Here are a couple of resources pertaining to yesterday’s sermon from John 17:1-5.

At the end of the message I shared 7 ways to pray for yourself from Jon Bloom. Here is a link to those in case you didn’t get them written down: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/seven-ways-to-pray-for-your-heart

Here are some questions to think about from John 17:1-5

1. What does it mean to “glorify” someone?
2. How does Jesus asking to be glorified speak to his deity?
3. What do you see in verses 1-5 could only be prayed by Jesus?
4. How could the way Jesus prayed for himself help us pray for ourselves?

It’s just Monday, but I am already looking forward to next Sunday for another time of worship and The Word with my church family! See y’all then.

Ever wondered how David, who’s well known for committing adultery with Bathsheba and a cover up that included murder, could be called “a man after God’s own heart” in the Bible. Below is a 7 minute video that addresses that question very well, in my opinion. Listen close, because there is A LOT of applicable truth in this little video, including an excellent definition for discipleship towards the end. Click below:

Men do you ever have trouble making sense of the world around you, and the circumstances you find yourself in? If so, you’re not alone. Sometimes the best way to diagnose a problem is to go back to where it all started, a point of origin. 

We’re on a break right now from our Tuesday morning men’s Bible study, but we will resume on 1/10/17. When we do, we’re starting a new study “Origins” in Genesis, chapters 1-11.

You may be familiar with Genesis, but I’d like to challenge you to take a fresh look as a man seeking the heart of God and godly living, not just facts about God. 

Here’s a few things we’ll cover in these rich chapters of Scripture: Creation, of course–but also the origin of man, woman, marriage, vocation, evil, redemption, society, races, and nations.

The beginning of Scripture begins where centuries of philosophy have fallen short. In Genesis 1-11 we get answers to “unanswerable” questions: Who are we? Why are we here? What has gone wrong with the world around us? What can be done about it? 

Men, it’s going to be a great study, well worth your time! No slick curriculum, no Sunday School Superstar experience required. Just a Bible, a pen, and a heart for God. I hope you’ll join us, Tuesday mornings, 6-7am, beginning January 10th. 

 

Recent studies have shown that technology, while it’s made life easier in many ways, has has also made important aspects of life more complicated. There are concerns that the prevalence of smartphones, social media, and other conveniences have decreased our ability to have, and maintain REAL relationships. I don’t want to rail against technology, rather I’d like to point out the absolute necessity of relationships. And not just any relationship, our relationship with God.

Christianity presents God as accessible by faith in Jesus Christ—that we can draw near to God, that God is personable, knowable, and we are to have a RELATIONSHIP with Him. But like other relationships, a relationship with G
od takes time, dedication, and patience. Below are 3 habits, each with a helpful link, that aid us in our relationship with God.

1. Daily Devotional Time — Some refer to this as a “quiet time” Not sure how to do that? Here’s a link to a good explanation and step by step guide.

2. The Worship of God — In one sense we worship God with all of our life. But for the entire history of Christianity, Christians have gathered for “corporate worship.” One author said this “maybe the single most important thing we do” as Christians.  Gathering for worship can be one of the first things to go when we begin to distance ourselves from God relationally. Don’t let that happen to you! Here is a link to 5 Benefits of Corporate Worship

3. The People of God — God uses the voice and friendship of other Christians to help us stay close, and draw closer to Him. The Bible commands believers to “stir one another up.”(He 10:24) This includes, but goes beyond gathering with Christians for weekly worship, and is more likely to happen in small groups and Bible studies. Christians are called to share life, share burdens, and pray for one another, as a big part of our growth and relationship with God. Here’s a link to more on the importance of Christian Fellowship.

There is no app for a relationship with God. Don’t let the very good benefits of technology, cause you to slip away from the GREATEST opportunity there is, a relationship with God!!

I’m sure there are more ways to relate to God than these. What practices and habits do you see as a priority in your relationship with God?

I love to see Christian faith lived out in all areas of life. But as a fan and former athlete, I especially appreciate seeing it in sports.  Sadly, the pendulum often swings in two extreme directions when it comes to opinions on faith in sports:

Extreme 1. If you want to compete well, don’t bring your faith to the field of play. Faith has no place in sports because it makes you weak and less competitive.

Extreme 2. Sports don’t have a place in the life of a Christian. They are a waste of time at best, and at worse, idolatry.

A third, and I believe, more faithful approach, is to see sports as we should see all of life, as an opportunity to glorify God. Christian virtues of humility, servanthood, and selflessness make for GREAT ATHLETES, TEAM MATES and COACHES. The deeper your relationship with Christ, the better you are at your sport! Christians should use the gifts and abilities God has given them, FOR HIM. Play hard, play fair, and play thankful–FOR HIS GLORY.

