The Open Door Church 337

Message:

How do we allow God’s good work to be completed in us? We grow in our identity in Christ, we grow in our purpose, and we grow in our practice. We, as Christians, have to understand that our identity can’t be found anywhere except for in Christ. We have to commit everything to the Lord and our thoughts and desires will begin to be transformed to His. After that, we have to put off the old man and put on the fruit of the Spirit. 

Passage: Philippians 1:2-6 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Message: The Word of God is living and activeThe Word of God never comes back void. The Word shows us our need, and how to trust the Lord in that need. God's Word strengthens us and makes us wise about our days. The Word makes it clear who has rejected Him. The Word of God is about us knowing the Lord.

Passage: Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Message: This year, we will be focusing on finishing the race together. In our passage, Paul asked the Galatians you were running well, who hindered you? The answer is both the world, and you. That begs the question, how can we hinder each other? By discouraging instead of encouraging, by running in the wrong lane, and by having a little bit of, but not too much, disharmony.

Scripture: Galatians 5:6-10

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.

Message: The Greek word translated "Forgiveness" literally means "to Let Go!" To forgive debts, like God did for us, is a beautiful work of God in us and towards others. Let's discover in God's word the Beauty of Forgiveness by "Letting Go!"

Scripture Reference: Matthew 18:21-22

Message: In this episode, Pastor Jeff discusses the great conflict (struggle) that Paul has for the people of Colossae. He so desired that they would have a full assurance of understanding of who God and Christ truly are. A part of Paul's conflict or struggle was to share the word of God in such a way that they would not hear him, but hear and see Christ. What a great Conflict for all of us to have, to allow Christ to be heard and seen through us!

Scripture Reference: Colossians 2:1-3

Message: Have you ever experienced something so good you didn't want it to end?

[Testimony of relationships and dating]

Psalm 126 is a community song of trust and confidence in God, where the Israelites are asking Him to repeat Himself, proclaiming Him as the One who brings joy out of sorrow, laughter from tears and good out of evil.

We often thing things are going to drag out, then God comes through. Then, we want God to keep doing it again, especially doing good when things are bad, where we are held captive or gripped by something. Things of this world are addictive, except God, in Him we choose to be rescued or delivered.

3 key points:

Sorrow is essential for the seeds of life to be produced, never wasted by God. Godly sorrow is repentance, worldly sorrow is death. Godly sorrow clears us from fear, indignation, etc., through tears and anguish we still get up. There is a sowing of tears in a field, the world, who is watching and wondering where our strength comes from.

The tears in the bag of God are precious, sown in the weeping, the trials and struggle, so Christ is lifted up in our need for Him. The world is watching us harvesting what is precious and valuable for God. It is important to see them as precious and valuable too, sharing with them God's ability to solve their problems.

There is a need for more harvesters with a sincere love of God and others. Tears show our compassion and get the Lord involved in the comforting, therein is joy. In Jeremiah 29:11 scripture states the thoughts of God are for our good. Joy is a word from God that goes beyond our circumstances. The world takes pleasure in our sorrow, but in God there is joy no one can take away.

Bundles of wheat are called sheaves. The sheaves are harvest evidence despite the conditions of the growing season.

[Sheaves testimony from an episode of Little House on the Prairie]

[Testimony of biblical Ruth and Naomi gleaming the fields and meeting Boaz]

There is a reaping of joy when we let God bring us to the harvest; He will not leave or forsake us.

Why does God do it?

To show us His faithfulness, to convince us to great joy and for the developing of trust and confidence in His ability to do it again.

In Philippians 4:11-13 we are encouraged to be content in the waiting, Christ will strengthen us.

Have great rejoicing, be expectant that God can and will come through again and again!!

Scripture:

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south."-KJV

Message: Revival is a refreshed hunger, a desire for righteousness and to know God. Our desire should be to make Jesus the Lord of our lives. In the reference scripture, a man blind from birth, was healed. The Pharisees would not accept the healing and questioned the man, having predetermined Jesus as a sinner, not of God. In his frustration, the man questions their motives. The Pharisees had no desire to be disciples of Jesus. The man heard Jesus and responded in obedience, the aspects of a disciple. The Pharisees rejected Him choosing to follow the Laws of Moses. Moses had take the place of Jesus in their minds, so they could not hear it, see it and therefore would not believe it or respond to it. Men cannot fix himself, others cannot fix us. Only Jesus can, when we take His teachings and find rest, it's a choice. We stumble to be disciples, turning to the system or classes in place instead of Jesus. We must fully surrender to Jesus as Lord. Fully resting in Him and opening our hearts to truth and wisdom, we are blessed. The Pharisees missed who Moses wrote about, they let their pride and Laws get in the way, putting their faith in another man. In rest, the Spirit is noticeably different, in whatever state there is contentment. The Pharisees chose to serve a man and reject God. It is our plight as well, the cost of our unsettled lives. In our choice to follow Jesus, we choose love, forgiveness and are a disciple of His ways. The Pharisees did not understand that the words of Moses which they trusted for salvation and righteousness. His words were dishonored by their behavior, because He wrote of Jesus. Believing in Moses was to believe in Jesus.

Will you be His disciple? Psalm 121:1-2 and Hebrews 12:2-3 points to help as we consider Christ's sacrifice when we get tired or weary.

Scripture: John 9:27-28 "He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. - KJV

Message: Maybe you had to choose between two things? Hard-pressed is having a difficult decision and choosing which way to go, better or best, or the better over the more needful.

[Testimony of Better and Best, Salt and Light]

What is better and what is best or needed? Accepting Christ is a newest, an abundance, but it is also a life of affliction and sacrifice for others and yourself. Christ gave Himself for us so we could give for others.

There are 2 things going on in today's scripture regarding difficulty in the decision making process. It is two good things, serving Christ is this world and enjoying Him in another. One is better and the other is best, living for Christ and living with Christ. In 2 Corinthians 11:25, Paul chooses "better" which are perilous times, so through him others would find Christ and rejoice. In Philippians 2:3-5 and 1 Corinthians 16:22, there is a call to love others, live out an abundant life because Jesus will live out His promises, and a warning of being cursed without Christ. It is a call not to be the same as the world, and an expectation which exalts Christ. When we answer the call and wholly commit to be used by God on this earth, we will be hard-pressed but not unto death, with a promise of a coming life. While we are waiting, experience His abundant life in this world, making a difference in this time and place, so others see Jesus in us and cry out to Him. Let the world see our neediness for Jesus. Living according to His will; it will let them see a reflection of His image, life and work. The transformed life is an example to others, leaving no argument.

Seek the Lord to give you a voice and opportunity to increase the boundaries of your territory, letting Christ be seen in us is to have Him high and lifted up. Let the light and salt of Christ come out in you, someone way want what you have. We are encouraged in Jude 1:21-22 to make the most of opportunity to make a difference with your hands. In having compassion, you may help pull somebody out of the fire.

Let God use your story, your hard-pressed times, to display a life undefeated and joyful.

