A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Surrender

 

    Isaiah 1:19

If you are Willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.

    Willing. Choosing to surrender my will, what I want, for God's will, what He wants. Considering all the components of obedience and disobedience, I choose to submit to His Ways, that His purpose might be fulfilled in me and through me. 

    A surrendered heart is a humbled heart. It is the art of self-discipline: forming new habits in Christ by faithfully applying The Word of God to my life. God writes His Word on my heart. The Holy Spirit applies The Word to my life. This Word is Christ, Life Immeasurable and Eternal. 

    It takes willingness to serve in God's kingdom. If a person is not willing to set aside their agenda, then that person is not ready to serve God. Sometimes it's a struggle to get there, but the more we submit to God's Authority, the less struggle there is and the more satisfaction there is. 

    We need to be willing AND obedient. It doesn't do us any good if we are willing to serve God, but remain in a disobedient lifestyle. It is impossible to please God if we insist on living in sin. A sin-filled lifestyle is in direct conflict with a holiness lifestyle. Sin must be repented of, confessed to God and turned away from in this life, before a person can be of any use in God's kingdom. 

    Are you ready to be willing and obedient? God knows your heart and what you are thinking. We need to become "less" as we develop a holy lifestyle and Jesus needs to become "more" (John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.").

CALLED TO SURRENDER

I Surrender - Hillsong

Oceans - Hillsong United

The More I Seek You - Kari Jobe

Spirit Lead Me - Michael Ketterer

Where You Go, I Go - Jesus Culture

The Call To Come Up & The Call To Come Out - David Wilkerson (short sermon)

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Worship The Lord

 

    Psalm 96:9

O Worship The LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth.

    1 Chronicles 16:21

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.

    2 Chronicles 20:21

Then Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing: "Give thanks to the LORD, for His loving devotion endures forever."

    Psalm 95:6

O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 

    Matthew 2:2

Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.

    Adoration. Loving devotion. Worship. God wants our worship. He tells us His Name is Jealous (Exodus 34:14) and that what He desires is for us to choose to adore Him. He commands His people to worship Him above all other gods, for the gods of this world are nothing (Exodus 20:1-6). 

    Come, let us worship The LORD our God in the beauty of His holiness. Let us clap our hands and shout! to The Lord (Psalm 47:1). Let us kneel down (Psalm 95:6). Let us raise our hands (Psalm 28:2; 1 Timothy 2:8). Let us play our musical instruments for Him (Psalm 98:5,6). 

CALLED TO WORSHIP

Come Let Us Worship & Bow Down - Steffany Gretzinger

Forever I Run - Elevation Worship

Here I Am To Worship - Israel Houghton 

Let It Rise - William Murphy

Worthy of It All - CeCe Winans

Only You Are Holy/Agnus Dei - Donnie McClurkin

LION - Elevation Worship

In The Beauty of Holiness - Robin Mark

Because of Who You Are - Vicki Yohe

Revelation Song - Chris Tomlin & Kari Jobe

Holy Is The Lamb - Oleta Adams

Adoration - Newsboys

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call To Wait & Keep

 

    Psalm 37:34

Wait on The LORD and Keep His Way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land: you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

    We know that to wait on The Lord is to come near when called and to serve Him in whatever capacity He has called us to serve. Whether we wash dishes, fix engines, build houses, mop floors, prepare lessons, drive trucks, scrub toilets, change diapers, fix leaky pipes, etc. Wherever we are, as long as our hearts are right with The Lord, we are in His service. 

    Many preachers have been called to not only serve in the pulpit but to build it, as well. The Lord builds His church and designates who does what. But sometimes the pastor does more than "just preach". He is the plumber, the electrician, the janitor, the spackler, the sweeper, the window washer. In each he waits on The Lord, he serves. 

    Many a parent multitasks throughout parenthood. This is a job that never ends. Here we wait on The Lord as parents, doing double duty: in the home we are parents; on the job we are the employer/employee. 

    No service is too mean when we are in The Lord's service. Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

    Keeping His Way is to guard, to protect, to hedge ourselves with His Word. It is to surround ourselves with The Word of God. We pray that He leads us, guides us, guards us (Psalm 23). We pray that He carries us through, and walks with us. We pray that God surrounds us with Himself, keeping our enemies at bay as we wait on His purpose to be accomplished within us and through us. 