You may or may not be aware of the origin of the great sport of basketball. Itt was invented with the intent of reaching and molding young men for Christ. Check out this post:

How a Christian invented basketball and made it an evangelization tool 

Food for thought: What abilities or interests do you have in common with others that might be an avenue to influence and reach people with the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

In Matthew chapter 1 we see godly character displayed in Joseph, even BEFORE an angel informed him that Mary was pregnant with Jesus by way of the Holy Spirit. Had Joseph been ruled by his ego, he could’ve been malicious toward Mary, even having her put to death. But that wasn’t his approach, far from it. Matthew 1:19 tells us:

…Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Joseph didn’t seek personal vindication or attempt to even the score for the apparent wrongdoing of Mary. He was ruled by his commitment to God, as well as Mary’s wellbeing. The ESV Commentary says “Joseph intended to maintain his personal righteousness, yet he desired to show compassion even though Mary appeared to be an adulteress.”

We can learn something from Joseph about how we treat others who appear to have wronged us, or who are living less than godly lives. As Christians, we should never abandon our personal commitment to right living before God. At the same time, we should never abandon our compassion for those who don’t.

Jesus is the ultimate example of righteousness and compassion. In Mark chapter 6, the sinless son of God had compassion on the crowd, taught them, and even miraculously provided food for them. Why did he have such deep compassion for them? Because they were worthy and right living? Not at all, rather he did so because they were lost, they were “like sheep without a shepherd.”

As Christians, we should never have an “us verses them” mentality toward people who don’t know Christ or walk in his ways. If we do, our self-righteousness distances us from the very people that God is calling us to show compassion to and share the good news with.

How many of us would have responded the way Joseph did in his situation with Mary? Maybe it’s time we ask, “What Would Joseph Do?” Better yet, “What Would JESUS Do?”

This morning we talked about he love that Christ brings from Matthew 1:18-25. But we can learn a lot about God’s great plan of grace and redemption by looking at the verses leading up to that. Check out this great post “The Genealogy of Grace” https://www.gty.org/resources/print/articles/A287

Check out this months issue of Grace Bible’s monthly newsletter:

grace-notes-dec-2016

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

We CAN give thanks in all circumstances because of the Grace we have afforded to us in Christ. The following content is from Eric Geiger’s blog. Here he gives us 10 reasons to be thankful. None of these 10 are subject to change. They are from God and thus kept safe by God. These truths and many others like them, made possible by God’s Grace, allow us to be thankful in ALL circumstances.

In the Book of Galatians, we find the apostle Paul was astonished and unsure of what to do with the Galatian believers. At one point, they were overwhelmed with God’s grace expressed toward them. But they had drifted from grace and were attempting to earn God’s approval and qualify themselves to stand before Him with works of the law, with adherence to a religious calendar, and with circumcision. When they were in awe of Jesus, they received Paul well and expressed great love toward him. But now that grace no longer stirred their hearts, they were fighting amongst themselves and treated Paul like an enemy. They had lost their awe and appreciation for Jesus, so he asked them: “What happened to this sense of being blessed you had?” (Galatians 4:15).

Paul knew the root of the problem was a loss in their sense of blessedness. The root of the problem was a loss of awe and wonder for Jesus. Whenever we lose a sense of how much Christ has blessed us, we fight more and serve less.

A loss of awe for Jesus will manifest itself in our lives. Paul wanted to see the Galatians’ awe for Jesus recaptured. So throughout the letter, Paul gave them a long list of ways the Lord had served them, of how the Lord had blessed them. From the first four chapters of Galatians, here are ten ways the Lord has blessed you if you are His:

1. He rescued you.

He gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age. (Galatians 1:4)

2. He justified you.

And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. (Galatians 2:16)

3. He was crucified for you.

You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? (Galatians 3:1)

4. He has given you His Spirit.

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:2)

5. He has worked miracles among you.

So then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? (Galatians 3:5)

6. He was cursed for you.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)

7. He gave you His righteousness.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. (Galatians 3:27)

8. He redeemed you.

When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. (Galatians 4:4-5)

9. He has adopted you.

… that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:5)

10. He has made you His heir.

So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Galatians 4:7)

Do these overwhelm us? Are we not filled with gratitude for Jesus and what He has done? Where, then, is our sense of blessedness?

Find more from Eric Geiger here.

 

I shared a few words regarding the Presidential Election at the end of our worship service yesterday that I have gotten quite a bit of feedback on. Here’s a summary:

We are so privileged to live in a country that allows us to vote! As Christians we strive to be good citizens, and part of that citizenship is voting. So if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to vote in tomorrows election.

But as we exercise our civic privileges, as Christians, we need to remember that our FIRST citizenship is not earthly, but heavenly. As Paul reminded the Philippians, “…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”

The results of this election are not the reason for the Hope that is in us, Jesus is. This election is not the basis for our joy, Jesus is. No president will ever meet the deepest needs of our souls, Jesus has. Keep your head up, Christian. Our King is on the thrown.

Here are few other verse references that can serve as helpful reminders:

Psalm 115:1-3 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Daniel 2:21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…

Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will…

 Colossians 1:15-20 He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.