ways of dealing with illness in the past when like the first President of our country. We didnt know about germs and all those types of things, so what did we do when he was sick with pneumonia? We bleed him, taking away the very thing that he needed, which was his blood. We bleed him, weaken him, and hence he dies because we cant see germs, so they must not exist. The father of modern sanitation Ignaz Semmelweiss got hounded out of two different hospitals because he had the audacity to believe the Bible when it came to performing autopsies and then walking across the floor to maternity wards and delivering babies without washing your hands. When Ignaz Semmelweiss had the audacity to tell the doctors under his care that they needed to wash their hands after performing autopsies and before delivering babies, he got hounded out of two different hospitals and died a broken man. Why? Because science at the time, You cant see it, so it must not be so. Now science tells us, I cant see God, so guess what? It must not be so. Yet, so much of the technical things-lights, heat-all those types of things, so many of the scientific advances that weve enjoyed in the last 150 years are because of things that we cant see. That brings us to motivation. Well get to more specifics later, but lets talk about motivation. Why are people so passionate about the idea that there is no God? I always chuckle at that. Do you get the ridiculousness of that, the incongruity? Theres no God, but Im going to spend my life defined by telling everybody that the thing that I dont believe exists doesnt exist. Let me give you an example. If I believed that purple elephants dont exist, would I spend my life passionately crusading throughout the entire world telling everybody and making sure that everybody knows that purple elephants dont exist? Would I? No, Id just ignore it because I know purple elephants dont exist. Duh! Its hilarious to me that people will say, Oh, God doesnt exist. Guess what? God defines their lives-their whole lives and framework is built around, Theres no God! Theres no God! Theres no God! Theres no God! If we tell ourselves that long enough, maybe well convince ourselves that thats the truth. Pull the blankets up over your head. If you cant see Him, it must not be so. Whats the motivation? Why are people so passionate about that? As we said, its religion. Friends, I am so glad that the Bible is not relevant for today. That was a joke. I was just seeing if you were awake. Way back in Genesis 3, we find the answer to that. This is the foundation of so much religion, so many Eastern religions-even some of the late comers to the modern Americans. What is the crux? Whats the sum total? If I follow this religion, what happens in the end? Here it is: Genesis 3, I get to be God. Why do I stand and shake my fist in the face of God, say He doesnt exist, Hes not out there. Because if Hes not out there, then who is God? Who is king? Whos boss? Whos lord? Me. Im so glad the Bibles not relevant-nailed that in the first three chapters. The serpent comes to Eve in the Garden and says, Take that fruit. Dont listen to God. He doesnt know what Hes talking about because if you eat that fruit, what will happen? You will get to be your own God! Thats the sum total of it. If there is no God, you get to be God. I like poetry. I like literature, and I dont think any poem says it better than the poem they used for the title of a movie this last year. Clint Eastwood directed a movie about the South African rugby team and their quest for a rugby championship. The name of that movie was, Invictus. What you may not know is that is a very famous and well known poem written in 1875 by William Earnest Henley. This poem espouses this philosophy in an amazing way, and I often wonder what was going on in Henleys head. Im not going to speculate about a lot of things, but I know he had a rough background. He had tuberculosis of the bone at a young age. At a young age or pre-modern medicine, he had a leg amputated. Im sure in the late 1800s, that must have been a pretty horrific experience. We can see some of that pain, some of that heartache in the middle of this poem. Lets listen to the words of his poem, Invictus, when he writes, Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole… Now theres a really optimistic world view, right? …I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. Dont gloss over that line. Is he really thanking God? Notice that god is in small letters. Whatever gods might be, who is he really thanking for his unconquerable soul? Who is the god? Himself-youre right. He is. He goes on to say, In the fell clutch of circumstance… Think about losing a leg and the pain he went through, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears… That's what life is to him, a place of wrath and tears. Whats to come? Looms but the Horror of the shade… Now theres a great view of eternity. And yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Look at that line. If you dont get whats going on here or get poetry very well, get this. When he talks about, It matters not how strait the gate, whats that an illusion to? Jesus said, Strait was the gate that led to…? Heaven, everlasting life. How charged with punishments the scroll, whats that an illusion to? Whats the opposite of Heaven? Hell. Hensley says, I dont care about Heaven, and I dont care about hell. Im the master of my fate. Im the captain of my soul. Im in charge, and no god, nobody else. Im the boss. Im the king. I rule. Im God. Our secular world stands and applauds that. Now it is great poetry, and its great in terms of its artistry, its rhyme scheme. It makes an incredible impact. Its a powerful piece, but philosophically, its awful. Yet, our secular world and secular humanists stand and applaud that. That's the essence of secular humanism. Im the master. Im the captain. Friends, Ill tell you something: after looking at my own life and after 30 years in the ministry and a dozen years as a police chaplain, Ive stood beside grades; Ive stood beside beds; Ive stood beside people in hospitals and jails and watched the utter destruction that people make of their lives when they decide theyre the boss, theyre in charge, and theyre gonna do it as Frank Sinatra sang, My Way. Holding that dear little child in your arms… Ill never forget standing by hospital beds as a police chaplain because I had to tell mothers that their four-year olds just died because they were having illicit drug-laced drunken affairs and killed their own children as a result of their actions. They were so high, and they backed their vans into lakes, and their children drowned. Their lovers drowned. I listened to the parents scream because-well, they were doing their own thing. They made the rules; they wrote the songs. They were in charge, and they reaped the fruit of it. Ill be the first one to tell you that I am so glad that I realize-it didnt take me very long to realize -as a person that Jerry Dean made a really horrible god and I really royally messed my life up. If I was honest with the thoughts that went on in my head as a young person, the perversion, the wickedness, the lust, and the evil… I used to lift weights in just a rage-fueled passion thinking about people that I wanted to kill. That embarrasses me. It shames me to say that. I sit here and think, Yeah, I really deserve to be worshipped as God-really noble stuff, right? Im really in charge. Im really the boss. I spent two years in high school, thinking about killing myself almost every single day. The gloom and the darkness that covered my life were incredible. The pain, the heartache, and the agony because I couldnt find the big answers to the big questions that I wanted-but, friends, out of that, when God finally opened up His Word and showed me His Truth and His light, and I found peace, redemption, hope, and deliverance in Jesus Christ-when I found out that He paid for my sins on the cross and justice was done there, I literally at 23 years old and a pastor already, literally jumped off my couch and almost hit my head on the ceiling because I instantly knew peace. I instantly knew joy. I instantly knew hope in a way that I never had in my whole entire life. I am so glad that I am not my own god. Paul Kurtz in the second Humanist Manifesto writes these words: No god will save us. We must save ourselves. My response to that and many of your responses to that is those two wonderful English words, Balderdash and Hogwash. I did a lousy job at saving myself. If God hadnt reached down and rescued my soul, I would have died a long time ago. I wouldnt be standing here today if it wasnt for the grace, the wonder, and the goodness of a Holy, loving, and gracious God. Many of you would nod your heads and say exactly that same thing, wouldnt you? Friends, Jesus Christ will have the entire universe bow their knees to Him some day. Every tongue will confess that He is the Lord. Hes boss; Hes King. What earned Him that position? Because 2,000 years ago in the Garden of Gethsemane when He faced eternal hell and the wrath and curse of a Holy, righteous, and just God, He had the wisdom to say, Father, whatever You want. Not what I want. Amen? If you know peace, you know hope, and you know joy, and you have hope for eternity, its because your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, His incredible attitude said, God whatever You want. Not what I want. Thats where real power comes from. The amazing thing is when you finally surrender to God and say, Youre the King. Youre the boss, then and only then do you find true freedom and a real hope. As you grow in your walk with Him, you finally find that you become the person that [He wants you to be]. He starts to change you, and you become the person that you hoped you could be. We all have a ways to go, but you see the way God changes, moves, and molds your lives, and your gratitude grows. Friends, I would ask you to take just a minute right here, bow your head with me, and pray that prayer-you alone with God, if you would, say, God, whatever You want. Not what I want. Will you take just a minute to pray that to God right now? Father, we thank You so much for the example of Jesus Christ who prayed, Not My will, but Yours. I pray that we would pray that not just today, but every day, and follow Him. I thank You that we can pray in His name, Amen. Friends, thats the challenge-not to pray that just once, but you will be truly wise if every single day at some point in your life you turn to the God of the universe and say, Youre the boss. Youre the King. Whatever You want. Youll be amazed at how your life will change. The second thing I want to look at is Proverbs 22:3 (page 647 of pew Bibles). It says these words and is repeated in Verse 12:27. Its repeated in many different ways throughout Proverbs, but it says this: A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. A prudent person sees danger and takes precaution. Proverbs 14 says, The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and wont face the facts. If you asked me today why Im a Christian, I would say it is this more than any