Scripture: Philippians 1:21-24 "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." - NKJV

Message: Intro [A personal story reflecting on a lesson in learning to drive in a bottleneck with rubberneckers] We can rubberneck scripture, passing it by without understanding it. The scripture passage is Jesus on the cross being mocked by passerby's for not using his power to save Himself.

There are three groups of passerby's: 1) the casual people who have heard His claims to be the Son of God without any understanding. 2) the scribes and elders who examined Him and knew His works. They represented Jerusalem, the center of power and faith. 3) the thieves who were in the same state of judgement and affliction. The three represented the whole world during a dangerous and politically charged time of Passover. There were thousands, some scholars estimate millions, gathered to see the Savior, the Passover Lamb and the Messiah. They mocked from a refusal to believe and trust God for themselves. They mocked Him to save Himself, but it was because He didn't, we are saved. This was the peak of God's love, to endure the cross for our salvation, but it was also the summit of man's hatred of God. Don't take a careless stance of Jesus Christ in your life. Today with all the endless suffering of society, we can become insensitive and lose compassion

[25:26-27:30, Testimony of driving in the snowmegeddon of Texas]

Allow yourself to be crucified to the old self and let Christ come in, this is faith. The magnitude of His love is not a fleeting passerby, but an intentional, caring, protecting and covenantal love as prophesied in Ezekiel 16:4-8. He is a God with a plan and a purpose of atonement which leaves us speechless against Him. How often do we pass by what God is doing? Never forget how God rescued us and when we see Him doing it for someone else, rejoice.

Let us proclaim Him as the Son of God, keeping our eyes fixed upon Him as we encounter the world, becoming sensitive to God's work and having an answer from faith of Christ who lives in us.

Scripture: Matthew 27:39-44 "And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing." - NKJV

Message: Peter is talking about the sufferings of the world and brings in spiritual gifts. Why don't we get involved? We know our flaws and mistakes.

[04:16-08:20 Tim Wilcox's Testimony - God had a purpose]

There's a lot of labor that goes into running a church, but there's also spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are given to everyone who is a believer, to minister the grace of God to others. Ask yourself, "what does it mean to serve?" God has a plan for you. He wants to use you where you are with plans He has for you. We can look in the mirror and not believe who God says we are, because of our strength and weaknesses. The weaknesses are for our reliance on others. Find people in your life who you can be open and honest with, so they can place strengths around you. We as stewards of God's grace, will give an account for our lives before God for the abilities He has given us. The gifts are to show how good God is in our lives, resulting in joy. If there's no joy, you need to reflect on your reason for serving. Don't misunderstand the grace of God, it's Jesus doing everything and we just respond to Him.

1 Peter 4:11 is an overview of spiritual gifts, citing two categories, speaking and serving. Everything can be grouped into these two, one is upfront and the other is going on behind the scenes, respectively. God wants the glory. He has given you all these things in Jesus Christ for the His kingdom. The saying goes,"It doesn't matter who gets the credit as long as God gets the glory." We surrender and ask Him to control us, relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us; it's a continuous process. It's an opportunity to live out the love of God, to live out His praises and His love. Use your gifts for the glory of God.

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:7-11 "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." - NKJV

Message: In a society and church where where we are made to feel dispensable, not needed, unnecessary and expendable, God never will. There are many parts making up the family of God, and every part is indispensable. In Corinthians 12, the church is starting to have division based on the importance of spiritual gifts. The message of this chapter is to value the place God has given to every member of the body. Paul explains the focus on the gifts can cause us to miss the point of them, to build the body of Christ in love. The gifts are a blessing, vital and needed in God's kingdom. The viewpoint can get distorted when gifts are seen as greater or weaker based on outward or inward application; also seen greater or weaker based on value. All gifts are valuable to the kingdom of God, the riches only having value in heaven, where He gives honor to those lacking it in the public forum. The passage of scripture addresses how we measure the gifts strength, what we view as honorable gifts and what we perceive as presentable gifts, but God places value on them all, everyone important.

[22:15-34:45] A testimony about the value of godliness in crisis.

We are valuable beyond measure, moving, guiding and directing the body into great glory for God's kingdom through us. Each and everyone of us are indispensable.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:22-25 "No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another." - NKJV

Message: We need someone to speak for us sometimes when we're going through a hard time. [testimonial of advocacy] Scripture expresses the full fellowship we can have with God, Jesus Christ and should have with others. These relationships should grow in the abiding love of God. John wants us to know his reason for writing is to introduce the Advocate. There is an ongoing defense and comfort for our sin, but in Christ there has already been reparation for our sin. There two methods of purchase used by Christ. He died for our sin debt and us as the redeemed of the Lord. Secondly, redemption is the spilling of blood on the earth at His death, the earth also purchased. The "payment is full" was for the people and the place. Christ finished the work so we wouldn't have to stand for ourselves. Christ as the defender took authority, but there is one who accuses us before heaven, so He defends us before heaven. Even with Satan's limited access, he has not stopped trying to judge and condemn us, so Christ is there to remind him, "It is finished!" Psalm 94:22, "But the Lord is my defense and my God is the rock of my refuge." Christ is pleading our cause with God, seated on the right hand, defending and advocating, throwing out the accusations. In Romans 8:34, Christ died for it all, rose again and sits at the right hand of God, that our relationship with the Father would continue to grow, our faith not fail, our inner man be strengthened and our weapons be mighty with none greater. This is so the good work begun in us by God, faithful and just, will complete it until the day of redemption. Christ as comforter through the Holy Spirit, acts as advocate in a distressed world, when we have fallen short, reminding us Christ is righteous and our faith belongs to Him now and forevermore. When our flesh and Satan brings lies about who we are, the Comforter guides us in the truth, John 16:7, 12. This is not advocating ease, letting Christ do all the work. In Matthew 11:28-29, we are to take His teaching and instruction, learn to be like Christ and find rest there. The stirrings of the world will not so easily unhinge us when there is strength in the inner man and trust in God's unchanging Word. Our remembrance of the Way, the Truth and the Light, will be the things we can trust in, no matter what the world throws at us. Our strength is in His might, we are set free in His truth when we put on the new man, Christ's character and attributes, Colossians 3:10-12. Sin hinders our relationship when we take our eyes off God, but we are righteousness in Christ gives all access to the throne of God. Through convictions and chasenings of our sin, we are trained and disciplined to grow and produce peace with Him and within ourselves. [Personal testimony of Christ's defense and steadfast love] In Romans 5:1-2, Christ will not allow us to be accused of the things He's paid for, so we could have peace with God. Let us rejoice in the hope of this glory.

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." - KVJ

Message: A letter of Paul to Timothy as he nears the end of his life as he has kept the faith and awaits the crown of righteousness. Paul has been isolated and imprisoned, relying on the support of friends for survival. Paul reflects on his life in Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit, caring little for his life, but that he might finish with joy in the plan God had for him.

God has a plan and purpose for each of us, carrying it out in and through us. Paul is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and it allows us to see ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, we sing the praises of God together , but his grace should not be taken for granted. God has delivered us and salvation is critical.

