Christ ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Father, is the most often quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament (quoted 10 times). Hebrews 12:1-2 teaches us that life in Christ is a race to run with endurance looking unto Jesus who despised the humiliation of those who hated Him in order to rule and reign.
If you believe in Jesus Christ, you have liberty in the decisions you make. There are two errors that can hurt us spiritually: legalism and licentiousness (1 Corinthians 10:23-24). Legalism adds to the commandments of God, making us judgmental and leaving outside many blessings of God in creation. License ignores the relational laws that help us walk in covenant faithfulness with our Heavenly Father. In our passage today, we want to see how Christian liberty helps us make decisions that honor God, help others, and allow us to enjoy the good things God has given in this life.
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 (ESV) 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are…
Have you ever been in a burning building or a house fire? It’s a time for action, not complacency, it’s a time to escape or you could die or be seriously injured. The Bible is clear about the danger of sin to our soul, and yet many people treat sin as a light thing. They are complacent in the face of temptation and find themselves stung by its consequences. It’s been said, “You are either killing sin or it’s killing you.” Today’s passage speaks to the danger of sin and provides us with some helpful reminders when it comes to the dangers of sin in our lives. It reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle and our greatest threat is our own flesh. How do we fight in this spiritual battle?
Athletes are truly inspiring to watch in action. They have trained to be the best at what they do. Natural talent is not everything, their ability had to be developed through a rigorous training plan which encompassed every area of their lives. Our passage today compares the Christian life to an athletic event. Some who at first profess faith in Christ end up giving up on Christ to go after sin. Others fail to live in Christ and end up in guilt and shame for their decisions (Mark 14:27-30). Our passage today reminds us that the key to Christian living is devotion, and we discipline ourselves for the things we love. What kind of discipline helps us grow in devotion?
Before He left this world, Jesus instructed His disciples to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20), especially by sharing the gospel so more people could believe the message. Yet so few Christians actively share their faith. In our passage today, we will see the beliefs that are critical for getting started in sharing our faith.
Ephesians 1:1-2 (NKJV) Greeting 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What makes a truly unique person? The people we tend to admire the most are people who march to the beat of a different drummer and, at the same time, show more concern about others than themselves. You know you can’t control them, but on the other side, there is no reason we would want to control them. In our passage this morning, we will see how the Apostle Paul could not be controlled by anyone, other than God, and how he used that freedom to love the people around him.
Matthew 5:3 (NASB) 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The daily monitoring of the COVID 19 virus and the strain of a presidential election made for a trying and troublesome year. The hope of most Americans is that 2021 will turn the page resulting in a more “normal” daily life. But the future is determined by knowing in whom your identity is. Confusion about who I am results in confusion, perplexity, and aimlessness in approaching the future. Who am I? Our government increasingly views your identity as dependent on societal structures and cultural assumption not by individual decisions, hopes, and dreams. God determines who I am and He gives individual vision for the New Year and beyond. The cultural elites discourage personal hope by seeing everyone as a political class.