single other thing: Christianity faces reality in a way that nothing else does. It faces the farthest look. Do you know in this world if youre trying to get ahead financially, you plan for your future. I always chuckle that over 90 percent of Americans have no more money when they die than when they did at age 18. Why? Incredibly poor planning. They dont look ahead. The Russians, under Stalin, they had their five-year plans and bankrupted the entire country. They couldnt look just five years in the future. They only looked so far ahead. Christians, God tells and challenges Christians to take the long view, the eternal view. I chuckle at this phrase from The Humanist Manifesto, which says, Knowledge is based on the scientific mesh and observations by many impartial witnesses. Now if that is true, and youre honest, what are we all going to face some day? Every single person sitting here will someday face death. You say, Well, I hope the Lord comes back. A while ago, it dawned on me that theyre basically the same thing. If Im ready to die, am I ready for the Lord to come back? Yeah. If Im ready for the Lord to come back, Im ready to die. Its essentially the same thing. Wise people think about that. Now heres something interesting. They say the only way that you can know anything is observation by many impartial witnesses, so lets take them at face value. How many people in white coats have ever experienced life after death or observed it? Never experienced it, never observed it, but we can know for sure that it doesnt exist. On the other hand, and one of the questions Larry asked, whats the difference between Judaism, Christianity and every other religious myth? The reality is history. One of the degrees I have is in history. I am a history geek; Im a history nerd; Im a history junkie. Friends, if I were going to plan my future on something that I wasnt sure that existed, I would like the witness of somebody thats been there, done that, right? So all our experts with letters after their names running around in white coats, they havent been there after death, but I know somebody that has the audacity to claim that He did. Why is Christianity different than every other religion? Because it claims to be historically accurate. One of the most brilliant historians in the British Empire in the last hundred years said, There is more evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ than any single other historical event. Good historians, good experts-people that are willing to study the facts-find out time after time after time that the Bible is true. I could go on and on and on telling you about the greatest British archeologist over the last hundred years, Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, who went to the Middle east to prove-he was knighted by the Queen of England-he was such a touring intellect. He went to the Middle east to prove that the Book of Acts was false. After he retraced the steps of Paul and Luke, he came to the conclusion and wrote that Luke was a historian of the first degree. His Book set the scholastic word on edge. It knocked peoples socks off. They never would have dreamed that, and Ramsay became a Christian as a result of his study of history and the facts. I could go on and on and on and tell you a litany of people who have come to that same conclusion from Lee Strobel, who is an editor of the Chicago Tribune, to CS Lewis, one of the greatest authors of the last hundred years. I could tell you story after story-doctors, scientists, geophysicists. My absolute favorite is Lou Wallace. Ive told a little bit about him before, but Ill tell you this: Lou Wallace was a lawyer from Indiana. He was so brilliant that at 34 years old, he was made a general in the union Army-one of the youngest generals in the Civil War. He was blamed for some of the catastrophes at the Battle of Shiloh and lost his position, but he came to the defense of the City of Cincinnati and set up its defenses; and as a result, he re-attained his rank of general. After the defense of the City of Cincinnati, he came to the attention of the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln called him to Washington, almost as his special envoy, and Lou Wallace became a Civil War hero because he is credited with defending Washington, D.C., against confederate attack and saving the capital. Lou Wallace in his 30s became a national hero, credited with saving Washington, D.C., from capture. You probably didnt know that, did you? He went on after the war to become an author. After he wrote several books, he was writing across the country with one of the leading agnostics of the day-a man named Robert Ingersoll. Ingersoll, in a long spiel in which Wallace says he was charming, eloquent-hed never heard anybody talk like Ingersoll had before-was so logical. Ingersoll challenged Wallace about Christianity and Jesus Christ. Wallace began to research whether, in fact, Christianity was true and that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. Do you know how long he spent studying that? Lee Strobel spent two years studying Christianity before he was convinced that it was true. Lou Wallace spent seven years, after which he became overwhelmed by the facts, overwhelmed by the evidence. The lawyer, the general, the author could not deny it any longer. He gave his life to Jesus Christ and ended up writing the best seller, Ben Hur. If this guy was alive today, his name would be making headlines almost every single day because Lou Wallaces play, Ben Hur, ran on Broadway for 26 straight years. It was so huge that the chariot race with eight horses was actually redone on stage. He became world famous in an age where Christians didnt read novels or go to the theatre. Christians read Ben Hur. They went to see Ben Hur. It affirmed their faith as it had with Wallace. Again, I could go on and on talking about people like that. The evidence is overwhelming. If I come to face death some day, I want to be in the hands of someone who has been there, done that, and conquered death. Right? I dont want to base my hopes on some, Well, were not quite sure. We havent observed it. The reality is that Paul in his day, speaking of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ-this is almost like an Eastern sermon-maybe were climbing out of the valley-said that Jesus was seen by over 500 witnesses at once, most of whom were still alive. How would that hold up in a court of law today? [Do you] think 500 witnesses on the witness stand might reinforce your case? Paul was so confident of the fact that he said, If youre not sure, go ask Him because most of them are still alive. You can check it out. As Pastor Jeff said last week, Christianity has never been afraid to say, Hey, check it out. I dont have to set my reason aside to embrace faith. In fact, the whole reason that I am a Christian is because I grew up in a very intellectual home. The Christian world view answers all my big questions. Its more logical; its more reasonable than any other philosophy of life Ive ever come across. So God calls us to embrace Truth, to embrace wisdom. What do you know about little kids that is simple? Humanism says you have to test everything out before you can find out if its true. Thats a nice way of saying you have to learn everything the hard way. How many little kids do you know that love vegetables? Maybe there are a few. How many little kids and grandkids do you know that would eat candy non-stop, 24 hours a day, if you allowed them to do that? What would they be like after 25 years, if they were still alive-which they probably would not be? But you need somebody older, wiser who gets the bigger picture a little bit better than they do to say, No, this is not good for you. If you set aside genuine truth and reality, you have to learn everything the hard way, and thats incredibly sad. Christianity is the ultimate look ahead. Paul in Romans 10 says that if youll confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, youll be saved. I love the Passage in Romans 2:7 where he says, There are those who will win eternal life if they continually seek glory, honor, and immortality. I love that phrase. Whats God called us as Christians to do? He calls us to seek for glory, honor, and immortality because all of us are going to face eternity one day. Im banking on someone whos been there, done that-not, Well, were not quite sure. In fact, were pretty confident that this is all there is. That leads us to the next point. My wife shared this Verse with me knowing that I was going to preach about the fool and secular humanism. Isaiah 44:20, we wind it down here, it says these words (page 721), The poor deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that cant help him at all, yet he cannot bring himself to ask, Is this idol that Im holding in my hand a lie? In spite of all of the arguments, all these protestations that we are impartial observers, secular humanists believe in a religion. Dont buy that nonsense that they are impartial. I always think of Francis Crick, the discoverer of DNA. Ill show you what a geek I am by saying that DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. There, Im a total nerd. In 1983, Francis Crick discovered DNA. Hes an agnostic-pretty confident that God doesnt exist though, and its amazing that as he looks at DNA and studies even more and finds out that in every single cell, there are miles of human DNA. It boggles his mind, and Francis Crick the agnostic, says, Dare we say the word miracle, but of course, Pull the covers over my head cause it couldnt be God. He even uses the word miracle, but, Well, that doesnt fit in to my world view, so Im gonna cross out all knowledge or understanding that God couldve created this because it doesnt fit. Impartial observers? Youve got to be kidding me. Kids believe everything that theyre told. Thats why Jesus said that a child is the model of faith. They believe easily. Sometimes this gets thrown in our faces, You Christians, youre simple. Youre naïve. You believe in God. You also believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, and when you grow up a little bit more and get more of the facts, youre realize that Gods just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Hes made up. Friends, this is my challenge to you as we wind it down and finish. This is my challenge to you: the God of the universe has the audacity-Isaiah 1-to say, Come now and let us reason together, says the Lord. You dont have to set aside your brain; you dont have to set aside your intellect. You dont have to set aside your logic. One of my favorite courses-you dont have to set aside your wisdom when you come to God. In fact, I am a Christian because wisdom, intellect, logic, and reason buttresses everything in the Word of God. The more I study, the more I see, the more I learn, the more I understand, I am amazed at the Truth of this Book and the wisdom of the Holy and Almighty God. God challenges us to think. In fact, I shake my head at our loss of history. When we have schools precisely in America because schools were built to teach young children how to read