What Shall I Render: Recent Episodes
Jay Don Poindexter
Jay Don Poindexter, minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, devoting his life and time to equipping and serving the saints. Listen here weekly for encouragement from the scripture!
Psalm 116:12-14 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.
God's nature and His trustworthiness are powerful to translate us away from this world. (Heb 11)
Hope is founded on the assurance and conviction given us through faith in Jesus (Heb 11:1; Rom 5:5; 8:24-25).
Our confidence at first came from Jesus, we must continue to fix our eyes on Him (Heb 3:14; 12:2).
The greatest defense against a sinful unbelieving heart is to remember, hold fast, what we share in Christ Jesus (Heb 3:12-14).
If a resume presents who someone is and what they have done to prove what they can do? Then, Jesus, the Son of God has the ONLY resume that declares sin to be removed!
Do not jump into a text making application based on familiar wording, without first seeking to understand what is being said in the letter, as a whole (Heb 10:26).
Ancient Israel misunderstood many things about God and His purpose for them in the Law. Today, people still misunderstand these things and, more importantly, misunderstand the Son.
God's word is truth (Jn 17:17). Being saved and set free in the truth requires us to continually believe it, agree with it, and willingly walk in it (Jn 8:31-32; Heb 9 1Jn 1:5-10).
Jesus has opened for us a new way, a living way, the way to be with God and walk with Him. (Heb 9:8; 10:20; Jn 14:6; Isa 35)
God's promised king (Eze 37:15ff), reigns in God's people, making us one, according to His eternal purpose.
If nothing had been wrong with the first covenant, no place would have been sought for another (Heb 8:7).
It matters who we confess Jesus to be to others, but it is very important who we believe Him to be, and who we confess Him to be to our own souls.
Jesus, the Son is God's complete final message. He is our covenant with God. He is the basis of our relationship with God. (Heb 1-6)
We benefit from listening to ALL that a writer has been saying, especially in the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 5:11-6:2).
The letter to the Hebrews is a treatise of what says in His Son to encourage holding fast to Him, whom we confess.
Heb 4:12-13 describes the living, penetrating truth about the Son of God as the High Priest and the Sacrifice, without Him, His covering, His intercession, all things are left open before God.
Thank you God for those who love, nurture, feed, and remind us of who you call us to be in Jesus!
Our circumstances can lead to a hardening of heart that will lead us astray (Exod 17:1-7; Psa 95; Heb 3).
There is no escape, if we ignore or neglect this salvation offered us in Son (Heb 2:1-4).
The Son is God's final complete and superior message. He is superior to the messengers (angels) who delivered the former covenant, the Law of Moses (Gal 3:19; Heb 1:1-18).
The creation speaks about God in all languages (Ps 19:1-4). The Word speaks to us about God more specifically, but either way, we must have ears that hear.
Feeling low in the dust, lacking steadfastness, feeling overwhelmed by attacks? God's word can remind us of what we have in our God to see us through those times!
Often the power of truth to set us free comes from the understanding it affords us about You, O God, the God of our salvation.
All that God has granted us in Christ Jesus affords us lives that glorify Him as we live out what He has given us.
Humility is key if we seek God's kingdom in our lives. Humility enables us to ask, seek, and knock for God's reign through Christ within us. (Matt 7:7-8)
...pray in the Spirit, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests . . . always keep on praying for all the saints (Eph 6:18). Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).
Romans reveals the power and purpose of the gospel message to bring the righteousness of God to reign in our lives, save our souls, and equip us to serve God.
God's promises are powerful in our lives, and so, in Christ, we speak the Amen, to the glory of God, who gave them!
God is the God of endurance and encouragement. His gospel call to us is to be beneficiaries and representatives of Him, in His Son (Rom 15).
God gives endurance, encouragement, hope, joy, and peace, through the gospel, to those who believe it.
(Rom 15:1-13)
God opposes the arrogant, but He graces the humble. One of the most powerful and blessing filled results of the gospel is the humility it produces in us.
(Rom 1:16; 12:3; 1 Pet 5:5-6)
Part of the gospel's continuing call for us to submit to God is to not place ourselves above law and authority.