In all things we are in a fallen world and are in need, but are not to be part of this world. There are trials, because we proclaim the name of Christ, it arises from nowhere, so we're reminded of prayer, patience and God's plan.

*IN-BY-AS

In faith* we're called to finish the course, letting nothing forfeit us.

By* God, by the supernatural power in us, defensively and offensively, we are to fear nothing, He is greater than any situation. Nehemiah 4:14 is an encounter with overwhelming forces. It's a reminder to remember the Lord, fight by* the power truth and Word of God. People call us out, treat us wrongly, but God has another report of you. We are known and beloved by* Him.

As* we are in the middle of battle, there is a power available to us, when we walk in God's strength. The strength is His truth and promises as* our identity, that others my see us in Christ.

There are many crowns awarded to believers after salvation. The Greek word for crown in stephanos, royalty and honor, such is the name of Stephen the martyr. In the New Testament, it refers to the reward for the faithful, not to seize unearned, but for a follower of the Lord, obedient to stay on the course God had laid out. A crown of righteousness is given to those who long Christ's appearance and those in the struggle to keep Him first. With lamps lit and oil full are those living for His appearance in their life as Savior and Shepherd, seeking Him in prayer, studies, and testimony, anticipating His return. Everything we've done, outside the righteousness of God will be consumed by fire. In this there is conviction for the things we prized in this world above God, thereby missing the reward He has for us. It's a reminder to lean on the Lord as course to follow, as a ministry to finish, which produces an opportunity to reveal Himself and a good God to others. They're examining us, "reading our book", to see if we're holding fast to our profession of faith and the calling placed on us.

Maybe it's someone you know who persecutes Christians, what's your response going to be? When you are challenged, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?", do you say, "Yes, I do!"

The crown of righteousness is for believers, purchased by Christ and bestowed to the saints who love His appearing, putting everything else secondary to His work, calling and leading. Will we say, "I do!"? The crown is a symbol of trust and desire to be with Christ in every aspect of our lives, given by the righteous Judge to all those who love His appearance and anticipate it.

This is not our safe place, be expectant of Him; He is excited about you. Trust and lean upon Him, fighting the fight of faith, not only for eternal life but for the crown of righteousness of God, of Christ, in you.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." - KJV

Message: Have you ever been in a place where things don't go your way, trouble on every side? God is there. In the scripture reference, Israel has been exiled, but God has a plan for deliverance from Babylonian captivity and restoration for the faithful remnant. Have there every been times when it's not easy to see God working, seeming long and feeling forgotten? Israel felt that way. Similarly, we often try to fix problems with church programs instead of Jesus Christ when we feel forsaken.

There are 3 key points to being sought by God often and not forsaken.

1. Your Salvation is coming. God desires to deliver us in the physical and also in the spiritual, a laying down of the natural for the supernatural. God has a plan to bring it all together and will not rest. All the while Israel is waiting to be rescued from exile. God is not resting until salvation is in every aspect of our lives. God will not hold His peace, wanting to redeem us into righteousness and reflect His image. Hebrews 7: 24-25 points to a continuous light, eternal salvation to the uttermost, which is a reflection of the completeness of the saving, a perfection, holy and without blemish. It is a salvation that frees us from the wages of sin and the chains of sin. No matter what it looks like from the natural eye, it's a never-ending presence.

2. His reward is with Him. A spiritual good work is being accomplished that is worthy of reward. Isaiah 62:6 reveals God's love sets watchmen over us to protect us. God is saying He will save Jerusalem and us, it will make praise in the earth. The watchmen have a constant duty. They are to discern and be prayer warriors for a people who are under attack from Satan who wants to steal, kill and destroy. God calls us to pray without ceasing, giving Him no rest. God reciprocates with reward, allowing us to trust in His name. Simply, we can trust God the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. It is important to be ready for His reward. Isaiah 35:10 encourages of God's ransom for us will return. Hebrews 6:11 encourages us to be seeker of Him, the sacrifice will be worth it. For the unbeliever, Luke 13:27-28 warns of being unknown while working themselves.

3. His work is before Him. In Isaiah 62:10 we are called to prepare a highway for people, removing distractions to the way of the Lord, let them see Jesus at the center of it all. We are to prepare our hearts to receive Him and not miss opportunities. Ephesians 2:10 makes us a part of His workmanship. In us and through us, Christ is a living word for someone to see and desire salvation. He wants to use us to uplift His Kingdom as we fix our eyes on Christ as the reference point in our lives. [Testimony of Godly care] God is ever-present and trustworthy all our days.

Scripture: Isaiah 62:11-12 "Indeed the Lord has proclaimed To the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.’ ”And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

Message: Why do people refuse to believe in God when He is evident in all of creation? Most people suffer with pride, not wanting God to run their lives, which results in losing the meaning of life. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” - Psalm 14:1. In Mark 9:14-29 The disciples are unable to heal boy with a mute spirit. The boy's father has brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus heals the boy on the belief of the father, who repents of of his unbelief, but He has scolded the disciples for being faithless. By the actions of both and our actions now, we show our unbelief. Hebrews 11:1-3 defines faith as visualizing God's plans before reality. As we trust, His plans become steadfast and secure. The man's trust was shaken, wondering if even Jesus could heal his boy. He cast his sight on the natural, where eyes can be deceived. As his eyes left Jesus, his belief waned. The emphasis is a continual trust, regardless of what our natural eyes see. The man acknowledged his failure to believe and and asked for help from Jesus to believe. The power to heal came from his trust in Jesus. In our lives when the the Lord showed up, it was preceded by the thought of being alone, but He was faithful to be there, building our trust day by day. All things are possible to the believer with trust and faith. Faith is described as a mustard seed, small, but with everything it needs to flourish. At the moment an unsuitable environment changes to a condition conducive to growth, it explodes with life. The mustard seed is the natural, but the spiritual is the seed of Christ that will grow when nourished. Nourishment is a continual relationship as the branch is to the vine, connection is critical to growth. Our connection is with Christ and in Him we keep His commandments and experience joy. Let us be conscious of our unbelief, seek Him, trust Him and cry out His help as we journey with Him. Take the step of faith to make the Jesus the Lord of your life. We are to glory in Him, not in ourselves. He is excited about the day of our acceptance.