the Word of God, and 9 out of the 10 Ivy League schools-you can check it out and look it up-were started as? Religions seminaries to train preachers. Everywhere the Word of God goes, what happens? The advancement of science, wisdom, human reasoning, and logic follows. Why are dictators so afraid of the Word of God? Why are they so afraid of Christianity? Because they know that everywhere Christianity goes, it brings freedom. It brings real thinking. People dont just dumbly sit and go, A-ha, a-ha, a-ha, a-ha. They actually learn to think for themselves. One of favorite moments as a dad-one of my proudest moments as a parent-my oldest daughter was invited to a home of some Jehovahs Witnesses to discuss religion, and it was really interesting. Going back to the second one, one of the questions they got in to a discussion about was Heaven and hell, and the Jehovahs Witnesses believe there are three levels and 144,000 go to the highest level of Heaven. Then theres the middle ground that the rest of the Jehovahs Witnesses go to. Then theres the new earth, which all the good people go to. If youre really horrible, you just get annihilated. I was so proud of my daughter. She said, You know? If youre right and Im wrong, big deal. The worst that could happen to me… Remember for some of you in management, if youre planning, what do you plan for? You always plan for worst case scenarios; so worst case scenario, what happens? I get annihilated. Whoop-de-do. But if Im a pretty good person, then where do I spend eternity? On new earth, not so bad. Then she said, But if Im right, and youre wrong, youre in trouble. Then they said, Well, you believe what you believe because your parents told you that. The young lady who was my daughters age said, You know, the only reason I believe what I believe is because my parents told me that, and I was so proud of my daughter. She said, No, no, no, no, no, no. I dont buy it just cause my dad says it. In fact, she said, My dad tells me all the time, Dont you dare believe it just because I tell you that. She said, My dad tells me all the time, Look it up. Check it out. Search history; search science; search the facts; search ethics; search logically; search the Word of God. You find out if its true. I was so proud of her! Friends, thats what Im telling you. Im telling you follow in the footsteps of CS Lewis. Follow in the footsteps of Lou Wallace. Follow in the footsteps of Lee Strobel. Check it out for yourself. Dont you buy it just because Jerry Dean says it or Pastor Jeff says it-even though I love Pastor Jeff, sorry. Thats not blasphemy. Paul said, If I or you or any other angel preached you anything other than the Word of God, let them be accursed. It used to just trip my trigger in a church I was at before. I was there for a couple years, and Id walk by groups of people and hear people say, Well, Jerry said this, and Jerry said that. Thats why I have no hair anymore. Id pull it out. Id go, No, you dont get it! Its not Jerry said this or Jerry said that. The only reason to buy it is if God says it. If God doesnt say it, you can check everything else Jerry Dean says. Friends, I conclude with this: truly wise people search. Truly wise people think. Gods not afraid of the big questions. Revelation 1:6 (page 1215) says that God has called us to be kings and priests. I love the Passage in Proverbs [25:2, page 650] that says, Its the glory of God to conceal things. Its the glory of kings to search them out. As a king and a priest in Gods Kingdom, what does God call you to do? Search for Truth. Hit the books! Pray like Solomon, God, give me a large and understanding heart. Open my mind. Teach me Your ways. Teach me wisdom. Give me knowledge. Give me understanding. Im not content with where I am. I want answers! Teach me. Show me. And you can bank on it that if you do that, He will. Ill close with one last Passage from the Word of God, Deuteronomy 17:18-19 (page 189). When a new king came to the thrown in Israel, do you know what his first official act of state was? God said, Hes supposed to write his own personal copy of the Word of God. Secondly, he was supposed to read in it every day all the days of his life. Friends, you are most like the king and queen that God chose you to be when you search and devour. Solomon said, If you search for wisdom and seek for her as for hidden treasure, then you will get real understanding. You will get real knowledge. You will gain real wisdom. Itll impact you both in this life and in the life to come. Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the Truth. We thank You for each one of these who are Your people. I pray that You would teach us, help us to grow and learn and challenge us to seek You, to pursue You, to not be afraid of the big questions. We thank You for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and the way Youve changed our lives. I ask Your blessing on each one here, and if theres someone who doesnt know You, that maybe today they will confess that You are in fact Lord and trust that Jesus rose from the dead, even today, and find new life and a new hope. I thank You that we can pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Were talking about patience this morning. Have you run out of that lately? Nobody? A couple of you? Well, Ill just preach to the Roberts then this morning. Learning to wait. He talks in the book about the fourth watch. Jesus walks to the disciples. Its the fourth watch between 3 oclock and 6 oclock in the morning. The storm is still going on. Why did Jesus wait so long? Why not come earlier? Why not calm the storm first before Peter walks on the water? Why not calm the storm before you get to the disciples? Why did He have the storm last? Why did He wait until that late in the night to come, the fourth watch? Because God is obviously trying to teach them something. Hes trying to teach them to learn to wait. We have fourth watch experiences. The Bible is full of fourth watch experiences. Theres Daniel in the lions den. Youd think God would deliver him before he gets in the lions den, right, if youre Daniel? But, God waits until he gets in the lions den. If youre Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, you hope God will deliver you before you get into the fiery furnace, but God waits until theyre in the fiery furnace. If youre Moses, youre hoping that God parts the Sea before the Egyptians get to you, but God waits until the last minute when the Egyptians are right there and the Sea is right on the other side before He parts the water. How many of you have had fourth watch experiences where it seems like God waits until the last possible minute and sometimes even beyond that? Let me see your hands. All right, so Im talking to the right group here. Were going to look at a fourth watch situation here in John 11, if you would turn there. We talk about patience; the truth of the matter is sometimes we are impatient with God. Sometimes before we can gather all the facts, we make assumptions about Gods character. We make assumptions about Gods nature. If God is allowing me to go through this, He couldnt be good. If God is not going to answer my prayers, maybe He doesnt hear, or maybe He doesnt care, or maybe He is not powerful enough to intervene in this situation. Therefore, we make judgment calls. We become impatient with God. We disagree with the way He has worked or what He has done. Anybody here ever made a judgment without getting all the facts? All of us have, right? Its easy to do. Its called an assumption. I wont go there, to the definition of that, but… I definitely demonstrated that a couple of weeks ago when I was driving home. My oldest daughter drives a forest green Dodge Neon. So I saw a forest green Dodge Neon. I dont get close enough to see my daughter, but I know its her, so I start waving at the Dodge Neon going, Hi Honey! Hi Honey! Boy, the look on his face when I got close enough to see him. That was a little embarrassing. I was like, Oh, sorry. He was happy to see me, kind of thing. I heard one even worse than that. A gentleman was woken up at 3 oclock in the morning from a sound sleep. He wakes up; the doorbell is ringing. Its 3 oclock in the morning, and hes saying, This better be important. He goes down the stairs, opens the door, and heres this intoxicated man on his front step. The man says, Yes? The man on the front step replies, Can you give me a pussshh? He says, No, I cant give you a push. Its 3 oclock in the morning. I have to get up early. Besides that, its raining outside. Youre on your own. He closes the door. He goes upstairs. He feels a little bit bad, but come on; he has to take care of himself. He gets into bed, and his wife says, Who was that, honey? Some drunken guy. Well, what did he want? He wanted a push. Did you give him a push? Well, no. Its 3 oclock in the morning. Its raining, and I have to get up early. Silence. Well, you remember, two months ago, we were stranded, and those strangers helped us out by pushing our car off the side of the road. Dont you think you should return the favor? OKAY! he said. He gets out of bed, puts on his shoes and his coat. He goes outside in the dark and the rain and says, Hello, are you still out here? Yes! says the drunk man. Do you still need a push? Yes! said the drunk man. Where are you? he asked. Im over here on your porch swing. Youve got to get the facts, right? If you dont get the facts, youre in trouble. Sometimes we can make judgments without getting all the facts. Were going to find in this story an angry Mary and Martha. Why are they angry? Because Jesus didnt act in a timely manner, and Jesus didnt act in the way that they thought He should. Lazarus, His friend, is sick, and they send an urgent message in Verse 3 of John 11 (page 1063 of pew Bibles), So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. The messenger brought this with a sense of urgency. He said, Master, You need to come, Lazarus is very sick. This word means badly sick. Hes not saying, Hey, just wanted to let you know Lazarus has a tummy ache. This is the kind of word that says if you want to see this person again, you better come now. Theyre very sick. These are the kind of words that mean, Hey, if you want to see this person that you love, you better get here right away because they might not last much longer. That kind of urgency, only in this case, its You better come right now because Youre our only hope. Thats what theyre saying to Jesus. We need You because if You would come, You could heal Lazarus, and Youre his only chance, so You need to come right away. Now, one thing the author talked about is Jesus identified with us in so many ways. Hes tempted as we are. Hes part of our human emotions. He gets happy; Hes sad; Hes gone through betrayal and rejection, pain, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, all of those things. But, He was never frantic. Have you noticed that? And he identifies with almost all of our human emotions, except Hes never frantic. Hes never hurried. Hes never out of sorts. Jesus gets this news, and the disciples are expecting a quick exodus, but what does it say in Verse 