Giving ourselves to hear and rely on the gospel message transforms our lives and renews our minds.
Viewing God's mercies, as the gospel reveals them, we find His call upon our lives in these mercies, and His love for us is His greatest call! (Rom 12)
The call of the gospel for Christians is to give their lives as living sacrifices to His glory. This sacrifice is empowered by the gospel message which reveals God's mercies shown us in Christ. God's mercies (the gospel's revelation) transform our minds to direct our lives as living sacrifices. (Rom 12:1-2)
Where can we go that God cannot get to us? Distance and darkness cannot stop God from saving and guiding.
Peter reminds suffering struggling Christians of the goal of their precious faith, the salvation of their souls. (1Pet 1:6-8; 2Pet 1:1).
The gospel calls us to God. It reveals to us a righteousness from God (Rom 1:1, 6, 7, 16-17). The gospel gives us a view of God's mercy, and it calls us to live in view of God's mercy (Rom 12:1).
Romans 10:13, like many other passages, is often read and quoted out of context, and this kind of study hinders our hearing the message of it.
The gospel is a continuing call for us to know and rely on the love God has for us - 1 Jn 4:16.
The Gospel calls everyone, Jew or Gentile, to God through Jesus Christ. Inherent in the idea of a call is a response, an answer. If you never hear a call, you simply will not answer.
God had given Israel such spiritual privilege: adoption as sons, the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, the promises, the patriarchs, even the physical lineage of Christ, and yet they rejected the opportunity all of these things gave them for faith. They chose to trust in themselves over trusting in the God, who calls (Rom 9-10).
The gospel message of Jesus Christ is powerful to save us (Rom 1:16-17), and it is powerful to grow and bear fruit within us (Col 1:5-6, 27). So, we should give careful attention to how we listen (Luke 8:4-18).
God's purpose through the gospel is to bring His love, not just into the hearts of His children but ever so practically into their lives! Rom 1:16-17; 5:5; 1 Cor 13:1-8
Born of God's promise, we find His purpose in that promise. Born of the gospel, we find God's purpose in that same Gospel.
Abraham's descendants were covenant related children of God, as a result of His promise to Abraham. Even under the Law of Moses all that Israel had with God were a result of His promise to Abraham. We are born of God, today, through Christ Jesus, who is God's covenant with us (Rom 9:1-18).
Our victory is in the One who is our covenant with God, Christ Jesus our Lord. Uniting us with Him and His death we have a new life to live in Christ. God has done for us in our union with Him what we cannot do on our own (Rom 6:3-5; Gal 2:20-21).
What God has given us in Christ Jesus defeats the worst we can face in this world. Rom 8:31-39
God's former covenant with Israel was the 10 Commandments/the Law of Moses it was based on the Leviticsal priesthood (Heb 7:11). Jesus is now our covenant. His blood and His priesthood are the basis of our covenant with God (Isa 42:6; 49:8; Luke 22:20; 2 Cor 3:6; Jer 31:31; Heb 8:8).
The gospel which saved us, continues to save, direct, and equip us to face all that we face in this world (Rom 1:16-17; 8:18-29). Let's resolve to continue learning its message and all the implications of its power for our lives.
The power of the gospel which saves us continually works to transform us and guide our lives in God's eternal purpose.
God has poured His love and so His redemptive purpose of freedom into us through His saving gospel. Life for the faithful Christian is, now lived in a newness like no other.
God did not record through Moses the account of creation just to answer the questions of curious minds. He gave it to His covenant related children when He was forming them into a people for His own possession and purpose, that they might know the power of the One who called them, that they might know His power and purpose of giving life through His spoken words. Though our covenant is in the blood of His Son, we still should hear this call, if we wish to go forward in God's purpose.
The gospel does not leave us with the same old mindset we had in the flesh. We now walk/live in newness of life (Rom 6:4, 11-13, 14-23; 8:4, 5-12).
The message of God that brings salvation, brings life, hope, and victory only to those willing to believe it.
Christ comes into this world in a way that very practically speaks to us of what is impossible with man is possible with God. Let Him save you :)
The gospel is about Jesus Christ, it offers us freedom from and salvation from sin, sin's dominion, and the wrath of God on sin (Rom 1:16-17; 5:6-8, 9-11).
