Thursday, January 12, 2017

The Love of God

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Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:14b

and the love of God

Insights: In 1 John 4:8 and 16 we are informed that God is love. Love is who He is. Love is His character. Love defines Him along with a myriad of other attributes. Because God is love, it is the character trait that drives all of His activities in this world. In other words, He created out of love. In John 3:16 we are informed love is what moved the heart of God to save humanity. The verse reads, “God created and loved us. He loved us even while we were His enemies and demonstrated that love by sending Jesus.” Love also stirs the Lords pleasure. In Luke 3:21-22 we see the picture of Jesus baptism. After the baptism has occurred there is a commentary in verse 22 which states, “Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’” God is pleased in His Son’s obedience to the call of righteousness. Beloved, I just want you to understand that this Triune God with whom we are discussing this week is a loving God. His love moves Him and sustains Him. This attribute is the very core of His being. It is my hope that those of us who have experienced His love will display that love back to a world in desperate need of love. Humble yourselves before the Lord and let Him use you as His instrument by which He extends His love to humanity. I promise you, the more you love, the greater joy and pleasure you will experience here on this side of eternity. To God be the glory as He manifests His love on us and the world.

Questions:

1. Have you grasped how much of God’s activity is driven by His characteristic of love?

2. In what ways have you personally experienced God’s love?

Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me. I am not always lovable, but You love me anyway. How can I ever show You my gratitude for Your love. May I spend all of eternity expressing gratitude for Your amazing love.. Amen.

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The Grace of Jesus

Photo by Dale Chumbley

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:14a

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Insights: Last year our five major sermon series centered around the subject of being “Joyfully United.” This year our focus is going to be on being “Christ Centered.” These two themes obviously come out of our mission statement, “FBC Bowling Green is Christ centered, gospel driven, joyfully united, and prayerfully obedient.” In order to know Christ Jesus even more we are going to go through a series which is inspired by Randy Frazee’s curriculum Believe. As a result of this information we started off our “I BELIEVE” campaign with a sermon on the oneness of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” God is only One, but He manifests Himself in three essences, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 13:14 identify all three aspects of God’s One nature. The first part is that of Jesus. In this portion of the verse we are told Jesus is full of grace. Grace is unmerited favor. In other words, we receive what we do not rightly deserve. We deserve punishment and eternal separation from the Lord, but instead He extends grace. Anyone who receives Jesus as Lord and Savior will not experience this punishment, but rather a restored relationship with the Lord Almighty who is One God. John 1:1 and 14 help us to understand this deity aspect of Jesus a little bit more. John 1:1 states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When we jump to verse 14 we are told, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, Jesus is the Word and we know this because He became flesh and dwelt among us. We got to see the glory which came from the Father and this glory was full of grace and truth. We know what Jesus says is truth because He Himself declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but through me (John 14:6).” Jesus is declaring to us He is God and He is One. He is clarifying His message by telling us the grace we receive from God comes from Him, the One true God. Let us rejoice that we know the Lord God and have experienced His grace.

Questions:

1. Have you experienced the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?

2. Have you extended the grace which has been offered to you to other people who have wronged you?

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your grace which you extended to me through Your Son, Jesus. May I be willing and compelled, also by Your grace, to extend grace to those around me. Let the love of Jesus permeate my life. Amen.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

We are Never Alone

Photo by Chris Yarzab

This blog ought to have been January 6, 2017

Scripture: Matthew 28:20b-c

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Insights: Our final blog regarding the Great Commission deals with the presence of the Lord Jesus. Notice with me were He resides. He resides with us. He is ALWAYS with us. He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. How long does He reside with us you may be asking. The answer is He resides with us for ALL of eternity. Praise the Lord for this incredible promise and truth about our Savior, Jesus Christ. If you have never encountered our Lord Jesus, then this later part of verse twenty really does not mean a whole lot to you. If, however, you do know the Lord Jesus, then this second half of the verse is a comfort beyond description. I cannot tell you how many times in my life I have wanted to give up, but then the Lord has reminded me that He is right here with me. He is going to grant me His strength. He is going to give me His wisdom. All I have to do is surrender to Him and He takes over from there. Oh, the joy this singular truth brings in my life. It is my prayer you personally know and can relate to about what I have just written. Jesus loves you. He desires an eternal relationship with you. You will face dark days, but He is a light shining in the midst of them. May this singular truth grant you peace this day. I know it has me.