6? It says, Yet, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days. Didnt expect that! They expected, Lets go! Come on! Lazarus is sick! We have to get going! Hurry, hurry, hurry!! He does something very unexpected. He waits. Sometimes when we pray, and we want God to move right now. We say, God this is really important. You have to act right now! You have to move! You have to intervene! Go! Go! Go! And He has not moved. He doesnt listen to us! We cant control Him! And that makes us mad. I love Johns [Ortberg] quote in the book. He said, Sometimes we are double espresso followers of a decaf God. Were all hyped up with caffeine, Look at us go! Were following a decaf God. Hes not in a hurry. Were so in a hurry that we want what we want, and we want it now. We cant stand to wait. I remember we wanted to build this building. I wanted it so bad. For years, we were setting up and tearing down every week. What a hassle! You set up all your chairs, and you tear all your chairs down. You set up all your lighting, and you tear all your lighting down. You set up all your sound equipment and you tear all your sound equipment down. You set up your nursery, and you tear it down. You set up your childrens church, and you tear that down. In the wintertime, the heat doesnt work half the time. In the summertime, theres no air conditioning. It smelled musty. We wanted to use the building at other times, and theyd say we couldnt. We just wanted our own building so bad. At one point, I was like, God, I dont understand. Why cant you provide this now? Then, I came to our board and said, Guys, why dont we just sell the back acres that we wont need and just build on this front end? Why dont we just mortgage our future so we can have a building now? Needless to say, that didnt go over real well. And thank God it didnt, right? Because were getting ready to build. By the way, since December, January, February, the last three months, this body has given about one quarter of a million dollars to ministry, $246,000 in the last three months. Praise God for that! In the last two months, weve knocked off $50,000 principal on this building in January, and then we just did it again! Its possible we could get this thing paid for this year and get going, so keep it up. Keep it up! So, thats a praise. But, the board said, No, we cant sell our future. And sometimes we want to do that. Im reminded of a scene from Willy Wonka. Do you remember Veronica Salt? Remember her? Spoiled Veronica. She wants what she wants, and she wants it now. Im not going to ask for a raise of hands this morning. Weve all had our share of being Veruca Salt, havent we? God, youre supposed to meet my demands the way I want it, when I want it, and how I want it; and if I dont get the things Im after, Im going to scream! Im going to throw a fit because I know best! One of the marks of maturity in the life of a believer is when we come to not only recognize Gods sovereignty but to celebrate Gods sovereignty. Gods sovereignty means that He is in control, and we are not. Lets look again at the story. Jesus now comes to Bethany, and Lazarus has already passed away. In Verse 21, Martha confronts the Lord. You remember Martha, dont you? She was the same one who confronted Jesus before when Mary was sitting at His feet while she was doing all the household chores. She says, Lord, dont you care that she is just sitting here while Im doing all the work? Jesus says, Martha, Martha, Martha. So, theres another Martha moment here. Shes always correcting Jesus; she always knows better. Shes got some control issues. She says, Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died. Shes trying to cast a little guilt complex onto the Lord. This is all Your fault. Weve done that. Were guilty of that. Lord, this is Your fault. If You would have answered the prayers I gave, this wouldnt have happened. If You would have done it at the time I… If You would have given me what I wanted when I wanted it, this wouldnt have happened. So, Martha tries to lecture the Lord, If You had been here… Who can blame her? Its the truth. If Jesus had come sooner, Lazarus would not have died, but God had other plans. She needed to trust His sovereignty. In Verse 22, She says, But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Thats sovereignty. I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask. We had a definition of peace last week. Do you remember what it was? Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of Christ. Ill give you a working definition of patience: Patience is a calm assurance based on a certain knowledge that God is in control. Romans 8:28, God causes all things to work together for good. How many things? All things to work together for good. For everybody? Those who love Him are called according to His purpose. I heard a story about a woman who had a very dear handkerchief that had great sentimental value to her. She became careless with it. She put a pen in her pocket on the handkerchief, and the ink from the pen made a big stain or a big blotch. A friend of hers who was a very well known, very respected artist saw the handkerchief and said, It just breaks my heart. This has such sentimental value to me, and Ive ruined it. Ive destroyed it. The artist said, Well, why dont you let me have the handkerchief? She said, I guess so. Its of no value to me anymore. I was too careless with it. So she gave the artist her handkerchief. A few days later she got it back. The artist had taken that ink spot in the middle of her handkerchief and used it as the base of his design and formed a design around it, incorporating the ink spot. It became more beautiful than it ever was before, more valuable than it ever was before, and more dear than it ever was before. Not only was it this meaningful handkerchief, but now her artist friend had made it even more significant and valuable to her and returned it to her. Thats the way God works. He takes the carelessness of our lives, the ink blots, the stains, and we say, Lord, Ive made a mess of this. I really messed this up. God, Im going to give it to you, and we trust His sovereignty. He can take that ink blot, and He can begin to make something beautiful out of it. Thats His promise. Only God can do that. You and I cant do that. We have to trust when we encounter those storms in our lives, when we encounter those fourth watch experiences of our lives, that God is up to something wonderful in our lives. See, patience is not just sitting back and doing nothing. Patience is doing everything you can and trusting God to take care of the rest. Martha did everything she knew to do. She sent word to Jesus. She prayed. She took care of Lazarus the best she could, and she waited. Ephesians 6 says, Having done everything to stand firm… what? Stand firm, therefore. Having done everything to stand firm, having done everything you know to do, thats when you wait and trust that in Gods time and in Gods way, Hes going to take care of it. Hell do it in a way thats for your best interest and for His glory. Janet [Pascal] has come to sing a song that talks about the fact that God is up to something good in our lives. (_________________) Thirdly, we respect His wisdom. He [John Ortberg] wants us to take a look at the 38th verse of that chapter. Jesus is now at the tomb of His friend Lazarus who has passed away. It says, Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone, he said. But, Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. Again, Martha takes issue with Jesus. Again, she disagrees with His wisdom. She thinks thats a bad idea. Then Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I know that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me. When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go. In mans wisdom, the best thing to do would have been to heal Lazarus before he died, correct? Save the heartache; save the pain, none of this coming in the fourth watch of the night sort of thing. Dont let Lazarus suffer anymore. Dont make us suffer by watching him suffer. Dont make us go through the agony of death and the loss of our brother, our friend. Heal him now! Thats what human wisdom says, but Jesus allowed him to physically die. Roll away the stone! No, thats not a good idea! You think Martha learned to respect the wisdom of Jesus after this scenario? See, our human wisdom, our rationale, well, lets look at it after what happened with God, the way God did it. Jesus had taught in this chapter, I am the Resurrection and the Life. After Lazarus rises again from the dead, do you think that phrase took on a new meaning to her? I am the resurrection and the life? Talk about an object lesson, right? Its one thing to say, I am the Resurrection and Life; you can kind of understand what that means; but then watching Him say the word and speak life to a dead man. Then you see that dead man come out; I really understand that scripture now, that You werent kidding, were You? You are the Resurrection and the Life. Secondly, think of all the people that benefited. If Lazarus would have been healed before he died, Mary and Martha and Lazarus would have known about it, and they would have celebrated. But now, just think of all the people who were there who witnessed this miracle. Think of all the hundreds of people who came to Christ that day because of what happened. Think of all the generations of believers who had been moved and blessed and understood the truth that He is the Resurrection and the Life through the recounting of the story of the resurrection of Lazarus. How many millions of believers have been touched because God did it His way? Do you think Mary and Marthas faith was strengthened after the resurrection of Lazarus? Hello? Talk about faith thats now off the charts! Whatever You say, were going to do! We know You are who You say You are, and You can do what You say You can do. They have faith that is off the charts because Jesus did it His way. They didnt trust His way; they trusted their way. They were angry at Him, but He was sovereign. He knew what He was doing. So often, we think we know, but our knowledge is so limited. I was watching a television program this week. You have to take turns. Its one way to a happy marriage. Sometimes you have to put on sports; most times you have sports on; but sometimes you have to watch what she wants to watch. What she likes to watch is medical shows, not like E.R. She likes the real stuff, like gross operations and emergency room shows. So were watching the Discovery Channel, and theyre telling this story about a motorcycle rider who ran into a tree. The branch of the tree broke off and went into his head. When he came into the ER, he had this tree coming out of his head. It was sticking out of his helmet, and he didnt know how bad it was. It had leaves on it and twigs, everything. He was walking in there. They had to go get the gardener to bring his shears to the emergency room. I bet that was a peculiar call, Hey, we need you in surgery. Can you bring those clippers with you? He was like, Okay?!? So, they clipped the tree, they take his helmet off, and they