Scripture: Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - NKJV

Message: Studies say every 1 to 2 years we have a huge transition and every 3 to 5 times in a life we have "life quakes". We have 2 responses: we lean into the Lord or we back off. Israel is an example of these responses. The context of Deuteronomy 30 is Israel's captivity, exodus and entry into the promised land. Out of fear they stay away from the promised land, instead dwell in the wilderness for 40 years. The older generation dies and Moses reaffirms the blessings and curses of the Law according to their obedience. Their transitions are the death of Moses, accepting the leadership of Joshua, moving into the promised land and having to conquer the land. They still have the responsibility to follow the Lord and have to make choices such as, life and good, death and evil. Immediately after Joshua dies, they choose death and evil. Hebrews 4:1-11 stresses obedience resulting in rest and a hardened heart of disobedience resulting in unrest. So in times of change we also have the chose to lean on God before and after, the reward is eternal rest from believing in Jesus. Hebrews 10:26-31 explains deliberate sin resulting in death and a fearful expectation of judgement and losing their land. For those rejecting Christ is the fear of falling into the judgement of God. As with the Israelites, we also have difficulty choosing God, trying to handle it on our own. In Deuteronomy 30:11 trust is simple. We are to come as we are to God, believe in our heart and confess with our lips Jesus is Lord. The difficulty is getting over ourselves and believing everything the bible says about Jesus is true. It says, we are sinners accountable for what we've done and saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Rejecting God gave the Israelites freedom to do what was in their hearts, to make up their own rules and be the authority. The book of Judges is a great snapshot of what we are like without God. We have the same frame mind and the same options. God gives us opportunities to respond to the gospel and hear what Christ has done for us. God gives us reminders of His faithfulness in hard times. It's something we wrestle with, what is going to be your choice?

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, The Choice of Life or Death

Angela Nicholas shared on fear, anxiety, and worry at the Women of Wisdom brunch on July 29.

Message: Have you ever pondered the question, What is Life? There are different thoughts that go through our minds. There are also many quotes about life. Thomas Edison, an American inventor, once said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how lose they were to success when they gave up." In 2018, LIFE magazine published one of their issues with the title, "Miracles Of Faith: Inspiring stories from the Bible, history and the lives of Saints." Also, in 2019, LIFE magazine published another one of their issues with the title, "Jesus: Who do you say that I am? 1 John 5:11-12 breaks down the definition of life in reference to Jesus Christ and 1 John 1: 1-4 there is a deeper detail as Christ is the completer of our joy. On the surface life and death seem easy. We see death as the end of physical life and life being everything previous to death. However, both are also defined in the spiritual sense as death as eternal separation from God, life being eternally in His presence. In Genesis, we see whereas Adam was made in the image and likeness of God, Adam's sinful flesh and likeness passed on to all mankind. Jesus, born of a woman was not exempt, being flesh, yet, as God would be the the sinless sacrificial offering for the debt of our sin. In our flesh we battle in our Spirit over sin, a rebellion against trusting God using the free will He gave us. In John 3:3-7, Jesus explains to Nicodemus the need for rebirth to enter the Kingdom of God, a birth of the Spirit which comes after our fleshly birth through the waters of our mother.

There are 3 key points to this life the message attempts to make: Be born of God, love God and keep His commandments. To be born of God is to believe in Jesus the Christ and recognized God as your Father. [Personal Testimony] When we love God, we love His children and through Him keep His commandments. It is meant by God to be life giving, not burdensome. In John 10:10, life abundant is God's plan, whereas the enemy wants to destroy life. God's plan is to overcome the world being born in Him, then through His forgiveness, we are able to get up to walk in faith again. Our victory is to trust we have overcome the world in Jesus the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Scripture: 1 John 5:11-12 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" - NKJV

Message: Have you ever see something you've been captivated by? We can see God working today with Jesus at the center of it all. In Luke 10:9, Jesus sends out the seventy-two people to share that "the Kingdom of God is now". Allowing only the provisions of the Lord, they went out and returned rejoicing from their encounters with the power and authority they had been given. In comparison, in Acts Jewish exorcists tried to cast out demons in Jesus's name, but lacked the relationship. In Luke 10:18-19, Jesus reflects on the day Satan was cast down when he turn his heart away from God and rejected God's authority. In Ezekiel 28:14-19 Jesus's authority is illustrated over Satan, "unrighteousness was found in you..I destroyed you...I cast you to the ground..consumed you with fire..turned you to ash..you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever" In order to be blessed to see, you must make and appointment, prepare for resistance and be like a child. To make an appointment is to be sent out and it is not to be missed. It is to know Who is making it and to make it. Seasons and times pass by, in them there are appointments and destinations for the plans of God. There's going to be be who refuse Jesus, kick the dust off your feet and leave. There is also going to be resistance in and from yourself to do what you are asked to do when it it looks tough. The Lord is at work, move on and see His plans unfold. Natural eyes are not always aware of the spiritual struggle taking place, but God will see it through. In Luke 10:21, a little child can get the simplicity of the gospel. Our knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The love of God is simple, it's Jesus in your heart which is used to share the gospel. Let us not become wise in our own eyes, not to see the unfolding plan of God, it's supernatural. Salvation is easy enough for a child to get it, but we have a hard time getting to the point of needing Jesus. In Lamentations 3:22-23, we read of the love of the Lord is never ceasing, mercies never ending and of His great faithfulness. Jesus rejoiced deeply in the Spirit when His nameless children trust in Him and see Him. Don't get too mature and too safe as to miss the works of God or miss the simplicity of His love. Back to the disciples in Luke 10, Jesus turns to them to point out the how blessed are those who see what you see, rejoicing and excited of the things of the Kingdom of God on earth. [Pastoral testimony from 37:42-42:20] When we step out in faith and trust Him, He is rejoicing in our midst for the new course of life which privileges us to see His wonderful works.

Scripture: Luke 10:23-24 "Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” - ESV

Message: Have you ever wondered how God works? It's often unclear to the natural eye. We will ask for an open door, or steps, or the shortest route. Whatever the case, His plans are unique to each of us, each a masterpiece. Solomon concluded after trying everything his way, there is some satisfaction in this world, but there is nothing more satisfying than the work of God. Solomon counsels us to consider God's plan and take action, it is our choice, it is wisdom to do so. Wisdom is life; it is the judicious application of knowledge. The parable of the talents is an example of perspectives of using wisdom in faith to what has given to us. God weaves into our lives, first through our parents as visible representation of His desire for us to be His children. In this relationship, there is correction in love for our good. He displays Himself through creation, provision and trials. In considering His work, we are to be thankful for being given purpose and priority. He leaves us no excuse to reject Him, rather He gives us reason to draw to Him as a loving Father. He wants to bless us before Him in our trust. He keeps us with living water, whereas the world will cause death, missing His blessings and constantly needing a "bailout". The portrait of our lives reveals where we are in our trust with circumstances and diversity. We are to see the futility of this world without God, determining nothing comes before Him. He is worthy of all our glory and all our honor.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 "Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him."

