Consider This...

Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. (Proverbs 20:3 NLT)

Winning a fight is not always an honorable thing. The real honor may be in "avoiding" the fight in the first place. Too many people view "avoidance" as a sign of weakness when God sees it as a sign of strength. The "quarreling" will stop if just one of the two people involved...will stop quarreling!

Consider This...

So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. (Psalm 78:7 NLT)

Every Christian has the responsibility of passing along "the faith" to the next generation. This is more than just teaching them the doctrines of Christianity, but includes helping them take ownership of "the faith" for themselves. Followers of Jesus coming behind us have to set their "hope anew on God" and develop their own walk with Him. At some point each generation has to move beyond a theoretical knowledge of God to the place where they are personally experiencing Him for themselves.

Consider This...

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. (Proverbs 18:13 NLT) ...The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins. (Proverbs 18:17 NLT)

There are always two sides to every story and until you have heard both sides you really don't have the whole picture. People are quick to pass judgment without knowing all the facts and without knowing the story behind the story. It's "shameful and foolish" to reach a conclusion before the "cross-examination" has even begun. Whether it's your closest family members, your dearest friends or an old nemesis...everyone is entitled to explain their side of the story before you form an opinion. It's only fair!

Consider This...

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. (Romans 6:6 NLT)

"The devil made me do it," might have been a funny quip for Flip Wilson bringing him lots of laughs, but no follower of Jesus can seriously make such a claim for himself/herself. Victory over sinful habits is always possible through Jesus Christ Who has severed sins "power" over our lives. None of us will ever reach the state of sinless perfection until we see Jesus face to face, but there is no reason for us to excuse our failures, either. You CAN (!!) beat anything that seemingly has you bound. You have God's Word on it!.

Consider This...

So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:39 NLT)

Every so often we just need to stop and be reminded that God is God and there is no other God. Just consider that nothing can stop Him, no one can overcome Him, He's never surprised by anything, and He's not threatened by any other so-called gods. He's omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and because He never changes...He will always be these things and more. He's right, He's always right and He will never be anything but right! There's a spiritual confidence that comes when you recognize that our God is all there is and all we need.

 

Journey to the Cross and Beyond (Part #6)

Romans 1:16-17

Easter is the crowning jewel of Christianity and what most distinguishes it from all other world religions. What the Superbowl is to football, the World Series is to baseball, Wimbledon is to tennis, The Final Four is to college basketball, and the Masters is to professional golf...the resurrection of Christ is to Christianity. It is the pinnacle of the Christian faith.

Without the resurrection all we have is a dead martyr that is powerless to save the soul or change the life of a single person. This is the reason we celebrate His resurrection every Sunday and why Easter is a special recognition of this momentous event.

Most preachers have been studying, planning and preparing for months for this special day. They’ve been looking for the most effective/creative/powerful/profound way to make the greatest impact on as many people as possible, since it’s likely more people will be in church on Easter than at any other time of the year.

It is what has consumed much of my down-time for the last several weeks, as well, when I wasn’t preparing for other messages. But, that all changed in a specific way a little over a week ago...(tell the story).

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

It is not our persuasiveness that saves; it is the Gospel itself that saves. Proclaiming the Gospel is like letting a lion out of its cage. (originally alluded to by D.L. Moody) Once the lion is out, he needs no help from us. When the lion is turned loose, it will take care of itself.

“If the gospel is, itself, mighty to save, the power of God resulting in salvation, then we need but to proclaim it, in simplicity, in purity, and in dependence upon God, who will by His Word save men.” (Dr. Bob Deffinbaugh)

1. What is the Gospel?

1. The word “Gospel” is used in different contexts to announce good news:

• A. The victory achieved in battle.
• B. The wedding of a couple.
• C. The birth of a son.

2. When used about Christ it announces the Good News that He is Lord and Savior of all mankind!

3. In spite of what you may have heard, the Gospel is about more than just the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. That is the heart of the Gospel, but a heart is incomplete without a body. There is a context into which the work of Jesus fits and without which the story doesn’t make complete sense.

4. The Gospel is the outworking of God’s redemptive plan that began in eternity past (Acts 2:23) and culminates with God the Father being God for all, in all, and through all, with His Son Jesus Christ glorified as the One through Whom the Father is glorified. It fulfills/resolves the story of Israel through whom the Messiah was delivered to be the Savior of all mankind.

5. Scholar, N.T. Wright says, “...the gospel itself, strictly speaking, is the narrative proclamation of King Jesus...Or, to put it yet more compactly: Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, is Lord.” It is, “an announcement about the true God as opposed to the false gods....To announce that YHWH was King was to announce that Caesar is not.” (--which is part of the reason he says he is not “ashamed of the Gospel,” seeing it wouldn’t have not been well received in Rome for this very reason.)