say, Whoa! Look at this thing! It went in here and came out up here and went out his head. He had no idea the severity of it, and neither did they. The first thing they had to do was get some X-Rays. They would have to see if this thing hit something important in there and what would happen if they tried to pull it out. Do you know what he wanted to do? He wanted to take matters into his own hands. He even tried to take it out. He said, Cant I just take this out? Get this out of my head! They would grab his hands and put them down. Trust us! Later on, when he understood the severity of it, when he began to realize this thing was sticking out of his head and maybe he could lose his life, he began to panic and say, I want to get it out now! The doctors were basically saying, Look, you trusted us enough to come in here. Trust us enough to fix the problem. Trust our wisdom. Trust that we know what we are doing. Sure enough, they found out that luck was with this guy. The tree had missed everything important inside there, any artery or anything that would have affected his breathing. He got lucky. So they were able to take the branch out of his head and stitch him up. He put his helmet back on and rode his motorcycle away from the hospital. Believe it…or not. That was an amazing story. But I thought about that guy as I was preparing this message, and I thought, Isnt that us sometimes? We have these intrusions and obstacles in our lives, and we give it to God, and God doesnt do it as quickly as we want Him to. We dont agree with His procedures, so were tempted to just say, Let me take care of it myself! We dont even realize the damage we could cause, how we could complicate the matter even more. Weve done that. You and I have all done that. Weve all failed to recognize or celebrate Gods sovereignty and said, Im going to control. I know better. Instead of respecting His wisdom, we take matters into our own hands, and we make things worse. How many times have we dealt with situations where a couple wants a divorce? Or we have a believing spouse that is married to a non-believing spouse, and he or she just wants out. We take them to 1 Corinthians 7, and we say, "You know what?" Gods word says, If youre a believing spouse, and youre married to a non-believing spouse, dont divorce them. You dont know, Paul says, whether God can use you to bring your husband [or wife] to salvation. Theyll argue with you. They know better. Their wisdom knows better. Ill say, Look, Ive seen marriages where there has been adultery, marriages where there has been alcoholism, marriages where one spouse doesnt know the Lord, and God-over time-has worked a miracle there. Those couples have strong, happy marriages now. They will argue with you. They dont care what Gods word says. They want out now. They know better than God. The opposite is couples that want to shack up, and [they think] its okay, Well just live together. Gods word says thats wrong. Well, show me where it says that is wrong in Gods Word. Youll show them, and theyll get mad at you! Youre like, Look, I didnt write this stuff. Im just telling you what it says. Theyll say, Well, we know better than that. Our wisdom is greater than that. Friends, anytime you think your wiser than God, youre in trouble. Youre in big trouble. Youre heading for a fall. Youre in for a crash. Come to the place in our lives where we trust His timing. Im not saying we understand His timing. Im not saying we ever get to the point where we like the fourth watch appearances. I dont think that will ever happen. I think we always want the waters parted before we have to step into the water. I think we would rather be spared the lions den or the fiery furnace if at all possible. Its just like Mary and Martha if they could have been spared the loss of their brother, but Gods way was the best. We come to the point where we celebrate His sovereignty and say, Thank God Youre in control and not me because when I mess up my life with the ink stains and blotches of my life, only You can turn this into something wonderful, God, so Im going to allow you to. Im going to respect Your wisdom because Your wisdom is higher than mine. Nowhere is that demonstrated more powerfully than the cross. Think about the cross. The cross was a place of defeat, and God in His wisdom and His sovereignty turned it into a place of victory. The cross was a place of despair, and God turned it into a place of hope. The cross was a place of death. Its where people go to die, and now its a reminder of the resurrection and the life. Only God can do that. The disciples said, Thats it. His voice is silenced. Our cause is gone. Its lost. Evil has triumphed over good. Sin has triumphed over righteousness. God in His sovereignty, God in His timing, God in His wisdom, turns something bad into the greatest event in the history of mankind: The resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. If you can trust your life into His hands, you can trust your circumstances into His hands, you can trust His wisdom. When you come across the obstacles and intrusions in your life, dont take the matters into your own hands. Dont say, Just let me take care of this. You might be the person who put that there in the first place. Let Him work it out for you. Lets pray together. Father, as we prepare to receive communion, it is a reminder to us of Your wisdom, of Your sovereignty, of Your goodness. Forgive us for the time when we have judged You. We have made assessments without gathering all the facts, and because You did not answer in the way we expected You to, Lord, or how we expected You to, or when we expected You to, we have made judgments about You. We have said, Youre not good; or Youre not caring; or Youre not powerful enough; or Youre not listening to us. Lord, those judgments were unfair. Youve already demonstrated Your goodness, Your kindness and Your love. Help us to come to the place where we celebrate Your sovereignty, that You are in control and not us. Help us come to the place where we respect Your wisdom. Lord, Im convinced that was the last time Martha ever questioned You, the last time she ever became angry at Your actions or Your inactions. Lord, help us to do everything we can, everything we know to do, and having done all to stand firm-stand firm therefore. Wait upon You. I pray for the ones who are in a fourth watch experience even now, that they would trust in Your goodness; they would trust that Romans 8:28 is for them as well. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Good morning, please take your Bibles and open to Romans, Chapter One. This morning, we're going to be looking at verses 1-7. There are, in the universe, two great passions that explain everything. There are two great passions in this universe that explain it all. The first and greatest passion is God's passion for the glory of His own name. I'll say that again. The first and greatest passion in this Universe is God's passion for the glory of His own name. And any of you who are familiar with scripture language know how much of a theme this is. All that God does for the glory of His name. Well, what is the second passion? The second passion is the passion that human beings have, to be happy, to be joyful, to be at peace, to be content. And not only that, but eternally so, changelessly so. Wouldn't you say that the drive for happiness motivates everything you do? When you stop and think about it, you wake up in the morning and everything you choose to do, you do because you think that it will bring you joy or happiness, in one way or the other. And it's true of the unbeliever as well. And what's so beautiful about the Gospel is that these two great passions come together in this message. The passion for the glory of God's name and our passion to be eternally happy, come together in the Gospel message. Now that's a powerful message, isn't it? If we understand the Gospel properly, everything in it brings glory to His name. And if we understand and believe the Gospel, we will have eternal life and pleasures at His right hand forevermore. Now, that's a powerful message. Last week, we took an overview of the whole 16 chapters, and this week, we're going to begin actually looking verse by verse through it. When I was child, I used to like to go up to New Hampshire on trips with my parents, and one of the things that we did early on, was go in to some of the confection stores up there. One of the things they sell is maple sugar candy. Have any of you ever had maple sugar candy? Well, maple sugar candy may be the sweetest thing on the face of the earth. And I didn't realize it, but it came in medallions about this size, or even smaller, with little crystallized sugar on it. And I'd never had it before. And I asked my mother if I could buy some. It was a dollar for this little medallion, and I said, "Well, it's kind of small." My mother said, "It'll be plenty, you'll see." And so we bought the maple sugar candy, and I treated it the way I treated any other candy bar I'd ever had in my life. I took a big bite out of it, and chewed it, and swallowed it, and was sick for the next hour-and-a-half from the sweetness. And my mother said, "Well, now you've learned a valuable lesson. You just break off a piece and put it in your mouth, and let it melt, and it will fill your mouth with sweetness." That's the way it is with Romans. If you were to take it all and try to swallow it in, there's just too much truth. You've got to take it in bite sized pieces and understand every phrase. Understand the sweetness that comes, even in these first seven verses of Romans. Listen to them. Verse 1-7, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God. The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets and the Holy Scriptures, regarding his Son who as to his human nature, was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness, was declared with power, to be the Son of God, by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through Him, and for His name's sake, we receive grace and apostleship, to call people from among all the Gentiles, to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all in Rome, who are loved by God, and called to be saints, grace and peace to you from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." I. The Gospel of God Now, last time, we looked a little carefully at just one verse, Verse 1. We met Paul, the author of this letter, humanly speaking. We saw that he was a bondslave of Jesus Christ. We saw that he was an apostle, called to be an apostle, and that he was set apart for the gospel of God. I want to begin with that final phrase, "gospel of God." The gospel of God. God is the central actor in the Book of Romans. This is God's story. It is God's gospel, and therefore, in every line, and every chapter, and every doctrine, God is at the center. This is a God-centered message. This is the gospel of God. God's absolute sovereignty in the gospel is established in the Book of Romans. He is sovereign and this gospel, the gospel of God, produces two outcomes, brings two outcomes to everyone who hears its message, and both of