Message: Paul is closing his letter and giving final thoughts on salvation to the Jews and Gentiles, to have hope through God's Word. He relates the word to a lamp to tell us where we're heading when we're helping others through the practice of faith in Christ. Paul is speaking into 3 things: 1) Christ bears no reproach, 2) Scripture was written for our learning, 3) Through scripture we might have hope. We have life because Christ bears us, so we could be encouraged. Christ endured our shame and our reproach for our righteousness before God. We learn from scripture not to vindicate ourselves, but to rely on God's plan, as Christ did. The Word is light and truth in our lives, bringing us rest when we want to burden ourselves with the things God never intended. The Word is inspired by God for man's profitability, reproof, correction, instruction and righteousness, however make room for the spiritual maturity of others. Through us, others may have hope and comfort, as they see His patience for us that He may have patience with them, drawing them near. Patience is developed through Jesus by laying aside our sin and embracing the trials with thanks. Often times we are impatient because we think we will lose or be destroyed, it takes trust and belief in Jesus to maintain it. It takes the Holy Spirit to form and grow our patience. He is called for that very purpose, to comfort. This is where patience and comfort are united, enabling us to live as children of God and dispel darkness. Let the reading of the letter and practical daily application bring hope, strength and the ability to suffer. Have confident expectations of His promises; God shows up!! Walk in oneness to glorify the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have the ability to be on the journey with one another, ignoring the differences and lifting up the beautiful diversity of God, according to the way Christ loved. Satan cannot overcome or destroy Christ, but he can fragment the body of believers. No longer of one mind, Christ becomes hard to see. Fitly joined together as a body, Christ is evident, visibly glorifying God and His plans. Abound in hope trust God and watch Him do some amazing things.

Scripture: Romans 15:3-4 "For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." - NKJV

Message: Have your ever felt there was something you knew was not wrong to do, but you should not do it? Christian liberty is often referred to as freedom with guidelines to serve on another with love. It is freedom from sin as well, but with accountability to Christ as God's standard is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and His Word. There are areas of freedom less defined, leaving it to our conscience to sort out the evidence of deep convictions and the Holy Spirit to speak to our heart. To go against there convictions is an act of sin. In the early church it was things they ate, daily observances and behavior during the observances which were targeted. Paul is telling us to let Christ convict us on these things that are doubtful. There are many convictions, but it doesn't mean God holds everyone to the same things. We are to ask ourselves, "can I do this with a clear conscience or am I convicted?", according do God's standard to love our neighbor. We are to operate out of faith to allow God's conviction to dictate our hearts, steering us away from rationalizations of the conscience. Rationalizations may develop from scar tissue of past experiences, a lens which blocks us from having the compassion of Christ. [Personal testimony of projecting our conscience on others] This projection leads to subjective legalism, a personal interpretation over the standard law or code onto others. We can share experiences with others to help them avoid pitfalls, but we are to use discernment. Judgement and contempt could cause them to stumble. Don't let spiritual maturity be a requirement for fellowship, use it discern whether it's weakness or rebelliousness. Make room for others to grow in faith, i.e. new believers, legalists, those lacking sound doctrine or just haven't walked it out yet. God is the judge; He makes us stand and transforms us day by day. Flaunting your convictions differing from your brethren and destroying other's convictions is not Christ's love. Be sensitive, because convictions can go both ways, show love by laying down your life. Conscience matters, each of us will give account for ourselves, Christ is the judge for reward. God wants a personal relationship and speak to your heart on the matters He has presented to you.

Scripture: Romans 14:12-13 "each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way." - NKJV

Message: Believers who haven't practiced Christianity have perpetuated evil, being Christian in name only. In reality, we are to share love, because God first loved us. What is the life of a Christian? Someone who trusts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In the bible, Christian is referred to three times as someone who was behaving like Jesus and following Him. In the passage below, Paul is describing the presentation of Christians for our eyes and ears to understand.

The sermon describes three ways to live the Christian life: I) Be living sacrifices to God!, II) Serve God with your Spiritual gifts! and III) Behave like a Christian.! God. God calls us to make a choice how to live for Him in soul and spirit. This gives us the the ability to take up Christ's life daily. On the altar as a living sacrifice, means it's an ongoing offering of thanksgiving, a pleasing aroma. It means a life set apart for God, a holy and acceptable sacrifice outside of the world's way. It is to be in right-standing with God and His righteousness. In Greek it is Logikos, to live according to the Word of God, which is a transformation process of supernatural means. [ A personal testimony of transformation is given here] As we spend time in God's presence and glory, there is a metamorphosis where the old is washed away and the new closes in. In the new, the Word of God asks us to use the spiritual gifts given to us, because the body of Christ needs your member, which is valuable to the body and the world. It's value is to let everyone see Christ and grow in their relationship with Him, serving Him also. An unsettled life is a call to do what we've been created, formed and transformed to do. It is our responsibility, but God lets us, allows us, to live it. It is a giving of ourselves to God without restraint to use us. There is a final challenge to act according to the plans and purposes God has for you. A follower of Christ is to have love as the primary characteristic. What we bind to, cleave to, comes out of us, so cling to what is good, love. Kindness shows affection and honor in the care of others, expecting nothing in return. We owe to one another mutual submission, bearing burdens, showing grace and mercy, surrendering ourselves in the understanding of what God has for us. The life as a Christian isn't to be hard or overwhelming, God intended it to be good and glorious while living in His joy and peace as a sacrifice to His plan. May it be proven in your life.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Message: God's operation plan is how He desires to share the Word. The elect are those accept Christ, a free gift, not of works. In this atmosphere, Paul speaks of the ongoing war for our souls, of the strategic plan of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy, whereas God's plan is for life, life abundantly. It can seem like there is no hope with so much going wrong and so few desiring to do God's will, as it was with the Israelites. There were few willing to make Christ the Lord of their life, challenge by conformity. God's plan has never changed, it is secure and it is our responsibility to take the step of faith in Him, out of a life of works and self-righteousness.

There are 3 phases to His operation plan: I.) God has a remnant according to grace; II.) God is multiplying by grafting and III.) God returns to Israel.

I. There were so few following God, it was the consensus He had forgotten them. However, He called the few of Israel who embraced the gospel. Through the prophet Elijah's anguish and loneliness, God revealed the few, the remnant preserved by grace.

II. Outsiders saw the Israelites as God's chosen, whom He showed favor and strength. Though small in number they were feared and viewed as large due to God's protection. The remnant had to go to the Gentiles to expose the flaw of their thinking about a God others could not reach. They were to tell of a plan which included all, a grafting process of hope and opportunity through Christ.

III. In Romans 11:25-26, there is a revelation of the mystery behind the blindness of the Jews for the sake of the Gentiles. The Jews must reach the whole world before Israel would be saved. The kingdom of God will be for all, Jew or Gentile, who call upon the name of the Lord.

Thank God for the remnant.

Scripture: Romans 11:5 "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." - KJV

Message: There's a responsibility to communicate the message of the bible, to call upon the name and confess Jesus. God's plan is to send people to proclaim the gospel. How? In a Acts 8, they allowed themselves to be scattered by God into the world. It begins with the people closest to us sharing Jesus in many situations. In Peter 3, we are to be prepared to explain the hope within us. We are to be the letter of Christ to be known and read to all men from our hearts. God will open the door to share His word and it's use for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, for He knows there will be a time when people will turn from the truth. It is important to reach people early, before this time comes. God uses imperfect vessels to express the activities of His movement, transformative power and radical love. What are some ways to effectively preach the gospel? In 2 Corinthians, we have won through Christ, so there is no reason to defend or take offense. Respond in a way as to preach the love of God. Ministry happens in every opportunity we have, especially in trials, so respond by the Holy Spirit in God's truth through the Word. Be doers of the Word, not just hearers and be blessed as the hands and feet of Jesus, sharing how good God has been.