Questions:

1. Have you ever felt alone?

2. In what ways does the eternal presence of Jesus comfort you at times of difficult and pain?

Prayer: Father, thank You that You never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You for walking with me through the dark days and days of doubt. Thank You for Your eternal presence always being there with me in the good times and the bad. You are wonderful beyond compare and I am grateful You are always with me. Amen.

We are Resoundingly Commissioned

Photo by Cushing Memorial Library

This blog ought to have been January 5, 2017

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20a

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

Insights: In today’s verse we see what is known as the Great Commission. In this verse Jesus tells all of us who have been born again that we are to GO and make disciples of all nations. As we are making disciples out of them, we are to have them undergo baptism, which is a symbolic act picturing what has happened in the heart of this new believer. It declares to a world that your old nature has died and been buried. You now come out of the water new and resurrected in Jesus. In this resurrection you have new life. All for the glory of God. Notice with me, however, we don’t just stop after the person has gotten wet in the baptismal waters. We go on further and teach them to observe or obey everything Jesus has taught us. There is another aspect to this commission I want you to notice as well. Did you notice to what people group Jesus was sending us? We are to go to all the nations. Jesus’ message of life and hope is for everyone. Beloved, all too often we, especially in the church of the United States, do not obey this commission given by the Lord Jesus. We do not share our faith on a regular basis. Our actions are in essence telling lost people we don’t care if they go to hell. We are too busy to be bothered by them and all their junk. It is my prayer that in 2017 I become a more evangelistic and disciple-making follower of Jesus. It is my prayer FBC Bowling Green also becomes more committed to this commission. It is further my prayer that the rest of Christendom would also be more zealous for our Lord.

Questions:

1. Are you obediently following your commission from the Lord?

2. Why do you think it is so difficult for the majority of professing Christians in the United States to share their faith?

Prayer: Father, I am a man with unclean lips and I dwell with a people with unclean lips. All too often I chose to follow them instead of You. Forgive me for defiling my lips with the conduct of this world and strengthen me to boldly proclaim Your love to a world in need of a Savior. Amen.

Monday, January 9, 2017

We are Completely Subjugated

Photo by Jason A G

This blog ought to have been January 4, 2017

Scripture: Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Insights: In today’s verse we see the Lord Jesus declare ALL authority has been given to Him. In other words, all of the created world is subject to His rightful and eternal reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Now, while we are here on this side of eternity we may choose to rebel against this King, but there will be a day in which we will no longer be able to rebel against His authority. On that day, we will bow before Him and declare “He is Lord.” Literally, right after that moment, He will declare, “I never knew you, depart from Me.” At that point we will be cast into the Lake of Fire. This subjugation does not have to be our end. We can choose to surrender to His authority now. We can receive His eternal gift of salvation by admitting we are sinners and in need of a Savior. He is the Savior. If we enter into His citizenship. If we surrender to His authority, then He will know us. Then, when we enter into eternity, He will receive us with open arms because we had willing chosen to be subjugated to His authority. There are times, even as residence of His kingdom, that we do not subject ourselves to His authority. When we find ourselves in this position, we need to repent and turn back to Him as soon as we recognize our rebellion. There will be consequences for our rebellion and that is part of being under His authority. He, however, welcomes us back with open arms and forgives us of all unrighteousness. Our eternity was not in jeopardy, but our relationship with Him was hindered and blocked from that perfect union because of sin. Only repentance can restore this relationship with this King who demands all to live under His rightful and good authority. It is always better to be subject now than to wait until we have died, because then, there is no second chance. There is no joyful eternal union with this gracious King if we choose rebellion rather than willful subjugation.

