November 5, 2010
Nov. 5 2010
After trying to understand the best we can about God and his nature we then need to move to our nature. Which is sinful. We are born opposed to God. Sin is ultimately worshiping or elevating anything or anyone above God. We come out of the womb with sin.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things”
Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thaniks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened.
I think everyone will admit that they have messed up. Messing up is sin. I heard a pastor once ask his congregation if they had sinned that day. Most raised their hand, the others who did not raise their hand, as he said “are lying so you just sinned too.” We all sin everyday. Isaiah takes it one step farther and says in the 64th chapter that all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Even the good we do, if done for selfish reasons or reassons other than to glorify God, is sin.
I could go on and on explaing all sorts of actions that we think are ok but in the end find out that these actions, because of the heart behind them, are sin. We all know that lying is sin. We all know that adultery is sin. What if I told you that working with your kid on his sport of choice for hours could be sin. Working with your kid for your glory is sin. Working with your daughter so that she can become famous and make you look good is sin. We are so sinful that we take a good thing and make it sin, sometimes with out knowing it.
Not real uplifting news, huh? Well it does get better. Once we look at and understand God’s nature and who he is and then conversely see our nature and who we really are, we are now set up for “The Good News.”
November 2, 2010
Nov. 2 2010
The good, gracious and just God of the universe, looked upon hopeless sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever. And it is all for the glory of God.
The good, gracious, and just God of the universe. If we don’t grasp or at least try to grasp God’s nature and who scripture says He is, we will never fully grow in our faith. Here is a list of some attributes of God- Obviously not all inclusive-
God is good- Psalm 25:8 ”Good and upright is the Lord.”
God is unchanging- Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change;”
God is Sovereign- 1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both riches and honor come from you., and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”
God is merciful and gracious- Exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
God is in control- Psalm 135:6 “Whatever the Lord pleases he does.”
God is perfect- 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, the God is light and in him is no darkness at all.”
God is just- Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
These are just the tip of the iceburg. God is bigger than we will ever be able to fully comprehend. It is important though that you seek the scriptures for God and who he is. This will help you grow in your faith- The bigger the picture of God, the bigger your faith can become.
October 25, 2010
Oct 25, 2010
The gospel, to many of us if we are not careful, can seem so mundane and elementary. We can think that once we are saved, we don’t need the gospel anymore. It, in fact, is the means by which we are sanctified and transformed.
If you are or have been attending a church you most likely have heard the gospel. If not, here it is:
The good, gracious and just God of the universe, looked upon hopeless sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever. And it is all for the glory of God. (Thanks to Rodney Hobbs for this exact definition)
None of the statements in these two sentences is meaningless. They are all important and all play a part. In future blogs I want to try to touch upon all of them individually. If it has become mundane- read it again and meditate on the truths in the bible. If it is the first time you have heard it or the first time it has hit a nerve, either contact me or someone you know who is a Christian and stay tuned as I will attempt (with plenty of help) to break it down.
October 22, 2010
Oct 21, 2010
I heard some time ago that it is important to have a clear picture of who God is and his nature (or as clear as we can). When I heard this I would nod my head and agree but I unknowingly had a blurred vision of who God is.
This idea is huge in your spiritual growth. I have come to see that growing in our awareness of God and his nature is vital to growing in your faith. With a small or unclear picture of God comes a (generally) stagnant spiritual life. You couple this with a growing awareness of our sin and that is a great way to grow in your faith.
Study scripture to get a clear view of just how great God is. Then preach this to yourself through out the day. Stuck in traffic? God is in control- seriously! Trust this- preach this to yourself. Do you think he is lookng down at you wringing his hands saying “this Dallas traffic is out of my control, what should I do?”
This maybe a silly example but how many times have you been in traffic and snapped. Literally had intense anger. Or looked over at someone in another car and have seen red face, veins popping out anger. I know when I have had those experiences I wasn’t exactly meditating on God and his sovereignty.
Psalm 115:3
Psalm 22:28
Job 1:21
Job 37:16
October 20, 2010
Oct 20, 2010
“The gospel is the good news that God rescues sinners. And since both non-Christians and Christians are sinners, we both need the gospel.” Tullian Tchividjian
What a great quote that I saw on another blog. We so often think that the gospel is for those that have not been saved by God. The gospel not only saves but it also sanctifies.
To those not saved the gospel says, “I took your place on the cross. Because of your sin, you should suffer the consequences. But my Father, in His grace and mercy, put me on the cross instead of you.”
To those saved, the gospel says, “I did it for you. It is done.You don’t have to work for my approval. I am enough. You don’t need to work for others approval. I am enough.”
February 25, 2008
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