Scripture: Romans 10: 9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - KJV

Message: Paul is speaking to the Romans about tripping on an element God desires for all of us, to be in agreement with Him. To be in proper relationship is less an act and more being. Why stumble on the promises of God? Works took the place of faith. What is the root cause for lack of faith? There are 3 factors; 1) Zeal 2) Ignorance 3) seeking to be self-righteous.

The zeal they had was a passion for God, but missing the knowledge of His divine plans, Paul's life before conversion. Awareness of God as the reason for their passion was missing from their zeal. They were in need of awakening of God's love in their hearts, a breathing of His revelation knowledge. The lack of knowledge is referred to as ignorance. The thinking of the time mistakenly supported the cause of self-righteousness, unaware and uninformed of Christ as the end of the Law, preferring to abide by the letter of the Law. It would never work, righteousness is of faith based on Jesus Christ. Trying to establish righteousness was futile, in that, it is not submitting to the righteousness of God. How then is righteousness gained? Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." -KJV A confession of this caliber to the Jews was to place allegiance above the emperor, a step of faith and trust in Christ as the foundation of their hope of salvation. Paul's urgency, don't stumble!

Scripture: Romans 10:1-4 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." - KJV

Message: In chapter 9 of Romans, Paul begins to address the confusion and stubbornness surrounding some of the Jews refusing to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. They struggled with the idea that they needed to choose Him. That they’re birthright was not the kingdom of God.

In his discussion, Paul highlights vessels of wrath and mercy. There are those that, when they don’t turn away from sin, get it right, and allow themselves to be transformed, become vessels of wrath. Then there are those who God showed His immeasurable mercy to and they received it. Yes, He saw the pain and suffering, trials and tribulations, anguish and despair, and brokenness and death that would come in this broken world; because of sin, but God was willing to show His wrath and displeasure on all of that sin and death. Willing to put a stop to it; to make His power known. His wrath, when it comes, is righteous in mercy and justice.

John 10:10 says that “The thief cometh not, but to kill steal and destroy, but I cometh that you might have life and life more abundantly.” God sees the murdering and deceptions and he grieves it. He is in anguish over it. He wants it to stop, but because He desires for all to come to the saving knowledge of Christ, he remains long-suffering even with that murderer, that adulterer, and that deceiver. Even us, He knows, could be snatched up in that impartial and fiery wrath and would not desire that we be lost to an impatient dealing of justice. In this way, we are often keenly aware of our pain, but not God’s. So what if God always intended to call them? The gentiles. Hosea 2:23; “...I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people…” -KJV. God didn’t forget about anyone. He did’t choose some and forget others. His plan was always to call every single one of us.

When the spirit of life enters in, you become a vessel of mercy. Your inner man is strengthened as a part of the riches of God’s glory. Another part of the riches of the glory of God is that all of our needs are met, not our wants; peace, hope, or patience in adversity. Whether physical, spiritual, psychological, or emotional, God supplies it all. Sometimes, He even supplies that which we didn’t know we needed. Even with His long-suffering heart, God will cut the work short in righteousness. Paul says this to ensure that his audience doesn't assume that they have more time than they do. He’s going to make a short, though effective, work of this despair and these trials. It’ll pass us before we know it, so are we standing in righteousness?

How are we made righteous then? Through faith. The gentiles obtained to righteousness through their belief, but Israel themselves did not because they did not seek it by faith. The thing that truly allows us to see, hear, and experience God is faith. It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When Peter claimed Jesus as the living son of God, he (Jesus) exclaimed that flesh and blood; Peter’s knowledge and intellect, did not reveal this to him, but God did. You allowed yourself to see and allowed yourself to hear, so you’ll have everything you need, you’ll be more than a conqueror, and the glory of God shall rest upon you.

What if that was His plan all along?

Scripture: Romans 9:22-23 “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,” -KJV.

Message: There is an attack on women and mothers in our society. The role of women is established to complete and complement Adam. Women are twice refined, having been created from Adam who was made from dust which was refined into man by God. Women are to be treated with care as with a fragile and valuable china. The place of women is to be joined with man to make the home, the raising of children and all other things of life better. Women are an important representative of God's love, teaching those in her care to trust the sovereignty of God and His Word. God's plan for women is the reason for the "all out" attack, in that ever birth reminds Satan of a seed which will bind him and cast Him into the lake of fire. Motherhood reflects the glory of God, the creational role, because it is the clearest example of the difference between man and women. In a loving mother, we are shown what God's love is like and see Christ gathering His people as a hen gathers her chicks under wing. Mothers can take the abstract feelings of love and materialize it into a child, a meal or a hospitable home. A father's role is not abdicated by the role of women, rather it is to be part of the team, which began before children, to determine how they would be raised. As fathers and mothers we often fail, let us look inward with prayer.

Scripture References: Genesis 2: 18-20, Genesis 3:14-15, Revelation 20:10

Message: We don’t want to be people who just go through the motions, that simply operate in legalism, instead, we should have a heart and a desire to serve God; letting our motivation be from a transformed heart. We can see that there is sufficiency, adequacy, and abundance in Christ. Paul highlights that there is a kind of security in Christ that was never present in man’s efforts to be righteous in their own sight.

There are four essential results that are important for us to talk about; there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, there is a conflict between the spirit and the flesh, there is a full result of the Gospel, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.

They that are joined to the flesh, mind the things of the flesh… and we were once outside of our will to do anything about it. The natural man cannot truly have an intimate knowledge of God, so there’s a conflict. Many of us look at conflict the wrong way. It’s because of who we are, whose we are, and the plan and the purpose that He has for us that there’s conflict. If you’re a child of God, you’re going to have conflict. It quite literally means that the war has begun in you. The carnal and the spiritual will never resolve themselves because one is death and one is life.The scripture refers to believers as the beloved of God. God demonstrates acts of enduring love towards all people, but to be beloved is to be a recipient of a convenient love. Charles Spurgeon said; "Accepted signifies that we are the objects of divine satisfaction, even divine delight.” God’s love is not a love that holds on to you one minute and lets you go the next. Nothing can separate you from the love of God; not even yourself.

You’re secure because God loved you and loves you just that much. You are secure in God and Christ’s finished work. Because of their sacrifice, we have an opportunity for the righteous standard of the law to be fully satisfied in us, through salvation.

Be the believer that’s secure in Him.