Jan 3, 2024
Rom 5:12-21 is part of the revealing of God's righteousness being available to those who will believe the gospel message that brings it to mankind.
Faith brings an inheritance to the faithful that law-keeping can never afford (Rom 4:13-15).
From enemies to reconciliation to saved from God's wrath. This is the present possession of those justified by the blood, the saints in Christ Jesus (Rom 5:9-11).
Abraham's faith was an avenue for God to bless the whole world. David's faith was an avenue for God to defeat the enemies of His people and protect David from his own sin.
Those called by the gospel have somethings in common with two of God's ancient examples of being called and chosen by God, Abraham and David (Rom 4:1-25).
Sure and certain of what is yet unseen, we trust the Eternal One to reward those who seek Him. Just as Abraham did and as David did (Matt 8:13; 9:29; 15:28; Rom 4; Heb 11:1, 4).
Purposely choosing to remind our soul the greatest gift God has given us is the removal of our sins and the subsequent peace that gives us with Him (Ps 103).
Let the redeemed of the LORD say this . . .
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing
love and wonderful deeds for men - Ps 107.
God provided the sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac. God has provided the sacrifice which satisfies His justice on our behalf (Isa 53; Gen 22; Rom 3:25-26).
The gospel message points out our failure, so that we may be saved and transformed by God's solution: His righteousness made available to us in Christ.
First understanding the bad news (the diagnosis) can help us understand and be certain of the good news (the cure).
God gave us nature, an inherent desire for what is moral and just. He gave the Jews divine religious privilege. Yet, not any of these resulted in righteousness being performed by sinners.
Righteousness is the requirement for salvation from unrighteousness. The gospel message is the revelation of what God is offering us, in Christ Jesus.
Rom 3:9-20 - People on their own are not powerful to overcome their own unrighteousness. God alone paid the price for us to have His righteousness and the freedom it affords (Rom 3:21-26; 6:14-18).
Everything we need has been given us, our knowledge of Christ Jesus and God's great, precious, and powerful promises are given us through the apostles and prophets. These are enough to transform us to be like Jesus and escape the corruption in the world (2Pet 1:3-4, 19-22).
We follow or become like what we worship/glorify. If we follow vanity, we become vain (Jer 2:5; 2Kngs 17:15; Rom 1:21-32).
Mankind has no way to accomplish righteousness or freedom from unrighteousness, on our own (Rom 1:18-3:8). The gospel is the revelation of God's solution for our unrighteousness and its dominion over sinners.
The gospel regarding Jesus, deals with our greatest problem, unrighteousness and its solution. We must hear its message. Rom 1:16-17; 2:16; Acts 17:31; Rom 3:9; 6:14
Righteousness is the requirement for fellowship with God. Righteousness is available to us - there is no better news for sinners! Rom 1:16-17
The word of God will guide lives sustain our hearts! God grant us eyes to see the wonderful things in Your word, in Jesus' name we pray.
The power of truth is available to those willing to come into the light and see clearly God's purpose for them (Jn 3:19-21; 8:12; Col 1:13; Rom 5:21).
Remembering to focus on what we seek will keep us from being distracted by our plans and our failures. Keeping our eyes on Him will see us through the hard things of life (Jn 1:1-18; Jn 21).
By Jesus' resurrection, God has confirmed the deity of His Son, the sufficiency of His sacrifice and declared Jesus' defeat of death, bringing life and immortality to light. (2Tim 1:10; Jn 20)
We may want many things in life, but we must remember to evaluate what are we sacrificing and will it be worth it, in the end?
John plainly tells us that human effort is not the source of eternal life. Jesus brings life, trusting Him is our access to that life in His name.
The value of truth is bound up in the things it regards. The thing of greatest value for us is our souls, because they are not temporary. Therefore, the confidence we get from the truth concerning our souls is priceless! (Jn 1:1-18 and Jn 14-17)
The recorded miracles of Jesus are a call to see Him as He is and give absolute evidence of His authority. If you do not hear the message of His authority, you will not find life in His name. (Deut 18:14-19; Jn 1:10-13; 15:18-26)
God's economy meets the requirements of His righteousness. Jesus has become for us our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. He alone can bring sinners to a righteous Father.
