We began a study of the Gospel of John. At the outset, John, an eyewitness to all that was happening, wants us to know the identity of Jesus. John tells us that Jesus is the Word that became flesh. In the first few verses of Chapter 1, we see Jesus as God, Redeemer, and our…
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 Have you ever been held back because of your past? I…
I believe; help my unbelief—Mark 9:24 Have you really thought about what you believe about God? Some givens (I think): We know He is Omnipotent – all powerful. He created everything (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16). We know He is Omniscient – he sees everything and knows everything and can do anything (Isaiah 55:9; Hebrews 4:13;…
My Father is glorified by this; that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. John 15:8 In order to be like Jesus and become a person of no excuses, we need to know Him. He is Lord and Savior and should be the focal point of our lives. In John 15, Jesus…
How would you complete this sentence: A person who believes everything about Jesus and follows Him will speak in a way that is _______? We are coming to the end of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This Sunday we will look at Paul’s encouragement for them to “walk in wisdom” and to be ready to…
Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke, “In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:33. There’s nothing wrong with owning things. The problem is when things have us. As Christ-followers, we must love Jesus more than any personal possession. If…
If we aren’t careful, it’s possible to make an idol out of our comfort. The Bible tells us to carry our cross for Christ daily. That means we are guilty of the crime of being His, committed to Him – no matter the cost. It is to be so identified with Jesus that when they…
What difference would it make if we approached our spiritual disciplines as a means of drawing closer to Jesus? I mean, if we read our bibles, pray, and attend worship occasionally just because that’s what good Christ-followers do, we seem to be missing the point of our efforts. We should be in the Bible more…
5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.1 John 2:5-6 Tony Evans says, “Obedience rooted in love is the requirement for ongoing, developing, ever-deepening, fellowship with the Lord.” When we walk in His…
Jesus is our advocate – someone who helps. He represents us in God’s courtroom. He diverts the wrath of God and takes the punishment we deserve. Understanding that Jesus took the penalty for our sins should influence our love for Him and serve as motivation to obey Him. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to…