Scripture: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." - KJV

Message: Having spent time on grace and sin, Paul begins to spend time on the Law and it's weaknesses. Previously, Paul discussed death to the body of sin, and the "new" man alive in Christ. Now, he continues to explain, we are also dead to the Law. Paul is describing a new way of living to the grace of God, by the grace of God. Incorrect logic supports the mindset of earning salvation and pleasing God through actions void of relationship. The truth is we are already right with God at the moment we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, because of the blood of Christ. There are three points to make about Paul's message: 1) God's grace is greater than the Law. Our best efforts to earn salvation is never good enough, God declares us righteous in Christ; we receive this through faith alone, a faith to trust Him. We are not saved by a list of do's and don'ts, but by grace through faith in Christ, our salvation is in God's hands. - the gospel - the good news. The Law exposes who we are, our flesh and sinful passions, bearing fruit unto death, stemming from disobedience rising out of rebellion. Bearing fruit is a working progress representing what is going on inside us, death bearing death and life bearing life. Sin is the actor, the Law is the weapon sin uses. We try to call sin everything, but sin. Paul's point, we bear fruit when delivered from the Law, not the principle of justification and sanctification by it. We now serve he newness of the Spirit, a freedom to serve God better. In comparison, the oldness of the letter of the Law says we have all offended, but haven't been caught yet. A newness of life says, "we don't HAVE to; we GET to". 2) God's grace is greater than my struggle. The clarity of struggle, Paul says, reveals there is no good thing dwelling in our flesh, it is undependable, destructive and controlling. Trying to work out our salvation is performing the motion without having it figured out. Paul describes the flesh as another law warring against his mind in Christ, against what God has done, encouraging disobedience and corruption of the Law. 3) Serve the Law of God. Paul challenges us to remember whose we are, why we serve and with what we serve. The mind, as a child of God or the flesh through the Law of sin? We are made to serve God, but who is in control? The mind (heart) of a child of God is called to conquer the flesh. We have grace and favor with God to defeat the entity trying to overtake us, walk in it!

Scripture: Roman 7:4-5 "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." - KJV

Message: Paul address how we should conduct ourselves as saints and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The illustration is the stages of a butterfly, the pupae being the stage of transition from caterpillar to an adult. In context, people who emulate Christ, transform and are called Christians. Paul is supporting the difference between the "old" man and the "new" man. The "old" man's death in Christ frees him from sin, whereas the Law attempts to reform in order to change. "In Christ" represents our faith and trust in Him, then death can liberate us from sin. Just as a dead man has no authority over us, so is our "old" man. The struggle begins the moment we accept Christ. The "old" man's habits, thoughts and ways must be subdued by the "new" man to walk in a newness. It is a process. The "old" man is created according to God, righteousness and true holiness. The pattern of our life says, "YOU'LL never get there! ", but God operates differently. His Word and prayer renew us so the "new" man can grow. The caterpillar's function is to eat and store up to become the butterfly, so it is with the "new" man and God's Word. What seems to be the struggle of the "new" man is renewal by the Word. Paul lays out rhetorical questions, because, how did Christ do it? First question, "Shall we continue to sin, so grace abounds?" We tend to thing grace is a free pass, when it's a method God uses to bring a sinner to salvation. God's idea has a different idea, to use grace to carry us into the life to come. Second question, "How should we that are dead to sin live any longer in it? It is impossible, it is not designed to work that way. Points to remember as we walk out the newness. We are baptized in Jesus Christ's death, the "old" man dies. The challenge is death, so it is important to complete the suffering to be free from sin and live subjected to God. It is only possible through Christ to be servants to righteousness, to walk in the newness of life, so others will see it and go searching. Don't miss what God has for your because of the deeds of the "old" man. Strike them down, then watch God do great and wonderful things, because it is His desire.

Scripture: Romans 6:1-4 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Message: The religious leaders setup Jesus for death, at His crucifixion they provoked Him to save Himself. There are three things that speak to the heart of all scripture from beginning to end, Christ is patterned, promised and present. Christ is a repeated design in His character and conduct for the whole world. Christ was promised in scripture to be Savior who would die for our trespasses and sin. These promises appear in the writings of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus's own words and the apostle Paul. Christ, to have been the pattern and the promise, has been present from the beginning. To get to the point of seeing Him and have evidence of His presence, we often need to be in a trial or in suffering followed by a transformational life-altering step of faith. We may be drawn to ask for a confirmation of faith to trust Him. Let us be blessed to behold with our eyes and hear with our ears. This human perspective requires understanding God's divine perspective, do you have it? Trusting God and walking with the Lord makes us aware of His patterns, promises and presence. Our humanity looks to save itself, something Jesus would not do, choosing to suffer and be rejected. As in the days of Noah, destruction by water, and in the days of Lot, destruction by fire, so will it be in Christ's return. Just like these were saved, so will those who come to faith and repentance be saved when the earth and the works in it will be burnt up. Jesus willingly gave His life that we could live. Repent before a risen Savior, turn toward Him, there is no other way, HE IS THE CHRIST!

Scripture: Luke 23:35 " "And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” " - NKJV

Message: Jesus had a triumphant entry leading to death on the cross. This led people and rulers to ask the question, 'Is He Christ?', the same question many still ask today. Even John, while in prison, sent messengers out to ask. We ask to know if He can truly save. There are compelling pieces of evidence to give us hope, truth and peace. Feast of the Tabernacles is the backdrop of His entry filled with symbolism and prophesy. Genesis 49, 1200 BC, foretells Christ through Jacob's words to his son Judah, emphasizing the truth of God's plans, despite many attempts by man to stop them. Zechariah 9 foretells of Christ's humble entry on a donkey colt, symbolizing a peace-time king. This is a stark contrast to a war-time king and Roman power and might. Even the disciples were confused, until they remembered the scripture Jesus revealed to them. In Matthew 21, Jesus cleans out the temple and heals people. The people rejoiced and declared His lineage of David, but the chief priests and scribes became angry, holding Him in contempt for it. Rousing of Jesus' zeal is foretold in Genesis 49, as a He returns a gathering place for the people back to God. The temple represented a place of sanctuary to those of God, a place to go to Him in faith. The palm branches show their recognition of the Messiah, unable to save, deliver or set themselves free, they display their repentance and praise Him.

Scripture: Luke 23:25 "And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. " KJV

Message: Has someone ever done something to you that made you angry? All of us!! What could be so offensive to make God have wrath? Sin, deserving death, however, God had another response, eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul makes a comparison against the offense and the free gift. There are 3 points: 1) the offense 2) the Law and 3) the free Gift. The first Adam was the first of created humanity. He was given a command by God, Eve's understanding of the command came from Adam. God's desire was to have Adam to trust and obey, but he fell to Satan's deception which reflected "God is not enough", causing death to all humanity. This was sin, an intentional offense, knowing better and doing it anyway. And, death reigned as the by-product of sin. Unable to get up on our own, God gave us the Law. The Law came from humanity's desire not to be led by God. They thought they could "be God" and keep it, justifying themselves. The Law would show them right from wrong. Knowing right from wrong revealed sin where it a not known , leading to condemnation. The Law was too late and too weak, so staying in the Law still led to condemnation. Unable to keep the whole Law, there would be no way for mankind to save itself from death without God's grace. His grace was justification through Jesus Christ, One for the many offenses. The resulting gift was life to all humanity by the righteous act of One. When Adam was disobedient leading to death, Christ's obedience led to justification of life. Christ became the form of man, leading a life of humbleness and obedient to death on the cross. God love us much to allow then events, which can free us from condemnation and eternal death, leading us back to life.