The Spirit inspired message given the apostles of Jesus can change our minds and bring us faith in Him.
The Bible reveals God's system of redemption. While God's word gives laws to confirm what is right and what is wrong, it alone reveals God's system of redemption made available to you in Jesus Christ. (Jn 14; Isa 43)
In Christ, we are brought into a place of standing, sacrifice, blessing and purpose; it is God's love (John 1:1-18; 1 Cor 13).
Jesus' journey to the cross, the grave, death itself, and His subsequent Resurrection, and Ascension to the Throne of His Kingdom paved the way to the Father. This journey also gave the Father the right to send the Holy Spirit to come in Jesus' name to the apostles. The Spirit, the Comforter, Who was promised to them(Jn 14:26; 16:13), came just as Jesus promised and brought them the truth that saves and sets free (Jn 8:31-32), the message by which all people may believe in Him and have life in His name (Jn 17:20; 20:30-31).
The True Vine, Jesus, is our source of life, and Him, who is called Faithful and True is the conquering Conqueror on our behalf (Rev 19:11-13; Jer 2; Isa 5; Jn 15).
God wants to give us life, eternal life, a fruitful life, in His Son, Jesus. It is ours if we will choose it. God's love has given us the right to it! Let's pray we all take Him up on the offer (Jn 15).
Of all that God has made, God's place prepared for us is the greatest in this life. God has made a place for us to have and enjoy eternal life, the place is His Son, Jesus Christ. (Jn 14)
Life sometimes can be an exhausting roller coaster, disheveling our thoughts and hearts. Often, we may think our faith is failing us.
The apostles faced real life as they followed Jesus. We can take encouragement from His words to them. (Jn 14 -16)
How beautiful it is when God's family dwells together in unity, in service, and in purpose.
(Psalm 133)
The followers of Jesus serve, just as Jesus did, not always to the same extent but definitely in the same manner, having the mindset of a servant, a practical servant. (Jn 13)
When we look only at circumstances and our part in them, we can get discouraged. When we see God, our perspective changes. When we listen and hear His message, then we understand, then we see God for who He is, King Eternal. (John 12)
It is not too late, too far, or too hard for Jesus. He is the I AM over death! (John 11)
The Good Shepherd is calling us to God's work in Him. God's work in Christ leads us to Him who protects us and provides. He lives with us, and within us - Jn 10; Isa 53; and Isa 43; Ps 23.
Jesus is our Gate to God. He is the ultimate Stone of God's architecture. He is the Day of Righteousness/Salvation to whom we belong! (Jn 10 and Psa 118:19-29)
The light of the world brings even the blind to see. This gives hope to the most hopeless of circumstances - John 9.
There is a place where we can stand, and not fall. We can stand in Christ Jesus. He is our way out of temptation! (1 Cor 1:9; 10:13)
Jesus says - It was written in the prophets, they will all be taught by God. Anyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me - Jn 6:45.
The identity of Jesus is a perpetual life-giving truth. A truth that can bring real hope to any situation we face in this world.
John records for us various miracles done by Jesus, each of these can greatly impact our lives.
The righteousness God's nature demands, God Himself affords us in Christ Jesus, His Son.
We can trust Jesus when He tells good news, even if it seems He is far away from our situation.
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. His conversations with people show God's desire to bridge the gap to their hearts.
Jesus must go through Samaria, to have a conversation, a conversation that will save the soul of one woman and win an entire town's attention so they can believe He is who He claims to be (Jn 4).
Jesus says we should be very careful how we listen, and we should have ears to hears, if we want eternal life in His name.
The word of God reaches places within our hearts we cannot even get to on our own - Heb 4:12; Jn 4
John uses people's encounter with Jesus to explain and illustrate to us who He is. Nicodemus is one of those people.
Reading scripture so that it frames our thinking about God and changes our lives - Jn 2:11. 07-12-23 Wed PM class
. . . yet to all who received Him, to those believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God . . . born of God (Jn 1:12-13).
