SIN

3/29/2025

We have the tendency to not see our sins the way God sees our sins. Then we misunderstand confession as if admitting faults is enough without forsaking our sins and truly repenting towards the Lord. To confess is to agree with what God says is true about us and our sins. We get a glimpse of genuine confession from these words of Daniel as he cries out for himself and his nation. "We have sinned, and have done iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments." (Daniel 9:5) How does he describe sin?

1. Rebellion against God
2. Rejecting the truth from God.
3. Breaking the laws of God.
4. Refusing to return to God.

Guilty sinners need forgiveness and favor that only God can provide through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:19; 26).

The Body

One of the unique ways the Lord describes His church is by calling His church the body. "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23) The church is a local body of believers who have been called out by the Lord to glorify Him. As the physical body has a head, so too the church has one head. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. As the physical body has many parts, so too the church has many members. Each member has a unique role in helping the church be all that Christ would have His church to be.  They work together in unity to fulfill the mission and purpose set by Christ. The motivation is the love of Christ. If we love Christ supremely, we will love His body sacrificially. How well are you loving the body of Christ?

1. Do you love Christ?
2. Do you love His Church?
3. How are you pleasing Christ in His Church?

Wisdom's Gold Mine

3/15/2025

Job takes us deep into a goldmine in search for the great treasure of wisdom. After searching the earth, he asks the question, "But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:12) When he speaks of wisdom, he speaks of the skill to take knowledge and understanding and use it rightly to please the Lord. This wisdom from the Lord has two characteristics (Job 28:28). First, the wisdom from the Lord is going to fear the Lord. To fear the Lord is to honor Him as Lord in all areas of life. Second, the wisdom from the Lord is going to depart from what God calls evil. These two characteristics reveal whether or not a person has the wisdom of the Lord. "Whence then cometh this wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:20)

1. Man does not have wisdom. Job 28:13,21
2. Man cannot buy wisdom. Job 28:15-19
3. Man must seek the Lord to gain true wisdom. Job 28:23,28

By Design

3/7/2025

When Jesus Christ created His church, He created the church to function according to His design.  As the universe was created to function according to the authority of God's Word, so too the church should function according to what He has declared. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The "rock" is the revealed truth concerning the person of Jesus declared by Peter in verse sixteen. Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." Upon this unshakable truth Jesus designed His church to function consistently with what He said about His church when He said, "I will build my church."
1. Jesus is the preeminence of the church. "I"
2. Jesus is the pleasure of the church. "will"
3. Jesus is the progress of the church. "build"
4. Jesus is the possessor of the church. "my"
5. Jesus is the priority of the church. "church"
When it comes to the design of the church, the church has been designed by Jesus to be all about Jesus.

Come Alive

There is one thing the dead man needs more than the grave. The dead man needs life. He needs to come alive to the truth of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:5 uses the word "quicken" to describe the work of God in causing the dead man to come alive in Jesus Christ. "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved.)" To be quickened with Christ is to be made alive through His saving power. This work of salvation is a gift of God. It is by grace we who are dead in sins can come alive in Christ. Consider a few facts about this gift of God making us come alive in Christ.

1. It is a gift of Christ's love. 2:4
2. It is a gift of Christ life. 2:5-6

3. It is a gift that is long lasting. 2:7
Our response to this great gift of God should be to live life loving Him supremely, live life for His pleasure, and live this life to give Him the praise He rightly deserves.

The Dead Man

Is it possible to be physically alive yet be a dead man at the same time? Ephesians 2:1-3 teaches that it is not only possible, but it is also a sad reality for many people who are not alive in Christ. The dead man may have all the symptoms of a physical life. The heart is beating. The lungs are breathing. The brain is functioning. The body is responding.  But spiritually, they are devoid of the life that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. What are the symptoms of the dead man who is not alive in Jesus Christ?

1. The depravity of the dead man. The dead man is dead "in" his trespasses and sins. This does not mean that the dead man cannot do some things that are good in the eyes of fellow man. This does mean that the best of the good works of the dead man only amount to sin in the eyes of a holy God.
2. The disobedience of the dead man. The dead man is following after the course of this world. He is influenced by the deceptive lies of the devil. His walk is that of a disobedient child.

3. The desires of the dead man. The dead man lusts after what pleases himself. He then wills himself to obtain what only pleases himself. There is no desire in his heart to please the Lord because is not alive in Jesus Christ.
Is there any home for the dead man? Yes. He must come alive in Christ. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)" Ephesians 2:4-5

STRESS

2/8/2025

Stress is common in life. If there is not enough stress, we will not be motivated to accomplish anything. Too much stress and life can become overwhelming. Paul writes about this stress in 2 Corinthians 4:8, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair." How is he squeezed so tight yet does not give up? How can we handle stress common in life?

1. Trust that God is in control.
2. Remember the truth of God.
3. Rely on the strength of God.
4. Seek to glorify God.

SEALED

1/31/2025

One of the greatest Biblical truths, bringing great assurance to the heart of the believer, is the doctrine of the security of the saints. Is salvation of the saints, and its security, the work of our infallible God, or the work of fallible man?  This doctrine provides reassurance that believers are eternally held in all-powerful hands of the Son of God (John 10:27-29). This great truth is based upon the character of God, who cannot lie, ensuring that His promises are unchanging and eternal (Titus 1:2). Then, to secure His gift of everlasting life, the Lord sealed the believer with the Holy Spirit promise, guaranteeing our inheritance until the complete redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:14; 4:30). To unravel and trample over this beautiful doctrine would require the dismantling of the Word of God which is settled forever in heaven (Psalm 119:89). When it comes to the believer's security of salvation, consider it sealed!