Scripture: Romans 5:15 "But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." - KJV

Message: At some point all of us ask ourselves, "why would I want to be part of this organization or group?" Paul addresses the point of being a child of God and the benefits. There are 3 Key benefits: 1) When we have peace with God, there is no more wrath and are no longer enemies. He is satisfied and we are no longer rebellious. When we accept Christ, the war ends and live in the promise of eternal peace. 2) We have access to God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's guidance in all spiritual truth. Therefore, God's grace is to and for us, giving us the ability to demonstrate it to others. There will be those who persecute us, but there will also be those who need us. 1 Peter 2 calls us living stones, chosen to offer up acceptable sacrifices to the living God. It causes people to see something different in us. 3) We rejoice, being convinced the One we are boasting about is worthy. We are at peace with God, therefore at peace with others. Our patience is developed by a God who proves Himself over and over. The experiences begin to show favor as God's work, not ours, building trust in His ways. We arrive at the point of knowing the futility of life without God on our side. God is glorified in us, through Jesus Christ the benefits are great and mighty.

Scripture: Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - KJV

Message: Ever heard the term hard-headed? When we have things that are hard to let go of, something we're stuck in, it is referred to as hard-headed. It's difficult to walk away when we're stuck in our ways and have a new way in Christ. Paul is reminding Jewish believers in Rome of the futility of works, to earn our salvation and righteousness in the sight of God. He reminds them of the need for spiritual understanding of the truth to accept the inheritance promised to Abraham. The Jewish Rabbis believed Abraham was justified by keeping the Law perfectly. Paul reminds them of Abraham's faults, so he was not made righteous by keeping the Law, but was accounted righteous by God.  Faith kept Abraham from boasting in his own works to obtain righteousness and placed it all on God. In comparison, we are saved by God's grace through Christ, so we are unable to boast in our own works. Dependence on works strips us of the credit of grace, instead incurring the debt of works. In Greek, grace translates to a spontaneous generosity of the heart without any expectation of return. In modern terms, grace translates to God's unmerited grace. A system of works seek to put God in debt to us, His favor and salvation given to us by being being good. To all who believe, have relationship and depend on God, righteousness will be credited. Another entry point and exclusion of the Gentiles to righteousness before God, was the Jewish interpretation of the Mosaic Law by circumcision. Abraham's righteousness through faith occurred before he was circumcised, so Paul questions the Jews and proposes the extension of righteousness to all. He explains that faith by works and circumcision through the Mosaic Law retains the debts and righteousness through Christ cancels the debt. He concludes with a question, do you trust in your own abilities or do you trust in God to obtain righteousness. Step into belief and watch God work through you. 

Scripture: Romans 4:1-3 "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." - KJV

Message: Are there times when you struggled and came up less than your self-imposed expectations? The perfection sought, no matter how hard you worked, came up short? Are you driven by perfection? Paul addresses perfection in our own sight, being enough. In and of ourselves, we are not enough. We do not measure up to the standard of God, HIs righteousness, therefore we need a way.  Weighing the good and the bad, hoping to do more good and earn righteousness will not work. God's standard requires 100% compliance, failure to meet 1 point is to be guilty of all. Paul reminds us, sin is easily seen from outward actions and inward sin is easily recognized in the blasphemy and the hypocritical living of lives. Paul assesses mankind as all under sin's bondage. God gave us the Law to show us sin, revealing our inability to keep it's statues and save ourselves from unrighteousness. Paul wants to acknowledge the fact that we are not enough. He points to Psalm 14 as the report card, "there is none that do good, not one". The Jews and Gentiles had both sinned, there is a righteous debt to pay and they were useless to pay it themselves. Where's the hope? Surrender to the Law, be under it, see your guilt, acknowledge your sin and see the penalty of it. The cost for the righteousness of God is paid by the One who has come to justify us, Jesus Christ. Faith, not of works, in Jesus Christ pays our sin debt. God now sees the believer as measuring up to the perfection of the fullness of Christ, delivering us from the wrath of sin. Where we are not enough, God sent Christ who is more than enough, through Him you will never be short and always be sufficient. 

Scripture: Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.." KJV

Message: Paul is addressing the reprobate mind, the mind that rejects God, missing His plans and purposes, failing the test. Legalism is missing God's  intent.  Paul addresses those who are obeying the rules, living life as a series of do's and don'ts, where it's only about keeping the Law. He is trying to introduce the Spirit of the Law to organized religion, a form of godliness which focuses on doing moral things, but missing God. God began to define the laws that would please Him, because legalism isolated the Law from Him, resulting in a life devoid of personal relationship. Paul addresses the Christians and Jews who are without a relationship with God and are judging others by being moral in their conduct. Paul uses the Pharisee and the Publican parable to give an example of two responses to sin. The Pharisee who exalted himself for following the letter of the Law and the Publican who humbly admits his sin and is exalted. What's the measuring stick? We will be judged by how we judge, so don't. Use discernment to determine when holiness and righteousness will be received by the unfit, but leave them room to let them change. Humbleness avoids judging others and condemning yourself. Remember God desires all to come to salvation and delays our judgement with mercy.  Paul, once a zealous Pharisee, counted his status as nothing. He pointed out boasting and self-righteousness by God's chosen as blasphemous and a poor example to the Gentiles. Examine the Law and determine how much you need Jesus, because we all fall short. It's a matter of the heart, let praise stem from God, not from man.

Scripture: Romans 2:1 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." - KJV

Message: How are you living God's plans and purposes? We watch things to see how they work or don't work. Paul is uncovering the legalism of the Law, the heresies, where previously he was was persecuting Christians in accordance with the Law or with the support of the Law. Paul is in Corinth writing to the the Romans, to encourage them in the salvation of God by grace through faith.  New Testament Christians use Romans to strengthen their faith and learn how to live with their new beliefs.  It is the power of God in which we receive salvation through the gospel of Christ.  The righteousness of God grows through the gospel by faith to help us live as a new creation. Living is walking in trust of a truth in our life, a path directed by God. The righteousness of God is revealed through His wrath from our rebellion. Trusting in this world is like stepping in sinking sand.  God is manifest in everyone, but revealed through manifestations in our lives as our rebellions are shown.  The Jews had clues to God, but refused Him in their heart. They reasoned away their evil ways, unwilling to see the light of God, giving in to the desires of their hearts.  They valued the world over God, so He desired to show them their sin, to see their own destruction. He repeated the process until  they were drawn back to Him, seeing their self-worship and need for a Deliverer. This is God's loving response to their unrighteousness. The answer is to focus on heaven rather than earth, but we choose paths of destruction, reaching for the wrong things, creating a way to get what we want over what God wants for us.  We, by default are rejecting God and walk deeper in sin, wanting no one to tell us what to do.  Even so, God in His compassion makes a way through His Son to live life.

Scripture:  Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”" - NKJV