• It may be that there were people in Rome who despised the simplicity of the message (there were certainly some elsewhere, Acts 17:32; 1 Cor. 1:18, 23).
• This had not deterred Paul previously and it wouldn’t deter him now.
• “Paul had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens. He had preached in Corinth where his message was foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling-block to the Jews, and out of that background Paul declared that he was proud of the gospel” (William Barclay).

• To say that he is “not ashamed” is really a litotes, in essence meaning the opposite is true.

6. Paul states in the opening verses of Romans that Jesus is, “...declared to be God with power...by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4)

2. Why do we need the Gospel?

Because...”it is the power of God unto salvation...”

• Power is the Greek word, “dunamis” which gives us our word “dynamite.” That’s not the idea of the meaning here, though, as first century readers wouldn’t have understood it that way. Nor is it the right image of the “power of God” because dynamite is usually considered destructive, not constructive. The image Paul is conveying is that there is an inherent power in the Gospel itself to change people’s lives.

• When defining “power” in the biblical context of the Gospel it should be understood as resurrection power.

“...the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places...” (1 Corinthians 1:18-20)

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

The effect of salvation...

1. Positionally:
• salvation is a general term that encompases every aspect of our relationship to God: Justification, Redemption, Reconciliation, Sanctification, and Glorification.
2. Practically:
• Our salvation includes many wonderful truths:
1. We are saved from wrath (5:9)
2. We are saved from hostility to God (5:10)
3. We are saved from alienation from God (Ephesians 2:12)
4. We are saved from sin (Matthew 1:21)
5. We are saved from being lost (Luke 19:10)
6. We are saved from futility (1 Peter 1:18)
7. We are saved from “a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1)
8. We are saved from false religion (Colossians 1:13)
9. We are saved from a corrupt generation (Acts 2:40)

• Unfortunately, the modern “gospel” portrays God as being more lonely and in need of our companionship rather than righteously angered by our sin. In this aberrant gospel man is not represented as a rebel under the wrath of God and destined for eternal torment, but rather as one who could use a little assistance in making his life more fulfilling and satisfying.

3. Presently:
• Many Christians understand that they have no hope of heaven apart from the price Jesus paid on their behalf.  But aside from gratitude for his sacrifice they see little connection between what Jesus did then and how we can live today. But, the resurrection was not only a supernatural event for Jesus, it also opened new possibilities for everyone that would become a follower of Jesus. When Jesus was raised from the grave by the power of God...the power of His resurrection life was made available to all who received Him. (cf. Romans 8:11) Certainly, Jesus came to save us from our sins, but He also came to enable us to live Godly lives that can look substantially like his life.
3. How should we respond to the Gospel?
Paul makes it clear that this life/soul saving power is only available to those that “believe.”


1. It is universal (“to everyone”)
2. It is unmatched
Every religion says, “Do these things and you’ll live,” but Christ says, “It’s done...you are alive.”
3. It is uncomplicated (“who believes”)


Closing Illus: Paul/Silas and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:20-33)

Consider This...

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

There are two central truths that are learned through the sufferings of Christ. The first is just how much God hates sin and requires that it be punished. The second is how much God loves us and showed it by giving His Son to pay our sin penalty. Don't forget the clear testimony of scripture...Christ was dying for "sinners." And, it was the GREATEST display of LOVE known to mankind...EVER!

Consider This...

We no longer see your miraculous signs. All the prophets are gone, and no one can tell us when it will end. (Psalm 74:9 NLT)

It's possible for people to reach such a low estate that they feel as if they have been abandoned by God. The reality is that when this happens it's not God Who has left them, but they who have left God! If He seems distant and the place where you are living feels like a barren spiritual desert, it's time to turn your heart back to Him. If you seek Him with all your heart...you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

 

 

Consider This...

Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city. (Proverbs 16:32 NLT)

Since scripture teaches that it takes tribulation/trials to develop patience (Romans 5:3) it's not usually a virtue that people are quick to seek from God. However, a lot more things are accomplished through patience/perseverance than they are through power. The people that know how to persevere while waiting on God's intervention...will succeed in time. And, they will develop a tenacity of spirit that gives them a power the "powerful" may never know!

Consider This...

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18 NLT)

We all know the dangers of being arrogant and prideful, but did you know that some so-called humility can be equally destructive? True humility is not constantly running yourself down or belittling yourself. Neither is it dragging yourself around with a long face and slumped shoulders with the words, "woe is me" repeatedly falling from your lips. That kind of self-deprecating behavior only draws greater attention to the supposedly "humble one," which is the very definition of pride. The kind of humility that God desires is when we recognize that everything we have and everything we are is a gift from Him and then we thank Him for those gifts.