those outcomes come from God. In Verse 17, it refers to a righteousness from God, that is by faith. So you can receive from this gospel message righteousness, the cloaking or the clothing of the righteousness of God. We'll get to that in due time. In Verse 18, it says that the wrath of God is being revealed, against all the godlessness and wickedness of men, who suppress the truth by their wickedness. So the gospel message brings forth the wrath as well, both the righteousness and the wrath are from God. This is the gospel of God. Now, when you look at that little word "of," when you're talking about gospel of God, makes you wonder what it means. "Of" is a complicated word in English. We use the word "of" to speak of a point of origin. For example, the people of North Carolina. We come from North Carolina, it's our home. Or for example, the novels of Ernest Hemingway, he is the author of the them. And so if we were speaking of the gospel of God, we could say that God is the originator or the author of the gospel message. It comes from Him and that is true. We also use the word "of" in terms of ownership, "the books of the boy" means the books that belong to the boy. He owns them, they're his, or, "the possessions of the family were destroyed in the flood." It means that family's possessions, they own them, and we use the word "of" in that respect. The gospel is owned by God, It's His possession. He owns it, it belongs to Him and He can therefore teach it and interpret it whatever way He chooses, it is His message. We also use the word "of" to speak of content, "Well, what did he speak of?" Or, "Of what were you speaking as you walked along the road? What was the content of your discussion?" And the content of the gospel is God, primarily. We tend to think the other way around these days about the gospel, "The gospel is about me, it's about meeting my needs. It's about a way that I can have this or a way I can have that." It is not primarily that, it is first and foremost a message about the glory and the majesty of God. And if understood that way, it's understood properly. We tend to focus all the time on what I need or what the gospel can do for me. And, of course, the gospel is the power of salvation for you if you believe its message, but it is, first and foremost, the gospel of God. It is God's and therefore it is the story about Him, a story about His actions in history, about His wisdom, about His power, about His purposes, about His nature. It is the gospel of God, and therefore, because it's of God and all three senses, it is gospel. Well, what does the word "gospel" mean? It means "good news." There is good news here because it's from God. There's good news to speak to you today because God has something to say to you. If it were only me speaking to you, I wouldn't waste the time, I'd encourage all of you to go home. There may be something better to watch on TV. But if you have a message from God, now that's worth listening to. If God has something to say, you should want to hear it, and praise be, there is good news from God. This is the gospel of God. Romans, the book, with all of its richness, with all of its complexity, is good news because it is straight from God and when you read this you should read it that way, that God is speaking to me when I read this, God is saying this to me, God is saying that to me when I read it, for it is true. This message has the power to take someone from Hell to Heaven, now that's a powerful message. And God alone has that power, so we should, when we come to this, when we break off that piece of maple sugar candy and feel the sweetness in our mouth, we should realize that in every line and every word, God is speaking to us. And as we move across, I can change the image a little bit and say that there's going to be meat here for us to chew. There's going to be some deep things. There's going to be some complicated doctrines, some ideas that are a challenge. May God give us the teeth to chew in, may He give us the ability to understand what He's speaking in this message. II. God’s Gospel Communication (verses 2-5) Now, in verses 2-5 God speaks to us of His gospel communication. The gospel is a message to be communicated and it is communicated from God because it is God's message. We see in verses 2-5 three ways that He communicates or that He has communicated in history the gospel message. The gospel message was, 1) predicted through scripture, 2) performed through the Son, and 3) proclaimed through the sent ones, the apostles. Let's look at each of those. God’s Gospel: 1) Predicted Through the Scripture First, predicted through the scripture. In verse 2, it says, "The gospel that He promised, that as God promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures." This gospel is a promised gospel. It's a long-expected message, "Come, thou long expected Jesus." For a long time, people waited for its full revelation. It is a promised message. God is a God who makes promises. Now, every week, I think about you. I really do. I pray about you, and I think about you, and I think about applying the message to the various situations there may be in your lives. And if we would have each person come up and speak into the microphone what you're going through, whether you're rejoicing, or whether you're grieving, whether you're it's just in the middle or it's average, what message could possibly apply to each person? What message could possibly speak in a direct way to each soul? Well, the gospel message. The message of a God who is glorious, who is powerful, and who makes promises for the future. When you look ahead to the future, what can you see? Do you know the future? Do you know what you're going to face? You can guess, if it's anything like the past, that there's going to be some challenges. The only thing that you have to cling to about the future comes in the form of promises from God. Our God is a future-looking God. He is a promise-making God, and more than that, He is a promise-keeping God. The gospel is a long expected promised message, and therefore, Christianity is a religion of promise, a religion, really, a fulfillment, the fulfillment of the Old Testament, Judaism, and all that God had done. It is a fulfillment religion. All of history lays open before God. We've talked about that before, haven't we? There are no surprises, no unexpected turns in history, the book of Revelation speaks of Jesus Christ as having been slain before the foundation of the world. That this gospel message was worked out before anything came to be. This is a promised message and it is God's unique glory to know the future and to proclaim it. There's a beautiful section of scripture, 10 of the most marvelous chapters you'll find in the Old Testament, Isaiah 40 through 49, somewhere in there, in which God is wrestling with the idolatry of the people of Israel, struggling with it, challenging them out of it. And at one point, He says, "I want to have a contest. Bring in your idols and let's have a contest, and let's have a contest specifically on the issue of foretelling the future and let's see what they can do." Isaiah 41:21-22, "'Present your case,' says the Lord. 'Set forth your arguments,' says Jacob's king. 'Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen.'" Isn't that great? Let's listen to them. Let's set them up here right in the front of the building and let's just listen to what they have to say about the future. Do you hear that stony silence? The idols cannot speak. They have no knowledge of the future. "Or tell us what the former things were so that we may can consider them and know their final outcome. Declare to us the things to come. Tell us what the future holds, so that we may know that you are gods." It is God's unique glory to know the future and to proclaim it. And he boasts about it in Isaiah 41, "I'm the only one who knows the future." And the reason for that is that God is sovereign. Even if we were to speak of the future, we have to pass it by God's desk for approval because God rules, doesn't He? And therefore, since He has absolute sovereignty, He can make pronouncements about what will happen and then has the power to bring it to pass. Our gospel, our message is a promised message because God said it would happen and nothing could stop it from happening. He promised it and fulfilled that promise. And it was predicted through the prophets, this long promised message. God spoke this message through the prophets. The ability that God has to communicate His truth perfectly to human beings through prophets is the core of our revelation, isn't it? It's the way we understand anything about the future, about our salvation in Christ. This message here we take as being from God, as I spoke to you earlier. Paul was a prophet, he was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Well, the same was true in the old covenant. And I spoke these verses to you before, but they're so important, you must understand them. 2 Peter 1:20-21, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture ever had its origin in the will of man. But men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." When God filled the prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Zephaniah, any of them, when He filled them, they spoke the Word of God, unerringly so. And in this way, He was able to predict the future to give a promised message. Well, where do we find the promise? In verse 2, it says, "The gospel He promised beforehand through the prophets." In the what? The Holy Scriptures. Take the Bible that you're looking at and turn and look at the binder. As far as I know, every scripture, every copy I've ever, ever looked at said the same thing, "Holy Bible." Is that what yours says? Holy Bible. Well, that comes from Romans 1:2. The Holy Scriptures, this is a holy book. What does the word "holy" means? It means set apart, utterly unique, utterly different, free from all blemish, free from anything evil. The Holy Bible, the Holy Scriptures. In the Old Testament, it was the Old Testament that the prophets spoke, they were holy, they're set apart, they're unique. There is not another book on the face of the earth like this book. It's a holy book. It's unique and God speaks to us. Now, what kind of predictions were they? They were predictions about your salvation. Predictions about how you would be able to enjoy fellowship with Him forever in Heaven. It says in Hebrews 1:1, "In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways." God was creative. You ever look at the prophets and the different ways that they spoke? The different strange things that they did? Creative, imaginative, all of it inspired by the Holy Spirit, the prophets spoke. What was the topic? The topic was salvation in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Now, the first predictive prophecy we saw way, way back in Genesis 3:15, you remember that. When God, speaking to the serpent, uttering his curses, both to the serpent, and to the woman, and to the man. He spoke to the serpent first in verse 15 of Genesis 3, "I'll put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel." First