"If we do not listen to God's Word and really HEAR it, we will start to DRIFT.
Neglect always leads to drifting, in things material and physical as well as spiritual.
As we drift from the Word, we start to DOUBT the Word, because FAITH comes by hearing the Word of God. We start to get hard hearts, and this leads to spiritual sluggishness, which produces DULLNESS toward the Word. We become "dull of hearing" --- lazy listeners! This leads to a SPITEFUL attitude toward the Word to the extent that we willfully DISOBEY God, and this gradually develops into a DEFIANT attitude --- we almost "dare" God to do anything!
Excerpt from "Be Confident" Live by Faith, Not by Sight commentary by Warren Wiersbe
Dec 22, 2011
Dec 21, 2011
For nothing will be impossible with God -- Luke 1:37
This verse has a lot of meaning for Jacqueline and I. For those of you who don't know our story, in the middle of our dating relationship, in the middle of a deployment, I turned into a schmuck and dumped Jacqueline in an email. Fast forward to the end of the deployment, God providentially reconnected us and this is the verse that I held onto while God redeemed our relationship ultimately ending up in us getting married.
Our pastor, during a part of his series "Christmas Cousins," elaborated on this small piece of text in a big way. So next time you are struggling with something big in your life, and you think God is not big enough, hold on to Luke 1:37 and the commentary for it below:
Gabriel isn’t just quoting scripture . . . he’s also speaking as an eyewitness.
He stood in the presence of God. He knew.
He had seen countless miracles throughout the previous centuries.
He had watched at the dawn of human history as God created with spectacular colors more than a hundred billion galaxies.
He had watched God craft a man out of dust and a woman out of bone;
He was there when God created the animal kingdom both seen and still yet to be discovered by human observation;
Gabriel has seen the manna fall and the waters part;
He’s seen time stand still;he’s watched lions mouths muzzled and fiery furnaces air-conditioned.
Mary, nothing is impossible with God. And he should know.
He’s watched God take the life of every first born Egyptian and then and spark life in the womb of a barren woman;
he’s seen God float iron to the surface of water and bring repentance to the hearts of an entire nation;
he’s watched God send a chariot of fire from heaven to bring His prophet home and
he’s seen God tear open the earth and send His enemies to the fires of torment below.
He’s seen God in all His terror and in all His glory.
Mary, let me tell you what I know and what I’ve seen. Nothing is impossible with God.
Jumping for Joy 12/18/2011 Luke 1:26-80 by Steven Davey
Our pastor, during a part of his series "Christmas Cousins," elaborated on this small piece of text in a big way. So next time you are struggling with something big in your life, and you think God is not big enough, hold on to Luke 1:37 and the commentary for it below:
Gabriel isn’t just quoting scripture . . . he’s also speaking as an eyewitness.
He stood in the presence of God. He knew.
He had seen countless miracles throughout the previous centuries.
He had watched at the dawn of human history as God created with spectacular colors more than a hundred billion galaxies.
He had watched God craft a man out of dust and a woman out of bone;
He was there when God created the animal kingdom both seen and still yet to be discovered by human observation;
Gabriel has seen the manna fall and the waters part;
He’s seen time stand still;he’s watched lions mouths muzzled and fiery furnaces air-conditioned.
Mary, nothing is impossible with God. And he should know.
He’s watched God take the life of every first born Egyptian and then and spark life in the womb of a barren woman;
he’s seen God float iron to the surface of water and bring repentance to the hearts of an entire nation;
he’s watched God send a chariot of fire from heaven to bring His prophet home and
he’s seen God tear open the earth and send His enemies to the fires of torment below.
He’s seen God in all His terror and in all His glory.
Mary, let me tell you what I know and what I’ve seen. Nothing is impossible with God.
Jumping for Joy 12/18/2011 Luke 1:26-80 by Steven Davey
Dec 20, 2011
Dec 15, 2011
That's my Jesus!!! A TRUE servant leader
Men,
We all consider ourselves "servant leaders." Do we really know what that means or looks like?
Check out this sermon given by Voddie Baucham "Leading as a Servant" at the Truth & Life Conference 2011. Below is an excerpt:
His first act as a servant leader:
The Creator of the universe, wraps Himself in human flesh, not only that, but He submits Himself as an obedient Son not only to sinful parents, but to parents that sinned against Him, not only to sinful parents that sinned against Him, but sinful parents He created who sin against Him. And He submits to them in everything.
Christ the servant leader, takes upon the sins of those whom He serves and He dies in their stead, but WHY???
For His Father's Glory!!!
Does He get exalted, yes He does...by His Father...AFTER He dies.
So then, you and I as servant leaders...what do we do???
We give ourselves away as slaves, and we serve those to whom we have been called. Experiencing humiliation if necessary in the process. Why? So eventually we can become well known?
THAT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO A SERVANT LEADER.