    We surround ourselves with like-minded praying people in our lives that we may strengthen each other in The Lord. The hand washes the foot, the heart pumps the blood, the diaphragm gives voice to the mouth. This is the body of Christ in service to God. 

(1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

    If I step on a sharp object, the immediate acknowledgement of pain comes out of my mouth. The body knows when the foot is in pain. If I gaze longingly at that maple doughnut, the stomach knows the eyes have seen something good and the nose has smelled a fantastic aroma, immediately the mouth waters. The body knows what satisfies the stomach. 

    So, if we remain in His service, waiting on His commands and keeping them, we will receive our reward in due time. We are to wait and keep with joy and honor. We are people of integrity. We are people of praise. 

    We are the body of Christ: we will be broken and poured out when we humble ourselves to wait on God's timing and keep living our lives in obedience to His Word. 

CALLED TO WAIT

Wait On You - Elevation Worship & Maverick City 

Surrounded - UPPERROOM

Talking To Jesus - Elevation Worship & Maverick City

Build My Life - Pat Barrett

Jesus At The Center - TRIBL

I Will Serve The Lord - Carman

Walking Free - Micah Tyler & Matthew West

Promises - TRIBL

     

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Hope In The Lord

 

    Psalm 37:8,9

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself: it only leads to evil. For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who Hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 

    Hope. Some do not have any kind of hope. They struggle and fail, believing the lies of the devil, and remain in the darkness of their thoughts and hearts. Their eyes are blinded to the Light of Hope that is found in believing in the Name of Jesus Christ for their salvation. 

    Hope is for everyone, especially the Hope of Salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. God loves us so much He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. John 3:16-18. Jesus died for you and for me. We could not pay for our sins in a once and for all manner. But Jesus could and did. Hebrews 2:9-14. 

    Hope in the Lord. There is no hope outside of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is our Hope. Hope in the Lord is ours by faith in the Name. How do I know this? Acts 4:12 "Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

    Hope in the Lord. That which we hope for is not yet seen by the physical eye: it is only seen by the eyes of faith. We Hope and we wait with great expectation to be united face to face with our Savior and King. Romans 8:23-25. 

    So we walk out this Hope that is birthed within us when we believe in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. We walk it in Faith. And we wait. 

    1 John 3:2,3

Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this HOPE in Him purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.

    Jeremiah declares that God is the Hope of Israel and that all who deny God will be ashamed and remembered no more (dust). 

     Jeremiah 17:13

O LORD, The Hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, The Fountain of Living Water.

   David writes in Psalm 71 that only The Lord GOD is his Hope, his confidence/trust. 

     Psalm 71:5

For You are my Hope, O Lord GOD, my Confidence from my youth.

    We, too, can have this same Hope in The Lord that the ancients of Scripture have. All we have to do is repent of our sins and believe on the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. The command is also to be baptized into Christ's Name. We pray The Lord lead you to the waters and the people to whom this command has also been issued and entrusted to follow. 

    Being briefly immersed fully in water is our public confession of faith. Acts 2:38  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

CALLED TO HOPE

All My Hope Is In Jesus - Crowder

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

Jireh - Elevation Worship & Maverick City

How He Loves Us - David Crowder Band

My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less 

Living Hope - Phil Wickham

Greater Is The Blood - Mark & Sarah Tillman

    

    

The Lord Is....June 2023

 

HUPERBALLO CHARIS

(pronounced hoop-er-bal'-lo khar'-ece)

SURPASSING GRACE

2 Corinthians 9:14

And as they pray on your behalf, they will have deep affection for you because of the Surpassing Grace of God in you.

1 Timothy 1:15

And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

ANEKDIEGETOS DOREA

(pronounced an-ek-dee-ay'-gay-tos do-reh-ah')

INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift!

Romans 5:15

But the free Gift [of God] is not like the trespass [because the Gift of Grace overwhelms the fall of man]. For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the Gift [that comes] by the Grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many. 

ED

(pronounced ayd)

WITNESS

SAHED

(pronounced saw-hade')

ADVOCATE

Job 16:19

“Even now, behold, my Witness is in heaven, And my Advocate [who vouches and testifies for me] is on high."

KURIOS THERISMOS

(pronounced koo'-ree-os ther-is-mos')

THE LORD OF THE HARVEST

Luke 10:2

And He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask The Lord of The Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest."