Humility and honesty are what receive the word of God in a way that it is able to bear fruit in our lives (Luke 8:4-15, 18).
John reveals Jesus as He is the Son of God, the Christ of God, the object of the faith that brings eternal life (Jn 1:1-18; 17:3; 20:30-31).
The world offers us material possessions and the worries that come with them. Seeking what God offers saves us from ourselves (Matt 6:33; Rom 1:16-17).
The King is the resurrected Son. The world rages against Him, but blessed are all who take refuge in Him (Psalm 2).
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, many in ancient Israel would rise or fall depending on what they believed and spoke regarding His resurrection. Their response would reveal their hearts toward Him as Savior of the world (Jn 11:25; Luke 2:34-35).
We often miss or forget what is really going on. Jesus shows us what's going on - Luke 8:40-56. He is reigning and ruling over uncleanness and death!
Jesus says - Woe to those who reject God's message to them through His Word. We dare not follow the example of the Pharisees offering God that which is seen above that which is within (Luke 11:37-52).
The world says that we should seek to find ourselves, our true self, but discovering self is no victory over self. If we will seek God, we find victory over self and purpose far beyond ourselves!
Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer that is based on God's nature and purpose, and the value of being redemptively persistent! -- Luke 11.
A key for growing the kingdom within us, is our attitude toward God's message
to us in Christ Jesus. Listening to Him is first priority! (Luke 10:25-42)
Luke 10:25-27 - The kingdom in your life comes down to how you read Scripture. How do you read it?
Luke 9:46-62 - The disciples are battling arrogance and Jesus warns against the arrogance of putting off following Him.
Jesus is not just one of many messages from God. Jesus is the Son. He is the message of God, the whole message of God (Luke 9:35 and Heb 1:1-3).
Luke 9:23 - the pathway to the kingdom is denying self so that we may follow the King, Jesus the Son of God.
God has made a place for Christ to dwell. In Christ all things hold together. What a place and what a life!!
When the Devil's work destroys our lives, we need to know there is only One who can destroy the Devil's work. Luke 8:26-39; Col 1:19-22; 1 Jn 3:8.
God created man in His own image, male and female made He them (Gen 1), and they had fellowship. God warned man against taking the way out of this fellowship, but they followed the temptation offered and took the way out. Sin, death, and suffering have been with us, since. Now, we have a way back into peace, life, fellowship, and purpose.
Sin seizes the opportunity afforded by law, but faith can seize the opportunity afforded by grace - Rom 6:14; 5:21.
The reign of Christ Jesus and or God's plan to justify and redeem lost people cannot be accomplished by law and human effort.
Law tells us what is wrong and how wrong the wrong is. God's plan is redemption, not just law!
The riches of the gospel are made known with Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).
Christ paid the price to forgive our sins so that God would have a just and righteous way to forgive our sins. He tells us they are forgiven so that we can know they are!
The world and the flesh offer us condemnation, frustration, and obligation. The Spirit gives life and freedom for those things of the flesh / the world
Since the beginning, when the earth was formless and empty. The Spirit of God and the word of God have worked to bring life. Christ came (Jn 10:10) to give life, that is that we might have the Spirit of God in us.
Remembering our baptism reminds us of God's power to save us in Christ and His call on our lives.
Ps 90:1-12 - Teaches us the value of trusting and fearing God during our short span on earth.
James tells us that life is fragile and temporary. We do best when we live it with the wisdom from above. Jas 4:13-17; Luke 12:16-21
God's wisdom, His word, always points us to God! Our faith and hope are in God (1 Pet 1:21). So, God tells His people about Him, knowledge of God puts our desires and the world around us into proper perspective (Isa 40:1-31).
Friends give us counsel, guidance, and comfort. God paid the price to be our friend when He gave His Son up for us. The wisdom from above warns us against the false friendship of the world, friendship that appeals to the desires of our flesh. God offers us friendship that satisfies and gives life to our souls. (Jas 4; Jn 15).
In every issue of life we are looking for wisdom from above- for Christ Jesus, wisdom from God. 6/26/22 PM