Questions:

1. Do you understand what it means to be under the Lord’s authority?

2. Why do you think we try to rebel against the truth of the Lord’s authority?

Prayer: Father, all things are under Your authority and all of humanity is subjugated to Your will. Let me learn well the truth of this eternal fact, so that, I may live in greater peace and contentment with my state of being. Amen.

We are Sometimes Hesitant

Photo by Alyson Hurt

This blog ought to have been January 3, 2017

Scripture: Matthew 28:17

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

Insights: In the New American Standard Bible (NASB) the word distazō is translated doubtful. Now the NASB is normally the most wooden and accurate word for word translation of the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. At times, however, it does not produce the best translation. In this verse today, we find one of those examples. Distazō would be better translated hesitation rather than denoting a disbelief on the part of the disciples. Craig L. Blomberg in his commentary gives a good explanation as to what really is transpiring in this verse and this historical scene. He wrote, “Perhaps, as elsewhere, something about Jesus’ appearance makes him hard to recognize at first. Perhaps they fear how he may respond to them. Perhaps their Jewish scruples are still questioning the propriety of full-fledged worship of anyone by Yahweh. Or (more likely?) they may simply continue to exhibit an understandable confusion about how to behave in the presence of a supernaturally manifested, exalted, and holy being.” Let us go back to the verse once again. We see the disciples are called to this mountain location because Jesus summoned them. Upon their arrival some of the disciples immediately worshipped Him, but others were hesitant. This hesitation as Blomberg pointed out could have been for several reasons, but most likely because they just did not know how to interact with a “supernaturally manifested, exalted, and holy being.” Beloved, there are times the Lord calls us to action. This action could be worship, but it could also be service or evangelism or numerous other activities. We are not always ready to say yes to the Lord when He commissions us. There are times we are hesitant. One of our goals in life ought to be to stop being hesitant when the Lord’s Spirit pricks our hearts. Once we are pricked we ought to be zealous for immediate obedience to Him. It is my prayer that my life in 2017, and your life as well, will represent this kind of unhindered obedience to the Lord. May our obedience bring Him the glory He rightly deserves.

Questions:

1. Have you ever been hesitant to obey the Lord’s commands?

2. Why do you think you have experienced this hesitation?

Prayer: Father, I am at times fearful to be obedient and as a result I hesitate when You call me. Forgive me for my reluctance and grant me boldness to walk in obedience with You. Amen.

Monday, January 2, 2017

We are Always Called

Photo by it is elisa

Scripture: Matthew 28:16

But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

Insights: Today is the first blog of 2017. Transitions from one year to the next always bring with it excitement and anticipation. It also allows us to reflect and ponder over the previous year. I titled this weeks sermon What Will You Do with Jesus in 2017? I opened the sermon with a brief reflection on John 14:15 and 15:8. John 14:15 states, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” and John 15:8 instructs, “This is to my Fathers glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” So, if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey Him, then we will bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be His disciples. What is one area in which the Lord has commanded us? The answer would be in evangelism as He commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations. As a result, we looked at the Great Commission for our sermon and learned five truths from that passage. Today, we quickly summarize the first truth we learned. Notice in today’s verse it states the disciples went to the mountain Jesus had designated. In other words, Jesus called them to a very specific location for His ascension. In the same way Jesus called His disciples to a specific mountain, so, Jesus calls us to specific tasks. For that matter Jesus calls us to a relationship with Him as well. The point I am trying to emphasis is Jesus is always about calling us. In this context, Jesus called them to a specific location. While at this specific location He was going to call them to a specific assignment. We will look at that assignment later this week. In my life, Jesus called me to FBC Bowling Green to pastor this wonderful congregation. Jesus called me to adopt my three precious daughters. Jesus called me to share the gospel with others. Jesus calls you to places, service and other things as well. Jesus’ calling on our lives is a constant. It is my prayer you will heed His calling on your life.

Questions:

1. Have you recognized the various calls the Lord God has placed on your life?

2. Does God’s calling give you comfort or reservation?

Prayer: Father, I am grateful You call me to a relationship with You and to service to You as well. At the same time, however, this call scares me at times. May I learn to walk in Your strength to face all assignments in which You have called me to participate. Amen.