1 Corinthians 3:7

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

John 15:1,2

“I am The True Vine, and My Father is The Keeper of the Vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful." 

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Rest in The Lord

 

    Psalm 37:7

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. 

    In this verse-Psalm 37:7-Rest means to wait silently and be still before The Lord, wait until He speaks or moves. 

    How do we Rest in the Lord? 

Psalm 40:1        Wait Patiently for Him

Hebrews 6:19    Anchor to Him in Hope

    How do we Wait patiently?

    Waiting patiently is a virtue, a fruit of the Spirit; it is part of the evidence of being a faithful faith-filled born again Christian. 

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

    We do not get impatient for God to move. We do not make demands on Him. We wait. And while we wait, we work. There is always much work to do. 

    We read God's Word, taking It into ourselves and applying It to our lives. 

    We pray to the Living God of the Holy Bible, speaking to Him reverentially, intimately and with joy. 

    We gather together in His designated places of meeting, whether that be a church building or synagogue or temple or in the open air. Wherever God calls us to worship and to hear His Word, that is where we go. Together. 

    We work together to advance God's kingdom. We preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We preach His Authority to be the Son of God while at the same time He was/is the Son of man. We preach His crucifixion, not just the how but the why. We preach His resurrection and ascension. 

    We work together in the Love of The Lord and the Unity of The Spirit. For it is The Spirit of God Who moves upon our hearts to do the will of God obediently and faithfully. 

    We Rest. We Wait. We Hope. We Serve. We Trust. In The Lord God and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

CALLED TO REST 

Love Is Kind - John Lucas

Learning To Be Loved By You - Melissa Helser/Cageless Birds

There is One Gospel - CityAlight

Face To Face - Zach Williams

Friend - Jonathan Ogden

Abide In Me - Andrew Marcus

Living Hope - Phil Wickham

Come Jesus Come - Steven McWhirter

PSALM 62:5

Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.

  

       

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Commit

 

    Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

    Most of us think we know what 'commit' means. But what is God's definition of commit? 

    To make a commitment to another person is to be faithful in that relationship, whether we are friends, spouses, colleagues or coworkers. 

    To make a commitment to an employer is to make a promise to abide by company rules and regulations; to be on time and do the work for which one is hired according to the pay one is promised. 

    To make a commitment to one's country is to pledge one's self to obeying the laws of the land as long as these laws are not contrary to God's laws. 

COMMITMENT GOD's WAY

    What does it mean here when it says we are to Commit our ways to the Lord? God wants us to trust Him. And talk with Him.

>1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our anxiety on Him, which lines up with Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus tells His disciples to not worry about the necessities of life, but seek the kingdom of God and all His righteousness. 

>Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."

>Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah.''

    God wants to meet us in prayer. Committing our way to The LORD means living our lives according to His Word and His Way. When we become born again believers, we stop being the person we were before we got saved and begin to live the life of a new creation, for we are a new person in Christ. 

    When we repent (confess our sins and turn away from them, stop doing those sins), God promises, makes a commitment to, forgive the repentant sinner. Our sins are washed away by the blood of God's Lamb, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We are clean and fresh and new. 

    Making a commitment to God is making a promise to God that we will be faithful in obeying His Word, faithful in seeking Him out, faithful in trusting Him to care for us in everything; faithful in doing the work He entrusts us to do. 

    I, like the faithful servants in the parable, also seek to hear those beautiful words from my Lord and Master, "Well done, My good and faithful servant." (Luke 19:17, 19) I do not wish to hear what He told the unfaithful servant (Luke 19:22-27). 

    Hear the Word of The Lord. Today is your day to surrender your hearts and your lives to Christ. Tomorrow is not promised. And our days are shortened and getting shorter. This, too, is promised. (Matthew 24:22)

 PEACE OF MIND COMES FROM TRUSTING THE LORD

    Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. 

SUCCESS COMES FROM A COMMITMENT TO THE LORD

    Proverbs 16:3

Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved. 

   A relationship without communication is an empty relationship: you're existing but not living. There are no anchor points to hold together the relationship. 

  We need God. By His Word we are formed and in His Word we are made complete. Let us commit our lives even now to loving Him, obeying Him, adoring Him. Let us live joy-filled faithful lives as we await His return to bring us home with Him. 