No. So that Christ, may be glorified in the lives of those whom we serve.
When that happens, not only do you not turn it around and seek the higher position of notoriaty, but you're actually terrified of it. Because it makes it more and more difficult to be humble. And when people come up to you and say "How much you meant to me" and when a servant leader hears that, the one thing that goes through their mind is, "Oh how terrible it would be for me to take that into myself and rob God of His Glory."
Servant leadership is not about becoming rich or well known, its about you making much of Christ, and He will not share His Glory with another.
We all consider ourselves "servant leaders." Do we really know what that means or looks like?
Check out this sermon given by Voddie Baucham "Leading as a Servant" at the Truth & Life Conference 2011. Below is an excerpt:
His first act as a servant leader:
The Creator of the universe, wraps Himself in human flesh, not only that, but He submits Himself as an obedient Son not only to sinful parents, but to parents that sinned against Him, not only to sinful parents that sinned against Him, but sinful parents He created who sin against Him. And He submits to them in everything.
Christ the servant leader, takes upon the sins of those whom He serves and He dies in their stead, but WHY???
For His Father's Glory!!!
Does He get exalted, yes He does...by His Father...AFTER He dies.
So then, you and I as servant leaders...what do we do???
We give ourselves away as slaves, and we serve those to whom we have been called. Experiencing humiliation if necessary in the process. Why? So eventually we can become well known?
THAT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO A SERVANT LEADER.
No. So that Christ, may be glorified in the lives of those whom we serve.
When that happens, not only do you not turn it around and seek the higher position of notoriaty, but you're actually terrified of it. Because it makes it more and more difficult to be humble. And when people come up to you and say "How much you meant to me" and when a servant leader hears that, the one thing that goes through their mind is, "Oh how terrible it would be for me to take that into myself and rob God of His Glory."
Servant leadership is not about becoming rich or well known, its about you making much of Christ, and He will not share His Glory with another.
Dec 8, 2011
"And the peace of God..."
Men,
During our Bible study of Philippians this morning, my brothers and I were working on Philippians 4:4-7. We kinda camped out on verse 7 a bit and discussed a little more thoroughly "the peace of God" and "guard your hearts." It was rich and we were able to work through to the understanding that God had intended. Afterwards, I was killing some time at our Seminary Library and decided to pickup the Word Biblical Commentary, by Hawthorne and Thomas Nelson publishers. If you haven't read any of the Christian classics published by Thomas Nelson, you ought to. They do a fantastic job of introducing you to the authors.
Anyway…to the point. I went straight to the section that we kinda parked on this morning and I wanted to share some deep stuff I read. Through this commentary God had reaffirmed what He helped us glean during our study this morning, but the section regarding "the peace of God" blew me away. I always understood as a believer I would know peace, but I'm here to tell you, the level of peace that Paul is referring to in this verse is BEYOND comprehension.
I wanted to share Enjoy.
“the peace of God,” This expression is found nowhere else in the NT. With it Paul is not referring to the peace with God that the Philippians had as a result of their being justified by faith in Christ, such peace is presupposed. Nor is he exclusively referring to that “inward peace of soul which comes from God, and is grounded in God’s presence and promise…the fruit of believing prayer.” Paul seems here to be referring to the tranquility of God’s own eternal being, the peace that God himself has, the calm serenity that characterizes God’s very nature and that grateful, trusting Christians are welcome to share.
“will stand guard over your thoughts and feelings in Christ Jesus.” The verb "guard" is a military term picturing God’s peace as a detachment of soldiers “standing guard over” a city so as to protect it from attack. Philippi in Paul’s time housed a Roman garrison. Thus the metaphor would have been easily understood and appreciated by the Philippian Christians who read it: God’s peace, like a garrison of soldiers, will keep guard over our thoughts and feelings so that they will be safe against the assaults of worry and fear as any fortress.
“heart,” in the NT never means the physical organ that pumps the blood. Nor is it used solely to refer to the center of one’s emotions (Rom 9:2; 10:1; 2 Cor 2:4; Phil 1:7). It is sometimes used to describe the source of thought and moral choice—that which “gives impulse and character to action. Here, Paul places heart alongside thought, grammatically in such a way as to distinguish the one from the other “your hearts and your thoughts” heart, very likely has its meaning narrowed to the “seat of one’s emotions or deepest feelings” or simply to the “emotions” and “feelings” themselves. Thoughts, however, are the products of the “mind” and hence thoughts.
During our Bible study of Philippians this morning, my brothers and I were working on Philippians 4:4-7. We kinda camped out on verse 7 a bit and discussed a little more thoroughly "the peace of God" and "guard your hearts." It was rich and we were able to work through to the understanding that God had intended. Afterwards, I was killing some time at our Seminary Library and decided to pickup the Word Biblical Commentary, by Hawthorne and Thomas Nelson publishers. If you haven't read any of the Christian classics published by Thomas Nelson, you ought to. They do a fantastic job of introducing you to the authors.