predictive prophecy of the coming of Christ. And the whole thing gets unfolded since then. Predictive prophecy. There's also a typical prophecy in which salvation is pictured. We have pictures of salvation in the Old Testament, don't we? Noah's ark is a beautiful picture of salvation. If you're on the boat, you're saved from the wrath of God and from the judgment of God if you're on that boat. If you're not, you will perish. There's so many pictures. You run through them. The bronze serpent. If you look to the bronze serpent, you'll be saved from the bite of the snake. But if you will not believe and look, you will die. So many pictures of salvation. The whole Exodus was a picture of salvation. All of those sacrifices offered a picture of the death of Jesus Christ to forgive sins. Beautiful. Remember the five sermons I preached from Isaiah and how each one of them gave a different aspect of the predictions that God had given? What was dim and not very clearly seen early on became more and more clear in Isaiah. Isaiah 1, The sacrificial system, how every animal sacrifice was to point to a Savior who is to come later. Isaiah 2, A temple established as chief among the mountains raised above the hills, nations streaming to it. Isaiah 11, A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. From his roots, a branch will bear fruit and the Spirit of the Lord will be on him and he will proclaim justice to the nations. The branch of Jesse is Jesus Christ. Isaiah 7, That message, that sign given to Ahaz. "The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son and you will give him the name Immanuel which means God with us." It's been predicted years, centuries in advance. And then Isaiah 9, "Unto us a Son is given. Unto us a child is born, and the government will be on His shoulders and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." It's all been predicted. Ours is a religion of fulfillment, prediction and fulfillment. How did God know? And why did He do it this way? It's so that all of you who are believers in Christ might know the certainty of your salvation. How it had all been predicted and how God with His sovereign power worked it out. Are you encouraged? If you're a child of God, you should be saying, "Amen. Ours is predicted. The gospel's predicted through the Holy Scriptures through the prophets." Amen. And it give us a sense of assurance. God’s Gospel: 2) Performed Through the Son Second form of communication, God performed the predictions through his Son. Verse 3 it says that this gospel or the predictions "Regarded His son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the spirit of holiness was declared with power, to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." Oh my goodness. How in the world, Paul, could you get so much doctrine into one sentence? You look through here and you see all the major points of doctrine that we are trying to communicate in the gospel. It says that it's regarding His Son. Well, whose son? The Son of God, or I prefer, especially in talking to Jehovah's witnesses say, "God, the Son." The second person of the Trinity. The deity of Jesus Christ established right here at the start. But not only that, His humanity, physically descended from David, He had a great, great, great, great, great, etcetera, ancestor named David. He was in the house and lineage of David. Descended from Jesse, He is that shoot from the stump of Jesse. He was dead for sin. You say, "Where is that in verse 3? In Verse Four? Can you find the death of Jesus Christ?" Well, it's hard to be resurrected from the dead if you didn't die. Obviously, Jesus had to die in order to be resurrected, so there's the death of Christ right there, but not just the death, but the powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ, the very act in history that sets Him apart from every other religious claimer in history. The resurrection of Jesus Christ declared with power to be the Son of God by that resurrection. And not only that, He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's how he sums it up in verse 4. He's seated at the right hand of God, high and lifted up. He has received the name that is above every name, He is ruling over history now, and He is your Lord if you're a believer. Total submission of your life to His Lordship, the final outcome of the gospel. It's all there. Isn't that incredible? I told you, it's like maple sugar candy. How can you do this? I can see why someone could spend 11 years in this book. It's remarkable. May I say to you that each one of those headings of doctrine, you must believe in order to be saved? None of them is negotiable. You can't say, "Well, I believe in the humanity of Christ, but I'm going to reject His deity. Or, I'll believe in the deity of Christ, but maybe He wasn't truly a man, maybe He just seemed to be a man. Or, I'm going to reject the fact that He died on the cross. Or, I'm going to reject His resurrection, it's not important whether He was raised from the dead or not, what matters is how I feel about it. I'm going to reject this, I'm going to reject that." Reject any of it and you reject salvation for yourself. It's all the center, the core, the doctrinal message we're trying to communicate. And all of it was lived out by Jesus Christ. He came to Earth to live out the promises that had been made, to live out and to earn, to buy your salvation, physically by dying on a cross and being raised from the dead. And I love how it says He was declared with power to be the Son of God, or you could say even better translation, declared to be the Son of God with power. He has power for salvation and He wants to give it to you. The power He came, He came to give to you who believe, to take you from a hell-bound sinner all the way to perfect and holy, blameless in His sight, that's the power of the Son of God. God’s Gospel: 3) Proclaimed Through the Sent Ones The third communication is the proclamation through the sent ones. Now, the word "apostle" means sent one, somebody sent out with a mission. Who sent the apostles out? We've covered that last time. Who sent Paul? It was Jesus Christ Himself who sent the apostles to take this message, the message I just summarized for you, of the God man who lived on earth, who did certain things, spoke certain words, who was crucified, dead and buried, raised from the dead on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of the Father in glory to take that message and bring it out to the nations, proclaimed through the sent ones. Verse 5, "Through him," that is through Christ, "and for His name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith." This is the next and the final stage of God's gospel communication, proclamation through the sent ones. Now, through Christ, Paul and the other apostles had a message to give. He (Jesus) lived it, He earned it, He bought it, it happened. Now, they go out and proclaim it. And Jesus called 12 around Him, you remember? He called them and set them apart to be apostles, and they were to be what? They were to be eyewitnesses of His glory, eyewitnesses of His life. They were like little camcorders all the time. Just taking it in, absorbing it, observing. Did they understand? No. They frequently had no clue, but later they would understand because the Holy Spirit would come and make it all clear. But they were recording, they were there when it happened, they were eyewitnesses, all except one of them, and I'm speaking about Paul. He said, "I was as one untimely born. I wasn't there, I didn't observe His life. I was an abnormally born apostle, but I did observe him in the flesh resurrected in glory and I was sent out with a message for the Gentiles." But all the others, the other apostles, they observed, they're eye witnesses of His majesty and they gave us the gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. And we, now today, 20 centuries later interact with the apostles and the prophets in one place, the Holy Scriptures. This is the foundation of the church. Ephesians 2:20, it says that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, that's another way to say the scriptures, the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. This gospel message is proclaimed through the sent ones. Now, Paul, in verse 5 says, "Through Him and for His name's sake, we received grace and apostleship." I spent a lot of time thinking about that phrase, "grace and apostleship." He said, "I didn't just receive apostleship, I received grace and apostleship," or I would even say grace for apostleship. I don't believe that Paul is here speaking of the grace that saved him from going to Hell, that saved him and brought him to Heaven. I think he's speaking of an unfolding of another grace which enabled him to be an apostle. It was a daily grace that gave him strength for his apostleship. Now, when you think of the word "grace," what do you think of? Well, your church people, so you maybe have a... If you were to get a man or woman on the street and say, "Grace. Tell me the first that pops your mind if I say grace." What will they say? Maybe they'd talk about a beautiful princess who died in 1982, was married to the prince of Monaco, you remember? Grace Kelly. Or maybe they would speak of the grace of a ballerina or of a female ice skater, figure skater, and she moves across the ice. Or maybe it's one of those quick little prayers you say before the food gets too cold and you eat. Maybe that's what it is. But this is talking about something else. And may I say to you that the understanding of grace is the center to understand this message? If you don't understand grace, you won't understand Romans, you will stumble after one stumbling block, one after the other, you will stumble through Romans if you don't understand grace. Grace is more than just God's unmerited favor, it is God's lavish generosity to people who deserve His wrath. That is grace. And therefore everything we get in life, everything good thing comes to us from grace. That promotes what? Thankfulness. It promotes a sense of, "Oh, God, I didn't deserve this, but thank you." I'm in the ministry, so many times I hear, "I didn't deserve this," and were speaking of something harsh, something negative. Oh, that they would say, "I didn't deserve this," when something good happens. The grace of God. What do we deserve? We deserve judgment. But instead, we receive good things. And Paul considers his apostleship to be among those good things. Remember in Romans 12:6, it says, "But to each one of us grace has been given," the grace of spiritual gifts. Paul's spiritual gift was apostleship and he considered it a grace from God. We have different gifts according to the grace given us. But it's more than that, Paul said every day, in effect, "I get up and I say, 'God, give me what I need today to be an apostle for Your glory.'" Did he need that? Oh yes. How many times was he beaten down? Even physically beaten down. And without that grace, he would never have been able to continue on in his ministry. I look at myself that way. Every day, I begin my day the same way, I get out of