CALLED TO COMMIT 

Only Trust Him - Alan Jackson

Down To the River to Pray - Allison Krauss

Trading My Sorrows - 

Baptized In Fire - Ecclesia

Burn For You - Rivers & Robots

Here's My Life - Planetshakers

    

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Delight In The Lord

 

    Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

    To delight one's self in The LORD is to take great joy in The LORD's presence. It is to live in Him, to spend our time with Him. 

    This is how our soul prospers. And that is the definition of success in our Christian walk. The closer we walk with Jesus the more our hearts' desires align with The Father's heart and desire. 

    The Number One desire of The Father and ourselves is the salvation of all (John 6:40). It is to all we are sent by The Son (Mark 16:15), so into all the world we go, preaching the gospel of Good News. If this desire, this will of God, is not in our hearts, then we are not delighting ourselves in Him. 

    With salvation comes forgiveness. If we have unforgiveness in our hearts, then our hearts are not aligned with The Father's heart. Until we repent of our unforgiving hearts and let go of all bitterness, anger and hate, we cannot expect forgiveness from God. Nor can we expect God to hear and answer our prayers on behalf of anyone else. 

    In salvation is forgiveness through repentance; only then is mercy shown to us by God. For we have believed on the Name of The Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ. Only then is the blood applied to our hearts to wash away the stain and stench of our unrighteous behavior and wicked thoughts. 

    Through salvation comes a desire to live a holy life. For now we are walking By Faith on the Way of Holiness. We cannot see what lies ahead in life, but we can trust God to lead the way. 

    The Second desire of The Father is that all be baptized by water as a public confession of what has happened in their hearts (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). The third desire of The Father is to receive The Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 8).

    The Fourth desire of our Heavenly Father is that all be made disciples of The Word, which, simply put, means to progressively grow/mature in The Word as we learn it. And then we are to take what we have learned and share it with someone else. Like I'm doing right now.

    The Fifth desire of our Heavenly Father is that He desires our worship, for, as His Word says, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3) and "My Name is Jealous" (Exodus 34:14). Psalm 29:2 and Psalm 96:10 tell us to "Worship God in all His splendor, in the beauty of holiness". 

    We are created to spend time with God. God chose us to be His. But each of us has to make the individual choice to choose Him back. He's not going to force Himself into our hearts (Revelation 3:20). He waits for our response. 

    Is your heart aligned yet with God's? Are you receiving the desires of your heart at this point? What are you waiting for?

CALLED TO DELIGHT

You Give Life - Victory Worship

Joy - For King & Country

Shout To The Lord - Darlene Zschech

God of Wonders - Third Day

Praise The Lord - Micah Tyler

Amadeo - Ryan Stevenson

The River - Jordan Feliz

What Are We Waiting For? - For King & Country

All My Delight - The Belonging Co.

Blessed Are The Merciful

 

    Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

    HOW DO WE SHOW MERCY?

Share The Living Water of Life with Them

(that they may drink and be satisfied)

    Proverbs 11:25

A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Forgive The People Who Have Done Us Wrong

(regardless of how many times they do so)

    Matthew 6:14

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Honor Each Other With Genuine Affection

(not because you have to but because you want to)

Romans 12:10

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

    These are just a few verses on showing Mercy to others. Which ones can you think of?

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Trust In The Lord

 

    Psalm 37:3

Trust (rely on and have confidence) in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and feed (securely) on His faithfulness.

    Trust is bold confidence. I have to ask myself, 'Am I trusting in the LORD in this way?'  Yes. Otherwise this peace that I have in every situation I find myself in would simply disappear and I would be fraught with needless worry and anxieties. 

    While I do get anxious sometimes, because I don't like to be forgotten or ignored, my trust in God is still firmly in place. My faith is anchored in the LORD and if someone forgets to pick me up or is late, I have turned it into prayer time. Or study time. 

    The LORD tells me not to worry about when my everyday needs will be met or if and how they are met. He has everything under control. I am clothed. I am fed. I am sheltered. Matthew 6:25-34. 

    The LORD reminds me that I am His now that I believe that He is God's only begotten Son; that He died on the cross for me and took back the keys of hell and death from Satan; that He rose from the grave and ascended to His Father. Even now Christ is seated at God's right hand, where He intercedes on my behalf. John 3:16-18; Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21;  Acts 2:22-36; Revelation 1:8; Hebrews 9.