Anyway…to the point. I went straight to the section that we kinda parked on this morning and I wanted to share some deep stuff I read. Through this commentary God had reaffirmed what He helped us glean during our study this morning, but the section regarding "the peace of God" blew me away. I always understood as a believer I would know peace, but I'm here to tell you, the level of peace that Paul is referring to in this verse is BEYOND comprehension.
I wanted to share Enjoy.
“the peace of God,” This expression is found nowhere else in the NT. With it Paul is not referring to the peace with God that the Philippians had as a result of their being justified by faith in Christ, such peace is presupposed. Nor is he exclusively referring to that “inward peace of soul which comes from God, and is grounded in God’s presence and promise…the fruit of believing prayer.” Paul seems here to be referring to the tranquility of God’s own eternal being, the peace that God himself has, the calm serenity that characterizes God’s very nature and that grateful, trusting Christians are welcome to share.
“will stand guard over your thoughts and feelings in Christ Jesus.” The verb "guard" is a military term picturing God’s peace as a detachment of soldiers “standing guard over” a city so as to protect it from attack. Philippi in Paul’s time housed a Roman garrison. Thus the metaphor would have been easily understood and appreciated by the Philippian Christians who read it: God’s peace, like a garrison of soldiers, will keep guard over our thoughts and feelings so that they will be safe against the assaults of worry and fear as any fortress.
“heart,” in the NT never means the physical organ that pumps the blood. Nor is it used solely to refer to the center of one’s emotions (Rom 9:2; 10:1; 2 Cor 2:4; Phil 1:7). It is sometimes used to describe the source of thought and moral choice—that which “gives impulse and character to action. Here, Paul places heart alongside thought, grammatically in such a way as to distinguish the one from the other “your hearts and your thoughts” heart, very likely has its meaning narrowed to the “seat of one’s emotions or deepest feelings” or simply to the “emotions” and “feelings” themselves. Thoughts, however, are the products of the “mind” and hence thoughts.
Dec 7, 2011
That's Deep!!
"After this had transpired the blood of these people, although misled, fell so hot on my heart that I could not stand it, nor find rest in my soul. I reflected upon my unclean, carnal life, also the hypocritical doctrine and idolatry which I still practiced daily in appearance of godliness, but without relish. I saw that these zealous children, although in error, willingly gave their lives and their estates for their doctrine and faith. And I was one of those who disclosed to some of them the abominations of the papal system. But I myself continued in my comfortable life and acknowledge abominations simply in order that I might enjoy physical comfort and escape the cross of Christ."
The Theology of the Cross or Theology of Glory?
Men,
Martin Luther called any theology that tried to discover God through human reason unaided by supernatural grace and the gift of faith a "Theology of Glory," or Glory of Man.
"The theology of glory, then, is a human-centered theology that leads to an overestimation of natural human power and ability. The theology of the cross shows the true condition of humans as helpless sinners alienated from God in mind and heart and desperately in need of God’s rescue mission, the cross of Christ. The theology of glory implies that humans can pull themselves up to God by their own bootstraps, so to speak, and leads to projects of self-salvation and theological speculation. The theology of the cross proclaims that humans are totally dependent and unable to figure out anything about God apart from God’s own self-disclosure and leads to discipleship marked by suffering for God and others." (Olsen, 382).
Martin Luther called any theology that tried to discover God through human reason unaided by supernatural grace and the gift of faith a "Theology of Glory," or Glory of Man.
"The theology of glory, then, is a human-centered theology that leads to an overestimation of natural human power and ability. The theology of the cross shows the true condition of humans as helpless sinners alienated from God in mind and heart and desperately in need of God’s rescue mission, the cross of Christ. The theology of glory implies that humans can pull themselves up to God by their own bootstraps, so to speak, and leads to projects of self-salvation and theological speculation. The theology of the cross proclaims that humans are totally dependent and unable to figure out anything about God apart from God’s own self-disclosure and leads to discipleship marked by suffering for God and others." (Olsen, 382).
Dec 1, 2011
Spartan, what will you gain by this victory?
Men,
Check out this quote from John MacArthur's commentary on Romans:
A victor at an ancient Greek olympic game is said to have been asked, "Spartan, what will you gain from this victory?" He replied, "I, sir, shall have the honor to fight on the front line for my king."
MacArthur says, "That should typify everyone for whom Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior."
"The Lord never provides conversion without commission."
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!
Check out this quote from John MacArthur's commentary on Romans:
A victor at an ancient Greek olympic game is said to have been asked, "Spartan, what will you gain from this victory?" He replied, "I, sir, shall have the honor to fight on the front line for my king."
MacArthur says, "That should typify everyone for whom Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior."
"The Lord never provides conversion without commission."
CAN I GET AN AMEN!?!?!