bed and I get down on my face before God. I literally physically do it. And I say, "I am Your servant. Whatever You want me to do today, I will do. Only give me the grace to do it." And so I see myself like a spiritual beggar. I'm lifting my arms and I'm saying, "God, give me what I need to do today to fulfill my ministry for You. Give it to me." And He does, He just feeds it to me, passes it to me. This is the grace and apostleship Paul's talking about here. I Corinthians 15:9, says, "I am the least of all the apostles and I don't even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God." Verse 10, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God which was working inside me." Do you see that grace? Can I say that it works in you, too? Each of you have spiritual gifts. You've been given a gift by God. You can only use that gift energetically by His grace. You have to come to Him and say, "God, you gave me the gift of being a Sunday school teacher. You gave me the gift of being in this ministry or in that ministry. You gave me the gift of intercessory prayer. God, first give me the grace I need to carry on that ministry, then I will use it for Your glory. You give me the help, I get the joy and You get the glory." That's a fair exchange. And that's the way Paul did his life, that's the way he did his ministry. Grace and apostleship. Well, that's the gospel communication. It was predicted through the scripture, it was performed through the Son, and it was proclaimed through the sent ones. III. God’s Gospel Goal (verses 5-7) Well, what was the purpose? What was the goal of all that gospel communication? What is he getting at? Why the gospel of God? Why did He send His Son? To what end? Number one, for the glad submission of the nations, but even more for the glory of His name. For the glory of His name, through Him and what? For His name's sake, we receive grace and apostleship. Now, the glad submission of the nations Paul talks about in verse 5 where you receive grace and apostleship to call people from along all the Gentiles to the what? "Obedience of faith" is a straight translation. We receive grace to call them. Now, the call comes this way, somebody gets up and speaks. They move air through their vocal cords and noise goes off into the air in the form of pressure waves. And the pressure waves move through the air and they cause your ear drum to vibrate. After that, what happens? Well, now, it's interesting, isn't it? The call comes out that way, now, I'm using modern technology, transition and all that, so it sounds booming. Back in the old days, they didn't have these things, they had to speak from here. They gave voice lessons to preachers. Either way, it's sound going out, right? Or the reading of the Word as well, but there's a call that comes through the understanding of the gospel message, the universal call, "All the Gentiles," he says. Okay, but then there's a special call, there's a regenerating call. We'll talk more about this when we get to its proper place, in Romans Eight, it's clearly explained, but there is a regenerating call that comes in. It's a call similar to this one, "Lazarus, come forth." Now, that's a call. You see, it's a call with power to transform, to change, it's more than just the vibration of air, it's a transforming, resurrecting power. That's the call, a call from God, and it causes dead people to live. The power of God for salvation. And it's a call to what? A call to the obedience of faith. Faith comes from hearing that message. As the sound goes out, you hear and you believe. If you're a believer, you're saying, "Oh God, what a great message we have predicted through the prophets centuries before it ever came about and it reaches right to my heart and it tells me that I'm forgiven for all my sins. Oh, what a message it is. Thank You, Lord." Faith comes from hearing, faith comes out of hearing and out of that, out of saving faith comes obedience every single time. It doesn't mean you obey every single time, I mean in someone's life saving faith always produces obedience every time. There's no such thing as accepting Jesus as Savior, but not Lord. We already covered that didn't we, in verse 4? "Jesus Christ our Lord," it says. "He is our Lord," and so we obey Him, we follow Him. Paul's going to really focus on this and Roman 6. You were the slaves to the one you obey, whether it is sin which leads to death or to obedience which leads to righteousness. It's just that simple. We'll get to that in due time, but the obedience comes from faith and if you're having a disobedience problem, can I suggest you that it's a faith problem? Ask, "Would I be doing any differently if Jesus were in the flesh right in front of me, right now?" Just ask that and if the answer is yes, then you have a faith problem. You're not seeing Him properly, you're not understanding His Holiness and His call in your life. You have a disobedience problem, you have a faith problem. What kind of obedience does God want out of you? He wants glad obedience, glad submission, not reluctant, foot-dragging submission. He gets that already. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He gets reluctant, foot-dragging obedience from the kings that don't even know His name. He compels them, He moves them. The king's heart is like a water course in the hands of Lord, He directs it whatever way He pleases, they don't do it gladly, they don't even know Him and if they did, they'd reject Him. No, but His people, now, they were they submit to Him gladly, they do it joyfully. Why? Because they are submitting to a loving Father. A loving Father. Look what it says, "And you also among," verse Six, "You're also among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." You're a treasured possession. Jesus speaks of you this way, "My sheep, hear My voice, you're Mine. I bought you, I love you. You're my treasured possession." And then verse 7, "To all who know Him who are loved by God and called to be Saints." There's a lot of weak teaching these days on the love of God. And it goes something like this, "God loves the whole world. I'm part of the whole world, therefore, God loves me." Is that going to stand up in the day of trial? God does love the whole world in this sense, Matthew Chapter 5, "He causes his Son to rise on the evil and the wicked and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." God did both this morning, did you see? The sunshine, the rain. And He did both, whether we are righteous or not. That's the love of God for the sinful world, but now there's a different kind of love. Suppose my wife said, "Well, Andy loves people. I'm a person, so Andy loves me." There's a special kind of love that comes between a husband and wife. It's a covenant love, it's a promise-making and promise-keeping love and that's the love of verse 7, loved by God. You're called to be loved in a way that you can't even imagine. A strong love, a love that will take you from the pit of Hell and bring you into glory. A strong love, which will not let you go. Now, that love will stand with you no matter what is going on in your life. However imaginative I can be to think of what's going on in your life, that love will take you right through it all, the love of God. All right, so that's what God wants to accomplish, but that's not the primary thing He wants to accomplish. Your glad submission to Him and that He might bring you all the way into glory, yes, He wants to accomplish that. Yes, He wants to bring you joy. Yes, He wants you as His treasured possession. Yes, He wants to love you, but His primary reason is for the praise of His own glory, for His name's sake He does it. For my name's sake, I will do this, through Him and for His name's sake we receive grace and apostleship, for His name's sake, for the glory of God. Now, you may ask a question, you may say... I was reading John Piper, he says, "Is God's passion for His own glory loving?" Suppose you met a person that just were living all the time for their own glory, it seems a little bit strange. But we see in scripture that's the case. Can I say to you that we can't unravel it all right now? But it produces salvation for you. Suppose God were to go humble with His glory. Alright? Kind of pull it in. Alright? Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls," on the what? "Name of the Lord, will be saved." Your salvation depends on God proclaiming His greatness, spreading it through the Universe, so that you may see it in the stars, you may read in this book, you may understand it in the gospel message and be saved by it. God can't go humble and quiet on this. He's got to proclaim His glory, His greatness, so that you may be saved. Second of all, what you do you think you're going to be doing in Heaven? Gazing at the greatness, and the majesty, and the glory of God. And enjoying every moment of it. Eternal pleasures at God's right hand, that's what you'll get, the glory and the greatness of God. That's what this gospel message produces. Why the gospel communication? Very plainly, glad submission among the Gentiles, among all the peoples glad submission, but even more, the glory and greatness of His own name for His own name's sake. IV. Summary and Application Now, what have we seen today? We've talked about the gospel of God. You can see how God-centered this message is. God is sovereign in salvation, it's His, He thought it up. He proclaimed it long before it ever came to be. He established it as a promise, and that gospel is powerful, guaranteeing salvation to all who'll believe in its message and that, brothers and sisters, is incredibly good news, isn't it? The gospel of God and gospel is communicated. God has communicated His gospel, He's predicted it through the scriptures, He performed it through the Son, proclaimed it through the sent ones like Paul. Paul got grace and apostleship to proclaim it, and he has been proclaiming it. And he proclaimed it to us again today, didn't he? Praise God. He continues to proclaim by the power of the Spirit and what was his goal? We just covered it. The obedience that comes from faith. Glad submission on the one hand, but the glory and the majesty of His own name, primarily. That's what we've seen. Well, how should we live? First of all, let's not take this gospel message and start to twist it. Let's just read it and understand it. Let's submit ourselves to it and let it teach us how we were saved. And let's realize also that this gospel message has come to promote two things. Are they being promoted in your life? Can you look at your life and see the obedience of faith? Do you see it? Do you see a lifestyle, a pattern of obedience to the commands of God? And even more, would you say that you are living, moment by moment, for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ? If not, my prayer is that you may be, that you will saturate yourself with this message until it is true. The obedience that comes from faith is true of you and the living moment by moment for the glory of God may be true of you as well. Please join me in prayer.
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