    Therefore, I TRUST IN THE LORD with all of my heart. My Faith is in God and God has a plan and a purpose for everyone. Rewards for they who believe and punishments for they who do not. The unbeliever can get anxious and worrisome; I will not, for I TRUST in The LORD God. 

    A crucified life seeks the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness. There is only room for Trust, a full confidence in that God's will and purpose is better than mine. The LORD calls His people to Trust in Him. If you are His people, He's calling you to Trust in Him. If you are not His people yet, He's calling you to salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ and to Trust Him. 

    Trust that God has a better plan for your life than you do. Trust that God's plan of salvation will save your soul and change your life in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. 

    Our money is imprinted with the phrase "In God We Trust". Are our hearts and minds imprinted with this phrase, as well? We are instructed in this verse to also "feed on His faithfulness". How has God been faithful to you? in the day? in the night? in tough times and good times? in sorrow and in joy? He is ALWAYS NEAR. 

CALLED TO TRUST

First Things First - Consumed By Fire

Gratitude - Brandon Lake

Help Is On The Way - TobyMac

Speak To The Mountains - Chris McClarney

Rise Up - CAIN

Walking Free - Micah Tyler

God Really Loves Us - Crowder, Dante Bowe

Trading My Sorrows - Darrell Evans, Integrity Music

Blessed Are They That Hunger & Thirst After Righteousness

 

    Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

THE SEEKERS HEART

    Psalm 63:1

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou are my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh longs for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.

    Psalm 107:9

For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

    Psalm 84:2

My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

EAT WHAT I'M GIVEN

    Bread of Heaven for the hungry. Living Water for the thirsty. Wine for the aching and sorrowful. Word tastes like Honey. 

    Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

    Psalm 119:103

How sweet are Your words to my taste--sweeter than honey in my mouth!

    Ezekiel 2:8

"And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you."

    Job 23:12

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

    Proverbs 30:8

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

    Psalm 16:5

The LORD is My Chosen Portion and My Cup; You have made my lot secure.

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Obey

 

    Jeremiah 7:23

But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'

HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD

    In order to obey God's voice, we first have to hear Him speak. How does God speak to us? In His Word. We can read and study it out, praying over it and as we make our way through it. We ask God to reveal Himself and show us what His word means to us. 

    But there is a second part to this hearing His voice: Walk in all His ways. To walk in His ways is to ask the Holy Spirit to apply God's Word to our hearts and our minds, that we may live a righteous and holy life. For we desire to see God and live. 

    The third part here says 'it may be well with you'. In Psalms 1:1-3 David writes of the blessing of a prosperous soul. The soul which obeys the voice of God and lives a Spirit-filled life has crucified the fleshly desires which tried to destroy it. We have overcome the darkness in us, and, by faith in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, we will continue to shine the Light of God's Love through us.

    Galatians 5:24-26

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.

THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S VOICE

    1. He will be our God

    2. We will be His people

    3. We walk with Him

    4. It is well with us

CALLED TO OBEY

Hear The Word of The Lord - The Kingsmen

When i Say Jesus - Jimmy Swaggart

Favorite Song of All - Phillips Craig and Dean

Sinner Saved By Grace - 

I Need A Ghost - Brandon Lake

I Will Serve The Lord - Carman

Trust & Obey - Big Daddy Weave

Blessed Are The Meek

 

    Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

    Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.

    The third blessing is to be meek like Christ. The word meek means "to exercise God's strength under His control". Jesus is not a wimp, nor is He the underdog character. As He went about His ministry, He did so meekly. He exercised great strength, great power without wielding God's judgment. For judgment is not why He came at that time. 

    John 3:17

For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

    Condemnation requires judgment. Jesus is Savior, not Judge. God is Judge and God has set the time and the place for judgment. While Grace is still evident in this world, now is the time to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. 

     Meekness is evidence of The Holy Spirit within a believer. It is a part of the fruit of The Spirit. Galatians 5:23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

    Even when He threw the moneychangers in the temple courts, He exercised great control - Mark 11:15.He could easily have destroyed them; instead He taught them - Mark 11:17- that's Grace. 

    To be meek is to exhibit divine gentle strength which operates, or moves, on faith. Everything about us works in the realm of our faith, including the fruit of The Spirit. We should not be losing our tempers over petty things. I'd give examples, but The Spirit will reveal to you exactly what He is referring to in your own life. 
    We do not hate. We love. We bless. Meekness is divine love in action both as it works within us and is exhibited by us. We are gentle, we are kind, we are meek. We hold our tongues and gossip not. We are not easily frustrated but simply silently pray for strength and we receive it. We are to be like Christ, wearing the yoke of divine strength and humility. 

    Let us even now ask for it that we may receive the blessing of meekness upon us and exercise it within us. If we want to have peace in our hearts and minds, we need the Peace of Christ living in us in all His fulness, including His meekness. 

    

A Crucified Life - - Recognizes The Voice of The Trinity

 

    Isaiah 48:16

Come near unto Me, hear this! I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now The Lord GOD, and His Spirit, have sent Me.

 Genesis 1:1-2 God, The Beginning, The Spirit

 Matthew 3:16-17 Jesus, Spirit of God, heavenly Father

Matthew 28:19 The Father, The Son, The Holy Ghost

2 Corinthians 13:14 (grace) of The Lord Jesus Christ, (love) of God, (fellowship) of The Holy Spirit

1 Peter 1:2 (foreknowledge of) God The Father, (sanctification of) The Spirit, (blood of) Jesus Christ

    Did you know the word "trinity" is not actually a word in the Bible? The Doctrine of The Trinity comes from the fact the Godhead is three persons in one. Colossians 2:9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Godhead means Triune Deity. Triune is three persons in one. Proof is not necessary to believe this; faith is necessary. 

    Faith hears The Word and believes it. Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

    John Bunyan on The Trinity:

The doctrine of the Trinity! you may ask me what that is? I answer, it is that doctrine that showeth us the love of God the Father in giving his Son, the love of God the Son in giving himself, and the love of the Lord the Spirit in his work of regenerating us, that we may be made able to lay hold of the love of the Father by his Son, and so enjoy eternal life by grace.

The Father's grace saveth no man without the grace of the Son, neither do the Father and the Son save any without the grace of the Spirit; for as the Father loves, the Son must die, and the Spirit must sanctify, or no soul must be saved.

Hear The Word of The Lord. Hear The Voice of The Father. Hear The Spirit Calling. 

FATHER SON SPIRIT 

Praise The Father, Praise The Son - Chris Tomlin

Creed - Third Day, Brandon Heath

Father, Son, Spirit - Jason Upton

Abba - John Mark Pantana

This I Believe - Hillsong Worship

Blessed Are They That Mourn

 

    Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3996

MOURN: properly, grieve over a death; (figuratively) to grieve over a personal hope (relationship) that dies, i.e. comes to divine closure ("ends"). ("Mourn over a death") refers to "manifested grief" so severe it takes possession of a person and cannot be hid.

   In John 16:16-33 Jesus is speaking to His disciples regarding His imminent death, resurrection, ascension, and return. Which, of course, they understood none of. 

    Many would rejoice over Christ's murder. For murder it was. He was too controversial to be allowed to live, so the local religious higher-ups conspired to kill Him. Matthew 26:2-3. 

    Then His disciples, His followers, would be mourning their loss while they who had conspired to kill Jesus would be rejoicing in His death, believing their problems to be over. 

    Upon Christ's resurrection, the disciples would rejoice; the murderers and they that condoned the mock trial and crucifixion would fear. When Christ left Earth to return to His Father, the disciples again rejoiced. 

    The Jewish religious leaders spread lies about Jesus while the disciples spread the Truth. As it was then so it is today. 

    For nearly 2000 years the faithful followers of Christ have preached the return of the King of Kings. The closer the time for His return the louder the earth groans and the world endeavors to destroy those who speak the Truth of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ. 

    We read in Revelation that when the two witnesses are killed, the people partied for three days. But then. Revelation 11:1-14. 

    When all is said and done as The Word has revealed it to us, they who came against God and His Son and His people will be no more. The world will no longer exist and a new earth will take its place. Revelation 21. 

    Until that time happens we who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior will continue to proclaim the Good, Good News. Come to Jesus. Come and be filled with The Bread of Life. Come and quench your thirst with the Living Water. Come and be empowered with The Holy Spirit, for The Spirit calls to you, too. Come and be loved by God. 

    Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

LEARNING TO BE LOVED BY YOU